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Classic Studio instrumentals from the hottest house band in the history of Jamaican music! Alongside the Skatalites the Sound Dimension were responsible for crafting the tunes and rhythms that emanated from Coxsone Dodd's Studio One label from the very dawning of the reggae age, and what better group could you ask for, featuring Jackie Mittoo, Ernest Ranglin, Leroy Sibbles, Horsemouth Wallace, Vin Gordon and Cedric Brooks? Guaranteed to blow your mind, this set features the finest selection of Jamaican instrumental R&B around, with jaunty, easy skanking numbers with a nice dose of loping funk sprinkled throughout. 16 tracks in all, including "Heavy Beat", "Federated Backdrop", "Baby Face", "Love Land", "Full Up", "Upsetters Dream", "The Thing", "My Heart In Rhythm", "Man Pon Spot", "Holy Moses", and "Soul Shake"

Classic Studio instrumentals from the hottest house band in the history of Jamaican music! Alongside the Skatalites the Sound Dimension were responsible for crafting the tunes and rhythms that emanated from Coxsone Dodd's Studio One label from the very dawning of the reggae age, and what better group could you ask for, featuring Jackie Mittoo, Ernest Ranglin, Leroy Sibbles, Horsemouth Wallace, Vin Gordon and Cedric Brooks? Guaranteed to blow your mind, this set features the finest selection of Jamaican instrumental R&B around, with jaunty, easy skanking numbers with a nice dose of loping funk sprinkled throughout. 16 tracks in all, including "Heavy Beat", "Federated Backdrop", "Baby Face", "Love Land", "Full Up", "Upsetters Dream", "The Thing", "My Heart In Rhythm", "Man Pon Spot", "Holy Moses", and "Soul Shake"

The most fully-formed album from Nat Birchall so far – and one that has him definitely going into another dimension in jazz, thanks to a slightly expanded lineup! The shift here is almost that betweeen the 60s spiritual sounds on Impulse Records, and the label's groundbreaking material in the post-Coltrane years of the early 70s – a time when folks like Pharoah Sanders, Marion Brown, Alice Coltrane, and others were really helping to redefine a sense of spiritualism in jazz – yet always at the best moments still hanging onto the core sense of individualism that first got the movement started in the 60s! Nat Birchall is at the head of the group – blowing fantastic lines on tenor and soprano sax – searching and righteous, but always with a sense of gentleness too – a really special blend that makes the album sparkle. Other players include Adam Fairhall on piano, Corcy Mwamba on vibes, and Rachael Gladwin on harp – and there's lots of nice percussion touches that are nestled in on the bottom. Birchall wrote all tracks – and titles include "Ancient World", "Dance Of The Mystic", "Radiant Will", "Peace In Ninevah", and "Sacred Dimension".

The most fully-formed album from Nat Birchall so far – and one that has him definitely going into another dimension in jazz, thanks to a slightly expanded lineup! The shift here is almost that betweeen the 60s spiritual sounds on Impulse Records, and the label's groundbreaking material in the post-Coltrane years of the early 70s – a time when folks like Pharoah Sanders, Marion Brown, Alice Coltrane, and others were really helping to redefine a sense of spiritualism in jazz – yet always at the best moments still hanging onto the core sense of individualism that first got the movement started in the 60s! Nat Birchall is at the head of the group – blowing fantastic lines on tenor and soprano sax – searching and righteous, but always with a sense of gentleness too – a really special blend that makes the album sparkle. Other players include Adam Fairhall on piano, Corcy Mwamba on vibes, and Rachael Gladwin on harp – and there's lots of nice percussion touches that are nestled in on the bottom. Birchall wrote all tracks – and titles include "Ancient World", "Dance Of The Mystic", "Radiant Will", "Peace In Ninevah", and "Sacred Dimension".

Mindblowing music from The Byrds – and one of the greatest evolutions in pop music from the 60s! The Byrds were always at the forefront of their generation – starting out as a folksy act mixing in early psychedelia, then reaching for deeper roots with a love of country, yet also really keeping their own unique identity – and finding a way for most group members to grow their own interests and help shape the sound of the band! This balance is unique, as is the mighty range of records that encompassed it – their legendary sounds for Columbia Records, which are presented here in a beautiful box of 13 CDs, featuring 11 full albums, all with their original artwork in LP-styled sleeves! Titles include Mr Tambourine Man, Turn Turn Turn, Fifth Dimension, Younger Than Yesterday, Notorious Byrd Brothers, Sweetheart Of The Rodeo, Dr Byrds & Mr Hyde, Ballad Of Easy Rider, Untitled Unissued, Byrdmaniax, and Farther Along.

An excellent album from this sublime soul trio! The record's got a nice heavy style – similar to the funky soul that was creeping into the sound of other artists on the Invictus label – and it rumbles along with a nice fuzzy edge that adds a whole new dimension to the incredible vocals of the group. Holland-Dozier-Holland produced, but the real skill here is that of General Johnson and Greg Perry – who wrote all the songs on the album save one – and whose vocal genius really makes the whole thing soar. The album yielded no hits for the group, but still has plenty of great numbers – and with General Johnson's vocals, just about anything would sound great! Cuts include "Bittersweet", "Weary Traveler", "So Glad You're Mine", "Elmo James", "Working On A Building Of Love", and "Men Are Getting Scarce". CD featyures two bonus tracks – "Let Me Down Easy" and "Everybody's Got A Song To Sing".

Great early work from Andrae Crouch & The Disciples – just the kind of soulful set that made the group a big crossover act at the time! Although gospel at heart, the record's got a nicely secular feel in approach – a style that's a bit like some of the other larger group soul of the time – particularly the 5th Dimension, whose bright, sunny sound Crouch seems to be reaching for here! But there's also a slightly groovier feel too – that undercurrent of hip that was bubbling under on some of the best Light Records productions in the 70s. Titles include "I'm Gonna Keep On Singing", "I'm Coming Home Dear Lord", "Take A Little Time", "What Ya Gonna Do", "My Tribute (To God Be The Glory)", and "I've Got Confidence".

Funky Bo Diddley – one of Bo's key early 70s sessions for Chess Records – all of which have him stepping out in a much harder groove than years past! The sound here is relatively tight – with Diddley guitar and vocals on top of some larger arrangements from Bob Gallo – backings that mix together sounds from contemporary rock and soul, but always with an ear for the roots that Bo inspired in the first place – put forward towards a new generation with nicely kicking rhythms and really fuzzy guitars! The standout number here is the break classic "Go For Broke" – a drum-heavy instrumental that's worth the price of the record alone – and other titles include the great original "Pollution", plus versions of "The Shape I'm In", "Down On The Corner", "Lodi", "Bad Side Of the Moon", and "Bad Moon Rising".

It's the mid 70s, and Kool & Co not only keep the funky groove up, but also expand their style into a moogy style that adds a nice dimension of spacey soul to their rich palette of funk. The funkier cuts – like "Street Corner Symphony" and "Rhyme Tyme People" – sound a bit too much like the hits from earlier albums, but are still pretty nice. But it's the synth heavy cuts – like "Whiting H&G", and the landmark "Summer Madness" – which really open up the record. They're great stuff, and have the group moving into a spacey otherworldly funk realm that had been opened up a few years earlier by Earth Wind & Fire. The long-lasting potential of "Summer Madness" proves that the move was a great one – and we're always stunned at how fantastic the track still sounds today!

It's the mid 70s, and Kool & Co not only keep the funky groove up, but also expand their style into a moogy style that adds a nice dimension of spacey soul to their rich palette of funk. The funkier cuts – like "Street Corner Symphony" and "Rhyme Tyme People" – sound a bit too much like the hits from earlier albums, but are still pretty nice. But it's the synth heavy cuts – like "Whiting H&G", and the landmark "Summer Madness" – which really open up the record. They're great stuff, and have the group moving into a spacey otherworldly funk realm that had been opened up a few years earlier by Earth Wind & Fire. The long-lasting potential of "Summer Madness" proves that the move was a great one – and we're always stunned at how fantastic the track still sounds today!

A great title for this second set from Solution – one that diverges a bit from their debut album – but in ways that are mighty darn nice! The group still have a strong ear for a jazz-informed groove – lots of excellent saxophones and organ lines wrapped together, on long tracks that know how to stretch out, but without ever getting too indulgent. Yet this time around, they've also got a bit more confidence on the vocals – and use them at points to really give their music an added punch – a surprisingly soulful approach to the lyrics that only serves to deepen their sound and given them a really positive direction overall. Titles include "Concentration", "Fever", "Divergence", "Second Line", and "New Dimension".

Frankie, Frankie – OW! Take a broken down synth, some crazy vocals, and a rich sense of imagination – and you've got one of the seminal groups of the New York scene of the early punk years. Suicide were a seminal bridge between earlier prog underground sounds and the art-rock punk styles that were coming out of New York in the late 70s. With this one landmark album, the band completely dismantled the cold German prog synth of groups like Kraftwerk, La Dusseldorf, and Tangerine Dream – and created a wild sound of spare anguish that brought a whole new dimension to punk rock. Ok, maybe we're going out on a limb – but this record has got to be one of the top 50 "must have" rock albums of all time. Includes the cuts "Ghost Rider", "Rocket USA", "Johnny", "Frankie Teardrop", "Che", and "Cheree" – plus the unreleased remix of "Cheree".

Soulful fusion by one of the best groups of their genre! The CD contains both albums recorded by Tarika Blue for Chiaroscuro Records in the 70s – both of them wonderful fusion records that have an incredibly soulful sound. The group features work by soulful luminaries like Justo Almario, James Mason, and Ryo Kawasaki – and the overall feel is sweetly bubbling, soul-inspired jazz – very much in the tradition of Roy Ayers' best work of the period, or work recorded for the same label by Mason and Kawasaki! Irene Datcher and Dolores Smith sing on a few tracks, giving the album a nice vocal dimension that takes things even deeper – and the CD features a total of 13 tracks that include "Love It", "Truth Is The Key", "Dreamflower", "Things Spring", "Blue Neptune", "Jimi", "Downtown Sound", "Sun Through Winter", "Sunshower", "Charlie", and "My Love Is So Free".

Brilliant work from Jimi Tenor and his Kabu Kabu group – an incredibly righteous set that's easily the best we've heard so far from the soulful ensemble! In addition to the spiritual jazz vibe of before, the group's also picked up some influences from African soul and jazz too – not just standard Afro Funk, but also some Ethiopian and Egyptian elements too – folded into Tenor's music like some mad meeting between Sun Ra, Fela Kuti, and Mulatu! Jimi's at the lead, handling tenor, flute, and a host of weird instruments – and the ensemble is heavy on percussion and horns, including some great trumpet work from Jukka Eskola of the Five Corners Quintet. Despite the monochromatic cover image, the album's got a really rich sound – a deeply soulful, deeply spiritual vibe that's totally wonderful – served up on titles that include "Grind", "Mogadishu Ave", "Mega Roots", "Aligned Planets", "Mystery Spot", "Floating Orange", "Fast Legs", "Higher Styx", and "Magical World".

Unhh!! Studio One plus funk, what more need we say?! Coxsone Dodd and company get down with the get down, and in this case, that's some pretty good company, with Sound Dimension, Cedric Brooks, Jackie Mittoo, Pablove Black, Alton Ellis, Vin Gordon and a whole mess of the baddest cats in Jamaica weighing in on this heavyweight batch of bouncing funk jams. The Studio One family delivers the funk in all flavors, whether it's covers of the jams that were getting rumps shaking stateside like "Melting Pot", "Shaft", "Funky Broadway" or "It's A Shame", or funkdafied rubs of established Studio One riddims and blazing originals like "007", "Music Answer", "Steady Beat", "African Descendants" or "Another Thing". 19 mighty tracks in all, wrapped up in the nice, nice Soul Jazz packaging, you know and love!

Unhh!! Studio One plus funk, what more need we say?! Coxsone Dodd and company get down with the get down, and in this case, that's some pretty good company, with Sound Dimension, Cedric Brooks, Jackie Mittoo, Pablove Black, Alton Ellis, Vin Gordon and a whole mess of the baddest cats in Jamaica weighing in on this heavyweight batch of bouncing funk jams. The Studio One family delivers the funk in all flavors, whether it's covers of the jams that were getting rumps shaking stateside like "Melting Pot", "Shaft", "Funky Broadway" or "It's A Shame", or funkdafied rubs of established Studio One riddims and blazing originals like "007", "Music Answer", "Steady Beat", "African Descendants" or "Another Thing". 19 mighty tracks in all, wrapped up in the nice, nice Soul Jazz packaging, you know and love!

An excellent compilation that's very much in the spirit of the 100% Dynamite sets on Soul Jazz! This time, Soul Jazz dig through the vaults of the legendary Studio One catalog – some of the most important reggae and rocksteady ever recorded, virtually all of it produced under the tutelage of Clement "Coxone" Dodd. Much of this material has been floating around over the years, but we'd be hard pressed to think of a better collection of it – especially when considering the excellent fidelity of the set, which is way better than an of Dodd's own reissues of the material. Plus, the folks at Soul Jazz have gone out of their way to put together the tracks as an extremely well-thought out introduction to the music, not just a scattered batch of tunes that happened to be available. The set also includes a recent interview with Clement Dodd, plus loads of great rocksteady and early reggae tracks. Titles include "Surfin" by Ernest Ranglin, "Real Rock" by Sound Dimension, "Feel Like Jumping" by Marcia Griffiths, "Greedy G" by Brentford All Stars, "Village Soul" by Lennie Hibbert, "Ethiopia" by Cedric Brooks, "Crabwalking" by Prince Jazzbo, "Hot Milk" by Jackie Mittoo, "Badder Dan Dem" by Lone Ranger, and "Bobby Bobylon" by Freddy McGregor.

Fantastic! This set features reggae and rocksteady versions of American soul and funk tracks from the late 60s and early 70s – quite fitting, considering how much of Jamaican reggae began as an attempt to copy American hits for the local market. The set may well be the best-ever in the essential series of compilations by Soul Jazz Records – and like the others, it features some of the best cuts ever recorded for the Studio One catalog. There's a total of 18 cuts in all – and tracks include "Soulful Strut" by Sound Dimension, "Still Water" by Jerry Jones, "Express Yourself" by Leroy Sibbles, "Message From A Black Man" by The Heptones, "The First Cut Is The Deepest" by Norma Fraser, "Deeper & Deeper" by Jackie Mitoo, "I Don't Want To Be Right" by Alton Ellis, "No One Can Stop Us" by Willie Williams, "Queen Of The Minstrals" by The Eternals, "Don't Break Your Promise" by The Chosen Few, and "Is It Because I'm Black" by Senior Soul.

A whole new dimension of pop from the lovely Joanie Sommers – an album of bossa tunes, recorded with strings and backing by the great Laurindo Almeida! The style is wonderfully sweet – and works perfectly with Joanie's gentle vocals – and although not all the tunes are strict bossa standards, they're all taken in a similar mode, which makes for a really unified set. The album features a few tasty debuts – including "Old Guitarron" and "You Can't Go Home Again" – plus versions of "Meditation", "Quiet Nights", "Once", "Carnival", "That's All", and "Watching The World Go By".

Cleveland Watkiss and Myllenda Lay add a new dimension to this track off the Rude System LP from Ashley Beedle and Marc Woolford, while the "church & soul" mix adds another layer of uplifting vibes, and as a bonus you get an instrumental of the Masters At Work mix off the other 12" released in tandem with this one!

A wonderful record by The 5th Dimension – hip, sophisticated, and one that shows that they had a depth that went beyond simple soul harmonies! The proof of this is the group's killer track "One Less Bell To Answer", one of the frankest songs about adult love and breakup to ever crack the charts in the 60s – but there's plenty of other gems, including "Puppet Man", "Feelin Alright", "A Love Like Ours", "Save The Country", "Dimension 5ive", and the extended medley of "The Declaration/Change Is Gonna Come/People Got To Be Free". Arrangements are by producer Bones Howe, with the team of Bob Alcivar and Bill Holman – both of whom helped to shape the group's sound nicely in the post-Jimmy Webb years. CD also includes the bonus track "On The Beach"!

A killer collection of work from one of the funkiest Japanese groups of the early 70s – billed as jazz rock in the title, but with a much deeper sound overall! Reedman Jiro Inagaki definitely comes from jazz roots, but has also picked up plenty of trippy touches from the late 60s too – fuzzy guitar, sweet keyboards, and an especially strong ear for the kind of heavy drums that folks like Lou Donaldson were using to push their instrumental work into a whole new dimension! The group here is often largeish, but still has the punch of a smaller funky combo – and the set brings together some of the most soulful albums from Jiro's rare Japanese-only albums – titles that include "The Ground For Peace", "Snap Shot", "Papa's Got A Brand New Bag", "Twenty One", "Breeze", "Painted Paradise", "Sniper's Snooze", and "Express".

Excellent early work from Roland Kirk – not as groundbreaking as later sessions, but still filled with fire and imagination, and proof that the famous blind player was a genius even at an early age! Kirk plays alto, tenor, and soprano – and on all tracks, he plays them in his unique "3-in-1" style, in which he's actually blowing all horns at the same time! The result is an incredible sound, unlike anyone else we can think of – and it's an amazingly raw tone that still swings very hard. Players include Jimmy Madison on piano, Carl Pruitt on bass, and Hank Duncan on drums – a really rootsy quartet that helps Roland hit a really gutbuckety sound on the record. Titles include "Triple Threat", "Slow Groove", "Roland's Theme", "Easy Living", "The Nearness Of You", and "A La Carte".

Brilliant work from Jimi Tenor and his Kabu Kabu group – an incredibly righteous set that's easily the best we've heard so far from the soulful ensemble! In addition to the spiritual jazz vibe of before, the group's also picked up some influences from African soul and jazz too – not just standard Afro Funk, but also some Ethiopian and Egyptian elements too – folded into Tenor's music like some mad meeting between Sun Ra, Fela Kuti, and Mulatu! Jimi's at the lead, handling tenor, flute, and a host of weird instruments – and the ensemble is heavy on percussion and horns, including some great trumpet work from Jukka Eskola of the Five Corners Quintet. Despite the monochromatic cover image, the album's got a really rich sound – a deeply soulful, deeply spiritual vibe that's totally wonderful – served up on titles that include "Grind", "Mogadishu Ave", "Mega Roots", "Aligned Planets", "Mystery Spot", "Floating Orange", "Fast Legs", "Higher Styx", and "Magical World".

Unhh!! Studio One plus funk, what more need we say?! Coxsone Dodd and company get down with the get down, and in this case, that's some pretty good company, with Sound Dimension, Cedric Brooks, Jackie Mittoo, Pablove Black, Alton Ellis, Vin Gordon and a whole mess of the baddest cats in Jamaica weighing in on this heavyweight batch of bouncing funk jams. The Studio One family delivers the funk in all flavors, whether it's covers of the jams that were getting rumps shaking stateside like "Melting Pot", "Shaft", "Funky Broadway" or "It's A Shame", or funkdafied rubs of established Studio One riddims and blazing originals like "007", "Music Answer", "Steady Beat", "African Descendants" or "Another Thing". 19 mighty tracks in all, wrapped up in the nice, nice Soul Jazz packaging, you know and love!

Maybe the best work we've heard from Gilberto Gil in years – a really beautiful live performance that mixes his acoustic guitar and vocals with a special string section and some tight live rhythm work as well! The blend of simple and majestic is really wonderful – a performance that's got all the earnest, honest qualities of some of Gilberto's solo sets – yet one that also has an added dimension that really enriches the sound, too – a blend that's quite different than an "with strings" session, and which is more like having someone underscore all the best elements in Gil's core performance upfront – in this case the great Jacques Morelenbaum, a master of subtle feeling and understatement. The set includes some great classics from Gilberto's late 60s/early 70s years – and titles include "Quatra Coisas", "Quanta", "Futurivel", "Eu Descobri", "Saudade Da Bahia", "Domingo No Parque", "Eu Vim Da Bahia", "Panis Et Circensis", "Oriente", "Um Abraco No Joao", and "Tres Palabras".

It's the mid 70s, and Kool & Co not only keep the funky groove up, but also expand their style into a moogy style that adds a nice dimension of spacey soul to their rich palette of funk. The funkier cuts – like "Street Corner Symphony" and "Rhyme Tyme People" – sound a bit too much like the hits from earlier albums, but are still pretty nice. But it's the synth heavy cuts – like "Whiting H&G", and the landmark "Summer Madness" – which really open up the record. They're great stuff, and have the group moving into a spacey otherworldly funk realm that had been opened up a few years earlier by Earth Wind & Fire. The long-lasting potential of "Summer Madness" proves that the move was a great one – and we're always stunned at how fantastic the track still sounds today!

60s jazz meets Japanese bamboo flute – all in a session with a great mix of groovy and exotic touches! The record's a unique meeting of jazz and folkloric elements – done in a style that's a bit like some of the late 60s sessions of this nature on MPS, but a fair bit groovier overall – as the tracks are shorter and more focused, and often have a nice sort of bounce at the bottom. Flute is by Minoru Muraoka, and arrangements are by Takashi Ikeda and Kozaburo Yamaki, conducting their New Dimension and New Emotion groups respectively. Bits of sitar bring in an even groovier sound to the record – and the flute itself has some oddly off-kilter notes that further trip out the tunes. Titles include "Soul Bamboo", "Take Five", "The Positive & The Negative", "Call Me", "Do You Know The Way To San Jose", and "Scarborough Fair".

A really cool collection that's got way more to offer than you might guess from the Italo in the title – as the set's filled with obscure funk, jazz, and sound library gems from the 70s! Usually, we associate Italo with Italo Disco – that 80s version of club music that broke big around the world in many scenes. But the tracks here are sort of the "roots" of that version of Italo – the funky experiments of a generation before – which were often inspired by American jazz and soul of the time, but took things into a whole new dimension – thanks to the wide range of creative instrumentalists and unusual studios in Italy during the 70s! A few names are familiar here, and others are composers you might know from soundtracks – but together, the vibe is something else entirely – and something entirely great, thanks to wicked work from Big Bang/Arision Records, who put together the whole thing. Titles include "Aflogelia" by Narassa, "Open Space" by Piero Umiliani, "L'Eroe Di Plastica" by Tony Esposito, "Ore 24" by Alberto Baldan Bembo, "Pearls" by Piero Piccioni, "Five, Four, & Three" by Lee Konitz, "Lavoro Veloce" by Farlocco, "Louisville" by Made In USA, "Depressione" by Jazz Video, "Tip Cat" by Santucci Scoppa, and "Greenleaf Street" by Max Rocci & His Friends.

It just doesn't stop! The heavyweight selectors at Soul Jazz brew up another chubby batch of blazing Studio One jams, delivering nothing but the classics this go 'round, just like the title says! Another chapter from Coxsone Dodd and crew showcasing the label and studio that laid the foundation for a huge swath of Jamaican music for generations to come, this set delivers 18 mighty, mighty reggae jams of all flavors, including the Skatalites "El Pussycat Ska", Sound Dimension "Rockfort Rock", the Heptones "Pretty Looks Isn't All", Lone Ranger "Automatic", Horace Andy "Fever", Burning Spear "Rocking time", Alton Ellis "I'm Just A Guy", Don Drummond "Confucious", Michigan & Smiley "Rub A Dub Style" and Johnny Osbourne "Sing Jay Stylee".

Solid!! 19 burning shots of prototypical island jams! The sounds of Studio One have been passed down from generation to generation of musicians, even being sampled by some of today's digital producers, and recut in version after version, and with their series of Studio One reissues, Soul Jazz illustrates why. Coxsonne Dodd was not only a genius producer of rhythms, but assembled some of the finest musicians not just on the island, but anywhere in the world to cut these mighty tracks, including the Skatalites "Coconut Rock", Cedric Im Brooks "Mun-Dun-Gu", Tommy McCook "Shocker's Rock", Jackie Mittoo & Ernest Ranglin "Jerico Skank", Karl Bryan & Teh Afrokats "Money Generator", Lester Sterling "Afrikaan Beat", Sound Dimension "Heavy Rock", Sugar Belly "In Cold Blood", Soul Bros "Bugaloo", Vin Gordon 'Red Blood", Pablove Black "Push Pull" and Karl Bryan & Count Ossie "Black Up".

Their first album of funky soul, and still a major classic from the early 70s! Creative Source were way more than just a regular soul vocal group from the start – as they had some superior vocal arrangements from Skip Scarborough, who really gave the group a unique approach that mixed jazz, soul, and funk into a sound that worked off of earlier male/female styles laid down by groups like Friends Of Distinction and the 5th Dimension, but make them work more in a straight soul vein. The group does a classic rendition of Scarborough's "You Can't Hide Love", which was a hit for Earth Wind & Fire, plus nice covers of two tracks by Sussex labelmate Bill Withers – "Who Is He & What Is He To You" and "Let Me In Your Life". Also includes their own "Oh Love", which is a nice groover!

Fab pop harmony soul! The Friends Of Distinction were LA counterparts of the 5th Dimension – and at one time, members of both groups had worked under the name of Rex Middleton's Hi Fi's. Unlike the 5th Dimension, who were a bit more pop, the Friends Of Distinction stayed more in the soul vein – using the sweet harmony style they'd crafted earlier to work through some jazzy changes that brought a whole new sound to the male/female soul group mode. This 12 track set features some of their best gems, including the super-huge vocal version of Hugh Masekela's "Grazing In The Grass", and other great ones like "This Generation", "I Really Hope You Do", "Check It Out", "Honey Baby Theme". "Going In Circles", "Time Waits For No One", "Love Shack", "Let Yourself Go", and "I Need You".

We love this one – a lot more than we expected from the stupid cover! The record is a great blend of retro and easy tunes – some with a bit of a beat to them – but a lot more that are in a mode that's completely Bacharach, completely baroque, with bits of soul, soundtrack, and bossa running through the mix. These guys actually do the job right – and take the easy tunes at an easy pace, the breezy ones at a breezy pace, and don't try to muddle things up with too much remixology. They're also great writers and darn good producers – and the record sparkles on many tracks like some lost A&M classic! Titles include "Coconut Conga", "Freedom Right Now", "We Are A&C", "Up", "BB Electro", "5th Dimension", and "Ocean Drive".

The deepest album to date from saxophonist Nat Birchall – a set that's steeped in all the spiritual elements of his previous records, yet also stretches forth into rich new dimensions as well! Birchall's reeds have this complexity we've never heard before – soaring, searching in these really bold styles – while also still holding onto the core modal energy we've always liked in his music – a quality we've always liked to the best post-Coltrane sounds on Impulse Records! And indeed, there's a majesty and vision to this album that takes us back to Pharoah Sanders at his greatest – or maybe Joe Henderson blowing with Alice Coltrane – as Birchall soars to the skies on tenor and soprano sax – in a lineup that includes piano, vibes, bass, and lots of great percussion elements too. Tracks include "The Black Ark", "Dream Of Eden", "World Without Form", "Divine Harmony", "Return To Ithaca", and "Principle Of Beauty".

Fantastic stuff! This was one of Grant Green's first ever sessions, and it's a winner all the way through! Dave Bailey and Ben Tucker back up the young Grant in a set of impeccably played guitar grooves that showcase the brilliant technique of this young genius – straight and to the point guitar jazz, with a soulful feel that gives the album a really warm finish. The whole thing's great – and the album's got some great original titles that include "No 1 Green Street", "Grant's Dimensions", and "Green With Envy" – all of which sound a lot better than they're titled, too! Also includes two alternate takes.

A wicked little soundtrack that's about as badass as you can get for the 70s – the obscure score for the black answer to Warren Beatty's famous Shampoo! The music on the set is really great – sparer than usual for a blacksploitation soundtrack, with lots of nice instrumental tracks that riff on guitars and keys – and a few totally excellent laidback cuts that are a perfect example of slow funk at its best! The album also features some slight snippets of dialogue from the film, interspersed with the musical tracks, in a mode that really recalls the feel of the film. Lots of killer tracks on the set, and titles include "Mr Jonathan", "The Chase", "Can You Feel The Love", "Soft", "I'll Get You", "Main Theme", "The Flight", "Love Theme", "Black Brief Case", and "The BBQ".

A real classic from Jeff Lorber – the kind of record that crossed-over immediately, and had a huge influence on so many different scenes! The style is smooth sweet fusion – of a sort that Lorber virtually helped invent, and so many others helped to ruin in later years – but here, things are clean and lean, very focused on the groove – and coming off with a really soulful sound! There's a great mix of acoustic and electric keys that really makes the album cook – giving it a two-dimensional feel that really comes off nicely on every tune – and the core lineup includes Lorber on keys, plus electric bass, drums, and saxes. Titles include "Wizard Island", "Lava Lands", "Shadows", "City", "Rooftops", and "Can't Get Enough".

Great early west coast jazz! This album puts together 2 different sessions both recorded by Gene Norman in the early 50s. One features Shorty Rogers heading up a great group with Art Pepper and Jimmy Giuffre – on the tracks "Four Mothers", "Didi", "Sam & The Lady", and "Popo". The other features classic cool Gerry Mulligan material – played by a tentet with Chet Baker, Bud Shank, and Bob Enevoldsen. Titles on that one include "Westwood Walk", "Simbah", "Walking Shoes", and "Rocker".

Laura Nyro's first album ever – originally issued by Verve/Forecast in the mid 60s, but brought back out on the market by Columbia, during the height of Nyro's early 70s fame for the label! Even at this early point, Nyro sounds wonderful – a fair bit more soulful than most other female pop singers of her time – with a fully-fleshed out approach to the vocals that's mature and sensitive, and almost a bit more confident at times than in later years. Arrangements are by Herb Bernstein, and almost have the same sort of sunny feel as The 5th Dimension in their famous covers of Nyro's tunes – again with more soul than we might have expected for the time. Titles include "Lazy Susan", "Stoney End", "Flim Flam Man", "Buy & Sell", "He's A Runner", "Billy's Blues", and "Wedding Bell Blues".

A true pleasure indeed – easily one of the greatest records ever by the Ohio Players, and a perfect summation of all things great in their groove! The album's a landmark effort – even for the heady days of the early 70s – as the Players manage to bring together a fair bit of jazz with their famous guitar-driven funk – all in a blend that's a lot more sophisticated than most other funk combos of the time, from the rhythms at the bottom to the instrumentation on the top! There's a darkness here that's undeniable – but the album's also not just a head trip into the fuzziest reaches of the studio – as the jazzier inflections help illuminate the farthest corners, and really bring the whole album back to focus with a wonderfully redemptive groove! Psychedelic elements are still all over the place, but also used sparingly enough to be most effective – a brilliant balance that few groups of this type were ever able to muster. Titles include the classic "Funky Worm", with the wild moogy bit that's been sampled loads of times over the years by a gazillion hip hoppers – plus loads of other nice ones, like the slow bonking funker "Pride & Vanity", the wild "Walt's First Trip", and the groovy "Laid It" – as well as "Pleasure", "Paint Me", "Our Love Has Died", and "Walked Away From You". CD features amazing sound and a whopping 7 bonus tracks – including "Ruffell Foot", "What It Is", "Rooster Poot", "Gone Forever", "Dimensions In Time", and "Introducing The Players".

Amazing sounds from Sun Ra – vocal recitations, weird words, and spoken bits – all set to some mighty cosmic music! The work here is all previously unissued, and pulled from rare tapes recorded in 1966, 1968, and 1982 – an amazing discovery in the Ra archive, with a real focus on his more poetic side! The set begins with some wonderfully echoey bits – Ra's vocals in the lead, and some cool abstract sounds and electronics behind him. Other tracks have even more obscure elements in the background, and a few others provide some more familiar jazz elements – but overall, the whole thing's got a wickedly spaced-out feel – very much what you might expect if you'd ever heard the myth of Ra before hearing one of his records! Titles include "The Universe Is Endless", "The Sub-Dwellers", "Music Is A Universal Language", "The Universe Sent Me", "A Cosmic Dimension Of Music", "They Taught Me To Share", and "Worship Of A Statue".

An unusual one for George Shearing – in that this Capitol session's a trio date, instead of Shearing's usual quintet mode – working in an Ahmad Jamal-like trio with drums by Vernel Fournier and bass by the late Israel Crosby! There's flowing, subtly soulful sound going on here – one that's almost an homage to Jamal, but which still has some of the more Shearing-like tones to ring out and announce George's influence on the date. The album was sadly Crosby's last recording, but his bass still sounds great – and titles include "Wonder Why", "Blues In 9/4", "Heart Of Winter", "What's New?", and "Symphony".

Synthetic symphonics from electronic experimental ground breakers – with ground shaking rhythms, spacey soundscapes, fuzz, hums, echoes, loopy tape effects and more! Features Herbert Eimert, Bruno Maderna, Karel Goeyvaerts, Pierre Boulez and Eimert-Beyer. Titles include "Klangstudie I" by Herbert Eimert, and "Klangstudie II" by Eimert-Beyer, "Musica Su Due Dimensioni" by Bruno Maderna, "Poesie Pour Pouvir (Tres Orqestra E Tape)" by Pierre Boulez and more.

Synthetic symphonics from electronic experimental ground breakers – with ground shaking rhythms, spacey soundscapes, fuzz, hums, echoes, loopy tape effects and more! Features Herbert Eimert, Bruno Maderna, Karel Goeyvaerts, Pierre Boulez and Eimert-Beyer. Titles include "Klangstudie I" by Herbert Eimert, and "Klangstudie II" by Eimert-Beyer, "Musica Su Due Dimensioni" by Bruno Maderna, "Poesie Pour Pouvir (Tres Orqestra E Tape)" by Pierre Boulez and more.

The spare, foreboding score for Donnie Darko by Michael Andrews! The film mixed period pop songs in with this exceptional original music – which worked brilliantly, but unfortunately, that tends to overshadow just how effective Andrews' compositions are, at least to those with less of an ear for haunting instrumental film music. Give this excellent soundtrack a listen – and you'll realize pretty quickly just how vital it is to the allure of the movie! Includes "Carpathian Ridge", "The Tangent Universe", "Middlesex Times", "Gretchen Ross", "Slipping Away", "Cellar Door", "Time Travel", "Ensurance Trap", "Did You Know Him? "Waltz In The 4th Dimension" and more – plus that ever-haunting cover of "Mad World" by Gary Rule.

Legendary work from Miles Davis – large group sessions that virtually define the "cool" in cool jazz! The work's quite different from Davis' earlier bop sides with Charlie Parker – and show a distinct influence from modernists like Gerry Mulligan (who is on the recordings) and from the experiments of the Tristano school. Miles is less the leader than the creative visionary – as all players come together in a perfect blend of sound, perfectly polished, and with a very dark edge. Titles include "Jeru", "Move", "Venus De Milo", "Budo", and "Deception".

A great little record – with some very groovy guitar! This is the kind of session that we used to pass up years ago because we never thought it was that pure. Now, though, thanks to beatheads worldwide, the great talents of Howard Roberts' Capitol years are finally getting recognized again. This album's a gem, with tight little arrangements that pit Howard's terse jazzy guitar against some very groovy organ riffs – and the sound is very fresh, and very lively. Includes the sampled track "Dirty Old Bossa Nova", plus "Deep Fry", "Rough Ridin", "Watermelon Man", "Smolderin", and "Turista".

A tremendous double-length set by this hip group of legendary players – a quartet lineup that features trumpeter Roy Campbell, reedman Daniel Carter, bassist William Parker, and drummer Hamid Drake – all working together in sounds that definitely reach some other dimensions in music! The format is very loose and open-ended – perfect for the loft jazz-styled improvisations from the combo – working here in a very friendly, supportive setting in front of a Parisian audience – who clearly inspire the musicians to new heights. Some tracks are quite long, but stand as bold statements throughout – and others are a bit shorter, and nicely compact. Titles include "Other Dimensional Space Travelers Hip Bop", "Blues Configuration", "Slam Me Down", "Blues For Baghdad", "Desert Dance", "Suite For Miles Davis", and "James Brown Ascension".

Two organ and tenor classics – back to back on a single CD – with some bonus cuts too! Four Dimensions is sweet soulful work from the legendary Don Patterson – a great Prestige set that has tenorist Houston Person joining the organist's hip trio with Pat Martino on guitar and Billy James on drums! The tunes have that loping soul jazz sound you'd find in Person's best early work at the time – a groove that's got plenty of bottom, but also a nice dose of lyricism as well – and the use of Houston's horn here seems to bring out a different approach from Patterson than you'll hear on his sessions with Booker Ervin. There's a very slight hardbop element at times – and titles include "Sandu", "Freddie Tooks Jr", "Red Top", and "Last Train From Overbrook". Next up are most of the tracks from the album Hip Cake Walk – a massive pairing of the tenor of Booker Ervin and Hammond of Don Patterson – a record that's got a very famous cover image, and which marks for one of the greatest meetings of soul and modernism at mid-60s Prestige Records! There's no bass at all on the set – just lots of quick, tight rhythm lines from Patterson on the pedals of the Hammond – mixed with drums from Billy James, and served up with plenty of space for Ervin to open up on tenor – blowing with more soul than on some of his modernist sides of the time! Oddly, the CD does not include the title cut – "Hip Cake Walk" – but does include the other 4 tracks from the album, "Rosetta", "Sister Ruth", "Under The Boardwalk", and "Donald Duck". CD also features more Ervin/Patterson material from the same session – the tracks "Sentimental Journey", "Theme For Dee", and "Just Friends".

An excellent compilation in the "funky jazz meets easy" vein – similar to some of the Brit easy ones we've stocked, like the Dimensions In Sound series. The groove runs from obscure European jazz to funky Brazilian to soulful easy tunes – and nearly all of the cuts aren't available elsewhere. Tracks include "Comin Home Baby" by Bob Bernard, "Chewing Gum Delerium" by Free Pop Electronic Experiment, "Blues For Hari" by Emil Richards, "Sunny" by Anita O'Day, "Beginnings" by Astrud Gilberto, "Lady Montego" by Ayers Rock, "My Love Is A Monster" by Clea Bradford, "Sambleebloo" by Johnny Teupen, "Berimbau" by Stanley Black, "Mambo Del Norte" by San Francisco Ltd, "Pobodizna" by Prazky Big Band, and "Little Green Apples" by Fats Sadi.

"Wild Sounds From Past Dimensions", from the thick, twice yearly ode to garage, proto punk, power pop and more Ugly Things! Ugly Things is almost more book than magazine, thick as it is, they cram even more great stuff in with teeny tiny print – and this one has pieces on lost San Fran rockers Wild Flower, Sky Saxon Remembered, The Fen Men, Nico, Timebox, West Coast Consortium, Spteson, Imperial Dogs and much more – plus loads of reissue reviews, great old photos, and more. 224 pages!