Wickedly funky work from the Jazz Crusaders – a pivotal set that has them electrifying their groove a bit more from the 60s, yet still not hitting the smother sound of later years! The core soul jazz mode of the group's start is still nicely in place – hard-hitting grooves from Wayne Henderson on trombone, Wilton Felder on bass, Stix Hooper on drums, and Joe Sample on keyboards – really opening up in an electric mode that's warm, but never mellow – really giving the album a strongly righteous undercurrent. Added to the mix are guitars from Arthur Adams and Freddy Robinson – both of whom really open up the groove and underscore the funkier elements – and again, in ways that have a lot more edge than on later Crusaders dates. The whole thing's great, filled with hard groovy cuts – and titles include a great version of "Golden Slumbers", plus "Jazz", "Jackson", "Rainy Night In Georgia", "Time Has No Ending", "Hard Times", and "Funny Shuffle". CD

Fairly funky set of tracks in which Klemmer plays electric and acoustic tenor, and in which he's accompanied by LA studio jazz talents like Harvey Mason, Wilton Felder, and Victor Feldman. Sounds a bit like some of the Eddie Harris Varitone albums from the time, with a rolling funky groove. Cuts include "Fresh Feathers", "Uhmmm! It Feels Good", "Wizards Revenge", "Music For People", and "Stinger". LP, Vinyl record album

A wonderful classic from John Klemmer – one of those artists we've under-appreciated for years, but grow to love more and more as time goes by! The set's an incredibly soulful set of explorations played by Klemmer (on tenor, soprano, and Echoplex) with a group that includes Mike Nock on Fender Rhodes, Eddie Marshall on drums, Victor Feldman on percussion, and Wilton Felder on bass – definitely in the post-Coltrane mode, with long spiraling solos that explore both space and the outer sonic reaches, yet never too way-out, and never losing a subtle swing that makes the record sparkle with unimaginable appeal. One of those few hippy jazz classics that really works – and which arguably sounds better now than it did back in the 70s! Titles include "Centrifugal Force", "There's Some Light Ahead", "Waterfall", and "Utopia: Man's Dream". CD

Do yourself a favor, and splurge on this album – you won't be disappointed! The record is a gem all the way through – a really unique mixture of LA soul jazz and African rhythms, with a sound that's almost like Hugh Masekela sitting in with the Jazz Crusaders! Of course, there's a lot of Jazz Crusaders in the set – as Wilton Felder plays electric bass on the album, giving it a fantastic loping groove – but there's also plenty of unique albums on the record, especially its way of approaching the rhythms with a sly, syncopated groove that's immediately infectious! Duke's trumpet solos are great, and they're augmented by tenor work by Chester Washington and trombone by George Bohannon – all nicely grooving on the album's brilliant blend of jazzy tracks. Titles include "Jungle Funk", "Afrikaloo", "Akagruge", "Like It Is", "Mafam", and "Peace Brother". Somebody put this one on CD – and do us all a treat! LP, Vinyl record album

One of the funkiest albums ever on Blue Note – a set that mixes the trumpet talents of Blue Mitchell with some killer backings from Monk Higgins – all in a groove that more gritty edges than the best funky soundtracks of the time! Higgins keeps the backings full, but always quite lean – fusing all elements together into a sharp, tight rhythm that steps along with some of the slight African touches you might guess from the title – a groove that's not really that authentic, but which resonates with some of the best inspirations that Hugh Masekela was bringing to American music at the time. And while the album might be an attempt to cash in on Masekela's groove, the feel here is really quite different overall – as tracks are nicely stretched out, with plenty of room for jazzy solo work – and a groove that's much harder overall, thanks to Higgins! Other players include Freddy Robinson on guitar, Wilton Felder on bass, Paul Humphrey on drums, and Plas Johnson on tenor – and titles include "HNIC", "Flat Backing", "Na Ta Ka", "Bantu Village", and "Blue Dashiki". LP, Vinyl record album

Once an overlooked late Verve album, now a solid classic – and easily one of the funkiest albums ever from organist Jimmy Smith! The groove here is far different than the more familiar Jimmy Smith Verve sessions of the 60s – and the tracks open up in a really extended mode – vamping and jamming with a definite influence from funk, as Jimmy and the combo explore some of the hippest corners of their sound! Players include Paul Humphrey on drums, Wilton Felder on bass, and Arthur Adams on guitar – plus a bit of harmonica from Steve Williams – and there's almost lessons learned here from some of the Latin funk going on in the LA scene of the time. The set was recorded live, and features the great title cut – "Root Down" – a long drawn out groover with a slow funk feel that was made famous by a Beastie Boys sample years back – and other great cuts include "Slow Down Sagg", "Sagg Shootin His Arrow", and "Let's Stay Together". The CD features a nice amount of bonus material – including full unedited performances of "Sagg Shootin' His Arrow", "Slow Down Sagg", and "Root Down", plus the cuts "For Everyone Under The Sun" and "Let's Stay Together". CD

A lost bit of Stanley Turrentine funky work – recorded between his years at Blue Note and his time at CTI, and nearly lost to the pages of history! Despite the obscurity, though, the album's a great one – done with these short stomping sort of arrangements that remind us a lot of the work on Blue Mitchell's Bantu Village album, or the style used on some of the Dizzy Gillespie funk sides for Perception! (And honestly, we think there's a lot of Monk Higgins' influence on the set, even though he doesn't seem to be credited.) The group's ultra-hip – with Freddy Robinson on guitar, Wilton Felder on bass, Paul Humphrey on drums, Victor Feldman on vibes, and King Errison on congas – and tracks are short, soulful, and very much to the point! The groove is really surprising – but tremendous – and is as essential to fans of funk as it is to those of Stanley's other work. 5 numbers in all: "Flipped", "I'm The One", "Toe Hold", "I Only Get This Feeling" and "Flipped Out". LP, Vinyl record album

A sometimes-overlooked album in the career of Joni Mitchell – but a set that's every bit as great as the two huge hits that bracket it! Joni's really finding a great way forward, sounding more mature, and bringing some jazzier currents into her music – thanks in part to help from reedman Tom Scott and bassist Wilton Felder of The Crusaders – and a style of songwriting that's sometimes more fluid than before, and often a lot more biting too! Titles include "Woman Of Heart & Mind", "You Turn Me On I'm A Radio", "For The Roses", "Barbangrill", "Cold Blue Steel & Sweet Fire", "Let The Wind Carry Me", "Lesson In Survival", and "Judgement Of The Moon & Stars". LP, Vinyl record album

A key second chapter in the long and wonderful career of Joni Mitchell – a set that brings together the four albums she recorded for the Asylum label in the mid 70s – a post-Blue period that really had Joni opening up and exploring a lot in her music – including a jazzier side of the spectrum that never showed up as strongly before! First up is For The Roses – a sometimes-overlooked album in the career of Joni Mitchell – but a set that's every bit as great as the two huge hits that bracket it! Joni's really finding a great way forward, sounding more mature, and bringing some jazzier currents into her music – thanks in part to help from reedman Tom Scott and bassist Wilton Felder of The Crusaders – and a style of songwriting that's sometimes more fluid than before, and often a lot more biting too! Titles include "Woman Of Heart & Mind", "You Turn Me On I'm A Radio", "For The Roses", "Barbangrill", "Cold Blue Steel & Sweet Fire", "Let The Wind Carry Me", "Lesson In Survival", and "Judgement Of The Moon & Stars". Court & Spark is a key record in the second chapter of Joni Mitchell on record – a set that has both her vocals and her overall music style flowing with all these amazing touches you might not have heard a few years before – jazzier currents in her music that really set the album apart from earlier work in Joni's career! Mitchell responds to the music with soaring vocals that are completely wonderful, and nicely changed up in character from tune to tune – given backing by a host of great jazz and studio players who include Tom Scott on reeds and Joe Sample on keyboards! Titles include her classic version of "Twisted" – a redone version of the old Annie Ross track – plus the classic hit "Help Me", and "Just Like This Train", "Car On A Hill", "Court & Spark", "Down To You", "Free Man In Paris", and "People's Parties". Miles Of Aisles is the first-ever live album from Joni Mitchell – and a record that sounds a fair bit different than a concert set might have during the Reprise years – as Joni's got plenty of help from Tom Scott & The LA Express, who bring a tight yet intimate vibe to the proceedings! Joni's definitely a superstar at this point – as you might guess from the size of the amphitheater on the cover – but she's also got an even stronger ability to come across with a personal, pointed style – one that's very different than the overblown hype of so many other 70s live albums. The set includes a few tracks not yet on albums, and a nice mix of material – including the live version of "Big Yellow Taxi" that ended up as a hit single – and the cuts"You Turn Me On I'm A Radio", "Blue", "Woman Of Heart & Mind", "Both Sides Now", "Real Good For Free", "Jericho", "Circle Game", "Cactus Tree", "The Last Time I Saw Richard", "People's Parties", and "Woodstock". Hissing Of Summer Lawns is a further step forward in the career of Joni Mitchell – a record that not only continues the jazzier currents she explored in the 70s, but also brings in a whole bunch of different modes as well – so much so, it's almost as if Joni's daring anyone to still call her a folk singer with the album! The themes are wonderfully sophisticated, as is the songwriting – the king of material that would keep Mitchell strong for decades, while so many of her contemporaries faltered – as you'll hear on the tracks "In France They Kiss On Main Street", "Sweet Bird", "Shadows & Light", "The Boho Dance", "Don't Interrupt The Sorrow", "The Jungle Line", and "Edith & The Kingpin". CD

Once an overlooked late Verve album, now a solid classic – and easily one of the funkiest albums ever from organist Jimmy Smith! The groove here is far different than the more familiar Jimmy Smith Verve sessions of the 60s – and the tracks open up in a really extended mode – vamping and jamming with a definite influence from funk, as Jimmy and the combo explore some of the hippest corners of their sound! Players include Paul Humphrey on drums, Wilton Felder on bass, and Arthur Adams on guitar – plus a bit of harmonica from Steve Williams – and there's almost lessons learned here from some of the Latin funk going on in the LA scene of the time. The set was recorded live, and features the great title cut – "Root Down" – a long drawn out groover with a slow funk feel that was made famous by a Beastie Boys sample years back – and other great cuts include "Slow Down Sagg", "Sagg Shootin His Arrow", and "Let's Stay Together". LP, Vinyl record album