Features "Caraven", "High Priest", "Theme", "Conversation", "Lady Luck", "Buzz-At", "Pretty Brown", "Six and Four", " Battery Blues", and more. CD

Mod mod 60s jazz – and 20 tight-as-can-be instrumentals from London's Dave Davani combo! Dave's a Hammond player with a great mix of soul jazz and R&B in his grooves – very much the best sort of instrumental work you might expect from London in the swinging 60s – a great blend of American influences and UK mod styles. The rest of the group includes guitar, bass, and drums – plus a bit of vocals and Latin percussion from Beryl Wayne. The groove here is clearly a precursor to the James Taylor Quartet, and the overall sound is better than some of the more famous groups from the time – such as the combos of Brian Auger or Graham Bond. The set features tracks from Dave's Parlophone album, a few other singles, and even 4 previously unissued tracks from the same time – with titles that inlcude "Big Bossa Man", "Working Out", "Funky Mama", "Sack O Woe", "Boot Leg", "Harlem Waltz", and "Pig Foots". CD

A great selection of some of Bobbi's funkiest tracks for Blue Note – with a focus on the tunes that have been big with the sample crowd over the past decade, all of which (no coincidence, thinks us!) are produced by the great Larry Mizell! Tracks include "Harlem River Drive", "San Francisco Lights", "Smiling Faces Sometimes", "My Little Girl", "Blacks & Blues", and "Please Set Me At Ease". Great funky flute and breezy keyboards – and every cut's a gem! CD

One of the coolest albums ever cut by Japanese wood flute player Hozan Yamamoto – a set that has him working with very groovy backings from the Sharps & Flats ensemble – who almost give the whole thing an MPS label blending of funky jazz and world music sounds! The approach is wonderful – a bit more upbeat and swinging than some of Yamamoto's other records, as Nobuo Hara leads the larger group with a totally cool sound – which makes the flute lines a sweet exotic touch over straightforward, soul-drenched, big band jazz! We might even link the sound to some of Dorothy Ashby's grooviest albums for Chess/Cadet – although with flute, instead of harp – and titles include "Komoro Mago-Uta", "Soma Bon-Uta", "Kokirio Bushi", "Sado Okesa", "Tairyo Utaikomi", and "Kuroda-Bushi". CD