A pair of albums from saxophonist Wilton Felder – back to back on a single CD! We All Have A Star offers up solo sounds from Crusaders reedman Wilton Felder – a really great set that's very much in the best vibe of his larger group at the time – yet one that also offers up a stronger focus on Wilton's sublime solo work on tenor! The album's got plenty of Crusaders help on board – given that Stix Hooper and Joe Sample produced the set along with Wilton – and the vibe's a wonderful blend of electric backings, with especially great keyboard lines, and Felder's well-phrased saxophone lines over the top! A few cuts feature vocals – sung by Angela Bryant or Debbie Demoia Ross – and titles include "We All Have A Star", "I Know Who I Am", "The Cycles Of Time", "Why Believe", "Ride On", and "You & Me & Ecstasy". Inherit The Wind is one of the best Crusaders-related solo projects – a soulful bit of fusion from saxophonist Wilton Felder, co-produced with his fellow Crusaders! The album's got the best sunny finish of the group's late 70s albums – traces of Latin, funk, and soul bubbling through a warm jazzy mix – staying soulful all the way through, and coming up with a sound that's smooth, but never sleepy. The blueprint for a million other records – none of which ever sounded this good! Titles include "Insight", "LA Light", "Until The Morning Comes", "Someday We'll All Be Free", and "Inherit The Wind". CD

A really unique take on the form of free improvisation – one done at a distance, during the global pandemic in 2020 – but at a level that's very different than anything else we've ever seen on record! The "correspondence" in the title is a reference to the process of the album – as each artist would first record a solo, then send it to the other, who would then respond with a solo of their own. This means that the record is all solo performances, not duets – but done at a level that's still very resonant with the work of the other artist – although at a remove, which maybe allows for even deeper concentration on a musical response! Rafal Mazur plays acoustic bass guitar and Agusti Fernandez plays piano – but the sounds of the instrument are very different than usual – filled with all these textures and really striking sonic possibilities. CD

A definite killer from the great Gianni Ferrio – one of his grooviest soundtracks ever, and a set that's filled with lots of mod 60s touches! There's a bit of electric sitar, cool bubbling Hammond, and even some jazzy horn parts that make for nice flourishes over the top – all changing up in cool and different ways from track to track – creating the kind of instrumental variety that we love in soundtracks like these! The album features vocals on two tracks – and titles include "Strana Gente", "Mr Ice Cream Again", "Week-End On Ice", "Billy's Ice Cream", "Pedigree", "Semifreddo", "Nuovi Ricchi", and "Fino All'Ultimo Gelato". CD also features 16 more bonus tracks – practically a whole extra album of music! CD

A sublime little set – quite possibly the greatest album ever from Brazilian keyboardist Manfredo Fest! Manfredo first cut his teeth on the bossa scene of the 60s – but by the time of this rare indie session, he'd moved up to the US – and was working with sweet keyboards to really electrify his groove! The record's a wonderful blend of 70s Brazilian fusion modes and just a dash of American soul – and in addition to Manfredo's wonderful work on Fender Rhodes, the set also has these brilliant vocals from Roberta Davis – a singer who works wordlessly, using her voice as an instrument in this really cool way – sliding along with the grooves, and making the album sound unlike anything else we can think of. The overall feel is a bit like Joao Donato's excellent Quem E Quem album – and titles include "Jungle Cat", "Facing East", "Who Needs It", and "Brazilian Dorian Dream". LP, Vinyl record album

A surprise hit for Richard Dimples Fields – and one of those albums that seems to turn up in just about every collection of records from the 80s! Although Fields first got his start turning out self-produced soul albums, and you'd expect him to sound a lot slicker here, recording for MCA's Boardwalk imprint, the record's still got a nice down-home feel that almost makes it feel like an indie soul record, despite the fact that Richard is going for a smooth modern sound on most cuts. Our standout favorite is the classic "She's Got Papers On Me", Richard's entry into the Barbara Mason/Shirley Brown song cycle ("you got my man", "he's your man, but he's my lover", etc) – one that takes the view of the man, but which has a sassy female monologue coming in at the end, telling him off! Other tracks include "I Like Your Lovin", "Let Me Take You In My Arms Tonight", "Let The Lady Dance", "In The Still Of the Night", "I've Got To Learn To Say No", and "Don't Ever Take Your Love". CD

Sweet mainstream grooving from Richard Dimples Fields – the 70s indie artist who really struck big with these early 80s albums for Boardwalk! The style here is a mix of mellow soul and more upbeat numbers – very much the kind of blend that Fields' served up best back on his own label in the 70s, but which is re-presented here with a more professional, more contemporary soul vibe. There's a sweetness to Richard's vocals that's quite different than most of his contemporaries – an earnestness that makes even the most poppy numbers sound pretty great – and which almost sound better here than they did in the old days. Titles include "Don't Ever Stop Chasing Your Dreams", "Butter", "People Treat You Funky", "You Shouldn't Have Made It So Good", "You Send Me", and a nice version of "Moody's Mood For Love". CD

Always-great work from the 5th Dimension – one of their biggest albums ever, built around the group's hit version of "Aquarius/Let The Sun Shine In", and featuring some other psychedelic pop soul gems like "Sunshine Of Your Love", "Blowing Away", "The Hideaway", "The Winds of Heaven", and "Working On A Grooving Thing". Also includes the excellent "Wedding Bell Blues" – one of the greatest songs of all time! LP, Vinyl record album

An album that's often overlooked amidst some of the bigger "songbook" Verve sessions by Ella Fitzgerald – yet a really special record that shows off a side of Ella that's not ever captured this well on other records! The record was also initially billed as tied into the book and film Let No Man Write My Epitaph – but there's nothing soundtrack-like at all about the performance, as Fitzgerald works with only backing from pianist Paul Smith – a player who sounds wonderful next to the singer, and brings just the right sort of inflections to open up Ella's vocals for the date! There's a spare quality that's completely captivating – proof that Fitzgerald was a hell of a jazz singer at the core, even when her star was rising on the international scene – maybe even more compelling without any large arrangements at all, as she takes on superb material that includes versions of "Misty", "Black Coffee", "Angel Eyes", "I Cried For You", "Who's Sorry Now", "September Song", "Then You've Never Been Blue", and "Reach For Tomorrow". LP, Vinyl record album

They're not lying with the title on this one, as Ella's singing to backings from the great Bill Doggett – who cooks up some of the liveliest rhythms Ella ever received from Verve! The style is still similar to other Verve records of the time – with that magnificent Fitzgerald vocal style transforming familiar tunes and standards – but the groove is much more upbeat, and Ella swings it hard in a style that really takes us back to her earlier years. Titles include "Runnin Wild", "No Moon At All", "Laughin On The Outside", "I Can't Face The Music", and "Rough Ridin". CD

Two of the biggest singers who ever worked for Verve Records – captured perfectly at the Newport Jazz Festival in 1957! Ella Fitzgerald steps out with a strong, lively groove on the first half of the set – swinging things with a looser, more upbeat quality than on some of her mellower Verve studio sets of the late 50s – really grooving it up with small combo backing from the trio of pianist Don Abney! Billie Holiday also gets some small combo backing too – a hip trio with Mal Waldron on piano, Joe Benjamin on bass, and Jo Jones on drums – often a bit more laidback than the group on Ella's sides, but in a great way that helps Holiday hit a very intimate sound, even before this large audience. Ella sings "This Can't Be Love", "Body & Soul", "April In Paris", "I Got A Crush On You", and "Airmail Special" – and Billie sings "Nice Work If You Can Get It", "What A Little Moonlight Can Do", "My Man", "Willow Weep For Me", and "Lady Sings The Blues". LP, Vinyl record album

Ella Fitzgerald and Joe Pass return to the studio just a few years after their initial meeting – once again to work in a stripped-down duet format that's completely sublime! The spare setting is one that Ella never got in the older days – and there's an intimacy here that almost makes it like we're hearing a new singer entirely – one who's not surging over bigger band arrangements, but laying back and singing in a mode that's almost more torchy than we could have ever expected. Pass' guitar is acoustic, and gentle – and titles include "All Too Soon", "One Note Samba", "Rain", "You Took Advantage Of Me", "That Old Feeling", "I've Got The World On A String", and "Nature Boy". CD

One of the hippest takes ever on the Porgy & Bess score – done in duet format by Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong, in a fuller spirit than their other albums for Verve! Like many late 50s albums of Gershwin's score, this one was issued in advance of the film with Sidney Poitier – but unlike most, this is less of a cash-in affair, and really takes Gershwin's music on its own – serving it up with that newly serious style that Verve was hitting with some artists, especially Ella, in the latter half of the 50s. Most tracks have relatively full backings – strings and jazz orchestrations – and the double-length set features 15 tracks that include "Buzzard Song", "I Got Plenty O Nuttin", "My Man's Gone Now", "I Wants To Stay Here", "Summertime", "It Ain't Necessarily So", "What You Want Wid Bess", "There's A Boat Dat's Leavin Soon For New York", "Oh Lawd I'm On My Way", and "A Woman Is A Sometime Thing". CD

One of the hippest takes ever on the Porgy & Bess score – done in duet format by Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong, in a fuller spirit than their other albums for Verve! Like many late 50s albums of Gershwin's score, this one was issued in advance of the film with Sidney Poitier – but unlike most, this is less of a cash-in affair, and really takes Gershwin's music on its own – serving it up with that newly serious style that Verve was hitting with some artists, especially Ella, in the latter half of the 50s. Most tracks have relatively full backings – strings and jazz orchestrations – and the double-length set features 15 tracks that include "Buzzard Song", "I Got Plenty O Nuttin", "My Man's Gone Now", "I Wants To Stay Here", "Summertime", "It Ain't Necessarily So", "What You Want Wid Bess", "There's A Boat Dat's Leavin Soon For New York", "Oh Lawd I'm On My Way", and "A Woman Is A Sometime Thing". LP, Vinyl record album

A stone killer from the legendary 5 Royales – one of the greatest groups to ever record for King Records in the 50s, and a key force in helping move things forward from doo wop to soul! The balance between Lowman Pauling's lead and the harmonies is amazing – a big inspiration on the young James Brown & The Famous Flames – and many cuts have this hard guitar used in a very rhythmic way, which creates a groove that few other groups could touch! The tracks all have a great hard-edged sound, with little of the schmaltz that can sometimes date these albums a bit too much – just lots of raw group vocals that definitely pave the way for 60s soul, but also have a stronger 50s R&B current in the background! The material is very rootsy soul stuff – and titles include "One Mistake", "Mine Forevermore", "Wonder Where Your Love Has Gone", "I Know It's Hard But It's Fair", and "Get Something Out Of It". CD

A lost early chapter in the career of Roberta Flack – material recorded during the sessions for her legendary First Take album, but unissued at the time – and presented here with an amazing demonstration of the depth of her young talents! All the genius of First Take is in place here – that groundbreaking territory between jazz and soul that set Roberta apart from the pack, right from the start – but there's also a wider range of currents going on – maybe some more jazz-based numbers, mixed with other soul-referenced titles too – a wider span that furthers the role that Flack plays as a bridge between the 60s innovations of Nina Simone and a host of others to follow. The group is just a trio – Flack on piano with Marshall Hawkins on bass and Bernard Sweetney on drums – but the tunes have a very wide-open vibe that's very visionary, and every bit as great as Roberta's debut! Titles include a stunning version of "Afro Blue", plus "It's Way Past Suppertime", "This Could Be The Start Of Something", "Groove Me", "To Sir With Love", "The Song Is Love", "Ain't No Mountain High Enough", "Nobody Knows You When You're Down & Out", "The House Song", and "Hush A Bye". LP, Vinyl record album

A different version of the album Bash – recorded for the Jazztime label in 1961, with leadership by Dave Bailey – a set that's filled with fire, soul, and imagination – recorded as part of the drummer's amazing (and amazingly short) early 60s run as a leader! The date smokes with the same sort of energy as Dave's great "Gutter" albums for Epic – a groove that's part Blue Note, part Prestige, and carried off with so much precision, we wonder why Bailey never recorded more as a leader. Players are all wonderful – Kenny Dorham's on trumpet, Curtis Fuller's on trombone, Frank Haynes is on tenor, and Tommy Flanagan's on piano. Ben Tucker provides excellent basswork, and proves that him and Bailey were one of the best hardbop rhythm teams ever! Cuts include "Grand Street", "Osmosis", "Soul Support", and "An Oscar For Oscar". CD features 7 tracks in all – including some that haven't been on other versions of this session. Other titles include "Just Friends", "Like Someone In Love", and "BMT Express". CD

One of the heaviest albums to ever come from Japan – a wicked batch of tripped-out, fuzzy tunes to rival the hardest rock from the UK at the time! Flower Travellin Band have a basic approach that's build on pounding drums and rumbling basslines – and although the guitars are fierce too, they're often used with some slight exotic phrasings at times – styles that have a slight Eastern flavor that really adds to the record. The vocals are really wailing too – banshee-styled, but also with some bluesy undertones – and the album is essentially one long track, broken up into different sections with a different feel. LP, Vinyl record album

Fantastic sounds from Flying Lotus – an artist who just keeps on pushing past any conventional expectations, to a point where his music is almost a genre unto itself! The record's got this very tripped-out sort of vibe – very much in keeping with the image on the cover – and while many others are exploring this territory of late, few ever even get close to the right sort of mix that's going on here – subtle elements of soul, funk, jazz, hip hop, and maybe a million other influences – all flowing through the double-length space of the set, as it Flying Lotus redefines the sound of soul in the modern age. The set's got guest work from Thundercat, Shabazz Palaces, David Lynch, George Clinton, Anderson Paak, Little Dragon, Solange, and others – and titles include "Post Requisite", "Takashi", "Spontaneous", "More", "Burning Down The House", "Actually Virtual", "Find Your Own Way Home", "The Climb", "Debbie Is Depressed", "Black BAloons Reprise", and "Land Of Honey". CD

Fantastic sounds from Flying Lotus – an artist who just keeps on pushing past any conventional expectations, to a point where his music is almost a genre unto itself! The record's got this very tripped-out sort of vibe – very much in keeping with the image on the cover – and while many others are exploring this territory of late, few ever even get close to the right sort of mix that's going on here – subtle elements of soul, funk, jazz, hip hop, and maybe a million other influences – all flowing through the double-length space of the set, as it Flying Lotus redefines the sound of soul in the modern age. The set's got guest work from Thundercat, Shabazz Palaces, David Lynch, George Clinton, Anderson Paak, Little Dragon, Solange, and others – and titles include "Post Requisite", "Takashi", "Spontaneous", "More", "Burning Down The House", "Actually Virtual", "Find Your Own Way Home", "The Climb", "Debbie Is Depressed", "Black BAloons Reprise", and "Land Of Honey". LP, Vinyl record album

The best yet from Flying Lotus – who we keep allowing ourselves to believe has hit an insurmountable peak with each new record – but he just keeps getting better! Where the preceding Cosmogramma upped the stranger, spacier and more abstract textures, Until The Quiet Comes is a bit more inviting – and to his credit, Flying Lotus keeps things as innovative as ever, while still giving this one just a bit more immediately appealing atmosphere. There's nearly always a compelling beat, whether it's abstract boom bap or bubbly and synthy, with heavy bass and thick waves of sound floating over. An incredible roster of guests contribute, too – including string-arranger Miguel Atwood Ferguson, vocalists Erykah Badu, Laura Darlington and Radiohead's Thom Yorke, keyboardist Dorian Concept, and others – but there's little doubt that this is purely the Flying Lotus show. Greatness! Titles include "All In", "Sultan's Request", "See Thru To U" with Erykah Badu, "DMT Song" with Thundercat, "The Nightcaller", "Only If You Wanna", "Electric Candyman" with Thom Yorke, "Hunger" with Niki Randa, "Phantasm" with Laura Darlington, "Dream To Me" and more. CD