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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".

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".

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".

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!

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!

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".

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".

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".

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".

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".

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".

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".

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"!

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!

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".

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".

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".

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".

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".

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".

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".

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!

A wicked album that's one of Stan Getz's best from the 70s! The record features Stan reunited with Chick Corea, whose warm lyricism was the lynchpin in Getz's landmark Sweet Rain – the stunning session from 1968 that is perhaps our favorite-ever Getz album. Corea plays electric piano here, but with none of the indulgence that he was lapsing into at the time. His blocky chords stake out a stark new territory, into which Getz solos beautifully, into a range yet untapped at that time in his career. Tony Williams augments the group on drums, giving the whole thing a sense of freedom, but also a nice tight swing. Tracks include "La Fiesta", "Five Hundred Miles High", "Times Lie", and "Day Waves".

One of our favorite Dexter Gordon Blue Notes – a beautiful quartet recording that unites Dex with two other Americans in exile – Bud Powell and Kenny Clarke! The group's completed by French bassist Pierre Michelot, and includes a great take of "Scrapple from the Apple", plus excellent readings of "Stairway to the Stars" and "Night in Tunisia". The format is simple, but the sound is magic – classic Dexter Gordon in a tight Blue Note mode!

One of our favorite later albums by Stephane Grappelli – a really inventive little session that's filled with odd twists and turns! The outward format is somewhat simple – a quartet with Roland Hanna on piano, George Mraz on bass, and Mel Lewis on drums – but the structure of the songs is quite fresh, often with unusual timings and rhythms arranged by Hanna – which are themselves augmented by Grappelli's instrumentation – way more than just traditional jazz violin, and a complicated mixture of plucked and bowed phrasing. Titles include "Parisian Thoroughfare", "Wave", "Too Cute", "Fascinating Rhythm", "Love For Sale", and "Perugia".

The soundtrack to A House Safe For Tigers – which is one of the movies Lee made with director Torbjörn Axelman for Swedish television in the 70s – and it's a great one, right up there with Cowboy In Sweden! Honestly, this might even top the better-known Cowboy In Sweden – which is all the more stunning, given that this one's been nearly impossible to find since 1975. We're Lee devotees, to say the least, and we wouldn't say that if we didn't mean it! The sounds range from laidback, hipster cowboy funk – of the kind that Lee himself pioneered and personified – to some fairly sweeping orchestrations and more specifically soundtrack-y bits, with narration and a choir. Best of all, Lee is singing as well as he ever did during this decade. An obscure masterpiece from one of our favorite figures! Titles include "Soul's Island", "A House Safe For Tigers", "Our Little Boy Blue", "Sand Hill Anna And The Russian", The Nights" and more. This great Light In The Attic version is remastered from the original tapes, new liner notes and previously unseen photos.

Classic funky MPS material from Peter Herbolzheimer and his legendary group of European and American ex-patriot players. The record grooves on hard and funkily, in a way that you'd hardly guess from a German bandleader – but which has become a favorite with groovers and jazz dancers worldwide over the years! The group is great, and soloists include Dusko Goykovich, Dieter Reith, Herb Geller, and Art Famer – and the album includes 5 long tracks, including "Timbales Calientes", "Sunflower Chant", "What'd I Say", and a nice take on Horace Silver's "Senor Blues".

One of our favorite soul albums ever – a complete masterpiece from the mighty Leroy Hutson, easily one of the greatest soul singers of the 70s! The album's got a warmth that's amazing, yet also still manages to groove all the way through – hitting a subtle, almost mellow vibe that's like Marvin Gaye or Roy Ayers at their best – but somehow even better because the album's a lot less familiar than their work, and has a freshness that grabs us again and again over the years! Hutson arranged and produced the whole set himself – and the scope of his talents in the studio is amazing – tight on the rhythms, but broadly expansive on the other instrumentation – with a mix of intimacy and class that few other records from the 70s could ever hope to match. Perfect all the way through, and filled with genius cuts that include "Don't It Make You Feel Good", "I Think I'm Falling In Love", "Love to Hold You Close", "Flying High", "I Do I Do Want To Make Love To You", "Blackberry Jam", and "Sofunkstication".

Quite possibly our favorite-ever album by the Impressions! The record is a key transitional one – and it has them opening up the politics that were often hidden by spiritual metaphors on earlier ABC albums, into a righteous soul groove that hints a lot at the overblown direction Curtis Mayfield would take in the 70s, yet which still retains all the tightness of the group's earlier work. Nearly every single cut's a classic – and the group outdid themselves vocally, especially Curtis, who always makes our heart break on this one! Donny Hathaway and Johnny Pate handled the arrangements, and tracks include "Choice Of Colors", "The Girl I Find", "Mighty Mighty (Spade & Whitey)", "Soulful Love", and "Seven Years".

Weldon Irvine's last album for a major label – and a key set that marks the debut of the legendary Don Blackman! Irvine's still very much in charge of the session, but Blackman's emerging here with the strength that would show up on his later soul sessions – singing lead vocals on some of the best cuts on the record, and also playing acoustic piano next to Weldon's bank of electric keys. Tunes are nicely varied throughout – returning to the exploratory nature of some of Irvine's earlier records – and there's even some great mellower numbers that are some of our favorite tracks on the set – including the sublime stepper "I Love You", the gently spacey "Music Is The Key", and a sweet instrumental cover of "What's Going On". Other tracks include "Sinbad", "Don't You Worry Bout A Thing", "Do Something For Yourself", and "Here's Where I Came In".

An amazing record! This one's probably our favorite Isley Brothers album of all time – and it's a perfect blend of all the styles they were into at the time – heavy funk, sweet soul, folksy rock, and rolling uptempo grooves! The Brothers handle all styles equally well, and the album's a real delight as it skips effortlessly from track to track – always bringing a fresh sound to the experience of listening, and continuing to delight us year after year with the Isley's greatness! Includes the classic extended cut "Love Put Me On the Corner", a baroque soul symphony in itself; an amazing remake of "It's Too Late" that's way different than the original; the middle-class anthem "Work To Do"; and the funky cuts "Pop That Thang" and "Layaway".

One of our favorite albums of all times – and a legendary testament to the greatness of the Chicago music scene in the late 60s! Melvin Jackson was the bassist in Eddie Harris' very successful group of the time – and his playing on Eddie's trippy and funky records for Atlantic is one of the factors that made them so great. Here, he's working with an acoustic bass, amplified with electronics like a Varitone sax – and this strange-sounding instrument is set up in a hip group that mixes Cadet funky studio players (Phil Upchurch, Morris Jennings, Jody Christian) with some of the brighter young players of the AACM (Roscoe Mitchell, Lester Bowie, and Leo Smith.) Jackson's bass is looped through all sorts of crazy effects, and the result is this amazing blend of avant garde playing and groovy rhythms that is beyond compare! The album includes great reworkings of two Eddie Harris funk tracks – "Bold and Black" and "Cold Duck Time" – plus monster originals like "Funky Doo", "Say What", "Dance Of The Dervish", and "Funky Skull (parts 1 & 2)".

An incredible album – quite possibly our favorite record by the JBs, ever! The set starts with a wonderful conversational bit – rapping and musing on the idea of "Damn Right, I Am Somebody" – showing the group in a political and righteous mode for the first time ever. The grooves then kick in – with the same heavy funk as on earlier records, but also a nice nod towards experimental production – from strange fade ups and fade downs, to stark time and rhythm changes, and even bits of electronics used to create some very cool moments in the grooves! The whole thing's as dead funky as can be, and is stuffed with insane classics like "Blow Your Head", "Same Beat", "Damn Right I am Somebody", "I'm Payin' Taxes, What am I Buyin'", and a great cover of Marvin Gaye's "You Sure Love to Ball"!

A sublime bit of indie soul from the early 70s – the one and only album by vocalist Benny Johnson, recorded with some totally great backings from funk legend Julius Brockington and his United Chair combo! For the session, Brockington chose a warm, organ-drenched sound that's a fair bit like some of the best work coming out of Hi Records at the same time – although without as much of a southern soul approach overall. Johnson's vocals have a beautifully crackling sort of quality – one that's honest and human, but still smooth enough to fit the mode of the music here – a bit like Al Green, but a little more east coast overall. The set's got some excellent mellow soul numbers that are worth the price of admission alone – tracks that slide out beautifully with a really gentle sound, and bubble up with a tremendous amount of soul. But there's also some fuller, more upbeat tunes too – groovers that have made the album a favorite overseas for years! Titles include "Visions Of Paradise", "Stop Me", "Give It Up", "Second To None", "Won't You Stay", "It's Yours Baby", "Please Come Back", and "I Just Got To Know".

A beautiful set of indie soul jazz from the turn of the 80s – recorded in a laidback and soulful style that's right up there with some of our favorite small label sets from the 70s. Lamont is on keyboards, working here with a strong group that includes Charles McPherson on alto, Nathan East on bass, and Hollis Gentry on soprano and tenor sax. The interplay between the saxes is one of the best elements of the record – as both players are working here in a modally-influenced post-Coltrane mode – never too stretched out, but exploratory within the straighter rhythms of the tunes. Titles include "Sugar Hill Melody", "Mount Morris Park", "Meadmore", "Sydenham Square", and "Slugs In The Far East".

A great record by one of our favorite trumpet players – and one of those albums on Prestige that are darn hard to track down! Carmell Jones recorded this album after playing with Horace Silver and before leaving for exile in Europe (where he later recorded some great music with Nathan Davis) – and the set grooves in an incredible 60s soul jazz mode, right up there with the best that Blue Note or Prestige had to offer. This cracklin' tight group features Jones in the company of Jimmy Heath on tenor, Barry Harris on piano, George Tucker on bass, and Roger Humphries on drums – and the tracks include "Beepdurple", "Jay Hawk Talk", and "Dance Of The Night Child". A great mix of soul jazz and freer ideas, with a very solid groove!

Subtle magic from Jack Jones – the kind of record that's made Jones one of our favorite singers from the 60s, and a set that's right up there with the best albums by Tony Bennett! Jack's not nearly as dramatic as Bennett in his earlier years, but he's got a similarly fluid quality – a voice that's clearly tuned on jazz, but handled with straighter interpretation – set to backings that are neither too poppy nor too romantic, sometimes rare for male singers of the time. Backings are by Pete King, who uses lush strings, and Harry Betts, who brings in a bit more jazz – and titles include "Here's That Rainy Day", "Where Love Has Gone", "What's New", "The Lorelei", "By Myself", "To Love & Be Loved", "Lush Life", "Guess I'll Hang My Tears Out To Dry", and "Willow Weep For Me".

Guitarist Stanley Jordan takes on a set of standards – not just older tunes from the American songbook, but also some gorovy soul and pop numbers as well! Jordan plays solo throughout – in that open, lyrical style that we loved on his debut – and titles include "Sunny", "The Sound Of Silence", "Send One Your Love", "Moon River", "Guitar Man", and "My Favorite Things".

One of the greatest blacksploitation soundtracks of the 70s – and one of the rarest too! The album's a crowning achievement for the mighty Don Julian – an artist who's best known for his earlier LA soul with The Larks, but who steps out here with a hip, hard-grooving sound that's really amazing – kind of a small combo take on the bigger orchestrations you might hear in other films of the time – served up with lots of heavy drums and sharp-edged guitar in the mix! The rhythm section is especially great – bad-walking along with a blend of bass, drums, and congas – and other instrumentation includes flute, sax, and trombone – plus guitars from both Arthur Wright and Julian. Titles include the massive 10 minute title cut "Savage" – plus "Lay It On Your Head", "Where I'm Coming From", "My Favorite Beer Joint", "It's A Sad Song", and "Janitizio". As the cover says – "On the Streets, Or On the Sheets, He's a Savage!".

Our favorite album ever from Roland Kirk – and a beautiful mix of two different sides of his genius! Side one's got Roland doing these crazy takes on late 60's pop cuts like "My Cherie Amour" and "Say a Little Prayer", plus his own "songs", done with soulful vocals and a straight-on approach that shows him trying to break out of the avant jazz underground, and reach a wider audience with a spiritual message on tracks like "Search For The Reason Why" and "Spirits Up Above". If this description sounds like a mess, it's not – because this side of the album is one of Kirk's most brilliant statements ever about jazz, soul, love and freedom! Side two has Roland in a straighter vein – running through a tight live set from Newport 1968, handled with fire and imagination, the kind of boundless energy he always brought to his public appearances. Tracks on that set include "One Ton", "Three For The Festival", "Afro Blue", and some great remarks by Roland!

A dream come true for all of us who ever loved the incredible songs of Kris Kristofferson at the peak of his craft – his late 60s and early 70s publishing demos – never before released versions of some of his best songs ever in the raw, unvarnished mode we always longed for! It's amazing stuff, including many tracks that would go on to be Kristofferson standards – numbers that got a little too clean and glossy on some of his own LPs and as recorded by others, which is what makes this compilation such a revelation. A genuine coup for our friends at Light In The Attic and a presentation of some of our favorite songs of the era by anyone – done raw and real, the way we always wanted to hear them! The set's produced by Mark Linn, who is responsible for the excellent Karen Dalton archival releases on the Delmore label, and he does similarly great work for Kris. It includes an excellent booklet with reminiscences by Dennis Hopper and Merle Haggard, full lyrics and notes from Kristofferson – plus rare photos and liner notes by Michael Simmons. Includes "Me And Bobby McGee", "Please Don't Tell Me How The Story Ends", "Smile At Me Again", "Border Lord", "Just The Other Side Of Nowhere", "Slow Down", "If You Don't Like Hank Williams", "When I Loved Her", "Billy Dee", "Getting By, High And Strange" and more. 16 tracks in all.

One of our favorite Atlantic albums by the great Yusef Lateef – an incredible session that has him dipping back into his earlier exotic roots, yet still hitting the sweeter soulful groove of some of his other Atlantic sides! The sound is tremendous – wonderfully righteous, at a level that really set the tone for more ambitious soul jazz projects of the 70s – and carried off to perfection by a hip group of players that include Roy Brooks, Sonny Red, Blue Mitchell, and Hugh Lawson. All tracks are original, and titles include "Sun Dog", "Moon Cup", "Othelia", "Like It Is", and the groovy "Juba Juba".

Vinyl version of this favorite from the In The Fishtank series – which sees the teaming of slowcore pioneers low and instrumental mood rock greats Dirty Three.

One of our favorite records ever from ESP – a set that's got even more soul and spirit than we usually hear from the label! The album's one of the first (and few) from saxophonist Frank Lowe as a leader – and it's a unique date that also features alto and soprano sax from Joseph Jarman, who's really blowing beautifully here away from the Art Ensemble of Chicago! The set's got a vibe that's almost like the shift towards the loft jazz years the New York scene took after the initial avant wave documented by ESP in the 60s – informed with some of the spiritualism of the post-Coltrane generation on Impulse Records. Other players include a young William Parker on bass, Joseph Jarman on soprano and alto, and The Wizard (aka Raymond Lee Cheng) on violin, and Rashid Sinan on drums. Side one's got a beautiful long track called "In Trane's Name", and side two has "Brother Joseph" and "Thulani".

Amazing work from the great Jon Lucien – and probably his best-ever record! The album has Jon hitting a totally unified vision of spacey soul – bringing in elements of Brazilian music and touches of his Carribean roots, fusing them together with a sweet jazzy style and one of the most compelling voices we've ever heard in soul music. It takes courage to be this gentle and sincere, and although the record was never a hit when it was released, it's been a perpetual favorite of groovers for many many years – thanks to the depth of Lucien's lyrics, and the unique range of rhythms in the set! Includes the funky "Would You Believe in Me", the space "Lady Love", and the tracks "Kuenda", "Satan", "Love Everlasting", and soooo many more. Essential soul from one of the 70's most righteous artists – and probably the best place to start sampling his rich career!

An obscure second soundtrack for The Mack – one that's not nearly as well known as the classic Motown score by Willie Hutch, but which features some great work from Eugene McDaniels – and funky backings from Alan Silvestri! Eugene sings sweetly on the title theme "In The Beginning" – and funkily on the track "Party Time" – but our favorite tunes are actually the instrumental ones by Silvestri, done in a really wicked sort of groove – one that mixes traditional blacksploitation scoring with some jazzier touches – in a mode that's tight one minute, laidback the next, and filled with a great blend of jazz, soul, and electricity! Titles include "Play Ball", "We Can Beat This", "Slim", "Here Today", "Planetarium", and "Kill Fats".

Brilliantly funky! This is the greatest album they cut for Warner Brothers – and it's one of the few that ever really approaches the genius of their early work for Josie. The record features the incredible breakbeat cut "Just Kissed My Baby" – worth the price of the album alone – plus other nice ones like "Jungle Man", "Africa", "What'cha Say", and the perennial New Orleans favorite "Hey Pocky A Way". Also features the incredible funk jam "It Ain't No Use" – a monster track that's nearly 12 minutes long!

One of our favorite Thelonious Monk albums ever – a bare bones, no nonsense session that's filled with great work from tenorist Charlie Rouse! The record's filled with everything that's great about the Monk/Rouse team in these years – an incredible interplay between sax and piano, served up over the sorts of angular tunes that Monk had been putting forth for years, but somehow at a level that's even more perfect, more "Monkish" than before! Other members of the group are Butch Warren on bass and Ben Riley on drums – and titles include "Lulu's Back In Town", "Memories Of You", "Brake's Sake", "Stuffy Turkey", and "Shuffle Boil".

One of our top 5 favorite Blue Note records of all time – a bold and powerful session from trumpeter Lee Morgan, but one that sat in the vaults for 15 years before release! The session was recorded around the same time as Morgan's hit The Sidewinder (which eclipsed its release at the time) – but it's got the soaring, searching energy of later Morgan work on records like Sixth Sense or Charisma – a whole new groove at the time, and one that's explored perfectly by a group that includes Jackie McLean on alto sax, Curtis Fuller on trombone, McCoy Tyner on piano, Bob Cranshaw on bass, and Art Blakey on drums. Modal lines come into play with older hardbop and soul jazz modes – and the result is an explosive batch of tunes that resonate with bold power throughout! Nearly all tunes are incredible originals by Lee Morgan – and titles include "Tom Cat", "Exotique", "Twice Around", and the completely captivating "Rigor Mortis". A treasure, and one not to pass up!

Mostly a mellow period score, but with a few favorite Morricone elements firmly in place: solo viola, solo female vocals by Gianna Spagnolo, and an orchestra and chorus conducted by Bruno Nicolai. Titles include "Battle & Red Sea", "In God's Voice", "Exodus Two", "Israel", "Nocturnal Shouts", and "Lamentation".

One of the most haunting Morricone soundtracks ever – and one of the grooviest too! The album's a perfect blend of our two favorite styles of Morricone work – that of the floating female vocal over a gentle groove, and the darker, tenser side of his music. The main "Verushka" theme is one of his most beautiful – a variation of female vocals with a gentle edge, in the tradition of classic soundtracks like La Donna Invisible or Le Photo Proibite. This theme shifts from mood to mood over the course of the LP, occasionally giving way to some more atonal passages and other more jazz-based tunes – more of which are included here than on the original release, thanks to an expanded reissue job by Right Tempo! In fact, the whole thing's bubbling over with great music – one of the best Morricone reissues we've ever stocked – done with great sound and a huge array of extra tracks! Titles include a number of takes on the "Verushka" theme, plus "Astratto", "La Bambola", "Le Fotografie", "Magia", "La Spiaggia", and "Dopo L'Intervista".

A stunner of a joint effort from Ethio jazz funk visionary Mulatu Astatke and psych funk genre-busting combo the Heliocentrics – a record we had the highest hopes for and still find wildly above and beyond our loftiest expectations! The collective touch on some classic Mulatu compositions, but the bulk of the material here is brand new, and purely collaborative – if you know the Helioecentrics or you know Mulatu, you can clearly hear what each bring to the table – and it works together brilliantly! There's often a gritty funk bottom end, the best drums and percussion, fat electric bass lines underneath Ethio jazz inspired sax, trumpet, trombone and flute – swirling psychedelic flourishes with theremin and other effects that never take away from the groove. Mulatu's on vibes, percussion, Wurlitzer, drums and keyboards – and his compositions and the Helios trade back and forth throughout the set. There's some additional Ethiopian instrumentation and atmospheric vocals in the mix on some tunes, and more of an astral, avant funk vibe on others, but there's always a brilliant confluence of styles. Bottom line, the album is everything we wanted it to be and more – this will undoubtedly be favorite for years to come! Titles include "Masenqo", "Cha Cha", "Addis Black Widow", "Mulatu", "Blue Nile", "Esketa Dance", "Chik Chikka", "Live From Tiger Lounge", "Chinese New Year", "Phantom Of The Panther", "Dewel"., "Fire In The Zoo", "An Epic Story" and "Anglo Ethio Suite".

There's almost no introduction needed to the New Mastersounds – given how much greatness the group has given us over the years – a perennial favorite here at Dusty Groove, both with customers and our own soundsystems as well! But even if you know these funky stalwarts, there's still plenty here to love – as the collection does a good job of bringing together some harder-to-find cuts – work the group has done with other artists over the past decade or so – and some singles and compilation tracks that are hard to find too – great stuff to track down if you missed the original releases! As usual, the guitar of Eddie Roberts smokes the grooves brilliantly – as does the organ, bass, and drums – and titles include "Kuna Matata", "Make Me Proud", "One Note Brown (original version)", "Can You Get It (rmx)", "I Mean It So", "King Comforter", "Talk The Talk", "Bring It On", "You Got It All", and "Wack".

The landmark first album from Os Ipanemas – a runaway set of smoking bossa jazz – and a record that really helped set a whole new tone for the genre! The group here is a cooking quintet of Brazilian all-stars – including Astor Silva on trombone, Wilson Das Neves on percussion, Neco on guitar, and Rubens Bassini on drums and percussion – a great lineup that comes together perfectly – in a blend that has raw Brazilian percussion mixed with tighter jazz elements – a mode the bridges two sides of Brazil in the 60s, in a really great way! And although the group have come back to fame in recent years, this initial set may well be our favorite by them – filled with great cuts that include "Nana", "Clouds", "Zulus", "Congo", "Java", and a great cover of "Berimbau".

A darkly-grooving killer from pianist Horace Parlan – and one of our favorite Blue Note albums ever! Although Parlan's always a great player on other sides for the label, this album has him stepping out with an extra edge that's really amazing – working with brothers Tommy and Stanley Turrentine to craft some tunes that roll with the propulsive energy of the best Blue Note hardbop sides, but which also have some edgier moments, and almost point the way towards some of the new thing experiments that would transform the work of Jackie McLean! All players are still quite straight, but they've got a way of putting together tones and textures that's really wonderful – heard to famous effect on the album's early version of Booker Ervin's track "Skoochie" – but soaring all the way through on titles that include "On The Spur Of The Moment", "Ray C", "Al's Tune", and "Pyramid".

One of our favorite Latin jazz albums ever – and a truly amazing record! Bobby Pauntteo, aka Bobby Vince Paunetto, is probably best known for his groundbreaking Latin fusion albums of the NuYorican era – but this rare gem from the 60s shows that he was a really forward thinker, even at a younger age! The sound is incredibly hard to define – a blend of modal jazz, Latin rhythms, and a uniquely lyrical approach to the percussion that makes the record take off to places you'd never expect. Bobby's conception is mindblowing from start to finish – and the record's even got some wonderful tracks that feature English vocals on top of the hip vibes-driven sound of the instrumentation. A gem throughout – and the kind of record we'll take to the grave! Titles include "Aguantando", "Why Is Woody Sad?", "Mambo Sevilla", "El Senor Sid", and "Dig It Like It Is". Great stuff!

Easily our favorite album ever by Ann Peebles – not just for the beathead title track, but also because it seems to be the one record where she brings a bit something extra to the studio! The sound is certainly in the classic Hi Records mode here – thanks to production by Willie Mitchell – but there's also a deeper groove overall, a stronger burning bottom, and an all-soul sound to most tracks that goes way beyond simple cliches of southern soul. Ann's vocals are tremendous throughout – sometimes sweet, sometimes mean – and titles include the sublime "I Can't Stand The Rain", plus "Run Run Run", "One Way Street", "You Keep Me Hangin On", and "If We Can't Trust Each Other".

One of our favorite albums ever by Art Pepper – even if it isn't a proper album! The set features material recorded in the late 50s, pulled together to form an album in the early 70s – and overall, it's some of the best Art Pepper work on record we can think of. Pepper plays beautifully on 4 tracks with tenorist Warne Marsh, and the rest of the cuts features equally great accompaniment from the likes of Jimmy Bond, Dolo Coker, Philly Joe Jones, and Red Garland. The material on the album is far fresher than most of Pepper's so-called "classic" sessions, and it shows the edge and creativity of his alto playing in a way that few other albums ever do. We really recommend this one if you've ever been disappointed by another Pepper album – because there's a sharpness here that really comes through. Titles include "All the Things You Are", "What's New", "Autumn Leaves", and "The Man I Love".

One of our favorite-ever albums from Esther Phillips – an album that really helped her transform her sound for the 70s! The approach here is a lot more jazzy than before – served up with a good dose of funk, thanks to arrangements from Pee Wee Ellis – fresh from his work with James Brown, but even more electrically-oriented here! The groove is great – and the album's one of the best Kudu sides from the early 70s – a perfect blend of soul, jazz, and funk – all wrapped up with a new level of sophistication that benefits all parties involved. Other players include Richard Tee on keyboards, Eric Gale on guitar, Bernard Purdie on drums, Airto on percussion, and Hank Crawford on alto sax. Titles include an incredible cover of Gil Scott Heron's "Home Is Where The Hatred Is", plus "From A Whisper To A Scream", "Till My Back Ain't Got No Bone", "Your Love Is So Doggone Good", Scarred Knees", and "Baby, I'm For Real".

A wonderfully different score by the great Piero Piccioni – filled with loads of bubbling understated grooves on organ, electric piano, and wah wah guitar! The soundtrack has all the sophistication of Piccioni's best work – but it's also got a mellow moody groove that's just great, and which reminds us of some of our favorite tracks in the Mighty Mellow series of compilations. As usual, the whole thing's extremely well packaged and reissued by the folks at Easy Tempo – with a set of 20 tracks that includes "Katmandu", "Starless Sky", "Inventions", "It's Possible", "Nights To Come", "New Ways To Live", and "Love Will Find A Way".

An overlooked record in the grand scheme – which is unforgivable in our book! This self-titled album Prince's second LP, and already his vision is becoming a little more focused, and you could really hear the seeds of his later efforts – and really remarkable, unique, and fascinating record that stands up with some of his best work, and bucks all late 70s trends and cliches in pop, soul and funk. In some ways this is one of our favorite Prince LPs, as it has a kind of intimacy that was lacking on later LPs, or maybe it's because the hit "I Wanna Be Your Lover" has such a mad groove! "Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad" has the sly sound that would run throughout the rest of Prince's better work for years to come and Chaka Khan would later cover "I Feel for You" and hit large with it in the 80s. Also includes "Sexy Dancer", "With You" and "When We're Dancing Close And Slow".

One of Joe's best albums from the 60s, and a lively batch of Latin tracks done up in some of the favorite flavors of the day – pachanga, bolero-cha, bossa nova, and the weirdo "wobble-cha"! The title cut's a "wobble cha" groover with English lyrics about Latin music – and many of the other cuts are instrumentals, with a very off-beat approach to arrangements that has a lot of the reed instruments playing strange parts over off-kilter rhythms. Titles include "Saboo", "Zoom Gully Gully", "Muy Bonita", "Amour, Soleil Et Cha Cha Cha", and "La Lluvia".

Brilliant work from Sun Ra – and one of his rarest LPs! This double LP set was recorded with only a quartet – John Gilmore on tenor, Michael Ray on trumpet, Luqman Ali on drums, and Ra on keyboards. The album's got a number of tracks that are relatively straight – at least for Ra – and which are played with a wonderful edge that makes them instantly compelling, sounding almost like obscure indie soul jazz sides from the east coast underground of the mid 70s. The feel on most numbers is very different than Ra's usual work, and the record sparkles with a genius that makes us wish someone would get the Horo catalog reissued sometime soon! Includes the sublime vocal tune "When There Is No Sun", plus the original tracks "The Horo", "Moon People", "Rome At Twilight", and "Friend & Friendship" – plus a very nice cover of "My Favorite Things"!

Righteous Ra from the end of the 70s – one of the most soulful albums ever by the Sun Ra Arkestra, and a lost treasure that's got some nice funky moments! The vibe here is very much in the Lanquidity/Disco 3000 mode – an extrapolation of styles best known from the Space Is The Place era, tightened up into more of a groove at some points, but also relaxed and more reflective at others. Our favorite track on the set is "UFO", a snapping bit of funk that comes as a real surprise from Sun Ra – and a tune that's got some nicely noisy guitar jamming alongside straighter electric rhythms – all topped off by vocals from the group and some really strong horn work! The tune's a great party funk number that shows the Arkestra at its most joyous – and other tracks include "On Jupiter", which has a great blend of light vocals, spacey moog, and snakey sax – plus the side-long "Seductive Fantasy", a laidback number that unfolds with a really gentle grace.

The second solo album by The Chef – a record that had hard time finding space outside the massive shadow of his first solo landmark Only Built 4 Cuban Linx – and like other Wu Tang solo albums of the era, there's a number of gems on here that really never had a chance to get over a bar set set so high. Titles include "Yae Yo", "Casablanca", the Pete Rock produced near classic "Sneakers", "Raw", "Pop S**t", My Favorite Dred", "Live From New York", "100 Rounds", "Power", and "Forecast".

Like the Beatles? Like jazz? Then here's a record for you! Don Randi plays tunes from Revolver – our personal favorite Beatles album – and he makes them swing with a hip 60s LA groove, often changing the rhythmic style of the songs to create a whole new groovy sound. Don plays piano, organ, and electric harpsichord – and the arrangements, inspired by (but not credited to) Jack Nitzsche, are sublime – as groovy as groovy can be for this sort of record! Titles include "She Said She Said", "Good Day Sunshine", "Love You To", "For No One", "I Want To Tell You", "Tomorrow Never Knows", and a surprisingly funky version of "Taxman"!

A great little soundtrack – even if it looks a bit snoozy from the outside! Don Costa's usually not our favorite arranger, but he does a great job with this one – laying out some hard blacksploitation grooves that have funky keyboards, sweet sitar, and lots of nice cop show grooves to them. The bulk of the record is instrumental – with some great funky cuts like "Main Title – Charley", "Main Theme to Water Tower", "Can You Dig It?", and "Train's Comin" – plus a few more "with chorus" tracks that are a bit more mellow. Lou Rawls sings on two cuts – the groovy "Sometime Day", which has a very strong "soundtrack theme" feel, and the mellower "Morning Comes Around", which ends the record with a nice soulful tone.

The last album ever from the amazing Minnie Riperton – and one of her greatest records as well! The album was sadly issued after Minnie's untimely early passing from this planet – but it's a heavenly batch of tunes that definitely shows that her love of music lives forever – thanks not only to a strong talent for songwriting and sublime production from husband Richard Rudolph – but also some important help from a variety of all-star guests who are all brought together out of deep affection for Minnie. George Benson, Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, Roberta Flack, Patrice Rushen, Peabo Bryson and others all make key appearances here – working with arrangements from Johnny Pate, and vocals the Minnie recorded for the record before its completion. Titles include the perennial favorite "Here We Go" – easily one of Minnie's greatest tunes ever – plus "I'm In Love Again", "You Take My Breath Away", "Strange Affair", "Island In The Sun", and " The Song Of Life (La-La-La)".

An amazing album – one of our favorite records ever from drummer Max Roach, and a set that also features some of the best 70s work by tenorist Billy Harper too! The session's a unique date done for the Horo label – and soars even farther than other Horo classics from the time – with a one-of-a-kind energy that makes it a really special record right from the start – even better than any other Roach/Harper pairings from the time. Max has a killer quartet here – no piano at all, just himself on drums, Billy on tenor, Cecil Bridgewater on trumpet, and Reggie Workman on bass – a group that's filled with soulful spirit – and manages to stretch out without ever getting overindulgent, nor too free – that special kind of balance we're used to hearing on Harper's Japanese 70s sessions – which is carried through strongly here. The album only features two long tracks – "The Matyr" and "Six Bits Blues" – each of which strech out for both sides of a record!

A very strange album, and one of our favorite scores by Nino Rota! Written for a film in which a disfunctional orchestra stands in as a metaphor for the Italian government, the music has a lot of stopping and starting and talking and disruption – all of which has a very comical effect. The main theme is very compelling, in the usual Rota way, and the record comes together in a nice messed-up pastiche of vein attempts to try to play together.

A very strange album, and one of our favorite scores by Nino Rota! Written for a film in which a disfunctional orchestra stands in as a metaphor for the Italian government, the music has a lot of stopping and starting and talking and disruption – all of which has a very comical effect. The main theme is very compelling, in the usual Rota way, and the record comes together in a nice messed-up pastiche of vein attempts to try to play together.

A massively beautiful piece of work by "the new Rotary Connection" – a version of this groundbreaking Chicago soul ensemble which featured Phil Upchurch, Henry Gibson, and Charles Stepney – the cream of the Chicago production scene! Minnie Riperton's still in the band on vocals, and her work on the LP is similar to that on the legendary Come To My Garden LP. The album features the incredible track "I Am the Blackgold of the Sun" – a haunting soul anthem that has been a favorite of groovers for years, and which was later made into a house track by NuYorican Soul. A great album all the way through, and filled with loads of excellent cuts! Other tracks include "If I Sing My Song", "Hey, Love", "Love Has Fallen On Me", and a cover of Terry Callier's "Song For Everyman".

Although not nearly as well-remembered as Lenny Bruce, Mort Sahl is really our favorite comedian from the late 50s. He's got this incredible delivery style that is both immediately arresting and surprisingly heartfelt – and instead of doing short canned "bits", he just sort of rambles on at length about news, politics, and other groovy subjects. This album captures him before a very hip crowd at San Francisco's legendary Hungry I, and it's probably as good a glimpse into post-war American neuroses as you'll ever get!

Killer jazzy grooves from the French jazz house scene – and hands down one of our favorite albums of the 00s! St Germain take a Blue Note 70s sound as their base – with lots of sweet Hammond riffs, mellow Fender Rhodes licks, funky flute lines, and spacey percussion – then they add in some tight soulful house rhythms, with a very deep deep deep groove! The result is some of the best jazzy house of their time – and the record is the kind of album designed to put Blue Note back on the map as one of the most groove-committed jazz majors in the world. Killer stuff all around – and with the tracks "So Flute", "Montego Bay Spleen", "Latin Note", "Rose Rouge", "La Goutte D'Or", "Pont Des Arts", "Sure Thing", and "What Do You Think About . . ."

Blue-eyed soul from Boz Scaggs, with a decidedly Philly influenced sound to the production, which we'd hazard a guess comes more from the Hall & Oates side of town than the Sigma Sound axis. Still, this is a solid album with the irresistible hit "Lowdown", still a favorite around these parts. Also includes "Lido Shuffle", "Harbor Lights", "Jump Street" and "What Do You Want The Girl To Do".

Benchmark Scientist dub – great stuff recorded and mixed at King Tubby's near the end of the 70s – and it's some of tightest, heaviest dubs of the period! Scientist works over some of the heftiest Aggrovator sides on this legendary set – one of favorite dub records, period! One particular standout is a great take on the "Drum Song" rhythm – but the whole set is inmpeccable! Other titles include "Taxi To Baltimore Dub", "Satta Dread Dub", "Every Dub Shall Scrub", "Blacka Shade Of Dub" and "Just Say Dub. . .Who". 10 tracks in all. This 3 X 10" box set version is very nicely done – with to 2 dubs per side – closing out with 2 bonus tracks: "Queen Of The Icotion" and "Party Time On The Enterprise".

An incredible album – one of our favorite Blue Notes ever! Despite the fact that the album's a spare quartet session, the record is one of Wayne Shorter's richest – and features his gutsy young tenor soloing insanely with a rhythmically intense combo that includes Herbie Hancock, Reggie Workman, and Joe Chambers. Workman's bass is especially strong, and it underpins the cuts with a throbbing pulse that takes them past any simple hardbop conventions. Every cut's a winner – and this is one album we reach for time and time again over the years! Titles include "Adam's Apple", "El Gaucho", "Footprints", and "Teru".

A mad bit of funk and jazz from Ben Sidran – much more tripped-out than his later work! Ben's got a great bunch of musicians on the album – with either Tony Williams or "funky drummer" Clyde Stubblefield on drums, and Phil Upchurch on bass, laying down a nice dark groove on the best cuts – often with an offbeat funky sound that's made the record a favorite for crate-diggers for years. Ben's on piano, grooving in a number of different hipster modes – from LA sleezy to New Orleans soulful – and his vocals, as always, are compelling and catchy. The set includes the nice long groover "Now I Live (And Now My Life Is Done)", a monster track with a great slow groove that's been sampled a number of times over the years – and other cuts include "Full Compass", "Play The Piano", and "Think Twice".

A real treasure, and a record that may well be our favorite Jimmy Smith album for Verve – a masterful meeting of his smoking Hammond work with some swingingly sophisticated arrangements by Oliver Nelson and Claus Ogerman! Both Nelson and Ogerman bring a fuller spectrum of horn work to the album than heard on other Smith sides of the time – using an almost orchestral approach to the backings, one that pushes Jimmy even further into the stratosphere as he solos madly on the organ! But don't think that the larger backings are clunky at all – because they're not – and there's a surprisingly deep soul to all the proceedings on the album, making it one of the tightest, grooviest, and deeply soulful records that Jimmy cut after leaving Blue Note! The LP includes two very long cuts – killer versions of "Who's Afraid Of Virginia Wolf" and "Slaughter On 10th Avenue" – plus shorter takes on "Bluesette", "Women Of The World", and "Wives & Lovers" that are all plenty amazing too!

The timeless classic Cali hip hop standard bearer from Souls Of Mischief – on 2LP vinyl! As much as we love all the best Hiero output of the 90s & beyond, this is still our favorite, and besides, it's pretty much the blueprint for the Hieroglyphics sound. Smoothly jazz and headnodding boom bap production at its finest – along with some of the finest ensemble rapping of the era, this one goes straight up on the top shelf. 14 tracks: "That's When Ya Lost", "Let Em Know", "Live & Let Live", "Make Your Mind Up", "A Name I Call Myself", "Disseshowedo", "What A Way To Go Out", "Never No More", "93 Til Infinity", "Limitations", "Anything Can Happen", "Make Your Mind Up", "Batting Practice", "Tell Me Who Profits" and "Outro"..

A seminal early recording from one of our favorite reed players ever! In the late 1950s, the young Frank Strozier came up to Chicago from Memphis, along with his longtime friend, pianist Harold Mabern. The two of them both settled nicely in the city's MJT+3 combo, where they proceeded to recorde some incredible hardbop sessions for Vee Jay. During that same time, Strozier began to emerge as a strong soloist and a competent leader in his own right, and Vee Jay gave him a much-needed crack at this debut album. The session's a perfect showcase for Strozier's lyrical beauty, and given the quality of the work, it's a wonder he was never more famous. The group's a quintet, and Strozier's ably teamed with Booker Little, Wynton Kelly, Paul Chambers, and Jimmy Cobb. Titles include "WK Blues", "Waltz Of The Demons", "Runnin", and "Off Shore".