Features Tony Purrone on guitar, Jeff Fuller on bass, and Frank Bennett on drums! LP, Vinyl record album

Sweet funky jazz from the 70s! Gonzalez were an obscure UK combo – probably known a lot better over in England, but pretty darn hard to find over here in America – and they've got a tight style that reminds us of some of the more well-produced jazz funk coming out on labels like Blue Note or Blue Thumb during the mid 70s. Some cuts have vocals, but most of the record's instrumental – and it's filled with great guitars, and some excellent sax work that goes way past the usual funky tenor line! The groove's a nicely sophisticated blend of jazz funk and modern soul – with the kind of groove that you might expect to hear on some of the Capitol Rare compilations. The CD brings together cuts from the group's first album Gonzalez, plus a few more from the album Our Only Weapon Is Our Music. Titles include "Pack It Up", "Funky Frith Street", "Saoco", "Ahwai Five-O", "Rissoled", and "Adelanto Nightride". Very nice – and the kind of group we love to discover! (Soul, Jazz) CD

Incredible soul jazz from the great Pharoah Sanders – two great numbers from his post-Impulse Records years! "You've Got To Have Freedom" is maybe one of the greatest cuts that Sanders ever did during this time – a long-spun, really anthemic number that has this fast modal groove, rising vocals, and a tremendous tenor solo in the middle! The flipside features his own take on the Marvin Gaye tune "Got To Give It Up" – done as a funky instrumental, with a bit more electricity than you might expect – but still a very searing tenor solo in the middle! 12-inch, Vinyl record

One of our favorite albums ever – and every track is a masterpiece! The album was originally cut for the tiny Chiaroscuro label in 1977 – and it's got a sound that's unlike anything else we can think of – soaring, soulful, jazzy, and righteous – wrapped up in a blend that's never been done this perfectly again! James Mason's a player who's know for a bit of keyboard work with other artists – but here, he's really working as a collective power – bringing together a brilliant ensemble that work as one to hit some sublime sounds – much in the way that Roy Ayers could work some key magic with his groups at the same time, but with a vibe that's very different too. Players include Ayers associates Justo Almario on saxes and Philip Woo on piano – and a young Narada Michael Walden adds some excellent drums to the record – a lot more powerful and funky than on most of his own albums! Lead vocals are by Clarice Taylor – who's got this unique voice that really makes the record – proud, but sensitive at the same time too – and Mason plays lots of Fender Rhodes, polymoog, Arp, and a bit of guitar. Titles include the breakbeat classic "Funny Girl", the monster groover "Sweet Power Your Embrace", the funky "Slick City", and the massive "Free" – but every cut's a winner, and others include "Mbewe", "Rhythm Of Life", and "Dreams". This is the kind of album that makes us proud to be in business! CD

A tight debut from Lasperanza – aka arranger producer Rico Garofalo, who put together the whole set as a tribute to older jazz, funk, and soul that laid the seeds for his own music in recent years! The record has a vibe that's a bit like that strong UK soul tradition started with Incognito, and carried forth by a number of other artists in recent years – with a really strong vision at the core, handled by a musician who's also a maestro in the studio – who then opens the door to a shifting array of singers who really make the record sparkle with a great sense of variety! Lasperanza has sax or flute solos on most tracks, and seems ready to rise up there with the cream of UK soul labels like Dome or Expansion in recent years – and guest singers include Decosta Boyce, Hannah White, LaAerial, Kayleigh O'Neill, Colette Connor, Keni Stevens, and Izzy Chase. Most tracks are remakes of soulful classics, completely changed up – and titles include "Let's Stay Together", "Give Me The Night", "Kilimanjaro", "Under The Moon & Over The Sky", "Early Morning Love", "Working Day & Night", "In The Mood", and "It Should Have Been You". (Neo Soul, Jazz) CD

A really mindblowing session from McCoy Tyner – perfectly titled "Expansions" to showcase the change in his style at the time! The record is one of Tyner's first larger group efforts – and is a brilliant example of the expansion of his talents in the post-Coltrane years – a searing, soaring batch of longer tunes that dance with joy, life, and a new sense of energy in jazz – carried off perfectly by a lineup that includes excellent contributions from Gary Bartz on alto, Wayne Shorter on tenor, and Woody Shaw on trumpet. The album is as spiritual and swinging as you'd expect from those players – with a sound that's more Strata East than Blue Note – and titles include "Vision", "Song of Happiness", "Smitty's Place", and "Peresina". CD

A really mindblowing session from McCoy Tyner – perfectly titled "Expansions" to showcase the change in his style at the time! The record is one of Tyner's first larger group efforts – and is a brilliant example of the expansion of his talents in the post-Coltrane years – a searing, soaring batch of longer tunes that dance with joy, life, and a new sense of energy in jazz – carried off perfectly by a lineup that includes excellent contributions from Gary Bartz on alto, Wayne Shorter on tenor, and Woody Shaw on trumpet. The album is as spiritual and swinging as you'd expect from those players – with a sound that's more Strata East than Blue Note – and titles include "Vision", "Song of Happiness", "Smitty's Place", and "Peresina". LP, Vinyl record album

A really great early album from George Duke – quite different than his work for MPS to follow – and more in a groovy late 60s California mode! There's a vibe here that resonates nicely with some other late 60s sessions on Liberty Records – kind of an expansion of a Cali soul jazz mode, similar to the style the Crusaders were starting to go for – but colored in with some of Duke's obviously hip inclinations as well! George plays some great electric piano on the record – and other players include Ernie Watts on tenor and flute, and Jay Graydon on guitar – on titles that include "Soul Watcher", "Since You Asked", "Shades Of Joy", "Alcatraz", and "A Little Bit Of Seven". LP, Vinyl record album

The set's billed as the "masters of improvisation" – and it definitely lives up to that title with the performance – which features three long, improvised tracks that really bubble and bristle with dynamic energy! These guys are surprisingly sensitive of each other's space and sound at times, but also can come together beautifully as a whole – with great sonic building blocks from the tenor of Kidd Jordan, trombone of Steve Swell, piano of Joel Futterman, and drums of Alvin Fiedler. The set was recorded at the Old US Mint in New Orleans – and titles include "Expansion", "Residue", and "Sawdust On The Floor". CD

... CD

The mighty Lonnie Liston Smith live – sounding every bit as great as he did on his famous studio sessions from the 70s – and maybe even more freewheeling too! The feel of the record is really tremendous – extremely soulful, with Lonnie jamming away on keyboards as the band grooves up these cool spacey rhythms – stepping out in territory that's definitely the more cosmic side of jazz funk, with those righteous currents that always made Lonnie so great. The whole thing's wonderful – with loads of great electric work, and an overall spiritual vibe that's every bit as great as his albums for Flying Dutchman – and players include Donald Smith on flute and a bit of vocals, Dave Hubbard on tenor and soprano sax, and Lonnie himself on Fender Rhodes, clavinet, and Arp. The set includes a nice extended take on "Visions of A New World", plus the tracks "Watercolors", "Sorceress" – which isn't on any of his studio albums, "Prelude", and the classic "Expansions". LP, Vinyl record album

We kinda want to hate the guy for such a hokey name like Tenderlonious – but this album's a surprisingly great little gem, and one that mixes lots of openly-blown work on flute with some sweet keyboards and other jazzy rhythms! The approach is maybe a bit like the Jason Lindh or Chris Hinze albums of the early 70s – and by that, we mean their better sets – with a flute approach that's less biting than the generation of Herbie Mann and Roland Kirk, using the instrument more in these spacious ways that are pretty darn great – especially against the heavy percussion and basslines of the 22Archestra! There's a few nice moments that almost have a Bobbi Humphrey sort of warmth – and titles include "Togo", "SV Interlude", "Expansions", "The Shakedown", "Yussef's Groove", "Red Sky At Night", and "You Decide". CD

Stellar grooves from the great Ramsey Lewis – a set that has the pianist teaming up with Chicago soul arranger Tom Tom 84, in a wonderful fusion of jazz solos and R&B rhythms! The style's never too smooth, and never that commercial – always served up with that level of class and sophistication that made Ramsey a winner right from the start – and still very much in the forefront with a record like this! Tom Tom brings a nice depth to the record, and avoids any too-smooth cliches – and the Ramsey's lead lines are often acoustic, which makes for a nice mix with the electric rhythms of the backdrops. Titles include "Love Is", "Will You", "Michelle", "Don't Ever Go Away", "Expansions", and "She's Out Of My Life". LP, Vinyl record album

We kinda want to hate the guy for such a hokey name like Tenderlonious – but this album's a surprisingly great little gem, and one that mixes lots of openly-blown work on flute with some sweet keyboards and other jazzy rhythms! The approach is maybe a bit like the Jason Lindh or Chris Hinze albums of the early 70s – and by that, we mean their better sets – with a flute approach that's less biting than the generation of Herbie Mann and Roland Kirk, using the instrument more in these spacious ways that are pretty darn great – especially against the heavy percussion and basslines of the 22Archestra! There's a few nice moments that almost have a Bobbi Humphrey sort of warmth – and titles include "Togo", "SV Interlude", "Expansions", "The Shakedown", "Yussef's Groove", "Red Sky At Night", and "You Decide". LP, Vinyl record album