A double length collection of Sly's classic work for Epic – featuring the best of the old days, when he was really into a groove! 20 titles: "Dance To The Music", "Everyday People", "Sing A Simple Song", "Don't Call Me N!gger, Whitey", "Stand!", "I Want To Take You Higher", "Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)", "Babies Makin Babies", "Family Affair", "Everybody Is A Star", "M'Lady", "Life", "Fun", "You Can Make It If You Try", "Hot Fun In the Summertime", "Runnin' Away", "(You Caught Me) Smilin'", "Thank You For Talkin' To Me Africa", "If You Want Me To Stay" and "Que Sera, Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be)". CD

Classic funkiness from Sly & The Family Stone – an album that really pushed them to the top of their game, and exploded on the late 60s scene like a righteous funky bomb! The title cut's a mega-hit that you'll recognize right away – but the whole album's great, and is filled with the simple, joyous energy that made Sly's groove one of the freshest of his generation – and which helped foist all the great work going on in the 60s underground firmly into the light of a much wider mainstream audience. The messages are subtle here, but the group are already doing their part to change the world bit by bit – and the funky rhythms at the bottom assure that they'll be doing it ass by ass on the dancefloor! Titles include "Dance to The Music", "Ride The Rhythm", "Higher", "Don't Burn Baby", and the 12 minute "Dance To The Medley", with the groovy "Music Lover" passage! CD also features 6 bonus tracks, 4 previously unreleased – titles that include "Soul Clappin", "We Love All", "I Can't Turn You Loose", "Never Do Your Woman Wrong (inst)", and "Higher (unissued single version)". CD

Killer work from Sly & The Family Stone – hard-grooving, fast-funking, and really setting the scene for countless groups to come! The album's a messed-up funky party, with plenty of short little tracks that have a mix of funk, soul, and rock – perfect for the crossover crowd from whence Sly sprang, and who would become his biggest supporters into the 70s. And almost best of all, there's hardly any hits here – just tight little numbers that are as fresh today as they were back at the end of the 60s – all the kind of righteous funk the group could do better than anybody else! Titles include "Fun", "Plastic Jim", "Dynamite!", "Chicken", "Into My Own Thing", "Life", "Love City", "I'm An Animal", and the seminal "Jane Is A Groupee". CD features 4 bonus tracks – including "Pressure", "Sorrow (inst)", "Seven More Days", and "Dynamite (single)". CD

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Includes 35 funky tracks on 2 CDs! CD

Almost a "greatest hits" of greatest hits albums – one of those collections that almost sold more copies than all the full albums by the artist – forever earning Sly & The Family Stone a place in record collections around the globe! All the hits are here, laid out back to back in all their righteous goodness – never a single spot of filler, and all-classics, all the way through! Titles include "Thank You Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin", "Life", "Everyday People", "I Want To Take You Higher", "Everybody Is A Star", "Dance To The Music", "Hot Fun In The Summertime", and "Sing A Simple Song". All funky – all classic! CD

Hard to find a stronger early album by Sly Stone – as this one has him still funking hard, but also getting his soul bag together a bit more – hitting some really righteous vibes that mix together politics and partying in an incredibly seductive way! The album's filled with anthemic numbers like "Sing A Simple Song", "Stand", "Don't Call Me N*gger Whitey", and "Everyday People" – classic crossover material for the heady crowd of the late 60s – and it also includes a very cool 13 minute track called "Sex Machine", which is a messed-up stoner funk number that shows Sly's ties to the Fillmore freakout scene! CD also features 5 bonus tracks – including "I Want To Take You Higher (single)", "Soul Clappin 2", "My Brain (inst)", "Stand (single)", and "You Can Make It If You Try (unissued single version)". CD

A wonderful album from Sly and crew – moving way past the straight funk approach of earlier records, into a complicated crossover soul style that's filled with warmth and righteousness! Despite the political tone implied by the "riot" in the title and the co-option of the American flag on the cover, the album's strongest suit is its warmth and personal soul message – sometimes filled with politics, sure, but always sounding like a sexy love song, no matter how hard it tries to get righteous! The flow is wonderful throughout – a very well-thought out album that shows that Sly was singing way past the singles scene – and the record's filled with great cuts like "Family Affair", "Luv N Haight", "Brave & Strong", "You Caught Me Smilin", and "Thank You For Talkin To Me Africa". Also features "There's A Riot Going On" – which runs for "0:00" minutes! CD features 4 bonus tracks – including "My Gorilla Is My Butler (inst)", "Do You Know What (inst)", "That's Pretty Clean (inst)", and "Runnin Away (single)". CD

An incredible snapshot of the funky soul genius of Sly Stone in an early transitional period – featuring all the known recordings of his short-lived Stone Flower label and production house from 1969-1970! Sly was a rising star at this point, and while the Stone Flower Productions name had been established already for Sly & The Family Stone's work-to-date, there was a brief period when he and manager David Kapralik set out make Stone Flower an official management and production house – and recorded some great tunes with female vocal trio Little Sister, funky soul singer and harmonica player Joe Hicks and funk rock sextet 6ix – as well as some gems sung by Sly himself. Sly & The Family Stone were soon to take off in a really huge way, his business relationship with Kapalik was becoming strained, and other factors behind-the-scenes made it impossible for Stone Flower Productions to really take root, but this brief period is fantastic. We're so glad it's been dug up and collected here! The cuts are primarily written and produced by Sly Stone – with Sly out front on "Just Like A Baby", "Africa", "Spirit" and "Scared" – and other great tracks include "You're The One" and "Somebody's Watching You" by Little Sister, "Home Sweet Home (Part 2)" and "I'm Going Home (Part 1)" by Joe Hicks, "Trying To Make You Feel Good", "You Can, We Can" by 6ix and more. 18 tracks in all – with a nice booklet of notes by Alec Palao, and an interview with the elusive Sly Stone himself! CD

Sly's leaping into the air on the cover of this one – and for good reason too, given the overall groove of the set! The album's a bit more stripped-down and upbeat than the previous few – almost more of a return to the simple funky style of the first albums, but with a slightly more electric sound than before – especially in the keyboards, which almost slide into the mix here with a Stevie Wonder-like quality. The electricity bubbles and brews wonderfully at the bottom of the rhythms – charging things up a bit, but still hanging back with a super-cool, laidback quality that few other groups could muster! There's a great sense of balance here that's brilliant – and which makes the album one of Sly's undisputed masterpieces from the Columbia years. Titles include the incredible "If You Want Me To Stay" – one of our favorite Sly Stone cuts ever – plus "Keep on Dancin", "Babies Making Babies", "Que Sera Sera", "If It Were Left Up To Me", "In Time", and "Let Me Have It All". CD's got 5 bonus tracks too – including alternate mixes of "Frisky", "Skin I'm In", "Keep On Dancin", "Babies Makin Babies", and "Let Me Have It All". CD

Sly's leaping into the air on the cover of this one – and for good reason too, given the overall groove of the set! The album's a bit more stripped-down and upbeat than the previous few – almost more of a return to the simple funky style of the first albums, but with a slightly more electric sound than before – especially in the keyboards, which almost slide into the mix here with a Stevie Wonder-like quality. The electricity bubbles and brews wonderfully at the bottom of the rhythms – charging things up a bit, but still hanging back with a super-cool, laidback quality that few other groups could muster! There's a great sense of balance here that's brilliant – and which makes the album one of Sly's undisputed masterpieces from the Columbia years. Titles include the incredible "If You Want Me To Stay" – one of our favorite Sly Stone cuts ever – plus "Keep on Dancin", "Babies Making Babies", "Que Sera Sera", "If It Were Left Up To Me", "In Time", and "Let Me Have It All". CD

Hard to find a stronger early album by Sly Stone – as this one has him still funking hard, but also getting his soul bag together a bit more – hitting some really righteous vibes that mix together politics and partying in an incredibly seductive way! The album's filled with anthemic numbers like "Sing A Simple Song", "Stand", "Don't Call Me N*gger Whitey", and "Everyday People" – classic crossover material for the heady crowd of the late 60s – and it also includes a very cool 13 minute track called "Sex Machine", which is a messed-up stoner funk number that shows Sly's ties to the Fillmore freakout scene! CD

A wonderful album from Sly and crew – moving way past the straight funk approach of earlier records, into a complicated crossover soul style that's filled with warmth and righteousness! Despite the political tone implied by the "riot" in the title and the co-option of the American flag on the cover, the album's strongest suit is its warmth and personal soul message – sometimes filled with politics, sure, but always sounding like a sexy love song, no matter how hard it tries to get righteous! The flow is wonderful throughout – a very well-thought out album that shows that Sly was singing way past the singles scene – and the record's filled with great cuts like "Family Affair", "Luv N Haight", "Brave & Strong", "You Caught Me Smilin", and "Thank You For Talkin To Me Africa". Also features "There's A Riot Going On" – which runs for "0:00" minutes! CD

The Stax debut of Angie Stone – a new setting for the singer, and one that really helps her freshen up her groove! Although a contemporary soul diva, Angie's definitely in classic territory here – maybe not the space of Stax from the 60s and 70s, but a rock-solid sound overall, and more than enough to help us renew our faith in her work! The backings are simple, but never too commercial – tightly stepping beats on the bottom that bounce Angie up over the top, but never push her vocals too far. And as before, some of the best moments have an almost-spoken sort of quality – a way of unfolding out a tune that's very real and natural. Guests include Betty Wright and James Ingram, and titles include "Take Everything In", "Sometimes", "Make It Last", "Here We Go Again", "Baby", "My People", "Half A Chance", "Go Back To Your Life", "Wait For Me", "Pop Pop", and "Happy Being Me". CD

A strong second set by Angie Stone – with production work by Ali Shaheed Muhammad, Raphael Saadiq, Rufus Blaq, and others – warmly wrapped up in a NuSoul orgy of beats, smooth instrumentation, and gutsy soul vocals. Titles include "The Ingredients Of Love" with Musiq Soulchild, "Snowflakes", "Soul Insurance", "Brotha", "Pissed Off", "More Than A Woman" with Calvin, "Brotha Part 2", "Time Of The Month", and "Wish I Didn't Miss You". CD

Angie's out to prove that she's one of the best young soul singers around – kicking off the record with a straight acapella track, then rolling into some of the most classically soulful tracks she's ever recorded! The set's a stunner from the word go – grabbing us like a classic mellow soul album from the mid 70s, featuring production and instrumentation that seem to give Angie a deeper sound than we ever remember. The songwriting is simple, sensual, and damn effective – and even the presence of famous guests like Snoop, Floetry, and Anthony Hamilton come across as organic and necessary elements to the tunes – and not just gimmicky one-offs. Angie, we love ya more than ever! Titles include "I Wanna Thank Ya", "My Man", "U-Haul", "Stay For A While", "Lover's Ghetto", "You're Gonna Get It", and "Come Home". CD

A surprisingly deep batch of pop soul from Joss Stone – one that manages to live up to the title! Joss goes way out with her strong, deeply 70s influenced vocal histrionics on a batch of tunes that stretch all over the songwriting landscape. She tackles tunes by as far-reaching a group of writers as Harlan Howard on the opening "The Chokin' Kind" to the Isley Brothers' "For The Love Of You" and many points in between, with the same extroverted approach. She kind of comes off as a female equivalent of Remy Shand – and she's enlisted an all star cast of support players and producers including ?uestlove, Angie Stone, Little Beaver and others. Other tracks include "Super Duper Love", "Dirty Man", "I've Fallen In Love With You", "Victim Of A Foolish Heart", "I Had A Dream", "Some Kind Of Wonderful" and others. CD

The fuzzy side of the Brit pop underground hits the mainstream of the late 80s – with results that resonated strongly around the world! John Leckie's production is perfect here – just right for pushing the Roses into a bigger audience, but still hanging onto the longer-haired elements that made them great in the first place. This one was pretty much an instant classic and it sounds great to this day. Titles include the anthemic "I Wanna Be Adored" – plus "She Bangs The Drums", "Bye Bye Badman", "This Is The One", "Made Of Stone", "Shoot You Down", and "Waterfall". CD

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Angie Stone's first solo LP, after her years with the Sequence and Vertical Hold. With a sound that nods towards the classic soul of the 70s, but firmly rooted in a more contemporary post-Hip Hop/NuSoul vibe, this set's a strong effort with the sort of self assured songcraft and tight production you'd expect from an artists who's paid her dues like Stone. 16 tracksi nall on this hard to get import vinyl pressing, including "No More Rain (In This Cloud)", "Everyday", "Life Story", "Coulda Been You", "Love Junkie" and "Heaven Help". CD

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Recorded live in 1992 at the Royal Centre, Nottingham, UK. CD

Soundboard recordings. CD

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Live on tour 93. CD

Recorded live at Glastonbury Festival June 24th 1995. CD

Tracks 1 to 11 were recorded live in London, UK at Maida Vale Studios for The John Peel Show 1989, 1990 and 1991, tracks 12 to 23 were recorded live in Del Mar, CA at the Pat O'Brien Pavilion, on December 28, 1991. CD

Radio broadcast recorded live at the Palaghiaccio, Roma, February 22, 1994. CD

T-Connection are definitely on fire with this smoking little set – a killer batch of late 70s club, done with almost equal parts funk, soul, and disco! As with their debut, the group here are right on the money instrumentally – playing with a dexterity that few other large funk groups could match this well – especially blistering on some of the album's longer tracks too. There's also a great sense of balance to the record too – a ballad, some midtempo numbers, and a more well-rounded feel that also shows the group going for a wider palette of sounds than just their usual grooves. But as always, the upbeat club tracks are the best – and titles include "Lady Of The Night", "On Fire", "Cush", "Groove To Get Down", and "Let Yourself Go". CD

A soaring stormer from T-Connection – and a set that has them sounding even better than before! There's a perfection here the group didn't have with earlier releases – a quality that goes way past indie funk ensemble, into the realm of some of the best mainstream acts on the bigger labels at the time – company shared by a rare few, like Earth Wind & Fire, Ohio Players, or the Bar-Kays! Things are every bit as funky as before – but there's a way of putting the tunes together that really blows us away – fusing all the elements together perfectly, and making everything work towards the groove – yet all without making anything sound too slick or polished either. Mighty nice all the way through – and titles include "Funky Lady", "Don't Stop The Music", "Funkannection", "Saturday Night", "At Midnight", and "Love Supreme". CD

One of Eric's stone cookers with Charles Earland on Hammond! CD

Otis Blackwell takes back his songs – providing his own new versions of tunes that were recorded famously by a host of rock, pop, and R&B artists back in the 50s! The 70s session is definitely done as part of the generation that was "giving back" to the roots of rock and roll – and Blackwell's performance here is possibly more tilted towards the rockers in the room than the R&B fans, given the used of heavy guitar on the record, and the cleaner style of production. Still, as a revivalist set, it's got plenty to offer – and Blackwell working with a small combo for backing, and sounding a bit Elvis-like at times – no surprise, given that Otis was supposedly a big influence on Presley. Titles include "All Shook Up", "Fever", "Daddy Rollin Stone", "Great Balls Of Fire", "Don't Be Cruel", "Searchin", "Hey Little Girl", and "Handy Man". CD

A monumental piece of funk – and a record that came into the world at a time when it seemed like just about everyone had forgotten how to play real funky music! This set's the US version of the first album by London scenesters The Brand New Heavies – and although it came out in the states 2 years after the UK set, it's essentially the same record – just featuring new vocals by singer N'Dea Davenport in place of the original vocalist Jay Ella Ruth. Davenport's vocals transported the group from indie acid jazz obscurity into the US soul charts in a way that nobody ever expected – and the resulting album is a stone classic that's filled with excellent cuts like "Ride In The Sky", "Never Stop", "Dream Come True", and "Stay This Way". Great stuff all around – and one of the few classic soul albums of its generation! CD

The original version of Brel's music, presented to American audiences – with translations by Mort Shuman and Eric Blau – and performances by Shuman, Elly Stone, Shawn Elliott, and Alice Whitfield. CD

An unusual slice of work from the James Brown Family – material from three different periods – early 60s cuts for Dade Records, early 70s material for Brownstone, and late 70s tracks for TK Records! The collection features some especially rare Dade material – tracks from artists that were working with James Brown, recording off for Henry Stone in a raw early 60s mode with James helping out in the studio – killer cuts that include "I Need Love" by The Baby, "Someone Up & Told Me" by Sonny Till, and "Do The Mashed Potatoes (parts 1 & 2)" by Nat Kendrick & The Swans. The set then features some early 70s cuts that were contemporaneous with the big burst of activity at People Records, but issued on Brownstone – tracks that include "Never Get Enough" and "I Need Help" by Bobby Byrd, "In The Land Of Milk & Honey" by Vicki Anderson, "You've Got To Change Your Mind" by Bobby Byrd, and "Nature (parts 1 & 2)" by The JBs International. The set also has some TK Records cuts – "You & Me Together" by Vicki Anderson, and "Mashed Potatoes" and "Rapp Payback" by James Brown – then also includes more rare cuts, including "Wichita Lineman" by Dee Felice Trio, "I Loves You Porgy" by James Brown & The Famous Flames, and "Win Your Love For Me" by Johnny The Man. CD

The birth of a sound and the birth of a legend – Martin Denny's first album in the Exotica series, and a record so great it named an entire genre! Denny certainly didn't invent the tropical style of easy listening that came to be known as "exotica" in the 50s – but with a record like this, he delivered the goods better than anyone else – by taking away all the too-sweet styles of Hawaiian music, and serving up a stripped-down, jazzy kind of sound! The album features Denny's classic original quartet – with Arthur Lyman on vibes and Augie Colon on bongos – and titles include "Stone God", "Jungle Flower", "Busy Port", "Lotus Land", and his hit recording of "Quiet Village". Japanese CD features full mono and stereo mixes of all tracks on the set! CD

A pivotal moment for Bob Dylan – and maybe one of THE albums of the 60s! The newly-electrified Dylan really takes off here – putting more punch and bit into his already-strong lyrical approach – and twisting things in amazing ways that still leave us breathless all these many years later! And sure, the album gave Bob a few hits – which are nestled in here next to headier tunes that work together perfectly. Titles include "Like A Rolling Stone", "Ballad Of A Thin Man", "It Takes A Lot To Laugh It Takes A Train To Cry", "From A Buick 6", "Desolation Row", "Highway 61 Revisited", and "Queen Jane Approximately". CD

Gil Evans plays an electric grand piano and is joined by a rather large set of musicians who include Masabumi Kikuchi on a variety of synthesizers, Billy Cobham on drums, Lou Soloff on trumpet, George Lewis on trombone and many others. Tracks include two Evans originals – "Copenhagen Sight" and "Zee Zee" plus others like "Sirhan's Blues", a Jimi Hendrix song "Stone Free", and Mingus' "Orange Was The Color Of Her Dress". CD

Not experienced? Well, this album will help push you over the top – as it's done for decades of listeners from the heyday of young Jimi Hendrix all the way up to the present! The set's a classic through and through – a blueprint not just for the genius of Hendrix, but for generations of guitar heroes to come – as you might expect with a lineup that includes "Hey Joe", "Manic Depression", "The Wind Cries Mary", "Fire", "Third Stone From The Sun", "Are You Experienced", and "Purple Haze". CD

21 heavy classics – including the short take of "In A Gadda Da Vida" – plus "Most Anything You Want", "Soul Experience", "Real Fright", "Iron Butterfly Theme", "Easy Rider", "Soldier In Our Town", "New Day", "Stone Believer", and "Flowers & Beads". CD

An expanded version of an album that was originally issued as Hank Jones' Piano as a 10" LP on Mercury – one that adds some trio tracks to the original solo piano performances! Jones is working solo on most numbers – really getting a chance to stretch out and try new ideas – in ways that have him balancing between sweeter sounds and some sharper modern moments that seem to come in and stir things up, but often in very subtle ways. Additional tunes feature Johnny Smith on guitar and Ray Brown in bass – still pretty laidback overall. Titles include "Blues For Lady Day", "Tea For Two", "You're Blase", "Thad's Pad", "The Night We Called It A Day", and "Blue Room". David Stone Martin cover, too! CD

Great solo work from this former member of The Byrds – with titles that include "Lost My Drivin Wheel", "Draggin", "Time Cube", "My New Woman", "Stone", "Bag Full Of Money", and "The Water Is Wide". CD

One of those rare treasures that was recorded by Blue Note in the 60s, but not issued at the time – a great late Hank Mobley set from 1967 that only saw the light of day in 1980! The album's got Hank really opening things up – using some of those more inventive rhythms and articulate phrasing that really graced his late years at Blue Note – a bold step forward, given his already-great run of material for the label! The core group is a quintet – with Lee Morgan on trumpet and Cedar Walton on piano – both of whom add to the lyrical edge of the playing – and most tracks feature additional work from James Spaulding on alto and flute, and the wonderful Sonny Greenwich on guitar – a player whose unique phrasing really helps shape the record's sound! Rhythms are from Walter Booker on bass and Billy Higgins on drums – again both great choices for the sometimes-modal qualities of the record – and titles include "Don't Cry Just Sigh", "Steppin Stone", "Third Season", "Boss Bossa", and "An Apertif". CD

A stone classic from the Modern Jazz Quartet – recorded back when the group still featured Kenny Clarke in its membership, but already with some of the more serious, somber tones that would mark the combo's more famous years! Tracks here are from a variety of sessions in 1953, 1954, and 1955 – and trace an evolution of the MJQ style from initial more composed renditions of bop and modern jazz, to some of the more ambitious colors and tones of the Lewis-penned songbook. Titles include longish readings of "Django" and "La Ronde Suite", plus "Milano", "But Not For Me", "The Queen's Fancy", and "Delaunay's Dilemma". CD

A stone classic from the Modern Jazz Quartet – recorded back when the group still featured Kenny Clarke in its membership, but already with some of the more serious, somber tones that would mark the combo's more famous years! Tracks here are from a variety of sessions in 1953, 1954, and 1955 – and trace an evolution of the MJQ style from initial more composed renditions of bop and modern jazz, to some of the more ambitious colors and tones of the Lewis-penned songbook. Titles include longish readings of "Django" and "La Ronde Suite", plus "Milano", "But Not For Me", "The Queen's Fancy", and "Delaunay's Dilemma". CD

A mixture of Verve regulars and early third streamers join together in this one-off session designed as a focus on the writing talents of John Lewis. Most of the material takes off from Lewis' work with the MJQ, and the band includes two of his bandmates from that group, Connie Kay & Percy Heath – as well as soloists Stan Getz, JJ Johnson, Aaron Sachs, and Lucky Thompson. Titles include "Little David's Fugue", "Sun Dance", "Django", and "Midsommer". In a great David Stone Martin cover, too! CD

Biggie's masterpiece! There's very little we could possibly say about this east coast landmark that isn't already etched in stone in the annals of hip hop history. Biggie's a master storyteller, whether he's spinning tales of violent street nihilism, his skills beneath the sheets, or blistering sadness and regret. This thing sounds as great in the new millennium as it did at the end of the previous one. All the classics: "Things Have Changed", "Gimme The Loot", "Machine Gun Funk", "Ready To Die", "Warning", "The What" featuring Method Man, "Ready To Die", "Juicy", "Big Poppa", "Respect", "Friend Of Mine", and the Premier-produced "Unbelievable". This is the original version of the CD with the baby on the cover and 17 tracks in all. CD

Stone cold great collection of funk cuts by this legendary group – all wrapped up in a nice package with a good memory for the hits! Tracks include monsters like "Chocolate City", "Up For The Down Stroke", "Give Up The Funk (Tear The Roof Off The Sucker)", "P. Funk (Wants To Get Funked Up)", "Bop Gun", "Flash Light", "Aqua Boogie", and "Mothership Connection (Star Child)". Why even bother going out of the house? CD

A stone classic from New Orleans reedman Pony Poindexter – a set that's steeped in tradition, but also has a groovy feel too – and a date that features Pony on both alto and soprano sax! The latter instrument is especially nice, played with echoes of earlier Crescent City modes, but updated strongly with more of a modal 60s energy – almost a Coltrane-like inspiration, but in very different ways than Trane might offer up. Other players on the date are great too – and include Booker Ervin's tenor at is soulful 60s best, plus Gildo Mahones on piano, George Tucker on bass, and Jimmy Smith on drums – all working with some very unusual rhythms that really make the set stand out from other Prestige dates of the time! Titles include "Happy Strut", "Gumbo Filet", "Front O Town", "Back O Town", "French Market", and "Creole Girl". But almost even better, the set also features 8 more bonus tracks – all previously unissued! Three are from the sessions for Gumbo – but the rest are from an unusual 1963 date that features the tenor of Booker Ervin with the organ of Larry Young and drums of Jerry Thomas – a really cool small combo group in the vein of Young's early Prestige work. Additional titles include "Wade In The Water", "Autumn Leaves", "Old Folks", "You Don't Know What Love Is", "Absotively Posalutely", and "Blue & Sentimental". CD

A stone cooker – and one of the best versions of Porgy & Bess recorded in a jazz format! It's a slightly-forgotten fact that at the time of the big late 50s film version of Porgy & Bess, there was a bit of trouble with the soundtrack – so the market was flooded with other versions of Gershwin's score in a hope to fill the void. This is one of the best of that bunch – a very well-done set of tunes arranged and conducted by Bill Potts, recorded with a strong set of soloists that include Al Cohn, Gene Quill, Zoot Sims, Art Farmer, Bill Evans, Charlie Shavers, Bob Brookmeyer, and Harry Edison. Tracks are the usual batch of Porgy & Bess numbers – "I Loves You Porgy", "It Ain't Necessarily So", "My Man's Gone Now", "A Woman Is A Sometimes Thing", "Summertime" – all woven together wonderfully in a rich tapestry of sound, with some particularly evocative solos. CD