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The complete Columbia recordings by vocalist Bessie Smith – an insane amount of material recorded in the decade between 1923 and 1933 – all music that went on to have a huge impact on the growth of jazz and blues for decades to come! This comprehensive package brings together all the... read more

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A beautiful album of smooth mellow jazzy grooves – and one that proves that Lonnie was still always great, even when he was getting the more mainstream production treatment. The record is similar to ones cut by other older jazz funk keyboardists at the time – like Ramsey Lewis or... read more

Wonderfully warm work from the late 70s years of Lonnie Liston Smith – material from his key stretch a Columbia Records, a time when he'd really learned to tighten up his groove a bit from earlier years, yet still keep all the deeper soul intact! The set kicks off with Song For The Children... read more

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Pretty darn great work from OC Smith – on of his biggest albums for Columbia! OC's working in a country soul mode that draws on a tradition shared by Solomon Burke, Joe Tex, Ray Charles, and others – turning the genre towards a more pop-driven version of country, the kind that was... read more

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A 70s classic from Phoebe Snow – one of those records that it seemed like everybody had to own back in the day – and for good reason! Phoebe's vocals are wonderful – laidback, but inflected with plenty of personality – at times kind of hovering in a 70s space between Minnie... read more

An almost all-jazz release by Soft Machine – and a tasty bit of proggish tunes with a spare electric modal groove. Robert Wyatt's still on drums, and the rest of the group features Hugh Hopper on bass, Mike Ratledge on organ and piano, and Elton Dean on saxes. Titles include "Teeth"... read more

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Massive massive work from Starship Orchestra – a trio of talents from the Norman Connors universe, but one who get some heavy help in the studio from arrangers Bobby Lyle, McKinley Jackson, and Jerry Peters! There's a real Aquarian Dream sound at play here – all the best energy of... read more

One of Jeremy Steig's earliest albums – less funky than some of his later work, but still a darn great album, with a much more soulful sound than you'd expect. Part of this has to do with the rhythm section of Ben Tucker on bass and Ben Riley on drums – both of whom put a nice kick in... read more

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Solo Stephen Stills on Columbia – with titles that include "The Loner", "Soldier", "Different Tongues", "Stateline Blues", "No Me Niegas", and "Ring Of Love".... read more

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A wonderful tribute to the 100th anniversary of Igor Stravinsky's Le Sacre Du Printemps – a set that features 10 different recordings of the classic composition – each packaged in a different vintage-styled sleeve! The set features two recordings conducted by Stravinsky himself –... read more

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Several explorations of a theme by Electronic virtuoso Subotnick, programmed according to graphic scores on an early analog synthesizer/sequencer.... read more

A true jazz treasure from the 60s – as if you couldn't guess that already from the cover! The album's a really rare one from trumpeter and reedman Idrees Sulieman – a player who shone strongly on Prestige Records in the late 50s – then made the trip overseas, where he became a... read more

A true jazz treasure from the 60s – as if you couldn't guess that already from the cover! The album's a really rare one from trumpeter and reedman Idrees Sulieman – a player who shone strongly on Prestige Records in the late 50s – then made the trip overseas, where he became a... read more

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Great waves of sound here from Surface – a set that has the trio sounding even tighter and more fluid than ever – perfectly blending midtempo rhythms with their warm and sweet harmony vocals! The vibe's a bit classier than the usual mellow soul of the time – almost with a jazzy... read more

A mellow soul stunner from the mid 80s – the classic debut of Surface, a trio who bring a lot of warm jazzy elements into their unique brand of quiet storm grooves! There's a careful sense of class to the record right from the start – no easygoing commercial ballads, and instead a more... read more

A mellow soul stunner from the mid 80s – the classic debut of Surface, a trio who bring a lot of warm jazzy elements into their unique brand of quiet storm grooves! There's a careful sense of class to the record right from the start – no easygoing commercial ballads, and instead a more... read more

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Loads of great keyboards here from Hiromasa Suzuki – working in a mode that's somewhere between earlier funky jazz, and the tighter Japanese fusion of the late 70s! The style here is never too smooth, yet Suzuki really manages to blend some great elements together – his own keys, lots... read more

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A landmark album from Johnnie Taylor – a set that not only gave his career a giant boost, but which also helped shift southern soul into hip new territory in the late 70s! The music's a great change from Taylor's previous work at Stax – and the set features warm production from Don... read more

A landmark album from Johnnie Taylor – a set that not only gave his career a giant boost, but which also helped shift southern soul into hip new territory in the late 70s! The music's a great change from Taylor's previous work at Stax – and the set features warm production from Don... read more

A sweet set from Johnnie Taylor's late 70s run on Columbia Records – and a set with a definite groove for the dancefloors! The album' was recorded in Detroit, and features some sparkling production from Don Davis – very much in that Detroit-into-disco mode that Davis was pushing... read more

A massive double header – two great albums back to back! Rated Extraordinaire is our favorite album ever from Johnnie Taylor – an incredible set from the late 70s that really has Taylor reinventing his sound – and coming across as a great talent for a mellow groove! The album... read more

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After leaving Island and moving onto Columbia, Third World got a bit more slick, and continued to work a reggae/pop/soul groove. This record's not a bad one, in fact, it's a pretty respectable crossover effort. Stevie Wonder collaborated with the group on the 2 best tracks, "Try Jah... read more

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The biggest hit of their prolific career, and the historic meeting of Memphis kingpins 8-Ball & MJG and the Triple Six. A feel good song for almost any occasion.... read more

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Billed on the cover as "the big operation for 16 channels", this cooker from the Tokyo Cuban Boys really gives the sound spectrum a run for its money – taking the group's previous Latin vibe, and inflecting it with a good dose of 70s funk in the process! The album's a live one, but... read more

A landmark album from one of the greatest European pianists ever! Stan Tracey first made his mark in the Brit bop scene of the late 50s – breaking out with a fresh style that was infused with modern touches of Monk and Tristano – certainly some of the most striking on his side of the... read more

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Michal Urbaniak's third Fusion set for Columbia – very fittingly titled, considering what a huge influence his playing had on the genre! The album's a very tight batch of groovers – soaring and spacious, but never overindulgent – sometimes featuring scatting vocals by wife... read more

Sweet and moody flute work from Thijs Van Leer – best known as the flute player with Focus! The album's got Thijs playing over very sweet and spare orchestrations – often in a classical-tinged mode, but with some of the moodier, more atmospheric feel of European flute work of the time.... read more

Early groovy goofy accordion stuff, with a good mix of vibes, guitar, and squeezebox. The tracks are short, as short as on the rest of Art Van D's other Columbia stuff from this period, but the sound is classic Van Damme, if you go for that kind of thing.... read more

Way more than just a simple collection of work by Luther Vandross – as this one definitely lives up to the "love" in the title, and spreads it around with a massive amount of work that shows the true depths of Luther's talents! In addition to some hits and favorites, the set also... read more

Nothing secret about Luther Vandross at this point in his career – as the album's part of his huge mainstream run in the 90s – with a strongly crossover sound to match! At points, the record verges on adult contemporary themes and backings – but Luther's vocals remain solidly... read more

The album that really put Sarah Vaughan on the map – a killer set that really showed how sultry jazz vocals could sound in the postwar years – never overtone, nor torchy-cliched – but right on the money, with a sense of grace and poise that few others can match – even after... read more

One of Sarah's few albums for Columbia – and quite possibly the best, thanks to some great small group backing, heard on 8 of the album's 12 tunes! The group's a really great one – with Miles Davis on trumpet, Benny Green on trombone, Buddy Johnson on tenor, Tony Scott on clarinet,... read more

One of Sarah's few albums for Columbia – and quite possibly the best, thanks to some great small group backing, heard on 8 of the album's 12 tunes! The group's a really great one – with Miles Davis on trumpet, Benny Green on trombone, Buddy Johnson on tenor, Tony Scott on clarinet,... read more

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A great early and slightly obscure album from Argentine pianist Enrique Villegas – recorded in New York in the mid 50s, with bass by Milt Hinton and drums from Cozy Cole! Villegas' approach to the keys is very rhythmic and a little bit pyrotechnic at times – almost inspired a bit by... read more

Heavy material from Enrique Villegas – recorded in New York in the mid 50s, with bass by Milt Hinton and drums from Cozy Cole! Villegas' approach to the keys is very rhythmic and a little bit pyrotechnic at times – almost inspired a bit by the Garner generation of Americans, but also... read more

A strange cover, but a mighty soulful set from Waldo – a really cool Columbia Records soul group with Tyrone Lester and James Brown on vocals, plus some sweet keyboards from Calvin Brunson too! The sound is tight, with the keyboards and basslines really setting the groove – with some... read more

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A long-overdue reissue – both of Cedar Walton's fusion albums for Columbia – back to back on a single CD! Animation is one of Cedar Walton's mid 70s funky jazz efforts – acoustic keys often traded for electric piano, grooving with a funky bigger band, almost in a Ramsey Lewis... read more

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Grover Washington Jr's first few albums for Columbia – Strawberry Moon, Then & Now and Time Out Of Mind – together in a 2CD set! Strawberry Moon has a number of laidback groovers, with some solid Washington originals such as the title track and some sweet covers. BB King plays and... read more

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A funky fusion classic from guitarist Wah Wah Watson – his only album as a leader, despite countless appearances as a sideman on 70s soul, jazz, and pop sessions! The album's got a really wonderful sort of west coast groove – one that takes bits of spacey fusion, bassy funk, and... read more

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Before Martha Wash went on to success cutting vocals on soulful house numbers, she was one half of the Paul Jabara produced pop disco duo the Weather Girls. This album was probably their most successful, with the hit "It's Raining Men", plus "I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Outa My... read more

6 classics from Weather Report – presented in cool tiny LP-sleeve covers! First up is the original Weather Report album from 1971 – a massive session that took fusion to a whole new level for the 70s! Most of the players here had been associated with Miles Davis at some point in the... read more

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Beautiful early work from Weather Report – one of the finest statements ever uttered by group, and a set that's got a bit more soul and warmth than their first album! The lineup's changed slightly at this point – still Wayne Shorter on reeds, Joe Zawinul on keyboards, and Miroslav... read more

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A new sense of focus in the Weather Report sound – that building, soaring groove that would become the group's trademark in the mid 70s – offered up here in one of it's first and finest examples! The approach is one to describe accurately on paper – but which is instantly... read more

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One of our favorite albums ever from Weather Report – an album that has them picking up a bit more soul than before, and shaking off some of the experimental sounds of their roots – yet all in a way that still makes them one of the most revolutionary fusion combos of the time! There's... read more

A beautiful title for a beautiful little record – one that really does have Weather Report spinning out musical tales in sound – with a free-flowing and soulful sense of energy! The groove's definitely tighter than the earlier years, but it's never slick – and Joe Zawinul handled... read more

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