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Titles include "Gonna Run", "The Band With No Name", "I'm Coming On", and "Think About The Times". LP, Vinyl record album

Music from Fairmont, Kayot, Jussi-Pekka, Darkmountaingroup, Ben Watt, Budai & Vic, Nino Astronauta, Madoka, Lephtee, Jimpster, and more. CD

Carla Bley on piano, Wolfgang Puschnig on alto saxophone, Andy Sheppard on tenor saxophone, Steve Swallow on bass, Victor Lewis on drums, Larry Goldings on organ, Gary Valente on trombone, and Lew Soloff on trumpet. CD

Other players include Roswell Rudd on trombone, Carlos Ward on alto and tenor, Michael Mantler on trumpet, Eric Gale and Cornell Dupree on guitars, and Richard Tee on piano and electric piano. CD

Carla Bley's got a great lineup here – one that includes Michael Mantler on trumpet, Carlos Ward on alto and soprano sax, and Steve Swallow on bass! CD

Players include Andy Sheppard, Steve Swallow, Lew Soloff, Gary Valente, Victor Lewis, and Wolfgang Puschnig. CD

Beautiful duets – Carla Bley on piano and Steve Swallow on bass! CD

Carla Bley on piano, Steve Swallow on bass, Billy Drummond on drums, Andy Sheppard on soprano and tenor saxophone, and Paolo Fresu on trumpet and flugelhorn. CD

With Terry Adams, Alan Braufman, John Clark, Michael Mantler, Roswell Rudd, D Sharpe, Bob Stewart, Steve Swallow, and Gary Windo. Special guests on this set are Charlie Haden and Eugene Chadbourne. CD

Carla Bley's got a great lineup here – one that includes Michael Mantler on trumpet, Carlos Ward on alto and soprano sax, and Steve Swallow on bass! LP, Vinyl record album

Live recordings from a great trio! Tracks include "Misterioso", "Wrong Key Donkey", "Crazy With You", "Real Life Hits", and "Chicken". CD

Movies feature Larry Coryell on guitar, Carla Bley on piano and synth, Steve Swallow on bass, and Tony Williams on drums. More movies adds Gary Windo on tenor, and replaces Coryell with Philip Catherine and Williams with D Sharpe. CD

Carla Bley on piano, Wolfgang Puschnig on alto saxophone and flute, Roberto Ottini on baritone and soprano saxophone, Christof Lauer on tenor and soprano saxophone, Andy Sheppard on tenor saxophone and clarinet, Daniel Beaussier on oboe and flute, Bob Stewart on tuba, Jens Winther and Lew Soloff on trumpet, Gary Valente on trombone, Frank Lacy on French horn and flugelhorn, Karen Mantler on harmonica, organ, vibes, and chimes, Steve Swallow on bass, Buddy Williams on drums, and Don Alias on percussion. CD

Michael Mantler on trumpet, leading a group that features Rick Penn on guitar, Don Preston on synthesizers, John Greaves on bass and piano, and Nick Mason on drums – with Jack Bruce performing texts by Harold Pinter, Samuel Beckett, and Edward Gorey! CD

Steve Swallow on bass, Carla Bley on organ, Hiram Bullock on guitar, Larry Willis on piano, Victor Lewis on drums, and Don Alias on percussion – plus Ida Kavafian on violin, Ikwhan Bae on viola, and Fred Sherry on cello. CD

Steve Swallow on bass, Chris Potter on tenor saxophone, Ryan Kisor on trumpet, Mick Goodrick on guitar, and Adam Nussbaum on drums. CD

Steve Swallow on bass – with Tom Harrell on trumpet and flugelhorn, Joe Lovano on tenor saxophone, Mulgrew Miller on piano, and Jack DeJohnette on drums. CD

One of those records from a time when Carla Bley was really finding her voice as a leader – working here on organ and keyboards with Steve Slagle on flute and alto, Hiram Bullock on guitar, Kenny Kirkland on piano, and Steve Swallow on bass – plus some guest work from Michael Mantler on trumpet! LP, Vinyl record album

Features Gary Valente, Lew Soloff, Andy Sheppard, and Wolfgang Puschnig. Tracks include "Beads", "Permanent Wave", "Setting Calvin's Waltz" and "Who Will Rescue You?". CD

Michael Mantler on trumpet, leading a group that features Rick Penn on guitar, Don Preston on synthesizers, John Greaves on bass and piano, and Nick Mason on drums – with Jack Bruce performing texts by Harold Pinter, Samuel Beckett, and Edward Gorey! CD

Steve Swallow on bass, Adam Nussbaum on drums, Mick Goodrick on guitar, Chris Potter on tenor saxophone, and Barry Ries on trumpet. CD

With Michael Mantler on trumpet, Carla Bley on piano, Mike Stern on guitar, Steve Swallow on bass, and Nick Mason on drums – plus some added strings conducted by Michael Gibbs! LP, Vinyl record album

A landmark set from the freer side of the British jazz scene at the end of the 60s – a relatively open-ended session cut by alto saxophonist Trevor Watts with his Amalgam trio – a great group that features John Stevens on drums and Jeff Clyne on bass (although Barry Guy also sits in on bass for one of the tunes!) The sound here is somewhere between the original trio formation of the ESP groups of the mid 60s and the more freely expressive groups of the FMP years – but is also touched with a good deal of that sense of sadness and depth of emotion that colored some of the best modern British jazz sessions of the period. Watt's work on alto is incredible throughout – dominating the record more than most players we could imagine on the instrument in such a setting – and titles include "Tales Of Sadness", "Judy's Smile I", "Judy's Smile II", and "Prayer For Peace". LP, Vinyl record album

A later masterpiece from the duo of Tracey Thorn and Ben Watt – maybe their strongest record since their early years – and a great way of allowing their always-strong songwriting a chance to find a new sort of groove! In this case, the music is both a step back to the more acoustic colors of their first record or two – and a nod to some of the new rhythms that were coming from the London scene – used here in very subtle but brilliant ways by Watt, who'd soon go on to make some of his own creative sounds in new formats. As always, the vocals of Thorn are breathtaking and heartbreaking in ways we can hardly begin to describe – on titles that include "We Walk The Same Line", "I Don't Understand Anything", "Troubled Mind", "Rollercoaster", "Get Me", "25th December", and "Missing". CD

A legendary project from Tortoise – kind of the "part 1.5" to their tremendous debut – as it features material from that record, remixed by members of the group and other key figures on the Chicago scene – all as a real testament to the many criss-crossing styles and modes that were taking place during these key post-rock years! The original material was performed by the version of the group that featured Bundy K Brown, John Herndon, John McIntire, Doug McCombs, and Dan Bitney – and remixes are by McEntire and Brown from the group – plus Steve Albini, Brad Wood, Casey Rice, Jim O'Rourke, Rick Brown, and even Mike Watt! Titles include "Alcohall", "Your New Rod", "Cobwebbed", "Tin Cans (Puerto Rican mix)", "Initial Gesture Protraction", "The Match Incident", and "Not Quite East Of The Ryan". LP, Vinyl record album

An early 80s set from Cherry Red Records, and one that shows just how important the British label was to the world of post-punk music at the time – as you'll hear from an assortment of tracks that's more than enough to give labels like Factory or Rough Trade a run for their money! Cherry Red always had a way of thinking outside of the norm – mixing experimental sounds with more tuneful moments, and sometimes showcasing artists who weren't afraid to put their feelings on the line – at a level that other British indies would pick up more strongly a few years later. There's plenty of formative sounds here – and titles include "Plain Sailing" by Tracy Thorn, "My Face Is On Fire" by Felt, "No Noise" by Eyeless In Gaza, "Don't Blink" by The Nightingales, "Some Things Don't Matter" by Ben Watt, "Modi 2 (extract)" by Piero Milesi, "All About You" by Thomas Leer, "Portrait" by Five Or Six, "Eine Symphonie Des Grauens" by The Monochrome Set, "Lazy Ways" by The Marine Girls, "I Unseen" by The Misunderstood, and "On My Mind" by Everything But The Girl. This massive 3CD version of the collection is overflowing with great material – a whopping 72 tracks in all, 17 of which are unreleased, presented in a book-style package with plenty of notes! Added material includes work from The Nightingales, Kevin Coyne, The Passage, Monochrome Set, Jane, Five Or Six, Thomas Leer, Martyn Bates, Creation Rebel, The Reflections, Swallow Tongue, Bodhi Beat Poets, and even Patrick MacNee & Honor Blackman of The Avengers! CD

A seminal set from Everything But The Girl – even if the record has them leaving behind everything that made them so unique back in the 80s! Gone are the jazzy riffs and retro elements – and instead, the lovely vocals and impeccable songwriting of Tracey Thorn are tied to more contemporary beats and rhythms – the real flowering of Ben Watt as a producer, as he mixes together spare, subtle elements into grooves that turn out to fit the EBTG aesthetic every bit as well as before! Titles include "The Heart Remains A Child", "Single", "Wrong", "Before Today", "Good Cop Bad Cop", "Mirrorball", and "Big Deal". CD

A massive collection of Tortoise rarities – including work from non-US releases, tour-only EP material, compilation tracks and more – plus the long out-of-print, heavily sought after Rhythms, Resolutions And Clusters remix album – all at a great price! You really couldn't ask for a better collection of errata from the celebrated group. It features some of the best work the collective and individual members (Jeff Parker ('97-present), John Herndon, John McEntire, Doug McCombs, Dan Bitney, David Pajo ('95-'97) and Bundy Brown ('91-'94)) have ever done! Rhythms, Resolutions And Clusters – featuring adventurous re-imaginings by such a diverse roster as Casey Rice, Steve Albini, Brad Wood, Jim O'Rourke and Mike Watt – is possibly the face value boon of the collection given it's known "legendary lost" status, but pretty much everything here is just as tough to find, if not literally impossible! The set contains 3CDs and a DVD, which features most of Tortoise's music videos and extensive rare live performance footage. Frankly, we'd have paid $20 just for a CD single with "Gamera", and that's just the kick off track on disc 1! Other tracks on disc 1 include "Blackbyrd", "Sex For Elizabeth", "To Day Retrieval", "Whitewater", "Autumn Sweater", "A Grape Dope", "Blue Station" and more. Disc 2 includes "Madison Area", "TNT (Nobukazu Takemura remix)", "Why We Fight", "CTA", "Adverse", Cliff Dweller Society" and more. Disc 3 (Rhythms, Resolutions And Clusters) includes the tracks "Alcohall", "Your New Rod", "Cobwebbed", "The Match Incident", "Tin Cans", "Not Quite East Of The Ryan", "Cornpone Brunch" and more. DVD includes the videos for "Salt The Skies", "Dear Grandma And Grandpa", "Seneca", and more, plus live footage from Toronto in '96, the Deutches Jazz Festival in '99, Chic-A-Go-Go in '05 and the Burn To Shine project in '04. CD

A one off "side project" from Sonic Youth in the late 80s, with some tongue in cheek numbers and few that are more in the vein of their other ouput of the era, but all with a strong nod to the reigning pop culture of the day. Includes "Needle Gun", "G-Force", "Macbeth", "Burnin' Up (Mike Watt orig demo)", "Children Of Satan/Third Fig", "Two Cool Rock Chicks Listening To Neu", "Moby Dik", "Making The Nature Scene", "Tuff Titty Rap" and "Into the Groovey". CD

A legendary project from Tortoise – kind of the "part 1.5" to their tremendous debut – as it features material from that record, remixed by members of the group and other key figures on the Chicago scene – all as a real testament to the many criss-crossing styles and modes that were taking place during these key post-rock years! The original material was performed by the version of the group that featured Bundy K Brown, John Herndon, John McIntire, Doug McCombs, and Dan Bitney – and remixes are by McEntire and Brown from the group – plus Steve Albini, Brad Wood, Casey Rice, Jim O'Rourke, Rick Brown, and even Mike Watt! Titles include "Alcohall", "Your New Rod", "Cobwebbed", "Tin Cans (Puerto Rican mix)", "Initial Gesture Protraction", "The Match Incident", and "Not Quite East Of The Ryan". LP, Vinyl record album

An early 80s set from Cherry Red Records, and one that shows just how important the British label was to the world of post-punk music at the time – as you'll hear from an assortment of tracks that's more than enough to give labels like Factory or Rough Trade a run for their money! Cherry Red always had a way of thinking outside of the norm – mixing experimental sounds with more tuneful moments, and sometimes showcasing artists who weren't afraid to put their feelings on the line – at a level that other British indies would pick up more strongly a few years later. There's plenty of formative sounds here – and titles include "Plain Sailing" by Tracy Thorn, "My Face Is On Fire" by Felt, "No Noise" by Eyeless In Gaza, "Don't Blink" by The Nightingales, "Some Things Don't Matter" by Ben Watt, "Modi 2 (extract)" by Piero Milesi, "All About You" by Thomas Leer, "Portrait" by Five Or Six, "Eine Symphonie Des Grauens" by The Monochrome Set, "Lazy Ways" by The Marine Girls, "I Unseen" by The Misunderstood, and "On My Mind" by Everything But The Girl. CD

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An album with a cheesy sort of cover – one that almost looks like it's about to melt – and one that hides the great all-star talents within – a lineup that includes Alexis Corner on guitar, Jack Bruce on bass, and Charlie Watts on drums! Yet maybe even better than the non-rockers on the date – as the group also features tenor from Hal Singer and Don Weller, and piano from both Bob Hall and George Green – both of whom really smoke up the keys in a very old-school mode! Korner and Bruce each sing a bit on the set, but the main focus also seems to be in the mix of R&B and bluesy currents from all the instrumentalists – who also include Colin Smith on trumpet and John Picard on trombone. Titles include "Roadhouse Boogie", "Rocket 88", "Waiting For The Call", "St Louis Blues", and "Talking About Louise". LP, Vinyl record album

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A sweet little record that draws plenty from a double-headed power team – Ernie Watts on reeds, and the mighty Wayne Henderson on production! The album may well be one of the best that Watts ever cut – a set that's not nearly as polished or commercial as his later 80s efforts – and which has that wonderfully soulful flow that Henderson brought to his best records of the time! Charts are full, but loosely grooving too – in the best sort of 70s Fantasy Records mode – and Ernie sounds wonderful in the territory as his work on various saxes glide alongside the rhythms, keyboards, and occasional chorus vocals. Titles include "Just Holdin On", "Makin Music", "Let's Sail Away", and "Beyond The Cosmic Void Suite". LP, Vinyl record album

Sweet 80s fusion from saxophonist Ernie Watts – one of his key albums as a leader in that decade, after countless years as a session player on other folks' records! The album's mostly jazz, but there's also a soul component as well – thanks to vocals from Phil Perry on some of the album's best tracks, used in a way that settles in nicely alongside Watts' work on alto and tenor sax. And despite the date of the album, there's a nice sense of warmth throughout – instrumentation that's never too forced or commercial – handled by other fusion stalwarts like Don Grusin on keyboards, Lee Ritenour on guitar, and Jimmy Johnson on bass. Titles include "Rock Camping", "One Love", "Red Dress", "Looking Glass", "Where The Spirit Lives", and "Music Prayer For Peace". LP, Vinyl record album

Ernie Watts on saxophone, Arturo Sandoval on trumpet, Mulgrew Miller on piano, Charles Fambrough on acoustic bass, and Jack DeJohnette on drums. CD

Ernie Watts on tenor saxophone, Christof Sanger on piano, Rudi Engel on bass, and Heinrich Kobberling on drums. CD

With Ken Watts on piano, Leroy Ball and Jim Bats on bass, C Pitts and Richard Taylor on drums, and Ken Watts, John Dix, and Arthur Rand on lead vocals. LP, Vinyl record album

Don't be fooled by the cover – as Trevor Watts and Liam Genockey may look like a pair of aging hippies, but have an intensity of sound that's right up there with some of the best loft jazz experiments of the 70s! These improvisations were recorded in 1989, unissued at the time, and have a very ageless feel – as Watts is as tremendous here on alto and soprano as he was back in the day – endless imagination that really seems to be set fire by the drum work of Genockey, a player who's got a touch on the kit that's both subtle and powerful – rhythmic enough overall, but nicely loose too! The whole thing's great – and the set features three long tracks, titled "Rhythmic Variants", "Echoes Of Bird", and "Dedicated To Eric D". CD

Trevor Watts on soprano and alto saxophone and Veryan Weston on piano. CD

Mad mad funk, and the fantastic second LP by the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band – the group that proved to everyone that LA could be just as funky as any other city in the 60s! The record draws strongly from the group's indie roots in the funky 45 scene – and the album's filled with short tracks that bump along in jagged rhythms, offbeat arrangements, and some slight touches of sweeter soul. Charles Wright is leading the group on vocals, and taking a stronger presence on these soul-based cuts – but as before, it's the strength of the overall group that really makes the album great – especially the bass work of Melvin Dunlap and the funky drums of James Gadson! Titles include some killer original tracks by the band – like "Do Your Thing", "Giggin' Down 103rd", "Phuncky Bill", "65 Bars & A Taste Of Soul", and "A Dance, A Kiss, & A Song" – plus great covers of "Something You Got", "Papa's Got A Brand New Bag", and "Knock On Wood". LP, Vinyl record album

A rare bit of hardcore poetry by the Watts Prophets – the legendary LA group who were kind of a west coast answer to the Last Poets! The group have a sound that's as striking as the best early work by The Last Poets – a hard-hitting blend of poetry, rhythms, and righteous energy – all recorded in a style that's stripped down, proud, angry, and in stark contrast to the rest of the work coming out in the soul music industry at the time. The album's not only important as a precursor to the west coast hip hop style, but it's a heck of a powerful statement that's as chilling now as it was back in 1971! Titles include "Amerikkka", "Dem N****** Ain't Playing", "A Pimp", "Hello N******", and "The Prostitute". LP, Vinyl record album

A special 50th Anniversary set of the legendary Wattstax Concert in 1972 – a magical music moment that had the Memphis soul powerhouse Stax Records filling the Los Angeles Coliseum with some of its best artists – all to celebrate the pride and power of the community in Watts! This set features a distillation of the much longer concert, along with one never-issued track – titles that include "Baby" by Carla Thomas, "Old Time Religion" by The Golden 13, "I've Been Lonely For So Long" by Frederick Knight, "Them Hot Pants" by Lee Sain, "Better Get A Move On" by Louise McCord, "I'll Take You There" by Staple Singers, "I Can't Turn You Loose" by The Bar-Kays, "Hearsay" by Soul Children, "The Breakdown" by Rufus Thomas, "Ain't That Loving You" by David Porter, "I Forgot To Be Your Lover" by William Bell, "Explain It To Her Mama" by The Temprees, "Precious Lord Take My Hand" by Deborah Manning, "I Am Somebody" by Jesse Jackson, and "Shaft" by Isaac Hayes – plus the never-issued "I Shall Not Be Moved" by Eric Mercury. CD

An insane package – one that features the material from the 6CD Complete Concert Wattstax set, plus 5 more CDs from Summit Club Recordings in 1972, plus one more CD of additional material too! First up are 6 CDs that feature a stunning presentation of the legendary Wattstax concert – that huge moment of pride and power when the folks at Stax Records filled up the Los Angeles Coliseum with one of the most memorable shows of the 70s! The meeting of talents here is the stuff of legend – and this great package brings together the complete show in running order – really building up excitement as the concert progresses – with different acts each bringing their own sort of fire to the stage, culminating in a fantastic long finale by Isaac Hayes! The presentation is different than the two double albums that Stax issued back in the 70s – and this expanded package features a number of unreleased tracks in place of material the label later added – such as work from Richard Pryor and The Emotions. There's a whole instrumental section at the start, and more spoken links between some parts – and new material includes unissued work from Kim Weston, Freddie Robinson, Ernie Hines, Eric Mercury, Tommy Tate, Billy Eckstine, and Isaac Hayes – in addition to famous performances by The Soul Children, Jesse Jackson, Rufus Thomas, Albert King, Carla Thomas, William Bell, The Bar Kays, David Porter, The Temprees, Eddie Floyd, and David Porter – plus plenty more from Isaac Hayes too! Great package – with a full color book with new notes and essays, and plenty more too. The Summit Club material follows on five more CDs – material that was partly issued on some other reissues by individual artists, but augmented here with a wealth of unreleased material too! There's a a full show of work from Johnnie Taylor and Rufus Thomas – the latter of whom even does some comedy bits – plus some extra funky performances from The Sons Of Slum, heavy blues from Little Milton, great soul from The Emotions, and a huge amount of never-issued work from the great duo Mel & Tim – arguably better here than on their Stax studio sessions. CD12 features additional recordings that were layered into some of the LP releases issued under the Wattstax name – 15 more tracks that include titles by The Emotions, Isaac Hayes, The Dramatics, Staple Singers, and Eddie Floyd – plus some comedy routines by Richard Pryor. CD

A second set of material issued in celebration of the legendary Wattstax concert by Stax Records in LA in 1972 – and a set that mostly features material from the famous show at the Los Angeles Coliseum, but also includes some sly studio material that was pumped up with applause to fit nicely into the mix! Richard Pryor acts as the MC – although his tracks weren't recorded at the actual concert – and as with the original album, there's a mixture of some self-contained "show" passages here, plus individual songs by other artists too! David Porter delivers a mighty batch of tracks that include "Reach Out & Touch", "Ain't That Loving You", and "Can't See You When I Want To" – followed by a Johnnie Taylor show that includes "Steal Away", "Stop Doggin Me", and "Jody's Got Your Girl & Gone". Other live material includes work by Rance Allen Group, Kim Weston, Jimmy Jones, and The Golden 13 – augmented by additional cuts from The Emotions, Mel & Tim, and Little Milton too! LP, Vinyl record album

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A stunning set of live improvisations, and a record that will really open up your ears to the music of Trevor Watts – a great player on the British scene, but one who's sometimes overlooked next to other improvising musicians with a bit more fame! The setting here is very unique – as Watts blows alto and soprano next to some really cool percussion from Kofi Adu and Nana Tsiboe, the latter of whom plays mbira too – in a group that also features Earnest Mothle on bass, Liam Genockey on drums, and Peter Knight on violin. The sounds are very organic, and make great use of the percussion – in ways that maybe remind us more of some of the Afro jazz experiments from the Parisian scene of the 70s than more familiar British avant work. The set features seven tracks in all – five recorded in Cardiff, and two more in Southampton – both during a tour in 1989. CD

Killer funky stoner soul from LA! This album is one of the best by Charles Wright and his legendary funky group – and it features some straighter soul material, like the big hit "Loveland", or their mellow take on "Light My Fire" – plus some great heavy funk numbers, like "Till You Get Enough", "Everyday People", and "Must Be Your Thing". The record's a huge testament to the strength of the group – as they handle the soul material just as well as they do the funky stuff that they're more famous for – and we really dig this one for its tightness and straight ahead positive soul! CD

Fantastic funk from the 60s LA scene – and the first-ever album by a group who would dominate the west coast groove of the time! This first outing by the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band takes off nicely from the group's funky 45 years – using larger arrangements to expand upon their hard and heavy groove, in a style that almost has some funky soundtrack touches at times! Fred Smith produced and is directing the group – and tracks are short, sweet, and filled with groovy touches! Titles include "Spreadin Honey", "Fried Okra", "Soul Concerto", "Watts Happening", "103rd Street Theme", "Whole Hog Or Nothing At All", "Brown Sugar", and "A Little Class & A Little Trash". Great trippy cover too – and an endorsement from Bill Cosby on the back! LP, Vinyl record album