Tracks include "360 (What Goes Around)", "Proper Education", "That's How We Move It", "Check It Out" featuring Mary J. Blige, "Back It Up", "Big Kids Don't Play", "Ya Know How It Goes", "Proper Education", "Check Tha Resume", "Honey Don't Front", "Lickshot", "Reel To Reel", "Soul Controller", "Baby What's Your Name?" – plus the bonus tracks "360 (What Goes Around) SD50 remix" and "Who Makes The Loot?". CD

Quite an obscure one by Love – a mid 70s record that actually has quite a bit of soul in the mix! The album almost seems to be going for a Sly Stone approach – expanding the group past Arthur Lee and crew with a host of additional players that include Harvey Mandel, Bobby Lyle, and Joey Deguero. There's still plenty of bluesy and rocky tracks – but there's also a great cover of William DeVaughn's "Be Thankful For What You Got" – done in a chunky mode that really hits a great groove with us (and which is proof that people were covering the tune even back when it was first released!) Other tracks move between soulful rock, Thin Lizzy-esque compressed guitar numbers, and other styles that show a bit more soul than might be expected. Titles include "Time Is Like A River", "Everybody's Gotta Live", "You Said You Would", "Busted Feet", "With A Little Energy", and "Who Are You". LP, Vinyl record album

These guys just keep on getting better and better – and with an album like this, Reel People may well be one of our favorite current combos for the dancefloor! The sound here is wonderfully soulful – a style that draws from a legacy of grooves that stretches back to Stevie Wonder, but which has some of the leaner qualities of the British scene in the wake of groups like Brand New Heavies and Jamiroquai! 70s influences abound, but they're never cliched, and used in just the right doses alongside some more contemporary rhythms on the bottom – and perhaps best of all, the set features vocals from a great range of guests – including Omar, Vanessa Freeman, Joy Rose, Darien, and Tony Momrelle. Titles include "Alibi", "Outta Love", "Amazing", "Rise & Fly", "High", "Ordinary Man", "Love Is Where You Are", and "Anything You Want". CD

We totally loved Reel People's Seven Ways To Wonder album – and this special remix set is equally great – a package of wonderful new versions that features work from a host of hip producers! The set has all the soulful spirit of the original album, but also takes off in some more spaciously soaring modes too – a mix of British cosmic touches and classic instrumental roots – both of which really show up in some of the mixes here! Vocals are by Omar, Tony Momrelle, and Tasita D'Mour – and titles include "Outta Love (4 Hero rmx)", "It Will Be (Kyoto Jazz Massive rmx)", "Love Is Where You Are (The Realm rmx)", "Alibi (Rasmus Faber rmx)", "Amazing (Jon Cutler's distant music mix)", "Upside (Bugz upside mix)", "Upside (Pete Kuszma rmx)", "Love Is Where You Are (Orto rmx)", and "Anything You Want (Domu rmx)". 12 tracks in all! CD

A fantastic addition to the too-small catalog of work from the wonderful Harold Land – the west coast tenorist whose sound was maybe more of a bridge to the New York scene in the 50s and 60s – as you'll hear in this collection of well-recorded and unreleased material from his key years on the scene! All the cuts were recorded in Seattle, not LA – and Land is in top formation throughout – working in a few different groups with excellent players – including the mighty trumpeter Carmell Jones on two of the album's tracks, maybe worth the price of the record alone – plus Hampton Hawes and Buddy Montgomery on piano, Monk Montgomery on bass, and Philly Joe Jones on drums. Titles include "Triplin The Groove", "Vendetta", "Beepdurple", "Beauty", "Blue N Boogie", "Who Can I Turn To", and "Happily Dancing/Deep Harmonies Falling". CD

A really great duo set – alto from Bob Mover and piano from Walter Davis Jr – playing together here in a relaxed live setting that really has both players at the top of their game! Mover is an especially great surprise – and blows here with this openly flowing sense of imagination that's mindblowing – a raspy edge on the alto that hearkens back to some of the players who inspired him, but with this very personal quality that's at a level that was only captured on a rare few of his other albums. Davis is the piano giant you'd expect – with that masterful sense of tone and timing that resonated especially well on some of his overseas dates of the 70s – and the recording quality has this nice sense of room that only further underscores the intimacy of the two players working together, and which seems to do especially nice things for Mover's horn. Titles include long creative takes on "Star Eyes", "Bird Feathers", "A Nightingale Sang In Barkley Square", "Donna Lee", "Nica's Tempo", and "All The Things You Are/Prince Albert". CD

A really great duo set – alto from Bob Mover and piano from Walter Davis Jr – playing together here in a relaxed live setting that really has both players at the top of their game! Mover is an especially great surprise – and blows here with this openly flowing sense of imagination that's mindblowing – a raspy edge on the alto that hearkens back to some of the players who inspired him, but with this very personal quality that's at a level that was only captured on a rare few of his other albums. Davis is the piano giant you'd expect – with that masterful sense of tone and timing that resonated especially well on some of his overseas dates of the 70s – and the recording quality has this nice sense of room that only further underscores the intimacy of the two players working together, and which seems to do especially nice things for Mover's horn. Titles include long creative takes on "Star Eyes", "Bird Feathers", "A Nightingale Sang In Barkley Square", "Donna Lee", "Nica's Tempo", and "All The Things You Are/Prince Albert". CD

Mindblowing work from Minnie Riperton – her first solo album, cut at the end of the 60s, after a number of years of work with the group Rotary Connection. The album builds off the now famous sound of Rotary Connection – but takes it to the next level, with arch-baroque production by the great Charles Stepney – who couches Minnie's fantastic vocals in a suite of shimmering soulful tracks that mix strings, horns, jazzy piano, and slight touches of bouncing rhythms. The overall sound is impossible to describe – sort of a cross between Burt Bacharach on A&M, Scott Walker's 3rd album, and the sound of Marvin Gaye's What's Goin' On. The album's pure genius all the way through – one of the highlights of the Chicago scene of the 60s – and proof that Riperton, Stepney, and crew were shooting for the outer limits of soul music! Titles include "Les Fleur", "Only When I'm Dreaming", "Rainy Day In Centerville", "Memory Band", "Expecting", "Whenever Wherever", and "Oh, By The Way". LP, Vinyl record album

A huge array of photographs from the golden years of 90s hip hop – all captured within a few short years by Peter Spirer, at a time when he was diving deep into the scene to really document the sort of energy that's made this stretch such a legendary one for the music! These photos are way more than standard portraits or stage shots, as Peter managed to really penetrate the everyday lives of the artists, to a point where you'll find some very surprising, and very striking images of figures who aren't always captured without striking a pose. The book features over 130 photographs, with subjects who include Dr Dre, Das Efx, Biz Markie, Busta Rhymes, Notorious BIG, Method Man, Nas, Q-Tip, Tupac, Guru, KRS-One, and dozens of others – and the heavy hardcover book is 240 pages in length – with added text from Soren Baker, and an introduction from Ice T. Book

A really cool collection of Beatles' tunes – one that brings together material from all the films they were involved with – including "I Should Have Known Better", "Help", "And I Love Her", "Ticket To Ride", "I Am The Walrus", "All You Need Is Love", "Get Back", and lots more! LP, Vinyl record album

One of Bobby Blue Bland's best albums ever – a stunning mix of blues and soul that's the kind of killer stuff that will make you a fan of his forever! There's no beating Bland at this point in his career – and the record is one of the finest illustrations of the power he brought to his work, subtly balancing a sense of class with rootsier down-hominess that few other singers could ever handle so well. That blend allowed Bobby to reach out to way more audiences than most of his contemporaries – and it's still equally powerful today – and the album's arrangements by Joe Scott are impeccable, with a slight touch of jazz that we totally love. The album includes classics like "That's The Way Love Is", "Call On Me", "Cry Lover Cry", "Care For Me", "Bobby's Blues", and "Honky Tonk". CD reissue is wonderful – with full listings of dates and personnel for the tunes, wonderful mastering, and pages of great notes and images! CD

A mighty impressive box set of previously unreleased Can – incredible stuff captured throughout their groundbreaking run from the late 60s to mid 70s – culled from hours and hours of tapes of the sessions that could have just as easily wound up on any of their classic records of the period! We figured that this would almost certainly be a solid companion piece to their initial run of classic albums – but the best thing about it is that out stands up really well on its own. Can pretty famously let the tapes run while they worked things out and let the magic happen spontaneously, so it stands to reason a lot of brilliant stuff was left on those tapes! We're surprised it took so long to pour through it and assemble some of the best of the "lost" material, but better late than never! Since it covers the full late 60s & early 70s periods, it's got bits with Mooney and Suzuki, hypnotic live takes, slow-building tension, moody lulls and violent bursts of sound – it's Can, alright! 30 tracks sequenced brilliantly over 3CDs – and it comes a reel-to-reel style box with a 10-inch booklet. Titles include "Millionenspiel", "Waiting For The Street Car", "Evening All Day", "Deadly Doris", "Bubble Rap", "Your Friendly Neighborhood Whore", "Bilnd Mirror Sur", "Bubble Rap", "Godzilla Fragment", "Barnacles", "The Agreement", "The Loop", "A Swan Is Born" and more. CD

One of the most obscure albums ever issued by exotica king Chaino – a set that was originally only released as a reel to reel tape, and which maybe shows an even wider sonic palette that was designed for that format! All the percussion we love on other Chaino records is firmly in place, but the orchestrations and arrangements are also richer and jazzier – almost more in an RCA Living Stereo mode, and we mean that in the best way possible – as the whole thing is really a top-shelf instrumental exotica album from the bachelor pad generation! There's a few Martin Denny elements here and there, but again the sound is wider and fuller overall – on titles that include "Mambo Italiano", "Mambo Inn", "Cuban Caper", "Caravan", "Cool Mambo", "Temptation", "Eso Es El Amor", and "An Occasional Man". CD

One of the most obscure albums ever issued by exotica king Chaino – a set that was originally only released as a reel to reel tape, and which maybe shows an even wider sonic palette that was designed for that format! All the percussion we love on other Chaino records is firmly in place, but the orchestrations and arrangements are also richer and jazzier – almost more in an RCA Living Stereo mode, and we mean that in the best way possible – as the whole thing is really a top-shelf instrumental exotica album from the bachelor pad generation! There's a few Martin Denny elements here and there, but again the sound is wider and fuller overall – on titles that include "Mambo Italiano", "Mambo Inn", "Cuban Caper", "Caravan", "Cool Mambo", "Temptation", "Eso Es El Amor", and "An Occasional Man". LP, Vinyl record album

Chicago finally gets its due – in this great series that previously gave us the Philadelphia Experiment and Detroit Experiment projects! This time around, though, the lineup is even more top-shelf – filled with the kind of artists who really make us proud to be part of the Windy City – many of them players with slightly different styles and approaches, which is what makes the record such a great break from the usual! Pianist Greg Spero heads up the group, and the septet features work from Makaya McCraven on drums, Jeff Parker on guitar, Joel Ross on vibes, Marquis Hill on trumpet, Darryl Jones on bass, and Irvin Pierce on tenor – working together with a style that's nicely unified, and which has some of the soulful currents of other projects in this series from Ropeadope. That mode is maybe a bit different than you're used to hearing from McCraven, is a perfect showcase for the more soulful side of Parker's talents, and is right on the money for Marquis Hill – on tunes that include "The Chant", "Sizzle Reel", "Cloud Jam", "Always Be", "Double Take", "Maxwell Street", "For Too", "Straight Shooter", and "Tiny Beat". CD

Chicago finally gets its due – in this great series that previously gave us the Philadelphia Experiment and Detroit Experiment projects! This time around, though, the lineup is even more top-shelf – filled with the kind of artists who really make us proud to be part of the Windy City – many of them players with slightly different styles and approaches, which is what makes the record such a great break from the usual! Pianist Greg Spero heads up the group, and the septet features work from Makaya McCraven on drums, Jeff Parker on guitar, Joel Ross on vibes, Marquis Hill on trumpet, Darryl Jones on bass, and Irvin Pierce on tenor – working together with a style that's nicely unified, and which has some of the soulful currents of other projects in this series from Ropeadope. That mode is maybe a bit different than you're used to hearing from McCraven, is a perfect showcase for the more soulful side of Parker's talents, and is right on the money for Marquis Hill – on tunes that include "The Chant", "Sizzle Reel", "Cloud Jam", "Always Be", "Double Take", "Maxwell Street", "For Too", "Straight Shooter", and "Tiny Beat". CD

Chicago finally gets its due – in this great series that previously gave us the Philadelphia Experiment and Detroit Experiment projects! This time around, though, the lineup is even more top-shelf – filled with the kind of artists who really make us proud to be part of the Windy City – many of them players with slightly different styles and approaches, which is what makes the record such a great break from the usual! Pianist Greg Spero heads up the group, and the septet features work from Makaya McCraven on drums, Jeff Parker on guitar, Joel Ross on vibes, Marquis Hill on trumpet, Darryl Jones on bass, and Irvin Pierce on tenor – working together with a style that's nicely unified, and which has some of the soulful currents of other projects in this series from Ropeadope. That mode is maybe a bit different than you're used to hearing from McCraven, is a perfect showcase for the more soulful side of Parker's talents, and is right on the money for Marquis Hill – on tunes that include "The Chant", "Sizzle Reel", "Cloud Jam", "Always Be", "Double Take", "Maxwell Street", "For Too", "Straight Shooter", and "Tiny Beat". LP, Vinyl record album

A really different album than usual from reedman Ken Vandermark – a set that gets at his deep love of many styles of music, which he wraps together here with his groundbreaking Edition Redux ensemble! There's still plenty of improvisation in the mix, but the way things come across is very different than more familiar Vandermark material – which is what you might guess in a set of tracks dedicated to a range of influences who include King Tubby, Bettye Lavette, and Robert Bresson! The lineup features work from Erez Dressel on piano and electronics, Beth McDonald on tuba and electronics, and Lilly Finnegan on drums – the last of whom holds a role that's strongly rhythmic at points, and echoed by the tuba used as a bass. Titles include "Time Is The Tune/Wols/Uncommon Object", "No Back To Your Jacket/Reel To Reel/Flatlands", and "Double Negative/Still Bresson/Aperto". CD

A three disc set centered around the talents of electric guitar sound expander GF Fitzgerald and avant soprano sax player Lol Coxhill – 2CDs and a DVD – none of which are easy to classify and are each brilliant in their own way! The DVD is The Matchbox Purveyors: The Poppy Seed Affair – an obscure 1981 film with Ian Hinchcliffe, Mark Long, Dawn Archibald, Fitzgerald, Coxhill and others – with a Lol Coxhill soundtrack featuring Lol on soprano and tenor sax, voice and electronics plus Archie Leggett on bass and the great Robert Wyatt on drums and "chicken clucks". Disc 2 is an intimate live concert with Fitz-Gerald and Coxhill from October of 1981. 6 untitled tracks. Disc 3 is a cool mix of sound collage and solo improvisations from the mid 70s! CD

A great look at a really unique moment in fashion – a time when the mainstream trappings of ivy league styles were taken up by African-American cultural figures – a moment of cooption that led was key to a rising sense of pride and power in the postwar years! You'll instantly recognize the look from the image of Miles Davis on the cover – and Davis is one of the figures who gets focus in the book – alongside other jazz musicians like Billy Taylor and Sonny Rollins, writers like Amiri Baraka and James Baldwin, and civil rights icons like Martin Luther King and Malcolm X – all of whom wore button down shirts, well-crafted blazers, and hip skinny ties as they helped forge a whole new identity for black America in the 50s and 60s. The book is beautifully done – and ties together so many images we know from the press and record covers, mixed with others we're seeing here for the first time – all give thoughtful text along the way by British writer Jason Jules. The heavy, hardcover book is 224 pages in all – with color and black and white images throughout. Book

One of those classic late 90s hip hop albums that initially got lost in the shuffle of record label politics and other issues – finally out for the rest of the world in the following century! The record's from a time when King Tee was allied strongly with Dr Dre – who produces part of the set, and also makes an appearance alongside other Cali all-stars – like MC Ren, DJ Quik, and Too $hort – royalty, for sure – but don't forget that King Tee was also on the scene pretty early himself! And while there were some issues that may have held the record back, the set's still a key part of that legacy that Tee brought to the west – with titles that include "Speak On It", "Stay Down", "Skweez Ya Ballz", "Monay", "Da'kron", "Big Boys", "Let's Make AV", "Tha Game", "Reel Raw", "2Gs from Compton", "Shake Da Pot", "Nna Moenin", "Step On By", "Big Ballin", "The Original", "Nuthin Has Changed", and "Where's T". LP, Vinyl record album

Beautiful posters from a huge legacy in film – 100 years' worth of images that were used to promote black cinema – with entries that run from the early silent era, through unusual mid-century material, 70s blacksploitation movies, and both mainstream and indie films from later decades! Yet the book is way more than just another poster book – as the images here come with plenty of text – thoughtful writings on trends, styles, and key figures in black film – amidst words and images that pull no punches on treatment of race and social issues. The book is oversized, very heavy, full color throughout, and 317 pages – filled with fantastic images. Book

Amazing rare soul from Gwen McCrae – little-known material recorded for Columbia records in the years before her later 70s fame at TK! The style here is nice and rootsy – very southern soul in its approach, even more so than Gwen's earliest work at TK – thanks, perhaps, to less of a club or pop crossover need in the production. Yet there's also a key link with the TK years, too – production by Steve Alaimo, who's really finding his way here in a great way – borrowing bits from other southern soul modes, moving them down to Miami, and helping forge a whole new chapter in southern soul for the 70s. Gwen's vocals are incredible – arguably even deeper and more hard-hitting than on some of her bigger hits – and the freshness of the material further makes the set great. Plus, since Columbia never issued a full album of this work in the US (although there was one rare record of the singles in Europe in the 70s), this package makes the first-ever full length Columbia album from Gwen – put together with stunning sound, very detailed notes, and some great vintage images. Titles include "Leave The Driving To Us", "Ain't Nothing You Can Do", "Lay It On Me", "Lead Me On", "Lovin In The Lay A Way", "I'm Losing The Feeling", and "Been So Long". CD

The Reel People collective is back in action, and maybe sounding even better than on their first Love album – thanks to a sublime array of guest vocalists – including Eric Roberson, Raheem DeVaughn, Chante Cann, Paula, Michael Champion, and others! The vibe is great – uplifting and positive, with a style that's a nice change from both mainstream soul and club – that special sort of vibe we've always loved from the sort of underground work like this – which seems to be harder and harder to find as the years go on! In a world of stray digital cuts, we're even more grateful than ever for a full length set like this – as Reel People definitely deliver the goods, on titles that include "I Never Knew", "Save A Lil Love", "Everything's So Crazy", "If I Was Your Man", "Fly", "Deja Vu", "Dance In Her Eyes", and "Vibe". CD

A great little album from Jeannie Reynolds – and her lasting contribution to underground soul! Jeannie's vocals are nice and deep – with hints of southern diva phrasing, filtered through some of the tighter soul styles coming out of Chicago and other points north at the time! Detroit talents LJ Reynolds, Tony Hester, and Don Davis produce – save for one song by Michael Henderson – and the big highlight is the slow groover "The Fruit Song", a sly seductive stepper of a track, with rolling congas, sweeping strings, and a very catchy hook from Jeannie. That number runs for about 7 minutes long – and the album also includes a number of nice shorter cuts, like "I've Still Got My Pride", "The Feelin' Ain't There", and "You Want To Get Your Hands On A Woman" – all wonderful numbers that will have you loving Jeannie as one of your favorite new discoveries in 70s soul! CD also features 4 non-LP bonus cuts – "Phone's Been Jumping All Day", "Unwanted Company", "Lay Some Lovin On Me", and "Love Don't Come Easy For Me". CD

Four classics from this legendary Motown group – including 2 albums on CD for the first time ever! First up is What Love Has Joined Together – excellent work by Smokey Robinson & The Miracles – recorded with a super-heavy vibe that's very different than his sweeter 60s work! The record has an amazingly large conception of arrangements – mostly handled by Smokey, and done in a complicated baroque harmony style that points forward towards his later Quiet Storm sound – but which isn't as laidback and compressed. Most tracks are covers, but they're redone fantastically – with better vocals than you could imagine – and titles include "What Love Has Joined Together", "My Cherie Amour", "If This World Were Mine", "This Guy's In Love", and "And I Love Her". Pocket Full Of Miracles is a great one by The Miracles! Smokey and the group are clearly pushing the envelope here – stretching out for a deeper harmony sound, moving towards some of the smoother styles they'd use a bit more in the 70s. The result is a slightly-confused album, but one with some really interesting material that gives the group a chance to experiment more with their vocal phrasing. Includes the heavy soul number "Flower Girl", plus the tracks "Who's Gonna Take The Blame", "Darling Dear", "The Reel Of Time", "Wishful Thinking", "Point It Out", and "Don't Take It So Hard". Also features a great medley of "Something" and "Something You Got". One Dozen Roses is an early 70s set from Smokey Robinson & The Miracles – and a set that mixes great new material with a few older gems from the previous decade too! The new cuts are fantastic – and have Smokey and the group continuing that mellower, more laidback harmony style that really knocks it out of the park – almost as if The Miracles were trying to challenge some of the younger sweet soul acts who were coming onto the scene. Titles include the older cuts "Tears Of A Clown" and "The Hunter Gets Captured By The Game" – plus "I Don't Blame You At All", "That Girl", "I Love You Dear", "No Wonder Love's A Wonder", and "When Sundown Comes". Flying High Together is excellent 70s work by Smokey and crew – sort of their way of showing the emerging east coast vocal stars how much talent they still had! The record has a sweet, slightly modern sound – with an approach that hints at Smokey's later Quiet Storm sound, but maybe a bit more laidback overall – set up with really great arrangements from both David Van De Pitte and HB Barnum. Titles include a killer reading of Stevie Wonder's "We Had A Love So Strong", plus "Got To Be There", "You Ain't Livin 'Till You're Lovin", "Flying High Together", "It Will Be Alright", and a cover of "Betcha By Golly Wow". CD features bonus tracks "You've Got Me Looking Through The Eyes Of Love" and "Paper People". CD

An overlooked Sonny Rollins set from the early 80s – one that has him recording with a fair bit of guitar, but still staying very much in his best form as an improviser! The group here features both Bobby Broom on electric guitar, and Yoshiaki Masuo on acoustic and electric – both players who get in plenty of sound during the set, but always as a follow-up to Rollins' bold tenor voice in the lead. Remaining group members include Bob Cranshaw on electric bass and Jack DeJohnette on drums – and although the electric strings might normally make for a smooth sort of record, Sonny's sharper sound still brings plenty of edge – even when the rhythms of a few tunes get a bit bright. Titles include "My Little Brown Book", "Reel Life", "McGhee", "Rosita's Best Friend", and "Best Wishes". CD

Mindblowing work from Jill Scott – possibly the best thing we've heard from her since her classic debut – and a record that reminds us that she's still one of the greatest soul singers around! Jill's a bit more grown up here than before – shaking off some of the more passive themes of other tunes for a fuller, prouder approach that's followed through beautifully with tremendous vocals, and a production style that makes each tune explode with a range of new sonic delights! There's a sense of flow here that's simply amazing – a way of putting an album together, and putting a tune over that few other artists could ever touch – that special magic that first grabbed us in Jill's music years back, and which seems to have returned beautifully here. Instrumentation includes some especially great drums, which only add to the crisp, fresh feel of the record – and titles include "The Real Thing", "Hate On Me", "Come See Me", "Crown Royal", "Epiphany", "My Love", "Insomnia", "How It Makes You Feel", "Only You", "Celibacy Blues", and "All I". CD features 2 bonus tracks – "Imagination/Crown Royal Suite" and "Rightness" – and DVD features videos from "A Long Walk", "Golden", "Cross on My Mind", "My Love", and "Hate On Me" – plus "The Reel From The Real Jill Scott", an interview featurette! CD

A blistering collection of work from Seiji – remixes of tunes by other artists, pulled from an assortment of import singles and unreleased recordings, laid out back to back on one set! Seiji's work is some of the foremost in the current London scene – very scattered, broken, and fragmented – yet still somehow soulful at the same time. Tunes on the set include "Move On Up" by Mark De Clive Lowe, "Spiritual" by Reel People, "Designer's Baby" by Tycoon Tosh, "Lake Of Perseverance" by Dom Um Romao, "Look Into Yourself" by Global Soul, "Meeting Blue Ice" by Joakim Lone Octet, and "The Crossing" by P'Taah. 11 tracks in all! CD

One of the best albums ever by this legendary Chicago trio – a great example of the way that records on the Nessa label can really get to the heart of artists' intentions! The trio of Henry Threadgill on reeds, Fred Hopkins on bass, and Steve McCall on percussion have never sounded better – and have this intimate, soulful interplay that's sometimes missing from other efforts – that special kind of energy that makes the AACM so great when it's really clicking this well – as deeply spiritual as it is freely expressive! Threadgill plays alto, tenor, bass flute, and the compelling hubkaphone – and titles include "I'll Be Right Here Waiting", "No 2", "GvE", "Subtraction", and "Keep Right On Playing Thru The Mirror Over The Water". LP, Vinyl record album

This tenor giant gets better and better with each new album! Eric Alexander is one of our favorite new jazz artists of the past decade – still a relatively young player, but with a sound that's incredible, steeped in years of tradition, yet freely creative in his own unique way. His tenor solos on this set stand up to some of our favorite older work by players like Clifford Jordan or Sonny Rollins, and if anything, the backing may be some of the best he's ever received on record. Alexander's playing here with longtime friend and musical partner Harold Mabern – who's as sympathetic to Alexander's sound as he once was to that of Frank Strozier – and the other players in the group include trumpeter Nicholas Payton, John Webber, and Joe Farnsworth. Titles include "Andre's Turn", "After The Rain", "This Girl's In Love With You", "A House Is Not A Home", and "Summit Meeting". CD

Pure brilliance from tenor giant Eric Alexander – one of the few modern players we'd put on a par with our favorites from older years! Alexander's got a depth of tone and sense of poise that's simply wonderful on the set – one that's never staid, but which continues to grow beautifully over the years – using the tenor sax in a sense of freely creative expression at a level that matches that of Hank Mobley, Tubby Hayes, or Sonny Rollins back in the 60s. The group on this set features John Hicks on piano, John Webber on bass, and Joe Farnsworth on drums – and Hicks' piano is especially nice, and opens up Alexander's sound with a sensitivity that matches his best recordings with Harold Mabern. Titles include "Sunday In New York", "Watch What Happens", "Avotcja", "Alone Together", "Dearly Beloved", and "My Girl Is Just Enough Woman For Me". CD

A totally cool bit of French prog from the 70s – served up by a group who definitely have some vocals, but who often seem very content to just focus on their instrumentation – a warmly wonderful blend of guitar, organ, bass, and drums! There's a quality here that's really nice – never too-jamming, nor too concerned with trying to show off the way they can be complex with their instrumentation – and instead, the group are happy to let the sounds gel nicely, often with a slightly gentle vibe – in that laidback way that can make French prog so different than other work on the Euro scene. Titles include "L'Arbre", "La Montre", "Cages En Beton", "Sans Nom", and "Passant De La Nuit". LP, Vinyl record album

A landmark set from the freer side of the British jazz scene at the end of the 60s – a relatively open-ended session cut by alto saxophonist Trevor Watts with his Amalgam trio – a great group that features John Stevens on drums and Jeff Clyne on bass (although Barry Guy also sits in on bass for one of the tunes!) The sound here is somewhere between the original trio formation of the ESP groups of the mid 60s and the more freely expressive groups of the FMP years – but is also touched with a good deal of that sense of sadness and depth of emotion that colored some of the best modern British jazz sessions of the period. Watt's work on alto is incredible throughout – dominating the record more than most players we could imagine on the instrument in such a setting – and titles include "Tales Of Sadness", "Judy's Smile I", "Judy's Smile II", and "Prayer For Peace". LP, Vinyl record album

A rare meeting of the Art Ensemble Of Chicago and the late pianist Don Pullen – recorded at the Frankfurt Jazz Festival in 1991, and easily one of the group's greatest sessions from this period! There's a freely creative spirit here that reminds us a lot of the Art Ensemble's best European performances of years back – especially on the 20 minute opening reading of "People In Sorrow", which has an ethereal sound built up from percussion, in a way that's almost more haunting than the original. Pullen's piano takes on a bit more presence on the tracks "Song For Atala" and "Fundamental Destiny" – both of which show the skill for more tightly arranged horn parts that the Ensemble picked up during the 80s – but still delivered here with enough loose, spontaneous energy to stand apart from some of their studio work of the decade. Pullen delivers a strong pulse on the latter track especially – and continues into a straighter, soaring jazz groove on "Odwalla/The Theme", which closes the set. Lester Bowie plays trumpet, Joseph Jarman and Roscoe Mitchell are on woodwinds and percussion, Malachi Favors on bass, Don Moye on Sun percussion, and Don Pullen on piano. CD

A very cool little record – possibly the best cut by tenor player Georgie Auld, and a gimmicky session that actually works wonderfully! Georgie's blowing in the lead on tenor – and he's got Latin backings by the Jud Conlin Rhythmaires, who also sing along on the tracks in a male/female harmony style. The approach is a bit cheesy, but it works nicely in our book – setting up a strongly melodic presentation of the tracks with the voices, so that Georgie can blow freely in whatever direction he wants. Titles include "Love Me Or Leave Me", "Take Me In Your Arms", "Give Me Something To Remember You By", "Dream A Little Dream Of Me", and "Take Me". CD

A double-length set that brings together 2 key early live sets by Albert Ayler – both recorded on the New York scene of the mid 60s! Bells was an unusual one-sided record that featured only 20 minutes of music, performed with an intensity that hardly leaves room for complaints about the shortness of the album! The single track "Bells" was performed at Town Hall by Ayler with a group that includes Donald Ayler on trumpet, Charles Tyler on alto sax, Lewis Worrell on bass, and Sunny Murray on percussion – all coming together in a raw, real sense of freedom – beautifully explored here without ever getting too overindulgent. The tune may well be one of the greatest illustrations of the ESP format at its best – as Ayler and company never stray too far, but carve out some incredibly imaginative space through their starkly-blown horn solos! Prophecy is longer – a full album that was recorded live in 1964 at the Cellar Cafe in New York, but not issued by ESP until years later, after Ayler's untimely early death. The performance is a trio outing – with Ayler's tenor alongside the bass of Gary Peacock and drums of Sunny Murray – all freely skirting around each other's space on the date, in a way that allows Ayler to take the bold lead with his sharp-toned solos, but which also allows for free interplay between the bass and percussion. Ayler's tone and wide swaths of sound are simply amazing – and titles include two variations on "Ghosts", plus "Spirits", "Prophecy", and "Wizard". CD

A double-length set that brings together 2 key early live sets by Albert Ayler – both recorded on the New York scene of the mid 60s! Bells was an unusual one-sided record that featured only 20 minutes of music, performed with an intensity that hardly leaves room for complaints about the shortness of the album! The single track "Bells" was performed at Town Hall by Ayler with a group that includes Donald Ayler on trumpet, Charles Tyler on alto sax, Lewis Worrell on bass, and Sunny Murray on percussion – all coming together in a raw, real sense of freedom – beautifully explored here without ever getting too overindulgent. The tune may well be one of the greatest illustrations of the ESP format at its best – as Ayler and company never stray too far, but carve out some incredibly imaginative space through their starkly-blown horn solos! Prophecy is longer – a full album that was recorded live in 1964 at the Cellar Cafe in New York, but not issued by ESP until years later, after Ayler's untimely early death. The performance is a trio outing – with Ayler's tenor alongside the bass of Gary Peacock and drums of Sunny Murray – all freely skirting around each other's space on the date, in a way that allows Ayler to take the bold lead with his sharp-toned solos, but which also allows for free interplay between the bass and percussion. Ayler's tone and wide swaths of sound are simply amazing – and titles include two variations on "Ghosts", plus "Spirits", "Prophecy", and "Wizard". CD

A double-length set that brings together 2 key early live sets by Albert Ayler – both recorded on the New York scene of the mid 60s! Bells was an unusual one-sided record that featured only 20 minutes of music, performed with an intensity that hardly leaves room for complaints about the shortness of the album! The single track "Bells" was performed at Town Hall by Ayler with a group that includes Donald Ayler on trumpet, Charles Tyler on alto sax, Lewis Worrell on bass, and Sunny Murray on percussion – all coming together in a raw, real sense of freedom – beautifully explored here without ever getting too overindulgent. The tune may well be one of the greatest illustrations of the ESP format at its best – as Ayler and company never stray too far, but carve out some incredibly imaginative space through their starkly-blown horn solos! Prophecy is longer – a full album that was recorded live in 1964 at the Cellar Cafe in New York, but not issued by ESP until years later, after Ayler's untimely early death. The performance is a trio outing – with Ayler's tenor alongside the bass of Gary Peacock and drums of Sunny Murray – all freely skirting around each other's space on the date, in a way that allows Ayler to take the bold lead with his sharp-toned solos, but which also allows for free interplay between the bass and percussion. Ayler's tone and wide swaths of sound are simply amazing – and titles include two variations on "Ghosts", plus "Spirits", "Prophecy", and "Wizard". And then, if that's not enough, the 2CD package also features more material from the Prophecy sessions – 6 more tracks originally issued on the Albert Smiles With Sunny album – with titles that include "Saints", "Children", "Ghosts", "Spirits", and "Wizard" – all in different versions. CD

Three very rare slices of work from the great Albert Ayler – all of them pretty darn mindblowing! The set begins with Ayler's appearance at the 1967 Newport Jazz Festival – a set that must have been a shock to audience members who'd seen some of the more staid work at the event – as Ayler really lets loose on alto, tenor, and soprano sax – working with a very freely improvising quartet that includes Michel Samson on violin, Bill Folwell on bass, and Milford Graves on drums – really going to town on the titles "Japan/Universal Indians", "Our Prayer", and "Truth Is Marching In/Omega". Next is a single track that was recorded at the funeral of John Coltrane – a spiritual blend of "Love Cry/Truth Is Marching In/Our Prayer" – blown by Ayler on tenor, with Don Ayler on trumpet, Richard Davis on bass, and Milford Graves on drums. The last track is the earliest on the set – and very early for recorded Albert Ayler as well – a captivating performance recorded in Copenhagen in 1962 – as Ayler's tenor joins the work of the Cecil Taylor trio – with Taylor on piano, Jimmy Lyons on alto, and Sunny Murray on drums – as the group soar on a 21 minute reading of "Four". CD

Early work by Albert Ayler, recorded live in 1964 at the Cellar Cafe in New York, but not issued by ESP until years later, after his untimely early death. The performance is a trio outing – with Ayler's tenor alongside the bass of Gary Peacock and drums of Sunny Murray – all freely skirting around each other's space on the date, in a way that allows Ayler to take the bold lead with his sharp-toned solos, but which also allows for free interplay between the bass and percussion. Ayler's tone and wide swaths of sound are simply amazing – and titles include two variations on "Ghosts", plus "Spirits", "Prophecy", and "Wizard". CD

A landmark recording – Albert Ayler's first album for the ESP label, and a record that hit the jazz world like a bullet! Spiritual Unity sets the stage for a format that would become huge in the European avant scene of the 70s, 80s, 90s, and even today – the sax-driven power-trio, tenor against bass and drums, working freely with less rhythmic constraints than before, searching for new sounds and new modes of expression, working through changes in a style first proposed by Sonny Rollins, but taken to new intensity by the New York underground of the 60s. That sound is summed up here perfectly by Ayler, Gary Peacock, and Sunny Murray – working together with an edgey brilliance, on classic tracks that include "Ghosts: First Variation", "Ghosts: Second Variation", "The Wizard", and "Spirits". CD

A landmark recording – Albert Ayler's first album for the ESP label, and a record that hit the jazz world like a bullet! Spiritual Unity sets the stage for a format that would become huge in the European avant scene of the 70s, 80s, 90s, and even today – the sax-driven power-trio, tenor against bass and drums, working freely with less rhythmic constraints than before, searching for new sounds and new modes of expression, working through changes in a style first proposed by Sonny Rollins, but taken to new intensity by the New York underground of the 60s. That sound is summed up here perfectly by Ayler, Gary Peacock, and Sunny Murray – working together with an edgey brilliance, on classic tracks that include "Ghosts: First Variation", "Ghosts: Second Variation", "The Wizard", and "Spirits". LP, Vinyl record album

A landmark recording – Albert Ayler's first album for the ESP label, and a record that hit the jazz world like a bullet! Spiritual Unity sets the stage for a format that would become huge in the European avant scene of the 70s, 80s, 90s, and even today – the sax-driven power-trio, tenor against bass and drums, working freely with less rhythmic constraints than before, searching for new sounds and new modes of expression, working through changes in a style first proposed by Sonny Rollins, but taken to new intensity by the New York underground of the 60s. That sound is summed up here perfectly by Ayler, Gary Peacock, and Sunny Murray – working together with an edgey brilliance, on classic tracks that include "Ghosts: First Variation", "Ghosts: Second Variation", "The Wizard", and "Spirits". CD

Not as "adult" as you might think – at least given the way the word is used today – but pretty great work by Pearl nonetheless! The tunes themselves are a bit "blue" in terms of subject matter – tales of girls with hot pants, loose love, and the kind of backroom hijinks that weren't always talked about so freely in the torch singer era. But given the time, and the setting, the tunes are still pretty soft on the subjects – and get the themes across through clever turns of phrase, slight innuendo, and just the right intonation at the right time – a style that makes Pearl Bailey perfect for the work! Titles include "I Want A Man", "She Had To Go & Lose It At The Astor", "The Physician", "Josephine", "Zip", "Flings", "You Can Be Replaced" and "Legalize My Name". LP, Vinyl record album

Fantastic French material from Chet Baker – one of his legendary albums recorded for the Barclay label in Paris – and a set that's noteworthy for also featuring work from modern jazz pianist Richard (Dick) Twardzik – who passed away shortly after the sessions! The pairing of Baker and Twardzik is one of the best of Chet's 50s years – and the group here is rounded out by the excellent Jimmy Bond on bass, and Peter Littman on drums. There's a nice bite to the set – a bit more than some of Baker's west coast material from the year or two before – and there's also an undercurrent of some of the soul that would emerge in his solos in coming years. Titles include "Rondette", "Piece Caprice", "Sad Walk", "Mid Forte", "The Girl From Greeland", "Just Duo", and "Pomp" LP, Vinyl record album

A sweet bit of Argentine prog, served up with a slightly jazzy vibe at times – maybe in part because by the end of the 70s, so many groups didn't care as much about the lines in the sand that were being drawn a few years before! The keyboards are definitely proggy – spun out by singer Cesar Pueyrredon with an effortless quality – but grounded a bit more by the guitar work, and some rock solid drums and bass – augmented just slightly by guest tenor on one cut. Titles include "Au Es Tiempo De Sonar", "Vispera", "Preguntas Al Cielo", "Quien Se Acordara", and the long "El Escultor Y La Estatua". LP, Vinyl record album

There's plenty of full-on frenzy here – with Albert Berger blowing tenor next to the bass clarinet of Ziv Taubenfeld, both players who really seem to drive each other to new heights over the long live tracks recorded on the set! The tone of the clarinet often creates a woodier, earthier one next to the tenor – and although freely improvised, the music often has a nice sense of pulse and inherently rhythmic vibe – thanks to work from Shay Hazan on bass and guimbri, and the great Hamid Drake on drums. Titles include "The Steamer", "Astral Visit", "Into The Horizon", and "A Question Of Universality". CD

There's a bit of reverie here, but it's usually the swinging kind instead of the sleepy variety – thanks to a well-formed groove from Richie Beirach on piano, George Mraz on bass, and Billy Hart on drums! The tunes certainly include a few ballads, but Richie usually takes them with a freely fresh sound that gets past any obvious standard-heavy cliches – inspired, no doubt, by the inventive changes of Mraz and Hart, who seem to spur him on strongly, especially on the more upbeat tracks. Titles include "Manhattan Reverie", "Transition", "Veils", "Etude", "On Green Dolphin Street", and "Footprints". CD