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Aretha Arrives in great style – and a mixture between her earlier vocal jazz years at Columbia, and her later southern soul sides of the 60s! Arif Mardin is already arranging Aretha's work at this point, and the backing group includes southern soul studio giants like Spooner Oldham, Tommy... read more

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One of Aretha's undisputed classics – a seminal session that furthered her deep soul agenda with key backings from Arif Mardin and Tom Dowd! The Sweet Inspirations provide sublime backing vocals behind Franklin's maturing delivery of the lyrics – and the music is by an all-star group... read more

Aretha Franklin and electric piano – a really great combination that makes for a whole new level of soulfulness in the 70s! The album's one of Franklin's greatest of the decade – a deepening of the sound she first brought to Atlantic in the 60s, and a maturation of that groove –... read more

About as classic as you can get for Aretha Franklin – a wonderful package that features 5 full albums for Atlantic Records – each packaged in a tiny LP-styled sleeve that reproduces the original cover! The work here is the stuff of legend – that key point when Franklin really got... read more

A classic 70s soul soundtrack – and a dream of a combination! Curtis Mayfield wrote the soundtrack and produced the album – and the result is a killer batch of 70s soul tracks that matches Aretha's strong vocals with the hip Curtom sound of Chicago! Aretha was still doing pretty well... read more

One of Aretha's sadly overlooked 70s gems – a great little session produced by Lamont Dozier, with a mix of smooth soul, driving rhythms, and just the right amount of rough edges to keep things real, very much in the tone of Lamont's own strong work for the ABC label at the same time. Lamont... read more

Given that Atlantic's big claim to fame with Aretha was that they took her from being a supper club jazz singer and made her a hard soul act, we've always been a bit surprised at the way they chose to hook her up with some Bacharach tunes after her first few sides – giving her a classier... read more

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Mellow sexy Aretha – with warm arrangements by Arif Mardin, and plenty of nice electric piano by the great Richard Tee. Includes a great version of Stevie Wonder's "I Love Every Little Thing About You", plus the tracks "You Move Me", "You'll Never Get To Heaven"... read more

A beautiful album that perfectly mixes both sides of Aretha – the earlier hard-hitting soulster, and the developing vocalist with a rich talent for more sophisticated material. The album features the anthemic title cut in Aretha's famous version – plus the sample favorite "Rock... read more

One of Aretha's best! There's a massive old school break on the intro to "Rock Steady" – but even without that bit, the song's a real winner – ripping along with massive soulful grooves! "Don't Play that Song" is one of her better mellow tunes too!... read more

Incredible work from Michael Franks – his first five albums for Warner Brothers, all packaged together in one sweet little set! At this point in his career, Franks is almost a whole genre unto itself, one that sets a whole new tone for the male voice in American music! The style here is... read more

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The lasting testament of trumpeter Tony Fruscella – a great talent whose powers only flourished briefly on vinyl, and never so brightly as on this LP! The set's a well-composed one – gently grooving numbers arranged and written by Phil Sunkel, played by Tony and a group that includes... read more

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Titles include "Illegal Alien", "Taking It All Too Hard", "It's Gonna Get Better", "Home By The Sea", "That's All", and "Mama".... read more

Songs from Wind & Wuthering sessions – recorded in 1977 before guitarist Steve Hackett's departure.... read more

A later and lesser-known set from Dizzy Gillespie – and a real departure both from his bop of the 40s and his funk of the 70s! The album's got Dizzy working in a more modern soul-influenced setting – blowing over larger electric-tinged backings arranged by Kenny Kirkland, Marcus Miller... read more

An amazing record by Jimmy Giuffre – one that he uses to replicate the "4 Brothers Sound" of the years when he played with Woody Herman as one of a group of four saxophonists blowing together – but done here by Jimmy himself on all 4 horns, using early overdubbing techniques... read more

Beautiful work from Jimmy Giuffre – and a key album in the development of his spare sound of the late 50s! The record features Jimmy on clarinet – as you'd guess by the title – but this is no hokey set of Benny Goodman or Buddy DeFranco-type tunes. Instead, Giuffre's using the... read more

One of countless late 50s albums cut in the "Jazz meets Broadway" trend (Jimmy and group play tunes from Meredith Wilson's score to The Music Man) – many of which are better than you might think! This one features Giuffre working in slightly larger groups than usual for the time... read more

One of countless late 50s albums cut in the "Jazz meets Broadway" trend (Jimmy and group play tunes from Meredith Wilson's score to The Music Man) – many of which are better than you might think! This one features Giuffre working in slightly larger groups than usual for the time... read more

One of the most sublime Jimmy Giuffre albums of all time – and a perfect realization of his piano-less/bass-less trio style! The approach here is really revolutionary, especially for the time – as the group simply features Bob Brookmeyer on trombone, Jim Hall on guitar, and Giuffre on... read more

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A sweet little club track put together by the great Vince Montana – and lifted from the one and only Goody Goody album on Atlantic! The cut's offered here in a disco mixed vocal version, plus a nifty instrumental, which features Montana's vibes, and a lot of soulful sax soloing!... read more

One of the warmer Steve Grossman albums of the 70s – a set that moves away from some of the sharper fusion of his indie label sets, but which still has plenty of fire in Steve's horn! Grossman plays tenor and soprano, and the styles range from soul-fusion groovers, to propulsive jazz jammers... read more

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Quite a rare set from this important Swedish player – one recorded in Sweden by Metronome, but issued here in the US on the short-lived East-West imprint of Atlantic. The tracks all feature Gullin on baritone sax – in a variety of settings that range through quartet, quintet, sextet,... read more

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

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The explosion in the title is definitely well-placed – as trombonist Slide Hampton makes his group groove with a tremendous amount of power here – all horns focused strongly on the rhythms, which themselves are wonderfully soulful! As with some of Hampton's best from the time, there's... read more

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

Sanctified, indeed – and just the kind of record to show why Slide Hampton was unlike any of his trombone-playing contemporaries! The set's got a tightness and punch that's really unique – not the compact quality of JJ Johnson and Kai Winding, but also not the hardbop of Curtis Fuller... 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

Fantastic work from one of the most unique talents in jazz! Rufus Harley plays bagpipes – yes, that's right, bagpipes – in a modal Coltrane-esque way that's simply got to be heard to be believed. He uses the drone capability of the instrument to explore reed patterns in the same way... read more

One of the wildest jazz albums ever recorded for Atlantic! Rufus plays amazingly soulful jazz lines on bagpipes (no kidding, he's really great, and as he points out, the instrument's of African origin originally, and not just Scottish), plus he also proves that he's a monster talent on other... 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 super-long batch of messed-up funky jazz from Eddie Harris! The record's got Eddie working all aspects of the electric sax – in a similar style to some of his other work on the best Atlantic albums of the 70s (like Instant Death of Plug It In) – and the group features a shifting cast... read more

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

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

2 hip ones from Eddie's groundbreaking early 70s years! After already proving himself as a soul jazz giant during the 60s, Eddie's work of the early 70s pushed all the envelopes – taking funky jazz to a whole new level with a number of interesting experiments and techniques. You'll hear... read more

A 60s classic from the great Eddie Harris – and proof that his move to Atlantic Records was a very good thing! There's a punch here that Harris didn't have in his earlier sides for Vee Jay – a bite that shows an even stronger focus than before – a willingness to mix soulful... 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

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

A warm set of soulful 60s numbers from Eddie Harris – almost a ballad album at times, but with a groovier feel overall! The album features a great group that has Harris on acoustic tenor or Varitone sax – warmed up by the piano of Cedar Walton, bass of Ron Carter, and drums of Bobby... 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

One of the best 70s mellow soul talents at Atlantic Records – sounding completely sublime here in a full set of Philly arrangements! The set was recorded at Sigma Sound – and is a great reminder that even during the disco years, the studio was still a great place to cut a heartbreaking... read more

One of the best albums ever by this legendary Chicago soul star! The album's masterful blend of spiritual soul tracks that plumb the depths of Donny's dark soul – done with a level of sophistication that you won't hear in other soul albums from the time! Classic cuts include "A Song... read more

Massively beautiful work from the great Donny Hathaway! After two studio albums that had firmly put him on the map as one of the 70s best soul talents, Atco had the genius to have Donny record this live album before very enthusiastic crowds in Hollywood and New York. The result is one of the best... read more

Japanese reissue of Donny's beautiful live album, and the one that really lets you hear him opening up, both vocally and instrumentally. Recorded in Hollywood and New York, with a tight little band, and great extended versions of "The Ghetto" and "Voices Inside (Everything Is... read more

Perhaps Donny Hathaway's greatest album from the 70s, and certainly the one with the most amazing arrangements! The record was Donny's last studio session, and it's got him working at a level that's far advanced from even his groundbreaking earlier work – using complicated rhythms and... read more

Previously unreleased Donny Hathaway at Atlantic! A cover of Addrissi & Addrissi’s "Never My Love" plus the Hathaway original "Memories Of Love".... read more

One of the greatest albums ever from the mighty Al Hibbler – a record that's filled with subtle power and deeper soul – and which really has Al working at the height of his vocal talents! Although Hibbler recorded often before this in the 50s, this session seems to have a specially... 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

One of Freddie Hubbard's greatest records – a soaring bit of soulful modernism that's almost a precursor to 70s sounds on record labels like Black Jazz or Strata East! Freddie's at his early best here – stepping aside from some of the more serious Blue Note modes, and definitely... read more

One of Freddie Hubbard's greatest records – a soaring bit of soulful modernism that's almost a precursor to 70s sounds on record labels like Black Jazz or Strata East! Freddie's at his early best here – stepping aside from some of the more serious Blue Note modes, and definitely... read more

A totally fantastic set from the turn of the 70s, and one of Freddie Hubbard's most soulful, spiritual albums ever – a seminal chapter in the evolution of soul jazz – and a record that was a keen inspiration for changes to come on labels like Strata East and Black Jazz! The group here... read more

One of Freddie Hubbard's wildest records ever – a really unique experiment with electronics, and a set that sounds way different than his other albums for Atlantic, Blue Note, or CTI! The key factor here is experimentalist Ilhan Mimaroglu – who adds lots of electronics and processed... read more

One of Freddie Hubbard's wildest records ever – a really unique experiment with electronics, and a set that sounds way different than his other albums for Atlantic, Blue Note, or CTI! The key factor here is experimentalist Ilhan Mimaroglu – who adds lots of electronics and processed... 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

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

Seminal work from the great Ivory Joe Hunter – an artist who went onto have a huge impact on the development of music well into the 70s, but who doesn't always get his due! Joe's got a really amazing way of weaving together different strands of music – jazz, blues, and R&B –... read more

Probably the best-ever album by this obscure bluesy singer from Chicago! Jimmy Giuffre handled the arrangements, and the record has a bit more polish than some of her other albums. The tracks feature some very nice jazzy arrangements – with Jim Hall on guitar, Jimmy Jones on piano, and... read more

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Great stuff from one of our favorite soul vocalists of the 60s! We love Deon Jackson – we love his sweetly honest vocal style, we love his songs, and we love the great production he gets from the legendary Ollie McLaughlin! This album is the only one he ever cut – and it's a... 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

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

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

The groovy combo The Jazz Modes were one of the 50's strangest groups – but their work is always entertaining, and a lot more filled with soul than you'd expect! The band is fronted by French horn player Julius Watkins and saxophonist Charlie Rouse – and Rouse's pre-Monk tenor is nice... read more

A sweet early date as a leader from Elvin Jones – one that has him working strongly away from a John Coltrane setting, with some hip arrangements by Melba Liston! Elvin brings in some excellent accompaniment from two other Joneses as well – Thad on cornet and Hank on piano – both... 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

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

A stunner! Philly Joe's Beat is a beautiful bit of modernist hardbop by the drummer. Philly Joe pounds away with his usual clarity and groove, but the real treat is an unexpected appearance by the great Bill Barron, who plays tenor on the session. Barron's tenor is amazingly precise, and filled... read more

A stunner of an album – and one that definitely draws plenty power from the double drummers in the lead! The set's way different than most of Elvin Jones' other work of the time – and is even more hard-hitting than some of the Philly Joe Jones sessions too – and, unusual for... read more

An odd little album from tenorist Clifford Jordan – but a great one too, given the unique format! As the title implies, Cliff pays tribute to Leadbelly – handling a host of Huddie Ledbetter originals, but in a style that's kind of 60s soul jazz, with a bit of blues as well – one... read more

Margie Joseph's working here with 70s smooth soul maestro Johnny Bristol – and the resulting album is every bit as great as Bristol's own work from the time! Johnny's in perfect form here – coming up with those slightly funky, slightly polished backings that were his best stock in... read more

Margie Joseph's working here with 70s smooth soul maestro Johnny Bristol – and the resulting album is every bit as great as Bristol's own work from the time! Johnny's in perfect form here – coming up with those slightly funky, slightly polished backings that were his best stock in... 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

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

The first Atlantic album from Margie Joseph – a great second generation southern soul singer who really helped the label find a new sound in the 70s! Margie got her start on Stax, but she sounds even better here – a bit more mature, slightly more urban, and backed with a bad-walking... read more

The first Atlantic album from Margie Joseph – a great second generation southern soul singer who really helped the label find a new sound in the 70s! Margie got her start on Stax, but she sounds even better here – a bit more mature, slightly more urban, and backed with a bad-walking... read more