... 12-inch, Vinyl record

... 78 RPM, Vinyl record

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

One of Duke Ellington's standout sides for Columbia – a strong recording that revisits many of the best elements of his earlier work, and offers up some more sophisticated scoring for the 50s – thanks to extended track length in the LP generation! The tunes here are older ones, but they're taken to some nicely hip territory – thanks to Duke's strong ear for modern changes, and a line up of players that includes Billy Strayhorn on piano, Paul Gonsalves on tenor, Clark Terry and Ray Nance on trumpets, Juan Tizol on trombone, and Louis Bellson on drums. Bellson does a great job on the classic "Skin Deep" – a real showcase for his talents in this recording – and other titles include "The Mooche", "Take The A Train", and "Perdido" – plus a 13 minute reading of "A Tone Parallel To Harlem (aka The Harlem Suite)". LP, Vinyl record album

One of Duke Ellington's standout sides for Columbia – a strong recording that revisits many of the best elements of his earlier work, and offers up some more sophisticated scoring for the 50s – thanks to extended track length in the LP generation! The tunes here are older ones, but they're taken to some nicely hip territory – thanks to Duke's strong ear for modern changes, and a line up of players that includes Billy Strayhorn on piano, Paul Gonsalves on tenor, Clark Terry and Ray Nance on trumpets, Juan Tizol on trombone, and Louis Bellson on drums. Bellson does a great job on the classic "Skin Deep" – a real showcase for his talents in this recording – and other titles include "The Mooche", "Take The A Train", and "Perdido" – plus "The Controversial Suite". LP, Vinyl record album

A different sound than usual for Syl Johnson – but a record that still has loads of those amazing vocals we love from Syl! The style's mostly modern soul – with a tightness that's different from the grit of earlier Johnson albums – that mode in which other singers of the time were tightening up their bag too. The approach works especially well on the midtempo groovers – which have the bite of Johnson's vocals providing a great contrast tot he smoother grooves of the instrumentation – in ways that really deepen the feel of the tunes, but in ways that are very different than classic work from Syl. Titles include "Mystery Lady", "Blue Water", "Who's Gonna Love You", "You're The Star Of The Show", "Gimme Little Sign", and a 9 minute "Otis Redding Medley". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

A pretty great trio date from Billy Taylor – and somewhat overlooked, too! The group features Henry Grimes on bass and Ray Mosca on drums – and the set captures Billy in a perfect spot between his early work for Prestige, and some of his 60s mainstream material – heard here in a mode that's still got some nice soul jazz grit in the grooves. Titles include "Soul Sister", "Biddy's Beat", "La Petite Mambo", "Cu Blu", and "Warm Blue Stream". LP, Vinyl record album

A side's worth of recordings from the De Paris Brothers Orchestra and the Edmond Hall Sextet – with Sidney De Paris on trumpet, Wilbur De Paris on trombone, Edmond Hall on clarinet, Clyde Hart on piano, Billy Taylor on bass, and Gordon Specs Powell on drums from 1944; and Edmond Hall on clarinet, Emmett Berry on flute, Vic Dickenson on trombone, Eddie Heywood on piano, Al Casey on guitar, Billy Taylor on bass, and Big Sid Catlett on drums from 1945. LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

George Benson's first LP for Columbia – a hard, heavy, soul jazz slammer that bears no resemblance to his overproduced work of the 70s! The album's a real cooker – recorded hot on the heels of Benson's classic work on Prestige with the Jack McDuff group, and sounding a lot like McDuff's hard wailing organ jazz of the same time. George is working with a group that features a young Lonnie Smith on organ, plus Blue Mitchell on trumpet, Ronnie Cuber on sax, and Charlie Persip on drums – all tightly coming together, and jamming hard on the album's short cooking tracks. Tracks include "Clockwise", "Jaguar", "Hello Birdie", and "Bullfight". LP, Vinyl record album

The Crystals twist uptown, and take their groove to a whole new region in the process! The album's title is very apt, as the whole thing is a real blueprint for the uptown soul sound of the 60s – swirling strings, soulful vocals, and rhythms that have enough punch to keep things moving – even on the mellower moments – all crafted perfectly by the young Phil Spector! There's hardly any real twist tunes on the record – which is great by us, as it means that instead of gimmicky dance numbers, The Crystals really get to sparkle in the kind of heartbreaking soul numbers they've always done so well! Titles include the chilling "Please Hurt Me" – a classic from the Goffin/King team – plus "There's No Other (Like My Baby)", "What A Nice Way To Turn Seventeen", "Frankenstein Twist", "Gee Whiz", "Another Country Another World", "Uptown", and "I Love You Eddie". LP, Vinyl record album

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

Excellent later work fromt his great trombonist – with Al Cohn on tenor – plus Richard Wyands on piano, Ray Drummond on bass, and Akira Tana on drums! LP, Vinyl record album

One of Guy's first big hits, and proof that Teddy was setting his crossover sights on the right target! 7-inch, Vinyl record

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

The great one blows in a sweet 50s modern harbop mode – in a group with Red Rodney on trumpet, Albert Dailey on piano, Cecil McBee on bass, and Kenny Washington on drums. Titles include "Little Chico", "Social Call", "Half Nelson", "Greenhouse", "Darn That Dream", and "Casbah". LP, Vinyl record album

With Greg Nice on the Daddy Hip Hop mix. 12-inch, Vinyl record

The seminal turntable cut up track reissued with a reproduction of the original sleeve. 12-inch, Vinyl record

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

A real surprise – and a record we come back to again and again! Sickler's trumpet has a nicely different feel than Kenny Dorham's – and the group's got some especially nice tenor from Jimmy Heath – supported by rhythm from Cedar Walton on piano, Ron Carter on bass, and Billy Higgins on drums. LP, Vinyl record album

Two older players, cooking together beautifully on this early 80s session – and both hitting a vibe that almost makes the set smoke like some rare 60s gem on Blue Note! Frank Wess plays both tenor and alto sax – both of them extremely deep and soulful – with these open, thoughtful solos that almost show more imagination and maturity than in the early days – and also a swinging vibe that's undeniably great. Trumpeter Johnny Coles turns out to be a perfect partner for the session – and manages to mix his sweeter tones with some of his more modern phrasing too – in ways that make the album a treasure trove of unexpectedly great surprises – loads of illuminated passages that keep us coming back again and again over the years. The rhythm section is a good reason for the strength of the set too – and features Kenny Barron on piano, Reggie Johnson on bass, and Kenny Washington on drums – on titles that include "Celia", "Minority", "An Oscar For Oscar", "Ill Wind", "Morning Star", and "Whistle Stop". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

Heavenly soul by one of the best voices to come out of the New York Uptown Soul scene of the 60s! Maxine's got an amazing style that never stops being soulful, yet which also reaches new levels of sophistication, not often heard from other 60s soul divas. This original Wand LP is a treasure, and is filled with loads of original cuts – like "Forget Him", "Now That You've Gone", "Wanting You", "Think Of Me", and the classic "Funny". Great stuff, and a tough one to find! LP, Vinyl record album

Beautiful uptown soul from Jerry – with pre Gamble-Huff arrangements by Jo Renzetti and Jimmy Wisner. The tracks do a great job of maintaining the perfect Iceman sound from Jerry's late Vee Jay years, yet also hint nicely at the direction to come. Titles include "You Walked Into My Life", "I'm Gonna Make You Love Me", "Some Kind Of Magic", "The Way Of Love", and "Why Did I Lose You". LP, Vinyl record album

A pair of early records from Hour Glass – back to back in a single set! First up is the self titled Hour Glass album – fantastic early work from Gregg And Duane Allman – a set that's nothing at all like their Allman Brothers material, but which has a wonderful style nonetheless! At some level, there's a very strong soul current running through the music – as the group mix in songs by Curtis Mayfield, Deon Jackson, and others with some headier rock material – all set up in these arrangements by Dallas Smith that seem to begin in uptown soul, then push things into more psychedelic territory! The blend is great, and makes for a really wonderful record – on titles that include "I've Been Trying", "No Easy Way Down", "Out Of The Night", "Nothing But Tears", "Heartbeat", and "Silently". Power Of Love is an excellent second set from Hour Glass – the pre-Allman Brothers Band that featured both Duane and Gregg Allman, the latter of whom is really coming into his own on the record! Unlike the group's debut, this one features a lot more original material by Gregg – and guitars that start to crackle in that sweetly cresting style that would become the group's hallmark, and which would have an undeniable influence on the sound of rock in the 70s. At some level, the whole thing's an early southern effort to answer the sounds of the Bay Area scene – and comes off beautifully, thanks to titles that include "To Things Before", "I'm Not Afraid", "Home For The Summer", "Down In Texas", "Now Is The Time", and "Going Nowhere". LP, Vinyl record album

10 of Chuck's best soul cuts, originally recorded for the Wand label. This stuff virtually defines the male side of the NY uptown soul sound, as you'll hear in tracks like "Any Day Now", "I Don't Want To Cry", "I Wake Up Crying", "Tell Him I'm Not Home", and "Any Other Way". LP, Vinyl record album

An overlooked 60s soul killer on Atlantic Records! We love Deon Jackson – we love his sweetly honest vocal style, we love his songs, and we love the great production he gets from the legendary Ollie McLaughlin! This album is the only one he ever cut – and it's a masterpiece all the way through! Ollie's production mixes some wonderful lilting qualities with rollicking hard soul – it's a far-reaching approach that works incredibly well with Deon's unique approach to the vocals! Includes the super-hit "Love Makes The World Go Round" and a charming uptown soul take on "King Of The Road", plus "Come Back Home", "1-2-3", "You Said You Love Me", "SOS", "Love Is What You Make It" and "Hush Little Baby". LP, Vinyl record album

Although they were a UK soul act, Jimmy James and The Vagabonds were a perfect match for the Atlantic soul stable of the 60s. The group had a smooth group style that was partly uptown, partly northern soul – as clearly illustrated in this album, which is divided up into a "mood red: you feel like leaping" side, and a "mood blue: you feel like digging deeper" side. The band chose some good material that really helps them maintain a solid socking soul sound – including "The Entertainer" and "Ain't Love Good, Ain't Love Proud" by Tony Clarke, "Ain't No Big Thing" and "I'm Just A Fool For You Girl" by Gerald Sims, and "Little Boy Blue" and "People Get Ready" by Curtis Mayfield. Also features "Come To Me Softly", a sweet dreamy ballad by Jimmy, and kind of a bit crossover hit for the boys. LP, Vinyl record album

Includes "Uptown Girl", "Tell Her About It", "Keeping The Faith", "Innocent Man", "Longest Time", and more! LP, Vinyl record album

Sublime uptown soul from the great Ben E King – and session that has him paired with a young Claus Ogermann on arrangements! Although later a maestro of the heavy strings, at this point Ogermann's got a great little bounce in his backings – that German-trained use of the electric bass in subtle ways, often used just enough here to give King's tunes a sweetly gentle groove! Even when the tunes are mellow, they've got a nicely stepping quality that moves things along nicely – a classy approach to soul that's full, but never too slick or sleepy. And King's vocals are great, as always – slightly raspy, and filled with an earnest, honest quality that makes even the familiar tunes come alive anew! Titles include "Dream Lover", "Because Of You", "What A Difference A Day Made", "He Will Break Your Heart", and "At Last". LP, Vinyl record album

Incredible work from Ben E King! Forget that you've heard the title track a million times, because the album's a treasure all the way through – packed with beautiful tunes arranged and produced by the Lieber-Stoller tune, in that mix of baion rhythms that they were crafting in the uptown studios for the Drifters during the early 60s. The leadoff cut is the amazing "Amor", a lightly grooving number that should have been massive – and just about every other cut is a similar Latin-tinged number. Titles include "Come Closer To Me", "Sway", "Love Me, Love Me", "Frenesi", "Souvenir Of Mexico", and "Basame Mucho". LP, Vinyl record album

Although James Phelps has a deep raw soul voice – he's matched here with some nice uptown arrangements courtesy of Phil Wright, for a sound that's a lot like some of the best solo Ben E. King solo stuff for Atlantic! "Love Is A 5-Letter Word" is a nice slowly-rolling track with a catchy chorus – and "I'll Do The Best" has an uptowny style that's wonderful – really one of those "shoulda been a hit" kind of tunes! 7-inch, Vinyl record

Freddie sings it nice and easy with his deep round baritone, amidst polished arrangements by Garry Sherman, and nice production by Clyde Otis. The record's indicative of some of the excellent uptown soul that Columbia was releasing during the late 60s, with kind of a classy jazzy touch that makes it differ a lot from Freddie's other work. The set list includes a lot of standards and film tracks, given a soulful edge, in sort of a Nancy Wilson way. Tracks include "Again", "Laura", "Secret Love", "There Goes My Heart", and "I'm In The Mood For Love". LP, Vinyl record album

Great uptown early Philly soul album from the late 60's, featuring the talents of a young Bunny Sigler before he got tied up making too many uptempo records. The record features arrangements by Joe Renzetti – in a sweet uptown style that brings out a lot in Bunny's young vocals. Includes the title hit, plus "Can You Dig It", "There's No Love Left", and "Lovey Dovey". Goofy cover, too. LP, Vinyl record album

One of Mel's best non-Bethlehem albums, and a record that's as much a loving tribute to New York as any you'll ever buy! Kind of funny, too, because in Mel's California Suite, there's all this stuff about how lousy New York is – but by the time of this early 60s recording, Mel's clearly repented, and he's doing a wonderful job with material like "Let Me Off Uptown", "Autumn In New York", "New York, New York", "Manhattan", and one of the greatest versions of "Sunday In New York" you'll ever hear! Great arrangements, too – with a nice touch of jazz! LP, Vinyl record album

One of our favorite-ever albums from Mel Torme – a set that sparkles with the same smooth swing as his best late 50s dates for Bethlehem records! Like those sets, this one features Torme's voice really taking off over some tight jazzy charts – arranged by Johnny Williams, Shorty Rogers, and Dick Hazard – all in styles close to those used previously by Marty Paich. But almost even better is the New York theme of the record – surprising, given the anti-NYC vibe of Torme's classic "California Suite" – but perfect, too, as it really ties the whole thing together wonderfully – creating this beautiful picture of the Big Apple in the postwar years. Titles include the greatest version of "Sunday In New York" you'll ever hear – plus "Let Me Off Uptown", "Autumn In New York", "New York New York", "Manhattan", and "My Time Of Day". LP, Vinyl record album

Sure, Esther Phillips and a few other 60s soul singers were recording Beatles tracks – but Mary Wells was the real deal, as she even had the support of the group itself, who made it known that she was one of their favorite American soul artists. This nice album on 20th Century features an all-Beatles set of tracks – with titles like "I Should Have Known Better", "Do You Want To Know A Secret", "Yesterday", "And I Love Him", and "Ticket To Ride". The arrangements are all uptown soul, and give the songs a more sophisticated sound than the original recordings. A record we don't see that often, and a nice lost gem! LP, Vinyl record album

A nice batch of pop soul on Liberty from Timi Yuro – an underappreciated vocalist who walked that fine line between uptown soul and pop vocals! Like so many Liberty recordings of the era, the arrangements are big and polished, courtesty of Bert Keyes. The backing vocals are just as sparking, provided the Johnnny Mann singers and the Gospel Pearls. Includes the title cut, plus "For Your Love", "The Right Time", "That's Right, Walk On By", and "I Waited Too Long". Fragile little girl stuff, with more soul than you'd expect! LP, Vinyl record album

With selections by Frank Froeba & His Swing Band, Louis Prima & His New Orleans Gang, Frankie Newton & His Uptown Serenaders, The Three Peppers, Fats Waller, Art Tatum, Teddy Wilson, Clarence Profit Trio, and Bunny Berigan & His Boys. LP, Vinyl record album

A key early album from the young Cannonball Adderley – an a set that crossed over big, thanks to a mix of strong jazz solos from the leader and very inventive rhythms in the arrangements! The group here is larger than Adderley's usual quintet/sextet lineup – and includes reed work from Oliver Nelson and Jerome Richardson, trombone from Melba Liston, piano from Wynton Kelly, and even a bit of congas from Ray Barretto – all working under the hip leadership of Ernie Wilkins, who crafts these great charts for Cannon to solo over the top! A key moment of genius is the title track – a beautiful reading of Galt MacDermott's "African Waltz" – and other tracks include "Blue Brass Groove", "Something Different", "The Uptown", and "Letter From Home". LP, Vinyl record album

Given that Atlantic's big claim to fame with Aretha was that they took her from being a supper club jazz singer and made her a hard soul act, we've always been a bit surprised at the way they chose to hook her up with some Bacharach tunes after her first few sides – giving her a classier uptown sound to mix with the deeper southern style that broke her out big. This album's a great example of how Aretha can mix the two styles – as it features the title rendition of "This Girl's In Love With You", and great versions of "Dark End Of The Street" and "Sit Down & Cry", and the sublime "Call Me", which is a perfect blend of the two styles in one song. And oddly, the "classier" material was recorded down in Miami, Atlantic's new home for soul in the south. LP, Vinyl record album

Anthony and crew were one of the few groups who actually got better when they moved from the raw indie scene to the slicker major label one – as you'll hear perfectly on this set of some of their best work for the Veep/DCP/United Artists label. Teddy Randazzo handled all the arrangements and production, and his breathy uptown style works perfectly with the band's soulful harmonies. 12 numbers in all, including "I'm Hypnotized", "Beautiful People", "Georgy Girl", "A Thousand Miles Away", "You Only Live Twice", "Goin' Out Of My Head", "Two People In The World", "A Prayer & A Jukebox", 'When You Wish Upon A Star", "You Better Take It Easy Baby" and "If I Remember To Forget". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

One of the coolest, grooviest 60s albums from trumpeter Donald Byrd – one that has him really reaching out for a hip new sound, but in ways that are different than most of his other material at the time! Key on the date is the placement of electric piano from Duke Pearson – played in this open, flowing style that has all the best hallmarks of Pearson's own work on the instrument for his sessions – yet balanced nicely with the bolder punch of Byrd's trumpet as well. Donald's quite far from any Miles Davis cliches on this one – no too-dark electric modes at all – and instead, the album's got this sense of lyrical soulfulness that we've maybe never heard this strongly again on any of Byrd's other albums. Other players include Frank Foster on tenor, Jerry Dodgion and Lew Tabackin on flute, Julian Priester on trombone, Jimmy Ponder on guitar, and either Idris Muhammad or Joe Chambers on drums. All tracks are nice and long, and very fresh – and include "Weasil", "I Love the Girl", "Fancy Free", and "The Uptowner". LP, Vinyl record album

A sweet session of 70s electric jazz – recorded as a unique live all-star outing by a group of Arista's best jazz players at the time! The group's an octet, but plays together in differing formations throughout the record – with Warren Bernhardt on keyboards, Michael Brecker on saxes, Randy Brecker on trumpet, Steve Jordan on drums, Steve Khan and Larry Coryell on guitars, Tony Levin on bass, and Mike Maineri on vibes – the last of which really make for some of the best numbers on the album! Bernhardt's keyboards are pretty good too – stepping out with a spacious, fluid feel that's never jamming – and more in the open-ended Bob James side of the spectrum, although his overall sound is a lot different than Bob's! Titles on this second volume include "Candles", "Cloud Motion", "Uptowned", "Love Play", and "A Funky Waltz". LP, Vinyl record album

With selections by The Uptowns, Johnny & The Jammers, Albert Scott, Electric Bluebirds, Ronnie Barron, Oscar McLollie & His Honey Jumpers, Jack McVea, The Everly Brothers, Little Richard, Chuck Higgins, Dion & The Belmonts, Chan Romero, Donna Dameron, Johnny Flamingo, Clifton Chenier, and Lloyd Price. LP, Vinyl record album