A really pivotal album in the career of Mongo Santamaria – one that has Mongo stripping down the groove, kicking up some jazz, and mixing together soulful styles that brought him to the top of the Latin crowd of the 1960s! There's a tightness here that goes beyond any of Santamaria's previous albums – a no-nonsense approach that makes for some incredibly hard-hitting numbers – heavy on the conga, but also featuring strong piano lines from Rodger Grand, trumpet from Marty Sheller, flute and tenor from Hubert Laws, and alto sax and baritone from Bobby Capers! This small combo provides pretty much all of the instrumentation for the record – and there's no added tricks or gimmicks, just hard-grooving Latin jazz at its best! Titles include "El Pussy Cat", "Together", "Black Eyed Peas", "Ritmo Negro", "Sarai", "Hammer Head", and "Afro Lypso". LP, Vinyl record album

A really pivotal album in the career of Mongo Santamaria – one that has Mongo stripping down the groove, kicking up some jazz, and mixing together soulful styles that brought him to the top of the Latin crowd of the 1960s! There's a tightness here that goes beyond any of Santamaria's previous albums – a no-nonsense approach that makes for some incredibly hard-hitting numbers – heavy on the conga, but also featuring strong piano lines from Rodger Grand, trumpet from Marty Sheller, flute and tenor from Hubert Laws, and alto sax and baritone from Bobby Capers! This small combo provides pretty much all of the instrumentation for the record – and there's no added tricks or gimmicks, just hard-grooving Latin jazz at its best! Titles include "El Pussy Cat", "Together", "Black Eyed Peas", "Ritmo Negro", "Sarai", "Hammer Head", and "Afro Lypso". LP, Vinyl record album

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One of Walter Bishop's greatest records – an amazing session that's as funky as it is spiritual – and quite different than most of Bishop's other work! The vibe here is wonderful – as Bish plays a host of keyboards, not just piano – and works in the company of other players who include Ronnie Laws on reeds, Gerald Brown on bass, Woody Murray on vibes, and Shakur M Abdulla on percussion – a beautiful mix of cats who help Walter carry off some of his hippest recordings of the time! The use of vibes is especially nice alongside the electric piano – and titles include a great take on Bishop's classic "Soul Village", done here in a nice funky version – plus a version of "Summertime" with Bishop on organ, and the titles "Sweet Rosa", "Those Who Chant", and "N'Dugu's Prayer". LP, Vinyl record album

Pre-pop takeover era hip hop from a younger, hungry Black Eyed Peas! Tracks include "Joints & Jam", "Fallin Up", "Karma", "Movement", "The Way U Make Me Feel", "Positivity", "Que Dices?", "Communication", "Be Free", "What It Is", and more. LP, Vinyl record album

The fourth nearly flawless album of heavy genius from Black Sabbath – featuring some of the mightiest rock riffs ever! Vol 4 is just the tiniest of notches below Master Of Reality and Paranoid in overall greatness – which is the tiniest of possible complaints given that those previous two albums are among the few truly perfect rock and roll albums ever recorded! But this one has "Supernaut". Enough said. Other titles include "Wheels Of Confusion", "Tomorrows Dreams", "Changes", "FX", "Snowblind", "Cornucopia", "Under The Sun" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic album from this legendary jazz funk combo – a bit smoother than their first, but that's the great thing about it! The record has the band getting even tighter than before – coming up with an amazing jazz-inflected funk groove that still leaves us breathless after all these years – and which is the perfect fusion of jazz and soul that was going down with the best groups in the mid 70s. The best example of this sound can be heard on the massive cut "Rock Creek Park" – which begins with a wonderful bass on the intro, a killer moogy keyboard bit, and a super-catchy chorus that goes "doin' it in the park," which you should recognize in about 30 seconds! The rest of the album is great too – and titles include the classic sample track "Love So Fine" – plus "Happy Music", "Hash and Eggs", "Thankful Bout Yourself", and "All I Ask". LP, Vinyl record album

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A really cool concept album from the Chicago scene of the late 60s – a set that has dreamy sunshine pop harmonies blended with some darker psychedelic elements – all at a level that resonates strongly with the Dunwich production the whole thing received! There's almost a UK late 60s vibe to the whole thing, although the harmonies are pure US sunshine too – served up by a variation of The Castaways, who you'll know from earlier catchy classics! Guitar lines – both acoustic and electric – and other production elements provide a nicely sinister core – and the whole thing is a lost gem really worth rediscovering. Titles include "Recess With Mrs Grim", "Death & The Reality", "Time Marches On", "Theme From House Of Leather", "Sarah's On Her Knees", "She Lives With Me", and "There Is Love In The Country". LP, Vinyl record album

An incredible record from Bobby Blue Bland – and quite possibly the greatest one he ever made! The set's got an amazing something special that's unlike most other material of the time – a bit blues, but a lot of soul too – still with some echoes of R&B in the jazzier charts used for the backdrop, but presented with a rock-solid style that definitely points the way towards many sounds and styles to come in the 60s. And although Bland recorded many of these tracks as separate singles, there's a way they're put together here that makes the whole thing sound completely marvelous together – a really well-conceived track list that shows that Bobby's an even greater artist in the space of a full record. The arrangements are perfect, and Bobby's rough soulful voice is blended in this amazing way with killer horn arrangements that are far more sophisticated than most stuff that ever came after this, and which never get in the way, but only back up his deep emotion. The album's a motherlode of classics by the man, with gems that include "Two Steps From The Blues", "Cry Cry Cry", "I Don't Want No Woman", "I'm Not Ashamed", "Don't Cry No More", "Lead Me On", and "I Pity The Fool". And hell, even his version of "St James Infirmary" is pretty wonderful – something we never thought we'd say about that song. LP, Vinyl record album

A groovy blend of bossa themes and some of the lighter pop treatments that Bonfa often received – not really a problem for us, as the approach always filled out his sound a bit more, and made for some catchy tunes with a very groovy style! Tracks include "Bahia Soul", "Dois Amores", "Song Of The Hills", "Dreamy", "Samba De Orfeu", "Na Paz Do Amor", and "Rancho De Orfeu" – and arrangements are by Deodato, Bonfa, and Arnold Goland. LP, Vinyl record album

One of the greatest Luiz Bonfa albums we've ever heard! The record was recorded in Paris in 1962 – and it's got a clean lively bossa sound that reminds us a lot more of the catchy early work by Joao Gilberto and Baden Powell than Bonfa's sometimes flowery sessions from the same time. There's a tight jazz combo backing him up – with drums, bass, and flute – and a number of tracks have some wonderful breathy vocals next to Bonfa's driving guitar. There's more than a few great uptempo numbers – and the whole album's really a mad bossa treat! Titles include "Bonfa Nova", "Teu Olhar Triste", "Lila", "Sorrindo", "Bossa Em Re", and "Dor Que Faz Doer". LP, Vinyl record album

Almost a "greatest hit" of "greatest hits" collection – given the importance of this album to the David Bowie catalog! Sure, it compiles tracks from other releases – but it also was the album that gave the world the killer cut "John I'm Only Dancing" – one of the key cuts in Bowie's gender revision in the 70s – and a title that was previously only out as a single! Alongside that gem, you also get a fantastic run of greatness from Bowie's first chapter of recording – the kind of cuts that would make other singers weep – including "Space Oddity", "Changes", "Ziggy Stardust", "Suffragette City", "Jean Genie", "Diamond Dogs", "Rebel Rebel", "Young Americans", "Fame", and "Golden Years". LP, Vinyl record album

The brilliant consummation of Bowie's late 70s years in Berlin – a record that showed he could take the experiments in sound he was crafting with Brian Eno, and turn them back into the kind of creepily catchy rock tunes that first made him a legend! Eno's help on the record is still quite strong – heard very well in the record's use of odd electronics and exotic themes – of a sort that Eno would later explore on his own with David Byrne. But the real charm here is pure Bowie – with an unabashed flair for a dramatic lyric, a well-chosen use of a heavier guitar, and a sense of personality and poise that makes the record one of his most unified ever! Titles include "Red Sails", "Look Back In Anger", "Repetition", "Boys Keep Swinging", "Red Money", "Yassassin", and "DJ". LP, Vinyl record album

The only album ever cut as a leader by tenor saxophonist Charles Brackeen during his early years – and a real standout in the catalog of the legendary Strata East label! The set's got an unusual history – in that it's part of the Dolphy Series, recorded before the label started by Clifford Jordan – as a way of giving a strong showcase to so many new ideas that were bursting in jazz during the late 60s! Here, Brackeen's tenor is set up with a trio of musicians most familiarly associated with Ornette Coleman – Don Cherry on trumpet, Charlie Haden on bass, and Ed Blackwell on drums – a unit that's completely on fire, and freer than before – yet each graced with such strong individuality, every aspect of the record is a complete delight. Brackeen is amazing (why the hell didn't he record more like this at the time?) – but the bass, trumpet, and drums are all very distinct too – the perfect power of free improvisation when it's done right. Titles include "Rhythm X", "Hour Glass", "CB Blues", and "Charles Concept". LP, Vinyl record album

Early recordings by Dollar Brand – recorded in London in 1965, playing solo on a batch of tunes dedicated to two big influences – Duke Ellington and Randy Weston – and also featuring a number of his own compositions. Titles include "Pye R Squared", "Knights Night", "Mood Indigo", "On The Banks Of Allen Waters", "Little Niles", and "Resolution". LP, Vinyl record album

A hip little set from Ruth Brown – miles away from her earlier R&B for Atlantic, and much more in the adult, righteous, and contemporary mode you'd expect from the title! The session's one of the key sides from the late 60s Skye Records catalog – and like others on the label, it features Gary McFarland production, and some great small group backings by a group that includes Richard Tee on organ, Billy Butler on guitar, and Herbie Lovelle on drums. Ruth's trials and tribulations are listed in detail inside the notes – and the record was one of the first re-discovery efforts that Brown undertook – a session that was trying to help her pay her dues, and expose her to the same sort of audiences that were lapping up Aretha Franklin at the time, but not giving as much attention to older singers. Tracks are a mix of (then) contemporary numbers and updated older tunes – with titles that include "Yesterday", "Please Send Me Someone To Love", "Lookin Back", "Try Me & See", "Miss Brown's Blues", "My Prayer", and "This Bitter Earth". LP, Vinyl record album

One of Jerry Butler's funkiest moments of the 70s – served up in a fantastic soundtrack co-penned and arranged by the great Jerry Peters! Peters is best known for his hip work with a variety of soul acts in the studio, but he really steps out here for the score to Melinda – a lesser-known blacksploitation film from the early 70s, but one that boasts a heck of a great soundtrack! Peters approach here is a bit more baroque than some of his contemporaries – and he uses stepping strings equally alongside funky rhythms – creating a groove that's complicated, yet still plenty darn funky – and a sound that's as soulful on the mellower tunes as it is on the standout uptempo ones. Jerry Butler sings vocals on "Speak Truth To The People", "Tank's Theme", "Love is", and "Melinda Reprise" – but the instrumental tracks are even better, and inlcude the clavinet groover "Part III", the sitar-styled "Melinda Latino", and the cuts "Music For Tank's Boat", "The Blues (Dope Pusher's Theme)", and "I Can't Let You Go". LP, Vinyl record album

African rhythms, jazzy instrumentation, rock inspiration, and a motherlode of funky sound library grooves from two of the best British maestros working in the business! The album's an early 70s gem from the KPM catalog – one of the most sought-after records ever issued by the label – and like the rest, never really made for public sale back at the time! Despite that humble origin, though, the grooves here are right up there with the funkiest work coming out from that side of the Atlantic at the time – a brilliant post-colonial blend of acoustic percussion, electric keyboards, and a fair bit of fuzzy guitar – all presented with a stripped-down, no-nonsense approach to the rhythms that's often funkier than work by some of the bigger names in the genre. Titles include "Heavy Water", "Ice Breaker", "Solid Satin", "Punch Bowl", "Frozen Steam", and "Black Light" by Alan Parker – and "Swamp Fever", "Range Rover", "Survival", "Afro Waltz", "Heat Haze", "Rocking Rhino", and "Afro Metropolis" by John Cameron. LP, Vinyl record album

A lost prog nugget from a group who mix keyboards and woodwinds in a really great way – almost complicated, but with a down to earth quality overall – and one that seems to work especially well with the French language lyrics of the set! The record's one of those obscure French sets from the mid 70s with a sound that almost seems out of time – made far away from the mainstream, without any idea of the punk or disco changes that were taking place elsewhere – and with that more intellectual, more personal approach that often marked records of this nature as both a standout strength, and quality that would keep them from forever getting picked up by bigger labels for global circulation. Yet that balance is what makes the record so great, especially decades later – with titles that include "Divertimento", "Tramontane", "Laure", "Naissance", "Premiers Pas", and "Dernier Village Premieres Neiges". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the greatest live albums ever, and probably THE best album Johnny Cash ever recorded! In 1969 Cash had more angst than you could shake a stick at – he just kicked drugs, and he hadn't had a big hit in years, so his respectful and thoughtful empathy for the audience of inmates not only cemented his persona as the real deal, but carries an air of dizzying emotion throughout the set. Appropriately filled with his darkest tunes, Folsom is one of the few cases in which a live recording of a hitmakers catalog is stronger and more vital than the studio versions. Includes "Folsom Prison Blues", "Dark As A Dungeon", "Cocaine Blues", "25 Minutes To Go", "Orange Blossom Special", "The Long Black Veil", "Dirty Old Egg-Suckin' Dog", plus "Jackson" and "Give My Love To Rose" featuring June Carter. LP, Vinyl record album

Easily one of the best Ray Charles albums on ABC – if not one of the best Ray Charles albums of all-time. Ray's in his C&W mode here, but it's a bit more restrained than on other LPs, and is replaced here by a sophisticated style that works perfectly with his heartbreaking voice. Proof that Ray knew what he was doing when he said that he didn't want to cut any more crazy R&B records! Titles include "Teardrops From My Eyes", "Cry", "A Tear Fell", "You've Got Me Crying Again", and "I Cried For You". LP, Vinyl record album

A classic bit of baroque soul by the Checkmates Ltd – and one of the most unusual Phil Spector productions of all time! Sonny Charles and The Checkmates were a soul group that had been knocking around for a few years before the set – singing in a strong blend of rocking styles that made them a crowd-pleaser on the live circuit of the 60s. But for this set, the group really took things to a whole new level – working with Spector in the studio to craft a complicated set of tunes that really takes them way way past their roots. Side one features some shorter, straighter soul tunes – including "Love Is All I Have To Give", "Spanish Harlem, "I Keep Forgettin", and "Black Pearl" – but side two is really wonderful – and has the group performing the "Hair Anthology Suite" – based around tracks from the Galt MacDermot score to the musical Hair – all filtered through the genius talents of Spector. Thanks should also be given to arrangers Dee Barton and Perry Botkin Jr, whose baroque arrangements further help to make the album a gem! LP, Vinyl record album

A wonderful early project from Carole King – work that predates her well-known solo career of the 70s, and which is infinitely hipper overall! The groove here is a blend of the soulful roots that Carole was crafting for other artists on her compositions of the 60s – mixed with some of the hipper singer-songwriter modes of the late 60s – put together at a level that still quite far from cliches that would later mar the genre. The group's a trio – with Carole on piano and vocals, Danny Kootch Kortchmar on guitar and added vocals, and Charles Larkey on bass – and the overall feel is somewhere in the neighborhood of Roger Nichols & The Small Circle Of Friends, with a similar sense of freshness that would hardly be replicated again. Lou Adler did some great production on the record – and tracks include the group's great version of "Snow Queen", plus "Why Are You Leaving", "I Don't Believe It", "All My Time", "Victim Of Circumstance", "Now That Everything's Been Said", and "Man Without A Dream". LP, Vinyl record album

A mighty big party from tenor giant Arnett Cobb – a player who always blew strongly in other settings, but really hit his height on these albums for Prestige! The record is a perfect mix of Cobb's bluesy roots and a more sophisticated modern jazz setting – with support from a crack rhythm combo of Ray Bryant on piano, Wendell Marshall on bass, and Art Taylor on drums – plus the special addition of Ray Barretto on congas, who brings in this rolling kick that definitely opens things up to the party atmosphere in the title – even when things are mellow! Most numbers have a open, soulfully blowing feel – and titles include "Slow Poke", "Lonesome Road", "Party Time", and "Blues In the Closet". LP, Vinyl record album

An early standout set from Ornette Coleman – and a record that features him blowing on tenor, instead of his usual alto – as you might guess from the title! In a way, Ornette's playing on tenor is almost freer than his alto work – a bit more open-ended and exploratory, stretching out strongly – yet still also hitting that great rhythmic groove that made his Atlantic albums so great – thanks to rhythm from Jimmy Garrison on bass and Ed Blackwell on drums. Don Cherry's in the group on pocket trumpet, and the tunes are as provocative as their titles – which include "Ecars", "Enfant", "Mapa", and "Cross Breeding". LP, Vinyl record album

A stunning session by Ornette, and one that always seems to get overlooked in discussions of his albums for Atlantic! His quartet here features the amazing Scott LaFaro on bass, and a young Ed Blackwell on drums – both of whom give the tracks an amazing pulse that brings new energy out of Ornette and Don Cherry's solos – working in a modal groove that's as catchy as it is modern! All tracks are named after initials of titles of books by Sigmund Freud, including "T & T" (Totem & Taboo), "C&D"(Civilization and Discontent), "W.R.U.", and "R.P.D.D.". LP, Vinyl record album

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 'ally 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". LP, Vinyl record album

A beautiful album that more than lives up to its evocative title – an early session from John Coltrane, filled with long tracks that slide along brilliantly! As with many other classic Prestige albums from Trane, backing is by the trio of Red Garland piano, Paul Chambers bass, and Art Taylor drums – all holding back nicely when Coltrane opens up on his solos, but also coloring the tunes with soulful lyricism in a masterful understatement. The sound is about as classic as you can get during these early years in The Great One's career – and titles include "Traneing In", "Slow Dance", "Soft Lights & Sweet Music", and "Bass Blues". LP, Vinyl record album

A great meeting of tenor sax talents old and young – as the up-and-coming John Coltrane plays alongside Paul "Vice Pres" Quinichette – in a classic Prestige session of well-blown saxophone work! The rhythm section on the album features Mal Waldron on piano, Julian Euell on bass, and Ed Thigpen on drums – but the real focus here is on the tenor giants in the title – working together in warm spirit that's surprisingly well matched! Titles include "Sunday", "Cattin", "Anatomy", and "Vodka". LP, Vinyl record album

The fantastic third album from Common – the record that really catapulted him on his way to stardom, yet a set that still retains all the best aspects of his early days in Chicago! Part of that quality comes from the superb production of No ID, who gets a bit of local help from Dug Infinite and Twilite Tone – all talents who have that special, sophisticated vibe that was really starting to flow from Chicago out to the rest of the world – and which here is perfect for the well-crafted lyrics from Common! The balance is great – never too hard or heavy, yet also not trying to ape either a west coast quirky or New York native tongues approach. This time around, there's also plenty of guests on board, of the sort that Common would soon be rubbing shoulders with on a regular basis – a lineup that includes The Roots, Q-Tip, Erykah Badu, Canibus, Black Thought, Lauryn Hill, and De La Soul. Yet throughout, the vibe is Common's and Chicago's – something that's always made us very proud to be from the same scene at the same time. Titles include "1 2 Many", "Reminding Me Of Sef", "Invocation", "Stolen Moments", "My City", "Real Nigga Quotes", and "Retrospect For Life". LP, Vinyl record album

The fantastic third album from Common – the record that really catapulted him on his way to stardom, yet a set that still retains all the best aspects of his early days in Chicago! Part of that quality comes from the superb production of No ID, who gets a bit of local help from Dug Infinite and Twilite Tone – all talents who have that special, sophisticated vibe that was really starting to flow from Chicago out to the rest of the world – and which here is perfect for the well-crafted lyrics from Common! The balance is great – never too hard or heavy, yet also not trying to ape either a west coast quirky or New York native tongues approach. This time around, there's also plenty of guests on board, of the sort that Common would soon be rubbing shoulders with on a regular basis – a lineup that includes The Roots, Q-Tip, Erykah Badu, Canibus, Black Thought, Lauryn Hill, and De La Soul. Yet throughout, the vibe is Common's and Chicago's – something that's always made us very proud to be from the same scene at the same time. Titles include "1 2 Many", "Reminding Me Of Sef", "Invocation", "Stolen Moments", "My City", "Real Nigga Quotes", and "Retrospect For Life". LP, Vinyl record album

Killer work from the mighty Norman Connors – a set that's heavy on grooves, but which has all the jazzy depth of his early work too! The set features arrangements by some killer modern soul talents – Al Johnson, McKinley Jackson, and Paul Riser – who beautifully blend their own sweet touches with Connors' rich ideas – carried out here with some sublime vocals by Al Johnson himself, plus work from Jean Carn, Glenn Johnson, Adaritha, and The Jones Girls too! The instrumental vibe is as strong as well – with great solos from Freddie Hubbard on trumpet and Gary Bartz on alto – and the combination of all these talents alone is testament to the continuing great vision of Norman Connors – one of the few cats who could make an album like this work so well! Titles include a great version of Steely Dan's "Black Cow", plus "Melancholy Fire", "Take It To The Limit", "Justify", "You've Been On My Mind", and an excellent remake of "I Don't Need Nobody Else". LP, Vinyl record album

Silly title – but a great album, with Cugie playing relatively straight Latin versions of 60s pop hits. A few of the tunes are a bit silly, but there's less of the goofiness that "caricatures" might imply. Titles include "Papa Loves Mambo", "Night Train", "Fly Me to The Moon", "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes", "Desafinado", "The Continental", "Witchcraft", and "I've Got The World On A String". LP, Vinyl record album

An overlooked gem from this great pianist – one of his few dates as a leader, and maybe the boldest of them all – as the session really soars with a heck of a lot of spiritual energy! The vibe here is maybe more in the Muse Records side of the spectrum than Strata East, but that's OK with us as the whole thing really soars with all this searching, modal energy – delivered by a very cool group that features Carter Jefferson on soprano and tenor sax, Cecil McBee on bass, and Charlie Persip on drums! Cheryl Alexander sings on one track – giving the record a slightly soulful vibe. Titles include "Dues We Have To Pay", "Black Raspberry", "I Love You", "Gee Monetti", and "Autumn Rain". LP, Vinyl record album

A surprising bit of genius from Vic Damone – an album done in a mature, adult, easy-going style that we really love! The set's got echoes of 60s Sinatra and Tony Bennett – but also shares a lot with the newer sophistication that was being crafted by some of the hipper female singers of the time – a mode that eschews the charts and bypasses the younger crowd, and goes straight for the boozy, older audiences who've had their hearts broken enough to really get the spirit of the tunes! Arrangements are by Perry Botkin, J Hill, and Dick Grove – and titles include "It Never Entered My Mind", "The More I See You", "I'll Find You A Rainbow", "Two For The Road", "I Never Go There Any More", and "Arrivederci My Love". LP, Vinyl record album

Volume 2 of Lockjaw's classic early Cookbook sessions – cut for Prestige in a key transitional moment, when Lock was trying to break past the R&B roots of earlier years, and emerge as a more sophisticated jazz soloist, capable of carrying an idea way past the short format of singles and jukebox sides. The sessions provide a perfect format for such an effort – as the tracks are long and open-ended, and match Eddie with a great quintet that includes Shirley Scott on organ and Jerome Richardon on flute. Includes the classic "The Rev", plus "Stardust", "Skillet", and "The Broilers". LP, Vinyl record album

Think what you want about DJ Quik, the west coast hip hopper is a key part of the sound of his scene in the 90s – and also maybe one of the most dedicated to the legacy of old school funk as well! This album's overflowing with wonderful samples – work by Cameo, Parliament, One Way, Rick James, The Blackbyrds, and others – all wonderful choices from Quik in the studio, and a way to ground his sometimes-dated rhymes with a really classic vibe – so much so, the album's maybe even more enjoyable now from the perspective of time – as a filter of the 70s through a 90s west coast style! Titles include "Get At Me", "Diggin U Out", "Somethin 4 Tha Mood", "Tha Ho In You", "Summer Breeze", "Quik's Groove III", "Sucka Free" and "Keep Tha P In It". LP, Vinyl record album

The highly anticipated solo album from Def Jux CEO and Company Flow vet El-Producto is all that and a bucket of black hole warp speed 9 intensity. Excellent, dark, space age, new millennial hip hop.. This album flows from many songs without breaks between them, with jagged, scattered beats and lush synth-scapes. At points it sounds very cinematic, yet very grounded in thick, pounding break beats. The whole thing is produced by El-P himself, with Rhyme Sayer Entertainment's DJ Abilities on all the scratching, with many Def Jux guests like Aesop, Lif, CamuTao, and Vast. Ill Bill, C Rayz Walz, Rob Sonic, and Cage also make appearances. Songs include "Deep Space 9mm" with the raw Rawkus dis, "Tuned Mass Damper" with awesome scream samples, "Dead Disnee", "Delorean", the biting "Stepfather Factory", "Lazerfaces' Warning", "Constellation Funk" and more! 3LPs! LP, Vinyl record album

Kurt Elling has been one of the greatest jazz singers of the past few decades, yet he's always pushing his music too – moving past the overdone styles that tend to hold back other singers, with an ear that's very open to new settings, and new possibilities for his magnificent voice! Here, he works alongside guitarist Charlie Hunter – in a quartet that also features DJ Harrison on keyboards and Corey Fonville – in a style that's plenty jazzy, but which has some nice funky currents at times – elements that really help Kurt change things up in these really amazing ways! Titles include a remake of the Bob Dorough/Multiplication Rock classic "Naughty Number Nine", Joni Mitchell's "Black Crow", and a transformation of Ornette Coleman's "Lonely Woman" – plus original tunes "Bounce It", "Little Fairy Carpenter", and "Not Here Not Now". LP, Vinyl record album

Titles include "Black Swan", "Azure", "In Triplicate", "Fifi", "Black Butterfly", "El Gato", "BP", and "4:30 Blues" – plus a speech by Duke at the end! LP, Vinyl record album

A collection of Duke's signature tunes spanning two decades – with "Black And Tan Fantasy", "The Mooche", "Ring Dem Bells", "Mood Indigo", "Solitude", "Take The A Train", "Perdido", "C Jam Blues", "Caravan", "Sophisticated Lady", and more. LP, Vinyl record album

Fuzzy and genuinely well-crafted private press grooves from the Emerson brothers – with crazy good hooks, some surprisingly solid musicianship – and songs that range from straight-up catchy, though fuzz-drenched rock, to funk and soul! Donnie Emerson is the lead singer, guitarist and bass player, along with some synth – and on the best tunes, he's got a confident, laidback and warm style on vocals that truly doesn't feel the voice of a kid still in his teens – with brother Joe on drums and other friends on backing vocals here and there. Here's a record that profoundly transcends the private press novelty and the goofy jumpsuits they're rocking on the front cover! Includes "Good Time", "Give Me The Chance", "Baby", the instrumental groover "Feels Like The Sun", "Love Is", "Don't Go Lovin' Nobody Else", "Dream Full Of Dreams" and "My Heart". LP, Vinyl record album

A really fierce blend of avant jazz and post-punk energy – served up here by a group that effortlessly mix complicated reed lines with more driving drums and electric bass – all peppered with vocal contributions from singer Sofia Jernberg! Mats Gustafsson is one of the key forces here – playing flutes, baritone, and live electronics – and really reminding us that his ear for sonic activity is boundless, and open to interactions in just about any sphere – no surprise, given his other records – but still emphasized very strongly with the freshness of this album! Other group members include Borge Fjordheim on drums, Anders Hana on baritone and bass guitars, and Kjetil Moster on clarinet, tenor, and electronics. Titles include "Snow", "Wasted Blame", "Smokey Black", "Whose Face", "Winter Doesn't End", and "Black Vivaldi Sonata". LP, Vinyl record album

Seminal 70s work from Sarah Webster Fabio – an amazing blend of poetry and music, and incredibly hip all the way through! Fabio's got a depth that goes beyond other commercial poets of the time – a righteousness that's right at home in the spiritual jazz scene of the 70s, and which is supported here by some great backings on guitar, bass, and percussion – plus some especially evocative saxophone, played by Denianke (Leon Williams) on some of the best tracks. The voice of Thomas Fabio joins Sarah on some of the numbers – with a brooding, echoey feel that's really great – and titles include "Eclipse", "Interrogation", "Together To The Tune Of Coltrane's Equinox", and "A Black Girl's Mean Ol Low Down Blues". LP, Vinyl record album

A beautiful set of tracks that features Art Farmer soloing on flugelhorn over larger arrangements by Oliver Nelson. Farmer's work on the instrument was just taking shape at this point in his career, and the soulful backings of Nelson are a really great match for his lyrical tone, and widening sense of expression. Tracks are longer and more complicated than you'd expect – and the set's got some great numbers, like "Naima", "Rue Prevail", "Rain Check", and "Ruby". LP, Vinyl record album

A really well-chosen set of classic Afro Funk records from Fela Kuti – hand-picked by Idris Elba, and brought together in this limited box set! Open & Close is an early classic from Fela Kuti & Africa 70 – the kind of early 70s record that helped both the leader and the group establish themselves as a global powerhouse of funk and soul! The set begins with the side-long "Open & Close" – a righteous tune that's driven onward by lots of tight drums from Tony Allen – young, focused, and completely amazing here – while Fela delivers all these madly leaping electric piano lines amidst the super-sharp horn section – all moving instrumentally for many minutes before the vocals come into play! Side two features two shorter tracks, but still nice and long in comparison to most funky groups – the wonderful "Swegbe & Pako" and "Gbagada Gbagada Gbogodo Gbogodo" – tunes that really send the record over the top! Fela teams up with vibist Roy Ayers on Music Of Many Colors – one of the best soul collaborations ever – a whopping album that brings together the best sides of these monster soul talents of the 70s! In keeping with Fela's work, the tracks are long and Afro-tinged, with a complicated groove that grows over the length of the track. And in keeping with Roy's work, the album has a sweet soulful feel, with lots of nice jazzy touches, cool vibes, and great vocals by Roy. Two long tracks, both classics: "2000 Black" and "Africa, Center of the World". Opposite People is seminal work from one of Fela's most crucial periods – recorded at a time when his soul was the deepest! The album features 2 long tracks – "Opposite People" and "Equalisation Of Trouser & Pant" – and they both have beautiful spooky keyboards in the instrumental passages, then leap into hard soul vocals by Fela. Tremendous stuff – done in a style that shows that no matter how many people cop or remake Fela's sound, he's still the best one to do it! The rare Stalemate album features the side-long tracks "Stalemate" and "Don't Worry About My Mouth" – both really hard-driving numbers, with a fantastic mix of vocals and grooves! Live In Amsterdam is an excellent live set from Fela – one that shows that he was still very capable of going over the top during the 80s! The set's a double LP – and it features 4 great numbers by the group, with Fela on soprano sax, piano, and organ, and plenty of other great work on tenor, alto, and trumpet. Titles include "Gimme Shit I Give You Shit", "Custom Check Point", "Movement Of The People", and "Political Statement Number 1". I Go Shout Plenty is a great one from Fela – with a date of 1986, but a sound that's pure late 70s! The record features 2 long tracks – "I Go Shout Plenty" and "Why Black Man Dey Suffer" – and they're both hard groovers with a strong political feel. "Why Black Man" is especially nice, and has some great keyboard riffing in the middle, with that great tinny sound that you'll hear on the best Fela albums. One that we almost never see – and issued on the Decca subsidiary Afrodisia. LP, Vinyl record album

One of the best soul collaborations ever! Fela and Roy Ayers team up for this whopping album that brings together the best sides of these monster soul talents of the 70s! In keeping with Fela's work, the tracks are long and Afro-tinged, with a complicated groove that grows over the length of the track. And in keeping with Roy's work, the album has a sweet soulful feel, with lots of nice jazzy touches, cool vibes, and great vocals by Roy. Two long tracks, both classics: "2000 Black" and "Africa, Center of the World". Long overdue! LP, Vinyl record album

A wonderful lost gem from Ella Fitzgerald – very much in the mellow mood hinted at in the title, with only the piano of Ellis Larkins to back her up! The sound is incredible – and even very different than any of the work she recorded at Verve – with a moody, evocative quality that seems to offer up a whole different side of Ella than we'd ever known. Larkins is always perfect in such a setting – able to be richly emotive on the keys without interfering with the singer at all – and honestly, we're stunned to hear how much Ella makes with the empty space left on the set, and wish we'd had more of a chance to hear her in this format. Titles include "Please Be Kind", "I'm Glad There Is You", "Nice Work If You Can Get It", "Imagination", and "Until The Real Thing Comes Along". LP, Vinyl record album

A jangle-pop spectacular from The Five Man Electrical Band – an incredibly groovy outfit from late 60s Canada! Although issued at the end of the 60s, the album's got a sweetly-crafted feel that sounds a lot like some of the best mid 60s pop – particularly that coming from overseas – almost a lost Brit Invasion sort of sound, but one that's tuned with a few odder touches that show the group's ear for some of the west coast musical changes of the time. All tunes are incredibly catchy, and recorded with great focus on the jangly lead guitar – so much so that the vocals are almost buried down a bit more in the mix, which makes for a kind of cooly tripped-out sound. Titles include "Maple Lane", "Fancy Dancin Man", "Black Sheep Of The Family", "Running Back", "Didn't Know The Time", "Five Man Electrical Band", and "Private Train". CD also features a whopping 9 tracks added to the original album – some by the group as The Staccatos – with titles that include "Half Past Midnight", "Weather Man", "Super Girl", "Let's Run Away", "Catch The Love Parade", and "Whisper Words". LP, Vinyl record album

An amazing record from the team of Flack & Hathaway – one of the hippest duos in soul! Individually, each had taken the music to new heights and new audiences, through the use of jazzy phrasing and sophisticated lyrics, while never selling out in the way that earlier pop soul acts had been reduced to. Flack's somber folksy style is a perfect match for the warm spirituality of Hathaway – and the pair work beautifully in counterpoint on hits like "You've Got A Friend" and "Where Is The Love", as well as on more obscure numbers like "Be Real Black For Me", "When Love Has Grown", and "For All We Know". The album also features a 7 minute spare acoustic/electric piano instrumental called "Mood". LP, Vinyl record album

Fantastic sounds from Flying Lotus – an artist who just keeps on pushing past any conventional expectations, to a point where his music is almost a genre unto itself! The record's got this very tripped-out sort of vibe – very much in keeping with the image on the cover – and while many others are exploring this territory of late, few ever even get close to the right sort of mix that's going on here – subtle elements of soul, funk, jazz, hip hop, and maybe a million other influences – all flowing through the double-length space of the set, as it Flying Lotus redefines the sound of soul in the modern age. The set's got guest work from Thundercat, Shabazz Palaces, David Lynch, George Clinton, Anderson Paak, Little Dragon, Solange, and others – and titles include "Post Requisite", "Takashi", "Spontaneous", "More", "Burning Down The House", "Actually Virtual", "Find Your Own Way Home", "The Climb", "Debbie Is Depressed", "Black BAloons Reprise", and "Land Of Honey". LP, Vinyl record album

A beautiful album that perfectly mixes both sides of Aretha Franklin's talents – the hard-edged soul singer who first flourished at Atlantic records in the late 60s, and the artist who was growing even more as a vocalist – really reaching out her wings to more sophisticated material! There's a balance here that makes the record one of the deepest that Franklin ever recorded for Atlantic – lots of larger Arif Mardin touches, but also some raw moments that really round things out – on titles that include Aretha's classic take on the Weldon Irvine/Nina Simone tune "Young Gifted & Black", the funky classic "Rock Steady", the wonderful mellow groover "Day Dreaming", the hit "Brand New Me", and the strangely compelling "First Snow In Kokomo" – plus other titles that include "All The King's Horses", "Oh Me Oh My", "Border Song", "Didn't I Blow Your Mind", "April Fools", "I've Been Loving You Too Long", and "The Long & Winding Road". LP, Vinyl record album

A beautiful album that perfectly mixes both sides of Aretha Franklin's talents – the hard-edged soul singer who first flourished at Atlantic records in the late 60s, and the artist who was growing even more as a vocalist – really reaching out her wings to more sophisticated material! There's a balance here that makes the record one of the deepest that Franklin ever recorded for Atlantic – lots of larger Arif Mardin touches, but also some raw moments that really round things out – on titles that include Aretha's classic take on the Weldon Irvine/Nina Simone tune "Young Gifted & Black", the funky classic "Rock Steady", the wonderful mellow groover "Day Dreaming", the hit "Brand New Me", and the strangely compelling "First Snow In Kokomo" – plus other titles that include "All The King's Horses", "Oh Me Oh My", "Border Song", "Didn't I Blow Your Mind", "April Fools", "I've Been Loving You Too Long", and "The Long & Winding Road". LP, Vinyl record album

A great one from bassist Henry Franklin – a player best known for his Black Jazz recordings of the mid 70s, but who here delivers a session that's every bit as tasty as those, and perhaps a bit more sophisticated! His group on the records includes some excellent west coast spiritual players – like the great Charles Owens on soprano and tenor sax, and the oft-overlooked but excellent pianist Dwight Dickerson – in a lineup that also includes Kenneth Climax on guitar, Jerry Rush on trumpet, All Hall on trombone, and Sonship on drums and percussion. The overall sound on the record is more Strata East spiritual than Black Jazz funky – and the writing and playing are very strong throughout. Titles include "Cosmos Dwellers", "Prime Mover", "Tribal Dance", and "Eric's Tune". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the harder to find Red Garland albums on Prestige, and a trio session recorded with Specs Wright on drums and Jimmy Rowser on bass. This was Prestige's first live night club recording, and it's recorded live on location at the Prelude in Harlem. Red's a little bit less mannered than usual, and he opens up nicely on a set of material that's pretty much in the Harlem jazz lounge bag of the time – "Satin Doll", "Perdido", "Bye Bye Blackbird", "There'll Never Be Another You", "Let Me See", "Prelude Blues", "Just Squeeze Me" and "One O'Clock Jump". LP, Vinyl record album

Marvin Marvin Marvin – just when we thought you couldn't impress us any more, you took it to the next level! Trouble Man is a heck of a wonderful surprise from an artist that most folks really only knew as a singer – a fantastically funky blacksploitation soundtrack, conceived and composed by Marvin himself – and served up with some occasional vocals that work beautifully with the album's cool instrumental grooves! The set's easily one of Gaye's most righteous records ever – almost a second chapter to What's Going On, but more instrumental – and like that classic set, it really shows the whole new range of vision that Marvin was able to work in the studio. Gaye gets a bit of arranging help on some tracks from Gene Page and JJ Johnson – and the album's filled with great cuts – including the landmark "T Plays It Cool", plus other gems like "Don't Mess With Mister T", "Main Theme From Trouble Man", "The Break In", and "T Stands For Trouble". Very funky, very sophisticated, and very soulful! LP, Vinyl record album

Groundbreaking early work from Stan Getz – a 12" LP that compiles earlier recordings made for Prestige at the end of the 40s – all of which are a perfect exercise in tone, timing, and balance! The setting is simple – quartets with either Al Haig or Tony Aless on piano – but Getz makes magic from the start, flowering the tunes with inventive twists and turns in his horn – not in a simple boppish copycat mode, but in a style that's dripping with soul and feeling all the way through! The record won't hit you over the head as much as some of Stan's later Verve work, but it's almost even better because of that – as even in the simplest of settings, Getz really manages to grab our ear right away, and amaze us with his deft command and personal direction of his instrument! Titles include "Long Island Sound", "Mar-Cia", "Indian Summer", "Crazy Chords", "There's A Small Hotel", "The Lady In Red", "My Old Flame", "What's New", and "Wrap Your Troubles In Dreams". LP, Vinyl record album