A really cool book of rare jazz posters – most of them from the 70s, with images of posters from the US, EU, and Japan! The collection within is great – and there's so many unusual images that differ nicely from more iconic album covers – which are then mixed with more familiar shots, but restructured for use in posters – some with special information about new release records, concerts, and other events – some presented with spare images on their own! There's promo posters from labels like ECM or Three Blind Mice – and the book also has sections on spiritual jazz, free jazz, Japanese jazz, Brazilian jazz, jazz funk, and other topics related to jazz – including New York, movies, and concerts. The softcover book is 375 pages, and mostly images – presented in their original colors, or black and white if applicable – and there's a few short essays in both English and Japanese. Book

A great one from Monday Michiru – sweet, soulful, and totally right on the money! The set's almost a return to the warm soul territory that first won us over in Monday's work from the 90s – as she takes on a whole host of older American soul tunes by Stevie Wonder, Teena Marie, and others – sung with a wonderfully mature vocal approach, and set to jazzy backings that really help change things up – and make the record way more than just a simple set of cover versions! There's a great blend here – the instrumental depth that Monday's shown in recent recordings, and the straightforward soul of the early years – all handled with just the right production balance to make it come off perfectly. Titles include "Best Of My Love", "Um Amigo", "I Can't Help It", "Ooh La La La", "Don't Disturb This Groove", "You Are The Universe", and "As". LP, Vinyl record album

The New Herd group of Toshiyuki Miyama was one of the most creative larger ensembles in Japan during the 70s – a group that was neither slavish to the sort of older modes you might guess from the "herd" reference to Woody Herman's band, nor tied up in some of the more commercial directions that some of the other big bands were taking at the time! Instead, they had an ear for the new developments in color, tone, and phrasing that opened up in groups like this in the post-Kenton generation – but managed to swing a bit more too – never too bogged down in their own sense of perfection to loosen up at all the right times. You'll hear the group at their best here on this late 70s album – on titles that include "Grand Guignol", "Fancy Ball", "A Falling Star", "Art Gallery", "Flower Arrangement", and "Blue Sail". CD