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A near-lost Philly disco album – recorded at Sigma Sound, but released on Casablanca at the end of the 70s, and nearly buried under the weight of the label's collapse at the time! There's a style here that borrows bits from some of Casablanca's more mainstream artists – focusing strongly on the hooks of the tunes, and putting the female vocals upfront – but still swirling around in some mighty club arrangements from the Sigma team. Loose Change themselves are a trio in the Philly mode of First Choice or Three Degrees – and titles include "Rising Cost Of Love", "Straight From The Heart", "Darling, That's Me", "Babe", and "I Wanna Hold On To You".

A near-lost Philly disco album – recorded at Sigma Sound, but released on Casablanca at the end of the 70s – one that was almost buried under the weight of the label's collapse at the time! There's a style here that borrows bits from some of Casablanca's more mainstream artists – focusing strongly on the hooks of the tunes, and putting the female vocals upfront – but still swirling around in some mighty club arrangements from the Sigma team. Loose Change themselves are a trio in the Philly mode of First Choice or Three Degrees – and titles include "Rising Cost Of Love", "Straight From The Heart", "Darling, That's Me", "Babe", and "I Wanna Hold On To You". A total gem! This Big Break UK remastered edition has 3 bonus tracks: "You Never Done It Like That", "My Place Or Your Place" and "Straight From The Heart (Single Version)".

Dizzy Gillespie meets the Phil Woods Quintet – a group that already has a great trumpeter in the form of Tom Harrell – which makes the album here a double-horn delight! Dizzy's on trumpet throughout, and Harrell plays both trumpet and flugelhorn – and the pair work well with Woods' alto in the front line, sharing back and forth, and creating a lively interplay between the different voices of their instruments. Dizzy is impeccable – as he always is at this point in his career – and rhythms are nice and tight, thanks to piano from Hal Galper, bass from Steve Gilmore, and drums from Bill Goodwin. Titles include a great reading of Galper's Loose Change" – plus "Terrestris", "Love For Sale", "Oon Ga Wa", and "Whasidishean".

A brilliant album that would forever change the way the organ was used in jazz! The set's the greatest contribution ever from organist Larry Young – a lean and modal session recorded with help from a young quartet that includes Woody Shaw, Joe Henderson, and Elvin Jones – all leaping and loping with Larry's free-thinking work on the Hammond – stretching things out into spiritual grooves that belie Young's fascination with Coltrane's sound of the time, and his freer fusion work of later years! The Hammond had never sounded soul mighty before – freed from the task of thumping out a deeper rhythm, and let loose to explore the same space carved out by Shaw and Henderson's horns! Titles include a classic reading of Woody's "Moontrane", plus "Zoltan", "If", "Beyond All Limits", and "Monk's Dream". Great great stuff, and one of the best-ever Blue Note sessions!

Modern soul, R&B, and smooth grooves – the sound of the Stepper's scene that's been big in Chicago for years, and which seems to be having a bit of pull outside the Windy City these days! Tracks include "Rising Cost of Love" by Loose Change, "Sing A Simple Song" by Identiy Crisis, "The Joneses (12" Mix)" by The Temptations, "Sweet On U" by Lo Key, "Never Say Goodbye To Love" by Rene Moore, "Special Kind Of Fool" by Basic Black, "Mr Fix It" by Jeffree, "Love's Gonna Last" by Jeffree, "Don't Look Any Further" by Dennis Edwards, and "Don't Know Why" by David Ruffin & Eddie Kendricks.

DJ Muro's digging James Brown – and we're digging the massive way he mixes together the music! The set's way more than another James Brown compilation – and instead, it feels more like a love letter to The Godfather – served up in music made by James himself, and some of his key sidemen too – all mixed together by Muro in these short blasts of funk and soul that bristle with energy throughout! The whole thing's got way more care than the usual mixtape – as Muro's been training his ears on JB nuggets for years, so knows just the right makes to cut and make a change – managing to get through bits of 43 tracks in just the course of 73 minutes. Includes work from "The Boss", "Down & Out In New York City", "Baby Here I Come", "Blues & Pants", "Nose Job", "A Talk With The News", "Funky Drummer", "Hot Pants Road", "Can Mind", "I Got Ants In My Pants", "The Drunk", "Give It Up Or Turnit A Loose", and "Funky President".

Massive – and one of the best James Brown compilations ever, filled with rare and unreleased material! This completely essential set features tracks pulled from James' best years ever – the mighty early 70s, when he was working with the JBs, and laying down tracks that would forever change the face of funk! The tunes on the album are right up there with the best work on classic albums like The Payback, Doin It To Death, Hot Pants, and any of the other killer Polydor funk albums by James – and most of them were pulled from sessions for those records, and brought together in this format for the first time in the late 80s. The centerpiece of the set is a 9 minute version of "Funky Drummer", and other highlights include new versions of "Give It Up Or Turn It Loose (remix)", "Soul Power (mono re-edit)", and "Talkin' Loud & Sayin' Nothin (remix)". The set's also got bonus beats of "Funky Drummer", a long single take of "Hot Pants (She Got To Use What She Got To Get What She Wants)" (8:42 minutes long!), and the nice rare track "I Got To Move" – previously unreleased, and nice and long! Plus, this new version features the previously unissued extended mix of "Blind Man Can See It".

A sweet sweet change for Rusty Bryant – as electric piano moves in on the usual Hammond heard on most of his funky sessions – with a resulting groove that's outta site! The change in keys makes for more of a soundtrack funk feel than a rough-edged one – not smooth at all, but more in a 70s class sort of area – partly CTI, but still with lots more of that loose energy that makes the Prestige jazz funk sessions so great. Unlike later dates of this nature, the group's still small, and very unified – with Khalid Kenneth Moss on electric piano and a bit of organ, Harold Young On guitar, Fred Masey on drums, and Norman Jones on percussion. Titles include "Friday Night Funk For Saturday Night Brothers", "Have You Seen Her", "Blues for a Brother", and "Mercy Mercy Mercy".

A pair of scores recorded a decade apart – both working pretty well together on a single CD! Seven Days In May is a mid 60s military thriller – scored by Jerry Goldsmith with a fair bit of snapping snare – but used in a way that kind of bridges suspenseful moments and more war-like themes – pretty darn taught throughout the entire soundtrack! The numbers have a nice sort of resonance with each other, and really keep up the energy – and tracks include "Main Title", "Pickets", "First Sign Of Trouble", "Midnight Rendezvous", "Casey Is Caught", and "Scott Defeated". The Mackintosh Man sounds quite different, and provides a great change of pace after the tenseness of Seven Days In May – a slightly whimsical score penned by Maurice Jarre for an overlooked early 70s spy thriller with Paul Newman – handled with this great main theme that's provided in a number of different variations – almost a jaunty number, with echoes of Italian modes of the time, but almost more comedy than spy! The pace and instrumentation changes a bit from track to track, but this great theme repeats often – and titles include "Postal Thief", "Meeting In Prison", "Escape Route", "Drugs For Rearden", "Party 2", "Loose Talk", and "Rendezvous With Wheeler". Features some bonus tracks too!

A spacious mid 70s set from Yusef Lateef – with some numbers showing his more soaringly spiritual bent – and others hewing towards a more bluesy or loosely funky vein. Tracked live in San Francisco, some numbers were later augmented with overdubbed strings and vocals – there's some nicely thumping elements of earthy percussion, loose moments, and quiet passages that sometimes build slowly, and at others change abruptly for maximum impact. The set features several longer selections, including the suite divided "Samba De Amor" in three sections, plus "Yusef's Mood" and "I Be Cold" – all approach or crossing the 20 minute mark – plus nice takes on "But Beautiful" and " A Flower". The group features Kenny Barron on piano and cowbell, Bob Cunningham on bass and bells, Albert Kuumba Heath on percussion and flute, and Bill Salter on bass – alongside Lateef whose working with tenor sax, flutes, oboe, thumb piano and percussion.

One of the most righteous albums of the 21st century so far – and an instant classic we'll be loving for years! Build An Ark are a seriously heavy soul jazz ensemble, with roots and traditions that stretch back to the most righteous days of the 70s underground – the brainchild of producer Carlos Nino and vocalist Dwight Trible – and featuring work by soul jazz stalwarts that include Phil Ranelin, Nate Morgan, Derf Reklaw, Adam Rudolph, and others – all coming together in a fresh, new expression of the righteous ideals that first motivated their original work! Under the guidance of Nino, the group really gels together nicely – working in a loose mode that's a nice change from the tighter cosmic 21st century soul of the European scene – and returning to the organic, almost folksy forms that first emerged on 70s independent labels like Tribe, Strata East, and Nimbus. LA luminary Nate Morgan plays some great Fender Rhodes on many of the album's best tracks – and singer Dwight Trible has a soulful range that's somewhere between the style of Terry Callier and Leon Thomas. This EP features 5 tracks in all – including a massively beautiful remake of Pharoah Sanders "You've Got To Have Freedom", plus Phil Ranelin's "Vibes From The Tribe", and the original tracks "Pure Imagination/Tortoise & The Hare", "Door Of The Cosmos (take 1)", and "Marcia" – the last 2 of which weren't on the full LP!

A real moment of genius for Joe Henderson from the 80s – a spare trio session, recorded live at the Village Vanguard, in a mode that recalls Sonny Rollins classic sets there for Blue Note! And while Sonny often performed heavily in a trio setting, unfettered by chords in the rhythm section – this is a unique date for Joe, and he sounds brilliant throughout! Ron Carter and Al Foster provide a crisp but elastic foundation for Henderson's burnished melodies and solos in a very spacious setting. CD features 14 tracks from both volumes of the LP releases – including "The Bead Game", "Soulville", "Portrait", "Beatrice", "Friday The Thirteenth", "Happy Reunion", "Loose Change", "Ask Me Now" and "Isotope".

A brilliant album that would forever change the way the organ was used in jazz! The set's the greatest contribution ever from organist Larry Young – a lean and modal session recorded with help from a young quartet that includes Woody Shaw, Joe Henderson, and Elvin Jones – all leaping and loping with Larry's free-thinking work on the Hammond – stretching things out into spiritual grooves that belie Young's fascination with Coltrane's sound of the time, and his freer fusion work of later years! The Hammond had never sounded soul mighty before – freed from the task of thumping out a deeper rhythm, and let loose to explore the same space carved out by Shaw and Henderson's horns! Titles include a classic reading of Woody's "Moontrane", plus "Zoltan", "If", "Beyond All Limits", and "Monk's Dream". Great great stuff, and one of the best-ever Blue Note sessions!

Beatmaker FaltyDL delivers a warm batch of moody soundscapes for Ninja Tune! The sounds are mix loose, ambient atmospherics with some pretty insistant beats – and that mix of soundtrack and avant composer dynamics with more invigorating beats and bits of soulful vocals floating in and out really speaks to us in a compelling way! Includes "Stay I'm Changed', "She Sleeps" with Ed Macfarlane of Friendly Fires, "Straight & Arrow", "Uncea", "For Karme", "Finally Some S**t/The Rain Stopped", "Kenny Rolls One", "Korben Dallas", "Reassimilate" and "Bells".

Beatmaker FaltyDL delivers a warm batch of moody soundscapes for Ninja Tune! The sounds are mix loose, ambient atmospherics with some pretty insistant beats – and that mix of soundtrack and avant composer dynamics with more invigorating beats and bits of soulful vocals floating in and out really speaks to us in a compelling way! Includes "Stay I'm Changed', "She Sleeps" with Ed Macfarlane of Friendly Fires, "Straight & Arrow", "Uncea", "For Karme", "Finally Some S**t/The Rain Stopped", "Kenny Rolls One", "Korben Dallas", "Reassimilate" and "Bells". 11 tracks on the vinyl version – "The Love I Need", which doesn't appear on the CD version.

A great rare discovery from Dexter Gordon – a previously-unissued live set, recorded in Montreal in the late 70s – at a time when Dex was really hitting some new heights in his playing! Although the album coincides with a time when Gordon had returned to these shores, and was getting his act together on the New York scene, it's also got some of the looser, more open modes of his previous European live recordings – the stretched-out, constantly creative solos that always made all the long tracks from Dexter so great on those records. But almost even more uniquely, the album also preserves some of Gordon's spoken parts at the start of the tunes – that wry wit that always made him a compelling presence on the stage. The group also features George Cables on piano, Rufus Reid on bass, and Eddie Gladden on drums – and although the titles are familiar, they're all transformed in the hands of Dex – as you'll hear on "Lover Man", "You've Changed", "Old Folks", "Polka Dots & Moonbeams", and "LTD".

Incredible funky guitar – an all-instrumental gem from the legendary Little Beaver – quite different than his other vocal albums of the 70s, and a fair bit funkier too! The sound here is amazing – lots of snakey compressed guitar parts, nice wah wah moments, and a dope laidback groove that's similar to Shuggie Otis on his Inspiration Information album, but a little funkier too! Especially sweet are the sudden changes within the tunes – which find a killer groove, take a left turn or two, and then fall back into the groove nicely. Beaver wrote most of the cuts, and the track list includes "Hit Me With Funky Music", "Loosen Up", and "Tribute To Wes". But some of his best playing comes out on the covers, which have a nice laidback feel, in the best dope Little Beaver style – like "Never Can Say Goodbye", "Let's Stay Together", and "Summertime". Total perfection!

One of Joe Williams' standout classics from the 50s – just the sort of record that put him on top of his game at the time! The album's one of Joe's classic outings with Count Basie – one recorded for Roulette with a slightly looser, slightly rawer feel than their work together on Verve. Joe's rendition of "Everyday I Have The Blues" is a near-definitive one – tight, syncopated, and grooving in a style that stretches back to its roots, but which also steps out with a fresh sort of groove that points the way towards changes in soulful vocal styles during the 60s. Other titles work equally well in the mode – bluesy, but never hokey, all freshened up by the Basie approach of the time – and titles include "Baby Won't You Please Come Home", "Going To Chicago", "Joe Sings The Blues", and "What Did You Win".

The sound of spiritual jazz from the European underground of the 60s and 70s – a really rich music-making scene that's every bit as impressive as the one going on in the US – as you'll hear from this amazing set of tracks! As with the first volume in the series, the collection is filled with modal jazz and other groovers – mostly long tracks that really stretch out, yet still always have a tight sense of rhythm – one that makes the music completely infectious right from the start! It might be tempting to think of European jazz of this sort as kind of a copy of a US mode – but instead, it really happened simultaneously – as younger players were really pushing past the styles of previous years – and drawing not only on American jazz for inspiration, but also a range of different post-colonial modes particular to the European scene – bits of African, Latin, Brazilian, and other styles that really helped influence their approach. And in a way, it might even be said that the Europeans of the 60s had a much looser approach to rhythm, one that really allowed for experiments like these – and which, in turn, went back to have an influence on the American side as well. Titles include "Temple Dancer" by Michael Garrick, "Communion" by Erich Kleinschuster, "Archangelo" by Raphael, "Africa Freakout" by Barney Wilen, "Corrida" by Nicolai Gromin, "Duke & Trane" by Hiekki Sarmanto, "Nana Imboro" by Wroblewski Jazz Quintet, "Las Morillas De Jaen" by Pedro Iturralde, "Bosnia Calling" by Dusko Goykovich, and "Candy Clouds (part 2)" by Hans Dulfer & Ritmo Natural.

The sound of spiritual jazz from the European underground of the 60s and 70s – a really rich music-making scene that's every bit as impressive as the one going on in the US – as you'll hear from this amazing set of tracks! As with the first volume in the series, the collection is filled with modal jazz and other groovers – mostly long tracks that really stretch out, yet still always have a tight sense of rhythm – one that makes the music completely infectious right from the start! It might be tempting to think of European jazz of this sort as kind of a copy of a US mode – but instead, it really happened simultaneously – as younger players were really pushing past the styles of previous years – and drawing not only on American jazz for inspiration, but also a range of different post-colonial modes particular to the European scene – bits of African, Latin, Brazilian, and other styles that really helped influence their approach. And in a way, it might even be said that the Europeans of the 60s had a much looser approach to rhythm, one that really allowed for experiments like these – and which, in turn, went back to have an influence on the American side as well. Titles include "Temple Dancer" by Michael Garrick, "Communion" by Erich Kleinschuster, "Archangelo" by Raphael, "Africa Freakout" by Barney Wilen, "Corrida" by Nicolai Gromin, "Duke & Trane" by Hiekki Sarmanto, "Nana Imboro" by Wroblewski Jazz Quintet, "Las Morillas De Jaen" by Pedro Iturralde, "Bosnia Calling" by Dusko Goykovich, and "Candy Clouds (part 2)" by Hans Dulfer & Ritmo Natural.

An incredible double-length set from Soul Jazz – a collection of Latin tunes that's easily as important as their groundbreaking NuYorica collection from a decade before! Like that one, most of the work here is from the 70s – and showcases a time in New York Latin when the music was really opening up to new changes – not just the Latin Soul modes picked up in the previous decades, but also new elements of jazz, funk, disco, and even some more traditional styles from Cuba and Puerto Rico. The grooves aren't just standard Latin, but often have some very surprising bits in the mix – funky instrumental riffing, soulful vocals, and more – all often in a mode that's perfect for the dancefloor! 2CD set features 23 tracks in all – with titles that include "Do It Any Way You Wanna" by Louie Ramirez, "Tighten Up" by Al Escobar, "Snidely Whiplash" by The Alexander Review, "Joe Cuba's Madness" by Joe Cuba, "Control" by Ismael Quinones, "Abidjan" by Ray Barretto, "Porcupine" by Nature Zone, "Soul Makossa" by Johnny Zamot, "No Nos Pararan" by La Charanga 76, "Sorongo" by Cortijo, "Mala Calunga" by Johnny Sedes, "Angustia Maternal" by Willie Colon, "Mai Kinshasa" by Jose Mangual, "Shoot The Pump" by J Walter Negro & The Loose Jointz, "Mi Mambo Conga" by Eddie Palmieri, "Om Marrero" by Seguida, "Alex Mambo" by Machito, "Dancin & Prancin" by Candido, "El Bollinski En D7" by Charlie Santiago & Eddie Montalvo, "Doug's Room" by Mauricio Smith, and "I Had A Friend" by The Family Affair.

The second chapter in a mighty 70s trilogy from Ace Spectrum – a killer set recorded for Atlantic Records, and easily some of the best group soul issued by the label in the decade! Ace Spectrum change things up a bit here from the obvious – hitting a variety of modes that move between tightness you might expect from The Spinners to some of the looser styles bubbling up in the indie underground at the time. Some tunes get a bit funky – almost with a blacksploitation undercurrent, which really comes as a nice surprise – and arrangements are by Patrick Adams and Bert DeCoteaux, trading back and forth throughout the album to keep things fresh! Titles include "Low Rent Rendezvous", "I Just Want To Spend The Night With You", "Beautiful Love", "Do You Remember Yesterday", "Without You", "Trust Me", and a surprisingly compelling version of "Laughter In The Rain".

An early 70s classic from The Crusaders – and a record that has the group perfectly poised between the rougher soul jazz of their roots and some of the tighter styles they brought into play during the 70s! The sound here is heavily electric – thanks to great keyboards from Joe Sample and bass from Wilton Felder – but the style isn't nearly as slick as on later albums recorded under the Crusaders name, thanks to the hipper, looser feel the group were allowed while working for the Chisa label! As on the first album recorded after the group shifted their name from the Jazz Crusaders, the set features added guitar work by Larry Carlton, David T Walker, and Arthur Adams – all of whom really help to emphasize the funkier side of the tracks while Wayne Henderson's trombone and Wilton Felder's tenor remind us they've still got a great talent for jazz! Titles include "Search For Soul", "Gotta Get It On", "Look Beyond That Hill", "Ain't Gon Change A Thing", and "A Message From The Inner City".

Damn great work from Ledisi – an artist who hasn't missed a beat since moving to the majors a few years back – sounding almost funkier than ever before, thanks to some impeccable production and razor-sharp instrumentation! Ledisi's vocals are beyond challenge – old school deep soul we first came to love years back, on her classic indie sets – and this time around, the instrumentation seems even rawer than we remember – as if there's an old school funky combo backing the singer up on some tracks, mixed with other numbers that have some fuller backings, but still really retain their edge. Production is by a crew with some really great ears for this sort of sound – Rex Rideout, Raphael Saadiq, and others – and from the songwriting credits, it's clear that Ledisi's still very much in charge of the overall shape of the album. Titles include "Runnin", "Everything Changes", "Turn Me Loose", "Love Never Changes", "Knockin", "Goin Thru Changes", "I Need Love", "Say No", "Please Stay", and "Trippin".

A later set from Shirley Scott, but one that's recorded with an old school lineup that includes Art Harper on bass and Mickey Roker on drums – plus some guest tenor work from the mighty Buck Hill! The tunes are a lot more open and fluid than Scott's sound on Prestige in the 60s – with a bit of the vibe she picked up during her 70s years, as she really started to loosen up from before. And although the tunes are mostly familiar numbers, this approach really changes them up – moving them farther from the standard ballad mode of earlier Scott albums. Shirley plays piano on one track – "Yours Is My Heart Alone" – and all others feature organ, on titles that include "Skylark", "Triste", "More Than You Know", "Blues For Groove", and "Have You Met Miss Jones".

A smoking live set from the Butterfield Blues Band – and like all the group's work, as much of a jazz and soul album as a blues one! Butterfield drew his inspiration from the Chicago bluesmen, it's true – but his style also has plenty of echoes of New Orleans soul, Memphis R&B, and other strands of American work – in a mode that's quite similar to some of the changes that were going on in the British beat group scene at the end of the 60s. The lineup here features some really nice touches on sax from Trevor Lawrence and Gene Dinwiddie – and the live setting only seems to loosen all the players up even more than usual, and let them hit a few nice funky moments. Titles include "Losing Hand", "Gene's Tune", "Nobody's Fault But Mine", "All In A Day", "Except You", and "Love March".

Incredible funky guitar – an all-instrumental gem from the legendary Little Beaver – quite different than his other vocal albums of the 70s, and a fair bit funkier too! The sound here is amazing – lots of snakey compressed guitar parts, nice wah wah moments, and a dope laidback groove that's similar to Shuggie Otis on his Inspiration Information album, but a little funkier too! Especially sweet are the sudden changes within the tunes – which find a killer groove, take a left turn or two, and then fall back into the groove nicely. Beaver wrote most of the cuts, and the track list includes "Hit Me With Funky Music", "Loosen Up", and "Tribute To Wes". But some of his best playing comes out on the covers, which have a nice laidback feel, in the best dope Little Beaver style – like "Never Can Say Goodbye", "Let's Stay Together", and "Summertime". Total perfection!

A great little set – one that's even better than the first in the series! As with that one, this smashing package features great gems from the glory days of the Factory Records scene – the time when the Manchester label was also hosting its own Hacienda nightclub – and helping to change the sounds and styles of modern music around the globe! What we love about this set is the way they've gone even deeper than before – to pull out some of our favorite Factory artists who maybe didn't break as big as the others – including some that only issued 12" or 7" singles for the label. And although "dance" is part of the title, you should take that term very loosely – as many of the numbers here have more of an electronic or post-punk vibe – the kind of stuff that we loved to groove to many decades back – but which would be sure to clear the floor at an Ibiza party these days. 2LP version features 9 tracks that include "Can't Afford (unorganized mix)" by 52nd Street, "The Fox" by A Certain Ratio, "Blue Roses" by Minny Pops, "N'Sel Fix" by Fadela, "Fate" by Nyam Nyam, "Sakura" by Section 25, "Meat Mask Separatist" by Biting Tongues, "Sommadub" by Sir Horatio, "You Hurt Me" by Shark Vegas, and "Host" by The Wake.