One of Anita's strongest for Verve – featuring backing by a few different groups. One features Ralph Burns on piano and arrangments, leading a septet that includes Bill Harris, Cecil Payne, and Roy Eldridge – on the tracks "Rock N Roll Blues", "Love For Sale", "Lover Come Back To Me", and "Lullaby Of The Leaves". Next up is Roy Kral, playing piano and arranging a quintet that includes Earl Backus on guitar and Jim Wilson on bongos – on tracks that include "No Soap, No Hope Blues", "Strawberry Moon", and "Speak Low". The last four tracks feature arrangements by Larry Russell – and they include "Pagan Love Song" and "Somebody's Crying". (Vocalists, Jazz) LP, Vinyl record album

A really heady collection of cuts – one that starts with jazz, and moves into a whole host of other righteous styles too – all to sum up a 70s mode that's as much about empowerment as it is peace! Think of the cuts here as being in the much farther reaches past the styles initiated by Impulse Records and the Coltrane generation – to a point where the artists here aren't just copying modal and spiritual jazz styles, but infusing them with all sorts of new inflections of their own – at a level that makes the whole collection a really wonderful discovery! As with previous volumes, there's titles here we never would have heard otherwise – and this CD features tracks from both Vols 5 and 6 of the vinyl version – titles that inlcude "Algunas" by Jimmy McGary, "Bless Your Soul" by Lucky Brown & The SGs, "Night In Tunisia" by A La Ala, "Cataracts" by Musica Orbis, "Januschka" by Frederic Rabold, "Little Boogum" by Federico Cervantes, "No Outlet" by Beaver College Modern Jazz Orchestra, "Night Eagle" by Cleveland Jazz All Stars, "Zimbabwe" by Ron Wilson Trio, "Shanti" by Jazz Yatra Sextett, and "One More For The Road" by Dahle Scott (Funky Compilations, Jazz) CD

Music with a message – and a wonderfully spiritual groove, too – served up here in a killer collection that goes way past the obvious, and unearths an amazing collection of work from the 70s onwards! The set's not your usual batch of post-Coltrane or Impulse Records cuts – and instead, the music comes from a very deep array of American underground records from the 70s, as well as some rare European releases from that decade and later years, plus lost tracks from the vaults – all coming together in a set of tracks that's as mind-expanding as it is righteously progressive! We'd only ever heard a few of these numbers before – which makes the whole thing a huge discovery to our ears – and titles on this second volume include "Abeba" by Mabon Dawud Quintet, "Ain't Gonna Wait That Long" by Thomas Meloncon, "Song Of Deliverance" by Roy Hytower & The Crowd Pleasers, "Leigh Ann's Dance" by Sheila Landis, "Easy Tune For Dancing" by Now, "Mystic Sky" by Deep Jazz, and "Sandance" by All Williams Quintet Plus One. (Funky Compilations, Jazz) LP, Vinyl record album

A really heady collection of cuts – one that starts with jazz, and moves into a whole host of other righteous styles too – all to sum up a 70s mode that's as much about empowerment as it is peace! Think of the cuts here as being in the much farther reaches past the styles initiated by Impulse Records and the Coltrane generation – to a point where the artists here aren't just copying modal and spiritual jazz styles, but infusing them with all sorts of new inflections of their own – at a level that makes the whole collection a really wonderful discovery! As with previous volumes, there's titles here we never would have heard otherwise – and tracks on this LP for Vol 5 include "Little Boogum" by Federico Cervantes, "No Outlet" by Beaver College Modern Jazz Orchestra, "Night Eagle" by Cleveland Jazz All Stars, "Zimbabwe" by Ron Wilson Trio, "Shanti" by Jazz Yatra Sextett, "One More For The Road" by Dahle Scott, and "Downey Street" by Rex Davis. (Funky Compilations, Jazz) LP, Vinyl record album

A really heady collection of cuts – one that starts with jazz, and moves into a whole host of other righteous styles too – all to sum up a 70s mode that's as much about empowerment as it is peace! Think of the cuts here as being in the much farther reaches past the styles initiated by Impulse Records and the Coltrane generation – to a point where the artists here aren't just copying modal and spiritual jazz styles, but infusing them with all sorts of new inflections of their own – at a level that makes the whole collection a really wonderful discovery! As with previous volumes, there's titles here we never would have heard otherwise – and tracks on this LP for Vol 6 include "Algunas" by Jimmy McGary, "Bless Your Soul" by Lucky Brown & The SGs, "Night In Tunisia" by A La Ala, "Cataracts" by Musica Orbis, "History" by Charles Lamont, "Januschka" by Frederic Rabold, and "Savior's Waltz" by New Day. (Funky Compilations, Jazz) LP, Vinyl record album

A completely obscure batch of tunes – so much so that only two of the cuts here have been reissued – and a set that's every bit as wonderful as previous entries in this long-running series! Overall, there's probably a bit more soul than jazz – but every track within is on the hipper side of the spectrum – the sort of work that easily blends genres, and which comes from 70s acts working far from the mainstream, in a wonderful groove that's very much their own! Most numbers have a midtempo groove – perfect for the jazzier elements in the soul cuts – and as with previous editions in the series, there's a righteous current that gives most of these tracks a very positive, uplifting vibe. Titles include "It's A Long Road" by Babe, "Bend A Little" by Mirage, "Slip Back Into The Magic" by Leaves Of Autumn, "I Got The Hots For You"b y Ronnie Miller, "Hey Flicka" by Mikael Neumann, "Future Shock" by Synot, "Oh Senor" by Jan Lewis Group, "Mister Jones" by Charles Vickers, and "The Ring" by Dianne Elliott. (Funky Compilations, Jazz) CD

A completely obscure batch of tunes – so much so that only two of the cuts here have been reissued – and a set that's every bit as wonderful as previous entries in this long-running series! Overall, there's probably a bit more soul than jazz – but every track within is on the hipper side of the spectrum – the sort of work that easily blends genres, and which comes from 70s acts working far from the mainstream, in a wonderful groove that's very much their own! Most numbers have a midtempo groove – perfect for the jazzier elements in the soul cuts – and as with previous editions in the series, there's a righteous current that gives most of these tracks a very positive, uplifting vibe. Titles include "It's A Long Road" by Babe, "Bend A Little" by Mirage, "Slip Back Into The Magic" by Leaves Of Autumn, "I Got The Hots For You"b y Ronnie Miller, "Hey Flicka" by Mikael Neumann, "Future Shock" by Synot, "Oh Senor" by Jan Lewis Group, "Mister Jones" by Charles Vickers, and "The Ring" by Dianne Elliott. (Funky Compilations, Jazz) LP, Vinyl record album

A legendary overview of jazz on the Italian scene at the start of the 60s – a great document of the new modes that was really setting the work of Italian jazz musicians apart from those in other parts of Europe – working with fresh ideas and a new conception that's completely sublime! The work here often has a great balance between structure and individual voice – and many numbers feature strong soloists who'd go on to great fame in a variety of settings – already graced here with talents that seem greater than their young years. Trumpeter Enrico Rava leads things off in a quartet with pianist Maurizio Lama, on a version of the tune "Line For Lyons" – and Lama follows with a trio reading of his own "Tema For Franco". Trumpeter Sergio Fanni is joined by the great Eraldo Volante on tenor and baritone on the tunes "Duo" and "Circeo". Later soundtrack artist Piero Umiliani serves up his "Picolla Suite Americana" – followed by the Modern Jazz Gang of saxophonist Sandro Brugnolini (with later sound library giants Enzo Scoppa and Cicci Santucci), on the tracks "The Drum Is A Tramp" and "Blue Mirria". Trombonist Dino Piana delivers the tune "Tempo Di Febbraio" with help from the great Gianni Basso on tenor – and the set also features a reading of "Bag's Groove" with Giorgio Azzolini on bass, Piano on trombone, and Attilio Donadio on alto. LP, Vinyl record album

Garner grooves nicely here – finding an almost renewed energy for the 60s, but still hitting all those highly-rhythmic modes we love so much in his early work! The recording quality is great – lots of bold echo from the piano, and even a bit of Erroll's grunting vocalizations somewhere in the mix – kind of an extra added emphasis that sounds great next to the bass of Eddie Calhoun and drums of Kelly Martin. Titles include "Just One Of Those Things", "Blue Lou", "The Lady Is A Tramp", "Dreamstreet", and the groovy "Mambo Gotham" – an especially jaunty little number! LP, Vinyl record album

Includes the songs "Liza", "Love Walked In", "You Took Advantage Of Me", "The Lady Is A Tramp", "Romance In The Dark", "All My Life", "Where Are You?", "Jeepers Creepers", "You've Changed", "Dream Dancing", "Wouldn't It Be Loverly?", "Get Me To The Church On Time", "I'm Shooting High", "Trav'lin' Light", "Happy Talk", "Younger Than Springtime", "I'm Crazy 'bout My Baby (And My Baby's Crazy 'bout Me)", "My Shining Hour", "Indian Summer", "You're A Sweetheart", "Dickie's Dream/Love Me Or Leave Me", "Shoe Shine Boy", "Memories Of You", and "I Got Rhythm". CD

Mellow vocals from the lovely Ayako Hosokawa – one of Japan's greatest jazz vocalists of the 70s, singing here in a warm and intimate setting. Ayako sings in English, mostly American standards plus a few pop numbers – and the backing for the set includes keyboards, tenor, guitar, and strings – flowing out in the best mellow style of the Three Blind Mice label of the time. The real standout cut is Ayako's great reading of "Feel Like Making Love" – worth the price of the album alone for its dope 70s groove – and other cuts include "When You Smile", "The Lady Is A Tramp", "Misty", "Mr Wonderful", and "The Lady Is A Tramp". (Vocalists, Jazz) CD

2 jazzy gems from Michel Legrand – back to back on a single CD! Michel Legrand Big Band Plays Richard Rodgers is a pretty wonderful album by Legrand – way better than you'd guess from the title! Sure, the tunes are mostly numbers by Richard Rodgers, but Legrand handles them here with the best of his soundtrack skills – really opening them up with some amazingly deft arrangements, and working with a stellar set of American jazz players to give the tunes a sound that's as jazzy as possible – and swinging them with the inherent lyricism that always makes us love his music! Players are a great lineup – with Clark Terry and Ernie Royal on trumpets, Urbie Green and Bob Brookmeyer on trombones, Paul Gonsalves on tenor, Jerry Dodgion and Phil Woods on alto, Julious Watkins on French horn, Gary Burton on vibes, and Tommy Flanagan and Hank Jones on piano. Titles include "This Can't Be Love", "Falling In Love With Love", "Bali Hai", "Have You Met Miss Jones", "There's A Small Hotel", and "The Lady Is A Tramp". On the second album, Broadway is the beat, but the sound has plenty of Parisian touches, too – thanks to arrangements from the mighty Michel Legrand! Legrand's in a mode here that's somewhere between his earliest soundtracks, and the European-themed records he cut for Columbia in the late 50s – styles that are a bit more warm and sentimental than in later years, with evocative elements designed to coax the Broadway-based listener out on a voyage across the Atlantic! Strings are relatively full, and sometimes used with great dynamic energy – and titles include "Bewitched", "There's A Boat Dat's Leavin Soon For New York", "Old Devil Moon", "With A Little Bit Of Luck", "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes", and "Yesterdays". CD

Includes music from Gerry Mulligan and his orchestra, quartet, and tentette. Tracks include "Roundhouse", "Carioca", "Walkin' Shoes", "Loverman", "Simbah", "The Lady Is A Tramp", "Swing House", "Jeru", and "Five Brothers" – 82 tracks total. CD

A real standout set from Tony Scott's 50s catalog – an album that features his sweetly fluid clarinet lines backed by a larger orchestra that includes Gigi Gryce, Sahib Shihab, Zoot Sims, Frank Wess, Thad Jones, and Frank Foster! The format's less bop-oriented than some of Tony's other records from the time, but the expansive sound of the larger group is really great – and brings a sense of drama to the record that seems to push Tony a bit more than usual. Some tracks feature incredible solo work that has Scott really stretching the instrument, almost in a way that foreshadows stronger 60s use of soprano saxophone – and arrangements from Bill Evans, John Carisi, Nat Pierce, and Sonny Truitt help to keep the overall sound of the album fresh throughout. Titles include "The Lady Is A Tramp", "Skylark", "I'll Remember April", "Walkin", "Under A Blanket Of Blue", and 2 very nice extended numbers – "Finger Poppin Blues" and "Time To Go". LP, Vinyl record album

A great Erroll Garner double-header – two 60s albums back to back on a single CD! First up is Dreamstreet – a record in which Garner grooves nicely, finding an almost renewed energy for the 60s, but still hitting all those highly-rhythmic modes we love so much in his early work! The recording quality is great – lots of bold echo from the piano, and even a bit of Erroll's grunting vocalizations somewhere in the mix – kind of an extra added emphasis that sounds great next to the bass of Eddie Calhoun and drums of Kelly Martin. Titles include "Just One Of Those Things", "Blue Lou", "The Lady Is A Tramp", "Dreamstreet", and the groovy "Mambo Gotham" – an especially jaunty little number! One World Concert is a set with an ambitious title, but a nicely earthy feel – a live recording that features Erroll Garner's trio with Eddie Calhoun on bass and Kelly Martin on drums – stretching out strongly in front of a live audience. Titles include "Mack The Knife", "Misty", "Dancing Tambourine", "Happiness Is A Thing Called Joe", and "Sweet & Lovely". CD

Featuring Mulligan on baritone sax, Bob Brookmeyer on trombone, Red Mitchell on bass, and Frank Isola on drums. Tracks include "Lady Is A Tramp", "Five Brothers", "Limelight", "Laura", "Love Me Or Leave Me", "Makin Whoopee", and "Bark For Barksdale". CD

An incredible album from Mel Torme – easily his best set ever, and a record that helped raise the bar for all other singers back in the 50s! A key part of the success of the set is the presence of Marty Paich as an arranger – as Marty swings the whole thing with a fluid groove that's really amazing, and which is a style that hadn't ever been done on record this well before. The group is filled with hip west coast players like Pete Candoli, Jack Montrose, Bob Cooper, and Bud Shank – all of whom really soar together, and elevate Mel's vocals from the older velvet fog mode, into a leaner, hipper style that's really tremendous! Titles include "The Blues", "The Lady Is A Tramp", "Lulu's Back In Town", "The Carioca", "Sing For Your Supper", and "Lullaby Of Birdland". (Vocalists, Jazz) CD

A wealth of rare European grooves – most recorded in the late 60s and early 70s, all making their debut on CD! The package brings together previous vinyl-only reissues from the Sonorama label – 7" singles that feature material dug from German sound library recordings of many years back – all in a great blend of jazz, funk, soul, and bossa! Given the strength of the material, the collection may be the best release so far on Sonorama – and that's saying a heck of a lot, given the already-great titles the label has brought to the market. CD features two tracks appearing here for the first time ever – "Woe's All Over Me" by Jazz Orchestra Rob Pronk and "By The Help Of You & Me" by Ray Christoph's New Sound – plus "Happy Samba", "Summertime", "The Lady Is A Tramp", and "Windmills Of Your Mind" by Mark Murphy & Louis Van Dyke; "Baby I Love You", "Fever", "Cold Sweat", "I Got A Feeling" by Kadri Six; "Love Cage", "Hard Work", "Neptune's Walk", and "Scotch & Soda" by Orchestre Pete Jacques; and "Wordless Blues", "Soul Organ", and "The Very First Day" by Ray Christoph's New Sound. (Funky Compilations, Jazz) CD

Garner grooves nicely here – finding an almost renewed energy for the 60s, but still hitting all those highly-rhythmic modes we love so much in his early work! The recording quality is great – lots of bold echo from the piano, and even a bit of Erroll's grunting vocalizations somewhere in the mix – kind of an extra added emphasis that sounds great next to the bass of Eddie Calhoun and drums of Kelly Martin. Titles include "Just One Of Those Things", "Blue Lou", "The Lady Is A Tramp", "Dreamstreet", and the groovy "Mambo Gotham" – an especially jaunty little number! CD

A really classic-styled vocal set from singer Junko Mine – one that also features superb tenor solos from the great Hidehiko Sleepy Matsumoto – who punctuates the music in all the right ways! The set's a 70s album, but done with the care and class of a Verve Records vocal session from back in the day – mixing Junko's vocals with some small combo backings and some larger arrangements – all wrapped around a set of American standards that take on a great new life here, thanks to Mine's unique phrasing. The set features a great bongo-driven version of "On A Clear Day" – plus "Where Or When", "Spring Is Here", "The Lady Is A Tramp", "Come Rain Or Come Shine", "I Wish You Love", All The Way", and "I've Got You Under My Skin". (Vocalists, Jazz) CD

2 obscure albums John Benson Brooks – an overlooked 50s jazz composer who often had a penchant for higher concept recordings! The first half of the CD features Folk Jazz USA – one of Brooks' most stripped down records – done with a core group of Zoot Sims on alto, Al Cohn on baritone, Nick Travis on trumpet, Barry Gailbraith on guitar, Osie Johnson on drums, and Buddy Jones on bass. The style is kind of a chamber jazz reworking of tunes from folk sources – done in a way that hangs modernist clothes on older melodies – really dressing them up with the jazz charms of mid 50s RCA! Travis is especially strong on the set – with boldly-stated lines that preserve the melodies, while other players really take off with their solos on the saxes. Titles include "Darling Corey", "Turtle Dove", "Black Is The Color", "Randall My Son", and "Venezuela". Next up is Alabama Concerto – a record based around the solo talents of Art Farmer on trumpet and Cannonbal Adderley on alto sax! The album's based on a number of historical and mythical southern themes – and although it gets a bit hokey at times, the work of Adderley and Art Farmer on the solo sections really opens up the piece and gives it a deep sense of soul. The setting is a drummer-less small group, with Barry Galbraith on guitar, Milt Hinton on bass, and Brooks on occasional piano – and themes include "The Loop", "Trampin", "Little John Shoes", "Milord's Calling", and "Rufus Playboy". CD

The cover seems to imply that Chuck Mangione's one of the few cats who can play flugelhorn on a trampoline – but whatever the setting, Mangione's at the height of his late 70s powers here – blowing that clean, compressed style that crossed over beautifully at the time! Chuck's got a way of balancing the sweet and the soulful here nicely – drifting along with the rhythms, so that all the most rounded, open notes of his horn cascade out warmly – yet never in the sort of too-polished mode that would show up later in mainstream fusion. From the perspective of the 21st Century, it's surprising how strong this set sounds – especially on the few numbers that change things up a bit in the rhythms. Titles include "Give It All You Got", "Pina Colada", "I Never Missed Someone Before", "You're The Best There Is", and "Fun & Games". LP, Vinyl record album

The cover seems to imply that Chuck Mangione's one of the few cats who can play flugelhorn on a trampoline – but whatever the setting, Mangione's at the height of his late 70s powers here – blowing that clean, compressed style that crossed over beautifully at the time! Chuck's got a way of balancing the sweet and the soulful here nicely – drifting along with the rhythms, so that all the most rounded, open notes of his horn cascade out warmly – yet never in the sort of too-polished mode that would show up later in mainstream fusion. From the perspective of the 21st Century, it's surprising how strong this set sounds – especially on the few numbers that change things up a bit in the rhythms. Titles include "Give It All You Got", "Pina Colada", "I Never Missed Someone Before", "You're The Best There Is", and "Fun & Games". CD

Stone Alliance move down to a duo here – the mighty team of Don Alias on drums and Gene Perla on bass – and the pair bring in a whole host of great guest stars to take the place of recently-departed reedman Steve Grossman! To us, the record would be more than great enough on its own with just the grooves of Perla and Alias – but the set really warms up from contributions by artists who include Michael Brecker on tenor, Dave Liebeman on reeds, Randy Brecker on trumpet, Alex Acuna on percussion, and Jan Hammer on keyboards – keeping things as tight and focused as on his best 70s funky fusion outings. Perla and Alias keep things tight and choppy in the rhythms – a nice undercurrent of funk on most tracks – and titles include "Pedra Da Lua", "Trampoline", "Aunt Remus", "Tribute To Afreeka", and "Uncle Jemima". LP, Vinyl record album