... LP, Vinyl record album

One of the greatest albums to come from the New York underground of the early 80s – even if it was a relatively big "hit" on a major label! Laurie Anderson is in perfect form here – drawing on a strong tradition of avant garde performance, but without any of the indulgences that would mire down performance art in years to come. Instead, she's got a clean, clear style that's simply amazing – spoken passages that are poetic and pointed, but which also have a slight undercurrent of wit – a charming quality that never takes itself too seriously, even when the sounds and styles are somewhat dark. Instrumentation includes some great rhythm passages from David Van Tieghem, plus surprising performances from Rufus Harley on bagpipes and George Lewis on trombone. Titles include "From The Air", "Big Science", "O Superman", "Born Never Asked", "Walking & Falling", "Example #22", "Let X = X", and "It Tango". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

Recorded live at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, New York City, February 7-10, 1983. A HUGE amount of material! Includes the tracks "Say Hello", "Walk The Dog", "Violin Solo", "Closed Circuits", "For A Large And Changing Room", "Pictures Of It", "Language Of The Future", "Reverb", "If You Can't Talk About It, Point To It", "City Song", "Finnish Farmers", "Democratic Way", "Private Property", "Neon Duet", "Difficult Listening Hour", "So Happy Birthday", "Dance Of Electricity", "Sax Duet", "Born, Never Asked", "From The Air", "Beginning French", "Talkshow", "Cello Solo", "Blue Lagoon", "Stiff Neck", "Hothead", "Telephone Song", "Sweaters", "We've Got Four Big Clocks", "I Dreamed I Had To Take A Test", "Big Top", "It Was Up In The Mountains", "Big Science", "Red Map", "Strike", "False Documents", and many, many more! LP, Vinyl record album

One of the greatest albums to come from the New York underground of the early 80s – even if it was a relatively big "hit" on a major label! Laurie Anderson is in perfect form here – drawing on a strong tradition of avant garde performance, but without any of the indulgences that would mire down performance art in years to come. Instead, she's got a clean, clear style that's simply amazing – spoken passages that are poetic and pointed, but which also have a slight undercurrent of wit – a charming quality that never takes itself too seriously, even when the sounds and styles are somewhat dark. Instrumentation includes some great rhythm passages from David Van Tieghem, plus surprising performances from Rufus Harley on bagpipes and George Lewis on trombone. Titles include "From The Air", "Big Science", "O Superman", "Born Never Asked", "Walking & Falling", "Example #22", "Let X = X", and "It Tango". LP, Vinyl record album

A special TV-only Monkees album! LP, Vinyl record album

An Italian film with scoring mostly by Reverberi – but featuring some American touches from Robert Mellin, including some lyrics sung by Hoagy Lands! LP, Vinyl record album

One of the few larger group Bill Evans sessions from the later years – an album that features sax and flute from Larry Schneider and trumpet from Tom Harrell – in addition to core trio instrumentation from Bill on piano, Marc Johnson on bass, and Joe LaBarbera on drums. The added horns really make the session sparkle – and although those players aren't on every number in the record, when they do show up they really help change the sound nicely from overly familiar Evans trio modes. Bill plays a bit of electric piano on the set – especially beautifully on the track "Only Child" – and other titles include "Comrade Conrad", "Peri's Scope", "We Will Meet Again", "Bill's Hit Tune", "Laurie", "Five", and "For All We Know". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the greatest moments ever from west coast bassman Henry Franklin – a set of soaring, spiritual power – and a key demonstration of his rich energy as a leader! Franklin heads a wicked lineup here – playing both Fender and acoustic bass amidst other players who include Bill Henderson on electric piano, Charles Owens on tenor and soprano sax, Oscar Brashear on trumpet, Kenny Climax on guitar, and Michael Carvin on drums – all coming together with a mix of spiritual vibes and soulful undercurrents, in ways that almost give the record a Strata East sort of vibe! The whole thing is certainly one of the most memorable sessions on the Black Jazz label – and titles include "Outbreak", "Little Miss Laurie", "Theme For Jojo", and "Plastic Creek Stomp". LP, Vinyl record album

Mary Halvorson seems to expand her sound here a bit more than usual – not in that she's working with a large ensemble, or in any sort of too-ambitious ways – but just that she's mixing her very unique phrasing on the guitar with just the right blend of other instruments – all at a level that feels way more than just the sum of its parts! The sextet features work from Adam O'Farrill on trumpet, Jacob Garchik on trombone, and Patricia Brennan on vibes – the last of whom is especially great, and whose tones really do a lot to color the album and shape the sound. The trumpet's got a great presence too – trading nicely with the trombone – and titles include "Desiderata", "Collapsing Mouth", "The Gate", "Tailhead", and "Ultramarine". Plus, Laurie Anderson plays guest violin on "Incarnadine". LP, Vinyl record album

A really cool album from the Japanese scene of the 80s – one that's much more experimental and creative than some of the city pop material of the time – with a shifting style of music that really keeps things interesting! Ryuichi Sakamoto helped with the first track on the set, which also rounds out the end of side one – and there's definitely elements of the YMO-era electro pop on the record, but mixed with more instrumental material that partly echoes the ambient sounds of the era – but also with more experimental material that's sometimes playful, sometimes a bit dark – almost echoing some of the hipper New York downtown experiments of the Laurie Anderson generation. Koharu Kisaragi handles most of the work herself - through a variety of keyboards, samples, and electronics next to her vocals – but there's also some live percussion, piano, bells, and recorder on the record too. Titles include "Neo Plant" in two versions – plus "Paraffin", "Bon Voyage", and "Traumerei". LP, Vinyl record album

The soulful sound of Bukky Leo takes off in all sorts of directions here – served up in a sweet soup of remixes by some great overseas talents! The work has the same Afro Funk vibe as some of Bukky's classic records – complete with his searing tenor work and strong lead vocals – set up in core instrumentation that includes plenty of percussion, keyboards, and super-tight horns – elements that are reworked and expanded here through the different mixes in the set! Tony Allen plays drums on some tracks – and titles include "Scelleton (Gilles Peterson mix)", "Annarkey (Dennis Bovell mix)", "Genre Jam (Leslie Laurence mix)", "Obedun (Orlandon Voorn mix)", "Summer Sax Breeze (Leslie Laurence mix)", and "Unisex Dilemma (Laurie Laurence mix)". LP, Vinyl record album

A nice lost late number from Art Pepper – a freewheeling set of tracks that really show the influence of John Coltrane on Pepper's work – cut with a quartet that includes George Cables on piano, Tony Dumas on "blitz bass", and Carl Burnett on drums. The tracks are long, and two numbers have a really nice Latiny flair – with Art spinning out some aggressive solos on top of fast-running grooves, in a way you'd be surprised to hear on one of his albums from the time! Titles include "Rita San", "My Laurie", "Ballad of The Sad Young Men", and "Mambo De La Pinta". LP, Vinyl record album

A cool set from a percussionist who was both a figure in the more cutting-edge side of the New York downtown scene of the early 80s – and who had done some work for bigger groups as well! The album's one of the few under Van Tieghem's name – and features the artist on a huge amount of percussion instruments, both electric and acoustic – plus keyboards and a variety of objects. Peter Gordon co-produced, and plays saxes on the set – and the record's a nice one in the same territory of Laurie Anderson and David Byrne experiments on early 80s Warner. LP, Vinyl record album

Culled from the rich history of the Atlantic records label, and lovingly put together with great notes and everything! Tracks include "Lowe Groovin", "Anytime, Anyplace, Anywhere", & "Applejack" by Joe Morris, "That Old Black Magic", "Annie Laurie", & "Midnight Special" by Tiny Grimes, "Cole Slaw", by Frank Cully, "So Long", "I'll Get Along Somehow", "Daddy Daddy", & "5-10-15 Hours" by Ruth Brown, "One Monkey Don't Stop No Show" & "Drinkin Wine Spo-Dee-O-Dee" by Stick Mcghee, "The Chill Is On", "Chains Of Love", & "Sweet Sixteen" by Joe Turner, "Hey Little Girl" & "Mardi Gras In New Orleans" by Professor Longhair, "Fool Fool Fool" & "One Mint Julep" by the Clovers, and "The Midnight Hour" by Ray Charles. LP, Vinyl record album

Features selections by Talking Heads, Peter Gabriel, Time, Gang Of Four, Laurie Anderson, Ramones, Roxy Music, Pretenders, and others! LP, Vinyl record album

Sublime late live work from Bill Evans – a well-recorded performance for French radio, and one that really stands out from some of the scratchier late 70s concerts on the market! Bill's working here with a sound as sensitive and picturesque as the cover image – never pushing things too hard, but letting each tune unfold organically in waves of sound few other players could conjure up! Trio musicians include Marc Johnson on bass and Joe LaBarbera on drums – and titles on this second volume include "Nardis", "Laurie", "34 Skidoo", "Letter To Evan", and "Gary's Theme". LP, Vinyl record album

Not rock n roll, but some great King Records R&B from the 50s – work by Titus Turner, Annie Laurie, Bill Jennings, 5 Royales, Otis Williams & The Charms, James Brown, Hank Ballard, Little Willie John, and others! LP, Vinyl record album

The world of girl groups might seem cliched to some – but if you know where to look, you'll find a host of really amazing material – and that's definitely the case in this well-chosen set, a superb Ace Records package that's overflowing with material that goes way past the obvious! At some level, Ace are approaching the style in the reverse way of more mainstream collections – not starting with hits, then trickling down to obscurities – and instead pulling together unusual bits from a variety of indie labels that might have gotten otherwise overlooked, including a few cuts that were never issued at the time, mixed here with rock and soul gems from singles on labels like Keetch, Challenge, Bang, Mira, and Etiquette. As with their CD-length dips into the music, the quality here is superb – with 14 titles that include "Chu Sen Ling" by The Bermudas, "My Little Baby" by The Witches, "Tossin A Ice Cube" by The Hollywood Chicks, "Chico" by Linda Laurie, "A Dumb Song" by The Delicates, "Baby That's Me" by The Carolines, "Don't Worry About Me Baby" by Mayalta Page, "You May Be Holding My Baby" by The Pussycats, "I Wanna Know Right Now" by Carol Slade, "Sweet Kind Of Loneliness" by The Darlettes, and "My Baby Looks But He Don't Touch" by Carol Connors. LP, Vinyl record album

A really great record from David Byrne – songs and spoken bits that were originally designed to be used in Robert Wilson's Civil Wars – but which work great on their own! Byrne is completely charming in the spoken bits – with a sense of dry wit mixed with humanism, not that different from Laurie Anderson at the time – and instrumentation features a range of reeds and trumpets, gently cascading with the rhythms of the tunes – but in a relatively subtle way. Tracks include the wonderful "Tree" – aka "Today Is An Important Occasion" – plus "In The Upper Room", "Sound Of Business", "Admiral Perry", "I Bid You Goodnight", "In The Future", "Where The Sun Never Goes Down", "Theadora Is Dozing", "Social Studies", "Winter", and "The Jungle Book". LP, Vinyl record album

A record that some might call the last truly great Peter Gabriel album – and a key cap to his excellent initial solo run! The album's got a deeper feel than before – slightly richer colors, more spiritual themes, and arguably more of a sense of majesty – almost an echo of some of the Native American modes explored by Laurie Anderson, who was then a recent collaborator of Gabriel! Instrumentation builds a bit more than before – with less guitars in parts, more percussive bits, and some funkier elements at the bottom that aren't exactly funky – more just a punch in force from the ground up. Gabriel's definitely feeling a sense of power here – and titles include "Lay Your Hands On Me", "Shock The Monkey", "San Jacinto", "I Have The Touch", "The Family & The Fishing Net", and "The Rhythm Of The Heat". LP, Vinyl record album

A smoking-hot batch of 80s soul from Nona Hendryx – and a record that really helped reinvent her sound for a whole new generation! Nona's wisely teamed here with Bill Laswell and Material – with whom she'd worked on previous projects under their name – and Laswell's street-sensitive presence really helps give the record an edge that underscores Nona's credibility in just the right way! A few years later, and most of these touches might sound cloying – yet here, they're handled perfectly – a great way of creating lean grooves with plenty of New York influences – with more than enough energy to catapult Hendryx out to a global mainstream. Material bring in a surprising amount of great help for the set – a range of artists from Kashif to Laurie Anderson to Bernie Worrell, Valerie Simpson, Nile Rodgers, Sly Dunbar, and Tina Weymouth! Titles include "B Boys", "Design For Living", "Transformation", "Keep It Confidential", "Living On The Border", "Run For Cover", "Dummy UP", and "Steady Action". LP, Vinyl record album

A brilliant concert date from Willis Jackson – the second half of material recorded during the Jackson's Action performance! Like his Prestige labelmate Jack McDuff, Willis Jackson could really cook in a live format – opening up his style a lot from studio albums, yet also not getting too sloppy, too overindulgent, or too solo-focused to lose the general groove of the tracks. This set's one of Jackson's finest in the live setting, and features his group with Frank Robinson on trumpet, Carl Wilson on organ, and Pat Azzarra on guitar. Tracks have a good jaunty soul jazz sound – and titles include "Blowin Like Hell", "Blue Gator", "Gator Tail", and "Annie Laurie". LP, Vinyl record album

An excellent 70s side from Art Pepper – recorded with a West Coast rhythm section that includes Hampton Hawes, Charlie Haden, and Shelly Manne! The trio all play here with a remarkable intensity, given the date of the session – and although the production's got that later, crisper Contemporary tone, it still lets Art's horn come through beautifully! Pepper's singular voice and beautiful phrasing are still intact, and the quartet cooks nicely on half a dozen numbers, mostly Pepper originals – "Ophelia", "Here's That Rainy Day", "What Laurie Likes", "Mr Yohe, "Lost Life", and "Samba Mom-Mom". LP, Vinyl record album

The Borneo Horns are Steve Elson on baritone, Stan Harrison on alto, Lenny Picket on tenor, and Leroy Clouden on drums. Album also features Laurie Frink, Nelson Bogart, Dave Bargeron, Howard Johnson, Ned Sublette, Roger Squitero. LP, Vinyl record album

A deep look at the electronic music underground in the 60s, 70s, and 80s – not the academic theoreticians who were slaving away in university laboratories, but the more independent, freewheeling talents who were using the initial analogue moment to open up their own boundaries in time and space! The work ranges from unusual 60s instrumentals, through 70s hippie electronics, to some 80s recordings that might have been termed new age by the uninitiated – but which instead, all these years later, stand as some lost moments of cosmic expression! There's few folks we trust to lead us down a musical path as much as the guys at Soul Jazz – and this time, they've definitely taken us in the right direction – with cuts that include "Midnight" by Tim Blake, "Gang (For Rock Industry)" by JB Banfi, "To The Other Side Of The Sky" by Michael Garrison, "By Water" by Stratis, "Improvisation On A Concerto Generator" by Laurie Spiegel, "Starborn Suite (part 1)" by Steven Halpern, "Ceres Motion" by Mother Mallard's Portable Masterpiece Company, "As Above So Below" by Carl Matthews, "In The Beginning" by Michael Stearns, "Ever New" by Beverly Glenn-Copeland, "Variations VII Sur Le Theme Des Bene Gesserit" by Richard Pinhas, and "Ancient Stars" by Kevin Braheny. LP, Vinyl record album

One of the greatest moments ever from west coast bassman Henry Franklin – a set of soaring, spiritual power – and a key demonstration of his rich energy as a leader! Franklin heads a wicked lineup here – playing both Fender and acoustic bass amidst other players who include Bill Henderson on electric piano, Charles Owens on tenor and soprano sax, Oscar Brashear on trumpet, Kenny Climax on guitar, and Michael Carvin on drums – all coming together with a mix of spiritual vibes and soulful undercurrents, in ways that almost give the record a Strata East sort of vibe! The whole thing is certainly one of the most memorable sessions on the Black Jazz label – and titles include "Outbreak", "Little Miss Laurie", "Theme For Jojo", and "Plastic Creek Stomp". LP, Vinyl record album