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A brilliant mix of soul, jazz, and house – all coming together through the cosmic talents of the young Peven Everett, a Chicago producer/singer/instrumentalist whose played on dozens of professional sessions, and who's given it all up to work on his own in an independent setting. Everett's work is fantastic – right up there with the best 90s NuSoul work by trailblazers like Blaze, Omar, D'Angelo, and others – and this self-produced, self-issued CD is a delightfully fresh batch of tracks that will take a proud place in your small collection of instant soul classics! 4 tracks in all – and titles include "I Can Give It", "Everday Girl", "Love & Affection", and "I Can't Believe I Loved Her".

Wonderful sounds from the great John Carpenter – one of those records that reminds us that his music is often just as important as the images he puts on the screen! Carpenter's music for The Fog follows nicely in his work for other films – particularly Halloween – in that it's got this slow-building style that often makes great use of keyboards – often used sparely, with a really spooky sort of energy – and even more space, and at slower speed than his other horror soundtracks! The style really fits the "fog" theme of the film!

Miles must have turned over in his grave with this one – although it went on to influence a decade of jazz remix projects! Miles spacey trumpet is remixed from tapes recorded before his death, and production is handled by Easy Mo Bee, with kind of a "hip hop meets jazz" sort of flair. Titles include "Chocolate Chip", "High Speed Chase", "Fantasy", "Duke Booty", "Mystery", and "The Doo Bop Song".

Double LP from 1998 DMC mix champ, DJ Craze featuring long, mostly instrumental tracks, with, of course, lots of nice dj work and some well-chosen vocal samples. Most of the tracks are low- to mid-tempo, but one of our favorites is the triple speed "Miami International Break". 12 tracks in all, this set also includes "Tekmasta Anthem", "Crabhappy Crabaholics", "Ride Dat Donkey", "It'z Dangerous To React While You're Running" and "Scratch Sentence One".

The third great album in the trilogy that includes Off The Wall and Thriller – and a set that still has Michael Jackson running strong at the height of his solo powers! Quincy Jones is still at the helm, and Michael more than proves that he can still come up with a pop tune without going too far over the top – catchy, compelling numbers that played well all over the world of pop – but which still hang onto just a little part of his soul roots too! That balance is a key factor to the success of this set – a record that helped re-ignite interest in Jackson's music, and introduce him to a whole new generation – while still keeping most of the older fans plenty pleased too. Titles include "Just Good Friends", "Smooth Criminal", "Bad", "Another Part Of Me", "Man In The Mirror", and "Speed Demon".

The always surprising, always funky, always great Brazilian Beats series goes one volume deeper! The far-reaching tendencies of Brazilian Beats never fails to impress, and nearly overwhelm. Number 5 keeps the contemporary club and dancefloor scheme well out front, with appearances by many of the gods and goddesses of Brazilian musical culture like Elis Regina and Mario Castro Neves on the set, younger innovators like Bossa Tres, and a slew of talents that introduce some really incredible breakbeat and hip hop influences! It takes a special track list to seamlessly string elements of bossa and samba with such seemingly disparate contemporary club sounds – but that's why we keep following these compilations, isn't it? 18 tracks in all: Tejo, Black Alien & Speed "Follow Me Follow Me (Sao Benitez Radio Edit)", Stereo Maracana "Freestyle Love", Jorge Ben Jr. "Take It Easy My Brother Charles", Edson Frederico "Bobeira", Marku Ribas "Zamba Ben", Marcelo D2 "A Maldicao Do Samba", Jackson Do Pandeiro "Eu Balanco (Beatfanatic Rework)", Bossa Tres "Imprevisto", Mario Castro Neves & Samba S.A. "Candomble", Elis Regina "Ye Mele", Jorge Ben "Xica Da Silva", Sasso "Tudo Bem" and MUCH more!

One of the rarest Gil Scott-Heron albums! The record is a wonderful example of Gil's work in two different styles – sweet mellow jazzy soul, and harder heavier protest poetry. Side one features classic jazzy tracks recorded with Brian Jackson – like "Free Will", "The Middle Of Your Days", "Speed Kills", and "Did You Hear What They Said?". Side two moves over to a much sparer sound – and has Gil reciting some of his poetry with very heavy percussion, and a very righteous approach. The wisdom and knowledge of those pieces is a perfect example of the kinds of issues that were haunting black America in the early 70s – especially on the tracks "No Knock", "The King Alfred Plan", and "Sex Education: Ghetto Style". This CD version features 8 bonus tracks – alternate versions of some of the heavier-duty tunes on the album, some of which are quite different than the originals! Also includes new notes and photos!

The third great album in the trilogy that includes Off The Wall and Thriller – and a set that still has Michael Jackson running strong at the height of his solo powers! Quincy Jones is still at the helm, and Michael more than proves that he can still come up with a pop tune without going too far over the top – catchy, compelling numbers that played well all over the world of pop – but which still hang onto just a little part of his soul roots too! That balance is a key factor to the success of this set – a record that helped re-ignite interest in Jackson's music, and introduce him to a whole new generation – while still keeping most of the older fans plenty pleased too. Titles include "Just Good Friends", "Smooth Criminal", "Bad", "Another Part Of Me", "Man In The Mirror", and "Speed Demon".

2 rare albums by Elvin Jones – both excellent, and both among some of his best work ever as a leader! And Then Again is a very nice session from the mid 60's that features arrangements by Melba Liston. Jones brings in some excellent accompaniment from brothers Thad and Hank, who show their modernist tendencies more strongly here than in other work from the time – and he's also joined by Charles Davis, Don Friedman, and Frank Wess. Most of the tracks on the album – such as "Azan", "Elvin Elpus", and "All Deliberate Speed" – are tightly snapping Melba Liston arrangements with a good mix of bop and modernist ideas, but one track – "And Then Again" – is a very nice improvised piece by the group. Midnight Walk has Elvin Jones playing with Dollar Brand on piano on a number of cuts, and with a sound that's a lot more like some of Brand's Afro-grooves than it is like some of Jones' other straight jazz albums. The highlight here is "Midnight Walk", but there's loads of other originals – including many written by Thad Jones, who's also on the set, and who plays in a surprisingly open-ended way that differs greatly from his 50's Blue Note recordings. Other titles include "H.M on F.M", "The Juggler", "All Of Us", and "Cross Purpose".

A nice little take on the "city symphony" mode that was big in American music a few decades back – served up by the Wynton Marsalis Septet of the early 90s, with decidedly modern touches! The double-length album's a three-tiered affair – with part one standing out as Wynton's extended "Cityscape" – a tribute to New York, done in styles that range from mellow and contemplative, to more hustling and bustling, in true speed of the city. Next up is another suite of tracks titled "Transatlantic Echoes" – work that's still jazz-based, but with a nod to African roots in some of the percussion and phrasing. Last up is "Some Present Moments Of The Future" – the final suite of the album, and one that almost echoes some of the rootsier modes explored by Wynton in his southern trilogy of a few years before. Players include Wynton on trumpet, Todd Williams on tenor and soprano sax, Wes Anderson on alto, Wycliffe Gordon on trombone, Reginald Veal on bass, Herlin Riley on drums, and Eric Reed on piano – and the album also features some guest tenor from Herb Harris and a bit of piano by Marthaniel Roberts.

Latin soul supreme, with the great title cut about Speedy Gonzales, plus tracks like "I'm Insane", "Psychedelic Baby", "Talk About Luv", and the massive "Hey Joe, Hey Joe", which you'll be singing all day after hearing it. An excellent groove throughout, as only Joe could do it, and will all the fun and humor you'd expect from his recordings!