Solid 80s grooving from George Duke – a really tightly-crafted set, done in the sweet mix of jazz and soul that he virtually helped to invent during the 70s! There's a gentle soulfulness to the record that we really like – a quality that's surprising, given the date, and the fact that so many artist like Duke were really pushing things over the top at the time – while George could still lay back, and keep things very nicely paced. Many of the tunes on the set are mellow groovers and ballads – stepping along at a sweet pace with lead vocals from Duke, and some larger backings conducted by Charles Veal. Titles include "Shine On", "You", "Dream On", "Framed", "Ride On Love", "Son Of Reach For It", and "Positive Energy". CD features a bonus mix of "Dream On". CD

A decade-spanning collection of work by George Duke – a set that starts with Duke's immediate post-MPS years at Columbia in the late 70s, and which stretches out into hit 80s and 90s work for Elektra, Warner, and other labels! The groove here is decidedly smooth, but in that perfect balance of R&B and jazz that Duke first forged back in the day – a style that so many other later artists sanded down way too much, but which still comes across beautifully in George's sensitive hands. A number of tracks feature vocals – some by Duke – and titles include "Reach For It", "Dukey Stick", "Say That You Will", "Brazilian Love Affair", "Love Ballad", "Same Ole Love", "No Rhyme No Reason", "6 O'Clock", "Love Can Be So Cold", and "She's Amazing". CD

Includes the songs "Pop Virgil", "Last Train To Sanity", "Up", "Brazilian Love Affair - Dedicated To George Duke", "Bass Folk Song #13: Mingus", "I Have Something To Tell You Tonight", "Trust - Dedicated To Nana", "Bass Folk Song #7: Tradition", "Gotham City", "Bass Folk Song #14: Dance Of The Giant Hummingbird / Bass Folk Song #15: Eleuthera Island", "School Days", and "La Cancion de Sofia". CD

Features Kenny Garrett on alto and soparano sax – plus guest work from George Duke, Joe Sample, and Paulinho Da Costa. Titles include "Cobra", "Big Time", "Hannibal", "Jo Jo", "Amandla", "Jilli", and "Mr Pastorious". CD

A sweet little album from drummer Steve Gadd – one that will more than make you forgive the title's wordplay on his last name! Steve's drums give the record a nice sort of punch that's sometimes missing from 80s fusion of this nature – a rhythm approach that still has the spontaneous energy of acoustic drums, when so many other fusion dates were using drum programs – great grounding from Gadd, which really helps give the right sort of direction to instrumentation from Richard Tee on keyboards, George Young on tenor and soprano sax, Lew Soloff on trumpet, and Ronnie Cuber on baritone. David Matthews arranged, but the overall vibe is looser than some of his records of the time – and titles include "The Duke", "Montauk Moon", "Gaddabout", "My Little Brother", and "Lucky 13". CD

A set that's maybe a bit more searing than earlier records from Cameron Graves – more full-on fusion at times, although still with some of the spacier elements we liked from before – yet definitely driven at points with the kind of energy that recalls the George Duke/Stanley Clarke experiments of the 70s! The rhythms at the core are really on fire – drums from Mike Mitchell and bass from Max Gerl – and the guitar of Colin Cook often matches the bold lines of Graves on piano and keyboards. Kamasi Washington guests on two tracks, Graves sings on one other cut – and titles include "Red", "Super Universes", "Sons Of Creation", "The Life Carriers", "Sacred Spheres", "Master Spirits", and "Eternal Paradise". CD

A great little 70s session from Mingus – the first in the 2-part Changes set – and whether you collect those jointly or separately, they contain some of his best work from the period The sessions were recorded with a small group that includes George Adams, Don Pullen, and Jack Walrath. Tracks are long, with that late love of Ellington that Mingus was developing – and titles include "Sue's Changes", "Devil Blues", and "Duke Ellington's Sound Of Love". CD

"Mostly" live genius from Frank Zappa and the Mothers Of Invention – recorded at The Roxy with some studio additions – and the players include George Duke, Tom Fowler, Ruth Underwood, Walt Fowler, Ralph Humphrey and the other great players from this peak period! It's astonishing stuff – and as strong of a mix of the tightly rock-centric and exploratory/hard fusiony sides of Zappa as you could hope for – shoot, even the stage banter is priceless! Includes "Penguin In Bondage", "Pygmy Twylyte", "Village Of The Sun", "Don't You Ever Wash That Thing?", "More Trouble Everyday" and "Be-Bop Tango (Of The Old Jazzmen's Church)" and more. CD

One of Airto's most polished records, and an album that we've really grown to love over the years! There's a pretty strong modern soul/R&B component to the album – but at the core, there's still a strong feeling for Brazilian rhythms, and the record's got a wonderfully warm Brazilian fusion component. Marcos Valle arranged many of the tracks with Airto, and the record's similar to some of his excellent R&B-ish work from the early 80s, particularly the stuff he did after working with Leon Ware. Great players and singers on the sessions, too – including George Duke, Herb Alpert, Flora Purim and The Sweet Inspirations. Tracks include "Heartbeat", "Amajour", "Partido Alto", "Open Space", "Tempos Atras", and "And Then We Touched The Sky". CD

A masterful album from Billy Cobham – and maybe the best 70s record to really demonstrate the unique place he found for himself in 70s fusion! The album soars with a sound that really lives up to its cover image – but it's also not the heavy-jamming affair of some of Billy's more rockish records from the time. Instead, it's got this wonderful blend of deeper elements that really come together wonderfully – and some very strong use of reeds from Michael Brecker, trumpet from Randy Brecker, and trombone from the great Garnett Brown – all players who give the album a very rich, soulful voice. The set includes the famous sample track "Heather", a very dope, very mellow cut with great electric keyboard work by George Duke – and other titles include "Crosswind", "The Pleasant Pheasant", and "Spanish Moss – A Sound Portrait". CD

A tremendous moment for trombonist Raul De Souza – working here in a style that's light years past his roots in bossa nova! The set's got a heavy California vibe – a late 70s blend of jazz and soul handled by producer George Duke, who also arranges many tracks on the record – but still leaves plenty of room for Raul to step out strongly in the lead! Things are never too overdone, and handled with that sunny style that players like Duke did so well – lots of warm jazzy elements in the backings, coming from Fender Rhodes by Bobby Lyle, percussion from Airto, and drums from the great Harvey Mason – who really brings an edge to some of the groovers. Titles include a killer cover of the Skip Scarborough tune "Don't Ask My Neighbors" – plus "La La Song", "Overture", "At The Concert", "I Believe You", and "Jump Street". CD

Excellent work from Flora Purim – one of the wonderful west coast bits of Braziliana recorded in the Fantasy Records studios during the mid 70s! The record's a perfect example of the greatness that arose when Brazil's best talents had the chance to work with some of America's best jazz and fusion players – a sublime fusion of talents that resulted in a groove that would dominate the west coast scene for most of the 70s. In this case, Flora's backed by a great group that includes Hadley Caliman, Oscar Castro-Neves, Carlos Santana, Ron Carter, George Duke, Earl Klugh, and Airto – and the set includes a great choice of breezy numbers, perfect for Flora's vocals, like "Vera Cruz", "Silver Sword", "Casa Forte", "Mountain Train", and "Search For Peace". CD

An amazing moment for singer Dianne Reeves – the first in a long line of excellent records for the Blue Note label – and a wonderfully tight blend of jazz and soul, put together at a level that instantly pushed Reeves into the territory of previous giants like Phyllis Hyman and Marlena Shaw! Like both of those singers, Dianne's got roots in jazz, but also pushes towards more of an R&B vibe at times – but never in a way that's commercially aimed at the charts, especially in comparison to some of her contemporaries. There's a really rich feel to the whole album – thanks to help from George Duke, who produced and played keyboards – alongside other musicians like Herbie Hancock on keyboards, Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, and Ndugu Chancler on drums. Titles include "Chan's Song (Never Said)", "I'm OK", "Sky Islands", "Harvest Time", "Yesterdays", and "Better Days". CD

Beautifully sensitive work from pianist Geri Allen – a session cut with a core trio of Ron Carter on bass and Jimmy Cobb on drums, but one that sparkles even more from guest contributions by Wallace Roney and Carmen Lundy! Geri's piano is at the forefront of the set – sliding out gracefully with a sound that's not exactly timeless, but which has a soulful energy that reminds us a lot of some of the best styles of her roots – focused a bit more here, and augmented on a few tracks by the Atlanta Jazz Chorus, a vocal group who hardly dominate the record, but float in very gently alongside Geri's piano – almost in a style that's similar to the use of voices on some of Duke Pearson's last recordings for Blue Note. Titles include "Portraits & Dreams", "Oh Freedom", "Melchezedik", "Well Done", "La Strada", "I Have A Dream", "Nearly", "In Real Time", "Our Lady", and "Timeless Portraits & Dreams". CD features a bonus disc with a version of "Lift Every Voice & Sing" by vocalist George Shirley with the Atlanta Jazz Chorus. CD