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Weldon Irvine's last album for a major label – and a key set that marks the debut of the legendary Don Blackman! Irvine's still very much in charge of the session, but Blackman's emerging here with the strength that would show up on his later soul sessions – singing lead vocals on some of the best cuts on the record, and also playing acoustic piano next to Weldon's bank of electric keys. Tunes are nicely varied throughout – returning to the exploratory nature of some of Irvine's earlier records – and there's even some great mellower numbers that are some of our favorite tracks on the set – including the sublime stepper "I Love You", the gently spacey "Music Is The Key", and a sweet instrumental cover of "What's Going On". Other tracks include "Sinbad", "Don't You Worry Bout A Thing", "Do Something For Yourself", and "Here's Where I Came In".

Massively funky work from the mighty Weldon Irvine – sublimely cosmic and filled with soul throughout! The vibe here is a bit more focused than on some of Weldon's earlier albums – a moody blend of electric keys, heavy percussion, and some slight bits of jazzy solo work by trumpeters Charles Sullivan and Everett Blood Hollins, and saxophonist Sonny Fortune – both players who really help the album find some soulful structure! The album's all-instrumental, and has Weldon really taking off on the keyboards – not just using them for main solos, but also dropping in cool noisy bits and analogue effects that really sound great – almost out-Herbieing Herbie Hcock for the record, and turning in some of his biggest classics on wax! Titles include the massive sample cut "We Gettin' Down", plus "Jungle Juice", "Blast Off", "Softly", "Power & The Glory", "Yasmin", and "Pogo Stick".

Landmark early work from the legendary Weldon Irvine – recorded way back when he was first coming to fame with Nina Simone, but done as an obscure indie effort for his tiny Nodlew label! The set's a wicked batch of keyboard-heavy funk – at a level that's similar to some of the best titles on Black Jazz or Strata East at the time, but also filled with an even richer array of colors and musical ideas. Weldon's work on electric piano is worth the price of admission alone – often spare, spacious, and perfectly placed – especially on the funky classics "Homey", "Mr Clean", and "Sister Sanctified" – a tune later cut by Stanley Turrentine, but heard here in Weldon's original version! Other cuts include "Gloria", "Juggah Buggah", "Blues Wel-Don", and "Liberated Brother".

An amazing second CTI set from Freddie Hubbard – one that takes off nicely from Red Clay territory, and starts to hit an even funkier mode! The tracks here are all relatively long, with a huge amount of solo space for Freddie on trumpet, Joe Henderson on tenor, George Benson on guitar, and Herbie Hancock on piano. The title track "Straight Life" has a style that's quite searing and righteous at points – almost some of Freddie's boldest playing on record from the time. It's followed by an excellent take on Weldon Irvine's "Mr Clean" – one that's rompingly funky while still as righteous as the work on side long title track – played with some great electric piano from Herbie and sweet guitar lines from Benson. The set closes with a mellow take on "Here's That Rainy Day", played in a way that reminds us of Hubbard's more lyrical style – but still with plenty of CTI 70s overtones.

A fantastic bit of spiritual jazz funk – and one of the rarest 70s albums on Fantasy Records! The group's headed up by Nat Adderley Jr (son of the famous Nat Sr) on keyboards and vocals – and the ensemble is a hip, young collective with an approach that reminds us of work by Oneness Of Juju, Gary Bartz, and Weldon Irvine! If those three names aren't enough to prick up your ears for this one – one drop of the needle should be enough, as the record's a real winner all the way through, filled with well-written songs, and a mixture of soul jazz, funky fusion, and vocal tracks that really work great together. The kind of sweet rare 70s album you'll buy from us, and treasure for years – filled with great cuts like "In Search Of Happiness", "Red, Black, & Green", "Variation On Last Night", "Live My Life For You", "Killin' Time", and "Little Dahuoud's Dance".

Way more than just a disco collection – a great album with some had to get numbers you don't see much on vinyl any more. Includes "You Little Trustmaker" by the Tymes, "To Each His Own" by Faith Hope &Charity, "Am I Cold, Am I Hot" by Bill Harris, "What You Don't Know" by Charles Drain, "Honey Baby Theme" by Blood Hollins and Weldon Irvine, "Half Of Your Heart" by Zulema, "Are You Ready For This" by the Brothers, "So Much Love" by Destiny and "Is It Love" by the Choice Four.

A jazz funk masterpiece, and THE record by the legendary Don Blackman – the only one issued under his own name for many many years, and a famous little set that's been sampled endlessly over the years, and for good reason! The vibe here is one that's barely been matched again – a blend of 70s fusion, bassy funk, and even tighter riffing – all put together with a greater depth and sense of soul than most other records of its type. Blackman's a GRP contemporary of Bernard Wright, Tom Browne, and Weldon Irvine – and there's bits of all their sound in the work here, but somehow Don does it even better – hitting these grooves, notes, and lines that seem to fall from the heavens – and which still stand as some of the hippest music of his generation. A record to file proudly next to your copies of Ramp and James Mason – and like those gems, the kind of record that only happens once in an artists career! Titles include "You Ain't Hip", "Yabba Dabba Do", "Heart's Desire", "Deaf Hook Up Connection", "Never Miss A Thing", and "Holding You Loving You", and "Since You Been Away So Long".

A real watershed album from Horace Silver – a record that has him stepping strongly into the 70s – but with a rich new groove that's different both from his 60s work, and from the heavy politics of his United States series too! The album has Horace picking up a slightly electric sound, changing his groove from 60s soul jazz into more of a 70s modal approach – working here with David Friedman on vibes, Bob Cranshaw on electric bass, and Mickey Roker on drums, plus additional horn work by the Brecker Brothers – a really great combination of musicians that help Silver realize some really unique rhythms, and lots of moments that have a subtle yet righteous sense of soul! The selection of material is fantastic – hipper than usual for Horace – and titles include Weldon Irvine's "Liberated Brother", Moacir Santos' "Kathy", and Horace's own "Strange Vibes", which has some great vibes dancing around Horace's piano! A very nice album, and one of our favorites by Horace!

Hip stuff from Nina – much more of a soul album than some of her other work from previous years – with great arrangements by Harold Wheeler, which turn a host of familiar pop tunes into Nina's own territory! The set includes a great version of "Ooh Child", sung with incredibly tender warmth – plus amazing takes on the tunes "Just Like A Woman", "Here Comes The Sun", "New World Coming", and "My Way". Also features Weldon Irvine's own composition, "How Long Must I Wander?"