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A definite treasure from Taj Mahal – especially for fans of his excellent early work for Columbia Records! The first CD in the package features unreleased studio tracks recorded during the glory days for Columbia – not rough cuts or demos, but well-finished gems that offer up the same sublime mix of modes – a bit of blues with plenty of soul – that you'd expect from Taj! Titles include "Shady Grove", "Butter", "Yan Nah Mama Loo", "Chainey Do", "Sweet Mama Janisse", "Ain't Gwaine Whistle Dixie", and "Jacob's Ladder". CD two features more rare treats – a full concert recorded in London in 1970 – never issued before, and really well-produced. Titles include "Runnin By The Riverside", "Big Fat", "Diving Duck Blues", "Bacon Fat", "Tomorrow May Not Be Your Day", and "Checkin Up On My Baby".

The classic second album by Taj Majal! Includes "Good Morning Miss Brown", "Done Changed My Way Of Living", "I Ain't Gonna Let Nobody Steal My Jellyroll", "The Cuckoo", "Ain't That A Lot Of Love" and more.

A well-titled album – given that Taj Mahal's music is always pretty darn rootsy – and this time around, he's also adding in a bit of Jamaican roots too, thanks to production help from Bob Marley and Aston Barrett of The Wailers! The pair help Taj out on a few numbers, mixing in some reggae rhythms with his bluesy lead – another compelling combination of modes that marks the creative apex of Taj Mahal's years on Columbia. Titles include "Johnny Too Bad", "Big Mama", "Cajun Waltz", "Slave Driver", "Blackjack Davey", and "Desperate Lover".

The classic second album by Taj Majal! Includes "Good Morning Miss Brown", "Done Changed My Way Of Living", "I Ain't Gonna Let Nobody Steal My Jellyroll", "The Cuckoo", "Ain't That A Lot Of Love" and more.

Titles include "Leaving Trunk", "EZ Rider", "Dust My Broom", "Diving Duck Blues", "The Celebrated Walkin Blues", and "Statesboro Blues".

One of the better records that Taj Mahal cut during in the later 70s – probably because it was a soundtrack, and pushed the groove into some interesting places – with Taj's gruff vocals working over some Caribbean rhythms and modern blues, and more smoothed out moments! The latter moments actually creep near or even cross over the line into kind of a fusiony soul feel, with the tightly thumping electric bass and rolling sax, but Taj keeps the overall vibe as uncommonly diverse as his other records for Columbia. Tracks include "Malcolm's Song", "David & Angela", "Night Rider", "Brother's Doin Time", "Free The Brothers", "Love Theme In The Key Of D", and "Funky Butt".

A definite treasure from Taj Mahal – especially for fans of his excellent early work for Columbia Records! The first CD in the package features unreleased studio tracks recorded during the glory days for Columbia – not rough cuts or demos, but well-finished gems that offer up the same sublime mix of modes – a bit of blues with plenty of soul – that you'd expect from Taj! Titles include "Shady Grove", "Butter", "Yan Nah Mama Loo", "Chainey Do", "Sweet Mama Janisse", "Ain't Gwaine Whistle Dixie", and "Jacob's Ladder". CD two features more rare treats – a full concert recorded in London in 1970 – never issued before, and really well-produced. Titles include "Runnin By The Riverside", "Big Fat", "Diving Duck Blues", "Bacon Fat", "Tomorrow May Not Be Your Day", and "Checkin Up On My Baby".

A warm, southern-inflected batch of bluesy sunshine rock from Dale "The Hawk" Hawkins – best known for gifting the world with his Chess original version of "Suzie Q" back in the late 50s – a big step away from the r&b steeped rockabilly he made his name on a decade earlier! LA, Memphis & Tyler, Texas is a catchy title and kind of a good hint at the sound – which has a breezy late 60s California vibe, but it's laid down with Memphis style horn backings and swampy guitars. Dale's vocal delivery is his most effervescent ever – and the players include James Burton, Spooner Oldham, the Memphis horns and even Taj Mahal! Tracks include "LA-Memphis-Tyler", "Heavy On My Mind", "Joe", "Houndog", "Back Street", "La-La La-La", "Candy Man". "Ruby, Don't Take Your Love To Town", "Little Rain Cloud" and more.

A sweet 60s session from the team of Shirley Scott and Clark Terry – musicians who never played together regularly, but who really work wonders on this unique record! Shirley's got that perfect tone on Hammond she hit during her Impulse Records years – a groove that's leaner and cleaner than Prestige sessions of a few years before – and Terry's got that cool mix of muted sounds and soulful undercurrents that really shown during his work with Bob Brookmeyer – a surprisingly great mix here for Scott's organ lines, especially when mixed with the great grooves of the rhythm section! The set features Mickey Roker on drums, and either Bob Cranshaw or George Duvivier on bass – and titles include "Heat Wave", "Taj Mahal", "Clark Bars", "Up A Hair", "Soul Duo", and "Joonji".

A heavy dose of funky jazz – and one that goes way past the obvious too – to include some real gems from the 70s that even we'd passed up! The package is filled with stellar jazz from the Fantasy Records family – Prestige, Pablo, Galaxy and Fantasy proper – choice numbers by The Blackbyrds, Stanley Cowell, Charles Earland, Patrice Rushen and others – funky jazz, soul, boogie and Brazil-flavored numbers from the top shelf of the diverse period! It's a tight, well chosen compilation with numbers you simply could not overlook in putting a set like this together – productions by the Mizells, Donald Byrd, Earland and others – but there's a few of leftfield choices, too. Simply a great little snapshot of the funky jazz and soul period and the family of labels that generated so much of the most creative music to come from it! 14 tracks and nearly 80 minutes of grooves: Includes "Happy Music" by Blackbyrds, "Close To You" by Marlon McClain, "Let Me Love You (Let Me Be Me)" by Stanley Cowell, "Taj Mahal" by Paulinho Da Costa, "Nov Ano" by Azar Lawrence, "Moon Dreams" by Flora Purim, "Montevideo" by Opa, "Glide" by Pleasure, "Shout It Out" by Patrice Rushen, "If Only I Could Prove To You" by The 3 Pieces and more.

Amazing stuff from Jorge Ben – and the record that pushed him over the top! The album's a masterpiece of funky Brazilian soul – and it includes the huge hit "Taj Mahal", which still sounds great, even after all these years! Other great cuts include "Fio Maravilha", "Paz E Arroz", "Morre O Burro Fico O Homem", and "Que Nega E Essa" – but it all sounds great, and we can't think of a better Ben album from the 70s to recommend!

A nice one from Jorge! The record's one of his best from the 70s – and it's got a groove that's somewhere between "Taj Mahal" and "Africa Brasil". Jorge's guitar work is nice and tight, and his vocals are, as always, extremely captivating. The tracks are short, choppy, and soulful in a beautiful way. Titles include "Cuidado Com O Bulldog", "Zagueiro", "Para Ouvir No Radio (Luciana)", "Jorge De Capadocia", "Dumingaz", and "Jesualda".

Amazing stuff from Jorge Ben – and the record that pushed him over the top! The album's a masterpiece of funky Brazilian soul – and it includes the huge hit "Taj Mahal", which still sounds great, even after all these years! Other great cuts include "Fio Maravilha", "Paz E Arroz", "Morre O Burro Fico O Homem", and "Que Nega E Essa" – but it all sounds great, and we can't think of a better Ben album from the 70s to recommend!

A sweet 60s session from the team of Shirley Scott and Clark Terry – musicians who never played together regularly, but who really work wonders on this unique record! Shirley's got that perfect tone on Hammond she hit during her Impulse Records years – a groove that's leaner and cleaner than Prestige sessions of a few years before – and Terry's got that cool mix of muted sounds and soulful undercurrents that really shown during his work with Bob Brookmeyer – a surprisingly great mix here for Scott's organ lines, especially when mixed with the great grooves of the rhythm section! The set features Mickey Roker on drums, and either Bob Cranshaw or George Duvivier on bass – and titles include "Heat Wave", "Taj Mahal", "Clark Bars", "Up A Hair", "Soul Duo", and "Joonji".