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With Niels Henning Orsted Pedersen on bass and Albert Tootie Heath on drums – on titles that include "Invitation", "Love Man", "Some Other Blues", and "Lament".

An archetypal album by Roy – and one that really shows him at the turning point of his sound! Gone are the trippier jazz funk moments of earlier albums – and in their place are some tight grooves and wonderfully spacey soul. Roy hits the dancefloor with one of his first up-tempo funk numbers "Brother Green", a catchy groover with lots of clavinet, and the massive "Life Is Just A Moment", a storming 2-part number that rolls along with a pounding almost house-like groove. "Mystic Voyage" shows the sweet jazzy side of Roy – as it's a vibes-heavy instrumental with a light stepping groove, perfect for the mellow direction he'd take on other records. The album also features some great off-beat funk numbers that recall earlier albums – including the break-heavy "Spirit Of Doo Doo", plus "Funky Motion" and "The Black Five".

The second album by this lost East Coast funk act – and although not as totally excellent as their first, still a very nice record that's filled with choppy up-tempo grooves, and some nice dancefloor soul. There's plenty of funky keyboards in the mix – moog, clavinet, and Arp – and the ablum's got a few nice funky moments – like the cuts "Phattenin'" and the classic groover "Chance with You". Also includes the cuts "Joni", "Groovy Day", and "Visions".

At the end of the 70s, James was combatting the disco movement by forging his own brand of dancefloor music – a super-heavy fusion of straight-on funk, but with a more up-tempo twist and extended in a style to compete with some of the hit 12" singles being issued at the time. This album, although not classic material, is still a great example of James' talent for adaptation, and it features some nice long tracks – like "The Spank", "Nature", "Eyesight", and "Jam" – that still sound pretty good to us today.

Wonderful work from the team of Donald Byrd and Gigi Gryce! Byrd is at his youthful best here – blowing with a soulful imagination that's surprising, given his young age, and honed to a modern edge by the arrangements of Gryce. Conversely, Gryce's tone on the alto is fantastic – less measured than on other albums, and perhaps given a bit more of a gutsy push by his work here with Byrd. Of course, the rest of the group helps, too – and with Art Taylor on drums, Tommy Flanagan on piano, and Wendell Marshall on bass, the whole set grooves nicely! Titles include "Little Niles", "Sans Souci", "Nica's Tempo", and "Speculation".

Hard to find vinyl pressing of their second LP, from 1993. Das Efx drop the bliggety-liggety rhyme style here, but keep up the syllabic tempo with tongue tripping rhymes over the head nodding Solid Scheme beats. You've heard us an just about anyone else with an opinion about hip hop history go on and on about the golden years of the early 90s, and this great album stands as further proof that the period will hold it's own in the pages of history. With the tracks "Baknaffek", "Wontu", "Check It Out", "Undaground Rappa", "Gimme Dat Micraphone", "It'z Lik Dat", "Host Wit Da Most", "Rappaz", and "Freakit".

Like many of their Detroit contemporaries, the Detroit Emeralds made a move to up-tempo club sounds towards the end of the 70s – but also like some of the better groups in the city (like the Fantastic Four), the Emeralds had the vocal strength to make the move and still keep a bit of soul in their bag. Not that the record's one of their best, mind you, but it does have some merits, and the group's harmonies still hold out on the better cuts. Titles include "Let's Get Together", "Turn On Lady", "I Can't Seem To Forget", and "Treat Her Like A Lady".

While we have more or less dismissed a lot of the Celluloid world music productions from the 80s in the past, we look back now and realize that was pretty much just purist snobbery. This Laswell produced album of funky afro grooves doesn't have the same hard African funk that we dig so much about Dibango's early work, but it's more than just a respectable outing, and the 80s electro feel that's creeping in on a number of tracks sounds even better today. Most of the cuts are mid to down tempo, with playing that's a bit more smooth from Dibango's sax, and when you look at the crew Laswell assembled, it's quite the all star cast: Herbie Hancock, Bernie Worrell, Wally Badaru and Aiyb Deng alongside Dibango's Soul Makossa Gang. Four lengthy tracks: "Pata Piya", "Electric Africa", "Echoes Beti" and "L'Arbre A Palabres".

A classic doo wop side, but perhaps more famous for the hard to get cover of the first edition, than the music, even though the grooves are about as great as you can get, whether it's smooth ballads or more up tempo rocking numbers! A dozen numbers in all, including "Just For A Thrill","Who Do You Know In Heaven", "Maybe You'll Be There","Tiger Lily", "C'Est La Vie", "Dream", "Let There Be You", "All I Need IS You", "The Gypsy", "From The Bottom Of My Heart", "To Each His Own" and "Boom-Boom".

Grant's First Stand – and a mighty one at that! The set was recorded when Green was a guitarist fresh on the scene – showing up in New York from St Louis, where he'd been discovered by Lou Donaldson and brought to Blue Note with great acclaim! For this first date, Green's heard in really stripped-down company – just Hammond from Baby Face Willette and drums from Ben Dixon – a spare trio setting that makes for a madly cooking little record, and one without some of the smoother edges of Greens' later years! The set's as raw and soulful as Willette's own Blue Note classics – and is very much in the side of the spectrum that Donaldson was bringing to the label at a time – a much-needed dose of new energy from the Prestige Records side of the tracks. Every track's a winner – and titles include "Blues For Willarene", "Baby's Minor Lope", "Miss Ann's Tempo", and "A Wee Bit O Green".

Grant's First Stand – and a mighty one at that! The set was recorded when Green was a guitarist fresh on the scene – showing up in New York from St Louis, where he'd been discovered by Lou Donaldson and brought to Blue Note with great acclaim! For this first date, Green's heard in really stripped-down company – just Hammond from Baby Face Willette and drums from Ben Dixon – a spare trio setting that makes for a madly cooking little record, and one without some of the smoother edges of Greens' later years! The set's as raw and soulful as Willette's own Blue Note classics – and is very much in the side of the spectrum that Donaldson was bringing to the label at a time – a much-needed dose of new energy from the Prestige Records side of the tracks. Every track's a winner – and titles include "Blues For Willarene", "Baby's Minor Lope", "Miss Ann's Tempo", and "A Wee Bit O Green".

The pair of great pianists don't play together – but are featured on a side apiece of the record, pulled from their Savoy recordings of the 50s. The album's most notable for the work of Nichols – some of the few sides he ever cut, and along with his two Blue Note LPs, and one for Bethlehem, a key to understanding his rare and short-lived talent for modern improvisation. The Nichols sides feature Chocolate Williams on bass, plus a bit of vocals, Shadow Wilson on drums, and (possibly) Danny Barker on guitar. Titles by Herbie include "Who's Blues", "Nichols & Dimes", "My Lady Gingersnap", and "Good Story Blues". The Monk sides are cut with the Gigi Gryce Quartet – and include "Shuffle Boil", "Brake's Sake", and "Nica's Tempo".

An excellent selection of Johnny Guitar Watson's wonderful mid 70s numbers, combining a laid back, funky approach with some more sophisticated arrangements and production touches. Most of the tracks have a mellow mid tempo feel, with some a nice spacey vibe and Watson's bluesy phrasing. 10 tracks in all, including "I Don't Want To Be A Lone Ranger", "Tripping", "You're The Sweetest Thing I Ever Had", "It's Way Too Late", "You Stole My Heart" and "You Can Stay But The Noise Must Go".

An incredibly pure moment of genius from Jobim! Features one of the best versions of "Aqua De Marco" ever, done up in these haunting blue chords, backed by great baroque orchestrations, which descend and trail off, then come sweeping back in. The whole album's just as great, with amazing orchestrations and arrangements by Claus Ogerman, and a very deep concept behind Jobim's normally simple compositons. With the tracks "Nuvens Douradas", "Tempo Do Mar", "Ana Luiza", and "Cronica Da Casa Assassinada" – and a haunting English language version of "Aqua De Marco".

While in the post fusion years when lite jazz was beginning to take off a lot of jazz and fusion artists got a bit lost, Azymuth continued to make a number of fine recordings, some of the best of their career. Bertrami and crew continue to groove along in their tight Brazilian fusion mode, with a spacious airiness and a wonderful modern groove. We especially dig the mellow grooves of "Tropical Horizon" and "Diza", while the acoustic and vocal number "Tempo A Bessa" is also quite nice. Also includes "Bossa Nova USA", "O Pescador" and "Hobalala".

An incredible early experimental album from Art Blakey – one of the first to feature him in expanded percussion format! Side one of the album features the extended "Drum Suite" – a set of 3 tracks ("The Sacrifice", "Cubano Chant", and "Oscalypso") that has Blakey and Jo Jones on drums, joined by Sabu Martinez on bongos and Charles Wright on tympani and gong. Ray Bryant snakes some soulful piano through the set and Oscar Pettiford is on bass and cello – and the overall feeling of the side is similar to some of Blakey's work in the format for Blue Note – like the albums Afro-Drum Orgy or Holiday for Percussion. Side two has straight hard bop, played by Blakey's 1957 combo that included Jackie McLean and Bill Hardman – and the group grooves hard on a classic reading of "Nica's Tempo", plus the cuts "D's Dilemma" and "Just For Marty".

Bunny Sigler produced this one by Carl, and it's definitely got a lot of Bunny's Philly disco influences running through it. You won't find any "Bad Mamma Jamma" tracks on here – but you will find a lot of up-tempo cuts with a dancefloor sound. Titles include "Live For Today", "Let's Groove", "Willing & Able", "Spend The Night", and "Universal Girl".

One of the nice Prestige 2-fer's issued in the 70s collecting great hard bop sides by Art Farmer. While we really dig Art's contemplative playing on the Untied Artists and Argo sides, he's displaying a more fire-y approach on these sessions, recording alongside a number of other greats playing at the top of their form, including Hank Mobley, Horace Silver, Gigi Gryce, Kenny Drew, Wynton Kelly, and others. 17 tracks in all, recorded between July 1953 and November 1956: 'Soft Shoe:, "Confab In Tempo", "I'll Take Romance", "Wisteria", "Work Of Art", "Mau Mau", "Wildwood", "Evening In Paris", 'Elephant Walk", "A Night At Tony's", "Blue Concept", "Evening In Casablanca", "Forecast", "I've Never Been In Love Before", "Alone Together", "With Prestige" and "Farmer's Market".

The late 50's work of Max Roach is some of the most crucially overlooked material in the history of modern jazz. His various groups at the time were filled with some of the brightest young players of the time – like George Coleman, Julian Priester, and Booker Little – all of whom were firmly rooted in a bop tradition, yet also committed to pushing the envelope of the music whenever they could. This 1958 United Artists album by Little is virtually a Roach session, and features group members Coleman and Little, plus Art Davis and Tommy Flanagan – all of whom fall perfectly into line behind Roach's masterful drumming on tracks like "Rounder's Mood", "Dungeon Waltz", and "Jewel's Tempo".

One of the last groups to get the Norman Whitfield touch in the studio – and a surprisingly nice one too, even if they didn't reach the heights of The Temptations or Undisputed Truth! Mammatapee have kind of a clunky name – possibly the reason for their lack of success – but the members of the group are all really great singers – one gal and three guys who come together in well-inflected harmonies on the mellow and mid-tempo numbers, but focus on a tighter lead for the funkier numbers. One member of the group here seems to have the range of Luther Vandross – although from the notes, we can't tell who it is – and titles include "Girl I Wanna Get Right Up Next To You", "Rock Across The Nation", "Caught Up In The Race", "Good Lovin", "Long Distance Love", "We'll Be Waiting", and "Something On Your Mind".

We never get enough of Jose Roberto Bertrami's vocoded vocal melodies! Sparkling Brazilian fusion, from the prolific Azymuth, with laid back grooves and light melodies, but not "lite" jazz. One of their more mellow outings, at most these tracks might approach mid-tempo, with a beautiful spaciousness throughout. Eight tracks in all, including "Tu Mi Delirio", "Broken Key", "If You'd Like To Know", Marcos Valle's "Pygmalion", the title track and "Samba Da Barra".

A nicely expanded take on the Ahmad Jamal sound of the early 60s – one that adds in guitar from Ray Crawford and violin from Joe Kennedy to Jamal's usual trio grooving! The main focus here is often still on the core group – which features Israel Crosby on bass and Vernell Fournier on drums – but the added elements are used sparely to bring in new colors to the tunes, with Kennedy bowing violin lines on most of side one, and Crawford hitting some of his great single-note lines on most of side two. Titles include "Ahmad's Waltz", "Valentina", "Tempo For Two", "Yesterdays", and "Baia".

A tremendous step forward for the young Muhal Richard Abrams – a set that still shows his early roots in the AACM, but which also blossoms with some of his more serious compositional efforts to come! There's a sensitivity here that really stands out – even among Abrams' contemporaries – a striving for a wider range of expression – some as bold as before, some much more deeply personal and intimate. The tracks feature a shifting array of players – working alongside Abrams piano, and building up the sound in a number of different ways. Players include Wallace McMillan on flute and sax, Edwin Daugherty on sax, Richard Brown on sax, Emanuel Cranshaw on vibes, Rufus Reid on bass, and Steve McCall and Wilbur Campbell on drums. Ella Jackson provides vocals on "How Are You?" – and other titles include "Ballad For New Souls", "Things To Come From Those Now Gone", "In Retrospect", "Ballad For Old Souls", "1 & 4 Plus 2 & 7", and "March Of The Transients".

First LP from Norman Connors' jazzy soul group Aquarian Dream. Norman produced, and the groove is about what you'd imagine if he got his hands on an east coast soul group, with a lot of mellow vibes, and some more uptempo grooves. Claude Bartee plays tenor and soprano, Gloria Jones sings vocals, and Jacques Burvick plays a whole battery of cool keyboards and moogs. Tracks include the classic Chicago club track "Phoenix" – plus "Look Ahead", "Once Again", and "Treat Me Like The One You Love".

The first album by Atlantic Starr – a tight set of modern soul tunes with a very different feel than their later work! Part of the credit goes to Bobby Eli – who arranged and produced the set, giving it a feel that's almost late Philly – tight, sophisticated, and right on the money at all the best points! There's a number of sweet mellow ballads with lead vocals by Sharon Bryant, and other tracks that groove in an uptempo way that points towards more of the group's 80s work – a great mix of modes that makes for a really well-developed album right out of the gate. Titles include "Gimme Your Lovin", "The Love I Never Had", "Visions", "Keep It Comin", "Stand Up", "Where There's Smoke There's Fire", "We Got It Together", and "Being In Love With You Is So Much Fun".

One of a few records cut by this surprisingly popular Australian group – temporary ex-pats to the US scene, featuring Errol Buddle on tenor and Bryce Rhode on piano, two of the country's greatest jazz players of the 50s and 60s. Given the sympatico between the Aussie and LA mode of the 50s – this Hollywood-recorded session fits right in with other styles of the Bethlehem catalog at the time. Tracks are short and tightly arranged – and tunes include "So Nice", "Few Get It", "That Old Feeling", "Koala", and "Lover Man".

Roy Ayers in a seductive mid 80s mode – his first for Columbia – and a record with some incredibly nice moments that blow away most of his contemporaries! The synth soul and drum machine era might seem like an odd fit for Roy's jazzy vibes, but it actually works really well here! You could argue that few players with a such profound jazz funk pedigree could pull off an 80s modern sound so succussfully – and we'd argue that Roy Ayers is indeed one of the few! If synths and programmed drums aren't your thing, this record is actually more heavily-weighted with laidback jazzy soul, with plenty of vibes and the usual warm sexy vocals from Roy. Includes the funky classic "Poo Poo La La", which has a great little monologue in it – plus "I Can't Help It", "Compadre", "Sexy, Sexy, Sexy", and "Love Is In The Feel".

One of Roy Ayers' greatest albums of the 70s – a set that tightens up the groove from previous Polydor productions, yet still keeps all the soul intact! The record picks up the style begun with the Mystic Voyage album, and pushes it to some slightly tighter territory – a more focused Roy Ayers sound that's totally great, and which makes the album sparkle wonderfully throughout! All aspects of Roy's talents are perfectly balanced here – his warm vocals and jazzy vibes, his uptempo grooves and mellower rhythms – played to perfection by a hip lineup of players that includes Philip Woo on electric piano, Justo Almario on tenor sax, and Steve Cobb on drums. Edwin Birdsong guests a bit on the record – bringing in a nice edge to a few tunes – the album's got a really unique dark undercurrent, even in smoother moments – that subtle Roy Ayers' approach that's always made him one of our all-time favorite artists. Titles include the wonderful jazz-tinged "Searching", a great midtempo stepper that we really love; the funky break track "The Memory", a righteous number that feels like work from earlier records; the clubby classic "One Sweet Love to Remember"; and the sweet instrumental "Vibrations", which has a mellow kickback feel! Other tunes include "Higher", "Domelo (Give It To Me)", "Baby I Need Your Love", and "Better Days".

JR's cut some records that have a rootsier feel – but this one features smooth modern arrangements and production by Phil Medley and Buddy Scott. The set begins with an uptempo clubby remake of "Taste of Honey", and also features a nicely grooving take on "Stella By Starlight". Other tracks include "Million To One", "Live Love & Play", "Love & Conversation", and "The Coming Of Your Love".

A nice disco record from Hamilton Bohannon. The album mainly contains uptempo dance numbers but there are a few slower songs like "Daddy's Little Son" – a dedication to his son whose picture is on the cover of the album. The other tracks are "Andrea", "But What Is A Dream", "Bohannon's Disco Symphony", "Isn't It A Beautiful Morning", "Just Doing My Thang", and "Moving Fast". Some of Bohannon's original band members like Ray Parker, Jr. turn up playing guitar on some of the songs.

A landmark set from a group who only ever gave the world two albums – but who've gone on to have a huge influence over the years! This initial offering from Breakwater is a masterful blend of jazzy fusion and mellower soul – a sound sifted together so perfectly, it really tops the rest of the combo's contemporaries – hitting a careful balance that never gets too cheesy or commercial, and which still manages to glow as strongly into the 21st century as it did when first released back in the day! The sound here is sublime – warm, but never sleepy – jazzy, but never cliched – and mixed in such a way that the vocals and instruments almost get center stage in the spotlight without trying to crowd one another out. Titles include the incredible "Work it Out" – worth the price of the record alone – plus "No Limit", "That's Not What We Came Here For", "Free Yourself", "Do It Till The Fluid Gets Hot", and "Feel Your Way".

That's Brenda & Herb, not Peaches & Herb – Herb Rooney and Brenda Reid of the excellent 60s group The Exciters – grooving together here in a really full-on vocal approach that's clearly inspired by the best aspects of Ashford & Simpson! Tracks have a lush, full feel – arranged by Lou Hemsey in a mode that works equally well on the dancefloor tracks and on the mellower numbers – and there's an ambitious approach that could fall flat on its fact, but hangs together well – thanks to the overall execution of the set! The group may not be one of the best-remembered pair from the disco years – but they do a great job here of matching the best work of their contemporaries. Titles include "I Think I'm Gonna Like This", "Lie Down", "I Wanna Make You My Sweetheart", "Two Of Us", "Look What They've Done To Our City", and "What Goes Around".

James Brown screams at the beginning of the record – "I'm Back! I'm Back!" – which is his proclamation that he was ready to take on a whole new generation of funk music – grooving with a new sound that was guaranteed to hit as big as it did in earlier years! The approach is a bit more uptempo than previous albums, but still never at all in a disco/club mode – and James really does strike a strong new chord with the groove here – stretching things out and cooking things up nicely. Rhythms are still quite sharp, although possibly not as dynamic as before – and titles include the great title medley of "Get Up Offa That Thing/Release The Pressure", plus "This Feeling", "Home Again", "I Refuse To Lose", and "Can't Take It With You".

A bit of a comeback for James Brown – a mid 80s outing recorded with Dan Hartman, who gives the record a "contemporary" sound that's definitely a great way to slide James in with the younger crowd at the time! The style's still funky, but has more street soul elements too – and the record sports guest appearances by Alison Moyet, Steve Winwood, and Stevie Ray Vaughan – and although the production is a bit stiff at points, there's some undeniable quality in James that still makes some nice moments shine through! Titles include "Gravity", "Let's Get Personal", "How Do You Stop", "Living In America", "Goliath", "Repeat The Beat", and "Return To Me".

A definite mother from James Brown – the kind of all-funky album that few of his contemporaries could ever hope to match! If you've ever doubted the sheer raw power of James at the end of the 60s, the first few notes of this one will definitely make you a convert – and the stretched-out grooves as the album rolls on will pull you even further into the fold. Most tracks roll on with that improvised studio jamming style that James was hitting at the time – a pre-JBs mode that's not as long as later years, but which still makes you feel that there probably was plenty more recorded on the dates that didn't make it into the two-part versions of the tracks! And although James is singing on most numbers, the real focus is more on the band – hitting hard, vamping sharp, and grooving massively under shouted calls and directions from Brown. Titles include two great instrumentals – "Popcorn With a Feeling" and "Top of the Stack" – plus "Little Groove Maker Me (parts 1 & 2)", "Mother Popcorn (parts 1 & 2)", "Mashed Potato Popcorn (parts 1 & 2)", "Any Day Now", "You're Still Out Of Sight", and "I'm Shook" – as well as the great mellower number "If I Ruled The World" – redone here as an African-American anthem of pride and power!

A rare TK Records effort from James Brown – very much in the best uptempo funk mode of the later Polydor years! The groove here is quite similar to those better-known efforts – grooves that are a bit quicker than a few years before, but still played in a core JB funky style – live and lively, with plenty of emphasis on the rhythms! Brown often referred to his style here as disco, but it's a lot more like some of the P-Funk progressions of the period – a mode that's more polished than a grittier funky generation, yet far from smooth club or disco overall. There's plenty of choppy little groovers that make the record great – and titles include the long cut "Rapp Payback", plus "Funky Men", "Smokin & Drinkin", "Stay With Me", and "Mashed Potatoes".

One of the greatest albums ever from BT Express – tighter, smoother, and classier than the group's early funky disco sessions – and with a cosmic sound that shows them really growing at the time! The sound here steps off from both the group's own horn-heavy disco sides of the 70s, and from the more righteous ensemble funk work of the Earth Wind & Fire generation – and there's also a nice undercurrent of the snapping midtempo rhythms that would show up even later in the early 80s indie club scene. Funk is still very much a part of the BT Express sound – and even when coming together like an all-pro outfit, the group are still hitting hard on the rhythms and well-crafted guitar parts. A wonderful record throughout – the kind of late session that could easily be overlooked, but which represents some of the group's best work! Titles include "Takin' Off", "Does It Feel Good", "Closer", "Better Late Than Never", and "Have Some Fun".

These guys are still pretty darn great at this point – and the album's an updating of their uptempo funky club sound, one that still retains a lot of the best elements of earlier efforts. Horn arrangements are very strong, handled by Carlos Ward with a nice touch of jazz – and the added strings only broaden the sound, never overwhelm it, making for a well-composed batch of tracks that ranks with the best Philly dancefloor. Titles include "Funky Music", "Sunshine", "Star Gazer", "How Big Can You Dream", "Eyes", and "Scratch My Itch".

This was one of the biggest-selling jazz albums of all-time in Australia – so it's no surprise that it was issued in the US, although in a slightly shorter form than the original double LP. The session features Australia's biggest (and best) reed player, Don Burrows, and his classic 70's quartet that featured the great guitarist George Golla. The music here is very nice, and the set includes a few groovy and funky tracks that perfectly sum up the Aussie 70's jazz sound. Titles include "Sweet Emma", "The Gentle Rain", "Velhos Tempos", and "Maybe Today".

A weird batch of groovy instrumental tracks and schmaltzy vocal ones, all composed as part of the score of this creepy 70's film about college that conducts experiments in contemporary sexual values. A very young Don Johnson sings lead vocals on the throwaway tracks "It's Not Over" and "Wait For Me" – but the better stuff is the material by Artie Butler, like "Stanley's Thing", "First Love", and "Low Fat Yoga".

The debut from Rafael Cameron – a pretty soulful set for Salsoul produced by Brass Connection's Randy Muller! Cameron's got a nice deep soul sound to his vocals, and although the arrangements are uptempo and clubby on some tracks, they're not there to cover up the singing, and have a nice soulful groove! Muller plays piano, flute and some of the percussion, with some sweet guitar in the mix, and some congas – with nice female backing vocals, too! Cuts are on the longer side, and include the dancefloor groover "Let's Get It Off", plus "Funkdown", "Magic Of You", and "Together" and "Feelin's".

Light mellow Verve-y instrumental orchestral stuff, featuring Don Costa's versions of contemporary pop stuff, like "Heroes & Villains", "All You Need Is Love", "Ode To Billie Jo". and "Valley of the Dolls". Not totally jazzy, but a nice package of soft groovy grooves, in a cool gatefold cover (with notes), and a great subdued easy feel throughout.

A seminal session of LA hardbop – featuring a great group that includes Gerald Wilson, Jack Sheldon, Harold Land, Frank Butler, and pianist Carl Perkins, the unique talent who had a strange way of playing the keys (sideways!), and who died shortly after the recording of this set. As the title might imply, the album's dedicated to Perkins – and titles include "Nica's Dream", "Pink Lady","Carl's Blues", and "Larue".

An overlooked late 60s treasure on Blue Note – one of the few new groups to work on the label at the time, and an up-and-coming modern combo from Detroit! The album's quite unique for a number of reasons – not just because the group was a little-known new signing to the label, but also because the work is quite far-reaching at times – some of the most free-thinking jazz recorded for Blue Note during the time, with a sense of boldness that almost stretches back to Jackie McLean's first few records of the new thing years, or a sense of lyrical invention that's a bit like Wayne Shorter when he made a shift towards the outside. Some numbers are awash in fast colors and changes, while others are a bit more in the pocket, with echoes of soul jazz – but the whole thing's incredibly fresh and free, a wonderful little record that only gets better and better over the years! The group features pianist Kenny Cox as the leader, plus Charles Moore on trumpet, Leon Henderson on tenor, Ron Brooks on bass, and Danny Spencer on drums. Titles include "Mystique", "You", "Trance Dance", "Eclipse", and "Number Four".

Forget the "funk" in this album – because the best bits are the mellow ones! Crème D'Cocoa are one of those groups pushing slick bass-heavy funk when they should stick to the mellower cuts – which they do nicely on this album, in a smooth male/female harmony style that has a bit of a quiet storm feel to it. The funkier cuts are really just uptempo club numbers, not really that strong, but pleasant enough in kind of a shouting catchy chorus sort of way. Titles include "Baby, Don't You Know", "Leading Lady", "Mr Me, Mrs You", "Sweet Dream Lady", "I Don't Wanna Be Lonely", and "Do What You Feel".

A sweet and smooth batch of modern soul tracks – arranged and produced by Tony Camillo, and the only album we've ever seen by this obscure east coast group! The set's got a really nice jazzy flourish – part New York club, part mellow studio soul – and the overall presentation of the set is wonderful, with a solid sound that's right up there with the big name groups of the time. Plenty of great instrumental touches in the mix – popping along on an uptempo groove on cuts like "Doin' The Dog", "Nasty Street", and "Gimme Your Love" – and bubbling in a sweet mellow vibe on tracks that include "Mr. Me, Mrs. You", "I Don't Ever Wanna Love Nobody But You", and "I Will Never Stop Lovin' You". Very nice!

Uptempo soul from Europe, of the sort that would soon turn into Euro-disco, but which at this point was still a melding of different musical influences showing up in the Euro clubs, a fair number of them percussive funky ones. Tracks are short, and titles include "Love To Dance This One With You", "She's Got The Style To Love Me", "Pain Sweet Pain", "Heavy Eyes", and "Funny How Love Dies".

Wonderful Sammy from his years at Reprise – and a beautiful album cut in collaboration with arranger Marty Paich! Marty had a swinging, jazzy style that always brought out the best in Sam – even on an album of fuller, mellower tracks such as these. The title hit is done by Sammy in a heartfelt style that showed that he could be every bit the pop crooner as some of his contemporaries, and the album follows in a similar mode – but also throws in some more upbeat numbers that keep things fresh and grooving. Titles include "Song From Two For The Seesaw", "We Kiss In A Shadow", "Love Is The Tender Trap", "Back In Your Own Back Yard", "There Was A Tavern In The Town", and "Falling In Love With Love".

A late 70s gem from Tyrone's years on Columbia Records – one that shows both sides of his talents for the label! The set starts out with an extended clubby groover called "Get On Up (Disco)" – a bumping sort of number that's clearly trying to push him into Johnnie Taylor territory, and which comes off surprisingly well. But even better are the rest of the tracks on the set – which update Tyrone's older Brunswick sound with a smoother, more sophisticated sort of style – still recorded in Chicago, and with some southern soul traces – but usually done in a warmer midtempo groove, with excellent lead vocals and great backing from The Haywood Sisters. Titles include "It's You It's You", "Bunky", "All I Ever Need", "I Can't Go On This Way", and "Can't Help But Say".

Great keyboard funk from Deodato – one of his excellent mid 70s sessions for MCA, all of which are sometimes eclipsed by his CTI work, but still equally groovy! As with most of the other MCA records, the songs here are shorter than before – but in a way that allows for even more punch in the groove – especially on the bottom end of the tracks, which hit hard in a space that's somewhere between 70s soundtrack funk and more conventional fusion. The style's not nearly as slick as some of D's contemporaries were going at the time – and there's a nice range of material here that really makes for a complex vibe! Titles include "Theme From Star Trek", "Peter Gunn", "I Shot The Sherriff", "Black Widow", "Amani", "Juanita", and "Univac Loves You".

Another great achievement from this groovy Italian group – an album that's head and shoulders above anything they were doing just a few short years ago! The Dining Rooms deep to deepen their sound more and more with each new record – hitting a range of tones and colors that take them far beyond their initially simple rhythms, and into a space that's filled with thoughtful lyrics and sensitively-penned tunes! Most of the tracks here hit a groove that's somewhere between mid and downtempo – about half of which feature vocals by guests who include Toco, Dodo Nkishi, Sean Martin, Renaud Chaure, and George Anne Kalweit. There's a fair bit of Fender Rhodes sliding through the tunes, and some warm acoustic basslines as well – really grounding the music in a classic sort of style, even though the overall execution is fairly contemporary. Titles include "Ceremony", "Free To Grow", "Thank You", "Fatale", "Ink", "Cobra Coral", "On The Beach", "Hear Us Now", "Etage Noir (parts 1 & 2)", and "Appuntamento A Trieste".

The Powerlight is burning bright – Maurice White, Philip Bailey, and the rest of the group still very much in classic formation! Even on a post-70s set like this, Earth Wind & Fire still manage to come up with tracks that beat the rest of the ensemble funk groups that grew up in their wake – groovers that still set a new level for the boogie generation, and mellow tracks that cross over beautifully without ever getting to soppy or adult contemporary. The balance is a tricky one, but the group always manage to pull it off – and guide the whole presentation of work here with enough class and care to show that the whole thing's the result of genius planning, and not just some happy accident! Titles include "Something Special", "Miracles", "Fall In Love With Me", "Straight From The Heart", and "Spread Your Love".

Fatback flying like the Phoenix – but hardly rising from the ashes, given that the group's always on top! The sound here is a bit different – slightly leaner than before, but in a good way – with lots of core keyboards from Bill Curtis, who also handles most of the lead vocals – although as with most Fatback sets, there's plenty of sharing on that front with the rest of the group members – a bit of harmony here, a switched lead there – all keeping things nice and fresh! And this time around, there almost seems to be more of a focus on the mellower cuts, which we like a lot – because we've always enjoyed the more laidback numbers tucked in amidst the group's funkier sets – so this album's a real treat, with plenty of mellow and midtempo groovers. Titles include "The Drum Song", "Lover Man", "Call Out My Name", "You've Got That Magic", "Big Brother", "Jump Up Baby Jump Up", and "I Love You So".

Percolated soul from Pennye Ford – a sweet set of mid 80s grooves that's easily one of the singer's greatest moments ever! The record's got a great balance between catchy cuts and deeper soul – the latter of which really comes to the fore on some of the mellower and midtempo numbers, which help to showcase the fuller range of Pennye's talents! Production is in that great lean mode of the Total Experience label at the time – not nearly as heavy as crossover funk, nor as clunky as commercial chart soul – and Ford sparkles strongly on cuts that include "I Feel The Music", "Serious Love", "Uh Oh I Made A Mistake", "Spend My Time With You", "Dangerous", "Change Your Wicked Ways", and "Ready For Love".

One of a handful of crucial early Aretha Franklin albums for Atlantic – and a key example of her genius pairing with arranger Arif Mardin! Instrumental backing is by a hard burning Memphis/Muscle Shoals lineup that includes Spooner Oldham on electric piano and organ, Tommy Cogbill on guitar, Andrew Love and Charles Chalmers on tenor, Wayne Jackson on trumpet, and Roger Hawkins on drums – and even Aretha herself gets to play a bit of piano on the set. But the really amazing thing here is the way that this core live mode of backing is also given some airier, loftier overtones by Mardin and co-arranger Tom Dowd – in a way that lifts up the tunes a bit more, and pushes them away from straight indie southern soul – into the range of greatness that made Franklin stand apart from most of her contemporaries. A key example of this is the album's seminal reading of "I Say A Little Prayer" – but all cuts are great, and other tunes include "Think", "A Change", "You're A Sweet Sweet Man", "I Take What I Want", "See Saw", "Hello Sunshine", and "You Send Me".

Uptempo soul album with kind of a disco feel. Produced by Don Ray, who also played synthesizers on the album, and with the single "Tumble Heat". Other cuts have a similar feel, and include "Find the Fire", "Nice and Slow", and "Where'd You Get What You Got". Great cover with Michele being embraced by a Battlestar Galactica-ish space being.

Marvin Gaye's last album for Motown – and a wonderful cap to a great run of sexy soul for the 70s – filled with great mellow grooves that rival the genius of his earlier work in the decade! There's a glowing, slow-burning feel to some of the best numbers here – a vibe that's right out of the I Want You era, with touches of Let's Get It On too. But there's also a slightly more mature approach too – a bit more cautious, even when confident – no doubt informed by the struggles of his Here My Dear album, which also echoes somewhat in this set. The record's more proof that even when not coming across with a classic hit, Marvin's still very much at the top of his game – an artist that stands head and shoulders above his contemporaries – with none of the too-commercial or too-dated modes that held other folks back! Titles include "Life Is For Learning", "Praise", "Funk Me", "Far Cry", "Love Party", and "Love Me Now Or Love Me Later".

Although she's best remembered for the title track to this one – a solid hit if there ever was one – Barbara's also a pretty darn good interpreter of original and standard material, with a style that shows roots that stretch back deeper than some of her other 60s soul contemporaries. This hard to find record features some great backing, and production by Juggy Murray – and it includes the title hit, plus "Whip O Will", "Without Love", "Love", "Hurted", and "Honest I Do".

Mainstream disco more along the Peter Brown axis than the Patrick Adams side of the New York/New Jersey sound, which is more than okay by us! This is an early outing from Gino Soccio, working here alongside Peter Alves and recruiting the Muscle Shoals Horns, with a sound that is a bit more uptempo and more direct club mode than some of Soccio's more 80s groove work. And though the record was produced in Muscle Shoals and Soccio's Montreal home, the vibe is up to the Gotham location in the group's moniker, pure downtown disco all the way! 4 numbers spread out over a 2 12" singles: "I'm Never Gonna :eave You (New York)", "Can't Turn You Loose", "Love The Love", and "Try A Little Tenderness".

Chicago alto player Bunky Green gets "Latinized" – in a very groovy set of soul jazz tunes from the 60s Cadet Records scene! The style isn't entirely straight Latin – more just a soul jazz approach to small combo jazz, supported with great percussion from a trio of added players – but Bunky's alto sax is right out front in the mix, bounding warmly over the top of the grooves with a sound that's a bit like Lou Donaldson or Chicago contemporary Sonny Cox! The Dells bring in a bit of vocals to the record – not much, but just enough to create a nice sense of surprise – and tracks include "Feeling Good", "Do It Like You Feel It", "Fast n Foxy", "A Ting A Ling", and "How's Your Mambo?".

A charming batch of mid 60s popular tunes done in loungey, sort of boozy arrangements in some places and uptempo mod in others from Noel Harrison – who went on to have a few hits as well as a successful acting career – tackling Dylan, Lennon/McCartney, and more with a really swinging aplomb! Moddish touches abound, with some rocking soul & pop backing in the rolling drums, trippy organ washes, horn punctuation and girl backing vocals! Really cheeky stuff and good fun! "It's All Over Now Baby Blue", "God Bless The Child", "She's A Woman", "Mr Tamborine Man", "A Young Girl (Of Sixteen)", "All Blues", "Like Stranger", "Tomorrow Is My Turn" and more.

An excellent batch of rare material by vocalist Johnny Hartman, and a very strong set of tracks that shows a side of his work that's often ignored! Usually, Hartman gets cited for his slow, moody, syrupy sound – such as that which he used in his classic recordings with Coltrane. However, we really dig the side that's exposed on this album – the shorter, livelier, more uptempo jazz numbers, done with a swing that you don't normally get with Johnny, and proof that he really was a tremendously versatile singer! Arrangements are by Gerald Wilson, and titles include "Fools Rush In", "Down In The Depths", "Bidin' My Time", "The More I See You", "Once In A While", and "Almost Like Being In Love".

What a movie! Bob Hope, Frankie Avalon, and Tuesday Weld on the same screen! But even better, the great Jimmie Haskell handled the music – and he comes up with some excellent touches that make the record groove a bit more than many of its contemporaries. Jimmy contributes some cool instrumental tunes that pop organ, guitars, and drums around other instrumentation – and also brings a nicely syncopated approach to vocal numbers by members of the cast, giving them the punch of some of his work for Reprise at the time. Frankie sings "I'll Take Sweden", "Would Ya Like My Last Name", and "The Bells Keep Ringin"; Tuesday sings "Give It To Me"; and Bob does "Nothing Can Compare With You" over instrumentations that sound a lot like Dean Martin's at the time. Instrumental titles include "Watusi Jo", "Kissin Polka", "I'll Take Sweden", and "The Bells Keep Ringin".

One of those classic Contemporary albums of LA jazz – where all the players are big names, and where the gang of them is goofing around on the front, looking happier than any New York jazzmen could ever be! Hamp's, joined by Barney Kessel, Red Mitchell, and Shelly Manne – all of whom are playing golf on the cover, hence the punned title. Tracks are pretty nice LA bop material, and include "Yardbird Suite", "Up Blues", "Bow Jest", and "Like Someone In Love".

Obscure mellow midtempo soul LP on Buddah from 1973. The record's got an easy mellow feel that's quite nice and a bit folksy – and Heath has a progressive righteous approach that reminds us a bit of Terry Callier. The songwriting's a bit varied, but the nicest moments have that kind of hip underground sound that makes you happy you still dig through old LPs. The album includes some nice lost cuts – like "Put Your Love in My Hands" and "You Know You're Wrong", both of which have a nice late night feel – plus the tracks "Every Fool On Earth", "Jamey", "Brother", "Made To Love", and "I Thought You Might Like To Know".

Excellent work from this smooth Chicago vocal group! The album may well be the best the group ever recorded – and it features some stellar ballad work produced with a nice spacey tone, almost in a Rose Royce mellow mode – by Jerry Butler's Fountain Productions team and by Clarence Johnson, who brought the group up from the beginning! The real strength of the album, though, is the group's vocals – wonderfully harmonious, but with a rougher edge and a deeper soul than many other 70s groups of the same type. The album includes the massive semi-hit "Guess Who's Back In Town" – plus other good ballads like "How Do You Think You're Gonna Find Love", "Let's Work It Out", and "Distant Melody". The album also features some uptempo numbers – and other tracks include "Run & Tell That", "Dance A Thon", and "No Limit".

One of the lasting classics on the Malaco label – and a key album in helping the company take control of the southern soul market in the 80s! ZZ Hill sounds just as great here as he did on earlier records – amazing vocally, with that trademark rasp that comes in at just the best moments – and working with some relatively traditional instrumentation overall. There's few of the contemporary touches that Malaco would later bring to their music – and most of the backings feature just organ burning along nicely in the background with a quality inherited from Memphis and Muscle Shoals. Titles include "Bring It On Home To Me", "Separate Way", "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry", "Rolling Stone", "Bump & Grind", and "Please Don't Make Me".

An overlooked gem from 70s soul singer Eddie Horan – an artist we only know from this great little record – which is a sweet mellow soul classic! There's a mix of tightness and easygoing soul here that's mighty nice – as Eddie sings in this confident, yet laidback style that's right up there with the best male soul modes of the east coast scene – set here to these great arrangements that are full, but never overwhelming – just moving at this sweet pace that's perfect for the vocals! The set's got loads of midtempo gems that are mighty nice – some smooth steppers that have made the album a treasure for years – despite Eddie's lack fo great fame. Titles include "Love The Way You Love Me", "The Dancer", "Can't Do Without You", "Love So Easy", and "Man Without His Woman".

Classic work from Al Hudson – pre One Way, but in the same uptempo soul vein. Al's working here with arrangements by Kevin McCord, Rudy Robinson, and Dave Roberson – in a mix of club-heavy tunes that are augmented by a few welcome mellower numbers. Titles include "I Don't Want You To Leave Me", "Another Love Song", "You Can Do It", "In The Basement", "Call me", and "Rock".

An obscure little funky group from Detroit, one with a tight ensemble sound that's very much in the Earth Wind & Fire mode – complete with a really great horn section, plenty of bass-heavy grooves a the bottom, and a relatively spiritual feel that comes through strongly on the best tracks! There's a slight jazzy finish to some of the cuts too, a deeper sound that makes Hunt's Determination stand out strongly from their contemporaries – even some of the better-known groups of the time. And although indie, there's a real polish to the whole record – a well-conceived sound that comes off beautifully from start to finish, and which has always made this one a standout for collectors! Titles include "Loneliness", "Danceland", "Problems", "Number One Lady", "I Got My Nut", and "Where The Funk Comes From".

Bobby Hutcherson breaks it down in two different ways – solo on the first half of the record, and in a quartet on the rest! The set begins in a very spare way – Bobby playing vibes, marimba, xylophone, and bells – often a bit overdubbed, so that although alone, Hutcherson fills the tracks with a rich palette of sound – glowingly rhythmic lines that ring out with plenty of soul, and showcase a really under-tapped side of Bobby's talents! Remaining tracks are equally great, but in a totally different way – played by a righteous lineup that includes McCoy Tyner on piano, Herbie Lewis on bass, and Billy Higgins on drums – really working together beautifully in ways that make the album feel like a lost 70s soul jazz set. Forget Hutcherson's slick look on the cover – because this album's drenched in open, honest, acoustic feeling – a rich tapestry of sound and emotion, on tracks that include "Gotcha", "The Ice Cream Man", "For You Mom & Dad", "Messina", "My Foolish Heart", and "La Alhambra".

A great little set from Leroy Hutson – proof that he was still going strong through all his years at Curtom! For years we passed this one by, wrongly thinking "it's late, it can't be that good" – but the album's a real winner, with a blend of clubby uptempo cuts and some super-great mellow soul material, stuff that has Leroy stepping into a smooth modern soul vein! Seminal tracks include "So Nice" and "Right or Wrong" – both of which are amongst some of his best work ever – and other tracks include "Unforgettable", "Funk In My Life", and "Lonely Without You".

80s harmony soul from Imagination – a group who always managed to sound pretty great, despite the silly costumes they chose for their album covers! The general groove here is mostly in a catchy midtempo mode – with lots of snapping basslines and synth percussion, nicely offset by the trio's harmony vocals and the hook-heavy lyrics of the tunes! There's a number of nice mellow groovers on the set – including "All Night Loving", "Heart N Soul", and "One More Love" – and the album also features a long version of their hit "Just An Illusion".

A wicked 80s groove from the mighty Ingram Family! Ingram were one of those groups that actually got better as they got slicker – and by the time of this 1983 release, Butch, James, and William Ingram had had more than enough experience working together and with other artists to really forge a strong sophisticated soul sound. The record's a lot better than many of its group-soul contemporaries' – and it's more of an extension of a 70s harmony group style than it is a throwaway 80s group funk album. The songwriting's a notch above what you'd expect – and the overall soul component is very high. Titles include "Share A Dream", "No One", "Smoothin Groovin", "Spoken Words", and "Groovin On A Groove".

It's late in the career of Jackie & Roy, but the pair haven't faltered a bit! This set's a tight little straight ahead session with a larger group that includes Conte Candoli, Bill Watrous, Bill Perkins, and Bob Cooper, all of whom give the best tracks a swinging west coast groove. Titles include "Am I Blue", "Bogie", "As Time Goes By", "Sleigh Ride In July", "Never In A Single Year", "Full Circle", and "Line For Lyons".

A goofy title track, and a groovy little album from Jan & Dean – a set that has them settling nicely into their role as one of the most playful pairs in west coast pop – with a heck of a lot more staying power than some of their more surf-washed contemporaries! The album's got a number of tracks that follow in the similar LA-environs mode as the title track – but instead of being gimmicky, they almost come across with this whimsical sort of charm – like they're Jan & Dean's version of British tunes from The Kinks – a wonderfully playful picture postcard version of California, with more wit than you might expect! Titles include "The Little Old Lady From Pasadena", "The Anaheim Azusa & Cuckamonga Sewing Circle", "Summer Means Fun", "Old Ladies Seldom Power Shift", "Sidewalk Surfin", "One Piece Topless Bathing Suit", and "Horace The Swinging School Bus Driver".

A massive set from Al Jarreau – a set that gave the singer one of his smoothest hits of all time, yet still kept him very firmly in the sort of sophisticated territory that set him apart from most of his contemporaries! The sound here is often a lot more understated than you'd expect – mellow jazz, with light instrumentation, and less of the too-commercial modes that other singers were being hung with at the time – an approach that preserves all the wonderful lightness in Al's vocals – that mix of jazzy scatting roots and warmly flowing soul that makes most of the early Jarreau albums well worth tracking down. The set leads off with the classic "Mornin" – and other cuts include "I Will Be Here For You", "Step By Step", "Black & Blues", "Not Like This", "Love Is Waiting", and "Trouble In Paradise".

A crucial album for the jazz guitar in the 80s – the debut effort of Stanley Jordan, and a set that exploded with a very fresh sound! Jordan has a really unique way of handling his instrument – playing up and down the fret board with both hands – in ways that are often so lyrically compelling and musically complicated that Blue Note had to package the album with a "warning" that there were no overdubs or production tricks on the set – as you might find from other contemporary players on labels like ECM! Instead, Stanley's got a sound that's surprisingly warm and personal – and which, in a way, is recorded with a style that echoes the legend of his initial discovery by the label, while playing in the subway. Titles include "A Child Is Born", "Fundance", "Angel", "The Lady In My Life", "Round Midnight", and "Eleanor Rigby".

Rock-solid Buddah work from Gladys Knight & The Pips – still pretty righteous on the vocal tip, but often a bit fuller and more polished than before! Knight shows a great talent for a mature ballad here – no big hits, but that's part of the charm of the set – as there's a personal, intimate quality to the tunes that also comes from the less-familiar nature of the lyrics. A few more tunes get a bit uptempo – to be expected when Tony Camillo's helping with production and arrangements – and the album features the great sample cut "Don't Burn Down The Bridge", plus the tracks "I Feel A Song", "Seconds", "Love Finds Its Own Way", "Better Go Your Way", "The Goings Up & The Comings Down", "Tenderness Is His Way", and "The Need To Be".

A shameless dancefloor cash-in move – but with a few nice touches! You all know the big title cut "Ladies Night", so we won't bother to describe it – but we can say that the group wisely hooked up with Deodato, who produced, mixed, and even played keyboards on the album. Deodato keeps a nice jazzy punch in the tracks, while still moving towards the slickly produced funk sound that was the group's main approach at the time of the record. JT Taylor's on vocals, and the album's even got a few mellow cuts – like the crossover easy number "Too Hot" – amidst the midtempo 80s grooves. Other tracks include "Hangin Out", "Tonight's The Night", and "Got To Get You Into My Life". And honestly, if the album was the first by a new band, we might rate it higher – but since it's one of the last semi-solid efforts from Kool & The Gang, we're not as enthusiastic.

Possibly the only Liberace album you'll ever see at Dusty Groove – mostly because it's plenty darn groovy! As you might guess from the date and the title, the record presents a hipper Liberace than on earlier sets – a late 60s approach to his earlier piano stylings, with tunes that are more contemporary, and backings from arranger Emory Gordy, done in a style that moves towards the cooler side of easy listening at the time. Liberace plays all the acoustic piano lines in the set, but the arrangements are what really make it work – coming off with some cooler sounds that update the more flowery piano stylings nicely. Titles include a great remake of Johnny Harris' "Footprints On The Moon", plus "Traces", "Suite Judy Blue Eyes", "Parks & Recreation", "A Brand New Me", "Mixed Emotions", and "Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye".

A classic bit of Chicago house goes mainstream – and a suprisingly big hit from the late 80s. The main reason most folks bought this album was for Louis' "French Kiss", a sex-sound infused house cut with a "fast-then-slow-then-fast" groove that was endlessly dropped into mixes on radio and in clubs at the time. However, like late 80s house contemporaries Blaze, Louis actually turned out to be a pretty interesting soul talent when given a whole album to work with – and although "French Kiss" is on the beat-heavy "dance" side of the album, there's also a pretty interesting "romance" side that has some nice home-made late 80s soul tunes with great warm keyboard-heavy production. Titles include "Lil Tanya", "The Luv U Wanted", "6 AM", and "Brittany".

An obscure late 60s rock opera – but a pretty great one too, and a set with some rougher, more soulful moments than Hair, Oh Calcutta, or any of its contemporaries! The instrumentation here is really great – almost in a Melvin Van Peebles mode at times, with basslines that step around in odd, almost skittish rhythms – and guitar bits and keyboards that get funky, but often in a way that's kind of quirky. Vocals are by both the authors, as well as actor Joe Morton and Yolande Bavan – the latter of whom makes one of her few rare appearances on record after working with Dave Lambert and Jon Hendricks! Tracks themselves have a definite Hair influence – slightly hippieish, but a bit more soulful – and produced here by Nik Venet with a style that lets in plenty of the "space" that made similar contemporaneous projects at Capitol so great. Titles include "Salvation", "1001", "Honest Confession Is Good For The Soul", "Ballin", "For Ever", "Deadalus", "Let's Get Lost In Now", "Back To Genesis", and the hit "If You Let Me Make Love To You Then Why Can't I Touch You".

Very nice comeback album by Love Unlimited, and one that still features Barry White at the helm. The music's a nice mix of midtempo modern soul groovers, with a lot of tracks that have an excellent steppers groove to them. With the cuts "I'm So Glad That I'm A Woman", "High Steppin, Hip Dressin' Fella", "If You Want Me, Say It", "Gotta Be Where You Are", and "I'm Givin You A Love (Every Man Is Searchin' For)".

Excellent solo work by Lowrell Simon – once a singer with Lost Generation, but opening up a whole new style of Chicago soul here on his own! The album's a tasty batch of smooth soul tracks with a midtempo club groove – not disco, but with the kind of large production and loping groove that you'd find in a good Barry White album – hitting all the right mellow funky moments at once! The prime example of this is the killer "Mellow Mellow Right On" – offered up here in two long parts that take up most of side two of the album. Other nice ones include a version of Lowrell's "Overdose Of Love", plus the tracks "Out Of Breath" and "Smooth & Wild".

Incredibly great work from Machine – an album of disco tunes, but with a hipper, message-oriented feel than most of its contemporaries! The group will forever be known for their classic hit "There But For The Grace Of God Go I" – an infectious groover with a wild lyric about urban flight in the 70s – and they more than match the quality of that one with a host of other great tunes on the set that have a similar feel. Part of the credit should go to August Darnell, working here in a pre-Kid Creole way that throws in lots of jagged touches and some really wicked guitar to most of the tunes! Tracks include "There But For The Grace Of God Go I", plus "Mr. Destiny", "You've Come A Long Way Baby", "It's The Last Time Again", and "Marisa".

Shelly picks up on a very successful format for his trio of the late 50s – begun with the My Fair Lady album, and followed through with this one – a batch of jazz-based readings of tracks from the hit Broadway musical based on the comic strip Lil Abner. Apart from that bit of history, and the goofy cover, which has Manne dressed as Abner, the overall feel is straight trio work in Shelly's most popular mode of the time – with Andre Previn on the ivories and Leroy Vinnegar on bass. Titles include "Matrimonial Stomp", "Jubilation T Cornpone", "Oh Happy Day", "Namely You", "Past My Prime", and "Progress Is The Root Of All Evil".

A 12" LP that brings together 2 different earlier 10" sessions by Manne – groundbreaking work in a freer mode than most of what was going on in LA during the mid 50s! Side one features material from The Three – a 10" session that featured Manne on drums, Shorty Rogers on trumpet, and Jimmy Giuffre on tenor, clarinet, and baritone. The trio work their way – bass and piano-less – through tunes that include "Pas De Trois", "Flip", "Abstract No 1", and "Steeplechase". Side two features material from The Two – an even freer session, with Manne on drums and Russ Freeman on piano – no other accompaniment, and sounding quite revolutionary for the time! Titles include "Billie's Bounce", "The Sound Effects Manne", "Everything Happens To Me", and "Speak Easy".

A pivotal album for Barbara Mason – one in which she takes the little girl soul sound of earlier albums, and turns it into a sophisticated range of emotions that foreshadows later Philly work by singers like Jean Carn and Phyllis Hyman! Despite the Philly arrangements by Ronnie Baker, Norman Harris, and Vince Montana, there's actually a bit of a southern twinge to the record – an aspect that works nicely on the ballad cuts, which have kind of an Ann Sexton or Shirley Brown feel to them – sophisticated female soul at its best, and a real change overall for Barbara. Features the uptempo extended political cut "World War Three", plus "All in Love is Fair", "Bed and Board", "Caught in The Middle", "I Miss You Gordon", and "Me & Mr. Jones", her cover of the Billy Paul hit, and a nice version too!

A real dancefloor set from Curtis – recorded with some sweet Philly production from the likes of Norman Harris and Bunny Sigler – in the sweeping, soaring, strings-heavy mode of the Philly disco records of the time! And yes, this isn't classic Curtis from the righteous years – but the surprising thing is how well his voice really holds up in the tracks – coming through with a strength that's fresh and surprising, given some of his disco contemporaries, and sounding pretty darn nice overall, thanks to some tight arrangements by the likes of Fred Wesley, Norman Harris, and Gil Askey. Linda Clifford does a duet with Curtis on "Between You Baby & Me", and the other cuts include "Victory", "Tell Me Tell Me", "You're So Good To Me", "You Better Stop", and "Over The Hump".

An excellent album of smooth soul tracks, and maybe Van's best record of the 70s! The record shows Van sitting at the piano in an intimate setting – ala Barry White – and it's got a similar Love Unlimited Orchestra approach, with much large backing behind Van's voice, and a very full instrumental sound. Van sings lead vocals, which aren't always that great – but he more than makes up for it with some great piano and keyboard work, and some wonderful soul songwriting and arranging that recall his best uptown moments of the late 60s. The record has a few uptempo hustle-type tracks, but they're all pretty darn great soul songs, and there's loads of great mellow soul moments woven in to make the record a nice album of ballads and groovers. Titles include "Before & After", "Wings Of Love", "My Favorite Fantasy", "That's The Story Of My Life", and "You're So Right For Me".

Great stuff from this famous Philly team – not nearly as well-known as their work on Philly International, but a strong batch of modern soul tunes and 80s groover that stands with the other excellent work coming out on Capitol at the time. McFadden & Whitehead wrote, arranged, and produced the whole album – and even though the instrumentation's smoother than on other albums, their vocals are impeccable, with a deeper soul quality than we ever remember them having! There's some great mellow steppers on the album, as well as a few midtempo groovers – and overall, the record may well be their most coherent album. Titles include "Not With Me", "Are You Lonely", "Without You", "Movin On", "Trying To Get Back (To The Love I Lost)", "The Best Of Me", and "Everything I Do".

A great slice from Jackie McLean's rare unissued 60s sessions for Blue Note – a rollingly soulful session that stands in stark contrast to some of his more modern sides of the time! The set's got Jackie working with a group that includes Lee Morgan on trumpet and Harold Mabern on piano – in a vamping, soaring vibe that's similar to the feel of contemporaneous Morgan sessions like The Gigolo or Tom Cat – but which has a slight bit of McLean's more modernist edge from time to time. Mabern's piano work is tremendous – filled with life and joy that soar the album effortlessly along – and the lyrical drum work of Billy Higgins and basslines from Herbie Lewis are also very much a key part of this groove. The set was originally recorded in 1965, but only made a first appearance on record in 1979 – and even then, only briefly! Titles include "Vernestune", "Slumber", "Bluesanova", "Consequence", and "Tolypso".

A sweet album of modern soul on Fantasy – with a sophsticated style that reminds us a bit of Phyllis Hyman in parts, especially on the album's mellower tracks. A few numbers are done in an uptempo groove – and Paulette's not really that great at these, as her subtle vocals tend to get a bit lost in the mix. But she's great on the midtempo numbers, most of which are done in a nice jazzy groove. Titles include "Give It Time", "Main Squeeze", "Chump Change", "I'll Never Make You Cry", and "Happy Song".

Organ and drums drenched funky soul from Buddy Miles – his Booger Bear set from '73 that's strangely become on his most slept on records of the era – cool stuff well worth digging into! The sound ranges from wild, uptempo funk rock to more measured jams – with Buddy's own heady title track storming out of the gate to start. Electric piano and Arp synthesizer is quite prominent, of course not so much as Buddy's drum work – with some pretty tasty guitars and punchy horns throughout. Titles include "Booger Bear", "Thinking Of You", "Why", a funky soul cover of "You Really Got Me" that almost sounds like what Stevie Wonder might have done with the tune at the time, "Love", "United Nations Stomp", "You Are Everything" and "Louie's Blues".

The first moment of genius from the Steve Miller Band – a killer debut that also features a young Boz Scaggs as a key member of the group! Steve's the core star here, though – setting things up in this amazing blend of psych, blues, and hard rock – one that's easily a lot more ballsy than most of his Bay Area contemporaries at the time – really taking off on some propulsive rhythms, razor-sharp guitar, and cooking keyboards! Scaggs' vocal help is mighty nice – and titles include "You've Got The Power", "Pushed Me To It", "Junior Saw It Happen", "Baby's Callin Me Home", "Roll With It", and "Key To The Highway".

A great set of 70s indie blues – issued at the end of the decade, but with a sound that's much more old school overall! The album was cut at a time when Buster was a key underground figure on the Chicago scene – and it's got a solid, classic approach that's very much in the 60s electrified style used in the Windy City, save for a few numbers that possibly add a bit more of a contemporary touch. Production is nicely rough-edged, and titles include "Lonesome For A Dime", "Spider In My Stew", "Sweet 94", "Love Like I Wanna", "Born With The Blues", "Leave Me Alone", and "Do It In The Rain".

A gem of a session from the European expatriot scene of the postwar years – not really a tribute to Cannonball Adderley, but a rare meeting of Bud Powell and Don Byas in the studio, produced by Cannonball in Paris in 1961! The record has a tremendous amount of fire and focus – especially on the part of Powell, who could sometimes falter in a European setting – and although Byas' horn might seem a contrasting choice for Bud, he really burns with a lot of energy here – arcing, soaring, and turning with lines that show that his talents hadn't dimmed at all out of the American limelight. As always with his few productions from the time, Cannonball shows a great deal of sensitivity and patience with the players – probably a key factor of the success of the set. Also noteworthy is the rest of the group – which includes Idrees Sulieman on trumpet, Pierre Michelot on bass, and Kenny Clarke on drums. Titles include "Jeannine", "Just One Of Those Things", "All The Things You Are", "I Remember Clifford", and "Jackie My Little Cat".

Delegation really hold onto their groove in this rock-solid second set – an album that burns with vibrant energy right from the start – but all in ways that are really a cut above the usual uptempo soul of the time! Rhythms are a key part of the sound, but it's the trio's vocals that really hold us rapt – a warmly glowing approach to the lyrics, and one that still keeps things plenty soulful, even when tunes are upbeat, catchy, and very firmly aimed at the dancefloor! These guys were never huge at the time, but they've got a near-perfect sound throughout – a sense of funk that rivals some of the large-member ensembles, and a warmth with their vocals that matches some of the solo acts of the period. Titles include the sublime "In Love's Time", which has a great Earth, Wind & Fire kind of groove – plus "Singing", "Feels So Good", "In The Night", "Gonna Keep My Eyes On You", "12th House", "Turn On To City Life", and "I Wantcha Back".

Their classic second record, and a pivotal album in defining the east coast uptempo sound of the mid 70's. Rochelle Fleming and the gals sing in soulful harmony style, while Norman Harris and Vince Montana lay down some heavy uptempo grooves. Includes their classic "scolding" songs "The Player", "Hustler Bill", and "Guilty", plus a number of other nice groovers.