The genius of Basie meets the genius of Quincy Jones – a 60s pairing that's every bit as great as the 50s pairing of Basie and Neal Hefti! Jones and Basie worked together in a number of settings during the 60s – including a very successful album for Frank Sinatra on Reprise – but here, the pair are really going full-on and hard-swinging, in a fresh style that's got all the hipness of Quincy's budding talent in the 60s, played with the deeply soulful manner of the still-great Basie band of the time. Titles include "Rat Race", "For Lena & Lennie", "The Big Walk", "Meet BB", "Jessica's Day", "Muttnik", and "Quince". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the greatest albums ever from Dayton – the kind of bouncy, funky combo who really put Ohio soul on the map at the start of the 80s! The group's got a wonderfully tight ensemble style that mixes both male and female vocals with bumping bass and sweet jazzy keyboards – all very much in a mode that's similar to some of their Capitol label contemporaries – like BB&Q Band or Mystic Merlin – with perhaps just an undercurrent of the Roger/Zapp sound too. Titles include the groover "Cutie Pie", plus the tracks "Let Me Know", "Wanna Be Your Man", "You Lift Me Up", and "Fool Was He". LP, Vinyl record album

An 80s groove classic – and a killer bit of Captiol Records soul from High fashion! Of all US major labels, Capitol was probably putting out the best soul in the early 80s – and this is a tight modern batch of up-tempo tracks, right up there with other contemporary classics on the label, like work by BB&Q Band, Taste Of Honey, and TS Monk! The tunes all manage to have a great groove without sounding cheesy – thanks to some nice jazzy touches in the arrangements, good hooks in the songs, and some great soulful vocals. Very, very nice – and nearly every cut's a winner! Tracks include "Feelin Lucky Lately", "Next To You", "Hold On", "When The Lover Strikes", "I Want To Be Your Everything", and "You're the Winner". LP, Vinyl record album

An excellent 80s groove combo from Chicago – one of the city's last great indie acts in the years before the house generation – and an outfit who comes across with an incredibly tight sound that should have made them huge! The set cooks along in a really great way – bubbling with bass and keys like a BB&Q band album, but also sporting some really strong vocals from the group – coming together in great harmonies at surprising moments – which makes for a set that's a lot deeper than you might think at first. The ballads are as great as the groovers – and titles include "Time Has Come", "Tell Me", "You & I", "Let's Have A Party", "Don't Touch It", "To Be With You", and "Living Without You". LP, Vinyl record album

"Fire Up" is a great bit of party funk from ADC – a tune that's got a romping bassline that really sets the pace of the track – then follows up with a snapping rhythm that's got plenty of rollerskating touches, and which sounds great next to the stoner "fire it up" chorus! "More & More Disco" is more of a standard clubby number – but handled with nice horns and congas! 12-inch, Vinyl record

Fantastic work from the Cannonball Adderley Quintet – one of their greatest performances from the seminal early 60s years! The band at this time includes Cannon on alto, Nat on cornet, Victor Feldman on piano, Sam Jones on bass, and Louis Hayes on drums – and although Feldman's not as strong of a soul jazz player as Bobby Timmons or Joe Zawinul, both of whom also played with the group, his playing on this set is great, thanks to a really lively rhythm section! Includes an 11 minute version of "Sack O Woe", plus "Blue Daniel", "Azule Serape", and "Big P". LP, Vinyl record album

An obscure album from the big band of Toshiko Akiyoshi and Lew Tabackin – all original tracks written by Toshiko, performed by the band with a mix of modern, lyrical, and swinging styles. Features some great work by Bobby Shew and Gary Foster – and titles include "Elusive Dream", "Lazy Day", "Chasing After Love", "Salted Ginko Nuts", and "Time Stream". LP, Vinyl record album

A great little live set from the glory days of the Toshiko Akiyoshi/Lew Tabackin Big Band – a series of performances from Japan, recorded in 1976, all featuring the ensemble at its best! The double-length nature of the record takes the group even farther than usual – really letting them stretch out with the kind of bold tones and broad colors that made the group so great. Soloists include Bobby Shew on trumpet, Jimmy Knepper on trombone, and Gary Foster on alto sax – alongside leaders Lew Tabackin on tenor and flute, and Toshiko Akioshi on piano. Titles include a nicely dancing reading of the classic "Warning: Success May Be Hazardous To Your Health" – plus "Kogun", "Henpecked Old Man", "Tuning Up", "Since Perry/Yet Another Tear", and "Soliloquy". LP, Vinyl record album

A 70s classic from the team of Toshiko Akioshi and Lew Tabackin – a duo who did for the jazz ensemble mode in their generation what Kenny Clarke and Francy Boland did in the 60s! The material here is wonderfully inventive – the kind of compositions that Toshiko wouldn't have even written in her smaller combo years – fleshed out here by a fantastic group that includes Lew Tabackin and Gary Foster on reeds, and Bobby Shew and Don Rader on trumpets – all in a setting where the voices of the individual members really get a lot of space to shine! Titles include "Since Perry", "Opus No Zero", "Long Yellow Road", "First Night", "Children In The Temple Ground", and "Yet Another Tear". LP, Vinyl record album

Crisp sparkling Afro pop from this Ghanian band. Uptempo grooves are peppered with chirping guitars and bubbling percussion on this set of nice easy African grooves. 7 tracks in all, including "Kill Me & Fly", "Onipa Retu ne Nan", "Saa Na Yede Beye Wo", "Asem Bone Se Hiani", "Gyae Nkonta Buo Yi", "Kusa Wo Bankye" and "Me Wu Mu Bebre". LP, Vinyl record album

A British art rock jam session, more or less, pulled together by Soft Machine bassist Kevin Ayers, who recruited Eno, John Cale and Nico, former bandmate Robert Wyatt, the enigmatic Rabbit (John Bundrick) on keyboards – more well known for his work with the Who – plus Mike Oldfield on guitar and a number of other guests and co-conspirators. A nice document of the scene a the time, with concise performances and a much tighter feel than you might imagine given the circumstances of the recording. 9 numbers in all, including "Driving Me Backwards", "Baby's On Fire", "Heartbreak Hotel", "The End", "May I?", "Shouting IN A Bucket Blues", "Stranger In Blue Suede Shoes", "Everybody's Sometime And Some People's All The Time Blues" and "Two Goes Into Four". LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic classic from The Band – a set that's hardly got them cowering in the corner the way the "stage fright" title might imply – and which instead seems to have the group at their most confident during the early years, effortlessly spinning impeccable musicianship and some surprisingly biting lyrics! The young Robbie Robertson is on guitar, Garth Hudson warms things up with organ lines, and vocals are handled by the shifting array of other players in the lead – Rick Danko, Levon Helm, and Richard Manuel. Titles include "The Shape I'm In", "Sleeping", "Strawberry Wine", "Just Another Whistle Stop", "Daniel & The Sacred Harp", "Stage Fright", and "Time To Kill". LP, Vinyl record album

A great collection of early material from Dave Bartholomew – a key figure in the early days of New Orleans soul! Dave blows trumpet, arrangements are by Wardell Quezerque, and the group features Bobby James on organ and Smokey Johnson on drums! LP, Vinyl record album

Way before Sinatra first grabbed the "Chairman Of The Board" title for his own musical persona, Basie laid great claim to the tag with this tight little album for Roulette! The album's got the 50s Basie band working at the height of their powers – with original compositions written and arranged by Frank Foster, Ernie Wilkins, Thad Jones, and Frank Wess – all of whom play in the bad, along with other all-stars like Freddie Green, Billy Mitchell, and Al Grey. The sound is tight, soulful, and searing Basie all the way through – with tunes that include "Segue In C", "Blues In Hoss' Flat", "Who Me?", "The Deacon", "Half Moon Street", "Mutt & Jeff", "TV Time", "Speaking Of Sounds", and "HRH". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the first big Philly moments for Archie Bell & The Drells! "Showdown" is an undisputed classic – with an incredible hook, and a strident soul groove that replaces the band's earlier Texas funk style. Gamble & Huff wrote and produced, and the cut's got some tight arrangements by Bobby Martin. The flip's tasty too! 7-inch, Vinyl record

Unusual work from the great George Benson – a wonderful session that was recorded by CTI during George's classic years for the label – but issued only briefly a number of years later, and slightly lost amongst the rest of his catalog! The material's great, though – and has George in top form for the sweet 70s funk years – working with arrangements by Ronnie Foster and David Matthews – on tunes that also include keyboards by Foster and Bobby Lyle, trombone from Fred Wesley, saxes from David Sanborn, Joe Farrell, Michael Brecker, and Ronnie Cuber – and even a bit of additional guitar from Eric Gale! There's a nice mix of modes here – some tight funky cuts, some more flowing numbers, and even one more traditional jazz tune with a great vocal by George – on the classic "Moody's Mood For Love". Other titles include "Melodia Espanol", "Pacific Fire", "Em", "Bandoleros Caballa", "Let Your Love Come Out", and "Knock On Wood". LP, Vinyl record album

A landmark recording by a whole new chapter in Art Blakey's career! During the early 60s, Blakey expanded the Jazz Messengers from a quintet to an incredibly tight sextet – adding in the trombone of Curtis Fuller for an extra-punched up frontline that also included Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, and Wayne Shorter on tenor, who had returned to the group after a short departure. The band was augmented by the wonderfully lyrical and soulful piano of a young Cedar Walton – who brought a strong degree of sophistication, and who was a perfect interpreter of Shorter's rich writing talents. The whole group performs together perfectly on this wonderful (and oft-overlooked) session – especially on the tracks "Shaky Jake", "Backstage Sally", and "Bu's Delight". LP, Vinyl record album

A beautiful big band set from the great Art Blakey – but one that's got all the sharp focus of his small group sides by the Jazz Messengers! The lineup here is a great one – that very vibrant early 80s version of Blakey's group with Bobby Watson on alto sax, Bill Pierce on tenor, and James Williams on piano – augmented by Kevin Eubanks on guitar, Valerie Ponomarev on trumpet, and the Marsalis brothers rounding out the set with some extra horn work! The sound is strong and proud, and handled by Blakey with a tightness that's similar to his smaller group work of the time – but with a power that's simply incredible – especially when Watson's presence is made known on his tunes "Wheel Within A Wheel", "Linwood", and "Bit A Bittadose". Also features a take on Williams' "Minor Thesis". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the most comprehensive collections of work we've ever seen on Eddie Bo – a really well-done set that finally gets at the full range of his massive funky talents – including a host of rare singles done for a variety of other artists as well! Despite the dates in the title, most of the music here is from the 60s and 70s – music from those glorious years of New Orleans soul and funk – when it seemed like the Crescent City groove could never stop, thanks to the efforts of Eddie and some of his contemporaries! There's a massively heavy groove to most of the numbers here – an emphasis on the funkiest side of Eddie Bo's sound, especially when he's working in the studio with other singers in the lead – and even if you've got some other Eddie Bo reissues in your collection, there's plenty fresh stuff here that makes this one well worth owning. LP notes are great too – a full history of Eddie's long career and all its different chapters. 30 tracks in all – including "Funky Yeah" and "Shelly's Rubber Band" by Curley Moore & The Cool Ones, "What's Good To You (part 1)" and "The La La Man (part 1)" by Oliver Morgan, "Horse With A Freeze (part 1)" by Roy Ward, "Timber (parts 1 & 2)" by Candy Phillips, "Can I Be Your Main Squeeze" by Chuck Carbo, "I'm A Carpenter (part 1)" by David Robinson, "Garden Of Our Trees" by The Explosions, "Reborn" by Marilyn Barbarin, "Live It Up" by James K-Nine, "Mama Here Comes The Preacher" by Doug Anderson, ""Something You Got" by Barbara George" – and the tracks "Chained", "When The Fingers On The Funk", "Rubber Band", "Getting To The Middle", "Check Your Bucket", "Lover & Friend", "Can You Handle It", "Fallin In Love Again", "Gotta Have More", and "We Like Mambo" all by Eddie Bo. LP, Vinyl record album

Massive work from Bootsy Collins – one of his best-ever solo albums, and a perfect summation of the P-Funk groove – focused strongly through Bootsy's own sense of stardom! George Clinton worked with Collins on production, and the album's as tight as the best Parliament or Funkadelic work of the time – particularly the latter on their killer 70s sides for Warner, which was also the home for Bootsy. The Horny Horns are helping out on this one, which gives the album a strong instrumental drive – but the real star is Bootsy, whose sexy vocals and good sense of soul keep things firmly on track throughout. Features the cuts "What's A Telephone Bill?", "Munchies For Your Love", "We Want Bootsy", "The Pinocchio Theory", and "Rubber Duckie". LP, Vinyl record album

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Burrell plays with The Jazz Guitar Band, with Rodney Jones and Bobby Broom on guitar, plus Dave Jackson on bass and Kenny Washington on drums. LP, Vinyl record album

Some of Bobby Byrd's best work ever! "If You Don't Work" is a hard funky killer – done in a tight James Brown way, with lots of choppy guitar, and Bobby's vocals coming off at breakneck speed, just to keep up with the band. Nice simple message, too! "You've Got To Change Your Mind" is a great duet between Bobby and James. It's got a totally catchy hook, and a nice rolling groove that's extremely satisfying. James beats Bobby in the vocal department, but Bobby adds a nice bit of soul in the mix. 7-inch, Vinyl record

The bands of Bobby Byrne and Kai Winding playing four tunes each in their own style – "Perdido", "That's A Plenty", "Get Happy", and "Hot & Cool Blues" – with Byrne playing with Yank Lawson, Arrtie Baker, Jack Lesberg, and more, and Winding with Howard McGhee, John Lewis, Percy Heath, and Kenny Clarke! LP, Vinyl record album