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A great great session from reedman James Spaulding – and way more than you'd guess from the title! Sure, the tunes are all Ellington numbers – but they're swung by James and a very hip group, in ways that are more open and soulful than most readings of the tunes – given a slight 70s spiritual undercurrent, as you might expect from the cover! Spaulding plays tenor flute, bass flute, piccolo, soprano, and tenor – the last two of which especially beautifully – and the group also features Cedar Walton on piano, Steve Nelson on vibes, Sam Jones on bass, Billy Higgins on drums, and Mtume on percussion! With a lineup like that, it's hard to miss – and the use of vibes is especially nice, and really helps shade in the tunes with some unique colors. Titles include "Lucky So & So", "I Love You Madly", "In A Sentimental Mood", "Come Sunday", "Sophisticated Lady", and "Caravan".

An overlooked gem from bassist Larry Ridley – a set recorded many years after his debut on Strata East – but one that's done with an even deeper sound overall! The recording was done at the end of the 80s in New Jersey – but shows that the Strata spirit was still burning bright in the decade after the label had issued most of its classics – thanks to work from leaders like Ridley, who's really wonderful on the set! The performance is live, but has a well-conceived feel right from the start – a bold statement by Larry's Jazz Legacy ensemble – dedicated to older roots, but still more than willing to bring in new elements of their own. The combo features work from trumpeter Virgil Jones, trombonist Larry McClellan, tenorist Doug Miller, pianist Ed Stoute, and drummer Charlie Persip – plus bass from Ridley, and a bit of guest vocals from singer Jan Parker. Most numbers are long, and spin out with great soulful energy – and the set features tracks that include Hank Mobley's "The Vamp" and "The Breakthrough", Freddie Hubbard's "Osie Mae", Buddy Montgomery's "Bock To Bock", and Monk's "Ugly Beauty" – plus Ridley's own "Ypso Factor".

The complete recordings of a wonderful soul singer who never fully got her due – Detroit diva Carol Anderson, best known for a few tracks that broke big on the UK Northern scene – but finally presented here with the full scope of her work in one set! Carol had a great approach that was very much in keeping with changes in the Detroit sound of the 70s – vocals that often shared a sense of personal, heartfelt delivery with southern soul of the period – but a tighter, more swinging approach to instrumentation that was still keeping up the Detroit groove of earlier years. The tunes here nicely skirt a distance between Memphis and Motortown – delivered with a rich, expansive heart that should have made Carol a bigger singer than she was a the time. A few of the tracks on the set are nice dancefloor groovers – both in an older style of Northern soul, and in a late 70s/early 80s boogie-styled groove – and as usual, the folks at Grapevine have done a tremendous job with the notes! CD features every single track ever recorded by Carol – 17 titles that include "Sad Girl", "You Boy", "We've Got Enough", "You've Got It Coming", "Party People", "Holding On", "Taking My Mind Off Love", "You Want It", "Ain't Giving Up", "Tomorrow Is Not A Promise", "Come On Over Tonight", and "Master Plan".

One of the most beautiful records we've ever heard from the legendary Phil Cohran – a previously-unissued performance from 1993, and one that's every bit as wonderful as his rare albums of the late 60s! The set was recorded at the planetarium in Chicago – and for the date, Cohran comes up with a really cosmic sound – a small combo that's heavy on string sounds from guitar, bass, and harp – layered together beautifully to create these Alice Coltrane-like undercurrents – over which the group solos with flute, trumpet, and trombone! There's less players here than on some of Cohran's older Artistic Heritage Ensemble sets, but the sound is exactly like those records – right down to some key moments in which Phil plays his amazing Frankiphone – an electrified kalimba with a tremendous tone. Titles include "White Nile", "Cohran Blues", "The Dogon", "Sahara", "Kalahari", and "Kilimanjaro".

One of Bill Withers' greatest albums of the 70s – a set that has hip stepping off the acoustic sound of his Sussex records, into a warm and jazzy style that we like every bit as much as his earlier work! The album's got a wonderfully sophisticated jazzy vibe, and includes the excellent cut "Lovely Day" – a perfect midtempo track with some great electric keyboards behind Bill's raspy soulful voice, and a great hook on the chorus! Paul Riser handled a lot of the arrangements – and other titles include "Wintertime", "It Ain't Because Of Me Baby", "I Want To Spend The Night", and "Then You Smile At Me". CD features the bonus tracks "Rosie (unreleased demo)", "Lovely Night For Dancing (single version)", and "Let Me Be The One For You (inst mix)".

Deep and bluesy work from the all-star Ellington group of the late 50s – a beautifully recorded album that moves way past the simple cliché of its title! The set features a host of original tunes from Duke Ellington and other members of the group – and players include Jimmy Hamilton on tenor, Ray Nance on trumpet, Matthew Gee on trombone, and the wonderful Johnny Hodges on alto – playing here at the peak of his later powers. Titles include "Three J's Blues", "Smada", "C Jam Blues", "Sweet & Pungent", "Blues In Blueprint", "The Swinger's Jump", and "Blues In Orbit". CD features 8 bonus tracks too – including "Track 360", "Brown Penny", "Sweet & Pungent (alternate)", and "Pie Eye's Blues (alternate)".

A look at the earliest solo work by Shuggie Otis – tracks cut at a time when he was stepping out of the shadows of his father Johnny, and recording for Columbia both as an emerging star on his own, and as one of the best elements of the larger Otis Show enterprise! The tracks here focus a bit more on Shuggie's bluesier side – as you might guess from the title – but there's also some nascent funk elements in the mix too, and overall most of this work is a lot more tripped-out and hip than any of the bar band blues that was hitting the college scene of the time. CD features 12 tracks in all – including "The Hawks", "Gospel Groove", "Cold Shot", "Me & My Woman", "I Can Stand To See You Die", "I Got The Walkin Blues", "Shuggie's Boogie", "12:15 Slow Goonbash Blues", "Sweet Thang", and "Bootie Cooler".

A brilliant double live album by Bill Withers – different than his studio work, and every bit as essential! The album's similar to Curtis Mayfield's double live album around the same time – in that it's got Bill in front of a very enthusiastic crowd, playing in a stripped down way that creates a wonderfully intimate feel – even more so than his studio albums, with a deeply acoustic vibe! Some of the tracks here are even more soulful than their more famous versions – and Bill opens up warmly in front of the Carnegie crowd with a hip small combo behind him. Titles include "For My Friend", "World Keeps Going Around", " "Grandma's Hands", "Use Me", "Harlem/Cold Baloney", "Better Off Dead", "Hope She'll Be Happy", and "Ain't No Sunshine".

Trend-setting vocal work from Oscar Brown Jr – one of the hippest singers of his generation, and a vocalist who really took things to the next level in the 60s! Brown's got a sound that's partially influenced by the vocalese of Eddie Jefferson, Jon Hendricks, and other singers of the 50s – but his groove here is also a bit more fluid and lyrical too – thanks to some great lyrics penned by Oscar, some of which went on to become classics over the years. Like his predecessors, many of the tunes chosen by Brown got their start as jazz instrumentals, but sparkle anew here with fresh lyrics that really liven them up a lot – tales of sin and soul and a lot more, often delivered with a good sense of wit. Titles include great vocal versions of "Dat Dere", "Work Song", and "Afro-Blue", plus some of his great original compositions, like "Brown Baby", "But I Was Cool", and "Rags and Old Iron". The arrangements are great, with a nice jazzy sound – and the group includes the excellent Floyd Morris on piano! CD features 5 bonus tracks that include "Straighten Up & Fly Right", "Forbidden Fruit", "World Of Grey", "Mr Kicks", and "Hazel's Hips".

Another one of the greatest mid 60s Columbia albums by Cash, with a proper CD release! Orange Blossom Special is probably the most successful of Johnny's LPs in which he balances the profound influence of Bob Dylan with his own rough hewn style for something wholly unique. Cash covers 3 of Dylan's tunes on Orange Blossom, "It Ain't Me Babe", "Mama, You've Been On My Mind", and "Don't Think Twice, It's Alright". Other tracks include "You Wild Colorado", "When It's Springtime In Alaska", "Amen", and "Danny Boy". This remastered set includes 3 bonus tracks that were never issued in the US, but can (and should!) also be found on Bear Family's amazing Man In Black: 1963-1969 box set. Those include "Engine 143", "(I'm Proud) The Baby Is Mine", and another version of "Mama, You've Been On My Mind", this one featuring Mariachi horns in the tradition of "Ring Of Fire".

An incredible record – and virtually the blueprint for countless other keyboard records to come! At the height of his 70s powers, Herbie really takes off into space with this set – moving away from more commercial music, and hitting a groove that's totally righteous, totally electric, and completely mindblowing! The album's got a bit of a Headhunters vibe, but it also veers off into some very wild analogue electronics too – a mix of Fender Rhodes, clavinet, melotron, and echoplex processing – augmented by additional work on Arp from Patrick Gleeson. Other players on the set include Bennie Maupin on reeds, Eddie Henderson on trumpet, Julian Priester on trombone, Buster Williams on bass, and Billy Hart on drums – and the great Buck Clarke rounds out the combo on percussion. The album only features three long tracks – "Rain Dance", "Hidden Shadows", and "Hornets" – but all of them are killers!

Rare late 60s work from the big band of trombonist Mike Barone – a player best known for his work in the Trombones Unlimited group, but who had an even more far-reaching sound with this ensemble! The material here is quite modern at times – charts that are filled with complicated timings, unusual tones, and styles that go way past popular big band at the time – a legacy that seems to draw strongly from Stan Kenton, but which also shows some nice influences from 60s jazz soundtracks as well. The material was mostly recorded live at the legendary Donte's Jazz Club – home to Mike's band one night a week in 1968 – but the CD also features some studio material too, although recorded live in that setting as well. Players include Barone on trombone, Larry McGuire and Buddy Childers on trumpet, Bill Perkins on alto and flute, Lou Ciotti on tenor, Jack Nimitz on baritone, and Med Flory on alto sax. Most arrangements are by Barone, and titles include "Peachy", "Perk Up Jack", "Real Neal", "Somewhere Along The Way", "The Monster", "Two For The Road", "More Than You Know", and "Waltz This".

An amazing collection – every single Jorge Ben album recorded for Philips – one hell of a massive legacy in music, packaged here with a bonus CD of rare material too! The albums in the collection are the stuff of legend – amazing discs that forever changed the face of Brazilian music with Jorge's unique blend of samba and soul, plus a touch of funk as the 70s came on – and together, the music is a mindblowingly heavy batch of work that few other artists could ever match! Titles include Samba Esquema Novo, Sacudin Ben Samba, Ben E Samba Bon, Big Ben, Jorge Ben (1969), Forca Bruta, Negro E Lindo, Ben, 10 Anos Depois, A Tabua De Esmeralda, Solta O Pavao, Gil E Jorge, and Africa Brasil. Rarities disc is unique to this set, from what we can tell – and is filled with goodies too!

One of the greatest albums so far from mighty Chicago reedman David Boykin – and easily a set that lives up to the rich legacy of avant jazz in the Windy City! There's a depth to the record that comes through right from the very first note – a sense of history and feeling that shows just how much Boykin's developed as a player over the past decade or so – a tenorist with a done that's right up there with Archie Shepp or David Murray at their creative best – really stretching out on some wonderful solos that never fail to dim in imagination or new ideas. The group's a trio – with Alex Wing on bass and James Woodley on drums – which gives the recording an almost ESP Records sort of vibe – and Boykin's the shining star throughout, really knocking us over with his solos on the well-recorded set! Titles include "Blast Off For Love", "Walk Turn Bat Shimmy", "Try Harder", "Blue Lotus", "Star Book", and "Late Night With The David Boykin Trio Theme".

A key chapter in the rich long legacy of Candido on record – a set that pushes the percussion maestro strongly into the disco generation – with wonderful results that are still massively strong all these many years later! Candido had always been one of the funkiest conga players around – especially as his music moved into the 70s – but here, he really takes off with some sublime disco arrangements – full clubby grooves that are some of the best Salsoul sounds of the time, yet which still leave plenty of room for Candi's congas! The congas participate in the rhythms at every level – and often take on a nice solo spotlight too – and all tracks are nice and long, with killers that include a club remake of "Thousand Finger Man", plus "Dancin & Prancin", "Jingo", and "Rock & Shuffle". CD features a massive amount of bonus tracks – more than on the album – with gems from singles that include "Jingo (original 12" version)", "Thousand Finger Man (12" ext version)", "Jingo (Shep Pettibone mix)", "Thousand Finger Man (single)", "Jingo (single)", and "Jingo (inst)".

An amazing debut from the John Carter/Bobby Bradford New Art Jazz Ensemble – one of the most powerful voices in jazz on the west coast at the end of the 60s! In a way, the quartet's sound is a culmination of the underground changes that had been bubbling under during most of the 60s on the LA scene – new ways of conceiving jazz after Ornette and Dolphy had first set the scene on fire at the start of the decade, but styles that weren't receiving nearly the exposure as some of the better-known avant work on the Chicago, New York, or European scenes. The style here definitely owes something of a legacy to Ornette in the way it reconceives rhythm and melody – and a bit to Dolphy in its freewheeling, free-thinking work on clarinet, flute, and alto by John Carter. Bobby Bradford's bracing trumpet lines really give the album a tremendous punch – and the rest of the group features Tom Williamson on bass and Bruz Freeman (brother of George and Von!) on drums. Titles include "Seeking", "The Village Dancers", "Sticks & Stones", "In The Vineyard", "Karen On Monday", and "Song For The Unsung".

An amazing bit of music – and an incredible document of generations of creative jazz energy as well! The legendary Phil Cohran teams up here with Hypnotic Brass Ensemble – a collective made up of Cohran's sons, who follow strongly in the rich legacy of his own Artistic Heritage group – yet in a very different way! Hypnotic Brass have caught the ear of many during their bright rise to fame – with a fluid, horn-heavy groove that's really amazing – echoes of Sun Ra and other Chicago creative legends – yet played almost entirely on brass instruments, which gives them an even bolder vibe. Here, working with their progenitor brings the group even more depth than before – an excellent sound that really spins things out wonderfully – percussion layered underneath the horns, solos taking jazzy flight, and an overall righteous vibe that holds things together beautifully. The album's way more than the sum of its parts – and those parts are already rich indeed – and titles include "Stateville", "Cuernavaca", "Ancestral", "Spin", "Zincali", "Apsara", and "Frankincense & Myrrh".

A triple pack of early magic from Natalie Cole! Inseparable is Natalie's stunning debut for Capitol Records in the mid 70s – a real surprise, and a set that should have had the singer blossoming even more than she did at the time! As with some of the other Capitol soul sessions of the time, the album's done very firmly under the guidance of Charles Jackson and Marvin Yancey – a pair who give Natalie just the right sort of backing to launch her career – a sound that's full and rich, deeply sophisticated – but also still plenty soulful, almost in the mode of some of Minnie Riperton's work at the time. Given the pair's Chicago roots – and the arrangement help from Richard Evans – that comparison is no surprise, and Natalie rises to the occasion nicely. Titles are all originals too – and include "Needing You", "Joey", "I Can't Say No", "Something For Nothing", "I Love Him So Much", "You", "Your Face Stays On My Mind", and the huge hit "This Will Be". Next up is Natalie – a record that really has Natalie Cole finding her groove – not needing any help from her famous familial legacy, thank you – and instead stepping out with a tight, proud mode that really helped refine the sound of female soul in the 70s! The album's got plenty of influences from the Chicago soul scene – including songwriting and production from the team of Chuck Jackson and Marvin Yancy – and work from key session players like Richard Evans and Gene Barge, who worked in the Curtom Studios to craft the grooves on the set! Titles include "Keep Smiling", "Mr. Melody", "Heaven Is With You", "Can We Get Together", "Touch Me", "Hard To Get Along", and "Good Morning Heartache". Unpredictable is an album that reunites Natalie Cole with the smooth soul team of Chuck Jackson and Marvin Yancey – the team who did such a great job with Natalie's Capitol debut, and who really continue the groove here too! The album's got a rock-solid approach through and through – a quality that has Natalie really standing out on her own as a positive young artist in soul – without any need to nod towards her father, as in later years. And Jackson and Yancey bring a nice dose of Chicago soul class to the affair – which turns out to be a perfect match for Natalie's vocals! Titles include "Be Mine Tonight", "Party Lights", "This Heart", "I've Got Love On My Mind", and "Still In Love".

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".

Ronnie Cuber's an overlooked monster in jazz – a hell of a player, and has been for decades – and one of the last few cats who can really handle a baritone sax! Cuber was late in a legacy of baritonists that included Pepper Adams, Sahib Shihab, Cecil Payne, and Lars Gullin – a youngster when all those players were getting old, but more than able to swing with the lean energy that made the 50s baritone sax players as important as the giants on tenor! Here, Cuber really demonstrates that legacy strongly – picking up the giant horn and handling it with effortless ease – producing these beautifully-blown solo lines that are nice and long, and filled with imagination – in the company of a combo that features Kenny Drew Jr on piano, Ruben Rodriguez on bass, and Ben Perowsky on drums. The recent date is a great reminder that Cuber can still cook heavily – and titles include "Passion Fruit", "Coco B", "Perpetuating The Myth", "Tell Me A Bedtime Story", and "Arroz Con Pollo".

Exactly the kind of record to show why we love Japanese piano trio sessions so much – a sweet 80s date from lyrical genius Iwasaki Daisuke! The album's got a relatively understated feel at first, but really grabs us once it gets going – with a mix of complicated solo lines and subtle, soulful warmth – a gentle balance that's clearly inherited from the legacy of Bill Evans – yet pushed into richly expressive directions here of its own! Daisuke's a hell of a painter on the keys – poetic, yet never with too many flourishes – and working with a subtle sense of darkness that's echoed by the bass of Hideo Kanazawa and drums of Hideaki Sekine. Titles include "Mass Ave 5am", "Tiny Souvenir", "Never Say Goodbye", "Star Crossed Lovers", and "Surf Mail".

A great set of archival DJ Shadow instros from the early-to-mid 90s – from back when his primary means of production was the Akai MPC sampler – along with his endless arsenal of vinyl and limitless creative inspiration! This is formative, but essential material for fans of classic Shadow. It's a superior follow up to the 4 Track Era compilation, and a solid blueprint for his very best work to come! This is all previously unreleased, and it was produced from 1992 to 1996 – which is the period that beat heads and leftfield hip hop production historians outta know culminated in the release of the classic Endtroducing album. That said, this is not a set of Endtroducing leftovers – it's strong, original and legacy-building instrumental work from a crucial period – assembled by the man himself! 24 tracks on the CD. Includes "Intropy (Original Version)", "Vee In Detroit", "Alright", "Don't Try It", "Falling Up", "Aye", "Britty But Magic", "Atmospheric Disturbances", "Quickstep", "Freddi's Popcorn", "From The Old School", "Mystical With Solo", "Fast Rap Fanfare" and more.

Beautifully mature work from Brazilian piano legend Joao Donato – an album that draws on his rich legacy of musical expression from the bossa years onward, presented here with a few surprising twists and turns! The core format is piano trio – Joao on the acoustic keys, with Luiz Alves on bass and Robertinho Silva on drums – yet the sound is quite changed from the early days when Donato recorded heavily in this way, inflected with some really complicated rhythms at points, and turned towards these soulful undercurrents we especially love. Instrumentation includes a bit of guest strings on one track – plus vocals from Zeca Pagodinho, flute from Ricardo Pontes, and cavaquinho from Paulinho Soares – artists who each appear on a track in the set. Titles include "Sambolero", "E Menina", "A Ra", "Jodel", "Sambou Sambou", "Amazonas", "Quem Diz Que Sabe", "Surpresa", and "Brisa Do Mar".

Rare grooves from Evans Pyramid – a sweet set of cosmic disco from the end of the 70s – recorded with a lean, almost spiritual vibe – quite similar to some of the great tracks reissued in the Soul Cal series! There's a definite ear for the dancefloor here – lots of upbeat rhythms, touched with sweet keyboards riffs, and layered with vocals that are almost an afterthought – yet have their own sort of message at the right moment. The group's the brainchild of Andre Evans, an artist whose huge legacy of music business work includes stints with Dyke & The Blazers, Little Anthony & The Imperials, and Tribe – as well as a host of key album sessions as well – but the sound is unlike any of those references, and has this great stripped-down late 70s club vibe throughout. The rare album is offered here with unreleased bonus tracks – and titles include "Rubber Band", "Never Gonna Leave You", "Dip Drop", "No I Won't", "Soul Petrol", "I Got A Rush For You", "Dance A Thon", and "Sugar Stop".

Smoking soul from the mighty Lee Fields – and a set that really has him getting back to his roots, as well! The record's billed as a follow-up to the previous My World – but it's got a style that's much more deep soul, much more southern-tinged than that great record – a beautiful indication of Lee's rich legacy in soul music – which stretches back decades, with rare releases on small indie labels! Yet the sound here is much stronger than Fields ever got back in the day – thanks to help from The Expressions, and some sublime Truth & Soul production – a combination that really has the record feeling as if it were recorded for Atlantic at Muscle Shoals at the end of the 60s. Lee's vocals really rise to the setting, and may well be some of his best in years – and that's saying a hell of a lot, given how great he always is! A stone home run throughout – with titles that include "Faithful Man", "Wish You Were Here", "Moonlight Mile", "Walk On Thru That Door", "Still Hanging On", "You're The Kind Of Girl", and "I Still Got It".

A really raw set from reedman Charles Gayle – a 90s recording, but done with the ferocity of some of the hardest-hitting 60s sides from ESP Records! Gayle is completely unbridled – stretching out on very long tracks with tremendous free runs on tenor and bass clarinet – driven by bold energy from Michael Bisio on bass and Michael Wimberly on drums – both players who can come on strong, yet really seem to be there to let Gayle lead the way! Charles has a sharp edge and hard tone that's definitely a legacy of Albert Ayler – obviously heard on the album's "Homage To Albert Ayler" – as well as on other tracks that include "Alpha", "I Remember Dolphy", "In The Name Of The Father", and "Book Of Revelation".

An amazing set throughout – not just for the musical growth of Coleman Hawkins, but also for the development of the tenor sax in jazz, too! These sides could very well be said to be THE seminal recordings for tenor – the records that helped transform the instrument from a bit of a trick noisemaker into one of the most dominant voices in jazz during the 20th century – the beginning of a rich legacy that went onto encompass Lester Young, Stan Getz, John Coltrane, and so many others! The package captures Coleman Hawkins right at the start of his career – with vital early 78rpm recordings that move from trad to swing to some of the modern combo sounds that Hawkins would blow in the postwar years. And the range of settings is amazing, too – not a loose collection or mish-mash of material, but a really thoughtful progression that has Hawkins working with Mamie Smith, Fletcher Henderson, Clarence Williams, The Chocolate Dandies, and McKinney's Cotton Pickers in the early years – then moving up to work as a leader on his own – as well as material with Lionel Hampton, Benny Goodman, Benny Carter, and Count Basie. Most of the later material is for small labels – like Baronet, Cont, Meritt, Neatwork, and others – and the early sides are for Okeh, Columbia, Vocalion, Brunswick, and other smaller imprints. Features 190 tracks in all, and very copious notes, too – an amazing package from Mosaic!

If this is reality, lead us onward – as the set is a mindblowing batch of trippy psych-funk from The Heliocentrics – even more offbeat and experimental than before, in ways that make the combo the true heirs to the legacy first begun by Stark Reality! The album's definitely funky at the core, but it's also filled with loads of amazing sounds – instruments tuned weirdly, played weirdly, and produced weirdly – so that over the heavy drums, there's often lots of freaky, fuzzy bits and tripped-out sounds – in ways that make the record feel like some lost acid trip outtakes from the Westbound studios of the early 70s – or like some obscure funk band that dropped acid at Andy Warhol's loft! The packaging offers up a visual example of what your ears will be going through when you tune into the music – and titles include "Mysterious Ways", "Collateral Damage", "Black Sky", "Calabash", "Path Of The Black Sun", "Mr Owusu I Presume", "Eastern Begena", and loads of cool interlude tracks too.

Essential work from Eddie Henderson – one of the trumpeter's hippest albums of the 70s, and a key link between his early righteous days and his later smoother sound! The set's a near-perfect blend of all elements involved – tight funky rhythms, spacey soulful instrumentation, and wicked production work from the mighty Skip Drinkwater in the studio – a record that's as essential to his legacy as Gears is to that of Larry Mizell! Henderson's trumpet work is totally great – often muted, and always snakey inside the rhythms – and other players here include Julian Priester on trombone, Hadley Caliman on flute and soprano sax, Patrice Rushen on keyboards, Paul Jackson on bass, and Headhunter Mike Clark on drums. Titles include the excellent groover "Inside You", plus "Kudu", "Acuphuncture", "Time & Space", "Dr Mganga", and "Dark Shadow".

A much-needed tribute to one of the greatest groups on Creation Records – one of the few to really get the label's aesthetic perfectly right – and a vastly overlooked group that's finally getting its due! House Of Love had a near-perfect revision of psychedelia going on in the mid 80s – a style that honed the 60s genre down to all its best bits, yet without any of the clunky or commercial leaning that you'd find in any other acts of the time – particularly the paisley underground from LA – and without any of the too-stoned traps that so many Brit groups fell into a few years later. House Of Love know that guitars are god – and use them here in some of the same echoey territory of Felt, but a lot more deftly too – sometimes pretty darn fuzzy, yet always a lot more tunefully focused than Jesus & Mary Chain too. And while the group only recorded for two short years, they really left behind an amazing legacy – served up here in the core House Of Love album, and augmented by a huge amount of important singles, b-sides, and compilation tracks – then further expanded by a wealth of unissued tracks and demos as well. The 3CD package is way way more than any of us got back in the day – and we're hoping that it will finally get these guys the appreciation they deserve. Titles include "Shine", "Love", "Real Animal", "Christine", "Destroy The Heart", "Blind", "Mr Jo", "Plastic", "Nothing To Me", "Man To Child", "Salome", "Read", and "Happy".

It always feels like we're waiting a long time for a new record from Hypnotic Brass Ensemble – but it's always well worth the wait! This time around, they've found a way to focus their energies even more than before – still sticking strongly in the horn-heavy groove that we love, but also opening things up a bit more on the rhythm tip, too – and going for production that, if anything, makes them sound even more earnest, honest, and spontaneous than before! The record really preserves the live energy that makes the group so compelling – that razor sharp criss-crossing of jazz traditions and styles – steeped in a Chicago legacy that includes Sun Ra and Phil Cohran, but coming across with a hell of a lot more groove than either of them too. Titles include "Touch The Sky", "Kryptonite", "Pluto", "Black Boy", "World Champions", and "Starfighter".

An amazing set that documents the early years of the Zamrock scene – the funk and psych informed Afro Rock pioneered by vocalist and African guitar legend Rikki Ililonga and his group Musi-O-Tunya in Zambia from 1973 to 1976 – and compiled beautifully in this great set from Now Again/Stones Throw! It's incredible stuff that blends fuzzed out guitar psychedelia, raw rhythms and brass-heavy funky soul. Ililonga's legacy is represented strongly on the record made by the group he founded, Musi-O-Tunya – who work with electric guitar, bass, sax, western and African drums and percussion – as well as the Zambia album, credited to Rikki Illilonga, in which he sings and plays all instruments except trumpet. The set also includes his Sunshine Love album, in which he sings and plays all instruments except bass and drums – and a it's got a rawer, bluesier psych soul approach overall. The CD version compiles most tracks from those albums plus Musi-O-Tunya's Wings Of Africa LP and bonus tracks from 7-inches from the time. 31 tracks on 2 CDs and comes a great, book-bound package with extensive liner notes by Eothen Alapatt and an interview of Ililonga by Eothen. Disc one includes Musi-0-Tunya tracks "Tsegulani", "Mpondolo", "Walk And Fight", "The Sun", "Dark Sunrise", "The Wings Of Africa", "Jekete Yamankowa" (Parts 1 & 2), "Mpulula", "Smoke" and more. Disc 2 features tracks from the Rikki Ililonga cuts "Sansa Kuwa", "Sheebeen Queen", "Stop Dreaming Mr D", "The Nature Of Man", "The Queen Blues", "Working On The Wrong Thing", "Sunshine Love", "Angel Black" and more.

A wonderful blend of free jazz & atmospheric electronic experimentation led by soprano mainstay Steve Lacy – a truly inviting blend of open-ended sounds that manages to all come together in a very natural way! Sadly, this set captured here at the NEWJazz meeting of 2002 at Baden-Baden, Germany turned out to be one of Lacy's final projects – and it's a nice tribute to his legacy of openness and a free spirit. The project started by using a piece by ambitious composer Bernard Lang, "DW 1.2 For Piano, Flute And Saxophone" as a starting point for the improvisations of an interesting group of players – including Lacy, Peter Herbert on double bass, Wolfgang Reisinger on drums, Philip Jeck on turntables, plus Christof Kurzmann and Lang on electronics. It essentially develops a dialogue among the genres themselves – jazz, electronica and freeform sound art – as much as between the individual players! 6 extended numbers with the titles "DW 1.2 Remix 6.8" (quartet of Lacy, Lang, Herbert & Reisinger), "DW 1.3 Remix 7.4" (trio of Lacy, Lang & Jeck) "DW 1.2 Remix 10.2" (quartet of Kurzman, Lacy Herbert & Reisinger), "DW 1.2 Remix 7.7" (duo Jeck & Lacy), "DW 1.2 Remix Karlsruhe 3.3" (solo Lacy) and "DW 1.2 Remix 6.1" (quartet Lang, Lacy Herbert & Reisinger).

Maybe the greatest album that Teena Marie ever cut – and that's saying a lot, given the strength of the lady's work for Motown! The set's got this bright, positive bounce that grabs you right from the start – but also moves into a depth that's way different than other funk albums of the time – a way with a ballad and a thoughtful track that almost makes Marie the 80s heir to the Minnie Riperton legacy, especially given the strength of her voice on the set – and the fact that Teena wrote and produced the whole album herself! At a time when so many other female soul singers were at the mercy of other folks' talents and ideas, Lady T steps forth boldly with this classic set – brimming over with greatness on cuts that include the stellar "Portuguese Love", plus "Yes Indeed", "Where's California", "Opus III", "Square Biz", "365", "Revolution", and "Ballad Of Cradle Rob & Me".

A beautiful set of tributes to the legendary Albert Ayler – presented here in a series of improvisations from different assemblages of players – some solo, some duo, and some in larger groups – all working together in a legacy of sound that really takes off from the amazing tones and textures that Ayler first forged in the 60s! The range of musicians is as exciting as the music itself – and the performances feature reeds from Joe McPhee, Evan Parker, Urs Leimgruber, Raphael Imbert, John Tchicai, and Michel Portal – plus trumpet from Jean-Luc Cappozzo, bass from Joelle Leandre, Jean Jacques Avenel, and Barre Phillips, drums from Simon Goubert and Christian Rollet – and a mixture of sung and spoken passages from Lucia Recio, Steve Dalachinsky, and Jacqueline Caux.

The amazing legacy of Alicia Myers – two classic MCA albums, back to back on a single CD! First up is the self-titled Alicia – a set that's right up there with Myer's recordings with the group One Way, but with some deeper, more personal touches as well! Production is by Kevin McCord and Al Perkins from the One Way camp – and they bring in a nice mix of the funkier numbers that group was known for, and some warmer, mellower cuts that really show Myers maturing as a soul singer – a depth that might not have been expected a few years before, and which should have made her a bigger act for years to come after this wonderful set! The setting really lets Alicia open up on vocals, singing with a power and presence that's really great – and titles include "We Can't Stay In Bed Forever", "Don't Stop What You're Doin", "I Want To Thank You", "If You Play Your Cards Right", "Reggae Funky Dance", "Reservation For One", and "Life Joy & Happiness". Alicia Again is equally great – and has a strong smooth midtempo groove – with the beat toned down a bit from earlier days, in a style that works perfectly for Alicia's voice. A perfect bit of soul for that warm Sunday afternoon in the fall – king of similar to Chaka Khan's great solo work on Warner from the same time. Titles include "When Love Starts To Go", "I'm So Lonely", "Love Me Or Leave Me Alone", and "Do Your Kind Of Dance".

The first record in years from these Afro Funk giants – but don't hold it against them, as the whole thing's pretty darn wonderful! There's a rich, vibrant sound here that really lives up to the group's legacy from years back – and production is right on the money to keep things right – recorded in Paris with a relatively stripped-down quality – just right for bringing all the tight rhythms of the set right to the foreground, without any overdone mass market cliches to hold things back! Even the appearances of a few famous guest stars can't get in the way of the energy of the Orchestre – and this new album should be more than proof that the originators are still alive and well. Titles include "Pardon", "Von Vo Nono", "Oce", "Koumi Dede", "Tegbe", "Lion Is Burning", "Ne Te Fache Pas", and "Gbeti Madjro".

Modern metal from Os Mutantes – a group who, we suppose, probably still have some of their old ironic stance somewhere in the mix – but who are also singing here in English, at a level that sounds a bit more like mainstream rock than we might expect! There's still a quality to the record that sets these guys apart from the rest, but the overall approach isn't nearly at the level we'd expect from their long legacy in music – or at least from the important early recordings that made us love them so much. Titles include "To Make It Beautiful", "Valse LSD", "Bangladesh", "Look Out", and "Time & Space".

Amazing 70s work from British altoist Mike Osborne – working here with a razor sharp trio that includes Harry Miller on bass and Louis Moholo on drums. Osborne's tone is already tremendous at the start – but the added rhythmic pressure of Miller and Moholo really make the album cook – burning with more intensity than the usual Ogun session of the time, and really taking on a triple-sided sort of interplay that allows each player ample voice on the date. There's almost a late 50s Sonny Rollins Trio sort of legacy going on here – but one pushed to freer 70s dimensions at times – and the whole thing's a great testament to the hidden talents of the critically overlooked Osborne! The side-long "All Night Long" suite includes improvs on "All Night Long", "Rivers", "Round Midnight" and "Scotch Pearl", and side 2 is also taken up by "Recapulations", another suite featuring "Ken's Tune", "Country Bounce", "All Night Long" and "Trio Trio". CD also features 2 bonus tracks – "Scotch Pearl" and "Now & Then Here & Now".

A really striking little cover – one based on the front image of Minnie Riperton's classic Perfect Angel album from the 70s – and a batch of music that really opens up whole new territory in Riperton's rich musical legacy! The set's way more than you might expect – hardly just a straight or smooth jazz take on classics by Minnie – and instead an openly creative project that takes the core structure of the songs, then pulls them apart – especially when it comes to the rhythms – so that the players continually revisit the lovely melodies created by Riperton, yet also fly free in musical moments inspired by her energy. Palmer's trumpet is great – pointed, yet soulful throughout – and other instrumentation by the quintet includes Fender Rhodes from Jake Sherman, guitar from Greg Duncan, bass from Edward Perez, and drums from Lee Fish. Titles include "Memory Lane", "Inside My Love", "I'm In Love Again", "Lovin You", "Adventures In Paradise", and "I'm A Woman".

The long-awaited return of The Pyramids – easily one of the hippest spiritual jazz ensembles of the 70s! This new recording has all the earthy brilliance of the group's classics – with leadership from reedman Idris Ackamoor, who's continued a dedication to righteous sounds on his own during the past few decades – which means he's hardly coming out of retirement here, just re-focusing his ongoing energy towards the classic Pyramids sound! Instrumentation is heavy on percussion and organic elements – and the tunes do a great job of blending freewheeling performance with more focused grooves – an Afro-avant mode that really lives up to the group's legacy, carried off here by players who include Kenneth Nash on drums and percussion, Kimathi Asante on bass, Kash Killion on bass and cello, Bradie Speller on congas and electronics. Titles include "Memory Ritual", "Time Capsule", "What The World Needs Now", "Nebulosity", "Otherworldly", "Boundless Eternities", "Cloud Rider", "Uttering Sacred Words", and "They Came From Chicago".

Easily the best record so far from Maria Rita – a set that really pushes her talents a lot, and reaches for a wider range of expression! The vocals are still very much at the forefront – that great legacy from mother Elis Regina, with a similar heavenly approach that works with just about any sort of lyric – but the backings shift things around a good bit, too – moving between full, lush orchestrations, and some gentler, jazzier modes – and even a few cuts that have a lively sense of rhythms. Maria's great throughout – clearly standing strongly on her own, even without the family pedigree – on tunes that include "Santana", "Conceicao Dos Coqueiros", "So De Voce", "A Outra", "Nem Um Dia", and "Pra Matar Meu Coracao". US version features the bonus track "Coracao Em Desalinho".

The score to RZA's major motion picture directorial debut (and just how cool is it to be writing that)!– Whatever the creative and/or financial fate of the movie Man With The Iron Fists, RZA's score with collaborator Howard Drossin is a classic! You already know that RZA is a genuine student of Hong Kong and Hollywood martial arts music and movies – and if you don't know this, he's also a hell of a soundtrack composer! His work for Ghost Dog is one of our favorite hip hop-based soundtracks ever made – and Man With The Iron Fists lives up to that legacy. It's a bigger, more grandly-composed soundtrack than Ghost Dog – with tense strings and an epic, Hollywood-ready sweep – but it still feels totally and truthfully like a RZA record! Collaborator Drossin has worked on some great action scores over the past decade and he proves to be an excellent partner. Includes an "Opening Titles" makeover of the Wu classic "Shame On A N***a", plus "Jungle Village", "Emperor's Gold", "The Brothel", "Rodent Fight", "Alley Fight", "Snake Charmer", "Shipwrecked", "The Temple Monks", "Face Off", "The Man With The Iron Fists", "The Last Battle", "All Iron And No Rust" and more.

A seminal bit of seventies soul from Switch, and a record that really helped set the tone for countless others to come in the 80s – no surprise, given that the group's got members from both the DeBarge and Ingram families! There's a warmth here that few others can match – an earnest, honest quality that never gets lost, even amidst the well-crafted instrumentation and tight production of the record – almost an updated legacy of the early 70s east coast scene, but never polished up too much at all! There's some wonderful harmonies that work perfectly on both the upbeat and mellower numbers – warming things up beautifully on titles that include "It's So Real", "I Wanna Be With You", "I Wanna Be Closer", "You Pulled A Switch", and "There'll Never Be".

A seminal bit of seventies soul from Switch, and a record that really helped set the tone for countless others to come in the 80s – no surprise, given that the group's got members from both the DeBarge and Ingram families! There's a warmth here that few others can match – an earnest, honest quality that never gets lost, even amidst the well-crafted instrumentation and tight production of the record – almost an updated legacy of the early 70s east coast scene, but never polished up too much at all! There's some wonderful harmonies that work perfectly on both the upbeat and mellower numbers – warming things up beautifully on titles that include "It's So Real", "I Wanna Be With You", "I Wanna Be Closer", "You Pulled A Switch", and "There'll Never Be".

An amazing run of music – and key sounds from a time when the Chicago avant garde was finally getting its due in the mainstream! The set features all Novus and Columbia recordings from both the Air trio of Henry Threagill, Fred Hopkins, and Steve McCall – a seminal group from the AACM in the Windy City – and the later recordings made by Threadgill as a leader – featuring even more expansive ideas, and an impressive ear for larger compositions in jazz! The set spans nearly 20 years, and features material from 11 different albums, including some unreleased music too – titles that include the Air albums Open Air Suit, Montreux Suisse Air, and Air Lore – and Threadgill sessions X 75 Vol 1, You Know The Number, Easily Slip Into Another World, Rag Bush & All, Carry The Day, Makin A Move, and Where's Your Cup – plus the previously unissued Vol 2 for X 75. The Air sessions are very earthy and spontaneous – that wonderful creative interplay that marked the AACM legacy at the time. And the Threadgill records start the same way, but show lots of new ideas coming into play – with contributions from Joseph Jarman on reeds, Amina Claudine Myers on voice, Frank Lacy on trombone, Ted Daniel on trumpet, Deirdre Murray on cello, Fred Hopkins on bass, Pheeroan AkLaff on drums, Myra Melford on piano, and a host of other important musicians, all coming together under the leadership of Threadgill. Notes are great, and the 8 CD set features 52 tracks in all – most of them quite long in length!

A wonderful record from McCoy Tyner – and a great reminder that some of his best post-Coltrane work was done for the Blue Note label – which was where Tyner seemed to hit the right sort of spiritual vibe to live up to his Impulse Records legacy! This album's got plenty of long, spiritual tunes penned by McCoy – beautiful numbers that stretch out and soar, driven along beautifully by Tyner's fluid work on the piano – and tight rhythms from Ted Dunbar on guitar, Buster Williams on bass, Billy Hart on drums, and Mtume on percussion! But almost even more incredible is the presence of altoist Andrew White – a tremendous reedman who hardly ever got this much wide exposure, and who blows alto in a spirit that's very much like the soulful style of Gary Bartz at his start – then moves to oboe with some surprising results on a few other tracks. Songai sings a bit on the record – and titles include "Malika", "Asante", "Goin Home", and "Fulfillment".

Brilliant work as a leader from McCoy Tyner – and easily one of his most righteous albums ever – a true batch of spiritual gems that really takes the John Coltrane legacy one step further! Most numbers build with a modal vibe that's more Impulse Records than Blue Note – and players on the set include Alice Coltrane on harp, Gary Bartz on alto, Wayne Shorter on tenor and soprano sax, Ron Carter on bass, and Elvin Jones on drums – a wonderful lineup that really holds tightly to the soaring, soulful energy that Tyner spins from his piano – a mode that's never too far out or avant, yet which stretches to the skies with a heavenly vision. The whole thing's wonderful – and tracks include "Message From The Nile", "The Wanderer", "Survival Blues", and "His Blessings".

A nice little tribute to soul, jazz and fusion legend George Benson – and a project that's a labor of love for Benson-devotee, soulful spirit and brilliant guitarist U-Nam – with an allstar lineup that features Ronnie Foster, George Duke, Patrice Rushen, Andreas Oberg, Tim Owens, Marcus Millers and others! Benson is an artist who embraced diversity and creative evolution – and this tribute does that legacy proudly. It’s rich with fusiony soul groovers that are laced with some truly impeccable guitar work. It's got some throwback swagger in spots, but it's also got some distinctly modern soul appeal – and an all around affectionate spirit. U-Nam plays guitars, keyboards and more here – on top of handling the recording and arrangements – and the guests bring their best! Includes "Weekend In LA" with Rhodes and clavinet by Ronnie Foster and vocals by Andreas Oberg, "Give Me That", "Shiver" and more with singer Tim Owens, "This Masquerade" with more great Fender Rhodes – this time by George Duke, "Hip Ship", "Before You Go/Breezin'" with Patrice Rushen, "Nature Boy" with Stokely Williams and more.

A host of dreamy soundtrack tunes – all from the magical pen of Piero Umiliani – easily one of the best of the late 60s/early 70s Italian scene! Umiliani hit worldwide fame for his "Mah Na Mah Na" tune from the film Sweden Heaven & Hell – which is included here – but he also worked on countless other great soundtracks during the same period – all in styles that run from jazzy instrumental to scatting vocal, mod Hammond, spy spoof, bossa beat, and more! The package is a great introduction to Umiliani's rich legacy of music – and features 30 tracks from 10 different films – some of which we haven't seen on CD in awhile. Titles include "Requiem Per Un Agente Segreto", "Isola Tuttofare", "Mah Na Mah Na", "Due Mafiosi Contro Goldfinger", "Due Mafiosi Contro Al Capone", "Cinque Bambole", "Luna D'Agosto (version 3)", "Un Posto Per Un Addio", "Crystal", "Bob & Hellen", and "La Fidanzatina".

Two sets of piano solos from Per Henrik Wallin – recorded over two decades apart, yet together showing a tremendous legacy in music! The 1982 tracks are amazingly dynamic – at times bursting forth with almost Cecil Taylor-like runs on the piano, at other times moving with a more careful modernism that you might expect from a player like Paul Bley or Steve Kuhn – yet always managing to come across with a sense of soul in the process – a warm that really makes the tracks resonate strongly with our ears. The 2003 recordings have even more of this sensibility – a balance between modernism and swing that's not unlike the sounds of Herbie Nichols or Elmo Hope in the 50s – although with a slightly freer vibe overall. In these sides, Wallin's got a great command of the keyboard – yet still always manages to find the "heart" of the piano, even when running free – a quality that many others would do well to follow. Titles include "Lullaby For Harry", "Southern Exit", "Rats Of Wisdom", "One Knife Is Enough", "Vattern", "Receptet", "People", "Fanerier Nr 8", "My Pearl Just Left", and "You Once".

A pair of burning 21st Century recordings by Per Henrik Wallin – easily one of the greatest free jazz pianists working the European scene for the past few decades – as you'll certainly hear on this set! CD 1 features duets between Wallin and drummer Sven Akie Johansson – recorded in an intimate setting in Wallin's apartment, but played with a full sense of explosive energy that would easily rival the best live work by either player. The performance runs for nearly an hour, and features 10 segments, all numbered versions of "Proklamation". CD 2 is a live date from Amsterdam – one that features a trio with Peter Janson on bass and Leif Wennerstrom on drums – working with Wallin in a mode that's certainly a bit more inside than the first one, but no less creative overall. Echoes of piano modernism from the 50s onward characterize many of the numbers – and Wallin brings together a legacy of key players into dialectic with his own approach – shifting back and forth beautifully, and showing a command of the keyboard that's simply breathtaking. Titles include "Farewell To Sweden", "Winter Rap", "Work", "PH's Delight", "Time Waits", "Voodoo", and "The Question Of Evoking".

6 classics from Weather Report – presented in cool tiny LP-sleeve covers! First up is the original Weather Report album from 1971 – a massive session that took fusion to a whole new level for the 70s! Most of the players here had been associated with Miles Davis at some point in the year or two beforehand – and Miles' electric work is definitely a starting point for this group – but they quickly flow off in whole new directions, thanks to the mighty legacy of their own talents on previous records! Next is I Sing The Body Electric – one of the finest statements ever uttered by group, and a set that's got a bit more soul and warmth than their first album! The lineup's changed slightly at this point – still Wayne Shorter on reeds, Joe Zawinul on keyboards, and Miroslav Vitous on bass – but Eric Gravatt has replaced Alphonse Mouzon on drums, and Dom Um Romao's taken over for Airto on percussion – giving the record an even earthier feel at times! Then, you get the 2CD set Live In Tokyo – an album that was only ever issued in Japan at the time of recording, and which really shows a searing side of the Weather Report sound! Sweetnighter is one of our favorite albums ever from Weather Report – an album that has them picking up a bit more soul than before, and shaking off some of the experimental sounds of their roots – yet all in a way that still makes them one of the most revolutionary fusion combos of the time! There's an incredible sense of tightness between the reeds of Wayne Shorter, the keyboards of Joe Zawinul, and the bass of Miroslav Vitous – and even when things go a bit outside, there's always a sense of focus and groove that brings them back together – a style that's never entirely funky, but which has plenty of funky elements to please our ears! Mysterious Traveller brings a new sense of focus in the Weather Report sound – that building, soaring groove that would become the group's trademark in the mid 70s – offered up here in one of it's first and finest examples! The approach is one to describe accurately on paper – but which is instantly recognizable as the Weather Report sound of the time – a flowing, stretching, organic vibe that builds equally from the talents of all players, and turns it into a wonderfully righteous groove! And last up is Tale Spinnin – a beautiful title for a beautiful little record – one that really does have Weather Report spinning out musical tales in sound – with a free-flowing and soulful sense of energy! The groove's definitely tighter than the earlier years, but it's never slick – and Joe Zawinul handled the overall orchestrations for the record, with an approach that's often highly rhythmic, vamping, and building up nicely as the tunes roll on.

One of the landmark albums of 70s mellow soul! Bobby Wilson hasn't left behind much of a recorded legacy, but he did come up with this godlike album that should be in any collection of classic soul. The record is a perfect blending of the styles of soul that were running through the east coast underground of the early 70s – with some elements of the burgeoning club scene on the more uptempo numbers, and a sweet warm vocal style on the album's super-strong mellow cuts. Vernon Bullock arranged, produced, and wrote most of the songs with Bobby – and the record takes the best elements of Vernon's own music, and pushes it to the next level. Titles include "Deeper & Deeper", "Here Is Where The Love Is", "I'll Take Good Care Of You", "Hey, Girl (Tell Me)", "All I Need (I've Got)", "You Make Me Feel Good All Over", "Let Me (Put Love Back In Your Life)" and "I'll Be Your Rainbow".

Spanky Wilson really takes off here – hitting some of her boldest soul modes to date – and serving up a few funk-heavy classics in the process! Production and arrangements are by HB Barnum – who draws on his own rich legacy of soul projects for the set, and finds a way to let Spanky really knock things out of the park – while still also holding tight to a mighty sweet groove! The style's almost an indie soul take on the Capitol Records groove that Barnum forged with David Axelrod for other singers – with all the strong sense of space between the grooves that would imply. The set features Spanky doing nice hard grooving versions of tracks that you've heard before – like "Loveland", "Let It Be", "Gloomy Sunday", and "Perhaps" – but there's also some nice ones like "Foolish" or "Love or Let Me Be Lonely", that are less familiar, and mighty nice too!

An amazing legacy in soul music – the legendary run of records that Bill Withers cut for the Sussex and Columbia labels – each of them a masterpiece in their own way! The early hit sound of Withers is the stuff that dreams are made of – a unique blend of acoustic instrumentation, raspy soul, and slinky rhythms – heard to best effect on the first four albums in the set – one of which is Bill's legendary live set at Carnegie Hall! Yet even past those classics, Withers is still amazing – and shifts his sound through the course of the 70s, to bring in warmer, jazzier elements too – yet all without ever losing his keen sense of song, and his completely mindblowing vocal approach. This box features newly remastered versions of 9 albums – Just As I Am, Still Bill, Live At Carnegie Hall, Justments, Making Music, Naked & Warm, Menagerie, Bout Love, and Watching You Watching Me – a legacy in soul music that few others could ever hope to top!

Sort of a "part 2" to the excellent Sexopolis compilation – issued more than a few years ago, and one of the first times anyone ever paid attention to the huge undiscovered legacy of funky French music! The package, like the first, is put together by DJ BNX of Fantomas – and it's got a really wonderful blend of French tunes from sources that include jazz, soundtrack, pop vocal, and easy listening albums of the 60s and 70s. The groove is really great – with lots of mad twists and turns that you'd never hear in American albums of the time, and a surprisingly fresh sound that keeps us digging back for French rare goodies like these! Titles include "Shore Of Sumatra" by Pierre Dutour, "Afromania" by Clyde Borly, "High Tide" by Jack Arel, "Hysterie" by Eric Framond, "Shirley" by Pierre Devevey, "Zozoi" by France Gall, "Dingo" by Olivier Despax, "Chakan" by Jef Gilson, "Africa" by Mat 3, "Popcorn" by JP Bottura, and "Number One" by Francis Lai.

An amazing little package – and one that really gets past the too-commercial side of so many other carnival recordings! This set is far more ethnographic – a mid 70s effort to document the rich legacy of music from the samba schools in Brazil – put together by the Disco Marcus Pereira label with the same overall feel as some of their other folkloric projects from the time! Each volume in the set focuses on a different samba school – Mangueira, Imperio, Salgueiro,and Portela – each featuring songs the schools made famous over the years, with new recordings that still feature very traditional instrumentation and vocal styles – with help from a variety of singers who include Geraldo Babao, Sam Rodrigues, Cartola, Alcides Lopes, Monarco, Avarese, Jorginho Pecana, Dona Ivone Lara, Paderinho, and many others. The package features four different albums, each reproduced with original cover art – and a total of 48 tracks in all, all music that really shows the best legacy of these famous musical groups!

Spiritual soul and spoken word with instrumental inflections – a perfect illustration of the righteous sound of the Flying Dutchman label at the start of the 70s! The imprint was famously home to Gil Scott Heron, Lonnie Liston Smith, Leon Thomas, and other hip cats at the time – but also recorded a fair bit of work that was even more progressive and political – including key records from forces helping to carry the legacy of Civil Rights well into the 70s! This package offers up a perfect blend of those modes – great jazz tracks that carry the legacy of John Coltrane forth even further, and political records that were often more powerful than anything in the press at the time. Titles include "Sais" by Lonnie Liston Smith", "Nevertite" by The Esoteric Circle, "The Creator Has A Master Plan" by Louis Armstrong and Leon Thomas, "Lament For John Coltrane" by Bob Thiele Emergency, "Friends & Neighbors" by Ornette Coleman, "Sit Down" by Carl B Stokes with Oliver Nelson, "Echoes" by Leon Thomas, "The Giant Is Awakened"b y Horace Tapscot, "Gonna Get Some Right Now" by Chico Hamilton", and "We're Threatening The Oppressors" by Angela Davis.

An amazing look at an amazing label – the groundbreaking Dandelion Records, an early home to John Peel's much heralded talent for picking up on the best new music! The label only existed for a few short years, but left behind an amazing legacy of music – a blend of folk, rock, and other genres that are usually presented in a deeply personal, sometimes-leftfield sort of way. Peel gave full control of the music and its presentation to the artist – and as a result, most of the tunes here are quite free from cliche and conventional expectations you may have of music from the period. Perhaps the greatest Dandelion contribution was giving a space for up and coming singer/songwriters – and you'll hear plenty of them here alongside other artists who are both more traditional and more experimental. Titles include "To B Without A Hitch" by Bridget St John, "Sleeping Town" by Beau, "All For Tomorrow" by Medicine Head, "Harry Krishna" by Bill Oddie, "Almost Liverpool" by Mike Hart, "Ruby Baby" by Gene Vincent, "You Really Got Me" by Stackwaddy, "Carrie" by Clifford T Ward, "No Tree Will Grow" by Supersister, "Mood" by The Coxhill/Bedford Duo, "Cheat Me" by Kevin Coyne, "Strange Locomotion" by Siren, "King Dick II" by The Way We Live, and "Yamasuki" by The Yamasukis. An amazing package – 3CDs, 64 tracks, and a huge booklet of notes on the label and artists!

During the late 60s and early 70s, the Brunswick label was one of the greatest soul outfits working in Chicago. And of all the great contributions made by the label, perhaps the best was their great run of male soul singers – culled from Chicago's rich scene at the time, and featuring a mix of the city's harder and classier soul styles. This excellent 24 track set brings together some wonderful singles from that rich legacy of music – including many tracks by artists who recorded for Brunswick, but who never issued any full LPs! Titles include "We're Not Happy" by Wales Wallace, "Can I Change My Mind" by Mighty Doug Haynes, "Another Time, Another Place" by The Persuaders, "A Woman Needs To Be Loved" by Cicero Blake, "The Sweetest Thing" by Channel 3, "I Never Had It So Good" by Walter Jackson, "Saving My Love For You" by Mister T, "Where The Lillies Grow" by Sidney Joe Qualls, and "Contract On Your Love" by Chuck Bernard. Like finding a rare stash of singles – a dream!

Way more than just another "tribute" album – as this set doesn't feature cover versions or new recordings, but instead draws heavily on vintage work produced by the legendary Conny Plank! Although only partly a musician, Conny had a huge influence on the sound of Germany during the key prog, electronic, and post-punk years – thanks to his increasingly inventive work behind the board of the studio – and his unique ear for designing the studio itself! Plank's name is displayed prominently on some of the most important German albums of the time – and that legacy is paid tribute to wonderfully here – on the initial two CDs, which feature cuts that include "Silver Cloud" by La Dusseldorf, "Horprobe" by Arno Steffan, "Conditionierer" by Moebius & Plank, "Signal" by Phew, "Broken Head" by Eno Moebius Rodelius, "Leb Whol" by Neu, "Was Ziehst Du An" by DAF, "Eleanor Rigby" by Streetmark, and "Security Idiots" by Psychotic Tanks. Then, CD3 features bonus remixes of older classics – 9 more reworks and remixes of German electronic gems initially recorded by Plank! And CD4 features a rare live recording from Conny's minimal electronic years – a 1986 Mexico performance by Plank, Moebius, and Steffen!

A timeless blend of traditions – music with Sufi religious origins, performed by a contemporary Zanzibar group who are part of the small living legacy of the style! There's a really slow-building and hypnotic feel to the long tracks in the set – a mix of ensemble vocal performances and percussion, layered together in a way that feels very spiritual, especially as the tunes move on – with a swaying sort of energy that clearly embraces the whole ensemble as they perform together! The sound is very unique – quite different than any of the other titles in the Zanzibara series – and represents a wonderful flowering of Islamic cultural elements on the global scene. Titles include "Dua", "Dahala 3", "Dahala 2", and "Dahala 1".

The classic club album by Love Committee, and one of the most sought-after albums on Gold Mind/Salsoul – a soulful set of club classics that almost beats most of the other work by its contemporaries! The session's grounded in some very solid help from the Sigma Sound team – production and arrangements by the likes of Norman Harris, Ron Tyson, or BHY Productions – in that wonderfully soulful style that was the best mode of the Harris Machine when it was working overtime! The style is disco, but far from the cliches of more commercial work like this – and much more in the legacy of Philly soul from the earlier part of the decade. Titles include "Cheaters Never Win", the classic dancefloor track – plus "Law & Order", "Pass The Buck", "Give Her Love", "Just As Long As I Got You", and "If You Change Your Mind".

A wonderful little album from Jackie Wilson – one that helped him redefine his sound and save his career! Jackie's earlier work for Brunswick was a mish-mash of styles that ranged from raw R&B to smooth supper-club jazz to silly novelty numbers, all of which had gotten pretty stale by the mid 60s. Elsewhere at Brunswick, though, things were really popping during the time – as Carl Davis was turning the label's Chicago offices into a hotbed of soul, forged in the newer hipper styles of the Chisoul scene. Davis got Wilson into the Chicago scene for this album – had him working with arranger Sonny Sanders and director Gerald Sims – to create a wonderful batch of strident soul tunes that perfectly embody the loping Chisoul groove that was Davis' real legacy in soul music during the 60s. The prime example of this is the title cut "(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher & Higher" – which became a runaway hit that put Wilson back on the map I the soul business. The rest of the album's just as great, though, and includes loads of solid numbers like "Soulville", "I've Lost You", "Those Heartaches", and "I'm The One To Do It".

Not just a great duo set between reedman Joe McPhee and bassist Ingebrigt Haker Flaten – but also a set that pays tribute to the rich legacy of Brooklyn jazz from the 40s onward – pulling together strands of influences from Sonny Rollins, Don Cherry, Dewey Redman, and others! McPhee always sparkles in a setting like this – and his alto and soprano sound sharper and more expressive than we've heard in years – a perfect fit for the well-chosen basslines from Flaten, who seems to have a new sort of soul that really makes the recording shine. Titles include "Spirit Cry", "Blue Coronet", "Putnam Central", "Crossing The Bridge", "Here & Now", and "214 Martense".

One of our favorite albums ever on the legendary ESP label – and a key session in the best "new thing" mode of the 60s! The New York Art Quartet were a short live collaboration between trombonist Roswell Rudd, saxophonist John Tchicai, bassist Lewis Worrell, and percussionist Milford Graves – but their legacy in this one album is almost greater than that of other combos who recorded more frequently at the time. The sound is similar to the best "spacious" groups of the new thing years – such as the Archie Shepp/Bill Dixon work, or some of the looser sides by the New York Contemporary Five – a group that featured Shepp and Tchicai. Leroi Jones (Amiri Baraka) makes a key guest appearance on the title "Black Dada Nihilismus" – reciting his writings alongside the group's somber instrumental musings – and other titles include "Short", "Rosmosis", and "No 6".

Odean Pope's never sounded better – and this smoking trio set may well be one of the best illustrations of his power we've ever heard! There's a righteous focus to the record that grabs us right from the start – a bold, rich sound from his tenor that easily shows that Pope's well deserving of inclusion in a legacy that includes Archie Shepp, David Murray, and maybe even Pharoah Sanders – a voice on tenor that's incredibly clear and confident, yet filled with humanity too. Possibly, the setting of the record is what really lets Odean sparkle – an open trio with Lee Smith on bass and Billy Hart on drums – both players who have the same vibrancy as Pope, and who seem to work together with his spirit to really soar to the skies! A perfect tenor trio record – following in that Sonny Rollins/Village Vanguard legacy – with titles that include "Fresh Breeze", "The Garden Of Happiness", "Almost Like Part One", "12th Night", "You & Me", and "Good Question Two".

Lost funk rock from Ballinjack – the rare self-titled set for Columbia that's arguably best remembered for being so massively sampled – but the group that deserves a more widely-credited legacy! The sound is a bit like Mandrill on the best cuts, with the band going hard on the funky drums with some great brassy movements, flute and guitars. Lots of deftly jazzy movements, too – standout flute and guitar moments throughout. Tracks include the famously sampled "Found a Child" and "Never Let 'Em Say" (believe us, you've heard these samples plenty, and it's cool to hear them in their original context. . .great stuff and little wonder they were so strongly utilized by hip hop production heavies), plus "Super Highway", Festival", "Telephone", "Ballin' The Jack", "Street People", "Carnival", and "Hold On".

A long-overdue look at one of the most important groups to grace the British jazz scene of the 60s and 70s – the legendary Blue Notes, a group of South African expatriates with an undeniably huge influence on the music of their new homeland! The ensemble featured key players who went onto do some amazing work on their own, but first came together in this group – trumpeter Mongezi Feza, saxophonist Dudu Pukwana, pianist Chris McGregor, bassist Johnny Dyani, and drummer Louis Moholo – all players as dynamic together and important on their own as the members of the Art Emsemble of Chicago from the US. The set finally brings out all of the group's key albums for the Ogun label, plus some great bonus material too – a rich tapestry of work that shows the combo's evolution from African-tinged jazz of the 60s to some much more farther-reaching sounds in the 70s – all beautifully packaged, with each album presented on its own inside a larger slipcase! The set features The Blue Notes Legacy, a live date in South Africa from 1964; Blue Notes For Mongezi, a double-length set recorded after the passing of group trumpeter Mongezi Feza; Blue Notes For Johnny, a date recorded after the passing of bassist Johnny Dyani; and Blue Notes In Concert, a great live date recorded in 1977. There's a wealth of wonderful music here – and along with the bonus tracks, the set also features a great booklet of remembrances and vintage photos!

One of the few albums ever from percussionist Francisco Mora Catlett – a player with a decades-long legacy of performances with jazz legends Max Roach and Sun Ra, as well as Detroit electro genius Carl Craig! The album's got a wonderful sound that links together these 2 sides of Catlett's career – righteous acoustic jazz at the core, but augmented with bits of electronics, some of which are played by Carl Craig on synth and "space programming"! Arkestra member Marshall Allen is also in the group – playing alto and flute – and other instrumentation features twin trumpets from John Douglass and Dwight Adams, keyboards from Craig Taborn, and lots of percussion from Francisco himself. The sound is outside at some points, but always swings back to a warmly spiritual vibe – and Catlett's compositions are as ambitious as the performances on the set. Titles include "Baba Lu Aye", "Suny", "La Luu Banche Barasuayo", "Space Chord Progression", "Voodoo Papa Legba Mapotelo", "Saints At Congo Square", "Pa'Los Mayores", and a Carl Craig/Craig Taborn mix of "Baba Lu Aye".

A windy city hero – the amazing Garland Green, a singer who makes us mighty proud we hail from Chicago! Garland's got an incredible style that few others can touch – partly schooled in the 60s iceman modes of Jerry Butler and Walter Jackson, with all the sophistication that might imply – but also often given a raspier twist, with slightly southern echoes that make Garland's music feel even more deeply personal! And while most folks know Green's big hits for the Uni label, this package shows a rich legacy that goes much father than that – work recorded for labels that include Cotillion, Spring, RCA, Ocean Front, and Revue – in addition to some key Uni tracks. This trans-label set really does a wonderful job of showing the full range of Garland's mighty talents – a sublime set of soul cuts that run from the start of the 70s right up to the early 80s modern years – packaged with detailed notes too. Titles include "Since You've Been Gone", "These Arms", "Just Loving You", "Just My Way Of Loving You", "He Didn't Know", "Don't Think That I'm A Violent Guy", "Love's Calling", "Just What The Doctor Ordered", "Sweet Loving Woman", "Ask Me What You Want", "You Played On A Player", "Don't Let Love Walk Out On Us", and "Sending My Best Wishes".

Tripped-out funk from contemporary Colombia – played by a group who've clearly dug all the nation's rich legacy of groove-heavy music! The album's got a vintage feel at points – especially when the heavy drums are mixed with weirdly-distorted guitars – which almost have the feel of some of the chicha grooves from other scenes, but also share the sweet fuzzy sounds we love in vintage Colombian funk! The combo's clearly got a psychedelic streak to their leanings – given the way the whole thing comes together – and titles include "Champeta De La Corrupcion Y La Desagna", "Lambada De Oceania Africa & America", "Toma Tu Jabon Kapax", "Quiero Plata", and "Lgbtrago Y Mas Trago".

A key recording from one of our favorite tenor talents of the 80s – the amazing Ralph Moore, a player who really carries on a strong legacy from the 60s work of Hank Mobley! Like Mobley, Moore's got a very rich-voiced sound that's steeped in tradition, but which is also never afraid to take chances too – a way of handling the tenor that few of his contemporaries could match, which is probably why Ralph's presence really upped the ante on so many dates at the time as a sideman. He's even better as a leader, though, and this standout set for Landmark is a real gem – a record filled with freely creative energy throughout, and a never-ending sense of soul – as Moore's tenor is set up nicely in a core group with Benny Green on piano, Peter Washington on bass, and Kenny Washington on drums – the latter of whom brings some of the same magic to this set that Billy Higgins did to Blue Note in the 60s. Terence Blanchard plays trumpet on 4 of the album's tracks – and titles include "Punjab", "Freeway", "Enigma", "Blues For John", "One Second Please", and "Episode From A Village Dance". Also includes the CD-only bonus track "Morning Star".

A pair of Johnny Watson classics – back to back on a single CD! First up is Ain't That A Bitch – maybe the best album that Johnny Watson cut during his DJM years – a totally tight, totally soulful set that avoids any fake funk cliches! The record's got some wonderful trippy numbers – cut in that slow g-funky mode that was Johnny's huge legacy to the west coast scene – best of these is the classic "Superman Lover", a great little cut with a very catchy hook, and just the right dose of humor. But you'll also catch the same vibe on "I Want To Ta Ta You Baby", "Ain't That A Bitch", and "I Need It". Johnny's sitting on the cover, surrounded by ladies and a dog – and the back cover says "My apologies to Freddie, my guitar, for forgetting to bring him to the photo session." Real Mother For Ya features Johnny Guitar Watson at the top of his game – working in a sublime mix of funk, blues, and soul – all crafted into a groove that was uniquely Watson's own! Johnny may have started the 70s in relative obscurity – down from some hit work in the 50s and 60s – but by the time of this set, he was back on top, and working in a confident groove that few others from his older era could ever hope to achieve! There's a youthful sense of sex and soul that run through the entire set – an effortlessly slinky groove that never goes too over the top in the funk department, and which makes just the right use of electric instrumentation and tripped-out production, but never gets too wrapped up in either – and often comes off with some great jazzy touches as well. Titles include the anthemic "Real Mother For Ya", plus "Your Love Is My Love", "The Real Deal", "Tarzan", "I Wanna Thank You", and "Lover Jones".

A great collection of modern soulful tunes – pulled together by the 2000 Black label, an imprint which takes its name from the famous Roy Ayers tune of the same name! Choosing Roy as a reference point would be a difficult thing to live up to for most other labels – but the 2000 Black posse do a damn good job of living up to Roy's legacy here, taking the positive spiritualism that infused his classic work, and using it to inform a whole new set of experiments in modern music. Roy's present on a remake of "2000 Black" done with MM Black, and the set is rounded out by 11 more like minded numbers: "Brand New Day" by Pavel Kostiuk, "Future Past" & "Space Junky" by Nubian Mindz, "Into The Now" by Seiji, "Terah" by Nu Era, "Sunnin" by Catalyst, "Groovesome" by Domu, "Nu Way" by Kuni, "Avenues" by Titonton, "Diamondstone" by Somatik and "The Mind" by Da One Way featuring Bembe Segue.

Beautifully spiritual jazz from the post-Coltrane generation – a wealth of righteous grooves from the early 70s – brought together in one mighty collection! If you dig the work of Pharoah Sanders, Alice Coltrane, and other giants on Impulse Records, this is a great way to dig even deeper – and hear the way their late 60s legacy inspired other musicians to new heights in their own music – sounds that hit a new level of freedom in jazz, yet which are still filled with enough swing and soul to avoid some of the more avant modes of the free jazz scene! If that description sounds a bit obtuse, then just plug into the collection, and let the music do its thing – as it's got a very powerful vibe throughout – the kind of inspirational, socially conscious work that flourished best during the 70s – and which is finally getting its due all these many years later. The package is new territory for Ace/BGP, but they've done a great job as usual – picking key tracks from the era, and coming up with detailed notes on each of the long tracks. Titles include "Free Angela" by Bayete, "Bridge Into The New Age" by Azar Lawrence, "Tress Cun De O La" by Joe Henderson, "Ebony Queen" by McCoy Tyner, "Peace" by Idris Muhammad, "Mother Of The Future" by Norman Connors, "Brown Warm & Wintry" by Jack DeJohnette, "I've Known Rivers" by Gary Bartz, and "Fire" by Joe Henderson & Alice Coltrane.

Rare funk from one of the greatest labels in the business! King Records is known to many for its classic work with singers like James Brown, Hank Ballard, and Wynonie Harris – but during the later years of the label, they also pressed up a great amount of excellent funky 45s, including many that are some of the rarest you'll ever try to find. This 24 track set is the first to really try to document King's rich funk legacy – and it's got some amazing tracks that blend together raw southern soul, hard northern rhythms, and sweet James Brown-produced grooves. Any one of these tunes would set you back at least $50 on a single – not just because they're rare, but because they're some of the best funk cuts ever recorded. Titles include "Mr Tuff Stuff" by Toby King, "Gold Walk" by The Presidents, "Butter Your Popcorn" by Hank Ballard, "Your Thing Ain't No Good Without My Thing" by Marie Queenie Lyons, "Down Home Girl" by The Coasters, "Don't Get Funky" by Gloria Walker, "Funky Lady (parts 1 & 2)" by Soul East, "From The Back Side (parts 1 & 2)" by The Sons Of Funk, "Camelot Time" by J Hines & The Fellows, and "Papa's Got The Wagon" by Gloria Walker.

The first ever compilation of the best music made for MoWest – the eclectic, but still soulful cuts made when Berry Gordy Jr. relocated from Motown to the west coast in the early 70s – releasing cool and sometimes strange music with a soul background, yet toasted by LA sunshine! The MoWest subsidiary lasted just a few years, and gets overlooked in the canonization of Motown at it's most classic and revolutionary – but the legacy is pretty incredible. Funk, sunshine rock and soul fused adventurously by a stunningly diverse roster – late period Frankie Vallie & The Four Seasons (who's comp-opening track is a slept on sunshine pop-soul classic), breezy-jazzy-soul from Odyssey, the sister funk of Sisters Love, a stunning solo left turn from Spinners singer GC Cameron and more great stuff from Syreeta, The Commodores, Suzee Ikeda, Thelma Houston and others. We've been dying for a well selected MoWest comp like this for years, and Light In The Attic stepped to the plate and knock it right out of the park. The songs choices are great, the notes are great. . .everything about it is a win. Essential! Includes "You're A Song (That I Can't Sing)" and "The Night" by Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons, "Our Lives Are Shaped By What We Love" and "Broken Road" by Odyssey, "Don't You Be Worried" by The Commodores, "A Heart Is A House" Nu Page, "I Ain't Going Nowhere" by Thelma Houston, "I Can't Give Back The Love I Feel For You" by Suzee Ikeda, "You've Got To Make The Choice" and "Give Me Your Love" by The Sisters Love and more.

A smoker of a swing session from tenorist Eddie Barefield – one of the few records he ever cut as a leader! Barefield's tenor has a rich legacy that goes back to famous 30s work with Bennie Moten, Cab Calloway, and Fletcher Henderson – and had a longtime friendship with Ben Webster, with whom he often played. While it might be a stretch to say that Eddie's as great as Ben, he's definitely got the soul and feeling of that generation – and really opens up here in the kind of modern setting that lets his solos spin out even more than back in the day. The group's a nice mix of players, too – and includes Jon Faddis on trumpet, John Bunch on piano, Bucky Pizzarelli on guitar, Milt Hinton on bass, and Panama Francis on drums. Titles include "Spud", "For Grandma Webster", "Brown Baby", "Barefield's Lady", and "Soup Beans". CD also features two unissued bonus tracks – "Wildcat Blues" and "The Fox".

Stellar dancefloor soul from Dego – the first ever solo album from one half of the pioneering, longstandingly brilliant 4 Hero – thwarting trendiness with ease and crafting a set that's fully lives up to the 4 Hero-ic legacy! It's nice to have a full scale solo effort from Dego, not only because, ya know, he's so damn good – but it gives us a bit of hindsight about just what he may have personally brought to the table with 4 Hero, Silhouette Brown and other collaborative projects. The beat is prominent, keys come in soul jazzy washes or bright and spacey electro tones, and it’s all profoundly soulful. Speaking of soul and the spirit of collaboration, the guests are top notch – and include Sharlene Hector, Georgia Anne Muldrow, Silhouette Brown partner Kaidi Tatham, Nia Andrews, Obenawa and others. Includes "Start A New" feat Sharlene Hector, "Sparkling Minds" with Georgia Anne Muldrow, "Da Fuzz" feat Lordamercy, "All That She Knows" feat Obenewa, "Monday Blues", "Not Bother Talking It", "Dego's Dancehall Cry", "Not In My Disco", "Late Night Fright", "The Monarch" and more.

Wonderful work from a player we've loved for years – recorded here in just the sort of laidback setting that recreates all his charms in a live setting! Von Freeman's tenor has been a key part of the Chicago scene for half a century or more – and although his music never played as widely on the coasts, his horn has been a lasting local legacy of the tenor tradition that also includes Gene Ammons, Johnny Griffin, John Gilmore, and Clifford Jordan! Von's every bit as creative and soulful as any of those cats –but a lot more subtle too, as you'll hear on this album's long-spun tracks. Players include Richard Wyands on piano, John Webber on bass, and Jimmy Cobb on drums – and titles include "I'll Never Be Free", "Didn't We", "Why Try To Change Me Now", "An Affair To Remember", and "A Night In Paris".

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

The amazing full length debut of Hypnotic Brass Ensemble – a cool combo from the Chicago scene who've been making some big waves around the world over the past few years! The brass-heavy group have a family legacy that links them to the Artistic Heritage Ensemble of Phil Cohran – and an approach to their music that mixes spiritual jazz, deep funk, and elements of New Orleans music too – a really unique style that has earned the group's rare singles some tremendous praise – and which is finally ready to step out fully in this wonderful album! The horns are even harder and heavier than before – honed through some touring around the globe, and brought into focus here beautifully – bristling with energy from the very first note. The set features guest appearances from Malcolm Catto, Tony Allen, Flea, and Damon Albarn – but the real strength of the record lies in the group's amazing horns and rhythms – on titles that include "War", "Gibbous", "Alyo", "Ballicki Bone", "Jupiter", "Marcus Garvey", "Party Started", "Sankofa", "Satin Sheets", "Hypnotic", and 2 versions of "Rabbit Hop".

Seun Anikulapo Kuti returns with another strorming set of neo classic Afro Funk in the great tradition of his father – once again fronting the incredible Egypt 80 group! It's remarkable stuff that finds Seun – the youngest son of Fela – standing up as a visionary talent. He's not only living up to an immense legacy, but moving forward with it in ways that will absolutely stand the test of time. The insistent rhythms and intense energy of the Egypt 80 group – led by Lekan Animashaun – are Afrobeat perfection, with Seun's forthright vocals out front of it. But their approach here is anything but a retread of family glories. The songs are urgent and fierce, and there are subtle modern florishes in the production – thanks in part, no doubt, to co-producer Brian Eno. Titles include "African Soldier", "You Can R Un", "Rise", "Slave Masters", "For Dem E Ye", "The Good Leaf" and "Giant Of Africa".

Steps Ahead is just about the least we could say about Ethio jazz funk genius Mulatu Astatke – he not only remains on a creative high point after so many years, he takes a couple more giant strides on Mulatu Steps Ahead for Strut Records! To put it simply, the music Mulatu makes here more than lives up to his legendary work from the height of late 60s & early 70s years. The material was recorded in sessions in Boston and London, playing with the Either/Orchestra on the Boston sessions, plus members of the Heliocentrics and others – really hitting on diverse styles throughout, from spacious and eclectic jazz, to the classic Addis Ababa nightclub sound, to grittier kinda crime jazz soundtrack styles and some Afro Latin inspirations. Wonderful work that's well worth Mulatu's legacy! Titles include "Radcliffe", "Green Africa", "The Way To Be Nice", "Assosa", "I Faram Gami I Faram", "Mulatu's Mood", "Ethio Blues", "Boogaloo" and "Motherland".

A totally great album from Freda Payne – a set that moves strongly past her initial early hits for the Holland Dozier Holland team, into a realm that's even more sophisticated overall! There's a full approach here that's really wonderful – almost a higher-concept version of soul music, yet still with all the punch that Payne packed on her key singles from the first album! Strings and larger arrangements really round out the sound in a very unique way – but the whole thing's still plenty soulful all the way through, with a righteous undercurrent that definitely lives up to the HDH legacy – thanks to arrangements from McKinley Jackson and HB Barnum. Freda's vocals are wonderful – even more powerful than before – and titles include "I'm Not Getting Any Better", "The Road We Didn't Take", "Odds & Ends", "I Shall Not Be Moved", "Mama's Gone", "Suddenly It's Yesterday", "You Brought The Joy", and "You've Got To Love Somebody (Let It Be Me)". CD features lots of bonus tracks – including "He's In My Life", "You Brought The Joy (single version)", "Just A Woman", "Come Back", "Band Of Gold (alt)", "Deeper & Deeper (single version)", "You're The Only Bargain I've Got", and "How Can I Live Without My Life".

Raw r&b, uptempo blues & hard soul from the vaults of Cobra Records – a Chicago label that really only operated from the mid-to-late 50s – but for a time rivaled Chess and helped form the seeds of some of the most incredible soul & blues for decades to come! Cobra and its subsidiary Artistic released really nice early sides by young Ike Turner, Betty Everett and Buddy Guy – plus work by comparative veterans of the time like Duke Reid and Harold Burrage – artists whose legacy would loom large in the years to come. Load of rollicking raw greatness – work that no doubt hugely helped influence loads of incredible Midwestern soul in the early 60s and onward! Titles include "This Is The End" and You Sure Can't Do" by Buddy Guy, "Roll Your Moneymaker" by Shakey Jake, "I'm Gonna Forget About You" and "You've Got To Lose" by Ike Turner's Kings Of Rhythm, "Something Else" and "The Duke Walks" by Duke Jenkins, "My Love" by Betty Everett, "Messed Up" by Harold Burrage, "I'll Just Keep Walkin'" by Lee Jackson, "Irma Lee" by Guitar Shorty and more!

The music of Otis Redding – sung by some of his hippest contemporaries, and by a whole new generation inspired by his talents! The tunes here are all numbers you'd know from Redding's famous recordings for Stax and Atlantic – yet the versions are nice and fresh – some done with a gritty down-home feel that's rougher than any of Redding's records, others done with an inventive style that pushes the music forward into new modes – possibly those that Otis might have explored on his own, had he not been taken from us so soon! The package is a great testament to the Otis Redding legacy in soul music – and is filled with a whopping 25 tracks, all of them well-chosen – including "Baby Cakes" by Maxine Brown, "Just One More Day" by Clarence Carter, "Give Away None Of My Love" by Buddy Miles, "Wholesale Love" by Arthur Conley, "Hawg For You" by Tina Britt, "Hard To Handle" by Patti Drew, "Chained & Bound" by Bettye Swann, "I'm Missing You" by Mitty Collier, "Sister Pitiful" by Judy Clay, "These Arms Of Mine" by Albert Washington & The Kings, "Monkey On My BacK" by Jackie Hairston – plus the previously unreleased "Loving By The Pound (part 2)" by Otis Redding himself!

Great work from one of the few cats who can truly claim the name of King Of The Vibes – the mighty Roy Ayers, a man who's been rocking the instrument for over five decades in music! The set's got a warm, soulful groove – kind of a contemporary extension of the styles that Roy first laid down on Polydor and Columbia, handled with just the right sort of poise, class, and balance to keep the Ayers legacy strong! If you've heard any of Roy's other recent work, you'll find plenty to love here, too – as Ayers is one of the few who can keep putting out great music of this nature, without falling prey to any contemporary cliches at all. Titles include "Neo Soul Groove", "Virgin Vibes", "Obama Say", "E Funk", "Feel Me", and "Get Some Money".

A well-titled album from trumpeter Don Ellis – as the set soars to the skies from the very first note! The album's got a dynamic energy that almost beats Don's American work of the time – lots of funky rhythms, and a cool MPS groove that shows the label's strong 70s legacy of larger group jazz recordings! Like other MPS dates of the time, there's a nice mix of electric and acoustic instrumentation in the lineup – bass and guitar that kick the rhythms up strongly, plus keyboards and electrified strings that bring in their own unique sounds. Milcho Leviev handles the keys on the session – and titles are a fresh batch of numbers that include "Sidonie", "Image Of Maria", "Sladka Pitka", "Go Back Home", "Whiplash", "The Devil Made Me Write This Piece", and "Invincible".

A beautiful collection of all the great and rare material Eddie Holland cut as solo singer in the late 50s and early 60s – including the incredible early Motown material, plus tracks he cut for Mercury, Kudo, Tamla and United Artists! Of course Eddie Holland is best remembered for uber-legendary work as producer, composer and arranger with the Holland-Dozier-Holland super soul unit – for damn good reason, but it's his early work as singer is way too strong to be considered a mere footnote to his greater legacy. Many of the cuts were written and produced by Berry Gordy, along with numbers written and produced by Brian Holland and Lamont Dozier, some recorded more famously by later acts, so what you truly have here is the foundation for great things to come – it's beautiful stuff that shines brightly in its own light. Eddie's a solid singer and the songs are terrific, formative stuff that's a pivotal bridge from earlier R&B to massive soul. 56 tracks on 2CDs: "Little Miss Ruby", "Will You Love Me", "Just A Few More Days", "It's Not Too Late", "Just Ain't Enough Love", "Brenda", "Baby Shake", "Magic Mirror", "If Cleopatra Took A Chance", "Action Speaks Louder than Words", "Bashful Kind", "Too Late To Cry", "Happy Go Lucky", "Pretty Little Angel Face", "Day Dreamer", "Rain And Thunder", "I Like Everything About You", "Happy Days" and many more. This set goes deeper than any compilation we've seen of Eddie's recordings, too, with a number of previously unissued Mercury recordings.

Deep soul and plenty of funk – the lasting legacy of Laura Lee – a singer who was one of the hippest female soul artists of the early 70s! Laura's way more than the soul diva promised in the title – as she's got an earthy, down-home feel that's completely no-nonsense all the way through – proud, powerful, and punched-up with some wicked funky rhythms at the bottom – all produced to perfection with the heavy new 70s sound of the Holland Dozier Holland team! It's no surprise that when people think "bad sister funk", they think of Laura Lee first – as you'll hear on cuts that include "Crumbs Off The Table", "Wedlock Is A Padlock", "I'll Catch You When You Fall", "I Can't Make It Alone", "Her Picture Matches Mine", "Woman's Love Rights", "If You Can't Beat Me Rockin", "Since I Fell For You (parts 1 & 2)", and "Mirror Of Your Soul".

No anarchy here – as the groove is bold and tight, and right on the money – making for maybe the greatest album so far from the legendary Bukky Leo! The reedman's been working in London for decades, yet has only gotten his due in recent years – turning out a pan-global blend of spiritual jazz, Afro Funk, and possibly a bit of Caribbean groove too – all wrapped together in a style that really shows off Bukky's long legacy in music! The overall production and execution of this album is even greater than previous recent releases – helping give Bukky that tight focus we first heard many years back – and which really helps keep a strong spark to the groove throughout this entire album. Bukky wrote and arranged the entire set – and titles include "Afrobeat Jam", "Hard Times", "Fella Fella", "Rhythemic", "Mansa Dialema", "Jahfrobeat", "Skeleton", "Time Scale", and "Anarchy". CD also features bonus saxophone versions of "Hard Times" and "Time Scale" – plus "Skeleton (Gilles Peterson beach mix)" and "Skeleton (Gilles Peterson winter dub)".

An 80s groover from LTD – one that has the group working strongly on both groovers and ballads, the latter of which may well be the strongest suit here! Jeffery Osborne's long gone from the group, but his warmly soulful legacy lives on in the vocal style of the love songs – kind of a mellow-flowing way of putting over a tune that hints at the bigger 80s quiet storm years to come. The upbeat tracks have an 80s groove mix of funky bass, beats, and keyboards – not as warm as the LTD funk of earlier years, but still handled with a bit of flair. Titles include "Caught In The Middle Of Goodbye", "Is It Over", "Slick", "Stop On By", "For You", "Whatcha Gonna Do", and "Party With You".

Maybe the greatest album that Teena Marie ever cut – and that's saying a lot, given the strength of the lady's work for Motown! The set's got this bright, positive bounce that grabs you right from the start – but also moves into a depth that's way different than other funk albums of the time – a way with a ballad and a thoughtful track that almost makes Marie the 80s heir to the Minnie Riperton legacy, especially given the strength of her voice on the set – and the fact that Teena wrote and produced the whole album herself! At a time when so many other female soul singers were at the mercy of other folks' talents and ideas, Lady T steps forth boldly with this classic set – brimming over with greatness on cuts that include the stellar "Portuguese Love", plus "Yes Indeed", "Where's California", "Opus III", "Square Biz", "365", "Revolution", and "Ballad Of Cradle Rob & Me". This expanded CD also includes 2 live tracks recorded in Long Beach – versions of "Deja Vu" and "Someday We'll All Be Free" – plus the bonus track "Square Biz", done in an instrumental version. All written & produced by Teena, too!

An excellent double-header – and a very cool collection that brings together two different scores for the film Una Su 13 – one used in the Italian release, the other for the American version! Carlo Rustichelli handled the Italian tracks – and he brings his great legacy of comedic scoring strongly into play – using some romping rhythms, playful horn passages, and a few modder moments to really keep things moving – with some especially nice use of vocals from I Cantori Moderni on a few of the standout groovers! The American release is even better – scored by Stelvio Cipriani and David Whitaker, who bring in way more music than before – and hit lots of cool 60s mod and fuzz modes! There's definitely a freakbeat element to many tracks here – a bouncing, jerking set of rhythms that are mighty nice – given lots of sweet organ and guitar lines to really underscore the 60s elements in the music – offset by a few lighter Italian touches that still sound mighty nice! There's a whopping 36 tracks on the American version – plus another 13 tracks from the Italian one – making the set a treasure trove of under-discovered musical gems!

The groundbreaking first album from Weather Report – a massive session that took fusion to a whole new level for the 70s! Most of the players here had been associated with Miles Davis at some point in the year or two beforehand – and Miles' electric work is definitely a starting point for this group – but they quickly flow off in whole new directions, thanks to the mighty legacy of their own talents on previous records! The group features an intense lineup with Wayne Shorter on saxes, Joe Zawinul on keyboards, Miroslav Vitous on bass, Alphonse Mouzon on drums, and Airto on percussion – all coming together in a groove that's often incredibly raw and free – with plenty of sharp electronic bits from Zawinul crackling under the acoustic elements in the music. The sound is still quite revolutionary all these years later – and titles include "Tears", "Eurydice", "Orange Lady", "Umbrellas", and "Milky Way".

Pretty obscure stuff from Don Nelson – a hip swinging jazz vocalist who we only know from this one album on Mode! Like some of the best obscure titles on Mode, this one takes a under-documented player from the LA scene of the 50s pairs him with a nice backing combo, and cuts a few respectable sides that will stand as the artist's only real legacy. Nelson mostly sings – in kind of a Bobby Troup-ish way – but he also plays a bit of recorder, which sounds nice and spooky! He's backed by a trio that includes Jimmy Rowles on piano, Leroy Vinnegar on bass, and Stan Levey on drums – and titles include "The Wind", "Taking A Chance On Love", "It Happened Once Before", "Nobody's Heart", and "Spring Can Really Hang You Up The Most".