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A cool compilation that features one album of new recordings of older Dinah Washington hits – done in 1961 with backings by Quincy Jones – and another record that features some of Dinah's best bits for Mercury from the late 50s and early 60s!

Tightly grooving work from The Bar-Kays – a set that's light years away from the sound of their Memphis roots, but still plenty darn funky overall! The album's got a tight bass-heavy approach to the music – the well-forged ensemble sound that graced the later years of the Bar-Kays' career, with nary a note out of place, and a sweet blend of keyboards over the bass, giving the tunes a strong electric feel – gliding wonderfully over romping rhythms on the upbeat tracks, and stepping sweetly on the album's few mellow gems. Titles include "Tripping Out", "Propositions", "Anticipation", "Do It (Let Me See You Shake)", "She Talks To Me With Her Body", and "You Made A Change In My Life".

It's clearly long after his Stax years at this point, but the album's still got some nice enough soul moments, and was still all recorded in the south. Tracks include "Yesterday I Lied, Today I Cried", "Morning Glory", "Your Love Keeps Me Going", "Let it Shine", and "Satin Sheets".

A Native Tongues (more or less) hip hop classic from 1991! We hardly need tell you about this one, but in case you can't remember, this is the LP with "Flavor Of The Month", "Similak Child", "Pass The 40", "To Whom It May Concern", "Butt In The Meantime", "Strobelite Honey", and more! Totally legit, with the original cover, and everything!

"When the east is in the house. . .". 13 tracks in all, including "Danger", "Danger (part 2)", "Blah, Blah, Blah", "Don't Let This Rap Sh!t Fool You", "Pain I Feel" and "Good Cop Bad Cop".

The second bright blast of garage psych grooves from Blues Magoos – their excellent Electric Comic Book set for Mercury – just as great as the first album! At this early point, the group brings a deliriously high energy approach, even in the studio – we can only imagine how incredible the live show must have been – but still with catchy harmonies and a wicked sense of humor. The organ and heavy drums is the bedrock for garage rock to come, too! Titles include "Pipe Dream", "There's A Chance We Can Make It", "Gloria", "Summer Is The man", "Baby I Want You", "Take My Love", "Rush Hour" and more.

Early work from Con Funk Shun – different than their later, better known hits! The group sure knew how to slap that bass, even back on this first album for Mercury – but then again, they – along with other big Mercury groups like The Ohio Players – were pioneering the bass-heavy sound that would influence countless bands over the next decade in soul. This first album's actually one of the group's best, with some nice rough edges that we like even more than the smoother sound of later albums. And oddly, some of our favorite cuts are the mellower ones – like the smooth jazzy instrumental "Foley Park", which has a nice moogy solo in the middle. Other good mellow cuts include "Another World", which almost has a "Summer Madness" quality to it, plus "Forever Just Ain't Long Enough" and "Never Be The Same".

Nice later material by Cugie – recorded slightly before his 60s pop excursions, and with a sound that retains a lot of his original conception, but which touches it with some nice exotic hi-fi production. Titles include "Siboney", "Anna", "Jungle Drums", "Jungle Concerto", "Say Si Si", and "Poinciana".

Well, we don't know if Mr B could ever be considered "modern", but this is a pretty groovy batch of 60s pop tunes – like "Mister Kicks", "People", "Wanted", "Wives & Lovers", and "A Beautiful Friendship" – all done to arrangements by Billy Byers, Benny Carter, and Bobby Tucker, with that great mid 60s Mercury pop feel to them. There's some nice jazz elements in the mix, and Billy's always a treat for us!

There's definitely lots of brass here – as you might guess from the title – but never so much so that it gets in the way of individual soloing by Maynard Ferguson! The date features Maynard working with arrangements by Willie Maiden, Al Cohn, Ernie Wilkins, and Bill Holman – all for a largeish group that's wonderfully hip – Bobby Timmons on piano, Anthony Ortega on alto, Jimmy Ford on alto and tenor, Willie Maiden on tenor, Tate Houston on baritone, Richard Evans on bass, and Larry Bunker on drums – plus some added trumpets and trombones! Maynard himself plays both instruments on the date, and the album also feature some surprising guest vocals by Irene Kral on 4 tracks – spicing up the instrumental blend with lyrics on "Moonlight In Vermont", "I Hadn't Anyone Till You", "Imagination", and "The Song Is You". Instrumental tracks include "Jeepers Creepers", "I Never Knew", "A Foggy Day", "Love Me Or Leave Me", and "The Lamp Is Low".

Serge's 4th album – and another wonderful gem from his early years! The record's like some of the others from the time, mixing together jazz, Latin rhythms, and all the offbeat existentialism of the postwar Paris scene. The record was originally only ever issued as a 10" LP – and it's been wonderfully redone here, with the original cover art. Titles include "Les Cigarillos", "Intoxicated Man", "Les Goemons", "Baudelaire", "Black Trombone", and "Requiem Pour Un Twisteur".

A landmark collaboration between Serge Gainsbourg and actress Jane Birkin – his paramour at the time, and a much younger woman! This album is perhaps the archetypal Gainsbourg erotic effort – and it's filled with wonderful duets set to breathy, bouncy orchestrations – tunes that forged a whole new "adult" level in pop music – not just in France, but around the globe! The arrangements are amazing, and feature some of the weirdest instrumentation ever heard on a pop record – especially one that was as successful as this – and titles include the classic "69 Annee Erotique", plus"Jane B", "Elisa", "Orang Outan", "Les Sucettes", and "Manon".

Perhaps THE greatest Quincy Jones album of the 60s – a hard-swinging batch of big band bossa tunes – and one of the greatest American takes on the bossa sound ever! Quincy really brings a lot of soul to the set – syncopating the bottom end of the tunes to really bring out the rhythms, and working with a jazzy flourish of horns that creates all these quick and clever little turns in the tunes! The sound's been heard most famously on the incredible track "Soul Bossa Nova" – an original by Quincy for the set, which has gone onto much greater fame through its use in the film Austin Powers, and a bazillion TV commercials! But the whole album's great too – and other tracks include "Serenata", "Lalo Bossa Nova", "Boogie Bossa Nova", and "Chega De Saudade".

One of the biggest major label hip hop albums of the early 80s – and easily one of the best ever full length sets from Kurtis Blow! There's a straightforward simplicity here that's totally great – a slight elevation of the Sugar Hill groove towards a more mainstream audience – but one that never loses the basic back/forth party rhythms of the old school scene. Kurtis' rhymes aren't going to set the world on fire, but they're also a fair bit more thoughtful at times than some of his contemporaries – and tracks include the classic "The Breaks", plus "Rappin Blow (Part 2)", "Hard Times", "Throughout Your Years", "Takin Care Of Business", and "Way Out West".

A hip little album by Miriam Makeba – part South African soul, part New York hip, with arrangements that recall some of Makeba's later work, bits of Nina Simone, and touches of Uptown soul. Arrangements and backing are by Luchi De Jesus – and Sivuca's actually part of the backing, and you can hear him singing and playing accordion behind Makeba with that cool breezy sound of his. Titles include "Mr Man", "A Piece Of Ground", "Akana Nkomo", "West Wind", "Where Are You Going", and "My Love Is Young".

Pure crossover genius from Buddy Miles – a great mix of funky soul and rockish touches – and the kind of record that easily put Buddy in the same camp as Sly Stone or The Isley Brothers with mainstream audiences of the time! Tracks here are a bit longer and more jamming than work by either of those two artists – with the kind of heavy guitar and horns that played heavily to the Fillmore crowd – but the overall sound of the record is a fair bit more soulful and even funkier than some other Miles' efforts from the earlier years too, with plenty of his tight drums in the mix! Titles include a great 12 minute reading of the title track "We Got To Live Together" – plus "Take It Off Him & Put It On Me", "Runaway Child", "Walking Down The Highway", and "Easy Greasy".

Great work from the Ohio Players – and proof that moving to a big label could be a good thing for a funky group! This was the band's first album for Mercury – and although one might have the temptation to say that the label cut down the radical funk sound of the trippy Westbound years, the move also taught the band to sharpen up their act, and get out of the repetitive sloppy groove into which they'd been lapsing during the past few years. The record's a lot smoother than earlier work – with a polished funky sound that would soon push the band right up there with Earth Wind & Fire at the top of the soul charts. And although there's familiar funky numbers like "Skin Tight", "Jive Turkey", and "Streakin Cheek To Cheek" – the best moment on the entire album is the wonderful spacey soul number "Heaven Must be Like This", a seven minute mellow groover that's got a sophisticated jazzy soul style, with voices and piano soaring into the heavens, in a way that always still sends chills down our spine! That cut shows the band's tremendous growth – and it's one of their best-ever!

One of Pete Rugolo's greatest albums – and some of his most groundbreaking work away from Stan Kenton! The album features Rugolo arranging for a tight group of west coast reed players – including Bud Shank, Dave Pell, and Bob Cooper – and the tracks are angular, complicated, and dosed with that right mixture of modernism and swing that made Kenton's best work from the early 50s so great. Titles include "Theme For Alto", "Igor Beaver", "Impressionism", "Our Waltz", "Polytonal Blues", and "Collaboration".

Heavy rock with a killer groove and a mighty thing to behold – and from Brooklyn! Sir Lord Baltimore aren't mentioned enough among the first wave of groups that would seen be defined as heavy metal, but they absolutely deserve to be. Pure bombast and thunderous rock that's of the same school of brawn as Sabbath. Titles include "Master Headache", "Pumped Up", "Kingdom Come", "Hell Hound", "I Got A Woman" and more.

Mighty soulful business from the great Jimmy Smith – a set for Mercury Records that updates his sound slightly, yet also hits some classic Hammond lines too! Jimmy plays a bit of acoustic piano and keyboards in addition to his classic organ – and works here in a setting that's tightly arranged, yet mostly small combo – with work from Ray Crawford on guitar, Nolan Phillips on tenor and flute, and added percussion from Buck Clarke and Stephanie Spruill. Rhythms step along nicely in kind of a 70s take on 60s soul jazz modes – leaving lots of room for Jimmy to open up on his solos – but there's also a few other more ambitious moments, including a great take on "Serpentine Fire" arranged by Ronnie Foster – and a warmly wonderful "Stevie" – which is a suite of tracks dedicated to Stevie Wonder. Other titles include "8 Counts For Rita", "Blues For Charlie", "Until It's Time For You To Go", and "Norristown PA".

Genius, pure genius – and a record that will completely revise your thinking about Rod Stewart! Amazing arrangements, acoustic instruments going crazy, and oh those drums! Titles include "Gasoline Alley", "My Way Of Giving", "Cut Across Shorty", "Lady Day", "Jo's Lament", and "Country Comforts".

A super huge hit for Donna Summer – a disco classic as well as a pop crossover smash! The album was produced by disco powerhouse Giorgio Moroder, and featured the hits "Hot Stuff", "Bad Girls", and "Dim All The Lights". Plus the songs "On My Honor", "Our Love", "Lucky", "There Will Always Be A You", "Sunset People", and lots more!

Although this one's not from Gabor's classic period on the Skye label, it does have a nice R&B fusion sound to it, and was recorded at Sigma Studios in Philly. Bunny Sigler produced, and he gives the set a 70's soul sort of sound, but Gabor's cool guitar is still out front, and keeps the tracks sharp, in a sort of pop fusion way. Cuts include the spacey "Concorde (Night Flight)", plus "Babby Rattle Snake", "Smooth Sailin", and "Keep Smilin".

Very hip gospel work by Sister Rosetta Tharp – singing here with her own guitar accompaniment, plus backing by small combos! The sound is a folksy mix of gospel and blues styles, with traces of early soul as well – and titles include "Didn't It Rain", "This Train", "Strange Things Happening Every Day", and "My Journey To The Sky".

A dozen classics from sassy Sarah Vaughan's Mercury years, including "Misty", "Broken Hearted Melody", "Make Yourself Comfortable", "Autumn In New York", "Moonlight In Vermont", "How Important Can It Be", "Smooth Operator", "Whatever Lola Wants", "Lullaby Of Birdland", "Eternally", "Poor Butterfly" and "Close To You".

A pretty groovy little album from Dinah Washington – at first glance a set of older standards, but at second glance a date that features some wonderfully swinging arrangements from Quincy Jones! The Q really helps Dinah break from the usual mode here – providing here with an upbeat, tightly snapping sort of groove – that sweetly syncopated Quincy Jones sound that really helped some singers hit new heights in the 60s. And as an added delight, The Dells make a key appearance on a few tracks – singing in a harmony group style that's similar to their one album on Vee Jay – almost more in Four Freshmen modes, but in a really great way! Titles include "Am I Blue", "Tears & Laughter", "If I Should Lose You", "I Just Found Out About Love", "Wake The Town & Tell The People", and "Wee Small Hours".

A pivotal album from The Bar-Kays – a key post-Stax set, but one that's still very firmly grounded in Memphis funk! The groove definitely shows a bit more polish than before – the same sort of shift the Ohio Players made after moving to Mercury Records – but as with the Players at their best, there's still plenty of sharp edges and deeply funky moments on the record – and if anything, the shift has really given The Bar-Kays a way to evolve their sound past some of the heavier modes of the early days, without losing any of the appeal of their groove! Some cuts have some great keyboards – almost producing a spacey funk feel at points – and titles include "Too Hot To Stop (part 1)", "You're So Sexy", "Cozy", "Spellbound", "Whitehouseorgy", and the nice mellow track "Summer Of Our Love".

A stellar bit of boogie from Con Funk Shun – produced to perfection by Skip Scarborough, and done in a style that has lots of jazzy elements! The album was recorded well into the group's time on the Mercury label, but it's a real standout from the rest – thanks to an extremely well-written batch of tunes, and a mode of bass-heavy funk that avoids the cliches of other groups at the time – and goes for a more laidback style that sounds especially nice on the mellower numbers. Michael Cooper's great on lead vocals – and titles include "By Your Side", "Early Morning Sunshine", "Curtain Call", "Happy Face", "Juicy", "Lovestruck 1980", and "Honey Wild".

A sweet bouncy groover – one of the rare albums of modern soul cut by the group Delegation! The group in this incarnation are a trio – Ray Patterson, Ricky Bailey, and Bruce Dunbar on vocals – stripped-down harmonically, a perfect fit for the album's groove-heavy arrangements. The album's got the same warm finish, with a touch of jazz, that you might find in some of the Arista modern soul albums from the same era – infused with a bit more of a club approach on a few of the more uptempo cuts. Titles include "Blue Girl", "Heartache No 9", "One More Step To Take", "Sho Nuff Sold On You", "Darlin", "You & I", "Stand Up", and "Put A Little Love On Me".

A lost classic from Father's Children – the group's only album ever, but an impeccably produced set – thanks to the efforts of Wayne Henderson's At Home Productions team! The groove here is similar to that forged by Henderson over at Fantasy – soul, but inflected with plenty of jazzy fusion touches – instrumentation that steps out riffing with a really great edge, and fleshes out the sound with a lot more creativity and imagination than mainstream soul at the time. The best grooves here have a midtempo boogie flavor – with plenty of righteous jazzy touches alongside the richer harmonies that flow out warmly on the lyrics! Titles include their landmark track "Hollywood Dreaming", plus other nice ones like "Got To Get Away", "Gone Bad", "You Can Get It", "Music For Your Mind", and "Shine On".

Thin Lizzy's 70s rock masterpiece! Sure it's the mainstream radio fare of the period, but this is one of those albums that put the classic in classic rock! The definitive Gorham-Robertson twin guitar attack keeps this set rocking nicely and Lynott's in prime form with a batch of extra classy hooks under the tough rock exterior. 9 tracks in all, with both well known numbers like "Jailbreak", "The Boys Are Back in Town" and 'Cowboy Song" and equally excellent sleepers like "Warriors", "Emerald" and "Fight Or Fall".

The set features only 4 duets between Brook & Dinah – "Baby (You've Got What It Takes)", "I Do", "I Believe", and "A Rockin Good Way (To mess Around & Fall In Love)", which is probably the best track on the LP. Other titles are by Dinah alone – "There Goes My Heart", "Love Walked In", "This I Promise You" – or Brook by himself – "Because Of Everything", "Call me", and "Not One Step Behind".

A bit of a notorious record in the good Captain's career, cut in the transition between the original Magic Band and the fine later lineup that was responsible for the excellent LPs on Virgin. The sound is pretty spare, and without the mindbending twists and turns that Beefheart had made his trademark up to this point, and as such, is more of a straight blues and rock record. Van Vliet still sounds great, croaking his idiosyncratic lyrics in his own bad to the bone manner. 9 tracks in all, including "Party Of Special Things", "Same Old Blue3s", "Observatory Crest", "Pompadour Swamp", "Captains Holiday", "Rock N Roll's Evil Doll", "Further Than We've Gone", "Twist Ah Luck" and "Bluejeans & Moonbeams".

Some of Serge Gainsbourg's first recordings – a mixture of left bank chic, jazzy rhythms, and some of the strangest songwriting to grace the Parisian scene! All titles feature great backings by Alain Goraguer, Serge's longtime musical partner, who brings in some wonderful elements to the songs – embellishing them with cool vibes, offbeat piano, snapping snare drum, and bubbling bass to match the oddly-crafted lyrics of the tunes. Titles include "Ronsard 58", "Ce Mortel Ennui", "Le Poinconneur Des Lilas", "Douze Belles Dans La Peau", "Charleston Des Demanageurs De Piano", and "L'Alcool".

The first album by Palais Schaumburg – and easily the hardest set the group ever recorded – a really mad batch of rhythms that comes off with raw post punk energy! At some level, the group share a lot with some of their post-prog German contemporaries – some of the noisy elements of Einsturzende Neubauten, the hypnotic grooves of Die Krupps, or the playful electronics of Pyrolator – yet at another level, Palais Schaumburg also remind us a lot of the arty, dubby groups of the UK scene at the time – with the basslines up a fair bit in the mix, and cold-toned lyrics that snap along with the skittish rhythms amidst the occasional flurry of horns – almost in a space between The Slits, Rip Rig & Panic, and the more experimental pre-country years of The Mekons. Great stuff all around – very ripe for rediscovery today – with tracks that include "Die Freunde", "Wir Bauen Eine Neue Stadt", "Gute Luft", "Grunes Winkelkanu", "Morgen Wird Der Wald Gefegt", "Madonna", and "Eine Geschichte". Special limited package also features the bonus Single Kabinett EP – plus six more live tracks, all previously unreleased – and a 20 page booklet as well!

Perhaps the greatest record Jerry Butler made in the 70s, and a very tight bit of baroque Chicago soul with arrangements and production by Samuel F. Brown III. The tracks are a good mix of originals and covers, and they all show Jerry going way past his Gamble & Huff/Mercury years – into the sophisticated mix of soul, jazz, and studio imagination that was going down on the Chicago scene of the late 60s and early 70s. A few cuts feature duets with Brenda Lee Eager, but the best numbers are the solo ones, like "A Prayer", "That The Way it Was", "If I Could Remember", and "I Need You".

If you're not familiar with Keith's bigger hits from the period, particularly the set opening "98.6", think Hal David/Burt Bacharach in a more driving, sometimes almost garage rock setting. The set has all of the grandly arranged and soaring harmonies, rolling horn charts, piano hooks and chiming acoustic and electric guitars, but it's all grounded by Keith's fairly simple, but smoothly charismatic lead vocal delivery! Titles include "98.6", "Mind If I Hang Around", "Sweet Dreams", "Tell Me To My Face", "I Can't Go Wrong", and "Pretty Little Shy One".

Patti Page is definitely in the land of hi-fi here – sounding a lot groovier than on some of her other 50s albums, thanks to some really wonderful arrangements by Pete Rugolo! Pete swings things hard here – with the same dramatic flair and playful turns of his own instrumental albums on Mercury – creating a setting that brings a lot more life into Patti Page than you might expect! There's lots of dynamic horn work on most numbers – bursting out and blasting forth with a quality that really helps direct the sound of the vocals – and titles include "Nevertheless", "A Foggy Day", "My Sin", "Love For Sale", "The Lady Is A Tramp", and "I Didn't Know About You".

The Bar-Kays' last album for Stax – most likely recorded in earlier years – and a surprisingly funky set that still holds onto the group of the group's earlier 70s work, while also pointing the way towards the future! The overall sound isn't nearly as slick as in the Mercury years, and the album still makes good use of heavy guitar on the grooves, as well as some of the jazzier instrumental flourishes (especially on trumpet) that set the group apart from the rest of the funky pack. Tracks are all quite long, and still heavily focused on funk – and titles include "Holy Ghost", in two versions, plus "Monster", "Feelin Alright", "Mean Mistreater", and "Money Talks".

An obscure later album from west coast soul group Chapter 8 – recorded after Anita Baker had left the group to move out on her own, but done for the mid 80s Beverly Glen indie, where Baker had also gotten her start as a solo act! The set's got a feel that's smooth and sophisticated – tighter even than the group's 70s album on Mercury – and most of the tracks focus on mellow modern and more adult-styled soul numbers that showcase the vocals of singers Valerie Pinkston and Gerald Lyles. Titles include "How Can I Get Next To You", "Don't Stop Loving Me", "How Is It Possible", "Love Loving You", "It's My Turn", and "Don't You Think It's Time".

Incredible stuff – a never-issued funky soul record from the 70s – but one that you'll proudly stack next to your rare classics from Ramp, 24-Carat Black, and James Mason! Like work by all three of those acts, this early set by Father's Children is massive righteous – filled with deep soul and strong social messages, while also coming across with a hell of a groove, too – thanks to some wickedly funky backings, and production that keeps the whole thing burning along beautifully! The set is amazing – quite different than the later Mercury Records album by the band – and more like the kind of record you'd expect to hear from Curtom or early 70s Stax – a perfect choice for the folks at Numero to bring to light after all these years – and another reason why their efforts are always worth checking out. As usual for the label, there's a full set of notes and photos that tell the story of the group and this lost treasure – but even if it came out with no artwork at all, the music would still have us raving – as you'll hear on cuts that include "Universal Train", "Everybody's Got A Problem", "Linda", "Dirt & Grime", "Who's Gonna Save The World", and "Kohoutek".

A pretty great little album by the multi-reed player Ralph Gari – and obscure New York talent that we've only ever heard on this one side cut for Mercury during the 50s. The focus here is on Gari's great reed work within a small combo – and he plays alto, clarinet, flute, and oboe on the album's tracks. His alto work is fairly heavily featured, which is great, because he's a tight angular player in the Boston soul mode of artists like Dick Johnson or Charlie Mariano. Backing is by a piano trio on each side, and titles include "Kali", "Fourth Dimension", "Happy Daze", "That Old Black Magic", and "The Way You Look Tonight". Great stuff, and kind of like some of the excellent Hal McKusick albums from the same time!

Excellent small group work from vibist Terry Gibbs – just the kind of set that shows why he was one of the best known players on his instrument in the 50s! Gibbs has a clear, clean style here that's never too laidback, nor too prone to over-done flourishes – a style that was born in swing, informed by bop, and carried off beautifully by a quartet on the date that includes Terry Pollard on piano, Herman Wright on bass, and Bert Dale (aka Nils Bertil Dahlander) on drums. The sound is nicely straight ahead – no gimmicks, no schtick, just nicely grooving work on vibes and piano – with tracks that include "Seven Come Eleven", "Lonely Dreams", "Dickie's Dream", "Imagination", "King City Stomp", "Pretty Face", "The Continental", "Bless My Soles", and "Nutty Notes".

Amazing sounds from Lee Hazlewood – some of his most offbeat, unbridled recordings ever – and that's saying a lot if you've already heard his classics for Mercury, MGM, and Reprise! The package here brings together rare work from Lee's own LHI label – packaged beautifully with a rich set of notes, session details, and some amazing photos that follow in the spirit of the nutty-looking cover image! Hazlewood's voice is sublime throughout – that deeper-than-deep quality that always leaves us breathless – perfect for the sly wit and and "aw shucks" sensibility of the tunes – and also for unlocking the growing adult sensuality that Lee was letting into his work at the time. A few female singers step forth in that great Hazlweood duet mode – Nina Lizell, Suzi Jane Hokom, and Ann Margret – who each sing on a few tracks – but Lee's in the lead on most numbers, and titles include the previously unreleased "I Just Learned To Run" – plus "The Bed", "Sleep In The Grass", "The Night Before", "If It's Monday Morning", "Won't You Tell Your Dreams", "Hey Cowboy", "No Train To Stockholm", "What's More I Don't Need Her", "Trouble Maker", and "Nobody Like You".

A split 70s LP – with two earlier classics! First up is How I Feel About Jazz – an important early album from Quincy Jones! Q's working here in some of his hippest settings of the 50s – scoring longish versions of jazz tunes for groups that include players like Lucky Thompson on tenor, Herbie Mann on flute, Art Farmer on trumpet, Phil Woods and Gene Quill on alto sax, Hank Jones on piano, and even Charles Mingus on bass! As with most Jones albums of the time, Quincy has a way of making a bigger group sound nice and lean – hitting some especially nice edges along with the rhythms, and really showing the way towards a new soulful sound for a bigger band. Titles include a sublime 10 minute version of "Walkin" that kicks off the album with a great soulful groove – plus original tunes "Evening In Paris", "Stockholm Sweetnin", and "Boo's Blues", as well as a version of Cannonball Adderley's "Sermonette". Next is Quintessence – a very soulful set of big band material from Quincy Jones – recorded during that tight early 60s period when his arrangements just couldn't fail! The album's his only session for Impulse, and it's got a slightly deeper style than his work from the time for Mercury – a bit more sophisticated, with nice modern touches that take the tunes in surprising directions. Part of the greatness of the set lies in the players – as the album features work by Curtis Fuller, Thad Jones, Stu Martin, Freddie Hubbard, Patty Brown, Phil Woods, and Jerome Richardson – and titles include "Robot Portrait", "Hard Sock Dance", "The Twitch", and "For Lena & Lennie".

Mindblowing work from Roland Kirk – a record that really pushes the boundaries of his music even farther than some of his earlier, and excellent, albums for the Mercury label! Kirk's really stretching out here – finding a space in jazz that's uniquely his own – modern, yet playful – creative, yet never overindulgent – and perfectly balanced to find a whole new sound of soul for the 60s! Things never get too far outside, but Kirk's reedlines are always breaking out into fresh territory – incredible tenor parts, and also some amazing work on manzello and stritch too, both lesser-known reed instruments that Roland employs to incredible ends. Other group members fit his vibe perfectly – Jaki Byard on piano, Richard Davis on bass, and Elvin Jones on drums – each stepping quickly to catch the energy of each new twist and turn in Kirk's music. Titles include the sublime "From Bechet Byas & Fats" – plus "No Tonic Pres", "Rip Rig & Panic", "Mystical Dream", "Black Diamond", and "Slippery Hippery Flippery".

Mindblowing work from Roland Kirk – a record that really pushes the boundaries of his music even farther than some of his earlier, and excellent, albums for the Mercury label! Kirk's really stretching out here – finding a space in jazz that's uniquely his own – modern, yet playful – creative, yet never overindulgent – and perfectly balanced to find a whole new sound of soul for the 60s! Things never get too far outside, but Kirk's reedlines are always breaking out into fresh territory – incredible tenor parts, and also some amazing work on manzello and stritch too, both lesser-known reed instruments that Roland employs to incredible ends. Other group members fit his vibe perfectly – Jaki Byard on piano, Richard Davis on bass, and Elvin Jones on drums – each stepping quickly to catch the energy of each new twist and turn in Kirk's music. Titles include the sublime "From Bechet Byas & Fats" – plus "No Tonic Pres", "Rip Rig & Panic", "Mystical Dream", "Black Diamond", and "Slippery Hippery Flippery". This copy doesn't have the gatefold cover, but it's still got a nice textured one, and it's a second pressing from the 60's!

One of the most striking records so far from the mighty Rob Mazurek – a set that makes us more than glad we've been following his musical journey for the past two decades! The set's got a nicely compressed feel – one that takes some of the looser energy that's been bubbling up in recent Mazurek records, and delivers it in a tight quartet format – with Rob's sparkling cornet in the lead, amidst great piano from Angelica Sanchez, bass from Matt Lux, and drums from John Herndon! Given the wide resumes of all players, there's a really shifting sense of sound here – one that's bold one minute, introspective the next – and never falls into too-familiar jazz phrasing modes. Yet Mazurek's also really matured as a player, too – working here with a sensitivity we never would have expected years ago – captured with great clarity in the recording. Titles include "Magic Saturn", "Twister Uranus", "Spanish Venus", "Folk Song Neptune", "Primitvie Jupiter" and "Spiral Mercury".

A masterpiece from SF rocker Steve Miller – and a perfect summation of the years of blues, soul, funk, and rock he'd been soaking up in the Bay Area scene! The album crossed over instantly with the massive cut "Fly Like An Eagle" – already great on its own, but supported here with the massive "Space Intro", which adds an extra minute of cool electronics to the tune. Other great cuts include the amazing funky rocker "Take The Money And Run", plus "The Window", "Mercury Blues", and "Dance, Dance, Dance".

Amazing funky jazz from the 70s – a completely rare little set recorded in the Bay Area scene of the time – featuring hip trumpet work from Woody Shaw, and lots of cool keyboards from Patrick Gleeson! The feel here is somewhere in the territory of work that Gleeson did with Herbie Hancock in the mid 70s, or of some of the spinoff Headhunters funky jazz projects recorded on Mercury – but the groove's also a bit looser too, given that the album was done by the small Reynolds indie label. Other players include Norman Williams on alto, Michael Howell on guitar, and Allan Pittman on additional trumpet – and there's a simple, focused approach to the grooves that's totally great – very soulful, and very in the pocket – never too spacey or overly jamming, like some of the best Fantasy Records funky fusion of the time! Titles include "Getting It Together", "Getting To The Moon", "Hozrot", "Waterman", and "Love Ballad".

One of the best compilations of Afro Funk titles we've ever stocked – one that goes way past the obvious titles and minor hits of the 70s! Ever tune on here is a gem – and the package even includes a few tunes that were either previously unreleased, or which were only ever issued on cassette, a popular form in 70s Africa. The "rock" in the title should be taken lightly – because the groove here is more funky, with drums, guitar, and horns coming together in glorious rhythmic cacophony! The whole set's got a great raw sound – and titles include "Heavy Heavy Heavy" by Geraldo Pino & The Heartbeats, "Mabala" by Fathili & The Yahoos, "Onukpa Shawarpo" by Bokoor Band, "Sweeper Soul" by Super Mambo 69, "Yuda" by Dackin Dackino, "Envy No Good" by Mercury Dance Band and "Fever" by Jingo. New version also features the previously unreleased bonus track "Keep On Holding On (Part 1)" by Jingo.

A compilation of Ghana music like we've never seen before – and straight up beautifully put together by Soundway – 70s sounds that fused regional traditions with boundary free soul, rhythm & blues, and rock! Ghana in the 1970s was in a transition from a more prosperous, and less militarily tenuous culture, and the music at the time is really wonderful. This collection of obscure album tracks and singles from the time feature many smaller combo groups, rather than large scale dance bands, with highlife jazz & soul, guitar and percussion based Afrobeat, and Ghana traditions fused with international styles wonderfully. Fantastic stuff that sits proudly up there with the great Nigeria Special sister series from Soundway! The vinyl box set version has 2 tracks on on the CD version or digital download, and 2 more tracks previously only available on the CD version of the Ghana Soundz compilation: 37 tracks on 5 LPs, plus a 12 page booklet with rare photos and history: "Kai Wawa" by The Mercury Dance Band, "Din Ya Sugri" by Cristy Azuma & Upper International, "Nya Asem Hwe" by City Boys Band, "Edinya Benya" by Hedzoleh Soundz, "Odo Mmera" by Pa Steele's African Brothers, "Wompe Masem" by African Brothers International Band, "Akampanye" by The Sweet Talks, "You Can Go" by Bokoor Band, "Owuo" by Sawaaba Soundz, "Sisi Mbon" by Honny & The Bees Band and more.

A seminal set from Max Roach – the start of his more righteous stretch in jazz, as you might guess from the title of the album! At some level, the record's got a bit of the feel of the post-Clifford Brown Mercury years from Roach – but at another, it's stretching out towards the directions Max would explore fully on the Candid, Impulse, and Fantasy labels in the 60s – an approach to hardbop that often really pushes its limits – not content to simply set up solos for the players, and instead moving with a much more forceful energy overall! Group members include Booker Little on trumpet, George Coleman on tenor, Ray Draper on tuba, and Art Davis on bass – and the lack of a piano makes for a very exciting sound! The album's got 2 great originals by Bill Lee – "Jodie's Cha Cha" and "Deeds Not Words" – plus Draper's classic "Filide", and the groundbreaking "Conversation" – a very cool solo by Roach on the drums!

The "pickers" in the group's name refers to the way they play – tight and plucked, in the manner of some of the work of the Chico Hamilton quintet of the late 50s. No surprise, the group features Chico's reedman Buddy Collette on flute, and cellist Harry Babasin on cello (natch!) – as well as drums and vibes by Bob Harrington, additional drums by Bill Douglas, and guitar by Don Overberg. The sound is very Hamilton-esque overall – which is a-ok with us – and titles include "Bebe", "Influtration", "When You Love Someone", "RH Factor", "Easy Pickins", "Rap Scallion", and "Monti Cello".

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".

A second set of recordings made by Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway – recorded, we think, in earlier years, but issued at the end of the 70s, after Donny's untimely passing. The set was co-produced by Eric Mercury and Flack – and is really more of an album by Roberta, with some added vocals by Donny – plus guest vocal appearances by Luther Vandross, Gwen Guthrie, and Eleanore Mills, and even Mercury, who sings a bit on one track. Titles include "Stay With Me", "Don't Make Me Wait Too Long", "God Don't Like Ugly", "Only Heaven Can Wait", and "Disguises".

An expanded version of an album that was originally issued as Hank Jones' Piano as a 10" LP on Mercury – one that adds some trio tracks to the original solo piano performances! Jones is working solo on most numbers – really getting a chance to stretch out and try new ideas – in ways that have him balancing between sweeter sounds and some sharper modern moments that seem to come in and stir things up, but often in very subtle ways. Additional tunes feature Johnny Smith on guitar and Ray Brown in bass – still pretty laidback overall. Titles include "Blues For Lady Day", "Tea For Two", "You're Blase", "Thad's Pad", "The Night We Called It A Day", and "Blue Room". David Stone Martin cover, too!

Perhaps the best-known (and arguably the best) record by Paul Quinchette, and an album that brings his rich tenor solo style into contact with a very tight, very swinging batch of arrangments by a young Quincy Jones. Quincy's got an all-star batch of players backing up Q, including Sam Most, Charles Thompson, Paul Chambers, and Barry Galbraith – plus players like Willie Rodriguez and Manny Oquendo, who bring some added Latin percussion to the session. The tracks are short, but with a very open approach to soloing, and although Quinchette's in the lead, some of the other players get their licks in quite a bit. Titles include "Pablo's Roonie", "Shorty George", "Grasshopper", and "Tropical Intrigue".

A seminal set from Max Roach – the start of his more righteous stretch in jazz, as you might guess from the title of the album! At some level, the record's got a bit of the feel of the post-Clifford Brown Mercury years from Roach – but at another, it's stretching out towards the directions Max would explore fully on the Candid, Impulse, and Fantasy labels in the 60s – an approach to hardbop that often really pushes its limits – not content to simply set up solos for the players, and instead moving with a much more forceful energy overall! Group members include Booker Little on trumpet, George Coleman on tenor, Ray Draper on tuba, and Art Davis on bass – and the lack of a piano makes for a very exciting sound! The album's got 2 great originals by Bill Lee – "Jodie's Cha Cha" and "Deeds Not Words" – plus Draper's classic "Filide", and the groundbreaking "Conversation" – a very cool solo by Roach on the drums!

Space seemed to be a logical direction for Lenny White to go – since his high-powered fusion drumming style is enough to power him right out of the galaxy! This album's a hard heavy batch of funky fusion tunes – with lots of hard drums by Lenny, and spacey spacey keyboards by the great Don Blackman! Patrick Gleeson had a hand in some of the synthesizer work, and he gives the album a similar astral sound to the work he did on the Mercury label at the same time. There's a lot of guitars in the lead, but they sound pretty nice next to Lenny's heavy drums – and titles include "Heavy Metal Monster", "Assault", "Climax", "Universal Love", "The Great Pyramid", and "Remembering".

Amazing sounds from the SF scene of the 70s – previously unreleased work that really opens up a whole new chapter of jazz on the west coast! The HE3 Project is the brainchild of keyboardist Herman Ebertizsch – who plays lots of Fender Rhodes and moog on this sweet little record – really driving some amazing lines for a wickedly soulful group that also features Coke Escovedo on timbales and Linda Tillery and Johnny Lovett on vocals! Supposedly, these sessions were the genesis of the groove that Escovedo later laid down on Mercury Records – but the sound here is a lot more open-ended and funky – a beautiful combination of jazz and soul elements, put together in ways that are quite different than any other Bay Area acts of the time. Titles include "Rapture Of The Deep", "Funk Punk", "Appreciation", "Life Is A Tortured Love Affair", "Make It Sweet", "We All Have Our Own Lives", "In A Soft & Subtle Way", and "Easy Come Easy Go".

In case you think the folks at Chess were putting too fine a point on the earthy origins of Ramsey's jazz, the title's actually one that follows from an earlier album Ramsey cut for Mercury – and features a similar cover of a shovel digging in the dirt! The tracks are a great blend of the rich approaches to piano jazz performed by the Lewis trio with Eldee Young and Red Holt – with some tracks bluesy, some tracks upbeat, some whimsey, and a few that groove in very surprising places. Titles include "Volga Boatman", "Around The World In 80 Days", "Hello Cello", "Blues For The Nighty Owl", and "Gonna Set Your Soul On Fire".

According to the liner notes this was Moody's first record for Mercury after returning to the US after residing in Paris. There is no indication of who plays with him on this record except for one mention of Babs Gonzales who sings with him on "The James Moody Story". Moody plays both tenor and alto sax and the tracks include "Until The Real Thing Comes Along", "Moody's Theme", "And Now Moody Speaks", "Serenade In Blue", "Poor Butterfly", "Wiggle Wag", "Moody's Home", and "The Bite".