A stone groover from the great Ray Bryant – one of his brilliant albums for Cadet from the 60s! Ray's soul jazz trio (with Freddie Waits on drums) is augmented by the 2-horn trumpet section he used on some of his other Cadet recordings from the time – trumpet from Snookie Young and flugelhorn from Clark Terry, both of whom really help the album open up from the usual standard soul jazz trio side! The sound is really unique, and the "bottom" of the brass gives his piano a nice deep sound that you wouldn't necessarily expect from the arrangement – almost a bit of a bounce at the bottom, always helping the groove. The record includes a number of nice originals, like "Little Soul Sister", "All Things Are Possible", "Erewhon", and "Monkey Business" – plus versions of "Gotta Travel On" and "Bag's Groove". CD

A stone groover from the great Ray Bryant – one of his brilliant albums for Cadet from the 60s! Ray's soul jazz trio (with Freddie Waits on drums) is augmented by the 2-horn trumpet section he used on some of his other Cadet recordings from the time – trumpet from Snookie Young and flugelhorn from Clark Terry, both of whom really help the album open up from the usual standard soul jazz trio side! The sound is really unique, and the "bottom" of the brass gives his piano a nice deep sound that you wouldn't necessarily expect from the arrangement – almost a bit of a bounce at the bottom, always helping the groove. The record includes a number of nice originals, like "Little Soul Sister", "All Things Are Possible", "Erewhon", and "Monkey Business" – plus versions of "Gotta Travel On" and "Bag's Groove". CD

Stunning live work from the great Pharoah Sanders – a set that's right up there with his best for the Teresa label in the 80s, but which also has some of the bite of his later Impulse material too! Tracks are long and modal – that groove that always seems to unlock the most soulful, mystical currents in Sanders' tenor – and the group is superb, with this beautiful work on bass from the young Curtis Lundy, plus John Hicks on piano and Idris Muhammad on drums – the latter of whom is in that looser mode he reopened in the 80s, and very different than his 70s funk years. Tracks are all nice and long – and titles include "Dr Pitt", "Greetings To Idris", "You Gotta Have Freedom", "It's Easy To Remember", and "The Creator Has A Masterplan". CD

Stunning live work from the great Pharoah Sanders – a set that's right up there with his best for the Teresa label in the 80s, but which also has some of the bite of his later Impulse material too! Tracks are long and modal – that groove that always seems to unlock the most soulful, mystical currents in Sanders' tenor – and the group is superb, with this beautiful work on bass from the young Curtis Lundy, plus John Hicks on piano and Idris Muhammad on drums – the latter of whom is in that looser mode he reopened in the 80s, and very different than his 70s funk years. Tracks are all nice and long – and titles include "Dr Pitt", "Greetings To Idris", "You Gotta Have Freedom", "It's Easy To Remember", and "The Creator Has A Masterplan". CD

The title's not a hokey TV reference or anything like that – but a strong reminder that the Count Basie group was still very much in their prime during the 1970s, thanks especially to the recording talents that the Pablo label brought to records like this! Most of the work here was arranged and composed by Sam Nestico – the talent who was bringing a really fresh voice to the Basie group while still keeping most of its best elements intact. The track "Bundle O Funk" features some great Fender bass in the grooves, and is arguably one of the few funky tracks that Basie ever recorded – but other tracks get back to an all acoustic groove, and include "The Great Debate", "Ya Gotta Try", "Reachin Out", "Featherweight", and "Prime Time". CD

The long-overdue reissue of some of Ahmad Jamal's first recordings – early sides for the Okeh and Columbia labels, all tunes that would go on to have a huge influence on the use of the piano in jazz! All tracks on the set were recorded in the early 50s with Jamal's great drumless trio that featured Ray Crawford on guitar and either Eddie Calhoun or Israel Crosby on bass – the latter of whom is tremendous here, working as a player who really helped set his instrument free from its traditional role in jazz. The trio's blend of guitar, bass, and piano is completely unique – extremely inventive at both a rhythmic and melodic level, as each instrument often fills both roles equally well – dancing around with an internal groove that emerges outwardly as an especially fluid approach to the tune. If you've never heard Jamal at his early best like this, the CD's gotta be one of the best places we can think of to start – as it features 21 titles in all, all beautifully remastered with impeccable sound that goes far beyond even our original albums! Titles include "Poinciana", "Black Beauty", "Something To Remember You By", "Pavanne", "Perfida", "Rica Pulpa", "Old Devil Moon", "Autumn Leaves", "Ahmad's Blues", and "Aki & Ukthay". CD

A really great collection – five full albums from keyboard giant Patrice Rushen, plus bonus tracks too! First up is Patrice – her first album for Elektra, and a stunning blend of funky jazz and soul! The record really has Patrice stepping out from her earlier years at Prestige – working in some surprisingly great vocals next to tight lines on Fender Rhodes, synth, and clavinet, handled with a smooth and soulful quality that's wonderful all the way through – a blend of soul and jazz that few other players could do this well – no matter how many others tried to copy her style over the years! Rhythms are as hard and heavy as on the Prestige years, and the keyboards have a great sort of focus too – just the right mix of jazz to offset the vocals – which themselves are a wonderful discovery. The whole album's a gem – and tracks include the great funky classic "Hang It Up", plus "Changes (In Your Life)", "When I Found You", "Play", "Didn't You Know?", and "Music Of The Earth". Pizzazz is one of the records that not only helped break her out of the jazz funk ghetto, and right into the mainstream – but a set that also had a pretty profound influence on the progression of soul in the early 80s! Rushen sings as well as plays keyboards – and really pushes the use of jazzy elements that would take R&B to the next level – almost inventing the 80s groove sound in the process! The whole thing's a totally sweet mix of funk and soul, tightened up to get everything in the door at the same time – and titles include "Givin It Up Is Givin Up", "Call On Me", "Haven't You Heard", and "Let The Music Take Me". Posh is an all-out, all-access affair – a great way for anyone to get into the grooves of the mighty Patrice Rushen! Patrice is at the height of her powers here – equally magic on keyboards and vocals, and coming up with groove after groove in a sublime blend of 70s jazz funk and Minnie Riperton-esque soul! The whole album's a winner – real magic that never gets old, and the kind of LP that makes you understand why you'll find Patrice's records in just about any soul collection from the time! Tracks include "I Need Your Love", "Time Will Tell", "The Dream", "Never Gonna Give You Up", and "Don't Blame Me". Straight From The Heart is one of those albums that completely cemented her standing in the world of jazz, funk, and soul – and a wonderful summation of everything she'd done in the years before! The young Patrice was already a breakout keyboardist on the west coast scene of the mid 70s – turning out great work on her own, and adding her talents to plenty of others – but here, she emerges as a soaring soul star in her own right – a talent who's really worked her way up, with a quality level that's head and shoulders above most of her peers! Rushen produced the set with Charles Mims, and there's a righteous blend of jazz and soul that's at the level of Minnie Riperton, so that even the catchiest cuts come off with a sense of sophistication and warmth that's so different than so much other 80s soul and fusion. Titles include the classic "Forget Me Nots", plus "Number One", "I Was Tired Of Being Alone", "Where There Is Love", "Breakout", "If Only", and "Remind Me". The album Now is a masterpiece of 80s groove with lots of jazzy touches! The keyboard sound has evolved a bit here – compressed with more electronic percussion than on Patrice's earlier records, but still done with a degree of soul that sets it apart from work by most of her contemporaries – and the music has this warm flow that really sets Rushen apart from the rest – a sublime mix of soul, funk, and fusion that holds together perfectly throughout! Titles include "Gotta Find It", "Gone With The Night", "My Love's Not Going Anywhere", "High In Me", "To Each His Own", "Heartache Heartbreak", and "Feels So Real". 5CD set features bonus tracks from original 12" singles – and other remixes too! (Soul, Jazz) CD

A hokey cover, a hokey title, but a surprisingly great little record – Horace Silver's first quintet session in many many years, and a record that comes across with a really lyrical sense of soul! And sure, the album's not one of his classics for Blue Note, but the format is quite the same – tenor, trumpet, piano, bass, and drums – all woven into a warm tapestry of groove, based around some wonderful original compositions from Horace himself! The whole thing is surprisingly wonderful – especially for the date and the cover – and we'll be honest in saying that we actually passed this one up when it came out back in the 90s (effete jazz snobs we are), but we're really digging it a lot these days, and are glad we finally gave it a chance. Players include Michael Brecker on tenor and Randy Brecker on trumpet – both following Horace's lead strongly – plus Ron Carter on bass and Louis Hayes on drums. Tracks include "Walk On", "Sunrise In Malibu", "You Gotta Shake That Thing", "Whenever Lester Plays The Blues", "Free At Last", and "Brother John & Brother Gene". CD

Maybe the first-ever album to be issued under the name of the great Charles Stepney – even though the artist/musician/producer/songwriter had a huge role in the careers of Chicago contemporaries like Minnie Riperton, Ramsey Lewis, and Earth Wind & Fire! This set brings together recordings that Stepney made on his own, often in his home studio – many of which are songs that never saw the light of day on some of his bigger-name projects, next to others that feature melodies you might recognize, but done in these sweet jazzy instrumentals that are totally great! Most of the set features Charles on a variety of keyboards Rhodes, piano, and even some cool moogy bits – plus some vibes from time to time – often set to spare early electric drum machine rhythms – in a style that makes you feel like you've stumbled upon Timmy Thomas doing an all instrumental jam session in the early 70s. Given that Stepney first got his start as a jazz musician – playing piano and vibes on some great early 60s sessions – the keyboard work is superb, and the record stands as a completely different testament to his genius – with titles that include "Funky Sci Fi", "Gotta Dig It To Dig It", "Daddy's Diddies", "Rubie Charles", "Notes From Dad", "Black Bold", "Gimme Some Sugar", "No Credit For This", "Imagination", "Look B4U Leap", "Mini Mugg", "Denim Groove", and "That's The Way Of The World". (Soul, Jazz) CD

A brilliant album from Kaidi Tatham – deeper by far than anything we've ever heard from him, and way more than you might expect if you only know his singles from the London scene! This set's got a very strong jazz component – monstrous keyboard work from Kaidi that stretches and soars with the kind of sound you might expect from George Duke on MPS – coupled with some leaner, more rhythmic elements that show Tatham's strong ties to the London scene – yet still in ways that really break from its conventions! There's mostly a great groove to the tracks, but there's also a warmth, depth, and spirituality to the record that's really amazing – the kind of new territory that others have found on the excellent Freedom School label – a place that offers a rare outlet for creative expression in times like these. The whole thing's instrumental, and Kaidi played all instruments himself – mixing acoustic percussion with beats, electric keyboards with piano, and coming across with a sound that's far richer than the sum of its core elements. Titles include "Simiya", "I'm High", "So Amazed", "Swift Inspiration", "In Search Of Hope (part 1)", "Do What You Gotta Do", "On A Vibe", "These Things Will Pass", and "He Laughs She Cries". (New Grooves, Jazz) CD

One of Hank Mobley's last recordings for Blue Note, and a record that really shows him stretching it out – hitting territory hardly imagined on his earlier hardbop sides! The album's still somewhat inside, but the overall feel is much more spacious than before – a sound that has some nice open moments, and which shows Hank not content to simply blow tenor in a deep, gutbuckety mode – even though that was still pretty darn great! The lineup is a sextet – with Woody Shaw on trumpet, Eddie Diehl on guitar, Cedar Walton on piano, Mickey Bass on bass, and Leroy Williams on drums – a different-than-usual combo for Mobley, and one that furthers the unusual feel of the record. Side one features the extended "Suite" – proof that Mobley's writing had grown as much as labelmate Lee Morgan by the end of the 60s. Other tracks continue that fact – and include "Justine", "You Gotta Hit It", and "Talk About Getting It" – plus "Gayle's Groove", which was written by Bass. The set was originally recorded in 1970, but was not issued on vinyl until 1980! CD

A funky keyboard treasure – a smoking organ and Fender Rhodes session that is one of the greatest Blue Note albums by Ronnie Foster! Foster plays organ on the set, next to electric piano by Ernie Hayes – and the pair stir up the sound wonderfully as they glide over grooves, soaring on twin keyboard lines that really make for a magical sound! A few tracks get hard and funky, and others have that superdope laidback feel that made all of Foster's early work so great – especially for the Quest-era sample crowd. The album's got some really great 70s soul covers, mixed with a few tasty originals – and titles include "Backstabbers", "Lisa's Love", "Superwoman", "Alone Again (Naturally)", "Sweet Revival", "Some Neck", "Inot", and "It's Just Gotta Be That Way". CD