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A great little soundtrack for the film Marcia Trionfale – composed by Nicola Piovani – one that deftly blends some disparate moods! The film combines an Italian military barracks setting with forbidden romance, which you'd think would be a difficult juggling act for the composer – but he pulls it off masterfully! The main revolving theme is incrediby melodic and memorable, too, making this one well worth this first time CD release! Includes "Marcia Trionfale", "Naja", "Un Fante Quando E Morto Fa Ancora Tre Salti", "Military Music", "Violenza Privata", "Riuscire Con L'Audacia", "I Poeti Dell'Odio", "Madrepatria", "Pizzapop" and "Epilogo Trionfale".

A lost west coast gem from the 50s – a unique quintet session for Atlantic Records, cut by a group co-led by trumpeter Conte Candoli and pianist Lou Levy! There's a bit more fire here than in some of the other sides from the time by the players – especially Levy – and in a way, the record goes a bit farther past the limits of Candoli's Bethlehem sessions, showcasing an especially searing sound in his horn! Other players here include the great Bill Holman on tenor, Leroy Vinnegar on bass, and Lawrence Marable on drums – and titles are all hard and short, and include "Marcia Lee", "Pete's Alibi", "Jordu", "Cheremoya", and "Comes Love".

Stellar grooves from Charles Earland – a great mix of jazz, soul, and funk – put together in a way that's quite different from his previous records on Prestige or Mercury Records! The sound here is tight 80s soul – put together by Tom Tom Washington, who gives the whole thing a sophisticated Chicago vibe – and one that matches Charles' sweet keyboard solos with wickedly sharp rhythms, and some occasional vocal bits too. Singers include Larry Blackmon, TC Campell, and Charles himself – but there's still a focus that seems to be more on the instrumentation overall – served up with some mighty nice organ lines from Earland. Titles include "The Only One", "Marcia's Waltz", "You Belong To Me", "Never Knew Love Like This Before", "Guilty", "Laser Lips", "Earland's Jam", and "Animal". CD features "Never Knew Love Like This Before (single)", "Guilty (single)", "Animal (12" version)", and "The Only One (12" version)".

A classic Italian score from Carlo Rustichelli – penned for a famous early comedy from Marcello Mastroianni! The mood of the film is a bit lighter than some of Marcello's with Fellini – and as a result, so is the soundtrack – put together with a mixture of sprightly melodies and older, warmer modes that really the Italian film score mode of the previous decade – but which are masterfully handled by Rustichelli with a tongue-in-cheek approach that's more of a parody of them than anything else! The blend is quite nice – and almost visual enough even without the images on the screen. Titles include "Divorzio", "Canto D'Amore", "Traffico", "Marcia Funebre", "Musica D'Amore", and "Serenata". This massive 2CD version is filled with material – 14 tracks from the original soundtrack, plus an insane 37 more bonus cuts!

Bossa Nova singers from both sides of the equator – in a groovy collection of work recorded both in Brazil and the US! The set's a wonderfully done exploration of the true range of bossa talents in the 60s – and it features both stars from the Brazilian scene, plus other artists who managed to cross over to US audiences, and got a chance to record for labels like Verve and A&M – all presented without cliche, and without too many over-heard bossa standards – a really fresh set overall, and very much up to the high level we expect from the Jazzclub series! Titles include "Oba La La" by Jorge Ben, "Berimbau" by Nara Leao, "Mas Que Nada" by Luiz Henrique, "So Tinha De Ser Com Voce" by Elis Regina, "Fim De Noite" by Chico Feitosa, "Samba Da Pergunta" by Marcia, "Agua De Beber" by Quarteto Em Cy & Tamba Trio, "O Barquinho" by Lucio Alves, "Bim Bom" by Astrud Gilberto, "Bloco Do Eu Sozinho" by Joyce, "Reza" by Elis Regina & Tamba Trio, "The Face I Love" by Marcos Valle, and "Voce" by Dick Farney & Norma Bengell.

A great set of purely classic level Studio One material – great stuff from the early 60s onward to around 1980 – and unfailingly amazing all the way through! Studio One opened up in the fall of '63, and soon after, the best of the best of Jamaican music greats of the time were wanting to record there for Coxsone Dodd. The set features the unstoppable rhythms of The Skatalites and timeless greatness from The Heptones, Maytals, Horace Andy, Lone Ranger, Freddy McKay, Wailing Souls, Willie Williams, Marcia Griffiths, Dub Specialist, Doreen Schaeffer, Ernest Ranglin and many more. 18 tracks in all: "Ball Of Fire" and "Fidel Castro" by The Skatalites, "I'm Your Man" by The Heptones, "Watch Your Step" by Freedy McKay, "Mr Music" by Pablove Black, "Sitting With Stupid" by Dub Specialist, "Let Me Hold You Tight" by Marcia Griffins, "Treat Me Bad" by The Maytals, "Everything She Want" by Lone Ranger and more.

A beautiful tribute to Italian director Mario Monicelli – a book of images, packaged with a CD of music from his films! The images are wonderful – lots of black and white movie stills, mixed with color images of posters too – often in historical chronology with some additional data – so that the book acts as a visual filmography of Monicelli's rich career! The CD is sweet, too – with music from the 50s all the way up through the present – although mostly from the 70s overall – served up in a range of cinematic styles that's as varied as the movies Mario directed. Titles include "Avvolta In Un Boa Giallo" by Nino Rota, "Al Trani" by Carlo Rustichelli, "I Nuovi Mostri" by Armando Trovajoli, "Mia Cara Olympia" by Nicola Piovani, "Viaggio Con Anita" by Ennio Morricone, "Marcia" by Carlo Rustichelli, "Risate Di Gioia" by Lelio Luttazzi, and "Cala A Sera" by Vito Ranucci.

A motherlode of funky soul covers – pulled together from obscure sources as part of the great Soul Sides series! The names of the songs here are all familiar, but most of the versions are not – remakes of soul, rock, and pop tunes by a variety of artists, mostly from the 70s – many of whom take the music into even funkier territory than the originals! Compiler Oliver Wang really knows his thing with a set like this – and his care in putting the package together makes the volume way more than just a typical soul compilation – thanks to plenty of funky nuggets that should appeal to most of the crate diggers, plus lots of familiar lyrics that have an appeal to the less initiated. Titles include "Kissing My Love" by Spanky Wilson", "Fever" by Sharon Cash, "Feelin Alright" by West Coast Revival, "Home Is Where The Hatred Is" by Esther Phillips, "Here I Am" by Marcia Griffiths, "Che Che Cole" by Antibalas, "Be Thankful For What You Got" by Donovan Carless, "It's Your Thing" by Cold Grits, "Let's Straighten It Out" by OV Wright, "Express Yourself" by Byron Lee, and "Viva Tirado" by Los Mozambiques. CD features the bonus tracks "What A Man" by Laura Lee and "Walk On By" by El Michels Affair.

A cool collection of cookers from the legendary Studio One Records – pulled together here in a collection that bears the Ironsides name of one of its sub-labels, as a great indication of some of the obscure tracks included within! The collection features loads of gems from the earliest years of Studio One – a mix of rocksteady and early reggae cuts that have that wonderfully rootsy feel that was the label's calling card – a way of laying down instrumentation and vocals with a bottom-heavy sound that filters everything together beautifully – and comes out with a wickedly seductive groove. The set's overflowing with cuts we'd never heard before – and titles include "Three Mile Skank" by Lone Ranger, "Rasta Don't Stop No One" by The Stingers, "Nanny's Corner" by Don Drummond, "Danger In Your Eyes" by The Paragons, "Mother & Child" by Fabian Cooke, "Mark My Word" by Marcia Griffiths, "Another Night" by The Soul Sister, "I'm still Waiting" by Cornel Campbell, and "Jamrec Dub" by Pablove Black.

An excellent compilation that's very much in the spirit of the 100% Dynamite sets on Soul Jazz! This time, Soul Jazz dig through the vaults of the legendary Studio One catalog – some of the most important reggae and rocksteady ever recorded, virtually all of it produced under the tutelage of Clement "Coxone" Dodd. Much of this material has been floating around over the years, but we'd be hard pressed to think of a better collection of it – especially when considering the excellent fidelity of the set, which is way better than an of Dodd's own reissues of the material. Plus, the folks at Soul Jazz have gone out of their way to put together the tracks as an extremely well-thought out introduction to the music, not just a scattered batch of tunes that happened to be available. The set also includes a recent interview with Clement Dodd, plus loads of great rocksteady and early reggae tracks. Titles include "Surfin" by Ernest Ranglin, "Real Rock" by Sound Dimension, "Feel Like Jumping" by Marcia Griffiths, "Greedy G" by Brentford All Stars, "Village Soul" by Lennie Hibbert, "Ethiopia" by Cedric Brooks, "Crabwalking" by Prince Jazzbo, "Hot Milk" by Jackie Mittoo, "Badder Dan Dem" by Lone Ranger, and "Bobby Bobylon" by Freddy McGregor.

Tracks include "Wonderful World, Beautiful People", "Viet Nam", "Time Will Tell", "I'm Gonna Use What I Got To Get What I Need", "Sitting In Limbo", "Many Rivers To Cross", "Wild World", "Come Into My Life", and "My Ancestors" by Jimmy Cliff; "Pied Piper", "Save Me", "One Woman", and "Cousin Of Mine" by Bob & Marcia; "Black & White", "Moon River", and "I've Been Trying" by Greyhound; "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes", "Unchained Melody", "You'll Never Walk Alone", and "Here Today, Gone Tommorrow" by Blue Haze; "Liquidator" by The Harry J All Stars; and "La La Always Stay" by Glen & Dave.

Fantastic sounds from one of our city's greatest groups of the past decade – the mighty Mucca Pazza, a darn funky band who are heavy on horns, but move with an incredibly lean groove! The label describes the group as "the marching band that thinks it's a rock band" – but we've always found these guys to be even more playful than that – not rock, but kind of a multi-instrumental "happening" – especially when they crop up at street performances – which are always as visually stimulating as they are musically groovy! This full album represents the group even better than we might have imagined – with a great focus on the harder-romping sound of their music. Titles include "Sexy Bull", "Marcia Anormale", "Boss Taurus", "Monster Tango", "Rabbits & Trees", "Last Days", "Sunday Showing (part 1)", and "Coolashell".

A mighty strong late effort from U-Roy – a record that features a solid roster of legendary and contemporary guests – and one that shows that The Originator can still deliver a fresh, timeless original record even this late in the game! U-Roy is classic-era toaster who sounds perfectly at home in a contemporary setting, so it stands to reason that the mode here would be mix of classic and new rhythms. It works really, really well and The Originator is fine and fresh form! Includes "Love Questions" with Marcia Griffiths, "Pray For Di People", "Border Line" feat Chezidek, "Call On Jah" feat Harrison Stafford, "Cheating Girl" feat Ernest Wilson, "Ebony Eyes" feat Winsome Benjamin, "Pumps And Pride" with Tarrus Riley, "Reason With Jah" feat Horace Andy, "Ungrateful Girl" with Richard Robinson and more.

This one's for the ladies – The Ladies At Joe Gibbs, that is – featuring and sweet batch of classic-level numbers recorded at the legendary studios by Marcia Aitken, Althea, Christine, Dhaima and more. It's got a handful of treasures by "First Lady of Joe Gibbs" Marcia Aitken, plus some relatively obscure numbers and a few nice extended edits. A great little compilation from 17th North Parade! Includes "Ina Jah Children" by Dhaima, "My Man" by Marcia Aitken feat Trinity, "Gonna Get Along Without You Now" by Christine Oliver, "Holiday Style" by Jem & Dean, "Let Me Go Boy" by Marcia Aitken feat Ranking Joe, "Someone Loves You Honey", extended versions of "Emotion" by Marica Aitken feat Ruddy Thomas, "I Can't Stand The Rain" by Hortense Ellis and more. 15 tracks in all.

A cool collection of cookers from the legendary Studio One Records – pulled together here in a collection that bears the Ironsides name of one of its sub-labels, as a great indication of some of the obscure tracks included within! The collection features loads of gems from the earliest years of Studio One – a mix of rocksteady and early reggae cuts that have that wonderfully rootsy feel that was the label's calling card – a way of laying down instrumentation and vocals with a bottom-heavy sound that filters everything together beautifully – and comes out with a wickedly seductive groove. The set's overflowing with cuts we'd never heard before – and titles include "Three Mile Skank" by Lone Ranger, "Rasta Don't Stop No One" by The Stingers, "Nanny's Corner" by Don Drummond, "Danger In Your Eyes" by The Paragons, "Mother & Child" by Fabian Cooke, "Mark My Word" by Marcia Griffiths, "Another Night" by The Soul Sister, "I'm still Waiting" by Cornel Campbell, and "Jamrec Dub" by Pablove Black.

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

A pair of thrilling 70s action scores – back to back on a single CD! First up is La Montagna Del Dio Cannibale – a cannibal narrative scored with a great sense of drama by the De Angelis brothers – almost the same energy as their cop/crime work, but without the funk – just full, rich sounds that really build over time, and create this strong feeling of suspense! There's a few exotic elements in the music, given the setting – and these make for some slight hint of a groove – and titles include "Visioni Distorte", "Marcia Allucinante", "La Montagana E Il Mistero", "Ipnosi Tragica", and "Il Dio Cannibale". Messalina Messalina has an older Roman setting, and a relatively sexy narrative – and the music is scored with a mix of percussion, light flute, and some slinky electric basslines – of that great sort that was often used to convey sex in 70s Euro cinema! Some of the melodies are playful, others more erotic – and titles include "Notti Romane", "Danzatrici", "Incontro D'Amore", "Un Piacevole Addio", "Messalina", and "Ballata Burlona".

A sweet overview of work from the second stretch of the career of Gilberto Gil – and a set that's worth it alone for two of the five albums in the package! The set begins with Refazenda and Refavela – both fantastically funky albums that have Gilberto Gil hitting a soulful style that's very different than before – a mode that's more Jorge Ben than any of Gil's previous work – yet still with some of the sharper, more creative edges that always made him one of the leading lights of 70s MPB! Realce manages to capture a lot of the warmth and imagination of Gil's earlier work. The production's a little smooth in parts, but Gil's beautiful voice and guitar playing are still right out front, especially in some of the more stripped-down tracks. Raca Humana is pretty compelling stuff – almost a new wave album of sorts, recorded with lots of tight guitar work by producer Liminha, and plenty of catchy tunes that sparkle like some lost gems from early 80s radio. And Kayangandaya is a real surprise – an album of reggae tracks, mostly by Bob Marley, recorded in Kingston at the Tuff Gong Studios, with help from the Rita Marley, Marcia Griffiths, Judy Mowatt, Sly & Robbie, and others. The record's actually pretty nice – a good blend of the dub-heavy sounds of Jamaica, with some of the rougher soul stylings that Gil was crafting in earlier years – a combination that shouldn't work, but which does nicely.

Brick City vet and Artifacts affiliate Beneficience delivers a sharp set of hip hop in Concrete Soul for Ill Adrenaline – featuring an impressive roster of guests – but to Bene's credit, he's never overshadowed here! Guests include Lord Tariq, Masta Ace, Chubb Rock, Roc Marciano, El Da Sensei, D-Flow, Billy Danze, AG and more. Includes "YWE" with Lord Tariq, "Reality Vs Fiction" feat Masta Ace, "Cold Train" with Grap Luva & Rob-O, "Concrete Soul" feat Troo Kula of Brainwash 2000, "Masterful Method" with Chubb Rock, "Art Of War" with Billy Danze of MOP, "All Real" feat AG, "Metal Cuff Links" feat Nature,, "Somethin' Yall Can Roll Wit", "Under Constructuon, "Hood Cartel" with Roc Marciano and more.

The legendary Brazilian vocal group – caught live on the Ensaio TV program! The performance is from much later years in the Golden Boys' history – far from the time of their 60s hits – but the vocals are still wonderful, and captured here with an intimacy that really lives up to the other recordings done on the famous show. There's a huge amount of tracks here – amazing how much these guys can get into the space of an hour – and some titles are English numbers, redone in a cool new Brazilian mode! Titles include "Little Darling", "Abertura", "Rua Augusta", "Quando", "E Papo Firme", "Te Amo", "Foi Assim", "Andanca", "Dois Pra La Dois Pra Ca", "Fumace", "Marcianita", "O Ritmo Da Chuva", and "Samba".

Tight hip hop from the superhero team of Inspectah Deck with 7L & Esoteric – mostly produced by 7L, with a most welcome guest producer in the legendary DJ Premier – and it's a strong statement from the underappreciated Wu Tang gamer and the ever-creative DJ 7L! On the production tip, 7L pays homage to classic Wu without copying it – and utilizing both classic and completely leftfield samples in a fresh, funky way. The rhymes by Deck and Eso are top shelf, too – with a guest list that includes Roc Marciano, Oh No, Ghostface and others. Includes "Air 'Em Out", "Cement 3's" feat Roc Marciano, "Czar Refaeli" feat Oh No, "Rock Beat", "Savagely Attacked" feat Ghostface Killah, "Marvel Team-Up", "It's Raw" feat Action Bronson, "Let It Off", "Word War 4", "Poisonous Thoughts" feat Mr. Mfn Exquire, "Shoguns" feat Cappadonna & Vinnie Paz, "Hazmat Rap" and the DJ Premier-produced "Let It Off".

A wild collection of rare tracks from this legendary group of the Tropicalia scene – a few outtakes and live tracks, but also some cool commercials, and collaborations with Caetano Veloso too – all brought together in a set that's a great complement to their famous albums of the late 60s! Maybe the most striking are a series of spots the group did for Shell gasoline – work we can't help but think they did with an ironic twist – and the set also features tracks with Veloso, "Marcianita" and "A Voz Do Morto" – plus "Balada Do Louco (outtake)", "Gloria Ao Rei Dos Confins Do Alem (live)", "Panis Et Circensis (live)", "E Proibido Poibir (live)", "Ando Meio Desligado/Nao Fez Marola (long)", "Caminhante Noturno (Franca 1969)", and "Baemacumba (Franca 1969)".

Raw and direct Strong Island hip hop from Roc Marciano on Fat Beats – the instrumental versions of the solo debut from The UN MC! Sharp underground NY hip hop inspired by the classics and living up to the legacy. Titles include "It's A Crime", "Whateva Whateva", "Raw Deal", "Snow", "Ridin Around", "Panic", "Thug's Prayer", "Pop", "Jungle Fever", "Scarface" and more.

Triple strength Trinity – featuring Sadat X, AG and DJ Lab – delivering a full scale attack on Fat Beats! Guests include Eternia, Janelle Collins, Ill Bill, Roc Marciano, Slug and Immortal Technique – with beats and production by J Dilla, Kixnare, DJ Jab and more. Includes "Up To The BX" feat Eternia, "Rap Attack", "Twenty In", "My Way" with Janelle Collins, "Corrupt" feat Ill Bill & Immortal Technique, "MY Bridges", "Victory" and the large scale "Sometimes" with Reef The Last Cause, Eternia, Slug, Everlast, Roxanne Shante, Immortal Technique and more!

Tight hip hop from the superhero team of Inspectah Deck with 7L & Esoteric – mostly produced by 7L, with a most welcome guest producer in the legendary DJ Premier – and it's a strong statement from the underappreciated Wu Tang gamer and the ever-creative DJ 7L! On the production tip, 7L pays homage to classic Wu without copying it – and utilizing both classic and completely leftfield samples in a fresh, funky way. The rhymes by Deck and Eso are top shelf, too – with a guest list that includes Roc Marciano, Oh No, Ghostface and others. Includes "Air 'Em Out", "Cement 3's" feat Roc Marciano, "Czar Refaeli" feat Oh No, "Rock Beat", "Savagely Attacked" feat Ghostface Killah, "Marvel Team-Up", "It's Raw" feat Action Bronson, "Let It Off", "Word War 4", "Poisonous Thoughts" feat Mr. Mfn Exquire, "Shoguns" feat Cappadonna & Vinnie Paz, "Hazmat Rap" and the DJ Premier-produced "Let It Off".

Hip hop production titan Large Professor – still at large and delivering the goods! Large Pro produces like the timelessly inventive figure we all know that he is – and he rocks the mic with a golden age-styled flow. Rob Swift contributes some scratches on the sharp opener "Keys To The City" and the record has guest production by Marco Polo on the title track – plus appearances by Grand Daddy IU & Mic Geronimo, Busta Rhymes, Tragedy Khadafi and more. Other tracks include "Unowhtmsayn", "Focused Up", "Happy Days R Here", "Professor @ Large", "Barber Shop Chop", "Mack Don Illz", "Kick Da Habit", "LP Surprise", "Back In Time", the posse cut closer "MARS" with Action Bronson, Cormega, Roc Marciano and Saigon and more.