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A post-Blue Note effort, and Donald's changing things up a bit with his 125th Street Orchestra and Uptown Singers – funking along in a way you'd expect from the longwinded title! Byrd loostens up the smoother backgrounds of his recent Larry Mizell helmed work, and in their place are grooves that have more of a heavy slap bass sound, punchier horns and guitars! There are lotes nice moments that are a bit more restrained than the comparably full-on funk approach – and these have a spacey fusiony soul quality that reminds us of similar work that Byrd was doing with The Blackbyrds at the time. One of the best cuts is "Your Life Is My Ecstasy", which has some great bubbling Moog behind it, which creates a sound that you've heard sampled famously by Tribe Called Quest. Other nice ones are "Loving You", which features vocals by Jim Gilstrap, and a remake of Duke Pearson's "Cristo Redentor", a big hit for Don in the 60s, which is redone here in an excellent slow funk mode that feels like Bob James' work on CTI. Others include "Have You Heard The News", "In Love With Love" and "Close Your Eyes And Look Within".

A definite delight from Ronnie Foster – a post-Blue Note set that actually has the keyboardist sounding better than ever! Ronnie's always been one of those guys who seems to work best when moving against a bit of structure – and here, that force is provided by the excellent Jerry Peters – who's come up with some great soul backings that also have these nicely offbeat corners – more than enough to preserve some of the quirkiness of Foster's work from previous years – yet also giving him a bit more direction too! There's a bit of vocals on the set – mostly from Ronnie – with backing from Phyllis Hyman, Jim Gilstrap, and Peters himself. Titles include "Argentina", "We As Love", "Let Me In Your Life", "I've Got Your Love", and "When Will I Write You A Song?". This CD version also includes the bonus "You're The One (US 7" Single)".

A post-Blue Note effort, and Donald's changing things up a bit with his 125th Street Orchestra and Uptown Singers – funking along in a way you'd expect from the longwinded title! Byrd loostens up the smoother backgrounds of his recent Larry Mizell helmed work, and in their place are grooves that have more of a heavy slap bass sound, punchier horns and guitars! There are lotes nice moments that are a bit more restrained than the comparably full-on funk approach – and these have a spacey fusiony soul quality that reminds us of similar work that Byrd was doing with The Blackbyrds at the time. One of the best cuts is "Your Life Is My Ecstasy", which has some great bubbling Moog behind it, which creates a sound that you've heard sampled famously by Tribe Called Quest. Other nice ones are "Loving You", which features vocals by Jim Gilstrap, and a remake of Duke Pearson's "Cristo Redentor", a big hit for Don in the 60s, which is redone here in an excellent slow funk mode that feels like Bob James' work on CTI. Others include "Have You Heard The News", "In Love With Love" and "Close Your Eyes And Look Within".

A fantastic album by The Dramatics – with a harder funkier sound than you'll find on most of their other records of the time – a gritty gem from the group's early years, and a record that really deserves its placement on the Stax label! The record has the group moving into a post-Temptations style of righteous soul – grooving hard with a really heavy bottom on funky numbers like "Get Up and Get Down" and "Whatcha See Is Whatcha Get", and even dropping a bit of a drug reference on the cut "Marry Don't Cha Wanna" – one of those messed-up lyric numbers we'd expect from a Latin Soul group! But the album's also got a sweet side too – as it features the amazing ballad cut "In The Rain", which has some of the most amazing production you'll ever find on the Stax label – harmony work that rivals the greatness of the east coast scene of the time. Other tracks include "Gimme Some", "Thank You For Your Love", and "Hot Pants In The Summertime". Even more amazing – CD features a huge amount of bonus tracks – the entire Dramatic Experience album – an amazing blend of sweet soul harmony vocals, Memphis soul production, and some other-worldly songwriting that far surpasses later work of the group. This album's one of the band's most righteous, with a mixture of Curtom-type message cuts and sweeter love songs – and it includes the cuts "The Devil is Dope", "Beware of the Man (With The Candy In His Hand)", "Jim, What's Wrong With Him?", and "Hey You! Get Off My Mountain". CD also features 2 more bonus tracks – "Stand Up Clap Your Hands" and "Hum A Song".

One of Bley's best records from the 60's, and a great session recorded in Rome with Barry Altschul on drums and Mark Levinson on bass. We think of this era in Bley's career as sort of his middle period, after some important time spent with Ornette, one of the few pianists Coleman ever used, and Jimmy Giuffre, as we as Sonny Rollins, all of whose influence had made an impact on Bley, as a performer, writer and leader. The playing is wide open, but with a keen sense of group interplay and a wonderful dynamic between the three, a post free sensibility that was very progressive but never too noisy or oblique. The tracks include Ornette Coleman's "Ramblin", Annette Peacock's "Both", Carla Bley's "Ida Lupino" and "Albert's Love Theme", and Bley's own "Mazatalon".

A stunning set of unreleased Gene Clark – with formative versions of songs on the one-time overlooked, now much-loved White Light record that are seeing release for the first time ever – plus some equally beautiful buried treasures! One of Clark's greatest strengths during his post-Byrds and Dillard & Clark solo years with the subtle beauty of his songwriting being front-and-center. On these recordings, it's mostly his voice, acoustic guitar and harmonica – and he sounds as vital and timeless as ever. This is a great one for longtime Gene Clark fans and newbies alike – a worthy set for any fan of sparely-furnished singer-songwriter material. Includes "White Light", "Here Tonight", "For A Spanish Guitar", "Please Mr. Freud", "Jimmy Christ", "Where My Love Lies Asleep", "Opening Day", "Because Of You", "With Tomorrow" and more.

The brilliant bluesy side of Hendrix – great stuff recorded from '66-'70 – including his most blues based originals and incredible covers! Bluesy it is, but it's also Jimi – with the soaring, loose and massively influential lead guitar grooves and many of which went unreleased until the 90s – and remains among the most essential of posthumous Hendrix releases. Includes "Hear My Train A Comin'" (acoustic and electric versions), "Born Under A Bad Sign", "Catfish Blues", "Red House", "Voodoo Chile Blues", "Mannish Boy", "Once I Had A Woman", "Jam 292" and "Electric Church Red House".

Fuzzy genius from Jimi – two rare tracks back to back on a limited reissue! "Come On (Let The Good Times Roll)" is awash in fuzz right from the start – Hendrix moving at a mighty quick clip up and down the fretboard – and pushing the bluesy core of the tune way past what you might expect! "Calling All The Devil's Children" comes on strong too – with a rumbling, bassy bottom that almost recalls some post-punk intros – before Jimi comes in and sets the whole thing on fire with some massive guitar!

An amazing document of the legendary Jimi Hendrix – pulled together from private writings, vintage interviews, and other rare materials that really shed light on the genius of Jimi, and get way past some of the overwrought stereotypes of his all-too-short career! There's some great performance footage too, mixed with rare photos – and even some personal drawings, song drafts, postcards, and more – a mini-museum of vintage Hendrix – with lots of artifacts from his life behind the scenes.

A pivotal album for Gladys and group – as the record features their super-huge hit "The Midnight Train To Georgia", a landmark track that not only had a catchy pop hook, but which spoke volumes about African-American migration in the postwar years. The track's one of those you've heard a million times, but it's got a strength that still holds up tremendously. Part of this is due to great production work by Tony Camillo – who handled arrangements and studio work on about half the tracks – and part is due to Jim Weatherly, who wrote the song, and about half the others on the album. Other titles include "I've Got To Use My Imagination", "Window Raising Granny", "Where Peaceful Waters Flow", "Once In A Lifetime Thing", "Best Thing That Ever Happened To Me", and "Storms Of Trouble Times".

The Rubber Band turn their talents towards The Beatles – after successful earlier albums based around the work of Cream and Jimi Hendrix! The sound here is a bit more playful than the funkier sets from before – almost whimsical at times, with instrumentation that does odd things with woodwinds, strings, and other instrumental bits. Most of the tunes are from the later Beatles years – post-Revolver material arranged nicely by John Bahler – with titles that include "Maxwell's Silver Hammer", "She's Leaving Home", "Here Comes The Sun", "Blackbird", "Getting Better", and "Got To Get You Into My Life".

Classic! The third LP from the Time, and last before Morris Day went off and started his solo career – though by this point Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis had departed the group. Nonetheless, the sound is still tight modern funk, with Jesse Johnson and crew keeping things in the great post-Prince Minneapolis pop-funk sound, including some nice dance numbers like "Jungle Love" and "The Bird" – and Morris just being Morris on cuts like "My Drawers", "Chili Sauce" and "If The Kid Can't Make You Come".

Incredible first album from a player who would go onto become one of the major soul jazz talents of the 70's – and one of the owners of the Strata East label. Tolliver plays here with the original incarnation of his Music Inc group – which includes Stanley Cowell, Steve Novosel, and Jimmy Hopps. The tracks are all originals, with a brilliant spiritual groove that virtually describes the direction Tolliver and similar post-Coltrane musicians would take in the 70's. Titles include "The Ringer", "Mother Wit", "Plight", and "On The Nile".

A rare full album from The Tradewinds – a wonderful harmony pop group with a Sunshine Pop feel! The Tradewinds have a style that's heavily in a Beach Boys mode – sunny California harmonies on the vocals, and a sort of post-Pet Sounds approach to songwriting – one that makes for some really compelling songs in the set! The group's best known for their "New York's A Lonely Town" hit, but the whole album is great – filled with inventive songs, compelling vocals, and cool arrangements from Jimmy Wisner and Artie Butler – two very groovy talents. Titles include "Mind Excursion", "Bad Misunderstanding", "Only When I'm Dreamin", "Small Town Bring Down", "To Be With You", "Little Susan's Dreamin", and "Huggin In The Hall". CD also features 2 bonus tracks – "That's When Your Heartaches Begin" and "Hard Life".

A great album from McCoy Tyner – a set that's steeped in the modal soulfulness of his years with John Coltrane, but also handled in a way that really has him breaking away from the pack a bit! Half the album's played with a trio that features Jimmy Garrison on bass – but the strongest cuts feature a sextet with John Gilmore on tenor (making a rare non-Sun Ra appearance), Frank Strozier on alto, Thad Jones on trumpet, Butch Warren on bass, and Elvin Jones on drums – all working beautifully together in an early example of the soulful group groove that Tyner would hit even more strongly in the post-Coltrane y ears. Titles include "T N A Blues", "Three Flowers", "Contemporary Focus", and "Night In Tunisia".

Wicked post-psychedelic rock from Wicked Lady – which are purportedly the group's final recordings – and it's incredible stuff! It's a slab pre-metal heaviness that balance fuzzy guitars and trudging rhythms with a killer groove! The guitars are epic – with swirling psych-indebted fuzz and trudging, Sabbath-y riffs. What's great about the group is the way they carry the influences of both late 60s psych and early 70s proto-metal, while skirting the cliches of both. It sounds great – and it's the kind of thing that still makes waves in underground rock – even decades later! Includes "I'm A Freak", "Tell The Truth", "Passion" a wooly cover of Jimi Hendrix's "Voodoo Chile", "Why Don't You Let Me Try", "Sin City" and the epic closer "Ship Of Ghosts", which spans side four on its own.

A fantastic package that explores the full range of genius on the legendary avant label BYG/Actuel – one of the most important European imprints at the end of the 60s! Actuel was home to some of the best avant garde jazz coming out of Paris in the late 60s and early 70s – an especially important document of the post-68 revolution in European music – at a time when so many American players where showing up in France, and finding great opportunities in the new freedoms of the scene! The package features seminal sides from US avant musicians – like Steve Lacy, Anthony Braxton, Clifford Thornton, Don Cherry, Jimmy Lyons, Archie Shepp, Sonny Sharrock, Sunny Murray, Grachan Moncur III, and The Art Ensemble Of Chicago – and it also features work by European musicians like Claude Delcloo and Jacques Coursil, plus genre-busting work by MEV and Gong as well. The 3CD box features a 48 page book – with lots of great illustrations, and notes from Thurston Moore and Byron Coley – and the set features 26 long tracks in all!

London's always been one of the hippest cities in the world – but back during the postwar years, there was an especially wonderful outpouring of music on the scene – a rich array of new sounds and styles pulled from around the globe – as so many residents from crumbling British empire came to live in the UK! Musicians and listeners arrived in London with plenty of cultural baggage on hand – influences from the Caribbean, West Africa, and India too – plus other smaller scenes that once fell under the British banner, all now the fuel for the cultural fire that was happening in England! The title here tells plenty about the music being made in this newly-formed scene – bits of African highlife, Jamaican calypso, American jazz, Cuban Latin, and more – all filtered into the modernism of the 50s, and given a new twist that was decidedly urban as well. The package may well be the most impressive so far in this legendary series – and is certainly the one that moves the farthest past any sort of easy expectations or cultural conventions. Titles include "Women Police In England" by Mighty Terror, "My Sorrow" by West African Swing Stars, "Cricket Umpires" by Lord Kitchener, "Jordhu" by Caribbean Swing Band, "Trumpet Highlife" by Shake Keane, "Calypso Mambo" by George Browne, "Cuban Nightingale" by Buddy Pipp's Highlifers, "Kitch" by The Quavers, "Tabu" by Mona Baptiste, and "King Jimmy Foo Foo" by Tejan Sie with The West African Rhythm Brothers.

Rare soul from the legendary King Records – hand-picked by Mr Fine Wine, with a special ear for sharp-edged R&B grooves! Most of the work here is from the same early soul stretch as James Brown's initial work for King – and recorded with an equally raw sound overall – heavy rhythms, powerful instrumentation, and amazing vocals that really stretch out with a bold sound for the new generation! A few of the cuts here are by familiar names, and others are lesser-knowns from the rich King catalog – all wrapped together in a big batch of tracks that's filled with the kind of rare gems that Fine Wine's know for – both as a collector and a DJ. Titles include "Old Faithful & True Love" by Earl King, "She's Mine" by Joe Tex, "Mama Needs Your Lovin Baby" by Linda Hopkins, "Cozy's Mambo" by Cozy Cole, "The Jumpin Bean" by The Mystics, "Harem Girl" by Red Prysock, "I Won't Have It" by The King Pins, "One Buffalo" by Jimmy Peterson, "Thanks Mr Postman" by Bobby King, "Solid Rock" by Eli Pauling & The Royalton, "Nothing But Good" by Hank Ballard, and "Take Your Fine Frame Home" by Billy Gayles.

Rare soul from the legendary King Records – hand-picked by Mr Fine Wine, with a special ear for sharp-edged R&B grooves! Most of the work here is from the same early soul stretch as James Brown's initial work for King – and recorded with an equally raw sound overall – heavy rhythms, powerful instrumentation, and amazing vocals that really stretch out with a bold sound for the new generation! A few of the cuts here are by familiar names, and others are lesser-knowns from the rich King catalog – all wrapped together in a big batch of tracks that's filled with the kind of rare gems that Fine Wine's know for – both as a collector and a DJ. Titles include "Old Faithful & True Love" by Earl King, "She's Mine" by Joe Tex, "Mama Needs Your Lovin Baby" by Linda Hopkins, "Cozy's Mambo" by Cozy Cole, "The Jumpin Bean" by The Mystics, "Harem Girl" by Red Prysock, "I Won't Have It" by The King Pins, "One Buffalo" by Jimmy Peterson, "Thanks Mr Postman" by Bobby King, "Solid Rock" by Eli Pauling & The Royalton, "Nothing But Good" by Hank Ballard, and "Take Your Fine Frame Home" by Billy Gayles. Totally great limited package – 20 tracks on 10 funky 45s – all packaged in a mighty cool box!

The John Coltrane sound stretching out to Infinity – beautifully collaborating core spiritual sounds recorded when The Great One was still alive, and later string passages done by Alice Coltrane in the early 70s! The initial tracks are very open and almost easygoing – not the full-on outside expressions of some other Coltrane unreleased sides from the time, but the more cosmic sound of Love Supreme – carried out by musicians that include Alice Coltrane on harp, piano, and organ – plus Pharoah Sanders on tenor, McCoy Tyner on piano, Jimmy Garrison and Charlie Haden on bass, Rashied Ali on percussion, and Elvin Jones on drums. The strings are surprisingly wonderful, too – kind of linking the Coltrane and post-Coltrane generations in ways that are really marvelous, and filled with the kind of majesty that Coltrane should have deserved while still on this planet! Titles include "Living Space", "Joy", "Leo", and "Peace On Earth".

Sublime early 70s work from Jimmy Heath – a record that shows that he was really stretching out with a new sound in the decade – even away from his better-known sides with The Heath Brothers! Jimmy plays tenor, flute, and soprano sax beautifully on the record – with a tone that's incredibly soulful, and even better-blown than his recordings of the 60s – a style that's got a new sense of spiritualism in the post-Coltrane years, one that really stretches out magnificently on the longer tracks in the set. The group's great too – and features Kenny Barron on both acoustic and electric piano, Bob Cranshaw on bass, Tootie Heath on drums, and Mtume on percussion. Heath plays flute, soprano, and tenor – with a group that includes Kenny Barron, Bob Cranshaw, and Mtume. The group performs Mtume's "Alkebu-Lan (Land Of The Blacks)", plus "Heritage Hum", "Angel Man", "Sound For Sore Ears", and "Gap Sealer".

Hard blues and soul loving material from Hendrix – the excellent South Saturn Delta compilation of rarities, alternate mixes and other bits from throughout Jimi's too short life and career! It’s killer stuff that stands up today as well as any posthumous Hendrix release, really pulling together the breadth of stylistic range over the years. Includes "Look Over Yonder", "Here He Comes (Lover Man)", "South Saturn Delta", "Tax Free", "Midnight", "Drifter's Escape", "Midnight Lightning", "All Along The Watchtower", "Power Of Soul" and more.

A wealth of unreleased tracks recorded by Jimmy Smith for Blue Note in the late 50s – most of them short, with a feel that's like his 45rpm work for the label! The sound here is prime early Smith – that totally cooking Hammond sound he had back in the day – mostly set up here in a trio with Kenny Burrell on guitar and Donald Bailey on drums – with guest tenor on a track each by Stanley Turrentine and the obscure Percy France! The tenors are quite welcome when they appear, but the trio material is plenty smoking too – and titles include "Since I Fell For You", "Apostrophe", "Ruby", "September Song", and "Little Blue Girl". CD features bonus alternates of "Since I Fell For You" and "Motorin Along".

London's always been one of the hippest cities in the world – but back during the postwar years, there was an especially wonderful outpouring of music on the scene – a rich array of new sounds and styles pulled from around the globe – as so many residents from crumbling British empire came to live in the UK! Musicians and listeners arrived in London with plenty of cultural baggage on hand – influences from the Caribbean, West Africa, and India too – plus other smaller scenes that once fell under the British banner, all now the fuel for the cultural fire that was happening in England! The title here tells plenty about the music being made in this newly-formed scene – bits of African highlife, Jamaican calypso, American jazz, Cuban Latin, and more – all filtered into the modernism of the 50s, and given a new twist that was decidedly urban as well. The package may well be the most impressive so far in this legendary series – and is certainly the one that moves the farthest past any sort of easy expectations or cultural conventions. Titles include "Women Police In England" by Mighty Terror, "My Sorrow" by West African Swing Stars, "Cricket Umpires" by Lord Kitchener, "Jordhu" by Caribbean Swing Band, "Trumpet Highlife" by Shake Keane, "Calypso Mambo" by George Browne, "Cuban Nightingale" by Buddy Pipp's Highlifers, "Kitch" by The Quavers, "Tabu" by Mona Baptiste, "King Jimmy Foo Foo" by Tejan Sie with The West African Rhythm Brothers, "The Escape" by Dizzy Reece, "Mambo Contempo" by Ginger Johnson, "Life In Britain" by Mighty Terror, "Sway" by Buddy Pipp's Highlifers, "Song Of Joy" by Rupert Nurse's Calypso Band, "Joe Louis Calypso" by Lord Beginner, "Uncle Joe" by Fitzroy Coleman Quintet, "Me Donkey Want Water" by Tony Johnson, "Belly Lick" by Eric Hayden, "Nigeria Odowoyin" by West African Rhythm Brothers, and "Football Calypso" by King Timothy.

A posthumous collection of material that Sam recorded for RCA before his untimely death – not really a greatest hits collection, but a lot better than the usual "house cleaning" type of record that gets issued in this sort of situation! Arrangements are by Stan Applebaum, Jimmie Haskell, and Rene Hall – and titles include "Feel It", "One More Time", "Soothe Me", "I'm Gonna Forget About You", "I Ain't Gonna Cheat On You No More", "Sugar Dumpling", and "Wonderful World".

An early 90s classic that set a new standard for post-Daisy Age jazzy hip hop. Includes "Where I'm From", "It's Good To Be Here", "What Cool Breezes Do", "Time & Space (A New Refutation Of)", "Rebirth Of Slick (Cool Like Dat)", "Escapism (Gettin Free)", "Pacifics", "Appointment At The Fat Clinic", "Swoon Units", "Last Of The Spiddyocks", "Examination Of What", "Nickel Bags", and "Jimmi Diggin Cats".

The dancefloor just got a whole lot funkier – thanks to an incredible selection of rare disco and club tracks from the best years of the genre! The set list here is really amazing – the kind of tunes that rarely turn up this easily, and never in such a cohesive package – and our hats are off to compiler Al Kent for putting together such a wonderfully tasty set! Most numbers here are from the mid to late 70s – and showcase a soulfully grooving approach to disco – one that's free from the cliches of the mainstream side of the genre, and which features plenty of real soul vocals alongside uptempo funky instrumentation that usually features a few odd twists and turns! Most numbers are edited by Al Kent, sometimes in very subtle ways, and include "cover ups" billed to other artists – and the package essentially brings together material from Kent's previous CD series of the same name – but with revised track order, wonderful packaging, and a bonus poster! There's a whopping 45 tracks in all – with cuts that include "Love Is All Around" by Sizzle, "I've Been Searching" by Arts & Crafts, "Get Ready" by Allan Harris & Perpetual Motion, "Sweet Jazz Music" by Panache, "To Be With You" by Jimmy Sabater, "Funkathone" by The People's Workshop, "Just Friends" by Silver Platinum & Gold, "Why In The World Do They Keep On" by Executive Suite, "Dancing Free" by Hot Ice, "Doing Our Own Thang" by Al Tanner, "Fear" by Arthur King, "Party Together" by Superbs, "How Can I Tell Her" by Curtis, "Giving It All To You" by Cheryl Berdell, "We've Got It" by Sylvano Santorio, and "Sound Of Disco Rock" by Stringfield Family.

The dancefloor just got a whole lot funkier – thanks to an incredible selection of rare disco and club tracks from the best years of the genre! The set list here is really amazing – the kind of tunes that rarely turn up this easily, and never in such a cohesive package – and our hats are off to compiler Al Kent for putting together such a wonderfully tasty set! Most numbers here are from the mid to late 70s – and showcase a soulfully grooving approach to disco – one that's free from the cliches of the mainstream side of the genre, and which features plenty of real soul vocals alongside uptempo funky instrumentation that usually features a few odd twists and turns! Most numbers are edited by Al Kent, sometimes in very subtle ways, and include "cover ups" billed to other artists – and the package essentially brings together material from Kent's previous CD series of the same name – but with revised track order, wonderful packaging, and a bonus poster! Limited vinyl 1 features the tracks – "Love Is All Around" by Sizzle, "I've Been Searching" by Arts & Crafts, "Get Ready" by Allan Harris & Perpetual Motion, "Sweet Jazz Music" by Panache, "To Be With You" by Jimmy Sabater, "Funkathone" by The People's Workshop, "Just Friends" by Silver Platinum & Gold, and "Why In The World Do They Keep On" by Executive Suite.

The title's a bit obtuse, but the music is warm and soulful throughout – a really tremendous session that carries on the strong legacy of solo work that Jimmy Heath was doing in the 70s! The feel here is a lot like some of Heath's dates for the Muse or Xanadu labels – and Jimmy's working here with a great rhythm section that includes Larry Willis on piano, Stafford James on bass, and Akira Tana on drums – players who provide a very soulful grounding for the set. Heath blows alto, tenor, and soprano sax – and remaining players include Tom Williams on trumpet and Tony Purrone on guitar. The groove is in a classic Prestige/Riverside mode – not hard hardbop, but soulful, with touches of post-Coltrane blowing, and the mix of lyricism and soul jazz that Heath's always brought to his best work. Titles include "Trane Connections", "Forever Sonny", "You Can See", "I Waited For You", and "Song For Ben Webster". CD features the bonus track "Is That So".

A fantastic session by Jimmy Heath – cut right at the time of his best 70s soul jazz work! This obscure set was recorded in New York in 1974, but not issued in this form until the mid 90s – and it features Heath with a stellar group that includes Curtis Fuller, Stanley Cowell, Mtume, Billy Higgins, and Pat Martino. The overall sound is modal soul jazz – in the style of the best work on Strata East, with a far-reaching spiritual approach that never goes too far outside, but which is ready to explore the farther aspects of jazz-based expression. Heath is incredible – leading the group on alto and soprano, blowing post-Coltrane lines that are supported by fantastic rhythm work by Cowell, Sam Jones, and Billy Higgins. Tracks include "The 13th House", "Time & The Place", "The Voice Of The Saxophone", and "No End".

The legendary album by the third star in the original Native Tongues trinity! Before the first De La and Tribe LPs, and with hint of all the great stuff that was to come – jazzy beats, nice rhymes,and straight butter all the way through. This double vinyl version includes a bonus track that was not originally on the first LP release – "The Promo" featuring a verse from Q-Tip, his first-ever appearance on wax, a full year before the first Tribe Called Quest single. Tracks include "On the Run", "Straight Out the Jungle", "Black Is Black", "Braggin & Boastin", "Behind The Bush", "Because I Got It Like That", "I'll House You", and "Jimbrownski".

Tight session of hard post-swing jazz, but still very straight ahead. With Jimmy Forrest on tenor adding a nice hard edge to Harry Edison's trumpet sound, and a large rhythm section featuring Jimmy Jones, Freddie Greene, Joe Benjamin and Charlie Persip. 6 in all: "Nasty", "Pussy Willow", "The Very Thought O f You", "Sunday", "Fair Ground" and "The Strollers".