An interesting early album from Betty Carter – less jazz than some of her later work, but with a bit more of an edge than some of her ABC recordings. The album's got sort of an arranged sophisticated jazz style – in the mode of 60s work by Esther Phillips or Dinah Washington – and Betty handles some wonderful material with a dark edge, like "Two Cigarettes In The Dark", "Nothing More To Look Forward To", "Round Midnight", "I Wonder", "Who What Why Where When", and "The Good Life", all done in a sorrow-drenched style that's incredibly compelling, and a very different side to Betty's career. An album you'll be hard-pressed to find on vinyl – and nicely repacked for CD with 2 bonus cuts: "One Note Samba" and "Shine On Harvest Moon". (Vocalists, Jazz) CD

An interesting early album from Betty Carter – less jazz than some of her later work, but with a bit more of an edge than some of her ABC recordings. The album's got sort of an arranged sophisticated jazz style – in the mode of 60s work by Esther Phillips or Dinah Washington – and Betty handles some wonderful material with a dark edge, like "Two Cigarettes In The Dark", "Nothing More To Look Forward To", "Round Midnight", "I Wonder", "Who What Why Where When", and "The Good Life", all done in a sorrow-drenched style that's incredibly compelling, and a very different side to Betty's career. (Vocalists, Jazz) LP, Vinyl record album

Guitarist Jan Akkerman bridges many worlds here – deftly stepping between spare acoustic guitar modes and some much more dynamic electric ones – but all with a sense of care and vision that really makes the record come together! The set begins with a few themes from John Dowland, updated by Akkerman, but still played with an ancient sort of vibe – one that leads into some very cool fusion moments that mix centuries-old aesthetics with the modern – creating a sense of anachronism that really keeps things interesting. Gene Orloff handled some of the larger arrangements, but the focus is always on Akkerman's deft work on the guitar – and titles include "Britannia", "House Of The King", "Javeh", "Lammy", and "A Fantasy". LP, Vinyl record album

Brian Auger's first album away from singer Julie Driscoll – and a landmark batch of funky organ work that made big waves in both the rock and jazz worlds at the time! Auger's really stretching out here – getting past the simple R&B of his roots, and going into a bubbling funky style that's clearly touched by chromatic inspirations from Wes Montgomery and Jimmy Smith – both of whom are referenced by some of the song structures on the set. The album's filled with killer organ-based instrumentals – some lean and stripped down, others full and rich – and all of them coming across with a richly soulful sound that you'd hardly expect from a member of the British rock scene! Titles include "Day In The Life", "Red Beans", "Definitely What!", and his classic "Bumpin' On Sunset". LP, Vinyl record album

Hard jamming European prog fusion – almost in the mode of Focus, but without any vocals or yodelling! The record has less of the choppy riffing that might make it funky – and it's more over the top virtuoso type stuff, in the mode of early Genesis, Yes, or ELP. Titles include "Pisces", "Bridge To Alice", and "Register Magister". (Rock, Jazz) LP, Vinyl record album

A jazz version of a Broadway show, but an especially great one too – and a set that's really quite fresh, given the less familiar nature of the Harold Rome compositions! Hanna's presentation of the material really gets past the roots of the tunes – and he uses the songs as great vehicles for melodic improvisation – working not only in a trio that features George Duvivier on bass and Roy Barnes on drums, but also sometimes with added guitar from Kenny Burrell, who really helps break this one past standard piano trio format! Hanna's bold but lyrical approach is a perfect fit for the tunes – and titles include "Hoop De Dingle", "I Say Hello", "Once Knew A Fella", "That Ring On The Finger", "I Know Your Kind", and "Fair Warning". LP, Vinyl record album

Roland Hanna's certainly easy to love here – working in a free-flowing trio mode, with a fair bit more soul jazz touches than on some of his later work! Rhythm here is from Ben Tucker on bass and Roy Barnes on drums – both of whom bring in a gentle little groove that augments the more rhythmic side of Hanna's piano – taking his warmer lyrical flow, and giving it a nice sense of focus, especially on some of the standards on the set. Titles include Tucker's original "Farouk Thelonious", plus "From This Day On", "The Best Things In Life Are Free", "Night In Tunisia", "Easy To Love", and "It Never Entered My Mind". CD

Roland Hanna's certainly easy to love here – working in a free-flowing trio mode, with a fair bit more soul jazz touches than on some of his later work! Rhythm here is from Ben Tucker on bass and Roy Barnes on drums – both of whom bring in a gentle little groove that augments the more rhythmic side of Hanna's piano – taking his warmer lyrical flow, and giving it a nice sense of focus, especially on some of the standards on the set. Titles include Tucker's original "Farouk Thelonious", plus "From This Day On", "The Best Things In Life Are Free", "Night In Tunisia", "Easy To Love", and "It Never Entered My Mind". LP, Vinyl record album

With Cutty Cutshall on trombone, Bob Wilbur on soprano and clarinet, Al Chernet on banjo and guitar, Howard Collins on guitar, Jack Lesberg on basss, Hap Gormley on drums, and George Devens on percussion; and features Don Butterfield on tuba, Bob Haggart on bass, and Gary Burton on marimba. LP, Vinyl record album

With Curt Cress on drums and berimbau, Roy Louis on guitar, Elmer Louis on percusion, Kristian Schultze on piano and organ, Wolfgang Schmid on bass, and Klaus Doldinger on tenor and soprano, organ, Moog, and flute; plus guests Clelio Ribeiro, Wilson Das Neves, Pedro Sorongo Santos, Noel Manuel Pinto, Marcello Salazar, and Mats Bjorklund. LP, Vinyl record album