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A big batch of new arrivals await!


De La Soul

Stakes Is High
Tommy Boy/Chrysalis, 1996. 2LP (reissue)
De La Soul take on the world of hip hop with a record that's very much at the top of their game – leaner in production than before, but at a level that also brings a bit more bite to their rhymes – a good thing too, as the group take on some of their contemporaries as they assess the ... LP, Vinyl record album (Hip Hop LP)
Strata East/P-Vine (Japan), 1974.
An essential bit of 70s soul jazz – a real standout in both the catalogs of tenorist Clifford Jordan, and the Stata East label! This is one of those few records where every element is perfect, and all players rise together to a new level of expression – and we'd easily rank this one ... CD (Jazz CD)

Chet Baker

Chet On Poetry
Novus/Mono Jazz (Italy), 1988.
Completely evocative late life work from Chet Baker – one of the last albums he ever recorded, and a set that shows just how much Baker kept evolving in the later years of his career! Given some of the personal troubles that plagued Chet over the decades, there's sometimes a thought out ... CD (Jazz CD)
Fremeaux & Associates (France), Late 60s/Early 70s. 3CD
A really deep dive into the lost legacy of Franklin Boukaka – a singer who really helped revolutionize music in the Congo during the 60s, recording a heck of a lot of great tracks before a brutal murder took him from the planet in the early 70s! At some level, the work here is to Congolese ... CD (Global Grooves CD)
Far Out (UK), 1976.
Really beautiful work from Som Imaginario – a progressive Brazilian group of the 70s, and one who also had strong ties to the world of Milton Nascimento as well! Milton's keyboard player Wagner Tiso is a key part of the record here – playing organ and electric piano – and the set ... CD (Brazil CD)
Blue Note, 1968. (reissue)
One of our favorite records of all time from trumpeter Donald Byrd – a sometimes-overlooked gem from the late 60s, and one that has Byrd really playing with a slightly different edge than before! The set's recorded with a group that Byrd maintained for two years – a stunning lineup ... LP, Vinyl record album (Jazz LP)

Oh No & Roy Ayers

Good Vibes/Bad Vibes
Nature Sounds, 2023.
An incredible pairing of talents – and a record that proves once again that the vibes of Roy Ayers are maybe one of the most powerfully soulful forces in the universe! It's no surprise that Roy's old records have formed the building blocks of key hip hop tracks over the years – and ... LP, Vinyl record album (Hip Hop LP)

Walter Junie Morrison

Junie Live At Dooley's 1976
P-Vine (Japan), 1976.
Never-heard live work from the legendary Junie Morrison – a funky legend who worked both in the Ohio Players and in the P-Funk empire of George Clinton – heard here in a smoking live setting in Michigan, right around the time of his classic solo records for Westbound! The format is ... CD (Soul CD)

Giovanni Tommaso

Indefinitive Atmosphere
SerMi/Sonor (Italy), 1970. (reissue)
An obscure solo set from Italian bassist Giovanni Tommaso – best known for his work in the groundbreaking fusion group Perigeo in the 70s, but heard here in an obscure jazzy set at the start of the decade! The record's got plenty of surprises along the way – a well-recorded date that ... LP, Vinyl record album (Jazz LP)

Paragons

Now
Starlight/Lantern (Italy), 1981. (reissue)
Great later work from The Paragons – the Jamaican vocal group who are probably best-remembered for their early work in the rocksteady years, but who here deliver a well-crafted batch of roots reggae material, all under the production genius of Bunny Lee! The set's laidback in all the right ... LP, Vinyl record album (Reggae LP)

Misha Panfilov

Gala
Funk Night, 2023.
Maybe the most jazz-based record we've ever heard from Misha Panfilov – a set that still has all the great funky and spacey elements of his other records, yet which uses an expanded lineup to really deepen the soul of the album! The tracks are long, and have a soulful vibe that's wonderful ... LP, Vinyl record album (Deep Funk LP)
RCA/Now Again, 1972.
Mark Fry was just a young lad when he recorded this album – as you might guess from the cover – a Brit staying in Italy, where he cut this rare gem that's gone onto legendary status over the years – a set that's maybe circulated in far more unofficial copies than its original ... LP, Vinyl record album (Rock LP)
Blue Note, 1969. Gatefold (reissue)
Brilliant work from groundbreaking pianist McCoy Tyner – an album that has him firmly stepping out of the shadow of his old boss John Coltrane – and really taking off with a new level of spiritual jazz expression that Tyner's scene helped to foster in the 70s! The group on the set is a ... LP, Vinyl record album (Jazz LP)
Vertigo/Be With (UK), 1970. Gatefold (reissue)
Heavy hitting jazz rock from the UK underground of the early 70s! We'll Talk About It Later is a great early album from Ian Carr's legendary Nucleus group – playing here in a version that includes Karl Jenkins and Brian Smith on reeds, and Chris Spedding on guitar. The band had a landmark ... LP, Vinyl record album (Jazz LP)

Milford Graves with Arthur Doyle & Hugh Glover

Children Of The Forest
Black Editions, 1976. 2LP Gatefold
A really amazing set of recordings, and a fantastic lost chapter in the career of legendary percussionist Milford Graves – material recorded in his home basement studio in the months before his classic album Babi – and done in a style that's often more freewheeling and unbridled than ... LP, Vinyl record album (Jazz LP)

Art Ensemble Of Chicago

Les Stances A Sophie
Pathe/Play Loud (Germany), 1970. (reissue)
Probably the greatest album ever by the Art Ensemble of Chicago – and also one of their rarest! The album was cut for Pathe Marconi in Paris in 1970, and was the soundtrack to a film that was as obscure as the album. The group's never been finer – and plays with a creative tightness ... LP, Vinyl record album (Jazz LP)

Air

Air Raid
Why Not (Japan), 1976.
A seminal 70s set from the legendary Air trio – and one of their wonderful non-American dates from the early years – material recorded overseas, where this famous AACM trio was maybe getting more attention than in the US! The album was originally a Japanese-only album, and it's easily ... CD (Jazz CD)
New Dawn, 2000s. 3LP
Back in the first decade of this century, Build An Ark were one of the few groups to really carry forward the spiritual jazz legacy of the 70s – part of the same LA underground that rose up on Nimbus Records back in the day, and guided by the unstoppable power of Carlos Nino – who ... LP, Vinyl record album (Jazz LP)
Trojan, Late 60s/Early 70s. 2CDs
The soulful vocals of Desmond Dekker were some of the first from the Jamaican scene to let the rest of the world know that something magical was really taking place – and although the man himself is remembered for a few key singles back in the day, Desmond cut a heck of a lot of wonderful ... CD (Reggae CD)

Walt Dickerson

Walt Dickerson 1976
Why Not/Ultra Vybe (Japan), 1976.
A rare set from vibist Walt Dickerson – one of the most compelling jazz musicians to ever lay hold of a set of vibes! The album was originally issued as a Japanese-only session by the Why Not label in the mid 70s, and it features Dickerson playing on 5 tunes that have a slightly different ... CD (Jazz CD)

Frank Hatchett

Sensational
Telephone Explosion (Netherlands), Late 70s/Early 80s. 2LP Gatefold
A really cool collection of cuts with an unlikely history – as most of these numbers originally came out on dance instruction records, but stand alone very nicely on their own! Frank Hatchett's records were issued in small amounts to an equally small and focused audience – but as with ... LP, Vinyl record album (Soul LP)
Wax Poetics, 2023.
The legendary Pharoah Sanders is on the cover this time around – and gets a beautifully-done tribute inside, in a long article filled with fantastic images and covers of key recordings – next to a special feature on his Impulse Records classic Thembi album as well! And the issue's also ... Magazine (Books Magazine)
Why Not/Ultra Vybe (Japan), 1976.
Quite possibly our favorite album ever from Chico Freeman – a beautiful set that was originally issued only in Japan, and which has Chico hitting some of his strongest, most spiritual modes on record! The album features Freeman's reeds in the company of other Chicagoans – AACM players ... CD (Jazz CD)

Whatnauts

On The Rocks
Stang/Playoff (France), 1972. (reissue)
Heavenly harmony soul – the fantastic third album by The Whatnauts – maybe our favorite group of the early 70s east coast scene, and that's saying a lot, given that these guys were contemporaries of The Stylistics, Delfonics, and other super-important acts! Yet despite the greatness of ... LP, Vinyl record album (Soul LP)

Raining Spiderlings

Superstition
Corbett vs. Dempsey, 2023.
One of the most unusual projects ever issued by the Corbett Vs Dempsey label – and that's saying a lot, given their recorded output – a collaboration between writer Nikolai Galen and artist Sarmen Almond, served up in a very eerie blend of spoken passages and sonic experimentation! ... CD (Rock CD)
Soul Jazz (UK), Late 70s/Early 80s. 3LP set with 7 inch
A really cool package, and one that goes past the easy old school hits from the early years of hip hop – and which instead brings together all these unusual strands of sound that really show how creative things were, right at the start! There's a number of tracks here that are a great ... LP, Vinyl record album (Hip Hop LP)
ABC/Big Pink (South Korea), 1969.
A wild little record, as you might expect from a group who named themselves after the place where Abraham Lincoln was shot! There's a lot of organ in the mix, next to the expected fuzzy guitar – and the group even uses a string quartet at points, to great effect – all with an ambitious ... CD (Rock CD)

Eric Hilton

Present Past & Future
Monsterrat House, 2023.
The record's got a cover that's very different than the lush, stylish imagery used on so many of the Thievery Corporation records that Eric Hilton crafted over the years – and the sound here is nicely different too – maybe stripped down to some core elements, with a focus on the ... CD (New Grooves CD)
Ampex/Big Pink (South Korea), 1970.
A really fantastic record from one of the coolest groups to emerge from the Texas psych scene at the end of the 60s – a combo who here maybe reach their height in a style that uses conventional instrumentation, but with a way of pushing them out in all sorts of fantastic and ambitious ... CD (Rock CD)

Abdul Wadud

By Myself
Bisharra/Gotta Groove, 1977. (reissue)
A haunting set of solo tracks by cellist Abdul Wadud – an important, and oft-overlooked, figure in the 70s loft jazz scene! Wadud plays cello throughout, but in a style that's extremely inventive – and much more in the vein of bass improvisation by players in a tradition that includes ... LP, Vinyl record album (Jazz LP)

Joyce, Nana Vasconcelos, & Mauricio Maestro

Visions Of Dawn – The Paris 1976 Project
Far Out (UK), 1976.
An amazing little record – a 70s session that we'd easily rank right up there with the best recordings ever from Joyce, but one that's only being issued here for the first time ever! The sound is brilliant – that beautiful mix of strong and sweet that you'll always find when Joyce is ... CD (Brazil CD)
Turbo/Big Pink (South Korea), 1976.
A sweet funky set from the New Jersey 70s soul empire of the Stang/Turbo/All-Platinum family of labels – the kind of record that came out with little fanfare at the time, but which has a razor sharp groove all the way through! The set features plenty of wonderful work on keyboards – ... CD (Soul CD)
Fania/Craft, 1972. (reissue)
A fantastic classic from Latin percussion legend Ray Barretto – one of his most sophisticated albums of the 70s, and a set that's different than some of his later salsa hits! The album mixes together rootsy percussion and smoother jazzy arrangements – in a manner that keeps things ... LP, Vinyl record album (Latin LP)
Outta Sight (UK), Late 60s/Early 70s.
A great entry in this wonderful series – a set that's full of rare 7" singles from the late 60s and early 70s, but with a vibe that's very different than other collections of this nature! As with previous volumes, the sound is warm and uplifting – not heavy funk or deep soul, but ... CD (Funky Compilations CD)
Pablo International (France), Late 70s/Early 80s.
A set that's maybe even better than you might expect from the title – as it not only features never-heard music from the great Augustus Pablo, it also includes killer material from a time when he was burning with a tremendously righteous fire! Backings on most tracks are by the Rockers All ... LP, Vinyl record album (Reggae LP)
Ace (UK), Late 60s/Early 70s.
An incredible collection of work from the great John Cameron – kind of a secret hero on the British scene of the late 60s and early 70s – as most of his work was done for bigger artists at the time, or came out on obscure sound library sessions! Yet despite that obscurity, Cameron was ... CD (Rock CD)

Miles Spilsbury

Light Manoeuvers
New Dawn (UK), 2023.
A record with an unassuming cover, but a wonderfully rich sound within – a set of easygoing spiritual jazz numbers that have a very live, very spontaneous vibe – in part because the musicians collaborated on the cuts in a very short span of time, and were able to create something very ... LP, Vinyl record album (Jazz LP)
BGO (UK), 1971.
Two classic albums from the great Gene Clark – back to back in a single set! First up is White Light – a key part of that scattered legacy that really helped cement his individual genius after leaving The Byrds! Much of the record is a spare and intimate affair – with Gene's ... CD (Rock CD)
Numero, Late 60s.
An overdue full length set from the great Helene Smith – a Miami singer who recorded for a number of small labels in the 60s, in a style that mixes deep soul leads with some wonderful sweet soul presentation! Helene's best known for the title cut, which has gotten some great play in recent ... LP, Vinyl record album (Soul LP)

Ken Vandermark & Hamid Drake

Eternal River
Corbett vs. Dempsey, 2023.
The music of Don Cherry, but delivered in a completely different way than his original recordings – served up here as a beautiful series of duets between Ken Vandermark on tenor and Hamid Drake on drums and percussion! The pair have a sympathy for each other that's amazing – and the ... LP, Vinyl record album (Jazz LP)
Candid, 1963. (reissue)
A brilliant live set from the key 60s years of the Thelonious Monk Quartet – material recorded in Tokyo as part of a TV broadcasting – done with excellent sound, and different than the album release of material that came out from Columbia Records at the time! The group here features ... LP, Vinyl record album (Jazz LP)

McKinley Dixon

Beloved Paradise Jazz
City Slang, 2023.
McKinley Dixon has an amazing way of mixing depth with crisp, catchy production – at a level that delivers a record that's instantly personal, and pretty darn powerful – yet which also has a quality that could well make McKinley a superstar, if the world had any justice! The music ... CD (Hip Hop CD)
MCA/BGO (UK), Early 80s.
A pair of later albums from Stax Records' guitar genius Steve Cropper! On the cover of Playin My Thang, Steve Cropper's looking a lot more loose and upfront than he ever did on albums he cut with Booker T & The MGs – and maybe that's because he's emerging here as a more more of a lead ... CD (Soul CD)
Electrecord/Mad About Records (Portugal), 1970. (reissue)
A very obscure player from the Romanian scene of the 70s – an acoustic pianist, but one who plays with the flow of a electric keyboardist – really opening up on the longer tracks on this rare album, with an especially great sense of his overall sound! Most numbers have just a core trio ... LP, Vinyl record album (Jazz LP)
Ace (UK), Late 50s/1960s.
A host of raw rockers that were originally served up as 7" singles – all blasting out together with a tremendous amount of power – as if you're enjoying a night with choice cuts all stacked up in the jukebox pictured on the cover! The set's way more than any sort of oldies ... CD (Rock CD)

Harold Land

Damisi
Mainstream/We Want Sounds (UK), 1972. Gatefold
Harold Land at his most spiritual – recording solo after a set of great albums with Bobby Hutcherson as a partner – but still very much in the same sort of unbridled energy! The tracks are soaring and open – and have Land's tenor really sounding nice and raw – amidst a ... LP, Vinyl record album (Jazz LP)
BBE (UK), 2023. Gatefold
One of the most fantastic albums in years from the mighty Kirk DeGiorgio – a set that draws upon 70s sound library influences as a way for Kirk to really unfurl some of the jazziest elements in his music! Way back when nobody was ever referencing jazz for club tracks, DeGiorgio was always ... LP, Vinyl record album (New Grooves LP)
Ultra Vybe (Japan), 1970s.
A really great return to form for the Free Soul series – one that mixed together key tracks from a variety of hip 70s soul and jazz labels – including Flying Dutchman, Brunswick, and TK – all with an assortment of grooves that really work well together! As with the classic Free ... CD (Funky Compilations CD)
Vogue/Mad About Records (Portugal), 1979. (reissue)
A rare French album of funky fusion from drummer Daniel Bechet – dedicated to his father, the famous saxophonist Sidney Bechet – yet served up in a style that's nothing at all like the elder's musical legacy! Instead, Daniel works here in a warm blend of guitars and keyboards, ... LP, Vinyl record album (Jazz LP)
Madlib Invazion, 2010. 2LP (reissue)
The missing piece of the epic Madlib's Medicine Show series – No 9 in the eclectic soundscape architects year-long effort to release full length albums on a near-monthly basis ended up following No 11, but the collaboration with MC Frank Nitt is worth the wait! Nittyville is funky hip hop ... LP, Vinyl record album (Hip Hop LP)

Ultrafunk

Ultrafunk
Contempo/Trading Places (UK), 1975. (reissue)
A rare bit of funk from the mid 70s UK scene – cut with a groove that's got plenty of blacksploitation soundtrack touches! UltraFunk were most likely a studio group assembled for the session – but they've got a tight sound that makes them perfect for serving up the mix of grooves in ... LP, Vinyl record album (Soul LP)
Mustang/Now Sounds (UK), Mid 60s.
Tremendous work from the great Bobby Fuller – not the early Texas tapes that have recently been the stuff of much interest on the market – but instead the well-crafted singles he cut in Los Angeles – working at the Mustang label with pop maestro Bob Keane! These tunes are still ... CD (Rock CD)
Impact/Onlyroots (France), 1975. (reissue)
One of the rarest dub albums of the 70s – a record that was originally done for the Impact label, but pressed up in a tiny amount of copies – even smaller than some of the better-known rare dub albums of the early years! Clive Chin is a righteous maestro throughout – superbly ... LP, Vinyl record album (Reggae LP)
Swan/Sundazed, 1964.
A really rare chapter in the career of the great Link Wray – a set of vocal tunes that were done at a time when most folks knew Wray as just a guitarist turning out amazing instrumentals! The album was issued only briefly in 1964, as an unusual chunk of work from Wray's time at the Swan ... LP, Vinyl record album (Rock LP)
Fresh Sound (Spain), 1980.
Two tremendous soloists, really sounding incredible together here – working in a live setting that features no piano at all, just bass and drums behind the tenor of Don Menza and the trumpet and flugelhorn of Sam Noto! The record's an especially strong treasure for any fan of Menza – ... CD (Jazz CD)
Victor/Craftman (Japan), 1970. Gatefold (reissue)
A fantastic guitarist from the Japanese scene, and a player with a tone that's unlike anyone else we can think of – the great Masayuki Takayanagi, heard here in an early session done years before his work on the Three Blind Mice label! Masayuki has a raw edge on the strings – a rasp ... LP, Vinyl record album (Jazz LP)
Mercury/Be With (UK), 1975. (reissue)
A mid-70s classic from Ian Carr's Nucleus – a set that has the group still going strong, and still turning out one of the most amazing blends of jazz and progressive elements of their scene at the time! Carr's at the helm on both trumpet and flugelhorn, but also plays piano and moog as well ... LP, Vinyl record album (Jazz LP)

Toshiyuki Honda

Burnin' Waves
Electric Bird/Holy Basil (Italy), 1978. (reissue)
Sweet Japanese fusion from saxophonist Toshiyuki Honda – grooving with a tight, smooth, and soulful feel that matches the best of the genre from the time – a style that really makes the record a classic from this golden era of Japanese fusion! The album's got large R&B-inspired ... LP, Vinyl record album (Jazz LP)
Smoke Sessions, 2023.
A really different record from drummer Joe Farnsworth – a player we always love for a rock-solid approach to his music, but who here is clearly opening up a new chapter in his life – one that really offers a great variation on the sorts of expectations you might have when you see his ... CD (Jazz CD)
Columbia/Morello (UK), Late 70s. 2CDs
Four rare albums from the great Moe Bandy – maybe not the biggest country star of the 70s, but one who cut a fantastic run of records like these! Bandy's got a very classic honky tonk style – down-home, blue-tinged tunes that often have Moe himself as the punching bag – with an ... CD (Folk/Country CD)

Fenton Robinson

Somebody Loan Me A Dime
Alligator, 1974. (reissue)
One of the better albums on the Alligator Records label from Chicago – a set by Fenton Robinson that's not far different from his earlier work on the 77/Sound Stage Seven label – which means that there's more of a southern soul vibe to the record at times than some of the more crowd-plea ... LP, Vinyl record album (Blues LP)

David Schnitter

Two For The Road
Fresh Sound (Spain), 2023.
A set that's maybe worth it for the title track alone – a fantastic reading of the Henry Mancini classic "Two For The Road", taken by David Schnitter in a wonderfully soulful style – raspy in tone, but with all the melodic genius of the tune itself! Schnitter is beautiful on ... CD (Jazz CD)
Mississippi, 2023. 2LP Gatefold
Sacred sounds from the Chilean scene – music that's delivered mostly with just a voice and guitar, in a stripped-down sense of expression that's very personal overall! There's often a blue tinge to the vocals, and in some way, the tracks here almost resonate with Appalachian acoustic music, ... LP, Vinyl record album (Global Grooves LP)

De La Soul

Buhloone Mindstate
Tommy Boy/Chrysalis, 1993. (reissue)
An insanely wonderful record from De La Soul – a set that's sometimes eclipsed by its legendary precursors, but which would easily stand as the best record in the catalog by any other group! Prince Paul's production is impeccable – leaner than before, likely due to new restrictions on ... LP, Vinyl record album (Hip Hop LP)
ESP, 1964.
Seminal ESP work from Albert Ayler – a unique session done as a soundtrack to a short (and weird!) film from experimental director Michael Snow! The lineup is a bit different than some of Ayler's other ESP albums – and features Don Cherry on trumpet and cornet, John Tchicai on alto, ... CD (Jazz CD)

Stan Getz & Charlie Byrd

Jazz Samba (180 gram pressing)
Verve, 1962. Gatefold (reissue)
One of those records that no home should be without – not only a pivotal album in the growth of bossa nova in the 60s – but a set that also really helped set the career of tenorist Stan Getz on fire! The real credit here might almost go to guitarist Charlie Byrd – as Byrd was a ... LP, Vinyl record album (Jazz LP)
Moosicus (Germany), 1969. 2CDs
The musical legacy of saxophonist Marion Brown knows no bounds – and although he gave the world some key studio records that helped define his role in the late 60s and early 70s, his live performances on this planet were an equally important demonstration of the righteous power he brought to ... CD (Jazz CD)
Joyful Noise/Shimmy Disc, 2023.
A set that might come as no surprise if you love the music of Laraaji, but one that will definitely stun folks who only know Kramer from his early Shockabilly years, or his early days at Shimmy Disc! Yet in recent years, Kramer has become quite a talent in the world of ambient music – and ... LP, Vinyl record album (New Age LP)
Fresh Sound (Spain), Late 50s/1960s. 2CD
A deep dive into the work of pianist Raymond Fol as a leader – material that includes a number of rare broadcast tracks, and a handful of records that have Fol in the spotlight – something that didn't happen all that much, even though Raymond played on dozens of important sessions for ... CD (Jazz CD)

Kassa Overall

Animals
Warp (UK), 2023.
Kassa Overall continues to be one of those artists who's not only impossible to peg, but who's also maybe a genre unto himself – a jazz drummer at the core, but one who's not afraid to throw in vocals, bits of funk, hip hop lyrics, and other styles as well! With each new record, Overall ... CD (Neo Soul CD)

Kahil El Zabar's Ethnic Heritage Ensemble

Spirit Gatherer – Tribute To Don Cherry
Spiritmuse, 2023.
One jazz legend pays tribute to another – as percussionist Kahil El Zabar leads his Ethnic Heritage Ensemble through a set of tracks that really take on the wide-spanning legacy of the great Don Cherry – from his early years with Ornette Coleman, to his European world jazz experiments, ... CD (Jazz CD)

Robert Rockwell III

Androids (180 gram pressing)
Celebration/Mad About Records (Portugal), Late 70s. (reissue)
A really cool record from reedman Robert Rockwell – one that features some great work from keyboardist Bobby Lyle too! Lyle was recording for bigger labels at the time, but his work here on electric piano really adds a lot to the long tracks on the record – a nice mix with the tenor, ... LP, Vinyl record album (Jazz LP)
Jazzland/Craft, 1957/Early 60s. (reissue)
A record that documents a meeting of two giants of modern jazz in the 50s – the angular genius Thelonious Monk, and the younger John Coltrane – a tenor player who was probably better-known for his work with Miles Davis during this period! The recordings are more Monk's than Coltrane's ... LP, Vinyl record album (Jazz LP)
Acid Jazz (UK), 1994. (reissue)
An album that came out early in the career of the Brand New Heavies, and one that brings together a whole host of tracks from the early years of the group – rare material that never made it on their albums, and which resonates strongly with the wickedly sharp vibe of their first album! There' ... LP, Vinyl record album (Neo Soul LP)
Peacefrog, 1998. 2LP (reissue)
A killer classic from Moodymann, aka Kenny Dixon – a record that's perfectly in that new wave of Detroit sounds that helped push things past the early years of techno in the Motor City, while still holding onto the stark, spare sound that made the city such a different scene than Chicago! ... LP, Vinyl record album (New Grooves LP)

Masahiko Togashi

We Now Create
Victor/Craftman (Japan), 1969. Gatefold (reissue)
Some of the wildest sounds we've ever heard from Japanese drummer Masahiko Togashi – a set that really lives up to its title's promise of immediate creative activity, as the whole thing feels as if it was spontaneously improvised throughout! There's definitely a free jazz approach taking ... LP, Vinyl record album (Jazz LP)

Jeanne Lee

Conspiracy
Earthforms/Moved By Sound (UK), 1975.
One of the most obscure albums ever from the amazing singer Jeanne Lee – and that's saying a lot, given how obscure most of her albums are in general! The record has a beautifully poetic feel – a mixture of songs, improvisations, and some spoken passages too – set to fantastic ... CD (Vocalists CD)

Aruan Ortiz with Brad Jones & John Betsch

Serranias – Sketchbook For Piano Trio
Intakt (Switzerland), 2023.
A set that does a fantastic job of blending Cuban roots and modern jazz – but at a level that's completely unlike any other project of this nature! Aruan Ortiz doesn't just take direct inspiration from Cuban music – and instead, he clearly drinks deep, absorbs the right aspects, then ... CD (Jazz CD)
Prestige/Craft, 1956. (reissue)
A record that hardly seems like workin at all, given the ease with which the group lays down the music – especially trumpeter Miles Davis, whose work here is like magic – and tenorist John Coltrane, who was really coming into his own with this recording! The set's one of a handful from ... LP, Vinyl record album (Jazz LP)

Maliks Emerging Force Art Trio

Time & Condition
EFAE/Moved By Sound (UK), 1982.
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 ... CD (Jazz CD)

Kenny Barron

IMO Live
Why Not/Ultra Vybe (Japan), 1982.
A really free-wheeling live album from Kenny Barron – cut originally as a Japanese-only session for the ultra-hip Why Not label, and done with a sound that's a bit different than some of his American work of the time! The group's a trio – with Buster Williams on bass and Ben Riley on ... CD (Jazz CD)
Strata/BBE (UK), Mid 70s. 2LP Gatefold (reissue)
Really great work from the Detroit underground of the 70s – by a group that features a young Larry Nozero on saxes, who you might also know for his work with keyboard giant Eddie Russ! This set's a bit more hard-edged than Eddie's work – tracks that open up nicely in the more spiritual ... LP, Vinyl record album (Jazz LP)

Sirone

Artistry
Of The Cosmos/Moved By Sound (UK), 1979.
A masterful moment as a leader from bassist Sirone – one of his only albums in the lead, and a very different set than some of his work with the Revolutionary Ensemble! There's an intimate vibe going on here, but one that's still very powerful, and definitely in the best spirit of the loft ... CD (Jazz CD)

Monty Waters

Black Cat
Why Not/Ultra Vybe (Japan), 1975.
One of the only records ever recorded as a leader by alto player Monty Waters – a hip New York altoist who's appeared on records with Joe Lee Wilson, but rarely got the chance to lead a group on his own. This Japanese-only set from 1975 features Waters working with a quartet that includes ... CD (Jazz CD)
Rush Hour (Netherlands), 1984. (reissue)
A killer bit of jazz funk from the great James Mason! The cut's an old one – but has never been properly issued before, save for a brief appearance on a 12" single in 1996. "I Want Your Love" is our favorite here – over 11 minutes long, and it begins with this cool ... 12-inch, Vinyl record (Soul 12-inch)
Think (Japan), 2023.
Contemporary work from Brazil, but a set that recalls some of our favorite soulful sounds from that scene in the 80s – particularly that moment when influences from American R&B and Cali styles were brought back to Brazil, and served up with all sorts of sweet homegrown touches! ... CD (Brazil CD)
No Mountain/BBE (UK), 1980.
A record that's really out of time and place – a set that sounds nothing like most other material issued in 1980, and which also hardly shows any traces of the Louisiana roots of Will & James Ragar! Instead, the set's got this laidback style that's almost folk funk at times, especially ... CD (Rock CD)
Fontana/Sundazed, 1969. Gatefold (reissue)
A really cool concept album from the Chicago scene of the late 60s – a set that has dreamy sunshine pop harmonies blended with some darker psychedelic elements – all at a level that resonates strongly with the Dunwich production the whole thing received! There's almost a UK late 60s ... LP, Vinyl record album (Rock LP)

Nick Green

Green On The Scene
Cellar Live, 2023.
Altoist Nick Green is in a mighty sharp group here – one that's tight enough to match the Charlie Parker energy of the leadoff track, but which then moves into more soulful territory that really gives the whole record a wonderful vibe! The great Joe Magnarelli is on trumpet in the frontline, ... CD (Jazz CD)
Onlyroots (France), Late 70s/Early 80s. 2LP
A wonderful double-length set – one that brings together the lost legacy of work from singer Norris Reid on the Kingston scene – tracks that were only issued as rare 7" singles, in the years before Reid packed up and left Jamaica for Pittsburgh, and stopped recording gems like this! ... LP, Vinyl record album (Reggae LP)
Blue Note, 1965. Gatefold (reissue)
Quite an unusual session for trumpeter Freddie Hubbard – a set done during his early run of albums for Blue Note, but one that's got some much darker, more modern qualities than the rest! The music here almost verges on some of the "new thing" material of the period on the label ... LP, Vinyl record album (Jazz LP)

Shintaro Mamiya

My Silverite
Mamiyax (Japan), 2023.
Saxophonist Shintaro Mamiya has this wonderfully raspy tone on the alto – a surprising edge that at times almost makes you feel like he's blowing a tenor, as does the setting for the record – which has a well-crafted, soulful groove that definitely brings out the best in the leader! ... CD (Jazz CD)

Lou Piensa & Mental Abstrato

Still In Transit
Think (Japan), 2023.
A really cool mixing of modes that comes of even better than we might have expected – rhymes from Lou Piensa of the group Nomadic Massive, set to backings from Brazilian group Mental Abstrato – in a way that creates a very cool hybrid of sounds! This isn't the Brazilian hip hop that we ... CD (Brazil CD)

Chicago Experiment (Makaya McCraven, Jeff Parker, & Others)

Chicago Experiment
Ropeadope, 2022.
Chicago finally gets its due – in this great series that previously gave us the Philadelphia Experiment and Detroit Experiment projects! This time around, though, the lineup is even more top-shelf – filled with the kind of artists who really make us proud to be part of the Windy City ... CD (Jazz CD)

Akira Ishikawa Count Buffalo Jazz & Rock Band

Bakishinba – Memories Of Africa
Polydor/Cinedelic (Italy), 1970. Gatefold (reissue)
One of the funkiest records ever from Akira Ishikawa and his Count Buffalos band – a hip little groover that stands head to head with some of the best funky jazz from the US and Europe of the time! Despite Akira's earthy look on the cover, the record's got a relatively electric feel overall ... LP, Vinyl record album (Jazz LP)

Zoh Amba/William Parker/Francisco Mela

O Life O Light Vol 2 (with bonus download)
577, 2022.
Reed player Zoh Amba is in some fantastic company here – every bit as great as you'd guess in a trio setting with William Parker on bass and Francisco Mela on drums! Yet even amidst these giants, Amba more than holds her own – especially on tenor, which she blows in this raw, raspy ... LP, Vinyl record album (Jazz LP)
Tru Thoughts (UK), 2021. 2LP (reissue)
Sweetly glowing grooves from Ebi Soda – a set that features some really fantastic keyboards on most tracks, making their way along electric rhythms that have a beautifully laidback vibe! The approach is almost a 21st Century reworking of classic jazz funk – more sophisticated, and less ... LP, Vinyl record album (Jazz LP)

Whatitdo Archive Group

Palace Of A Thousand Sounds
Record Kicks (Italy), 2023.
A really cool shift for this very hip group – a set of sweet exotica numbers, after a previous record of blacksploitation grooves – yet one that's every bit as funky as the previous album, thanks to all the right instrumental touches! At the top, the music has lots of older exotica ... CD (Deep Funk CD)
CMR/Americana Anthropology, Early 70s.
A really fantastic bit of lost country work from Billy Gray – an artist best known for his collaborations with Hank Thompson, but coming across here with a much more down-to-earth style! The set's got lean production and really well-done songs – the kind of rare country nugget that ... CD (Folk/Country CD)
ATL/Modern Harmonic, 1983. (reissue)
An expanded version of a really unique EP originally issued in the early 80s by Tomek Lamprecht – a set that uses a Fairlight synthesizer in all sorts of post-punk, art rock-styled ways – really creative, but catchy too – as Tomek takes on the new instrument and mixes it with more ... LP, Vinyl record album (Rock LP)

Candi Staton

I'm Just A Prisoner
Fame/Ace (UK), Early 70s. (reissue)
Genius early work from Candi Staton – one of her first few gems recorded at Fame Studios with producer Rick Hall – and a set that packs the punch of some of the best female soul of the time! The groove here is stripped-down, raw, and ready – at a level that even Aretha Franklin's ... LP, Vinyl record album (Soul LP)

Paulo Alencar/Joao Mirelles

Jazza Nova/Cool Samba (with bonus track)
Fresh Sound (Spain), 1962.
Rare bossa jazz from the start of the 60s – two great albums on a single CD! First up is Jazza Nova by Paulo Alencar – an amazing lost bossa jazz session recorded in Brazil, but issued here in the US by Atlantic! Paulo Alencar's group is supposedly filled with "all stars" ... CD (Brazil CD)

Junie (Junie Morrison)

Freeze
Westbound (UK), 1975. (reissue)
Freeze is a wonderful set from Junie – a record that has all the offbeat funk he was crafting with the Ohio Players during their Westbound years – and the same sort of heady sound that would make Morrison a perfect match with the P-Funk empire! The record contains the legendary track ... LP, Vinyl record album (Soul LP)

Drawbars

One Finger Only
Code Red, 2023.
The Drawbars definitely work here with more than just one finger – and they deliver a really great groove, with a style that's a nice change from some of their contemporaries! Part of the trio's uniqueness lies in the vintage keyboards handled by Chris Haertel – who has a way of going ... CD (Deep Funk CD)

Tomasz Stanko

Wooden Music
Astigmatic (Poland), 1972. Gatefold (reissue)
There's nothing wooden about this music at all – as the album's one of the loosest, freest, liveliest sessions to ever come from the legendary trumpeter Tomasz Stanko – a performance that was originally done for Radio Bremen in 1972, and which is very different than most of his other ... LP, Vinyl record album (Jazz LP)
Chiaroscuro, 1977. (reissue)
Soulful fusion from the mighty Tarika Blue – a group who recorded for the Chiaroscuro label around the same time that James Mason gave the imprint his classic Rhythm Of Life album – recording here in a sound that's not only a bit like James, but which also features his guitar on a ... LP, Vinyl record album (Jazz LP)
Rockashacka (Japan), Late 70s/1980s.
A killer collection of reggae remakes of famous soul and funk tunes – all served up from a later generation of the scene, which makes a nice change from some of the more ska and rocksteady collections of this nature! It's no secret that Jamaican music was initially given a strong inspiration ... CD (Reggae CD)
Sound Of Gospel/Westbound (UK), 1979. (reissue)
A seminal set from the wonderful Clark Sisters – and a record that really has them bringing in a lot of secular soul to their spiritual message – all at the level that would soon make them explode in both the worlds of gospel and R&B in the 80s! The vocals alone are incredible ... LP, Vinyl record album (Gospel LP)

Lonnie Liston Smith

Reflections Of A Golden Dream
Flying Dutchman/BGP (UK), 1976. Gatefold (reissue)
Lonnie Liston Smith grooves it hard here with his Cosmic Echoes group – mixing in a stronger dose of soul than ever before, yet still giving tracks a righteous feel overall! The approach here is a bit like that of Roy Ayers work from the 70s – still jazzy at its core and conception, ... LP, Vinyl record album (Jazz LP)
Motown (Japan), 1991.
Maybe not one of the biggest Motown groups at the start of the 90s, but one who really do a great job of mixing together some of the mainstream styles of the time with a deeper approach to soul that comes from the great weaving of their vocals! Different singers of the group take the lead at times ... CD (Soul CD)
Industrial/DAIS, 1981. (reissue)
One of the rarest records to ever feature the work of groundbreaking writer and language experimentalist William S Burroughs – an album that originally came out on the Industrial Music label, home to the early work of Throbbing Gristle! Peter Cristopherson and Genesis P-Orridge worked with ... LP, Vinyl record album (Spoken Word LP)
Nadja (Japan), Late 80s/1997. 5CD
A huge collection – a series of different live performances from Japanese improvising saxophonist Mototeru Takagi, most recorded in the late 80s – plus one more from the following decade too! Takagi is solo throughout most of the set – and he has an amazing ability to rework ... CD (Jazz CD)
GG's/Onlyroots (France), 1977. (reissue)
Gregory Isaacs kicks back with a spliff on the front cover – earning himself some well-earned relaxation after turning out this tasty set of tracks from the 70s! The record's not a collection of earlier singles, and instead features new recordings all arranged by Alvin Ranglin – with ... LP, Vinyl record album (Reggae LP)

Junie (Junie Morrison)

When We Do
Westbound (UK), 1975. Gatefold (reissue)
The solo debut of Junie Morrison – a crazy little album recorded for Westbound in the time after he split company with The Ohio Players – and a set that's definitely got the weirdly wonderful mix of music that group was known for in their pre-Mercury years! Junie effortlessly moves ... LP, Vinyl record album (Soul LP)
Links/Rockashacka (Japan), Mid 60s.
A really great collection of work from the ultra-rare Links label – a short-lived imprint from the ska/rocksteady years of the scene in Kingston – and one that only issued a handful of records, all of which were pretty darn great! The label was founded by BB Seton of The Gaylads, and ... CD (Reggae CD)
Rockashacka (Japan), Mid 70s.
A really great little collection – one titled from a legendary studio jam that originally appeared on film, not record – a cut that begins this great array of cuts from the famous Black Ark studio of Lee Scratch Perry! Perry's on the cover, and has a strong hand on most of these tracks ... CD (Reggae CD)
Ovation/Soave (Italy), 1973. (reissue)
A wild set of electronic work from the American heartland of the 70s – a set that claims to bring you to a "higher stage of truth" – but which has a sound that's a lot more bracing at times than more meditative electronic and new age albums from the decade! Steve Birchall ... LP, Vinyl record album (Out Sound LP)
Numero, 1970s.
A rich legacy of soul from a Virginia singer of the 70s – one who recorded most of these sides for the tiny Shiptown label, in a wonderful mix of deep soul and more sophisticated styles – all brought together here to make for a long-overdue full length collection of Barbara Stant's ... LP, Vinyl record album (Soul LP)

Ollie Nightingale

Sweet Surrender
Pride/P-Vine (Japan), 1973. (reissue)
The former leader of Ollie & The Nightingale steps out on his own – hitting a wonderfully deep approach to Memphis soul that's even more sublime than his previous group's records for Stax! There's a quiet genius going on here – a simple but powerful take on southern soul that ... LP, Vinyl record album (Soul LP)
Wenha/P-Vine (Japan), 1981.
A weird and wonderful album from Tribe Records giant Wendell Harrison – an obscure electric set from the start of the 80s! There's still a strongly spiritual feel on the record, but Wendell also adds some Fender Rhodes and vocals to his work on tenor and flute – bringing in the same ... CD (Jazz CD)

Mototeru Takagi & Motoharu Yoshizawa

Duo & Solo – Live At Galerie De Cafe Tokyo (3CD set)
Nadja (Japan), Late 80s. 3CD
A stunning showcase for the saxophone work of Mototeru Takagi, in a set of duets with bassist Motoharhu Yoshizawa – yet a set that also really explodes when it hits a series of solo performances from Yoshizawa too! The first two CDs feature duet material – with Takagi on tenor, plus a ... CD (Jazz CD)
Apula/Music On Vinyl (Netherlands), 1996. (reissue)
A beautifully warm record from the great Letta Mbulu – maybe the closest she ever came to cutting a straight soul album, although a set that still has plenty of nice nods to her South African roots as well! The music's got a smooth, sweet groove – and at some of the best moments, Letta ... LP, Vinyl record album (Global Grooves LP)

Sultan Stevenson

Faithful One
Whirlwind, 2023.
A really beautiful record from London pianist Sultan Stevenson – a set that seems to hearken back to the wonderful 70s territory of McCoy Tyner, especially in the way that Sultan can balance a sense of subtle majesty with an undeniable flow! Half the record features a core trio – with ... CD (Jazz CD)
Makkum (UK), 2023.
Really cool cuts from the contemporary scene in northeast Ghana – music that effortlessly mixes classic sounds and styles with more modern innovations – but all with a raw, crisp energy that's very far from commercial! This isn't the world music of public radio – and instead, the ... LP, Vinyl record album (Global Grooves LP)
Prestige/Craft, 1971. (reissue)
Bernard Purdie's first album as a leader for Prestige – cut right after he'd hipped up plenty of other sessions for the label with his famous funky drums! The groove here is very much in the best Prestige jazz funk mode of the early 70s – tightly vamping rhythms that draw heavily from ... LP, Vinyl record album (Jazz LP)

Starvue

Upward Bound
Midwest International/P-Vine (Japan), 1980. (reissue)
The only full album from Starvue – a late 70s Chicago group who were part of that overlooked scene in the city once the bigger labels had moved on! In truth, if Starvue were working on the coasts, they could have been huge – as they've got a really sharp, focused approach to ensemble ... LP, Vinyl record album (Soul LP)
Groove Master/Rockashacka (Japan), Mid 70s.
Stunning harmony soul from the Jamaican scene – served up here by The Chosen Few, a group we'd rank right up there with some of the best American harmony soul acts from the Philly and New Jersey scenes at the start of the 70s! The rhythms, as you might guess, have a bit more reggae influence ... CD (Reggae CD)

Next Movement

Never Stop Dancing
GEC/P-Vine (Japan), Late 70s. (reissue)
The rare first album by The Next Movement! The band was an obscure Chicago group that had a funky soul sound with a bit of clubby feel to it – not really disco, but more in a mode that was in line with east coast groups of the mid to late 70s, especially those from Philly. This album has ... LP, Vinyl record album (Soul LP)
Jazz Line (Germany), 1980.
Stunning live work from the great Pharoah Sanders – a set that's right up there with his best for the Teresa label in the 80s, but which also has some of the bite of his later Impulse material too! Tracks are long and modal – that groove that always seems to unlock the most soulful, ... CD (Jazz CD)

Various

Stars On Parade
Coxsone/Rockashacka (Japan), 1961. (reissue)
The very first album from Coxone Dodd – the start of a huge legacy that ran into classic Studio One Records productions of the 60s and 70s, and which started with this initial album of early Jamaican grooves! There's plenty of jazz in the mix here – freer-flowing solos than you'd hear ... LP, Vinyl record album (Reggae LP)

Craig Taborn/Joelle Leandre/Mat Maneri

hEARoes
Rogue Art (France), 2023.
The ear in the title is certainly well-tuned here – as this trio plays with all sorts of wonderfully sensitive sounds – a sublime combination of the bass of Joelle Leandre, piano of Craig Taborn, and viola of Mat Maneri! The record resonates with a lot of those qualities we love from ... CD (Jazz CD)
Corbett vs. Dempsey, 2006. LP & 12 inch Gatefold
A record with a very heavy core – as Scotty Hard's not only adding bass to the set, but also plenty of beats and samples as well – all elements that are used mostly in a rhythmic way, to leave plenty of space for the slide trumpet of Steven Bernstein, saxes and guitar of Briggan Krauss, ... LP, Vinyl record album (Jazz LP)
Doctor Bird (UK), Late 70s/Early 80s. 2CD
A killer collection of cuts from a time when the new wave of Jamaican dancehall was really taking off – and a time when the music was shifting from a reworking of older styles and rhythms to a completely new style of expression overall! The package is overflowing with key creations from the ... CD (Reggae CD)
Studio One/Rockashacka (Japan), Late 60s/Early 70s.
A long-overdue second volume to the original Pirate's Choice collection from Studio One – which itself was a bit of a stab at Duke Reid and his Treasure Isle label! Legendary Jamaican producer Clement Dodd serves up a host of lost gems from the Studio One catalog – not hits, but some ... CD (Reggae CD)
Blue Note, Early 50s. (reissue)
Trumpeter Fats Navarro was one of the true giants of the early bop years, but he passed away at a young age just as the music was taking off – leaving behind just a handful of killer recordings to document his legacy! This set was put together by Blue Note as a great reminder of his genius ... LP, Vinyl record album (Jazz LP)
Impulse/Elemental (Spain), 1964. Gatefold (reissue)
One of the greatest albums ever recorded by the mighty Yusef Lateef – and that's really saying a lot, given his fantastic legacy of albums! The set's a live one, which is a bit unusual in Lateef's catalog at this time – and the concert setting is perhaps a window onto some of his more ... LP, Vinyl record album (Jazz LP)

T-Connection

T-Connection
Dash/Ultra Vybe (Japan), 1978.
A soaring stormer from T-Connection – and a set that has them sounding even better than before! There's a perfection here the group didn't have with earlier releases – a quality that goes way past indie funk ensemble, into the realm of some of the best mainstream acts on the bigger ... CD (Soul CD)

Remi Kabaka

Son Of Africa
Island/BBE (UK), 1976. 2LP Gatefold (reissue)
A really funky set from the UK scene of the 70s – an album that mixes West African roots with some of the hipper elements going on in London at the time – a city where Remi Kabaka had been lending his talents to a variety of different records over the years! The set was issued by ... LP, Vinyl record album (Global Grooves LP)
WIRL/Not Dead Yet, 1974. (reissue)
A very cool set from the 70s – one that's part reggae, part sweet soul, and part funky jam – all served up with a nicely mixed up vibe that really makes the whole thing shine! The group hail from Barbados, and there's some great Caribbean funk on the record at times – especially ... LP, Vinyl record album (Reggae LP)
MB/P-Vine (Japan), Early 70s.
An excellent lost bit of funky soul! The Turner Brothers were an obscure Indianapolis combo who played hard funky instrumental grooves – similar to hometown contemporaries like the Nineteenth Whole or Funk Inc – and they mixed up tight ensemble playing with good jazzy soloing on sax, ... CD (Soul CD)

Hatsune Hirakura

Wheel Of Time
Days Of Delight (Japan), 2023.
Beautifully intimate work from pianist Hatsune Hirakura – a well-recorded set that takes us back to the glory days of Japanese piano sets from the 70s, and one that's served up with a similar blend of lyrical energy and freedom! The date's a live one, and Hatsune works in a trio that ... CD (Jazz CD)

Brian Auger & Julie Tippetts

Encore
Warner/Esoteric (UK), 1978.
An overdue reunion for Brian Auger and Julie Driscoll (now billed as Tippetts) – and a late 70s session that sounds quite a bit different than their mod soul of the 60s! The format here is still somewhat in a soul-based vein – but the sound is much more 70s, and much more "adult&qu ... CD (Jazz CD)

Joy

Joy
Cadillac (UK), 1976.
An album that really lives up to its title – as the set bristles with upbeat, joyous energy throughout – in a fantastic criss-crossing of players from different global scenes, all cooking together in the cultural hotbed of 70s London! The record's got some echoes of the Brotherhood Of ... CD (Jazz CD)

De La Soul

De La Soul Is Dead
Tommy Boy/Chrysalis, 1991.
If De La Soul took the world by storm with their groundbreaking debut, they definitely pushed hip hop even farther ahead with this killer second album – a record that refines all the best impulses of the first set, and has the trio coming across with an even greater command of the space of a ... CD (Hip Hop CD)
Cadet/Verve, 1970. (reissue)
Incredible work from the amazing Dorothy Ashby – a brilliant set of funky and spiritual tunes, set to full backings from Chicago soul arranger Richard Evans! This album is easily one of Ashby's greatest, and it's dedicated to the writings of Omar Khayyam – one of the forces guiding ... LP, Vinyl record album (Jazz LP)
Blue Note, Early 50s. (reissue)
Brilliant early work by Miles Davis – some of his first truly important sessions to appear under his own name – originally issued as singles or 10" LP recordings by Blue Note, and brought together here in a full length set that would help to define the early years of his career! ... LP, Vinyl record album (Jazz LP)

Jazz Doctors (Billy Bang/Frank Lowe)

Intensive Care
Cadillac (UK), 1984. (reissue)
Forget the hokey pun in the title, as the album's a sharp-edged set that has way more going on than that bad wit might imply – a brilliant record that has the same sort of post-loft vibe as some of the best Black Saint/Soul Note sessions from the time! The group here features players who ... LP, Vinyl record album (Jazz LP)

Gwen McCrae

Gwen McCrae Sings TK
Ultra Vybe (Japan), 2006.
A surprisingly great later album from Gwen McCrae – one that has her returning to hit territory of years back, and re-recording older Miami soul hits from the 70s! The sound is far better than we could have hoped for – very much in the older spirit of the TK label, thanks to production ... CD (Soul CD)

Redd Holt Unlimited

Isaac, Isaac, Isaac
Paula/Ultra Vybe (Japan), 1974.
An excellent album by Isaac Redd Holt – one half of the incredible Young-Holt rhythm team, bursting out nicely here on his own! This is Redd's second album – first for Paula, as the other one was a jazz effort on Argo back in the 60s – and it's a wild blend of jazz, funk, and a ... CD (Soul CD)

Asha Puthli

L'Indiana
Dash/Ultra Vybe (Japan), 1978.
The only album ever issued in the US by European soul singer Asha Puthli – an artist who was doing some great spacey funk in the mid 70s, then made a strong shift into tighter grooves in the disco years! This album's a great blend of Asha's earlier vocal style and some of the newer clubby ... CD (Soul CD)
Tommy Boy/Chrysalis, 1989. 2LP (reissue)
The mindblowing debut of De La Soul – a set that's inarguably one of the most important records in hip hop history – overflowing with playful, endearingly oddball trio rhymes and Prince Paul production at it's most sprawlingly sampled and creative! The set has classic songs that stand ... LP, Vinyl record album (Hip Hop LP)
Impulse, 1969/1974. Gatefold (reissue)
A brilliant late Impulse Records album from Archie Shepp – material recorded on a variety of dates at the end of the 60s, but packaged together as an extremely soulful set in the mid 70s! There's a feel here that rivals some of the best moments of the Attica Blues years – a mix of ... LP, Vinyl record album (Jazz LP)

Attila Zoller & Jimmy Raney

Jim & I – Live In Frankfurt
L+R Records/Ultra Vybe (Japan), 1980.
Two great guitarists, coming together here with no other instrumentation at all – in a live performance that really demonstrates the genius of Attila Zoller and Jimmy Raney at their best! Both players have always been masters of tone, yet here you also get to hear their strong sense of ... CD (Jazz CD)

James Moody

Sax & Flute Man
Paula/Ultra Vybe (Japan), 1973.
A sweet set of electric funk from James Moody – and a great little record to match the grooves he was laying down at the Perception label in the early 70s – with a very unique sound! Moody's working here alongside some sweet work on electric piano by either Jodie Christian or Tennyson ... CD (Jazz CD)

Behn Gillece

Between The Bars
Posi tone, 2023.
Cascading vibes from Behn Gillece – easily one of our favorite contemporary players on his instrument, and a musician who always seems to find a great way to resonate with his bandmates on a session! This date has Gillece mixing his warmly chromatic sound with great contributions from Art ... CD (Jazz CD)
Columbia/BGO (UK), 1983/1985/1987.
A trio of 80s albums from piano genius Ramsey Lewis – all brought together in a single package! First up is Les Fleurs – a bit later than Ramsey Lewis' classic electric sides for Columbia Records in the 70s, but still a pretty great little album – and one that mixes mellow ... CD (Jazz CD)

Elegua

Elegua
Elegua/We Are Busy Bodies, 1977. (reissue)
A totally wonderful little record – a jazz set with a bit of a Latin vibe – part electric, thanks to some great Fender Rhodes – which is mixed with percussion and a really well-crafted horn section! The tracks are long, and very jazzy – put together with a style that's ... LP, Vinyl record album (Jazz LP)
Impulse/Elemental (Spain), 1964. Gatefold (reissue)
An amazing Impulse debut from Archie Shepp – easily one of his boldest musical statements ever, and a key announcement to the world that a new generation of modernists was on the rise! The album was co-produced by John Coltrane – who brought Shepp to the label, and almost gets out-done ... LP, Vinyl record album (Jazz LP)
Cat/Solid (Japan), 1976.
A monster of a rare funk album – recorded by a tight little combo who should have been huge! Raw Soul Express have a touch of jazz in their playing – coming off here with a sound that reminds us of Wood Brass & Steel, and a rare few other funk acts of the time who knew how to do ... CD (Soul CD)

Yuya Wakai

Poem
Days Of Delight (Japan), 2023.
The poem here is written on the piano of Yuya Wakai, a wonderfully sensitive player who manages to create all these lyrical twists and turns, while still maintaining a gentle swing! The album features mostly original material by the members of the group – a trio that includes Satsuki Kusui ... CD (Jazz CD)

Cecile McLorin Salvant

Melusine
Nonesuch, 2023.
Cecile McLorin Salvant has already been one of the most striking jazz singers to emerge in years – and here, she pushes her talents even further – as she moves past standard material, into a complex realm that's all her own! The album's a unified batch of songs dedicated to the ... CD (Vocalists CD)
Toshiba/Universal (Japan), 1971. (reissue)
Not nearly as primitive as you might guess from the title – and instead, a heady batch of electric funk from the Japanese scene at the start of the 70s! The album's got a heavy dose of percussion at the bottom – drums and more, interwoven with lots of electric guitar in the rhythms ... LP, Vinyl record album (Jazz LP)
Jamal/P-Vine (Japan), 1970.
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 ... CD (Jazz CD)
Buddah/Pure Pleasure (UK), 1972. (reissue)
A landmark first album from drummer Norman Connors – a spiritual jazz masterpiece that builds wonderfully on the post-Coltrane tradition! Norman is years away from his smoother soul recordings at this point, and coming out of a righteous jazz background that included work with Marion Brown ... LP, Vinyl record album (Jazz LP)
Philips/Verve, Mid 60s.
A collection of classic material from the Philips Records years of Nina Simone – a key 60s moment when she was moving way past her roots as a jazz singer, to embrace all sorts of righteous new styles – and set a tone for singers that's held strong for decades! The music here is ... LP, Vinyl record album (Vocalists LP)

Ofege

Try & Love
Strut (UK), 1973. (reissue)
A blistering set of Afro-Funk from the 70s – the debut of Ofege, a band of high school students at the time! There's a really trippy sound to the set, as the guitars figure strongly in the groove, and are often recorded with some slightly psychedelic touches – similar to Blo or some of ... LP, Vinyl record album (Global Grooves LP)

London Brew (Benji B, Theon Cross, Nubya Garcia, Shabaka Hutchings, & Others)

London Brew
Concord, 2023. 2CDs
Heady work from this supergroup on the London jazz scene – a moody electric ensemble that was initially put together to explore the music of Miles Davis, but who have a soaring sound that's very much all their own! If you know the work of some of the players in the lineup, you'll instantly ... CD (Jazz CD)

Tinariwen

Amatssou
Wedge, 2023.
A record that marks an unusual chapter in the career of this legendary group, yet one that also fits very strongly into their wonderful run of albums in the 21st Century! The set's got a unique approach – recorded in a tent in Algeria, but with long-distance production from Daniel Lanois ... CD (Global Grooves CD)

Al Brown & Inner Force

Dub Cuts – Paolo Baldini Dub Files
Pressure Sounds (UK), Early 80s/2023.
Never-issued work from Jamaican singer Al Brown – tapes that were thought to be lost for years, then were recently rediscovered and brought back to life by the talents of Paolo "Dub Files" Baldini! The work has a righteous quality at the core – very soulful vocals from Al, ... LP, Vinyl record album (Reggae LP)

Masahiko Togashi

Story Of Wind Left Behind
Columbia/Cinedelic (Italy), 1975.
Percussionist Masahiko Togashi leads a really cool group here – one in which nearly all the other players handle percussion as well, but with a quality that's also surprisingly open and laidback – not a drum-heavy spectacular, but a record that allows more subtle elements to resonate a ... LP, Vinyl record album (Jazz LP)
Limetree/Tidal Waves, 1988. (reissue)
John Hicks works in some really wonderful company here – a trio with bassist Curtis Lundy and drummer Idris Muhammad – both of whom really add a lot to the date! We're always big fans of Lundy's sound on bass – and his approach here has the same warm-rolling quality you'd find in ... LP, Vinyl record album (Jazz LP)

Khruangbin

Live At Stubb's
Dead Oceans, 2023.
A set that's partly an album by massive funk trio Khruangbin, and partly a tribute to some of the musicians they worked with on a recent tour – as side one has the other performers in the lead, while Khruangbin gets plenty of instrumental space on the flipside! The group themselves turn in a ... LP, Vinyl record album (Deep Funk LP)
Salsoul (Japan), 1976.
A turning point for Loleatta Holloway – as she makes the move from dreamy southern soul diva to club queen of the late 70s! Norman Harris is producing, and the record has a soaring Philly disco sound that proves to be just as great for Loleatta's soulful vocals as the stripped-down southern ... CD (Soul CD)

Eddie F & The Untouchables

Let's Get It On
Motown (Japan), 1994.
A classic blend of soul and hip hop from those 90s years when the genres were finally finding a way to shake hands and get together at last! Eddie F isn't the lead artist here, but more the impresario and producer – as he draws on his experience with Heavy D to bring together a roster of ... CD (Hip Hop 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 ... LP, Vinyl record album (Soul LP)
Bethlehem, 1957. (reissue)
Quite an unusual record from Art Blakey – a rare big band session, recorded with a lineup that's quite different than the usual Jazz Messengers! Turns out, Blakey's quite good in this setting – and has the same firey energy to direct a larger ensemble that he has when working with a ... LP, Vinyl record album (Jazz LP)

Takeshi Inomata

Sound Limited
Express/Universal (Japan), 1970. (reissue)
A record with a staid sort of cover, one that hides all the great funky energy underneath – as the set's a killer album from Japanese drummer Takeshi Inomata, working here with his Sound Ltd group in a wonderful blend of jazz, funk, and psychedelic mode! There's a fantastic swirling of ... LP, Vinyl record album (Jazz LP)

Gerrit Hatcher

Solo Five
Kettle Hole, 2023.
CD...$8.99 13.99
Solo tenor throughout – a set that has improvising musician Gerrit Hatcher working very much in free, unbridled territory – yet with a sensitivity that really marks the proceedings! It's almost as if solo, Hatcher's even more comfortable trying out new ideas, yet also taking his time ... CD (Jazz CD)

Dele Sosimi & The Estuary 21

Confluence
Wah Wah 45s (UK), 2023.
Dele Sosimi was raised in the shadow of Fela Kuti, literally – as he spent part of his youth in Fela's commune – yet his music is nicely free of some of the overdone Afro Funk modes of the 70s, and instead really finds a fresh way forward with all sorts of wonderful criss-crossings of ... CD (Global Grooves CD)

Charlie Mariano/Gregor Josephs Quartet

Lustinseln
L+R Records/Ultra Vybe (Japan), 1995.
One of the more swinging later albums from reedman Charlie Mariano, but a set that's still got that special sort of edge he developed in his music from the 70s onwards – a record that has Charlie blowing both alto and soprano sax, in a quartet co-led with pianist Gregor Josephs! The rest of ... CD (Jazz CD)
CBO/Analog Africa (Germany), 1981. (reissue)
A lean little groover from the Nigerian scene – an Edo funk set that's got a vibe that's more stripped-down than most – really focused on the rhythms, with a stark, spare quality that's very different than bigger groups of the decade before! There's almost an influence here going on ... LP, Vinyl record album (Global Grooves LP)
Bethlehem, 1956. (reissue)
The album's a bit less "historical" than you might guess from the title – at least at the time it was issued in the mid 50s! The material is from Chicago sessions recorded in 1956 – unusual non-Columbia material for the period, featuring the Ellington group working in a ... LP, Vinyl record album (Jazz LP)
Digitmovies (Italy), 1966.
Rare work from composer Robby Poitevin – a great action score, put together with a heavy dose of jazz – great vibes, flute, and plenty of other horns – blasting out with a hip style over lots of tight percussion – almost in the manner of spy films from the time, but with a ... LP, Vinyl record album (Soundtracks LP)

Takeru Muraoka & Takao Uematsu

Ride & Tie
Express/Universal (Japan), 1971. (reissue)
Funky, fuzzy, and outta site – a really wonderful set of extended psychedelic jazz numbers from twin tenorists Takeru Muraoka and Takao Uematsu! The set's billed as a live tenor "battle" on the cover – but it's hardly the sort of record that you'd hear from American players ... LP, Vinyl record album (Jazz LP)
Virgin (Italy), 1973. Gatefold (reissue)
A key album in the legendary early years of Gong – that mythical moment when the group was almost more like a cult or a commune than just another rock band on the scene! The set has the group very firmly ensconced in their French country home, where the record was recorded – with a ... LP, Vinyl record album (Rock LP)

Allen Lowe & The Constant Sorrow Orchestra

In The Dark (3CD set)
ESP, 2023. 3CD
A surprisingly redemptive set of work – given that it's inspired by a time in the life of tenorist Allen Lowe when he was hardly able to sleep at all! The massive 3CD package works as this beautiful suite of tracks united by unexpected twists and turns along the way – very much woven ... CD (Jazz CD)
Mercury/Sam Records (France), 1959. (reissue)
One of the greatest French jazz soundtracks ever – a haunting score composed and performed by sax legend Barney Wilen! Barney's work is possibly best known to American audiences for his solos on the Miles Davis soundtrack Ascenseur Pour L'Echafaud, recorded a year earlier – and this ... LP, Vinyl record album (Jazz LP)
Beat (Italy), 1966.
Two cool Italian spy spoof comedy soundtracks from the 60s – both served up at a level that may well top American film scores of the type from the time! Lallo Gori does wonderful work on Come Svaligimmo La Banca D'Italia – very different than some of his other soundtracks, with a much ... CD (Soundtracks CD)

Bobby Harden & The Soulful Saints

Bridge Of Love (black haze vinyl pressing)
Dala, 2023. Gatefold
Bobby Harden's got a great way of putting over a tune – he's not a soul singer out to top James Brown, or try to leap into the fray with a real funky frenzy – and instead, he approaches the material with the laidback confidence of some of our southern soul favorites from years past ... LP, Vinyl record album (Deep Funk LP)

Don Cherry & George Gruntz

Maghreb Cantata – Live 1969
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 ... LP, Vinyl record album (Jazz LP)
Avamar/Mad About Records (Portugal), 1983. (reissue)
A lost 80s groover from Bay Area soulster William "Fats" Gaines – stepping out here with vocalist Carol Zorina London! Fats recorded a number of albums around this time – but this album may well be his best – thanks to Zorina's great lead vocals, which really bring a ... LP, Vinyl record album (Soul LP)
Wand/Ultra Vybe (Japan), 1973.
One of the all-time classic funk records from the 70s – a set that grabs you with the very first note, and lets you know that you've really stumbled onto something groovy! South Side Movement have a sinister groove that's very much their own – not like James Brown, The Meters, or just ... CD (Soul CD)

Lisa Marne & Her Combo

Like Young
Modern Harmonic, 1965.
A very groovy set of jazz vocals – recorded in the mid 60s by Lisa Marne, who was once a TV variety show personality – but never issued at the time! The "combo" on the title really gives a great indication of the feel of the record – small group backing with a very ... CD (Vocalists CD)
Motown/Elemental (Spain), 1966. (reissue)
One of the biggest charting LPs by The Supremes – and one of the best, too! The girls are opening it up a bit here – getting in on some of The Miracles Go Go action of the period, and laying down tunes that have a bit more of a northern groove to them – relying a bit more on a ... LP, Vinyl record album (Soul LP)

Bokani Dyer

Radio Sechaba
Brownswood (UK), 2023.
Maybe the richest album to date from South African pianist Bokani Dyer – a set that has vocals on most tracks, and which also carries a more direct and powerful message than any of his previous releases – very uplifting and righteous, at a level that marks Dyer as one of the key forces ... CD (Jazz CD)
ABC/Geffen (Italy), 1972. Gatefold (reissue)
A key chapter in the soul career of Dusty Springfield – and an album that has her recording at the ABC studios in LA, with full, rich production from Dennis Lambert, Brian Potter, and Steve Barri! The sound here is a bit like that used on some of the best ABC soul albums of the time – ... LP, Vinyl record album (Vocalists LP)
World Pacific/Blue Note, 1959. (reissue)
A fantastic lost set from modernist genius Gil Evans – one that expands on some of the larger group territory he was exploring with Miles Davis at Columbia Records – but with an even hipper range of soloists overall! The lineup on the record is an all-star one – mostly top shelf ... LP, Vinyl record album (Jazz LP)

Natural Information Society

Since Time Is Gravity
Eremite/Aguirre (Germany), 2023.
Natural Information Society have been a key force on the Chicago underground for a number of years – and here, they go back even further, to open the door to the legendary saxophonist Ari Brown – who joins the group on tenor! You might know Brown's music as a member of 70s spiritual ... CD (Jazz CD)

David Axelrod

Heavy Axe
Fantasy/BGP (UK), 1974.
CD...$8.99 14.99
A great back-to-basics solo album from the legendary David Axelrod – cut in the mid 70s for Fantasy Records, after higher-concept projects like The Auction and Messiah! This set gets right to the core – and focuses on the funk currents that were always part of Axelrod's larger ... CD (Jazz CD)

Stanley Turrentine

Mr Natural (180 gram pressing)
Blue Note, 1964. (reissue)
The title's not a reference to Robert Crumb's famous comix character – and instead, it's a great name for this unreleased batch of work from Stanley Turrentine – a perfect summation for the easygoing soul that's always made Stan so great! The group's a nice bridge between the two ... LP, Vinyl record album (Jazz LP)
Drums Edizioni Musicali/Mondo Groove (Italy), Late 70s. 2LP
A heady serving of work from the Drums label – a small and short-lived imprint on the Italian scene in the late 70s, but one that served up some mighty nice club singles at the time! The records definitely bristle with the kind of drums you might expect from the record's name – not ... LP, Vinyl record album (Funky Compilations LP)

Hermeto Pascoal

Hermeto
Cobblestone/Far Out (UK), Early 70s.
The amazing first album from Brazilian modern musical genius Hermeto Pascoal – a set that would change the world of jazz and Brazilian music for years to come! By the time of the set, Hermeto was no stranger to the scene – he'd recorded famously in Quarteto Novo with Airto, and in some ... CD (Brazil CD)

Durand Jones

Wait Till I Get Over
Dead Oceans, 2023.
The stunning debut as a solo act for Durand Jones – a set that's even deeper and more powerful than his work with The Indications, at a level that shows that Jones is a soul singer with a hell of a lot of potential, and not just another voice working in a funk band! There's plenty of deep ... CD (Deep Funk CD)

Riz Ortolani

Nessuno E Perfetto
Beat (Italy), 1981.
A later score from Italian maestro Riz Ortolani – best known for some of his blockbusters of the 60s, but equally well at home here on a set from the early 80s – one that has a fair bit of electric instrumentation served up in a range of playful grooves! As with many Italian comedies ... CD (Soundtracks CD)
Music With Soul (France), 2023.
A solo funk outing from Alex Figueira, and one that shows you don't need a full combo to help make a record groove! Alex put together the whole thing himself, with live drums, sweet keyboard lines, and unusual guitar parts that take all sorts of twists and turns – put together differently ... LP, Vinyl record album (Deep Funk LP)

Basic Group

Expander
Tic/Mondo Groove (Italy), 1985. (reissue)
A sweet keyboard-heavy sound library set from the 80s – a record from that time when the sound library studios had gone down to one or two man performances, instead of the fuller groups from the past – and were making best use of the keyboard and drum machine elements of the time to ... LP, Vinyl record album (Sound Library LP)

Adrian Younge & Ali Shaheed Muhammad with Lonnie Liston Smith

Jazz Is Dead 17 – Lonnie Liston Smith
Jazz Is Dead, 2023.
Spiritual keyboard giant Lonnie Liston Smith joins the duo of Adrian Younge and Ali Shaheed Muhammad – and the result is maybe one of the deepest records in this wonderful series! As you can imagine, Lonnie is on keyboards, and delivers some wonderful solos throughout – very much in ... LP, Vinyl record album (Deep Funk LP)
Mushroom Hour Half Hour/International Anthem, 2023. 2LP Gatefold
A really heady set from the contemporary jazz scene in South Africa – a record led by groundbreaking drummer Asher Gamedze, and one that has all these wonderfully righteous currents soaring from a surprisingly small group! Gamedze's sense of rhythm is nicely offbeat – different than ... LP, Vinyl record album (Jazz LP)

Spanky Wilson

Doin' It
Mother/P-Vine (Japan), Late 60s/1970. (reissue)
A bit of soul, a bit of jazz, and some nice funky touches at the bottom – a killer little set from the great Spanky Wilson! Wilson's got a really unique place in music – at one level a soul singer with enough sophistication to rival the sound of Marlena Shaw or Nancy Wilson – but ... LP, Vinyl record album (Soul LP)
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 ... CD (Soul CD)
Limelight/Big Pink (South Korea), 1968.
An incredible record from this enigmatic vocal group! Sound Of Feeling were an ultra hip trio (2 gals, 1 guy) who recorded under the aegis of Leonard Feather at the end of the 60s – and who worked in a mode that combined sweet harmony vocals, sunshine pop, and some surprisingly experimental ... CD (Vocalists CD)
Impulse, 1970. Gatefold (reissue)
A mindblowing album from Ahmad Jamal – a fantastic start to the 70s, and a set of music that shows just how far the pianist had come in just a few short years! The album's all acoustic, but has some of that spacious flow that Jamal would bring to his work on Fender Rhodes – with an ... LP, Vinyl record album (Jazz LP)
Warner, 1977. (reissue)
Sublimely satisfying work from Ashford & Simpson – a stone killer from the height of their late 70s glory days on Warner Brothers! The pair are working together wonderfully at this point – wrapped up in that blend of upbeat soul and righteous undercurrents that made them a real cut ... LP, Vinyl record album (Soul LP)
Uniteledis/LMLR (France), 1975. 2LP
One of the last truly outside albums recorded by Archie Shepp in the 70s – a French performance that's very similar to the open-ended, freely-blown recordings he did for the BYG/Actuel label a few years before! The record captures Shepp in territory that's different than some of the more ... LP, Vinyl record album (Jazz 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 ... CD (Soundtracks CD)

Soul Motivators

Do It Together
Do Right (Canada), 2023.
The Soul Motivators have always been great, but this record really sends them over the top – stepping out with a force that's really well-conceived – and a richer soul vibe than just the usual sort of funk combo with a female singer! There's all these great touches in the ... CD (Deep Funk CD)

Louis Hayes

Exactly Right
Savant, 2023.
Louis Hayes is not just a great drummer, he's also a hell of a leader too – the kind that always seems to know how to pick the right players for a really special sort of sound – and create a vibe that really sets his records apart from the rest! That quality is definitely in place here ... CD (Jazz CD)

East Of Eden

Mercator Projected
Deram/Trading Places (UK), 1969. (reissue)
"Cosmoramic Rock" from East Of Eden – one of the trippiest British groups of the late 60s! The group works here in a self-professed blend of rock, free jazz, noise, world music, and avant garde classical influences – and somehow manages to make the whole thing come out with a ... LP, Vinyl record album (Rock LP)

Khari Cabral & Jiva

Five
Splash Blue, 2022.
A long-overdue return for Khari and Jiva – the kind of pairing that first won us over to neo soul many years back – and sounding equally wonderful here! The album begins with a reworking of the James Mason classic "Good Thing" – and it only gets better and better from ... CD (Neo Soul CD)
Comet (France), Mid 70s. (reissue)
A vintage set from the great Ebo Talyor – an artist who's been recording new music in recent years, but who sounds even better here on one of his classics! Ebo's got a fair bit of jazz mixed in with his sound – a layering of flute, trombone, tenor, guitar, and keyboard parts with a ... LP, Vinyl record album (Global Grooves LP)

Wynton Kelly Trio & Wes Montgomery

Smokin' At The Half Note (180 gram pressing)
Verve, 1965. Gatefold
One of the greatest 60s recordings from the Wyton Kelly Trio – thanks to some wonderful guest work from guitarist Wes Montgomery! Montgomery's working here in a gusty, rootsy style that recalls his best soul jazz sides from the earlier years – and which have a feel that's quite ... LP, Vinyl record album (Jazz LP)

Emahoy Tsege Mariam Gebru

Jerusalem
Mississippi, Early 70s.
Revelatory sounds from Emahoy Tsege Mariam Gebru – an Ethiopian nun, but one who had a secret side life as a pianist and composer – stepping out here on a selection of solo tracks that have a wonderfully captivating vibe! Gebru's music first got wider exposure in the Ethiopiques series ... LP, Vinyl record album (Global Grooves LP)
Toshiba/Universal (Japan), 1961.
A key showcase of some of the fantastic groups who were starting to shape the sound of jazz on the Japanese jazz scene at the start of the 60s –a set that's a nice contrast to the first volume in this series, which featured all of the different musicians jamming together! Here, leadership is ... LP, Vinyl record album (Jazz LP)

Black Unity Trio

Al-Fatihah
Salaam Records/Gotta Groove, 1969. (reissue)
Amazing spiritual jazz treasure – the only album ever issued by this obscure avant trio from the Cleveland scene – a group that includes a young Abdul Wadud on bass and cello! The style is nicely loose and open, but also very different than the sound of the AACM at the time – ... LP, Vinyl record album (Jazz LP)
Toshiba/Universal (Japan), 1961.
All-star jazz from the Japanese scene of the early 60s – a record that's almost in the Verve Records jam session or JATP style – as it features some of the greatest players on the Japanese scene of the time, coming together on some really long tracks that take off in a beautiful way! ... LP, Vinyl record album (Jazz LP)

Lisa Decker with Nautilus/Saturnvybz

Soliloquise
Oonops Drops (UK), 2023.
Singer Lisa Decker shares the set with two different groups – Nautilus on one side, and Saturnvybz on the other – both of whom provide some great grooves for her vocals! Nautilus have a style that's nice and lean – a core funky trio with lots of sweet keyboards that slide in ... CD (Neo Soul CD)

Hot Mustard

Seconds
Color Red, 2023.
Hot mustard mix deep funk instrumentation with hip hop inspired beats – really linking together two generations of funky sounds with a very unique approach! The core of the group is Nick Carusos on bass and Jack Powell on guitars – yet the later also serves up all these breakbeats ... LP, Vinyl record album (Deep Funk LP)

Stelvio Cipriani

Peccato Senza Malizia
Chris' Soundtrack Corner (Italy), 1975.
Exactly the kind of slinky, sexy, warmly melodic work we love so much from the great Stelvio Cipriani – one of the few cats who can take a simple theme and spin it out in so many different ways – a good number of which involved all sorts of wonderful keyboard work, in the best tradition ... CD (Soundtracks CD)
Deram/Big Pink (South Korea), 1970.
One of those really great records from a time on the UK scene when some groups were effortlessly mixing jazz and rock elements up in the mix – but in ways that are very different than some of the more familiar jazz rock modes of the mainstream! Gaillard have plenty of strong horn solos on ... CD (Rock CD)
Cellar Live, 1966/1967. 2CDs
A fantastic live date – one that's not just noteworthy for the piano of leader Walter Bishop, but also for the reed work of a young Harold Vick – recorded here right around the time he was first making waves in the organ combo of Jack McDuff, but coming across with a very different ... CD (Jazz CD)
Polydor/P-Vine (Japan), 1974.
Magnificent work from European jazz vocalist Karin Krog – a landmark album that shows why she sings like no other singer! On this 1974 session, Karin moves far beyond the standard jazz of her roots – into territory that's spacey, cosmic, and filled with the best influences bubbling ... CD (Vocalists CD)

Joao Donato & Donatinho

Sintetizamor
Polysom/Far Out (UK), 2017.
One of the most unusual projects we've ever heard from the legendary Joao Donato – not the bossa jazz of his roots, but instead a fresh new groove created with his son Donatinho! The music is heavy on keyboards, and definitely has the 80s vibe promised by the cover – with the younger ... CD (Brazil CD)
Caz Plak (France), 1982.
A hell of a live set from Turkish percussionist Okay Temiz – a musician who's probably best known for his work with Don Cherry, but who really takes off here at the head of his own group Oriental Wind – in a performance that bubbles over with fusion instrumentation and plenty of global ... LP, Vinyl record album (Jazz LP)
Bear Family (Germany), Late 50s/Early 60s.
A mighty deep look at one of the hippest labels on the rockabilly scene – and one that was quite a surprise, too – given that Dot Records not only served up a fair bit of instrumental pop, but also recorded some of the "fake" rockers of the time as well! Yet all the work here ... CD (Rock CD)

Blacka T

Good Musicians
Rockers International/Onlyroots (France), 1988.
A digital set from the second half of the 80s, but one that keeps a very righteous, rootsy vibe at times – thanks to production from Augustus Pablo, and plenty of spiritual guidance from co-producer Haile Selassie! Pablo adds in plenty of melodica and keyboard lines next to the tightly ... LP, Vinyl record album (Reggae LP)
Fontana/Sam Records (France), 1958. 2LP Gatefold (reissue)
A crucial live set from Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers – recorded in Paris during that formative year of 1958, when Art was starting to put together the lineup that would make the Messengers a legend! Both the young Lee Morgan and Bobby Timmons are in the group, on trumpet and piano ... LP, Vinyl record album (Jazz LP)

Augustus Pablo

Earth's Rightful Ruler
Message/Onlyroots (France), 1983. (reissue)
A righteous roots reggae set from the great Augustus Pablo – a record that's definitely filled with the sense of spiritual guidance he brought to some of his best albums at the time! The man himself plays all sorts of cool melodica solos, and also handles piano and organ too – with ... LP, Vinyl record album (Reggae LP)
Amy/Charly (UK), 1966. (reissue)
A stunning album of raw New Orleans soul – recorded by the great Lee Dorsey, with production by Allen Toussaint and Marshall Sehorn! The record falls in the same camp as The Meters – and although Dorsey's work has vocals, the choppy instrumental backing is pure Crescent City all the ... LP, Vinyl record album (Soul LP)

Mammal Hands

Gift From The Trees
Gondwana (UK), 2023.
A beautiful musical gift from Mammal Hands – and, like their previous records, a set that's instrumental, but only partly in the world of jazz – as the group have a fantastic ear for a melody, and and create this really magical flow that illuminates the lovely tunes at the core! ... CD (Jazz CD)
Spring/BGP (UK), Late 70s/Early 80s. 2LP
An instant party in a single package – a set that brings together a whole host of rare singles from back in the day – all work that's almost an equal blend of old school funk and early hip hop! The work here comes from the Spring label and related Posse imprint – a company who ... LP, Vinyl record album (Hip Hop LP)
Astral Spirits, 2023.
Really beautiful sounds from this great little group – an ensemble who definitely seem to evoke some of the organic qualities of the forest, while also moving between melodic moments and freer, almost windblown levels of sonic expression! At the core is the amazing Chad Taylor on drums ... LP, Vinyl record album (Jazz LP)

Domenico (Domenico Lancellotti)

Sramba
Mais Um Discos (UK), 2023.
One of the darkest albums we've ever heard from Domenico – very different than his collaborations with Kassin and Moreno Veloso! The sound here has a lot more electronics and distortion – not unfamiliar with other records on the Mais Um Discos label, but a bit different than some of ... LP, Vinyl record album (Brazil LP)

Free Music & Najib Alhoush

Free Music – Part 1
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 ... CD (Global Grooves CD)
Hikeka/Now Again, 1973. 2LP Gatefold (reissue)
A righteous underground soul classic from Del Jones – message-oriented funk at its best! Jones is working here in the spirit of some of the best locally-crafted indie outings of the time – like work by Mike James Kirkland, Oneness Of Juju, The Pharoahs, and other important righteous ... LP, Vinyl record album (Soul LP)

Hitomi Penny Tohyama

Sexy Robot
Columbia/Lawson (Japan), 1983. (reissue)
There's a sexy robot pictured on the cover, but the real guiding force of this sweet little set might be producer Hikaru Flash Kanematsu – who we can always thank for adding a bit more groove to the mix! The set was issued in Japan, but has a tight 80s soul groove that's like some of the ... LP, Vinyl record album (Japanese LP)

Skinny Pelembe

Hardly The Same Snake
Partisan, 2023.
There's a slight 8-bit look to the cover image here, and that also follows through in some of the music too – a nice shift from the previous album from this wonderfully enigmatic singer – an artist who's got a very fresh vision for the future of soul! The tunes are catchy, and often ... CD (Neo Soul CD)

Isao Suzuki

Blue Road
Days Of Delight (Japan), 1975.
Really great work from Japanese bassist Isao Suzuki – a live performance recorded right at the same time as his groundbreaking albums for the Three Blind Mice label – and maybe even more compelling than some of that work! Suzuki, like Ron Carter and a few other key contemporaries, is ... CD (Jazz CD)
Fury/Charly (UK), Early 60s. (reissue)
Amazing early work from Gladys Knight & The Pips – proof that they already had a great thing going long before their later fame on Motown and Buddah! The tracks here were recorded in the early 60s for the Fury record label – and they show the group coming on strong with a very ... LP, Vinyl record album (Soul LP)
De Wolfe/Trunk (UK), Late 60s. Gatefold
A legendary soundtrack from the key years of British gothic horror – music for a film that was creepy enough on its own, but which really got sent over the top with the sounds provided by composer Paul Ferris! Ferris was working with the De Wolfe sound library at the time, but the music is ... LP, Vinyl record album (Soundtracks LP)
Verve/Stoner Hill, 2009. 2LP Gatefold
A really important record in the career of Brian Blade – a set that features him on guitar and vocals, which is quite a change from some of the drum-based work he'd been bringing to jazz music over the years! Yet Blade is always an artist who's hard to peg – in the best way possible ... LP, Vinyl record album (Jazz LP)

Stanislas Tohon

Owhaaou EP
Hot Casa (France), Late 80s.
Four rare tracks from Cotonou singer Stanislas Tohon – all originally issued only as rare singles, and brought together here as a package that represents some of the first global circulation of this work outside his scene! The music is from that time when contemporary electronic modes were ... LP, Vinyl record album (Global Grooves LP)

Jiro Inagaki & His Soul Media

Memory Lane
Sony/Lawson (Japan), 1980. (reissue)
A later date from saxophonist Jiro Inagaki and his Soul Media combo – and a set that has them reworking their older groove in really great way! The style here is more fusion than the big band funk of the group's earlier years – but the overall sound is still equally funky, and nice and ... LP, Vinyl record album (Jazz LP)
Knitting Factory/ORG, 1993. 2LP Gatefold
Legendary jazz drummer William Hooker is in some pretty heady territory here – improvising alongside two different guitarists, both of whom really push the sound in ways that are different than some of Hooker's other records! Thurston Moore provides plenty of freaky sonic fuzz in the first ... LP, Vinyl record album (Jazz LP)
Westbound (UK), 1975. (reissue)
A killer compilation – one that's every bit as wild and wooly as the famous image on the cover! The set came out in the mid 70s, and it's a perfect summation of all the greatness that Funkadelic had given the group in just a few short years – their brilliant way of blending together ... LP, Vinyl record album (Soul LP)
Columbia/Legacy, 2023.
The electric years of Miles Davis have left a huge legacy in music – one that's referenced again and again, and continually revisited by generations of musicians, both young and old! Here, that legacy gets some especially nice treatment – by a group of artists who include some key ... LP, Vinyl record album (Jazz LP)
Blue Note, 1963. (reissue)
A rare session as a leader from trumpeter Johnny Coles – a player who cut some great work in the groups of James Moody and Gil Evans, but who shines even more brightly on this classic Blue Note album! Coles really has an ear for finding the hippest side of his instrument – and he blows ... LP, Vinyl record album (Jazz LP)
RCA/Light In The Attic, 1972. Gatefold (reissue)
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 ... LP, Vinyl record album (Vocalists LP)

People's Pleasure with Alive & Well

Do You Hear Me Talkin To You (Japanese pressing)
Brownstone/P-Vine (Japan), 1976. (reissue)
A very cool combo from the LA scene of the 70s – a tight funky group, topped with two female soul singers – all working together in a style that's got a wonderful mixture of warmer edges and grittier sounds at the core! The two female singers really give the set a unique vibe – ... LP, Vinyl record album (Soul LP)
Wonderful World/Lawson (Japan), 2023. 2LP Gatefold
A mighty nice set of tracks from the contemporary Japanese scene – a tribute to years of great work by the Wonderful World label, served up here in a mix of covers and unusual tunes done just for the project! Styles cover a nice range – there's some jazzy bits, clubby moments, and ... LP, Vinyl record album (Japanese LP)

Joy

Joy
Cadillac (UK), 1976.
An album that really lives up to its title – as the set bristles with upbeat, joyous energy throughout – in a fantastic criss-crossing of players from different global scenes, all cooking together in the cultural hotbed of 70s London! The record's got some echoes of the Brotherhood Of ... LP, Vinyl record album (Jazz LP)
Hanaiia/P-Vine (Japan), 1979.
Rare Hawaii soul from the end of the 70s – an album that's a great extension of the sunny sound heard previously from Lemuria! Babadu's got a gently grooving glow that's right up there with the Free Soul sound of years back – an approach that's smooth, but not in commercial or chart ... CD (Soul 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 ... CD (Funky Compilations CD)

Sauveur Mallia

Spatial & Co Vol 2
Tele Music/Be With (UK), 1979. (reissue)
French space disco legend Sauveur Mallia is right in the same territory here as his work in the group Arpadys – mixing funky rhythms with cosmic touches, and serving things up with a groove that was years ahead of its time! The basslines and keyboards are great – very warm overall, ... LP, Vinyl record album (Sound Library LP)
Abkco, 1971. (reissue)
A unique western soundtrack – written for a strange early 70s Italian film that featured Ringo Starr! Composer Stelvio Cipriani didn't score as many westerns as some of his Italian contemporaries, and that fact makes for a really unique approach to the genre here – one that breaks past ... LP, Vinyl record album (Soundtracks LP)

Grey October Sounds

Lo-Fi City Pop
P-Vine (Japan), 2023.
A sweet little record that definitely offers up what it promises in the title – a lower-fi version of the Japanese city pop sound from years back, yet one that's also nicely inflected with some of the hip hop elements that Grey October Sounds use in their music! The image on the cover is ... CD (Japanese CD)
Lost Recordings (Netherlands), 1958.
Never-heard live work from Dave Brubeck's legendary quartet – recorded overseas right at the time they were first breaking big on Columbia Record – and with a creative modern energy that shows them right about to leap into Time Out territory! The tunes here are mostly familiar, but ... CD (Jazz 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 ... CD (Rock CD)

Juju (Oneness Of Juju)

Message From Mozambique
Black Fire/Strut, 1974. (reissue)
The first album by the group that later went on to become Oneness Of Juju! The album was recorded with a group that featured Plunky Nakabinde and Lon Moshe on reeds and percussion – plus Babatunde on congas and drums – and the overall sound is very much in kind of an Art Ensemble Of ... LP, Vinyl record album (Jazz LP)

Swing Family (Sauveur Mallia)

Music Force
Tele Music/Be With (UK), 1985. (reissue)
A full on funky set from French maestro Sauveur Mallia – a record that mixes his own work on bass, keyboards, electronics, and samples with some slight touches over the top on trumpet, trombone, and saxophone too! The style is definitely a lot more 80s than some of Mallia's 70s work – ... LP, Vinyl record album (Sound Library LP)
Legend/P-Vine (Japan), 1976.
A really unusual set from the Twin Cities scene in the 70s – an obscure album from singer Ernie Story – who comes across with a lot of blue-eyed soul in his vocals, and works in this blend of dark-tinged acoustic elements and funk – maybe somewhere in the territory of more famous ... CD (Rock CD)

Millie Jackson

Millie Jackson (1972)
Spring/Southbound (UK), 1972. (reissue)
The tremendous debut of the great Millie Jackson – a new standard-setting deep soul record for the 70s, and one that's quite different than some of Jackson's work from later years! The record's got a heartbreaking southern female soul approach – similar to work by underground favorites ... LP, Vinyl record album (Soul LP)

Daniel Bingert

Ariba
Moserobie (Sweden), 2023.
One of the most unusual albums we've ever heard on the Moserobie label – and that's saying a lot, given the groundbreaking material the Swedish imprint has given us for almost 20 years! Daniel Bingert heads up a group that's very heavy on reed interplay, on a set of tunes that are Monkish at ... CD (Jazz CD)

Alain Pierre

Des Morts
Finders Keepers (UK), 1979.
A wonderfully strange mix of electronics and sounds from around the planet – as Alain Pierre uses field recordings from Thailand and Mexico, then mixes them with these really special creations of his own! Some of the other recordings are presented almost whole, but with some augmentation in ... LP, Vinyl record album (Soundtracks LP)
Impulse, 1967. Gatefold (reissue)
A key moment in the career of Hungarian guitarist Gabor Szabo – a player who'd already been making some great music in the group of Chico Hamilton, but who really cemented his reputation with the sound on this set! Right from the start, Gabor was always a guitarist with something very new, ... LP, Vinyl record album (Jazz LP)
Sussex/Legacy, 1973. 2LP Gatefold
A brilliant double live album by Bill Withers – different than his studio work, and every bit as essential! The album's similar to Curtis Mayfield's double live album around the same time – in that it's got Bill in front of a very enthusiastic crowd, playing in a stripped down way that ... LP, Vinyl record album (Soul LP)

Meirelles E Os Copa 5

O Novo Som (SHMCD pressing)
Philips/Universal (Japan), 1965.
Landmark work by one of the greatest Brazilian jazz groups ever! This mid 60s gem is the second release by sax player JT Meirelles and his legendary Copa 5 combo – a killer group that featured Eumir Deodato on piano, Edison Machado on drums, Roberto Menescal on guitar, Manoel Gusmao on bass, ... CD (Brazil CD)
Cellar Live, 1972. 2CD
A searing live performance from Hammond legend Shirley Scott – much more on fire and longspun than her work in the 60s on Prestige Records – and an amazing showcase for the bold tenor talents of the great George Coleman! Coleman's always one of those players who seems to hit an extra ... CD (Jazz CD)

If you're ever in Chicago, be sure to visit our Chicago record store!
1120 N Ashland Ave Chicago, IL 60622
Open 10am–6pm daily.
All the great stuff appears here at our online record store first — but if you shop locally, you'll also get a chance to handle the goods before you buy!

We buy new and used LPs, 45s, vinyl records, and CDs

in the store by appointment only.

We pay top prices for older jazz, soul, funk, hip hop, and other genres in good shape!


See why Dusty Groove is consistently rated one of Chicago's Best Record Stores!
Updated June 02, 2023


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