Very cool compilation featuring a whole mess of great lost funk tracks from the legendary Westbound label – including a few unreleased cuts! There's a number of tracks on here that we just about never see, and some more that you'll only find on rare funky 45s. Tracks include "Getting It Off", an instrumental by Fuzzy Haskins, "Super Funk" by Erasmus Hall, "In The Pocket" by Boots, "Funk It Down" by Caesar Frazier, "Just Us" by Crowd Pleasers, "Funky Beethoven" by Gene Anderson, "Be What You Is" by U.S. Music & Funkadelic, and "Funky World (parts 1 & 2)" by Silky Vincent. Very cool stuff, and with a good set of notes! (Funky Compilations, Jazz) LP, Vinyl record album

A classic collection from the early days of the Ubiquity/Luv & Haight label – the kind of groundbreaking funk collection that set the tone for so many others! This set's got some real killers – including Hilton Felton's "Spreadin' Fever", Don Cunningham's "Tabu","Fantasy" by PIR Square, "Hip City" by Roy Porter, and the Chili Peppers' "Chicken Scratch", a funky hard scratchy guitar track that makes the Meters look like a bunch of wimps! Worth it for this track alone! (Funky Compilations, Jazz) LP, Vinyl record album

A deep dive into the catalog of the legendary Soul Note label – the Italian imprint that became a huge host to American jazz musicians in the late 70s onwards – a company that helped to evolve both spiritual and loft jazz modes, and continue the legacy of free-thinking expression that was begun in the shadow of John Coltrane! The choice of cuts here is great – tracks that go past some of the obvious classics of the label, but which also resonate with those moments too – a well-chosen array of tracks that often focus on more rhythmic moments of the label, with strong spiritual and modal currents throughout. Titles include "Rain Shout" by Hamiet Bluiett, "Olduvai George" by Dannie Richmond, "Mwalimu" by Max Roach, "Ondas" by Nana Vasconcelos & Antonello Salis, "Aladdin's Castle" by Beaver Harris, "Hide & Go Seek" by Paul Motian, "Spirits Return" by Tony Scott, "Tribute To Bu (take 1)" by Andrew Cyrille, "Bouka" by Hamiet Bluiett, "Nagual Julian" by Billy Bang, "The Earth Spins" by Adam Rudolph, "Cubano Be Cubano Bop" by George Russell, and "Nu Tune" by Hamiet Bluiett. (Funky Compilations, Jazz) LP, Vinyl record album

From the end of the 70s onward, the Italian Black Saint record label offered up some of the most high quality spiritual and avant jazz of the time – really taking over where American record companies had dropped the ball, and allowing a huge wave of new energy from both older musicians and a younger generation who might never have gotten the right level of exposure, had Black Saint (and related Soul Note imprint) stepped into the scene! This package offers up some of the coolest cuts from Black Saint – and has an especially strong focus on the work that the label did to carry forward older spiritual sounds, especially those first unlocked on Impulse Records – a legacy that really comes through strongly here. Titles include "Love On A Far Away Planet" and "Mayan Temples" by Sun Ra, "Song For Mozambique/Sea Of Faces" by Archie Shepp, "Guitar Vibes" by Karl Berger, "Tap Dancer" by Oliver Lake, "Ode To The Flower Maiden" by John Carter, "Mama Marimba" by Joseph Jarman and Donh Moye, "Sixth Sense" by Don Pullen, "Hattie Wall" by World Saxophone Quartet, "Laja" by Muhal Richard Abrams, and "Metamusician's Stomp" by Andrew Cyrille & Maono. (Funky Compilations, Jazz) LP, Vinyl record album

A legendary moment in European free jazz – performances all recorded on a single Sunday in 1969 – but which stand as some of the most powerful music of the time! The vibe here is often in the best spirit of early FMP, or maybe the most outside work of MPS – and the recording quality equals the best avant jazz on both labels – with very long performances on each track that represent the pinnacle of all players involved! One side alone is worth the price of admission – a searing track titled "Finally", performed by an octet with Peter Brotzmann at the helm, alongside Evan Parker on tenor and soprano sax, Fred Van Hove on piano, Paul Rutherford on trombone, Peter Kowald on bass, and Pierre Favre on drums. Favre returns on "Let's Talk About The Weather" – played by a trio with Kowad on bass and Irene Schweizer on piano. Other tracks include "Five To Five" and "Gluga Gluga Blues" by the Joki Freund Quintet, "In Memory Of John Coltrane" by Marion Brown, "Vibration" by the group of saxophonist Joe Fiera and trombonist Ed Kroger, and "Circus Live" by a quartet led by Rolf Kuhn on electric clarinet, with Joachim Kuhn on piano and Stu Martin on drums. CD

Mindblowing jazz from Japan – a tremendous introduction to the 70s scene in Tokyo if you've never heard this music at all – and a package that also includes a fair bit of rare tracks, even if you're not a newcomer! The Japanese love of American jazz is no secret – and the music was spread widely there by American forces after WWII – but during the 70s, something really special happened, and the scene found a voice that was all its own – exploding with new energy to create sounds that were soulful, spiritual, and powerfully poetic! By the end of the 70s, Japanese fusion would get more global exposure – but most of the tracks here are acoustic, save for Fender Rhodes lines – and feature completely inventive, imaginative sounds – often set to grooves that are modal and spiritual too. A fantastic collection throughout – with tracks that include "Blind Man" by Shintaro Quintet, "White Fire" by Takao Uematsu, "Aya's Samba" by Eiji Nakayama, "Earth Mother" by Koichi Matsukaze, "Dead Letter" by Tohru Aizawa, "Kaze" by Takeo Moriyama, "Long Neal" by Kiyoshi Sugimoto, "Unknown Point" by Mitsuaki Katayama, and "Little Island" by Fumio Karashima. (Funky Compilations, Jazz) CD

Mindblowing jazz from Japan – a tremendous introduction to the 70s scene in Tokyo if you've never heard this music at all – and a package that also includes a fair bit of rare tracks, even if you're not a newcomer! The Japanese love of American jazz is no secret – and the music was spread widely there by American forces after WWII – but during the 70s, something really special happened, and the scene found a voice that was all its own – exploding with new energy to create sounds that were soulful, spiritual, and powerfully poetic! By the end of the 70s, Japanese fusion would get more global exposure – but most of the tracks here are acoustic, save for Fender Rhodes lines – and feature completely inventive, imaginative sounds – often set to grooves that are modal and spiritual too. A fantastic collection throughout – with tracks that include "Blind Man" by Shintaro Quintet, "White Fire" by Takao Uematsu, "Aya's Samba" by Eiji Nakayama, "Earth Mother" by Koichi Matsukaze, "Dead Letter" by Tohru Aizawa, "Kaze" by Takeo Moriyama, "Long Neal" by Kiyoshi Sugimoto, "Unknown Point" by Mitsuaki Katayama, and "Little Island" by Fumio Karashima. 3LP set features bonus tracks – "Sea Breeze" by George Otsuka and "Ode To Workman" by Terumasa Hino and Reggie Workman. (Funky Compilations, Jazz) LP, Vinyl record album

An incredible trip through the 70s Japanese jazz scene – a second volume of J Jazz that's even bigger and better than the first – with unknown gems from private presses, indie labels, and rarities from the Japanese branches of the major labels, too! Compilers Tony Higgins & Mike Peden (who are both also responsible for the nicely done notes) follow through on all of the things we loved about the first J Jazz compilation, but improve on it by going bigger and digging deeper. The majority of the tracks were recorded from 1969 through the late 70s – with a few recorded in later years – and all have a wonderful way of being open to the stylistic inventions of the time without getting hung up on trends. So while there's some fusiony funk and electric piano, there's plenty of acoustic instrumentation and timelessly inventive material. BBE has outdone themselves on this excellent collection – and titles include "Dragon Dance" by Makoto Terashita & Harold Land, "Daguri" by Kohsuke Mine Quintet, "Distant Thunder" by Mabumi Yamguchi Quartet, "Animal Garden" by Miyasaka + 5, "Mother Of The Future" by Electro Keyboard Orchestra, "Serenade To A Dimly Lit Street" by Hiroshi Matsumoto/Hideo Ichikawa Quartet, "Teru-Teru Bozu" (Black Keys) by Teru Sakamoto Trio, "Little Giant" by Nobuo & Sharps & Flats, "Brown Trout" by Akira Miyazawa and more – plus the CD bonus track "Original Bill" by Koichi Matsukaze Trio. 15 tracks on 2CDs. (Funky Compilations, Jazz) CD

An incredible trip through the 70s Japanese jazz scene – a second volume of J Jazz that's even bigger and better than the first – with unknown gems from private presses, indie labels, and rarities from the Japanese branches of the major labels, too! Compilers Tony Higgins & Mike Peden (who are both also responsible for the nicely done notes) follow through on all of the things we loved about the first J Jazz compilation, but improve on it by going bigger and digging deeper. The majority of the tracks were recorded from 1969 through the late 70s – with a few recorded in later years – and all have a wonderful way of being open to the stylistic inventions of the time without getting hung up on trends. So while there's some fusiony funk and electric piano, there's plenty of acoustic instrumentation and timelessly inventive material. BBE has outdone themselves on this excellent collection – and titles include "Dragon Dance" by Makoto Terashita & Harold Land, "Daguri" by Kohsuke Mine Quintet, "Distant Thunder" by Mabumi Yamguchi Quartet, "Animal Garden" by Miyasaka + 5, "Mother Of The Future" by Electro Keyboard Orchestra, "Serenade To A Dimly Lit Street" by Hiroshi Matsumoto/Hideo Ichikawa Quartet, "Teru-Teru Bozu" (Black Keys) by Teru Sakamoto Trio, "Little Giant" by Nobuo & Sharps & Flats, "Brown Trout" by Akira Miyazawa and more – plus the CD bonus track "Original Bill" by Koichi Matsukaze Trio. 15 tracks on 2CDs. (Funky Compilations, Jazz) CD

With Chick Corea, Arturo Sandoval, Poncho Sanchez, Pete Escovedo, Ed Calle, Steve Turre, Hilton Ruiz, and many more. (Latin, Jazz) CD

Includes tracks by Gene Harris, Jack McDuff, Stanely Turrentine, Kenny Burrell, and others. CD

A fantastic package that explores the full range of genius on the legendary avant label BYG/Actuel – one of the most important European imprints at the end of the 60s! Actuel was home to some of the best avant garde jazz coming out of Paris in the late 60s and early 70s – an especially important document of the post-68 revolution in European music – at a time when so many American players where showing up in France, and finding great opportunities in the new freedoms of the scene! The package features seminal sides from US avant musicians – like Steve Lacy, Anthony Braxton, Clifford Thornton, Don Cherry, Jimmy Lyons, Archie Shepp, Sonny Sharrock, Sunny Murray, Grachan Moncur III, and The Art Ensemble Of Chicago – and it also features work by European musicians like Claude Delcloo and Jacques Coursil, plus genre-busting work by MEV and Gong as well. The 3CD box features a 48 page book – with lots of great illustrations, and notes from Thurston Moore and Byron Coley – and the set features 26 long tracks in all! CD

An extremely eclectic selection of groovers – with that spiritual jazzy vibe that you'd expect from the London scene, and from the crates of the legendary Russ Dewbury. The compilation has a similar feel to the Freedom Time set – with a batch of tracks that move beyond the usual heavy funk numbers to include some excellent jazz vocal numbers, and some other more complicated tracks that have a sweet fusiony sound. Just about all the tracks on here are super-obscure, and you won't find them easily on original vinyl – nor in such a set as lovingly put together as this one! Titles include "Morning Spring" by Copeland Davis, "Afro Beat" by Jazz Techniques, "Let The Sunshine In" by Sons & Daughters Of Life", "If You Can Live With Yourself" by Dale Dennard, "Gang Progress" by Andre Ceccarelli, "Partido Alto" by Airto & Flora, "Pretty Bird" by Terea, "No Other Love But You" by Clarice Labbe, "Gemstones" by Jack Wilson, "Morning" by Lorez Alexandria, and "Frozen Tundra Lady" by Steamheat. Loads more, and packed with rare tracks! (Funky Compilations, Jazz) CD

Features Toshiko Akiyoshi, Kenny Burrell, Charlie Byrd, Bill Charlap, Herb Ellis, Scott Hamilton, Gene Harris, Jack McDuff, Chris Potter, Poncho Sanchez, Mel Torme, Frank Wess, Denny Zeitlin, and more! CD

A compilation that's way more than jazz – as it features cuts from a moment when Brazilian music was really coming into its own during the bossa nova generation, yet still had some ties to earlier styles as well – which means that in addition to the sorts of bossa tunes you'd expect, you'll also hear versions of songs by Horace Silver, Cole Porter, and George Gershwin! The selection of cuts is nice – and the record begins with some straighter jazz numbers that evolve into bossa – in a lineup that includes "Nana" by Os Cobras, "O Menino Desce O Morro" by Milton Banana, "Samba In The Perrotoquei" by Bola Sete, "I Got Rhythm" by Dick Farney, "Nica's Dream" by Sergio Mendes, "Love For Sale" by Rubens Bassini, "Copacabana" by Brazilian Jazz Quartet, "Esperanca" by Tamba Trio, "Influencia Do Jazz" by Ed Lincoln, and "O Morro Nao Tem Vez" by Joao Donato. (Brazil, Jazz) LP, Vinyl record album

A jazz message from late 50s Tokyo – loud, proud, and proof that the Japanese scene was really coming into its own! The set's awash in great bop and swing performances from the postwar years – exclusive tracks to this set, played by four different groups that include Akira Miyazawa on tenor, Shungo Sawada on guitar, and Eiji Kitamura on clarinet – all players that work with other key jazzmen of the Tokyo scene at the time, on sharp-edged tracks that include "An Instant Of The Life", "Funny Bone", "Wherever I Go", "Hello Mr Basie", "Flashing", and "Jog". CD

Bud Powell, George Shearing, Thelonious Monk, Tommy Flanagan, McCoy Tyner, Bill Evans, Duke Jordan, Herbie Hancock, Sonny Clark, Chick Corea, and Kenny Drew CD

A really great collection of jazzy groovers – one that effortlessly combines older material and newer recordings, all with a great ear that never tires in its pursuit of the groove! The blend of old and new is a bit like some of the collections we used to love from Gilles Peterson back in the last century – but Paul Murphy definitely has his own style and way of choosing a tune, and like Peterson, he has a great way of setting a new sort of fire with jazz – one that will burn strongly for generations to come! Titles include "Yatra-Ta" by Terje Terasmaa, "African Mailman" by Rhythmagic Orchestra, "Smells Like Teen Spirit" by Blue Mode, "Foot In The Door" by Onward International, "Zombie" by Art Ensemble Of Chicago, "Emnete (live)" by Imperial Tiger Orchestra, "4 Beat Cha Cha Cha" by Lucas Van Merwijk & His Cubop City Big Band, "Tribute To Mulatu" by Patchworks, "Koumba Fri Fri" by Mamelon, "Sorrow Tears & Blood" by Shola Adisa Farrar & Florian Pellissier Quartet, and "Mambo De La Pinta" by Art Pepper. (Funky Compilations, Jazz) LP, Vinyl record album

Music from Omer Avital Group, Charles Owens Quartet, Jason Lindner Big Band, Zaid Nasser Quartet, Across 7th Street, and Frank Hewitt Sextet. CD

Includes music by the Earl Sims Sextette, Four Aces, George Bledsoe, Iona Wade, Sister Rock-a-way, Scat Man Crothers, Ollie Jackson, Peppy Prince & his Orchestra, Walter Fuller, and more – 24 tracks total. (Soul, Jazz) CD

... CD

An overdue look at the great range of sounds that came from Inner City Records at the end of the 70s – a hip American indie with a strong specialty in soulful fusion, hip vocalists, and a range of other great styles too – all brought together here by London DJ Kev Beadle! Inner City's often a bit overlooked – as the label flourished most strongly in the years after some of the better-known soulful imprints of the 70s – and the label always had a great ear for new sounds, fresh ideas, and the kind of compelling global elements that often led them to license key tracks from overseas, and bring them to the US market. This collection's heavy on singers – the kind of cool, underground jazz vocalists that Inner City captured so well – and it's also got a nice mix of funky fusion, modal numbers, and spiritual currents – on titles that include "The Other World" by Judy Roberts, "Hunt Up Wind" by Hiroshi Fukumura, "Vera Cruz" by Helen Merrill, "Lucky Southern" by Tom Lellis, "Quickie Nirvana" by Kellis Ethridge, "Samba De La Cruz" by Terumasa Hino, "So High" by Janet Lawson, "The Samba" by Jeff Lorber, "Return Of The Prodigal Son" by Joe Lee Wilson, "Shenkansen" by Urszula Dudziak, "To An Elfin Princess" by Charlie Mariano, "Pandora" by Carlos Franzetti, and "Jennine" by Eddie Jefferson. (Funky Compilations, Jazz) LP, Vinyl record album

Features work by Charles Earland, Don Patterson, Larry Young, Jack McDuff, Johnny Hammond Smith, Groove Holmes, Lonnie Smith, and others! CD

Jazzy goodness galore – a set of really well-chosen tracks that we're not sure we've ever seen reissued before – mostly from obscure sources that might well have remained underdiscovered otherwise! Jazz is at the key, but there's also some soulful vocal moments too – and most tracks are long, and have a vibe that's a nice change from funky jazz or spiritual modes – even though there's still plenty of soulful energy throughout the set! Instrumentation is both electric and acoustic, and styles change up nicely – in ways that make each new track a great discovery, even if you've got ears that are well-trained on years of record digging. Titles include "On Dit" by Sara Alexander, "On A Winder's Day" by Afrodisax, "For You" by Dave Plaehn, "Pre-Stretch Warm Up" by Rick Panzer, "Du Ar Frisk" by Roger Ekman, "Philosophy" by Anne Marie Giortz, "Sengakuji" by Urban Hansson, and "Alcohol" by Rene Van Helsdingen. (Funky Compilations, Jazz) LP, Vinyl record album

6th volume in the great Mood Mosaic series, with a theme that focuses on swingin' female jazz singers – mostly of the light breezy Euro variety. There's loads of rare cuts on here by Sheila Jordan, France Gall, Alice Babs, Monika Linges, Flora Purim, Annete Peacock, and April Aloisio – plus tracks by other artists that have jazzy vocals, like stuff by Cal Tjader, Barney Wilen, and Sinatra. As usual, this Mood Mosaic comp's slightly different than the last one, but (also as usual) it's compiled with a lot of care, and features loads of hard to find tracks with a groovy clubby sound! (Funky Compilations, Jazz) CD

With music from Zoot Sims, Gil Evans, Milt Jackson, Joe Pass, Cal Tjader, Bill Evans, Art Tatum, Gene Ammons, and more. CD

A great batch of 60s and 70s jazz dance slammers – featuring a mixture of soul jazz, Latin jazz, and hardbop that all fits pretty darn nicely together! Titles include "Jeannine" by Oscar Brown Jr, "Senor Blues" by Mark Murphy, "Mishugana Mambo" by Slim Gaillard, "Buh's Bossa" by Art Blakey, "Selim" by Johnny Lytle, "Swing 39" by Barney Wilen, "Russian Lullaby" by Jimmy Rushing, "Let's Get It On" by The Sonny Knight Quartette, "Where's My Kids" by Dominic Frontiere, and "Chega De Saudade" by Dizzy Gillespie. (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 great overview of work on the legendary Three Blind Mice label from 70s Japan – a crucial imprint that gave exposure to the new generation of Japanese jazz musicians who were forging a fresh sort of ideas apart from their counterparts in the US! Three Blind Mice was always a label that was dedicated to the best quality of sound – not just in the top-shelf recording techniques they employed, but also in the way they let their artists approach the material – often without any sort of concern for commercial potential or crossover appeal – a quality that's really kept the TBM material very fresh over the years! Most tracks are nice and long – far from short crossover fusion or pop jazz of the period – and titles include "Derrick's Dance" by Teruo Nakamura, "Tones For Joan's Bones" by Fumio Karashima, "New Shade Of Blue" by Naosuke Miyamoto, "Sunset On The Street" by Sunao Wada with Minoru Ikeno, "Feel Like Makin Love" by Isao Suzuki, "Lady T" by Isoo Fukui, "Sunday Thing" by Toshiyuji Miyama & The New Herd, "Maiden Voyage" by Tatsuya Takahashi & The Tokyo Union, "Ain't Nothin New Under The Sun" by Ayako Hosokawa, and "Nardis" by the trio of Masabumi Kikuchi, Hideo Kanai, and Masahiko Togashi. (Funky Compilations, Jazz) LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

Music from Louis Jordan & His Tympany Five, Joe Liggins & His Honeydrippers, Roy Milton & His Solid Senders, Nat "King" Cole Trio, Cecil Gant, Charles Brown with Johnny Moore's Three Blazers, Ivory Hunter* with Johnny Moore's 3 Blazers, T-Bone Walker with Marl Young & His Orchestra, Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup, Julia Lee with Tommy Douglas' Orchestra, Helen Humes with Bill Doggett's Octet, Dinah Washington with Lucky Thompson's All Stars, and more - 36 songs in all. CD

A vivid portrait of a rich legacy in jazz – the wonderful sounds that have come from the South African scene from the early 60s onwards – served up nicely in this well-chosen set! The collection mixes underground work with well-known artists, older tracks with more contemporary ones – yet the whole thing comes together with a relatively unified feel – and a strong focus on the kinds of unusual rhythmic impulses that have always made South African jazz so unique. Titles include "Ntyilo Ntyilo" by Thandiswa, "Clarinet Kwela" by Kippie Moeketsi, "Dembese" by Brian Thusi, "Emampondweni" by Batsumi, "Vuvuzela" by Bokani Dyer, "Seven Days Ago" by Allen Kwela, "Dindela" by Errol Dyers, "Kwabulawayo" by African Echoes, and "Tlhapi Ke Noga" by Dolly Rathebe. (Global Grooves, Jazz) CD

A fantastic look at the righteous current of energy that swept through American music at the end of the 60s – that huge wave of knowledge and political inspiration that still stands as one of our favorite moments in jazz and soul! The Civil Rights generation had gotten some things accomplished, but not everything – and a new wave of action arose in various scenes of the underground – not just pushing the musical formats past anything that had happened before, but also doing so with a strong message of pride and empowerment! This collection surveys some of the best tracks of that moment – and also provides a great batch of historical notes to put the whole thing in context – done in collaboration with the book of the same name, but equally great as a soundtrack and document on its own. The package is overflowing with Dusty Groove classics – and titles include "Sweet Songs" by Sarah Webster Fabio, "Surtal Ihklas" by Doug Carn, "Vibes From The Tribe" by Phil Ranelin, "Desert Fairy Princess" by Horace Tapscott & The Pan Afrikan Peoples Arkestra, "Sounds From The Bush" by The Mandingo Griot Society with Don Cherry, "Is It Too Late" by Duke Edwards & The Young Ones, "Strong Men" by David McKnight, "Black Narcissus" by Joe Henderson, "Malcolm X" by Phil Cohran & The Artistic Heritage Ensemble, "Mother Of The Future" by Carlos Garnett, "Red Black & Green" by Roy Ayers, "African Rhythms" by Oneness Of Juju, and "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised" by Gil Scott-Heron. (Funky Compilations, Jazz) CD

A classic album featuring music from The Sound Of Jazz – the legendary 1957 TV show that brought together some of the greatest talents then working in jazz! Unusual for TV, the show really seemed to capture the players at their best – and recorded some tremendous live performances that were among the most moving ever filmed by the artists involved. Highlights include "The Train & The River" played by the Jimmy Giuffre Trio, "Fine & Mellow" sung by Billie Holiday, "Rosetta" and "Wild Man Blues" by the Red Allen All-Stars, "Blues" by Jimmy Giuffre & Pee Wee Russell, "I Left My Baby" by Count Basie with Jimmy Rushing, "Dickie's Dream" by Count Basie, and "Nervous", a solo piano number by Mal Waldron. CD

A much-needed look at the really magical world of music in France – a scene that's always seemed to exist in its own sort of space, especially during the late 70s/early 80s years when most of these tracks were recorded! The French scene had some famous free jazz at the start of the 70s, but there was also another strain of unique sounds that were beyond categorization or comparison – music that took some of the creative inspiration of jazz and turned it towards global sources, acoustic instruments, analogue electronics, and even French vocal styles – creating work that was not only years ahead of its time, but which also was often missed on the global market, because it was so hard to label and categorize! This set brings together some of the best of those moments – music that's maybe a great second step if you've already dug sounds on labels like Saravah or Futura/Marge – and the whole package is wonderful throughout – filled with titles that even we might have missed otherwise. Tracks include "Gaal" by Noco Music, "Les Crocodiles" by Catherine Derain, "Reve De Voyage" by Remy Couvez, "Sokoto" by Structures Sonores Lasry Baschet, "Loreley" by Pan Ra, "Mahabaratha Kali" by Adjenar Sidhar Khan, "Bujumbura Lyon" by Workshop De Lyon, "Arabia" by Dynamo, "Love Always" by Jef Gilson, and "Moving Waves" by Andre Fertier & Clivage. (Funky Compilations, Jazz) CD

Includes selections from David Qualey, William Ackerman, Ira Stein & Russel Walder, Philip Aaberg, Bill Oskay & Micheal O Domhnaill, Liz Story, Darol Anger & Mike Marshall, Malcolm Dalglish, Shadowfax, and Mark Isham. CD