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Psychedelic jazz & funky numbers from Volker Kriegel – a compilation of grooves from his MPS albums of the early-to-mid 70s! Funky electric and fuzzed out jazz from albums such as Lift!, Octember Variations, Spectrum and Elastic Menu – was well as choice selections from records by The Dave Pike Set – of which Volker was an integral member and perhaps best remembered for! Titles include "Spiral Crackers", "Lift!", "Circus Gambert", "Let's Say Windmill", "Suspicious Child", "Mather", "The Secret Mystery of Hensh", "Mild Maniac" and more.

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".

Smooth, soulful piano from David Benoit – sounding stronger than ever here in a collection of classics recorded for the GRP label! Although the setting's often a bit electric, David plays acoustic throughout – bringing in a core sense of humanity to the tracks, and often a strong sense of individuality as his leads and solos echo out from the smoother backings. The set list is overflowing with tracks – 18 numbers in all – and titles include "Houston", "I Remember Bill Evans", "Cast Your Fate To The Wind", "Saturdays", "Some Other Sunset", "Getting Ready", "Gothic Jazz Dance", "Linus & Lucy", and "Reflections".

A very groovy take on the work of Jimmy Webb – a sweet instrumental set from German maestro Kurt Edelhagen – featuring a host of hip jazz players from around the European scene, and some great arrangements by Quincy Jones! The tunes are all hits by Jimmy – but they're redone wonderfully by Quincy – who brings in a slightly more soulful approach overall – one that finds all the best spaces between the notes in Webb's originals, and uses them to create a wonderfully subtle sense of groove. Instrumentation includes trumpets from Jimmy Deuchar and Shake Keane, trombone from Jiggs Whigham, saxes from Karl Drewo and Wilton Gaynair, organ and celeste from Bora Rokovic, and bass from Peter Trunk – plus some added strings – and Quincy gets some help on the arrangements from Tom Scott and JJ Johnson, in ways that aren't entirely clear from the notes. Titles include "Sunshower", "Galveston", "Didn't We", "Up Up & Away", "Where's The Playground Susie", "Wichita Lineman", and "Honey Come Back".

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".

A decade's worth of magic from the mighty Hugh Masekela – a sweet little set that brings together some of his most groovy tracks of the late 60s and early 70s – in a collection that's overflowing with goodness! Hugh's got a style here that's unlike anyone else – an approach that's rooted in South African jazz, which is definitely shown in his rhythmic progression – but taken to new heights in the Californian scene, where Hugh's music came into contact with folks like The Crusaders and some of the other cooler cats on the coast at the time. The result is a sublime blend of jazz, soul, and African rhythms – with tracks that include "Sipho", "The Boy's Doin It", "Ha Lese Le Di Khanna", "Kwa Blaney", "Stimela", "Maesha", "Phatsha Phatsha", "Child Of The Earth", and "U Dwi".

Great later work from Tom Scott – an artist who cut funk records at the start of the 70s, worked on some great soundtrack jazz, and really spun things out strongly in later years too! Despite Tom's placement here on the GRP label, which was then home to a lot of smooth jazz – the Scott-strong sense of bite on the reeds is still strongly in place – tuned a bit differently than in his funk years of the 70s, but still surprisingly soulful here – and with a lot more punch than most of his mellower GRP contemporaries. The track list is great – really does a lot to remind us that Tom was still sounding wonderful at this point – and titles include "Daybreak", "Dirty Old Man", "Target", "Jungle Funk", "Feet First", "Miz Thang", "Reed My Lips", "GBU", "Night Creatures", "Sneakin In The Back", "Tom Cat", "Midtown Rush", and "We Belong Together".

Sublime soulful sax from Grover Washington – the man who virtually reinvented the sound of the instrument for a decade! The package here brings together some of the coolest cuts from Grover's years on Kudu Records – a place that really helped him hone his sound after initial recordings in the soul jazz underground – coming up with a compressed style that worked perfectly alongside keyboards and Hammond – played here by players who include Dave Grusin, Bob James, and Richard Tee! Tracks are often long and have a snakey vibe that's always funky, but a bit more too – that special blend that was Grover's imprint at the time – and which resonates a lot stronger here than on any later work. The package is overflowing with gems – including "Loran's Dance", "The Sea Lion", "Earth Tones", "Masterpiece", "Black Frost", "Ain't No Sunshine/Theme From Man & Boy", "All The King's Horses", and "Inner City Blues".

Bossa Nova singers from both sides of the equator – in a groovy collection of work recorded both in Brazil and the US! The set's a wonderfully done exploration of the true range of bossa talents in the 60s – and it features both stars from the Brazilian scene, plus other artists who managed to cross over to US audiences, and got a chance to record for labels like Verve and A&M – all presented without cliche, and without too many over-heard bossa standards – a really fresh set overall, and very much up to the high level we expect from the Jazzclub series! Titles include "Oba La La" by Jorge Ben, "Berimbau" by Nara Leao, "Mas Que Nada" by Luiz Henrique, "So Tinha De Ser Com Voce" by Elis Regina, "Fim De Noite" by Chico Feitosa, "Samba Da Pergunta" by Marcia, "Agua De Beber" by Quarteto Em Cy & Tamba Trio, "O Barquinho" by Lucio Alves, "Bim Bom" by Astrud Gilberto, "Bloco Do Eu Sozinho" by Joyce, "Reza" by Elis Regina & Tamba Trio, "The Face I Love" by Marcos Valle, and "Voce" by Dick Farney & Norma Bengell.

A very groovy take on the work of Jimmy Webb – a sweet instrumental set from German maestro Kurt Edelhagen – featuring a host of hip jazz players from around the European scene, and some great arrangements by Quincy Jones! The tunes are all hits by Jimmy – but they're redone wonderfully by Quincy – who brings in a slightly more soulful approach overall – one that finds all the best spaces between the notes in Webb's originals, and uses them to create a wonderfully subtle sense of groove. Instrumentation includes trumpets from Jimmy Deuchar and Shake Keane, trombone from Jiggs Whigham, saxes from Karl Drewo and Wilton Gaynair, organ and celeste from Bora Rokovic, and bass from Peter Trunk – plus some added strings – and Quincy gets some help on the arrangements from Tom Scott and JJ Johnson, in ways that aren't entirely clear from the notes. Titles include "Sunshower", "Galveston", "Didn't We", "Up Up & Away", "Where's The Playground Susie", "Wichita Lineman", and "Honey Come Back".

One of the more far-reaching compilations in the Jazz Club series – reggae covers by jazz mainstays and more from late 60s onward, with a focus on great stuff from the 70s! All of the material was culled from the vast Universal vaults – and it's a pretty sweet set of jazzy reggae and reggae jazz, from artists as diverse as Ernest Ranglin, Bernard Pretty Purdie, The Skatalites, Bill Fraser, Deodato and Medeski, Martin & Wood! 14 tracks in all: "54-46 – (Was My Number)" by Ernest Ranglin, "Jammin'" by Monty Alexander, "I Can See Clearly Now" by Junior Mance, "Natty Never Get Weary" by Dean Fraser, "Rock Fort Rock" by Skatalites, "Montego Bay" by Pretty Purdie, "I Shot The Sheriff" by Deodato, "Walking On Sunshine" by Bill Summers, "Pressure Drop" by Brass Fraser and more.

A stellar collection of far reaching 70s funk – bridging schools of funk brilliantly – from fusiony grooves, to disco, to rawly raucous, and smoothed out and soulful – a mix of famous material that crossed over with others that are best known to crate diggers! The set's in the German Jazz Club series – and includes great stuff from Deaodato, Pleasure, Rose Royce, Betty Davis, Parliament, Rick James, The Bar-Kays, Ohio Players, Southside Movement and many more. 18 tracks in all: "Funk Yourself" by Deodato, "Let's Dance" by Pleasure, "Supernatural Feeling" by Blackbyrds, "Unfunky UFO" by Parliament, "This Is It" by Betty Davis, "Blow Your Head" by Fred Wesley & The JBs, "Shake Your Rump To The Funk" by Bar-Kays, "Funk Talk" by Southside Movement and more.

Jazz loves Marvin Gaye – and we do too! Guess that makes us the perfect folks to rave about how wonderful this set is – a killer collection of 70s jazz funk numbers that pays homage to the great one – offering up instrumental versions of grooves originally recorded by Marvin for Motown – taking the tunes way past their original renderings with loads of sweet instrumental touches! There's still plenty of soul in the mix – given that most numbers here are done in an electrified fusion mode – and a few even feature some slight chorus vocals, too. Titles include "You Sure Love To Ball" by The JBs, "What's Going On" by Quincy Jones, "I Want You" by Gato Barbieri, "Distant Lover" by David Newman, "Don't Mess With Mr T" by Regina Carter, "When Did You Stop Loving Me" by Mongo Santamaria, "Inner City Blues" by Phil Upchurch, and "Trouble Man" by Grover Washington Jr.

A very hip collection of older funky cuts – ones that have been sampled in recent years by hip hoppers, but which stand up plenty darn great on their own! Most tracks here should be quite familiar from recent uses of their key elements, but they sparkle even more brightly here in their original versions – as really stand out soul, jazz, and soundtrack tunes from the 60s and 70s! The package features full notes on all tracks, and also lists a key sampling of each number – and as usual for Jazzclub, you get plenty of greatness here for a very low price. Titles include "Today" by Tom Scott, "California Soul" by Marlena Shaw, "I Love You More & More" by Tom Brock, "Oba La Vem Ela" by Jorge Ben, "Soul Bossa Nova" by Quincy Jones, "Yo Soy Cubano" by Chakachas, "Listen To Me" by Luiz Henrique, "Daylight" by Ramp, "Someday" by George Duke, "Get Up" by Vernon Burch, "Mellow Mellow Right On" by Lowrell Simon, "Enchanted Lady" by Milt Jackson & Ray Brown, "Jim On The Move" by Lalo Schifrin, "Viva Tirado" by El Chicano, and "Daydream" by Gunter Kallman Choir.

A great look at an under-acknowledged period of the career of Eumir Deodato – his mid 70s sides for MCA, recorded right after his better-known records for CTI! The vibe here is quite similar to the jazzy funk that Deodato laid down in the earlier part of the decade – a bit fuller at times, thanks to some added instrumentation, but still filled with amazing work on Fender Rhodes throughout – sweetly soaring keys that come off better than most of Deodato's contemporaries on the fusion scene. The set list here is totally great – and features most of the best tracks from Deodato's four albums for MCA – all distilled down into one great 14 track collection that's filled with wonderful keyboard grooves. Titles include "Amani", "Do It Again", "Moonlight Serenade", "Havana Strut", "Whirlwinds", "Juanita", "Funk Yourself", "Adam's Hotel", "Black Widow", and "Super Strut".

A rare 80s set from Astrud Gilberto – cut at a time when she was hardly doing any new recording at all! As you'll guess from the title, the album has Gilberto teaming up with German groovemaker James Last – who handles all the orchestrations for the record, and shows a surprising sensitivity towards Astrud's bossa styles in his music. Last can sometimes be a bit over the top, but he's quite subtle here – leaving lots of room for Gilberto's sweetly sensitive vocals, and the music of her core combo, which features Romero Lubambo on guitar and Dudu Da Fonseca on percussion. Paulo Jobim guests on vocals and guitar on a few tracks – and titles include "Aqua De Beber", "Champagne & Caviar", "Samba Do Soho", and "Saci".

Moody vocals from the Jankowski Singers – a hip ensemble led by pianist Horst Jankowski, with a floating dreamy sound that's very much in the best MPS easy mode! The tracks on the set are as haunting as the "nightpeople" in the title might imply – harmonic, yet slightly off-kilter – and easy, yet with an undercurrent of 70s slink that makes everything feel a bit stranger than it otherwise might. The title track – "Nightpeople Only" – is a real gem, and worth the price of the record alone – but the rest of the set is pretty wonderful too, with a cool blend of male/female chorus vocals, Jankowski's piano and keyboards, and some sweetly compressed flugelhorn solos from Ack Van Rooyen. Other tracks include "Didn't We", "Let's Make A Day", "With Two Eyes", "Light My Fire", and "Lady Eve". CD also features lots of bonus tracks too – 9 more numbers that include "Heideroslein", "Ach Wie Ist's Moglich Dann", "Dreamflight", "Pink Balloon", "So Wie Heut", "Like A Ruby In The Street", and "Du Du Liegst Mir Im Herzen".

A wealth of spiritual blessings from the incredible Pharoah Sanders – a saxophonist who learned key lessons from John Coltrane, then really ran with his inspiration after his too-early death! The tracks here are all pulled from Sanders' sublime recordings for Impulse Records – amazing work that really helped redefine the sound of soulful jazz for the 70s – by adding in a spiritual undercurrent that really pushes the whole Love Supreme agenda forward strongly – not just through Pharoah's wonderfully raspy lines on tenor, but also via work here from Lonnie Liston Smith on piano, Leon Thomas on vocals, and Idris Muhammad and Norman Connors on drums. Every track is great – and the collection is perfectly put together to illustrate the most heavenly side of Sanders' music – with titles that include "Colors", "Astral Traveling", "The Gathering", "Memories Of Lee Morgan", "Upper Egypt & Lower Egypt (edit)", "The Creator Has A Masterplan (edit)", "Wisdom Through Music", and "Hum Allah Hum Allah Hum Allah".

Groovy genius from German arranger Peter Thomas – a sweet little follow-up to his soundtrack for Chariots Of The Gods! This time around, the setting's a bit more funky – a great mixture of mid 70s grooves with some of the trippier touches you'd know from Peter's previous space scores – all wrapped up with impeccable German production that really makes the whole thing sparkle! Some cuts are heavy on keyboards, while others mix up modes nicely – and as usual with Thomas, there's a really rich array of great sounds that keeps things delightful throughout. Daisy Door sings on the one vocal cut – "Dankeschon Fur Das Wiedersehn" – and other cuts include "Power Boost", "Mysteries Of Humanity", "Gamblin Ostinato", "The Eyes Of The Golden Mask", "Gods & Natives", and "Crystal Skull".

One of jazz accordian player Art Van Damme's groovy records for MPS – recorded in the early and late 70s and finally released in 1979! So Nice was recorded in quintet sessions on 1973 – featuring Siegfried Schwab, Heribert Thusek, Eberhard Weber and Charly Antolini – and it's a got a fairly timeless, sweet natured feel to it. The strings were recorded nearer to albums release later on in the decade, arranged by Van Damme and blend in unexpectedly will – actually pretty great! Titles include "Perdido", "Mountain Greenery", "How Insensitive", "Moonlight In Vermont", "Quiet Nights Of Quiet Stars" and more.