All Categories — All Formats  

A sweet little club track put together by the great Vince Montana – and lifted from the one and only Goody Goody album on Atlantic! The cut's offered here in a disco mixed vocal version, plus a nifty instrumental, which features Montana's vibes, and a lot of soulful sax soloing!

18 tracks in all!

The 8 X 7" box set version of this classic batch of instrumentals from J Dilla – one that strongly transcends the hip hop genre – and perhaps his rawest, and most adventurous listening experience ever! The loopy soul samples, rich synth/electro shine, and thumping bass and soul beats that Dilla largely made his name on are laced throughout, but he also takes things a step into stranger territory – with spacey elements that buzz as much as they groove! The cuts are never less than soulful and funky, and never really steps into his peer Madlib's brand of the weeded out style, either. We love how raw this all feels, too! It's easily identifiable as the work of Jay Dee, but at the same time, wholly unpredictable! One of the best releases that Stone's Throw ever released – instrumental or vocal! Includes "Donuts (Intro & Outro)", "Workinonit", "Waves", "Light My Fire", "People", "Mash", "Airworks", "Lightworks", "Stepson Of The Clapper", "One Eleven", "Don't Cry", "Geek Down", "Thunder", "Gobstopper", "Walkinonit", "U-Love", "Last Donut Of The Night" and more. Extra Bites bonus 45 includes "Signs", plus "Sniper Elite" and "Murder Goons" with Ghostface & MF Doom.

A killer set of R&B-loving rock & roll instros from Peter Jay & The Jaywalkers! The Jaywalkers arrived at the tail end of the greatest wave of popularity for this kinda instrumental combo – but there unique combo! Rumbing rhythms, searing guitars and honking horns – familiar tools of the trade – but they build their own sound out of it! There too rockin' to really flaunt the R&B, but they're also more enamored of rhythm & blues than the surf or twangier school. Cool stuff outta the Joe Meek scene. Includes "Can-Can '62", "Redskins", "Totem Pole", "Poet And Peasant", "Kansas City", "If You Love Me", "You Girl", "Where Did Our Love Go", "Tonight You're Gonna Fall In Love", "What's Eas For Two Is So Hard For One", "Before The Beginning", "Solitaire" and more. 18 in all.

The first of BBE's forays into current hip hop – and a wonderful debut in the series! The album started as a breakbeat project from Detroit's Jay Dee, but soon morphed into a full-on hip hop album – complete with real instrumentation on Fender Rhodes, trumpet, keyboards, and drums, with lyrics on about half of the tracks. Features great remakes of "African Rhythms" (Oneness of Juju), "Brazilian Groove" (Earth Wind & Fire), and "Think Twice" (Donald Byrd), plus the cuts "Rico Suave Bossa Nova", "Shake It Down", "Give it Up", "The Clapper", and "Come Get It".

The J Dilla beats that provided the stellar backdrop for his brother Illa J's worty rhymes – and the instrumentals for the Yancey Boys album – a record that stands up very well against many of the better Dilla productions in his lifetime. It could have gone wrong in a number of ways for a number of reasons – but truth be told it's a quality record that's will worth picking up! On the vocal versions, Illa J's proved a worthy talent – rolling with a mix of singing and rhyming is really unique – and this set of bright, spacey funk beats by Dilla are naturally top notch, timeless and sound wonderful out on their own. Tracks include "Timeless", "We Here", "R U Listenin'", "All Good", "Swagger", "Illasoul", "Air Signs" and more.

Second volume of the two LP set that compiled JJ's bop trombone sides for Blue Note. Great stuff, and arguably among some of his best work. The arrangements are tight, and JJ's in the company of great rhythm players like Kenny Clarke, Horace Silver, and Paul Chambers, who make the sessions really swing. Soloists include Hank Mobley, and titles include "Daylie Double", "Groovin", and "Viscosity".

A monumental meeting of the majors – R Kelly and Jay Z, Jive and Def Jam, in a landmark record. Tracks include "Take You Home With Me aka Body", "Get This Money", "Best Of Both Worlds", "Naked", "It Ain't Personal", "Shake Ya Body" featuring Lil Kim, "The Streets", "Shorty", "Green Light" featuring Beanie Sigel, and "P***y" featuring Devin The Dude.

A sweet groover from the Italian scene of the 70s – music that's got a lush feel, but a funky one too – a great mix of strings and electric instrumentation that rivals the best cop/crime work of the time – yet also has a nice sexy feel too! There's almost a blacksploitation vibe to the record at times – and although some instruments solo at points, the real groove lies in the tight vamping of the orchestra – which hits all the right notes to really send the whole thing soaring – often with a nice use of tone and color too! Titles include "Flying High", "Fearing Much", "Going Home", "Running Fast", "Walking In The Dark", and "Feeling Tense".

A compilation of pivotal mid 90s Dilla productions and remixes – classics and rarities from the Pharcyde, N'Dea Davenport, and the Brand New Heavies with guest appearances by Q-Tip and Mos Def – great stuff from the prime Delicious Vinyl years! It's full of bedrock jazzy funk from Jay Dee – a 2CD set with vocal versions on the first disc and a second CD featuring instrumentals. This is a great refresher course on Jay Dee's golden age pedigree – especially if you came on board with Dilla in the later Stones Throw years – featuring his earlier genius productions plus a second disc featuring instrumental versions. Proceeds from the CD are to go to Ma Dukes. Titles include "Runnin'" (plus instrumental), "Somethin' That Means Somethin'" (plus instrumental), "Bullsh*t" (plus instrumental), Y? (remix)" (plus instrumental) by Pharcyde, "Sometimes (remix)" (plus remix instrumental) by Brand New Heavies feat Q-Tip, "Saturday Night (remix)" (plus remix instrumental) by Brand New Heavies feat Mos Def, "Whatever You Want (remix)" by N'Dea Davenport and more.

Pretty Girl Bullsh!t features Foxy Brown. From bad Boys II.

First volume of the two LP set that compiled JJ's bop trombone sides for Blue Note. Great stuff, and arguably among some of his best work. The arrangements are tight, and JJ's in the company of great rhythm players like Kenny Clarke, Horace Silver, and Paul Chambers, who make the sessions really swing. Soloists include Clifford Brown and Jimmy Heath, and the tracks include "Turnpike", "Sketch 1", "Capri", "Lover Man", "Get Happy", and "Coffee Pot".

An excellent full length set of beats & genius from J Dilla – put together by fellow beatmaker extraordinaire Pete Rock, with all Dilla beats – a surprising triumph! Call us jaded, but honestly, we weren't sure how deep the well could go of ready-to-go beats from Dilla, but this stuff is truly top shelf – nearly as strong as the instant classic Donuts from a few years back! Pete Rock crafts the set as if it's a radio show or mixtape, but his skill in so doing is well above and beyond the norm – neither Pete's interjections nor the guest rappers ever get in the way of the flow, it's as smooth as can be. Vocal guests include Ma Dukes (the album was made under Ma's auspices), plus Lil Fame & MOP, Black Thought, Frank Nitty of Frank N Dank, Doom, Illa J & Cue D, Blu, and others. Titles include "King", "I Told Yall", "Smoke" feat Blu, "CaDILLAc". "Fire Wood Drumstix" feat Doom, "Big Day", "24K Rap" feat Havoc of Mobb Deep & Raekwon, "Coming Back", "Mythsysizer" and more. 28 tracks in all, about an hour of unreleased Dilla!

A great record by one of our favorite trumpet players – and one of those albums on Prestige that are darn hard to track down! Carmell Jones recorded this album after playing with Horace Silver and before leaving for exile in Europe (where he later recorded some great music with Nathan Davis) – and the set grooves in an incredible 60s soul jazz mode, right up there with the best that Blue Note or Prestige had to offer. This cracklin' tight group features Jones in the company of Jimmy Heath on tenor, Barry Harris on piano, George Tucker on bass, and Roger Humphries on drums – and the tracks include "Beepdurple", "Jay Hawk Talk", and "Dance Of The Night Child". A great mix of soul jazz and freer ideas, with a very solid groove!

Mail music to someone you love – thanks to this totally cool postcard format – with space for a message on the back, and an actual record on the front! The card spins at 33rpm, and features the song promised in the title – supported by a cool little graphic too. And while we can't say how well the whole thing might play, once it gets in the hands of the US Post Office – we can say that it's a pretty cool relic, and at the very least might offer up some unusual Christian Marclay take on the tune!

Great extended work from vibist Jay Hoggard – a live date that has him spinning out beautifully on a set of really long tracks! Hoggard's trademark sensitivity to sounds and tones is very firmly in place here – but the live setting almost seems to focus it a bit more, even though most tracks on the set hit a length that goes well past 12 minutes in length. Most numbers start with Jay feeling things out in solo mode – then bring in rhythmic support from Geri Allen on piano, Anthony Cox on bass, and Marvin Smitty Smith on drums. Titles include "The Guiding Spirit", "Monk's Mood", "Mystic Winds Tropic Breezes", "Night In Tunisia", and "Comfort In The Storm".

The classic batch of instrumentals from J Dilla – one that strongly transcends the hip hop genre – and perhaps his rawest, and most adventurous listening experience ever! The loopy soul samples, rich synth/electro shine, and thumping bass and soul beats that Dilla largely made his name on are laced throughout, but he also takes things a step into stranger territory – with spacey elements that buzz as much as they groove! The cuts are never less than soulful and funky, and never really steps into his peer Madlib's brand of the weeded out style, either. We love how raw this all feels, too! It's easily identifiable as the work of Jay Dee, but at the same time, wholly unpredictable! One of the best releases that Stone's Throw ever released – instrumental or vocal! Includes "Donuts (Intro & Outro)", "Workinonit", "Waves", "Light My Fire", "People", "Mash", "Airworks", "Lightworks", "Stepson Of The Clapper", "One Eleven", "Don't Cry", "Geek Down", "Thunder", "Gobstopper", "Walkinonit", "U-Love", "Last Donut Of The Night" and more.

The first of BBE's forays into current hip hop – and a wonderful debut in the series! The album started as a breakbeat project from Detroit's Jay Dee, but soon morphed into a full-on hip hop album – complete with real instrumentation on Fender Rhodes, trumpet, keyboards, and drums, with lyrics on about half of the tracks. Features great remakes of "African Rhythms" (Oneness of Juju), "Brazilian Groove" (Earth Wind & Fire), and "Think Twice" (Donald Byrd), plus the cuts "Rico Suave Bossa Nova", "Shake It Down", "Give it Up", "The Clapper", and "Come Get It".

A compilation of pivotal mid 90s Dilla productions and remixes – classics and rarities from the Pharcyde, N'Dea Davenport, and the Brand New Heavies with guest appearances by Q-Tip and Mos Def – great stuff from the prime Delicious Vinyl years! It's full of bedrock jazzy funk from Jay Dee – a 3 LP set with vocal versions on the first 2 LPs and instrumentals on the 3rd. This is a great refresher course on Jay Dee's golden age pedigree – especially if you came on board with Dilla in the later Stones Throw years – featuring his earlier genius productions plus a second disc featuring instrumental versions. Proceeds from the LP are to go to Ma Dukes. Titles include "Runnin'" (plus instrumental), "Somethin' That Means Somethin'" (plus instrumental), "Bullsh*t" (plus instrumental), Y? (remix)" (plus instrumental) by Pharcyde, "Sometimes (remix)" (plus remix instrumental) by Brand New Heavies feat Q-Tip, "Saturday Night (remix)" (plus remix instrumental) by Brand New Heavies feat Mos Def, "Whatever You Want (remix)" by N'Dea Davenport and more.

Two of the finer tracks from Labcabincalifornia produced by Dilla – and early production genius by Jay Dee! For some reason, the Labcabin album still gets a cold shoulder in some circles, in comparison to Bizarre Ride, anyway, but you'd be hard pressed to call this Pharcyde era anything short of great from these two cuts! The A-side "Runnin'" is here in the hard clipping extended version, plus a tighter mix, with that great acoustic Stan Getz sample pushing it all through. "Drop" is another really nice one, quintessential early Pharcyde and a standard bearer for the best 90s hip hop group cuts!

Amazing! This album is one of the great lost classics of East Coast harmony soul of the 70s – and it always leaves us breathless! Continental 4 may not have been as big as some of their contemporaries, but the cut "(You're Living In) A Dream World" is one of the most sublime soul tracks ever recorded – with stunning harmonies, fragile production, and some wonderful Philly ballad instrumental touches. The rest of the album is just as good – with slowly plucked electric sitar, soaring harmonies, and an amazing batch of orchestrations that are just out of this world! Titles include "Escape From Planet Earth", "Running Away", "I Don't Have You", and "How Can I Pretend". Dream work from Philly Maestros like Bobby Martin and Norman Harris!

A real lost treasure – and an incredible session that offers a real meeting of minds that's far more than you'd expect from the simple cover and title! The set is a later one for Vee Jay, and it brings together half of the Jazz Messengers with a batch of west coast players – in a groove that wonderfully mixes together different traditions and rhythms in jazz – and which steps out with a sound that's far more than the sum of its parts! Art Blakey, Lee Morgan, and Curtis Fuller join a group headed by Buddy De Franco, and featuring Victor Feldman on piano and vibes, plus Victor Sproles on bass and Freddie Hill on trumpet. The sound of the group is quite unusual – and a lot lighter than you'd guess – giving Buddy plenty of room to solo in a breezy style that's grown tremendously since his 50s recordings – pushed along by some heavier soul from Art and the group. Titles include "Rain Dance", "Blues Bag", "Twelve Tone Blues", "Kush", and "Cousin Mary".

One of the true hit jazz albums of the 60s, and a record that's still pretty darn incredible today! Who'd have thought that a jazz recording of the theme to the film "Exodus" could have been such a hit? It was, and the way Eddie handled it forever transformed the face of jazz. Eddie was nicely poised between the harder soul jazz camps and the freer spiritual jazz underground that was operating in Chicago and Detroit in the 60s – and with his unique combo that had Joe Dorio on guitar, he transformed the song into a great groove that matched the other excellent material that he was laying down at the time. This record's a gem, which is often rare for such a jazz "hit" – and it includes loads of great tracks like "AM Blues", "Velocity", "Alicia", and "ATC".

One of the oddest Eddie Harris records for Vee Jay! One side's got a very young Muhal Richard Abrams doing the arrangements and playing piano, and features two great original tracks "Half & Half" and the extended "Yeah, Yeah, Yeah", which features chanting & percussion. The other side's an attempt to recap the success of "Exodus", with Eddie's tenor cutting it over some soundtrack stuff with a vocal group. Eddie's tone holds the whole thing together, though – and the album's nicer than you'd think!

John Lee Hooker takes a step or two into the bluesy soul sound of the early 60s on this sweet set on Vee Jay – while style flaunting his true blues pedigree really, really well! The grit of his voice is as heavily emotive and unshakable as ever – backed by a crack combo on drums, guitar, bass and organ – with sweet sweet backing vocals that are supposedly the Vandellas (sure does sound like it.) Includes "San Francisco", "Take A Look At Yourself", "Send Me Your Pillow", "She Shot Me Down", "Big Soul", "Good Rocking Mama", "No One Told Me" and "Onions".

Plenty of Burnin from John Lee Hooker, and about as classic as you can get for his Vee Jay years – especially considering that the album starts out with Hooker's killer cut "Boom Boom" – a number that may well have set fire to a whole generation of British and American rockers! Other tracks are equally great, and every bit as gritty – recorded with some tight backings by a small combo, but still mostly a focus on Hooker's guitar and vocals. Titles include "Boom Boom", "Process", "Blues Before Sunrise", "I Got a Letter", and "What Do You Say".

Rough and raw blues from John Lee Hooker – recorded with plenty of emphasis on gritty guitar and vocals, backed by a nicely understated rhythm section! The overall feel is a bit rootsier than some of the other blues work coming out from Chicago labels at the time – and Hooker's right at home in this lean, mean setting – working in the kind of groove that made him a bit influence on a younger generation in the 60s. Titles include "No Shoes", "I'm A Stranger", "Goin To California", "Dusty Road", "Solid Sender", "Sunny Land", "Whiskey & Wimmen", and "Run On".

Stellar work by Jimmy Hughes – one of those southern soul talents whose name you've heard, but can't always find on record! Jimmy's best known for his classic Muscle Shoals tune "Steal Away" – and that great number, plus many other similar ones, are presented on this obscure Vee Jay release – issued at a time when both that label and Chess were licensing a number of titles from Rick Hall's Fame studios. The sound is great – a key link in the southern scene of the 60s, and one that's often lost because it wasn't recorded for a bigger label, like Atlantic. The CD features all the 12 tracks from the original Vee Jay album Steal Away – titles that include "Steal Away", "Try Me", "I Want Justice", "Shot Of Rhythm & Blues", "Neighbor Neighbor", "I'm Getting Better", and "I'm Gonna Rise Again" – plus 10 more bonus tracks too, with titles that include "Steal Away (part 2)", "You Might As Well Forget Him", "My Loving Time", "I'm Qualified", "Goodbye My Lover Goodbye", "My Adorable One", "Girl You Belong Here With Me", "Have You Done Got Over Me", and "Lollypops Lace & Lipstick".

A pair of top shelf J Dilla tracks from the archives – with rhymes by Dilla and compatriots Frank N Dank! "Anthem" is a definite gem, particularly on the production tip. It's got a raw, powerfully effective way with the beats – which are mirrored by some nice, minimalist bit of guitar. Dilla handles the rhymes, too, along with Frank N Dank. "Trunks" has an altogether different sound – with more of a satircal bent than is typical for Dilla – and full on riff on Gary Numan's "Cars"!

A Windy City classic – from Vee Jay Records! The MJT grooves like nobody's business, thanks to a core rhythm group that includes Harold Mabern on piano, Walter Perkins on drums, and Bob Cranshaw on bass! Add to the mix a young Frank Strozier on alto, fresh from Memphis (he made the trip to Chi-town with buddy Harold Mabern), and the smoking trumpet of Willie Thomas, and you've got one of the tightest combos to never make it in the big time – a killer little group that was almost a Chicago secret back in the day, but one that's well worth discovering if you've got any sort of a love for hardbop or soul jazz! This oft-overlooked gem is one of the best hardbop albums to ever come out of Chicago, and it's got some great originals by Mabern – like "Richie's Dilemma" and "Make Everybody Happy" – plus a nice version of Booker Little's "Sweet Silver".

One of the best-kept secrets of the hardbop era! This amazing group – formed in Chicago in the late 50's by ex-Memphis players Walter Perkins on drums, Harold Mabern on piano, and Frank Strozier on alto – has always been one of the best groups ever to sum up the meaning of the phrase "hard bop" – as they play with tight bop lines, but mix in longer, more relaxed playing, and some very soulful phrasing. Strozier especially is amazing, and Mabern's piano lines are as warmly lyrical and richly complicated as on his later work on Prestige – and the group also features the great Willie Thomas on trumpet and Bob Cranshaw on bass. The team of Cranshaw and Perkins is amazing – MJT, Modern Jazz Two, who really make the album cook – freely grooving with incredible rhythms, which makes Strozier sound almost better than on any other sessions from the time. Titles include "Branching Out", "Lil' Abner", "Raggity Man", and "To Sheila".

An excellent early session from a young Lee Morgan – a set that we'd rank right up there with his best Blue Note material of the time! The set's from a time when Lee's trumpet was a key force in the Jazz Messengers – and there's definitely a Messengers vibe going on here, thanks to drums from Art Blakey – who works in a quintet alongside Clifford Jordan on tenor, Wynton Kelly on piano, and Paul Chambers on bass. Jordan's tenor has a nice sharp edge – and like some of the Wayne Shorter sessions for Vee Jay, there's a nice sense of darkness here that's a bit different than some of Morgan's usual moments. Titles include "Terrible T", "Mogie", "Bess", and Wayne Shorter's "Running Brook".

Seminal work from the legendary Jimmy Reed – spare and bluesy numbers that were some of the best work coming out of Chicago at the time! There's a snapping quality to the rhythms here that was a keen inspiration to generations of better-known artists – and in a way, it's amazing to go back to these originals to hear how spare and earthy Jimmy's original recordings were. Titles include "Big Boss Man", "Found Love", "Meet Me", "Hush Hush", "I'm Nervous", "Going By The River (parts 1 & 2)", and "Come Love".

Not just Jimmy Reed – as the album features work by Phil Upchurch on bass and Al Duncan on drums, plus some great uncredited organ too – but the album's still a great chance to hear the great one at all his stripped-down best! Jimmy really dominates on vocals and guitar, and some harmonica too – and most of the tunes have that seductively vamping style that made Reed's music such a huge influence on the 60s generation. Titles include "Good Lover", "Take It Slow", "Let's Get Together", "I'll Change That Too", "In The Morning", "Oh John", and "Back Home At Noon".

In the years after Charlie Parker passed away, tributes to his greatness were a very common thing in local jazz scenes across the US. This is a prime example of that tradition, but way more than that, it's also a killer Chicago jazz session from the old days – featuring trumpeter Ira Sullivan at his best, along with some great local players that include tenorist Nicky Hill, pianist Jodie Christian, and bassist (Raphael) Don Garrett. The music is what you'd expect – loving renditions of Bird standards like "Klacktoveedesesteene" and "Love Letters" – but there's also a lot more going on underneath, and the album's as much a Charlie Parker tribute as it is a batch of bop and soul jazz numbers with a good underground feel.

A seminal bit of crossover soul from the mid 80s – and the standout effort from California trio Club Nouveau! The album's best known for its hit remake of "Lean On Me" – one that pushes the tune along with some very heavy beats, and a version that helps us remember why Bill Withers' original is so great! Jay King arranged and produced the set, all in a similar feel – and titles include "Heavy On My Mind", "Promises Promises", "Let Me Go", "Why You Treat Me So Bad", "Jealousy", and a reprise version of "Lean On Me".

A hard set of soul jazz grooves – recorded under the leadership of the great trombonist Benny Green, and one of his few albums not for Blue Note or Prestige! The sound is very much in the Prestige hardbop mode of the late 50s – and Green heads up a group that includes Gene Ammons and Frank Foster on tenor, Nat Adderley on cornet, Frank Wess on flute and tenor, and Tommy Flanagan on piano– a similar lineup, with a similar sound, to some of the albums recorded under Ammons' name as "blowing sessions". The cuts are long, with laid back laid out solos – and titles include "Jim Dog", "Going South", and "Little Ditty". CD features bonus alternate takes of 4 tracks!

Dick Gregory never made it to the White House, but the album's title is definitely an indication of his strongly political views during the Civil Rights era – ideas that got him exposure way beyond black comedians of just a few years before, winning over plenty of folks with his natural wit and no-nonsense approach to the issues! The album's a pretty uncut live performance, and offers a great example of the natural charm that Gregory had before enthusiastic audiences in the early days – a perfect balance between his dual roles as an entertainer and a motivating political force.

Forget the title – which sounds like a bit of a gimmick – as this is a fine fine Eddie Harris album! After the success that Vee Jay had with Eddie Harris' huge hit version of "Exodus", they cut this album of Eddie playing movie themes – like "Green Dolphin Street", "Laura", "Moonglow", and "Secret Love", plus a few standards like "These Foolish Things", and "The More I See You". Dick Marx handled the arrangements – and the overall sound is slicker than Eddie's "Exodus", as his solos are laid out over larger string arrangements by Dick Marx, but it's not without some charms – especially because Eddie's tone at this point is amazing, filled with little tricks and turns that make just about anything he plays sound great!

Although Exodus to Jazz was probably the biggest album of Eddie's career, we've always been a bit more partial to this excellent LP, a terrific document of Eddie's work from his early days on the Chicago jazz scene. Featuring Eddie's good early group with Willie Pickens on piano, Jo Dorio on guitar, and Harold Jones on drums, the sound is a nice mix of soul jazz, hard bop, and slightly more exotic themes, with the kind of tinges that Yusef Lateef was putting into his work at the time. Cuts include "There Is No Time", "Mighty Like A Rose", and six others.

A stone classic from Jimmy Reed – and one of the first few albums on the Vee Jay label! The sound is spare, rootsy, and bluesy – the kind of tunes that made Jimmy an instant favorite, and which were a key force in the Chicago blues sound of the 50s. The set features material recorded for Vee Jay in 1958 and 1957, with Jimmy on vocals, acoustic guitar, and harmonica. Titles include "Honest, I Do", "You Got Me Dizzy", "Can't Stand To See You Go", "Boogie In The Dark", "You Got Me Crying", "Little Rain", "Roll & Rhumba", his classic "Ain't That Lovin' You Baby" and more. Benchmark late 50s Chicago blues! This great 2CD remastered edition is loaded up – disc two featuring a whopping 22 bonus tracks of rarities – plus great little booklet with session notes, photos and more. Bonus disc tracks include "Jimmy's Boogie", "Rockin' With Reed, "You Upset My Mind", "Shoot My Baby", "State Street Boogie", "Come Love", "Meet Me", "Sugar, Sugar, "Lookin' For You, Baby", "Don't Think I'm Through", "Left Handed Woman" and many more.

Jimmy Reed takes on a host of older blues standards – tunes made famous initially by other recordings, all served up here with the trademark Jimmy Reed rasp and wail! Titles include "Outskirts Of Town", "The Comeback", "Cherry Red", "Five Long Years", "Wee Wee Baby", "Trouble In Mind", "Roll Em Pete", and "St Louis Blues".

Quite an unusual set – recorded in London with trad jazzman Chris Barber, in a romping, upbeat sort of style! The set mixes jazz backings with Bradford's vocals, all in ways that aren't really "pop", but which make for a unique hybrid of gospel and trad jazz – in ways that really show some New Orleans roots. Titles include "Lord Lord Lord", "Can't Trust Nobody", "We Sure Do Need Him Now", "They Kicked Him Out", "They've Got To Wait On Me", and "Walking Up Kings Highway".

A landmark LP by Eddie Harris – one that we go back to again and again over the years! The album shows not only the brilliance of the young Eddie Harris (a brilliance that was not easily matched later in his career), but also the brilliant way that the Chicago jazz scene of the 60's could absorb so many different influences and styles, and mix them up into a fantastic sound that was totally unique. Take, for example, the cut "Oliphant Gesang", which has an exotic groove, and weird solos on the horns that sound like Elephant noises, and which are much more in the Sun Ra camp. Or the track "Dancing Bull", which uses electric guitar to create a cool Spanish sound. The group's filled with super-hipsters – and players on the record include Melvin Jackson, Richard Evans, Willie Pickens, Charles Stepney, John Avant, and Raphael Don Garrett! Other tracks include "Fantastic Waltz", "Cuttin Out", and "Down".

A fantastic lost session by this incredible hardbop group from Chicago! The MJT+3, although never hugely famous, are one of our favorite-ever jazz groups from the 60s. Under the aegis of drummer Walter Perkins, and including the talents of Harold Mabern, Frank Strozier, and Bob Cranshaw, the MJT+3 mixed soul jazz and modernist hardbop, with a crossbreeding of styles that spoke volumes about the group's mixed roots in Memphis and Chicago. We love all their albums from the old days – and this set of tunes is some of the best work we've ever heard from the group. The set was recorded in 1960 for Vee Jay, but never saw the light of day until this CD – which takes the original 7 tracks intended for release as an album, and adds in 8 other bonus and alternate takes. Titles include Perkins' great composition "No Land's Man", done later on the Booker Ervin album Exultation, plus "Jerry Lee", "Is It", "On The Show", and "Old Images". Proof that Chicago in the 60s was an incredible jazz town!

One of the best-kept secrets of the hardbop era! This amazing group – formed in Chicago in the late 50's by ex-Memphis players Walter Perkins on drums, Harold Mabern on piano, and Frank Strozier on alto – has always been one of the best groups ever to sum up the meaning of the phrase "hard bop" – as they play with tight bop lines, but mix in longer, more relaxed playing, and some very soulful phrasing. Strozier especially is amazing, and Mabern's piano lines are as warmly lyrical and richly complicated as on his later work on Prestige – and the group also features the great Willie Thomas on trumpet and Bob Cranshaw on bass. The team of Cranshaw and Perkins is amazing – MJT, Modern Jazz Two, who really make the album cook – freely grooving with incredible rhythms, which makes Strozier sound almost better than on any other sessions from the time. Titles include "Branching Out", "Lil' Abner", "Raggity Man", and "To Sheila".

A split LP, but a seminal full length album in the doo wop genre – one that was issued on Vee Jay in the early 60s, but brought together some key earlier work by The Flamingos and The Moonglows! Both groups here are at the height of their early powers – singing in a stripped-down and nearly acapella mode that's totally great – often with just a bit of rhythm to keep things grooving along. The sound is much different than the later Flamingos' sides on End, and represents The Moonglows before they'd softened things up a bit. Titles include "I Was Wrong", "Real Gone Mama", "Oh Rockin Daddy", "Secret Love", "Whistle My Love", and "219 Train" by The Moonglows – and "Vooit Vooit", "Someday Someway", "Golden Teardrops", "Carried Away", and "If I Can't Have You" by The Flamingos.

Early genius from Eddie Higgins – a pianist who was a big thing on the Chicago scene of the 60s, but is probably best known to most folks for his revival records of the past decade or two! The younger Higgins has more of an edge than the later one – and this self-titled debut is a cooker of a hardbop album – thanks not only to work from Eddie's core trio, but also some great horn interplay from Frank Foster on tenor and Paul Seranno on trumpet! Eddie wrote some of the best cuts on the record – some really fresh numbers – and he gets rhythmic help from either Richard Evans or Jim Atlas on bass, and Marshall Thompson on drums. Higgins titles include "Foot's Bag", "Zarac The Evil One", and "AB's Blues" – and the album also features versions of "Blues For Big Scotia" and "Falling In Love With Love".

A seminal early recording from one of our favorite reed players ever! In the late 1950s, the young Frank Strozier came up to Chicago from Memphis, along with his longtime friend, pianist Harold Mabern. The two of them both settled nicely in the city's MJT+3 combo, where they proceeded to recorde some incredible hardbop sessions for Vee Jay. During that same time, Strozier began to emerge as a strong soloist and a competent leader in his own right, and Vee Jay gave him a much-needed crack at this debut album. The session's a perfect showcase for Strozier's lyrical beauty, and given the quality of the work, it's a wonder he was never more famous. The group's a quintet, and Strozier's ably teamed with Booker Little, Wynton Kelly, Paul Chambers, and Jimmy Cobb. Titles include "WK Blues", "Waltz Of The Demons", "Runnin", and "Off Shore".

A nice mixture of pop and blue eyed soul from singer Vi Velasco – a talent we know mostly from her bossa nova album with Zoot Sims. This set's got a nice New York uptown feel – with arrangements by Charles Calello that combine strings and soul-styled production – almost Bacharach-ish, but with some more standard touches. Titles include "Benefit Of The Doubt", "Follow My Heart", "What Am I Supposed To Do", "I Don't Wanna Go On", and "Never Less Than Yesterday". Pretty nice stuff – with lots of original tunes!

Wonderful early work from Madeline Bell – a great singer with a sound that's equal parts American soul and British 60s female pop! The recordings on the set are from Madeline's earliest years in the UK – long before she achieved greater fame on crossover rock recordings, at a time when she was just stepping off an early career in gospel, where she'd crafted some great recordings on Vee Jay with Alex Bradford. The sound of the album is wonderful – arranged to production by Arthur Greenslade, and produced by Johnny Franz with the same pop genius he brought to Philips work by Scott Walker and Dusty Springfield. The CD features the full tracks from the Poppin album, plus a number of contemporary singles – for a total of 20 tracks that include "Picture Me Gone", "Beat The Clock", "Can't Get Used To Losing You", "Didn't Want To Have To Do It", "Soul Time", "I'm Gonna Make You Love Me", and "You Won't See Me".

One of our favorite-ever albums on Prestige Records from the 60s – and a set that's a fair bit different than most of the other work on the label! The set's an unusual outing for saxophonist George Braith – cut after his famous albums for Blue Note, and in a mode that's quite different – very far-reaching, and almost spiritual at points – with the blend of jazz and other modes that you might find on the Cadet/Concept sessions in late 60s Chicago! Braith plays a wide assortment of saxes – c-melody, alto and soprano – but his playing here is a bit different than the Roland Kirk-like vibe of before – sometimes more stretched-out and exploratory, in a Nathan Davis sort of vibe – sometimes wrapped up in some larger explorations from the whole group. There's moments of raw percussion with echoey production, others with wordless vocals floating alongside the lead soloist, and still others that have that catchy blend of soul jazz and exoticism you'd find in the music of Eddie Harris or Yusef Lateef – even though Braith here is completely his own artist too! The set features Jane Getz on piano, Jay Carter and Eddie Diehl on guitar, and Ben Dixon on drums – but there's also a lot of percussion, both Latin and otherwise, from a shifting lineup of players. The whole thing's wonderful – and titles include "Del's Theme", "Musart", "Evelyn Anita", "Our Blessing", "Laura", and "Splashes Of Love".

Early, early work from the Heavies, with their original singer Jay Ella Ruth, working a tight funky groove that's very much like a slicked up James Brown sound, rather than the poliched modern soul vibe they'd move towards later.

Amazing soul from one of the greats of the 60s! This album was one of the first that Jerry cut for Mercury – where he'd begun working with the young team of Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff to completely rework the earlier sound he'd forged at Vee Jay Records. The album's still got Jerry singing in his wonderfully rich deep voice – hence the "iceman" in the title – but the songs have a bit more of a groove to them, with a soaring soul style that really lifts Jerry up, and pushes him onto a whole new generation of soul fans. The best proof of this are the hits "Hey Western Union Man" and "Never Give You Up" – but the whole album's great, and like most of Jerry's LPs, it's got many wonderful tunes hiding underneath the hits. Titles include "How Can I Get In Touch With You", "Can't Forget About You Baby", "Are You Happy", and "Go Away Find Yourself" – as well as other hits like "Lost" and "Only The Strong Survive".

Killer stuff – as Jerry's getting the full early Philly treatment here, with arrangements by Thom Bell, Bobby Martin, and Roland Chambers, and production by a young Gamble and Huff! The sound isn't nearly as icy as the old Vee Jay days – but that's fine with us, as Jerry is nice and soulful on tracks like "Moody Woman", "When You're Alone", "I Forgot To Remember", "Brand New Me", "What's The Use Of Breaking Up", and "Walking Around In Teardroops". Nice cover, too – with Jerry standing in a pile of fake diamonds!

27 tunes pulled from Jerry's years at Vee Jay Records – including some hits and lesser known numbers, all done in his fantastic Iceman style. Titles include "Thanks To You", "Find Another Girl", "Make It Easy On Yourself", "Need To Belong", "Just For You", "Give It Up", "Give Me Your Love", "I've Been Trying", "It's Too Late", "You Can Run", "I'm The One", "Good Times", "I Stand Accused", "For Your Precious Love", "Believe In Me", and "Moon River".

An excellent early session from Candido – and one of his first to move from straighter Latin into a much groovier vein! The session's done in collaboration with Lalo Schifrin – who was also working for Roulette at the time – and it's got a style that links Candido's older 50s-styled Latin conga work with some of the more fluid grooves that Schifrin was just beginning to forge at the time. There's a very strong jazz sensibility to the album – with Lalo on piano, Charlie Persip on drums, Jimmy Cleveland on trombone, and some really great baritone solos from Jay Cameron – whose playing gives the album an especially soulful sound. Titles include "Conga Soul", "Toccata", "The Champ", "New Secrets", "Dark Eyes", and "Long Long Summer".

Two great lost numbers from one of our favorite soul artists of all time! "I Can Take Care" is a rolling midtempo number, with that loping Chi soul groove that Gene was working in afer his early Vee Jay sides. Gene's vocals really send us – especially on the the chorus, when they go over the top! "Mr Big Shot" is a great cut too – with a strumming guitar underneath the beat, in kind of a hip mod style that's a real surprise to hear from Gene! There's some backup vocals on the chorus, but the verse has Gene rolling ahead full steam.

Some incredible early work from John Coltrane – 3 sessions recorded under the leadership of Paul Chambers, and even done before Coltrane's more famous work with Miles Davis! First up is material from the Imperial album Chamber's Music – led by Chambers, and one of the earliest small group sessions with Coltrane – a very spare batch of bass-heavy tracks with an incredibly relaxed groove. Chambers is at the full peak of his youthful talents, and solos quite a bit next to spare piano fills by Drew. Trane's tone is loud and raw, with more bluesiness than you'd expect – and we mean that in a good way! Titles include "Dexterity", "Trane's Blues", and "Eastbound". Added to these are 3 more tracks from a really wonderful Massachusetts session in 1956 – recorded for Transition Records – and featuring Coltrane and Chambers with Pepper Adams, Roland Alexander, and Donald Byrd – playing, long, bluesy, almost-improvised tunes that include "Trane's Strain", "High Step", and "Nixon Dixon & Yates Blues". Last up are more tracks from the album Whims Of Chambers – again recorded under Chambers' leadership, this time for Blue Note in 1956 – with a group that includes Donald Byrd, Kenny Burrell, and Horace Silver. The writing is great, and the group has a nice dark edge that gives the session a slightly different sound than other Blue Note albums from the time. Chambers leads off with the bass on most tracks, kind of putting the work at an off-center pace that really gives it a fresh feel – and which makes it different from the straighter bop sound of his albums as a leader on Vee Jay. Tracks include "We Six", "Dear Ann", "Tale Of The Fingers", and "Omicron". CD features 11 tracks in all – quite possibly not all of the tracks from the albums, but the important Coltrane ones.

A great lost album from Eddie! The record was one of his few cut for Columbia – recorded between his early years at Vee Jay and his hit years at Atlantic – and it's an excellent little batch of cuts, with a tight Chicago soulful grooving sound, and a strong approach that mixes hardbop and soul jazz in a very nice way. Some of the material is pop in origin – like "Goldfinger" and "People" – but even those tracks are done very nicely, with a nice groove and Eddie's biting sax firmly in place. Other titles include "East End Blues", "Rice Pudding", "That's Tough", and "Ineffable".

A 60s classic from the great Eddie Harris – and proof that his move to Atlantic Records was a very good thing! There's a punch here that Harris didn't have in his earlier sides for Vee Jay – a bite that shows an even stronger focus than before – a willingness to mix soulful undercurrents with some of the more exotic styles in his music – all in a blend that's completely captivating all the way through! The set features some wicked work from Cedar Walton on piano, adding in some lyrical lines that are mighty nice – and other players include the mighty Melvin Jackson on bass, the great Ray Codrington on trumpet, and Sonny Phillips on organ – adding in some sweet electricity to the set. Harris goes a bit electric at times – bringing in some great sounds on the Varitone – and titles include an early take of "Listen Here", with Eddie on electric piano – plus "Goin' Home", "Blues In The Basement", and "Mean Greens".

J Dilla's brother Illa J collaborates with the departed Dilla for the Yancey Boys album – produced with a batch of Jay Dee beats! This album could have gone wrong in a number of ways for a number of reasons – but truth be told it's a quality record that's actually worth checking out! Most importantly, Illa J's is a genuine talent – rolling with a mix of singing and rhyming is really unique – and the bright, spacey funk beats by Dilla are naturally top notch & timeless. Tracks include "Timeless", "We Here", "R U Listenin'" feat Guilty Simpson, "All Good", "Swagger", "Illasoul", "Air Signs" and more.

Dilla beats and an allstar roster of guest Detroit MCs – and a strong debut full length from Ruff Draft Records! Posthumous releases by favorite departed figures can be a dicey proposition – and much to our relief, Rebirth Of Detroit delivers – with both high quality beats & rhymes, and positive mojo! Dilla didn't cop to current trends in his time on earth (except for the ones he started in the first place) so it stands to reason that the beats he had in the can before he departed would hold up strongly years later – and they do! The guests here bring their A-games, plus full respect and admiration for Dilla. Includes "The New Installment", "Detroit Madness" with Phat Kat, "Big Things" with Esham, "Let's Pray Together" with Amp Fiddler, "Requiem" with Allan Barnes of The Blackbyrds, "My Victory" with Boldy James, "Do It For Dilla Dog" with Illa J and Frank Nitt, "Jay Dee's Revenge" with Danny Brown and cuts by DJ Dez, "Houseshoes Was Spinnin'" with Quelle Chris and more.

The group's first full length album – and a classic batch of soulful funky tunes, handled with the charm and care that would make Jamiroquai one of the best new soul acts to come out of the UK during the 90s. Think Brand New Heavies meets Stevie Wonder meets Steely Dan, and you'll get only part of the picture – as Jay and crew work things together perfectly, blending a wide range of influences into a globally conscious cosmic groove that's a perfect soul platform for the 21st century! Titles include "Revolution", "Didgin Out", "When You Gonna Learn", "Too Young To Die", "Music Of The Mind", and "Emergency On Planet Earth". 2CD version features 10 more bonus tracks – including "Revolution 1993 (demo)", "Emergency On Planet Earth (London Rican mix)", "If I Like It I Do It (acoustic)", "Too Young To Die (ext)", "When You Gonna Learn (Cante Hondo mix)", and live versions of "Music Of The Mind", "God Made Me Funky", "Brothers Like You", and "Didgin Out".

A mindblower from Jamiroquai – the album that really broke them out of the box, thanks to an increasingly complicated sense of rhythm! For the set, Jay and the group pulled up some of the more dynamic sounds from the London underground, and wove them together with their increasingly great songwriting – coming up with tunes that played beautifully on the dancefloor, yet also offered deeper listening than on previous Jamiroquai efforts! There's still some great 70s elements here, but there's also a more cosmic, righteous vibe too – a hint at spacey London to come, but sent home with a bit more polish here. Titles include "Virtual Insanity", "Cosmic Girl", "Everyday", "Alright", "High Times", "Travelling Without Moving", "Spend A Lifetime", "Use The Force", and "Didjital Vibrations". 2CD version features lots of bonus tracks – including "Cosmic Girl (Quasar mix)", "Virtual Insanity (Salaam Remi mix)", "Alright (Alan Braxe & Fred Falke rmx)", "Do You Know Where You're Coming From (full horns mix)", "High Times (Sanchez radio edit)", "Bullet", "Slippin N Slidin", "Hollywood Swingin", and live versions of "Alright" and "Virtual Insanity".

29 tracks in all, with quite a few guest appearances by rappers such as Keith Murray, Jay Z, Nas and others. Includes "Home Alone", "Did You Ever Think", "Ghetto Queen", "We Ride", "OnlyThe Loot Can Make Me Happy", "If I'm Wit You", "Half On A Baby", "What I Feel/Issues", "Reality", "Don't Put Me Out" and "I Believe I Can Fly".

A sweet two-fer from guitarist Wilbert Longmire – two Tappan Zee albums back to back on a single CD! First up is a deep glass of Champagne from Wilbert – classy, sophisticated jazz from the end of the 70s – but still served up with plenty of soul, too! Bob James and Jay Chattaway produced – and James plays Fender Rhodes and other keyboards on the set – helping carve out some mighty sweet lines next to Longmire's lead guitar – which often sounds best at some of the record's mellowest moments! Wilbert sings just a bit, too – underscoring some of the soul influences on the set – and titles include "Pleasure Island", "Ragtown", "Funshine", "Diane's Dilemma", and "Love's Holiday". With All My Love is sweet later work from guitarist Wilbert Longmire – a warm mixture of soul and funky jazz – and easily one of the better records to come from the Tappan Zee label at the time! Production is by Bob James and Jay Chattaway – with an R&B-inflected vibe that's a bit like some of the best late 70s work on Kudo or CTI. Longmire's still got that wonderfully chromatic style on guitar – which works well in this setting – and even though he sings a bit on the record, it's the instrumentals that keep us listening. Titles include "Take Your Time", "Music Speaks Louder Than Words", "Strawberry Sunset", "Hawkeye", and "But I Love You".

Another rough'n'ready Wackie's production, with the Wackie's rhythm section delivering some nice chunky riddims for Clive Field Marshall to ride with a tight sing-jay style of toasting. A dozen chubby 80s reggae numbers, including "State Trooper Style", "Love Is What You Want", "Ting-A-Ling-A-Ling", "Dance Pon De Corner", "Poor House Rockers" and "Money Man Time".

This is definitely not your father's calypso – no living room limbo or Harry Belafonte cliches – and instead, a smoking batch of Caribbean grooves from The Mighty Sparrow! Sparrow was very much on the edge of the best styles in the 60s and early 70s – and although his basic groove might be termed calypso, he also brought in plenty of Cuban, Haitian, and Jamaican rhythms to his music too – as well as an occasional does of American soul! Like some of the best early sounds from Kingston, the grooves here often echo a deeper R&B sensibility, turned towards island rhythms – and really hit home strongly by Sparrow's wonderful vocals – as catchy, compelling, and charming as some of the best US singers of the time – with touches of the wit of Oscar Brown Jr, the warmth of Lou Rawls, the swing of a young Marvin Gaye, and the spookiness of Screamin Jay Hawkins! This massive collection is the first to really dig through his older records to pull out the best tunes – just the kind of special focus we'd expect from the Strut label, with a wicked track selection and great notes too! Titles include "Bongo", "Calypso Boogaloo", "Zinah", "Fool Fool Fool", "Ah Diggin Horrors", "Jook For Jook", "Sparrow Come Back Home", "Slave", "She's Been Gone Too Long", "Congo Man", "Ten To One Is Murder", and "Kennedy & Kruschev".

This is definitely not your father's calypso – no living room limbo or Harry Belafonte cliches – and instead, a smoking batch of Caribbean grooves from The Mighty Sparrow! Sparrow was very much on the edge of the best styles in the 60s and early 70s – and although his basic groove might be termed calypso, he also brought in plenty of Cuban, Haitian, and Jamaican rhythms to his music too – as well as an occasional does of American soul! Like some of the best early sounds from Kingston, the grooves here often echo a deeper R&B sensibility, turned towards island rhythms – and really hit home strongly by Sparrow's wonderful vocals – as catchy, compelling, and charming as some of the best US singers of the time – with touches of the wit of Oscar Brown Jr, the warmth of Lou Rawls, the swing of a young Marvin Gaye, and the spookiness of Screamin Jay Hawkins! This massive collection is the first to really dig through his older records to pull out the best tunes – just the kind of special focus we'd expect from the Strut label, with a wicked track selection and great notes too! Titles include "Bongo", "Calypso Boogaloo", "Zinah", "Fool Fool Fool", "Ah Diggin Horrors", "Jook For Jook", "Sparrow Come Back Home", "Slave", "She's Been Gone Too Long", "Congo Man", "Ten To One Is Murder", and "Kennedy & Kruschev".

Beats by Jay Dee. B-side by Nikki Giovanni.

A box set edition of the 90s classic by The Pharcyde – the group's high water mark – and one of the greatest hip hop albums of the era! Along with Del and the Souls Of Mischief, Pharcyde were one of the few west coast units to achieve any kind of widespread popularity using the uniquely loopy, funhouse vibe of De La Soul, Black Sheep and Tribe Called Quest in their lighter moments. The original album tracks include the classics "Passing Me By", "Soul Flower", "Ya Mama", "I'm That Type Of Ni@*a", "Officer", "4 Better Or 4 Worse", "Return Of The B-Boys", and lots more. This box set edition featuring the original album, full instrumentals, remixes & more on 3CDs – plus detailed liner notes & vintage photos – in a great-looking little box! Disc 2 features the full instrumentals. Disc 3 – Remixes/B-Cydes – includes "Pork", "Soul Flower (Remix) (Brand New Heavies Version)", "Ya Mama (Matt Dike Remix)", "Ya Mama (Kenny Dope Remix)", "Other Fish (LA Jay Remix)", "Passin' Me By (Fly As A Pie Mix)" and more.

Chicago Soul/New York Underground issue. Songwriter/manager Bernice Williams recalls the early days of Gene Chandler/The Du-Kays, and the true story of "Duke of Earl"; Northern Soul legends the Conquistadors tell tales of 1960s West Side Chicago teenage R&B (plus the first soul Jesus concept album); Do "The Chimp" with Chicago 60s garage rocker/R&B singer Jerry Mundo; H. Dwight Thompson tells tales of 70s NYC punk with the Heat and Klaus Nomi's first band! Relive the early Hip Hop parties of the Disco Fever nightclub; Nardwuar meets Jay-Z and N*E*R*D*; plus great interviews with Chris Montez and Doug Randle, and amazing tributes (by those who knew them) to Lux Interior, Michael Jackson, Billy Lee Riley, Sid Lavarents, Sky Saxon and (sadly) more. And amazing comix about Lennon, Danzig, Hagar, record store clerks, hot dogs, riots, and much more by the best underground cartoonists on earth! 120 pages.

Epic DJ Fontana (elvis presley's 50s-70s drummer) interview. The (pre-industrial) Wax Trax Records story – including the saga of the Jonny iii (Wax Trax house band). Czech prog-gods Plastic People Of the Universe interviewed. Little Richard is Jewish! 1950s country star Marvin Rainwater interviewed. The return, and self-destruction, of the Misfits. Flaming Lips interview. Don "Sugarcane" Harris obituary. Screaming Jay Hawkins obituary. David Lee Roth comix. 1960s psychedelic comic books explored. Interview with Gregg Gellar, master compilation producer, focusing on his "Sammy Davis Jr.-Yes I Can" box set, as well as the ins and outs of comp production. Plus Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Chuck Berry, rock & wrestling, comix and Jerry Lewis and Sammy Davis Jr. as you've always imagined them!

Bud Shank's second Beatles-titled album of the 60s – and a set that's even groovier than the first! The record features a wonderful jazz-based approach to "second chapter" Beatles – with arranger Bob Florence providing superb arrangements for post-Rubber Soul tunes, which are mixed in with some other hip 60s pop numbers too! Bud plays alto sax and flute – still in the lead on the solos – but also couched wonderfully in work from players who include Chet Baker and Gary Barone on flugelhorns, Herb Ellis and Dennis Budimir on guitars, and Victor Feldman on percussion. Titles include "I Am The Walrus", "Paper Cup", "Windy", "I Wanna Be Free", "Hello Goodbye", "Flying", and "Blue Jay Way".

One of the few albums as a leader cut by pianist Ralph Sharon – a player who's best known for his years supporting singer Tony Bennett, but who sounds really wonderful here in an instrumental setting too! Sharon's got a way of coming up both with a punch and a fluid sort of groove – that gentle swing that worked so well to ignite the jazzier side of Bennett's vocals – and which gets lots of room to open up with a voice of its own here! The rest of the trio nicely match Sharon's liveliness on the keys – with work from Jay Cave on bass and Christy Febbo on drums – and although most titles are standards, they're handled with a fresh approach that makes us wish we could hear more from Sharon in such a setting. Titles include "Steeple Chase", "Angel Eyes", "Bluz For Suz", "I'm Glad There Is You", and "Give Me The Simple Life".

Double-length brilliance from the mighty Sahib Shihab – a set that collects a number of killer 60s sessions with members of the Clarke Boland Big Band – all of them great! The small combo work here is amazing – hard-hitting modal jazz that matches, if not tops the best MPS/Saba sounds of the time – all produced to perfection with a really sharp edge, and a cutting approach to jazz that's gone onto inspired countless others in the current scene – including artists on Schema and Ricky-Tick Records, as well as most Japanese club jazz combos! But long before any of those cats started copping his groove, Sahib Shihab had it all totally together – a great ear for his own amazing solos on baritone and flute, and a way of hooking up with players like Francy Boland on piano, Fats Sadi on vibes, Benny Bailey on trumpet, Jimmy Woode on bass, and Kenny Clarke on drums. All players here were Shihab's partners in the Clarke Boland Big Band, and they use these small combo sessions to explore some great new ideas – stripped-down groovers that are heavy on rhythm, and really allow full expression from all the players involved. Titles include "Companionship", "Om Mani Padme Hum", "Bohemia After Dark", "Serenata", "Yah Yah Blues", "Balafon", "Talk Some Yak-ee Dak", "The Turk's Bolero", "CT + CB", "Jay Jay", "Stoned Ghosts", "Just Give Me Time", and "Dijdar".

A legendary album from saxophonist Sahib Shihab – a record that's gone onto become the birth of all things modal and club jazz in the current scene! Shihab always sounded great, no matter what the setting, but there was definitely something magical going on with this session – a one-of-a-kind energy that made his baritone and flute work sound incredibly soulful, searching, and searing – set up with a tight small combo that includes Francy Boland on piano, Fats Sadi on vibes, Jimmy Woode on bass, and Kenny Clarke on drums – a hip slice of the Clarke Boland Big Band that works beautifully together! Every tune here is wonderful, and you're bound to recognized a few covered or sampled classics over the years – on cuts that include "Seeds", "Peter's Waltz", "Who'll Buy My Dream", "Another Samba", "Jay Jay", "Uma Fita De Tres Cores", and "Mauve".

A legendary album from saxophonist Sahib Shihab – a record that's gone onto become the birth of all things modal and club jazz in the current scene! Shihab always sounded great, no matter what the setting, but there was definitely something magical going on with this session – a one-of-a-kind energy that made his baritone and flute work sound incredibly soulful, searching, and searing – set up with a tight small combo that includes Francy Boland on piano, Fats Sadi on vibes, Jimmy Woode on bass, and Kenny Clarke on drums – a hip slice of the Clarke Boland Big Band that works beautifully together! Every tune here is wonderful, and you're bound to recognized a few covered or sampled classics over the years – on cuts that include "Seeds", "Peter's Waltz", "Who'll Buy My Dream", "Another Samba", "Jay Jay", "Uma Fita De Tres Cores", and "Mauve".

A beautiful little record – and one that definitely earns the "suite" distinction in the title – given the thoughtful longform approach of the set! The album's got a more composed feel than other spiritual jazz sessions of the time – not in a stiff way, but in a style that shows that leader Donald Alexander Strachan really has a strong vision in his music – not just in the compositions he spins forth on the record, but also in the way he directs the rich energy of the ensemble! The lineup features Strachan on guitar and piano – but also features Jay Hoggard on vibes, Carl Viggianni on flute, Lee Rozie on tenor, John Thompson on cornet, M Malik Jackson on piano, and Ray Newton and Archie Delerme on percussion. Tracks have this rhythmic pulse and subtle soul that's not unlike some of the more ambitious Horace Silver projects of the time – such as his "with percussion" or "with brass" records – but the feel here is also a bit looser and more intimate too – with a vibe that's very much in the Strata East mode. Titles include "Song Of Searching", "Spiritual Travelers", "Masters Of The Bourchakoun", "Silent Jubilation", "Tenth Door", "Aquarian Voices", and "Soul Release".

A beautiful little record – and one that definitely earns the "suite" distinction in the title – given the thoughtful longform approach of the set! The album's got a more composed feel than other spiritual jazz sessions of the time – not in a stiff way, but in a style that shows that leader Donald Alexander Strachan really has a strong vision in his music – not just in the compositions he spins forth on the record, but also in the way he directs the rich energy of the ensemble! The lineup features Strachan on guitar and piano – but also features Jay Hoggard on vibes, Carl Viggianni on flute, Lee Rozie on tenor, John Thompson on cornet, M Malik Jackson on piano, and Ray Newton and Archie Delerme on percussion. Tracks have this rhythmic pulse and subtle soul that's not unlike some of the more ambitious Horace Silver projects of the time – such as his "with percussion" or "with brass" records – but the feel here is also a bit looser and more intimate too – with a vibe that's very much in the Strata East mode. Titles include "Song Of Searching", "Spiritual Travelers", "Masters Of The Bourchakoun", "Silent Jubilation", "Tenth Door", "Aquarian Voices", and "Soul Release".

The Supersax ensemble takes on the classic concept of Charlie Parker with strings – really sticking true to the groundbreaking spirit of the original experiments, while also bringing things forward a bit with their wonderful multi-horn approach! The group features lead alto from Med Flory, plus tenor from Warne Marsh and Jay Migliori, additional alto from Joe Lopes, trumpet from Conte Candoli, and trombone from Frank Rosolino – the latter two of whom really get in some nice solos of their own! Strings are well-scored – with the kind of subtle swing of the old days, and an occasional solo from Bobby Bruce on violin – and titles include "April In Paris", "All The Things You Are", "Cool Blues", "Kim", "Ornithology", "If I Should Lose You", and "Sign Off".