One of the most ambitious albums ever recorded from Clifford Jordan – a totally righteous little effort that was the first installment in the legendary Dolphy Series on the Strata East label! The set has Jordan working with a larger group than usual – an all-star array of players that includes Kenny Dorham and Don Cherry on trumpets, Julian Priester on trombone, Wynton Kelly on piano, Wilbur Ware and Richard Davis on bass, and drums from Roy Haynes, Ed Blackwell, and Albert Heath. The titles are originals by Jordan – long numbers that flow out slowly as they build up new musical ideas – all in a style that's somewhat laidback and spacious, very organic, and a bit like some of the best early 70s Impulse material by Archie Shepp. Album features 4 long tracks – "872", "Vienna", "Doug's Prelude", and "Ouagoudougou". CD

One of the best female soul groups we've heard in years – and one of the few who've really found a way to come up with a fresh new sound of their own! King blend together three singers with this style that's really spacious, and almost cosmic – not too far-out to ever lose the groove, but with a slightly trippy quality that's reflected in the way the group are pictured on the cover. The mode's not traditional R&B harmony, nor typical girl group soul – and instead it's got this righteous sense of flow that bubbles, dips, and soars throughout the entire album – more than enough space for a lead singer to take off when needed, then step back into the wider progression of sound. A real treasure – with titles that include "The Right One", "Red Eye", "Carry On", "Mister Chameleon", "Oh Please", "Native Land", and extended mixes of "Supernatural", "Hey", and "The Story". CD

Akiko Tsuruga on Hammond B3 organ, Eric Johnson on guitar, Vince Ector on drums, and Wilson Chembo Corniel on percussion. CD

A great look at the lesser-known side of the Harlem soul empire of producer Bobby Robinson – best known for his work on the Fire and Fury labels, but also heard here on a host of rare singles for Enjoy, Vest, and other smaller imprints! There's plenty of records here that mark Robinson as having a key ear for funk way before most other talents on the scene – and there's plenty of tracks here that take conventional soul artists and set them up in a nicely gritty mode – perfect for the format of a 45rpm 7" single – especially on some of the cuts here that spill out over both sides of the wax! The set features 28 tracks in all – many of which we've not seen on other collections – and titles include "Baby Baby I Love You" by The Hootenaires, "Ain't Nobody's Business" by Mary B, "Don't Make Me Cry" by Ti Mattison, "Count The Tears" by Jimmy Armstrong, "Memphis" by The Dan Dees, "My Darkest Hour" by Titus Turner, "Talk To Me Baby" by Joe Haywood, "Soul Express (parts 1 & 2)" by The Ramrods, "Hot Potato (parts 1 & 2)" by The Rinkydinks, "The Squeeze (parts 1 & 2)" by Horace Coopoer & Band, "Bank Of Love" by Janet Calloway, "Just A Little Bit Of True Love" by Betty Boothe, "What Ya Gonna Do" by Noble Watts & June Bateman, and "Dig Yourself" by Les Cooper & The Soul Rockers. CD

Music from the Chimes, Vernon Green & the Phantoms, the Five Nights, the Metronomes, the Kings, the Pentagons, Ben Zeppa & the Zephyrs, Jesse & Martin, the Four Flames, the Dukes, and more – 21 songs in all. CD

An undisputed 70s soul jazz classic – and arguably the best album that Doug Carn ever cut for the Black Jazz label! The set is a masterpiece of spiritual jazz – with Carn on keyboards setting up the groove, and wife Jean singing some incredible vocals – very different than her later soul work as a solo act, and with a vibe that's like Dee Dee Bridgewater at her soulful 70s best. Jean does a killer job with the album's classic vocal version of Bobby Hutcherson's "Little B's Poem" – done here with sweet lyrics that really open the song up a lot, and make it into an anthem of love and joy that we'd be hard pressed to match with any other tune! And all other tracks are great too – with titles that include "Moon Child", "Passion Dance", and a great version of Wayne Shorter's "Infant Eyes". CD

The funkiest album ever recorded by Lyn Collins – a stone solid set that really lives up to the legacy of her funky 45s! Like those gems, this one has Collins working with James Brown on production and the JBs in the background – creating a razor-sharp groove that's probably the closest any female singer ever came in the 70s to matching The Godfather's groove! The album's got Lyn shifting between heavy funk numbers and mellower soul cuts – really pushing things to the max with an incredibly deep take on a few older favorites, plus some killer new numbers – all produced to funky perfection, with just the right sort of balance between the rough and the tight. Titles include her great version of "Think", a funky sample cut that never gets old – plus the cuts "Things Got To Get Better", "Women's Lib", "Never Gonna Give You Up", "Just Won't Do Right", "Wheels Of Life", and the funkiest version ever of "Fly Me To The Moon". CD

One of the few albums ever cut by Les DeMerle, one of the hippest drummers of his time – made legendary thanks to legions of samplers and beatheads in the 90s! This is certainly one of Les' best ever efforts – a tight batch of funky big band tracks, with lots of nice grooves, and a very hip lineup that includes Frank Foster, Joe Beck, Chris Woods, Arnie Lawrence, and Charles Sullivan – all coming together in some great tunes that have very unusual rhythms, and a great format that puts the drums in line with the hip playing in the reed section! The album includes Les' famous version of "A Day in the Life", which begins with a monster funky intro – plus the cuts "Fusion – Pro & Con", "Underground", "Deflections 1, 2, 3, & 4", and "Aquarius". CD

Stellar work by Jimmy Hughes – one of those southern soul talents whose name you've heard, but can't always find on record! Jimmy's best known for his classic Muscle Shoals tune "Steal Away" – and that great number, plus many other similar ones, are presented on this obscure Vee Jay release – issued at a time when both that label and Chess were licensing a number of titles from Rick Hall's Fame studios. The sound is great – a key link in the southern scene of the 60s, and one that's often lost because it wasn't recorded for a bigger label, like Atlantic. Titles include "Steal Away", "Try Me", "I Want Justice", "Shot Of Rhythm & Blues", "Neighbor Neighbor", "I'm Getting Better", and "I'm Gonna Rise Again". CD

One of the first-ever recordings of the Chicago AACM scene – and an early set that has Joseph Jarman recording as a leader before founding the groundbreaking Art Ensemble Of Chicago. The group features some seminal Chicago players who are only now getting the credit they deserve in the history of avant garde jazz – trumpeter Billy Brimfield and tenorist Fred Anderson – plus work by the obscure Christopher Gaddy on piano and marimba, as well as the great percussionists Thurman Barker and Steve McCall. Titles include "Little Fox Run", "Adam's Rib", and "Song For" – and the CD also includes a bonus alternate of "Little Fox Run". CD

A righteous soul classic by Mike James Kirkland – one that has every element to make a rare soul gem worth owning! There's great production (with lots of nice funky intros), great original songs (with a great, righteous vibe), and Mr. Kirkland's fantastic soulful voice. The album is divided into two halves – a "peace" side, which is more political – and a "love" side, which has some mellow soulful stuff. Totally great, and we've only seen the original a few times – so don't bother waiting for it, and just scoop up this reissue. Titles include "What Have We Done", "Where's The Soul Of Man?", "Hang On In There", "Baby I Need Your Loving", "It's Alright With Me" and more. The CD's got 3 bonus cuts, too – including Mike's funky classic "The Prophet" – plus "Together" and "Love Is". CD

A totally sweeeeeeeet batch of Brazilian grooves – recorded in San Francisco, with a great 70s Bay Area sound! Victor M leads the group on percussion and vocals – but the real charm of the set is in its electric piano riffing, and soulful electric vibe. Most of the cuts have vocals – kind of in a Sergio Mendes 70s style, or in the mode of some of Marcos Valle's more electric work – and although the tunes are mostly familiar numbers like "Reza", "Agua De Beber", "Zazueira", "Upa Neguinho", and "Crickets Sing For Anamaria", they're done in a mode that's very fresh – kind of a bridge between 60s Brazilian interpretations, and later ones by recent groups! CD

The incredible mid 60s album from blues singer and harp blower Junior Wells and his Chicago Blues Band with Buddy Guy! This is a most pivotal set in which Junior & his players don't sound as if they're trying to imbue blues tradition with urban grit and electricity – it simply seems to happen naturally, and you can really imagine when you hear this how it blue the minds of so many Brit and American rock & blues fellows who would come the recast the style with their own life and experiences, and pretty much take over popular music with it. Titles include "Snatch It Back & Hold It", "In The Wee Wee Hours", "Hey Lawdy Mama", "Hoodoo Man Blues", "Yonder Wall", and "Chitlin Con Carne". CD

An excellent funky fusion group from Chicago – and one of the best ensembles to record for the Black Jazz label! The group's made up of hip Chicago underground players – and includes Ken Chaney on electric piano, Ari Brown on saxes, and Frank Gordon on trumpet – a lineup that comes together with the same sort of righteous energy and soulful power as Windy City contemporaries like The Pharoahs or Earth Wind & Fire! On this first LP, they jam with a mix of righteous funk and spiritual soul jazz, mixing electric piano, choppy reeds, and tight horns with a powerful rhythm backing that never goes too over the top, and which stays in a good modal mode that works great for the soloists – soaringly expressive at a personal level, yet coming together with a really righteous group feel in the end. Tracks include "Jupiter", "Brand New Feeling", "Convulsions", and "Kera's Dance". CD

No Mirage here – as the album's got a presence that's impossible to deny – a solid, soulful uttering from this key Chicago combo of the 70s! The group's led by reedman Ari Brown – better known for his later avant work – and they've got a wicked blend of keyboards and horns with lots of complicated touches, played out over funky rhythms that are completely mindblowing! The great Ken Chaney plays keyboards, and in addition to Brown's reeds, the set also features trumpet from Frank Gordon, trombone from Steve Galloway, and bass from Rufus Reid – plus cool percussion from Arlington Davis and Drasheer Khalid. Most cuts are instrumental, and recorded beautifully – but one number, "The Ultimate Frontier", also features vocals from Anita Jefferies. Other cuts include "Slinky", "Mirage", "Just a Little Peace", and "March On". CD

With Elliott Cohn and Matthew Fricke on guitar. CD

One of Walter Bishop's greatest records – an amazing session that's as funky as it is spiritual – and quite different than most of Bishop's other work! The vibe here is wonderful – as Bish plays a host of keyboards, not just piano – and works in the company of other players who include Ronnie Laws on reeds, Gerald Brown on bass, Woody Murray on vibes, and Shakur M Abdulla on percussion – a beautiful mix of cats who help Walter carry off some of his hippest recordings of the time! The use of vibes is especially nice alongside the electric piano – and titles include a great take on Bishop's classic "Soul Village", done here in a nice funky version – plus a version of "Summertime" with Bishop on organ, and the titles "Sweet Rosa", "Those Who Chant", and "N'Dugu's Prayer". CD

The Black Jazz recordings of Doug Carn are always a revelation – some of the most powerful, progressive work on the American underground of the early 70s – music that got Carn into way more record collections than you might expect! The sound here is a perfect summation of Doug's early genius – his own work on organ and keyboards, never overdone and mixed perfectly with a righteous array of acoustic sounds from Rene McLean on alto and tenor and Olu Dara on trumpet – both players who soar to the skies on waves of energy begun by Carn! Wife Jean Carn sings on a number of tracks – with this heavenly style that's mighty righteous – every bit as soulful as her later work at Philly International, but in a very different way. The set includes Doug's great reading of "Naima" – plus other wonderful cuts that include "Power & Glory", "Feel Free", "Jihad", "Fatherhood", and "God is One". CD

An obscure release by Chico Hamilton – but with some really great moments that more than rival his famous sides for Pacific Jazz in the 50s! The set was issued on the obscure Crown label, and is a bit short on notes – but side one features work by Chico's early trio – a cool group with either Howard Roberts or Jim Hall on guitar, and George Duvivier on bass – really sounding open and airy, yet swinging too – on titles that include "Nutty", "Skinned Strings", "Street Of Drums", and "Blues On The Rocks" – played by a group that seems to feature bass, drums, and guitar. Even better, though, is side two, which features the more complicated "Suite For Horn" – a long piece built around the flute work of Paul Horn – presented here with a shorter track called "Montuna", which is mostly just heavy percussion, bass, and very noisy cello from Fred Katz! CD

A killer funky group from early 70s Japan – a slightly large ensemble, but one with some really heavy drums at the bottom – plus some great use of organ and electric guitar! There's a tight brace of horns at the top – flute, tenor, trumpets, and trombone – but the rhythms are what really drive the record, and give the whole thing a sometimes-funky, always-groovy quality that never lets up! The mode is almost soundtrack funk at times – jazz, but filled with some rich colors and expansive tones too – and there's a sophistication here that really rewards repeated listenings, but never gets in the way of the groovier moments too. Titles include "Theme Mustache", "Tak's Tune", "Joint", "Monster", "Lullaby For Yuh", and "Scotland Scene". CD

A searing quartet set – with Lockwood on guitar and vocals, plus Louis Myers on second guitar, Dave Myers on bass, and Fred Below on drums! CD

The second album by Made In Brasil – a great San Francisco combo from the 70s, with a flair for jazzy Brazilian tunes that's every bit as great as groups from Rio or Sao Paulo at the time! The group at this point features keyboardist Claudio Medeiros – who really adds a lot to their sound with his tight work on organ, clavinet, and electric piano! The tracks have a much more expansive sound than before – jazzily grooving in the Brazilian fusion mode of the 70s, touched with all the brightness of the west coast scene. Titles include "Circles", "A Briza", "Slick", "Madalena", "Salt Song", "Carinhoso", and "Ponteio/Asa Branca". CD

Mostly 60s recordings from Chicago – but the set does feature a few from London too – all around the same time as Sam's famous work for Delmark! The group features Magic Sam on vocals and guitar – with Mack Thompson on bass and other unknown personnel. CD

The New Mastersounds always sound grittier in a live setting – and this album is great proof of that fact! The drums seem harder, the guitar a bit more edgey, and the Hammond let loose even more than before – all flying together on grooves that run a bit longer than some of the combo's studio sets – with a bit more funky energy too! This cooking little date was recorded in San Francisco over the course of two nights that are nicely distilled down here – and the core quartet is joined by some added tenor and sax on three tracks, showing a whole new dimension of the Mastersounds groove. Titles include "Can't Hold Me Down", "Hot Dog", "Hey Fela", "Nervous", "Idris", "Thermal Bad", "Carrot Juice", and "The Minx". CD