One of Flora Purim's most ambitious albums of the 70s – recorded with larger backings than usual, and some occasional additional vocal help from Urszula Dudziak and Googie Coppola! The "encounter" of the title is a reference to the added players on the set – as Flora's groove is expanded by a host of well-chosen players – some familiar from other Purim records, some making a strong initial appearance here. George Duke plays a host of keyboards on the set, and other musicians include Joe Henderson on tenor, Hermeto Pascoal on keyboards and vocals, Ron Carter on acoustic bass, Alphonso Johnson on electric bass, Ngugu Chancler on drums, Raul De Souza on trombone, McCoy Tyner on piano, and of course the ever-present Airto on percussion! Flora's vocals are as lovely as ever, and if anything seem to reach even farther to the heavens in a setting like this. Titles include "Windows", "Black Narcissus", "Dedicated To Bruce", "Tomara", and "Latinas". (Brazil, Vocalists) LP, Vinyl record album

One of Flora Purim's most ambitious albums of the 70s – recorded with larger backings than usual, and some occasional additional vocal help from Urszula Dudziak and Googie Coppola! The "encounter" of the title is a reference to the added players on the set – as Flora's groove is expanded by a host of well-chosen players – some familiar from other Purim records, some making a strong initial appearance here. George Duke plays a host of keyboards on the set, and other musicians include Joe Henderson on tenor, Hermeto Pascoal on keyboards and vocals, Ron Carter on acoustic bass, Alphonso Johnson on electric bass, Ngugu Chancler on drums, Raul De Souza on trombone, McCoy Tyner on piano, and of course the ever-present Airto on percussion! Flora's vocals are as lovely as ever, and if anything seem to reach even farther to the heavens in a setting like this. Titles include "Windows", "Black Narcissus", "Dedicated To Bruce", "Tomara", and "Latinas". (Brazil, Vocalists) CD

The best work we've heard in years from Terry Callier – the legendary soul singer from Chicago who's finally getting his due! This album avoids many of the mistakes of Terry's recent comeback efforts – and has him working with the best of the London scene – extremely fitting, as London's always given Terry some of his biggest support, and were crucial in bringing him back from obscurity! Most of the tunes on the set are produced by Jean-Paul "Bluey" Maunick, of Incognito – and they go for a spacious sound that's a strong extension of Terry's classic work for Cadet – rough vocals and acoustic guitar mixed with warmer keyboards, tight rhythms, and touches of strings. The album also features guest appearances by Paul Weller, Marc Mac of 4 Hero, and a number of other important London forces – and tracks include "Brother To Brother", "Imagine A Nation", "Monuments Of Mars", "Darker Than A Shadow", "Running Around", and "Speak Your Piece". LP features 6 tracks from the CD. (Soul, Vocalists) LP, Vinyl record album

Maybe the greatest record so far from the lovely Esperanza Spalding – a set that has her moving farther from jazz, into a wonderfully warm style of soul music overall! The mix of modes is exquisite – a blend of Spalding's jazz-trained vocals with some beautiful arrangements that sparkle and glisten with this righteous vibe we'd put right up there with the best 70s recordings by Minnie Riperton or Linda Lewis – a really rare breed that goes way beyond the wonderful promise Esperanza's always had right from the start! The album is an instant treasure – the sort that's sure to please everyone who's already followed Spalding on her journey, yet also win her a huge new audience as well. Q-Tip helped a bit on production, but most of the work is by Spalding herself – and titles include "Radio Song", "Cinnamon Tree", "Crowned & Kissed", "Land Of The Free", "Black Gold", "Let Her", "Endangered Species", "Smile Like That", and "I Can't Help It". Comes with bonus download cart for 11 short films! (Neo Soul, Vocalists) CD

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A set that starts out sounding like one of the most old school, straight ahead records we've ever heard from trombonist Roswell Rudd – but which soon opens up to all the creative, compelling modes we've always loved in Rudd's music! The record's the result of recent work with vocalist Heather Masse – a hell of a singer who takes Roswell back to older eras of jazz in style, but in ways that are still touched with all the creative tones we've always loved in his work on trombone! The mix is a bit like some of Roswell's 70s album with Sheila Jordan – in the way the songs are familiar, the structure is mostly standard, but the whole thing's open to these amazing inflections that really keep things interesting. Masse really surprises us, too – as while she can sing straight some times, she can also open up with these modes that are both modern and inventive, but never in a way that ignores older jazz roots. The pair have a way of embracing decades of jazz history at once – a bit in the way that Jaki Byard was always able to do – and they work here alongside Rolf Sturn on guitar and Mark Helias on bass – on titles that include "Social Call", "I'm Goin Sane", "Winter Blues", "Con Alma", "Tova & Kyla Rain", and "Blackstrap Molasses/Old Devil Moon". (Jazz, Vocalists) CD

A nice little 2CD set – one that features the full 1962 Carnegie Hall concert by Tony, with a second CD that gives the album enough space to add in a huge amount of previously unreleased tracks! The performance has Tony singing with both the trio of Ralph Sharon, and a larger orchestra – making for a good blend of the styles he'd been working on his early albums for Columbia, presented here in a way that has the unreleased tracks put in the same order as they were originally recorded – making for a full concert with hardly any breaks. The set boasts 44 tracks in all – with titles that include "Firefly", "The Rules Of The Road", "Without A Song", "It Amazes Me", "This Could Be The Start Of Something Big", "Lazy Afternoon", "My Ship", "Speak Low", "Fascinating Rhythm", "Just In Time", and "That Old Black Magic". CD

An excellent batch of rare material by vocalist Johnny Hartman, and a very strong set of tracks that shows a side of his work that's often ignored! Usually, Hartman gets cited for his slow, moody, syrupy sound – such as that which he used in his classic recordings with Coltrane. However, we really dig the side that's exposed on this CD – the shorter, livelier, more uptempo jazz numbers, done with a swing that you don't normally get with Johnny, and proof that he really was a tremendously versatile singer. There's 17 cuts on here, culled from 2 rare albums on ABC, and they show Hartman in a completely new light. Titles include "Fools Rush In", "Down In The Depths", "Bidin' My Time", "The More I See You", "Once In A While", "That Old Black Magic", and a very groovy version of "Girl Talk", with an excellent monologue by Johnny! CD

Some of the wildest music we've ever heard from the legendary Jeanne Lee – and that may be because the work here comes from the archives of drummer Sven Ake Johansson, whose madness is clearly a big part of the set! The work was recorded live on the Berliner Jazztage in 1971, and features Lee's vocals with the vibes and flute of musical/life partner Gunter Hampel – but spiced up a lot with electronics from Michael Waisvisz, who uses a version of the Putney to create some really cool sounds! Freddy Gosseye plays bass, and Johansson is his usual mad self on drums – and also plays a bit of accordion and oboe. The set features a single extended improvised performance. (Jazz, Vocalists) LP, Vinyl record album

One of the few albums ever cut by singer Ruth Olay – a really unique 50s vocalist, working here in a sweetly jazzy setting! Ruth's vocals have a trill that almost takes us back to years before the session was cut – but the backings definitely modernize the set a lot – thanks to work from Howard Roberts on guitar, Don Fagerquist on trumpet, Red Norvo on vibes, and a triple-trombone section from Milt Bernhardt, Si Zentner, and George Roberts! Strings seep into the mix a bit more in some mellower moments – and titles include "Lover Man", "Slow But Sure", "Lucky Day", "It Never Entered My Mind", and "Love For Sale". LP, Vinyl record album

Maybe the greatest record so far from the lovely Esperanza Spalding – a set that has her moving farther from jazz, into a wonderfully warm style of soul music overall! The mix of modes is exquisite – a blend of Spalding's jazz-trained vocals with some beautiful arrangements that sparkle and glisten with this righteous vibe we'd put right up there with the best 70s recordings by Minnie Riperton or Linda Lewis – a really rare breed that goes way beyond the wonderful promise Esperanza's always had right from the start! The album is an instant treasure – the sort that's sure to please everyone who's already followed Spalding on her journey, yet also win her a huge new audience as well. Q-Tip helped a bit on production, but most of the work is by Spalding herself – and titles include "Radio Song", "Cinnamon Tree", "Crowned & Kissed", "Land Of The Free", "Black Gold", "Let Her", "Endangered Species", "Smile Like That", and "I Can't Help It". Deluxe edition comes with bonus DVD that includes 11 short films and lots of bonus footage! (Neo Soul, Vocalists) CD

Includes music from the Carpenters, Perry Como, BJ Thomas, Aretha Franklin, the Shirelles, the Drifters, Tom Jones, Gene McDaniels, Tommy Hunt, the Searchers, Bobby Vinton, Chuck Jackson, Dusty Springfield, Jack DeShannon, Cilla Black & more. CD