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A great trad revival set from trombonist Vic Dickenson – working here with trumpeter Joe Thomas, in a style that really shows the respect that Atlantic Records had for older jazz modes – even during the height of their R&B and modern jazz years! The group's a great one – with trumpet from Buck Clayton, and tenor from Hal Singer and Buddy Tate – and the session features one great long jam session that's almost Verve-like in nature – a cut called "Blues For Baby", that's obviously a great setting for these players. Other shorter numbers include "Undecided", "Lamp Is Low", and "Crazy Rhythm".

Jazzy club from Joe Thomas – 2 tracks that feature the Ebony Godfather's flute alongside some sweet electric backings! "Funky Fever" has a silly title but is actually a nice little cut – one that has electric keys and warm arrangements from Brad Baker, plus a bit of vocals on the chorus. "Polarizer" is even funkier – a bit slower and chunkier, almost in a late 70s kind of Blue Note fusion mode!

The greatest album ever recorded by Joe Thomas – and a hip batch of funky flute tracks that ranks with the best work of Jeremy Steig or SOUL! Joe's blowing here with arrangements by Chico O'Farrill – strangely off-beat backings that add in more than a touch of Latin to the funk, making for a strong little groove on the best cuts. There's a couple of short funky 45 cuts on here, like "Chitlins & Chuchyfritos" and "Ebony Godfather", but the real winner is a long version of Gary Byrd's "Every Brother Ain't a Brother", which features Joe soloing next to some great funky keyboards!

The greatest album ever recorded by Joe Thomas – and a hip batch of funky flute tracks that ranks with the best work of Jeremy Steig or SOUL! Joe's blowing here with arrangements by Chico O'Farrill – strangely off-beat backings that add in more than a touch of Latin to the funk, making for a strong little groove on the best cuts. There's a couple of short funky 45 cuts on here, like "Chitlins & Chuchyfritos" and "Ebony Godfather", but the real winner is a long version of Gary Byrd's "Every Brother Ain't a Brother", which features Joe soloing next to some great funky keyboards!

Sweet clubby grooving from Joe Thomas – a set that has the Ebony Godfather smoothing his groove a bit for the disco years of the late 70s, but still keeping things plenty soulful throughout! Brad Baker (of B Baker Chocolate Company fame) arranged and conducted the album, and he brings in some added vocals to the session – starting most tunes with a bit of singing before the instrumentalists get to solo in the grooves. The approach still works plenty darn well, though – and there's some great numbers here that slide in a bit of moogy vamping, in a way that's somewhat like some of Thomas' previous Ebony Godfather records. Titles include the funky "Caught You Lying Again", the smooth stepper "Let Me Be The One", and the tracks "Sugar Smack", "Get On Back", "Make Your Move", and "Your Love Is So Good To Me".

The first LP by this stormin' organ jazz combo from Chicago, featuring the great Odell Brown on organ, Artee (Duke) Payne on alto, and Thomas Purvis on tenor. Includes loads of great tracks, like their originals "Enchilada Joe", "Raising the Roof", and "A Cool Senorita" – plus groovy covers of "Day Tripper" and "Maiden Voyage". A classic in the combo lounge scene, with the kind of firey playing that you'd only find in a place like Chicago.

Great 40s material – with trumpeters that include Buck Clayton, Roy Eldridge, Charlie Shavers, and Joe Thomas.

Fantastic electric work from the great Joe Henderson – one of his most free-wheeling sets for Milestone, and one of his best as well! The album's got a much more open, fluid groove than some of Joe's earlier electric sets – one that has Henderson working through longer tunes that almost have a Gary Bartz-ish sense of soul. Joe plays flute, soprano, tenor sax, and percussion – and also manages to do a bit of vocalizing on the record too – singing in a cool, angular mode that almost has traces of Andy Bey. Other players include Larry Willis on electric piano, echoplex, and ring modulator – plus James Ulmer and John Thomas on guitar, Dave Holland on bass, Jack DeJohnette on drums, and Art Jenkins on percussion. There's even a slight touch of funk on a few of the tracks – but not in a way that's overdone – again in keeping with the gentler soulful mode you'd expect from Bartz. Titles include "Tress Cun Deo La", "Me Among Others", "Song for Sinners", "Bwaata", and "Turned Around".

Sweet 70s electric work from Jimmy McGriff – material that's different than his grittier grooves of the 60s, but still plenty darn great! The style's clearly influenced by CTI – as Jimmy's using electric piano as much as organ – and is getting some fuller support in the backings from Brad Baker and a host of great studio players. The sound is still plenty darn funky though – a soundtrack-styled approach that has Jimmy's keyboards soaring over the lush backdrops – still with plenty of rhythm, and elements that include choppy guitar and some nice work from a horn section. Joe Thomas solos a fair bit on tenor and flute – and the whole thing sounds like some nice lost cop show soundtrack! Titles include "It Feels So Nice (Do It Again)", "Please Don't Take Me Out", "Mean Machine", "Pogo's Stick", and "Overweight Shark Bait".

Chicago's long-living, always great zine Roctober takes a look at the 80s – through the wholy unique Roctober lens that shows this oft-maligned and/or nostalgia prone decade in a totally great way! The Livin' In The 80s Issue has interviews with lost 70s/80s funkster Captain Sky Glenn, Danzig, Boyd Rice, Curtom Records' Eddie Thomas, PiL, Stax Record historian Rob Bowman, TSOL, The Zero Boys, French diva Helena Noguerra, Japanese group sound legends The Golden Cup, The Knots, Plus Daniel Lanois, The Cheepskats, Clara & Chris Ware on Tiny Tim, Ernie Kovacs, Electric Prunes, Joe Strummer, The Romantics, comics, obits, reviews, and unpublished photos of Black Flag, Bad Brains, Misfits and more!

The great late 60s record from Peruvian rockers The (St Thomas) Pepper Smelter! Soul & Pepper is a batch of fuzzy, organ-heavy groovers – with a few strong covers and some worthy originals by the band. It has a pretty tight late 60s feel – one that's informed by their garage and freakbeat forbears from around the world – along with some uniquely South American sounds. They take on "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida", "Strange Brew" and "Hey Joe" – and they put a unique spin on those classic tunes – but the group's originals are pretty great, too! Other tracks include "Pepper's Boogaloo", "Answer", and the wild "Betty Boom, Little Monster Doggie and Peggie At The Witches Castle". They sing in English on most tracks – and this great CD version has 3 bonus cuts – including a Spanish version of "Stormy", plus the instrumentals "Un Nuevo Verano" and "Outside Woman Blues".

Trumpeter Rex Stewart heads a great lineup of players from the Fletcher Henderson band – including Joe Thomas and Taft Jordan on trumpets, Benny Morton and Dicky Wells on tormbones, Buddy Tate and Hilton Jefferson on saxes, and Red Richards on piano!

A spiritually-resonant set from vocalist Dwight Trible – one of the greatest jazz singers of the past few decades! Trible's got a depth that few others can match – a quality that takes us back to the glory days of Leon Thomas with Pharoah Sanders, or Joe Lee Wilson on the Paris scene of the 70s – but heard only on a handful of albums under his own name, plus work with the Build An Ark collective and Life Force Trio! Cosmic reminds us of everything we loved about Dwight's Living Water album a few years back, and this one may be even stronger – sung with a yearning, soaring, soul-shaking voice that's perfect for both the original material, and a few well-chosen classics. Trible is backed by a stellar group of musicians that includes John Beasley on piano and organ and George Harper on tenor sax – and titles include "Speak To Us Of Love", "I've Known Rivers", "In The Beginning GOD", "Love Is Forever", "Little Afrika", "Algeriangeles", "Hyku For Peace/Come Ye", "It's All About Love" and a glorious take on the Five Stairsteps soul classic "Ooh Child"!

Amazing grooves from a legendary pair of labels – the ultra-funky Perception and Today Records, home of some killer sounds from the New York scene at the start of the 70s! The labels had a great ear for up-and-coming soul – especially with some of the younger groups rising up at the time – and they also used their magic to refresh the sounds of some older artists, particularly jazz musicians, who took on an ultra-funky approach at Perception – one that's made their work for the label some of the most in-demand over the years! Drums are heavy, bass is nice and fuzzy, and many of the cuts have a righteous sound that really takes off from the most progressive soul, funk, and jazz of the late 60s – pushing hard with an even heavier 70s vibe. Titles include "Brother" by Adam Wade & Johnny Pate, "Too Sad To Tell" by Debbie Taylor, "Chitlins & Chuchifritos" by Joe Thomas, "Naturally Good" by Bartel, "You & I" by Black Ivory, "I Can't Get No Higher" by The Eight Minutes, "You Owe It To Yourself" by JJ Barnes, "Get Some Of This" by Madhouse, "Honey Buns" by Bobby Rydell, "Gingele" by Astrud Gilberto, "One Life" by The Albert, "Surrender" by Black Ivory, "Wishful Thinking" by JJ Barnes, "You've Just Been Bitten" by Bartel, "Every Brother Ain't A Brother" by Joe Thomas, "Submission" by Tyrone Washington, "Boogie" by Bartel, "Alligator" by Dizzy Gillespie, "Rock Steady" by Julius Brockington, "Find The One Who Loves You" by The Eight Minutes, "A Possibility" by Wanda Robinson, and "Heritage Hum" by James Moody.

Seminal soul from one of Chicago's greatest labels in the 60s – the One-Der-Ful/Mar-V-Lus imprints, plus tracks from related Toddlin Town too – home to some of the best indie work at the time! The quality here is right up there with the best you'd hear from Chess, Okeh, or Brunswick in the 60s – no surprise, since the pair of labels shared lots of similar talents with the bigger companies – as well as session men, songwriters, and producers too! The full scope of Chicago soul is really covered here – upbeat groovers for the dancefloor, heartfelt ballads with great harmonies, and some of the harder-edged bluesy numbers that really helped put One-Der-Ful on the map! There's also some key early examples of funk – proof that in the 60s, Chicago was one of the hippest scenes in the world – and the set comes with 2 CDs, nestled in a hardback booklet of notes and photos – with a whopping 50 tracks in all. Titles include "Tired Of Being Lonely" by The Sharpees, "Without You" by The Ulti-Mations, "That's How It Is" by Otis Clay, "Keep On Dancin" by Alvin Cash, "The Funky Judge" by Bull & The Matadors, "I Get A Groove" by Thomas East & The Fabulous Playboys, "Damper Down" by Bobby Davis, "The Town I Live In" by McKinley Mitchell, "Come Back Home" by Beny Turner, "Master Key" by Harold Burrage, "If I Could Live My Life All Over" by Dorothy Prince, "You Told A Lie" by Johnny Sayles, "New Girl" by The Accents, and "Don't You Worry" by Joe & Mack.

A funky & far reaching compilation on Perfect Toy! Shake-A-Leg features Afro Beat, jazz funk, funky hip hop and raw soul – compiled by Tobias Kirmayer and Jerker Kluge – highlighting the kinds of grooves they spin at their monthly club nights in Munich! It has a timeless feel, thanks in no small part to the duos penchant for selecting numbers that stretch as far back to the 70s roots, as well as some of best tracks from the diverse contemporary funk underground. Includes hip hop funk from Othello & DJ Vajra and Breakestra feat Chali 2na, Soup, Double K & Mixmaster Wolf, classic jazz funk era heroes Grant Green, Joe Thomas and Eddie Jefferson, modern Afro Funk from Ikebe Shakedown, Latin Beat from Cesar's Salad and much more! Titles include "Family Rap" by Breakestra, Chali 2na & others, Grant Green's cover of Kool & The Gang's "Let The Music Take Your Mind", "You Can Bet Your Swet Bippy" by The Joe Thomas Group, ""Outlines Part 3" by Ernst Arno, "Hard Steppin" by Ikebe Shakedown, "Yenyere" by Cesar's Salad" and more.

Smoking soul from 60s Texas – a tremendous amount of rare tunes from obscure little singles – pulled together to showcase the Lonestar State as a musical powerhouse to rival Motown, Philly, or the Windy City! The tracks here are all from various labels headed by the legendary Huey P Meux – and unlike other Texas work you may know from the time, lots of these numbers are bubbling over with the kind of soul elements you'd normally hear from east coast indie work of the time – and in that way, are almost like some of the other 60s material cut by southern transplants on the LA scene of the time – familiar, but a little offbeat too – with odd little twists and turns that really keep things interesting, and which make the package a really fresh musical discovery. There's some nice deep soul elements at times, particularly on the mellower cuts – and titles include "Go Go Train" by Jackie Paine, "That Is Why The End Must Begin" by Joe Masters, "Irene" by Rockin Dave Allen, "Time" by Charles Barry, "Get To Gitten" by Big Walter, "Doggin Around" by Jean Knight, "Friends In Show Business" by Joe Melvin, "Neighbor Neighbor" by Alton Valier, "You'll Lose A Good Thing (demo)" by Barbara Lynn, "Let Them Talk" by Johnny Adams, "If You're Looking For A Fool" by David King Thomas, and "Pick Me Up On Your Way Down" by Margo White.

Legendary work from Goldwax Records – pulled from a stretch when the Memphis imprint was really going strong! By the time of these tracks, Goldwax was really coming into their own – picking up some of the best soul currents of the Memphis scene – and rivaling the Stax/Volt powerhouse in terms of quality – especially on the deep soul tracks that Goldwax seemed to do better than anyone else! This 2CD package is a wonderful overview of these golden years for the label – and it features every single single, both a and b-sides intact – presented with detailed notes on each release. Some of the work is the stuff of Memphis soul legend – mixed in with some more unusual, lesser-known bits from the scene – including a few rock, blues, and country numbers as well. 54 tracks in all – with titles that include "Anything You Do Is Alright" by Spencer Wiggins, "Don't You Believe Him" by Ivory Joe Hunter, "Cry Me A Hand Full" by The Terrys, "Say You Need It" by Barbara Perry, "Lovable Girl" by James Carr, "When You Look In The Mirror" by Eddie Jefferson, "What Time Ye Got" by Gene Bowlegs Miller, "Little Things" by Jeannie Newman, "Forgetting You" by James Carr, "Hello Daughter" by Leroy Daniel, "I Can't Forget You" by The Yo Yos, "Good Times" by George & Greer, "Walking Out On You" by Spencer Wiggins, "Qualifications" by The Ovations, "Liquid Mood" by Timmy Thomas, "Call On Me" by Percy Milem, "Me & My Imagination" by The Ovations, and "The Wife Of The Life Of The Party" by Kathy Davis.

Produced by Dennis Brown. 10 tracks in all, including: "The Creator" by Jah Thomas, "The Fisherman" by Ras Bug, "Fifty One Storm" by Big Joe, "Saturday Night" by Trinity, "Sugar & Spice" by Buckers, "Dreadlock Disciple" by Ras Bug, "Rent Man" by Jah Thomas, "Lightning Ball" by Ras Bug, "Murder" by DEB Music Players, and "Zo Tarry Yah" by Ras Bug.

One of the most ambitious albums on CTI – a very large project in which Don Sebesky seems to work with just about everyone else who recorded for the label! The Giant Box title is apt – as the record originally came packaged in a cardboard box – room enough to hold the 2 records that comprised it, all the long tunes on the set, and the huge array of cast who helped out on the project. Players include Sebesky on organ, piano, and electric piano – plus Baws, Joe Farrell, Paul Desmond, and many others. There's some sweet vocal backgrounds on the set – by Jackie & Roy, Lani Groves, and Tasha Thomas – and titles include "Vocalise", "Semi Tough", "Firebird/Birds Of Fire", "Free As A Bird", and "Song To A Seagul". Great stuff – with bits of funk, jazz, and ambitious arrangements – all filtered into the cool CTI sound!

A wonderful collection that brings together two vintage compilations on the legendary Minit label – more than enough work to make a really heavy-hitting CD! The first 12 tracks on the set are from the excellent We Sing The Blues collection, issued by Minit in the early 60s – and a package that features a lot more soul than you'd guess from the "blues" in the title! The collection features some of the best up and coming talents working in the Crescent City at the time – artists who helped shift the R&B sound of the 50s into the New Orleans soul groove that would grow tremendously in the 60s – and who sound great here in a batch of tracks that includes some great lesser-known numbers. New Orleans Our Home Town is a similar package, but one that features a bit more R&B too – older 50s tracks issued on Imperial, mixed with some of the more modern New Orleans soul that was showing up on Minit. CD features a whopping 25 tracks in all – including "The Power Of Love" by Willie Harper, "Te Ta Te Ta Ta" by Ernie K Doe, "Moanin & Screamin (parts 1 & 2)" by Diamond Joe, "Oogsey Moo" by Jessie Hill, "Green Door" by Eskew Reeder, "It Will Stand" by The Showmen, "Let's Live" by Aaron Neville, "You're The One" by The Spiders, "I Didn't Want To Do It" by The Spiders, "Two Winters Long" by Irma Thomas, "Walking To New Orleans" by Fats Domino, "I'm Gone" by Shirley & Lee, and "A Certain Girl" by Ernie K Doe.

A great set by this American organist – famous for her French recordings, of which this is one of the best! Rhoda's working here in a live setting – in a trio with Joe Thomas on tenor and flute, and Cornelius Kranenberg on drums – and the tracks have a much harder groove than work on some of her studio albums from the time, much more in the heavy soul jazz mode that she and Joe were using on their American recordings in the early 60s, with the benefit of longer space on the tracks (this was originally a double LP), giving Rhoda and Joe plenty of room to solo! Titles include "Bluesette", "Ain't No Use", "Lil Darlin", "Ca Va Mieux", "Equinox", and a funky remake of "Thank You For Lettin Me Be Myself", the Sly Stone classic!

Featuring Anthony Thomas.

Amazing grooves from a legendary pair of labels – the ultra-funky Perception and Today Records, home of some killer sounds from the New York scene at the start of the 70s! The labels had a great ear for up-and-coming soul – especially with some of the younger groups rising up at the time – and they also used their magic to refresh the sounds of some older artists, particularly jazz musicians, who took on an ultra-funky approach at Perception – one that's made their work for the label some of the most in-demand over the years! Drums are heavy, bass is nice and fuzzy, and many of the cuts have a righteous sound that really takes off from the most progressive soul, funk, and jazz of the late 60s – pushing hard with an even heavier 70s vibe. Titles on this first part of the vinyl edition include "Brother" by Adam Wade & Johnny Pate, "Too Sad To Tell" by Debbie Taylor, "Chitlins & Chuchifritos" by Joe Thomas, "Naturally Good" by Bartel, "You & I" by Black Ivory, "I Can't Get No Higher" by The Eight Minutes, "You Owe It To Yourself" by JJ Barnes, "Get Some Of This" by Madhouse, "Honey Buns" by Bobby Rydell, "Gingele" by Astrud Gilberto, and "One Life" by The Albert.

A cool collection of grooves from the legendary TK Records label – and one that goes way past the obvious hits that topped the charts back in the 70s! The package is less the overall story of TK, than it is a great reminder that there's some really funky nuggets lurking deep in the label's mighty catalog – killer tunes that show that the Miami club sound of the late 70s was firmly rooted in funk and deep soul of the earlier part of the decade – at a level that still stayed pretty funky, even well into the disco generation! There's some great gems here – and titles include "Lady Fingers" by Tony Middleton, "Plato's Retreat" by Joe Thomas, "Funk Reaction" by Lonnie Smith, "Harlem Nocturne" by Wildflower, "Don't Turn Away" by Midnite Flite, "Star Cruiser" by Gregg Diamond, "Funk Machine" by Funk Machine, "Hey Sexy Dancer" by Rocky Mizell, "Dance To The Drummer's Beat" by Herman Kelly & Life, and "Do What You Wanna Do" by T Connection.

Massive music from the Northern Soul years of the 60s – American tunes that played heavily on British dancefloors – and went on to fuel the all-night energy of the scene! The sound is upbeat soul throughout – killer tracks from Detroit, Chicago, New York, and other US locales – most of which were overlooked at the time by most US audiences, but discovered and brought to life overseas. This massive 2CD package brings together two classic Charly Records compilations dedicated to the glory days of the scene – put together by collectors who really know their grooves, and expanded here with lots of bonus tracks that weren't on the original versions! There's a whopping 56 tracks in the set, packaged in a hardcover book-style cover, with great color notes and images in the middle – and titles that include "Sweet & Easy" by Van McCoy, "You're Gonna Need Me" by Ted Ford, "Why Don't You Write" by Lee Bates, "But I Couldn't" by Willie Harper, "Touch Me Hold Me Kiss Me" by The Inspirations, "That Other Place" by Wade Flemons, "Come On Train" by Don Thomas, "Lonely For You Baby" by Sam Dees, "Omar Khayyam" by The Rubaiyats, "I Can't See Your Love" by The Ballads, "So Blue" by Joe Murphy, "Gonna Take A Journey" by Barrett Strong, "Shake Off That Dream" by Eddie Billups, "Just Like The Weather" by Nolan Chance, "Mr Bang Bang Man" by Little Hank, "Young Man Old Man" by The Stokes, "Halos For The Angels" by Blanch Carter, and "Momma's Gone" by Little Johnny Blair.

A much-needed look at the funky Miami scene of the late 60s and early 70s – the new powerhouse of southern soul, after the slowdown in the scenes in Memphis and Muscle Shoals! The Miami sound was harder, tighter, rawer, and faster than that of other southern outlets – based around a really strong ability to pick up a little riff, cook it up nicely, and create the perfect backdrop for sock-soul vocals. By the mid 70s, Miami was topping the charts with disco tunes that sprung out of this energy – but the tracks on this set are all heavy-hitters from the pre-disco years – kickass funky tunes that burn like a box full of rare funky 45s! Titles include "You Got To Be A Man" and "The Spanish Flyer" by Frank Williams & The Rocketeers, "Do It To Me One More Time" and "Somebody Done Took My Baby & Gone" by Joey Gilmore, "Cadillac Annie" by Clarence Reid, "You Got To Be A Man" and "A Woman Will Do Wrong" by Helene Smith, "Funky Cat", "Save Me", and "Fantasy World" by James Knight & The Butlers, "Funky Me" by Timmy Thomas, "Funkadelic Sound" by Little Beaver, "Don't Make The Good Girls Go Bad" by Della Humphrey, "I Get Lifted" by George McCrae, and "Cramp Your Style" by All The People.

A wealth of wonderful jazz tunes – all of them unreleased, and all of them pulled from the sound library of German producer Hans Wewerka – the man who's given us some other great collections of grooves over the years! Although Hans didn't produce commercially-available recordings, he did have as great of an ear as any other jazz producers of his time – on either side of the Atlantic – and the cuts here are a unique blend of American modes from labels like Prestige or Verve, with some of the hippest styles showing up on the European scene of the 60s – particularly those that would show up on unique crossbreeding recordings between local musicians and American players working overseas. Some of the cuts are quite short, but all are plenty groove-heavy – some in a funky way, others in more of a mod 60s sort of style. Titles include "Soul Ong" by Rolf Wilhelm, "Blow In" by Joe Haider, "Jupiter Beat" by Bill Grah, "Beat Power" by Joe Haider, "Soulin" by Olaf Kuebler, "Hard Work" by Wolfgang Thoma, "Smeralda" by Eugen Thomass, "In The Very Last Moment" by Olaf Kuebler, "Black Widow" by Ted Evans, and "Madison Square 2" by Eugen Illin.

A much-needed look at the funky Miami scene of the late 60s and early 70s – the new powerhouse of southern soul, after the slowdown in the scenes in Memphis and Muscle Shoals! The Miami sound was harder, tighter, rawer, and faster than that of other southern outlets – based around a really strong ability to pick up a little riff, cook it up nicely, and create the perfect backdrop for sock-soul vocals. By the mid 70s, Miami was topping the charts with disco tunes that sprung out of this energy – but the tracks on this set are all heavy-hitters from the pre-disco years – kickass funky tunes that burn like a box full of rare funky 45s! Titles include "You Got To Be A Man" and "The Spanish Flyer" by Frank Williams & The Rocketeers, "Do It To Me One More Time" and "Somebody Done Took My Baby & Gone" by Joey Gilmore, "Cadillac Annie" by Clarence Reid, "You Got To Be A Man" and "A Woman Will Do Wrong" by Helene Smith, "Funky Cat", "Save Me", and "Fantasy World" by James Knight & The Butlers, "Funky Me" by Timmy Thomas, "Funkadelic Sound" by Little Beaver, "Don't Make The Good Girls Go Bad" by Della Humphrey, "I Get Lifted" by George McCrae, and "Cramp Your Style" by All The People.