An amazing package – decades of work from Duke Ellington, presented here with lots of unreleased tracks as well – the most comprehensive collection of this work that's ever been done! CD

Incredible work by The Exciters – material we totally love to death, most of which is a lot harder-hitting than the group's earlier hits in the 60s! The package pulls together their post-UA recordings for the Bang, Shout, and RCA labels – the first to of which are represented by singles, the last by a full LP and some great extra material from 45s – all of which is really incredible stuff that moves way past any pop soul expectations you may have! Production is by Bert Berns on the non-RCA material, and Larry Banks on the RCA sides – and both producers bring an incredibly hip sound to the recordings, mixing the unique deep soul lead of Brenda Reid with some very groovy backings – arranged by Artie Butler, George Patterson, and Teacho Wiltshire, all of whom bring something unique to the mix. The force of these sides is amazing – almost a revolution in female soul, captured in the history of one group – and the booklet features very full notes on the girls, culled from interviews, and telling the story of their legendary years in the 60s. CD contains all of the legendary Caviar & Chitlins LP, plus lots of singles – 21 tracks that include "Take One Step I'll Take Two", "Soul Motion", "Number One", "A Little Bit Of Soap", "Number One", "You Don't Know What You're Missing", "Blowing Up My Mind", "Movin Too Slow", "Turn Me On", "A Year Ago", "You Got Me", "Always", "Fight That Feelin", "Give It All", and "Weddings Make Me Cry". CD

Notable sidemen include Benny Carter, Coleman Hawkins, Ben Webster, Milt Jackson on vibes, John Lewis, Milt Hinton, Ray Brown, and Kenny Clarke. 43 tracks total. CD

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A massive collection of music – eight full albums from Evelyn Champagne King, plus bonus tracks as well! King was a hell of a singer who came along at just the right time – as cool and classy enough to have sung jazz in decades before, but with a richness that also really fit the spirit of 70s soul – and was perfect for the new infusion of grooves that the music got during the disco generation! King could sing disco, but also hit a lot wider range too – which made for some really well-formed records during her years at RCA – all of which are collected here! Unlike some of her crossover contemporaries, Evelyn managed to grow with the years and stay strong as the 80s moved in – shifting styles a bit, but never losing her groove – and working here with production and arrangements from the likes of T Life, Kashif, Willie Lester, Morrie Brown, Andre Cymone, and Leon Sylvers – all of whom help shape the groove. The box features the full albums Smooth Talk, Music Box, Call On Me, I'm In Love, Get Loose, Face To Face, So Romantic, and A Long Time Coming – nearly all of which are presented with bonus tracks – all wrapped up in a box set, with a 40 page booklet of notes. CD

Seminal work from vocalist Teddi King – quite possibly her best material ever, recorded during a memorable run for RCA in the mid 50s! King first came to fame as more of a small combo jazz singer, but during her time at RCA, she tried out a variety of different modes – some of the sweeter female styles of the 50s mainstream, some highly emotive, expressive ballads, and a few standout cuts that come across with a bit more of a playful feel. Most of the backings here are by Hugo Winterhalter – except for a few arranged by Ralph Burns – and the set features 17 tracks from Teddi's RCA years, with great notes on the music by Will Friedwald. Titles include "A Ride On A Rainbow", "Traveling Down A Lonely Road", "I Can Honestly Say It's A Lie", "Should I Ever Love Again", "Baisez Moi", "Say A Prayer", "A Lot In Common", "Then It Starts Again", and "Married I Can Always Get". CD

Notable sidemen include Don Cherry, Ben Riley, Roy McCurdy, Herbie Hancock, Jim Hall, Paul Bley, Coleman Hawkins, and others. CD

Brilliantly bold work from pianist Toshiko Akiyoshi – an artist who's really coming into her own for the 70s – stepping out in a big band format that would win her a wide new audience on both sides of the Pacific! The album's one of the first to feature the ensemble co-led with husband Lew Tabackin – a group that features strong work from American players who include Dick Spencer and Gary Foster on alto saxes, Tabackin and Tom Peterson on tenor, Bill Perkins on baritone, Bobby Shew and Don Rader on trumpets, and Charles Loper and Jim Sawyer on trombones. The horns are only part of the picture, though – as the inventive writing and arranging from Akiyoshi is what really makes the album great – a strong sense of painting with sound, while still keeping things swinging – really unlocking all the best elements that had been opened up for larger ensembles in the previous few years. The set features all original tracks that include "Kogun", "American Ballad", "Henpecked Old Man", "Elegy", and "Memory". CD

Really hard-jamming work from keyboardist Brian Auger – the first of a 2-part live set from the US, and easily some of his greatest work on record! The tracks are all very long and stretched out here – an extrapolation of the territory Auger was already exploring on studio sides, taken into even more cosmic realms through the lively nature of the set. As with other records from the time, Alex Lighterwood sings on some cuts – but the real highlight is the keyboard work of Auger – served up on both organ and electric piano, and hitting a great blend of funk, fusion, and keyboard soul! Titles include a really great funky remake of "Bumpin On Sunset", the original break track "Don't Look Away", and the tunes "Truth", and "Beginning Again". CD

The second smoking Live Oblivion set from Brian Auger and crew – twice as long, and maybe even twice as funky as the first! The tunes on here all really push the ten minute mark – stretching out the original Auger conception on studio sides, and featuring plenty of room for really wicked solo work on organ and electric piano! The live setting seems to inspire the group to even greater new heights – and there's an intensity here that makes for some really great moments. Titles include the wonderful break-heavy version of "Compared To What" – plus "Second Wind", "Maiden Voyage", "Straight Ahead", "Freedom Jazz Dance", and "Inner City Blues". CD

2 of Gato Barbieri's greatest albums of the 70s – back to back on one CD! Bolivia is one of Gato's better albums from the early 70s – and like a lot of his Latin-themed ones, a swirling mix of soulful soloing, modal grooves, and unbridled emotion. Lonnie Liston Smith is playing piano on most cuts, and he's a perfect blend for Barbieri's horn – giving it the same sort of soulful base as in his classic recordings with Pharoah Sanders. Titles include "Merceditas", "Eclypse", "Bolivia", and "Vidala Triste". Under Fire is filled with Latin rhythm influences forged on Gato's Impulse sessions of the same time, plus some nice spiritual blowing in the Pharoah Sanders tradition in which he was linked in the immediate post-Coltrane years. Airto and Mtume are on percussion on most tracks, and Lonnie Liston Smith plays some pretty outside piano on the set. All tracks are long, and titles include "El Parana", "Antonico", "El Sertao", and "Maria Domingas". CD

Four of the more obscure RCA albums from the great Bobby Bare – all brought together here in a single set! First up is the very unusual English Countryside album – a special set that has the vocals of Bobby Bare paired with a group from the UK – Liverpool's Hillsiders, who sing with a style that's a bit folk, and a bit rock – but which takes on a very distinct country vibe amidst the RCA production of Chet Atkins! Both Bare and The Hillsiders sing solo on the record – but most of the set has them paired together, and the presence of all those voices on the tracks create a nice sense of spontaneity – maybe a hint at the more relaxed recording approach that Bobby would use on his big albums of the mid 70s! Titles include "Sweet Dreams", "Six Days On The Road", "Find Out What's Happening", "Love's Gonna Live Here", "Goin Home", "Blue Is My Lonely Room", and "I Washed My Face In The Mountain Dew". Margie's At The Lincoln Park Inn is a seminal album in the career of Bobby Bare – and the record that really has him turning from a young smiling country singer to the kind of more adult, mature talent that would really send him over the top! The album's promise of "controversial country songs" is certainly apt – as in addition to the great Tom T Hall title cut, the album also features Bare taking on great material from Kris Kristoffersen, Mel Tillis, and even the team of Spooner Oldham and Dan Penn – all set to arrangements that are nicely more sophisticated than those used on the more pop productions of some of Bobby's earlier albums. Titles include "Margie's At The Lincoln Park Inn,", "The Law Is For The Protection Of The People", "Watching The Trains Go By", "Skip A Rope", "Rainy Day In Richmond", "Cincinnati Jail", "Wild As The Wind", and "Drink Up & Go Home". I Hate Goodbyes is the record that marked the return of Bobby Bare to RCA Records in the early 70s – and one that also marks the start of a very different phase in Bare's career! This time around, Bobby's handling the production himself – working with the kind of thoughtful, mature material that would really let him open up – songs from Billy Joe Shaver, Mickey Newbury, the team of Bill Rice and Jerry Foster, and even an early tune from Shel Silverstein – who would soon become one of the biggest contributors to Bobby's records. The vibe is very different than his RCA material of the mid 60s, and in a great way – on titles that include "I Hate Goodbyes", "Restless Wind", "Ride Me Down Easy", "Send Tomorrow To The Moon", "You Know Who", "An Offer She Couldn't Refuse", "What's Your Mama's Name Child", and "Poison Red Berries". Last up is Cowboys & Daddys – an overlooked gem in the mid 70s RCA years of the great Bobby Bare – and a set that really shows the dedication that Bare had during these years to finding the most sophisticated material of the new country generation! The list of songwriters alone is great – as the set features tracks from Terry Allen, Shel Silverstein, David Hickey, and Tom T Hall – plus an early contribution from Bob McDill, with whom Bare would soon record a lot more material on albums to come. There's a mature, laidback vibe to the whole set – different than some of the more playful Bobby Bare albums of the time – and titles include "Chester", "The Cowboy & The Poet", "Amarillo Highway", "Speckled Pony", "Calgary Snow", "Last Dance At The Old Texas Moon", "Pretty Painted Ladies", and "The Stranger". CD

Tracks include "Mister Roberts' Roost", "Seventh Avenue Express", "Sophisticated Swing", and "House Rent Boogie". CD

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Features tenor Don Braden working in a few different quartet and trio formations – musicians include Darrell Grant on piano, Christian McBride on bass, and Cecil Brooks III on drums. CD

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Classic 70s samba from one of Brazil's lovliest sambistas! Titles include "Sempre So", "O Mundo E Um Moinho", "As Mocas", "Vingaca", "Deus Nao Castiga Ninguem", "Saco De Feijao", and "Carro De Boi". CD

One of the more obscure Brazilian harmony bossa albums of the 60s – yet a set that we'd put right up there next to our favorite work from Sergio Mendes & Brasil 66 – and maybe some of the even groovier acts recording down in Brazil! Mario Castro Neves is best known as a piano player and arranger – and he brings a jazzy vibe to this set, working with a core trio that features Normando on drums and Novelli on bass – while also opening the door to work from female singers Thais and Biba, who soar together in a breezy duet mode – very Brasil 66, but leaner and groovier too – with some scatting qualities that also show an influence from European jazz! There's a sparkling sound here that's strongly influenced by bossa, but which also has some sunnier 60s touches too – and Mario's arranging skills are at an all-time high on the lightly dancing rhythms of the tunes. Titles include "Candomble", "Nana", "E Nada Mais", "Keep Talking", "Once More", "Ta Por Fora", and "Morte De Um Deus De Sal". CD

A landmark session that gathered together just about every hip British jazz and jazz/rock musician of the time – and brought them together into one super-cool orchestra of sound! Robert Fripp produced the record, and Keith Tippett is the overall music director – but the album's got a feel that's much more in the avant side of the UK jazz spectrum – particularly the trippier side of the Deram/Decca label of the late 60s – like work by Mike Westbrook or Mike Gibbs! The lineup is huge – with Elton Dean and Dudu Pukwana on alto sax, Alan Skidmore and Gary Windo on tenor, Ian Carr and Mongesi Fesa on trumpets, Mark Charig on cornet, Nick Evans and Paul Rutherford on trombone, Keith Tippett on piano, Brian Godding on guitar, Robert Wyatt and John Marshall on drums, and Maggie Nicholls, Julie Tippett, Mike Patto, and Zoot Money on vocals – plus lots of strings as well! Great 2CD version – remastered from the original tapes, with much better sound than previous versions. CD

A killer album of 70s New Orleans funk! Chocolate Milk were an amazing funk group in their best moments – and this album is certainly one of those moments – a blistering batch of tracks that set a whole new style for the Crescent City scene, and which showed that producers Allen Toussaint and Marshall Sehorn could easily hit the hipper notes of the 70s! There's a tight rhythmic sound at the core of most numbers, but expanded instrumentation over the top – bits of spacey electrics or jazzier electronics that never would have shown up in Sansu records of years back, but which show that with the right group, New Orleans funk could easily take on the hippest styles going down on both coasts! The title cut, "Action Speaks Louder Than Words", is a slow funk classic – and the record also includes the incredible electronic-tinged "Time Machine", a perpetual favorite these days. Other nice tracks include "Pretty Pimpin' Willie" and "Ain't Nothin' But a Thing". Arguably the band's best album ever! CD

A tight little no-nonsense set from Al Cohn – the kind of record that he seemed to cut perfectly at the time, in a mold that he was helping trademark as the RCA 50s approach to jazz! The tunes are all quite short, and mostly familiar numbers – but they're arranged with a west coast-ish sort of flair, and played with more of a New York sense of swing – letting Al get in plenty of nice licks next to bandmates that include Joe Newman, Freddie Green, Nat Pierce, and Thad Jones. There's almost a Basie undercurrent to the set at times – as you'd guess from the players – and tracks include "That Old Feeling", "Sweet & Lovely", "Soft As Spring","I'll Be Around", "Honey Blonde", "Willow Weep For Me", and "In A Mellow Tone". CD

A twin-tenor classic from the team of Al Cohn and Zoot Sims – one of the duo's best-remembered albums from their 50s years at RCA – and a perfect blend of their talent for individual improvisation and unified ensemble energy! The album boasts 2 different groups – one with Hank Jones on piano, Milt Hinton on bass, and Osie Johnson on drums; the other with Dick Sherman on trumpet, Dave McKenna on piano, and the rhythm team of Hinton and Johnson – but the main focus is on Al and Zoot throughout, both blowing these lines that are crisp and modern, yet filled with soul – especially on Sims' passages, which break free a bit more than some of the other RCA jazz sessions of the time. Titles include "My Blues", "More Bread", "Sherm's Terms", "From A To Z", "Crimea River", and "Mediolistic". CD

A massive set of music recorded for RCA in 1955 – five classic albums, all featuring shifting lineups of players related to the Count Basie Band! The style here is often a bit more modern than most Basie work, but still also shows an undeniably strong sense of rhythm – one that comes into play wonderfully with the tighter RCA approach to hornwork of the 50s – which often brings out some of the sharper edges of the players. Although the material's been partially issued separately over the years, this complete Mosaic package is a real delight through and through – as it brings together all albums in one set, showing shared players and a very similar sensibility running through all the record. Albums include The Natural Seven, led by Al Cohn on tenor and featuring Joe Newman on trumpet and Freddie Green on guitar; Mr Rhythm, led by guitarist Green, and featuring Newman, Cohn, and trombonist Henry Coker; Lullaby Of Birdland, a leaderless date with Newman, Cohn, and Green, plus Frank Rehak on trombone and Ernie Wilkins on alto; I'm Still Swinging, led by newman with Cohn on tenor, Urbie Green on trombone, and Gene Quill on alto; and The Jazz Workshop Four Brass One Tenor – a set that has Cohn's tenor with trumpets from Newman, Thad Jones, Joe Wilder, Bernie Glow, Phil Sunkel, and Nick Travis – each playing in shifting lineups. The package features a whopping 61 tracks in all – and the usual thorough Mosaic notes! CD

A classic set of interlocking tenor work from 3 giants who made up the best part of Woody Herman's classic 4 horn lineup – Al Cohn, Bill Perkins, and Richie Kamuca – all coming together here in small group formation! The album's a wonderful example of the way that the hornplay of the larger Herman group had an influence on the smaller combos of the west coast scene – and Perkins and Kamuca are especially great here, working with a strong sense of precision, but also some nice humanity in their tone. Other group members include either Jimmy Raney or Barry Galbraith on guitar, Hank Jones on piano, John Beal on bass, and Chuck Flores on drums – and titles include "Cap Snapper", "Pro Ex", "Hags", "Gay Blade", and "The Walrus". This CD offers up the complete sessions, and features a number of extra tracks! CD

A live album with Steve Coleman on alto saxophone, David Murray on tenor saxophone, Andy Milne on keyboards and piano, Reggie Washington on bass, and Gene Lake on drums. CD

With Ralph Alessi on trumpet, Vijay Iyer on keys, Miya Masaoka on koto, and vocals from Yassir Chadly. CD