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A beautiful package of work from trumpeter Clifford Brown – his complete Emarcy master takes for work with three key singers in the 50s – Helen Merrill, Sarah Vaughan, and Dinah Washington! Brown's trumpet has a fluid, soulful style that's easily one of the most modern of the time – which makes for a really striking accompaniment for all vocalists included – especially Washington, who really breaks out from her bluesier modes on the Clifford Brown sides – making an argument here that the trumpeter really helped take her singing to the next level! The lavish 3CD package is in a cool 7" book-style cover, with a really beautiful full color book inside – and the set features a huge amount of work with Washington (2 of the 3 CDs) – with titles that include "No More", "I've Got You Under My Skin", "What Is This Thing Called Love", "Lover Come Back To Me", "I'll Remember April", and some ballad medley tracks from a jam session. The last CD features work with Sarah Vaughan and Helen Merrill – titles that include "April In Paris", "He's My Guy", "Jim", "I'm Glad There Is You", "I'm Crazy", "You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To", "Falling In Love With Love", and "Yesterdays".

Incredible early-to-mid 70s albums from The Miracles – Renaissance and Do It Baby – plus a bonus Tom Moulton remix! First up, Renaissance truly is one, and proof that the the group could do amazing things away from Smokey Robinson! Of course, they've got a heck of a lot of great help on this set – from some of Motown's best, like Willie Hutch, Fonce Mizell, Freddie Perren, and even Marvin Gaye, who wrote and produced the album's standout track "I Love You Secretly", a stone treasure that's as good as any of Marvin's recordings from the time! The whole set is great, though, filled with wonderful songs that never got their due – and which will make this one stand for years as a treasure to fans of harmony soul! Titles include "I Didn't Realize The Show Was Over", "I Love You Secretly", "I Don't Need No Reason", "Don't Let It End", and "What Is A Heart Good For". The follow-up Do It Baby is another overlooked post-Smokey gem – a beautifully display of Miracles' unmatched soul harmony mastery – on a record that's just about as good as anything they did with Smokey. This one actually reminds us a lot of some of our favorite Philly albums coming out at the same time! Arrangements are handled by James Carmichael, Freddie Perren, and Willie Hutch – and it's heavy with slinky smooth soul groovers like "Do It Baby", "You Are Love", "What Is A Heart Good For", and "Give Me Just Another Day", one of a few great cuts on the record written by Leon Ware! This much needed Hip-O Select package includes a bonus track, too: Tom Moulton's mix of "Do It Baby" – which extends that classic cut to more than 7 minutes of dancefloor soul greatness!

Essential peak solo material from Diana – her aptly self-titled set from 1976, showing Ms. Ross stretching out stylistically with incredible style and with beautiful vocals! Diana '76 is among her best work of the 70s – and that's saying something! It opens with the gorgeous "Theme From Mahogany" – and given that this album's release was timed well with the movie, you could be forgiven to think it could be a quickie product to ride the film's commercial coattails. Not at all! In fact, this album is a major creative triumph – songs ranging from elegant balladry, to jazzy soul, to sultry disco. It's one of those rare few cases in which a great artists covers miles of stylistic territory and reins it all into a consistent whole. We always loved this album, but re-approaching after all these years, we think it's a real masterpiece! Titles include "Theme From Mahogany", "You're Good My Child", "Love Hangover", "Kiss Me Now", "After You", "Smile", "One Love In My Lifetime", and "I Thought It Took A Little Time". The folks at Motown/Hip-O Select are giving it the masterpiece love for this 2CD edition – with the original album plus 9 bonus tracks on Disc 1 – plus 15 more bonus tracks on Disc 2! Bonus tracks include non-album singles "Sorry Doesn't Always Make It Right (Single Version)" and "Together (Single Version)", single and alternate versions of the best album tracks, rare, unreleased sessions material that include a sweet cover of Elton John's "Harmony", "Go Where Your Mind Is", "Le Lo Li" and much more, plus an interview with Diana. 33 tracks on 2CDs plus a nice booklet..

One of the more righteous albums from the early years of Diana Ross' solo career – a set that really has her moving past the familiar Motown groove of previous years, into a vibe that really shows the label's new California influence! The tracks here often feature expansive arrangements that mix soul and larger orchestrations – arranged by Gene Page, James Carmichael, Gil Askey, and Michael Randall – all of whom preserve the class that Diana's always had in her music, while still also opening things up to some of the more thoughtful elements of 70s soul. The album includes a nice medley of Oscar Brown Jr's "Brown Baby" and Marvin Gaye's "Save The Children", plus a version of "Imagine", and the tracks "Leave A Little Room", "I Won't Last A Day Without You", "All Of My Life", and "Touch Me In The Morning". Expanded CD version is amazing, too! CD 1 features the full original album, plus 5 more previously unreleased bonus tracks – alternate versions of "Touch Me In The Morning", "All Of My Life", "Leave A Little Room", and "We Need You". Then, CD 2 features the stunning To The Baby album – a previously unreleased effort that's appearing here for the first time ever, really continuing the vibe of Touch Me In The Morning! Titles include "A Wonderful Guest", "Young Mothers (alt)", "Part Of You", "First Time Ever I Saw Your Face", "To The Baby", "A Wonderful Guest", "Imagine/Save The Children", and "Brown Baby (alt)" – plus two more bonus tracks, "When We Grow Up" and "Kewpie Doll".

Frank Zappa's amazing tribute to the sounds of LA that inspired him in his youth – not just the early rock and roll of the late 50s, but the way the music was picked up and given a home by the scene in East LA! There's a surprising amount of nascent soul elements in the music here – especially the early harmony groups, who Frank's clearly paying tribute to with The Jets – sometimes dealing with subject matter that goes way beyond what most of those groups would have touched – but other times, right in line with the most heartfelt sounds of the 60s! Titles include "Deseri", "How Could I Be Such A Fool", "Cheap Thrills", "No No No", "Anyway The Wind Blows", "Stuff Up The Cracks", and "Jelly Roll Gum Drop".

Sublime baroque soul from David Ruffin – material recorded for his 3rd solo album, but never released until now! The quality of the work is incredible – done in a soaring style that's a perfect summation of the genius of Motown at the end of the 60s. Ruffin really steps away from his work with the Temptations here, and moves masterfully into the role of a solo star – working with such strength that we're puzzled as to why Motown never issued the set – but even more delighted to finally have it back out in such a great package! The original album was supposed to feature 12 tracks, but the CD adds in an additional 11 numbers that were recorded during the same time, including a few rare mono mixes. The whole thing's great – and includes the incredible track "Each Day Is A Lifetime", plus "Out In The Country", "I Want You Back", "Let Somebody Love Me", "It's Gonna Take A Whole Lot Of Doin", "Heaven Help Us All", "Mountain Of Memories", "You Make Me Do Things I Don't Want To Do", and "Don't Stop Lovin Me".

One of the most jamming Zappa albums from the early days – a set that's still got some of Frank's complicated musical leanings in play – but which features interpretation by a smoking group who no doubt helped the great one reach a much larger audience! George Duke plays lots of organ and heavy keyboards – and other players include Aynsley Dunbar on drums, giving the whole thing a great punch at the bottom – plus Mothers luminary Ian Underwood on more keyboards and electric alto sax, Jeff Simmons and Max Bennett on bass, and Frank himself on some mighty amazing guitar! Titles include "The Clap", "Chunga's Revenge", "Tell Me You Love Me", "The Nancy & Mary Music", "Twenty Small Cigars", and "Would You Go All The Way".

Frank Zappa & The Mothers, live at the Fillmore East – showing the world they've got plenty of greatness to offer away from the studio! The band here is super-tight – with the ferocity of Chunga's Revenge, but still enough room between the jamming for some mad bits of dialog and vocals – which are then offset by great keyboards and saxes from Ian Underwood, electronics from Don Preston, and heavy drums from Aynsley Dunbar! There's a focus to the sound of the group here that really draws together all the strands from the previous few years – and titles include "The Mud Shark", "What Kind Of Girl Do You Think We Are", "Willie The Pimp", "Happy Together", "Lonesome Electric Turkey", and "Tears Began To Fall".

The sprawling soul sounds of Motown, circa '72 – with all the amazing singles from January to July of that huge and historic year – collected here in the first of a 2 box set grand finale for the Complete Motown Singles series! Creatively, the first half of '72 was an incredible period. Veterans like Stevie Wonder, The Temptations and The Four Tops sound freshly inspired, Marvin Gaye is hitting his peak, Michael Jackson and The Jackson 5 are in full stride, Martha Reeves & The Vandellas and The Supremes are still cutting gorgeous singles. In other words, there's still a whole lot of distinctively Motown magic happening! But '72 also finds the label branching out into funk, funk rock and both sunnier and grittier material by a variety artists – from Undisputed Truth and Sisters Love, to Frankie Valli and Rare Earth. The label would soon make the move to the west coast, so it's truly the end of an era – therefore as apt of a point as possible for Hip-O Select to begin closing up their beautiful series. Vol 12A has 113 tracks on 5CDs – encased in a hardcover, 130-page full color book with essays and notes on each track – including songs by all the above, plus Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, David Ruffin, Jr. Walker & The All Stars, The Commodores, Syreeta, Edwin Starr, Thelma Houston, The Devastating Affair, Bobby Darin, Blinky, Posse, The Marvelettes, Blue Scepter, GC Cameron, The Originals, Eddie Kendricks, Gladys Knght & The Pips and more! Also includes a bonus 45 by The Blackberries – "Somebody Up There" backed by "But I Love You More" – with the Mowest logo on the inner label! Love this! Can't wait for Vol 12B!

Pinch us, we're dreaming – a lost album from The JBs! The set's a treasure for any fans of the funky James Brown sound of the early 70s – and it features material originally recorded for release as the first full length album by The JBs in 1972 – but never issued at the time! A few cuts here made it onto other records and singles in different versions, but others are completely fresh – and heard here for the first time ever – really helping expand our understanding of the group at this point in their career. Dave Matthews did a lot of the arrangements for the set, and there's a surprising amount of jazz in the mix, too – lots of full horn passages that show Fred Wesley leading the group with a damn hard-swinging sound – mixed in with just the right degree of soul you'd expect, but in ways that are different than some of the later JBs jams. Titles include "Transmograpification", "Use Me", "Everybody Plays The Fool", "Sweet Loneliness", "Watermelon Man", "Secret Love", "You've Got A Friend", and "Seulb". CD also features 4 bonus non-LP singles – "Funky & Some", "JB Shout", "Back Stabbers", and "Alone Again Naturally" – all killer funky 45s from the early 70s!

Sublime baroque soul from David Ruffin – material recorded for his 3rd solo album, but never released until now! The quality of the work is incredible – done in a soaring style that's a perfect summation of the genius of Motown at the end of the 60s. Ruffin really steps away from his work with the Temptations here, and moves masterfully into the role of a solo star – working with such strength that we're puzzled as to why Motown never issued the set – but even more delighted to finally have it back out in such a great package! The original album was supposed to feature 12 tracks, but the CD adds in an additional 11 numbers that were recorded during the same time, including a few rare mono mixes. The whole thing's great – and includes the incredible track "Each Day Is A Lifetime", plus "Out In The Country", "I Want You Back", "Let Somebody Love Me", "It's Gonna Take A Whole Lot Of Doin", "Heaven Help Us All", "Mountain Of Memories", "You Make Me Do Things I Don't Want To Do", and "Don't Stop Lovin Me".

Barry White at the height of his powers – soaring out here with that amazing groove that never lets us down! The album's a mini-soul symphony throughout – tight beats, soaring strings, and that rock-solid Barry White vocal approach – that warm, fluid sound that's instantly recognizable, and which sparkles forth to really tie the whole album together! There's less standout singles here than some of White's other albums from the time – but that's the great thing about the album, too – as it encourages you to take the whole thing together at once – as such a masterpiece should be enjoyed. Titles include "If You Know Won't You Tell Me", "Baby We Better Try To Get It Together", "I Don't Know Where Love Has Gone", and "Let The Music Play". CD features some bonus variations on the title track – a single version, instrumental b-side, "M+M throwback mix", "Funkstar's club deluxe", and alternate version of "Let The Music Play"!

A wealth of wonderful work from Mary Wells – a set that includes overlooked early singles, a huge amount of unreleased tracks, plus many others that weren't issued at the time – and which haven't been in print for years! This set not only brings together rare Motown singles from Mary, and bits from the Vintage Stock album – but also includes some that appeared on the early 90s Looking Back collection – and a lot more of which show up here for the first time ever! The music here not only shows Mary in formation, but Motown as well – trying out a whole host of different styles for Wells' great vocals – and really finding strong focus as the set rolls on. Mary's one of the first great solo singers for Motown – and the package features loads of solo numbers with her in the lead – plus a handful of numbers with the Supremes or Four Tops, one with The Temptations & Supremes, and one with Smokey Robinson – as well as seven more duets with Marvin Gaye! There's also a batch of "standards" – as Wells takes on the mode that Motown also tried with Marvin – and the package features a whopping 47 tracks in all, with very detailed notes. Titles include "Cinderella", "Is It Me Or Is It You", "Money", "Why Do You Want To Let Me Go", "When Your Lover Comes Back", "My Heart Is Like A Clock", "My World Of Dreams", "Your Loss My Gain", "Prove It", "Drop In The Bucket", "Everybody Needs Love", "Back In My Arms", "Oh Lover", "In Case You Need Love", "Again", "Always", "A Lovely Way To Spend An Evening", "Can't Get Out Of This Mood", and "This Is Something New".

A legendary pairing of two key 60s pop talents – the soulful sounds of Ike & Tina Turner, and the soaring production styles of Phil Spector! The album's quite different than some of the grittier Turner projects of the time – lots of full orchestrations and strings, mixed with the rougher rhythms you'd usually hear from Ike – a blend that's surprisingly great, and helps push Tina's vocals into wonderfully mature territory – a bit like the mix of deep soul and class that you'd get from Etta James on mid-60s Chess Records! The album's a feather in the cap of both Spector and Turner – and titles include "River Deep Mountain High", "I Idolize You", "A Love Like Yours", "Such A Fool For You", "I'll Never Need More Than This", "A Fool In Love", and "Hold On Baby". Weird cover, too – with photography by Dennis Hopper!

A deep deep selection of work from these very formative years of Muddy Waters – recordings that really have him taking off tremendously – and moving strongly towards the superstardom that would follow in the 60s and 70s! Muddy sings more than plays guitar here – and you can really hear that shift in his vocals – as he's even more expressive and soulful than before – not just singing along with his bluesy groove, but pushing forward with a punch that really blows away his earlier work. Instrumentation on most numbers is by a small combo – with Chicago luminaries who include Little Walter or James Cotton on harmonica, Otis Spann on piano, Pat Hare on guitar, and AC Reed on tenor sax – and the set features a total of 49 tracks that also includes live material and a few unreleased numbers too. Titles include "I Got My Brand On You (live)", "Love Affair", "Mopper's Blues", "Walking Thru The Park", "Mean Mistreater", "Meanest Woman", "I Got My Brand On You", "Messin With The Man", "Five Long Years", "Twenty Four Hours", "Down By The Deep Blue Sea", and "Little Brown Bird".

One of those records that should be an insane dark mess, given the look of the cover – but which turns out to be a surprisingly well put-together effort all the way through! Zappa does a great job of hiding behind his hair here – never acting with the pomp that a pop genius like him could easily have enacted – and instead passing off the record as if it's just another freakout – despite the fact that the arrangements are some of his tightest, most focused, and downright groovy so far! There's plenty of key musical help to make the whole thing come out right – including bass from Shuggie Otis, guitar from Captain Beefheart, violin from Jean-Luc Ponty, drums from Paul Humphrey, and bass from Max Bennett – all players who really live up to the musical complexity of Zappa's compositions – often with a pre-fusion vibe that's almost unexpected. Titles include "Willie The Pimp", "Son Of Mr Green Grass", "The Gumbo Variations", "It Must Be A Camel", "Peaches In Regalia", and "Little Umbrellas".

A silly cover and title, but one of the most powerful records so far from Frank Zappa – a set that focuses the mad energy of The Mothers into a groove that really packs a lot of punch! The lineup here is filled with key talents – including Don Preston on organ and electronics, Sugarcane Harris on violin, Lowell George on rhythm guitar, Ian Underwood on alto, and Bunk Gardner on tenor – all players who are more than willing to go to the farther edges of Zappa's consciousness – yet also have the musical chops to make the whole thing come together beautifully! There's a bit more hard rock than some of Zappa's jazz leanings in this set – and titles include "March & Dwarf Nebula", "Didja Get Any Onya", "Directly From My Heart To You", "Toads Of The Short Forest", and "The Eric Dolphy Memorial Barbecue".

A totally great package that looks at the important first releases on Impulse Records – done in a beautiful Hip-O Select style that's as graphically compelling and rich in detail as the original gatefold LPs on Impulse! The package is a 10" hardcover book, with 4CDs inside – and an 84 page, full-color booklet with notes on the label, essays from Creed Taylor, session photos, and more great details – incredibly lavish, and put together to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Impulse! The CDs contain the first 6 important records on the label – JJ Johnson & Kai Winding/The Great Kai & JJ, Kai Winding/The Incredible Kai Winding Trombones, Ray Charles/Genius + Soul + Jazz, Gil Evans/Out Of The Cool, Oliver Nelson/Blues & The Abstract Truth, and John Coltrane/Africa Brass. Plus, the set also features a wealth of rare material too – previously unreleased tracks by the Africa Brass Rehearsal Band with Cal Massey – "Laura (rehearsal)", "Nakatine Serenade (slow version)", and "The Damned Don't Cry (rehearsal version)" – plus other Coltrane rarities that include "Africa (alt)", "Africa (first version)", "The Damned Don't Cry", "Greensleeves (alt)", and "Song Of The Underground Railroad". The set also features a mono single version of "One Mint Julep" by Ray Charles, and "Sister Sadie" by Gil Evans.

The Supremes take on the classy Copa nightclub – and really bring down the house with a stunning mix of warmth, charm, and soul – especially on this incredible expanded edition from Hip-O Select! The original album is perhaps one of the "livest" of Motown live albums from the time – done in a spread-out style that features a lot more songs than some of their other live records, really giving the full scope of the show at the club. Plus, there's lots of crowd noise, bits of speaking from the girls, and an overall approach that's fluid and natural – very much a concert on record! The folks at Motown and Hip-O Select clearly have the deep love and respect for set that it deserves – they really go all out here! Disc 1 kicks off with the original stereo LP tracklist, including "The Boy From Ipanema", "Put On A Happy Face", "I Am Woman", "Baby Love", their wonderful Sam Cooke medley, "Queen Of The House", and "Back In My Arms Again", "You're Nobody 'Til Somebody Loves You" and more. Those are followed by 10 bonus tracks: alternate mono mixes of standouts from the original album, plus some that were left out, including "Nothing But Heartaches" and "Enjoy Yourself (It's Later Than You Think)". As great as the original album is, and as fully formed as it feels, it's not the compete show – and that's what you get on Disc 2 – all 21 tracks (more if you count the medley) and 61 minutes of it. Beautiful packaging and detailed booklet, too!

A host of wonderful work produced by James Brown – most of it by a range of different singers, and one by The Godfather himself! The collection brings together some of the earliest James Brown productions – mid 60s tracks recorded for King and Smash Records, most of which aren't nearly as well known as later JB productions for the People and Polydor labels! As with that later work, all the grooves here are right in the same territory that James was hitting himself – upbeat, funky, and stone out of sight soul – all with plenty of rough edges, and backings from the same tight core of musicians that were helping out Brown on his recordings. The package is a real treasure – and is a great complement to the James Brown Singles collections from the Hip-O Select label – proof that even in these early days, James was clearly the hardest working man in show business – given all his time in the studio with other artists! 22 tracks in all – including "I Found Out" and "I'll Keep Pressing On" by Bobby Byrd, "That's When I Cry" and "If You Don't Think" by Anna King, "I Don't Care" and "Unexplainable" by Dizzy Jones, "Got No Excuse" and "If You Don't Work You Can't Eat" by James Crawford, "Do You Really Want To Rescue Me (part 1)" by Elsie Mae, "Lookie Lookie Lookie" by The Jewells, "Wide Awake In A Dream" and "Nobody Cares" by Vicki Anderson, "Devil's Den" by The Poets, "It Hurts To Be In Love" by Yvonne Fair, "That's The Spirit" by Rev Willingham, "Faith" by The Five Royales, "I Cried" by Tammy Montgomery, "Soul Food (parts 1 & 2)" by Al Brisco Clark, and "New Breed (The Boo Ga Loo) (part 1)" by James Brown.

Amazing sounds from this very hip group – a contemporary combo, but one who play with a depth of sound to warrant their inclusion on the Jazzman label! The style is almost spiritual jazz, but a bit more laidback too – sounds that are cosmic, yet never soaring to the skies – and almost more content to contemplate their own existence in these cool little rhythmic progressions – a very hip approach that draws a lot of power from its minimalism! Instrumentation is a bit trippy at points – but mostly in the way the players fold things together – so that tinkling piano tipples over brooding basslines, or organ lines hum softly to encourage string sounds to start too – a beautifully poetic style that only gets better as the album moves along! Titles include "Cast Adrift", "For A Breath I Tarry", "Have Spacesuit Will Travel (part 2)", "Clear Skies Select Stick", "Girl & Robot With Flowers (part 6)", and "Girl & Robot With Flowers (part 4)". CD features four tracks not on the limited LP pressing.

A smoking set of work from Tito Puente – four classic albums, wrapped together in a single package – with a bonus album of rare material too! First up is Cuban Carnival – one of Tito Puente's finest albums for RCA, with a tight hard bunch of cuts that have a Cuban big band sound, and a lot more drive to them than some of Tito's other work for the label. Ray Bryant wrote the great track "Cuban Fantasy", and Tito contributed most of the other tunes on the set – a really unique batch of material that includes "Yambeque", "Elegua Chango", "Que Sera", and "Cha Cha De Pollos". The percussion is nice and hard, and the band grooves in tight ensemble playing throughout! Night Beat is a really jazzy effort that was cut with a top-shelf list of players! The groove's a bit different than some of Tito's other work – but in a good way, and one that has him stretching past straight Latin to mix in a heavy dose of jazz – really getting the most of players who include Eddie Bert on trombone, Gene Quill on saxes, Bernie Glow on trumpet, and Barry Galbraith on guitar. The rhythms are key – and in addition to drums from Jimmy Cobb, the album also features Mongo Santamaria on congas and Willy Correa on bongos – not to mention more percussion from Tito himself! Dance Mania is a burner of a set from Tito Puente – very well titled to suit the energy of the session! The tracks are all highly rhythmic numbers – short, but filled with jazzy horn flourishes and the kind of snapping rhythms that made the Puente group one of the biggest crossover favorites of the 50s. Tunes nicely mix up vocals with some more pronounced jazz soloing – getting a heck of a lot into a relatively small space, and really keeping up the energy of the record overall. Revolving Bandstand is a joint project from Tito Puente and Buddy Morrow – both leaders who recorded some great work for the label in the 50s, sounding great here in a unique variation on their classic sounds! The album has both Morrow and Puente playing back to back – creating a "revolving bandstand" that has both groups playing the same tunes at the same time – a very odd approach, but one that comes off well here – mixing Tito's Latin and Buddy's swing nicely, without too much confusion in the instrumentation. There's some great vibes on a few tracks! Last up is Tito Puente Quatro Bonus Edition – a set that features 13 rare tracks, with singles, outtakes, and more – including "La Virgen De La Macarena", "Moonlight In Vermont", "The Continental (alt take)", "Blue Moon (alt)", "Ran Kan Kan", "Timbal Y Bongo", and many outtakes of "Pa Los Rumberos"! Beautiful packaging too – in a 7" square hardcover book, with many pages of notes and images – like some of the Hip-O Select collections!

One of the few solo albums ever cut by organist Chester Thompson – a player who's known to most as the keyboardist in Tower Of Power, but one who's also remembered by a select funky few for this killer record for the Black Jazz label! The album's a stripped-down quartet session – with labelmate Rudolph Johnson on tenor, blowing some beautiful lines alongside long, drawn-out Hammond solos from Thompson! The overall feel is similar to some of the great late 60s Prestige sessions – especially Don Patterson dates – with the group free swinging away in a very live format, just like you might have heard if you caught them in some hip southside club. Other players include Al Hall Jr on trombone and Ray Pounds on drums – and the album features four long jamming tracks, with titles that include "Mr T", "Trip One", "Weird Harold", and "Powerhouse".

Amazing work from Fitz Gore – an overlooked tenor player who made some pretty heady records on the European scene of the late 70s! Fitz originally hails from Jamaica, but worked heavily on the French, German, and Scandinavian scenes of the 70s – blowing some mighty mean tenor that has equal doses of Sonny Rollins and Albert Ayler – the amazingly fresh tone of the latter, and the soulful style of improvisation that marked the best bold work of the former – all handled with some offbeat tuning as well. Yet Fitz is very much his own man too – as you'll hear in this hip selection of recordings pulled from some of his rare albums – beautiful work that features piano, electric piano, bass, drums, and congas – all brewed up together in a blend of spiritual and soul jazz styles, often with some slight African influences too – especially considering the use of congas. We'd easily rank these records right up there with anything coming from the American underground of the time – and the package is a brilliant introduction to Gore's music – with titles that include "Gisela", "Musication 1", "Delilah", "Requiem For Julian Cannonball Adderley", and "Song For My Father". CD features 2 bonus tracks too – "Pelatiah" and "Porcelain".

Mad funk from the great Galt MacDermot – a wonderful selection of obscure tunes from some of his best funky soundtracks! Galt's work on Hair has been sampled heavily by a variety of hip hop producers over the years – but even better is his work for less famous soundtracks, a good variety of which are sampled here in a wonderfully-done set that focuses on the truly funky tracks that Galt wrote for these films – and which gets past the sometimes-off tracks that can occasionally get in the way of his lesser soundtracks. The package is a total jam throughout – filled with tunes that have weird rhythms, moody keyboards, and the kind of offbeat approach to funk that's always made his work so great. There's only a few tracks from previously reissued soundtracks like Woman Is Sweeter and Cotton Comes To Harlem – plus lots lots more from weirder films that include American Express, Nucleus, Fortune & Men's Eyes, Moon Over The Alley, and Rhinoceros! In true Galt MacDermot funky fashion, there's lots of great drum work on the set from Bernard Purdie – and titles include "Golden Apples", "Coffin Ed", "Dead End", "Fragments II", "Tango", "Ed & Digger", "Duffer", "Bedroom", "Queenie's Theme", "Fortune & Men's Eyes", "Rhinoceros Theme", and "Never Die Desire Not".

Two unusual vocal sessions from Anita O'Day – each with a different jazz star in tow! Anita O'Day & The Three Sounds brings together a great singer and a great trio – a unique Verve outing that has vocalist Anita O'Day joining forces with the Three Sounds combo of pianist Gene Harris! The Three Sounds were always happy to serve as a rhythm combo on dates like this – and they really bring a lot of their own flavor to the record – standing out on a few instrumental selections that highlight their own brief relationship with Verve – but mostly backing Anita with a groove that's tight and always soulful! O'Day's vocals are as confident as Harris' work on the keys – making for a very nice match – and titles include "Fly Me To The Moon", "All Too Soon", "My Ship", and "Whisper Not", which also features a guest solo by Roy Eldridge. Time For Two is a great little meeting of two of the better talents on Verve Records in the early 60s – one that pairs the warm vocals of Anita O'Day with the cool vibes of Cal Tjader – in a sweet little session that's actually one of O'Day's best from the time! The feel here is lively, and slightly Latinesque – as Cal's smal combo features Johnny Rae on drums, and Lonnie Hewitt on piano – both players who are well-tuned towards a more rhythmic approach. Includes a great version of "An Occasional Man", plus the tracks "Mr. Sandman", "I Believe In You", "Peel Me A Grape", and a nice take of "Thanks For The Memory".

A real watershed album from Horace Silver – a record that has him stepping strongly into the 70s – but with a rich new groove that's different both from his 60s work, and from the heavy politics of his United States series too! The album has Horace picking up a slightly electric sound, changing his groove from 60s soul jazz into more of a 70s modal approach – working here with David Friedman on vibes, Bob Cranshaw on electric bass, and Mickey Roker on drums, plus additional horn work by the Brecker Brothers – a really great combination of musicians that help Silver realize some really unique rhythms, and lots of moments that have a subtle yet righteous sense of soul! The selection of material is fantastic – hipper than usual for Horace – and titles include Weldon Irvine's "Liberated Brother", Moacir Santos' "Kathy", and Horace's own "Strange Vibes", which has some great vibes dancing around Horace's piano! A very nice album, and one of our favorites by Horace!

A real watershed album from Horace Silver – a record that has him stepping strongly into the 70s – but with a rich new groove that's different both from his 60s work, and from the heavy politics of his United States series too! The album has Horace picking up a slightly electric sound, changing his groove from 60s soul jazz into more of a 70s modal approach – working here with David Friedman on vibes, Bob Cranshaw on electric bass, and Mickey Roker on drums, plus additional horn work by the Brecker Brothers – a really great combination of musicians that help Silver realize some really unique rhythms, and lots of moments that have a subtle yet righteous sense of soul! The selection of material is fantastic – hipper than usual for Horace – and titles include Weldon Irvine's "Liberated Brother", Moacir Santos' "Kathy", and Horace's own "Strange Vibes", which has some great vibes dancing around Horace's piano! A very nice album, and one of our favorites by Horace!

It's hard to sum up the sound of a continent in such a tiny package – but the 3CD set is surprisingly rich nonetheless, thanks to a very good track selection, and a tight focus on the hippest material available! The collection mixes both older African grooves with current cuts that represent the freshest sounds of recent years – and the package is divided into three differently-themed CDs – Stars, which features some of the biggest names of the continent; Roots, which features some more classic-styled work; and Dance, which showcases some of the crossover modes in more recent years. There's a whopping 47 tracks in all – and titles include "Black" by MC Jean Gab & Tony Allen, "Extract" by Drummers of Burundi, "Jerusalem" by Alpha Blondy, "Kamalemba" by Pape & Cheikh, "Lakkal" by Vieux Farka, "Blues Of Wollo" by Samuel Yirga, "Kothbiro" by Ayub Ogada, "Mambo Kwa Soksi" by Remmy Ongala, "Zahrafat Al Sa'id" by Musicians Of The Nile, and "Zouglou Dance" by Magic System.

Hip hop, street soul, and lots lots more – a really revolutionary selection of music from the legendary Celluloid Records – a label that was virtually a genre unto itself! Celluloid was a key force tying together the New York downtown scene at the start of the 80s, and the postcolonial music world of Paris – and as a result, they always operated with a culture-crossing style that few other companies of the time managed to hit – merging together sounds in really unlikely ways, and often coming up with fresh new styles in the process! The label's known for crate-diggers for its hip hop releases – and to world music fans for its electric Africa work – but they also were on the forefront of New York No Wave, avant jazz, and post-punk – and somehow found a way to integrate both young new talents, and older experimentalists who still had plenty to offer. This package finally does Celluloid justice – and goes way past the few simplistic comps of the label's work over the years – training the skilled Strut ear to the whole thing, and also serving up the full story of the label in the process. Titles include "I'm The One" by Material, "Day Tripper" by Shockabilly, "Tele Apres La Meteo" by Fredinand, "Disco Rough (long version)" by Mathematiques Modernes, "Electrique Sylvie (full length version)" by Modern Guy, "Mean Machine Chant/Mean Machine" by Last Poets, "Abele Dance ('85 rmx)" by Manu Dibango, "Change The Beat (French & English)" by Fab 5 Freddy, "The Escapades Of Futura 2000" by Futura 2000 with The Clash, and "Downing Street Rock" by Winston Edwards & Blackbeard. 26 tracks in all!

A totally great collection of grooves with a real range of material – nearly all fresh to our ears, and the kind of record that really makes us sit up and take notice! The set's got a loose approach to the selections – in that it features tracks from American and European sources, and easily blends together tunes from soul, jazz, funk, and easy records – but that's what makes it so great, and so fresh, as the tracks stand wonderfully back to back, sounding like a hip club night at some far-away place, the kind of all-great set that has you keep getting out of your chair, walking up to the DJ, and saying "Sorry to bother you again, but what's that track you're playing?" Titles include "Creative Musicians" by Lyman Woodard, "Stop" by Lonette, "Shabazz" by Rhoda Scott, "Don't Boom Boom" by Lillian Hale, "The Barracuda" by Leonard King & The Soul Messengers, "Questions (parts 1 & 2)" by Pat Stalworth, "Concentrate" by Willie Tee, "Mabusso" by Orchester Ambros Seelos, "Jumping" by Charlie Antolini, and "Highway 101" by John Barry.

A very groovy selection of tracks from the New York scene of the 60s – mostly tunes pulled from the Prestige and Milestone labels, and a mixture of soul jazz, modal jazz, and early funky jazz! The package features 13 tracks in all – with plenty rare numbers – and titles that include "Cantaloupe Woman" by George Braith, "The Village Caller" by Johnny Lytle, "Ca'Purange (Jungle Soul)" by Gene Ammons, "Love Theme From Spartacus" by Yusef Lateef, "Brother John" by Cannonball Adderley, "Muscle Soul" by Phil Upchurch, "Eastern Blues" by Gary Bartz, and the completely fantastic "Nuther'n Like Thuther'n" by Willis Jackson – worth the price of the CD alone!

Finders Keepers' own selections for the stellar Make Do & Mend series – in which worthy guests curate a comp of their faves from Finders Keepers/Twisted Nerve/B- Music & affiliated imprints – put together by Andy Votel & Doug Shipton! The series works both as a nice sampler of the global psychedelia, funk, eccentric soundtracks and more that the label(s) put out there as well as benefit those effected by the warehouse fires of summer 2011. All of the CDs in the series have been great, but this one is the most exceptional yet for those of us who already own much of the Finders Keepers catalogue – as it's made up mostly of material from forthcoming releases. A taste of great things to come! Includes "Kuppamamma Pettha" by S Janaki, "Baby Baby" by Bruno Spoerri, "Sheherezada" by Emil Dimitrov, "Another Blue Day" by Don & Stevie, "Ramp Walk" by Operation Theatre, "Adi Rani" by Ilayaraja and more. 20 in all.

A smoking selection of seventies funk – a perfect introduction to the genre, and one that's overflowing with the kind of classics that got first got us started loving music like this! The set list is decidedly hip – cuts that didn't always get much play back in the day, but which have gone onto become huge over the decades – thanks to deep digging by serious collectors, or sampling by hip hop acts – or even by the raving reviews of funk fanatics like us! The package features a massive 19 tracks in all – with loads of heavy drums, sharp guitars, and raw soul vocals – on titles that include "Watts Breakaway" by Johnny Otis, "Got To Get A Knutt" by New Birth, "Afro Strut" by Nite-Liters, "The Dapp" by African Music Machine, "It's Alright" by Bobby Rush, "Good Thing (part 2)" by Casey Jones, "Ice Cold Daydream" by Shuggie Otis, "One Monkey" by Kim Melvin, "Get It Where You Find It" by Jesse Gresham Plus 3, "Pull My Coat" by Eddie Jacobs Exchange, "Toe Hold" by Al Kooper, "Soul Train" by Little Royal, "It's Not How Long You Make It" by Shay Holiday, "It's Just Begun" by Jimmy Castor, "Soul Drums" by Bernard Purdie, and "Funkier Than A Mosquito's Tweeter" by Nina Simone.

Way more than the greasy mess you'd expect from the title – and instead, one of the coolest collections we've heard in years! The set's something of a sampling of the sounds of Trunk Records – but actually features loads of selections that have never been on CD before, or issued by the label at all – presented in a really playful way that has sound library grooves sliding into jazzy vocals into spoken bits, obscure electronics, kids records, commercials, and more – the really great range of sounds we've come to love Trunk for over the years! We've been following the label with keen interest since their very first record – almost 20 years ago – and this cool compilation definitely lives up to all we've come to expect. 30 tracks in all – and titles include "Mute 4" by Basil Kirchin, "The Snake" by Maximillian, "Gurney Slade" by Max Harris, "Basic Hip' by Del Close & John Brent, "The Lost Souls Of Saturn" by Russ Garcia, "Bring Back The Cat" by Terry Thomas, "Temple Bells" by Frank Hunter, "Sports Activities" by Wisbey & Jonny Trunk, "The Foggy Dew" by Shirley Collins, and "Star Eyes" by Carole Crevelling.

The funkiest side of Stax Records – a treasure trove of funky nuggets, all hand-picked by RZA! As the title implies, these are some of the grooves that became the building blocks of the Wu-Tang sound – but even without that pedigree, these tracks are more than great enough on their own – a wonderful mix of album cuts and rare singles – some you'll recognize from famous hip hop samples, some you'll discover here for the first time ever! The triple-length package is overflowing with greatness – and titles include "I Could Never Be Happy" and "I Like It" by The Emotions, "I Forgot To Be Your Lover" by The Mad Lads and another "I Forgot To Be Your Lover" by William Bell, "Children Don't Get Weary" by Judy Clay, "All It Takes Is You & Me" by The Sweet Inspirations, "Poverty's Paradise" by 24 Carat Black, "I'll Play The Blues For You" by Albert King, "Why Marry" by The Sweet Inspirations, "Steal Away" by Johnnie Taylor, "Hang On Sloopy" by David Porter, "Ike's Mood 1" by Isaac Hayes, "In The Rain" by The Dramatics, "Don't Take My Kindness For Weakness" by The Soul Children, "Packed & Took My Mind" by Little Milton, "Sing A Simple Song" by Booker T & The MGs, "I'm Afraid The Masquerade Is Over" by David Porter, "LA Jazz Song" by Booker T & The MGs, "Walk On By" by Isaac Hayes, and "Keep The Faith" by Mel & Tim.

A tremendous follow up to the first Spirit Of Philadelphia collection – released many years after that seminal set, and with an even farther-reaching selection of music! The first Spirit set focused on the best mellow and midtempo soul efforts of the Philly International label – but this one expands the groove even more to show the wide influence that Gamble & Huff had on the sound of Philly soul on other labels – especially the major labels, who'd begun following the indie lead in their productions by the mid 70s. There's a fair bit of work here by bigger names at the time, but all of it's got a stone Philly sound – and is either work by artists who first sprung out of the Philly scene directly, or others from different points around the country, and who'd made a trip to Philly in the 70s to record in a hipper groove! Titles include "Do You Remember Yesterday" by New York City, "Falling In Love With You" by Jimmy Ruffin, "It's Not What You Got" by Eddie Kendricks, "We Got Love" by Ben E King, "Don't Take Your Love" by The Whispers, "Can't Accept The Fact" by Gateway, "Straighten It Out" by Anglo-Saxon Brown, "Midnight Lady" by David Morris, "You Make Me Feel So Good Baby" by The Temprees, "It's Love" by The Persuaders, "In Love Again" by The Joneses, "Let's Go All The Way Down" by Brenda & The Tabulations, "Walk Away From Love" by Jackie Moore, "I Don't Have Time To Worry" by Little Anthony & The Imperials, and "That's What Love Does" by Vince Montana & The Philly Sound Orchestra.

A great little record from Arthur Blythe – mostly straight ahead, but pretty darn freewheeling too – thanks to a selection of long tracks that really let him open up on alto sax! The setting is a quartet – nicely put-together with John Hicks on piano, Cecil McBee on bass, and Bobby Battle on drums – a rhythm trio who do equally well on the album's spiritual tracks and its more soulful groovers. The performance was recorded live, but with a nice degree of intimacy, especially on Blythe's horn – and titles include "Hip Dripper", "Naima's Love Song", "As Of Yet", "Blue Blues", "Break Tune", and "Elaborations".

A rare British session from vocalist Mark Murphy – and one of his grooviest albums of the 60s! Mark's working here with great backings from the orchestras of Tubby Hayes, John Dankworth, and Les Reed – all of whom give Murphy some of his hippest grooves to date, very much in the mode of some of his work on the Midnight Mood album cut for MPS during the same overseas 60s stretch. And as with that one, there's a nice selection of tunes that goes way past the usual – and which shows off the widest range of Murphy's groovy vocal talents – titles that include "Ballyhoo", "Iceberg", "Stablemates", "She Loves You", "Come Rain Or Come Shine", "I Left My Heart In San Francisco", "From Time To Time", and "The Best Is Yet To Come".

A cool collection of work from one of our favorite artists ever – literally one of the guys whose music was so great, it inspired us to start Dusty Groove! The package brings together a really hip assortment of Roy Ayers' best work for Polydor in the 70s – really incredible tracks that merge together jazz, soul, and funk at a level that nobody else can touch – not just the sum of the parts, but a sublime fusion that's completely Ayers-like, and which has gone onto inspire countless other folks over the years – even though nobody else can ever do it this well! The track selection is great – way hipper than the usual best-of on Roy – and titles include "And Don't You Say No", "Moving Grooving", "Come Out & Play", "Magic Lady", "Don't You Worry Bout A Thing", "Vibrations", "Tear To A Smile", "When Is Real Real", "Together", "He's A Superstar", and "He Gives Us All His Love".

Unbelievably beautiful work – and possibly the greatest album ever from the mighty Walter Jackson! Jackson was one of the best singers to come out of the Chicago soul scene of the 60s, and his Okeh recordings are a perfect example of the city's sophisticated approach to Iceman soul – as perfected by Walter, Jerry Butler, and (later) Garland Green. The arrangements are by Riley Hampton, and they have a cold fragile beauty that lingers somewhere between a Scott Walker album and Riley's earlier work with Lorez Alexandria – and the no-filler selection of songs is one of Jackson's best ever– a range of work that really show his deep talents, and his maturing approach to a tune – proud, powerful, and a new level of adult sophistication in soul. Titles include the amazing title cut "Speak Her Name" – plus "Corner In The Sun", "My One Chance To Make It", "It's An Uphill Climb To The Bottom", and "Not You". This expanded CD makes the original album ever better – and adds in a full batch of 10 bonus tracks – some of which are unissued, others of which are rare singles from Jackson's later Okeh years, plus rare Epic sides. Bonus titles include "No Butterflies", "Ad Lib", "The Look Of Love", "The Bed", "Forget The Girl", "My Ship Is Coming In", "Road To Ruin", and "Just One Smile".

A hip little collection of funky work from Quincy Jones – nearly all of it from his key 70s years on A&M Records! The vibe here is totally great – possibly the best-remembered sound of the Q, recorded at a time when he was also gracing the world with a fair bit of funky soundtracks too! The music is rooted in Jones' earlier big band modes, but opens itself up to 70s funk and soul strongly – all in the hippest way possible, with a range of different styles that really expand the sound. There's a fair bit of electric elements mingling with the acoustic ones – and the track selection includes a number of Quincy's most-sampled tunes over the years. Titles include "Brown Ballad", "I Never Told You", "Eyes Of Love", "Summer In The City", "Along Came Betty", "Tell Me A Bedtime Story", "Velas", "Stuff Like That", "Superwoman", "You've Got It Bad Girl", and "Walkin".

Sublime work from saxophonist Eraldo Volonte – a rare mid 60s session recorded in Italy, and totally hip work all the way through! Volonte's got a tone here that's really tremendous – clearly Coltrane-influenced, especially on the tenor selections – but also stretching out with its own feeling too, especially on some of the album's more outside numbers, which feature Eraldo playing some great lines on soprano sax. There's a very open quality to the record – not exactly free jazz, but almost a "new thing" sense of sonic exploration – one that has Volonte's tenor and soprano sax aligned nicely with trombone from Dino Piana, piano from Franco D'Andrea, bass from Giovanni Tommaso, and drums from Franco Tonani. Titles include "Flamingo", "Mr Arpo", "Eclypso", "Tale", "Explorable", and "Ornette".

One of the hippest compilations we've heard in years – a treasure trove of rare grooves from legendary crate diggers Kon and Amir! The pair have been known for years from the massive beats in their On Track mixes, and from subsequent reissue singles – but this set has them moving firmly off track, for an even more obscure blend of tracks – all of which show us an even hipper side of the pair's tastes! Amir's selections here are especially great – a wealth of great jazz, Latin, and world-styled grooves – nearly all of which have never been reissued before. Kon's tracks are often a bit more clubby – and together with Amir's, they make for a wonderfully rounded compilation – one that cares little about its own premise or posturing, but works hard to put a wealth of under-discovered grooves on the market. 2CD set is a split mix project – with one disc mixed by Kon, the other by Amir – featuring titles that include "Tune For LN" by Larry Nozero, "Nestero Ti Patte" by Marius Cultier, "Holding On (Kon's edit)" by Darryl Douglas, "Destroy The Nihilist Picnic" by The London Experimental Jazz Quartet, "Opiniao" by Zelia Barbosa, "Herman's Corner" by Pat Britt, "Gerry's Samba" by Gerry Old's Trio, "Samba" by Ed Kelly Ensemble, "Aces" by Lamont Johnson Sextette, "Once I Had A Friend (Kon's quick edit)" by Homebrew, "Everybody's On A Trip (Kon's edit)" by Garden Of Eden, "Plenty Good Lovin" by Round Robin & Brimstone, "Dreaming A Dream (Kon's edit" by Larry Alltop & The Exciters Band, "Success" by Stud Band, "Farewell To Welfare" by Jacqueline Dee & Johnnie Walker, "Darling I Love You (Kon's edit)" by Jorge Santana, "Steel City Disco (Kon's edit)" by Steel City Orchestra, and "81" by Imp Express.

One of the coolest collections ever put out by The Numero Group – and that's saying a lot, given the hipness of the label! Downriver Revival chronicles the story of a unique studio in Michigan – Double U Sound, a custom recording spot that captured a wonderful range of soul, funk, gospel, and other sounds from the local community – beautifully presented here in a full CD, plus a bonus DVD that features the near-complete 200 song archive of the studio! The DVD's really unique – so we'll talk about it first: Done with an interactive menu that lets you literally comb through the boxes of tapes in the Double U vault – selecting each reel recorded by the studio, and sampling the rich array of wonderful sounds from this untapped Michigan scene – a huge amount of music, far more than you'd ever find on a CD compilation. The DVD also features a documentary on the studio and Downriver Revial project – and that alone would be worth the price of admission – but the CD then features 24 key numbers pulled from the vaults – tracks that were either issued on rare 45s, or never issued at all – and which represent a wonderful array of soulful sounds that definitely lives up to the Numero standard! Titles include "There's A Light" by Shirley Ann Lee, "Take Care Of Us" by The Revelations, "Untitled Jam" by Bobby Cook & The Explosions, "Foot Stumping (alt)" by Organics, "While You Were Gone" by Combinations, "Heaven" by Deliverance Echoes, "Untitled" by Burgess Band, "Round N Round" by Junior Mays Group, and "Walk With Me" by Calvin Cooke.

A mountain of funk from one of the greatest soul labels of all time! Stax is known round the world over for their soulful work – by singers like Otis Redding or Carla Thomas, and instrumental tunes by Booker T & The Mgs – but the label was also quite a funky powerhouse – especially as the 60s drew to a close, and the management of the company got a lot hipper, and a heck of a lot more musically open-minded! This killer batch of tracks features 21 numbers from those days – including many obscure and funky tunes that only ever came out on singles, or which were recorded by artists that never made it as big as Stax stars from earlier years. The result of all that obscurity is an extremely fresh selection of tracks – plenty of down-n-dirty funky 45 numbers, played by hip Memphis combos, and featuring some really deep soul vocals. Titles include "Dark Skin Woman" by Sir Mack Rice, "Ain't No Sin" by John Kasandra, "Bump & Boogie" by The Wrecking Crew, "Shame On The Family Name" by Calvin Scott, "Cool Strut" by Bernie Hayes, "Bump Mean" by Sir Mack Rice, "Soul Machine" by Reggie Milner, "How Can You Mistreat The One You Love" by Katie Love, "Cold Blooded" by The Bar Kays, "Do The Side Saddle" by Rufus Thomas, "Stay Away From That Monkey" by Jimmy McCracklin, "Them Hot Pants" by Lee Sain, "Devil In A Man" by Stu Gardner, "Curcuits Overloaded" by Inez Foxx, "From Toys To Boys" by The Emotions, "Got It Together (parts 1 & 2)" by Rudy Robinson & The Hungry Five, and "Crosscut Saw" by Albert King.

A cool collection of work from one of our favorite artists ever – literally one of the guys whose music was so great, it inspired us to start Dusty Groove! The package brings together a really hip assortment of Roy Ayers' best work for Polydor in the 70s – really incredible tracks that merge together jazz, soul, and funk at a level that nobody else can touch – not just the sum of the parts, but a sublime fusion that's completely Ayers-like, and which has gone onto inspire countless other folks over the years – even though nobody else can ever do it this well! The track selection is great – way hipper than the usual best-of on Roy – and titles include "And Don't You Say No", "Moving Grooving", "Come Out & Play", "Magic Lady", "Don't You Worry Bout A Thing", "Vibrations", "Tear To A Smile", "When Is Real Real", "Together", "He's A Superstar", and "He Gives Us All His Love".

A crazy collection of poetry and jazz – but one that doesn't come from as much of the sort of hipster/beat angle as one would expect from this sort of project! Instead, the interpreters take the high art road – with John Carradine, Hoagy Carmichael, Ben Wright, Roy Glenn and Bob Dorough all reading selections penned by Walt Whitman, Dylan Thomas, William Carlos Williams, Langston Hughes, Lawrence Lipton, Philip Whalen, and Lawrence Ferlinghetti. The music is very progressive and expressionistic for the period – performed by the Chico Hamilton Quintet, the Gerry Mulligan Quartet, the Ralph Pena-Bob Dorough Quintet, or a special group put together for this recording called the Jazz Canto Ensemble – which features Jack Montrose, Larry Bunker, Paul Horn, Buddy Collette and other west coast players from the LA scene. The sound is a bit more serious than some of the Fantasy Records jazz-meets-poetry experiments of the same time – and titles include "Poets To Come", "Tract", "In My Craft Or Sullen Art", "Night Song For The Sleepless", "Lament", "Dog", "Young Sycamore", "Three Songs", and "Big High Song For Somebody".

Heavy funk with a Latin groove – a wonderful mixing of modes that's completely fresh and unique! The set follows nicely off other El Barrio explorations of late 60s Latin Soul, and traces the groove that emerged in its wake – a blending of hipper funky styles in the 70s with some of the bolder, prouder Latin modes of the time! Unlike Latin Soul, which was concentrated enough to get strong attention at the time, Latin Funk was often a bit more dispersed – just a track here and there, scattered over albums by both older artists and lesser-known newcomers – some of whom gave more famous acts a real run for their money. This overstuffed collection does a great job of pulling together tracks from a variety of different albums over an 8 year span – and it's a perfect introduction to an under-compiled genre that's finally getting its due! Track selection and notes are by the mighty Adrian Gibson – and titles include "You Need Help" by Monguito Santamaria, "Identify Yourself" by Cafe, "Dynamite" by Harvey Averne, "I'm Satisfied" by Joe Bataan, "Together" by Ray Barretto, "Guajiro Bacan" by Azuquita, "Funky Felix" by Seguida, "I Got The Feeling" by Chollo Rivera & The Latin Soul Drives, "There You Go" by Fania All Stars, "I'm Gonna Get To You Yet" by TNT Boys, "Black Dice" by Mongo Santamaria, and "Hot Pants" by Gilberto Cruz.