Hardly any ragtime here – despite the title – and instead, the album's one of the greatest ever from drummer Beaver Harris – cut with his ultra-hip 360 Degree Music Experience group! The title is somewhat accurate in that the record brings together a long history of jazz-based expression – almost a century's worth of music, served up by Harris and the group members with the same fluid sensibility as Jaki Byard in his best work, although Byard was never this ambitious! The ensemble is somewhat large, but really comes together well – with an impressive range of artists who include Doc Cheatham on trumpet, Marshall Brown on trombone, Dave Burrell on piano, Keith Marks on flute, Cecil McBee and Jimmy Garrison on bass, and Maxine Sullivan and Bill Willingham on vocals. The album's sort of a mini-history of jazz, but one that's hardly hokey at all – and which usually veers towards Harris' more righteous modes of the 70s, even when hitting older styles. Sullivan is especially great – singing here as a sophisticated soul jazz diva of the 70s, and hardly the older-styled singer we might expect. A few moments are stripped down and percussive – and other odd instrumentation includes a bit of sitar and steel drums. Titles include "It's Hard To But We Do", "I Wish I Knew", "Can There Be Peace?", "Down In Brazil", "African Drums", and "Round Trip". LP, Vinyl record album

Earl Klugh's second album for Blue Note – and like the first, a nicely stripped-down album that we like a lot better than his later work! Klugh's sound and tone are still very pure here – set up in some nice small group arrangements by Dave Grusin, and recorded in a way that brings out all the sweetness in Earl's approach, without falling into the cheesy qualities that it inspired in so many other, weaker players. Part of the charm of the set is the strong use of acoustic guitar on the sessions – played by Klugh in a manner that has some strong Brazilian references, and which provides a nice contrast to the other electric instrumentation used on the record. If anything, Klugh's style is stronger and more confident than on his first outing – on titles that include "Kiko", "The April Fools", "Captain Caribe", "Felicia", and "Living Inside Your Love". LP, Vinyl record album

Brilliant work from the Picante label – the Latin-styled offshoot of the main Concord Records imprint – home to some of the best west coast Latin music for the past few decades! At a time when so many other labels were going for hits and crossover material, Picante started things out right with a real back-to-basics approach to Latin jazz – one that stripped the music back down to its roots, and focused on key instrumental contributions from top-shelf players. This approach continued even when the label moved into some vocal work too – and when it took on the amazing Tania Maria, who brought a bit of Brazilian flavor to their roster too – and over the years, Picante's west coast work really took over the helm from New York gians like Fania or Alegre. This 4CD package is filled with Picante gems from the glory days of the label – and titles include "Spain" by Tito Puente, "Mambo Mindoro" by Cal Tjader, "Think Twice" by Monty Alexander's Ivory & Steel, "Up Late" by Jeff Linsky, "Soca Me Nice" by Mongo Santamaria, "Night In Tunisia" by Caribbean Jazz Project, "Ran Kan Kan (Thunderball vs Fort Knox Five rmx)" by Tito Puente, "La Voz Del Caribe" by Eddie Palmieri, "La Cuna" by Pete Escovedo, "El Shing A Ling" by Poncho Sanchez, "Bom Bom Bom Tchi Tchi Tchi" by Tania Maria, "Sonando" by Poncho Sanchez, "Evil Ways" by Carmen McRae & Cal Tajder, and lots lots more. 50 tracks in all! (Latin, Jazz) CD

A tremendous little record, and one of the funky 70s sets that Ramsey Lewis recorded with Earth Wind & Fire! Well, not Earth Wind & Fire entirely – but the Kalimba Productions team of Maurice White and Charles Stepney that gave the group its sound – plus a nice sprinkling of other players that were often associated with sessions by the group! Ramsey's own combo here includes Steve Cobb on drums and vocals, and Derf Reklaw on reeds and vocals as well – and the overall sound has bits of African and Brazilian influences, worked into a soulful fusion groove that sounds a lot like the instrumental backings EWF were using at the time. Titles include "Brazilica", "Slick", "Rubato", "Salongo", and "Seventh Fold". LP, Vinyl record album

A really unique collaboration between fluteman Herbie Mann and soul singer Tamiko Jones – a vocalist who's always a really special talent, and who has an equally great ear for jazz as well! That style works perfectly here – as the vibe is somewhere between Herbie's Latin and Brazilian-styled sets for Atlantic, and some of the groovier jazz of the 60s – particularly the styles influenced by hip soundtracks of the time. Arrangements are very fresh, and even make familiar tunes pop nicely – thanks to work on the charts from Joe Zawinul, Melba Liston, and Jimmy Wisner. But the really special talent here is Tamiko – who sometimes sings lyrics, sometimes works wordlessly in a really cool mode – on titles that include "A Man & A Woman", "O Barquinho", "It's Time That You Settled Down", "Sidewinder", "Day Tripper", "Sunny", and "How Insensitive". LP, Vinyl record album

Seminal work from the man credited with the invention of bossa nova! Way back in the early 50s, Bud Shank cut some albums for Pacific Jazz in LA with guitarist Laurindo Almeida. These records mixed together Shank's flute and sax with lively guitar stylings by Almeida – and in many accounts, the recordings are quoted as being a seminal influence on the bossa scene in late 50s Brazil. No surprise, then, that when bossa broke in the US, Pacific Jazz took Shank back in the studio to cut more side in the same style – which is what you'll get on this excellent 2CD set! The work here ranges from 1962 to 1965 – and it features Shank playing in a number of groups: one with Clare Fisher piano, Larry Bunker vibes, and Milt Holland percussion; one with Fisher on piano and organ, Bunker on vibes, and Joe Pass on guitar; one with Joao Donato on piano and Rosinha De Valenca on guitar; and one with De Valenca on guitar and Sergio Mendes on piano. The 2CD set features 28 tracks in all – all pure stripped-down bossa jazz at its finest. Shank's a hell of a reed player – and the format gives him one of the best platforms to blow of his career. Titles include "Sambou Sambou", "Elizete", "Um Abraco No Bonfa", "Gostoso", "Joao", "Serenidade", "Silk Stop", "Sausalito", "Illusao", "Caminho De Casa", "Otem A Note", "Wistful Samba", "O Barquinho", and "Samba Guapo". CD

Some of the earliest recordings of Brazilian percussionist Nana Vasconcelos – an artist who'd go on to have a huge history in jazz, including famous work with Pat Metheny on ECM! This set has Nana very much in his roots – playing first on a stunning solo percussion track that mixes melodic sounds on cuica with a whole host of other percussion instruments – then joining in this sublime improvisation with guitarist Agustin Pereyra Lucena – another favorite player of ours, and one who normally never records in such a stripped down mode! The mixture of percussion and guitar is fantastic – full of fresh ideas, and a great showcase for Lucena – who then takes off on two shorter solo tracks too. Titles include "Concerto Pra Mae Bio", "Improvisacao", "Tempo Feliz", and "Conversa Do Poeta". (Brazil, Jazz) CD

Some of the earliest recordings of Brazilian percussionist Nana Vasconcelos – an artist who'd go on to have a huge history in jazz, including famous work with Pat Metheny on ECM! This set has Nana very much in his roots – playing first on a stunning solo percussion track that mixes melodic sounds on cuica with a whole host of other percussion instruments – then joining in this sublime improvisation with guitarist Agustin Pereyra Lucena – another favorite player of ours, and one who normally never records in such a stripped down mode! The mixture of percussion and guitar is fantastic – full of fresh ideas, and a great showcase for Lucena – who then takes off on two shorter solo tracks too. Titles include "Concerto Pra Mae Bio", "Improvisacao", "Tempo Feliz", and "Conversa Do Poeta". (Brazil, Jazz) LP, Vinyl record album

Sweet bossa-tinged grooves from the 70s – but recorded in Switzerland, not Brazil! Guitarist Pierre Cavalli had plenty of experience with the scene in Brazil during the late 60s – and for these 70s sides, he really tries to recreate the best sounds of Rio from a few years back – but often mixes in some of his own offbeat twists and turns, including some of the hipper undercurrents he picked up while working on recordings for MPS! The tunes are less straight bossa than some great Germanic imagining of bossa nova – with slightly tripping turns from Pierre on his guitar, cool wordless vocals in a few spots, sweet Fender Rhodes, and arrangements from Bruno Spoerri and Angel Gatti that are mighty nice. The set's easily one of the best in Sonorama's reissue series – and titles include "Possarinhos", "Cachaca", "Violao Em Foco", "Pao De Acucar", "Transmissao Mutavel", "Tempo In Tempo", "Tecidos", and "Alegria". CD