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A lovely album of jazz vocal tracks from Japanese singer Akiko – handled in a relatively straight vein, done with a good modern traditionalist groove! The tracks are nearly all standards sung in English – and Akiko gets some strong small combo backing on piano, bass, drums, and tenor, ... read more CD

The second album by Japanese singer Akiko – and light years ahead of her first! This set brings Akiko's jazzy vocals into contact with work by a number of different arrangers and producers – including Keiji Matsumoto, Yoshito Tanaka, and Swing Out Sister! The range of tracks is really ... read more CD

Man, Akiko always knows how to keep things interesting – always moving between different genres and styles, to serve up a fresh new groove with each release! This set's got the singer hitting a host of British rock tunes, mostly from the 80s – doing them with a harder edge than you ... read more CD

A real change for Akiko – a record that drops some of the more modern-styled sounds of recent sets, and goes for a more swing-based style that's pretty darn nice throughout! The groove here is keenly inspired by jazz and R&B of the late 40s and early 50s – and is presented in a ... read more CD

One of our favorite albums from Japanese jazz singer Akiko – a warmly acoustic affair that still manages to groove nicely, thanks to some excellent production by Sunaga T! Many of the tracks are reworked jazz standards, but there's also a few fresh new tunes – all nicely sewn together ... read more CD

A jazzy little groover from Akiko – moving strongly forward with this excellent album, thanks to production from Tatsuo Sunaga! The groove here isn't as kitschy or catchy as on some of Sunaga's more dance-oriented recordings – but has a warm jazzy vibe that's steeped in years of ... read more CD

Classy and sophisticated vocals from Akiko – a record that has the Japanese singer adding in a stronger jazz component to her music, while still keeping in the soulful territory we've always loved! The sound here is very classic – mostly done with small trio backing, and a moody, late ... read more CD

7 lovely tracks from Japanese jazz singer Akiko – featuring the soulful vocalist in a number of different modes! The set kicks off with a fantastic groover called "Upstream" – produced by Yoshito Tanaka with a nice acoustic bounce, and well worth the title of the set. Next ... read more CD

A great sound for Akiko – one that's heavy on Brazilian influences, and done in collaboration with Gira Mundo! There's plenty of tracks here that echo Gira Mundo's love of funky samba – with rootsy percussion and traditional Brazilian instrumentation bubbling under Akiko's warmer, ... read more CD

The "spirit" side to Akiko's What's Jazz series – and her most dancefloor-styled record to date! The set features key contributions from Yukihiro Fukutomi, Yoshito Tanaka, and Hajime Yoshizawa – all of whom bring a fair bit of contemporary elements to the mix – soulful ... read more CD

Akiko's tribute to the "style" of jazz – soon followed by her "spirit" set – and a package that has far more substance than you might expect! The work's got a cool, classy sort of feel – older jazz modes handled with small group instrumentation that either ... read more CD

Akiko takes another wonderful turn with her music – working here in an especially mellow setting, recorded in Bugge's Room in Oslo, with production from Bugge Wesseltoft himself! The album's got the soulful glow of some of the best Wesseltoft soul productions on Jazzland from years back ... read more CD

Don't let the title fool you, because although the cover of the record says "Many Sides Of Toshiko", the album only features one – her great approach to bop-inflected trio material – recorded here in a classic Verve session with a distinct Bud Powell influence! Not that we're ... read more CD

One of the first American albums to ever feature the piano of Toshiko Akioshi – and a set that's oddly split with work from jazz accordionist Leon Sash – who also appeared at the Newport Jazz Festival at the same time! Toshiko is on side one – in a trio with Gene Cherico on bass ... read more CD

The title's no like – as these guys definitely groove, and they're definitely funky too – a sweet 70s combo from the Lagos scene, and one who play with a very sharp edge at their core! Aktion make nice use of darker, downturning chords – which creates a moody feel to their funk, ... read more CD

A stunner from the Afro Funk scene of the 70s – and the kind of record that makes us realize just how much greatness there is to discover! Years back, we thought we'd heard all the good cuts from the sub-Saharan continent – but a record like this really makes us sit up and take new ... read more CD

Stunning sounds from the great Alessandro Alessandroni – an artist who contributed to countless Italian soundtracks in the 60s and 70s, and who sounds even more amazing here in this rare set of sound library funk! The album's all instrumental, and is overflowing with groovy little tracks ... read more CD

Wonderfully mad grooves from the great Alessandro Alessandroni – and a set that seems to draw on all of his mighty talents at once! Some numbers have a soul jazz groove, with great lead piano from the maestro – others have cool wordless vocals, or maybe even a bit of whistling – ... read more CD

A dream of a record from the legendary Alessandro Alessandroni – an obscure sound library set, but one that we'd rank right up there with our favorite Italian soundtrack classics of the time! Alessandroni's going for a very Morricone-like feel here – lots of spacious rhythms, isolated ... read more CD

A sweet selection of unreleased material from the vaults of Italy's famous Cometa Records sound library – a package that's pretty heavy on keyboard and electronic bits, with a sound that's right up there with some of the best Italian horror and action scoring of the early 80s! In fact, there' ... read more CD

The music of Eric Alexander never fails to amaze us – and even though we own dozens of his albums from previous years, a record like this can make us sit up and take immediate notice all over again! Alexander's not just a great tenorist, he's also a great tunesmith – able to roll out ... read more CD

A stone classic from pianist Monty Alexander – a live date recorded for MPS in the mid 70s, and a set with even more fire than his studio sides for the label! The sound here is quite freewheeling at times – not funky, but in a very romping, gutbuckety mode that marks Alexander as a ... read more CD

Monty Alexander's always great in a trio, but we really love the pianist when he's trying to add a little something extra to the mix – as he does here in a quartet performance that features some nice added percussion from Robert Thomas! The tracks have that warm glow and open flow that ... read more CD

A nice little set from Monty Alexander – a Sunday Night session recorded with the same group, on the same weekend as his Saturday Night album! Monty Alexander's always great in a trio, but we really love the pianist when he's trying to add a little something extra to the mix – as he ... read more CD

A beautiful album from Lorez Alexanderia – one of her two excellent sessions for Impulse! The record was cut after Lorez recorded some great sides for the Argo label – and it works off the strength of those sides, taking her unique vocal approach, forged in R&B, but smoothed by ... read more CD

Incredible early work from Lorez Alexandria – the kind of albums that instantly set her apart from other singers of the 50s, reissued here properly for the first time in years! On This Is Lorez, the singer is working with sublime small combo backings from the group of pianist King Fleming ... read more CD

Powerhouse soul from singer Doris Allen – who made a bit of a splash in the late 60s southern soul scene with duet partner Big John Hamilton – but who's own work from that time and a couple decades later have been under acknowledged in the digital era until now! The first half of the ... read more CD

Quite a powerful little record from JD Allen – billed in the notes as a "blues record", but a set that's got an undeniably spiritual feel – so much so, it might be one of Allen's best records to date! The setting is a trio – with Gregg August on bass and Rudy Royston on ... read more CD

The only album ever from Allspice – but a hell of an incredible soul record – and one that's kept the group's name strong with collectors and rare groove fanatics for years! The album's on of the best Fantasy Records productions by Wayne Henderson and his At Home team – and like ... read more CD

A really sweet riff on western soundtrack styles by Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass, though still in Herb's breezy 60s style – wonderful stuff, and a set that's a bit overlooked in his classic A&M canon! The way the bright and sunny Herb Alpert jazzy pop instrumental style melds so ... read more CD

Late 60s brilliance from the legendary Herb Alpert – one of a few key records that has him reinventing his style for a whole new generation! Herb name-checks Gil Evans, Miles Davis, and Ahmad Jamal in the notes – and he's definitely opening up the style of his arrangements here – ... read more CD

A fantastic record from the late 60s years of Herb Alpert – a time when the trumpeter was really opening up his sound, and starting to hit some of the same cool styles of his other great acts on the A&M label! Gone are the trademark Cali-Mex arrangements of the early Tijuana Brass ... read more CD

Nice one from Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass – working with arranger Quincy Jones! You Smile – The Song Begins comes at a pretty interesting point in which Herb was still working in the Spanish-inflected, jazzy instrumental groove of earlier years – but in a fresh way after a ... read more CD

A tremendous trio outing, and a record that really illustrates the newfound strength we've heard from drummer Barry Altschul in recent years – music so great, it's almost as if he's taken a time machine back to the groundbreaking days of his youth! The play on "freedom" in the trio' ... read more CD

An overlooked 70s supergroup – one whose members included Doug Yule of Velvet Underground, Eric Kaz of Blues Magoos, Steve Katz of Blood Sweat & Tears, and Craig Fuller of Pure Prairie League! Yet the sound here is maybe in the tight, smooth territory of that last group – rootsy ... read more CD

Beautifully subtle guitar work from Marcos Amorim – a musician who plays an electric instrument, but can often make it feel as if waves of sound are just cascading out gently into the air – more tone than attack on the strings, with this style that's deft, but very unassuming – ... read more CD

The complete recordings of a wonderful soul singer who never fully got her due – Detroit diva Carol Anderson, best known for a few tracks that broke big on the UK Northern scene – but finally presented here with the full scope of her work in one set! Carol had a great approach that was ... read more CD

The legendary Jamaican keyboards and piano groover – a pivotal player in classic ska, rocksteady and reggae – divering a surprisingly wonderful vocal album in the early 80s! Being a longtime vital player by this point, we know Gladdy was wise enough that he wouldn't of done this if he ... read more CD

A hell of a great record from Ruby Andrews – a Chicago soul singer who started out sweet, but comes on hard and heavy on this righteous classic from the start of the 70s! The record's got a badass vibe you never would have expected from Andrews a few years before – with tremendous ... read more CD

A masterful set of recordings from Chicago soul chanteuse Ruby Andrews – tunes she cut for Zodiac Records between 1967 and 1973! Ruby could handle any soul style her producers threw her way, be it driving dancefloor stompers or pure torch balladry, but she had a way of infusing everything ... read more CD

Prime 70s work from Horace Andy – recorded in this laidback, soul-drenched style that almost recalls the Kingston sound of a few years before! The setting is very earthy and up-close – a perfect placement for Andy's really unique vocals, which almost approximate some of the more ... read more CD

A beautiful little record from this overlooked Windham Hill team – pianist Barbara Higbie and violinist Darrol Anger – working here in an open live setting that really lives up to the best spirit of the label! Both instruments are used in very fresh ways – moving through that new ... read more CD

Tremendous work from Anglo Saxon Brown – a Philly group who started out their recording career as Ujima on Epic, where they issued a handful of well-remembered singles – then changed their name and cut this one and only full length set for Atlantic! The album's a stunner all the way ... read more CD

Paul Anka may be hiding his balding pate under a hat on the cover, but the album's got the singer being very open with his style – and hitting a great AOR mode for the 80s! Anka may have hit a few clunky spots in the 70s – but he's maturing nicely on this overlooked album from the ... read more CD

Wonderful work from Keren Ann – a French singer we first fell in love with on her albums done with producer Benjamin Biolay – working here with a different talent at the helm, but a sound that's equally sublime! Keren's also making a big step towards a global market here, too – ... read more CD

Richard D James has lost none of his touch over the years – still as stark and ear-grabbing as he was when we heard the first Aphex Twin release – at a level that really lives up to all the faith we've had in his music over the years! This EP is bubbling over with blips, beats, and ... read more CD

A winning effort from one of the finer post-Dilla Detriot hip hop producers – gritty and soulful on the beats, brightly accented and moody on the more atmospheric touches, diverse and underground star-studded on rhymes! Guests include Oddisee, Reks, Sean Price, MOP, Evidence, OC, Wordsworth, ... read more CD

The mad look of artist Karel Appel on the cover is a very fitting image for this set – as the music moves around in so many insane ways – often with the kind of dynamic, explosive vibe of Appel's famous paintings! We're tempted to call the set an audio version of abstract expressionism ... read more CD

A pair of great albums from this Norman Connors side project! Fantasy is righteous soul, but with a wicked groove too – a killer set from Aquarian Dream, made even better by some great Norman Connors production! In a way, Aquarian Dream were to Norman Connors what Ramp were to Roy Ayers ... read more CD

A never-issued live set from the legendary Brit leader Neil Ardley – recorded right during his classic years, and featuring a host of leading jazz luminaries of his scene! The material features both original compositions by Neil, plus some surprising other inclusions as well – all ... read more CD

A cool Croatian combo with a very soulful sound – a quartet with guitar, alto, bass, and drums – served up with a sound that has the guitar and saxophone sharing equal presence in the frontline! Guitarist Vjekoslav Miling has a warmly chromatic sound, which is a nice contrast to the ... read more CD

An obscure album of southern funky soul from Chuck Armstrong – an artist we know from his earlier funky 45 work in Chicago, but who sounds quite different on this set! The album was produced by George Kerr in New Jersey, but it's got a rolling, vamping approach on most cuts – a sound ... read more CD

Dreamy 60s pop from Ginny Arnell – a sweet-voiced singer working in a very echoey space! There's a nicely weepy quality to Ginny's music – not in a way that's overly emotive, but which comes from the odd mix of guitar lines, bubbling bass, and heavy echo used to record the music – ... read more CD

A surprisingly great set of work from countrypolitan giant Eddy Arnold – 1970 sessions that have him both reforging his strengths with producer Chet Atkins, and taking up a whole new groove with the great Lee Hazlewood! The Atkins material can be heard here on the album Love & Guitars ... read more CD

A wonderful record from Dayme Arocena – a Cuban singer who first emerged as part of Gilles Peterson's Havana Cultura project, although Gilles himself had been following her music since she was a child! This debut full length is wonderful – and really pushes past the initial modes of ... read more CD

A lost chapter in the career of the Art Ensemble Of Chicago – an obscure early 70s album, issued by the mostly-blues Paula Records label in Louisiana, and one of the hardest to find albums in their catalog! The album features 3 long tracks – "Chi-Congo", "Enlorfe", ... read more CD

Duo material from the late 60s British folk revival – nice stuff from Dave & Toni Arthur – resonating versions of traditional folk numbers – many with just voices and no instrumental accompaniment! It's pretty endearing stuff, the kind of thing you wish pubs full of people ... read more CD

A stunning early set from The Artistics – and exactly the kind of record that shows why they were one of the best Chicago soul groups at the end of the 60s! The harmonies are wonderful – smooth, but with a rough undercurrent too – balanced at a level that few groups could touch ... read more CD

A seminal bit of funky Afrojazz from the DC scene of the 70s! The album features work by percussionist Okyerema Asante, and also includes sax work by Plunky Nakabinde – best known as the leader of the group Oneness Of Juju. Plunky's influence can really be felt strongly on the set – ... read more CD

"Fantastic" is right – because Dorothy Ashby is one of the coolest, grooviest people to ever lay her fingers on a harp – and just about one of the few who've ever found a way to use the instrument in a jazz-based setting! This mid 60s date is a pivotal one for Ashby – ... read more CD

Incredible work from the amazing Dorothy Ashby – a brilliant set of funky and spiritual tunes, set to full backings from Chicago soul arranger Richard Evans! This album is easily one of Ashby's greatest, and it's dedicated to the writings of Omar Khayyam – one of the forces guiding ... read more CD

Harold Ashby's a tremendous tenorist – almost like Von Freeman or Buck Hill, in that he had years of experience before getting a bit of wider experience on records – thanks to albums like this! The set's got Ashby's great raspy tone in perfect formation with a trio led by pianist ... read more CD

Near-perfect work from Ashford & Simpson – really grooving in full powerhouse mode here, and never missing a beat! By all rights, the team should have run out of steam by this point, but the album's another winner from their sublime Warner years – caught in a unique space between ... read more CD

Sublimely satisfying work from Ashford & Simpson – a stone killer from the height of their late 70s glory days on Warner Brothers! The pair are working together wonderfully at this point – wrapped up in that blend of upbeat soul and righteous undercurrents that made them a real cut ... read more CD

Heavyweight gold from guitarist Chet Atkins – two albums back to back! Solid Gold 68 is a sweet set that has the guitar of Chet Atkins taking on the big hits of the year – with surprisingly groovy results! The arrangers here are Bill Walker and Cam Mullins, and a number of the tunes ... read more CD

Two late 60s RCA albums from Chet Atkins – back to back on a single CD! On Yestergroovin, Chet Atkins is groovin, but in a yesterday sort of way – hence the title of this sweet set from the start of the 70s! The record still has plenty of that excellent Atkins guitar work right up ... read more CD

Quite possibly the greatest album to date from Atomic – a set that steps out with a bold, rich sound right from the start – giving the whole thing the feel of some lost classic slice of avant jazz, but with a freshness that definitely marks the set with plenty of Atomic energy too! The ... read more CD

A sweet change in sound from Kylie Auldist – an artist we know mostly for deep funk work with The Bamboos on backup – but who steps out here in a style that's got much more of an 80s soul vibe overall! The arrangements are full, funky, and beautifully suited to Kylie's voice – ... read more CD

A great back-to-basics solo album from the legendary David Axelrod – cut in the mid 70s for Fantasy Records, after higher-concept projects like The Auction and Messiah! This set gets right to the core – and focuses on the funk currents that were always part of Axelrod's larger ... read more CD

A beautiful live set from 1972 – and a very unique album from Roy Ayers' Polydor years! The album originally was never issued in the US – clearly done for a hipper European market at the time – and it's got more of a jazz vibe than some of Roy's other work on Polydor, with sounds ... read more CD

One of Roy Ayers' greatest albums of the 70s – a set that tightens up the groove from previous Polydor productions, yet still keeps all the soul intact! The record picks up the style begun with the Mystic Voyage album, and pushes it to some slightly tighter territory – a more focused ... read more CD

Late greatness from Albert Ayler – two Impulse albums back to back! New Grass is one of the last albums that Ayler ever recorded – and one of his most memorable! The record shows Ayler at the crossroads, filled with emotion and meaning, struggling to convey his message to a lager ... read more CD

Stunning live recordings from Albert Ayler's European tour of late 1966 – during a peak creative period for Ayler – while working with an incredible group! This excellent CD captures them in Stockholm for Swedish radio on November 10, 1966 – followed by an equally well ... read more CD

Soaring and soulful work from Geraldo Azevedo – a nearly lost treasure from the mid 70s, but a record we'd rank right up there with the best from Lo Borges or Milton Nascimento from the time! As with those two, there's a blend here between intimacy and majesty – simple, poetic lyrics ... read more CD

Rare work from French songwriting giant Charles Aznavour – the talent who penned so many great songs for Edith Piaf, then went on to his own tremendous career as a singer! This set brings together lots of obscure tracks from Charles – including some recorded in the 60s and 70s, ... read more CD

A first ever release of this killer B-52s live set – recorded in 1979, shortly after the release of their first record – opening for the Talking Heads in Boston! The band is in peak early form here, really throwing a hell of a great party on stage, with a set that's heavy on classics ... read more CD

A group so great and so groovy, they ended up having a huge influence on the early sound of hip hop – thanks to a wonderfully funky sound at the core of their progressive rock groove! Babe Ruth have this rhythmic impulse that's really amazing – a way of working bass, drums, and ... read more CD

Great solo work from Baby Consuelo – a singer who first got her start in the hip group Os Novos Baianos, but who's stepping out on her own by the time of this late 70s solo set! The record's still got a nice sort of edge – some of the rootsier currents that Consuelo used with her ... read more CD

One of the funkier, groovier soundtracks we've heard from maestro Luis Bacalov – a very cool 70s score that includes sweet keyboards, funky flute, wah wah guitar, and even a bit of whistling too! The tunes have more depth and pacing than a standard cop/crime film of the period – and ... read more CD

A slow-building score from Luis Bacalov – one that really demonstrates the well of sentiment and gentle emotion that he would tap into for his work of the 80s and 90s! The music here is partly period, but mostly mellow themes that have Luis unfolding piano and strings in a spare, but ... read more CD