A great little record – of the type you could hardly make this well today! The Tea Company are an obscure psychedelic act, clearly concerned with all things "tea" (wink wink!) – and working in a free and open style that's a bit trippier than that of the usual psyche-pop styled group. Songs are longish at times, and there's lots of really cool production touches that make the weird lyrics and fuzzy instrumentation sound even better! Titles include "Make Love Not War", "Flowers", "Love Could Make The World Go Round", "Come & Have Some Tea With Me", and a very strange take on "You Keep Me Hanging On". Also includes the song "Don't Make Waves", which is really just water (bong?) sounds – recorded with lots of strange effects! LP, Vinyl record album

Wonderfully soulful grooves from the amazing Lucky Thompson! Despite the stupid title, this is a very nice set that brings together some of Lucky Thompson's excellent soulful recordings for the Groove Merchant label during the early 70s. Thompson started out his career as a more traditional tenorist, with a definite post-swing bias – but by the time of these sessions, he'd emerged (after a long stay in Europe) as a more spiritual, more soulful player, capable of deep emotion, and warm flowing introspective solos. He's caught in good company here – as both sessions feature Cedar Walton on keyboards – and the CD features Thompson on both tenor and soprano, which he plays in a delightful way. Titles include "Fillet Of Soul", "Then Soul Walked In", "Home Come'n", "Soul Lullaby", and "Sun Out". CD

A fantastic presentation of all that's wonderful with the mighty Daptone label – one of the hippest, funkiest record companies of the past few decades – the company that gave the world Sharon Jones, Charles Bradley, and other great artists – all of whom are heard here in an extended length live set! The package documents three nights of music at the legendary Apollo Theater in Harlem – home to famous live shows by James Brown – whose tight way of presenting a variety of singers is replicated here – as Daptone cycle through some of their hippest acts in the lead, offering up a few songs by each – while the mighty Dap Kings provide all the backing! There's a huge amount of songs by both Sharon Jones and Charles Bradley – plus more by Budos Band, Antibalas, Menahan Street Band, Como Mamas, Sugarman 3, Saun & Starr, and Naomi Shelton & The Gospel Queens – then everybody comes together to perform a version of "Family Affair" at the end! Binky Griptite acts as the MC for the evening – and the whole thing has a rock-solid sound that's every bit the best that Daptone can offer. LP, Vinyl record album

Don't let the "alternate" in the title fool you, because it's not like the Art Ensemble Of Chicago are getting all alt-rock or anything – nor is the album a set of alternate takes! Instead, the album's one of their best from the time – a well-crafted set of tunes, recorded in very familiar company in Chicago – issued only for the Japanese market by DIW. There's a richly organic quality to some of the tunes – as many of the numbers are sparer, more thoughtful tracks that focus on spare percussion and instrumental interplay between members of the group. The album also features the longer tune "Kush", which gets fairly outside at times – plus shorter numbers that include "Imaginary Situations", "And There Was Peace", "Whatever Happens", and "Alternate Express". CD

Don Cherry gave many wonderful musical performances on the European scene in the 70s, including this one – a gem of a record that was thought to be lost for years, and finally gets released to the world at large! The set's a live collaboration with electronic musician Jean Schwarz – whose contributions here are nicely subtle, and never challenge the acoustic energy of the session, but instead augment it in all these really cool, unique ways – very different than most improvised music with electronics at the time. Cherry plays pocket trumpet and some great doussn gouni – in the company of an equally fantastic lineup that features JF Jenny Clark on bass, Nana Vasconcelos on percussion, and Michel Portal on saxes, bass clarinet, and bandoneon. Given all the elements, there's some very unique sounds going on here – a really amazing record that includes the tracks "Bells One", "Doussn Gouni", "Tribute To Ornette", "Bando", and "Berimbau". CD

A very groovy little soundtrack from the team of Guido and Maurizio De Angelis – one that was penned to accompany an offbeat Bud Spencer film of the late 70s, and which offers up plenty of variations on the catchy theme! Bud plays Bulldozer – an ex-US football player, holed up in Italy – where he cobbles together a team of locals to take down the team of the US Army stationed nearby – a goofy plot, but one that's made that much better by the work of the De Angelis brothers! The core theme is initially sung by Oliver Onions, in English – then taken through a range of great instrumental readings that echo some of the styles used by Guido and Maurizio on their straighter crime and action scores, but with lots of sweet twists and turns along the way. LP, Vinyl record album

Great stuff – one of the amazing early albums from the team of Julie Driscoll and Brian Auger – kind of a next-generation to the Brit beat group sound of the mid 60s – one that moves beyond simple R&B modes, to bring in more sophisticated soul and jazz touches! Driscoll's vocals are amazing – some of the boldest belted out in the British scene at the time – and Auger's Hammond work really cooks throughout – at a level that easily makes him one of the best UK organists to hit the scene, amidst some very heady company in the 60s. There's a few bluesy moments, but our favorites are the funky ones – especially the group's reading of "Season Of The Witch", which is tremendous. Other cuts include "In & Out", "Black Cat", "Goodbye Jungle Telegraph", and "Break It Up". LP, Vinyl record album

One of Bill Evans' most beautiful albums from the time – and one that features the fantastic team of Jeremy Steig and Eddie Gomez, who were cutting some beautiful records for other labels at the time. Steig's flute later got very silly, but at this point, he's got a raw stripped-down sound that works perfectly with Gomez's warm, slightly funky basslines – making for a slightly soulful approach that really transforms the session. Evans is no slouch either – and the youthful company makes him play some of his best bits in years – on titles that include "Time Out For Chris", "So What", "Spartacus Love Theme", and "Autumn Leaves". LP, Vinyl record album

Not a vocal session from Ray Charles, but instead a set that showcases his great abilities in jazz – a side of Charles' talents that Atlantic was focusing on a bit more at the end of the 50s! The record's a collaboration with vibist Milt Jackson, who's nicely more loose and gritty here than in the company of the Modern Jazz Quartet – and in addition to piano, Ray also plays a bit of alto sax too – which comes as a nice surprise! Other players include the great Billy Mitchell on tenor sax, Skeeter Best on guitar, Oscar Pettiford on bass, and Connie Kay on drums – and titles include "Blue Funk", "Cosmic Ray", "Soul Brothers", and "How Long Blues". LP, Vinyl record album

An album from the 80s, but one that echoes a much older tradition of folk and blues – with a vibe that hardly fits the dated spelling of the duo's name! Serious Bizness is the team of Jaribu and Ngoma Hill – who harmonize together on some very message-oriented music, in a way that was often a bit overlooked in the generation of beatboxes and keyboards, but which has all the pride and power of acoustic sessions from the Civil Rights generation! Instrumentation is just acoustic guitar on most numbers, but Jaribu and Ngoma have a way of really making the songs ring out with a great deal of power – on titles that include "High Tech", "Southern Shame", "Down Underground In A Company Town", "Stolen Dreams", "Stop The Bosses", and "Malcolm Lives". CD

The title might sound a bit clinical, but the music within is anything but – and instead is that sort of special, magical work that always makes Sonny Stitt a real cut above most of his contemporaries! The notes try to link Stitt to Charlie Parker – but apart from a postwar sense of invention on alto sax, the sounds within are quite different – more spacious and soulful than Parker, although equally deft in their own sort of way – blown with a confidence that knows how to take its time, in a way that comes through especially strong on the mellow cuts. At the surface, there might not be anything special to the record – but the first listen will definitely let you know you're in they company of something special – on titles that include "Blues For Yard", "Harlem Nocturne", "Windy Ride", and a haunting take of "Because Of You". LP, Vinyl record album

A key pairing of vocalist Mel Torme and pianist George Shearing – two aging jazz artists who really helped re-ignite each others' careers in the 80s! The format here takes Torme back to the best years of his jazz roots – and features spare backing from Shearing's trio, at a level that's intimate, but never too sleepy or prone with cliche. Shearing's touch on the keys is wonderfully sensitive – never just standard backing to a singer – and in a way, he brings out a new sense of depth in Torme's vocals, one that never showed itself so strongly, or so personally in the past. And best of all, at the time of this recording, the duo haven't yet lapsed into the cliches that would later mar their pairing – and instead really work together beautifully in a fresh sense of discovery and joy in each others' company. Titles include "The Midnight Sun", "Someday I'll Find You", "Whisper Not/Love Me Or Leave Me", "Since I Fell For You", "Out Of This World", and "Little Man You've Got The Blues". LP, Vinyl record album

A well done book about the continuing importance of soul and R&B in black culture over the decades – one that begins its journey in the 70s, and moves right up to the present with a key chapter on the music in the post-George Floyd landscape in America! Author Alexander Ghedi Weheliye has a very particular bent at times – and the chapters work together more almost like related essays, instead of an exhaustive whole – a format that allows him to shift topics easily – between cellphones, new wave, remix technology, and diaspora – while still also bringing everything together through continuing themes, and copious notes that accompany the writings. The book also features two interviews, and directions to an accompanying playlist on Spotify – and this softcover edition is almost 300 pages, with some black and white images. Book

Not nearly as primitive as you might guess from the title – and instead, a heady batch of electric funk from the Japanese scene at the start of the 70s! The album's got a heavy dose of percussion at the bottom – drums and more, interwoven with lots of electric guitar in the rhythms – all to support the solo flute lines of Toshiaki Yokota, a player who manages to mix sensitive moments with some really freewheeling lines that would be right at home in the company of Roland Kirk or Jeremy Steig! The range of percussion definitely supports the sound you might imagine from the title – but the guitars also blow the sound away with a heavy, rumbling quality that's plenty modern. LP, Vinyl record album

A heavenly set of southern soul – a package that pulls together a wealth of rare and unreleased singles from the Malaco label – that important Jackson, Mississippi imprint that took on the deeper sounds of the 70s – after the Memphis and Muscle Shoals scenes were losing steam! Some of the artists here are ones who would have ended up on Stax or Volt, had the labels still been going at the time – and instead found a great home on Malaco, a company who also had a great legacy of work in southern blues, and really knew how to bring out the best in a strong-voiced singer! Yet despite that side of the label, the music here is all-soul all the way through – not some of the soul/blues hybrids that Malaco could do well, and instead amazing deep soul, handled with a new sort of sophistication for the 70s! The sound is wonderful throughout – and the set features loads of cuts we'd never heard before – 18 titles that include "Overflowing" by Jewel Bass, "Ain't No Love For Sale" by Tommy Tate, "Sour Love Bitter Sweet" by Joe Wilson, "Lovin On Borrowed Time" by Anita Mitchell, "Got To Find The Nerve" by Hank Sample, "Two Of A Kind" by Dorothy Moore, "Once Upon A Love Affair" by Chuck Brooks, "That's How Much I Love You" by Eddie Houston, and "Talkin About Love" by George Soule. CD

The Heavenly Sweetness label celebrates its first ten years in business – with a special birthday present of all-exclusive unreleased tracks! This set doesn't look back at the previous decade of the label, but instead points the way forward – with a wonderful selection of newly-recorded tracks by some of hte label's best artists – including some who've helped define their groove strongly in recent years, and some whose talents are soon to be presenting full length sets for the company! As with the previous ten years of records, the music here is a fantastic blend of new styles and global elements – some strands of soul, jazz, and hip hop influences – but often used in ways that are completely fresh and contemporary – at a level that's made Heavenly Sweetness one of our go-to labels for new and interesting sounds over the past decade. Titles include "You Party Too Much" by The Mule, "O Circo" by Cotonete", "Have A Little Faith" by Blundetto and Ken Boothe, "An Ba Galba" by Roger Raspail and Vincent Segal, "Tijan Ka (2017 version)" by Edmondy Krater and I Live, "Tijan (Hugh LX rmx)" by Edmondy Krater, "F*ck With The Police" by Florian Pellissier Quintet with Roger Raspail and Nawer, "Hip Hop Muse (Lefto rmx)" by Rongetz Foundation, "Be The River" by Anthony Joseph and Hanyo, and "Move In Silence" by Guts with Patrice, Feve, Djeuhdjoah, and Lieutenant Nicholson. LP, Vinyl record album

Genius work from the team of Chick Corea on piano and Gary Burton on vibes – both players who were already making a lot of magic in the 70s, but who really seem to explode in the company of each other! Burton's tones are wonderfully bold and firm – these cascading colors that merge perfectly with Corea's piano lines – which themselves have a beautifully understated feel that's quite different than his fusion material – but which seems to pack an even more powerful punch! The album features no other instrumentation at all – yet the range of feeling and expression is much more powerful than most full group performances – on a sublime set of tracks that include "Duet Suite", "Never", "La Fiesta", "Radio", "Song To Gayle", and selections from Corea's "Children's Songs". LP, Vinyl record album

A really compelling blend of sounds – the trumpet and flugelhorn of Susana Santos and the bass of Torbjorn Zetterberg – all coming together in ways we really wouldn't expect! The tracks each seem to have a very different flavor – not just a trumpet solo over a bassline, but instead a completely re-conceived pairing of both instruments – at a level that's especially a surprise when compared to some of Zetterberg's other, straighter work. Torbjorn still has that round, warm, really deep sound we love so much – but he also manages to shift into other sonic ranges in the company of Susana – who herself is very free in trying out a number of different voices on the set. Titles include "Feet Machine Song", "Cow Safari", "Flocos De Mel", "Falling & Falling & Falling", and "Head Distortion Machine". CD

The title might sound a bit clinical, but the music within is anything but – and instead is that sort of special, magical work that always makes Sonny Stitt a real cut above most of his contemporaries! The notes try to link Stitt to Charlie Parker – but apart from a postwar sense of invention on alto sax, the sounds within are quite different – more spacious and soulful than Parker, although equally deft in their own sort of way – blown with a confidence that knows how to take its time, in a way that comes through especially strong on the mellow cuts. At the surface, there might not be anything special to the record – but the first listen will definitely let you know you're in they company of something special – on titles that include "Blues For Yard", "Harlem Nocturne", "Windy Ride", and a haunting take of "Because Of You". CD

Don Cherry gave many wonderful musical performances on the European scene in the 70s, including this one – a gem of a record that was thought to be lost for years, and finally gets released to the world at large! The set's a live collaboration with electronic musician Jean Schwarz – whose contributions here are nicely subtle, and never challenge the acoustic energy of the session, but instead augment it in all these really cool, unique ways – very different than most improvised music with electronics at the time. Cherry plays pocket trumpet and some great doussn gouni – in the company of an equally fantastic lineup that features JF Jenny Clark on bass, Nana Vasconcelos on percussion, and Michel Portal on saxes, bass clarinet, and bandoneon. Given all the elements, there's some very unique sounds going on here – a really amazing record that includes the tracks "Bells One", "Doussn Gouni", "Tribute To Ornette", "Bando", and "Berimbau". LP, Vinyl record album

An amazing legacy in music from Mike Cooper – a British musician who started out in the world of folk blues, but never ended up moving towards some of the rockish modes of his contemporaries – instead finding his very own sort of special space in the freedom allowed by the Dawn Records label! The set begins with the very spare Oh Really – a set that has Mike Cooper mostly on guitar and vocals, in a style that's part Piedmont, part Delta blues – but also given a more folksy spin, and graced with Cooper's unusual vocals – almost making the whole thing feel like a spare acoustic version of Canned Heat territory – with titles that include "Maggie Campbell", "Saturday Blues", "Electric Chair", "Crow Jane", and "You're Gonna Be Sorry". Do I Know you is a record that follows up with a sound that's maybe a bit fuller than Mike Cooper's debut, but still relatively spare – with Mike on acoustic guitar and slide guitar, Harry Miller on bass (really great bass, by the way!), and Poor Little Anne on a bit of vocals. Miller brings these deep tones to the record that really transform things – and titles include "Do I Know You", "Start Of A Journey", "First Song", "Theme In C", and "The Link". Trout Steel is a beautiful set from the British scene at the start of the 70s – a record that's got a fairly folksy tone, but lots of jazzy currents as well! The set was issued on the seminal Dawn Records label – and really shows that imprint's commitment to the left side of the spectrum – as Mike Cooper's vocals and acoustic guitar come into play with more guitar from Stefan Grossman – plus alto sax from Mike Osborne, tenor and soprano from Alan Skidmore, piano from John Taylor, and bass from the late Harry Miller – all key players on the UK avant jazz scene of the time! The mix of these players with Cooper's core inspiration is not unlike some of the most progressive material coming from Island Records – or, even better, the special jazzy moments on records by Tim Buckley or Tim Hardin – company that Cooper could very easily keep, given the strength of his songwriting. Titles include "Don't Talk Too Fast", "On My Way", "Hope You See", "Weeping Rose", "Trout Steel", "I've Got Mine", "That's How", and "Pharoah's March". 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 also features songs from singles – "Your Lovely Ways (parts 1 & 2)", "Time In Hand", and "Schaabisch Hall". CD

One of Bill Evans' most beautiful albums from the time – and one that features the fantastic team of Jeremy Steig and Eddie Gomez, who were cutting some beautiful records for other labels at the time. Steig's flute later got very silly, but at this point, he's got a raw stripped-down sound that works perfectly with Gomez's warm, slightly funky basslines – making for a slightly soulful approach that really transforms the session. Evans is no slouch either – and the youthful company makes him play some of his best bits in years – on titles that include "Time Out For Chris", "So What", "Spartacus Love Theme", and "Autumn Leaves". CD