A huge run of records from Yma Sumac – presented here in a box that collects just about everything she recorded for Capitol Records in the 50s! First up is Voice Of The Xtaby – legendary vocal work from the postwar years – some of the earliest recordings from the enigmatic Yma Sumac – an artist whose records really laid the groundwork for an entire generation of exotica records to come! Sumac's authenticity has been debated over the years – but there's no denying that she's got this incredible vocal range – a many-octave approach that almost makes her sound like a human theremin – as she works with exotic backings from Les Baxter to offer up a take on Peruvian roots, styled towards a 50s bachelor pad listener! Titles include "Xtaby", "Wayra", "Taita Inty", "Monos", and "Tumpa". Legend Of The Sun is early work from Yma Sumac – with that moody mix of other worldly vocals and semi-Latin instrumentation that made her a popular one with the early exotic crowd. Yma runs up and down the vocal scale, while Moises Vivanco leads the band in a set of crashing dramatic orchestrations with a Peruvian feel. Tracks include "Sunray Surita", "Mamallayi", "No Es Vida", "Ccori Canastitay", and "Kon Tiki". The package features selections from the album Flahooley – one of the more obscure Yma Sumac albums from the 50s – a Broadway production with a larger cast – and much more of a musical than Sumac's other records. Yma really stands out in the show, though – singing a few special numbers with music by Moises Vivanco – but the rest is familiar Broadway modes of the early 50s, penned by Sammy Fain & EY Harburg. Sumac titles include "Najala's Song Of Joy", "Najala's Lament", and "Come Back Little Genie Birds". Mambo is quite possibly our favorite album ever by the enigmatic Yma Sumac – thanks to some lively arrangements by Billy May, who gives the set a swinging jazzy groove! As you might guess from the cover, the style here is more in a Latin jazz mode than some of Yma's other more ethereal work – and that style turns out to be a wonderful fit for Sumac's incredible vocals – creating a batch of driving tunes that swing nicely, yet still have a spooky exotic sound on the top! Titles include "Bo Mambo", "Taki Rari", "Goomba Boomba", "Malambo No 1", and "Five Bottles Mambo". Inca Taqui is an early 10" LP – on which Yma Sumac sings chants of the Andes – and authentic or not, the sound's pretty darn great! The record's in the same format as her other early work for Capitol – tunes written by Moises Vivanco, who also conducts the backings in a dramatic early 50s style that's perfect for Yma's wonderful voice! And whether or not these tunes are actually the ones that all the cats in Peru were singing up in the mountains, they still sound pretty darn great as a key part of postwar exotica! Titles include "Incachao", "Llulla Mak'Ta", "Chuncho", "K'Arawi", and "Cumbe-Maita". Legend Of The Jivaro is one of Yma's more "historical" records – and the notes say that the album is "the rare plum of authenticity". We don't know if we'd go that far, but we can tell you that the record features Yma performing songs of the legendary Jivaro headhunters! Supposedly, Yma learned them in her "South American jungle-home", but we keep wondering why the headhunters took the time to teach her, when they could have been shrinking her head. Tracks include "Yawar", "Shou Condor", "Aullay", "Sumac Soratena", and "Hampi". Last up is Fuego Del Ande – one of the most obscure albums by vocalist Yma Sumac – and one of the most compelling too! The album has Yma working in the Andean style of her earlier 10" albums for Capitol – working with Moises Vivanco on a set of tunes that have a much more traditional and almost folkloric style than some of her work with Les Baxter. Titles include "Clamor", "Dale Que Dale", "Llora Corazon", "Gallito Caliente", "La Molina", and "Flor De Canela". CD

Sublime mid 70s work from The Average White Band – and a record that really has the group deepening their groove a bit – moving past the heavier funk of their roots, into some mellower grooves that are totally great! There's a great undercurrent of jazz in some of the playing here – a real consciousness for clever changes, hip instrumental flourishes, and some other fusion-inspired moments – although all delivered with an understated quality that's mighty nice. The feel's a bit like The Headhunters on their second album, or some of the great Wayne Henderson groups on Fantasy – a great mix of jazz funk and soul that makes the record one of our favorites by the group. Titles include "Sunny Days", "Digging Deeper", "Love Your Life", "Queen Of My Soul", and the stellar mellow "A Love Of Your Own". CD features bonus single mixes of "A Love Of My Own" and "Queen Of My Soul". CD

A seminal jazz funk session of the 70s – Herbie Hancock's legendary meeting with The Headhunters, and a killer batch of tunes that really gave the combo their name! Herbie's playing a wide range of keys here – including Fender Rhodes, clavinet, and Arp – but almost even better is the work from the rest of the group – including Bennie Maupin on soprano and tenor sax, Paul Jackson on bass, Harvey Mason on drums, and Bill Summers on percussion! The earthier elements of the rhythm players really keep Herbie on track – bringing him back to the planet from previous trips into space, and helping him hit an all-solid, all-righteous funky groove! Titles include a great remake of "Watermelon Man", the classic original recording of "Chameleon", and the cuts "Vein Melter" and "Sly" – all nice and long! LP, Vinyl record album

Funky mid 70s Herbie Hancock – one his funkiest albums of the era! Herbie plays a host of cool keyboards – like Fender Rhodes, Arp, and clavinet – and he's joined by a group that includes just about all of the Headhunters – including Paul Jackson on bass and Mike Clarke on drums – plus help from a great array of other excellent guests – including Bennie Maupin and Wayne Shorter on reeds, Harvey Mason on drums, and even some guest keyboards from Stevie Wonder! The album's great – maybe a bit understated than Thrust, but still equally wonderful – and the whole thing's worth it alone for the classic uptempo cut "Hang Up Your Hang Ups" – alongside other cuts that include "Bubbles", "Heartbeat", and "Sun Touch". LP, Vinyl record album

An incredible record – and virtually the blueprint for countless other keyboard records to come! At the height of his 70s powers, Herbie really takes off into space with this set – moving away from more commercial music, and hitting a groove that's totally righteous, totally electric, and completely mindblowing! The album's got a bit of a Headhunters vibe, but it also veers off into some very wild analogue electronics too – a mix of Fender Rhodes, clavinet, melotron, and echoplex processing – augmented by additional work on Arp from Patrick Gleeson. Other players on the set include Bennie Maupin on reeds, Eddie Henderson on trumpet, Julian Priester on trombone, Buster Williams on bass, and Billy Hart on drums – and the great Buck Clarke rounds out the combo on percussion. The album only features three long tracks – "Rain Dance", "Hidden Shadows", and "Hornets" – but all of them are killers! CD

A legendary album from bassist Paul Jackson – best known for his work in Herbie Hancock's Headhunters group – getting a rare chance to shine as a leader on his own, in a session that was originally only issued in Japan! Jackson is in prime Headhunters territory here, but also brings a spirit of his own – working with a wonderful lineup that includes Herbie Hancock on piano and keyboards, Ray Obiedo on guitar, Bennie Maupin on saxes, Webster Lewis on organ and keyboards, and Alphonse Mouzon on drums – all players who really help knock the record out of the park! The tracks are nice and long, and mix funk with more spiritual currents – with occasional vocals from Jackson that come as a nice surprise. Titles include the killer "Funk Times Three", which starts with a massive drum break – "Tiptoe Thru The Ghetto", "Burning In The Heat (Of Your Love)", and "Black Octopus". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the earliest of bassist Alphonso Johnson's funky fusion albums for Epic! Moonshadows is a nice little set of choppy grooves that recalls the best Herbie Hancock moments of the early 70s, plus some of the side projects of the Headhunters. Warmly funky, but with a nice edge – with a more jazz funk rooted sound than the later, slightly heavier Spellbound! The great group of players includes Patrice Rushen is on keyboards, Benny Maupin on reeds, Lee Ritenour on guitars, Airto Moriera on percussion, Gary Bartz on sax, plus Narada Michael Walden and Ndugu Chancler on drums. Tracks include "Stump", "Cosmoba Place", "Involuntary Bliss", "On The Case", "Amarteifio", "Pandora's Box" and the breezy "Up From The Cellar", which features vocals by Flora Purim! LP, Vinyl record album

A legendary pairing of talents – as Japanese jazz singer Kimiko Kasai works alongside Herbie Hancock – in a setting that's very much on the soul side of the spectrum! Both Herbie and Kimiko started out with a straighter jazz sound in their early years – but by the end of the 70s, they'd both picked up plenty of influences from R&B – although Kasai's work was largely unknown to American audiences. This set is one of those rare Japanese-only sessions by Herbie at the time – a few of which have gotten released overseas as the decades have gone on – and Hancock is in his best keyboard groove, and also gets additional help on the keys from Webster Lewis – who no doubt brings a strong soul current to the music too. Other musicians include Bennie Maupin on soprano and tenor sax, Paul Jackson on bass, Ray Obeido on guitar, Alphonse Mouzon on drums, and Bill Summers on percussion – in a groove that's like a tighter take on the sound of The Headhunters. Kimiko sings in English – and titles include some great versions of Herbie Hancock tunes – including "Maiden Voyage", "Sunlight", "Butterfly", "Tell Me A Bedtime Story", and "Harvest Time" – plus a great take on Stevie Wonder's "As", the cut "Head In The Clouds", and the funk-steeped opener "I Thought It Was You". CD