It's hard to believe that anyone ever took the electronics of Giorgio Moroder seriously enough to think they'd be the right setting for an intensely dramatic thriller like this – but in the decade when Italian thrillers were doing the same thing, it's kind of easy to see. And if you think of this one as a dated American soundtrack, you'll be lost – but if you see it as some groovy bit of Italian sexy electronics from the 70s, you'll find that it's got some pretty nice moments, and would fit perfectly with some of the Cinevox material from the end of the 70s. Titles include "The Chase", "The Wheel", "Cacophony", and "Midnight Express". LP, Vinyl record album

Don't think "disco", think "funky jazz" – because this sweet South African group from the 70s is filled with lots of groovy twists and turns – all in a mode that's quite different than any of the American or European jazz albums we know from the time! The lineup here includes reed heavyweight Basil Coetzee on both flute and tenor sax – working in a quartet with some sublime organ lines from Pops Mohamed – who plays in this snakey sort of way that's a bit like South African jazz piano, but maybe even more flowing and moody. The grooves are sometimes funky, sometimes more modal – but always forward moving in a really great way, but again with a very fresh approach to rhythm! Titles include "Super Natural Love", "Yasmeen's Blues", "Night Express", "Odd's On", and "Echo On The Delay". LP, Vinyl record album

A really mind-expanded set from keyboardist Brian Auger – and a record that has him stepping out of the 60s shadows of American jazz and R&B, into a groove that's much more solidly his own! Auger's really finding his sound with the Oblivion Express group here – bringing in a bit more influences from rock and fusion, and going for a progressive sound that still steps out with plenty of jazzy changes, and the kind of tight keyboards that always made Auger one of the best players on the British scene. The guitar's a bit more up in the mix than on previous records, but Auger's keys still dominate the solo space – and titles include the stretched out jammer "A Better Land", plus "Dawn Of Another Day", "Marai's Wedding", "Trouble", "Woman Of the Seasons", and "Tomorrow City". LP, Vinyl record album

Long lean groovers from Brian Auger and the Oblivion Express group – recorded with a slightly freer feel than some of the group's earlier albums, and an approach that has them stretching out nicely! Brian still sings a bit on some tracks, but there seems to be more of a focus than before on the keyboards – that nicely compressed Auger use of Hammond and electric piano that actually went onto influence a fair bit of American players at the time, in the way that Auger himself had been influenced before by their own earlier work. Rhythms are great throughout – making all tracks funky, in a laidback sort of way – and titles include a remake of "Bumpin' On Sunset", one of the band's best tracks, plus "Change", "Beginning Again", "You'll Stay In My Heart", and "Straight Ahead". LP, Vinyl record album

An important larger work from Duke Ellington – a suite of tracks that encompasses a range of styles and emotions in African-American expression! The work features some key guest work from Mahalia Jackson – singing here in a way that's different than other vocalists who worked with Duke in the 50s – much more steeped in a rootsy tradition. Group members include John Sanders, Harry Carney, Ray Nance, Quentin Jackson, and Cat Anderson – and the piece is divided into 6 sections, and includes the famous "Come Sunday" theme throughout most of the second half. LP, Vinyl record album

An important larger work from Duke Ellington – a suite of tracks that encompasses a range of styles and emotions in African-American expression! The work features some key guest work from Mahalia Jackson – singing here in a way that's different than other vocalists who worked with Duke in the 50s – much more steeped in a rootsy tradition. Group members include John Sanders, Harry Carney, Ray Nance, Quentin Jackson, and Cat Anderson – and the piece is divided into 6 sections, and includes the famous "Come Sunday" theme throughout most of the second half. LP, Vinyl record album

Amazing work from violinist Michael White – one of a few that he cut for the Impulse label in the early 70s, all of which helped to completely redefine the use of his instrument in jazz! Throw away any sleepy connotations you may have about the violin, because in White's hands it's an instrument of soul and spirit – one used to unlock cosmic tones that glide effortlessly next to the session's earthy blend of piano, bass, and percussion! White shapes his sounds beautifully for the session – breaking the violin free of any staid European-bound traditions – and using the instrument as a key part of the new tradition of African American expression explored by Leroy Jenkins, Billy Bang, and others. Side one features the extended "Pneuma" suite – a long, exploratory track that sounds a bit like some of Leroy Jenkins work at the time – and side two tightens things up with some shorter, groovier numbers that often also feature vocals! Our favorite is the anthemic vocal number "Journey Of The Black Star" – a skipping, joyful ode that's really great – and other tunes include soulful tracks "The Blessing Song" and "Ebony Plaza", both of which have that warm post-Shepp Impulse glow to them! LP, Vinyl record album

One of a handful of righteous classics issued on Motown's Black Forum imprint in the early 70s – and a set that's maybe even more righteous than the rest – as it features a whole host of message-oriented tracks put together by the poet Amiri Baraka! The set was recorded live at the Apollo – and features both artists who have become legends in African American expression, and others who've not gotten their due over the years, but who are preserved wonderfully here in the setting of the performance – which bristles with a raw energy that's very different than some of the more good time records recorded at the legendary venue the decade before. Titles include "Black Is" and "What's Happening To The Heroes" by Kali, "A Folk Fable For My People" by Johari Amini, "Boppin" by David Henderson, "The Poet The Dreamer" and "Brothers The Struggle Must Go On" by Norman Jordan, "Notes From A Guerilla Diary" by Aski Mohammad Toure, "See Her Image In The River" by the Original Last Poets, "Pimp's Last Mack" by Stanley Crouch, "One Thousand Nine Hundred & Sixty Eight Winters" by Jackie Early, "Hip Men" by Amus Moore, and "Holy Days by Larry Neal. LP, Vinyl record album

One of the most beautiful albums that Charlie Haden ever recorded – and if he only ever appeared on one record in his life, we'd still love him tremendously for this one! The album has a feel that's very much in keeping with both the "liberation" and "orchestra" in the title – "liberation", in that the music is filled with inspiration from South American sources, and has a strongly political feel at times; and "orchestra" because the group here is somewhat large, and filled with a tremendous array of expressive players – including Gato Barbieri on tenor, Dewey Redman on alto and tenor, Don Cherry on cornet and flutes, Michael Mantler on trumpet, Roswell Rudd on trombone, Robert Northern on French horn, Paul Motian and Andrew Cyrille on percussion, Carla Bley on piano, and Perry Robinson on clarinet. Haden leads these disparate talents through a set of tremendously focused music – filled with as many ideas as it is with a sense of humanity and soul – all to brilliantly point the way forward for the new sound of Impulse Records in the years after Coltrane's death! Titles include the classic "Song For Che", plus Ornette's "War Orphans", Carla Bley's "The Interlude", and "Song Of The United Front", by Hans Eisler, and with words by Brecht! LP, Vinyl record album

Amazing grooves from the legendary Dave Pike – one of the American vibists' few albums for the MPS label – and quite possibly the trippiest of the bunch! The set's a beautiful illustration of the freedoms that the MPS label offered American players like Pike – a chance to really open up and do his thing, and find new sides and styles he'd never expressed before on his records back home! Of course, part of the strength of the set is the group he's working with here – an ensemble that includes the amazing Volker Kreigel on guitar (and sitar!), plus JA Rettenbacher on bass and Peter Baumeister on drums. But, lest you think this is a standard quartet affair, let it be known that all players – including Pike – handle a very wide variety of instruments throughout the session – including bongos, toys, maracas, other percussion, and more – even a bit of vocalizations as well! Tracks often have a slow-building, slightly-trippy feel that's totally great – and Kreigel's work on guitar is a perfect pairing with Pike's vibes – especially as both players are clearly digging an Eastern influence for the set. Titles include "Suspicious Child", "Soul Eggs", "Raga Jeeva Swara", "Rabbi Mogen's Hideout", "Attack Of The Green Misers", "Infra Red", and "Send Me The Yellow Guys". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the best American recordings of Brazilian keyboardist Jose Roberto Bertrami – even better than his work of the time with Azymuth! The set's got a freer feel than some of the Azymuth sides – allowing Bertrami the sort of freedom he rarely expressed so strongly (at least not until some of his recent albums for the Far Out label.) Tunes dance along on a mix of Brazilian rhythms and west coast fusion – all the while featuring some killer organ and electric piano from Jose, plus drums by Robertinho Silva, sax and flute from Jose Carlos, guitar from Helio Demiro, and guest vocals on one track by Aleuda. Titles include "Partido Alto #2", "Sheds & Weeds", "Parati", "Shot On Goal", and "Bye Bye Brazil". LP, Vinyl record album

The debut of a legendary British jazz group – one who not only gave that nation's scene a fresh voice in music, but who also really set the tone for many other acts to come! After a stretch when the London scene was doing a great job of matching American efforts in bop and swing, players like Don Rendell and Ian Carr found a way to really carve out some bold space of their own – here, by matching their own strong sense of writing and arranging, always filled with beautiful tone and color, with some of the more modern phrasing and styles that were just creeping up around town. The set's not nearly as experimental as the work of Joe Harriott, but has all the hallmarks of that generation's openness to new ways of expression – often given a surprisingly soulful swing, and captured perfectly as one of the early entries in the famous Lansdowne Series recordings. The rest of the group is equally great – and in addition to Rendell on tenor and soprano sax, and Carr on trumpet and flugelhorn – the combo includes Colin Purbrook on piano, Dave Green on bass, and Trevor Tompkin on drums. Titles include "Garrison 64", "Blue Mosque", "Just Blue", "Latin Blue", "Sailin", and "Big City Strut". LP, Vinyl record album

The continuing evolution of the great Jess Roden – an lesser-known 70s talent who emerged from the jazz rock scene in the UK at the end of the 60s – but who's working here in a much more sophisticated mode! Jess always had a lot of soul in his style right from the start – that 60s London love of R&B and American roots – and here he fuses it with some hip arrangements from Leon Pendarvis, who takes the older Roden groove into sweet New York territory that comes across with a surprising degree of modern soul at times. There's lots of jazz in the instrumentation – including sax solos from Harold Vick and Scott Hamilton – and Jess has honestly never sounded better – extremely expressive, even on the mellower moments. Titles include "The Hardest Blow", "Drinking Again", "Sensation", "Misty Roses", "Woman Across The Water", and "The Quiet Sound Of You & I". LP, Vinyl record album

Searing live work from Gato Barbieri – a brilliant little album that follows on the spirit of his other Latin America sessions for Impulse! The format here is similar to those studio outings – an organic blend of percussion, keyboards, and sax – all bubbling together in a highly rhythmic mode that easily shifts between electric and acoustic statements, all in a jazz-based pursuit of older Latin American rhythms and expressions! Eddie Martinez plays some great Fender Rhodes on the album – ringing out with warm tones that are strongly offset by Gato's sharp-edge tenor lines – and all tracks are nice and long, and flow with a sense of creative energy that almost surpasses the studio albums in the series! Titles include "Milonga Triste", "La China Leoncia", "Baihia", and "Lluvia Azul". LP, Vinyl record album

A real classic in the canon of American postwar jazz – one of the few albums ever cut as a leader by Boston baritone player Serge Chaloff – one of a handful of musicians who really helped move the instrument forward in jazz, and help it take a rightful place next to the expressiveness of the tenor and alto sax! Even though he hardly got a chance to record, Serge was a hell of a player, and one who has both the rich tone of the instrument completely in hand, while also able to move with the fluidity of a much leaner horn – a quality that's augmented here by the fantastic rhythm work from Sonny Clark on piano, Leroy Vinnegar on bass, and Philly Joe Jones on drums. The set's a treasure through and through – from the cool cover image, to the great music within – served up on tunes that include "How About You", "Handful Of Stars", "The Goof & I", "Susie's Blues", and "All The Things You Are". LP, Vinyl record album

A real classic in the canon of American postwar jazz – one of the few albums ever cut as a leader by Boston baritone player Serge Chaloff – one of a handful of musicians who really helped move the instrument forward in jazz, and help it take a rightful place next to the expressiveness of the tenor and alto sax! Even though he hardly got a chance to record, Serge was a hell of a player, and one who has both the rich tone of the instrument completely in hand, while also able to move with the fluidity of a much leaner horn – a quality that's augmented here by the fantastic rhythm work from Sonny Clark on piano, Leroy Vinnegar on bass, and Philly Joe Jones on drums. The set's a treasure through and through – from the cool cover image, to the great music within – served up on tunes that include "How About You", "Handful Of Stars", "The Goof & I", "Susie's Blues", and "All The Things You Are". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the sexiest sets of vocal jazz to ever come from the British scene – a classic 1960 album by the lovely Diana Dors – easily one of England's best answers to American cheesecake singers of the 50s! As you'll notice by the cover, Diana's got a look that's right up there with Marilyn Monroe or Jayne Mansfield – but as a singer, she's far better – with a full range, and good sense of expression – often delivered in the manner of some of the best vocalists working in the US for RCA in the late 50s. The backings are great too – handled by the Wally Stott orchestra with a nice sense of jazz throughout – some really swinging horns that are quite unusual for a UK session like this at the time – and which really further the American feel of the set. Titles include "That's How It Is", "Namely You", "The Point Of No Return", "Roller Coaster Blues", "The Gentleman Is A Dope", "April Heart", "I'm In Love For The Very First Time", and "Tired Of Love". LP, Vinyl record album

A rare recording from Charlie Mariano's "lost" years in Japan – an under-documented period of his career next to earlier American work and later 70s European fusion! At the time of the set, Charlie was living in Japan with (then) wife pianist Toshiko Akioshi – and opening up tremendously from a musical standpoint – exploring new sounds and new modes of expression that really took him a long way beyond the straighter jazz of his roots. This set has Charlie working with Japanese reedman Sadao Watanabe, in a session that features both players on alto sax, but also using folkloric flutes as well – mixing the crisper sax work with earthier, more organic tones that really make the album sound tremendous! This aspect of the record is featured on 2 long tracks – "God Has Mercy" and "Stone Garden Of Ryoanji" – both of which were written by Mariano, and which have a wonderful "jazz meets world" feel – nicely balanced by the more traditional jazz numbers "I Thought About You" and "Iberian Waltz", the latter of which is still a relatively exploratory Mariano number that runs for over 16 minutes! LP, Vinyl record album

One of the all-time classics of early 60s mainstream jazz – and a beautiful record that showcases writing and arranging talents of Oliver Nelson! Nelson had been bumping around a variety of sessions before this one – as a leader, sideman, and arranger – but it was with this album that his true talents really unfolded – sparkling with a depth of imagination and expression that marked him as one of the greatest artists in 60s American jazz! The group on the set is an all-star sextet – featuring Paul Chambers, Eric Dolphy, Bill Evans, Roy Haynes, and Freddie Hubbard – a disparate group of players who manage to come together with Nelson and find a unique voice that's rarely been duplicated again! The album features 6 fantastic compositions by Nelson, including "Stolen Moments", "Hoe Down", and "Yearnin". A fantastic record – and one that you can't go wrong with! LP, Vinyl record album

One of the all-time classics of early 60s mainstream jazz – and a beautiful record that showcases writing and arranging talents of Oliver Nelson! Nelson had been bumping around a variety of sessions before this one – as a leader, sideman, and arranger – but it was with this album that his true talents really unfolded – sparkling with a depth of imagination and expression that marked him as one of the greatest artists in 60s American jazz! The group on the set is an all-star sextet – featuring Paul Chambers, Eric Dolphy, Bill Evans, Roy Haynes, and Freddie Hubbard – a disparate group of players who manage to come together with Nelson and find a unique voice that's rarely been duplicated again! The album features 6 fantastic compositions by Nelson, including "Stolen Moments", "Hoe Down", and "Yearnin". A fantastic record – and one that you can't go wrong with! LP, Vinyl record album

One of the all-time classics of early 60s mainstream jazz – and a beautiful record that showcases writing and arranging talents of Oliver Nelson! Nelson had been bumping around a variety of sessions before this one – as a leader, sideman, and arranger – but it was with this album that his true talents really unfolded – sparkling with a depth of imagination and expression that marked him as one of the greatest artists in 60s American jazz! The group on the set is an all-star sextet – featuring Paul Chambers, Eric Dolphy, Bill Evans, Roy Haynes, and Freddie Hubbard – a disparate group of players who manage to come together with Nelson and find a unique voice that's rarely been duplicated again! The album features 6 fantastic compositions by Nelson, including "Stolen Moments", "Hoe Down", and "Yearnin". A fantastic record – and one that you can't go wrong with! LP, Vinyl record album

A very cool package – one that brings together a classic album, plus another disc of even more rare material! LP 1 features Blues & The Abstract Truth – one of the all-time classics of early 60s mainstream jazz – and a beautiful record that showcases writing and arranging talents of Oliver Nelson! Nelson had been bumping around a variety of sessions before this one – as a leader, sideman, and arranger – but it was with this album that his true talents really unfolded – sparkling with a depth of imagination and expression that marked him as one of the greatest artists in 60s American jazz! The group on the set is an all-star sextet – featuring Paul Chambers, Eric Dolphy, Bill Evans, Roy Haynes, and Freddie Hubbard – a disparate group of players who manage to come together with Nelson and find a unique voice that's rarely been duplicated again! The album features 6 fantastic compositions by Nelson, including "Stolen Moments", "Hoe Down", and "Yearnin". LP 2 features material from the Sound Pieces sessions – just the small group sides, with two previously unreleased tracks appearing here. The group features Oliver Nelson on soprano sax – plus Steve Kuhn on piano, Ron Carter bass, and Grady Tate on drums. Kuhn's piano brings a nice modern edge that works perfectly with the soprano – and titles include "Patterns", "Shadow Of Your Smile", and "Elegy For A Duck" – plus the unissued "Straight No Chaser" and "Example 78". LP, Vinyl record album

John Fahey rewrites the sound of America – here in a wonderful set that stands as one of the real highlights from his Takoma Records years! Tracks are a mix of public domain material from America's past, mixed with plenty of Fahey originals – and all material receives both fantastic Fahey arrangements and performance – with a sublime tone that's filled with color, life, and lots of dark little corners as well. Echoes of older string and blues modes come into the mix – but with a very contemporary, modernist expression – as John reworks an older version of American to balance a country forever changed by the 60s. Titles include "The Voice Of The Turtle", "Knoxville Blues", and "Mark 1:15". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the most expressive albums ever from German jazzmen Rolf and Joachim Kuhn – an obscure American date cut for Impulse Records in the late 60s! This session pairs the Kuhn brothers – on clarinet and piano, respectively – with John Coltrane's bassist Jimmy Garrison and Italian drummer Aldo Romano – a really global mix of musicians, with sounds that definitely show that reach of talents! Unlike some of their other recordings, which at their most out explored some of the further reaches of modal playing, this is quite free, with an unrelenting momentum that never seems to lose steam even in the contemplative moments, probably inspired by the fever pitch the "New Thing" was generating on the New York scene in the mid 60s. The improvisations don't ever trade their intuitive sense for outright noise – and the two side long parts of the New York suite are divided into sections: "Arrival", "The Saddest Day", "Reality", and "Predictions". LP, Vinyl record album