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An explosive late 70s moment of brilliance from trombonist Curtis Fuller – and one of his greatest albums of the time! The set's got Fuller working with an unusual group – Pepper Adams on baritone sax, making for a nice "bottom" alongside Fuller's trombone, plus James Williams, borrowed from Art Blakey's group of the time – and really stepping out here with some great soaring piano lines. The rest of the quintet features Dennis Irwin on bass and John Yarling on drums – but the real boss of the set is clearly Fuller, who's contributed some wonderful originals to the session, and is clearly working with a re-kindled spirit at this point in his career. Titles include "Four On The Outside", "Suite Kathy", "Little Dreams", "Ballad For Gabe-Wells", and "Corrida Del Torro".

One of the nice albums that Little Anthony recorded after moving to Veep during the mid 60's. By this point, the group was recording a little bit more pop stuff than they used to on their old records, but their harmonies were still great, and they were also cutting a lot of other great original tracks that were written for them by Teddy Randazzo, who also produced and arranged. Cuts include "I'm On the Outside (Looking In)", "Please Go", "Our Song", and a remake of their classic "Tears On My Pillow".

Hey, we love this record! It's jazzy, and not at all like Aretha's soul sides for Atlantic – but Aretha's vocals sound wonderful on the record, in a completely different way than on later albums. Arrangements are by Robert Mersey, and they've got a feel that's similar to some of the classic Ray Charles large group recordings for ABC – with slightly churchy backings behind the lead vocals, which are right out front in the set, and almost warmer than on other albums. Aretha sings mellow versions of standards like "Skylark", "For All We Know", "Until The Real Thing Comes Along", and "Where Are You?" – plus the obscure "Mr Ugly".

Jimmy hits a bit of a CTI groove here – working with larger backings from Brad Baker, but still in a style that's got a heck of a lot of soul, despite the smoothness! There's plenty of great space for solo work on the set, and Jimmy Ponder is especially nice in the format – hitting some warmly chromatic solos that still have plenty of invention too – and which sound very sweet alongside Jimmy's work on organ and keyboards. Other soloists include Hank Crawford and Eddie Daniels, and titles include the funky moogy classic "Tapioca", plus "Outside Looking In", "Dust Pan", "Walkin Willie", "Midnight Boogie", and "Playland".

A rare set of offbeat tunes from the creator of Alvin & The Chipmunks – in the style of some of the pre-chip sounds that Ross was doing for Liberty in the late 50s! Nice cover shot of Ross using a gold phone outside of his Rolls Royce!

Trad swinging from Connee Boswell – working here outside of her famous group with her sisters, and getting some pretty nice small combo backing from the Original Memphis Five! The overall style hearkens back to a jazz mode a few decades before the late 50s date of the set – and the group recreates the mood nicely with clarinet from leader James Lytell, plus trumpet from Billy Butterfield, trombone from Miff Mole, and piano from Frank Signorelli. Titles include "All Of Me", "Singin The Blues", "Pagan Love Song", "When My Sugar Walks Down The Street", "Make Love To Me", and "My Honey's Loving Arms".

A pure statement of being and essence – and one of John Coltrane's spiritual masterpieces from the 60s! The 1965 recording was one of Trane's most adventurous so far – as it featured just one album-length track, building up out of relatively free expressions from Coltrane in the studio – initially in the spirit of Love Supreme, but much sharper-edged and unbridled overall – as if the meditative spirit of the previous recording had unlocked a sense of freedom that refused to be tied down to simple structures! The group is great – and features Pharoah Sanders on tenor, Donald Garrett on bass clarinet, McCoy Tyner on piano, Jimmy Garrison on bass, and Elvin Jones on drums – plus a bit of flute and percussion from Joe Brazil. The playing is much freer than on other albums of the time, but also has some introspective spiritual moments – clearly inspired by the Love Supreme recording, but taken a shade outside as well!

An overlooked late 60s treasure on Blue Note – one of the few new groups to work on the label at the time, and an up-and-coming modern combo from Detroit! The album's quite unique for a number of reasons – not just because the group was a little-known new signing to the label, but also because the work is quite far-reaching at times – some of the most free-thinking jazz recorded for Blue Note during the time, with a sense of boldness that almost stretches back to Jackie McLean's first few records of the new thing years, or a sense of lyrical invention that's a bit like Wayne Shorter when he made a shift towards the outside. Some numbers are awash in fast colors and changes, while others are a bit more in the pocket, with echoes of soul jazz – but the whole thing's incredibly fresh and free, a wonderful little record that only gets better and better over the years! The group features pianist Kenny Cox as the leader, plus Charles Moore on trumpet, Leon Henderson on tenor, Ron Brooks on bass, and Danny Spencer on drums. Titles include "Mystique", "You", "Trance Dance", "Eclipse", and "Number Four".

A really joyous groove from Michel Fugain and his Big Bazar group – a sound that's a bit hard to describe, but which really grabs us right away! There's definitely some groovy rhythms going on in the set – and the style is kind of an updated French pop mode from the late 60s – swinging in a way that absorbs plenty of influences from the outside scenes, particularly some Brazilian ones – but with a sound that's definitely French all the way through. Fugain's vocals are in the lead, often supported by a chorus – and the backings by Jean Bouchety have this really cool soundtrack feel at points – especially when the rhythms are upbeat and grooving. Titles include "Allez Bouge-Toi", "Attention Mesdames Et Messieurs", "Notre Societe", "Les Gens Irremplacables", "Leda Leda", and "L'Arche De Noe".

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!

Great stuff from the girls who first put Barry White on the map! The record is the group's second – and by this point, Barry had developed that tight snapping drum sound that made his orchestral albums work so well. You'll hear it to good effect on most songs on the LP, which have a great groove that's in the best Barry White mode of the 70s – but which kind of dominates the girls' vocals a bit. Not that anyone should complain that much, as it's the overall package that's always made Barry's albums sound so great – but we do wonder how the group felt when they had to sit out the first track, which was the instrumental "Love's Theme", a song that went onto become Barry's biggest song ever, and which probably sold the album a lot more than the vocal tracks. Still, you can hardly detect a note of disharmony – and the album soars from track to track, through titles like "Under The Influence Of Love", "Say It Again", "Yes, We Finally Made It", and "It May Be Winter Outside".

A really bold step forward for David Murray – a seminal live recording that features one of the hippest big bands you'll ever hope to find! Murray really uses the date as a chance to express the full range of his musical talents – and often shows modes that are more traditional than you might expect, yet which are always touched with an undercurrent of modernism! The musical palette here is quite different than either the outside or inside sessions recorded by Murray with a small group at the time – and he really reaches back through a rich history of jazz in the performance, and updates it wonderfully with help from players who include Baikida Carroll on trumpet, Olu Dara on cornet, Craig Harris on trombone, Vincent Chaney on French horn, Steve Coleman on alto and soprano sax, Rod Williams on piano, Fred Hopkins on bass, and Billy Higgins on drums. Butch Morris conducts – and titles on this second volume include "Dewey's Circle", "Roses", "David Tune", "Four Minute Marvin", and "Great Peace".

Was there a more tragic figure in the 60s scene than Phil Ochs? Perhaps, but this is still a wonderful piece of his odd and sad career, a great portrait with his unrelenting political stance still in place, though not as raw as some of his other LPs. More arranged than any of his other LPs, but not without spare moments, the orchestrations still never get in the way of Ochs' occasionally delicate voice or clutter the picture too much. Eight tunes: "Cross My Heart", "Flower Lady", "Outside Of A Small Circle Of Friends", "I've Had Her", "Miranda", "The Party", "Pleasures Of The Harbor" and "The Crucifixion".

The second solo album by The Chef – a record that had hard time finding space outside the massive shadow of his first solo landmark Only Built 4 Cuban Linx – and like other Wu Tang solo albums of the era, there's a number of gems on here that really never had a chance to get over a bar set set so high. Titles include "Yae Yo", "Casablanca", the Pete Rock produced near classic "Sneakers", "Raw", "Pop S**t", My Favorite Dred", "Live From New York", "100 Rounds", "Power", and "Forecast".

A great little soundtrack – even if it looks a bit snoozy from the outside! Don Costa's usually not our favorite arranger, but he does a great job with this one – laying out some hard blacksploitation grooves that have funky keyboards, sweet sitar, and lots of nice cop show grooves to them. The bulk of the record is instrumental – with some great funky cuts like "Main Title – Charley", "Main Theme to Water Tower", "Can You Dig It?", and "Train's Comin" – plus a few more "with chorus" tracks that are a bit more mellow. Lou Rawls sings on two cuts – the groovy "Sometime Day", which has a very strong "soundtrack theme" feel, and the mellower "Morning Comes Around", which ends the record with a nice soulful tone.

One of the first moments of genius from a young Pharoah Sanders – a set that builds on the energy of John Coltrane's Love Supreme generation – but takes it in a much more expansive direction! The album's got a sense of majesty that's years ahead of its time – righteous, positive, spiritual jazz that flows out with a timeless power, and a quality that almost out-Coltrane's Coltrane! All tracks are long, expressive, and freely flowing – building with a very organic sense of energy – totally free from any gimmicks or cliche. Players include Dave Burrell on piano, Henry Grimes on bass, and Sonny Sharrock on guitar – and Pharoah plays alto, tenor, and piccolo – and even vocalizes a bit. The album begins with the amazing "Upper & Lower Egypt" – which is a perfect illustration of the two sides of Pharoah's genius – free/out & spiritual/modal – and other titles include "Japan", and "Capricorn Rising".

Pure pop magic from Ringo – with cuts that include "You're Sixteen", "I'm The Greatest", and "Photograph" – all recorded with help from John Lennon, George Harrison, Steve Cropper, Tom Scott, Billy Preston, Nicky Hopkins, and Harry Nilsson!

Cool duets between Czech reedman Jiri Stivin and guitarist Rudolf Dasek – a set with a lot fuller feel than you might expect! The work is straight, and never too outside – and although there's no drums or bass in the performance, there's an inherently rhythmic sensibility to most numbers – that modal sort of style that Stivin always brings to his reeds, especially on 70s recordings like this! Jiri plays alto, soprano, flute, and a bit of recorder – and there's a dynamic energy to the record that's really wonderful. Titles include "What's Your Theme", "Puzzle Game", "Fiddle Flowers", "Hey Man", and "Shepherd Song".

The legendary Bobby Womack embraces 80s grooves fully on Last Soul Man – his gritty vocals bringing real, gritty soul to backdrops centered by keyboards, synth and programmed beats – and live instrumentation from some exceptional players. Womack brings more depth to the proceedings with some social awareness and an all around realness to the song choices. Tracks include "Living In A Box", "When The Weekend Comes" (featuring Sly Stone) "I Still Love You", "Gina", "A World Where No One Cries", "The Things We Do (When We're Lonely)", "Outside Myself" and more.

Think that groovy sounds in London only started with the acid jazz scene at the end of the 80s? Think again – because in the years before, The Bass Clef was a real hotspot of cross-cultural activity – helping to spark the fire that would burn strongly in the Dingwalls years and beyond! This excellent set provides a rare look at London's Latin and African grooves in the mid 80s – featuring not just local players, but groups from outside the UK who were making a big impact at the time – yet who also seemed to pick up some of London's great ear for funk and soul as well. Titles include "Amata" by Somo Somo, "Wosa Wena" by District Six, "Batucada" by London School Of Samba, "Cafe De Paris" by Cayenne, "Dos Labrimas" by El Sonido De Londres, and "Entre Rejas" by Barrio Latino.

If Paul's Boutique was the Beasties heavily mind-blown Dust Brothers dusted psychedelic hip hop Sgt Peppers, then Check Your Head is their down and dirty back to basics raw funk run at something like Never Mind The Bollocks. Their first outing without the guidance of an outside producer, though the trio did bring in ringers like Money Mark and Mario Caldato Junior, this set's a ride into a whole other mindset, still fueled by sunny So Cal vibes and the Beasties own take on rhyme science. It's hard to imagine an album that would produce so many anthems for true heads and the Lollapalooza crowd alike, but this is it. 20 tracks in all, including "Jimmy James", "Pass The Mic", "Gratitude", "Finger Lickin' Good", "So Whatcha Want", "Time For Livin'", "Something's Got To Give", "Groove Holmes" and "Professor Booty".

A landmark first album from drummer Norman Connors – a spiritual jazz masterpiece that builds wonderfully on the post-Coltrane tradition! Norman is years away from his smoother soul recordings at this point, and coming out of a righteous jazz background that included work with Marion Brown and Archie Shepp. For this initial set, Norman's in incredible company – working with players that include Herbie Hancock on both electric and acoustic keys, plus Eddie Henderson on trumpet, Gary Bartz and Carlos Garnett on saxes, Stanley Clarke on bass, and Billy Hart and Airto on percussion – plus a chorus of vocalists on the album's mighty title cut! Tracks are all long, spiritual, and freely exploratory – but never in a style that goes too far outside, or that forgets the joy and love that can spring forth in a forward-thinking session like this one! Titles include "Dance Of Magic", "Give The Drummer Some", "Morning Change", and "Blue".

Anthony and crew were one of the few groups who actually got better when they moved from the raw indie scene to the slicker major label one – as you'll hear perfectly on this set of some of their best work for the Veep/DCP/United Artists label. Teddy Randazzo handled all the arrangements and production, and his breathy uptown style works perfectly with the band's soulful harmonies. Titles include "Hurt So Bad", "I'm On The Outside (Looking In)", "Take Me Back", "Two People In The World", "Tears On My Pillow", "The Diary", and "Going Out Of My Head".

A famous album – but for good reason! The set's something of a landmark in spiritual jazz from the 60s – and it features a classic live performance from Charles Lloyd, recorded at the Monterey Jazz Festival – almost as a distillation and popularization of ideas that were brewing in the music of John Coltrane, Eric Dolphy, and others! The group here features a young Keith Jarrett on piano, Cecil McBee on bass, and Jack DeJohnette on drums – all flowing magnificently with Lloyd's work on tenor and flute – in an open-ended groove that draws on modal rhythms for inspiration, and which features solos that stretch out, but never go "outside"! The classic performances of "Forest Flower" takes up all of side one – with a dreamy drifting quality that has Jarrett at his best – and side two features a version of his "Sorcery", plus McBee's "Song Of Her", and a version of "East Of The Sun".

Killer rootsy blues from Jimmy Rushing – cut in a manner that's almost better than his original recordings! The session was done for Vanguard with a very trad sound, and with backing by great swing-era players like Buddy Tate, Clarence Johnson, Emmett Berry, and Vick Dickenson. Jimmy's voice is as great as ever – and tracks include "My Friend Mr. Blues", "Dinah", "Oh Love", "Sometimes I Think I Do", and "Take Me With You Baby". Great cover, too – with an image of Jimmy sitting outside of some old deli!

Quite possibly the best-remembered album from Pharoah Sanders' legendary run at Impulse Records – a set that crossed over big, and sold to countless folks who might not have bought a jazz album this hip otherwise! The record was Sanders' first in the wake of Coltrane's passing – and it's a beautiful extended suite of tracks that flows with a sense of grace, power, and majesty that's simply breathtaking – a new level of expression in spiritual jazz – and virtually the blueprint for an entire generation to come! The album features the classic track "The Creator Has a Master Plan" – spanning a tremendous amount of space and time – and featuring Leon Thomas' classic vocals on the lyrics! Thomas also returns on the cut "Colors", which is a bit more outside, and quite free overall – and other players on the date include Lonnie Liston Smith on piano, James Spaulding on flute, Julius Watkins on French horn, Ron Carter and Richard Davis on bass, and Freddie Waits and Billy Hart on drums.

A wonderful bit of spiritual soul jazz! This sweet little record was recorded out of the same energy that produced Larry Young's Lawrence of Newark LP for Perception Records, and it's a strange session by Tyrone Washington – a young player from the Newark scene who'd previously cut a straighter album for Blue Note, but who was working here in kind of a messed-up grab bag of styles that fit well with the stoned-out approach of the Perception label. Hubert Eaves plays piano, Stafford James plays bass, Clifford Barconadhi is on drums, and the album's a mix of funk, modal jazz grooving, and a bit of outside activity. In a way, the album's earnestness reminds us of some of Roland Kirk's work from the same time – except that Tyrone's backing group is incredible, with a tight rhythmic sound that gets funky at just the right moments. Titles include "War Is Not For Men", "1980", "Submission", and "Spiritual Light Of The Universe".

One of our favorite albums ever from Weather Report – an album that has them picking up a bit more soul than before, and shaking off some of the experimental sounds of their roots – yet all in a way that still makes them one of the most revolutionary fusion combos of the time! There's an incredible sense of tightness between the reeds of Wayne Shorter, the keyboards of Joe Zawinul, and the bass of Miroslav Vitous – and even when things go a bit outside, there's always a sense of focus and groove that brings them back together – a style that's never entirely funky, but which has plenty of funky elements to please our ears! Dom Um Romao's percussion is always a treat, and Zawinul's electric keys come through beautifully in the mix – on tracks that include "125th Street Congress", "Boogie Woogie Waltz", "Adios", "Manolete", "Will", and "Non-Stop Home".

If Paul's Boutique was the Beasties heavily mind-blown Dust Brothers dusted psychedelic hip hop Sgt Peppers, then Check Your Head is their down and dirty back to basics raw funk run at something like Never Mind The Bollocks. Their first outing without the guidance of an outside producer, though the trio did bring in ringers like Money Mark and Mario Caldato Junior, this set's a ride into a whole other mindset, still fueled by sunny So Cal vibes and the Beasties own take on rhyme science. It's hard to imagine an album that would produce so many anthems for true heads and the Lollapalooza crowd alike, but this is it. 20 tracks in all, including "Jimmy James", "Pass The Mic", "Gratitude", "Finger Lickin' Good", "So Whatcha Want", "Time For Livin'", "Something's Got To Give", "Groove Holmes" and "Professor Booty".

Very high concept work from Stevie Wonder! The record is, in fact, about the "secret life of plants" – partially used as a soundtrack for a film of the same name, but also acting as kind of a storybook in itself! Stevie's exploring a wide range of plant life and plant themes on the set – often in a way that has his keyboards taking center stage in little symphonies of soul that unfold like the petals of a flower in the morning sun – and which stand out as quite different from some of his vocal work, marking him as a talented electronic musician in his own right. Many tracks do have lyrics, too – often with themes of growing, seeding, and other garden metaphors that are easily translated to the human experience. Titles include "Secret Life Of Plants", "Outside My Window", "A Seed's A Star", "Race Babbling", "Black Orchid", "Send One Your Love", "Tree", "Come Back As A Flower", and "Ai No Sono".

A lost gem from Duke Pearson! For some reason, we always forget how great Duke Pearson's work really is – but listening to this album is an excellent reminder, especially on tracks like "Amanda", "Tones For Joan's Bones", "Dad Digs Mom", and "Make It Good". Duke plays piano and leads a large group that includes Mickey Roker, Pepper Adams, Frank Foster, Lew Tabakin, and others. The session appears to be nothing special on the outside, but Duke brings a warmth and imagination to his arrangements that keeps the whole thing lively and sparkling. A nice one, and one not to pass up!

Ed Townsend, the great soul composer and producer responsible for many big hits over the years, put together this album with some younger generation family members and an outside ringer. The result is a great album of modern group soul with a cool mellow soul vibe that's similar to some of the other great soul records on Chocolate City. Our favorite cut's the great midtempo cut "True Love", but other highlights include "It's You", "You Can", and "Wondering".

Boy, does the heavy slab psychedelic sludge grooves of Blue Cheer ever sound wonderful, even more than 40 years since it originally walked the earth! Outsideinside hit not too long after the classic Vincebus Eruptem, and damned if we can determine why it's not as celebrated as the debut. That fuzzed out stomp of a sound is back in full effect, as are the titanic drums and an overall sound that uses an electric blues influence as a springboard into heavy cosmic space. Includes their ferocious cover of "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" plus "Feathers From Your Tree", "Just A Little Bit", "Gypsy Ball", "Come And Get It", "The Hunter", "Babylon" and "Magnolia Caboose Babyfinger".