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The full range of Mina's pop genius of the 60s – some upbeat groovers, some offbeat swingers, and some mellower cuts that glide forth with her wonderful vocals in Italian! Although she never cracked the charts here, Mina was easily one of the best female singers on the European scene of the 60s – and a well-rounded record like this really shows off the full range of her talents – with an appeal that's right up there with more familiar Brit and French girl pop of the time! Titles include "La Banda", "E Se Domani", "Cartoline", "Un Anno D'Amore", "E L'Uomo Per Me", "Se Telefonando", and "Ta Ra Ta Ta".

A sweet rarity from the lovely Mina – a great replica of one of her best singles from the early 70s – featuring the kind of amazing vocals that have always made her work unlike anyone else!

Echoey pop from the Italian scene of the early 60s – a record that already sparkles with dynamic vocals from the legendary Mina – but which also has some great studio touches too! There's a lively, optimistic mix of modes going on here – electric guitar that rings out boldly next to the vocals, rhythms borrowed from rock and Latin, and all-out vocals from Mina – sung with the kind of power and charm that no American singer could touch! The whole thing's great – the kind of music you'd hear a pretty girl playing on her transistor radio in a Fellini film – and titles include "Ho Paura", "Personalita", "La Nonna Magdalena", "Il Cielo In Una Stanza", "Invoco Te", "Coriandoli", "Una Zebra A Pois", and "Pesci Rossi".

Dreamy pop from Italian diva Mina – sweetly soaring strings and groovy 60s pop touches – horns, galloping percussion and other upbeat touches on a few tracks, though a few more are piano and voice centered numbers with a touch of melancholy! The album features great arrangements by Mario Robbiani, Pino Presti, Augusto Martelli, and GP Reverberi – and the overall feeling is a bit easier than some of Mina's more work. It's got dreamy ballads sung in both English and Italian. Lovely stuff from wonderful singer! Titles include "Sentimentale", "Alfie", "Something", "Capiro", "Le Farfalle Nella Notte", "Amor Mio", "Mi Fai Sentire Cosi Strana" and more.

Breezy Brazilian tunes – sung by Italian singer Mina, in a way that recalls some of the best of Elis Regina's work from the late 60s! The track selection is great – and the album features many popular groovers like "Canto De Osshana", "Upa Neguinho", "Que Maravilha", "A Banda", and "Tem Mais Samba". Mina more than lives up to the charm of the tunes – and the album's jazzy arrangements have the same flourish as some of the best work of the time from Brazil!

Beautiful stuff – and a record that shows a real maturation in Mina's vocals – a move away from some of the simple pop of the early years (even though that was pretty darn great), and into the territory of an all-adult vocalist with a really wide range! Backings are by Augusto Martelli – who brings a soundtrack-like sophistication to the music – and Mina sings in both Italian and English, the latter of which is really a treat! Titles include "Invitation", "Ebb Tide", "Lunedi 26 Ottobre", "I'm A Fool To Want You", "Caminemos", "I'm Glad There Is You", "Uno", and "Full Moon & Empty Arms".

Early in the career of Italian singer Mina – but a record that's filled with the sort of well-sung pop numbers that made her huge on the European scene of the 60s! The style here is a bit fuller than some of Mina's later work – arrangements that sometimes echo American pop modes of the late 50s, but other times have a swinging 60s mod feel – with some rockish touches you don't always hear on other Mina records! Titles include "Rapsodie", "Que No Que No", "Amore Di Tabacco", "Renato", "Dindi", "Chihuahua", "Ollalla Gigi", "Just Let Me Cry", and "Si Lo So".

Great pop sounds from the lovely Mina – an Italian singer of the 60s whose powers easily rival those of French chanteuses like Francoise Hardy, Brigitte Bardot, or France Gall! The tunes here have a nice undercurrent of rock and pop elements under larger arrangements that often allow Mina to show off her jazz chops too – and the record definitely represents a turning point in the singer's career – a move towards some of the deeper sounds that she'd explore even more strongly at the end of the 60s! Titles include "Chopin Cha Cha", "Renato", "Eclisse Twist", "Sabato Notte", "Da Chi", and "Improvvisamente".

One of the grooviest European singers of the 60s – the lovely Mina, who could swing with the best of the British and French scene of the time – yet who also had a wide vocal range that was also used in famous soundtracks, too! This cracker of an album really displays the full range of her talents – from mod swingers to some deeper numbers, most of which are fleshed out nicely by orchestrations from Augusto Martelli – who also did a fair bit of soundtrack work in later years. There's a great 60s vibe running throughout the whole thing – and titles include "Piu Di Te", "Un Buco Nella Sabbia", "Era Vivere", "Citta Vuota", "Io Sono Quel Che Sono", "Se Piangi Se Ridi", and "Un Anno D'Amore".

Playful pop from Mina – a great Italian singer who made some really wonderful records from the late 50s onward! This early set is a real gem – a sprightly mix of larger arrangements with rock and pop inflections – all served up in this optimistic blend that really fits the mood of Rome after the initial postwar period! You can really feel Italian pop culture coming into its own here – and the tunes have a charm that's undeniable – and a compelling quality that comes through right away. Titles include "La Verita", "E Vero", "Whisky", "My Crazy Baby", "Nessuno", "Folle Banderuola", "Piangere Un Po", and "La Luna Ed Il Cowboy".

Beautiful early work from Italian vocalist Mina – and a set that has her singing a fair bit in English, too! The album's got these wonderful backdrops from soundtrack composer Augusto Martelli – who gives the record a feel that's way deeper than just pop music – more of a complicated jazz vocal approach that works perfectly for Mina's wonderful sound – inflected by some fresh instrumental touches that add a nice degree of surprise to familiar numbers! A few tunes are in Italian, and titles include "Stella By Starlight", "You Go To My Head", "Angel Eyes", "The Nearness Of You", "Everything Happens To Me", and "La Barca".

Great 60s work from Mina – a singer who only seems to get better and better as the years go on! This smoker from 1967 finds Mina really working out strongly in a mix of mod modes – including some newly soulful undercurrents that definitely borrow a bit from the Dusty Springfield generation, yet which also take on a rich new feel of their own in Mina's Italian vocals. There's also a touch of Brazilian influence, and some of the usual strong soundtrack impulses that show up in previous records – making for a really rich batch of tunes that includes an excellent cover of Chico Buarque's "A Banda", plus "Quando Vedro", "L'Immensita", "Conversazione", "Sabati E Domeniche", "Noi Due", "Portami Con Te", and "Se Tornasse Caso Mai".

An astounding collection of Japanese jazz from the end of the 60s – some of the hippest, most vibrant music in the Tokyo scene – and some of the most far-reaching too! The tracks here rival the best Impulse or ESP Records work of the time – really stretching out to find a new voice in jazz – using all the new freedoms of the time to craft tremendously creative solos – yet often still finding a way to make things swing, too! Each track is very long – and the players represent the cream of the crop of the Japanese underground at the time – including some players caught right at the start of very rich careers. Titles include "Mijimasu" by the trio of pianist Masahiko Sato with tenorist Akira Miyazawa, "Mina's Second Theme" by the trio of pianist Yosuke Yamashita, "My Favorite Things" by the quartet of tenorist Akira Nishimura, "On Green Dolphin Street" by tenorist Hidehiko Matsumoto, "Hey Jude" by pianist Takehiro Honda, "Passion Dance" by altoist Kosuke Mine, "Memphis Underground" by drummer Takeshi Inmata, and a long jam session track with Fumio Nanri on trumpet, Junko Mizuno on clarinet, Yuzuru Sera on piano, and George Kawaguchi on drums.

Killer live work from Seu Jorge – one of his boldest, proudest records to date – and that's saying a lot, given the soulful promise of all his other work! We've always loved Jorge, but we first really fell in love with his music in a live setting – where he's got an undeniable charm and charisma, on a level with older legends like Stevie Wonder or Marvin Gaye at their best. Other live sets have always shown Jorge as a mellower, more acoustic artist – but this one really has him exploding with a very funky sound throughout – really hitting that superstardom we always saw coming in his talents – working before a very large crowd, and clearly driving them nuts with his sublime performance on the set. The album's a real step forward for Jorge – upbeat, funky, filled with soul, and exactly the kind of music that should hopefully have him exploding around the globe. Titles include "A Doida", "Pessoal Particular", "Dia De Comemorar", "Mina Do Condomino", "Vizinha", "Burguesinha", "Diario De Um Detento", and "Dois Beijinhos".

Killer live work from Seu Jorge – one of his boldest, proudest records to date – and that's saying a lot, given the soulful promise of all his other work! We've always loved Jorge, but we first really fell in love with his music in a live setting – where he's got an undeniable charm and charisma, on a level with older legends like Stevie Wonder or Marvin Gaye at their best. Other live sets have always shown Jorge as a mellower, more acoustic artist – but this one really has him exploding with a very funky sound throughout – really hitting that superstardom we always saw coming in his talents – working before a very large crowd, and clearly driving them nuts with his sublime performance on the set. The album's a real step forward for Jorge – upbeat, funky, filled with soul, and exactly the kind of music that should hopefully have him exploding around the globe. Titles include "A Doida", "Pessoal Particular", "Dia De Comemorar", "Mina Do Condomino", "Vizinha", "Burguesinha", "Diario De Um Detento", and "Dois Beijinhos". 2CD version features 12 more tracks than the core album – almost like getting a full extra record!

Killer live work from Seu Jorge – one of his boldest, proudest records to date – and that's saying a lot, given the soulful promise of all his other work! We've always loved Jorge, but we first really fell in love with his music in a live setting – where he's got an undeniable charm and charisma, on a level with older legends like Stevie Wonder or Marvin Gaye at their best. Other live sets have always shown Jorge as a mellower, more acoustic artist – but this one really has him exploding with a very funky sound throughout – really hitting that superstardom we always saw coming in his talents – working before a very large crowd, and clearly driving them nuts with his sublime performance on the set. The album's a real step forward for Jorge – upbeat, funky, filled with soul, and exactly the kind of music that should hopefully have him exploding around the globe. Titles include "A Doida", "Pessoal Particular", "Dia De Comemorar", "Mina Do Condomino", "Vizinha", "Burguesinha", "Diario De Um Detento", and "Dois Beijinhos". 2DVD version features 9 more more tracks than the core DVD – almost like getting a full extra record! Also features subtitles in spoken English, and a bonus "making of" feature.

Killer live work from Seu Jorge – one of his boldest, proudest records to date – and that's saying a lot, given the soulful promise of all his other work! We've always loved Jorge, but we first really fell in love with his music in a live setting – where he's got an undeniable charm and charisma, on a level with older legends like Stevie Wonder or Marvin Gaye at their best. Other live sets have always shown Jorge as a mellower, more acoustic artist – but this one really has him exploding with a very funky sound throughout – really hitting that superstardom we always saw coming in his talents – working before a very large crowd, and clearly driving them nuts with his sublime performance on the set. The album's a real step forward for Jorge – upbeat, funky, filled with soul, and exactly the kind of music that should hopefully have him exploding around the globe. Titles include "A Doida", "Pessoal Particular", "Dia De Comemorar", "Mina Do Condomino", "Vizinha", "Burguesinha", "Diario De Um Detento", and "Dois Beijinhos". DVD features 21 tracks – 6 more than the regular CD – with spoken subtitles in English too.

Some of our favorite albums ever from pianist Muhal Richard Abrams – an amazing run of eight records for the Black Saint/Soul Note label – rich in fresh colors, tones, and new musical ideas! There's a sensitivity to some of these records that you don't always get with Abrams – a personal feeling that brings in a much-needed warmth to his complex compositional forms – often in collaboration with other players on the Chicago scene, but also with a wider range of avant players, especially from New York – where Abrams would have a great influence in the 80s. The lineup of musicians here is wonderful – a virtual who's-who of the jazz left at the time, at least from an American perspective – with performances from George Lewis, Roscoe Mitchell, Amina Myers, Thurman Barker, Baikida Carroll, Andrew Cyrille, Craig Harris, Stanton Davis, Marty Erlich, Dick Griffin, Cecil Bridgewater, Fred Hopkins, Dierdre Murray, and so many others. The set features 8 full albums, each in a tiny LP-styled sleeve – and titles include Siphumonesty, Mama & Daddy, Blues Forever, Rejoicing With The Light, View From Within, Hearinga Suite, Blu Blu Blu, and Think All Focus One.

Fantastic work from the Cannonball Adderley Quintet – one of their greatest performances from the seminal early 60s years! The band at this time includes Cannon on alto, Nat on cornet, Victor Feldman on piano, Sam Jones on bass, and Louis Hayes on drums – and although Feldman's not as strong of a soul jazz player as Bobby Timmons or Joe Zawinul, both of whom also played with the group, his playing on this set is great, thanks to a really lively rhythm section! Includes an 11 minute version of "Sack O Woe", plus "Blue Daniel", "Azule Serape", and "Big P".

Fantastic work from the Cannonball Adderley Quintet – one of their greatest performances from the seminal early 60s years! The band at this time includes Cannon on alto, Nat on cornet, Victor Feldman on piano, Sam Jones on bass, and Louis Hayes on drums – and although Feldman's not as strong of a soul jazz player as Bobby Timmons or Joe Zawinul, both of whom also played with the group, his playing on this set is great, thanks to a really lively rhythm section! Includes an 11 minute version of "Sack O Woe", plus "Blue Daniel", "Azule Serape", and "Big P". CD also includes a bonus track – "Our Delight".

Sweet funky 70s work from Cannonball Adderley – a record that has him revisiting older tunes from his early soul jazz years – but in ways that give them a whole new electric vibe overall! The album's actually Cannonball's last full studio set, but it's also one of his greatest too – a very hip little record that features arrangements that are slightly bigger than before – almost a CTI sort of mode, with a similar CTI sense of space, sound, and timing! There's some great keyboards on the set – courtesy of George Duke and Mike Wolff – and other players include Nat Adderley on cornet, Airto on percussion, Sam Jones and Walter Booker on bass, and Louis Hayes and Roy McCurdy on drums. The keyboards lead off most numbers, but they're followed strongly by Cannon and Nat – both of whom open up wonderfully in the magical setting of the record! Titles include great new takes on "Sack O Woe", "Work Song", "Jive Samba", "74 Miles Away", "Walk Tall/Mercy Mercy Mercy", "Country Preacher", "Domination", and "This Here" – plus "Hi Fly" and "Hamba Nami".

A great step forward for the Afro Latin Vintage Orchestra – even better than their previous album, and a set that beautifully mixes together jazz, Latin, and African elements into one seamless groove! Percussionist Masta Conga is at the head of the group – leading the ensemble with a unique vision that's less of the overdone Afro Funk you might know from other contemporary combos – and more of a classic 60s blend of elements – especially that unique hybrid of Latin modes you'd get from west coast groups – like the Afro Latin Soultet or Afro Blues Quintet – both clear choices of inspiration, given this group's name! Yet there's also some 70s elements moving through the grooves too – thanks to great Fender Rhodes lines, and bits of other keyboards too – often used in these cool spare ways that work perfectly with the mix of funk and Latin in the rhythms, and occasional bits of strings as well. Most tracks are instrumental, although there are a bit of vocals on the set – and titles include "Requiem Pour Un Grooveur", "Petrof Sublimination", "Onze De France", "Gibbon's Dub", and "Dimension 7".

Righteous soul, but with a wicked groove too – a killer set from Aquarian Dream, made even better by some great Norman Connors production! In a way, Aquarian Dream were to Norman Connors what Ramp were to Roy Ayers – in that the group wasn't really that dominated by Connors, but they did benefit a lot from his groundbreaking work in the jazz funk field – getting a level of sophistication in their sound that's really wonderful – and mixed with almost equal parts soul, funk, and jazz in the instrumentation! Vocals are often in a harmony mode – again in the manner of Ramp – and there's a classy yet cosmic sound to the record that we totally love. (And there's also one more Roy Ayers-like connection in the vocal department – since the group features Sylvia Striplin, who later recorded for Roy's Uno Melodic label!) The album's got a number of nice groovers with a strongly off-beat sound – and titles include "Friends", "It Ain't Whatcha Say", "You're A Star", "Play It For Me", and "Gentle Thoughts".

Rare post-Warner Brothers work from The Association – an album that's gentler and more mature than their earlier hits, done in a great blend of soft rock and post-Sunshine styles! The sound here is quite different even than the last Warner albums – which brought in a bit heavier guitars – and the group are going for a style that's beautifully mellow, and produced with this compressed groove that makes wonderful use of their classic harmonies. And while you might expect such a record to be too smooth, or too slickly AOR, the overall sound is still quite personal, and almost fragile – carried off carefully through instrumental arrangements by Benny Golson that never dominate the vocals, and only shade in the tunes with the right touches for the right moments. Titles include "Come The Fall", "Midnight Wind", "Silent Song Thru The Land", "Darling Be Home Soon", "Rainbows Bent", "Kicking The Gong Around", "Indian Wells Woman", and the sublime "Snow Queen".

What can we say? This is one of the greatest soul soundtracks ever! In a market that was dominated by the big-selling Shaft and Superfly albums, Roy slipped in this masterful blend of jazzy vibes and wah wah funk that's easily one of the best-composed records of the blacksploitation genre! The album's much more unified than your average funky soundtrack – and each track moves between styles that you'd hear on any of Roy's great albums from the time. There's heavy funk on the track "Brawling Broads", cool vibes and electric piano on "Aragon", off-beat jazz on "Coffy Sauna", and great soul on cuts like "Coffy Is The Color" and "Coffy Baby". Wonderful all the way through – and another jewel in the already-big crown of the great Roy Ayers!

What can we say? This is one of the greatest soul soundtracks ever! In a market that was dominated by the big-selling Shaft and Superfly albums, Roy slipped in this masterful blend of jazzy vibes and wah wah funk that's easily one of the best-composed records of the blacksploitation genre! The album's much more unified than your average funky soundtrack – and each track moves between styles that you'd hear on any of Roy's great albums from the time. There's heavy funk on the track "Brawling Broads", cool vibes and electric piano on "Aragon", off-beat jazz on "Coffy Sauna", and great soul on cuts like "Coffy Is The Color" and "Coffy Baby". Wonderful all the way through – and another jewel in the already-big crown of the great Roy Ayers!

What can we say? This is one of the greatest soul soundtracks ever! In a market that was dominated by the big-selling Shaft and Superfly albums, Roy slipped in this masterful blend of jazzy vibes and wah wah funk that's easily one of the best-composed records of the blacksploitation genre! The album's much more unified than your average funky soundtrack – and each track moves between styles that you'd hear on any of Roy's great albums from the time. There's heavy funk on the track "Brawling Broads", cool vibes and electric piano on "Aragon", off-beat jazz on "Coffy Sauna", and great soul on cuts like "Coffy Is The Color" and "Coffy Baby". Wonderful all the way through – and another jewel in the already-big crown of the great Roy Ayers!

What can we say? This is one of the greatest soul soundtracks ever! In a market that was dominated by the big-selling Shaft and Superfly albums, Roy slipped in this masterful blend of jazzy vibes and wah wah funk that's easily one of the best-composed records of the blacksploitation genre! The album's much more unified than your average funky soundtrack – and each track moves between styles that you'd hear on any of Roy's great albums from the time. There's heavy funk on the track "Brawling Broads", cool vibes and electric piano on "Aragon", off-beat jazz on "Coffy Sauna", and great soul on cuts like "Coffy Is The Color" and "Coffy Baby". Wonderful all the way through – and another jewel in the already-big crown of the great Roy Ayers!

Seminal early funk work from Roy Ayers! The record catches him at that perfect point when he was turning from a straight jazz player into a sinister force in 70s funk – and the group on the session includes super-hip soul jazz giants like Charles Tolliver, Sonny Fortune, and Harry Whitaker, running through short hip soul tracks that were very different than the style of music they were laying out on albums of their own. Roy's on organ, piano, vibes, and vocals – and he also handles the arrangements, with extra help on strings by William S Fischer, whose usual dark touches come across very well here. The album features some great soul covers – like "Ain't No Sunshine" and "Day Dreaming" – plus the original tracks "Cocoa Butter", "Rhythms of Your Mind", and "Red Black & Green".

Seminal early funk work from Roy Ayers! The record catches him at that perfect point when he was turning from a straight jazz player into a sinister force in 70s funk – and the group on the session includes super-hip soul jazz giants like Charles Tolliver, Sonny Fortune, and Harry Whitaker, running through short hip soul tracks that were very different than the style of music they were laying out on albums of their own. Roy's on organ, piano, vibes, and vocals – and he also handles the arrangements, with extra help on strings by William S Fischer, whose usual dark touches come across very well here. The album features some great soul covers – like "Ain't No Sunshine" and "Day Dreaming" – plus the original tracks "Cocoa Butter", "Rhythms of Your Mind", and "Red Black & Green".

Talk about a meeting of the minds – a pair of ultra-amazing classics from the team of Roy Ayers & Wayne Henderson – back to back in a single set! At the time of Step Into Our Life, Henderson & Ayers were probably the biggest names in the jazz funk business – both with a smooth soulful style that was pushing the genre onto whole new levels, while still keeping firm roots in jazz – a rare blend that few other artists could handle this well! This initial debut from the pair seems to be much more dominated by the spirit of Roy Ayers' work at the time – particularly the mellow jazzed up work he was laying down on albums like Vibrations and You Send Me – a wicked sound that's rooted in modern soul modes, but filled with plenty of warm jazz elements too. The album's got wonderful vibes and electric piano from Roy – and tracks include "Step Into Our Life", "Lovers Should Always Be Together", "No Deposit No Return", "Ooh Baby", and "For Real". Prime Time is a funky classic from the team of Roy Ayers and Wayne Henderson – both at the top of their game here, and effortlessly mixing together jazz, funk, and soul! The record really seems to embrace the best of both artists' styles – some of the bassy groovers that Wayne did so well himself, and while producing for other artists – and those snakey, soulful numbers that we love so much in the late 70s work from Roy Ayers – ultra-sophisticated, but still plenty darn grooving – and some of the most sensual soul you'll ever hope to hear. The whole thing's great – and titles include "Weekend Lover", "Thank You Thank You", "Can You Dance", "It Ain't Your Sign It's Your Mind", "You Make Me Feel Like Rockin With Ya", "Have Your Way", and "Million Dollar Baby".

A seminal Albert Ayler session from the 60s – recorded at the legendary Judson Hall with an incredible sound! There's a bold, righteous feel to this record that possibly even tops other Ayler classics for ESP – and the spacious setting makes the notes echo, rebound, and come back together with searing intensity throughout. The group features Ayler on tenor, brother Don on trumpet, Charles Tyler on alto, Sunny Murray on drums, and both Henry Grimes and Gary Peacock on basses – using a unique two-bass approach that only further emphasizes the unique qualities of the record. Call Cobbs plays a bit of harpsichord too – and tracks include "Sprits Rejoice", "Holy Family", "Angels", and "Prophet".

Seminal record from one of the most important hardcore bands to walk the earth – and DC underground classic that hit the scene like a lightning bolt to White House – that cover art speaks the truth! Bad Brains (the album) was originally issued on the then cassette-only ROIR label – this version restores the iconic original cover art and features 15 listed tracks – and adds an unlisted bonus cut! Titles include "Sail On", "Don't Need It", "Attitude", "The Regulator", "Banned In DC", "Jah Calling", "Supertouch/Shitfit", "Leaving Babylon", "Fearless Vampire Killers", "I", "Big Take Over", "Pay To Cum", "Right Brigade", "I Luv I Jah" and "Intro".

The Beach Boys – day by day, year by year, presented in a very compelling diary format that really gets past some of the overblown mythos about the group! Author Badman goes for a "just the facts" sort of approach – and lists key days in the group's career from the 60s onward – with most of the details given to important stretches before 1970, but some key information from later decades too. Each entry is dated, with specific information on what the Beach Boys were involved in on that day – recording, rehearsing, touring, etc – with a surprising amount of vintage photos and other bits to support the text. Perhaps most compelling is the book's frequent use of Musicians Union sheets for recording sessions – listing session players and their details (including, oddly, social security numbers!) – which really helps illuminate the way that the records were being made. 399 pages, softcover, with black and white images.

Badu is back with some of the deepest, funkiest and best music of her career – a mindblowing treatise for a New Amerykah – and what we'll consider an instant classic whether the world at large catches on or not! Erykah steps up this time with a set that balances the wilder impulses of her criminally underappreciated Worldwide Underground and more of a hip hop based, righteously grooving style – but still bursts with a freshness that's unrivaled to say the least. From free spirited soul, to sparse hip hop funk this record is both blunt and beautiful – with a slow-building emotional resonance that'll reach the most jaded souls. Modern soul music of the first order that gives us goosebumps from the first spin to the last beat! The album kicks off with Erykah riffing on and remixing Ramp's "American Promise" as an intro – and it just gets deeper from there. Producers/collaborators include Madlib, Sa-Ra, Karriem Riggins, James Poyser and ?uestlove. Amazing!!! Titles include "The Healer", "Me", "My People", "Soldier", "The Cell", "Twinkle", "Master Teacher", "The Hump" and "Telephone". The 9th Wonder produced single "Honey" is an unlisted bonus track.

Possibly the best document you could ever hope to find of the inventive guitar skills of Derek Bailey – a CD that brings together his seminal In Whose Tradition album with rare bonus tracks and unreleased numbers too! The core of the record features Bailey playing solo – both acoustic and electric – using the guitar less like an instrument than as a tool for exploring sound – both those coming from his own hands, and those which echo forth in the space around him! Two more tracks feature Anthony Braxton on flute and sopranino sax, and two others have Bailey in a trio with Kent Carter on bass and John Stevens on drums – and the long CD features tracks that include "Tunnel Hearing", "Rehearsal Extract (area 7)", "Six Fairly Early Pieces", "In Whose Tradition", "Postscript", "A Bit Of The Crust", and "The Last Post (morning)".

Out of the wreckage of Cream came some very hip grooves! Ginger Baker was the hippest of the group's 3 members – and although he's often credited by soul fans for his work with Fela, he should also get a hats off for his work with the group Air Force – essentially a 10-piece (which seems to have been expanded beyond even that number for this set) that came up with some of the most monstrous art funk jamming we've heard! At its base, the group's in the jazz rock mode – with players that include Brit jazz luminaries Phil Seamen, Harold McNair, and Graham Bond, plus rockers like Baker, Steve Winwood, Denny Laine, and Rick Grech. The tracks are all long groovers in a post-beat group mode – and the best tracks have a jamming sound that's pretty over the top! It's full of the propulsive, Afro-influenced bass and percussion, some wild, jazz funk flute and sax, plus amazing work on violin, guitar and occasional, ephemeral vocals. Awesome stuff – one of the best and most innovative live albums of the era! Titles include "Da Da Man", "Aiko Biaye", "Do What You Like", "Doin It", and "Don't Care". It's about time this thing arrived on CD!

Out of the wreckage of Cream came some very hip grooves! Ginger Baker was the hippest of the group's 3 members – and although he's often credited by soul fans for his work with Fela, he should also get hats off for his work with the group Air Force. At its base, the group's in the jazz rock mode – with players that include Brit jazz luminaires Phil Seamen, Harold McNair, and Graham Bond, plus rockers like Baker, Steve Winwood, Denny Laine, and Rick Grech. The tracks are all long groovers in a post-beat group mode – and the best tracks have a jamming sound that's pretty over the top. Titles include "Da Da Man", "Aiko Biaye", "Do What You Like", "Doin It", and "Don't Care".

A landmark album from Joe Bataan – so great, that it made the entire record company change its name! The record has Joe really bursting out after his seminal Latin Soul work of the late 60s – blending Latin rhythms and American soul into a whole new style of music – one that Joe called "Salsoul", because of it's mixture of salsa and soul! The blend is fantastic, a real milestone in the NuYorican scene – and handled perfectly by Joe on every cut! There's some massive Latin funk on here, including the tracks "Latin Strut" and "Aftershower Funk", plus some straighter Latin jazz, like "Sunny Gets Blue Mambo", and a great Latin Soul cut with English vocals called "Johnny".

One of the coolest projects to bear the imprint of New York DJ Ron Trent – a shimmering blend of house music, jazzy fusion, and Latin influences! The core group features Trent on percussion and keyboards – with additional keyboards, vocals, and woodwinds from Jay Rodriguez – and the album sports a host of great guest players, including Chucho Valdes, who plays Fender Rhodes on a few tracks! There's a strident approach to the album's tracks – almost taking off of seminal 70s Latin fusion projects, like the work of Bobby Vince Paunetto, and giving the grooves a more current New York twist. The set's great overall – and titles include "Just A Dream", "Agua", "Dear Neven", "Cumbe", "Oya", "Olajope", "Buscame", and "Myths & Realities".

Sweetly jazzy soul from George Benson – a key classic from his great run at Warner Brothers Records, and the kind of record that George did better than anyone else at the time! Back in the 60s, we'd never have guessed that Benson's sweetly crackling vocals would dominate popular jazz more than his great guitar work – but hearing George here, it's clear that his soul work could easily outshine his guitar, especially when set up in a package like this! Atlantic soul maestro Arif Mardin produced, and as with his Chaka Khan productions for Warner at the time, he gives Benson a clean, clear modern style that's certainly pop, but also a lot less cluttered and clunky than modes used with other artists at the time. George is mostly on the vocal tip for the set, and Kashif helps out on one track – no surprise, given that Kashif was soon to walk down the path that Benson had started with his first few vocal albums in the 70s. Titles include "Love Will Come Again", "Use Me", "Late At Night", "In Search Of A Dream", "Lady Love Me", "In Your Eyes", and "Never Too Far To Fall".

Seminal Chicago sounds from cornetist Josh Berman – and a record that's not just a key example of his talents, but of the whole energy of the Windy City scene as well! There's a nice gag in the "His Gang" on the cover of the record – but it's also somewhat well put, too – as Berman's definitely got ears for the old-time sounds such a name might imply – yet always has ways of making those older modes come out with freshly modern energy! The balance is amazing – and really shows Josh's ear for trad jazz, mixed with his contemporary avant expressions – a pan-historical jazz mode that's hardly ever been handled this well – except maybe by Jaki Byard at a few moments. At some level, the instrumentation reads like an old trad band – cornet, clarinet, trombone, bass clarinet – but the sounds here are definitely 21st Century – played by a great "gang" that includes Guillermo Gregorio on clarinet, Jeb Bishop on trombone, Jason Stein on bass clarinet, Keefe Jackson on tenor, Jason Adasiewicz on vibes, Josh Abrams on bass, and Frank Rosaly on drums. Berman's arrangements are wonderful – very offbeat, but swinging too – and titles include "Sugar", "Mobile & Blues", "Liza", "Cloudy", "One Train May Hide Another", and "Jada".

Titles include "Mariana Mariana", "Pra Dizer Adeus", "Ronda", "Coracao Ateu", "Olhos Nos Olhos", and "Cheiro De Amor".

The classic Scott La Rock tribute album – with BDP classics and remixes – originally issued as a 2LP set that was put together following the South Bronx-repping hip hop pioneer's shooting death. Alternate versions, remixes and BDP medley's from their most classic late 80s period. 15 tracks in all: "Advance", "D Nice Rocks The House", "Red Alert (Criminal Minded)", 'Doc Mix (Criminal Minded)", "Super Hoe #4", "Word From Our Sponsor #8", "BDP Medley #5", "Poetry" (#s 1, 2 & 3)" and lots more!

The classic Scott La Rock tribute album – with BDP classics and remixes – originally issued as a 2LP set that was put together following the South Bronx-repping hip hop pioneer's shooting death. Alternate versions, remixes and BDP medley's from their most classic late 80s period. 15 tracks in all. Includes "Advance", "D Nice Rocks The House", "Red Alert (Criminal Minded)", 'Doc Mix (Criminal Minded)", "Super Hoe #4", "Word From Our Sponsor #8", "BDP Medley #5", "Poetry" (#s 1, 2 & 3)" and lots more!

Booker T's definitely getting a bit funky with this one – stepping off with the incredible title cut, a tune which really complicates the groove from the earlier years! The sound is still solid Memphis soul, with a raw instrumental vibe – but the grooves are even better than before, and the set includes loads of great original number written by the group – the kind of cool tunes they most likely cooked up while jamming live in the studio! These gems include the seminal "Hip Hug Her" – plus "Carnaby Street", "Booker's Notion", "Soul Sanction", "Double Or Nothing", and "Slim Jenkins' Place". But the covers are groovy too – and include a version of "Pigmy", plus "Groovin" and "Sunny".

Seminal work from The Brecker Brothers – 6 of the group's best albums, plus the two Blue Montreux live albums – packaged together in one very cool set, in tiny LP-like sleeves! The self-titled Brecker Brothers album is the first super effort from the team of Randy & Michael Brecker, whose twin-horn frontline forged a very popular sound in the mid 70s – some really well-crafted numbers, done with a strong smooth approach that still sits well after all these years! Back To Back features the twin horns of Randy & Michael Brecker, along with alto by David Sanborn, keyboards by Don Grolnick, and guitar by Steve Khan – but one of the things that really makes the album great is the vocal arrangements, which were handled by Luther Vandross, who also sung on the album along with Patti Austin. The set's got a great soulful feel – with some wonderful mellow groovers that have a sweet 70s sound! Don't Stop The Music is a stone classic from The Brecker Brothers – working with touches of club and disco grooves to give an even smoother edge to the jazz funk of the pair. And thanks to some solid soloing that's not afraid to go for the easy spots, the album's a lot more solid than an number of sound-a-like copycat LPs to come out at the time! Heavy Metal Be Bop is tight and funky jamming, with a bit more guitar here than on some of their other records – hence, possibly, the title! Keyboards and guitar jam strongly, but Randy and Michael still get in plenty of space for their solos – pushing their jazz licks with the jamming intensity that might normally be relegated to guitar heroes in the rock world. On Detente, the Brecker's are still rooted in jazz, but definitely step out with plenty of soul in the mix too – vocals from DJ Rogers, Carl Carlwell, Luther Vandross, and others – all of whom really add a lot to the set! On Straphangin, the BBs manage to groove with a sharpness and depth that most of their smoother fusion contemporaries just weren't hitting – an edge that reminds us of the deeper roots these guys had before they started hitting the mainstream! Last up are the live fusion classics Blue Montreux Vols 1 & 2 – both recorded as a unique live all-star outing by a group of Arista's best jazz players at the time! The group's an octet, but plays together in differing formations throughout the record – with Warren Bernhardt on keyboards, Michael Brecker on saxes, Randy Brecker on trumpet, Steve Jordan on drums, Steve Khan and Larry Coryell on guitars, Tony Levin on bass, and Mike Maineri on vibes – the last of which really make for some of the best numbers on the album!

Joe McPhee plays here with a Hammond organ trio – a setting that partially gets him back to the soulful sound of his roots, but which still keeps things in the freer mode of later years too! Joe starts out the performance with some wonderful solo work on pocket trumpet – played with these offbeat notes and inventive phrasing that might only be matched by Don Cherry's work on the instrument. The drums from Steve Noble come into the mix slowly, while the Hammond from Alexander Hawkins rolls in on these bold waves of sound – almost more forceful than any organ player of the headiest 70s years – spurred on by some rolling bass from John Edwards. Hammond dominates for the rest of side one – but then Joe switches to tenor, and gets some intimate, soulful space – before the organ comes rolling into the mix again!

Brilliant work by the team of Clifford Brown and Max Roach – a seminal hardbop album that was one of the few to bridge the east and west coast scenes! The set was recorded in LA under the joint leadership of Brown and Roach – and features the classic quintet lineup that included Harold Land on tenor, Richie Powell (Bud's brother!) on piano, and George Morrow on bass. The mix of Roach's heavy full-on drumming and Brown's lyrical beauty is beyond compare – and Land's angular and sensitive tenor lines provide a perfect link between the two. Titles include classics like "Parisian Thoroughfare", "The Blues Walk", "Daahoud", "Jordu", and "Joy Spring".

Here's where things really started getting interesting for James Brown! The album was issued right around the same time as James' single "Out Of Sight" on Smash – and like that track, "Papa's Got A Brand New Bag" was one of the first to use that "instruments on the beat" style of funk that would dominate all of James' work in years to come – that amazing groove that completely turned soul music on its ear – and paved the way for generations to come! The result is a startling sound that forever changed the face of groove – and you'll hear it nicely placed on this album, along with great cuts like "Cross Firing", "Mashed Potatoes USA", "Doin The Limbo", and "Love Don't Love Nobody".

A rare meeting of 2 modern talents from the 50s – joined together in one unique performance from the Newport Jazz Festival in 1971! The baritone sax of Gerry Mulligan's a nice contrast to the usual Brubeck alto of Paul Desmond – long-departed from Dave's combo by this time, but referenced strongly by Gerry in his fluid lines for the set, almost a solo culmination here of previous recorded duets with Desmond in earlier years. Tracks are all quite longish, and given that Dave's group here features Jack Six on bass and Alan Dawson on drums, there's a quality to the session that's a fait bit more rhythmic than before – pulsating strongly with forceful lines on Brubeck's piano, and an overall feel that's much more freewheeling than you'd expect! Album features 3 long tunes – "Blues For Newport", "Open The Gates", and "Take Five".

Seminal sounds from Solomon Burke – and a record that already has the young singer hitting the full heights of his greatness! There's a vibe here that's unlike anything else – even any of Burke's heavy-hitting contemporaries on Atlantic Records – and the album's key proof that Solomon's easily one of the greatest soul singers who ever lived! His vocals have roots that go very deep, but the strength of his vocals also help bring a new focus to 60s soul as well – a raw power that so many others would try to emulate, yet maybe never hit as well as Burke. A number of cuts here are great originals penned by Solomon, and every number's a gem – with titles that include "Stupidity", "Words", "If You Need Me", "Home In Your Heart", "Tonight My Heart She Is Crying", "I Really Don't Want To Know", and "Send Me Some Loving".

Way more than just a greatest hits album from Solomon Burke – as the set's the only album appearance of most of his key early singles – making the whole thing pack the same punch as his other full-length records for Atlantic! Plus, given that although Burke's music was great, it never got the same radio play as some of his bigger contemporaries – these aren't really hits, so much as seminal 60s soul tunes that went onto form the blueprint for countless other acts to come – both in the north and the south! Burke really draws on his deep gospel roots here – and knocks it out of the park with every number – killer material that we'd take any day against even a pile of his albums from later years. Every track's a winner – and titles include "Down In The Valley", "Cry To Me", "Just Out Of Reach", "Keep The Magic Working", "Looking For My Baby", "How Many Times", "Baby", and "Be Bop Grandma".

The compositions of Cornelius Cardew, performed here with a distinctly Chicago inflection – in a relatively recent performance that is partially conducted by Art Lange, and featuring Jim Baker on Arp, Carrio Biolo on vibes, Jeb Bishop on trombone, Fred Lonberg-Holm on cello, and Jeff Parker on guitar. Given the relation of some of the players to Lonberg-Holm's Lightbox Orchestra, there's definitely a similar feel here – a sense of timing and interplay that illuminates Cardew's compositions nicely, in the hands of musicians who can understand the complexities of his work, and make the best of the freedoms he allows them. Titles include "Autumn 60", "Treatise", "Memories Of You", "Material", and "Octet 61 For Jasper Johns".

Seminal southern soul from the legendary Clarence Carter – one of his early killers for Atlantic Records, all of which really stand out from most of his work to come in later years! There's a raw, raspy brilliance here that's undeniable – the blind singer stepping out with incredible confidence on a host of tunes that really run the gamut – numbers of love and loss, mixed with a few more contemporary pop tracks – but all given a unique Muscle Shoals twist that really transforms them. Carter wins our heart from the start with his version of "I'd Rather Go Blind" – then keeps on soaring through cuts that include "Think About It", "Steal Away", "Look What I Got", "That Old Time Feeling", "Let Me Comfort You", "Weekend Love", "Light My Fire", and "Too Weak To Fight".

A seminal debut from the great Clarence Carter – proof that there was still a lot of genius to be heard in southern soul at the time! The 60s were just about over when Clarence appeared on the recording scene – and it seemed that most of the big names in soul had already grabbed most of the thrones in the kingdom. Clarence was a real comer, though – and his sweet style of southern soul was immediately popular, filling a void promptly after the death of Otis Redding, and setting a bit more fire than some of the other Atlantic male singers, who were waning a bit at the time. Of course, it certainly helps that that lil' ol' genius Rick Hall was behind Clarence's move – arranging and producing this album with some of the strongest, least cliched Muscle Shoals backings of the time. Titles include "Slip Away", "Funk Fever", "Thread The Needle", "Do What You Gotta Do", "Looking For A Fox", and "Slippin' Around".

An amazing debut from the John Carter/Bobby Bradford New Art Jazz Ensemble – one of the most powerful voices in jazz on the west coast at the end of the 60s! In a way, the quartet's sound is a culmination of the underground changes that had been bubbling under during most of the 60s on the LA scene – new ways of conceiving jazz after Ornette and Dolphy had first set the scene on fire at the start of the decade, but styles that weren't receiving nearly the exposure as some of the better-known avant work on the Chicago, New York, or European scenes. The style here definitely owes something of a legacy to Ornette in the way it reconceives rhythm and melody – and a bit to Dolphy in its freewheeling, free-thinking work on clarinet, flute, and alto by John Carter. Bobby Bradford's bracing trumpet lines really give the album a tremendous punch – and the rest of the group features Tom Williamson on bass and Bruz Freeman (brother of George and Von!) on drums. Titles include "Seeking", "The Village Dancers", "Sticks & Stones", "In The Vineyard", "Karen On Monday", and "Song For The Unsung".

A killer set from Cashmere – and a batch of music that definitely turns us on! The album's got a lean, mean groove that's mighty nice – a tight, keyboard-driven approach to 80s soul – but one that's also held together beautifully by lead vocals from Dwight Dukes, who was previously a member of Heaven & Earth! Dukes has this sweet falsetto mode that works perfectly with the cuts – and on many numbers, he gets vocal support from Dean Williams, whose deeper style really helps ground the tunes nicely – making for a blend that only gets richer as the album rolls on. Groovers dominate the styles, but there's a few nice laidback numbers too – and the contrast makes for the same energy that always made a record by Heaven & Earth so great. Titles include "Contemplation", "Try Your Lovin", "Inner Feelings", "Let The Music Turn You On", and "Do It Anyway You Wanna". CD features 5 bonus tracks – including "Do It Anyway You Wanna (12" version)", "Let The Music Turn You On (single)", "Try Your Lovin (single)", "Do It Anyway You Wanna (inst)", "Try Your Lovin (12" inst)".

An obscure record with a silly title – but a seminal batch of southern soul instrumentals, recorded at the height of the Muscle Shoals scene! The record's a really odd one in the Chess catalog – because it's got the feel of a record that should have come out on Atlantic or Capitol, or more appropriately Fame – as Rick Hall arranged and produced the record, and it features instrumentation by all his best Fame Studios session players, including Charlie Chalmers and Andrew Love on tenor, Gene Miller and Wayne Jackson on trumpet, Jimmy Johnson guitar, Spooner Oldham on piano, Carl Banks on organ, and Roger Hawkins on drums. Chalmers handles the main solo lines on tenor – cutting nice King Curtis-y lines over some well crafted southern soul grooves with a strong funky 45 feel. There's some particularly great cuts on the album – and titles include "Night Rumble", "Velvet Soul", "Groovin", "Soulin", "Two In The Morning", and "Poppin".

Seminal work from one of the 70s greatest groups! The band had always been great at love songs and uptempo numbers – but this record has them moving into more righteous area, picking up on some of the more socially conscious soul of their generation that had been working its way up the charts. The album features excellent production by Chi-Lite Eugene Record, who also wrote a lot of the material – plus arrangements by Tom Tom and Sonny Sanders. Great stuff all around, with the righteous social tunes "(For God's Sake) Give More Power to The People", "Trouble's A Comin", and "We Are Neighbors" – plus classic love songs "Have You Seen Her" and "Love Uprising", which are still kind of the band's strongest point. Loads more great stuff on this one, the album that helped the second wave of Chicago soul break out into the international market! CD features the bonus single version of "I Want To Pay You Back For Loving Me".

Tight trumpet and lively rhythms – an overlooked killer from the legendary Chocolate! The set's got a nice mix of roots and 60s New York modes – a bit of a sparkle on the trumpets, but plenty of rough edges on the rhythms – all sewn together by soulful vocals from Filberto, Lahera, and Balmaseda! The brass never gets in the way of the vocals at all – and often, the three singers intertwine nicely – almost harmonizing as they glide along with the grooves – on a set of tunes that includes "Fania", "Que Piensas", "Los Caminantes", "El Kikikiriki", "Mi Fanfarron", and "Macho Cimarron".

The birth of modern jazz guitar – seminal sides recorded by Charlie Christian, working in small group format with Benny Goodman, Lionel Hampton, Fletcher Henderson, and even a bit of Basie. Christian's tone on the instrument is fantastic – and even though the style of the tracks is more in the swing era mode, there's a direct line between his playing and later work by Grant Green and other 60s jazz guitar giants. Titles include "Six Appeal", "Gilly", "Waiting For Benny", "Seven Come Eleven", "Airmail Special", "Breakfast Feud", and "Wholly Cats".

The birth of modern jazz guitar – seminal sides recorded by Charlie Christian, working in small group format with Benny Goodman in the '40's. Christian's tone on the instrument is fantastic – and even though the style of the tracks is more in the swing era mode, there's a direct line between his playing and later work by Grant Green and other 60s jazz guitar giants. 16 tracks in all, including "Six Appeal", "Waiting For Benny", "Seven Come Eleven", "Airmail Special", "Breakfast Feud", and "Wholly Cats".

The roots of bebop! During the early 40s, sets held in Harlem nightclubs, especially the famous Minton's, were seminal to the development of bebop – and you'll hear exactly what we mean on this album! The set features material recorded by Jerry Newman at Minton's and Monroe's up in Harlem – sessions that include players like Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Christian, Thelonious Monk, Hot Lips Page, Kenny Clarke, and Don Byas. The players run through a batch of material that might be called small-combo swing – but the style of the solos shows a lot of bebop, as well as a strong penchant for new ideas. Titles include "Lips Flips", "Swing to Bop", "Guy's Got To Go", "Kerouac", and "Stardust".

A striking soundtrack for this Italian horror film – not really a zombie flick exactly, but one with a very similar bent – scored by the great Stelvio Cipriani with loads of cool keyboards and rhythms! The horror mode's definitely of the John Carpenter generation – which means that Cipriani does a great job of balancing action and space throughout – using his instrumentation sparingly at just the right moments – then surging forward to really move things along! Titles include "Sustain", "I'll Find My Way To You", "L'Attesta", "Metropolis", "Agguato", "Incubo", and "Masquerade". CD also features 18 more bonus tracks – all previously unreleased!

A seminal session from one of the greatest large groups ever! This one captures the Clarke-Boland ensemble at the peak of their creativity – swinging hard in that tight firey way that was virtually their trademark during the late 60s. The players are a top-shelf mix of European and American jazz legends – coming together without ego, without attitude, and having a hell of a time working through groundbreaking arrangements from leader Francy Boland. Soloists include Sahib Shihab, Tony Coe, Dusko Goykovich, Ronnie Scott, Jimmy Woode, and Benny Bailey – and the tracks are all short, but swing like a mofo, with plenty of solo action in the mix. Titles include "Love For Sale", "November Girl", "All Through The Night", "Lullaby Of The Leaves", and "Bei Dir War Es Immer So Schon".

Seminal Atlantic Records work from The Clovers – one of those groups who were already great on their own, but then really took off once they hit the label! There's a rawness to these sides that rivals the early Drifters at their best – the Clyde McPhatter years of that group – with vocal interplay that virtually invents the group harmony sound for years to come, mixed with raw rhythms that often feature lots of The Clovers' trademark guitar from Bill Harris! Easily one of the top 10 group soul albums of the 50s – with tracks that include "Love Love Love", "I Played The Fool", "Devil Or Angel", "Little Mama", "Crawlin", "Here Goes A Fool", "Lovey Dovey, "Yes It's You", "Ting A Ling", and "Hey Miss Fanny".

A landmark LP of guitar-based funk! Dennis Coffey had been playing, arranging, and producing all over the Detroit soul scene by the time this album came out – so it wasn't like he really needed a hit to get paid or anything – but the record forever marked him as a guitar player to be reckoned with, and it was a perfect showcase for Coffey's fuzzed-out funky style, instantly recognizable and still extremely popular today! The album contains the monster breakbeat cut "Scorpio" – kind of a seminal text of hip hop – plus plenty of other groovers like "Getting It On", "Garden Of The Moon", "Big City Funk", and "Sad Angel".

Wonderful wonderful wonderful – and one of the best albums we've ever heard of modern bossa and soundtrack grooves! For years, Nicola Conte has been a seminal force in the new Italian scene – working as a DJ, promoter, producer, and sometimes recording artist under the odd 12" single. This album marks his first full effort – and after years of bubbling under in the Italian scene, Nicola emerges as one of the most perfect-formed artists we've heard in years. The whole album's a breathtaking mix of 60s bossa, soundtrack, and easy themes – put together with never a dull moment, and always a focus on the kind of mid and uptempo grooves that have been pushing the Italian and German scenes for the last 5 years. The record features great mixes from a few of Nicola's 12" singles, plus a wealth of excellent new material that really expands his groove wonderfully – with a totally real, totally honest sound that pushes past the gazillion retro remix throwaway albums that you'll find stuffing the listening stations at the megastores! Tracks include "Il Cerchio Rosso", "Dossier Omega", "Trappola Mortale", "Jazz Pour Dadine", and "Bossa Per Due".

The cover alone should be enough to tell you this is a cooker – as Cortijo and Kako go head to head on heavy percussion, working a heavy traditional groove despite the later date of the album! Rhythms are strongly in the plena and bomba modes – with timbales and congas dominating, as well as plenty of chorus vocals from Chivirico Davila, Gilberto Cruz, and Ismael Rivera – a great lineup who really help the record cook! The album's a great lost groover from the tail end of the 60s – and titles include "Chiviriquiton", "Yo No Bailo Con Juana", "Maria Teresa", "Compay Sapo", "Alegria Bomba Es", and "Que Le Paso".

A seminal set from Country Joe & The Fish – one of those albums that brought the new psychedelic sound strongly into the mainstream – but all without softening up or commercializing it at all! There's still a very sharp edge to the record – mean organ lines, fuzzy guitar, and lots of cool production that makes the sounds weirder and more watery than before – even the vocals, which have this edge that nobody would ever refer to as Sunshine Pop! In a way, the whole set's as sinister as any of the most groundbreaking albums on Elektra from the time – and definitely shows that both Vanguard and the group were at the forefront of the new psych recording scene. Titles include "Not So Sweet Martha Lorraine", "Super Bird", "Death Sound", "Sad And Lonely Times", "The Masked Marauder", "Grace", and "Bass Strings". Great 2CD set – with both the stereo and mono mixes of the album!

A great little album that's as hip as its cover image – one of 3 seminal mid 50s recordings for Imperial by LA altoist Sonny Criss! At this point in his career, Criss had a sharp-edged sound that could easily rival the best work by Sonny Stitt or Charlie Parker on the alto sax – but he also had a groove that was a bit more spacious, and a tone that was slightly more raspy – a wonderful quality that we can only describe as Criss-esque, recorded perfectly in the Imperial studios! The group here is a tight quartet – with Sonny Clark on piano, Leroy Vinnegar on bass, and Lawrence Marable on drums – and Criss' solos are brilliant throughout! Titles include "Wailin With Joe", "The Man I Love", "Blues For Rose", "Blue Prelude", and "Summertime".

Seminal early work from the legendary Joe Cuba – highly percussive Latin tracks, served up in a small combo mode that really helped pave the way for the Latin Soul generation! Joe's shaking off most of Latin tradition here – going for a tightly focused sound that features plenty of timbales and congas, and which also introduces a bit of English language to their repertoire – thanks to vocals by Jimmy Sabater on the track "To Be With You". Cheo Feliciano sings on a few other numbers, but a number of tracks are really cooking instrumentals! Titles include the great "Wabble Cha", plus "Oriente", "Callejero", "Salsa Y Bembe", "Cachondea", and "To Be With You", a big early hit for the group.

An overlooked gem from 80s Brazil – a rare bit of indie samba work from Luiz Carlos Da Vila – and a record that's definitely a cut above the usual material in the genre! There's a wonderfully rich sound to the record right from the start – soulful vocals from Luiz Carlos, and some rootsy percussion – but also these warmer backings that almost have jazzy changes at times – of the sort that you might get if Joao Donato ever arranged a samba record. The original was issued on the small Arca label – so has escaped the attention of global ears for years – but the set's a record well worth seeking out. Titles include "Morro Molhado", "Diamante", "Das Origens", "Bracos De La", "Notavel Amiga", "A Flor Da Esperanca", and "Tudo Se Ilumina".

Wow! An incredible collection of seminal recordings from one of the most important figures in modern music! The list of sidemen and great LPs is almost too long to go over, but in addition to Miles' remarkable Cookin'/Relaxin'/Walkin'/Workin' sessions, there's all of the material issued as Bags' Groove, with the Modern Jazz Giants and loads more, and some of the stellar accompanists includes John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins, Charlie Parker, Lee Konitz, Red Garland, Thelonious Monk, Horace Silver, Milt Jackson, Paul Chambers, Art Blakey, Philly Joe Jones, and Max Roach, just to name a few. 95 (!!) tracks in all are included, far too many to list here, but there's takes of "Blue Room", "Conception", "Compulsion", "Miles Ahead", "Blue Haze", "Airegin", "Bag's Groove", "The Man I Love", "Green Haze", "Dr Jackle", "The Theme", "Trane's Blues", "'Round About Midnight", "Half Nelson", "My Funny Valentine" and loads more!

A seminal session from the team of Miles Davis & John Coltrane – not nearly as "cookin" (at least in a blowing session way) as you might guess from the title, but instead a beautiful example of the lyrically modern explorations the pair created together! Rhythm is by the trio of Red Garland, Paul Chambers, and Philly Joe Jones – but the horn work of Davis and Coltrane are clearly the starring attraction on the set! Titles include "Tune Up", "Blues By Five", and "Airegin" – plus the pair's classic reading of "My Funny Valentine".

An album of dark and subtle beauty – and still one of our favorite Miles Davis albums of all time! The set's not as earth-shattering as some of Davis' other work of the 60s, but that's why we like it so much – because the emerging genius of the group with Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, and Tony Williams is held in a really special place here – one that ruminates quietly on space and soul, while Davis majestically directs tones and colors that he'd never gotten in a small group format before! Titles include the amazing "Iris", one of Miles' most haunting themes – plus "Little One", "RJ", "ESP", "Mood", and "Agitation".

Thelonious Monk wrote the title tune, but Miles Davis makes it almost his own here – blowing with a subtly moody magic that makes the album one of his true treasures from the early Columbia years! John Coltrane's along on tenor sax – helping Davis expand the sound the pair first forged on Prestige – and also present is the rhythm trio of Red Garland, Paul Chambers, and Philly Joe Jones – impeccably recorded here with a wonderful sense of space. Titles include Miles seminal take on "Round Midnight", plus "Tadd's Delight", "Dear Old Stockholm", "Bye Bye Blackbird", and "A Leu Cha".

Cool compressed sounds from Lynsey De Paul – a UK singer/songwriter with a great breathy style! The package here really digs deep into these seminal years for Lynsey –and brings together two albums and a lot of great singles – all of which have a style that's almost a 70s take on the kind of pop you might have heard on A&M in the late 60s – but done here with that great British way of fusing everything together so strongly in the studio! Lots of numbers are unabashedly catchy, yet still have a dark undercurrent that really sets them apart – kind of a sinister vibe alongside the sex – on cuts that include "Sugar Me", "All Night", "Blind Leading The Blind", "So Good To You", "Nothing Really Lasts Forever", "Rainbow", "Nursery Rhyme", "Central Park Arrest", "Crossword Puzzle", "Getting A Drag", and "Brandy".

The best work so far from Rosalia De Souza – a session that features production and guitar from bossa legend Roberto Menescal, and a sound that's deeper and even more classic than any of Rosalia's other work! Most of the instrumentation here is in an older acoustic mode – piano, percussion, and horns arranged by Menescal with that beautifully lighter than air style that he first pioneered in the 60s – an approach that lets Rosalia's vocals drift along on wonderfully gentle rhythms, and dominate the record even more than before. Given that the set's on Schema, there's still a nicely rhythmic component to most numbers – but overall, the record's a bold step forward even for the label – similar to the all-acoustic move made by Nicola Conte in his own recordings! Marcos Valle joins in on vocals on "Que Bandeira", and other tunes include "Onde Anda O Meu Amor", "Voz Da Lapa", "Jogo De Roda", "Rio De Janeiro", "Mar Amar", "Um Novo Dia", and "Vivo Sonhando".

Seminal work from British reedman Elton Dean – two classic Ogun albums back to back on a single CD! First up is Happy Daze – a set that's got a lot more complicated class than you might expect from the title – really wonderful large ensemble arrangements penned by Dean, and definitely in the spirit that he claimed made the group the heir to Keith Tippett's previous group of the late 60s! The music here is all nicely inside, and pretty darn soulful – swinging and stepping with a bit more of a groove than some of the other Ogun Records work of the time – really back to that hip point at the end of the 60s, when British jazz groups stretched out in their spirit, but never got too avant in their style – a perfect blend that Dean really recreates here, with help from players who include Alan Skidmore on tenor, Harry Beckett on trumpet, Mark Charig on trumpet and tenor horn, Nick Evans and Radu Malfatti on trombones, Keith Tippett on piano, Harry Miller on bass, and Louis Moholo on drums. Titles include "Nicrotto", "Seven For Lee", "Sweet FA", and "Three For All". On Oh For The Edge, there's definitely an edge to the music – but one that's a bit different than that of some of Elton Dean's contemporaries in the 70s British scene! Dean brings a lot more swing and soul to this record than you might expect – working with a large group, but never letting the players get totally outside – which is a real change from some of the more freely improvising UK ensembles of the period. Dean's own work on alto and saxello are totally great – as are the core rhythms of the group, which come from Keith Tippett on piano, Harry Miller on bass, and Louis Moholo on drums. But we're also plenty happy to hear Alan Skidmore on tenor, Harry Beckett and Mark Charig on trumpets, and Nick Evans on trombone. The recording has a very good "roomy" sound to it that gives it a darker edge than some of the other Ogun recordings from the time – and tracks include "Fall In Free", "Dance", "Friday Night Blues", and "Prayer For Jesus".

One thing you have to remember about The Dells – they always sound great! Even here, in later years, their sound is superb – a rich, deep approach to harmonies that's still head and shoulders above most other groups in the business! The production on the set is by Norman Harris and the Harris Machine – and some tracks get a Philly groove on, while others stick in a mellower ballad mode that's completely dominated by the group. Niceness abounds, and titles include "Private Property", "God Helps Those", "Don't Trick Me, Treat Me", "Wasted Tears", and "How Can One Man Be So Lucky". CD features a bonus track – a US single edit of "Private Property".

2 rare soundtracks by French composer Eric Demarsan – 1978's Attention Les Enfants Regardent and 1983's L'Indiscretion – back-to-back! Attention Les Enfants Regardent kicks off with an ethereal choir overture, and from there rolls out some laidback, but moody tracks that steadily build tension as the soundtrack plays out. Nice use of harpsichord at the beginning and heavier use strings as it goes. Sweet! Titles include "Les Enfants Du Soleil", "Le Serment", "Strip-Tease", "La Mort De L'Ogre", "Le Diner", "Supermarche", "La Recontre" and more. "L'Indiscretion" has some similar attributes, but also cool, pared down fusiony touches – with echoey electric guitar, sultry sax, synth and some rumbling drums and bass grooves in particular. It's also got a nicely alliterative tracklist – including "Indiscretion", "Elimination", "Impulsion", "Premonition", "Interrogation", "Liberation", "Fascination" and more.

A great set of archival DJ Shadow instros from the early-to-mid 90s – from back when his primary means of production was the Akai MPC sampler – along with his endless arsenal of vinyl and limitless creative inspiration! This is formative, but essential material for fans of classic Shadow. It's a superior follow up to the 4 Track Era compilation, and a solid blueprint for his very best work to come! This is all previously unreleased, and it was produced from 1992 to 1996 – which is the period that beat heads and leftfield hip hop production historians outta know culminated in the release of the classic Endtroducing album. That said, this is not a set of Endtroducing leftovers – it's strong, original and legacy-building instrumental work from a crucial period – assembled by the man himself! 24 tracks on the CD. Includes "Intropy (Original Version)", "Vee In Detroit", "Alright", "Don't Try It", "Falling Up", "Aye", "Britty But Magic", "Atmospheric Disturbances", "Quickstep", "Freddi's Popcorn", "From The Old School", "Mystical With Solo", "Fast Rap Fanfare" and more.

Kenny may be quiet, but he's never muted – and the record is far from the sleepy session you might guess from the title! The album's a real standout in the Dorham catalog – a set that let's Kenny's trumpet sparkle beautifully in a quartet that includes piano from Tommy Flanagan, bass from Paul Chambers, and drums from Art Taylor – all bringing their own spirit to the record, but really hanging back in the space to let Dorham's sound dominate the record. Kenny's notes are beautifully shaped throughout – in a mode that has echoes of Clifford Brown's sweetness, but which also speaks with a raspier, earthier tone overall! Titles include 2 key Dorham classics – "Lotus Blossom" and "Blue Spring Shuffle" – plus "Mack The Knife", "My Ideal", "Blue Friday", and "Old Folks".

A dozen of the biggest numbers from the seminal vocal group, including "There Goes My Baby", "(If You Cry) True Love, True Love", "Dance With Me", "This Magic Moment", "Save The Last Dance For Me", "I Count The Tears", "Some Kind Of Wonderful", "Up On The Roof", "On Broadway","Under The Boardwalk", "I've Got Sand In My Shoes" and "Saturday Night At The Movies".

One of the grooviest bags you'll ever hope to own – stylish, practical, and super-durable! This bag's big enough to handle a nice hunk of LPs – you can easily fit 15 to 20 records inside – but it's also tightly-designed enough to work with CDs as well – or books, DJ gear, and even groceries too! The shape is similar to some of those environmentally-friendly bags you'll get at the food store – which means you can fold this one up easily – but the design is a lot more rugged – with straps that go fully around and hug the bottom, extra padding down low, and a laminated finish on the sides – all of which makes the whole thing extra-durable. We've already been test-shopping these bags all around Chicago – and we can promise a long life of fashionable use on your end, too!

A key event in the Chicago Steppers scene – the World's Largest Steppers Contest, held in 2004 and hosted by Chitown DJs Ramonski Luv, Joe Soto, and Herb Kent! The DVD presents the contest pretty much as it happened – with introductions by the luminaries, then performances of some of the best contestants, all captured in glorious color on the floor of the ballroom of the Hyatt Regency. The footage is sometimes a bit rough, but that also makes it a key documentary of this important local soul music scene!

A great set that brings together 2 live albums from organist Charles Earland! Live At The Lighthouse is a real killer – with that tight jazzy groove that Earland had on his first few albums for Prestige, a mix of jazz funk and soul jazz, handled with an incredible touch on the organ! The band includes lesser known players like trumpeter Elmer Coles, alto player James Vass, and conga player Kenneth Nash – but they all groove very tightly, and provide a perfect foil for Earland's soaring solos. Includes a great version of "Moontrane", plus the groovers "Spinky", "Smiling", and "Black Gun". Kharma is a spiritual live set recorded at the 1974 Montreux festival, and one that has Earland opening into the freer sound that dominated his playing during the mid 70's – with lots of modal grooves, and those long soulful leaps that made his solos always so great! Jon Faddis, Clifford Adams, and Dave Hubbard are in the lineup, and tracks include "Morgan", "Kharma", and his "Suite for Martin Luther King". 11 tracks in all!

Earth Wind & Fire's most ambitiously orchestrated records of recent years – one that pairs the legendary funk/soul/pop collective with contemporary players such as Will I Am of Black Eyed Peas, Raphael Saadiq, Floetry, Big Boi of Outkast, Sleepy Brown and others! Believe us, we were as skeptical as the rest of you when this project first materialized, so it's really a wonderful surprise to report that it works very well! The album is essentially a modern, uptempo neo soul effort by a group that just happens to be legendary – with clean vocals and horns by the group, and warm production by Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, Will I Am and Raphael Saadiq. It may not be a classic on par with the 70s work, but it's easily the best Earth Wind & Fire album in at least a decade! Tracks include "Lovely People" feat Will I Am, "Show Me The Way" feat Raphael Saadiq, "Work It Out", "Elevated People" feat Floetry, "Pass You By", "Pure Gold" and more! 13 tracks in all.

A seminal album by El Kinto – a short-lived but crucially important group in the Uruguay rock scene of the late 60s! El Kinto were a seminal link between the beat group sounds of the earlier South American scene, and some of the headier, tripper work to come in the psychedelic years – and their music was an unusual blend of local roots and more ambitious rock – served up in styles that were somewhat different than the candombe music of other artists on the scene. Core rock instrumentation was often augmented by a bit of Latin percussion – used in a way that created a nicely earthy feel at the bottom of most of the tunes, which was in contrast to the cleaner, but also somewhat spare use of guitars on the top. There's a criss-crossing sensibility here that's not unlike Brazilian Tropicalia at times – although clearly not as politically motivated, nor as culturally radical – and what really blows us away about these tunes is the overall sense of sound – a simple, but extremely effective placement of all the simplest elements, to create music without easy comparison (even though we've been trying for the last few lines!) Group members include percussionist Ruben Rada and South American rock legend Eduardo Mateo – and the album features 14 tracks that include "Jose", "Mejor Me Voy", "Don Pascual"," Voy Pensando", "Esa Tristeza", "Yo Volvere Por Ti", "Estoy Sin Ti", and "Pippo". Great reissue – very heavy vinyl and cover, and with an insert with notes!

A mix of storming instrumentals and vocal tunes by The Eliminators – one of the great 60s studio creations tailor-made to rip it up on surf, drag and any kinda thematic grooves! This one includes some takes on the Liverpool sound, as well – and the players include a few soon-to-be legends like Leon Russell – who serves as the musical arranger here! A nice mix of groovy and seedy stormers. Includes "Can't Buy Me Love", "Twist And Shout", "Needles And Pins", "Classy Lotus Chassis", "Surfing Iguana", "Malibu Wipeout", "The Challenger", "Hillclimb Hilda", "Red Hot Scrambler – Go!" and more.

Formative work from Duke Ellington – an insane amount of crucial recordings from the 30s, package together here with copious notes, session information, personnel, and wonderful sound! The music shows Ellington really coming into his own – working with his Famous Orchestra of the time, and creating initial recordings of tunes that would go onto transform a generation – finding a great way to mix together the modern inflections of the whole ensemble, with important solo voices of players like Johnny Hodges on alto sax, Cootie Williams on trumpet, Lawrence Brown on trombone, Barney Bigard on clarinet, Juan Tizol on valve trombone, and Harry Carney on alto and baritone sax! The package brings together seminal 78rpm sides for labels that include Brunswick, Columbia, and Master – and although there are some alternate takes in the set, there's also a stunning amount of different songs recorded during these years – laid out in the package on 11 CDs features a total of 252 tracks in all. As usual, the presentation is superb – and a great reminder that these Mosaic boxes are even more essential for material from the 78rpm era than they are for the LP jazz of later years!

Three slices of rare work by Duke Ellington – all recorded previously as semi-private recordings, and issued here in a short-lived 70s set! As you'd guess by the title, the tracks are all in "suite" form – that broader compositional style that dominated Ellington's later work, one in which he brought together complicated ideas with a very unified feel – often based around a single theme, but fleshed out beautifully with modes that were even more sophisticated than in his earlier work. Side one features "The Queen's Suite", recorded in 1959 with mostly full orchestra, but also a spare passage of just piano and bass – and side two features "The Goutelas Suite" from 1971, and "The Uwis Suite" from 1972.