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Pepper Adams never fails to blow us away in a small group setting – and here, on a killer quartet date from the early 80s, he really wins us over all over again! The album's one of those great ones from Adams – in which he's really let loose to open up and blow some extended,... read more

One of the all-time great ones by Cannonball! This record captures him in the prime of his early soul jazz fame – working with an unbelievably heavy quintet that featured Bobby Timmons on piano (with Barry Harris sitting in on a few tracks), Sam Jones on bass, Louis Hayes on drums, and... read more

One of the most beautiful albums we've ever heard from Mario Adnet – a set done with some great expanded orchestrations – and key help from guests who include Roberta Sa, Monica Salmaso, and Lenine! The tunes have this spacious, expansive feel that really lives up to the Amazon promise... read more

A great follow-up to the first Jobim Jazz set from guitarist Mario Adnet – and in many ways, an even better-conceived version of the project! The difference this time around is that Adnet's been working through the concept in a live setting for a few years – and has come up with... read more

A sweet Japanese set from Toshiko Akioshi – recorded at the Blue Note in Tokyo, with a group that really replicates the sound of her big band from the 70s! Key partner from those years – Lew Tabackin – is in the group playing loads of great tenor and flute solos – and other... read more

One of the earliest albums ever from Anna Maria Alberghetti – and a set that still really shows the singer's strong Italian roots! The style here is a mix of later vocal modes and earlier operatic ones – and Anna Maria definitely shows off her well-documented range throughout –... read more

A blend of jazz funk and rawer informed grooves from Harold Alexander – and actually a step into more polished vibes thanks to some Arif Mardin arrangements and a new home at Atlantic Records! Although some of the earlier records cut by reed player Harold Alexander may have been more... read more

A sweet Latin-styled set from trumpeter Herb Alpert – but one that's got a very different vibe than his faux Latin grooves of the 60s! The set here is done with key contributions from both Juan Carlos Calderon as a songwriter, and Jose Quintana as a producer – both talents who really... read more

Blistering work from drummer Barry Altschul – working here in the company of bold young tenorist Jon Irabgon, and matching his youthful energy at every step! The set's easily one of the most driven we've heard from Altschul in many years – a trio date that also features the bass of Joe... read more

A spacey, soulful and funky showcase for singer Amalia – one the finds her collaborating with an impressive roster of guests including Atjazz, Portformat, Opolopo and others! Amalia blends inspirations that range from heartfelt, though trippy 70s soul and funk, to 80s electro and the more... read more

One of the only albums ever cut by Maxi Anderson – a hell of a soul singer who's lent her talents to a number of sessions over the years, but who sounds especially great here in the lead! Anderson's got a vibe that's almost like Minnie Riperton at the time – a warmly glowing approach... read more

A beautiful love letter to contemporary Brooklyn – originally commissioned by BAM, as part of a longer piece that included narration, animation, and paintings – but a work that stands more than strongly here on its own! The music has a wonderful mix of themes – sometimes straight... read more

A contemporary set, but one that sparkles with all the best brilliance of the 70s scene in Brazil – and that includes such heady company as Marcos Valle, Azymuth, and Joao Donato! As with all those artists at the time, Lucas Arruda has a groove that's strongly based on Fender Rhodes –... read more

A totally wild little record – and one of the most unique jazz collections we've ever heard – or seen! The original package of the record is a 5LP presentation of music that brings together four of the most important French piano talents of the postwar years – Georges Arvanitas,... read more

One of the rarest and greatest Roy Ayers albums of all time – the sly, funky and spiritual masterpiece He's Coming from 1971 – really the beginning of the funk years from Roy Ayers Ubiquity! This one's a totally solid mix of soulful jazz, jazzy soul and righteous funk – and it's... read more

One of Roy Ayers' best-remembered albums of the 70s – a sublime blend of mellow numbers and some of his more club-oriented grooves of the time – all wrapped together with a genius that we can only describe as Ayers-like! The album's a beautiful example of the balance that Roy was... read more

One of the greatest Roy Ayers albums of all time – and one of the rarest! The record is right in the same vein as Roy's groundbreaking He's Coming LP – a righteous mix of soul jazz, subtle funk, and some of the cosmic wisdom that Roy was spreading among the jazz funk underground –... read more

One of the few early albums as a leader cut by trumpeter Benny Bailey – a tremendous talent, finally getting his due! Bailey is one of the great unsung talents of jazz, and he's always made top-shelf work – from his early days with Quincy Jones, to his later years as an American... read more

A really sublime rare groover from JR Bailey – vocalist in the Cadillacs back in their doo wop years, but a heck of a great 70s mellow soul artist in this obscure little set! JR wrote and co-produced all the tunes on the set – in a mode that steps along beautifully with a subtle groove... read more

Live material from the personal collection of Ginger Baker – his Baker Gurvitz Army, doing it live in Milan in the mid 70s! The Army came together a bit earlier in the 70s, featuring the most incredible and legendary drummer Baker with Paul and Adrian Gurvitz on guitar and bass, and... read more

Amazing stuff from Ginger Baker's personal archives – live recordings with his Salt group – born of his relocation to Nigeria and a wonderful, dexterous fusion of jazz & rock percussion with African rhythms! The sound is pretty great on these 2 CDs, and the performances are truly... read more

British jazz/rock drum great Ginger Baker working live with is Air Force group in Germany, 1970! Live material from Ginger Baker's Air Force has always been sorely lacking in official releases, and this set from Offengach, Germany at the dawn of the 70s has 2CDs of material. From the official... read more

Susan Barrett sings about love's varied moods – and gets some pretty great help here from Kenyon Hopkins – an arranger who's got plenty of great moods of his own! Barrett's vocals have this deep-ranged style that's less swinging than you might expect for a singer working with Hopkins... read more

Brook Benton comes full circle – and after helping to form the idiom that would later become known as southern soul, he gets a chance to appear on Atlantic's new Cotillion label – easily a showcase for some of the best up-and-coming southern work at the end of the 60s! Brook's warm... read more

Raucous, rumbling and hard-charging Chess rhythms, rock and roll by Chuck Berry – his legendary After School Session – and possibly his greatest album ever! It features not only some of Chuck Berry's most famous material, but some of the best early rock songs, period –particularly... read more

That's almost a hip hop cover on the front – one that would be years ahead of its time – but the record's a great batch of soul from this overlooked group! There's a tightness here that goes way beyond the previous album from Black Ice – a really top-shelf delivery all the way... 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

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

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

Blue Magic getting a bit bolder than before – adding in some heavier funk that takes them past the mellow moments of their earliest years – yet still serving up some great harmonies in the process! The change is a subtle one – heard on some of the album's more hard-grooving... read more

A long-overdue look at one of the most important groups to grace the British jazz scene of the 60s and 70s – the legendary Blue Notes, a group of South African expatriates with an undeniably huge influence on the music of their new homeland! The ensemble featured key players who went onto do... read more

The best album so far from this up-and-coming Colombian group – a great mix of rootsy elements and more electronic production – served up in the forward-reaching style we've come to love in recent projects from the Soundway label! Bomba Estereo are easily one of the most contemporary... read more

Damn amazing work from Charles Bradley – an instant soul classic for all generations, as you'll hear from the very first note! Not only are Bradley's vocals incredible – the kind of once-in-a-long-time approach he brought to his debut – but the backings and production are... read more

Brass Construction's fifth album, and the group's still grooving harder than most of their contemporaries! The legendary Randy Muller is still fully in charge here – serving up his trademark lean, mean arrangements that compress all elements of the music firmly on the beat – all in a... read more

A funky female duo from the P-Funk empire – one of George Clinton's few girl-based projects of the 70s, and a group who are markedly more funk-based than Parlet! Vocals are by the duo of Lyn Mabry and Dawn Silva – but the main sound of the set comes from the tightly crafted rhythms... read more

Damn, is this a great record! The album's not only one of the best blacksploitation soundtracks ever recorded, it's also one of James Brown's funkiest outings of the early 70s! Nearly every cut's a winner, and James gets some very funky help from The JBs, who groove hard on the best instrumental... read more

DJ Muro's digging James Brown – and we're digging the massive way he mixes together the music! The set's way more than another James Brown compilation – and instead, it feels more like a love letter to The Godfather – served up in music made by James himself, and some of his key... read more

Reissue of JB's wildest album, with a crazy cover that shows him running away from the devil, and great gatefold inner photo with him standing amidst a bunch of declarations of "Hell". The record was originally a double album filled with lots of different styles from James' funky bag. ... read more

Massive – and one of the best James Brown compilations ever, filled with rare and unreleased material! This completely essential set features tracks pulled from James' best years ever – the mighty early 70s, when he was working with the JBs, and laying down tracks that would forever... read more

A lost treasure from James Brown & The JBs – a vintage live performance from the early 70s, and one that captures the group at the height of their powers! The format here is very similar to the excellent Revolution Of The Mind set – a totally funky, totally righteous live... read more

A stunning set of rare and unreleased grooves by James Brown – nearly all of which were cut during the classic early 70s years with the JBs, but never issued before this cool compilation! The set's got some essentials for any fan of JB – including the lost soul classic "She's The... read more

Subtitled "Live At the Apollo Vol 3", but waaay better than any of the earlier volumes, this monster 2LP live set has James and the JB's wailing away in a freewheeling live set of hard hard hard funky grooves. Excellent work by the band, and a great way to see how sharp they were out of... read more

Sweet 70s funk from the great Oscar Brown – quite a change from his jazz-based work of the 60s, but a great new sitting for all of his wonderful wit and warmth! Brown's still a hell of a songwriter, and one with a very socially-conscious eye – sharper here than before, with lots of... read more

A sweet bit of funky jazz vocals from Oscar Brown Jr – recorded during his early 70s stay at Atlantic Records, in a style that's very different than his early work! The tracks are all still original numbers by Oscar – penned with that clever bad-rapping approach to the lyrics that... read more

A positive, powerful set from the always-great Sheree Brown – a new recording, but one that sparkles just as much as her rare classics for Capitol Records at the start of the 80s! Like those gems, there's a blend of jazz and soul here that's really wonderful – a special sound that puts... read more

Smooth modern soul from Leroy Burgess – one of the best underground talents of the 70s/80s east coast scene! Leroy's probably best known for his early work with the harmony group Black Ivory – but after the breakup of that ensemble, he moved out on his own to work on a number of... read more

The genius of Leroy Burgess knows no bounds – as you'll hear on this fantastic set of rare club tracks! Leroy first got his start in the group Black Ivory, but by the end of the 70s he'd left the ensemble to become a producer – working on their own work, as well as records by a host of... read more

Killer modern soul, from one of the masters of the genre! This set by Keni Burke features some strong compositions that rank with his good work for RCA from the early 80's, and the production, while a bit more modern, is still pretty sensitive to Keni's good smooth soul sound. Includes the... read more

Straight, strong, and soulful sounds from guitarist Kenny Burrell – quite possibly one of his best albums of the 60s, thanks to a really well-focused sound throughout! The groove here is nice and tight – a cooking little rhythm section that features Richard Wyands on piano, Martin... read more

A smoking live set from the Butterfield Blues Band – and like all the group's work, as much of a jazz and soul album as a blues one! Butterfield drew his inspiration from the Chicago bluesmen, it's true – but his style also has plenty of echoes of New Orleans soul, Memphis R&B, and... read more

Massive lost work from the Butterfield Blues Band – recorded in 1964, quite early in the group's career – but a set that already has them hitting hard with a really powerful sound! The recording quality and overall sound is nice and rough – a gritty groove that's more closely... read more

A Donald Byrd treasure – and an album that was almost left in the vaults by Blue Note, until they briefly released it at the end of the 70s! The cover and title are a bit unfamiliar, but the music is right up there with Byrd's classic sessions with baritonist Pepper Adams – a great... read more

A rock-solid set from Donald Byrd and a great group of players – a record that's got the same sharp edges and dark undercurrents of late 60s classics like Black Jack, Mustang, and Slow Drag! As with those gems, this album's got Donald really experimenting a bit more – especially with... read more

An essential bit of jazz funk from Donald Byrd and Larry Mizell! The groove's very similar to the classic Places & Spaces, and the record's got loads of cool spacey tracks with hot funky trumpet from Donald, and cool waves of synth and sound from Larry. The title cut's a great groover, and... read more

A post-Blue Note effort, and Donald's changing things up a bit with his 125th Street Orchestra and Uptown Singers – funking along in a way you'd expect from the longwinded title! Byrd loostens up the smoother backgrounds of his recent Larry Mizell helmed work, and in their place are grooves... read more

High caliber drum and bass from Calibre – with frenetic and sputtering beats – and an uncommon soulful depth! As insistent as the beats are here, the diverse keyboard backdrops and occasional moody vocals are what takes it to deeper level. A really solid balance between frenetic beats... read more

The only thing better than Cameo is more Cameo – especially when the group's best tunes are stretched out a little! This tasty set features 10 tight little jammers – some of the group's greatest dancefloor groovers, served up in extended 12" mixes – one of which is... read more

Full-on frenetic funk from Cameo – one of the group's tightest albums, yet still without any of the too-slick sounds of later years! The sound here is amazing – and we always find ourselves wondering how a group of guys can hit such perfect grooves with just a bunch of basses, guitars,... read more

The Black Jazz recordings of Doug Carn are always a revelation – some of the most powerful, progressive work on the American underground of the early 70s – music that got Carn into way more record collections than you might expect! The sound here is a perfect summation of Doug's early... read more

Plenty of spirit, and plenty of soul – a 70s classic from organist Doug Carn, and a record that took his instrument, and jazz in general, to a whole new level for the decade! Carn's got this burning, righteous quality on his keys – a vibe that certainly owes something to Larry Young,... read more

Quite a different sound than Jean's Philly International recordings – although certainly a logical extension – a sweeter than sweet set from the mid 80s that in turn celebrates and transcends the production style of the era! Overall, Closer Than Close is a smooth batch of mellow... read more

Smooth modern duets from one of our favorite ladies in soul music! Jean Carne's a heck of a singer – with a career that stretches back to early soul jazz recordings with (then) husband Doug Carn, to solo recordings on Philly International in the late 70s, to appearances on records by other... read more

The cover's a bit weak, but the music is mighty strong – a killer collection of James Carr's 60s Memphis soul for the Goldwax! As you'll hear right from the start, Carr had a quality level that easily rivaled greats like Otis Redding or Wilson Pickett – whether on the kind of... read more

James Carr is really maturing here – stepping forth with a sound that's every bit as great as his early Goldwax singles, yet also hitting a newly sophisticated vibe that helps take southern soul to a whole new level! Recordings were done both in Memphis and Muscle Shoals – and in... read more

A great groover from Vikki Carr – one of the biggest voices on Liberty Records after Julie London – and one with a heck of a great style for the 60s! Carr has a strong range in her vocals, but always holds back from the heavy trills you might have heard a decade before – and... read more

Jimmy Castor's looking mighty butch on the cover of this one – what with the leather and motorcycle in the photo – and he's bringing all that energy to play strongly on the album's heavy heavy funk tracks! The record's a great extension of the funky style that Castor first started... read more

Jimmy Castor bursts forward here with a definite supersound – a groove that's different than his fuzzier work for RCA Records, but still equally funky throughout! Castor's still quite the multi-instrumentalist on the record – as in addition to singing lead, he plays plenty of soprano... read more

A soulful smoker from the west coast scene – and some of the only work as a leader we've ever seen from pianist Joe Castro – a player with just the right sense of rhythm and soul to live up to the title! In addition to this rare appearance by Joe, the set's also noteworthy for some... read more

Some of the noisiest music we've heard so far from Cherrystones – a sweet set that's heavy on fuzz and electronics, but which still holds onto the strong sense of beat from before! There's a pretty dark vibe to most of the record – a bite that goes way beyond downtempo, and which... read more

Always brilliant work from the great June Christy – an album that's got a lot more darkness than you might think from the title and the bright-colored cover! The style is very booze-soaked and sad – with plenty of echoes of the classic Something Cool album – and like that set,... read more

A stunning set of unreleased Gene Clark – with formative versions of songs on the one-time overlooked, now much-loved White Light record that are seeing release for the first time ever – plus some equally beautiful buried treasures! One of Clark's greatest strengths during his post-Byrd... read more

Great early genius from the Clarke Boland Big Band – proof that Kenny and Francy were onto something great, right from the start! The album really has the group hitting the heights of their MPS years – stretching out way past earlier big band modes, into the hip mix of rhythms and... read more

A classic full-length album from The Coasters – one of the few the group ever cut for Atlantic Records – and a perfect illustration of everything that made them so great! Almost every cut here was penned by the team of Jerry Lieber & Mike Stoller – who were also working with... read more

A landmark record that should be in any Latin collection! At the time of this album, Johnny Colon was a young trombonist just getting his start – working in the turbulent late 60s Spanish Harlem scene, and picking up on the wide range of styles going down in the hood. At one level, he was a... read more

Wild early work from Willie Colon – a record that's equally poised between the Latin Soul and later salsa era, and which features great lead vocals from Hector Lavoe! The album's got some very strong tracks that percolate in Willie's dark trombone-led groove – like the mighty 7 minute... read more

Brilliant early work from a young Willie Colon – a true hustler if there ever was one! The album has an amazing energy that really bridges a number of Latin scenes – it's part descarga jamming, part Latin soul, and part traditional Latin – put together with a no-nonsense approach... read more

John Coltrane made plenty of great music during his late 50s time at the Prestige Records label – some of it under his own name, and a lot more while working with other leaders! This package presents the full recordings from that second half of Coltrane's Prestige performances –... read more

A hugely expanded version of this legendary album – one that features loads of unreleased tracks that show the whole thing coming together in the studio! The set's filled with soaring work from the legendary John Coltrane Quartet – a session that was incredibly far-reaching for the... read more

A classic set of spiritual fusion from this short-lived allstar group Compost – featuring Harold Vick, Bob Moses, Jumma Santos, and Jack DeJohnette! Vick's at his moody soulful best here, in a mode that's similar to his Strata East work – and the record also features occasional vocals... read more

A sweet surprise from Andy Compton of The Rurals – work that's even more profoundly steeped in deep soul atmosphere – with Compton collaborating with seductive female vocalists for one of the sultriest underground soul sets we've heard in a while! This is one of those records that you'd... read more

A pair of mellow soul and jazzy groove masterpieces by Norman Connors – You Are My Starship form '76 and Romantic Journey from '77 in a single set! The former opens with the heavenly title cut – which features Michael Henderson on vocals and Gary Bartz on sax. Bartz plays on a number... read more

A gem of a set from a singer who should have been much bigger back in the 50s – served up with the same sort of small combo backings you'd get on the Chris Connor albums for Bethlehem! Marlene Cord is a hell of a singer on her own – with a voice that's never hokey, yet full of feeling... read more

80s groove galore – a pair of classic albums form Dayton! Hot Fun is a wonderfully sweet groover from Dayton – a group that's equal parts modern soul and 80s groove – and outta site all the way! The album's big title hit is a remake of Sly Stone's classic "Hot Fun In The... read more

A beautiful tribute to the music of Egberto Gismonti and Hermeto Pascoal – but presented in a fresh style that's very different than the originals! Gismonti and Pascoal were two of Brazil's most inventive composer/musicians of the 70s – both very open to new sounds, new rhythms, and... read more

Quite an unusual date for vocalist Jimmy Witherspoon – one that has him singing with the group of Wilbur De Paris, in a mode that's a lot more trad than any of Jimmy's other records from the time! Turns out, that amazing voice is perfect for the setting – and Witherspoon really sounds... read more

A couple of great soundtracks for the films of Billy Wilder – 1960's The Apartment, composed by Adolph Deutch, and Andre Previn's work for The Fortune Cookie – back-to-back on a single CD! Adolph Deutch's compositions from The Apartment roll from an easygoing jazzy vibe to sweeping... read more

Amazing! One of the few rare records cut by Bill Dixon during the 60s, and a perfect example of "new thing" jazz in action. Trumpeter Dixon plays in 3 different ensembles – a nonet, a quintet, and a duet – with players like Byard Lancaster, Reggie Workman, Robert Pozar, and... read more

Amazing stuff from No Wave legends DNA – 32 tracks from long out of print singles, EPs and live recordings – many on CD for the first time ever! DNA was one of the most uproarious acts in that increasingly legendary NYC scene – featuring Arto Lindsay's scratchy guitar and... read more

An amazing document from Tomkins Square – and a set that goes even beyond the usual high level of some of the other releases from the label! The set's a beautiful archival project – one that seeks to resurrect the rare music of Arizona Dranes – a gospel pianist and vocalist who... read more

A strange film, but a great soundtrack! George Duning came up with an excellent batch of jazzy tracks for the film – and most of them swing hard and tightly, with strong jazzy solos, in a manner that's similar to some of Henry Mancini's best scores of the late 50s. A number of tracks have... read more

Two different Jimmy Stewart comedy soundtracks from the 60s – both of them nice! First up is Dear Brigitte – an overlooked 1965 score by George Duning – done with a mix of the playful modes you'd expect from the story, and some of those great deeper dramatic touches that Duning... read more

Solid team-up/all star effort produced in full by the mighty Alchemist – with a core lineup of Tristate, Planet Asia & Killer Ben – and guest appearances by Prodigy, Evidence, Chace Infinite, Phil Da Agony and others. Includes "DRDC Theme", "Fish Meat" feat... read more

An overlooked treasure from the Atlantic vaults – the first album by The Dynamics, and arguably a much greater record than the group's better-known set from the 70s! The Dynamics were a Detroit group from the late 60s, with that heavy harmony sound that was becoming a standard for the city's... read more

A pair of overlooked gems from Ronnie Dyson – both of which show there's way more to love than just his early hits! On Love In All Flavors, Ronnie's older than during his falsetto soul early years – and he's working here with some impeccably mature Chicago soul arrangements by Gene... read more

One of the most electric albums on the legendary Black Jazz label – a hip set of funky fusion tracks from bassist Cleveland Eaton, with a vibe that's similar to his album for the Gamble label, and his funky 45 work with The Kats! The record's a good extension of Eaton's roots in the Cadet... read more

A stellar solo set from John Edwards – one of the tightest talents of the southern scene in the mid 70s, and a singer who would later break big with The Spinners! This album's got a really unique vibe – with some slight tropical touches hinted at by the cover image – and some... read more

Hanni El Khatib's superior second album for Innovative Leisure – mixing up raw, fuzzy garage rock stormers and raucous R&B influences even better than before! The blend of riff heavy garage and unshakable rhythms references Hanni's influences every step of the way, but the way go down... read more

A really heavily-jamming album from Larry Coryell's Eleventh House group – certainly to be expected, given that the lineup includes John Lee on bass, Mike Mandel on keyboards, and Alphonse Mouzon on drums! The sound has plenty of rock-fusion touches – and Coryell's guitar is searing,... read more

One of the greatest harmony groups to ever come from Jamaica – a killer quartet who fused together American soul styles with sweet reggae rhythms – all to create a groove that really helped push forward the sounds of Kingston! This collection of classic work by The Ethiopians is... read more

One of the proudest moments of the New York Latin underground – a time when some of its best players wound up playing for Columbia, through a brief affiliation between Fania and the larger label! And although you might think that the album would totally sell out the group's best points, it's... read more