The kind of Roxy Music album that nobody would have expected back when Brian Eno was in the group – but a set that really helped expose the group to a whole new generation, and find a way to develop that special style that Bryan Ferry had brought to the group in the previous decade! There's a leaner vibe going on here – with the core trio of Ferry, Andy Mackay, and Phil Manzanera finding a way to be a bit more subtle than before, both instrumentally and lyrically – while still having Bryan do that oddly sinister thing with his vocals, almost in a way that undercuts all the new young stars that were emerging in the younger generation. The recording quality is superb – especially on the vocals and Manzanera's work – and titles include "More Than This", "Take A Chance With Me", "India", "The Space Between", and "To Turn You On". LP, Vinyl record album

The kind of Roxy Music album that nobody would have expected back when Brian Eno was in the group – but a set that really helped expose the group to a whole new generation, and find a way to develop that special style that Bryan Ferry had brought to the group in the previous decade! There's a leaner vibe going on here – with the core trio of Ferry, Andy Mackay, and Phil Manzanera finding a way to be a bit more subtle than before, both instrumentally and lyrically – while still having Bryan do that oddly sinister thing with his vocals, almost in a way that undercuts all the new young stars that were emerging in the younger generation. The recording quality is superb – especially on the vocals and Manzanera's work – and titles include "More Than This", "Take A Chance With Me", "India", "The Space Between", and "To Turn You On". CD

One of the great fake live albums of the 60s – a set that promises to be a concert performance from the title and cover, but which actually just features The Seeds playing live together in the studio! Yet that little trick is hardly a problem – because the album's the last-ever from this seminal group, and captures them in a format that really lets them take off! Their studio sessions were always great, but this one's got a special edge from letting all the instruments work together in the same space at once, with no edits or dubs. The core combo sounds wonderful – searing guitar, trippy keyboard lines, and all the sneering vocals the young Sky Saxon can muster – served up over tracks that include "Mr. Farmer", "No Escape", "Satisfy You", "Night Time Girl", "Up In Her Room", "Gypsy Plays His Drums", "Mumble And Bumble", "Forest Outside Your Door", "900 Million People Daily All Making Love", and "Pushin' Too Hard". LP, Vinyl record album

A rootsy blues 2-fer – with two rare Prestige Blues sessions on a single CD! First up is Blues & Folk – a set with a very appropriate title, given the earthy feel of the music – mostly just guitar from Brownie McGhee and harmonica from Sonny Terry – plus vocals by both! There's a really laidback, back-to-the-delta sort of sound here – all acoustic, and a real change from the electric blues that was coming out in the mainstream at the time. Titles include "Gone Gal", "Red River Blues", "Sonny's Squall", "Tryin To Win", "Too Nicey Mama", and "Meet Me Down The Bottom". Next is Blues All Around My Head – very stripped down material from the team of Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee – recorded during the pair's big revival with the folk blues crowds of the 60s! The sound is all acoustic – mostly just vocals, guitar, and harmonica – played with a timeless quality on titles that include "Muddy Water", "My Plan", "Trying To Destroy Me", "Jealous Man", "Understand Me", and "Blues Of Happiness". CD

Killer cop/crime music from the Italian scene of the 70s – a famous genre soundtrack from composer Armando Trovajoli, who's usually known for his work in warmer, sexier styles! The grooves here are right up there with the best that Italy has to offer from the time – full, jazzy backings that often have a bit of keyboards or guitars amidst the larger horns – and rhythms that manage to sound tightly compressed, despite the larger arrangements – in ways that help keep things sounding nice and lean. Trovajoli adds in isolated instruments at the best moments – particularly some woodwind bits that snake along with warmly melodic touches, or keyboards used in spare and subtle ways – and each track seems to offer up a fresh approach to the sound, making for a well-balanced batch of tracks that's far from cliche! Titles include "The Puzzle Is Completed", "A Very Strange Party", "Theme For A Murderer", "Louise", "Tony's Magnum", "Who Killed Louise", and "Black Pearl Necklace". LP, Vinyl record album

Fantastic sounds from the rocksteady years in Jamaica – tracks that are a fair bit more rare and obscure than some of the bigger singles that circulated at the time – even though they feature a fair bit of the same artists and musicians! The work here all came from the studios of Federal Records – one of the first indies in Kingston, headed by the visionary Ken Khouri – who put things together and learned the process as he went – which often made for a very organic approach to the music! Khouri handled a lot of other Jamaican styles in the years before these sides – but he really seems to have hit his stride with rocksteady – coming up with a perfect balance between the new rhythms, the sharp instrumentation, and the soulful styles of the singers. Titles on this second volume include "Real Gone Sweet" by The Tartans, "Walk On By" by The Zodiacs, "We Gonna Make It" by The Termites, "Fountain Bliss" by The Dynamites, "This Music Got Soul" by Hopeton Lewis, "Batman (early take rehearsal)" by Lynn Taitt & The Jets, "I Don't Want Trouble" by Hopeton Lewis, "Rolling Rolling" by The Tartans, "Lester Sterling Special" by Lester Sterling, "Take Me Back" by Henry Buckley, and "Sounds Of Silence" by Roland Alphonso. LP, Vinyl record album

A really great entry in the excellent Super Funk series – one that offers up cuts that are every bit as strong on their soulful vocals as they are their funky grooves! The track selection is wonderful – rare cuts from 45s, of the sort that funk diggers have been trading for years – plus some of those extra-special unreleased tracks, which the folks at Ace/BGP always seem able to dig up through their access to the vaults! The notes are filled with rare photos, label scans, and loads of information on the cuts – showing that their selection here wasn't just a random process – and despite the title, most tracks here are 70s numbers from the heavy funk years. Titles include "Dark Skin Woman" by Billy Cee, "Love Highjacker" by George Jackson, "You Bring The Tears" by Sampson & Delilah, "Born To Live With Heartache" by Mary Lvoe, "Sweet Thang" by William Bostic, "Foolish Man (part 2)" by The Huck Daniels Co, "Work It Out" by Marcene Harris, "Jodine" by Earl Harris, "Funky Kingston" by Tribe, "Brother Jack" by The Funky Kids, "Forgotten" by Lamont Johnson, "Daddy Please Stay Home" by Obrey Wilson, and "So Fine" by Chet Ivey & His Fabulous Avengers. CD

An extremely righteous bit of soul jazz – originally issued in a very small pressing by Folkway Records, at a time when the label was doing some great underground recordings! The sound is loose and free – spiritually building in a manner that recalls the work of Ahmed Abdul Malik, Phil Cohran, and some of the AACM – and the album has a style that's exploratory, but never goes too far out, or loses its sense of rhythm and swing. Tracks are longish, and the core group features soprano sax and Korean reeds by Bilal Abdurahman and vibes by Ameen Nuraldeen – plus guest work on bass by James Smith, and appearances by a lot of different world percussion players. There's a nice Eastern feel to some of the tracks, and titles include "Mevlana", "Ti Ti", "Sun Flower", and "Bent El Jerusalem". CD

Ralph J Gleason might just be one of the coolest cats to ever write about music – a key part of the San Francisco scene during the postwar years – where his talents helped illuminate both the worlds of art and music during the beat generation – then really helped shine a spotlight on all the cultural changes in the city during the 60s – which even led to Gleason's role in the founding of Rolling Stone magazine! Gleason always had a great eye (and ear) for things that were new and special, but never in a way that was slavish to the moment – or to its creator – and the book features an initial section on his writings on jazz and blues – with essays on John Coltrane, Charles Mingus, Carmen McRae, BB King, John Handy, Vince Guaraldi & Bola Sete, Cal Tjader, Ben Webster, the San Francisco Jazz scene, and other diverse topics. The second section features Gleason on folk and rock – with bits on Jefferson Airplane, Hank Williams, Lenny Bruce, Odetta, The Beatles, Bob Dylan, and others – and the final section features articles on politics and culture – covering topics that include Richard Nixon, radio payola, Law & Order, flower children, and other slices of society, seen from the Gleason viewpoint. Book is hardcover, and 309 pages. Book

Spare duets between Charlie Haden and Hampton Hawes – just bass and piano, with nothing else to hold them up – presented here as a wonderful illustration of the mature, sophisticated talents both artists had developed by the 70s! Hawes had really learned how to spin out a special kind of longform magic as the 60s turned into the new decade – and here, it's great to hear that approach without any drum in the group at all – as the tracks are long and wonderfully introspective, and offer up some beautifully moody work from Haden on bass. Titles include "As Long As There's Music", "This Is Called Love", "Hello Goodbye", "Irene", and "Rain Forest". LP, Vinyl record album

A very unique little album from Lisa Ono – one that has her taking on a number of themes from American country music, but in a way that mixes plenty of bossa styles into the sound! The "country" here should really be in quotes – as many of the tunes are less strict country numbers than just country-flavored ones from the history of American pop – but they're united nicely here in an approach that really makes tremendous use of Ono's gentle vocals and sprightly guitar, set to slightly jazzy arrangements penned by Ono, Dori Caymmi, and Yoshihiro Arita. The end result is far nicer than you might expect – and titles include "Jambalaya", "Stay All Night", "Gentle On My Mind", "Crazy", "I've Just Seen A Face", "Take Me Home", "She Wore A Yellow Ribbon", "I'm An Old Cowhand", and "Old Fashioned Love/You Are My Sunshine". Japanese version also features 2 bonus tracks – "Morning Sun" and "Fascination (album mix)". CD

A well-done guide to the legendary years of city pop music in Japan – and one that's got way more than the hundred albums hinted at by the title! The book follows the format of other Japanese disc guides – with images of key records in the genre, mostly presented in full color – alongside other text in Japanese, which you can easily read using Google Translate or a similar app on your phone, via the camera. Even without that text, though, there's plenty here to steer you towards important records in this under-discovered genre that's only know beginning to get appreciation by English-speaking listeners. The book presents an initial top 100 of the most important records – but then continues into sections with listings for hundreds more records, divided by key artists – almost all with color reproductions of the covers, next to a few black and white. Book is 265 pages in all, with listings for hundreds of city pop records! Book

With special guest Tommy Flanagan. CD

The kind of Roxy Music album that nobody would have expected back when Brian Eno was in the group – but a set that really helped expose the group to a whole new generation, and find a way to develop that special style that Bryan Ferry had brought to the group in the previous decade! There's a leaner vibe going on here – with the core trio of Ferry, Andy Mackay, and Phil Manzanera finding a way to be a bit more subtle than before, both instrumentally and lyrically – while still having Bryan do that oddly sinister thing with his vocals, almost in a way that undercuts all the new young stars that were emerging in the younger generation. The recording quality is superb – especially on the vocals and Manzanera's work – and titles include "More Than This", "Take A Chance With Me", "India", "The Space Between", and "To Turn You On". CD

The kind of Roxy Music album that nobody would have expected back when Brian Eno was in the group – but a set that really helped expose the group to a whole new generation, and find a way to develop that special style that Bryan Ferry had brought to the group in the previous decade! There's a leaner vibe going on here – with the core trio of Ferry, Andy Mackay, and Phil Manzanera finding a way to be a bit more subtle than before, both instrumentally and lyrically – while still having Bryan do that oddly sinister thing with his vocals, almost in a way that undercuts all the new young stars that were emerging in the younger generation. The recording quality is superb – especially on the vocals and Manzanera's work – and titles include "More Than This", "Take A Chance With Me", "India", "The Space Between", and "To Turn You On". CD

The kind of Roxy Music album that nobody would have expected back when Brian Eno was in the group – but a set that really helped expose the group to a whole new generation, and find a way to develop that special style that Bryan Ferry had brought to the group in the previous decade! There's a leaner vibe going on here – with the core trio of Ferry, Andy Mackay, and Phil Manzanera finding a way to be a bit more subtle than before, both instrumentally and lyrically – while still having Bryan do that oddly sinister thing with his vocals, almost in a way that undercuts all the new young stars that were emerging in the younger generation. The recording quality is superb – especially on the vocals and Manzanera's work – and titles include "More Than This", "Take A Chance With Me", "India", "The Space Between", and "To Turn You On". Hybrid SACD includes a multi-channel mix of the original album and stereo CD layer with one additional bonus track. CD

A massive tribute to the genius of soul in the Windy City – a wonderful compilation that really gets at the special sound Chicago brought into play during the early years of soul! The set is filled with key cuts from the Chi-town scene of the time – some of them lesser-known that the famous hits always associated with our hometown – and beautifully selected to really capture a moment when soul music was first starting to come together as a style! You can definitely hear roots from Chicago blues, gospel, and R&B in the cuts – but they're definitely all soul, all the way through – a killer batch of nuggets that manages to offer up fresh bits from some big names, and uncover some great cuts by some less familiar folks. The package features full track-by-track notes on the tunes by Bill Dahl – and titles include "Tragic" by The Sheppards, "At The Party "by Wade Flemons, "Hi Diddley Dee Dum Dum" By The Dells, "Tell Him" by The Drew-Vels, "I've Got A Girl" by Major Lance, "Senorita I Love You" by The Impressions, "Good Morning Little Schoolgirl" by Don & Bob, "My Heart Cries" by Etta & Harvey, "Isle Of Sirens" by Jerry Butler, "Enchanted Garden" by The Accents, "You've Got A Great Love" by The Chanteurs, "Father Knows Best" by The Radiants, "Let Em Try" by Rosco Gordon, "Behind The Curtains" by Jan Bradley, and "Puppy Love" by Barbara Lewis. CD

Music from Kati Elimnyama, Kid Malume, Philip Encobo, Amentkentshane, Umazambane, Zuleliphezulu, the Special Five, Abafana Besishingishane, the Editions, Super Tens, and Uthawolfu Amentkentshane. CD

Vintage work from the duo of Peter Brotzmann and Han Bennink – a classic 70s recording that has both players working on a surprising array of instruments! Brotzmann plays piano in addition to reeds (tenor, bass clarinet, alto, and e-flat clarinet) – and his work on the keys is a real surprise – nicely angular, with almost some Monkish tones that make for a really startling start to the set! Bennink handles his usual drums – with his usual completely inventive ear for improvisation – but also picks up some toys, a megaphone, trombone, soprano sax, c-melody sax, singing saw, a mouth organ, and even some piano as well. The sound quality is great, and this limited package was produced for a special Brotzmann/Bennink tour. CD

An extremely righteous bit of soul jazz – originally issued in a very small pressing by Folkway Records, at a time when the label was doing some great underground recordings! The sound is loose and free – spiritually building in a manner that recalls the work of Ahmed Abdul Malik, Phil Cohran, and some of the AACM – and the album has a style that's exploratory, but never goes too far out, or loses its sense of rhythm and swing. Tracks are longish, and the core group features soprano sax and Korean reeds by Bilal Abdurahman and vibes by Ameen Nuraldeen – plus guest work on bass by James Smith, and appearances by a lot of different world percussion players. There's a nice Eastern feel to some of the tracks, and titles include "Mevlana", "Ti Ti", "Sun Flower", and "Bent El Jerusalem". CD

An amazing document of one of the grooviest groups to emerge from the UK at the start of the 80s – not just their three full albums, but almost as much rare bonus material as well! The English Beat came a bit later than the initial wave of Two Tone ska revival groups – and they came with a difference, too – a bit more soul, and a slightly more contemporary approach to their music – one that pushed Jamaican roots into mod London modes – particularly the best sorts that were bubbling up in the post-punk generation! The group really helped revive some warmer sounds in British music – yet without just copying older modes from the other side of the Atlantic, too – and these three great albums definitely went onto set a fire in a host of other groups as well – the first wave of some surprisingly soulful moments from the UK in the 80s. The box set features the full albums I Just Can't Stop It, Wha'ppen, and Special Beat Service – all with bonus tracks not on the original albums. Then, the set also features more bonus material that includes 15 12" and dub versions of album tracks – and three Peel Session recordings from 1979, 1980, and 1982 – plus a live Boston recording from 1982! Comes in a great box, with a 24 page booklet of essays and rare photos! CD

A landmark record – both in 60s jazz and bossa nova – and a set that not only bridged worlds of music, but set the tone for so many other albums to come! By the time of this 1964 set, Stan Getz had already issued a few bossa nova experiments on Verve – but this pairing with guitarist Joao Gilberto really pushed the format over the top – thanks in part to the vocals of Gilberto's lovely wife Astrud, who'd never sung in the studio before this famous recording! The record created a sound that was copied endlessly, and which catapulted Astrud to unbelievable fame worldwide – even though she was only included in the session at the last minute, because Joao couldn't sing in English – and the mix of Stan's tenor and Joao's guitar is wonderful – and backed throughout by this light, lilting bossa nova rhythms. Titles include the classic recording of "Girl From Ipanema", plus loads of other bossa classics like "Desafinado", "Cocovado", "O Grande Amor", and "Vivo Sonhando". This amazing Japanese special edition comes with eight bonus tracks originally issued on Getz/Gilberto 2: "Samba De Mihna", "Bim Bom", "Rosa Morena", "Meditation" and others, recorded live at Carnegie Hall in 1964. CD

A heady live set from this legendary Krautrock group – one that even includes electronic effects next to the guitars, keyboards, and vocals! Tracks include "Solar Music I", "Food Sicore", "Solar Music II", "Muhlheim Special", "Otto Pankrock", "Golden Mist", and "Solar Music III" LP, Vinyl record album

Amazing pressing of this one – plays at 45 rpm, and comes in a very special package – plastic heavy sleeve, with a special insert for the record! A bit mellower than some of Jones' 70s recordings, but in a great way – one that lets sax players Frank Foster and Pat LaBarbera weave these laidback introspective solos that are the album's greatest asset. Roland Prince is in the group on guitar, and he comps nicely and gently behind the horns. Titles include "Shitsu-Mon" and "Like Someone In Love". LP, Vinyl record album

A special vinyl release of one of the most striking volumes of the legendary Ethiopiques series – a set that focuses on the mad saxophone work of Getachew Makurya! The recordings on this collection are all from 1972 – and they feature the deep-toned Mekurya blowing in a strange and otherworldly tone, usually over spare backings that include percussion, piano, and/or organ – making for a sound that's almost like some of Pat Patrick's work for Sun Ra, but with a decidedly more ethnic feel! The compositions are all very basic, and very rhythmic – and Makurya's sax work snakes over the top in a really magical way. Titles include "Akale Wube", "Tizita", "Shemonmwanaye", "Yene Hassab Gwadegna", "Ambassel", "Almaz Yeharerwa", and "Yegenet Muziqa". Note – all tracks are from the Volume 14 CD of Ethiopiques – but appear here on vinyl reissue for the first time! LP, Vinyl record album

Some of the earliest work ever from Jaco Pastorius – rare demo recordings, issued in this format for the first time ever – filled to the brim with the kind of groundbreaking basswork that Jaco helped pioneer! Many tracks are relatively spare, and really give you a great chance to hear the special skills that Pastorius brought to his instrument – that level of soloing that was even more deft than most work on horns, and which pushed the instrument into really amazing territory. Other instrumentation includes Fender Rhodes, drums, steel drums, and some percussion from Don Alias – and titles include "Balloon Song", "Pans #1", "Kuru", "Havona/Continuum", "Time Lapse", and "Opus Pocus". CD

A great showcase for the endless talents of the San Francisco Jazz Collective – as the set features some stunning original material, balanced with classics from Ornette Coleman, Thelonious Monk, and Stevie Wonder – all served up here in a beautiful extended performance! As always, the group are really brilliant with color – with this special quality that really sets them apart from so many other all-star groups, and which always seems to give their performances such a strongly unified vibe. Players include David Sanchez on tenor, Miguel Zenon on alto, Warren Wolf on vibes, Robin Eubanks on trombone, Sean Jones on trumpet, Edward Simon on piano, Matt Penman on bass, and Obed Calvaire on drums – and titles include the originals "Off Kilter", "Perseverance", "Tune For June", "Tidal Flow", "Venezuela Unida", and "Give The Drummer Some" – plus versions of "Creepin", "When Will The Blues Leave", "School Work", "Una Muy Bonita", "Reflections", "Criss Cross", and "Sir Duke". Includes a bonus DVD – four songs from a Music Of Miles Davis performance! CD

Some of the greatest albums that Hammond organist Jimmy Smith issued at the start of the 60s – all records that completely cemented the role of the organ in jazz – and took the instrument out of the realm of back rooms and jukeboxes! That's not to say that the music here wouldn't play great on a jukebox, as some of the cuts here were issued by Blue Note as 45rpm singles, and went on to get a fair bit of organ play – but they're also mixed with longer cuts that really have Smith opening up on the Hammond – showing the world why his skills on the keys were so different than most that came before him! All the records here feature tight small combo backing – not the larger arrangements that Jimmy would later use at the Verve label – and the set features all albums in original artwork, in LP-styled sleeves – and includes the records Home Cookin, Crazy Baby, Midnight Special, Back At The Chicken Shack, and Softly As In A Summer Breeze! CD

One of the most ambitious Cecil Taylor projects of the 80s – a special project performed by a large ensemble at a jazz festival in Poland – an incredible group who really expand the vision in Cecil's music! Make no mistake, Taylor is definitely the leader here – his piano and vocalizations really direct the entire set – but the music brims over with contributions from giants who include Tomasz Stanko and Enrico Rava on trumpets, Conrad Bauer on trombone, Jimmy Lyons on alto, Frank Wright and John Tchicai on tenors, Gunter Hampel on bass clarinet and vibes, and William Parker on bass. The performance features one long piece, but graced with all these really beautiful themes amidst the freer improvisations – coming across with a global vision in jazz that's maybe not unlike some of Charlie Haden's Liberation Music projects, but freer and bolder overall! CD

Killer cop/crime music from the Italian scene of the 70s – a famous genre soundtrack from composer Armando Trovajoli, who's usually known for his work in warmer, sexier styles! The grooves here are right up there with the best that Italy has to offer from the time – full, jazzy backings that often have a bit of keyboards or guitars amidst the larger horns – and rhythms that manage to sound tightly compressed, despite the larger arrangements – in ways that help keep things sounding nice and lean. Trovajoli adds in isolated instruments at the best moments – particularly some woodwind bits that snake along with warmly melodic touches, or keyboards used in spare and subtle ways – and each track seems to offer up a fresh approach to the sound, making for a well-balanced batch of tracks that's far from cliche! Titles include "The Puzzle Is Completed", "A Very Strange Party", "Theme For A Murderer", "Louise", "Tony's Magnum", "Who Killed Louise", and "Black Pearl Necklace". LP, Vinyl record album

Music by Lord Invader, Duke Of Iron, MacBeth the Great, Gerald Clark & Band – from a live concert series hosted by Alan Lomax. CD

A second volume from one of our favorite compilation series of 70s African music ever – Nigeria Special Volume 2 from the rare Afrobeat treasure diggers at Soundway Records! This deeper delve into the well of hard-to-find early to mid 70s material sticks is just as wonderful – chronicling rare singles, A-sides and B-sides, as well as lesser known album tracks that wonderful fuse styles of African funk, soul & jazz, highlife and more. Heavy rhythms and passionate sounds galore, from the first half dozen years of the decade in this second, and purportedly final installment of the flagship Nigerian Special series! It's very exciting that researcher and compiler Miles Cleret puts together compilations of such top caliber material, on a level that it's mindboggling that so much has languished largely unheard for so many years! 19 tracks : "Psychedelic Baby" by Fubura Sekibo, "Shango Oba Onina" by Black's Zenith, "Omohupa" by The Otarus, "The Lord's Prayer"m by The Don Isaac Ezekiel Combination, "Jeka Subu" by Bola Johnson & His Easy Life Top Beats", "Motako" by Fidel Sax Bateke & The Voices Of Darkness and more. CD

A whole host of groovy soul and jazz tracks – all served up in special Onur Engin edits! Features edits of "Spirit Of Love" by Eddie Palmieri, "Razzamatazz" by Quincy Jones, "Free" by Seawind, "Nightingale" by Dee Felice Trio, "Body Fusion" by Starvue, "Man With The Sad Face" by Stanley Turrentine, "Charley" by Don Costa, and "Night Images" by Gary McFarland. LP, Vinyl record album

A beautiful look at imagined communities in many forms – tracing a legacy through black intellectual life of the 19th century to creative production of the 20th and beyond – with a special focus on the creations of Sojourner Truth, Sun Ra, Octavia Butler, Alice Coltrane, Rebecca Cox Jackson, and Samuel R Delaney – mixing fiction, music, and other work to examine the role of utopia in black intellectual history. Jayna Brown's approach is part history and part literary criticism – but also fully absorbs its influences with an understanding that goes far past gloss and style, to really get at the importance of imagination within a larger political and social context. 212 pages, softcover, with some black and white images. Book

Two really unusual albums from British drummer/singer John Dummer – an artist who was part of the British blues scene in the 60s – but who's something very different altogether! First up is John Dummer's Famous Music Band – a set that features key contributions from Nick Pickett on vocals, guitar, harmonica, vibes, and a host of instrumentation – all used in ways that really move past traditional blues-based modes – certainly there at the core, as in the work of the rest of the group – but already moving past any sort of slavish attempt to both be American, and even blues at all. We'd be tempted to call the approach roots rock, but it's also a bit weirder and more offbeat than that – part of that special spirit that's always made Dummer so unique. Titles include "Lady Luck", "Love Ain't Nothing But Sorrow", "Run Around", "Searching For You", "Nine By Nine", "Coming Home", "Green Leaves", and "Fine Looking Woman". Blue is a set that has the band of British drummer John Dummer moving over to Vertigo records – a shift that helps them sound even tighter and cooler than before! Singer Nick Pickett gets equal billing on the cover – and it's Pickett's contributions that really shape the sound – really offbeat vocals, plus guitar, organ, and even a bit of violin – used in that blues inspiration that got Dummer started, but with a weirder, more unusual style overall – at that moment when London was past being slavish to Chicago or Memphis! Titles include "Medicine Weasel", "The End Game", "Me & The Lady", "Time Will Tell", and "If I Can't Keep From Laughing". CD

A stunning set of funky tracks from the Libyan scene – music that's not free in a "free jazz" sort of way, but which definitely shows a new sense of liberation in the way the group puts together their groove! The combo's headed by legendary arranger Najib Alhoush – and the style here is very much like American jazz funk from that 70s moment when things were tilting a bit more strongly towards the clubs – rhythms picked up, and often laced with lots of riffing guitar and wah wah work – but also touched with plenty of elements that mark the music as quite far from the American shores – not just in the lyrics, but also in the way that things are inflected with a special sort of cultural current. As always with Habibi Funk, the package is a revelation – a real discovery of music we never would have heard otherwise – with tracks that include "Al Qualb Mrayef", "Law Yom Saalak Had", "Anan Qualbi Ehtar", "Hawelt Nensa Ghalaak", "Mathasebnish", and "Arb Share'i". CD

A stunning set of funky tracks from the Libyan scene – music that's not free in a "free jazz" sort of way, but which definitely shows a new sense of liberation in the way the group puts together their groove! The combo's headed by legendary arranger Najib Alhoush – and the style here is very much like American jazz funk from that 70s moment when things were tilting a bit more strongly towards the clubs – rhythms picked up, and often laced with lots of riffing guitar and wah wah work – but also touched with plenty of elements that mark the music as quite far from the American shores – not just in the lyrics, but also in the way that things are inflected with a special sort of cultural current. As always with Habibi Funk, the package is a revelation – a real discovery of music we never would have heard otherwise – with tracks that include "Al Qualb Mrayef", "Law Yom Saalak Had", "Anan Qualbi Ehtar", "Hawelt Nensa Ghalaak", "Mathasebnish", and "Arb Share'i". LP, Vinyl record album

A massive package of work from the mighty Kool & The Gang – 6 full albums from the 80s, served up here in a 3CD set! First up is Ladies Night – a shameless dancefloor cash-in move – but a record that's still pretty darn great as well! You all know the big title cut "Ladies Night", so we won't bother to describe it – but we can say that the group wisely hooked up with Deodato, who produced, mixed, and even played keyboards on the album. Deodato keeps a nice jazzy punch in the tracks, while still moving towards the slickly produced funk sound that was the group's main approach at the time of the record. JT Taylor's on vocals, and the album's even got a few mellow cuts – like the crossover easy number "Too Hot" – amidst the midtempo 80s grooves that really step out and make the whole thing move. Other tracks include "Ladies Night", "Hangin Out", "Tonight's The Night", "If You Feel Like Dancin", and "Got You Into My Life". The next album is Something Special indeed – as the album was one of the biggest hits for Kool & The Gang, and showed that the group still had plenty of energy left to groove into the 80s! The record features production work by Brazilian music maestro Eumir Deodato – who by this point had become a sweet and smooth talent with a real flair for putting over a modern soul groove! Deodato's approach is really great – smooth, yet soulful, without any tricks or gimmicks – and a real appreciation for lead vocals and a catchy little hook! The album features the group's party classic "Get Down On It", plus "Steppin Out", "No Show", "Pass It On", "Be My Lady", "Take My Heart", and "Good Time Tonight". As One is solid 80s grooving from Kool & The Gang – a group who inspired so many others in the early 80s soul generation, but who could still do it better than most of the rest! The style here is tight and smooth, but never too slick – and Deodato's giving the group some really great production for the album – helping them to focus their energy and soar soulfully, but without resorting to any stiff gimmicks or cliches! There's a great groove running through most of the numbers here – a confident quality that's never too commercial, and which bubbles along nicely throughout. Titles include "Street Kids", "Big Fun", "As One", "Hi De Hi Hi De Ho", "Let's Go Dancin", and "Pretty Baby". In The Heart is a sweet set that's part of a big early 80s run from Kool & The Gang – a time that saw the funk legends really hitting the mainstream, and winning over a huge new audience in the process! Given that the Gang virtually invented ensemble funk at the start of the 70s, they're perfectly poised here to move into modes that so many of their younger competition were trying – but never did so well – that blend of 80s elements and more sharply-fused funk instrumentation, all honed down into a tightly snapping groove. The real surprise, though, is the group's growing ability for ballads – which put records like this into hands of folks who never would have dug their funk a few years before. And while we might have had a few problems with that shift at the time, the passage of years has got the whole thing sounding pretty darn great to our ears – especially in comparison to so much weaker work from the time. Titles include "In The Heart", "Joanna", "Tonight", "Straight Ahead", "September Love", "You Can Do It", and "Home Is Where The Heart Is". Last up is Emergency – one of the key classics from the second chapter of the group – when their lineup and sound were a lot leaner than before, and they managed to cross over big to a much wider audience than before! The upbeat cuts show that the group were still kings of the funky dancefloor – and the mellower ones are equally great too – showing a rising ballad style that proved to be the group's big crossover card at the time – a way of putting over a laidback track, but with plenty of soul. This approach is heard to great effect on the album's great single "Cherish" – and other tracks include "Bad Woman", "Surrender", "Emergency", "Misled", "Fresh", and "You Are The One". CD

... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

An album that really lives up to its name – as the music here definitely has a sense of shape in space – really careful construction of tracks with keyboards and electronics, in ways make for a very unique project overall! The album's got a headier vibe than you'd expect from work on a sound library label – maybe much more at home on Brian Eno's Obscure label, and even a match for some of the best of his early Ambient projects too – as Reinhard Vandbergen has a wonderful sense of sound, tone, and space – really letting these electronic elements flow out in a gentle way as they find shapes of their own. Titles include "Pentagon", "Hexagon", "Rhombus", "Star", "Trapezium", "Triangle", "Circle", and "Parallelogram". LP, Vinyl record album

Music from Roy Orbison, Buddy Holly, Freddie Bell & The Bell Boys, Big Dee Irwin With Little Eva, Bobby Darin, The Crickets, Jim Reeves, Mitchell Torok, Eddie Cochran, Brenda Lee, and more. CD

A really cool hybrid of styles – reggae, but recorded in Libya – which makes for all sorts of twists and turns in the music that are nicely different from mainstream modes! The rhythms still have echoes of Kingston, but the vocals have a special sort of phrasing, and the keyboards often use these cool tones and chords that you'd never hear in Jamaica – and at times, there's more elements in the tunes that shift towards other Mid East styles as well. The whole thing's a really unusual batch of tracks – exactly the kind of music we love from the Habibi Funk label, served up on titles that include "Subhana", "Ya Ghalian", "Damek Majeb", "Ya Ghayeb", "Aziz W Adda", "Ana Middaee", and "La Ta'tather". CD

A landmark debut from the mighty Erykah Badu – a record that really set the world on fire when it first appeared – and which continues to blow our minds all these many years later! There's a simple, straightforward grace to the album that comes through immediately – as Erykah tries to forge new ground for soul music, but does it by taking a few steps backwards – not into retro modes, but more in a way that focuses on the core vocal, songcraft, and right instrumentation that can make a special soul record such a standout. She does a great job of both avoiding easy commercial paths, or some of the temptations to embrace other then-contemporary genres – which has made the work of some of her colleagues seem a bit dated. The record defines a whole new style of expression – "Baduizm", if you will – one in which Erykah sings with a depth that stretches back through a century's worth of jazz, soul, and gospel influences – but works a groove in a stripped-down and forward-thinking mode that sets the pace for countless Neo Soul singers to come! Titles include "Certainly (Flipped It)", "Next Lifetime (radio)", "On & On", "Appletree", "No Love", "4 Leaf Clover", and "Sometimes (mix #9)". CD

An album that definitely lives up to its title – as it's one of those nicely stripped-down sessions that Chet Baker recorded overseas in the last years of his life – done in close collaboration with the great Nicola Stilo, a musician who really helps bring something special out in Baker's music! Nicola plays guitar, flute, and piano – shifting between each to fit the mood of the long, blue performances by Chet – and the pair also get help from bassist Rocky Knauer, who comes in gently to just move things along with a light touch. Tracks are nice and long, and titles include "Arborway", "Margarine", "Zingaro", "You Can't Go Home Again", "DS Dilemma", and "But Not For Me". CD

A weird little record from John Barry – the soundtrack to a 1963 television special recorded by Elizabeth Taylor at the height of her early popularity, and featuring Taylor reciting a variety of poems and speeches over music by Barry! There's a relatively high concept feel to the album – as Barry's backings are fairly string-laden and serious, penned to match the mood of Taylor's presentation of material written by William Wordsworth, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, William Pitt, Winston Churchill, and Queen Victoria. And although Taylor speaks on about half the record, the best tracks here are actually the instrumental ones – which have more of the depth of Barry's serious soundtrack work from the time, and manage to have their own sense of presence apart from the star quality of Liz on the set. Arrangements are by Johnnie Spence, and titles include "Elizabeth", "London Theme Jazz Waltz", "Queen Elizabeth At Tilbury", "Queen Victoria", "English Garden", "The Fire Of London", "Lovers & Browning", and "London At Dawn". CD

A weird little record from John Barry – the soundtrack to a 1963 television special recorded by Elizabeth Taylor at the height of her early popularity, and featuring Taylor reciting a variety of poems and speeches over music by Barry! There's a relatively high concept feel to the album – as Barry's backings are fairly string-laden and serious, penned to match the mood of Taylor's presentation of material written by William Wordsworth, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, William Pitt, Winston Churchill, and Queen Victoria. And although Taylor speaks on about half the record, the best tracks here are actually the instrumental ones – which have more of the depth of Barry's serious soundtrack work from the time, and manage to have their own sense of presence apart from the star quality of Liz on the set. Arrangements are by Johnnie Spence, and titles include "Elizabeth", "London Theme Jazz Waltz", "Queen Elizabeth At Tilbury", "Queen Victoria", "English Garden", "The Fire Of London", "Lovers & Browning", and "London At Dawn". LP, Vinyl record album

A jazzy group, but one that's not straight jazz either – as they work with a strongly rhythmic vibe that's somewhere between classic fusion and some of the contemporary sounds we love on Schema Records – maybe no surprise as this combo also hails from the Italian scene as well! There's a great mix of keyboards in the music – Korg Sigma, Fender Rhodes, Yamaha CP70, and Farfisa Synthorchestra – the latter of which sounds especially great, and gives the music some great spacey touches around the edges. Rhythms are all live, and have some great currents from classic boogie and late 70s club – but the vocals on most tracks bring in a special sort of vibe, in part because the singers shift, and the lyrics are in Italian. Titles include "Malavita", "Fuga Finale", "Citta Futura", "Napoli Visionaria", and "Oro Di Miele". LP, Vinyl record album

William Bell was one of the singers who first helped the Stax label get going at the start of the 60s – but during the second chapter of Stax, when they broke from Atlantic, his contributions were maybe even more amazing – as his voice had matured wonderfully, and he was able to handle a range of sensitive themes that went even farther than before! The music here is southern soul at its most mature and sophisticated – heartbreaking vocals, but moving past some of the more oft-tread territory of the 60s – as Bell rose in pride and power during the new generation of Stax, with results that are completely sublime throughout! This side of his work isn't nearly as well-known as the first, but is even better to our ears – presented in a string of singles, both a and b-sides, with detailed notes on this really special period in his career. Titles include "I Forgot To Be Your Lover", "Happy", "Born Under A Bad Sign", "A Smile Can't Hide A Broken Heart", "Lonely Soldier", "Let Me Ride", "Save Us", "All For The Love Of A Woman", "The Man In The Street", "Penny For Your Thoughts", "Get It While It's Hot", "Nobody Walks Away From Love Unhurt", "Getting What You Want", "You've Got The Kind Of Love I Need", "If You Really Love Him", "Lovin On Borrowed Time", "Bring The Curtain Down", and "My Whole World Is Falling Down". CD

Four fantastic albums from Bobby Bland – all brought together in a single package for the first time! First up is Come Fly With Me – great work from Bobby Blue Bland – one of the few artists to rise up at the end of the 50s, and still find a way to chart their own path forward in soul with fresh material like this! Bobby's voice is still incredible here, and he works with production from Al Bell and Monk Higgins, the latter of whom arranged – in this cool style that's a bit like some of the territory that Tyrone Davis was taking on at Columbia Records during the second half of the 70s – fuller arrangements that bring some sophisticated soul touches to the music, but in ways that never lose the core of Bobby's genius! Titles include "Lady Lonely", "Night Games", "You Can Count On Me", "Love To See You Smile", "Come Fly With Me", and "To Be Friends". The next album is I Feel Good I Feel Fine – and Bobby Bland sounds pretty good too – thanks to arrangements from the great Monk Higgins, who does a perfect job of mixing Bland's trademark vocals with some sweet late 70s arrangements! The sound is upbeat, but never in a cliched disco mode – more in the territory that you'd hear Johnnie Taylor using over at Columbia Records – maybe a good comparison, given the Memphis roots that both artists shared – as both also evolved a lot to shift their sound with the changing modes of the time. And as with Johnnie, Bobby never loses the core that makes him great – as you'll hear on titles that include "Tit For Tat", "Soon As The Weather Breaks", "In His Eyes", "Someone To Belong To", "I Feel Good I Feel Fine", and "Little Mama". Sweet Vibrations is a real gem from the start of the 80s – arranged by Monk Higgins, who co-produced the set with Al Bell – a duo who'd already given Bobby some great records before, but who really knock it out of the park with this one. There's an extra-special quality going on here – maybe a slight reintroduction of blues roots, but still with a very contemporary spirit – set up to superb backings throughout. Titles include "Soul With A Flavor", "Hollywood Woman", "You'd Be A Millionaire", "Sweet Vibrator", "Special Kind Of Fool", and "A Real Woman Is What It Takes". Try Me I'm Real is record with a title that certainly fits the bill – as the amazing voice of Bobby Bland is as real here as it ever was, and blended with superbly soulful backings that take the singer's sound forward for a whole new generation! Some of Bobby's contemporaries were content to just stick in a straight blues mode – but Bland really grew and developed a lot as an artist, thanks in part to Monk Higgins and Al Bell – who are both at the production helm of the record, and balance the bluesy roots of Bobby with some richer soul backings that really knock the whole thing out of the park! We love Bobby Blue Bland during his early Duke Records years – but we love him equally as much for music like this, on titles that include "But I Do", "What A Difference A Day Makes", "Givin Up The Streets For Love", "A Song For You My Son", "Just You Just Me", and "Love Is Where It's At". CD

Killer work from this funky Finnish combo – a group who celebrate a strong decade in music with this really wonderful set! The Blassics bring in all the right sort of influences from African funk of years back, especially Ethiopian music – and they spin out tracks that are often nice and long, and which feature some tremendous jazzy solos from the horn section – players stepping out from the ensemble for individual expressions, and not just vamping with the rhythms! The rest of the instrumentation is great too – well-crafted, and shaded with all sorts of tones that really deepen the music in personal ways, and don't just echo styles of the past. Titles include "Afrohustler", "Special Occasion", "Ruff Strut", "West Side Glory", "Swazi Funk", "Yeketema Set", and "Hagerun Geleba". CD

Beautiful sounds from pianist Carla Bley – a musician who just keeps on blowing us away as the decades move on – and that's saying a hell of a lot, given how many years she's been making music! There's a really special quality to this record – a warmth and maybe just a slight touch of humor, but not in the overdone way of some of Carla's records from the 80s – much more subtle, and mixed with occasional currents of darkness – all handled with this understated sense of personality that perfectly showcases all three members of the group – Bley on piano, Steve Swallow on bass, and Andy Sheppard on tenor and soprano saxes. Swallow maybe sounds more wonderful here than we've heard in years – the record is a great reminder of how many great contributions he can make to music – and titles include the longer cycles of songs "Life Goes On", "Copycat", and "Beautiful Telephones (parts 1 to 3)". CD

Four lost albums from David Blue – a really compelling singer/songwriter, ripe for rediscovery! First up is These 23 Days In September, recorded for Reprise – a really moody little record from David Blue – a folksy singer who's got a style that definitely lives up to the melancholy promise of his name! Blue's definitely an artist with a difference – working in the familiar mode of vocals and acoustic guitar, but with an edge and distinctness that really sets him apart from the folkies of a few year before – that sense of different that really set apart a new wave of contemporaries, like Leonard Cohen, Fred Neill, or Tom Rapp. Titles include "These 23 Days In September", "The Sailor's Lament", "Scales For A Window Thief", "You Will Come Back Again", "Slow & Easy", and "The Grand Hotel". Stories is an overlooked early set on Asylum – the kind of really special singer/songwriter material that really set the label apart at the start of the 70s! David Blue has this compelling vocal style that's moody, but down to earth – inflected here and there with guitar contributions from Ry Cooder, who's understated, but really brings out some special qualities in the tunes. Jack Nitzsche adds in some light strings at points – but overall, things are pretty spare and personal – and titles include "Looking For A Friend", "Another One Like Me", "Sister Rose", "The Blues", "Come On John", "Marianne", and "Fire In The Morning". Nice Baby & The Angel shows David Blue really starting to get some star power in his mix – a fuller set, produced by Graham Nash – with work from Nash on guitar, plus more guitar from Dave Mason and David Lindley – in a nice mix of roots elements, but which never overwhelm that unique sense of songwriting and vocals that set David Blue apart from the rest. Titles include "Darlin Jenny", "Troubadour Song", "Train To Anaheim", "True To You", "On Sunday Any Sunday", and "Outlaw Man". On the cover of Cupid's Arrow, David Blue might look a bit cheesy, what with his open shirt and all – but he's definitely the real deal, and very down to earth in his singer/songwriter approach – with a quality that's only underscored by the lineup on the set – a group that features Levon Helm on drums, Jesse Ed Davis on guitar, David Lindley on mandolin and slide, and Barry Goldberg on piano and organ, and also handling production of the album too. The shift from David's roots is a bit like that taken by other contemporaries who once started in more folksy territory, then found a new way to grow in the west coast singer/songwriter scene – and that means that things are more electrified, but still quite far from mainstream music – with original tunes from Blue throughout, and titles that include "I Feel Bad", "Maria Maria", "Primeval Tune", She's Got You", "Tom's Song", and "Run Run Run". CD

An all-star group take on the music of Duke Pearson – paying wonderful tribute to the kind of special, soulful grooves that Duke cooked up during his too-short career on Blue Note Records in the 60s! The lineup here is top-shelf, and very much in keeping with the sort of strong combos that Pearson would put together – both for records under his own name, and as a producer for Blue Note – and the lineup here features Diego Rivera on tenor and soprano sax, Art Hirahara on piano, Boris Kozlov on bass, and Vinnie Sperrazza on drums – a no-nonsense group who really focus in on the best elements of the songs, then let loose with great solo work. Jon Davis replaces Hirahara on three tracks on the set on piano – and titles include the great tune "Is That So", plus "You Know I Care", "Sweet Honey Bee", "ESP", "Chili Peppers", "Ready Rudy", and "Idle Moments". CD

You gotta love Ken Boothe – a guy who can take familiar pop tunes like "Impossible Dream" and "Theme From The Godfather", and turn them into surprisingly soulful reggae classics! Yet that kind of magic is exactly what makes a great reggae album so great – the kind of special inflection and inversion of source material, especially when mixed with original inspiration – and served up in a classic Kingston setting that features the great Lloyd Charmers on piano and organ, as well as production of the entire set! But it's the soulful style of Boothe that really makes the whole thing great – as he presents the tunes with one of the most unique voices in 70s Jamaican music – almost a Caribbean trill at points, but mixed with raspier soul at other times. Titles include "Speak Softly Love", "Everything I Own", "Evil Girl", "Crying Over You", "Sad & Lonely", "Impossible Dream", "You Will Reach Your Goal", "Time Passage", and "My Kid". LP, Vinyl record album

The rare first album by The Brief Encounter – a mid 70s funk group from North Carolina, but one who doesn't feel like a southern soul combo at all – as they work here with a sweet, strong, and jazzy flavor that makes them feel like the best of the California scene in the 70s! The group shift effortlessly between tight ensemble funk – including a few tasty instrumentals – and sweeter soul material that feature group vocals, with a strong falsetto lead stepping out front, in a way that really helps the music soar. The material was recorded in Muscle Shoals, but sounds so different than most of the other work from that studio at the time – on titles that include "Just One Moment", "Visions", "Smile", "Loving & Caring", "In A Special Kind Of Way", "Good Thing Bad Thing", "We're Gonna Have A Good Time", "Time Is Moving", "Smile", and "Get A Good Feeling". LP, Vinyl record album

The rare first album by The Brief Encounter – a mid 70s funk group from North Carolina, but one who doesn't feel like a southern soul combo at all – as they work here with a sweet, strong, and jazzy flavor that makes them feel like the best of the California scene in the 70s! The group shift effortlessly between tight ensemble funk – including a few tasty instrumentals – and sweeter soul material that feature group vocals, with a strong falsetto lead stepping out front, in a way that really helps the music soar. The material was recorded in Muscle Shoals, but sounds so different than most of the other work from that studio at the time – on titles that include "Just One Moment", "Visions", "Smile", "Loving & Caring", "In A Special Kind Of Way", "Good Thing Bad Thing", "We're Gonna Have A Good Time", "Time Is Moving", "Smile", and "Get A Good Feeling". LP, Vinyl record album

A sublime blend of jazz and organic sounds from multi-instrumentalist Bex Burch – a record that sounds as if it might have come from the studio of Carlos Nino, but which almost has a more personal, poetic sort of quality! There are some sounds of nature here – including bird calls from a sanctuary in Illinois – and even the more familiar instruments, like piano, drums, reeds, violin, or bass are often mixed with some "room" elements that really locate the recording in a special place – in ways that also seem to have some of that post-studio touches around the edges that we love from the International Anthem label. Burch clearly delivers most of the sound herself, almost doing an "in residence" to create the music – but she gets help along the way from guests who include Ben LaMar Gay, Dan Bitney, Rob Frye, Anna Butterss, and Macie Stewart – on titles that include "When Love Begins", "Don't Go Back To Sleep", "Dawn Blessings", "Follow Me I Make You Happy", "Start Before You're Ready", "Pardieu", and "If I Was You I'd Be Doing Exactly The Same". CD

A sublime blend of jazz and organic sounds from multi-instrumentalist Bex Burch – a record that sounds as if it might have come from the studio of Carlos Nino, but which almost has a more personal, poetic sort of quality! There are some sounds of nature here – including bird calls from a sanctuary in Illinois – and even the more familiar instruments, like piano, drums, reeds, violin, or bass are often mixed with some "room" elements that really locate the recording in a special place – in ways that also seem to have some of that post-studio touches around the edges that we love from the International Anthem label. Burch clearly delivers most of the sound herself, almost doing an "in residence" to create the music – but she gets help along the way from guests who include Ben LaMar Gay, Dan Bitney, Rob Frye, Anna Butterss, and Macie Stewart – on titles that include "When Love Begins", "Don't Go Back To Sleep", "Dawn Blessings", "Follow Me I Make You Happy", "Start Before You're Ready", "Pardieu", and "If I Was You I'd Be Doing Exactly The Same". LP, Vinyl record album

A sublime blend of jazz and organic sounds from multi-instrumentalist Bex Burch – a record that sounds as if it might have come from the studio of Carlos Nino, but which almost has a more personal, poetic sort of quality! There are some sounds of nature here – including bird calls from a sanctuary in Illinois – and even the more familiar instruments, like piano, drums, reeds, violin, or bass are often mixed with some "room" elements that really locate the recording in a special place – in ways that also seem to have some of that post-studio touches around the edges that we love from the International Anthem label. Burch clearly delivers most of the sound herself, almost doing an "in residence" to create the music – but she gets help along the way from guests who include Ben LaMar Gay, Dan Bitney, Rob Frye, Anna Butterss, and Macie Stewart – on titles that include "When Love Begins", "Don't Go Back To Sleep", "Dawn Blessings", "Follow Me I Make You Happy", "Start Before You're Ready", "Pardieu", and "If I Was You I'd Be Doing Exactly The Same". LP, Vinyl record album

One of a number of similarly titled compilations of tracks that features some of Jerry's finest (and famous) moments for the Vee Jay label. There's more than a few numbers here that have become pretty hard to find on vinyl, and the package doesn't appear to be all that special, the music is outstanding throughout. 12 tracks in all, including "He Will Break You Heart", "For your Precious Love", "Come Back My Love", "A Lonely Soldier", "Find Another Girl", "The Gift Of Love", "Where Do I Turn" and "Couldn't go To Sleep". LP, Vinyl record album

One of those landmark meetings of mighty talents that sounds even better on record than it does on paper – as the set somehow finds this really special space that's completely between all the best early 70s modes of both Terry Riley and John Cale! Cale was really coming into his own at the time as a solo act – creating amazing records after leaving the Velvet Underground, but also still tied to the deeper art scene from which he emerged. Riley was on the way to becoming one of the most popular of the more modern composers – thanks to a nod from The Who, and a big audience for his wonderfully trippy records on Columbia. The label allowed the pair to create this really special music here – sounds that borrow from Riley's minimalism, while also having some of the darkness of Cale's own compositions – and coming across with this jagged, almost modal sort of approach that's really great. Cale only sings on one song, and the rest of the set is instrumental – as Riley plays piano, organ, and soprano sax – and Cale joins in on bass, guitar, viola, and harpsichord. The two of them groove together in these totally cool tracks that build and build, with minimal lines repeating over and over in endlessly fascinating groove – in a way that touches on a weirdly funky mode! The cut "Ides Of March" has the potential to be dancefloor groover in the jazz dance scene, and there's lots of other great tracks like "Church of Anthrax", "The Protege", and "The Hall of Mirrors at the Palace of Versailles". CD

A landmark set of grooves by this excellent Detroit group – a trio who recorded for the local indie Karen, but got a much bigger boost towards fame when their record was picked up by Atlantic! The set's one of the killer 60s Motor Town sets produced by Ollie McLaughlin – and like the rest, it's got a really special edge – music that goes way past any simple 60s soul cliches, and which will make the set one of the real standouts in your collection. Arrangements are by Dale Warren, Riley Hampton, and Mike Terry – and titles include The Capitols' big hit "Cool Jerk", and also includes loads of other great tracks written by Donald Storball of the group – like "Dog & Cat", "Zig Zaggin", "The Kick", and others – plus versions of "Hello Stranger", "Love Makes The World Go Round", and "Good Lovin". LP, Vinyl record album

A landmark set of grooves by this excellent Detroit group – a trio who recorded for the local indie Karen, but got a much bigger boost towards fame when their record was picked up by Atlantic! The set's one of the killer 60s Motor Town sets produced by Ollie McLaughlin – and like the rest, it's got a really special edge – music that goes way past any simple 60s soul cliches, and which will make the set one of the real standouts in your collection. Arrangements are by Dale Warren, Riley Hampton, and Mike Terry – and titles include The Capitols' big hit "Cool Jerk", and also includes loads of other great tracks written by Donald Storball of the group – like "Dog & Cat", "Zig Zaggin", "The Kick", and others – plus versions of "Hello Stranger", "Love Makes The World Go Round", and "Good Lovin". LP, Vinyl record album

A hell of a set from the comeback years of tenorist Fred Anderson on record – a date that has Fred on tenor with familiar drummer Hamid Drake – joining pianist Marilyn Crispell during a special live performance on a visit to Chicago! The set's very much in the Crispell mode – produced and presented in a manner that's more like some of her records than Fred's – and the freewheeling piano work of the legend really seems to push Anderson on to even bolder moments than some of his other records from the time, but always balanced with the kind of sensitivity that makes him so great, easily echoed by Drake's work on percussion – and balanced out with that sense of space that has always kept us interested in Crispell's music over the decades. The album features six numbered pieces, each titled "Destiny". CD

Ted Daniel may be one of the most compelling sound-shapers we've ever heard on the trumpet – a very under-acknowledged musician whose playing of the 70s and 80s continues to really grab us over the years! This unissued live set is from 1981, and it features Ted on a variety of horns – blowing in a special way that both links to more conventional trumpet modes, yet also shows a knowledge of the more open phrasing that some of his generation were using – like Lester Bowie or Leo Smith. Yet unlike some of those artists, Ted's performance, although free, is never that far from the more familiar roots of trumpet expression – a fantastic balance that really comes through beautifully in the music. There's a few unusual approaches here – one track features a trumpet played into a grand piano, another a flugelhorn through a phase shifter – but even these never go too far out. Titles include "Sunny Side Up", "Closer & Closer", "Vicissitudes Of A Lover", "Al Fine", "Ciao Bene", and "Deac's Ceremonial Testimonial". CD

One of the best-ever albums from Italian drummer Tullio De Piscopo – a very spiritual set that draws a heck of a lot from work on the session by tenorist Larry Nocella – who's tremendous throughout, and may well deliver one of his best performances on record! Tullio is nice and loose, and very open – different than on some other records, and really moving in sympathy with the bass of Lucio Terzano and piano of Luigi Benefede, in lines that are warm, lyrical, and often modal – a quality that's augmented by the guitar work of Giorgio Cocilovo, and which really seems to have Nocella finding a whole new range in his music! Luis Agudo is a special guest on the set, adding lots of additional percussion to the proceedings – and titles include "Barbara", "La Mia Natura", "Scetete/Garrison My Dear", "Say It", and "For Larry". CD

Legendary drummer Tullio De Piscopo is all by himself on the cover, and that's how he sounds on the record – just playing solo, but with amazing grooves that hardly make you miss the other instruments at all! Tullio's got a long legacy in both jazz and club music – yet this set may be one of his most unique, and one of the purest demonstrations of his talents as a musician – as he manages to serve up these solo tracks that are all rhythmic and very groovy, with a melodic command of the drum kit that fills in all the other elements you might miss – on tracks that move between classic hip hop break cuts, to Brazilian-inflected groovers, to some other rhythmic masterpieces that were certainly years ahead of their time back in 1974! Titles include "Afro Cubano", "Samba Carnival", "Rocking Special", "Afro Jazz", "7/4 Rock", "Fast Afro Samba", "Drum Fantasy", "Onda Nueva 3/4", "Moderato Swing", and "Dodiciottavi". LP, Vinyl record album

Really important early live work from The Doors – a performance at the legendary Matrix club in San Francisco – and one of the first concert recordings ever done of the group! The set wasn't originally part of their legacy with Elektra Records, but has become rehoused as a key part of their catalog at the label – a really burning performance that effortlessly mixes blues inspirations, psych inclinations, and that very special quality that the band was forging right from the start! As with other unearthed Matrix recordings – which seem to show up more and more as the years go on – the whole thing is a key window into not just a moment in the group, but a moment in the scene as well – even though, reportedly, the concerts were very under-attended at the time. This triple-length package brings together the entire five nights of recording, with lots of unissued material – including surprising versions of jazz tunes "Bag's Groove" and "All Blues" – plus never-heard versions of "Summer's Almost Gone", "When The Music's Over", "My Eyes Have Seen You", "Alabama Song", "Break On Through", and "Moonlight Drive". CD

Maybe the most beautiful record we've ever heard from bassist Dezron Douglas – an artist who hasn't given us many albums as a leader, but who always creates something special when he does! This set not only follows that legacy, but really knocks it out of the park – as there's a rich, soulful approach to the whole thing that represents a quality that we've always heard lurking in Dezron's music, but which never came through this strongly! The group is really well-matched with warm piano and Fender Rhodes from George Burton (another player we like a lot) – and these angular reed lines from Emilio Modeste, a player who can have a soulful swing at one minute, and a much freer sound the next – especially when driven on by dynamic drum work from Joe Dyson Jr – as the group effortlessly moves between spiritual/modal sounds, and more outside moments. Melvis Santa sings on one cut, "Wheeping Birch" – and other titles include "Luna Moth", "Atalaya", "Rose", "J Bird", "Octopus", "Foligno", "More Coffee Please", and "Jones Beach". LP, Vinyl record album

Way more than just another box set by a well-established act – as this collection moves way past their hits, and pulls together a huge amount of unreleased material that really testifies to the long-running genius of one of the most unique British groups to emerge in the late 60s! The set does feature key album highlights, but also includes 55 previously-unissued tracks, and lots of rare material too – as well as a fair bit of live recordings that really show the role that improvisation played in the group's performance – that odd current of jazz that could sometimes show up and color the way that the group presented its influences from more ancient forms of music. The group also shifted members with ease, and really moved their sound around over the years – in a way that many fans would say was only a continued refinement of their aims. The huge set documents this change, and also includes the unreleased Manor album – and comes in a special box with 48-page book, and a total of 121 tracks on 7 CDs, nearly half of which (55 tracks) are previously unreleased. CD

A sweetly soulful set from Robert Ffrench – a completely self-produced set, which seems to give the whole thing a very down to earth vibe – especially given its release in the middle of the digital dancehall generation! There's certainly elements in the music that link it to that moment – especially the electric rhythms and keyboards – but there's a very personal approach to the record that recalls some of the more intimate modes of the lovers generation, and some of the more earnest, soulful expressions of the decade before! The whole thing's great – a rare gem that really deserves the attention its warranted in critical circles over the years – with titles that include "You Are So Special", "Heartbreaker", "I Can't Finance You", "Sweet Sixteen", "Give Me Your Love", and "I Am Wondering". LP, Vinyl record album

The coolest record so far from this totally great combo – a live recording done on the home turf of the Greg Foat Group – the Playboy Club in London! The retro venue really fits the slinky, sexy vibe of the group's music – and although we already loved these guys before, this album has a really special sort of feel – with loads of wonderful keyboard lines from Greg on Hohner Electra piano, Elka Rhapsody, Hammond L 100, and Mutron Phaser – almost always distorted with a nice degree of fuzz, but still a straight ahead approach, and some great undercurrents of fuzz too! The group also features tenor and trumpet – which sometimes sound distorted, ala Varitone modes – and the overall sound feels like some lost jazzy club combo from the late 60s, really tripping out in a very comfortable space. We'd easily stack this one next to our favorite funky Fender Rhodes records from back in the day – and titles include "By The Grace Of God I Am", "Ingen Reklam", "Funky Fanfare", "Madrid", and "Mr Minor". CD features two bonus tracks – "Finky Minky" and "Papa's Got A Brand New Pigbag". CD

A brilliant record from tenorist Ken Fowser – a player who seems to grab our attention more and more with each new record – both as a soloist and as a rock-solid leader who always brings something special to a session! Ken dedicates this record to the inspiration of pianist Harold Mabern – and you can really feel a lot of Mabern's warmth and soul flowing through the record – as the tunes bristle with the kind of soulful imagination that we always loved in Mabern's music from years back – even though they're all originals by Ken, with piano handled beautifully by Tadatka Unno! This might be the first time we've ever heard Unno on record, but we're already in love – and the rest of the group features Josh Bruneau on trumpet and flugelhorn, Vince Dupont on bass, and Joe Strasser on drums. Titles include "This That & The Other Thing", "Moving Forward", "Three For Leathers", "Morning Light", "Firefly", "The Instigator", and "Without Saying". CD

Gorgeous sounds from Xenia Franca – a Brazilian soul singer with a sound and style that should make her huge, if the world has any justice – but who's also more than great enough as the kind of special discovery that keeps us searching for unusual music from around the globe! Xenia's got a voice that's incredible – every bit as rich and powerful as any American female soul singer in recent years, but set to arrangements and instrumentation that are more inventive than anything in the mainstream – and which seem to get a special sort of crispy crackle from the Portuguese in the lyrics. We loved her first album, but this one is even more amazing – with titles that include "Magica", "From The Heights", "Ancestral Infinito", "Futurivel", "Interstelar", and "Animus X Anima", which features a guest appearance from Arthur Verocai! CD

A legendary album – one that has Aretha Franklin returning to her roots in gospel music – but working with all the strength and power that Atlantic Records had to offer! From early years recording as a young voice alongside her father's congregation, Aretha has matured into a hell of a lead singer – and really knocks it out of the park here alongside the mighty James Cleveland, and the Southern California Community Choir! While it might have been nice to record the set back home in Detroit, the California setting for the material works perfectly to elevate Franklin to a special place in the heavens – tying together her heritage in beautiful ways, and making for another great stride forward in her career during the 70s. One of the best ideas ever for a soul music concept album – with titles that include "Mary Don't You Weep", "How I Got Over", "Precious Memories", "Wholy Holy", "Never Grow Old", "Amazing Grace", and Climbing Higher Mountains". This package really expands past the original album – and adds in all these other tracks recorded during the proceedings, which were done over the course of two different nights in November of 1972 – with a mighty set of long tracks that quadrupalizes the original double album! CD

Right from the very first note, you'll know you're in for something special here – the unusual phrasing and open-hearted qualities that made Von Freeman one of the true Chicago legends on the tenor saxophone – even though he never got the global fame of contemporaries like Clifford Jordan or Johnny Griffin! Yet we can easily mention Von in the company of both of those giants – and as you'll hear here, Freeman's got a depth of expression that also rivals Gene Ammons and Dexter Gordon, especially on the open-ended, stretched out ballads that make up most of the material here. The group is very easygoing – perfect for the spirit of the music – John Young on piano, David Shipp on bass, and Wilbur Campbell on drums – on titles that include "Serenade In Blue", "Time After Time", "After Dark", and "Von Freeman's Blues". CD features the bonus track "I'll Close My Eyes". CD