Doug Sahm in the studio is already pretty darn great – as you'll know from his Sir Douglas Quintet albums – but live, he's maybe even more amazing – as he really opens up with a personal style that showcases all those mixes of modes from the Texas roots that helped make him one of the most unique figures in rock and roll! The first CD here features Sahm working in a live setting in Philly in 1973 – a well-recorded set that has all sorts of slices of his already-long career coming into play in a really great way. Titles on that set include "San Antone", "I'm Glad For Your Sake", "She's About A Mover", "Are Inlaws Really Outlaws", "The Rains Came", "Wolverton Mountain", and "Mendocino". The second set here is even better – recorded in Houston with a nicely gritty edge – very much the kind of confident south Texas setting that has Sahm setting fire to everything that drives him! Titles include "Texas Tornado", "Rain Rain", "At The Crossroads", "Wasted Days & Wasted Nights", "Papa Ain't Salty", and "Georgia". CD

Includes tracks by the Byrds, Mamas & the Papas, Beach Boys, Tommy James & the Shondells, the Knickerbockers, Lou Christie, Paul Revere & the Raiders, the Capitols, and Los Bravos – 22 tracks total. CD

Brazilian grooves all over the place – and a wonderful assortment of tunes from the Warner, Atlantic, and Elektra vaults of the 60s and 70s! The set list goes way past the pop-bossa numbers that you might think from the cover, which is a cop from an old Atlantic compilation of the 60s – and includes some lesser-known tracks cooked up in Brazil during the 70s, as well as some of their American counterparts. Titles include "Celebration Suite" by Airto, "Jive Samba" by Jon Hendricks, "Eu Bebo Sim" by Osmar Milito, "Mr Funky Samba" by Banda Black Rio, "From The Lonely Afternoon" by Flora Purim, "Mas Que Nada" by Ella Fitzgerald, "Upa Neguinho (live)" by Elis Regina, "Tim Tim Por Tim Tim" by Joao Gilberto, "Crickets Sing For Anamaria (inst)" by Marcos Valle, "Manha De Carnival" by Louie Ramirez, "Barsanova Brown" by Eddie Cano, "Batuque" by Marcos Valle, and "Maria Fumaca" by Banda Black Rio. CD

Featuring artists Elmore Jones, Buddy Guy, T Bone Walker, Joe Turner, Tampa red and others. 25 tracks total! CD

Music from The Honeycombs, The Supremes, The Dixie Cups, Don Covay, The Murmaids, Roy Orbison, The Kingsmen, The Shangri-Las, The Impressions, Maxine Brown, The Beach Boys, The Searchers, The Reflections, and more - 22 tracks in all. CD

Music fromBarry McGuire, Fontella Bass, Len Barry, The Beach Boys, The Beau Brummels, The Miracles, The Kinks, Martha And The Vandellas, Roy Head, The Ad Libs, Otis Redding, The Byrds, and more - 22 songs in all. CD

An assortment of tracks recorded together under the Downbeat name, but which was really designed to showcase the budding jazz talents on late 50s Dot Records! The set kicks off with a big band, Basie-ish number – "Blues Over Easy", performed by Manny Alban and jazz greats that include Nick Travis, Gene Quill, and Jerome Richardson. Next up is the Tony Scott quintet with Jimmy Knepper – on a version of "Scrapple From The Apple" – followed by 2 tracks by Steve Allen – one trio, one with a quartet with Georgie Auld – "Rose Room" and "The Fast Thing In C". Paul Horn follows up with "Give Me The Simple Life" – and the set's completed by "Dougy's Buggy" performed by the Don Elliott Quintet, with Elliott on trumpet and vibes, plus bass clarinet by Hal McKusick. CD

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Music from Miklos Rosza, Max Steiner, Adolph Deutsch, David Raksin, Roy Webb, George Bassman, Andre Previn, Paul Sawtell, Anthony Collins, and more – plus loads of great dialogue from the films! CD

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

Mad sounds from the late 60s world of Japanese pop – a mindblowing, ear-opening batch of singles we never would have gotten our hands on otherwise! The music here feels like sounds coming out of some backroom jukebox in a Nikkatsu "new action" film – or maybe the kind of offbeat pop that Quentin Tarantino might throw into a soundtrack – but there's also a much deeper range of sounds going on than you might expect, with wonderfully clever instrumentation, and lots of surprisingly heartfelt passages in the vocals! And sure, the language might be a barrier – but there's a really universal sense of appeal to this music – a variant of 60s soul and pop, focused through a different sort of lense – and the instrumentation alone is great – with wicked guitars, Hammond, and other garagey touches! As usual with Ace, the whole thing's supported with nicely detailed notes that tell the whole story behind these wonderful lost gems (we like this one even better than the fab first volume) – and titles include "Namida No Go Go" by Emy Jackson & Blue Comets, "Koi Gurui" by Chiyo Okumura, "Tokyo No Hito" by The Peanuts, "Warui Kuse" by Kazumi Yasui, "Boy & Girl" by Akiko Wada, "Namida No Mori No Monogatari" by Akiko Nakamura, "Saike Na Machi" by Reiko Mari, "Bazazz No 1" by Kayoko Ishuu, and "Furi Furi 5" by Linda Yamamoto. CD

A batch of rare Northern Soul – featuring a whole bunch of numbers we've never seen before – floor shaking numbers by solo singers & groups such asJesse Davis, Jimmy Holiday, Brenton Wood, The Hytones, The Gypsies, The Tiaras and many more! You probably don't need us to tell you that Kent Records UK has been digging deep for the mightiest and most sought after Northern Soul singles they could find for their impeccable series of compilations – and they go above and beyond once again with this one. Great stuff with solid notes and put together with care and affection! 24 tracks in all: "Hang On In There Girl (Inst)" by The Jesse Davis Band, "Try My Love" by Troy Dodds, "Black Mother Goose" by Sam Nesbit, "Queen Of Losers" by Eleanor Rigby, "Hook, Line And Sinker" by San Greer, "Deeper" by The Cheques, "There's Room For Me" by Jesse Davis, "Just A Fool" by Jerry Ganey and more. CD

A huge collection of work handled by producer Alvin GG Ranglin – initially a member of The Maytones, but an artist who gave a much stronger contribution to Jamaican music through his work in the studio! GG may not be as legendary a name as some of the other producers from the time, but as this set shows, his top-shelf work was a key part of the sound of early reggae – served up here in a massive amount of cuts issued by Trojan at the start of the 70s, 16 of which appear here on CD for the first time ever! As usual with Doctor Bird, not only is the track selection great, the whole thing is supported with really detailed notes that offer up the full story behind the music and the man who created it – in a package of 48 tracks in all, with work from The Slickers, Maytones, Ethiopians, Invaders, Cynthia & Irving, Maxie & Glen, Jah Huntley, Dennis Alcapone, Trevor Brown, Charlie Ace, Cynthia Richards, and others. CD

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One of John Barry's first true moments of genius – recorded back when he was the leader of a fab little instrumental combo called the John Barry 7, and was tagged to do some soundtrack work that would forever change the rest of his career! The album's got some incredible instrumental tunes that mix electric guitar and beatnik jazz in a mode that's keeping with the juvenile delinquent theme of the film – with some strings sneaking in to cheese things up a bit, but in a great way that only makes the tunes sound even better! Adam Faith sings vocals on "The Beat Girl Song", "Made You", and "I Did What You Told Me" – and other tunes include "Blues For Beatnicks", "Blondie's Strip", "Beat Girl", "Time Out", "The Sharks", and "The City 2000 AD". This El UK edition includes bonus tracks by Gillian Hills, The John Barry Sound and Adam Faith. CD

A completely righteous mix of jazz and African percussion – put together by drummer Art Blakey at a time when he was riding high with the Jazz Messengers, but also was willing to work on great experiments like this! The album's years ahead of its time – and arguably opens the door for countless spiritual jazz projects like this in the 70s, more proof that Blakey was a groundbreaking artist who was always opening doors for others! Blakey's own work on drums is joined by percussion from Montego Joe, Chief Bey, Garvin Masseux, James Ola, Folami, Robert Crowder, and Solomon Ilori – the last of whom would record his own record for Blue Note – and the rest of the group features Yusef Lateef on flute and tenor, Curtis Fuller on trombone, and the great Ahmed Abdul-Malik on bass – a great choice for the record, given that he was mixing together similar modes on his own records of the time. Titles include "Tobi Ilu", "Love, The Mystery Of", and "Obirin African". CD

Creative sounds from alto saxophonist Steve Coleman – working here with his Five Elements group, at a time that was one of his most productive! The group have an angular sort of swing – a style that certainly grows out of some more exploratory moments in 80s mainstream jazz, yet which here comes across with a warmer, more acoustic feel overall – never nearly as bogged down by some of the too academic moments that could hold back some of their contemporaries, or even Coleman at some earlier moments. Rhythms are stiff, but still nice and warm – thanks to drums from Gene Lake – and in addition to Steve's alto, the group also features piano from Andy Milne, bass from Reggie Washington, and a bit of tenor from Ravi Coltrane. Titles include "Dogon", "Flint", "Veritable Pedagogy", "The Khu", "Pad That", and "Multiplicity Of Approaches". CD

A fantastic album from Sonny Criss! The record is one of his excellent late 60s "comeback" sides for Prestige – and it features incredibly solid, confident, and hard alto solos, blown with a tremendous amount of imagination. Bob Cranshaw and Alan Dawson provide excellent rhythm accompaniment, and Cedar Walton's a genius on piano, providing just the right touches to give the album a sense of mature whimsy that makes the selection of tracks work perfectly in a jazz setting. There's a lot of room here, and him and Sonny intertwine constantly in a beautiful lyrical way that never gets too sentimental. Titles include "Ode To Billie Joe", "Somewhere My Love", "The Beat Goes On", and "Georgia Rose". CD

A classic set of sample-heavy wizardry from Edan – and a record that's every bit as psychedelic as you might expect from the cover! There's plenty of great psych flourishes in the samples, grounded in some heavy breakbeats that keep things on tracks – while the rhythms mix touches of madness and genius, with tongue twists that pay homage and blast forward simultaneously. Guests include Mr Lif, Insight, and Percee-P – and titles include "Funky Voltron", "I See Colours", "Torture Chamber", "Promised Land", "Time Outt", "Fumbling Over Words That Rhyme", "Making Planets", "Murder Mystery", "Rock & Roll", and "Smile". CD

Masters At Work have always had a talent for making wonderful club numbers that maintain the flavor of the source, like this batucada derived groover, with some nice percolating MAW touches and a rich, bouncy vocal melody. The other 2 numbers, Otto's "Bob" and Tenoria Junior's "Nebulosa" provide a wonderful counterpoint to the heavier club groove with their breezy vibe. CD

We always like the work of Ulysses Owens Jr on drums, but we might love it even more here – as Owens works as a leader at the head of a group of young, bright musicians who really live up to the new beat promise of the title! The songs are full of life and imagination – bursting forth with bright colors and a warm range of expression, as the group stretches out on longer performances that shift effortlessly between combo voicing and individual solos. Players include Sarah Hanahan on alto, Benny Benack and Anthony Hervey on trumpets, Luther Allison on piano, and Philip Norris on bass – and the great Milton Suggs sings on one cut, "Heart Full Of Rhythm". Owens is dynamic throughout – and titles include "London Towne", "Better Days", "Bird Lives", "Helen's Song", and "Soulful". CD

A deep deep look at a side of the British 60s scene that didn't always make big waves here in the US – but one that had a huge influence on UK sounds for years to come! The mighty book-like package documents the rich stream of sounds that exploded during the beat group years – a moment that was partly graced by some of the names that we'd know here as the Brit Invasion, but which soon moved off into much more expansive sounds that include mod moments, freakbeat grooves, and a fair bit of tunes influenced by American jazz and soul! The 6CD set features a whopping 165 tracks in all, plus a huge booklet of notes – and a number of the tracks are pulled from the Pye Records catalog – one of the most important Brit labels of the period – but the set also includes lot of bits from elsewhere too. Includes work by The Rogers, Marmalade, The Baskervilles, The Web, The Mighty Atoms, Glenda Collins, The Mike Stuart Span, Bobbi Rio & The Revelles, Carl Wayne & The Vikings, The Mike Cotton Sound, Ray Singer, Marilyn Powell, Just Four Men, Twinkle, Tony Jackson, The Cops N Robbers, Major Rowley, Paddy Klaus & Gibson, David Bowie & The Lower Third, The Lancastrians, New Faces, The Limeys, Mick & Malcolm, Kind, Episode Six, and many others! CD

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A great Tony Bennett LP – very different than others from the time (or any time!) in that the format pairs the master vocalist with the "who's who" of drummers and percussionists of the late 50s – including Art Blakey, Jo Jones, Candido, and Sabu. The sound is as majestic and crashing as you'd imagine, and cuts include "Let's Begin", "Love For Sale", "Crazy Rhythm", and "Let's Face the Music and Dance". A great LP, and one of his best. If you've ever doubted Tony's committment to jazz, check this one out, and be pleasantly surprised! CD

8 records across 4 discs! Included in this collection: The Big Beat, The Witch Doctor, Meet You At The Jazz Corner Of The World Volumes 1&2, The Freedom Rider, Mosaic, 3 Blind Mice and The African Beat. CD

londie had a lot to live up to after Parallel Lines, but they pulled it off here – Eat To The Beat is another classic! Downtown cool, a strong sense of pop history and tight production by Mike Chapman make for a really distinct sound on this one. Standouts include the excellent opener "Dreaming" (one of the finest Harry/Stein songs ever, if you ask us), the punky title track, "Union City Blue" and "Accidents Never Happen", and while Blondie albums are by nature hit-and-miss given the fearless mish-mash of styles they always brought in, the whole thing is pretty great! Other tracks include "Shayla", "Die Young Stay Pretty" and "Living In The Real World". CD

Includes 41 tracks on 2 CDs. CD

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2 jazzy gems from Michel Legrand – back to back on a single CD! Michel Legrand Big Band Plays Richard Rodgers is a pretty wonderful album by Legrand – way better than you'd guess from the title! Sure, the tunes are mostly numbers by Richard Rodgers, but Legrand handles them here with the best of his soundtrack skills – really opening them up with some amazingly deft arrangements, and working with a stellar set of American jazz players to give the tunes a sound that's as jazzy as possible – and swinging them with the inherent lyricism that always makes us love his music! Players are a great lineup – with Clark Terry and Ernie Royal on trumpets, Urbie Green and Bob Brookmeyer on trombones, Paul Gonsalves on tenor, Jerry Dodgion and Phil Woods on alto, Julious Watkins on French horn, Gary Burton on vibes, and Tommy Flanagan and Hank Jones on piano. Titles include "This Can't Be Love", "Falling In Love With Love", "Bali Hai", "Have You Met Miss Jones", "There's A Small Hotel", and "The Lady Is A Tramp". On the second album, Broadway is the beat, but the sound has plenty of Parisian touches, too – thanks to arrangements from the mighty Michel Legrand! Legrand's in a mode here that's somewhere between his earliest soundtracks, and the European-themed records he cut for Columbia in the late 50s – styles that are a bit more warm and sentimental than in later years, with evocative elements designed to coax the Broadway-based listener out on a voyage across the Atlantic! Strings are relatively full, and sometimes used with great dynamic energy – and titles include "Bewitched", "There's A Boat Dat's Leavin Soon For New York", "Old Devil Moon", "With A Little Bit Of Luck", "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes", and "Yesterdays". CD

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Fuzzed-out groovy 60s tunes – very mod, hip, and out of this world! These tasty little gems are pulled from obscure Italian soundtracks – very nicely collected in this fab package, with an ear-popping sound that includes great work on organ, guitars, electric harpsichord, and other instrumentation just right for coming up with a Blow Up party mood! Titles include "Discoteque Party" by Piero Umiliani, "Franco Nero Shake (new edit)" by Fred Bongusto, "Catherine Spaak Shake (new edit)" by Armando Trovajoli, "Easy Dreamer" by Piero Piccioni, "I Baronetti" by Alessandro Alessandroni, "Gaby Shake" by Nico Fidenco, and "Black Sheep Shake" by Luis Bacalov. CD

Music from Shorty Ashford, Billy Nix, Bobby Sisco, Chuck Dallis, Harry Carter, Chuck Dallis, Ginnie Carter, Rem Wall, Lorenzo Smith, Mel Kimbrough, Bob Burton, and more. CD

Hard-swinging work from Jimmy Araki – working here in a slightly loose trio format that's really unique for the time! The record features Araki both on piano and alto sax – playing live with George Kawaguchi on drums and Mitsuru Ono on bass – a lineup that cooks with a tremendous amount of fury despite its small size, and which nicely shifts from piano-driven tunes to alto ones. We like the latter most of all – because hearing Araki without a piano is a bit like hearing some of Sonny Rollins' trio sides of the late 50s – and Jimmy's got a really nice edge in his tone that makes these numbers really stand out from the rest! Don't get us wrong, because his piano work is pretty great too – but the snakey saxophone numbers really make the album something special! Titles are all listed in Japanese, but the arrangements are all by Araki. CD

One of the greatest Art Blakey Blue Note sessions of all time – and perhaps one of the greatest to realize the genius of the Jazz Messengers lineup that included Lee Morgan on trumpet, Wayne Shorter on tenor, and Bobby Timmons on piano! The trio of young talents are at the height of their early soulful powers here – working with Blakey and bassist Jymie Merritt in a set of tunes that are overflowing with expressive solos, unusual timings, and the Blakey genius for mixing bold statements with personally introspective moments. Nearly every track on the record's a classic – and titles include an early version of Bobby Timmons' "Dat Dere", plus Wayne Shorter's beautiful tunes "Lester Left Town", "Chess Players", and "Sakeena's Vision". CD

One of the greatest Art Blakey Blue Note sessions of all time – and perhaps one of the greatest to realize the genius of the Jazz Messengers lineup that included Lee Morgan on trumpet, Wayne Shorter on tenor, and Bobby Timmons on piano! The trio of young talents are at the height of their early soulful powers here – working with Blakey and bassist Jymie Merritt in a set of tunes that are overflowing with expressive solos, unusual timings, and the Blakey genius for mixing bold statements with personally introspective moments. Nearly every track on the record's a classic – and titles include an early version of Bobby Timmons' "Dat Dere", plus Wayne Shorter's beautiful tunes "Lester Left Town", "Chess Players", and "Sakeena's Vision". CD

Solidly socking soul from Chicago – a great little set recorded with a really old school feel, but one that's also different than the usual deep funk record! The Uptown Sound have a vibe that's all their own – at one level, a quality that's steeped in classic soul – but at another, with a quality that's strangely offbeat too, almost with an undercurrent of darkness in some of the instrumentation that somehow mixes slight punkish roots into funk! Lead singer JC Brooks follows suit strongly – hitting topics that aren't your usual soul music standards, even though his vocals would be right at home with such fare – and instead, the album's got a range of themes that really keep an edge to the set, of the sort that's bound to find these guys a large audience way outside the usual deep funk underground. JC's a real superstar – even larger on stage, which is a recommendation to catch the group live! Titles include "Love One Another", "Hold You Back", "75 Years Of Art Sex", "How To Stop Loving Someone Who's Stopped Loving You", "He Does The Town", and "Berry Please". CD

Wonderful mellow work from Sam Cooke – and a set that's recorded with a sound that's very much in keeping with the "night beat" that you might expect from the title! In fact, there's not so much a "beat" as a simple easy groove – a gentle sort of "night" feeling, with some piano in the lead on many tracks, and backing by a larger group conducted by Rene Hall – a great setting that lets Cooke hit some of his most soulful moments on record from the time! The album includes many lesser-known Cooke performances – including "Trouble Blues", "You Gotta Move", "Fool's Paradise", "Lost & Lookin", and "Mean Old World". CD

Peven Everett's breakout track! Though this single is credited to and really by new school Chicago producer Roy Davis, Jr, it's most well known around these parts as the first record that Peven really got a chance to shine on, with his soulful vocals nicely adding icing to the sweet, soulful house tracks! CD

Shadow finally returns to release a record under his own name, and believe it or not, it's as much of a pop/rock record as the UNKLE LP was! We're not complaining though, because this one's got a great new wave twist to it, and on the third track of this single, Shadow's back in battle mode, with vocal cut-ups over a slower beat. CD

Slinky Hammond organ grooves and feverish boogaloo soul from Kansas City combo Chris Hazlelton's Boogaloo 7 – their first full length studio set after a series of great singles and live album – totally living up to our high expectations! Hazelton is on the Hammond at the center of the sound, giving it a classic jazz funk foundation – but he's a generous bandleader, giving the group plenty of space to shine – with Pat Conway on conga & percussion, Brett Jackson, Nick Rowland & Zak Pischonotte on saxes, Matt Hopper on guitar, Danny Rojas on drums and others. Titles include a nice take on Melvin Sparks's "Bambu", the Hazleton originals "Fryin' Pan", "Turnin' Up The Burner", "The Basement Beat", "Tru-Galu" plus killer cover of Sharon Jones & The Dap-King's modern classic "100 Days, 100 Nights". CD

A funky sound library gem from Nick Ingman – not to be confused with the other Big Beat records from the KPM label – as this set's got an even sharper, hipper vibe overall! Keyboards are in the lead on most numbers – although they get lots of support from the beats promised in the title – as Fender Rhodes, clavinet, and other keyboards soar out in a range of modes that even includes a few moogy moments that are especially nice! Instrumentation is lean overall, although still with all that strong sense of arrangement that can make even larger groups from these golden British years so great. Lots of funky instrumentals throughout – with titles that include "Strike", "Down Home", "Thrust", "Snatch", "Trip Wire", "Overtone", "Smooth", "Long Line", "Throng", and "Orgy". CD

A very nice small combo album from Peggy Lee – singing here with live backings by the George Shearing Quintet, in a style that's very different from a lot of her other work for Capitol! The set's got a slight Latin feel, thanks to George's mix of percussion, vibes, piano, and guitar – and Peggy's never sounded better, stepping out strongly on tunes that include "Do I Love You", "Get Out Of Town", "There'll Be Another Spring", and "Mambo In Miami". Features 2 bonus tracks. CD

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Ubiquity's first volume of tracks from some of best underground producers of the 90s – thirteen spooky turgid tracks from the likes of Q-Burns, DJ Wally & Swingsett, Molasses, Mumbles, The Sharpshooters, Bugs, and Cut Chemist. This stuff kicked a lot of these guys off, and it's still a good American counterpart to things like the Headz comp on MoWax. CD

A great colleciton – spoken word material, hip singers, and more – with tracks from Jack Kerouac, Lord Buckley, Babs Gonzalez, Carl Sandburg, Allen Ginsberg, Del Close, Dizzy Gillespie, William S Burroughs, King Pleasure, Ken Nordine, Langston Hughes, The Gordons, and many more! CD

Cool cuts from 60s Spain – all pulled from a musical moment when the Spanish scene was exploding with the same sort of new female pop energy that was taking place in France and England! Like those more familiar modes of 60s girl pop, the style here is upbeat, groovy, and undeniably powerful – quite a change from some of the bluer, weepier modes of the decade before – and a way of infusing the female voice with new energy through lively arrangements, and great use of jaunty rock styles! Lyrics are in Spanish throughout, but there's a universal appeal to the music that really bridges boundaries – excellent small combo instrumentation, often romping along with a pretty great groove – on titles that include "Creo En Ti" by Rico Durcal, "Corazon Contento" by Marisol, "Si Llegara El Amor" by Rosalia, "Aqui En Mi Nube" by Sonia, "Molino Al Viento" by Los Stop, "Prima O Poi" by Silvana Velsasco, "No Se Por Que" by Massiel, "La Verdad" by Soledad Miranda, "Pon Un Anillo En Mi Dedo" by Las Chic, and "Voy A Pintar Los Paredes Con Tu Nombre" by Los Mismos. CD

A dream of a set from the folks at Numero Group – a special package that digs through all their many collections and archive projects, and comes up with some of the funkiest cuts in the bunch! Unlike some of their other compilations, this one focuses on the groove first – and the groove is nice and funky, hard and gritty, and feels like you're sitting next to the turntable, playing a stack of rare funk 45s, one after the other! Titles include "Function Underground" by We The People, "Jungle" by Young Senators, "Let Me Come Within" by Renaldo Domino, "Iron Leg" by Mickey & The Soul Generation, "Get It Right" by Soul President, "First Thing I Do In The Morning" by Joyce Williams, "Party Time" by Black Soul Express, "Money Won't Save You" by Boscoe, "Everything's Gonna Be Alright" by Robert Moore, "You Made Me Suffer" by Andrew Brown, and "Watch The Dog That Bring The Bone" by Sandy Gaye. CD

If all airports sounded this great, we'd travel all the time! Copenhagen Airport is the 3rd in Rambling's exploration of the best grooves from the current Scandinavian scene – a host of tracks from Deeplay Records of the past few years, served up in a lively mix of soulful house and more abstract numbers! The grooves here are mostly upbeat, but have plenty of warm jazzy touches – that more organic approach to the groove that's made the Scandinavian scene one watch in recent years, and which often has some nice jazz-influenced moments. Titles include "All We Want" by Zion Lockwood, "Bossa Note (Jask's reprise)" by Dalminjo, "The Most Beautiful Boy In Brazil (Physics 2005 rework)" by Physics, "Let The Sun Shine" by John Dahlback, "Get Out Of That Beat (Rurals' midnight flower mix)" by Physics, "Despacito" by Dalminjo featuring Malena, "7AM Sessions (Thiasoul sunrise mix)" by Physics, and "I Am" by Jeff Bennett's Lounge Experience. CD

The bikini beat is a great one here – no simple beach music classics, but a range of mod groovers from the classic years of the Italian soundtrack scene! This volume is heavy on electric elements – fuzzy guitars, keyboards, and more – all filtered nicely through a range of rhythms from the 60s and the 70s – bossa, jazzy, and funky – filled with amazing twists and turns throughout! The double-length collection is a treasure through and through – easily one of the greatest soundtrack sets we could have hoped for. Tracks include "Teresa L'Illusa" by Riz Ortolani, "Malizie Di Venere" by Gianpiero Reverberi, "Spy Chase" by Bruno Nicolai, "Airport Rock" by Barigozzi Group, "Shake 2000" by Piero Piccioni, "Amanda Blues" by Gianni Ferrio, "Un Detective" by Fred Bongusto, "Katmandu" by Piero Piccioni, "Theme" by Armando Trovajoli, and "La Bambolona" by Luis Bacalov. CD

Includes music by Tracy Rogers, Bimbi Worrick, Claire Francis, Angela Deen, The Carolines, Lesley Dawson, Diane Lancaster, Kiki Dee, Lori Balmer, and others – 20 tracks total. CD

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One of the greatest Art Blakey Blue Note sessions of all time – and perhaps one of the greatest to realize the genius of the Jazz Messengers lineup that included Lee Morgan on trumpet, Wayne Shorter on tenor, and Bobby Timmons on piano! The trio of young talents are at the height of their early soulful powers here – working with Blakey and bassist Jymie Merritt in a set of tunes that are overflowing with expressive solos, unusual timings, and the Blakey genius for mixing bold statements with personally introspective moments. Nearly every track on the record's a classic – and titles include an early version of Bobby Timmons' "Dat Dere", plus Wayne Shorter's beautiful tunes "Lester Left Town", "Chess Players", and "Sakeena's Vision". CD features a bonus take on "It's Only A Paper Moon". CD

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A smoking third volume in this mighty look at the Peruvian cumbia scene of the 70s – music that often shares the same blend of guitar, percussion, and keyboards that makes some of the chica grooves from that time so great! The music here maybe owes a bit more to Latin sounds from up north, but the overall execution is very strongly in the modes put forth by Peruvian labels and producers at the time – often with great use of echo, especially in the guitar lines and keyboards – which make things sound very different than anything coming from Colombia or New York at the time! Yet there's also plenty of salsa elements at play here, too – the kind of percussive interplay that might be driving a Cuban or Puerto Rican combo – but nicely different in this setting too. Titles include "Chola Ingrata" by Los Ecos, "Manzana Verde" by Los Tantos, "El Saltamontes" by Silvestre Montez Y Sus Guantanameros, "La Manzanita" by Los Gitanos, "Descarga Oriental" by Los Orientales De Paramonga, "Larga Espera" by Los Sanders De Nana, "Lamento Moyobambino" by Sonido Verde De Moyobamba, and "La Narajadita" by Grupo Siglo XX. CD

An excellent compilation of jazzy grooves from the great Ricky Tick label – featuring tracks from Five Corners Quintet, Timo Lassey, Jukka Eskola, Auteur Jazz, Stance Brothers, Povo and others –some of the best material from Ricky Tick albums to date, plus hard to find vinyl only releases and other hard-to-find bits! The set certainly glows with jazz heat, no one would argue to the contrary, from hard swinging classic sounds, to more Latin and bossa influenced numbers, and some more moody material, all down played with passion and produced with a lively immediacy. 13 tracks in all: "Early Move" by Timo Lassey, "Skinny Dipping" by Five Corners Quintet, "Serenata" by LTC, "Three Corners" (Nicola Conte's Sahib's Samba version) by Five Corners Quintet, "Athatoolagooloo" by Astro Can Caravan, "City Blues" by Povo, "Chip 'n' Charge" by Jukka Eskola, "Once Upon A Summertime" by Olli Ojajarvi Trio and more. CD

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 tracks here are the sorts you might hear blasting out of car radios or bluetooth speakers late into the night – lean, percussion heavy, and done with a mix of electric and acoustic instrumentation, live vocals and samples – borrowing some key elements from hip hop production at times, yet serving up a sound that's uniquely homegrown! The collection is great – one of those ear-opening gems that comes along once in awhile – and titles include "Tu Daana" by Sammy, "Zoom Koom" by FCL, "Mam Dola Yine" by Joseph, "Guys Boys" by Designer, "Agana Sela Tufu Malla" by Ramond, "Life Is A Mission" by Prince Buju, "Guru Anowuu" by Fadester, and "9090" by Awudu. CD

Amazing sounds from Peru – the kind of really mindblowing music that will grab your ears, no matter where you're from – and really knock you over with a weird and wonderful blend of styles! The rhythms definitely have some of the cumbia promised in the title, most of these numbers are electrified, and touched with plenty of influence from 60s instrumental and psychedelic rock – a special blend cooked up down in Peru, and originally issued on labels like Dimsa and Infopesa – beautifully collected here in a stunning set of tracks that are presented with richly detailed notes on the music! Many numbers are instrumental, but some are vocal too – and the package has a hefty 34 tracks in all, with titles that include "Mi Choza, Mi Chacra Y Mi Mujer" by Manzanita, "Boogaloo Del Perro" by Los Destellos, "Baila Flaquita Baila" by Los Ecos, "Illimana" by Los 5 Palomiullas, "Recordando A Fachin" by Juaneco Y Su Combo, "Sin Exito" by Grupo Celeste, "Selva, Selva" by Juanaco Y Su Combo, "Colegiala" by Los Ilusionistas, "El Panadero" by Los Beta 5, and "Peti Pan" by Los Demonios Del Mantaro. CD