Loads of great guitar in this classic 60s western – sometimes twangy, sometimes driving, and sometimes mixed nicely with trumpet – all for a sound that really makes the score one of the best from the spaghetti western generation! There's a bold, fresh approach to the whole thing – a style that's really confident in its execution, and which really makes you feel like the film's striking out to some great new territory. We're honestly not that familiar with other work by Michele Lacerenza, but this one's a gem – and also features some chorus vocals from I Cantori Moderni, harmonica from Franco De Gemini, and trumpet from Michele himself! CD features a total of 24 tracks – including "Al Tramonto", "Caccia", "Inseguimento", "Leggende Del West", "Contro I Nemici", "Spiando Il Nemico", and "In Chiesa". CD

Paul McCartney has left Wings behind for this record – but in their place he's come up with a wonderful new approach – serving up all the instruments himself, as he did on the first album titled Paul McCartney – but also using more electronics than before, which makes for some wonderfully moody moments! The songwriting is great – every bit as strong as the 70s years, without some of Paul's later 80s fluff – and the change in instrumentation really makes for some beautifully haunting moments. The set includes "Waterfalls" – one of our favorite tracks ever by Paul – and other titles include the hit "Coming Up", the groovy "Temporary Secretary", and the tracks "Darkroom", "Summer Day's Song", "On The Way", "Nobody Knows", "Bogey Music", and "Frozen Jap". Deluxe edition includes two CDs of additional tracks and a DVD enclosed in a numbered hardbound book. CD

A huge chapter of work from the Art Ensemble Of Chicago – one that not only includes their own albums for the ECM label, but also related solo and side projects too! The set begins with four Art Ensemble albums – Nice Guys, Full Force, Urban Bushman, and The Third Decade – all of which came out as a statement of the group's strengths in the late 70s and early 80s – their first mainstream appearance after a few years of being very underground, and material that helped set a whole new standard for avant jazz expression in the generation to come! Next is the fantastic album Divine Love, by trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith – not necessarily an Art Ensemble album, but one that does feature great work from trumpeter Leo Smith – plus trumpeter Kenny Wheeler, bassist Charlie Haden, and vibist Bobby Naughton. Next are four albums by Lester Bowie – two smaller group, and two with his Brass Fantasy ensemble – the records The Great Pretender, All The Magic/The One & Only, I Only Have Eyes For You, and Avant Pop. Then, after Bowie's early passing, the Art Ensemble recorded their beautiful Tribute To Lester – as a trio lineup with Roscoe Mitchell, Malachi Favors, and Don Moye. Mitchell takes the helm next – on a surprisingly big flurry of projects for ECM – records that often show a deeper compositional strand in his music – on records that include Nine To Get Ready, Composition/Improvisation, Far Side, Bells For The South Side, and Boustrophedon – the last of which was led by Evan Parker, with Mitchell in the Transatlantic Art Ensemble. Last up are three records by drummer Jack DeJohnette for ECM – New Directions and New Directions In Europe, both featuring a group with Lester Bowie on trumpet – and Made In Chicago, which features Roscoe Mitchell, Henry Threadgill, and Muhal Ricard Abrams. Recordings were made between 1978 and 2015 – and comes in a box set with a big booklet of notes! CD

One of the greatest releases ever from the Okka Disk label – a legendary set that stands as a great testament to the global improvising scene that exploded in Chicago during the 90s! Back in the early years of FMP, nobody would have thought to use the name "Peter Brotzmann" and "Chicago" in the same context – but by the time of these recordings, the legendary reedman had been spending quite a bit of time in the Windy City – working strongly alongside that decade's fresh generation of improvisers, at a level that also helped Brotzmann discover new energy in his music too! The lineup here is great – both octet and tentet groups that operate in an improvising orchestra tradition – with players that include Ken Vandermark on tenor and bass clarinet, Mars Williams on tenor and alto, Jeb Bishop on trombone, Mats Gustafsson on baritone and fluteophone, Joe McPhee on pocket cornet and valve trombone, Fred Lonberg Holm on cello, Kent Kessler on bass, Michael Zerang and Hamid Drake on drums and percussion, and Brotzmann himself on tenor, clarinet, and tarogato. The set features three different live recordings, and one long studio set recorded over two days – a fantastic collection of music. Titles include "Burning Spirit (For Kazuka Shiraishi)", "Other Brothers", "Old Bottles No Wine, "Aziz", "Foolish Infinity", "Immediate Music", "Makapoor", "Foolish Infinity", "Other Brothers" and "Divide By Zero". CD

A really amazing set of work from tenorist Clifford Jordan – a player who first rose to fame in the hardbop scene of the late 50s, but who moved into tremendous new territory with these Strata East recordings of the late 60s and early 70s! Jordan was a Chicago contemporary of players like Johnny Griffin and Von Freeman, but he was never content to rest on his laurels – and stretched out on these records with a spiritual vibe that he'd never expressed before – and which would go onto inspire countless other musicians in years to come! This set brings together all the Dolphy Series recordings that Jordan recorded – either as an artist or producer – two of which were never issued on record at the time. Jordan's own albums for the label are wonderful enough – the double-length Glass Bead Games, one of our favorite records ever – and the killer In The World, which is great too. But this set also adds in other Strata East albums that really help illustrate the scene in which Jordan was working – including the excellent Pharoah Sanders non-Impulse session, Izipho Zam; the modern music of Charles Brackeen on Rhythm X, with Don Cherry on trumpet and Brackeen on tenor; and the great Cecil Payne album Zodiac, which has some of the last trumpet work ever from Kenny Dorham. Plus, the set also features two extremely rare albums – the never-issued Shades Of Edward Blackwell – led by the drummer, with Don Cherry on trumpet and Luqman Lateef on tenor, plus a bit of log drum from Jordan – and the obscure Super Bass album from Wilbur Ware, which features Jordan on tenor, in a quartet with Ware on bass, Don Cherry on trumpet, and Ed Blackwell on drums! These two albums are worth the price of the package alone – even if you have other Strata East albums in your collection – and the whole thing features the usual sublime Mosaic package and booklet. CD

An excellent jazz soundtrack from Piero Piccioni – captured at a great early point in his film career, when he was still mixing in lots of elements from his work in jazz as well! The style here echoes some of the French jazz soundtracks of the new wave – and the tunes often sport breakout solos with plenty of fire – tenor, trumpet, and lots of piano – the latter of which has an especially great feel on some of the more mellow, moody tunes. Rhythms are great too – sometimes slow and loose, sometimes more vibrant and boppish – and together, the tunes work together to offer up a vibrant version of the movie that's almost as striking as the images on the screen! CD features a total of 26 tracks in all – over 70 minutes of music, including a number of unreleased tracks. CD

A seminal set from Sun Ra – even if it's one of his few 60s albums not on the Saturn label! The set was done for ESP during the glory days of that avant powerhouse – a perfect match, given the Arkestra's relocation to New York, and the label's ability to reach out to big new audiences for exciting music – a fact that certainly made this album one of the most widely-circulated Ra albums for many years to come. The group here works in formation that holds up strongly with the Saturn sides – John Gilmore on tenor, Marshall Allen on alto, Teddy Nance on trombone, Chris Capers on trumpet, Danny Davis on flute and alto, and Ra on piano, bass marimba, and some especially nice electronic celeste! Things get quite out at points – freer almost than other Arkestra sides of the time – and titles include "Outer Nothingness", "Other Worlds", "Nebulae", "Dancing In the Sun", "The Cosmos", and "Of Heavenly Things". CD

A fantastic CD collection – one that brings together all five volumes of Stereolab's Switched On albums in one set – a huge collection of unusual material and rare singles! On the original Switched On record, moog, fuzz, and farfisa have never sounded so great together – and although these guys drank deep of the well of 60s pop magic before making this modern-day classic – they also come off sounding pretty darn original on their own! When this gem of a record first hit the world, it was as if all of us were hearing music from the cosmos for years, but could never find a way to make it part of our everyday lives. Then along come Tim Gane, Laetitia Sadier, and crew – and completely change the world for the better! An album that no home should be without – with titles that include "Contact", "Super-Electric", "Doubt", "Brittle", "Au Grand Jour", "The Way Will Be Opening", and "Changer". Refried Ectoplasm is the second in the holy trinity of "switched on" albums from Stereolab – a set that collects together all the unusual recordings and other side bits the group were doing in the early years of their career – standing strong as a testament to their non-stop efforts to forever push the boundaries of electric fuzzy pop! The vocals Laetitia Sadier are completely sublime – almost a bridge between the darker modes of the previous pop generation and all the new ideas of the world to come – when the rest of rock music would finally catch up to these guys, and realize that the best path to the future is through the past! Titles include "Farfisa", "John Cage Bubblegum", "Tempter", "Exploding Head Movie", "French Disko", "Harmonium", "Revox", "Mountain", and "Sadistic". By the time of Aluminum Tunes (Switched On Vol 3) – it had only been a few years since the previous Switched On set, but Stereolab had already created so much musical magic, they needed a double-length record to keep the whole thing intact! The sound here is somehow getting even more dreamy and wonderful – definitely showing their work with the mighty Sean O'Hagan, and also really opening up into all the many musical ideas that Tim Gane was picking up from his never-ending search for unusual records! The 60s swirl through time and space, and make the future sound even better than we could have imagined it – while the Channel is drained, and England and France become one in a genius marriage of pure pop modes. Titles include "The Extension Trip", "How To Play Your Internal Organs Overnight", "Space Moment", "Iron Man", "The Long Hair Of Death", "One Note Samba/Surfboard", "Percolations", "1000 Miles An Hour", "Klang Tone", and a great take on the theme to "Get Carter". Switched On 4 is full of fantastic sounds from Stereolab – an assortment of rare singles and other unusual recordings that were mostly issued on their own Duophonic label, and which are far more obscure than their bigger label albums during the same period! Even though Stereolab gave the world some undeniable classics in the late 90s and early 00s, they were also working endlessly, and seemed to record more than they could ever fit on a full length set – which resulted in all the cool singles, limited releases, and other material included here – not dusty tapes pulled from the archives, but beautiful work that often returns the group to all the space age charms of their first few records! The package is huge – 25 tracks in all, of varying length – and titles include "Barok Plastik", "Calimero", "Fried Monkey Eggs (voc)", "Solar Throw Away", "Variation One", "Monkey Jelly", "Explosante Fixe", "Jump Drive Shut Out", "The Super-It", "L'Exotisme Interieur", "Pandora's Box Of Worms", "Retrograde Mirror Form", "Nomus E Phusis", "I Feel The Air Of Another Planet", "Outer Bongolia", and "Intervals". Includes tracks from Duophonic 45s, Underground Is Coming EP, Moog, First Of The Microbe Hunters, and work from compilations, unreleased tracks, and even a collaboration with Brigitte Fontaine! Switched On 5 is maybe the coolest entry so far in this really wonderful series – a set that's overflowing with rare and unusual work from Stereolab – most of it done at a time when the group were riding high on a major label, but still managed to issued a huge amount of music on their own, and work in a variety of collaborative settings too! One of our favorite is their work with Nurse With Wound, and tracks from that partnership begin this set – which then moves into rare singles, work with artists, compilation contributions, and plenty more – all with the usual Stereolab charm, but often with a nicely different vibe too! Titles include "Simple Headphone Mind", "Symbolic Logic Of Now", "Magne Music", "Forensic Itch", "Spool Of Collusion", "Robot Riot", "Trippin With The Birds", "Cybele's Reverie (live)", "Nth Degrees, "Refractions In The Plastic Pulse (Autechre Feebate mix)", and "Plastic Mile (original version)". CD

A massive set of work from trumpeter Charles Tolliver – a 3CD package that contains seminal live work from Tolliver's Strata East years, plus bonus previously unreleased titles from the concerts! The first half of the collection features work from Tolliver's seminal Live At Slug's albums – both recorded on the same night in 1970, and done with a free-thinking, spiritually soaring energy that set a whole new tone for live jazz in the 70s! For the records, Tolliver fronts the classic Music Inc lineup – a group that includes Stanley Cowell on piano, Cecil McBee on bass, and Jimmy Hopps on drums. Tolliver is stunning on trumpet – and he and Cowell handle the majority of the solos with the kind of imagination that characterized this strong point in both of their careers. Slugs titles include the previously unissued "On The Nile", "Ruthie's Heart", and "Repetition" – plus "Drought", "Felicite", "Orientale", and "Spanning". Next up is the equally great Live In Tokyo album – recorded 3 years later with a similar group that includes Cowell on piano, Clint Houston on bass, and Clifford Barbaro on drums – and although Tolliver's trumpet solos are always a treat, the interplay between Houston's bass and Cowell's piano is enough reason to buy the record! The highlight of the album is a great take of Cowell's modal groover "Effi", but the set also contains some masterful compositions by Tolliver – long versions of "Truth", "Stretch", and "Drought". Previously unissued titles include "Our Second Father", "Impact", and "Earl's World". Complicated, spiritual work – even more so than some of Tolliver's studio sessions! CD

Really really wonderful work from legendary organist Larry Young – a set of rare recordings that we'd easily rank right next to our favorite Blue Note albums that Young cut as a leader! The sides here were done for French radio in the mid 60s, but they're hardly throwaway quickie tracks or lame live sides – and instead are superbly recorded selections that feature Young's organ in the company of really great musicians who include Woody Shaw on trumpet and Nathan Davis on tenor! The music is mostly from the ORTF studios, with impeccable sound – and tracks stretch out in that long, imaginative way that Young brought to his famous Unity album for Blue Note – a complete reworking of the role of Hammond in jazz, set to new modern modes, which are definitely emphasized by the work of Davis and Shaw. A number of tracks were recorded under the name of the Nathan Davis Quartet – with the addition of Billy Brooks on drums and a few more add in Sonny grey on trumpet and Jean-Claude Fohrenbach on tenor – both great players who join Shaw and Davis on some very extended tracks. The whole thing's wonderful – impeccable sound, great notes, and lost material that's a key addition to the too-small Larry Young catalog! Titles include "La Valse Grise", "Discotheque", "Trane Of Thought", "Luny Tune", "Larry's Blues", "Talkin About JC", "Black Nile", and "Beyond All Limits" – as well as a 20 minute reading of the classic "Zoltan". There's also even one track that has Larry playing some Monk-like piano – really great! CD

The complete Columbia Records studio sessions from pianist Denny Zeitlin – and a package that features a fair bit of unreleased material too – not just alternate takes, but loads of fresh new tunes recorded at the time – appearing here for the first time ever! Zeitlin's a hell of a pianist, especially during these years – a really fresh 60s talent who works with a sound that's both warmly lyrical and somewhat modern – stylistically rooted in Bill Evans' inspiration, but clearly his own man by the time of these recordings! Denny's never fully gotten his due, and reissues over the years have been spare – so this package is not only a much-needed look as his mighty talents, but also a key discovery of 12 previously unreleased numbers. Players include Charlie Haden, Cecil McBee, and Joe Halpin on bass – and Freddie Waits, Oliver Johnson, and Jerry Granelli on drums. Titles include "Blue Phoenix", "Spring Is Here", "Western Thing", "Slipstream", "Later", "Labyrinth", "The Journey Home", "Carole's Garden", "Skippying", "Carnival", "Dormammu", "Living Alone", "Night & Day", "Maiden Voyage", "Nica's Tempo", "Cathexis", and "Repeat". CD

A really special set of soul tracks – and one that's got a vibe that's maybe even different from the previous two Manhattan Soul collections! This package is filled with the kind of overlooked gems that sometimes get lost because people are a bit too focused in their record-collecting tastes – mellow cuts that are still a bit funky, deep soul from up-north sources, and even some group numbers that are neither upbeat and Northern, nor slow enough to be mellow harmonies. Instead, these cuts together really defy the rules – showing that in the deeper corners of the New York underground, there were always great new ideas going on – not work that was trying to challenge the stars at Atlantic, or the Brill Building best – but instead very happy to just do their own thing, in some very groovy ways. The work comes from the Wand, Scepter, and Musicor family of labels – better-known for big hits, but also very dedicated to cool indie singles that only seem to be getting their due in more recent years. CD features 24 tracks in all – and titles include "Giving Up" by Junior Lewis, "Now That You're Gone" by Sonny Turner & Sound Limited, "Open Up Your Heart" by Dan & The Cleancuts, "Every Little Bit Helps" by Helen Henry, "Two Stupid Feet" by The Shirelles, "The Same Old Song" by The Dinos, "Nobody Made You Love Me" by The Charts, "Fun City Woman" by Ann Bailey, "The Landlord" by The Tabs, "Does Love Believe In Me" by Melba Moore, "Mr Schemer" by Brenton Wood, "You Picked Me" by The Soldier Boys, and "Never In My Life" by Lee Moses. CD

Fantastic work by maestro Burt Bacharach – subtle genius, and an album that offers more to us every time we listen to it! Burt's work has been recorded by many – but few ever gave it the kind of treatment that he did – as you'll hear in this brilliant array of sweeping strings, sly syncopation, and well-placed instrumental solos! The sound is breathtaking throughout – a new level of maturity and majesty for 60s instrumental pop – and the record's an enduring classic that deserves a place in every sensitive record collection. Includes the amazing cut "Pacific Coast Highway", plus great versions of other classics, like "Wanting Things", "She's Gone Away", "Knowing When To Leave", and "This Guy's In Love With You". CD

A landmark set of recordings – both of Gary Bartz's Harlem Bush Music albums, back to back on one CD! After a few years as a modern-tinged soul jazz saxophonist, Bartz broke strongly into the 70s with this pair of sessions – working in a mode that brought together rhythmic percussion, funky bass, and some incredibly righteous vocals from singer Andy Bey! Bey's presence on the record really marks them as a departure for Bartz – as it's the first time that Bartz used vocals on his recordings, in a style that was neither straight jazz, nor sellout soul – but rather a progressive approach that set a whole new tenor for the voice in jazz! Gary plays both soprano and alto sax – blowing in a rhythmic mode that's a perfect match for the chunky rhythms of the tunes – and which seems to often take on the same tone as Andy Bey's unique approach to the lyrics. There's an earthy, organic, almost tribalistic quality to some of the tracks – and titles include "Rise", "People Dance", "Drinking Song", "Taifa", "Parted", "Uhuru Sasa", "Vietcong", "Celestial Blues", and "The Planets". (Note, the CD omits one tune from the albums – "Du (Rain)", from Taifa – due to space limitations.) CD

2 early 60s sessions by tenorist Sal Nistico – a great player who spent most of his life in bigger bands, but who also knew how to shine on small group settings like these! They sure got the title right on the CD, as Sal's playing tenor in groups that feature many heavyweights, and soul jazz heavyweights too, we might add! Players on the albums include Nat Adderley, Barry Harris, Sam Jones, Bob Cranshaw, and Walter Perkins – all of whom make Sal cook a lot more than usual, and who give the set an early 60s soul jazz groove that was typical of the best work coming out on the Jazzland label at the time. The set features 13 tracks from both albums – with titles that include "Shoutin", "Mamblue", "Seconds Anyone", "Cheryl", "Ariescene", "Comin On Up", "Down", and "Samicotico". CD omits the track "Just Friends", due to space limitations. CD

A very groovy entry in this all-great series – a set of compilations that have been giving us really wonderful funk for many years, and which just seems to get better and better with each new entry! The tracks here are a hip mix of styles – not just familiar funk and soul sources, but some funky tracks from other surprising records too – presented together in a way that makes for a nice sense of variety, even while the cuts are all still staying in the groove! Titles include "Who Is She & What Is She To You" by Madelaine, "Golden Ring" by American Gypsy, "Just One Time" by Juicy Lucy, "Condor" by Geoff Love, "Steal Away" by Photoglo, "The One You Love" by Joey Newman, "Metropolis" by Walter Hawkins, "Happiness Is Just Around The Bend" by Main Ingredient, "Seacoast" by Archie Whitewater, and "Strange Games & Things" by Love Unlimited Orchestra. CD

One of the funkiest box sets we've ever seen – and amazingly issued by an American major label! The 4CD package is a treasure trove of funky work from a decade of Warner Brothers, Atlantic Records, and related labels – tunes pulled both from mainstream album releases and much more obscure 45s – all expertly collected here into a whopping batch of 91 tracks, all packaged in a cool little box with an 80 page booklet! This one goes way past some of the silly "decade" sets from Rhino, and really displays a new level of cool and connoisseurship – one that finally appreciates the rich depths of funky work at their fingertips, most of which has not been properly reissued in the US! Titles include "Almendra" by Macondo, "Goin Down" by Allen Toussaint, "Wah Wah Man" by Young Holt Unlimited, "Spinning Wheel" by Wade Marcus, "Hard Times" by Baby Huey & The Baby Sitters, "What's So Never The Dance (parts 1 & 2)" by Houseguests, "8 Days On The Road" by Howard Tate, "Getting Uptown" by United 8, "Wanoah" by Black Heat, "Let It Crawl" by Society's Bag, "Flute Thing" by Seatrain, "Try It Again" by Bobby Byrd, "Funky To The Bone" by Freddi Henchi & The Soul Setters, "Improve" by Darrow Fletcher, "Rien Ne Va Plus" by Funk Factory, "Gossip" by Cyril Neville, "Spreadin Honey" by Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band, "Stoned Soul" by Artie Christopher, "Sexy Coffee Pot" by Tony Alvon & The Belaires, "Tampin" by The Rhine Oaks, "Jan Jan" by The Fabulous Counts, "Sing A Simple Song" by The Noble Knights, "It's All In Your Mind" by Soul Angels, "Funky John" by Johnny Cameron, "Don't Come Around Here Any More" by Mark Putney, "Keep On Dancing" by The Commodores, "Right On Brother (part 1)" by South Shore Commission, "Pop Popcorn Children" by Eldridge Holmes, and "The Deacon" by Brute Force. CD

A landmark album from the mighty Bob Dylan – a 2LP set of studio work, which was quite rare at the time – and a set that has Dylan stretching out all his creative powers in newly different directions! The album had a long genesis in the studio – some early work with The Band, then Dylan breaking off with Al Kooper and Robbie Robertson to head down to Nashville – where they interacted with key country session musicians to make this masterful blend of music – work that's not country at all, but which is also moving past Dylan's folk roots too – with a blend of music that still as mindblowing today as it was back in the mid 60s! This is definitely one of those double-length sets that makes fantastic use of all the extra space – overflowing with gems that include "Rainy Day Women # 12 & 35", "Visions Of Johanna", "Pledging My Time", "Stuck Inside Of Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again", "Leopard-Skin Pill Box Hat", and "Just Like A Woman". CD

The incredible debut from Pearls Before Swine – a group who were a bit late to the New York folk party of the 60s – but at a level that really helped them evolve past the rest of their scene! The album's sometimes a bit overlooked – as it came out on the mostly-jazz ESP label – but it's a mindblowing treasure from the year of 1967, and one of the most forward-thinking albums of the time! The group begin with folk constructions, but really take off quickly with some trippier elements too – especially when they mix organ, vibes, or electronics with more familiar guitar and mandolin. Singer Tom Rapp maybe has a slight touch of Dylan in his approach, but he's already up there as his own man – and we love Rapp so much, we'd place him in the same heady territory as Tim Buckley, Tim Hardin, or Leonard Cohen – all of whose work is a good match for the energy here. There's a wonderfully dark quality to this album that gives it a timeless feel – strains of avant instrumentation underneath the gentler sound of Rapp's voice, and an undying sadness that's matched by the feel of songs like "Another Time", "Playmate", "Drop Out", "Ballad To An Amber Lady", "Miss Morse", "I Shall Not Care", and "Morning Song". CD

A really wonderful second set from Panama Limited – a group who've dropped the "Jug Band" from their name, and come across here with a very different sound! The album's still got lots of acoustic roots elements in the mix, but the overall conception is very strongly rooted in blues, then filtered through a more experimental generation – ala Captain Beefheart! It's clear that the group had been digging the Cap themselves, but they're not just copping his style here – as the album has a more pointed, tuneful approach – with vocals augmented by new group member Anne Matthews, who really helps them find a fresh groove. Way more trippy than before – thanks to some very evocative lyrics – and titles include "Moonshine", "Set Me Free", "Woman I Love", "Darkness Brings", "Laughing", and "Eastern Man". CD

One of the stranger jug bands of the 60s – one who emerged in the UK, a number of years after the big wave of such groups in New York – and with a vibe that's much trippier overall! These guys aren't entirely psychedelic, but were certainly born during that era – and really bring a freer-thinking approach to their mix of acoustic instruments and rootsy styles – a weird feel that's almost like the same sort of energy that Canned Heat brought to blues sounds, although served up here in a mix of guitar, jug, kazoo, string bass, and banjo. Titles include, not surprisingly, "Canned Heat" – plus "Going To Germany", "Cocaine Habit", "Wildcat Squall", "Round & Round", "Jailhouse", and "Guitar King". CD

An album of pure genius – easily one of the greatest Brazilian albums ever, and a landmark set from the Tropicalia years! There's a brilliance here that's hard to describe accurately – quite possibly because the young Caetano Veloso is experimenting with so many new ideas, the album explodes with fresh energy on each new track! Offbeat bossa runs into weird production effects, subtle psychedelia, and heartfelt singer/songwriter material – all arranged by the mighty Rogerio Duprat, and featuring guest work from Gilberto Gil on guitar. The range of work here is tremendous – from the political "Empty Boat" to the fantastical "Lost in the Paradise", through other classics that include "Irene", "Os Argonautas", "Carolina", "Alfomega", "Chuvas De Verao", "Objeto Nao Identifcado", "Atras Do Trio Eletrico", and "Marinheiro So". CD

A very groovy set of tracks – and one that comes packaged with its own roulette wheel in the cover! The package goes for an all-Vegas style of vocal tracks – swinging and upbeat numbers that make you feel like you're in the set of the original Oceans Eleven, or following Fredo around in Godfather 2. There's a total of 20 tracks in all, and titles include "Games People Play" by Mel Torme, "Who's Got The Action" by Dean Martin, "Lucky Day" by Judy Garland, "I'm Shooting High" by Nat King Cole, "Something's Comin" by Vic Damone, "With Plenty Of Money & You" by Count Basie & Tony Bennett, "Shangri La" by Wayne Newton, "Big Spender" by Peggy Lee, "Night & Day" by Steve Lawrence, "Ain't That A Kick In the Head" by Sammy Davis Jr, and "This Could Be The Start Of Something" by Jack Jones. Packaging has a great roulette wheel with moving ball surrounded by green velvet. CD

Easily the hippest of the Clarke-Boland Big Band Records from the classic years – a set of hard grooving tracks that really pushes the envelope of their style! There's a few elements here that are different than usual – such as the presence of electric piano on a few tracks, which creates a very new sound for the group, the presence of some exotic jazz influences (perhaps borrowed from the MPS Jazz Meets The World series), and the use of some edgier compositions on the set, including work by late 60s European free-thinkers, like Eddie Louiss, Albert Mangelsdorff, and John Surman. The reed work is really incredible in this setting – and is handled by Sahib Shihab, Ronnie Scott, Billy Mitchell, and Derek Humble – all of whom seem to blow with inspiration from Surman – using tones that are far more out there than usual. Titles include "Exorcisme", "Sakara", "Our Kind Of Sabi", "Osaka Calling", "Wintersong", and "Astrorama". CD

Tracks include "Black and Tan Fantasy", "New York Injection", "Emily", and "Straight, No Chaser". CD

Remarkable modern jazz, from one of the most unique voices in the genre! Hill's piano work and compositions fall into a category of their own, working outside the limits of predominant bop sound, but not quite falling into the world of free jazz that rules the avant scene. This outstanding Mosaic box collects his seminal 60s recordings, comprising of the LPs Black Fire, Smokestack, Judgment, Point Of Departure, Andrew!, One For One, and Compulsion, plus plenty of alternate takes and some material that was issued under Sam Rivers name on the LP Involution. Sidemen include Joe Henderson, Bobby Hutcherson, Kenny Dorham, Eric Dolphy, John Gilmore, Freddie Hubbard, Sam Rivers, Richard Davis, Cecil McBee, Roy Haynes, Elvin Jones, Tony Williams and Joe Chambers. There's 52 tracks in all, spread out over 7 CDs, with titles that include "Land Of Nod", "Black Fire", "McNeil Island", "Tired Trade",Pumpkin", "Subterfuge", "Smokestack", "Ode To Von", "The Day After", "Verne", "Not So", "Flea Flop", "Siete Ocho", "Yokada, Yokada", "Reconciliation", "New Monastary", "Flight 19", "Spectrum", "Symmetry", "The Griots", "Duplicity", "Le Serpenmt Qui Danse", "Euterpe", "Erato", "Roots 'n Herbs", "Compulsion", "Premonition", "Violence" and "Desire". CD

A sweet lean set from T-Connection – still every bit as funky as back in their late 70s years, but with a different sort of style for the new generation! The music's got that great 80s groove approach that Capitol Records excelled at during the time – and the group's a bit more compressed than before – just a quintet, with heavy contributions from Theophilus Coakley on lead vocals, keyboards, songwriting, and production! This focus around a strong male lead gives the group a really fresh feel – and pushes them past the ensemble funk stereotypes of their generation – with great results on cuts that are heavy with funky bass and keyboard lines. Titles include "You Found Someone New", "Take It To The Limit", "Right Place Wrong Time", "You Can Feel The Groove", and "In Another Life". CD

A real departure in the career of Brian Hyland – and light years away from his earlier fame as a teen pop singer! The Hyland of this record is a brooding one – mature, sometimes slightly folksy – but also able to draw on a wealth of soul, blues, and other musical references that were never part of his earlier music. The album unites Hyland with another older 60s star – Del Shannon, who wrote some of the songs, played guitar, and also produced the album. Shannon, like Hyland, was at a similar head-searching point in his career – and was a perfect foil for the new ideas that were bubbling around in Brian's head. There's a strangely somber feel to the set – handled partially by intimate guitar work, but also by some large, but gentle arrangements that use strings sparingly to create the same sort of sad, evocative sounds that you might expect from a Tim Hardin album. Hyland actually scored a hit with the album's great remake of "Gypsy Woman", but the original tunes are really the best – and include "On The East Side", "Mail Order Gun", "I'm Without You", "Driving Me Crazy", and "You & Me". CD

A really unique document of the struggle and story of Angela Davis – recorded in 1971 by ABC news, and packaged together here as kind of a sonic program by Folkways! The record works like a short news program – starting out with a statement by Angela, then moving to a narrated introduction, then a long interview conducted by Joe Walker of Muhammad Speaks. Side two continues with a panel discussion on the case, then ends with some very cool "man in the street" style interviews! Capped off with a really great cover photo of Angela too! CD

Easily the most hard-hitting of Blue Note's 2LP Lighthouse Live series from the early 70s – and a record that really lets Elvin Jones and his group stretch out and play! The setting is a perfect one for Jones – given the boundless energy already present on his studio sessions for Blue Note at the time – really fierce work that goes beyond even his classic Coltrane performances – pushing the limits in a sweet blend of rhythm and reeds! The group here is Elvin's razor-edge combo from the early 70s – the one that features Gene Perla on fat funky bass, and both Steve Grossman and Dave Liebman playing choppy reeds along with the grooves – really amazing hornmen at this point in their career, blowing here with interplay that's simply fantastic! Jones' leadership both draws from his years with Coltrane, yet also takes the music to key new levels – increasing the energy without blowing the top off, and creating a vivid new groove that so many others would try to cop later in the 70s – but never do this well. Titles on this second volume include "New Breed", "My Ship", and "Sweet Mama". CD

One of the best albums that Lou Rawls cut with the team of HB Barnum and David Axelrod – that incredible duo who made some of his 60s Capitol albums so great! The style here is wonderful – upbeat grooves from Barnum – who brings more soul into Lou's music than before – recorded by Axelrod with the right sort of sharpness and punch – that special quality he brought to Cannonball Adderley's 60s soul classics too! Rawls is really at home in the setting – stepping out in some points with these hip monologue passages that are as great as his singing – maybe even better, too – as they show a whole new side of Lou's personality – that badass, totally hip quality that people might never have expected from the early days. One of the best of these is the excellent "Old Man's Memories", about a guy sitting on a bench in Washington Park on the south side of Chicago, which then rolls into an amazing version of "It Was A Very Good Year". Other tunes have a great mix of soul and jazz – and titles include "Love Is A Hurtin Thing", "A Whole Lotta Woman", "Don't Explain", "Old Folks", and "Breaking My Back (Instead Of Using My Mind)". CD

Some of the greatest material Bud Shank ever recorded – a wealth of small combo sessions that run from cool jazz to bossa – and an ultra-rare South African record too! The set features material from the albums Bud Shank Quartet, Bud Shank Quartet Featuring Claude Williamson, Bud Shank Plays Tenor, Bud Shank In Africa, Slippery When Wet, New Groove, and Barefood Adventure – plus tracks from compilations Blowin The Blues and Have Blues Will Travel. The South African session is amazing – never issued in the US until this release – very unique work, with a very exotic tone! CD

If our jukebox was like this, we'd be rich! The compilation's a much-needed overview of the limited edition 45s issued by the Stones Throw label – a genre-busting blend of hip hop, deep funk, and turntable work – always exciting, and with a style that's unlike anything else we can think of! The package really offers a great sampling of the work on these hard-to-find singles – 22 ultra-hip titles that are as appealing to any fan of classic funk as they are a fan of underground hip hop. Titles include "Getcho Soul Togetha (part 2)" by Breakestra, "Rocket Ship" by Stark Reality, "Harlem River Drive Interlude" and "I Am Singing" by Yesterday's New Quintet, "My 2600" by Captain Funkaho, "Breaks Of Meditate" and "Chops & Thangs" by Beat Conductor, "Things Could Be Better" by Ernie & The Top Notes, "On Point" by Lootpack, "Poppin Popcorn" by The Highlighters, "Devotion 92" by Charizma & Peanut Butter Wolf, "Take Me" by Fabulous Souls, "Color" by LA Carnival, "Enter Ralph Wiggum" by A Trak, and "Place Your Bet" by Medaphor. CD

The first-ever album from the legendary Hi-Lo's – a landmark indie debut that went onto transform the sound of vocal harmony in the 20th century! The record's got a subtle brilliance that's hard to catch at first – a way of putting together the tunes that's often only slightly different than some of the group's contemporaries, but which already shows the rich talents that leader Gene Puerling would bring to later vocal experiments with Singers Unlimited in the 70s. As with most of the group's famous records, backings here are by Frank Comstock – perfectly poised on the gentle tunes, and nicely jazzy on the more swinging ones! Titles include "June in January", "Little White Lies", "I Don't Want to Cry Anymore", "She's Funny that Way", "Whatever Lola Wants", "Island of Desire", "You Brought a New Kind Of Love", "Fools Rush In", "Have You Met Miss Jones", "Where Are You", and "You Can't Hardly Get Them No More". CD

The original mix of Ruff Draft from J Dilla – a set cut back when he was still going by the name of Jay Dee, as one of the most powerful voices to emerge from the new scene in Detroit – working here alone in the studio, and with a raw power that's really wonderful! The record is supposedly music that Dilla originally made for himself, and which saw an initial limited release – but which, thanks to various reissues and variations, has gone on to become a key part of his too-short musical legacy. Tracks include "Reckless Driving", "Nothing Like This", "Let's Take It Back", "Crushin", "The $", and "Make Em NV" – plus some key interlude tracks. This 2018 2CD version features the original and alternate mixes for the Ruff Draft EP on CD1 and Dilla's instrumental versions on CD2. CD

The first-ever comprehensive collection of Johnny Mercer's work for Capitol Records in the 40s – the label he helped found at the time, and home to some of his greatest recordings ever! Mercer's best known as a swing-era songwriter, but he's also a hell of a singer too – a playful male vocalist who was a strong precursor to 50s singers like Jackie Paris, Matt Dennis, and Mark Murphy – like those artists, one who's both sensitive and swinging at the same time. The package features a whopping 79 tracks in all – most of which only ever appeared on 78rpm singles – and Mercers' usually got some great jazz backings behind him, from players who include Billy Butterfield, Cootie Williams, Jack Teagarden, and Nat King Cole. One of the best archival Mosaic sets in recent years – filled with great tracks that include "Box Bar Blues", "Cecilia", "Moon Faced Starry Eyed", "That's The Way He Does It", "Would Ya", "I've Been Hit", "Hooray For Love", "I Never Knew", "I May Be Wrong", "Sweet Lorraine", "Baby I'm True To You", "Ugly Chile", "San Fernando Valley", "GI Jive", "Evelina", and lots lots more! CD

One of 2 ESP sessions by Patty Waters – one of the most groundbreaking vocalists of the 60s, and a singer with a style that mixed equal parts jazz and folk! In a way, Patty's got a sound that's somewhat like Nina Simone at her best – in that she dominates a tune completely, singing as if she's speaking – and infusing it with a raspily personal mode that goes far deeper than simple interpretation. The difference, of course, is that most of Waters' material is all original, so the themes aren't nearly as restrictive as some of the covers that Simone had to re-interpret – but there's certainly a mode here that explores freedoms within limits, and which should have made Waters a much bigger influence in her generation. All material on the set was recorded during a 1966 tour of the state colleges of New York – with backings by Burton Greene on piano, Steve Tintweiss on bass, and Tom Price on percussion – and titles include "Moon Don't Come Up Tonight", "Why Can't I Come To You", "You Thrill Me", "Sad Am I Glad Am I", and "Black Is The Color Of My True Love's Hair". CD

A limited edition CD from Compost Records – one that features titles never before issued on CD, as well as some hard to find remixes! The set's a great treat to you fans of Compost without a turntable – as it compiles some of the best cuts from singles of the past few years, and throws in a few more strong cuts from the Compost catalog, giving you a 12 track sampling of cuts from one of the hippest labels around! Titles include "Eclipse (Afronaught Nocturnal dub rmx)" by Kyoto Jazz Massive, "A Go Go (DJ Muro rmx)" by Truby Trio, "Sound Of The Samba" by Victor Davies, "Human Patterns (Blackfish rmx)" by Beanfield, "O Preguicoso (new version)" by Intuit, "Cold Fusion (Dr Rockit rmx)" by Minus 8, "Everything (Beanfield rmx)" by Forest Mighty Black, "Love Unlimited (Capries rmx)" by Les Gammas, "Citizen" by Procreation, "Alone" by The Amalgamation Of Soundz, "Ten" by Fauna Flash, and "Bird Song" by The Underwolves. CD

Easily the most hard-hitting of Blue Note's 2LP Lighthouse Live series from the early 70s – and a record that really lets Elvin Jones and his group stretch out and play! The setting is a perfect one for Jones – given the boundless energy already present on his studio sessions for Blue Note at the time – really fierce work that goes beyond even his classic Coltrane performances – pushing the limits in a sweet blend of rhythm and reeds! The group here is Elvin's razor-edge combo from the early 70s – the one that features Gene Perla on fat funky bass, and both Steve Grossman and Dave Liebman playing choppy reeds along with the grooves – really amazing hornmen at this point in their career, blowing here with interplay that's simply fantastic! Jones' leadership both draws from his years with Coltrane, yet also takes the music to key new levels – increasing the energy without blowing the top off, and creating a vivid new groove that so many others would try to cop later in the 70s – but never do this well. Titles on this first volume include "Fancy Free", "Sambra", and "The Children Save The Children". CD

Easily the most hard-hitting of Blue Note's 2LP Lighthouse Live series from the early 70s – and a record that really lets Elvin Jones and his group stretch out and play! The setting is a perfect one for Jones – given the boundless energy already present on his studio sessions for Blue Note at the time – really fierce work that goes beyond even his classic Coltrane performances – pushing the limits in a sweet blend of rhythm and reeds! The group here is Elvin's razor-edge combo from the early 70s – the one that features Gene Perla on fat funky bass, and both Steve Grossman and Dave Liebman playing choppy reeds along with the grooves – really amazing hornmen at this point in their career, blowing here with interplay that's simply fantastic! Jones' leadership both draws from his years with Coltrane, yet also takes the music to key new levels – increasing the energy without blowing the top off, and creating a vivid new groove that so many others would try to cop later in the 70s – but never do this well. Titles on this second volume include "New Breed", "My Ship", and "Sweet Mama". CD

We completely love the music of Woody Shaw – but unfortunately, the legendary trumpeter left this planet way too soon, and only gave us about 20 years of recordings! Fortunately, the vaults have yielded some gems like this over the years – unreleased live material that not only adds to the space in Woody's catalog, but also really shows us how special he could be in a live setting! Shaw's got this strength of imagination and inner spirituality that never falters at all, even when the tracks are stretching out nice and long – which they really do here, as almost all the numbers move way past the ten minute mark – and have Woody blowing magnificent solos throughout. The group is great, too, with Mulgrew Miller on piano, Tony Reedus on drums, and Stafford James on some especially crucial bass – an instrument that always seems to drive Shaw onto new heights when it's handled the right way, which it definitely is here. Titles include "Eastern Joy Dance", "Rahssan's Run", "The Organ Grinder", "Pressing The Issue", "Sweet Love Of Mine", "Katrina Ballerina", and "400 Years Ago Tomorrow". CD

One of the boldest albums we've heard from trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith in years – a set that takes us right back to his key contributions of the 70s! The recent performance has Smith's trumpet in the company of an Italian quartet – with tenor and sopranino sax from Edoardo Marraffa, piano from Alberto Braida, bass from Antonio Borghini, and drums from Fabrizio Spera – all players who are never entirely free, and instead have the cohesion of some of the best New York groups from the loft jazz years – right drown to the overall conception of each track, and even the way the material was recorded. Smith sounds brilliant in the setting – still attuned to the textural experiments that have made other recent records great, but playing with a power that's definitely old school, and wonderfully soulful too. Titles include "Red Earth", "The Zebra Goes Wild", "Decision Says The Source", "Full Moon", and "Above The Tree Line". CD

Lots of beats and breaks – and the groove is a lot less mellow than you'd guess from the title! Tracks are pulled from some of the coolest indie labels of the 70s – Brunswick, HDH, and Salsoul – and the focus is on tracks that have lots of heavy drums and sharp changes – of the sort that were sampled heavily back in the day, but which also make for a nice batch of upbeat soul numbers too! Yet the collection is way more than just a sample-based collection of soul – as most of these numbers are pretty unusual, and not the kind of soul tracks that show up often on other compilations – and they link together surprisingly well, given the different sources from Chicago, Detroit, and New York. Titles include "Girl I Need You" by The Artistics, "I'm Bugging Your Phone" by The Smith Connection, "Seeing You Through The Eyes Of A Blindman" by Satisfaction Unlimited, "Lovin You Is Killin Me" by Moment Of Truth, "Where Will It End (Walter Gibbons mix)" by Love Committee, "I Got It" by New York Port Authority, "Love Factory" by Eloise Laws, "Breakaway" by First Choice, "Taster Of The Honey" by The Jones Girls, and "You Don't Have To Go (edit)" by The Chi-Lites. CD

Brilliant late work from Bill Evans – his last set of recordings from the Village Vanguard – recorded in the summer of 1980, nearly two decades after his first famous albums at the club! Evans here is a wealth of imagination – really stretching out in relaxed, fluid formation – gentler than before, but also with a deeper sense of feeling too – and getting some great support from trio members Marc Johnson on bass and Joe Labarbera on drums. Tracks mostly hover around the five minute range – but there's some key longer numbers too – and the whole thing's a perfect example of why live Bill Evans is often some of the best Bill Evans you can find! 58 tracks on 6CDs, packaged with a booklet – and titles include "Nardis", "Knight For Mary F", "Emily", "Minha", "My Romance/Five", "But Not For Me", "Bill's Hit Tune", "I Do It For Your Love", "Quiet Now", "Days Of Wine & Roses", "Your Story", "Tiffany", and "Re Person I Knew". CD

A very cool record! Langston tells the story of jazz, using snippets of work from the Folkways catalog – like tunes by Louis Armstrong, Baby Dodd, Ma Rainey, Leadbelly, and others – all sewn together in a rich narrative on the history of the music, delivered with some surprising illumination by Hughes! His voice is always a treat, and even though his narration of the material is designed for an audience of newcomers to jazz, it more than held our attention throughout – and the record's got almost as much appeal as some of his own jazz poetry work. CD

British soul group Imagination cracked the charts over here in the early 80s – but the group kept on going for a much longer run overseas – with a number of great trio albums well into the 90s, and a continued legacy of solo work from singer Leee John! All that material is collected here for the first time ever – in a huge 17CD box that certainly lives up to the promise of its title – a limited edition set that features lots of new notes with the music, and a whopping 189 tracks in all! Includes the full Imagination albums Body Talk, In The Heat Of The Night, Night Dubbing, Scandalous, Trilogy, and Closer – plus the remix album Like It Is – and Leee John albums Fascination Of The Physical, Feel My Soul, Voice Of Illusion, and Retropia – plus a Revisited version of Closer, a CD of Unreleased Trax & Demos, a Live Trax CD, and a CD of 12" Singles Selection. Way more music than we ever knew the group recorded – and certainly way more than was ever issued here in the US! CD

A sublime album by one of our favorite talents in 60s jazz – pianist Jack Wilson, making his second Blue Note appearance here amidst a group of other more likely label players that include Lee Morgan on trumpet, Jackie McLean on alto, and Billy Higgins on drums! Despite the presence of those superstars, though, the album's still very much Wilson's own – featuring 4 tracks penned and played in his modally soulful vision, plus a great version of one tune by Frank Strozier – a player we'd find to be a very good companion to Wilson's style! The group's also noteworthy in that it features some excellent work from trombonist Garnett Brown – a player with a deeply soulful approach that adds in new dimensions to the tunes, and offsets the lightly lyrical touch of Wilson on the keys. The whole set's great – and titles include "Do It", "On Children", "Easterly Winds", "Nirvana", and "Frank's Tune". CD

A deep look at the electronic music underground in the 60s, 70s, and 80s – not the academic theoreticians who were slaving away in university laboratories, but the more independent, freewheeling talents who were using the initial analogue moment to open up their own boundaries in time and space! The work ranges from unusual 60s instrumentals, through 70s hippie electronics, to some 80s recordings that might have been termed new age by the uninitiated – but which instead, all these years later, stand as some lost moments of cosmic expression! There's few folks we trust to lead us down a musical path as much as the guys at Soul Jazz – and this time, they've definitely taken us in the right direction – with cuts that include "Midnight" by Tim Blake, "Gang (For Rock Industry)" by JB Banfi, "To The Other Side Of The Sky" by Michael Garrison, "By Water" by Stratis, "Improvisation On A Concerto Generator" by Laurie Spiegel, "Starborn Suite (part 1)" by Steven Halpern, "Ceres Motion" by Mother Mallard's Portable Masterpiece Company, "As Above So Below" by Carl Matthews, "In The Beginning" by Michael Stearns, "Ever New" by Beverly Glenn-Copeland, "Variations VII Sur Le Theme Des Bene Gesserit" by Richard Pinhas, and "Ancient Stars" by Kevin Braheny. CD