A rare soundtrack session from Japanese jazz legend Hideo Shiraki – maybe one of the earliest recordings we've ever seen from the drummer – and one that also features work from pianist Takeshi Inomata and saxophonist Hidehiko "Sleepy" Matsumoto as well! The cover's somewhat unassuming, but the music inside is quite vivid and rich – jazz tracks used as a film score, often with a quality that's like the best jazz soundtracks coming out of French and Italian cinema at the end of the 50s – with a very different vibe than some of Shiraki's later albums as a leader! There's a nicely moody, late nite quality to many of the tracks – and instrumentation shifts throughout, but includes vibes, tenor, guitar, and piano – all elements used without as much heavy drum work from Hideo as you might expect. The set features dozens of short tunes, and runs for over 70 minutes in length – a huge document of this rare Japanese jazz material from the postwar years. CD

A vital box set of both classic and rare Nina Simone! This is much more than just another Nina Simone hits package – and instead, a massive collection of work – one that not only features 8 previously unissued tracks, but also a full bonus DVD, which contains a never-reissued documentary on Nina! The package is quite impressive, drawing from a variety of different record labels – and even the presentation is different than the usual box treatment – 3CDs, 1 DVD, and a 48 page booklet that features rare family photos, and track by track details on the music. Unreleased titles include "Zungo (live)", "Nina (live)", "Let It Be Me (live)", "Tanywey", "No Opportunity Necessary (live)", and "When Malindy Sings/Swing Low Sweet Chariot (live)" – and the set features 51 tracks in all, with other numbers that include "Mood Indigo", "Mississippi Goddam (live)", "Four Women", "Feeling Good", "Baltimore", "Here Comes The Sun", "Just Like A Woman", "To Love Somebody", and "Revolution (live)". DVD features "Nina – A Historical Perspective" – a 1970 TV special with rare performances and interviews! CD

One of a handful of very righteous albums that American reedman Hal Singer made overseas – very different material than the more R&B-based tenor material that started out his career! Here, Hal's got this easygoing approach to soul jazz – stretching out on these really long tracks that also feature superb work from the great Alain Jean Marie on piano – a player we totally love, and who rarely makes an appearance in a session like this! The set is equally Alain's and Hal's – as both balance long, creative solo energy beautifully – with spacious accompaniment from August Nemeth on bass and Oliver Johnson on drums. The album was originally only released in South Africa, and is even more obscure than some of Singer's French releases – and titles include "Deacon Johnson", "Soweto To Harlem", "Blues After Six", and "The Gospel". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the most unique books to ever look at the music of Sun Ra – and one that's very near and dear to our hearts, given that the role of Chicago is seen as vital to the development of the music! The book digs very deep into Ra's early years – time that isn't covered in as much details as in other projects – and the book paints a picture of the city that's as vivid as the jazz legend himself – showing how postwar Chicago did a lot to shape the early sounds and ideas of Ra – which were then shaped the man himself. William Sites comes at the project from a different perspective than most music writers – which makes for a very fresh volume that may well open up whole new territory in the exploration of jazz and community. 313 pages, softcover, with black and white images. Book

Slick Rick's first solo album – one of the vital early front-to-back hip hop albums of the late 80s Def Jam prime era – and up there with the best ever! MC Ricky D introduced the world to a whole new rap style on Doug E Fresh's "The Show" and by the time this album dropped the world was more than ready for a full set of his unique flow. There's no other voice like Slick Rick's, with a skewed sense of humor even at it's most profane, which makes it all the more disarming when he gets serious for a minute. He proves himself the master of the storytelling rap of the period, and the Hank Shocklee, Eric Sadler and Jam Master Jay production is top tier, too. Includes "Treat Her Like A Prostitute", "Children's Story", "The Ruler's Back", "Mona Lisa", "Hey Young World", "Teenage Love" and more. Remastered 30th Anniversary edition – classic original tracklist on 2LPs! LP, Vinyl record album

An incredibly untapped world of cinematic jazz – pulled from an array of Spanish films of the late 50s and early 60s – most of which have soundtracks as dynamic as work coming from France or Italy at the time! A good portion of the tracks here are scored by Jose Sola – who seems to draw inspiration from some of the west coast jazz soundtracks of the 50s – work by Elmer Bernstein, Shorty Rogers, Leith Stevens, and others – blending standout soloists with fuller backings, but in a way that matches the stark energy of the images on the screen! The CD's an unusual one in that many of the tunes are quite long – upwards of 10 minutes, and very different than the shorter snippets of jazz you might get on other soundtrack efforts from the same generation – and some numbers keep in bits of the dialogue, presenting the music with sound that's more "cinematic" than straight studio recording. Solo instruments include a fair bit of trumpet and alto sax – and the package comes with a great booklet with notes in English and Spanish, plus images from the films. Titles include "Un Vaso De Whisky", "A Sangre Fria", "Altas Variedades", "Los Cuervos", "Regresa Un Desconocido", and "El Salario Del Crimen" by Jose Sola; plus "091 Policia Al Habla" by Augusto Alguero, "Juventud A La Intemperie" by Enrique Escobar, and "A Tiro Limpo" by Federico Martinez Tudo. CD

Solo piano from one of the greatest French modernists – on cuts that include "Bluesine", "Lover", "Moins De 36", "14 Septembre", and "Yardbird Suite". CD

Really beautiful work from Som Imaginario – a progressive Brazilian group of the 70s, and one who also had strong ties to the world of Milton Nascimento as well! Milton's keyboard player Wagner Tiso is a key part of the record here – playing organ and electric piano – and the set also features wonderful sax and flute from Nivaldo Ornelas, who brings a lot of warmer, soulful currents to the set! The performance is a live one, and has a stile that's really cool – jazzier and more personal than some of the group's studio work at times – recorded in 1976, but issued here for the first time ever. Titles include "Sabado", "Imaginados", "Banda Da Capital", "Os Cafezais Sem Fim", "Xa Mate", and "Radio Guarany". LP, Vinyl record album

Really beautiful work from Som Imaginario – a progressive Brazilian group of the 70s, and one who also had strong ties to the world of Milton Nascimento as well! Milton's keyboard player Wagner Tiso is a key part of the record here – playing organ and electric piano – and the set also features wonderful sax and flute from Nivaldo Ornelas, who brings a lot of warmer, soulful currents to the set! The performance is a live one, and has a stile that's really cool – jazzier and more personal than some of the group's studio work at times – recorded in 1976, but issued here for the first time ever. Titles include "Sabado", "Imaginados", "Banda Da Capital", "Os Cafezais Sem Fim", "Xa Mate", and "Radio Guarany". Features CD-only bonus tracks "Armina" and "Manuel O Audaz". CD

A very cool soundtrack with a very unusual history – part of a brief sub-genre of films that were created during a time when the Italian and Spanish scene were doing their version of British horror and mystery! As such, the album does a great job of mixing groovy styles that you'd know from Italian films with some of the darker modes of gothic horror – these deeper tones and starker moments that are then offset by more upbeat and jazzy passages in a really great way! The strings can move between offbeat/atonal and more traditional – and there's also some very nice use of echoey percussion too. Titles include "Surreal", "Trance", "John Dalton Street", "The Living Dead", "Mysterious Country", "The Torment Of The Dead", and "Aggression". CD

Fuzzy funk from the Italian scene of the early 70s – a really landmark record that ties together all the best elements happening in the soundtrack, sound library, and psych scene at the time! The group features two guitars and lots of organ and keyboards from the leader – really stretching out on the side-long title track "Under Pompelmo", which is a massive jam, but one that never trips out too much to stop being funky – a surprisingly great groove that stays right in the pocket for all of its 16 minutes and 50 seconds! The flipside features shorter tracks, but equally great – all like some lost sound library funk numbers of the period, but served up by a small combo with more focus on guitar and weird production styles – on titles that include "Honda", "When I See You", "Echoes From Canyon", and "To Rebound". CD

A super-rare sound library gem from the Italian scene – a wonderful tune that's got this midtempo bassline that steps along in a very groovy way – easygoing, but funky too – as harp, strings, and some mighty nice flute come into the mix to warm things up! "Since I Lost You" is a new cut – but one that seeks to recall the spirit of Sorgini's original – a bit more contemporary in production, but with all these very similar elements and a mighty nice groove! 7-inch, Vinyl record

... LP, Vinyl record album

Mighty nice work from drummer Francesco Sotgiu – a player we're not sure we've ever heard at the helm before, but who does a superb job with a very cool Italian combo that moves between modal numbers and more hardbop-styled jazz – all with plenty of strong sounds from reed players Emanuele Cisi and Riccardo Luppi, both of whom really make the record soar! Both players handle tenor and soprano, and Luppi blows a bit of flute – in a combo that also features excellent work from Salvatore Maiore on bass, a player with a bold sound that matches the crispness of Sotgiu's drums in the mix – sewn together by these massive piano lines from Luigi Bonafede. Palo Fresu plays guest trumpet on the title "My Foolish Heart" – and other cuts include "Wise One", "7th Street", "Wishes", "Ballad For Aisha", "Stranatole", "Calm", "Lotus Blossom", "Duke Ellington's Sound Of Love", "Passing", and "Black Bats & Poles". LP, Vinyl record album

This Japanese group have certainly grown up a lot – and this beautiful album is their most mature in years! The combo is fronted by singer Ann Sally – whose English language vocals add a tremendous amount of sophistication to the record – snaking forth in a cool jazzy style that goes way past the easy bossa remake mode of earlier albums. Sally's voice is incredible, and it's mixed with a well-constructed set of backings by the group, music that is especially heavy in its use of Fender Rhodes! The track list is great, too – with wonderful remakes of Fred Neil's "The Dolphins", Flora Purim's "Light As A Feather", Herbie Hancock's "Dolphin Dance", and Coltrane's "Naima". Sweet, mellow, jazzy, and wonderfully rich – the group's best album in years! Italian version of the album features 2 tracks not on the Japanese one – "Butterfly (Incognito rmx)" and "Sky (Soul Bossa Trio blue rmx)". CD

A hell of a record from the Italian scene of the 70s – a heavy set of electric jazz with a soaring, righteous sort of vibe – served up by a quintet who somehow manage to work as if they've got the spirit of a much larger ensemble! We don't know any of the players at all from other records, but they come together wonderfully here – a lineup that includes trumpet and trombone from Gaetano Delfini, saxes and flute from Giancarlo Maurino, Fender Rhodes and piano from Corrado Nofri, bass from Peppe Caporello, and drums from Giampaolo Ascolese – all players who draw a lot more from the spiritual jazz underground of the time than some of the more prog-based acts on the Italian scene. Most tracks are nice and long, with a really soaring sort of vibe – and titles include "Peperoncino", "Rising", "Cabral Anno 1", and the shorter ballad "Una Ballata Per Yanez". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the most striking records we've ever heard from Swiss music legend Bruno Spoerri – a set that's very different from both his straight jazz recordings and his more experimental work – and instead a soundtrack for an obscure 60s film about a strangler in London! There's definitely a lot of mod elements in the music on the groovy cuts, which are then turned towards more sinister purposes on the spookier ones – so that an organ line can move from swinging to spare and moody, and a bassline can follow in just the same way! There's great use of Spoerri's famous sonic palette here – built up in ways that are almost a precursor to the more striking sonic modes of the Italian scene in the early 70s – and the set fatures 20 tracks in all, including "Plane To Peru", "Brogues In Robes", "Reading The Killer", "Spiral Staircase", "Check Out The Gravel Pit", "To The Brothers Of Compensatory Righteousness", "Don't Blame Jane", and "Kiddie's Beat". LP, Vinyl record album

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An album that sparkles with joy and life from the very first note – but that's also what we've really come to expect from Kaidi Tatham in all the many years he's given us music! Tatham is one of a few key talents from the London scene at the start of the century to continue to stay vital and fresh over the years – always still with the crisply cosmic quality that made him so great in the first place, but a continued evolution into more righteous, sophisticated territory – which means there's even more message in his music than before, at a level that lives up to the promise of the title! Kaidi's a fantastic one-man show throughout – but does accept a small amount of help at a few moments, including vocals from Eric Lau and Uhmeer on a track apiece. Titles include "Carry It Mongo Man", "DSXSWC", "Insight To All Minds", "Chungo", "Rodney", "Rain", "Could It Be", "Stro Kyat", "Tek Care", and "Intergalactic Relations". LP, Vinyl record album

A stunning set of soul – and an album that will win you over right from the very first offbeat note! Some mad guitars introduce Gloria Ann Taylor's title cover version of "Love Is A Hurtin Thing" – and the whole album follows suit with these really unusual funky elements – echoey piano that feels like it was lifted from Charles Stepney, a righteous fuzzy funk part that has a Tribe Records vibe, and even certain elements that remind us of old Italian soundtracks – but mixed with much deeper soul! And the best thing of all is that all these cuts are classics, not some retro remakes – instead these overlooked nuggets that remind us that just when we think we've heard all the great soul there is to hear, a record like this comes around to open our minds all over again. Gloria never had a full length album back in the day, but this set brings together most of her rare singles – a massive batch of tracks that includes "What I Want", "How Can You Say It", "Love Is A Hurtin Thing", "Deep Inside Of You", "World That's Not Real", "Music", "Had It All The Time", "Burning Eyes", and "What's Your World". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

When the album starts with a heavy drumbreak, you know you're in different territory than usual for Henry Threadgill – yet that's always also the appeal of his music, that we never know what to expect! Drummer Gene Lake cooks up the set right from the start, but a key part of the sound is also from the twin electric guitar work of Brandon Ross and Masujaa on guitars – both players who create these intertwining chromatic elements that are really beautiful, in a bass-less group that's balanced out by deep end work on two tubas, handled by Marcus Rojas and Edwin Rodriguez! The pace changes quickly as the album moves on – into territory that's more spare, and more filled with the kind of tonal, color-based explorations that Threadgill does so well. The leader blows alto and flute, Curtis Fowlkes is also in the group on trombone – and titles include "Exacto", "In The Ring", "Hope A Hope A", "Bee Dee Aff", "Drivin You Slow & Crazy", and "First Church Of This". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

The Tibbs serve up a very classic style of soul – as you might guess from the retro image on the cover – very 60s-oriented, with hard-driving rhythms from the group's well-crafted lineup, all topped with mighty dynamic vocals from lead singer Roxanne! And sure, this isn't new territory for the market – but The Tibbs do it a lot better than most, and the vocals, horns, and grooves all come together with a sharper focus and real commitment to the sound than most other groups who are swimming in the same water. Titles include "For Lack Of Better Words", "Give Me Reason", "Chicken Bones", "Rafaela", "Guess I'm Guilty", "Last Train", and "In Orbit". CD

The Tibbs serve up a very classic style of soul – as you might guess from the retro image on the cover – very 60s-oriented, with hard-driving rhythms from the group's well-crafted lineup, all topped with mighty dynamic vocals from lead singer Roxanne! And sure, this isn't new territory for the market – but The Tibbs do it a lot better than most, and the vocals, horns, and grooves all come together with a sharper focus and real commitment to the sound than most other groups who are swimming in the same water. Titles include "For Lack Of Better Words", "Give Me Reason", "Chicken Bones", "Rafaela", "Guess I'm Guilty", "Last Train", and "In Orbit". LP, Vinyl record album

Percussionist Masahiko Togashi leads a really cool group here – one in which nearly all the other players handle percussion as well, but with a quality that's also surprisingly open and laidback – not a drum-heavy spectacular, but a record that allows more subtle elements to resonate a bit with some of the great string elements of the session too! The album features Keiki Midorikawa on bass and cello, and Yoshio Ikeda on bass too – with Yoshisaburo Toyozumi playing more percussion with Togashi, and use of soprano sax from Mototeru Takagi weaving throughout the record to create these nicely sharp lines from time to time! Yet even Takagi plays percussion on the record – and the album begins with gentle, organic rumblings first, then finds a bolder path – on titles that include "Things That Will Come Again", "Life Story Of Wind", "And Then", "Reunion", and "Those Passing Things". LP, Vinyl record album

Inventive percussion and amazing bass work – plus a host of other interesting elements as well – all wrapped up beautifully in this unique collaboration between Isao Suzuki and Masahiko Togashi! Both players were some of the most creative of the mainstream Japanese scene of the 70s – Togashi a drummer who'd often go out, but still maintain a sense of soul – and Suzuki a bassist who often used variations of his instrument that were a bit unusual, and which did way more than simple rhythm work! Here, Isao's working with cello, piccolo bass, and regular bass – in addition to piano and percussion – and Togashi plays lots more percussion, and a bit of keyboards too – as both players mix up instrumentation in these sensitive shadings of sound and color that are almost a Japanese equivalent of the best ECM experiments of the 70s. Tunes are all as poetic as they sound from the titles – and titles include "A Day Of The Sun", "Birth Of Yellow Eggs", "Silvery Flash", and "Awakening Of The Fresh Green". LP, Vinyl record album

Two side-long improvised tracks – recorded in a spacious concert hall in Tokyo, and featuring the drums and percussion of Masahiko Togashi alongside some very inventive work on guitar from Masayuki Takayanagi! Togashi is very different than the usual jazz drummer – and even when working the kit, has this way of moving forward, then stopping, moving forward, then turning – almost as if he's trying to be as a-rhythmic as possible! Takayanagi's guitar is a great accompaniment in this mood – as he plays with these unusual sonic elements – almost in the school of Derek Bailey or Fred Frith, but even more tentative than both of them – really matching the quality of the drums, at a level that makes for extremely sensitive improvisation throughout. Titles include "Inner Pulsation" and "Outer Pulsation". LP, Vinyl record album

Heavily grooving Italian jazz from 1960 – featuring the piano of Amedo Tommasi, and the twin-horn team of Cicci Santucci and Enzo Scoppa! Santucci plays trumpet and Scoppa plays tenor, and together, the pair were one of the tightest front lines working south of the Alps. We've stocked sets that include some of their funky work from the 70s – but this little gem is a rare early appearance in a straight bop mode, grooving nicely all the way through with the soulfulness of a rare side on Blue Note or Prestige from the same time! Titles include "Mulatto", "Zamboni 22", "Ballad For Micheline", "Coltrane", and "Auto Strada Del Sole". CD

An unusual group that we only know from this one Italian soundtrack – and a combo who's not nearly as electronic as you might guess from their Kraftwerk-sounding name! Instead, the approach here is a bit like that of Goblin on their horror scores from the same time – a style that uses keyboards, guitar, and bass that come from a more progressive music background than other Italian soundtrack composers – but which also comes off here with a lot less of the jamming modes that you'd hear in Goblin's work. Instead, the overall sound is relatively laidback – lessons learned from the great Italian composers of the early 70s, especially in their balance of subtle and more experimental sounds – all poised nicely to build over the course of the film. There's some great use of electric bass here – often quite spare and pulsating – and the CD reissue features 26 tracks in all, including a number of bonus tracks! CD

Slammin Hammond from Trio Valore – a really old school combo with a sweet mix of mod and funky rhythms! The group features heavy drums from Steve White – with a groove that stretches back to his many years on the hip side of the UK scene – and remaining trio members include Damon Minchella on guitar and Seamus Beaghen on Hammond – both players who more than keep up with White's hard-hitting approach, and really make the set cook up strongly throughout! A number of cuts are covers, but there's also some great originals too – and the whole thing has the feel of a hip 60s set in a small Soho club – but filtered through a generation that also understands funk as well. Titles include "Rehab", "Hola Muneca", "Fuoco", "Hip Hug Her", "Anxious Mo Fo", "All About My Girl", "Return Of The Iron Monkey", "Dam Square", and "Miracolo". LP, Vinyl record album

A sweet 70s groover from Italian soundtrack maestro Armando Trovajoli – one that has some nice funky tracks! There's a bit more electricity running through the mix than on Trovajoli's 60s recordings – sweet keys and bass bubbling under the strings, and often hitting some nice laidback funky tunes in a sexy 70s Euro style. Some cuts are mellower and more traditional, but the electric ones, especially those with a bit of moog, are totally great – and the album's a great reminder of why Trovajoli continues to be one of our favorite soundtrack composers ever! Titles include "Racconto Televisivo", "Brutti Sporchi E Cattivi", "Nonna Antonecca", and "Il Sogno". This stunning version is overflowing with bonus tracks – a total of 22 numbers in all, and way more than the previous CD release! CD

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Funky grooves, floating vocals, mellow keyboards, and a whole lot more – easily one of the greatest soundtracks ever from the legendary Armando Trovajoli – and certainly one of the grooviest too! There's a sublime quality to this score that's well made Sessomatto one of the best-remembered albums from the glory years of the Italian soundtracks – a sense of space, pacing, and timing that are simply breathtaking – and which are the perfect summation of Trovajoli's earlier experiments in music. As with his score to La Matriarca, the instrumentation here varies often – sometimes a bit of horns, nicely compressed; sometimes a floating harmonica line; sometimes keyboards; and sometimes a funky rhythm topped with vocals – all woven together in a rich pastiche of styles that makes the album one of the deepest soundtracks you'll hope to own from the time. LP, Vinyl record album

A nice little soundtrack by the great Trovajoli – scored for an Italian sex comedy starring Sophia Loren and Marcello Mastroianni! The film's divided up into three segments with three different themes – the first of which is historical, the other two of which are great and groovy! The "Anna" segment features three strong jazz numbers – "Anna With The Rolls", "Descansado", and "Flowers For A Poor Millionaire". The "Mara" segment is the best, though, with some groovy jazz and organ bits that are similar to Trovajoli's best late 60s work. Titles include "Mara", "Rome, Don't Be Stupid", and "Portrait Of MM". LP, Vinyl record album

Wonderfully groovy stuff – and one of the best soundtracks ever by the great Italian composer Armando Trovajoli! The record has a very similar feel to his legendary Seven Golden Men soundtrack – with a groovy swinging jazz vocal group (I Cantori Moderni) over jazzy riffing and groovin – on upbeat tunes that are very cool, with a mod 60s style throughout! The whole thing swings mightily – and kind of feels like what might have happened if the Swingle Singers ever recorded with Lalo Schifrin – his best jazz-infused instrumentation, and their wonderfully dynamic vocal approach. Titles include "The Getaway", "Seven Times Blues", "The Big Brain", "Jail", and "Seven Times Seven". LP, Vinyl record album

Great stuff – and one of the funkiest albums that Ike Turner ever recorded – done during a late 60s moment when his fame with Tina Turner was really on the rise – but much more like some funky 45 take on the pre-Tina work he'd been doing in the 50s! This set's a batch of obscure funky instrumentals – and sounds like a strong compilation of rare 45s, filled with hard funky drums, nice breaks, and plenty of super-tight grooves. Nearly every cut's a winner – and titles include "Black Angel", "Black Beauty", "Freedom Sound", "Ghetto Funk", "Funky Mule", "Nuttin' Up", "Scotty Souling", and "Thinking Black". With titles like that, you know the cuts have got to be good – and for one of the few times in his career, Ike actually delivers the funky goods! LP, Vinyl record album

An obscure Nigerian set from the mid 70s – and a record that's got a sound that's as lean as the image on the cover! The group aren't super-huge, and instead have a core of percussion and bass, mixed with a few guitars, and sewn together by some mighty nice keyboard lines – all used in ways that are very cyclical and pretty darn hypnotic – so that the tunes have this ebb and flow, bubble and rise quality that's really unique! The whole thing is still pretty darn funky, but in ways that are very different than the group's more famous contemporaries on the Lagos scene – and titles include "Uchuluchu", "The Chant", "Sound Of The People", "Nne", and "New Bride Song". LP, Vinyl record album

Piero Umiliani gave the world some fantastic soundtracks in the 60s, and incredible electronic and sound library work in the 70s – but in the immediate postwar years, he was a jazz musician at heart – as you'll hear in this great set of small combo jazz from 1959! The vibe is right up there with some of the hippest Italian moderns of the period – like the Basso/Valdambrini group, or work by Gil Cuppini – and if you've heard some of the early 60s jazz soundtracks from Piero, you'll know that he can definitely serve up straight jazz work when he wants to! Umiliani plays piano, and other musicians include Marcello Boschi on alto and flute, Ivan Vandor on tenor, Bill Gilmore on trombone, Peppe Carta on bass, and Roberto Zappulla on drums. All tracks are originals – and include "Tempo Jazz", "Tema In Blues", "Mezza Cottura", "Tipi Misteriosi", and "Battesimo Dell'Aria". LP, Vinyl record album

Totally wonderful spy soundtrack work from Piero Umiliani – done in his best groovy style of the 60s, with a brilliant mix of jazz and mod elements throughout! Umiliani's extrapolating from the more famous spy sounds of Bond and Barry, and takes things very strongly into his own territory with a blend of light woodwinds, moody Hammond, snapping snare, and a bit of strings as well – interwoven with a really fresh feel that includes a bit of the bossa styles you'd hear in other Italian work of the time! Given the obscurity of the film, the soundtrack's a great discovery – and steps out boldly here on this set of 21 tracks from the movie. CD

Totally wonderful spy soundtrack work from Piero Umiliani – done in his best groovy style of the 60s, with a brilliant mix of jazz and mod elements throughout! Umiliani's extrapolating from the more famous spy sounds of Bond and Barry, and takes things very strongly into his own territory with a blend of light woodwinds, moody Hammond, snapping snare, and a bit of strings as well – interwoven with a really fresh feel that includes a bit of the bossa styles you'd hear in other Italian work of the time! Given the obscurity of the film, the soundtrack's a great discovery – and steps out boldly here on this set of 21 tracks from the movie. CD

Nothing too blue about this nude – as the tune's a sexy little romp, and one that nicely mixes up acoustic guitar, floating violin, and romping rhythms – all set to some cool offbeat lyrics! The tune's an overlooked funky soundtrack cut from Piero Umiliani – and it's backed here by "Life Goes On", which is mellower, and also features English language lyrics. 7-inch, Vinyl record

Sweetly funky and very slinky – this is one of the best early 70s scores by the great Italian composer Piero Umiliani! The record has lots of bubbling electric piano, rumbling electric basslines, warm acoustic percussion, and moody wordless vocals. At some level, the album sounds a lot like the contemporaneous work by the great Italian Fender Rhodes combo Crossfire – but it's also filled with a spacey madness that could only come from the pen of Umiliani! One of the best of the recent Easy Tempo reissues – and very nicely put together, with a consistent sound throughout! Titles include "The Body", "Tidal Stream", "Chaser", "White Sand", "In The End", "Free Life", "Stream", and "Dusken". LP, Vinyl record album

The news is pretty darn jazzy here – thanks to a quick-stepping bassline, cool marimba, and snapping snare – all of which give "News" a very groovy jazz soundtrack feel – like something lifted off an obscure soundtrack from the early 60s! But halfway through, some cool electronics also come into the mix – moogy flutters that change things up and really space the tune out nicely! "Top Secret" is a wonderful blend of guitar with a hip acosutic bassline – really crafted with a lot of personal touches – hypnotic and seductive, with some nice jazzy overtones! 7-inch, Vinyl record

A really cool spy soundtrack from the Italian 60s scene – put together by Piero Umiliani with lots of jazzy touches! The music here is a nice change from the more obvious, more familiar American spy modes of the time – and often uses some cool vibes mixed with horns, to create this blend of tension and action that flows together wonderfully! The tunes are really evocative – almost little mini-movies on their own, even without the film – and there's a core theme that's very catchy – never dominating the soundtrack, but showing up in little bursts to tie the whole thing together. 20 tracks in all, great sound, and the package includes a little fold-out movie poster! CD

A really cool spy soundtrack from the Italian 60s scene – put together by Piero Umiliani with lots of jazzy touches! The music here is a nice change from the more obvious, more familiar American spy modes of the time – and often uses some cool vibes mixed with horns, to create this blend of tension and action that flows together wonderfully! The tunes are really evocative – almost little mini-movies on their own, even without the film – and there's a core theme that's very catchy – never dominating the soundtrack, but showing up in little bursts to tie the whole thing together. 20 tracks in all, great sound, and the package includes a little fold-out movie poster! CD

One of the greatest soundtracks ever from the mighty Piero Umiliani – sounds initially written for a film that was an international "sexpose" of daily life in Sweden – but which have grown to even greater fame on their own over the years – thanks to the talent of the maestro! The music here is awash in groovy elements – lots of sweet Hammond organ lines, mod basslines, and some especially cool wordless vocals from the choir of Alessandro Alessandroni – scatting away in a great way alongside the instruments, and bringing an added level of breathy eroticism to the whole thing! This special LP version recreates the original Omicron release of the record – with titles that include the two lyrical tracks "You Tried To Warn Me" and "Sleep Now Little One", sung by Lydia McDonald – plus the tracks "Topless Party", "Eva Svedense", "Essere Donna", "La Signora Cameriera", "FotoModelle", and "Le Ragazze Dell'Archipellago". (Note, does not contain the track "Mah Na Mah Na", which is on other versions of the soundtrack – but it appears on the "partner" reissue of Umiliani's Psichedelica from Schema, under the title "Viva La Sauna Svedese".) LP, Vinyl record album

A wonderful sound library set from the great Piero Umiliani – and a record that's filled with some of his coolest electronics ever! The feel of the record is very much in keeping with the image on the cover – kind of sci fi, but kind of playful too – a wonderful blend of keyboards and moogy bits, often played with a cool little groove – but one that's laidback enough to recall Umiliani's best soundtrack music! Tunes are relatively short – between one and four minutes in length – but really have a great sense of variety and imagination – at a level that goes way beyond some of the overdone repetition you might find in other albums of this nature. Really great all the way through – with cuts that include "Futuristic Jam", "Killer Robot", "Soft Key", "Bric Brac", "Soundmaker Blues", "Gadget", "Danza Galattica", and "Jingle No 1". CD

A wonderful sound library set from the great Piero Umiliani – and a record that's filled with some of his coolest electronics ever! The feel of the record is very much in keeping with the image on the cover – kind of sci fi, but kind of playful too – a wonderful blend of keyboards and moogy bits, often played with a cool little groove – but one that's laidback enough to recall Umiliani's best soundtrack music! Tunes are relatively short – between one and four minutes in length – but really have a great sense of variety and imagination – at a level that goes way beyond some of the overdone repetition you might find in other albums of this nature. Really great all the way through – with cuts that include "Futuristic Jam", "Killer Robot", "Soft Key", "Bric Brac", "Soundmaker Blues", "Gadget", "Danza Galattica", and "Jingle No 1". LP, Vinyl record album

An early jazzy soundtrack from the great Piero Umiliani – made even better by some key work from Chet Baker on trumpet and Helen Merrill on vocals! The set was done at a time when both artists were spending some time in Italy – shaping the scene with their presence, and really standing out on a handful of rare recordings like this one – quite different than their American material of a few years before! Baker is especially striking – with lead solos that have a great sense of compression, and a depth of soul that really move beyond the Pacific Jazz recordings. And Merrill is wonderful, too – with that special flavor she only ever seemed to open up when she went overseas – and got to move into more unusual settings. But the real star is Umiliani throughout – balancing modern impulses with late night jazz in a way that really points the way towards his later scores in the 60s – but which is already nearly perfect here! Titles include "Smog" (done in instrumental and vocal versions by Baker and Merrill), plus "Dawn", "Tensione", "Tops", "California In The Summer", "Hollywood Tonight", "Bowling", and "Twilight At Los Angeles". LP, Vinyl record album

A gorgeous album from alto saxophonist Massimo Urbani – a set that's a strong reminder of the way he can blow an alto with the depth of a tenor – a quality that resonates even more strongly here next to the tenor work on the album from Pietro Tonolo! The record's got a sharp edge that belies the cover, and which is even a contrast to some of Massimo's other work in later years – and the group here is razor sharp throughout, with superb work on rhythm from Riccardo Zegna on piano, Luciano Milanese on bass, and Gianni Cazzola on drums! The set features killer takes on "Blue Train" and "Recorda Mae" – both over 13 minutes in length – plus the Hank Mobley gem "Snappin Out", and the cuts "I'll Remember April" and "Blue N Boogie". CD

Italian alto player Massimo Urbani is in some tremendous company here – working with a quartet that features Ron Burton on piano, Cameron Brown on bass, and Beaver Harris on drums – a lineup who really make the album a standout in his career! The group's got a soulful swing that really brings out the best in Urbani's tone – allowing him to be free, but never too out – and keeping a strong sense of rhythm in most of the tracks – one that almost approaches soul jazz on the best numbers, thanks to the excellent work of Burton and Brown together – a really wonderful pair! Titles include "Tender Song", "Solar", "Diddy For Biddy", and "Rip The Ripper". CD

A spooky little soundtrack, with some slight erotic moments as well – all scored for a schlocky Italian film starring an ex-patriot Farley Granger! The story centers around an investigation of an earlier rape and murder – and the music does a good deal to underscore the mix of sexual tension and drama in the film – often using spare stepping basslines that move very slowly on the bottom of the tunes, while eerie keyboards, guitar, and weirder effects drift lightly over the top. A few numbers have a slightly warmer feel, in keeping with more erotic moments in early 70s Italian cinema – and there's also a bit of wordless vocals that float through some of the tunes, often with a theremin-like quality. LP features 15 tracks from the film! LP, Vinyl record album

A nicely grooving album from Cuban jazz piano great Chucho Valdes – sounding as lively and vital as he has in years on Chucho's Steps! There's an invigorating blend of far reaching influences throughout the set, played masterfully by a combo that includes "Juan Carlos Rojas Castro on drums, Lazaro Rivero Alarcon on bass, Carlos Miyares Hernandez on tenor, Reynaldo Melian Alvarez on trumpet, precussionist Yaroldy Abreu Robles and others. Includes "Zawinul's Mambo", "Danzon", "Both Sides", "Begin To Be Good", "Yansa", "Julian" and "Chucho's Steps". CD

A set of orginal big band pieces from Dino Betti Van Der Noot. Titles include "The Stuff Dreams Are Made On", "Our Heavenly Land", "Moonscape", "Just To Amuse A Muse", and "Not Merry Not Sad". CD

One of the few US releases by this European flute player who mixed jazz, classical, funk, and rock styles, and who was a major player in the group Focus. This set's a fairly subdued set of tracks, but has an excellent mellow sound, with large backing, in the style of some of the Italian soundtracks we've been carrying. Cuts include "Focus II", "Introspection", and "Agnus Dei". LP, Vinyl record album

The music of Don Cherry, but delivered in a completely different way than his original recordings – served up here as a beautiful series of duets between Ken Vandermark on tenor and Hamid Drake on drums and percussion! The pair have a sympathy for each other that's amazing – and the music is often more rhythmic than you might be used to hearing from Vandermark – as the duo weave together themes from Don Cherry compositions in a variety of classic settings – yet work them anew with the sort of individual magic that really makes the record special! This isn't a set of covers, nor some staid "tribute" record – and instead, Vandermark and Drake really soar with inspiration that's delivered at a very personal level, and which marks the record as a testament to the still very vital talents of both musicians. LP, Vinyl record album

Images of flute, and some mighty cool keyboards too – a sweet sound library set that mixes the reed work of Joel Vandroogenbroeck with electric touches that create a killer sound that's not unlike some of the 70s soundtrack material by Sven Libaek! Joel's lead lines have the expressive feel of a jazz player, but they're mixed with these dreamy keys that stretch out in very cool ways – often a bit watery or organic, but never in any sort of a new agey mode! Instead, the record's almost like some of the best Chris Hinze work from a few years before – or, even better, the sort of thing you always hope for from Chris Hinze, but never seem to hear this well. Carole Muriel serves up some cool wordless vocals on a few numbers – and titles include "Hobbits", "Electronic Jungle", "Plaine Du Jura", "Magic Adventure", and "Magnetic Blues". LP, Vinyl record album

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A funky Nigerian gem from this lost 70s group – a combo who have a way of folding Afro Funk styles with some of the leaner West African styles of the time! There's horns in the group, and lots of bold percussion – but the guitars are really the key to the whole set – mixing together and ringing out with all sorts of cool chromatic elements alongside the vocals! The approach hints at highlife, but has a vibe that's all its own – and a nicely rough around the edges sort of quality that really keeps things spontaneous! Side one features the long "Drunkard" – and side two features "Matine Yanzoni" and "Herve". LP, Vinyl record album

Sublime work from saxophonist Eraldo Volonte – a rare mid 60s session recorded in Italy, and totally hip work all the way through! Volonte's got a tone here that's really tremendous – clearly Coltrane-influenced, especially on the tenor selections – but also stretching out with its own feeling too, especially on some of the album's more outside numbers, which feature Eraldo playing some great lines on soprano sax. There's a very open quality to the record – not exactly free jazz, but almost a "new thing" sense of sonic exploration – one that has Volonte's tenor and soprano sax aligned nicely with trombone from Dino Piana, piano from Franco D'Andrea, bass from Giovanni Tommaso, and drums from Franco Tonani. Titles include "Flamingo", "Mr Arpo", "Eclypso", "Tale", "Explorable", and "Ornette". CD

An easygoing, long-flowing record from Cedar Walton – one that has the pianist in very relaxed space, playing with a style that's very open, contemplative, and beautiful! There's a bit more sensitivity here than the usual Walton trio date – and despite the cover's emphasis on the other members of the trio, bassist David Williams and drummer Billy Higgins, some of the standout tunes are the ones in which Walton is working out front, almost solo – although when the rhythm duo kicks in, things are pretty great too (we're always huge fans of Higgins' work on drums, especially in the company of Walton.) Titles include "Theme For Ernie", "For All We Know", "Jacob's Ladder", "Bluesville", and "Ojos De Rojo". CD

An easygoing, long-flowing record from Cedar Walton – one that has the pianist in very relaxed space, playing with a style that's very open, contemplative, and beautiful! There's a bit more sensitivity here than the usual Walton trio date – and despite the cover's emphasis on the other members of the trio, bassist David Williams and drummer Billy Higgins, some of the standout tunes are the ones in which Walton is working out front, almost solo – although when the rhythm duo kicks in, things are pretty great too (we're always huge fans of Higgins' work on drums, especially in the company of Walton.) Titles include "Theme For Ernie", "For All We Know", "Jacob's Ladder", "Bluesville", and "Ojos De Rojo". LP, Vinyl record album

We've always loved the way that Cedar Walton kept maturing in his style over the years – and this 80s album is a wonderful example of the way he really took off during his third decade in jazz! At one level, the tunes are very simple and basic – familiar trio settings, with David Williams on bass and Billy Higgins on drums – but Walton manages to work this subtle magic on the tunes as the album moves on – some hip undercurrents of soul, warmly flowing lyricism, and fresh ideas that make even the better-known cuts stand out from other readings. Higgins' drums help a lot to this end – always shifting up underneath the piano – almost with their own sense of melody at times – and the round, warm tones of David Williams certainly help ground the album nicely too. Titles include the Walton numbers "Ground Work", "Fantasy In D", "Theme For Red", and Another Star" – plus versions of "Once I Loved" and "Girl Talk From Harlow". CD

We've always loved the way that Cedar Walton kept maturing in his style over the years – and this 80s album is a wonderful example of the way he really took off during his third decade in jazz! At one level, the tunes are very simple and basic – familiar trio settings, with David Williams on bass and Billy Higgins on drums – but Walton manages to work this subtle magic on the tunes as the album moves on – some hip undercurrents of soul, warmly flowing lyricism, and fresh ideas that make even the better-known cuts stand out from other readings. Higgins' drums help a lot to this end – always shifting up underneath the piano – almost with their own sense of melody at times – and the round, warm tones of David Williams certainly help ground the album nicely too. Titles include the Walton numbers "Ground Work", "Fantasy In D", "Theme For Red", and Another Star" – plus versions of "Once I Loved" and "Girl Talk From Harlow". CD

A great live set from Sadao Watanabe – one that shows the wealth of influences he'd been drawing on, from post-Coltrane spirituality, to African-oriented rhythms, to a slight bit of funk! The group's great – with Watanabe on flute, alto, and soprano sax, Takehiro Honda on Fender Rhodes and piano, Kazumi Watanabe on guitar, plus added bass, trombone, and percussion – and we especially like Honda's keyboards, which make any session like this an instant treat! The album's got a warm, soulful feeling, but a sharper edge than most of Watanabe's smoother work of the time – and titles include "Hiro", "Maraica", "Wana Tanzania", and "Mathari Terbenam". CD

A great live set from Sadao Watanabe – one that shows the wealth of influences he'd been drawing on, from post-Coltrane spirituality, to African-oriented rhythms, to a slight bit of funk! The group's great – with Watanabe on flute, alto, and soprano sax, Takehiro Honda on Fender Rhodes and piano, Kazumi Watanabe on guitar, plus added bass, trombone, and percussion – and we especially like Honda's keyboards, which make any session like this an instant treat! The album's got a warm, soulful feeling, but a sharper edge than most of Watanabe's smoother work of the time – and titles include "Hiro", "Maraica", "Wana Tanzania", and "Mathari Terbenam". LP, Vinyl record album

Muddy Waters makes a classic appearance at the Newport Jazz Festival – playing a folksy set of blues in the years before the festival had turned more strongly towards that sort of music! The performance is surprisingly well-recorded – at a level that's similar to Waters' earlier studio dates for Chess, but with a clarity that's impressive, given the live setting – and which captures just a bit of the open space in which the group was working. Waters' vocals and guitar are supported by harmonica from James Cotton and piano from Otis Spann – who also sings on one number too. Titles include "I Got My Brand On You", "Baby Please Don't Go", "Soon Forgotten", "Tiger In Your Tank", "I Feel So Good", and "Goodbye Newport Blues". CD also features 4 bonus tracks – including "Meanest Woman", plus different versions of songs on the LP! LP, Vinyl record album

A tremendous little record from Bobby Watson – one of the brightest young artists in jazz back in the 80s! The album features Watson grooving with the Italian Open Form Trio for the session – but all players come together with the cohesiveness of some of Watson's best work with Curtis Lundy – in that highly rhythmic, often soaring style that seemed to set Watson's alto free on magnificent solos – blown beautifully and expressively without any of the overly complicated modes that would trip him up in later years. The group features Piero Bassino on piano, Attilio Zanchio on bass, and Giampiero Prina on drums – and titles include "Appointment In Milano", "Ballando", "Watson's Blues", "Funcalypso", and "I'm Always Missing You". LP, Vinyl record album

A cool late 90s set from reedman Bobby Watson – easily one of our favorite talents of his generation, working here in a laidback mode that's mighty nice! The set has Bobby blowing on both alto and soprano sax – the latter of which is always a treat – in a core combo that features piano, bass, drums, and guitar – the last used to color in the tunes gently, often matching the tones and sentiment of Watson's horn in a really nice way. There's a few other surprising elements too – a bit of wordless vocals from Pamela Watson on one track, and trumpet from Terrell Stafford on three more numbers – and given that Curtis Lundy handles bass and Ralph Peterson's on drums, you can bet that the album's got some very solid rhythmic grounding, even when things are gentle. Titles include "Just For Today", "Always A Friend", "Nubian Breakdown", "Nanatsu No Ko", "Concentric Circles", "Back Home Again With You", and "Afternoon In Ottobrun". CD

One of Bobby Watson's more urgent-sounding albums from the 80s – a quartet session recorded with an Italian rhythm trio – in a style that mostly features Watson blowing in the lead – really holding the session together with the strength of his own imagination – that boundless sense of creativity he always had at this point in his career! The rest of the group features Piero Bassini on piano, Attilio Zanchi on bass, and Giampiero Prina on drums – and it's great to hear Watson really opening up in a very different way, and in a very different group – than some of his better-known American records of the time. Titles include "Round Trip", "Blue In Green", "Ceora", and "All The Things Of Jo Maka". CD

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The Whispers are probably best known for their later work in the 70s – when the group picked up the pace and got a bit more clubby – but this set features them in their early days, when they were a sweet sounding harmony combo with a sound that was right up there with the best east coast groups of the time! If you dig harmony soul, but have shied away from The Whispers in the past, this set will completely change your mind – the album's filled with great mellow soul cuts, some of the best we could hope to recommend! Titles include "Seems Like I Gotta Do Wrong", "You Must Be Doing All Right", "I'm The One", "Creation Of Love", and "Needle In A Haystack". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the wildest albums ever recorded by French tenorist Barney Wilen – a mix of avant jazz and sound effects, set to wax in tribute to Lorenzo Bandini – a famous Italian racer who died tragically during the 1967 Monaco Grand Prix! Wilen was an automobile enthusiast in the late 60s, and happened to be recording the race on a Nagra for himself – but, after witnessing the death of Bandini, Wilen decided to incorporate his tape of the race into an extended performance dedicated to the late driver. The sound is quite unusual – much farther out than any of Barney's other albums – and the tapes of the race are joined with free-flowing tenor, and piano – plus bits of organ and prepared piano as well – all played by by Francois Tusques along with Wilen, with support from Beb Guerin on bass and Eddy Gaumont on drums. The real star, though, is Bandini's Ferrari, which races in and out of the jazz playing, coming to a mournful end with the termination of the piece. The album's a totally unique recording – and stands as one of the most unusual moments in the history of Wilen's career, and the legendary MPS label! Titles include "Start", "Tribune Princiere", "Hair Pin", and "Canyon Sound & Destiny". LP, Vinyl record album

There's a nicely punctuated vibe to this sweet set of later tracks from Delroy Wilson – instrumentation that's moved into the digital age, but which still has that slow funky crackle at the bottom that seems to work so well with Delroy's vocals! The approach seems to work especially well at the midtempo range that graces most of these cuts – gentle grooves that work really well, both with the covers that Wilson takes on for the record, and the original songs that are especially nice! Titles include "Love To See You Smile", "What's Going On", "Play Something Pretty", "Sharing The Night Together", "There's No Getting Over Me", and "Honey". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the most beautiful albums we've ever heard from either player involved – a set that's a tremendous showcase for the alto and soprano work of Steve Wilson, and an open presentation of the drum genius of Lewis Nash! The record comes as a bit of a surprise – especially in contrast to some of Wilson's work in larger groups, which can be more structured and sometimes darker – and although we love when Nash can swing a quintet or a quartet, we're also wonderfully impressed at his presentation here in a looser format. The set feels very improvised along themes, but still has a sense of melody and swing – as the pair deliver very unique readings of tunes that include "Equinox", "Con Alma", "Chelsea Bridge", "Senor Blues", "Island Birdie", and "Freedom Jazz Dance". CD

Genius work from the World Sax Quartet – a really unique ensemble who not only set the tone for a generation of jazz musicians to come, but also gave focus to some richly expressive talents from the 70s underground! The quartet is something of a supergroup right from the start – graced with tremendous reed work by David Murray, Julius Hemphill, Oliver Lake, and Hamiet Bluiett – all key American players who really helped transform the sound of jazz in the 70s – coming together here in a whole new way on seminal sides for the Black Saint/Soul Note label! The format – which inspired many others – is really compelling – as the group's sounds come only from saxes, no other instrumentation at all – with the four wind players handling all rhythm and melody, and making some really amazing music in the process. Horn interplay had never been heard so clearly before – especially as here, the stars put aside their egos, and never try to overblow each other – and instead have this brilliant way of working together to craft a new sort of groove. The box set features the albums Steppin With, WSQ, Revue, Live In Zurich, and Live At The Brooklyn Academy Of Music – all with the classic lineup – plus Moving Right Along, which actually features a quintet with Bluiett, Murray, and Lake – joined by James Spaulding and Eric Person. CD

With Hamiet Bluiett, Julius Hemphill, Oliver Lake, and David Murray on a multitude of saxophones, clarinets – even a bit of flute. Titles include "Ming", "David's Tune", "I Heard That", "Quinn Chapel AME Church", "Affairs Of The Heart", and "Little Samba". CD

With Hamiet Bluiett, Julius Hemphill, David Murray, and Oliver Lake – each playing a variety saxophones. Titles include "R&B", "Hearts", "PO In Cairo", "Steppin", and "Ra Ta Ta". CD

Really groundbreaking work from the World Sax Quartet – one of the first, and best, all-horn ensembles! The strength of the album definitely hangs on the backgrounds of the players – Julius Hemphill, Hamiet Bluiett, Oliver Lake, and David Murray – all already key reedmen in left field jazz, with a sense of sound and identity that makes each part of the group as strong as its whole – a great trading of musical minds, spirits, and sounds. Instrumentation includes alto, tenor, baritone, clarinet, soprano sax, and bass clarinet – and titles include "Sundance", "Pillars Latino", "Suite Music", "Sound Light", "Connections", and "Fast Life". CD