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One of our favorite albums ever from Walter Wanderley – a set that's much more complicated than his earlier trio records for Verve – and which really expands the sound with a host of added elements! Wanderley's core organ bossa groove is amplified wonderfully here with the addition of guitar, vibes, horns, and other elements – all of which help to change the rhythms and move the groove way past just simple stock bossa. Walter plays a bit of electric piano too – hinting at work on later albums – and other players include Jerome Richardson on flute, Bobby Rosengarden on vibes, John Pizzarelli on guitar, and even a bit of vocals from Marge Dodson. There's a wonderful variety of tunes on the set – including Joao Donato's "Amazonas", Baden Powell's "Canto De Ossanha", and Bob Crewe's "Music To Watch Girls By" – plus other gems like "Sensuous", "Sambao", "Arrinho Atoa", "Kee Ka Roo", and "The Bobo".

A massive amount of early work by The Animals – brought together in one overstuffed package with some unreleased tracks as well! The group here have a great rough sound – much more bluesy than in later years, which turns out to be a perfect setting for the young Eric Burdon – whose vocals soar out wonderfully over a mix of original tunes and remakes of American classics by folks like Ray Charles, John Lee Hooker, Sam Cooke, Bo Diddley, and others! Producer Mickie Most really knows how to keep the right sort of edge on the tunes – lots of raw power in the instrumentation, especially the Hammond and guitar – and a stark, dark quality to Eric's vocals that went onto become the stuff of legend. Package features 40 tracks in all – with titles that include "I Believe To My Soul", "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood", "Club A Go Go", "For Miss Caulker", "Feel", "Boom Boom", "Don't Want Much", "It's My Life", "House Of The Rising Sun", "We've Gotta Get Out Of This Place", and "I'm Gonna Change The World".

A pair of mid 70s album by Bobby Bare – the ambitious, concept-driven Hard Time Hungrys – and the easygoing The Winners & Other Losers – two worthy efforts from one the most unique voices and personalities of his era! Both albums are heavy with songs written by Bare family friend and frequent songwriting partner Shel Silverstein. Johnny Cash gets all the mainstream attention for collaborating with Shel on "A Boy Named Sue", but Shel and Bare have a far richer collaborative history together. Home For The Hungrys tells the story of the impoverished, with the title track, "Back Home In Huntsville Again", "Bottles And Boxes", "Truck Driver, Truck Driver", "The Unemployment Line" and more. The Winners And Other Losers is simply a great batch of tunes, sans concept, with the enduring "Drop Kick Me Jesus", "My Better Half", "Keeping Rosie Proud Of Me" and more. 24 tracks in all.

Brilliant 60s pop from the team of Tommy Boyce & Bobby Hart – best known for their key early songwriting work for The Monkees, but a heck of a great duo on their own! Boyce & Hart have a sparkly, sunshiney sound that's very much a part of The Monkees generation – a beautiful post-folk, post-surf blend of styles, and one that's served up with all the warmth and charm that made The Monkees so great – yet also with some cool twists and turns that make a record like this so great – the kind of chance-taking that A&M sometimes allowed its artists to take at the time! Backings are super-groovy – arranged by Artie Butler and Don McGinis – and titles include "I Wonder What She's Doing Tonite", "Teardrop City", "I Wanna Be Free", "The Countess", "Population", and "Two For The Price Of One" – a great cover of a Larry Williams & Johnny Watson soul tune! Features bonus mono single tunes – "The Ambushers", "Love Every Day", "Where Angels Go Trouble Follows", and "I Wanna Be Free".

With a cell phone on the cover, blues has definitely gone far from the delta – yet this recent set from Willie Buck still keeps strongly in a Chicago electric tradition! Backing is by a tight group of north side players – including Rockin Johnny on guitar, who helps underscore Willie's soulful lead vocals as the set rocks and rollicks along! There's a surprising amount of cuts on the record – and titles include "Streamline Woman", "What's The Matter With The Mill", "Tow Truck Man", "Doin Good & Bad At The Same Time", "Cell Phone Man", "Strange Woman", and "Blow Wind Blow".

A great set from Chicago's Joan Collaso – one of the hippest vocalists working today in the Windy City! There's a soulful swing to the record that grabs us right from the get-go – thanks to a killer take on "My Favorite Things" – done in an open-ended spirit that owes plenty to the John Coltrane legacy! Other tunes are quite nice too – and really pick up a great sense of rhythm that keeps things fresh – a hip sort of swing that makes the whole record feel like some lost soul jazz treasure from years back. Tunes are familiar, but they're really recast nicely – and Joan and the combo take things into mighty lively territory – on cuts that include "My Favorite Things", "Ooo Whee", "Return To Paradise", "Peel Me A Grape", "You've Changed", "Here's To Life", and "In A Sentimental Mood".

A pair of groovers by Norman Connors from the start of the 80s – Take It To The Limit and Mr C – together in a single set! Take It To The Limit is excellent album of smooth soul – one that reaches back to some of Norman's earlier records for inspiration, and which takes the sound up a few notches to expand the groove. Norman gets help on the arranging tip from Al Johnson, McKinley Jackson, and Paul Riser – which is why the album has such a great 70s smooth soul feel – and there's loads of guest appearances, like vocals by Johnson, Jean Carn, and instrumental solos from Freddie Hubbard and Gary Bartz. Adaritha sings lead vocals on a number of cuts, and Glenn Johnson takes the lead on "Melancholy Fire". Includes a great version of "Black Cow", plus "Take It To The Limit", "Justify", "You've Been On My Mind", and an excellent remake of "I Don't Need Nobody Else", with Al Johnson on vocals! Mr C is a real sleeper from Norman Connors, but a great record – one that shows him still moving strong in the 80s, always continuing to develop his smooth jazzy soul style! Backing is by the Starship Orchestra, with Marion Meadows on most sax solos – and vocals are by Beau Williams, Jean Carn, and Glenn Jones. There's a number of great uptempo tunes – with a tight hard jazz funk backing, and kind of a sweet early 80s club style in the vocals. Titles include "Love's In Your Corner", "She's Gone", "Stay With Me", "Keep Doin It", "Anyway You Want", and "Sing A Love Song".

Great work from Johnny Coppola – a member of America's famous first family of film, and a hell of a crooner in his own right! Johnny lives in a world where the Rat Pack never ended – and he sings here with a style we haven't heard this well since the days of Frank Sinatra at Reprise – a tremendous old school approach to masculine jazz singing – served up with a hell of a lot more personality than just about any other Sinatra copycat in recent years! Johnny's definitely his own man on the set – partly because the tunes are almost all originals, with very cool lyrics by Coppola – and music penned by Bill Cunliffe, who handled all the instrumentation for the record – at a level that really keeps things top-shelf. Make no mistake, Johnny's vocals don't have the purity of Sinatra – but he does really evoke this world of second-string male singers of the 60s – guys like Bobby Cole, Frankie Randall, David Allen, and others – all equally swinging, and able to put a sense of male personality into a tune that other singers of the type could never touch. Titles include "Night Of Our Dreams", "A Long Love Affair", "Sandra", "Time To Run Son", "I'm Through With All Of These Dreams", "I'll Sleep Alone", and "Somebody's Got To Be That Guy".

The tenor sax here makes the album a standout – as John Coltrane still works with Miles Davis on 2 tracks for the record, but Blue Note stalwart Hank Mobley joins in on the rest! The approach is similar to that of the classic Coltrane/Davis years – and in a way, the record's kind of a swan song to that period – one of the last studio session that Miles would cut in such an unabashedly sweet and lyrical way. And while Mobley's always better known for his harder-blown notes at Blue Note, he sounds totally great here next to Davis – really keeping up the gentle spirit and spaciousness of the record, and working with a gentleness that surpasses even his work on the legendary Soul Station album. Rhythm is by the trio of Wynton Kelly, Paul Chambers, and Jimmy Cobb – and titles include Miles' classic version of "Someday My Prince Will Come", plus "Old Folks", "Teo", "Drad-Dog", and "Pfrancing".

Two post-CTI gems from Deodato – back to back on a single CD! Whirlwinds is sweet keyboard soul from Deodato – a set that steps off nicely from the strengths of his big hits on CTI, hitting a similarly flowing groove that's really great! The instrumentation here is a bit more expanded than before, but never in a way that buries the keyboards – and Deodato's right out front on a range of electric keys that get some great support from John Tropea's finely-honed work on guitar! Titles include "Havana Strut", "Whirlwinds", "West 42nd Street", and a nice cover of Steely Dan's "Do It Again". And heck, even the album's version of Glen Miller's "Moonlight Serenade" manages to come off like a funk tune! Artistry is a live set from Deodato – but one that's very much in the mode of his best CTI studio sessions – with soaring, over the top keyboard work that's totally great – backed by some tightly compressed guitar, bass, and drums, with just enough funk in the mix to keep things interesting! As with other Deodato records from the time, there's a mix of moods here that comes together nicely – a range that goes past his easy hits, and shows Deodato to be one of the hippest, most soulful keyboard talents of his generation. Titles include a great version of "Super Strut" that grooves for over 8 minutes, and which has some firey guitar that really competes with Deodato's work on the keys – and other tracks include "Farewell To A Friend", "Pavane For A Dead Princess", "Rio Sangre", and "Jivin".

Righteous soul – and the only record ever cut by East Coast – a group led by Larry Blackmon, featuring early vocals by Gwen Guthrie! The style is very hip – a mixture of funk and progressive grooving, all held together with a sound that's young, proud, and which moves easily between influences from a number of different camps. In a way, the group's almost a cross between early Earth Wind & Fire and The Voices Of East Harlem – with a style that's got some nicely soulful jazz elements, but served up with a dose of sweeter soul. Gregory Johnson plays some great keyboards on the set, and titles include "I've Got To Reclaim You", "Something Deep Inside", "Any Thing You Have In Mind", "Miss Gigi", "Keep On Trying", "I Found You", and "You Can't Let It Get You Down".

The cover alone was enough to draw us in – a nice tribute to one of the best Dave Grusin albums of the 70s – and the spacey grooves are more than enough to keep us coming back again and again! Beats are plenty crispy, and mixed with these sweetly flowing keys – and the vocals shift from track to track, really illuminating the grooves in a different way – and bringing a nicely deep spirit to the set! "Know Thy Self" features John Robinson and Miles Bonny, "Tonight" has great vocals from Zaki Ibrahim, "Born Again" bristles with contributions from Nicholas Ryan Grant and Fresh Daily, and "Eyes Of Dreams" is a sweet trippy instrumental – with great acid keys, taking it slow!

A great little score from that time when Italian westerns were able to mix in equal parts humor and action – served up here in a buddy film that's got a bit of a Butch & Sundance vibe! The music is maybe more 60s playful than you'd expect – still often sweeping in a western style, but often underscored with comedic elements that correspond to some of the more offbeat action on the screen. Even the tenser moments have a sort of comedy quality – and feel more like heist-style numbers than the usual western styles – but that could also be due to the groovier modes normally used by Gianni Ferrio. This expanded edition features a heck of a lot of tracks – way more than any previous version – including vocal numbers by Lilian Terry and by the team of John Ireson and Wayne Parham. Titles include "Falling In Love With A Pretty Girl", "Young Man Go West", "Two Not So Peaceful Brothers", "Monty & Ted", "Let's Keep Our Fingers Crossed", and "Working Hard".

A great little score from that time when Italian westerns were able to mix in equal parts humor and action – served up here in a buddy film that's got a bit of a Butch & Sundance vibe! The music is maybe more 60s playful than you'd expect – still often sweeping in a western style, but often underscored with comedic elements that correspond to some of the more offbeat action on the screen. Even the tenser moments have a sort of comedy quality – and feel more like heist-style numbers than the usual western styles – but that could also be due to the groovier modes normally used by Gianni Ferrio. This expanded edition features a heck of a lot of tracks – way more than any previous version – including vocal numbers by Lilian Terry and by the team of John Ireson and Wayne Parham. Titles include "Falling In Love With A Pretty Girl", "Young Man Go West", "Two Not So Peaceful Brothers", "Monty & Ted", "Let's Keep Our Fingers Crossed", and "Working Hard".

These guys are great – a sublime harmony combo with a sound that's always a treat, and which makes digging up their singles always worth while! Both sides on here are wonderful – sung perfectly, and arranged by Johnny Pate with a slight lilt that really hits a sweet Chicago groove, keeping things nice and fresh, and allowing the vocals some great play!

2 of our favorite action soundtracks from French maestro Georges Garvarentz – the funky mid 70s Killer Force and the groovy late 60s Corrupt One – in one fantastic set! Killer Force is up first – and it's filled with strident grooves that are right up there with some of the best mid 70s cop/thriller soundtracks! We've never seen the film – which starred O.J. Simpson, Peter Fonda, and Telly Savalas – but with a cast like that, you can guess what the sound is like. You probably know George's work from some of the compilations we've stocked – and this soundtrack's right in keeping with the work on those sets. Tracks include "The Chase", "A Diamond Love", "Forget That Time", "Love Theme", and "Diamond Robbery". The Corrupt Ones is another pulpy gem – featuring a totally cool theme song by Dusty Springfield, with a great mix of funk, easy, and soul! The instrumental tracks range from orchestral/dramatic, to more of a crime jazz style – with some John Barry-like touches, and other more serious numbers. Titles include "Torture Room", "The Gambling Den", "The Bar", "Treasure Cave", "Illusion & Escape", "Man Hunt", "Jasmine's Dance", "The Mortuary", and "Suspense In The Sun". Includes 3 bonus tracks: "Riksha Ride", "Casino Fight" and "Finale".

Sweet KPM funk from the 70s – a set that features the legendary "Big City Suite" from David Gold, plus 20 other groovers from rare KPM sound library albums of the time! Gold's suite is really great – a hip mix of keyboards, wah wah guitar, and strings – all wrapped together warmly in a portrait of a city from a variety of angles, in a variety of moods. The work's almost an update of 50s city-symphony albums, but is put together here with a much hipper 70s soundtrack mode – lots of subtle elements that really keep things interesting! Other tracks offer up a mix of jazz, soundtrack, and sound library funk – hand-picked from KPM classics like Jazzrock, Synthesis, Sounds Of The Times, Trendsetters, and other legendary albums – really packed in here with a huge amount of cuts that are totally great! Titles include "Good Vibrations" and "Trial Of Strength" by Keith Mansfield, "Testing Time" by David Lindup, "Four O'Clock Earthquake" and "Smokey Joe's Dilemma" by John Cameron, "Watchful Eye" by James Clarke, "Sunshine Special" and "Get Ready Get Set Fly" by Alan Hawkshaw, "Open Roads" by Nick Ingman, "Go Getter" by John Cameron, "City Airscape" and "City Police" by David Gold, and "Lap Of Honour" by Clive Hicks.

A legendary bit of jazzy soul – recorded by an obscure female singer from Milwaukee! Penny's got a warm style that's pretty darn nice on its own – but it's made even better by the great arranger Richard Evans, who helped out a lot on the session. The feel is very much in the Chicago sophisti-soul mode – and at times, the record sounds a lot like Marlena Shaw's best work in the 70s, particularly her sides for Blue Note in the early part of the decade. Includes the great original "Too Soon You're Old" – a jazz dance classic for many years – plus a stellar cover of Gil Scott Heron's "Lady Day & John Coltrane", and the tracks "What's Goin On", "Slow Hot Wind", "He's Come Back", and "Rain Sometimes".

A really wonderful soundtrack, with loads of groovy tracks! The film stars Jack Lemmon, and the format of the record is similar to the Odd Couple – in that musical tracks are interspersed with dialogue, to keep the feel of the progression of the movie. Side one has some especially groovy moments, as Percy Faith and chorus perform a great version of Bacharach's "April Fools", which then leads into Mongo Santamaria's chunky groover "La La La", and "Wake Up" by The Chambers Brothers, which is one of their nicest tracks! Other tunes include the instrumentals "The April Fools", "I Remember The Rain", "The Safari Club", and "Peter's Pad" – plus "Sugar Kite" by California and "Flame" by Robert John.

An amazing bit of jazz funk from Johnny Hammond – and one of his greatest LPs! This is the first album that Johnny recorded with Larry Mizell, cut right before the pair of them went onto do the landmark Gears album. While this one never became as famous as Gears, it's got some fantastic moments that are every bit as great – a perfect blend of Mizell's spacey fusion and Hammond's fiercely soulful soloing, with lots of great jazzy changes to keep the pace fresh throughout. Includes the great spacey jazz cuts "Star Borne" and "Yesterday Was Cool", the latter of which is an excellent piece of work by Larry Mizell – plus the cuts "Back To The Projects", "Gambler's Life", "Rhodesian Thoroughfare", and "Virgo Lady". Plus, the CD features 4 bonus tracks that represent some of Johnny's best work for the Kudu label – including "Rock Steady", "Higher Ground", "Breakout", and "Who Is Sylvia".

A key album in the reintroduction of Coleman Hawkins in the late 50s – recorded in a style that still bears a lot of traces of earlier years, but at a time when Hawk was being claimed as a key influence by a variety of younger modernists! The set's got a sense of freedom that's really surprising – especially on the longer numbers, which unfold with some playful instrumental twists that seem to come especially from trumpeter Idrees Sulieman and trombonist JJ Johnson – both of whom are great on the record. Other players include Hank Jones on piano, Barry Galbraith on guitar, and Oscar Pettiford on bass – and titles include "Juicy Fruit", "Think Deep", "Blue Lights", "Sanctity", and "Chant".

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".

The great Syl Johnson – doing his thing for Hi Records on a record that's more shiny diamond than it is rough – his second album for the label and a truly underappreciated gem from the Chi soul great! Diamond In The Rough is a much sweeter set of tunes than Syl's Chicago work on Twinight, with warmer production by southern soul guru Willie Mitchell to keep his sound much more in the Memphis soul camp – but still a nice album of bluesy stoked sweetness, and proof that Syl was one of the better talents on the Hi label. Titles include "Keeping Down Confusion", "Let Yourself Go", "Could I Be Falling In Love", "Stuck In Chicago", and "I Hear The Love Chimes", "Please, Don't Give Up On Me" and "Diamond In The Rough".

The great Syl Johnson – doing his thing for Hi Records on a record that's more shiny diamond than it is rough – his second album for the label and a truly underappreciated gem from the Chi soul great! Diamond In The Rough is a much sweeter set of tunes than Syl's Chicago work on Twinight, with warmer production by southern soul guru Willie Mitchell to keep his sound much more in the Memphis soul camp – but still a nice album of bluesy stoked sweetness, and proof that Syl was one of the better talents on the Hi label. Titles include "Keeping Down Confusion", "Let Yourself Go", "Could I Be Falling In Love", "Stuck In Chicago", and "I Hear The Love Chimes", "Please, Don't Give Up On Me" and "Diamond In The Rough".

One of the best-ever soul albums to come out of Chicago – and it may well be one of the best soul albums ever! The set's the deepest that Syl Johnson ever recorded – and it takes all the hard, raw soul he forged on previous funky 45s – and spins it out in longer album format – with some wicked backings that more than keep up the funk from before, but which also help Johnson deepen the message of his tunes! The political vibe of the album comes through right away in the striking cover and title – and the title track is a 7 and a half minute gem – one of the boldest songs ever about disempowerment. Backings are by Jimmy Jones & The Pieces Of Peace – who really keep the sound deep throughout – and in addition to the classic title track "Is It Because I'm Black", other tunes include "Right On", "Together Forever", "Concrete Reservation", "Walk A Mile In My Shoes", "Black Balloons", and "I'm Talkin About Freedom".

A strange little film with a western motif – starring Bill Cosby, Leif Erikson, and Yaphet Kotto! Fortunately, Quincy Jones was the musical supervisor – so the tracks are hip enough in the best parts – a bit rootsy at times, but with a 70s soul approach that keeps things real. The best cuts include the vocal number "Better Days" by Bill Withers – but even better are the instrumental numbers by JJ Johnson, including the oft-sampled groover "Pull, Jubal, Pull".

A pair of killers – back to back on a single CD! First up is the killer debut from the Dazz Band – issued way back when they were named Kinsman Dazz, and when "dazz" was a reference to the fact that the group could play both dance music and jazz! That jazzy element is definitely in place here – as the set's got lots of hip instrumental touches over the core funky grooves – produced with some great help from Philip Bailey and Ralph Johnson, who bring in a bit of Earth Wind & Fire vibe – and set to some larger arrangements from Patrice Rushen, who ups the jazzy quotient too! But the core sound of the group is what really drives the album – a well-crafted batch of Ohio funky numbers that step along with the best of their generation – on titles that include "Makin Music", "Forget About Lovin You", "Get Down With the Feelin", "Stand In Your Way", "And I Mean", and "Dazzberry Jam". On the Dazz album, Kinsman Dazz are even funkier here than before – showing off their Ohio roots, and pointing the way towards the classic Dazz Band sound they'd forge in the 80s! Rhythms are very tight throughout – but still often touched with the jazzy elements that made the group so great in their early years – echoing a bit of an Earth Wind & Fire sound, as Philip Bailey's on board to help a bit with arrangements and background vocals. The whole thing's great – a super-tight record without any filler at all – and titles include "I Searched Around", "Love Design", "Keep On Rockin", "Can't Get Enough", "Dancin Free", and the wonderful "Catchin Up On Love", a spacey harmony track with a really anthemic sound!

Jimmy Knepper keeps things sharp here in later years – blowing trombone in a group with John Eckert on trumpet, John Clark on French horn, Roland Hanna on piano, George Mraz on bass, and Billy Hart on drums.

Very righteous work from Esther Marrow – a soul sister who sings with a hell of a lot of power! The set's an overlooked gem in the Fantasy catalog of the 70s, and it's one of only two secular soul albums cut by Marrow – and quite possibly the best of the bunch, too! Esther's got some great help on the set from arrangers Richard Tee, Bernard Purdie, and Bobby Scott – each of whom set Marrow up with some small group backing that keeps things tight and soulful throughout – thanks in big part to the drum work, which is handled by Purdie, Jimmy Johnson, and Idris Muhammad. Other players include Tee on organ and piano, Cornell Dupree on guitar, and Ralph McDonald on congas – whose percussion really helps shape the sound of most of the grooves. There's a horn section too – used sparingly – and there's also a bit of backing vocals from The Reflections, although Esther's pretty much in the lead on all numbers. Titles include "Trade Winds", "Things Ain't Right", "Ask Me To Dance", "Woman In The Window", and "Ghetto".

One of the best solo records from Harvey Mason – best known as the drummer on some really monster 70s funky fusion sessions (such as Johnny Hammond's Gears album) – but a surprisingly well-rounded R&B artist overall! As with Norman Connors, another fusion drummer gone soul star, Harvey's working here in a style that mixes jazz influences with modern soul – grooving things for a more mainstream audience, but still keeping things real underneath. The record's filled with guest appearances by fusion greats – like Bob James, David Spinozza, Richard Tee, Lee Ritenour, and others – and Jim Gilstrap sings vocals on a cut or two. Titles include "The Race", "Groovin' You", "Wave", "We Can", and "Here Today, Gone Tomorrow". This Soulmusic.com edition has 2 bonus versions of "Groovin' You": the 6+ minute 12" version and the shorter-grooving 7" single version.

One of the most outside sets we've heard from Rob Mazurek in years – a combination of his own cornet and work on ring modulator – creating a blend of jazz and electronics that's really mindblowing! Mazurek's not alone in his creative expressions – as he's joined here by a group group of players that mixes musicians from Rob's Chicago and Brazilian scenes – including Nicole Mitchell on flute and piccolo, Jason Adasiewicz on vibes, Mauricio Takara on cavaquinho, Guilherme Granado on keyboards and electronics, Thomas Rohrer on rabeca and C melody sax, Carlos Issa on guitar, and John Herndon on drums – a really unique lineup that lives up to all their promise with the rich sounds on the set. Most tracks are quite long – and titles include "Galactic Ice Skeleton", "Skull Caves Of Alderon", "Keeping The Light Up", "Passing Light Screams", and "Voodoo & The Petrified Forest".

One of the most outside sets we've heard from Rob Mazurek in years – a combination of his own cornet and work on ring modulator – creating a blend of jazz and electronics that's really mindblowing! Mazurek's not alone in his creative expressions – as he's joined here by a group group of players that mixes musicians from Rob's Chicago and Brazilian scenes – including Nicole Mitchell on flute and piccolo, Jason Adasiewicz on vibes, Mauricio Takara on cavaquinho, Guilherme Granado on keyboards and electronics, Thomas Rohrer on rabeca and C melody sax, Carlos Issa on guitar, and John Herndon on drums – a really unique lineup that lives up to all their promise with the rich sounds on the set. Most tracks are quite long – and titles include "Galactic Ice Skeleton", "Skull Caves Of Alderon", and "Keeping The Light Up".

The second Stax album from Mel & Tim – and even better than the first! Although the pair are probably best known for their soaring soul singles at the end of the 60s, by the time of this 1973 record, they'd matured wonderfully – hitting some deeper, more heartfelt modes that are mighty nice – and a perfect fit for the sophisticated level of production that Stax was putting down at the time! There's still some slight sweet soul undercurrents – but with an overall presentation that's much more Memphis than New York, the sound is nice and deep – lots of Muscle Shoals instrumentation that includes keyboards from Barry Beckett, guitar grooves from Jimmy Johnson, and some perfectly balanced rhythms that keep things on the downlow throughout! Titles include the break-heavy version of "Yes We Can Can", plus "Keep The Faith", "Making Love Is My Thing", "Forever In a Day", "That's The Way I Want To Live My Life", "Same Folk", and "Oh How I Love You".

One of the funkiest albums ever on Blue Note – a set that mixes the trumpet talents of Blue Mitchell with some killer backings from Monk Higgins – all in a groove that more gritty edges than the best funky soundtracks of the time! Higgins keeps the backings full, but always quite lean – fusing all elements together into a sharp, tight rhythm that steps along with some of the slight African touches you might guess from the title – a groove that's not really that authentic, but which resonates with some of the best inspirations that Hugh Masekela was bringing to American music at the time. And while the album might be an attempt to cash in on Masekela's groove, the feel here is really quite different overall – as tracks are nicely stretched out, with plenty of room for jazzy solo work – and a groove that's much harder overall, thanks to Higgins! Other players include Freddy Robinson on guitar, Wilton Felder on bass, Paul Humphrey on drums, and Plas Johnson on tenor – and titles include "HNIC", "Flat Backing", "Na Ta Ka", "Bantu Village", and "Blue Dashiki".

That's the Modern Jazz Sextet – not the Modern Jazz Quartet – although the group definitely borrows a bit of energy from the MJQ, and some personnel too! The group was only put together for this date – and combines the subtle touches of MJQ members John Lewis on piano and Percy Heath on bass, with some harder-edged, hardbop-driven sounds from Dizzy Gillespie on trumpet, Sonny Stitt on alto, Skeeter Best on guitar, and Charlie Persip on drums! The set's got an open, easygoing feel – that loose Verve studio mode of the time – which stems from their jam session modes, but is a bit tighter overall – in ways that really help the players find their energy together in the tunes. Titles include 2 standards, in the usual Verve style – "Mean To Me" and a ballad medley of "Old Folks", "What's New" and "How Deep Is The Ocean" – plus 3 originals – "Blues For Bird", "Tour De Force", and "Dizzy Meets Sonny".

A massively expanded package of music – filled with previously unreleased gems! The 2CD set features a landmark collaboration between John Coltrane and Thelonious Monk – two generations of jazz modern, working here to create some really incredible music! The core of this material is from the pair's work issued on the amazing Monk's Music album for Riverside – but the expanded collection also features lots of additional work from the same period too – including some unusual and alternate studio moments too! Other players vary from track to track – and include Gigi Gryce on alto sax, Ray Copeland on trumpet, Coleman Hawkins on additional tenor, Wilbur Ware on bass, and Art Blakey on drums. Titles wonderful versions of "Ruby My Dear", "Trinkle Tinkle", "Nutty", "Well You Needn't", "Crepescule With Nellie" and "Monk's Mood" – plus some alternate versions, false starts, and more – all wrapped up with notes and reflections from original producer Orrin Keepnews.

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".

A batch of long, extremely inventive tracks from the quintet of reedman Tim Ries – a group that features just the right sort of heavyweight talents to make the whole thing work! The lineup features Chris Potter on tenor, alongside Ries' tenor and soprano sax – plus John Patitucci on bass, Kalman Olah on piano, and Billy Drummond on drums – players that have some wonderful interplay together – enough to really open up some new spaces for themselves, but manage to keep things swinging as well. Titles include the Ries originals "New View", "The Last Kabbalist Of Lisbon", and "A Summer To Remember" – plus a great jazz reworking of "Death & The Maiden".

The only album we've ever seen by Johnny Robinson – a rare non-Hi Records set produced by Willie Mitchell, with a sound that's as deeply soulful as some of the best indie work coming out of the Memphis scene in the 60s! Willie's style here is rougher than that used with Al Green or Ann Peebles – and Robinson comes off wonderfully in a nice mix of funk, deep soul, and slower burning backings – all handled with a sense of poise, but also enough of a down-home sense to keep all the raw edges nicely intact! The album's a rare Memphis gem from an unusual source – and titles include "God Is Love", "We Are Gonna Make It", "Slip Away", "Reconsider Me", "Funky Feet", "Lady Doctor", and "Don't Take It So Hard".

An obscure one from Annie Ross – recording here as a solo act back in England after leaving her famous group with Dave Lambert and John Hendricks! The style here is a bit like some of the solo work that Ross cut in the US at the end of the 50s – particularly her sides for Pacific Jazz – not as vocalese and solo-oriented as the sort of recordings that first got her noticed, but still a lot more dynamic than most straighter jazz singers of the time! Arrangements are pretty groovy overall – nicely jazzy, and penned by Johnnie Spence – also produced by John Barry, who really helps keep the right sort of "punch" in the set. Titles include "Fly Me To The Moon", "Nature Boy", "A Lot Of Livin To Do", "Like Someone In Love", "A Handful Of Songs", and "All Of You".

Gil Scott-Heron at his early best and most revolutionary – circa Small Talk At 125th And Lenox, Pieces Of Man and Free Will, plus a host of rare and unreleased material – the complete Flying Dutchman Masters in a masterfully compiled anthology! Rather than simply collecting the original Flying Dutchman albums into a box set, BGP does a terrific job here of organizing it by style. Disc One (Songs) focuses on the soul-based songcraft – while Disc Two (Poetry, Jazz & Blues) features the strident jazzy poetry that inspired most hip hop and spoken word to come. Disc Three features alternate takes and rarities – all of which have never been officially released before now! The set includes every recording that Gil made for Flying Dutchman that's known to exist – and if you're keeping tally, that's all of the tracks from the above-named classic albums – plus the great "Artificialness" from Pretty Purdie's Stand By Me record with Gil on vocals – and the surviving alternate takes. Even if you have all of the original albums, the set is worth picking up for the bonus material and the thick, nicely done booklet of notes and photo – which really adds some top notch historical perspective. 51 tracks on 3CDs: "Lady Day And John Coltrane", "Home Is Where The Hatred Is", "Whitey On The Moon", "Free Will", "Pieces Of Man", "Brother", "Ain't No New Thing", "The Needle's Eye", "The Get Out OF The Ghetto Blues", "Evolution (And Flashback)", "Billy Green Is Dead", "The Middle Of Your Day", "Save The Children", "Who'll Pay Reparations On My Soul?" and many more.

Growing brilliance from the young Archie Shepp – a record that's not just about Archie's own amazing work on the tenor, but also his keen modern vision as a leader! The combo here is an ensemble that features some of the hippest modernists of the 60s – Roswell Rudd and Grachan Moncur on trombone, Perry Robinson on clarinet, Howard Johnson on tuba, Charlie Haden on bass, and Tommy Turrentine on trumpet – making a rare non-bop appearance here, and further enforcing our already-high estimation of his talents! The style's somewhat in the "new thing" mode of the period, but it's also a bit more tightly arranged too – almost hitting Mingus-like modes for the bigger ensemble – balancing the force of the group together with very free, bold solo impulses from the players. Side one features the extended "Portrait Of Robert Thompson (As A Young Man)" – and side two features "Mama Too Tight", "Theme For Ernie", and "Basheer".

Growing brilliance from the young Archie Shepp – a record that's not just about Archie's own amazing work on the tenor, but also his keen modern vision as a leader! The combo here is an ensemble that features some of the hippest modernists of the 60s – Roswell Rudd and Grachan Moncur on trombone, Perry Robinson on clarinet, Howard Johnson on tuba, Charlie Haden on bass, and Tommy Turrentine on trumpet – making a rare non-bop appearance here, and further enforcing our already-high estimation of his talents! The style's somewhat in the "new thing" mode of the period, but it's also a bit more tightly arranged too – almost hitting Mingus-like modes for the bigger ensemble – balancing the force of the group together with very free, bold solo impulses from the players. Side one features the extended "Portrait Of Robert Thompson (As A Young Man)" – and side two features "Mama Too Tight", "Theme For Ernie", and "Basheer".

A sweetly grooving set from The Spinners – one that moves along nicely at the midtempo clip the "trippin" in the title might imply – thanks to production and arrangements from Michael Zager! Zager nicely puts aside some of his more disco-oriented modes here – keeping plenty of respect for the group's excellent vocals, and allowing them some really great space on a number of warmly-crafted tunes. John Edwards gets in some great lead vocals on the album – most famously on the record's medley of "Cupid/I've Loved You For A Long Time" – which went onto become a fairly big radio hit. Other tracks include "Streetwise", "I Just Want To Fall In Love", "Now That You're Mine Again", "Split Decision", "I'm Takin You Back", "Heavy On The Sunshine", and "Love Trippin".

Denise Sullivan's history of Black Power and a broader look at the marriage of music and social change – from blues to hip hop! Crawdaddy columnist Sullivan features interviews with John Sinclair, Yoko Ono, Richie Havens, Solomon Burke, Phranc, Wayne Kramer, Len Chandler, Michael Franti and others. Paperback, 248 pages.

A landmark album from Johnnie Taylor – a set that not only gave his career a giant boost, but which also helped shift southern soul into hip new territory in the late 70s! The music's a great change from Taylor's previous work at Stax – and the set features warm production from Don Davis that brings a new level of smoothness to Johnnie's music – a quality that unlocks the soulful undercurrent always lurking in his bluesier work, and which pulls him out of the indie soul ghetto to the modern soul mainstream. The album features the massive "Disco Lady" – a record that's probably still paying Johnnie's bills today – and a cut that's much more groovy soul than you might guess from the title. Other tracks are great too – and include "Running Out Of Lies", "I'm Gonna Keep On Loving You", "Pick Up the Pieces", and "Somebody's Gettin It".

A massive double header – two great albums back to back! Rated Extraordinaire is our favorite album ever from Johnnie Taylor – an incredible set from the late 70s that really has Taylor reinventing his sound – and coming across as a great talent for a mellow groove! The album has a wonderful smooth soul vibe all the way through – and starts with the classic "Your Love Is Rated X", a sweet little stepper with a hook that's totally great, and a groove that goes on and on and on – one of those cuts we can hear for years, and it still never gets old! Don Davis produced the whole thing – in a way that balances the raspy roots of Taylor's vocals with the tighter changes going on in late 70s soul – a balance that he was always good at, but possibly never served up this well again. In addition to "Your Love Is Rated X", other titles include "And I Panicked", "Did He Make Love To You", "Love Is Better In The AM", "It Ain't What You Do", "Here I Go", and "Stop Giving People Hard Luck Stories". Ever Ready is a sweet set from Johnnie Taylor's late 70s run on Columbia Records – and a set with a definite groove for the dancefloors! The album' was recorded in Detroit, and features some sparkling production from Don Davis – very much in that Detroit-into-disco mode that Davis was pushing strongly at the time – in a way that was smooth overall, but still let the singers keep all the edge and personality in their vocals! Arrangements are by Rudy Robinson, in collaboration with a number of others – and titles include "Hey Mister Melody Maker", "Ever Ready", "Keep On Dancing", "Give Me My Baby", "Soul Fillet", "I Love To Make Love When It's Raining", and "Bittersweet Love".

One of the strangest covers we've seen in years – and a perfect fit for this obscure session of unusual grooves! Drummer Bubbha Thomas is working here in a mode that's kind of an electrified 70s take on the Texas showband style of earlier years – a mode that has the core funky combo augmented by electric keys and moog in just the right places! The tunes on the set are all instrumentals – jamming along in a sweet little style that mixes funky jazz with some of the rougher touches of the indie 45 scene – letting the band stretch out on extended solos on most cuts, but still keeping the rhythms very tight and in the pocket! In a way, the approach almost feels like some of the funkier work on Tribe Records from Detroit, especially on tracks that have more ambitious solo work. Players include Doug Harris on flute and tenor, Ronnie Laws on tenor, John Henderson on electric piano, and a young Hugh Ragin on trombone – and titles include "Herbs Of Life", "Sweet Ray", "Famous Last Words", "Country Fried Chicken", and "Survival Song".

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".

One of our favorite recordings ever of George Gershwin's Porgy & Bess – done by Bethlehem Records in the mid 50s, and featuring nearly every one of the label's great talents at the time! The choice of the lead characters is a bit odd – as Mel Torme plays Porgy and Francis Faye plays Bess – but both singers are actually pretty darn great for the set, and really bring a lot out of the tunes. Plus, the other artists on the set really keep things interesting – as the collection features vocal performances by Johnny Hartman, Frank Rosolino, Betty Roche, Bob Dorough, and Sallie Blair. Plus, the whole thing's presented as Gershwin wrote it – complete with narration by Al Jazzbo Collins, and a number of strong instrumental passages. Music is performed by groups led by Russ Garcia, Duke Ellington, Pat Moran, and Stan Levy – and players are an array of the best of both the New York and LA scenes at the time! This unusual 10" LP appears to be a promo – with 6 tracks from the full score.

Swinging British pop tracks by two of England's loveliest ladies of the 60s – neither of which is well known as a singer, but both of whom sound pretty darn groovy here! The first 4 tracks on the CD are from a 1966 EP by Twiggy – recorded early in her fame as a model, and with some especially nice backings from Johnny Hawksworth! Twiggy's vocals are surprisingly nice – kind of sweet and light, but also with a sense of darkness that we like a lot – but the Hawksworth arrangements are what really make the album groove, as they're filled with the weird touches we've come to love over the years in Johnny's own instrumental work. Twiggy tracks include "When I Think Of You", "Beautiful Dreams", "Over & Over", and "I Need Your Hand In Mine". Linda Thorson's probably best known as the actress who followed Diana Rigg's run on The Avengers, but here she emerges as a groovy little singer in her own right – working in late 60s Brit female modes that clearly borrow from Dusty Springfield, Sandie Shaw, and others – and which actually have some surprising soul-based touches as the set rolls on. And while we're not about to say that Linda's vocals are as strong as Dusty or Sandie's, we can say that the album's thoughtful arrangements from Kenny Lynch keeps things on very solid footing – pushing the tunes forward with a mixture of baroque, mod, and swinging styles that should have gotten Thorson another date or two in the studio. Titles include "Here I Am", "Better Than Losing You", "Wishful Thinking", "Pick Up My Heart", "You Will Want Me", and "Bad Time To Stop Loving Me".

Muddy Waters' band meets the vocals and guitar of Luther Snake Johnson – in a sweet little set that's almost a double-header, given the talent on deck! The material's got a gritty feel that's right up there with Muddy's best for Chess – and the group features Mojo Buford on harmonica, Otis Spann on piano, and Waters on guitar (Muddy couldn't sing, due to contractual obligations!) Johnson's got a nice rough approach – almost a touch of soul at times – and the group keeps things nicely in a classic 60s electrified Chicago mode. Titles include "Sad Day Uptown", "I'm So Glad", "Chicken Shack", "Long Distance Call", "Digging My Potatoes", "Coming Home Baby", and "Mud In Your Ear".

A massive mid 70s live set from Weather Report – a record that has the group stretching out even more than on their classic studio albums! There's an undercurrent of darkness here that we really love – an edge that always makes us feel like things are about to go off the rails, or maybe take one of the more avant Miles electric turns – even though the group really keep things tight throughout, and manage to swing searing sounds into soaring solos with effortless ease! Lineup includes Joe Zawinul on Fender Rhodes (a noisy one at that!), Wayne Shorter on tenor and soprano sax, Alphonso Johnson on bass, Chester Thompson on drums, and Alex Acuna on percussion – and titles include "Mysterious Traveller", "Freezing Fire", "Scarlet Woman", and the 20 minute long "Badia/Boogie Woogie Waltz".

Two older players, cooking together beautifully on this early 80s session – and both hitting a vibe that almost makes the set smoke like some rare 60s gem on Blue Note! Frank Wess plays both tenor and alto sax – both of them extremely deep and soulful – with these open, thoughtful solos that almost show more imagination and maturity than in the early days – and also a swinging vibe that's undeniably great. Trumpeter Johnny Coles turns out to be a perfect partner for the session – and manages to mix his sweeter tones with some of his more modern phrasing too – in ways that make the album a treasure trove of unexpectedly great surprises – loads of illuminated passages that keep us coming back again and again over the years. The rhythm section is a good reason for the strength of the set too – and features Kenny Barron on piano, Reggie Johnson on bass, and Kenny Washington on drums – on titles that include "Celia", "Minority", "An Oscar For Oscar", "Ill Wind", "Morning Star", and "Whistle Stop".

A post-Supremes disco effort from Mary Wilson – but one that comes off relatively well, especially considering how a session like this could flop if done poorly! Mary's getting some top-shelf help on the album – Hal Davis on production, Art Wright on arrangements, and a set of original material by Frank Busey and John Duarte – all of which keeps the record from being just a disco filler kind of set. But the real strength here is Wilson's vocals – which are strongly soulful, and never overwhelmed by the backings. And while we're not ready to say that Mary's a great club diva, we're surprised at how well she does fit into this mode. Titles include "Midnight Dancer", "Red Hot", "You Make Me Feel So Good", "Pick Up The Pieces", and "I've Got What You Need".

Rave-up soul treasures from the late 50s through the 60s – one of the best compilations we've seen from Outta Sight! Age Of Northern Soul pulls together great material that blends Northern Soul, Popcorn and R&B – all of it pretty wonderful It's got lesser-remembered tunes from famous names that sound as glorious in our ears as some of the more beloved hits – including Etta James, Jimmy Ruffin, The Temptations and The O'Jays – as well as some great stuff from singers and groups most known to collectors. It's also jam packed with songs – 27 in all! Titles include "Seven Day Fool" by Etta James, "Don't Feel Sorry For Me" by Jimmy Ruffin, "Don't Mess With My Man" by Irma Thomas, "Mr Johnny Q" by The Bobbettes, "Oh My Soul" by Garlon Davis, "The Day Will Come" by Freddie Gorman, "Faded Letter" by Satintones, "Hard Times" by Royal Jokers, "Romance Without Finance" by The Temptations, "Heard Hearted Woman" by Eddie Burns, "Drip Drop" by The Drifters, "It Keeps Raining" by Fats Domino and many more.

A teeny-tiny Philly label, but a pretty great one too – home to just a handful of singles, but most of them the kind of rare soul sides that keep us digging over the years! The package features nearly ever key release on Lash – a mix of male soul numbers, group sides, and some sweet female numbers – all recorded over the space of a decade on the Philly scene – showing a great evolution over the years in style! All selections were originally produced by Howard Ravitsky, who owned the label, and definitely improved his chops along the way – and titles include "Get Goin" and "Tell Me" by Lee Johnson, "Here She Comes Now" by Sonny Fulton, "The Guy" by Fannie & The Varcells, "I'm Not The Only One" by Tommy White, "Don't Start That Again" by The Swans, "Inside O Me" by Honey & The Bees, "Treat Myself To A New Love" and "I'm Cuttin In" by The Inspirations, "I'm Happy Without You" by Anny Byers, "Got No Time" by Timmy Carr, "I Can Give You Love" by Benny Sigler, "Give Me What You're Givin Her" by Alfreda Brockington, and "He Brought Sunshine Into My Life" by Patty Hamilton. CD features 30 tracks in all, and full notes on the label.

One of the greatest songwriting partnerships of the 60s – featured here in a great mix of soul, rock, and vocal numbers from the time – including a fair number of unusual versions of hits from the team of Barry Mann & Cynthia Weil! Weil's got a style that's sometimes a bit deeper than her contemporaries – and when mixed with Barry's strong sense of punch in a tune, has a way of bringing some surprising sophistication to pop music – little emotive moments that peek out from more hook-heavy numbers – but all without ever sounding lachrymose or overblown. As part of that quality, lots of these tunes have some great New York-styled production – that uptown balance of emotion and class – and as with other titles in Ace's excellent songwriter series, the notes alone are almost worth the price of admission – given all the historical detail, cultural commentary, and cool images. Titles include "New World Coming" by Mama Cass, "Love Is Only Sleeping" by The Monkees, "Angelica" by Scott Walker, "Looking Through The Eyes Of Love" by Gene Pitney, "Love Him" by Doris Day, "Good Good Lovin" by Bobby Hebb, "You Baby" by Len Barry, "Born To Be Together" by The Ronettes, "This Is A Love Song" by Bill Medley, "Make Your Own Kind Of Music" by The Happenings, "Shape Of Things To Come" by Slade, and "Proud" by Johnny Crawford.

A totally great collection of grooves with a real range of material – nearly all fresh to our ears, and the kind of record that really makes us sit up and take notice! The set's got a loose approach to the selections – in that it features tracks from American and European sources, and easily blends together tunes from soul, jazz, funk, and easy records – but that's what makes it so great, and so fresh, as the tracks stand wonderfully back to back, sounding like a hip club night at some far-away place, the kind of all-great set that has you keep getting out of your chair, walking up to the DJ, and saying "Sorry to bother you again, but what's that track you're playing?" Titles include "Creative Musicians" by Lyman Woodard, "Stop" by Lonette, "Shabazz" by Rhoda Scott, "Don't Boom Boom" by Lillian Hale, "The Barracuda" by Leonard King & The Soul Messengers, "Questions (parts 1 & 2)" by Pat Stalworth, "Concentrate" by Willie Tee, "Mabusso" by Orchester Ambros Seelos, "Jumping" by Charlie Antolini, and "Highway 101" by John Barry.

Sublime soul all the way through – really tremendous little tracks that are just waiting to be discovered – and none of them the kind of mainstream grooves you might expect from the "crossover" in the title! Instead, these tracks have a power that really helps shift perception of a genre – almost a bridge between upbeat 60s Northern Soul and smoother 70s modern – with a warmth that's undeniable, and a groove that never lets up! The vocals are sublime, and the production is perfect – totally tight, but never slick at all – just perfect for the arrangements that really help these tunes soar! The set features a whopping two dozen tracks in all – and in addition to some real gems by lesser-knowns, there's also some great overlooked tracks by bigger names too – titles that include "I'm Not Ready" by Ujima, "The Common Broken Heart" by Lou Courtney, "Let's Try It Over Again" by Willie Hutch, "Midnight Sunshine" by The Soul Children, "It's Gonna Be Alright" by Maxine Brown, "One Step Ahead" by Aretha Franklin, "Fool's Hall Of Fame" by Ike Lovely, "Wait Till I Give The Signal" by The Shirelles, "Sweeping Your Dirt Under My Rug" by Ann Bailey, "Main Squeeze" by Syl Johnson, "Satisfactorise Your Mind" by Africano, "Trapped In A Love" by Barrino Brothers, and "I Gotta Keep My Bluff In" by Freddie Hughes.

A tasty sampling of tracks from a label that's really starting to get our attention! Dome started out quite a few years back as one of the few strong UK indie soul labels, but early releases didn't grab us nearly as much as some of their excellent recent work – a range of tracks pulled from hard-to-find sources all over the globe, all unified in a real commitment to underground Neo Soul styles! The set features 17 tracks in all, with titles that include "Now You Know" by India T, "Can't Wait" by Kelli Sae, "If You Want My Love" by Incognito, "Keep On Blessing Me" by Donald Lawrence & The Tri-City Singers, "Hey Young World" by Andreus, "The Real Thing" by Avani, "Something Special" by Donna Gardier, "It's Over" by Sinclair, "Sad Days (acoustic)" by Angela Johnson, "Wherever Love Is Found" by Richard Darbyshire, "Nostalgia (VRS rmx)" by Hil St Soul, and "Stories" by Full Flava with Carleen Anderson.

Stunning sounds from the farther reaches of the El Paso scene – amazing music that really gets at the rich array of underground acts working in the shadow of bigger local hero Bobby Fuller! The cuts here are very heavy on guitars, and often recorded with an echoey approach that makes each twang as resonant as thunder – a perfect way to make a heck of a lot out of a little, and really bring the best out of some of these groups! Our favorite cuts here are by Bob Taylor & The Counts – a combo that sports some really wicked guitar right up front, and raw vocals and tumultuous drums that almost recall the sound of early work by Johnny Burnette. Bob Taylor titles include "Taylor's Rock", "Child Fortune", "Thunder", and "Jill" – and other cuts include "You're Wrong" and "The Shadows Dance" by Johnny Garmon & The Shadows, "Be Mine" and "Jim's Jive" by Jerry Bright & The Embers, "Runaway" by Rock Kings, "Party" by Al Sims & The Alpine Two, "Little Rome" by Max Alexander & The Hi Fi Combo, and "Finders Keepers" by Don Guess & The Rock Kings.

Stunning sounds from the farther reaches of the El Paso scene – amazing music that really gets at the rich array of underground acts working in the shadow of bigger local hero Bobby Fuller! The cuts here are very heavy on guitars, and often recorded with an echoey approach that makes each twang as resonant as thunder – a perfect way to make a heck of a lot out of a little, and really bring the best out of some of these groups! Our favorite cuts here are by Bob Taylor & The Counts – a combo that sports some really wicked guitar right up front, and raw vocals and tumultuous drums that almost recall the sound of early work by Johnny Burnette. Bob Taylor titles include "Taylor's Rock", "Child Fortune", "Thunder", and "Jill" – and other cuts include "You're Wrong" and "The Shadows Dance" by Johnny Garmon & The Shadows, "Be Mine" and "Jim's Jive" by Jerry Bright & The Embers, "Runaway" by Rock Kings, "Party" by Al Sims & The Alpine Two, "Little Rome" by Max Alexander & The Hi Fi Combo, and "Finders Keepers" by Don Guess & The Rock Kings.

Hard-hitting Harlem soul – a sweet selection of indie singles from the late 60s and early 70s – most of which are light years away from the mainstream! The sound of many cuts here is quite unique – elements of soul modes of the era, but swirled up and spit out in really fresh ways – often with a bit of grit in the grooves, and some unusual, offbeat production, instrumentation, and rhythms – all of which help keep things cool throughout! We'll be honest in saying that we'd hardly heard most of these singles before, and only knew a few of the artists – but there's a wealth of wonderful music to discover in the package – all quite different than you might find on other funk or soul collections, with almost the revelatory approach we're used to getting from the Numero Group. CD features track-by-track notes on the tunes – and titles include "I'll Do It For You" by Little Willie, "She Said I'd Be A Failure" by Clarence Ashe, "I Pray To Keep Our Love Strong" by Johnnie & Joe, "I Got A Feeling" by Dicky & Billy, "24 Hours Of The Day" by The Gillettes, "Stay Away From My Baby" by Taffie Lee, "Dancing In A Dream World" by Jimmy & Arthur, "Let Sleeping Dogs Lie" by Miss Johnnie, "You Needn't Tell Me" by Sity & James, "I Won't Ever Try To Change You" by Henry Hodge, "Money & All Your Love" by Freda Allyne, and "It Doesn't Matter" by Niece Dezel.

Massive mixes from the legendary John Morales – one of the key talents for really opening up the sound of New York dancefloors at the end of the 70s! The mixes here were all cut by John back in the day – all for special play in the clubs, and never commercially issued at the time – which makes the package one hell of a musical discovery – like finding your way back onto an underground dancefloor in the waning years of disco – when a handful of mixers like Morales were still finding some rich new energy in the scene! Most tracks are quite long, and have all their best elements expanded out by John – but in ways that really avoid some of the later "look at me" styles that mixers would use in the next generation. 3CD set features 24 tracks, some very extended mixes – "Never Never Gonna Give Ya Up (M+M keep on doin it mix)" by Barry White, "Was That All It Was (M+M South Philly groove mix)" by Jean Carn, "If You Know Like I Know (M+M Teddy know best mix)" by Teddy Pendergrass, "I Think I'll Do Some Stepping On My Own (M+M stepping out the door mix)" by Sandy Barber, "Hit & Run (M+M I ain't sharing mix)" by Loleatta Holloway, "Only You (M+M you got what I need mix)" by Teddy Pendergrass, "I Want You (M+M breakdown beat mix)" by Marvin Gaye, and "You Gonna Make Me Love Somebody Else (M+M I don't wanna do it mix)" by The Jones Girls.

A treasure trove of rare funk – all hand-picked by Keb Darge and Kenny Dope, two names we trust more than most when it comes to rare funk! Most of these tracks are of 70s vintage, and a handful are presented here in new edits by Kenny – not remixes, and very much in the spirit of the original 45s – but re-presented in ways that bring up the funkiest bits from the bottom! The sound quality here is great – often much clearer than the original 45s – and the package is even better than the first set – a much-needed dose of the funky Kay Dee sound for the CD market. Titles include Kenny Dope mixes of "Save The Youth" by Mellow Madness, "I Wanna Be Loved By You" by Family Of Eve, "Puddin" by Belle Farms Estate, "Shed A Tear" by Rickey Calloway, "Keep Her Happy" by Phillip Wright, and "Masterpiece" by Clarence Reid – plus the cuts "Latin Freak" by 7 Miles Per Hour Band, "Lay It On Me" by Willie Johnson, "I'm Your Man" by Spade Brigade, "Super Strut" by Kashmere Stage Band, and "What It Takes To Live" by Chosen Few Band.

Left coast rhythm & blues from Kent "Boogaloo" Harris & his inner circle of LA family & friends – late 50s & 60s treasures from Boogaloo & His Gallant Crew, The Francettes, The Harris Sisters, Eddie Bridges, Fay Ross, The Lon-Genes, The Valquons and many more! Harris was the songwriter, label head, record shop keeper and sometimes singer at the center of a vibrant scene – which indeed included family members as well as friends. His sisters performed and recorded as The Harris Sisters, Marcene "Dimples" Harris stepping out as a headliner, plus many more excellent associated acts over the years. It's got some jumping late 50s style R&B and more grandly orchestrated numbers, though still rooted in rhythm. 25 tracks in all, including a handful of previously unreleased gems – though even the biggest movers here have been overlooked for far too long! Titles include "Big Fat Lie" by Boogaloo & His Gallant Crew, "Long Lean Lanky Juke Box" by Dimples Harris & here Combo, "Double Locks" by Johnny Gosey, "So Far Away" by Rooty Poots, "Our Love Is Like The Sea" by The Lon-Genes, "Don't Just Stand There" by Cry Baby Curtis, "You Ain't Right' by Faye Ross and more.

A weird sort of title – until you realize it's a play on the name of the city of Manchester, where most of this work originates – and where the testosterone must have been running high during the 70s, when most of these tunes were cut! The music here represents a world hardly heard from before – a British underground in the years after Deep Purple – rich in fuzz, and heavy on drums – making music that easily rivals the badass power of most of the bigger British groups of the time – and which often has an undercurrent of funk at the bottom too! That funky element is definitely at play on the track selection here, too – as you might expect with Finders Keepers at the helm – the folks who've given us fuzzy funky nuggets from around the globe, and have turned back towards home to dig up these mostly unreleased gems! Titles include "Windy Day" by Greasy Bear, "Hunt The Stag" by Stack Waddy, "Ten Days Gone" by Urbane Gorilla, "Crocadilla" by Spider Jive, "Come On In" by Slipped Disc, "Seven Stars" by Plasma, "Johnny" by Socrates, and "Is This Really Me" by JC Heavy.

The RZA-curated Iron Fists Chronicles! This limited volume in the Man With The Iron Fists soundtrack series is a 2CD compilation of classic Stax deep soul – and it's not only the material that inspired the score for RZA's directorial debut – it's also the funky soul bedrock for his most legendary Wu Tang productions! It's got classics and relative rarities alike by The Dramatics, The Emotions, Soul Children, Mad Lads, Sweet Inspirations, Isaac Hayes, Mel & Tim, Booker T & The MGs, Johnnie Taylor, William Bell and many more! You know RZA isn't compromising or messing around when he's including Isaac Hayes' 15+ minute "Joy" in the set list – and the whole thing is great – really a top-shelf compilation from the Stax vaults! Nearly 2 1/2 hours of music on 2CDs! Includes "I Forgot To Be Your Lover" by The Mad Lads, "I Could Never Be Happy" by The Emotions, "All It Takes Is You And Me" by Sweet Inspirations, "Move Over" by Soul Children, "Steal Away" by Johnny Taylor, "Keep The Faith" by Mel & Tim, "Sing A Simple Song" and "LA Jazz Song" by Booker T & The MGs, "Poverty's Paradise" by 24-Carat Black and more.

A mind-expanding look at Memphis soul – one that gets way past common cliches about the city and its music! There's a heavy dose of funk in the mix on most numbers here – a gritty, fuzzy approach to the music that seems slightly borrowed from the Detroit scene at the end of the 60s – then mixed with some rougher, rootsier southern soul styles too! But other tracks take on a more sophisticated sound too – some of the righteous elements that hit Stax in the post-1968 period, especially as Isaac Hayes and David Porter were working on their own great solo work. Yet unlike Hayes and Porter, most of the artists here are much lesser-known – singers and groups who never charted big, but who got the chance to record for Memphis labels like XL, Stax, Select-O-Hits, and Sounds Of Memphis. CD features 20 tracks in all – and titles include "Dig It" by The Optimistics, "Mississippi Mud" by Smithsonian, "Two Paces Ahead Of Love" by Willie Walker, "Pullin" by The Minits, "It's Bump Time" by Gene Bowlegs Miller, "Blackrock Yeah Yeah" by Blackrock, "Keep The Faith" by Mel & Tim, "Watch Dog (alt)" by Barbara & The Browns, "Come What May" by John Gary Williams, "Strange Things" by Art Jerry Miller, "Shake" by The Ovations, "Tip Toeing" by Alvin Cash, "The Way Of Me" by Hannon, "Take A Giant Step" by LaCleve Milon, "Papa Killed A Chicken" by Willie Toliver, and "Don't Boom Boom" by Lillian Hale.

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.

Essential work from the African scene of the 70s – a collection of tracks that goes way beyond the more familiar grooves of Fela Kuti and Manu Dibango! The set may well be the deepest so far we've heard from the always-amazing Soundway Records – a package that digs into a wealth of under-heard music from early 70s Nigeria, all of it beyond simple stylistic definitions and overplayed world music cliches! Many of the grooves here are wonderfully unique – odd fusions of styles that include highlife, jazz, soul, Afrobeat, and other regional influences – sifted and shaken together, and spilled out in the studio with a really fresh sort of feel. Rhythms are at the core of most numbers here, but even those are often unfamiliar – skittish, soulful, and often somewhat playful – and the other instrumentation on the tracks is great too, and often resonates with some of the odd sounds and tunings we love in work on the Ethiopiques series. 2CD set features 26 tracks that include "Okwuke Na Nchekwube" by Celestine Ukwu & His Philosophers National, "Nekwaha Semi Colon" by The Semi Colon, "Osalobua Rekpama" by Sir Victor Owaifo & His Melody Maestros, "Onwu Ama Dike" by St Augustine & His Rovers Dance Band, "Feso Jaiye" by The Sahara All Stars Of Jos, "To Whom It May Concern" by Tunji Oyelana & The Benders, "Akula Owu Onyeara" by The Funkees, "Koma Mosi" by The Harbours Band, "Belema" by Opotopo, "Asiko Mi Ni" by Nigerian Police Force Band, "Alabeke" by Dan Satch & His Atomic 8 Dance Band, "Blak Sound" by Leo Fadaka & The Heroes, "Arraino" by Popular Cooper & His All Beats Band, "Ugali" by Tony Benson Sextet, "Akpaisong" by Etubom Rex Williams & His Nigerian Allstars, "Eguae Oba" by Osayomore Joseph & The Creative 7, "Torri Wowo" by Godwin Ezike & The Ambassadors, "Buroda Mase" by Bola Johnson & His Easy Life Top Beats, "I Want A Break Thru" by The Hykkers, and "Eguae Oba" by Osayomore Joseph & The Creative 7.

Way more than the greasy mess you'd expect from the title – and instead, one of the coolest collections we've heard in years! The set's something of a sampling of the sounds of Trunk Records – but actually features loads of selections that have never been on CD before, or issued by the label at all – presented in a really playful way that has sound library grooves sliding into jazzy vocals into spoken bits, obscure electronics, kids records, commercials, and more – the really great range of sounds we've come to love Trunk for over the years! We've been following the label with keen interest since their very first record – almost 20 years ago – and this cool compilation definitely lives up to all we've come to expect. 30 tracks in all – and titles include "Mute 4" by Basil Kirchin, "The Snake" by Maximillian, "Gurney Slade" by Max Harris, "Basic Hip' by Del Close & John Brent, "The Lost Souls Of Saturn" by Russ Garcia, "Bring Back The Cat" by Terry Thomas, "Temple Bells" by Frank Hunter, "Sports Activities" by Wisbey & Jonny Trunk, "The Foggy Dew" by Shirley Collins, and "Star Eyes" by Carole Crevelling.

The funkiest side of Stax Records – a treasure trove of funky nuggets, all hand-picked by RZA! As the title implies, these are some of the grooves that became the building blocks of the Wu-Tang sound – but even without that pedigree, these tracks are more than great enough on their own – a wonderful mix of album cuts and rare singles – some you'll recognize from famous hip hop samples, some you'll discover here for the first time ever! The triple-length package is overflowing with greatness – and titles include "I Could Never Be Happy" and "I Like It" by The Emotions, "I Forgot To Be Your Lover" by The Mad Lads and another "I Forgot To Be Your Lover" by William Bell, "Children Don't Get Weary" by Judy Clay, "All It Takes Is You & Me" by The Sweet Inspirations, "Poverty's Paradise" by 24 Carat Black, "I'll Play The Blues For You" by Albert King, "Why Marry" by The Sweet Inspirations, "Steal Away" by Johnnie Taylor, "Hang On Sloopy" by David Porter, "Ike's Mood 1" by Isaac Hayes, "In The Rain" by The Dramatics, "Don't Take My Kindness For Weakness" by The Soul Children, "Packed & Took My Mind" by Little Milton, "Sing A Simple Song" by Booker T & The MGs, "I'm Afraid The Masquerade Is Over" by David Porter, "LA Jazz Song" by Booker T & The MGs, "Walk On By" by Isaac Hayes, and "Keep The Faith" by Mel & Tim.

A damn classic entry in the Super Breaks series from BGP – one that's filled with crucial sample cuts from the old school – some really wonderful funky nuggets, brought together here as a great reminder of the tracks that first got us digging back in the day! There's less of the totally obscure numbers here than you might find on other Super Breaks volumes, but things aren't totally mainstream either – and the compilers have not only done a great job of pulling together tracks that were really important for hip hop, but have also managed to put a really fresh spin on the music altogether – reminding us once again that even in the age of digital music, nothing beats a well-done compilation! Titles include "Shifting Gears" by Johnny Hammond, "Mary Mary" by The Monkees, "Scratchin" by Magic Disco Machine, "It's Just Begun" by Jimmy Castor, "Africano" by Earth Wind & Fire, "Apache" by Incredible Bongo Band, "Got To Get A Knutt" by New Birth, "Get Up & Dance" by Freedom, "Super Sporm" by Captain Sky, "Who Is He & What Is He To You" by Creative Source, "Funky President" by James Brown, "Blow Your Head" by The JBs, "Johnny The Fox" by Thin Lizzy, "Let A Woman Be A Woman Let A Man Be A Man" by Dyke & The Blazers, "The Clapping Song" by Shirley Ellis, and "Get Ya Some" by Melvin Sparks.

A damn classic entry in the Super Breaks series from BGP – one that's filled with crucial sample cuts from the old school – some really wonderful funky nuggets, brought together here as a great reminder of the tracks that first got us digging back in the day! There's less of the totally obscure numbers here than you might find on other Super Breaks volumes, but things aren't totally mainstream either – and the compilers have not only done a great job of pulling together tracks that were really important for hip hop, but have also managed to put a really fresh spin on the music altogether – reminding us once again that even in the age of digital music, nothing beats a well-done compilation! Titles include "Shifting Gears" by Johnny Hammond, "Mary Mary" by The Monkees, "Scratchin" by Magic Disco Machine, "It's Just Begun" by Jimmy Castor, "Africano" by Earth Wind & Fire, "Apache" by Incredible Bongo Band, "Got To Get A Knutt" by New Birth, "Get Up & Dance" by Freedom, "Super Sporm" by Captain Sky, "Who Is He & What Is He To You" by Creative Source, "Funky President" by James Brown, "Blow Your Head" by The JBs, "Johnny The Fox" by Thin Lizzy, "Let A Woman Be A Woman Let A Man Be A Man" by Dyke & The Blazers, "The Clapping Song" by Shirley Ellis, and "Get Ya Some" by Melvin Sparks.

An amazing collection of funky nuggets – one that's overflowing with hip soul, funk, and break tracks! The set's the second in a series put together by the staff of London's Soul Brother Records – and like the first, it features some of the most sought-after rare grooves and sample tracks from the 70s – a rich array of titles from a variety of different labels, all collected with a keen ear for the older tracks that are still breaking big well into the 21st Century! And since these guys also run a record store themselves, they've gone way past the obvious – and have chosen an all-essential batch of tunes that aren't easily available on the market, including some killer tracks from major labels that we've been waiting years to see reissued. Titles include "Oops Here I Go Again" by Edna Wright, "I'm Gonna Love You Just A Little Bit More" by Kellee Patterson, "Sho Nuff" by Sly Slick & Wicked, "All I Want Is You" by Four Flights, "Live For Love" by GC Cameron, "I Feel So At Home Here" by Michelle Wiley, "Shake It Up" by The Vibrations, "My Music" by Samuel Jonathan Johnson, "Heaven" by Ruth Copeland, "It's Got To Be Mellow (1976)" by Leon Mellow, "Making Room For Love" by Alton McClain & Destiny, and "When We're Makin Love" by Denise LaSalle.

The Lone Ranger delivers a silver bullet with this batch of bouncing dancehall niceness featuring a Channel One posse that includes Sly & Robbie, Soldgie, Scientist and Barnabas! Probably best known as Studio One's top DJ, the Lone Ranger proves he can keep the bad guys in check even under his own production with this set that delivers a tight batch of tracks that hit the bull's eye with every shot! 10 tracks in all, including "Tom Drunk", "Rub 'N' Scrub", "Legalize The National Herb", "Gunshot Mek Daughter Drop", "Liviing As A Poor", "Johnny Make You Bad So", "The Clock", "Lone Ranger & Tonto", "Solomon" and "Love Affair Problem".

A great back to basics session from organist Jimmy Smith – recorded live in the early 80s, but with a freewheeling small combo sound that takes us back to his Blue Note years! The group on the album's a quartet – with Jimmy on both piano and organ, Kenny Burrell on guitar, and Johnny Griffin on drums – and the tracks are long and open-ended, with plenty of solo space for all players – especially Burrell, whose warmly-colored lines really help shape the sound of the record. Titles include "No Problem", "Keep On Comin", "Callitwhachawanna", and "Be Yourself" – as well as a short piano solo medley from Jimmy!

Spiritual sounds for the dancefloor – a completely compelling mix of disco and gospel modes, served up here with some of the best-ever examples of the style! Given the decades of crossing between the secular and spiritual worlds of soul music before the disco years, the blend is hardly a surprise – especially since so many disco singers had their roots in the church. But what is a surprise is how great the music works together – how the soaring spirit of one genre works perfectly with the tight rhythms of another – giving these tunes a lofty, righteous quality that goes far beyond the usual emptiness of disco lyrics. There's a mighty message on most of these numbers, and the groove is pretty damn great too – as you'll hear on cuts that include "I Need You (Joey Negro edit)" by Ricky Womack & Christian Essence, "I'll Keep Holding On" by The Young Delegation, "Awake O Zion" by Elbernita Clark, "I Am Gold" by Linda Evans, "Overdose Of The Holy Ghost" by The Clark Sisters, "No Cross No Crown" by Gloster Williams & Master Control, "He Lives" by The Young Delegation, "A Better Day" by Sharon Johnson, "Message To The People" by Shirley Caesar, "Lead Me" by Ronia La Vee, "He's My Friend" by Rahni Harris & Family Love, and "Love Is The Message (Joey Negro edit)" by Dan Greer.

Dark genius from Duke Pearson – quite possibly one of his hippest records ever, and an album that's filled with surprising twists and turns! At one level, the set seems to be a simple batch of soul jazz tunes – in the mode of Pearson's mid-60s classics on Blue Note – but at another, it opens up into unusual phrasings, timings, shades, and tones – all of which are years ahead of their time, and serve to keep the album full of complexity throughout! Many tracks groove here – but in a very subtle way that often moves a bit towards modal jazz. And the players on the set shade things in unconventionally – sometimes using understatement and space as their strongest tools – clearly directed by Pearson's budding talents as an arranger. Players include James Spaulding on flute and alto sax, Harold Vick on soprano sax, Johnny Coles on trumpet, George Coleman on tenor, and Gene Bertoncini on guitar – and Pearson himself plays a bit of celeste in addition to his regular piano. Titles include a great version of Joe Henderson's "Soulin", plus Ron Carter's "Little Waltz", and Pearson's own "The Fakir", one of the best tracks he ever wrote! Other titles include "Hush A Bye", "Prairie Dog", and "Angel Eyes".

As classic as it comes for late 50s Blue Note – and a key meeting between Sonny Rollins and Thelonious Monk! The group on the set features Rollins and Monk with JJ Johnson, Paul Chambers, and Art Blakey – all of whom push things more in the direction of Blue Note's sound of the time, then Monk's own recordings of the period for Riverside. But the contrast of modes makes for a really startling sound – one that has Monk "monking" it up next to the straighter rhythm section, and bringing out some more modern tones in Rollins' tenor work. Horace Silver plays piano on part of the set as well – but still keeps things strong – and titles include "Why Don't I", "Wail March", "Misterioso", and "Reflections".

A pair of compelling British instrumental albums back to back – both of them with a really unique flavor! Russo In London is a rare British outing for Stan Kenton alumni Bill Russo – a date recorded at the legendary Lansdowne studios, and one that may well be one of Russo's greatest albums ever as a leader! The set's filled with material originally scored for the Kenton group – but served up here with really inventive arrangements from Russo – modern in tones, but soulful in colors – and filled with unusual changes that really keep things interesting, and a bit swinging too. Soloists include Johnny Scott on alto, Duncan Lamont on tenor, Keith Christie on trombone, and Leon Calvert on trumpet – and titles include "Frank Speaking", "Egdon Heath", "Portrait Of A Count", "Sweets", "Bill's Blues", and "Ennui". Blowing Up A Storm is a showcase for the trumpet talents of Kenny Baker – working here with his sprightly Baker's Dozen combo, on a date that was recorded by the legendary Joe Meek! Baker's horn isn't always out front, which makes for a nice focus on the overall sound of the ensemble – and titles include "Blowing Up A Storm", "Call Of The Flute", "Night Blooming Jazz Man", "Threesome", and "Sunrise Serenade".

Excellent bop sides cut for EmArcy by Cannonball, collected and assembled in a manner that showcases his wonderfully soulful and hard blowing approach to the alto in the years before Miles recruited him. The set features a host of great sidemen including brother Nat, JJ Johnson, Cecil Payne, Ernie Royal, John Coltrane, Junior Mance, Horace Silver, Wynton Kelly, Paul Chambers, Keeter Betts, Sam Jones, Kenny Clarke, Max Roach and Jimmy Cobb. 17 tracks in all, including "Hurrican Connie", "Cynthia's In Love", "Cannonball", "Nat's Everglade", "Fallen Feathers", "Watermelon", "Fort Lauderdale", "Broadway At Basin Street", "T's Tune", "Blues For Bohemia", "Specutacular", "Miss Jackie's Delight", "Hoppin' John", "The Way You Look Tonight", "I'll Remember April", "Limehouse Blues" and "The Sleeper".

A well-titled set from Art Blakey – considering the hard-driving sound of the group! The album's one of the best from that unusual year of 1957 – almost a "lost" year for Art, when he was working away from Blue Note with a very different lineup of the Jazz Messengers than on his famous sessions for that label! The players here are all great – and include Johnny Griffin on tenor, Bill Hardman on trumpet, Junior Mance on piano, and Spanky DeBrest on bass – all working with a style that's a bit loose and open, allowing plenty of space for solos! Griffin's horn has all the sharp edges you'd expect, and Hardman's great too – and Blakey himself seems to sit back a bit more than usual in his chair, letting the soloists lead the tracks, instead of kicking things into gear from the drums. Titles include "Deo X", "Sweet Sakeena", "Late Spring", "Krafty", and "For Miles & Miles".

Two killers from Chicago guitarist Bobby Broom – both recorded near the start of his career! First up is Clean Sweep, killer set from a player who should have been huge – ultra-sweet guitarist Bobby Broom, a player we'd vote to become the next big heir to the sound of Wes Montgomery or George Benson! This debut set is a wicked mix of jazz and soul – recorded right at the best stretch of the early GRP label, with a similar blend and sense of depth as the label's initial albums by Don Blackman and Bernard Wright! The core groove focuses strongly on Broom's guitar, but there's also some great vocal numbers too – and it turns out that Bobby's a surprisingly good singer, too – with a nicely honest vocal approach that works great alongside his guitar. Arrangements are by Broom, Dave Grusin, and Marcus Miller – and titles include "No Bad Vibes", "Saturday Night", "Niqui", "Share My Love", "She's My Reason", and "Remember When". Next up is Livin For The Beat is the second LP by this oft-overlooked, but excellent Chicago soul jazz guitarist – and a record that's quite different than his first! Like the second album by Bernard Wright, fellow labelmate at GRP/Arista, Broom's moving into a mode that's more electro/"street" for this second album – which means that there's a lot of keyboards and electronic percussion on the set, giving some tracks a proto-breaking kind of sound – more of a street-level sound than the smoother jazz mode of the first set – which makes for a really surprising change, and helps keep the record away from mainstream fusion cliches of the time. The best cuts, though, are in a smooth 80s groove mode – and Broom shows that he's strong on the vocal tip as well as the guitar. Titles include "Let It Go", "Let's Stay Together", "Rubye", "He Said I Love You", "Beat Freak", "Give Me Your Love", and "Magic Johnson".

More hit magic from the Brothers Johnson – still working with Quincy Jones at this point, and virtually setting up the blueprint for jazzy soul in the 80s! Backings are by an all-star team, and Rod Temperton's helping out Quincy with arrangements – going for that snapping groove approach he worked to best effect with Heatwave. The sound is tight, but never too slick – and The Brothers keep a nice funky undercurrent on the bottom of most tracks. Titles include "Smilin On Ya", "You Make Me Wanna Wiggle", "Light Up The Night", "Stomp", "This Had To Be", and "Closer To The One You Love".

Smooth modern duets from one of our favorite ladies in soul music! Jean Carne's a heck of a singer – with a career that stretches back to early soul jazz recordings with (then) husband Doug Carn, to solo recordings on Philly International in the late 70s, to appearances on records by other artists – sessions from the 70s, 80s, and 90s in which Jean lent her vocals to a wealth of great recordings! This great collection focuses on work in that category – uncollected sides from a three decade period, brought together in one album that shows just how great Jean can sound when she's singing with other artists. Many of these titles are quite hard to find otherwise, and haven't even shown up on other collections of Jean's work – and tracks include "Good Thng Goin On" with Billy Paul, "Holdin On" and "Dreams Of Tomorrow" with Dexter Wansel, "Keep In Touch" and "The Look Of Love" with Grover Washington Jr, "Lean On Me" with Nathan Heathman, "If You Don't Know Me By Now" with The Temptations, "Love Is Beautiful" with Universe, "Star Flower" with Lonnie Liston Smith, "Let's Stay Together" with Bobby M, "I'm Back For More" with Al Johnson, "You Might Be Surprised" with Roy Ayers, "Mother Of The Future" with Norman Connors, and "Valentine Love" with Michael Henderson. Also features the bonus solo track "Trust Me" – never on CD before!

In the immediate years after John Coltrane passed, wife Alice was the main figure keeping the spiritual light of jazz burning at Impulse Records – and her albums from the time showcased a whole new side of the Coltrane family idiom in jazz, expressed not just through her own soulful work on piano, but also on harp, organ, and strings as well! This 8 track set is a wonderful introduction to the great talents of Alice Coltrane, and should be plenty to convince you that she just wasn't a lucky person who happened to be married to The Great One – but a tremendous artist on her own with a rich legacy of work! Other musicians here include Pharoah Sanders, Jimmy Garrison, Joe Henderson, and Ravi Coltrane – and titles include "Universal Consciousness", "Excerpts From The Firebird", "Journey In Satchidananda", "Ptah The El Daud", "Jaya Jaya Rama", and "Lovely Sky Boat" – as well as "Transliner Light" from her recent return to the label.

We've heard the original title version of "My Favorite Things" a million times – but it still blows our mind the way Coltrane hits this incredibly soulful modal groove, twisting and turning on soprano sax, always keeping things interesting, so that we're surprised that the cut's gone by so quickly!

Hard wailing! Poppa Lou's caught right at the height of his early Blue Note powers here – recorded in 2 different groups on this set of unreleased sessions from the early 60s! Both sets have Lou in a guitar/organ soul jazz setting – with backing by Grant Green on guitar, and either Jack McDuff or John Patton on organ. The McDuff set features the great Joe Dukes on drums, and the session sparkles like one of McDuff's best Prestige albums from the time. The other session has the classic Patton/Green lineup augmented by trumpeter Irwin Stokes, a lesser-known talent who really opens up the sound nicely. There's a total of 9 tracks in all – a number of them ballads, but done with a lively soulful tone that keeps the whole thing nice and fresh – even after sitting in the vaults for nearly 40 years! Titles include "Star Dust", "Hippty Hop", "Please", "Man With A Horn", and "Cherry Pink & Apple Blossom White".

Tight funky work from Dr John – a second collaboration with producer Allen Toussaint, and a set that follows strongly on their Right Place record of the year before! The groove's not as messed-up as on the first few Atlantic records by the Doctor – but in it's place is a sweet electric funk mode, kind of an update on 60s New Orleans grooves – handled here by The Meters and a host of other key players from the Crescent City scene! Toussaint's production and arrangements are tight, but never slick at all – still much earthier than the later work, especially that on Warner Brothers, that was handled by the producer. And the tunes have a good focus that keeps Dr John on track lyrically – even though we'll admit that our main love of this record comes from the keyboards, bass, and funky drums! Titles include "Stealin", "What Comes Around (Goes Around)", "Mos' Scocious", "Rite Away", "R U 4 Real", "Let's Make A Better World", "Sing Along Song", "Go Tell The People", "Quitters Never Win", and "Can't Git Enuff".

Great songs, great vocals, great instrumentation, and another late 70s classic from Michael Franks – one of the few mainstream masters of understatement in his generation! As on all his best albums, the style here is a subtle blend of jazz and pop with a bit of a Brazilian inspiration – kind of a more mainstream take on styles that Bob Dorough and Blossom Dearie had first put forth, with all the sort of hip songwriting that sort of reference might imply. Deodato's at the helm of the arrangements here – keeping things lean and clean, and using key contributions from players like Leon Pendarvis, John Tropea, Steve Gadd, and Bud Shank to flesh out the jazzier side of Franks' sound. Titles include "Wrestle A Live Nude Girl", "In Search Of The Perfect Shampoo", "Vivaldi's Song", "Dear Little Nightingale", "When The Cookie Jar Is Empty", "A Robinsong", and "Meet Me In The Deerpark".

If you've ever needed a definition of hardbop, this is it! The set's a crack quartet session for Blue Note, recorded in the mid 50s by a young Johnny Griffin – fresh in from Chicago, and playing with tons of fire and loads of imagination! Wynton Kelly's on piano and Max Roach is on drums – and the excitement never stops as the group rolls their way through the tightly-crafted tunes on the set. And don't mistake the session as just a head-blowing album with no creativity – because the whole thing's incredibly precise, and the real charm is the way in which the razor-sharp group manages to twist and turn so deftly – yet still always plays with creative imagination and thoughtful solos! Cuts include "Mil Dew", "Chicago Calling", "These Foolish Things", The Boy Next Door", "Lover Man" and "It's Alright With Me". CD features 2 bonus tracks – "Cherokee" and "The Way You Look Tonight".

A 70s collection of classic 60s work by the Impressions – a selection of their sides for ABC Records, featuring their biggest hits of the time! Every track, save one, is written by Curtis – and arrangements on all cuts are by the great Johnny Pate. Titles include "People Get Ready", "Amen", "We're A Winner", "Talkin Bout My Baby", "Gypsy Woman", "Keep On Pushin", "I'm So Proud", "You Must Believe Me", and "It's Alright".

A great 2CD set that brings together 39 tracks from Syl Johnson's years at Hi Records! Although Syl's probably best known to funk fans for his early recordings in Chicago, his 70s sides for Hi in Memphis are also quite nice – mellower, and perhaps bluesier, than his early funkier singles and LP tracks, but touched by the warmth of the Memphis scene, in a way that mellows Syl's vocals nicely. The package features just about every track you'd want from Syl's years at the label – and tracks include "We Did It", "Back For A Taste Of Your Love", "Bleu Water", "Diamond In The Rough", "Anyway The Wind Blows", "I Let A Good Girl Go", "Keeping Down Confusion", "Music To My Ears", "Please Don't Give Up On Me", "I Hear The Love Chimes", "Feelin Frisky", "Watch What You Do", "Steppin Out", and "Funk You".

Jumpin' rhythm & blues from Johnny Jones – excellent, exciting recordings in more of an r&b revue sound than the more definitively blues based numbers later on – big collection of numbers devided between sessions with The Jimmy Beck Orchestra and The Imperial Seven, aka The Beat Boys. Given the largeish backing, the numbers have a jumpin' groove, but the players keeping it tight enough that some bluesy intimacy is still there in the fabric. Some sessions feature alternate lead vocalists, a few with Earl Gaines, a couple with Larry Birdsong, plus Charles Walker, Levert Allison and others. 35 tracks in all! "Every Night In The Week", "Now That We're Together", "Best Of Luck Baby", "Slave To Love", "Fiesta", "Oh Baby", "I'm Going Home", "Slow Down Baby", "Mercy On My Soul". "24 Hours A Day", "Pickin' Berries" and more.

Trumpeter Jonah Jones swings nicely with a Broadway theme – yet still manages to keep things in his charming blend of trad, swing, and some groovier elements too! The set's mostly instrumental, although Jonah sings on a few numbers with that warmly raspy voice of his – and as with most of the Capitol dates, a mute is used often – compressing the sound down into the grooves, which are almost upbeat and lively. Other players include George Rhodes on piano, John Brown on bass, and Harold Austin on drums – and titles include "Baubles Bangles & Beads", "Hey There", "Just In Time", "You're Just In Love", "Just My Luck", and "You're So Right For Me".

John Mayall's definitely getting back to his roots here – and he's also getting help from an all-star cast as well! Mayall's vocals and piano are in fine form – almost with a rough-edged Blues Breakers sort of vibe, but sometimes a bit funkier too – in ways that strongly show the evolution of the older Brit blues groove into some hipper, more soul-drenched territory. Players on the record are a range of familiar names – including Eric Clapton on guitar, Johnny Amond on sax and flute, Harvey Mandel on guitar, Sugarcane Harris on violin, and Keef Hartley on some especially nice drums. Titles include "Prisons On The Road", "Groupie Girl", "My Children", "Home Again", "Blue Fox", "Boogie Albert", "Unanswered Questions", "Goodbye December", "Force Of Nature", and "Dream With Me". CD also features bonus tracks too – including "Accidental Suicide (1988 rmx)", "Force Of Nature (1988 rmx)", "Boogie Albert (1988 rmx)", "Television Eye (1988 rmx)", "Looking At Tomorrow (1988 rmx)", "Mr Censor Man (1988 rmx)", and "Home Again (1988 rmx)".

One of the funkiest albums ever on Blue Note – a set that mixes the trumpet talents of Blue Mitchell with some killer backings from Monk Higgins – all in a groove that more gritty edges than the best funky soundtracks of the time! Higgins keeps the backings full, but always quite lean – fusing all elements together into a sharp, tight rhythm that steps along with some of the slight African touches you might guess from the title – a groove that's not really that authentic, but which resonates with some of the best inspirations that Hugh Masekela was bringing to American music at the time. And while the album might be an attempt to cash in on Masekela's groove, the feel here is really quite different overall – as tracks are nicely stretched out, with plenty of room for jazzy solo work – and a groove that's much harder overall, thanks to Higgins! Other players include Freddy Robinson on guitar, Wilton Felder on bass, Paul Humphrey on drums, and Plas Johnson on tenor – and titles include "HNIC", "Flat Backing", "Na Ta Ka", "Bantu Village", and "Blue Dashiki".