Butcher Brown move past their roots as a core funk combo here – opening the door to contributions from a whole host of guests, and moving even more strongly into the world of soul music than on their album with Triple Trey! There's an expansive sound here that seems to have the hardworking outfit finally getting their chance at more mainstream fame – not in a commercial way, but at a level that just opens up with the energies they've always had, given focus through contributions from Braxton Cook, Keyon Harrold, Jay Prince, Vanisha Gold, Julia Shuren, Nappy Nina, Pink Siifu, and others – on titles that include "This Side Of Sunshine", "Happy Hourrr", "Around For Awhile", "Pink Fur", "Run It Up", "Espionage", "I can Say To You", "Move (Ride)", "Turismo"- "Eye Never Knew", "Half Of It", "No Way Around It", and "DYKWYD". CD

A mighty tribute to the music of John Lee Hooker – a set that's got a nice batch of work from his important early years, and is especially heavy on Vee Jay Records material – and one that also includes tracks from his later recordings too! The first three CDs here are the meat of the package – as they feature studio work from the early Detroit years onwards, including some tracks recorded with Texas Slim and Delta John, and many more under Hooker's own name too. CD 4 is all live material, and includes a number of unissued tracks – and the final CD features collaborations with The Groundhogs, Canned Heat, Eddie Kirkland, BB King, and others. The whole thing's packaged in a beautiful book-style design – with 54 pages of rare photos and new liner notes – and even if you've got other John Lee Hooker material in your collection, there's still plenty here to love! 100 tracks in all – 8 previously unissued. CD

Keyon Harrold continues his rise from standard jazz into the realm of soulful superstar – working here with a great array of guests, and also creating a sound that's a fantastic blend of his own work on trumpet and some larger currents of soul and R&B! At some level, the record's almost Harrold's equivalent of the Black Radio projects from pianist Robert Glasper – and maybe no surprise, Glasper's in the lineup of guests here – alongside Laura Mvula, PJ Morton, Common, Jean Baylor, and others – all participants who find just the right spot in the music, yet leave plenty of room for Keyon to blow some solos in a way that mark his role as the visionary leader of the proceedings. Titles include "Beautiful Day", "Well Walk Now", "Don't Lie", "Foreverland", "Find Your Peace", "Gotta Go", "Pictures", and "The Intellectual". CD

A heady set from these two longtime funk legends – Eric Krasno on guitar and Stanton Moore on drums – working in a tight trio that also features Eric Finland on Hammond, Wurlitzer, and Mellotron – all in a sharply soulful groove that definitely lives up to the legacy of both players! Krasno has a nicely sharp edge at times, which really rings out wonderfully in the lean setting – and although the trio get a few guest visits from Cory Henry, Branford Marsalis, and Robert Randolph, we like them best on their own. Titles include "Stay High", "Lost Cause", "Fever", "Nobody's Baby", "Carried Away", "I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free", and "A Natural Woman". CD

A mighty jazzy Christmas from the Count Basie Orchestra – already great on their own in an instrumental mode – but joined here by a few different singers, including Carmen Bradford, Ledisi, and Johnny Mathis – all of whom add a little extra sparkle to the tunes! Pianist Ellis Marsalis also gets plenty of time in the spotlight – stretching out in the lead on piano on a few tunes, in a mode that recalls Basie's vamping in years past – and titles include "Let It Snow", "It's The Holiday Season", "Good Swing Wenceslas", "Winter Wonderland", "The Christmas Song", "Sleigh Ride", "Little Drummer Boy", and "Have Yourself A Merry Christmas". CD

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 recognize that you're in very genre-breaking territory – a world past conventional jazz, served up with contributions from Nubya Garcia and Shabaka Hutchings on saxes and flute, Theon Cross on tuba, Nikolaj Torp Larsen on electronics and melodica, Raven Bush on violin and electronics, Dave Okumu on guitar, Benji B on turntables and "sonic recycling", and Tom Skinner and Dan See on drums and percussion. The set was put together by Martin Terefe, who also plays guitar in the group – and the whole thing really takes off from early 70s Miles electric territory, on titles that include "Raven Flies Low", "Morning Prayers", "Bassics", "Miles Chases New Voodoo In The Church", and "London Brew". CD

A never-issued studio session from the 70s – one that has Stan Getz working with a really superb group that includes Joanne Brackeen on electric and acoustic piano, Niels Henning Orsted Pedersen on bass, and Billy Hart on drums – all exploring the kind of territory that we loved on Stan's classic mid 70s albums on Columbia! The set's on Steeplechase, but this isn't one of those EU live albums with long takes of standards – and instead, the group have a warm, intimate, really cohesive style that's completely great – almost a bridge between Stan's Captain Marvel album and the Concord sessions to come. Titles include some really great song choices – versions of Milton Nascimento's "Cancao Do Sal" and Kenny Wheeler's "Quiso" – plus the classic tune "Litha" by Chick Corea, which Stan recorded so wonderfully in the past. Other titles include "Blue Serge", "I Remember Clifford", and "Lady Sings The Blues". CD features three bonus alternate takes too! CD

Bassist Ray Brown steps out here on two different sessions recorded in Tokyo – each issued as separate albums, and recorded almost two years apart – but with the same group, and a very unified vibe! The spirit here is a lot like some of Brown's best work on Concord Records, both as a sideman and a leader – and the performances feature key Concord associates Gene Harris on piano and Jeff Hamilton on drums – yet the setting is nicely different, recorded with a style that changes things up from Concord, and maybe a bit more bite in the music overall. 2CD set features 18 titles in all – and tracks include "Days Of Wine & Roses", "I Thought About You", "Ain't Misbehavin", "My Romance", "Caravan", "All Blues", "Flying Home", "When You Wish Upon A Star", and "How Insensitive". CD