Wonderful work from The Players Association – a group who were equal parts jazz funk and equal parts 70s club – with a vibe that's maybe like The Blackbyrds or other Fantasy Records acts at their best! The mighty Chris Hills is at the helm – and the record is overflowing with top-shelf talent from the jazz side of the spectrum – work by Bob Berg on tenor, Tom Harrell on trumpet, and Bob Mover on alto – all with room to solo, and really helping bring a musical maturity to the record that other disco records never seem to have! Titles include "Everybody Dance", "Ride The Groove", "The Closer I Get To You", and "I Wish". LP, Vinyl record album

A groovy groovy soundtrack that contains one of the Association's greatest songs! "Goodbye Columbus" may not be as famous as some of their bigger hits – but we love it to death, and it's the kind of catchy groover they'll find us singing in the coffin long after we've passed away! The soundtrack features the vocal version of the track – as well as some other vocal numbers like "It's Gotta Be Real" and "So Kind To Me". Plus, the soundtrack's also got some excellent instrumental numbers that are in the best spirit of the group's music – with loads of dreamy arrangements and light lilting pop melodies. Tunes include "Love Has A Way", "A Moment To Share", "A Time For Love", and "How Will I Know You?". LP, Vinyl record album

An aptly-titled album, as it sprung the genius of The Association fully onto the world – and forever changed the rules for dreamy vocal pop music! The album's a wonderful blend of sweet harmonies, LA production, and the kind of slightly-trippy song stylings you already know from The Association's biggest hits. However, the album's also filled with great little songs that you probably haven't heard before – which makes it an even bigger treat, kind of like stumbling upon a treasure box of unheard musical gems that you've been looking for your entire life! Titles include "Songs In The Wind", "Memories Of You", "No Fair At All", "Pandora's Golden Heebie Jeebies", and "Another Time Another Place". LP, Vinyl record album

The fantastic first album from The Players Association – a group who may well have gotten their name for the great jazzy musicians in their lineup! Players Association are best known for their disco grooves, but they've got a core sense of instrumentation that's really a cut above – with strong leadership from jazzman Chris Hills – who plays drums, guitar, and keyboards – and other players who include Joe Farrell on tenor and flute, Bob Mover on alto and soprano, Jon Faddis on trumpet, and Mike Mandell on keyboards! Ray Mantilla and Buddy Williams add in some great percussion to the mix – which furthers the spontaneous, jazzy vibe of some of the tunes – and titles includes the funky cut "I Like It", which has a nice break in the beginning, plus the tracks "Let's Groove", "Hustlin", "Moon In Pisces", and a sweet cover of "For The Love Of You". LP, Vinyl record album

Titles include "Bite The Hand That Feeds", "Everything Must Change", "I Was In Chains", "Hot Fun", "Everytime You Go Away", and "Standing On The Edge". LP, Vinyl record album

Sweet trumpet work from one of Duke Ellington's best sidemen – done for Mercury in 1958 with some very tight arrangements by Anderson and Ernie Wilkins – all in a mode that show's a bit of Cat's Ellington association, but which also opens up in some other swinging modes – including a bit of Basie, and even some wider ranging styles. Cat's in the lead on trumpet, getting support from other players on the instrument – including Clark Terry, Ernie Royal, and Ray Copeland – plus Jimmy Cleveland and Frank Rehack on trombone, Earl Warren on alto sax, Jimmy Forrest and Ernie Wilkins on tenor, and Sahib Shihab on baritone. Titles include "Little Man", "Cat's In The Alley", "June Bug", "Adorable D", "Nina", "Birth Of The Blues", and "Blue Jean Beguine". LP, Vinyl record album

The breakout album for The Cryan Shames – a wonderfully groovy harmony pop combo from the 60s – one with a sound that's very much the best Sunshine Pop of LA, even though these guys hail from our hometown of Chicago! The vocals come together with a really magical feel – sometimes mellow and drifty, ala The Association – sometimes vibrant and soaring, in a really catchy way! The whole album's great – with just a touch of Brit invasion guitar jangle behind the vocals at times – and titles include "Heat Wave", "We'll Meet Again", "If I Needed Someone", "Hey Joe", "Sugar & Spice", "July", "I Wanna Meet You", and "Ben Franklin's Almanac". LP, Vinyl record album

The first, and perhaps the most conventional album by Spanky & Our Gang – but still pretty darn insane! The group are a strange mix of 60s styles – with bits of We Five, bits of Harpers Bizarre, bits of The Association – but a totally strange and totally fun approach to pop that's very much their own. Cuts on the album are a mix of originals and covers – and highlights include the incredible "5 Definitions Of Love" by Bob Dorough, "Distance" by Joe Renzetti, "Commercial" by the band, and the track "It Ain't Necessarily Bird Avenue". Great groovy stuff – and with arrangements by Renzetti, Dorough, and Stuart Scharf. LP, Vinyl record album

With selections by The Association, Three Dog Night, Procol Harum, Lovin' Spoonful, Friend & Lover, Desmond Dekker & The Aces, Spanky & Our Gang, Harpers Bizarre, Nazz, Mojo Men, Critters, and Thunderclap Newman. LP, Vinyl record album

A collection of sides cut in the mid 60s by Wes during his association with Verve. Culled from the albums Movin' Wes, Bumpin', Goin' Out Of My Head and Tequila, these numbers all feature the larger arrangements that gave those albums a richer sound than his small group recordings, though Wes' soulful playing shines over top. Arrangements are by Oliver Nelson, Johnny Pate, Claus Ogerman and Don Sebesky and the tracks are 'Tequila", "Movin' Wes (part 1)", "End Of A Love Affair", "Naptown Blues", "Con Alma", "Goin' Out of My Head", "How Insensitive (Insensatez)", "The Shadow Of Your Smile", "Caravan" and "Bumpin' On Sunset". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the few ECM sides recorded by the Art Ensemble Of Chicago – easily some of the hippest work the label issued at the time, and a key way for the avant collective to get a bit of large audience exposure! The sound is still very much in the best AEC style here – and if anything, ECM's sensitivity to sound has allowed the group to explore some of the farther reaches of their sonic sensibilities – those contemplative moments that could sometimes be lost in the hands of other producers, captured beautifully here in a range of instruments far too many to mention! Some of the bolder tracks have Lester Bowie's trumpet right out front – almost hinting at his own solo association with the label – and titles include "Care Free", "Magg Zelma", "Full Force", and "Old Time Southside Street Dance". LP, Vinyl record album

An unusual set that combines tracks from the great Bobby Hutcherson LPs, Cirrus and Linger Lane. "Even Later" and "Wrong Or Right" are off Cirrus, recorded at the tail end of the his association with Harold Land, and features the sort of wonderful spiralling modal work that group was known for. The other three numbers, "Manzanita", "Silver Rondo" and "Theme From MASH" feature Bobby on marimba, and a have a nice, wide open, spacious sort of vibe! LP, Vinyl record album

A major label set, but one that stays very true to the new ideals that James Blood Ulmer was trying to bring to jazz guitar at the time – a really revolutionary style that moves beyond simple genre conventions, and embraces a whole world of new ideas that would inspire others in the decade to come! Ulmer plays with a real frenzy at points – deep currents that reflect the bluesy touches of his early work in jazz organ combos, but given a skittish energy that reflects his association with the downtown crowd – and which was very fitting for his record with Rough Trade! The core group here features James, bassist Amin Ali, and drummer G Calvin Weston – and some tracks feature work from David Murray on tenor, Oliver Lake on alto, and Olu Dara on trumpet. Titles include "Timeless", "Pleasure Control", "Night Lover", "Happy Time", "Rush Hour", "Stand Up To Yourself", and "High Time". LP, Vinyl record album

2 LP set of haunting piano work by Jaki Byard, recorded in his early days on Prestige, and not too long after his association with Mingus. He's backed here by some great trio players, including Ron Carter, Roy Haynes, and Pete La Roca, and the set has a lot more going on than the usual piano jazz album. Tracks include "Cinco Y Quatro", "To My Wife", "Hi Fly", "Yamekraw", and "There Are Many Worlds". LP, Vinyl record album

A wonderful album of funky instrumental tracks from Barry White – often overlooked because of the "greatest hits" association you could make with the "gold" in the title. The record's got that perfect Love Unlimited sound – heavy beats underneath, and the orchestra soaring over the top in tight rhythmic washes of strings and keyboards! Tracks include "Spanish Lei", "Barry's Love", "Satin Soul", "Power Of Love", "You Make Me Feel Like This", and "Dreaming". LP, Vinyl record album

A rare funky gem from Madcliff – an early project from Chris Hills, who'd soon go onto greater fame in Players Association! The album's got a much more soul-based sound than Hills' later material – still upbeat and groovy, but delivered with an indie soul vibe that keeps things nice and raw – much more tight funk than slick disco, even though some of the grooves here are perfect for the club! The album only saw brief release on the tiny Guinness label – who also gave us the classic Newban set – and this record's got a similar blend of righteous currents and jazzy funk – all served up at a level that's very individual, and which has made the whole thing an overlooked gem for years! Chris uses some bold piano currents, light string flourishes, and some right rhythms that really keep things funky, even when clubby – on titles that include "Goin To The Disco", "I Like It", "You Can Make The Change", "It Takes A Little Time", "Just Another Woman", "What The People Say About Love", and "Steal You Away". LP, Vinyl record album

One of Miriam Makeba's hippest albums of all time – a set that marked the end of her association with Reprise Records, and her fame in the crossover American scene of the 60s – and for good reason, too – as the whole thing's brimming over with much more righteous energy than ever before! Makeba's really letting loose here – not content to bring South African custom and culture to the overseas mainstream, but instead stepping forth with a new sense of mission and message – one that even comes through when she takes on some more familiar tunes by other artists at the time! The set features production from Lewis Merenstein, who'd done Astral Weeks – and the sound here is so different than Miriam's records from just a few years before – thanks also in part to the great backing arranged by George Butcher, which adds in lots of bass, percussion, and horns that take Miriam into a hipper 70s Afro Soul mode. Titles include "Lumumba", "Kulala", "Tululu", "Down On the Corner", "In My Life", and a great cover of "For What It's Worth". LP, Vinyl record album

Monk Monk Monk! A classic, with a lively quintet that includes Thad Jones, Sam Jones, Art Taylor, and the amazing Charlie Rouse, here just beginning a very fruitful association with Monk – and really adding a lot to the session with some incredible tenor work that's as angular and modern as needed for Monk's work, yet with a soulful edge that really brings a lot to the music. The album's got 5 long tracks – hence the title – and they're all Monk classics that include "I Mean You", "Ask Me Now", "Jackie-ing", and "Straight No Chaser". LP, Vinyl record album

Mid-period Stylistics, recorded after their association with Thom Bell and Linda Creed, and during the time that the group was handled by Hugo & Luigi. H&L do an ok job with them, and they've got Van McCoy handling arrangements to add a bit more soul to the mix – but the record is still down a few notches from the classic years. The album includes one last Thom Bell arrangement – the group's huge "You Make Me Feel Brand New" – plus other cuts like "Love Is The Answer", "I Got Time On My Hands", "I Got A Letter", and "We Can Make It Happen Again", perhaps the group's wish for a bigger hit. LP, Vinyl record album

Groovy little compilation of rare cuts from the Vanguard label – featuring a great mix of soul, funk, and other groovy tracks! Includes the monster sample "E.V.A.", by Jean Jacques Perry; "Funky Monkey", by Chris Hills; "I Like It" by the Players Association; and (these are the ones we love) two cuts by the Pazant Brothers ("Loose & Juicy" and "Work Song", both totally rare and funky!) Also features the classic "Take Yo Praise" by Camille Yarbrough, plus more by Dave Burns and Jean Jaques Perry! LP, Vinyl record album