Excellent work from Steve Coleman and his Five Elements group – just the sort of record that reminds us why Coleman's records for the past few decades have always been ones to catch! Steve works in this beautifully angular mode that seems to take some of the jazz changes from the downtown early 80s scene, and re-fuse them with new energy that's helped them make the journey to the 21st Century – kind of a newly-fresh approach to rhythmic expression, given a deeper soul. Jen Shyu adds some great vocals to the group – sometimes singing a mode you might her on 70s Strata East – sometimes hitting more adventurous notes, ala Jeanne Lee – and other instrumentation includes Coleman's alto, trumpet from Jonathan Finlayson, trombone from Tim Albright, bass from Thomas Morgan, and drums from Tyshawn Sorey. Titles include "Clouds", "Flos Ut Rosa Floruit", "Vernal Equinox 040320-0419", and "Beba". CD

A perennial favorite in the John Coltrane catalog – a beautiful set of standards, handled in a warm laidback style – but which still has some of the depth of soul that John Coltrane brought to his more experimental work on Impulse Records! The album's a classic introduction to the music of Trane – and maybe is tied more closely to the spirit of some of his work on Atlantic Records, and makes a nice bridge between the two bodies of work – as the Great One takes on older jazz tunes, but really transforms them, thanks in part to the sublime work of Jimmy Garrison on bass, Elvin Jones on drums, and McCoy Tyner on piano. The album's completely solid all the way through – and although it won't change your life as much as A Love Supreme, it will show what a fantastically strong player Coltrane was, in any sort of setting! Titles include "I Wish I Knew", "What's New", "Nancy", "You Don't Know What Love Is", and "All Or Nothing At All". CD

A perennial favorite in the John Coltrane catalog – a beautiful set of standards, handled in a warm laidback style – but which still has some of the depth of soul that John Coltrane brought to his more experimental work on Impulse Records! The album's a classic introduction to the music of Trane – and maybe is tied more closely to the spirit of some of his work on Atlantic Records, and makes a nice bridge between the two bodies of work – as the Great One takes on older jazz tunes, but really transforms them, thanks in part to the sublime work of Jimmy Garrison on bass, Elvin Jones on drums, and McCoy Tyner on piano. The album's completely solid all the way through – and although it won't change your life as much as A Love Supreme, it will show what a fantastically strong player Coltrane was, in any sort of setting! Titles include "I Wish I Knew", "What's New", "Nancy", "You Don't Know What Love Is", and "All Or Nothing At All". CD

A long-awaited addition to the Miles Davis electric catalog – and a package that features over 4 hours of newly-discovered music! The 6CD set documents 4 nights of performance by Miles at the Cellar Door in Washington DC – recorded in December of 1970, and featuring a mindblowing group that includes Gary Bartz on soprano and alto sax, Keith Jarrett on Fender Rhodes and organ, Airto on percussion, Michael Henderson on bass, Jack DeJohnette on drums, and a bit of guitar from John McLaughlin on the last 2 CDs. There's a really hard and heavy feel here that's steeped in rock and soul influences – and the package is even more amazing, considering how little work has been offered from this unique point in Davis' career. Presentation of the material is in the same high standards as other Miles Davis boxes on Sony – with a 96 page book with notes and reflections by each band member, and a whopping 6 CDs of music, featuring mostly really long takes on the tunes! Titles include "Directions", "What'd I Say", "Honky Tonk", "Sanctuary", "Improvisation #3", "Inamorata", "It's About That Time", and "Yesternow". CD

A beautiful overview of some of the most legendary material in the catalog of both Miles Davis and John Coltrane – quintet collaborations for Prestige Records from the late 50s, presented here with all master and alternate takes, plus a full bonus CD of unreleased material! The original tracks were issued on a groundbreaking run of albums that include the classics Cookin, Relaxin, Steamin, and Workin With The Miles Davis Quintet – all with Davis on trumpet, Coltrane on tenor, and rhythm from the trio of Red Garland on piano, Paul Chambers on bass, and Philly Joe Jones on drums. But in addition to the 32 tracks of studio material from the group – presented on the first 3 CDs in the set – the package also features 8 more live numbers, recorded for the Tonight Show in 1955, and live at the Blue Note in Philly in 1956 and at Cafe Bohemia in 1958! Original studio tunes include "Stablemates", "The Theme", "How Am I To Know", "Four", "Salt Peanuts", "Woody'n You", "Ahmad's Blues", "Well You Needn't", "Half Nelson", "Oleo", "Tune Up", and "Blues By Five". Unreleased live tunes include "Tune Up", "Walkin", "Max Is Making Wax", "Four", "Bye Bye Blackbird", and "Two Bass Hit". Added bonuses include 5 solo transcriptions, a 40 page booklet, and original cover art by Miles! CD

Not a new version of Pierre Dorge's famous group, but a 30th anniversary celebration that shows the guitarist and ensemble to be as creative as ever! As with earlier efforts, the approach here is a very offbeat extrapolation of modern large ensemble modes from the generations of Ellington and Kenton – taken to very weird territory with Dorge's guitar in the lead, and with some very inventive use of familiar horns, plus keyboards and percussion. Tracks are mostly short, and titles include "Xongly", "Sankt Jakob", "Fur Kontrabas", "Balada Para El Trompetista", "Ratatata Lang Ra", and "Blessing Bones". CD

A completely unique little session – and a record that's every bit as musically striking as you might guess from its title and cover! The date's a rare Latin-tinged one for trumpeter Kenny Dorham – a record that takes his usually smooth sound and sets it up against octet backings with horns from JJ Johnson on trombone, Cecil Payne on baritone sax, and Hank Mobley on tenor – plus piano from Horace Silver, bass from Oscar Pettiford, and drums from Art Blakey – plus added congas from Patato Valdes! The expanded group plays with a great sense of power – really pushing Kenny's sound tremendously – and although the album also features a few tracks by a smaller group with less percussion, these also have a bit of a Latin/exotic tinge too. Titles include "Basheer's Dream", "Lotus Flower", "KD's Motion", "Venita's Dance", "Minor's Holiday", "La Villa", and "Afrodisia". CD features 2 bonus tracks too – "Echo Of Spring (aka KD's Cab Ride)" and "Minor's Holiday (alt take)". CD

A completely unique little session – and a record that's every bit as musically striking as you might guess from its title and cover! The date's a rare Latin-tinged one for trumpeter Kenny Dorham – a record that takes his usually smooth sound and sets it up against octet backings with horns from JJ Johnson on trombone, Cecil Payne on baritone sax, and Hank Mobley on tenor – plus piano from Horace Silver, bass from Oscar Pettiford, and drums from Art Blakey – plus added congas from Patato Valdes! The expanded group plays with a great sense of power – really pushing Kenny's sound tremendously – and although the album also features a few tracks by a smaller group with less percussion, these also have a bit of a Latin/exotic tinge too. Titles include "Basheer's Dream", "Lotus Flower", "KD's Motion", "Venita's Dance", "Minor's Holiday", "La Villa", and "Afrodisia". CD features 2 bonus tracks too – "Echo Of Spring (aka KD's Cab Ride)" and "Minor's Holiday (alt take)". CD

About as close as you'll get to a debut album from the great Dave Dudley – as the set takes his classic title track, mixes it with a few other indie singles – and adds in a few other truck-themed tunes from the Starday catalog for good measure! Dudley's got one of our favorite voices ever in country music – and his landmark "Six Days On The Road" set a whole new standard for road-based tunes – a winning track about a pill-popping, cop-dodging trucker heading home at the end of a long run! Dave sings some other great ones here – including "Last Day In The Mines", "Where Do I Go From Here", "It's Gotta Be That Way", "Cry Baby", and "Taxi Cab Driver" – and the set also features the instrumentals "Lee Highway Swing" by Chubby Wise, and "Hot Rod Guitar" and "Big Rig Guitar" by Joe Maphis. CD

A great tribute to the late bassist Jimmy Blanton – served up by his old boss Duke Ellington, working here on piano alongside the bass of Ray Brown! This spare piano/bass session is a rarity in Duke's catalog – and it's a real later gem that captures the warmth and imagination of the Ellington piano sound in a near-solo setting. Brown's tones are round and nicely soulful – always a treat, even if not entirely in Blanton's spirit – and titles include "Pitter Panther Patter", "Do Nothin Till You Hear From Me", "Sophisticated Lady", "See See Rider", and "Fragmented Suite For Piano & Bass" – a great extended piece that takes up all of side two! CD

A great tribute to the late bassist Jimmy Blanton – served up by his old boss Duke Ellington, working here on piano alongside the bass of Ray Brown! This spare piano/bass session is a rarity in Duke's catalog – and it's a real later gem that captures the warmth and imagination of the Ellington piano sound in a near-solo setting. Brown's tones are round and nicely soulful – always a treat, even if not entirely in Blanton's spirit – and titles include "Pitter Panther Patter", "Do Nothin Till You Hear From Me", "Sophisticated Lady", "See See Rider", and "Fragmented Suite For Piano & Bass" – a great extended piece that takes up all of side two! CD

Maynard really grooves it up on this one – playing with a group that's even larger than some of his early 70s funk sessions, in a style that's got traces of disco and R&B-styled fusion! The set was arranged, conducted, and produced by Jay Chataway – who's going for a nice smooth mode on most of the cuts, almost in the slick manner of some late 70s cop show soundtrack. Tracks are a bit longer than usual, with more room for the groove, and titles include the originals "Oasis" and "El Vuelvo", a surprisingly nice disco take on "Maria", and the cuts "Airegin" and "Star Wars". CD

Ella Fitzgerald joins the unbeatable late 50s team of Count Basie and Joe Williams – singing a bit of duets with Joe, and also letting him take the lead on his own! Players include Joe Newman and Thad Jones on trumpets, Frank Foster and Frank Wess on tenors, Freddie Greene on guitar, and Count Basie on piano! CD

A beautiful version of one of Erroll Garner's best-selling albums ever – in a special oversized package that features the full unedited concert on two CDs, plus a third CD with the original edited album and special interview material too! The album's a famous live date recorded in the mid 50s – and a record that's as important to his catalog as the classic Misty! Garner's playing before an apparently large audience, but the recording quality is still nice and clear – a strong focus on his amazing work on the keys of the piano – filled with rhythmic invention at every turn, in a way that can only be described as Garner-esque, and which still leaves us breathless after all these years. Despite the oft-heard power of the record, it's still a great one – worthy of discovery even if it wasn't a hit, and still great even if it was. Rhythm is by Eddie Calhoun on bass and Denzil Best on drums – and the 3CD package was co-produced by pianist Geri Allen, with a total of 36 tracks that include "Teach Me Tonight", "I'll Remember April", "Autumn Leaves", "Red Top", "April In Paris", "They Can't Take That Away From Me", "Erroll's Theme", and "Where Or When". CD

One of Erroll Garner's best-selling albums ever – a famous live date recorded in the mid 50s – and a record that's as important to his catalog as the classic Misty! Garner's playing before an apparently large audience, but the recording quality is still nice and clear – a strong focus on his amazing work on the keys of the piano – filled with rhythmic invention at every turn, in a way that can only be described as Garner-esque, and which still leaves us breathless after all these years. Despite the oft-heard power of the record, it's still a great one – worthy of discovery even if it wasn't a hit. Rhythm is by Eddie Calhoun on bass and Denzil Best on drums – on tracks that include "Teach Me Tonight", "I'll Remember April", "Autumn Leaves", "Red Top", "April In Paris", "They Can't Take That Away From Me", "Erroll's Theme", and "Where Or When". CD

A great posthumous release from the mighty Marvin Gaye – a set that's half comprised of material that Marvin was working on before his early death, and half pulled from rare personal recordings he'd entrusted to his mother! The cover carries a message that some of the material might be "offensive to some listeners" – and the music is kind of an 80s extension of the sensual themes that Gaye first opened up in the 70s – taken to some slightly more sexual territory here. But other tracks are even more sophisticated than you might expect – very ambitious material that almost hint at a return to the greatness of early 70s Motown and its more complicated presentation of themes – and which offsets the love songs nicely. Together, the work makes for a surprisingly nice addition to Gaye's catalog – possibly not as essential as some of his classics, but still way better than the work of most – and proof that Marvin hardly ever missed at all! Titles include "Sanctified Lady", "Savage In The Sack", "It's Madness", "Ain't It Funny (How Things Turn Around)", "Symphony", "Life's Opera", and "Dream Of A Lifetime" CD

A tremendous European meeting of tenorist Dexter Gordon and trombonist Slide Hampton – brought together in this impeccable sextet session for MPS – a real standout in the label's straight jazz catalog over the years! By the time of the set, Gordon had been working heavily in Europe, especially Copenhagen – a locale where he was given ample freedom to stretch out and really explore his tone and phrasing. Hampton had also kicked around the continent a fair bit too, but in a tighter format, doing arrangements for others and working in bigger groups – and it's actually his careful touch that really helps shape the sound of the set – by bringing Gordon's groove into a focus more strongly than before, and reminding us that Dex was a great group player when he wanted to be! The frontline features Gordon's tenor, Hampton's trombone, and the trumpet of Dizzy Reece – often stating the heads in a fluidly soulful way, then breaking out nicely with individual voices – very much in the best Blue Note mode. Rhythm is by the trio of Kenny Drew on piano, Art Taylor on drums, and Niels Henning Orsted Pedersen on bass – and titles include 3 excellent originals by Hampton – "A New Thing", "My Blues", and "A Day In Vienna" – plus a wicked almost-Lee Morgan-esque take on "What's New", and versions of "Shadow Of Your Smile" and "You Don't Know What Love Is". CD

One of the most beautiful albums we've ever heard from saxophonist Mats Gustafsson – a series of duets with guitarist David Stackenas, all done as tributes to blues greats of years past! As with other "tribute" projects by artists like Gustafsson or Ken Vandermark, the core inspiration for the music is very submerged in the actual results – so that the album's not actually a blues record by the players, but one that draws sympathies, feelings, colors, and tones from the music – and recasts it in a freely improvisatory manner. Mats plays baritone sax throughout, which makes for a haunting contrast with the acoustic guitar work of Stackenas – and there's a feel here that's almost a bit like some of Gustafsson's duets with David Grubbs. Titles include "Shave Em Wet", "Bumble Bee Blues", "Built To Do What You Did Last Night", and "Take Your Hand Off It". CD

A record that some saw as a bit of a jolt in the career of Herbie Hancock when it was released – but a set that's actually gone on to become one of the classics in his catalog, thanks to the mix of material and the players on the date! The "new standard" in the title is a reference to many of the songs in the collection – taken from more (then) recent rock and pop, but then turned into jazz instrumental tapestries with Herbie on acoustic piano, Michael Brecker on tenor and soprano, John Scofield on guitars, Dave Holland on bass, and Jack DeJohnette on drums. Titles include versions of "You've Got It Bad Girl", "Thieves In The Temple", "Your Gold Teeth II", "All Apologies", "Love Is Stronger Than Pride", "Mercy Street", and "Scarborough Fair".. CD

One of the avant garde classics in the early catalog of ECM Records – a set that has bassist Dave Holland working with two key bandmates from the Circle group – Anthony Braxton on saxes and flute, and Barry Altschul on percussion – as well as the great Sam Rivers on flute and sax, who was really taking off at the time! All tracks are originals by Holland – and Rivers' emotive, flowing approach proves the perfect balance for Braxton's intellectual approach – in a setting that really brings the most out of both players, thanks in part to elastic rhythms from Holland and Altschul. The overall approach leaves a great deal of space on this atmospheric set – but not in the usual mellower ECM way. Titles include "Four Winds", "Q & A", "Conference Of The Birds", "Interception", "Now Here (Nowhere)", and "See Saw". CD

Moody genius from Freddie Hubbard – a really unusual album that stands out not only from some of his other Blue Note work of the 60s, but also from most of the rest of his catalog as well! Part of the album's uniqueness is its group – an unusual lineup with McCoy Tyner on piano, Wayne Shorter on tenor, and Bernard McKinney on euphonium – a tuba-like instrument that gives the album a nicely shadowy sound! McKinney's probably better known for his 70s work with the Tribe scene in Detroit – but here, he's a young player with an innovative sound – one that makes the album one of Freddie's most striking of the period – a soulfully modern set that's set apart from his straighter hardbop work! The album features some great original tunes by Hubbard and Shorter – and other players include Elvin Jones on drums and Art Davis on bass – on titles that include "Crisis", "Birdlike", "Arietis", and "Weaver Of Dreams" – plus two extra alternate takes! CD

A killer funky group from early 70s Japan – a slightly large ensemble, but one with some really heavy drums at the bottom – plus some great use of organ and electric guitar! There's a tight brace of horns at the top – flute, tenor, trumpets, and trombone – but the rhythms are what really drive the record, and give the whole thing a sometimes-funky, always-groovy quality that never lets up! The mode is almost soundtrack funk at times – jazz, but filled with some rich colors and expansive tones too – and there's a sophistication here that really rewards repeated listenings, but never gets in the way of the groovier moments too. Titles include "Theme Mustache", "Tak's Tune", "Joint", "Monster", "Lullaby For Yuh", and "Scotland Scene". CD

Perhaps THE greatest Quincy Jones album of the 60s – a hard-swinging batch of big band bossa tunes – and one of the greatest American takes on the bossa sound ever! Quincy really brings a lot of soul to the set – syncopating the bottom end of the tunes to really bring out the rhythms, and working with a jazzy flourish of horns that creates all these quick and clever little turns in the tunes! The sound's been heard most famously on the incredible track "Soul Bossa Nova" – an original by Quincy for the set, which has gone onto much greater fame through its use in the film Austin Powers, and a bazillion TV commercials! But the whole album's great too – and other tracks include "Serenata", "Lalo Bossa Nova", "Boogie Bossa Nova", and "Chega De Saudade". CD

One of the strongest statements ever recorded by bassist Sam Jones – a wickedly soulful session that cooks on all burners! The album's got a rich depth that far surpasses most of Jones' trio sessions – and is a full quintet album, with Terumasa Hino on cornet, Bob Berg on tenor, Ronnie Matthews on piano, and Al Foster on drums. Matthews' strong and soulful lines really push the whole group along – stretching out with modal energy that really seems to set the horns free. All tracks are extremely fresh, and played at a level that brings out the best we'd expect from the players – possibly more in fact – and the record's an under-appreciated gem in the Steeplechase catalog of the 70s! Titles include "Del Sasser", "Visitation", "Occurrence", "Jean Marie", and "Before You". CD also features 3 bonus alternate takes! CD

Excellent work from Clifford Jordan – far better than the usual Steeplechase session of the time! The vibe here is similar to Jordan's work at the time on the Strata East label – played in a very similar group, with Cedar Walton on piano, Sam Jones on bass, and Billy Higgins on drums – way more than just a standard rhythm section, and with Jordan in tow, a compelling quartet with a really unique sound! There's a great depth to the work here – hardly the American soloist taking up space that you might get on other European live dates from the period – and the tracks are long, with an angular soul jazz finish. Both Jordan and Walton get plenty of room for expression – and titles on this third volume include "Seven Minds", "Shoulders", "St Thomas", and "Bleecker Street Theme". CD

Nice reissue of this rare Clifford Jordan session from the mid 70s, recorded for "Dolphy Productions" in Paris, and with a feel and a spirit very similar to his Jordan's Strata East albums from the same time – like Glass Bead Games and In The World! The group is similar to those recordings too, and features Cedar Walton, Sam Jones, and Billy Higgins – all working with Jordan in a wonderfully exploratory groove that still has a deep and rhythmic swing. Tracks are nice and long, and there's a great take on the Strata fave "John Coltrane", plus other nice ones that include "Midnight Waltz","One For Amos", and "Highest Mountain". CD

The birth of genius – 2 key mid 60s albums from swinging Brit jazzer Johnny Keating – both of which showcase his tightly rhythmic "Keating Sound" approach! Keating had originally worked as an arranger in the 50s group of Ted Heath, but after stepping out on his own in the 60s, he came up with a really fresh approach to big band grooving – one that was highly syncopated, in a choppier style of rhythm than many other groups were using at the time, and which was very much in the snapping mode of the best 60s pop work of the time. This new sound meant that Keating could take just about any tune and swing it on its ear – cutting up the basic structure of the song, and rebuilding it in sharper, tighter blocks of sound. The result is a style that's quite different from the usual big band groove – one that makes for some extremely playful instrumentation, but which manages to still keep moving strongly ahead without resorting to too many tricks or gimmicks. For both albums, Keating's working with some great British talents that include Shake Keane on trumpet, Tubby Hayes on saxes, David Snell on harp, and Jim Sullivan on guitar. The CD features a total of 24 tracks that are a wonderful introduction to the Keating Sound of the 60s – with titles that inlcude "Paris", "Brave New World", "Serenata", "Speak Low", "Listen", "The Preacher", "Hey Girl", "Bee Bom", "My Kind Of Girl", and "The Chihuahua". CD

Includes the songs "Catalina Island", "Rudy's Dream", "Bridge Over Troubled Water", "Lullaby Of Takeda", "Essence", "Lettin's Go", "Keep Hope Alive", "Baked Potato Man", "Innocence Of Spring", "Our Story", and "Peranzzetta". CD

The classic music of Kraftwerk – re-presented beautifully in this excellent box set! The package features material from famous recent live performances by the quartet – as they go back and present new takes on classic albums – from Autobahn through Radioactivity, Trans Europe Express, Man Machine, Computer World, and Techno Pop – all played live, with incredible sound that shows the way the group link their earlier analogue brilliance with the newly expanded sonic possibilities of the 21st Century! The set also features a full disc that expands on Tour De France, with other singles – and a CD titled The Mix – which also includes a special "headphone surround 3D" mix! Performances were recorded at the Museum Of Modern Art, Sydney Opera House, Tate Modern, Paradiso Amsterdam, and other global venues – and the package features eight full albums worth of material – all in a cool box with great graphics. CD

Another vicious set of hammering, lovable skronk from Last Exit – the mighty mid 80s free group that featured Sonny Sharrock, Peter Brotzman, Bill Laswell and Shannon Jackson! This should certainly not come as a surprise, but the sound is as muscular as can be without exploding all over the place. Each player brings their most hammering torrents. Brotzmann and Sharrock get to bring the noise, and a great sense of playfulness while Laswell and Jackson keep rhythmically sound. And boy, does Jackson hit those drums! Ouch! Tracks include the 18 minute "Hard School", "Brain Damage", "Taking A Beating", "Last Call" and "Dark Heart". CD

A live album, but one that's every bit as essential to the Led Zeppelin catalog as any of their studio albums from the 70s! In fact, the album may well be more important on its own – as it marked a real high point for the double-length live album in rock music – not just because it features lavish packaging and great presentation – but also because, like the film, it's filled with really long, unusual takes of the group's classics – most of which diverge very strongly from their studio versions! The real highlight here is the set's classic "Moby Dick", which features one of the greatest drum solos ever set to wax – and other tunes include "Rain Song", "Whole Lotta Love", "Stairway To Heaven", "No Quarter", and "Dazed & Confused". CD

Some of the most soulful sounds we've ever heard from tenorist James Brandon Lewis a reworking of themes from the music of Mahalia Jackson into jazz – all at a level that keeps all the spirit of the originals, while unlocking the songs as vehicles for freer improvisation! Given the mix of freedom and spirit here, there's almost a vibe that takes us back to the brilliance of Albert Ayler at the start – served up through the intertwining magic of Lewis' tenor, the cornet of Kirk Knuffke, cello of Chris Hoffman, bass of William Parker, and drums of Chad Taylor – all tremendous players, but resonating even more strongly in the presence of this project! James has been getting plenty of attention in recent years, but this could be the album that catapults him into the canon of contemporary jazz – thanks to amazing takes of "Elijah Rock", "Were You There", "Go Down Moses", "Precious Lord", "Deep River", "Wade In The Water", "Swing Low", and "Sparrow". 2CD edition features the full bonus album These Are Soulful Days – recorded by James Brandon Lewis with the Lutoslowski Quartet. CD

Charlie Louvin's amazing late career creative upswing continues with these Murder Ballads And Disaster Songs – the kind he's sung for 50 something years – done wonderfully this time for Tompkins Square! Back in the 50s, the Louvin Brothers put out 2 widely disparate theme albums in a short stretch, the ominous Tragic Songs Of Life and the spiritual Satan Is Real – and Charlie does a similar thing with this record and its counterpart Steps To Heaven. He does magic with a few numbers from Tompkins Square's superlative People Take Warning box set of archival folk & blues recordings, and a few other gems, with sly honky tonk arrangements. Mark Nevers staffs the sound with some of the best young pickers and players in Nashville, including Chris Scruggs, William Tyler, Ben Hall & others – and as a bonus, we always love it when Andrew Bird lays off the whistling, the live looping and gimmickry, and just fiddles – as he does wonderfully here on "Darling Corey". Other tracks include "Wreck Of Old 97", "Katy Dear", "Down With The Old Canoe", "The Little Grave In Georgia", "My Brother's Will", "Dixie Boll Weavel", "Is This My Destiny", "Mary Of The Wild Moor", "My Texas Girl" and more. CD

2 of very best LPs ever cut by the Louvin Brothers – Tragic Sounds Of Life and Satan Is Real – back to back on CD complete with bonus tracks! Tragic Songs Of Life is quite possibly THE greatest record that the Louvin Brothers ever made – and a haunting batch of songs filled with death and disaster, sung in a crystalline harmony style by Ira and Charlie! Includes the oft-quoted "Kentucky", plus loads of other great ones, including "Take The News To Mother", "What Is Home Without Love", the bone-chilling "Knoxville Girl", and "Mary Of The Wild Moor". Great stuff, and completely essential! Satan Is Real is a fantastic record of country harmony spirituals, cut during the height of their years at Capitol! The record's a treasure all the way through – from great songs like "Satan is Real", "The Drunkard's Room", and "Dying From Home, And Lost" – to the groovy cover that has the Louvins smirking next to a flaming pile of garbage with a self designed statue of Satan. Incredible stuff! Other titles include the Gram Parsons epiphany "The Christian Life", "Satan's Jeweled Crown" and "I'm Ready To Go Home" and more. The CD also includes 4 bonus tracks of 45 sides: "Blue From Now On", "Red Head Hop", "Read What's In My Heart" and "My Heart Was Trampled On The Street". CD

A 2CD set that features 3 of Miriam Makeba's late 60s albums for Reprise! In Concert is pretty great set – a bit folksier than most of Makeba's other work for Reprise, but recorded with a pretty lively groove on many numbers, a lot more interesting than some of Makeba's early work in the folk vein. The record includes a 7 minute version of "A Piece Of Ground", a nice take on "Mas Que Nada", and the cuts "Ibabalazie", "Click Song", "Jolinkomo", and "Reza". Pata Pata was the album that really put Makeba on the map – as her hit version of the song "Pata Pata" forever guaranteed that African-tinged grooves would have a place in the pop charts! The track's included as the lead off song on this classic album of "uptown African soul" (if we might use such a term), and other goodies include "Click Song Number 1", "A Piece Of Ground", "West Wind", "Ha Po Zamani", and "Jol'inkomo". Makeba has Miriam really hipping up her style a lot, taking the earlier folksy sound and infusing it with a bit more of the Hugh Masekela-driven African soul styles of the late 60s. Jerry Ragovoy produced the record, and he and Miriam handled all the arrangements. Tracks are a mix of mellower numbers with more jaunty tracks in the style of Miriam's hit "Pata Pata" (which isn't on this album.) Titles include "U Mngoma", "Iphi Ndilela", "Sibongile", "Hamba Naye", and "Umoya". CD

One of Joe McPhee's strongest early albums – and a real breakthrough from his sound on Nation Time (also issued as part of the Unheard Music Series.) The group here is a trio – with Mike Kull on electric and acoustic piano, and Harold E Smith on percussion – and the lack of a bass player gives the group an incredible sense of freedom, letting them wail away on long tracks with a strong bent for musical and spatial exploration. The two most marked examples of this are "Astral Spirits" and "Delta" – both searching numbers that start with an electric piano/tenor sound that you might have heard on a Joe Henderson album on Milestone from the same time, but which take that sound to unheard of limits, pushing the keys and the sax to full capacity. The album also includes the longer track "Ionization", which is a fiercely jamming number with a slightly straighter bent. CD

A rare Japanese session from vocalist Helen Merrill – one of a few key 60s recordings she cut on the Tokyo scene, after initial fame in the US! The album features a great small group arranged by drummer Takeshi Inomata, played by a combo that includes alto, baritone, and trumpet – all used in a cool and laidback mode that resonates nicely with Merrill's more familiar 50s sides on Mercury – but which also stretches out more, too – not as "cool", and with a sense of inflection that's mighty nice. Helen's in great form vocally – often singing in that almost-effortless mode that we love in her classic work – and titles include "It Never Entered My Mind", "Bewitched", "You Do Something To Me", "Teach Me Tonight", "Good Morning Heartache", and "My Favorite Things". CD

A fantastic live performance from Charles Mingus – recorded in Detroit, with a slightly unusual group – and done with the more open, freewheeling quality that grace his live recordings of the early 60s! The set was recorded at the Strata Gallery – and has some of the deeper spiritual currents of the work on Detroit's Strata label – as the quintet burns beautifully with contributions from Don Pullen on piano, John Stubblefield on tenor, Joe Gardner on trumpet, and the great Roy Brooks on drums! It's interesting both to hear Mingus without Dannie Richmond on drums – and Brooks at a time when he was at his most righteous – and the pairing really seems to bring a lot of the best energy out of the other players too. The super-expanded set features material from a few nights of performance, with a few alternate takes – and titles include "The Man Who Never Sleeps", "Pithecanthropus Erectus", "Peggy's Blue Skylight", "Orange Was The Color Of Her Dress Then Blue Silk", "Dizzy Profile", and "C Jam Blues". CD

We're not sure what "congliptious" means – but to us, it's always been the title of this excellent early session from reedman Roscoe Mitchell! The sessions here were recorded in 1968, at the Ter-Mar (Chess) Studios in Chicago – and they document a key coming-together of Chicago avant jazz talents – one that captures Mitchell with Lester Bowie and Malachi Favors in the years before better-known dates by the Art Ensemble of Chicago! The style here is somewhat similar to some of the best Delmark AACM sessions of the time – in that there's a hell of a lot of room for each player to open up individually – almost a recording style that takes off even more strongly from the individualist mode of the New York "new thing" generation – showing that Chicago could go one better by allowing each player completely unbridled space to express themselves. Malachi Favors solos on "Tutankhamen", Mitchell does an alto solo on "Thke", and Bowie plays alone on "Jazz Death" – while the trio of players comes together with percussionist Robert Crowder on the long number "Congliptious/Old" – a cool cut that almost links a Sun Ra aesthetic to the AACM. CD also features 4 bonus tracks – 3 takes of "Carefree", plus "Tatas-Matoes" – all cuts that originally appeared on the Art Ensemble 1967/1968 box set. CD

Taku Akiyama on alto saxophone, Mwata Bowden on baritone saxophone and didgeridoo, Hiroshi Eguchi and Satoru Iga on bass, Tomoko Hayashida on cello, Tatsu Aoki on bass and taiko, Miss Mia Park on drums, Hide Yoshihashi, Jason Matsumoto, and Ryan Toguri on taiko, Toru Hironaka on tenor saxophone, Ameen Muhammad on trumept and percussion, Jonathan Chen on violin and electronics, and Yoko Noge on vocals. CD

One of the greatest Blue Note albums of all time – a record that's even better than the look of it's cover – which is already pretty darn classic! Hank Mobley had been making records for Blue Note for a number of years before this set – but Caddy For Daddy is one in which he really takes off – mixing earlier hardbop modes with a more complex approach to both rhythm and lyricism – matched with some wonderful work from Lee Morgan in the frontline, who was also really hitting new heights at the time – in a group that also includes Curtis Fuller on trombone, McCoy Tyner on piano, Bob Cranshaw on bass, and Billy Higgins on drums. The group plays this amazing mix of soul jazz and modal grooves that sets a whole new standard in the Blue Note catalog – and every cut is a winner, with titles that include "Venus Di Mildew", "The Morning After", "3rd Time Around", and "Ace Deuce Trey". Fantastic material all the way through, with tracks that will stay in your head for years – and one of the greatest jazz album covers ever! CD

An obscure set of tracks – but some really wonderful material from the catalog of Pacific Jazz Records! The CD's title clearly showcases the presence of Wes Montgomery on the sides – but Wes was actually more of a sideman on these tracks, and the real credit for the greatness goes to the leaders! The first 10 tracks on the CD are from the album Good Git Together by Jon Hendricks – a rare early non-LHR session by the jazz vocalist – one cut in a very different style than his more famous group vocalese work. Hendricks is laidback, open, and very soulful – working with Wes, Buddy, and Monk Montgomery – as well as Cannonball and Nat Adderley, Pony Poindexter, and Gildo Mahones – all coming together in a "git together" session that features some of Hendricks' best vocals on record! The session features great readings of Hendricks originals that include "Minor Catastrophe", "I'll Die Happy", and "I'm Gonna Shout" – as well as Gigi Gryce's "Music In The Air" and "Social Call", plus a great take on Randy Weston's "Pretty Strange" and Gildo Mahones' "The Shouter". Next up on the set are 8 more tracks from a jazz version of Kismet – recorded by The Mastersounds group which featured Buddy Montgomery on vibes and Monk Montgomery on bass – joined here by Wes on guitar! The source of the tunes is a musical, but the presentation is all jazz – and the group craft some real magic in their exotic style, with tracks that include "Fate", "Olive Tree", "Not Since Nineveh", and "Gesticulate & Rhymes Have I". CD

You might not recognize the group's name, but you'll definitely know the three leaders – pianist Brad Mehldau, tenorist Mark Turner, and guitarist Peter Bernstein – coming together here in a session that's a real standout in the catalogs of all three musicians! Brad Mehldau somehow seems to have more of an edge, Mark Turner is warmer than usual, and Peter Bernstein makes his guitar ring out with bold colors and tones that really seem to hold the whole thing together! Remaining quintet members include Larry Grenadier on bass and Leon Parker on drums – both players who deserve equal billing with the M, T, and B – and titles include two takes on the great Jackie McLean tune "Little Melonae" – plus a version of Wayne Shorter's "Limbo, Horace Silver's "Peace", and the original tunes "Afterglow", "Phatasm", and "Belief". CD

John Zorn on alto sax and vocals, Bill Frisell on guitar, Wayne Horvitz on keyboards, Fred Frith on bass, Joey Baron on drums, and Yamataka Eye on vocals. CD

Hip hop for the Gainsbourg fan? This Handsome Boy Modeling School spin off has Nathaniel Merriweather, aka Dan The Automator, working in his smoothest, sexiest, loungiest mode ever! Like Handsome Boy, Lovage is packed to the rafters with mysterious guest appearances, including the turntable and mixing skills of Kid Koala, Chest "Prince Paul" Rockwell, Afrika Bambaataa, and Maseo of De La Soul. Guest vocalists include Jennifer Charles of Elysian Fields, Damon Albarn, and Mike Patton. Tracks include "Ladies Love Chest Rockwell", "Pit Stop (Take Me Home)", "Anger Management", "Everyone Has A Summer They Want To Remember", "To Catch A Thief", "Lies And Alibis", "Book Of The Month", "Strangers On A Train", "Sex (I'm A)", "Tea Time With Maseo", "Herbs, Good Hygiene, & Socks", and the best song named after a bad Burt Reynolds movie ever, "Stroker Ace". CD

A crazy batch of jazz-meets-beat poetry-meets-goofy stuff. Ken Nordine's wit is razor sharp as usual, and the tracks include "What Time Is It", "Sound Museum", "Down The Drain", and "Faces In The Jazzamatazz". Like taking drugs without the hassle! CD

The second album from Biggie, and a set that was instantly poised to catapult him to superstardom – even before his tragic death ended up doing that before the release of the record! And yes, the title's a bit cryptic – and given the fact that the material came out after BIG was shot, it might seem like a cash-in collection of left-behind tracks – yet it's not that at all. The long path to the album's creation represents a step forward to almost build a bridge between underground hip hop and mainstream soul – maybe in a way that would have calmed some of the coastal beefs that were taking place at the time – as the late, great one works here with an array of guests from both the worlds of hip hop and R&B – 112, Jay-Z, R Kelly, Puff Daddy, Lil Kim, Too Short, and others – in a classic set of tracks that includes "Hypnotize", "Kick In the Door", "Mo Money Mo Problems", "Notorious Thugs", "Going Back To Cali", "Sky's The Limit", "Miss U", "Ten Crack Commandments", 'What's Beef", and "Nasty Boy". CD

Twin alto sax work from the leaders – blowing here together with a really rich sound that almost feels like some of Phil Woods alto-heavy dates from years back, but with a vibe that's more 70s Japanese as well! The pair are both great soloists on their own – and step out in the lead on boppish tracks, but with phrasing that's far beyond just hokey Charlie Parker cliches – given an even more modern sense of expression through the quintet's use of guitarist Kazumi Watanabe, alongside bass and drums. The set features 11 minute takes on both "Lover Man" and "Scrapple From The Apple" – plus the side-long original "Blues For T&O", which runs for 19 minutes! CD

Great stuff by Art Pepper – originally issued only on tape, and kind of lost in his catalog – and like many albums of his 50s work released after the fact, this one almost blows away some of his best known records! The material was recorded in 1957, and was only ever issued on pre-recorded tape by the Omega Tape Company, so it's one of the rarest 50s sessions by Pepper. The set's got a harder groove than most of his record on Contemporary – which is great with us, because we can finally hear the emotion and tone that Pepper is always credited with, but which doesn't always show up on record. The group's a small one, with Ben Tucker on bass, Chuck Flores on drums, and the late LA bopper Carl Perkins on piano. Titles include "Surf Ride", "Begin The Beguine", "Holiday Flight", "Webb City", and "Too Close For Comfort". CD also features 2 previously unissued bonus tracks – "Blues Rock" and "Rock Blues". CD

Light and beautiful work from Peri – a modern Brazilian composer, but one with all the sensitive grace of the best bossa stars from earlier years! Peri's working here in a mostly solo setting – singing along with his acoustic guitar, in a way that echoes similar modes from Joyce, Joao Gilberto, and Baden Powell – yet which also takes on a new sort of life thanks to Peri's personal shadings of the tunes. Titles include "Na Lata", "O Samba E Bom", "So Minha", "Mentiras", "Voyeur", "Samba Passarinho", "Redemoinho", "Meu Mundo E Hoje", and "Mamae Falou". CD

Clement Coxsone Dodd and Lee Scratch Perry – a match made in any reggae lover's dreams! This tasty little collection pulls together more than chicken scratch, rather it documents a batch of deep cuts from Perry's formative years, early numbers cut under the tutelage of Coxsone Dodd during the ska era. Perry takes care of the vocal duties while the Skatalites and other luminaries from the Brentford Road stable deliver bouncing ska rhythms for a truly seminal collaboration between the best of the best on the Kingston scene! 18 tracks in all, including "Feel Like Jumping", "Chicken Scratch", "Solid As A Rock", 'Tackoo", "Roast Duck", "Gumma", "Just Keep It Up", "Open Up (Cook Book)", "Mother In Law", "Madhead", "Cannot Wrong (And Get Right)", "John Tom" and "Run Rudie Run". CD

A pretty darn obscure one – with a wild cover, wild title, and a goofy looking bandleader who definitely had a great sense of humor! Pijuan leads the group, sings, and plays organ – and the record's a weird mix of groovy 60s pop, shing-a-ling/boogaloo tracks, and other Latin groovers. The best track is the lively "Shing A Ling Boogaloo", which has some very sinister piano lines – and other highlights include a groovy take on "Up Up & Away", the drum-heavy "Comparsas", and the swinging "La Bala De Plata". CD

A mindblowing contribution to the early catalog of Pink Floyd – served up here in a special series of CD/DVD combinations that bring together rare recordings, unusual mixes, different versions, live tracks, and some beautiful film performances too! There's a huge amount of special material here – including a full CD of unreleased tracks from the sessions for the Zabriskie Point soundtrack – as well as a long live take on "Atom Heart Mother", recorded in Montreux in 1970, and six tracks from a BBC Radio session in July – including "If", "Green Is The Color", "Careful With That Axe", and "Fat Old Sun" – performed with choir, cello, and brass! The 2 DVD/Blu-Ray discs feature great stuff too – a special An Hour With Pink Floyd program recorded by KQED in San Francisco, a performance at the Pop Deux Festival in St Tropez, and one more at the Show Roland Petit in Paris – plus strange material from the Blackhill's Garden Party in London. Also includes replica material of memorabilia from the period! CD

A mindblowing contribution to the early catalog of Pink Floyd – served up here in a special series of CD/DVD combinations that bring together rare recordings, unusual mixes, different versions, live tracks, and some beautiful film performances too! This 1972 package features a full CD of Obscured By Clouds, presented in a completely new 2016 remix – as well as Live At Pompeii, again in a new 2016 stereo remix – plus an alternate take of "Careful With That Axe Eugene". DVD/Blu-Ray features footage from the recording session for Obscured By Clouds in France, Live At Pompeii with the newly remixed sound, a concert/news report from France Poitiers/Autour Du passage, the Roland Petit Pink Floyd Ballet from France, and two tracks performed at Brighton Dome in the UK. Also features cool bonus replica memorabilia too! CD

Iggy Pop's mid-to-late 70s era working David Bowie as a co-writer, producer and incredible creative foil – in a 7CD box set! It includes Iggy's first 2 and to this day all-time great solo albums The Idiot and Lust For Life, neither of which seem to have aged a day since 1977, a full CD of alternate mixes and out-takes, the original classic live album TV Eye – 1977 that compiled soundboard recordings from the '77 tour – and perhaps this box set's deepest dug treasure trove – 3CDs of complete sets from that same 1977 tour at London's Rainbow Theatre, The Agora in Cleveland, and at Mantra Studios in Chicago! While the Idiot and Lust Of Life showed Iggy to be a lot more versatile of a front man and songwriter to anyone who might not have seen past the manic firebrand howling out front for The Stooges, his live material from that era is pretty amazing too, embracing the Stooges catalog with some of the more innovative style of his early solo albums –bigger arrangements, woozy keyboards and soulful back up singers among them without sacrificing any of the...well, we gotta say it...any of the raw power. Nearly as ferocious as ever but with a real sense of style and craft – and there's a wealth of it collected here for the first time ever. Also includes a 40-page hardback book! CD

One of the greatest crossover albums of the 80s – and the record that catapulted Prince very firmly into the mainstream! There's a tightness here that surpasses even that of Prince's early classics for Warner Brothers – an unabashed love of a pop hook that makes for some incredibly catchy tunes that are still delivered with a nice funky undercurrent. The whole Prince family is at the top of their game at this point – and titles include "Darling Nikki", "Let's Go Crazy", "I Would Die 4 U", "When Doves Cry", "Baby I'm A Star", and "Purple Rain". This fantastic 3CD/DVD version features a completely new 2015 Paisley Park remaster of the album, done by Prince – plus a full CD that features unreleased songs and tracks from the vaults – with titles that include "Katrina's Paper Dolls", "We Can F**k", "Father's Song", "Possessed", "Computer Blue (hallway speech version)", "Love & Sex", "The Dance Electric", "Our Destiny/Roadhouse Garden", "Wonderful Ass", "Velvet Kitty Cat", and "Electric Intercourse (studio version)". CD3 features lots of rare single edits and non-LP b-sides – with tracks that include "Erotic City", "Let's Go Crazy (special dance mix)", "17 Days (edit)", "Baby I'm A Star (edit)", "I Would Die 4 U (extended)", "Another Lonely Christmas (extended)", "Take Me With U (edit)", "God (edit)", "When Doves Cry (7" edit)", and "God (inst)". DVD features a never-issued concert performance, recorded at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse in March of 1985 – with 19 songs in all! CD

One of the rarest 70s albums in the Sun Ra catalog – and one of the most unique, too – given that the format here is a piano trio, of the style often used by other jazz musicians – but completely transformed here in the hands of Ra! The music is sometimes straight, but always with angles – taking off nicely from the Horo Records mode right before – and delivered by Ra with this new sense of confidence and historical imagination on the keys of the piano – with great support from Richard Williams on bass and Luqman Ali on drums. There's no spacey production or weird instrumentation – but still, as with the Horo and Improvising Artists material, Sun Ra shows us what a tremendous jazz musician he can be in a more familiar setting – a great snap back to all those who ever might have called him a pretender. Titles include "Blythe Spirit Dance", "Tenderness", "Days Of Happiness", and "Magic City Blue". CD

Dewey Redman's struggle is our success – as the album's one of the strongest from the ECM catalog at the time, and a simple, clean statement of the Redman talent at its best! The setting is a quartet one – in a group that includes Charles Eubanks on piano, Mark Helias on bass, and Ed Blackwell in drums – all coming together beautifully with one aim in mind: to give Dewey just the right platform for blowing on each number. "Love Is" is a gently soulful tune that has a warm lyrical quality, offset by the harder, blusier approach of "Turn Over Baby", or the freer explorations of "Combinations" – all of which are Redman originals. And if that's not enough, the group swing back into bop territory for a closing rendition of Charlie Parker's "Dewey Square", taken by Redman at a personal pace with few traces of Parker. CD

An incredible batch of work – the complete Black Saint/Soul Note recordings of George Russell – easily his greatest uninteruppted stretch of albums ever! Some of the material here is from the late 60s – owned by George and licensed to Soul Note – and the rest was done for the label, almost as an expansion of the ideas that Russell first explored in the earlier period. Together, the records make for an amazing batch of music – much more experimental and far-reaching than George's better-known US sides of the 50s and early 60s – really taking off in the freedoms of the European scene, with help from an array of European and American avant players! The 9CD set features mini-LP sleeve versions of albums that include Electronic Sonata For Souls Loved By Nature 1980, Othello Ballet Suite/Electronic Organ Sonata No 1, Vertical Form, Listen To The Silence, Trip To Prillarguri, Electronic Sonata For Souls Loved By Nature 1968, New York Big Band, Essence Of George Russell, and Live In An American Time Spiral. CD

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A tremendous record from one of the hippest soul singers ever – and an album that has Gil Scott-Heron really pushing forward after his initial classics for the Flying Dutchman label! There's less spoken material here and more sung passages – as Gil's really discovering his confidence as a singer, moving effortlessly between jazz and soul – and getting superb accompaniment from Brian Jackson, who plays both acoustic and electric piano next to Gil's electric. Backings are spare – just bass and drums – and it's no surprise that the album was released on the legendary Strata East label, as it rivals the rest on that imprint for righteous spiritual power! Titles include Gil's classic "The Bottle" – which went on to become a huge hit in many versions – plus the beautiful "Your Daddy Loves You", heard here in the original version – and the tunes "Peace Go With You Brother", "Back Home", "Rivers Of My Fathers", and "A Very Precious Time". Plus, this US reissue has 4 bonus cuts, including live versions of "Winter In America", "Your Daddy Loves You", and "The Bottle/Guan Guanco" – and an alternate take of "Song For Bobby Smith". CD

The soundtrack to the Sex Pistols quote/unquote documentary The Great Rock 'N' Roll Swindle – a crazy mess of Pistols odds, ends and quote/unquote hits – including Sid's crazy-as-hell take on Sinatra, the weird quote/unquote French version of "Anarchy In The UK" and miscellaneous errata. Definitely one of weirdest chapters of Sex Pistols lore, which kind makes it a necessity! Includes "Johnny B Goode", "Road Runner", "Anarchy In The UK", "Substitute", "Lonely Boy", "God Save The Queen", "You Need Hands", "Black Arabs", "Silly Things", "Something Else", "My Way", "The Great Rock 'N'Roll Swindle" and more. CD

The soundtrack to the Sex Pistols quote/unquote documentary The Great Rock 'N' Roll Swindle – a crazy mess of Pistols odds, ends and quote/unquote hits – including Sid's crazy-as-hell take on Sinatra, the weird quote/unquote French version of "Anarchy In The UK" and miscellaneous errata. Definitely one of weirdest chapters of Sex Pistols lore, which kind makes it a necessity! Includes "Johnny B Goode", "Road Runner", "Anarchy In The UK", "Substitute", "Lonely Boy", "God Save The Queen", "You Need Hands", "Black Arabs", "Silly Things", "Something Else", "My Way", "The Great Rock 'N'Roll Swindle" and more. CD

One of the biggest breakout albums for Shakatak – an album that brought them strongly to US audiences with a sweet British blend of jazzy instrumentation and sultry soul! The album really holds up well over the years, and has a lot more legs than some of the other smooth fusion sets of the time – thanks to well-spaced keyboard lines from Bill Snarpe, and vocals from Jill Saward, which seem even stronger than before. The tunes are catchy, but never too commercial – and titles include "Summer Sky", a sweet jazzy instrumental, and the cuts "Don't Blame It On Love", "Hypnotised", "Photograph", "Lady", "Fire Dance", and "Holding On". CD features bonus tracks – "Down On The Street (dance mix)", "Down On The Street (ext mix)", "Holding On (ext mix)", and "Don't Blame It On Love (ext mix)". CD

Nothing too manic here, as the grooves are all nicely laidback – in that sweetly smooth Shakatak style! The album's definitely a bit more contemporary-styled than some of the group's earlier ones – rhythms that are mostly programmed, and keyboards that have a later 80s sound – but which are still warmed by some of the jazzy touches of before. The vocals are in the lead on most numbers – handled by Jill Saward, who's become a more forceful vocalist in the space of the group's increasingly urban sound. Titles include "Money", "Time Of My Life", "Dr Dr", "Releasin The Feelin", "Walk The Walk", "Slow Dancing", "Mr Manic & Sister Cool", and "Something Special". CD version has 4 bonus tracks: "Never Stop Loving You", extended and dub versions "Mr Manic & Sister Cool" and "Walk The Walk (Remix)". CD

Not sure what they mean by "Ameriachi" in the title – but from the sound of the music, there's definitely a great A&M Records-styled mix of jazz, Latin, and South American modes! The set begins with a set of cookers from drummer Hideo Shiraki – working with an excellent group that features tenorist Hidehiko Matsumoto handling arrangements – often in ways that have this upbeat, swinging, and pretty darn groovy way of moving along – sometimes with a bold Herb Alpert-styled trumpet in the lead – other times with a bit of marimba vibes. Titles include "Ashita Ni Nareba", "Akasaka After Dark", "You & Me", and "Ginza Wa Koi No Jujiro". The second half is handled by Takeshi Inomata & His West Liners Plus All-Stars – a group that has an equally great A&M approach to the groove – thanks to arrangements from pianist Masao Yagi! The whole thing's a great illustration of the way that 60s Japanese jazzmen could also work in some groovy instrumental styles in the right setting – and titles include "One Rainy Night In Tokyo", "Omoide", "Goodbye Mr Tears", "Koi Wa Akaibara", and "Aitakute Aitakute". CD

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A soaring session of spiritual jazz piano – and one of the only albums as a leader cut by Donald Smith – best known to most folks as the brother of Lonnie Liston Smith, and a member of the Cosmic Echoes! The sound here is much more hard-edged than you might guess – starting somewhere in the McCoy Tyner realm of post-Coltrane piano lines, but also taking off at times with a fury that reminds us of Cecil Taylor – extremely deft and inventive, and spurred on by some great rhythm work from the team of Cecil McBee on bass and Jack DeJohnette on drums! A few moments get a bit more introspective, balancing things out nicely – and McBee's bass is a wonderful addition to the set, as he plays with the power and soulfulness he brought to the best Strata East sessions of the early 70s. Titles include "Mystic Man", "Stillness", "To Yaisa & Wanda With Luv", and "The Magnetic A". CD

A really wonderful album in the Verve Records catalog of the 60s – a set that's not only a fantastic meeting between two superstar jazz musicians, with Jimmy Smith on Hammond and Wes Montgomery on guitar – but one that also takes things in a whole groovy new dimension, thanks to the arrangements of Oliver Nelson! Nelson is at his soulful best here – working on hard-swinging charts that almost seem to liberate Jimmy and Wes to do even more with their solos – really stretching out, with an especially great sound from Smith on the organ – maybe at a level that makes the record one of his best of all time for Verve! Titles include "James & Wes", "Night Train", "13 (Death March)", and "Down By The Riverside". CD

A really wonderful album in the Verve Records catalog of the 60s – a set that's not only a fantastic meeting between two superstar jazz musicians, with Jimmy Smith on Hammond and Wes Montgomery on guitar – but one that also takes things in a whole groovy new dimension, thanks to the arrangements of Oliver Nelson! Nelson is at his soulful best here – working on hard-swinging charts that almost seem to liberate Jimmy and Wes to do even more with their solos – really stretching out, with an especially great sound from Smith on the organ – maybe at a level that makes the record one of his best of all time for Verve! Titles include "James & Wes", "Night Train", "13 (Death March)", and "Down By The Riverside". CD

A really wonderful album in the Verve Records catalog of the 60s – a set that's not only a fantastic meeting between two superstar jazz musicians, with Jimmy Smith on Hammond and Wes Montgomery on guitar – but one that also takes things in a whole groovy new dimension, thanks to the arrangements of Oliver Nelson! Nelson is at his soulful best here – working on hard-swinging charts that almost seem to liberate Jimmy and Wes to do even more with their solos – really stretching out, with an especially great sound from Smith on the organ – maybe at a level that makes the record one of his best of all time for Verve! Titles include "James & Wes", "Night Train", "13 (Death March)", and "Down By The Riverside". CD

One of Lonnie Liston Smith's most spiritual sessions, and the record that most clearly shows his roots with Pharoah Sanders! The vibe here is much more jazz-based than on some of Lonnie's other records for Flying Dutchman – with Smith playing as much acoustic piano as he does electric, using the former in long-spiralling lines that have a beautifully meditative quality, and which give the album a real Strata East-like sound. Mtume and Sonny Morgan play percussion, Cecil McBee plays bass, and the real star of the album may well be George Barron – who turns in some beautiful Sonny Fortune-like work on tenor and soprano sax! Titles include "Let Us Go Into The House Of The Lord", "Rejuvenation", "Astral Traveling", "I Mani", "Aspirations", and "In Search Of Truth". CD includes alternate takes of "Astral Traveling", "Rejuvenation", "Imani", and "In Search Of Truth". CD

Tremendous material from bassist Putter Smith – a player you may not recognize, but one who's been making some beautiful music on the LA scene for decades! Putter's got a soulful, soaring vision that makes him a perfect choice for Henry Franklin's Skipper label – and like Franklin's recent gems on that imprint, there's a quality here that takes us right back to the best indie soul jazz of the 70s – richly expressive material from a post-Coltrane era – with a vibe that's somewhere between Clifford Jordan on Strata East, and some of the hipper albums on Muse Records from the decade. Putter plays bass, but really manages to get some great horn help here, too – the alto of Jon Whinnery and tenor of John Gross – beautifully intertwined, and stepping along the modally-influenced rhythms of the set – which are played by Smith on bass, Theo Saunders on piano, and Kendall Kay on drums. The album's got an understated cover, but a wonderfully rich sound – and it's one we've been spinning often at the Dusty Groove offices of late! Titles include "Larance", "Home", "Early Morning Mood", "For Us", "Love Song For Kirsi", "Tonggeret", and "The Blessing". CD

A special collection done for the US market after the first great run of albums by The Smiths – a double-length set that's partly a best-of, and mostly a collection of all the wonderful songs the group issued on their various singles and EP releases in the UK – none of which were originally released in America! As such, the album's a crucial component to the group's catalog – especially if you weren't buying their singles back in the day – and is filled with as much greatness as all their other albums of the period. Titles include "Girl Afraid", "Panic", "Sheila Take A Bow", "Is It Really So Strange", "London", "Half A Person", "Sweet & Tender Hooligan", "Hand In Glove", "Rubber Ring", "Ask", "Golden Lights", "Oscillate Wildly", "You Just Haven't Earned It Yet Baby", and "Asleep". CD

Ken Vandermark and crew take a funkier turn – working off the style of their last album (a tribute to Sun Ra & George Clinton), moving into tunes that are tributes to soul and funk heroes of the past 30 years. Most tunes are originals by Vandermark – played by the trio that includes Ken on reeds, Nate McBride on bass, and Hamid Drake on drums – and titles include "Clocked", "Back Of A Cab", "Reasonable Hour", "Size Large", "Journeyman", "She Just Got Here", "All Frequencies", and "Force At A Distance". CD

One of the few sessions ever cut as a leader by soul jazz trumpeter Charles Sullivan – a brilliant talent who shone brightly in the mid 70s, working in hip small groups that were very much in the Strata East mode. This rare, previously Japanese-only release has Sullivan working with Rene McLean, Kenny Barron, Buster Williams, and Billy Hart – on a tightly crafted set of tunes that share the same lyrical searching quality as some of McLean or Barron's own work from the time. The compositions are incredibly soulful – very much in the mode of some of Billy Harper's genius Japanese recordings – and titles include "Re Entry",take on "Body & Soul", "Carefree", "Mabe's Way", and "Waltz For Cricket". CD also includes 2 bonus tracks – longer takes of the beautiful "Body & Soul" and "Carefree". Outstanding! CD

Never-heard music from the enigmatic Jim Sullivan – the singer/songwriter who disappeared in the New Mexico desert after giving the world his fantastic album UFO! The style here is a bit different than that one, and maybe even more to the heart of Jim's spirit – as the work was all recorded in 1969, with just vocals and guitar – in a way that lets the brilliance of Jim's songcraft come across even more strongly than before – but all without ever feeling like scratchy demo tapes, or half-finished ideas! Instead, the album stands as a much-needed addition to the tiny Sullivan catalog – and really has us wondering what else Jim would have given us, if the shadows of mystery hadn't taken him away. Titles include "Roll Back The Time", "Walls", "Sandman", "Jerome", "Close My Eyes", "What Is My Name", and "So Natural". CD

A real standout in the classic catalog of ECM – not only because the record's got a slightly different inspiration than most, but also because it seems to unlock some especially beautiful moments from players who could sound different in other settings on the label! As the title indicates, the tunes here all take inspiration from the poetry of Robert Creeley – but never in a mode that's got the usual jazz meets poetry approach – as Sheila Jordan sings the lyrics when they appear, with a sense of her own power that's very different than a more standard recitation – and which, to us, really feels a lot like her great vocal performances with Steve Kuhn for ECM. Kuhn is also in the group on piano, and other musicians include David Liebman on saxes, Lyle Mays on keyboards, and Bob Moses on drums – all working under the superb leadership of bassist Steve Swallow – who really outdid himself with the depth of feeling in this project. Titles include "Colors", "In The Fall", "She Was Young", "Some Echoes", "Ice Cream", and "You Didn't Think". CD

Features Marina Piccinini on flute, Kim Kashkashian on viola and Sivan Magen on harp. CD

A massive set of work from trumpeter Charles Tolliver – a 3CD package that contains seminal live work from Tolliver's Strata East years, plus bonus previously unreleased titles from the concerts! The first half of the collection features work from Tolliver's seminal Live At Slug's albums – both recorded on the same night in 1970, and done with a free-thinking, spiritually soaring energy that set a whole new tone for live jazz in the 70s! For the records, Tolliver fronts the classic Music Inc lineup – a group that includes Stanley Cowell on piano, Cecil McBee on bass, and Jimmy Hopps on drums. Tolliver is stunning on trumpet – and he and Cowell handle the majority of the solos with the kind of imagination that characterized this strong point in both of their careers. Slugs titles include the previously unissued "On The Nile", "Ruthie's Heart", and "Repetition" – plus "Drought", "Felicite", "Orientale", and "Spanning". Next up is the equally great Live In Tokyo album – recorded 3 years later with a similar group that includes Cowell on piano, Clint Houston on bass, and Clifford Barbaro on drums – and although Tolliver's trumpet solos are always a treat, the interplay between Houston's bass and Cowell's piano is enough reason to buy the record! The highlight of the album is a great take of Cowell's modal groover "Effi", but the set also contains some masterful compositions by Tolliver – long versions of "Truth", "Stretch", and "Drought". Previously unissued titles include "Our Second Father", "Impact", and "Earl's World". Complicated, spiritual work – even more so than some of Tolliver's studio sessions! CD