... 78 RPM, Vinyl record

... LP, Vinyl record album

A sweet little group with a real 70s Cali vibe – very much in the spirit of the cover, with kind of a blue-eyed soul approach to jazzy AOR! The instrumentation is great – plenty of Fender Rhodes and other keyboards – providing this warm glow for the lead vocals of the group's two different singers – both of whom have a nice sort of rasp in their approach, which brings a sense of humanity to the record amidst the well-crafted rhythms and guitar lines. The whole thing almost feels like a lost set from the era of the Doobies – and titles include "Take The Shine", "Keep On Believin", "Nostalgia", "One More Try", "All I'm Trying To Say", "Before It Started", "Donnie", and "Back Against The Wall". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

Melina Mercouri and director Jules Dassin team up once again for this early 70s dramatic film. Music is by Georges Delerue, handled in the typical style of his more serious work at the time – with plenty of dreamy touches and more dramatic moments. The soundtrack also sports a strange vocal number called "I'm Greek", with arrangements by Alan Gourager and vocals by Melina. Instrumental numbers include "Romain's First Love", "The Friend's Farewell", "Various Professions", "Promise At Dawn", and "The Arrival In France". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the coolest records we've ever heard from Japanese drummer Akira Ishikawa – even wilder than some of his famous funk sessions of the time! The set definitely lives up to its African Rock promise – as it features lots of sparely percussive tracks that build beautifully – clearly drawing from African inspiration, in the same way that other albums by Akira drew from American funk – then also adding in some cool production and hip effects that help further some of the "rock" side of the agenda! At points, the record almost feels like a solo percussion jam – but at others, the guitars really get heavy, with a jamming intensity that's simply mindblowing. There's lots of psychedelic overtones when the guitars come in – and they make for a wicked contrast with some of the more organic, percussion-oriented moments. All tunes are nice and long, and titles include the extended break cut "Pigmy", plus "Vita", "Na Tu Penda Sana", and "Wanyamana Mapambazuko". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

With Slick Rick on the Alchemist mix! 12-inch, Vinyl record

... LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic early record by Sahib Shihab – a motherlode of modal jazz grooves, cut during the early days of the Clarke-Boland Big Band! The record features a core group of players from that ensemble – including Shihab on alto, baritone, and flute, plus Francy Boland on piano, Jimmy Woode on bass, Ake Persson on trombone, Francy Boland on piano, Joe Harris on bongos, and Kenny Clarke on drums – all coming together here with a groove that's really groundbreaking – a style that's sweet and soulful, but rhythmically revolutionary too! The tracks are all long and grooving – with the kind of dancing jazz tone that you'd expect from the Saba/MPS label during the mid 60s – a big change from the Argo label that originally issued the record. But that's no surprise, either, as the session was actually recorded in Europe by Gigi Campi – the man behind the CBBB albums on MPS – with a feel that's quite similar to other Shihab classics, like Companionship or Seeds. The whole thing's great – one of Shihab's most wonderful records, and totally worth owning – and titles include "Lillemor", "Please Don't Leave Me", "Waltz For Seth", and "Herr Fixit". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

One of the coolest records we've ever heard from Japanese drummer Akira Ishikawa – even wilder than some of his famous funk sessions of the time! The set definitely lives up to its African Rock promise – as it features lots of sparely percussive tracks that build beautifully – clearly drawing from African inspiration, in the same way that other albums by Akira drew from American funk – then also adding in some cool production and hip effects that help further some of the "rock" side of the agenda! At points, the record almost feels like a solo percussion jam – but at others, the guitars really get heavy, with a jamming intensity that's simply mindblowing. There's lots of psychedelic overtones when the guitars come in – and they make for a wicked contrast with some of the more organic, percussion-oriented moments. All tunes are nice and long, and titles include the extended break cut "Pigmy", plus "Vita", "Na Tu Penda Sana", and "Wanyamana Mapambazuko". LP, Vinyl record album

A great way to enjoy these two sublime early albums from Pink Floyd – in a cool 70s Hipnosis package, to boot! LP, Vinyl record album

A brilliant bit of psychedelia – still as fresh today as it was many decades back – and the crowning achievement of Pink Floyd during the early Syd Barrett years! The album's got all the best elements of the group firmly in place – the penchant for long-jamming tracks that still manage to always maintain a sharp edge – mixed with some of the wittier, more playful lyrics that Barrett brought to the group – all wrapped up with a sense of depth and darkness that goes way beyond most of their contemporaries. The record's a masterpiece through and through – from its first guitar-heavy jam on "Astronomy Domine", through the strutting, vamping madness of "Bike" – all up and down other gems that include "Lucifer Sam", "The Gnome", "Take Up Thy Stethoscope & Walk", "Interstellar Overdrive", "Chapter 24", and "The Scarecrow". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

A really great record from the Melbourne scene – a record that's got kind of a "jazz plus" vibe – in that it mixes live jazz instrumentation with some work on edits and a few electric touches – all in a style that's very much like some of our favorite London work in recent years! Don Glori heads the group on bass and keyboards – but the sound is served up in a really well-crafted blend of saxophones, Fender Rhodes, and lots of great percussion – sometimes with vocals, but often used more like an instrument than a lyrical delivery system – on tracks that are nice and long, and resonate with a mix of soulful and spiritual touches! Titles include "Voyager", "Fly Low, "Dawn Calling", "Pachinko King", and "After Hours". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

An amazing little record – a 70s session that we'd easily rank right up there with the best recordings ever from Joyce, but one that's only being issued here for the first time ever! The sound is brilliant – that beautiful mix of strong and sweet that you'll always find when Joyce is at her best – and the set features equally wonderful contributions from Nana Vasconcelos on percussion, and Mauricio Maestro on bass, vocals, and guitar! All sounds are acoustic, but have this otherworldly feel – that buoyant, sparkling sort of quality on Joyce classics like Feminina or Agua E Luz – the there's a driving sense of rhythm that really moves the whole album – taking it far past what you might expect from the spare instrumentation. Tremendous stuff throughout, and a musical discovery that has us falling in love with the music of Joyce all over again! Titles include "Clareana", "Metralhadeira", "Nacional Kid", "Tudo Bonito", "Memorias Do Porvir", "Visoes Do Amanhecer", "Chegada", and "Banana". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

A groundbreaking early album from guitarist John McLaughlin – a set that's a bit different than his more famous work of the mid 70s – with maybe a more avant approach, and a lot more bite as well! The set's really an equal collaboration, rather than just a McLaughlin session – although it's become known as such, since the guitarist is the most famous musician – amongst a fantastic lineup that includes John Surman on reeds, Karl Berger on vibes, Dave Holland on bass, and Stu Martin on drums – all working in a freewheeling mode that's a lot like some of Surman's Trio records on the Dawn label from the same time! Surman is especially great here – adding in soulful currents at some spots, freer lines at others – and it's great to hear the tones of McLaughlin's guitar balanced against Berger's vibes. Titles include "Glancing Backwards", "Earth Bound Hearts", and "Where Fortune Smiles". LP, Vinyl record album

A brilliant setting for the spiritual reed talents of the legendary Idris Ackamoor – set here amidst more meditative sounds from Carlos Nino, who uses percussion and other instrumentation to create a magical landscape of sounds – while guitarist Nate Mercereau also joins in the mix, and also directs the overall sound of the set from the recording studio too! The sharper reed lines of Idris are a wonderful contrast to the more organic elements in the music at times – and really gives the feel of a jazz performance to the record, which might be more of a soundscape effort without his mighty presence. Titles include "Lightning Progression"," Time On Earth", "Group Effervescence", "We Love You So Much", and "Heaven Cruise Heaven Humming 2". LP, Vinyl record album

An obscure set of zouk from the glory days of the genre – but one that's also cut in a style that's nice and lean, and maybe a bit more down to earth than some of the more commercial zouk records of the time! All the best elements are still in place here – rhythms that draw plenty from electro styles of the US scene a few years before, but tuned to more tropical grooves overall, and warmed up in all the right way with keyboard lines and vocals – set up on tunes that have a gentle sort of complexity – never too overwhelming, but very groovy throughout! Titles include "Histoire D'Amour", "Songe Ethiopie Apartheid", "Marie Helene", "Pa Flipe", and "Vivre Love". LP, Vinyl record album

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

Back in the first decade of this century, Build An Ark were one of the few groups to really carry forward the spiritual jazz legacy of the 70s – part of the same LA underground that rose up on Nimbus Records back in the day, and guided by the unstoppable power of Carlos Nino – who worked perfectly as both an instrumentalist in the group, and their producer! There were always some contemporary elements in the music, but maybe more surprising was the way that Build An Ark resisted all the remixing and programming that would often get in the way of the few others who tried for this territory – as they were always a committed spiritual jazz ensemble from the outset, not a club jazz act or a funk group. The package brings together all the best music from their out of print albums – a great 3LP run of titles that include "You Gotta Have Freedom", "John Coltrane", "Mother", "Build An Ark", "Door Of The Cosmos", "In The Park", "Sunflowers In My Garden", "Dawn", "Healing Song", "Love Sweet Like Sugar Cane", "World Music", "Our Cry For Peace", "Conversations", "Pure Imagination/The Tortoise & The Hare", and "When Ancestors Speak". LP, Vinyl record album

A legendary group who never fully got their due – and maybe one of the creepier acts on the British scene at the start of the 70s! The cover art probably gives things away – but the sound of the record is even more haunting – with some acoustic elements that echo the acid folk movement of the time, but more dynamic energy at other spots that resonate more with prog – all topped by vocals that have a completely sinister sound that really makes the group stand out! Despite the acoustic guitars, these guys are hardly the traditional-leaning style of some of their folk rock contemporaries – and, if anything, it feels like they opened up some Pandora's box from the past, and let out all this weird Wicker Man energy. Titles include "Bitten", "The Prisoner", "Diana", "The Herald", "Song To Comus", and "Drip Drip". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

Brilliant work from the "Vice Pres" – tenorist Paul Quinichette, stepping out here in one the best of of his all-too-few sessions as a leader! Paul's tone is amazing throughout – very much on a par with that of Ben Webster or Coleman Hawkins, and proof that his admission to the jazz "executive branch" in the 50s was well deserved. The tunes are shortish, but very swinging – and Quinichette's tenor work dominates in a group that also includes Nat Pierce, Henry Coker, Thad Jones, Freddie Green, and Joe Newman. There's a Basie-esque swing overall – but the final result is miles from Basie, and has a very different vibe overall. Titles include "Big Deal", "Happy Feeling", "Pardon The Blues Please", "Start Here", and "The Kid From Denver". LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic second chapter of work from Timeless Legend – material that's even more obscure than their famous first album – and that record is pretty darn rare! The vibe here continues from that one – an older style of sweet soul that's often more in the early 70s mode from the Philly/New Jersey scene, but given some slight shifts in the instrumentation – yet still never updated at all to fit a more mainstream 80s mode! There's a wonderful balance of groovers and mellow moments on the record – making the whole thing feel like some sort of Stang/All-Platinum album from the mid 7 0s – and titles include "I Was Born To Love You (parts 1 & 2)", "Do You Love Me", "You're The One", "Everybody Dance (parts 1 & 2)", "Where There's Love There's A Way", and "Baby Don't Do This To Me". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

One of THE classic Zoot Sims small group recordings of the 50s – recorded with a quintet lineup that includes some great valve trombone work from Bob Brookmeyer! The overall sound isn't nearly as modern as you'd expect from the title (and in fact the cover, which has Zoot sitting in front of an abstract statue, kind of grimacing, might even be taken to imply that the "modern" in the name is a bit of a joke!) But given that Brookmeyer's phrasing is fresh and inventive, and that Sims could easily be moved into some challenging territory with the right players, the set's certainly got a quality that ranks it up there with the best of its contemporaries – no matter how you define the term "modern"! Other players include John Williams, Milt Hinton, and Gus Johnson – and titles include "September In The Rain", "Down At The Loft", "Our Pad", "One To Blow On", and "Dark Clouds". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

Mindblowing work from this important Brit jazz group – working here with an augmented lineup that's mighty nice! In addition to soprano, baritone, and bass clarinet from John Surman – plus bass from Barre Phillips and drums from Stu Martin – the set also features cornet from Harry Beckett and Mark Charig, trombone from Nick Evans and Malcolm Griffiths, piano from Chick Corea, tenor and flute from Alan Skidmore, trumpet from Kenny Wheeler, alto and clarinet from Mike Osborne, and bass from Dave Holland. Titles include "Conflagration", "After The Morrow", "Nuts", and "Malachite". LP, Vinyl record album

Fruupp are a group who may use ancient imagery on their covers, but who work with a very modern feel overall – or at least one that was pretty darn contemporary at the time of this release from 1973! The vibe is prog, but a bit more focused than tied around album-side jams – as Fruupp always bring things back with a nice sort of vocal presence in their music – one that's balanced equally well with some of the more full-on guitar or keyboard passages on the record! The album's got a strength that's wonderful, and which really lives up to the other great work from the group – on titles that include "Future Legends", "Decision", "As Day Breaks With Dawn", "Song For A Thought", "Olde Tyme Future", and "Lorde Of The Incubus". LP, Vinyl record album

Great work from a really overlooked group – one who have the skills of a prog act, but some of the sensitivity of a more folksy combo – which maybe is why they were such a perfect fit for the unusual sound of the Dawn label in the UK! These guys clearly have chops – the keyboard and guitar solos certainly testify to that – but they also space things out with some gentler, more personal moments – and here are also maybe a bit more hook-heavy than in the past, with a sense of almost crossing over with a few key cuts on the set. One of the catchiest numbers here is the great "Janet Planet", which has really cool production from Ian McDonald, who brings out all the best elements in the tune – and other titles include "Gormenghast", "Misty Morning Way", "Sheba's Song", "Mystery Might", and "Why". LP, Vinyl record album

Very cool work from Fruupp – one of the more progressive acts on the legendary Dawn label from the UK, and one who aren't afraid to mix in a bit of oboe with their freewheeling guitar and keyboard lines! The group have a sound that's a bit hard to peg – maybe a slight classical influence at times, although they never stop rocking either – and their sense of a tune is a bit different than most, with a slight touch of whimsy that maybe comes through as much in the instrumentation as in the lyrics! Peter Farrelly handles lead vocals – and titles include "Garden Lady", "Three Spires", "White Eyes", "Wise As Wisdom", and "Faced With Shekinah". LP, Vinyl record album

Tthe lost 1975 release from Kilburn & The High Road – Ian Dury's fantastic, and at the time, completely anomalous group of pub rock outcasts! The Kilburn sound is tough to describe even now – traces of Phil Spector's rock & soul, ragged 50s jazz, and drunken pub rock make up the sounds that back up Ian's wickedly dry sing-speak monologues – this clearly influenced people from Elvis Costello to Madness to who knows how many others. Ian went on to have more notoriety on the seminal Stiff Records, but this record originally released on Dawn sounds nearly as great to our ears. Oh, but to have a time machine and be able to go back and see this group in action – must've been amazing! LP, Vinyl record album

A record with an unassuming cover, but a wonderfully rich sound within – a set of easygoing spiritual jazz numbers that have a very live, very spontaneous vibe – in part because the musicians collaborated on the cuts in a very short span of time, and were able to create something very fresh and vibrant in the process! Miles Spilsbury leads the group on saxes and keyboards – and the lineup features additional piano and keys from Oliver Cadman, drums from Finn Booth, and a bit of vocals from Alizee Leriche – plus percussion and "texturising" from Carlos Nino – whose spiritual sonic touches are very clearly present on the recording! We're not sure why the record was issued in such a limited, white label pressing – as it hardly fits the depth of the music – yet perhaps that's also part of the mystery and charm as well. Titles include "Tungsten", "Water On Water", "Cyclamen", "Gratitude", "Light Theme", and "Cloud Formations". LP, Vinyl record album

A weird little record from John Barry – the soundtrack to a 1963 television special recorded by Elizabeth Taylor at the height of her early popularity, and featuring Taylor reciting a variety of poems and speeches over music by Barry! There's a relatively high concept feel to the album – as Barry's backings are fairly string-laden and serious, penned to match the mood of Taylor's presentation of material written by William Wordsworth, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, William Pitt, Winston Churchill, and Queen Victoria. And although Taylor speaks on about half the record, the best tracks here are actually the instrumental ones – which have more of the depth of Barry's serious soundtrack work from the time, and manage to have their own sense of presence apart from the star quality of Liz on the set. Arrangements are by Johnnie Spence, and titles include "Elizabeth", "London Theme Jazz Waltz", "Queen Elizabeth At Tilbury", "Queen Victoria", "English Garden", "The Fire Of London", "Lovers & Browning", and "London At Dawn". LP, Vinyl record album

The amazing debut of Be Bop Deluxe – a record that's made up of all sorts of familiar parts, yet somehow really manages to set itself apart as a whole! The young Bill Nelson is at the top of his game here – a hell of a guitarist, which we sometimes forget in his later work – and a vocalist with a sinister edge that gives the record a sense of darkness that matches the compressed production and overall moody vibe – a child of the Bowie/Bolan generation, but one that's a real black sheep of the family too! The strength of the record is impossible to sum up in easy words – but it's there for the hearing, right from the very first note – on titles that include "Jet Silver & The Dolls Of Venus", "Axe Victim", "Love Is Swift Arrows", "No Trains To Heaven", "Jets At Dawn", "Rocket Cathedrals", and "Third Floor Heaven". LP, Vinyl record album

Beautiful early work from British singer Vashti Bunyan – an important figure in the acid folk scene at the end of the 60s, heard here on some really wonderful work from a few years before! Some of the tracks have a really trippy style, and others are a bit more like conventional Brit girl pop of the time – but given a very weird twist overall, with a sound that's quite hard to describe! Vashti's vocals have these really dark qualities overall – and even when the backings are fuller (which often they are not), there's a sad, earthy feel to her singing. But equally great is her guitar work – heard with more prominence on most of the album's previously-unissued tracks from mid 60s tapes. Bunyan plays with these warm harmonics that kind of nestle and bristle underneath her vocals – pushing the tunes up with a sense of brightness in contrast to the voice – almost in a Nick Drake sort of way (and trust us, we don't throw around comparisons to his music easily!) The package is a wonderful look at these almost-lost years of Vashti's career – and it features both sides of her Decca and Columbia singles, an unreleased Immediate single, and a lot more tracks pulled from rare tapes from 1964, 1966, and 1967! Set features 25 tracks that include "Some Things Just Stick In Your Mind", "Train Song", "Love Song", "Winter Is Blue", "Leave Me", "How Do I Know", "Go Before Dawn", "Girl's Song In Winter", "Don't Believe", "17 Pink Sugar Elephants", "Someday", and "I Know". LP, Vinyl record album

A sublime blend of jazz and organic sounds from multi-instrumentalist Bex Burch – a record that sounds as if it might have come from the studio of Carlos Nino, but which almost has a more personal, poetic sort of quality! There are some sounds of nature here – including bird calls from a sanctuary in Illinois – and even the more familiar instruments, like piano, drums, reeds, violin, or bass are often mixed with some "room" elements that really locate the recording in a special place – in ways that also seem to have some of that post-studio touches around the edges that we love from the International Anthem label. Burch clearly delivers most of the sound herself, almost doing an "in residence" to create the music – but she gets help along the way from guests who include Ben LaMar Gay, Dan Bitney, Rob Frye, Anna Butterss, and Macie Stewart – on titles that include "When Love Begins", "Don't Go Back To Sleep", "Dawn Blessings", "Follow Me I Make You Happy", "Start Before You're Ready", "Pardieu", and "If I Was You I'd Be Doing Exactly The Same". LP, Vinyl record album

A sublime blend of jazz and organic sounds from multi-instrumentalist Bex Burch – a record that sounds as if it might have come from the studio of Carlos Nino, but which almost has a more personal, poetic sort of quality! There are some sounds of nature here – including bird calls from a sanctuary in Illinois – and even the more familiar instruments, like piano, drums, reeds, violin, or bass are often mixed with some "room" elements that really locate the recording in a special place – in ways that also seem to have some of that post-studio touches around the edges that we love from the International Anthem label. Burch clearly delivers most of the sound herself, almost doing an "in residence" to create the music – but she gets help along the way from guests who include Ben LaMar Gay, Dan Bitney, Rob Frye, Anna Butterss, and Macie Stewart – on titles that include "When Love Begins", "Don't Go Back To Sleep", "Dawn Blessings", "Follow Me I Make You Happy", "Start Before You're Ready", "Pardieu", and "If I Was You I'd Be Doing Exactly The Same". LP, Vinyl record album

"Now you can experience transcendental consciousness without spending 10 years in a Tibetan monastery" – or so the liner notes proclaim – a pretty great description of what's bound to happen after making your way through this very trippy album from the early 70s! The set's essentially a set of long electric guitar solos – played by Wilburn Burchette on his self-created "impro guitar" – recorded with lots and lots of echo, and maybe a bit of distortion too – so that the long, cyclic lines ring out beautifully – with every bit of the hypnotic feel you might expect! The whole thing's almost like an electric version of some of John Fahey's longform solo work – and titles include "Dawn Of Awakening", "Regeneration", "Transformation", "Introversion", and "Piercing The Psychic Heart". LP, Vinyl record album

"Now you can experience transcendental consciousness without spending 10 years in a Tibetan monastery" – or so the liner notes proclaim – a pretty great description of what's bound to happen after making your way through this very trippy album from the early 70s! The set's essentially a set of long electric guitar solos – played by Wilburn Burchette on his self-created "impro guitar" – recorded with lots and lots of echo, and maybe a bit of distortion too – so that the long, cyclic lines ring out beautifully – with every bit of the hypnotic feel you might expect! The whole thing's almost like an electric version of some of John Fahey's longform solo work – and titles include "Dawn Of Awakening", "Regeneration", "Transformation", "Introversion", and "Piercing The Psychic Heart". LP, Vinyl record album

A wonderful soul album on the Black Fire label – a hip 70s imprint best known for spiritual jazz – stepping out here on a record that has a lot more vocals than their other releases, but which makes for a mighty nice fit! Wayne Davis is wonderful here – singing with the warmth of a Leroy Hutson at times, and some of the more righteous currents of DJ Rogers at others – often with harmony backings that really elevate the tunes, and a jazzy current in some of the instrumentation that ties things strongly back to the other artists on the Black Fire label! One of those groups, Experience Unlimited, lend their horn section for the record – and Davis himself shows off his deeper musical skills by also handling the piano and keyboards on the record. The whole thing is great – and titles include "Morning", "Things See Just Right Now", "Strive On and Be Strong", "The Garden", "Look at the People", and Al Johnson's "Dawn of a New Day". LP, Vinyl record album

Del Tha Funkee Homosapien, Kid Koala, and Dan The Automator pool their skills for this dawn of the 2000s sci-fi hip hop classic – the masterful Deltron 3030! The guest list is almost too long to get into, but Money Mark, Prince Paul, PB Wolf and Mr. Lif are all here, along with many others. One of the benchmark albums in the leftfield underground hip hop canon – and a hugely influential set that burst the doors wide open for the more creative spirits in the hip hop and even experimental pop. Tracks include "State Of The Nation", "3030", "The Fantabulous Rap Extravaganza", "Things You Can Do", "Positive Contact", "St Catherine St.", "Virus", "Mastermind", "National Movie Review", "Time Keeps On Slipping", "Turbulence (remix)", "Battlesong", "Memory Loss" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

A real 70s standout from guitarist Al Di Meola – and that's saying a lot, given the strength of most of his albums from the decade! The record's one that broke Al's talents out to so many different groups – yet never in a way that waters down his sound, nor dims his genius for a solo. Al plays a host of guitars – electric, and both six and 12 string acoustic – the latter of which are especially beautiful, and handled in a balance between European virtuoso modes, and some of the more rhythmic elements of the American fusion scene. Speaking of fusion, the other players on the date really help set the tone – Chick Corea on keyboards and piano, Barry Miles on Fender Rhodes and mini-moog, Stanley Clarke on bass, and both Steve Gadd and Lenny White on drums – each setting a different pace when they appear. Titles include "The Wizard", "Suite Golden Dawn", "Short Tales Of The Black Forest", and "Land Of The Midnight Sun". LP, Vinyl record album

A double album from Roberta & Peabo – with some nicely recorded tracks from a gig at The Holiday Star Theater in Merrillville, IN (not too far south of Chicago) in the dawn of the 80s – and some tight studio material, too! It's got a some terrific live versions of some of the biggest hits from both singers – plus their great duets. Titles include "Don't Make Me Wait Too Long", a nice version of "Back Together Again" – which was originally done by Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway, "Killing Me Softly", "God Don't Like Ugly", "Feel The Fire", and "Only Heaven Can Wait/You Are My Heaven". 14 tracks on 2LPs. LP, Vinyl record album

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

A classic album from the early years of soul music – the only full length set ever served up by the great Joe Henderson – a vocalist with roots in the legendary Fairfield Four gospel group, but sounding equally great here in a secular mode! The arrangements are by Cliff Parham, and they've got this blend of bluesy vocals and jazzier backings – in a style that's very much like the best Duke/Peacock work of the time – with a spectacular focus on Joe's voice in the lead! The whole album's great, filled with unusual material – with titles that include "Sad Teardrops At Dawn", "Right Now", "Big Love", "Just Call Me", "Snap Your Fingers", "After Loving You", and "If You See Me Cry". LP, Vinyl record album

A record that really helped push guitarist Ronny Jordan over the top – a set that took that sharp, clean sound that made him the 90s heir to the funky Grant Green sound – and updated it nicely with some help from DJ Krush! The record is one of the most successful blends of jazz and hip hop from the time – one of the few that really gets things right, and which knows when to lean into soul as well – and is maybe a key part of an early legacy that would later flourish in Blue Note projects from artists like Madlib and Robert Glasper! Titles include the killer "The Jackal (the illest mix)", which has Dana Bryant delivering a very hip spoken part – plus "S**t Goes Down (but I phunked up mix)", "Love I Never Had It So Good", "Season For Change (dawn of the season mix)", "Bad Brother (how ya like my wheel mix)", and a great remake of "So What (tuff n smooth mix)". LP, Vinyl record album

Pianist Walter Lang brings all his own compositions to this beautiful trio set – a record of understated genius that's handled with a really beautiful approach to recording! Lang's tunes are complex, but never in a way that's cold – and although he clearly can really work his way around the keyboard, he also does so in ways that aren't showy or overdone – really just these light painterly strokes in sound at times, given gentle groove through the work of Thomas Markusson on bass and Sebastian Merk on drums. Titles include "Still Gone", "Dawn Song", "Precious Love", "I Wonder", "Translucent Red", and "Afterglow". LP, Vinyl record album

One of our favorite records ever from the great Sven Libaek – an artist who's possibly best known for his underwater soundtrack work of the 70s, but who shines equally well here on a 60s album that has him hitting the top of the waves! The music was written for a surf film in 1966, but has a vibe that's much richer than that – some vibes-heavy tracks that showcase Sven's background in jazz, and which tie nicely to some of the Bruce Brown jazz/surf soundtracks of the early 60s LA scene – mixed with other numbers that have more of an Aussie vibe, in that light wrapping of rhythmic currents and lyrical instrumentation! The vibes alone are worth the price of admission – and titles include "Bikini Girls", "The Lost City", "In The Wave", "To Ride A White Horse", "Turistas Turistas", "Bush Fire", "Break Of Dawn", and "Fun & Games". LP, Vinyl record album

HP Lovecraft drummer Michael Tegza soldiers on with a new group as Lovecraft – with a tighter sound that blends hard driving drums and guitars with more delicate, harmony vocal accented songcraft! It's a far cry from the psychedelic experimentation of HP Lovecraft – but it's actually a pretty impressive rock record in its own right – prefiguring the later 70s rock sounds long before the better known giants of the decade! Titles include "We Can All Have It Together", "Brother I Wonder", "Love Has Come To Me", "Will I Know When My Time Comes", "Two Step Hustle", "Lady Come Softly", "The Dawn", "Never Gonna Go Back", "Dear" and "Hopefully". LP, Vinyl record album

A massive set of fusion from Mahavishnu Orchestra – a group that features some incredible guitar work from John McLaughlin, who sounds even more focused and driven here than on his own records! As with Return To Forever or Weather Report, the combo's a supergroup of sorts – with Billy Cobham on drums, Jan Hammer on keyboards, Jerry Goodman on violin, and Rick Laird on bass – all wailing with great intensity on some of the best numbers – a lot more energy than you might expect from their slightly more meditative name! Titles include "Meeting Of The Spirits", "Dawn", "The Noonward Race", "A Lotus On Irish Streams", and "Vital Transformation". LP, Vinyl record album

Makaya McCraven pushes his unique jazz genius even further – by serving up a completely groundbreaking remix of live jazz performance on the London scene! McCraven's already stood out from the pack in the way that he breaks down jazz norms by playing with a recorded performance later in the studio – but this time around, he really pushes that approach to the forefront – working in a mode that really lives up to the "mixtape" of the title – but which also still has everything that we love from his other records too! Makaya's on drums – and plays with a massively heavy groove – and he plays here with some of the leading lights of the contemporary London scene – Soweto Kinch and Nubya Garcia on saxes, Joe Armon Jones on Fender Rhodes, Kamaal Williams on keyboards, and Theon Cross on tuba – in amazing performance activity which is then brought home to Chicago, where the music gets additional remix and overdub help from LeFto, Don Leisure, Earl Jeffers, Ben LaMar Gay, Emma Jean Thackray, Quiet Dawn, and Lexus Blondin. Clearly, Makaya's one hell of a collaborative spirit – yet he also manages to make this record his boldest personal statement to date – as you'll hear on titles that include "Halls", "Suite For Artis Gilmore", "Ox Tales", "The Bounce", "Oracle", "Run Dem", "Too Shy", and "Drums & Bruk & Feel The Vibe". LP, Vinyl record album

Nas's sorta comeback record from the dawn of the millennium– a strong one at the time that still stands strong today! Stillmatic was a welcome change of pace after some not so great work in the later 90 – with the return-to-form rally cry "One Mic" setting the pace – and the best cuts on this set (which make up the majority of the run time) still sound great! 15 tracks including "Stillmatic", "Got Ur Self A...", "2nd Childhood", "You're Da Man", "The Flyest" featuring AZ, "Rule" featuring Amerie, "Ether", "What Goes Around", "Every Ghetto", "Braveheart Party" featuring Mary J Blige and more – included here is the bonus track "Every Ghetto! LP, Vinyl record album