One of Chico's earliest albums for Pacific Jazz – a set of tightly arranged tracks with a cool chamber feel to them – featuring a lineup that includes Buddy Collette on reeds, Fred Katz on cello, Jim Hall on guitar, and Carson Smith on bass. Collette, Katz, and Hall are at the height of their powers here – a bit restricted, perhaps, but in the way that Hamilton was using to craft some of the more creative sounds of the 50s LA jazz scene – perfectly shaped and formed throughout! Just about every band member contributed a song and an arrangement to the album – and titles include "The Ghost", "Chrissie", "Jonalah", "Sleepy Slept Here", "Drums West", "The Squimp", and "Sleep". LP, Vinyl record album

Bobby Harden's got a great way of putting over a tune – he's not a soul singer out to top James Brown, or try to leap into the fray with a real funky frenzy – and instead, he approaches the material with the laidback confidence of some of our southern soul favorites from years past – all with a vibe that really makes the album shine! The presentation of the songs by the Soulful Saints is great – themselves an equally understated group, and clearly aware that Bobby's the main attraction of the set – which he definitely is, in this overdue debut that's clearly going to make him one of the best underground soul singers in years to come. Titles include "One Tribe", "Wounded Hearts", "Bridge Of Love", "Runnin", "Raise Your Mind", "It's My Time", "Feels So Good", and "One Night Of The Week". LP, Vinyl record album

With Harris on trombone, George Adams on tenor, Donald Smith on piano, Fred Hopkins on bass, and Charlie Persip on drums. LP, Vinyl record album

Massive later music from Coleman Hawkins – a date that might be easy to overlook, given the unassuming package – but one that really features that newfound mix of modernism and soul that graced the later years of Hawk! The setting is a bit unusual, but that's part of the charm – as Hawkins' tenor comes into play with the trumpet of Thad Jones, piano and vibes of Eddie Costa, bass of George Duvivier, and drums of Osie Johnson – a group who are mostly easygoing, and really let Coleman take the lead – although Jones gets in a few great moments too! Titles include "Cloudy", "Almost Dawn", "Stake Out", "Cross Town", and "Shadows". LP, Vinyl record album

The coolest of all the Mad Magazine records from the early days – a set done in collaboration with Big Top Records, as sort of a parody of the rock and roll that label was putting out at the time! Most songs are surprisingly strong rock numbers, but the lyrics are often jokes about the usual themes handled at the time – but given the level of presentation and strength of the overall record, the whole thing maybe just serves to remind us how important novelty records were to the birth of rock and roll! Titles include "She Got A Nose Job", "Let's Do The Pretzel", "Throwing The High School Basketball Game", "Someone Else's Dandruff", "When My Pimples Turned To Dimples", and "Blind Date". LP, Vinyl record album

If this is reality, lead us onward – as the set is a mindblowing batch of trippy psych-funk from The Heliocentrics – even more offbeat and experimental than before, in ways that make the combo the true heirs to the legacy first begun by Stark Reality! The album's definitely funky at the core, but it's also filled with loads of amazing sounds – instruments tuned weirdly, played weirdly, and produced weirdly – so that over the heavy drums, there's often lots of freaky, fuzzy bits and tripped-out sounds – in ways that make the record feel like some lost acid trip outtakes from the Westbound studios of the early 70s – or like some obscure funk band that dropped acid at Andy Warhol's loft! The packaging offers up a visual example of what your ears will be going through when you tune into the music – and titles include "Mysterious Ways", "Collateral Damage", "Black Sky", "Calabash", "Path Of The Black Sun", "Mr Owusu I Presume", "Eastern Begena", and loads of cool interlude tracks too. LP, Vinyl record album

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One of the first great non-Japanese recordings by trumpeter Terumasa Hino – a smoking little live set from Germany, done at a time when Hino was working at the height of his youthful powers! The mode here is stretched out and open – never too outside, but very exploratory – in the direction that Hino took quite strongly on his Japanese albums as the 70s approached, but performed here in a style that's even more organic than those records. The group is all Japanese – with Motohiko Hino on drums and Mikio Masuda on piano – and added conga at the bottom of the backings almost gives the record an early 70s Impulse Records sort of feel – nice and spiritual, and plenty soulful! Titles include "Alone Alone & Alone", "Taro's Mood", "Black Daffodil", and "Predawn". LP, Vinyl record album

The complete solo Capitol singles and Motown recordings by Patrice Holloway – the latter of which are seeing light of day for the first time ever! Patrice has a wonderful voice and tje material throughout this set, both mid 60s Capitol numbers and the sadly overlooked Motown recordings, is top notch and hit worthy to say the least. Patrice may be overshadowed by her sister Brenda, but the little we've been lucky enough to hear over the years suggested that she was just a twist of fate away from stardom – and this excellent set certainly confirms that! 25 tracks in all: "Stolen Hours", "Lucky, My Boy", "Evidence", "Black Mother Goose", "For The Love Of Mike", "Stevie", "Come Into My Place" (Brenda & Patrice Holloway), "All That's Good", "Love Walked Right In", "Crying", "Face In The Crowd", "(He Is) The Boy Of My Dreams", "The Go Gang" and more. CD

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Two of LA's leading soul jazz luminaries – playing head to head in an interesting session that mixes lines on piano and organ! McCann gives the set a good rollicking rhythm, and Holmes' increasing skill on the Hammond makes the set blow out over the top – and the pair get backing by Joe Pass on guitar, Ron Jefferson on drums, and the enigmatic Joe Splink on tenor, who we're sure is a more famous player, working here uncredited due to contract restrictions. The tracks are all originals by Les –a nd titles include "Black Groove", "Me & Groove", "Comin Through The Apple", "Carma", and "Somethin Special", which grooves for over 9 minutes! CD

Two of LA's leading soul jazz luminaries – playing head to head in an interesting session that mixes lines on piano and organ! McCann gives the set a good rollicking rhythm, and Holmes' increasing skill on the Hammond makes the set blow out over the top – and the pair get backing by Joe Pass on guitar, Ron Jefferson on drums, and the enigmatic Joe Splink on tenor, who we're sure is a more famous player, working here uncredited due to contract restrictions. The tracks are all originals by Les –a nd titles include "Black Groove", "Me & Groove", "Comin Through The Apple", "Carma", and "Somethin Special", which grooves for over 9 minutes! LP, Vinyl record album

A pair of very stripped-down albums from John Lee Hooker – issued together in this 70s set! First up is Country Blues Of John Lee Hooker – featuring the legendary John Lee Hooker, heard here in one of his more obscure recordings from the late 50s – at least in contrast to his famous sides for Vee Jay Records! This set's an unusual date – recorded in Detroit, despite the claim of the title – and featuring Hooker on acoustic guitar and vocals, without any other instrumentation at all – pitched much more towards the growing folk blues scene than some of his more familiar Chicago recordings. Tracks are short, but pack plenty of punch – and titles include "Black Snake", "I Rowed A Little Boat", "Bundle Up & Go", "Behind The Plow", "Water Boy", "Tupelo Blues", and "Pea Vine Special". That's My Story is from 1960, and features great rootsy blues from John Lee Hooker – and an unusual session that has him getting backup help from jazz players Sam Jones on bass and Louis Hayes on drums! Jones and Hayes only play on a handful of tracks, and most of the focus is on Hooker's damn-great vocals, and acoustic guitar – spun out nicely over a set of tracks that includes "I Need Some Money", a controversial clash with early Motown – plus "One Of These Days", "Gonna Use My Rod", "I Want To Talk About You", "Democrat Man", and "I'm Wanderin". LP, Vinyl record album

A set that's maybe not the first record from the great John Lee Hooker – but one that definitely helped push him over the top, and forever cement his place in the legend of 20th Century blues! The vibe here is a bit different than some of Hooker's earlier, rawer material – as he gets some soulful backing from members of The Funk Brothers – an early current of Detroit punch, yet still delivered with a sound that's nice and lean – so that Hooker's vocals and raw guitar completely dominate the set! The mix of sharp rhythms and Hooker's lead is heard to great effect on the classic cut "Boom Boom" – a number that may well have set fire to a whole generation of British and American rockers – and other tracks are equally great, and every bit as gritty – with titles that include "Process", "Blues Before Sunrise", "I Got A Letter", and "What Do You Say". LP, Vinyl record album

Rightly rootsy work from the great Lightnin Hopkins – captured beautifully here on a rare session for the mostly-folk Tradition label! A few tracks also feature some vocal assistance from Luke "Long Gone" Miles – and titles include "Long Time", "Baby", "Gonna Pull A Party", "Backwater Blues", "Hear My Black Dog Bark", and "Bunion Stew". LP, Vinyl record album

Sweet electric Freddie Hubbard – a wonderfully laidback session that's filled with space and soul – hardly what you'd expect from the title! The album follows nicely in the style that Hubbard hit at CTI – an openly flowing groove that has Freddie's trumpet on top of long electric piano lines from George Cables, with occasional fuller backings to flesh out the sound! Arrangements are by Dale Oehler, who's conducting a larger group behind a core quintet that also features excellent reeds from Junior Cook – possibly one of his strongest (and only) appearances on an electric date like this. Cables is the champ, though – and really makes the set cook by changing the vibe strongly with his keys – setting a tone for Freddie throughout. Titles include "Camel Rise", "Crisis", "Too High", "Black Maybe", and "Baraka Sasa". LP, Vinyl record album

A great and rare solo guitar record by Lena Hughes – issued here by Tompkins Square – a label that's put out some of the best fingerstyle guitar folk releases in recent memory – in both the contemporary and archival realms! Queen Of The Flat Top Guitar is an archival release in their Long Gone Sound Series – and it's one of best yet! Lena, born in 1904, was rural Missourian amateur guitarist and mainstay at Ozarks area folk festivals. This record is her one-and-only known album – and though she's also remembered as a fine fiddler and banjo player, it finds her focusing on flat top guitar in the tradition of 19th century parlor music. Warm and wonderful stuff – as inviting as anything we've heard on Tompkins Square. Includes "Pearly Dew", "Under The Double Eagle", "Letter Edged In Black", "Blue Heaven", "Galloway Bay", "You Are The Only Star Of My Blue Heaven", "Spanish Fan-Dango", "Kentucky Moon Waltz", "Silver Treads Among The Gold", "What A Friend We Have In Jesus" and"Cedar Brook Waltz". CD

The sticks are up, and Bobby Hutcherson is at the top of his game – hitting a whole new groove here in this sublime session of modal numbers for Blue Note – a slightly warmer set than his more modern albums of the "new thing" years, and a great indication of the directions he'd take in the 70s! Bobby's vibes are set up wonderfully here in a quintet that includes Joe Henderson on tenor sax, McCoy Tyner on piano, Herbie Lewis on bass, and Billy Higgins on drums – all players who bring key elements to the groove. Tyner's got an obvious ear for the modal rhythms that Hutcherson's heading for; Higgins' drum work is freely lyrical in all the best ways; and Henderson's horn sharpens the edges of the tunes a bit, bringing in some nice darker sounds. The kickoff track is an amazing modal reading of Ornette's "Una Muy Bonita", and the rest tracks are all Hutcherson originals, including "Summer Nights", "8/4 Beat", "Black Circle", "Verse", and "Blues Mind Matter". LP, Vinyl record album

The sticks are up, and Bobby Hutcherson is at the top of his game – hitting a whole new groove here in this sublime session of modal numbers for Blue Note – a slightly warmer set than his more modern albums of the "new thing" years, and a great indication of the directions he'd take in the 70s! Bobby's vibes are set up wonderfully here in a quintet that includes Joe Henderson on tenor sax, McCoy Tyner on piano, Herbie Lewis on bass, and Billy Higgins on drums – all players who bring key elements to the groove. Tyner's got an obvious ear for the modal rhythms that Hutcherson's heading for; Higgins' drum work is freely lyrical in all the best ways; and Henderson's horn sharpens the edges of the tunes a bit, bringing in some nice darker sounds. The kickoff track is an amazing modal reading of Ornette's "Una Muy Bonita", and the rest are all Hutcherson originals, including "Summer Nights", "8/4 Beat", "Black Circle", "Verse", and "Blues Mind Matter". CD

The sticks are up, and Bobby Hutcherson is at the top of his game – hitting a whole new groove here in this sublime session of modal numbers for Blue Note – a slightly warmer set than his more modern albums of the "new thing" years, and a great indication of the directions he'd take in the 70s! Bobby's vibes are set up wonderfully here in a quintet that includes Joe Henderson on tenor sax, McCoy Tyner on piano, Herbie Lewis on bass, and Billy Higgins on drums – all players who bring key elements to the groove. Tyner's got an obvious ear for the modal rhythms that Hutcherson's heading for; Higgins' drum work is freely lyrical in all the best ways; and Henderson's horn sharpens the edges of the tunes a bit, bringing in some nice darker sounds. The kickoff track is an amazing modal reading of Ornette's "Una Muy Bonita", and the rest tracks are all Hutcherson originals, including "Summer Nights", "8/4 Beat", "Black Circle", "Verse", and "Blues Mind Matter". LP, Vinyl record album

Three albums from pianist Klaus Ignatek – all served up in a single set! First up is Jacaranda, a set that shows that Klaus is a great player on his own, but also a really great leader – one who always has a special ear for putting a group together, and bringing out the best in the musicians on his sessions! This record is a great example of that talent – as it really seems to bring out the best in trumpeter Claudio Roditi, driven on strongly by Mario Gonzi on drums and Paulo Cardoso on bass – all stretching out on long tracks that move easily between lyrical moments and harder-burning numbers – with more than a few great originals to remind us of the compositional talents of Klaus! Titles include "Blues For Lee", "Day For Night", "Jacaranda", "Let's Take A Break", and "Monster Mood" – plus nice takes on "Eu E Brisa" and "Softly As In A Morning Sunrise". Don't Stop It Is an overlooked 80s cooker from pianist Klaus Ignatzek – a set that's full of imagination, right from the very first note – thanks to a string of all original material that matches the strong performances on the set! Trumpeter Claudio Roditi is a key part of the quartet – and maybe gets a showcase here that's as strong as some of his better-known albums from the decade – really finding his groove with the material that Ignatzek brings to the record, in ways that are also nicely distinct, and show just how much Claudio can add to a session. Other players include Paulo Cardoso on bass and Mario Gonzi on drums – and the record's a gem through and through, with titles that include "Summer & Spring", "Move It", "Ballad For Ulli", "Whisper Yes", "That's It", and "Blue Energy". New Surprise is a record with a really joyous groove, and maybe one of the tightest sets we've ever heard from pianist Klaus Ignatzek – and that's saying a lot, as all of his records are pretty darn sharp! The groove is great – rock-solid basslines from Paulo Cardoso and drums from Mario Gonzi – with sparkling solos over the top from Claudio Roditi on trumpet and Tim Armacost on tenor – plays who spark all sorts of color and light on the great material that Klaus brought to the session! Titles include "Monster Mood", "Horace Gold", "For Sure", "Black Humour", and "New Surprise". CD

A great second album from In The Tradition – a wicked combo from contemporary Detroit, and one who play with some incredibly righteous styles! The group's got some great percussion at the bottom – djimbe and conga from Kefentse Chike – and some tight horns on the top – a mix of reeds from songwriter Olujimi Tafatoana, plus trumpet and trombone – all given energy by piano from a few different players, and a bit of guitar as well. The set features a version of Horace Silver's "Mother Nature", but most other cuts are originals – one with a bit of vocals, the rest instrumental – on titles that include "Libation/For Nkrumah", "Blessed Blackness", "It's A Black Thang", "Children Of The Sun", and "In The Tradition". CD

A nicely subtle album from the Incredible String Band – a set that maybe doesn't have the same sort of fanfare as their earliest albums, but which also has the group really honing their sound! Make no mistake, there's nothing commercial or pop-oriented going on – it's just that Mike Heron and crew have really found a way to make a lot with a little – using acoustic guitar, violin, dulcimer, and bits of other instrumentation in these ways that have the relaxed nature of a folk group, but with more far-reaching power that befits their role in the British scene of the time. Heron's vocals are always wonderful – and Robin Williamson sings as well, as does Licorice McKechnie – and titles include "Black Jack Davy", "The Letter", "This Moment", and "Fair As You". LP, Vinyl record album

An excellent full length set of beats & genius from J Dilla – put together by fellow beatmaker extraordinaire Pete Rock, with all Dilla beats – a surprising triumph! Call us jaded, but honestly, we weren't sure how deep the well could go of ready-to-go beats from Dilla, but this stuff is truly top shelf – nearly as strong as the instant classic Donuts from a few years back! Pete Rock crafts the set as if it's a radio show or mixtape, but his skill in so doing is well above and beyond the norm – neither Pete's interjections nor the guest rappers ever get in the way of the flow, it's as smooth as can be. Vocal guests include Ma Dukes (the album was made under Ma's auspices), plus Lil Fame & MOP, Black Thought, Frank Nitty of Frank N Dank, Doom, Illa J & Cue D, Blu, and others. Titles include "King", "I Told Yall", "Smoke" feat Blu, "CaDILLAc". "Fire Wood Drumstix" feat Doom, "Big Day", "24K Rap" feat Havoc of Mobb Deep & Raekwon, "Coming Back", "Mythsysizer" and more. 28 tracks in all, about an hour of unreleased Dilla! CD

Beautiful work from Jamal's early Chicago years – and a perfectly titled set that really gets at the differences he made in modern jazz! The tunes are wonderfully fluid, soulful, and swinging – but not in the gutbuckety style of other trios of the time, more in a lightly modern style that features almost equal interplay between Jamal's piano, the bass of Israel Crosby, and the guitar of the wonderful Ray Crawford – who really ads an amazing touch to the record. Tracks include the great original "New Rhumba", plus cool versions of "Jeff", "Darn That Dream", "Spring Is Here", and "All Of You". LP, Vinyl record album

Ultra-hip work from pianist Keith Jarrett – a session that's filled with joy and life, and which has a lot more energy than some of his albums for ECM! The work here is kind of a refinement of the freer styles that Jarrett had laid down on previous albums – performed with a strongly rhythmic undercurrent, but one that also opens up to some strong top-end melodies as well – played not only by Jarrett on piano, but also by Dewey Redman on tenor, in a group with Sam Brown on guitar, Paul Motian on drums, and Guilherme Franco and Danny Johnson on percussion. Titles include "The Rich & The Poor", "Blue Streak", "Le Mistral", "Angles Without Edges", "Treasure Island", and "Sister Fortune". LP, Vinyl record album

Killer Jazz Crusaders material – exactly the kind of record that really had the group coming into their own in the second half of the 60s – finding a rich new groove that few other combos could match! The record captures the group at a perfect time – a point when they were breaking past the tighter shorter formula of earlier material, and moving into a slightly more spiritual conception – yet one that still had a hard swing and a deeply soulful vibe! The record's a prime example of the never-ending energy held by the band – near-perfect on every track, and played with a sense of creative expression that easily puts them at the top of the soul jazz scene in the late 60s! Titles include "Night Theme", "Air Waves", "Uh Huh", "Watts Happening", and "Ice Water". LP, Vinyl record album

Genius material from Waylon Jennings – one of those career-defining records from the early 70s that completely put him on top, and heralded a whole new generation in country music! The set's maybe equally noteworthy as a showcase for the up-and-coming Billy Joe Shaver, who wrote much of the songs on the record – and it's also a great showcase for the important production talents of Tompall Glaser, who really gets the spirit of the music right! Titles include great versions of "Honky Tonk Heroes", "Old Five & Dimers Like Me", "Ride Me Down Easy", "Black Rose", "Willy The Wandering Gypsy & Me", "Omaha", and "Ain't No God In Mexico". LP, Vinyl record album

Genius material from Waylon Jennings – one of those career-defining records from the early 70s that completely put him on top, and heralded a whole new generation in country music! The set's maybe equally noteworthy as a showcase for the up-and-coming Billy Joe Shaver, who wrote much of the songs on the record – and it's also a great showcase for the important production talents of Tompall Glaser, who really gets the spirit of the music right! Titles include great versions of "Honky Tonk Heroes", "Old Five & Dimers Like Me", "Ride Me Down Easy", "Black Rose", "Willy The Wandering Gypsy & Me", "Omaha", and "Ain't No God In Mexico" – plus 2 bonus tracks. CD

A classic run of records from Waylon Jennings – brought together in a single package! First up is Lonesome Onry & Mean – a pivotal album for Waylon Jennings – the record where he really found the new direction that would finally get him the fame he deserved – delivered in a way that's free from all the later cliches, and which also ties Waylon pretty strongly to the hipper currents of the underground – especially that point where singer/songwriter genius intersected with country! The production is his own, and vastly different than the late 60s records – even though we love those to death too – and that magical Jennings vocal approach does fantastic things to tunes by Steve Young, Mickey Newbury, Kris Kristofferson, and others! Titles include the fantastic "Lonesome Onry & Mean", plus "Good Time Charlie's Got The Blues", "Freedom To Stay", "Lay It Down", "You Can Have Her", "Pretend I Never Happened", "San Francisco Mabel Joy", "Sandy Sends Her Best", and a great take on "Me &Bobby McGee". Honky Tonk Heroes is genius material from Waylon Jennings – one of those career-defining records from the early 70s that completely put him on top, and heralded a whole new generation in country music! The set's maybe equally noteworthy as a showcase for the up-and-coming Billy Joe Shaver, who wrote much of the songs on the record – and it's also a great showcase for the important production talents of Tompall Glaser, who really gets the spirit of the music right! Titles include great versions of "Honky Tonk Heroes", "Old Five & Dimers Like Me", "Ride Me Down Easy", "Black Rose", "Willy The Wandering Gypsy & Me", "Omaha", and "Ain't No God In Mexico". This Time is one of those Waylon Jennings records from a time when he could do no wrong – fighting the stronger powers at RCA to really find his voice – recording at the studio of Tompall Glaser, with great production help from Willie Nelson – who was enjoying his own transformation at the time too! As with the previous two gems from this period, the choice of material and presentation is great – songs by Willie, JJ Cale, and Billy Joe Shavers – in a set of titles that include "Heaven Or Hell", "It's Not Supposed To Be That Way", "This Time", "Pick Up The Tempo", "If You Could Touch Her At All", "Walkin", "Slow Rollin Low", "Louisiana Woman", and "Slow Movin Outlaw". Ramblin Man is Waylon Jennings at peak mid 70s perfection! Ramblin' Man fits in stylistically with the gruff honky tonk hero mode he first fully realized a couple albums earlier, but he's still fiercely blazing trails here, pairing his gruff lead vocals with sweeter female harmonies on some tracks, changing the groove from laidback swagger to fast-paced honky tonk, working in some tender ballads with the gruffer numbers...Waylon at his best. Starts up with the eternal title track and equally classic "Rainy Day Woman" and hardly lets up in greatness from there, with "Cloudy Days", "The Hunger", "It'll Be Her", a great cover of the Allman Brothers' "Midnight Rider", "Memories Of You And Me", "Amanda" and more. Features bonus tracks too – "Laid Back Country Picker", "The Last One To Leave Seattle", "Big Big Love", "Got A Lot Going For Me", "The Last Letter", and "The One I Sing My Love Songs To". CD

A very soulful set of big band material from Quincy Jones – recorded during that tight early 60s period when his arrangements just couldn't fail! The album's his only session for Impulse, and it's got a slightly deeper style than his work from the time for Mercury – a bit more sophisticated, with nice modern touches that take the tunes in surprising directions. Part of the greatness of the set lies in the players – as the album features work by Curtis Fuller, Thad Jones, Stu Martin, Freddie Hubbard, Patty Brown, Phil Woods, and Jerome Richardson – and titles include "Robot Portrait", "Hard Sock Dance", "The Twitch", and "For Lena & Lennie". LP, Vinyl record album

Midnite is right – as the session's a moody, mellow late nite one – just spare trio material by Wynton, played in a group that features Paul Chambers on bass and Philly Joe Jones on drums! The titles are all nice and long – and really let Kelly stretch out on the keys – working in a mode that's lyrical and soulful – on a set of titles that include include Babs Gonzales' "Weird Lullaby", plus "Skatin", "Temperance", "On Stage", and "Pot Luck". LP, Vinyl record album

Easily the most successful album that Stan Kenton ever recorded – a brilliant reworking of older Kenton band standards, done with the dynamics of the 50s hi fi scene! The album's a much-needed one to any fan of Stan's genius – as the tunes are presented here in recordings that really sparkle a lot more than their original 40s readings – recordings that not only benefit from the better fidelity of the time, but also from Kenton's finer-tuning on the arrangements, in a way that pushes his original vision even more strongly than before. Players include Lennie Niehaus, Maynard Ferguson, Pete Candoli, Jack Nimitz, Vido Musso, and Bill Perkins – and titles include "Artistry Jumps", "Interlude", "Minor Riff", "Painted Rhythm", "Southern Scandal", and "Eager Beaver". LP, Vinyl record album

Drummer Leonard King was on a number of classic 70s recordings by Detroit organ legend Lyman Woodard – but here, he comes across in a much older style of jazz – mixing vocals with small combo work on a set of older standards and some originals too! King's got a wonderfully charming approach to vocals – and is in that tradition of a mostly instrumentalist taking a turn at vocals – as when Dexter Gordon or Chico Hamilton might do so – not as a top-shelf jazz singer, but as a person who's got plenty of love of the music and motivation. The group is a trio – with Rocco Popielarski on bass and Mark Kieme on tenor and flutes – on titles that include "Black & Blue", "Born To Be Blue", "Ed's Love Bag", "Just You Just Me", "Oh Lady Be Good", and "Our Lives". CD

A strong, if un-dated, speech by Dr King – one that breaks down the history of integration and race relations in America – offering extreme insights on all points, of the sort that really gets at the power of his word back in the 60s. LP, Vinyl record album

Despite the fact that he's one of the most influential jazz singers of all time (and certainly one with the biggest hit, as the original recording of "I'm In the Mood For Love" probably sold more copies than most other vocalese recordings combined), King Pleasure only ever cut three full albums – and this third one is the hardest to find! The album was recorded for United Artists during the time when Alan Douglas was cutting sides for the label, and it's very much in the same mode as his earlier recordings for Prestige and HiFi, apart from some occasional spare string backing that's added to the small group jazz playing. Pleasure's vocals are wonderful – incomparable, and right at the peak of vocalese sublimity – and the album's filled with great numbers like "That Old Black Magic (Diaper Pin)", "This Is Always", "Jazz Jump", "Don't Get Scared", "Swan Blues", and "Mean To Me", all completely transformed by Pleasure! LP, Vinyl record album

Henri Rene and his orchestra accompany Eartha on this record named after her 1956 autobiography. There is an tiny excerpt from her book on the back cover but the songs don't seem to necessarily reflect her life story. It's a nice collection of some relatively tame tunes in that throaty Earth Kitt style. Titles include "Oggere," "Jonny," "Lazy Afternoon," "Lisbon Antigua," "Mademoiselle Kitt" and "Just An Old Fashioned Girl." LP, Vinyl record album

Black Elvis is back, and Kool Keith is clearly very much at the top of his game – serving up a set of tracks that have a very unified vibe, and a sinister vibe that really works well with the unsettling style of Keith's lyrics in the lead! There's a bit more guest help here than before, but the whole thing is linked together with this sort of eerie production that's very much its own thing – bombastic in some of the beats, but cut through with eerie melodic elements that are nicely unsettling – work in the studio by Keith with help from Marc Live, J Stylez, and L'Orange. Titles include "Machinery", "World Spin", "Space Mountain", "Black Presley", "The Formula", "Max", "Elvis", "First Copy", and "Kindergarten Adults". CD

A beautiful hard burner from Gene Krupa – a perfect example of the way he could skirt different camps of jazz when working in small group format! Players here are all top shelf – and include Ben Webster, Bill Harris, Teddy Wilson, Ray Brown, and Charlie Shavers – a lineup that almost makes the record come across like a JATP All-Star session, save for the fact that the tracks are a bit shorter! Titles include "Don't Take Your Love From Me", "Capital Idea", "Paradise", "Overtime", and "Coronation Hop". David Stone Martin cover, too! LP, Vinyl record album

Classic work from the Steve Lacy Quintet – the formative group that featured Lacy on soprano sax, alongside Steve Potts on alto, Irene Aebi on violin and cello, Kent Carter on bass, and Oliver Johnson on drums! The record's got a very artful feel – and really has Lacy moving past some of the freer modes of a decade before – working with occasional vocals from Aebi, and a good sense of structure overall – one that has each group member contributing equally to the formation of the tunes. Tracks are longish, and titles include "Blues", "No Baby", "Troubles", and "The Whammies" LP, Vinyl record album

The massive debut of reedman Ronnie Laws – a groundbreaking set of funky fusion tracks that set the standard for years to come! Ronnie's the kid brother of Hubert Laws – who was already having great fame at CTI – but here, the younger Laws works with producer Wayne Henderson – who was just getting his At Home Productions team off the ground, a force that was maybe only second to the Mizell Brothers when it came to soulful fusion in the 70s! The approach here is sharper, deeper, and edgier than some of Ronnie's later work – as complicated as it is funky, but always right on the money – and graced with some excellent keyboard work by other members of Henderson's Crusaders – including Wilton Felder on bass and Joe Sample on keyboards. The album includes the original, seminal version of the oft-recorded classic "Always There" – plus the deep mellow jam "Tidal Wave", which gained great fame as a hip hop sample – as well as "Momma", "Never Be The Same", "Why Do You Laugh At Me", "Nothing To Lose", and "Tell Me Something Good". LP, Vinyl record album

A great little follow-up to Katie Lee's indie hit of the late 50s, Songs Of Couch & Consultation – and like that set, a batch of playful little tunes with psychoanalytic themes at the core! The scoring here, by Ray Martin, is quite similar to some of the other RCA female vocal sides of the late 50s – not entirely jazz, and done with full orchestrations – yet never in a way that's ever too sentimental at all – and in fact, in Martin's hands, surprisingly playful at most points – almost as if Raymond Scott were scoring the tunes! Lee's charm really does a great job of bringing the inner psyche out – and titles include "The Insecure Tango", "Life Is Just A Bed Of Neuroses", "The Ballad Of Group Therapy", and "We Must Adjust". LP, Vinyl record album

With Dres of the Black Sheep. 12-inch, Vinyl record

Funky blues from Little Sonny – very much in the spirit of his Black & Blue album for Stax, in that the album's a mix of Memphis soul and bluesy licks – making for a full-on style that really cooks things up! Sonny sings and plays harmonica, but the best side of the album is the backings – as they get nice and funky on the best tracks, and groove things the way you'd expect from Stax at the time! Titles include "Hard Going Up", "You Can Be Replaced", "Do It Right Now", "My Woman Is Good To Me", "I Want You", and "Sure Is Good". LP, Vinyl record album

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... LP, Vinyl record album

A sweet set of 70s Latin Disco – less Afro-Cuban than you might expect, but a great illustration of the way that older Latin modes had filtered down to more mainstream dancefloors at the time! There's definitely still some Latin elements in the mix – but the set's also got Michael Zager arranging and producing, and giving the whole thing more of a disco focus overall – in ways that criss cross nicely throughout the record. Titles include a sweet clubby cover of Joe Cuba's "Bang Bang", a remake of Sly Stone's "Life & Death In G&A", and the titles "Black Skin Blue Eyed Boys", "Once You Get Started", and "Get Dancin". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

One of the sharpest, most righteous albums from Bob Marley – in case you couldn't guess from the title, which is his response to a recent assassination attempt! The whole thing's got a very classic vibe – and the lyrics have even more of a political current than some of Marley's other music from the period – a renewed sense of purpose that rises with a global anthemic power that really echoes the different national spirits pictured on the cover! Titles include "Ambush The Night", "Ride Natty Ride", "One Drop", "So Much Trouble", "Zimbabwe", "Wake Up & Live", "Africa Unite", and "Top Rankin". LP, Vinyl record album

A second set of super-rare tracks from the Bob Marley side of the universe – not material that was issued by Island Records as part of his run of hit albums in the 70s – but instead some very obscure dubs that were taken from acetates that were initially only circulated through Jamaican soundsystems back in the day! The material here is very different than the cleaned-up hits – as the tracks often mute the vocals, bring up the rhythms, and go for an echoey brilliance that must have sounded great coming out of some massive speakers in the street! You'll definitely have to turn your stereo up to 11 when playing this one – for titles that include "Black Survivor Dub", "Top Rankin Dub", "So Much Trouble Dub", "Babylon System Dub", "Ride Natty Ride Dub", and "One Drop Dub". LP, Vinyl record album

One of Hugh's more poppy efforts, but still a nice batch of instrumentals with a good Afro soul groove to them, and the jaunty trumpet sound that was Hugh's stock in trade at the time. Tracks include "Actin' Like A Fool", "If I Needed Someone", "Sounds Of Silence", "Along Comes Mary", "It's Not Unusual", and "From Me To You". LP, Vinyl record album

It's taken us a bit longer than expected to get this second installment in Maxwell's Black Summers' Night series – but it's been well worth the wait, given the greater depth in the music! All that we love about Maxwell's previous records is alive and well here – but there's also kind of a sharper edge to the sound, too – these fuller bottom currents that almost seem to be adding a second sort of instrumental commentary, alongside the lyrical activity up top – all while the whole thing is wrapped together with that warm keyboard flow that first made Maxwell stand out so many years back! There's almost this double edge to the whole thing – rough with the smooth, or turmoil under peace – which gives the whole thing a lot more power than this sort of record from some of Maxwell's contemporaries. Score another win for the mighty one – on tracks that include "The Fall", "Lake By The Ocean", "Lost", "Gods", "Fingers Crossed", "Hostage", "1990x", and "All The Ways Love Can Feel". CD

A killer live set by Les McCann – a rare 60s outing that moves past his more familiar trio format, and adds some horn players to the mix! The change is wonderful – as the set features work from Blue Mitchell on trumpet, and both Stanley Turrentine and Frank Haines on tenor – players who work with Les on longer tracks that really pick up an even stronger 60s soul jazz vibe than before – while McCann handles piano with his core group that includes Herbie Lewis on bass and Ron Jefferson on drums. The set feels much more like a Blue Note title than some of Les McCann's other Pacific Jazz material of the early 60s – and titles include "Cha Cha Twist", "Chip Monck", and "Maxie's Changes". LP, Vinyl record album

A really special album from our hometown hero Makaya McCraven – a set that's the drummer's debut on Blue Note, and which also has him bringing that label some of the magic that he's been cooking up for International Anthem! If you know Makaya's other records, you'll know that he works in a blend of jazz instrumentation and editing – a style that's much more sophisticated than previous "jazz remix" modes – as McCraven always has live jazz instrumentation at the core, but then uses editing to rework ideas after the performance. Here, the music is a blend of older classics from the Blue Note catalog, juxtaposed with contributions from Joel Ross on vibes, Jeff Parker and Matt Gold on guitar, Greg Ward on alto, Marquis Hill on trumpet, and De'Sean Jones on tenor and flute – a really well-chosen array of players who flesh out Makaya's ideas in a beautiful way. Titles include "Wail Bait", "Frank's Tune", "Slice Of The Top", "Sunset", "Ecaroh", "Black Rhythm Happening", "Monaco", and "Mr Jin". LP, Vinyl record album

The first really in-depth look at the life of the great Al Green – a book that traces the fascinating journey that led a young man from Memphis to the top of the soul charts in the 70s – only to leave the world of secular music for the church in the following decade, then go on to a surprisingly rich career in decades that followed! The book is especially great at the roots of Al's sound and style – and if you dig southern soul as much as us, you'll really appreciate the author's account of the long journey before Green rose to fame at Hi Records – the kind of journeyman work that's often eclipsed when an artist becomes a star. The book also includes an appendix with a discography and legal notes too – and is over 400 pages, hardcover, with some black and white images. Book

A cool session for Decca that has Carmen McRae's vocals flowing out wonderfully amidst some very haunting backings! The sound here is a bit unusual – given that the groups are headed by accordion Mat Mathews and pianist Dick Katz – both of whom have a good ear for unusual phrasing, and who help keep the record from being just another torchy vocal set from the 50s. Carmen's warmly fluid voice cascades nicely over the top of the tunes – and instrumentation often features a bit of guitar from Mundell Lowe luring in the background – furthering the warmth of the record, and almost giving it a nicely laidback, late nite quality. Titles include "Supper Time", "Yardbird Suite", "Something To Live For", "You Took Advantage Of Me", "I'll Remember April", and "This Will Make You Laugh". LP, Vinyl record album

Classic Philly soul from Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes – a killer batch of studio tracks, despite the live image of the group on the cover! The album's got a slightly more expansive feel than some of the other Teddy Pendergrass-era albums by The Blue Notes – almost a mini-symphony of soul, and one that takes arrangements from Bobby Martin, Norman Harris, and Vince Montana – and wraps the vocals up in a soaring, righteous sort of feel! The rougher, more personal Teddy Pendergrass style of I Miss You is folded a bit more into the harmonies of the rest of the group here – and the result is a powerful wave of soul that pushes The Blue Notes right to the top of the pack. The album features classics like "The Love I Lost" and "Is There A Place For Me" – plus other nice material like "Concentrate On Me", "It All Depends On You", and "I'm Weak For You". LP, Vinyl record album

A pair of 70s gems from Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes! Black & Blue is classic Philly soul from Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes – a killer batch of studio tracks, despite the live image of the group on the cover! The album's got a slightly more expansive feel than some of the other Teddy Pendergrass-era albums by The Blue Notes – almost a mini-symphony of soul, and one that takes arrangements from Bobby Martin, Norman Harris, and Vince Montana – and wraps the vocals up in a soaring, righteous sort of feel! The rougher, more personal Teddy Pendergrass style of I Miss You is folded a bit more into the harmonies of the rest of the group here – and the result is a powerful wave of soul that pushes The Blue Notes right to the top of the pack. The album features classics like "The Love I Lost" and "Is There A Place For Me" – plus other nice material like "Concentrate On Me", "It All Depends On You", and "I'm Weak For You". On Wake Up Everybody, Teddy Pendergrass and crew get a bit more political than on earlier releases, and adopt the righteous bubbling soul groove that had put the O'Jays over the top a few years earlier – with incredible results! The title cut – "Wake Up Everybody" – would prove to be a great example of the political Philly International hit formula applied to socially conscious themes, but the record probably scored even bigger with the club crossover hit "Don't Leave Me This Way". Other tracks include "Keep On Lovin You", "Tell The World How I Feel About Cha Baby", "I'm Searching For A Love", and "You Know How To Make Me Feel So Good" – the latter two of which also feature female vocals by Sharon Paige. Bobby Martin, Norman Harris, and Ronnie Baker did the arrangements – and this was Teddy's last LP with the group. CD

A classic album of Cole Porter tunes – sung by Mabel Mercer with just a bit of tinkling piano in the background! The overall sound's a bit older than you might guess from the date of the record – a mode that takes most of the Porter tunes relatively straight, served up in Mercer's trilling style of vocals – which have more of a 20s approach to the material than other 50s singers who were making Porter swing a bit more. Backing is by Cy Walter or Stan Freeman on piano, plus a bit of bass by Frank Carroll – and titles include "Ours", "Where Oh Where", "After You", "So In Love", "Looking At You", "Ace In The Hole", and "It's Delovely". LP, Vinyl record album

A key 70s album from Blue Mitchell – and a set that's perfectly balanced between the lyricism of his mid 60s sides for Blue Note, and the electric funk of later years! The tracks are long, and have a really great vibe – plenty of room for Mitchell's sweet trumpet in the lead, with longer solos than on his last funk albums for Blue Note – and given a nice sense of bounce, a groove that's almost modal at times, by a group that features Walter Bishop on piano, Larry gales on bass, and Doug Sides on drums. Bishop's clearly playing some Fender Rhodes at times – ala his Black Jazz albums – and the group also features some of the most righteous tenor work we've ever heard from Jimmy Forrest, an artist we really know best for sides from a decade before. Titles include a killer reading of "Soul Village" – later recorded famously by Bishop – plus "Blues For Thelma", "Queen Bey", "Mi Hermano", and "Are You Real". LP, Vinyl record album

Very late work from the legendary Thelonious Monk – but surprisingly great as well! The session was recorded in London – as you might guess from the title – and although Monk's not working with his regular quartet with Charlie Rouse, he does interact wonderfully with a trio that includes Art Blakey on drums and Al McKibbon on bass! Blakey's drums have this nice crispness that transforms the Monk experience – and some performances stretch out in a nicely inspired way. CD

A great collection of Thelonious Monk's early pre-LP recordings for Blue Note – seminal not only for the label's commitment to a modernist bop ideal, but also for Monk's integration in the growing collection of top-level jazz players on the New York scene! The work is notable also for the fact that Monk's playing sometimes in larger group settings – not just trio ones – and here, his early writing for and interplay with saxes and trumpet certainly has a strong effect on the development of modern jazz in the 50s – as you'll hear on tracks that include work from players like Sahib Shihab and Lou Donaldson on alto, Milt Jackson on vibes, and Idrees Suliman and Kenny Dorham on trumpets – depending on the volumes. Art Blakey is on drums throughout – and titles on this first volume include "Round Midnight", "In Walked Bud", "Thelonious", "Epistrophy", "Misterioso", "Well You Needn't", and "Off Minor". LP, Vinyl record album

A great collection of Thelonious Monk's early pre-LP recordings for Blue Note – seminal not only for the label's commitment to a modernist bop ideal, but also for Monk's integration in the growing collection of top-level jazz players on the New York scene! The work is notable also for the fact that Monk's playing sometimes in larger group settings – not just trio ones – and here, his early writing for and interplay with saxes and trumpet certainly has a strong effect on the development of modern jazz in the 50s – as you'll hear on tracks that include work from players like Sahib Shihab and Lou Donaldson on alto, Milt Jackson on vibes, and Idrees Suliman and Kenny Dorham on trumpets – depending on the volumes. Art Blakey is on drums throughout – and titles on this second volume include "Four In One", "Ask Me Now", "Criss Cross", "Skippy", "Hornin In", "Sixteen", and "Let's Cool One". LP, Vinyl record album

A landmark in jazz – easily one of Thelonious Monk's greatest albums ever, and a magical crossroads of talents that brings together a variety of jazz traditions! The work is performed by an ambitious Monk septet that includes both Coleman Hawkins and John Coltrane on tenor – and if you've ever doubted the brilliance of Hawk, this is the record to change your mind. The rest of the group is equally great – with Ray Copeland on trumpet, Gigi Gryce on alto, Wilbur Ware on bass, and Art Blakey on drums – all coming together with Monk to craft a perfect set of tunes that are virtually the definition of "modern jazz". Titles include "Abide With Me", "Off Minor", "Crepuscule With Nellie", and "Epistrophy". LP, Vinyl record album

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Latin pianist Noro Morales leads his quintet in this nice moody album of instrumentals, played in a mellow jazzy vein, with a spare sound, and lots of percussion/piano interplay. The set's got a number of nice originals – like "Casemonos Ya", "Saona", and "Campanitas De Cristal" – plus Latinized versions of "Body & Soul", "Obsession", and "Piano Player's Lament". LP, Vinyl record album

Beautiful spare sounds from Noro Morales – and an album that really lets you hear his amazing work on the piano! Most of the album simply features Noro's playing, backed by bass and percussion, and no other orchestration – a really stripped-down setting that's even more spare than the usual Latin album of this nature! The album's very mellow – but has a good late night Latin groove throughout – thanks to this pronounced bassline that really grabs up the bottom end of the sound spectrum – leaving Noro to work on the keys up top. Titles include "Flores Negras", "Tres Palabras", "Tiempos Viejos", "Silencio", "Perfume De Gardenias", and "Palmeras". LP, Vinyl record album

Of course it's about time for Joe Morello – because as Dave Brubeck's drummer, he was constantly caught in recording sessions that were all about unusual rhythms and timings in jazz! Yet this set really helps Joe break free from the Brubeck mode – and also shine strongly as a leader, too – something he only did on a rare few records over the years! The approach is a bit more straight ahead – almost an extension of the RCA large ensemble sides of the 50s, with arrangements by Phil Woods and Manny Albam – yet there's also some great 60s touches too, thanks to work from a young Gary Burton on vibes, and some nicely mature solos by Woods on alto. Titles include "Time After Time", "Summertime", "Every Time", "It's About Time", and "Fatha Time". LP, Vinyl record album

Late 50's session in which Gerry Mulligan and Chet Baker try to recreate the sound that made them a legend on the West Coast in the first place. Cool breezy renditions of a number of standards, held down by the drumming of Dave Bailey and the bass of Henry Grimes, which is a nice treat on an album like this! Titles include "Reunion", "Travelin Light", "Surrey With The Fringe On Top", and "Stardust". LP, Vinyl record album

Garage rock revivalism of the first order – dusty 90s blasts by the mighty Mummies that sound like they could have been cut decades earlier, or later, for that matter – on vinyl, as nature intended! Fuzzy, low fi, monstrously shambling awesomeness from San Francisco's anti-scenester garage rock nasties – recorded as cheaply as possible, as the Pharaohs decreed. Titles include "That Girl", "Test Drive", "I'm Bigger Than You", "Foood, Sickles And Girls", "One By One", "Tall Cool One", "Die!", "The House On The Hill" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

A new life for the ideas of saxophonist David Murray – worked out here in an octet of top-shelf players! The sound is avant one minute, swinging the next – and carried off with a rich sense of jazz tradition that really marks the growing appreciation of roots in the 80s generation of the New York scene. Murray works with both tenor and bass clarinet – and the arrangements here are great – filled with colors that shift and slide along wonderfully, horns that really lift each others' spirits, and work together to find a bold new space in sound. Other group members include Baikida Carroll and Hugh Ragin on trumpets, Craig Harris on trombone, John Purcell on alto, Steve Colson on piano, Wilbur Morris on bass, and Ralph Peterson on drums. Titles are all long – and include "Train Whistle", "Morning Song", "New Life", and "Blues In The Pocket". LP, Vinyl record album

Nas was a bit of an under-recognized figure at the time of this second set – but the record soon catapulted him to the top of the hip hop game – and really ensured that Nasir Bin Olu Dara Jones would be around for a long time to come! The record's got an epic vibe in terms of the presentation and production – maybe fitting for the title, and handled by Trackmasters on most tracks – yet still with enough of a stripped-down, laidback vibe at times to tie Nas back to NYC sounds from a few years before. The Firm posse of AZ, Cormega, and Foxy Brown drop in on "Affirmative Action" – while Dr Dre produces and appears on "Nas Is Coming" – and Lauryn Hill makes a famous appearance on "If I Ruled The World". Other cuts include "I Gave You Power", "Street Dreams", "The Set Up", "Black Girl Lost", "Shootouts", "Live Nigga Rap", "The Message", and "Take It In Blood". LP, Vinyl record album

Very groovy stuff! Although the bulk of the material on this album is "pops meet jazz", in the hands of Oliver Nelson, it's transformed into something wonderful – with just the right blend of jazz to keep things lively. The arrangements have a nice off-kilter sound that works well with Nelson's strong reed performances – and tunes include "Jazz Bug", "Yesterday", "Flowers On The Wall", "Boots Are Made For Walkin", and "Beautiful Music". LP, Vinyl record album

A record that's as political as you might expect from its title, and a great collaboration between bassist William Parker and spoken word artist Patricia Nicholson! Make no mistake, the set's a jazz record first, with Nicholson's words added in over the top – as the rest of the group features superb contributions from James Brandon Lewis on tenor, Davin Brahja Waldman on alto, and either Gerald Cleaver or Francesco Mela on drums – a core combo that would be great enough on its own! Melanie Dyer adds in some stunning viola lines to the record in a few spots – and titles include "Little Black Kid With The Swollen Stomach", "Struggle", "Wilted Light As Flower", "No Joke", and "Flare Up". CD

Easily the best album we've heard from Homer Dennison and his Night Strings – a slinky, sexy set of grooves that has some of the best touches of the European soundtrack scene of the time! As you'd guess from the name of the group, the strings are in the lead – but there's lots of nice electric bass grooving at the bottom, and some heavier piano over the top – creating the kind of soulful juxtaposition that we love in the best MPS easy/Snowflakes mode! The album sports a few original tunes that are worth the price of the album alone – and titles include "Black Sand & White Stars", "Blue Stoned Eyes", "Sagittarius", "On The Road To The Blues", and "On Days Like These". LP, Vinyl record album

Keyboardist Soichi Noriki is at the top of his game here – combining warmer fusion modes from a few years before with some of the city pop styles on the Japanese scene of the early 80s – an approach that's topped with vocals from Yurie Kokubu on a few of the album's key cuts! Most of the set is instrumental, and has this soulful fusion glide that's great – Noriki on Fender Rhodes, Hammond B3, and a host of other keyboards – getting support from guitarists Toru Tatsuki and Hirotsugu Nakai, each of whom play in a different channel of the mix – in a combo that also features Haruo Sakai on tenor, alto, and soprano sax! Yurie sings on "You Need Me" and "Do What You Do" – and other tracks include "Rag Box", "Go Over The Hill", "Black Duck", "Anyway", and "Cozy's Melody". LP, Vinyl record album

A killer bit of crossover pop from the mid 60s – and the kind of groover that brought the Carolina beach sound to the top 40 charts! Includes the group's classic hit "Girl Watcher", a groover that we always enjoy hearing, plus other nice ones like "The Soul Clap", "Love Machine", and "Little Miss Flirt". Produced by Johnny Pate, too! LP, Vinyl record album

Titles include "Pressure Drop", "Give Me An Inch", "Work To Make It Work", "Here With you Tonight", "Which Of Us Is The Fool", and "Fine Time". LP, Vinyl record album

A real sound library treasure from the UK scene of the 70s – a set that features two of that genre's heaviest talents – back to back on a single record! You probably know Alan Hawkshaw for his famous work on keyboards – including his classic organ riff on "The Champ" by The Mohawks – but here, he combines his keys with larger orchestrations on side one – making a bunch of short, groovy tunes that have the feel of a hip 70s soundtrack – stepping strings at some points, gently funky basslines at others, and just the right use of soaring woodwinds. Alan Parker takes over on side two, which is even groovier – as it features Parker in a small combo – serving up tunes that mix funky, slinky, and more lyrical modes – often with a light woodwind current over the top. Titles include "Monochrome", "Blue Shadow", "No Return", "Choctaw", and "Black Pearl" by Parker – and "Sunny Monday", "Tryst", "Next Stop LA", "Oh Militia", "The Vamp", "Collect", and "Miraculous Dream" by Hawkshaw. LP, Vinyl record album