Sound, space, tone, and color – a tremendous effort from trombonist Bob Brookmeyer, and a record with a really unique feel! The album features a wonderful group that includes Brookmeyer on valve trombone, Stan Getz on tenor, Gary Burton on vibes, Herbie Hancock on piano, Ron Carter on bass, and Elvin Jones on drums – all coming together in a way that's extremely equally-weighted – with less of Brookmeyer as the leader, than as a warm friend, gathering together a few key players in the studio. Given that Getz worked with Brookmeyer back in the early 50s, and had Burton in his group at the time, the album's always a link between both sides of a decade in Stan's career – but with the presence of the modernists on the rhythm team, there's a sound here that's much more unique – one that has a place for Stan's wonderful tone, and Brookmeyer's airy phrasing – but which also drives along in a rhythmically pulsing mode that almost puts Burton's vibes at the top of the set on some numbers. There's a change in mood from tune to tune that gives the record a remarkable depth, but without sounding schizophrenic – and titles include "Bracket", " Wrinkle Time", "Jive Hoot", "Skylark", "Sometime Ago", and "Who Cares". LP, Vinyl record album

A set recorded very early in the career of drummer Terri Lyne Carrington – an album that's tight, and full of fantastic work from both the leader and the all-star quartet on the date! Terri's already amazing on drums – shining through here in a more soaring, familiar jazz mode than on some of her later dates – unadorned, and with a great ear for both arrangements and work as a leader – guiding a group that features superb work from Kenny Barron on piano, George Coleman on tenor, and Buster Williams on bass. Sonny Carrington plays guest tenor on "Sonnymoon For Two" – and other cuts include "La Bonita", "St Thomas", "Seven Steps To Heaven", and "What Is This Thing Called Love". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

One of the most compelling albums we've ever heard from Ornette Coleman – and a set that's very different than some of his other work for different labels – particularly his better-known material for Blue Note and Atlantic! The album's got a righteous feel that's right up there in the best spirit of the Flying Dutchman label of the early 70s – a mode that's still on the far reaches of avant jazz that Ornette explored on earlier sessions – but which also has a warmer, almost more spiritual quality at times too. The core group features legendary partners Charlie Haden on bass, Dewey Redman on tenor, and Ed Blackwell on drums – but part of the record features an unnamed group of "Friends & Neighbors", who join in on the title cut with this collaborative spirit that really sets the tone for the whole record. Coleman plays trumpet and violin in addition to his usual alto sax – and titles include the mindblowing two part "Friends & Neighbors", plus "Let's Play", "Long Time No See", "Forgotten Songs", and "Tomorrow". LP, Vinyl record album

An obscure bit of late 60s Stax! Steve Cropper's working away from the MG's here, in a mode that's slightly similar, but which has his guitar upfront in the mix on a batch of Memphis-style instrumentals – kind of his own take on the groove he was laying down with Booker T, but with a lot less organ in the mix! There's no mad funk on the album, but the whole thing's pretty darn nice – and is proof that Cropper was the key element in more than just a bit of the Stax sound at the time – a really strong artist who could more than stand on his own. Titles include "Crop Dustin", "Land Of 1000 Dances", "Rattlesnake", "Funky Broadway", and "Boogaloo Down Broadway". LP, Vinyl record album

An obscure bit of late 60s Stax! Steve Cropper's working away from the MG's here, in a mode that's slightly similar, but which has his guitar upfront in the mix on a batch of Memphis-style instrumentals – kind of his own take on the groove he was laying down with Booker T, but with a lot less organ in the mix! There's no mad funk on the album, but the whole thing's pretty darn nice – and is proof that Cropper was the key element in more than just a bit of the Stax sound at the time – a really strong artist who could more than stand on his own. Titles include "Crop Dustin", "Land Of 1000 Dances", "Rattlesnake", "Funky Broadway", and "Boogaloo Down Broadway". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

A great and groovy early album from Volker Kriegel – the German guitarist who'd cut some very trippy work for the MPS label in the 70s – but a player who steps out here in a sweet soul jazz mode at the end of the 60s! Volker's still got the same wickedly sharp style on guitar you'd know from his later fame – but here, it's turned towards the kind of soulful guitar work you'd hear on Verve Records at the time – somewhere in the territory of George Benson, or maybe a bit in that of Wes Montgomery – but also with some occasional freewheeling moments that hint at the changes to come! The group's a trio on side one – with Peter Trunk on bass and Cees See on drums – but side two moves into wilder material with a quartet that features vibes by Claudio Szenkar, who adds in just the kind of psychedelic touches to really make the music open up! These cuts are much more modal, and show Kriegel's growing love of Eastern sounds – and titles include "Na Na Imboro", "Morandi", "Interpunctuation", "Traffic Jam", and "With A Little Help From My Friends". LP, Vinyl record album

A 60s LP that compiles Julia's earlier sides for Capitol – a mixture of jump blues, swing, and R&B, recorded with players that include Red Norvo, Benny Carter, Vic Dickenson, and Baby Lovett – all killer work from the early years of the labgel! Titles include "Last Call For Alcohol", "After Hours Waltz", "King Size Papa", "Snatch It & Grab It", "You Ain't Got It No More", and "Crazy World". LP, Vinyl record album

Features Johnny Littlejohn on vocals and guitar – on titles that include "Seven Day Blues", "Lost In The Jungle", "Bloody Tears", "Lottery Blues", "Two way Street", and "Chips Flying Everywhere". LP, Vinyl record album

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

A rare vocal session from Jane Powell – a singer better known for her film performances, but who sounds pretty darn great here on an obscure 50s studio session for Verve! Jane's got a higher-voiced style than most of the other singers on Verve, but she's brought down to earth nicely by arranger Buddy Bregman – who manages to keep things jazzy and swinging, but also creates some of the loftier modes from her film work – some lush moments that really come through on the mellower tracks. Titles include "My Baby Just Cares For Me", "Comes Love", "In Love In Vain", "Can't We Be Friends", "Imagination", and "Ev'ry Time". LP, Vinyl record album

A set that came out at the end of the 90s, but which features unreleased material from earlier years – which you might have guessed, given the "vault" in the title! The set has tracks that go all the way back to the mid 80s, but is mostly focused on the final years when Prince was working with Warner Brothers – including some when he'd dropped his name – and overall, although there's no huge hits here, the material from Prince's cutting room floor is still head and shoulders above most from the rest – tight, funky, and full of catchy hooks! Titles include "My Little Pill", "Extraordinary", "Rest Of My Life", "It's About That Walk", "She Spoke 2 Me", "5 Women", and "When The Lights Go Down". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

One of the few full albums issued under the name of alto saxophonist Willie Smith – easily one of our favorite players on the alto of his generation! Willie's got a warmly raspy tone that rarely gets presented this well – in an easygoing, laidback setting with plenty of space – surrounded by musical "friends" who include Arnold Ross on piano, Les Paul on guitar, Murray McEachern on trombone, and Nick Fatool on drums. The tunes are all from mid 40s recordings, but nicely brought together in this LP package for the 50s – and they're a great example of the unique space that Smith carved out for himself back in the day. Titles include "Airiness A La Nat", "My Old Flame", "September In The Rain", "You Ought To Be In Pictures", and "Willow Weep For Me". LP, Vinyl record album

Jazzy soul all the way through – and a great little album from Lenny White and the Twennynine combo – a group that features some especially great keyboards from the great Don Blackman! The style here's a bit like some of Blackman's own work – rooted in fusion, but focused towards soul – with vocals on all tracks, but lots of tightly crafted riffs and grooves underneath! Keyboards and guitars are in the forefront on top of Lenny White's drums – but tunes also feature some EWF horn work, and an occasional vocal chorus arranged by Blackman, and featuring Dee Dee Bridgewater and Googie Coppola! Tracks include the classic 80s groover "Peanut Butter", plus "Tropical Nights", "Best Of Friends", "Take Me Or Leave Me", "Citi Dancin", and "Betta". LP, Vinyl record album

With Elton John, Gladys Knight, and Stevie Wonder on "That's What Friends Are For". LP, Vinyl record album

With selections by Dolly Parton, Mickey Gilley, Al Ferrier, Eddie Shuler, Lawrence Aguillard, Boppin Blues, Joel Sonnier, Freddy Fender, Anita Francis, Jenny Scroggins, and Don Mooring. LP, Vinyl record album

Label sampler with selections by Kensington Market, Joni Mitchell, Eric Andersen, The Collectors, Tiny Tim, David Blue, Grateful Dead, Jimi Hendrix, Arlo Guthrie, Randy Newman, The Fugs, The Electric Prunes, Tom Northcott, and Van Dyke Parks. LP, Vinyl record album

Gene Ammons has some pretty hip friends here – a roster of talent that includes guest appearances by hornmen Cannonball Adderley, Dexter Gordon, and Nat Adderley on one long jam number – plus Hampton Hawes on electric piano on the entire set! The work's done in a laidback, long-blowing way – more the Gene Ammons of earlier live dates than the revived funk hero of the early 70s Prestige years – but thanks to some nicely spacious keyboards from Hawes, the record's got a more modern sound than you might expect, and is a good bridge between 60s and 70s soul jazz modes. Titles include "New Sonny's Blues", "Treux Blue", "Sophisticated Lady", and "Yardbird Suite". LP, Vinyl record album

Some great tracks from the jazzy soulful genius of Norman Connors! Connors is one of the best crossover soul jazz artists of the 70s – with a masterful blend of styles that's matched by only a few other artists, like Roy Ayers or Leroy Hutson. This set includes tracks from his Buddah and Arista recordings – and the sound is classic all the way through! Titles include "You Are My Starship", "This Is Your Life", "Betcha By Golly Wow", "Valentine Love", "Love From The Sun", and "Once I've Been There". LP, Vinyl record album

A mighty great little record – a mixture of jazz and soul from the heavy talents of Hilton Felton – and a record that not only features some of his own great work on organ and keyboards, but some great contributions from other members of the DC scene of the 70s! In addition to help from The Blackbyrds in the core combo, and guest tenor from Andrew White, the set also features vocals from a young Angela Winbush on one track – singing backup on some others! But the core charm of the record comes from the grooves – the kind of upbeat, righteous sounds that we've always loved in Felton's keyboards – almost an extension of the Prestige Records jazz funk groove from the start of the 70s, with echoes of records by Funk Inc, Melvin Sparks, and Leon Spencer – but given a particularly hip east coast indie sort of spin! Titles include "Family & Friends", "Spreading Fever", "Never Can Say Goodbye", "Family Reunion", "Clay's Way", and "The Power Of Love". LP, Vinyl record album

An unusual little concept record from Gentle Giant – one based around the story of three childhood friends each going their own separate ways – but served up with enough of the group's usual jazzy flair to keep things interesting! As on other records from the time, there's almost a fusion inspiration going on here – really jamming guitar and keyboard parts – sometimes at a level that matches the bigger mainstream groups of the time, but more often in the prog hinterlands, especially on the vocal parts, which have a flowing quality that really matches the keyboards. Titles include "Prologue", "Schooldays", "Peel The Paint", and "Mister Class & Quality". LP, Vinyl record album

40s material from Shelly Manne – material that features Shelly on drums with Eddie Heywood, both trio and orchestra – plus a bit in a trio with Barney Bigard and Heywood on piano – all recorded in New York, not Manne's usual west coast turf! LP, Vinyl record album

Mingus live is always a treat – especially in these later years, when the fire seemed to go out of most of his studio recordings. Live, though, he always managed to kick it hard - with the sort of emotion that graced his strong early albums. And despite the fact that this one's conducted by Teo Macero, and features some remarks from Bill Cosby – the affair's still pretty hip, and the soloists go to town nicely – with those stretched-out performances that always made for the best individual moments in a Mingus record! The record features great work from Gene Ammons and Bobby Jones on tenor, Lee Konitz and Charles McPherson on alto, James Moody on flute, Randy Weston on piano, Lonnie Hillyer on trumpet, and Eddie Bert on trombone – and Honey Gordon sings a lovely vocal on the track "Eclipse". Other titles include "Jump Monk", "Us Is Two", "ESP", and "Ecclusiastics". LP, Vinyl record album

With Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Doc Watson, The Byrds, and more. LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

One of the best small group sessions from trombonist Bill Harris! Features work by Ben Webster on tenor – plus Jimmy Rowles on piano, Stan Levey on drums, and Red Mitchell on bass. LP, Vinyl record album

A stone classic from reedman Ronnie Laws – and an album that really helped set a whole new standard for funky fusion in the 70s! Laws works here with great Wayne Henderson production – which gives the album an even sharper sound than other Blue Note sets of this vintage – and that kind of tight blend of funk and jazz you'd find in the Crusaders, with a similar no-nonsense approach in the grooves! Henderson's got a great way of never being too smooth – and Laws responds with some wicked solos on tenor, soprano sax, and flute – soaring out over the course of the whole wonderful album. Titles include "Goodtime Ride", "Just Love", "Saturday Evening", "Friends & Strangers", "Nuthin Bout Nuthin", "New Day", and "Same Old Story". LP, Vinyl record album

An excellent solo set as a leader from drummer Mel Lewis – one that reminds us that he can still cook very strongly away from his big band with trumpeter Thad Jones! The set has Lewis in different groupings with an excellent set of the friends mentioned in the title – a top-shelf lineup that includes Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, Michael Brecker on tenor, Gregory Herbert on alto, Hank Jones on piano, and Ron Carter on bass – working their way through a mix of different material that really takes on some great new energy in Lewis' hands – that mix of swing and complexity he forged in the group with Jones, but maybe even more compelling here in a smaller combo format. Titles include "Windflower", "De Samba", "Ain't Nothin Nu", "A Child Is Born", and "Sho Nuff Did". LP, Vinyl record album

A superb set of duets between Johnny Mathis and Deniece Williams – a set that's a key part of Johnny's rise into soul music during the 70s, and one that also forms a cornerstone of the early career of Deniece Williams too! Williams' soaring vocal range is a great match for the trademark Mathis modes – and the pair take on some great tunes that are mostly in a midtempo groove, which allows for all this fantastic interplay between the vocals – at a level that really shows what the duo can do together, and how they're not just two superstars who happened to be in the same studio. Titles include "You're All I Need To Get By", "Ready Or Not", "Touching Me With Love", "Me For You You For Me", and "Until You Come Back To Me". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

Oregon open the door for a few friends to appear on the album – and in doing so, they also open themselves up as well – in a shifting set of tracks that sometimes features different groupings of the core musicians! The guests here are Bennie Wallace on tenor, Larry Karush on piano, and David Earl Johnson on congas and timbales – and the tracks move from longer to shorter, quintet to duo performances – all showing different aspects of the guitars of Ralph Towner, reeds of Paul McCandless, bass of Glen Moore, and sitar and percussion of Collin Walcott. Karush and Moore duet on piano on the beautiful "Love Over Time", Wallace and Walcott mix sitar and tenor on "First Thing In The Morning" – and other titles include "Time Remembered", "Interstate", "Timeless", "Love Over Time", and "Grazing Dreams". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

A huge moment for War – maybe the group's biggest album of the 70s, but a set that still has them holding onto everything that makes the great! Like Earth Wind & Fire at their best, War have this way of staying strong and righteous, while still able to hit a hook – jamming one minute, but finding sharp focus the next – and balancing it all out over the course of an album so that there's a sense of depth that really keeps on going once the familiar cuts draw you in. In this case, the familiar cuts are giants – the stunning Latin funk gem "Low Rider", which became an anthem for a generation, and the radio hit "Why Can't We Be Friends" – mixed with other nuggets like the jazzy "Don't No One Get You Down", the funky "Heartbeat", and the cuts "Lotus Blossom", "Smile Happy", "So", and "Leroy's Latin Lament". LP, Vinyl record album

A collection of 60s recordings by Winwood, with Jeff Beck, Yardbirds, and Long John Baldry. LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

A cool A&M label compilation – with work by Ron Davies, Lambert & Nuttycombe, Spooky Tooth, Free, The Move, Lee Michaels, Quincy Jones, and Fotheringay. LP, Vinyl record album

Killer reissue that combines both of the albums that Airto recorded for Buddah in the early 70s! The records were done with the help of Flora Purim and Hermeto Pascoal, plus Sivuca and Dom Um Romao – and they both boast perfect production, and just the right mix of Brazilian instrumentation and fusiony sounds. If you've ever heard one of Airto's weaker albums and wondered what the fuss was about, get this set and see how great he can be – because the record's got soaring jazzy Brazilian cuts that rank with the best stuff we stock! With the tracks "Andei", "Bebe", "Mixing", "The Tunnel", "On Sonho", Papo Furado", and "O Galho da Rosiera". 16 cuts in all! LP, Vinyl record album

Pop soul from the Alessi brothers – bright, upbeat and glossy groovers that sound sweeter that we would have imagined all these years – with tight songcraft, hooks you can't shake if you try, and played by some all star musicians - Larry Carlton, Tom Scott, Ernie Watts, Lenny Castro and more! Christopher Cross is also on the album, and he blew up pretty big for a little while around this time, and Long Time Friends are just as unshakable as his huge hit! Titles include "Jagged Edge", "I'm Gonna Tell Her Tonight", "How Long, How Much", "Still In Love", "Forever", "Long Time Friends" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

The standout classic from Curtom disco diva Linda Clifford – and an album that showed that Chicago could rival Philly in the clubby groove department! Linda has a proud presence that really matches that of her better-known sisters in the City Of Brotherly Love – and she's singing here with a strong sense of personality that really sets the album apart from other female disco albums of the era. One of the greatest examples of this is her stunning "Runaway Love" – which has a bad-rapping, almost Marlena Shaw-esque monologue in the middle – but other tracks are equally nice, and include "Gypsy Lady", "If My Friends Could See Me Now", "Broadway Gypsy Lady", "You Are You Are", and "I Feel Like Falling In Love Again". Arrangements are by Gil Askey – who also produced the set in collaboration with Curtis Mayfield! LP, Vinyl record album

A record that will definitely freak your friends – and might also freak any fan of Rod McKuen too, as it's a real surprise that the mainstream pop poet was involved in such an unusual session! The real maestro here, though, is Heins Hoffman-Richter – who works with plenty of weird electronics and tape delay to create one of the darkest, headiest albums of electronic music from the period – sounds that take on some of the avant tones of more academic electronics, yet which have a much more focused, organic quality – maybe a bit like the really weird sounds in the Kenneth Anger film Invocation Of My Demon Brother, mixed with tape effects from the world of Jon Appleton! Whatever the reference, though, the whole thing is pretty darn unique – the spookiest of spooky electronic records – with titles that include "Gidget Gets In Trouble", "Send Out The Clowns", "Milkshake", and "This Is My Beloved's Chamber". LP, Vinyl record album

A really unusual later chapter in the career of guitarist Robby Krieger – a post-Doors album done for Blue Note Records – and a set that's got more than enough jazzy touches to live up to its placement on the label! Krieger's guitar gets plenty of workout on the album's fusion-styled grooves – often a lot more jazz than the rock you'd expect, with some especially great keyboards from Stu Goldberg and Sal Marquez – the latter of whom handled most of the soulful arrangements on the set. There's a bit of vocals – sometimes by a chorus, sometimes processed in a way that's almost vocoder – and the whole thing owes a lot more to mid 70s funky fusion than any of Robby's work with the Doors. Titles include "The Ally", "Low Bottomy", "Big Oak Basin", "Spare Changes", "Uptown", and "Gumpopper". LP, Vinyl record album

Gentle genius from the legendary Moondog – a rare album recorded right around the same time as his mindblowing work for Prestige! The style here is very similar to those Prestige albums – very spare and rhythmic – often just using simple acoustic percussion alongside an instrument or two, such as flute, bass, or one of Moondog's own unusual creations! The sound is really otherworldly – at once both cosmic and earthy, with sounds that are light years ahead of most of Moondog's contemporaries. Titles include "Tree Frog", "Oasis", "Suite No 1", "Suite No 2", "Dragon's Teeth", "Rim Shot", and "Why Spend The Dark Night With You?" LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

Really lovely work from Yuki Okazaki, a singer with a sound that's nicely upbeat, in ways that kick in beautifully next to the 80s production of the music! The lyrics are in Japanese, but there's almost more of a European style of production to some of the tracks – maybe because Yuki can bring in a slight touch of sentiment that really opens up the tunes. Music is by the First Bland and Sentimental City Romance combos – and titles include "Soon", "Sweet Joke", "Cafe BH", "Say Say Good Bye", "5 Minutes Wait", and "Evening Glow". LP, Vinyl record album

Great late 60s work from Oscar Peterson – a player who's definitely Travelin On here, thanks to a great approach to production, and a trio that features Sam Jones on bass and Bob Durham on drums! These MPS sessions are essentially identifiable for the relaxed, soulful warmth that came so naturally from the atmosphere of the home of producer/engineer Hans Georg Brunner-Schwer – who manned the booth as well as provided the venue. Tracks include "Travelin' On", "Emily", "Quiet Nights Of Quiet Stars (Corcovado)", "Sax No End" and "When Lights Are Low". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

A key album in the legendary 80s run of Shalamar – and a set that gets a tremendous amount out of a very stripped-down sound! The sound of Shalamar builds from a bit of bass, some snapping drums, waves of keyboards, and especially great vocals – warm and sweet, but never too commercial – despite the hit status of an album like this. If anything, the group have a style that's a bit more relaxed and personal than some of their contemporaries on the Solar Records scene at the time – one that matches the friendly title, and unassuming cover image of the set. Titles include "A Night To Remember", "Playing To Win", "Friends", "On Top Of The World", "Help Me", "There It Is", "I Can Make You Feel Good", and "I Don't Wanna Be The Last To Know". LP, Vinyl record album

Wildly eclectic compilation with tracks by Charles Bradley & The Menahan Street Band, Ethan & Maya Hawke, Mac DeMarco all covering tracks by Rodriguez, Betty Davis, Haruomi Hosono and others in the LITA catalog! LP, Vinyl record album

A really great testament to the wide warmth and many talents of Cannonball Adderley – as well as a portrait of just how much he'd touched the world of jazz in the short time he was on the planet! The set brings together collaborations between Cannon and a variety of artists – pulled from both his Capitol and Riverside years – with a lineup that includes Sergio Mendes, Nancy Wilson, Ernie Andrews, Charles Lloyd, Yusef Lateef, Eddie Vinson, and Bobby Timmons – all working with Adderley in a mix of modes that include vocal jazz, soul jazz, and even a bit of bossa nova! Titles include "Clouds", "Hold It", "Big City", "O Amor Em Paz", "Old Country", "Primitivo", "Dat Dere", and "Minha Saudade". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

With Laurindo Almeida on guitar, Ray Brown on bass, Bud Shank on alto, and Jeff Hamilton on drums. LP, Vinyl record album

A well-titled set – in that it's got Oscar's piano in a fairly loose, soulfully relaxed setting with Sam Jones on bass and Bob Durham on drums. The album was recorded by MPS wizard Hans Georg Brunner-Schwer in his own home – and it's an excellent example of the label's scene at its most relaxed mode. Tracks are longish, but never too self-indulgently so – and titles include "Waltzing Is Hip", "Satin Doll", "Love Is Here To Stay", "Sandy's Blues", "Alice In Wonderland", and "Noreen's Nocturne". LP, Vinyl record album

The fourth in the MPS reissue series of long unreleased late 60s recordings from the home of producer/engineer Hans Georg Brunner-Schwer finds Oscar Peterson in a glorious solo piano mode! All of the recordings in the series were from very relaxed, loose sessions that were some of Peterson's favorite of the time – and they're done in a mode that has Oscar playing loosely and soulfully throughout. Titles include "Someone To Watch Over Me", "Perdido", "Body And Soul", "Bye, Bye Blackbird", "Lulu's Back In Town", "Little Girl Blue", "Who Can I Turn To", "Take The 'A' Train" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

The first of a series of great "private" recordings that Oscar Peterson did for the MPS label in the late 60s – sessions done at the home of label owner Hans Georg Brunner Schwer, in a laidback and easygoing style that's different than some of his American work of the time! The group on the set features Ray Brown on bass and Ed Thigpen on drums, and the tunes open up nicely on some of the album's longer takes. Titles include "Easy Walker", "Tin Tin Deo", "Like Someone In Love", and "A Foggy Day". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the wildest albums ever recorded by sitar genius Ravi Shankar – a set done for the Dark Horse label of George Harrison – who also plays guitar and autoharp on the record too! Yet Harrison is just one of many friends hinted at in the title – as Shankar brings in a host of other Indian musicians and singers – including vocalist Lakshmi Shankar, tabla player Alla Rakha, and violinist L Subramanian – next to work from more familiar LA musicians who include Billy Preston on organ, Emil Richards on percussion, Paul Beaver on moog, and Tom Scott on saxes and flute! The result is a majestic LA flowering of ideas that Shankar first showed the world many years before – all filtered through the imagination of George Harrison, who supported Ravi often over the years, and brought his creative genius to a much larger audience. Titles include the long "Dream Nightmare & Dawn" suite – plus "I Am Missing You"," Jaya Jagadish Hare", and "Kahan Gayelava Shyam Salone". LP, Vinyl record album

A really great meeting of talents – legendary reedman Sadao Watanabe, who'd already done plenty to bring the bossa nova to Japan by the time of this record – and a host of Brazilian musicians who further help him expand his groove! The combo is listed as Sadao's Brazilian 8 – and includes Jose Ferreira Godinho Filho on alto, Carlos Alberto Alcantara on tenor, Waldir De Barrios on trumpet, and Aparecido De Barros on trumpet – a group who are way more than just the added guitar and percussion that American musicians might use on such a set – although there's plenty of that here too! Watanabe's out front on alto and flute and he runs through a groovy set of bossa cuts that includes "Muito A Vontade", "Tristeza", "Barquinho Diferente", "Eu E A Brisa", "Bim Bom", and "E Nada Mais". LP, Vinyl record album

A really great collection of work from the ultra-rare Links label – a short-lived imprint from the ska/rocksteady years of the scene in Kingston – and one that only issued a handful of records, all of which were pretty darn great! The label was founded by BB Seton of The Gaylads, and all the cuts here have a similarly soulful vibe as work from that great group – the growing emphasis on strong lead vocals over instrumentation on the Jamaican scene – sometimes with harmonies that were almost strong enough to blow away American soul groups of the time! Titles include "Looking For A Girl" and "Let's Fall In Love" by The Gaylads, "Can't You See" and "I Remember Someone" by Ken Boothe, "Give Love A Try" by Delroy Wilson, "Hog In A Minty" by Prince Glen, "Sweet Melody" by Big Joe, "It Comes & Goes" by The Melodians, "Small World" by Randall Thaxter, and "Something New" by Conscious Minds. LP, Vinyl record album

A well-done little collection – one that's maybe a second look at the Prix Label, covered by Numero Group in a previous collection – but which revisits the tapes and brings back a number of alternate recordings from the vaults of the label! The title's a reference to the cut "You & Me" by Penny & The Quarters – a heartbreaking soul track that was initially lost to time, until Numero manages to place it on a Ryan Gosling film – which gave that cut some very long legs, and opened the door here to some equally wonderful and obscure soul tracks – a lineup that includes "You Are Giving Me Some Other Love" and "I Cried A Tear" by Penny & The Quarters, "Don't Take Your Love From Me" by Eddie Ray & Joe King, "Since I Fell For You" by Brenda Walker, "All In The Past" by Eddie Ray, "You Are Mine" by Jay Robinson, "Will I Ever" by Jay Robinson with Penny & The Quarters, "I'm A Stranger" by Joe King, and "Untitled Studio Moves" by Harmonic Sounds Band – plus the famous "You & Me" by Penny & The Quarters. LP, Vinyl record album