A nicely mellow album from blue-eyed soul veteran James Hunter – still done with the same deep soul currents as his other Daptone records, but slowed down a peg and with a nice focus on ballads and love songs! There's a moody, late nite vibe going on at some of the best moments – almost in the territory of early 60s uptown soul by singers like Jerry Butler or Clyde McPhatter during his Mercury Records years – but given a different spin with the leaner instrumentation of the group – who get the best sort of Daptone treatment in the studio, with a raw edge that really makes Hunter sound great! All tracks are originals, penned with almost a Sam Cooke sort of vibe – and titles include "I Don't Wanna Be Without You", "Something's Calling", "It Was Gonna Be You", "This Is Where We Came In", "He's Your Could've Been", "Mm Hmm", "Heartbreak", and "Who's Fooling Who". LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic bit of late 60's funk, and a surprisingly slammin' record from Dizzy! The album's got tight, hard, choppy funk arrangements from Ed Bland – who went onto to do some great work at the Perception label – and the group features James Moody blowing hard lean funky solos right next to Diz, in the way that he'd do on some of his own funk work from the same time. The record is wonderful all the way through – killer heavy drums, heavy electric bass, searing sax solos from Diz and Moody – all produced with a mad mad full-on funk sound that will make your jaw drop! Titles include "Blue Chuchifrito", "Chicken Giblets", "Rutabega Pie", "The Fly Fox", "Pot Licka" "Stomped & Wasted" and "Casbah Melon". LP, Vinyl record album

Really moody magic from the great Yusef Lateef – an artist who was definitely using his time on the Impulse label to open up some new territory in his music! This set might well be the most experimental that Lateef had recorded to date – still filled with the exotic touches of his previous records – including work on a wide range of global reed instruments – but handles with a deeper fascination with sound and shape, so much so that Lateef sometimes steps away from straight swing to some very creative moments. A key part of this sound is pianist Mike Nock – who joins Lateef here, and really opens up his own sound too – playing at a level that's light years past many American pianists, and really setting the stage for some of his work to come as a leader. The rest of the group is great too – an unusual quartet with Reggie Workman on bass and James Black on drums – and titles include "Try Love", "Soul Sister", "Love Waltz", "Warm Fire", "Gee Sam Gee", and "Listen To the Wind". LP, Vinyl record album

Dubby genius from the great Augustus Pablo – a set that continues the spirit of his best 70s work in this mode, but with a sound that has a few slight 80s touches! The overall sound is still very nice and spare – laidback, gently tripping in the rhythm department, and with both melodica solos from Pablo – and some other keyboard work that really echoes the moody, spacey, snakey sound of his work on the blown instrument! The title names are a bit basic, but that hardly matters, given the sound of the set – and tracks include "Riot Dub", "In The Red Dub", "Hanging Dub", "Night Patrol Dub", "Rastaman Dub", "Zion Way Dub", and "Dubbing King James". LP, Vinyl record album

A very unusual album for Yusef Lateef – and that's saying quite a lot, given how quirky most of his work can be! The session has Lateef exploring both rootsy and modern modes – working in a unique quartet that features George Arvanitas on piano, Reggie Workman on bass, and legendary New Orleans musician James Black on drums and assorted percussion. Arvanitas has an excellent style with a very dark edge, and his playing is augmented strongly here by Workman's exploratory basslines, and Black's creatively rhythmic way of approaching the percussion. The whole thing's a very moody session, with a subdued sound, and a nice edgy approach to the material that differs nicely from some of Lateef's other recordings – an earthy feel that grabs the listener from the very first track. Yusef plays flute, tenor, and other wind instruments – and tracks include "Psychicetmotus", "Medula Sonata", "Semiocto", and a version of Satie's "First Gymnopedie". LP, Vinyl record album

A rare session as a leader from trumpeter Johnny Coles – a player who cut some great work in the groups of James Moody and Gil Evans, but who shines even more brightly on this classic Blue Note album! Coles really has an ear for finding the hippest side of his instrument – and he blows with a style that's unlike anyone else we can think of – and certainly far from the mellower tones of his previous leader set for Columbia. This album's got a great mix of hardbop and modern ideas – right up there with the best Blue Note had to offer at the time – and the group's filled with equally hip players who include Joe Henderson on tenor, Leo Wright on alto and flute, Duke Pearson on piano, Bob Cranshaw on bass, and either Pete LaRoca or Walter Perkins on drums. Titles include "Heavy Legs", "Hobo Joe", "Jano", and "Little Johnny C". Very hip, very hard, and very swingin! LP, Vinyl record album