Jad Fair and co.'s classic 1984 release. (Note: This item is not for sale online until 7:00am on Sunday, April 21. It is in limited supply – and by nature of the Record Store Day rules it will be offered for sale first to customers who visit the Dusty Groove retail outlet in Chicago the morning of Saturday, April 20. It will not be pre-sold or reserved in any way. However, after 7:00am on April 21 we will offer up whatever we have left for sale online.) LP, Vinyl record album

Very cool work from vibist Cal Tjader – sounds that are different than some of the larger arrangements and concepts of his Verve Records albums of the mid 60s, and material that appears here for the first time ever! The set features a range of appearances that Tjader made on radio in Seattle – really well-recorded dates, done at the city's famous Penthouse nightclub – and featuring Cal's vibes in a stripped-down setting that's almost more of a throwback to his pre-Verve material for Fantasy records. There's excellent players throughout, especially on piano – as the keys are handled by Clare Fischer, Al Zulaica, and Lonnie Hewitt – all of whom did great work with Cal – working here in combos that feature plenty of percussion from Armando Peraza, and drums and timbales from Johnny Rae and Carl Burnett. The tunes are a nice mix of modes – some Latin, some bossa, lots straighter jazz – and titles include "Insight", "Davito", "Pantano", "Leyte", "Half & Half", "Bag's Groove", "Mambo Inn", "Morning", "Soul Burst", "Cuban Fantasy", "Love For Sale", "Reza", "On Green Dolphin Street", "O Morro Nao Tem Vez", "Fuji", and "Along Comes Mary". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the most obscure albums of the 70s from jazz vibes legend Cal Tjader – a set that was originally done as a direct-to-disc session for an audiophile label, but one that has Tjader recording with some of his grooviest modes of the time! The group here is wonderful – and the album sparkles with all these wonderful electric piano lines from the great Clare Fisher, a player who always seems to bring out the best in Cal – working alongside Gary Foster on flute and alto, Willie Bobo on timbales, Frank Rosolino on trombone, and Pancho Sanchez on congas! The whole thing's wonderful – and titles include "Ritmo Caliente", "Desposado", "Funquiado", "Tres Palabras", and "Huracan". Very likely Cal Tjader's best Latin LP of the 70s! LP, Vinyl record album

The sonic intensity of saxophonist Mats Gustafsson gets a perfect foil here in the electronics of Joachim Norwall – a musician who really helps Gustafsson to reach some of the most powerful sounds we've heard from his horns in years! Mats can have a way of blowing his instruments as if they're almost modular electronics – not in a cold sort of approach, but one that works the reeds and pads with a pulsating sort of energy – waves of sonic activity shifting in pace, as he creates this incredible magic on baritone sax, slide saxophone, bass saxophone, alto fluteophone, and flute – while Norwall delivers work on analogue electronics in a range of different styles. Sometimes the electronics are more in the background of the saxophone improvisations, sometimes more actively upfront – and titles on the set include "There Are Some Worlds Where All Dreams Die", "Their New Life Was Their Final Life", "Birdbrain", "His Fingers Moving In The Air Produced A Soft Organ Like Music", "Here Eyes Were Like Cold Fires", and "The Day Of Days Was There". LP, Vinyl record album

The fantastic debut of Jade Warrior – a group who were one of the most unique prog acts to record for the Vertigo label in the 70s! Jade Warrior is just a trio – and unlike some of the harder-rocking power trios of the time, the group have a way of balancing softness and intensity, acoustic modes and electric ones – all with a unique style that also offers up some of the exoticism promised by their name! Yet don't worry about that last aspect – as things here are never too heavy-handed, as the group are Brit to their core – maybe balancing some of the lighter Mel Collins moments of King Crimson and the more personal Ian Anderson songs of Jethro Tull – in a line up that features percussion and flute from Jon Field, guitar from Tony Duhig, and bass and these great raspy vocals from Glyn Havard. Titles include "Masami Morning", "Windweaver", "Petunia", "Telephone Girl", "Psychiatric Sergeant", "Slow Ride", and "A Prenormal Day At Brighton". LP, Vinyl record album

Badu is back with some of the deepest, funkiest and best music of her career – a mindblowing treatise for a New Amerykah – and what we'll consider an instant classic whether the world at large catches on or not! Erykah steps up this time with a set that balances the wilder impulses of her criminally underappreciated Worldwide Underground and more of a hip hop based, righteously grooving style – but still bursts with a freshness that's unrivaled to say the least. From free spirited soul, to sparse hip hop funk this record is both blunt and beautiful – with a slow-building emotional resonance that'll reach the most jaded souls. Modern soul music of the first order that gives us goosebumps from the first spin to the last beat! The album kicks off with Erykah riffing on and remixing Ramp's "American Promise" as an intro – and it just gets deeper from there. Producers/collaborators include Madlib, Sa-Ra, Karriem Riggins, James Poyser and ?uestlove. Amazing!!! Titles include "The Healer", "Me", "My People", "Soldier", "The Cell", "Twinkle", "Master Teacher", "The Hump" and "Telephone". LP, Vinyl record album

A really fantastic record from Blue Note guitar genius Grant Green – and a set that's got a sound that goes way past his goofy look on the cover! The title's a bit right – in that there's something of a Latin vibe going on, with more percussion than usual in a small group – but the sound is also not straight New York Latin, with looser currents that are borrowed a bit from bossa nova, but also given a fluid soul jazz spin! There's maybe a slight touch of some of Cal Tjader's records from the period, but with more of the edge that we love on his guitar – served up in a combo that features the mighty Willie Bobo on drums, Johnny Acea on piano, Wendell Marshall on bass, Patato Valdez on congas, and Garvin Masseux on chekere. Together, the group makes for a very hip set of tracks that includes "Tico Tico", "Mama Inez", "Besame Mucho", and "Mambo Inn". LP, Vinyl record album

Classic early work by modern tenor genius Joe Henderson – very well titled with the use of "mode", given the new sound and new direction Henderson was taking his tenor in the 60s! The album's got Joe working at the head of an all-great lineup that includes Lee Morgan on trumpet, Curtis Fuller on trombone, Cedar Walton on piano, and Bobby Hutcherson on vibes – the last of whom really brings in some tremendous moments to the record, using his instrument to create a slightly off-kilter feel that pushes the set from straight hardbop into the modern realm with traces of "new thing" tones and colors. Joe's solos are incredible – searing, searching, yet still pulsing with an undeniably soulful rhythm – and titles include the essential track "Black", plus "Caribbean Fire Dance", "Free Wheelin", and "Shade Of Jade". LP, Vinyl record album

One of our favorite compilations of all time – a smoking batch of soulful jazz from the 60s, with a slight bit of funk and blues thrown in as well! The set's exactly what's promised in the title – jazz cuts, but with an ultra-cool mod vibe – the kind of soulful sounds that played big with the younger London crowd digging American music in the mid 60s – and also the kind of music you'd be likely to find blasting out of a backroom jukebox on the west side of Chicago! There's loads of rare single mixes of LP tracks on the set, and a number of smoking 45s from artists you might know better from more mainstream work – really hitting hard here, alongside a few special numbers from the indie underground too. Tracks are cool enough for old school hipsters – but appealing enough to bring in a new listener too – and as proof of that, we've given this one away for many years as a Christmas present. The collection features 25 tracks in all – non-stop pleasure throughout – with titles that include "Soul Shoutin" by Shirley Scott, "Tengo Tango" by Cannonball Adderley Sextet, "Whip It On Me" by Billy Hawks, "Yeh Yeh" by Mongo Santamaria, "Black Talk" by Charles Earland, "I'm Ready" by Otis Spann, "Mama Rufus" by Merced Blue Notes, "Theme From NYPD" by Johnny Hammond, "Step Out & Get It" by The Nomos, "Why Don't You Do Right" by Mark Murphy, "Collard Greens" by Freddie McCoy, "Theme From The Carpetbaggers" by Jack McDuff, "Filthy McNasty" by Eddie Jefferson, "Evil Ways" by Cal Tjader, "Kenny's Theme" by Kenny Burrell, and "Games" by Ivan Boogaloo Joe Jones. LP, Vinyl record album

Iranian garage rock – kind of hard to believe at first, but a surprising musical discovery overall! The package documents a very overlooked scene – rock bands from late 60s Iran who were clearly inspired by the American underground of the time – working in a heady brew of guitar, organ, bass, and drums – usually with vocals in the local dialect, but a rockish groove that owes plenty to the US. There's less Eastern elements in the music than you'd find in Arabesk rock from Turkey – although some tunes here do have an exotic flavor at points, and really stand out from the rest. Yet even on the straighter numbers, the difference in language really gives these tunes an odd sort of feel – almost unsettling as you try to reach for familiar elements, then find them different in the end. Titles include "Mehtaab" by The Littles, "Shekar Dar Kohestan" by The Golden Ring, "Hadjime Khali" by Kourosh, "Raks Raks Raks" by Moha Jamin, "Meekshi Manoo" by The Flowers, "Dance Music" by Penahi, and "4 x 8 Jadeed" by The Littles. Comes with full note in English, too! LP, Vinyl record album

A hell of a record of Latin Jazz – recorded in the UK, but with a vibe that puts the whole thing right up there with some of the most inventive American albums of a few years before – such as Latin jazz classics by Sabu Martinez, Cal Tjader, or Eddie Palmieri! Robin Jones is the leader, and plays drums and timbales here – and the group are a tight sextet who work with no vocals at all – just flutes and saxes from Olaf Vas, a great talent who really shades in the sound – plus piano and Rhodes from Ian Henry, bass from Percy Borthwick, and percussion from Simon Morton and Tony Uter. Given the lack of other instrumentation, there's a fantastic focus on the percussion, reeds, and piano – and the whole thing's a cracker through and through, with titles that include "Africa Revisited", "Urubu", "Con Fuego", "Denga", and "Sucio Mambo". LP, Vinyl record album

Genius, pure genius! Like all of Wayne Shorter's Blue Note sessions from the mid 60s, this album's a beautiful blend of hard bop ideas with a modern spiritual soulful consciousness – as important in its own way as Coltrane's work of the time – an incredible precursor for sounds from generations to come! Shorter's tenor solos are the main focus here, and he plays with creativity and imagination that you don't often hear on his later works – a sharp, soulful approach – but one that's already light years ahead of some of his Blue Note contemporaries – reaching for new ideas, but without any sense of effort – none of the overly-tense notes you'd get later, and instead just a marvelously fluid feel that really makes sense from the very first note – tremendous listening for both the lifetime jazz fan or the newcomer. McCoy Tyner plays piano, and Reggie Workman and Elvin Jones complete the group – and titles include "House Of Jade", "Deluge", "Mahjong", and "Yes Or No". LP, Vinyl record album

One of Bill Evans' landmark sessions with the young bassist Scott LaFaro – a player who made key contributions on every record he touched, then left this earth far too soon in his career! The live session's a perfect demonstration of the way that the Evans trio format not only re-worked the use of the piano in jazz, but also the bass and drums as well – as LaFaro's deeply evocative playing is paired with the equally fresh drum work of Paul Motian – heard here at his youthful early best, before some of his contributions to jazz had become cliche in the hands of other players. The session was caught live at the Village Vanguard on the night of June 25, 1961 – and titles include longish takes on "Solar", "Jade Visions", "Gloria's Step", and "Alice In Wonderland". LP, Vinyl record album

Beautiful grooves from the Japanese scene – most of them from a time when its singers and musicians were leaning heavily on influences from American funk and soul, and turning out some wonderful music of their own! Lyrics on most tracks are in Japanese, but there's a really universal vibe to the grooves – great basslines, warm keyboards, and lots of jazzy touches in the instrumentation – a soulful, often funky approach that gives the collection an appeal that goes way beyond the boundaries of language! These aren't the mellow, electronic, or offbeat Japanese tracks of the 80s – and instead, the work here is overflowing with soul - on titles that include "Simple Another Love" by Jadoes, "Kimagure" by Kumi Nakamura, "Natsu No Hikari Ni" by Sumiko Yamagata, "Party Is Over" by Hatsumi Shibata, "Moonlight Flight" by Makoto Iwabuchi, "Paradise's Dream" by Arakawa Band, "I Wander All Alone (part 3)" by New Genration Company, "Sofa Bed Blues" by Haruo Chikada & Vibratones, "Tuxedo Connection" by Hitomi Penny Tohyama, and "Chigasaki Memory" by Mitsuko Horie. LP, Vinyl record album

Vibist Sasha Berliner has a really great touch here – a style that's almost elliptical at times, as she builds and builds these waves of sound on the vibes – creating a magical flow that really makes the whole album a strong statement for her ever-growing talents! The lineup also helps with the sound of the record a lot too – a great combo that includes alto from Jaleel Shaw and Fender Rhodes and piano from James Francies – players who step back at the right moments, then soar right in and spice things up. The rhythms have a nice crackle that matches Sasha's energy, too – drums from Marcus Gilmore and bass from Burniss Travis. Thana Alexa sings on "Crescent Park" – and all other tunes are instrumental, and include "Jade", "NW", "Boom's Epilogue", "Polaris", and "Ephemerality". LP, Vinyl record album

Maybe one of the funkiest records ever cut in Morocco – the debut set from Fadoul – a singer who starts out the record with a cover of James Brown funk, then moves into a whole host of heady sounds as the set goes on! In truth, these guys are probably more of a garage band than a soul combo – but the drums are often plenty heavy, and Fadoul's vocals have this raw, unbridled power that's quite different than anything we've heard from any other singer in Arabic – a quality that's clearly inspired by the sounds of the west, but delivered here in a very original style of its own! The group's tight drums and bass make all the tunes pretty darn great – and even if you can't understand the lyrics, Fadoul is expressive enough that you can definitely get his message – as he sings it loud and proud on the cuts "Sid Redad", "Kalam Al Nass", "Taarida", "La Tiq Tiq Latiq", "Tayeh", "Laylat Al Jadba", and "Maktoub Lah". LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic set from the Sudanese scene of the 70s – served up by a group who've definitely got all the jazz promised in the title, but who also have a special vibe that's all their own! The rhythms are nicely jagged – sometimes rolling and romping, almost with a South African jazz approach – other times a bit more stark, and almost always topped by superb reed lines that almost echo some of the Ethiopian jazz styles of the period – but again, with a very special sound of their own! A number of tunes have vocals – nicely snakey, and not entirely tied to the rhythms – and there's also lots of cool organ in the group, too – over riffing guitar that moves along strongly with the drums. The sound's a bit hard to sum up in words, but is every bit as cool as you could hope from the cover and title – and tracks include "Nile Waves", "Azzah Music", "Hilwa Ya Amoora", "Bride Of Africa", "Seira Music", "Saat Alfarah", and "Farrah Galbi Aljadeed". LP, Vinyl record album

A wonderful set from this cool Australian combo – and one that offers up the group in two nicely different modes! Side one has The Three Out sounding wonderful as a trio – with sublime soul-styled piano from a very young Mike Nock, and exceptional work on bass from Freddy Logan – whose sound gives the record this deep bottom right from the start, and puts the group on a par with a rare few American trios – like the Three Sounds on Blue Note! Side two gets even more interesting, as the group are joined by four additional Australian jazz men – all horn players who really expand the groove, and get in some wonderful solos too – a lineup that includes the great Don Burrows on alto and baritone, Erroll Buddle on tenor, and both Ron Falson and Colin Jones on trumpets. Burrows and Buddle sound deeper and more soulful than usual, and really hit the groove laid down by the trio – and titles include "New Jade", "Sittin In Blues", "Nock Out", "Loganberries", "Dizzy Pipe", and "I Love You". LP, Vinyl record album

The legendary Def Jam label serves up a big message in its music – bringing together hip hop cuts from the past and present, all as a way of dealing with the issues that broke big in 2020! At some level, the set's almost a "best of" for the label – although not all these cuts were hits, and work together more as a release by Def Jam that's maybe a bit more overtly political than some of their recent releases. Titles include "Daughters" by Nas, "Glory" by Common & John Legend, "Behind Bars" by Slick Rick, "Fight The Power" by Public Enemy, "Why" by Jadakiss with Anthony Hamilton, "Condemnation" by Yung Cassius, "FDT" by YG with Nipsey Hussle, "America" by Logic with Black Thought & Chuck D, "The Hate You Give" by Bobby Sessions with Keite Young, "My President" by Jezzy with Nas, "Slippin" by DMX, and "Talk About It" by Fabolous, Jadakiss, & Teyana Taylor. LP, Vinyl record album

A really fantastic entry in this really great series – one that shows just how strongly the spirit of invention continued in the world of Japanese music as it moved into the 80s! As with previous volumes, the work here is a unique hybrid of influences from American and Japanese sources – partly based in jazz, but also with a fair bit of funk and soul too – modes that are used more directly here than on some of the more polished city pop work of the time – which means that if you like the sweet sound of American electric jazz funk of the late 70s, you'll find plenty to love here too! All cuts are from very rare albums issued by Columbia and Victor back in the day – and titles include "Kare Niwa Kanawanai" by Mizuki Kyama, "Sweet Soul Music" by Hitomi Tohyama, "Ame" by Yumi Sato, "Ojosan Ote Yawaraka Ni" by Kiyohiko Ozaki, "Kimono" by Tetsuo Sakurai, "Friday Night (ext dance mix)" by Jadoes, "Rainy Driver" by Hitomi Tohyama, and "Hello Suisei" by Sentimental City Romance. LP, Vinyl record album