A pretty compelling session – one that features Ben Webster playing with the first version of the Modern Jazz Quartet! The recording quality of the material is a bit rough, but Webster's tone cuts right through any shortcomings of the setting – blowing deeply over rhythms by the team of John Lewis, Milt Jackson, Percy Heath, and Kenny Clarke. Titles include "Poutin", "Confirmation", "Lady Be Good", "Nearness Of You", and "Cotton Tail". CD

A pretty sweet set from the legendary Ramsey Lewis – possibly his best in years – all original material performed with his impeccable trio! If title Songs From The Heart has you expecting smooth, commercial fluff, you'll be pleasantly surprised. It's exceptional trio jazz all the way. Lovely and tender, but precise and very moving material. It includes songs Ramsey wrote, quite surprisingly, for the Joffrey Ballet Company, and other pieces he wrote to perform with the Turtle Island Quartet. Straight forward, lyrical jazz from Ramsey's piano to your soul, backed masterfully by bassist Larry Gray and drummer Leon Joyce, plus some equally wonderful solo pieces. Titles include "To Know Her Is To Love Her", "Touching, Feeling, Knowing", "Clouds In Reverie", "The Spark", "Conversation", "The Way She Smiles", "The Glow Of Her Charm", "Long Before She Know", "Watercolors" and more. CD

No mixed feelings from us, this an excellent mid 70s soul tune – magical stuff from mid 70s South Carolina combo Mixed Feelings! "Sha La La" is a wonderful tune with a vamping guitar groove mirrored by some really sweet keys, and tight drum work for instrumentation – but the best part about it is the interplay between lead vocalist Arthur Donaldson, formerly of The Royals, and his female backing vocalists – a rapport that shows love for earlier doo wop, in the middle of an overall sound that's right at home anywhere in the 70s! An exceptional number reintroduced by the always tasteful Soul Cal label! 12-inch, Vinyl record

A rare and exceptional vocal jazz LP – cut by the obscure Marilyn Moore, then the wife of Al Cohn – who's pictured in profile on the cover of the record! Marilyn's got a style that's somewhat raspy – clearly inspired by Billie Holiday at times, and not what you'd expect in comparison to some of the cooler, clearer female singers who worked on Bethlehem in the 50s. The backing is in a small group mode – with Cohn on tenor and bass clarinet, plus Don Abney on piano, Joe Wilder on trumpet, Barry Galbraith on guitar, Milt Hinton on bass, and Osie Johnson on drums – all in a nicely relaxed mode to fit the mellow, moody sound of the record. There's a nice sense of darkness throughout – a bit more edge than you might expect – and titles include "Trouble Is A Man", "Ill Wind", "Born To Blow The Blues", "Lover Come Back To Me", and "You're Driving Me Crazy". CD

Joshua Redman continues the wonderful groove he first began on his Elastic album – a well-named sound that's filled with lots of modal rhythms and a very soulful spirit! The style's a bit like that growing, more open-ended style of organ jazz at the end of the 60s – especially the sort that was showing up on some of John Patton's later albums, or the looser recordings of Groove Holmes and Lonnie Smith. Redman's working here on a variety of saxes, alongside great organ and keyboards from Sam Yahel, and exceptional work on drums from Brian Blade and Jeff Ballard. The album features guest work by Stefon Harris, Jeff Parker, Nicholas Payton, ?uestlove, and Meshell Ndegocello – and titles include "Soundcheck", "Sweet Nasty", "Just A Moment", "Shut Your Mouth", "The Crunge", "Riverwide", "Greasy G", "Lonely Woman", "Swunk", and "Put It In Your Pocket". CD

Landmark work from the Finnish scene of the 60s – one of those ultra-rare European jazz records that collectors have dug for decades! The set's got a stark, modern sort of feel – but also a nice soulful swing, too – a balance that few of the other Scandinavians hit so well at the time – as they were either hanging between farther-out progressions, or more inside, tightly arranged jazz! Drummer Christian Schwindt's vision here is exceptional – full of rich feeling, deep tone, and careful construction of the tunes – with a sensibility that almost reminds us of Ted Curson and Bill Barron working together – in ways that we'd state from the comments above. (And we've also been told that he's had some great help on conceiving the record from trumpeter Otto Donner – whose playing here is great too!) The whole thing has a quality that you'd find in a rare few albums – maybe some of the best French new wave soundtracks, an early solo Booker Ervin record, or a few other treasures in your collection. Players include Heikki Sarmanto on piano, Otto Donner on trumpet, Erik Danholm on tenor and alto, and Tapani Tamminen on bass – on titles that include "D Day", "My Next & Only Love", "Helsinki At Noon", "Miniature", and "Claudine". CD

A really fantastic live album from Nina Simone – recorded at the Newport Jazz Festival in 1966, and delivered with that hard-burning energy that always makes Nina's concert performances so mindblowing! There's a lean, mean groove to the record – sharply soulful piano from Simone, and backing from a group that includes some exceptional work on drums from Robert Hamilton – a player who really helps kick up the rhythms at times – while Nina delivers these searing lyrics that definitely showcase the more righteous, political side of her spectrum! The set's a great addition to the Philips material from this period – and titles include a killer version of "Mississippi Goddam", plus "You've Got To Learn", "Blues For Mama", "Be My Husband", "Music For Lovers", and "I Loves You Porgy". CD

A really fantastic live album from Nina Simone – recorded at the Newport Jazz Festival in 1966, and delivered with that hard-burning energy that always makes Nina's concert performances so mindblowing! There's a lean, mean groove to the record – sharply soulful piano from Simone, and backing from a group that includes some exceptional work on drums from Robert Hamilton – a player who really helps kick up the rhythms at times – while Nina delivers these searing lyrics that definitely showcase the more righteous, political side of her spectrum! The set's a great addition to the Philips material from this period – and titles include a killer version of "Mississippi Goddam", plus "You've Got To Learn", "Blues For Mama", "Be My Husband", "Music For Lovers", and "I Loves You Porgy". LP, Vinyl record album

A really fantastic live album from Nina Simone – recorded at the Newport Jazz Festival in 1966, and delivered with that hard-burning energy that always makes Nina's concert performances so mindblowing! There's a lean, mean groove to the record – sharply soulful piano from Simone, and backing from a group that includes some exceptional work on drums from Robert Hamilton – a player who really helps kick up the rhythms at times – while Nina delivers these searing lyrics that definitely showcase the more righteous, political side of her spectrum! The set's a great addition to the Philips material from this period – and titles include a killer version of "Mississippi Goddam", plus "You've Got To Learn", "Blues For Mama", "Be My Husband", "Music For Lovers", and "I Loves You Porgy". LP, Vinyl record album

Groovy, moddish, magnificent and sunny girl pop from The Land Of The Rising Sun – pummeling drums, jumping arrangements and groovy vocals from the mid-to-late 60s Japanese scene! This is fantastic stuff, any kitch or novelty appeal you might be expecting is kind of muted by the exceptional quality and excellent performances – but it is flat out fun! As the title states, strains of pop, beat & bossa – plus mod & psychedelic fuzz – and the vocals girl group vocals are bright, rocking, playful or sultry or innocent depending on the groove! 25 tracks in all: "Black Room by Jun Mayuzumi, Sharock No 1" by Mie Nakao, "Nagisa No Tenshi" by Mieko Hirota, "Hatsu Koi No Letter" by Miki Obata, "Bazazz Tengoku" by The Cupids, "Aeba Suki Suki" by Margaret With Bunnys, "Nukui Aitsu" by Mika Nohira, "Kiiro No Sekai" by J Girls and more. CD

An exceptional early release from the tragic Tim Buckley – done with a really unique sound that mixes late 60s folk rock with some subtly jazzy overtones! The record features beautiful string arrangements from the legendary Jack Nitzsche, and some beautiful work on piano, harpsichord, and celeste by Van Dyke Parks! But Buckley's the main star of the set – crooning beautifully with his sad-tinged voice, on wonderful tracks that include "Wings", "Aren't You the Girl", "She Is", and "Understand Your Man". CD

A wonderful set from this cool Australian combo – and one that offers up the group in two nicely different modes! Side one has The Three Out sounding wonderful as a trio – with sublime soul-styled piano from a very young Mike Nock, and exceptional work on bass from Freddy Logan – whose sound gives the record this deep bottom right from the start, and puts the group on a par with a rare few American trios – like the Three Sounds on Blue Note! Side two gets even more interesting, as the group are joined by four additional Australian jazz men – all horn players who really expand the groove, and get in some wonderful solos too – a lineup that includes the great Don Burrows on alto and baritone, Erroll Buddle on tenor, and both Ron Falson and Colin Jones on trumpets. Burrows and Buddle sound deeper and more soulful than usual, and really hit the groove laid down by the trio – and titles include "New Jade", "Sittin In Blues", "Nock Out", "Loganberries", "Dizzy Pipe", and "I Love You". LP, Vinyl record album

Roger Troutman gets the front cover and Booker T Jones is on the back – Issue #35 of the funk & soul crate diggers bible Wax Poetics! Wax Poetics is far and away the brightest beacon of publications covering jazz, funk, soul & hip hop and the dusty wax that holds it – equally focusing on rare, classics, and new leaders of the grooves – and this issue has long features on the cover artists, plus Willie & The Bumblebees, The Joe Cuba Sextet and others in the always excellent Re:Discovery section, UK funk duo Broken Keys, the Shaolin Soul of the El Michels Affair, benchmark hip hop gamer Lord Finesse, EZ Mike Simpson of the Dust Brothers, heavy rhyme maestro Def Jef and much much more – filled with vintage rare photos of all parties that tell the story, on top of the exceptional writing and interview skills of team Wax Poetics! Magazine

An exceptional album from Willie Williams – a vastly under-rated tenor player of the past few decades! Willie works in the same territory as Bobby Watson and Ralph Moore – a post-70s mode of soul jazz, inflected by hardbop roots, but often opening up with a freer sense of space and exploration. This album's one of Willie's greatest – a collection of open-minded tunes recorded with a quartet that includes Geoff Keezer on piano, Christian McBride on bass, and Victor Lewis on drums – all working in a style that shows that soul jazz is alive and well in the 90s – taking off in a direction clearly inspired by the excellent Clifford Jordan/Cedar Walton work of years before, but with an easy going sound all their own! Titles include "Afternoon In Africa", "After All This Time", "Leapin & Weepin", "Song For Me", and "Spirit Willie". CD

One of Sergio Mendes' most dreamy albums – quite different than both his vocal work with Brasil 66, and his smaller combo sides from Brazil! There's still a strong bossa component to the record – but the setting has Sergio's piano lines laid out over larger arrangements with a good jazz component – soloing beautifully with a grace and charm he sometimes didn't have on other projects! Arrangements are by some hip American talents – Clare Fischer, Bob Florence, and Richard Hazard – and the set's filled with bright horns, lush banks of strings, and cascading rhythms – all produced with exceptional sound, so that Sergio's piano goes gliding over the top in a manner that's similar to some of the Luis Eca albums in a similar format. Tracks include "Carnaval", "Boranda", "Nana", and "Bonita". LP, Vinyl record album

An album with a groove as fluid as you might guess from the title – and from the nicely stretched image of Oscar Peterson on the cover! The album's one of the best-remembered from Oscar's years at MPS – a session that's got almost as much soul jazz at the bottom as it does the fluid Peterson touch on the top – and a record that benefits, no doubt, from exceptional rhythm work from the team of George Mraz on bass and Ray Price on drums, who hit a groove that's a bit more pronounced than usual. Peterson is tremendous throughout on the keys – all over the place, but always in control – really burning up the 88s with a command of his instrument that few players could match! Titles include "Just Friends", "Teach Me Tonight", "I Love You", "Once Upon A Summertime", "The Windmills Of Your Mind", and "All Of You". CD

A stunning selection of female soul from Motown – all of it rare, and much of it previously unreleased! The set is a great reminder not only of how much we still have to learn about the biggest soul label in the motor city – but also of the exceptional quality that Motown brought to their recordings – so much so that even long-unissued tracks like these can easily stand with the biggest hits from other 60s soul labels! The package is wonderful if you dig female soul – and maybe even if you just like vintage soul in general – and in addition to rare cuts by big Motown names, you'll also hear some lesser-knowns that show the way the company was always trying to reach out for new talent in the fertile world of Detroit music. As usual, Ace has provided very detailed notes that offer as much history as information on the music – and the CD features 24 titles that include "It's Been A Long Time Happenin" by Rita Wright, "There Are Things" by Ann Bogan, "It's Crazy Baby" by Liz Lands, "Baby I've Got It" by Brenda Holloway, "Honey Don't Leave Me" by The Lewis Sisters, "It's All Right" by LaBrenda Ben, "When Someone's Good To You" by Oma Page, "In My Heart I Know It's Right" by Gladys Knight & The Pips, "Sweet Talkin Guy" by The Marvelettes, "Cookie Boy" by Thelma Brown, "I Up & Think Of You" by Kim Weston, "There Was" by The Lollipops, "Keep Away" by Little Lisa, "Playboy (first version)" by The Marvelettes, "I Know You Don't Love Me No More (orig mix)" by Yvonne Fair, "In Your Heart" by Patrice Holloway, "You've Got Possibilities" by Barbara McNair, and "Bad News" by LaBrenda Ben. CD

The complete recording of Tony Bennett and Bill Evans as a duo – the Tony Bennett/Bill Evans Album from '75 and the '76 follow up Together Again – back to back, plus a bonus CD of alternate takes! If you've ever doubted the real jazz sensibility of Tony Bennett, the Tony Bennett/Bill Evans Album is the one to change your mind – because Tony's working here in a marvelously unadorned setting – with only the piano of Bill Evans to back him up! The record's a rare gem from years after Bennett was cracking the pop charts, but was willing to pull back to the jazz of his roots – and the session's equally rare for Evans, who rarely worked with vocalists at this point in his career. The simplicity of the album is its strength – and together, the pair really sound tremendous – slightly faltering at times, but in a way that exposes a sense of humanity you might not find in other records, especially those by Bennett. Titles include "When In Rome", "Some Other Time", "The Touch Of Your Lips", "My Foolish Heart", "Waltz For Debby", and "Young & Foolish". Together Again is another gem, following the form of the first duos record exceptionally well, perhaps with Evan's piano a bit more prominent in the sound, and another fine batch of tunes, including "The Bad And The Beautiful", "Lucky To Be Me", "A Child Is Born", "Lonely Girl", "You Must Believe In Spring" and more. The bonus CD features alternate takes of material from the 2 albums, with versions of "You And Foolish", "The Touch Of Your Lips", "Some Other Time", "When In Rome", "Waltz For Debbie" and multiple versions of "The Bad And The Beautiful", "A Child Is Born", and more. CD

Early Depeche Mode! A Broken Frame is the group's second album, and its finds the group getting their footing exceptionally well after losing Vince Clarke. To our ears, Depeche Mode (or perhaps you can give pretty big share of the acclaim to Martin Gore, as he's credited with all the songwriting) were taking some creative chances on this one, as it was before they had a fairly defined, ultra-dramatic tone to follow. A bit underappreciated in their canon, and well worth reevaluating. Titles include "Leave In Silence", "My Secret Garden", "Monument", "See You", "The Meaning Of Love", "The Sun & The Rainfall" and more. CD

A stellar live jazz trio effort led by drummer Paul Motian – and what a trio he leads, with Chris Potter on tenor sax and the always wonderful Jason Moran on piano – one of the better new ECM albums in years! The material was captured in February of '09 at the Village Vanguard, NYC – with frequent collaborators Motian & Potter working exceptionally well with Moran, which we'd have had to expect given Moran's versatility and respect for his peers and inspirations. Most of the material here keeps you rapt in loose, delicate and quiet inteplay with some more feverish solos and mostly Motian compositions. Titles include "Mode VI", "Casino", "Lost In A Dream", "Blue Midnight", "Be Careful It's My Heart", "Birdsong", "Ten", "Abacus" and "Cathedral Song". CD

A lost treasure – finally brought back to light! The album features previously unissued material by the team of Art Pepper and Warne Marsh – tracks recorded back in 1956 for Contemporary records, but only issued many years later as part of the Complete Contemporary project for Pepper's work. Why these dates never made it to wax is a real mystery to us – because the pairing of Pepper's alto and Marsh's tenor is perhaps even greater than the more famous team of Marsh & Konitz – and the sound here is completely wonderful – fluid, modern, and exceptionally poised – yet never without soul! CD includes a few master and original takes of some numbers – and titles include "All The Things You Are", "Tickle Toe", "Warnin", "Stompin At The Savoy", "What's New", "Avalon", and "I Can't Believe That You're In Love With Me". CD

A really rare side of the legendary De-Lite Records – served up here in a range of obscure 45s before the company exploded into bigger fame with the success of Kool & The Gang! The work here puts De-Lite right on the same level as important indies on the east coast at the turn of the 70s – and shows an especially strong ability to capture the best group styles of the period – from the sublime harmony styles being crafted in New Jersey and Philly, to some of the growing funky styles in the pre-disco years! The set's a much-needed look at this early part of the label – and also features titles on the related Red Coach label too – in a wonderful package of 25 tracks that includes "I'll Never Let You Get Away" by Universal Mind, "So Long Sweet Little Girl" by Reggie Saddler Revue, "I'm At The Breaking Point" by The Trumains, "Girl (part 1)" by Philadelphia Ambassadors, "Gotta Let Some Sunshine Into My Life" by The Exceptionals, "I'll Always Love You" by The New Cymbals, "So Fine" by The Fiestas, "The Story Of Our Love" by The Carstairs, "Love You Can't Shake It" by Reggie Saddler & The Jammers, "Nothing In The World" by The Electras, "Back On The Road Again" by Richmond International, and "Love Foundation" by Electrified Action. CD

A sharp, exhilarating trio set from tenor sax great and AACM beacon Fred Anderson – a more stripped down and direct sound than some of the more spacious grooves of recent Anderson recordings, and really a masterful little gem! Anderson's trio features Harrison Bankhead on bass and Tim Daisy on drums, and moods on these longish numbers rolls from tight, muscular interplay that never gets too blunt or jagged thanks to the musicianship – to a far looser, more melodic dynamic. We're never disappointed by Anderson's later recordings, and this is another exceptionally strong one. Titles include the nearly half hour opening piece "Sunday Afternoon", plus "The Elephant And The Bee", "60 Degrees In November", "Wandering", "Springing Winter" and "Changes And Bodies And Tones". CD

A lost treasure – finally brought back to light! The album features previously unissued material by the team of Art Pepper and Warne Marsh – tracks recorded back in 1956 for Contemporary records, but only issued many years later as part of the Complete Contemporary project for Pepper's work. Why these dates never made it to wax is a real mystery to us – because the pairing of Pepper's alto and Marsh's tenor is perhaps even greater than the more famous team of Marsh & Konitz – and the sound here is completely wonderful – fluid, modern, and exceptionally poised – yet never without soul! CD includes a few master and original takes of some numbers – and titles include "All The Things You Are", "Tickle Toe", "Warnin", "Stompin At The Savoy", "What's New", "Avalon", and "I Can't Believe That You're In Love With Me". CD

Beautiful Appalachian Americana from the late 20s & early 30s in a pretty broad pastiche of string band styles – from furiously sawed hillbilly numbers, to banjo & fiddle flavored vocal tunes, to popular tin pan alley songs of the time – the complete recordings of The Red Fox Chasers! The Chasers hailed from northwest North Carolina, and brought a more widely appealing style to the regional American music sounds of the period. It's pretty exciting and energetic stuff, exceptionally well packaged by Tompkins Square. 40 recordings on 2CDs: "Arkansas Traveler", "Honeysuckle Time", "Jim & Me", "Wreck On The Mountain Road", "Girl I Loved In Sunny Tennessee", "Mississippi Sawers", "May I Sleep In Your Barn Tonight Mister?", "Pretty Polly", "The Blind Man & His Child", "Virginia Bootleggers", "Turkey In The Straw", "Something Wrong With My Gal", "Two False Lovers", "Tell My Mother I'll Meet Her", "Devilish Mary", "Making Licker In North Carolina" (Pts 1, 2, 3 & 4) and more. CD

A heck of a discovery – early recordings Townes Van Zandt cut in mid 60s Nashville – a couple of years before his official solo debut, and a soul shakingly beautiful mix of his country folk blues storytelling and some more rollicking numbers that work exceptionally well! One of the things that's most striking about it is how wise and knowing his songs and his voice are this early in his game, with the more intimate voice and guitar numbers sounding great. The few songs with busier instumentation work, too, and that's even more surprising give the Townes loner folk ouvre. We didn't think there could be much Townes left unreleased, especially of this quality! Titles include "Black Widow Blues", "Maryetta's Song", "Hunger Child Blues", "Black Jack Mama", "When Your Dream Never Dies", "Big Country Blues", "Gypsy Friday", "Colorado Blues", "Black Crow Blues" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

A really great little live jazz date from the mid 50s – one that features a unique pairing of east and west coast players, working together as part of a Birdland Stars package tour! The group's an exceptionally balanced one – with players who are all strong enough to work together seamlessly, but who each bring together something different to the date – especially in the blend of west coast cool and east coast hot that comes up during some of the horn passages! Trumpets are by Kenny Dorham and Conte Candoli, tenor by Al Cohn, alto by Phil Woods, piano by Hank Jones, bass by John Simmons, and drums by Kenny Clarke – and with a balance like that, there's probably a bit more "east" than "west" on the set – but that's ok with us! The style is similar to some of the RCA work cut by Cohn or Woods, but a lot more open overall – tracks that are looser and less arranged, with some really great room for solos. CD features volumes 1 and 2 of the albums – 14 titles that include "Phil Er Up", "Roulette", "Last Lap", "Hip Boots", "For Kicks Only", "Playboy", "Ah Funky New Baby", Birdland Fantasy", and "Minorin The Blues". Tracks are all originals by Manny Albam and Ernie Wilkins! CD

A group who definitely live up to their name – given that their recordings are so obscure, they were lost souls from the very start! Yet there's also a genius here that should have made them huge – an inherent tunefulness that clearly shows a love of The Beatles, Hollies, and a handful of other Brit groups – but delivered with an edge that's more like early Who or Creation – and by that last reference, we mean both the fab 60s British group, and the later 80s label with the same name! These tunes are fantastic little gems – catchy, but not commercial – charming, but never cloying – and often driven by some exceptionally strong basslines at the bottom, which works great with the warmer vocal harmonies and jangly guitars. Titles include "Dare To Surmise", "Love I Won't Admit", "Look At Me", "Things That Are Important", "Diamond Head", "Livin The Way I Want To", and "Trashcan Throne" – and the CD also features a few live tracks, and some bonus material too – 26 titles in all, by a group who hopefully won't be lost souls any longer! CD

Instrumental guitar great William Tyler's second album under his own name, and his first for indie powerhouse Merge Records – and it's an exceptionally beautiful piece of work from a player who's really just getting started! Tyler strikes a youthful presense, but he's actually been playing around a lot behind the scenes – as a studio and/or touring guitarist for Lambchop, Candi Staton, Charlie Louvin and others wise enough to record with producer Mark Nevers – who works on this record, too. Tyler is definitely inspired by finger style folk guitarists from the mid 20th Century onward, but he's also got a hypnotic style that feels like it's inspired by more atmospheric country rock and rustic 70s soundtracks. Here he's mixing it all it into a brilliant style all his own, and it's SO good. Guest musicians include fellow youthful Nashville string genius Chris Scruggs, drummer Scott Martin, steel player Luke Schneider and Roy Agee on trombone. Includes "Country Of Illusion", "The Geography Of Nowhere", "Cadillac Desert", "We Can't Go Home Again", "A Portrait Of Sarah", "Hotel Catatonia", "The Last Residents Of Westfall" and "The World Set Free". CD

A wonderful follow up to one of our favorite compilations in recent years! London Is The Place For Me compiles the stylistically varied music coming from the emergent West Indian and African communities of 50s and 60s London – far more than just the topical, and often quite whimsical calypso tunes of the era! Calypso is well represented, but the set includes strains of jazz, percussive instrumentals that veer towards native Trinidad and Nigeria, and loads of Caribbean grooves! It's all exceptionally bright – with some lovingly, and knowingly, naive vocals that are as sweet as they are wise. A truly wonderful compilation. Essential! 20 tracks in all: "Calypso Be" by Young Tiger, "Yolanda" by Ambrose Campbell, "Calypso Blues" by Mona Baptiste, "My Wife's Nightie" by Lord Kitchener, "Ominara" by West African Rhythm Brothers, "Gerrard Street" by King Timothy, "ET Mensah's Rolling Ball" by West African Swing Stars, "West Indian Drums" by Russ Henderson, "Gbonimawo" by Rans Boi's Ghana Highlife Band and more! LP, Vinyl record album

The first two volumes in this legendary series – back to back in one set! Volume 1 is an amazing collection – and one that really helped completely revise our understanding of Caribbean music! The collection features a fair bit of artists with roots in the West Indies, but who made a huge impact on London's postwar immigrant population – the new rise of non-native residents who were swelling the ranks of the city in the years after the way – bringing with them new cultures, new sounds, and new traditions – with all the requisite ideas and politics that might imply! The work here often has a subtle social agenda – working through themes important to these new Londoners, yet still echoing modes of the homeland as well – often with great musical backings that's heavy on percussion, jazzy instrumentation, and very upbeat rhythms. Titles include "London Is The Place For Me" by Lord Kitchener, "I Was There" by Young Tiger, "Some Girl Something" by The Lion, "No Carnival In Britain" by Mighty Terror, "Jamaica Hurricane" by Lord Beginner, "Birth Of Ghana" by Lord Kitchener, "Victory Test Match" by Lord Beginner, "Spanish Calypso" by The Lion, "Bulldog Don't Bite Me" by Timothy, "My Landlady" by Lord Kitchener, "If You're Not White You're Black" by Lord Kitchener, and "Aguiti" by Lord Invader. Volume 2 compiles the stylistically varied music coming from the emergent West Indian and African communities of 50s and 60s London – far more than just the topical, and often quite whimsical calypso tunes of the era! Calypso is well represented, but the set includes strains of jazz, percussive instrumentals that veer towards native Trinidad and Nigeria, and loads of Caribbean grooves! It's all exceptionally bright – with some lovingly, and knowingly, naive vocals that are as sweet as they are wise. A truly wonderful compilation. Essential! 20 tracks in all: "Calypso Be" by Young Tiger, "Yolanda" by Ambrose Campbell, "Calypso Blues" by Mona Baptiste, "My Wife's Nightie" by Lord Kitchener, "Ominara" by West African Rhythm Brothers, "Gerrard Street" by King Timothy, "ET Mensah's Rolling Ball" by West African Swing Stars, "West Indian Drums" by Russ Henderson, "Gbonimawo" by Rans Boi's Ghana Highlife Band and more! CD