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Plenty of vinyl – and lots of new Books too!


Angelo Outlaw

Axis Of Time
Eraserhood Sound/Colemine, 2024.
A killer debut from Angelo Outlaw – an vibist who may well become one of the first great soulful talents on his instrument in many years – an artist who can easily become the Roy Ayers of his generation – thanks to an expansive sound that effortlessly blends together jazz, soul, ... LP, Vinyl record album (Neo Soul LP)

Messthetics & James Brandon Lewis

Messthetics & James Brandon Lewis
Impulse, 2024.
Tenorist James Brandon Lewis is easily one of the most important voices on his instrument in recent years – and also one of the most versatile too, as is shown in this project with the guitar-driven group The Messthetics! Two of the group's members hail from legendary punk band Fugazi, but ... CD (Jazz CD)
Gwyn/P-Vine (Japan), Early 70s.
Very hip, never-issued work from this legendary jazz guitarist – tracks recorded at the same time as his classic Better Days album, but appearing on this set for the first time ever! The "behind" in the title is very apt – as the group here is the lean trio at the core of ... LP, Vinyl record album (Jazz LP)
Z Records (UK), 1970s/2024. 2CDs
A massive assortment of tracks that go way past the familiar – not a collection of standard classics from Blue Note, Impulse, or Prestige – and instead a whole host of jazzy groovers that we'd never have discovered otherwise! This volume of the series does a great job mixing in ... CD (Funky Compilations CD)

Opa

Back Home
Far Out (UK), 1975.
Wicked funky fusion from Opa – a Brazilian-inspired set, and one with loads of great electric moments! Although originally from Uruguay, Opa are best known for their Brazilian-tinged albums on the soul/jazz Fantasy records label in Cali during the mid 70s – great placement, given that ... CD (Jazz CD)
Blue Note (Japan), 1965.
A wonderfully wicked meeting of the minds – and a legendary bit of soul jazz from organist Big John Patton! The core of the record features the usual Patton groove – with John on Hammond, Grant Green on guitar, and Otis Finch on drums – but added to that mix is Bobby Hutcherson ... CD (Jazz CD)
Areito/Mr Bongo (UK), 1974.
A fantastic blend of funk, jazz, and Cuban rhythms – served up by the youthful Irakere, working here at the height of their powers! There's a sense of boundless energy throughout the entire record – an effort to try on so many things at once, and somehow get them all really right ... CD (Latin CD)

Kahil El Zabar's Ethnic Heritage Ensemble

Open Me – A Higher Consciousness Of Sound & Spirit
Spiritmuse (UK), 2024.
Kahil El'Zabar reinvigorated his Ethnic Heritage Ensemble a few years back, and the results have been a really stunning reworking of his legacy on the Chicago scene in the 80s – especially on the great run of albums on the Spiritmuse label! All the rhythmic, hypnotic qualities of Kahil's ... CD (Jazz CD)
Atlantic/ARC (UK), 1968. 2LP Gatefold
A lost early chapter in the career of Roberta Flack – material recorded during the sessions for her legendary First Take album, but unissued at the time – and presented here with an amazing demonstration of the depth of her young talents! All the genius of First Take is in place here ... LP, Vinyl record album (Soul LP)

Natural Yogurt Band

Spores
BMM (France), 2024.
Wonderfully weird and wild funk from Natural Yogurt Band – a UK group who've given us some mighty nice records in years past, and who also really push the envelop with this little gem! There's a strange mix of sci-fi currents running through the grooves – either in the instrumentation, ... LP, Vinyl record album (Deep Funk LP)

One For All with George Coleman

Big George (with bonus tracks)
Smoke Sessions, 2024.
Legendary tenorist George Coleman adds his voice to the One For All combo on a number of tracks here – making the already-great combo even better! For years, One For All has always boasted tremendous tenor work from the mighty Eric Alexander – but more recently, Alexander has also ... CD (Jazz CD)

Les DeMerle

Transfusion
Dobre/P-Vine (Japan), 1978. (reissue)
An excellent album of funky drumbreaks – cut by a drummer who's a legend among funk fans, but who hardly ever gets mentioned in history books of jazz! Les DeMerle was a lesser-known LA player, and he had a monster approach to the kit – which is why most of the few albums he cut are ... LP, Vinyl record album (Jazz LP)
Dark Entries, 1970.
Beautiful early sounds from the legendary Sylvester – very different than the later hits, especially the disco ones – and a set that was recorded before all the big records of the 70s! The approach here is jazz, and intimate enough to warrant the "private" in the title – ... LP, Vinyl record album (Soul LP)
Soulmusic.com (UK), 8CDs
A huge collection of Nina's early years at the Colpix label – with the expanded editions of 8 original albums from the end of the 50s through mid 60s – including all the groundbreaking studio recordings and landmark live material of the era! Blackbird includes the complete original ... CD (Vocalists CD)

Sly5thAve

Liberation
Tru Thoughts (UK), 2024.
The most sophisticated album to date from this wonderful musician – a set that has Sly5thAve working with a large ensemble of players who shift along from track to track – delivering a very righteous reading of his core musical ideas, at a level that feels even more powerful than ... LP, Vinyl record album (Neo Soul LP)

Abdul Wadud

By Myself
Bisharra/Gotta Groove, 1977. (reissue)
A haunting set of solo tracks by cellist Abdul Wadud – an important, and oft-overlooked, figure in the 70s loft jazz scene! Wadud plays cello throughout, but in a style that's extremely inventive – and much more in the vein of bass improvisation by players in a tradition that includes ... LP, Vinyl record album (Jazz LP)

Cassie Kinoshi

Gratitude
International Anthem, 2024.
A beautiful large concept work from UK saxophonist Cassie Kinoshi – one that features a rich array of players, all folded together in a warmly spiritual sound! There's echoes of some of the other mellow work on the International Anthem label here, but also more of the righteous currents of ... CD (Jazz CD)
Blue Note, 2024. 2CDs
Late life brilliance from the legendary Charles Lloyd – a reed player who seems to have given the world more great music in the past 20 years than he had in the previous 60s! Lloyd keeps on moving forward with all these new ideas and fresh conceptions – and here, he blows tenor, alto, ... CD (Jazz CD)

Nicola Conte

Jet Sounds
Schema/Fez (Italy), 2000. 2LP
A landmark album of contemporary jazzy grooves – a set issued at the start of the century, and one of the first to really get a blend of classic elements right – after so many others were foundering around in too-remixed, too-programmed work in the 90s! For years, Nicola Conte was a ... LP, Vinyl record album (New Grooves LP)
Blue Thumb/Cleopatra, Early 1970s. 2CD
Arthur Adams has his roots in blues, but he comes across here with a wonderfully warm Cali soul sort of vibe – that mix of earthy currents and tighter touches that was showing up in some of the best Fantasy Records work of the period! On the album It's Private Tonight, Arthur sings and plays ... CD (Soul CD)
Atlantic/ARC (UK), 1968. (reissue)
Fantastic stuff, and a record that was virtually the blueprint for spiritual soul jazz in the 70s! Although Max Roach first rose to fame during the bop years, by the time of this set he'd really stretched out a lot – moving past initial righteous projects in the Civil Rights era, to even ... LP, Vinyl record album (Jazz LP)
Primary Information, 2024.
A totally cool book – one that offers up full-size reproductions of the eleven different newspapers published by the legendary Fluxus art group in the 60s and the 70s! If you know Fluxus, you know that they're not just artists, but tricksters as well – a group dedicated to causing ... Book (Book)

Gordian Knot

Gordian Knot
Verve/Sundazed, 1968.
A Sunshine Pop classic from The Gordion Knot – an album that's overflowing with warm late 60s harmonies, all produced to perfection by ex-Hi-Los member Clark Burroughs! The album's got a style that takes the modes Burroughs and his group forged back in the 50s, and updates it with a groovier ... CD (Rock CD)

Jose Feliciano

Angela
Private Stock/Octave (Japan), 1976.
An obscure 70s album from the great Jose Feliciano – a set that was originally done as soundtrack material for an equally obscure film – Aaron Loves Angela – one that mixes Jose's more intimate style with some fuller backings from the disco generation! Barry Fasman handled the ... CD (Rock CD)
Obscure/Dialogo (Italy), Mid 70s. 10CDs
A massive tribute to this groundbreaking, genre-busting label – a short-lived imprint on Island Records that was put together by Brian Eno in the mid 70s – all to showcase some of the best new experiments in avant classical and minimalist music! There's a special sort of quality to ... CD (Out Sound CD)
Mississippi/Pyramid, 1950s/1960s.
A great collection of rare gospel tracks from the postwar years – done with the same thoughtful choice of cuts that Mississippi has been bringing to its compilations of soul and blues, but with a leaner approach overall! The collection digs deeper than the big names of the time, and has a ... LP, Vinyl record album (Gospel LP)
Time Capsule (UK), 1970s.
A record that picks up on a very particular strand of Japanese music in the 70s – and one that's maybe not even fully described with all the evocative words in the title! The sounds here are leaner and more open than work you'd know from the city pop years – but also not like Japanese ... LP, Vinyl record album (Japanese LP)

Carlos Nino/Idris Ackamoor/Nate Mercenau

Free Dancing
New Dawn (Netherlands), 2024.
A brilliant setting for the spiritual reed talents of the legendary Idris Ackamoor – set here amidst more meditative sounds from Carlos Nino, who uses percussion and other instrumentation to create a magical landscape of sounds – while guitarist Nate Mercereau also joins in the mix, and ... LP, Vinyl record album (Jazz LP)
Private Stock/Octave (Japan), 1975.
Great work from this blue-eyed soul group of the 70s – one who've been picked and kept alive by some key underground scenes over the years – like the Northern Soul world of the UK, and the beach music scene in the Carolinas! The group here have some key jazz contributions from Mike ... CD (Soul CD)

Charles Mingus

Incarnations
Candid, 1960.
A great counterpart to the two famous Charles Mingus albums for the Candid label – really a third "lost" Candid album, recorded at the time of those sets, but never issued until many years later! As with those great dates, the work here is filled with righteous anger, unbridled ... CD (Jazz CD)
Nederlands Jazz Archief (Netherlands), 1970.
A long-lost performance by Sun Ra and the Arkestra – recorded in Amsterdam at the start of the 70s, when the group were brought in by avant saxophonist Hans Dulfer for a special performance! This album marks the first-ever issue of the material, from rediscovered tapes that finally present ... CD (Jazz CD)
Blue Note, 1963. (reissue)
A really landmark album in soulful jazz for the 60s – a set that takes the already-great energy of the young trumpeter Donald Byrd, and mixes it with some voices borrowed from gospel music bur turned towards modern jazz – all in a style that's very similar to some of the Max Roach ... LP, Vinyl record album (Jazz LP)

Nestor Alvarez

Melting Pot
Original Gravity (UK), 2024.
A blistering album of Latin funk – a set that's got a lean vibe but a very classic sound – one that's put together in the same mode as the excellent run of funky 45s from the long-running Original Gravity label! Nestor Alvarez is Neil Anderson – who handles drums, guitars, ... LP, Vinyl record album (Deep Funk LP)
Tankobon (Japan), 2020.
A great way to dive into the world of city pop music from Japan – that big flowering of new sounds and fresh ideas that really marked a key creative moment on the scene from the early 70s onward – a huge legacy that's only getting appreciation in recent years by English-speaking ... Book (Book)
Corbett vs. Dempsey, 1996.
Maybe one of the most striking examples of the genius of reedman Mars Williams we've ever heard – a set of live improvisations with drummer Hamid Drake – done in this really open, unadorned style that also has Drake really moving at the height of his power too! Williams effortlessly ... CD (Jazz CD)

Essra Mohawk

Essra
Private Stock/Octave (Japan), 1976.
An overlooked album of blue-eyed soul from Essra Mohawk – a singer who seemed to get better as the 70s moved on, and who works here with some nice jazzy touches in the backings! The album's got some great arrangements from Sonny Burke, who also plays keyboards – and the overall ... CD (Rock CD)
Duke University Press, 2024.
Jazz music didn't start on vinyl – but the advent of the long-playing album really helped the music take off and grow – expanding out to much longer performances than were allowed by the 78rpm single, which in turn allowed artists to reach out to new and exciting styles from the 50s ... Book (Book)
Bungeishunju (Japan), 2021.
A guide to classical records, of sorts – but one that features older albums all picked by the well-known Japanese writer Haruki Murakami! Murakami is well-known as a lifetime lover of music, which comes through in his fiction, and which is almost more foregrounded in his essays – a ... Book (Book)

Toumani Diabate with Ballake Sissoko

New Ancient Strings
Hannibal/Chrysalis, 1999.
A set from the late 90s, but one that's got a very timeless vibe – as it features spare duets on kora between these two legendary players – coming together in a way that's completely magical, and fresh enough to earn the "new ancient" in the title! There's a sense of warmth ... LP, Vinyl record album (Global Grooves LP)
Cherry Red (UK), Early 1960s. 3CDs
The first-ever massive look at the female pop legacy of UK genius producer Joe Meek – a studio talent maybe best known for his work with instrumental groups, but one who also created some real magic with girl singers too! Joe's ear for twangy guitars, offbeat sounds, and otherworldly echo ... CD (Rock CD)
GAD (Poland), 1971. 2CDs
A set that not only features an amazing and well-recorded live set by the early version of Weather Report – but one that also features them joined by a few great European jazz musicians as well! The core of the album has the quintet at their finest – playing in the TV studio featured ... CD (Jazz CD)
Dusty Groove,
A stunning image of our legendary Chicago outpost – the three story building where Dusty Groove has resided since the start of the 21st Century, and a building that's chock full of music, every day of the week! The sleek images gets at the charms of our Wicker Park location, and our ... Photo (Dusty Groove Swag Photo)
Grapefruit (UK), Late 60s. 5CD
Nothing weird here, just wonderful – a fantastic assortment of music from a time when the British scene was really changing things up – served up in a book-styled package with notes that are as dynamic as its music! The tracks here move way past the obvious – that's an image of ... CD (Rock CD)
Blue Note (Japan), 1963.
A rare session as a leader from trumpeter Johnny Coles – a player who cut some great work in the groups of James Moody and Gil Evans, but who shines even more brightly on this classic Blue Note album! Coles really has an ear for finding the hippest side of his instrument – and he blows ... CD (Jazz CD)

Kevin Hayes/Ben Street/Billy Hart

Bridges
Smoke Sessions, 2023.
A warmly well-crafted second set from the trio of pianist Kevin Hays, bassist Ben Street, and drummer Billy Hart – one that has an even more cohesive, group-directed vibe than their debut! The setting's a bit different, the group have grown a lot together, and there's a resonance here that's ... CD (Jazz CD)
Universal (France), 1960s/1970s/1980s/1990s/Early 2000s. 24CD
CD...$99.99 129.99
A huge amount of recordings from one of our favorite singers ever – the incredible Claude Nougaro, a French vocalist of the postwar years, and a master of many styles that included jazz, samba, and bossa nova! Nougaro had a unique talent for penning French lyrics to American and Brazilian ... CD (French CD)

Nina Simone

Nina's Back
Verve, 1985.
A mid-80s comeback album from Nina Simone – and a set that shows her continuing to experiment with new modes as the years move forward! Back in the 60s, Nina effortlessly folded together her jazz vocal roots with new ideas in folk, soul, and other styles – and here she expands that ... LP, Vinyl record album (Vocalists LP)
Blue Note, 1968.
Amazing later work from Booker Ervin – far more modern and far-reaching than you'd guess from the "Texas" title in the set! Although Ervin first came onto the scene as a strong-voiced tenorist from a Texas tradition, through the course of the 60s he'd really expanded his musical ... LP, Vinyl record album (Jazz LP)
Trova/RGS (Argentina), 1970.
A really burning live set from Argentine tenorist Chivo Borraro – a set that features very extended performances that capture Borraro and his group at their most modern! Chivo burns here in a way you don't always hear on other sessions – very relaxed and opening up in the comfortable ... CD (Jazz CD)
Original Gravity (UK), 2024. 3CD
A totally great run of grooves – most of which were only initially available on expensive import singles, and which together represent a fantastic stretch of music from this very cool British label! Original Gravity is the brainchild of Neil Anderson, a cat who really knows his groove – ... CD (Deep Funk CD)
World Pacific/Modern Harmonic, Late 1960s. (reissue)
A very groovy album from jazz drum legend Buddy Rich – a set that's very different than anything else he ever did, including his other groovy albums from the 60s! The album's a surprisingly strong blend of jazz and Indian music – Rich on drums, and Alla Rakha on tablas – working ... LP, Vinyl record album (Jazz LP)
Frederiksberg, 1984. (reissue)
A really cool Ethiopian record, but not the sort you might expect – as most of the instrumentation here is heavy on electric elements, which includes a fair bit of 80s keyboards, synth, and drum machine lines! The group were actually exiles, living in the Washington, DC area during the early ... LP, Vinyl record album (Global Grooves LP)

Tatsuro Yamashita

Spacy
RCA (Japan), 1977. (reissue)
A surprisingly nice set of soulful pop from mid 70s Japan – very much in the best Free Soul mode that's been championed in recent years! The album's got a nice jazzy style at its core – with arrangements that make the best of the fusion players working in the studio, and a compressed ... LP, Vinyl record album (Japanese LP)

Ash Ra Tempel & Timothy Leary

Seven Up
Made In Germany (Germany), 1973.
Some of the darkest music ever recorded by this legendary German group – but maybe that's no surprise, as Timothy Leary's along for the ride – living in exile overseas, after his escape from an American prison! Leary is credited with vocals and "direction" – and ... CD (Rock CD)

Joyce

Joyce (1968)
Philips/Endless Happiness, 1968. (reissue)
The first album by Joyce – one of our favorite Brazilian singers ever! The album's a wonderfully lyrical batch of tracks – many written by Joyce herself, plus a few by Brazilian songwriters Jards Macale, Toninho Horta, and Marcos Valle – and the orchestrations are by Gaya, and ... LP, Vinyl record album (Brazil LP)
Atlantic/Sonic Stereo, 1985.
Sweet 80s pop from Nu Shooz – the group's first really big record, and a set that definitely crossed them over strongly at the time! There's plenty of street soul elements in the mix here – lots of drum machine bits, basslines, and the sort of keyboard elements you'd find in electro ... CD (Soul CD)
Blue Note, Early 1950s. (reissue)
Brilliant early work by Miles Davis – some of his first truly important sessions to appear under his own name – originally issued as singles or 10" LP recordings by Blue Note, and brought together here in a full length set that would help to define the early years of his career! ... LP, Vinyl record album (Jazz LP)
Z Records (UK), 1970s/2024. 2LP Gatefold
A massive assortment of tracks that go way past the familiar – not a collection of standard classics from Blue Note, Impulse, or Prestige – and instead a whole host of jazzy groovers that we'd never have discovered otherwise! This volume of the series does a great job mixing in ... LP, Vinyl record album (Funky Compilations LP)

Hideo Shiraki

Fiesta
Teichiku/Lawson (Japan), 1961. (reissue)
A brilliant early album from Japanese drummer Hideo Shiraki – a jazz session that bristles with the same intensity as key late 50s work by Benny Golson or Gigi Gryce! Although Hideo's leading the group on drums, his work on the kit is remarkably subtle – done with the snappingly ... LP, Vinyl record album (Jazz LP)

Cedar Walton

Composer/Roots
Astor Place, Mid 1990s. 2CDs
Two great 90s sessions from Cedar Walton – back to back in a single set! Composer is a record that not only shows off the great skills of pianist Cedar Walton as a composer, but one that also shows how he can really work a special sort of magic when he lets some horns into his group, and ... CD (Jazz CD)
Cherry Red (UK), Late 80s/Early 90s. 5 CDs
Psychedelia meets British pop – in a really special musical moment that's forever come to be known as shoegaze! The work here comes from a time when the UK scene was really moving past punk rock, and starting to let its guitarists open up in the kind of longer, fuzzy solos that were big in ... CD (Rock CD)

James Brandon Lewis

Transfiguration
Intakt (Switzerland), 2024.
Very much the sort of record that's made James Brandon Lewis such a key force on the tenor in recent years – an album that acts as a bridge between so many different modern modes, in part because of the strength of the group! Lewis is one of that rare breed who can improvise on the outside, ... CD (Jazz CD)
Riverside/Craft, 1961.
Beautiful early work from Cannonball Adderley – and a record that's quite different than most of his better known sets from the time! The album's more spare and stripped-down than usual – with Cannon's alto in a quartet alongside Bill Evans on piano, Percy Heath on bass, and Connie Kay ... LP, Vinyl record album (Jazz LP)

Bacao Rhythm & Steel Band

BRSB
Big Crown, 2024.
Excellent work from one of the funkiest steel bands around – a totally hip combo who just seem to be getting better and better with each new release! This time around, they've stepped up the beats even more than before – mixing their 70s funk and steel drum work with just a slight ... CD (Global Grooves CD)
Selection/Sdban (Belgium), Late 70s.
A rare look at a very obscure sound library from the European scene – the Belgian Selection label, home to some very groovy sounds from the late 70s! The music here resonates with Belgian soundtrack and jazz work of the period – and shares some musicians from those genres too – ... LP, Vinyl record album (Sound Library LP)

Charles Mingus, Max Roach, Eric Dolphy, et al

Newport Rebels
Candid, 1960. (reissue)
A classic early 60s session for Candid Records – put together by a group that includes Charles Mingus, Max Roach, and a host of other musicians who were working here as "Newport Rebels" – by setting up the Jazz Artists Guild Festival as a protest against the increasingly ... LP, Vinyl record album (Jazz LP)
Blue Crystal (UK), 2024.
A very cool live set from keyboard maestro Greg Foat – one that's much more spacey than you'd guess from the poolside setting – as Greg's got his keys soaring high, his amps turned up wide, and the overall sound coming across like some combination of Krautrock and fusion! Things are ... LP, Vinyl record album (Jazz LP)
Trost (Austria), 1994. 2LP
A wonderfully ambitious project from these two legendary improvising musicians – a larger project for stage that was created by both pianist Alexander Von Schlippenbach and drummer Sven Ake Johansson – the latter of whom here is very much into his later life role as a composer! The set ... LP, Vinyl record album (Jazz LP)
Hot Mule (France), Late 1980s/1990s/2000s. 2LP Gatefold
Beautiful sounds from a very unique label – one started in Paris by a Malian merchant in the 80s, in order to both present sounds from his homeland, and all of the wonderful new variations that were taking place on the cross-cultural scene in France! The body of work is partly a compelling ... LP, Vinyl record album (Global Grooves LP)
Trojan, Late 1960s. 2CDs
The Trojan Records label was a pivotal force in taking reggae to a larger audience at the end of the 60s – pushing a huge amount of Jamaican artists into the global scene, and forever helping the sound of music in the process! Trojan was especially heavy in the years of ska and rocksteady, ... CD (Reggae CD)
Universal (France), 1960s/1970s/Early 1980s. 12CD
A huge amount of recordings from one of our favorite singers ever – the incredible Claude Nougaro, a French vocalist of the postwar years, and a master of many styles that included jazz, samba, and bossa nova! Nougaro had a unique talent for penning French lyrics to American and Brazilian ... CD (French CD)

Greg Foat & Eero Koivistoinen

Feathers
Jazzaggression (Finland), 2023.
Greg Foat has given us lots of wonderful records over the years, but this set may well be one of his best – a fantastic collaboration with Finnish reedman Eero Koivistoinen – a legendary player from the 70s who really brings a hell of a lot to the set! Eero's solos have this extended, ... LP, Vinyl record album (Jazz LP)

Dusty Groove Coin Dish

Dusty Groove Coin Dish
Dusty Groove,
A super-cool spot to throw your coins, keys, and whatever else you might have in your pocket at the end of the day – a glass dish emblazoned with a vintage Dusty Groove phonebook on the bottom – standing nice and proud on your desk, dresser, cofee table, or wherever else you might ... Misc (Dusty Groove Swag Misc)

Bobby Watson

Round Trip
Red (Italy), 1987.
One of Bobby Watson's more urgent-sounding albums from the 80s – a quartet session recorded with an Italian rhythm trio – in a style that mostly features Watson blowing in the lead – really holding the session together with the strength of his own imagination – that ... CD (Jazz CD)
Mainstream/Sundazed, Late 1960s. (reissue)
One of the hippest groups of the 60s to blend Eastern influences and Western rock music – a nicely lean trio that comes across with results that are even cooler than some of their contemporaries! Part of the record's strength is its leanness – as other instrumentation might have gotten ... LP, Vinyl record album (Rock LP)

Abdullah Ibrahim

3
Gearbox (UK), 2024. 2CD
Some of the most beautiful work we've ever heard from this legendary pianist – and that's really saying a lot, given how many beautiful records Abdullah Ibrahim has given us over the years! The set expands from Ibrahim's solo performance for Gearbox Records, and takes things into a trio ... CD (Jazz CD)

Joelle Leandre/Pascal Contet

Miniatures
Trost (Austria), 2024.
Joelle Leandre is a fantastic musician who always give us sounds that are way more than most – and here, she continues that long legacy by pairing with accordion player Pascal Contet, who's got a way of handling his instrument and really matching the creative energy of Joelle! Leandre's bass ... CD (Jazz CD)
Tomorrow International/P-Vine (Japan), 1976.
Quite possibly the funkiest album ever recorded by saxophone legend Nathan Davis – a sweet little session with plenty of electric touches! The sound here differs greatly from Davis' 60s work on the European scene – his amazing albums for MPS and Polydor – and the record's awash ... CD (Jazz CD)

Lakecia Benjamin

Phoenix
Whirlwind, 2023. 2LP Gatefold
Lakecia Benjamin has become one of the most unique saxophonists in jazz over the course of her past few records – an artist who can hit deeply spiritual tones when she wants to, but one who's also got a strong sense of soul – able to mix inspirations from the farther reaches with some ... LP, Vinyl record album (Jazz LP)
Louisiana State University, 2023.
A well-written account of one of the most important record labels in the early years of 78rpm singles – the legendary Paramount Records, home to important work from blues legends like Son House, Skip James, and Blind Lemon Jefferson – and key jazz musicians such as King Oliver, Louis ... Book (Book)

Emahoy Tsege Mariam Gebru

Souvenirs (gold vinyl pressing)
Mississippi, Late 1970s/Early 1980s.
Very early work from this legendary Ethiopian musician – a very haunting blend of voice and piano, often recorded with a very echoey tone – in a style that's completely unique! Emahoy Tsege Marian Gebru comes across in a very intimate mode here – on songs that have a deeply ... LP, Vinyl record album (Global Grooves LP)
Rewarm (UK), 1970s. 2LP Gatefold
A collection that's maybe unlike anything we've heard before – music that's acoustic, but groovy – easygoing, yet funky – served up by a really wide range of artists, but presented with a style that's a really unified whole! Just about every artist here is completely obscure, but ... LP, Vinyl record album (Funky Compilations LP)
Dawn/Music On Vinyl (Netherlands), 1970. Gatefold (reissue)
A legendary group who never fully got their due – and maybe one of the creepier acts on the British scene at the start of the 70s! The cover art probably gives things away – but the sound of the record is even more haunting – with some acoustic elements that echo the acid folk ... LP, Vinyl record album (Rock LP)

Tsuyoshi Yamamoto

Sweet For K (SACD)
Somethin Cool (Japan), 2024.
An album with a really beautiful sound – not just from the core work of the piano trio, but also from the guy who recorded the whole thing too – the legendary engineer for the Three Blind Mice label in Japan, Yoshihiko Kaminari! It's not often that the engineer gets billed on the back ... CD (Jazz CD)
Sdban (Belgium), 1960s/Early 1970s.
Maybe one of the coolest collection of soundtrack work we've ever heard, and maybe one of the most obscure as well – given that the tracks here were all done for Belgian films of the 60s and 70s, and include some rare work from composers you might know from bigger name European movies! There' ... CD (Funky Compilations CD)

Pan Afrikan People's Arkestra

Live At IUCC 4/27/80
Nimbus, 1980. 2CD
Unissued live work from this legendary spiritual jazz ensemble – a collective who seemed to bring something different to the proceedings every time they recorded, which is definitely the case with this fantastic set! This volume is one of the group's unearthed additional recordings at IUCC ... CD (Jazz CD)
Right Tempo/Mono Jazz (Italy), 2024. 2LP Gatefold
A wealth of spiritual sounds from more recent years – served up in a killer compilation that focuses on all the great new sounds that have been emerging from different global scenes – a sublime blend of jazz, soul, Latin, and other modes – all at a level that gives us plenty of ... LP, Vinyl record album (Funky Compilations LP)
Mainstream/Sundazed, 1967.
Seminal sounds from this legendary group – a combo who feature a young Ted Nugent on some complete amazing guitar, but in a way that's very different than Ted's big arena rock albums of the 70s! The Amboy Dukes have a way of combining the rawness of garage rock with the headiness of psych, ... LP, Vinyl record album (Rock LP)
Three Blind Mice/Sony (Japan), Mid 70s. 2LP Gatefold
A great overview of work on the legendary Three Blind Mice label from 70s Japan – a crucial imprint that gave exposure to the new generation of Japanese jazz musicians who were forging a fresh sort of ideas apart from their counterparts in the US! Three Blind Mice was always a label that was ... LP, Vinyl record album (Funky Compilations LP)
Trova/RGS (Argentina), 1965.
A great demonstration of the incredible keyboard skills of Argentine pianist Enrique Villegas – an artist who issued a few albums here in the US, but had a much longer recorded legacy back home! This mid 60s date is one of Enrique's classics – and shows his amazing command of the keys, ... CD (Jazz CD)

Masayuki Takayanagi & New Direction For The Arts

Free Form Suite
Three Blind Mice/Endless Happiness, 1972. (reissue)
A really compelling set from this important Japanese group of the 70s – a quartet headed up by guitarist Masayuki Takayanagi – but which features a very complex balance of work from all the individual members! The set initially begins with a traditional vibe, but then seems to step out ... LP, Vinyl record album (Jazz LP)
Harlem Sound/Now Again, 1973. (reissue)
One of those funk records that was even pretty darn obscure back in the day – at a time when so many other funk records weren't so obscure! But obscurity aside, the record also quickly grew into the stuff of legend – thanks to a groove that's totally great, and which has all this ... LP, Vinyl record album (Soul LP)
Blue Note, 1968. Gatefold (reissue)
A wonderful session by Andrew Hill – recorded in 1968, but issued only briefly in 1981 – and out of print for years! The session is a key one in understanding Hill's work – as it's a bridge between the arch modernism of his early Blue Note sides, and the more soul-oriented ... LP, Vinyl record album (Jazz LP)
Numero, Mid 1960s.
One of the most enigmatic records we've ever gotten from the Numero Group – especially since they usually go out of their way to tell the full story of most of their releases! This set purports to be the never-issued soundtrack from a 60s film titled You're Not From Around Here – but ... LP, Vinyl record album (Rock LP)

Peter Brotzmann & Paal Nilssen-Love

Chicken Sh*t Bingo
Trost (Austria), 2024.
A set of unreleased improvisations between these two fantastic free jazz musicians – intended as a session in which, according to Paal Nilssen-Love, "we agreed to bring all the metal we could bring"! That means that Peter Brotzmann is blowing a wide variety of reed instruments, and ... CD (Jazz CD)
Bongo Joe (Switzerland), Late 1960s/Early 1970s.
A set of merengue tracks, but from a very focused source – as the package features all numbers recorded in the Dominican Republic during the 60s and 70s – often with a groove that sets them apart from the rest! The rhythms here are often blindingly fast – so much so, you might be ... CD (Latin CD)

Moor Mother

Great Bailout
Anti, 2024.
Moor Mother continues to blend genres and come up with one that's all her own – a unique space between soul and poetry, music and message, all with a vibe that's unlike anything else we can think of! This set may be Moor Mother's heaviest to date – an unflinching examination of ... CD (Neo Soul CD)
Time Capsule (Japan), Late 1970s/Early 1980s.
A really unique selection of Japanese reggae tracks from back in the day – and work that's very different than sounds from both the underground scene in Kingston, and the big wave of reggae hits on the major labels! The pace of many of these cuts has them moving in almost a lovers rock sort ... LP, Vinyl record album (Japanese LP)
Seismographic (Germany), Mid 1970s. 2LP Gatefold
A very mysterious compilation – so much so that none of the tracks are listed with artists names – which is maybe a testament to their obscurity, at least to our American ears! And while the title says "disco", the groove is different than the soaring strings and female ... LP, Vinyl record album (Global Grooves LP)

Chief Xian Atunde Adjuah (Christian Scott)

Bark Out Thunder Roar Out Lightning
Ropeadope, 2023.
With a record like this, it's hard to believe that Christian Scott started out in more standard jazz – as Chief Xian Atunde Adjuah is a very different artist altogether, one who wraps together worlds and eras of musical heritage – working here in a set that's very heavy on percussion, ... CD (Jazz CD)
Pit Inn (Japan), 2019.
The J Masters are Japanese Jazz Masters – a really great sextet with key members from a few different generations – all coming together here in a really wonderful performance! The group is grounded by work from Yoshio Suzuki on bass and Shingo Okudaira on drums – and features ... CD (Jazz CD)

Pablo Schneider

Sobre La Hierba – Virgen
Discomoda/Vampi Soul (Spain), 1976.
A rare bit of soundtrack funk from mid 70s Venezuela – a set that's strongly influenced by Italian cop/crime modes of the time, but sometimes served up with a nicely leaner vibe as well! In addition to the funky guitar, tight basslines, and jazzy horns you might expect – there's also ... LP, Vinyl record album (Soundtracks LP)

Enrique Villegas

Tributo A Jerome Kern
Trova/RGS (Argentina), 1977.
The music of Jerome Kern is explored here in territory that's nicely far from the original – really open, fluid trio instrumentals from Enrique Villegas – who's very much at the height of his more modern, open style here! The tunes are familiar, but really pulled apart as well – ... CD (Jazz CD)
Numero, Late 60s/1970s. 2LP Gatefold
A double-length collection of work from two obscure Atlanta soul labels – the Tragar and Note imprints, both run by local producer Jesse Jones! Back in the day, Atlanta wasn't nearly as big of an outlet for soul records as it's become in recent years – so Jones' labels were key in ... LP, Vinyl record album (Funky Compilations LP)
Ohrwurm/Tramp (Germany), Late 1970s. Gatefold
A German group, but one who've got a sweet, sunny sound that would have been right at home in the Cali scene of the 70s! The harmonies on the record alone are great – right up there with America or CSN – and the instrumentation has slight jazzy currents, with a blend of acoustic guitar ... LP, Vinyl record album (Rock LP)

Enzo Randisi

Enzo Randisi
PDR/SeriE.WOC (Italy), Early 80s. Gatefold (reissue)
Wicked work on vibes from this fantastic Italian musician – a player who really seems to lean into the more subtle, sensitive qualities of his instrument – to come up with this overlooked set of genius that's filled with great sounds throughout! Enzo's vibes are blended beautifully ... LP, Vinyl record album (Jazz LP)

Next Morning

Next Morning
Calla/Survival Research, 1971. (reissue)
A heady bit of work from this obscure Caribbean band – much more rock than funk, but put together with a nice combination of both in the mix! We might link these guys slightly to a group like Merda/Black Merda – maybe given some inspiration from the work of Jimi Hendrix, but sometimes ... LP, Vinyl record album (Soul LP)
Polydor/Endless Happiness, 1969. (reissue)
Very experimental work from this loose Canadian collective of the late 60s – but a set that's filled with some surprisingly cool touches too! The album's almost more of a "happening" in the studio at times – with free-flowing energy between jazz musicians, rockers, poets, ... LP, Vinyl record album (Rock LP)

Twospeak & Ronan Perrett

Fictions
No More Records (UK), 2024.
Really dynamic work from a group who mix up equal parts jazz and prog, but with a very 21st Century vibe – almost as if they'd been digging the post-Robert Wyatt Soft Machine records of the 70s, then decided to craft something different of their own! The drums alone are fantastic – ... LP, Vinyl record album (Jazz LP)
Numero, Mid 1960s.
A very cool soundtrack, and one that offers up a weird and wonderful mix of modes from the mid 60s – bits of surf guitar, garage rock, country, and more – all brought together in a wonderfully evocative mode that hardly needs the images of the offbeat film on the screen! The whole ... LP, Vinyl record album (Rock LP)
Dagoretti, 1970s/Early 1980s.
Killer grooves from the Kenyan scene of the 70s – sounds that are very spare, and very timeless – often just percussion, a stringed instrument, and chanted vocals – all served up in a very driving, hypnotic blend! The set collects tracks from a time when the initially rural ... LP, Vinyl record album (Global Grooves LP)
Minipan (Italy), 2024.
A stunning record that takes us back to the glory days of cosmic sounds at the start of the century – that moment when new ideas seem to be constantly exploding from the London scene in a flurry of classic records that really enriched our lives! That spirit is recaptured here beautifully ... LP, Vinyl record album (New Grooves LP)

Grandmaster Masese

Grandmaster Masese
Dagoretti, 2023.
A contemporary artist, but working here on a very ancient instrument – the Kenyan obokano, which is a large eight-stringed instrument that brings out these bassy tones that are completely unique – blended here with a second version of the instrument, plus fuzzy guitar, bass, and other ... LP, Vinyl record album (Global Grooves LP)
Corbett vs. Dempsey, 1996.
A searing live set from the legendary NRG Ensemble – a key bridge between Chicago avant generations in the 80s, still going very strong in the 90s in this stunning concert recorded in Utrecht! There's a lot of twin-reed frenzy in the music – leader Mars Williams and Ken Vandermark ... CD (Jazz CD)
Red (Italy), 1966.
Pivotal work from piano genius Paul Bley – an important recording done in Rome in the mid 60s, and one of those sessions that really helped Bley reinvent the sound of jazz piano at the time! The record's got this beautiful mix of free improvisation and group structure – a vibe that's ... CD (Jazz CD)
Discomoda/Olindo (UK), Late 1960s/Early 1970s. 2LP
A smoking overview of work from the glory days of the Venezuelan scene – that moment when the nation's economy was opening the doors to rich new avenues of expression – including the important Discomoda label, which recorded all the gems on this set! The vibe is great – kind of a ... LP, Vinyl record album (Latin LP)

San Lucas Band

Music Of Guatemala
Command/Bongo Joe (Switzerland), 1975.
A very wild record – maybe more free jazz than you'd guess from the image on the cover, and the Guatemala in the title! These guys are a brass band, but the way they mix their horns together often feels more like some Lester Bowie experiment, or some other AACM-related project – as ... LP, Vinyl record album (Global Grooves LP)

O'Donel Levy

Simba
Groove Merchant/Mr Bongo (UK), 1973.
Fantastic sounds throughout – and maybe the best album ever by this legendary 70s guitar player! O'Donel Levy's got this tremendous sound that comes from playing an electric hollow body – in a tone that takes the best bits of Grant Green and Wes Montgomery, and strips them down for a ... CD (Jazz CD)

Piero Umiliani

Blue Nude/Life Goes On
Easy Tempo (Italy), 1978. (pic cover)
Nothing too blue about this nude – as the tune's a sexy little romp, and one that nicely mixes up acoustic guitar, floating violin, and romping rhythms – all set to some cool offbeat lyrics! The tune's an overlooked funky soundtrack cut from Piero Umiliani – and it's backed here ... 7-inch, Vinyl record (Funky 45's 7-inch)
Sony/Lawson (Japan), 1975. (reissue)
Heavy funk from a hip Japanese combo – one that features lots of drums and percussion from leader Akira Ishikawa, plus plenty of guitar, keyboards, and hard-riffing horns! Akira's taking most of his cues here from American funk of the early 70s – work by Incredible Bongo Band, BT ... LP, Vinyl record album (Jazz LP)
Ace/Kent (UK), Late 1960s/Early 1970s.
A Philly soul legend finally gets his time in the spotlight – as drummer Earl Young played on countless classic sessions back in the day, but rarely even got his name in the liner notes! That lack of recognition is corrected here – in a great package that puts Young's face on the cover ... CD (Funky Compilations CD)
Capitol/Ace (UK), Late 1960s/1970s.
Glen Campbell cut plenty of fantastic songs for Capitol Records – but year after year, some of the best were written by the young Jimmy Webb – an important 60s songwriter who brought magic to a number of different singers, but maybe clicked most strongly with Glen! You'll know the key ... CD (Rock CD)
Werf (Netherlands), 2024. 2LP Gatefold
A really unique combo, and one that's definitely what's promised in the title – a lineup that's heavy on trombones, given a nice kick at the bottom from guitar, bass, and drums! The players come together here in a really wonderful sound – partly extending from the postwar multi-trombone ... LP, Vinyl record album (Jazz LP)
Red (Italy), 1987. 2LP Gatefold (reissue)
An album that definitely lives up to its title – as it's one of those nicely stripped-down sessions that Chet Baker recorded overseas in the last years of his life – done in close collaboration with the great Nicola Stilo, a musician who really helps bring something special out in Baker' ... LP, Vinyl record album (Jazz LP)
Night Dreamer (UK), 2023. 2LP
A really bold step forward for Chicago tenor genius Isaiah Collier – and maybe the first record to showcase his emergence as a multi-instrumentalist instead of just a spiritual jazz musician! There's clearly a lot of improvisation going on here – not just from the larger ensemble, ... LP, Vinyl record album (Jazz LP)

Julian Lage

Speak To Me
Blue Note, 2024.
Guitarist Julian Lage is working here with a slightly expanded group, yet still comes across with a sound that's as warm and intimate as some of his previous material! The core trio with Jorge Roeder on bass and Dave Kings on drums is expanded with the addition of Levon Henry on saxes, Patrick ... CD (Jazz CD)

Ayany Jowi

Raging Buffalo
Dagoretti, 1970s.
Other-worldly sounds from a Kenyan fiddle player, but one who uses the instrument in ways that are completely unique – a style known as Orutu music, in which the instrument is used to spin out these hypnotic waves of sound next to spare percussion and really incredible chanted vocals! There's ... LP, Vinyl record album (Global Grooves LP)

Mars Williams/Darin Gray/Chris Corsano

Elastic – Mars Archive #3
Corbett vs. Dempsey, 2012.
A really beautiful trio set from saxophonist Mars Williams – one that gets at the interplay between tunefulness and improvising ferocity he could deliver when he was at his best – set up here in a stunning trio with Darin Gray on bass and Chris Corsano on drums! The set's a strong ... CD (Jazz CD)
Blue Note, Mid 60s. (reissue)
A triple-action classic from alto genius Jackie McLean – and one of those key records from the years when he stunned the world by moving from hardbop into the more experimental modes of the "new thing" generation! The approach here is very formative – not just for some of ... LP, Vinyl record album (Jazz LP)

Alpacas Collective

Seven Wisdoms Of Plutonia
Catalpas (Belgium), 2023.
A mad batch of funky grooves, with a world's worth of influences in the mix – elements of African, Indian, and other styles – all wrapped around some mighty funky instrumentation at the core! One track has a bit of sitar, another some Ethio organ, one more some Nigerian rhythms – ... CD (Deep Funk CD)

Fumio Karashima & Takeo Moriyama

EJ Blues
Pit Inn (Japan), 2011.
A tribute to the great drummer Elvin Jones – the "EJ" in the title – but a set that's very different than the sort of work you might know from Jones as a leader! The legendary Japanese drummer Takeo Moriyama is one of the co-leaders of the group, but his partner, the pianist ... CD (Jazz CD)
Slash/Craft, 1982. (reissue)
LP...$108.99 124.99
A surprising classic from the early 80s underground – a record that came to the world from the scene in Milwaukee, where neither the group nor the rest of the world would have expected the album to have such staying power over the decades! And yet, from the very first needle drop, it's hard ... LP, Vinyl record album (Rock LP)

Ruth Goller

Skyllumina
International Anthem, 2024.
Maybe the most haunting project to date from Ruth Goller – an important collaborator on the contemporary London scene, but one who's got a style that's much more than jazz – one that's definitely pushed to the limits here! The set features Goller on electric and acoustic bass, with ... CD (Jazz CD)
Express/Universal (Japan), 1969. (reissue)
The sweet image really gets at the wonderful sound of this record – a Japanese pop gem from the end of the 60s, and one that seems to mix together elements of bossa nova and European grooves – all in this way that really fits the way that the male and female vocals come together! The ... LP, Vinyl record album (Japanese LP)
Karma Chief/Colemine, 2024. Gatefold
A really majestic album from this mighty nice group – a set that references older space-themed albums from the postwar years, but which serves up the sound in the best style of the Ghost Funk Orchestra! There's cool use of NASA dialogue between some tracks – and rather than burst out ... LP, Vinyl record album (Deep Funk LP)
Cherry Red (UK), Late 1970s/Early 1980s. 3CD
A set that might have you rethinking the early years of punk – as it shows that right next to the short sharp shocks of the new sound, there was also a rebirth of tight tuneful music too – a style that became known as power pop, even though many of the acts were ever bit as indie as the ... CD (Rock CD)
Music Take Me Up (Netherlands), Late 1970s/Early 1980s.
An obscure gospel group, but a great one too – thanks to plenty of secular soul inflections in their music, which gives these classic tracks a real crossover appeal! The group hail from San Diego, maybe a bit farther off the gospel map – and they've got this warm way of blending subtle ... LP, Vinyl record album (Gospel LP)

Piero Umiliani

News/Top Secret
Easy Tempo (Italy), 1980. (pic cover)
The news is pretty darn jazzy here – thanks to a quick-stepping bassline, cool marimba, and snapping snare – all of which give "News" a very groovy jazz soundtrack feel – like something lifted off an obscure soundtrack from the early 60s! But halfway through, some cool ... 7-inch, Vinyl record (Funky 45's 7-inch)

Oduor Nyagweno

Where I Go – I Am There
Dagoretti, 2017.
A very cool recording, done in Kenya on a cell phone in contemporary years – but one that comes across with a very timely vibe, given that Oduor Nyagweno is one of the last living masters of his craft! That craft is his handling of the nyatiti instrument – an eight stringed smallish ... LP, Vinyl record album (Global Grooves LP)

Gerry Weil

Message
Olindo (UK), 1971. (reissue)
A lost masterpiece of modern jazz from the Venezuelan scene at the start of the 70s – a record that mixes together acoustic and electric elements with effortless ease – maybe echoing some of the best Gil Evans experiments of the time, but also vibing with the cooler European work on ... LP, Vinyl record album (Jazz LP)
Maple/On High (Canada), 1972. (reissue)
A really obscure soul trio from the New Jersey scene of the 70s – and one who've got a nicely rough-edged approach to their harmonies! The record's definitely in the grittier side of the scene – more funky 45 production overall, and a nice current of funk on the record at times too ... LP, Vinyl record album (Soul LP)

Classic Example

Classic Example
GSF/On High, Early 1970s. (reissue)
A wonderful album from this beautiful soul duo – a pair who kind of take the earlier Marvin Gaye/Tammi Terrell mode into a sweet 70s groove – all with help from members of The Crusaders on the backing! Most numbers feature the male singer stepping out a bit more in the lead, but in ... LP, Vinyl record album (Soul LP)
Not Two (Poland), 2024. 3CD
Trombonist Steve Swell works here in a shifting set of groups, all recorded during a festival performance in Poland – with smaller group outings on the first CD, and much larger ensemble expressions on the final two discs! Swell is a hell of an improviser, but here he's clearly stepping into ... CD (Jazz CD)
Dead Oceans, Late 1970s.
A really fantastic chapter in the career of the legendary Bill Fay – material that might have formed a lost third album, had any record company chosen to respond at the time – and which, presented here, really serves to illuminate a lost chapter in Bill's musical lineage! The set has ... CD (Rock CD)
PTG (Netherlands), Late 1970s/1980s.
One of the deepest entries in this long-running series – and like some of the other recent volumes, a package that goes way farther than some of the earlier compilations! The music here is not straight disco or funk – and instead, captures that really hip blend of modes that came into ... CD (Funky Compilations CD)
Vinyl Masterpiece (Netherlands), Late 70s/Early 80s. 2CDs
Great 80s grooves with some 70s moments thrown in as well – a double-length collection that features a host of overlooked gems from the past! The "giants" here aren't overplayed disco hits or classics that have been compiled too much – and instead, the set continues the great ... CD (Funky Compilations CD)

Betsayda Machado & La Parranda El Clavo

Loe Loa – Rural Recordings Under The Mango Tree
Olindo (UK), 2017.
Earthy vocals and plenty of percussion – a wonderful set of parranda tracks from Betsayda Machado, who works here with a tight combo that really sends her vocals over the top! On her own, Betsayda would be enough – a singer with the expressive qualities of older giants, such as Omara ... LP, Vinyl record album (Global Grooves LP)
Wand/Ultra Vybe (Japan), 1975.
Soaring, soulful work from South Shore Commission – one of those great upbeat soul groups who really helped shape the scene in the pre-disco years – effortlessly blending strong vocals and uptempo grooves, and setting the stage for countless others to follow! Like some of their best ... CD (Soul CD)

London Afrobeat Collective

Esengo
Canopy (UK), 2024.
Hard-driving work from this Afrobeat collection – an ensemble who've been working together for over a decade, and whose members hail from more scenes than just London – yet one who also use that city's cross-cultural heritage to really craft their own groove! Vocals are by Juanita Euka ... LP, Vinyl record album (Global Grooves LP)

Eddie Bond

Eddie Bond Rocks
Bear Family (Germany), Late 1950s/1960s.
A great look at the work of Eddie Bond – an underground rocker on the Memphis scene during the early years of Elvis, and one who also cut some rare tracks for Sun Records – plus a variety of other labels too! Bond has roots in country, and that definitely comes through in the twang ... CD (Rock CD)

Toi Et Moi

Sorayo
Liberty/Universal (Japan), 1970. Gatefold (reissue)
A record with a really special sound – Japanese pop moving past some of the more emotive modes used a few years before, and working with a gentle, breezy style that sometimes echoes the best A&M Records styles from the Cali scene of the late 60s! Both singers intertwine in a wonderful ... LP, Vinyl record album (Japanese LP)
Bang/Robinsongs (UK), Late 70s/Early 80s. 2CD
A trio of classic albums from The Muscle Shoals Horns – with bonus tracks too! First up is Born To Get Down, by a group who were definitely born to get down – as they'd proved before on countless funk and soul sessions in the south – and as they prove once again with this ... CD (Soul CD)
Jazzman (UK), Late 60s/1970s/1980s/1990s.
A wonderfully wide-ranging tribute to the great John Coltrane – served up here in a whole host of tracks recorded after his too-early death, each of which take his musical message in different directions! The sound is certainly spiritual – in keeping with the different volumes in this ... CD (Funky Compilations CD)

Dr Pete Larson & Cytotoxic Nyatiti Band

Damballah
Dagoretti, 2024.
Pete Larson learned how to play the classic Kenyan nyatiti instrument in the early days of this century – and years later, he recorded this fantastic blend of regional sounds and psychedelic modes – very different than classic nyatiti recordings from the 20th Century! There's a fuzzy, ... LP, Vinyl record album (Global Grooves LP)

Domo Branch

Melodies Of A Branch
Albina Music Trust, 2023.
Domo Branch is represented as a group on the front cover – but if you take a closer look, you'll notice the image features multiple shots of the man himself – a killer drummer who delivers a wonderful performance on this full album of solo drums! The set was recorded overseas, but Domo ... LP, Vinyl record album (Jazz LP)
Capitol/Big Pink (South Korea), 1979.
The last full album recorded by Minnie Riperton before she left our planet all too soon – and a killer batch of work that really has us wondering how great the world of soul music would have been, had Minnie stuck around to keep on growing into the 80s and 90s! The set's filled with the kind ... CD (Soul CD)

Bonga

Angola 72/74
Morabeza/Lusafrica (France), Early 1970s.
A pair of classic albums, served up here in a single set! First up is the sound of Angola, circa 1972 – served up here in a beautiful album of songs from Bonga! The music is relatively spare – mostly just lead acoustic guitar, bass, and percussion – the latter of which is played ... CD (Global Grooves CD)
Bear Family (Germany), 1950s/Early 1960s.
CD...$8.99 11.99
Serving time has never been this groovy – thanks to a whole host of prison-themed tunes from the postwar years, presented here in a package that's especially strong on blues and R&B! Sure, most folks know "Folsom Prison Blues", but this package digs much deeper to come up with ... CD (Rock CD)
Verve, 1964. Gatefold (reissue)
Excellent 60s work by tenorist Stan Getz – a completely sublime meeting with pianist Bill Evans – tunes recorded in 1964, but not issued at the time, even though they are fantastic – because Verve Records instead wanted to really focus on Stan's bossa nova recordings! The ... LP, Vinyl record album (Jazz LP)

Toi Et Moi

Utopia
Liberty/Universal (Japan), 1971. Gatefold (reissue)
A really great record from the Japanese scene of the 70s – one that seems to borrow a lot from the French pop styles of the late 60s – as you might guess from the group's name! Toi Et Moi are one guy singer, one gal – blending their Japanese vocals beautifully, with elements that ... LP, Vinyl record album (Japanese LP)

Shrieks

Iruka No Uta
Express/Universal (Japan), 1974. (reissue)
There's no shrieking going on here, as the music's got this gently groovy style that's warm and wonderful – post-folk, maybe a bit sunshine pop influenced – and coming across as almost like a Japanese attempt to hit some Carpenters territory! The songs are often more sophisticated than ... LP, Vinyl record album (Japanese LP)
Strut (UK), Late 70s/Early 80s. 3LPs (reissue)
A really wonderful collection – an important re-investigation of the unusual mix of sounds and styles on the New York scene in the years after disco – a time when funk, punk, hip hop, and art were all colliding at once – providing a really fresh antidote to the staid sounds of ... LP, Vinyl record album (Funky Compilations LP)
Adarce (Spain), Mid 70s.
Spanish tracks with a very soulful vibe – and a set that includes a fair bit of very groovy tracks from the years when the scene was mixing older flamenco styles with disco rhythms of the 70s! The flamenco mode here doesn't involve guitar so much as it does a wonderfully expressive style of ... LP, Vinyl record album (Global Grooves LP)

Peter Brotzmann

Catching Ghosts
Act (Germany), 2023.
A very earthy setting for the legendary reedwork of Peter Brotzmann – a killer live performance that has him working in a trio with the great Hamid Drake on drums, and Moroccan musician Majid Bekkas on the spare-stringed guembri! Drake really adapts himself to the guembri, and opens up with ... CD (Jazz CD)

Waaju

Grown
Olindo (UK), 2020.
A really great combo from the contemporary London scene – one who work with jazz instrumentation, but in ways that echo a variety of rhythmic styles – elements of North and West African modes, and touches of Caribbean as well – but all done with a lean, instrumental style! The ... CD (Jazz CD)

Majoie Hajary

La Passion Selon Judas
CBS/Mad About Records (Portugal), 1970. (reissue)
An incredible bit of global jazz from the French scene at the start of the 70s – one of those really unique records that's beyond easy definition, and which really represents all the cool criss-crossings in styles that were taking place on the Parisian scene at the time! Majole Hajary was ... LP, Vinyl record album (Jazz LP)
Lansdowne (UK), 2024.
A stunning book – even more amazing than we were expecting, and we were really expecting a lot! This is a heavy, hardcover, full color volume that takes a deep dig into the world of British jazz during some crucial modern years – presented with oversized images throughout, in the ... Book (Book)
Discolando/Pharaway Sounds (Spain), 1977. Gatefold (reissue)
Killer work from this Latin funk combo from the 70s – a group who were supposedly formed to open for Santana at a concert in Nicaragua, then went on with a searing legacy of their own! The music definitely owes a bit to the Bay Area Latin sound of the period – a blend of traditional ... LP, Vinyl record album (Latin LP)

Skip Mahoaney & The Casuals

Your Funny Moods
DC International/Numero, 1974. (reissue)
Sublime harmony soul – and one of THE east coast classics of the early 70s! Skip and group were one of the best vocal groups working on their scene at the time – with a style that's incredibly well crafted, yet also fragile enough to really capture the emotions of the tunes. This ... LP, Vinyl record album (Soul LP)

Maria Rita (Maria Rita Stumpf)

Brasileira
Selva (Brazil), 1988.
Not the same Maria Rita that rose to international fame in the past decade or so – but an earlier, much more obscure singer with a nicely rootsy vibe – one whose presence in the Brazilian music scene is maybe more welcome to our ears than her famous later namesake! The album came out ... CD (Brazil CD)

Isaac Sasson

Canciones De Isaac
Olindo (UK), 2021.
A very beautiful, very intimate album from Venezuelan singer Isaac Sasson – a set that's got an acoustic, gentle approach throughout – almost recalling some of the more inventive post-bossa experiments from the Brazilian scene, but with flavors that are very much its own! In addition ... LP, Vinyl record album (Global Grooves LP)

Chelsea Carmichael

River Doesn't Like Strangers
Native Rebel (UK), 2022. 2LP
Saxophonist Chelsea Carmichael has a really beautiful sound here – a style that's spiritual, but spacious too – so that her flow is one that often has a nice sense of space between the notes, as she moves through tracks that effortlessly blend live instrumentation with a few additional ... LP, Vinyl record album (Jazz LP)
Verve, 1965. (reissue)
One of the moodiest Verve albums from Astrud Gilberto – a set that has some surprising arrangements by Gil Evans – working here on one of his few 60s dates with a singer! Astrud's blue-tinged vocals work perfectly with Evans' backdrops – and Al Cohn also takes over the helm on ... LP, Vinyl record album (Brazil LP)

Key & Cleary

Love Is The Way
Now Again, 1970s/Early 1980s. (reissue)
Some of the most unique soul music you'll ever hope to hear – recorded by a pair of artists who mostly worked in Buffalo, New York during the 70s – with a very odd style that's completely their own! We'd quickly place the duo of Jesse Key and Sylvester Cleary in territory that would ... LP, Vinyl record album (Soul LP)

Youthsound

Youthsound
Albina Music Trust, 1982.
An early 80s gospel cooker from a group who really live up to their name – young singers from the Portland scene, recorded here during a very uplifting performance at a high school! The rhythms are very driving – funky gospel at its best, with a very romping vibe that has both the ... LP, Vinyl record album (Gospel LP)

Sultan Stevenson

Faithful One
Whirlwind, 2023. 2LP Gatefold
A really beautiful record from London pianist Sultan Stevenson – a set that seems to hearken back to the wonderful 70s territory of McCoy Tyner, especially in the way that Sultan can balance a sense of subtle majesty with an undeniable flow! Half the record features a core trio – with ... LP, Vinyl record album (Jazz LP)
Perception/Octave (Japan), 1972.
A key classic from the earliest years of the Fatback Band – one of the group's funkiest albums, and part of their original trilogy for the Perception label! The groove here is mighty raw throughout – but a bit more complicated than some of their funky 45 releases – a mixture of ... CD (Soul CD)
Polskie Nagrania/GAD (Poland), 1978.
An obscure Polish date from the great Gustav Brom – the Czech bandleader known for his great grooves for MPS and Supraphon! The styles here are something of a mixed bag – with some tunes that are straight swinging big band, mixed with a few others that show more of the jazz rock ... CD (Jazz CD)
Philips/Light In The Attic, 1971. (reissue)
Fantastic stuff – and a record that may well be the greatest ever from the mighty Serge Gainsbourg – high praise indeed, considering the greatness of Gainsbourg's other music! The album is one long suite built around a spare, electric bass-driven theme – a slow funk riff that's ... LP, Vinyl record album (French LP)
Philips/Universal (Japan), 1973. (reissue)
A very groovy album from 70s Japan – one that makes all the best use of the sexy vocal style of Kaoru Yumi, set to a warm mix of funky and easygoing backings! Yumi's as famous for her appearances on screen as she is on record – a role that was unified here through the scandalous album ... LP, Vinyl record album (Japanese LP)

Dusty Groove T-Shirt

Dot Dash – Olive (SMALL)
Dusty Groove Gear,
A modernist design that hearkens back to our favorite jazz albums of the 50s – served up as a testament to our best-selling style of music year after year! Yet even if you're not a jazz listener, you can still dig the sleek look of the image – which is printed here on an even better ... Clothing (Clothing)

Emahoy Tsege Mariam Gebru

Jerusalem
Mississippi, Early 70s.
Revelatory sounds from Emahoy Tsege Mariam Gebru – an Ethiopian nun, but one who had a secret side life as a pianist and composer – stepping out here on a selection of solo tracks that have a wonderfully captivating vibe! Gebru's music first got wider exposure in the Ethiopiques series ... LP, Vinyl record album (Global Grooves LP)

Henryk Debich & Orkiestra PRITV Lodz

Rajd (with bonus tracks)
GAD (Poland), 1980.
Jazzy disco grooves from Henryk Debich and his long-running broadcast orchestra – a group who were well-schooled in jazz modes from years past, and were very able to soar with upbeat rhythms in the latter half of the 70s! The tunes here echo some of the best sound library modes of Western ... CD (Sound Library CD)
Westbound/ORG, 1980.
One of the last great soul albums on the Westbound label – the Detroit funk powerhouse known for famous records by Funkadelic, The Counts, and the Detroit Emeralds! Eramus Hall have a vague P-Funk connection – and according to legend, the band were given their name by George Clinton, ... CD (Soul CD)
Blue Note (Japan), 1958.
A pivotal album in the career of saxophonist Lou Donaldson – a set that really has him finding his own groove – a slow-stepping, soul-drenched mode that's a nice change from the bop of his roots! A key part of the record's charm is conga work by Ray Barretto – a player used often ... CD (Jazz CD)

Dusty Groove T-Shirt

Record Guy – Light Blue (SMALL)
Dusty Groove Gear,
An image that conjures up the delight we experience every time we drop a needle on a record – kicking back and letting our mind drift away to the music! And sure, maybe we're not as likely to drop the cover on the floor as this guy – we are record collectors after all – but we ... Clothing (Clothing)

Agustin Pereyra Lucena

Agustin Pereyra Lucena
Tonodisc/Far Out (UK), 1970.
The sublime debut album from Argentine guitarist Agustin Pereyra Lucena – a musician who learned plenty from the bossa guitar generation of the 60s, then took things into his own hand with this wonderful record! Agustin's acoustic guitar is the main instrumentation on the set – ... CD (Brazil CD)

Village Of The Sun

First Light
Gearbox (UK), 2023.
An unusual project from the team of tenorist Binker Golding and drummer Moses Boyd – and one that really represents the compelling directions they've taken in recent years! The group here is a trio, with key contributions from Simon Ratcliffe of Basement Jaxx – who provides all these ... CD (Jazz CD)

Dusty Groove T-Shirt

Dot Dash – Black (SMALL)
Dusty Groove Gear,
A modernist design that hearkens back to our favorite jazz albums of the 50s – served up as a testament to our best-selling style of music year after year! Yet even if you're not a jazz listener, you can still dig the sleek look of the image – which is printed here on an even better ... Clothing (Clothing)

Lonnie Liston Smith

Lonnie Liston Smith Live
RCA/BGP (UK), 1977.
The mighty Lonnie Liston Smith live – sounding every bit as great as he did on his famous studio sessions from the 70s – and maybe even more freewheeling too! The feel of the record is really tremendous – extremely soulful, with Lonnie jamming away on keyboards as the band ... CD (Jazz CD)
Drift (UK), 2024.
The soulful sound of Bukky Leo takes off in all sorts of directions here – served up in a sweet soup of remixes by some great overseas talents! The work has the same Afro Funk vibe as some of Bukky's classic records – complete with his searing tenor work and strong lead vocals – ... LP, Vinyl record album (Global Grooves LP)
Blue Note, 2024. 2LP Gatefold
The music of vibist Joel Ross just keeps getting better and better with each new release – and on this set, he showcases a strong balance of sounds – really able to push the edges at some points, while also managing a soulful swing at others too! There's some key work on the album from ... LP, Vinyl record album (Jazz LP)
Marlin/Ultra Vybe (Japan), 1977.
An album with a righteous cover, but one that follows strongly in the soaring disco mode that made the Ritchie Family such a strong act on the dancefloors in the late 70s! The trio are working with disco maestro Jacques Morali here – and side one features the extended "African ... CD (Soul CD)

Mendes & Mendes

Mendes & Mendes
Brandao/Sabura (Portugal), 1982. (reissue)
A set that was originally issued in Portugal, but which carries forth a strong quality of Cape Verdean rhythms – which are then inflected with some nice currents of European funk! Instrumentation is electric, with lots of great keyboards and guitar lines – and although the lyrics aren't ... LP, Vinyl record album (Global Grooves LP)

Alpacas Collective

Big Words
Catalpas (Belgium), 2023.
A cool Scandinavian combo, and one who've got heavy influences from both American and African funk of the 70s – influences that they weave together wonderfully here in a rich tapestry of grooves! There's as much Nigerian elements in the music as Ethiopian – especially the more exotic ... CD (Deep Funk CD)
Numero, Late 1970s/Early 1980s.
Numero's Eccentric Soul series focuses on a well-named label – the tiny Shoestring company, who must have operated on a shoestring budget – given that most of its work hardly made it out of the Southern Illinois scene in which they worked! Yet the label's home of Alton, Illinois was ... LP, Vinyl record album (Funky Compilations LP)
Guerssen (Spain), 1972.
The second half of the title gives this one away – as the album's a batch of progressive rock tracks from early 70s Bolivia – all very heavy on guitar and organ! Tracks are longish, but never too sloppy – and the keyboards and guitar jam together nicely in an exploration of ... CD (Rock CD)
Trojan/Ultra Vybe (Japan), Late 1960s/Early 1970s.
The soulful sound of Trojan Records, mixed superbly here by Japanese DJ Holiday – who comes across with a killer blend of cuts from the rocksteady and early reggae years! A number of tracks here are Jamaican remakes of American soul tunes, and they're mixed with originals that really echo ... CD (Reggae CD)
Fremeaux & Associates (France), 1987.
Wonderful later work from Brazilian guitar legend Baden Powell – an artist whose sound just deepened and got more complex as the years went on! Here, Baden's just playing solo, but with a vibrancy that's amazing – fingers moving across the strings of the guitar in this amazing way, ... CD (Brazil CD)
Brunswick/Solid (Japan), 1967.
A really breakout moment for The Artistics – and the start of a really sublime run with the great Brunswick Records! The group had already broken a bit on Okeh a few years before – securing a top spot on the Chicago scene with their bouncy northern soul groove – a love of rhythm ... CD (Soul CD)

Lage Lund

Ashes
JMI, 2023. Gatefold
An open, beautiful, and really well-recorded album from guitarist Lage Lund – a set that really lets all the careful tones and colors of his music come across beautifully – as he plays in a spacious trio with Matthew Brewer on bass and Tyshawn Sorey on drums! Lage is always a chromatic ... LP, Vinyl record album (Jazz LP)
Trojan/Music On Vinyl (Netherlands), 1974. (reissue)
You gotta love Ken Boothe – a guy who can take familiar pop tunes like "Impossible Dream" and "Theme From The Godfather", and turn them into surprisingly soulful reggae classics! Yet that kind of magic is exactly what makes a great reggae album so great – the kind ... LP, Vinyl record album (Reggae LP)
Jewel/ORG, 1969. (reissue)
Gritty work from John Lee Hooker – a set recorded at the end of the 60s in Paris, at a time when that city was playing host to some of the hippest blues work of the decade! The style here is very much like John Lee Hooker of a decade before – simple, stark, and unadorned – with a ... LP, Vinyl record album (Blues LP)

Robson Jorge & Lincoln Olivetti

Deja Vu EP
Selva (Brazil), Mid 80s.
Never-issued work from these two giants of Brazilian soul – excellent material that really should have seen release back in the day, but which is maybe even more of a treasure presented here at long last! The set's got a warm modern soul glow – the sort of 80s material that Marcos ... LP, Vinyl record album (Brazil LP)

Bella Brown & The Jealous Lovers

Soul Clap
LRK (UK), 2024.
A set that's got all the classic soul vibe you might guess from the title and the cover, but one that's also got some more contemporary elements too – as Bella Brown and the group weave together strands of soulful influences from many decades – all with the feeling as if a 60s act on ... CD (Deep Funk CD)
Mainstream/Sundazed, 1968.
One of the tightest, grooviest albums on the short-lived rock years of the mostly-jazz Mainstream Records label – a treasure trove of tuneful tracks that spin out like some of the best late 60s work by The Zombies or The Left Banke! There's a starkness to the tunes that recalls some of the ... LP, Vinyl record album (Rock LP)
180g (UK), Late 70s/Early 80s.
Japanese club music from the disco years onward – but a set that's got a very universal appeal in the rhythms! The vocals are mostly in Japanese, but the arrangements, production, and instrumentation here resonate strongly with the best that New York or Philly had to offer during the disco ... LP, Vinyl record album (Funky Compilations LP)

Arthur Big Boy Crudup

Mean Ol Frisco
Fire/P-Vine (Japan), Early 60s. (reissue)
An early full length album from the great Arthur Crudup – and one that wasn't cut until after he'd had years on the scene, including some work that was a key inspiration for Elvis Presley and others of his generation! The set's done in a nice raw style – that grittier side of the ... LP, Vinyl record album (Blues LP)
Abkco, Early 1960s. 4LP Gatefold
Soul legend Sam Cooke left our planet all too soon – but during his short time in the business, and during the height of his fame, he managed to start his own record company too – a really groundbreaking imprint that issued some great singles of his own, and helped to showcase a small ... LP, Vinyl record album (Soul LP)
Continued Sound, Early 70s.
A killer collection of 70s soul – and one that focuses on the incredible scene that was going on in New Jersey at the time! The state was very adjacent to Philly – both geographically, and in style, with a great blend of harmony soul and upbeat grooves – but there's also a ... LP, Vinyl record album (Funky Compilations LP)

Kofi Flexxx

Flowers In The Dark
Native Rebel (UK), 2023. 2LP
A real genre-defying record from the contemporary London scene – a set produced by Shabaka Hutchings, and done with that post-jazz vibe that's really been creeping into his music in recent years! There's a very strong hip hop component to the record at times – thanks to key appearances ... LP, Vinyl record album (Jazz LP)

Mary Halvorson

Cloudward
Nonesuch, 2024.
Mary Halvorson seems to expand her sound here a bit more than usual – not in that she's working with a large ensemble, or in any sort of too-ambitious ways – but just that she's mixing her very unique phrasing on the guitar with just the right blend of other instruments – all at a ... CD (Jazz CD)
We Release Jazz (Switzerland), Late 1970s/Early 1980s.
Mindblowing work from Swiss jazz and funk legend Bruno Spoerri – all of it never issued before, and a set that maybe comes across as some of the coolest music we've ever heard from Bruno! Spoerri has a long legacy of recordings – including straight jazz in the 60s, and sound library ... LP, Vinyl record album (Jazz LP)
Blue Note, Late 60s. Gatefold (reissue)
Lyrical beauty from trumpeter Blue Mitchell – one of those records that really has him coming into his own, sounding fantastic on Blue Note in a way he never did on his earlier albums as a leader! it's clear that Blue learned a lot while playing in the group of Horace Silver – a way of ... LP, Vinyl record album (Jazz LP)
Columbia/BGO (UK), Late 1980s/Early 1990s. 2CD
A trio of Columbia Records sets from Jean-Luc Ponty – served up here in a single package! First up is Gift Of Time – a set that really shows him embracing keyboards much more than at the start of his career – even though he also still turns in plenty of great jazzy sounds on ... CD (Jazz CD)
Mainstream/Sundazed, Late 60s.
An incredible treasure from the late 60s underground – the one and only album from the Jelly Bean Bandits, a group who really should have been huge! These guys are hardly the sweeter pop act you might expect from their name – and instead, they've got a rock-solid sound that's very ... LP, Vinyl record album (Rock LP)
Thames & Hudson, 2022.
One of the most lavish, loving books on hip hop that we've ever seen – a huge volume that manages to be a history of rap music, a photo book, a guide to key albums, and also a personal journey as well – all served up with a vivid, non-stop array of images that make the whole thing even ... Book (Book)
Strata East/P-Vine (Japan), 1969. 2LP (reissue)
One of the most ambitious albums ever recorded from Clifford Jordan – a totally righteous little effort that was the first installment in the legendary Dolphy Series on the Strata East label! The set has Jordan working with a larger group than usual – an all-star array of players that ... LP, Vinyl record album (Jazz LP)
Roadshow/Iconoclassic, 1975.
BT Express are speeding it up a bit from the first album – hitting more of a disco vein, as would be their due, since they were one of the key groups in inventing the genre! The core ensemble funk sound is still firmly in place, with loads of great horns arranged by the enigmatic Carlos Ward ... CD (Soul CD)

Emmeluth's Amoeba

Nonsense
Moserobie (Sweden), 2024.
Emmeluth is alto saxophonist Signe Emmeluth – a player with a very unusual ear for timing and rhythms, as you'll hear in this completely unique set! The record has a vibe that's very hard to describe in words – maybe partly some of the experimentation of the 80s New York downtown scene ... CD (Jazz CD)
Stones Throw, 2020. (reissue)
A rock solid effort from one of the finer producers on Stones Throw at this stage in the label's esteemed history! If you expect 1988 to be throwback effort by the number title, think again, but he's not as predictable as that anyway. He sets an impeccable and unpredictable mood that stays rooted ... LP, Vinyl record album (Hip Hop LP)

Kim Sang Hee with Masahiko Sato Trio & Freedom Unity

World Pops & Love Story
All Art/Solid (Japan), Early 70s.
A really groovy little record from singer Kim Sang Hee – a vocalist who works here in English throughout, but gets backing from a few different forces on the Japanese jazz scene! Things change up nicely throughout the record – so that some tracks have Fender Rhodes backings from the ... LP, Vinyl record album (Japanese LP)

Akiko Yano

To Ki Me Ki
Midi/We Want Sounds (UK), 1978.
An early album from Japanese genius Akiko Yano, and one that features some key contributions from American jazz and fusion players – in a lineup that brings some surprisingly funky touches to the record too! Akiko's vocals and unique song structures still have all the charms you'll know from ... CD (Japanese CD)
Malaco/Ultra Vybe (Japan), 1982.
Sho-Nuff deepens their sound nicely for this second set for Malaco Records – still sticking in the lean club funk sound of their debut for the label – but also reaching a bit more on the lyrics and vocals too! Ballads show up a bit more than before, and almost evoke an old school group ... CD (Soul CD)

Weldon Irvine

Weldon & The Kats
Nodlew/P-Vine (Japan), 1968/1980s.
Rare work from Weldon Irvine – a selection of tracks recorded as private studio outings, reissued briefly by Luv N Haight in the early 90s, and then only on vinyl! The style here is much more jazz-based than some of Irvine's soul recordings – a mode that's often all instrumental, and ... CD (Jazz CD)
Stephen Guarnori (UK), 2023.
An insanely fantastic book on one of our favorite record labels of all time – the All Platinum family of labels from the New Jersey scene of the late 60s/early 70s – a precursor to the later Sugar Hill hip hop empire, and home to The Moments, Whatnauts, and countless other great groups! ... Book (Book)
Soul Jazz (UK), Late 60s/Early 70s.
Pure dynamite throughout – a really killer batch of cuts that easily steps between 60s and 70s styles in Jamaican music – shaking things up with soulful late 60s numbers, funky 70s gems, and some dubbier tracks from a time when production styles really opened up! As with other volumes ... CD (Reggae CD)
Themes/Be With (UK), 1976. (reissue)
That's a pretty dramatic image on the cover, and Brit maestro Alan Tew follows it up with just the right sort of tunes you might expect – many of which are thematic tracks titled "The Detectives", and which would be right at home in some kind of cool 70s cop/crime TV show! As with ... LP, Vinyl record album (Sound Library LP)
No Salad (Switzerland), 2024.
A very different record than usual for Arto Lindsay – definitely one that's at the more artistic side of his spectrum – as the music was done for a sonic installation at a gallery in Switzerland, and is very different than some of Lindsay's guitar work and vocals! In fact, Arto didn't ... LP, Vinyl record album (Rock LP)
Elektra/Rhino, Mid 60s. 2LP Gatefold (reissue)
The second heady dip into the under-discovered underground of the late 60s – and a package that's every bit as ear-opening as the first Nuggets volume! As with that classic, there's material here that really shows the full spectrum of the American scene in the mid 60s – music that's ... LP, Vinyl record album (Rock LP)
El (UK), Late 1940s/1950s/Early 1960s. 3CD
A set with an unusual sort of flavor – one that looks at the influence of Spanish culture on modern music during the postwar years – brought together here in a mix of jazz and classical recordings with some very different styles! CD1 is all jazz – and showcases some key Spanish-th ... CD (Global Grooves CD)

Pat Van Dyke

Falls To Pieces
Cotter, 2024.
Funky jazz for the hip hop generation – a set that features warm instrumental solos over some well-crafted beats – all with a vibe that effortlessly links the 70s with the 21st Century! Pat Van Dyke plays a host of instruments – including vibes and Fender Rhodes – in a ... LP, Vinyl record album (Jazz LP)
Elevation (Netherlands), Early 1970s.
A very cool group, and one who are every bit as groovy as they look on the cover – a hip early 70s Indonesian quartet, and one who mix together equal parts rock and funk – but all with a very trippy sound throughout! These guys are incredible – an under-discovered group who've ... LP, Vinyl record album (Global Grooves LP)

Kahoru Kohiruimaki with Prince

Time The Motion
TDK/Lawson (Japan), 1989. (reissue)
A great bit of Japanese soul from the end of the 80s – and one that's got a surprising connection to Prince as well – given the man himself wrote some of the tracks, and also appears on the record himself! Apart from Kahoru's Japanese vocals, the Prince tracks are totally Prince ... LP, Vinyl record album (Japanese LP)

Kevin Ayers

Joy Of A Toy
Harvest/Esoteric (UK), 1969. Gatefold (reissue)
A wonderful departure for Kevin Ayers – an album that's a lot lighter and more whimsical than his original fame with Soft Machine! The tunes are extremely playful, and often quite catchy – almost a Donovan-esque blend of folksy roots and jazz inflections – but tuned a bit more ... LP, Vinyl record album (Rock LP)
WeJazz (Finland), 2023.
The great Donald Byrd is on the cover this time around – and gets a great feature on his key jazz funk years for Blue Note on the inside! And as always, We Jazz really knocks it out of the park – with a mix of writing and artwork that's far beyond jazz magazines of years past – ... Magazine (Magazine)
Golden Ear/P-Vine (Japan), 1980. (reissue)
Very obscure later work from Jackie Ross – recorded in her years after Chess Records, with a sound that's a lot more mature than before! The style here is a bit like Marlena Shaw in the late 70s – a sophisticated blend of soul, jazz, and a little bit of club – served up with ... LP, Vinyl record album (Soul LP)

Paternoster

Die Ersten Tage
Now Again, 1971. (reissue)
A rare early moment from the legendary Austrian group Paternoster – sounds that predate their one and only cult-status album – originally created for the equally legendary film, Die Ersten Tage! The music here was never issued commercially at the time – and the release of these ... LP, Vinyl record album (Rock LP)
Themes/Be With (UK), 1976. (reissue)
That gun on the cover is a great hint at the action within – as UK sound library genius Alan Tew comes up with a whole host of hip cop/crime grooves for the set! Tracks are short, but done brilliantly – with a blend of keyboards and electric basslines amidst warmer jazzy ... LP, Vinyl record album (Sound Library LP)
Blue Note (Japan), 1959.
A killer session from Horace Silver – a record that has the legendary Blue Note pianist working with his famous quintet that includes Blue Mitchell on trumpet, Junior Cook on tenor, Gene Taylor on bass, and Louis Hayes on drums! The album's one of the group's first, and really showcases ... CD (Jazz CD)
Polydor/Big Pink (South Korea), 1972.
A pretty wild album – and a really wonderful mixture of funky fusion and Spanish guitar, featuring tunes written by flamenco guitarist Sabicas, backed by arrangements handled by funky guitarist Joe Beck! The sound is pretty darn incredible – way better than you might think, and ... CD (Jazz CD)
Sugar/Universal (France), 1973.
A fantastic soundtrack that's maybe even more legendary than the unusual animated film for which it was created – a funky French classic that stands strong in the best tradition of work by Serge Gainsbourg, Jean-Claude Vannier, and Michel Colombier! No surprise, Alain Goraguer is part of the ... CD (Soundtracks CD)
Island/Light In The Attic, 1975. (reissue)
The biggest-label release ever cut by 70s funk legend Betty Davis – but a set that's every bit as hard and heavy as the indie dates that preceded it! Davis is at the top of her form here – bad-stepping amidst the heavy drums and freaked-out guitars that easily made her one of the ... LP, Vinyl record album (Soul LP)

Various

Disco Stupenda
Mondo Groove (Italy), Late 1970s/Early 1980s.
A treasure trove of rare grooves from the Italian scene – including plenty of cookers from those years when the Italians were just about the only one keeping the disco sound going! The work predates the big wave of Italo House to come, but has a vibe that's equally lively, and a nicely ... LP, Vinyl record album (Funky Compilations LP)
Ultra Vybe (Japan), Early 60s/Late 70s.
An unusual slice of work from the James Brown Family – material from three different periods – early 60s cuts for Dade Records, early 70s material for Brownstone, and late 70s tracks for TK Records! The collection features some especially rare Dade material – tracks from artists ... CD (Soul CD)

Masaru Imada

Seeking Blue
Yupiteru/Ultra Vybe (Japan), 1978.
A nicely bold record from pianist Masaru Imada – one of his most strongly-grooving records of the 70s, and a set that features some great hork work as well! The core trio features Kunimitsu Inaba on bass and Fumio Watanabe on drums – both of whom bring out a more soulful groove than on ... CD (Jazz CD)
Death Is Not The End (UK), Late 1980s/Early 1990s.
A mysterious batch of funk and soul from tapes that were originally played at London clubs and parties in the late 80s and early 90s – the key years of the rare groove scene, which is represented here by a fantastic assortment of obscure grooves from the 70s! The presentation is different ... LP, Vinyl record album (Funky Compilations LP)

Maleem Mahmoud Ghania with Pharoah Sanders

Trance Of Seven Colors (180 gram pressing – with bonus download)
Axiom/Zehra (UK), 1994. 2LP Gatefold
One of the most compelling Bill Laswell productions of the 90s – partly because the work of Maleem Mahmoud Ghania is so great – and also because tenor genius Pharoah Sanders turns in some great work on the set! The core sound comes from Ghania's roots in gnawa – vocals and ... LP, Vinyl record album (Global Grooves LP)

Masaru Imada

Piko
Full House/Ultra Vybe (Japan), 1979.
A sublime solo set from pianist Masaru Imada – one that really opens up with the kind of warm, spacious approach to jazz that he showcased on his famous albums for the Three Blind Mice label! Imada's got a completely captivating sound here – really bringing us in with a personal ... CD (Jazz CD)
Lost Recordings (France), 1967. 2LP Gatefold
Ella Fitzgerald recorded famously in Berlin for Verve Records at the start of the 60s – but this set's from later on in the decade, and shows just how much Ella had grown as a singer! There's less of the easygoing good vibes of that previous album, and a much more mature, intimate quality at ... LP, Vinyl record album (Vocalists LP)

Piero Umiliani

A Tempo Di Jazz
RCA/Sonor (Italy), 1959. (reissue)
Piero Umiliani gave the world some fantastic soundtracks in the 60s, and incredible electronic and sound library work in the 70s – but in the immediate postwar years, he was a jazz musician at heart – as you'll hear in this great set of small combo jazz from 1959! The vibe is right up ... LP, Vinyl record album (Soundtracks LP)
Trad Vibe (France), Mid 70s.
Electric piano genius from this legendary French group of the 70s – served up here in a set of tracks that were only issued as 7" singles, plus a few other rare gems too! Cortex are maybe best known for their landmark Rhodes album Troupeau Bleu – a classic that stands up next to ... CD (Jazz CD)

Ra Washington & Ja Nada

In Search For Our Father's Gardens
Astral Spirits, 2024. 2LP
You might know pianist Ra Washington from his work in Mourning A BLKstar or Vernacular, and he's even more powerful and righteous here in a collaboration with bassist Jah Nada – as the pair head up a collective that delivers music that's full of music and message throughout! There's a ... LP, Vinyl record album (Jazz LP)

Masahiko Sato

Holography
Columbia/Endless Happiness (Italy), 1970. (reissue)
Two sides of very free piano from the great Masahiko Sato – an album of improvised genius, and surprising beauty as well! Playing solo on two side-long improvisations, Sato is very much in Cecil Taylor territory – yet he also delivers his performance with this inherent sense of ... LP, Vinyl record album (Jazz LP)

Masahiko Togashi & Isao Suzuki

Day Of The Sun
Paddle Wheel/Cinedelic (Italy), 1979. (reissue)
Inventive percussion and amazing bass work – plus a host of other interesting elements as well – all wrapped up beautifully in this unique collaboration between Isao Suzuki and Masahiko Togashi! Both players were some of the most creative of the mainstream Japanese scene of the 70s ... LP, Vinyl record album (Jazz LP)
Easy Tempo (Italy), Late 60s/1970s. 2LP Gatefold
A long-overdue entry in this legendary series of compilations – one that taught us an awful lot about funky soundtrack music back in the day, finally back in action after a long hiatus! This time around, the groove has gotten even deeper – as the series has stretched to include some ... LP, Vinyl record album (Funky Compilations LP)
P-Vine (Japan), 2010s.
A wonderful collection of later work from this legendary Japanese pianist – a set that's named after his famous Watarase album from years back, but which includes some unusual live recordings and material that we haven't seen elsewhere! Some of the tracks here really break the standard piano ... CD (Jazz CD)
Hilton's Concept/P-Vine (Japan), Mid 70s.
A holy grail of funky music – and a rare gem from the DC scene of the 70s! Keyboardist Hilton Felton cut this wicked killer for his own tiny label – Hilton's Concept – and it's a very unique blend of jazz and funk modes, done with help from members of The Blackbyrds and Three ... CD (Jazz CD)

Variations

Variations
Amour/Ultra Vybe (Japan), 1977.
An obscure group from the Oakland side of the Cali soul scene in the 70s – and one who get some superb backing here on the best cuts – thanks to work from the funk combo Perfect Circle, who bring some great jazz funk elements to the mix! The group features one female vocalist, Samaki ... CD (Soul CD)
BYG/Charly (UK), 1969. Gatefold (reissue)
The Art Ensemble at the height of their powers – really letting loose on the Parisian scene of the late 60s, where they found a great audience for all the new ideas they'd been brewing up back home! The album's definitely one that has the group's unique ethos coming into focus – that ... LP, Vinyl record album (Jazz LP)

Bobby Patterson

It's Just A Matter Of Time
Paula/Wax Trader (Canada), 1972. (reissue)
One of the best soul records to come out on the Paula label in the early 70s – one with a number of beautifully soulful moments – and a few surprisingly funky ones, too! Although Bobby Patterson did a lot of work for other singers, this is one of the few albums he actually cut under ... LP, Vinyl record album (Soul LP)
Omni Sound, 2024.
A tribute to a lost side of the creative powers of the legendary Sun Ra – his work in prose and poetry, presented here on record by a variety of different voices – all in a production that features some cool electronics from Marshall Allen as well! The instrumental work of Ra and the ... CD (Jazz CD)
Tricatel (France), 2023. 2LP
A sublime mix of art, jazz, and other unusual sounds – served up in tribute to the roving 7 x 7 exhibition series, and with a really beautiful package! The book itself is great – 12" square, and with 64 pages of artwork and writing in the middle – graced by recordings from a ... LP, Vinyl record album (Out Sound LP)
Atlantic/Robinsongs (UK), Late 70s. 2CD
A trio of funky classics from Faze-O – collected here with bonus tracks too! First up is their debut, Riding High – a spacey soul classic – with a sound that never gets old! Faze-O will be forever remembered for their massive cut "Riding High", the leadoff on this ... CD (Soul CD)
Jazz Detective, Mid 60s. 2CDs
Very cool work from vibist Cal Tjader – sounds that are different than some of the larger arrangements and concepts of his Verve Records albums of the mid 60s, and material that appears here for the first time ever! The set features a range of appearances that Tjader made on radio in Seattle ... CD (Jazz CD)
TK/Ultra Vybe (Japan), 1970s.
The album's titled after a funky Miami soul gem from the 70s, and the set's got a strong feature on some of the best groovy tracks from that southern city – all originally issued on 7" singles by the TK family of labels, and brought together here with a nice focus on the range of ... LP, Vinyl record album (Funky Compilations LP)
Calig/Moosicus (Germany), Late 60s.
A pare of rare European sessions from saxophonist Marion Brown – back to back on a single set! First up is Gesprachsfetzen – a really wonderful collaboration between alto saxophonist Marion Brown and vibist/reedman Gunter Hampel – a set that's maybe one of the sharpest to come ... CD (Jazz CD)
Mad 13 (Japan), 2023. 2LP
The album's great cover image is an homage to the Death Wish soundtrack by Herbie Hancock, and Mantle references 70s funk group Mandrill in his name – but the sound here is very different than either of those two references might make you expect, more in a contemporary hip hop vein, but ... LP, Vinyl record album (Japanese LP)

If you're ever in Chicago, be sure to visit our Chicago record store!
1120 N Ashland Ave Chicago, IL 60622
Open 10am–6pm daily.
All the great stuff appears here at our online record store first — but if you shop locally, you'll also get a chance to handle the goods before you buy!

We buy new and used LPs, 45s, vinyl records, and CDs

in the store by appointment only.

We pay top prices for older jazz, soul, funk, hip hop, and other genres in good shape!


See why Dusty Groove is consistently rated one of Chicago's Best Record Stores!
Updated March 18, 2024


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