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An album on Muse, but one with the same hip grooves as Walter Bishop's excellent work on the Black Jazz label! Like those gems, this set features Bishop working on Fender Rhodes – hitting a groove we never would have expected in the old days, and really going for a style that's at the... read more

Fantastic funk from the Italian scene – penned for a cop movie that was also known over here as The Hired Gun! The style here is even more of a cut above than usual for Italian crime – really on a par with the best American work of the period, particularly some of the extra-hip stuff... read more

A pair of Italian comedy soundtracks – both put together with a very unique feel! The scores on both sets is by the trio of Franco Bixio, Fabio Frizzi, and Vince Tempera – well known from edgier work on other soundtracks – but coming across here with some really unusual elements... read more

Biz's last album for Cold Chillin', before semi-retiring from the scene for a couple of years. As you'd guess from the title, the Biz is smarting a bit from the brouhaha over "Alone Again", but the album's still filled with his typical madness, which to us, is a good thing! 12 tracks in... read more

Biz's second LP from 1989 – what can we tell you about the Biz that you don't already know? As far as we're concerned there's a lot of MC's that could learn a lesson or two from the Biz, and producers too. Good time middle school hip hop, with nice sample based production and a great sense... read more

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One of the earliest albums on Hi Records – and a full set of heavy instrumentals from the Bill Black Combo! The groove is more R&B than Memphis soul – and is especially heavy on the sorts of rolling rhythms you'd hear from New Orleans – a sound that had obviously filtered... read more

A great focus for the Bill Black Combo – an album of bluesy tunes that seem to bring out a bit more soul than usual in their music – at least for this time in the group's history! Many of the numbers are older tracks that fall into the category of crossover blues – tunes played... read more

A whole set of rocking instrumentals from the Bill Black Combo – their own Memphis instrumental versions of tunes recorded by Chuck Berry at Chess – served up in the group's trademark blend of guitar, organ, and tenor sax! There's a bit more guitar than usual on some of the cuts –... read more

Bill Black and his classic combo – but with a sound that's a lot more Stax Records than usual! The grooves are gritty right from the get-go – no surprise, given that the back cover notes begin with an anecdotal definition of funk – one that Black and his group clearly seem to... read more

Classic work by one of our favorite pop singers ever – the full-voiced Cilla Black, a vocalist we'd trade for Petula Clark or Dusty Springfield in a minute! During the 60s, Cilla was working in a strongly Bacharach-influenced mode – a style that picked up a lot of uptown touches from... read more

One of the earliest albums on Arhoolie Records – an amazing document of steel guitar bluesman Black Ace! Ace plays just like he sits on the cover – really leaning into the instrument in ways that bring out all these cool, deep inflections – completely hypnotizing on their own,... read more

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New grooves, but with an older dancefloor style – recorded here in a sound that's got lots of the dark electronics that showed up on the European scene in the early 80s! At many levels, this record is one that could have played big in the clubs in Berlin or Manchester, circa 1983 – as... read more

A great little follow-up to the first Black Devil album – a dubbier take on some of the same tunes, served up in a way that's almost more compelling than the original! As before, there's a real early 80s groove going on here – a style that's somewhere between UK post punk electronica,... read more

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Produced by Premier.... read more

A searing debut from Black Heat – one of the best funk acts to record for Atlantic during the 70s, and a tight little group with a sound that's a mixture of New Orleans funk and New York heavy! The album's got a bit of vocals – figuring in on about half the tracks – but the main... read more

A searing debut from Black Heat – one of the best funk acts to record for Atlantic during the 70s, and a tight little group with a sound that's a mixture of New Orleans funk and New York heavy! The album's got a bit of vocals – figuring in on about half the tracks – but the main... read more

A stone classic from Black Heat – the group's second album, and even tighter than their first! The group's size has dropped a bit between albums – but that only helps them cook even more – dropping a bit of the horn section from before, which allows even more emphasis on their... read more

A pivotal album for the group – released at a time when Black Ivory, like so many other east coast vocal groups, was making the transition away from an older sweet soul style to a more sophisticated club vocal sound. The group's producing themselves here – and we're guessing that most... read more

An excellent bit of southern funk – very much in the early mode of Little Beaver, but with a sound that's even harder! James Knight is The Black Knight – leading a tight little combo with a raw funky 45 sound, heavy on the horns for backing, but with James' guitar right up front in the... read more

It's been quite a few years since we last heard from Black Mighty Wax – but it's definitely been well worth the wait – as these guys are deeper and more sophisticated than ever, with a range of sounds we never would have expected on the last release! Soul styles are still very much at... read more

Rhymes and production from Detroit's Black Milk! The best cuts have solid, unpredictable and funky beats – rollicking, anthem style backdrops from the rhymes of Black Milk and guests such as Phat Kat, Guilty Simpson, Ty & Kory and others. Titles include "Popular Demand",... read more

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Revolution-minded hip hop from the Black Opera collective – with production by J-Bizness, 14KT, Astronote and Nick Speed. Titles include "The Black Opera" with Melody Betts, "Manute Boll", "Dark Comedy" with scratches by Rhettmatic, "Monstors And... read more

An ambition Black Opera – Libretto from Black Opera and producer Astronote – featuring guests Melody Betts, Mayer Hawthorne, Boog Brown,Lalibella, Rasheeda Ali and 14KT. Includes "End Of The Beginning", "Grand Endtrance", "Rich Blood", "Kings... read more

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A spiritual jazz classic by Harry Whitaker's Black Renaissance – plus a trippy GB remix on the other side! The original version of "Magic Ritual" is here in full – and it's essentially half of the group's classic Body, Mind And Spirit LP – a legendary session that... read more

Huge! Dark, heavy – an album of mythical proportions, and that's a lot to say for a mainstream LP! It would be hard to imagine the modern rock landscape without this album or group, who provided the template for so much music to follow, and the soundtrack to many bong-fueled excursions to... read more

A pretty darn cool little record – even if it is a bunch of cover versions! As the title proclaims, the set presents the winners of a US Army competition for its members stationed in Europe in the early 70s – one that chose The Black Seeds for side one of the album, and Sound Trek for... read more

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A Native Tongues (more or less) hip hop classic from 1991! We hardly need tell you about this one, but in case you can't remember, this is the LP with "Flavor Of The Month", "Similak Child", "Pass The 40", "To Whom It May Concern", "Butt In The... read more

A killer debut from Black Slate – one of the leading lights in British reggae at the start of the 80s – and a group with a warmly soulful sound! Black Slate have a great way of sounding smooth, but never too slick – a balance between their laidback energy and the mellow... read more

Wow! The one-and-only album by Trinidadian combo Black Truth Rhythm Band – a completely incredible one at that – hypnotic Caribbean funky soul, jazz and wildly impressive musicianship all around by this group led by singer and multi-instrumentalist Oluko Imo. The record was made in... read more

Wow! The one-and-only album by Trinidadian combo Black Truth Rhythm Band – a completely incredible one at that – hypnotic Caribbean funky soul, jazz and wildly impressive musicianship all around by this group led by singer and multi-instrumentalist Oluko Imo. The record was made in... read more

One of our top 10 dub albums of all time! This album bridges the gap between the the low-fi, down and dirty excursions of the 70's dub era, and the later high tech dub revolution brought on by On-U, Mad Professor and Jah Shaka. The rhythms here are all first rate, drawn mostly from their Chill Out... read more

One of our favorite Black Uhuru albums, when they'd fully matured as a group under the production of Sly & Robbie, with a tight modern reggae sound that few other groups could match from that era. Heavy, heavy grooves saddled with the trios potent lyrics and harmony vocals, including the... read more

The follow up to the burning Showcase set and second LP finding the harmony trio of Michael Rose, Puma Jones and Duckie Simpson under the heavy guidance of Sly & Robbie. While it didn't produce as many singular hits as the preceding set or the following Red LP, this album's still solid from... read more

The life of Billie Holliday! Billie is one of the most fascinating singers in American musical history, both for her beautiful, amazing voice and for the life she led. Even the story behind this book about her life is fascinating! In the 70s, Billie Holliday was interviewed extensively for an... read more

Pure genius from the hipper side of the LA scene – 2 rare early sessions from trombonist Lou Blackburn, both cut in collaboration with a young Horace Tapscott! The style here is quite hard to peg – a unique blend of soul jazz and modernism – handled with a key focus on unusual... read more

Surprisingly groovy work from Tony Blackburn – a guy most folks know for his famous DJ work in the UK, from the pirate radio years onwards – but also a singer who cut a fair number of cool singles – most of which are packaged here in this overstuffed set! Blackburn's got a voice... read more

A great little sleeper from the Blackbyrds – a record that never gets as much due as their earlier records that have a hard funky feel, but offer instead a tasty batch of smoother jazz funk numbers that show the group still continuing to grow. Donald Byrd's still at the production helm... read more

Two of the later Blackbyrds LPs on one CD! Action's one of their great ones, and it's got a cool mellow vibe that's different than their earlier funkier stuff. It also includes the great cut "Mysterious Vibes", which was sampled by someone not too long ago. Also with the cuts "Supe... read more

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A solid duo instrumentals project from Georgia Anne Muldow and DJ Romes – working together as Blackhouse – and delivering one of the best records yet on the prolific Mello Music Group label! Georgia's a restless creative spirit, and true to form, the beats and production she delivers... read more

Cindy Blackman's looking a bit foxy on the cover, but her sound here is solidly soulful – a forceful batch of tunes that really match the best energy of the Muse Records soulbop scene of the early 90s! There's a nice blend of modern ideas and straight jazz energy here – sounds that... read more

A jazz funk masterpiece, and THE record by the legendary Don Blackman – the only one issued under his own name for many many years, and a famous little set that's been sampled endlessly over the years, and for good reason! The vibe here is one that's barely been matched again – a blend... read more

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An amazing achievement for Ruben Blades – a full suite of tracks conceived and composed by Ruben as a "disco drama" on wax! The work isn't the disco-styled album you might think from this description – and is more of a mini-opera or concept album by Blades, one that features... read more

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Hard hard hard soul from the great Cicero Blake – a singer who's better known these days for his down-home blues work, but who was a heck of a great soul artist in the 60s and 70s! This wonderfully-done set collects together 23 singles from Cicero's diverse recordings of the 60s and 70s... read more

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A wonderful pairing of talents – the moody, enigmatic piano of Ran Blake – and the sharp-toned alto of Anthony Braxton! The set's a sublime piano/sax duet to match similar experiments by Mal Waldron and Marion Brown, or Archie Shepp and Dollar Brand – and it's an added plus for... read more

An unlikely pairing, but a great one too – quite an unusual chapter in the career of pianist Ran Blake – but in a way, a great set to unlock the soulful undercurrents that have always been in his music! About half the tracks feature the tenor of Houston Person joining in –... read more

Nicely-structured performances between pianist Ran Blake and guitarist David Knife Fabris – done with plenty of free-thinking elements, including those bold-ringing tones that we've always loved in Blake's recordings – yet still based around some relatively tight song structures overall!... read more

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Killer work from the classic late 50s years of the Jazz Messengers – and an album that Blue Note didn't choose to release until the end of the 70s! The record's a historic one – as it mark's Wayne Shorter's first session with the group, and the first time that they recorded his great... read more

One of Art Blakey's first true moments of genius! This transitional version of the Jazz Messengers included two parts – Lee Morgan and Bobby Timmons – of the holy Morgan/Shorter/Timmons trilogy, and it's also got the added bonus of Benny Golson on tenor, who was at the height of his... read more

One of Art Blakey's first true moments of genius! This transitional version of the Jazz Messengers included two parts – Lee Morgan and Bobby Timmons – of the holy Morgan/Shorter/Timmons trilogy, and it's also got the added bonus of Benny Golson on tenor, who was at the height of his... read more

Quite an unusual record from Art Blakey – a rare big band session, recorded with a lineup that's quite different than the usual Jazz Messengers! Turns out, Blakey's quite good in this setting – and has the same firey energy to direct a larger ensemble that he has when working with a... read more

One of the many albums that the Jazz Messengers recorded live at Birdland, and one that features a transitional lineup for the band that has new guard players Lee Morgan on trumpet and Bobby Timmons on piano, and old guard player Hank Mobley on tenor. Everyone grooves in a very hard fashion... read more

Pounding! This is the long-awaited re-release of a lost session that Blakey recorded in 1958, with a triple-drum rhythm group that included himself, Philly Joe Jones, and Roy Haynes – plus some additional conga work by Ray Barretto. Unlike other Blakey "drum orgy" sessions, though... read more

Killer material from the 1964 edition of the Jazz Messengers – an incredibly hard-hitting sextet that features Freddie Hubbard, Curtis Fuller, Wayne Shorter, Reggie Workman, and Cedar Walton. The mix of players is amazing, and Walton's warm lyricism is a haunting combination with the sharp-ed... read more

The rarest of all of Art Blakey's percussion group projects – and quite possibly the best, too! The session features Blakey at the head of a strong mix of jazz and percussion players – with Art Taylor and Philly Joe Jones on the regular drum kit, Donald Byrd on trumpet and Ray Bryant... read more

An excellent live set by the Jazz Messengers – recorded in Paris in 1958, but with a hard heavy groove that's right up there with their best Blue Note work. The group at this time – Blakey, Bobby Timmons, Lee Morgan, Benny Golson, and Jymie Merritt – plays hard, heavy, and... read more

A true orgy in rhythm from Art Blakey – a set that not only features his drums next to the kit of Art Taylor, but which also adds in a bevy of other percussionists – including Sabu Martinez, Patato Valdez, and Jose Valentine! Joe Jones and Specs Wright also bring in additional jazz... read more

A fantastic live set from Art Blakey – recorded in Paris in 1960, with a version of the Jazz Messengers that includes Lee Morgan on trumpet, Wayne Shorter on tenor, Walter Davis Jr on piano, and Jymie Merritt on bass! Best of all, though, is that the group is joined by two Paris jazz giants... read more

An amazing album that has Art Blakey completely reinventing himself for the 70s! Blakey shifts from straight hardbop to kind of a modal soul jazz groove, touched with some of the electric playing of the younger jazz generation, but not enough to qualify as fusion or funk. Instead, he's working... read more

A reissue of one of Blakey's best non-Blue Note sides from the late 50s, a killer album that sports a great lineup of the Jazz Messengers that included Jackie McLean, Johnny Griffin, Bill Hardman, Sam Dockery and Spanky DeBrest. The three of them sparkle and shine with the sort of brilliance that... read more

Core grooves from trumpeter Terence Blanchard and combo – but mixed with some compelling words from Cornel West and Bilal! The record's a jazz album at its core, but the presence of West and Bilal makes for a bit of a change, too – kind of an added level of consciousness on top of... read more

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The masterpiece! This album is a monumental work in the early soul vein that Bobby pioneered, and did better than anyone else. The arrangements are perfect, and Bobby's rough soulful voice is blended in this amazing way with killer horn arrangements that are far more sophisticated than most stuff... read more

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A great look at one of the more modern sides of our fair city – a beautiful book that focuses on the Lake Shore Drive apartments of architect Mies Van Der Rohe! Mies had a huge influence on the city's look in the postwar years – and some of his most striking creations are a set of... read more

A lost southern soul gem – cut at the end of the 70s, in that rare blend of southern and modern styles that few performers could really carry off well! Frederick Knight produced the album, and it really steps off of his own mellow work of earlier years – taking things even further,... read more

A lost southern soul gem – cut at the end of the 70s, in that rare blend of southern and modern styles that few performers could really carry off well! Frederick Knight produced the album, and it really steps off of his own mellow work of earlier years – taking things even further,... read more

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Two great new tracks from Gyedu Blay Ambolley – both reworks of older Afro Funk classics! "Mumunde" features sharp arrangements from Ebo Taylor – and a tight groove that has the vocals wrapped firmly around the tune's infectious rhythms – a blistering blend of bass,... read more

A great new album from this 70s Afro Funk legend – work that shows that Gydeu Blay Ambolley hasn't lost a bit of his groove over the years! There's a really great approach to the album that keeps things fresh – a sound that's lean and stripped-down, and not overproduced at all –... read more

A fantastic bit of soul and house that was woefully overlooked at the time of its release – and one of our favorite albums of the past 25 years! The Blaze production team had been hitting the underground club scene hard for a few years with their raw New Jersey house singles – then... read more

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