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Amazing work by a group that you've probably never heard of! The Ambassadors are an incredible Philly soul harmony group – of the sort that never made it out of the city in the pre-Philly International years, but who had a polish and quality that was every bit as great as bigger-name acts from Chicago or New York. The harmonies on the record are mindblowing – the kind of raw and sweet at the same time that was the Philly calling card on the group soul scene – and arrangements are by a young Bobby Martin, with help from Philly studio legends like Vince Montana, Norman Harris, Leon Huff, and Bobby Eli. Tracks include "I Really Love You", "I Dig You Baby", "AWOL", "Storm Warning", and "If I'm All You Got". 3 bonus cuts, too!

The brain trust of soul jazz in the early 60s – led by tenorist Gene Ammons on both albums! Soul Summit Volume one features Ammons and Sonny Stitt on tenor, plus Jack McDuff on Hammond – a definite soul summit for the time – with 3 top-shelf players in the lead, all getting plenty of room to do their thing! Both Gene Ammons and Sonny Stitt are on tenor in the front, working with the respect and confidence they'd forged together on other co-led sessions from the time – and Jack McDuff's a great addition to the set, playing Hammond with his newly-lean tone, and really helping things move along nicely. Drummer Charlie Persip has a nicely booming style here – one that gets the group out of the box from the get-go, and McDuff's handling all the bass work on the organ, which always makes for a tight rhythmic romp! Most tunes are in that great raw Prestige mode from the old days, as you'd guess by titles like "Tubby", "Dumplin", and "Shuffle Twist" – alongside other numbers that include "Sleeping Susan" and "Out In The Cold Again". Soul Summit Vol 2 is a set that's less a "summit" than a great collection of groovy work for Prestige Records in the 60s – tracks that didn't make it onto other full albums of the time, but which feature material by some of the most soulful talents on the label! Tenorist Gene Ammons is the main star here – stretching out wonderfully on most numbers on the record – although the set also features added tenor work from Red Holloway, George Barrow, and Harold Vick! The mighty Jack McDuff lends his Hammond to a few tunes, Etta Jones sings on three numbers, and the record even features trumpet from Clark Terry, alto from Oliver Nelson, and congas from Ray Barretto too – on cuts that include "Scram", "Cool Cool Daddy", "Ballad For Baby", "If You Are But A Dream", "But Not For Me", and "Love I've Found You".

A totally wild little record – and one of the most unique jazz collections we've ever heard – or seen! The original package of the record is a 5LP presentation of music that brings together four of the most important French piano talents of the postwar years – Georges Arvanitas, Michel Graillier, Maurice Vander, and Rene Urtreger – interlocking together to provide a "puzzle" of sound that really encompasses all that's great about the French jazz scene! Each player gets one full record to themselves, then on the fifth album, they come together on one recording – working with larger arrangements by Ivan Julien, and a sound that's really mindblowing. Individual highlights include Georges Arvanitas playing a bit of organ on his record, Rene Urtreger getting a bit of guitar help from Marius Lorenzini on his, and Maurice Vander playing both electric and acoustic, with vibes from Bernard Lubat. The whole thing's great – and a treasure from the amazing Saravah label! Amazing package, too – with the 5-fold design of the original, housing three full CDs!