The time is always right for Woody Shaw – as just about every album from the trumpeter's a gem, and this set's no exception to that rule! The set's an overlooked live date from the early 80s – one that features four long songs, just the sort of extended numbers that demonstrate Woody's wonderful talents on the trumpet – that soulful, soaring, exploratory style that really transformed the use of the instrument during Shaw's all-too-short time on this planet. The rhythm section is great – with Mulgrew Miller on long spiraling piano lines, Stafford James on bass, and Tony Reedus on drums – and Steve Turre's also in the group, blowing both trombone and that unique shell of his. Titles include "From Moment To Moment", "Time Is Right", "We'll Be Together Again", and "You & The Night & The Music". CD

Just about any record with Maiden Voyage in the title turns out to be pretty darn great – and this record is no exception! The set's a sweet mix of electric and acoustic modes from Japanese tenorist Tatsuya Takahashi – played by his Tokyo Union group, and featuring electric piano and bass nestled in amidst the larger horn section – all in a great blend of big band jazz and funkier modes! The title track is a great cover of Herbie Hancock's "Maiden Voyage" – taken in a spacious, open way that has some weird electronics bubbling underneath – and other highlights include a great wah wah funk version of "One Mint Julep", a stepping version of "Sir Duke" with some vocoder, and a driving big band version of "Giant Steps". CD

A sweet UK compilation of some of Nick's best work – and covering the stylistic breadth of it – from the somewhat underappreciated studio band backed gems, to the stripped down and rawly intimate songcraft that cemented his incredible legacy. With the exception of a couple tracks from the posthumous Made To Love Magic collection, Treasury draws pretty equally from each of this iconic Island LPs – so nearly every track is purely classic – so the biggest and only flaw here is that it has 15 incredible tracks, rather than all of them! "River Man", "Cello Song", "Poor Boy", "Hazey Jane II", "Magic", "Place To Be", "From The Morning", "Fruit Tree", "Road", and "Way To Blue". LP, Vinyl record album

A bit of a change for The Great Jazz Trio, but a great one too – given that Buster Williams is on bass here, instead of the usual Ron Carter – working with drummer Tony Williams and pianist Hank Jones to really make things sparkle! Buster's bass is always a treat, and this album's no exception – a set that's filled with some surprisingly soulful moments on the bottom, which really seems to push the group nicely on the longer tracks in the set. Jones sounds a bit different here than before – in a good way – and titles include versions of "Love For Sale", "Secret Love", "Autumn Leaves", and "Someone To Watch Over Me". LP, Vinyl record album

Keef Hartley always keeps things cool, and this album's no exception to that rule – a wicked set of jazz rock numbers with a hard undercurrent of funk! Hartley's drums are great, and really kick most tunes into gear – putting more punch into the tunes than on other albums of this nature, and creating a few nice break moments along the way. Other instrumentation includes tenor, alto, flute, organ, and some very sharp guitar – and although the vocals are a bit bluesy, the rhythms are all pretty groovy! Titles include "Don't You be Long", "Nicturns", "What It Is", "You Say You're Together Now", "Heartbreakin Woman", and "Marin County". LP, Vinyl record album

Drummer Roy Haynes always brings something great to the table for any album he does as a leader – and this record is no exception! Here, the "added something" is the presence of Roland Kirk on reeds – offered a key early chance to express his most modern ideas in the freedom of Haynes' group – working alongside Tommy Flanagan on piano and Henry Grimes on bass, in what was easily one of the hippest groups to record for Impulse in the early 60s! The record's filled with wonderful material – and a mix of originals and standards done with a very twisted edge – all with great interplay between Kirk's quirky sax work and Roy Haynes' amazing drumming – often changing up timings and rhythms with ease, and really matching Kirk's quirky energy for the set. Titles include "Moon Ray", "Raoul", "Snap Crackle", and "Long Wharf". LP, Vinyl record album

Drummer Roy Haynes always brings something great to the table for any album he does as a leader – and this record is no exception! Here, the "added something" is the presence of Roland Kirk on reeds – offered a key early chance to express his most modern ideas in the freedom of Haynes' group – working alongside Tommy Flanagan on piano and Henry Grimes on bass, in what was easily one of the hippest groups to record for Impulse in the early 60s! The record's filled with wonderful material – and a mix of originals and standards done with a very twisted edge – all with great interplay between Kirk's quirky sax work and Roy Haynes' amazing drumming – often changing up timings and rhythms with ease, and really matching Kirk's quirky energy for the set. Titles include "Moon Ray", "Raoul", "Snap Crackle", and "Long Wharf". LP, Vinyl record album

Pretty much all the essentials from the Danzig era Misfits catalog with the exception of "Hybrid Moments" – includes the ghoulish hits "She", "Bullet", "Teenagers From Mars", "Night Of The Living Dead", "Where Eagles Dare", "I Turned Into A Martian", "Skulls", "Ghouls Night Out", "Astro Zombies", "Mommy Can I Go Out And Kill Tonight?", "Die Die My Darling", "Green Hell", and more! LP, Vinyl record album

Textbook Red Simpson readings of Christmas tunes – 18 wheels of shuffling Bakersfield rhythms and endearingly twangy holiday cheer! Red's best remembered in the mainstream for novelty truck driving honky tonk tunes, but thankfully more than a few folks know that he's truly a master of the Bakersfield Sound, with stripped down rhythms and rough hewn anthems that should be staples. His Christmas record is no exception – spreading cheer from the lost honky tonks of Bakersfield! Tracks include "Truckin' Trees For Christmas", "Blue Blue Christmas", "Toys For Tots", "Christmas Wheels", "Little Toy Trucks", "Gone Home For Christmas" and more! CD

2 early gems from The Impressions – back to back on a single CD! First up is the self-titled Impressions – fantastic soul from the Chicago scene of the 60s – the legendary first ABC album by Curtis Mayfield and The Impressions! Although the group first broke big on Vee Jay Records, it was at ABC that their genius really took flight – tightening up the harmonies of the earlier singles, and hitting a mode that was a lot more soul than the doo wop of their roots! The sound here is a great bridge between the two eras of the group's career – and a number of the best tracks here are done in a mellow, gentle sort of way that relies heavily on the harmonies – crackling out with beautifully human sounds throughout. Nearly every tune is an original by Curtis Mayfield – and there's not a spot of filler on the album! Titles include "Minstrel & Queen", "Gypsy Woman", "Never Let Me Go", "Sad Sad Girl & Boy", "Little Young Lover", "Can't You See", and "I Need Your Love". Nice cover, too – with Curtis smiling the biggest ol' bucktoothed smile you'll ever see! Never-Ending Impressions is a major winner from The Impressions! Virtually all of their material for ABC was excellent – and this LP is no exception, as it's got loads of original Curtis Mayfield compositions, and plenty of great arrangements by Chicago soul legend Johnny Pate. The group is extremely soulful at this point – and they sound great on just about every cut. Titles include "Ten To One", "I'm So Proud", "Sister Love", "Little Boy Blue", "Girl You Don't Know Me", "I Gotta Keep Movin", and "A Woman Who Loves Me". CD

Solid 70s work from Eddie Kendricks – still super-strong in the vocal department, but perhaps a bit less spectacular on the arrangements, at least in comparison to some of his other work at the time. The cuts are less in the boogie mode than in a complicated lush soul style – and although the record's got plenty of work by dancefloor arrangers like Leonard Caston or Frank Wilson, many of the tracks are in a mellow intimate mode. The biggest exception to this might be the groover "Let Yourself Go" – but the easy side comes through more than enough on tracks like "If", "If You Think", and "Time In A Bottle". Other tracks include "Shoeshine Boy" and "Please Don't Go Away". LP, Vinyl record album

We're not usually fans of books on a single album – but in this case, we gladly make an exception – as the creation and circulation of Miles Davis' Kind Of Blue is definitely powerful enough to fill volumes of writing! Author Richard Williams does a great job of exploring this crucial piece of jazz – not only detailing the important session and musical moment that led to the record's creation, but also looking it its influence for decades after its release – not just in jazz, but in American popular culture as well! Hardcover book is 309 pages. Book

An exceptional early release from the tragic Tim Buckley – done with a really unique sound that mixes late 60s folk rock with some subtly jazzy overtones! The record features beautiful string arrangements from the legendary Jack Nitzsche, and some beautiful work on piano, harpsichord, and celeste by Van Dyke Parks! But Buckley's the main star of the set – crooning beautifully with his sad-tinged voice, on wonderful tracks that include "Wings", "Aren't You the Girl", "She Is", and "Understand Your Man". CD

A really great album as a leader from bassist Dave Holland – a musician who was really coming into his own at this point in his career, and using all the talents he'd developed in looser settings to help bring new focus to a group! The lineup here is exceptionally strong, and a really great blend of different styles and talents – Steve Coleman on alto and soprano sax, Julian Priester on trombone, Kenny Wheeler on trumpets, and Marvin Smitty Smith on drums – all rising majestically under the leadership of Holland. Titles include "Uhren", "Homecoming", "Perspecuity", "Celebration", "World Protection Blues", "Gridlock (Opus 8)", "Walk A way", "The Good Doctor", and "Double Vision". CD

A group who definitely live up to their name – given that their recordings are so obscure, they were lost souls from the very start! Yet there's also a genius here that should have made them huge – an inherent tunefulness that clearly shows a love of The Beatles, Hollies, and a handful of other Brit groups – but delivered with an edge that's more like early Who or Creation – and by that last reference, we mean both the fab 60s British group, and the later 80s label with the same name! These tunes are fantastic little gems – catchy, but not commercial – charming, but never cloying – and often driven by some exceptionally strong basslines at the bottom, which works great with the warmer vocal harmonies and jangly guitars. Titles include "Dare To Surmise", "Love I Won't Admit", "Look At Me", "Things That Are Important", "Diamond Head", "Livin The Way I Want To", and "Trashcan Throne" – and the CD also features a few live tracks, and some bonus material too – 26 titles in all, by a group who hopefully won't be lost souls any longer! CD

A wonderful set from this cool Australian combo – and one that offers up the group in two nicely different modes! Side one has The Three Out sounding wonderful as a trio – with sublime soul-styled piano from a very young Mike Nock, and exceptional work on bass from Freddy Logan – whose sound gives the record this deep bottom right from the start, and puts the group on a par with a rare few American trios – like the Three Sounds on Blue Note! Side two gets even more interesting, as the group are joined by four additional Australian jazz men – all horn players who really expand the groove, and get in some wonderful solos too – a lineup that includes the great Don Burrows on alto and baritone, Erroll Buddle on tenor, and both Ron Falson and Colin Jones on trumpets. Burrows and Buddle sound deeper and more soulful than usual, and really hit the groove laid down by the trio – and titles include "New Jade", "Sittin In Blues", "Nock Out", "Loganberries", "Dizzy Pipe", and "I Love You". LP, Vinyl record album

Instrumental guitar great William Tyler's second album under his own name, and his first for indie powerhouse Merge Records – and it's an exceptionally beautiful piece of work from a player who's really just getting started! Tyler strikes a youthful presense, but he's actually been playing around a lot behind the scenes – as a studio and/or touring guitarist for Lambchop, Candi Staton, Charlie Louvin and others wise enough to record with producer Mark Nevers – who works on this record, too. Tyler is definitely inspired by finger style folk guitarists from the mid 20th Century onward, but he's also got a hypnotic style that feels like it's inspired by more atmospheric country rock and rustic 70s soundtracks. Here he's mixing it all it into a brilliant style all his own, and it's SO good. Guest musicians include fellow youthful Nashville string genius Chris Scruggs, drummer Scott Martin, steel player Luke Schneider and Roy Agee on trombone. Includes "Country Of Illusion", "The Geography Of Nowhere", "Cadillac Desert", "We Can't Go Home Again", "A Portrait Of Sarah", "Hotel Catatonia", "The Last Residents Of Westfall" and "The World Set Free". CD

Roger Troutman gets the front cover and Booker T Jones is on the back – Issue #35 of the funk & soul crate diggers bible Wax Poetics! Wax Poetics is far and away the brightest beacon of publications covering jazz, funk, soul & hip hop and the dusty wax that holds it – equally focusing on rare, classics, and new leaders of the grooves – and this issue has long features on the cover artists, plus Willie & The Bumblebees, The Joe Cuba Sextet and others in the always excellent Re:Discovery section, UK funk duo Broken Keys, the Shaolin Soul of the El Michels Affair, benchmark hip hop gamer Lord Finesse, EZ Mike Simpson of the Dust Brothers, heavy rhyme maestro Def Jef and much much more – filled with vintage rare photos of all parties that tell the story, on top of the exceptional writing and interview skills of team Wax Poetics! Magazine

A killer collection of east coast soul from the 70s – work that originally appeared on a handful of different labels, but which was all put together by Robert Hosea Williams – an unsung producer working out of a small studio in Silver Springs – with an incredible ear for up-and-coming talent! The music here is totally deep and righteous throughout – the hippest of the indie label scene on the east coast – and work that really lives up to the progressive, righteous reference you'd get from the Red, Black, & Green in the title! There's plenty of group soul here – of a type that mixes older harmony modes with hipper 70s references – creating a really badass approach to soul music that's simply mindblowing – and way different than the mainstream variants that were hitting the charts at the time. The whole thing's great – one of the best Numero comps in years – and titles include "Phoney People" and "I Really Really Love You" by Father's Children, "Sleepwalking" and "Let's Do It Over" by The Summits, "Don't Worry About The Joneses" and "We're Two Fools In Love" by Dysons Faces, "Day By Day" and "It Must Be Love" by The Exceptions Featuring Mark Greene, "Town Called Nowhere" and "I Need Your Love" by Skip Mahoney & The Casuals, and "Summer In The Parks" and "Generation" by East Coast Connection. CD

A wonderful follow up to one of our favorite compilations in recent years! London Is The Place For Me compiles the stylistically varied music coming from the emergent West Indian and African communities of 50s and 60s London – far more than just the topical, and often quite whimsical calypso tunes of the era! Calypso is well represented, but the set includes strains of jazz, percussive instrumentals that veer towards native Trinidad and Nigeria, and loads of Caribbean grooves! It's all exceptionally bright – with some lovingly, and knowingly, naive vocals that are as sweet as they are wise. A truly wonderful compilation. Essential! 20 tracks in all: "Calypso Be" by Young Tiger, "Yolanda" by Ambrose Campbell, "Calypso Blues" by Mona Baptiste, "My Wife's Nightie" by Lord Kitchener, "Ominara" by West African Rhythm Brothers, "Gerrard Street" by King Timothy, "ET Mensah's Rolling Ball" by West African Swing Stars, "West Indian Drums" by Russ Henderson, "Gbonimawo" by Rans Boi's Ghana Highlife Band and more! LP, Vinyl record album

One of Sergio Mendes' most dreamy albums – quite different than both his vocal work with Brasil 66, and his smaller combo sides from Brazil! There's still a strong bossa component to the record – but the setting has Sergio's piano lines laid out over larger arrangements with a good jazz component – soloing beautifully with a grace and charm he sometimes didn't have on other projects! Arrangements are by some hip American talents – Clare Fischer, Bob Florence, and Richard Hazard – and the set's filled with bright horns, lush banks of strings, and cascading rhythms – all produced with exceptional sound, so that Sergio's piano goes gliding over the top in a manner that's similar to some of the Luis Eca albums in a similar format. Tracks include "Carnaval", "Boranda", "Nana", and "Bonita". LP, Vinyl record album

An album with a groove as fluid as you might guess from the title – and from the nicely stretched image of Oscar Peterson on the cover! The album's one of the best-remembered from Oscar's years at MPS – a session that's got almost as much soul jazz at the bottom as it does the fluid Peterson touch on the top – and a record that benefits, no doubt, from exceptional rhythm work from the team of George Mraz on bass and Ray Price on drums, who hit a groove that's a bit more pronounced than usual. Peterson is tremendous throughout on the keys – all over the place, but always in control – really burning up the 88s with a command of his instrument that few players could match! Titles include "Just Friends", "Teach Me Tonight", "I Love You", "Once Upon A Summertime", "The Windmills Of Your Mind", and "All Of You". CD

A stunning selection of female soul from Motown – all of it rare, and much of it previously unreleased! The set is a great reminder not only of how much we still have to learn about the biggest soul label in the motor city – but also of the exceptional quality that Motown brought to their recordings – so much so that even long-unissued tracks like these can easily stand with the biggest hits from other 60s soul labels! The package is wonderful if you dig female soul – and maybe even if you just like vintage soul in general – and in addition to rare cuts by big Motown names, you'll also hear some lesser-knowns that show the way the company was always trying to reach out for new talent in the fertile world of Detroit music. As usual, Ace has provided very detailed notes that offer as much history as information on the music – and the CD features 24 titles that include "It's Been A Long Time Happenin" by Rita Wright, "There Are Things" by Ann Bogan, "It's Crazy Baby" by Liz Lands, "Baby I've Got It" by Brenda Holloway, "Honey Don't Leave Me" by The Lewis Sisters, "It's All Right" by LaBrenda Ben, "When Someone's Good To You" by Oma Page, "In My Heart I Know It's Right" by Gladys Knight & The Pips, "Sweet Talkin Guy" by The Marvelettes, "Cookie Boy" by Thelma Brown, "I Up & Think Of You" by Kim Weston, "There Was" by The Lollipops, "Keep Away" by Little Lisa, "Playboy (first version)" by The Marvelettes, "I Know You Don't Love Me No More (orig mix)" by Yvonne Fair, "In Your Heart" by Patrice Holloway, "You've Got Possibilities" by Barbara McNair, and "Bad News" by LaBrenda Ben. CD

The first two volumes in this legendary series – back to back in one set! Volume 1 is an amazing collection – and one that really helped completely revise our understanding of Caribbean music! The collection features a fair bit of artists with roots in the West Indies, but who made a huge impact on London's postwar immigrant population – the new rise of non-native residents who were swelling the ranks of the city in the years after the way – bringing with them new cultures, new sounds, and new traditions – with all the requisite ideas and politics that might imply! The work here often has a subtle social agenda – working through themes important to these new Londoners, yet still echoing modes of the homeland as well – often with great musical backings that's heavy on percussion, jazzy instrumentation, and very upbeat rhythms. Titles include "London Is The Place For Me" by Lord Kitchener, "I Was There" by Young Tiger, "Some Girl Something" by The Lion, "No Carnival In Britain" by Mighty Terror, "Jamaica Hurricane" by Lord Beginner, "Birth Of Ghana" by Lord Kitchener, "Victory Test Match" by Lord Beginner, "Spanish Calypso" by The Lion, "Bulldog Don't Bite Me" by Timothy, "My Landlady" by Lord Kitchener, "If You're Not White You're Black" by Lord Kitchener, and "Aguiti" by Lord Invader. Volume 2 compiles the stylistically varied music coming from the emergent West Indian and African communities of 50s and 60s London – far more than just the topical, and often quite whimsical calypso tunes of the era! Calypso is well represented, but the set includes strains of jazz, percussive instrumentals that veer towards native Trinidad and Nigeria, and loads of Caribbean grooves! It's all exceptionally bright – with some lovingly, and knowingly, naive vocals that are as sweet as they are wise. A truly wonderful compilation. Essential! 20 tracks in all: "Calypso Be" by Young Tiger, "Yolanda" by Ambrose Campbell, "Calypso Blues" by Mona Baptiste, "My Wife's Nightie" by Lord Kitchener, "Ominara" by West African Rhythm Brothers, "Gerrard Street" by King Timothy, "ET Mensah's Rolling Ball" by West African Swing Stars, "West Indian Drums" by Russ Henderson, "Gbonimawo" by Rans Boi's Ghana Highlife Band and more! CD

There have been lots of Lowrider soul compilations on the market over the years – documenting the great of of mellow cuts on the LA scene of the 60s – particularly the kind that could move slow, but with a heavy groove at the bottom – perfect for chilling out in the back of a car on an endless summer night! Yet few have ever done the job as well as this collection – because in the hands of Ace/Kent Records, the music finally gets proper historical context – moved past the jargon of the East LA in crowd, and presented with great sound, and the kind of detailed notes that really get at the special qualities that made the west coast soul scene so different than the east in the 60s! The set list is superb – fantastic mellow soul tracks that are perfect, even if you don't care about this history – and the set features 14 titles that include "Someone" by The Lovers, "Here It Comes" by The Persians, "That's The Way Our Love Is" by The Radiations, "It's Not That Easy" by Reuben Bell & The Casanovas, "No Doubt About It" by The Esquires, "What Am I Going To Do" by the Houston Outlaws, "So Much In Love" by The Exceptions, "Please Say It Isn't So" by Lee Williams & The Cymbals, "Somebody Please" by The Vanguards, "Someone" by The Lovers, "Follow Your Heart" by The Manhattans, and "Settle Down" by Little Ben & The Cheers. LP, Vinyl record album