Dave Rempis/Tim Daisy/Mark Feldman
Sirocco
Aerophonic, 2023.
Saxophonist Dave Rempis and drummer Tim Daisy are no musical strangers to each other, having played together often on many different recordings – yet here, the duo seem almost reborn – opening up all sorts of amazing sounds in the company of violinist Mark Feldman – whose sense of ...
(Jazz CD)
Gearbox (UK), 2023.
The "future" in the title is very well-put – as the album seems to open up a rich new chapter in the music of the legendary vocalist Dwight Trible – a singer who's carried on the spiritual legacy of the 70s well into the 21st Century, and who's always given us some fantastic ...
(Vocalists CD)
Light In The Attic, Late 70s/Early 80s.
A totally wonderful compilation – and a fantastic way to dip into the world of Japanese city pop – a genre that most of us missed back in the day, in large part because most of these records never made it to the record racks in the US! As fans know, the movement was a huge crest of ...
(Japanese CD)
Urban Collision/American Dreams, Late 90s/Early 2000s. 4LPs
An overdue presentation of the almost-lost legacy of Marvin Tate's D-Settlement – an underground group from the Chicago scene of the 90s, and one who blend together jazz, funk, soul, and other modes – all with a style that's even more righteous than the sum of its parts! As the image ...
(Neo Soul LP)
Charly (UK), Late 60s.
You may not recognize the name of Deniece Chandler in soul music, but you'll definitely know her by her later name of Deniece Williams and her many hits of the 70s and 80s for Columbia Records! Yet here, while still Chandler, the young singer comes across in a very different way – serving up ...
(Soul LP)
Fatimah/SeriE.WOC (Italy), 1984. (reissue)
Beautiful work from the Brooklyn scene of the early 80s – at a moment when it seemed like some of the more spiritual styles of the 70s had fallen out of mainstream favor, but were still being served up beautifully on obscure records like this! Mustafa Abdul Rahman isn't just a tenor player, ...
(Jazz LP)
Columbia/Lawson (Japan), 1974. (reissue)
Funky fusion from 70s Japan – a really great set that's heavy both on Fender Rhodes, and on a range of choppy reed lines on tenor, soprano sax, and flute! The set's got a warm glow that's perfect for the CTI generation – with an equally apt sense of space, one that keeps the record ...
(Jazz LP)
Ace (UK), Late 60s/1970s/1980s/1990s.
A hell of a tribute to the songwriting genius of Dolly Parton – a side of her talents that's sometimes obscured by her incredible voice and overwhelming personality! Yet right from the start, long before she was a superstar, Dolly was as much a writer in country music as she was a singer of ...
(Folk/Country CD)
Sugar/Chris' Soundtrack Corner (Germany), 1972.
A really lovely little soundtrack – done for a slightly tragic early 70s romantic film, and scored with all sorts of sweet, slinky electric touches! A number of tunes have these slow-stepping basslines that are great – gently grooving through the music, and topped with these open, ...
(Soundtracks CD)
Creative Consciousness/Corbett vs. Dempsey, 1978. Gatefold
A wonderfully sensitive record from the legendary St Louis saxophonist Luther Thomas – very different than some of his larger group material, and in a really great way! The record features Thomas in duets with Luther C Petty – the leader on alto sax, Petty on flute, and both musicians ...
(Jazz CD)
Sound Stage 7/Charly (UK), Early 70s.
One of the greatest female soul records over! The album's a gem all the way through – and probably our favorite (and the rarest album) cut by southern soul diva Ann Sexton – produced with a smooth style that's a lot different than some of her other work! It's got great arrangements by ...
(Soul LP)
Chris' Soundtrack Corner (Germany), 1971.
One of the most obscure 70s soundtracks from the great Piero Piccioni – and one of the grooviest too – a set that has the maestro playing lots of lead piano and organ lines himself, in a way that recalls the dreaminess of some of his better-known scores from the 60s! The film's an ...
(Soundtracks CD)
Trojan, Late 60s/1970s. 2CDs
Stunning soul from Ken Boothe – one of the singers who really helped bring a sense of soul to Jamaican music with classic material like this! Ken's got a unique voice that's not the usual style of reggae vocalists – a really distinct sense of phrasing that's both easygoing and deep at ...
(Reggae CD)
Habibi Funk (Germany), Late 70s/Early 80s.
A stunning set of funky tracks from the Libyan scene – music that's not free in a "free jazz" sort of way, but which definitely shows a new sense of liberation in the way the group puts together their groove! The combo's headed by legendary arranger Najib Alhoush – and the ...
(Global Grooves CD)
Sugar/Chris' Soundtrack Corner (Germany), 1975. 2CD
A very groovy score for this mid 70s Italian comedy – one that stars the great Bud Spencer as "flatfoot" detective Piedone – making his way to Hong Kong to solve a crime! Yet despite the style of the film, the soundtrack is nicely different than other Italian comedic work ...
(Soundtracks CD)
Trojan, Late 60s/1970s.
Wonderful work from the great John Holt – a Jamaican singer who managed to find a real way to weave connections between reggae and the sweeter side of soul music in the 70s – often at a level that had John taking on songs from the American scene and making them sound even better with a ...
(Reggae CD)
Demon (UK), Late 60s. 4CD
The great second chapter of the UK mode scene in the 60s – and a batch of work that's even headier than the first – not really mod at all, but instead a lot more psych-styled, and taking off into the farther reaches of British styles of the time! Eddie Piller put the whole thing ...
(Rock CD)
Janus/Octave (Japan), Early 70s.
Amazing early work from Cissy Houston – arguably her deepest set ever, and put together with a wonderful balance of New York class and southern soul modes! There's no denying that Houston's vocals are great – especially given her family pedigree – but she really gets a chance to ...
(Soul CD)
Remada/Mad About Records (Portugal), 1979. (reissue)
Pedrinho Sampaio is surrounded by keyboards on this late 70s gem from Brazil – and the record definitely makes it feel that way too – as Pedrinho handles a variety of different Yamaha organs and keyboards, plus some Roland strings as well! Yet there's also a nicely rounded group feel ...
(Brazil LP)
Nadja (Japan), 1971. 3CD
An incredible performance from one of the greatest saxophonists to ever grace the Japanese scene – a player with a sense of power, tone, and phrasing that rivals avant greats like Albert Ayler, Archie Shepp, or David Murray! Yet Karou Abe is also a player all unto himself – with a ...
(Jazz CD)
Wand/Octave (Japan), 1974.
The only full album ever cut by General Crook – a great soul talent from Chicago who's best known for his earlier funky 45s! This album's great, though, and it has Crook moving past the hard funk of earlier days – into a sweet mellow soul vein that's somewhere in the territory of Leroy ...
(Soul CD)
Mr Bongo (UK), 1975.
A crowning classic from maestro Waltel Branco – a Brazilian talent who could be smooth and sophisticated, but also pretty darn funky too – especially on this famous album from this 70s! The set takes off in a large ensemble vein of Brazilian grooves from a few years before – kind ...
(Brazil CD)
Far Out (Brazil), 2023.
A tremendous debut from Tunico – a record that seems certain to begin an amazing legacy in Brazilian music – at a level that has this young musician easily rivaling some of our favorites from the past! The set's got this way of mixing earthy roots with very modern arrangements – ...
(Brazil CD)
Stokyo (Japan), 2011.
Very very cool! If you've never seen this baby before – either as the Soundwagon from the 70s, or as the Vinyl Killer from the 90s – here's the scoop: It's a cool little Hot Wheels-type van that actually drives around your record and plays music out of a self-contained speaker! It's ...
International Anthem, 2023.
An amazing piece of work from Angel Bat Dawid – music that's light years ahead from her recordings of just a few years back – and that's really saying a lot, given the strength of that material! The album features music from a large stage performance put together by Angel – ...
(Jazz CD)
Kitty/Lawson (Japan), 1978. (reissue)
A great Kitty records set from that moment when Japanese players like guitarist Masayoshi Takanaka were teaming up with American fusion players – and creating a sweet sound that helped define a generation! Records like this are so nicely different than American fusion of the time – ...
(Jazz LP)
Heavenly Sweetness (France), 2023.
A sublime blend of Caribbean roots and contemporary soul – and a set that's even more fantastic than the previous album from David Walters! Walters is one of those globe-trotting talents who manages to pick up all sorts of great inspirations along the way, then forge them into something that' ...
(Global Grooves CD)
Theresa/Pure Pleasure (UK), 1982. 2LP (reissue)
Wonderful live material from Pharoah Sanders – a key record in a time when the tenor genius was really coming back into his own in the 80s – finding a new level of soul and spiritualism after his early run of albums on Impulse Records! The group here are a well-matched array of players ...
(Jazz LP)
Warner/Soulmusic.com (UK), Late 70s/1980s/Early 90s. 3CD
A really well-done collection of work by Randy Crawford – one that not only gets at that unique place she holds in soul music, but also one that shows just how much she kept growing as the years went on! Randy's voice was maybe first exposed to folks for her famous work on The Crusaders' ...
(Soul CD)
British Progressive Jazz (UK), 1970.
An unusual British jazz group gets even more unusual – with a sound that's even more mindblowing than some of their better-known records! The combo's headed by pianist John Mayer, who cut two fantastic Indo Jazz Fusions with reedman Joe Harriott in the late 60s – working here on an ...
(Jazz CD)
Kalita (UK), 1980s/Early 90s. 2LP Gatefold
Sweet electric work from the 80s scene in Ghana – music that picks up some of the keyboard and drum machine styles that were brimming over in South African soul and pop, but uses them in ways that are nicely warmer overall! Much of the music here still has structural similarity to sounds ...
(Global Grooves LP)
Janus/Octave (Japan), 1970.
A real lost chapter in the career of the great Don Covay – material done after his original funky soul on 60s Atlantic Records, and before his return to fame in the early 70s on Mercury – done in a raw vibe that has a lot more grit than you might expect! There's touches of psychedelic ...
(Soul CD)
Columbia (Japan), 2023.
A fantastic update of a classic portable turntable – one that's been a standard on the Japanese market for many years, but which is remade here with even better features! The unit has a red plastic body, with a surprisingly durable level of construction – and it's got a nice built-in ...
RTS/Afrodelic (Italy), 1978. (reissue)
A really heady album with a nicely trippy vibe – almost as if some of the spirit of Kingston had seeped into a more psychedelic West African setting – with a really wild, unique album as the result! There's some great slow-stepping rhythms on the set, very heavy on bass – and the ...
(Global Grooves LP)
Kitty/Lawson (Japan), 1976. (reissue)
Really lovely guitar work from Masayoshi Takanaka – music that's part of that great solo change after his work in Sadistic Mika Band – as he really expanded his sound on guitar with all these cool chromatic touches that are perfect for the light fusion-based sound of the record! ...
(Jazz LP)
Bureau B (Germany), Early 70s.
A deep dive into the genius of Faust – material recorded by the groundbreaking experimental collective at their home base during the early 70s, none of issued at the time! The work here stands as a seminal addendum to the too-small catalog of the group's material from these days – and ...
(Rock CD)
Compendium Records/Roundtable (Australia), 1976. (reissue)
A fantastically frenetic electric combo from the Norwegian scene of the 70s – one who clearly draw inspiration from some of the more dynamic prog acts on the UK scene from a few years before, but who deliver the goods with a vibe that really returns the instrumental energy to jazz overall! ...
(Jazz LP)
Wild Pitch/P-Vine (Japan), 1991.
A fantastic cut from Main Source – one that steps loud and proud with a killer Lou Donaldson sample and some mighty Idris Muhammad drums! "Vamos A Rapiar" is one of the overlooked nuggets on their first album – served up here on a limited and mighty nice 7" picture disc ...
(Hip Hop 7-inch)
Polydor/Lawson (Japan), 1979. (reissue)
Warmly jazzy grooves from this late 70s Japanese combo – one who are more like a fusion group than some of the more standard city pop acts – in part because they've got two different guitarists in the lineup, each of whom get a different channel in the mix! Haruto Kawabe is on one ...
(Japanese LP)
Beat Rocket, Mid 60s.
The first-ever full length set from The Grasshoppers – a killer combo who made plenty of waves on the live music scene in the Twin Cities during the 60s, but one who only ever issued a single 45 at the time! Yet despite that lack of wax, the group have the sort of razor sharp sound that so ...
(Rock LP)
RCA/Light In The Attic, 1972.
A rare second meeting between Lee Hazlewood and Nancy Sinatra – recorded for RCA a few years after their initial outing for Reprise, and done with a style that's even moodier than the first! Given that Nancy's less of a star at this point, Lee really dominates the album – and casts ...
(Vocalists CD)
Grapefruit (UK), 1967. 3CD
Bring on the sun if it burns this strongly – as we're more than happy to get extra toasty in the light of such wonderful tracks as these! The set's a stunning look at the massive musical shift on the UK scene in the year of 1967 – a time when psych was certainly making its influence ...
(Rock CD)
678 Records (Netherlands), 1976.
This entry in the very cool PV Tapes series features the full soundtrack music for a TV series titled De Komst Van Joachim Stiller – work that opens up in ways that are even more expansive than some of the other releases in the series! The tracks are short, in a cue-type style – but ...
(Sound Library LP)
Mistlur/Be With (UK), 1979. (reissue)
A really fantastic little record, and one with a sound that's a surprising as the album is obscure – a mix of Takoma Records-styled acoustic instrumentals blended with other cuts that have a much more funky jazz approach – all wrapped together as a wonderful testament to the overlooked ...
(Jazz LP)
Heads/Afrosynth (Netherlands), 1983. (reissue)
A really great South African group from the early 80s – and one with a sound that's a lot funkier and clubbier than most of the music from their scene that was being sent out through the world music market! Instead, the vibe here is like some of the coolest club tracks of the time – ...
(Global Grooves LP)
Vedette/Dialogo (Italy), 1974.
Legendary drummer Tullio De Piscopo is all by himself on the cover, and that's how he sounds on the record – just playing solo, but with amazing grooves that hardly make you miss the other instruments at all! Tullio's got a long legacy in both jazz and club music – yet this set may be ...
(Jazz CD)
WHP (Italy), 1972.
Cannonball Adderley in a live setting was always something special – and this early 70s live performance is no exception to that rule! The set's titled after Cannon's righteous "Black Messiah" album, which gets a heady showcase on side one of the record – presented in a take ...
(Jazz LP)
Decca (UK), 1970. (reissue)
A crowning moment of genius from trumpeter Harry Beckett – a musician who's graced a heck of a lot of records over the years, but who really knocks it out of the park with this amazing early session as a leader! Harry's work on flugelhorn is worth the price of admission alone – bold, ...
(Jazz LP)
YB Music/Goma Gringa (Brazil), 2012. (reissue)
An overlooked bit of contemporary genius from Brazil – a record that has all the depth, soul, and complexity of some of our favorites from decades back – and also the same sort of instantly-grabbing sound that transcends the boundaries of nation or language! Rodrigo Campos is a hell of ...
(Brazil LP)
Kendrick Scott/Reuben Rogers/Walter Smith III
Corridors
Blue Note, 2023.
A fresh set of work from drummer Kendrick Scott – a lean trio set that features excellent interplay with the bass of Ruben Rogers and tenor of Walter Smith III – the latter of whom really gets a chance to take off in the setting! We've loved Smith on other records, but here the freedom ...
(Jazz CD)
We Want Sounds (UK), 1974.
An overlooked 70s soundtrack from the great Lalo Schifrin – in part because it was never issued on vinyl back in the day! The film is an obscure mid-70s murder mystery, but one that's given a great deal of depth and class from Schifrin's music – which is often surprisingly jazzy, ...
(Soundtracks LP)
Bureau B (Germany), Early 70s.
A deep dive into the genius of Faust – material recorded by the groundbreaking experimental collective at their home base during the early 70s, none of issued at the time! The work here stands as a seminal addendum to the too-small catalog of the group's material from these days – and ...
(Rock CD)
P-Vine (Japan), 1970s/2023.
A wonderfully genre-hopping collection – put together by Toru Hashimoto, the man behind such incredible Japanese series as the Free Soul, Cafe Apres Midi, and Suburbia compilations for many different labels! Toru really lives up to his legend here, and mixes music from different scenes and ...
(Funky Compilations CD)
Elektra/Big Pink (South Korea), 1972.
The only full album ever issued by Jubal – and a record that has a cover and a sound that should have made it a classic, especially given that Elektra Records were more than willing to take a chance on these guys! Jubal have a style that's a bit roots rock, but with some of the more ...
(Rock CD)
Maggot Brain/Third Man, 2023.
The cover feature pays tribute to the great Pharoah Sanders – one of our all-time favorite jazz musicians, and someone who gave the world so much wonderful music during his time on the planet! But that's just the tip of the iceberg – as there's all sorts of weird and wonderful features ...
(Magazine)
WHP (Italy), 1980.
Drummer Jack DeJohnette's in the lead, but a lot of the energy of the set comes from the twin reed work of Arthur Blythe and Chico Freeman – both of whom get plenty of space to open up and roam in the quartet, which only just includes additional work on bass from Peter Warren! Both tracks ...
(Jazz LP)
Westbound/Big Pink (South Korea), 1977.
A great later set from guitar genius Dennis Coffey – one that has him continuing the great run of instrumental funk albums he started a few years before – while also changing up the groove a bit more for the time! The set shows some of Coffey's influence working with clubbier acts on ...
(Soul CD)
Sono Radio/Discos Monterey (Spain), 1971. Gatefold (reissue)
An incredible album of Latin Funk – recorded in Peru during the early 70s, but right up there with the best from New York and LA at the time! The record has a fantastic style that blends together electric instrumentation, acoustic percussion, and some sweetly soulful lyrics – in ...
(Latin LP)
Blue Note, 1968. Gatefold (reissue)
A wonderful session by Andrew Hill – recorded in 1968, but issued only briefly in 1981 – and out of print for years! The session is a key one in understanding Hill's work – as it's a bridge between the arch modernism of his early Blue Note sides, and the more soul-oriented ...
(Jazz LP)
Candid, 1960. (reissue)
An excellent little album that's also one of Clark Terry's hippest! The set was recorded as part of the monumental Candid catalog in the early 60s – and it's got an edgey quality that we don't normally hear in Terry's work. At some level, he's working in a mode picked up from his time with ...
(Jazz LP)
CBS/Mad About Records (Brazil), 1971. (reissue)
A landmark album of Brazilian funk – the record that set the tone for so many others to follow – and which can easily stand head to head with the best American funk of the time as well! The group's headed by Brazilian pianist Dom Salvador – who you'll know from 60s bossa nova ...
(Brazil LP)
L+R Records/Ultra Vybe (Japan), 1979.
Fantastic work from bassist Gunter Lenz – a set with maybe a jokey title, but a heck of a lot of power underneath – one of those overlooked German jazz gems from a very special time in the scene! The players here are aware of the farther reaches of jazz, yet work together with more ...
(Jazz CD)
Black Saint/Hyperjazz (Italy), Late 70s/1980s. 2LP Gatefold
From the end of the 70s onward, the Italian Black Saint record label offered up some of the most high quality spiritual and avant jazz of the time – really taking over where American record companies had dropped the ball, and allowing a huge wave of new energy from both older musicians and a ...
(Funky Compilations LP)
Bellaphon/Ultra Vybe (Japan), 1981.
A gem of a record from a stretch when the great Art Farmer was really continuing to perfect his sound – an album of understated brilliance that really showcases that special touch that Farmer could bring to a session! Art blows flugelhorn throughout – still in that cool, compressed ...
(Jazz CD)
Why Not/Ultra Vybe (Japan), 1977.
We love the 70s work of Japanese pianist Fumio Karashima – and this album is one of our favorites from the decade! Fumio's got this way of being both bold and lyrical at the same time – long flows on the keyboard that are partly in the school of McCoy Tyner, but used to transform the ...
(Jazz CD)
Mucer/El Palmas (Spain), 1982. (reissue)
A record that has a bit of a late 60s look on the cover, but which instead comes from the Venezuelan scene at the start of the 80s – the first recorded effort from the very groovy Moncho Y Su Banda! There's a quality to the record that's almost out of time – small combo Latin work that' ...
(Latin LP)
Strata East/Pure Pleasure (UK), 1975. (reissue)
A spiritual jazz classic on the Strata East label – yet a record that's also got a very different approach than most of the rest from the time! The style here is hinted at in the group's name – as the lineup features some key spiritual jazz pianists, all working together in this ...
(Jazz LP)
Shipwrecked, 2023. 2CD
The magnificent voice of Chris Connelly serves up a sublime tribute to the work of Nico – a set that's not a reworking of just her key classics, but which also includes a huge amount of original new songs by Chris as well! Connelly put together the double length set after being inspired by ...
(Rock CD)
Frans Elsen Septet with Piet Noordijk
Norway
Nederlands Jazz Archief (Netherlands), Early 70s. 2LP Gatefold
That's a Fender Rhodes on the cover, and there's lots of it on the record too – played by Frans Elsen with a wonderful sound, in a range of different settings – all heard here on rare tracks from the 70s that were never commercially issued at the time! Frans has a fantastic sound on ...
(Jazz LP)
JMS (France), Mid 70s. (reissue)
A 70s classic from bassist Henri Texier – a musician who's been a key part of the French jazz scene for decades, and already had a very unusual approach in his early years! Texier is fantastic here on acoustic bass – but he's also already opening up in so many other ways too – ...
(Jazz LP)
AFA/Sommor (Spain), 1970. (reissue)
Not pop music at all, and instead a very groovy sound library set that features plenty of jazz and lots of percussion – all topped with fantastic work on flute from the leader, Bernard Wystraete! The set was supposedly done to echo some of the proggier records of the time, but the ...
(Sound Library LP)
Space Echo (Italy), 2023.
A really cool little record – one that takes an older Italian sound library mode and reworks it with some of the contemporary flavor of the Schema label – but all with live instrumentation that's mighty nice all the way through! Lorenzo Morressi handles bass, guitar, and plenty of ...
(Sound Library CD)
Blue Note, 1964. (reissue)
One of the greatest modern moments on Blue Note – ever! From the cover, to the compositions, to the playing on the set – the whole album crackles with an unbelievable fire that was hardly ever matched again. A young Sam Rivers leads a quartet that includes Jaki Byard on piano, Ron ...
(Jazz LP)
Menace (UK), 2022.
You might know the trumpet of Antoine Berjeaut from his work with Makaya McCraven – but here, as a leader, he's a very different force overall – working in territory that's mostly his own, and which blends his trumpet and flugelhorn solos with a nice array of electric elements! The ...
(Jazz CD)
L+R Records/Ultra Vybe (Japan), 1986/1994.
Beautifully introspective work from reedman Emil Mangelsdorff – material that's very different than the sounds he was bringing to the German jazz scene in his youth, and which showcase the mature command he developed over his instruments during the passage of time! The record features ...
(Jazz CD)
Jazz Is Dead, 2023.
The Jazz Is Dead series goes mighty deep with this gem of a record – opening the door for two legendary Tribe Records talents from the Detroit scene of the 70s – reedman Wendell Harrison and trombonist Phil Ranelin – both of whom sound superb throughout! As with other volumes in ...
(Deep Funk CD)
Soundway (UK), Mid 80s.
Sweet keyboard grooves from Nkono Teles – a Nigerian musician who first got his start in the band of Tony Allen, but who sounds very different here on his own! Nkono's image on the cover gives you plenty of insight to the sound of the record – as the cuts are heavy on keyboards played ...
(Global Grooves LP)
Duke University Press, 2023.
The music scene in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, is one that's had an undeniable impact on cultural activity in recent decades – yet it's also one of those scenes that initially happened without most folks taking place – that is, it was a real artist and musician's scene, and not the kind ...
(Book)
VP, Late 60s.
A set that might well also be titled "the birth of reggae" – as it pulls together some of the harder-edged cuts that were really starting to get the music going on the UK scene at the end of the 60s – work that had a leaner, meaner vibe than rocksteady and ska – with a ...
(Reggae CD)
Modern Harmonic, Late 50s/Early 60s.
Here's a party that we'd love to be invited to – a festive gathering of bongos and other percussion – served up in a mix of different cuts from a surprising array of sources! The music moves from Latin, to exotica, to jazzy modes – and while percussion is at the core of every cut ...
(Now Sound CD)
Deram/Big Pink (South Korea), 1969.
A really cool group from the late 60s UK scene – one that we might be temped to put in the hipper camp of the jazz rock world of the time, but who've maybe got a bit more of the latter style than the former – which makes their use of tenor and trumpet come across in a really unique way! ...
(Rock CD)
Greensleeves (UK), 1983. (reissue)
There's no stopping the double-dee jay power of Clint Eastwood and General Saint – as they pair together here on a classic album that's every bit as great as their Two Bad DJ set! The mix of voices trading back and forth is wonderful, especially over the laidback rhythms of the set – ...
(Reggae LP)
Thrill Jockey, 2023.
The sonic intensity of saxophonist Mats Gustafsson gets a perfect foil here in the electronics of Joachim Norwall – a musician who really helps Gustafsson to reach some of the most powerful sounds we've heard from his horns in years! Mats can have a way of blowing his instruments as if they'r ...
(Jazz LP)
Takehiro Honda & Mama T
Misty
Trio/Ultra Vybe (Japan), 1971.
A rare vocal session from pianist Takehiro Honda – one recorded with American singer Mama T, who sings here in English throughout! Mama's name is one that might make you think she's a blues singer – but her approach is mostly that of a 60s soul jazz vocalist – jazz at the core, ...
(Jazz CD)
Yupiteru/BBE (UK), 1979.
Late 70s genius from the Japanese jazz scene – a record that features warm piano work from the leader Masao Nakajima – a player who can burn one minute with great intensity, then deliver a laidback lyrical line the next! It's that balance that makes the album really wonderful – a ...
(Jazz CD)
Robinsongs (UK), Late 70s/Early 80s. 4CD
A huge amount of 12" singles, stuffed into one mighty nice 4CD set – maybe not the greatest of all time, but still pretty darn wonderful overall! The set does an especially great job of looking at a late 70s moment when some of the hipper soul artists were able to get the extra space of ...
(Funky Compilations CD)
Plut, Mid 70s.
A mighty deep dig into the overlooked soul scene in Virginia – put together by the same folks who gave us the fantastic Raw Soul/Ol Virginia Soul compilations a number of years back! The set focuses on the special studio productions of Lenis Guess – head of LGA Records, and a strong ...
(Soul LP)
Roulette/Big Pink (South Korea), 1967.
A really rare batch of garage psych from late 60s DC scene – served up on a record that barely got any circulation at the time! The oft-overlooked Fallen Angels were signed to Roulette in the late 60s, and the group only made a couple of albums – Roulette bailed when it became obvious ...
(Rock CD)
Jazzaggression (Finland), 2022.
Great work from a contemporary hardbop genius – Finnish drummer Aleksi Heinola, a musician who's got the same sense of leadership as the great Art Blakey! Not that Heinola's any sort of Blakey imitation – just that he's got a way of picking all the best elements for a group, putting ...
(Jazz CD)
My Only Desire (UK), 1969. 2LP Gatefold
Never-issued live work from British jazz legend Graham Collier – a performance that follows hot on the heels of his classic Down Another Road album, and which continues with a very similar vibe! That album is a modal masterpiece that stands as one of the key moments in British jazz at the ...
(Jazz LP)
Record Kicks (Italy), 2007. (reissue)
A killer full length debut from Baby Charles – one of the most soulful deep funk combos we've heard in a long time! The group have been bubbling under for a few years with a handful of singles, but this set really shows the full range of their powers – and comes off like some lost ...
(Deep Funk LP)
Deram (UK), 1971. (reissue)
A beautiful lost slice of British jazz, recorded during the crucial period before some of the scene's players went too far off the deep end! John Surman partners here with composer/leader John Warren, for a large group recording that sounds similar to some of the best early Mike Westbrook ...
(Jazz LP)
Blue Note, 2023.
The layers here come from the wonderful interplay between the guitar of Julian Lage and his trio members Jorge Roeder on bass and Dave King on drums – both musicians who lay back nicely, and find a way to resonate with those trademark chromatic notes that Lage seems to spin out effortlessly! ...
(Jazz CD)
Candid, 1960. (reissue)
Cecil Taylor's first LP for the Candid label – and a landmark album that really lets him open up for the first time in years at a recording session! The album was cut at Nola's Penthouse in 1960, and the core group is Cecil's trio with Buell Neidlinger on bass and Dennis Charles on drums ...
(Jazz LP)
Jazzman (UK), Late 40s/1950s.
A really wonderful entry in this excellent series – one that initially helped identify a really special strand in postwar music – then continue to provide rare and unique examples with new volumes like this! The music isn't really mambo or Latin at all – but the rhythms here are ...
(Funky Compilations CD)
Pacific Jazz/Blue Note, 1961. (reissue)
Remarkable Carmell Jones, indeed – and one of the few albums ever cut as a leader by this up-and-coming force on the LA scene at the start of the 60s! Jones was a player who really showcased something new on the west at the time – a move away from cool jazz, and the start of a deeper, ...
(Jazz LP)
Fania/Craft, Early 70s. Gatefold (reissue)
Killer early work by the Fania All Stars – caught live at the legendary Cheetah club, which was the heart of the New York salsa scene at the start of the 70s! The album is easily one of the best by the group – and features long tracks that really capture the jamming intensity that ...
(Latin LP)
Buda/L'Arome (France), 1972.
A special vinyl release of one of the most striking volumes of the legendary Ethiopiques series – a set that focuses on the mad saxophone work of Getachew Makurya! The recordings on this collection are all from 1972 – and they feature the deep-toned Mekurya blowing in a strange and ...
(Global Grooves LP)
Fremeaux & Associates (France), Early 60s. 2CD
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 ...
(Jazz CD)
Capitol/Big Pink (South Korea), 1971. (reissue)
A really surprising moment in the career of Bob Seger – a set that has him stepping away from the fuller rock backings of the Bob Seger System, and moving into a mode that's more singer/songwriter, and which has very light instrumentation that really seems to suit Seger's vocals! There's a ...
(Rock CD)
Pyraphon/Vampi Soul (Spain), 1969. (reissue)
A stunning set from the great Ray Perez – the Venezulan pianist and Latin bandleader who cut some killer records back in the day, but hardly ever got the global fame he deserved! As with some of Ray's other gems from the time, the music here is nicely offbeat – partly in that small ...
(Latin LP)
Posi tone, 2023.
Pianist David Ake works here at a level that maybe lives up to the slightly rural image on the cover – still jazz, but with a quality that's almost pastoral at times – as he allows the tunes to open up and build slowly, almost as sonic landscapes – but with a sense of warmth and ...
(Jazz CD)
Island/Esoteric (UK), Mid 70s. 4CD
Four important albums from Jade Warrior – all brought together here in a single set! Floating World is the first album in Jade Warrior's mid-70s run for Island Records – and a set that marks a key shift for the group – a moment when they leaned even more heavily into their ...
(Rock CD)
Soulmusic.com (UK), Late 70s/1980s. 2 CDs
A beautiful collection of work from the legendary Phyllis Hyman – a set that not only includes her groundbreaking records as a solo act, but also a big range of her famous collaborations with jazz artists who include Norman Connors, Pharoah Sanders, McCoy Tyner, and Grover Washington! Hyman ...
(Soul CD)
Buda/L'Arome/Heavenly Sweetness (France), 1975. (reissue)
Grooves unlike anything else you've ever heard in your life – an assortment of mid 70s tunes from Mahmoud Ahmed, the second grooviest Ethiopian artist, next to Mulatu! Ahmed's sound is a lot more out there than Mulatu's – less funky and jazz-based, and more in the mode of snakey ...
(Global Grooves LP)
Wand/Octave (Japan), 1964.
Beautiful material by one of our favorite soul vocalists of all-time – a hell of a singer in the 60s, but one who's never gotten her full due as the years went on – able to be heartbreaking and strong at the same time, with a quality that's still amazing all these many years later! ...
(Soul CD)
Zion High (UK), 2022.
A contemporary set, but one that's got a classic roots reggae vibe that goes right back to the 70s – right down to the classic style of featuring a dub version of a cut right after the vocals! Earl Sixteen has roots that go way back, and given the strength of his performance here, he can ...
(Reggae LP)
GNP, 1966. 2LP Gatefold (reissue)
A groundbreaking debut from The Seeds – one of those albums that seemed to come out of nowhere back in the 60s, then went onto have an undeniable influence on music for decades to come! The music is gritty and garagey right from the start – but also has a sinister focus that really ...
(Rock LP)
Sonic Image, 2022. 2LP Gatefold
A set with maybe the most striking cover image that Monday Michiru's given us in years – and a record that really delivers on that promise, too – filled with really captivating tunes that represent a new high level in Monday's already-high career! There's a depth and maturity to the ...
(Neo Soul LP)
P-Vine (Japan), 2011.
A nicely expanded version of the great Ghibli Jazz concept – delivered here in a live setting that's maybe got even more brilliance than the studio albums! There's a dynamic sense of presentation right from the start, partly the sense of the concert space in the mix, partly the energy from ...
(Japanese LP)
Rogue Art (France), 2023. 2LP Gatefold
A record that definitely lives up to the sixth decade legacy noted in the title – as it takes work of the remaining members of the Art Ensemble of Chicago, and expands it with contributions from a number of musicians – both from Chicago and the global scene as well! The feel here is a ...
(Jazz LP)
Warner/Lawson (Japan), 1982. (reissue)
Tomoko Aran sound a fair bit jazzier here at points than some of her other 80s work on the Japanese scene – but she also follows up those moments with more than enough of the catchy rockish tunes that made her such a big star at the time! Arrangements on the record are by Masamori Sasaji, ...
(Japanese LP)
Studio One/Soul Jazz (UK), Late 60s/Early 70s.
Funky nuggets from one of the greatest reggae labels of all time – a really wonderful collection that gets at some of the more hard-hitting material from Kingston powerhouse Studio One Records! Given the way that Studio One helped bridge the worlds of soul during the years of Jamaican ska ...
(Reggae CD)
Smoke Sessions, 2023.
Over the course of his many years in music, bassist Buster Williams has only cut a relatively small amount of records as a leader – yet that fact definitely seems to make each one a real delight! That's certainly the case here – as Williams works with a very cool group who really open ...
(Jazz CD)
Soul Jazz (UK), 1960s/1970s/1980s. 3LPs
A deep look at the electronic music underground in the 60s, 70s, and 80s – not the academic theoreticians who were slaving away in university laboratories, but the more independent, freewheeling talents who were using the initial analogue moment to open up their own boundaries in time and ...
(Out Sound LP)
Symphonical (UK), Late 60s/Early 70s.
There's not much of a cover on the front, but the set's overflowing with warmth and depth you might not expect – a treasure trove of sweet soul rarities from the glory days of the genre! All the cuts here are mellow, laidback, and full of fantastic harmonies – the kind of kicked-back ...
(Soul LP)
Shanu Olu/Luaka Bop, 1980. (reissue)
The music of Alhaji Waziri Oshomah just seems to get better as each new record moves on – stepping forth with a sense of cohesion and musical vision that's really wonderful! This excellent set features four long tracks that each have similar building blocks of percussion, guitar, organ, and ...
(Global Grooves LP)
Herald/P-Vine (Japan), 1954. (reissue)
Lightnin Hopkins at his best – a set that rings out with all his bold electric tones on the guitar, yet which also has the moody, stripped-down feel of a blues recording from a few decades before! The electricity really does a lot to deepen the tone – both in the echo from Hopkins' ...
(Blues LP)
7T's (UK), Early 70s. 4CD
A cool little package that goes way beyond the obvious glam rock numbers you might know from the 70s – and which instead shows just how much that musical moment penetrated the UK scene in the early part of the decade – served up here on a huge variety of tracks that we might not have ...
(Rock CD)
Jazzaggression (Finland), 2018.
Saxophonist Gisle Roen Johansen's been working on the Norwegian scene since the mid 90s, but this is his first set as a leader – a really well-crafted, large-format record that shows that he was clearly brewing up plenty of new ideas before stepping into the studio at the head of his own ...
(Jazz LP)
Atlantic/Wounded Bird, 1977.
A great little set – way more than you might think from the cover! Ostensibly, this one's a cash-in album for the mid 70s Star Wars soundtrack craze – but since it's handled by trumpet genius Don Ellis, it's got a surprisingly funky feel – with many tracks that recall his own ...
(Jazz CD)
Cuneiform, 2022.
A really great setting for the guitar of Mary Halvorson – one that reminds us what a versatile player she's become over the years – an artist whose way of inflecting strings and reaching for new colors really continues to amaze us with each new album! There's a very rhythmic pulse to ...
(Jazz CD)
Heavenly Sweetness (France), 2022.
The first-ever album of solo bass work from Kham Meslien – a player whose contributions have graced a number of different groups in recent years, but who maybe sounds even more powerful here on his own! There's a warmth to the music that makes the solo bass performance very different than ...
(Jazz CD)
Jamal/P-Vine (Japan), 1970. Gatefold (reissue)
A sweetly funky little set from Sonny Stitt – one of his hippest albums ever, and a rare date cut for Ahmad Jamal's short-lived record label! The sound here is a great combination of the late 60s tone that Sonny forged on other east coast indies – and some of the hipper, more open ...
(Jazz LP)
Musica Per Immagini (Italy), 1974.
A great little record, and one that presents maestro Piero Picconi in all his glory – a set that's got some of the spare groovy themes he did so well in the 60s, mixed with funkier moments that are at the level of the best of the crime/cop generation, plus a few dramatic moments thrown into ...
(Soundtracks LP)
Ancient Archive Of Sound (UK), 2023.
The title's a great hint at the energy going on here – as reedman Nat Birchall soars out into infinite space on a set of spiritual explorations that are completely sublime! The record's got a very personal, soulful sort of vibe – maybe in part because Nat handles all the instruments ...
(Jazz LP)
Gondwana (UK), 2023.
A beautiful debut from Estonian pianist Hanakiv – a set that draws equally strongly on her compositional sense of sound as it does from her actual performance – as Hanakiv plays piano here amidst all sorts of really beautiful shapes and tones! Alabaster DePlume is a guest on the record ...
(Jazz CD)
Legere (UK), 2023.
Not just a live album from the great soul singer Myles Sanko, but one that showcases his talents with a full orchestral setting – as you might guess from the image on the cover! The setting unlocks this new sort of majesty in Myles' music – this soaring sensibility that's a real reward ...
(Neo Soul CD)
Z Records (UK), 2023. 3LP
You might know Dave Lee under his other name of Joey Negro, which has long been associated with some of the best clubby cuts on both sides of the Atlantic – but whatever the case, whoever the name, the man himself has always given us nothing but top-shelf work – a tradition that's ...
(New Grooves LP)
Wenha/P-Vine (Japan), 1981. (reissue)
A really fantastic soul record from the post-Motown underground in Detroit – and one that also has ties to the Tribe Records scene of the 70s! William Odell Hughes is a great soul singer, with an ability to stretch out on a long, sensual line – a quality that's a bit in the territory ...
(Soul LP)
Wild Pitch/P-Vine (Japan), 1991. 2LP (reissue)
A record that no hip hop home should be without – the one and only album from Main Source, but a set that's more than strong enough to stand next to the best from contemporaries like De La Soul, Tribe Called Quest, and Black Sheep! Like all three of those groups, these guys have a way of ...
(Hip Hop LP)
High Jazz (Switzerland), Mid 70s. 2LP (reissue)
The long-overdue full length legacy of Sass – an ultra-hip funk combo from the Bay Area scene of the 70s, but one who only ever issued one single at the time! Sass have a fantastic blend of funky instrumentation, soulful currents, and touches of jazz – very much like the best of their ...
(Soul LP)
Warner/Lawson (Japan), 1986. (reissue)
There's a cinematic look to the cover of this set by singer Tomoko Aran – and there's almost a cinematic presentation to the music too – but all in the best sort of 80s style you might hope for at the time! The work was put together by arranger Hideo Saito and Toru Shigemi – and ...
(Japanese LP)
Del-Fi/Everland (Austria), Early 60s. 2CD
An incredibly evocative record – one of the strangest of its kind, and an audio treasure that we've loved for years! Eden Ahbez first came into public prominence as the man who wrote "Nature Boy" for Nat King Cole – a dark, moody tune that was as mysterious and earthy as the ...
(Now Sound CD)
Strut (UK), Late 60s/1970s. 2LP
John Sinclair's got his name on the cover, but the real genius on the record comes from the artists within – a mix of talents from the Detroit underground of the 60s and 70s, and some important visitors too – all stepping out here in a set of live recordings that are issued for the ...
(Funky Compilations LP)
Herald/P-Vine (Japan), 1954. (reissue)
A rare follow-up to the famous album that Lightnin Hopkins recorded for the Herald label in the mid 50s – all the other tracks he cut for the company at the time, brought together as a record for the first time ever! The sound is wonderfully raw – that wickedly spare style that always ...
(Blues LP)
P-Vine (Japan), 2014.
All That Jazz expand their sound here, as you might guess from the winds and wood hinted in the title – using saxes and a bit of strings in a great way over their surprisingly dynamic grooves – almost at a level that seeks to link the club jazz modes of the Tokyo scene with some of the ...
(Japanese LP)
Birthright/P-Vine (Japan), 1981. (reissue)
Stunning sounds from Michael Orr – a singer you might know from his secular work in the duo of Harris & Orr – and who still sounds incredible here in a more spiritual-styled set from the start of the 80s! As with Michael's earlier music, there's a cool, cosmic vibe going on in the ...
(Soul LP)
Bear Family (Germany), Late 50s/Early 60s.
Few things go together as well as outer space and rock and roll – and while the world of postwar sci fi likely got the whole thing going, there was a special spike in the genre once the Soviets launched their Sputnik satellite in the late 50s! As you'll guess from the title, many of the cuts ...
(Rock CD)
Ndeya, 1989. 2LP Gatefold
Breathtakingly organic sounds from Jon Hassell – performing here live, and at a level that's a nice evolution from his studio modes in the earlier part of the 80s – with all sorts of long-blown lines, and nicely complex elements in the sound! Hassell handles both his famous electrified ...
(Rock LP)
Art Union/BBE (UK), 1986.
A set that's a bit later than some of the famous 70s work by Japanese bassist Isao Suzuki – yet a record that's maybe even powerful than most of those albums too! As before, Suzuki continues to use his instrument in really unconventional ways – not just in the way he phrases things, ...
(Jazz CD)
Vistone/P-Vine (Japan), 1974. (reissue)
A wonderful mix of soul jazz, funky rhythms, and even more experimental moments – a truly tremendous effort from LA drummer Roy Porter, and the first set issued under the name of his Sound Machine group! The groove here is really unconventional – filled with unusual timings, phrasings, ...
(Jazz LP)
Innovative Leisure, 2023.
Nicely gritty work from London's Rarelyalways – an artist who's certainly got a touch of grime in his music, but one who also manages to come across with a more widely soulful style as well! Rhythms are nicely sharp around the edges, and have a bassy bottom that we really love – ...
(Hip Hop CD)
Jazzorchestra Concertgebouw (Netherlands), 2023.
Exactly the kind of record that showcases the great Urs Liemgruber at his best – open-ended improvisations that feature the leader on soprano sax, getting all sorts of amazing sounds and textures out of his horn – at that level that's always made Urs such a key musician in the world of ...
(Jazz CD)
Warner/Soulmusic.com (UK), Mid 70s. 6CD
An incredible run of music from Dionne Warwick – and a set of work that's very different than the Burt Bacharach material from the 60s, which his how most people know Dionne! These tracks are nicely different, and mark Warwick as a hell of a soul singer in the best 70s tradition – ...
(Soul CD)
Matador, 2023.
Rare slices of work from Mdou Moctar – material collected from tapes recorded between 2017 and 2020, often featuring the group in a range of different settings in their native Niger! The work throughout is filled with the sublime guitar of Mahamadou Souleymane – but the shift in ...
(Global Grooves LP)
Montparnasse 2000/Underdog (France), 1975. (reissue)
One of the funkiest records ever cut by studio jazz genius Janko Nilovic! This set definitely earns the "soul" in the title – as Janko blends his usual mad mix of studio sounds with some heavier 70s elements – including a fair bit of fuzzy guitar, funky beats, and some nice ...
(Sound Library LP)
Edsel (UK), Early 80s. 5CD set
A great tribute to one of the most famous clubs on the UK scene of the mid 80s – a spot that was crucial to the shift from post-punk modes to new goth spirits – and which was a vital outlet for new strands of darker music that were stepping forth at the time! Later goth cliches might ...
(Rock CD)
Vistone/P-Vine (Japan), 1975. (reissue)
A crazy bit of funk from drummer Roy Porter – a player who first rose to fame during the LA bop years of the late 40s, but who sounds even hipper here in the 70s! The album's got a madly skittish approach to funk – one that's highly rhythmic, but often in unconventional ways – ...
(Jazz LP)
East World/Lawson (Japan), 1983. (reissue)
Keyboardist Soichi Noriki is at the top of his game here – combining warmer fusion modes from a few years before with some of the city pop styles on the Japanese scene of the early 80s – an approach that's topped with vocals from Yurie Kokubu on a few of the album's key cuts! Most of ...
(Jazz LP)
Atlantic/Rhino, 1968. (reissue)
One of Aretha Franklin's undisputed classics from her late 60s run on Atlantic Records – a seminal session that furthered her deep soul agenda with key backings from Arif Mardin and Tom Dowd – both of whom handle the mix of rawness and polish that made Aretha so great at the time! The ...
(Soul LP)
Tuff Gong, 2023.
Vic Spencer works here alongside some fantastic production from August Fanon – richly layered and complex, and filled with all sorts of amazing sonic touches that really sound amazing! Fanon's approach is perfect for the dense rhymes from Vic – and both are repping that new ...
(Hip Hop LP)
Chris' Soundtrack Corner (Italy), 1973.
Sweet 70s work from the great Stelvio Cipriani – a soundtrack genius who may well have given the world some of the sweetest music of the decade! Cipriani's got a balance of lightness and dark here that's wonderful – plenty of the sorts of keyboard lines that always give his records a ...
(Soundtracks CD)
Luaka Bop, 2023.
A really fantastic record, and one that features new work from this legendary gospel group – working here with some original members, and some of the younger Brown family joining in on vocals – all recorded in this great intimate style that's almost more rootsy than their original work! ...
(Gospel LP)
University Of Texas Press, 2016/2022.
A great book that looks not just at the music of Sun Ra, but also the theory behind it – the special take on reality, and interstellar philosophy that made Ra as important a thinker as he was a musician! The music is approached from a theoretical framework that's extremely illuminating ...
(Book)
Libreville (UK), 1982. (reissue)
A completely beautiful record from a very local source – a small high school jazz group in York, PA – but one who come across here with some of the deeper elements of the spiritual scene in Philly at the time! The group's led by flute player Leslie Burrs, who solos on the record – ...
(Jazz LP)
Edsel (UK), 1980s/1990s/2000s. 17CD
British soul group Imagination cracked the charts over here in the early 80s – but the group kept on going for a much longer run overseas – with a number of great trio albums well into the 90s, and a continued legacy of solo work from singer Leee John! All that material is collected ...
(Soul CD)
Invisible City Editions, 1993. (reissue)
An obscure soul set from the London scene of the 90s – and a record that's done with a nicely lean, homegrown style all the way through! Accura uses plenty of keyboards, samples, and beats to craft most of these tunes – almost in a mode that's more 80s indie soul overall, yet which ...
(Soul LP)
University Of Texas Press, 2023.
A really well-done document of a pretty amazing time in the Chicago music scene – a huge early 90s burst of creative activity – one that gave the world a handful of famous groups, and a much bigger number of even better acts who really made the city great! Writer Bruce Adams issued ...
(Book)
HBS/ABC/Elemental (Spain), 1975. Gatefold (reissue)
Slightly later than some of Isaac Hayes' biggest Stax albums – but a great little record that's filled with some excellent smooth soul material! The record shows Hayes really trying to push his style to new levels, and it's got a sophistication that you don't hear on earlier albums – a ...
(Soul LP)
Morgan Blue Town (UK), 1969.
Incredibly fluid work from the Gordon Beck trio of the late 60s – and powerhouse ensemble that featured Tony Oxley on drums and Jeff Clyne on bass. The tunes are all originals by Beck, and played in a style that has lots of the free and introspective styles that were percolating in the ...
(Jazz CD)
Hat Art (Switzerland), 1966.
A really wonderful addition to the too-small body of work left behind by the great Albert Ayler – a set that brings together some really obscure performances done during a visit to Europe in 1966! We're not sure these have ever appeared elsewhere – at least that we can find in digging ...
(Jazz CD)
Four Flies (Italy), 1983. (pic cover)
Two instrumental cuts from this enigmatic Italian artist – a sometime singer, but also a heck of a sweet talent in the studio! "Pelle Di Luna" is a catchy groove with an early 80s sound library feel – tight bassline building things up with percussion alongside, then setting ...
(Funky 45's 7-inch)
De-Lite/Elemental (Spain), 1971. Gatefold (reissue)
One of the greatest Kool & The Gang albums ever – a monster live session that almost blows away their studio classics! The groove here is far more freewheeling and complex than some of their singles from the 70s – longer, tripped-out tunes with a definite undercurrent of jazz ...
(Soul LP)
King/We Are Busy Bodies (UK), 1962. (reissue)
The music of Horace Silver is magically presented here by drummer Hideo Shiraki – grooving nicely in the same exotic approach to soul jazz you'd find on Silver's best Blue Note sides of the late 50s! Shiraki's always had a bit of a Jazz Messengers approach in his music – at least at ...
(Jazz LP)
Out Here (Germany), 2023.
A great return to form for this legendary Somalian group – a combo who made some important records in the 80s, but were part of the huge diaspora on their scene as the troubles of the following decade forced a long pause in cultural activity! Here, the group are reborn with new youthful ...
(Global Grooves CD)
Westbound/Ace (UK), 1971. LP & 12 inch single Gatefold (reissue)
Amazing stuff – and arguably the greatest early Funkadelic album ever! The set moves past the simple fuzzy style of the group's debut, and the overly-stoned sound of Free Your Mind – and rockets into a heady funk style that's filled with sly social commentary and an incredibly dark ...
(Soul LP)
EFAE/Moved By Sound (UK), 1982. (reissue)
A brilliant moment as a leader from saxophonist Maurice Malik King – a member of the St Louis underground in the 70s, but one who never saw the same sort of fame as contemporaries who left the city for New York and beyond – yet who continued to create some incredible music far away from ...
(Jazz LP)
Cenacolo/Bonfire (Italy), 1978. (reissue)
Images of flute, and some mighty cool keyboards too – a sweet sound library set that mixes the reed work of Joel Vandroogenbroeck with electric touches that create a killer sound that's not unlike some of the 70s soundtrack material by Sven Libaek! Joel's lead lines have the expressive feel ...
(Sound Library LP)
Impulse, 1970. Gatefold (reissue)
Our favorite-ever album by Alice Coltrane – a masterpiece of spirit and soul, recorded in a wonderfully open-handed style – and with a vibe that's maybe a bit different than some of her other records, especially the ones with larger groups! The album's mostly a spare batch of tracks ...
(Jazz LP)
Atlantic/Real Gone, 1977. (reissue)
Important 70s work from Don Cherry – one of the first albums to bring his overseas experiments to a larger US audience! The set builds nicely off of styles that Don forged earlier in France and Scandinavia – a freer style of music than his work with Ornette Coleman, and a richly ...
(Jazz LP)
Blue Note, 1970. (reissue)
A funky nugget from the second Blue Note chapter of guitarist Grant Green – that wonderful point when he shifted into more funk-based styles from his hardbop work at the start – and found a way to unlock a whole new side of his talents! The approach here is similar to some of the funky ...
(Jazz LP)
Cavendish/King International (UK), Early 70s. (pic cover)
Two sound library gems from jazzy Dennis Farnon – both of them great! "Snowmobile" builds up in a really great way – these cool reeds at the start over an electric bassline, before the drums come in and punch things up – and some sweet electric piano really sends things ...
(Funky 45's 7-inch)
Rogue Art (France), 2023. 2CDs
A record that definitely lives up to the sixth decade legacy noted in the title – as it takes work of the remaining members of the Art Ensemble of Chicago, and expands it with contributions from a number of musicians – both from Chicago and the global scene as well! The feel here is a ...
(Jazz CD)
Cherry Red (UK), 1982. 3CD
Dig 80s electro pop? You'll find plenty to love here – as the set's a killer collection of tracks from a time when the UK scene was really exploding with new ideas and fresh music! The "radio" in the title is a reference to the fact that once-underground electronic acts were ...
(Rock CD)
A&M/Elemental (Spain), 1970. Gatefold (reissue)
A real step forward for Quincy Jones – a record that really shows the jazzman moving into sophisticated new territory – a sound that's just right for the CTI generation! The album's got a vibe that's a bit similar to Quincy's Walking In Space album, but it's a lot deeper too – ...
(Jazz LP)
Hot Casa (France), 2022.
New work from Togolese music legend Roger Damawuzan – but a set that feels as fierce and funky as if it were recorded in the 70s! The group is super-tight throughout – more inspired by the James Brown Band of the late 60s than other West African groups – and tracks are short, ...
(Global Grooves CD)
Tramp (Germany), 1970s.
A completely obscure batch of tunes – so much so that only two of the cuts here have been reissued – and a set that's every bit as wonderful as previous entries in this long-running series! Overall, there's probably a bit more soul than jazz – but every track within is on the ...
(Funky Compilations CD)
ESP/Don Giovanni, 1967. 2LP Gatefold (reissue)
Some of the most tripped-out music ever from The Holy Modal Rounders – and that's saying a lot, given the nature of the group! This unique early album on ESP features two side-long tracks – both of which are mini-suites of sort, and filled with odd sounds, weird themes, and a strange ...
(Rock LP)
Beat (Italy), 1970.
One of the greatest soundtracks ever from the legendary Ennio Morricone – a real standard-setting record that's one of the top choices we go to again and again to illustrate the genius of his music! The score is a fantastic mix of the two best sides of Morricone's work – the kind of ...
(Soundtracks CD)
Shelter/Elemental (Spain), 1971. (reissue)
A pivotal album in the career of the great Freddie King – his first in a set of records done for the Shelter label in the early 70s – and the kind of material that catapulted King from the underground to superstardom! The label was a project of Leon Russell, who produced the set with ...
(Blues LP)
Stax/Atlantic, 1962.
A legendary album of Memphis soul – and a full length set that helped redefine the sound of instrumental music in the 60s! The record's a monumental follow-up to Booker T & The MGs' huge hit single "Green Onions" – an extremely seductive organ-based instrumental that the ...
(Soul CD)
CBS/Guerssen (Spain), 1972.
A near-lost musical treasure from the cultural crossroads of the Bay Area scene in the early 70s – work by a Filipino American group who were big on the scene – and who have a mix of rock, jazz, and Latin elements that's not unlike some of their bigger San Francisco contemporaries! The ...
(Global Grooves CD)
Stax, 1972. 2LP Gatefold (reissue)
A landmark double-live album that was easily one of the most important soul record moments of the 70s! The concert was an all-star event held in LA to celebrate the anniversary of the Watts riots – but it features a killer lineup of talent from the roster of Stax Records – by then a ...
(Soul LP)
Albarika Store/Acid Jazz (UK), 1978. (reissue)
The Ogassa story is a short one, given that the group only issued a handful of recordings – one of which is this really unique Nigerian album! Ogassa have a style that's much more deeply soulful than some of their contemporaries – as equally committed to sad-tinged lyrics as they are ...
(Global Grooves LP)
Tamla/Elemental (Spain), Mid 60s. (reissue)
A cool UK album – a different version of the Sing Holland Dozier Holland record! One of the best-ever albums by the Supremes – and filled with stone classics, to boot! As the title states, Diana Ross, Mary Wilson and Florence Ballard team up with Holland Dozier Holland – and ...
(Soul LP)
Stones Throw, 2021. Gatefold
A wonderfully laidback record from Mndsgn, and a set that has him stepping out as a much more fully-formed artist overall – a contemporary soul talent more than just a beatmaker – working here on these tunes that have an easygoing groove, and lots of warm cosmic touches around the edges! ...
(Hip Hop LP)
Stax/Craft, 1972. 10LP set
A stunning presentation of the legendary Wattstax concert – that huge moment of pride and power when the folks at Stax Records filled up the Los Angeles Coliseum with one of the most memorable shows of the 70s! The meeting of talents here is the stuff of legend – and this great package ...
(Soul LP)
Muzak/Ultra Vybe (Japan), 1989.
Grady Tate made a wonderful comeback at the end of the 80s – finally getting a chance again to show off that magnificent vocal style that he brought to some key Skye Records releases years before – emerging here with a maturity that's wonderful, and which seems to transform each song in ...
(Vocalists CD)
Digitmovies (Italy), 1972.
A really unusual soundtrack from the great Manuel De Sica – scored for an early 70s gangster film, and done in a mix of modes that links together some of the more familiar De Sica styles and some of the groovier elements of the time! At the core, the composer is able to reach back with that ...
(Soundtracks CD)
Soul Clock/Soulgramma (Italy), 1973. (reissue)
The Whispers are probably best known for their later work in the 70s – when the group picked up the pace and got a bit more clubby – but this set features them in their early days, when they were a sweet sounding harmony combo with a sound that was right up there with the best east ...
(Soul LP)
Verve/Elemental (Spain), 1967. (reissue)
The second fantastic album from Tim Hardin – a singer/songwriter classic that's gone on to have a tremendous amount of pull and power over the years – and for good reason too! With songs like these, Hardin set the stage for so many other singers to come – bringing in a lot of his ...
(Rock LP)
Disques Du Crepuscule/Numero, 1986. 2LP Gatefold
Beautifully sweet and jazzy from the lovely Isabelle Antena – recording here under her own name, but still very much in the mode of the French trio from which she emerged! The record actually came about during the later years of Antena – at a time when the group was still recording ...
(Rock LP)
Motown/Elemental (Spain), 1971. (reissue)
A stunner of a solo album from Diana Ross – one that has her working beautifully with the team of Nick Ashford & Valerie Simpson – really taking off here into some wonderful new territory! The Ashford & Simpson sound is very much in place here – a soaring, joyous approach ...
(Soul LP)
Eastwood Music Group, 2022.
The spacey image on the cover gives part of the picture of the wound of Wasafiri here – cosmic fusion with a really soaring vibe at most moments – but there's also some warmer, more intimate moments too – times when the more full-on rhythms kick back slightly, and let the group's ...
(Jazz CD)
Strut (UK), 2002.
A really wonderful collaboration – one that features famous South African singer Vusi Mahlasela working with the Jive Connection combo – a funky Swedish group who backed Mahlasela on many live dates over the years, and who really help his music come across with a lean, classic sort of ...
(Global Grooves CD)
Cinevox/Beat (Italy), 1979.
One of the heaviest soundtracks scored by Goblin during the 70s – with lots of funky club influences, and a funky disco sound on a number of tracks that feature vocals by the great European club diva Asha Puthli. Puthli sings on the tracks "The Whip" and "The Sound Of ...
(Soundtracks CD)
BBE (UK), Early 70s. 2LP Gatefold
Incredible rare jazz from the Japanese scene of the 70s – all hand-picked by DJ Muro, one of the coolest talents on the contemporary scene in Tokyo! The set's a bit of a shift from other collections of this nature – as it focuses a bit more on tracks that are funky than those that are ...
(Funky Compilations LP)
Digitmovies (Italy), 1974.
A crime thriller, but one with a beautiful score from Bruno Nicolai – slinky and 70s at times, and with some really gentle tension at others! This is definitely one of the works that has Nicolai stepping nicely away from Morricone – using some warmer elements in some of his best themes ...
(Soundtracks CD)
Mainstream/Big Pink (South Korea), 1968.
One of the stunning late 60 psych rock classics on Mainstream Records – and, like the rest, a set that's a real standout at the time – and one of the few musical statements by a group who never got picked up and pushed more heavily by another label! Yet that quality is what makes the ...
(Rock CD)
Blue Note, 1973.
A never-heard live set from the mighty Donald Byrd – recording here with live accompaniment from the Mizell Brothers – at a level that's every bit as wonderful as their work with the trumpeter in the studio! The material was originally recorded during a same series of albums that Blue ...
(Jazz CD)
Numero, Early 90s.
Lost work from the Bay Area scene of the early 90s – tracks from two different releases by sweet soul singer Peter Barclay – an artist who departed the planet by the end of the decade, but left behind two non-vinyl albums to be discovered all these many years later! As you might guess ...
(Soul LP)
Blue Note, 1960. (reissue)
A crackling date from Jackie McLean – a set that's got a more expansive feel than some of his earlier Blue Note work – filled with fire, far from the 50s – and really pointing the way towards his new directions to come! There's a hint of modernism in the mix, mostly on the tone ...
(Jazz LP)
Blue Note, 1960. (reissue)
A killer set by one of the greatest pianists of the postwar era – and one that features Horace Parlan's piano trading lines with the legendary Turrentine brothers (both Stanley & Tommy), playing here at the height of their powers! Tommy Turrentine's trumpet is especially great here ...
(Jazz LP)
Stax/Craft, 1972.
A special 50th Anniversary set of the legendary Wattstax Concert in 1972 – a magical music moment that had the Memphis soul powerhouse Stax Records filling the Los Angeles Coliseum with some of its best artists – all to celebrate the pride and power of the community in Watts! This set ...
(Soul CD)
Black Truffle (Austria), 2001.
A completely mesmerizing performance from these three avant giants – all working in longform territory that owes a lot to Tony Conrad's sense of sound – but at a level that really draws plenty from the contributions of all three players! Jim O'Rourke handles harmonium, cranking the ...
(Out Sound LP)
Nenad Jelic & Laza Ristovski
Opera
RTB/Soundway (UK), 1985. (reissue)
A really unique project from the Serbian underground of the 80s – a record that mixes together global elements, electronics, and some other live instrumentation – all in a way that's as tuneful as it is experimental, and which has a nice sort of post-punk sense of freedom throughout! ...
(Rock LP)
Dreamland (Austria), 2009.
An early gem from saxophonist Muriel Grossmann – already at the sort of apex that would make her one of the key spiritual jazz players in the decade to come – creating the sort of music that's made her one of our favorite contemporary jazz musicians here at Dusty Groove! The vibe here ...
(Jazz CD)
Michael Hudson-Casanova
Animus
Passerine, 2023.
Michael Hudson Casanova is a saxophonist, but the sound of the record draws equally strongly from the contributions of Erik Skov's guitar – a player whose sense of color is balanced wonderfully by the sharper edges of the saxophone – then given some nice structure through the work on ...
(Jazz CD)
Blue Note, 2023.
London's Total Refreshment Centre has been one of the world's hippest musical venues in recent years – a fantastic showcase for all the sorts of groundbreaking, genre-busting work that's been happening in the city – as well as host to some equally free-thinking artists from around the ...
(Jazz CD)
Hardy's Jet Band/Klaus Wuestoff/Jan Troysen/Gary Pacific
Blue Butterfly
Selected Sound/Be With (UK), 1971. (reissue)
An early gem on the German Selected Sound library series – one that features work by a number of different artists, and is all the groovier because of that! Hardy's Jet Band dominate the first part of the album – and turn in these killer cuts that mix together fuzzy guitar and funky ...
(Sound Library LP)
Honey Pie, Early 60s. (reissue)
Very early work from Brazilian guitar genius Baden Powell – a set that's different than some of his later, more stripped-down recordings – and which presents the young Baden in a way that links his bossa guitar lines to modern jazz of the time! The set's got some larger backings from ...
(Brazil LP)
Inner City/Ultra Vybe (Japan), 1974.
A brilliant session from trumpeter Charles Sullivan – a player who's only recorded a handful of dates as a leader, all of them great! This album's got a unique history, in that it was issued both by the Inner City and Strata East labels in the 70s – and overall, it's got a vibe that's ...
(Jazz CD)
Rush/Tommy Boy, 1992. 2LP (reissue)
Early 90s greatness from Brand Nubian – and proof that the group had a lot of life in them, even after Grand Puba set out on his solo career! Sadat X and Lord Jamar acquit themselves nicely on the mic, and the beats are head-noddingly satisfying too – work from DJ Sincere this time ...
(Hip Hop LP)
Impulse, 1969. Gatefold
Quite possibly the best-remembered album from Pharoah Sanders' legendary run at Impulse Records – a set that crossed over big, and sold to countless folks who might not have bought a jazz album this hip otherwise! The record was Sanders' first in the wake of Coltrane's passing – and it' ...
(Jazz LP)
Edsel (UK), 1980s. 4CD
A set that definitely lives up to the intrigue promised in the title – an alternative look at British music in the 80s, served up with some more experimental, unusual tracks that go way past the pop hits of the time! There's still some names here you might know, but there's also work from ...
(Rock CD)
Top Tape/Mr Bongo (UK), 1974.
A heavy-hitting album of keyboard funk that's right up there with the best Deodato work for CTI! Brazilian arranger Daniel Salinas was clearly influenced by the success that his fellow countryman Deodato was having in the US during the early 70s – and he's working here in a style that would ...
(Brazil CD)
Tele Music/BMG (France), 1970s/Early 80s. 2LP
Great grooves galore – a sweet selection of tracks from the late 60s onwards, none of which were made available to the public at the time! The French Tele Music company was one of those secret sound library labels – recording top shelf tracks during the 70s, but then only passing them ...
(Sound Library LP)
P-Vine (Japan), 1974.
A rare session from indie soul legend Penny Goodwin – a previously unissued live performance from 1974, featuring small combo backing in a sweet and jazzy mode! Penny's got a voice that's instantly recognizable – a bit raspy, in the mode of Esther Phillips – but cooler and more ...
(Soul LP)
Bear Family (Germany), 1950s/Early 60s.
Celebrate your birthday with this cool little collection – a batch of party-hearty numbers hand-picked by the folks at Bear Family records – a label we've come to really trust for postwar sounds in just about any style! And just about any style is the way they approach this set too ...
(Rock CD)
Loma/Kent (UK), Mid 60s.
Mid 60s magic from a record label that only lasted a few short years – yet one that's gone on to have as much prominence for real soul collectors as the music of Atlantic and Motown! Loma Records was a small offshoot of Warner Brothers on the west coast – yet one that worked far from ...
(Soul CD)
Dynamic Sounds/Soul Jazz (UK), 1975.
One of the hippest sets ever issued during the roots reggae wave of the 70s – and one of the most spiritual, too! The album's got a very special acoustic vibe at the core – earthy drumming that goes back to a pan-African tradition, these beautiful acoustic basslines that link the music ...
(Reggae CD)
Luaka Bop, 1979. (reissue)
A record with songs titles that maybe read more like the credits of officers of a business – but one with a sound that's wonderfully personal, and which really marks a strong step forward since the first album from Alhaji Waziri Oshomah! The set begins with "Alaji Yesufu Sado Managing ...
(Global Grooves LP)
Columbia/Lawson (Japan), 1969. Gatefold (reissue)
The drums are definitely exciting here – really tight rhythms that drive most of these cuts into a funky frenzy – even if the groove is more based on American soul of the late 60s than the African rock promised in the title! Most of the tunes are covers, but remade here as really hip ...
(Jazz LP)
Delicious Vinyl/Bicycle Music, 1992. 2LP (reissue)
The early 90s classic by The Pharcyde – the group's high water mark – and one of the greatest hip hop albums of the era! Along with Del and the Souls Of Mischief, Pharcyde were one of the few West Coast units to achieve any kind of widespread popularity using the uniquely loopy, ...
(Hip Hop LP)
ORG, 2023. 2CD
A wealth of recordings from Boogarins – a Brazilian group, but one who've worked in a fair bit of different spots on the global scene – including Austin, Texas, which is where this music was recorded! The sounds within might be thought of as stray experiments clustered around the ...
(Brazil CD)
Urban Discos (Japan), 2023.
The group's just a trio, but they've got a wonderfully full sound – a rich funky groove that comes from just drums, bass, and keyboards – yet which has this soaring reach that almost takes us back to the 70s genius of work on labels like Fantasy or Prestige! Drummer Toshiyuki Sasaki is ...
(Deep Funk CD)
Tardam/Acid Jazz (UK), 2023.
The cover is retro, and the sound within are too – a sweet set of tracks from the Dutch and Italian scenes, all served up in a mix of mod, funk, and soundtrack-styled modes! The groove is every bit as playful and festive as you might expect from the image on the front – almost an ...
(Deep Funk LP)
Epic/Expansion (UK), Late 70s/Early 80s. 2LP
The hands of Webster Lewis are on a classic Fender Rhodes on the cover – and you'll hear plenty of that instrument on this collection, along with all the other many keyboards that Lewis can handle so well! Webster started out as a straighter jazzman in his early years, but by the time of ...
(Soul LP)
Polydor (Japan), 1978.
A different groove than usual from The JBs – but still pretty darn nice, and way better than just about all the other funky combos on the market! It's the late 70s, and James Brown's head is a bit addled – he thinks he's the guy who invented disco, and he starts turning his extended ...
(Soul CD)
Not Two (Poland), 2020. 6CD
A set of recordings that must have left every single member in the group completely exhausted – as the 6CD package brings together material recorded over three great nights in early 2020 – all of which feature Barry Guy at the head of a unique version of his London Jazz Composers ...
(Jazz CD)
Impulse (Germany), 1975. (reissue)
A strangely wonderful album from Marion Brown – quite different from his other work on Impulse, with a mellow electric edge that gives it a warm and laidback feel! The approach here is much more soulful than before – with finely crafted tunes that weave Brown's work on alto with ...
(Jazz LP)
Trojan/Doctor Bird (UK), Mid 70s. 2CD
The mighty second chapter of the great Lloyd Charmers – a set that features his rare Moody & Blue album for Trojan, plus rare singles too – including 26 tracks that appear here on CD for the first time ever! The whole thing is wonderful – with Charmers continuing that great ...
(Reggae CD)
WHP (Italy), 1969. 2LP
A fantastic live performance – one that not only lives up to the legacy of Don Cherry mixing together global elements in his music, but also echoing a brief point when pianist George Gruntz was interested in the rhythms of North Africa! The presentation is incredible – really stunning ...
(Jazz LP)
As Shams (South Africa), Late 70s/Early 80s. 2LP Gatefold
A much-needed look at one of the greatest labels on the South African scene of the 70s – and maybe one of the coolest jazz companies in the world at the time too! The As-Shams/The Sun imprint served up some of the more groundbreaking jazz from the SA scene during the period – with an ...
(Funky Compilations LP)
P-Vine (Japan), Early 70s.
The rich 70s legacy of the Lovelites – a Chicago trio who first sprang onto the soul with some wonderfully fragile work when they were young, and who continued to record some really great music – even though they never fully got their due at the time! The music here was all done after ...
(Soul CD)
Paula/Ultra Vybe (Japan), 1972.
A beautiful little solo session from the late Mal Waldron – recorded in Paris in 1972, and featuring (as you'd guess from the title) Mal stretching out wonderfully on a well-tuned Steinway! The mood of the set is softer and more introspective than some of Waldron's other work from the time ...
(Jazz CD)
Ze/Iconoclassic, 1984.
A well-circulated solo set from Junie Morrison – by now working very far from the P-Funk empire, and with a groove that fits in nicely with the sound of 80s soul! The album's heavy on basslines, beats, and keyboards – very much an 80s funk evolution from Junie's 70s roots – with ...
(Soul CD)
Uni/P-Vine (Japan), Early 70s.
The only full length album ever cut by this amazing Chicago girl group! The Lovelites first broke onto the charts with their stunning track "How Can I Tell My Mom & Dad" – a sad slow tune about teen pregnancy, sung in a strange otherworldly style that's also quite soulful ...
(Soul CD)
Chuwanaga (France), 2022.
Fusion Affair are a group who definitely take their name seriously – as the album's got a mix of keyboards and other electric instrumentation that really lives up to the legacy of jazz fusion – yet also has a way of coming across here with a nicely contemporary vibe! The group's ...
(Jazz LP)
Du Books (Japan), 2023.
A Japanese book, but one with a very deep dive into urban soul from the 70s onward – mostly American and European records that together represent a whole new wave of cool, sophisticated R&B! This isn't the deep soul of the 60s – although many of the singers still have a wonderful ...
(Book)