Drummer Emanuel Harrold is way more than just a musician on the set – and the record is way more than jazz as well – as Emanuel works with some great guests throughout, and turns the whole thing into a record that's more like some soul-styled soundsystem overall! There's definitely plenty of jazzy moments on the set – nice work on flute, alto, Fender Rhodes, and guitar – but the singers who appear on different cuts really help shape the sound of the record in great ways – given a lot of freedom by Harrold to do their things, at a level that's very different than just a vocalist joining in on a jazz session. Gregory Porter gives us one of his best songs in years – the wonderful "I Think" – and singers on other cuts include Shareef Keyes on "See", Crystal Ransom on "Brighter Day", Saunders Sermons on "Good Word", and Malcolm Jamal Warner on "We Da People" – and other cuts include "Shine Light" and "Fight Harder" – the last of which features trumpet from Keyon Harrold. CD

A tremendous step forward for the young Muhal Richard Abrams – a set that still shows his early roots in the AACM, but which also blossoms with some of his more serious compositional efforts to come! There's a sensitivity here that really stands out – even among Abrams' contemporaries – a striving for a wider range of expression – some as bold as before, some much more deeply personal and intimate. The tracks feature a shifting array of players – working alongside Abrams piano, and building up the sound in a number of different ways. Players include Wallace McMillan on flute and sax, Edwin Daugherty on sax, Richard Brown on sax, Emanuel Cranshaw on vibes, Rufus Reid on bass, and Steve McCall and Wilbur Campbell on drums. Ella Jackson provides vocals on "How Are You?" – and other titles include "Ballad For New Souls", "Things To Come From Those Now Gone", "In Retrospect", "Ballad For Old Souls", "1 & 4 Plus 2 & 7", and "March Of The Transients". CD

A funky nugget from the second Blue Note chapter of guitarist Grant Green – that wonderful point when he shifted into more funk-based styles from his hardbop work at the start – and found a way to unlock a whole new side of his talents! The approach here is similar to some of the funky Lou Donaldson albums from the time – like Hot Dog or Say It Loud – in that tracks are nice and long, and have some great funky currents at the bottom from the drums of Idris Muhammad – who kicks up lots of those chunky funky breaks that we always love so much! Green's work on guitar is especially nice – stretched out, but never trippy, with a tight single note style that really gets the most out of the grooves – in a great lineup that features Blue Mitchell on trumpet, Claude Bartee on tenor, Emanuel Riggins on Hammond, Jimmy Lewis on bass, and Candido on congas. Neal Creque contributed two great tracks to the set – "Windjammer" and "Dracula" – and the album also sports a great long version of James Brown's "Ain't It Funky Now", and a sweet cover of "A Day In The Life"! CD

Righteous Bobby Hutcherson from the 70s – one of his last albums recorded in the company of reedman Harold Land – and one of his greatest too! There's a wonderful mix of modes going on here – modal jazz meets California sun, blending a sense of spiritualism with some of the warmth that Hutcherson was increasingly discovering in his music – especially on the album's use of marimbas, which are surprisingly great next to Bobby's vibes! In addition to work from Land on tenor and flute, the set also has the great Woody Shaw on trumpet – plus Bill Henderson on Fender Rhodes, Emanuel Boyd on tenor, Ray Drummond on bass, Larry Hancock on drums, and Kenneth Nash on percussion – a rhythm player who really helps give the record some hip Strata East-like touches. Titles include a sublime reading of Shaw's "Rosewood" – plus "Zuri Dance", "Wrong Or Right", "Even Later", and "Cirrus". CD

Rare tracks from one of the greatest soul labels ever – Detroit's legendary Westbound Records, the famous home of Funkadelic – but a source for countless many more grooves! This set features really rare singles and unreleased tracks from Westbound – a flurry of great soul tracks that's surprised even our Westbound-raised ears – with tracks that run from righteous soul to heavy funk, to great group harmonies, and more! There's nary a big name in the set – and instead, the whole thing really focuses on the hinterland of the Westbound scene – including some especially rare gems that were issued as singles by the even-smaller Eastbound label, who did some wonderfully groovy work in the early 70s. Titles include "Admit Your Love Is Gone" by Damon Shawn, "Old Fashioned Woman" by Unique Blend, "I'm Falling In Love" by Fantastic Four, "Tender Moments" by AC Tilmon & Denise LaSalle, "I Love You" by The Motivations, "More Love" by Emanuel Laskey, "What Am I Gonna Do" by Houston Outlaws, "I Don't Know How" by The Superlatives, "Trying Real Hard" by The Magictones, "You Can't Take This Love For You From Me" by Bob & Harold, "I'm Loving You You're Leaving Me" by The Magictones, "Does He Treat You Better" by Unique Blend, and "Rosetta Stone" by AC Tilmon & Detroit Emeralds. CD

Rare Detroit soul from the archives of Dave Hamilton – the vast majority from the fertile late 60s period, plus a couple of later cuts – soulful Hamilton productions and featuring wonderful numbers by Bobby Dee, Priscilla Page, The Moderations, Frenchy & The Chessmen, Harry Reid, Charmaine, Sue Ann Jones, Emanuel Taylor, Billy Soul and more! Hamilton may not be one of the best known names in the soul music canon, but his imprint is massive – both as a producer and performer. This great Ace comp of rare singles is a fine document and it's filled with excellent tracks. A treasure trove! 25 tracks in all: "Take Care Of Your Own Business" by Dave Hamilton, "Sweet Thing Part 1" by Bobby Dee, "I'm Pretending" by Priscilla Page, "I'm Begging You" by Chicago Pete, "All Because Of You" by The Moderations, "You Gotta Show Me" by Billy Soul, "Won't You Come On Home by Harry Reid, "Don't You Listen" by Charmain, "Missing You" by Sue Ann Jones and more. CD

The lovely Emanuelle takes a trip around the world – and the result is a soundtrack that's as sexy as the images on the screen! Nico Fidenco moves through territory here that's every bit as great as his previous scores for this slinky series – a mix of Euro erotic sounds, light funk rhythms, and some sweet exotic touches that really open up some of the more worldly locations – all a musical backdrop for Emanuelle's actions that help set the series apart from cheesier softcore films of the 70s! The music is 70s sexploitation at its finest – with swirling strings, floating flute, and sweet keyboards – all wrapped up tightly on a total of 33 tracks that includes "Where To Begin", "Picture Of Love", "Where Is Your Guru", "Beautiful Terrace", "Three Girls In Rome", "Kamasutra In Love", "Bastards At Work", "A Picture Of Love", "My Boundless", and "Eternal Anguish". Limited numbered package – with loads of previously unissued tracks! CD

Emanuelle goes east, and picks up some cool exotic touches to add to her more familiar funky grooves! The soundtrack's a really nice change of flavor from Nico Fidenco – still every bit as groovy as his other Emanuelle scores, but mixed with some earthy percussion, haunting flute lines, and cool sonic elements that definitely echo the eastern setting of the movie – all while foregrounding the Euro sex that's clearly the main item on the menu! This mix of sounds easily makes the album one of the most sophisticated Emanuelle soundtracks in the series – one that's sure to appeal to more serious soundtrack collectors, as well as lovers of the cheese that the series came to stand for. Titles include "Red Hot Wax", "Unavoidable", "Of Your Body", "Thailand Sweet Sound", "Like A Sailing Ship", "Orient Riders", "Body To Body", "Bellies Orient Dance", and "Sudden Ride". 21 tracks – all remastered, and presented here in a limited package with a poster, too! CD

A late entry in the Black Emanuelle series starring Laura Gemser and featuring music by Nico Fidenco – La Via Della Prostituzione – featuring a mix of sulty Fidenco sounds and more funky and disco oriented grooves! Much of the material here has never been released before this great CD from Beat Records – and it's full of funky 70s dancefloor styled sounds with spacier touches, clapping rhythms and evocative wordless vocals. Great stuff – benchmark late 70s erotic soundtrack grooves after the international dancefloor sounds seeped into the style! Titles include "Run Cheetah Run", "A Modern Reportage", "Performing Joy", "Red Room", "Lady Surprise", "Reporter In Action", "Strange Hospital", "Lady Fighting", "Too Much AgaiN" and more. CD