There's two stylish British hipsters on the cover, but the album's filled with classic American jazz tracks – each hand-picked by Martin Freeman and Eddie Piller, and served up with plenty of soul! The work here begins in hardbop territory, and moves through 60s soul jazz and more righteous moments in the 70s – and while there's a few more recent tracks, the vibe of the record is very vintage throughout – and really reflects that longtime London love of obscure American records – sounds from a scene that has really taught us a lot over the decades! There's a few tracks here we haven't seen in years, and some great old favorites too – and titles include "Now At Last" by Blossom Dearie, "Trees & Grass & Things" by Charles Williams, "The Hipster" by Harold McNair, "Chains" by Blacks & Blues, "Bend Your Head Down Low" by Geoffrey Stoner, "Sphynx" by Brand New Heavies, "Look At Me Look At You" by Marlena Shaw, "Get Up Off Your Knees" by David Axelrod, "Psychedelic" by Lee Morgan, "Terra Firma Irma" by Joe Gordon,"The Rhythm Changes" by Kamasi Washington, "Just In Time To See The Sun" by Leon Thomas, "Mother Of The Future" by Norman Connors, and "Mi Hermano" by Blue Mitchell. (Funky Compilations, Jazz) LP, Vinyl record album

A great snapshot of jazzy London in the years before the acid jazz explosion of the late 80s – and a surprisingly great soundtrack that's stood the test of time much more than the actual film! The music here represents a jazz-based undercurrent of the London scene that was already turning its ears back in time – to a pre-mod era of the late 50s, which is the setting for Colin MacInnes original novel used for the film – portrayed here in a pastiche of vocal and instrumental songs that often have a fair bit of classic touches! Gil Evans was brought in for most of the instrumentals, and turns out some really sparkling charts that have all the charm of his best work of the 50s – and other contemporary artists do a pretty great job themselves – at least on the more jazz-based numbers. Evans numbers include versions of Charles Mingus' "Boogie Stop Shuffle" and "Better Git It In Your Soul", plus his own "Va Va Vaoom" – and the better jazzy tunes includes the excellent "Killer Blow" by Sade, plus "Have You Ever Had It Blue" by The Style Council, "That's Motivation" and "Absolute Beginners" by David Bowie, "Rodrigo Bay" by Working Week, "Selling Out" by Slim Gaillard, and "Riot City" by Jerry Dammers. (Soundtracks, Jazz) LP, Vinyl record album

A full-on jazz rock spectacular – done with a style that's a lot like some of the best British projects of this type from the time, but recorded in Las Vegas, with a lineup of American players that includes guitarist Dean Parks, trumpeter Bobby Shew, and tenorist Don Menza! The album's got a really rumbling bassy feel – kicking ass with a rock-based bottom, but coming across with a surprisingly jazzy sound overall! There's strong solos on nearly every track, and the album (unlike many of its contemporaries) doesn't feature any vocals at all – which means that you can keep in the groove without getting sidetracked by any weak singing! Titles include "Acid West", "Keep On Burnin", "Never In My Life", "Clown", "Sin's A Good Man's Brother", and "Rice Pudding". LP, Vinyl record album