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Monumental Afro Soul from El Rego Et Ses Commandos – El Rego's best recordings from the late 60s to early 70s – a beautifully done compilation put together by Daptone and Frank Gossner, the deep digging West African music expert behind Voodoo Funk! Theophile Do-Rego is a legend in his native Benin, essentially credited as the godfather of Benin funk – but to date, he hasn't been celebrated around the world nearly as famously as the superstars of African music hailing from Nigeria and Ghana. That's something that can change really quickly if enough people pick up this truly great compilation of pioneering recordings. Singer El Rego and his excellent, diversely capable band – sax and flute by Baboni Oudou, sax by Michel Diogo, guitar by Oscar De Souza, trumpet by Emmanuel Ganssounou, guitar by Roger Coffi, tumba by Marcelin Kpohonon, additional vocals by Christian Agueh, and bass by band leader Paul Hounnou – take a tighter approach to funky soul. Just a couple tracks on this set roll past the 4 minute mark – which gives it a tighter soul sound, along with some Benin blues and some riveting JB-indebted vocal affections. We owe Voodoo Funk and Daptone big for putting this together! Includes "Feeling You Got", "Zon Dede", "E Nan Mian Duku", "Dkobime", "Dis-Moi Oui", "Djobime", "Hessa" (the centerpiece of the album, 3 minutes of Afro Soul perfection. . .the whole set is great, but this track is unforgettable), "Kpon Fi La", "Do Do Baya", "Vive Le Renouveau", "Achuta", "Cholera" and "Ke Amon-Gbetchea".

Wow! Straight up incredible Afro Funk from Benin's El Rego Et Ses Commandos – the pummeling, yet soulful "Vimado Wingnan" and the slower, more hypnotic "E Nan Mian Nuku" – rare early 70s numbers on Daptone! "Vimado Wingnan" is one of those tracks that's so incredible that it should be an Afro Funk staple, yet we have to admit we were just recently hipped to it. The drums and percussion are amazing and it's got a wild organ in the mix that gives it something of a psych funk feel. Some flute lightens things up just a bit and the vocals are nice and funky, too. The flip isn't as intense, but it's got a rhythm that's just as insistent in it's less perspiring way. The material was brought to Daptone by Frank Gossner of Voodoo Funk and a full album is promised. We cannot wait!

Amazing stuff from Ginger Baker's personal archives – live recordings with his Salt group – born of his relocation to Nigeria and a wonderful, dexterous fusion of jazz & rock percussion with African rhythms! The sound is pretty great on these 2 CDs, and the performances are truly great! Players include Ginger Baker and guest drummer Art Blakey (!!!), plus Steve Gregory on sax & flute, Bud Beadle on sax, Tunde Koboje on bass, Berkely Jones on guitar, vocalists Kehinde Lijada and Taiwo Lijada, and African drums by Laola Akins. CD1 has 7 unlisted tracks, mostly on the longer side – the shortest more the 5 minutes and longest nearly 20 minutes. Disc 2 has one short introductory bit and a 18+ minute track.

Overlooked later work from trumpeter Harry Beckett – material that really sparkles with a lot of warmth and imagination, and which is pulled together from a collection of different sessions in the late 80s and early 90s! The package features Beckett in a number of settings – including a beautiful duet with pianist Chris McGregor on the title track "Maxine", another duet with pianist Django Bates on "Les Jardins Du Casino", a 24 minute tune titled "Cozy N Rozy" played with a quintet that features McGregor on piano and Courtney Pine on tenor, a sweet take on Jacques Brel's "Amsterdam" in a trio with Joachim Kuhn on piano and JF Jenny Clarke on bass, and two group numbers with Annie Whitehead on trombone and John Burgess on flute and sax – on the tunes "Falling In Love With Love" and "Bessie's Blues".

Seminal Chicago sounds from cornetist Josh Berman – and a record that's not just a key example of his talents, but of the whole energy of the Windy City scene as well! There's a nice gag in the "His Gang" on the cover of the record – but it's also somewhat well put, too – as Berman's definitely got ears for the old-time sounds such a name might imply – yet always has ways of making those older modes come out with freshly modern energy! The balance is amazing – and really shows Josh's ear for trad jazz, mixed with his contemporary avant expressions – a pan-historical jazz mode that's hardly ever been handled this well – except maybe by Jaki Byard at a few moments. At some level, the instrumentation reads like an old trad band – cornet, clarinet, trombone, bass clarinet – but the sounds here are definitely 21st Century – played by a great "gang" that includes Guillermo Gregorio on clarinet, Jeb Bishop on trombone, Jason Stein on bass clarinet, Keefe Jackson on tenor, Jason Adasiewicz on vibes, Josh Abrams on bass, and Frank Rosaly on drums. Berman's arrangements are wonderful – very offbeat, but swinging too – and titles include "Sugar", "Mobile & Blues", "Liza", "Cloudy", "One Train May Hide Another", and "Jada".

A lost treasure – never-issued material from the legendary Blue Notes combo – and a set that really helps fill some space in their all-too-small recorded catalog! The set captures the group at the end of the 70s, working in their most openly-creative mode – a style that partly shows their strong roots in the South African jazz scene of the 60s, but which also really opens up with some of the freer modes of the following decade – hitting a mix of modes that's not unlike some of the AACM at their best, although often with a lot more intensity, too! The group at this point is a quartet – with Chris McGregor on piano, Johnny Dyani on bass, Louis Moholo on drums, and Dudu Pukwana on some especially amazing alto sax – blown with such righteous force, we might well say that his instrument is center stage on the record – were it not for the wonderfully complex rhythms from the other three group members too! Tracks are long, and filled with righteous soul – and titles inlcude "Ithi Gui", "Mange", "Lonta Uyagula", "Lakutshonga Ilanga", "The Bride", and "Funk Dem Dudu".

A long-overdue look at one of the most important groups to grace the British jazz scene of the 60s and 70s – the legendary Blue Notes, a group of South African expatriates with an undeniably huge influence on the music of their new homeland! The ensemble featured key players who went onto do some amazing work on their own, but first came together in this group – trumpeter Mongezi Feza, saxophonist Dudu Pukwana, pianist Chris McGregor, bassist Johnny Dyani, and drummer Louis Moholo – all players as dynamic together and important on their own as the members of the Art Emsemble of Chicago from the US. The set finally brings out all of the group's key albums for the Ogun label, plus some great bonus material too – a rich tapestry of work that shows the combo's evolution from African-tinged jazz of the 60s to some much more farther-reaching sounds in the 70s – all beautifully packaged, with each album presented on its own inside a larger slipcase! The set features The Blue Notes Legacy, a live date in South Africa from 1964; Blue Notes For Mongezi, a double-length set recorded after the passing of group trumpeter Mongezi Feza; Blue Notes For Johnny, a date recorded after the passing of bassist Johnny Dyani; and Blue Notes In Concert, a great live date recorded in 1977. There's a wealth of wonderful music here – and along with the bonus tracks, the set also features a great booklet of remembrances and vintage photos!

A Christmas jazz album – even though you might not guess it from the title and cover – and one that really takes a fresh approach to a wide range of Holiday classics! Guitarist Craig Brann isn't content to simply rehash old melodies – and instead really steps out with creative jazz reworkings of these classic tunes – re-arranging almost all of them with a fresh sense of rhythms, and some angular energy that makes them all a lot more striking than most familiar versions! Tunes are short, but get in plenty of creative changes – and in addition to Brann's guitar, the set also features tenor and alto from Gregory Tardy, piano from Joel Weiskopf, and alto from Nicholas Kozak. Maybe the most openly creative Christmas jazz album since God Rest Ye Merry Jazzmen – with titles that include "We Three Kings", "Angels We Have Heard On High", "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen", "Hark The Herald", "Little Drummer Boy", and "Joy To The World".

Righteous soul – and the only record ever cut by East Coast – a group led by Larry Blackmon, featuring early vocals by Gwen Guthrie! The style is very hip – a mixture of funk and progressive grooving, all held together with a sound that's young, proud, and which moves easily between influences from a number of different camps. In a way, the group's almost a cross between early Earth Wind & Fire and The Voices Of East Harlem – with a style that's got some nicely soulful jazz elements, but served up with a dose of sweeter soul. Gregory Johnson plays some great keyboards on the set, and titles include "I've Got To Reclaim You", "Something Deep Inside", "Any Thing You Have In Mind", "Miss Gigi", "Keep On Trying", "I Found You", and "You Can't Let It Get You Down".

Che Guevara never sounded so groovy – thanks to some sublime soundtrack scoring from the great Nico Fidenco! The music is a bit more exotic than usual for Nico – some touches of pan pipes and acoustic guitar to signify the South American scene, but mixed with other elements that are pure Fidenco all the way – including little swells of sound that slink along slowly, rootsy percussion that gives a few moments a nice earthy touch, and other elements that are sometimes more sensual than dramatic – and we mean that in a good way! Most tracks are short, and trade a few themes back and forth throughout – and titles include "La Boliviana", "Los Federales", "I Regolari", "I Compagni Morti", "Los Federales", "La Ballata Del Che", and "La Leggenda Del Che". CD also features 5 bonus tracks too!

Joe Gibbs and Errol Thompson more than live up to their title as the Mighty Two just as this heavy compilation more than lives up to the title of nothing but scorchers! Gibbs and ET showcase their mastery of all styles here, veering from hard and heavy roots to sweet lover's numbers and even a few bouncing tracks aimed a the dancehall! Top notch singers and dee jays are all featured over throbbing rhythms at the hands of Gibbs' Professionals crew, with 28 tracks in all, including "Two Sevens Clash" by Culture, "Babylon Too Rough" by Gregory Isaacs, "Cool Out Son" by Junior Murvin, "Boxing Around" and "No Man's Land" by Cornell Campbell, "Just Like A River" by the Mighty Diamonds, Left With A Broken Heart" by George Nooks, "Funeral" by Prince Alla,"Rockers A Nuh Crackers" by Glen Washington, "Jah Bring I Joy In The Morning" by Bobby Melody, "Burn Babylon" by Sylford Walker, "Keep On Knocking" by Jaco Miller, "Virgin Girl" by Eek-A-Mouse, "Hello Carol" by Enos McLeod, and "UptownTop Ranking" by Althea & Donna.

Massively mellow funk – played by a cool Chicago trio that's heavy on the electric keys! The group's led by the team of keyboardist Gregory Bibb and guitarist James Norris – with the former working through a set of tasty keys that include Fender Rhodes, clavinet, and farfisa! Rhythms are lean, laidback, and nicely stripped-down – funky, but chilled out – in a kind of a groove that was years ahead of its time, and which is now only finally getting its due. There's some really heavy drums on the best cuts – hard, but with rhythms that are slightly off-kilter, in a way that makes for a really refreshing groove, even when the group's covering work by other artists. The whole thing's instrumental – with the original tracks "Brother Marcus" and "Changing Things" – plus great covers of "Love & Happiness", "Shaft", and a great version of "Ain't No Sunshine". Nice laidback funk, with a super-dope sound that's as a hip as the cover!

An overlooked early session from multi-instrumentalist Michael Gregory Jackson, recording here with a trio of great horn players in a wonderfully sensitive sound! The record's approach is a perfect illustration of the maturity on the New York avant scene in the late 70s – a real change from the more frenetic modes that ESP was recording a decade before, with some thoughtful, almost pensive points that really round out the record beautifully. Jackson plays mostly guitar, but also vocalizes a bit and plays marimba, percussion, wood flute and other instruments – and he's joined by Oliver Lake on flute and saxes, Wadada Leo Smith on trumpets, and David Murray on tenor sax. Some tracks get nice and bold, while others hold back wonderfully – and titles include "Oliver Lake", "Clarity", "A View Of This Life", "Prelueoionti" and "Iomi".

A spare and dramatic score for this film that starred Gregory Peck, Anthony Quinn, and Omar Sharif – penned by Maurice Jarre with some slight Spanish touches, to fit the setting of the narrative! Light guitar is used on many numbers – but with a very high-register sort of sound that almost feels like harpsichord at moments – and other tracks feature an isolated flute snaking along the tunes slowly, carving out some nice moods and colors with a fair bit of subtlety. Orchestrations are relatively subdued throughout – and for the time, the music is wonderfully understated – especially for Jarre! Titles include "Manuel In San Martin", "Paco Leaving Spain", "Spanish Street", "Manuel Studies Map", and "Father Francisco In Hospital".

A set of performances dedicated to Thelonious Monk – yet music that's quite far from anything by Monk that we've ever heard before! Yet there's also a definite Monkish inspiration going on here – a sense of space and timing that resonates in different, often drawn-out ways – performed by the group's twin pianos, handled by Ufuk and Bahar Dorduncu – and percussion by Francois Volpe and Sebastien Cordier. The result is more avant compositional than jazz, yet the performance here is key too – on performances of compositions that include Oliver Schneller's "Resonant Space", Guillermo Gregorio's "Construction In Four Parts", Fabrizio Rat Ferrero's "L'Abito Non FaIl Monaco", and Stefan Wirth's "Standards".

Amazing sounds from the legendary Chris McGregor – a rare set of solo piano performances that shows a whole new side of his genius! The music here is still steeped in South African roots, yet has a style that's a bit more personal and intimate than some of Chris' better-known recordings with The Brotherhood Of Breath, or The Blue Notes – as McGregor here has to carry all the weight on his own – and does a tremendous job of spinning out these haunting melodies on piano – usually with a rhythmic pulse that's as compelling as the tune! The style's got echoes of previous Afro-inspired piano jazz from Randy Weston or Dollar Brand – but there's a deftness, and sense of feeling here that's completely McGregor's own – a really compelling quality that holds us rapt in ways that few other solo piano sets might do. This CD brings together lots more material than was on the original LP release – over 70s minutes of music, with track sthat include "Call", "Raincloud", "Umhome", "Mngqusho", "The Bride", "In His Good Time", "Ududu Nombambula", "Kwa Tebugo", and "Green Hymn".

A smashing set of work from drummer Louis Moholo – a set that shows that after all these years, he's still a richly creative talent on his instrument! The album has Louis duetting with pianist Alexander Hawkins – a younger player who'd caught his ear a few years before, and who turns out to be a perfect partner for the record – graced with just the right kind of free-thinking, yet spiritual elements as Moholo's own music – able to stretch out strongly with a lot of freedom, yet never lose sight of the overarching goal! The tracks are all long and open – and almost recall some of the interplay between Moholo and Chris McGregor in years back – especially some of the freer work on the 70s London scene. The album's a beautiful extension of the Ogun Records tradition – and titles include "Lakutshon Ilanga", "Hear Our Hearts", "Heavy Manners", "Amaxesha Osizi", "If I Should Lose You", "Pure Vision", and "Catch You On The Rebound".

A memorable set from Mushroom – captured live at San Francisco's Tip Top Inn in March of 2000! The set promised to channel the creative spirit of leftfield Brit jazz figures of the 70s, such Keith Tippett, Chris McGregor and Ian Carr – and dare we say so, they pretty much nail it! Recorded by drummer Pat Thomas, the group features Jeff Palmer on bass, Marc Capelle on trumpet, Carroll Ashby on trombone, Davie Mihaly on percussion, Jon Sanders on keys and Erik Pearson on guitar and sax. The titles are a trip, too: "No Anagrams Found by Recursive Algorithm", "I've Never Understood The Importance Of Club DJs, They Seem Like The Lowest Link In The Chain, Like A Fluffer On A Porn Site", "Loft Hawk", "Blues For An Airplane" and more. 9 in all, and the set runs north of an hour long.

Group soul from The Philly Devotions – a key group in the evolution of the Philly sound who were then and are to this day greatly overlooked in the city's soul heritage – but it's truly beautiful stuff! This is vocal group with talent that should have gotten them over in big way, but thankfully, it's never to let to get on board. They might be best known for a couple of early Philly disco singles that were issued by Columbia – but even better are the earlier, more soaring and emotional numbers with stirring strings, but really fly higher thanks to the perfectly arranged vocals – we're hearing a number of those for the first time ever on this set! The group features Morris Taylor, Ernest Gibson, Gregory Davis, George Patterson and lead singer Matt Covington. 15 tracks in all: "Didn't Anyone Ever Tell You I Love You", "Makin Up", "I'll Never Color You A Rainbow", "Yeah, Yeah Girl", "I Just Can't Make It (Without You)", "We're Gonna Make It", "I Just Can't Say Goodbye", "I Was A Lonely Man", "Hurt So Bad", "Isn't It A Dream Come True", "It's Gotta Be This Way" and more – plus extended mixes of "I Just Can't Make It (Without You)" and "Hurt So Bad" and the instrumental version of "I Just Can't Say Goodbye".

Gregory Porter's a hip little singer – just the sort we love to discover in jazz, and the type that only comes around once in a blue moon! Like Jon Hendricks, Mark Murphy, or Kurt Elling – all perfect references for Porter's style – Greg has a wonderful way of coming up with his own lyrics for a tune – making him way more than just a singer of standards, and instead a richly expressive voice that has every bit to offer as you might get from a jazz instrumentalist! The arrangements are great, too – handled by Porter with help from pianist Chip Crawford and producer Kamau Kenyatta – bold, soulful, and soaring on the best tracks – all in beautiful declaration of Gregory's rich power and presence. Titles include a great version of Wayne Shorter's "Black Nile", and the original tracks "1960 What", "Lonely One", "Water", "Pretty", "Illusion", and "Magic Cup".

A stone smoker from Rongetz Foundation – and a record that's even better than anything else we've heard from them! This time around, the sound is very live – recorded in the US, with help from heavyweights like Ronnie Cuber on baritone sax and Bruce Williams on alto – plus killer vocals from Gregory Porter on two tracks that are worth the price of the album alone! The sound is totally smoking – soul jazz, with a spiritual undercurrent – and on the cuts "Hard Bop Merry Go Round" and "Gogo Soul", Porter gets some of his best backing ever – a mode that almost sounds better than his already-great albums! A few other cuts feature vocals by other singers – and titles inclu de "Eunice K", "Sam's Intro", "A Composer Of Modern Day", "The Braggart", and "Freaking Sunshine".

A stone smoker from Rongetz Foundation – and a record that's even better than anything else we've heard from them! This time around, the sound is very live – recorded in the US, with help from heavyweights like Ronnie Cuber on baritone sax and Bruce Williams on alto – plus killer vocals from Gregory Porter on two tracks that are worth the price of the album alone! The sound is totally smoking – soul jazz, with a spiritual undercurrent – and on the cuts "Hard Bop Merry Go Round" and "Gogo Soul", Porter gets some of his best backing ever – a mode that almost sounds better than his already-great albums! A few other cuts feature vocals by other singers – and titles inclu de "Eunice K", "Sam's Intro", "A Composer Of Modern Day", "The Braggart", and "Freaking Sunshine".

Horace Silver's last record for Blue Note – and an amazing end to his decades of work for the legendary label! The set's a perfect summation of all the new directions that Horace took in the 70s – new territory that's deeply spiritual, and undeniably righteous – yet which also has a fully focused approach too – one that's showcased here wonderfully in an expansive suite of tracks with a really positive message! The "strings" in the title isn't really accurate – as the set's more of a large arrangement session that feels Strata East spiritual – done in collaboration with Wade Marcus, but with jazzier, more acoustic tones than most of Marcus' other music. In addition to Silver's piano, key core players include Tom Harrell on flugelhorn, Larry Schneider on tenor and soprano sax, Ron Carter on bass, and Al Foster on drums – who play beautifully together, with a very fluid vibe. The set also features some key vocal passages at points – sung by Brenda Alford, Chapman Roberts, Carol Lynn Maillard, and a young Gregory Hines – on titles that include "The Soul & Its Expression", "Self Portrait No 1", "The Conscious & Its Desire For Change", "Inner Feelings", "Expansion", and "The Creator Guides Us".

Rare work from British singer Rosemary Squires – a vocalist we hardly know at all, but one who really stands out strongly in these excellent 60s recordings! Rosemary's got a mature, sophisticated style that's very much the best female mode of the time – that all-adult style of singing that was emerging in the 60s – kind of post-pop, post-torch – not afraid to show off its charms when needed, but very self-possessed of its other strengths as well. The arrangements often help Squires hit this mature mode quite well – handled by UK talents Wally Stott, Ken Thorne, John Gregory, and Robert Mandell – and the choice of material is mostly older numbers, but taken into very fresh territory by these talents – hardly just a batch of musty evergreens, and instead remade into vehicles for a new sort of expression. Titles include "I've Got You Under My Skin", "The Shining Sea", "Do It Again", "Someone To Watch Over Me", "Just In Time", "But Not For Me", "Whatever Lola Wants", and "Till There Was You".

Jazzy bossa rhythms and club soul grooves from the Dutch production team Subes! Subes is the trio of Gregor Wilmot, Pieter Ubbels and Aram Wilmot – who color from a broad palatte of global influences and the producers lay the sounds down with accompanying players on sax, flute, melodica, drums, bass and keys. A nice mix of live and programmed grooves with real depth! Titles include "Samba One", "Sognare", "Jazz Azz", "Jazz For 2", "Airporto", "Lost", "Contra Bossa", "Lost", "See You There", "Fast Spinn" and more.

Genius work from a singer who makes us proud to live in the Windy City – vocalist Milton Suggs, who emerges here as a hell of a writer and arranger too! Milton's easily one of the best new voices in jazz we've heard in years – filled with a rich sense of imagination on his lyrics and phrasing, and a depth of soul that makes sure that his music and movements are always right on the money – a sound and style that puts him the company of a rare few in jazz – a short list that might include Jon Hendricks, Gregory Porter, Kurt Elling, and Mark Murphy! Yet like all those talents, Suggs has a sound that's uniquely his own – a way of putting over a tune that's tremendous – especially when he takes musical inspiration from others, and makes it something all his own – as he does here with core compositions by Wayne Shorter, Belly Golson, and Roy Hargrove. The Shorter inspiration is especially strong – which is great with us – and the album also features great instrumental accompaniment as well. Titles include "Jayme's Song", "Walking Out", "Only A Memory", "Side By Side", "Die Laughing", "Will You Fly With Me", and "Joy Enough To Spare".

Genius work from a singer who makes us proud to live in the Windy City – vocalist Milton Suggs, who emerges here as a hell of a writer and arranger too! Milton's easily one of the best new voices in jazz we've heard in years – filled with a rich sense of imagination on his lyrics and phrasing, and a depth of soul that makes sure that his music and movements are always right on the money – a sound and style that puts him the company of a rare few in jazz – a short list that might include Jon Hendricks, Gregory Porter, Kurt Elling, and Mark Murphy! Yet like all those talents, Suggs has a sound that's uniquely his own – a way of putting over a tune that's tremendous – especially when he takes musical inspiration from others, and makes it something all his own – as he does here with core compositions by Wayne Shorter, Belly Golson, and Roy Hargrove. The Shorter inspiration is especially strong – which is great with us – and the album also features great instrumental accompaniment as well. Titles include "Jayme's Song", "Walking Out", "Only A Memory", "Side By Side", "Die Laughing", "Will You Fly With Me", and "Joy Enough To Spare".

Definitely the standards promised in the title, but in the hands of Gregory Tardy, they're also something more – these beautiful little poems in sound, served up mostly by Tardy on tenor sax, but also featuring clarinet on a few sweet numbers too! The album's mostly a quartet outing – with piano, bass, and drums taking a gentle spot behind the lead horn – but a few numbers also feature trumpet from Philip Dizack, who blows with an equally mellow tone to match Tardy's energy – sliding in with just the right tone for each tune. Titles include "When I Fall In Love", "Secret Love", "I See Your Face Before Me", "How Deep The Father's Love For Us", and "Firm Roots".

The name's a bit unfamiliar, but the group's a great one – and an ensemble that features some major talents of recent years – including Gregory Porter on vocals, Robert Walter on keyboards, Karl Denson on saxes, and Melvin Sparks on guitar! The style's got all the classic modes you'd guess from such a lineup – a righteous blend of jazz, soul, and funk – with an instrumental groove that's already pretty darn great, but which really takes off once Gregory Porter's vocals come into the mix! Porter's one of our favorite jazz singers in recent years, and it's great to hear him in such a setting – and our hat's off to drummer Zak Najor for leading the group, and bringing Porter aboard for a few tracks. Titles include "She Danced Across The Floor", "Catchin Sparks", "Soul Good", "Wash Cloth", "He Said", "Issues Of Life", "Zak Attack", "Just IN Time", "Mystery", and "Scone Break".

Plenty of disco love here – a really heartfelt selection of rare club tunes – great little numbers that are as funky and soulful as they are obscure! These aren't the disco hits of the late 70s, but they're also not clunkers that are just rare either – and instead, they're great little tunes that hardly got discovered back in the day – but are brought together here in a wicked collection by collector Al Kent! There's a freshness to the material that takes us way past the obvious – funky basslines, snapping drums, and lots of wonderful keyboards and guitar – all wrapped up in a near-perfect way, and usually set to some smoking vocals too. Many of the cuts here are rare to even our crate-tuned ears – and titles include "Mighty Gents" by The Mighty Gents, "Hungry" by Sandy's Gang, "Oh Baby/Get On Down" by Bo Galigher & TSB, "Something About You" by Moses, "Disco Fever (part 3)" by Rhond Durand, "Disco Music" by Sil Austin, "Hustle On Down (part 3)" by Michael Legrair, and "I Want To Be With You" by Gregory Andre & Two Plus Three.

A smashing selection of soulful tunes from the Hurst series – all contemporary numbers, all underground, with plenty of gems you've likely not heard before! As with the first volume, the ear for a great track is key to the set – a really well-chosen batch of tunes that goes past the obvious heavy-hitters in the Neo Soul scene, to present some key up and comers, as well as a few familiar talents in some new mixes. Titles include the excellent 12" gem "1960 What (Gerardo Frisina Cuban soul mix)" by Gregory Porter – plus "Hit The Devil" by Room 56, "Pay Day" by Milan Ring, "Be Free" by Moonchild, "I'm Waiting On You" by Michon Young, "I'll Take You There" by Boukou Groove, "Everything I Need (ext mix)" by Maz, "Renovation" by Jazz Collective, and "Freedom" by Gabriele Poso.

Exclusive, never before heard music from Bonobo featuring Fink, Herbie Hancock, Dobie & Eclectic, Skalpel, Cougar, Terry Garthwaite, John Gregory and more! 12 tracks on 2LPs. Includes "Feel Love" by Dave Invisible, "If Music Was This Easy" by Skalpel, "Lazy Afternoon" by Stan Kenton, "What More" by Terry Garthwaite, "Wantin' Ain't Getting" by The Associaation, "Quand LE Blues S'En Ira" by Henri Texier and more.

A mad selection of soulful reggae from Jazzie B! Trojan taps the man behind some of the finest 80s soul to select a set that's guaranteed to ram the dance in the same way that Soul II Soul ruled dancefloors and radio with their bumping modern grooves. Jazzie B hits hits some familiar chords with some of his selections, but there's quite a few tracks even we didn't have on disc and the set plays wonderfully from start to finish, aptly living up to all the title promises! 18 number in all, including "Screw Face" and "Point Blank" by I Roy, "Slave Master" by Gregory Isaacs, "Jump Up" by Admiral Bailey, "Ready Done" by Nitty Gritty, "Natty Dread A Wah She Want" by Tapper Zukie & Horace Andy, "Shine Eye Girl" by Barrington Levy & Jah Thomas, "Getting Cozy (ext mix)" by the In Crowd, "Warrior" by Junior Delgado, "Ain't That Loving You" by ALton Ellis and "Point Of View" by Matumbi.

Contemporary sounds from Kenya, but music with a very timeless feel – recorded live at different locations in Mukungi village, and often just featuring spare instrumentation and a bit of voice! The quality of the work goes way beyond other ethnographic recordings – as the sound quality is impeccable, and really brings out a lot of the unusual sounds in these styles – music that mixes elements from a range of percussion instruments, plus metal rings, hand claps, bells, oboe, rattles, and more – even some bottle tops, a metal tray, and the bung'o horn! The vocals are often relatively rootsy, and some tracks are all instrumental – and the package is as compelling a contemporary collection as some of the Honest Jons sets of work from much older years. Titles include "Bamba", "Bung'O", "Ndema", "Dena", "Mambodze", "Matatizo", "Pepo Mlume", "Chela", and "Gaserego".

The kind of record that makes us mighty proud to live in the Windy City – and a long-overdue look at the wealth of rare club, disco, and soul cuts bubbling in the Chicago underground at the end of the 70s! During the early part of the decade, the city was widely known for some super-huge soul acts – and in the 80s, house would raise Chicago to international fame – but in the space between, the city kept on putting out some really wonderful music – wicked little cuts issued on small indie labels, most of which never got any circulation outside the midwest! The Mr Peabody crate-digging team's collected together the best of the best from these overlooked years – and also threw in a few of their own edits too – furthering the dancefloor potential of some of the best rare nuggets. Titles include "Your Love Is In The Pocket" by Premonition, "Love So New" by Loveship, "A Challenge" by Billy Hinton, "BT" by Yohon, "Attitude Believe & Determination" by Martin L Dumas, "School Days (Mr Peabody's edit)" by Ghalib Ghallab, "Look Let's Make Love" by Sidney Thomas, "Don't Touch It" by Maxx Traxx, "Hooked On Your Love" by On Stage, "Promise (inst)" by Larry Houston, "Runnin To A Disco (Mr Peabody's edit)" by Lonnie Givens, "Funky Preacher (Mr Peabody's edit)" by Cold T, "We Fall In Love" by Cheryl Berdell, "The Composer (Mr Peabody's edit)" by Fantasie, "Disco Ball" by Brighter Side Of Darkness, "Can You Feel It" by Synergy, "What Good Is Music" by The Esquires, "Open Soul" by Tomorrow's People, "Road To Sunshine" by Expo, and "Happy Baby" by Gregory James.

Recorded live at the Reggae Sunsplash festival in 1981, with a tremendous line up paying tribute to Bob Marley: Steel Pulse ("Sound System" & "Handsworth Revolution"), Rita Marley & I Threes, the Melody Makers & the Wailers, Eek A Mouse with the Wailers, Denis Brown ("If I Had the World"), Black Uhuru ("Guess Who's Coming to Dinner"), Sheila Hylton, Gregory Isaacs ("Soon Forward"), Carlene Davis, the Mighty Diamonds ("Right Time") & Third World.

An excellent collection of funky tracks from South Africa – most of them with a slightly different feel than work you'd get on other Afro Funk compilations – and we mean that in a good way, too! Some of the artists are names you'd recognize from later recordings of the big South African crossover years of the 80s and 90s – but they're represented here by harder, edgier cuts from the early days – and mixed up with some more obscure acts, too – which really helps bring a freshness to the set, especially given the interweaving of genres that goes on – as you might guess from the extended sub-title of the CD! Titles include "Sangoma" by Malombo, "Oh Yeh Soweto" by Teaspoon & The Waves, "Intombi Ibhinca Isidwaba" by Phuzushukela, "Kikzelani" by Nelcy Sedibe, "Hula Hoop Jive" by Kataki, "Andromeda" by Chris McGregor's Brotherhood Of Breath, "Malume" by Abafakasi, "Baloyi" by Dudu Pukwana & Spear, "Lily's Express" by Gwigwi Mrwebi, "Wozan Mahipi" by Mahlathini & Mahotella Queens, and "Bayeza" by Soul Brothers.

A pretty sweet compilation of Lloyd Campbell productions form the mid 70s on through the 80s – cuts made for the Jamaica's Spiderman label – featuring numbers by The Itals, Joy White, Junior Delgado The Terrors, Ronnie Davis, Freddie McGregor, Mallory Williams, Lone Ranger, Yellow Man and more! The earlier numbers have rootsier riddims and the later ones have a bit of an 80s drum machine vibe – but all have a love of soulful sounds at the core! 19 tracks in all: "Ina Disa Time" by The Itals, "Riot" by Bobby Ellis, "Over Me" by Yellow Man, "Promise Land" by Frankie Paul, 'Tribal War" by Lone Ranger, "Won't You Come Home" by Ronnie Davis, "Play Days" by Junior Delgado, "Only A Smile" by Gregory Isaacs and more.

An excellent compilation that's very much in the spirit of the 100% Dynamite sets on Soul Jazz! This time, Soul Jazz dig through the vaults of the legendary Studio One catalog – some of the most important reggae and rocksteady ever recorded, virtually all of it produced under the tutelage of Clement "Coxone" Dodd. Much of this material has been floating around over the years, but we'd be hard pressed to think of a better collection of it – especially when considering the excellent fidelity of the set, which is way better than an of Dodd's own reissues of the material. Plus, the folks at Soul Jazz have gone out of their way to put together the tracks as an extremely well-thought out introduction to the music, not just a scattered batch of tunes that happened to be available. The set also includes a recent interview with Clement Dodd, plus loads of great rocksteady and early reggae tracks. Titles include "Surfin" by Ernest Ranglin, "Real Rock" by Sound Dimension, "Feel Like Jumping" by Marcia Griffiths, "Greedy G" by Brentford All Stars, "Village Soul" by Lennie Hibbert, "Ethiopia" by Cedric Brooks, "Crabwalking" by Prince Jazzbo, "Hot Milk" by Jackie Mittoo, "Badder Dan Dem" by Lone Ranger, and "Bobby Bobylon" by Freddy McGregor.

Another essential batch of Studio One Soul, every bit as great as the first! 18 more astoundingly great Jamaican renditions of soul and R&B numbers from the hands of Coxsone Dodd and his extraordinary stable of artists, some deeply soulful, and others with a more rootsy, raw grain to them. All flavors of reggae get represented here, but never departing from the soul theme, with dee jay numbers and dark dubs rubbing up against straight up renditions of numbers that are unafraid to pledge their allegiance to the great originals! Tracks include "Swing Easy" by the Soul Vendors, "Choice Of Colours" by the Heptones, "People Make The World Go Round" by Hortense Ellis, "Choice Of Music (Part 2)" by Jackie Mittoo and the Brentford Disco Set, "Thinking" by Ken Boothe, "Get Out Of My Life Woman" by Tony Gregory, "Fool For Love" by Prince Jazzbo, "Fancy Pants" by Jackie Mittoo, and "Darker Block" by the Dub Specialist.

A beautiful illustration of the sound of Studio One Records – that unique quality that makes the legendary label one of the most soulful sources of Jamaican music ever! The package is a surprisingly great treat – one that's still amazingly essential, even if you've got other Studio One collections – as it really has an unusual approach – one that seems to get past all the sub-genres of Jamaican music, and focus on the core genius of Studio One! In that respect, there's a very deep soul vibe to most of these tracks – almost a Kingston echo of Memphis or Muscle Shoals, not in the style of music – which is usually early reggae or rocksteady – but in the way all the core elements of the tunes come together perfectly, even before the singer's great vocals come into the mix! Once again, Soul Jazz prove that they've got a magical set of ears – as you'll hear on this collection of tracks that includes "Happy Feelings" by Dub Specialist, "Live Up To Your Name" by Prince Lincoln, "Happy Valley" by Reuben Alexander, "There's A Fire" by Larry Marshall, "Rolando Special" by Roland Alphonso, "Homeward Bound" by Freddie McGregor, "Hip Hug" by Slim Smith, "Good People" by Ras Michael & The Sons Of Negus, "Keep On Moving" by Lord Tanamo, "Trouble Maker" by Wailing Souls, "Call To Me" by Rita Marley, and "Double Minded Man" by Anthony Ellis.

England was a surprisingly funky place in the 60s and 70s – home to a rich array of great grooves created by the scene's important sound library labels – staffed by the cream of the crop of the British jazz musicians and soundtrack composers of the time! The work of these cats often backed bigger names in film and TV – James Bond, The Avengers, Dave Allen, and others – but this set digs even deeper, to uncover a host of great instrumental moments that go way beyond famous movie themes – a wealth of excellent cuts from the late 50s through the late 70s – starting with exotic jazz modes, moving into 60s mod swingers, and including a fair bit of 70s electric funk as well! This scene's been reissued a bit before, but never this well – as Soul Jazz do their usual top-shelf job of bringing the music together – and offering up detailed notes and a great package that really sends the whole thing home. 2CD version features 36 tracks that include "Condition Red" by Barry Stoller, "Light Flight" by Pentangle, "Man Alive" by Tony Hatch, "The Contract Man" by Bullet, "Echo Four Two" by Laurie Johnson, "Man Friday" by Syd Dale, "Hard Hitter" by Keith Papworth, "Fragment Of Fear" by Johnny Harris, "Sort Of Soul" by Birds & Brass, "Fiesta Numero Uno" by The Marleybone Orchestra, "The Persuaders" by John Barry, "Getting Nowhere In A Hurry" by Roy Budd, "Canvas" by Brian Bennett, "Death Line" by Will Malone, "Folk Song" by James Clarke, "Steam Heat" by Barbara Moore, "Artful Dodger" by Syd Dale, "Jaguar" by John Gregory, "Whole Lotta Love" by CCS, "Face Up" by Alan Moorehouse, "Angels" by Alan Parker, and "Soul Thing" by Keith Mansfield.

England was a surprisingly funky place in the 60s and 70s – home to a rich array of great grooves created by the scene's important sound library labels – staffed by the cream of the crop of the British jazz musicians and soundtrack composers of the time! The work of these cats often backed bigger names in film and TV – James Bond, The Avengers, Dave Allen, and others – but this set digs even deeper, to uncover a host of great instrumental moments that go way beyond famous movie themes – a wealth of excellent cuts from the late 50s through the late 70s – starting with exotic jazz modes, moving into 60s mod swingers, and including a fair bit of 70s electric funk as well! This scene's been reissued a bit before, but never this well – as Soul Jazz do their usual top-shelf job of bringing the music together – and offering up detailed notes and a great package that really sends the whole thing home. Part 2 – 2LP version features 17 tracks that include "Canvas" by Brian Bennett, "Death Line" by Will Malone, "Folk Song" by James Clarke, "Steam Heat" by Barbara Moore, "Artful Dodger" by Syd Dale, "Jaguar" by John Gregory, "Whole Lotta Love" by CCS, "Face Up" by Alan Moorehouse, "Angels" by Alan Parker, and "Soul Thing" by Keith Mansfield.

Tremendous tunes throughout – a collection of rare club and disco tracks that goes way past the usual – and which is bound to please the ears of any lover of late 70s grooves! The sounds are familiar, but the tracks are all pretty darn obscure – wonderful rare singles that serve up some of the best dancefloor styles of the late 70s and early 80s – particularly the sort of indie modes that we love in the east coast underground! Boogie vibes abound, as do funky club rhythms, sweet instrumental riffs, and some excellent soul vocals that really send the whole thing home – on a great range of tracks that are as musically wonderful as the original records are rare. 2CD set features 24 tracks in all – titles that include "I'm Gonna Break You Down" by Tony Gregory, "Let's Party All Night" by Hearts Of Fire, "Baby I'm Coming At You"b y Jesse Gomez, "Focus" by Phylliss Bailey, "Good Feelings" by Pike, "Ooh Wee Baby" by Ron Richardson, "The Mind Blower" by Billy Frazier, "Fallen Into Love" by Motherfox, "Sunlight" by Krisp, "Time Is Running Out" by The Underground Band, and "This Party Is Just For You" by Special Touch.

Jimmy Greene really knocks it out of the park with this cooking live set – showing us again that he's definitely a tenor talent to watch – one with a depth of soulfulness that stretches back to some of the more righteous players of the 60s, but with a contemporary vibe too – one that's very much at home in this Smalls Live setting! Tracks are all nice and long, and draw a lot of energy from the bold piano lines of Xavier Davis – who seems to be a great partner for Greene on the recording, really helping to shape and direct the flow of his tenor lines. There's almost a modal aspect to the record at times – although one led more by Davis' piano, instead of the bass of Ugonna Okegwo and drums of Gregory Hutchinson. Titles include "Sense Of Urgency", "Self Portrait 1", "Soul Music", "Home", and "Bloomfield".

Excellent work from Brit easy bandleader John Gregory – an assortment of 70s police and crime themes, played by a big band with a nice soundtrack-y finish! Nearly all the tunes are uptempo, and the feel of the record is very much in the same vein as Henry Mancini's Cop Show Themes album – although perhaps with a bit less electronics. Titles include "Theme From SWAT", "Harry O", "Streets Of San Francisco", "Cannon", "Rockford Files", "Kojak", "McCloud", "Police Woman", and "Six-Million Dollar Man".

One of the greatest British jazz albums ever to feature the Blue Notes – the legendary South African jazz group who left their country in the mid 60s, and took up an expatriot home in London! The session's led by pianist Chris McGregor, but it features a sextet that includes Blue Note members Louis Moholo on drums, Dudu Pukwana on alto sax, Mongezi Feza on pocket trumpet, and Johnny Dyani on bass – in addition to British tenor player Ronnie Beer. The sound of the work is pretty tremendous – ranging from completely free and outside jazz to slower, more somber tunes that strongly recall the later work of the players in the group. All tunes are originals by McGregor and Pukwana – save for the track "Don't Stir The Beehive", which is a reworking of a traditional African tune. Other titles include "The Sounds Begin Again", "White Lies", "Heart's Vibrations", and "Marie My Dear".

A previously unissued performance by the Brotherhood Of Breath – recorded at a time when the group was at the height of their early powers! Some of the styles here are in the straighter, South African-inspired jazz of pianist Chris McGregor's roots – but other tracks get far more experimental, and show the new ideas and levels of expression that some of the players were adopting at the time – a great criss-crossing of cultural modes as the London jazz scene absorbed ex-colonial artists from South Africa and the West Indies. The lineup here includes Dudu Puckwana and Mike Osborne on altos, Alan Skidmore and Gary Windo on tenor, Harry Beckett and Marc Charig on trumpet, Nick Evans and Malcolm Griffiths on trombone, Harry Miller on bass, and Louis Moholo on drums – all coming together with a sense of magical creativity that we'd reserve for a rare few groups – like the Sun Ra Arkestra! Titles include "Nick Tete", "Restless", "Do It", "Eclipse At Dawn", "The Bride", and "Funky Boots March".

Excellent early work from Giorgio Moroder – recorded in the pre-disco years, with a trippy rock style that mixes electronics and some surprisingly soulful guitar work! The overall style is almost a prog take on the beat group sound with some poppy touches – a cool blend that was shared briefly by other European groups of the time, before they stretched out and got a bit more trippy. The album's got some nice moogy touches, tight drums by Keith Forsey, and even a bit of keyboards from Max Gregor Jr. Most tracks have vocals, but also kick off with a strong foot instrumentally – making for some great rock break moments that are worth the album alone, even though the full songs are pretty nice too! Titles include the epic "Tears", "Lord Release Me", "Watch Your Step", "Pauline", "Son Of My Father", "Automation", "London Traffic", "Spanish Disaster", and "Underdog". CD features lots of bonus tracks too – including "Today's A Tomorrow", "Everybody Join Hands", "I'm Free Now", "Non Ci Sto", "Take It Shake It Break My Heart", and "Underdog (mono)".

Wonderful work from Gregory Porter – easily one of the best new jazz singers to emerge in the past decade or so, and one whose approach is soulful enough to rival the greats of the 70s! There's echoes here of Bill Withers, Gil Scott-Heron, and Al Jarreau – and like all those artists, Gregory's a singer who really moves past simple styles and generic conventions – into a mode that's vivid and rich right from the start, and defiitely his own territory – a world of sound that's a delight to experience! Most backings are straight jazzy, but inflected with some soul modes – and the album's even better and more incredible than Porter's debut for Motema. Titles include "On My Way To Harlem", "When Did You Learn", "Mother's Song", "Imitation Of Life", "Our Love", "Be Good", and "Painted On Canvas".

A totally amazing treasure – a deep dig through the Sun Ra archives, featuring music from Ra, spoken bits, and more – all packaged with amazing presentation of the vinyl, and a huge booklet as well! The records feature way more than just the usual music on Ra projects like these – as they artistically mix together rehearsal moments with some spoken passages, and also some sound effects and other found bits too – almost an art collage in tribute to Sun Ra, but based around music by Ra himself! Highlights include some key rehearsal moments – including a John Gilmore solo, Ra on moog, and "The Second Stop Is Jupiter" performed with Art Jenkins and June Tyson. But the package also features Ra lecturing the Arkestra, talking on music – plus other spoken bits from Dick Gregory, Avery Young, and Krista Franklin. The vinyl is super-heavy, with different colors – and the jackets are heavy pressboard cardstock, hand-printed. The book is LP-sized, 32 pages, with interview materials, notes on the music, details on the project, and some images too. Tremendous stuff – and a must for any Sun Ra collector!

Way more than just a live recording – and instead a host of original material from bassist Ben Wolfe –- really sparkling with the strength of a well-crafted studio session! The tunes are fresh, and handled by a dynamic group that really brings out some wonderful energy in the music – the soaring horn combination of Marcus Strickland on tenor and Ryan Kisor on trumpet – and the rhythm trio of Wolfe on bass, Luis Perdomo on piano, and Gregory Hutchinson on drums – leaping into the fray in a way that really gets things moving. The recording quality – like most of these Smalls Live sets – is excellent, and perfect for capturing the nuances of both Wolfe's writing, and the interplay of the members of the group. Titles include "For The Great Sonny Clark", "Telescope", "Contraption", "Coleman's Cab", and "Double Czech".

Another astounding set of heavy vibrations from Soul Jazz in there ongoing series of collections focusing on great Jamaican music! This bouncing set takes a long, deep look at Dancehall culture, and accompanies a great book by Beth Lesser! While dance halls have existed in Jamaican music for years, the focus here is Dancehall with a capital D, from the early 80s on, when Jamaican music took a turn away from the heavier, sufferer's themes of the Roots era and became more interested in rocking good times! This set is filled with certified classics, guaranteed to ram the dance and capture the heavyweight title in any soundclash, all bouncing numbers from the pre-digital era through more stripped down Casio-driven treasures. 17 tracks in all, including "Bam Bam" by Yellowman, "Pumpkin Belly" by Tenor Saw, "Cu-Oonuh" by Reggie Stepper, "Agony" by Pinchers, "Diseases" by Michigan & Smiley, "Cool Out Son" by Junior Murvin, "Entertainment" by Triston Palma, "Arleen" by General Echo, "Here I Come" by Barrington Levy, "Chop Chop" by Cutty Ranks, "M16" by Lone Ranger, "Trash & Ready" by Super Cat, and "Soon Forward" by Gregory Isaacs.

A nice compilation of tracks pulled from Blood & Fire's fantastic reggae reissue series. While this is the sort of collection labels put together to introduce you to their catalog, it plays really well from beginning to end – a wonderful testament to the deep digging the folks at Blood & Fire have done to bring together some sought after roots tracks! 17 cuts: Linval Thompson & U Brown "Train to Zion (discomix)", Vivian Jackson & the Prophets "Fire In A Kingston", Impact All Stars "Easy Come Dub", Junior Byles & Rupert Reid "Chant Down Babylon", Johnny Clarke "Love Up Your Brothers & Sisters (extended)", King Tubby "Bag A Wire Dub", Max Romeo "Valley of Jehosaphat (extended)", the Chantells "Natty Supper", Inner Circle & the Fatman Riddim Section "General Amin", Cornell Campbell "Two Face Rasta (extended)", Trinity "Tradition", Linval Thompson "Jah Jah the Conqueror", Sylford Walker "Babylonians", Big Youth "Mama Look", Gregory Isaacs "Slave Master",the Tamlins "Baltimore" and Leroy Smart & I Roy "Jah is My Light/Wicked Eat Dirt".

Blood & Fire dips into their excellent catalog of fine, fine reggae and pulls together an outstanding little compilation of some of the best tracks from the catalog! This nicely priced set focuses on vocal numbers, all voiced by top notch artists, showcasing the breadth of great music cut during the golden era of Jamaican music that makes up the body and soul of Blood & Fire's dynamite releases! 18 tracks in all, including "Fire Fe The Vatican" by Max Romeo, "Storm" by Gregory Isaacs, "Children Of Jah" by the Chantells, "Problems" by Horace Andy, "Rent Man" by Black Uhuru, "Chant Down Babylon" by Sylford Walker, 'Go Down In Silence" by Prince Alla, "Man Next Door" byDennis Brown, "Fight It To The Top" by Michael Prophet, "Every Knee Shal Bow" by Johnny Clarke, "At The Feast" by the Congos, "Yes Yes Yes" by Errol Holt, "Jah Jah The Conqueror" by Linval Thompson, "Give Jah Praise" by WIlli Williams, "Deliver Me From My Enemies" by Yabby You, "Judgement Time" by Junior Ross & The Spear, "Bandulu" by Cornell Campbell and "Remember Me" by Junior Byles & Rupert Reid.

One of the coolest albums we've ever heard from trumpeter Stephane Belmondo – a mighty tribute to the great Donny Hathaway – based around a mix of Hathaway's famous tunes and Belmondo's original tracks – and featuring a bit of guest work on vocals from Gregory Porter and Sandra Nkake! The instrumentation is the main focus here, though – and in addition to some great solos and leads from Belmondo, the set also features Fender Rhodes from Jacky Terrasson, and acoustic piano from Kirk Lightsey – plus some strings that help flesh out the sound with that special majesty that Donny brought to his music! Titles include great remakes of "Flying Easy" and "Someday We'll All Be Free" – plus "Turn Around Go Deep", "For All We Know", "You Were Meant For Me", "Ever After", and "Thought Of Spirit".

Diverse beatcraft from a pioneer of beathead culture – the never predictable, still vital DJ Vadim! Spacey keys, funky bass, atmospheric synth and top notch turntable skills are, as always, the main tools of Vadim's trade – but the cross-cultural, globe-spanning styles he manages to cook up are as impressive as ever on Don't Be Scared. Glitchy funk and soul from around the world, echoey dancehall and more float in and out, with some sampled bits of vocal as well as some great guest singers on the mic. Another win for Vadim and BBE! Includes "Hide N' Seek", "Lemon Haze", "I'm Feeling U" with Gregory Blackman, "This DJ" feat J-Man, "Set Them Free" feat Sabira Jade, "Leader" with Yarah Bravo, "Vah Vaow" feat Heidi Vogel, "Take My Time" with Jazz Bailey and "Closed Eyes" feat Yarah Bravo, Pugs Atomz and Jazz Bailey.

An overlooked early session from multi-instrumentalist Michael Gregory Jackson, recording here with a trio of great horn players in a wonderfully sensitive sound! The record's approach is a perfect illustration of the maturity on the New York avant scene in the late 70s – a real change from the more frenetic modes that ESP was recording a decade before, with some thoughtful, almost pensive points that really round out the record beautifully. Jackson plays mostly guitar, but also vocalizes a bit and plays marimba, percussion, wood flute and other instruments – and he's joined by Oliver Lake on flute and saxes, Wadada Leo Smith on trumpets, and David Murray on tenor sax. Some tracks get nice and bold, while others hold back wonderfully – and titles include "Oliver Lake", "Clarity", "A View Of This Life", "Prelueoionti" and "Iomi".

A weird and wild little record from Os Canibais – at first glance, a familiar rockish set from late 60s Brazil – but upon deeper listening, a nicely tripped-out album in all the right places! Os Canibais have a touch of the Jovem Guarda groove – that Brazilian style of copping bits of Anglo rock from up north – but like some of the hippest South American acts at the time, they find ways of making the familiar sound very odd – weird little twists and turns on guitar, organ, and even production – already great on their covers of familiar tunes – but even wilder on their own numbers, which definitely have a psych quality right away – especially on the organ, which is really moody and dark! Titles include "Nosso Romance", "Se Voce Quer", "A Praca", "Ao Meu Amor", "Lindo Sonho", and "O Prego".

A totally amazing treasure – a deep dig through the Sun Ra archives, featuring music from Ra, spoken bits, and more – all packaged with amazing presentation of the vinyl, and a huge booklet as well! The records feature way more than just the usual music on Ra projects like these – as they artistically mix together rehearsal moments with some spoken passages, and also some sound effects and other found bits too – almost an art collage in tribute to Sun Ra, but based around music by Ra himself! Highlights include some key rehearsal moments – including a John Gilmore solo, Ra on moog, and "The Second Stop Is Jupiter" performed with Art Jenkins and June Tyson. But the package also features Ra lecturing the Arkestra, talking on music – plus other spoken bits from Dick Gregory, Avery Young, and Krista Franklin. The vinyl is super-heavy, with different colors – and the jackets are heavy pressboard cardstock, hand-printed. The book is LP-sized, 32 pages, with interview materials, notes on the music, details on the project, and some images too. Tremendous stuff – and a must for any Sun Ra collector!

A totally amazing treasure – a deep dig through the Sun Ra archives, featuring music from Ra, spoken bits, and more – all packaged with amazing presentation of the vinyl, and a huge booklet as well! The records feature way more than just the usual music on Ra projects like these – as they artistically mix together rehearsal moments with some spoken passages, and also some sound effects and other found bits too – almost an art collage in tribute to Sun Ra, but based around music by Ra himself! Highlights include some key rehearsal moments – including a John Gilmore solo, Ra on moog, and "The Second Stop Is Jupiter" performed with Art Jenkins and June Tyson. But the package also features Ra lecturing the Arkestra, talking on music – plus other spoken bits from Dick Gregory, Avery Young, and Krista Franklin. The vinyl is super-heavy, with different colors – and the jackets are heavy pressboard cardstock, hand-printed. The book is LP-sized, 32 pages, with interview materials, notes on the music, details on the project, and some images too. Tremendous stuff – and a must for any Sun Ra collector!

Tree People's second album – still growing strong, deeply rooted and flute flavored psychedelic folk well into to the 80s! This one has the feel of the first record from the late 70s, a really good thing given the tinny strange sound of folk and folkish records made in the 80s. The Oregon combo still brings with the earthy, sometimes spare and haunting, and at others nicely rollicking vibe. Titles include "Human Voices", "Grandfather", "Opus II", "Things Fall Apart", "Thomas", "Rain Rain", "Dance", "If That's Entertainment" and "Sketches".

Sweet and jazzy pop from early 70s Brazil – a great little album that we'd rank with our favorites by Marcos Valle and Edu Lobo! Arthur Verocai isn't nearly as well-known as those two, but he works in a similar territory – taking jazz, large arrangements, and nice touches of electric funk – and working them into a groove that has the soaring and ambitious feel of the best post-Tropicalia work of 70s Brazil! This rare gem was self-produced, and fell of the map almost as soon as it was released – but it really deserves wider recognition, and shines with a depth that makes it an instant classic to our ears! Titles include "Presente Grego", "Caboclo", "Pelas Sombras", "O Mapa", "Sylvia", "Karina", "Velho Parente", and "Dedicada A Ela".

A career-spanning anthology of the legendary Yellowman – the Jamaican deejay whose longevity against all odds is nearly as surprising as the top notch quality of his best recordings – many of which you can find here! Yellowman's better known in some circles for being a pioneer, for better or worse, in a more sexually explicit lyricism – for good reason – but he's such a charismatic performer that he deserves to be better known for his style than his words. Lots of great material here, and a good deal of it is quite timeless! 40 tracks on 2CDs: "Mad Over Me", "Shorties", "Lost Mi Love", "Mister Chin", "Out Of Hand", "Death Of Barnabas", "Them A Fight I", "Night Flight", "Top Form", "Duppy Or A Gunman", "Zungguzungguguzungguzeng", "Galong Galong Galong", "Gregory Free", "King And Queen" and "Jah Mek Us Fi A Purpose" with Sister Nancy, "Mr. Wong", "Herbman Smuggling", "Water Rock" and "Bam Bam" with Fathead, "Bunn The Kutchie", "Blueberry Hill" and more. 40 tracks on 2CDs – plus the DVD Live At Sunsplash 1988!

Plenty of disco love here – a really heartfelt selection of rare club tunes – great little numbers that are as funky and soulful as they are obscure! These aren't the disco hits of the late 70s, but they're also not clunkers that are just rare either – and instead, they're great little tunes that hardly got discovered back in the day – but are brought together here in a wicked collection by collector Al Kent! There's a freshness to the material that takes us way past the obvious – funky basslines, snapping drums, and lots of wonderful keyboards and guitar – all wrapped up in a near-perfect way, and usually set to some smoking vocals too. Many of the cuts here are rare to even our crate-tuned ears – and titles include "Mighty Gents" by The Mighty Gents, "Hungry" by Sandy's Gang, "Oh Baby/Get On Down" by Bo Galigher & TSB, "Something About You" by Moses, "Disco Fever (part 3)" by Rhond Durand, "Disco Music" by Sil Austin, "Hustle On Down (part 3)" by Michael Legrair, "I Want To Be With You" by Gregory Andre & Two Plus Three, "How Long Is Forever" by Frank & James, "Human" by Neo Experience, "Waiting In the Wings" by Marion Javius, and "Is It Wrong" by Magnetic Force. 2CD version features a full mix of all tracks by Al Kent – plus an unmixed CD with 15 individual tracks.

Contemporary sounds from Kenya, but music with a very timeless feel – recorded live at different locations in Mukungi village, and often just featuring spare instrumentation and a bit of voice! The quality of the work goes way beyond other ethnographic recordings – as the sound quality is impeccable, and really brings out a lot of the unusual sounds in these styles – music that mixes elements from a range of percussion instruments, plus metal rings, hand claps, bells, oboe, rattles, and more – even some bottle tops, a metal tray, and the bung'o horn! The vocals are often relatively rootsy, and some tracks are all instrumental – and the package is as compelling a contemporary collection as some of the Honest Jons sets of work from much older years. Titles include "Bamba", "Bung'O", "Ndema", "Dena", "Mambodze", "Matatizo", "Pepo Mlume", "Chela", and "Gaserego".

A magical blend of 60s French pop – one of the best compilations of its type that we've ever heard! The tunes here are incredible – a wild mix of guitars, organ, noisy percussion, and some wonderfully catchy vocals that make you want to hop in a plane and head straight for the Left Bank! Way way better than any of those drippy and romantic "Paris is for Lovers" type compilations that are clogging up the bins – and a great look at the real deal in 60s Paris! Titles include "Une Chanson Pour Mon Amour" by Rika Zarai, "Un Trou Dans Ma Chaussure" by Gregory, "L'Antiquite" by Stone, "Psyche Rock" by Les Yper-Sound, "Ne Me Marchez Pas Sur Les Pieds" by Michel Polnareff, "Flower Power" by Alan Stivell, "D'Etre A Vous" by Marie Laforet, "Chante" by Ronnie Bird, and "N'Hesite Pas Quand L'Amour T'Appelle" by Katty Line. 22 tracks on 2LPs!

Soul sounds that work perfectly together – on a set that's maybe the most compelling of the Soul Togetherness series so far! There's loads of great contemporary numbers here – some nuggets from the underground, a few more mainstream tracks, and even a few mixes that really transform the tunes – making their key appearance here in CD format. The vibe is deeply soulful throughout – as the set's put together by folks who also have a strong ear for classic soul and funk – and titles include "Turn It Up" by Kenny Thomas, "Don't Give Up" by Aaries, "Taking It Too Far" by Big Brooklyn Red, "Don't Wanna Wait" by Lew Kirton, "Save Our Freedom" by Bah Samba, "Running Around" by Cool Million, "1960 What (Opolopo kick & bass rerub)" by Gregory Porter, "Woo" by Anthony Hamilton, "Let It Go" by Jazzanova, "Thinking About You" by Maurissa Rose, "Share My Love" by R Kelly, and "You Did It Again" by Soulpersona & Princess Freesia.

Diverse beatcraft from a pioneer of beathead culture – the never predictable, still vital DJ Vadim! Spacey keys, funky bass, atmospheric synth and top notch turntable skills are, as always, the main tools of Vadim's trade – but the cross-cultural, globe-spanning styles he manages to cook up are as impressive as ever on Don't Be Scared. Glitchy funk and soul from around the world, echoey dancehall and more float in and out, with some sampled bits of vocal as well as some great guest singers on the mic. Another win for Vadim and BBE! Includes "Hide N' Seek", "Lemon Haze", "I'm Feeling U" with Gregory Blackman, "This DJ" feat J-Man, "Set Them Free" feat Sabira Jade, "Leader" with Yarah Bravo, "Vah Vaow" feat Heidi Vogel, "Take My Time" with Jazz Bailey and "Closed Eyes" feat Yarah Bravo, Pugs Atomz and Jazz Bailey.

Dick Gregory raps it proud and loud – in a set of recordings that features one side recorded on the east coast, and one on the west! Gregory's still very much a comedian at this point in his career, but already his work is peppered strongly with political elements – the kind of personal, earnest approach to his material that was years ahead of its time – and which went onto open the door for countless other comedians to come! Side one was recorded at The Blue Angel, and side two at The Hungry I.

A key European appearance for saxophonist Oliver Lake – captured here at the tail end of a strong rise on the US scene in the 70s! The music here is almost a fair bit freer than some of Lake's other sides from the time – long tracks played by a trio that includes Michael Gregory Jackson on guitar and Pheeroan AkLaff on drums – alongside Lake's own tenor, alto, and soprano sax. Jackson's guitar lines have a mind of their own – often running out in frenetic ways that diverge strongly from Lake's own solo inspirations – but in a way that further adds to the energy of the set. Titles include "5/1", "Zaki", "Clicker", and "Shine".

Sublime solo piano from Chris McGregor – a wonderful late 80s recording that shows the pianist really working at the top of his game! The music is free and open, but also a bit more lyrical than some of McGregor's work of the 70s – still aware of the farther-reaches of jazz, but really hanging in a more melodic space – yet one that's also carved out of some modern, angular lines! The mixture of freedom and focus is really wonderful – and McGregor's got this quality that's right up there with the best solo work by Randy Weston or Abdullah Ibrahim – a quality that may well make this Chris' best album from these later years. Titles include "Two Ladies", "Big G", "Sonia", "Maxine", "Sweet As Honey", "Bakwetha", and "Sea Breeze".

An inconspicuous looking album – but a really great one too, and a wonderful set of 70s soul jazz numbers that would be right at home on Strata East! Gregory Charles Royal heads up the group on trombone, and he's also working here with a young Geri Allen – who's tones on piano are brightly soaring and filled with spirit – really igniting the album with a strong sense of energy! Royal's trombone phrasing is a bit like that of Dick Griffin at the time – a strong change from 60s use of the instrument, and a bit more compressed – set down nicely with the rest of the group in a groove that's totally great. Other players include Warren Taylor on tenor and flute, Jeff Corbett on drums, and Clarence Lavelle Seay on bass – and titles include "Dancer", "Spirit Cry", "Curtis", "For You", and "Dream Come True".

Songlines remembers Ravi Shankar – plus pieces on Goran Bregovic, Joe Boyd, Cerys Matthews, Anais Mitchell, Carmen Souza, Wara, Richard Thompson and more! Also includes a wealth of diverse reviews, plus a free CD – with 10 tracks from Songlines-approved new releases and five more selected by Joe Boyd – featuring Bassekou Kouyate & Ngoni Ba, Frigg, Youssou N'Dour, Forro In The Dar, Carlos Gardel, Toots And The Maytals and more!

Brilliant weirdness from Frank Zappa in the late 70s – and a pretty bold mix of oddball humor and challenging compositions! Studio Tan starts out with the 20-minute "The Adventures Of Gregory Peccary" – with studio-manipulated comic narration and dialogue that's all about slaying disposable trends on one level – but on a deeper level, it's really poetic and alliterative. Add to that the bizzarro musical backdrop and what you have is an overlooked work of genius. Also includes the tracks "Lemme Take You To The Beach", "Revised Music For The Guitar And Low Budget Orchestra" and "RDNZL".

An excellent compilation of rare funky jazz tunes – issued here supposedly as a lost soundtrack, but really just a collection of tunes from other sources, all with a nice soundtrack-y jazz feel! There's a few familiar names here, but most of the material is from rare European and American indie jazz LPs, and sound library sources of late 60s/early 70s vintage, with a nice mix of electric and acoustic playing. Titles include "Troublemaker" by John Cameron, "Voodoo Love Dance" by Melvyn Price, "Do Whatever Sets You Free" by Gus Giordano, "Chili Mac" by Preston Love, "La Folla" by Solar Plexus, "A New Generation" by Oscar Brown Jr & Jean Pace, "Dancer" by Gregory Charles Royal, "Zazueira" by Meta Roos, and "Jody's Freeze" by James Reese & The Progressors.

A beautiful look at the groundbreaking Vanguard Records label – a key force in the sound of folk music in the 60s – and a hell of a great place for blues, jazz, and psych as well! The package really brings together the full scope of the Vanguard contribution to music at the time – and goes out of its way to select key tracks that are career-defining moments for some artists, and important early and offbeat appearances for others – these wonderful little gems that really show the freedom and opportunities that Vanguard offers for so many artists. The package features 83 tracks in all – wrapped up with a heavy book that runs through the music on a track-by-track basis – offering up plenty of history along the way! Titles include "Rock & Roll Music" by Circus Maximus, "North Country Blues" by Bob Dylan, "Easy Does It" by Sandy Bull, "Janis" by Country Joe & The Fish, "I'm So Glad" by Skip James, "Deep River Blues" by Doc Watson, "Walls Of Time" by Bill Monroe, "Many A Mile" by Patrick Sky, "Wish I Was A Punk" by Notes From The Underground, "Soldier Blue" by Buffy Saint Marie, "Rene's Theme" by Larry Coryelle, "Sold American" by Kinky Friedman, "Sail" by Oregon, "Mobile Line" by Jim Kweskin, "Dope Again" by Serpent Power, "Hello Stranger" by Mike Seeger, and "The Death Of Stephen Biko" by Tom Paxton.

Soul sounds that work perfectly together – on a set that's maybe the most compelling of the Soul Togetherness series so far! There's loads of great contemporary numbers here – some nuggets from the underground, a few more mainstream tracks, and even a few mixes that really transform the tunes – making their key appearance here in CD format. The vibe is deeply soulful throughout – as the set's put together by folks who also have a strong ear for classic soul and funk – and titles include "Turn It Up" by Kenny Thomas, "Don't Give Up" by Aaries, "Taking It Too Far" by Big Brooklyn Red, "Don't Wanna Wait" by Lew Kirton, "Save Our Freedom" by Bah Samba, "Running Around" by Cool Million, "1960 What (Opolopo kick & bass rerub)" by Gregory Porter, "Woo" by Anthony Hamilton, "Let It Go" by Jazzanova, "Thinking About You" by Maurissa Rose, "Share My Love" by R Kelly, and "You Did It Again" by Soulpersona & Princess Freesia.

Tommy was more of a jukebox star than a jazz one – but this album's a great batch of mellow tenor tunes, with a sound that's somewhere in the R&B-ish end of Gene Ammons' spectrum! The format is simple – Tommy blows mellow lines over small combo backing with either piano or organ. Some tracks are a bit more upbeat, almost in a Clifford Scott mode – but Tommy keeps things pretty simple overall, with a real focus on the horn. Titles include "Mr Movin Is Groovin", "Hard", "Aw Shucks", "Tommy's Dream", and "Man With A Horn".