An East Bay classic from Spice 1 – and a great little record from that time before the west coast became a bit too much West Coast! There's a thuggish, early gangsta vibe that runs through the whole set – but as with some of the more enduring Cali hip hop of the time, the set's got a stripped-down vibe that is maybe more down to earth – a focus on core elements that help shape each track in a slightly different way, in a set that's very song-focused, and doesn't lose its way too much in a mix of shouts, skits, and samples. Production help comes from Ant Banks, Too $hort, and others – and there's some nice guitar in the mix from Rob Bacon too. Titles include "Dumpin Em In Ditches", "187 He Wrote", "Don't Ring The Alarm (The Heist)", "Smoke Em Like A Blunt", "I'm The Murderer", "The Murda Show", "RIP", "Clip & The Trigga", and "Trigga Gots No Heart". LP, Vinyl record album

Great work from Smokey Wilson – a southern bluesman by birth, but one who relocated to the LA scene in the postwar years, where he really started to groove! This 70s album is a great example of the way that Wilson merged his roots with some of the soulful currents of the Cali scene – and like some of the other records on the short-lived Big Town label, an offshoot of Kent, the set's got a tight groove and a nicely urban take on earlier modes, but all without hitting any of the more commercial cliches that were creeping into electric blues at the time. Titles include "Go Go Train", "Tell Me Baby", "Straighten Up Baby", "I'm Gonna Put You Down", "I'm Gonna Leave You Baby", "Teach Me How To Love You", and "I Wanna Do It To You Baby". LP, Vinyl record album

Includes tracks by Peter Frampton, Alice Cooper, The Steve Miller Band, War, Dr John, ZZ Top, Foghat, and others. (Note: This item is not for sale online until 7:00am on Sunday, April 21. It is in limited supply – and by nature of the Record Store Day rules it will be offered for sale first to customers who visit the Dusty Groove retail outlet in Chicago the morning of Saturday, April 20. It will not be pre-sold or reserved in any way. However, after 7:00am on April 21 we will offer up whatever we have left for sale online.) LP, Vinyl record album

(Note: This item is not for sale online until 7:00am on Sunday, April 21. It is in limited supply – and by nature of the Record Store Day rules it will be offered for sale first to customers who visit the Dusty Groove retail outlet in Chicago the morning of Saturday, April 20. It will not be pre-sold or reserved in any way. However, after 7:00am on April 21 we will offer up whatever we have left for sale online.) LP, Vinyl record album

With Tony Mottola on guitar and Bob Haggart on bass. LP, Vinyl record album

The title's a bit confusing, but that's the way we like it – as the package brings together all sorts of weird and wonderful tunes – work that maybe even pushes past the boundaries of the other wild work we've loved on previous volumes in this series! The set list is huge – 50 tracks in all – and the package runs the gamut of unusual rare singles, with certainly some that might reference the odd jumble of words in the title – but others that all take off in the wonderful melange of modes. We'd not heard most of the work here before – and once again our hat's off to Lux & Ivy for hipping us to so many underground gems – in a huge set list that includes "Rat A Ma Cue" by Pat Patterson, "You're Gone I'm Left" by Tyrone Schmidling, "Red Tiger Shoes" by The Century Five, "Busy Line" by Billy Williams, "Chilli Dippin Baby" by Joyce Poynter, "Big Bowl Of Soul" by The Huntsmen, "I've Been Wrong" by Sweetie Jones, "Hot Shot" by Ronnie Pearson, "Lover Boy" by Chris Christian & The Chordaires, "Ford & Shaker" by James Gallagher, "Leather Jacket Cowboy" by Pepper Pots, "Oh Death" by John Reedy & His Stone Mountain Trio, and "Bongosera" by Grupo Afro Cubano. CD

A soaring set from the great Eddie Kendricks – and a record that brings his Detroit roots into play with the best Philly grooves of the time – thanks to production from the mighty Norman Harris! Harris works with the cream of the crop of the Sigma Sound scene, and cooks up these beautifully flowing grooves for Eddie – clubby tracks that work perfectly for his sublime vocal approach, mixed with some wonderful mellow moments that have this really heartbreaking intensity – maybe even a bit more depth than some of Kendricks' previous few records. A great example of this is the wonderful cut "The Newness Is Gone" – among other killer tracks that include "Born Again", "Sweet Tenderoni", "Don't Put Off Until Tomorrow", and the great "To You From Me". LP, Vinyl record album

... CD

... CD

A pivotal album for Black Sabbath – a set that further expanded the instrumental palette of their previous work, but all without losing an edge at all – for a record that forever helped cement their role in both the classic and hard rock canons of the 70s! Ozzy is great throughout, and both he and Tony Iommi bring in a bit of keyboard work, but in just the right way – almost adding a more sinister edge to the guitars – echoed by some especially nice acoustic piano at times, particularly on the instrumental cut "Fluff". Titles include the seminal title track "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath" – plus "A National Acrobat", "Sabbra Cadabra", "Spiral Architect", "Looking For Today", and "Killing Yourself To Live". LP, Vinyl record album

Wonderful live work from RL Burnside – done in that instantly-timeless style that he brought to recordings right from the start – maybe even more so here, as the acoustics are fantastic, and really capture the spirit of the man and his guitar! As most folks know, Burnside was a bit late to the rural blues game – but because of that fact, he's also been a key bridge between the past and the present – especially with recordings like this, which bristle with a sort of honest, back to basics vibe. Titles include "Short Haired Woman", "Sweet Black Angel", "If You Don't Want Me Baby", "Long Distance Call", "Walkin Blues", "Death Bells Ringing", and "When My First Wife Left Me". LP, Vinyl record album

A very unusual early album from piano genius Jaki Byard – recorded right around the same time as his initial albums for Prestige, and his big breakthrough with Charles Mingus! The set is all solo, recorded during that legendary short span of recordings by Candid Records in Nola Penthouse – and Byard is completely on fire, maybe showing a pianistic dexterity and command of the history of jazz that wouldn't burst forth on other records until the end of the decade! Jaki wrote all the material himself – and seems to embrace a range of expression that runs from Jelly Roll Morton up through Mal Waldron – then filtered and focused brilliantly through his godlike fingertips. Titles include "Hollis Stomp (Mr Piano Man)", "Flight OF The Fly", "Aluminum Baby", "One Two Five", Dian's Melody", and "Jaki's Blues Next". CD

A legendary set of grooves from the Italian scene of the early 80s – a batch of tracks that's a lot less electro or disco than some of its contemporaries – thanks to contributions from American jazzmen Don Cherry and Don Moye! Tullio De Piscopo's a percussionist by trade, but he also sings a fair bit here too – in a chanting way that goes along nicely with the mix of drums, keyboards, bass, guitar, and other elements – used in varied ways from track to track, in styles that run from post-disco dancefloor funk to more abstract jazzy grooves. The standout track is the classic "Stop Bajon" – a cut that had a big influence on early Chicago house – but there's plenty other interesting bits here too, and other titles include "Stadera", "Silva Mala", "Cartago", "Chiano Chiano", "Gente Mia", and "I Sono E Notte". LP, Vinyl record album

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

Ian Hendrickson Smith on alto sax, David Hazeltine on piano, Barak Mori on bass, and Joe Strasser on drums. CD

... LP, Vinyl record album

A great German set from the 60s – nice and raw, almost garagey, but also really trying for a Brit vibe as well! Titles include "Misconception", "Nobody Cares About Me", "I'm On The Outside Looking In", "Days", "Oxford Street 43", and "I'm Ready For The Show". LP, Vinyl record album

There's a bunch of young British skinheads pictured on the cover – but the legendary Symarip are a group of West Indian descent, and created the kind of rocksteady grooves that really drove the London scene wild at the end of the 60s! The group were one of the first to fully rise up from British recording origins with a level to top some of the imports coming from Jamaica – and while they'll forever be known for the classic title cut of the album, they've also got a huge amount of extra greatness to offer – a raw, echoey vibe that not only sets the group apart from some of their Kingston contemporaries, but which also echoes the Two Tone generation to come! Titles include the classic "Skinhead Moonstomp" – plus "Phoenix Reggae", "These Boots Are Made For Walking", "Chicken Merry", "Skinhead Jamboree", "Try Me Best", "You're Mine", "Fung Shu", and "Stay With Him". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

A legendary bit of noise from the United Dairies label of Stephen Stapleton – a set that combines his own experimental sounds with some contributions from the avant French scene as well – all at a level that shows how that sometimes-overlooked 70s generation ended up having a bit impact on 80s pioneers like Stapleton! Much of the music here is without easy description – not the rawer industrial of some of Stapleton's Nurse With Wound projects, or free jazz, or analog electronics – but a hybrid of so many earlier experiments served up in very personal representations of musical frontiers! The set features four long tracks – "Anatomy Of Aphrodite" by Sema, "Frissons Dans La Cochlee" by Helene Sage, "Tunnel Sous La Manche/Under The Channel" by Un Drame Musical Instante, and "The Strange Play Of The Mouth" by Nurse With Wound. LP, Vinyl record album

Fela's no gentleman here – and instead, the Afro Funk legend is wide-open and completely unbridled – soaring with boundless energy over the course of the side-long title track, then still serving up a really extended groove on the two shorter tracks on side two! The album's one of the earlier in Fela's classic run, but the core sound is very firmly in place – a sublime blend of heavy rhythms and jazz-based improvisation – with some especially wonderful saxophone on "Gentleman" and "Fe Fe Ne Eye Fe" – which really illustrate the jazz inspiration that the man brought to his music! LP, Vinyl record album

Scott Hamilton blows some wonderfully smokey tenor here – sounding great in the company of Eddie Higgins' trio! The date's got a really old school tenor sort of sound – echoes of Ben Webster and Lester Young, but updated too – taken to the clear, mature territory of Higgins' recent sessions with his trio for Venus Records – although this time around with Hamilton, the group's a quartet, with Steve Gilmore on bass and Bill Goodwin on drums. The ballads are especially nice, but we like the gentle swingers too – and titles include "You're My Everything", "By Myself", "Melancholy Rhapsody", "You Don't Know What Love Is", "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes", and "Lullaby Of The Leaves". CD

Homeboy Sandman is sounding very much at the top of his game here – on a record that almost seems to have two sorts of flavors, but both nicely unified by the work of producer Aesop Rock! The lyrics spin out with the kind of effortlessness that Sandman's always given us – charged up especially strongly at a few key spots, and with guest work from Aesop on the cuts "Lice Team Baby" and "Sheesh" – alongside other tracks that include "FYI", "Cow's Milk", "West Coast", "Go Hard", "No Beef", and "Lovin It". Record features two more tracks than the digital release – and LP also features instrumentals for all eight tracks too! LP, Vinyl record album

Not just a wonderful letter, but a love letter to Los Angeles – served up here in a style that maybe makes for one of the most evocative creations we've ever heard from J Rocc! There's a richness here that comes through on the very first track – almost an imagined LA from the past, at a time when the city had a few more problems – but given more than a few contemporary touches along the way, especially when some of the guests step into the mix – work from Koreatown Oddity, Med, Frank Nitt, Budgie, LMNO, and Key Kool – as well as older legends Steve Arrington and Egyptian Lover – whose appearance here really cements some of the 80s elements in J Rocc's conception. Titles include "LA Anthem", "Love & Dope", "Dancing With The Best", "All I Wanna Do (rmx)", "The Changing World", and "Flawless". LP, Vinyl record album

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

... Cassette

Nicholas Payton shines in two different ways here – blowing trumpet, and handling piano and Fender Rhodes – often overdubbed, but with a unified sound that makes the album sound wonderful throughout! Part of the strength of the set is the rhythm backing – as Payton works with help from bassist Ron Carter, a player he'd always dreamed of recording with – alongside more regular drummer Karrie Riggins, who fits into the trio with a really magical sense of energy. Tenorist George Coleman joins the group on two tracks – partly as a nod to the Miles Davis album Four & More, which was some of the inspiration for the sound of this set – and titles include "Gold Dust Black Magic", "Q For Quincy Jones", "Big George", "Hangin In & Jivin", "Levin's Ope", "No Lonely Nights", "Big George", and "Lullaby For A Lamppost". CD

... LP, Vinyl record album

A set that hugely expands the legacy of British 80s singer Tracie Young – a great artist, but one who only got a single record issued back in the day! First up is that set, Far From The Hurting Kind – a fantastic bit of soulful UK pop from the 80s that was originally issued on Paul Weller's Respond label, and done with plenty of the touches that Weller was bringing to his own Style Council music at the time! Tracie's got a voice that's right at home in some of the British period styles, but which sounds even better with some of the mod soul inflections that Weller's production brings to the record – definitely 80s in instrumentation and execution, but with a richness that really seems to open up the vocals of singer Tracie Young. Titles include "The House That Jack Built", "When You Sleep", "Moving Together", "Thank You", "I Can't Hold On Till Summer", "Souls On Fire", and "Spring Summer Autumn". Next is the album No Smoke Without Fire – a second set that was not issued at the time, and which has maybe some deeper soulful currents in the music – a bit like the work that Corinne Drewery would do with Swing Out Sister. Titles include "Italian Girl", "I Think You're Lucky", "When You Call Me", "No Smoke Without Fire", "Invitation", and "Fingers Crossed". Both albums are presented here with bonus tracks – and the package features lots more too – CD3 adds in 17 more Rarities, with remixes and singles; CD4 features live material and later radio mixes; DVD adds in some rare promo videos and TV appearances too! The whole package is huge – 84 titles in all. CD

A well-done little collection – one that's maybe a second look at the Prix Label, covered by Numero Group in a previous collection – but which revisits the tapes and brings back a number of alternate recordings from the vaults of the label! The title's a reference to the cut "You & Me" by Penny & The Quarters – a heartbreaking soul track that was initially lost to time, until Numero manages to place it on a Ryan Gosling film – which gave that cut some very long legs, and opened the door here to some equally wonderful and obscure soul tracks – a lineup that includes "You Are Giving Me Some Other Love" and "I Cried A Tear" by Penny & The Quarters, "Don't Take Your Love From Me" by Eddie Ray & Joe King, "Since I Fell For You" by Brenda Walker, "All In The Past" by Eddie Ray, "You Are Mine" by Jay Robinson, "Will I Ever" by Jay Robinson with Penny & The Quarters, "I'm A Stranger" by Joe King, and "Untitled Studio Moves" by Harmonic Sounds Band – plus the famous "You & Me" by Penny & The Quarters. LP, Vinyl record album

A really different record from drummer Joe Farnsworth – a player we always love for a rock-solid approach to his music, but who here is clearly opening up a new chapter in his life – one that really offers a great variation on the sorts of expectations you might have when you see his name on a record! The record's got a gentle flow that's different than the usual Farnsworth drive – with the drummer laying back, and letting some electric elements in the group flow nicely – including the piano and Fender Rhodes of Julius Rodriguez, guitar of Kurt Rosenwinkel, and alto of Immanuel Wilkins – all players we've never heard with Joe before. Bassist Robert Hurst is as rock-solid as always – and titles include a wonderful remake of the spiritual classic "In What Direction Are You Heading", plus "Safe Corners", "Bobby No Bags", "Someday We'll All Be Free", "Filters", "Terra Nova", and "Anyone But You". CD

Drummer Louis Hayes always finds a way of working with great groups – and here he's got an especially well-chosen lineup with Abraham Burton on tenor and Steve Nelson on vibes! Both players ring out with this strongly soulful vibe that's clearly inspired by the leader – Burton's very deep tones a perfect complement to some of the sharper, more modern lines from Nelson – driven strongly by the work of David Bryant on piano and the excellent Dezron Douglas on bass. Hayes' power can be felt strongly, even in mellower moments – and Nelson's oft-percussive approach to his tones makes for an excellent choice for the group. Titles include "Shape Shifting", "Groovin For Nat", "Soul Leo", "Simple Pleasures", "Vagabond Ron", and "Lou's Idea". CD

An album that begins with a drumbreak, then features electric piano from George Cables – all at a level that almost feels like Eddie Henderson has gone back to those sublime funky years of the mid 70s! Back in the day, the trumpeter's spacious approach to jazz funk really marked the start of a new era for the music – and since that time, Henderson's only gotten better and better in an acoustic setting too – really developing strongly since his initial appearance on spiritual sessions for others, with a range of expression that's on full display here! The album moves from the electric start to more acoustic modes – sometimes swinging, sometimes intimate – and Cables is a superb accompanist throughout, on both electric and acoustic keys – in a group that also features Donald Harrison on alto, Gerald Cannon on bass, and Lenny White on drums. Titles include "Totem Pole", "Scorpio Rising", "Why Not", "It Never Entered My Mind", "I Am Going To Miss You My Darling", and "Freedom Jazz Dance". CD

A tribute to the music of Charlie Parker – but a set that sparkles more from the individual inspiration of the three alto giants in the lead – a great lineup that features Gary Bartz, Bobby Watson, and Vincent Herring! The tracks are long, with great lead passages that have all three horns soaring together, then individual solos from each player – and although the songs include a number of classics from the Charlie Parker songbook, the album also features original tunes by Herring and Watson, and another by Jackie McLean – maybe marking the whole thing as being very much in the spirit of its title – a look back at a century that's felt the influence of Bird, with all the alto sax changes that have taken place in the time since his passing. The rhythm trio is excellent too – David Kikoski on piano, Yasushi Nakamura on bass, and Carl Allen on drums – and titles include "Bird-Ish", "Klactoveedsedstene", "The Hymn", "Folklore", "Bird Lives", and "Yardbird Suite". CD

One of the most soulful records we've heard in years from the late pianist Harold Mabern – and that's saying a hell of a lot, as Harold gave us plenty of soulful sets during his many years on the planet! The record is as fantastic as you might guess from the title – as Mabern takes on tunes made famous by John Coltrane, but delivers the goods in this soaring style that's very much his own – and maybe most specifically, at a level that recalls the vibe he first hit in the 60s when playing with Lee Morgan, and then took to even newer heights on some of his fantastic 70s material – particularly recordings with reedman Frank Strozier! Here, the reeds are handled by Eric Alexander on tenor and Vincent Herring on alto – a hell of a pair – and the group also features really strong work from Steve Davis on trombone, who's really at the top of his game throughout. The rest of the group feature the familiar team of John Webber on bass and Joe Farnsworth on drums – both also really rising to the occasion – and although we'll not be hearing much from Mabern in years to come, this set is a hell of a farewell. Titles include "Impressions", "Blue Train", "Naima", "Straight Street", "My Favorite Things", and "Dahomey Dance". CD

Bold, soulful work from the great Harold Mabern – and a record that really takes us back to his soaring modal groove of the 60s! Mabern's still got some of the lighter lyricism of more recent years here – but he also seems to pack a bit more punch from a rhythmic tip, too – no surprise, given that his trio features the great John Webber on bass and Joe Farnsworth on drums! Over the years, both players have really seemed to grow tremendously working with Mabern – and a record like this really comes across with a strong sense of fruition – proof that great jazz musicians never stop growing, and can always hit even higher heights than before. Titles include "Dance With Me", "My Favorite Things", "Edward Lee", "Making Our Dreams Come True", "Charade", "Cherokee", and "Blues For Frank N Paul N All". CD

The great Harold Mabern kicks it hard with a key core group – then finds a way to open up with some surprise guest artists as well – including singers Gregory Porter, Kurt Elling, Jane Monheit, and Norah Jones! The core of the album features Mabern's piano rocketing out with rhythm from John Webber on bass and Joe Farnsworth on drums – and getting some strong tenor work from the mighty Eric Alexander – and as the set goes on, the group also brings in Jeremy Pelt on trumpet, Peter Bernstein on guitar, and Steve Turre on trombone. But the key force here is the singers – especially Porter and Elling, who seem to find an old school space with the group that really takes them back to their roots. Elling sings on "You Needed Me", "Portrait Of Jennie", and "Billie's Bounce"'; Porter sings on "Afro Blue" and "The Man From Hyde Park"; Monheit sings on "I'll Take Romance" and "My One & Only Love"; and Norah Jones sings on "Don't Misunderstand" and "Fools Rush In". CD also features Alexis Cole on "Such Is Life" – and the instrumental tracks "The Chief", "Mozzin", and "Bobby Benny Jymie Lee Bu". CD

A really unique album from trumpeter Nicholas Payton – a musician who's given us plenty of major label records over the years, but who really sounds different here in a stripped-down set for the Smoke Sessions label! The album's just a trio date – with the sublime rhythm duo of Peter Washington on bass and Kenny Washington on drums – two players who can make anything sound wonderful, and who provide a perfect foil for the openly expressive sound of Payton – as he moves between trumpet, piano, and Fender Rhodes on the set – and even throws in a few effects and samples too! Don't worry about those last elements, though – because there's nothing gimmicky about the record, which maybe opens up Nicholas at one of his most clearly personal levels in years – on long titles that include "Eight", "Othello", "Stablemates", "Jazz Is A Four Letter Word", "1983", "A", "F", "Five", "I Hear A Rhapsody", and "Relaxin With Nick". CD

Groovewise, the record's a great one – one of the strongest in years from pianist Eric Reed – who works here in an open-ended live setting with Seamus Blake on tenor! The album's a great example of the way these Smoke Sessions records can really open up the right sort of artist – as Reed reminds us of his ability to soulfully swing and really get down to business – working here with Blake's tenor in these wide waves of sound on the groovers, then laying back into these complex lines in the more gentle passages – both aided nicely by the work of Ben Williams on bass and Gregory Hutchinson on drums. All tracks are nice and long – and really flow with the kind of magic that Eric brings to his performances in a club – and titles include "Powerful Paul Robeson", "Until The Last Cat Has Swung", "Ornate", "The Gentle Giant", "The Shade Of The Cedar Tree", "Una Mujer Elegante", and "Groovewise". CD

A legendary bassist in a really top-shelf group – a tight lineup that may well make the set one of the best records from Buster Williams in many years! Williams has that tight, tremendous groove that we've loved in his sound for decades – forged here with a killer quartet that includes lots of sharp soprano and alto sax work from Steve Wilson, piano from George Colligan, and drums from Lenny White – a group who can take off with power when needed, then hit some of those more introspective, moody moments that Williams could always bring to his music! There's a great depth of spirit to the record – which features original tracks by Williams, plus one more by each member of the band – titles that include "Where Giants Dwell", "Song Of The Outcasts", "Sisko", "Ariana Anai", "Lost On 4th Avenue", "Stumblin", "Triumph", "Briana", and "Audacity". CD

Killer Chicago soul – features early Kool Gents cuts "Just Like A Fool", "This Is The Night", "I Just Can't Help Myself", and "Crazy Over You" – plus Delegates cuts "Mother's Son" and "I'm Gonna Be Glad". Also features Clark cuts "I'm Going Home", "It's Impossible", "Raindrops", "Hey Little Girl", and "Your Friends". LP, Vinyl record album

Any record from pianist Orrin Evans is worth of attention – but this set might be worthy of a bit more, given that it features some really beautiful work from alto saxophonist Immanuel Wilkins – a player who's a perfect accompaniment for all the great ideas that Evans brings to his music! Immanuel's horn has all these sharp edges – currents that really set him apart from the rest, and make his voice known instantly when he appears on the tunes – often set up with those darkly rich lines that Evans can cast so well in a small group setting, which he does here on tunes penned both by himself and Wilkins. The pairing is wonderful – and balanced with work from Vicente Archer on bass and Bill Stewart on drums – on long, fresh tunes that include "Momma Loves", "MAT Matt", "Libra", "The Poor Fisherman", "Levels", and "Dave". CD

A really different record from drummer Joe Farnsworth – a player we always love for a rock-solid approach to his music, but who here is clearly opening up a new chapter in his life – one that really offers a great variation on the sorts of expectations you might have when you see his name on a record! The record's got a gentle flow that's different than the usual Farnsworth drive – with the drummer laying back, and letting some electric elements in the group flow nicely – including the piano and Fender Rhodes of Julius Rodriguez, guitar of Kurt Rosenwinkel, and alto of Immanuel Wilkins – all players we've never heard with Joe before. Bassist Robert Hurst is as rock-solid as always – and titles include a wonderful remake of the spiritual classic "In What Direction Are You Heading", plus "Safe Corners", "Bobby No Bags", "Someday We'll All Be Free", "Filters", "Terra Nova", and "Anyone But You". CD

... LP, Vinyl record album

Eric Reed hits a mighty nice bag here – almost a variant of the sort of soulful depths that first brought him to our attention many years back, but also presented with a freshness that's different from his early records too! The title's a reference to the mix of composers of color chosen by Reed for the record – a mix that includes both older jazz and soul music writers – in a lineup that features work by Bill Withers, Stevie Wonder, Horace Silver, Wayne Shorter, Benny Golson, and others – plus originals by each member of the group, a trio that features Luca Alemanno on bass and Reggie Quinerly on drums. Calvin Rhone sings on "Lean On Me", and David Daughtry adds vocals to "Pastime Paradise" – while all other titles are originals, and include "Peace", "Black Brown & Blue", "Christina", "Infant Eyes", "Cheryl Ann", "Along Came Betty", and "One For E". CD

A great little small group session from trombonist Steve Turre – one that has the leader working with a quartet on the core numbers, then getting some great guest help from tenorist Javon Jackson on some other titles too! The quartet numbers alone are wonderful – laidback, soulful, and filled with easily-blown solos from Turre – who's working with a great rhythm trio of Kenny Barron on piano, Ron Carter on bass, and Jimmy Cobb on drums – all of whom deliver more than their legend might imply in the setting! Jackson's horn gives his tracks a nicely special crackle – which seems to draw a bit more edge on Steve's trombone – and the final number also features some guest percussion from Cyro Baptista. Titles include "Mellow D For RC", "Taylor Made", "Quietude", "Joco Blue", "Coffee Pot", "Reflections", and "United". CD

A fantastic set from one of our all-time favorite saxophonists – a musician who gave us a flurry of wonderful albums in the 80s and 90s, but hasn't graced the record racks as much in recent years! Fortunately, Bobby Watson's lost none of his charms at all – and really sounds beautiful here in some very familiar company – the trio of bassist Curtis Lundy, one of Watson's first important musical partners – which also features Stephen Scott on piano and Lewis Nash on drums! The group's got every bit of the soulful swing that you might expect – and Watson soars out with those sublime note on alto sax that we first fell in love with when he was part of the Jazz Messengers in the 70s. The material is very fresh too – as the set includes loads of originals by Bobby – reminding us again what a hell of a writer he can be – on titles that include "The Aviator", "The Cyclist", "The Goat", "The Luckey", "The Real Lone Ranger", "The Butterfly", and "The Guitarist". CD

Over the course of his many years in music, bassist Buster Williams has only cut a relatively small amount of records as a leader – yet that fact definitely seems to make each one a real delight! That's certainly the case here – as Williams works with a very cool group who really open up in ways that echo the subtle spiritual legacy of the leader – a core combo that features superb work on vibes from Stefon Harris, tenor and flute from Bruce Williams, piano from George Colligan, and drums from Lenny White – all stretching out on long tracks that include some great originals by the leader. Jean Baylor joins the group on vocals on some numbers – giving the whole thing that extra-hip vibe that reminds us of a time when players of Williams generation would make records that followed their own muse, not the market place or the demands of a label – a bit like some of our favorite loosely-structured sessions from years back on Muse. Titles include "The Wisdom Of Silence", "Stairways", "Here's To Life", "Tayamisha", "In The Middle Of A Rainbow", and a great take on "Estate". CD

A massive tribute to The Meters – one that features rare versions of some of their best funky classics! If you dig The Meters, you'll no doubt recognize most of the tunes – but you've probably never heard them in these versions before – as most of them are pulled from the farthest reaches of the 60s and 70s funky underground! Most numbers change things up a bit in terms of instrumentation – using a guitar where you might normally hear an organ, tipping the rhythm a bit more towards one speed or another – but all of them continue strongly that chunky, gritty approach to instrumental funk the New Orleans combo first forged in the late 60s – a legacy that still lives on in lots of current work, but which sounds even fresher in these rare gems from years back. There's also a few original compositions by some of these artists, but they're all tunes that fall strongly within a classic Meters groove – and titles include "Cissy Strut" by Rod Piazza, "Flight Of The Phoenix" by Dennis The Fox, "Slot Machine" by Duke Of Burlington, "Cissy Strut" by King Herbert & The Knights, "Cardova" by Syd Jones & The Gay Troubadours, "The Cissy's Thang" by The Soul Seven, "Look Ka Py Py" by The Invaders, "Chicken Strut" by King Herbert & The Knights, "Madrox" by Big Band Katouuice, "Cissy Strut" by Sacramento Senior High School, "Big Splash" by Band It, and "Soul Heart Transplant" by Ebony Rhythm Band. CD