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One of the greatest albums ever from Lorez Alexandria -- an ultra-hip singer who recorded for Impulse and King, but who sounds especially wonderful on this rare date for Chess Records! The album's got a groove that definitely lives up to its title -- a jazzy, bouncy sort of rhythm that's... read more

Incredible work from the amazing Dorothy Ashby -- a brilliant set of funky and spiritual tunes, set to full backings from Chicago soul arranger Richard Evans! This album is easily one of Ashby's greatest, and it's dedicated to the writings of Omar Khayyam -- one of the forces guiding Dorothy's... read more

A fantastically soulful album from Jorge Ben -- one of his greatest records ever, and a key part of Brazilian music in the 70s! The album marks an earthier shift for Jorge -- a sound that's still rooted in the samba influences of the 60s, but which also takes on a bit more soul at the bottom --... read more

A samba soul masterpiece from Jorge Ben -- one of the most brilliant records to come out the fertile late 60s Brazilian scene -- and an incredible album that works with the psychedelic flourishes of Ben's contemporaries and a deeper undercurrent of soul & funk! This is one of the most amazing... read more

A mad mix of Latin and funky rhythms -- a 70s classic from the Belgian group Chakachas! The album's best known for its title hit "Jungle Fever" -- an insane cut that features heavy drums, choppy guitar, and a stop/start action that's peppered with sounds of female pleasure! The track... read more

A funky masterpiece from Bill Cosby -- hardly the sort of record you might expect from all of his years on mainstream TV! This set was cut back when Bill was a much hipper cat on the LA scene -- and it was the start of a brief all-instrumental run with his Badfoot Brown ensemble -- a group who's... read more

Heady heady work from the legendary Gal Costa -- caught here right at her early best, smack dab in the middle of the Tropicalia years! The album's one of Gal's legendary collaborations with arranger Rogerio Duprat -- and it's very much in the spirit of her other incredible session from 1969, but... read more

Forget Dionne Warwick, and think Burt Bacharach -- because on this sublime little set, The Dells are singing some of Burt's greatest tunes ever -- all set to impeccable arrangements by the legendary Charles Stepney! The album's more wonderful than you might even expect -- a true high point in the... read more

One of our favorite albums of all times -- and a legendary testament to the greatness of the Chicago music scene in the late 60s! Melvin Jackson was the bassist in Eddie Harris' very successful group of the time -- and his playing on Eddie's trippy and funky records for Atlantic is one of the... read more

A fantastic album of spacey soul! We know very little about Samuel Jonathan Johnson, but he's a great keyboard player who had a jazzy conception similar to Roy Ayers or Norman Connors -- very cosmic, yet also soulful -- working in a brilliant blend of fusion and soul that really sends us over the... read more

One of our favorite-ever keyboard albums -- a rare lost session from pianist Pete Jolly -- one of his only electric dates, and a completely improvised set of grooves! Pete plays electric piano, organ, and even a bit of musette -- jamming in the studio with help from Chuck Berhofer on bass, Paul... read more

An incredible album of Latin funk -- the only-ever record from this west coast combo headed by the legendary Benny Velarde! Benny's a name that you might recognize from earlier, straighter Latin dates for Fantasy -- or for countless studio work during the 70s -- but here, he's really got a talent... read more

Tremendous work from the legendary Prince Lasha -- a rare UK-only date from 1966 -- and one that has the reedman working away from more familiar contemporaries like Sonny Simmons and Eric Dolphy! The approach on this session is very unique -- as Lasha includes harp with the instrumentation, played... read more

Fuzzy, funky genius from the great Jack McDuff -- a killer late 60s set done for Chess Records, and one that mixes his own searing Hammond with wicked arrangements from the mighty Richard Evans! Given Evans' background in the Chicago soul scene, there's a gritty groove here you don't get on some... read more

The amazing debut of Ronnie McNeir -- a 70s soul maestro we'd rank right up there with Donny Hathaway, Leroy Hutson, or Leon Ware -- but one who's possibly even more impressive, given that he cut this record when he was only 22 years old! The album's quite heavy on keyboards -- played by Ronnie... read more

One of the greatest Northern Soul albums ever -- completely great all the way through, and filled with songs that have been burning up dancefloors for years! The vocals are incredible -- soaring harmonies that hold together perfectly, even when the grooves are hard and heavy -- and the... read more

A masterpiece of hard and heavy funk -- from one of the best bands of the early 70s! The Nite Liters were a legendary funky combo that provided the backing for some of New Birth's best albums -- but on their own, they were even funkier, and had a sound that was part JBs, part Meters, and all funky!... read more

Funky magic from maestro Johnny Pate -- a record that's very much in the same spirit as his blacksploitation soundtracks for Shaft In Africa or Brother On The Run! The style here is quite similar -- full orchestrations, scored by Johnny with an all-soul feel -- and played by a crack lineup of jazz... read more

Amazing soul from Chess Records -- and an album that almost feels like some lost small-label soul set, or a batch of rare funky 45s! Shades Of Brown are an ultra-hip male group from Chicago -- a quartet of singers with the range and depth of The Temptations or Dells at their best, supported by a... read more

An amazing record -- bold, proud, and soulful -- a set that we'd easily rank with any classic early 60s session on Blue Note -- and for good reason too! This rare date is the debut as a leader for trumpeter Gene Shaw -- also known as Clarence Shaw in an earlier history of work with Charles Mingus -... read more

Monster funk from Hammond hero Reuben Wilson -- an album of hard-burning, bad-walking tunes that are a fair bit different than most of his other work! Although Wilson recorded some pretty traditional organ jazz for the Blue Note and Groove Merchant labels, this album has him working with his "... read more

Majestic music from the mighty Popcorn Wylie -- the Detroit soul legend best known for his work in the 60s, but an artist who really shines on this rare 70s set for ABC! The album was done during the same stretch as Lamont Dozier's ABC work -- and like those records, this set features killer... read more