Seun Anikulapo Kuti returns with another strorming set of neo classic Afro Funk in the great tradition of his father – once again fronting the incredible Egypt 80 group! It's remarkable stuff that finds Seun – the youngest son of Fela – standing up as a visionary talent. He's not only living up to an immense legacy, but moving forward with it in ways that will absolutely stand the test of time. The insistent rhythms and intense energy of the Egypt 80 group – led by Lekan Animashaun – are Afrobeat perfection, with Seun's forthright vocals out front of it. But their approach here is anything but a retread of family glories. The songs are urgent and fierce, and there are subtle modern florishes in the production – thanks in part, no doubt, to co-producer Brian Eno. Titles include "African Soldier", "You Can R Un", "Rise", "Slave Masters", "For Dem E Ye", "The Good Leaf" and "Giant Of Africa". CD

Unreleased live work from Les McCann – recorded at a time when the soulful giant was really breaking it up in clubs around the country, and just about to unleash a whole new righteous side of his talents! The tracks here resonate strongly with some of the earlier Pacific Jazz live work that Les was cutting earlier in the decade – but also show a new evolution that's partly the confidence he had as one of the key soulful musicians on the west coast, but also a shift in his style past some of the more standard soul jazz modes that others were taking from his bag – leaving McCann to keep on growing in new directions of his own. All tracks here are trio titles – recorded in Seattle or at the Village Vanguard – and players include Stanley Gilbert and Leroy Vinnegar on bass, and Frank Severino and Paul Humphrey on drums. Titles include "The Grabber", "Could Be", "I Can Dig It", "Doin That Thing", "Sunny", "The Shampoo", "Blues 5", "Out In The Outhouse", "Lavande", "Da Da", "Yours Is My Heart Alone", and "Wait For It". LP, Vinyl record album

Unreleased live work from Les McCann – recorded at a time when the soulful giant was really breaking it up in clubs around the country, and just about to unleash a whole new righteous side of his talents! The tracks here resonate strongly with some of the earlier Pacific Jazz live work that Les was cutting earlier in the decade – but also show a new evolution that's partly the confidence he had as one of the key soulful musicians on the west coast, but also a shift in his style past some of the more standard soul jazz modes that others were taking from his bag – leaving McCann to keep on growing in new directions of his own. All tracks here are trio titles – recorded in Seattle or at the Village Vanguard – and players include Stanley Gilbert and Leroy Vinnegar on bass, and Frank Severino and Paul Humphrey on drums. Titles include "The Grabber", "Could Be", "I Can Dig It", "Doin That Thing", "Sunny", "The Shampoo", "Blues 5", "Out In The Outhouse", "Lavande", "Da Da", "Yours Is My Heart Alone", and "Wait For It". CD

Rare material from one of our favorite jazz musicians of all time – legendary Hammond hero Jack McDuff, heard here in a really wonderful setting! McDuff in the 60s was already great – an organist who played in ways that really stood out, with a sense of rhythm that was completely unique – and which only took off even more strongly as the 70s approached. Here, McDuff is in a very fruitful part of that decade – playing live in a way that really echoes his classic Heatin System album, recorded in the same year for Chess Records – really long, exploratory tracks that also feature strong solo work from Dave Young on tenor and soprano sax, Leo Johnson on tenor and flute, and Vinnie Corrado on guitar. There's an unknown trumpeter on two tracks too – and titles include "Ain't No Sunshine", "Blues 1 & 8", "6:30 In The Morning", "Middle Class Folk Song", "Jolly Black Giant", and the killer "Theme From Electric Surfboard". CD

A rock-solid 60s session from Blue Note tenor giant Hank Mobley – and a set with a sound that's as iconic as its cover! The record comes from a key point in Mobley's career – when he was shifting from some more conventional hard bop to a variant of his style that was filled with newer, fresher ideas – slight currents of modernism, mixed in with a soulful groove – served up here with a killer group that also features Lee Morgan on trumpet and Harold Mabern on piano, both players hitting a similar stretching out point in their own careers! Rhythm features Larry Ridley on bass and Billy Higgins on drums – a fluid duo who really help open up Hank's ideas – on titles that include the Mobley originals "Ballin", "The Vamp", "The Dip", and "The Break Through". The sound is incredible – full, rich, soaring – uniquely Mobley's own vision, and not a copycat approach to the styles of Coltrane, Rollins, or other 60s tenorists. CD

One of the key classics from the hardbop years of Blue Note – the kind of album that really set the label apart from the rest at the time! Soul Station is a deceptively simple album that has tenor giant Hank Mobley playing standards and originals in a quartet with Wynton Kelly on piano, Paul Chambers on bass, and Art Blakey on drums– a spare and simple group, but one with a direct energy that's really amazing – in a way that makes for some of Mobley's best solos on record! The tracks here are all relatively basic in construction, but this territory allows all players to really relax and open up – especially Mobley, who really dominates the proceedings with some well-blown lines on tenor. Blakey's work is great too – nicely restrained, and the date marks one of his last sessions ever as a sideman. Titles include "Soul Station", "Split Feelin's", "Dig Dis", and "This I Dig Of You". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the key classics from the hardbop years of Blue Note – the kind of album that really set the label apart from the rest at the time! Soul Station is a deceptively simple album that has tenor giant Hank Mobley playing standards and originals in a quartet with Wynton Kelly on piano, Paul Chambers on bass, and Art Blakey on drums– a spare and simple group, but one with a direct energy that's really amazing – in a way that makes for some of Mobley's best solos on record! The tracks here are all relatively basic in construction, but this territory allows all players to really relax and open up – especially Mobley, who really dominates the proceedings with some well-blown lines on tenor. Blakey's work is great too – nicely restrained, and the date marks one of his last sessions ever as a sideman. Titles include "Soul Station", "Split Feelin's", "Dig Dis", and "This I Dig Of You". CD

One of the key classics from the hardbop years of Blue Note – the kind of album that really set the label apart from the rest at the time! Soul Station is a deceptively simple album that has tenor giant Hank Mobley playing standards and originals in a quartet with Wynton Kelly on piano, Paul Chambers on bass, and Art Blakey on drums– a spare and simple group, but one with a direct energy that's really amazing – in a way that makes for some of Mobley's best solos on record! The tracks here are all relatively basic in construction, but this territory allows all players to really relax and open up – especially Mobley, who really dominates the proceedings with some well-blown lines on tenor. Blakey's work is great too – nicely restrained, and the date marks one of his last sessions ever as a sideman. Titles include "Soul Station", "Split Feelin's", "Dig Dis", and "This I Dig Of You". CD

One of the key classics from the hardbop years of Blue Note – the kind of album that really set the label apart from the rest at the time! Soul Station is a deceptively simple album that has tenor giant Hank Mobley playing standards and originals in a quartet with Wynton Kelly on piano, Paul Chambers on bass, and Art Blakey on drums– a spare and simple group, but one with a direct energy that's really amazing – in a way that makes for some of Mobley's best solos on record! The tracks here are all relatively basic in construction, but this territory allows all players to really relax and open up – especially Mobley, who really dominates the proceedings with some well-blown lines on tenor. Blakey's work is great too – nicely restrained, and the date marks one of his last sessions ever as a sideman. Titles include "Soul Station", "Split Feelin's", "Dig Dis", and "This I Dig Of You". CD

One of the greatest albums ever from Blue Note tenor giant Hank Mobley – a set that really explodes in all the new directions Hank was taking in the 60s! Mobley in the 50s was already the stuff of legend – a tremendous soloist on tenor, and every bit his own man – firmly focused forward with a voice that was already tremendous – but which was turned towards a lot of new ideas with records like this! Both Mobley's phrasing and rhythmic construction are different here than a few years before – still every bit as soulful as ever, but able to open up with richer imagination, especially on the strong original tunes on the set. The group's great – a quintet that offers up both guitar from Grant Green and piano from Wynton Kelly – and rhythm is by the mighty team of Paul Chambers on bass and Philly Joe Jones on drums. Tracks are longish, with plenty of room for solos – and titles include "Smokin", "Greasin Easy", "Workout", and "Uh Huh". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the greatest albums ever from Blue Note tenor giant Hank Mobley – a set that really explodes in all the new directions Hank was taking in the 60s! Mobley in the 50s was already the stuff of legend – a tremendous soloist on tenor, and every bit his own man – firmly focused forward with a voice that was already tremendous – but which was turned towards a lot of new ideas with records like this! Both Mobley's phrasing and rhythmic construction are different here than a few years before – still every bit as soulful as ever, but able to open up with richer imagination, especially on the strong original tunes on the set. The group's great – a quintet that offers up both guitar from Grant Green and piano from Wynton Kelly – and rhythm is by the mighty team of Paul Chambers on bass and Philly Joe Jones on drums. Tracks are longish, with plenty of room for solos – and titles include "Smokin", "Greasin Easy", "Workout", and "Uh Huh". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the greatest albums ever from Blue Note tenor giant Hank Mobley – a set that really explodes in all the new directions Hank was taking in the 60s! Mobley in the 50s was already the stuff of legend – a tremendous soloist on tenor, and every bit his own man – firmly focused forward with a voice that was already tremendous – but which was turned towards a lot of new ideas with records like this! Both Mobley's phrasing and rhythmic construction are different here than a few years before – still every bit as soulful as ever, but able to open up with richer imagination, especially on the strong original tunes on the set. The group's great – a quintet that offers up both guitar from Grant Green and piano from Wynton Kelly – and rhythm is by the mighty team of Paul Chambers on bass and Philly Joe Jones on drums. Tracks are longish, with plenty of room for solos – and titles include "Smokin", "Greasin Easy", "Workout", and "Uh Huh". CD also features the bonus track "Three Coins In The Fountain". CD

The self-titled groovy rock masterpiece from Moby Grape – one of the greatest things to come out of San Francisco after Ghiradelli Chocolate and sourdough bread! The Moby Grape LP is one of the finest, and leanest LPs we can think of from the '67 school of Bay Area psychedelic rock – with ome genius work by a young Skip Spence & co that leans on a sound that grows up and out from a blues based approach into the stratophere! – original LP tracks include "Omaha", "Hey Grandma", "Changes", "Sitting By The Window", "Ain't No Use", "Mr Blues", "Naked, If I Want To", "8:05", "Lazy Me", "Someday" and more LP, Vinyl record album

The first-ever album from The Monkees – a set that's overflowing with great numbers from the teams of Boyce & Hart and Goffin & King – plus one original by Mike Nesmith himself! The whole thing's groovy as groovy can be – and despite any thoughts that folks at the time might have had about these guys being just a TV one-off, the album's got fantastic staying power over the years – thanks to wonderful vocals, impeccable production, and a great selection of songs! Titles include "Theme From The Monkees", "Just Doesn't Seem To Be My Day", "Last Train To Clarksville", "Sweet Young Thing", "Papa Gene's Blues", "Take A Giant Step", "Tomorrow's Gonna Be Another Day", and "Saturday's Child". CD

The first-ever album from The Monkees – a set that's overflowing with great numbers from the teams of Boyce & Hart and Goffin & King – plus one original by Mike Nesmith himself! The whole thing's groovy as groovy can be – and despite any thoughts that folks at the time might have had about these guys being just a TV one-off, the album's got fantastic staying power over the years – thanks to wonderful vocals, impeccable production, and a great selection of songs! Titles include "Theme From The Monkees", "Just Doesn't Seem To Be My Day", "Last Train To Clarksville", "Sweet Young Thing", "Papa Gene's Blues", "Take A Giant Step", "Tomorrow's Gonna Be Another Day", and "Saturday's Child". LP, Vinyl record album

Tremendous work from the mighty Ed Motta – an artist who never lets us down, and who just keeps getting better as the years move on! Back in the 20th Century, Ed asked us to move his records from our Brazilian section to Neo Soul – a move that was wise on his part, as Motta has become a soulful giant with really international appeal – a true global underground superstar, and a music maker that no home should be without! Motta's songwriting, production, and overall presentation is amazing – and he's moved far past the 70s heroes that first inspired him – including his uncle Tim Maia – to a point where a set like this is fantastic from start to finish, with a richness that belies all the focus and concentration that Ed brings to his work. Titles include "Tolerance On High Street", "Of Good Strain", "Gaslighting Nancy", "Safely Far", "Newsroom Customers", "Slumberland", "Confrere's Exile", "Quatermass Has Told Us", and "Shot In The Park". LP, Vinyl record album

Tim Armacost on saxophone, David Berkman on piano, Daiki Yasukagawa on bass, and Gene Jackson on drums. Titles include "Nefertiti", "Giant Steps", "Sweet And Lovely", and the original "Hidden Fondness". CD

A really unusual album from the mighty Hammond giant John Patton – as the set features two tenor players in the group, both of them great! The tenor's no stranger to the sublime keyboard work of Patton – but here, the great one gets help from both Fred Jackson and Harold Vick – both of whom are at their early 60s soul jazz best, able to play with a hard edge, but also some surprisingly complicated moments too – which really fits into the spirit of Patton's overall groove! The group also features great guitar from Grant Green – one of his key pairings with the organist – plus drums from the wonderful Ben Dixon, who's got a fluid, open approach to rhythm that really works well with John's basslines from the Hammond. Titles include "Gee Gee", "Pig Foots", "Spiffy Diffy", "Along Came John", and the classic modal groover "The Silver Meter". CD

Rare work by Hammond organ giant Big John Patton – recorded in 1968, but never issued until 1995, and even then, only briefly! The record features Patton at his finest – stretching out from his basic soul jazz roots, into a more searching use of the organ that's undoubtedly influenced by Larry Young's work at the same time. The record features great work by Harold Alexander on flute and tenor, plus trumpet by Vincent McEwan, drums by George Brown, and added conga by Richard Landrum. The groove is somewhere between 60s soul jazz and modal – and the tracks are long, with that heavy Patton swing! Title sinclude "B&J", "Boogaloo Boogie", "Milk & Honey", "Shoutin But No Poutin", and "Spirit". CD

Two great bassists, working here together in a really fantastic setting – not as a spare duo, but also not lost in a too-large group as well – as the lineup features guitar from Philip Catherine and drums from Billy Higgins – both very sensitive players who let Sam Jones and Niels Henning Orsted Pedersen take the lead! The basses move nicely between rhythm and melody – almost with a gypsy swing guitar inspiration – which is maybe echoed just a bit by Catherine, who is at his best here – a great straight jazz player without some of the gimmicks of other albums of the period. Higgins is, as always, a delight – and he gets help from Tootie Heath on percussion on two tracks too. Titles include "A Notion", "Giant Steps", "Au Privave", "Yesterdays", "Little Train", and "Miss Morgan". LP, Vinyl record album

Maybe the coolest album so far in the Red Hot series – even amidst the unique Sun Ra subgroup – as the album's the brainchild of Meshell Ndegeocello, and comes together with all the complex soulfulness of her own recent albums! Back in the 90s, Meshell was a great but more mainstream soul artist – and over the years, she's developed into a really fascinating talent – one able to reach out with a complex blend of jazz, funk, and soul elements – woven into patterns that are always very much her own – a musical legacy that the great Sun Ra might have appreciated! Ndegeocello leads a very diverse lineup here – playing bass and keyboards, and singing a bit – next to other players who include longtime Arkestra giant Marshall Allen on alto and EWI, plus Immanuel Wilkins on alto, Christopher Bruce on guitar, Darius Jones on saxes, Daniel Mintseris on keyboards, and Justin Hicks, Pink Siifu, Kenita Miller, Nio Levon, and Hanna Benn on vocals. The album channels Ra's spirit through territory that's very much Meshell's own – and titles include "Yet Differently Not Mars Hall", "El Soul The Companion Traveler", "The World Of Shadow", "Reproductive Manatees/Sunny Said Up", "Bedlam Blues", "#9 Venus The Living Myth", and "Departure Guide Of The 7 Sisters". LP, Vinyl record album

The title's no lie, as Wallace Roney serves up a set of jazz standards – yet in keeping with his other great work on Muse Records, the album's also got a heck of a lot going on as well! The album's hardly the kind of "trumpeter hits the classics" album you might expect – as throughout the session, things open up nicely – starting with sparkling notes on trumpet, but pushing into some of the bolder territory Roney was known for at the time, eventually ending on a number composed by the group. Players include Gary Thomas on tenor, Mulgrew Miller on piano, Charnett Moffett on bass, and Cindy Blackman on drums – and titles include "Loose", "When Your Lover Has Gone", "Con Alma", "Giant Steps", "The Way You Look Tonight", and "Don't Blame Me". CD

A smoking live performance from Diana Ross – a double-length set that offers up the lady in all full aspects of her glory! Ross sings not just in the clubby soul mode that made her a huge act at the time, but also brings in echoes of older Motown moments, plus a fair bit of jazz inspiration as well – a nod to her role in the film Lady Sings The Blues, but with a wider range too – a really great illustration of aspects of Diana's strengths that didn't always get their full due on record. Plus, the live backing brings a nice sort of spontaneity to the whole thing – lots of room for Diana's personality to shine through – on tracks that include "Love Hangover", "Girls", "Touch Me In The Morning", "Here I Am/I Wouldn't Change A Thing", and long medleys titled "The Point", "The Working Girls", "The Motown Story", and "One Giant Step". LP, Vinyl record album

Ronnie Self was a little guy with blonde hair, but he was a giant during the early years of rock and roll – when he cut some searing sides for Columbia Records that have gone on to become rockabilly classics over the years! Ronnie maybe never saw the big time, but he was a hell of a force on record – graced with this voice that was not only raw, but able to move pretty darn fast – which he often does here alongside some quick-twanging guitar and mighty romping rhythms! LP, Vinyl record album

An unusual package – one that features the full album The Way Ahead, plus tracks from other late 60s Archie Shepp sessions too! The Way Ahead has tenor giant Archie Shepp in prime form – working with a sextet that's awash in avant freedoms, but which always shows a great sense of restraint – just the right power gained from the new modes of jazz expression, as the players dance together beautifully on a razor's edge of personal creativity and ensemble exploration. Players here include Grachan Moncur on trombone, Jimmy Owens on trumpet, Ron Carter on bass, and Beaver Harris and Roy Haynes on drums – and the album also features the first piano player on most of the Shepp albums on Impulse – Walter Davis Jr, making a rare outside appearance with the group! Titles include the classic track "Frankenstein", plus "Fiesta", "Damn If I Know (The Stroller)", and "Sophisticated Lady" – all nice and long! Next are two tracks from the Kwanza album – with a lineup that includes Charles Davis on baritone, Grachan Moncur on trombone, Jimmy Owens on trumpet, and Dave Burrell on piano – on the titles "New Africa" and "Bakai". Last on the CD is the side-long gem "Magic Of Juju" – a set that has an unusual group with Martin Banks on trumpet, Michael Zwerin on trombone, Reggie Workman on bass, and both Norman Connors and Beaver Harris on drums – plus Ed Blackwell on rhythm logs, Franck Charles on talking drums, and Dennis Charles on added percussion! CD

One of the most famous early albums from Hammond organ giant Jimmy Smith – and for good reason too, as he was using the instrument to pioneer a whole new field in jazz! Before Jimmy, others had used the organ on short tracks, usually for a bit of color – but here, Smith explodes as a master soloist on very long tracks – allowing strong jam session interplay with an all-star group that also includes Lee Morgan on trumpet, George Coleman and Lou Donaldson on altos, Tina Brooks on tenor, Kenny Burrell and Eddie McFadden on guitars, and Donald Bailey and Art Blakey on drums. The set features three long tracks – "The Sermon", "JOS", and "Flamingo" – with a hard-wailing, jam session feel all the way through! LP, Vinyl record album

One of the most famous early albums from Hammond organ giant Jimmy Smith – and for good reason too, as he was using the instrument to pioneer a whole new field in jazz! Before Jimmy, others had used the organ on short tracks, usually for a bit of color – but here, Smith explodes as a master soloist on very long tracks – allowing strong jam session interplay with an all-star group that also includes Lee Morgan on trumpet, George Coleman and Lou Donaldson on altos, Tina Brooks on tenor, Kenny Burrell and Eddie McFadden on guitars, and Donald Bailey and Art Blakey on drums. The set features three long tracks – "The Sermon", "JOS", and "Flamingo" – with a hard-wailing, jam session feel all the way through! This early CD reissue collects material from the Sermon & House Party sessions, with a slightly different track list than the original album, or the RVG remaster – includes "The Sermon", "Flamingo", plus "S Wonderful", "Blue Room", "Lover Man", "Confirmation", & "Au Private". CD

A set that's got a slightly different vibe than previous Stackridge albums – yet which also continues that special sort of hard to define quality that always made the group so unique! There's a feel to the set that's maybe a bit in keeping with the image on the cover – slight touches of an older carnivalesque aesthetic, yet filtered through that cool British 70s production style – compressing any prog influences down to modes that often have some very slight glammy touches around the edges, which also steps up some of the hooks on the tunes as well! Titles include "Benjamin's Giant Onion", "Grease Paint Smiles", "Spin Around The Room", "Rufus T Firefly", "No One's More Important Than The Earthworm", and "Highbury Incident". 2CD set features a full bonus CD of live BBC material! CD

Wonderful early work from deep soul singer Candi Staton – early southern work, and done with a very different vibe than the clubbier cuts she'd deliver at the end of the 70s! Fame Records giant Rick Hall produced, and the whole thing was recorded with the kind of raw hard sound that Muscle Shoals was built on – deep, heartfelt, rootsy, and incredible! Candi's voice is remarkably emotional, and doesn't have the diva polish of later sides – which is a great thing for us, as the album shows her as a sort of singer we never expected. Titles include "Too Hurt To Cry", "How Can I Put Out The Flame", "I'm Just A Prisoner", "Sweet Feeling", "He Called Me Baby", and "Freedom Is Just Beyond The Door". LP, Vinyl record album

A seminal pop psych classic from the UK scene – served up here by a group that seem to borrow a bit of the energy from the late 60s Bee Gees at their trippiest, but who also really have a way for turning out a tune that has a very groovy vibe! Part of the credit might go to producer John Schroeder – a Brit sound library giant in his own right, and clearly able to make the sound of the records guitars, organ, and vocals sound incredibly groovy. But it's also clear that the group have plenty of great energy of their own – as they kept on going strongly, even after this early breakout record. Titles include their seminal "Pictures Of Matchstick Men", plus "Ice In The Sun", "Elizabeth Dreams", "Sunny Cellophane Sky", and "Spicks & Specks". Groovy cover, too, with the band sitting on a pile of matchbooks! LP, Vinyl record album

Never-heard music from the great Horace Tapscott – rare material that was recorded for the Flying Dutchman label at the end of the 60s, but never issued at the time! The Tapscott here is at his soaring, spiritual best – filled with a new sense of energy and exploration, as he guides a wonderful group that's very similar to the one on the album Giant Is Awakened – Arthur Blythe on alto, Walter Savage and David Bryant on bass, and Everett Brown on drums! The set includes the beautiful modal groover "Your Child" – a mix of lyricism and darker currents, at a level that's a perfect summation of Tapscott's genius – and the equally great tracks "World Peace" and "For Fats". CD

Never-heard music from the great Horace Tapscott – rare material that was recorded for the Flying Dutchman label at the end of the 60s, but never issued at the time! The Tapscott here is at his soaring, spiritual best – filled with a new sense of energy and exploration, as he guides a wonderful group that's very similar to the one on the album Giant Is Awakened – Arthur Blythe on alto, Walter Savage and David Bryant on bass, and Everett Brown on drums! The set includes the beautiful modal groover "Your Child" – a mix of lyricism and darker currents, at a level that's a perfect summation of Tapscott's genius – and the equally great tracks "World Peace" and "For Fats". LP, Vinyl record album

A landmark album from Johnnie Taylor – a set that not only gave his career a giant boost, but which also helped shift southern soul into hip new territory in the late 70s! The music's a great change from Taylor's previous work at Stax – and the set features warm production from Don Davis that brings a new level of smoothness to Johnnie's music – a quality that unlocks the soulful undercurrent always lurking in his bluesier work, and which pulls him out of the indie soul ghetto to the modern soul mainstream. The album features the massive "Disco Lady" – a record that's probably still paying Johnnie's bills today – and a cut that's much more groovy soul than you might guess from the title. Other tracks are great too – and include "Running Out Of Lies", "I'm Gonna Keep On Loving You", "Pick Up the Pieces", and "Somebody's Gettin It". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the greatest jazz albums ever recorded by the legendary Toots Thielemans – a small combo session that stands in great contrast to much of the bigger studio work he was doing in the 70s! Despite the title, the record's a studio one and not a concert – but it's got a relaxed intimacy that's really great, and features plenty of long-drawn lines from Thielemans on the harmonica, all played with the sort of tone and phrasing that made him one of the greatest jazz players ever on the instrument. The rest of the group features Joanne Brackeen on piano, Cecil McBee on bass, and Freddie Waits on drums – all quite hip players that help Toots avoid the traps of sentimentality and commercialism that could sometimes hurt his work. Titles include "Dr Pretty", "I Never Told You", "Giant Steps", and "Snooze". CD features the bonus tracks "Stella By Starlight" and "Revol". CD

A treasure trove of barely-heard music from two of the most unique players on the European scene of the 70s – Fender Rhodes giant Rob Franken, and harmonica jazz maestro Toots Thielemans – two players who sound better here in the company of each other than they do on their own! Thielemans had been making music for many years before these sessions – but as the 70s hit, the electric piano really opened up new colors and tones in his instrument – heard most famously on his performances with Quincy Jones, and some of his soundtrack material – but actually even more amazing here alongside Franken – as the combination of chromatic harmonica and Fender Rhodes is completely sublime! The tracks were recorded as part of a series of sound library sessions that Rob organized – titled Functional Music – and the huge set features material from a number of different sessions done under that aegis. CD1 features 20 tracks under the heading of Nature Boy from 1981 and 1982 – with Franken on Rhodes, Toots on harmonica, Theo De Jong on bass, and Bruno Castellucci on drums. CD2 is titled Absorbed Love – and features six tracks from 1978 with Toots and Franken – and James Leary on bass, Eddie Marshall on drums, and tenor and flute on a few cuts from the great Ferdinand Povel – followed by fifteen more titles from 1974 with a different Thielemans/Franken lineup that features Joop Scholten on guitar, Wim Essed on bass, and Peter Ypma on drums. CD3 is titled Together, from 1973 – and mostly features Thielemans on guitar and harmonica, Franken on Fender Rhodes, Rob Langereis on bass, and Eric Ineke on drums. 59 tracks in all – and a detailed book of notes! CD

The debut album of Trapeze – a great little group that's maybe best known as the early home of Glenn Hughes, but who have plenty to offer on their own! Production is by John Lodge, of the Moody Blues – a strong supporter of the group at their start – but the sound is very different than his own work – sometimes with harmonies that almost have the group coming across in heavier territory than the earlier Bee Gees, sometimes with hints of the hard rock elements that Hughes would bring to later music. Drummer Dave Holland provides excellent work on the set – and titles include "The Giant's Dead Hoorah", "Over", "Nancy Gray", "It's Only A Dream", "Suicide", "Send Me No Letters", and "It's My Life". LP, Vinyl record album

A real classic from blues giant Joe Turner – a singer who burst back to the mainstream on 50s Atlantic Records, thanks to a host of R&B singles that burned up the charts – but who here returns to his roots, and lays down a great set of jazzy tunes that get back to his roots in the Kansas City scene of the 30s! The shift is a bit like that Ray Charles made at the end of the 50s on Atlantic – R&B to more of a jazz-based groove – and Joe works here with great help from Pete Brown on alto, Pete Johnson on piano, Joe Newman on trumpet, and Lawrence Brown on trombone. After the raw hard R&B of Joe's bigger hit sides for Atlantic, the album's a compelling change – a reminder that Turner had roots that went much deeper than his rock and roll fame – and a depth of delivery that would keep his career strong, long after some of his 50s R&B contemporaries faded! The mix of modes – R&B and jazz – is a bit like some of the later Ray Charles albums on Atlantic – and tracks include "Low Down Dog", "Roll Em Pete", "Cherry Red", "How Long Blues", and "Morning Glories". LP, Vinyl record album

Great large group genius from tenor giant Stanley Turrentine – one of a number of 60s Blue Note albums that have Stan exploring a format that he'd use even more strongly in the 70s! Here, the results are superb – thanks in strong part to the great Duke Pearson, whose growing talents as an arranger are perfect for the sound of Turrentine's horn – warmly soulful and lyrical, but still with a nice sense of bite – one that's furthered by work from James Spaulding on alto, Blue Mitchell on trumpet, Pepper Adams on baritone, Grant Green on guitar, and McCoy Tyner on piano. The whole thing comes of wonderfully – with some open tunes that never feel too tightly constricted, which results in some great solo moments – on the tunes "Baptismal", "Feeling Good", "Shake", "Walk On By", and "And Satisfy". CD

A fantastic early record from tenor giant Stanley Turrentine – a set that's completely hard-hitting, and which has a very different vibe than the sweeter sets he'd cut later in the 70s! Instead, this record is pure hardbop all the way through – with Turrentine matching labelmate Hank Mobley for depth of tone and freshness of ideas – stretching out on these long, live tracks with a very cool combo that also features Grant Green on guitar and Horace Parlan on piano – both of whom are superb, and hit some real Blue Note heights on the set. Parlan brings this sinister edge to some of the best tunes, and Green's guitar rings out with these fantastically soulful chromes – providing a great balance to the deep runs that Stanley takes on the tenor. This double-length package brings together volumes 1 and 2 of the LP releases – and titles include a long moody reading of "Yesterdays", plus the hard bop original "Stanley's Time" – as well as the tracks "Later at Minton's", "Come Rain or Come Shine", "Love for Sale" and "Summertime". CD

A groundbreaking blend of folksy elements and more driving prog – a perfectly balanced set that sums up the unique genius of Van Der Graaf Generator! The group is partly a showcase for the young Peter Hammill – who is vaguely in the territory of some of his acoustic contemporaries on Island Records – but the singer is also really able to open up and soar once the group gets going, and finds a way to ignite his energy amidst the more driving drums and organ lines! There's plenty of jamming instrumental moments to please the prog crowd, but also some more up-close and personal elements too – on titles that include "Octopus", "Afterwards", "Orthenian Street (parts 1 & 2)", "Black Smoke Yen", and "Ferret & Featherbird". LP, Vinyl record album

Heavy duty instrumentals from this legendary Detroit tenor giant! This album's one of Jr's best – recorded with a rawer tone than later work, almost a mixture of funky 45 and R&B grooving. Motown favorites like "Come See About Me" and "What Does It Take To Win Your Love" are served up alongside motor city bumpers like "Sweet Daddy Deacon" and "Hip City" with the 45 pts. 1 & 2 edits preserved on the LP. LP, Vinyl record album

Bobby Watson is definitely back home here – really re-rooted in the kind of greatness he was giving us on record many years back, at a level that's come back strongly in recent years – thanks to a top-shelf release like this! As you'll note on the cover, Bobby's got his key early musical partner in place – bassist Curtis Lundy, with whom he cut some of his finest in the 80s – and the alto giant's also got some other wonderful bandmates in the lineup – especially trumpeter Jeremy Pelt, whose upbeat tone and way of reaching up with his sound really matches the positivity in Watson's horn. Other players include the great Cyrus Chestnut on piano and Victor Jones on drums – and Carmen Lundy, makes a very welcome vocal return on the title "Our Love Remains". Other tracks include the Watson originals "Side Steps", "Bon Voyage", "Back Home In Kansas City", and "Blues For Alto" – and other tunes include "Red Bank Heist", "Mind Wine", "The Star In The East", and "Dear Lord". CD

A long-overdue reissue of the three Blue Note albums recorded by tenor sax giant Don Wilkerson! Wilkerson's one of the lesser-known artists to record for the label – a deep-throated Texas tenorman with a style that's a bit more R&B influenced than other Blue Note artists. The label took this huge talent, and set it up in some perfectly-conceived settings, inflecting Wilkerson's rootsiness with some of the soul jazz modernism of players like Grant Green, John Patton, Sonny Clark, and Ben Dixon. The set features all the tracks from the albums Elder Don, Preach Brother, and Shoutin – and titles include "Jeanie Weenie", "Lone Star Shuffle", "Drawin A Tip", "Movin Out", "Happy Johnny", "Sweet Cake", "Scrappy", "Pigeon Peas", and "Dem Tambourines". 18 tracks in all! CD

Spiritual keyboard giant Lonnie Liston Smith joins the duo of Adrian Younge and Ali Shaheed Muhammad – and the result is maybe one of the deepest records in this wonderful series! As you can imagine, Lonnie is on keyboards, and delivers some wonderful solos throughout – very much in the spirit of his classic Flying Dutchman albums of the 70s – at a level that even seems to bring out some deeper vibes from Younge and Muhammad as well! Vocalist Loren Oden joins the group on four tracks, recalling the great vocal style used on Lonnie's classic records, in this beautiful mix of jazz and soul that really shapes the tunes – in a set that that includes "A New Spring", "Love Brings Happiness", "Cosmic Changes", "Dawn", "Gratitude", "What May Come", and "Love Can Be". CD

An incredible trip through the 70s Japanese jazz scene – a second volume of J Jazz that's even bigger and better than the first – with unknown gems from private presses, indie labels, and rarities from the Japanese branches of the major labels, too! Compilers Tony Higgins & Mike Peden (who are both also responsible for the nicely done notes) follow through on all of the things we loved about the first J Jazz compilation, but improve on it by going bigger and digging deeper. The majority of the tracks were recorded from 1969 through the late 70s – with a few recorded in later years – and all have a wonderful way of being open to the stylistic inventions of the time without getting hung up on trends. So while there's some fusiony funk and electric piano, there's plenty of acoustic instrumentation and timelessly inventive material. BBE has outdone themselves on this excellent collection – and the titles include "Dragon Dance" by Makoto Terashita & Harold Land, "Daguri" by Kohsuke Mine Quintet, "Distant Thunder" by Mabumi Yamguchi Quartet, "Animal Garden" by Miyasaka + 5, "Mother Of The Future" by Electro Keyboard Orchestra, "Serenade To A Dimly Lit Street" by Hiroshi Matsumoto/Hideo Ichikawa Quartet, "Teru-Teru Bozu" (Black Keys) by Teru Sakamoto Trio, "Little Giant" by Nobuo & Sharps & Flats, "Brown Trout" by Akira Miyazawa and more. 14 tracks on 3LPs. LP, Vinyl record album

An incredible trip through the 70s Japanese jazz scene – a second volume of J Jazz that's even bigger and better than the first – with unknown gems from private presses, indie labels, and rarities from the Japanese branches of the major labels, too! Compilers Tony Higgins & Mike Peden (who are both also responsible for the nicely done notes) follow through on all of the things we loved about the first J Jazz compilation, but improve on it by going bigger and digging deeper. The majority of the tracks were recorded from 1969 through the late 70s – with a few recorded in later years – and all have a wonderful way of being open to the stylistic inventions of the time without getting hung up on trends. So while there's some fusiony funk and electric piano, there's plenty of acoustic instrumentation and timelessly inventive material. BBE has outdone themselves on this excellent collection – and titles include "Dragon Dance" by Makoto Terashita & Harold Land, "Daguri" by Kohsuke Mine Quintet, "Distant Thunder" by Mabumi Yamguchi Quartet, "Animal Garden" by Miyasaka + 5, "Mother Of The Future" by Electro Keyboard Orchestra, "Serenade To A Dimly Lit Street" by Hiroshi Matsumoto/Hideo Ichikawa Quartet, "Teru-Teru Bozu" (Black Keys) by Teru Sakamoto Trio, "Little Giant" by Nobuo & Sharps & Flats, "Brown Trout" by Akira Miyazawa and more – plus the CD bonus track "Original Bill" by Koichi Matsukaze Trio. 15 tracks on 2CDs. CD

Spiritual soul and spoken word with instrumental inflections – a perfect illustration of the righteous sound of the Flying Dutchman label at the start of the 70s! The imprint was famously home to Gil Scott Heron, Lonnie Liston Smith, Leon Thomas, and other hip cats at the time – but also recorded a fair bit of work that was even more progressive and political – including key records from forces helping to carry the legacy of Civil Rights well into the 70s! This package offers up a perfect blend of those modes – great jazz tracks that carry the legacy of John Coltrane forth even further, and political records that were often more powerful than anything in the press at the time. Titles include "Sais" by Lonnie Liston Smith", "Nevertite" by The Esoteric Circle, "The Creator Has A Master Plan" by Louis Armstrong and Leon Thomas, "Lament For John Coltrane" by Bob Thiele Emergency, "Friends & Neighbors" by Ornette Coleman, "Sit Down" by Carl B Stokes with Oliver Nelson, "Echoes" by Leon Thomas, "The Giant Is Awakened"b y Horace Tapscot, "Gonna Get Some Right Now" by Chico Hamilton", and "We're Threatening The Oppressors" by Angela Davis. CD

A heck of a collection – and one that really gets at the amazing array of free-thinking jazz that was brewing up on the European scene during the 70s! The set brings together over eight hours of music recorded during two years of this legendary festival – and each new disc has some great surprises along the way! There's some possibly more familiar material here – such as long improvisations that include a solo piano performance by Joachim Kuhn, two by a Mal Waldron trio with Jimmy Woode on bass and Allen Blairman on drums, one by a trio headed by pianist Yosuke Yamashita and with Akira Sakata on alto, two more by the duo of Peter Brotzmann on tenor and Han Bennink on drums, and a final two long improvisations by a great Archie Shepp gruop with Richard Greenlee on trombone, Dave Burell on piano, Cameron Brown on bass, and Beaver Harris on drums! Yet that's only the tip of the iceberg – as there's a full CD of music by a group led by Hugo Heredia on saxes and flute – with Horace Parlan on piano, Dodo Goys on bass, Tullio D'Piscopo on drums, and Mandrake Ivanir Do Nascimento on percussion. And there's another CD that features an hour-long improvisation by a version of the Willem Breuker Kollektief with Leo Cuypers on piano, Maarten Van Norden on tenor, Boy Raaymakers on trumpet, and Bernhard Hunnekink and Willem Van Manen on trombones. There's also a very long track by a cool quartet headed by Polish alto giant Zbigniew Namyslowski – and one more by the French Machi Oul Big Band. There's also tracks by Riot, with Uli Beckerhoff on trumpet; Grumpff with Michael Schlaper on tenor and soprano, and Ekkehard Jost on baritone; Mumps with Albert Mangelsdorff on trombone and John Surman on tenor; and the Eddie Prevost Quartet with Geoff Hawkins on tenor and Gerry Gold on trumpet. And last but not least are two long trcks by the Czech group Celula Jazz Crew – with Laco Deczi on trumpet, Karel Ruzicka on electric piano, and Svatopluc Kosvanec on trombone. Phew – that's a lot of music, and the whole thing comes in a very cool 10" box set, complete with a booklet of notes, too! CD

A heavy dose of rare TV performances – pulled from a Cali program that focused strongly on hillbilly sounds of the 50s, but also took time to feature some up-and-coming rockabilly acts too! The quality's about what you'd expect from 1950s TV, but the performances are great – and there's not much footage out there from some of these giant acts at the time! The DVD features 42 performances in all – great work from The Collins Kids, who were on the show all the time – plus more from Skeets McDonald, Jim Reeves, Merle Travis, Joe Maphis, Wanda Jackson, Johnny Bond, Mac Wiseman, Tex Carman, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, Patsy Cline, and others! DVD

An obscure UK group, and one who blend together hard rock modes with some slightly more sensitive moments – all with production and arrangements from John Weathers, in his years before more progressive sounds with Gentle Giant! The music here is a lot more down to earth, and plenty earthy too – and showcases that post-psych, post-blues rock use of guitar turned up to 11 – a quality that also comes through in the vocals of Gareth Mortimer, who sometimes sounds as if he's processed a bit to blow out the speakers with the guitars! Titles include "Eagle Song", "Where The Snow Lies Forever", "Odd Song", "Don't Want", "Mystic Mountain", and "Prelude To A Blind Man". Features the bonus track "Freedom Train (alternate)". CD

The incredible debut of Blondie! Before branching out into 70s NYC club culture informed pop, Blondie was first-and-formost an incredibly cool punk-era rock & roll band, though never really straight-up punkers themselves – filtering a love of 60s girl group vocals and seedier surf rock influences into catchy songs still raucous enough for CBGBs. While the live gig grit is buffed out of in the studio, there's no lack of game-changing greatness here – and titles include "X Offender", "Little Girls Lie", "In The Sun", "In The Flesh", "Rifle Range", "Kung Fu Girls", "The Attack Of The Giant Ants" and more. CD

Classic set of European recordings – made by Dolphy in 1961, before the fateful 1964 European tour that would later claim his life. The group features Swedish piano giant Bent Axen, plus a rhythm section that includes Erik Moseholm on bass and Jorn Elniff on drums. Like most Dolphy recordings from the time, however, the main focus is on Dolphy himself, and the long tracks feature some beautiful extended solos on alto and flute. Tracks are long, and titles include "Hi Fly", "Oleo", and "Glad To Be Unhappy". CD

Legendary Latin Soul singer Joe Bataan joins the Funkool Orchestra on "Can't Keep Foolin" – a cut that makes really great use of those heartbreaking vocals that made Joe such a sweet soul giant at the end of the 60s! The tune's got an unusual approach – as it moves fast at points, then slows, then grooves again – and Joe's vocally great in both modes! The flipside features a different singer, and has a Latin funk vibe that's very old school overall! 7-inch, Vinyl record

Some of the deepest work we've ever heard from Jamaican funk giant Boris Gardiner – and a set that might have been called "Ultra Rare Dub" instead – given the obscurity of the recordings! The core material here is from 45s that Boris issues in the early 70s – the kind of heavy grooves that have made him as much of a legend with funk collectors as reggae fans – but the tracks are taken to very different territory than the originals, in keeping with the dub promised in the title – yet with a sense of variety that's very different than other dub albums of this nature! Currents of American soul come into play as much as reggae roots – and instrumentation and rhythms vary nicely throughout, which really keeps things interesting. The original albums were issued in very tiny runs, and titles include "Freedom Roots", "Expression (dub)", "Racking Roots", "Love (dub)", "Paying Roots", "Mine (dub)", "Rider Roots", and "Gimmy (dub)". LP, Vinyl record album

Seminal sides from Herbie Hancock – amazing material recorded for Warner Brothers in the years between his time at Blue Note and his big fame at Columbia Records – all sides that definitely show Hancock as one mighty righteous cat! Herbie's really stretching past his more conventional jazz of earlier years here – working both with a bit more electricity in his keys, and some larger arrangements that have a wonderful sense of flow and funk – a groove that definitely puts Hancock on a par with Quincy Jones at his funky best during the early 70s! The album's filled with great grooves pulled from the Warner Brothers albums by Hancock – including some quite long numbers – titles that include the funky nuggets "Wiggle Waggle", "Lil Brother", and "Tell Me A Bedtime Story" – plus "Sleeping Giant", "Crossings", "Quazar", "Ostinato", and "You'll Know When You Get There". LP, Vinyl record album

Great recent work from tenor giant Billy Harper! After his classic sides in the 70s, we didn't hear from Harper for years as a leader, but when this one came out, it was well worth the wait! The album's a beautiful batch of tracks in Harper's unique style of soulful avant blowing, and the players on the record with him are incredibly sensitive to the sound he's trying to achieve. Eddie Henderson is on trumpet, Horacee Arnold is on drums, and Louie "Mbiki" Spears is on bass. All tracks are long and spiritual, as with Harper's best work, and titles include "Somalia", "Thy Will Be Done", "Quest", and "Light Within". CD

A weird and wonderful album from Tribe Records giant Wendell Harrison – an obscure electric set from the start of the 80s! There's still a strongly spiritual feel on the record, but Wendell also adds some Fender Rhodes and vocals to his work on tenor and flute – bringing in the same sort of spacey soul vibe you'd find on work from the time by Oneness Of Juju! The overall sound is still quite soulful – a great extension of the early Tribe spirit from Detroit – and some cuts feature a bit more acoustic piano and sweet earthy percussion. Other cuts have more of a soulful bounce – thanks to vocals from Miche Braden and Kathy Simmons – and titles include "The Wok", "Ginseng Love", "Love Juice", "A Green Meadow" and "Peace of Mind". LP, Vinyl record album

British tenor giant Tubby Hayes left the planet all too soon – passing away at the age of 38 in 1973 – but right up to the end, he continued to blow away most of his contemporaries – as you'll hear from this set of unreleased live material from 1972! The recording is from a time when Hayes was actually coming back out of a bit of time away from the scene – recuperating from heart issues that were soon to take away his life – and the period is almost a return to the basics of Tubby's breakout recordings of the late 50s – when he emerged as a tenor soloist to rival American greats like Sonny Rollins or Dexter Gordon! You can definitely hear that quality here, as Tubbs takes on some older standards, plus a few originals – and spins out these wonderful long solos that never fair for imagination or soulful expression – and which also feature some occasional great moments on flute too. The group is a very familiar one – Mike Pyne on piano, Tony Levin on drums, and Ron Mathewson on pass – who happened to record the proceedings over the course of two nights at Ronnie Scotts. Titles include long takes on "Lady Celia", "Trane's Blues", "Someday My Prince Will Come", "I've Got You Under My Skin", "Trenton Place", and "I Thought About You" – plus two shorter incomplete tracks, "Seven Steps To Heaven" and "Sienna Red". CD

A brilliant late album from British tenor giant Tubby Hayes – one of his last true studio sessions, and a free-thinking album by a quartet that included Mike Pyne on piano, Ron Matthewson on bass, and Tony Levin on drums. Hayes' tenor talents are as strong as ever – imaginative and firey and with a tone that most other British players never reached – but he's also picking up some late 60s elements of freedom, and playing with his style a bit, in kind of an edgey way that creates more tension than usual for a set by Tubbs. The tracks are long and very creative original compositions – and the album's a true masterpiece that shows the wealth of talent bubbling on the UK jazz scene during the mid to late 60s. Titles include "Trenton Place", "Blues In Orbit", "Mexican Green", "Dedication To Joy", and "The Second City Steamer". CD

An amazing set – really really beautiful, and a whopping 10CDs' worth of material that Billie Holiday recorded during the 78rpm era – for labels that include Columbia, Okeh, Vocalion, Decca, and Parlophone! The package has an oversize cover, with a giant book in the middle – and the set features Holiday singing with Duke Ellington, Teddy Wilson Eddie Heywood, Benny Goodman, and her own group as well. 239 tracks in all – and a bargain at this price! CD

Jazz funk genius from Freddie Hubbard in the mid 70s! Gleam was a Japanese-only double album from the jazz giant in its original release – mighty funky at times, too – right up there with some of the best Miles Davis and Herbie Hancock Japanese sets from the 70s! It's a live set captured in March of '75 at Tokyo's Yubin Chokin Hall – long numbers played by a group that includes Freddie on trumpet, Carl Randall on tenor and flute, George Cables on electric piano, Henry Franklin on bass, Carl Burnett on drums, and Buck Clark on percussion! Each player has plenty of space to groove, and it's very well captured – you can hear the most expressive solos and the most subtle nuances. Some great solos by Freddie and the rest of the players – breathless tenor & flute by Randall, keys by Cables that are jazz funk perfection and interplay between Burnett's drums and Clark's congas & percussion that's somehow tense and comfortable at the same time. The shortest number in the set runs more than the 7 minutes and the longest is more than 20 minutes – and none is one second shorter than necessary, actually leaving us pining for more – making it all the more vital in the double album format. Released on 2CDs for the first time ever here! How this great album has been so hard to find over the years is a mystery. Titles include "Kuntu", "Spirits Of Trane", an amazing cover of Stevie Wonder's "Too High", "Midnight At The Oasis", "Ebony Moonbeams", and "Put It In The Pocket". LP, Vinyl record album

Some of the most beautiful work we've ever heard from this legendary pianist – and that's really saying a lot, given how many beautiful records Abdullah Ibrahim has given us over the years! The set expands from Ibrahim's solo performance for Gearbox Records, and takes things into a trio – but a different format than the usual piano trio mode – as bassist Noah Jackson also plays cello, and instead of drums the group's third member is Cleave Guyton Jr, who blows both flute and piccolo in very unique ways! The setup really changes the usual approach that you might know from Abdullah, in a way that shows just how fluid and open his ideas are even at this point in his career – a time when so many others would be content to just rehash the past. All material was recorded live at the Barbican in London – but the first half uses the wide expanse of the room without an audience present, and the second then presents different songs recorded live with a full concert setting. Titles include "Nisa", "The Wedding", "Mindif", "Water From An Ancient Well", "Blue Bolero", "Skippy", "Giant Steps", "Barakat", "Tsakwe", "Krotoa/Crystal Clear", and "Ishmael". CD

A great set that brings together early material that trombone giant JJ Johnson cut for Blue Note as a leader – sides that already mark his approach to the instrument as one of the most distinct of the time, and which pave the way for all the greatness that Johnson would bring to jazz in years to come! JJ's got a way of blowing his horn here that's almost trumpet-like at time – tight and focused, and perfect for the young bop generation – as he's paired on these cuts with players who include Hank Mobley and Jimmy Heath on tenor, Clifford Brown on trumpet, and either Wynton Kelly, John Lewis, or Horace Silver on piano, depending on the volume. There's plenty of other great surprises too – including a bit of bass from Charles Mingus, on a few cuts that also feature congas from Sabu Martinez – plus drums from Kenny Clarke on all tracks too. Titles on this first volume include include "Turnpike", "Sketch 1", "Capri", "Lover Man", "Get Happy", and "Coffee Pot". CD features alternate takes, too. CD

A great set that brings together early material that trombone giant JJ Johnson cut for Blue Note as a leader – sides that already mark his approach to the instrument as one of the most distinct of the time, and which pave the way for all the greatness that Johnson would bring to jazz in years to come! JJ's got a way of blowing his horn here that's almost trumpet-like at time – tight and focused, and perfect for the young bop generation – as he's paired on these cuts with players who include Hank Mobley and Jimmy Heath on tenor, Clifford Brown on trumpet, and either Wynton Kelly, John Lewis, or Horace Silver on piano, depending on the volume. There's plenty of other great surprises too – including a bit of bass from Charles Mingus, on a few cuts that also feature congas from Sabu Martinez – plus drums from Kenny Clarke on all tracks too. Titles on this this second volume include "Daylie Double", "Groovin", "Viscosity", "Coffee Pot", "It's You Or No One", and "Jay". CD

An album named after a genre, but one that offers up the very special focus that BB King brought to blues music – especially in these early years of his career! King's a giant at this point – a hell of a singer, with a sound that's a key bridge between gospel and soul – and a equally solid guitarist, able to grace his tunes with searing solos, but in a way that's never as showy or overcrowded as all the later bluesmen who tried to copy his act! Instead, King's balance here is perfect – and often set to romping backings that link his approach not only to a postwar R&B tradition, but maybe even to the jazz world as well – with a vibe that's a lot less downtrodden than you might expect from a record called "the blues". If you've never dug BB at this early point in his career, you'll find plenty here to love – and titles include "When My Heart Beats Like A Hammer", "What Can I Do", "Troubles Troubles Troubles", "Early In The Morning", "You Don't' Have To Cry", and "Why Do Everything Happen To Me". CD features bonus tracks – "Sweet Little Angel", "Tickle Britches", "I'm In Love", "Bye Bye Baby", "Don't Keep Me Waiting", and "Don't Break Your Promise". CD

Rare material from one of our favorite jazz musicians of all time – legendary Hammond hero Jack McDuff, heard here in a really wonderful setting! McDuff in the 60s was already great – an organist who played in ways that really stood out, with a sense of rhythm that was completely unique – and which only took off even more strongly as the 70s approached. Here, McDuff is in a very fruitful part of that decade – playing live in a way that really echoes his classic Heatin System album, recorded in the same year for Chess Records – really long, exploratory tracks that also feature strong solo work from Dave Young on tenor and soprano sax, Leo Johnson on tenor and flute, and Vinnie Corrado on guitar. There's an unknown trumpeter on two tracks too – and titles include "Ain't No Sunshine", "Blues 1 & 8", "6:30 In The Morning", "Middle Class Folk Song", "Jolly Black Giant", and the killer "Theme From Electric Surfboard". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the key classics from the hardbop years of Blue Note – the kind of album that really set the label apart from the rest at the time! Soul Station is a deceptively simple album that has tenor giant Hank Mobley playing standards and originals in a quartet with Wynton Kelly on piano, Paul Chambers on bass, and Art Blakey on drums– a spare and simple group, but one with a direct energy that's really amazing – in a way that makes for some of Mobley's best solos on record! The tracks here are all relatively basic in construction, but this territory allows all players to really relax and open up – especially Mobley, who really dominates the proceedings with some well-blown lines on tenor. Blakey's work is great too – nicely restrained, and the date marks one of his last sessions ever as a sideman. Titles include "Soul Station", "Split Feelin's", "Dig Dis", and "This I Dig Of You". CD

One of the greatest albums ever from Blue Note tenor giant Hank Mobley – a set that really explodes in all the new directions Hank was taking in the 60s! Mobley in the 50s was already the stuff of legend – a tremendous soloist on tenor, and every bit his own man – firmly focused forward with a voice that was already tremendous – but which was turned towards a lot of new ideas with records like this! Both Mobley's phrasing and rhythmic construction are different here than a few years before – still every bit as soulful as ever, but able to open up with richer imagination, especially on the strong original tunes on the set. The group's great – a quintet that offers up both guitar from Grant Green and piano from Wynton Kelly – and rhythm is by the mighty team of Paul Chambers on bass and Philly Joe Jones on drums. Tracks are longish, with plenty of room for solos – and titles include "Smokin", "Greasin Easy", "Workout", and "Uh Huh". CD features the bonus track "Three Coins In The Fountain". CD

A really great duo set – alto from Bob Mover and piano from Walter Davis Jr – playing together here in a relaxed live setting that really has both players at the top of their game! Mover is an especially great surprise – and blows here with this openly flowing sense of imagination that's mindblowing – a raspy edge on the alto that hearkens back to some of the players who inspired him, but with this very personal quality that's at a level that was only captured on a rare few of his other albums. Davis is the piano giant you'd expect – with that masterful sense of tone and timing that resonated especially well on some of his overseas dates of the 70s – and the recording quality has this nice sense of room that only further underscores the intimacy of the two players working together, and which seems to do especially nice things for Mover's horn. Titles include long creative takes on "Star Eyes", "Bird Feathers", "A Nightingale Sang In Barkley Square", "Donna Lee", "Nica's Tempo", and "All The Things You Are/Prince Albert". CD

A naked woman in a giant hand? They've already got our attention – and we haven't even heard the music! Fortunately, the music is every bit as great as you'd guess from the cover – the best sort of slinky Italian soundtrack, served up in a mix of haunting melodies and really offbeat sounds that never fail to delight! Keyboards and woodwinds find a similar sense of space as in the music of Ennio Morricone – and despite the nudity on the cover, the overall sound is never too cheesy or too oversexed – just perfectly balanced between lightness and dark, in a sublime blend of instrumentation and production! CD features 23 tracks in all – nearly 75 minutes of music! CD

A biography of one of the key creators in comics in the 20th Century – done in the format that he helped pioneer! The book is written in the first person – so more of an autobiography – although writer Tom Scioli provides all the words, and traces Kirby's evolution from a young child artist to a 40s giant in the new form of comic books, through his leaner postwar years, big 60s Marvel comics work, his 70s run at DC, and other moments too. Scioli really does a great job of opening up the intricacies of the comic business, and showing it's sometime seedier side – which illustrates some of the challenges that Kirby faced in his career, even while his work continued to be incredible. Hardcover edition is full color, 201 pages. Book

A great little groover from Sonny Stitt – blowing here with a very soulful group that features piano by soul jazz giant Ronnie Matthews! Matthews is at his prime here, and his heavy left-handed approach lays out some wonderful grooves for Stitt – crackling little tunes that are extra-great because they include a good number of original compositions by Sonny! The group's a quartet, with Sonny and Ronnie alongside Art Harper on bass and Lex Humphries on drums – and the session's got the great tone and inventive solo work of Stitt's best work on Roost, but also a more pronounced role from the rhythm section, who really help drive the record! Titles include "Rearin Back", "Cut Plug", "Queen", "Carpsie's Groove", and "Bunny R". LP, Vinyl record album

A historic meeting between pianist Art Tatum and tenor sax giant Ben Webster! At some level, it's clear that Tatum's the star of the session – as most tracks start out with that introspective and often complicated approach to the keys that marks his trio and solo work – but Webster always slides in just in time to keep the record from being a standard Tatum outing – blowing with a crisp tone that's beautifully recorded here, and hardly concerned at all with the presence of Red Callender on bass and Bill Douglass on drums – who are much lower in the mix. Titles include "Night & Day", "Where Or When", "My Ideal", "Gone With The Wind", and "All The Things You Are". CD

The excellent solo debut from lumbering rock guitar virtuoso Joe Walsh – buzzing, melodic and extremely tuneful early 70s rock that's refreshingly free of the processed cheese that characterized much of his later material, both solo and as an Eagle – and possibly the best work he's ever done! Barnstorm has some of the whispery rural rock sounds, fat and nearly funk keyboard grooves, and crunching chords that make Joe (in)famous – but what really stretches this record out and pushes it to a lofty pillar are the post psychedelic touches. Bits of flute, echoey guitar and keys, and trippy lyricism elevate the tracks on the first half of the album into terrain we forgot Joe ever treaded. It really makes the heavier, funky rock & roll bits that much more rewarding. It's almost like a blue collar Astral Weeks in spots! Tracks include "Here We Go", "Midnight Mover", "One And One", "Giant Bohemoth", "Mother Says", "Home", "I'll Tell The World", "Turn To Stone" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

Spiritual keyboard giant Lonnie Liston Smith joins the duo of Adrian Younge and Ali Shaheed Muhammad – and the result is maybe one of the deepest records in this wonderful series! As you can imagine, Lonnie is on keyboards, and delivers some wonderful solos throughout – very much in the spirit of his classic Flying Dutchman albums of the 70s – at a level that even seems to bring out some deeper vibes from Younge and Muhammad as well! Vocalist Loren Oden joins the group on four tracks, recalling the great vocal style used on Lonnie's classic records, in this beautiful mix of jazz and soul that really shapes the tunes – in a set that that includes "A New Spring", "Love Brings Happiness", "Cosmic Changes", "Dawn", "Gratitude", "What May Come", and "Love Can Be". CD

Collection of mostly previosly released underground hip hop tracks on 3 LP's. Standout cuts include Common Sense "Soul By The Pound", the Thump Mix version previously available on 12-inch only plus Afu-Ra "Whirwind Thru Cities", High & Mighty "The Meaning", Big L "Ebonics", Missing Linx "M.I.A", Dilated Peoples "Global Dynamics", Giant (aka A.G.) "Hidden Crates", Primeridian "Mental Void", I.G. Off & Hazadous "This Ain't Livin", Pablo "Due Praises", Dr. OOP feat. Thes One & Dub K "Just The Three Of Us", Swollen Members "Counterparts", People Under The Stairs "Everybody." LP, Vinyl record album

A massive third helping of rare Motown soul – filled with just as many obscure moments and unreleased gems as the previous two volumes! Even if you're a Motown completist enough to buy those giant Complete Singles volumes, you'll still find plenty here to love – because this UK-only series really digs deep into the Motown vaults, and proves that there's a tremendous amount of great music that never saw the light of day back in the 60s! The overall style is strongly in the Northern Soul mode – no surprise, given the British origin of the set – but even with that tight focus, the range of music here is really wonderful, and includes a great amount of work by lesser stars in the Motown galaxy. All tracks are presented with full notes on the original recording date – and the 2CD package features a whopping 43 tracks that include "You're Walking Out With My Heart" by Brenda Holloway, "This Love Will Never Die" by The Miracles, "At The Go Go" by Stevie Wonder, "I'm In Love Again" by Shorty Long, "Easier Said Than Done" by Dennis Edwards, "Never Give You Up" by Blinky & Edwin Starr, "A Chance With You" by Marvin Gaye, "Watch Your Step" by Mike Varo, "Come Back My Love" by The Temptations, "Too Young Too Long" by Carolyn Crawford, "SOS Girl In Distress" by Marv Johnson, "Thief Of Love" by Oma Page, "Loving You" by Fantastic Four, "Just Too Much" by The Monitors, "Little Girls Grow Up" by The Marvelettes, "Don't Stop Loving Me" by Ivy Jo, "Soldier Of Love" by The Four Tops, "I'm Here Now That You Need Me" by JJ Barnes, "Beware Of A Stranger" by Rita Wright, "Cindy" by Bobby Taylor, and "Too Late I Learned" by The Spinners. CD

Features tracks by Outside, Jhelisa, D Note, Cool Breeze, Circle In The Round, Monkey Business, High Steppers, Giant Step NYC, This I Dig, and Sunship. CD

Not sure about the giant chicken on the front – but the album features loads of great blues harp work from Billy Boy Arnold – set up in a small combo with Tony McPhee on guitar! Titles include "Riding The El", "Sweet Miss Bera", "Ahw Baby", and "Dirty Mother F*cker". LP, Vinyl record album

A beautiful set of alto improvisations that has Braxton moving through classic and original music, in a rich array of styles that clearly show his genius on the instrument. The double LP set is filled with great moments – like his readings of "Giant Steps" and "Along Came Betty" – plus originals like "Sova Noub V-(AO)" and "JMK-730 CFN-7". LP, Vinyl record album