All Categories — LPs  

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A very groovy set of pop-jazz guitar tunes – originally recorded by Metronome Records in Sweden, but issued here by Atlantic. The core of the recording is Gustafsson's guitar trio, but the record also features some larger backing by Georg Riedel that have a nice airy feel to them. While the... read more

A killer debut from Curtis Hairston – an overlooked 80s soul singer who should have made it big, given the strength of this set! The album's got a tight groove, but is never too commercial – a bit away from other Atlantic soul of the time, thanks to some solid studio help from Kae... read more

A wonderful step forward for the team of Hall & Oates – and a set that has them moving more into soul than ever before! The album's a tremendous collaboration with the legendary Arif Mardin, who takes the pair's well-crafted vocals into territory that's much more slinkily soulful than... read more

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One of Slide Hampton's first albums – and a massively hard-wailing set that will make any doubters sit up and take notice! The set really packs a punch – as Slide leads a hip group that features Freddie Hubbard, Richard Williams, Bernard McKinney, and George Coleman through some... read more

An amazing record, from an amazing player – the mighty Rufus Harley, heard here on tenor, flute, and soprano sax – as well as bagpipes, his "trademark" instrument! Don't be put off by the bagpipes, though, because Harley plays in a righteous soul jazz groove, and uses the... read more

An amazing record, from an amazing player – the mighty Rufus Harley, heard here on tenor, flute, and soprano sax – as well as bagpipes, his "trademark" instrument! Don't be put off by the bagpipes, though, because Harley plays in a righteous soul jazz groove, and uses the... read more

One of Harley's beautiful albums for Atlantic, and a record that shouldn't work at all – but it does! Harley plays bagpipes throughout the album, and he does so in a way that sounds nothing like any of the snoozy Scottish assumptions you may have about the instrument. Instead, Harley draws... read more

A lost classic, and a landmark blending of jazz and world music! The core of the group is that quintet of West Indian alto player Joe Harriott – one of the leading lights of the British jazz scene of the 60s, and a dedicated modernist who was as important to England as Ornette Coleman was to... read more

Not a great jazz record, but a pretty nice funky soul album by Eddie – who by this point was really electrifying his sax, playing a bit of piano, and even singing in a range of different styles. The best moments are those that kind of push the envelope technique-wise – operating with a... read more

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A nice little funk album from Eddie – one that shouldn't work, but does nicely, thanks to a unique approach to the groove! Eddie's still playing plenty of electric sax on the set – and is going for a sound here that's equal parts soul jazz, modal groove, and down and dirty funk! The... read more

We can never get enough of Eddie Harris – and a record like this is a great reason why! Despite all the many different settings Eddie worked in at Atlantic, he still always stayed true to his roots – and a record like this is a perfect example of that – no electric horn, no funk,... read more

Killer stuff – and an amazing album that not only showcases the varitone sax talents of Eddie Harris, but also features some fantastic arrangements by Chicago soul genius Charles Stepney! Harris plugs in right from the start – blowing an electric sax that comes up with some groovy... read more

A very interesting album from Eddie Harris – one that's more of a comedy album than a jazz record – honest! Most of the record features Eddie performing his own comedy material – pretty blue stuff with lots of bad-rapping and profanity – possibly trying to cash in on the... read more

An excellent album from Eddie Harris – whose love of the Varitone sax is pushed to the max here, as he gets funky and wild on a great batch of tracks! The record features some great bass work from Melvin Jackson, plus keyboards from Joe Zawinul and Eddie. Titles include "Silver... read more

One of the last Atlantic Eddie Harris albums! There's a nice mix of funk, straight jazz, and oddball groovers on the set – and players include Don Ellis and Paul Humphrey. Tracks include "Sallie's Theme", "Steps Up", "Brother Wardo", "One Man Section"... read more

A massive batch of funky soul jazz – the Second Movement (to the first album Swiss Movement) of the collaboration of Eddie Harris and Les McCann! The vibe here is even freer, and hipper, than on the first set – with a host of long tracks that have Les really working the Fender Rhodes... read more

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... read more

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Killer work from Freddie Hubbard – some key transitional sides for Atlantic Records, and easily some of his most soulful work ever! Freddie started out as a bopper on Blue Note, but then made a great shift at Atlantic – exploring space and sound in a really wonderful way, and opening... read more

A wonderful session of hip soul jazz tracks from Freddie Hubbard – mostly short tight and groovy, but played with a sophisticated style that points the way towards the soul jazz sound of the 70s. Soul Experiment is a fitting title – as Freddie works hard with hip players like Billy... read more

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Excellent late 50s work by Milt Jackson for Atlantic! Bags & Flutes is very much in the style of Milt's classic Savoy sides from the preceding couple of years – mixing together his jazzy vibes with light lilting solos on flute, either by Bobby Jaspar or Frank Wess, Milt's old compatriot... read more

A wonderful little record – a real standout in both the careers of Milt Jackson and Coleman Hawkins! The album captures Hawk during his great later years – that time when his sound was even more soulful and inventive than ever – with lots of odd modern undercurrents that really... read more

One of the great jazz sessions that Ray Charles cut towards the end of his years at Atlantic Records – a surprisingly great little album with vibist Milt Jackson! The set really shows a side of Milt that didn't always surface in the Modern Jazz Quartet – and Charles is surprisingly... read more

The soulful sax of Willis Jackson meets the Philly Soul mecca of Sigma Sound – and the result is a surprisingly wonderful album! Willis blows in the lead on all tracks, supported by legendary Sigma players – and the sound is a lush and sweetly soulful one, almost an instrumental... read more

Features work by Dave Remington, Max Hook, Marty Marsala, Doc Cenardo, Hal Carnes, and others.... read more

One of Elvin Jones' greatest records – a set that's quite different from both his work in the John Coltrane Quartet, and some of the powerhouse jazz sides he'd cut later as a solo act! The vibe here is a bit hard to describe, but it somehow comes together in the "midnight walk" of... read more

The third album in Margie Joseph's early 70s run for Atlantic Records – and like the rest, a batch of super-tight tunes arranged and produced by Arif Mardin – done with the same sense of sophisticated soul he was bringing to the work of Aretha Franklin at the time! Margie's nicely a... read more

Margie Joseph gets a hipper treatment than on earlier records – a mix of east coast styles that adds in some Philly and early modern mellow arrangements, both of which provide a great contrast to Margie's southern-tinged vocals! The approach here is great – a fulling up and fleshing... read more

The New York in the title is very apt – as the album's got a lot more soul, and a lot more solid club groove than some of Kano's other albums from the 80s! The overall feel is really great – moving along in a post-disco groove that's mostly based around spare rhythms, simple... read more

A great blend of older jazz styles and the sweet 70s funk of Robin Kenyatta – served up with a hip sort of sparkle overall! There's a few familiar jazz modes in here that definitely live up to the spirit of the title – but most of the record is more open, laidback, and somewhat... read more

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One of the heaviest early King Crimson albums – a set that really has the group taking off even more than before! The core is Fripp on guitars, John Wetton on bass and vocals, and Bill Bruford on drums – and titles include "Starless", "Providence", "One More... read more

A pretty dark little record from the waning mid 70s version of King Crimson – recorded on tour in the US by a quartet of David Cross, Bill Bruford, John Wetton, and Robert Fripp. The tracks are mostly live takes of tunes from earlier albums – "Easy Money", "21st Century... read more

Roland plays moody jazz versions of some of the biggest soul hits of the early 70's – including tracks like "What's Going On", "Mercy Mercy Me", and "Ain't No Sunshine" – plus some other nice originals which sum up his take on "blacknuss". Titles... read more

A great 70s album by Roland Kirk – one that features him working on a lot of short tracks, in a pretty crazy style! A number of the tracks feature Kirk's uniquely quirky reed style in full effect – often processed with added studio techniques, in a very nice way. And along side that... read more

Rahsaan Roland Kirk takes on "other folks music" – that is, a host of tunes penned by other jazz artists – but as you'd expect, there's a really personal feel to the record overall – one that definitely makes the music Kirk's own by the end of the set! The album's a bit... read more

Roland makes a nod towards tradition – as he seemed to be doing often in the later years of his life – and he welcomes the great Al Hibbler into the studio for a true "meeting of the times". Hibbler's one of our favorite vocalists from the early 50s, but mixing him with Kirk... read more

One of the hippest albums that Rahsaan Roland Kirk ever recorded – a perfect realization of his "black classical music" ethos, and a pan-generational jazz album that's all held together by one unique musical vision! Side one features the extended suite "The Seeker", which... read more

An undisputed classic – and a key turning point in the career of Roland Kirk! The set has Roland leading a large group of musicians through a haunting batch of complicated tracks that clearly illustrate his much-heralded concept of Black Classical Music – a mixture of jazz, older... read more

Our favorite album ever from Roland Kirk – and a beautiful mix of two different sides of his genius! Side one's got Roland doing these crazy takes on late 60's pop cuts like "My Cherie Amour" and "Say a Little Prayer", plus his own "songs", done with soulful... read more

Tight 80s soul from Kleeer – one of the group's standout classics, and a set that's produced with kind of a jazzy finish by Deodato, who also plays some nice keyboards on the record! The Kleeer sound is at its height here – tight, warm, and filled with great harmonies on the vocals... read more

A spacious mid 70s set from Yusef Lateef – with some numbers showing his more soaringly spiritual bent – and others hewing towards a more bluesy or loosely funky vein. Tracked live in San Francisco, some numbers were later augmented with overdubbed strings and vocals – there's... read more

One of our favorite Atlantic albums by the great Yusef Lateef – an incredible session that has him dipping back into his earlier exotic roots, yet still hitting the sweeter soulful groove of some of his other Atlantic sides! The sound is tremendous – wonderfully righteous, at a level... read more

A soulful late 60s outing for Brother Yusef – one of his first, and one of his best, albums for Atlantic! Despite the misleading title, this isn't really the "complete" Yusef Lateef (it would have to be a 50 LP set for that!) – but the record is a nice slice of Yusef's... read more

One of the best of Yusef's Atlantic recordings, and one that offers a mix of his 2 different sides – his older spiritualist one, and his newer funkier one. Includes the tight groover "Live Humble", with nice conga work by Ray Barretto, plus the extended "Chandra" and... read more

One of Yusef Lateef's funkier albums for Atlantic – and a record that features some great keyboard work from Kenny Barron! The liner notes indicate a current Lateef fascination with rhythm, and it tries to present this fascination in a way that implies a bigger intellectual approach to the... read more

One of Yusef Lateef's funkier albums for Atlantic – and a record that features some great keyboard work from Kenny Barron! The liner notes indicate a current Lateef fascination with rhythm, and it tries to present this fascination in a way that implies a bigger intellectual approach to the... read more

A moody set of 70s work from Yusef – proof that he was always trying to push his bag, and a good attempt to bridge his earlier exotic work and his later high concept compositions. Some of this material is spare and thoughtful, while other tracks are trying for sort of a 70's electric funk... read more

One of Yusef Lateef's more ambitious albums for Atlantic – kind of a "history of jazz" in styles and expressions, performed with a large set of players that runs the gamut of talents available at the time – all of whom come together strongly under Lateef's greater vision! The... read more

A groundbreaking set from Yusef Lateef – one that mixes together a number of different soul jazz styles! In a way, Atlantic records tried to handle Yusef Lateef in the same way they did Roland Kirk – by creating recordings that either let him express himself strongly as an arch-modernis... read more

A great little set of Latin jazz – and one of the strongest albums ever from flute man Hubert Laws! At the time of this recording, Laws was playing with Mongo Santamaria's group – and for this second solo outing, he borrows a lot of grooves from Mongo's bag – and also hits a few... read more

A wicked mix of Latin influences, mod sounds, and 60s soul jazz – all set up beautifully to showcase the flute of a young Hubert Laws! The album's got a nice little bounce right from the start – with some traces of Atlantic soul elements – but it soon moves into some of the more... read more

Donal Leace was one of a few hip soul acts that Roberta Flack brought to Atlantic during her strongest period with the label – and he's a soulful folk singer whose work reminds us of certain folksy moments on Flack's first few albums. There's less of a Terry Callier sound than a Tim Hardin... read more

Led Zeppelin's final album of the 70s! The band was conscious as ever of modern studio sounds by the this point – and they find a way to deliver their hard blues-inspired heavy rock with some new wave synth and other late 70s touches. It works pretty well, and with songs as great as "Fo... read more

Hard rock perfected! It's around Led Zeppelin IV you can easily say that the group moved up from being incredibly great to flat-out legendary. On IV, they do a bit of what the did on each of the three preceding albums, but rather than starting to repeat themselves, they get better! Amazing. ... read more

An incredibly lovely later album from Peggy Lee – her first album for Atlantic, and proof that she was still growing tremendously as an artist, well into the 70s! The record's title track was a tune written for Peggy by Paul McCartney, who also produced the number for the record – and... read more

A very unusual little record, cut at the height of fame for the team of Jerry Lieber and Mike Stoller! The session's a rare jazz one from the duo – put together to feature different versions of tunes they'd been penning for acts on Atlantic and some of the other big labels of the late 50s. ... read more

Way more than just "abstractions" – as the set's a very focused batch of some of the larger ideas that John Lewis had about jazz – explored beautifully here away from the Modern Jazz Quartet! The album has Lewis working with frequent partner – and fellow third stream... read more

One of the strongest sessions recorded by pianist John Lewis in the 50s – a date that shows depths of his talents that run even greater than his work with the Modern Jazz Quartet, quite possibly because is work on piano is at the forefront of the record throughout! There's a sense of... read more

As the title implies, Lewis takes eight different styles of boogie-woogie, including his own, and gives the listener his interpretation of the styles via piano. Tracks include "Pinetop's Boogie", "Cow Cow Blues", "Yancey Special", "Mr. Freddie Blues", "S... read more

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Overseas excursions from the Charles Lloyd Quartet – a group who were already breaking down plenty of boundaries at home in the US! The lineup is a bit different than some of the other Lloyd sessions of the time, in that Cecil McBee is in the group on bass – adding in some wonderfully... read more

A famous album – but for good reason! The set's something of a landmark in spiritual jazz from the 60s – and it features a classic live performance from Charles Lloyd, recorded at the Monterey Jazz Festival – almost as a distillation and popularization of ideas that were brewing... read more

A great 60s moment not just for reedman Charles Lloyd, but also for pianist Keith Jarrett – who was a key part of Charles' group for a few years at the time – and who really opens up on this classic set! Tracks are long and very open – reaching in a spiritual sort of way with... read more

A classic batch of modal grooves from Charles Lloyd – recorded during the height of his mind-expanding years, with his famous quartet that included Keith Jarrett on piano and Jack DeJohnette on drums! The tracks are long and magical, done with that spiritual spiraling sound that Lloyd was... read more

A rare session of violin-led jazz – recorded for Atlantic Records in 1960! Harry Lookofsky may not be a famous name as a leader in jazz, but he scored strings for many pop and instrumental outings during the 60s – and he also has the distinction of being the father of one of the... read more

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Much cooler than you'd guess from the classical-sounding title – thanks to the fact that Roy Ayers plays vibes and Sonny Sharrock plays guitar – and the whole thing was arranged by William Fischer!... read more

A surprisingly great album from Herbie Mann – especially considering that it's based around a Broadway score! Don't let that aspect fool you, though, because the groove's all Latin all the way through – as most numbers feature Chick Corea on piano, stepping out nice and hard in a... read more

A sweet early 60s set by Herbie Mann! After cutting a very successful side at the Gate in 1962, Herbie returns with an even broader approach to the groove – working here with players that include Ahmed Abdul-Malik, Dave Pike, Ray Mantilla, and Ray Barretto, on a set of long tracks that have... read more

Herbie Mann rides his Memphis Underground approach over to London – where he grooves nicely in a similar jazz funk take on that scene's biggest tunes of the time! The set was recorded in the UK, and features hip help from an assortment of rockers – including Mick Taylor and Albert Lee... read more

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A wonderful 70s set from Herbie Mann – and one that features some heavy help from P&P maestro Patrick Adams! The album's more of an Adams-directed affair than the usual Herbie set – as Adams produced and arranged all the tracks, and really takes Mann in the direction of a hip late... read more

Like a number of his contemporaries recording jazz for Atlantic, Herbie had moved pretty firmly into a funky soul mode by the mid 70s – adding in lots of electric instrumentation and vocals to keep up with the success of some of the bigger-selling jazz albums of the time. Oddly, this... read more

Although Herbie and Joao are listed together in the artist credits together for the record, they don't really play together on the record – as did Joao and Stan Getz on their album together. Instead, they trade off tracks of bossa nova material, recorded with Jobim in Rio – Joao's by... read more

A wicked little solo set from one of Atlantic Records' hippest talents in the 70s! Arif Mardin's best known for his work supporting some of Atlantic's best soul starts – Aretha Franklin most famously, and a host of others – but here, he steps out as a maestro on his own – working... read more

We're always hard-pressed to define that certain something that makes Bruno Mars so great – that unusual quality that isn't quite soul, isn't quite pop, and which almost takes us back to some of our favorite crossover moments of the early 80s. Bruno's got this classic raspy voice, but... read more

A very hip record of vocal tracks – done in the same sort of spiritual soul style that Les introduced on Roberta Flack's first album, and which was also showing up on some of Donny Hathaway's work for Atlantic. While the record is not on of McCann's funkiest, it more than makes up for that... read more

Wild electric work from Les – and a real break from his work of the 60s! Side one of the album features a 26 minute fusion jam called "The Lovers" – filled with lots of breaks, grooves, and time changes – and played by a hip ensemble that includes Yusef Lateef, Cornell... read more

A groovy set of late 60s soul jazz piano tunes – played by Les McCann in a swinging style that pre-dates his 70s funk work – and which also features him playing in a strictly instrumental setting! The core of the material is by Les' trio with Leroy Vinnegar on bass – but most... read more

One of the best of Les McCann's 70s Atlantic recordings, and one that captures him with a lot of fire and funkiness – and none of the looser modes of other recordings from the time! Les sings on about half the cuts – but the focus is still quite strongly on his funky jazz, which makes... read more

A monster album that's gone onto influence a generation – but which was barely recognized at the time! Singer Eugene McDaniels had scored big with some pop hits in the 60s under the name Gene McDaniels – but here, he steps out in a righteous batch of offbeat funk tunes – filled... read more

Tight funky instrumentals from Brother Jack McDuff – an Atlantic groover that's probably closer to his late 60s gems for Cadet Records than it is his earlier work for Prestige! The solos are shorter, but they're packed nicely around the rhythms – played by a combo that features a young... read more

A monster record by Brother Jack McDuff, and one of his best-ever – in our humble opinion! At first glance, the album appears to be just a bunch of jazz covers of standards and pop tracks – like "Tobacco Road", "Shadow Of Your Smile", "This Bitter Earth",... read more

Arranged and produced by Arif Mardin – with tracks that include "Goodbye Joe", "I Love The Life I Live", "Carry That Weight", "Something", "I Want You", "More Today Than Yesterday", and "Just A Little Lovin".... read more

One of Sergio Mendes' most dreamy albums – quite different than both his vocal work with Brasil 66, and his smaller combo sides from Brazil! There's still a strong bossa component to the record – but the setting has Sergio's piano lines laid out over larger arrangements with a good... read more

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One of Mingus' classic sessions from the middle period – a legendary blending of jazz with bluesy gospel touches, in a mode that seemed to move away from the politics of some of the late 50s years, and open up his work to a whole new audience! The band is an all-star ensemble all the way... read more

Stunning stuff – and one of the greatest Charles Mingus albums of all time – a true treasure recorded in that magical year of 1957, when Mingus was finally finding his strongest voice in modern music! The album's near-perfect from start to finish – as bold a statement in jazz as... read more

One of the most enigmatic albums that Charles Mingus ever recorded – especially in his later years! The set features two very long tracks done by Mingus for use in a film about cocaine traffic between New York and Columbia – but considering the nature of the music, and the freely... read more