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Stellar early 70s work from John Dankwork – in a 2CD set! Full Circle is simply one of the greatest albums we've ever heard from the Brit maestro – a big band album as in earlier years, but one done with lots of hip 70s touches! The feel here is halfway between that of sound library grooving and some of the larger group 70s sessions on MPS – often funky at times, but with freshly modern solo work that breaks out from the larger ensemble nicely to accentuate the mood of the tunes. Players include Alan Branscombe on vibes, John Taylor on piano, Joe Moretti on guitar, and Kenny Wheeler on trumpet – and tunes include Mike Vickers' "Eleven Plus", Mike Gibbs' "A Family Joy" and "Triple Portrait", Keith Jarrett's "Grow Your Own", and Dankworth's "Academy One" and "Earthman". Also features a nice bass-y take on "You Are Too Beautiful". Lifeline is another great one – also reminding us of some of the larger MPS projects of the same time. The tracks have a bit of an electric glow in the basswork and production, but the main focus is on acoustic big band grooving – with breakout solos, and some tighter ensemble passages. Includes the sweet suite "Lifeline", which has a few funky moments – plus"Tomorrow's World", "WRVR", and "Fighting The Flab". Players include Don Rendell, Tony Hymas, Ken Gibson, and Dankworth himself.

Groovy stuff! The album features Johnny Dankworth's fab score for Modesty Blaise – the sexy slinky British queen of international adventure, played by Monica Vitti in the 1966 film. The soundtrack's got some great jazzy numbers, a few variations on the theme, and some weird groovy tracks that feature some odd instrumental turns. Titles include "Modesty Blaise", "Moods Of Modesty", "More Moods Of Modesty", "Modesty & Willie Escape", "Canal Trip", "At The Doll's House", "The Shiek To The Rescue", and "Ice Is Nice", with vocals by Bob Breen!

Two 60s gems from Brit leader John Dankworth – both pretty unique! What The Dickens is a record that's way better than you might guess – and a key document of the creative orchestrations of the great John Dankworth! The set features tunes inspired by the writings of Charles Dickens – but the writing and interpretation is 60s modern all the way through – thanks to a crack lineup that includes Tubby Hayes and Dick Morriseey on tenors, Ronnie Ross on baritone, Tony Coe on clarinet, Kenny Wheeler and Jimmy Deuchar on trumpets, and Dankworth himself on some mighty nice alto! The session swings strongly – and surprisingly nice solos dart out amidst the otherwise goofy concept of the record – thanks to Dankworth's hand for a good arrangement and a nice sense of swing! Titles include "Weller Never Did", "The Prologue", "Ghosts", "The Artful Dodger", and "Dodson & Fogg". "Off Duty" has Dankworth's classic jazz charts getting a new sort of zing – thanks to electric bass from Herbie Flowers and Brian Odgers, which really helps give most of the tracks a great little groove! The record's got a soulful undercurrent we're not used to hearing from Dankworth – and the production is nice and tight, with a sound library sense of compression that really works wonders with the playful instrumentation. Titles include "African Waltz", "To Emma", "Off Duty", "Little Brown Jig", "Don't Get Around Much Anymore", and "Song Of India".

One of Dankworth's harder outings, with a great group of Brit Jazz players, including Michael Gibbs, Kenny Wheeler, and Tony Coe. It includes tight compositions that still carry Dankworth's easy feel, but which also have a bit of an atonal edge to them! Includes "Hogshead of Hogarth", "Composition with Colour", "Winter Scene", "Sailor", "Face In A Crowd", "Little Girl In Blue" and more.

A rare British session from vocalist Mark Murphy – and one of his grooviest albums of the 60s! Mark's working here with great backings from the orchestras of Tubby Hayes, John Dankworth, and Les Reed – all of whom give Murphy some of his hippest grooves to date, very much in the mode of some of his work on the Midnight Mood album cut for MPS during the same overseas 60s stretch. And as with that one, there's a nice selection of tunes that goes way past the usual – and which shows off the widest range of Murphy's groovy vocal talents – titles that include "Ballyhoo", "Iceberg", "Stablemates", "She Loves You", "Come Rain Or Come Shine", "I Left My Heart In San Francisco", "From Time To Time", and "The Best Is Yet To Come".

A lively band of young British players, packed into a large group with a tight swinging sound that evokes some of the better continental bands of the sort at the time – like the Clarke-Boland Ensemble, the Johnny Dankworth group, and even bits of Mike Westbrook's early work. The set list is a nice group of lesser-known titles – like "Who-Wray?", "Full House", "Spaghetti Junction", "Marianne", "Eleven Plus", and "Legs Eleven". Orchestra directed by Bill Ashton, and the set was recorded at London Weekend Television in 1975. And if it sounds drippy, give it a chance – as there's more than a few nice cuts here that feel like they're lifted off a compliation like Jazz Biznezz, or some of those other hip European sets!