A deep soul treasure! You've probably never heard of the team of Eddie & Ernie, but they've risen to fame over the years with collectors of rare 60s soul – and have recently been immortalized on volumes of Dave Godin's Deep Soul Treasures, one of the most important soul compilation series to come out in the past decade or so! In fact, Eddie & Ernie's tracks on the set have drawn such interest over the years that Dave's finally pulled together 24 of the pair's rare tracks from the 60s – sublime soul duets recorded for labels that include Columbia, Eastern, Chess, Artco, and Revue – a brilliant blend of deep and sweet soul that makes us wonder why these guys were never bigger than they were. Think of the set as the same as finding a stash of some of the best 60s soul singles you could hope to hear, and get ready for a great discovery that will have you coming back to the CD again and again! Titles include "Why Do You Treat Me Like You Do", "You Make My Life A Sunny Day", "A Man To Love A Woman", "Lost Friends", "I'm Gonna Always Love You", "Standing At The Crossroads", "The Groove She Put Me In", "Watch Your Step", "Bullets Don't Have Eyes", "We Try Harder", and "Outcast". CD

Fantastic work from Hawkins – recorded for a small label at a time when his star had fallen a bit, but with some AMAZING tone that really makes the album cook! The group's a combo that features piano and organ by Earl Knight, trumpet by Ernie Royal, trombone by Eddie Bert, and guitar by Sidney Gross – and the whole thing has a laidback blowing feel that really lets Hawkins hit some of those fantastic notes he keeps pulling out at the end of his career. If you've ever doubted why folks think Hawk's a genius, check this one out, and prepare to have your ears cook! Titles include "My Own Blues", "What's New", "Running Wild", "Blue Room", and "I'll Never Be The Same". CD

A hip little set that's as groovy as its cover – a whole batch of cat-themed tunes from the 50s and 60s, most of them in a hip jazzy sort of style! Things are never too kitty-creepy – as they are with that lady down the street who owns way too many cats – and instead, most of the numbers here have a clean, lean sort of sound that's more in the mode of a 50s jazz "cat" than that of the four-legged, furry type. About half the numbers here are instrumentals with a really mod feel, and the rest are vocal numbers, of a variety of different genres – all put together in a way that's surprisingly fresh, and plenty darn groovy throughout. Titles include "The Cat" by Eddie & Ernie, "Three Cool Cats" by The Coasters, "Cleo" by Rene Hall, "Kitty Kat" by Paul Ott, "El Pussy Cat" by Mongo Santamaria, "Sneakin Up On You" by Peggy Lee, "Cat Nip" by Dave Baby Cortez, "Cat Hop" by The Dodgers, "Walkin My Cat Named Dog" by Norma Tanega, "The Cat" by Jimmy Smith, "The Cat Came Back" by Sonny James, "That Darned Cat" by Buddy Greco, "The Kitty Kat Song" by Lee Dorsey, "If You Play With Cats" by Charles Brown, "Tom Cat" by The Rooftop Singers, and "Top Cat Theme Song" by Top Cat Orchestra. CD

Recordings from 1946 through 1950 – with sidemen that include Charles Brown, Johnny Moore, Eddie Williams, Ernie Royal, Pee Wee Crayton, Tyree Glenn, Russell Procope, Oscar Pettiford, Wendell Marshall, and others! CD

A long-overdue entry in this amazing series – a set of music that's gone on to be a genre unto itself, and which stands as a tribute to the song-picking genius of the great Dave Godin! The music here is a really special breed of soul – sounds that start out in the heart-worn style of southern work of the 60s, but which also expand to encompass other modes of very expressive singers – music that definitely lives up to the "deep" in the deep soul title! Godin's been gone from the planet for a number of years, but the set list is based on suggestions he had when compiling the earlier versions of the famous series – and Dave lives again in the notes, which include an interview with the soul music expert by Jon Savage. But even without the words, the music is more than enough – on titles that include "Without Love" by Ronnie Taylor, "Where Is The Party" by Helena Ferguson, "Dead" by Carolyn Sullivan, "Who Knows" by Soul City, "I Will" by Lattimore Brown, "Right Here Is Where You Belong" by Jerry Washington, "Can't Last Much Longer" by Betty Harris, "Standing At The Crossroads" by Eddie & Ernie, "What Can I Do Without You" by Linda Jones, "It's Too Late For Tears" by Rene Bailey, and "All I Want Is You" by Zilla Mayes. CD

A long-overdue entry in this amazing series – a set of music that's gone on to be a genre unto itself, and which stands as a tribute to the song-picking genius of the great Dave Godin! The music here is a really special breed of soul – sounds that start out in the heart-worn style of southern work of the 60s, but which also expand to encompass other modes of very expressive singers – music that definitely lives up to the "deep" in the deep soul title! Godin's been gone from the planet for a number of years, but the set list is based on suggestions he had when compiling the earlier versions of the famous series – and Dave lives again in the notes, which include an interview with the soul music expert by Jon Savage. But even without the words, the music is more than enough – on titles that include "Without Love" by Ronnie Taylor, "Where Is The Party" by Helena Ferguson, "Dead" by Carolyn Sullivan, "Who Knows" by Soul City, "I Will" by Lattimore Brown, "Right Here Is Where You Belong" by Jerry Washington, "Can't Last Much Longer" by Betty Harris, "Standing At The Crossroads" by Eddie & Ernie, "What Can I Do Without You" by Linda Jones, "It's Too Late For Tears" by Rene Bailey, and "All I Want Is You" by Zilla Mayes. CD

Classic early work from Kenny Dorham as a leader – a brilliant set that sparkles with modern touches! The group's a quartet that pairs Kenny's trumpet with the alto sax of the late Ernie Henry – a perfect accompanist that brings out both the brightness in Kenny's horn, and the edgier touches that made him one of the most exciting trumpeters to appear in the 50s scene. The rest of the group features GT Hogan on drums and Wilbur Ware or Eddie Mathias on bass – and the session's got a great reading of Kenny's classic "Lotus Blossom", plus the tracks "Jazz Classic", "Noose Bloos", "The End Of A Love Affair", and "Soon". CD also features a bonus track – an alternate take of "Sposin". CD

Two rare slices of Charles Mingus from the 50s – back to back on a single CD! First up is a Charles Mingus Octet session, originally released as a 10" LP – and a date that shows some of the first complicated orchestrations from the legendary bassist! The music here already has the creatively complex feel of Mingus' better-known mid 50s sessions – like the Jazz Composers Workshop date on Savoy, or the Bethlehem sides – and the interplay between the horn work is really amazing, and worth the price of admission itself! Players include Willie Dennis on trombone, Teo Macero on tenor, Eddie Caine on alto and flute, Ernie Royal on trumpet, and Danny Bank on baritone. Nadi Qamar conducts, and other players include John Lewis on piano, Mingus on bass, and Kenny Clarke on drums – and Janet Thurlow sings on two titles, "Blue Tide" and "Eclipse". Other tracks include "Miss Bliss", "Pink Topsy", and the CD also features 2 alternates too. Jimmy Knepper heads the next date – a rare 10" outing from 1957, with some killer horn work throughout! The group's a quintet – and the album's easily one of Knepper's most hard-burning, thanks in part to some sharp alto lines from the great Joe Maini, a player we can never get enough of! The rest of the group features Bill Triglia on piano, Mingus on bass, and Dannie Richmond on drums – and titles include "Cunningbird", "The Masher", "Latter Day Saint", and "The Jumpin Blues" – plus four more bonus alternate takes. CD

Maybe one of the coolest country Christmas collections we've ever heard – but then again, we'd expect no less from the folks at Bear Family! There's a lot of great original tunes here – which are mixed with country-fied takes on more popular Holiday songs from the midcentury years – often served up here by singers that were the bigger names of their generation, caught in a very special setting for the month of December! As usual with Bear Family, the presentation is great – vivid images inside and out – and notes on every single track – supporting a selection of 27 titles that include "I'll Be Walking The Floor This Christmas" by Ernest Tubb, "Senor Santa Claus" by Jim Reeves, "Christmas Dinner" by Tennessee Ernie Ford, "Snowdeer" by Carl Smith, "They Shined Up Rudolph's Nose" by Johnny Horton, "Santa Claus Jr" by Eddi Cletro, "It's Christmas Every Day In Alaska" by Hank Thompson, "It Was Jesus (undubbed)" by Johnny Cash, "Reindeer Boogie" by Hank Snow, "The Christmas Boogie" by Davis Sisters, "I'm Your Private Santa Claus" by Eddie Arnold, "I'm Gonna Tell Santa Claus On You" by Faron Young, "Captain Santa Claus" by Bobby Helms, "Santa's Big Parade" by The Louvin Brothers, and "Christmas In My Hometown" by Sonny James. CD

A stunning presentation of the legendary Wattstax concert – that huge moment of pride and power when the folks at Stax Records filled up the Los Angeles Coliseum with one of the most memorable shows of the 70s! The meeting of talents here is the stuff of legend – and this great package brings together the complete show in running order – really building up excitement as the concert progresses – with different acts each bringing their own sort of fire to the stage, culminating in a fantastic long finale by Isaac Hayes! The presentation is different than the two double albums that Stax issued back in the 70s – and this expanded package features a number of unreleased tracks in place of material the label later added – such as work from Richard Pryor and The Emotions. There's a whole instrumental section at the start, and more spoken links between some parts – and new material includes unissued work from Kim Weston, Freddie Robinson, Ernie Hines, Eric Mercury, Tommy Tate, Billy Eckstine, and Isaac Hayes – in addition to famous performances by The Soul Children, Jesse Jackson, Rufus Thomas, Albert King, Carla Thomas, William Bell, The Bar Kays, David Porter, The Temprees, Eddie Floyd, and David Porter – plus plenty more from Isaac Hayes too! Great package – with a full color book with new notes and essays, and plenty more too. CD

An insane package – one that features the material from the 6CD Complete Concert Wattstax set, plus 5 more CDs from Summit Club Recordings in 1972, plus one more CD of additional material too! First up are 6 CDs that feature a stunning presentation of the legendary Wattstax concert – that huge moment of pride and power when the folks at Stax Records filled up the Los Angeles Coliseum with one of the most memorable shows of the 70s! The meeting of talents here is the stuff of legend – and this great package brings together the complete show in running order – really building up excitement as the concert progresses – with different acts each bringing their own sort of fire to the stage, culminating in a fantastic long finale by Isaac Hayes! The presentation is different than the two double albums that Stax issued back in the 70s – and this expanded package features a number of unreleased tracks in place of material the label later added – such as work from Richard Pryor and The Emotions. There's a whole instrumental section at the start, and more spoken links between some parts – and new material includes unissued work from Kim Weston, Freddie Robinson, Ernie Hines, Eric Mercury, Tommy Tate, Billy Eckstine, and Isaac Hayes – in addition to famous performances by The Soul Children, Jesse Jackson, Rufus Thomas, Albert King, Carla Thomas, William Bell, The Bar Kays, David Porter, The Temprees, Eddie Floyd, and David Porter – plus plenty more from Isaac Hayes too! Great package – with a full color book with new notes and essays, and plenty more too. The Summit Club material follows on five more CDs – material that was partly issued on some other reissues by individual artists, but augmented here with a wealth of unreleased material too! There's a a full show of work from Johnnie Taylor and Rufus Thomas – the latter of whom even does some comedy bits – plus some extra funky performances from The Sons Of Slum, heavy blues from Little Milton, great soul from The Emotions, and a huge amount of never-issued work from the great duo Mel & Tim – arguably better here than on their Stax studio sessions. CD12 features additional recordings that were layered into some of the LP releases issued under the Wattstax name – 15 more tracks that include titles by The Emotions, Isaac Hayes, The Dramatics, Staple Singers, and Eddie Floyd – plus some comedy routines by Richard Pryor. CD

A seminal album from Parliament – one that's very very different than the freaky fuzz of their Osmium debut – and which has the tight ensemble really coming down on the money, in the best funky 70s George Clinton mode! The record features a much more stripped down sound – nice and funky, with a blueprint of the bass-driven groove that would dominate the P-Funk sound of the 70s. Bootsy's on bass, and the group features Eddie Hazel, Bernie Worrell, and other likely suspects – all working with a news sort of sharpness compared to earlier P-Funk material – virtually the blueprint for everything else to come. Clinton, Hazel, and Worrell produced – and titles include the monster jammer "Up For The Down Stroke", plus other goodies like "The Goose", "Testify", "Presence Of A Brain", and "All Your Goodies Are Gone", as well as bonus tracks "Up For The Down Stroke" (alternate mix), "Testify" (alternate mix), and previously unreleased track "Singing Another Song". CD

A seminal album from Parliament – one that's very very different than the freaky fuzz of their Osmium debut – and which has the tight ensemble really coming down on the money, in the best funky 70s George Clinton mode! The record features a much more stripped down sound – nice and funky, with a blueprint of the bass-driven groove that would dominate the P-Funk sound of the 70s. Bootsy's on bass, and the group features Eddie Hazel, Bernie Worrell, and other likely suspects – all working with a news sort of sharpness compared to earlier P-Funk material – virtually the blueprint for everything else to come. Clinton, Hazel, and Worrell produced – and titles include the monster jammer "Up For The Down Stroke", plus other goodies like "The Goose", "Testify", "Presence Of A Brain", and "All Your Goodies Are Gone". CD

A massive set of music recorded for RCA in 1955 – five classic albums, all featuring shifting lineups of players related to the Count Basie Band! The style here is often a bit more modern than most Basie work, but still also shows an undeniably strong sense of rhythm – one that comes into play wonderfully with the tighter RCA approach to hornwork of the 50s – which often brings out some of the sharper edges of the players. Although the material's been partially issued separately over the years, this complete Mosaic package is a real delight through and through – as it brings together all albums in one set, showing shared players and a very similar sensibility running through all the record. Albums include The Natural Seven, led by Al Cohn on tenor and featuring Joe Newman on trumpet and Freddie Green on guitar; Mr Rhythm, led by guitarist Green, and featuring Newman, Cohn, and trombonist Henry Coker; Lullaby Of Birdland, a leaderless date with Newman, Cohn, and Green, plus Frank Rehak on trombone and Ernie Wilkins on alto; I'm Still Swinging, led by newman with Cohn on tenor, Urbie Green on trombone, and Gene Quill on alto; and The Jazz Workshop Four Brass One Tenor – a set that has Cohn's tenor with trumpets from Newman, Thad Jones, Joe Wilder, Bernie Glow, Phil Sunkel, and Nick Travis – each playing in shifting lineups. The package features a whopping 61 tracks in all – and the usual thorough Mosaic notes! CD

Way way way more than the usual Northern Soul compilation – an all-winning batch of rare soul tracks that go a lot deeper than usual – all hand-picked by the expert soul crew at Grapevine Records! The set does swing with the kind of upbeat and uptempo soul tracks that you'd expect from a Northern set – but the vocals are also harder, and the soul runs deeper – making for the kind of collection that could be equally appreciated by fans of southern and deep soul as well! A number of the tracks have a nice rootsy quality that really focuses on the vocals – letting the singers come out full strength, and dominate the set with some wonderfully heartfelt lyrics. Titles include "Think It Over" by The Chesterfields, "Cheatin Kind" by Don Gardner, "Hold Me In Your Arms" by Eddie Holman, "Ever Again" by Bernie Williams, "You're Gonna Miss A Good Thing" by John Bowie, "Seven Day Lover" by James Fountain, "Thank You Baby" by Matt Brown, "Nothing's Too Good For My Baby" by The Springers, and "Hey You Don't Fight It" by The Montclairs. 24 tracks – and a heck of a great deal for this much greatness! CD

An oft-overlooked gem by Funkadelic – the group's last album for Westbound, and a record that really has them growing into a great new groove! Bootsy and Eddie Hazel have stepped aside for the set, but that gives Bernie Worrell plenty of room to work his magic on keyboards – in a way that really increases the spacier elements of the set, and almost trades a messed-up moogy sort of feel for the heady guitars of earlier years – a slippery kind of Funky Worm groove that we totally love! The set is self-described as "delightfully putrid" on the Pedro Bell cover – and we couldn't agree more! Titles include "Undisco Kidd", "Let's Take It To The People", "How Do Yeaw View You", "Butt-to-Butt Resuscitation" and "Take Your Dead Ass Home!". CD

Four friends in Bari, making really beautiful music together – a lineup that features sparkling trumpet from the great Fabrizio Bosso, plus guitar from Guido Di Leone, bass from Giuseppi Bassi, and drums from Mimmo Capanale! The set's got all the subtle charm of Bosso's best work in recent years – that stone classic approach to jazz trumpet – played with a talent that we'd rank right up there with folks like Freddie Hubbard or Art Farmer at their best – set to some inventive arrangements that really make great use of guitar in the place you'd normally find piano in such a group. The change of instrument makes for a nicely gentle quality at times in the rhythms, which seems to make Fabrizio's horn sound even more upfront and soulful – and titles include "E La Chiamano Estate", "King Dorian", "Wide Green Eyes", "Bernie's Tune", "Mack The Knife", and "Nostalgia Di Cuba". CD

Hard-swinging big band material – with a heavy emphasis on drums! The album is a suite of six tracks – all written by either Manny Albam or Ernie Wilkins, both of whom arrange the groups on the set – really letting them open up nicely on the album's longish tracks. Manny and Ernie were two of the more soulful arrangers of their day – and they get some strong performances out of the groups, letting players like Conte Candoli on trumpet, Hal McKusick on alto, Al Cohn on tenor, and Freddie Green on guitar open up in longer tracks driven to intensity by some great drum work handled by the lesser-known (but excellent) Ted Sommer. Titles include "Skinning The Valves", "Dancers On Drums", "Bristling", and "The Octopus". CD

A nice live snapshot of a later P Funk incarnation, circa 1983 – with players like Dennis Chambers and Michael Hampton aboard the mothership with Clinton's family of funk all stars! The rest of the crew includes includes stalwarts Bernie Worrell, Eddie Hazel, Blackbird McKnight, Maceo Parker, Mudbone Cooper and George Clinton working hard to extend their legendary style of live funk into the 80s. There's a slow build up of energy that's works well – kicking off slowly but surely with a laidback intro and band intro before busts open in a big way, and from there it's one exciting classic after another 'til the very end! Includes lengthy live riffs on P-funk classics like "Cosmic Slop", "(Not Just) Knee Deep", "Maggot Brain", "Atomic Dog"and "Flashlight", "Give Up The Funk (Tear The Roof Off The Sucker)", "Do That Stuff", "Cosmic Slop" plus a medley of "Let's Take It To The Stage", "Mothership Connection (Starchild)" and "I Call My Baby Pussycat" in a nearly 100 minute set! CD

Three albums from Dutch drummer Eric Ineke – served up in a single set! Dexternity is a tribute to the music of Dexter Gordon, one that's led by drummer Eric Ineke, and which features the reed talents of Sjoerd Dijkhuizen on Dexter's role – blowing both tenor and a bit of soprano sax! The rest of the group features Rik Mol on trumpet, Rob Van Bavel on piano, and Marius Beets on bass – and titles include "The Panther", "Body And Soul", "Soy Califa", "Cheese Cake", "Boston Bernie", and "Fried Bananas". Meets The Tenor Players is a selection of tracks from different sessions, all of which feature drummer Eric Ineke interacting with a range of famous tenorists – including some key American players recording overseas! The set features work from Dexter Gordon, Eddie Lockjaw Davis, Clifford Jordan, Johnny Griffin, Lucky Thompson, Goerge Coleman, and Grant Stewart – each of whom play on their own tracks – with piano work from players who include Rein De Graaff, Rob Agerbeek, and Rob Madna. Titles include "Let There Be Life Love & Laughter", "Prayer To The People", "Walkin", "Lady Bird", "Stablemates", and "Wee". Cruisin is a later date from Dutch drummer Eric Ineke, but one that maybe burns with even more fire than some of his earlier albums – thanks to the work of some great musicians in the quintet! At some points, the group takes off in strongly soulful hardbop formation – but at others, they can equally slide into a slightly modern mode, but all without losing their swing at all – a performance that's given plenty of focus from Ineke's drumming, and topped with these warmly lyrical piano lines from Rob Van Bavel, plus trumpet from Rik Mol, tenor and bass clarinet from Sjoerd Dijkhuizen, and bass from Marius Beets. Titles include "Oak City", "When We Were One", "Just A Tune For You", "What Is This", "Cruising", and "Seven On The Richter Scale". CD

A smoking little set – an album of jazz takes on Curtis Mayfield classics, played by a hip combo that includes a few musicians from Mayfield's old band! The album's a straight jazz effort all the way through – and the interpretations are so soulful and swinging on their own, you might even forget that Curtis provided the inspiration for the tunes – thanks to work from Wallace Roney on trumpet, Ernie Watts on saxes, Phil Upchurch on guitar, Russ Ferrante on piano, Terri Lyne Carrington on drums, and Henry Gibson on congas! The album's one of the last that Gibson ever cut, and his percussion really helps the whole thing find its groove – providing a nice kick to the work of Roney, Watts, and Upchurch over the top. Titles include "Freddie's Dead", "Superfly", "Beautiful Brother Of Mine", "People Get Ready", "Amen", "Gypsy Woman", and "It's All Right". CD