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Unusual stuff – a spoken word document on Haitian culture, presented entirely in French! Maurice Sixtoo has a pretty compelling speaking style – and the album features one long recitation, which takes up both sides of the record!

One of the most haunting albums we've ever heard from Perry Como – a session recorded in Italy during the mid 60s – featuring arrangements by Nick Perito, and backing vocals by the Alessandro Alessandroni Singers! The tunes include a fair bit of older Italian numbers – some sung in the language of their origin, some in English translations that we've come to know on this side of the Atlantic – and Como takes them all with a sad-tinged style that makes the album one of his moodiest ever – a record that oozes melancholy with every song, and which has a late nite, heartbreaking appeal that goes beyond even the understanding of language. The set's a great one to convey the popularity of Italian work on the American market in the 60s – and Como carries off the session even better than some of the more likely singers on the scene during the period. Titles include "Souvenir D'Italie", "Forget Domani", "Anema E Core", "One Day Is Like Another", "Arrivederci Roma", "Oh Marie", and "E Lei".

Exactly the kind of record to show why we love Japanese piano trio sessions so much – a sweet 80s date from lyrical genius Iwasaki Daisuke! The album's got a relatively understated feel at first, but really grabs us once it gets going – with a mix of complicated solo lines and subtle, soulful warmth – a gentle balance that's clearly inherited from the legacy of Bill Evans – yet pushed into richly expressive directions here of its own! Daisuke's a hell of a painter on the keys – poetic, yet never with too many flourishes – and working with a subtle sense of darkness that's echoed by the bass of Hideo Kanazawa and drums of Hideaki Sekine. Titles include "Mass Ave 5am", "Tiny Souvenir", "Never Say Goodbye", "Star Crossed Lovers", and "Surf Mail".

Libidinous grooves from the great Stelvio Cipriani – a set of tracks that hangs nicely between a late 70s club style and some of the slinkier sounds we've heard on Stelvio's other work! The album's got a vibe that definitely lives up to its image and title – and although the first few numbers are groovers with a definite disco flavor, the real charmers on the set are the mellower numbers – which slide along gently, with vocals from Nora Orlandi and Edda Dell'Orso – breathily singing amidst gentle grooves and some sweet keyboard lines! The style of these tracks is more early 70s Cipriani than anything else – that great dose of amore that always makes his music so great. Titles include "Sweet Sweet Love", "The Magic Touch", "Souvenir D'Un Soir" – and a number of "Libidine" tracks.

A Phil Woods album that's as upbeat and colorful as its cover – one of those great overlooked later recordings by Phil, of the sort that always make digging through his catalog so rewarding! Woods has a great sense of swing here – but one that's never too formulaic or forced – a very organic, spontaneous groove that seems to come strongly from company that includes Brian Lynch on trumpet, Jim McNeely on piano, Steve Gilmore on bass, and Bill Goodwin on drums. Titles include the groovy "CK's Bossa", plus "Peer Pressure", "Song For Sisyphus", "Souvenir", and "Ballad For Hank".

Amazing electronics from the mad Francois De Roubaix – one of the hippest soundtrack composers of the 70s, heard here in a wealth of his most groundbreaking tracks! Francois often uses electronics quite sparingly and spaciously – as sonic elements that drop out of nowhere and color in his whimsical, playful little tunes – all in a mode that's quite different than the darker, spookier electronics of Italian and American composers of the same period! Many of the numbers here have an inherent sense of rhythm – a bottom-level pulse that really keeps things going, even when tracks aren't as all-out funky – and De Roubaix almost inherits a style from French soundtrack composers of a generation before, then makes it even groovier with his electronic sounds! CD features 19 completely sublime tracks – titles that include "Afron Evrard", "Souvenirs Cubistes", "Violence Et Reverie", "Ballet Sans Balais", "Les Anges", "Trois Enfants Au Nepal", "Mort D'Un Guide", "La Fete Des Dieux Avions", and "Charo" – plsu the bonus tracks "Rencontre Avec Le Skua" and "Electropolis".

Massive music from one of the greatest Motown groups ever – served up here as a set of 78 singles from the 60s and early 70s – not just all the US releases for Motown, but also UK-only singles, Italian singles, and work with the Supremes as well! The lavish book-style set is done in the same mode as the excellent Complete Motown series from a few years back – with a heavy 7" cover, loads of color pages in the middle, and a wealth of information and photos – maybe the nicest set we've ever seen on the Four Tops! But the music here is more than enough, too – killer singles that mix big hits with more obscure numbers – on title that include "Sad Souvenirs", "Walk Away Renee", "The Key", "Still Water", "Together We Can Make Such Sweet Music", "You Keep Running Away", "If You Don't Want My Love", "I'll Never Change", "Can't Seem To Get You Out Of My Mind", "You Stole My Love", "Simple Game (UK version)", "Piangono Gli Uomini", "Gira Gira", and "Until You Love Someone".

A great little album from vocalist Dana Gillespie – one that's done in a style that's much sweeter than some of her later work, and which features superb arrangements by the great Mike Vickers! Vickers really has an ear for a record like this – and mixes bits of folk with more pop/baroque backings that turn the tunes on nice little corners that bring out the sweetest side of Dana's young voice at the time. The style is kind of a mix of mainstream mid 60s female Brit pop with some of the trippier touches of the American post-folk singers of the period – not exactly sunshiney, but definitely in the same camp. Titles include "Foolish Seasons", "Can't You See I'm Dreaming", "No No No", "He Loves Me He Loves Me Not", "You Just Gotta Know My Mind", "Tears In My Eyes", "Life Is Short", and "Souvenirs Of Stefan".

The second US album from Euro disco outfit Voyage – a group who manage to bring in some nice progressive and jazzy elements to the mix! There's almost a jamming rock-gone-disco approach to a few of the best numbers – thanks to a strong use of heavy guitars and keyboards, and a real rock-like phrasing at times. All tracks are longish, with TK-styled breakdowns on the better tunes – and lead vocals are handled by Sylvia Mason. Titles include "Tahiti, Tahiti", "Souvenirs", "Kechack Fantasy", "Eastern Trip", "Let's Fly Away", "Golden Eldorado", and "Gone With The Music". This 2CD special edition also includes he album length Special Instrumental Vol 2 on CD1 – plus a second CD featuring 12", 7" and otherwise alternate mixesof "Souvenirs", "Let's Fly Away", "Tahiti, Tahiti" and more – including the bonus "Dance And Romance" recorded as Disco & Co. 24 tracks on 2CDs!

Souvenirs and memories – music that's mostly of more recent vintage, but which features a host of artists you'll know from way way back! The music here is mostly from the end of the 80s and start of the 90s – despite the wider date range in the title – and most tracks feature older Detroit soul singers, making a fresh stake with some slightly contemporary styles, at least for that time – yet still mostly sticking to the classic modes that made them so great in the first place! The approach is that used heavily by the Motorcity label at the time – and offers a great new showcase for talents that were sadly overlooked at the time. Titles include "Wholeheartedly" by Ronnie McNeir, "Surrender" by Bettye Lavette, "Man Up In The Sky" by Johnny Bristol, "Separation" by Pat Lewis, "Memories & Souvenirs" by Freda Payne, "Romantic Number" by Billy Griffin, "Real True Loving" by Edwin Starr, "Moment Of Weakness" by Syreeta, "All Over The World" by Chuck Jackson, and "Standing Still" by The Monitors.

The George Shearing Quintet – with added orchestrations – all in a blend that's got that pillow-soft sound that Shearing did so well back in the 50s! Arrangements are by George and Billy May – the latter of whom is especially subtle here, bringing things in with the best ballad mode he'd use behind Sinatra – yet tailored nicely for Shearing's use of vibes, guitar, and added Latin percussion. And as with some of George's best records, even when things are gentle, they still know how to swing – thanks to a sense of space and timing that's always a treat. Titles include "Moon Song", "The Folks Who Live On The Hill", "If I Should Lose You", "Black Satin", and "Starlight Souvenirs".

The second US album from Euro disco outfit Voyage – a group who manage to bring in some nice progressive and jazzy elements to the mix! There's almost a jamming rock-gone-disco approach to a few of the best numbers – thanks to a strong use of heavy guitars and keyboards, and a real rock-like phrasing at times. All tracks are longish, with TK-styled breakdowns on the better tunes – and lead vocals are handled by Sylvia Mason. Titles include "Souvenirs", "Kechack Fantasy", "Eastern Trip", "Let's Fly Away", "Golden Eldorado", and "Gone With The Music".

A mindblowing follow-up to the first Saharan Cellphone collection – and like that one, a set that's comprised of music from underground sources in contemporary Mali – pulled from the memory cards of local cellphones! Don't think that the music's tinny or amateurish, though – as the music here really represents a strong subculture expressing itself in very modern ways – recordings that rival most of the harder-edged African work we've heard in recent years, just circulated on phones instead of records! Styles range from hip hop to more familiar Mali modes – and titles include "Peguele" by DJ Mopao, "Hwa Heda" by Cheba Wassila, "Souveniram" by Kouedede, "Anar" by Mdou Moctar", "Imidiwane Friday" by Mouma Bob, and "Soul Tamashek" by Lakal Kanaye.

An incredibly groovy late 60s soundtrack from Michel Legrand – presented here with 2 other lesser-known gems as well! La Piscine may well be one of the last under-reissued scores from Legrand's genius period – that time when he was hitting heavily on soundtracks for The Thomas Crown Affair, Umbrellas Of Cherbourg, and other classics. This one's got a feel that's right up there with those – a mix of jazzy styles, mod themes, and cool vocal touches – sometimes scatted a bit, with that raspy style we love in Legrand's singing. A few other tunes are a bit mellow, but in a great way that really fits the watery title of the set – cool and shimmering, and with a great sense of sound that really shows Legrand's talents. Titles include "La Piscine", "Chasse Croise", "Blues Pour Romy", "Suspicion", "Une Enquete", "Dans La Soiree", and "De Souvenirs En Regrets" – plus "Run Brother Rabbit" sung by Delaney Bramlett and "Ask Yourself Why" sung by Sally Stevens. CD also features 3 great tracks from the film Un Homme Est Mort – "Une Homme Est Morte", "Onyx Bar", and "American Funeral" – all organ-heavy numbers, two of them jazzy, one ethereal! The remaining 7 tracks on the set are from the film Un Peu De Soleil Dans L'Eau Froide – some of which are a bit softer and mellower, although a few are upbeat and plenty groovy! These titles include "Dis-Moi", which is sung by Legrand – plus "Vivons L'Aventure", "Nathalie A Paris", "Seule Dans Paris", "Gilles Et Nathalie", and "Main Dans La Main".

A pair of overlooked gems from trumpeter Clark Terry – back to back on a single CD! On Everything's Mellow, things are mellow indeed – and that fact makes the record one of Terry's greatest from the 60s! The obscure session features Clark blowing in the laidback style of Prestige's Moodsville imprint – almost a swing-based, Verve-styled mode that makes for some really great tunes. Terry plays both trumpet and flugelhorn on the session – working through really restrained readings of tunes that include "The Simple Waltz", "Out In The Cold Again", "Among My Souvenirs", and "In The Alley" – and the rest of the players on the session include Junior Mance on piano, Joe Benjamin on bass, and Charlie Persip on drums. All American is a surprisingly nice little set from Clark Terry – featuring arrangements by Oliver Nelson, and a pretty nice little group that includes Budd Johnson on tenor and Eddie Costa on vibes and piano. The material appears to be lifted from the musical All American – by the team of Charles Strouse & Lee Adams – although the notes, and certainly not the title, don't do much to indicate this. The best part of the set is Nelson – who manages to, here as always, take any sort of material and give it a really strong swingin – bouncing it up with a lot of soul, and creating plenty of space for some strong breakout solos. Titles include "What A Country", "Same Language", "The Fight Song", "Nightlife", and "It's Fun To Think".