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Includes performances by Jimmy Rushing, Don Redman, Russell Jacquet, Joe Thomas and others.

The 4th volume of work to appear on the UK Sue Records label in the 60s – and quite possibly the most hard-hitting so far! This set follows strongly in the soul-based sound of volume 3 – and includes a range of key singles from American labels Sue, Okeh, Vee Jay, Fire, Enjoy, and Jamie – all issued by Sue UK in England during the mid 60s, with tremendous impact on mod, mainstream, and Northern Soul scenes! But even getting past the origin or issuing label of the music, the set's a really great one – with a hard-edged groove that mixes New York uptown with some more R&B-styled numbers – a great little all-legit collection that's presented with really great notes. Titles include "The Whip" by Alexander Jackson & The Turnkeys, "Warm & Tender Love" by Joe Haywood, "I'm Dedicating My Life" by Danny White, "Goin Home" by Rosco Gordon, "Round Midnight" by Jimmy McGriff, "Lenny Goofed" by The Naturals, "Lost In A Dream" by Buster Brown, "Pork Chops" by The Dorsets, "La De Da I Love You" by Inez & Charlie Foxx, "Good Time Tonight" by The Soul Sisters, "So Far Away" by Hank Jacobs, and "Stepping Stone" by The Anglos.

Sounds like Herb Alpert, but it grooves in ways that we hardly expected – playful, creative, and filled with so many more rhythms than just the Tijuana groove we might have thought! There's a real deepening sense of instrumental pop going on here – as Herb explores some of the darker strains brought into the market by younger groups and artists on the scene, and through some of the cross-cultural recordings that were opening up as the global music market expanded in the mid 60s. The Brass still get in plenty of their jaunty licks in the set, but there's also more of a sense of Herb as a standout man of his own – a mature, all-adult sound that's got some great brooding emotion from time to time. Titles include the great sample cut "Treasure Of San Miguel", "Casino Royale", "Wade In The Water", "Shades Of Blue", "Bo Bo", "Lady Godiva", "Town Without Pity", "Gotta Lot Of Livin To Do", and "The Charmer".

A great track from Roy Ayers – and one that's often overlooked! The cut's a smooth mellow stepper, with a nice jazzy vibe, and a wonderful monologue from Roy at the beginning (he's trying to pick up a girl). The cut got kind of buried on the Love Fantasy LP – so it's extra nice to have on this rare original promo single!

From the Space Jam soundtrack.

A folk funk classic from the early 70s – and a weird little record that has a sound that's unlike anything else we can think of! The arrangements are quite soulful, almost funky at times – with a righteous undercurrent that reminds us of Richard Evans or Charles Stepney at Cadet Records. But the vocals – by singer Barbara Massey – have a flanged-out quality that's clearly overdubbed, creating a double-voiced sound that's almost a bit like Brasil 66! This mix of modes is really great – completely unique, and sublime throughout – with a vibe that was years ahead of its time, and which is finally beginning to get some recognition these many years later. Arrangements are by the pair, but Deodato also had a hand in the record too – and the core combo of musicians includes Grady Tate on drums, Ralph McDonald on percussion, and Sam Brown on guitar – alongside more guitars from Ernie and keyboards and piano from Barbara. Tracks include "Searching the Circle", "Do You Know", "For You", "Play With Fire", "My Love & I", "Satisfied", and "Prelude" – plus a wild remake of "Somebody to Love"!

A classic set from the legendary Biddu – one of the best European maestros working on the 70s disco scene! The album mixes together strings, keyboards, voices, and uptempo rhythms – sliding along in a style that shares plenty with Prelude and Salsoul at the time – and which made Biddu one of the most trusted overseas forces for delivering a soulful disco number. Vocals are mostly of the chorus type, when they appear at all – and titles include "Bionic Boogie", "Soft & Sexy", "Chic Chica Chi Chica Chic", "Rain Forest", "Laura", "Trippin On A Soul Cloud", and "Rock Me With Your Love".

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.

Incredible electric work from Stan Getz – one of his few sessions of this type from the 70s, and a doozy! The album follows heavily on the heels of Getz's brilliant Captain Marvel set – mixing together electric rhythms and some wonderfully open-minded blowing, in a sound that shows that Stan was still truly growing as an artist during this time. The double LP setting of the album makes for some great long tracks – really stretching out with Stan blowing in that strange and wonderful mix of Coltrane and Ben Webster he had going at the time, and featuring some nice keyboard work by Andy Laverne. Rhythm is by Billy Hart, Mike Richmond, and Efrain Toro – and titles include "Sabra", "Pretty City", "Another World", "Sum Sum", and "Blue Serge".

Dark-edged, folk-tinged, and blues-drenched sounds from The Godz – one of the earthiest acts to record for the legendary ESP label – and one who had the same East Village power as The Fugs! The overall sound is nice and spare – rougher edged than some of the west coast work of this nature – kind of a folk blues aesthetic, filtered through trippier ideas – and recorded with the same haunting, moody elements as the first Pearls Before Swine album, but a lot more loose in the construction of the tunes – which almost feel improvised at times. Instrumentation includes acoustic guitar, violin, harmonica, maracas, and plastic flute – and titles include "Eleven", "Na Na Naa", "Turn On", "White Cat Heat", "1 + 1", and "Lay In The Sun".

A pretty darn great soundtrack from Neal Hefti – with some great mod bits too! There's a lot of groovy organ on the set – and plenty of go-go drums that give the tracks a garagey soulful sound that separates the record from most of Hefti's other soundtrack work – a slightly grittier edge to match the youthful antics of Roddy McDowall and Tuesday Weld on screen. The title song, "Lord Love A Duck", is sung by The Wild Ones, who give it sort of a Brit Invasion kind of vocal sound – and other tracks include "Balboa Blast", "All Night Long", "The Year Of The Duck", "Gaudeamus", and "Bob's March".

Groovy session of piano trio material, recorded in Chicago by the city's "great white hope" of the 60s: pianist Eddie Higgins. The set was recorded for the Dunwich production group (who gave the world The Shadows of Knight), but was licensed to Atlantic for final release. The group's a very tight trio, with Higgins backed by Richard Evans on bass and Marshall Thompson on drums – and the resulting sound is nice and soulful, in the same tradition of Chicago piano recordings by Ramsey Lewis and Ray Bryant. Titles include "Soulero", "Tango Africaine", "Mr. Evans", and "Shelly's World".

Although Ivory Joe Hunter always recorded a lot of country songs in his career (hence the title), his sound on those recordings was always similar to the Ray Charles, Brook Benton, Solomon Burke country soul sound – and not really straight country, which is what this album is. Still, Joe does a great job with the material, and the set list is hip enough to get past the cliches of most records like these. The set was recorded in Nashville with a small combo, and features the cuts "Streets Of Baltimore", "Today I Started Loving You Again", "I know One", and "He'll Never Love You".

Fantastic Isleys from the mid-70s! The record has the group dropping their heavy funk style (which was sounding a bit tired by this point), and picking up a strident soul groove that buoyed their tracks with a spiritual sound that reminds us of some of the best moments from the Brother Brother Brother album! This one includes the incredible song "Harvest For The World", one of the most anthemic soul songs of the 70s – and a monster groover that mixes message-driven vocals with some tight guitar work. Other tracks include "You Still Feel the Need", "Let Me Down Easy", and "People of Today" – and the whole album's one of the group's best from the 70s!

A great solo album from Jackie Jackson – one that we'd rank right up there with work from the time by The Jackson Five, or his brother Michael. This one's got a sweet soul sound that's really great – arranged by The Corporation and Gene Page in the mode of some of the best early 70s work by groups like The Delfonics, The Miracles, and Jimmy Briscoe & The Beavers. Includes the great cut "Is It Him Or Me", which begins with a great break, and an excellent monologue. Other tracks include "Do I Owe", "Bad Girl", "It's So Easy", "Thanks To You", and "You're The Only One".

Milt's third album for CTI – a great batch of electric jazzy grooves that shows how much he was willing to redefine his sound over the years! Milt's laidback style of vibes playing was perfect for the CTI mode – and matching up here with sax work by Jimmy Heath, bass by Ron Carter, piano from Cedar Walton, and drums by Mickey Roker, he's in a perfect setting to let loose in a way he rarely did on his earlier albums. The whole set's great – and titles include "Lost April", "Rerev", "The Metal Melter", "The Steel Bender", and "I'm Not So Sure".

A great early album by the Jacksons – with a monster batch of cuts arranged by Gene Page and The Corporation, all put together with a soulful groove that the group definitely lost on later albums! The highlight is the funky "It's Great To Be Here" – an excellent lesser-known track that's gone onto a whole second level of fame in the breakbeat/crate digging generation! But other tracks are all pretty great too – with loads of killer compositions by The Corporation. Titles include their hit cover of "Never Can Say Goodbye", plus "Honey Chile", "I Will Find A Way", "Petals", "The Wall", and "She's Good".

An excellent Crusaders album – filled with the tight hard soul jazz sound that they did soooo well. The set's got a hard hitting rhythm section that's always in the pocket, and swingin' thoughtful solos over tight arrangements on tracks like "The Thang", "Soul Kosher", and "White Cobra". If you've ever wondered why these guys got so big so fast, listen to this one and join the crowd – because it's a monster!

A brilliant album from the overlooked reedman Rudolph Johnson – his second session for the Black Jazz label, and even better than the first! There's a soaring, searching quality to the record that Johnson never had before – a way of handling his tenor with a tone that Coltrane would have envied, and which sparkles with some of Rudolph's most soulful 70s contemporaries – like Sonny Fortune or Andrew White! The tunes are almost all originals, and have this depth of vision that really holds us rapt throughout – a way of digging in and continuing to find new meaning throughout the course of Johnson's solos – with superb rhythm backing from the trio of Kirk Lightsey on piano, Kent Brinkley on bass, and Doug Sides on drums. Lightsey is wonderful too – maybe his best performance on record – and titles include the sublime numbers "The Highest Pleasure", "The Traveler", "Time and Space", and "The Water Bearer".

A super-huge album for the Kinks – thanks largely to the success of the tune "Lola" on both sides of the Atlantic! The album's got a number of tunes that share the darkness of that hit – pushing past the simple jokes and picture postcard simplicity of most of the groups' late 60s albums, into a more complicated critique on society, city life, and habits of modern life. Titles include "The Contenders", "Denmark Street", "Strangers", "Top Of The Pops", "A Long Way From Home", "Apeman", "Powerman", "Got To Be Free", and "Lola".

A sweet late 70s groover from Ramsey – not as all-out electric as some of his earlier work for Columbia, but done with some nice arrangements that have a full and soulful feel! There's a bit of Kalimba/Earth Wind & Fire soul to the mix – and some tracks have production by James Mack and soulful backing vocals by Kitty & The Heywoods – both elements of which serve to provide a nice platform for Ramsey to soar over the top on Steinway. A few cuts feature a bit of electric keys, but overall, the style's in that "acoustic solo instrument over electric backings – in the manner that 70s mainstream fusion was using heavily at the time. Titles include "Dancin", "I'll Always Dream About You", "Every Chance I Get", and "I Just Can't Give You Up".

HP Lovecraft drummer Michael Tegza soldiers on with a new group as Lovecraft – with a tighter sound that blends hard driving drums and guitars with more delicate, harmony vocal accented songcraft! It's a far cry from the psychedelic experimentation of HP Lovecraft – but it's actually a pretty impressive rock record in its own right – prefiguring the later 70s rock sounds long before the better known giants of the decade! Titles include "We Can All Have It Together", "Brother I Wonder", "Love Has Come To Me", "Will I Know When My Time Comes", "Two Step Hustle", "Lady Come Softly", "The Dawn", "Never Gonna Go Back", "Dear" and "Hopefully".

The NuSoul super group with Ali Shaheed Muhammed, Rafael Saadiq and Dawn Robinson. This remixed version features Talib Kweli.

A great little album from Memphis Slim – recorded with a few rock luminaries (John Paul Jones, Chris Spedding, Peter Winfield, Peter Green), in a sweetly electric mode that has Slim singing some excellent laidback lyrics. There's a bit of jazz to the backings, which gives the album a slick sparkle without dampening its spirit – and tracks include "Youth Wants To Know", "Mason Dixon Line", "Chicago Seven", "Otis Spann & Earl Hooker", and the extended "Blue Memphis Suite".

Quite possibly our favorite album from MFSB – the legendary Philly instrumental group from the 70s! The record's completely sublime all the way through – and is perhaps the most perfect illustration of that subtle blend of funk, soul, and disco that makes the group so great – a sound that was copied by others like Salsoul Orchestra or Instant Funk, but almost never done as perfectly as on this sweet little set! The album's got some chorus vocals on a few cuts, but mostly hangs out in an instrumental mix of Philly rhythms, jazzy solo moments, and some soaring strings that really help fill up the groove. There's a definite summer theme going on – and titles include the great McFadden & Whitehead "Summertime And I'm Feelin Mellow", plus "We Got The Time", "Hot Summer Nights", "Picnic In the Park", and "Sunnin & Funnin".

The work of Chopin, turned over to the godlike studio talents of a young Jack Nitzsche! The tunes here are all pulled from Chopin's original compositions, but they're reworked very strongly in a 60s LA studio mode – made shorter and given more focus on the main themes, and supported by full orchestrations that still manage to step along at times with a slight 60s groove. The overall feel is relatively serious, almost soundtracky – but there's definitely plenty of Nitzche touches in the overall production and arrangements – a sense of sound that makes wonderful use of electric bass or guitar alongside the more traditional strings and woodwinds. Titles include "Funeral Procession", "Revolutionary Etude", "Prelude #6 In D", "Fantasie Impromptu", "Etude in E", and "Prelude #4 In G".

Rare early work by Johnny Pate – the great jazz bassist who later went onto great fame as an arranger at ABC, where he handled all of the classic work by the Impressions! This album features a tight Chicago piano combo, ala the Ahmad Jamal group, with Pate on bass, Wilbur Wynne on guitar, and Floyd Morris on piano. (Obviously, Floyd's a lot funkier than Jamal, but you get the idea.) Pate contributed a few originals to the set – like "All The Time", "Carmen's Chaser", and "Yvonne" – and the rest of the tracks are standards.

Titles include "I Love You 1000 Times", "I Love You Because", "Only You", "Harbor Lights", "Lovely", and "Heaven On Earth".

A nice, nice compilation of sides cut by Powell for Norman Granz, from 1949 to 1951. Given Powell's well documented bouts with instability and alcoholism, there are several periods that lasted for months and sometimes years when he would go unrecorded. The first dates on this set come at the end of one of those periods, and Bud is in fine, fiery form, presented here in a trio setting with Ray Brown and Max Roach. Another set of trio's follows, with Curly Russell replacing Brown, and the second LP is almost all solo piano work. The set is extensvely annotated by Gary Giddins, and features some of Powell's best sides. 24 tracks in all, including "Tempus Fugit", "Cherokee", "Strictly Confidential", "Sometimes I'm Happy", "Tea For Two" and "Sweet Georgia Brown".

They certainly got the title right on this one – as the album's overflowing with earlier hits by Perez Prado, re-recorded here for the hi-fi generation, with really swinging RCA sound! The numbers include some perennial Perez favorites – including "Cherry Pink & Apple Blossom White", "In A Little Spanish Town", "Caballo Negro", "Mambo Jambo", and the legendary "Mambo Number 5". A nice way to get all of his best stuff on wax!

A lesser-known number by Fonda Rae – but one that's still plenty darn nice, and proof that she was one of the best singers on the early 80s club scene! "Heobah" has a romping, thumping intro that's nice and spare – beats and a bit of lightly riffing guitar that really set the scene before Rae's vocals come into the mix with sing-song lyrics that eventually give way to a deeper sort of sound. The cut's got a really playful, almost poppy sort of style – but one that's never that commercial either.

A stunner of a solo album from Diana Ross – one that has her working beautifully with the team of Nick Ashford & Valerie Simpson – really taking off here into some wonderful new territory! The Ashford & Simpson sound is very much in place here – a soaring, joyous approach to the music that comes across with a bit more depth and maturity than Ross' earlier music with The Supremes – a great springboard for her solo years in the 70s, although without some of the overindulgence of later recordings. Paul Riser handled the arrangements – with that tight mix of strings and soul that made him one of Motown's greatest assets in the early 70s – and he still leaves plenty of space for Diana's vocals to come across with a breathy, personal sort of quality. Almost all tunes were penned by Ashford & Simpson – and titles include "Surrender", "I Can't Give Back The Love I Fell For You", "And If You See Him", "I'm A Winner", "Didn't You Know", "I'll Settle For You", "Remember Me", and "All The Befores".

The first album from Seawind – and a killer batch of jazzy soul tracks all the way through! The set's easily one of the hippest to come out on CTI in the 70s, although with the record's strong use of vocals, it also feels a bit more like some of the work coming out on Fantasy at the time – lots of jazzy riffing underneath in the rhythms, and solidly soulful vocals over the top – all in a blend that's totally great, and produced to perfection by the great Harvey Mason! Pauline Wilson sings lead vocals on most tracks, and the tunes are filled with riffing guitar and keyboards with a really sharp edge – yet never too much so that they lose the sense of soul laid down by the vocals. Wonderful work throughout – with titles that include "Roadways (part 1 & 2)", "Make Up Your Mind", "We Got A Way", "A Love Song", "He Loves You", and "The Devil Is A Liar".

Soaring piano work from the great Paul Smith – a player who's working here with a much more vibrant sound than on some of his Capitol sides of the 50s! Smith's got a much harder approach to the keys than during his "liquid sounds" years – one that's possibly a bit influenced by some of Oscar Peterson's most successful trio sides for Verve in the early 60s, but which still retains most of Smith's sense of lyricism and flowing energy. The trio features Wilfred Middlebrooks on bass and Frank Capp on drums – and titles include "Fly Me To The Moon", "That's All", "How About You", "Laura", "What Kind Of Fool Am I", "Satin Doll", and "I Left My Heart In San Francisco".

Soaring spiritual jazz from Larry Stabbins – a reedman you might know from his recent Stonephace project for Tru Thoughts, or for his seminal work in the groups Weekend and Working Week! Yet the sound here is something else entirely – a righteous side of Larry's music we never would have expected back in the 80s – as his tenor and flute are mixed with bold, modal lines that recall some of the contemporary spiritual energy from Matthew Halsall and Nat Birchall on the Gondwana label – music that has a similar sort of early 70s approach! Tracks are long and flowing, and very open – with great solos from Larry and sublime piano from Zoe Rahman – whose tones and timing really give the record a lot of energy. Titles include "Noetic", "Immanence", "Transcendental Euphoria", "Soul Train", "White Queen Psychology", and "Africa".

Features Stitt on alto and tenor – plus Barry Harris on piano, Sam Jones on bass, and Louis Hayes on drums.

The last album recorded by Charles Wright with the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band – and a set that's even more stretched out and trippy than their other albums! Gone are the tight short cuts of earlier days, and in their place are longer messed-up funky numbers that have more of a jamming party feel – tunes that let the whole group open up in a relaxed and soulful mode that must have been plenty great to see happening live in the studio! Charles sings in a style that mixes straighter soul with "crazy man" kind of lyrics – of the sort that he later sang on his own LPs – and the album features the wicked tune "Express Yourself II", a great follow-up to the first one, done in a more open-styled way, but still with the same hook and rhythm! Other tracks include "Just To Settle My Nerves", "Let's Make Love Not War", "What Can You Bring Me?", "Your Love", and "You're So Beautiful".

A pretty great little album – a 2LP set that features 4 sides of Salsoul classics, mixed together! The "non-stop dancing" holds out for the course of each side – as as many as 6 tracks are mixed back to back, in classic 70s disco mode. Titles include "Moon Boots" by ORS, "West Side Encounter" by Salsoul Orchestra, "Black Party/I Can't Turn You Loose" by Anthony White, "The Beat Goes On & On" by Ripple, "It's Time To Twist" by Bunny Sigler, "Alpha Centuri" by Salsoul Orchestra, "Primitive Man" by Silvetti, "Dance A Little Bit Closer" by Charo, and "The Kings Of Clubs" by Chocolat.

A really great look at Impulse Records – one that gets past the obvious iconic elements of the label, and really shows the true spectrum of amazing music it handled during the 60s and 70s! Unlike other Impulse sets, which often stick close to the big-name recordings of the 60s, this one stretches way up to the mid 70s – to show the really inventive, creative sounds the label put forth in the post-Coltrane years – music inspired by the great one, and moving past him as well – even into some of the more funky territory you might have found over at Blue Note or Columbia! The 2CD package features 30 tracks in all – and cuts include "Once Upon A Time" by Marion Brown, "Didn't I Tell You" by John Handy, "Spirit Dance" by Michael White, "Sita Ram" by Alice Coltrane, "Roadwork" by Howard Roberts, "Flame" by Keith Jarrett, "Water Music" by Albert Ayler, "Mansion Worlds" by Pharoah Sanders, "Jazz N Samba" by Milt Jackson, "Caravan" by Freddie Hubbard, "Blues For We" by Mel Brown, "How Insensitive" by Ahmad Jamal, "Summertime" by Art Blakey, "The Breeze & I" by Curtis Fuller, "Broadwalk Samba" by Hank Jones & Oliver Nelson, and "Evil Eye" by Chico Hamilton.

The first full length from Blundetto – a Parisian radio programmer and artist showing impeccable taste here – with a slyly dubby and reggae & soul influenced groove and featuring collaborations with The Budos Band horns, Chico Mann, Tommy Guerrero, Lateef The Truthspeaker, Shawn Lee, Genreal Elektricks and Hindi Zahra! Blundetto shares compositional credits with the guest, and it has the feel of collaboration with that atmopherically soulful core groove. Really nice work for the Heavenly Sweetness label! Titles including the Blundetto cover of the Bob James classic "Nautilus" plus "Voices", "Mustang", "Mi Condena", "Cuban Shirt", "Party Animals". "White Birds", "Ken Park", "My One Girl", "Bad BadThings" and "Sunset Stroll".

Massive funk from CTI – some of the label's grooviest, jazziest, most soulful gems from the 70s – all hand-picked by the folks at Wax Poetics Japan! There's some familiar tracks here, and some lesser-known nuggets too – and the set is one of the grooviest CTI collections we've ever heard – filled with just the right sort of sounds to show the label's genius in its best light – including some tracks from related imprints Kudu and Salvation, too! Don't let the "dance" in the title put you off – because this isn't dance music, just tight funky jazz of the best 70s variety – as you'll hear on cuts that include "Baretta's Theme" by Ron Carter, "Macumba" by Lalo Schifrin, "Stanley's Tune" by Airto, "Star Borne" by Johnny Hammond, "Nights In White Satin" by Deodato, "Hard To Face The Music" by Idris Muhammad, "Corazon" by Hank Crawford, "You Keep Me Hanging On" by David Matthews, "Boy I Really Tied One On" by Esther Phillips, and "Sugar Free" by Hank Crawford.

Soaring sounds from Philadelphia International – the label that virtually defined the sound of soul in the 70s, thanks to a succession of ultra-big hits! Those cuts are great, but this set goes even deeper – to move past the chart standouts, and come up with a brilliant batch of Philly groovers that stayed mostly on the underground – but which have had a huge influence on the global scene over the past few decades! All the best Philly 70s elements are in place here – tight rhythms, impeccable musicianship, and production that finds a way to polish without ever making things too slick – a wonderful blend that makes these tunes totally top-shelf all the way through – and even fresher than some of the bigger hits you'd know from the artists. Titles include "Hey Baby" by Anthony White, "I Heard It In A Love Song" by McFadden & Whitehead, "Old People" by Archie Bell & The Drells, "Sunshine & You" by The Futures, "Groovy People" by Lou Rawls, "You Can't Come Back Now" by Jean Carn, "Tell The World How I Feel About Cha Baby" by Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes, "Let The Dollar Circulate" by Billy Paul, "Found A Love You Couldn't Handle" by The Stylistics, and "I'm Just Thinking About Cooling Out" by Jerry Butler.

A treasure trove of Tennessee soul – a package that brings together two classic compilations on Charly Records, along with a host of rare bonus tracks too! The original release of Music City Soul and SSS Soul Survey were not only the kind of sets that first got Charly recognition as a key label for reissuing soul – but they also drew much-needed focus to the efforts of the Nashville labels working at the end of the 60s – surprising powerhouses for soul music, even though much of their efforts failed to chart at the time! As you'll hear in this set, labels like SSS International, Silver Fox, and Minaret were filled with deep soul gems – the kind of music you'd normally expect to hear from Memphis or Muscle Shoals – but which was coming out in droves from Music City during a brief musical moment at the end of the 60s. The 2CD set features a whopping 50 tracks in all – with titles that include "Baby You Got It" by Clarence Murray, "The Game Of Love" by Willie Hobbs, "I Have No One" by Big John Hamilton, "Action Speaks Louder Than Words" by Reuben Bell, "Soul Ranger" by Clifford Curry, "The Night The Angels Cried" by Johnny Dynamite, "Natural Soul Brother" by Danny White, "Shell Of A Woman" by Doris Allen, "Sundy Morning Coming Down" by Hank Ballard, "I Almost Called Your Name" by Johnny Soul, "Soulshake" by Peggy Scott & Jo Jo Benson, "Medley Of Soul" by Big Al Downing, "My Train's Coming In" by Betty Lavette, "All Night Long" by T Bone Walker, "My Ancestors" by Willie Charles Gray, and "The Pleasure Of My Woman" by Georgie Boy.

A mix of moods, colors, and feelings – handled with the full range of talents of David Amram, who's one of the few composers who could pull this one off! A number of the tracks have weird instrumentation that gives them a sound that's almost "eastern", and certainly exotic – and they're mixed here with some lightly jazzy touches, and a few mellower, more tender tunes that offset the rest of the album nicely. Titles include "Other Dreams", "Definitely Blue", "Anatolia", "Old Country Soul", "Sunny Days", "Blue Tomorrow", and "Love Is Never Out Of Style".

Bass heavy funk from the Brothers Johnson and Quincy Jones. This track was the heavier b-side to their "Strawberry Letter 23" single, but is issued here as a double a-side promo, and while not as completely sublime as that track, it's a mighty commercial funk groove in its own right!

Billed on the back as a "dynamic new singer", Marilyn's got a style that makes you feel like she's stepped off a stage – nice and swinging, with a bit of a showy approach, but relatively restrained overall. Arrangements have a nice bit of jazz, and were put together and conducted by Bob Florence – and titles include "Will He Like Me", "The Gentleman Is A Dope", "Like Love", "Cross Your Heart", "On The Other Side Of The Tracks", "Dear Friend", and "Since I've Been To You".

One of Dankworth's harder outings, with a great group of Brit Jazz players, including Michael Gibbs, Kenny Wheeler, and Tony Coe. It includes tight compositions that still carry Dankworth's easy feel, but which also have a bit of an atonal edge to them! Includes "Hogshead of Hogarth", "Composition with Colour", "Winter Scene", "Sailor", "Face In A Crowd", "Little Girl In Blue" and more.

A sweet little 80s groover – nice female vocals, a snapping bass-y kind of groove, and a very satisfying overall style that makes for a pretty nice tune!

A mixture of serious and sensuous themes written for this later film starring Lana Turner. Some of the music is adapted from the "Swedish Rhapsody" by Charles Wildman, and a few other tracks are variations on themes by Liszt. Titles include "Depths Of Despair", "Future Plans", "Christmas Holly", "The End Of a Dream", "Madame X On Trial", and "Headlines & Holly".

A pretty odd little record from Gloria Jones – a great soul singer back in the 60s when she was pounding out the hard northern numbers, but not so great here, where she's in an odd style that mixes disco with a hard soul approach, and just doesn't work. The "Reunited" in the title refers to Gloria and Ed Cobb – her producer on earlier records, and the force behind this effort. Gloria had previously spent time working in the group T Rex and was married to the late Marc Bolan – and she dedicates the painful number "Sixty Minutes Of Making Love" to their time together. Features a remake of Gloria's original hit "Tainted Love", plus "Body Heat", "The Touch Of Venus", and "I'm Going To Run Away With Him Tonight".

Subtle magic from Jack Jones – the kind of record that's made Jones one of our favorite singers from the 60s, and a set that's right up there with the best albums by Tony Bennett! Jack's not nearly as dramatic as Bennett in his earlier years, but he's got a similarly fluid quality – a voice that's clearly tuned on jazz, but handled with straighter interpretation – set to backings that are neither too poppy nor too romantic, sometimes rare for male singers of the time. Backings are by Pete King, who uses lush strings, and Harry Betts, who brings in a bit more jazz – and titles include "Here's That Rainy Day", "Where Love Has Gone", "What's New", "The Lorelei", "By Myself", "To Love & Be Loved", "Lush Life", "Guess I'll Hang My Tears Out To Dry", and "Willow Weep For Me".

A rare document of a short-lived slice of the King Kong myth – a Saturday morning cartoon in which Kong was the friend of some little kids in the jungle, and a much less threatening force than when climbing the Empire State Building! The soundtrack offers capsulized episodes of the show – with music by Jules Bass & Maury Laws, plus narrated adventures by Bob McFadden, voices from the show, and even a bit of sound effects! Adventures include "Under The Volcano", "Dr Who", "The Treasure Trap", and "The African Bees" – as well as nice versions of the cool theme song!

Misty's got a look on the cover that makes her look like she might have come across on the casting couch in order to get a record deal – but the album's a nice one that takes her sexy promise and backs it up with a nicely groovy late 60s blend of pop and jazz! There's a number of unusual tunes on the set that make it stand out a bit more than just a usual set of covers and standards – and backings occasionally have some nice jazzy touches, especially on the tracks arranged by Ronnell Bright. Other arrangements are by Evelyn Freeman, and titles include "A Moment More", "When Summer Dies", "Don't Mail The Letter", "Windy Curtains", "More Than The Eye Can See", and "The World's Still Round".

Jazzy wonderfulness from Pieces Of A Dream! "Warm Weather" is definitely warm – a breezy fusion number with a midtempo groove – lots of keys flowing over gentle drums, and some great soul vocals to really send the tune home!

Really rich sounds from Woody Shaw – one of his sublime studio sessions for Columbia Records – a major label, but one who really let Woody explore some new ideas in his music! There's a depth here that surpasses some of Shaw's straight small group sessions – really magnificent sounds that push the boundaries of soulful jazz at the end of the 70s, yet still hold onto all the best aspects of Woody's roots – kind of a distillation of all the soulful, spiritual experiments of the past 10 years – delivered in ways that really help them reach out to new ears! The core group features Woody on trumpet and flugelhorn, Larry Willis on piano, Stafford James on bass, and Victor Lewis on drums – but each track features some key guest appearance too – by artists who include Gary Bartz on alto, Curtis Fuller and Steve Turre on trombones, Carter Jefferson on tenor and soprano sax, James Spaulding on flute, Nana Vasconcelos on percussion, and Judi Singh on vocals – singing beautifully on the cuts "Time Is Right" and "Why" – alongside other instrumental numbers that include "Opec", "Josua C", "Isabel The Liberator", and "Ginseng People".

Beautifully folksy work from The Simon Sisters – a short-lived 60s duo that featured famous singer/songwriter Carly working alongside her sister Lucy – all in a style that's a fair bit more traditional than you'd expect! Most of the tunes here are quite spare – built mostly around acoustic guitar and the pair's lovely vocals, with little other instrumentation to back them up – very much in the mode of mid 60s folk sides on Elektra Records, and done with a similarly timeless feel.

An incredible album by the Tamba 4 – one of 2 albums the Brazilian bossa combo did in the US for A&M Records, during the brief time when they were expanded to a quartet from the original Tamba Trio lineup! The set is completely sublime – a wonderful mix of the group's trademark harmony vocals and crackling bossa rhythms, with the warmly flowing CTI production style of the time – not funky like the CTI sound of the 70s, but a bit more sophisticated than the style Creed Taylor had been using earlier at Verve. Tracks are short, breezy, and often very lively – bossa grooving warmed in the California sun – and titles include "Samba Blim", "Watch What Happens", "Pregao", "San Salvador", "Know It All", and "Palladium".

A definite change for Livingston Taylor – and a record that has a much fuller sound than before! Liv's shaken off some of the folksier styles of his first few for Capricorn, and is going for a more advanced mode that features fuller backings from producer Ed Freeman – but still in a way that let's Taylor's cracklingly personal vocals come through quite strongly. The approach is never slick or too professional, but the added instrumentation and sometime backing vocals really do help Livingston push himself a bit more strongly here – in a way that should have gotten the record more attention back in the day. Titles include "Loving Be My New Horizon", "Pretty Woman", "Blind", "Rodeo", "I Can Dream Of You", "If I Needed Someone", and "Falling In Love With You".

A sweet late 70s set from The Three Degrees – who've moved on over to CBS/Epic after their hot streak at Philly International – with a bit more of an expansive sound than usual! They're still working in a core Philly mode with recording at Sigma Sound and arrangements by Richard Rome – but also with tunes that hit a growing range of more sophisticated, adult-oriented themes. The trio are clearly out to show that they're not just a dancefloor act here – as the album features some sensitive ballads – and those are done beautifully! The Three Degrees are Sheila Ferguson, Valerie Holiday and the returning Helen Scott on this relatively overlooked, though solid record – which includes the slightly funky "Macaroni Man", plus "People With Feeling", "What I Did For Love", "We're All Alone", "Gee Baby", "Standing Up For Love", and "In Love We Grow" and "Just Leave Me Alone". 3

Featuring Smoothe Da Hustler and DV Alias Khrist.

A great little session of soul jazz – and very much in a classic mode, but with touches of the Strata East sound of the 70s. Although Blue Note and Prestige had seemed to abandon straighter soul jazz by the early 70s, Muse was cranking out some nice sides with older players of the 60s scene. This set features Cedar Walton's crack trio with Sam Jones and Louis Hayes, joined by tenorist Clifford Jordan, who was blossoming into a whole new player during the decade. Titles include "Naima", "Blue Monk", "Stella By Starlight", and a long reading of "I'll Remember April".

A strange lost "comeback" album for Walter Wanderley – but a great one! The set was recorded recorded in the US in the early 70's, and with the same sweet electric sound that Wanderley was using on his last A&M/CTI albums! Walter plays organ and electric piano, and the group includes Fender bass and percussion – making for a smooth electric groove tha gets a bit funky at times. Tracks include "Camel Juice", "Angelique", "Nobody", and "Good Time". Very groovy!

Features work by Lord Creator, Jimmy Cliff, The Techniques, Winston Samuel, and The Charmers.