Music from Teru, Chief, Tensei, Jeriko Jackson, MonkeyRobot, Buscrates, FloydCheung, Doc Illingsworth, Evil Needle, Tall Black Guy & more LP, Vinyl record album

The classic Scott La Rock tribute album – with BDP classics and remixes – originally issued as a 2LP set that was put together following the South Bronx-repping hip hop pioneer's shooting death. Alternate versions, remixes and BDP medley's from their most classic late 80s period. 15 tracks in all: "Advance", "D Nice Rocks The House", "Red Alert (Criminal Minded)", 'Doc Mix (Criminal Minded)", "Super Hoe #4", "Word From Our Sponsor #8", "BDP Medley #5", "Poetry" (#s 1, 2 & 3)" and lots more! LP, Vinyl record album

Features Tony Mottola on guitar, Doc Severinsen on trumpet, Phil Bodner on saxophone, and Eddie Costa on vibes. LP, Vinyl record album

Prime Hag, recorded during his peak song writing years in the early 70s, and one of the better LPs recorded with the Strangers! Merle's in his gentler story song mode for much of the record, but with driving Bakersfield honky tonk sound to keep things moving at a tight clip. Haggard penned several of the tunes, including "Daddy Frank (The Guitar Man)", "Turnin' Off A Memory" and "Irma Jackson", but nods to Tommy Collins and Bob Wills for the Bakersfield style stompers – including "Bring It On To My House, Honey", "Wildwood Flower", and "The Funeral", plus Red Foley's great "Old Doc Brown". LP, Vinyl record album

Great small group backing – with arrangements from pianist Claude Hopkins, plus tenor from Coleman Hawkins, trumpet from Doc Cheatham, and clarinet from Buster Bailey! LP, Vinyl record album

A collection of tracks from three sessions in 1947, with Miles Davis on trumpet, Lucky Thompson on tenor, Duke Jordan, Erroll Garner, and Dodo Marmarosa on piano, Red Callendar, Tommy Potter, and Vic McMillan on bass, and Doc West, Max Roach, and Roy Porter on drums. Titles include "Moose The Moochie", "Yardbird Suite", "Ornithology", "Night In Tunisia", "Embraceable You", "My Old Flame" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

The famous full length debut of Snoop Dogg – and a record that forever set the tone for hip hop on the west coast! Some might argue that Dr Dre's Chronic was a lynchpin set – but Snoop's work on that set led to this one – and a moment where the underground scene was able to burst into superstardom – at a level that, all these many years later, would have stunned any one in LA back in the 90s! Yet that later commercial fame and constant TV appearances is a long way off – and Snoop's very much a man of the streets on this set – and as generous to others as Dre was to him, opening the door to feature DOC, Tha Dogg Pound, Warren G, Kurupt, Lady Of Rage, Nate Dogg, and others. Dre produced – and titles include "Bathtub", "G Funk Intro", "Gin And Juice", "Tha Shiznit", "Lodi Dodi", "Murder Was The Case", "Serial Killa", "Who Am I", "For All My Niggaz & Bitches", "Aint No Fun", "Doggy Dogg World", "GZ and Hustlas", and "Pump Pump". This version includes the later-deleted "GZ Up Hoes Down". LP, Vinyl record album

With Odetta, Ian & Sylvia, Joan Baez, Doc Watson, Weavers, Mississippi John Hurt, and more. LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic collection of work from a real golden age in hip hop – a period that you'll probably guess from the image of the Native Tongues posse on the front – served up here in a compilation that brings together classics from De La Soul, The Jungle Brothers, Monie Love, and many others! The set list is superb – and while most of the tracks are well-remembered gems, and not the kind of rare cuts we usually hear from Ace Records – taken together, they're a tremendous reminder of a time when hip hop really came alive – bursting with wit, wisdom, and a whole new sense of musical imagination! As usual with Ace, the liner notes and other details are great – making this way more than just a slap-dash mix of hits – and titles include "You're Not Coming Home (Mase's funkay recall mix)" by Groove Garden, "Age Ain't Nothin But A #" by Chi Ali, "Bonita Applebum" by Tribe Called Quest, "Sunshine Men" by Freestyle Fellowship, "Peachfuzz" by KMD, "K Sera Sera" by Justin Warfield, "It's A Shame" by Monie Love, "Doin Our Own Dang" by Jungle Brothers, "OPP" by Naughty By Nature, "Doowutchyalike" by Digital Underground, "A Roller Skating Jam Named Saturdays" by De La Soul, "The Choice Is Yours" by Black Sheep, "All For One" by Brand Nubian, "My Definition Of A Boombastic Jazz Style" by Dream Warriors, "Mama Gave Birth To The Soul Children" by Queen Latifah with De La Soul, "Where I'm From" by Digable Planets, and "We Run Things (It's Like Dat)" by Da Bush Babees. LP features two bonus tracks – "Case Of The PTA" by Leaders Of The New School and "What's Up Doc (K-Cut's fat trac rmx)" by Fu Schnickens. LP, Vinyl record album

An early gem on the German Selected Sound library series – one that features work by a number of different artists, and is all the groovier because of that! Hardy's Jet Band dominate the first part of the album – and turn in these killer cuts that mix together fuzzy guitar and funky grooves, with a very cool psychedelic style! That approach continues a bit on the other tracks – equally cool and trippy electric work by Klaus Wuestoff, Jan Troysen, and Gary Pacific – who each get a few tracks on the record! The whole thing's great – even better than later Selected Sound albums – and titles include "Lady In Space", "Big Beat", "Sorry Doc", "Blue Butterfly", "What You Call To Be Free", "Pop Happening", "Ghetto Gap", "Soft Wind", and "A Blue Message". LP, Vinyl record album

Jamie 3:26 bills himself as "the next level of house" – and that definitely feels like the case here, as the Chicago DJ serves up very long edits and mixes of a host of great tracks – one club cut from the mid 70s, Chicago house classics from the late 80s, and a few underground tracks from more recent years! Jamie really brings a lot to the music here – emphasizing the greatness of the tunes in ways that we never would have expected, yet still keeping the genius of the originals intact – at a level that finally gives the rest of the world a chance to hear what he can bring to a well-crafted set on the dancefloor! Titles include "Venus & Mars (Jamie 3:26 edit)" by BSTC, "Comin On Strong (Jamie 3:26 basement edit)" by Calendar, "It's House (Jamie's basement edit)" by Chip E, "Jungle (Jamie's jungle sounds edit)" by Jungle Wonz, "Lesson (Doc Brucio's orig mix – Jamie 3:26 edit)" by Mighty Science, "Mind Games (underground mix – Jamie 3:26 edit)" by Quest, and "Stomps N Shouts (Jamie 3:26 edit)" by Braxton Holmes. LP, Vinyl record album

A warmly acoustic set from Ron Carter – an early 80s album for Elektra that continues the great run of work as a leader he first began in the 70s! The format here is quite laidback and unassuming – a piano-less group that has Ron's work on bass right out front in the mix – supported with drums from Tony Williams, who certainly shows off his freer roots, but with that "back to the inside" quality that made some of his work from the time so compelling. Saxophonist Bill Evans punctuates some of the tunes with a nice sense of sharpness, and Art Farmer's flugelhorn completes the quartet with a warmly searching sort of feel. Titles include "Rufus", "Echoes", "Doctor's Row", "Last Resort", and "Bottoms Up". LP, Vinyl record album

Recorded at Muscle Shoals Sound, the studio referenced in the title of the album, and presented in a wonderful cover image that has Cher standing outside the tiny facility with a host of legendary studio players that include Eddie Hinton, Jimmy Johnson, Barry Beckett, and Roger Hawkins! Sonny's also standing in the crowd in the photo, but he's as in the background as he is on this set – as Cher's singing alone in a soul-styled mode that's befits the setting of the album. Titles include a funky take on "I Walk On Guilded Splinters", plus "For What It's Worth", "Cry Like A Baby", "Save The Children", "Do Right Woman", and "Dock Of The Bay". Plus, the 2LP set features a huge amount of bonus tracks – 11 more numbers from a whole second Muscle Shoals album, but which was never issued – with titles that include "Momma Look Sharp", "Chastity's Song", "It Gets Me Where I Want To Go", "Easy To Be Hard", "I Believe", "You've Made Me So Very Happy", and "The First Time". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the weirdest Don Cherry albums you'll ever hope to hear – and that's saying a lot, given the range of incredible albums the man has given us over the years! The music here was recorded for a French film based on the music, poetry, and "antics" of Cherry – done in the Saravah Records studios in 1969, around the same time as Cherry's albums for the BYG/Actuel label on the Paris scene – but with a much looser, more freewheeling vibe overall! The first side of the record features music done with Karl Berger – in a mix of piano, percussion, wood flutes, electronics, and pocket trumpet – shifting many times in terms of tone and spirit, with Cherry at his most organic. Side two features most of the same music, but with Anthony Braxton joining in – as well as poetry at some parts – in the complete edit that was used in the film. A fantastic document in so many ways – of the musicians, of post-68 Paris, and even of European avant cinema! LP, Vinyl record album

Leonard Cohen's first live album, featuring material captured in London, Brussels, Paris and Berlin in 1972, plus a couple of recordings from 1970 – including Cohen's legendary appearance at Isle Of Wight! Live Songs never really got its due respect in its day, but it's pretty much an essential document of Cohen's transition from poet turned recording artist into a poet turned guitar wielding troubadour – and excellent stuff even without the slow building cultural relevance. Essential Cohen! Titles include "Passing Thru", "Bird On The Wire", "Nancy", "Improvisation", "Story Of Isaac", "Please Don't Pass Me By", "Tonight Will Be Fine", "Queen Victoria" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

That's quite an image on the cover, and Curly Castro follows through strongly with all the Afro-Futurist expectations it might trigger – not just in his words, but in the way the album comes together – as some sort of a moody, unified document – powerful words in the frontline, but all this sort of darkly shimmering static at the back! The intensity of the record never lets up, and contributions from Billy Woods, Mr Lif, Margel The Sophant, and Breeze Brewin only seem to add fuel to the fire – on tracks that include "Kill Her Priest", "Freehuey Fitteds", "Killmonger Was Right", "Khujo Taught Me", "Bleek Shadows", "F Stands For Hampton", "Black August", "Weapon 13X", and "Raynathan & Romello". LP, Vinyl record album

A great set – cut when Curson was at the height of his youthful powers, and inspired by modernist ideas he'd picked up from Mingus and other contemporary jazz outsiders – including tenorist Bill Barron, who also plays on the LP! The recording is a perfect document of a time when the hard bop was folding into the new thing – in modes that were experimentally, yet never too far out – and always remembering to swing when needed, as in the case of some of Jackie McLean's best Blue Note work of the early 60s! The album's quite an obscure one – given to its original issue on the mostly-pop Old Town label – but it's a real gem in Curson's catalog, and includes the tracks "Antibes", "Nosruc", "Ahma (See Ya)", and "Flatted Fifth", a composition that went on to become one of Curson's classics! LP, Vinyl record album

A rare document of this unique project from trumpeter Ted Daniel – one of his strongest contributions to the New York scene of the time, even though the group never left behind much of their legacy on record! The ensemble is a large spiritual avant ensemble – a bit like the Music Inc band of Charles Tolliver, but often a lot more outside overall – with searing solo work from musicians who include Joe Rigby on tenor and sopranino saxes, Chris Capers on trumpet, baritone from Pablo Calogero, and John Betsch on percussion – plus a bit of vocals from Mary Driscoll. The tape of this performance that survived is a bit thin, but the magic of the music really comes through as you let your ears open up – on titles that include great versions of "Upper & Lower Egypt" and "Naima" – plus "Asagyefo", "Greetings", "Song Of The Salsa Spaceman", "Module", and "Dream Deferred". LP, Vinyl record album

The first solo set that Dr Dre cut after leaving NWA – and a record that not only set the tone for his solo career, but also for a huge run of albums from other folks in the years to come! Dre's as much of a production genius as he is a frontman here – really pushing forward some of the best elements he brought to the music of NWA, and also providing a great showcase for the young Snoop Dogg too! And yes, there were so many other records that tried to hit this territory right afterwards, and ended up more in the realm of parody – but the doctor really stays ahead of the pack here throughout, with a record that holds up surprisingly well over the years. Titles include the cuts "F**k Wit Dre Day", "Let Me Ride", "Nuthin' But A G Thang", "Lil Ghetto Boy", "A N***a Witta Gun", "B!tches Ain't Sh!t", "The Chronic", "Deeez Nuts", and "Stranded On Death Row". LP, Vinyl record album

The first solo set that Dr Dre cut after leaving NWA – and a record that not only set the tone for his solo career, but also for a huge run of albums from other folks in the years to come! Dre's as much of a production genius as he is a frontman here – really pushing forward some of the best elements he brought to the music of NWA, and also providing a great showcase for the young Snoop Dogg too! And yes, there were so many other records that tried to hit this territory right afterwards, and ended up more in the realm of parody – but the doctor really stays ahead of the pack here throughout, with a record that holds up surprisingly well over the years. Titles include the cuts "F**k Wit Dre Day", "Let Me Ride", "Nuthin' But A G Thang", "Lil Ghetto Boy", "A N***a Witta Gun", "B!tches Ain't Sh!t", "The Chronic", "Deeez Nuts", and "Stranded On Death Row". LP, Vinyl record album

The great Dr John at his freaky deaky best – working here in a mindblowing mix of New Orleans roots and late 60s psych – all served up in some heady studio space and instrumental touches! The sound's unlike anything that ever went before – and is way better here than on some of John's later, straighter material – clearly the work of years of creative genius, as the Doctor, Mac Rebennack, draws on both his heritage from the Crescent City, and his years of work in the underground rock scene in LA! Harold Batiste handled the arrangements – and the record really paves the way for so many famous LA/New Orleans albums to come in the 70s – but never with results this mindblowingly trippy. The tracks are wild, funky, and messed-up New Orleans R&B filtered through a heavy dose of psychedelics – and titles include "Mama Roux", "Croker Courtbullion", "Gris Gris Gumbo Ya Ya", and the original version of "I Walk On Guilded Splinters". LP, Vinyl record album

The great Dr John at his freaky deaky best – working here in a mindblowing mix of New Orleans roots and late 60s psych – all served up in some heady studio space and instrumental touches! The sound's unlike anything that ever went before – and is way better here than on some of John's later, straighter material – clearly the work of years of creative genius, as the Doctor, Mac Rebennack, draws on both his heritage from the Crescent City, and his years of work in the underground rock scene in LA! Harold Batiste handled the arrangements – and the record really paves the way for so many famous LA/New Orleans albums to come in the 70s – but never with results this mindblowingly trippy. The tracks are wild, funky, and messed-up New Orleans R&B filtered through a heavy dose of psychedelics – and titles include "Mama Roux", "Croker Courtbullion", "Gris Gris Gumbo Ya Ya", and the original version of "I Walk On Guilded Splinters". LP, Vinyl record album

With Joe Benjamin on bass, Sam Woodyard on drums, Harold Shorty Baker, Willie Cook, and Clark Terry on trumpets, Ray Nance on cornet, Quentin Jackson, Britt Woodman, John Sanders, and Johnny Hodges on alto, Russell Procope and Jimmy Hamilton on alto and clarinet, Paul Gonsalves on tenor, and Harry Carney on baritone and bass clarinet. LP, Vinyl record album

Amazing later work from Booker Ervin – far more modern and far-reaching than you'd guess from the "Texas" title in the set! Although Ervin first came onto the scene as a strong-voiced tenorist from a Texas tradition, through the course of the 60s he'd really expanded his musical vision – working with Charles Mingus, Jaki Byard, and others to push his already-soulful sound into a freer-thinking mode that was one of the most compelling approaches to tenor at the time. And while this change had been documented on some key sides for Prestige and World Pacific at the time, this rare 1968 session for Blue Note is perhaps one of the best of the bunch – but oddly was somehow never issued at the time, and only made a brief appearance in 1976, as part of a 2LP set. Ervin's working here with a totally hip group – one that has Woody Shaw in the frontline on trumpet, and a rhythm team of Kenny Barron on piano, Jan Arnet on bass, and Billy Higgins on drums – all grooving with Ervin in styles that recall the modal vamping and soaring energy that Shaw would later bring to his own solo work in the 70s. Tracks are all longish, and filled with a sense of life and exploration that shows that Ervin was growing tremendously in this last stretch of his all-too-short life – never too free, always in control, yet roaming the skies in search of new notes and sounds! Titles include "Gichi", "Den Tex", "Lynn's Tune", "204", and an early version of Shaw's "In A Capricornian Way". LP, Vinyl record album

An amazing record! By all rights, this shouldn't be so good – but it's an incredible album of haunting tracks that really has us coming back again and again over the years. The formula is simple: Jose plays late 60s pop tunes on acoustic guitar, and sings them in his spacey soulful voice. Backings are by George Tipton, plus a jazz combo made up of Jim Horn, Ray Brown, and Milt Holland – but it's Jose that really makes the whole thing amazing! His style of presentation is like anything else we can describe – filled with sadness and soul, but enough joy to keep moving forward. He takes tracks like "Light My Fire", "In My Life", "Sunny", and "California Dreamin", and transforms them into an amazing document of the darkness hidden behind the sun of southern California. "California Dreamin" is especially amazing – and Jose's version is one of the best soul songs of all time! LP, Vinyl record album

Great stuff from Sonny Fortune – emerging here as a strong leader with a spiritual soulful style that was steeped in traditions from labels like Strata East and Muse, but which also worked quite well in the slightly-expanded setting of A&M's Horizon projects. The group here is a well-selected one – with John Hicks and Kenny Barron on piano, Charles Sullivan on trumpet, Wayne Dockery and Reggie Workman on bass, and Billy Hart on drums. Fortune really knows when to sit back and let the group groove – but he also burns away strongly on his own solos. Titles include "Triple Threat", "Nommo", "Sunshower", and "Awakening". LP, Vinyl record album

A very different record than the first collaboration between Stan Getz & Joao Gilberto – but that's also one of the things that makes it great! The album's more of a split LP than a shared one – as side one features a live performance from the great mid 60s Stan Getz quartet that featured Gary Burton on vibes – a wonderfully cool combo that was very under-documented on record, and which makes a key appearance here. The combination of Burton's vibes and Stan's tenor is pure genius – a sound that's got all the subtle hues and cool colors of the Getz bossa recordings, but which is quite different overall. Stan's tone is amazing on these tunes – and titles include "Here's That Rainy Day", "Tonight I Shall Sleep With A Smile On My Face", "Grandfather's Waltz", and "Stan's Blues". Side two features Joao Gilberto without Stan – playing in a very groovy trio that's more straight bossa than most of his other US recordings – cool small combo grooving that's totally great! The lineup features Gilberto on guitar and vocals, Keeter Betts on bass, and Helcio Milito on drums – all working in a sweetly grooving mode on titles that include "Samba De Minha Terra", "Meditation", "Bim Bom", "Rosa Moreno", and "O Pato". LP, Vinyl record album

Not the famous Verve Records pairing of Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker – but instead a more obscure live date from 1947, but one that really lets you hear the genius that happens when both players take the stage! The tunes have this approach that really hits at the most creative side of bop at the time – maybe even more open, expressive, and filled with larger ideas than some of the early singles that were coming out in 1947 – in a way that makes the whole thing a really important document of the complexity that was in the music, right from the start. The pair really stretch out on a fantastic two part reading of "Night In Tunisia (parts 1 & 2)", then soar through "Groovin High (parts 1 & 2)", "Confirmation", and "Dizzy Atmosphere". The second half of the set features some more live material, but just with Dizzy Gillespie in the lead, from 1953 – with Bill Graham on alto and baritone, plus a bit of vocals from Joe Carroll. Titles include "School Days", "Swing Low Sweet Cadillac", and "Tin Tin Deo". LP, Vinyl record album

A record that really takes on the "phasing" in the title seriously – as it uses all sorts of cool effects to create a special magic with simple sounds – all while managing to serve up some great funky nuggets too! The record's a masterpiece in both sound library instrumentation and inventive studio percussion – as the great Michel Gonet serves up themes that might have been used originally on 70s TV, but which maybe come across in styles that are a lot more trippy and groovy too – more like funk cuts that you'd hear on Doctor Who than anything that might crop up on the daily news! Titles on this first volume include a few variations on most themes – including "Light In The Rains", "Mondial Scoop", "Soul Cathedral", "Mephisto Jet", "Mecanic Bird Song", and "Moon To Light". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the best-ever documents of the young genius of tenorist Wardell Gray – exactly the kind of music that shows why he was one of the biggest and best of the bop saxophonists – before he was taken away from us all too soon! The material here was originally issued on 78s or 45s, and comes together as a great full length representation of Gray at his best – and on this second volume, Wardell works in some bigger groups on great long tracks with a nicely jamming feel! Players include Sonny Criss on alto, Art Farmer and Clark Terry on trumpet, Dexter Gordon on tenor, and Hampton Hawes on piano – and titles include "Move", "Scrapple From The Apple", "Lover", "Farmer's Market", "April Skies", "Jackie", and "Sweet & Lovely". LP, Vinyl record album

Features arrangements by Wagner Tiso – and titles that include "O Sal Da Terra", "Boa Sorte", "Rio Doce", "Contos Da Lua Vaga", "Quatro", "Sete Flautas", "Dona Julia", and "Cancao Do Novo Mundo". LP, Vinyl record album

A very very cool live set from the great tenorist Tubby Hayes – one that has him working in an unusual quartet with Louis Stewart on guitar – a setting that makes a really nice change for Hayes! The track are all very long and open – three of the four are past the ten minute mark – and Stewart's guitar often provides this rhythmic comping while Tubby solos – creating blocks of chromatic sound that make for a wonderful counterpart to the sharper, soulful lines from Hayes as he creates with the sort of non-stop energy we love in his live performances. The rest of the group includes Kenny Baldock on bass and Spike Wells on drums – and titles include "The Syndicate", "Gingerbread Boy", "The Inner Splurge", and "The Gentle Rain". LP, Vinyl record album

Raw genius from Smokey Hogg – a set of recordings originally issued as singles for the Modern/RPM label, brought together here to make one of the few full length documents of Hogg's talents from the time! Smokey sings here with spare acoustic guitar on most tracks, and a bit of piano added in on some others – but all with a very lean, very rootsy vibe that reflects his rural roots, and which is especially resonant with Lightning Hopkins on the piano-less tunes! Titles include "I Got Your Picture", "Goin Back To Chicago", "Coming Back Home To You Again", "You Can't Keep Your Business Straight", "Look In Your Eyes Pretty Mama", and "It's Raining Here". LP, Vinyl record album

Totally wonderful work from this overlooked 60s duo – Jon Abdnor and Javonne Braga – a pair who recorded for the very cool underground pop powerhouse Abnak Records, and have this rough-edged quality that really makes the music wonderful all the way through! The style is as groovy and pop psych as you might expect from the image on the cover – but there's a particular sort of execution here that really makes the music stand out – in part a sense of male/female vocal pairing that has all the unique charms of a Lee Hazlewood project, but more rough around the edges – so much so at some times they almost come across like John Doe and Exene singing on early records by X. A tremendous treat throughout – with titles that include "Gift Of Love", "You Don't Care", "How Come", "I Want Some More", "Thursday Morning", "Drums", "Doctor Jon The Medicine Man", and "Truly Truly True". LP, Vinyl record album

Kendrick Lamarr waited quite a long time to give the world a follow-up to his classic DAMN – and for good reason too, as the rapper's been on a long personal journey that's documented strongly on the record! The Kendrick heard here is much more introspective than before – and that's saying a lot, given his previous approach – and tunes here deal with issues of personal struggle, healing, and redemption – but all with the kind of sharp edges and sense of fragility that keeps the record from ever feeling to smug or full of itself. Opinions started flying about the record right from the start, and there's plenty here to build your own understanding too – on titles that include "Father Time", "Die Hard", "United In Grief", "We Cry Together", "Count Me Out", "Purple Hearts", "Rich Spirit", "Crown", "Savior", and "Silent Hill". LP, Vinyl record album

A great document of an early all-star jazz concert – recorded at Town Hall by a young Bob Shad – who's clearly working here in the same live territory as producer Norman Granz! There's a great sense of variety going on here – and the record's maybe worth it alone for an excellent performance by a trio with Gene Krupa on drums and Charlie Ventura on tenor – with only piano, and no other instrumentation – a great mode for both players! The album also features work from a quintet led by pianist Teddy Wilson with Flip Phillips on tenor – on the tune "Sweet & Lovely"; a trio with Billy Taylor on piano and Stuff Smith on violin, on "Perdido"; a fantastic duet between Don Byas' tenor and Slam Stewart's bass on "I Got Rhythm"; and a Red Norvo group with Shorty Rogers on trumpet and Flip Phillips on tenor, on the tunes "The Man I Love" and "One Note Jive". LP, Vinyl record album

One of our favorite Mo Wax singles, from the label's heyday, or at least our favorite period, when they still had the Swifty graphics with the band down one side of the cover. Funky French club cuts, from the days just before Bob Sinclair and the Yellow Productions folks took it to the big time, with a heavy house influence showing, but a lot more going on here too, Latin beats and jazzy sensibilities as well as tough hip hop and break influenced funk showing up! 6 tracks: "La Doctoresse", "Motor Bass Get Phunked Up", "Suspense", "Ravers Suck Our Sound And Get F*ck", "357 Magnum Force" and "Blunt Konnection". LP, Vinyl record album

Damon Locks and Rob Mazurek are no musical strangers to each other – their paths have crossed often on the Chicago and global scenes over many years of creative activity. Yet this project is also the first they've co-led, and it's an incredible document of how much both artists have grown in recent years – especially when they let their talents flow together on a project like this! At some level, the core of the work is the voice that both artists have discovered – Locks, his own more focused message and ability to find other voices to sample in with his own – Mazurek, a way of using his own voice more directly, in addition to his well-known work on trumpets and electronics. Both Rob and Damon are in the forefront here, criss-crossing electric and acoustic elements with voices live and sampled – mixed with guest voices from others, in a swirlingly creative project that not only lives up to the current legacy of International Anthem and the Chicago scene, but also advances it a few notches too. Titles include "Breeze Of Time", "New Future", "Yes", "The Sun Returns", "Future City", "Las Ninas Estan Escuchando", "Support The Youth", "10 Mins Past The Hour", and "Polaris Radio". LP, Vinyl record album

What can we say? This is one of the greatest albums of all time! The record's got a sound that's completely unique – as crack LA garage punk rock meets Hollywood baroque production, and the result is an amazing bit of loud guitar noise backed by strings and horns, all graced by the godlike vocals of the great Arthur Lee. Forever Changes is a milestone in rock – an incredibly bleak document about insanity, escape, and the coming revolution that never happened. Think of all the best moments of Wild In The Streets, Zabriske Point, and Invocation of My Demon Brother rolled into one – and you'll only have a tiny slice of the picture! A record that will haunt us until the day we die – filled with incredible songs like "Alone Again Or", "Old Man", "Daily Planet", "Red Telephone", and "Maybe The People Would Be The Times Or Between Clark & Hilldale". LP, Vinyl record album

If you've never got the concept of a string band, this is the record to really illuminate your ears – as it features a beautiful set of stripped-down sides by the Mississippi Sheiks – all recorded in the early 30s, and a wonderful blend of bluesy inflection and folksy roots! Most tracks just features guitar, violin, and some especially great vocals – pushed with lots of delta-styled elements on the edges, but set to music that's got plenty of touches from the other side of the fence. The blend is wonderful, and the set features tracks recorded in Grafton, Wisconsin in July of 1932, Chicago in June of 1933, and San Antonio in 1934. Titles include "New Shake That Thing", "Don't Wake It Up", "Kitty Cat Blues", "Show Me What You Got", "Hitting The Numbers", "Pencil Won't Write No More", "I Am The Devil", "She's Got Something Crazy", and more. LP, Vinyl record album

If you've never got the concept of a string band, this is the record to really illuminate your ears – as it features a beautiful set of stripped-down sides by the Mississippi Sheiks – all recorded in the early 30s, and a wonderful blend of bluesy inflection and folksy roots! Most tracks just features guitar, violin, and some especially great vocals – pushed with lots of delta-styled elements on the edges, but set to music that's got plenty of touches from the other side of the fence. The blend is wonderful, and the set features tracks recorded in San Antonio in 1934, and New Orleans in 1935 and 1936. Titles include "Lonesome Grave Took My Baby", "Pop Skull Blues", "Dead Wagon Blues", "If You Don't Want Me Please Don't Dog Me Around", "Wake Me Just Before Day", "Stir It Now", and more. LP, Vinyl record album

One of numerous two-fers offered by Milestone in the early 70s, compiling recordings by artists that fell under the Fantasy records catalog umbrella at the time, in this case, the Riverside recordings of Wes Montgomery. There are two groups documented here, a quintet and sextet, the first featuring Milt Jackson, Wynton Kelly, Sam Jones and Philly Joe Jones and the second his 2 brothers Buddy and Monk, plus George Shearing, Walter Perkins and Armando Peraza. 18 tracks in all, including "Stablemates", "Stairway To the Stars", "Sam Sack", "Jingles", "Delilah", "Love Walked In", "Love For Sale", "Enchanted", "Stranger In Paradise", "The Lamp Is Low", "Darn That Dream" and "Mambo In Chimes". LP, Vinyl record album

A nice lively batch of tracks, with a hard groove, some nice percussion, and a very striking sound. Titles include "El Pon", "Descarga A Las Doce", "Samba", "Gandinga", and "Mas Y Mas". LP, Vinyl record album

Trumpeter Fats Navarro was one of the true giants of the early bop years, but he passed away at a young age just as the music was taking off – leaving behind just a handful of killer recordings to document his legacy! This set was put together by Blue Note as a great reminder of his genius – a style on the trumpet that was different than that of Dizzy Gillespie or Miles Davis – and which really set the tone for some of the more expressive players who would follow him on the instrument. Navarro is incredibly deft, yet never in a way that calls attention to itself too much – truly organic, and set up here in groups led by pianists Tadd Dameron and Bud Powell, plus some recordings in a group he co-led with trumpeter Howard McGhee. Titles on this first volume include "Wail", "The Chase", "The Squirrel", "Our Delight", and "Dameronia". LP, Vinyl record album

Trumpeter Fats Navarro was one of the true giants of the early bop years, but he passed away at a young age just as the music was taking off – leaving behind just a handful of killer recordings to document his legacy! This set was put together by Blue Note as a great reminder of his genius – a style on the trumpet that was different than that of Dizzy Gillespie or Miles Davis – and which really set the tone for some of the more expressive players who would follow him on the instrument. Navarro is incredibly deft, yet never in a way that calls attention to itself too much – truly organic, and set up here in groups led by pianists Tadd Dameron and Bud Powell, plus some recordings in a group he co-led with trumpeter Howard McGhee. Titles on this second volume include "Lady Bird", "Jahbero", "Symphonette", "Double Talk", and "The Skunk". LP, Vinyl record album

We never get tired of these Lee Perry reissues! The first of several compilations put together by the fine folks at Pressure Sounds documenting Perry's tremendous output from his Black Ark studio, at the peak of his powers in the mid 70s. Mostly drawn from 45s of cuts that attained legendary status because of their small press runs, this superb collection brings together the vocal and dub versions of tracks originally released on the Black Art & Upsetter labels. 13 tracks in all including "Psalms 20" by James Boom, "African Style" by the Black Notes, "Wolf Out Deh" by Lloyd & Devon, "Voodooism" by Leo Graham & "Better Future" by Errol Walker, along with their dubs by the Upsetters. LP, Vinyl record album

A nice, nice compilation of sides cut by Powell for Norman Granz, from 1949 to 1951. Given Powell's well documented bouts with instability and alcoholism, there are several periods that lasted for months and sometimes years when he would go unrecorded. The first dates on this set come at the end of one of those periods, and Bud is in fine, fiery form, presented here in a trio setting with Ray Brown and Max Roach. Another set of trio's follows, with Curly Russell replacing Brown, and the second LP is almost all solo piano work. The set is extensvely annotated by Gary Giddins, and features some of Powell's best sides. 24 tracks in all, including "Tempus Fugit", "Cherokee", "Strictly Confidential", "Sometimes I'm Happy", "Tea For Two" and "Sweet Georgia Brown". LP, Vinyl record album