Marc Mac knocks it out of the park once again – serving up just four songs, but with a sense of soaring power that beats most other full length records in this territory! The album's the last in Mac's series of global efforts, and although Japan is the focus this time around, it's mostly in the titles of the tunes – as the record continues that really strong evolution past 4Hero roots that have made Marc's recent releases so wonderful, and which have us hoping that he'll soon be giving us lots more full length records too! Titles include "Tokyo Nightlife", "Kambei", "Electric City Don't Sleep", and "Yasuke Soul". 12-inch, Vinyl record

A gem of a piano session from Serge Delaite – the kind of record that does so much with just so little – really changing things up in the groove from track to track, in a superbly-recorded session that let's every subtle moment and nuance come through clearly! Serge plays here with Pierre Verne on bass and Jean Marc Lajudie on drums – both artists who really know how to vary their tones and timing in relation to the leader – which lets the trio really take off in all these really beautiful ways – especially given the special sonic treatment of the set, which is in the best Sawano label mode! Titles include "Central Park West", "Mac Coy", "Eclypso", "Interface", "Tin Tin Deo", "Ballade Irlandaise", "Come Sunday", and "Cubano Chant". LP, Vinyl record album

The best work we've heard in years from Terry Callier – the legendary soul singer from Chicago who's finally getting his due! This album avoids many of the mistakes of Terry's recent comeback efforts – and has him working with the best of the London scene – extremely fitting, as London's always given Terry some of his biggest support, and were crucial in bringing him back from obscurity! Most of the tunes on the set are produced by Jean-Paul "Bluey" Maunick, of Incognito – and they go for a spacious sound that's a strong extension of Terry's classic work for Cadet – rough vocals and acoustic guitar mixed with warmer keyboards, tight rhythms, and touches of strings. The album also features guest appearances by Paul Weller, Marc Mac of 4 Hero, and a number of other important London forces – and tracks include "Brother To Brother", "Imagine A Nation", "Monuments Of Mars", "Darker Than A Shadow", "Running Around", and "Speak Your Piece". LP features 6 tracks from the CD. LP, Vinyl record album

A real standout in the catalog of pianist George Wallington – a very cooking live set, recorded at the Cafe Bohemia with an expanded quintet! The record supposedly showcases Wallington's style (or gimmick) – called "The Peck", and explained as a series of incomplete phrases from the players – but to us, this approach is just prime 50s hardbop at its most inventive – a mode that might be dubbed "call and response", in which players trade lines back and forth with great dynamism and energy! Players here are all very well suited to the task – and include Donald Byrd on trumpet, Jackie McLean on alto, Paul Chambers on bass, and Art Taylor on drums – all working with great boppish fire on a set of tunes that include "Sweet Blanche", "Minor March", "Jay Mac's Crib", and "Bohemia After Dark". LP, Vinyl record album

Here's where it started getting weird for Bolan & T Rex – with strange bits of soul and other elements in the shiny, spacey veneer! Includes "Venus Loon", "Sound Pit", "Galaxy", "Change", "Teenage Dream", "Interstellar Soul", "The Meathawk Immaculate", "Nameless Wildness", "Liquid Gang", "The Leopards Featuring Gerdenia & The Mighty Slug" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

Beautiful! This is perhaps one of the greatest records ever by this legendary Brazilian vocal group – and the album's a stunning mix of post-bossa arrangements, and the more baroque sort that some Brazilian groups were using at the time. Roberto Menescal produced the album – and one of the highlights is the group's incredible version of Milton Nascimento's "Cravo E Canela", and an amazing take on Marcos Valle's "O Cafona". Other tracks include "Valsinha", "Confirmacao", "Maria Das Dores", "Minha Historia", and "Mudei De Ideia". LP, Vinyl record album

The last-ever recording of drumming great Buddy Rich – and a set that we'd put right up there next to his best records of the previous two decades! Buddy's in familiar formation here, but the sound is wonderful – recorded live at Ronnie Scott's nightclub in London, with this mixture of band tightness and solo freedoms that's really striking – all driven by the kind of energy that always made Buddy one of the few folks who could help a larger ensemble continue with vitality into later years! The formation of the whole group is great – that bold, brash, Buddy Rich sound – and soloists include Steve Marcus on tenor, Bob Bowlby on alto, Tom Garling on trombone, Greg Gisbert on trumpet, and Matt Harris on piano – each of whom get some key solo moments on the set. Titles include "Wind Machine", "Night Blood", "Ready Mix", "Winding Way", "Love For Sale", "Just In Time", and "Harco Shuffle". 3LP version features a 31 minute long take of "Good News" – with a very long tenor solo from Steve Marcus! LP, Vinyl record album

With Marcus Miller on keyboards, bass, and rhythm guitar, Steve Ferrone on drums, Hiram Bullock on lead guitar, Bernard Wright on synthesizer, Steve Gadd on drums, Don Grolnick on piano, Hugh McCracken on slide guitar, Mac Rebennack aka Dr John on piano, and Paulinho da Costa on percusion. LP, Vinyl record album

One of Jimmy's most classic albums for Blue Note – and a key example of why his solo skills on the organ surpassed most of his contemporaries! The record's got a stripped-down trio group of Jimmy, guitarist Quentin Warren, and drummer Donald Bailey – working through mostly familiar numbers, but taking them to places previously unheard of! The best example of this is the album's amazing version of "When Johnny Comes Marching Home" – a classic groover that takes the old snoozer and pumps it up with a snapping rhythm, then features Jimmy really working the whole thing over with an incredible solo! A similar format's applied to numbers that include "Mack the Knife", "Night in Tunisia", "What's New", and "Makin Whoopee" – and the album soars with an easy groove that's every bit of Jimmy at his best! LP, Vinyl record album

One of the most compelling compilations we've heard in ages – a set of tunes by and about Muhammad Ali! It's no secret that back in the day, Ali was way more than just a boxer – he was an international celebrity whose pride and power were a symbol for millions worldwide. At the height of his glory, not only did Ali himself record a number of albums, but he was also graced with countless tribute songs – not only from American artists, but British, Brazilian, and African as well! This festive little set brings together 22 of those great recordings, including a few about boxing in general – with genres that include soul, reggae, and Brazilian grooves – as well as some very catchy novelty numbers that defy classification! Titles include "The People's Choice" and "I'm The Greatest" by Ali himself – plus "8ieme Round" by Trio Madjesi, "Cassius Marcellus Clay" by Jorge Ben, "Muhammad Ali" by Sir Mack Rice, "Muhammad Ali" by Dennis Alcapone, "The Louisville Lip" by Eddie Curtis, "Rumble In The Jungle" by Don Covay, "Foreman Vs Frazier" by Big Youth, "Try It Again" by Joe Frazier, and "Ali Shuffle" by JW Grasshopper & The Butterfly. LP, Vinyl record album

With Marcus Miller on bass, Moog bass, Rhodes, piano, OBX-A, Yamaha GS-2, Prophet-5, Jupiter-8, guitar, and percussion; Michael Colina on OBX-A, Jupiter-*, piano, and vocoder; Hiram Bullock on Moog bass, Rhodes, and GS-2; Steve Gadd on drums, and Ralph MacDonald on conga and percussion. LP, Vinyl record album

Includes "Main Title March", "Lex Escapes", and "Lex And Miss Teschmacher To Fortress". 7-inch, Vinyl record

The title might seem a bit cheesy, but the record's a great one – served up by French pianist Serge Delaite, in a style that's a nice extension of some of the Sketch Studio trio material from his scene in the previous decade! The group's got a nicely easygoing vibe – lightly skipping drums from Jean Marc Lajudie, and walking basswork from Henk Arts – a player with a gentle but effective way of driving the groove! Serge has a very sprightly touch on the keys – informed by bop, but a lot more lyrical too – on titles that include "Valse Hot", "Impressions", "After You've Gone", "Softly As In A Morning Sunrise", "Le Sude", and "Peri's Scope". LP, Vinyl record album

A mighty fresh debut from Domi and JD Beck – a duo who mix together keyboards and drums at a level that channels lots of styles from the global underground of the past decade or so, but with a jazzier sort of warmth, and a nicely soulful current throughout! The pair first got attention on a track by Anderson Paak, who appears here alongside a list of other luminaries who include Thundercat, Busta Rhymes, Herbie Hancock, Snoop Dogg, and Mac DeMarco – all guests who are maybe more at home in the groove of Domi and JD, than trying to push their own agenda! Anderson signed the duo himself – and titles include "Pilot", "Moon", "Duke", "Take A Chance", "Whatup", "Smile", "Bowling", "Not Tight", "Two Shrimps", and "U Don't Have To Rob Me". LP, Vinyl record album

A pretty incredible legacy of jazz from the scene in Belgium during the late 60s and early 70s – a place that never got the kind of exposure as the jazz worlds of the UK, Scandinavia, and Germany – but one that was making some really amazing work at the time! Take the "progressive" in the title a bit loosely – this is neither prog jazz rock, nor work that's too academic to be groovy – as the groups here are often a bit funky, and play with a surprising degree of soul – just the right space between the notes to make for tunes that cross over very well to fans of American funky jazz from the 70s, with some moments that also rival the best in Brazilian 70s jazz too! The rhythms are wonderful – sometimes full-on funky, sometimes more modal and spacious – and the tracks mix electric and acoustic instrumentation perfectly – mostly instrumental, but with a few vocals from time to time. Some of the artists are ones here you might not normally associate with Belgium – and that's just because they're finally getting their due here, in a well-collected package that also illuminates the connections with a great set of notes. Titles include "Vas Y Voir" by Brussels Art Quintet, "Pathetic Dreams" by Koen De Bruyne, "Archangelo" by Raphael, "Memphis Talk" by Philip Catherine, "Naima" by Lou MacConnell, "Pro Forma 1" by Babs Robert, "Utopic Cities" by Solis Lacus, "SUS" by Placebo, "Face Reality" by Jacques & Micheline Pelzer, "Tohubohu (part 1)" by Marc Moulin, "Open Sky" by Open Sky Unit, and "Sakara" by Clarke Boland Big Band. LP, Vinyl record album

One of the coolest, funkiest records we've ever heard from Dr John – thanks to lots of guest help from The Meters! The vibe here is a bit tighter than some of Mac's previous records – not as trippy as his first few for Atco – but the sound is still nice and sharp, and Allen Toussaint provides production and arrangements with a style that would be right at home on some of his work for the indie Sansu label. The title cut – "Right Place Wrong Time" – was a huge hit, but has a great funky break – and the album also features loads of other nice numbers too – including "Life", "Traveling Mood", "Same Old Same Old", "Just The Same", and "Shoo Fly Marches On". LP, Vinyl record album

The first album by Joyce – one of our favorite Brazilian singers ever! The album's a wonderfully lyrical batch of tracks – many written by Joyce herself, plus a few by Brazilian songwriters Jards Macale, Toninho Horta, and Marcos Valle – and the orchestrations are by Gaya, and played on a number of tracks by Dori Caymmi and his group. The style shows many elements of Joyce's later unique style, filtered through a more standard late bossa sound – light and breezy, but with a bit of a dark edge that's in a classic Jobim mode. Includes the track "Superego", which feels a lot like Joyce from the 70s – plus the lovely "Litoral", and the tracks "Me Disseram", "Nao Muda, Nao", "Cantiga De Procura", "Choro Chorado", "Bloco Do Eu Sozinho", and "Improvisado". LP, Vinyl record album

Wildly eclectic compilation with tracks by Charles Bradley & The Menahan Street Band, Ethan & Maya Hawke, Mac DeMarco all covering tracks by Rodriguez, Betty Davis, Haruomi Hosono and others in the LITA catalog! LP, Vinyl record album