Maybe the best Joe Lee Wilson album you can ever get! Joe Lee Wilson's got a spiritual jazz vocal style that's in the vein of Leon Thomas, but which often falls short of Thomas' greatness on other recordings – yet here, though, he's totally great – hitting a beautifully soulful vein that's totally righteous, and which really delivers on the promise you'll hear on his other records. The group's quite tight – the Bond Street combo, which includes Fielder Floyd on trumpet, Monty Waters on alto and soprano, and Shiroh Mori on guitar – and the session was released by the hard-to-find Why Not imprint of the Japanese label Trio, making it one of the more obscure records in Wilson's catalog. The set steps off with an amazing take on Billy Gault's "Mode For Trane" – and other titles include "Song For My Father", "One ", "Four", and "Sophisticated Lady". LP, Vinyl record album

Quite possibly our favorite album ever from Chico Freeman – a beautiful set that was originally issued only in Japan, and which has Chico hitting some of his strongest, most spiritual modes on record! The album features Freeman's reeds in the company of other Chicagoans – AACM players who include Henry Threadgill on saxes, Muhal Richard Abrams on piano, Douglas Ewart on flutes, and Steve McCall on percussion – plus added work from Cecil McBee on bass and Ben Montgomery on drums – both players who round out the group with a very solid rhythmic focus. There's a bold sense of direction to this record that you don't always get in other work from Chico – a sound that's almost more Strata East at points, and which serves to bring the AACM players into sharp formation, and a strongly rhythmic orientation at times. The whole thing's wonderful – very well-crafted, and filled with spirit and soul – and titles include "The In Between", "Like The Kind Of Peace It Is", "Morning Prayer", "Pepe's Samba", and "Conversations". LP, Vinyl record album

A seminal 70s set from the legendary Air trio – and one of their wonderful non-American dates from the early years – material recorded overseas, where this famous AACM trio was maybe getting more attention than in the US! The album was originally a Japanese-only album, and it's easily one of the group's greatest of the decade – a sublime set that really has them working strongly in their AACM roots, yet also reaching for a new sound too – a beautiful balance between jazz generations, carried off perfectly by the trio of Henry Threadgill on reeds, Fred Hopkins on bass, and Steve McCall on drums! Tracks are long, and extremely inventive – and titles include "Through A Keyhole Darkly", "Air Raid", and "Midnight Sun". LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic cover, and some great music to match – a key early classic in Chris Connor's late 50s run for Atlantic Records! As on her debut for the label, Ralph Burns handles the arrangements here – in a mode that's somewhat modern, but never too academically so – with just the right pitch to create an additional sense of edge next to Connor's vocals, but never overwhelm them too much. There's a new sense of expression going on here – one that perfectly illustrates why Chris' approach was so different than some of the more emotive singers from years before. Tracks include "Why Can't I", "About The Blues", "Thursday's Child", "High On A Windy Hill", and "Round About". LP, Vinyl record album

A landmark album that forever changed the face of live recordings – and soul music too! As has been told and retold often, King records not only had the genius idea of bringing recording equipment into the Apollo Theater to catch James in a smoking live setting – the sort of show that really set his fans on fire – but they also went out of their way to record and re-record the audience, creating a wonderful interplay on the record between James and the crowd. The result is the stuff of legend – and the record's filled with loads of nice tracks like "I'll Go Crazy", "Try Me", "I Don't Mind", "Lost Someone", "Think", "Night Train", and the massive medley featuring "Please Please Please/You've Got The Power/I Found Someone/Why Do You Do Me/I Want You So Bad/I Love You Yes I Do/Strange Things Happen". LP, Vinyl record album

An album of dark and subtle beauty – and still one of our favorite Miles Davis albums of all time! The set's not as earth-shattering as some of Davis' other work of the 60s, but that's why we like it so much – because the emerging genius of the group with Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, and Tony Williams is held in a really special place here – one that ruminates quietly on space and soul, while Davis majestically directs tones and colors that he'd never gotten in a small group format before! Titles include the amazing "Iris", one of Miles' most haunting themes – plus "Little One", "RJ", "ESP", "Mood", and "Agitation". LP, Vinyl record album

The mighty '69 self-titled set from Deep Purple – not as metallic or hard rock radio ready as their subsequent hit LPs – a deep effort that combined walloping intensity with a far flung blend classical element, proggy changes and bluesy rock! Deep Purple moved on to a much more mainstream ready groove in the early 70s, but this is a chance to hear them at their early, most adventurous best. Titles include "Chasing Shadows", "Blind", "Lalena", "Fault Line", "The Painter", "Why Didn't Rosemary?", "Bird Has Flown" and "April". LP, Vinyl record album

Although not as instantly captivating as their work for Stax, this set for ABC is still a pretty darn great group soul album! The group haven't lost their touch vocally – and Ron Banks and LJ Reynolds are still incredible singers that push smooth soul to a whole new level. The album includes the sublime "Do What You Wanna Do", one of the best male soul slow jams of the 70s – plus the cuts "Jane", "Stop Your Weeping", "Why Do You Want To Do Me Wrong", and "California Sunshine". LP, Vinyl record album

Sublime work from the duo of Jackie & Roy – a guy/gal vocal team, but one with a sound that's unlike anyone else we can think of! Both Jackie Cain and Roy Kral sing – and Roy also plays a mean piano, and writes a fair bit of the tunes too – really lively numbers that show off the bop-styled techniques they developed while working with Charlie Ventura – but with hipper, groovier lyrics – of the sort that are a key precursor to folks like Bob Dorough or Dave Frishberg! Instrumentation on the set is great, too – a small combo with guitar from either Joe Rumero or Barry Galbraith – served up in a really great mix of tunes that includes "Season In The Sun", "Slowly", "Cheerful Little Earful", "Why Not Admit It", "You Are The One", and "Hook Line And Snare". LP, Vinyl record album

JJ Johnson's greatest album – without a doubt! This gem of a session was recorded in 1960 in New York, with an incredibly hip sextet that includes Cedar Walton, Clifford Jordan, and Freddie Hubbard. The tracks are all long, hip, and very much in a Blue Note soul jazz mode – very unusual not only for Johnson, but for Columbia records as well. The album feels like it should have been issued on Epic, with those killer Dave Bailey sides from 1961 – which might be why it has frequently gotten lost in Johnson's career, hidden amidst some of the sleepier material that seems to see the light of day more often than this one. The album's a stone winner all the way through – and features Johnson playing some of his gutsiest solos ever. Tracks include "Minor Mist", "In Walked Horace", "Fatback", "Aquarius", and "Shutterbug". LP, Vinyl record album

A really great set – with a feel that's better than most other work from the time by the players! JJ and Nat team up for a Japanese concert – with help from Billy Childs on keyboards, Tony Dumas on bass, and Kevin Johnson on drums. Childs is the real star here, as he plays electric piano on a number of tracks – and gives the album a cool funky sound that we really didn't expect. 11 tracks in all, including "Horace", "Splashes", "Work Song", "Walkin", "It Happens", "Splashes", "Jevin", "Melodee", "Hummin", "Why Not", and "Cyclops". LP, Vinyl record album

Our favorite album ever from Roland Kirk – and a beautiful mix of two different sides of his genius! Side one's got Roland doing these crazy takes on late 60's pop cuts like "My Cherie Amour" and "Say a Little Prayer", plus his own "songs", done with soulful vocals and a straight-on approach that shows him trying to break out of the avant jazz underground, and reach a wider audience with a spiritual message on tracks like "Search For The Reason Why" and "Spirits Up Above". If this description sounds like a mess, it's not – because this side of the album is one of Kirk's most brilliant statements ever about jazz, soul, love and freedom! Side two has Roland in a straighter vein – running through a tight live set from Newport 1968, handled with fire and imagination, the kind of boundless energy he always brought to his public appearances. Tracks on that set include "One Ton", "Three For The Festival", "Afro Blue", and some great remarks by Roland! LP, Vinyl record album

Tight hard swinging big band set, with really complicated arrangements and some great writing. Not all of the players are names you'll recognize, but Levitt's talent for arrangement and leadership ensure a tight tight band, and the album wails nicely. Tracks include "Stop Those Men!", "Vera Cruz", "Insight", and "The Mayor Of Vermont Village". Levitt's always talked about in hipster musician circles. Get this and find out why. LP, Vinyl record album

A sublime lost group soul album – featuring The Moods, who we presume to be from St Louis (although we're working on second-hand information, so we're not sure.) The group have a harmony style that's a bit like Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes – but with rougher touches, and none of the disco mode of that group's later work – and on this set, they work their way through some wonderful numbers that groove at a midtempo pace, moving in smooth soul modes with electric piano and tenor behind the group's wonderful vocals. A real gem if you dig harmony ensembles – with an approach that's kind of east coast early 70s indie, but which has a tightness that makes us wonder why these guys didn't hit bigger! Titles include "Funk It Out", "Without Her", "Live Today", "Grooving When We Meet", "This Magic", and "You Came Into My Life". LP, Vinyl record album

An Italian prog classic from the New Trolls – a group who sing in English throughout, and work with a quality that makes us wonder why this set never broke big on the British or American scenes of the 70s! The record's got a very special vibe right from the start – a blend of acoustic guitar and stronger electric elements – served up in modes that use the acoustic instrument to underscore some of the darker, personal currents in the lyrics – almost a departed spirit that seems to leave the singer in this soul-searching position that really colors the tunes. Other instrumentation is a blend of heady guitars, keyboards, and drums – but often used in these really thoughtful ways – not just jamming for jamming's sake, and instead balanced with the lyrics in a very careful manner. Titles include "St Peter's Day", "Percival", "Searching", "Giga", "Bright Lights", "Lying Here", and "A Land To Live A Land To Die". LP, Vinyl record album

Beautiful beautiful early work from Dave Pike – a cascading array of vibes and piano – stretched out over some longer tracks that skip with a lyrical and modal groove throughout! Dave's working here with a group that includes Bill Evans on piano, Herbie Lewis on bass, and Walter Perkins on drums – and although his style is a bit more restrained than on his later funk albums, it also proves to be a wonderful match for the fluid colors of Evans' work on piano – as well as Perkins' light and playful work on the drum kit. There's a simplicity here that's really great – not as "over your head" as the Dave Pike Set of later years, and with a gentle grace that shows what a keenly mature player Pike was, even at this early age. Titles include "Why Not", "Vierd Blues", "Besame Mucho", and "Wild Is The Wind". LP, Vinyl record album

A great little record – a heck of a lot nicer than Tito's work in the 50s, with a much more hard driving mambo sound, touched by a bit of jazz. The style here's not dissimilar to Tito Puente's work at the time – and titles include "Ay No No No", "A Little Bit Of Mambo", "El Tunel", "My Reverie", "Oh My Pa Pa", "Why Do I Love You", and "Chika Ni Lambo". LP, Vinyl record album

On the one hand, our jazz snob side wonders why Diana Ross would be picked to star as Billie Holiday, but on the other, it makes perfect sense, as this soundtrack to the film was made during the early 70s, when she was at the top of her career, and one of the highest profile female soul singers. And she acquits herself quite well, with a solid performance that's more than respectable, helped along the way by sympathetic orchestral arrangements from Benny Golson and Oliver Nelson. While we may not turn to this recording over any of Billie's originals, it's a pretty remarkable turning point for Diana, establishing her "diva" status and helping to launch her solo career to new heights. 34 numbers in all, though many of them are dialogue or musical bits lifted from the film. Includes "All Of Me", "the Man I Love", "Ain't Nobody's Business If I Do", "Fine & Mellow", "You've Changed", "My Man", "Strange Fruit" and "God Bless The Child". LP, Vinyl record album

They may be Teenagers, but this is hardly teen pop – as the album's a key step in the direction towards soul music for the 60s – thanks to the mighty power of the tragic Frankie Lymon! There's a sense of darkness to the album right from the start – even in the hit that kicks things off – and Lymon's heartbreaking quality never lets up – with a deep soul sensibility that may well top the group leads of Clyde McPhatter or Jackie Wilson in the same generation. Even some of the more playful moments have an undeniable power – and titles include the classic "Why Do Fools Fall In Love", plus "I'm Not A Juvenile Deliquent", "I'm Not A Know It All", "Love Is A Clown", and "Please Be Mine". LP, Vinyl record album

Boy, does the heavy slab psychedelic sludge grooves of Blue Cheer ever sound wonderful, even more than 40 years since it originally walked the earth! Outsideinside hit not too long after the classic Vincebus Eruptem, and damned if we can determine why it's not as celebrated as the debut. That fuzzed out stomp of a sound is back in full effect, as are the titanic drums and an overall sound that uses an electric blues influence as a springboard into heavy cosmic space. Includes their ferocious cover of "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" plus "Feathers From Your Tree", "Just A Little Bit", "Gypsy Ball", "Come And Get It", "The Hunter", "Babylon" and "Magnolia Caboose Babyfinger". LP, Vinyl record album

A really great back to basics set from Denise LaSalle – returning to her deep soul roots after some bigger, clubbier records for major labels! There's a nicely down-home vibe to the record – the start of LaSalle's presence on the bluesier underground of the aging chitlin circuit – but still not as fully bluesy as she's be a few years later. The album draws a bit from Miami soul modes of the previous decade, but also really lets that Malaco approach grow into its own with a strong singer like Denise – finding new confidence as the label was fast becoming one of the last soul labels left in America! Latimore does a great guest appearance on the title cut "Right Place Right Time" – and other tracks include "Bump & Grind", "Good Man Gone Bad", "He's Not Available", "Why Does It Feel So Right", "Love School", and "Your Husband Is Cheating On Us". LP, Vinyl record album

A classic early set featuring the Jazz Messengers back when the group was less of an Art Blakey project, and more of an all-around affair – as you might guess from a lineup that also includes Horace Silver on piano, Kenny Dorham on trumpet, Hank Mobley on tenor, and Doug Watkins on bass! The live set is one of the earliest and purest versions of Blakey's hardbop vision, touched with the slightly exotic lyricism of Silver, which gives the tracks a wonderful edge. The playing is excellent throughout – and the album's the kind of live stormer that shows why the group were such a huge draw right out of the box, and why they performed as well (if not better) in a live setting than they did in a studio one! LP, Vinyl record album

A real hard-burner from Kenny Burrell – a set that was recorded for Blue Note in the guitarist's early career, but not issued by the label until the 70s – and even then only in Japan! Kenny's got the sharp edge and strong sense of leadership you'll hear on his classic Midnight Blue – and the lineup features strong tenor work from Hank Mobley, who seems to underscore the best elements in Burrell's tone – plus work from Horace Silver on piano – who plays with lots of soulful undercurrents, alongside Doug Watkins on bass, and Louis Hayes on drums! The record's got some slightly raspy edges, which may be why Blue Note originally held it back – but it's a real treasure for the deeper side of Kenny's tones – and titles include "Out For Blood", "Nica's Dream", "KB Blues", and "DB Blues". LP, Vinyl record album

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A landmark album from Timmy Thomas – one that mixes together electronics and soul in this wonderfully unique mellow groove – a style that's hardly ever been matched again, and which may well put this album at the same level as Shuggie Otis' classic Inspiration Information set! Timmy's working here in a very unusual format – one that takes spare drum-machine beats, adds in warm keyboard chords, and graces the whole thing with smooth vocals to give it a real dose of soul! The contrast between the colder beats and Timmy's sweetly crackling voice is amazing – and creates a sound that echoes with love, loss, and loneliness – making the album one of the finest to come from the growing Miami scene of the 70s. Includes the landmark title cut "Why Can't We Live Together", plus "Dizzy Dizzy World", "The Coldest Days Of My Life", "Funky Me", "Take Care Of Home", "In The Beginning", and "Cold Cold People". LP, Vinyl record album

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Although most Nonesuch Explorer sessions were ethnographic ones, recorded in the field by the label's engineers – this one's a studio session, recorded in New York by a group that's reputedly from Ghana, but which seems to be kind of a "fake" one from our perspective. Why? Well, because Charles Earland's playing tenor, for one – and although his native Philly was kind of far away from New York, we never heard it referred to as "Ghana"! Other players here are US-based jazz ones, too – like drummers Sonny Morgan and Robert Crowder, vibist Garvine Masseaux, and bassist George Brooks. The set's still got a strong High Life sound to it – but it also has jazz flourishes, too, in the way that was used some of the Art Blakey Afro-Drum experiments from the same time. Titles include "Ebony", "Bus Conductor", "Saturday Night", and "Sugar Soup". LP, Vinyl record album

Easily one of the greatest records that Brazilian percussionist Airto ever recorded – a stunning blend roots and jazzy currents, and a set that follows strongly off his work in the group Quarteto Novo! The set's got contributions from one of his key partners in that combo – reedman Hermeto Pascoal – and like Pascoal's material at this point, the whole thing is maybe one of the most perfect realizations of the musical vision that Airto was going for! There's none of the tighter, more polished sounds of his later fusion years – and this is the record that will show you just why his arrival on the American scene made such big waves at the time. Flora Purim also sings on the record – and titles include "Andei", "On Sonho", Papo Furado", and "O Galho da Rosiera". LP, Vinyl record album

The Albany touch is a great one here – at once angular and modern, yet also somewhat fragile and certainly human – that great blend of modes that Joe always brought to his rare dates in the studio! Even at the start, Albany had sort of an earthy undercurrent – one that was quite different than the way that might be used in a soulful setting, more kind of a backroom sort of view of the world – slightly detached, but often all-knowing – wrapped up in experience, but tentatively stepping forth to share its own ideas. And while that may sound like a lot to tie up in just one record, it's honestly a quality we feel from a set like this – an amazing Albany approach to the piano, and a good reminder of why we're so lucky that labels like this sought him out for recording sessions like this. Titles include "AB Blues II", "Joe's Blues", "Autumn Leaves", "Time On My Hands", and "Born To Be Blue". LP, Vinyl record album

Kind of hard to put a finger on the style of Jho Archer – which is probably why they used the phrase "many talents" in the title of this one! Jho's got a bit of Caribbean in his vocals – traces of calypso and Haitian soul, inflected with a hipper French approach to the backings, which are handled by H Rostaing, in a manner that reminds us of some of those used on the recordings of Henri Salvador. Jho sings in English and French – and the best cuts are nicely swinging. Titles include "Work Song", "Le Condamne", "The Peanut Vendor", "Cousin", "Ibo Lele", and "Sky Boat Song". LP, Vinyl record album

Incredible early work from Brenda & The Tabulations – one of the best male/female soul groups of their era, yet one that's often sadly overlooked! This album will more than display why the group are so great – as they have a unique quality that's soft and sweet, yet also deeply soulful at the same time – making full use of the lead vocals of Brenda Payton, but supporting them with some rich male harmony backings from the rest of the Tabulations. And although the one gal, three guy format is one used by Ruby & The Romantics and Gladys Knight & The Pips, Brenda's take on the format is quite different – more like female soul outright, with some guy soul touches – and often done in a heartbreaking east coast harmony mode! Titles include the group's big early hit "Dry Your Eyes", plus other good originals like "The Wash", "Just Once in a Lifetime", and "Hey Boy". Also with "Stay Together Young Lovers", and "Who's Lovin You" – plus a wonderful remake of "God Only Knows". LP, Vinyl record album

A Late Date from Ruth Brown – both in her 50s R&B years, and in the style of the work! The sound here isn't as rough and ready as on her famous singles – and the album's almost a jazz-based effort, done in a mellow, late nite mode with arrangements by Richard Wess – and a lovely, fluid style that we never knew Ruth had! There's still plenty of bluesy undercurrents, but the overall style is definitely more small club jazz – often in a torchy mode. Titles include "I Can Dream Can't I", "Why Don't You Do Right", "Bewitched", "It Could Happen To You", "We'll Be Together Again", "No One Ever Tells You", and "You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To". LP, Vinyl record album

If anyone deserved the name of Miss Rhythm in the 50s, it was the great Ruth Brown – as the singer was one of the most hard-hitting, sock-solid talents around – and really helped pave the way for the deeper styles of soul to come in the 60s! This album's filled with great Atlantic Records material from Brown – and also nicely moves past the bigger hits of the period – to show Brown really mixing it up in a great way, with the sort of diversity that Etta James wouldn't find in her own career until her later move to Chess Records. Tracks include "This Little Girl's Gone Rockin", "Somebody Touched Me", "I Hope We Meet On The Road Some Day", "Why Me", "Just Too Much", "Book Of Lies", "One More Time", "Jack O Diamonds", "I Can See Everybody's Baby", and "I Can't Hear A Word You Say". LP, Vinyl record album

A great Japanese-only collection – rare Atlantic Records material by Ruth Brown – way past the hits! Titles include "RB Blues", "Jack O Diamonds", "Love Me Baby", "Shine On", "I Can Dream", "Why Me", "This Little Girl's Gone Rockin", "Please Don't Freeze", "Tears Keep Tumbling Down", and "Somebody Touched Me". LP, Vinyl record album

One of our favorite Kenny Burrell albums – and a record with a much deeper feel than lots of his other work! Kenny cut this album with John Coltrane in 1958 – and the session's a real standout in both of their careers at the time – Kenny's, for being a well-crafted, highly-focused effort – and Coltrane's, for being a unique outing with a guitar, but one that's done with the same deep-spirited sound of his best work for Prestige. The group's a quintet, with Tommy Flanagan, Paul Chambers and Jimmy Cobb in the rhythm section – and titles include "Big Paul", "Lyresto", "Why Was I Born?", "I Never Knew", and "Freight Trane". LP, Vinyl record album

One of our favorite Kenny Burrell albums – and a record with a much deeper feel than lots of his other work! Kenny cut this album with John Coltrane in 1958 – and the session's a real standout in both of their careers at the time – Kenny's, for being a well-crafted, highly-focused effort – and Coltrane's, for being a unique outing with a guitar, but one that's done with the same deep-spirited sound of his best work for Prestige. The group's a quintet, with Tommy Flanagan, Paul Chambers and Jimmy Cobb in the rhythm section – and titles include "Big Paul", "Lyresto", "Why Was I Born?", "I Never Knew", and "Freight Trane". 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 great set of tracks that represent some of Chris Connor's first recordings as a solo act – a classic album originally issued as a 10" LP by the Bethlehem label! Backing is by the trio of Ellis Larkins – a great pianist with a really moody style that perfectly fits Connor's vocals – and Chris is in fine fine form, singing with that icy tone we love so much – a bit sad, and a bit mellow, but always heartfelt, without the forced emotion of other singers of her generation. Titles include "I Hear Music", "What Is There To Say", "Why Shouldn't I", "All About Ronnie", and "Spring Is Here". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the few albums ever cut by the brothers Conway – working here in Atlanta with a mix of 80s styles and older modes! Titles include "Por-Sha", "I Can't Fight It", "Why You Wanna Do Me Like You Do", "BOC", "If You Love Me", and "Ohio Jam" – a jam of Ohio Players tracks! LP, Vinyl record album

A great 2-fer – featuring both of Noel Coward's Columbia albums in one 70s set. First up is Noel Coward In New York – a very cool album from Coward – a talent you're probably more familiar with as a playwright, but who also happens to be quite the entertainer! This album is one of two great sets that Coward recorded live in the US in the mid 50s, and they really show him opening up a lot from earlier recordings – singing with an ease and swinging style that adds a whole new level to his classic compositions. It helps that Peter Matz is handling the backing and arrangements – jazzing up Noel's tunes with a nice 50s style – and the live setting of the recordings make them come off well, especially as the audiences are very enthusiastic! Titles include "Wait A Bit Joe", "Why Must The Show Go On", "I Like America", "Luisa", "I Went To A Marvelous Party", and "20th Century Blues". Next is Noel Coward at Las Vegas, one of our favorite vocal albums of the 50s – an incredibly witty live set from Noel Coward, recorded in Las Vegas, with a very different style than some of his other records! The Noel Coward you'll hear here is still steeped in the mannered wit of his earlier plays, but he's also let himself go considerably – working in front of a live audience with an eager ear for well crafted lyrics and innuendo. The songs are mostly numbers from Coward's earlier shows, but they're sung in a hip swinging loungey style that really gives them legs – moving them past their staid roots into strong 50s vocal territory. Includes 2 great remakes of Cole Porter numbers – "Let's Do It" and "Begin The Beguine", both with Coward's own lyrics – plus "Uncle Harry", "A Bar On The Piccola Marina", "World Weary", and "Mad Dogs & Englishmen". LP, Vinyl record album

A very cool album from Noel Coward – a talent you're probably more familiar with as a playwright, but who also happens to be quite the entertainer! This album is one of two great sets that Coward recorded live in the US in the mid 50s, and they really show him opening up a lot from earlier recordings – singing with an ease and swinging style that adds a whole new level to his classic compositions. It helps that Peter Matz is handling the backing and arrangements – jazzing up Noel's tunes with a nice 50s style – and the live setting of the recordings make them come off well, especially as the audiences are very enthusiastic! Titles include "Wait A Bit Joe", "Why Must The Show Go On", "I Like America", "Luisa", "I Went To A Marvelous Party", and "20th Century Blues". LP, Vinyl record album

Titles include "Tell The Truth", "Bottle Of Red Wine", "Why Does Love Got To Be So Sad", "Got To Get Better In A Little While", "Let It Rain", and "Roll It Over". LP, Vinyl record album

Wonderful work from this obscure funky group – a combo who hailed from Indy, only issued two albums back in the 70s, but also left behind this wicked batch of unissued cuts that were recorded up in Chicago! The group have a vibe that's every bit as great as their warmly collaborative look on the cover – clearly an ego-less funky combo who are able to shift singers and moods from track to tracks – trading leads between singers Anthony Joseph Roberts and Pamela Tanner, and also bringing lots of jazzy instrumentation into the mix too! These guys had been together for a number of years before recording the set, and are clearly at the top of their game – woodshedding hard away from the limelight, but knocking it out of the park with cuts that include "69 Cents", "I'm In A Hurry", "Shell Of A Man", "Where You Lead", "That Is Why", "Love So Strange", and vocal and instrumental versions of "See The Light". LP, Vinyl record album