Super-dope work from the great Wes Montgomery – set to excellent early CTI arrangements from Don Sebesky and Deodato! The groove is nice and airy – with Wes' guitar floating over the top, yet still present enough to ring out loud and clear on all the tightly plucked notes – and the arrangements are never constricting or confining, and instead have a very open vision that really lets Montgomery's sound soar! Herbie Hancock's on piano, and Mike Mainieri adds some nice touches on vibes – and the balance of sounds, tones, and colors is simply sublime. Titles include the amazing title cut "Down Here On The Ground" – the start of a whole new generation in jazz – plus "Wind Song", "The Fox", "Goin On To Detroit", "Up & At It", and "When I Look In Your Eyes". LP, Vinyl record album

Beautifully lofty work from the great Wes Montgomery – a set that was recorded quite late in his too-short career, and really points the way towards some of the sophisticated sounds that might have followed, had Wes not left this planet all too soon! Don Sebesky is at the head of the charts this time around, and while the vibe echoes some of the other work that Montgomery did with larger backings in the period, there's also a nice current of darkness too – this intensity that can come through, even if the tune is a familiar pop number. The ensemble is filled with great players – Herbie Hancock and Hank Jones on piano, Stan Webb on flute, Grady Tate on drums, and Ray Barretto on percussion – and titles include "I'll Be Back", "Road Song", "Yesterday", "Serene", "Green Leaves Of Summer", and "Fly Me To The Moon". LP, Vinyl record album

A rare CTI entry from funky flute master Jeremy Steig – a musician whose style is a great fit for the label! There's more of an electric vibe here than on Steig's earlier records – but that creates a nice current of soul that really helps things take off in a nicely different way. The record features Steig's funky flute in front of some larger arrangements by David Matthews – and the style of the record is a blend of CTI electric and some of the choppier bits of earlier Steig albums, blended with some mellow soul lead vocals on three tracks by Googie Coppola – who sings in a manner that's almost like Minnie Riperton! Tracks include the funky groover "Hopscotch", plus the nice soul tracks "Firefly", "Living Inside Your Love", and "Everything Is Coming To The Light". LP, Vinyl record album

Beautiful work from Randy Weston – and a unique electric session from the 70s! The feel is very different here than the angular modernism of Randy's roots – a warmer, more flowing sound – as you'd expect from the CTI label, and from Randy's use of electric piano as well as acoustic. The group is largeish, with key players who include Freddie Hubbard, Ron Carter, Hubert Laws, and Grover Washington Jr – and although there's a larger horn section on the record, they mostly hang back and let the main soloists do their thing. Don Sebesky arranged, and the tracks are still originals with an African-inspired approach to rhythms – but more warmly soulful overall, as is the CTI way! Titles include "Night In Medina", "Marrakesh Blues", and "Ifrane". LP, Vinyl record album

A great later date from CTI – proof that the label still had its magic going on well into the 80s! The session's a larger group effort headed up by Don Sebesky, and featuring key solos by Chet Baker, Jim Hall, and Hubert Laws – all of whom get plenty of room to do their thing on the album's longer tracks! Other players include Kenny Barron, Jack Wilkins, Jorge Dalto, George Mraz, and Steve Gadd – plus bit of added percussion – and although the group is large, the overall sound is relatively lean – spacious and airy, in keeping with Baker's best moments on records like these, and always sensitive enough to let Hall's gentle work on the strings of his guitar shine through nicely! Titles include "Malaguena", "Django", "Swan Lake", and "All Blues". LP, Vinyl record album

Pretty mellow stuff from George Benson, but with some nice moments! Don Sebesky handled the arrangements for this set of larger backings – but Benson's guitar is right out front, hitting some super-dope lines at the best moments, stretching out from the warm Fender Rhodes or horn heavy backings. Highlights include "No Sooner Said Than Done", which has some very weird processing on the guitar; "Full Compass", which has some nice hard drums; and "Summer Wishes, Winter Dreams", a mellow moody track. LP, Vinyl record album

Funky keyboards galore – and one of the greatest records ever from this legendary Brazilian jazz talent! The album follows nicely off Deodato's Prelude classic for CTI – and like that one, this set's built on long-flowing tunes that rise and fall with a wonderful sense of rhythm – a sublime electric piano groove that's quite different than anything Deodato recorded before – and possibly never realized this perfectly again after his CTI years. Other players include Stanley Clarke on bass, Billy Cobham on drums, and Hubert Laws on flute – and titles include the massive Latin funk track "Super Strut", plus the tunes "Pavane For A Dead Princess", "Skyscrapers", and a great version of "Nights In White Satin". LP, Vinyl record album

An album of sublime understatement from alto genius Paul Desmond! Desmond was one of the few players who resisted the lure of the 70s electric CTI sound – and stuck pretty much in his usual bag of easy-going grooves, blowing alto with effortless ease, working here with a quartet that includes Ed Bickert on guitar, Connie Kay on drums, and Ron Carter on bass. The tracks are short, but have that magical Desmond quality to them – no tricks, no electric work, just pure and simple coolly blown jazz. Titles include "Everything I Love", "Squeeze Me", "I'm Old Fashioned", "Nuages", and "Why Shouldn't I". LP, Vinyl record album

No crawl space here – as the sound is wide open, and surprisingly funky – a set that stands as one of Art Farmer's few great 70s outings for the CTI label! The album's got Art blowing with all the cool, compressed sound that he'd bring to a straighter album – but on longer tracks, with that open, flowing vibe you might hear on some of Freddie Hubbard's efforts for the label with less bite, and more flow overall! The set includes great work on flute from Jeremy Steig – plus guitar from Eric Gale, keyboards from Dave Grusin, and drums from Steve Gadd – and although the date of this one is late, the sound is in that prime 1972/1973 CTI mode! The album features four long tracks – and titles include "Crawl Space", "Siddhartha", "Petite Belle", and "Chanson". LP, Vinyl record album

One of Joe Farrell's first LPs as a leader – and a stellar session that's easily one of the early high points for the legendary CTI label! Farrell had been making some great noise in the underground during the late 60s – but here, he bursts forth as one heck of a soulful cat – working on these great modal grooves that slide out wonderfully and really have a sense of flow – a style that's different than Joe's later material, but equally powerful! Part of the strength of the record comes from the lineup – a key quintet of like-mined up-and-comers that includes Chick Corea on keyboards, John McLaughlin on guitar, Dave Holland on bass, and Jack DeJohnette on drums – players who definitely know the farther reaches of jazz, yet hang just on the inside here with Joe – providing some amazing accompaniment for his lines on soprano, tenor, and flute. Titles include "Molten Glass", "Song Of The Wind", "Motion", "Follow Your Heart", and "Circle In The Square". LP, Vinyl record album

Tight funky fusion from a masterful collective – a great supergroup from the late electric years of the CTI label! The combo features Joe Farrell on tenor, Ronnie Foster and Don Grusin on keyboards, John McLaughlin and Larry Coryell on guitars, Stanley Clarke on bass, and Lenny White, Tony Williams, and Ndugu Chancler on drums – all top-shelf players, but artists who also really respect the vision of the whole project – and allow the grooves to develop without too much competition or overblown modes! The keyboards and guitar are a great match with Farrell's always-great lines on tenor – and titles include "Grand Prix", "Sunshine Lady", "To Whom All Things Concern", "Double Steal", "Waterside", and "Taxi Blues". LP, Vinyl record album

Amazing work from Freddie Hubbard – one of his best albums ever! The title cut's a classic, but all cuts on the album are great – and really set a whole new standard for soul jazz in the 70s! Unlike the freer runs of Miles Davis, Freddie takes things into territory here that's open, yet tightly controlled – a really soulful, spiritual vibe that's quite different than any of his later commercial work – or his hardbop of the decade before! The lineup includes Joe Henderson on tenor and Herbie Hancock on piano – and even back in the 80's, when everyone was going purist again, and was pretending they didn't like 70's electric jazz at all, they still claimed that this was a great jazz record, and one of the only good ones for CTI. We know better now, of course, and know that there were loads of great CTI sessions – but that doesn't stop this from being one of the best! Titles include "Red Clay", "Delphia", "Suite Sioux", and "The Intrepid Fox". LP, Vinyl record album

Herbie Mann's soulful flute meets the breezy production values of CTI/A&M, for a good set of tracks that have a light easy feel to them, and a nice post-bossa groove! The set includes a good cover of "Upa, Neguinho", plus "Love Is Stronger Far Than We", "The Letter", "In & Out", and "No Use Crying". Arrangements by Roy Glover, Herb Bernstein, and Herbie himself. LP, Vinyl record album

One of the coolest, grooviest albums you'll ever hear from the legendary percussionist Airto – a set that mixes his own Brazilian roots with the electric genius of 70s CTI – all with stunning results! Airto's in the lead – and blows some beautiful wood flute lines alongside percussion – but the album also features killer contributions from Joe Farrell on soprano sax, Hubert Laws on flute, Keith Jarrett on piano, and Chick Corea on Fender Rhodes – as well as a hip bit of vocals from Flora Purim as well! There's some added horns at parts – but the arrangements are relatively spare and subtle – so that most tracks have a core organic quality, very similar to Airto's work on Buddah/Cobblestone, but given a bit more of a CTI twist. Most tunes are quite long and free-flowing – and titles include "Lucky Southern", "Flora's Song", "Creek (Arroio)", and "Return To Forever". LP, Vinyl record album

A great return to form for Chet Baker – his first record in a number of years away from the studio, and proof that his genius could adapt to just about any setting! The album's got a tight focus that's probably one of the keys to its success – a set of arrangements by Don Sebesky that mix lusher moments with some more tightly snapping rhythms – a blend that allows Chet to display the full range of his talents without veering too far in one direction. Paul Desmond plays some great alto on the record, really bringing in a strong sense of crispness to a few numbers – and instrumentation also includes great electric piano from Bob James, vibes from Dave Friedman, and flute from Hubert Laws. Baker sings on a few numbers, and titles include "Autumn Leaves", "She Was Too Good To Me", "Funk In Deep Freeze", "Tangerine", "With A Song In My Heart", "What'll I Do", and "It's You Or No One". LP, Vinyl record album

A great early CTI session by George Benson, and one of the most stripped-down, straight-ahead funky records he did for the label! There's a sharpness here that's different than the larger feel of some of Benson 's later records – a sound that almost links back to his soul jazz roots in the 60s – played by a tight combo that features Benson on guitar, Clarence Palmer on organ, Ron Carter on bass, and Jack DeJohnette on drums – plus percussion from Michael Cameron and Albert Nicholson. There's a version of "So What" on here that's got to be one of the best funky takes of that standard ever – with great hard grooves on the intro – and on other cuts, the real genius is in the way the simple tracks are arranged to shift between darkly chromatic passages and slight bits of funk. Titles include "All Clear", "Ode To A Kudu", and "Somewhere In The East". LP, Vinyl record album

Sweet CTI grooving from George Benson – one of his hardest-hitting albums of the time! In a way, the record returns George to his early years at CTI – particularly the album Beyond The Blue Horizon – as the set's got a stripped down smaller group, working in a tight blend of electric jazzy bits that's very nice! Ronnie Foster lays down some great keyboards on the set, Hubert Laws is on flute, and George himself plays a hollow body with a nice soulful tone – stretching out on some straight jazz on most cuts, but also hitting a few of his smoother notes from the mid 70s. Titles include "Take Five", "Octane", "Summertime", and "Gone". LP, Vinyl record album

A wonderfully wicked album – one that sold so many copies that it's sometimes hard to remember how great it is! George takes on all of Abbey Road – or just about all of it – as he runs through some of the most beautiful tracks The Beatles ever wrote, like "Golden Slumbers", "I Want You (She's So Heavy)", "The End", "Because", and "You Never Give Me Your Money". The whole thing's set to some great baroque jazzy arrangements by Don Sebesky, and George digs the whole thing so much that he even sings a bit – vocalizing in a cool chromatic way that really works well with his guitar playing, and which would soon transform into a very popular style on his records of the 70s. Keyboards are by Bob James and Herbie Hancock – and there's plenty of other great jazz players in the mix! LP, Vinyl record album

One of Ron Carter's best from the 70s – a hip and subtle effort recorded for CTI, with a small group that includes Joe Henderson on tenor, Roland Hanna on piano, and Billy Cobham on drums! Henderson's tenor work dominates the album, and the long tracks really let him snake around mightily – blowing with that dark edge that we totally love, and taking the record in much different directions than some of Carter's other albums. Richard Tee also plays electric piano on the title "117 Special" – and other tunes include "A Feeling", "All Blues", "Rufus", and "Will You Still Be Mine". LP, Vinyl record album

Sweet electric work from Ron Carter – subtle magic in the best CTI mode! Ron arranged the set himself, but he's working with a core group of CTI players that includes Bob James and Richard Tee on electric piano, Hubert Laws on flute, Ralph MacDonald on percussion, and Billy Cobham on drums – shifting mood, tone, and color with ease as each new track on the album emerges – and uniting the whole proceedings with work on acoustic bass and piccolo bass! Not funky, but very soulful – with a keen sense of space, but never too much so to make things snoozy. Titles include "Blues Farm", "Hymn For Him", "Two Beat Johnson", and "R2, M1". LP, Vinyl record album

A cool Japanese-only collection, overflowing with CTI keyboard gems from Deodato – including "Super Strut", "Spirit Of Summer", "2001", "Baubles Bangles & Beads", "Prelude To Afternoon Of A Faun", "September", "Pavane For A Dead Princess", and "Rhapsody In Blue". LP, Vinyl record album

A stunning 70s set from the great Paul Desmond – one that has the tremendous alto player finding an even fresher groove than before – yet all without losing any of the class and control that made him so great in the 50s and 60s! Don Sebesky arranged the set, but most of the instrumentation is nice and lean – small group modes that allow Paul's alto to soar out in the lead, often alongside some excellent guitar work from Gabor Szabo and Gene Bertoncini – the latter of whom provides accompaniment that takes us back to some of Jim Hall's music with Desmond. Bob James plays a bit of piano on the record, and rhythm is by Ron Carter on bass, Jack DeJohnette on drums, and Ralph MacDonald on percussion – plus a bit of cello from George Ricci, who shades tunes in with a mighty nice sound. But as you'd guess, the main focus is on Desmond's sublime alto sax – on titles that include "Was A Sunny Day", "Take Ten", "Music For A While", and of course, "Skylark". LP, Vinyl record album

A sweet funky album from Art Farmer– an artist we don't normally associate with 70s funk, but who does a really great job on this CTI session! Art's working here in the frontline with Yusef Lateef on reeds – another unlikely candidate for a record like this – and the pair get some strong backing from the band of Dave Matthews, who manages to provide just the right blend of tight arrangements and jazz funk, so that each player gets plenty of room to soar, but the whole album sticks in a nice smooth groove on the rhythms! Includes a soaring version of Chick Corea's "Spain", a slow funk take on Chris Kenner's "Something You Got", and the cuts "Flute Song", "Hombre Del Sol", "Sauhade", and "Sandu". LP, Vinyl record album

Sweet and subtle genius from two of the most understated players in jazz – a really great little record that makes the best of the CTI sound without tricking up the players too much! Art Farmer and Jim Hall play in a quintet with vibes by Mike Mainieri – in a style that eschews the electric funk of other CTI records, but has a similar sense of space, sound, and rhythm overall – proof that the label's groundbreaking approach didn't always have to be electrified! Tracks are quite long, and the two leaders effortlessly craft notes that magically hang in space with an airily soulful feel. Titles include wonderfully reworked versions of "Whisper Not", "A Child Is Born", and "Pavane For A Dead Princess". LP, Vinyl record album

A killer set from Joe Farrell – one of the 70s greatest reed players, and an always-exciting talent who was one of the first artists to really use the extended CTI format to break into a whole new level! The set's a drawn-out quintet side, with Chick Corea on electric piano, Buster Williams on bass, Elvin Jones on drums, and Airto on percussion. Farrell was playing with Jones at the time, and the album's got some of their strong choppy reed/percussion interplay – but with a sharpness and focus that you don't always hear on Elvin's records! Tracks are all long – and titles include "Outback", "Sound Down", and "Bleeding Orchid". LP, Vinyl record album

Incredible 70s work from the lovely Astrud Gilberto – a rare effort for the CTI label that has her teaming up with arranger Eumir Deodato and saxophonist Stanley Turrentine – all in a groove that's totally different than most of her earlier work! Astrud's breathy vocals are still wonderfully intact – but they're given a more spacious approach in the arrangements – strings mixes with rolling basslines, soaring keyboards, and stone cold tenor from Stanley – in a groove that's simply wonderful, and which takes off in a whole new direction than before! Other players include Airto, Sivuca, Hubert Laws, and Dom Um Romao – and tracks include classic versions of "Ponteio", "Vera Cruz", and "Zazueira" that are all some of the most grooving takes on the tunes ever – plus "Historia De Amor", "Where There's A Heartache", "Brazilian Tapestry", and "Wanting Things". LP, Vinyl record album

One of Jim Hall's most compelling albums from the 70s – a mix of lightly swinging tunes and more complicated numbers, recorded with some of his best partners from earlier years! Chet Baker is on trumpet, Paul Desmond is on alto sax – and the rest of the group includes Ron Carter bass, Roland Hanna piano, and Steve Gadd on drums. Hall's style is as airy and free-floating as ever – and the spacious arrangements on the album by Don Sebesky only support his work even more. The centerpiece of the album is the 19 minute long "Concierto De Aranjuez", and other tracks include "The Answer Is Yes", "Two's Blues", and "You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To". LP, Vinyl record album

Warm and wonderful work from Freddie Hubbard – a killer of an album recorded for CTI, and one of his most soulful efforts for the label! The album's got a bit more of a human heart than some of the more cosmic sessions Freddie cut at the time – a bit more contemplative and introspective, but no less open-minded and electrically charged. The assortment of players is all top-shelf – with Billy Cobham, Airto, Lennie White, George Cables, Hubert Laws, and George Benson all backing Freddie up on the set – and titles include a great take on "People Make the World Go Round", plus "Naturally", and "Son of Sky Dive", which grooves just like its papa! LP, Vinyl record album

Proof that Milt Jackson was easily the hippest member of the Modern Jazz Quartet – and one of the few who could really open up into different sounds away from that combo! This sweet 70s set for CTI is totally great – a whole new chapter for Jackson's vibes, and a real re-setting of the soulful modes he'd explored as a leader in the 60s. There's a wonderfully warm and chromatic feel to the set from the start – as Milt's vibes are set in fuller arrangements from Don Sebesky – with added instrumentation from Herbie Hancock on electric piano, Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, and Phil Bodner on reeds. The highlight of the album is a nice long take on "People Make The World Go Round", but it's all pretty sweet, and other titles include nice versions of "Sunflower" and "What Are You Doing For The Rest Of Your Life" – and Jackson's own "SKJ" and "For Someone I Love". LP, Vinyl record album

The 4th in Bob James legendary run of Fender Rhodes classics for CTI – and a record that still has him working with the dark edges that made the first few so great! As usual with these sets, there's a way of putting over the groove that's really unique – not really funky, but spacious enough to make even the simplest instrumental statements resonate with a punch that other fusion records never had – a James-like approach to rhythm and sound that's totally great, and which is made even better by key contributions from CTI labelmates who include Hubert Laws, Eric Gale, and Art Farmer. James plays Fender Rhodes, Arp, and clavinet – and titles include the funky sample cut "Tappan Zee", plus "Nights Are Forever Without You", "Where The Wind Blows Free", "Pure Imagination", "Treasure Island", and "El Verano". LP, Vinyl record album

A monster – and quite possibly one of the greatest Fender Rhodes albums of all time! Bob James is really at the height of his powers here – stepping out with a sound that's a lot smoother than some of his earlier work, yet in a groove that's never too slick or too overproduced – as happened with some of his later records on the Tappan Zee imprint. Here, James is still a master of space and sound – using the Fender Rhodes with bell-like tones to craft some key grooves that are still having an amazing impact today, more than 40 years after the album was initially recorded! There's a darkness here that we totally love – and tracks include the legendary "Take Me To The Mardi Gras", which has been sampled by Run DMC and loads of others – plus"The Golden Apple", "I Feel A Song", "You're As Right As Rain", "Farandole", and "Dream Journey". LP, Vinyl record album

A mellow mainstream fusion classic from the 70s – one that paired the gentle guitar of Earl Klugh with the sweet keyboards of Bob James – in a set that's filled with plenty of warm and laidback touches! The mode here takes off some of the darker edges from James' earlier sound, and softens it nicely with Klugh's colorful approach to the guitar – a slightly tropical mode at times, and one that dances breezily along with help from Ralph MacDonald, Ron Carter, Harvey Mason, and Gary King. Titles include the lovely "Mallorca", plus "I'll Never See You Smile Again", "Kari", "The Afterglow", "Love Lips", and "Winding River". LP, Vinyl record album

A stunning mix of talents that brings the heavenly piano and guitar of Antonio Carlos Jobim into play with the lush, but light arrangements of Claus Ogerman – a swirling mix of post-bossa loveliness that redefines Jobim's sound, and opens up new avenues for exploration in sound! The production is amazing – pillowy-soft, but with a complex depth that's hardly been matched again – and although Jobim's the main player, other great musicians include Dom Um Romao, Claudio Slon, Jerome Richardson, Ron Carter, and others. Tracks include "Wave", "Mojave", "Lamento", "Batidinha", "The Red Blouse", "Antiguq", and the groovy "Captain Bacardi". Beautiful all the way through! LP, Vinyl record album

Mindblowing! This is when Wes Montgomery really starts to get interesting to us – when he's working with a top-line arranger like Don Sebesky, crafting some incredibly compelling chords over lightly jazzy arrangements and soaring strings, in a whole new mode of expression that would go onto transform a generation of guitar players! And sure, this album sold a gazillion copies – but we'll be honest in saying that we think it's loads more complex and mature than some of Wes' straight jazz sides from earlier years – light years away from the small combo dates of the early years, both in conception and sound. Titles include "Day In The Life", "Watch What Happens", "California Nights", "Windy", "Trust In Me", and "The Joker". LP, Vinyl record album

Funky 70s work from film score maestro Lalo Schifrin – served up with a bit of a disco twist, and plenty of the electric jazz funk elements that were showing up in his soundtracks at the time! Lalo's on keyboards, playing a cool host of electric ones that give the record a nice spacey sound over the top of the funky arrangements – and there's plenty of nice guitar work – either by Eric Gale or John Tropea – which gives the cuts some nice choppy funky bits that drive them a bit harder than you might expect! Titles include an amazing funk remake of "Quiet Village", plus "Dragonfly", "Black Widow", "Baia", "Turning Point", and a version of the "Jaws" theme! LP, Vinyl record album

Hard and heavy funky jazz from west coast tenorist Fats Theus – and one of the rarest albums on CTI! This one differs strongly from the label's smoother electric output – as it's got the rough n ready feel of a classic Prestige jazz funk session. Fats is backed by an all star group that includes Hilton Felder on organ, Grant Green on guitar, Idris Muhammad on drums, and Chuck Rainey on bass – and it kind of sounds like Fats is playing an electric tenor, or a Varitone, which gives the set the feel of some of the Lou Donaldson funk albums on Blue Note! Cuts include "Black Out", "Bed Of Nails", "Stone Flower", and "Check It Out". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the best CTI albums from the early 70s – and one of Stanley Turrentine's funkiest records as well! The album's got a sharper edge than most other Turrentine albums of the time – a quality that goes beyond Stan's already soulful approach to the tenor, and which brings in some tight changes and more pronounced rhythms that really give the best cuts a great groove! The group's a sextet – with Bob James on electric piano, Milt Jackson on vibes, Cornell Dupree on guitar, Ron Carter on bass, and Billy Cobham on drums – and titles include a monster version of Weldon Irvine's "Sister Sanctified" – a great funk tune that's probably best known as the sample for "My Philosophy" by BDP! Other tracks include "Speedball", "Cherry", and "The Revs". LP, Vinyl record album

An amazing leap forward for the incredible Walter Wanderley – a record that has him mixing his earlier bossa groove with the wider vision of late 60s A&M/CTI – supported by an amazing cast of American and Brazilian artists! The vibe is wonderful from the very first note – a refinement of bossa with the more sophisticated scoring touches of CTI – arrangements from both Deodato and Don Sebesky, working wonderfully to support Wanderley's lead keyboard lines on organ and electric harpsichord! The record's arguably more sophisticated than most work of this nature coming from Brazil at the same time – and with classic production by Creed Taylor, the sound is sublime through and through! A few tracks feature a slight bit of vocals – from Milton Nascimento, Anamaria Valle, and others – and instrumentalists helping on the session include Hubert Laws on flute and Marvin Stamm on flugelhorn. Titles include great versions of "Open Your Arms", "When It Was Done", "Reach Out For Me", "Ponteio", "Surfboard", "Baiao Da Garoa", "Capoeira", and "Ole Ole Ola". LP, Vinyl record album

Very groovy stuff – one of 2 albums cut by the Kai and JJ team for CTI in the early days! The album's a mellow mix of jazz and easy – with larger arrangements by Kai, JJ, and Don Sebesky – all exploring the more spacious side of things, as either of the main players solo over the top on trombone. The style's a great one to breathe new life into the team – and is even more wonderful if you dig the early CTI sound from their A&M years! Titles include "Israel", "Catherine's Theme", "Django", "Never My Love", and "Am I Blue". LP, Vinyl record album

A pretty great little album from Nat – recorded with arrangements by Bill Fischer, who gives the record a tightly compressed big band sound that's perfect for Nat's sharp funky horn! The album's not exactly "funk", but there's plenty of it in the mix – as lead horn grooves around nicely, while Joe Zawinul plays electric piano, and Leo Morris (aka Idris Muhammad) plays drums. Titles include "Biafra", "Haifa", "St M", "Grey Moss", and "Calling Out Loud". LP, Vinyl record album

A really great record from this hip horn player – a set on which Nat Adderley demonstrates that he can be as funky as brother Cannonball, in a nice set of short groovers recorded for CTI from the late 60s! The record is one of Nat's few funky ones, and he's got some nice backing by Joe Zawinul on piano, Jerome Richardson on soprano sax and flute, Ron Carter on bass, and Grady Tate on drums. Cuts have the tightly arranged style of the early CTI sessions – with Nat's solos bouncing over the top, and some nice tight grooving underneath. Titles include "Early Minor", "You Baby", "Denise", "Electric Eel", "Hang On In", and "Halftime". LP, Vinyl record album

One of Airto's greatest records ever – a really hard hitting batch of tracks that mix sharp-edged fusion lines with some earthier Brazilian percussion touches – all in a way that nicely steps off of Airto's first few American releases, and warms the groove up with a nice dose of California soul! Flora Purim joins in here on both vocals and percussion – and the rest of the group features Hugo Fattoruso on keyboards and harmonica, Jorgte Fattoruso on drums, and David Amaro on both electric and acoustic guitars – shifting nicely between both instruments in a way that further underscores the blended vibe of the record! Most of these tracks are Airto classics – like "Tombo in 7/4", "San Francisco River", "Romance Of Death", "Ringers", and "Wind Chant" – and the record has a very sweet CTI production style, but is still rough enough around the edges to keep things nice and real! LP, Vinyl record album

A nice jammer from the "second wind" period of CTI – and a strong return to Latin jazz for Ray! The set's a great mixture of smooth CTI electric funk and Latin-oriented grooves – and it features work by Ray on congas and percussion, plus a list of players that includes Tito Puente, Charlie Palmieri, Steve Gadd, John Tropea, Carlos Franzetti, and Willie Torres. The melds the styles beautifully – with plenty of languid, rubbery jamming with percussion that thumps just hard enough! Really kind of a stunner from '79 – one that came at welcome time for both Barretto and CTI! Includes the great electric Latin groover "Mambotango", plus "The Old Castle", "La Cuna", and a sublime vocal remake of Stevie Wonder's "Pastime Paradise"! LP, Vinyl record album

Sweet 70s funk from George Benson – an album that's a bit smoother than some of his earlier work, but still free from the commercial polish of his later hits! Maestro David Matthews is at the helm for this session – and most numbers have a full backing from players who include some of the best of the CTI/Kudu generation – including Ronnie Foster and Bobby Lyle on keyboards, Joe Farrell on flute, Fred Wesley on trombone, Eric Gale on rhythm guitar, Dave Friedman on vibes, and Steve Gadd on drums – who manages to kick in a nicely funky undercurrent, even on some of the mellower numbers. George's guitar is filled with warmly chromatic hues – gliding away nicely on titles that include the slow funky "Em", plus "Siberian Workout", "Shell Of A Man", "Hold On I'm Coming", "One Rock Don't Make No Boulder", and "Theme From Good King Bad". LP, Vinyl record album

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

An unusual assortment of work from the great George Benson – pulled together from other sessions for CTI Records – featuring one studio track, and four more live numbers! The studio tune is George's take on the Stax Records classic "Hold On I'm Coming" – which Benson sings with almost as much vocal intensity on his own as Sam & Dave brought to the original – followed by a tight solo that really matches the funky 70s vibe of the arrangements. Next are four more tracks from the Carnegie Hall sessions – one of his hardest-hitting albums of the time! In a way, the record returns George to his early years at CTI – particularly the album Beyond The Blue Horizon – as the set's got a stripped down smaller group, working in a tight blend of electric jazzy bits that's very nice! Ronnie Foster lays down some great keyboards on the set, Hubert Laws is on flute, and George himself plays a hollow body with a nice soulful tone – stretching out on some straight jazz on most cuts, but also hitting a few of his smoother notes from the mid 70s. Titles include "Sky Dive", "Octane", "Summertime", and "Gone". LP, Vinyl record album

A stone classic from Kenny Burrell – a record that brought the guitarist to a whole new audience, with a wonderful sound that's a perfect summation of CTI at its best! The vibe here is perfect – spare, airy guitar lines from Burrell – playing with a freer style than usual, although with all of the deep soul of before – in ways that are a bit like the early Wes Montgomery material for CTI, but taken to the next level with a more sophisticated set of backdrops too! Don Sebesky handled arrangements, Freddie Hubbard solos alongside Kenny, and many track shave some mighty nice electric piano, too. Titles include funky track "Love Is The Answer", and mellower tunes "Child Is Born", "Do What You Gotta Do", and "Be Yourself". LP, Vinyl record album

A perfect complement to Paul's other early CTI album – From The Hot Afternoon – and like that one, this album's a swirling match of tracks that mix together bossa rhythms, jazzy orchestrations, and Desmond's impeccably sharp alto sax. Don Sebesky handled the arrangements, giving the album a slightly more moody sound than the other CTI set – and players include Airto, Mike Maineri, Ron Carter, Herbie Hancock, and Idris Muhammad (as Leo Morris). Titles include "North By Northwest", "Olvidar", "Samba With Some Barbeque", "Where Is Love?", and "Lady In Cement". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the best records ever cut by funky sax man Joe Farrell! The album's got a stripped down, choppy groove – virtually the blueprint for later 70s funk of this type, and played perfectly by Farrell and a very hip quartet lineup! Players include Joe on soprano and tenor sax, Herbie Hancock on keyboards, Stanley Clarke on bass, and Jack DeJohnette on drums – playing with a very angular sense of rhythm that really dives the record! The record's got a tight combo sound that's far more energetic than most CTI jazz from the time – and titles include the great cut "Great Gorge", which has a tight modal sample groove, plus "Times Lie", "Bass Folk Song", and "Moon Germs". LP, Vinyl record album

One of Joe Farrell's first LPs as a leader – and a stellar session that's easily one of the early high points for the legendary CTI label! Farrell had been making some great noise in the underground during the late 60s – but here, he bursts forth as one heck of a soulful cat – working on these great modal grooves that slide out wonderfully and really have a sense of flow – a style that's different than Joe's later material, but equally powerful! Part of the strength of the record comes from the lineup – a key quintet of like-mined up-and-comers that includes Chick Corea on keyboards, John McLaughlin on guitar, Dave Holland on bass, and Jack DeJohnette on drums – players who definitely know the farther reaches of jazz, yet hang just on the inside here with Joe – providing some amazing accompaniment for his lines on soprano, tenor, and flute. Titles include "Molten Glass", "Song Of The Wind", "Motion", "Follow Your Heart", and "Circle In The Square". LP, Vinyl record album

Baddest Hubbard or goodest Hubbard – whatever you prefer, the set's a great sampling of Freddie's incredible work for the CTI label during the early 70s! The album only features 4 tracks, but for CTI, Freddie was cutting them so long, that's the only way you could go – as his freewheeling approach to soul jazz really pushed the boundaries of the genre while he was working at the label – and which really pushed Hubbard's sound, too – into territory that nobody would have expected back in the 60s! Titles include the long original version of "Red Clay", plus the classic funk track "First Light", and mellower tunes "In A Mist" and "Here's That Rainy Day". LP, Vinyl record album

An amazing second CTI set from Freddie Hubbard – one that takes off nicely from Red Clay territory, and starts to hit an even funkier mode! The tracks here are all relatively long, with a huge amount of solo space for Freddie on trumpet, Joe Henderson on tenor, George Benson on guitar, and Herbie Hancock on piano. The title track "Straight Life" has a style that's quite searing and righteous at points – almost some of Freddie's boldest playing on record from the time. It's followed by an excellent take on Weldon Irvine's "Mr Clean" – one that's rompingly funky while still as righteous as the work on side long title track – played with some great electric piano from Herbie and sweet guitar lines from Benson. The set closes with a mellow take on "Here's That Rainy Day", played in a way that reminds us of Hubbard's more lyrical style – but still with plenty of CTI 70s overtones. LP, Vinyl record album

A sublime live moment from the CTI scene of the 70s – an album that brings together some of the label's best lead players, into a special live supergroup that stretches out in a mighty nice way! In case you ever though the CTI genius came from the studio production of Creed Taylor, think again – as the focus here is on the core group of instrumentalists – as they soar to the skies on these long tracks that are filled with massively freewheeling solos! Herbie Hancock plays Fender Rhodes, Freddie Hubbard is on trumpet, Eric Gale on guitar, and Stanley Turrentine on tenor – sounding harder here than on some of his other albums for the label – and rhythm is by Ron Carter on bass and Jack DeJohnette on drums, two players who are more than loose enough to keep things grooving but also give the soloists some space. Titles include two long takes on Herbie's freaky funky classic "Hornets", done in a hard-wailing style – and side two contains Freddie's "Gibraltar", more of a straight jazz track – but still done here with some excellent electric piano, and a tight soulful groove! LP, Vinyl record album

An excellent 70s set by Jackie & Roy – very different than their work of the 50s and 60s, with an approach that's much more far-reaching and complicated – a style that opens up their vocal talents majestically! Gone are the simpler ditties of earlier years, and in their place are warmly gliding numbers that open up to really unique vocal interplay – sometimes with Jackie in the lead, but other times trading back and forth with all the kind of complicated inflections you'd expect from early 70s CTI! Don Sebesky handled the arrangements with a great mix of spacey and breezy sounds – some slight electric touches at the bottom, but never in a way that makes the record too slick or smooth. Titles include a great version of "Bachinas Brasileiras #5", plus "Heading", "Summer Song", and "Lazy Afternoon". LP, Vinyl record album

Sweet 70s electric work from the great vibist Milt Jackson – a record that has him hitting some nicely moody modes, and in a spacious style that's almost a 70s remake of the energy of the Modern Jazz Quartet! Cedar Walton plays piano and Fender Rhodes – and Hubert Laws is in the group on flute – providing these lyrical lines next to Milt's more understated vibes – in a setting that's almost got the same sense of space and timing as some of Laws' records from the period – bigger ideas at play, but never too complicated – really flowing with a subtle sense of sound and tone. Freddie Hubbard plays guest trumpet on the track "SKJ" – the hardest-hitting number on the set – and other titles include "Opus De Funk", "Detour Ahead","Goodbye", and "Old Devil Moon". LP, Vinyl record album

A landmark record – not only for Bob James, but a seminal release for CTI and the Fender Rhodes as well! This is the album where all the magic starts – the first of many extremely successful albums that Bob recorded during the 70s under his own name, and almost the birthplace of the modern hip hop keyboard sample line! The album's stuffed with great numbers – including a sublime reading of "Feel Like Making Love", and the classic "Nautilus" – a slow, dark, funky tune that's worth the price of the album alone! Other tracks include "Valley Of The Shadows", "Night On Bald Mountain", and "Soulero". LP, Vinyl record album

A truly fantastic record, and one that's become the stuff of legend over the years – a rare CTI album that was only ever issued in Japan – and which may well be one of the coolest sessions recorded during the A&M years of the label! Trombonists JJ Johnson and Kai Winding had recorded two other records for CTI during the period – both great – but this set has them stretching out in this really expansive mode that's completely unique – long tracks put together with complicated arrangements that really blow away anything else they ever did – funky, soulful, but also moving towards higher ideals too – a fantastic testament to the newfound arranging skills of Johnson, who handled most of the record. The group also features some amazing keyboard work from both Herbie Hancock and Bob James – who get plenty of room to roam – plus guitar from George Benson, bass from Ron Carter, and drums from Grady Tate – a superb lineup who really make the whole thing shine. The depth of this music is hard to describe in words, but the whole thing's wonderful – and the set features just four long tracks – "Dontcha Hear Me Callin To Ya", "Musings", "Mojo", and "Recollections". LP, Vinyl record album

A pivotal album not just in the career of Quincy Jones, but in the development of the CTI Records sound as well – as this all-star effort is a perfect blend of all the hippest currents that were cooking up in the scene at the time! At one level, the record has Quincy taking back some of the sophisticated currents he was developing in soundtrack work of the 60s, but moving back to jazz – more groove than before, and more of a sense of space and timing – which is carried off by an excellent lineup that features plenty of electric piano from Bob James, plus work from Hubert Laws on flute, Eric Gale on guitar, Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, and Toots Thielemans on guitar and harmonica. There's also added soulful vocals at a few points too – more chorus than lyrics, at a level that hints at the jazz/soul crossovers that Quincy would do in the 70s – on a set of tracks that's completely sublime, with titles that include "Killer Joe", "Dead End", "Walking In Space", and "Love & Peace". LP, Vinyl record album

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

One of the coolest, grooviest albums we've ever heard from arranger David Matthews – a set that draws inspiration from Frank Herbert's Dune, and sends Dave out into space with a whole bunch of sci fi-tinged funky numbers! Matthews has already had plenty of CTI arranging experience by the time of this set – but he really moves into some unusual space with the record – open, evocative tunes that really live up to their inspiration, but also have some of Dave's funky touches too. Matthews gets help from an all-star lineup of CTI players – including Grover Washington on reeds and Eric Gale on guitar – and titles include the massive funk track "Sandworms", plus "Song Of The Bene Gesserit", "Silent Running", "Arrakis", and "Space Oddity". LP, Vinyl record album

A surprisingly wonderful 70s meeting between Gerry Mulligan & Chet Baker – recorded live, with sweet electric touches from CTI – in a style that shouldn't work so well, but which really comes off great! The approach is simple – Mulligan and Baker solo in a manner that's a bit like their 50s work, but which also unfolds more than usual with backing from a group that includes Bob James on electric piano, Ron Carter on bass, John Scofield on guitar, and Harvey Mason on drums. Tracks are long, with lots of space – hanging in a beautiful balance between electric and acoustic sounds. Titles include "Line For Lyons", "Song For An Unfinished Woman", "Song For Strayhorn" and Baker's favorite standard "My Funny Valentine". LP, Vinyl record album

Electric 70s work from Lalo Schifrin – with a tight uptempo funky sound that's similar to his strong "cop show" soundtrack themes of the time! This album's a pretty great testament to Lalo's durability as one of the great composer arrangers – sublime stuff from the late 70s, and a record that really works nicely alongside Schifrin's music for films. Lalo's got a great crew for the set, too – including Joe Farrell and Jeremy Steig on flute, Eric Gale on guitar, Anthony Jackson on bass, Steve Gadd and Andrew Smith on drums, accompaniment on keys by Chuck Spangler and a host of others! Titles include "Eagles In Love", "Macumba", "Theme From Most Wanted", "Theme From King Kong", and "Roller Coaster". LP, Vinyl record album

A great little album of jazzy soul – the second that Seawind cut for CTI, and very much an extension of the first! The album's got a breezy west coast fusion sound – kind of like work that was coming out of Fantasy Records, or some of the more obscure independent fusion albums at the time. Pauline Wilson sings lead vocals on most cuts – with a sound that's somewhere between Patti Austin and Lani Hall, flanged-out to give the record a great 70s sound, an approach that works well with the sweetly jazzy style of the instrumentation. Harvey Mason produced – and titles include "One Sweet Night", "Campanas De Invierno", "Window Of A Child", "Countin The Days", "Angel Of Mercy", "Lovin You", and "Do Listen To". LP, Vinyl record album

Wonderful work from guitarist Gabor Szabo – a record that really helped to shift his sound and style into the 70s! The groove here is often open and free – taking off from some of the exoticism of Gabor's 60s albums on Impulse and Skye, but with a bit more of the CTI electric groove – thanks to arrangements from Bob James, who also plays keyboards on the set! The mix of Gabor's exotic tones and the deeper groove of CTI is a surprisingly great blend – and really helps to open up the guitarist's sound for a whole new generation. Drums are by Billy Cobham and Jack DeJohnette, who's especially funky on the great track "Thirteen" – and titles also include a great cover of "Summer Breeze", and the cuts "Mizrab", and "Concerto". LP, Vinyl record album

Stanley Turrentine meets Bob James – on a record that's one of the 70s classics on CTI! Bob James handles the arrangements – with that laidback, mellowfunky approach to jazz that he helped pioneer at the time – lots of modal chords in the rhythms, and these wonderfully soulful solos by the great Stan himself! James plays keyboards on the set – and Harold Mabern adds some piano too – and the lineup also includes the mighty Eric Gale on guitar, and Idris Muhammad on drums. Titles include the great title cut – a remake of Marvin Gaye's "Don't Mess With Mister T", plus "Too Blue", "Two For T", and "I Could Never Repay Your Love". LP, Vinyl record album

An amazing album from Stanley Turrentine – quite different than most of his other sessions for CTI, but in a really great way! Stan's playing here with arrangements from Deodato – in a swirling, Brazilian jazz influenced mode that's similar to their work together with Astrud Gilberto on her CTI album – save for the fact that this set's all instrumental, with Turrentine's tenor in the frontline! The sound is wonderful – soaring, swirling, and plenty darn soulful when Stan's tenor comes into play – and in a way, the album's almost an instrumental companion to the Gilberto CTI album. Instrumentation includes some great keyboards from Deodato and Richard Tee – plus guitar from Eric Gale – and tracks include "Gibraltar", "Salt Song", "I Haven't Got Anything Better To Do", and "Storm". LP, Vinyl record album

A classic set from Stanley "Sugar Man" Turrentine – a nickname the reedman had at the time, given the success of his famous CTI Records version of "Sugar"! This set follows in that same great mode – jazzy, but a bit funky too – although couched with this gentle sense of soul that's perfect for that spacious style of soloing that Turrentine perfected over the years – a way of blowing openly, and without too much fuss – but managing to hit all the right notes along the way! There's a great glow to the whole record – an excellent easygoing sense of soul – and titles include an incredible reading of "Vera Cruz", done with Deodato on piano, and at a breakaway speed that's just great, and worth the price of the record alone! Other tracks feature piano by Harold Mabern or organ by Butch Cornell – and titles include "The Stretch", "Just As I Am", and "Pieces Of Dreams". LP, Vinyl record album

A great little collection of tunes on the CTI, Kudu, and Salvation labels – all owned by Creed Taylor during the height of his powers during the mid 70. There's a range of soulful and funky tunes on the album – and titles include "First Light" by Freddie Hubbard, "Supership" by George Benson, "Chicago Theme" by Hubert Laws, "Such A Night" by Esther Philips, "Mister Magic" by Grover Washington, "I Told Jesus" by Stanley Turrentine, and "Feel Like Making Love" by Bob James, LP, Vinyl record album

One of our favorite projects from the early years of Chris & Cosey – music done for a video release, but still very much like their own studio records of the time – yet with less vocals, and more sonic elements in the mix – so that the whole thing feels like a rare nugget from the farther reaches of the cold wave years! As with Cabaret Voltaire and some of their other contemporaries, music for videos and films always really seemed to open up different sides of the electronic artists of the period – elements that sometimes brought in a richer sense of feeling, but also a greater sense of freedom too – as they were shifting their sounds for the images, not the confines of a vocal tune. That's definitely the case here – served up on tunes that include "Wellspring Of Life", "The Final Calling", "Dancing Ghosts", "Meeting Mr Evans", "Temple Bar", and "Invisible Spectrum". LP, Vinyl record album

A brilliant return to Montreux from Bill Evans – working here with a trio that includes some killer bass work by Eddie Gomez! The set's an acoustic one – despite its appearance on electric powerhouse CTI – but Evans' work on the piano has an electricity that's all its own, magically crafting waves and shapes of sound and tone. And despite the CTI setting, there's a nicely spacious sound to the way the album was recorded – one that's got a bit less of the "perfection" than on some of Bill's other 70s live dates – a sense of humanity that comes through wonderfully, and which makes this one a very special record! Titles include "Very Early", "34 Skidoo", "Israel", and "Peri's Scope". LP, Vinyl record album

A sublime little set from the legendary Dave Frishberg – his first vocal effort ever, and quite different than most of his later work! At the time of the record, Frishberg was a songwriter who penned such underground hipster jazz vocalist classics as "I'm Hip" and "Peel Me A Grape" – and the set has a clever, laidback feel that's very much in the spirit of those two great tunes – Dave singing and playing electric piano, clavinet, and organ – with some great jazzy touches by a group that includes Al Cohn on tenor, Bill Berry on trumpet, and Garnett Brown on trombone. There's a nicely offbeat feel to the record – both the tunes and the vocals – that reminds us a lot of the work of Bob Dorough – and part of this may have to do with the fact that Dorough cronie Stuart Scharf played guitar on the album. But the real genius is up to Frishberg, who's clever without being cloying – witty without ever being full of himself – and incredibly charming in the way he delivers the lyrics with a simple, honest approach. Titles include "The Prophet Of Doom", "Oklahoma Toad", "One Horse Town", "Van Lingle Mungo", "The Secret Of Successd", "Wallflower Lonely Cornflower Blue", and "Nasty Nasty Habit". LP, Vinyl record album

A truly fantastic record, and one that's become the stuff of legend over the years – a rare CTI album that was only ever issued in Japan – and which may well be one of the coolest sessions recorded during the A&M years of the label! Trombonists JJ Johnson and Kai Winding had recorded two other records for CTI during the period – both great – but this set has them stretching out in this really expansive mode that's completely unique – long tracks put together with complicated arrangements that really blow away anything else they ever did – funky, soulful, but also moving towards higher ideals too – a fantastic testament to the newfound arranging skills of Johnson, who handled most of the record. The group also features some amazing keyboard work from both Herbie Hancock and Bob James – who get plenty of room to roam – plus guitar from George Benson, bass from Ron Carter, and drums from Grady Tate – a superb lineup who really make the whole thing shine. The depth of this music is hard to describe in words, but the whole thing's wonderful – and the set features just four long tracks – "Dontcha Hear Me Callin To Ya", "Musings", "Mojo", and "Recollections". LP, Vinyl record album

A groundbreaking record from flautist Hubert Laws – a mixture of classical themes and jazz, handled with an airy CTI approach – and set to arrangements by Don Sebesky that are simply mindblowing! The album's a wonderful example of the way that CTI really pushed the boundaries of instrumental expression in the 70s – taking Laws wonderfully breathy work on flute, and mixing it with some well-crafted backings that also feature electric piano by Bob James, bass by Ron Carter, and percussion by Airto and Jack DeJohnette. The larger group is handled by Sebesky, who really brings some magic to the record – a sense of sound, space, and timing that's still a heck of a lot more mature and sophisticated than most instrumental recordings coming out today! Titles include "Syrinx", "Rite Of Spring", "Brandenburg Concerto No 3", and "Pavane". LP, Vinyl record album

A surprisingly wonderful 70s meeting between Gerry Mulligan & Chet Baker – recorded live, with sweet electric touches from CTI – in a style that shouldn't work so well, but which really comes off great! The approach is simple – Mulligan and Baker solo in a manner that's a bit like their 50s work, but which also unfolds more than usual with backing from a group that includes Bob James on electric piano, Ron Carter on bass, John Scofield on guitar, and Harvey Mason on drums. Tracks are long, with lots of space – hanging in a beautiful balance between electric and acoustic sounds. Titles include "It's Sandy At The Beach", "Bernie's Tune", "K-4 Pacific" and "There Will Never Be Another You". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the best CTI albums from the early 70s – and one of Stanley Turrentine's funkiest records as well! The album's got a sharper edge than most other Turrentine albums of the time – a quality that goes beyond Stan's already soulful approach to the tenor, and which brings in some tight changes and more pronounced rhythms that really give the best cuts a great groove! The group's a sextet – with Bob James on electric piano, Milt Jackson on vibes, Cornell Dupree on guitar, Ron Carter on bass, and Billy Cobham on drums – and titles include a monster version of Weldon Irvine's "Sister Sanctified" – a great funk tune that's probably best known as the sample for "My Philosophy" by BDP! Other tracks include "Speedball", "Cherry", and "The Revs". LP, Vinyl record album