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The legendary trumpeter Booker Little – paired here with drummer Max Roach, who was frequently Book's leader at the time! The set's got a sharp-edged and modern mix of hardbop and fresh ideas – very similar to the best Roach albums of the time – and with a similar sort of group – given that in addition to Little's trumpet, the set also features George Coleman on tenor, Tommy Flanagan on piano, and Art Davis on bass! All arrangements were done by Little – making the album a real showcase of that bold vision in jazz that was taken from us all too soon – and titles include "Milestones", "Rounder's Mood", "Dungeon Waltz", and "Jewel's Tempo".

Sweet fusion from the end of the 70s – two great Harvest Records albums, packaged together in a single set! Another Sleeper is a killer from keyboardist Max Middleton and guitarist Robert Ahwai – a set that has a tight funky feel on most numbers – very much in the most soulful American styles of the time, with some of the impeccable placement that you'd also find on Japanese soul fusion classics from the 70s! Ahwai's guitar is nice and compressed – never overdone, and a perfect accompaniment for Middletone's keyboards as they slide alongside some nicely tight grooves. Titles include "Snake Hips", "Plane Sailing", "Pacific Mist", "Soliloquy", "Hi Jinx", and "Dance By The Light Of The Moon". Cape Wrath is an album of similar vintage – again with great arrangements by Max Middleton, whose keyboards slide in nicely alongside the lead solos of Dick Morrissey on saxes and Jim Mullen on lead guitar! Rhythms have a nice soulful groove – lots of inspiration from the best America R&B fusion sides of the time – with less of the progressive elements you might have expected in Morrissey a few years before. There's a great CTI/Kudu vibe throughout – and titles include "Cape Wrath", "Bristol Boogie", "Song For Carla", "Soul Eyes", "Night Song", and a cover of Bill Withers' "Lovely Day".

A beautiful blend of jazz, voices, and soul – a landmark record in Max Roach's vocal experimental tradition, and a fitting companion piece to Billy Harper's classic Capra Black album – an equally soulful blend of styles! Like Capra Black, this set features Harper's sharp and soulful tenor up against a choir of voices – blowing on hard-hitting soul jazz arrangements handled by Max Roach, of the style he used on some of his classic early 60s sides for Impulse and Candid. The tracks are long, Harper's in top form, and the group also includes Cecil Bridgewater on trumpet and George Cables on piano – ultra hip cats, always! Cuts include "Motherless Child", "Let Thy People Go", and "Troubled Waters.

Seminal work by drummer Max Roach – recorded in 1960, at the time when he was leading one of his best groups ever! The material was recorded live in Germany with a quintet that includes Tommy Turrentine on trumpet, Stanley Turrentine on tenor, and Julian Priester on trombone – and the approach of the album takes off from the hardbop of Roach's studio sides at the time, opening things up a lot with exploratory drum work, rolling basslines, and some angular interplay between the horns that's just fantastic! The title cut – "Long As Your Living" – is done in the best version we've ever heard – and other tracks include "The Villa", "Lotus Blossom", "Night In Tunisia", and "Prelude". A great companion to the group's rare few Mercury sides from the time!

Fantastic stuff, and a record that was virtually the blueprint for spiritual soul jazz in the 70s! Although Max Roach first rose to fame during the bop years, by the time of this set he'd really stretched out a lot – moving past initial righteous projects in the Civil Rights era, to even more progressive work with a group like this! The players are all youthful geniuses who would go onto shape the sound of 70s jazz tremendously – working here at a point that already shows their brilliance – Gary Bartz on alto, Charles Tolliver on trumpet, Stanley Cowell on piano, and even Andy Bey, who sings vocals on the title track. The overall style is very similar to Bartz's early albums on Milestone, or to some of the Music Inc records on Strata East, which feature Cowell and Tolliver. It's no surprise that Cowell contributed 3 tracks to the set – "Effi", "Equipoise", and "Abstrutions" – and the group also performs a great version of Bartz's "Libra"!

Bassist Max Bennett displays a wonderful ear for unique phrasing and compelling small combo leadership on this set – working with a group that includes Carl Fontana on trombone, Charlie Mariano on alto, Nick Travis on trumpet, and Mel Lewis on drums! The style is a bit in the east coast chamber jazz mode of the mid 50s – but has some freer-swinging components overall, and some especially great alto solos from Mariano, whose playing on the record is worth the price of admission alone! Max has a really great ear for leading the group – a slightly whimsical way at times, but never in a way that's too gimmicky or academic. Titles include "Ira Of The IRA", "Johnny Jaguar", "Max Is The Factor", "13 Toes", and "Something To Remember You By".

An expanded edition of an earlier 10" LP – featuring a group led by bassist Max Bennett, one that includes Charlie Mariano on alto, Stan Levy on drums, Claude Williamson on piano, and Frank Rosolino on trombone! Helen Carr makes a vocal appearance on a track or two, and the album's got a nicely schizophrenic style that pushes it past simple expectations – really cooking with a mean Mariano solo one minute, and laying back for a mellower vocal passage the next – all proof that Bennett was one of the cooler leaders of his time, and it's a damn shame he didn't make more records like this! Titles include "Rubberneck", "Just Max", "They Say", "TK", "Do You Know Why", and "I'll Never Smile Again".

A trio of early 80s efforts from Con Funk Shun in a 2CD set – with bonus tracks! Touch is a killer from the group – one of the few mainstream funk groups who actually managed to sound better and better with each new record – and on this set, they really seem to come into their own! Titles include "Too Tight", "Lady's Wild", "Give Your Love To Me", "Kidnapped", "Welcome Back To Love", "Touch", and "Play Widit". Includes 2 bonus tracks: "Lady's Wild (12" Version)" and "Body Lovers (12" Version)". 7 is not the group's 7th album, but a bold statement of the unity they feel as a 7 piece ensemble – perfectly lived up to in the record's well-crafted grooves! The album's one of Con Funk Shun's best overall – really solid, but never too slick, very tight in the bass department, but still soulful on the vocal tip, and never afraid to slip into a sweeter, more mellow tune. Titles include "Straight From The Heart", "Bad Lady", "Promise You Love", "I'll Get You Back", "A Song For You", and "California 1". To The Mix has snapping grooves and a sweet clubby sound. The bass is tight, the keyboards are electric, and the rhythms are great – never forced or stiff, and always flowing with a sense of soul that's head and shoulders above most of the group's contemporaries. Vocals are strong too – especially on the numbers that step things down a few notches – and titles include "Ms Got The Body", "Let's Ride & Slide", "Everlove", "Hide & Freak", "You Are The One", "Take It To The Max", "The Freak", and "Love's Train". Includes the bonus "Ms Got The Body (12" Version)" and an instrumental version.

A very unusual album from Max Roach – and one that continues his great 50s trend of seeking out some of the freshest players in jazz! The set's a rare trio outing for Max – and it features some incredible piano work by a musician named Hasaan – a player we only know from this set, but who's a cooking modernist with a vibe that ranks him right up there with postwar greats like Thelonious Monk, Randy Weston, and Herbie Nichols! With references like those, you can bet there's plenty of sharp edges in the piano – but the tunes also have a subtle, soulful feel too – a sense of humanity that's really wonderful. The album includes the tracks "Off My Back Jack", "Almost Like Me", "To Inscribe", "Pay Not Play Not", and "Din-Ka Stret", all written by Hasaan.

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".

Beautiful music from Pietro Ciancaglini – the bassist of the excellent High Five Quintet, stepping out here as a leader on his own, in a very hip tribute to the late, great Charles Mingus! The music here is hardly the standard Mingus mode – even though many tracks were penned by Charles – and instead, Ciancaglini serves up some very cool small group takes on Mingus ideals, really reworking the original genius in a way that's more intimate – still very rich in feeling, but in very different ways than you'd get from the originals. His partners in the program include Daniele Tittarelli on alto, Max Ionata on tenor, Pietro Lussu on piano, and Walter Paoli on drums – and Javier Girotto plays baritone sax on a number of tracks as well. There's a warm, soulful feel to the record we really love – one that Mingus definitely would have approved of – and titles include "Homage", "Freedom", "Balarm", "Canon", "So Long Eric", "Reincarnation Of A Lovebird", "Nostalgia In Times Square", and "Haitian Fight Song".

Solid work from one of the longest running players in the game – the mighty Edo G! Longtime hip hop fans surely know Edo's name, but his longevity and consistently strong output make him one of hip hop's more unsung careerists. Intelligence & Ingorance features production by Oh No, Microphono, Max Mostley & RMG – and the titles include "Done Talking", "What They Say", "Power", "Easy", "Love I Need" with Freestyle, "Bags & Shoes", "Give It To Me", "Can't Wait" and "Change" with Noel Gourdin and "Hold U".

Excellent work from a player we love more and more with each new album – Roberto Gatto, an artist we love equally both for his work as a leader, and on the drums! The set features a slightly larger group than usual – Gatto's Lysergic Band, with alto from Gaetano Partipilo, tenor and soprano sax from Max Ionata, trombone from Roberto Rossi, and trumpet from Giovanni Falzone – all horn players who are used sparingly, in really wonderful ways to flesh out the music, and give it a great deal of individual personality! This is less an ensemble recording than a shifting set of voices that have found some great space to come together – working under Gatto's strong guidance in these moody blends of darkness and light. Other players include Battista Lena on guitar and Alessandro Lanzoni on piano – and titles include "The Swinging Cats", "Lysergic", "Take The Dark Train", "Deep", "Fall", and "Queen Porter March

A long-overdue collection of work by this sublime Ohio soul group of the 60s – a trio of lovely ladies with a really tremendous sound! Gigi & The Charmaines are hardly the girl group cliche you might think from their sweet name and the image on the cover – and on most of the numbers here, they're hard-rolling at a pace that's somewhere between the best Detroit Northern Soul of the time, and some of the sweeter female soul that was coming out of Chicago at the end of the 60s. Ace have really outdone themselves with the collection – and bring together the group's singles on the Columbia, Date, and Fraternity labels – as well as some other key sides that have them performing vocals on records by other artists in the lead! CD features a whopping 28 tracks in all, plus a full set of notes – with titles that include "Guilty", "Poor Unfortunate Me", "Eternally", "Girl Crazy", "If You Ever", "I Idolize You", "Rockin Old Man", "On The Wagon", "What Kind Of Girl Do You Think I Am", "All You Gotta Do", "GI Joe", "I Can't Go On This Way", and "I Don't Want To Lose Him" – plus "I'm So Satisfied" with Max Falcon, "Lucy Miloo" with Kenny Smith, "Baby Please Don't Go" with Carl Edmonson, and "Baby What's Wrong" with Lonnie Mack.

A fantastic sextet session recorded in 1961, shortly before Booker Little's death – and filled with all the promise and power he ever packed into his playing! There's a sharp, angular groove to many of the numbers here – that mix of modern and hardbop that was cresting best in the early 60s Blue Note generation – and which echoes some of the work that Little had done with Max Roach in the years before this date. The lineup's filled with great players to help Book realize his strongest musical vision – Julian Priester on trombone, George Coleman on tenor, Don Friedman on piano, Reggie Workman on bass, and Pete LaRoca on drums – and although the set's issued on the sometimes-staid Bethlehem label, it's got all the sharper edges of an early 60s date on a label like Impulse or Candid! Titles include "Matilde", "Booker's Blues", "Forward Flight", and "Victory and Sorrow". CD features two bonus tracks – alternate versions of "Looking Ahead".

A partial tribute to the music of Max Roach – particularly that crucial moment of righteous Civil Rights energy during his Freedom Now period – handled here with great sensitivity by the trio of Joe McPhee on tenor, soprano sax, and clarinet, Lisle Ellis on bass, and Paul Plimley on drums! Some of the tunes are Roach numbers from the late 50s and early 60s – those haunting, soul-searching tunes that formed the blueprint for progressive jazz expression for years to come – and other numbers are originals by members of the group, but in a very similar spirit. All work is handled in a spacious, contemplative mode that's much more the voice of the trio members than that of Roach – which is quite fitting, as these meditations on freedom are offered more as a reflection of changes since the Civil Rights era – and demonstrate that greatly with their execution. Titles include "Mendacity", "Driva Man", "Lift Every Voice & Sing", "Singing With A Sword In My Hand", "Garvey's Ghost", and "Roost".

A smoking set of late 70s 12-inch disco mixes from Lee Scratch Perry – some of the very best of Black Ark productions from the period, actually – in a 2CD set from Trojan! Disco Devil features numbers that Scratch produced, mixed and tripped out from 1977 to 1979 at Black Ark – elongating some truly stellar material for slow cooking, mostly 7-9 minute workouts of recordings by Max Romeo & The Upsetters, George Faith, The Congos, Junior Delgado, Junior Murvin & Dillinger, Watty Burnett, Lee Perry himself and others. One of the finer selected compilations of prime 70s reggae we've seen from Trojan in a little while! Includes "Norman" by Max Romeo & The Upsetters, "Bad Weed" by Junior Murvin, "Disco Devil" by Lee Perry & The Full Experience, "Roots Train" by Junior Murvin & Dillinger, "Open The Gate" by Watty Burnett, "Neckodeemus" by The Congos, "Party Time" by The Heptones, "Garden Of Life" by Leroy Sibbles and more.

One of the most ambitious works ever by Marvin Hannibal Peterson – a larger work dedicated to the 20 African-American children murdered by a serial killer in Atlanta, performed here with a mix of choral voices and jazz instrumentation! The piece follows strongly in a legacy of that format started by Max Roach and continued by Billy Harper – and Peterson works here with players that include George Adams on tenor, Kenny Barron on piano, Cecil McBee on bass, and Dierde Murray on cello – plus the voices of The Harlem Boys Choir, and lead vocals by Pat Peterson. The whole thing's wonderful – soaring and spiritual without sounding hokey at all – and titles include "The Angels Of Atlanta", "The Story Teller", "The Inner Voice", "Mothers Land", and "Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child".

One of the first albums ever cut as a leader by trombonist Frank Rosolino – a hip set issued under the Stan Kenton Presents banner for Capitol in the mid 50s – but done in a smaller combo mode than you'd hear with Stan! The setting provides a great showcase for the emerging solo talents of Rosolino on trombone – a player with a soulful swing that get way past his goofy image on the cover – and which is set up here in the company of some great collaborators who include Charlie Mariano on alto sax – playing so strongly, the album might well include him as a co-leader – plus piano from either Claud Williamson or Pete Jolly, trumpet from Sam Noto, bass from Max Bennett or Curtis Counce, and drums from Mel Lewis or Stan Levey. There's not only a lot of Kenton influence in the players, but a lot of Bethlehem Records styles as well – a reference that definitely shapes the sound of this set, and makes it a strong one for any fan of 50s work on that label – or Mode Records as well. Titles are a mix of standards and originals – and include "Ragamuffin", "Linda", "Carioca", "Besame Mucho", "Yo Yo", and "Freckles".

2 of the best Rufus Thomas funky albums for Stax – back to back on a single CD! First up is Did You Heard Me – recorded in the early 70s with backing by The Movement and The Bar Kays, and with a good raw Stax sound on most cuts! Rufus is certainly in the "funky ___" mode here – doing a formulaic approach to funk that has him taking a theme for a song, and pushing it to the max by shouting and grooving it over and over again. Fortunately, the style still works well here – without the cliches of later albums, probably thanks in part to the album's tight funky backgrounds. The record features three tasty two-part single tracks – "The Breakdown (parts 1 & 2)", "Do The Push & Pull (parts 1 & 2)", and "Do The Funky Penguin (parts 1 & 2)" – all of which stand as some of Rufus' most-collected funky singles. Also features the groovy soul track "6 3 8", plus "Love Trap" and "The World Is Round". Crown Prince is a crowning achievement for Rufus Thomas – a set that bubbles over with funky intensity, and one of the last great albums he ever recorded for Stax! The funky Rufus mode is still in full full swing here – with loads of tunes that have the word "funky" in the title – basically jamming numbers that seem to let Thomas loose on vocals – coming up with whatever sort of catchy lyrics he can over the romping grooves underneath. Titles include two of his best funky tracks "Funky Robot" and "Funky Bird" – plus "I Wanna Sang", "Steal A Little", "I'm Still In Love With You", "Baby It's Real", "Steal A Little", and "Git On Up & Do It".

Early and mid 70s big band masterpieces from Charles Tolliver for Strata East – plus a brilliant batch of German recordings from 1979 with Hamburg's great NDR group that was never legitimately issued before now – in an amazing 3CD set from Mosaic! Disc One features the classic Impact – the first album by his legendary group on Strata East – a core quartet that features Tolliver on trumpet, Stanley Cowell on piano, Cecil McBee on bass, and Jimmy Hopps on drums and percussion – all augmented by some larger backings for the session! The core sound is amazing – with free lines that trade back and forth wonderfully, filled with life and a great lyrical sense of energy that Tolliver never had on some of his later sessions. The larger group hardly gets in the way at all – and they're mostly there just to shade in the background, but often drop out during the solos – giving full center stage exposure to Tolliver and Cowell! Tracks include "Ruthie's Heart", "Abscretions", "Household of Saud", and "On the Nile". Disc Two features Impact – an amazingly spiritual effort that really brings together the best strands of sounds running through the underground at the time! The format's a bit similar to Music Inc – with lots of strong lead action from Charles on trumpet, and Stanley Cowell on piano. But this time around, the larger group seems to be more fully integrated into the tunes – there not just to support the soloists, but to rise up with a full, proud sense of majesty that's really amazing. Other players include Cecil McBee and Reggie Workman on basses, Billy Parker and Warren Smith on percussion, Jon Faddis and Jimmy Owens on trumpets, John Gordon and Garnet Brown on trombones, and Charles McPherson, George Coleman, Harold Vick, and Charles Davis on saxes! Titles include great versions of the Tolliver classics "Plight" and "Impact" – plus "Mother Wit", "Lynnsome", and "Grand Max". Disc Three is a hidden gem from Tolliver's career – 1979 radio broadcast sessions with the NDR big band that includes Benny Bailey on trumpet, Herb Geller on alto, Wolfgang Dauner on piano, Lukas Lindholm on bass and Alvin Queen on drums. Here Tolliver plays some of the Strata material with these great European players who really seem to relish the opportunity – with each contributing brilliant solos. Includes "Ruthie's Heart", "Mother's Wit", Grand Max", "Impact" and more.

An overlooked trio date from McCoy Tyner – and a record that's just the sort of musical journey you might guess from the title! Tyner's piano is as full of fire and flight as always – and the group has some especially great work from bassist Avery Sharpe, who changes his approach from track to track, along with McCoy – and really helps bring a wide-ranging sort of sound to the record – the sort you might normally expect from some of Tyner's records with a fuller ensemble! Drummer Louis Hayes completes the trio – and titles include "Jazz Walk", "Summertime", "Bon Voyage", "Yesterdays", "Don't Blame Me", and "Blues For Max".

One of the most jamming Zappa albums from the early days – a set that's still got some of Frank's complicated musical leanings in play – but which features interpretation by a smoking group who no doubt helped the great one reach a much larger audience! George Duke plays lots of organ and heavy keyboards – and other players include Aynsley Dunbar on drums, giving the whole thing a great punch at the bottom – plus Mothers luminary Ian Underwood on more keyboards and electric alto sax, Jeff Simmons and Max Bennett on bass, and Frank himself on some mighty amazing guitar! Titles include "The Clap", "Chunga's Revenge", "Tell Me You Love Me", "The Nancy & Mary Music", "Twenty Small Cigars", and "Would You Go All The Way".

Fantastic funky soul! The Pama label was a London-based operation in the late 60s – and they cut and licensed some very groovy tracks that mixed funk, soul, and rocksteady by a variety of artists from America, Jamaica, and England! This massive look at the label features both volumes 1 and 2 of the Black Is Soul sets – previously only on vinyl, now brought together into a massive 28 track CD that's overflowing with great grooves you'd have a hard time finding otherwise on this side of the Atlantic! The whole thing's great, and titles include the funky break classic "The Champ" by The Mohawks – plus "Broadway Ain't Funky No More" by Bobby Patterson & The Mustangs, "Jerking The Dog" by The Crowns, "Baby Hold On" by The Mustangs, "Oh Babe" by The Milwaukee Coasters, "Wet Dream" by Max Romeo, "Every Day Will Be Like A Holiday" by Roy Docker, "Honey Bee" by The Classics, "Soul Man" by Rico, "History Of Africa" by The Classics, "Feel Good All Over" by Betty Lavette, "Tip Toe" by Norman T Washington, "The Good Ol Days" by Bobby Patterson, "Black Is Soul" by The Imperials, and "Since You've Been Gone" by The Crowns – plus "Sound Of The Witchdoctor", "Pepsi", and "Mony Mony" by The Mohawks,

Trippy grooves from the 1960s and early 70s! This groovy little set brings together 11 tracks – mostly from the vaults of Atlantic Records – all of them featuring the sort of exotic-inflected jazz stylings that were cropping up in a lot of work during the 60s. Many of the tracks have instrumentation that's relatively straight for small combo jazz – but the instruments (piano, guitar, sax, etc) are played in a way that has a bit of an Eastern flair – with lots of modal grooves, snaking lines, and sounds that are reminiscent of Indian or Middle Eastern music. The overall sound is great – a real meeting of world cultures – and the set features a surprising number of great tracks by artists that we already know, but who we might have overlooked in putting together this sort of package! Titles include "Ritual Of The Cobra" by Don Ralke, "Like It Is" by Yusef Latef, "The Lovers (edit)" by Les McCann, "If You Knew" by Hubert Laws, "Effi" by Max Roach, "The Oud & The Pussycat" by Herbie Mann, "Ameer" by Fred Kaz, "Moonbow" by Duke Ellington, and "Himalaya" by Charlie Mariano.

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

A sweet and long overdue second set of Mo' Jazz from the Acid Jazz label – who made us wait just about 20 years for it – and much like the early 90s collection, it's a fresh take on timeless jazzy sounds that'll stand the test of time! It puts together nice contemporary numbers by Laurent Doumont, Filthy Six, Derek and Jodi Chai, The Cavemen, Max Middleton, G's Way and others – with riffs on classic post bebop jazz, organ funk, boozy jazzy soul ballads and more – with nicely cooking instros and vocal numbers alike. Classic-schooled, fresh sounds from artists we hope to hear much more from in the future. Bring on Vol 3! Includes "Everything I Do's Gonna Be Funky" by Laurent Doumont, "Live Again" by Derek Chai feat Jodi Chai, "Pedalo" by Riley Stone-Lonergan, "Wine Cups" by Richard Bundy, "Get Down" by Filthy Six, "Booze Blues" by Nigel Price Trio, "Return Of The Prodigal Son" by The Cavemen, "Treehouse" by Sam Q's Night Patrol, "Catch Me If You Can" by G's Way and more, 12 in all.

Rhythmic and exotic grooves from the classic Atlantic Records catalog – most of them based around modal progressions and jazz waltz styles, which means that the set dances in a lively way through just about every track! Most of the tunes are pulled from rare 60s sessions – sparkling as a set of overlooked album tracks brought together through a compelling rhythmic pulse. The groove is more sophisticated than your average funky jazz compilation – sweeping, majestic, and pretty darn soulful! Titles include "The Fakir" by Duke Pearson, "Turkish Mambo" by Lennie Tristano, "Ad Infinitum" by Art Farmer, "Woodward Avenue" by Yusef Lateef, "Little Bit" by Eddie Harris, "Let Thy People Go" by Max Roach, "Elephant Walk" by Ted Curson, and "Juba Juba" by Yusef Lateef.

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

Classic Bethlehem west coast jazz session, performed by trumpeter Conte Candoli with a quartet of players that includes Stan Levey on drums, Max Bennett on bass, and Claude Williamson on piano. Straight stuff, but with a clean west coast groove. Titles include "Tune For Tex", "Fine & Dandy", "Night Flight", and "I'll Remember April".

Insanely wonderful early work from Charlie Mariano – some of the freshest, cleanest alto sax work of its time! The album's one of Charlie's strongest early efforts – a no-nonsense quartet session that features rhythm by the trio of John Williams, Max Bennett, and Mel Lewis. Charlie's tone is impeccable – somewhere between Lee Konitz and Charlie Parker, with that back bay Boston blend of soul and modernism, making the city one of the best scenes for alto players in the 50s. Titles include "Blues", "Floormat", "I Heard You Cried Last Night", "Johnny One Note", and "King For A Day".

The first-ever dub album from Niney The Observer – based around rhythms he'd cooked up for Dennis Brown, Max Romeo, and Delroy Wilson – all transformed completely in the studio by King Tubby! The sounds here are often very abstract – light years away from the originals – and given these spacey, repetitive cycles that seem to trip out even more than conventional dub! A landmark little record, and one that sounds even darker all these many years later – with cuts that include "Casanova Dub", "Rebel Dance", "Jam Down", "Parade Dub", "Turntable Dub", "Corn Man", "Mister D Brown Skank", and "Youth Man".

Excellent early work from Giorgio Moroder – recorded in the pre-disco years, with a trippy rock style that mixes electronics and some surprisingly soulful guitar work! The overall style is almost a prog take on the beat group sound with some poppy touches – a cool blend that was shared briefly by other European groups of the time, before they stretched out and got a bit more trippy. The album's got some nice moogy touches, tight drums by Keith Forsey, and even a bit of keyboards from Max Gregor Jr. Most tracks have vocals, but also kick off with a strong foot instrumentally – making for some great rock break moments that are worth the album alone, even though the full songs are pretty nice too! Titles include the epic "Tears", "Lord Release Me", "Watch Your Step", "Pauline", "Son Of My Father", "Automation", "London Traffic", "Spanish Disaster", and "Underdog". CD features lots of bonus tracks too – including "Today's A Tomorrow", "Everybody Join Hands", "I'm Free Now", "Non Ci Sto", "Take It Shake It Break My Heart", and "Underdog (mono)".

A beautiful, beautiful record from Horace Silver – one of his great 70s experiments for Blue Note – and a set that has him working in the same "jazz with voices" mode explored by Max Roach and Donald Byrd in earlier years! The core of the set is focused around the great work of Silver's combo – with Tom Harrell on trumpet, Bob Berg on tenor, Ron Carter on bass, and Al Foster on drums – a wonderfully cohesive unit that arcs and turns with all these sweet little shifts – keeping up with the creative rhythms directed from Silver, while cascading through a beautiful range of tones and colors as well! The vocals follow suit beautifully – directed by Alan Copeland, but with a much more soulful approach than his 60s material – bursting forth with this warmth and sense of tone that really matches the instrumentation. Titles include "I Will Always Love You", "Out Of The Night", "Incentive", "New York Lament", "Mood For Maude", and "All In Time".

A great little live set from Mel Torme – and one that features the same jazzy style as his studio albums for the Bethlehem label from the 50s! The combo behind Mel is a smallish one – Marty Paich on piano and arrangements, Larry Bunker on vibes, Don Fagerquist on trumpet, Max Bennett on bass, and Mel Lewis on drums – and the arrangements here all have that great mix of sensitivity and swing that Paich was first showing at the time – an approach that really helped Torme hit new levels in his music! Tracks include "Love Is Just A Bug", "Just One Of Those Things", "The Tender Trap", "I'm Beginning To See The Light", and "One For My Baby".

Rare soul from Minneapolis – a surprisingly great source for grooves in the years before Prince and Morris Day! Turns out, the Twin Cities were already funky, way before the Purple One came into being – as you'll hear in this wealth of rare singles from the late 60s on up through the 70s – all of them mighty darn soulful, and most of them pretty dang funky as well! The wealth of work is really surprisingly – with strong echoes of styles going on in the Chicago and Detroit scenes at the time, but maybe even more surprising, given that Minneapolis/St Paul didn't have nearly the same amount of resources. The package is easily one of the best ever done by the Secret Stash label – a set that really ups the level of their reissues – with a motherlode of killer cuts that include "Love Me Leave Me" by The Valdons, "Sweet Smell Of Perfume" by Maurice McKinnies & The Champions, "Work Your Flapper (part 1)" by Jackie Harris & The Champions, "She's A Whole Lot's A Woman" by Mojo & His Chi 4, "I Ain't Gonna Cheat On You No More" by Willie Walker, "Save Me" by Wanda Davis, "Saxophone Disco" by Morris Wilson, "Honey From The Bee" by Willie & The Bumblebees, "The Max" by Prophets Of Peace, "Get Up" by The Lewis Connection, and "Rusty McDusty" by Morris Wilson.

A sprawling collection of the film music of Muarice Jarre – from the stunning, epic scale sounds of Lawrence Of Arabia and Dr Zhivago to far more delicate material for smaller scale classics and lesser remembered work – score work from more 5 decades on an impeccably curated 4CD collection! Includes themes bits of score from eclectic roster of films, with music that's diverse to suit each masterfully – and it also includes bonus tracks with unused bits of music that have been unheard until now! Includes music from Lawrence Of Arabia, Dr Zhivago, Topaz, Is Paris Burning, Jesus Of Nazareth, The MacKintosh Man, The Life And Times Of Judge Roy Bean, Mandingo, Grand Prix, Mad Max Beyond The Thunderdome, Passage To India, Fatal Attraction, Gorillas In The Mist, Jacob's Ladder and many more – with bonus tracks featuring rare and unreleased, if not pretty much unheard work for Jennifer 8, The River Wild and more. Comes in a nice, book-like long box with a 44-page booklet. 5 hours of music on 4CDs!

A highly percussive little album – and the first-ever appearance of the M'Boom ensemble on record! You might know the group from their later fame under the guidance of Max Roach, but here the combo is a much more equally-assembled cast of players – featuring not just Roach, but percussionists Roy Brooks, Joe Chambers, Omar Clay, Freddie Waits, Richard Pablo Landrum, and Warren Smith! Given that lineup, you've got a group that represents the forefront of jazz and creative percussion work at the start of the 70s – and added to the mix is the ultimate freedom allowed by the Strata East label – which has the group really stretching out in these amazing ways! Things are never too free or outside, and there's always a nicely spiritual core to the record – but there is an incredible shift between percussive rhythms and melody – on instrumentation that includes vibes, tympani, xylophone, marimba, drums, and plenty of percussion – plus even and Indian flute too. And maybe coolest of all, there's even some saw, played by Omar Clay and Roy Brooks – used n a weird way that almost sounds electronic! Titles include "Heaven Sent", "Inner Passion", "Elements Of A Storm/Thunder & Wind", "Jihad Est Mort", and "Morning Noon Midday".

A landmark album – and one of the best records you'll ever find by Mary Lou Williams! The record's a mixture of jazz and spiritual themes, and it features Mary Lou's piano set in some super-hip jazz arrangements that include players like Grant Green, Budd Johnson, Larry Gales, Melba Liston, Ben Tucker, and Percy Heath. The bass and piano work is amazing, and many tracks have a dark groove that's very subtle, but very compelling. About half the tunes feature hip choral vocalizing – in the mode of some of the Donald Byrd or Max Roach albums from the same time – mostly handled by the group of Howard Roberts. Includes the classic groover "A Grand Nite For Swinging", plus "A Fungus Amongus", "Anima Christi", "Miss DD", "The Devil", "It Ain't Necessarily So", and "My Blue Heaven". Great stuff all around – and even better than we're describing it! This CD issue features the original Mary Records cover art – different than the Saba/MPS or later Smithsonian CD versions.

Blood & Fire dips into their excellent catalog of fine, fine reggae and pulls together an outstanding little compilation of some of the best tracks from the catalog! This nicely priced set focuses on vocal numbers, all voiced by top notch artists, showcasing the breadth of great music cut during the golden era of Jamaican music that makes up the body and soul of Blood & Fire's dynamite releases! 18 tracks in all, including "Fire Fe The Vatican" by Max Romeo, "Storm" by Gregory Isaacs, "Children Of Jah" by the Chantells, "Problems" by Horace Andy, "Rent Man" by Black Uhuru, "Chant Down Babylon" by Sylford Walker, 'Go Down In Silence" by Prince Alla, "Man Next Door" byDennis Brown, "Fight It To The Top" by Michael Prophet, "Every Knee Shal Bow" by Johnny Clarke, "At The Feast" by the Congos, "Yes Yes Yes" by Errol Holt, "Jah Jah The Conqueror" by Linval Thompson, "Give Jah Praise" by WIlli Williams, "Deliver Me From My Enemies" by Yabby You, "Judgement Time" by Junior Ross & The Spear, "Bandulu" by Cornell Campbell and "Remember Me" by Junior Byles & Rupert Reid.

A Pablo Records release, but one that features material originally done during the classic Verve Records years of Norman Granz – a previously unreleased live performance by the Jazz At The Philharmonic crew! This time around, the combo's a small one – a really all-star lineup with Lester Young and Flip Phillips on tenor, Roy Eldridge on trumpet, Hank Jones on piano, Ray Brown on bass, and Max Roach on drums – all given lots of room to really open up, on the kind of long tracks that allow for plenty of solo voicing – exactly what we've come to expect from the JATP at their best! Titles include "Dre's Blues", "How High The Moon", "Undecided", and a long "Ballad Medley".

This is the kind of killer bop piano stuff that made Wallington a legend early on – collecting classic trios originally recorded for release as 10" LP in the early days of Prestige! The material features Wallington in three different groups, featuring Max Roach on drums, and either Charles Mingus, Oscar Pettiford or Curley Russell on bass. 15 titles in all including "Love Beat", "Escalating", "Laura", "Summer Rain", "Red, White & Blue", "Arriverderci", "Tenderly", "Squeezer's Breezer", "Among Friends", "Variations", "My Nephew & I", "Cuckoo Around The Clock" and "When Your Old Wedding Ring Was New".

Fantastic stuff – one of Mary Lou Williams' hippest albums, and one of the few in which she blended in funk with her spiritual jazz piano musings! The record's got a larger group arranged by Mary – grooving in a post-Hair kind of funky ensemble way – a bit spiritual at times, but nicely stripped down and soulful at others – with a mystical blend of voices and jazz, at a level to rival similar work from the time by Max Roach, Horace Silver, or Billy Harper! The bassist and drummer really make the record groove nicely – giving a few tracks a surprisingly funky sound – and tracks include "Gloria", "In His Day", "Lazarus", "One", "Praise The Lord", and "Lamb Of God". CD also adds some additional tunes to the original album – making for a 24-track package that's also supported by a 32-page booklet!

One of those records that should be an insane dark mess, given the look of the cover – but which turns out to be a surprisingly well put-together effort all the way through! Zappa does a great job of hiding behind his hair here – never acting with the pomp that a pop genius like him could easily have enacted – and instead passing off the record as if it's just another freakout – despite the fact that the arrangements are some of his tightest, most focused, and downright groovy so far! There's plenty of key musical help to make the whole thing come out right – including bass from Shuggie Otis, guitar from Captain Beefheart, violin from Jean-Luc Ponty, drums from Paul Humphrey, and bass from Max Bennett – all players who really live up to the musical complexity of Zappa's compositions – often with a pre-fusion vibe that's almost unexpected. Titles include "Willie The Pimp", "Son Of Mr Green Grass", "The Gumbo Variations", "It Must Be A Camel", "Peaches In Regalia", and "Little Umbrellas".

A cornucopia of wigged out grooves from the Pye & Dawn vaults – late 60s & early 70s psych, panoramic pop, and trippy prog from Donovan, The Bystanders, Blonde On Blonde, Status Quo, Atomic Rooster, Jonesy and many more on 3CDs! All of the tunes were released from 1967 to 1975, so you get a pretty heady mix of prime psychedelic pop era and later numbers that took that sense of adventure to harder grooving, or more complicated realms. Comes with a cool little booklet of notes, too. Nearly 50 tracks on 4CDs: "Season Of The Witch" and more by Donovan, "Paradise Flat" and "Someone's Learning" by Status Quo, "Ride With Captain Max" by Blonde On Blonde, "It Is As It Must Be" by Man, "I Put A Spell On You" by Demon Fuzz, "Decision" by Fruup, "No Alternative" by Jonesy, "Hard Labour" by Noir and many more.

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.

Maybe the deepest set so far in the excellent Funk Experience collection – and one that's got a surprising amount of great grooves we've never heard before! We've dug the 60s and 70s Scandia scene for years – as there's some massive gems from Sweden, Norway, and Denmark that often get overlooked by US crate diggers – rare jazz, funk, and soul numbers that are often some of the most unusual European grooves of the time! But we've honestly never heard most of the cuts here – a great surprise to our ears, and a rich treasure trove of musical gems that really stand out – even in a world of other great compilations. All tracks are from the vaults of EMI Records – and are brought together here with a great ear for the way they sound next to each other – a massive lineup that includes "Taboo" by Max Leth, "Memphis Underground" by Modern Sound Quintet, "Mr Minor" by Staffan Abeleen Quintet, "Mas Que Nada" by Bob Azzam, "Big Band Felicidade" by Bernt Rosengren, "La Folia" by Solar Plexus, "Stone Free" by Claes Goran Fagerstedt, "Horrorscope" by Ralph Lundsten, "Bubble Sex" by Tommy Seebach, "Standing In The Way" by Charles Williams, "Ari's Tune" by Ted Curson, "Naat Vain Silmin" by Carita Holmstrom, and "Nica's Dream" by Bo Warmell – plus the classic "You Never Come Closer" by Doris, maybe the one track here you will already know.

One of the only albums ever cut by Maxi Anderson – a hell of a soul singer who's lent her talents to a number of sessions over the years, but who sounds especially great here in the lead! Anderson's got a vibe that's almost like Minnie Riperton at the time – a warmly glowing approach to soul that's sophisticated, yet sweet and personal too – set up nicely here with some great Cali arrangements from Gene Page, who slides in an undercurrent of funky soul at the bottom – especially on some of the album's great Skip Scarborough cuts. Titles include "Dancin To Keep From Cryin", "Glory Glory", "Delta Road", "Lover To Lover", "Let Him In", "By Your Side", "Walk Softly", "The Perfect Day", and "Music On My Mind".

Overlooked later work from trumpeter Harry Beckett – material that really sparkles with a lot of warmth and imagination, and which is pulled together from a collection of different sessions in the late 80s and early 90s! The package features Beckett in a number of settings – including a beautiful duet with pianist Chris McGregor on the title track "Maxine", another duet with pianist Django Bates on "Les Jardins Du Casino", a 24 minute tune titled "Cozy N Rozy" played with a quintet that features McGregor on piano and Courtney Pine on tenor, a sweet take on Jacques Brel's "Amsterdam" in a trio with Joachim Kuhn on piano and JF Jenny Clarke on bass, and two group numbers with Annie Whitehead on trombone and John Burgess on flute and sax – on the tunes "Falling In Love With Love" and "Bessie's Blues".

Razor-sharp funk from The Chapparals – an Atlanta group from the 70s, and one with a great balance of ensemble grooving and deeper soul roots! There was really something special in the Atlanta scene at the time – an approach to large group funk that was different than most northern scenes, and which could still come across with a lean sort of energy, even when hitting tight on the money for the dancefloor! These guys are a perfect summation of that groove – and the album's a blistering blend of bassy rhythms and tight instrumentation – including some mighty sweet keyboards that snake wonderfully alongside the guitar and horns, sometimes with some wild moogy touches that are almost P&P funk. The whole thing's great – one of those albums that's rare, but mighty satisfying too – and titles include "Juicy Fruit", "Shake Your Head (parts 1 & 2)", "Stop Cheating On My Lady", "Country Girl", "Hittin It", "Jam Around The World", and "The Brew".

A pretty sweet set of retro futurist synth from Chrome Canyon – which is essentially the solo project of Morgan Z and guests – and a mix of late 70s Krautrock-era synthy bombast and early 80s electro soundtracky styles! Overall, it's got sort of a Euro disco-tinged soundtrack vibe – think Giorgio Moroder, Wendy Carlos and 80s soundtrack-era Tangerine Dream – along with more starkly minimal tones and key, though used to maximum effect! There's also some twists and turns – like the cosmic post-fusion sax on the title track, bits of guitar, drums and other instrumentation. It's a very well structured batch of instrumentals – with a focused, song-based approach – as opposed to looser synthy experimentation. A leftfied win for Stones Throw! Includes "Beginnings", "Pluze", "Legends", "Branches", "Elemental Themes", "Cave Of Light", "Generations", "Chasing The Dead", "Sacred Mountain", "Signs From An Old World", "Carfire On The Highway" and more.

A killer live set by Les McCann – and one that actually him playing with some horns! The record was cut early in McCann's career, with his Ltd trio that had Herbie Lewis on bass and Ron Jefferson on drums – plus some great guest work by Blue Mitchell on trumpet, Stanley Turrentine on tenor, and Frank Haines on tenor. We can't stress how much these players add a groove to Les' group – as we always enjoy his piano playing, but find most of his trio sets a bit sleepy. Instead, this one grooves like a rare Blue Note – and the tracks are long with plenty of great solo interplay. Titles include "Cha Cha Twist", "Chip Monck", and "Maxie's Changes".

A beautiful double-length package of work from drummer Louis Moholo – a 2CD set that features one record from recent years, and a key classic from the 70s! Spirits Rejoice is one of the strongest 70s statements from ex-Blue Notes drummer Moholo – recorded in the company of fellow expatriots and UK avant jazzers that include Johnny Dyani, Evan Parker, Kenny Wheeler, Nick Evans, Radu Malfatti, and Harry Miller. The album shifts easily between strongly rhythmic passages that show Moholo's roots in the South African jazz scene, and other, freer sections that also illustrate his importance in the European avant scene of the 70s – and overall, the record's got a beautifully soulful quality that guides it well through all of these moments. Titles include "Wedding Hymn", "Khanya Apho Ukhona", "Ithi Gqi", "Amaxesha Osizi", and "You Ain't Gonna Know Me". That record is followed here by 1995's Bra Louis Bra Tebs – a session with a similar style, especially in its use of African-inspired rhythms – but one that also features a different lineup, and some great use of vocals! Francine Luce sings on a number of the album's best tracks – in a style that's almost an avant-tuned approach to vocalese, and which seems to carry echoes of Norma Winstone – a voice that's dreamy one minute, challenging the next – and often used as a key instrument in the combo's lineup of tenor, alto, trumpet, piano, bass, and drums. Titles include "Utshaka", "Maybe Of Cause", "Moegoe", "Sonke", and "Lakutshona Ilanga".

A smashing set of work from drummer Louis Moholo – a set that shows that after all these years, he's still a richly creative talent on his instrument! The album has Louis duetting with pianist Alexander Hawkins – a younger player who'd caught his ear a few years before, and who turns out to be a perfect partner for the record – graced with just the right kind of free-thinking, yet spiritual elements as Moholo's own music – able to stretch out strongly with a lot of freedom, yet never lose sight of the overarching goal! The tracks are all long and open – and almost recall some of the interplay between Moholo and Chris McGregor in years back – especially some of the freer work on the 70s London scene. The album's a beautiful extension of the Ogun Records tradition – and titles include "Lakutshon Ilanga", "Hear Our Hearts", "Heavy Manners", "Amaxesha Osizi", "If I Should Lose You", "Pure Vision", and "Catch You On The Rebound".

A massive batch of stoned-out funk from the Ohio Players – recorded here during their legendary years at Detroit soul powerhouse Westbound Records! At this point, the band have a style that's a mix of psychedelia, funk, and harmony soul – similar to labelmates Funkadelic, but perhaps not as crazy. The set includes most of their best cuts from the time – including gems like "Funky Worm", "Varee Is Love", "Walt's First Trip", "Food Stamps", "Laid It", "Singing In The Morning", "Ecstasy", "Climax", "Pain", "Sleep Talk", and "Player's Balling".

Moogy, groovy, and really wonderful stuff – a set of rare private recordings made by the team of Scott Ludwig and Maximillian Crook, both electric inventors and very groovy musicians in their own right! The pair have a bit of a connection to Del Shannon – who used their Musitron instrument on the chorus of his hit "Runaway" – and a few of these tracks were actually produced by Shannon himself, in later years away from pop fame. But over and above that brief connection to mainstream pop, this work more than stands out on its own – and crackles with a sound that's simple, yet intense – almost a 60s garage rock aesthetic applied to electronic instrumentation, with a result that's got the appeal of some of Bruce Haack's work, but none of the child-like themes. Ludwig's playing the Sonocon and Crook is on the Musitron – both instruments of their own invention, and with a fuzzed-up approach to analogue electronics – and the CD features a range of material from in-home recordings and a rare live date! Titles include "Beeswax", "Our Electronic Bag", "Space Child", "Hero", "Punk Walk", "Firefighter's Theme", "The Diamond", "Runaway", "Caravan", "Hawaiian Vibes", and "I Wonder What She's Doing Tonight".

Whoa! Here's a motherlode of pop psych grooves from Mainstream – the jazz-centric label who were famously making a play for the freaky rock scene in the latter half of the 60s – releasing astounding material by The Amboy Dukes, Stone Circus, Fever Tree, Ellie Pop, Bohemian Vendetta and many more! Mainstream didn't hit paydirt with the mainstream rock consumers, for the most part, and many of the rock releases of the late 60s are pretty obscure these days – but it's wild, groovy stuff – with fuzzy guitars, primal rhythms, trippy lyrics and catchy melodies. This massive 2CD collection puts togther standout album tracks and singles – 52 tracks on 2CDs with a nice booklet of notes! Includes "Journey To The Center Of The Mind" by Amboy Dukes, "For A Moment" by Orient Express, "Can't You See" by The Tangerine Zoo, "200 Years" by Maxx, "I Can Beat Your Drum" by Fever Tree, "You'll Walk Away" by The Art Of Lovin, "An Older Man" by The Tiffany Shade, "Can't Be Love" by Ellie Pop, "Tinkle Talk" by The Sixpentz, "Sara Wells" by The Stone Circus, "Mary Maiden" by The Scarlet Letter and many more.

A far-reaching look at soul, R&B, funk and proto rock legends covering the Lennon-McCartney songbook – as diverse and impressively put together as Ace's great previous entry in the Black America Sings series that covered Dylan! Come Together comes together terrifically – with early rock & soul stars like Chubby Checker, Fats Domino & Little Richard, stellar groups like The Vibrations, Main Ingredient & New Birth, the great ladies of the era including Aretha Franklin, Maxine Brown and Linda Jones and many more! None simply record Beatles' songs from a more soul-based perspective, there's real heart and unique touches across the board here. Great Stuff! "Back In The USSR" by Chubby Checker, "Ticket To Ride" by Wee Wee Walker, "Let It Be" by Aretha, "Lady Madonna" by Junior Parker, "Get Back" by Main Ingredient, "The Long And Winding Road" by New Birth, "Yesterday" by Linda Jones, "Day Tripper" by Otis Redding and more.

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

Rockin soul from the start of the 60s – a great batch of upbeat numbers that definitely show the rougher side of the Northern groove! Lots of these tracks sit perfectly in a space between early soul music and R&B – and strut along with the heavier grooves of the latter, yet soar with the bold vocals of the former – making for a mix of modes that's mighty nice! There's loads of rare singles here we might not have heard otherwise – and titles include "Somebody Else's Sweetheart" by The Wanderers, "Puddentane" by Lula Reed, "I'm Hurting" by Billy Gales, "You Crack Me Up" by Charlie Baker, "This Little Love Of Mine" by Buddy Ace, "The Snake" by Maximillian, "Boys Will Be Boys" by Joe Tex, "Wait" by Sidney Barnes, "You're A Little Too Late" by Danny Owens, "That's A Good Idea" by Grover Mitchell, and "That's Why I Cry" by Varetta Dillard.

A killer assortment of funky leftfield grooves from the late 70s and early 80s – groundbreaking work that goes way beyond conventional club, funk, and disco! The music here was light years ahead of its time, and still sounds pretty darn fresh today – a weird mix of arty, punky, and experimental modes – but all filtered down into a groove that's still catchy and compelling enough to cross over to fans of mainstream club. Many cuts here had a huge influence on house and techno modes of the mid 80s, and continue to have impact today on some of the younger, more influential groovemakers around the globe – and this single CD set is sort of a re-casting of the previous Disco Not Disco collections on Strut Records, which themselves were influential enough at the start of the current decade. CD features the tracks "Mind Your Own Business" by Delta 5, "Crunch Cake" by Isotope, "Your Life (party mix)" by Konk, "Launderette" by Vivien Goldman, "My Spine Is The Bassline (12" edit)" by Shriekback, "Contort Yourself (August Darnell rmx)" by James White & The Blacks, "Love Tempo (rmx)" by Quando Quango, "Sharevari (inst)" by A Number Of Names, "Silent Street/Silent Dub" by Maximum Joy, "Shake It Right" by Six Sed Red, and "Los Ninos Del Parque (12" mix)" by Liaisons Dangereuses.

Massive sounds from the Dopebrother Studio – home to some of the funkiest Kenny Dope productions of the past few years! The grooves here are mostly older nuggets from the 70s – rare funk, soul, and club numbers – mixed by Kenny and the Undercover Brother in ways that really bring up the funkiest energy of the tunes – lots of hard drums, great breaks, and crisp instrumentation that actually sounds way more dope than if you were spinning a copy of an original funky 45! Most tracks on here have only ever been issued as singles, so the full length collection makes for a great way to dig into all these massive grooves in one place – at a price that's pretty damn hard to beat. Plus, there's even a few unreleased tracks on here too – sure to please even the folks who already own a few of the singles! Titles include "How You Gonna Do It (Undercover Brother edit)" by Lenis Guess & The Raw Soul, "Foxfire (Dopebrother rmx)" by Kenny Smith & The Fox Fire Band, "Party & Get On Down (Undercover Brother edit)" by BAB, "Creative Happiness" by Steve Marshall, "I Can't Dance (Undercover Brother edit)" by Jimmy James Thomas, "We Got To Get Together" by The Masterminds with Lady Bianca, "Your Chicken Ain't Funky Like Mine" by Dirty Red Morgan Group, "Skunkie (Undercover Brother edit)" by Kenny Smith & The Maximum Feeling, "Waiting At The Station" by Jimmy James Thomas, "Do What You Like (Undercover Brother edit)" by 400 Years Of What, and "It's Over Now (Undercover Brother quiet storm mix)" by Manzel.

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!

60s soul treasures from a trio of New York labels reverered for so many great singles – Sceptor, Wand and Musicor – in a great collection from Kent UK! It's filled with group acts and solo stars, soaringly emotional cuts and rawer rumbling R&B, even some early strains of funk – and includes a number of previously unissued songs from the vault that are just as sweet as the regional hits of the time. The genuine love of the material that goes into these Kent and Ace compilations continues to impress! 24 tracks in all: "That's No Way To Treat A Girl" by Marie Night, "I Want A Guarantee" by Maxine Brown, "Stick By Me" by Ed Townsend, "Sweeping Your Dirt Under My Rag" by Ann Bailey, "Diamond Ring" by The Fabulous Dinos, "So Help Me Woman" by George Tindley, "Speed Up" by Betty Moore, "You Got It Baby" by The Toys, "Walking With Pride" by Dan & The Clean Cuts, "Ain't No Love Lost" by Patti Jo and more.

Sitar-heavy psych from the late 60s to early 70s – each track a prime example of how sublimely Eastern string buzzes worked in the psychedelic era – and a straight-up excellent set of rare international singles! What's so great here is that it's a pretty diverse mix of styles – electric and acoustic psych-stepped rock, pop and folk. Some of sunny and some dark – some pop hook-filled, some tripped out – and all of it is hypnotic and worthy checking out! Includes "Eight Miles High" by The Folkswingers, "Many Times Jimbo" by Click, "Water Boy" by Shocking Blue, "Face In The Clouds" by Family, "Real Life Permanent Dream" by Tomorrow, "All Your Ambition" by Saffron, "Love" by The Virgin Sleep, "Spinning Wheel" by Blonde On Blonde, "Ask For Nothing' by Galliard and more. 28 tracks in all!

Hard-burning soul from the great stretch of the 60s – that magical latter half of the decade when the genre really exploded – and turned out thousands of amazing tracks on smaller indie labels! This package pulls together some of the best groovers of that generation – all hand-picked by Northern Soul expert Kev Roberts, and served up here with fidelity that's a lot better than most of the beat up 45s we've got in our collection! And with a massive 31 tracks on the set, the whole thing's a heck of a great deal too – with cuts that include "Do You Love Me Baby" by The Masqueraders, "Change Your Ways" by Willie Kendrick, "I Need You" by Shane Martin, "I Got My Heart Set On You" by The Toys, "Let's Get Back Together" by The Honeybees, "You Can't Keep A Good Man Down" by The Gentlemen Four, "Tightrope" by Inez & Charlie Foxx, "In The Long Run" by Curtis Blandon, "I Got What It Takes" by Brooks & Jerry, "One In A Million" by Maxine Brown, "Walk Like A Man" by Johnny Moore, and "I'll Always Need You" by Dean Courtney.

The kind of record that makes us mighty proud to live in the Windy City – and a long-overdue look at the wealth of rare club, disco, and soul cuts bubbling in the Chicago underground at the end of the 70s! During the early part of the decade, the city was widely known for some super-huge soul acts – and in the 80s, house would raise Chicago to international fame – but in the space between, the city kept on putting out some really wonderful music – wicked little cuts issued on small indie labels, most of which never got any circulation outside the midwest! The Mr Peabody crate-digging team's collected together the best of the best from these overlooked years – and also threw in a few of their own edits too – furthering the dancefloor potential of some of the best rare nuggets. Titles include "Your Love Is In The Pocket" by Premonition, "Love So New" by Loveship, "A Challenge" by Billy Hinton, "BT" by Yohon, "Attitude Believe & Determination" by Martin L Dumas, "School Days (Mr Peabody's edit)" by Ghalib Ghallab, "Look Let's Make Love" by Sidney Thomas, "Don't Touch It" by Maxx Traxx, "Hooked On Your Love" by On Stage, "Promise (inst)" by Larry Houston, "Runnin To A Disco (Mr Peabody's edit)" by Lonnie Givens, "Funky Preacher (Mr Peabody's edit)" by Cold T, "We Fall In Love" by Cheryl Berdell, "The Composer (Mr Peabody's edit)" by Fantasie, "Disco Ball" by Brighter Side Of Darkness, "Can You Feel It" by Synergy, "What Good Is Music" by The Esquires, "Open Soul" by Tomorrow's People, "Road To Sunshine" by Expo, and "Happy Baby" by Gregory James.

Mindblowing music from the trio of Nick Ashford, Valerie Simpson, and Jo Armstead – most of it composed and recorded in New York during the mid 60s – before Armstead left for the Chicago scene, and Ashford & Simpson went to work for Motown in Detroit! The three writers have a really beautiful way of putting over a tune – fresh lyrics that are perfect for the budding soul generation of the 60s – and which often get some production work from the members of the trio too, especially on some of the tracks here that were issued by Wand Records. The package does a perfect job of unearthing these early years – pulling together compositions by the three (and occasionally just by Ashford & Simpson) – and illuminating this period with notes that are as thorough as the selection of tracks on the set. Titles include "Dance Children Dance" by Mary Love, "The Shoe Won't Fit" by Betty Everett, "Look Away" by The Shirelles, "Are You Trying To Get Rid Of Me Baby" by The Crystals, "I Don't Need No Doctor" by Sandy Nelson, "Please Little Angel" by Doris Troy, "The Real Thing" by The Chiffons, "Smokie Joe's" by The Jewels, "Say It Again" by Marie Knight, "Looky Looky" by Candy & The Kisses, "Mr Creator" by The Apollas, "You're Absolutely Right" by Tina Britt, "I'm Satisfied" by Chuck Jackson & Maxine Brown, "Cry Like A Baby" by Aretha Franklin, "Same Old Feeling" by Jo Ann & Troy, "Only Your Love Can Save Me" by Betty LaVette, and "Love Ain't What It Used To Be" by The Diplomats.

A sprawling set that commemorates the Reggae Golden Jubilee– one that's beautifully put together by VP – and featuring 100 pivotal tracks from the early 60s to the late 00s! Selector Mr. Seaga does a pretty terrific job on the tracklist – which focuses as much on tracks that proved to be among the most trailblazing as it does on big hits. It touches on the styles and subgenres from throughout reggae's history – from ska, to rocksteady, reggae, dub, deejay, dancehall and beyond – with bellwether material by Theophilus Beckford, Higgs & Wilson, Skatalites, U-Roy, Peter Tosh, Jimmy Cliff, Yellowman, Third World, Dennis Brown, Maxi Priest, Sugar Minott, Beres Hammond, Sizzla, Shaggy and many, many more. "Dumplins" by Byron Lee & The Dragonaires, "They Got To Go" by Prince Buster, "Bring Home" by Justin Hines & The Dominoes, "Rough And Tough" by Stranger Cole, "Hypocrite" by The Heptones, "Occupation" by Don Drummond & The Skatalites, "Wear You To The Ball" by U-Roy & The Paragons, "The A Fi Get A Beatin'" by Peter Tosh, "Police And Thieves" by Junior Murvin, "Right Time" by Mighty Diamonds, "Uptown Ranking" by Althea & Donna, "Over Me" by Yellowman, "Pass The Dutchie" by Musical Youth, "Try Jah Love" by Third World, "Wild World" by Maxie Priest, "One Blood" by Junior Reid, "Murder She Wrote" by Chaka Demus & Pliers, "Putting Up Resistance", by Beres Hammond, "You Don't Love Me (No No No)" by Dawn Penn, "Untold Stories" by Buju Banton, "Black Woman And Child" by Sizzla, "Gimme The Light" by Sean Paul, "Pon De River, Pon De Bank" by Elephant Man, "Welcome To Jamrock" by Damian "Jr Gong" Marley, "The Harder They Come" by Jimmy Cliff and more.

A pretty impressive testament to the songwriting of Skip Scarborough – a great compilations of soaringly soulful numbers he wrote from some of the best and biggest soul & R&B singers and groups of the late 70s onward! The set is pretty heavily weighted with numbers from the last couple years of the 70s, with a few from the 80s and later gem or 2 – songs by Earth Wind & Fire, Phyllis Hyman, Freda Payne, Syreeta, LTD, Creative Source, Bobby Humphrey, Patti Labelle, The Emotions and more. A good deal of it is in the somewhat laidback, yet purely soulful and sophisticated style – but his songwriting talent has quite a reach, from string-laden disco era dancefloor soul to boogie, tduets fodder and well beyond. A very well chosen set! Includes "Lover To Lover" by Maxi Anderson, "Earth Wind & Fire" by Earth Wind & Fire, "Funky Luvah" by Creative Source, "Tell Me Please" by Freda Payne, "Love Changes" by Mother's Finest, "Can't Hide Love" by Dionne Warwick, "Don't Ask My Neighbors" by The Emotions, "Dancin To Keep From Cryin" by Bobby Humphrey and more. 18 tracks in all.

Bawdy beer joint stompers, raucous and rumbling proto rock rhythms and perfectly produced numbers from the hillbilly branch of Columbia Records in the 50s! These tales of hard livin' (and drinkin'), heart breakin' and train hoppin' by forgotten hillbilly combos and crooners – plus a handful of legends treasured to this day – will sound terrific until the end of time, thanks to the first wave freshness of the era's vintage – as well as the impeccable recording quality Columbia could provide. Great stuff from Rocky Porter, Rose Maddox (and The Maddox Brothers), Ray Price, Little Jimmy Dickins, "Freddie Hart, Jack Rhodes & His Lone Star Buddies, Bobby Lord and more. A whoppin' 32 tracks in all: "The World Is A Monster" by Rocky Porter, "All I Can Do Is Cry" by Johnny Bond, "No Parking Here" by Jimmy Littleton, "Buddy's Boogie" by The Country Boys, "When The Sun Goes Down" by Rose Maddox, "Red Hot Mama And An Ice Cold Beer" by Smiley Maxedon, "Me And My Big Loud Mouth" by Little Jimmy Dickens, "Much Too Young To Die" by Ray Price and many more.

Jazz from the heart of the cold war – not actually recorded in Moscow, but featuring a bunch of hip players on their return from a tour of the Soviet Union – a historic moment in which west met east, with some groovy jazz in the offing! Apart from the tenor of Zoot Sims and alto of Phil Woods, the record also features flute and alto from Jerry Dodgion, trombone from Willie Dennis, trumpets from Markie Markowitz and Jimmy Maxwell, and piano from Eddie Costa – and the set features arrangements from Al Cohn on tracks that hit the 5 minute range – tight at the top, with breakaway solos, as you might hear during some of the Cohn/Sims sides for RCA during the 50s! Titles include "Let's Dance", "Mission To Moscow", "The Sochi Boatman", and the obligatory "Russian Lullaby".

A rock-solid groove machine from The JBs – an album that's a bit different than their earlier sides for People Records, yet still pretty wonderful overall! The approach is more club than funk – yet the grooves are still mostly live ensemble playing – kind of a ratcheted-up version of the JBs' style, and very similar to the groove that James Brown himself was hitting at the end of the 70s! Given the already-sharp sound of the group, you can bet that the music here is light years better than most other studio disco groups of the period – and although James Brown produced, most of the tracks are instrumental – save for one with vocals by Maxxi. Titles include "Rock", "Georgia Peach Disco", "Just Wanna Make You Dance", "Rock Disco #1", and "Rock Groove Machine".

A contemporary group, but one who play with a definite old school vibe – both in the style of their gritty blues, and even in the instruments and studio equipment they use! The vintage gear makes for a nicely raspy approach to the music – one that really helps give the record an edge you might not expect. Studebaker John sings, plays guitar and harmonica, and titles include "Cold Black Night", "Wicked Soul", "Shake It Down Now", "She's All Right", "Mississippi To Chicago", and "Mojo Hand".

Jazz, soul, and a whole lot more – even a rare psychedelic track from the vaults of Mainstream Records – all brought together in one of the most dynamic entries we've ever seen in the Free Soul series! The cuts here go way past the obvious, and way past the familiar – and the genre-hopping approach is a great reminder that the Mainstream label had a heck of a lot more to offer than just some of its famous funky jazz classics. And as always, Free Soul compiler Toru Hashimoto does a great job of digging up and bringing the music together in ways that really sets unlocks its magic – a whole new way of looking at Mainstream, and one that's really helped us get a new sort of appreciation for the label! CD features 23 tracks, and nearly 80 minutes of music – titles that include "Four" by Jeannie Trevor, "Fuit Of The Desert" by Orient Express, "I Want You Back" by Bobby Shad & The Bad Men, "My Heart Said" by Emily Yancy, "Inner City Blues" by Sarah Vaughan, "Soul Makossa" by Afrique, "The Sweetest Sounds" by Carmen McRae, "Down Yonder" by David Young, "Sound Song" by Barry Miles, "I Just Want To Be There" by Jay Berliner, "Hard Hard Promises" by Alice Clark, "Make It With You" by Maxine Weldon, "Moonlight Serenade" by Jeannie Trevor, "Fly Me To The Moon" by Gloria Coleman, and "What's Going On" by Charles McPherson.

A Batman knock-off record – but a really great one! This set was originally issued in the mid 60s on the cheapo Crown label on the west coast – and it's a surprisingly smoking set of instrumental tracks that are heavy on the Hammond and horns, and which romp along with a mod sort of go-go groove! Only the leadoff track is actually a Batman one – and the rest are instrumentals penned by Maxwell Davies, titled in ways that really get at the grooviness of the set – "Harry Danger", "Super Chase", "Creepy Crawlers", "Lotta Trouble", "Irving Evil", and "Mean & Nasty". CD also features 3 bonus tracks from Davies' Harlem Brass project for Crown – including "Green Hornet Theme", "Tijuana Harlem", and "The Good The Bad & The Ugly".

One of the greatest moments ever from west coast bassman Henry Franklin – a set of soaring, spiritual power – and a key demonstration of his rich energy as a leader! Franklin heads a wicked lineup here – playing both Fender and acoustic bass amidst other players who include Bill Henderson on electric piano, Charles Owens on tenor and soprano sax, Oscar Brashear on trumpet, Kenny Climax on guitar, and Michael Carvin on drums – all coming together with a mix of spiritual vibes and soulful undercurrents, in ways that almost give the record a Strata East sort of vibe! The whole thing is certainly one of the most memorable sessions on the Black Jazz label – and titles include "Outbreak", "Little Miss Laurie", "Theme For Jojo", and "Plastic Creek Stomp".

Brilliant sounds from trombonist Albert Mangelsdorff – a rare live set that captures the modern jazz giant at the height of his powers! The set was recorded around the same time as Albert's famous Now Jazz Rammwong record – and it's got a very similar feel, with lots of elements from Eastern and Indian music styles – touches of the exotic intertwined with modal rhythms, soulful solos, and some occasional freer jazz moments! The blend of sounds is completely captivating, and the recording quality is excellent – sharp enough to make the whole thing feel like some lost Saba/MPS gem from these incredibly creative years in German jazz. In addition to Mangelsdorff's trombone, the set also features tenor and soprano sax from Heinz Sauer, alto from Gunter Kronberg, bass from Gunter Lenz, and drums from Ralf Hubner – on titles that include "Sakura Waltz", "Raknahs", "Now Jazz Ramwong", "Oakaka", "Theme From Pather Panchali", "Burungkaka", and "Far Out Far East".

Definitely the sort of album to make you feel better – given the tight, soulful sounds of Ndugu Chancler and this Chocolate Jam Company! The album's got roots in jazz – Ndugu's a drummer with work on countless other albums – but also steps out with plenty of soul, too – thanks to vocals from Ndugu, Leo Miller, Josie James, and Maxi Anderson – who often sing together in this warm style that fits perfectly with the grooves in the set! Instrumentation is definitely a cut above the usual session of this type – no surprise, given the jazz and fusion heavyweights in the lineup – and the tunes are catchy and grooving, yet never clunky or commercial at all. The blend is sublime – the sort that's made the record a standout for years – and titles include "Send You My Love", "Space Connection", "Make You Feel Better", "Jungle Journey", "Love Anew", and "Come Into My Life Again". CD features three bonus tracks – "Shadow Dancing (7" version)", "Take Some Time (7" version)", and "Love Anew (7" version)".

Fully righteous work from singer Maxine Weldon – working here with bigger backings from Ernie Wilkins that mix in a bit of blues, soul, and funk! The style's never too polished, and almost has a similar feel to some of Esther Phillips' work on the Kudu label during the early 70s – soulful vocals at the lead, backed by some hip jazz and electric instrumentation from players who include Blue Mitchell and Bobby Bryant on trumpet, Hadley Caliman and Ernie Watts on tenor and flute, George Bohannon on trombone, and Freddy Robinson on guitar. Titles include "Don't Make Promises", "Hey, That's No Way To Say Goodbye", "Country Son", "I'll Remember Today", "Fire & Rain", "I Who Have Nothing", and "Ain't Got Nobody".

Rare grooves galore – served up by Chicago DJ Sadar Bahar, with just the right kind of depth we'd expect! The set's one of the funkiest in years from the BBE label – and bristles with great energy ritht from the start – loads of obscure uptempo funky cuts that almost hit a disco mode, but not entirely – laying back instead in that more spontaneous, more live approach to funky music – with a few nice touches of jazz as well! The package includes some real gems from the 70s, plus a few more bits from later years – and titles include "Comin On Strong" by Calender, "Odyssey (part 1)" by Johnny Harris, "Bail Out" by Maxayn, "French Fried Boogie" by Puzzle People, "Striving For Tomorrow" by Moses, "Free" by Seawind, "Scorcher" by Carl Grubbs, "Trying To Get Over" by Sparkles, "Funkyfied" by Chuck Higgins & The Wild Bunch, "Spirit" by Frederic Mercier, and "Mystery Of Ages" by Carlos Garnett.

The complete recordings of a great, overlooked lady of 60s LA soul – Jackie Day, who recorded a beautiful strong string of singles for Modern, Paula, Specialty and other labels – compiled here in this essential set from Kent UK! Jackie's voice is soaringly beautiful, and she's also the credited co-writer and many of these songs, with saxophonist and arranger Maxwell Davis – whose work here is also really great. Many of the numbers are upbeat, danceable mid-to-late 60s soul of the utmost quality – heavy drums, punchy brass, guitar grooves piano and sweet female backup vocals. Includes "Before It's Too Late", "Oh, What Heartaches", "Long As I Got My Baby", "Without A Love", "Step Aside", "Guilty", "What Happened', "Free At Last". "What Kind Of Man Are You?", "What's The Cost?", "Naughty Boy", "I Dig It The Most" and more. 20 tracks in all.

The coolest chapter so far in the long-lost story of the He3 Project – wonderfully spiritual jazz sounds from the San Francisco scene of the early 70s – recorded with a wicked blend of instrumentation and vocals, and a really cosmic sound overall! The music isn't just the usual spiritual jazz of the time – nor the familiar funky sound from the other side of the Bay – and instead, it's kind of a tripped-out hybrid that's really unique – and often served up with a rough edge that makes the instrumentation even more compelling! Players include Hadley Caliman on tenor and flute, Joe West and Terry Mederios on guitars, and Herman Eberitzsch (the HE in the group's name) on Fender Rhodes, Echoplex, piano, and screwdriver. Vocals are from two members of The Waters – Maxine and Julia – although the overall vibe is more instrumental in the end. Titles include "Civilization", "The Massage", "Dark Angels", "Artesian Wells", "Shake A Leg Woman", "To Be True", and "This Is The Struggle".

A great set from Rebbie Jackson – a batch of 80s groovers that's way different than work from siblings Michael or Janet – and done with a percolating sort of vibe that's quite different from some of the core projects of the rest of the Jacksons universe! Wayne Henderson handled most of the production for the set, and brings in a nice sense of class that pushes the work far from too-commercial soul – that strong balance that always makes his name on a record one key reason to check it out! There's still a bit of Jackson influence on the vocals – as Rebbie gets help from Michael, Tito, and Randy Jackson – alongside additional guest vocals from Gary Glenn, Patryce Banks, Maxie Anderson, and The Weather Girls. Titles include "Centipede", "Play Me", "Open Up To My Love", "Hey Boy", "Come Alive It's Saturday Night", "Ready for Love", and "A Fork In The Road". CD features bonus tracks "Eternal Love (single)", "I'm Just Gonna Love You", "Play Me (12" version)", "Play Me (12" inst)", "Come Alive It's Saturday Night (ext mix)", "Centipede (12" mix)", and "Centipede (12" inst)".

A landmark early moment from Doris Troy – a set that has her shining not just as a key 60s soul singer for Atlantic Records – but also as a heck of a great songwriter too! She's got a really fresh approach here – one that's right up front for the time – with a mix of raw vocals and classy production, in a style that's partly New York uptown – but which also has the kind of strongly individual vibe you'd get from singers like Maxine Brown or Barbara Lewis too! Arrangements on the record are by Gregory Carroll, who also wrote the bulk of the material with Doris – including tracks like "Lazy Days", "Bossa Nova Blues", "Whatcha Gonna Do About It", "Time", and "Just One Look". Other tracks include "Stormy Weather", "School For Fools", and "Somewhere Along The Way".

The minimalism of Erik Satie, handled by the maximalism of the Vienna Art Orchestra – at first glance a seeming mismatch, but instead a record that really opens up Satie's music strongly – and also makes for one of the Vienna Art Orchestra's most memorable moments! The large group is broken out into much smaller ensembles for most of the album – often just duos or solo players, working through some of Satie's most inventive compositions – varying instrumentation throughout, in ways that almost make for different refractions of the music through differing lenses – a bit like the excellent Satie project issued around the same time on Nato. Players include Wolfgang Puschnig on flute, Christian Radovan on trombone, Woody Schabata on vibes, Wolfgang Reisinger on tarabuka, and Lauren Newton on voice – and titles include "Reflections On Aubade", "Vexations 1801", "Gnossienne No 3", and "Reflections On Idylle".

Way more than you'd expect from the title and cover – not a batch of familiar disco hits, but a treasure trove of club classics from the early 80s! Sure, some of the artists here are familiar – but most of them are from the indie side of the spectrum, and even the few big stars are represented by either non-hit tracks, or hard to find remixes that make this collection well worth seeking out! And given the early 80s focus of the track selection, there's less disco here than 80s groove and boogie-styled rhythms – heavy on the beats and keyboards, and still filled with plenty of great vocals. 20 tracks on 2CDs – with titles that include "Dreamer (long vocal)" by BB&Q Band, "Nights Of Pleasure (Nick Martinelli mix)" by Loose Ends, "You Can't Run From My Love" by Stephanie Mills, "I'm Out To Catch" by Leon Haywood, "Just Another Lover (12" mix)" by Johnny Kemp, "Fall Down" by Tramaine, "I Feel For You (12" mix)" by Chaka Khan, "Got To Be Real" by Selection, "Garden Of Eve (long)" by Yvonne Gage, "The Rhythm Of The Jungle" by The Quick, "Burnin Love" by Con Funk Shun, "I Need You" by Network, "Love Take Over" by Five Star, and "To Be With You" by Maxx Traxx.

A profoundly funky Message – a smoking set of early 70s funky jazz & heavy soul from the Mainstream Records vaults – a diverse set of incredible recordings from the label that may be fairly sprawling in style, yet holds together thanks to shared funky urgency! It's filled with Bob Shad productions for his stellar Mainstream roster, which at the time included a host of far reaching jazz veterans, soulful chanteuses, and killer funky combos – including Afrique, Blue Mitchell, Sarah Vaughn, Alice Clark, Charles Kynard and many more! The session players reads like a heavyweight jazz title card itself, with Don Pullen, Stanley Clarke, George Cables, Joe Sample, Victor Feldman and more. The set features a very well chosen 18 tracks, with solid notes on each by Dean Rudand. Titles include "House Of Rising Funk" by Chubukos, "Soul Makossa" by Afrique, "The Message" by Blue Mitchell, "Funky Butt" by The Delegates", "Never Did I Stop Loving You" by Alice Clark, "I Want You Back" by Bobby Shad & The Bad Men, "Grits Ain't Groceries" by Maxine Weldon, "The Spirit" by Curtis Fuller", "Bacon Butt Fat" by Charles Williams and more.

A very different sound here than the first volume in the series – one that goes strongly for a later take on R&B influenced soul jazz! There's a strong groove here for the steppers on the Windy City scene – a blend of jazzy soul and smoother jazz that's set together nicely without the too-slick spots that always clutter up other collections – and which represents the few modern tracks that were able to penetrate the mostly-dusty steppers scene back in the day. Production and overall instrumentation is relatively electric, even in the percussion, but there's always a few nice acoustic touches to round things out on the best tracks. Titles include "Mama Dadu" and "L'Amour" by Vodu 155, "Piano Groove" by Piano Negro, "Can We Try Again" by Braxton Brothers, "Soul Manifesto" by Rodney Jones, "Tik Tok (inst)" by Lorenzo Smith, "Laid Back" by Jerald Daemyon, "Modern Life" by Tom Saviano, "Pacific Love" by David Patterson, "Cycles Of Re-Elevation" by Michael McEvoy, "Forever's A Long Long Time" by Orquestra Wax, "Groovin In The Midnight (inst)" by Maxi Priest, and "Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is" by Grant Green.

The return of Demigodz – with guests Open Mic, Termanology, Scoop Deville, Panchi of NYGz, Planetary of Outerspace, Eternia and RA The Rugged Man. 16 tracks in all: "Demigodz Is Back", "Dumb High" feat Open Mic, "Never Take Me Out" feat Termanology, "Just Can't Quit" feat Scoop Deville, "Worst Nightmare", "Can't Fool Me" feat Eternia, "Dead In The Middle", "Raiders Cap", "Fallen Angels", "Tomax & Xamot", "Captain Caveman" feat RA The Rugged Man, "Audi 5000" and more.

A beautiful little group – one who play with a lot more subtlety than you'd guess from the "freedom" in their name! The ensemble's a perfect match of pianist Francesco Tristano, bassist Carlo De Rosa, and drummer Francisco Mora Catlett – a really well-balanced trio that seems to have equal focus on the work of all three instruments, both from a melodic and rhythmic perspective! At times, the percussion of Catlett really seems to open up the tracks – but at others, the sensitive piano lines of Tristano, with almost a Bill Evans sort of care – move things along in this mellow glow that's totally great. Tracks are all long, and develop beautifully with this balance of sonic tenderness and rhythmic pulse – and titles include "Barasuayo", "5xmax", "Dean", "C2izo", "Blue People", and "Earth Tones".

A key look at the influence of Italian rhythms on American dancefloors – tracks from a magical time when Italian artists were hitting big in clubs on the US scene! The work here is from an early 80s moment when disco was on the downturn – leaving space for Italian imports to hit our shores with bigger force than before – bringing with them a range of romping rhythms, electronic sounds, and other odd touches that really set the scene for house music to come! A few cuts here have a slightly cold feel – a bit like the electronic post-punk imports from the UK or Germany – but most numbers are still quite warm and soulful, yet tuned differently than American club of the time – a bit more emphasis on the beats and basslines, even though there's still plenty of vocals and keyboards as well. The set features full notes on this time and the music by Bill Brewster – author of Last Night A DJ Saved My Life – and it features a great array of under-reissued tracks, including "Dreaming" by Rainbow Team, "Burning Love" by DD Sound, "Love" by Firefly, "Wojtyla Disco Dance (part 1)" by Freddy The Flying Ducthman & The Sistina Band, "Brazilian Dancer (DJ version)" by Kasso, "Tha Kee Tha Tha" by Five Letters, "Flor De Coca" by Number One Ensemble, "E Fatto E Sorde E (Maxessa edit)" by Tullio De Piscopo, "Tina Are You Ready (inst)" by Valentine, and "Do It Again" by Easy Going.

A beautiful look at the groundbreaking Vanguard Records label – a key force in the sound of folk music in the 60s – and a hell of a great place for blues, jazz, and psych as well! The package really brings together the full scope of the Vanguard contribution to music at the time – and goes out of its way to select key tracks that are career-defining moments for some artists, and important early and offbeat appearances for others – these wonderful little gems that really show the freedom and opportunities that Vanguard offers for so many artists. The package features 83 tracks in all – wrapped up with a heavy book that runs through the music on a track-by-track basis – offering up plenty of history along the way! Titles include "Rock & Roll Music" by Circus Maximus, "North Country Blues" by Bob Dylan, "Easy Does It" by Sandy Bull, "Janis" by Country Joe & The Fish, "I'm So Glad" by Skip James, "Deep River Blues" by Doc Watson, "Walls Of Time" by Bill Monroe, "Many A Mile" by Patrick Sky, "Wish I Was A Punk" by Notes From The Underground, "Soldier Blue" by Buffy Saint Marie, "Rene's Theme" by Larry Coryelle, "Sold American" by Kinky Friedman, "Sail" by Oregon, "Mobile Line" by Jim Kweskin, "Dope Again" by Serpent Power, "Hello Stranger" by Mike Seeger, and "The Death Of Stephen Biko" by Tom Paxton.

Massive grooves from the legendary Sam Records – a late 70s disco powerhouse from the New York scene – and one of the tightest, most soulful labels on the market! This killer collection not only brings together the best of Sam from the glory days, it also offers up a wealth of edits and remixes that further enforce the funky sounds of the classics – including a number of contemporary edits that really bring out the hippest aspects of the tunes! Percussion breakdowns are extended, keyboard parts stretched out, and basslines are funkier than ever – on a 2CD set of tracks that include "We'll Make It (Volta Bureau edit)" by Mike & Brenda Sutton, "Bourgie Bourgie (Catz N Dogz rmx)" by John Davis & Monster Orchestra, "This Beat Is Mine (Soul Clap rmx)" by Vicky D, "Just How Sweet Is Your Love (Walker & Royce Touch)" by Rhyze, "Feel Alright (Bonar Broadberry edit)" by Komiko, "Stay With Me (Andy Ash edit)" by John Davis, "Let's Lovedance Tonight (Jacques Renault edit)" by Gary's Gang, Just Let Me Dance (Maxxi Soundsystem rmx)" by Scandla, "Up Jumped The Devil (6th Borough Project jumped up jam)" by John Davis, "Keep On Dancing (Todd Terje rmx)" by Gary's Gang, "Don't Stop (runaway rmx)" by KID, and "Let's Do It (Prince Language hands up edit)" by Convertion – plus a long continuous mix of tracks by Jacques Renault!

Patrick Adams picks the best of P&P Records – and the man definitely knows what he's doing – given that he was one of the "P's" in the label's name! The tunes here are heavy on those cool spaced-out grooves that Adams did so well – that wonderfully hip, and very underground style he used after an initial few years in more mainstream soul – the trademark imprint of P&P, and the reason why the label's tunes have gone onto influence so many others over the years! The grooves are all sublime – from quick-stepping moogy numbers, to mellower tracks that stretch out in this great sort of gentle funk – all tied together with a united production aesthetic and lots of shared sympathies between the artists. Titles include "Dance Dance Dance" by Marta Acuna, "Jump Jump Jump" by The Musicmakers, "God's Greatest Gift To Man Is Woman" by Margie Lomax, "God Save & Protect All The Children" by Margo Williams, "The Guardian Angel Is Watching Over Us" by Golden Flamingo Orchestra – and "Flying High", "Disco Juice", "Happy Music", and "Don't Let My Rainbow Pass Me By" by Cloud One.