Way way more than you might guess from an album with Motown in the title – and instead, a set that may well be one of the best we've heard from Geri Allen in years! Yes, the tracks are mostly numbers from the classic years of the famous soul label – but the presentation is quite different – mostly solo piano, with Geri stretching out in these fluid, spiritual ways that go far past any familiar melodies, and which really make the songs deeply her own. Plus, the set also features some tremendous guest work from Marcus Belgrave on trumpet on three tracks – stretching out with the kind of righteous, expressive tones that have made us love him from the days of Tribe Records onwards. David McMurray also guests on alto on one track – but the bulk of album is solo piano from Allen, on titles that include "The Smart Set", "Space Odyssey", "Inner City Blues", "Stoned Love", "Itching In My Heart", "Tears Of A Clown", "That Girl", and "Grand River Crossings". CD

Bobby Watson on alto and soprano saxophone, Melton Mustafa on trumpet, Edward Simon on piano, Carroll Dashiell on bass viol, and Victor Lewis on drums. CD

Covers from Dave Koz, Dianne Reeves, Richard Elliot, Eliane Elias, Ray Barretto, Earl Klug, Stanley Turrentine, Charlie Hunter, John Patton , Everett Harp and Bobbi Humphrey. CD

Pure dark magic from Grover Washington – a record that was a megahit back in the 70s, but which still sounds amazing many decades later! There's a sound here that's completely sublime – and the album is to Grover's career what the first 2 CTI sets by Bob James were to his – a stretched-out, masterpiece of sublime jazzy energy – served up with a really spacious sound overall! Grover's sharp-edged sax is at the lead of the set – but the album's also awash in electric piano work from Bob James – and backings that are as lean, clean, and soulful as the best on CTI from the time. Titles include the killer "Black Frost" – a track that we never tire of – plus the hit "Mister Magic", and the cuts "Earth Tones" and "Passion Flower". CD

Includes the songs "It Feels So Good", "Mister Magic", "Do Dat", "Sunner Song"., "A Secret Place", "Ain't No Sunshine", and "Masterpiece". CD

A smoothed out late 70s set from Grover Washington Jr – a fairly slick affair of soul jazz – really honing in on the melodic soulful side of his sound for this one that balances a more crossover ready sound with spacier touches! The record features one a pop jazz take on "Just The Way You Are" that somehow works really well – or maybe we just can't beat off that tune's catchy melody as hard as we might want to. It also includes a nice version of "Loran's Dance", taken at a little faster tempo than Idris Muhammad's version, with some nice spacey synth floating around in the background, mellower numbers like the title track and "Maracas Beach" that are quite spare and nicely done. Also includes "Do Dat", "Step 'N' Thru" and "Santa Cruzin'" and "Marachas Beach". CD

Includes the songs "A Secret Place", "Dolphin Dance", "Not Yet", "Love Makes It Better", "No ears, In The End", "All The King's Horses", "Where Is The Love", "Body And Soul (Montage)", "Lean On Me", "Lover Man With Interlude #2", and "Love Song 1700". CD

A classic! This is one of the rarest of the rare of all Blue Note albums – and it's the only-ever session cut as a leader by the great tenor player Fred Jackson! The album's a really heavy burner – an all-out organ/tenor assault with the kind of gutbuckety soul groove that only peaked on a rare few Blue Note sessions! Earl Van Dyke plays organ on the session, and it's one of the few jazz albums he appears on, apart from the "soul instrumental" sessions he cut later for Motown. The whole thing's down-n-dirty and mighty nasty – with a feel that's much more like some of the Prestige soul jazz cookers of the time than the usual Blue Note set! Tracks include "Preach Brother", "Dippin In the Bag", "Hootin N Tootin", and "Easin' On Down". CD