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Disco tunes with a Brazilian spirit – recorded in Philly by white boy Gary, but with the sunny finish of Copacabana! The tunes were all arranged by John Davis – and Gary's got a nice Free Soul style of singing that makes the songs bounce bouyantly along. Titles include "The Lady Is Latin", "Amazon Queen", "Rio De Janeiro", "The Girl From Ipanema", and "My Rio Lady".

A great little entry into a genre that got way too overdone and way too cluttered by the end of the 80s – but which was surprisingly fresh at the time of this initial release! The set pays tribute to the late Thelonious Monk, but does so by moving way past his modern jazz roots – and allowing for participation by a variety of artists in a number of different fields. Hal Willner masterminded the set, and does a great job of making unlike artists work well next to each other – really expanding on famous numbers by Monk, but never getting too goofy overall. Titles include "Functional" by Randy Weston, "Four In One" by Todd Rundgren & Gary Windo, "Thelonious" by Bruce Fowler, "Criss Cross" by Shockabilly, "In Walked Budd" by Terry Adams & Roswell Rudd, "Evidence" by Steve Lacy & Elvin Jones, "Ba-Lu-Bolivar-Ba-Lues-Are" by Was Not Was, "Ask Me Now" by Steve Lacy & Charlie Rouse, "Monk's Mood" by Sharon Freeman, "Round Midnight" by Joe Jackson, and "Friday The Thirteen" by Bobby McFerrin and Bob Dorough. There's plenty of other great Lacy work on the set too – and even if you're put off by the presence of non-jazzers on the set, the album's worth it alone for the Lacy tracks!

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

Great grooves from Salsoul Records – but served up in a way that's quite different than usual, with a very strong emphasis on the more break-heavy side of the spectrum! The tracks here still come from the same club and disco sources you'll know from Salsoul – but in the hands of DJ Muro, the get a special focus towards the old school – honed in to the most funky, most snapping elements of the cuts – in ways that really unlock a whole new understanding of the label! Muro never messes with the tracks too much – but he does bring them together in ways that re-emphasize his skill as a master selector – in a mix of 22 tracks that includes "Slap Slap Lickey Lap" by Instant Funk, "Sadie" by Joe Bataan, "Psyched Up" by Dr Perri Johnson, "The Incredible Hump" by Sound On Sound Productions, "I Like It Like That" by Inner Life, "High" by Skyy", "Win Tonight" by Edwin Birdsong, "Sugar Frosted Lover" by Flakes, "Kongas Fun" by Kongas, "Sun God" by Tierra, "El Caravanero" by Chocolat, and "Girl From Ipanema/Brazilian Nights" by Gary Criss.

A sweet collection of grooves from the legendary Salsoul label – easily one of the hippest imprints on the New York scene of the 70s! Salsoul's grooves go way beyond the usual disco – crafted with roots that go back to soul and salsa of the earlier part of the decade – and often mixed to perfection with a sound that holds up strongly, even on a crowded dancefloor! This package features ten of the best-remembered gems from the label – most in long mixes that echo their strong popularity as 12" single – titles that include "Doctor Love" by First Choice, "Runaway" by The Salsoul Orchestra with Loleatta Holloway, "Jingo" by Candido, "Dreamin" by Loleatta Holloway, "By The Way You Dance" by Bunny Sigler, "Love Is You" by Carol Williams, "Dance A Little Bit Closer" by Charo, "I Love New York" by Metropolis, and "Rio De Janeiro" by Gary Criss.