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Bebel Gilberto eat your heart out – Antena explored the same electric-bossa territory you did, nearly 20 years before your first big record! The group were a short-lived French outfit who were one of the shining jewels in the crown of the lovely label Les Disques Du Crepuscule during the early 80s – and were a real breath of fresh air in the post-punk years with their light and jazzy approach to the groove. As you'll hear in this set, Antena's style borrows a lot from the bossa, but also throws in some wonderful poppish touches – including jangly guitars recorded in a similar mode to some of the other French/European indie groups of the time, and a slight darkness in production that almost gives a Martin Hannett-like undercurrent to the whole set. The group's album Camino Del Sol has been lovingly reissued with a great set of notes, as well as a series of bonus tracks from an additional ep – making for a beautiful 14 track package that will really help you rediscover this nearly-lost group! Titles include "Sissexa", "To Climb The Cliff", "Camino Del Sol", "Bye Bye Papaye", "Noelle A Hawaii", "The Boy From Ipanema", "Seaside Weekend", "Frantz", and "Ingenuous".

A gem of a record from the same Pernambuco early 70s scene that gave us Lula Cortes, Ze Ramalho, Geraldo Azevedo, and Alceu Valenca! This obscure little set has lots of the earthier tones that showed up in work by the above artists – a style that mixes folksy touches with bits of psychedelia – kind of a north east answer to the growing sound from the Minas Geraes generation around Milton Nascimento. Many of the tunes here are fairly mellow – building slowly with an honest, earthy integrity – and mostly relying on acoustic instrumentation to carry the gentle poetry of the lyrics, but still coming across with enough of an edge to appeal to fans of stronger South American rock. Titles include "Canto Funebre", "O Tempo", "Noite", "Desespero", "Cancao De Outono", "Do Amigo", and "Romance Da Lua Lua".

A pretty darn rare Lalo Schifrin soundtrack – to a lost crime thriller that starred David McCallum, Stella Stevens, and Telly Savalas – all of whom are pictured in a nice collage-type movie painting on the front cover! The tracks run from mellow bossa to fast and jazzy, and the album also includes a few mellower Latin-tinged numbers to set the scene of the action. There's not as much funk as in Schifrin's other scores from the time – but it makes up for it with groovy passages and many great moments that make the album worth seeking out! Titles include "Charanga", "The Golden Trip", "Sol Madrid", "Fiesta", "Adagietto", and "Villanova's Chase".

Afro grooves galore – all taken to rich new territory in the hands of a few contemporary mixers! The set's based around a core track – "Prudence", sung and played by Cheick Hamala Diabate – with great work on ngoni in the lead – a hip stringed instrument that dances around with tremendous energy over raw percussion! The remixes augment the approach in a number of different styles – and often find ways to unlock a different sort of charm in the tune – sometimes by amplifying rhythms, sometimes through more subtle means. The set features the main version of "Prudence" by Diabate, plus mixes by Whiskey Barons, Jon Kennedy, Daytoner, and E's E NYC Trust – as well as the track "Fatou Kounkoun Sissoko (Sol Power All-Stars mix)".

Guttorm Guttormsen certainly isn't a household name around these parts – but with music this great, that certainly might change! The set brings together material from two rare 70s sessions by this Norwegian reedman – both of which feature him on soprano sax and flute, alternating between each instrument with a really sweet sound – stretching out soulfully with a searching sort of quality, but never in the overdone way of some of his contemporaries on the European scene. The rhythms are equally great – often quite blocky and modal – with a building sort of energy that really matches Guttormsen's solos, and which have made both of these records sought after by groovehounds in recent years. Players include either Brynjulf Blix or Rune Kakegg on piano, Jorgen Naess or Espen Rud on drums, and Carl Morten Iversen on bass – and the LP version features the most groove-heavy tracks from the two LPs Soturnudi and Albufeira – "Daimi", "Sol Fa", "Ny Latin", "Soturnudi", "I Ro Og Mak", "Sang Til En Katt", and "Sors Samba".

Pretty great stuff from Jobim – later than the classic years, but with a dark sophisticated sound that's pretty darn compelling. The album features larger orchestrations by Claus Ogerman, and in a way, it's similar to the Jobim album on Decca from 1973 – in that it's got all the simple elements of Jobim's earlier bossa scoring, flushed out into moodier orchestral forms that we'd rank right up there with the modernist work of Gil Evans or Duke Ellington. A few cuts have a breezier sparer sound, and you'll hear English versions of some older bossa tunes. Titles include "Dreamer", "Canta Mais", "Olha Maria", "Wave", "Two Kites", "This Happy Madness", "Song Of The Sabia", "Estrada Do Sol", "Voce Vai Ver", "Off Key", and "Triste".

Striking sounds from Michel Magne – an artist who's best known for his groovy soundtracks of the 60s – but who steps out here with a rare experimental set from the late 50s! The style is very much in keeping with the most compelling of the postwar generation in France – as Magne mixes together electronic and acoustic sounds with amazing power – modes that are sometimes as spacious as Pierre Henry, other times as sonically powerful as Xenakis – yet always very much Michel's own unique musical vision! Instrumentation includes some great cymbalum, plus piano, violin, vibes, and percussion – as well as some amzing vocalizations from Jaqueline Dano and Christiane Legrand. Titles include "Memoire D'Un Trou", "Self Service", "Concertino Triple", "Meta Mecanique Saccadee", "Larmes En Sol Pleureur", and "Pointes De Feu Amorties Au Dolsal".

Fantastic early work from Helen Merrill – with some of the best backings we've ever heard for her chilling vocals! The record has a core jazz group made up of Hank Jones on piano, Milt Hinton on bass, Barry Galbraith on guitar, and Sol Gubin on drums – and they're augmented by string arrangements by Richard Hayman, used in an economical manner that never overtakes Helen's voice, instead providing a breathy pillow that gives her sometimes-thin vocals a nice push. The jazzier side of the record is nicely preserved throughout – and the moody Merrill vocals get some of their best support of the early days! Titles include "Comes Love", "Lilac Wine", "Just You, Just Me", "You Won't Forget Me", and "End Of A Love Affair".

Beastly salsa from Orquesta El Macabeo – a record that bursts out with power right from the start – soaring forth at a level that almost knocks out most classic salsa records we can think of! This youthful group just keeps getting better and better with each new release – and this set is definitely the greatest they've given us to date – a non-stop burst of musical creativity all the way through – put together with all the raw energy and jazzy spontaneity that so few groups can get this right these days. The vocals carry a lot of punch, too – and really send the whole thing home nicely – on titles that include "El Sueno", "La Dieta", "Swing", "Alacran", "La Noche", "La Conga", and "Lluvia Con Sol".

One of Marcos Valle's most strangely beautiful albums – a set that really his him stepping off strongly from his bossa nova years – really moving into mindblowing music with a range of styles that's simply incredible! There's definitely a bit of bossa at the core, but the larger orchestrations are much more complex, and plenty darn groovy – bringing in some complicated jazz changes, a bit of soul, and even a touch of funk – making the first time that Valle ever worked in such a mode. The overall sound's nearly impossible to describe, but that's what makes the record so great – possibly the best place to start if you've ever wondered why Valle's gotten so much attention from the worldwide groove scene over the years! Titles include "Ao Amigo Tom", "O Cafona", "Minha Voz Vira Do Sol Da America", "Paz E Futebol", "Com Mais De 30", "Garra", "Wanda Vidal", and "Black is Beautiful". CD includes the bonus track "Berenice"!

A nice little funky album from Art – one that we might have been suspicious about at first, but which sits better and better with us as the years go by. Art's working here in the frontline with Yusef Lateef – another unlikely candidate for a record like this – and the pair get some strong backing from the band of Dave Matthews, who manages to provide just the right blend of tight arrangements and jazz funk, so that each player gets plenty of room to soar, but the whole album sticks in a nice smooth groove. Includes a soaring version of Chick Corea's "Spain", a slow funk take on Chris Kenner's "Something You Got", and the cuts "Flute Song", "Hombre Del Sol", "Sauhade", and "Sandu".

Deep funk, but with a compelling twist – bits of South American styles filtering into the mix from time to time, but in subtle ways that never lose the groove! The album's a soundtrack, but works more like a funk album on its own – and is a great full length follow-up to some of the hip 45 work we've heard from the Colemine label – showing that they may well be on the deeper path of a label like Daptone! The added elements make for some hip exotic inflections from time to time – almost echoes of El Michels, but in a different way – and titles include "Pablo's Dilemma", "High Noon", "Sigamos El Sol", "El Conquistador", "Nadie Puede Escpar", "Andean Folk Song", and "Mirror Door".

A nice little record – way different than Ponty's overblown sides from the 70s, and cut at a time when he was hanging out with George Duke and Frank Zappa! The record is a live session recorded at the hip Donte's nightclub in Hollywood at the end of the 60s – but not issued until this brief release in 1981. Ponty's on his trademark violin, grooving on long tracks with backing by George Duke on piano, John Heard on bass, and Al Cecchi on drums. Titles include "Hypomode Del Sol", "People", "California", and "Eighty One".

Classic mid 70s art rock, with Roxy Music's Phil Manzanera, Matching Mole's Bill MacCormick, This Heat's Charles Hayward and Dave Jarrett, plus guest spots by Brian Eno and Ian MacCormick. This album is the only one issued by the short lived group, which by the time of this recording was basically a side project for all involved. Pretty much in line with the 801 LP and other similar projects of the time. 7 numbers in all: "Sol Caliente", "Trumpets With Motherhood", "Bargain Classics", "RFD", "Mummy Was An Asteroid, Dady Was A Small Nonstick Kitchen Utensil", "Trot" and "Rongwrong".

A cool little compilation that's as groovy as you might guess from the title – and one that finally brings to light the lesser-known genre of chica – an odd fusion of cumbia rhythms with more psychedelic-styled instrumentation on farfisa, organ, and guitar! The core grooves remind us a bit of familiar cumbia, but the overall presentation is often a bit more rough-edged and almost garagey at times – a youthful interpretation of the genre that's pretty free with its approach to the music – and which often uses cool electronic touches and weird production techniques to create some really great sounds! Many tracks feature vocals, but the emphasis here seems mostly on the instrumentation – and titles include "Sonido Amazonico" by Los Mirlos, "Carinito" by Los Hijos Del Sol, "A Patricia" by Los Destellos, "Ya Se Ha Muerto Mi Abuelo" by Juaneco Y Su Combo, "La Danza De Los Mirlos" by Los Mirlos, ", "Linda Munequita" by Los Hijos Del Sol, and "Linda Nena" by Juaneco Y Su Combo.

Lady bossa nova – and instrumental bossa as well – an early jazz session cut by later soundtrack maestro Gianni Ferrio! The set's got all the sweet grooves you'd expect from a bossa nova date cut in Italy during the 60s – jazzy rhythms, dreamy instrumentation, and just a bit of vocals from singer Marina Moran – who's the "lady" in the title, a singer with just the right gentle touch to match the spirit of the music. Players include Gino Marinacci on flute, Lino Cerveglieri on tenor, Berto Pisano on bass, and Biagio Marullo on trombone – and the work's got a feel that's nicely arranged, but still quite loose – that best extrapolation of Brazilian modes that surfaced in Italy during the 60s. Titles include "Lady Bossa Nova", "Barquinho", "Desafinado", "Linea Del Ecuador", "Samba Do Bom", "Poche Parole", "Ilha De Coral", and "Ao Cair Do Sol".

Hard grooving, heavily grooving South American rock from Miguel Y El Comite (Miguel & The Committee) from the early 70s – led by Miguel Livichich, who made waves a bit earlier with El Syndikato! The percussion drives the sound pretty well, but the vocals are nicely out front in the mix, where they should be, as their charismatic and inviting as can be – with a nice fuzzed out guitar sound and a killer bass sound. Includes " Para Hacer Musica, Para Hacer...", "No Va Mas (Ya)", "Mi Sol", "Que Me Importa", "Junto Al Mar", "No Ves Que No Cabe", "Candombe Triste", "Hiroshima (1945)", Rompan Todo" and more.

Thievery Corporation are back after a long hiatus – and they've returned to the fold with a host of surprising guest stars! The set's got a really wide range of grooves – as one might expect when the group's working with artists that include David Byrne, Perry Farrell, and The Flaming Lips! But over and above these bigger crossover names, the team's also sticking very true to their roots on other tracks – bringing in some great downtempo and Brazilian influences, and fleshing out tunes with an equally great array of lesser-known talents that includes Sista Pat, Gunjan, Verny Varela, Gigi Rezende, and Patrick De Santos. Titles include "Marching The Hate Machines", "Pela Janela", "Sol Tapado", "The Time We Lost Our Way", "A Gentle Dissolve", "Holographic Universe", "The Heart's A Lonely Hunter", and "The Cosmic Game".

A surprisingly great album – even if it's short on information! There's no real dates on this one, so we have to assume that it's of the vintage of the album's release date – somewhere in the early 60s – making the album pretty late for Benny, but also pretty great as well! The sessions have a pretty unique feel – with Benny's alto in front of gentle small group backings that have a bit of a sweet feel – and some occasional vocal chorus bits that slide in and out very gracefully. Carter's tone is tremendous, and the sound of the record is really incredible – hard to describe, but much more than you'd expect from the title, label, and the date! Titles include "Waltz Gay", "Bagatelle", "Blues For Benny", "Black Knight", and "Cuando Caliente El Sol".

A wonderful album from Muhal – with all the soulful spiritualness of his best 70s work, more stripped down than later orchestrated efforts, and with a gentler more intimate approach than earlier work. The set is mostly solo piano – although Abrams also plays some occasional percussion – and features some wonderfully introspective playing, as free as that of Cecil Taylor or other 70s avant contemporaries, but always rhythmic, and never losing a sense of soul and meaning. Titles include "D Song", "String Song", and "Voice Song" – all long.

Veteran LA emcee and Freestyle Fellowship co-founder Aceyalone is as slick as ever on this tight effort for Decon! Solid work from one of the most consistently sharp west coast gamers. Lots of old school funky soul and jazz grooves in the DNA here, too. Good stuff! Includes "30 And Up", "I Cant Get It Myself" feat Bionik, "Leanin' O Slick", "One Cup, Two Cup", "Cold Piece", "ass The Hint", "I'm No Casanova", "Workin' Man's Blues" feat Cee Lo, Gboss, "Things Get Better" with Daniel Merriweather and Hit The Road" feat Treasure Davis and Bionik.

One of the most amazing players to ever pick up the vibes – an artist with the sort of boundless creativity that Walt Dickerson and Bobby Hutcherson brought to the instrument in the 60s! Jason Adasiewicz has an amazing ear for both sound and music – and manages to balance the two perfectly – reaching for completely fresh sounds from the vibes, yet also with a sense of structure that's never too free – really maintaining a musical, melodic approach that keeps us rapt and attentive all the way through! Jason's music has always been great, but these recent Delmark sets are even a cut above – proof that both the label and the new Chicago scene are powerful forces in 21st Century jazz. The trio features excellent work by like-minded musicians Natt McBride on bass and Mike Reed on drums – and titles include "The Volunteer", "Pillow", "Run Fly", "Solo One", "Diesel", and "Waiting In The Attic".

An interesting early side by Cannonball that captures him before he'd really found his voice – and when the folks at Mercury still didn't really know what to do with him. The record's a tightly arranged set of tracks from Duke Ellington's musical "Jump For Joy" – with arrangements by Bill Russo, and small group playing that includes Emmett Berry, Bill Evans, Barry Gabraith, Jimmy Cobb, and a small string section. The sound's actually quite haunting – and Cannon's alto solos remind us more of some of the best "with strings" soloing heard on Verve in the early 50s than they do his later soul jazz classics on Riverside or Capitol. That's ok with us, though – because the session's still got a lot to offer in that respect, and Cannonball handles the solos wonderfully! Titles include "Bli Blip", "Just Squeeze Me", "Nothin", and "The Tune Of The Hickory Stick".

Excellent work from this totally sweet west coast Latin combo – a wonderful group who mixed Latin percussion with piano and vibes – in a manner that's similar to some of Cal Tjader's best Verve work of the 60s! Some tracks also make nice use of flute or alto sax – creating a snakey feel that really adds a new dimension of light and color to the tunes. The whole set's a great blend of Latin rhythms, jazzy solo work, and some mod 60s touches – and titles include "Monkey Time", "Afro Rock", "Let My People Go", "Walk On By", "Moses", "Liberation", and "Together".

A great 4-part suite that rivals any of Manny Albam's other sessions from the time – including Jazz Greats Of Our Time, or Jazz New York. The tracks here are all quite long, and done in a bluesy mode that gives the album a bit more soul than usual for Albam – making great use of solos by Art Farmer, Nick Travis, Bob Brookmeyer, Al Cohn, Phil Woods, and Gene Quill to flesh out the feeling of the set.

A wonderful little session from Manny Albam – one that continues the strong tradition of larger group jazz arranging he began in the 60s, but which takes it to an even deeper level! Manny composed the entire set as kind of a "city suite" in jazz – one that paints the picture of many different shades of city life through jazzy solos and a range of deeper tones and colors from the larger ensemble. Players include Frank Wess, Phil Woods, JJ Johnson, Jerome Richardson, and Mike Manieri – all extremely well-suited to an outing like this – and titles include "The Game Of The Year", "Born On Arrival", "The View From The Inside", "El Barrio Latino", "Ground Floor Rear", and "Riverview".

One of the great records that Jug made for Prestige after he got out of the jug at the end of the 60's. George Freeman's on guitar, and his playing is positively smokin'. Harold Mabern plays piano and electric piano, and Idris Muhammad's on drums. With the funky cut "The Black Cat" (where George goes crazy on the solo), plus the nice groover "Jug Eyes".

Way more than just an album with Gene Ammons as a leader – and instead, a set that truly earns the "all stars" listed on the cover – thanks to a great array of supporting players, and a very loose, open-ended jam session style that lets everyone get in plenty of solo space! Ammons' tenor is tremendous, but he's also a great collaborator here, too – working with Idrees Suliman on trumpet, Pepper Adams on baritone, Mal Waldron on piano, Art Taylor on drums, Doug Watkins on bass, and Ray Barretto on conga – in a mode that's maybe slightly tighter than some of the blowing sessions Prestige was doing at the time, but which still has that key longform creative energy that made the hardbop generation so great. Titles include "Blue Gene", "Scamperin", "Blue Greens n Beans", and "Hip Tip" – and all tracks are long, with plenty of focus on solos!

One of Ammons' classic blowing sessions for Prestige, with an all-star lineup that includes Art Farmer, Jackie McLean, Mal Waldron, and Kenny Burrell. The group plays together on 4 long tracks, and in a tight hardbop vein, with long soulful solos from every player. Titles include "Pint Size", "King Size", and "Funky".

Beautiful beautiful work from tenorist Gene Ammons – and an album that really demonstrates that during the 60s, one of Ammons' strongest suits was his work with a mellow tune or ballad! The tracks here are wonderfully laidback, but never sleepy – very soulful, and solidly put together in that Ammons-made gentle-blown way – using just a few notes to send the message out with a powerful punch, without ever overdoing things the way that a few of his tenor contemporaries might be tempted to do! The group's a great fit too – with the lovely Patti Brown on piano, plus bass from George Duvivier and bass from Ed Shaughnessy – and titles include "Two Different Worlds", "Skylark", "Three Little Words", "Street Of Dreams", and "You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To".

Recorded live at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, New York City, February 7-10, 1983. A HUGE amount of material! Includes the tracks "Say Hello", "Walk The Dog", "Violin Solo", "Closed Circuits", "For A Large And Changing Room", "Pictures Of It", "Language Of The Future", "Reverb", "If You Can't Talk About It, Point To It", "City Song", "Finnish Farmers", "Democratic Way", "Private Property", "Neon Duet", "Difficult Listening Hour", "So Happy Birthday", "Dance Of Electricity", "Sax Duet", "Born, Never Asked", "From The Air", "Beginning French", "Talkshow", "Cello Solo", "Blue Lagoon", "Stiff Neck", "Hothead", "Telephone Song", "Sweaters", "We've Got Four Big Clocks", "I Dreamed I Had To Take A Test", "Big Top", "It Was Up In The Mountains", "Big Science", "Red Map", "Strike", "False Documents", and many, many more!

Spare set of moody out pieces, played by a trio that includes Andrews on reeds, Nana Vasconcelos on percussion, and Nat Adderley Jr. on piano – adding a surprisingly nice sound to the album. Titles include "Vamos Para Casa", "Danca Das Kashala E Sarhanna", and "Um Girrasol".

Another round of funky Ape Breaks from producer Shawn Lee – some of the most solid break tracks we've ever stocked – all nice and simple, with the drums, riffs, fills, and skits laid out in an easy to use way! The BPM's of the tracks are all nice and slow too – 100 bpm or less – making for a tasty batch of funky tracks that have a nice almost-classic sound. Tracks include "Mayfair", "Honky Tonk", "The Duck", "Hit Me", "Barney Miller", "Fish Break", "My Left Foot", "Ruff Stuff", and "Dead Beat".

We always think that it's unusual that after years and years of success in the early 70s with strong single solo artists, Motown really seemed to bank its hope for the 80s on a group soul sound that was part funk, part dancefloor, and part harmony soul. Fortunately, the label did a pretty good job with that sound – and Apollo are a strong example of the label's strength at the time. Gene Page, Wade Marcus, and others handled the arrangements – and tracks include "Astro Disco", "Apollo", "Never Learn", "Happiness", and "Space Cannibals".

One of the Art Ensemble Of Chicago's all-time classics! If you've ever bought an Art Ensemble album and said "Hmm, what's all the fuss about?", get this one. It'll change your mind. The band is in perfect form – and hits an incredible blend of free thinking modernism and soulful soloing, peppered with a healthy dose of humor. The tracks are shortish, and very tight – and titles include "Jackson In Your House", "Song For Charles", "The Waltz", and "Get In Line".

One of the most hard-hitting albums ever cut by pianist Georges Arvanitas – an early effort that's all soul jazz all the way through! Although Arvanitas is best known as a committed modernist, especially in later years, this sweet early 60s session is a stone cooker in the best mode of Blue Note dates of the time – tight, swinging, and perfectly poised with just the right space for some excellent solos from Francois Jeanneau on tenor, Bernard Vitet on trumpet, and Arvanitas himself on piano – all grooving in a style that would make the Jazz Messengers proud, but also one that's got some key touches of postwar Parisian jazz too. Bass is by Michel Gaudry and drums are by Daniel Humair – and titles include "Oblivion", "This Here", "Poco Loco", "Bouncin With Bud", "Bohemia After Dark", and "Mister X".

A brilliant set of straight jazz material from Roy Ayers – a set recorded for Atlantic at a time when he was working for the label in Herbie Mann's group – but done in a much more righteous groove that really points the way towards Roy's growth in the 70s! The lineup changes a bit throughout the set – but all cuts feature Herbie Hancock on piano, who helps give the record a solid modal groove that works great with the sound of Roy's vibes – and other players include Buster Williams and Ron Carter on bass, Sonny Sharrock on guitar, and Freddy Waits and Bruno Carr on drums. There's a bit of added strings and woodwinds at points – already showing Ayers' ear for larger, more ambitious sounds – and the whole record's arranged by the ultra-hip William Fischer. Titles include the classic "Daddy Bug", plus "Bonita", "I Love You Michelle", "Emmie", "Shadows", "It Could Only Happen With You", and "Look To The Sky".

A well-titled album from the legendary Derek Bailey – definitely a set that lives up to his tremendous reputation over the years! Bailey plays solo guitar here – working through a set of short improvised pieces, and coming up with sounds that are simply incredible – especially for an era when highly experimental records like this weren't often issued. Bailey's work on the strings of the guitar is far different than just about anyone before – and most players since – more sounds than notes, and often very abstract – but with a quality that all somehow makes sense – which is a great contrast to so many of the folks who tried to imitate this music in later years. The album's one of the best illustrations both of Bailey's mighty talents, and of the influence he had in following years – and it features 14 tracks, titled simply "M1", "M2", etc – all of them great!

A delightful album of vocal renditions of Duke's tunes by little known singer Eugenie Baird. Baird's wonderfully relaxed takes on these great Ellington tunes begs the question of how she remained sidelined for so many years, and then went on to largely be forgotten except for a spell with Bing Crosby. Duke's men are in fine form backing her, with Ben Webster as a featured soloist, and this album includes "In A Sentimental Mood", "Something To Live For", "Mood Indigo", "I Let A Song Go Out Of Your Heart", "Lush Life", "Solitude" and "Pass Me By".

A great Ray Barretto album from 1972 – one that beautifully showcases the master percussionist as he effortlessly shifts between Latin soul and 70's salsa styles! The group's nice and lean – with Adalberto Santiago on vocals, Papy Roman on trumpet, Louis Cruz on piano, and the great Andy Gonzalez on bass – a heck of a player whose solid rhythmic pulse was a big part of so many great albums of the time. Two great tracks make the album totally worth owning – "Right On" and "Power", both of are funky Latin soul numbers that are right out of Ray's Hard Hands period! Other tracks are equally great salsa numbers – and titles include "Y Dicen", "Perla Del Sur", and "Oye La Noticia".

Quite an unusual record from New Orleans R&B legend Dave Bartholomew – arranger, producer, and trumpeter – coming off here with more of a jazz sound than on his usual records! Despite the "New Orleans" and "House Party" in the title, the album's actually set of complicated larger group arrangements – wonderful stuff with some strongly pronounced solos, blowing forth in styles that almost evoke some of the best crime jazz soundtracks of the time. Wardell Quezerque joined Bartholomew in putting together the album, and titles include "Sultan's Dream (parts 1 & 2)", "Concerto For Alto Sax (parts 1 & 2)", "Portrait Of A Drummer", and "A Cool One".

A perfect illustration of the genius of guitarist Robbie Basho – a set recorded early in his career, but with music that's light years ahead of most of his contemporaries! Although a set of solo acoustic guitar tracks, the music isn't really folk – nor is it the sort of acoustic underground music that would emerge more strongly in the 70s – and instead, it's got a real edge throughout – lots of odd tones and weird phrasings that almost preface a whole generation of guitar experimentalists like Derek Bailey or Eugene Chadbourne – yet still within a setting that's relatively tuneful overall! Basho's music has this subtle mysticism that we really love – and the solo sounds here are as evocative as the titles – which include "Mountain Man's Farewell", "Seal Of The Blue Lotus", "Sansara In Sweetness After Sandstorm", "Dravidian Sunday", and "Bardo Blues".

A really wonderful back to basics session for Basie – featuring arrangements by longtime band members Frank Foster, Erick Dixon, Bobby Plater, and Thad Jones! The set also features vocals on 2 tracks by bluesy vocalist Richard Boone – a singer with a really great scatting approach – but overall, the real strength is the horn section, particularly Al Aarons, Dixon, and Eddie Lockjaw Davis – who all get in some very nice solo work. Tracks are mostly older numbers, Basie-ized – and played with a laidback tone that's a real contrast from the higher energy early 60s recordings. Titles include "Squeeze Me", "Frankie & Johnny", "Boone's Blues", "I Got Rhythm", and "Hey Jim".

A bittersweet farewell from The Beatles – a record that definitely shows the fracturing unity of the group, with lots of near-solo moments – but a set that also makes us really wonder what they'd have done with all this genius, had they managed to hold it together! There's great hints here of the solo work to come – especially from George Harrison and John Lennon – and the Phil Spector production really helps open up a new sound for the group. Includes the genius cuts "I Dig A Pony", "Two Of Us", "Across The Universe", "I Me Mine", "One After 909", "For You Blue", and "Let It Be".

An obscure session from Plas Johnson – recording here away from Capitol, under another name, quite possibly for contractual reasons! The album's got the gentle groove of Plas' best records of the time – deep deep tenor sax solos, recorded in a moody, echoey, late nite setting – all augmented by small combo instrumentation that includes vibes by Emil Richards, bass by Jimmy Bond, and organ by Bert Kendrix. Titles include "Summit Ridge Drive", "Beecher's Bossa Nova", "May Cees Blues", "The Spirited Gim Blues", and "Sax Fifth Avenue".

A really unique little record – and one with a trans-Atlantic heritage too! The sounds here are all from Martinique, but are heavy in African roots as well – and offer up a criss-crossing of rhythmic and tropical modes that's mighty unique! The grooves have some vocals, but are often mostly focused on the instrumental interplay – some great percussion that moves at a very skittish pace – topped with these guitar lines that are both light and jagged, and which have a pulsing rhythmic intensity that's pretty darn hypnotic! Horns are nice, and get some great solos too – and there's a quality the record that's both airy and deep at the same time. Titles include "Chimen Ta La", "Bochet", "Ansinel", "Flabo Pep La", "Omaj Pou Danyel", and "Endepandans".

An early George Benson groover from the A&M years of CTI – a set that's quite different than his famous 70s sets, with a really unique sound overall! The arrangements here are by Latin Soul maestro Marty Sheller – who brings some of the vibe to the set that he brought to his 60s work with Mongo Santamaria – not a straight Latin sound overall, but one that comes through strongly in some of the percussion and horns! Players are all pretty hip – and keyboards are from Richard Tee on most of the best tracks – and drums are from Idris Muhammad throughout, working here under his original name of Leo Morris. Main solos are from Benson on guitar – although the record also features alto solos from Sonny Fortune and Bobby Porcelli – who'd both stepped out a bit with Santamaria too. Titles include "Water Brother", "Jama Joe", "Dontcha Hear Me Callin' To Ya", "Jackie All", "Soul Limbo", "Are You Happy", "Land Of 1000 Dances", and "Out in the Cold Again".

A classic vocal set from Justo Betancourt – sung to arrangements by Bobby Valentin and Javier Vazquez, both of whom really set him up with some nice little tracks! The album is Justo's first solo album for Fania away from the group La Sonora Matancera, and it's mostly traditionally styled – with some slower tracks that show off his ballad style, and a few more upbeat numbers that groove a little better. Tracks include "Yira Yira", "Palabra De Carino", "Mi Cuba Bella", "Me Perdiste Para Siempre", "No Estas En Nada", and "De Cara A Tu Vida".

One of the rare few records recorded by a young Andy Bey and his sisters! The group was an obscure jazz harmony trio formed by Andy in his earlier years – and it features him on piano, joining with the vocals of his two sisters Salome and Geradine Bey – in a soulful, moody style that's unlike anything else we can think of! Their three heavenly voices are backed by Kenny Burrell's guitar, Milt Hinton's bass, and Osie Johnson's drums, and there's lots of room around the arrangments for the Beys to stretch out and sing beautifully. Includes a haunting arrangment of "Round Midnight", plus "God Bless The Child", "Everytime We Say Goodbye", "Solitude", and the "Love Medley".

One of the wildest albums by the funky conga player. The title track, "Lion Walk" runs through all of side one, and has a weird, tripped-out sloppy funk feel, with guitar and sax solos over Big Black's moody congas. Side two has three long songs, with a groove that's not as good, but still pretty dark and moody: "Tell Me, Do Your Conscience Bother You", "Love, Sweet Like Sugar Cane" and "Come On Down To The Beach".

A dream band indeed – as the set features a cast of excellent players who manage to come together tightly as a unit, then break out in really strong and hard-blown solos! Even by a "pulled together for this jam session by the record label"-type group there's a swinging style firmly in place – incredible tightness, but a real respect for the soloists – and a power to kick it louder and larger than even in a small group setting. Players include Herb Geller, Al Cohn, Hank Jones, Budd Johnson, and Ernie Wilkins – and titles on this first volume include "Maynard The Fox", "The Wailing Boat", "Somebody Wants Me Down There", "Little Girl Kimbi", and "Button Nose".

An album on Muse, but one with the same hip grooves as Walter Bishop's excellent work on the Black Jazz label! Like those gems, this set features Bishop working on Fender Rhodes – hitting a groove we never would have expected in the old days, and really going for a style that's at the hippest end of the soul jazz spectrum of the 70s! Other players include Randy Brecker on trumpet, Gerry Niewood on tenor and flute, and George Young on soprano and alto sax – and the horns are all arranged tightly by Mitch Farber, in a way that adds an extra edge to the record, but still leaves plenty of space for Bishop's solo flights on the keys! Titles include great versions of "Soul Village", "Coral Keys", and "Soul Turnaround" – plus the cuts "Philadelphia Bright", "Sweet Rosa", and "Valerie".

A searing debut from Black Heat – one of the best funk acts to record for Atlantic during the 70s, and a tight little group with a sound that's a mixture of New Orleans funk and New York heavy! The album's got a bit of vocals – figuring in on about half the tracks – but the main focus here is definitely instrumental – with a strong emphasis on choppy guitar, sweet organ licks, and cooking horn solos on trumpet, tenor, and flute – the last two of which are played by David Newman – not normally a member of the combo, but a great guest for this session! The sound is very tight, but never slick – and often recorded with an earthiness that recalls some of the best indie label funk of the period – like the kind of grooves you might find over at Perception/Today – with all the trippiness that might imply. Titles include "Chip's Funk", "Wanoah", "Barbara's Mood", "Chicken Heads", "The Jungle", "Send My Lover Back", "Honey Love", and "Time Is Gonna Catch You".

The third album by Black Sabbath – the album that put the heavy in metal – one of the most influential rock albums of all time and a record that finds Sabbath at absolute peak perfection! This is the one that set the Sabbath style in stone, honing in the the heavy riffs, thundering drums and eerie mood perfectly. Includes the ultra classics "Sweet Leaf" and "Children Of The Grave", plus "After Forever", "Lord Of This World", "Solitude", "Into The Void" and the instrumentals "Embryo" and "Orchid".

A solid duo instrumentals project from Georgia Anne Muldow and DJ Romes – working together as Blackhouse – and delivering one of the best records yet on the prolific Mello Music Group label! Georgia's a restless creative spirit, and true to form, the beats and production she delivers for Blackhouse are quite inspired. In some ways, it's a bit of a departure from her unique twist on dusty funk and soul beats that we've come to expect – and the crisp cuts of Lootpack DJ/producer Romes have a lot to do with that! Overall, the record is a trippy mix of leftfield hip hop and fonkie/spacey soul beatcraft – and a largely instrumental one – albeit with some hypnotically looped bits of vocals from Georgia and others. Titles include "Fonkie Journey", "Blackhouse", "Soundoff", "Somali", "Rap Hit", "G.R.O.O.V.E. Me", "Lectrivunkin", "Shana's Beat" and more.

Some nice surprises here – including "Do It Any Way You Wanna (parts 1 & 2)", "Soleful Moments", "Bossa Fuego", "Shake Your Bootie", "Low Down", and "Foxy Funk".

Massive work from Bootsy Collins – one of his best-ever solo albums, and a perfect summation of the P-Funk groove – focused strongly through Bootsy's own sense of stardom! George Clinton worked with Collins on production, and the album's as tight as the best Parliament or Funkadelic work of the time – particularly the latter on their killer 70s sides for Warner, which was also the home for Bootsy. The Horny Horns are helping out on this one, which gives the album a strong instrumental drive – but the real star is Bootsy, whose sexy vocals and good sense of soul keep things firmly on track throughout. Features the cuts "What's A Telephone Bill?", "Munchies For Your Love", "We Want Bootsy", "The Pinocchio Theory", and "Rubber Duckie".

Bootsy Collins' first solo album as a leader – and a masterpiece of slow bassy funk that set the tone for countless other groups to come! Bootsy steps into the spotlight with a tremendous amount of confidence and personality on the record – emerging as the one real star that could shine brightly on its own in the P-Funk galaxy – oozing personality, sexuality, and super-funky grooves throughout! George Clinton's helping Bootsy out on production a bit, and the rest of the P-Funk regulars are in the group as well – but the album's clearly Bootsy's own, and takes mainstream funk into a whole new sound – one that would really set a high bar for much of the west coast scene in years to come! Includes the massive "I'd Rather Be With You" – plus "Physical Love", "Love Vibes", and "Psychoticbumpschool".

One of the hippest records ever to come out of Chicago – the sole recording by Boscoe, a group who was even more obscure and experimental than contemporaries like The Pharoahs or Artistic Heritage Ensemble! Like those groups, Boscoe has a very unique, very visionary approach – one that's not content just to echo the standard post-Coltrane modes that other spiritual jazz groups around the country were hitting – but which instead moves into territory that touches on the darker sides of funk, soul, and spoken word of the time – all with a message that's incredibly powerful, and conception that's wonderfully fresh throughout! The group's lineup features tenor, trumpet, trombone, guitar, bass, and drums – but they way they're put together is often far different than other funky combos – and it's clear that the group had as much of a sensibility about the overall sound of their record as they did their freer grooves. At times, there's a righteousness here that recalls the best of the early Westbound Records scene from Detroit – but there's an even higher agenda too, which is more in keeping with the spiritual aspriations of their Chicago contemporaries, and which really show up in the lyrics. The whole album's a masterpiece from start to finish – unlike anything that we can think of, still ripe for rediscovery today, and just the kind of set that makes us prouder than ever of our Chicago heritage! Titles include "We Ain't Free", "Money Won't Save You", "Now and Den", "He Keeps You", "I'm What You Need", and "Writin' On The Wall".

Tripped out fusiony funk – with lots of great solo work! These guys have kind of a jazz rock approach (hence the "both worlds" name!) – one that makes for some tight bass and drum work, lots of choppy guitar, and spacey keyboards interlaced with some funkier horn solos. The production is a bit raw, which gives the record much more of an edge than you'd expect from a group like this – and even the sweeter vocal numbers come off with an honest indie feeling that makes us like them a lot. Includes the massive horn-heavy jazz dance tune "Coming On Strong", plus the cuts "Solide", "Don'tcha Hide It", "Stop Turn Around", "Leavin Them Days", "It's Love", and a cover of "Freedom Jazz Dance".

A lesser-known title in Philips modern music series, and a solo piano work performed by Catherine Collard. The composition is a reworking of Boucourechlieve's "Archipeligo 3", with variations on that pieces original structures.

One of the greatest albums so far from mighty Chicago reedman David Boykin – and easily a set that lives up to the rich legacy of avant jazz in the Windy City! There's a depth to the record that comes through right from the very first note – a sense of history and feeling that shows just how much Boykin's developed as a player over the past decade or so – a tenorist with a done that's right up there with Archie Shepp or David Murray at their creative best – really stretching out on some wonderful solos that never fail to dim in imagination or new ideas. The group's a trio – with Alex Wing on bass and James Woodley on drums – which gives the recording an almost ESP Records sort of vibe – and Boykin's the shining star throughout, really knocking us over with his solos on the well-recorded set! Titles include "Blast Off For Love", "Walk Turn Bat Shimmy", "Try Harder", "Blue Lotus", "Star Book", and "Late Night With The David Boykin Trio Theme".

Pure greatness from Brand Nubian at their early best! The Nubes' have made a handful of solid-to-great albums, but none could top this essential debut. Grand Puba, Sadat X and Lord Jamar are on point with the politicized rhymes over classic early 90s jazzed up, funky beats, built from now well known breaks – and truly raising the bar for classic east coast production. With the classics "All For One", "Slow Down", "Drop The Bomb", "Concerto In X Minor", and 2 mixes of "Wake Up" (Stimulated Dummies mix and the penultimate reprise), plus "Who Can Get Busy Like This Man. . .", "Ragtime", "To The Right", "Dance To My Ministry", "Step To The Rear", "Try To Do Me", "Grand Puba, Positive & LG" and "Dedication".

A great early record from guitarist Lenny Breau – done in a really spacious style that showcases both his subtle talents and his strong inspiration from Bill Evans! The format here is relatively lean – and most numbers have Lenny playing virtually solo, but with a bit of bass on the bottom to come in and give the tunes a bit of a groove – nothing funky or over the top, just a gentle glide that frees up Breau's guitar even more strongly from rhythm work, and lets him concentrate on the warmly chromatic hues that are his greatest strength. Titles include "Cold Cold Heart", "Hard Day's Night", "Monday Monday", "Taranta", "King Of The Road", and "Music To Watch Girls By". CD features the bonus track "Call Me".

An American psychedelic classic from mid 70s Baltimore – awash in heavy fuzz and lots of electric effects! Jungle Rot has a raw, earnest quality that few other records can match – perhaps the first albums by MC5 or The Stooges – or the very first EP by Pussy Galore – but it's also very much its own animal, as is most music that's come out of Baltimore over the years! Brigman's guitar is recorded here with lots of pedals, effects, and echo – all very spaced out and trippy, and sounding a lot more late 60s than you'd guess from the date of the record. The tunes are often simple and straightforward – and sometimes slightly bluesy underneath all the fuzz – and the vocals are wonderfully abstracted in all that echo, coming out almost like Alan Vega on the first Suicide album. Titles include "Jungle Rot", "DMT"," Don't Bother Me", "Schoolgirl", "I Feel Alright", "Worrying", and "It's Misery".

Maybe the greatest album we've ever heard from trumpeter Till Bronner – a beautiful tribute to the 70s sound of Freddie Hubbard – recorded with instrumentation that's heavy on Fender Rhodes, and these soaring solos that are simply the greatest we've ever heard Bronner play! There's a perfection to the record that may well even go past Freddie's classics for CTI – a sense of solid, soulful sounds throughout – with not a moment of filler, and a great mix of originals from Bronner that really capture the Hubbard vibe – mixed with a few others that further the essence. The whole thing's wonderful – a killer contemporary set, but with a richly vintage feel too – no vocals, no remixes, or any of the other things that you might find on other Bronner albums. Titles include "Will Of Nature", "FFH", "Return To The Fold", "Gibraltar", "Once Upon A Summertime", "Condor", "Pegasus", "Red Street", "Wacky Wes", and "The Gate".

One of the youngest groups of the zydeco wave of the 70s – and one of the grooviest too! The group's got a solid swing and sense of soul that goes beyond most of their contemporaries – almost a deeper current of blues at most points, especially in the guitar – and even in some of the accordion, which can come across like a harmonica at points! Titles include "Mama", "La La Waltz", "Sugar Cane Patch", "Country Boy", "SB 5", and "SAM".

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!

Early 50s material recorded by the late Clifford Brown – issued here in a classic "memorial" package slightly after his death in 1956! And while Brown never recorded much for Prestige – and never really as a leader – these sides are still a great example of his completely unique touch on the trumpet! The first half of material was recorded in 1953 – and features Brown soloing with Tadd Dameron's group on the tracks "Philly JJ", "Chose Now", and "Dial B For Beauty". The other set features Brown and Art Farmer as the lead soloists with the Swedish All Stars, a group led by Quincy Jones – and tracks on that session include "Stockholm Sweetnin", "Scuse These Blues", and "Lover Come Back To Me".

A classic "with strings" session from Clifford Brown – nearly as well-done and perfect as some of Charlie Parker's sides for Verve, handled here with perhaps a slightly sweeter touch, as Neal Hefti's the man on arrangements. The core group's the Brown/Roach combo, augmented by a smallish string section – and Clifford's right up front blowing warm and glistening solos, with titles that include "Willow Weep For Me", "Yesterdays", "Laura", "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes", and "Portrait Of Jennie".

Not west coast, but "best coast" jazz – a prime example of the way the Clifford Brown/Max Roach team helped to cook up the intensity of the LA scene of the 50s by infusing it with a bit of New York fire! The album takes off in the extended mode of Clifford's All Stars album – and like that one, features Max Roach on drums alongside a lineup of players that includes Herb Geller and Joe Maini on alto saxes, Walter Benton on tenor, Kenny Drew on piano, and Curtis Counce on bass – all jamming together in really extended, side-long tracks that have plenty of space for creative solo work and free-flowing improvisation! The format's a very unusual one for the 50s – and a great side-stream to the better-known Brown/Roach albums – with the 2 long tracks "Coronado" and "You Go To My Head".

A real killer from James Brown – and one of his most open-ended LPs of the early 70s! The record's got tracks that kind of go a lot further than those on many of James' other albums (except maybe Payback, which has loads of long cuts) – and it includes an extended 9 minute reading of "Hot Pants", the hard groovy "Blues & Pants" (also 9 minutes), and the 2 part "Escape-Ism" (which goes on for about 7 minutes.) There's great stuff all the way through, plenty of nice breaks, and the JBs lay down some great solos!

Quite possibly THE James Brown album of the mid 60s – a solid set of hard-grooving tracks, based around the monster title hit "I Got You (I Feel Good)"! The tune's one of those numbers that has been used a gajillion times over the years in commercials and promos – but which never sounds better than here, on James' original version – one of those cuts that never gets old! The hit's also nicely offset by a number of other more obscure numbers that make the album really worth tracking down – titles that include "I Can't Help It (I Just Do Do Do)", "Good Good Lovin", "I've Got Money", "Three Hearts In A Tangle", "You've Got The Power", and "Love Don't Love Nobody" – all on the rougher side of the JB spectrum.

Subtitled "Live At the Apollo Vol 3", but waaay better than any of the earlier volumes, this monster 2LP live set has James and the JB's wailing away in a freewheeling live set of hard hard hard funky grooves. Excellent work by the band, and a great way to see how sharp they were out of the studio, and proof that their funkiness was not the product of any clever editing tricks. Stone cold all the way through, with lots of great funky solos, cool rapping by James, and long versions of tracks like "Sex Machine", "Escape-Ism", "Make It Funky", and "Give It Up Or Turn It Loose".

Subtitled "Live At the Apollo Vol 3", but waaay better than any of the earlier volumes, this monster 2LP live set has James and the JB's wailing away in a freewheeling live set of hard hard hard funky grooves. Excellent work by the band, and a great way to see how sharp they were out of the studio, and proof that their funkiness was not the product of any clever editing tricks. Stone cold all the way through, with lots of great funky solos, cool rapping by James, and long versions of tracks like "Sex Machine", "Escape-Ism", "Make It Funky", and "Give It Up Or Turn It Loose".

After starting his career out with his funky group The Organizers, Odell Brown moved into a phase where he would act as the lead soloist in front of larger funky groups – like the one that appears on this record. The band was put together by Gene Barge, and they have a great soulful Cadet records sound – perfect for Brown's searing organ style. The solos are very lean, and have a nice nice strong quality to them. The band features Chisoul players like Morris Jennings, Henry Gibson, Louis Satterfield, Phil Upchurch, and Donald Myrick. A few tracks have ensemble vocals – and titles include "Nitty Gritty", "Free Delivery", "Come Together", "Free & Easy", and "Sign Of The Ram". Funky and hip!

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".

The lone album from the Bubble Puppy – a monumental effort of late 60s hard grooving psychedelia – and one of very best albums to come out of the original Texas psych scene! A couple of the Pup's labelmates at United Artists get a lot of revelry all these years later, and rightfully so – who would argue the importance of The Red Krayola and 13th Floor Elevators – but Bubbly Puppy deserve to be on that top shelf, too. The sound is tight and hard hitting, with trippy lyricism and groovy group harmonies, while the guitars range from cathartic fuzz to some surprisingly pretty melodicism. Not as far out as some of their peers, but the groove is absolutely killer. Titles include the benchmark single "Hot Smoke And Sasafrass", plus "Todd's Tune", "I've Got To Reach You", "Lonely", "Hurry Sundown", "Elizabeth", "It's Safe To Say", "Beginning" and much more.

A spacey Patrick Adams/Greg Carmichael dance classic – and very much in the P&P disco mode! The record's filled with extended club cuts that have a lot of keyboards and electronics, and although the lyrics are a bit silly at times, the groove is rock solid – with that amazing funky disco sound that was sort of a precursor to the house grooves of the 80s. Adams and Carmichael are on keyboards – and vocalists include Donna Green and Leroy Burgess. Nice all the way through – and tracks include "Lady Bug", "I Love You", "Honey Bun", "Space Shuttle Ride", and "I Got A Big Bee".

A standout solo moment from the amazing Keni Burke – an artist who's come a long way from his youthful start in the 5 Stairsteps! Keni had recorded other adult work by the time of this early 80s set, but Changes is easily his best-remembered album – a masterpiece of 80s groove, all arranged and produced by Burke – who also played a fair bit of the music on the set as well! The tunes are upbeat and grooving – often with a rhythm that goes nicely right down the middle, and never tries to be too funky or clubby. This groove is epitomized by Burke's classic "Risin' To The Top" – a tune that's been sampled heavily over the years, to great fame – and which is probably the lasting legacy of this set. But the whole album's totally great – sophisticated 80s groove at its best – with other cuts that include "Who Do You Love", "Changes", "All Night", and "Hang Tight".

A standout solo moment from the amazing Keni Burke – an artist who's come a long way from his youthful start in the 5 Stairsteps! Keni had recorded other adult work by the time of this early 80s set, but Changes is easily his best-remembered album – a masterpiece of 80s groove, all arranged and produced by Burke – who also played a fair bit of the music on the set as well! The tunes are upbeat and grooving – often with a rhythm that goes nicely right down the middle, and never tries to be too funky or clubby. This groove is epitomized by Burke's classic "Risin' To The Top" – a tune that's been sampled heavily over the years, to great fame – and which is probably the lasting legacy of this set. But the whole album's totally great – sophisticated 80s groove at its best – with other cuts that include "Who Do You Love", "Changes", "All Night", and "Hang Tight".

Surprisingly nice work! Like the rest of Solomon's post-Atlantic LPs, this one has a sound that's different than his classic work, but which also exposes a whole new side of his talent, and range of vocals that didn't always show up for Atlantic. Solomon arranged and produced here, and the sound is mellow and a bit modern, but still with excellent southern soul touches. Most of the tracks are new, and are dedications to Martin Luther King Jr., who was the inspiration for the album. The stuff's a lot more political than most of Solomon's work, as you might guess by titles like "I Have A Dream", "Now Is The Time", "Social Change", and "Mountain Top".

Genius work from Solomon Burke – the kind of all-out, no-nonsense soul album that made Atlantic Records one of the strongest forces in the genre during the 60s! If you've ever bought one of Solomon's weaker recent albums, you owe it to yourself to check this one out – as it's a brilliant batch of tunes, 12 in all, with not a dud in the lot! The vocals are incredible, production is sublime, and the style is a teetering blend of country, gospel, R&B, and soul – never duplicated so well again on wax. Titles include "Can't Nobody Love You", "Goodbye Baby", "Cry To Me", "If You Need Me", "Just Out Of Reach", "You're Good For Me", "Someone To Love Me", and the incredible "He'll Have To Go".

A pretty compelling record from the Chicago scene – one that brings together the city's historical music roots and some of the best improvisers working today! Side one features these cool little cuts from Nick Butcher – made up of "microsamples" of older Chicago jazz and house records, and really deconstructed so that you can hardly hear a trace of the original sounds at all – nicely obtuse, and sounding a lot like Nick was working from scratch! Side two features other musicians each given a track from side one, then encouraged to play their own live improvised take on the track – each with a very different flavor! So on the first half, you've got Nick serving up cuts like "Cozy Kitchen", "Great Lake", "Formats", and "Implements" – and side two features 6 solo numbers, each with a different artist – Jason Adasiewicz on vibes, Keefe Jackson on tenor, Jason Roebke on bass, Tim Daisy on marimba, Jason Stein on bass clarinet, and Mike Reed on drums! Very nice package, too – with a hand-printed die-cut cover and sleeve!

An overlooked gem from the revival years of Impulse Records – a set recorded in the mid 80s, but one that easily matches the soul and spirituality of the label's best work from the late 60s and early 70s! Pianist Henry Butler steps out here with a strong musical vision – one colored by his own bold McCoy Tyner-esque lines on the piano – and embellished by great solo work from Freddie Hubbard on trumpet and Azar Lawrence on tenor. Rhythm is by Charlie Haden on bass and Billy Higgins on drums – who definitely match Butler's pulsating, modal-influenced groove here – and additional instrumentation includes bits of flute and oboe, plus a string quartet on 2 numbers – coming off with Alice Coltrane-like brilliance! Great proof that righteous jazz was still being made in the 80s – with titles that include "Fivin Around", "LA Samba", "Improvisation On An Afghan Theme", "Giant Steps", and "Butler's Blues".

If you read these pages often enough, you'll know that we're big fans of recordings made by American expatriot players while living in Europe during the 60's. The European rhythm sections often bring out new elements of their playing, and the interaction with European soloists hits modes that we sometimes don't hear on American recordings by the same artists. This series of live recordings from Germany in 1963 brings together an array of players that includes Idrees Sulieman, Jimmy Woode, Joe Harris, Don Byas, Bud Powell, and Champion Jack Dupree. The best material is by a group that features Byas, Powell, Woode, and Harris – playing long renditions of two jazz standards, "All The Things You Are" and "I Remember Clifford", in a performance that takes up all of side two.

An incredible album from Donald Byrd – hard, funky, and with more of an edge than most of his other Blue Note work! The sound on the album's incredibly sinister – really concerned with downward chord turns in moody rhythms – played with a real sense of soul by a frontline that features Byrd, Hank Mobley, and Sonny Red. Cedar Walton drives most of the tunes with hypnotic lines on piano – and the rest of the rhythm's cooked up by Walter Booker on bass and Billy Higgins on drums. Includes the massively hard funky title cut, "Blackjack", plus "Beale Street", "Loki", and some other nice groovers. Red and Mobley are amazing, and Byrd's solos are some of his cleanest and leanest of the 60s!

Classic soul jazz material from trumpeter Donald Byrd – one of his most sinister (and most rare) albums for Blue Note! The group's a quintet, with frequent bandmate Pepper Adams on baritone, Duke Pearson on piano, and Philly Joe Jones on drums – all grooving with some of the tightness heard on other Adams/Byrd dates, but also a warmer, more open-ended approach to the music, especially on the solos! The tracks slink along with a dark little groove – and although Pearson's piano is often sweetly lyrical, it also has a nice hard sound that works well with the sharp-edged horn lines of Byrd and Adams. The album's very much in the vein of the pair's work on the Warwick label during the same time – and with excellent compositions that include "Say You're Mine", "Duke's Mixture", "The Cat Walk", and "Hello Bright Sunflower".

Classic soul jazz material from trumpeter Donald Byrd – one of his most sinister (and most rare) albums for Blue Note! The group's a quintet, with frequent bandmate Pepper Adams on baritone, Duke Pearson on piano, and Philly Joe Jones on drums – all grooving with some of the tightness heard on other Adams/Byrd dates, but also a warmer, more open-ended approach to the music, especially on the solos! The tracks slink along with a dark little groove – and although Pearson's piano is often sweetly lyrical, it also has a nice hard sound that works well with the sharp-edged horn lines of Byrd and Adams. The album's very much in the vein of the pair's work on the Warwick label during the same time – and with excellent compositions that include "Say You're Mine", "Duke's Mixture", "The Cat Walk", and "Hello Bright Sunflower".

A Donald Byrd treasure – and an album that was almost left in the vaults by Blue Note, until they briefly released it at the end of the 70s! The cover and title are a bit unfamiliar, but the music is right up there with Byrd's classic sessions with baritonist Pepper Adams – a great player here, with a deftness on his horn that's incredible – matching all the sharp changes and soulful undercurrents of Byrd's sparkling trumpet! There's a nice hard sound to the whole thing – almost the raw power of the pair's albums for the Warwick label – and as with those, Herbie Hancock is on piano – giving the whole thing an excellent soul jazz groove that really kicks the main soloists into action! Titles include "Great God", "I'm An Old Cowhand", "That's All", "You're Next", and "Chant".

A rock-solid set from Donald Byrd and a great group of players – a record that's got the same sharp edges and dark undercurrents of late 60s classics like Black Jack, Mustang, and Slow Drag! As with those gems, this album's got Donald really experimenting a bit more – especially with the rhythms – which are put forth by a hip trio that features Chick Corea on piano, Miroslav Vitous on bass, and Mickey Roker on drums! But almost even better is the frontline – with Sonny Red making one of his sublime appearances with Byrd, blowing alto with an edge that's amazing – and frequent partner Pepper Adams, adding plenty of baritone on the deep end. The whole thing's great – oddly unreleased until the start of the 80s – and titles include "Samba Yanta", "I Will Wait For You", "Blues Medium Rare", "The Creeper", "Chico-San", "Early Sunday Morning", and "Blues Well Done".

Sweet electric funk – in a very trippy style! Before Donald Byrd hooked up with Larry Mizell and started recording his smooth fusion grooves of the mid 70's, he recorded this gem – kind of a "lost" album that has Donald working in an open-ended electric sound – one that's clearly inspired by the experiments of Miles Davis, but which has a generally funkier feel overall! The tracks are very long – with lots of spiralling keyboard and trumpet solos – and the hip players on the set include Bobby Hutcherson, David T Walker, Wilton Felder, and Harold Land. We love the tracks on this set – especially "The Emperor" and "The Little Rasti", which are both over 15 minutes long, and have a haunting spacey sound that's a departure from Donald's usual work!

Donald Byrd's second foray into the "with voices" genre – done with the same arranging talents of Coleridge Perkinson, the lyrical modernist who made Donald's A New Perspective such a success! The group that plays with Byrd is excellent, and includes Freddie Roach, Herbie Hancock, Stanley Turrentine, and Grant Green – all of whom blend beautifully with the choir, and know when to lay back, and when to come out strong with hard rhythm playing and good solos. Donald Byrd and Duke Pearson wrote all of the tunes, and the set's got some beautiful shimmering solos by Byrd which just float dreamily over the album's gorgeous orchestrations. With the tracks "Pearly Gates", "March Children", "Brother Isaac", and "I'm Tryin' To Get Home".

A landmark album by Donald Byrd – the first one where he really started to click with jazz-funk producer Larry Mizell! Mizell and Byrd had worked together previously on the Black Byrd album – a soaring bit of futuristic jazz funk that took Byrd's career to a whole new level – but this album's the one where they really began to make the formula cook, blending together tight funky rhythms, spacey keyboards, soulful vocals, and some of Donald's best solo work of the 70s! The whole thing's a masterpiece, and all tracks sparkle – including "Lansana's Priestess", "Witch Hunt", and "Street Lady", one of the funkiest tracks ever on Blue Note. A haunting record with a beautiful spacey groove, and one of the best-ever albums on Blue Note!