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A great set from Chicago's Joan Collaso – one of the hippest vocalists working today in the Windy City! There's a soulful swing to the record that grabs us right from the get-go – thanks to a killer take on "My Favorite Things" – done in an open-ended spirit that owes plenty to the John Coltrane legacy! Other tunes are quite nice too – and really pick up a great sense of rhythm that keeps things fresh – a hip sort of swing that makes the whole record feel like some lost soul jazz treasure from years back. Tunes are familiar, but they're really recast nicely – and Joan and the combo take things into mighty lively territory – on cuts that include "My Favorite Things", "Ooo Whee", "Return To Paradise", "Peel Me A Grape", "You've Changed", "Here's To Life", and "In A Sentimental Mood".

A stormer! "Get Down" is a killer from the Kay Gees – a cut that begins with a Kool & The Gang type riff, and which grooves with a sweet ensemble funk sound all the way through! "My Favorite Song" is a winner too – with a similar funky feel, and a mad love-oriented monologue over the top!

An excellent album of smooth soul tracks, and maybe Van's best record of the 70s! The record shows Van sitting at the piano in an intimate setting – ala Barry White – and it's got a similar Love Unlimited Orchestra approach, with much large backing behind Van's voice, and a very full instrumental sound. Van sings lead vocals, which aren't always that great – but he more than makes up for it with some great piano and keyboard work, and some wonderful soul songwriting and arranging that recall his best uptown moments of the late 60s. The record has a few uptempo hustle-type tracks, but they're all pretty darn great soul songs, and there's loads of great mellow soul moments woven in to make the record a nice album of ballads and groovers. Titles include "Before & After", "Wings Of Love", "My Favorite Fantasy", "That's The Story Of My Life", and "You're So Right For Me".

A sweet later groover from The O'Jays – warm, mellow, and moving at a great midtempo clip – a groove that lets the harmonies soar out beautifully over the top! The hook is wonderful, with a slight undercurrent of righteousness – and "My Favorite Person" follows with an equally great feel – one of the group's best cuts of the time!

A sweet little pairing of the keyboards of Sergio Mendes and the early arranging styles of Dave Grusin – and a set that's quite different than some of Sergio's vocal albums with Brasil 66! The style here is all instrumental – and Mendes plays both piano and electric piano, plus a bit of harpsichord too – working with a hip LA group that features Grusin on organ, Tom Scott on flute and soprano sax, and John Pisano on guitar – plus a bit of Brazilian percussion from Joao Donato and Moacir Santos! The result is a heavenly 60s groove – some slight larger backings, plus great work from the jazzy group at the core – and titles include a stunning version of "Ponteio" – plus other Brazilian groovers like "A Banda", "Veleiro", and "Tempo Feliz". There's also a few tracks of US material like "I Say a Little Prayer" and "Comin' Home Baby", done with a nice bossa groove!

We've heard the original title version of "My Favorite Things" a million times – but it still blows our mind the way Coltrane hits this incredibly soulful modal groove, twisting and turning on soprano sax, always keeping things interesting, so that we're surprised that the cut's gone by so quickly!

A great spacey groove! "Your Best Friend" has an airy, spaced-out sort of feel – one that almost reminds us of some of the best Cali soul in recent years – a bit abstract, but right on the money – and with the vocals flanged out wonderfully next to the beats! "Look Around" has a bit more punch, but still some cool spacey modes too – a great cascading of sound that wraps up Lorett's vocals beautifully! When's the album coming? We're sure it's going to be a humdinger!

The first single from Mr. Day's Dry Up The Sun set! "Forgotten Realms" is a nice one, with some retro R&B touches, but it's got a really unique vibe. Gritty lead vocals and nice chorus back up, handclaps on the beat, some really nice use of organ and an all around insistent groover! "Follow You" has the feel of a lost 60s number, again with the killer organ groove, some tasty guitar and tight bass line.

Pan-African rhythms from Ray Stephen Oche – topped with some great jazzy elements as well! The set's one of Ray's classics from the Paris scene – a set that draws heavily from his Nigerian roots, yet also takes full advantage of the wider cultural vibe going on in France at the time – echoes of free jazz in the instrumentation, righteous soulful elements in the vocals, and a complicated rhythmic approach that brings in plenty of funk from the other side of the Atlantic as well! The album's a killer all the way through – and tracks include "Kano City Sky", "Ayipe Assa", "At The Jazz Fountain", "Ada Ode", "Trumpet Calls The People Of Nigeria", "Peace Upon Kenemaland", and "Down Beat Special".

A contemporary album, but one that feels like some lost Euro fusion gem from the end of the 70s – a wonderfully old school session from Finnish reedman Andre Solomko – cut in a real back to basics style! The group here is super-tight, but never slick at all – balanced wonderfully between their own sharp instrumental skills and the need to come together in a groove – all in a style that's somewhere between the American fusion underground of the late 70s, and some of the funky electric work from Germany and Scandinavia in the early 80s. Instrumentation includes loads of great keyboards next to Andre's alto, flute, and soprano sax – and although there's a bit of vocals on the record, there's also an equal focus on strong instrumental solos too. Titles include "Summer 77", "Grooving With Grover In Paradise", "I Recall", "We Had Some Good Years Together", and "Ou Es Tu Maintenant".

The best work yet from Parisian producer and hip hop instrumentalist Onra – delving deeper into Southeast Asian inspired soundscapes than ever before – a project that Onra ban after a trip to Viet Nam, the land of his grandparents! Chinoiseries trades in timeless boom bap, build from and inspired by Asian records that Onra picked up on that trip – giving it a very natural flow and a cohesive vibe. One of our favorite records on Favorite Records! Includes "The Anthem", "Chop Your Hands", "Relax In Mui Ne", "Welcome To Viet Nam", "Live From Hue", "Clap Clap", "I Wanna Go Back", "War", "Dark Sea", "Boundless Boundaries", "What Up Duyet?", "Take A Ride", "The Ritual", "One Day", "They Got Breaks Too" and "Hope".

Some of our favorite albums ever from pianist Muhal Richard Abrams – an amazing run of eight records for the Black Saint/Soul Note label – rich in fresh colors, tones, and new musical ideas! There's a sensitivity to some of these records that you don't always get with Abrams – a personal feeling that brings in a much-needed warmth to his complex compositional forms – often in collaboration with other players on the Chicago scene, but also with a wider range of avant players, especially from New York – where Abrams would have a great influence in the 80s. The lineup of musicians here is wonderful – a virtual who's-who of the jazz left at the time, at least from an American perspective – with performances from George Lewis, Roscoe Mitchell, Amina Myers, Thurman Barker, Baikida Carroll, Andrew Cyrille, Craig Harris, Stanton Davis, Marty Erlich, Dick Griffin, Cecil Bridgewater, Fred Hopkins, Dierdre Murray, and so many others. The set features 8 full albums, each in a tiny LP-styled sleeve – and titles include Siphumonesty, Mama & Daddy, Blues Forever, Rejoicing With The Light, View From Within, Hearinga Suite, Blu Blu Blu, and Think All Focus One.

Excellent analogue electronics by this groovy modern combo! The record reminds us of some of our favorite late 60s compilations of tracks from the obscure electronic music centers of American universities – with loads of bubbling, fuzzing, and repetitive wave forms. Tracks include "Inevitable Fast Access", "Aphine Repetition", "A Very Uncomfortable Status", and "Meetings In Compact Boxes".

A fantastic collection of unreleased material by mid-to-late 60s psych pop songwriter genius Tandyn Almer – who's probably best know for penning the eternally great "Along Comes Mary" for The Association – but we sure didn't know how great of a performer he was on his own! The 15 track record was cut for his publisher Davon Music, who circulated it to insiders at the time, looking to sell the songs – but what they should have done was found a label and released it. Fuzzy guitars, raw drums and great keyboards, excellent background harmonies – and the good-natured, melodic quality that attracted groups like the Association to Tandyn! Sundazed has long been a favorite source of rewarding 60s and 70s reissues, but they really deserve some bigger love for releases like this one – which is a first-ever commercial release. It feels like a complete, finished production for the most part – and not at all like a bunch of demos. Psych pop greatness! Includes "Find Yourself", You Turn Me Around", "Anything You Want", "About Where Love Is", "Face Down In The Mud", "I Get High", "Bring Your Own Self Down" (by The Purple Gang)", "Where Will They Go", "Sunset Strip Soliloquy" and more.

If you need to own one album by Average White Band, this is it! The album features the band at their funky best – playing hard and chopping away with a strong crossover sound that put them firmly on the map during the early 70s. Loads of tight rolling basslines and hard drums – all produced with that polished funky sound that was the band's stock-in-trade during the big chart years! The record includes their funky classic "School Boy Crush", still a sampling favorite – plus loads of other nice moments, like "If I Ever Lose This Heaven", "Cloudy", "High Flyin Woman", and the hit title cut "Cut The Cake".

A cool collection of work from one of our favorite artists ever – literally one of the guys whose music was so great, it inspired us to start Dusty Groove! The package brings together a really hip assortment of Roy Ayers' best work for Polydor in the 70s – really incredible tracks that merge together jazz, soul, and funk at a level that nobody else can touch – not just the sum of the parts, but a sublime fusion that's completely Ayers-like, and which has gone onto inspire countless other folks over the years – even though nobody else can ever do it this well! The track selection is great – way hipper than the usual best-of on Roy – and titles include "And Don't You Say No", "Moving Grooving", "Come Out & Play", "Magic Lady", "Don't You Worry Bout A Thing", "Vibrations", "Tear To A Smile", "When Is Real Real", "Together", "He's A Superstar", and "He Gives Us All His Love".

One of Roy Ayers' greatest albums of the 70s – a set that tightens up the groove from previous Polydor productions, yet still keeps all the soul intact! The record picks up the style begun with the Mystic Voyage album, and pushes it to some slightly tighter territory – a more focused Roy Ayers sound that's totally great, and which makes the album sparkle wonderfully throughout! All aspects of Roy's talents are perfectly balanced here – his warm vocals and jazzy vibes, his uptempo grooves and mellower rhythms – played to perfection by a hip lineup of players that includes Philip Woo on electric piano, Justo Almario on tenor sax, and Steve Cobb on drums. Edwin Birdsong guests a bit on the record – bringing in a nice edge to a few tunes – the album's got a really unique dark undercurrent, even in smoother moments – that subtle Roy Ayers' approach that's always made him one of our all-time favorite artists. Titles include the wonderful jazz-tinged "Searching", a great midtempo stepper that we really love; the funky break track "The Memory", a righteous number that feels like work from earlier records; the clubby classic "One Sweet Love to Remember"; and the sweet instrumental "Vibrations", which has a mellow kickback feel! Other tunes include "Higher", "Domelo (Give It To Me)", "Baby I Need Your Love", and "Better Days".

One of the greatest Brigitte Bardot albums you could ever buy – some of the grooviest, sexiest work the famous French actress ever cut! The album's overflowing with excellent original material written by Bardot by Serge Gainsbourg and Francis Lai – two of our favorite French composers of the 60s, and both a very good choice to work with Brigitte! Bardot sings in a sexy, whispery style that's a bit like Jane Birkin, but somewhat different too – and the arrangements are by Michel Colombier, Paul Pio, and Christian Gaubert – three talents who definitely keep things groovy. There's a few instrumentals mixed in with the vocal tracks – but that's totally fine with us, because they're all pretty great – and there's plenty of moments with a nice groove and a bit of funk. Titles include "Harley Davidson", "Ay Que Viva La Sangria", "Gang Gang", "David B", "Mister Sun", "Paris", "On Demenage", and "Contact" – plus the excellent "Marseillaise Generique" instrumental – used to great effect in Austin Powers!

One of our favorite Ray Barretto albums of the 60s – a real gem from the pre-Latin Soul years! The album's a clear attempt to cash in on the cash in on the James Bond craze of the time – issued by United Artists, who were releasing the Bond films, but also had Ray under contract during the period too. But despite that simple gimmick, it's a great little set – with a quality level that goes way beyond Bond soundtracks, or the usual from Barretto at the time! The tracks are all hard and groovy, with an excellent jazz feel – and some killer arranging from Ray that's right up there with the work he did for his legendary Charanga Moderna album! You may recognize the song titles – but their versions here are superb, and the album's filled with many many wonderful moments that step out with mad rhythms and great jazzy touches. Titles include "Mister Kiss Kiss Bang Bang", "OO7", "Search For Vulcan", "Thunderball", and "Goldfinger". Nice "spy" shot of Ray on the cover, too!

Sweet electric keys from Kenny Barron – and one of our favorite 70s albums by him! The record has Kenny playing electric on most of the set – working with musicians that include Sonny Fortune, Buster Williams, Jimmy Owens, and Ben Riley to craft long tunes that are warmly spiritual and deeply soulful. At some level, the work on the set surpasses the quality of his sides for Muse – as the tracks have a freer, more open, and almost indie soul jazz sort of approach on some of the best tracks. And as always with the electric piano, Kenny hits some wonderful notes, colors, and tones that make us wish he used the instrument all the time. Titles include "Sunshower", "Innocence", "Bacchanal", and "Nothing To Fear".

A very handsome collection of Count Basie material for Roulette – easily some of our favorite Basie recordings ever!

A really cool little album from the Beach Boys – a set that definitely takes its "party" title seriously, in a way that has the group singing in a somewhat live and spontaneous manner! There's sort of a "live in studio" feel here – with production that's less polished than on other records, and instrumentation that's heavy on acoustic guitar and percussion – almost like the group are hanging out at the beach, riffing on some of their favorite tunes. The album features the group's famous take on "Barbara Ann" – plus versions of a number of other 60s classics, like "The Times They Are A Changin", "Papa Oom Mow Mow", "Mountain Of Love", "You've Got To Hide Your Love Away", "Devoted To You", "Alley Oop", and "I Should Have Known Better". Includes the complete album in both the mono and stereo mixes.

Early work from The Beach Boys, but Brian Wilson's genius is already starting to show – tucked in between some more obviously poppy numbers that first put the group on the map! The album obviously features the big title hit, but there's some other great gems here that are much lesser known – our favorite of which is "The Lonely Sea", an incredible number filled with sadness and longing, and a real precursor to the Pet Sounds years! Other titles include "Finders Keepers", "Lana", "Farmer's Daughter", "Noble Surfer", "Stoked", "Surfin USA", "Miserlou", "Shut Down", and "Let's Go Trippin".

A beautiful session of spiritual soul jazz – and one of the rarer albums on the legendary Strata East label! The obscure combo is led by drummer/percussionist John Betsch – and instrumentation includes guitar, piano, electric piano, and reeds – all used with plenty of warm touches, and a few sharp edges – all very much in the best Strata East mode of the time! The tracks have a soaring sort of sound – similar to some of the Keno Duke material on the label, but also touched with some trippier edges too – a great blend that really brings a lot of depth to the session, and which has made this one of our favorite Strata sides over the years. Titles include "Song For An Untitled Lady", "Ra", "Get Up & Go", and "Ode To Ethiopia".

Beautiful work from Benjamin Biolay – easily one of our favorite French artists of the 21st Century – even though we've been following his work since the previous one! Benjamin's got a sound that's just perfect if you, like us, dig an older generation of French work by artists like Serge Gainsbourg, Jacques Dutronc, Michel Polnareff, and others from that magical late 60s moment when French pop really found its own sound. Biolay's got a way of sliding in the sinister next to the groovy – often with vocals that are spoken as much as sung – and produced to perfection by his own strong ear for unusual combinations of sounds. Benjamin helped launch the career of many other great French acts in the past decade or two – but we still love his own work the best – and an album like this definitely lives up to that faith. Titles include "Venganza", "Marlene Deconne", "Personne Dans Mon Lit", "Confettis", "La Fin De La Fin", "L'Insigne Honneur", and "Tresor Tresor".

Beautiful work from Benjamin Biolay – easily one of our favorite French artists of the 21st Century – even though we've been following his work since the previous one! Benjamin's got a sound that's just perfect if you, like us, dig an older generation of French work by artists like Serge Gainsbourg, Jacques Dutronc, Michel Polnareff, and others from that magical late 60s moment when French pop really found its own sound. Biolay's got a way of sliding in the sinister next to the groovy – often with vocals that are spoken as much as sung – and produced to perfection by his own strong ear for unusual combinations of sounds. Benjamin helped launch the career of many other great French acts in the past decade or two – but we still love his own work the best – and an album like this definitely lives up to that faith. Titles include "Venganza", "Marlene Deconne", "Personne Dans Mon Lit", "Confettis", "La Fin De La Fin", "L'Insigne Honneur", and "Tresor Tresor".

Classic work by one of our favorite pop singers ever – the full-voiced Cilla Black, a vocalist we'd trade for Petula Clark or Dusty Springfield in a minute! During the 60s, Cilla was working in a strongly Bacharach-influenced mode – a style that picked up a lot of uptown touches from the New York scene, but which infused them with the more belting mode of Brit female singers of the time. The result is an incredibly powerful approach to pop – one that showcases Cilla's incredible voice, but which also has her wrapped up in beautifully full arrangements, and rhythms that often have that slightly syncopated gentle groove that we love from Bacharach's work with pop singers. CD features 25 tracks in all – including 6 making their CD debut – titles that include "Yo Yo", "A Man & A Woman", "Anyone Who Had A Heart", "You're My World", "Love Letters", "One Little Voice", "Alfie", "Baby I'm Yours", "A Lover's Concerto", "Step Inside Love", "Liverpool Lullaby", "Forget Him", "Little Pleasure Acre", and "Rule Britannia".

One of our favorite Black Uhuru albums, when they'd fully matured as a group under the production of Sly & Robbie, with a tight modern reggae sound that few other groups could match from that era. Heavy, heavy grooves saddled with the trios potent lyrics and harmony vocals, including the massive "Youth Of Eglington" and "Sponji Reggae", plus "Puff She Puff", "Rockstone", "Carbine", "Utterance", "Journey" and "Sistren". This CD reissue's been remastered, and adds the discomix version of "Sponji Reggae" and non-album track "Trodding" as bonus tracks.

A fantastic bit of soul and house that was woefully overlooked at the time of its release – and one of our favorite albums of the past 25 years! The Blaze production team had been hitting the underground club scene hard for a few years with their raw New Jersey house singles – then Motown grabbed them in the studio, and had them cut this classic album of soul tracks that pays homage to a set of greats that runs from Leroy Hutson, to Donnie Hathaway, to Norman Harris, and a host of others – all with a sense of soulfulness and depth that goes way past their standard work for the clubs! The dancefloor tracks are great, but the album's also got some wonderfully mellow moments too – with tracks that include "So Special", "We All Must Live Together", "Missing You", and "Get Up".

An incredible album from the great Brazilian singer who's best known to the world for his work on Milton Nascimento's legendary Club Da Esquina album, but Lo is truly one of our favorite singers that Brazil has ever produced! This record is easily as the Nascimento classic, and has a more rock-oriented sound that's laid down with help from Beto Guedes, Nelson Angelo, Toninho Horta, and Tenorio Jr. The songwriting is amazing – and we rank this one up there with the best work by Gilberto Gil and Caetano Veloso from the late 60s and early 70s. Wonderful all the way through – and with tracks that include "Cancao Postal", "Voce Fica Melhor Assim", "Nao Foi Nada", "Pensa Voce", "Como O Machando", and "Aos Baroes".

Our favorite album by this overlooked 70s soul group! The album's a real club stormer from the old days – a soaring blend of upbeat tunes with a sound that's righteous and smooth, and never cloying. These guys are kind of riding on the high of an Earth Wind & Fire kind of groove – missing the cliches of most other bigger funk acts, and really hitting a wonderful stride with the classic cut "We're On Our Way Home" – a joyous anthem that never gets old! The whole thing's pretty great overall, and other tracks include "Brand New Day", "Journey To The Light", and "Positive Thinking".

Brilliant work from this long-lost Barry White protege! Tom Brock was one of the leading lights in Barry's stable of sweet mid 70s soul talents – a great writer who contributed songs to the legendary Gloria Scott album, and a heck of a great mellow soul singer on his own – with a style that's right up there with work by Leon Ware, Leroy Hutson, and some of our favorite 70s soul heroes! This album's the only one that Brock ever recorded – a great blend of mellow soul tunes, ballads, and a few tracks that have a nicely kicking Barry White-styled funk sound to them. White produced and arranged with Gene Page – and the whole album's great – the kind of mellow soul treasure you'll play again and again and again over the years! Includes the massive "I Love You More & More", plus "There's Nothing In This World That Can Stop Me From Loving You", "Shake Me Wake Me", "Naked As The Day I Was Born", "If We Don't Make It, Nobody Can", "Have a Nice Weekend Baby", and "The Love We Share".

A really cool little album – recorded by Detroit vibist Jack Brokensha at the end of the 60s, working with a combo called the Baroqe-Adelics, whose instrumentation includes electric harpsichord and fuzzy guitar! The album's the kind of small label jazz side we treasure – and includes a mix of funky and groovy numbers with some straighter tracks that demonstrate Brokensha's vibes in a more conventional jazz context. Includes the great original groovers "Boogaloo", "Opus Barokus", "Twistrist", and "Priscilla" – plus versions of "My Favorite Things", "On Green Dolphin Street", and "Tast Of Honey".

Part two's of two great James Brown tracks! "Gittin' A Little Hipper" is one of our favorite instrumentals from JB late 60's period, and it's got a great rolling groove to it, with a very tasty sax solo by Pee Wee! "Let A Man Come In" is a real stormer from James, and one that you don't see on wax that much. Plus, it's another part 2 – with a rolling open ended groove, and lots of shouting by James!

One of the last great albums from James Brown! Not as totally sublime as Payback or some of the others from the 70s – but James is still working here with Fred Wesley and Dave Matthews – and many of the cuts retain the funk of a few years past. Case in point is the sublime "Funky President" – a super-dope track that mixes politics and funk, and which is one of our favorite James Brown tracks from the 70s. Other cuts include "All For One", "Check Your Body", "Reality", and "Further Up The Road".

Easily one of our favorite albums by Tim Buckley – and a record that really opens up with some key jazzy touches! Buckley's still got his roots in folk here, and his vocals are yet to hit the extremes of Starsailor or Lorca – but there's also a new sense of inflection to the way he puts over the lyrics, shaded in by use of vibes, kalimba, harmonium, and harpsichord – the latter two of which are played on the session by Don Randi! Tracks are relatively short, but high in concept – and include the protest song "No Man Can Find The War", plus "Hallucinations", "Phantasmagoria In Two", "Carnival Song", "Pleasant Street", "Morning Glory", and "Goodbye & Hello".

A brilliant mix of Afro and deep funk styles – the kind of grooves you'd get if Fela Kuti hung out with The Meters in the late 60s! Budos Band recall the genius of 90s deep funk combo The Daktaris – and have a similar love of older African rhythms touched by a newer indie funk sound – a complexity in the group's well-arranged horn parts, but a simplicity to their rhythms that makes the album cook like some of our favorite classics from years back. Sax and trumpet lines are mixed nicely with heavy percussion and a fair bit of organ at the bottom – creating a murky groove that has a bit of New Orleans in the mix, but also has most of the instruments stepping along with the rhythm – in a very cool take on the Africa 70 sound. Tracks are all instrumental, and all incredible – and the record's one of the freshest we've heard from the deep funk underground in years – a second-generation set that gets way past simple copycat funk and into its own unique groove! Titles include "Budos Theme", "Ghost Walk", "King Charles", "Eastbound", "Across The Atlantic", "Up From The South", "TIBWF", and "Monkey See Monkey Do".

One of our favorite albums ever from Solomon Burke – a great little set that draws on all of his deep soul roots for Atlantic, but also gets a little bit funky too! There's a growing maturity in Solomon's music here that we really love – a quality that gets past the churchy cliches, and starts to explore some of the new territory opening up to soul artists at the end of the 60s – influences from all points south, wrapped up in a slightly tighter New York presentation. Titles include Solomon's great version of the hard break classic "Get Out Of My Life, Woman", an amazing remake of "By The Time I Get To Phoenix", and the tracks "I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free", "Meet Me In Church", "Since I Met You Baby", "Shame On Me", "Why Why Why", and "Then You Can Tell Me Goodbye".

Seminal work by one of our favorite soul singers of all time! Jerry first came to fame with The Impressions and on his own in the early 60s – singing dark moody easy tunes that well earned him the nickname of "Iceman". In the late 60s, though, he moved onto Mercury where he broke through even bigger with some excellent early production by Gamble & Huff, which took Jerry to a whole new level, and which gave his work a swinging soul groove that worked great with his vocals. This set compiles some of the best moments of the Mercury years – including "Never Give You Up", "Lost", "Moody Woman", "Mr Dream Merchant", "Hey Western Union Man", and "Only The Strong Survive".

The songs of Freddie Redd – re-arranged wonderfully by tenorist Chris Byars – and played by an octet who really make some new magic with the music! Redd's one of our favorite talents from the late 50s/early 60s scene – a budding modernist who also never failed to swing – a quality that Byars clearly admires too, and shows strongly in the way he opens up and grooves these great tunes! Even the larger lineup of trumpet, trombone, alto, and baritone can't hold things back – and instead, give the tunes more punch than we remember – strong leads that explode into tight solos – driven on nicely by the comping piano work of Sacha Perry. Titles include "The Thespian", "Old Spice", "Emily Reno","Just A Ballad For My Baby", "Minor Interlude", and "Somewhere/Music Forever".

A tasty collection of goodies that Donald recorded with the great Larry Mizell during the early 70s. Certainly not his all-inclusive best, but some of our favorite material by this legendary soul jazz trumpeter. The tracks have a sparkling electric jazz funk sound, with amazing production that keeps them drifting along with a very soulful vibe. Titles include "Sky High", "Street Lady", "Change", "Stepping Into Tomorrow", "Black Byrd", and "Flight Time".

The full scope of genius from the legendary Alvin Cash – not just his 60s gritty groovers, but a host of later funk tracks as well – all packaged into a beautiful book-styled package! Cash is one of our favorite Chicago artists ever – a dancer by trade, but a flamboyant personality who always managed to make his way center stage – whether live or in the recording studio! The set begins with early "twine" numbers from Alvin – some romping heavy soul tracks that have a very deep bottom, and a raw sound that's equal part R&B and Chicago soul – definitely tuned towards the dancefloor crowd that was a natural fit for Cash's energy. As the set moves on, it then picks up some wicked late 60s singles for the Toddlin Town label, and also includes some excellent early 70s groovers for Sound Stage Seven – some of Alvin's hardest, heaviest numbers ever. The set features work by Alvin Cash with The Registers, Hundred Dollar Bills, The Crawlers, and Scott Brothers Orchestra – and titles include "Keep On Dancing (parts 1 & 2)", "Funky 69", "Moanin & Groanin", "Doin The Creep", "It's Party Time", "Funky Washing Machine", "Alvin's Doin His Thing", "Funky Street", "Doin The Ali Shuffle", "Whip It On Me", "The Charge", "Boston Monkey", "The Philly Freeze", "Alvin's Boogaloo", "Let's Do Some Good Timing", "The Bump", "Twine Time", "Twine Awhile", "The Barracuda", and "You Shot Me Through The Grease".

A wonderful wonderful soul album from the great Gene Chandler – quite possibly our favorite work ever from this under-acknowledged Chicago singer! Chandler's way past his "Duke Of Earl" years on this record, and is hitting his stride as one of Chicago's best soul singers of the late 60s – working with a style that's harder than ever before – and a bit more sophisticated, too – with touches of that masculine maturity that Walter Jackson helped to bring to the scene. Carl Davis produced, and backings are by Sonny Sanders and Gerald Sims – providing a great Chicago groove over tunes penned by Curtis Mayfield, Billy Butler, and Otis Leavill – as well as Davis, Sanders, and Sims – all representing the unusual depth in Windy City soul at the time. Tracks include "To Choose", "Nothing Can Stop Me", "You Can't Hurt Me No More", "The Girl Don't Care", "Good Times", "Here Come The Tears", and "Fool For You".

Two great lost numbers from one of our favorite soul artists of all time! "I Can Take Care" is a rolling midtempo number, with that loping Chi soul groove that Gene was working in afer his early Vee Jay sides. Gene's vocals really send us – especially on the the chorus, when they go over the top! "Mr Big Shot" is a great cut too – with a strumming guitar underneath the beat, in kind of a hip mod style that's a real surprise to hear from Gene! There's some backup vocals on the chorus, but the verse has Gene rolling ahead full steam.

Everybody's favorite "cuchi-cuchi" girl shows her musical side in this trashed-out Salsoul set from the end of the 70s! Charo, apart from being well-built, sensual, and not ashamed to show it, is also a pretty decent guitarist, in a Spanish/flamenco mode. She plays a bit on the album – especially on her version of "Concierto De Aranjueuz", but most of the tracks are disco tunes, done with orchestrations by John Davis. Titles include "Ole Ole", "Stay With Me", "Hot Love", and (of course!) a version of the "Love Boat Theme"!

Really beautiful vocal work from Corinne Chatel – spare tunes that mostly feature overdubbed vocal passages, sung wordlessly, often with a very musical feel – yet one that's quite offbeat too! There's a quality here that really reminds us of some of our favorite Meredith Monk work from years back – really imaginative, and never gimmicky at all – with an approach that's very abstract, yet somehow all makes complete sense too – logic that's all its own, yet really beautiful overall! Titles include "Call", "Les Sirenes", "Heartbeats", "Berceuse", "Angels Vocalizing", "Awakening The Goddess", and "South India".

A trio of cool cop soundtracks from Stelvio Cipriani – all brought together in a beautiful package with a really unified feel! Cipriani's easily one of our favorite Italian composers for the cop/crime genre – as he's got a way of bringing sensitive sounds into play with driving action – in ways that are different from Morricone, Piccioni, or any of his other contemporaries! These tunes have a great balance between careful strings, warm themes, and more pointed action – often hanging their sound on a key element, such as a keyboard line, or off-tuned piano – and moving carefully forward with a really great ear for space and timing. Things are never sleepy, even when spacious – and the tunes ring out with a heavenly quality that could almost sanctify the acts of crime for which they were initially scored. CD features 3 tracks from La Polizia Sta A Guardare, 3 from La Polizia Chiede Auto, 9 from La Polizia Ha Le Mani Legate, and 9 more bonus tracks from the films – including some previously unreleased numbers. A really wonderful package too – with great graphics, notes in English, and a really beautiful look overall!

A Latin monster – and one of our favorite albums from the New York scene! The record is the only one we've ever seen from pianist Earl Coleman – and it's a groove-happy fiesta that's every bit Spanish Harlem at its best. Earl's piano is flowing and free, and the band grooves through tracks that dip, turn, and soar like some of the best hard-jamming numbers from Joe Cuba, Ray Barretto, or Joe Bataan from the time. Some tracks feature soulful English vocals, and the titles alone should give you the feel of the set – "Hippy Heaven", "Latin Love-In", "Banana-Loo", and "What You Gonna Do".

An amazing little record from Willie Colon – one that has him stepping forth into the limelight as both singer and leader – after years of working with better-known vocalists like Hector LaVoe and Ruben Blades! But even more than the vocals the thing we really love here are the arrangements – bold, soaring, and really complex – often mixing larger string passages with some incredible work on sax and flute from players who include Mauricio Smith, Ronnie Cuber, and Bobby Porcelli – all coming together here with a sense of dynamism that reminds us of some of our favorite work at the time from Bobby Vince Paunetto. The scope of the record is really amazing and very powerful, and titles include "Nueva York", "Chinacubana", "Juancito", "Urubatan", "Julia", "Tu Eres Tu", and "Sin Poderte Habiar".

A perennial favorite in the John Coltrane catalog – a beautiful set of standards, handled in a warm laidback style – one that shows that Trane's groundbreaking group with Jimmy Garrison on bass, Elvin Jones on drums, and McCoy Tyner on piano could still express themselves with even more direct soulfulness than usual! The album's completely solid all the way through – and although it won't change your life as much as A Love Supreme, it will show what a fantastically strong player Coltrane was, in any sort of setting! Titles include "I Wish I Knew", "What's New", "Nancy", "You Don't Know What Love Is", and "All Or Nothing At All".

A perennial favorite in the John Coltrane catalog – a beautiful set of standards, handled in a warm laidback style – one that shows that Trane's groundbreaking group with Jimmy Garrison on bass, Elvin Jones on drums, and McCoy Tyner on piano could still express themselves with even more direct soulfulness than usual! The album's completely solid all the way through – and although it won't change your life as much as A Love Supreme, it will show what a fantastically strong player Coltrane was, in any sort of setting! Titles include "I Wish I Knew", "What's New", "Nancy", "You Don't Know What Love Is", and "All Or Nothing At All".

One of our favorite albums ever from John Coltrane – but a record that's sometimes eclipsed by the genius of A Love Supreme! The feel here is very similar to that one – long tracks that introduce a new mode of searching, spiritual jazz for the 60s – one that's performed by a core quintet with Coltrane, McCoy Tyner, Jimmy Garrison, and Elvin Jones – but which also features added players on the side-long title track! "Kulu Se Mama" is a tremendously bold statement in music – one that features a bit of spiritual vocals from Juno Lewis, plus added bass clarinet from Donald Garrett, tenor from Pharoah Sanders, and drums from Frank Butler. The two other tracks – "Vigil" and "Welcome" – are performed by a quartet, but are still equally great!

John Coltrane returns to the Village Vanguard – but his sound here is a lot more far-reaching than a few years before! The album's a great counterpart to the first Vanguard session – as it takes all of the bold, soaring energy of that date, and balances it with the newly introspective sound of the later Coltrane years – plus some of the freedoms learned from the Love Supreme era. The group here showcases the new territory explored by Coltrane – with Trane himself on tenor, soprano, and a bit of bass clarinet (echoing earlier Dolphy), plus Pharoah Sanders on additional tenor, Alice Coltrane on piano, Jimmy Garrison on bass, and Rasheid Ali on drums. The album only features 2 long tracks – an incredibly soulful version of "Naima", and a very firey version of "My Favorite Things", but one that begins with a haunting bass solo by Garrison!

Coltrane's last live show ever – in case you couldn't guess from the title – recorded in 1967, but never officially released! The set features a group with Pharoah Sanders, Jimmy Garrison, Rashied Ali, Alice Coltrane, Algie DeWitt, and possibly Jumma Santos on percussion. As you'd guess from the added percussion, there's a pronounced spiritual approach to the set, although the solo work by Trane, Alice, and Pharoah is also quite free. The set features a short introduction by Billy Taylor, and 2 long tracks: "Ogunde" and "My Favorite Things".

A long overdue testament to the live genius of the mighty John Coltrane Quartet – captured at the legendary Half Note club in NYC – disc 1 recorded on a date in March 1965 and disc 2 on a date in early May of the same year! The set finds Coltrane plus McCoy Tyner on piano, Jimmy Garrison on bass and Elvin Jones on the kit working in a far more adventurous guise than many of the 60s studio sessions – stretching out incredibly on the half hour epic workout "One Up, One Down" and a beautifully loose run of "Afro Blue". The stylistic themes are carried through similarly on the second disc's long grooving "Song Of Praise" and an amazing "My Favorite Things", but stretching near or past the 20 minute mark. These long bootlegged recordings are now available on CD officially for the first time ever – complete with the original radio introductions and announcements!

A surprisingly groovy little set – one of a few outings cut by singer Ruth Copeland – kind of an enigmatic figure in the early P-Funk years! The approach here is more rock than soul, but there's definitely some funky undercurrents too – of the sort that have always made Copeland a favorite with break freaks over the years – thanks to help on the album from Dennis Coffey, Eddie Hazel, Bernie Worrell, and George Clinton! Ruth arranged, performed, and produced the core part of the album herself – but the production style is surprisingly strong – with a use of space and strings that almost shows a bit of Axelrod influence at times, although more skewed towards the Detroit soul scene that Copeland called home. Titles include the classic "Your Love Been So Good To Me", which starts with a very fuzzy electric break, and "I Got a Thing For You Daddy", which has some great spacey guitars on the intro – plus "Child of the North", "No Commitment", "A Gift of Me", and "The Music Box". CD features three bonus tracks too – single versions of "The Music Box", "A Gift Of Me", and "No Commitment".

Four classic albums by this hip UK group – all with rare bonus tracks too! First up is the wonderful Dad Man Cat – our favorite record by one of the best funk records to ever come out of England! On this great debut album, Corduroy are a tight funky combo, with an organ and clavinet mod sound that still holds up damn well over the years. Their songwriting is great, and the groove on the set push way past the stock acid jazz riffing of the early 90s. Best example of this is "Skirt Alert", a cut that begins with an amazing drum break, then grooves into a Brazilian-inflected funk number, in the manner of Earth Wind & Fire's use of the idiom. Other tracks include "Chowdown", "How To Steal The World", "Electric Soup", "Money Is", and "Six Plus One". CD also features six bonus demo tracks! High Havoc is a real shift for Corduroy, who are opening their sound a lot here from earlier releases – showing that the group was way more than just one of London's many retro funk combos at the beginning of the 90s. The set includes the sublime track "Something In My Eye", a breezy bossa number that would almost put Brasil 66 to shame, and which we can guarantee will have you hitting the repeat button on your CD player again and again! Other tracks include "The Corduroy Orgasm Club", "Breakfast In Love", "Nobody Move", "Very Yeah", "Clearing Up Music", "Lovely Lonely & Loaded", and "The Frighteners". CD features 9 more bonus tracks – some previously unreleased! Next is Out Of Here – a record that's still heavily steeped in the 60s territory of previous releases, but one with a bit more of a mod feel overall! There's lots of heavy Hammond and guitar in the mix, and the vocals have a warm appeal too – kind of a blue-eyed soul take on mod London modes – served up here with a sound that's arguably tighter and more soulful than lots of current work of this nature! Corduroy was always a group that never fully got its due – and with records like this under their belt, they were easily one of the hippest acts on the Acid Jazz imprint at the time. Titles include "Don't Wait For Monday", "Practice What You Preach", "Magic Carpet", "January Woman", "Mini", "Motorhead", "Along The Rooftops", "End Of The Rainbow", and "Red Mercury". CD features 7 more bonus tracks – a number of unissued demos! Last up is Quattro – Live In Japan 1994 – a great little live set from Corduroy – recorded late in their career, but with the stripped down funky feel of their best early work! The album was recorded in Japan – but the groove is pure London jazz funk all the way, with a tight mix of keyboards and riffing guitars, electrically grooving in a very soulful way. Includes versions of "Skirt Alert", "Something In My Eye", "Mini", "Money is", "London, England", "Electric Soup", "E Type", "The Frighteners", and "Chow Down".

When we were impressionable little arty tykes, this was one of our favorite soundtracks. It's got some beautiful Satie-esque tracks that feature solo piano by Vladimir Cosma, plus some weird Euro electronic stuff that has a nice cold feel to it. Also features a few tracks from the opera "La Wally", but we always skipped over these. Titles include "Voie Sans Issue", "Gorodish", "Promenade Sentimentale", "Metro Police", and "Lame De Fond".

A great 2-fer – featuring both of Noel Coward's Columbia albums in one 70s set. First up is Noel Coward In New York – a very cool album from Coward – a talent you're probably more familiar with as a playwright, but who also happens to be quite the entertainer! This album is one of two great sets that Coward recorded live in the US in the mid 50s, and they really show him opening up a lot from earlier recordings – singing with an ease and swinging style that adds a whole new level to his classic compositions. It helps that Peter Matz is handling the backing and arrangements – jazzing up Noel's tunes with a nice 50s style – and the live setting of the recordings make them come off well, especially as the audiences are very enthusiastic! Titles include "Wait A Bit Joe", "Why Must The Show Go On", "I Like America", "Luisa", "I Went To A Marvelous Party", and "20th Century Blues". Next is Noel Coward at Las Vegas, one of our favorite vocal albums of the 50s – an incredibly witty live set from Noel Coward, recorded in Las Vegas, with a very different style than some of his other records! The Noel Coward you'll hear here is still steeped in the mannered wit of his earlier plays, but he's also let himself go considerably – working in front of a live audience with an eager ear for well crafted lyrics and innuendo. The songs are mostly numbers from Coward's earlier shows, but they're sung in a hip swinging loungey style that really gives them legs – moving them past their staid roots into strong 50s vocal territory. Includes 2 great remakes of Cole Porter numbers – "Let's Do It" and "Begin The Beguine", both with Coward's own lyrics – plus "Uncle Harry", "A Bar On The Piccola Marina", "World Weary", and "Mad Dogs & Englishmen".

Not percussion by a cultish ensemble, but a percussion record that's gone onto become a cult favorite over the years – thanks to a wide array of wonderfully groovy sounds throughout – all played by a youthful ensemble from late 70s Scotland! The album's awash in vibes, marimba, xylophone, and other melodic percussion instruments – played together in ways that clearly have their roots in some of the late 50s percussion albums from the bachelor pad years – yet definitely given a cool 70s twist on this set, both in the arrangements in sweet style of production. The cascading sounds are really wonderful – tuneful yet rhythm at the same time, and occasionally with a slight undercurrent of funk that really keeps things interesting. Titles include "Two Jubilee Pieces", "The Little Dancer", "Percussion Suite", "Baia", "Autun Carillion", and "Polymers".

Beautiful stuff from singer Diana Darby – one of our favorite voices in the indie folk landscape! There's a hushed tone to Diana's voice that softens some fairly heavy lyricism – on personal songs that manage to speak the plain, sometimes harsh truths of love and spirituality with a fragile, hypnotic beauty. She accompanies herself on guitar, and the other instrumentation is as subtle and strong as her singing and songcraft – with light percussion, cello, bass, pedal steel, banjo and sax. Diana has been with Delmore Recordings for over a decade now – the label that's doing the world such a service by unearthing archival Karen Dalton – and it's great to hear new music on Delmore that'll truly stand the test of time just as strongly! Includes "Looking For Trouble", "Snow Cover Me", "If Love", "Spinning", "Buttercup", "Oh Butterfly", "Ugly Little Toad", "Heaven", "The Alphabet", "Elena", "Little One" and "Talking To God".

Beautiful stuff from singer Diana Darby – one of our favorite voices in the indie folk landscape! There's a hushed tone to Diana's voice that softens some fairly heavy lyricism – on personal songs that manage to speak the plain, sometimes harsh truths of love and spirituality with a fragile, hypnotic beauty. She accompanies herself on guitar, and the other instrumentation is as subtle and strong as her singing and songcraft – with light percussion, cello, bass, pedal steel, banjo and sax. Diana has been with Delmore Recordings for over a decade now – the label that's doing the world such a service by unearthing archival Karen Dalton – and it's great to hear new music on Delmore that'll truly stand the test of time just as strongly! Includes "Looking For Trouble", "Snow Cover Me", "If Love", "Spinning", "Buttercup", "Oh Butterfly", "Ugly Little Toad", "Heaven", "The Alphabet", "Elena", "Little One" and "Talking To God".

One of our favorite-ever Miles Davis albums – and a stunning soundtrack that began a rich legacy of jazz scores in France! Miles recorded this material during late-night post-gig sessions with a great group that includes French players Barney Wilen, Rene Urtreger, and Pierre Michelot, plus American ex-patriot Kenny Clarke. Wilen's playing is fantastic, and it's great to hear him and Miles together on the score's spooky meandering passages. Titles include "Florence Sur Les Champs-Elysees", "L'Assassinat De Carla", "Diner Au Motel", "Evasion De Julien", "Nuit Sur Les Champs-Elysees", "Le Petit Bal", "Au Bar Du Petit Bac" and "Sur L'Autoroute".

Our favorite album ever from Tyrone Davis – even if it's completely different than most of his other work too! The set's got a wonderfully smooth feel right from the start – a mellow-grooving, slow-stepping approach that works perfectly for Tyrone's wonderful vocals – pushing them out of their bluesy roots, into a more sophisticated modern soul style that's mighty nice! The change is a key illustration of the way that Chicago soul was really growing in the 70s – moving into some of the richer territories that you'd find in work from Philly, too – and Davis' growth on a record like this is a real testament to his maturity as a singer. James Mack handled the arrangements – and titles include the sublime "In The Mood" – plus "You Know What To Do", "Keep On Dancin", "All The Love I Need", "I Don't Think You Heard Me", "Ain't Nothing I Can Do", and "I Can't Wait". CD features 2 bonus tracks – single mixes of "In The Mood" and "Ain't Nothing I Can Do".

Beautiful – and some of the best soundtrack work ever recorded by this mad French genius! Francois De Roubaix is one of our favorite soundtrack composers ever – and if you've never heard his work, this is a great place to start. The 3 films included in the package all feature amazing music that's unlike anything else you might have heard before – a blend of funky rhythms, soaring strings, floating flute, and odd little instrumental touches that evoke a lot of weird moods and mystery moments. A few tracks feature vocals – either by Nicoletta, Los Incas, and Gilles Dreu – but the bulk of the package is instrumental, with 22 tracks that include "Jeanne & Marceau", "La Recherche", "Gregg", "Le Bosco", "Le Ritual", "Jerk Carceral", "Aspic", and "Un Aller Simple".

A sweet blend of west coast jazz and Brazilian rhythms – and one of our favorite records ever from trombonist Raul De Souza! The session's got a more soulful, jazzy feel than some of Raul's other dates from the 70s – not nearly as tight as his sets for Capitol, with an earthy undercurrent in the music, thanks to the production efforts of Airto, who spearheads the session. Horns are by JJ Johnson, with some slight echoes of his soul soundtrack work of the period – and other players include Ted Lo on keyboards, Richard Davis on bass, and Jack DeJohnette on drums – plus a bit of guest alto sax from Cannonball Adderley on a few tunes. Titles include "Water Buffalo", "Dr Honoris Causa", "Canto De Ossahna", "Nana", "Festival", and "Chants To Burn".

The amazing second album from Deep Jazz – and every bit as spiritual and soulful as the first! These guys really blew us away with their debut, and we're loving them even more this time around – and can honestly say that they're one of the few contemporary combos to ever get our favorite sounds of the 70s just right – that magical music that came out on labels like Strata East and other small indies of the time – that post-Coltrane generation when musicians really stretched their skills to the heavens in search of new sounds! The arrangements, production, and execution here are wonderful – with no modern tricks or gimmicks to get in the way at all – and in addition to great warm acoustic bass from group leader Jerker Kluge, the set also features alto, tenor, flute, bass clarinet, and piano – plus some great Alice Coltrane-like harp, sweet percussion, and even female vocals on a few cuts. Titles include the great originals "No Doubt", "The Meeting", "Movement", "Mystic Sky", "Invisible", and "East & West" – plus great versions of "Little Sunflower" and "Spirits Up Above".

The Demures are totally great – a sweet female soul group, but one who work here with a solidly socking groove! "Raining Teardrops" may have a sad theme, but the rhythm's right up there with the best Chicago dancefloor soul of the late 60s – that romping style you'd hear most famously on Okeh or Brunswick records! Speaking of Brunswick, the Lost Generation fly on the flip – turning out one of our favorite Chicago soul tracks ever – the sublime "Sly Slick & The Wicked"!

A great set of singles and rarities from 70s sunshine pop group Design! It's a UK combo whose boy/girl vocal harmonies and super sunny sound carried on the tradition of some of our favorite Cali group of the late 60s – and they're so good at hitting that vibe, it's hard to believe they don't hail from the west coast! This excellent compilation from RPM UK puts together the group's singles from the late 60s onward into the 70s – with both the A- and B-sides, plus some sweet rarities and demos that are hardly less lovely than the fully-realized album and 45 sessions! Wonderful stuff from a group that outta be better remembered! Includes "Colour All The World", "Mayday", "One Sunny Day", "Day By Day", Children Of The Mist", "Sunny", "Insurance", "Islands Of Love", "As It Was", "Calais", "Never Been A Love Like This", "Flown Away" and more. 20 in all.

An album led by pianist Aaron Diehl – but a set that also features some especially great vibes from Warren Wolf – one of our favorite players on the instrument in the past decade or so! Wolf's tones ring out beautifully – with that richness he really brings to his own albums, and hasn't spared a bit with Diehl – a style that really has great ways of expanding out Aaron's initial impulses on piano, and giving the record a lyrical quality that almost takes us back to 60s collaborations between Jack Wilson and Roy Ayers! Other quartet members include David Wong on bass and Rodney Green on drums – and titles include "Generation Y", "The Cylinder", "Stop & Go", "Single Petal Of A Rose", and "Blue Nude".

The best collection we've ever seen on Ernie K Doe – a really massive set that not only features all the tracks from his early years on the New Orleans soul scene, but also includes his great comeback album from 1970 too – plus some killer cuts from the mid 70s as well! Allen Toussaint produced all the recordings – which makes for not only a really unified feel throughout, but also a nicely evolutionary one too – as the rough, gritty grooves of New Orleans are taken to hipper, more sophisticated territory as time moves on – those really complicated funky rhythms that have always made the title track a standout favorite from Ernie! The package features a hardcover book-style design, with notes, photos, and label scans in the middle – and cuts include "Come On Home", "Popeye Joe", "Here Come The Girls", "Stoop Down", "You Got To Love Me", "So Good", "Back Street Lover", "Talkin Bout This Woman", "A Long Way Back Home", "Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye", "So Good", "The Fight", "Rub Dub Dub", "Hey Hey Hey", "There's A Will There's A Way", "Wanted $10,000 Reward", "Mother In Law", "A Certain Girl", "Reaping What I Sow", and "Penny Worth Of Happiness".

Beautiful! Joao Donato has long been one of our favorite-ever Brazilian songwriters, and this tasty series from Lumiar finally pays him the rich tribute he deserves! The series, like the others on Lumiar, features some of Brazil's greatest artists ever, paying tribute to Donato with loving renditions of his best songs. This third volume features "Lugar Comum" by Leny Andrade, "Minha Saudade" by Gilberto Gil, "Everyday" by Ed Motta & Joao Donato, "Luo Dourada" by Os Cariocas & Joao Donato, "Fonta Da Saudade" by Elza Soares, "A Paz" by Rosa Passos, "Depois Do Natal" by Djavan & Joao Donato.

One of our favorite albums ever by Kenny Dorham – and a really different session than his usual studio work! The album captures Kenny in a relaxed live setting, with a bit more dirt on his horn than usual – blowing with a tone that's much more open and a bit less poised – in the company of a really great group that features JR Monterose on tenor, Kenny Burrell on guitar, Bobby Timmons on piano, Sam Jones on bass, and Arthur Edgehill on drums. The CD features a total of 17 tracks in all – titles from the original LP, plus rare extra material, and some bonus alternate takes – all remastered by Rudy Van Gelder. Titles include Dorham's boppish "Mexico City", plus other enigmatic compositions like "Monaco" and "Hill's Edge", and tracks that include "Round Midnight", "Riffin", "My Heart Stood Still", and "NY Theme".

Sublime work from one of our favorite groups ever on Salsoul Records – the amazing harmony quartet Double Expsoure – soaring out here in a set of Philly gems produced by Norman Harris! The album's got a wonderful sound right from the start – rich in rhythms, yet also soaring on harmonies that few other Philly acts could even touch – especially at this point in the 70s, when the group sound seemed to be waning a bit on other fronts. In a way, Double Exposure really carry on the best tradition of the east coast scene with a set like this – pushing things forward with rolling grooves for the clubs, yet also showing that they still can have a special way with a ballad too – a blend that's maybe only matched by Teddy Pendergrass-era work by Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes. Titles include "Newsy Neighbors", "Perfect Lover", "There's Something Missing", "Handy Man", and "Why Do You Have to Leave". CD features bonus tracks – "Perfect Lover (orig single)", "Newsy Neighbors (unreleased 12" mix)", and "Newsy Neighbors (orig single)".

One of the excellent recordings made by The Dramatics at ABC – great group soul gems that are sometimes overlooked because they didn't yield as many hits as earlier sets – but which are stellar records nonetheless! This one's got all the right elements firmly in place – killer production by Don Davis, and smooth but real harmonies from LJ Reynolds, Ron Banks, and the rest of the group. There's a few tracks that hit a smooth sort of groove that might be tagged as "disco" – but which is really just an extension of the super-dope mode that the group used in earlier years – and which has a lot more to offer than just a cheap dancefloor cash in. Titles include "Life Is Just A Playground", "Love Birds", "A Marriage On Paper Only", "I'm Hooked On You", "That's My Favorite Song", "I Think About You", and "I Just Wanna Dance With You".

One of the excellent recordings made by The Dramatics at ABC – great group soul gems that are sometimes overlooked because they didn't yield as many hits as earlier sets – but which are stellar records nonetheless! This one's got all the right elements firmly in place – killer production by Don Davis, and smooth but real harmonies from LJ Reynolds, Ron Banks, and the rest of the group. There's a few tracks that hit a smooth sort of groove that might be tagged as "disco" – but which is really just an extension of the super-dope mode that the group used in earlier years – and which has a lot more to offer than just a cheap dancefloor cash in. Titles include "Life Is Just A Playground", "Love Birds", "A Marriage On Paper Only", "I'm Hooked On You", "That's My Favorite Song", "I Think About You", and "I Just Wanna Dance With You".

A wonderful album from George Duke – and one of our favorite records from his legendary years at Columbia! George Duke's always had plenty of Brazilian elements in his music – but this album really brings them all together – offering up a perfect blend of Duke's keyboards and Cali soul with some key additions from the Rio scene of the time – a mix of singers and musicians who really help round out the sound and authenticate George's ears for Brazilian music! The album was actually recorded down in Rio – and features great contributions from Simone, Milton Nascimento, Roberto Silva, Toninho Horta, and Airto – all working beautifully under Duke's leadership, on cuts that include "Brazilian Love Affair", "Cravo E Canela", "Brazilian Sugar", "Sugarloaf Mountain", "Ao Que Vai Nascer", and "I Need You Now". CD features a single edit of "Brazilian Love Affair".

Some of our favorite Dusty Groove images, now on buttons!!

A much-needed look at one of our favorite instruments ever – the irreplaceable Fender Rhodes keyboard! The Rhodes has a sound that's unlike anything else – and has become a favorite of musicians over decades of use – as you'll hear in the film's interviews with Deodato, George Duke, Stanley Clarke, Patrice Rushen, Ramsey Lewis, Dave Grusin, Rodney Franklin, Joe Sample, Jerry Peters, Les McCann, Maurice White, Ronnie Foster, D'Angelo, Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock, and other jazz and soul legends – an incredibly large roster for a project like this! The film was partially put together by Gerald McCauley – a keyboardist himself – and it shows a love and respect of the Rhodes that really comes through. Almost 2 hours long, in color, with a special "Rhodes Scholars" feature.

Charles Earland – really stretching things out, and sounding great in the process! The album's an important one, as it shows that Earland wasn't just a funky Hammond player leading a small group – but a visionary player who could put together a session with a larger, cosmic concept. The album features an expanded horn section on most cuts, save for the smaller group "Speedball", which features excellent blowing by Lee Morgan and Billy Harper. Other players are all funky favorites from the Prestige years, and even the familiar numbers take on a whole new sound in this setting! Titles include "Charles III", "Girl You Need A Change Of Mind", "Auburn Delight", and "My Favorite Things".

An excellent reissue of funky work by this obscure European combo – a favorite with grooveheads for years because of their unique mix of funk, exotica, and strange studio touches! In a way, these guys are kind of like a collision between Mandingo, Chakachas, and Serge Gainsbourg – with lots of nice conga work, breathy wordless vocals, funky flute, and sexy tribal grooving. The set includes their classic slow funk cut "La La La", plus the tracks "King Kong", "Streaking A Gogo", "Wild Groove", "Bantu", "Please Love Me", "Girl Safari", "Brigitte Bardot", and "Music For A Playboy".

Mindblowing work from Booker Ervin – one of our favorite albums ever from his years at Prestige, and a record that really earns its haunting title and cover image! Book's definitely headed out to space on this one – working in a freer mode than on some of his Texas tenor-styled albums – and getting great accompaniment in his journey from Jaki Byard on piano, Richard Davis on bass, and Alan Dawson on drums. The Davis/Dawson team is a delight throughout – soulful and in the pocket, yet working with enough sense of space to allow Ervin and Byard to really take off on their solos! The album features 4 long tracks – and titles include "There Is No Greater Love", "Number Two", "Mojo", and "I Can't Get Started".

Amazing early work from Bill Everett – easily one of our favorite artistic talents of the Golden Age – famous for creating Sub Mariner, but seen here in a host of other rare work that's never been collected before! Everett's name was associated with Marvel/Timely for decades – but the work here was done for the competing Hillman and Centaur imprints – often with a sense of darkness that's really wonderful – that kind of un-fixed approach to comic art that can make some early Golden Age work so startling, even after all these years. Everett was a hell of a drafstman, even at this early point – and many of the stories have these slightly creepy vibes that come through in both the art and rough stories – similar to Bill's brilliance on Sub Mariner at the start, but different too. The book is mostly in color, and features a bit of additional text – 238 pages, hardcover, and mighty nice!

A soul set from Spain – a really sweet debut from Veronica Ferreiro, a singer with depth to rival the best of the American underground! There's a surprisingly non-commercial feel to the music – nicely laidback production, and strong traces of jazz that really make the backings sparkle – and match the great range that Veronica brings to her music – making for a blend that's a lot like some of our favorite Neo Soul albums from the early years of the genre in the US! Lyrics are partly Spanish, partly English – and on the latter, Ferreiro comes across with a sensitive quality that could well have her reaching a wider audience over the next few years. Titles include "Floating Lovers", "Non Quero Crer", "Riverside", "Laio", and "Please Don't Fall In Love".

A never-heard soundtrack for a never-seen film – and a record that's every bit as funky as better-known sets from the blacksploitation era! Final Solution were a small time group from Chicago's west side in the 70s, but on this wicked little soundtrack they sparkle just as brightly as Isaac Hayes, Willie Hutch, Curtis Mayfield, or any of our favorite soundtrack soul artists from the time – working in a really righteous approach to soul with lots of heavy rhythms on the bottom and rumbling bass in the mix – so that even when the tunes are mellow, there's still a bold, brash sort of power to the set! The vocals are mostly delivered in harmony style, again with a nice edge – a bit like The Impressions work on Three The Hard Way, but with more of an indie soul feel overall, given the production circumstances. Once again, our hats are off to Numero for unearthing this gem. Titles include "Brotherman", "Never Coming Back Again", "I Don't Care", "Girl In My Life", "Gotta Get Through To You", "One Day", "I'm Ready For Love", and "We Can Work It Out".

An amazing album by the great guitarist Eddie Fisher – and completely unlike his later funk records! Eddie plays stripped down jazz with a small combo that includes organ by Robert Selby, bass by Paul Jackson, and some rhythm guitar by Phil Westmoreland – and the twin-guitar approach creates this super-dope style that's light years ahead of its time, with a sophistication that points the way to later mid 70s work on labels like CTI and Kudu! Eddie's guitar work is an incredible exercise in spareness and soulfulness – best heard on the fantastic "Third Cup", a long drawn-out jazz stepper that's got to be heard to be believed. The cut's been a favorite on the Chicago jazz stepper's scene for years – and it alone is worth the price of the album. However, the record features some other wonderful stuff – like a sublime version of "Shadow Of Your Smile" that runs for a bubbling 12 minutes – plus the originals "Shut Up", "Scorched Earth", and "Two By Two".

An amazing album by the great guitarist Eddie Fisher – and completely unlike his later funk records! Eddie plays stripped down jazz with a small combo that includes organ by Robert Selby, bass by Paul Jackson, and some rhythm guitar by Phil Westmoreland – and the twin-guitar approach creates this super-dope style that's light years ahead of its time, with a sophistication that points the way to later mid 70s work on labels like CTI and Kudu! Eddie's guitar work is an incredible exercise in spareness and soulfulness – best heard on the fantastic "Third Cup", a long drawn-out jazz stepper that's got to be heard to be believed. The cut's been a favorite on the Chicago jazz stepper's scene for years – and it alone is worth the price of the album. However, the record features some other wonderful stuff – like a sublime version of "Shadow Of Your Smile" that runs for a bubbling 12 minutes – plus the originals "Shut Up", "Scorched Earth", and "Two By Two".

A great single by this lost St. Louis guitar player! "The Third Cup" is a legendary classic in Chicago – and it's got this amazingly slow, amazingly dope groove that's always been a favorite with the jazz steppers. The flipside is great, too – and features Eddie going crazy in a much more uptempo funky way, playing hard over some tight loping arrangements. Paul Jackson's on bass, too!

A double disc CD & DVD package showcasing one of our favorite souful acts on the contemporary landscape – Nicolay & Phonte's brilliant and ever-evolving Foreign Exchange project! Dear Friends showcases an acoustic concert performed for a private audience –- the great touring lineup that includes Zo!, Sy Smith, and singer/songwriter Jeanne Jolly. From the get go, we've been impressed by both the original songwriting from Foreign Exchange as well as the way they filter diverse influences into their own unique vibe – and this acoustic setting really gets to the heart and soul of it. This is an essential document for fans of the group, but it's also a fine intro if you're just now coming aboard! The live set includes "Fight For Love", "All Roads", "Take Off The Blues", "Lose Your Way", "Greatest Weapon Of All Time", a nice cover of James Taylor's "Something In The Way She Moves", "Laughing At Your Plans", "Daykeeper", "House Of Cards", Zo!'s "Greatest Weapon Of All Time" and "I Wanna Know". Also includes 2 new studio tracks: "Steal Away" feat vocals by Jeanny Jolly and piano by Zo! and "All The Kisses" feat Amber & Paris Strother of KING.

Amazing stuff by Ronnie Foster – a sweet little album of slow funky keyboard tones, much more loosely arranged than his later work, with a dope groove that was years ahead of its time! The album's in some ways a blueprint for some of our favorite jazz-based hip hop – and although Ronnie's playing organ, on most of the cuts, he handles the instrument more like it's a Fender Rhodes! Funky jazz with a sinister, soulful groove – with players including Gene Bianco on harp, Arthur Jenkins on congas, George Duvivier and Gordon Edwards on bass, Jimmy Johnson on drums, Gerorge Dvens on vibes and Gene Gertoncini on guitar. Includes the massive cut "Mystic Brew", which is a tasty Tribe sample, plus lots of other goodies like "Chunky", "Summer Song", and "Don't Knock My Love".

A beautiful album that perfectly mixes both sides of Aretha – the earlier hard-hitting soulster, and the developing vocalist with a rich talent for more sophisticated material. The album features the anthemic title cut in Aretha's famous version – plus the sample favorite "Rock Steady", the mellow groover "Day Dreaming", the hit "Brand New Me", and the strangely compelling "First Snow In Kokomo".

Tremendous work from Rodney Franklin – one of our favorite soulful fusion players from the end of the 70s! The album's a keyboard delight through and through – and Rodney plays both acoustic and electric piano, often on the same track – which creates this nicely expanded sound that works well with the album's tight arrangements! There's a fair bit of soul in the mix too – some rhythms that make a few numbers great groovers, courtesy of Tom Tom arrangements – and some other full moments handled by Patrick Williams. Titles include a wonderful version of "Windy City" – the cut you might know from a classic Carl Davis recording – plus "On The Path", "I Like The Music Make It Hot", "Life Moves On", "Creation", and "In The Center".

Tremendous work from Rodney Franklin – one of our favorite soulful fusion players of the era – and 2 albums back-to-back! The Rodney Franklin album is a keyboard delight through and through – and Rodney plays both acoustic and electric piano, often on the same track – which creates this nicely expanded sound that works well with the album's tight arrangements! There's a fair bit of soul in the mix too – some rhythms that make a few numbers great groovers, courtesy of Tom Tom arrangements – and some other full moments handled by Patrick Williams. Titles include a wonderful version of "Windy City" – the cut you might know from a classic Carl Davis recording – plus "On The Path", "I Like The Music Make It Hot", "Life Moves On", "Creation", and "In The Center". You'll Never Know is more fully-formed genius from Franklin – one of the best keyboard stars to emerge from the late 70s scene! Rodney again plays both acoustic and electric keys – blending them wonderfully for a very deep sound – and the group behind him features some especially nice work on reeds, which bring sharper edges to some of the best tracks on the set. There's a wonderfully deep feel to the whole thing – way more than you'd expect for a major label release at the time – and titles include "Felix Leo", "The Watcher", "The Groove", "Journey", "You'll Never Know", "Return", and "Parkay Man".

Remixes and rare tracks from the mighty Gerardo Frisina – easily our second favorite Italian groover next to the mighty Nicola Conte! The set's a great counterpart to some of Frisina's other full albums on Schema – because it not only presents a few previously unreleased tracks, it also offers up some of Gerardo's great remix work for other artists in recent years! Frisina's got a great way of imbuing a current track with a classic Latin vibe – mixing acoustic percussion, driving rhythms, and jazz-based instrumentation together with incredible sharpness and energy – a no-nonsense approach to a groove that shows that's almost a distillation of the best older elements. This approach is heard wonderfully on Gerardo's own tracks "Tokyo's Dream (07 version)", "Alborado", "Es Diferente", "Calle De Candela (vibes version)", and "Zanja" – but it also comes through on remix tracks that include "Swing Low Sweet Cadillac (G Call remix)" by Dizzy Gillespie, "Dis-ka-ndombe" by Jorge Graf, "Black Forrest Stomp" by Hipnosis, "Windly Coast" by Idea 6, "Guarapiranga" by Toco, "Stardust From Tomorrow (dissociated mood version)" by Sun Ra, and "Ghetto Stomp" by Combo Moderna.

The first album in years from this favorite Brazilian funk combo – and less of a straight album than a collection of different recordings from all the time we haven't heard from them! Funk Como Le Gusta are tighter than ever – still strongly inspired by American funk and soul, and able to fuse it into a groove that's slightly contemporary – but way better than the usual mainstream R&B from Brazil! There's a lean quality here on most of the tracks – instrumentation that's still mostly live, and definitely linked to the contemporary deep funk underground at points – while getting even bolder production at others. Titles include "Balacobaco", "Sweet Ronie Song", "Putz", "Muchacha Fantastica", "Ire", and "Preludio Do Sol".

Incredibly groovy work from France Gall – easily one of our favorite French singers of the 60s! France has a sound that's really unique – one that comes from the Frenchified pop of the "yeh yeh" generation, but which really packs a lot more punch than her contemporaries – a bold, proud, loud quality that's really wonderful – and which makes just about every number from the time a total killer! Part of the help here comes from Serge Gainsbourg – who wrote a good number of tracks for the young Gall – but the style's also quite different than that of Serge, too – often with an emphasis on punchy drums at the bottom, which creates a hint of funk – bringing a nice nasty feel to France's little girl vocals. The set's a great one – overflowing with key cuts from singles of the 60s – and titles include "Made In France", "Poupee De Cire Poupee De Son", "Laisse Tomber Les Filles", "Quand On Est Ensemble", "Rue De L'Abricot", "Bloody Jack", "Le Temps De La Rentree", "Mon Bateau De Nuit", "Baby Pop", and "Les Sucettes". 22 tracks in all!

2 of our favorite action soundtracks from French maestro Georges Garvarentz – the funky mid 70s Killer Force and the groovy late 60s Corrupt One – in one fantastic set! Killer Force is up first – and it's filled with strident grooves that are right up there with some of the best mid 70s cop/thriller soundtracks! We've never seen the film – which starred O.J. Simpson, Peter Fonda, and Telly Savalas – but with a cast like that, you can guess what the sound is like. You probably know George's work from some of the compilations we've stocked – and this soundtrack's right in keeping with the work on those sets. Tracks include "The Chase", "A Diamond Love", "Forget That Time", "Love Theme", and "Diamond Robbery". The Corrupt Ones is another pulpy gem – featuring a totally cool theme song by Dusty Springfield, with a great mix of funk, easy, and soul! The instrumental tracks range from orchestral/dramatic, to more of a crime jazz style – with some John Barry-like touches, and other more serious numbers. Titles include "Torture Room", "The Gambling Den", "The Bar", "Treasure Cave", "Illusion & Escape", "Man Hunt", "Jasmine's Dance", "The Mortuary", and "Suspense In The Sun". Includes 3 bonus tracks: "Riksha Ride", "Casino Fight" and "Finale".

Wonderful stuff – and one of our favorite-ever Marvin Gaye albums! This is the legendary two-record set that Marvin wrote and recorded as an alimony payment to his ex-wife Anna Gordy (the story's pretty long, and we won't get into it here – suffice it to say that when stars get a divorce, watch out!) Although the album was thought of as a no-brainer quickie at the time – and predicted to fail so that Anna wouldn't get any cash from it – the record is an extremely well-crafted one, filled with extremely personal songs that also have a warm soulful finish, in the style of Marvin's work on the LP I Want You (which is kind of a nice bookend to this one – as it was an extended love poem to the young girlfriend that caused him to split up with Anna!) Hard and soulful, the record's a searing testimony to the relationship between Marvin and Anna, and a painful document of the troubles between them – set to some mellow grooves that are easily some of Marvin's greatest of the 70s! The set's filled with great "lost" Marvin Gay songs, too – like "Sparrow", "When Did You Stop Loving Me", "Anger", "You Can Leave, But It's Going To Cost You", and "Time to Get it Together".

An incredible record – quite possibly our favorite ever by Marvin Gaye! The album is quite unique – written by Leon Ware, and recorded in collaboration with him – done as a "suite" of tracks based on themes of passion, joy, and new love – all of which were very much on the mind of Marvin during his troubled years of the mid 70s. The whole thing's beautifully put together – superbly orchestrated with just the right funky touches, and even a sweet bit of electronics to give the set a nice edge. An amazing album – one of those soul records that goes deeper and deeper than you ever thought pop music could go – filled with great tracks that include "I Want You", "After the Dance", "Come Live With Me", and "Since I Had You". Genius – pure genius!