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Great work from a contemporary hardbop genius – Finnish drummer Aleksi Heinola, a musician who's got the same sense of leadership as the great Art Blakey! Not that Heinola's any sort of Blakey imitation – just that he's got a way of picking all the best elements for a group, putting them together the right way – and really letting them take off and do their own thing! We loved the efforts of his quintet release from a few years back, and the music here follows in a similar spirit, with a mostly different lineup – superb work from deep-voiced tenorist Gabor Bolla, rock-solid bass from Daniel Franck, and soulful piano lines from Jukkis Uotila, a player who can hang on just the right modern modes at the right time, in order to bring a real sharpness to the set. Titles include "Big Push", "Peace", "Bolivia", "New Vibes", "Vananta Land", "10 Points", "Pronto", "Think Of One", "Tetragon", and "Rio". CD

A surprising 90s set from The Jazz Passengers – the New York group who'd worked in many modes other than just the straight jazz you might guess from their name, but who here maybe take things back to basics, especially on some of the cuts that bring in vocals from famous guests who include Deborah Harry and Elvis Costello! In some ways, Harry is the core of the set – as she unlocks this great jazz-based side of her style, in a way that gives her voice a whole new level of expression – one that's surprisingly strong next to the instrumentation provided by Roy Nathanson, Curis Fowlkes, and the rest of the group. Elvis Costello sings moodily on the tune "Aubergine" – but most other vocal numbers feature Deborah Harry, and include "Pork Chop", "Lil Darlin", "Maybe I'm Lost", "Imitation Of A Kiss", "Ole", and "Angel Eyes". Harry and Costello duet on "Doncha Go Way Mad" – and the set also features a nice instrumental remake of the Nat Adderley tune "Jive Samba". CD

We love the work of saxophonist Willie Morris – one of the freshest talents to hit the Posi-Tone label in recent years, and an artist who really seems to take off with this album! Willie blows tenor throughout, and the set's got this unexpected depth, especially on his original compositions – while also sharing some of the solid swing that we love from the label's other releases – thanks to rhythm work from Jon Davis on piano, Boris Kozlov on bass, and Rudy Royston on drums and percussion. There's a mix of fresh ideas, solid soul, and modern currents that almost echoes some of the late 60s work of Jackie McLean – maybe underscored by the excellent alto work of Patrick Cornelius, whose horn is a perfect counterpart for Morris' tenor. Titles include "Delusion Of Understanding", "Terminal Lucidity", "To Worlds Unknown", "Leaving Paradise", and "The Imitation Game". CD

Wonderful work from Gregory Porter – easily one of the best new jazz singers to emerge in the past decade or so, and one whose approach is soulful enough to rival the greats of the 70s! There's echoes here of Bill Withers, Gil Scott-Heron, and Al Jarreau – and like all those artists, Gregory's a singer who really moves past simple styles and generic conventions – into a mode that's vivid and rich right from the start, and defiitely his own territory – a world of sound that's a delight to experience! Most backings are straight jazzy, but inflected with some soul modes – and the album's even better and more incredible than Porter's debut for Motema. Titles include "On My Way To Harlem", "When Did You Learn", "Mother's Song", "Imitation Of Life", "Our Love", "Be Good", and "Painted On Canvas". CD

A great volume in this really fantastic collection – a series that really reminds us that there's still so much great work to discover in the world of underground soul! As with previous volumes, this set focuses on the sweet soul style of the late 60s and early 70s – that moment when groups around the US were really maturing to a new level of vocal harmony – sometimes using a bit of funk in the mix, sometimes going for these sublime ballad modes that brought a new level of emotion and heartbreak to the music! You're sure to know bigger names like The Moments or Delfonics, but this is work that was cut at the same time, in the same mode, but which never fully got its due – pulled together by the longtime soul historians at Soul Junction – and even featuring a few never-issued tracks. Titles include "Read It & Weep" by Bobby Banks, "Give It A Chance To Grow" by The Toppiks, "Running Wild" by The Scott Three, "Lucky Guy I Am" by Delegates Of Soul, "Imitation Of Life" by Music Machine, "This Is Love" by The Holidays, "Plain As The Nose (alt unissued version)" by The Four Thoughts, "Love Song About You" by Robert Montgomery, "I'm Going To Treat You Good" by The Donations, "You Got To Steal It" by The Flairs, "Win All Your Love" by The Toppiks, "Nothin Left 2 Do" by The Coalitions, and "Stop Look & Listen" by The Jonesetts. CD

An overstuffed album of early greatness – served up with a classic image of the Fab Four on the cover! The tunes are a mix of Lennon/McCartney originals and American soul and rock numbers that are reinterpreted wonderfully by the group – in ways that perfectly show why, unlike most of their contemporaries, The Beatles weren't just trying for slavish imitation of American authenticity – and instead were already taking off with new ideas inspired by the music! Titles include "Please Please Me", "Love Me Do", "Misery", "Anna", "I Saw Her Standing There", "Boys", "Baby IT's You", "Do You Want To Know A Secret", "Twist & Shout", "A Taste Of Honey", and "Chains". CD

Wonderful work from Gregory Porter – easily one of the best new jazz singers to emerge in the past decade or so, and one whose approach is soulful enough to rival the greats of the 70s! There's echoes here of Bill Withers, Gil Scott-Heron, and Al Jarreau – and like all those artists, Gregory's a singer who really moves past simple styles and generic conventions – into a mode that's vivid and rich right from the start, and defiitely his own territory – a world of sound that's a delight to experience! Most backings are straight jazzy, but inflected with some soul modes – and the album's even better and more incredible than Porter's debut for Motema. Titles include "On My Way To Harlem", "When Did You Learn", "Mother's Song", "Imitation Of Life", "Our Love", "Be Good", and "Painted On Canvas". CD

A massive tribute to The Meters – one that features rare versions of some of their best funky classics! If you dig The Meters, you'll no doubt recognize most of the tunes – but you've probably never heard them in these versions before – as most of them are pulled from the farthest reaches of the 60s and 70s funky underground! Most numbers change things up a bit in terms of instrumentation – using a guitar where you might normally hear an organ, tipping the rhythm a bit more towards one speed or another – but all of them continue strongly that chunky, gritty approach to instrumental funk the New Orleans combo first forged in the late 60s – a legacy that still lives on in lots of current work, but which sounds even fresher in these rare gems from years back. There's also a few original compositions by some of these artists, but they're all tunes that fall strongly within a classic Meters groove – and titles include "Cissy Strut" by Rod Piazza, "Flight Of The Phoenix" by Dennis The Fox, "Slot Machine" by Duke Of Burlington, "Cissy Strut" by King Herbert & The Knights, "Cardova" by Syd Jones & The Gay Troubadours, "The Cissy's Thang" by The Soul Seven, "Look Ka Py Py" by The Invaders, "Chicken Strut" by King Herbert & The Knights, "Madrox" by Big Band Katouuice, "Cissy Strut" by Sacramento Senior High School, "Big Splash" by Band It, and "Soul Heart Transplant" by Ebony Rhythm Band. CD

One of Europe's greatest jazz musicians ever – captured here on two rare albums from the 50s! Although Lars Gullin was mostly a baritone player, his rich talent on the instrument won him many accolades during the postwar years – and he recorded a huge amount of albums, both here in the US, and home in his native Sweden. These two sessions were originally issued in Sweden on Metronome, but are offered here in the versions issued by Atlantic in the US during the late 50s. Both records are some of Gullin's best straight material from the time – and they feature him swinging hard and straight-ahead, in a perfect setting made up of some of Sweden's finest players. Titles include "Always", "After 8pm", "Half Nelson", "So What", "Fedja", and "Perntz". Great to have back out again – and what a deal! (Please note that the CD had to omit the track "Ma" because of space limitations.) CD

A pretty fantastic selection of rare disco tracks from the American underground – all of them infused with a spiritual message, but served up with grooves that go head to head with some of the best underground club of the time! The mix of positive energy and upbeat grooves is wonderful – and if you've ever heard the Clark Sisters club classic "You Brought The Sunshine", then you'll definitely know the spirit of these tunes! If you're worried about the message being one that you're not into, don't – because there's sort of a universal spirit going on here – one that gets past conventions of the church, and which really goes for a general uplifting message that's totally great – almost a precursor to some of the positive house in more recent decades. And speaking of house, there's less of that here than you'd expect – as most of the instrumentation and production are strongly in the best New York underground modes from the disco years – with less of any 80s or electro soul elements. Titles include "I Believe" by Calvin B Rhone, "Imitations" by Johnson Family Gospel Singers, "Change" by Wisdom, "On That Other Shore" by Harrison Jones & The Voices Of Harmony, "I've Been Converted" by The Converters, "Ain't No Way To Do Wrong" by New Creation, "Take It To The Streets" by Prophecy, "Let The Lord Come In Your Life" by Wisdom, "Keep The Fire" by Paradise, and "Jesus Is On The Mainline" by Mr Jesse R McGuire. CD

A landmark set of recordings – both of Gary Bartz's Harlem Bush Music albums, back to back on one CD! After a few years as a modern-tinged soul jazz saxophonist, Bartz broke strongly into the 70s with this pair of sessions – working in a mode that brought together rhythmic percussion, funky bass, and some incredibly righteous vocals from singer Andy Bey! Bey's presence on the record really marks them as a departure for Bartz – as it's the first time that Bartz used vocals on his recordings, in a style that was neither straight jazz, nor sellout soul – but rather a progressive approach that set a whole new tenor for the voice in jazz! Gary plays both soprano and alto sax – blowing in a rhythmic mode that's a perfect match for the chunky rhythms of the tunes – and which seems to often take on the same tone as Andy Bey's unique approach to the lyrics. There's an earthy, organic, almost tribalistic quality to some of the tracks – and titles include "Rise", "People Dance", "Drinking Song", "Taifa", "Parted", "Uhuru Sasa", "Vietcong", "Celestial Blues", and "The Planets". (Note, the CD omits one tune from the albums – "Du (Rain)", from Taifa – due to space limitations.) CD

2 early 60s sessions by tenorist Sal Nistico – a great player who spent most of his life in bigger bands, but who also knew how to shine on small group settings like these! They sure got the title right on the CD, as Sal's playing tenor in groups that feature many heavyweights, and soul jazz heavyweights too, we might add! Players on the albums include Nat Adderley, Barry Harris, Sam Jones, Bob Cranshaw, and Walter Perkins – all of whom make Sal cook a lot more than usual, and who give the set an early 60s soul jazz groove that was typical of the best work coming out on the Jazzland label at the time. The set features 13 tracks from both albums – with titles that include "Shoutin", "Mamblue", "Seconds Anyone", "Cheryl", "Ariescene", "Comin On Up", "Down", and "Samicotico". CD omits the track "Just Friends", due to space limitations. CD

The stunning first full length album from The Pixies – produced with a completely sublime touch by the great Steve Albini! There's a brilliance here that's kept this record playing strongly for decades (maybe too strongly, if you ask the roommates of some folks out there) – and although the sound here has spawned countless imitations, it's never as great as here in the hands of the originators! Titles include "Bone Machine", "Break My Body", "I'm Amazed", "Vamos", "Cactus", "Where Is My Mind", "Gigantic", "Something Against You", and "Broken Face". CD

20 rare recordings from one of the all-time greats of early blues recording – the legendary Blind Lemon Jefferson, presented here on a set of seminal recordings done for the Paramount label in the late 20s! All tracks were recorded in Chicago, but hardly have the famous sound of that city's blues in the postwar years – as Jefferson plays acoustic guitar in a very rural sort of way, and matches his wonderful inflections on the strings with fantastic vocals – all at a level that still comes across strongly with a sense of unique expression and soul, despite the limitations of recording modes from these early years. Titles include "Rabbit Foot blues", "Match Box Blues", "Hot Dogs", "Deceitful Brownskin Blues", "Blind Lemon's Penitentiary Blues", "Rising Water Blues", "That Black Snake Moan", "See That My Grave Is Kept Clean", and "Broke & Hungry". CD

A key early entry in the "jazz meets Broadway" genre – and a record that was so successful, it went onto inspire countless imitations! Shelly Manne's working here in a lightly playful trio setting – alongside Andre Previn on piano and Leroy Vinnegar on bass, in a reading of tunes originally composed for the musical My Fair Lady. Given Manne's talent for unusual rhythms and melodic percussion, the session's got a bit of a whimsical edge that takes it way past the core compositions that most listeners already knew – into a realm that allows for much great improvisation and play with the melodies. Previn's nicely restrained on the keys, and Vinnegar adds in a good sense of bottom to the set – and titles include "Get Me To The Church On Time", "I Could Have Dance All Night", "Ascot Gavotte", "Show Me", and "With A Little Bit Of Luck". CD