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Sweet fusion from the great Eric Gale – two late 70s albums back to back on a single CD! Part Of You is part of Gale's great run for Columbia Records in the late 70s, and a set that's got a nicely grooving bottom – thanks to production from Ralph MacDonald, and arrangements from William Eaton! The groove's uptempo at times, but always in a jazz-funk mode – and mostly played with smaller group instrumentation at the core – including keyboards from Richard Tee, bass from Anthony Jackson, and drums from either Steve Gadd or Harvey Mason – both cats who can hold up a groove on a date like this. Titles include "Let Me Slip It To You", "Part Of You", "Trio", "Nezumi", and "Holding On To Love". Touch Of Silk is a classic set that has the guitar of Eric Gale produced by the legendary Allen Toussaint! The cross of talents is pretty compelling – and although the album's not a New Orleans funk outing, it definitely shares some of the more creative elements that you'd get from some of Toussaint's other side projects at the end of the 70s. A few numbers definitely have a bit more bump than you'd expect from a fsuion date like this – and Toussaint himself plays piano and moog on the record, and even sings a tiny bit. Robert Dabon plays Fender Rhodes – and titles include "You Got My Life In Your Hands", "War Paint", "Touch Of Silk", "Au Privave", "With You I'm Born Again", and "Once In A Smile".

Blue-eyed soul from Boz Scaggs, with a decidedly Philly influenced sound to the production, which we'd hazard a guess comes more from the Hall & Oates side of town than the Sigma Sound axis. Still, this is a solid album with the irresistible hit "Lowdown", still a favorite around these parts. Also includes "Lido Shuffle", "Harbor Lights", "Jump Street" and "What Do You Want The Girl To Do".

Quite possibly the greatest music that Nina Simone ever recorded – brought together beautifully in one compact yet complete set! Nina Simone recorded some great music before she hit the RCA label in the late 60s – but her time at that company really saw a flowering of her unique talents – a way of hitting a vibe that went way beyond familiar jazz vocals – stretching out into something more righteous, more powerful, and more moving than had ever been recorded before – a wealth of great sounds represented beautifully on the albums in this package! The set begins in familiar territory of her Philips Records years – jazz vocals, but with a folksy depth, and political undercurrent. Yet as things move on, the tunes open up, often get longer, and Simone's vocals get bold and powerful – sometimes with key help from a young Weldon Irvine – who wrote some of the best original tunes, and also worked with Nina on keyboards. The package features the full albums Nina Simone Sings The Blues, Silk & Soul, Nuff Said, Nina Simone & Piano, To Love Somebody, Black Gold, Here Comes The Sun, Emergency Ward, and It Is Finished – all in cool LP-styled sleeves, with a bonus booklet too!

One of Nina's first for RCA – a mixture of jazz and soul tunes handled with some classy arrangements by Sammy Lowe, most of which feature nice electric bass work at the bottom by Gene Taylor! Taylor's bass gives the tracks a nice "dip" that's not exactly funky, but does provide a strong kick that keeps things moving along nicely – in a way that points towards the direction Nina would take in the 70s, and which makes this album a fair bit hipper than some of her Philips work! Nina's not as over the top as on other records, but still lays it out quite hiply – and tracks include "Consummation", "Go To Hell", "Love O Love", "It Be's That Way Sometime", "Turn Me On", and "Some Say".

A pair of late 60s gems from Jackie Gleason – back to back on a single CD! Silk N Brass features smooth groovy sounds from Jackie Gleason – a set that definitely serves up the silk and brass promised in the title – but which also features some nice solo work too – thanks to tenor from Charlie Ventura and trumpet from Pee Wee Ervin! There's a slight mid 60s groove to the record – one that's different than the sleepier sounds of Jackie's work from the previous decade – and arrangements by George Williams have a nice bounce at points. Titles include "Real Live Girl", "Girl From Ipanema", "Somebody Else Is Taking My Place", "Begin To Love", "It's Such A Happy Day", and "Starry-Eyed & Breathless". The Now Sound is a record that's definitely after our own heart – in case you couldn't tell from the title! The set has Jackie Gleason expanding his bag a bit for the late 60s – moving from the easy sound to the "Now Sound" – with the help of some cool electric sitar, pictured on the front of the set – and other hip instrumentation from Tom Scott on flutes, Milt Holland on tabla, and Emil Richards on a range of exotic percussion! The album's as totally wild and exotic as similar efforts on Impulse or Verve, but the record's still a great batch of "establishment hip" instrumentals – which shows Jackie trying to get a little hip for the times. George Williams handles arrangements, still with lots of the trademark Gleason strings – and titles include "Live For Life", "Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You", "It Must Be Him", and "I Won't Cry Anymore".

A surprisingly soulful album for the Prelude label, and a great batch of smooth mellow tracks produced by David Porter in Memphis and Malaco. The record's got some tight harmony vocals, and a rhythmic approach that's more mellow soul than it is uptempo disco – although that doesn't stop the record from having a few dancefloor stormers. Titles include "On Fire", "Party (parts 1 & 2)", "I Know I Didn't Do You Wrong", "Leaving Me", and "Live While You Can".

Smoother Johnnie Taylor than in earlier years – gearing up for the shift to Columbia a few years later, with backings recorded in both Detroit and Muscle Shoals. Johnnie's vocals are still fantastic – and the album sports the great hit "Cheaper To Keep Her" – but that's not the only highpoint of this terrific set! The gritty, emotional vocals is Johnnie's voice has the right level of rawness to them – he may be more immaculately tailored and silky, but he's still reaching a true soul depth throughout! Other tracks include "We're Getting Careless With Our Love", "Starting All Over Again", "Talk To Me", "I Can Read Between The Lines", and "One Thing Wrong With My Baby".

Blue-eyed soul from Boz Scaggs, with a decidedly Philly influenced sound to the production, which we'd hazard a guess comes more from the Hall & Oates side of town than the Sigma Sound axis. Still, this is a solid album with the irresistible hit "Lowdown", still a favorite around these parts. Also includes "Lido Shuffle", "Harbor Lights", "Jump Street" and "What Do You Want The Girl To Do".

A great lost soul record on Prelude – with much more of a mellow feel than the label's usual disco groove! Silk are an excellent harmony trio, and they're produced with a sweet mellow vibe that gives the record a sophisticated soul sound. The whole thing was put together by Gene Barge in Chicago – and the trio includes vocalist Maurice Jackson, who is better known for his work with The Independents – and who also recorded some killer 45s back in the early 70s. Whatever the case, the record's a great one – and it's filled with nice cuts like "Gone Away", "Get Ready For That Day", "I'll Be Waiting", "I Never Had Love", and "Simply Beautiful".

A seminal disco groover from Silk – early in the Prelude legacy, and done with a great mix of older group soul and sweet 70s club! The track's got a warmer feel than most of its contemporaries – almost down-home at times, but with enough of a tight production approach (by David Porter) to sweeten up things nicely! And the flipside is a great Patrick Adams number – done with some swirling strings and a super-long extended disco groove!

Key moments in the career of Charles Mingus – all recorded during the crucial years of 1964 and 1965, and featuring the first-time release of a fair bit of live material too! The set represents the first full presentation of recordings that have appeared piecemeal on a handful of obscure releases – self-released records from Mingus himself – Town Hall, My Favorite Quintet, and Music Written For Monterey – all really expanded here with the full recordings of the tracks, and unreleased titles provided from the original tapes! Mingus was really on fire during these years – severed from most of his bigger label associations, and freely working on some of his most inventive ideas with various smaller groups of players – all fresh young talents who were key interpreters of Charles' ideas – including Johnny Coles and Lonnie Hillyer on trumpet, Jimmy Owens on trumpet and flugelhorn, Charles McPherson on alto sax, Clifford Jordan on tenor, Jaki Byard on piano, Eric Dolphy on alto, flute, and bass clarinet. The stalwart Dannie Richmond is on drums, and the sides represent some of Dolphy's last, and most important recordings on the planet – recordings done at Town Hall and in Amsterdam in April of 1964 – in addition to live material at Monterey in 1964 and 1965, in Minneapolis in May of 1965. Tracks are all quite long – some pushing the half-hour timing – and as with the best live Mingus, there's variations here that go way past any studio readings – really incredible solo flights that are still beautifully integrated with the ideas of the main group. Titles include "So Long Eric", "Orange Was The Color Of Her Dress Then Blue Silk", "Mingus Piano Solo", "Bird Preamble", "Themeless Blues", "Copa City Titty", "A Lonely Day In Selma", "Cocktails For Two", "Praying With Eric", "Parkeriana", "ATFW", "Meditations On A Pair Of Wire Cutters", and "Meditations On Integration". 7CDs, limited edition, and with a great book of notes too!

Way more than just a standard collection of soundtrack work – and instead, a great package that really shows how global styles can circulate even more strongly than usual when added to films! The package features a whopping 3 discs in all, with 38 tracks total – divided up into one CD of "classics", famous themes that helped spread new styles to the western world via film scores; one CD of "traditional and world fusions", soundtrack elements that mix both Hollywood and more exotic styles together; and one CD of "contemporary" tracks – really showing the growth in this mode in recent years. Titles include "La Java Bleue" by Frehel, "Zorba's Dance" by Mikis Thedorakis, "Gabriel's Oboe" by Ennio Morricone, "Sheltering Sky" by Ryuichi Sakamoto, "Brush On Silk" by John Williams with Yo Yo Ma, "Convite Para Vida" by Antonio Pinto & Ed Cortez, "Volver" by Estrella Mrente, "Wedding Celebration" by Richard Robbins & Zakhir Hussain, "Mantra Vishnu Shasranaman" by Srivasta Krishna, "Final Movement" by Clint Mansell, "Me & You" by Take It Easy Hospital, and "Les Parents Ne Nous Comprennent Pas" by Linh Dan Pham.

8 tracks: Garnett Silk "Watch Over Your Shoulders", Madd Cobra "Salassi I Rule", Junior Reid & Bounty Killer "World's Too Haunted", Terror Fabulous "Old Dog", Bounty Killer & Pinchers "Benti Uno", Jigsy King "Judge The Book", Dawn Penn & Bounty Killer "No No No" and Bounty Killer "Dead This Time".

Massive mixes from the legendary John Morales – one of the key talents for really opening up the sound of New York dancefloors at the end of the 70s! The mixes here were all cut by John back in the day – all for special play in the clubs, and never commercially issued at the time – which makes the package one hell of a musical discovery – like finding your way back onto an underground dancefloor in the waning years of disco – when a handful of mixers like Morales were still finding some rich new energy in the scene! Most tracks are quite long, and have all their best elements expanded out by John – but in ways that really avoid some of the later "look at me" styles that mixers would use in the next generation. This 2CD set features all instrumental mixes by Morales – a great complement to the vocal version package – with titles that include instrumental versions of "Only You" by Teddy Pendergrass, "Is It All Over My Face" by Loose Joints, "Was That All It Was" by Jean Carn, "I Think I'll Do Some Stepping On My Own" by Sandy Barber, "Ride On The Rhythm" by Mahogany, "First Time Around" by Skyy, "Do it To The Music" by Raw Silk, "Hit & Run" by Loleatta Holloway, "You Gonna Make Me Love Somebody Else" by The Jones Girls, "I Want You" by Marvin Gaye, "You Can't Have My Love" by Hamilton Affair, and "I Want Your Lovin" by Curtis Hairston.

The most loving tribute to Philadelphia International that we've ever seen – a massive 10CD box set that also features a 60 page booklet, a full Philly International discography, and a huge amount of great tracks from the legendary label – over 12 hours of music in all! The track list is wonderful – put together by Ralph Tee, of Expansion Records fame – with a great ear for the full range of Philly sounds, not just the hits – which means that in addition to work by The O'Jays, Teddy Pendergrass, MFSB, and Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes – the set also features work by The Ebonys, Bobby Bennett, Robert Upchurch, Love Committee, Kaleidoscope, Monk Montgomery, Norman Harris, Frantique, The Dells, Silk, The Ethics, The Futures, Carolyn Crawford, and others! Great stuff all the way through – and a bargain at this price.

Great tracks from the second generation of Philadelphia International – that time when the label moved past the clubby Philly sounds that had won them big hits in the 70s – into an even deeper range of styles overall! Most of the tracks here have a wonderfully mature sort of feel – a move past easy dancefloor modes, into more complicated mellow steppers and midtempo rhythms that are perfect for the emotive, sensual lyrics of the tunes – most of which are performed by artists who were still the greatest working for the Pilly International label at the start of the 80s! Gems throughout – with great cuts that include "I'm In Love Again" by Patti Labelle, "Easy Easy Got To Take It Easy" by Teddy Pendergrass, "When I'm Gone" by The Jones Girls, "Mine All Mine" by The Stylistics, "Start The Fire" by Jean Carn, "I Can't Stop Turning You On" by Silk, "Set A Little Trap" by Phyllis Hyman, "So Glad I'm The One" by Instant Funk, "Yes You Need Love" by Anthony White, "Your Love Is Good" by Bunny Sigler, and "I've Been Pushed Aside" by McFadden & Whitehead.

Excellent stuff – and a classic concert performance recorded in Paris in 1964! The group features Eric Dolphy on flute, alto sax and bass clarinet, Clifford Jordan on tenor, Jaki Byard is on piano ,and Dannie Richmand is on the kit. The 2 CD set features some very long takes on Mingus standards, with some excellent hard soloing all the way through! Titles include "Fables Of Faubus", "Parkerana", "Orange Was The Colour Of Her Dress Then Blue Silk", "ATFW", "Sophisticated Lady" and Meditations On Integration".

A crossover bit of house from Marshall Jefferson and crew – soulful stuff overall, but with a nice by Steve Silk Hurley that gives the cut more of a dancefloor edge! The "underground" mix drops out the beats a bit more, sliding strings around the vocals for more of a deep club feel.

38 tracks in all, spread out over 5 pieces of vinyl, including "You Don't Want To Go To War" and "The Party Don't Stop" by Mia X, "Break Em Off Something", "How You Do Dat", "Pass Da Green", "Hot Boys & Girls", "Plan B", "Let's Get Em", "Bounce That Ass", "Thug Girl", "War Wounds", "Soldiers, Riders, G's" and "Let My 9 Get Em" by Master P, ""Get High With Me" by Souljah Slim, "No Limit Soldiers", "I'm Bout It Bout It", "Freak Hos" and "There Dey go" by TRU, "Akickdoel" and "MakinMoves" by C-Murder, "Let Me Hit It" and "I'm A Soldier" by Silk the Shocker, "Down For My N's" by Snoop Dogg, "Murda Murda Kill Kill" and "Can I Ball" by Mac, "Big Timer" by Fiend, "Money Don't Make Me" by Magic, "I Ain't Playing" by Mystikal, "Head & Shoulders" by Mr Serv-On, "Watch Me" by Kane & Abel, "I'm A Baller" by the Gambino Family, and more. . .

Soaring grooves from the legendary KPM Sound Library – a set of tunes that sparkles with all the charm and glamour of early 70s air travel! The title and cover really fit the spirit of the music here – as most of the tracks are upbeat and sky-flying – the sorts of numbers that go way beyond the sleepier side of easy listening, and really show the way that Easy maestros of the 70s were picking up plenty of funky elements in their music! There's no hard funk tracks here – as you might find on other sound library sets – but there's definitely an undercurrent of groove, thanks to some well-chosen rhythms, strong use of electric bass, and an overall sense of flow in most of the orchestrations – a feel that reminds us a lot of some of the excellent Brigade Mondaine compilations from a few years back. The package really offers up a different look than usual at KPM – and the tunes are as classy as anything we might have loved years ago, on the legendary Sound Library collections. Titles include "Sun Lover", "The Great Outdoors", "Husky Birdsong", and "Towards The Sun" by Keith Mansfield; "Holiday People", "Soft Memories", "Gentle Breeze", "Summer Dreams", "Summer Season", and "Friendly Faces" by James Clarke; "Paradise Found" by Dick Doerschuk, "Silk Stream" by David Gold, "Busy Spectacle" and "Fun In The Sun" by Neil Richardson, "Sunseekers" by David Lindup, and "A Tender Touch" by Steve Gray.

Wonderful work from one of our favorite organ players ever – and a tasty set that features titles from a number of rare albums! The work on the set comes from the albums Walk On By, Hallelujah Time, Midnight Sun, Soul Circle, Steppin Out, Silk & Soul, and I Got A Woman – all of which were sort of a mish-mash of tracks that were recorded at different times during the mid 60s, with different groups all caught in the studio to cash in on Jack's rich talent at a time of his immense popularity. Don't let the different origins of the material scare you, though, because the work's all great – and the 13 track set is a perfect summation of McDuff's rich talent for hitting a groove that was at once soulful, skillful, and touched with a groovy sound that was unlike any other organ player! Titles include "Haitian Lady", "Chicken Feet", "Stop It", "More", "That's When We Thought Of Love", "Song Of The Soul", "The Live People", and "Aroudn The Corner".

Key recordings from Sonny's breakout year of 1954 – tracks from 2 different sessions, brought together into one album that packs a hell of a punch! The modernist Rollins tenor is at its early peak here – fresh, bold, and highly creative – yet equally concerned with the role of the ensemble as well. And with players like Kenny Dorham, Elmo Hope, Thelonious Monk, and Art Blakey helping things out, the sessions are both cookers all the way through! Titles include 4 by a group with Dorham, Hope, and Blakey – "Solid", "Movin Out", "Swingin For Bumsy", and "Silk N Satin" – plus 1 more by a quartet with Monk, Tommy Potter, and Art Taylor – the longer "More Than You Know".

A pretty nice little set of house tunes – issued by Profile in the late 80s, but featuring tracks licensed from a number of different labels. 12 tracks in all including: "Let's Work It Out" by Exit (produced by Blaze!), "Do It Properly" by 2 Puerto Ricans, A Blackman, & A Dominican, "Carino" by T Coy, "Move Your Body" by Marshall Jefferson, "Jack Your Body (Monty House rmx)" by JM Silk, "Can't Get Enough" by Liz Torres, "You Used to Hold Me" by Ralphi Rosario with Xaviera Gold, "Just Another Man" by Jeanne Harris, "Fantasize Me" by Pleasure Pump, "Fun With Bad Boys" by Screamin Rachael and "7 Ways" by Hercules.

Tripped out instrumental hip hop from Sir Froderick – nicely expanding to the fractured soul and funk sampled vibe of his earlier work really nicely on this vinyl LP for (In)Sect! Bits soul jazz keys and spacier synth float over stuttering, unpredicatable beats – with hazy soul fog setting in nicely and holding up strongly. Includes "2maydrnks", "IToldHer2KikRoxs", "Eyevebeen" and "Subtlwhoadi" with T-Dredz, "Drivemewild", "Horrorstory Pt1", "Fkkurvalentine", "Keefsprklz" feat JBoogz & Gossamer. "@midnight", "Bitesizesnacks", "Sounds" and more.

2 rare slices of exotica by Les Baxter – back to back on one CD! The first half of the set features material from the album Ports Of Pleasure – a dreamy exploration of south sea ideals that's got a more lightly drifting quality than some of Baxter's more percussive exotica albums, and which is awash in dreamy soundscapes penned by Les himself! The orchestrations are large and bold throughout – mixing strings and woodwinds almost in a soundtrack-y mode – but always with the light sense of interplay that makes Baxter's work so great. Titles include "Monkey Dance Of Bali", "Pearls Of Ceylon", "Tahiti A Summer Night At Sea", "Hong Kong Cable Car", "Tramp Steamer To Singapore", "Harem Silks From Bombay", and "Sidewalk Cafes Of Saigon". The Sacred Idol is a real standout set from the end of Les Baxter's run at Capitol Records – originally scored for a film that was never released, but a great set of tracks that more than stands strongly on its own! The theme here is a Mexican/Latin American one – explored by Baxter with his trademark blend of larger orchestrations and lighter exotica touches – often swirling around in an extremely evocative mode that makes us wish the film had been issued to the public, and at a few key moments even hinting at the funkier modes that would follow on some of Les' later work for other labels. Titles include "Aqueducts", "Gardens Of The Moon", "Pyramid Of The Sun", "Temple Of Gold", and "Procession Of The Princes".

Moody sonics from Nick Butcher – seemingly served up from instrumental sources which are then manipulated electronically! Some of the best moments have this kind of crispy, crackling sort of feel – almost the poetic beauty of a CD messing up, but a lot more melodic – often bursting forth in a way that creates a great sense of surprise after a mellower moment! Titles include "Tearing Paper", "Bee Removal", "Glass Paragraph", and "Shape Note Singing".

A fantastic bit of modern soul from Norman Connors – proof that he was still growing and changing as an artist, continuing to push his groove into whole new areas as the 70s progressed. The record takes the smooth jazzy sound of the earlier Buddah sides, sharpens it into a more sophisticated modern soul style, fused with a bit of a quiet storm vocal approach, to create a wonderfully mature album of silky soul tracks. Part of the strength comes from the vocalists – who include Eleanor Mills and Jean Carn – and Norman also does a bit of singing on the record, and comes across surprisingly well. Tracks include "Stella", "This Is Your Life", "Wouldn't You Like To See", "Butterfly", "Captain Connors", and a wonderful jazzy soul reworking of "The Creator Has A Master Plan".

A fantastic bit of modern soul from Norman Connors – proof that he was still growing and changing as an artist, continuing to push his groove into whole new areas as the 70s progressed. The record takes the smooth jazzy sound of the earlier Buddah sides, sharpens it into a more sophisticated modern soul style, fused with a bit of a quiet storm vocal approach, to create a wonderfully mature album of silky soul tracks. Part of the strength comes from the vocalists – who include Eleanor Mills and Jean Carn – and Norman also does a bit of singing on the record, and comes across surprisingly well. Tracks include "Stella", "This Is Your Life", "Wouldn't You Like To See", "Butterfly", "Captain Connors", and a wonderful jazzy soul reworking of "The Creator Has A Master Plan".

An incredible album from Dinosaur L – the legendary New York dancefloor project of Arthur Russell! – fleshed out and expanded more than ever before by Sleeping Bag and Get On Down Records! The group's core sound is a punky, funky, chunky amalgam of bass thumping, guitar riffing, keyboard filling, and sax honking – all very much in the spirit of Russell's best quirky club work of the time, but with the added sound here of a more expanded approach – one that takes the tunes in a whole new territory than the more famous 12" singles! The tracks on the original set were simply numbered – "1", "2", "3", and so on – and come across almost as free-jamming instrumentals – but this reissue appends the songs with their 12" titles, so "#1" gets parenthetically entitled "You're Gonna Be Clean On Your Bean" and "#5" as "Go Bang!", plus this disc adds several 12" versions that were not on the original LP release, like Francois K's mix of 'Go Bang!" and Larry Levan's mix of "In The Corn Belt". Totally great stuff – as experimental as it is funky! This 4LP box set edition is amazing – coming in a beautiful hand-pulled silkscreen box – and it includes more Arthur Russell collaborative and/or pseudonymous material for Sleeping Bag with or as Bonzo Goes To Washington, Felix, Sounds Of JHS Brooklyn and Indian Ocean. Other tracks include "School Bell/Treehouse" (Indian Ocean), "You Can't Hold Me Down (Extended Version)" (Felix), "5 Minutes (R-r-r Radio Mix)" (Bonzo Goes To Washington) and more. Also includes an oversized booklet of photos, artwork and artist testimonials – plus notes by Russell biographer Tim Lawrence.

The new Dusty Groove logo – on a spanking new shirt as well! This may well be the most colorful short we've ever sported – a fresh update of the Dusty Groove image, served up in red, white, and brilliant blue! The colors look great together – and are silkscreened beautifully on a heavy-duty shirt – preshrunk to fit – and 100% cotton as well. A smaller version of the logo is on the flipside, completely in red – and with the website address too – in case you forget where we live!

The new Dusty Groove logo – on a spanking new shirt as well! This may well be the most colorful short we've ever sported – a fresh update of the Dusty Groove image, served up in red, white, and brilliant blue! The colors look great together – and are silkscreened beautifully on a heavy-duty shirt – preshrunk to fit – and 100% cotton as well. A smaller version of the logo is on the flipside, completely in red – and with the website address too – in case you forget where we live!

The new Dusty Groove logo – on a spanking new shirt as well! This may well be the most colorful short we've ever sported – a fresh update of the Dusty Groove image, served up in red, white, and brilliant blue! The colors look great together – and are silkscreened beautifully on a heavy-duty shirt – preshrunk to fit – and 100% cotton as well. A smaller version of the logo is on the flipside, completely in red – and with the website address too – in case you forget where we live!

The new Dusty Groove logo – on a spanking new shirt as well! This may well be the most colorful short we've ever sported – a fresh update of the Dusty Groove image, served up in red, white, and brilliant blue! The colors look great together – and are silkscreened beautifully on a heavy-duty shirt – preshrunk to fit – and 100% cotton as well. A smaller version of the logo is on the flipside, completely in red – and with the website address too – in case you forget where we live!

Haunting work by the enigmatic Gurdjieff – pulled from lost wire and tape recordings, and beautifully remastered for the set! Gurdjieff was perhaps known best for his work as a mystic, philosopher, and spiritualist – but he also had an amazing approach to the harmonium, one that was informed by his theories on life and energy – and which brought some amazing sounds out of the instrument! The material was all recorded in 1949 – and has this elliptical, stretched-out quality that went on to influence a number of later keyboardists – including Keith Jarrett and others! Great silkscreened cover – and the LP features 7 improvised tracks in all.

The sensational early 70s document of the big city pimp culture by writer Susan Hall & photgrapher Bob Adelman! It features fascinating interviews with "professional gentleman of leisure" Silky and his "wives" – and filled with jaw dropping b&w photography. A year in the life! Hardcover, 192 pages.

Steve Lacy, working with a very comfortable lineup of Parisian players – Bobby Few on piano, Steve Potts on alto and soprano, Jean-Jacques Avenel on bass, Oliver Johnson on bass, and Irene Aebi on vocals and a bit of violin! Lacy plays soprano throughout, and the tunes often have that angular, almost arty feel that he developed with Aebi – grounded a bit more nicely by Few's piano. Titles include "Napping", "The Gleam", and "Keepsake".

A memorable set from Mushroom – captured live at San Francisco's Tip Top Inn in March of 2000! The set promised to channel the creative spirit of leftfield Brit jazz figures of the 70s, such Keith Tippett, Chris McGregor and Ian Carr – and dare we say so, they pretty much nail it! Recorded by drummer Pat Thomas, the group features Jeff Palmer on bass, Marc Capelle on trumpet, Carroll Ashby on trombone, Davie Mihaly on percussion, Jon Sanders on keys and Erik Pearson on guitar and sax. The titles are a trip, too: "No Anagrams Found by Recursive Algorithm", "I've Never Understood The Importance Of Club DJs, They Seem Like The Lowest Link In The Chain, Like A Fluffer On A Porn Site", "Loft Hawk", "Blues For An Airplane" and more. 9 in all, and the set runs north of an hour long.

Sweet silky harmony soul from the trio of Harry Ray, Billy Brown, and Al Goodman – the group's first album under a new name – after some previous indie work as The Moments! The album's got the group really stepping up with a rich new sound – drawing on all the best elements of their New Jersey roots, but hitting harmonies that are even more sublime – and put together perfectly by Lou Toby's arrangements. This debut from the trio's a real classic – proof that the indie group soul sound can make it to the big time – and although the lyrics are a bit off-beat, but that's always part of the charm of the group. Titles include "The Way It Should Be", "Inside Of You", "Treat Her Right", "Deja Vu", "Another Day", and "Special Lady".

Sweet silky harmony soul from the trio of Harry Ray, Billy Brown, and Al Goodman – the group's first album under a new name – after some previous indie work as The Moments! The album's got the group really stepping up with a rich new sound – drawing on all the best elements of their New Jersey roots, but hitting harmonies that are even more sublime – and put together perfectly by Lou Toby's arrangements. This debut from the trio's a real classic – proof that the indie group soul sound can make it to the big time – and although the lyrics are a bit off-beat, but that's always part of the charm of the group. Titles include "The Way It Should Be", "Inside Of You", "Treat Her Right", "Deja Vu", "Another Day", and "Special Lady".

A totally great little set from Sign Of Four – a project of Miles Newbold from the Natural Yogurt Band – served up with an approach to exotic jazz funk that's even trippier than his previous work! Miles plays a load of live instruments here – vibes, flute, guitar, percussion, and keyboards – all sifted and filtered together with some cool studio work to sound very vintage, and very offbeat – like some weird Eastern take on American soul jazz of the 60s, or like a garage band trying their best to sound like Sun Ra! The music is some of the best new work we've ever heard on the Jazzman label – and really feels a lot more like some lost exotic record from years back – with titles that include "Samba Moderno", "Morocco", "Topsy Turvy", "Mirage", "Morphine", "Fruit Juice For Everyone", and "Sun Suite Humulus Lupulus".

A rare early 70s record from guitarist, singer and songwriter Ray Stinnett – who was the guitar player for Sam The Sham & The Pharaohs at their wooliest and bulliest – and made this long-buried solo record for A&M in '71! Ray was born in Memphis, and after his success with Sam The Sham, he dropped out for a while in San Francisco before heading home to Memphis. A Fire Somewhere was recorded at Fame and Argent, and sure enough, it's got quite a swampy southern groove at times – but there's also some sparer acoustic numbers that carry a post-hippie vibe that he no doubt soaked up in San Francisco. It's hard to believe it's been shelved for such a long time! Includes "Salty Haze", "You Make Me-Feel", "Silky Path", "Wheel Of Time", "Stop", "Long Rivers Flow", "America", "You & I", "Honey Suckle Song", "Liberty High", "Natural High", "Love Is The Answer", "A Fire Somewhere" and "The Rain".

A rare early 70s record from guitarist, singer and songwriter Ray Stinnett – who was the guitar player for Sam The Sham & The Pharaohs at their wooliest and bulliest – and made this long-buried solo record for A&M in '71! Ray was born in Memphis, and after his success with Sam The Sham, he dropped out for a while in San Francisco before heading home to Memphis. A Fire Somewhere was recorded at Fame and Argent, and sure enough, it's got quite a swampy southern groove at times – but there's also some sparer acoustic numbers that carry a post-hippie vibe that he no doubt soaked up in San Francisco. It's hard to believe it's been shelved for such a long time! Includes "Salty Haze", "You Make Me-Feel", "Silky Path", "Wheel Of Time", "Stop", "Long Rivers Flow", "America", "You & I", "Honey Suckle Song", "Liberty High", "Natural High", "Love Is The Answer", "A Fire Somewhere" and "The Rain".

Barry White was always the victim of his own success – in that he cut so many excellent records early on, that folks always over look the great stuff he did in later years. This 1979 album is a perfect example of Barry's greatness in this respect – as it's still totally on the money, with strong songwriting, and a silky smooth modern sound that perfectly showcases Barry's vocals, which are sung more strongly than ever. The record's a nice one – and it includes the spacey steppers cut "You're The One I Need", which has a mellow loping groove, and a good midtempo dancefloor groove. Other tracks include "I Found Love", "It Ain't Love, Babe", and "Love Ain't Easy".

Very cool compilation featuring a whole mess of great lost funk tracks from the legendary Westbound label – including a few unreleased cuts! There's a number of tracks on here that we just about never see, and some more that you'll only find on rare funky 45s. Tracks include "Getting It Off", an instrumental by Fuzzy Haskins, "Super Funk" by Erasmus Hall, "In The Pocket" by Boots, "Funk It Down" by Caesar Frazier, "Just Us" by Crowd Pleasers, "Funky Beethoven" by Gene Anderson, "Be What You Is" by U.S. Music & Funkadelic, and "Funky World (parts 1 & 2)" by Silky Vincent. Very cool stuff, and with a good set of notes! Plus, this CD version includes the extra tracks "Hickey Burr" by Caesar Frazier, "Loose Booty" by Funkadelic, "Sweet Thing" by Houston Outlaws, "Hit It & Quit It" by Bobby Franklin's Insanity, and more!

Plenty of 80s grooves here – plus a few great 70s numbers – one of the more contemporary volumes of the Steppin Across The USA series! As with previous volumes, the focus here is on tracks that play well on underground dancefloors – especially here in the Windy City, where the Steppers sound still reigns supreme! Most tracks are mellow or midtempo – sliding along on percolating beats, warm keyboards, and just the right touch of soulful vocals – often a shade just away from commercial, but with enough of the best elements to keep things real. Titles include "Yours (12" mix)" by Shai, "Ooh Wee Baby" by Ian Foster, "Missing You" by Chris Walker, "Groovin" by Collage, "Red Lights" by Curiosity Killed The Cat, "Make It Funkier" by Information Society, "Take You Down To Love" by Patrice Rushen, "This Feeling Must Be Real" by Skool Boyz, and "U Send Me Swingin (silky smooth 12" mix)" by Mint Condition. Also features the 70s tracks "I'm Your Lover" by Ronnie McNeir, "Wish You Were Here" by Free Life, and "Can We Pretend" by Bill Withers – a great bit of acoustic soul!

The title's almost redundant – as the words "Westbound" and "Funk" mean virtually the same thing! From the late 60s through the mid 70s, Westbound was one of the key record labels in the sound of raw heavy funk – working with hit groups like Funkadelic and the Ohio Players to craft a sound that laid the blueprint for countless other groups of the time, and also featuring a wealth of obscurer artists with an even harder-hitting sound! The key styles of Westbound and related jazz label Eastbound were heavy and fuzzy ones – picking up off the heady and trippy styles of the late 60s Detroit scene, mixing things up with MC5 guitars, Norman Whitfield bass, and deep underground Tribe-styled jazz touches. This 20 track masterpiece is a brilliant summation of the important Westbound sound – and includes a few hits, some funky 45 classics, and an even bigger number of tracks we might not have heard otherwise! The notes are great, the tunes are super-funky, and the whole thing's one of the best funky collections you could ever hope to purchase. Titles include "You're Messing Up My Mind" by Albert Washington, "Back To Funk" by Robert Lowe, "You Caught Me Smilin" by The 19th Whole, "Conga Man" by King Errison, "Shake Your Head" by Spanky Wilson, "I Love You" by The Motivations, "I Don't Know What It Is But It Sure Is Funky" by Mighty Elegant, "Crazy Legs" by Donald Austin, "Stone Thing (part 1)" by Alvin Cash, "RPM" by Boots, "Funky World (part 1)" by Silky Vincent, "Get Funky Sweet A Little Bit" by Jackie Harris & The Exciters, "I'll Bet You" by Funkadelic, and "Why Not Start All Over Again" by The Counts.

One of a handful of great recordings by this second generation AACM group. The group's a trio featuring Kahil El'Zabar, Ed Wilkerson and Joseph Bowie, with a sound that rolls along nicely with a firm, afro-centric rhythm at its core. The compositions are beautiful and spare, with light melodies and extended improvisations by Wilkerson and Bowie on tenor and trombone over the pulsing rhythms. Six numbers in all "Papa's Bounce", "Loose Pocket", "Three And A Half", "Kahil's Blues", "Ancestral Song" and "Mamma's House".

Titles include "Can't Get Over You", "Silky Soul", "Just Us", "Love's On The Run", "Mandela", and "Songs Of Love".

The new Dusty Groove logo – on a spanking new shirt as well! This may well be the most colorful short we've ever sported – a fresh update of the Dusty Groove image, served up in red, white, and brilliant blue! The colors look great together – and are silkscreened beautifully on a heavy-duty shirt – preshrunk to fit – and 100% cotton as well. A smaller version of the logo is on the flipside, completely in red – and with the website address too – in case you forget where we live!

Rare material from the group that eventually became Unwound – high school recordings by the band of Justin Trosper and Vern Rumsey – pressed up here in a limited package with silkscreened cover – to kick off the full Numero reissue of Unwound material!

The title's almost redundant – as the words "Westbound" and "Funk" mean virtually the same thing! From the late 60s through the mid 70s, Westbound was one of the key record labels in the sound of raw heavy funk – working with hit groups like Funkadelic and the Ohio Players to craft a sound that laid the blueprint for countless other groups of the time, and also featuring a wealth of obscurer artists with an even harder-hitting sound! The key styles of Westbound and related jazz label Eastbound were heavy and fuzzy ones – picking up off the heady and trippy styles of the late 60s Detroit scene, mixing things up with MC5 guitars, Norman Whitfield bass, and deep underground Tribe-styled jazz touches. This 20 track masterpiece is a brilliant summation of the important Westbound sound – and includes a few hits, some funky 45 classics, and an even bigger number of tracks we might not have heard otherwise! The notes are great, the tunes are super-funky, and the whole thing's one of the best funky collections you could ever hope to purchase. Titles include "You're Messing Up My Mind" by Albert Washington, "Back To Funk" by Robert Lowe, "You Caught Me Smilin" by The 19th Whole, "Conga Man" by King Errison, "Shake Your Head" by Spanky Wilson, "I Love You" by The Motivations, "I Don't Know What It Is But It Sure Is Funky" by Mighty Elegant, "Crazy Legs" by Donald Austin, "Stone Thing (part 1)" by Alvin Cash, "RPM" by Boots, "Funky World (part 1)" by Silky Vincent, "Get Funky Sweet A Little Bit" by Jackie Harris & The Exciters, "I'll Bet You" by Funkadelic, and "Why Not Start All Over Again" by The Counts.

Remix features Big Pun, Wyclef, Charli Baltimore, and Silkk the Shocker.