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A really brilliant little record from Nat Adderley – one that shows him shaking off the groove gotten from brother Cannonball, and finding some great space all on his own! The setting here is tight and funky – at a level that's a bit more arranged than a small combo soul jazz session, but which still has plenty of sharp edges and bold notes! The groove's a bit like Kudu Records from the time, but less electric overall – and Nat's cornet is featured in a hip combo with John Stubblefield on reeds, Onaje Allen Gumbs on piano and keyboards, and Buddy Williams on drums. There's plenty of great funky riffing in the set, but also some wonderfully laidback grooves that really sparkle with electric piano from Gumbs – and titles include a surprisingly wonderful version of "MASH", plus "Hummin", "Midnight Over Memphis", "The Traveler", "Listen To The Rain", and the Latin-tinged "Amor Sonador".

A really well-titled little record – as the sound here is quite unique, and often has the musicians creating these little bridges between each other's space! David Ake wrote all the tunes, and put them together with this angular, blocky sort of feel – lots of sound shapes at the core, which are then whipped into more rhythmic passages by the group – and bridged by some creative work on the front end – a horn section that includes Ralph Alessi on trumpet, Ravi Coltrane on tenor, and Peter Epstein on alto! The rhythm pulsates in ways that provide just the right landscape for the whole thing to hold together – thanks to work from Scott Colley on bass and Mark Ferber on drums – and titles include "Sonomads", "Story Table", "We Do", "Year In Review", and "Open/Balance".

A searing debut from Black Heat – one of the best funk acts to record for Atlantic during the 70s, and a tight little group with a sound that's a mixture of New Orleans funk and New York heavy! The album's got a bit of vocals – figuring in on about half the tracks – but the main focus here is definitely instrumental – with a strong emphasis on choppy guitar, sweet organ licks, and cooking horn solos on trumpet, tenor, and flute – the last two of which are played by David Newman – not normally a member of the combo, but a great guest for this session! The sound is very tight, but never slick – and often recorded with an earthiness that recalls some of the best indie label funk of the period – like the kind of grooves you might find over at Perception/Today – with all the trippiness that might imply. Titles include "Chip's Funk", "Wanoah", "Barbara's Mood", "Chicken Heads", "The Jungle", "Send My Lover Back", "Honey Love", and "Time Is Gonna Catch You".

Nicely-structured performances between pianist Ran Blake and guitarist David Knife Fabris – done with plenty of free-thinking elements, including those bold-ringing tones that we've always loved in Blake's recordings – yet still based around some relatively tight song structures overall! Most numbers are relatively short, but benefit from that fact – as they let Fabris bring in a flurry of chromatic sounds from his instrument, and Blake hit those almost bell-like notes on the piano – often doing a lot with just a little. And the setting sometimes has one player handling all the work on a track, then shifting to the other on the next one – and coming together on duets on others. Titles include "Watch What Happens", "Desafinato", "My Cherie Amour", "Sontagism", "Driftwood", "In Pursuit", "Cry Wolf", and "Shlof Manyn Kind".

A raw, live set from Chicago saxophonist David Boykin – but a great little record that really reminds us of a classic 60s session on ESP! Boykin's reeds are wonderful throughout – filled with the depth of soul we might expect from Kalaparusha or Albert Ayler – and set up here in an open-ended trio with Josh Abrams on bass and Andre Beasley on drums. The tracks are all quite longish and free – but never sloppy or overindulgent – held together with a tremendous focus and presence in Boykin's horn! Titles include "Victory Honor & Glory", "Conundrum", "Big & Fine", "The King", and "Meditation For Momma Long".

The first great, label-spanning compilation of great 50s & 60s tracks by a variety of artists with some little in common in some cases, but share at least one unbreakable bond – they recorded these tracks with the incredible James Burton on guitar! It's got fiery, pivotal rockabilly Dale Hawkins and Bob Luman, pop takeover numbers by Ricky Nelson, rustic charisma from Lee Hazlewood, benchmark honky tonk from Merle Haggard, harmony country rock from Buffalo Springfield and much more – including numbers credited to James Burton himself and with Ralph Mooney. Includes "Susie-Q" by Dale Hawkins, "Red Hot" by Bob Luman, "Cannonball Rag" by James Burton, "Blood From A Stone" by Ricky Nelson, "A Child's Claim To Fame" by Buffalo Springfield, "Swamp Surfer" by Jimmy Dobro, "Someday, Someday" by The Shindogs, "Just For A While" by Carol Williams, "Tryin' To Be Someone" by David & Lee and more.

Sweet electric funk – in a very trippy style! Before Donald Byrd hooked up with Larry Mizell and started recording his smooth fusion grooves of the mid 70's, he recorded this gem – kind of a "lost" album that has Donald working in an open-ended electric sound – one that's clearly inspired by the experiments of Miles Davis, but which has a generally funkier feel overall! The tracks are very long – with lots of spiralling keyboard and trumpet solos – and the hip players on the set include Bobby Hutcherson, David T Walker, Wilton Felder, and Harold Land. We love the tracks on this set – especially "The Emperor" and "The Little Rasti", which are both over 15 minutes long, and have a haunting spacey sound that's a departure from Donald's usual work!

Sweet and funky organ work from the great Henry Cain – a little known player who recorded on some excellent sides for Capitol in the 60s, including some of the albums by Howard Roberts! This set is Cain's one full album for the label – and it's a tight and jumpy set of instrumentals, produced by David Axelrod with a nice sharp edge. Arrangements are by HB Barnum and Oliver Nelson – both of whom really hit the right sound for Cain's clean approach to the Hammond keys – setting up enough space for him to groove freely, yet still keeping the band tightly reigned into the rhythm of the cuts. Titles include "Horror Scope", "Shake A Lady", "Dead End Street", "Why", "Sunny", "The Way I Feel", and "Critic's Choice".

A hip little album from Buddy Collette – one that's ostensibly based around the then-popular idea of a set of Paris-inspired tunes – but which comes off with a sound that's a lot deeper than you might expect! David Axelrod produced the set – it was one of his early projects for Specialty Records – and Buddy Collette plays alto, tenor, and flute – in a group with Frank Rosolino on trombone, Howard Roberts on guitar, Red Mitchell on bass, and Bill Richmond or Bill Douglass on drums. Red Callender joins in on some tracks, and his deep tones mixed with Rosolino's trombone, really help offset the lighter sounds of Collette's reeds in a nice way. Titles include "Domino", "Mam'Selle", "Pigalle", "I Love Paris", "La Vie En Rose", and "Under Paris Skies". CD features 4 bonus alternate takes, too!

A strange little film from the late 60s – a brit comedy starring Deborah Kerr and David Niven, in kind of a tender and silly comedy about the early years of birth control. About half the soundtrack's kind of orchestral and romantic (surprisingly), but the other half is nice and groovy – with a strong jazz approach handled by a number of British players, like baritone saxophonist Ronnie Ross, organist Roger Coulam, and tenor player Danny Moss. The Mike Sammes Singers sing "Too Soon To Tell", and they're probably also the wordless vocal chorus on the nice jaunty number "The Pill", a groovy little tune that also has some electric harpischord! Other groovy tracks include "Walk With Grace", "For Geraldine", "The Hired Help", "Indoor Outdoor Girl", and "The Morning After".

There's nothing little about the talents of Roy Eldridge on the trumpet – as you'll hear in this hip set of tracks from the start of the 50s – material recorded in Paris with help from some great American sidemen! Half the tracks feature Roy's trumpet in a quintet with Zoot Sims on tenor, Dick Hyman on piano, Pierre Michelot on bass, and Ed Shaughnessy on drums – grooving in the relaxed, swing-based style that you'd expect from Eldridge's 50s work on Verve. Roy sings just a bit on the set – scatting alongside the lead vocals from Anita Love on a version of "It Don't Mean A Thing" – and singing a duet with Anita on the R&B-ish "Ain't No Flies On Me". Other tracks include "King David", "Wrap Your Troubles In Dreams", and "The Man I Love". Remaining tracks are also from Paris in June of 1950 – and feature Gerry Wiggins on piano, Pierre Michelot on bass, and Kenny Clarke on drums – on instrumental tunes that include "Wild Driver", "Easter Parade", "If I Had You", "Nuts", and "Goliath Bounce".

A hip little rock group from the upstate NY scene – and heck, they had to be hip, to record on the Just Sunshine label! The sound here has a bit of a funky rock approach, colored by a Band-like hominess – but thanks to some strong famous guests on the session, the instrumentation steps out way past the vocals on the best numbers – with help from a crack lineup that includes Toots Thielemans, Tito Puente, David Sanborn, and the Brecker Brothers! The core group are great, too – with the same sort of tight rhythms and soulful vocals we loved from their previous release – and titles include "Vicious Circle", "Freewheelin", "Down To The City", "What Becomes Of Your Life", "Do It Like Ya Mean It", and "Whitecaps".

Two excellent albums from Funk Inc on one CD! Superfunk is one of the band's greatest albums – and a really tight batch of funky tunes given some stellar production by David Axelrod! The band's a bit tighter than on earlier releases – leaving behind the hard jazz-jam sound for a more together soul-oriented one, heard to best effect on the album's enduring classic, "Goodbye, So Long" – a rolling funky tune that features vocals on the chorus, and an unbelievably catchy instrumental sound that you might recognize instantly from its use as a sample over the years. The rest of the record's just as great – and the band runs through The Meters' classic "Message From The Meters", Barry White's funky "I'm Gonna Love You Just A Little More Babe", and a great rendition of the electric jazz classic "The Hill Where The Lord Hides". Hangin Out features their organ-heavy sound vamping away on some really tight groovers – not as break-heavy as some of the tracks on their first album, but with some excellent modal riffing in a sweet jazz dance mode. The big cuts include "Smokin' At Tiffany's" and "Dirty Red", both groove classics that have a strong Prestige jazz funk sound. Other cuts include a sweet cover of Curtis Mayfield's "Give Me Your Love", plus the tracks "We Can Be Friends" and "I'll Be Around".

The life story of Buddy Guy – one of the the key blues figures to come out of our Windy City home! David Ritz helps shape the story, but the book is definitely in Buddy's own words – which vividly paint a picture of both the Chicago scene, and the growing global world that began to appreciate the talents of Guy and his contemporaries – as well as a myriad of little trials and tribulations that show that the road to fame was never an easy one for Buddy – even after he thought that he'd made it! The book is a very lively read, but also has some heft too – and is 276 pages, hardcover, with some black and white images.

Compelling, tightly moving and straight up exciting progressive jazz from Herculaneum – with driving drums, both heavy and more mood-centric horns, rhythms that range from Afro jazz to freewheeling avant rock inspiration – really riveting stuff and probably their best album yet! The group is no longer completely Chicago based, but they sound as together as ever. The sextet includes drummer/percussionist Dylan Ryan, trombone player Nick Broste, David McConnell and Nate Lepine on saxes, Patrick Newberry on trumpet and Greg Danek on bass. The group's approach of 4 horns and always insistent rhythms is as invigorating as ever here, and the collaborative compositions reach farther than ever. Modern greatness! Includes "The Dragon's Office", "Elmyr", "Chianti", "Fern", "Elizabeth Perkins", "Age Of Iron", "Little Murders" and "Rumors".

A groovy little jazz mass – written by Galt MacDermot in collaboration with lyricist William Dumaresq – and done in a post-Hair style that's got plenty of subtle funky touches underneath the vocals! The work follows in the mode of similar albums from the time by David Axelrod, Howard Roberts, and even MacDermot – with a mass-like structure, but lyrics that are clearly contemporary – and music that's got plenty of nice bass at the bottom, and some nice Hair-like rhythms rolling through the mix. Vocalists include Salome Bey, Nel Carter, and the Howard Roberts Chorus – and from what we can tell, Bernard Purdie's helping out on drums!

One of Esther Phillips' biggest comeback albums from the 70s – a tight batch of jazzy soul, with backing by funky fusion players like Steve Khan, David Sanborn, and The Brecker Brothers – plus guitarist Joe Beck, who almost gets equal billing on the original album cover! Titles include a good version of Grover Washington's "Mr Magic" – with the same funky undercurrent as the original – plus the tracks "One Night Affair", "I Can Stand A Little Rain", "Hurtin House", "Turn Around Look At Me", and a semi-hit version of "What A Diff'rence A Day Makes".

Iggy's second solo LP proper, and a strange morass of junkie desperation and gutteral white punk funk – a conscious decision to move away from the guitar roar of the Stooges era and closer to the sounds his longtime champion David Bowie was experimenting with at the time, with a little bit of Lou Reed for good measure – but make no mistakes, this is Iggy's show. It's as fascinating as it is impressive on a more visceral level, heavy bass rhythms and keys intergral to the sound, and weary latenight storytelling that trips you out on contact. All tunes co-written by Bowie, who would go on to make a lot of money off "China Girl" a few years into the 80s when the world was more ready for it, plus the classic "Nightclubbing", "Sister Midnight", "Baby", "Dum, Dum Boys", "Tiny Girls" and "Mass Production".

Great work from pianist Don Randi – and a lost David Axelrod gem! The album features Randi playing over Axelrod arrangements – and as a whole, it's really more of an Axelrod album than anything else – especially considering the fact that Randi was the player on some of Axe's own albums, and that the orchestrations are more the star here than the piano. The tunes groove along in that wonderful Axelrod way – lots of space, a nice bounce, and just the right mix of big and little, loud and soft, to create a very nice sound! There's some very nice soundtracky bits on the set – and titles include "Che", "Across The River", "Goodbye Columbus", "The Fox", "Mrs Robinson", "Boogaloosa", and "Both Sides Now".

One of the greatest albums to ever sum up the genius of Lou Rawls in the 60s – a brilliant live set put together with the talents of David Axelrod! The record perfectly captures the easy-going soul of Rawls in the early years – a natural approach to his music that made him one of the best singers of his genre at the time, and which comes out especially strong in the album's upbeat monologues, which are often delivered by Lou with musical accompaniment, then leap strongly into the lyrics of a tune. Backing is by a small jazzy combo that includes Herb Ellis on guitar and the great rhythm team of Jimmy Bond on bass and Earl Palmer on drums – both of whom bring a nice little groove to most of the album's numbers. Titles include "Street Corner Hustler's Blues/World Of Trouble", "Southside Blues/Tobacco Road", "The Shadow of Your Smile", "In The Evening When The Sun Goes Down", "I Got It Bad And That Ain't Good", and "The Girl From Ipanema".

Epic DJ Fontana (elvis presley's 50s-70s drummer) interview. The (pre-industrial) Wax Trax Records story – including the saga of the Jonny iii (Wax Trax house band). Czech prog-gods Plastic People Of the Universe interviewed. Little Richard is Jewish! 1950s country star Marvin Rainwater interviewed. The return, and self-destruction, of the Misfits. Flaming Lips interview. Don "Sugarcane" Harris obituary. Screaming Jay Hawkins obituary. David Lee Roth comix. 1960s psychedelic comic books explored. Interview with Gregg Gellar, master compilation producer, focusing on his "Sammy Davis Jr.-Yes I Can" box set, as well as the ins and outs of comp production. Plus Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Chuck Berry, rock & wrestling, comix and Jerry Lewis and Sammy Davis Jr. as you've always imagined them!

Music beyond description – a unique blend of disco, funk, avant garde, and dub – the wonderful world of the late Arthur Russell! Russell was a bass player by trade, but he was schooled in both classical and Eastern music forms – and brought an incredibly fresh vision to his work in New York in the late 70s and early 80s. To some, Russell was a groundbreaking disco pioneer – with an offbeat production style and unique conception of rhythm. To others, Russell was a performance artist and avant garde musician – working in circles that included Phillip Glass, David Byrne, and Robert Wilson. This mix of modes was very much a part of the post-disco, post-punk sound of New York at the time – and nobody summarized it (or allowed it!) better than Russell himself. This excellent set from Soul Jazz is one of the first to truly give him his due – and it brings together a large amount of his disco-related projects, plus a few more introspective numbers cut under his own name. The sound is incredible – unlike anything you could categorize – especially on the Russell-titled numbers – and as always with Soul Jazz, the whole thing's beautifully packaged, with rich notes on the music and the person behind it! Titles include "Go Bang (Francois K mix)" by Dinosaur L, "Wax The Van" by Lola, "Is It All Over My Face (Larry Levan mix)" by Loose Joints, "In The Cornbelt (Larry Levan mix)" by Dinosaur L, "Pop Your Funk" by Loose Joints, "Schoolbell/Treehouse (Walter Gibbons mix)" by Indian Ocean, and "Let's Go Swimming (Walter Gibbons mix)", "A Little Lost", "In The Light Of The Miracle", and "Keeping Up" by Arthur Russell himself!

How old was Foster Sylvers when he cut this record? Seven? Eight? Whatever the case, the little tyke forever changed the face of funky music with the incredible cut "Misdemeanor" – one of those chunky funky numbers that sounds like nothing else we've ever heard, and which has been in demand on the groove scene for years and years. The cut's simply amazing, and it kicks off a record that's pretty darn tasty all-around. Young Foster's singing in kind of a Jackson Five mode – but he's got some great arrangements by Jerry Peters, David Crawford, and King Errison that keep things pretty funky on many tracks, and nice and soulful on the rest. A good portion of the numbers are covers, but even those are done nicely. Titles include the classic "Misdemeanor", plus "I'm Your Puppet", "Mockingbird", "I'll Get You In The End", "Swooperman", "More Love", "Happy Face", "Lullabye/Uncle Albert", and "Only My Love Is True".

Johnnie Taylor's first album for Stax – and a tremendous little set that easily stands as one of his greatest records ever! Sure, we love Johnnie in all his incarnations – but there's a special sort of something here – a rawness and earnestness – that makes the whole thing shine right from the start – a crispy sort of Memphis vibe that has the Stax Records team really hitting their stride. The set's filled with great tunes from the team of Isaac Hayes and David Porter – including "I Got To Love Somebody's Baby", "Toe Hold", "Outside Love", "Little Bluebird", and "I Had A Dream" – and also features great versions of "Watermelon Man", "Ain't That Loving You", and "Where Can A Man Go From Here".

Quite an unusual little album for Gerald Wiggins – a set that features him on the Hammond organ instead of the piano, recorded as a rare soul jazz outing by a young David Axelrod! The session's got a vamping intensity that's quite different from most of the other LA jazz on the Hi Fi label, and overall the record sounds a lot more like work on Prestige at the same point – with Wiggins using a real stops-out approach to the Hammond, and Harold Land blowing some loose and relaxed lines on the tenor sax that are mighty soulful! The trio's completed by drummer Jackie Mills, and the overall spirit is very much in the mode of work by Shirley Scott or Don Patterson. Titles include "Yes Dove", "Don't Get Around Anymore", "Wiggin Out", and "Teach Me Tonight".

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

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

A tremendous follow up to the first Spirit Of Philadelphia collection – released many years after that seminal set, and with an even farther-reaching selection of music! The first Spirit set focused on the best mellow and midtempo soul efforts of the Philly International label – but this one expands the groove even more to show the wide influence that Gamble & Huff had on the sound of Philly soul on other labels – especially the major labels, who'd begun following the indie lead in their productions by the mid 70s. There's a fair bit of work here by bigger names at the time, but all of it's got a stone Philly sound – and is either work by artists who first sprung out of the Philly scene directly, or others from different points around the country, and who'd made a trip to Philly in the 70s to record in a hipper groove! Titles include "Do You Remember Yesterday" by New York City, "Falling In Love With You" by Jimmy Ruffin, "It's Not What You Got" by Eddie Kendricks, "We Got Love" by Ben E King, "Don't Take Your Love" by The Whispers, "Can't Accept The Fact" by Gateway, "Straighten It Out" by Anglo-Saxon Brown, "Midnight Lady" by David Morris, "You Make Me Feel So Good Baby" by The Temprees, "It's Love" by The Persuaders, "In Love Again" by The Joneses, "Let's Go All The Way Down" by Brenda & The Tabulations, "Walk Away From Love" by Jackie Moore, "I Don't Have Time To Worry" by Little Anthony & The Imperials, and "That's What Love Does" by Vince Montana & The Philly Sound Orchestra.

A massive amount of classic sample tracks – all funky nuggets pulled from the legendary catalog of Stax Records! The set's the first American set we've ever seen to pay tribute to Stax from this perspective – and alongside a well-chosen batch of tunes, all remastered for the set, the collection also features track-by-track notes that tell the importance and revival of all the tunes within – helping identify later uses of the original grooves, while still showing plenty of respect for the originals! Titles include "Humpin" by The Bar-Kays, "Blind Alley" by The Emotions, "Ghetto Misfortune's Wealth" by 24 Carat Black, "Why Marry" by Sweet Inspirations, "Melting Pot" by Booker T & The MGs, "Hung Up On My Baby" and "Hyperbolicsyllabicsesquedalymistic" by Isaac Hayes, "Get Up & Get Down" by The Dramatics, "I Forgot To Be Your Lover" by William Bell, "Do The Funky Penguin" by Rufus Thomas, "As Long As I've Got You" by Charmels, "I'm Afraid The Masquerade Is Over" by David Porter, "After The Laughter Comes Tears" by Wendy Rene, and "Packed Up & Took My Mind" by Little Milton.

Spacey, funky, and wonderful! During the 60s and 70s, the Iron Curtain prevented most of us from hearing some of the fantastic sounds that were cooking in Eastern Europe – where obscure jazz funk combos were grooving away in styles that were very different than those heard in the US and Western Europe. There's no easy way to describe the music, because it was so varied and inventive – but this excellent set of 10 rare Czechoslovakian tracks should go a long way to filling in some of the gaps in this lost history! Many of the tracks on the set have a fantastically baroque sound – sort of a mix of MPS crossover styles, and David Axelrod-type "big picture" production ventures – and they begin with wild washes of sound that soon settle into a harder funky groove. Keyboards collide with voices mix with guitars punctuated by drums sealed with basslines – and the whole thing's chopped apart by some funky frenetic sax work. That's only part of the picture, though – and although we can't come up with the words to describe the set adequately, it's one of the freshest compilations we've heard in years, filled with excellent grooves to take our listening to a whole new level! Titles include "The Lost Sheep" by SHQ, "Proklamation" by Milan Svoboda, "The Third Eye" by The Keyboard Conclave, "The Earth" by Jiri Stivin, "Nijana" by Jana Koubkova, and "Life's Little Games" by Karel Ruzicka.

Spacey, funky, and wonderful! During the 60s and 70s, the Iron Curtain prevented most of us from hearing some of the fantastic sounds that were cooking in Eastern Europe – where obscure jazz funk combos were grooving away in styles that were very different than those heard in the US and Western Europe. There's no easy way to describe the music, because it was so varied and inventive – but this excellent set of 10 rare Czechoslovakian tracks should go a long way to filling in some of the gaps in this lost history! Many of the tracks on the set have a fantastically baroque sound – sort of a mix of MPS crossover styles, and David Axelrod-type "big picture" production ventures – and they begin with wild washes of sound that soon settle into a harder funky groove. Keyboards collide with voices mix with guitars punctuated by drums sealed with basslines – and the whole thing's chopped apart by some funky frenetic sax work. That's only part of the picture, though – and although we can't come up with the words to describe the set adequately, it's one of the freshest compilations we've heard in years, filled with excellent grooves to take our listening to a whole new level! Titles include "The Lost Sheep" by SHQ, "Proklamation" by Milan Svoboda, "The Third Eye" by The Keyboard Conclave, "The Earth" by Jiri Stivin, "Nijana" by Jana Koubkova, and "Life's Little Games" by Karel Ruzicka.

Cannonball Adderley with David Axelrod production – a combination that couldn't miss back in the 60s! In keeping with the success of the Mercy Mercy Mercy album done with Axelrod, Capitol did everything they could to catch Cannonball in a live setting – a great move, given the open, soulful energy his group had in the format – crowd-pleasing, but always plenty darn creative too! Added to the mix here is some nice production by David Axelrod, capturing all the right moments in all the right ways – especially when Joe Zawinul steps up to take some sweet solos on the keys – and the great Charles Lloyd serves up some mighty nice work on flute and tenor sax. Other players include Nat Adderley on cornet, Sam Jones on bass, and Louis Hayes on drums – and titles include "The Song My Lady Sings", "Little Boy With The Sad Eyes", "Work Song", and "Sweet Georgia Bright".

A really unique little album from Cannonball's all-great late years at Capitol – a session that features some strong influences from Brazilian music – "The Happy People"! Airto plays on the set, and contributed the great groover "The Happy People" – a long bit of funky samba that features George Duke on electric piano, and percussion and vocals by Airto himself! The rest of the album's pretty darn great too – with some long tracks that have a more open-ended groove than the usual Cannon funk – featuring more piano by Duke, percussion by Airto and King Errison, cornet by Nat Adderley, and guitar by David T Walker. Produced by David Axelrod, with arrangements by Axe, George Duke, and Nat – and tracks that include "Ela", "Maria Tres Filhos", and "Savior". How can you miss?

Five albums into Dionne Warwick's classic run for Scepter Records, and she's still sounding great – head and shoulders above most other female pop singers of her generation, with a style that really sets a whole new standard for the time! Burt Bacharach handled most of the arrangements here – with that heavenly sort of quality that he virtually invented for Dionne – a way of penning charts that are full, but never overbearing – and which have a subtle kind of softness, even though they also manage a sneaky sort of rhythm at the bottom. The balance is a beautiful one, and Dionne's vocals are the beneficiary here – on a batch of mostly Bacharach/David tunes that includes the sublime "Are You There With Another Girl", plus "Don't Go Breaking My Heart", "Window Wishing", "Long Day Short Night", "In Between The Heartaches", and "How Can I Hurt You" – as well as a version of "This Little Light", which features solo piano by Dionne!

A searing debut from Black Heat – one of the best funk acts to record for Atlantic during the 70s, and a tight little group with a sound that's a mixture of New Orleans funk and New York heavy! The album's got a bit of vocals – figuring in on about half the tracks – but the main focus here is definitely instrumental – with a strong emphasis on choppy guitar, sweet organ licks, and cooking horn solos on trumpet, tenor, and flute – the last two of which are played by David Newman – not normally a member of the combo, but a great guest for this session! The sound is very tight, but never slick – and often recorded with an earthiness that recalls some of the best indie label funk of the period – like the kind of grooves you might find over at Perception/Today – with all the trippiness that might imply. Titles include "Chip's Funk", "Wanoah", "Barbara's Mood", "Chicken Heads", "The Jungle", "Send My Lover Back", "Honey Love", and "Time Is Gonna Catch You".

A overlooked gem in Elvin Jones' Blue Note career – and an album that's virtually the blueprint for the Stone Alliance sound forged later in the decade by bassist Gene Perla and reedman Steve Grossman! Both players are working to full effect on this smoking little set – mixing some of the more spiritual modes of other group members with their own sharper-edged, funky-leaning styles – all held together perfectly by both Jones' tight work on drums, and his expansive musical vision! Other players are great too – and include Pepper Adams on baritone sax, David Liebman on flute and tenor, and Jan Hammer on acoustic piano – an instrument he handles with surprising subtlety and soul. Many cuts have a hard, choppy groove – and titles include a remake of "Gee Gee", plus "One's Native Place", "Mr Jones", and "What's Up – That's It".

A strange little record – one that features a few tracks by Lawrence from Lord Of The Flies, The Great Chase, and David & Lisa – mixed with others from films that include To Kill A Mockingbird, Rat Race, Mutiny On The Bounty, and other films. Most of the material is pretty orchestral – and titles include "Lord Of The Flies", "Way Down East", and "Theme From David & Lisa" by Elliot Lawrence; "Rat Race", "A Girl Named Tamiko", "Two Weeks In Another Town", and "To Kill A Mockingbird" by Bernstein; "Cleopatra's Barge" by John Neel; and "Love Theme From Period Of Adjustment", "Our Language Of Love", and "Love Song From Mutiny On the Bounty" by Harry Betts.

A searing debut from Black Heat – one of the best funk acts to record for Atlantic during the 70s, and a tight little group with a sound that's a mixture of New Orleans funk and New York heavy! The album's got a bit of vocals – figuring in on about half the tracks – but the main focus here is definitely instrumental – with a strong emphasis on choppy guitar, sweet organ licks, and cooking horn solos on trumpet, tenor, and flute – the last two of which are played by David Newman – not normally a member of the combo, but a great guest for this session! The sound is very tight, but never slick – and often recorded with an earthiness that recalls some of the best indie label funk of the period – like the kind of grooves you might find over at Perception/Today – with all the trippiness that might imply. Titles include "Chip's Funk", "Wanoah", "Barbara's Mood", "Chicken Heads", "The Jungle", "Send My Lover Back", "Honey Love", and "Time Is Gonna Catch You".

Here's a rare one! Arranger/producer Dave Matthews was to James Brown what David Axelrod was to Cannonball Adderley. Although Matthews didn't work on all of James' records from the early 70s, he did have quite a hand in some of The Godfather's classic funky material – especially the stuff with a heavier fuzzier sound. This rare album on James' People label has Matthews leading a tight little combo of his own, and the sound is a mix of heavy funk and guitar-based grooves. There's some vocals on the album, with a definite rock flair, but the best moments are the instrumental ones – as they have tight funky drums, and some super fuzzy guitar! Heavy cuts include "Put Your Thing On Me", "Inside Or Outside", and "Evidence For The Existence of The Unconscious". An intriguing (and rare) chapter of the James Brown story!

A overlooked gem in Elvin Jones' Blue Note career – and an album that's virtually the blueprint for the Stone Alliance sound forged later in the decade by bassist Gene Perla and reedman Steve Grossman! Both players are working to full effect on this smoking little set – mixing some of the more spiritual modes of other group members with their own sharper-edged, funky-leaning styles – all held together perfectly by both Jones' tight work on drums, and his expansive musical vision! Other players are great too – and include Pepper Adams on baritone sax, David Liebman on flute and tenor, and Jan Hammer on acoustic piano – an instrument he handles with surprising subtlety and soul. Many cuts have a hard, choppy groove – and titles include a remake of "Gee Gee", plus "One's Native Place", "Mr Jones", and "What's Up – That's It".

One of Quincy Jones' best soundtracks of the 70s – filled with some great slick electric funky crime tracks, perfectly played by LA jazzers that include Clare Fischer, Paul Humphrey, Arthur Adams, David T Walker, Milt Holland, and Jerome Richardson. A few cuts feature vocals by Little Richard – but the best tracks are the instrumental ones – like the classic sample cut "Snow Creatures", which has an amazing intro and a very dark mood. Other tracks include "Passin The Buck", "Rubber Ducky", "Money Is", "Do It Do It", and "Money Runner".

A pair of great albums from one of the coolest soul arrangers of the 70s – back to back on a single CD! Close Encounters is a cool collection of space-themed club tracks from Gene Page – and possibly one of his greatest albums of the 70s – dispite a gimmicky approach! There's a tightly soaring feel to most of the cuts that's Page at his best – arranging fully with styles borrowed from Barry White, but also hitting with a bit of Philly inspiration too – never too over the top, and never too commercially driven as you might expect from the concept. There's some great moogy bits on the record – and plenty of great session players who include David T Walker and Wah Wah Watson on guitars, Jack Ashford on percussion, and Ernie Watts on alto sax. Great Phillinganes sings a bit on the record – and titles include "Star Trek", "Close Encounters", "Saturn", "Dancin In The Sky", "I Feel Like I've Been Livin", "Beyond The Hole Space", and "I Sho Like To Ride On Your Star". Love Starts After Dark is a wonderfully well-rounded set from superstar arranger Gene Page – quite possibly his most fully-formed album as a lead act on his own! The set's got some great standout groovers – the kind of club cuts that have the vibe that Gene was doing well for so many others – and it's also got some mellow moments served up with a depth that's almost unexpected – thanks partly to some great vocals from Merry Clayton, Phyllis St James, and Charmaine Sylvers – all of whom help the album shine. Tracks are penned by Leon Ware, Leon Sylvers, Ray Parker Jr, and Joe Sample – and titles include "With You In The Night", "Second Time Around", "Put A Little Love In Your Lovin", "Love Starts After Dark", "You Are The Meaning Of This Song", and "I Wanna Dance".

One of the coolest jazzy soundtracks of the early 60s! David Raksin's other great film work has jazz elements, too, but he goes all in on Two Late Blues. It has these incredible small combo cues – with little more than piano, drums, bass and horns – but they still manage to deliver the grand emotional sweep of larger scale scores. The film is one of just a couple of Hollywood productions directed by indie icon John Cassavetes early in his career – about a jazz player named "Ghost" – who's played by Bobby Darin of all people! Being a Hollywood project, the film doesn't get a lot of mentions alongside Cassavetes's indie triumphs, but its gritty portrayal of life in the jazz world was revolutionary for a major film studio at the time. It's got a killer soundtrack to show for it! Titles include "Theme From Too Late Blues (A Song After Sundown)", "Look Inward, Angel", "Ghost Blows Test", "Blues For Tomorrow", "Like Lasagna", "Cuidad De Mexico", "Wither Thou, Ghost!", "Wife's Other John", "Finale – The Rimshot Heard 'Round The World" and more. Lost of bonus tracks on this great Kritzerland edition – including "Danzon", "Some Other Time", "Sambalero", "Wife's Other John (Extended Version)" and more.

David Ruffin teams with Van McCoy for this sweet little set – and the result is a great batch of grooves that swell with Ruffin's soulful sound of the 70s, but sway with the warm McCoy dancefloor modes of the time! Van wrote nearly all the tracks in the set – and handled all arrangements and production – but the record's far less disco than you'd guess, thanks to cracklingly earnest vocals from Ruffin, who's still given plenty of space to shine center stage on the record. The balance is essential, and is carried off here in a manner similar to the best Philly soul albums of its type. Titles include "First Round Knockout", "On & Off", "Good Good Times", "Ready Willing & Able", "Everything's Coming Up Love", "Discover Me", "Until We Said Goodbye", and "Let's Get Into Something".

Music beyond description – a unique blend of disco, funk, avant garde, and dub – the wonderful world of the late Arthur Russell! Russell was a bass player by trade, but he was schooled in both classical and Eastern music forms – and brought an incredibly fresh vision to his work in New York in the late 70s and early 80s. To some, Russell was a groundbreaking disco pioneer – with an offbeat production style and unique conception of rhythm. To others, Russell was a performance artist and avant garde musician – working in circles that included Phillip Glass, David Byrne, and Robert Wilson. This mix of modes was very much a part of the post-disco, post-punk sound of New York at the time – and nobody summarized it (or allowed it!) better than Russell himself. This excellent set from Soul Jazz is one of the first to truly give him his due – and it brings together a large amount of his disco-related projects, plus a few more introspective numbers cut under his own name. The sound is incredible – unlike anything you could categorize – especially on the Russell-titled numbers – and as always with Soul Jazz, the whole thing's beautifully packaged, with rich notes on the music and the person behind it! Titles include "Go Bang (Francois K mix)" by Dinosaur L, "Wax The Van" by Lola, "Is It All Over My Face (Larry Levan mix)" by Loose Joints, "In The Cornbelt (Larry Levan mix)" by Dinosaur L, "Pop Your Funk" by Loose Joints, "Schoolbell/Treehouse (Walter Gibbons mix)" by Indian Ocean, and "Let's Go Swimming (Walter Gibbons mix)", "A Little Lost", "In The Light Of The Miracle", and "Keeping Up" by Arthur Russell himself!

A brilliant soul album! That's right, we said SOUL album! Bowie was at the height of his Ziggy Stardust fame when this one was recorded – a drastic left-turn in styles, forged during a point in his American tour when he could take a break, head to Philly, plug in at the Sigma Sound Studios, and come up with some fantastic little soul tunes, thanks to help from Luther Vandross! The album sparkles with the best sound of Luther's early work – and you'll hear more than a bit of Luther's work on his own, and his tunes with Gregg Diamond on the set. Features the sublime tracks "Win", "Fascination", "Right", "Somebody Up There Likes Me", and "Can You Hear Me" – as well as the hits "Young Americans" and "Fame".

Soulful fusion from The Brecker Brothers – a set that's one of their standout efforts from the 70s – and a record that went onto influence a whole generation of jazz musicians too! The album features the twin horns of Randy & Michael Brecker, along with alto by David Sanborn, keyboards by Don Grolnick, and guitar by Steve Khan – but one of the things that really makes the album great is the vocal arrangements, which were handled by Luther Vandross, who also sings on the album along with Patti Austin! The set's got a great soulful feel – with some wonderful mellow groovers that have a sweet 70s sound – titles that include "Lovely Lady", "Night Flight", "Slick Stuff", "What A Miracle Can Do", "I Love Wastin Time With You", "Keep It Steady", "Grease Piece", and "Dig A Little Deeper". CD features 2 bonus tracks – "If You Wanna Boogie (single version)", and "Slick Stuff (single version)".

A great little record – all drumbreaks all the way through! The record is a set of drum-only tracks performed by David Crigger, with the intention of making spare, straight drum tracks available for those that need them. Unlike other records of the type, these tracks are acoustic drums – not electric – and they're also all pretty long, with most numbers over 2 minutes in length. Joey D Vieira does a pretty nice spoken introduction to the record, and then Crigger takes over on drum tracks called "Funk Rock", "Straight Rock", "Rock Ballad", "Latin Rock", "Slow Disco", and "Fast Disco". Some of the genres aren't as good as others, but there are some nice bits on here!

One of David Newman's grooviest albums of the 60s – a stripped-down set that features a quartet with Hammond and guitar – all in a vibe that's a bit more relaxed than some of Newman's other sessions for Atlantic! There's a gritty edge to the record – with organ by the obscure Kossie Gardner, and a young Ted (listed as "Tod") Dunbar on guitar – in a combo that also features Milt Turner on drums. This less "iconic" presentation seems to open up a new side of Newman's tenor (as well as flute) – a nd titles include a great version of Cedar Walton's "The Holy Land", plus the Newman originals "Little Sister", "Blue New", "Miss Minnie", and "House Of David".

Rare work from Art Pepper – and some of his best material from later years, too – all packaged in a really unique little set! The vinyl-only release brings together unreleased live gems from Pepper – all done with a great later group that features George Cables on piano, David Williams on bass, and Carl Burnett on drums – really cooking away here in material from a Japanese tour in 1981! Side one features the brilliant "Mambo Koyama" – a snakey groover with a bit of a Latin vibe – and wonderfully soulful work from both Pepper and Cables! "Over The Rainbow" is a great 14 minute take on the classic – performed at a level that really leaves Art lots of open room to solo in the middle, with a tone that's simply breathtaking! "Allen's Alley" completes the record – done here with a nice romping groove that draws a lot from the basslines from Williams.

Jayne/Wayne County by Peter Crowley. Cyndi Lauper interview and beautiful comic. A lenthy converstaion with jazz/soul vocal genius Oscar Brown, Jr. Ass kickin' rockabilly/country diva Wanda Jackson interviewed. Little Jimmy Scott comic. 10 seconds with John Doe and Ron Kittle. #1 fans section with tales of George Strait's luckiest fan, an Olivia Newton John obsessed mormon and a Lou Christie fan who practices "Christie-anity. Serge Gainsbourg by David Grubbs. Plus: Ozzy Osbourne, Van Morrison, Elvis, more.

A beautiful little album – not just for the core contribution of Craig Wuepper – but also for excellent work by the whole group – a lineup that includes Jim Rotondi on trumpet, David Scnitter on tenor, and David Hazeltine on piano! Although a drummer, Wuepper actually wrote most of the album on a piano that has recently come into his life – and claims that the harmonic properties of the instrument really opened up his writing for the record – something we can definitely confirm, because the whole thing's got an unexpected depth and complexity that really holds us rapt! Hazeltine's work on piano deliver's just the right balance of lyricism and bite that Craig brought to his writing – and the horn work of both Rotondi and Schnitter is among their best on record records – especially the tracks when they both soar together. Dennis Irwin completes the group on bass – and titles include "Earsight", "Left Foot Right Foot", "Under The Stairwell", "Keepsake", "Until Next Time", and "The Misfit".

A massive set of underground club – 2CDs worth of rare disco and boogie put together by Joey Negro and Sean P – with nary a familiar track in the lot! Both Joey and Sean really know their grooves – and they've gone way past conventional club for this package – digging deep for records that were rare even back in the day, most of which were issued on tiny little labels, and received little or no distribution outside their local scenes – making us even more impressed that two blokes from London could come up with such a good set! The style here is joyous, buoyant, and very much in the soulful spirit of the new work coming out on Z Records in recent years – a groove that's often topped by really wonderful vocals, and not just some lyrics cooked up in the studio. 2CD set features 21 titles in all – including a few rare mixes – and titles include "Disco Party" by The Escorts, "Maintain" by Steve Marshall, "Summer Groove" by The Joneses, "Sho Nuff No Funny Stuff Love" by Charles Mann, "Giving My Love" by Janice McClain, "Love To Live" by Moses, "How Can I Tell Her" by Curtis, "Come Down To Earth (David Todd mix)" by Choice 4, "Feel The Reel" by Adrenalin, "Keep Me Dancing" by True Image, "When Your Jones Come Down" by Sugar Bear Johnson, "It's A Better Than Good Time (Walter Gibbons mix)" by Gladys Knight, "Slide Into Your Heart" by Time Spectrum, "Man For My Lady" by Sabatta, and "Can I Take You Home" by Mel Shepperd.

Sweet electric funk – in a very trippy style! Before Donald Byrd hooked up with Larry Mizell and started recording his smooth fusion grooves of the mid 70's, he recorded this gem – kind of a "lost" album that has Donald working in an open-ended electric sound – one that's clearly inspired by the experiments of Miles Davis, but which has a generally funkier feel overall! The tracks are very long – with lots of spiralling keyboard and trumpet solos – and the hip players on the set include Bobby Hutcherson, David T Walker, Wilton Felder, and Harold Land. We love the tracks on this set – especially "The Emperor" and "The Little Rasti", which are both over 15 minutes long, and have a haunting spacey sound that's a departure from Donald's usual work!

A charming little set from the great Dave Frishberg – easily one of the hippest singers and songwriters in jazz during the past few decades! The set's got Dave working solo – just singing along with his own piano accompaniment – in a whimsical way that matches the same sort of energy you'd get from Blossom Dearie or Bob Dorough in a similar setting – both good comparisons, given how much each have sung some of Frishberg's tunes! And as a way of tipping his hat back, the set features a great version of Dearie's "Long Daddy Green" – plus an extended "Johnny Hodges Medley", and loads of great tunes that include "The Dear Departed Past", "Eloise", "One Horse Town", "Zanzibar", and "Blizzard Of Lies".

One of Funk Inc's greatest albums – and a really tight batch of funky tunes given some stellar production by David Axelrod! The band's a bit tighter than on earlier releases – leaving behind the hard jazz-jam sound for a more together soul-oriented one, heard to best effect on the album's enduring classic, "Goodbye, So Long" – a rolling funky tune that features vocals on the chorus, and an unbelievably catchy instrumental sound that you might recognize instantly from its use as a sample over the years. The rest of the record's just as great – and the band runs through The Meters' classic "Message From The Meters", Barry White's funky "I'm Gonna Love You Just A Little More Babe", and a great rendition of the electric jazz classic "The Hill Where The Lord Hides".

A pair of overlooked trio dates from the 70s – packaged together here as a great little set! First up is the Prime Time album from Hugh Lawson – a killer date as a leader for this Detroit pianist we first came to love through his recordings with Yusef Lateef – an artist who possibly never got his due as strongly as so many others to come up in the late 50s/early 60s scene – but who sparkles here with a maturity that really comes through in his music! There's a deep feel to the record that really comes through in the choice of tunes – work by Charles Mingus, Clifford Jordan, and Sonelius Smith – not to mention a few of Lawson's own great tunes – and Lawson often has a Cedar Walton-like ability to play lyrically, yet still with a soaring sort of force. The trio features great rhythm from the team of Bob Cranshaw on bass and Ben Riley on drums – and titles include "Rip Off", "The Duke Ellington Sound Of Love", "The Highest Mountain", "Blue Bones", and "The Need To Smile" – plus some bonus alternate takes. Then Here & Now is a sparkling set from pianist Richard Wyands – and a great demonstration of that soulful flow he's really unfurled strongly in later years – captured here in an obscure trio outing from the late 70s! Wyands' is part of a small number of players who can be lyrical, yet forceful at the same time – a mode that we might link to the Cedar Walton school of piano – but which is voiced here with an individual approach that's definitely Richard's own – and swung with the perfect sort of groove by bassist Lisle Atkinson and drummer David Lee. Titles include the originals "Lenora" and "Yes It Is" – plus "Lament", "Never Let Me Go", and "Yesterdays" – plus some bonus alternate takes.

A stone cooker from Junior Mance – quite possibly his most freewheeling album of the time – thanks to an open-ended live setting that really lets him take off! All tracks are nice and long – and Mance really stretches out on piano, working with a tight trio that features Wilbur Little on bass and Rudy Collins on drums – both great rhythm players who set the album on fire right away! David Newman guests on the last two track – playing tenor on one, and flute on the other – again, getting some more freedom than on his usual Atlantic sessions of the 60s. Mighty nice stuff – with tracks that include "Before This Time Another Year", "I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free", "That's All", and "Turning Point".

David Weiss has a great conception for this hip little set – a contemporary exploration of the best spiritual energy running through the Blue Note scene in the late 60s – based around compositions by Charles Tolliver, Wayne Shorter, and Charles Moore – the last of whom was featured with the Kenny Cox group from Detroit at the end of the 60s! In keeping with the chosen work, there's a great balance here between swing, soul, and modernism – tunes that unfold strongly with the best sort of progressive jazz energy, yet never get too indulgent – and really let the main soloists take flight over a complicated groove provided by the other members of the group. Weiss is wonderful on trumpet – reminding us of Charles Tolliver back in the day – and other players include JD Allen on tenor, Nir Felder on guitar, Matt Clohesy on bass, and Jamire Williams on drums – on tunes that include "Revillot", "Gravity Point", "Paraphernalia", "Hidden Meanings", and "Snuck In".

The grooviness continues! This set's a wonderful mix of obscure soundtrack grooves – plus a few other choice Latin bits – with an out-of-this world groove that's totaly excellent! The Mood Mosaic series is one of our favorite-ever – as they really go out of their way to pull together excellent little bits from rare sources, blending each volume with a thematic intensity that makes each individual track sparkle in the mix! Titles include "Jungle Fever" by Sheba, "Ape Shuffle" by Lalo Schifrin, "Willie Escapes" by JJ Johnson, "Crack Shot" by Max Harris, "Moneyrunner" by John Schroeder, "Free Tarrant" by Roy Budd, "Man With The Golden Gun" by London Royal Orchestra, "Galaxy A Go Go" by Jerry Goldsmith, "Dope Bust" by Flora Purim & Buddy De Franco, and "Mini Manhunt" by David Shire.

One of the dreamiest sets of sound library tunes we've ever heard – a sampling of work from the De Wolfe Sound Library, with a sound that's different than most other compilations of this type! While most sound library compilations focus on the funkier or beat-heavy tracks, this great little gem goes for the groovy and jazzy numbers – and picks the best of De Wolfe's light and breezy output, including some killer bossa and soundtrack-type cuts. There's a really jazz feel to the whole set – no surprise, as many of the talents were actual recording jazz players themselves, simply working in the studio for De Wolfe in order to bring in a little extra cash. The whole thing's great – really overflowing with great numbers that will show you that the sound library scene is still wonderfully under-tapped! Titles include "Gentle Soul", "Sandy", and "Dazzle" by Roger Webb; "Red Spanish Onions" by David Goykovich, "Boat Race" by Ludovic Decosne, "Holiday Job" by Simon Haseley, "Big Incentive" by Reg Tilsley, and "Up & Away" by P Kass.

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

Stax Does The Beatles – and they do a pretty nice job of it too! The collection's a much better one than you might expect from the title and cover – as the grooves here are all pretty darn soulful, and not just simple copycat modes of hits by the Fab Four – but even more importantly, the package features a number of previously unissued tracks from the Stax Records vaults – making it even more essential, even if you have some of the originals! The vibe here is totally great – a real transformation of The Beatles' original ideas – taken into heavier Memphis soul territory, which often gets increasingly righteous during some of the later recordings here. Previously unreleased titles include "Got To Get You Into My Life" by Booker T & The MGs, "Yesterday (live)" by Carla Thomas, "With A Little Help From My Friends" by The Bar-Kays, and an alternate take of "Day Tripper" by Otis Redding – plus "Help" by David Porter, "And I Love Her" by Reggie Milner, "Something" by Issac Hayes, "Hey Jude" by The Bar-Kays, "My Sweet Lord" by John Gary Williams, and "Lady Madonna" by Booker T & The MGs.

With Hamiet Bluiett, Julius Hemphill, Oliver Lake, and David Murray – on titles that include "Ming", "David's Tune", "I Heard That", "Quinn Chapel AME Church", "Affairs Of The Heart", and "Little Samba".