Three great albums from Alice Coltrane – all late 70s albums for Warner Brothers that really show her taking off as both a solo performer and a spiritual force! First up is Eternity – seminal 70s work from one of the most righteous jazz musicians ever! On this set, Alice Coltrane moves past the rawer spiritual sound of her Impulse albums – working with a more focused vision and an approach to jazz that takes her way past the identity of just being "Mrs Coltrane", into territory that's a more perfect expression of her spiritual vision. The approach calls for more ambitious orchestrations, yet never in a way that overwhelms the jazz basis of the music – and Alice herself is on Fender Rhodes, organ, and harp – working with players who include Fred Jackson and Hubert Laws on reeds, Oscar Brashear on trumpet, George Bohannon on trombone, Charlie Haden on bass, Ben Riley on drums, and Armando Peraza on congas. Titles include "Spiritual Eternal", "Om Supreme", "Morning Workshop", "Wisdom Eye", and "Los Caballos". Radha Krsna Nama Saknirtana is pure spiritual loveliness from Alice, and a record that features a lot of additional playing by Indian musicians! Clearly, the Hari Krishnas have gotten to the lady here – as you can tell by the orange robe she's wearing on the cover, and the blank stare in her eyes – but that doesn't stop the album from being a nice one, filled with the soaring spiritualism of her best 70s work, and infused with a cross-cultural approach to jazz that makes for a wonderfully expansive sound. Tracks include "Om Namah Sivaya", "Hare Krishna", and "Govinda Jai Jai". Transcendence is a beautiful record from Alice Coltrane – a swirling mix of spiritual jazz and themes from Indian music! Alice plays organ, Fender Rhodes, and harp – building the sound as the album progresses, from simple airy strings to an earthier groove that features vocal refrains in unison with the keyboards, chanting away, over and over, stretching to the heavens in a cosmic groove! The record features a lot of variations on traditional Indian themes – including "Sivaya", "Ghana Nila", and "Bhaja Govindam" – plus the original tracks "Transcendence" and "Vrindavana Sanchara". CD

A trio of wonderful records – plus rare bonus tracks too! First up is the classic Oh Good Grief – one of the coolest, grooviest albums that pianist Vince Guaraldi ever recorded – a set that's got the same Peanuts theme as his earlier dates for Fantasy Records, but which also features some sweet electric touches that only make things even better than before! In addition to his warmly vamping piano, with all those lyrical touches we love so much, Vince is playing an electric harpsichord too – which makes for some very groovy moments – in a cool quartet that features guitar from Eddie Duran, bass from Stanley Gilbert, and drums from the great Carl Burnett! All tunes are Peanut-themed – the music that Guaraldi wrote for the TV specials – but they're sometimes taken at a looser style that's even jazzier overall – as you'll hear on the classic "Linus & Lucy", plus "Red Baron", "Peppermint Patty", "Great Pumpkin Waltz", and "Rain Rain Go Away". The Eclectic Vince Guaraldi nicely expands Vince's sound of earlier years – by taking his lyrical piano groove and adding in a bit of electric harpsichord – plus slightly larger arrangements that feature a bit of electric bass, guitar, and just the right light touches of strings. The resulting sound is wonderful – as deeply reflective as some of Vince's better-known work, but with some cool late 60s touches that really give the album a fresh kind of feel. And heck, Vince even sings on 2 Tim Hardin tracks – "Black Sheep Boy" and "Reason To Believe" – using a great raspy style of vocals that we didn't even know he had! Other titles include a great electric version of "The Beat Goes On", plus cool originals "Nobody Else", "Coffee and Doe-Nuts", and "Lucifer's Lady". Alma-Ville was cut during Vince's late 60s hipster phase – and it combines work on piano with a bit of electric playing, plus hip LA arrangements that include drums by Dom Um Romao, guitar by Herb Ellis, and added percussion by Rubens Bassini. Tracks are mostly originals – short groovers and sing-song numbers, a lot cooler than some of Vince's earlier work – all dancing along in a sweetly breezy groove that makes for a heck of a delightful little album! Titles include "Rio From The Air", "Cristo Redentor", "Uno Y Uno", "Detained In San Ysidro", "Jambos", "Alma Ville", and "The Masked Marvel". 2CD set features 4 bonus tracks – "Oh Happy Day", "The Sharecropper's Daughter", "Do You Know The Way To San Jose (take 15)", and 'The BEat Goes On (alt take 14)". CD

Essential set that brings together all of Herbie's key transitional recordings for Warner Brothers! Herbie started his years for the label playing in a more straight-ahead funky style – with perennial sample fave recordings like "Wiggle Waggle", "Fat Mama", and "Tell Me A Bedtime Story". Soon, however, he moved into more spacey territory – of the sort that he would later examine fully on his Columbia recordings of the early 70s. Tracks in this vein include "Sleeping Giant", "Water Torture", and "Wandering Spirit Song". The whole set features 3 full albums – Fat Mama, Crossings, and Mwandishi – and it's a great 2CD set filled with hard to find jazz funk classics! CD

A big overview collection of work from the key years of reedman David Sanborn – a player who certainly knew how to hit the heights with the sales of his records, but also had a surprisingly strong, rich career over the years! If you only think of Sanborn as a smooth jazz pioneer, then you'll find plenty to open up your mind here – as David first recorded as a solo act for Warner Brothers at a time when he was making key contributions to sessions for other artists, then found ways to consistently stay ahead of the fusion and electric jazz mainstream – to the point where in the later recordings here, he's almost back to basics in a really surprising way! As with other great anthology collections on this label, there's a really strong track selection – one that not only features key album tracks, but singles and even a few live cuts too – a really well-chosen batch of 46 tunes that include "Believer (12" mix)", "Love & Happiness (live)", "High Roller", "Flight", "Heba", "Short Visit", "This Masquerade", "Lesly Ann (radio)", "Smile (live)", "Infant Eyes", "Naked Moon", "Brother Ray", "Imogene", "Come To Me Nina", "Lotus Blossom (live)", "Daydreaming", "Same Girl", "Bang Bang (single)", "Summer", "I Do It For Your Love", "The Water Is Wide", "Got To Give It Up (rmx edit)", "Slam (7" version)", and "Duck Ankles". CD

A great one from this lesser-known vocalist – with arrangements by David Terry! (Vocalists, Jazz) LP, Vinyl record album

A beautifully spare set of duets between violinist Sven Asmussen and guitarist Ulrik Neumann – recorded in a format that's quite unusual for the time! The record features just Sven's violin and Ulrik's guitar – no other backing at all – and the sound is extremely haunting, with plenty of moody passages that just hang there in space and slowly unfold like little musical flowers – sweet sometimes, blue at others – and wonderfully carried off without any overindulgence on the part of either player. Titles include "Summertime", "California Here I Come", "Blue Orchids", "Flamingo", "Yesterdays", "Tea For Two", and "The Blue Room". LP, Vinyl record album

Hard-jamming jazz rock from Back Door – 3 prime era Warner albums in a 2CD set! Graced with lots of free solo work on alto and soprano sax by Ron Aspery, and a pretty strong power-trio instrumental format from Tony Hicks on drums and Colin Hodgkinson on bass, the group's early-to-mid 70s triumphs are mighty to this day. The self-titled debut is a jamming affair with genuine strains of funk and pretty great playing – and overall, it almost sounds like a rock take on the ESP sound at times! Titles include "Back Door", "Jive Grind", "Askin The Way", "Vienna Breakdown", "Plantagenet", and the classic Beastie Boys' sample track "Slivadiv". 8th Street Nites more than lives up to its predecessor, with a lots of bass-driven grooves and a couple charged takes on classic Robert Johnson and Leadbelly. Titles include "Linin' Track", "Forget Me Daisy, "Roberta", "Dancin' In The Van", "The Bed Creaks Louder", "Adolphus Beal" and more. Another Fine Mess arrived a couple years later and brings some Fender Rhodes to the mix, with titles including "I'm Gonna Stay A Long, Long Time", another fine jammy jazz rock take on the blues in "TB Blues", plus "Manager's Shirt", "Streamline Guitar", "The Dashing White Sergeant" and more. CD

Hip groovy loungey sounds from the guy who arranged and conducted the music to 77 Sunset Strip! Tracks have goofy names like "Cappucino", "Cafe Expresso", and "Hit The Road to Dreamland" – and the album's got a beatnik jazz feel that's very nice! (Now Sound, Jazz) LP, Vinyl record album

George Benson more than earns the title on this one – given that most of the tracks feature backings from the Count Basie Orchestra under the direction of Frank Foster – a great ensemble who really help keep things soulful throughout! Despite the date of the set, the feel here is a bit more classic than most of Benson's work from the time – as the group bring a full acoustic soul to the record – a swelling, swaying brace of horns that seems to push George's vocals a bit more than usual – past that simply sweet style that was the usual Benson bag. There's a range and depth here that's really surprising – a quality that goes past the hokey title, which might make you expect less from the record – and although there's a few brief moments that get slightly contemporary, these pass quickly in favor of a classic groove. Titles include "On Green Dolphin Street", "Without A Song", "Ready Now That You Are", "Basie's Bag", "Skylark", and "How Do You Keep The Music Playing". CD

A super huge hit for George – the record that took him from being a funky jazz guitarist into an R&B superstar! The album features George playing and singing over arrangements by Claus Ogerman – some of Ogerman's best of the 70s, ones that mix together his trademark pillow of sound with a slightly funky bounce. The result is incredible – and the album is filled with loads of great songs – including George's excellent version of Bobby Womack's "Breezin", the hit version of "This Masquerade", and the cuts "So This Is Love", "Six To Four", and "Affirmation". LP, Vinyl record album

All the 70s classics – "On Broadway", "Give Me The Night", "Livin Inside Your Love", "Breezin", "This Masquerade", and lots more! LP, Vinyl record album

Yipes! This one made everyone a bucket of money – especially Quincy Jones, whose new Qwest imprint the record was one of the first to grace. George has come a long way from his roots with Jack McDuff here – but in a way that kind of has us impressed, as he's grooving away slickly on guitar, laying down some smooth vocals that we never would have imagined from his mid 60s recordings. Includes the massive hit "Give Me The Night", a cover of "Moody's Mood", and the tracks "Star Of A Story (X)", "Midnight Love Affair", "What's On Your Mind", and "Dinorah, Dinorah". The sound of a million supermarkets and elevators during the 80s! LP, Vinyl record album

(Soul, Jazz) 12-inch, Vinyl record

Sweet stepping soul from George Benson – a batch of tracks that wraps up his wonderful vocals and guitar with some great contemporary rhythms! The vibe here is nicely laidback – never too smooth, nor some of the more commercial territory that Benson was trying for a decade before – and in a way, it's almost as if George has been digging some of the less mainstream soul sounds of the time, as he's hitting a sound that would certainly appeal to steppers in Chicago, or the indie soul and smooth jazz scene of the early 90s. Benson's got a great way of scatting lightly with his guitar, and there's a leanness to most of the tracks, despite a relatively full lineup of players. Titles include "I'll Be Good To You", "Got To Be There", "My Heart Is Dancing", "Love Remembers", "Come Into My World", "Somewhere Island", "Calling You", "Lovin On Borrowed Time", and "Love Of My Life". CD

Featuring Greg Phillinganes on keys and synthesizers, Marcus Miller on bass, Harvey Mason on drums, Paulinho da Costa on percussion, and Paul Jackson on rhythm guitar. LP, Vinyl record album

A very groovy record from Italian trumpet legend Fabrizo Bosso – one that features a group referred to as his Spiritual Trio, but a combo that's maybe got more of a soul jazz vibe overall – as the lineup features Alberto Marsico on organ and Alessandro Mnetto on drums! The spare format is great – open in ways that always seem to bring out the best phrasing in Bosso's horn, but with just the right moments of groove that have the trumpet and organ dancing together nicely – almost a newly-conceived variation on the the older 60s pairing of tenor and Hammond! Mario Biondi provides guest vocals on a remake of the Donny Hathaway tune "Someday We'll All Be Free" – and other instrumental tunes include "Sermonette", "Cold Duck Time", "Bernie's Toon", "I Shall Wear A Crown", "Forward", "A Lullaby", and "Say It Loud". CD

Features the tracks "A Room Without Windows", "The Friendliest Thing", "Hello Dolly", "It Only Takes A Moment", & "Dancing". LP, Vinyl record album

A cooking little live set from pianist Barbara Carroll – and a set that definitely shows the stronger approach to the keys she was using in the 60s! Some moments still have Carroll hitting those fluid, lyrical modes that graced her important 50s recordings – but others show a definite strength on the left hand too, which punches things up in a way that really emphasizes the rhythms and which show that Barbara's been listening to some of the younger players of the soul jazz generation! The rhythm players – Dick Sheridan on drums and percussion, and Beverly Peer on bass – both show a nice ability to change up the groove and keep things interesting – again in ways that echo the younger generation. Titles include "What Now My Love", "Here's That Rainy Day", "Fiddler On The Roof Medley", "On A Clear Day", "Suzie's Bossa Nova", and "Satin Doll". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the coolest records ever from guitarist Philip Catherine, and one of the funkiest too – thanks to a really sharp edge that you won't find on some of his other albums, and lots of Fender Rhodes from the legendary Marc Moulin too! Some of Catherine's other records of the 70s were a bit laidback or noodly – but this set's got a strong, soulful drive all the way through – a nice focus that may well come from the production of Sacha Distel, himself a onetime guitarist! But the group's just got things right on the money, right from the start – with some very strong funky drums from Freddy Rotheir, plus trombone from Jiggs Wigham and both bass and flute from Freddy Deronde. Titles include "Bassline", "Let's Put It Like This", "Stream", "Foire", "Face", "Jeux Interdits", and "Memphis Talk". LP, Vinyl record album

A brilliant set of post-post-post Konitz jazz – a late 70s Warne Marsh session, produced by Donald Fagan and Walter Becker of Steely Dan! Despite the smooth jazz feeling of Becker & Fagan's own work, the pair are completely respectful to Marsh and his twin-tenor frontman Pete Christlieb – recording them along with Lou Levy on piano, Jim Hughart on bass, and Nick Ceroli on drums, in a setting that's got a warm, acoustic feel. There's no tricks or electricity on the set – just a tight, angular approach to modern jazz – crafted in the twin-sax mode that Marsh recorded in often during the 50s. Titles include "Magnatism", "317 E 32nd", "Rapunzel", and "Tenors Of The Time". CD also features 3 bonus tracks – "Lunarcy", "Love Me", and "How About You". LP, Vinyl record album

Seminal 70s work from one of the most righteous jazz musicians ever! On this set, Alice Coltrane moves past the rawer spiritual sound of her Impulse albums – working with a more focused vision and an approach to jazz that takes her way past the identity of just being "Mrs Coltrane", into territory that's a more perfect expression of her spiritual vision. The approach calls for more ambitious orchestrations, yet never in a way that overwhelms the jazz basis of the music – and Alice herself is on Fender Rhodes, organ, and harp – working with players who include Fred Jackson and Hubert Laws on reeds, Oscar Brashear on trumpet, George Bohannon on trombone, Charlie Haden on bass, Ben Riley on drums, and Armando Peraza on congas. Titles include "Spiritual Eternal", "Om Supreme", "Morning Workshop", "Wisdom Eye", and "Los Caballos". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the classics from that 70s stretch when Alice Coltrane was really opening up her sound – not just walking away from more familiar jazz modes, but also embracing a very strong influence from Indian music and eastern thought as well! These elements had always been part of Coltrane's makeup somewhere in the background – but here, the modes are really foregrounded, as Alice plays some amazing organ, Fender Rhodes, and harp alongside a set of additional musicians that are mostly of Indian background – adding in some amazing percussion, and some incredibly haunting vocal chorus bits too! The approach is wonderful – different than her later, more meditative music – thanks in part to her excellent keyboards – and tracks include "Om Namah Sivaya", "Hare Krishna", and "Govinda Jai Jai". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the classics from that 70s stretch when Alice Coltrane was really opening up her sound – not just walking away from more familiar jazz modes, but also embracing a very strong influence from Indian music and eastern thought as well! These elements had always been part of Coltrane's makeup somewhere in the background – but here, the modes are really foregrounded, as Alice plays some amazing organ, Fender Rhodes, and harp alongside a set of additional musicians that are mostly of Indian background – adding in some amazing percussion, and some incredibly haunting vocal chorus bits too! The approach is wonderful – different than her later, more meditative music – thanks in part to her excellent keyboards – and tracks include "Om Namah Sivaya", "Hare Krishna", and "Govinda Jai Jai". LP, Vinyl record album

A beautiful record from Alice Coltrane – a swirling mix of spiritual jazz and themes from Indian music! Alice plays organ, Fender Rhodes, and harp – building the sound as the album progresses, from simple airy strings to an earthier groove that features vocal refrains in unison with the keyboards, chanting away, over and over, stretching to the heavens in a cosmic groove! Most of the other musicians are Indian musicians, and the record features a lot of variations on traditional Indian themes – including "Sivaya", "Ghana Nila", and "Bhaja Govindam" – plus the original tracks "Transcendence" and "Vrindavana Sanchara". LP, Vinyl record album

Wild and mysterious stuff! This album is sort of a repackaged version of the legendary Harlem Underground album – a great lost funk album from the mid-70s that listed George Benson as a player in the group, but one that Benson claims that he never played on! The time of this release coincided with Benson's big hit years in the 70s – so the package is a bit of a cash-in project – but the grooves here are a lot harder-hitting than anything George recorded for Warner or Columbia – really gritty funk that's totally great throughout! Other players include Dave Baby Cortez on organ, Reuben Wilson on keyboards, and Willis Jackson on tenor – and Ann Winley sings on one track, the great "Fed Up", which has a really bad-rapping feel! Other titles include the classic break track "Smokin' Cheeba Cheeba" – plus a few smokin' organ/guitar wailers, like "Loose Joints" and "Overture Erotic", both of which are nice enough to warrant this separate release! Other tracks include "Erotic Moods" and "Sweet Taste Of Love". CD

With Harbie Hancock on piano, Greg Kurstin on piano & keyboards, Gary Thomas on saxes, Wallace Roney & Terence Blanchard on trumpet, Kevin Eubanks, Paul Bollenback, Jeff Richman & Danny Robinson on guitar, Bob Hurst & Malcolm Jamal Warner on bass, Katisse Buckingham on soprano sax, Ed Barguiarena & Darryl Jackson on percussion & Teri Lyne Carrington on drums. CD

An incredible side of the talents of the legendary Alice Coltrane – obscure 80s material that was recorded in the years after her famous records on Impulse and Warner Brothers – only ever issued on cassette at the time! The tracks have Alice still very much in the same spiritual territory as before – but also mixing in some elements from American gospel music – not in any sort of Christian way, but just in terms of the use of a larger choir on some of the tracks, whose stompingly rhythmic presence can really drive a few of the tunes! Other tracks are more spare, and really focus on Coltrane's vocals and work on organ – as well as a bit of harp and string backings too – all at a level that really pushes the transcendental modes she first brought to light in the 70s. Given that most of us never got our hands on the original tapes, the whole thing is a real treasure trove – and presented with nicely detailed notes, too. Titles include "Er Ra", "Om Shanti", "Om Rama", "Rama Guru", "Haria Naryan", "Krishna Japaye", "Rama Katha", "Keshava Murahara", and "Journey To Satchindananda". LP, Vinyl record album

Great lost work from Miles Davis – early material recorded for Warner Brothers in the mid 80s, and never released at the time – now finally uncovered from the vaults, and presented with a few slight contemporary touches! The core music is prime electric Miles funk all the way through – a great first step into the territory that he'd explore at Warner in his final years, but also with some traces of the Columbia records from the few years before – strong trumpet solos amidst bold rhythms – given new life here from instrumentalists Randy Hall and Attala Zane Giles. The music has been updated from the original tapes – with a richer sound, and a vibe that sounds less dated – and vocals have been added in a few spots, including great work from Ledisi and Lalah Hathaway. Titles include "Rubberband Of Life", "Echoes In Time/The Wrinkle", "See I See", "I Love What We Make Together", "So Emotional", "Paradise", "Maze", and "Give It Up". CD

Great lost work from Miles Davis – early material recorded for Warner Brothers in the mid 80s, and never released at the time – now finally uncovered from the vaults, and presented with a few slight contemporary touches! The core music is prime electric Miles funk all the way through – a great first step into the territory that he'd explore at Warner in his final years, but also with some traces of the Columbia records from the few years before – strong trumpet solos amidst bold rhythms – given new life here from instrumentalists Randy Hall and Attala Zane Giles. The music has been updated from the original tapes – with a richer sound, and a vibe that sounds less dated – and vocals have been added in a few spots, including great work from Ledisi and Lalah Hathaway. Titles include "Rubberband Of Life", "Echoes In Time/The Wrinkle", "See I See", "I Love What We Make Together", "So Emotional", "Paradise", "Maze", and "Give It Up". CD

Great lost work from Miles Davis – early material recorded for Warner Brothers in the mid 80s, and never released at the time – now finally uncovered from the vaults, and presented with a few slight contemporary touches! The core music is prime electric Miles funk all the way through – a great first step into the territory that he'd explore at Warner in his final years, but also with some traces of the Columbia records from the few years before – strong trumpet solos amidst bold rhythms – given new life here from instrumentalists Randy Hall and Attala Zane Giles. The music has been updated from the original tapes – with a richer sound, and a vibe that sounds less dated – and vocals have been added in a few spots, including great work from Ledisi and Lalah Hathaway. Titles include "Rubberband Of Life", "Echoes In Time/The Wrinkle", "See I See", "I Love What We Make Together", "So Emotional", "Paradise", "Maze", and "Give It Up". LP, Vinyl record album

A rare album of organ groovers – cut by Holmes for the tiny Loma subsidiary of Warner Bros. Onzy Matthews leads a group behind Groove's organ, and the larger backing works well with Groove's funky style. The overall feel's a bit like some of the work that Groove cut for World Pacific in the late 60s – where he was operating as the main soloist, and given a lot of room to move around. Highlights include two nice originals – "RFK Flies Home" and "Bowl Of Soul" – plus the groovy "How Long How Long Blues". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the greatest moments ever from bassist Miroslav Vitous – a very cool album recorded for the trippy Vortex label! The lineup here has Miroslav working with key help from the American underground – piano from Herbie Hancock, tenor from Joe Henderson, and drums from Jack DeJohnette – plus added guitar from John McLaughlin, who seems to have the same spacey sensibilities as Vitous! Henderson really opens up too – in that fluid style of his post-Blue Note work on Milestone – and obviously Herbie's a great one for a set like this too – hitting some of the spiritual modes of his Warner work. Some tracks are nice and long – and titles include "Freedom Jazz Dance", "Infinite Search", "I Will Tell Him On You", "Mountain In the Cloudes", and "Epilogue". Originally issued as the album Infinite Search on Embryo, but expanded here with the additional track "Cerecka". CD

One of the greatest moments ever from bassist Miroslav Vitous – a very cool album recorded for the trippy Vortex label! The lineup here has Miroslav working with key help from the American underground – piano from Herbie Hancock, tenor from Joe Henderson, and drums from Jack DeJohnette – plus added guitar from John McLaughlin, who seems to have the same spacey sensibilities as Vitous! Henderson really opens up too – in that fluid style of his post-Blue Note work on Milestone – and obviously Herbie's a great one for a set like this too – hitting some of the spiritual modes of his Warner work. Some tracks are nice and long – and titles include "Freedom Jazz Dance", "Infinite Search", "I Will Tell Him On You", "Mountain In the Cloudes", and "Epilogue". LP, Vinyl record album