A very cool set, with work by players who include Albert Mangelsdorff on trombone, Ack Van Rooyen and Manfred Schoof on trumpets, Gunter Lenz on bass, Wolfgang Dauner on piano, and Rolf Kuhn, Heinz Saur, Gerd Dudek, and Emil Mangelsdorff on saxes! LP, Vinyl record album

Sweet electric fusion from Dave Grusin – a set that has the keyboardist working with great help from Japanese saxophone legend Sadao Watanabe – plus help from Don Grusin on keyboards, Tom Browne on trumpet, Dave Valentin on flute, Bobby broom on guitar, and Marcus Miller on bass! LP, Vinyl record album

... CD

Pivotal early dub! Depending upon whose history of the Jamaican recording industry you subscribe to, this is can be considered by many to be the first dub LP – and whether that's proveable or not, it's certain among the first! History aside, it's a mighty set with some raw early dub style workouts at the hands of Errol Thompson at the renowned 16 North Parade recording studio run by Randy's, with some deft production by Clive Chin. Needing virtually no introduction, the Impact All Stars drop some incredible rhythms, many which will be immediately recognizable as having been versioned from massive numbers for Augustus Pablo, Junior Byles and the Soul Vendors. Titles include "Java Dub", "Cheating Dub", "ET Special", "Ordinary Version Dub", "Hide Away Dub" and "Black Man's Dub". CD

Notable sidemen include Arnett Cobb, Frank Rosolino, and Nat Adderley. CD

Fantastic French grooves from the end of the 60s – a killer set of jazz-based tracks recorded by trumpeter Ivan Jullien, with help from funky arranger Michel Colombier! Jullien recorded a fair bit of jazz and studio work around the time, and his playing here is razor-sharp – and supported by Colombier grooves that rival his best soundtrack material, his experiments with Pierre Henry, or his backings for singers like Serge Gainsbourg or Brigitte Bardot! Colombier also plays keyboards on the record, as does the great Maurice Vander – amidst a host of other great French jazzmen who include Pierre Gossez on sax, Roger Guerin on additional trumpet, and Eddie Louiss on organ. Drums are nice and funky on most cuts – and the whole thing kicks even more than most funky big band records on MPS! Includes the great break cut "I Remember Otis" – plus "Sonoro", "The Looser", "Talk", "An Oscar For Eddy", "Wake The Monster", "Edith", and "Crescendo". CD

Features Ella Fitzgerald on vocal performances of "April In Paris", "Party Blues", and "Every Day I Have The Blues" – with Count Basie backing. Also features a jam session version of "Billie's Bounce" – with Art Blakey, Charles Mingus, Tal Farlow, Zoot Sims, and others – and a solo piano take on "Lady Fair" by George Wallington. LP, Vinyl record album

... CD

A massively expanded version of a legendary album – presented here as a 2CD set, with 22 tracks that appear on CD for the first time ever! At the core is the original Dubbing With The Observer album, the first-ever dub album from Niney The Observer – based around rhythms he'd cooked up for Dennis Brown, Max Romeo, and Delroy Wilson – all transformed completely in the studio by King Tubby! The sounds here are often very abstract – light years away from the originals – and given these spacey, repetitive cycles that seem to trip out even more than conventional dub! A landmark little record, and one that sounds even darker all these many years later – with cuts that include "Casanova Dub", "Rebel Dance", "Jam Down", "Parade Dub", "Turntable Dub", "Corn Man", "Mister D Brown Skank", and "Youth Man". The set then goes way way deep, with 37 more bonus tracks, that really take off as a magnificent demonstration of Niney's skills in the studio – all presented here with very detailed notes that really get at this important moment of genius in the history of dub! CD

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 begun to play alto work – which he does here on a few tracks that then allow Coleman to step up strongly – blowing with that soulful depth that he's been bringing to recording sessions from the 60s onwards, maybe even better here with the passage of years! And the rest of the all-star lineup is equally great – Jim Rotondi on trumpet, Steve Davis on trombone, David Hazeltine on piano, John Webber on bass, and Joe Farnsworth on drums. Coleman blows on the titles "Oscar Winner", "This I Dig Of You", and "My Foolish Heart" – and other tracks include "Chainsaw", "In The Lead", and "Edgerly". LP, Vinyl record album

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 begun to play alto work – which he does here on a few tracks that then allow Coleman to step up strongly – blowing with that soulful depth that he's been bringing to recording sessions from the 60s onwards, maybe even better here with the passage of years! And the rest of the all-star lineup is equally great – Jim Rotondi on trumpet, Steve Davis on trombone, David Hazeltine on piano, John Webber on bass, and Joe Farnsworth on drums. Coleman blows on the titles "Oscar Winner", "This I Dig Of You", and "My Foolish Heart" – and other tracks include "Chainsaw", "In The Lead", and "Edgerly". CD has three bonus tracks – "Leemo", "Cove Island Breeze", and "The Nearness Of You". CD

A nice live snapshot of a later P Funk incarnation, circa 1983 – with players like Dennis Chambers and Michael Hampton aboard the mothership with Clinton's family of funk all stars! The rest of the crew includes includes stalwarts Bernie Worrell, Eddie Hazel, Blackbird McKnight, Maceo Parker, Mudbone Cooper and George Clinton working hard to extend their legendary style of live funk into the 80s. There's a slow build up of energy that's works well – kicking off slowly but surely with a laidback intro and band intro before busts open in a big way, and from there it's one exciting classic after another 'til the very end! Includes lengthy live riffs on P-funk classics like "Cosmic Slop", "(Not Just) Knee Deep", "Maggot Brain", "Atomic Dog"and "Flashlight", "Give Up The Funk (Tear The Roof Off The Sucker)", "Do That Stuff", "Cosmic Slop" plus a medley of "Let's Take It To The Stage", "Mothership Connection (Starchild)" and "I Call My Baby Pussycat" in a nearly 100 minute set! CD

George Clinton may have pretty well disbanded Parliament and Funkadelic by the time the 80s came around, but the Mothership is still soaring highly on this first album from the P-Funk All Stars project – featuring some (but not all) of George Clinton's better players from various groups! Urban Dancefloor Guerillas his a pretty great little set of jammed-up cuts produced by Clinton, Bootsy, Gary Shider, and Sly Stewart. The flame was still burning, even in the "dark years" of the litigious early 80s – on a set that's actually a bit more stylistically diverse than some the related projects, though unified by never wavering funk! Titles include "Copy Cat", "Pumpin' It Up", "Catch A Keeper", and "Generator Pop". CD

A lean and spooky little set from the Rockers All Stars – put together with killer production from Augustus Pablo and Everton Da Silva! The vibe here is in the moodiest territory that Pablo might explore on albums under his own name – and although the father is providing help, it's clear that the group can make plenty of fantastic magic on their own! The set was mixed at King Tubby's and Harry J's – and although we're guessing the proceedings were laidback and casual, the record's gone on to become an underground dub classic over the years. Titles include "Hammer Dub", "Fire Dub", "Jah Dub", "Money Dub", "Static Dub", "Equal Rights Dub", and "Clean Sweep". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the earliest sets issued under the name of the Lighthouse All-Stars – that hip assemblage of west coast players headed by bassist Howard Rumsey – hardly a household name on his own, but well-remembered for all the great work done at this famous club! The lineup is a who's who of key players on the west coast at the time – Shorty Rogers and Maynard Ferguson on trumpet, Jimmy Giuffre and Bob Cooper on tenor, Hampton Hawes on piano, Milt Bernhart on trombone, and Shelly Manne on drums – and some tracks are a bit longer than usual, offering up freer solo space than you're likely to get on other west coast dates – a key contribution of the All-Stars recording mode. Titles include "Creme De Menthe", "Four Others", "La Sonicalli", "Morgan Davis", "Bernie's Tune", "Viva Zapata", and "All The Things You Are". LP, Vinyl record album

An incredible album – and one of the most groundbreaking blends of jazz and global music ever recorded! Reedman Tony Scott plays here with a little-known group of Indonesian jazz players – brought together in a special project for MPS/Saba records, in a blend of modal jazz elements and other tunes that really find a way to echo the gamelan styles that you might expect from Indonesian music – emphasized by the group's phrasing on piano, guitar, and siter, as well as Scott's interweaving lines on clarinet! The sound is fantastic, completely other worldly, and must be heard to be believed – served up with other players who include Marjono on tenor and vocal, Bubi Chen on piano and sitar, Jack Lesmana on guitar, Yopi Chen on bass, and Benny Mustafa on drums. Tracks include "Ilir Ilir", "Gambang Suling", "Djanger Bali", and an amazing rendition of "Summertime". LP, Vinyl record album

Only the first full album on Soul Tune, and the label's got themselves a set of All-Stars – a Swedish combo who seem driven by the talents of Niclas Wretelid – who plays drums, bass, keyboards, and even horns – emerging here as a one-man all-star all by himself! Yet there's also some good contributions by other members, too – especially singers Anna Thiam and Desmond Foster, who balance out the instrumental funk with some great vocal moments – especially Thiam, who's got a warmth and depth that's a nice change from some of the too-easy retro soul vocals we usually hear on records like this. Titles include "Day To Day", "Mother Nature", "World", "Don't Stop", "Spread The Message", "Natural Feeling", and "Latin Mama". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the greatest all-star groups in jazz – a short lived sextet that featured some of the best players working for Timeless Records – and a group that recalls the brilliance of the early recordings of Harold Land and Bobby Hutcherson! Both Hutcherson and Land are part of the group – as are Cedar Walton, Curtis Fuller, Buster Williams, and Billy Higgins – and the amazing thing about the set is the way that such top-shelf players can come together, yet manage to work in a mode that's far greater than the sum of its equally great parts! CD

With Timo Lassy on tenor saxophone and bass clarinet. CD

Jr Walker's second live set for Motown – and a hard-wailing set with a raw edge you wouldn't expect from the label! The recording quality is nice and raunchy – and the group's playing at double or triple-time on the set, grooving with amazing edges, twists, and turns. Many cuts feature vocals – plus hard-wailing sax from Jr – and titles include "Hip City (parts 1 & 2)", "Home Cookin", "Something You Got", "What Does It Take", and "Sweet Soul". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the all-time classics from Jr Walker & The All Stars – key proof that Motown could groove even when nobody was laying down vocals! As you might guess from the title, the album features the group's huge hit "Shotgun", plus lots of other cool funky little tracks like "Cleo's Back", "Tune Up", "Monkey Jump", "Do The Boomerang", "Shake & Fingerpop", "Shoot Your Shot", and lots more! The album's one of the group's strongest for Motown – and features that tight snapping groove that helped Jr take the tenor out of the R&B sound of the 50s, and place it into a whole new mode for the soulful 60s! LP, Vinyl record album

A stunning collection – 41 tracks by one of Motown's coolest combos! CD

A stone cooker from Jr Walker – the kind of hard-driving soul that made his 60s Motown work a key link between the Detroit sound of the time, and R&B sounds of earlier years! Jr's soulful sax is right up in the mix on most numbers – and the overall sound is nicely freewheeling and almost spontaneous – almost a Motown studio jam at times, with vocals and instruments dancing together in joyous formation! Most tracks are instrumentals, but many also have some sort of vocal chorus – and titles include "Anyway You Wanta", "Pucker Up Buttercup", "Twist Lackawanna", "San Ho Zay", "Money", "Last Call", "Ame Cherie", "Mutiny", and "Road Runner". LP, Vinyl record album

Hard heavy stuff – and some of Jr's earliest work for Motown, only the second album to be issued on the small Soul subsidiary! The groove is nice and hard, with lots of original tracks done in the tenor-heavy instrumental style that was Jr's calling card during the time. Titles include "Mark Anthony Speaks", "Hewbie Steps Out", "Everybody Get Together", "Satan's Blues", "Brainwasher", and "Eight Hour Drag". With titles like that, you can guess how it sounds! LP, Vinyl record album

An obscure release – with Frank Wess on flute, Frank Foster on tenor, and Thad Jones on trumpet! 7-inch, Vinyl record

One of our favorite South American rock records of all time – and maybe even one of our favorite rock albums too – a magnificent set by this sublime Peruvian group – done with a sound that's somewhere between late Beatles, early Bee Gees, and ELO in their prime! Yet the production style here is also a lot more primitive than that used by any of those bigger groups – which puts a lot more emphasis on the song structures and vocal phrasing of the tunes – a beautiful balance between harmony vocals, simple guitar lines, and these subtle rhythms that slide in with a seductive feel, and really send the whole thing home! Vocals are all in English, with these soulful undercurrents that are quite unexpected – and the overall sound is way more sophisticated than even their hippest SA contemporaries! Titles include "Children", "Carry On Till Tomorrow", "Walking In The Rain", "The City Will Be A Country", "It's A Sin To Go Away", and "Tomorrow". LP, Vinyl record album

Trad jazz tunes played by a group led by Newport Jazz Fest impresario George Wein, and featuring players that include Ruby Braff, Marshall Brown, Bud Freeman, Pee Wee Rusell, and Bill Takas. Titles include "The Bends Blues", "Ja-Da", "Keepin Out Of Mischief Now", and "Blue Turning Grey Over You". LP, Vinyl record album

An excellent set of recordings from a unique moment for the Xanadu Records label – an imprint that was carrying the torch of the Prestige label style well into the 70s – also run by that label's old head, Don Schlitten! The tracks here were all recorded live in Dakar – by a tight quintet that features some of the best Xanadu players at the time – both Al Cohn and Billy Mitchell on tenor, plus Dolo Coker on piano, Leroy Vinnegar on bass, and Frank Butler on drums. Mitchell is especially wonderful – an excellent soloist who was often lost in larger groups throughout his career, but who really got the chance to shine in the bigger, more open space of the small group sides. Both he and Cohn blow at some of their best levels for the performances – and titles include "Night Flight To Dakar", "Don't Let The Sun Catch You Crying", "Blues Up & Down", "Sweet Senegelese Brown", "Robbins Nest", "Blues In The Closet", "Easy Living", and "The King". CD

Features Randy Sandke, Howard Alden, and Dick Hyman. CD

With Johnny Griffin on tenor saxophone. CD

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

A quartet of live performances from Sun Ra – all recorded within the span of a single week in 1983 – at a time when the Arkestra was clearly covering a fair bit of territory in Europe! As you might guess from the title, the concerts here were recorded in Milan, Zurich, West Berlin, and Paris – all during the last week of October and first day of November – in a whirlwind series of sets that also included Montreux material that ended up on the Hiroshima album (not included in this package.) Ra's at the start of his key 80s growth here – able to open up to new audiences in a range of styles, from freely experimental to more traditionally jazzy – all in ways that link together many traditions in a single set, and show that his talents were rooted in a deep tradition of musical expression. The 5CD set features a huge amount of material – and apart from Ra on piano and keyboards, other "all star" players include Lester Bowie and Don Cherry on trumpets, John Gilmore on tenor, Archie Shepp on tenor and soprano sax, Marshall Allen on alto and flute, Richard Davis on bass, Philly Joe Jones on drums, and Don Moye on percussion. CD

Definitely hard wailing stuff from Jr and group – caught here in a smoking live setting, which really lets them open up! The record begins with an introduction by the Velvelettes, and ends with Earl Van Dyke performing "Heartbreak" – but the rest of the album's by Jr and crew, and titles include "Hot Cha", "Shake & Fingerpop", "Cleo's Back", "Shotgun", "Ame Cherie (Soul Darling)", and "Tune Up". LP, Vinyl record album

25 tracks including the huge hit "Shotgun", plus "Home Cookin", "Road Runner", "Hip City", "Shake & Fingerpop", "Shoot Your Shot", and "Do You See My Love". CD

Although the name of George Wein is usually associated with some super un-hip trad jazz projects, this album's actually a pretty cool batch of grooves that matches Wein's older jazz tendencies with some newer styles of playing – and some good electric instrumentation on the best cuts. The album's got a super-nice version of "Sunny", plus "Blue Boy", "In A Little Spanish Town", "Topsy", and "Ja Da" – and believe it or not, Wein even plays some electric piano! Players include Red Norvo, Tal Farlow, Larry Ridley, and Barney Kessel. LP, Vinyl record album

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

Yipes, this must have been a clear indication of just how popular the show really was! The album's little more than bits lifted off the TV soundtrack – with bits that include "Why God Made Hands", "Sweety Pie Roger", "VD Day", "God is Black", and "Jury Duty". We're guessing that this one probably secretly sold more to the middle-American right wingers who were buying Barry Goldwater records a few years before – than it did to the New York liberals who could get the irony of the material. LP, Vinyl record album

Players include Tim Hagans, Greg Osby, Javon Jackson, Kevin Hays, Essiet Essiet, and Bill Stewart. CD

We have to be honest, by this point we'd all but given up on George. But the truth is, Clinton and crew have pulled off a decent job of turning the tables on the whole G-funk scene, and taking a page or two out of their book, after they'd done the same to him for years! While we'd never claim this is best work, it's held up a fair bit better to the test of time than you might imagine! With "If Anybody's Gonna Get Funked Up (It's Gonna Be You)", "New Spaceship", "Flatman & Bobbin", "Sloppy Seconds", "Rock The Party" and "Get Your Funk On". CD

Featuring Miles Davis on trumpet, Jay Jay Johnson on trombone, Jimmy Heath on sax, Gil Coggins on piano, Percy Heath on bass and Art Blakey on drums. CD

As classic an early album by Miles Davis as you can find – truly filled with the "all star" players billed in the title, and a session that has the sharpness of Davis' bop work for Blue Note, yet also lets him stretch out in a slightly more relaxed format! The album features Miles trumpet with 2 different groups – one a sextet with Horace Silver, JJ Johnson, and Lucky Thompson; the other a quintet with Silver and the obscure altoist Davey Schildkraut! Tracks are long, with lots of solo room – and titles include his classic takes on "Walkin", "Blue N Boogie", and "Solar" – plus versions of "You Don't Know What Love Is" and "Love Me Or Leave Me". LP, Vinyl record album

A killer album from the Fania All-Stars – one that's quite different than most of their other work at the time, with an open-ended jam session feel that really takes us back to the old days! The group here is really just a sextet – the core combo used to launch the group name on Columbia Records – and the session is one that was originally done for Columbia in 1976, when Gene Page had to cancel a studio date, and the band got the chance to jam by themselves in the studio! The result is a groove that's strongly jazzy, with lots of descarga energy – played by a group that features Johnny Pacheco on flute, Papo Lucca on piano, Nicky Marrero on timbales, Ray Barretto on congas, Bobby Valentin on bass, and Roberto Roena on bongos and assorted percussion. Roena sings on one track, but most of the set is instrumental – with nice long cuts that include "The War Gods", "Seis Con El Mismo Sabor", "Vento Conmigo", "Taxi To Aguadilla", and "Guajira Para Los Pollos". LP, Vinyl record album

A great little back to basics effort from the Fania All Stars – one that shakes off some of the electric and clubby influences that were creeping in during their years at Columbia, and returns the group to a mostly salsa groove! The sound here is bold and bright throughout – traditional at one level, but colored with modern inflections and a deepening sense of sophistication that may well make it one of the group's most cohesive records ever! Members of the ensemble include Roberto Roena, Johnny Pacheco, Luie Ramirez, and Papo Lucca – and vocals are by Celia Cruz, Adalberto Santiago, Ruben Blades, Santos Colon, Hector Lavoe, and Cheo Feliciano. Titles include "Dinamita", "Dime", "Ublabadu", "Cuando Despiertes", "La Borinquena", and "Encantigo". LP, Vinyl record album

A later date – but proof that the Fania All Stars groove can always be strong, no matter what the setting! This album's actually recorded by a smaller ensemble from the larger group – a sextet that includes Ray Barretto on congas, Roberto Roena on bongos, Nicky Marrero on timbales, Bobby Valentin on bass, Papo Lucca on keyboards, and Johnny Pacheco on flute and guiro – a very percussive ensemble working here in a strongly jazz-based mode! The sound is great – and even at the few points when the keyboards are slightly modern, there's always an overall sound that preserves an older Latin jazz approach. Some numbers have chorus vocals, but these really don't dominate – and the main focus here is instrumental work – on titles that include "The Click","Allegria", "Guasasa", "Quasedito", "De Nuevo A La Carga", and a great cover of Timmy Thomas' "Why Can't We Live Together". LP, Vinyl record album

Features guest work from Gato Barbieri on tenor, and an appearance by Steel Pulse! Titles include "12 Bar", "La Tonada Del Gato", "De Vuelta A Mis Raices", and "Salsalito". LP, Vinyl record album

A stunner of a record from the Fania All Stars – a tremendous attempt to move into a 70s soul vein, complete with Satin Soul arrangements from Gene and Billy Page! The record bubbles over with the funky orchestrations you'd expect from the best Barry White work at the time – strings soaring over snapping beats and warmly soulful instrumentation – bearing little resemblance overall to the earlier work of the Fania All Stars, but blowing our minds all the more because of the rich ability to change sound so much. There's load of wonderful funk tracks on the album – and titles include "Picadillo", "I'll See You Again", "Foofer Soofer", "Sabrosa", "Desafio", and a great cover of "Rosemary's Baby". LP, Vinyl record album

A great little live album from The Fania All Stars – one that's recorded a few years after their classic sets at the Cheetah, Red Garter, and Yankee Stadium – but which still burns with the same sort of energy! The groove here has a bit more of a straighter salsa approach – as you'd guess from the date – but the record still features the cream of the crop of the New York scene, coming together with a masterful sense of power and togetherness! Vocalsits include Justo Belancourt, Celia Cruz, Cheo Feliciano, and Ismael Rivera – and titles include "Felicitaciones", "Ahora Si", "Publico Corriente", "Toro Mata", "El Nazareno", "Cucala", and "Yo Soy La Candela". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the better Fania All Stars albums from the time – recorded live in Havana, with a lineup that includes Roberto Roena, Larry Harlow, Reuben Blades, Johnny Pacheco, Ismael Quintana, and Papo Lucca. Includes the extended "Descarga A Cuba", plus "Castellanos Jam", "Mename La Cuna", "Llevale", and "Tres Lindas Cubanas". LP, Vinyl record album

After a disasterous attempt at recording a live show, the Fania All-Stars went in the studio with guests like Billy Cobham and Manu Dibango and created their funkiest album of the seventies. Although a few cuts are more Latin sounding, some of these tracks have a nice hard funky jazz feel, and sound like they could have been recorded for Prestige. There's great versions of "Soul Makossa" and "Viva Tirado", plus a very nice track called "Smoke". LP, Vinyl record album

A Latin soul party – beyond compare! The album's a completely wonderful live set that really captures the energy, excitement, and warm sociability of the hip New York scene at the end of the 60s. The music is stunning – a freewheeling blend of jazz, soul, and Latin themes – played with effortless ease by a lineup that includes Joe Bataan, Ray Barretto, Willie Colon, Larry Harlow, Bobby Quesada, Louie Ramirez, Ralph Robles, and some of the other heavy-hitters of the Latin soul years. (Just imagine trying to get so many jazz or rock talents together on one stage – it would never happen!) The album's incredible – and even the spoken introductions and crowd noise really help set the feel of the era's mighty magic power! Titles on this first volume include "Country Girl-City Man", "Mi Gusta El Son", "Sabor Sabor" and "Guatacando". Firey stuff, and one of their best records! LP, Vinyl record album

A Latin soul party – beyond compare! The album's a completely wonderful live set that really captures the energy, excitement, and warm sociability of the hip New York scene at the end of the 60s. The music is stunning – a freewheeling blend of jazz, soul, and Latin themes – played with effortless ease by a lineup that includes Joe Bataan, Ray Barretto, Willie Colon, Larry Harlow, Bobby Quesada, Louie Ramirez, Ralph Robles, and some of the other heavy-hitters of the Latin soul years. (Just imagine trying to get so many jazz or rock talents together on one stage – it would never happen!) The album's incredible – and even the spoken introductions and crowd noise really help set the feel of the era's mighty magic power! Titles on this second volume include "Kikapoo Joy Juice", "If This World Were Mine", "Richie's Bag", "Red Garter Strut", and "Son Cuero Y Boogaloo". Firey stuff, and one of their best records! LP, Vinyl record album

A wonderful soundtrack to one of the most important films to Latin music in the 70s! This double-length set features a huge array of work from the movie – not only important musical bits, both live and in the studio, but also snippets from TV, concert introductions, and lots lots more that show the range and cultural impact of the early 70s New York scene – stretching way past a simple understanding that you might have from other records! Players include Ray Barretto, Willie Colon, Larry Harlow, Pacheco, and Bobby Valentin – and tracks include "Drum Story", "The Sugar Cane", "Hollywood", "Barrio", "Mi Gente", "Congo Bongo", "Slave Ship", "African Village", and "Soul Makossa". Also features guest appearances by Geraldo Rivera, Dezi Arnaz, Ismael Quintana, Carmen Miranda, and Al Jolson! LP, Vinyl record album

With Judith, Michelle, and Aria Hendricks all joining in on vocals – plus Red Holloway on alto, Benny Golson on tenor, and Al Grey on trombone! CD

A great jammer from the 60s years on Fonseca Records – and like most of the other work on the label, a set with a slightly different feel that a lot of combos coming out of New York scene! There's definitely some of the boogaloo promised in the title, but the album also seems less strictly tied to conventions – and has no trouble stepping around a bit in style, working with some of those rougher edges and hard-driven lines that can really make Fonseca sessions great. The album's filled with great little groovers like "Descarga Novel", "Muchacha", "Do The Boogaloo", "Mambo For Naguabo", "Wish You Love", "Nocturno", and "Apetitosa". LP, Vinyl record album

Features Eric Alexander on tenor, Jim Rotondi on trumpet, Steve Davis on trombone, David Hazeltine on piano, Peter Washington on bass, and Joe Farnsworth on drums! CD

Eric Alexander on tenor sax, Jim Rotondi on trumpet and flugelhorn, Steve Davis on trombone, David Hazeltine on piano, Peter Washington on bass, and Joe Farnsworth on drums. CD

Features Eric Alexander on tenor, Jim Rotondi on trumpet, Steve Davis on trombone, David Hazeltine on piano, Ray Drummond on bass, and Joe Farnsworth on drums! CD

George Clinton may have pretty well disbanded Parliament and Funkadelic by the time the 80s came around, but the Mothership is still soaring highly on this first album from the P-Funk All Stars project – featuring some (but not all) of George Clinton's better players from various groups! Urban Dancefloor Guerillas his a pretty great little set of jammed-up cuts produced by Clinton, Bootsy, Gary Shider, and Sly Stewart. The flame was still burning, even in the "dark years" of the litigious early 80s – on a set that's actually a bit more stylistically diverse than some the related projects, though unified by never wavering funk! Titles include "Copy Cat", "Pumpin' It Up", "Catch A Keeper", and "Generator Pop". LP, Vinyl record album

Great early work from Howard Rumsey's Lighthouse group – working here at a level that's almost more freewheeling than on some of their later Contemporary albums! The format's still very much in place here – a host of key All Stars who include Milt Bernhart on trombone, Russ Freeman on piano, Jimmy Giuffre and Bob Cooper on tenors, and Shelly Manne on drums – but there's almost a more "live" sort of energy overall – a bit more boppish and open, with each new player leaping freely into the fray. Titles include "Luau", "The Duke You Say", "The Big Top", "Sunset Eyes", "Comin' Thru The Rye Bread" and "Taking A Chance On Love". LP, Vinyl record album

... CD

An excellent album by Jr Walker and group – one that has them moving past the honking sax combo format of other albums, into a more expanded Motown-esque soul approach that mixes vocals and tenor into a swirling blend of grooves! Arrangements are by Paul Riser and Willie Shorter, and Johnny Bristol gave the album some of that sparkling production he could whip up on his best days. Includes the hit "What Does It Take (To Win Your Love)", plus "San Ho Zay", "Hot Cha", "Sweet Soul", "Ame Cherie", and "Cleo's Mood". CD

One of the all-time classics from Jr Walker & The All Stars – key proof that Motown could groove even when nobody was laying down vocals! As you might guess from the title, the album features the group's huge hit "Shotgun", plus lots of other cool funky little tracks like "Cleo's Back", "Tune Up", "Monkey Jump", "Do The Boomerang", "Shake & Fingerpop", "Shoot Your Shot", and lots more! The album's one of the group's strongest for Motown – and features that tight snapping groove that helped Jr take the tenor out of the R&B sound of the 50s, and place it into a whole new mode for the soulful 60s! CD

A septet session featuring Eddie Allen on trumpet, Eugen Ghee on tenor sax and bass clarinet, Alfred Patterson on trombone, David Gilmore on guitar, Brad Jones on bass, Reggie Nicholson on drums, and Abrams on piano and synthesizer. CD

... LP, Vinyl record album

A hokey kind of cover, but a great little album – another easy winner from the team of Eric Alexander and Harold Mabern, easily one of the greatest pairs working together in jazz for the past decade or so! Alexander's got a tremendous tone on the tenor – finely-honed with the maturity of a later Dexter Gordon, but also open to fluid, free moments too – with a sense of joy and exploration that recall our favorite moments on mid 60s Blue Note or Prestige. Mabern is great too – warm on the keys, but never sloppy – a player more filled with soul these days than ever, and always a great accompanist to Alexander's shifting range of modes in a set like this. Drums are by Joe Farnsworth, another trustworthy regular partner to the pair – and Nat Reeves completes the quartet on bass. Titles include 3 excellent Alexander originals (always his best work on record) – "Typhoon 11", "Little Lucas", and "Open & Shut" – plus versions of "Where Is The Love", "Where Or When", "Ruby My Dear", and "It's All In The Game". CD

... LP, Vinyl record album

... CD

A classic album from Gene Ammons – one that features the tenor legend at his prime, working in two different settings! The first batch has Ammons "battling" Sonny Stitt in a set of stuff that features hard twin tenors in the frontline, with the kind of cutting contests the two of them would perform live all over the country. Titles on that one include "Stringin The Jug", "New Blues Up & Down", and "You Can Depend On Me". The other side of the record features Ammons in one of those great Prestige open-ended groups – with crack players like Art Farmer, Lou Donaldson, and Freddie Redd – all soloing long and soulfully on two tracks – "Woofin & Tweetin" and "Juggernaut". CD

One of the standout moments in the career of Rod Argent – a record that gave his self-named group one of their biggest hits ever, yet a set that still kept all the depth and diversity of their other records too! The album starts out with the group's famous "Hold Your Head Up" – the anthemic strutter that crossed over big, and which burns here with plenty of great organ lines from Rod. Other numbers really mix things up – rocking harder than Rod's Zombies work, but also showing some complicated sensibilities too – brought out nicely by co-producer Chris White, who also wrote most of the songs on the date with Argent. Titles include "Pure Love", "He's A Dynamo", "Hold Your Head Up", "Be My Lover Be My Friend", "Keep On Rolling", and "I Am The Dances Of Ages". LP, Vinyl record album

An earlier classic from The Beach Boys – and easily one of their best records from the prime sun and surf era for the group – with rave up rockers and some sweet ballads! So much as been written about the foreboding behind-the-scenes circumstances in Beach Boys lore, even during these early years, it can steal away from the more innocent charms if you allow it to – but don't! This is all about soaring, groovy harmonies and impeccable production – on tunes that include "I Get Around", "All Summer Long", "Hushabye", "Little Honda", "Wendy", "Carl's Big Chance", "Girls On The Beach", "Drive-In", "Don't Back Down" and more. CD

An unusual album issued by Vee Jay Records – the original home of The Beatles in the US! This one doesn't have music, but interview passages from their 1964 tour – plus some scoring from Lou Adler, and percussion from Hal Blaine! LP, Vinyl record album

A bittersweet set of vocals from Polly Bergen – recorded with a sound that really fits her sad-eyed look on the cover! Although Bergen's voice is sometimes confident and full, it's nicely restrained here – often somewhat dark-toned and moody – in ways that remind us of Morgana King, especially in the way that Polly holds back at just the right moments – keeping things mature by never getting too overly emotive. There's a nice sense of depth to the record that goes way beyond simple pop singing – and Luther Henderson's arrangements further help color the sound of the set – by giving it a sense of unity that almost reminds us of some of Sinatra's best blue-toned late 50s albums for Capitol. Titles include "By Myself", "When The Wind Was Green", "All Alone", "Glad To Be Unhappy", "Too Late Now", "He Didn't Call", and "Not Like Me". LP, Vinyl record album

Killer work by Art Blakey from the last years of his life – and proof that the drummer still had an amazing ear for the best young talent in jazz! The session's got Art working with (then) up-and-comers Steve Davis on trombone, Brian Lynch on trumpet, Geoff Keezer on piano, and Javon Jackson on tenor sax – giving them all the same space to write, arrange, and solo freely with the same sort of limelight placement Blakey gave Lee Morgan, Wayne Shorter, and Bobby Timmons in earlier years! Art's still more than holding his own on drums, but as with much of his excellent later work, the real strength of the set is the way in which the younger players hold the set together with a fluid sense of soul. Titles include "Bunyip", "Logarhythms", "I'll Wait & Pray", "Green Is Mean", "Accidentally Yours", "One For All", and "Theme For Penny". CD

9 tracks over two CDs. CD

... 78 RPM, Vinyl record

Some of the earliest work ever recorded by Lester Bowie as a leader – and a set that stands in importance right next to the early Delmark AACM sides by Anthony Braxton and Roscoe Mitchell! Plus, the album's almost an early Art Ensemble of Chicago effort, given the lineup – which features Bowie on trumpet and flugelhorn; Roscoe Mitchell on alto, soprano, clarinet, and flute; Malachi Favors on bass; and Joseph Jarman on alto, sopranino, and clarinet!. This fantastic CD features all the material recorded at the initial sessions in 1967 – both trio and quartet material, with titles that include trio numbers "Warm Up", "Number 2", "Number 1", and quartet takes on "Number 2". CD

That's the middle finger of David Boykin on the front cover – bidding a bold farewell to the year of 2016 – with a record that offers up some of the most soul-nourishing sounds we've ever heard from the reedman! The album's got a sharper, almost funkier sound than some of Boykin's other work – a double-length performance that features David on tenor, in a group that also has James Baker on a piano that sounds electric, and which is often played in these blocky chords that fit well with the bass of Alex Wing and drums of Isaiah Spencer – all working as a cohesive trio unity, while Boykin takes off with these searing, searching solos! The mix of spiritual reeds and chunkier rhythms is almost a bit like some of the early "funk" work of Joe McPhee – but Boykin's clearly got his own agenda in the music, and comes off with a mindblowing positive sound. All tracks are long, and titles include "Coronal Mass Ejection", "Wherever You At", "Make It Count", "You Know Who You Are", and "Jaglavak". CD

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

A key slice of Clifford Brown from the 50s – two long tracks both recorded in an open-ended jam session format, showing a side of Brown's powers that's even bolder and more inventive than some of his previous studio work! The album soars along beautifully – with Brownie in the lead amongst an unusual, but well-chosen batch of players that includes Herb Geller and Joe Maini on alto saxes, Walter Benton on tenor, Kenny Drew on piano, Curtis Counce on bass, and Max Roach on drums – all grooving alongside Clifford on the album's nicely extended tracks. The album was released after Brown's death in 1956, features the side-long tracks "Caravan" and "Autumn In New York". CD also features a bonus take on "Caravan" – much shorter, called "Caravan (The Boss Man)". CD

Great rare material from Clifford Brown's legendary days at Emarcy – tracks recorded as part of the Dinah Jams vocal sessions, but done in a much more extended jam session mode! Washington sings a bit on 2 of the tracks, but the main focus here is on Brownie working with a jamming set of instrumentalists that really open up on extended solo work. The album features 2 groups – one with the great Walter Benton on tenor, Herb Geller and Joe Maini on altos, and Kenny Drew on piano – the other with Clark Terry on trumpet, Geller on alto, Harold Land on tenor, and Junior Mance on piano – great lineups on both sessions! Tracks are long, very much in the "jams" feeling of the title – and titles include "Coronado", "I'll Remember April", and "Crazy He Calls Me". CD