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Smooth mellow jazz funk from guitarist Jimmy Ponder – a player who hit harder notes in earlier days, but who's playing here in a sweet slick style that's a bit Wes Montgomery, and a bit George Benson. Most of the tracks have large arrangements with backing vocals – but Jimmy's guitar is still out front, and we have to say that we actually really dig the super-dope style of production laid down by Sonny Lester. Titles include "Chasing That Face", "A Trip To The Stars", "A Clue", and "Turn".

Surprisingly sweet grooves from guitarist Jimmy Ponder – one of the few from the jazz funk generation who kept on going strong into the 80s! Jimmy's sound here is nicely laidback – a nice change from his smoother albums of a few years before, and set up in an almost-classic sort of mode with John Patton on organ! The sound isn't as hard-wailing as a Blue Note date from the 60s, but it's also pretty good too – nicely chromatic, and really showing the change in Ponder's approach to the guitar over the years – informed with a bit of Wes Montgomery phrasing, but still grooving overall. Patton's organ is never too dynamic, but always nice –a nd other players include James Anderson on tenor, Geary Moore on rhythm guitar, Eddie Gladden on drums, and Lawrence Killian on percussion. Titles include "I'll Always Be There", "Jump", "In A Mellow Tone", "When Love Comes My Way", and "Blues For Betty".

A great little record by Jimmy Ponder – recorded late in the 80s, but with some nice touches that give the record more of an early 70s jazz funk groove – almost a style that hits the Prestige sound at times! John Patton's in the group on organ – making one of his best appearances of the 80s, and really hitting nicely with some lean and rhythmic lines that keep things grooving on most of the record's best tracks. Ponder's on hollow-body, but playing with a tune that's more line-focused than some of his more warmly chromatic sets from the late 70s and early 80s – a return to the sound he first forged in the late 60s, heard here with backing rhythm guitar from Geary Moore on 2 tracks, plus some nice flute and tenor from Bill Saxton throughout. Titles include the nice groover "Mean Streets, No Bridges", plus "After The Rain", "They Long To Be Close To You", and "Next Time You See Me".

Great back-to-basics work from Jimmy Ponder – a well-crafted but laidback session that has the guitarist really opening up nicely in a hip quartet! Jimmy never tries too hard to get things back to the sound of the old days – never any of those hokey nods to the acid jazz generation you might find at the time – and instead, he really enjoys the open setting of the session, and crafts some well-played solos with a sweet hollow-body sound! The group features Mark Soskin on piano, Peter Washington on bass, and Roger Humphrey on drums – and the album features an especially nice 9 minute take on "The Creator Has A Master Plan", plus "Johnny's Place", "Moonlight In Vermont", "Softly As In A Morning Sunrise", and "Sunshine".

Excellent transitional album by Byrd – transitional in that it marks the difference between his hard soul jazz funky recordings from the 60's and his easier electric recordings from the early 70's. Donald's playing in a sweet mellow style, with beautiful strident reaching solos that float over soul jazz arrangements for a larger group that includes Duke Pearson on electric piano, Frank Foster on tenor, Jimmy Ponder on guitar, and Joe Chambers on drums. 4 long tracks – "Weasil", "I Love the Girl", "Fancy Free", and "The Uptowner".

A sweet little set from Houston Person – a record that's a nice return to basics, much needed after some of his overproduced sessions of the mid 70s! The group here features a number of old Prestige stalwarts, helping Houston to hit a laidback soul jazz vibe – players who include Jimmy Ponder on guitar, Sonny Phillips on organ, and Idris Muhammad as drums – as well as Bill Hardman on trumpet, whose clean blowing in the front brings Houston back up to speed. Larry Killian plays added percussion on the set – and tracks include "Dameron", "Preachin & Teachin", "My Romance", and "Wildflower".

Killer work from the last years of Stanley Turrentine on Blue Note – tracks that appeared here for the first time ever, as a long-overdue LP release at the end of the 70s! The bulk of the set features some compelling quartet work – with Stan's tenor in the company of McCoy Tyner on piano, Gene Taylor on bass, and Billy Cobham on drums – almost in Easy Walker sort of territory, with a great stepping soulful groove – but a bit more fluid, given the Tyner touch! That quartet plays "Stan's Shuffle", "Watch What Happens", "Intermission Walk", and "Wave". The set ends with the killer title track "Ain't No Way" – a tenor/Hammond cooker based on the Carolyn Franklin soul tune – really given a workout by Stan and a group that features Shirley Scott on organ and Jimmy Ponder on guitar!

Way more than just a jazz funk revival – given that all of the tracks here are from the mighty Muse Records, one of the coolest companies going back in the 70s! The set does a great job of mixing straighter funk with some more righteous numbers – showing two key sides of the label's genius at the time – and really blowing our mind with the range of wonderful music in the set! There's loads of overlooked gems here – packaged nicely in one cool little set – and titles include "Mean Streets No Bridges" by Jimmy Ponder with John Patton, "Chameleon" and "Thank You Falletinme Be Mice Elf Again" by Eddie Jefferson, "In the Middle of It All" by Neal Creque, "Mystery Of The Ages" by Carlos Garnett, "In The Meantime" by Kenny Barron", "Walk That Funky Dog" by Stan Bronstein, "Philadelphia Bright" by Walter Bishop Jr, "and both "Let Us Go" and "Black Love" by Carlos Garnett.

More funky breaks than Evel Knevel after the Snake River Canyon jump! The groove hounds at BGP records were set loose on the Ace catalog – which includes holdings from Atlantic, Stax, Volt, Westbound, and other funky classic labels – and they managed to come up with a killer batch of funky cuts, even though this is their 3rd dip into the crates! If anything, perhaps they dipped even deeper this time – especially as some of the once-trusted sources for breaks, like the famous Ultimate Breaks & Beats series, are now disappearing from the market. Titles include "Soul Pad" by The Coasters, "I Walk On Gilded Splinters" by Johnny Jenkins, "T Plays It Cool" by Marvin Gaye, "Nappy Dugout" by Funkadelic, "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" by Jimmy Ponder, "Get Out Of My Life Woman" by The Mad Lads, "The Rose" by 50 Foot Hose, "Holy Ghost" by The Bar Kays, "No Strings Attached" by The Mad Lads, "After Laughter Comes Tears" by Wendy Rene, "River's Invitation" by Freddie Robinson, "This House Is Smokin" by BT Express, "Music Man (parts 1 & 2)" by Pleasure Web, and "I'm Afraid The Masquerade Is Over" by David Porter.

More funky breaks than Evel Knevel after the Snake River Canyon jump! The groove hounds at BGP records were set loose on the Ace catalog – which includes holdings from Atlantic, Stax, Volt, Westbound, and other funky classic labels – and they managed to come up with a killer batch of funky cuts, even though this is their 3rd dip into the crates! If anything, perhaps they dipped even deeper this time – especially as some of the once-trusted sources for breaks, like the famous Ultimate Breaks & Beats series, are now disappearing from the market. Titles include "Soul Pad" by The Coasters, "I Walk On Gilded Splinters" by Johnny Jenkins, "T Plays It Cool" by Marvin Gaye, "Nappy Dugout" by Funkadelic, "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" by Jimmy Ponder, "Get Out Of My Life Woman" by The Mad Lads, "The Rose" by 50 Foot Hose, "Holy Ghost" by The Bar Kays, "No Strings Attached" by The Mad Lads, "After Laughter Comes Tears" by Wendy Rene, "River's Invitation" by Freddie Robinson, "This House Is Smokin" by BT Express, "Music Man (parts 1 & 2)" by Pleasure Web, and "I'm Afraid The Masquerade Is Over" by David Porter.

An excellent bit of slick jazzy soul! The session was headed up B Baker and Lance Quinn, and it's a swirling mix of funky fusion, played by a group that includes Jimmy Ponder, Lonnie Smith, Jimmy McGriff, and Eddie Daniels. Two cuts have lead vocals – "It's Where You're Coming From", which features Lew Kirton, and "Dreamer", which features Gene Scott – but the strongest part is the jazzy playing, very much in the mode of a slick Fantasy Records sound from the late 70s. Includes the jazz funk classic "Snowblower", plus "Carousel" and "Spirit Level".

A really great later Blue Note session from Stanley Turrentine – a small combo set that's almost a return to the format of earlier years! The group's a strong one – and features Shirley Scott on organ, Jimmy Ponder on guitar, and Idris Muhammad on drums – playing in a style that's subtler and more laidback than his work with Lou Donaldson, but which still has a nice funk undercurrent. Stan's horn is in wonderful form on the record – really taking advantage of the longer tracks to open up with a mellow and exploratory tone – and the team of Scott and Ponder especially sounds great next to each other on the album. Tracks include "Boogaloo", "Buster Brown", and "Common Touch". CD also features a bonus 11 minute version of Carolyn Franklin's fiesty cut "Ain't No Way"!

One of the greatest Blue Note funky jazz sets of the late 60s – an all-out soul fest headed up by funky Lou Donaldson, and featuring some incredible work on drums from Idris Muhammad – who was still calling himself Leo Morris at this point! Muhammad's work on the drums is fantastic – not just in the snap-funk mode of some of his oft-sampled Blue Note classics, but also hitting these nicely changed-up rhythms that dance along with a free sense of joy, love, and life – one that seems to open Lou up even more than before! Other players on the set are great too – and include a young Charles Earland on organ, Blue Mitchell on trumpet, and Jimmy Ponder on guitar – cooking up some incredible licks that fill in the spaces between the grooves with a wash of soulful colors! Titles include a great version of the James Brown Classic "Say It Loud", plus the originals "Snake Bone" and "Brother Soul" – and surprisingly great takes on "Summertime" and "Caravan"!

One of the last albums that Richard Groove Holmes ever recorded – but a surprisingly strong little set, and one that shows that he never stopped hitting the Hammond hard, even in the later years of his life! The record's got a depth of feeling that goes way beyond the dated, cheesy album on the cover – almost a classic organ groove, produced by Houston Person for the session – who's also prominently featured on tenor for the date. Other players include Cecil Bridgewater on trumpet, Jimmy Ponder on guitar, Bad Bascomb on bass, and Greg Bandy on drums – plus Ralph Dorsey on congas and a bit of added percussion. The largeish group still manages to sound nice and lean – and although there's a few bassline moments that belie the date of the record, most of the material has a very classic soul jazz sound. Titles include "Renee", "Love Letters", "I Love Your Smile", "Hot Tat", "I Gotta Go", and "Second Time Around".

Jimmy hits a bit of a CTI groove here – working with larger backings from Brad Baker, but still in a style that's got a heck of a lot of soul, despite the smoothness! There's plenty of great space for solo work on the set, and Jimmy Ponder is especially nice in the format – hitting some warmly chromatic solos that still have plenty of invention too – and which sound very sweet alongside Jimmy's work on organ and keyboards. Other soloists include Hank Crawford and Eddie Daniels, and titles include the funky moogy classic "Tapioca", plus "Outside Looking In", "Dust Pan", "Walkin Willie", "Midnight Boogie", and "Playland".

A lost treasure! This set features 9 unreleased tracks recorded by Houston Person during the height of his jazz funk years for Prestige – one track with a group that includes Billy Butler on guitar, Ernie Hayes on organ, Bernard Purdie on drums, and Cecil Bridgewater on trumpet – the other eight tracks with a Latin-tinged group that includes Hank Jones, Jimmy Ponder, Victor Paz, Jerry Gonzalez, and Nicky Marrero. The Latin backings work surprisingly well for Person, whose cutting style on the tenor works against the grooves in a great way – and the use of Latin rhythms makes for a slightly different mode, but one that's every bit as soulful as his other work. Titles include "Theme From Baxter", "St Thomas", "Waking Up Alone", "Montuno Merengue", and "Nemo".

A sweet little set from Houston Person – a record that's a nice return to basics, much needed after some of his overproduced sessions of the mid 70s! The group here features a number of old Prestige stalwarts, helping Houston to hit a laidback soul jazz vibe – players who include Jimmy Ponder on guitar, Sonny Phillips on organ, and Idris Muhammad as drums – as well as Bill Hardman on trumpet, whose clean blowing in the front brings Houston back up to speed. Larry Killian plays added percussion on the set – and tracks include "Dameron", "Preachin & Teachin", "My Romance", and "Wildflower".

No coolin out here, as the set's a great batch of soulful jazz numbers from the legendary Muse label – filled with overlooked gems from the imprint's key 70s run – including a fair bit of gems that will set you digging for other treasures from the label! The style here is less straight jazz funk than a mix of soulful and righteous styles – some straight, some a bit more exploratory – all pretty darn wonderful, and proof that Muse could often hit some of the hippest territory in jazz when it was on the money. The set features 8 tracks in all – including "Cheeka's Dance" by Groove Holmes, "Vibrations" by Buster Williams, "Dawn" by Kenny Barron, "Angel Man" by Jimmy Heath, "New Found Truths" by Catalyst, and "Bumpin On Sunset" by Jimmy Ponder.

Way more than just a jazz funk revival – given that all of the tracks here are from the mighty Muse Records, one of the coolest companies going back in the 70s! The set does a great job of mixing straighter funk with some more righteous numbers – showing two key sides of the label's genius at the time – and really blowing our mind with the range of wonderful music in the set! There's loads of overlooked gems here – packaged nicely in one cool little set – and titles include "Mean Streets No Bridges" by Jimmy Ponder with John Patton, "Chameleon" and "Thank You Falletinme Be Mice Elf Again" by Eddie Jefferson, "In the Middle of It All" by Neal Creque, "Mystery Of The Ages" by Carlos Garnett, "In The Meantime" by Kenny Barron", "Walk That Funky Dog" by Stan Bronstein, "Philadelphia Bright" by Walter Bishop Jr, "and both "Let Us Go" and "Black Love" by Carlos Garnett.

One of the grooviest albums ever from Jimmy McGriff – a hard-wailing session that's filled with plenty of cooking lines on the organ, and a few especially funky tracks! The groove here is tight, short, and very sharp – strongly in the mode of other post-Sue sessions by McGriff – like The Worm or other Groove Merchant sides – with a style that's often much more focused than Jimmy's earlier years, and strongly turned towards the rhythms of the tunes! A few numbers are more familiar soul jazz, but these are nicely offset by the harder funk numbers of the record – like the romping, stomping break classic "The Main Squeeze", the totally groovy "The Worm Turns", and the fast-vamping "GMI". The group features Jimmy Ponder on guitar and Connie Lester on alto sax – and other titles include "The Sermon", "Stella By Starlight", and "The Blues Train To Georgia".