Unissued live material from a great stretch in the career of Count Basie – that time when he was turning in some excellent concert performances for Roulette Records, material that's got very similar charms to the music on this set! As with most of Roulette Basie, that revived sense of timing from Neal Hefti is very strongly in play – that magnificent sense of space between the notes that made this period of the Count's ensemble such a great one – with a rhythmic focus that's brilliant, and which opens up with even more excitement when a key soloist steps in! Players include Thad Jones and Snooky young on trumpets, Henry Coker and Benny Powell on trombones, Frank Foster and Eric Dixon on tenors, Freddie Green on guitar, Marshall Royal on alto, and Frank Wess on flute and alto – and there's a bit of vocals on a few tracks from later soul singers OC Smith and Irene Reid. Titles include "Segue In C", "Why Not", "Easy Money", "Backwater Blues", "Lil Darlin", "Easin It", "April In Paris", and "Cute". CD

Stripped-down Count Basie from the start of the 60s – a great little set that has the Count working with some of the best players from his larger group, in a session of even more intimate small combo material! The sounds here echo the Basie groove of the earlier years, but the overall presentation is a fair bit more modern – nicely syncopated with that sense of space discovered by Basie in the 50s – and perfectly interpreted by players who include Thad Jones on trumpet, Frank Wess on flute, Frank Foster on tenor, Freddie Green on guitar, Eric Dixon on flute, and Basie himself on both piano and organ – the latter of which is quite a treat! Titles include "Secrets", "Count's Place", "I Want A Little Girl", "Tally Ho Mr Basie", "Senator Whitehead", "Whatcha Talkin", and "Shoe Shine Boy". CD

Early Basie material, packaged in a nicely done 50s LP format – supposedly with some remixing to improve the sound quality of the tracks. Players include Lester Young, Buck Clayton, Herschel Evans, Freddy Greene, Walter Page, and Jo Jones – and titles include "Jumpin At The Woodside", "Every Tub", "Out The Window", "Shorty George", "Doggin Around", "Texas Shuffle", "Cherokee", and "Topsy". LP, Vinyl record album

Count Basie rewrites history – updating his older work for the Roulette Records years, in this hip collection that features lots of new arrangements from Frank Foster – and rich performances from his great group at the time! The recordings are all new, as are the conceptions of the tunes – so there seems to be even more syncopated swing in the rhythms than on any of the older takes on the material – that fresh sound that the group grew into with Neal Hefti – still going strong here in Foster's hands. So although the tunes are Basie classics – and classics from other bands of the 30s and 40s – the performances and solos are plenty fresh! Titles include "Swinging The Blues", "Out The Window", "Texas Shuffle", "Down For Double", "Lester Leaps In", "Topsy", "Taps Miller", "Shorty George", "Jive At Five", and "Dogging Around". CD

Frank Foster is one of our favorite talents in jazz – an excellent tenorist who spent some of his key years in the Count Basie orchestra, but a player who also had a very rich career on his own as well! This album features Frank's talents really coming to the forefront of the Basie group – in a set of all-original material penned and arranged by Foster – really fresh tunes that are a perfect fit for the soulful spirit of the reedman's collaborators in the group, and which definitely show off the growing talents of Foster as a composer. There's a lot more going on here than you might expect – some surprisingly complicated charts for the horns, yet still with that rock-solid swing you'd expect from Basie – and most tracks are longer than usual for a Roulette album, nicely open numbers that include "Brotherly Shove", "Easin It", "Blues For Daddy-O", "Four Five Six", and "Mama Dev". LP, Vinyl record album

A collection of recordings from 1959 and 1961, with sidemen including Thad Jones, Benny Powell, Frnak Wess, Frank Foster, Billy Mitchell, Freddie Gren, and Budd Johnson. LP, Vinyl record album

With Ray Brown on bass and Louie Bellson on drums. LP, Vinyl record album

With Ray Brown on bass and Louie Bellson on drums. CD

... LP, Vinyl record album

32 songs over two CDs. CD

A great little set – despite our initial fears about the package – and a really wonderful pairing of the talents of Count Basie and Benny Carter! We'll admit that we're the first ones to shy away from anything that says "Kansas City" in the title – as we expect a lot of hoke – but this album's a surprisingly great batch of tunes, original numbers written by Benny Carter in honor of the KC of days past, but arranged and performed by the Basie group in a swinging style that's got the best touches of their Roulette years, plus a bit of Ellingtonish ambition in the horn charts. Titles include "Katy Do", "Miss Missouri", "Jackson County Jubilee", "Sunset Glow", "Meetin Time", and "The Wiggle Walk". LP, Vinyl record album

With Freddie Green on guitar, Keter Betts on bass, and Mickey Roker on drums, with orchestra! LP, Vinyl record album

Count Basie goes pop, and the results are mighty nice – a hard-swinging take on familiar tunes from the 60s, but all re-tooled the jazzy Basie way! The vibe here is right up there with the best Neal Hefti moments with the group – and although the arrangements are by Billy Byers, they've got that sense of tightness that Hefti first help bring to the band – a great setting for the inventive solos, and all the cool little twists and turns that make a record like this so great. And while you might think of the setting, or the title, as some sort of sell-out on the Count's part – the album's instead a perfect way to hear what made the Basie band so great – how they could completely transform tunes like "Pretty Woman", "Bye Bye Love", "Doo Wah Diddy Diddy", "At Long Last Love", and "Go Away Little Girl". LP, Vinyl record album

Two wonderful early 50s albums recorded by Count Basie for Verve – both sessions aimed at the dancefloor, and served up with an undeniably soulful groove! The style here is hard and swinging – the older Basie mode refined for the 50s – thanks to arrangements by Ernie Wilkins, Frank Foster, Neal Hefti, Manny Albam, and others! Groups on the set are often a bit small – and feature reeds by Frank Foster, Frank Wess, and Paul Quinichette; trumpets by Thad Jones, Joe Wilder, and Joe Newman; trombone from Henry Coker and Benny Powell; guitar by Freddie Green; and both piano and organ from Count Basie – the latter of which is a surprising and wonderful addition to this set! Features 24 tracks in all – with titles that include "Cherry Point", "Bubbles", "Straight Life", "Basie Goes Wess", "Mambo Mist", "Stereophonic", "Plymouth Rock", "Sixteen Men Swinging", "You For Me", "Soft Drink", "Slow But Sure", and "She's Just My Size". LP, Vinyl record album

We totally dig Basie's work from the mid 60s! He was working with Quincy Jones at the time – and Quince laid down some very soulful arrangements that used the best jazz elements of the Basie group to turn out some great pop instrumental tracks with a very groovy sound. This album's a perfect example of that format, as it features some great Basie sidemen, grooving nicely to Quincy's hip swinging arrangements of pop material like "Walk, Don't Run", "Fly Me To The Moon", "This Could Be The Start Of Something Big", and "One Mint Julep". LP, Vinyl record album

With Freddie Greene on guitar, George Duvivier on bass, Eddie Shaughnessy on drums, Roy Eldridge on trumpet, Al Grey and Billy Byers on trombone, and Eddie Lockjaw Davis on tenor sax. LP, Vinyl record album

An excellent gimmick from the United Artists label – a way of mixing their strong run of 60s soundtrack hits with the world of jazz – thanks to Count Basie and his group taking on a whole host of themes from the successful James Bond films! Count Basie brings a soulful swing to the work of John Barry, who scored most of these cuts – hitting hard on the tracks with his own smoking piano, and an orchestra filled with some of his best players – including Al Grey on trombone, Eric Dixon on saxes, and Freddie Greene on guitar – plus guest tenor work from Eddie Lockjaw Davis, an artist who wasn't credited on the session at he time. Arrangements are by Chico O'Farrill and George Williams – and titles include "Thunderball", "From Russia With Love", "007", "Girl Trouble", and "Goldfinger". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the deepest albums that Count Basie ever recorded – thanks to some great arrangements and backings by Oliver Nelson! Nelson's working in the same groovy mode he used with Jimmy Smith's excellent Verve sessions – and although the record doesn't have the same sort of star soloist in the lead, the Basie band members do a great job of trading off solos over the enigmatic backings crafted by Nelson. A number of the tracks have a Latin flair – and work on electric bass grooves that push the set farther than the usual Basie outing of the time – with a flavor that's right up there with the hippest Nelson sessions for Flying Dutchman, and maybe even a bit like spiritual ensemble material too. Titles include versions of Albert Ayler's "Love Flower" and Pharoah Sanders' "Japan", plus originals by Nelson like "Afrique", "Kilimanjaro", and "African Sunrise". CD

... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

... 78 RPM, Vinyl record

... LP, Vinyl record album

... CD

Features Terence Blanchard on trumpet, Donald Harrison on alto, Jean Toussaint on tenor, Tim Williams on trombone, Lonnie Plaxico on bass, and Mulgrew Miller on piano! CD

The beautiful debut as a leader from pianist Surya Botofasina – an artist you may know from early work in the spiritual Build An Ark ensemble – finally given a chance here to shine on his own! The album's produced by Carlos Nino, with whom Botofasina worked in Build An Ark – and Nino also plays some percussion on the set, and brings some of his own meditative qualities to the music. Yet things are still very much Surya's own, with long tracks that stretch out on lots of sublime piano and keyboard passages that are almost harp-like at times – touched by some of Nino's percussion – and guest vocals on one track by Dwight Trible, and on another by Mia Doi Todd. Titles include "I Love Dew Sophie", "Surya Meditation", "Everyone's Children", "Beloved California Temple", "Waves For Margie", and "Sun Of Keshava". CD

The beautiful debut as a leader from pianist Surya Botofasina – an artist you may know from early work in the spiritual Build An Ark ensemble – finally given a chance here to shine on his own! The album's produced by Carlos Nino, with whom Botofasina worked in Build An Ark – and Nino also plays some percussion on the set, and brings some of his own meditative qualities to the music. Yet things are still very much Surya's own, with long tracks that stretch out on lots of sublime piano and keyboard passages that are almost harp-like at times – touched by some of Nino's percussion – and guest vocals on one track by Dwight Trible, and on another by Mia Doi Todd. Titles include "I Love Dew Sophie", "Surya Meditation", "Everyone's Children", "Beloved California Temple", "Waves For Margie", and "Sun Of Keshava". LP, Vinyl record album

A killer collection of Billy Bragg's best from the early years – mostly just vocals and guitar, and completely sublime! CD

... LP, Vinyl record album

An incredible album of jazz tracks by one of Brazil's greatest reed players of the 70s – the mighty Victor Assis Brasil – a free-thinking spirit who really took Brazilian jazz in bold new directions at the time! The record shows Victor absorbing a lot of post-Coltrane influences, and blending them with a tight approach to rhythm – laid down here by Dom Salvador on piano (and organ), Edison Lobo on bass, and Edson Machando on drums. The group is completed by Helio Delmiro on guitar, and Claudio Roditi plays trumpet on one track – but the real highlight is the amazing reed work by Brasil, which is filled with soul and warmth, plus a deep sense of exploration. The whole session was put together by Roberto Quartin in 1970 – and it's still extremely fresh today. Titles include "Children", "Gingerbread Boy", "Senegal", and "Marilia", which is a bonus track that wasn't on the original LP. LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic double-length set – two full albums of music, essential for any fan of Brazilian jazz – or even jazz in general! First up is Esperanto – an incredible album from one of Brazil's greatest reed players of the 70s – the mighty Victor Assis Brasil – a free-thinking spirit who really took Brazilian jazz in bold new directions at the time! The record shows Victor absorbing a lot of post-Coltrane influences, and blending them with a tight approach to rhythm – laid down here by Dom Salvador on piano (and organ), Edison Lobo on bass, and Edson Machando on drums. The group is completed by Helio Delmiro on guitar, and Claudio Roditi plays trumpet on one track – but the real highlight is the amazing reed work by Brasil, which is filled with soul and warmth, plus a deep sense of exploration. The whole session was put together by Roberto Quartin in 1970 – and it's still extremely fresh today. Titles include "Children", "Gingerbread Boy", "Senegal", and "Marilia". Next is Toca Antonio Carlos Jobim – a fantastic album from this legendary Brazilian saxophonist – and one that's way different than the usual instrumental reading of the music of Antonio Carlos Jobim! The setting is less of a bossa-inspired one than a post-Coltrane mode – as Victor Assis Brasil blows alto sax, and a bit of soprano – on long, stretched out versions of Jobim compositions – often given a bit of modal energy, thanks to the group's strong piano and organ performances by Dom Salvador. The rest of the players are all great, too – Helio Delmiro on guitar, Edson Lobo on bass, and Edison Machado on drums – all players who grew up in the bossa jazz years of the 60s, but who here are set free to explore new territory by producer Roberto Quartin. The whole thing's wonderful – and titles include "Bonita", "Wave", "So Tinha De Ser Come Voce", and "Dindi". CD also features two bonus tracks – alternate takes of "Ao Amigo Quartin" and "Marilla". CD

An excellent set of lively samba tunes – played with lots of jazzy flourishes, and instrumentation that includes trombone, guitar, and accordion. Our lack of understanding of Portuguese makes the liner notes a bit difficult to decipher – but it appears that Sivuca's playing and singing on the record, as well as Wilma Valeria and the Trio Fluminense. Tracks have a quality that mixes rootsy samba rhythms with some of the tighter big band styles of the Odeon label – a great mix of sounds, if you ask us! Titles include "Passa Passa Moreninha", "Kalu", "Fogo Pago", "So Uma Louca Nao Ve", "Para Dancar", "Moreninha Ta", and "Maracangalha". LP, Vinyl record album

The film soundtrack version of this famous 60s musical, which was based around the sounds of Belgian singer Jacques Brel. The film version shares many similarities to the broadway one – translations by Eric Blau and Mort Shuman, vocals by Shuman and Elly Stone – but the overall sound is quite different, as the versions presented here are more subtle, less campy, possibly due to the freer range of expression allowed to the actors on a film soundstage. Plus, this version also includes a few of Brel's best songs that were left out of the original show – making for a total of 26 titles that include "The Bulls", "Sons Of", "The Desperate Ones", "Amsterdam", "The Statue", "Brussels", "Funeral Tango", "Bachelors Dance", "Carousel", and "Next". If you want Brel in English, this may well be the best way to get it – as nearly all other English language versions of his work (by Scott Walker, Marc Almond, and others) came from these translations. LP, Vinyl record album

A pair of later jazzy vocal LP gems by Teresa Brewer, both backed by jazz greats – Songs Of Bessie Smith with Count Basie and Thad Jones, and It Don't Mean A Thing If It Ain't Got That Swing with Duke Ellington – both released by Flying Dutchman in 1973! Teresa's popularity peaked a couple decades earlier as a girlish pop singer, and she succeeds strongly on both records – not just because of the jazz heavies in the band, but because she has the pipes and genuine affection for the material to pull it off. It's lovely stuff! Songs Of Bessie Smith have the bluesy overtones necessary to make it work, without trying the hide Teresa's naturally softer approach. Basie on piano throughout, with arrangements by Jones, and a great big band on half and more intimate arrangements on the other half. It Don't Mean A Thing. . .works just as wel, with Duke Ellington and Ernie Wilkins arrangements, and great Flying Dutchman players that include Bernard Purdie, Joe Beck and Mtume. 20 tracks in all, including "Trombone Cholly", "Gmme A Pigfoot", "I Ain't Got Nobody", "St Louis Blues", "I Ain't Got Nothing But The Blues", "Mood Indigo", "I'm Beginning To See The Light", "I've Got To Be A Rug Cutter", "Tulip Or Turnip", "I'ts Kinda Lonesome Out Tonight" and more. CD

With Don Braden on tenor sax and John Hicks on piano! CD

Don't let the Casio in the title fool you, as Brother Lee Skelly plays a whole host of other keyboards too – including Hammond C3, Minimoog, Clavinet, Fender Rhodes, and Mellotron too – in addition to electric sitar and tambura! In fact, Lee plays everything himself – including a whole host of other instruments – but he makes the record come off like some killer funky combo – one that has plenty of keyboards upfront and on long solos, grounded by some massive drums and funky nuggets at the bottom! Titles include "Concrete Bongo Head", "Move It On", "French Madrid", "Soul Noodle", "Super Capri Beat", "Wah Wah", "Welcome To Valium Country", and "Bossa For Ingrid". LP, Vinyl record album

We don't know much about Bill Brown and his group – but they're a fantastic lost act from the 70s, and one who have a fantastic way of mixing warm soul harmonies with some very sharp grooves! The rhythms are pretty upbeat on most tracks, but the vibe is before the disco and club years – that special moment when funk musicians were able to move quick, and never lose their groove – and singers like Bill were able to slide into the mix and really soar with their vocals! We've never heard any of these cuts before, and the whole thing is like discovering a lost chapter of 70s soul that we'd completely missed – one that we'd rank right up there with some of the hippest east coast group soul of the time. Titles include "Bip Bam (parts 1 & 2)", "Stay Off The Moon", "Sock It To The Landlord", "Rainbow", "Time After Time", "Fool-Ology", "Love Under The Apple Tree", and "Dreamworld Fantasies". Also includes an instrumental of "Time After Time" – and a Billy Wilson version of "Fool-Ology". LP, Vinyl record album

A nice collection of Buarque's songs either sung by him or by others and they include "Pedro Pedreiro", "Roda-Viva", "Construcao" and "Partido Alto" performed by Caetano Veloso, "Folhetim" sung by Gal Costa, and "A Banda" by Nara Leao, plus many more! LP, Vinyl record album

Mindblowing minimalism from the legendary Sandy Bull – an artist who might have had acoustic roots in folk music, but who was instantly turning his music into something else – drawing on modal styles of Eastern music, European generations of expression on guitar, jazz-based improvisation – and maybe even prefiguring work to come from composers like Terry Riley and La Monte Young! This album's one of Bull's first, and it's pure genius right from the start – with a side-long performance on the incredible "Blend", which features slight drums from jazz musician Billy Higgins – which Sandy extrapolates these long passages on acoustic guitar. Side two features the fantastic "Carmina Burana Fantasy" on banjo – a kind of trans-historical performance that's right up there with John Fahey's best of the decade – alongside equally mindblowing "Non Nobis Domine" and "Little Maggie" – and the closing electric guitar genius of "Gospel Tune". LP, Vinyl record album

... CD

Haunting work from Jimmy Campbell – an overlooked British songwriter at the end of the 60s, and one with a really unusual approach to his music! At some level, Jimmy's got some of the folksy touches of the Nick Drake generation – a sound that might have been right at home on Island Records – but at another level, his style here is very much his own too – a bit more sensitive, and delivered with this odd vocal quality that's unlike anything we can think of – as unique to Jimmy as Tom Rapp's voice was to Pearls Before Swine, or Biff Rose's was to his own great late 60s sides! Instrumentation is relatively spare on most numbers – just acoustic guitar and a bit of rhythm, yet hardly in typical folksy modes – and titles include "When I Sit Down To Reason", "Adrian Henri's Party Night", "On A Monday", "Lyanna", "Dear Marge", "Penny In My Pocket", "Another Vincent Van Gough", and "Michelangelo". CD

You might know London bassist Daniel Casimir from his work in the group of Nubya Garcia – but this stunning debut shows a side of his talents we never would have expected – a really visionary performance that has Casimir really exploding both a composer and musician! There's a core group here that features Garcia on tenor – along with Moses Boyd on drums, James Copus on trumpet, and Al Macsween on keyboards – but Daniel also adds in these brilliant larger arrangements that use horns and strings to really give the album a soaring, righteous sort of power – maybe some of the energy that we loved in the early work of Chris Bowden, but much more contemporary too. An instant classic – with titles that include "New Waters", "Boxed In", "Get Even", "Your Side", "The Truth", "Rewind The Time", and "Safe". LP, Vinyl record album

A soulful set of work from the scene in Cape Verde – done with a bubbling groove that's got strong ties to Caribbean work of the time, but done with a slightly different flavor as well – given that the lyrics are all in Portuguese! Instrumentation is lean and sharp – plenty of organ and keyboards from Paulino Vieira, who worked on the album's arrangements with Jose Casimiro – on grooves that have a nice raw production style, which makes the drums come out great alongside percussion, and also keeps a nice edge on the sax and trumpet lines too. Titles include "Problema Di Namorado", "Joana", "Es Nha Sofrimento", "Sabura Dja Nfrontam", "Pico Sor Domundo", and "Odja Modi Bu Sta". LP, Vinyl record album

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A live sextet session – featuring vocals by Cheatham and Arvell Shaw. CD

A really great record – one that mixes some folksy currents with more modern-styled 60s Brazilian instrumentation – almost an instrumental take on territory of Geraldo Vandre! Includes great versions of "Ponteio", "Roda Viva", "Domingo No Parque, Travessia", and "Carolina". LP, Vinyl record album

Gal Costa pays tribute to one of the greatest Brazilian songwriters of an earlier age – the great Ary Barroso, one of the first to also get his songs translated into other global languages too! The language here is all Portuguese, though – but nicely updated by Gal in that range of styles she was using at the end of the 70s – a bit of jazz at times, and with that evolved level of MPB arrangement that was helping song artists find their way forward – done on this set by arrangers Roberto Menescal and Perna Froes. Caetano Veloso joins Gal on a duet of "No Tabuleiro Da Bahiana", and other tracks include "E Luxo So", "Folha Morta", "Camisa Amarela", "Aquarela Do Brasil", and "Novo Amor" – plus Gal's classic reading of "Aquarela Do Brasil". LP, Vinyl record album

Danny Turner and Manny Boyd on alto saxophone and flute, John Williams on baritone saxophone and bass clarinet, Bill Hughes on bass trombone, Charlton Johnson on guitar, George Caldwell on piano, Doug Miller and Kenny Hing on tenor saxophone and flute, Clarence Banks, Robert Trowers, and Mel Wanzo on trombone, Bob Ojeda, Derrick Gardner, Melton Mustafa, and Mike Williams on trumpet, Cleveland Eaton on bass, and David Gibson on drums. CD

A fantastically bold breath of life from the contemporary Polish jazz scene – a record that begins with a sublime tribute to the great Billy Harper, then takes off into even more mindblowing territory as things move on! The group's led by trumpeter Piotr Damasiewicz, who created the record as a tribute to some of the best Polish modern jazz giants of decades past – but with a voice that's completely fresh, and very much his own – served up by a killer ensemble that features soaring horns, bold solo moments, and two different bassists holding down the core! The tunes instantly explode with color and life – hitting a rich spirit that marks Piotr as a musician we're going to keep our eye on in coming years – with other musicians who include Maciej Obara on alto, Adam Pindur on soprano, Pawel Niewiadomski on trombone, Gerard Lebik on tenor, and Dominik Wania on piano. Titles include "Billy", "Psalm For William Parker", "Polska I", and "Kleofas". CD

Rare radio broadcasts recorded at Royal Roost and Birdland– with players who include Gerry Mulligan on baritone, Lee Konitz on alto, Brew Moore on tenor, JJ Johnson on trombone, and Walter Bishop on piano. Both Max Roach and Art Blakey handle drums – and Charlie Parker steps in on one track too! LP, Vinyl record album

A score that's perhaps a bit more in a Hollywood mode than later work from Italian maestro Francesco De Masi – done in a mood that really fits the image of the cowboy on the cover! Fuller orchestrations are mixed with isolated elements on harmonica and guitar – and there's a very Americanist spirit to some of the music, with uplifting themes and a hopeful spirit of action that's different than the moodier styles of the spaghetti western generation! CD is the first time the full music has been presented like this – expanded out to a total of 25 tracks, many of which appear here for the first time ever! CD

Dramatic Italian action – scored to perfection by Franceso De Masi! The soundtrack's got all the best elements of the blood n sandals generation – rich orchestrations that echo the most dramatic Hollywood modes of the 40s and 50s, driving moments that almost have a fast-paced action sort of feel, and a few exotic touches that reflect the ancient setting of the story – although in ways that still echo more strongly with contemporary instrumentation. Tracks are short, but pack plenty of punch. CD

One of the moddest soundtracks of the 60s Italian scene – a great blend of jazzy riffing, bassy bouncing, and some occasional cool vocal touches – all put together in a way that features lots of short tunes all grooving around one another! The approach often has the music coming out in short snapshots – little tracks that change mood quickly, but all often feature some odd variation on the main theme – slightly redone instrumentally, sometimes giving way to sparer percussion or vibes – while at other times picking up the pace to hit a far groovier mode! The work was composed and conducted mostly by Francesco DeMasi, but Alessandro Alessandroni helped out on the famous "Tema Di Londra" – and also conducted I Cantori Moderni on a number of tracks! 28 titles in all – including "Tema Di Londra", "Double Gaming", "Goldsmith", "Pianochain", "Madrid Theme", "Mister Owen's Suit", "Chasing The Spy", "Get An End", "The Game Is Going To", and "Il Mondo Va Cosi". CD

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A group with a name that might not easily roll of the tongue, but one who've got a sublime harmony sound that's wonderfully fluid overall – a combination of nine young voices from the scene in Soweto, working without any other instrumentation at all! The combination of vocals almost takes us back to the sound of Take 6 on their first album – and as with that group, the message here is spiritual, but not entirely pointed at the church – with much more of a universal appeal that's perfect for the subtly righteous power of the harmonies! Titles include "Too Late For Mama", "Nomalizo", "My Brother", "Who Knows", "Sip", and "Baninzi". LP, Vinyl record album

The great CD release of two previous albums from this hip contemporary combo – two vinyl albums back to back on a single CD! Both albums have a fantastic blend of jazz, contemporary soul, and hip hop – served up by a group who can really get the sound right – Terrace Martin on keyboards and alto, Robert Glasper on keyboards, Kamasi Washington on tenor, and 9th Wonder on beats! Vocals on most tracks are by Phoelix, who really helps give the instrumentation some focus – yet the jazz component of the record is never buried under the lyrics, as the players get plenty of space to do their thing – with a vibe that's a bit like some of Glasper's Black Radio project, yet given much more the kind of cool Crenshaw vibe that we've loved in Martin's previous records. All four artists are credited with songwriting and production and you can really hear that balance in the sound – on tracks that include "Love You Bad", "Sleepless Nights", "The Mighty Tree", "Freeze Tag", "Luv U", "Sleepless Nights", and "From My Heart & Soul". The Dessert album offers up a reworked version of the core record – with titles that are partly remixes, partly reworks – with guest appearances from Snoop Dog, Cordae, Herbie Hancock, Reuben Vincent, and others! CD

Maybe the best work so far from this really wonderful group – a magnificent match of the keyboards of Robert Glasper, the saxophones of Terrace Martin and Kamasi Washington, and the superb production talents of 9th Wonder – all working together in a stunning blend of jazz, soul, funk, and hip hop! The tunes have a sharpness and focus that's even more powerful than previous work by the lineup – like they've really found that special space where the all-stars can come together in a united voice that really soars – working with key contributions from Phoelix on vocals, alongside Arin Ray and Ant Clemons. Titles include "Insane", "Watts Renaissance", "For Granted", "Secure", "Can't Go", "The Lower East Side", "Love Love", and "Answered Prayer". CD

Maybe the best work so far from this really wonderful group – a magnificent match of the keyboards of Robert Glasper, the saxophones of Terrace Martin and Kamasi Washington, and the superb production talents of 9th Wonder – all working together in a stunning blend of jazz, soul, funk, and hip hop! The tunes have a sharpness and focus that's even more powerful than previous work by the lineup – like they've really found that special space where the all-stars can come together in a united voice that really soars – working with key contributions from Phoelix on vocals, alongside Arin Ray and Ant Clemons. Titles include "Insane", "Watts Renaissance", "For Granted", "Secure", "Can't Go", "The Lower East Side", "Love Love", and "Answered Prayer". LP, Vinyl record album

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Includes the albums (Billy's Best, Imagination, Basie & Eckstine Inc, No Cover, No Minium, Once More With Feeling, At Basin St East, and Sing The Best Of Irving Berlin. CD

... 78 RPM, Vinyl record

Hard to believe it took a few decades in the careers of both players for them to record together – but that's exactly what you've got here – a landmark meeting of Count Basie and Duke Ellington from the early 60s, near the tail end of Duke's classic stretch on Columbia! Teo Macero produced the session with just the right amount of care and class to keep the whole thing from being an exercise in cliche – and there's a surprising amount of depth here that you might not expect – the best modern elements of Duke's orchestra on Columbia, coming into play with a bit more of the fire and vamp of the Basie group at the time! Titles include "Battle Royal", "Wild Man", "Segue In C", "Jumpin At The Woodside", "To You", and "Take The A Train". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

Gil Evans on - piano and electric piano, Lew Soloff, Hannibal Marvin Peterson, Shunzo Ohno, and Miles Evans on trumpet, George Adams on tenor saxophone, Chris Hunter on alto saxophone, Howard Johnson on tuba, baritone saxophone, and bass clarinet, Tom Malone on trombone, Hiram Bullock on guitar, Pete Levin on synthesizer, Mark Egan on electric bass, Adam Nussbaum on drums, and Mino Cinelu on percussion. CD

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

Features arrangements by Quincy Jones! CD

... LP, Vinyl record album

One of those great little sets on the Abril Cultural label – featuring a record of classic work by the artist, plus a full booklet of amazing photos and helpful writings in Portuguese. This one's got a color photo of Gil playing with Os Mutantes on TV, a haunting photo from exile in London, and lots of other nice shots. On the record, you'll get Gil singing "Expresso 2222", "Procissao", "Geleia Geral", "Aquele Abraco", "Bat Macumba", and "Domingo No Parque" – plus you'll also get Gil compositions by other artists, like "Lugar Comum" by Joao Donato, "Baba Alapala" by Zeze Motta, "Soy Loco Por Ti America" by Caetano Veloso, "Copo Vazio" by Chico Buarque, and "Meio De Camp" by Elis Regina. LP, Vinyl record album

A record that really takes on the "phasing" in the title seriously – as it uses all sorts of cool effects to create a special magic with simple sounds – all while managing to serve up some great funky nuggets too! The record's a masterpiece in both sound library instrumentation and inventive studio percussion – as the great Michel Gonet serves up themes that might have been used originally on 70s TV, but which maybe come across in styles that are a lot more trippy and groovy too – more like funk cuts that you'd hear on Doctor Who than anything that might crop up on the daily news! Titles on this first volume include a few variations on most themes – including "Light In The Rains", "Mondial Scoop", "Soul Cathedral", "Mephisto Jet", "Mecanic Bird Song", and "Moon To Light". LP, Vinyl record album

There's no waiting for Zion here – as A08 deliver the goods right from the start – a very righteous blend of reggae, West African, and other styles – but all served up with a lean approach that takes the influences very far past their roots! The group were previously known as Africaine 808 – and maybe the condensing of their name is a reference to the way the styles are condensed here – brought down to just their basics, but then topped with contributions from an array of different guests from a variety of global sources. Titles include "Water", "Pomplemousse", "I Want More", "Kisumu Bound Bus (Nyatiti mix)", "Sunset", "Bubbles", "Life", and "Yamahaica". LP, Vinyl record album

A great set from the John Abercrombie Quartet – that late 70s group that seemed to find one of the best matches for John's unusual phrasing on the guitar – with round, warm work on bass from George Mraz, equally great piano from Richie Beirach, and drums from Peter Donald. The songs are a mix of melodic moments and more chromatic shades – and titles include "Blue Wolf", "Dear Rain", "Stray", "Madagascar", "Foolish Dog", and "Riddles". LP, Vinyl record album