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The a-side hardly needs any introduction from us, an uplifting disco cut, with soaring, string-laden Gamble & Huff production, and the sort of mainstream appeal that's kept it in constant roatation for years and years! "Fancy Dancer" is from the Comodores heavier funk years, off the Hot onThe tracks LP. 12-inch, Vinyl record

A nice record pairing the vocal stylings of Thelma Houston and Jerry Butler. Butler and Hal Davis take partial credit for production and tracks include the Bee-Gee's "Love So Right", "Only The Beginning", Stevie Wonder's "Joy Inside My Tears", "Let's Get Together", "It's A Lifetime Thing", and "I Love You Through Windows". LP, Vinyl record album

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Solo debut from Whitney Houston, with "You Give Good Love", "Thinking About You", "Saving All My Love For You", "How Will I Know", "Greatest Love Of All", and more. LP, Vinyl record album

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

Two rare gems from Westbound Records – both of them great! "Ain't No Telling" has a groove that's partly the Northern Soul of Detroit in the late 60s, mixed with some of the headier sounds that Westbound was starting to craft during the early 70s – all topped by fantastic soaring harmonies from the group! Those harmonies are maybe even better on the flipside – a cut that has a mellower vibe, but a sound that's maybe even more righteous overall! 7-inch, Vinyl record

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The cover might look a bit understated, but the album's got plenty of depth and power – a rare set from the Texas underground of the early 80s – cut by a group who've clearly drunk deep from the same musical well that inspired Stevie Wonder, Roy Ayers, and other cosmic soul talents of the 70s! As with Stevie and Roy, there's plenty of jazzy currents in the music of The People's Workshop – warm keyboards, sweet sax and flute, and waves of color that really come through the grooves and illuminate the deeper spirit of the vocals. There's a sense of collaboration here that's really special – almost a James Mason vibe at times – all with a sense of sophistication that's quite different than the rootsier sounds you might normally expect from Texas soul groups. Titles include "Save Your Money", "A Song For The Children", "Love Love", "Let's Get High", "Chocolate Coated People Song", and "This Song". LP, Vinyl record album

Houston Person on tenor sax, Eddie Allen on trumpet, Stan Hope on piano, Randy Johnston on guitar, Per-Ola Gadd on bass, and Chip White on drums. CD

With Cedar Walton on piano, Buster Wiliams on bass, Grady Tate on drums, and Buddy Caldwell on congas. LP, Vinyl record album

Sweet electric grooving from Houston Person – an album that features his soulful tenor set in larger arrangements than on his earlier small combo Prestige sessions, in a mode that's a bit like some of the larger jazz sets coming out on CTI and Kudu at the time! Like Stanley Turrentine, who also made a similar shift during this period, Houston turns out to be an extremely strong soloist in this sort of setting – hitting new notes on the laidback ballads, and playing with a richly expressive style that somehow seems even more possible than before, since the core rhythms and melodies are handled by the other players in the ensemble, and Houston's main job is just to blow freely on his solos. Billy Ver Planck does the orchestrations, and the group includes Hubert Laws, Victor Paz, and Cedar Walton. Tracks include "Everything's Alright", "Bleeker Street", "Let's Call This", and "Moan Er-uh Lisa". LP, Vinyl record album

2 sides of sweet electric grooving from Houston Person – records that feature his soulful tenor set in larger arrangements than on his earlier small combo Prestige sessions, in a mode that's a bit like some of the larger jazz sets coming out on CTI and Kudu at the time! Like Stanley Turrentine, who also made a similar shift during this period, Houston turns out to be an extremely strong soloist in this sort of setting – hitting new notes on the laidback ballads, and playing with a richly expressive style that somehow seems even more possible than before, since the core rhythms and melodies are handled by the other players in the ensemble, and Houston's main job is just to blow freely on his solos. There's a few funky numbers on the set, but the mellow tracks are actually pretty darn great too – thanks to work by players that include Bernard Purdie, Joe Beck, Ron Carter, Ernie Hayes, and Grady Tate. Titles include "Sweet Buns & Barbeque", "Put It Where You Want It", "Groove Thang", "Down Here On The Ground", "Let's Call This", "The Pimp", "A Song For You", and "This Masquerade". CD

A great little record – one of Houston's most successful for Prestige! The album follows strongly in that late 60s pre-funk mode that Prestige was cooking up – tight and groovy, with electric bass dropped into the mix, electrifying things a bit, but still really just grooving in a souped-up 60s soul jazz mode. Houston rises to the style wonderfully – and the rest of the group include Sonny Phillips on organ, Billy Butler on guitar, and Buddy Caldwell who throws in some great conga work! Includes a nice boogaloo cut called "Hey Driver!", with some chanted vocals by the band, plus the tracks "Hard Times" and "Jamilah", which have a very nice groove! LP, Vinyl record album

A pair of overlooked albums from saxophonist Houston Person – both recorded for Detroit's Westbound label, and presented back to back on a single CD! First up is Houston Person 75 – sweet sweet grooves from the legendary Houston Person – a set that blends his soulful tenor with some fuller backdrops than Houston used at Prestige Records – in a vibe that's somewhere between that earlier work and the style of CTI/Kudu Records! The best cuts almost have a funky soundtrack vibe – with arrangements by Ed Nuccilli and Jimmy Roach that spin out with full, rich charts – as Person's tenor carves out some meaningful solos – a bit like some of the Stanley Turrentine work of the period. The album features a number of original tunes, and sports a strongly soulful vibe throughout – on titles that include "What It Is", "Shotgun", "500 Gin Rummy", "All In Love Is Fair", "Funky Sunday Afternoon", and "A Touch Of Bad Stuff". Get Outa My Way is filled with very groovy grooves from tenorist Houston Person – a set that has him picking up a bit of a dancefloor vibe at times, as chorus vocals are mixed in to support his own strong solos in the lead! The set's got a nice warm glow overall – arrangements from Jimmy Roach that are clubby at times, but never in a too-disco style – and maybe more in the mode of some of the Kudu Records material from the period. Houston's horn is great, as always – and hits some nice moments on tracks that include "Disco Sax", "Spread It", "Forever In Love", "For The Love Of You", "Ain't Nothin But A Funky Song", and "Soul Samba". CD

Houston Person really sounds great in this later date for Muse Records – definitely the older lion in the title, surrounded by a younger pride of players who really make the record swing! The set's got a rock-solid rhythm section with Benny Green on piano, Christian McBride on bass, and Winard Harper on drums – that kind of in the pocket combo that was often the driving force of a Person-produced Muse Records session like this. Philip Harper's also in the frontline on trumpet, sparkling nicely next to the tenor – and the tunes have a relatively laidback feel, and a rich sound that hardly shows the date of the record at all. Titles include "Dig", "Dear Heart", "Sweet Love", "Like Someone In Love", and "Captain Hook". CD

With Bill Hardman, Idris Muhammad, Sonny Phillips, Charles Brown, and Jimmy Ponder. CD

Houston Person grooving strong – still burning with a nice sort of fire, as one of the few soul jazz giants from his generation still left in the 21st Century! The set's got the lean, clean, later sound of some of Person's self-produced sets for Muse from years back – and like those gems, this one was recorded by Rudy Van Gelder with a really great sound – Houston at the helm of the production, and the group on tenor – with other players who include Terell Stafford on trumpet, Randy Johnston on guitar, John DiMartino on piano, Ray Drummond on bass, and Willie Jones III on drums. Titles include "Bleeker Street", "Moment To Moment", "Freight Dance", "E Nada Mais", "Nina Never Knew", "Back In New Orleans", and "All My Life". CD

Houston Person on tenor saxophone, Richard Wyands on piano, Ray Drummond on bass, and Kenny Washington on drums. CD

With Houston Person on tenor saxophone, Richard Wyands on piano, Ray Drummond on bass, and Kenny Washington on drums. LP, Vinyl record album

Tenor giant Houston Person cut many albums over the years at the legendary studios of Rudy Van Gelder – and here, even though Rudy's passed on, Houston's in a very comfortable setting – blowing these wonderfully easygoing-lines on the tenor, with the kind of backing that always seems to have him at his simple, unadorned best! The group's a quintet – with Russell Malone on guitar, Larry Fuller on piano, Matthew Parrish on bass, and Lewis Nash on drums – the latter of whom takes a surprisingly great vocal turn on the tune "Nothing Ever Changes My Love For You" – then leaves Person and the other instrumentalists to do all the "singing" on other tracks – soloing nicely on "Reminiscing At Rudy's", "At Long Last Love", "Again", "Moon River", "I'll Let You Know", and "Put Your Head On My Shoulder". CD

Features Stan Hope on piano and Paul Bollenback on guitar! CD

A great little album from Person – one of his best for Muse, and a record that sounds a lot better than the cover or title might indicate! The group's a very swinging quintet with Jimmy Ponder on guitar, Sonny Phillips on organ, Frankie Jones on drums, and Buddy Caldwell on congas – and overall, the record feels like a move back to the mid 60s soul jazz mode – Person playing in a relaxed swinging style that was rarely captured on record so well. Titles include "T Bone Steak", "Stolen Sweets", "If Ever I Would Leave You", and "At Last". LP, Vinyl record album

With Cecil Bridgewater on trumpet and Stan Hope on piano – on titles that include "Only Trust Your Heart", "Almost Like Being In Love", "Everything Happens To Me", and "Just For You". LP, Vinyl record album

Houston Person on tenor saxophone, Stam Hope on piano, Paul Bollenback on guitar, Per-Ola Gadd on bass, and Chip White on drums. CD

A really unusual setting for the tenor of Houston Person – in that the four-person group features very prominent trombone work from Mark Levine, whose soulful sound is a great match for Person – plus hammond from Charles Boyston, a player we don't know at all, but who sounds great here – and drums from Frank Jones. The sound is a very groovy one – similar to some of Person's work with Johnny Hammond's combo – and the tracks have a bit more of a bite than some of his later prestige work. Titles include "Ballin", "The Pimp", and "Underground Soul" – which should give you an idea of the nature of the proceedings! LP, Vinyl record album

A sweet little set from Houston Person – a record that's a nice return to basics, much needed after some of his overproduced sessions of the mid 70s! The group here features a number of old Prestige stalwarts, helping Houston to hit a laidback soul jazz vibe – players who include Jimmy Ponder on guitar, Sonny Phillips on organ, and Idris Muhammad as drums – as well as Bill Hardman on trumpet, whose clean blowing in the front brings Houston back up to speed. Larry Killian plays added percussion on the set – and tracks include "Dameron", "Preachin & Teachin", "My Romance", and "Wildflower". LP, Vinyl record album

Houston Person on tenor sax and Ron Carter on bass. CD

Houston Person on tenor saxophone and Ron Carter on bass. CD

... LP, Vinyl record album

Freddy Cole serves up a tribute to his famous brother Nat – in a small combo set that also features some nice tenor work from Houston Person and Harry Allen too! Cole's a singer who's ultimately had a lot more of a career than Nat – and we're not entirely sure why he's so often lumped together in settings like this – but the record's a real testament to Freddy's talents in the way he doesn't slavishly repeat Nat's phrasing, and instead makes these classic Cole tunes very much his own. The more jazz-based presentation helps a lot with that – and in addition to the tenor solos, the record also features work from Joe Magnarelli on trumpet, Josh Brown on trombone, Randy Napoleon on guitar, and John DiMartino on piano. Titles include "Love Is The Thing", "Jet", "Exactly Like You", "That's My Girl", "The Best Man", and "Maybe It's Because I Love You Too Much". CD

Joey DeFrancesco on organ, Houston Person on tenor saxophone, Paul Bollenback on electric guitar, and Byron Landham on drums. CD

Joey's on the Hammond B3 – with guests who include Houston Person, Grover Washington, Kirk Whalum, and Illinois Jacquet on tenor – plus Jack McDuff on additional Hammond! CD

Houston Person on tenor saxophone, Virginia Mayhew on tenor saxophone and clarinet, Noah Bless on trombone, Jami Dauber on trumpet, Edward Ellington on guitar, Norman Simmons on piano, Tom DiCarlo on bass, Paul Wells on drums, Sheila Earley on percussion, with vocals from Nancy Reed. CD

Collects tracks from the albums Smokin, In The Pocket, Whip Appeal, and Unforgettable. Sidemen include George Coleman, Houston Person, Melvin Sparks, Eric Alexander, Idris Muhammad, and others. CD

An unusual one for Duane Eddy – and pretty darn groovy too – produced by Lee Hazlewood, and with a version of two Hazlewood songs – "Houston" and "Not The Lovin Kind". LP, Vinyl record album

A collection of recordings from three different sessions and three different years featuring the likes of Teddy Edwards and Dextor Gordon. The first session is from 1947 and features Edwards and Gordon on tenor sax, Jimmy Rowles on piano, Red Callender on bass and Roy Porter on drums. Some of their tracks are "Blues In Teddy's Flat" and "The Duel". The next session was recorded in 1950 and features Lee Parker on baritone sax, Henry Durant on tenor sax, James Robertson on trumpet, Kenny Drew on piano, Curley Russell on bass and Eddie Bourne on drums for three takes of "On the House" and "Rollin' With Leo" among others. The final session was recorded in 1955 and features "Wardell Gray on tenor sax, Tate Houston on baritone sax, Gene Phipps on trumpet, Norman Simmons on piano, Victor Sproles on bass and Vernell Fournier on drums for "Hey There" and "Dat's It' among others. LP, Vinyl record album

There's definitely lots of brass here – as you might guess from the title – but never so much so that it gets in the way of individual soloing by Maynard Ferguson! The date features Maynard working with arrangements by Willie Maiden, Al Cohn, Ernie Wilkins, and Bill Holman – all for a largeish group that's wonderfully hip – Bobby Timmons on piano, Anthony Ortega on alto, Jimmy Ford on alto and tenor, Willie Maiden on tenor, Tate Houston on baritone, Richard Evans on bass, and Larry Bunker on drums – plus some added trumpets and trombones! Maynard himself plays both instruments on the date, and the album also feature some surprising guest vocals by Irene Kral on 4 tracks – spicing up the instrumental blend with lyrics on "Moonlight In Vermont", "I Hadn't Anyone Till You", "Imagination", and "The Song Is You". Instrumental tracks include "Jeepers Creepers", "I Never Knew", "A Foggy Day", "Love Me Or Leave Me", and "The Lamp Is Low". LP, Vinyl record album

Aretha Franklin at the end of the 80s – capping off a big run of records for Arista with another successful collaboration with Narada Michael Walden! There's a bit more of a groove here than before – a nice bounce on many cuts that almost brings in a slight new jack flavor – but handled with a bit more class, given Walden's legacy – and the album's got a lot of collaborative moments, including appearances from James Brown, Whitney Houston, Elton John, The Four Tops, and Kenny G. Titles include "Gimme Your Love", "Mercy", "It Isn't It Wasn't It Ain't Never Gonna Be", "Through The Storm", "If Ever A Love There Was", "Think 1989", and "Come To Me". CD

Aretha Franklin at the end of the 80s – capping off a big run of records for Arista with another successful collaboration with Narada Michael Walden! There's a bit more of a groove here than before – a nice bounce on many cuts that almost brings in a slight new jack flavor – but handled with a bit more class, given Walden's legacy – and the album's got a lot of collaborative moments, including appearances from James Brown, Whitney Houston, Elton John, The Four Tops, and Kenny G. Titles include "Gimme Your Love", "Mercy", "It Isn't It Wasn't It Ain't Never Gonna Be", "Through The Storm", "If Ever A Love There Was", "Think 1989", and "Come To Me". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the "bottomest" albums you'll ever hear – as trombonist Curtis Fuller meets baritone saxophonist Tate Houston – for a real session of "bone" and "bari" grooving that's one of the most striking Blue Notes of the time! The album features the pair working hard to push their instruments past conventional expectations – gliding with a fluid ease that you really wouldn't expect, yet still working out all the gutbuckety soul propensities that the instruments possess. Part of the strength of the session is the rhythm section – which features Sonny Clark on piano, Paul Chambers on bass, and Art Taylor on drums – but another strong aspect is the choice of material, which includes some nice originals like "Again", "Pickup", "Nita's Waltz", and "Algonquin". CD

One of the "bottomest" albums you'll ever hear – as trombonist Curtis Fuller meets baritone saxophonist Tate Houston – for a real session of "bone" and "bari" grooving that's one of the most striking Blue Notes of the time! The album features the pair working hard to push their instruments past conventional expectations – gliding with a fluid ease that you really wouldn't expect, yet still working out all the gutbuckety soul propensities that the instruments possess. Part of the strength of the session is the rhythm section – which features Sonny Clark on piano, Paul Chambers on bass, and Art Taylor on drums – but another strong aspect is the choice of material, which includes some nice originals like "Again", "Pickup", "Nita's Waltz", and "Algonquin". CD

An early 90s effort from Houston gangsta rap pioneers The Geto Boys! This one features Big Mike in the place of recently departed MC Willie D, and while earlier Geto Boys records might've set the expections bar pretty high for this one live up to, it holds up pretty strongly. After all these years, it's one we've never been able to keep in the racks for very long – clearly it's legacy is pretty sound! Titles include "Street Life", "Murder Avenue", "Six Feet Deep", "No Nuts No Glory", "Crooked Officer", and "GETO". CD

There may be a mountain of Stan Getz records on the market – but take it from us, this is definitely one that you need in your collection! The set presents material from a never-issued live recording – Stan on sublime, soulful tenor at the Keystone Korner in 1976 – working with a quartet that includes Joanne Brackeen on piano, Clint Houston on bass, and Billy Hart on drums – all ultra-hip players who set Stan up at a level that rivals the openly creative genius of studio albums like Sweet Rain or Captain Marvel, but with that special sort of snapshot that also marks his rare live material with Gary Burton too! The tracks were cut during the same week that produced the Getz/Gilberto 76 album, but the sound here is very different – not bossa, all jazz, and with that really inspired sense of soloing that Stan hit once he discovered Coltrane and the influence of that generation. Wonderful all the way through – with titles that include "Infant Eyes", "Summer Night", "Peace", "Con Alma", "Morning Star", and "The Cry Of The Wild Goose". CD

Genius material from the team of tenorist Stan Getz and Brazilian bossa legend Joao Gilberto – reunited here in a brief mid 70s period, after their famous Verve recordings of the early 60s – and in a way that shows all the changes both artists had gone through over the years! Stan and Joao would go onto produce the sublime Best Of Two Worlds studio record during this same stretch – but this never-issued live date is arguably even deeper and darker than that record – as Stan blows with the stronger current of melancholy he seemed to unlock in period of his Sweet Rain record and onward – and Joao himself does all the singing here, without help from any female vocalist – with that bluer, more personal vibe he hit on his incredible record from 1973. The maturity and emotion of both musicians comes through right away – and support is from the trio of Joanne Brackeen on piano, Clint Houston on bass, and Billy Hart on drums – all wonderful musicians who also know just the right moment to step back and let the two giants dominate when needed. Titles include "Eu Vim Da Bahia", "E Preciso Perdoar", "Doralice", "Morena Boca De Ouro", "Joao Marcelo", "Aguas De Marco", "Samba De Minha Terra", and "Retrato Em Branco E Preto". CD

Genius material from the team of tenorist Stan Getz and Brazilian bossa legend Joao Gilberto – reunited here in a brief mid 70s period, after their famous Verve recordings of the early 60s – and in a way that shows all the changes both artists had gone through over the years! Stan and Joao would go onto produce the sublime Best Of Two Worlds studio record during this same stretch – but this never-issued live date is arguably even deeper and darker than that record – as Stan blows with the stronger current of melancholy he seemed to unlock in period of his Sweet Rain record and onward – and Joao himself does all the singing here, without help from any female vocalist – with that bluer, more personal vibe he hit on his incredible record from 1973. The maturity and emotion of both musicians comes through right away – and support is from the trio of Joanne Brackeen on piano, Clint Houston on bass, and Billy Hart on drums – all wonderful musicians who also know just the right moment to step back and let the two giants dominate when needed. Titles include "Eu Vim Da Bahia", "E Preciso Perdoar", "Doralice", and "Retrato Em Branco E Preto". LP, Vinyl record album

A rare funky treasure – lost live material from Grant Green's hippest years at Blue Note – recorded in the early 70s funky years, but unissued for decades! The set's an incredibly smoking one – with loads of long tracks that really stretch out in a hard-hitting, bottom-heavy funky mode – no surprise, considering that Idris Muhammad's on drums, as part of a lineup that also includes Ronnie Foster on organ, Houston Person on tenor, and the more obscure Clarence Thomas on soprano sax and tenor! The groove here is a bit more Prestige jazz funk than Blue Note – the kind of rough-edged and spontaneous vibe that Rusty Bryant, Leon Spencer, and others cooked up during the early 70s on some of their best classics for that label – but Green's a perfect person to catch the spirit of that wildfire, and jams long and nicely here on 8 tracks that include "Farid", "Jan Jan", "One More Chance", "Patches", "I Am Somebody", "More Today Than Yesterday", "Bottom Of The Barrel", and "Walk On By". LP, Vinyl record album

Late recording by bluesy jazz guitarist Tiny Grimes, recorded with a host of the usual Muse suspects, like Houston Person, Harold Mabern, and Freddie Waits. There's an electric bass on the session, which pumps up Grimes' guitar a little bit more than usual (as if it needed pumping!), and the tracks are long, with bigger solos than Grimes usually takes. Cuts include "Tiny's Excercise", "Cookin' At the Cookery", "Blue Midnight", and "Backslider", which has a bit of singing by Tiny. LP, Vinyl record album

Folk legend Woody Guthrie was no stranger to struggle – which is the subject highlighted in most of these tunes – pulled together in the shape of this album, which offered a great counterpoint to the Bicentennial madness in America when it was released in 1976! The titles of the songs give plenty of an idea of the nature of the music – with classic Guthrie recordings done for Folkways in the 40s, including "The Dying Miner", "Waiting At The Gate", "A Dollar Down & A Dollar A Week", "Lost John", "Union Burying Ground", and "Ludlow Massacre" – many of which echo the continuing struggle of the working man, even as America was shining forth as an industrial giant. The recordings mostly feature Woody on vocals and guitar, but there's also some guest contributions from Cisco Houston and Sonny Terry – both key contemporaries of Guthrie. LP, Vinyl record album