A record of incredible beauty from the great Leo Wright – and one that we'd never part with at all! Wright's one of those excellent players from the 60s who never really gets his due – largely because he was always hiding behind larger groups, and because he left the US in the decade for an extended stint in Europe. Still he cut some fantastic early work with both Dizzy Gillespie and Lalo Schifrin – and this album captures him right during the peak of that early period! The record features light lively backing from a quartet that includes Kenny Burrell on guitar, Ron Carter on bass, and Rudy Collins on drums – and some tracks have a beautifully groovy sound that's slightly bossa, slightly soul jazz. One of the best of these is Wright's great cover of "A Felicidade", but the record contains many other great moments, like "The Wiggler", "Tali", "Sassy Lady", and "Dionysis". CD

A rare soul jazz session from alto saxophonist Leo Wright – a player that we mostly know from his bossa work of the early 60s! The session's extremely noteworthy as being one of the few to feature female organist Gloria Coleman – a player with whom Wright worked on her classic 1963 date Soul Sisters, and who returns here in a very similar hard-wailing sax-and-organ mode! Wright's work on alto is incredibly deep – with a sharper bite than much of his other 60s sessions, and a gutsy down-n-dirty quality that makes the record feel like one of the best organ jazz albums at the time from Prestige. Coleman's approach to the Hammond is great too – freely skipping around with a liberated sense of rhythm, in a way that matches Wright's every twist and turn with ease – and throws a few of its own into the mix as well! The group's completed by Kenny Burrell on guitar (also sounding harder here than usual!) and Frankie Dunlop on drums – and titles include some fresh originals "Poopsie's Minor", "State Trooper", "Blue Leo", "Blues Fanfare", and "Soul Talk". CD

A record of incredible beauty from the great Leo Wright – and one that we'd never part with at all! Wright's one of those excellent players from the 60s who never really gets his due – largely because he was always hiding behind larger groups, and because he left the US in the decade for an extended stint in Europe. Still he cut some fantastic early work with both Dizzy Gillespie and Lalo Schifrin – and this album captures him right during the peak of that early period! The record features light lively backing from a quartet that includes Kenny Burrell on guitar, Ron Carter on bass, and Rudy Collins on drums – and some tracks have a beautifully groovy sound that's slightly bossa, slightly soul jazz. One of the best of these is Wright's great cover of "A Felicidade", but the record contains many other great moments, like "The Wiggler", "Tali", "Sassy Lady", and "Dionysis". LP, Vinyl record album

A nice collection of Gene Ammons' work that doesn't always get as well remembered as his sides for Prestige or Chess – a 1947 bop session for Savoy with Howard McGhee on trumpet, Leo Parker on baritone, Junior Mance on piano, Gene Wright on bass, and Chuck Williams on drums; and early 50s sesssions with Johnny Coles on trumpet, Lino Murray on trombone, Mack Easton on tenor and baritone, John Houston on piano, Ben Stuberville on bass, and George Brown on drums; done in a wonderfully full-voiced tone! The set features Gene's classic "Red Top", plus the great two part "Big Slam", and the titles "Chips", "Goodtime Blues", "Fuzzy", "Jim Dawgs", and "Street Of Dreams". LP, Vinyl record album

A wonderful session of 60s Hammond jazz – a record that was somewhat overlooked at the time, but which has really gotten the attention it deserves over the years! The album's one of a rare few cut by organist Gloria Coleman – an obscure east coast player who was also the wife of tenorist George Coleman, and who follows wonderfully in a strong tradition of female organists that includes Trudy Pitts and Shirley Scott. Even hipper is the fact that Gloria's quartet has a female drummer – the fiery Pola Roberts, who's got a light touch on the kit that makes the cuts dance nicely. And even still hipper is the fact that that group is completed by Grant Green on guitar and Leo Wright on alto – both of whom groove in a totally tight soul jazz mode that resembles their best work from the early 60s. The session's a wonderful burner, of the sort that you'd proudly display in a collection of 60s soul jazz – and it's filled with excellent original cuts like "Que Baby", "Hey Sonny Red", "Melba's Minor", and "Funky Bob". LP, Vinyl record album

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 with a style that's unlike anyone else we can think of – and certainly far from the mellower tones of his previous leader set for Columbia. This album's got a great mix of hardbop and modern ideas – right up there with the best Blue Note had to offer at the time – and the group's filled with equally hip players who include Joe Henderson on tenor, Leo Wright on alto and flute, Duke Pearson on piano, Bob Cranshaw on bass, and either Pete LaRoca or Walter Perkins on drums. Titles include "Heavy Legs", "Hobo Joe", "Jano", and "Little Johnny C". Very hip, very hard, and very swingin! CD

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 with a style that's unlike anyone else we can think of – and certainly far from the mellower tones of his previous leader set for Columbia. This album's got a great mix of hardbop and modern ideas – right up there with the best Blue Note had to offer at the time – and the group's filled with equally hip players who include Joe Henderson on tenor, Leo Wright on alto and flute, Duke Pearson on piano, Bob Cranshaw on bass, and either Pete LaRoca or Walter Perkins on drums. Titles include "Heavy Legs", "Hobo Joe", "Jano", and "Little Johnny C". Very hip, very hard, and very swingin! CD

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 with a style that's unlike anyone else we can think of – and certainly far from the mellower tones of his previous leader set for Columbia. This album's got a great mix of hardbop and modern ideas – right up there with the best Blue Note had to offer at the time – and the group's filled with equally hip players who include Joe Henderson on tenor, Leo Wright on alto and flute, Duke Pearson on piano, Bob Cranshaw on bass, and either Pete LaRoca or Walter Perkins on drums. Titles include "Heavy Legs", "Hobo Joe", "Jano", and "Little Johnny C". Very hip, very hard, and very swingin! CD

While actually not as electrifying as some of Dizzy's other albums from the time, this one's still pretty darn great, and features his great group with Leo Wright on alto and Lalo Schfrin on piano. The band grooves with a subtly Latinish vibe, and the tracks are nice and long long long. Titles include "Kush", one of Dizzy's best Latin numbers, plus "The Mooch" and "Night In Tunisia". The CD also includes an interview with Dizzy by Charles Schwartz. CD

While actually not as electrifying as some of Dizzy's other albums from the time, this one's still pretty darn great, and features his great group with Leo Wright on alto and Lalo Schfrin on piano. The band grooves with a subtly Latinish vibe, and the tracks are nice and long long long. Titles include "Kush", one of Dizzy's best Latin numbers, plus "The Mooch" and "Night In Tunisia". LP, Vinyl record album

A great burner from Diz – and one that features a large group, long tracks, and some stellar early work from Lalo Schifrin! Schifrin was in Diz's group at the time, playing piano and contributing fantastic Latin-tinged arrangements that gave the band a whole new life. Other players on this session include Candido, Leo Wright, Julius Watkins, and Willie Rodriguez – and the tracks include "Africana", "Blues", and "Panamerica". CD

A lost bossa jazz classic from Dizzy Gillespie – recorded at a time when Lalo Schifrin was working in his combo! The record's got a cool, laidback kind of groove – one that's miles away from Gillespie's earlier bop work, and which shows him opening up his rhythmic conception strongly in the 60s. Rhythms are percolated by the piano of Schifrin, guitar of Bola Sete, bass of Chris White, and some well-chosen added percussion work – and the overall groove is one of the best American takes on the bossa jazz sound of the time, delivered with wonderful horn work from Dizzy on trumpet, Leo Wright on flute and alto, and Charlie Ventura on tenor! Even familiar tunes are transformed by the sound – and titles include "In A Shanty In Old Shanty Town", "Careless Love", "Taboo", "One Note Samba", "Pergunte Ao Joao", and "Chega de Saudade". CD

Features Lalo Schifrin on piano, Leo Wright on alto and flute, and two tracks with Candido. CD

Fantastic work from one of our favorite Dizzy Gillespie groups ever – an early 60s lineup that not only features a young Lalo Schifrin on piano, but also the great Leo Wright on alto sax and flute! Dizzy's maybe best known for his bebop material – and he recorded famously in that mode earlier on the Parisian scene – but here at the start of the 60s, he's opening up an entirely new chapter in his book – blowing on much longer tracks that are really set free in new rhythmic modes – in large part by Schifrin's input in the group, which comes not just from his piano work and arrangements, but also from some of the great material he penned for the set! There's plenty of influences from Latin and Brazilian music – but at a level that's nicely submerged, and very different than Dizzy's earlier cubop – more matured, and taken in all these new righteous directions, which unlocks all these incredible elements in Gillespie's trumpet too. This isn't the scat-singing, bebop jokester from the past – and instead a proud, powerful talent who sounds incredible throughout. The 1960 material also features Art Davis on bass and Chuck Lampkin on drums, plus guest congas from Candido – on the long "Gillespiana Suite", plus "Caravan" and "Cripple Crapple Crutch". The 1961 material features Bob Cunningham on bass and Mel Lewis on drums – on titles that include "Kush", "Lorraine", "Desafinado", "Long Long Summer", "Pau De Arara", and "Cripple Crapple Crutch". CD

A real killer from Brother Jack McDuff – one of his first truly great albums, and a record that has him breaking from the sleepier R&B organ sound of the 50s – into the leaner, cleaner mode of the 60s! The album's one of the first to have him playing with the incredible drummer Joe Dukes – who gives the grooves plenty of weird twists and turns – that trademark McDuff approach to rhythm that would really set him apart from other organ players. The rest of the group features Leo Wright on alto sax and Kenny Burrell on guitar – both great players here, and not always heard with Jack. Titles include an early take on "Soulful Drums", plus the cuts "After Hours", "Screamin", and "He's A Real Gone Guy". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the greatest albums ever from this legendary Hungarian bassist – with work by Art Farmer and Benny Bailey on trumpets, and Leo Wright on alto – plus some great Fender Rhodes by Jeno Balogh! LP, Vinyl record album

Groundbreaking 70s work from Lee Scratch Perry – served up here with both work from The Upsetters, and a long list of "friends" – different singers who take the lead on some of the productions, which are then presented back to back with dub versions of the tracks that overflow with great contributions from a top-shelf lineup of musicians! Players on the cuts include Willie Lindo and Ernest Ranglin on guitars, Winston Wright on organ, Vin Gordon on trombone, and Richard Dirty Harry Hall on tenor – but the real talent here is clearly that of Perry, who's able to move between soulful vocal leads and some deeper, darker Black Ark sounds on the rhythms. Titles include "Mr Money Man" by Danny Hensworth, "Brother Noah" by The Shadows, "Traveling" by Debra Keese, "Ethiopian Land" by Peter & Paul Lewis, "Land Of Love" by Sons Of Light, "Peace & Love" by Shaumark & Robinson, "Freedom Street" by Eric Donaldson, "My Little Sandra" by Leo Graham, "Long Long Time" by Winston Heywood, "White Belly Rat" by Lee Perry, "A Wah Dat" by Junior Dread, and "Feelings" by Sharon Isaacs – and the set features dub versions of every cut by The Upsetters too! LP, Vinyl record album

A brilliant session of modernist hardbop – one of the few records ever cut as a leader by trumpeter Richard Williams! Williams was a key part of the Charles Mingus group for a few years – and his soulful approach ranks with Ted Curson as some of the most compelling underground trumpet work of the early 60s. The set features Williams in a great group – with Leo Wright on alto, Reggie Workman on bass, Richard Wyands on piano, and Bobby Thomas on drums – and they're playing material that isn't too far out, but which does have significantly modern tendencies. Williams solos are fantastic, and the album is proof that he was one of the 60s great under-recognized talents! Titles include "Ferris Wheel", "Blues In A Quandry", "Raucous Notes", and "Renita's Bounce". LP, Vinyl record album

Backings feature Kenny Burrell on guitar, Leo Wright on alto, and Gildo Mahones on piano! Titles include "Mean Old Frisco", "Rocks In My Bed", "Lonely Boy Blues", and "One Scotch One Bourbon One Beer". CD

A wonderful session of 60s Hammond jazz – a record that was somewhat overlooked at the time, but which has really gotten the attention it deserves over the years! The album's one of a rare few cut by organist Gloria Coleman – an obscure east coast player who was also the wife of tenorist George Coleman, and who follows wonderfully in a strong tradition of female organists that includes Trudy Pitts and Shirley Scott. Even hipper is the fact that Gloria's quartet has a female drummer – the fiery Pola Roberts, who's got a light touch on the kit that makes the cuts dance nicely. And even still hipper is the fact that that group is completed by Grant Green on guitar and Leo Wright on alto – both of whom groove in a totally tight soul jazz mode that resembles their best work from the early 60s. The session's a wonderful burner, of the sort that you'd proudly display in a collection of 60s soul jazz – and it's filled with excellent original cuts like "Que Baby", "Hey Sonny Red", "Melba's Minor", and "Funky Bob". CD

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 with a style that's unlike anyone else we can think of – and certainly far from the mellower tones of his previous leader set for Columbia. This album's got a great mix of hardbop and modern ideas – right up there with the best Blue Note had to offer at the time – and the group's filled with equally hip players who include Joe Henderson on tenor, Leo Wright on alto and flute, Duke Pearson on piano, Bob Cranshaw on bass, and either Pete LaRoca or Walter Perkins on drums. Titles include "Heavy Legs", "Hobo Joe", "Jano", and "Little Johnny C". Very hip, very hard, and very swingin! CD

Two vintage radio broadcasts – the first from Dizzy Gillespie, fronting a small group with Leo Wright and Lalo Schifrin – the second with Art Farmer leading a quartet with Jim Hall and Steve Swallow! CD

Antonio Carlos Jobim's classic Verve session from 1963 – a tremendous record, done with a wonderful airy sound that became the trademark for bossa production in America – and which also had a great inspiration on the sound of mid 60s bossa in Brazil! Claus Ogerman arranged and conducts the orchestra, and Jobim plays guitar and piano – with a core group that also features Jimmy Cleveland on trombone and Leo Wright on flute, both American jazz players who help add some further complexities to the sound. Also includes a lot of bonus tracks – a total of 28 titles in all! CD

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A great little set that really looks at the wide range of sounds handled by Miami's TK Records powerhouse in the 70s – a label that's famous for its big disco hits, but which also had a lot more to offer, too! There's definitely some clubby cuts on the collection, but most of those are nicely past the TK hits of the time – and interspersed here with other numbers that shows the label's great commitment to deep soul, where they were flying the flag strongly after labels like Atlantic or Stax had dropped the ball. There's also some surprisingly smooth, sophisticated cuts – showing the modern soul shift the label was making – and which no doubt would have suited them very strongly into the 80s, had they kept up their 70s steam. Titles include "Secret Lover" by Paulette Reeves, "Ebony Affair" by Timmy Thomas, "That's What I Get" by Beginning Of The End, "Fly" by The Stylistics, "What Do We Do About Our Love" by Leon Debouse, "Can't Do Without You" by Eddie Horan, "Somebody's Gettin It" by Ted Taylor, "That Woman" by Wilson Pickett, "Tonight Is The Night" by Betty Wright, "Put Pride Aside" by Latimore, "People Fall In Love" by Foxy, and "Tired Of Hiding" by Jackie Moore. CD

The title says "soul standards", but the music here is anything but – not familiar hits or well-worn classics, but instead a great array of lesser-known gems from the TK Records powerhouse of Florida soul! The music here really spans the spectrum of the excellent work that TK was doing at the time – and moves between southern soul, a bit of funk, and some of the more modern elements that TK was hitting at the time – bringing a new sort of sophistication to the southern scene. There's a few familiar cuts here, mixed with a lot more rare gems – and titles include "Jazz Freak" by Paulette Reaves, "You're The Song I've Always Wanted To Sing" by Timmy Thomas, "Gettin With My Baby" by Leon Debouse, "You Made Me Want To Dance" by Irene Reid, "Love The Way You Love Me" by Eddie Horan, "How Long" by Brandye, "Caught In The Act" by Facts Of Life, "Puttin It Down To You" by Jackie Moore, "You Can't See For Lookin" by Betty Wright, "Living For Today" by Jimmy Briscoe & The Beavers "Rock" by The JBs, "Best Part Of A Man" by Wilson Pickett, and "Let's Straighten It Out" by Latimore. CD

Guests include Dr John, Leon Russell, Lowell George, Betty Wright, and lots more! LP, Vinyl record album

One of the hippest records we've ever heard from Esperanza Spalding – a set that almost feels as if she's stepping back into some of the more experimental, individual qualities that made her so different at the start! There's definitely some appealing, catchy songs here – but the record is one to definitely be taken as a whole – this really lovely tapestry of voice and music that shimmers and glistens throughout – tunes that work together as a single suite that really keeps the album sounding fantastic all the way through, in this blend of jazz and soul that comes not just from Esperanza's vocals and work on bass, but also from the piano of Leo Genovese, who co-wrote most of the material on the album. Wayne Shorter plays on one track, the record features guest vocals from Corey King and Ganavya, and the set features 13 tracks, all numerically titled "Formwela". CD

One of the hippest records we've ever heard from Esperanza Spalding – a set that almost feels as if she's stepping back into some of the more experimental, individual qualities that made her so different at the start! There's definitely some appealing, catchy songs here – but the record is one to definitely be taken as a whole – this really lovely tapestry of voice and music that shimmers and glistens throughout – tunes that work together as a single suite that really keeps the album sounding fantastic all the way through, in this blend of jazz and soul that comes not just from Esperanza's vocals and work on bass, but also from the piano of Leo Genovese, who co-wrote most of the material on the album. Wayne Shorter plays on one track, the record features guest vocals from Corey King and Ganavya, and the set features 13 tracks, all numerically titled "Formwela". LP, Vinyl record album

A really great album from Nancy Wilson – a set that still has her working with the jazzy undercurrents of her best 60s work for Capitol Records – yet also moving into some hipper, more sophisticated soul styles too! There's a really strong adult vibe to the record – not that Nancy didn't have one before, but this time around there's even more sense of personality and experiential depth that really comes through in the choice of songs – and in Wilson's wonderful treatment of them. Tunes that might be stiff in the hands of someone else are really transformed here – with added thanks to Phil Wright for great arrangements on the record. Titles include a version of Leonard Cohen's "Suzanne", Burt Bacharach's obscure "Waitin For Charlie To Come Home", and the tracks "Trip With Me", "This Girl Is A Woman Now", "Mixed Up Girl", and "Words & Music". LP, Vinyl record album

An amazing collection of funky nuggets – one that's overflowing with hip soul, funk, and break tracks! The set's the second in a series put together by the staff of London's Soul Brother Records – and like the first, it features some of the most sought-after rare grooves and sample tracks from the 70s – a rich array of titles from a variety of different labels, all collected with a keen ear for the older tracks that are still breaking big well into the 21st Century! And since these guys also run a record store themselves, they've gone way past the obvious – and have chosen an all-essential batch of tunes that aren't easily available on the market, including some killer tracks from major labels that we've been waiting years to see reissued. Titles include "Oops Here I Go Again" by Edna Wright, "I'm Gonna Love You Just A Little Bit More" by Kellee Patterson, "Sho Nuff" by Sly Slick & Wicked, "All I Want Is You" by Four Flights, "Live For Love" by GC Cameron, "I Feel So At Home Here" by Michelle Wiley, "Shake It Up" by The Vibrations, "My Music" by Samuel Jonathan Johnson, "Heaven" by Ruth Copeland, "It's Got To Be Mellow (1976)" by Leon Mellow, "Making Room For Love" by Alton McClain & Destiny, and "When We're Makin Love" by Denise LaSalle. LP, Vinyl record album

A heady batch of work from the Miami scene of the 70s – all of it from the legendary TK Records family of labels, headed up by superproducer Henry Stone! Over the years, some folks have taken Henry to task for his operational strategies – but there's no denying that he's a key figure in helping the sound of the south move from the 60s into the 70s – picking up plenty of funk and sophistication along the way! The set's overflowing with classics from Stone's empire at the time – including many cuts that have been sampled or reworked heavily in recent decades – titles that include "I'm Too Tough For Mr Big Stuff" by Vicki Anderson, "Miami Funk" by The Funky Bunch, "Cramp Your Style" by All The People, "Keep It Up" by Milton Wright, "Sleep On Dream On" by Raphael Munnings, "Smokin & Drinkin" by James Brown, "Miss Hot Stuff" by Clarence Reid, "The Rub" by George & Gwen McCrae, "Funkadelic Sound" by Little Beaver, "Future Place" by Jimmy Castor, "I Like My Birdie" by Leon Phillips, "Throwdown" by The King Tutt Band, "Back From The Dead" by Bobby Byrd, "Shake N Bump (part 1)" by Snoopy Dean, and "You're The Song I've Always Wanted To Sing" by Timmy Thomas. LP, Vinyl record album

A deep double-dip into the legendary TK Records catalog of Miami Soul – and one that offers up a very different version of the label than you might know from the hits! This 2CD set follows in the best tradition of the Free Soul series from Japan – which means that the collection is filled with unusual tracks that we might have missed otherwise, alongside other numbers that we do know, but which seem to have a really special vibe in this setting – an unpacking of the TK catalog from top to bottom, with a special focus on warmer, more unusual bits of funk and soul. Titles include "Jolie" by Lattimore, "Don't Waste My Time" by Jerry Washington, "Keep It Up" by Milton Wright, "You Knock Me Out" by Wildflower, "Cramp Your Style" by All The People, "I Can't Leave Your Love Alone" by Willie & Anthony, "Street Love" by Spats, "Concrete Jungle" by Little Beaver, "Good Good Lovin" by Charles Johnson, "90% Of Me Is You" by Vanessa Kendrick, "I Got Bills To Pay" by Johnny K, "You Can Be A Lady" by JP Robinson, "Love Is A Simple Thing" by Leon Ware, "Island Girl" by Lew Kirton, "Share Your Love" by Herman Kelly & Life, "Ain't Nothin Wrong" by KC & The Sunshine Band, "What Would Your Mama Say" by Facts Of Life, "Jazz Freak" by Paulette Reaves, "Let's Make A Baby" by Funky Brown, "The Love We Had Stays On My Mind" by Freddy Henry, and "How Long" by Brandye. CD