Features 16 solo piano pieces recorded between 1953 and 1955. Tracks include "Mighty Like A Rose", "What Does It Take", "Taboo", "Humoresque", "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes", "Moon Song", "Dancing In The Dark", "Japanese Sandman", "So Beats My Heart For You", and more. CD

Classic Stax stuff from Johnnie, with great arrangements that mix blues and soul, and which offer a perfect backing to his soulful voice. Al Jackson produced the session, and the track list includes "Where There's Smoke There's Fire", "That Bone", "That's Where It's At", and "You Can't Keep A Good Man Down". CD

Nice stuff from Pat Williams! Although known for mostly groovy 60s stuff (ala his legendary Verve and soundtrack work), this album features Williams hitting more of a 70s jazz funk groove, with a nice electric edge. The tracks are long, and the solos are played by Tom Scott and Marvin Stamm (mostly) – and the rest of the group includes Mike Melvoin on keyboards, John Guerin on drums, and Larry Bunker on percussion. Cuts include "And on the Sixth Day", "The Witch", and "Mr. Smoke". CD

Tracks from the Orb, the Beloved, Leftfield, Smoke City, Koop, Coldcut, Art Of Noise, Mylo, Finley Quaye, and more. CD

The Warp debut from the Boards of Canada, and only the second full length LP from the duo, though they had issued numerous CDs up to this point in their career. Warm electronics that transcends the IDM tag, and elevates them above the crowded peerage of bedroom laptop wizards. 17 tracks in all, including "Wildlife Analysis", "An Eagle In Your Mind", "The Color Of The Fire", "Telephasic Workshop", "Triangles & Rhombuses", "Sixtyten", "Kaini Industries", "Bocuma", "Roygbiv", "Rue The Whirl", "Aquarius", "Olson", "Pete Standing Alone", "Smoke Quantity", "Open The Light" and "One Very Important Thought". Includes the bonus track "Happy Cycling". CD

Tenorist Don Byas is one of those players who always seemed to get more recognition in Europe than the US – or if that's not entirely the case, he at least got more chances to record properly than he ever did over here! This excellent 18 track CD features tunes from 3 early 50s sessions that Byas recorded in Paris – all of them in a small group setting that really let him open up on tenor in a mellow soulful way. Most tracks are relatively short, but the quality of Byas' solos is wonderful – and the CD represents some of the finest work you could ever hope to find by him from the postwar years. Titles include "Summertime", "The Man I Love", "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes", "Riviera Blues", "Somebody Loves Me", and a sublime version of "Laura". CD

Includes the songs "Please Don't Talk About Me When I'm Gone", "Mad Monk", "Billie's Bounce", "I Surrender Dear", "Red Cross","Dynamo A", "Summertime", "Stardust", "Old Man River", "Night And Day", "The Man I Love", "Georgia On My Mind", "Easy To Love", "Over The Rainbow", "Where Or When", "En Ce Temps-La", "Somebody Loves Me", "Riviera Blues (Blues A la Don)", "Laura", and "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes". CD

A pair of wonderful albums from British folkie Mike Cooper – both recorded for the Dawn Records label, in a really genre-breaking style! Places I Know blends Cooper's acoustic guitar and rootsy vocals with some very compelling arrangements from Mike Gibbs – the British jazz talent who was already known for his larger ensemble creations at the time, but who works here in these really subtle ways – to inflect Cooper's core inspirations with just some slight instrumental colors, tones, and phrases on most numbers – while Cooper brings in the core Machine Gun Co group on a few more. The result is a record that's way more than familiar folk – and arguably a lot hipper than most of the British acid folk of the time, too – on titles that include "Night Journey", "Paper & Smoke", "Country Water", "Time To Time", "Goodbye Blues Goodbye", and "Places I Know". The Machine Gun Co album is a partner record to Places I Know – recorded in the same sessions, but with tracks that are longer, and even more openly expressive – all with backings from the sweet Machine Gun Co quartet, a group with some especially nice electric piano from Alan Cook! Heavy use of that instrument really works against some of the folksier elements in Cooper's music – with these blocks of warm sound and color that really illuminate the tunes, and almost unlock a new level in the vocals. Cooper plays a bit of electric guitar at times – and titles include "So Glad That I Found You", "Lady Anne", "Midnight Words", and "Song For Abigail". CD

One of the crowning classics from the early years of Deep Purple – and a set that will forever be remembered for giving the world the classic rock anthem "Smoke On The Water"! Yet the record as a whole is even better – and is filled with some long-burning, hard-wailing tracks that easily put Deep Purple in the company of the heaviest groups of their generation – thanks to some killer contributions from Ritchie Blackmore's guitar! The whole thing packs a hell of a punch when taken in a full dose – from the start of "Highway Star", to the last notes of "Space Truckin" – and all the great in-between sounds from "Pictures Of Home", "Maybe I'm A Leo", "Never Before", "Lazy", and "Smoke On The Water". CD

A previously-unreleased live date from the late 50s! Featuring Al Porcino and Conte Candoli on trumpet, Bob Enevoldsen and Joe Cadena on trombone, Jack Schwartz on baritone sax, Bill Perkins and Bill Holman on tenor sax, Joe Maini and Charlie Kennedy on alto sax, Pete Jolly and Lou Levy on piano, Max Bennett and Buddy Clark on bass, and Mel Lewis on drums. Tracks include "The Fuzz", "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes", "Sometimes I'm Happy", and "Moonlight In Vermont". CD

A great Jerry Goldsmith score from the mid 60s – penned for a western, but with a sensitivity that's much more like some of his best dramatic work of the time! There's some wonderful use of woodwinds and strings in the lineup – often with the sense of mature color and tone that Jerry brought to thoughtful crime scores, or some of his more adult soundtracks – including those for well-penned TV dramas. There's some acoustic guitar to provide the right western flair at times – but overall, the style is a nice change from the usual – although with Goldsmith, things are always a cut above the usual too! Titles include "The Fuse", "The Prisoner", "Smoke Signals", "Cantina 1 & 2", "A Change Of Luck", "Unlucky Lover", "River Crossing", and "Special Delivery" – plus 5 bonus tracks. CD

Titles include "Bring Your Daughter To The Slaughter", "Mother Russia", "Public Enema Number One", "Holy Smoke", "Tailgunner", and "Run Silent Run Deep". CD

One of the more unusual albums on Impulse – and a beautiful session that's filled with surprises you wouldn't expect! Elvin Jones leads a group of well-chosen bandmates in a hip set of tracks that's sort of a "letter" to Coltrane – with groupings that include either Roland Hanna or Hank Jones on piano, plus Richard Davis bass, and Charlie Mariano on alto sax! Mariano is the real highlight of the album, and his sparkling alto playing on the disc is some of his finest work from the 60s – really standing out in one of his few American sessions from the middle part of the decade – soulful, but searching too – very well presented in an album of Coltrane-ness. Titles include "Love Bird", "Fantazm", "Ballade", "Dear John C", and "Smoke Rings". Also features the bonus track "That Five-Four Bag". CD

Nice Impulse work from Elvin Jones – 2 albums in a single package! Illumination features an amazingly unique little group – one that kind of stepped in the Impulse Records back door from the Coltrane galaxy, but which features some very unique aspects overall! As the cover states, the ensemble's led by bassist Jimmy Garrison and drummer Elvin Jones – and also features McCoy Tyner from Coltrane's quartet – yet the real charm of the record comes from the reed men, who include Prince Lasha on flute and clarinet, Sonny Simmons on alto and English horn, and Charles Davis on baritone sax! All players are free-thinking modernists, with ties to some of the farther reaches of 60s jazz – yet they work here in a beautifully inside mode, similar to Lasha's excellent Insight album on CBS UK – a vibe that takes all the most wonderful aspects of the Coltrane generation, but pushes them even further with some deeply personal expressions. Tracks include the seminal "Half & Half" – plus "Aborigine Dance In Scotland", "Oriental Flower", and "Nuttin Out Jones", and "Gettin On Way". Dear John C is one of the stranger albums on Impulse, but a beautiful session that's filled with surprises you wouldn't expect! Elvin Jones leads a group of odd bandmates in a set of tracks that's sort of a "letter" to Coltrane, and the groupings include either Roland Hanna or Hank Jones on piano, plus Richard Davis bass, and Charlie Mariano on alto sax! Mariano is the real highlight of the album, and his sparkling alto playing on the disc is some of his finest work from the 60s – really standing out in one of his few American sessions from the middle part of the decade. Titles include "Love Bird", "Fantazm", "Ballade", "Dear John C", and "Smoke Rings". CD

Excellent work by The Kinks – cut right on the cusp of their earlier bluesier years, and their perfect picture postcard pop sides of the late 60s! The album's got a number of groovy little tunes that virtually put the jangle in 60s pop – with impeccable writing by Ray Davies, and all those little twists and turns that make his songs so great. And the themes, styles, and overall presentation of the whole thing are really stretching out nicely – with a sense of wit and critique on British society that really have the group coming into their own! Titles include "Party Line", "Dandy", "Session Man", "Rainy Day In June", "Most Exclusive Residence For Sale", "Fancy", "You're Lookin Fine", and "Sunny Afternoon". CD also features bonus tracks – "Mr Pleasant", "This Is Where I Belong", "Mr Reporter", "I'm Not Like Everybody Else", and "Big Black Smoke". CD

2 jazzy gems from Michel Legrand – back to back on a single CD! Michel Legrand Big Band Plays Richard Rodgers is a pretty wonderful album by Legrand – way better than you'd guess from the title! Sure, the tunes are mostly numbers by Richard Rodgers, but Legrand handles them here with the best of his soundtrack skills – really opening them up with some amazingly deft arrangements, and working with a stellar set of American jazz players to give the tunes a sound that's as jazzy as possible – and swinging them with the inherent lyricism that always makes us love his music! Players are a great lineup – with Clark Terry and Ernie Royal on trumpets, Urbie Green and Bob Brookmeyer on trombones, Paul Gonsalves on tenor, Jerry Dodgion and Phil Woods on alto, Julious Watkins on French horn, Gary Burton on vibes, and Tommy Flanagan and Hank Jones on piano. Titles include "This Can't Be Love", "Falling In Love With Love", "Bali Hai", "Have You Met Miss Jones", "There's A Small Hotel", and "The Lady Is A Tramp". On the second album, Broadway is the beat, but the sound has plenty of Parisian touches, too – thanks to arrangements from the mighty Michel Legrand! Legrand's in a mode here that's somewhere between his earliest soundtracks, and the European-themed records he cut for Columbia in the late 50s – styles that are a bit more warm and sentimental than in later years, with evocative elements designed to coax the Broadway-based listener out on a voyage across the Atlantic! Strings are relatively full, and sometimes used with great dynamic energy – and titles include "Bewitched", "There's A Boat Dat's Leavin Soon For New York", "Old Devil Moon", "With A Little Bit Of Luck", "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes", and "Yesterdays". CD

A very nice recent album by Jackie, featuring a stripped-down lineup that includes Cedar Walton on piano and Billy Higgins on drums, joining Jackie in a haunting set of mellow ballads. After years of playing, Jackie's tone is impeccable, and it's great to hear him work through a set of standards like the ones on this album – "Star Eyes", "Nature Boy", "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes", and "You Don't Know What Love Is". Sure, the album's not as groundbreaking as some of Jackie's 60s new thing records, or 70s spiritual sessions, but it's still a nice treat, and has a surprisingly compelling edge to it. CD

Features Andre Previn at the piano, Joe Pass on guitar, and Ray Brown on bass. Tracks include "Limehouse Blues", "What Am I Here For", "Cotton Tail", "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes" and "I Got It Bad And That Ain't Good". CD

Chris Woods is one of our favorite reed players from the 70's, and, like a lot of our other favorites (Nathan Davis, Sahib Shihab), he spent a great deal of time in Europe, and never achieved the recognition he would have if he'd been playing here. (Or perhaps we should say that he never received the recognition in the US that he did in Europe.) Whatever the case, though, this is one of the rare few recordings he left behind from that era, and it features Woods on alto and flute, playing with Gerry Wiggins on piano, Major Holley on bass, and Ed Thigpen on drums. The session was recorded by the French Black & Blue label, and includes material that's mostly laidback renditions of standards like "Lush Life", "Alone Again", and "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes", plus a few originals like "Mule Walk" and "You Can't Win None Of 'Em". CD

Not just soul music lovers – as the set's got plenty to offer for fans of funk and jazz too – a wonderful assortment of cuts from the golden years of the music, all put together here with a really great ear for a groove! The cuts are sourced from a number of different labels – including Groove Merchant, De-Lite, Sussex, and Brunswick – and because of that, they come together with a great sense of variety – not a confused approach to a compilation, but one that really knows how to play different cuts off one another – introducing you to rare gems, and making you love familiar cuts all over again in a different way! There's a total of 23 tracks and almost 80 minutes of music – and titles include "Mr Hot Stuff" by Clarence Reid, "Ashley's Roachclip" by The Soul Searchers, "Loving Explosion" by The Eliminators, "The Fly" by The Kinfolks, "Funky Belly" by Warren Lee, "Come Back To Me" by Cheyenne Fowler, "I Won't Be Around" by Jeanette Holloway, "Chick A Boom" by The Pazant Brothers, "In The Moog" by Harold McKinney, "Gold Smoke" by Everyday People, "There Was A Time" by Dee Felice Trio, "April" by Bobby Knight, and "No Trouble On The Mountain" by Richard Groove Holmes. CD

One of best set's yet on Tucson, AZ's Cicadelic label – deep diggers of obscure regional psych sounds – this one collecting rumbling late 60s singles by TX combos Carrols Mood, The Nomads, The Rebellers, Smoke, and The Remaining Few! It covers the years '66-'68 – a really creative period when the Brit Invasion and folk rock stuff that was popular around the globe was morphing into nascent psychedelia. Regional US groups on the coasts were making it big, but so many regional acts were just as great and never really got a shot at massive popularity. Here's a great document of what was happening down in Texas! Includes "What You're Doing To Me" and Out She Goes" (unreleased mixes) by Carrols Mood, "I'll Be There", "Three O'Clock Merrian" (several takes) and a really wild cover of "My Little Red Book" all by The Nomads, "Mainstream" by Smoke, "Mystical Bells" by The Sights And Sounds, "The New Generation" (previously unreleased mix) by The Rebellers and more. CD

Hazy beatcraft steeped in Indian soundtrack style funk, strings and percussion from the indefatigable Madlib – Volumes 3 & 4 in the Beat Konducta series of the increasingly adventurous and conceptual outings – 2 volumes on 1CD! This time out Madlib, er, Beat Konducta is conducting beats, strings & things from India and/or otherwise East – but the way in which the beats bluntly thump is quintessential Madlib – you know it and love it from the first beat! 'Lib really breathes fresh life into this approach – going miles deeper than anyone out there doing the Bollywood-hip hop hybrid – coming up with a sound all his own. CD version includes the complete Volumes 3 & 4. Masterful! Titles include "Enter Hot Curry", "Indian Hump", "Onthanewthing", "Indian Deli", "Rumble", "Dancing Girls Theme", "Piano Garden", "Dark Alley Incidental Music", "Early Party", "Fifth Chant", "The Rip Off (Scene 3)", "Sitar Ride", "Get It Right", "More Rice", "Indian Bells", "Smoke Circle", "Sha Sound", "Another Getaway", "Raw Ground Wire", "Main Title" and more. CD

With 20 tracks including "Driftin' Blues", "Smoke Rings", "But Not For Me", "Chains Of Love", "Cry Me A River", "Trouble Blues", "Fool's Paradise", and "Little Girl Blue". CD

We think this guy's one of the best new jazz vocalist to emerge over the past decade, and this album – his 4th for Blue Note – is far and away his best! The album was recorded live at Chicago's Green Mill nightclub – with nice small combo backing by Laurence Hobgood, Rob Amster, and Michael Raynor, plus guest horn work by Von Freeman, Eddie Johnson, and Ed Peterson. Kahil El'Zabar also plays percussion, and Jon Hendricks joins in on vocals a bit. But the best part is Elling's voice – which is a sweet mix between Mark Murphy at his best, and earlier vocalese masters, like Hendricks or Joe Lee Wilson. The album features mostly straight-ahead jazz vocalizing – with little of the hipster monologues that have ruined other Elling albums – and it includes an incredible version of Wayne Shorter's "Night Dreamer", plus the cuts "Oh My God", "Esperanto", "My Foolish Heart", "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes", and the King Pleasure classic "Don't Get Scared". A real treat – especially if you like Cleveland Watkiss' Green Chimneys album, or any of the good Mark Murphy recordings for Muse! CD

Earl Hines has a very cool trio here – a unique group that features Richard Davis on bass and Elvin Jones on drums – both younger modern players who provide a surprising match for his lead work on piano! Hines really seems to step up to the setting, and although his phrasing and tone echo his older years in jazz, there's also a fresh crackle to the record too – one that may also partly come from the way in which Earl was really being rediscovered and re-exposed at the time of the album's recording. Davis and Jones definitely never try to overdo things, but you can definitely feel their presence at work – particularly Jones, whose percussion on the record is a real delight. Titles include "Stanley Steamer", "Shoe Shine Boy", "Smoke Rings", "Save It Pretty Mama", and "Bernie's Tune". CD

Includes the hit "Waterloo" – plus "Smoke Along The Track", "Life To Go", "Run", "The Carpet On The Floor", and "Uncle Sam & Big John Bull". CD

Tracks include "Keep On Truckin", "If You Let Me", "Boogie Down", "He's A Friend", "Goin' Up In Smoke", "Date With The Rain", "Girl You Need A Change Of Mind", and more – 16 tracks total. CD

Da mouf of da souf returns! This one boasts "100% natural beats/rhymes/lyrics and chicken." Needless to say, 'Cris's Dirty South roots are waved loudly and proudly on this follow up to his mega-breakthrough Word Of Mouf, with appearances by Chingy, Snoop, Lil' Flip and members of the Disturbing Tha Peace clique. Ya gotta love the album, if for nothing else, 'Cris's frequent and relentless badgering of gaseous windbag Bill O'Reilly. O'Reilly seems to think 'Cris's belligerent drunken rudeness (quite obviously a SATIRICAL ACT) is ruining America more than any other element. Let's all write "The Factor", Fox News and the other babysitters and thank them for looking out for the kids, and all of us brainless monkeys who would do nothing but drink, smoke, and beat women if they weren't there to protect us from the evil rappers! (Sheesh.) Tracks include "Blow It Out", "Stand Up", "Splash Waterfalls, "Hard Times", "Diamond In The Back", "Screwed Up", "P-Poppin'", "Hoes In My Room", "Teamwork", "We Got", "Eyebrows Down", "Hip Hop Quotables" and more. CD

A full length LP that brings together 2 earlier sessions by Thelonious Monk! The main part of the album is a legendary Monk quintet recording, done at a time when Thelonious was mostly pretty trio-heavy in the studio – and a set that features some great tenor by Frank Foster, alongside trumpet by Ray Copeland, bass by Curley Russell, and drums by Art Blakey! Tracks are longish, and although they have some Monkish moments, especially on the ballads, there's also some looser bop-style solo work from the horns. Titles include "Locomotive", "Hackensack", "We See", and "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes". Added to these tracks are 3 more by another quintet – one that features Sonny Rollins on tenor, Julius Watkins on French Horn, Percy Heath on bass, and Willie Jones on drums. Titles include 2 takes of "Think Of One", plus "Let's Call This". CD

A full length LP that brings together 2 earlier sessions by Thelonious Monk! The main part of the album is a legendary Monk quintet recording, done at a time when Thelonious was mostly pretty trio-heavy in the studio – and a set that features some great tenor by Frank Foster, alongside trumpet by Ray Copeland, bass by Curley Russell, and drums by Art Blakey! Tracks are longish, and although they have some Monkish moments, especially on the ballads, there's also some looser bop-style solo work from the horns. Titles include "Locomotive", "Hackensack", "We See", and "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes". Added to these tracks are 3 more by another quintet – one that features Sonny Rollins on tenor, Julius Watkins on French Horn, Percy Heath on bass, and Willie Jones on drums. Titles include 2 takes of "Think Of One", plus "Let's Call This". CD

A really wonderful little chapter in the rich, and all-too-short career of bassist Oscar Pettiford – larger group recordings done for ABC in the mid 50s! The sessions show Pettiford to be surprisingly great at such a format – leading a group through Gigi Gryce arrangements that have a nice modern jazz take on earlier bop themes of the 50s. Gryce himself plays alto on the session, and other players include Jerome Richardson, Benny Golson, Art Farmer, Kenny Dorham, Jimmy Cleveland, Al Grey, Tommy Flanagan, and Lucky Thompson. The CD seems to include material from both Pettiford sessions for ABC – for a total of 17 tracks that include "Two French Fries", "Perdido", "Speculation", "Sunrise Sunset", "Smoke Signal", "Deep Passion", "Nica's Tempo", "Not So Sleepy", "Little Niles", and "Seabreeze". CD

The busy fingers of the RZA, who's also been wrapping up his score for Quentino Tarantino's Kill Bill, took some time out to record this new full length. Thankfully, he dropped the Bobby Digital robot thing; this album is filled with the kinda scratchy soul beats we loved so much on his Ghost Dog instrumentals. Alas, these aren't instrumentals – but Wu alumni ODB, Ghostface, Masta Killa and others make appearances. 16 tracks including "Bob N' I", "The Grunge", "We Pop", "Grits", "Fast Cars", "Chi Kung", "You'll Never Know", "Drink, Smoke, & Fcuk", "Koto Chotan", "Cherry Range", "The Birth" and more. CD

A great addition to the Nina Simone catalog – material recorded at the Montreux Jazz Festival on a number of different dates – all very different performances that really show the legendary singer at the top of her game! The setting shifts here from date to date – the package features shows from 1968, 1976, 1981, 1987, and 1990 – with early material that features a full group with Henry Young on guitar and Sam Waymon on organ, plus later sets that feature a trio, a duo with harmonica player Claude Nobs, a solo piano/vocal date, and a final set with guitar, vibes, and keyboards. As with other live performances, Nina is completely stunning – able to completely transform tunes with that legendary vocal style, and augmenting her words with all the right touches on piano. Titles include "Just In Time", "African Mailman", "Me Me Quitte Pas", "Liberian Calypso", "Stars", "Don't Smoke In Bed", "Little Girl Blue (parts 1 & 2)", "Backlash Blues", "See Line Woman", "I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free", "Four Women", "No Woman No Cry", "Montreux Blues", and "My Baby Just Cares For Me". 2CD set features 29 tracks in all – including the full 14 song performances recorded at Casino Kursaal in 1968! CD

Two albums on one CD – Autumn In New York is a record that features Stafford's sentimental vocals wrapped up warmly in backings from Paul Weston – string-heavy at times, but in a really dreamy way that works perfectly for Jo's blue-tinged vocals. The album's got a great sense of love lost and longing – and titles include "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes", "If I Loved You", "Almost Like Being In Love", "Through The Years", "Sometimes I'm Happy", "Haunted Heart", and "Some Enchanted Evening". Starring Jo Stafford includes the songs "Serenade Of The Bells", "No Other Love", "The Gentleman Is A Dope", "Red River Valley", and "A Sunday Kind Of Love". CD

Includes "Holy Smoke & Gee Whiz", "Let Me Know", "Thinking Of You", "Top Notch", "Let's Get Down", "Lovin You", "Don't Fall In Love", and "Still A Man". Excellent harmonies, and a warm classic soul sound! CD

A landmark album for Caetano Veloso – a full set of tracks sung in English, as beautifully done as we ever could have hoped! The arrangements are really fresh – in a style that makes the album far more than just a set of standards – and instead gives it the edgey approach of some of Caetano's best recent work. The set was co-produced by Jacques Morelenbaum, and has a range of instrumental approaches that shifts to fit the mood of each new track – and given that the work on the set runs from tunes by Cole Porter to Nat King Cole, Nirvana, David Byrne, Arto Lindsay, Elvis Presley, Stevie Wonder, and Bob Dylan – you can imagine the changing moods at work! Titles include "So In Love", "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes", "Diana", "Manhattan", "Nothing But Flowers", "Cry Me A River", "Nature Boy", "Jamaica Farewell", "If It's Magic", "Detached", "Blue Skies", and "Something Good". Loads of tracks, too – 22 in all – and packaged beautifully! CD

A never-issued album from Neil Young – recorded during a key 70s stretch, and finally out of the can after decades of being locked away in the vaults! At the time, Neil didn't think the record was as strong as some of his other work – but to us, fans of the man's music, the whole thing is an essential treasure – a nice bridge between a few different modes of his shifting 70s palette, especially since there's some up-close, acoustic numbers that really reveal a personal side of Young, and some of the difficulties he was going through at the time. Titles include "Florida", "Little Wing", "We Don't Smoke It No More", "Separate Ways", "Try", "Mexico", "Star Of Bethlehem", "Vacancy", and "Kansas". CD

A mindblowing tribute to one of the most important indie rock labels of the early punk years – New York's Ork Records – an imprint that was almost as important to the music as CBGB! The label only lasted a few short years, but had an uncanny ear for capturing the best new sounds of the time – that genre-crossing, style-blending mode that distinguished American punk from its early UK partner – and which sometimes had surprisingly strong ties to earlier scenes too. Ork was surprisingly open-minded, and maybe not as narrowly cast as punk labels would become a few years later – but that's also not surprising, given the scene in which they worked – which is captured here beautifully in a very lavish boo, well over 100 pages – not only filled with notes, details on the music, and the history of the label – but also countless photos from the early years of punk in New York too. But hell, the music is more than enough to make this set great – as the package features a wealth of excellent titles that include "Let It Blurt" by Lester Bangs, "Little Johnny Jewel" by Television, "Fa Ce La" by The Feelies, "I Won't Give Up" by Erasers, "All Of The Time" by Alex Chilton, "I Thought You Wanted To Know" by Chris Stamey & The DBs, "You" by The Idols, "Christmas Weather" by The Student Teachers, "Everytime I Close My Eyes" by Prix, "You Gotta Lose" by Richard Hell, "Fire & Smoke" by Marbles, "Connection" by Richard Lloyd, "Play With Fire" by Mick Farren & The New Wave, "Funky Kinky" by Kenneth Higney, and lots lots more! CD

A classic "with strings" session from Clifford Brown – nearly as well-done and perfect as some of Charlie Parker's sides for Verve, handled here with perhaps a slightly sweeter touch, as Neal Hefti's the man on arrangements. The core group's the Brown/Roach combo, augmented by a smallish string section – and Clifford's right up front blowing warm and glistening solos, with titles that include "Willow Weep For Me", "Yesterdays", "Laura", "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes", and "Portrait Of Jennie". CD

Michael Carvin's one of those players who always makes us sit up and take notice – not just for his own dynamic work on drums, but also for the way that he manages to lead a group with such soulful fire! This album's a great example of that skill, as Carvin brings together a mix of players who really open up beautifully together – driven by his own direction with the same free-thinking, soul-searching energy that Art Blakey used to bring to the Jazz Messengers in years back. But Carvin's rhythms are hardly Jazz Messengers stuff – given that the tunes here step out in a nice range of modes, and really show a nice evolution of soulbop standards over the years. The group features Antoine Roney on tenor, Claudio Roditi on trumpet, Carlton Holmes on piano, and David Williams on bass – and Houston Person plays guest tenor on one track, and also co-produced the album with Carvin. Titles include "Waltz For Gina", "Nails", "Recife's Blues", "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes", "One By One", and "I Don't Stand A Ghost Of A Chance With You". CD

Sweet silver cycles from Eddie Harris – a wonderful late 60s album that features lots of lines on the electrified Varitone saxophone, mixed with cool contributions from a shifting lineup of soulful musicians! The set's one of Eddie's real classics from the Atlantic years – completely inventive, but never in a gimmicky way – and a really great bridge between late 60s modes of funk, jazz, and soul – at the same level he'd serve up more famously in his collaborations with Les McCann! There's a lot of that same energy here, but the vibe is even tighter – and Harris really blows us away with his great arrangements, which get a slight bit of help from Arif Mardin. Other players include Melvin Jackson on bass, Seldon Powell on reeds, and Joe Zawinul on keyboards – and titles include "Silver Cycles", "Electric Ballad", "Little Bit", "Free At Last", "Coltrane's View", "Electric Salad", "1974 Blues", and "Smoke Signals". CD

Heavy jamming with guitarist Hiram Bullock and a great group of Japanese cats, including Kankawa on organ and keyboards, Kenji Hino on electric bass, and Fuyu on drums. Titles include "Smoke On The Water", "California Dreaming", "Jan Jan", and two Kankawa originals – "Organic Swamp" and "Cat Street". CD

The Keith Jarrett trio can take just about any tune and make it their own – as you'll hear in this wonderful set that has the group still going strong, well into the 21st Century! As with some of their previous outings, the tunes here are mostly familiar standards, but played with a fluid, open quality that's really unique – Keith himself blocking out these waves of sound that approximate the melody, but really extrapolate from it – Gary Peacock handling the bass with these round, extended tones that seem to wrap up the whole group together – and Jack DeJohnette as a master of understatement, yet making these really important inflections all the time as well. Titles include "Shawnuff", "Yesterdays", "Strollin", "A Sleepin Bee", "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes", and "Stella By Starlight". CD

A 60s set from Memphis bluesman BB King – but one put together with a very distinct Chicago touch as well! The set's produced by Johnny Pate, and recorded live with a vibe that's similar to King's classic recording at The Regal – but it's almost got even more of a soulful punch, thanks to backing from a cool small combo that includes Bobby Forte on tenor, Kenneth Sands on trumpet, Duke Jethro on Hammond, and Louis Satterfield on bass! BB's vocals are great – in his best early form – and the tunes are bluesy, but also smoke with a nice degree of soul – and almost some jazzy touches at times from the tenor and organ. Titles include "Don't Answer The Door", "Blind Love", "Tired Of Your Jive", "Night Life", "Buzz Me", and "Waitin On You". CD

A really wonderful little chapter in the rich, and all-too-short career of bassist Oscar Pettiford – larger group recordings done for ABC in the mid 50s! The sessions show Pettiford to be surprisingly great at such a format – leading a group through Gigi Gryce arrangements that have a nice modern jazz take on earlier bop themes of the 50s. Gryce himself plays alto on the session, and other players include Jerome Richardson, Benny Golson, Art Farmer, Kenny Dorham, Jimmy Cleveland, Al Grey, Tommy Flanagan, and Lucky Thompson. The CD seems to include material from both Pettiford sessions for ABC – for a total of 17 tracks that include "Two French Fries", "Perdido", "Speculation", "Sunrise Sunset", "Smoke Signal", "Deep Passion", "Nica's Tempo", "Not So Sleepy", "Little Niles", and "Seabreeze". CD

A beautiful album of ballads from Bud Shank – quite unusual, given that most of his output at the time was in a small group mode – but a great little session, and one that's handled with sensitivity and soul that you might not hear on his other records! The backings are by the Len Mercer Strings – mostly done with a light touch, and never too overbearing – so that Bud's work on alto and flute is right upfront in the mix, the latter of which sounds especially nice in the setting – as there's a sharper edge that offsets the strings wonderfully. Titles include "Out Of This World", "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes", "These Foolish Things", "Deep Purple", "Embraceable You", and "When Your Lover Has Gone". CD