A wonderfully wide-ranging look at the more unique aspects of Japanese jazz from the 60s onward – a set that mixes together spiritual tracks, bossa nova, and some surprisingly soulful tracks too – all from records that were only ever issued in Japan! If you've heard the great first volume, you'll know what to expect here – but we can also say that the scope of work here might even be better, and there's some great surprises along the way – especially on cuts that show the way these Japanese jazz musicians have taken some inspiration from American music, then really run far in their own new directions with the work. Titles include "Yamame" by Akira Miyazawa, "Loving You" by George Otsuka, "Down To The Sea" by Yoshio Ikeda, "Clair Deluge" by Toshiyaki Yokota & The Beat Generation, "Saynoara Blues" by Hideo Shiraki, "Blossom In The Water" by Masao Yagi, "Day Of The Sun" by Masahiko Togashi & Isao Suzuki, "Summer Wind" by Yasuko Nagamine & Yasuaki Shimizo, "Desireless" by Masahiko Togashi, "Lady Boogie" by Takeru Muaroka & His New Grup, "Constant Rain" by Tadao Sawai & Toshiyuki Miyama, and "Ma Mere L'Oye" by Jun Date & Masayki Takayanagi. LP, Vinyl record album

That's the great Grant Green on the cover – a hint that you're in for an all-masters set of funky guitar here – in a selection that's put together by the folks at Japan's Guitar Magazine! The package features 2CDs, and Grant gets one whole disc to himself – as the collection mixes together a fair bit of gems from the early 70s years when jazz guitar was finding much funkier currents, thanks to shifts that were taking place in the world of soul music – inspirations from the world of funky 45s, but taken to jazz territory with much longer grooves and extended solos! Tracks include "Brown Bag" and "No Way" by Ivan Boogaloo Joe Jones, "Bowlegs" and "Sister Janie" by Funk Inc, "Giblet Gravy" by George Benson, "Bambu" by Reuben Wilson, "Thank You" by Melvin Sparks, "Chunk A Funk" by Mel Brown, and "The Soul Roll" by Billy Butler – plus Grant Green cuts that include "Jan Jan", "Ain't It Funky Now", "Windjammer", "Sookie Sookie", "The Final Come Down", and "Hurt So Bad". CD

A very groovy idea! This sparkling set takes older vocal jazz tunes from the Verve catalog, and uses the songs as the basis for new tracks by some of the better producers in the global groove underground. The mix of styles and eras is quite compelling – as torchy vocals drift over the top of cutting edge beats – creating a sound that's bound to get you digging through the crates for some of these singers, and reevaluating work from the past like never before! Titles include "Who Needs Forever" by Astrud Gilberto remixed by Thievery Corporation, "Strange Fruit" by Billie Holiday remixed by Tricky, "Hare Krishna" by Tony Scott remixed by King Britt, "See Line Woman" by Nina Simone remixed by Masters At Work, "Return To Paradise" by Shirley Horn remixed by Mark De Clive-Lowe, "Feelin Good" by Nina Simone remixed by Joe Claussell, "Is You Is Or Is You Ain't My Baby?" by Dinah Washington remixed by Rae & Christian, and "How Long Has This Been Going On" by Carmen McCrae remixed by MJ Cole. And don't miss the super-low priced Verve Unmixed CD! CD

Athur Baker was a producer with a slightly bumpy path in the 80s, but there's no denying his impact on music at the time – particularly the way he had of funneling sounds from the streets to the dancefloors in the mainstream! Baker was one of the first to really have an ear for both hip hop and other styles of grooves – super-sharp on the right electro elements, yet with a richer understanding of soul, R&B, and club – all of which he brings to work here, on versions of tracks that have all the excitement of a special take on the tune from the clubs back in the day! This 4CD set comes in a huge book-style package, with plenty of notes – and features 43 classic mixes by Baker, with titles that include "Big Love (ext rmx)" by Fleetwood Mac, "Sun City (last rmx)" by Artists United Against Apartheid, "Running Away (Arthur Baker rmx)' by The Colourfield, "C'Est La Vie (ext rmx)" by Robbie Nevil, "Out Of Touch (club version)" by Daryl Hall & John Oates, "Living In A Box (dance mix)" by Living In A Box, "IOU (mega mix)" by Freeez, "Walking On Sunshine (12" version)" by Rockers Revenge, "Soweto (rmx)" by Jeffrey Osborne, "A Love Supreme (jazz in the house rmx)" by Will Downing, "Message Is Love (cupid mix)" by Arthur Baker & The Backbeat Disciples with Al Green, "Ever Fallen In Love (club senseless)" by Fine Young Cannibals, "Buffalo Stance (1/2 way 2 house mix)" by Neneh Cherry, and "Planet Rock (12" voc version)" by Afrika Bambaataa & Soulsonic Force. CD

Athur Baker was a producer with a slightly bumpy path in the 80s, but there's no denying his impact on music at the time – particularly the way he had of funneling sounds from the streets to the dancefloors in the mainstream! Baker was one of the first to really have an ear for both hip hop and other styles of grooves – super-sharp on the right electro elements, yet with a richer understanding of soul, R&B, and club – all of which he brings to work here, on versions of tracks that have all the excitement of a special take on the tune from the clubs back in the day! This 2LP package features 14 classic mixes by Baker, with titles that include "Big Love (ext rmx)" by Fleetwood Mac, "Sun City (last rmx)" by Artists United Against Apartheid, "Running Away (Arthur Baker rmx)' by The Colourfield, "C'Est La Vie (ext rmx)" by Robbie Nevil, "Out Of Touch (club version)" by Daryl Hall & John Oates, "Living In A Box (dance mix)" by Living In A Box, "IOU (mega mix)" by Freeez, "Walking On Sunshine (12" version)" by Rockers Revenge, "Soweto (rmx)" by Jeffrey Osborne, "A Love Supreme (jazz in the house rmx)" by Will Downing, "Message Is Love (cupid mix)" by Arthur Baker & The Backbeat Disciples with Al Green, "Ever Fallen In Love (club senseless)" by Fine Young Cannibals, "Buffalo Stance (1/2 way 2 house mix)" by Neneh Cherry, and "Planet Rock (12" voc version)" by Afrika Bambaataa & Soulsonic Force. LP, Vinyl record album

A really fantastic little collection – a look at the way that sounds from the Caribbean changed over nicely when brought to the UK scene – where immigrants from former British territory really helped to transform the sound of London in the 70s! The music here is served up in a range of different styles – certainly reggae, but with plenty of funk and soul too, mixed with other elements from the islands – all brought into new play together when taken up in the UK! Right from the start, the English artists were starting to put their own spin on things – so the cuts within offer up all these great new directions – maybe even more surprises than you're used to finding on some of the other collections from the Soul Jazz label! The presentation of material is superb, and there's some very detailed notes as well – with cuts that include "No Time For Hello" by Harry Beckett, "Ooh Boy" by Sandra Reid, "Don't Call Us Immigrants" by Tabby Cat Kelly, "RK1" by The Terrorist, "Black Pride" by Brown Sugar, "Don't Let It Go To Your Head" by Black Harmony, "Positive Vibrations" by Pebbles, "Love Money" by Funk Masters, "Ragga Trip" by Ragga Twins, "Be Thankful For What You've Got" by Winston Curtis, "Fug" by Cymande, "Sticks Man" by Black Slate, "Rising To The Top" by Dee Sharp, "Misty Winter" by Digital Mystikz, "Compelled" by Cosmic Irden, and "Still In Love" by Janet Kay & Alton Ellis, and "Java Bass" by Shut Up & Dance. CD