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A unique account of the oft-told history of Chess Records by author Rich Cohen – focusing on the business acumen the the Chess Brothers, and the brazen approach that brought the music of juke joints to the mainstream. Cohen doesn't pull any punches when it comes to the exploitational side of the Chess story, telling the story of the Chess Brothers and the artists that changed music forever, with a focus on the facsinating and complicated business behind it. Hardcover, 220 pages.

Maybe the greatest album we've ever heard from bassist Nilson Matta – a set that mixes Brazilian jazz modes with a much more complex approach – all in a style that offers up a really rich reworking of the famous soundtrack to the film Black Orpheus! The original score by Antonio Carlos Jobim and Luiz Bonfa is augmented by key passages from Matta himself – and other moments feature just spare percussion and cuica, in ways that recall the almost-ethnographic quality of the the original film recording. Yet together, these elements are all interwoven into a rich musical tapestry with a shimmering sense of sound – pulled together from diverse contributions by artists who include Kenny Barron on piano, Randy Brecker on trumpet, Anat Cohen on clarinet, Guilherme Monteiro on guitar, Anne Drummond on flute, and Leny Andrade on vocals. Titles include "Batucada", "A Felicidade", "Samba De Orfeu", "Repinique Interlude", "Ascend My Love", "Violao Interlude", "Hugs & Kisses", "Um Nome De Milher", and "Frevo De Orfeu".

Maybe the greatest album we've ever heard from bassist Nilson Matta – a set that mixes Brazilian jazz modes with a much more complex approach – all in a style that offers up a really rich reworking of the famous soundtrack to the film Black Orpheus! The original score by Antonio Carlos Jobim and Luiz Bonfa is augmented by key passages from Matta himself – and other moments feature just spare percussion and cuica, in ways that recall the almost-ethnographic quality of the the original film recording. Yet together, these elements are all interwoven into a rich musical tapestry with a shimmering sense of sound – pulled together from diverse contributions by artists who include Kenny Barron on piano, Randy Brecker on trumpet, Anat Cohen on clarinet, Guilherme Monteiro on guitar, Anne Drummond on flute, and Leny Andrade on vocals. Titles include "Batucada", "A Felicidade", "Samba De Orfeu", "Repinique Interlude", "Ascend My Love", "Violao Interlude", "Hugs & Kisses", "Um Nome De Milher", and "Frevo De Orfeu".

A reading of Duke Ellington's famous suite of tracks, in a performance that features Norma Winstone on the vocal tunes – and which has some extremely strong solo work from Richard Sudhalter, John Davies, Keith Nichols, and Paul Nossiter. Titles include "West Indian Dance", "Come Sunday", "Work Song", "The Blues", and "In One Movement".

One of the hippest sets we've ever seen on Spanish Harlem – a collection that goes way past the Latin Soul hits, to dig deep in the uptown underground at the end of the 60s! The package is compiled with gems from the Fania catalog, but rally moves past the obvious – going for some of the more obscure artists who recorded singles for some of the smaller Fania-held labels – and often focusing on tunes that drew more from late 60s soul and funk than they did from any Latin rhythms of the time. The singers are especially wonderful – and often hit a vibe that's right up there with some of Joe Bataan's best of the period – richly soulful, but often deeply personal too – never as polished as chart soul, and often showing a grittier, more realistic style that's totally great – especially when mixed with instrumentation as tight as this! Titles include "Reflections Of My Life" by 125th Street Candy Store, "On Old Broadway" by 107th Street Stickball Team, "Don't Be Afraid" by Lebron Brothers, "Central Park" by Harvey Averne Dozen, "Heaven" by Tito Ramos, "Your Smile" by Parris, "Some Lonely Heart" by Ronnie Marks, "There's No Girl" by Olivieri, "Maria Maria" by King Nando, "Already Satisfied" by Tony Middleton & Bobby Matos, "Nitty Boo Boo" by The Nitty Sextette, "Lonely Has Been My Day" by Ralphie & The Latin Lovers, "I'm Gonna Leave You" by Russell Cohen & The New Yorkers, and "Ain't No Big Thing" by Ralfi Pagan.

A wonderful collection of obscure solo acoustic guitar tunes from the mid 60s up to the dawn of the 80s – beautiful work from a slew of players we've never heard of – but we'd put right up there with Fahey and Basho in the way they reach from the back porch to the cosmos with just their fingers and some strings! One thing we love about this set, and the Numero Group releases to date, is how deep they dig and what beauty they unearth, somehow with impeccable sound quality. Some tunes are starkly beautiful, some chime on fairly intently, some do both those things and more – and it's very heartening and instantly appealing stuff – wordless tunes that carry a lot of sensitivity and emotion! The 40 page booklet features detailed notes and bio material for each track, plus an introduction by Numero's Rob Sevier and essays by Dan Lambert and Jim Ohlschmidt. Titles include "Beginning" by Dana Westover", "Raga In D" by Ted Lucas, "Sailor's Dream" by Scotte Witte, "Flight" by George Cromarty, "Diagonal" by Richard Crandell, "Baha Dream Songs" by Daniel Hecht, "Delta Freeze" by Jim Ohlschmidt, "No More School" by Stephen Cohen, "Strawberry Man" by Mark Lang, "Warm River" by Bread Chequer, "One Forty Eight" by Swayne Canna and more.

One of the hippest sets we've ever seen on Spanish Harlem – a collection that goes way past the Latin Soul hits, to dig deep in the uptown underground at the end of the 60s! The package is compiled with gems from the Fania catalog, but rally moves past the obvious – going for some of the more obscure artists who recorded singles for some of the smaller Fania-held labels – and often focusing on tunes that drew more from late 60s soul and funk than they did from any Latin rhythms of the time. The singers are especially wonderful – and often hit a vibe that's right up there with some of Joe Bataan's best of the period – richly soulful, but often deeply personal too – never as polished as chart soul, and often showing a grittier, more realistic style that's totally great – especially when mixed with instrumentation as tight as this! Titles include "Reflections Of My Life" by 125th Street Candy Store, "On Old Broadway" by 107th Street Stickball Team, "Don't Be Afraid" by Lebron Brothers, "Central Park" by Harvey Averne Dozen, "Heaven" by Tito Ramos, "Your Smile" by Parris, "Some Lonely Heart" by Ronnie Marks, "There's No Girl" by Olivieri, "Maria Maria" by King Nando, "Already Satisfied" by Tony Middleton & Bobby Matos, "Nitty Boo Boo" by The Nitty Sextette, "Lonely Has Been My Day" by Ralphie & The Latin Lovers, "I'm Gonna Leave You" by Russell Cohen & The New Yorkers, and "Ain't No Big Thing" by Ralfi Pagan.

A wonderful record from bassist Omer Avital – an artist who recently turned in one of our favorite albums in the Live At Smalls series – and who sounds equally great on this recent studio set! There's a depth to the music that really lives up to Omer's righteous image on the front – an approach that's not entirely spiritual jazz, but which has some sensitive undercurrents and ways of stretching out that really hold us rapt – a richness that comes not just from Avital's great ear for composition, but also from the way he puts together the simple, yet elegant arrangement of players on the date! Tracks are long, and very vibrant – and the quintet also features work from Avishai Cohen on trumpet, Joel Frahm on saxes, Omer Klein on piano, and Daniel Freedman on drums. Titles include "Bass Meditation", "The Abutbuls", "Suite Of The East", "Song For Peace", and "Free Forever".