One of the greatest albums ever from the legendary soul singer Curtis Mayfield – even though it's different than most of the rest as well! Curtis is captured here in a small club, with a tight band, spinning out these extended readings of some of his best tunes – both tracks he sang with The Impressions, and as a solo act – completely transformed here in the righteous energy of the setting! The vibe is similar to the classic Donny Hathaway Live album from the same time – save for the fact that this set is double-length, and maybe even more powerful as Curtis sings and plays guitar in a small group with additional guitar, bass, and drums – and some very hip percussion from Master Henry Gibson, of Pharoahs fame. Tracks include "We the People Who Are Darker Than Blue", "Stare and Stare", "Check Out Your Mind", "Stone Junkie", "I Plan To Stay A Believer", "If There's A Hell Below We're All Going To Go", "Mighty Mighty", and "The Makings Of You". CD

A really well-titled set from Frankie Beverly & Maze – as the album takes the group right back to the mellow-stepping sound that first made them great back in the 70s! Production's a bit more updated, but still very laidback – and there's a smoothly-grooving glow to the record we totally love – a perfect format for Frankie's always-amazing vocals, updated just slightly for the 90s. The production values are never too polished, and the songwriting is still great – on titles that include "Love Is", "the Morning After", "Laid Back Girl", 'What Goes Up", "In Time", "All Night Long", "Don't Wanna Lose Your Love", and "Twilight". CD

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Features Mehldau on piano, Larry Grenadier on bass, and Jorge Rossy on drums. CD

A solo piano record – tracks include "Trailer Park Ghost", "Bard", "Memory's Tracks", and "Lament For Linus". CD

Brad Mehldau plays piano, treated piano, and vibes – accompanied by Larry Grenadier on bass, Matt Chamberlain and Jorge Rossy on drums and percussion, Phillip Yao on French horn, William Reichenbach on trombone, and others. Tracks include "Wave/Mother Nature's Son", "When It Rains", "Dusty McNugget", "Sabbath", and "Paranoid Android". CD

Brad Mehldau on piano, Larry Grenadier on bass, and Jorge Rossy on drums. CD

Brad Mehldau on piano, Larry Grenadier on bass, and Jorge Rossy on drums. CD

Brilliantly funky! This is the greatest album they cut for Warner Brothers – and it's one of the few that ever really approaches the genius of their early work for Josie. The record features the incredible breakbeat cut "Just Kissed My Baby" – worth the price of the album alone – plus other nice ones like "Jungle Man", "Africa", "What'cha Say", and the perennial New Orleans favorite "Hey Pocky A Way". Also features the incredible funk jam "It Ain't No Use" – a monster track that's nearly 12 minutes long! Plus, the CD features 2 bonus tracks, single versions of "Hey Pocky A-Way" and "People Say"! CD

With Larry Grenadier on bass and Bill Stewart on drums. CD

One of the most enigmatic albums that Charles Mingus ever recorded – especially in his later years! The set features two very long tracks done by Mingus for use in a film about cocaine traffic between New York and Columbia – but considering the nature of the music, and the freely exploratory style, both numbers here stand very well on their own! Although touched with some of the Latin influences you might expect from the title, the sounds are often darker and more brooding than, say, the Mingus style on the classic Tijuana Moods set. And instead, there's a very serious soundtrack-like vibe going on through most of the set – larger jazz orchestrations used to beautifully underscore subtle themes, and breakout solo moments from players who include Mauricio Smith on flute, Paul Jeffrey on tenor sax, Jack Walrath on trumpet, and Jimmy Knepper on trombone. The album also features a fair bit of added percussion – and features two long tracks, "Cumbia & Jazz Fusion" and "Music For Todo Modo". CD

Janelle Monae took a bit of a rest between this album and her last – but given the results, it feels like she's really recharged her groove in that surprisingly long stretch! Not that Janelle needed recharging at all – but there's something here that sets the record apart from earlier chapters in her career – and not in a commercial way, or something that feels like a sidestep – maybe just a bit like Sade after the first few records – able to space out her creative activity, and always keep us wanting more! There's maybe a more down to earth approach here than before – but at a level that makes the whole thing feel more heavenly overall – and Monae works with guests who include Sister Nancy, Seun Kuti, and Grace Jones – on titles that include "The Rush", "The French 75", "Float", "Black Sugar Beach", "Phenomenal", "Ooh La La", "Lipstick Lover", "Paid In Pleasure", "A Dry Red", and "Only Have Eyes 42". CD

Thelonious Monk on piano – with Charlie Rouse, Wilbur Ware, Shadow Wilson, John Coltrane, Phil Woods, Johnny Griffin, and others. CD

A Canadian group with roots that go back to The Guess Who – but who come across here with a sound that's very much their own – well-produced, and with some soulful undercurrents that come as a nice surprise for anyone who might have been expecting a more offbeat approach from their name! The sound is tight, but in ways that are different from more mainstream AOR work from the US at the time – using jazzy elements in the instrumentation, but mixed with a more straightforward groove – echoing some roots, but never rootsy at all, given the sharper production from Phil Ramone. Titles include "Gimme My Money", "River Bank", "Daybreak", "Kill The Hangman", "Queen Jealousy", "Come & See Me Here My Friend", and "Gimme My Money". CD

As any reader of these pages will know, we're nuts about Ennio Morricone – the greatest Italian soundtrack composer ever, and quite possibly one of the greatest composers to have ever walked the face of this planet! Here, a similarly Morricone-mad bunch of folks pay tribute to the maestro, by remixing tracks from his classic soundtracks of the 60s and 70s! Titles include "The Man With The Harmonica" by Apollo Four Forty, "Chi Mai" by Nightmares On Wax, "Giocoso, Gioioso" by Groove Corporation, "La Bambola Come Maddalena" by Sofa Surfers, "La Lucertola" by De Phazz, "Clan Of The Sicilians" by DJ Dick of Rocker's Hi-Fi, "Il Grande Silencio" by Thievery Corporation, and "Belinda May" by Fantastic Plastic Machine. 13 tracks in all! CD

Van's debut album for Warner Brothers and a pretty radical departure from anything he'd done before – breaking all kinds of new ground for his own most creative work and helping pave the way for all kinds of hauntingly poetic rock, folk rock, and singer-songwriter records to come! It doesn't take more than a few seconds of opening title track, with Morrison's rawly passionate voice and spiritually yearning lyrics, to know this is a pretty remarkable creative leap from pop leaning sound of "Brown Eyed Girl" and other preceding efforts – , and it gets even more far out from there both lyrically and instrumentally! It's almost folk jazz, arrangements wise, with flute and largely acoustic instrumentation, a really spontaneous feel to the sessions, and always hypnotic, seemingly stream of consciousness vocals by Van. As loose and spacious as the sound is, the emotional resonance is pretty heavy, and sequenced as a cycle: part one In The Beginning on side 1 and part two Afterwards on side 2. A stunner! Titles include "Astral Weeks", "Beside You", "Cyprus Avenue", "Sweet Thing", "Slim Slow Slider", and "Madame George". CD

Maybe the greatest album ever from Van Morrison – and a set that broke into a whole new side of his talents! Van's producing himself on the record – not really in the conventional role as a producer, but in a way that has him really writing most of the album as he goes along in the studio – using core ideas for tunes, and fleshing them out in a relatively spontaneous way with the musicians involved – at a level that also shows some of the most jazzy elements of Morrison's music to date! That approach is heard to key effect in the sublime title cut "Moondance" – but it also echoes over the course of the whole album's stellar set list – tracks that include "Caravan", "Into The Mystic", "Come Running", "Glad Tidings", and "And It Stoned Me". CD

Titles include "Wild Night", "Like A Cannonball", "Old Old Woodstock", "Tupelo Honey", "When That Evening Sun Goes Down", and "Moonshine Whiskey". CD

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A great showcase for the talents of a young Michael Brecker – rich orchestrations by Claus Ogerman, topped by Brecker's sharp-edged, and well-stated lines on tenor! The album predates Brecker's first record as a leader by a number of years, and it shows a serious side to his playing that's quite different than some of his 70s jazz funk with his brother – a deeper, more modern sound that comes off surprisingly well – in full Ogerman orchestrations that are quite moody, and filled with dark colors. Side one features three shorter tunes – "Cityscape", "Habanera" and "Nightwings" – and side two features the three-part suite "In The Presence & Absence Of Each Other". CD

An unusual later album from early Warner label great Van Dyke Parks – done with arrangements from jazz maestro Lennie Niehaus! CD

Features Michael Brecker on tenor, Bob Mintzer on tenor and soprano, Peter Erskine on drums, and Don Alias on congas! CD

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The record that forever put Prince on the map – a legendary set that took him from being an under-appreciated soul singer to a lasting pop music legend! Prince had been around for a few years before 1999 – but the double-length set was the first to really win over the masses to his genius – and still stands as one of the most perfect blends of soul, funk, and pop that we can ever think of – especially since the man himself pretty much put the whole thing together on his own! The set begins with the classic singles "Little Red Corvette" and "1999" – then soars into lots more gems that include "Let's Pretend We're Married", "Lady Cab Driver", "All The Critics Love U In New York", "International Lover", "DMSR", and "Delirious". CD

Promotional release featuring the LP version of "1999", at 6:15, plus the single version, which is 3:35. CD

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The more stylistically sprawling of the 2 albums Prince released upon returning to Warner Brothers in 2014 – nicely recalling some of his better later 80s and early 90s material, post-Sign O The Times craft – but still moving forward, as opposed to reliving past glories! Art Official Age finds Mr. Nelson working in myriad strains of eccentric, 80s-learned pop, soul and funk – in a voice that's held up impossibly well over the years. This one is credited to Prince alone, but features backing by his 3rdeyegirl rock band, Marissa Jack, aka Golden Hippie, Paloma Ayana and others. Everything from tripped out cosmic soul pop, to electro funk and psych soul guitar jams – Prince will be Prince! Includes the title track, "Clouds", "Breakdown", "The Gold Standard", "Breakfast Can Wait", "This Could Be Us", "Way Back Home", "Affirmation" (parts I, II & III), "Time" and more. CD

The last album before becoming the Artist Formerly Known As Prince. Much better than you might expect from an album that appeared, at least at the time, to have been pulled mostly from his huge archive of tapes, with a sound that seems to date it from the surrounding New Power Generation years. Includes "Pheromone", "Papa", "Race", "Come", "Space", "Loose!", "Dark", "Solo", "Letitgo" and "Orgasm". CD

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A great return to form for Prince – even though at the time, we all had to refer to him with an unpronounceable symbol! There's a lean, funky vibe to most of the record – almost a step back to the unified group approach of his mid 80s classics – and even though a few sonic elements have been updated, they changes have been done in the best way possible – partly by absorbing some of the new pop psychedelic touches that Prince himself had unlocked back in the 80s, filtered into the work of others, and which are taken back here with great modifications that really sound great next to the grooves! Titles include "The Most Beautiful Girl In The World", "We March", "Now", "319", "Billy Jack Bitch", "Eye Hate U", "P Control", and "Shy" – plus a number of short "NPG Operator" tracks. CD

Ultra rare Japanese-only limited edition promo release – with club versions and remixes of Prince classics! CD

56 tracks on 3 CDs!! CD

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A fantastic musical gift from beyond – early 80s recordings by Prince, and the sort of work that might have been a huge revelation if it were issued during his too-short career! As the title implies, the set just features the man himself at the piano – singing and playing with a very intimate vibe – completely unlike any of his 80s material at all, even though some of the songs are the same! Prince is fantastic at the keys – really compelling and inspirational – with a sense of feeling that opens up some of his jazz chops in a way we never would have expected – and which is then matched by a more freewheeling sense of vocalization – with these fantastic inflections that leave us breathless, but again in a completely different way than his other music. The first half of the set features Prince flowing through songs that include "17 Days", "Purple Rain", "Mary Don't You Weep", "A Case Of You", "International Lover", "Wednesday", and "Strange Relationship" – and the second half features the songs "Why The Butterflies" and "Cold Coffee & Cocaine". CD

One of the greatest crossover albums of the 80s – and the record that catapulted Prince very firmly into the mainstream! There's a tightness here that surpasses even that of Prince's early classics for Warner Brothers – an unabashed love of a pop hook that makes for some incredibly catchy tunes that are still delivered with a nice funky undercurrent. The whole Prince family is at the top of their game at this point – and titles include "Darling Nikki", "Let's Go Crazy", "I Would Die 4 U", "When Doves Cry", "Baby I'm A Star", and "Purple Rain". This fantastic 3CD/DVD version features a completely new 2015 Paisley Park remaster of the album, done by Prince – plus a full CD that features unreleased songs and tracks from the vaults – with titles that include "Katrina's Paper Dolls", "We Can F**k", "Father's Song", "Possessed", "Computer Blue (hallway speech version)", "Love & Sex", "The Dance Electric", "Our Destiny/Roadhouse Garden", "Wonderful Ass", "Velvet Kitty Cat", and "Electric Intercourse (studio version)". CD3 features lots of rare single edits and non-LP b-sides – with tracks that include "Erotic City", "Let's Go Crazy (special dance mix)", "17 Days (edit)", "Baby I'm A Star (edit)", "I Would Die 4 U (extended)", "Another Lonely Christmas (extended)", "Take Me With U (edit)", "God (edit)", "When Doves Cry (7" edit)", and "God (inst)". DVD features a never-issued concert performance, recorded at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse in March of 1985 – with 19 songs in all! CD

Possibly the only good thing to come out of the first Batman movie – and certainly a lot better than Prince's score for the film – this is an extended 20-minute slow jam suite, with a guest appearance by Kim Basinger, and some of the last real sexy musical work that Prince ever did! It's backed by the tracks "Sex" and "When 2 R In Love". CD

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Prime live material from the Ramones – recorded on the final night of 1977, right when the group was at the height of their power! If you ever got a chance to see The Ramones back in the day, the sound was really amazing – every bit as short, sharp, and focused as the studio records – but even more so, as the group would work through their set list with razor-sharp intensity, almost this juggernaut of punk rock sound that never lets up from start to finish! That quality is definitely in place here, as the whole thing tears through an incredible set list that includes "California Sun", "Rockaway Beach", "Teenage Lobotomy", "I Wanna Be A Good Boy", "Sheena Is A Punk Rocker", "Suzy Is A Headbanger", "I Don't Care", "Havana Affair", "We're A Happy Family", "Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue", "Let's Dance", "Chainsaw", "Do You Wanna Dance", "You're Gonna Kill That Girl", "Gimme Gimme Shock Treatment", "Glad To See You Go", and "Blitzkrieg Bop". CD

Alright, let's get this straight right now – the songs don't sound the same, they ARE the same and that's why we love them! If you found a way to concentrate 30 years of the best rock & roll into two and a half minutes of beautiful primal energy that still managed to qualify as ear candy, would you try to change things up? Tracks include "Rockaway Beach", "Sheena Is A Punk Rocker", "Why Is It Always This Way", "Surfin Bird", "Do You Wanna Dance", and "Cretin Hop". Odds, ends, and demos include an early version of "Needles & Pins", a demo of a song called "Slug", single versions of "I Don't Care" and "Sheena Is A Punk Rocker", and the UK version of "It's A Long Way Back To Germany". CD

Titles include "How Can I Be Sure", "It's Wonderful", "A Beautiful Morning", "Love Is A Beautiful Thing", "Good Lovin", "Groovin", and "A Girl Like You". CD

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Features Joshua Redman on saxophones, Aaron Goldberg on piano, Reuben Rogers on bass, and Gregory Hutchinson on drums. CD

A real breakout set from the young Joshua Redman – the kind of record that made some mighty big ripples in the jazz world at the time – and which ended up in more record collections than we can count – and for good reason, too! The group's a rock-solid quartet – with Redman on tenor, Brad Mehldau on piano, Christian McBride on bass, and Brian Blade on drums – and titles include "Sweet Sorrow", "Chill", "Rejoice", "Faith", "Alone In The Morning", "Mischief", "Dialogue", "The Oneness Of Two (In Three)", "Past In The Present", "Obsession", and "Headin' Home". CD

Features Joshua Redman on tenor, Pat Metheny on guitar, Charlie Haden on bass, and Billy Higgins on drums! CD

Features Joshua Redman on saxophones, Peter Martin on piano, Christopher Thomas on bass, and Brian Blade on drums. CD

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A nice later noise pop moment in REM's canon, bringing some electric fuzz to the forefront after the soaring, anthemic alt folk of Automatic For The People! Monster might've been a bit divisive at the time, and maybe it still is after all these years, but it holds up better than a lot of their later work, with catchy vocals sailing over reverb-y guitars. REM changed courses a lot over the years, but this might be one of the their latest daring twists, especially coming out at right after the most popular peak. Includes "What's The Frequency, Kenneth?", "Crush With Eyeliner", "Star 69", "I Don't Sleep, I Dream", "Strange Currencies" and more. CD

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Joe Sample on piano and synthesizer, Jay Anderson and Marcus Miller on bass, Lenny Castro and Steve Gadd on drums, and Dean Parks on guitar. CD

Arranged by Jacky Terrasson. CD

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Paul Simon's mid 80s landmark – a record that brought together Simon's unique voice and pop folk songwriting skill with South African, Chicano, zydeco other global musical styles – held together by some of the best songs Simon ever put together! With lesser material, this would feel like the well-intentioned "world music" album by an aging star, but Simon transcends that in a big way with catchy, intelligent songs and expert production. Includes "The Boy In The Bubble", "Graceland", "Diamonds On The Soles Of Her Shoes", "You Can Call Me Al", "Under African Skyes", "All Around The World Or The Myth Of Fingerprints" and more. CD includes a demo of "Homeless" plus alternate versions of two other tracks. CD

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Nina sings Ellington – but as always, she makes whatever she sings all her own! The album's a bit straighter than later efforts – with large backings by Stu Phillips that also feature vocals by the Malcolm Dodds Singers – but Nina also conceived the whole thing herself, as an effort to bring a new level of spiritualism to Ellington's work. The result is a masterpiece – proof that even in her early years, Nina could completely transform anything she laid her hands on – and unlock a soulful depth that even the original recordings might have missed. Titles include "I Got It Bad", "Solitude", "The Gal From Joe's", "It Don't Mean A Thing", and "I Like The Sunrise". CD

A great little record that's way more jazz than some of Joanie Sommers' other albums – thanks to arrangements from Marty Paich and Tommy Oliver – both of whom help things stay lively, even when sweet – and almost give the album a similar feel to some of the best Bethlehem or Mode label jazz vocal sides of the 50s! Joanie's got none of her pop trappings here – and her vocals are nicely deep and mature – really feeling out the songs with a deeply personal vibe, and way more grown-up than we might have expected. The album's a real standout from Sommers' too-short career – and titles include "What's New", "My Heart Belongs To Daddy", "Something I Dreamed Last Night", "Oh But I Do", "That Old Devil Moon", and "So In Love". CD

Possibly the biggest album ever from Welsh singer Meic Stevens – but a set that's still pretty darn obscure, nonetheless! The album's all in English, and was recorded as a key outing for Warner – before Meic went back to his homeland, and went virtually underground. The style's quite unique, a raspy blend of folksy elements and some slight more sophisticated tones – echoes of Dylan and Leonard Cohen in some of the arrangements, but all abstracted nicely once Meic's unique vocals come into play. All tunes are Stevens originals, and are often quite personally poetic – and titles include "Dau Rhosyn Coch", "Ballad Of Old Joe Blind", "Ghost Town", "Midnight Comes", "Yorric", "Love Owed", and "Left Over Time". CD features bonus tracks – "Stealing The Railroad" and "I'm Not The One To Ask Why". CD

One of Sonny Stitt's amazing albums for Roost – a record with a beautifully mature conception of bop soloing, and a totally confident tone throughout! There's an understated brilliance here that's nearly impossible to describe in words – a sense of placement, timing, and phrasing that's really impeccable – and handled with Stitt at a level that shows tremendous growth from his early years on Prestige! The group's a quintet, with Freddie Green on guitar and Hank Jones on piano – and titles include "Afterwards", "Biscuit Mix", "Blues For Bobby", and "The Nearness Of You". Great cover, too – with Stitt backlit against a smokey backdrop, blowing away easily. CD

More sweet and smooth than muddy – but that's what we'd expect from James Taylor during these classic years! Titles include "You've Got A Friend", "Riding On A Railroad", "Highway Song", "You Can Close Your Eyes", and "Soldiers". CD

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Mark Turner on tenor saxophone, Kurt Rosenwinkel on guitar, Reid Anderson on bass, and Nasheet Waits on drums. CD

A pair of classic albums from The Undisputed Truth! First up is Method To The Madness – a gem from the second chapter of the group – that time when they stepped away from Motown, and followed producer/creator Norman Whitfield to his own label in California! The shift of record companies also marks a cool shift in styles too – an approach that still has all the bold, bassy elements you'd know from the earlier hits – but one that also has some fuller, more cosmic elements too! The set begins with a weird electronic spoken number that's almost experimental – then brings up the bass for a bit of heavy funk, while also using electric elements in a way that really points the way to sounds that other big funk groups would cop at the start of the 80s – but which really sound fresh here. Titles include "Sunshine", "Take A Vacation From Life (And Visit Your Dreams)", "Life Ain't So Easy", "You + Me = Love", "Cosmic Contact", "Hole In The Wall", and "Let's Go Down To The Disco". Smokin has them still going strong with Whitfield, in a groove that's every bit as wonderful as their early years! There's a killer mix of funk and deeper soul here that few other acts could handle this well – a way of hitting the flashy funk of Sly & The Family Stone or Graham Central Station – but also not falling into any showbiz traps, either – in a mode that really his the group not only respecting the role of each member, but also working together in a very cohesive way on the album. The result is a great little set that balances funky grooves with some excellent cosmic soul cuts – supported by great session work from giants like Wah Wah Watson, Walt Downing, and Jack Ashford. Titles include "Show Time", "Space Machine", "I Can't Get Enough Of Your Love", "Misunderstood", "Sandman", "Atomic Funk", and "Talkin To The Wind". CD

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The classic debut – with "You Really Got Me", "Runnin With The Devil", "Jamie's Cryin", "On Fire", "I'm The One", "Atomic Punk", "Eruption", and "Ice Cream Man". CD

The classic debut – with "You Really Got Me", "Runnin With The Devil", "Jamie's Cryin", "On Fire", "I'm The One", "Atomic Punk", "Eruption", and "Ice Cream Man". CD

Kirk Whalum on tenor and soprano saxophones and keyboards, Garry Goin on guitar and keyboards, John Stoddart on keyboards, Luis Conte on percussion, and Blair Cunningham on drums. CD

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The last album in The White Stripes incredible late 90s to mid 00s run – and they really went out on an epic high note – one of their very best records! As kicked off by the classic title tune, this one goes on to be fully connected to their raw roots, but committed with a bigger, more full-bodied sound, carrying over the depth of instrumentation they'd been building in over the years but still really honing in on the raging, fuzzy guitars. Classic! Includes "Icky Thump", "You Don't Know What Love Is (You Just Do What You're Told)", "300 MPH Torrential Downpour Blues", "Conquest", "Bone Broke", "Little Cream Soda", "I'm Slowly Turning In To You", "Catch Hell Blues", "Effect And Cause" and more. CD

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