Jeru's first LP, a double vinyl set of great tracks that more than lived up to the "Come Clean" single. Now classic, with god level production by DJ Premier, with "D Original", "Brooklyn Took It", "Mental Stamina", "Da Bichez", "You Can't Stop The Prophet", "Ain't The Devil Happy", "My Mind Spray", "Jungle Music", and "Statik". LP, Vinyl record album

A beautiful little record – and one of the only two records made by the obscure (but wonderful) JFK Quintet! The quintet have a sound that's unlike any other combo we can think of – sharp-edged and modern at one moment, but also warmly soulful the next – all at a level that's years ahead of most other players, and which kind of points the way towards new levels of jazz expression in the early 70s. The group features a very young Andrew White on alto, and his playing is unbelievable – a fantastic mix of modernist ideas and soulful colorings that really comes out better here than on any of his later albums as a leader. Ray Codrington's on trumpet, playing with a skittish sound that further underscores the edgey sound of the record – and the great Walter Booker's on bass, working with drummer Carl Newman in a groove that's always compelling. The group plays some startling original compositions – like "Eugly's Tune", "Aw-ite", "Nairod", and "Cici's Delight" – and the album's a delight through and through! CD

Antonio Carlos Jobim's classic Verve session from 1963 – a tremendous record, done with a wonderful airy sound that became the trademark for bossa production in America – and which also had a great inspiration on the sound of mid 60s bossa in Brazil! Claus Ogerman arranged and conducts the orchestra, and Jobim plays guitar and piano – with a core group that also features Jimmy Cleveland on trombone and Leo Wright on flute, both American jazz players who help add some further complexities to the sound. Also includes a lot of bonus tracks – a total of 28 titles in all! CD

Antonio Carlos Jobim's classic Verve session from 1963 – a tremendous record, done with a wonderful airy sound that became the trademark for bossa production in America – and which also had a great inspiration on the sound of mid 60s bossa in Brazil! Claus Ogerman arranged and conducts the orchestra, and Jobim plays guitar and piano – with a core group that also features Jimmy Cleveland on trombone and Leo Wright on flute, both American jazz players who help add some further complexities to the sound. Tracks include "Jazz Samba", "Favela", "O Morro", "Aqua De Beber", "Girl From Ipanema", and "Chega De Saudade". CD

An essential bit of 70s soul jazz – a real standout in both the catalogs of tenorist Clifford Jordan, and the Stata East label! This is one of those few records where every element is perfect, and all players rise together to a new level of expression – and we'd easily rank this one right up there with John Coltrane's Love Supreme or Pharoah Sanders' Kharma for sheer magnitude of sound and message! Clifford Jordan is at the height of his tenor powers – cutting sharp lines, stretching out his notes, and hitting all these dark edges that had never appeared in his work – and the rest of the group is great too – with Stanley Cowell on piano, Bill Lee on bass, and Billy Higgins on drums. Higgins is amazing, and gives the set a sort of lyrical freeplay that makes Jordan's hard solos come alive in a magical way – and Cedar Walton also plays piano on a few numbers, pushing things forward with the sense of warmth and imagination that always made him a treat in the 70s! Every cut's a winner, and the set list includes "John Coltrane", "Alias Buster Henry", "Glass Bead Games", "Biskit", and "Bridgework". Great stuff, and a huge amount of music! CD

An essential bit of 70s soul jazz – a real standout in both the catalogs of tenorist Clifford Jordan, and the Stata East label! This is one of those few records where every element is perfect, and all players rise together to a new level of expression – and we'd easily rank this one right up there with John Coltrane's Love Supreme or Pharoah Sanders' Kharma for sheer magnitude of sound and message! Clifford Jordan is at the height of his tenor powers – cutting sharp lines, stretching out his notes, and hitting all these dark edges that had never appeared in his work – and the rest of the group is great too – with Stanley Cowell on piano, Bill Lee on bass, and Billy Higgins on drums. Higgins is amazing, and gives the set a sort of lyrical freeplay that makes Jordan's hard solos come alive in a magical way – and Cedar Walton also plays piano on a few numbers, pushing things forward with the sense of warmth and imagination that always made him a treat in the 70s! Every cut's a winner, and the set list includes "John Coltrane", "Alias Buster Henry", "Glass Bead Games", "Biskit", and "Bridgework". Great stuff, and a huge amount of music! CD

An instant Christmas classic from Samara Joy – a Holiday set that easily matches the strength of her non-seasonal albums from a vocal perspective, but which also brings a fresh sort of energy to the genre as well! The style is mostly jazz, by there's some occasional flourishes that hint at more traditional Christmas modes – balanced nicely throughout, with just the right sort of instrumental shift to make each track really stand out! The record's a short one – only six songs in all – but the quality level is more than enough to keep this one coming out year after year, every December – thanks to tunes that include "Twinkle Twinkle Little Me", "Warm In December", "O Holy Night", "The Christmas Song", "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas", and a bonus live duet on "Christmas Song" with Antonio McLendon. CD

A really fantastic debut from Chicago soul singer Kaina Castillo – an artist who may well become huge in years to come, given the strength of this initial album! There's a really special vibe going on here – as Kaina's not afraid to put herself or her feelings on the line, but also not in a way that's ever too overwrought – almost as if she's sharing them with us on a personal level, but wrapped up in these seductive soul vocals that have a much more subtle sort of power. All the material is original, but there's one track on here that's an older Syreeta classic – and that relationship may well be a good way to describe the uniqueness of Kaina too. The whole album was written and done in collaboration with Sen Morimoto, who provides some equally understated backings that really fit the vocals – on titles that include "It Was A Home", "Good Feeling", "Sweetness", "Come Back As A Flower", "Golden Mirror", "Casita", "Anybody Can Be In Love", and "Ultraviolet". LP, Vinyl record album

Time will tell whether the sophomore LP Late Registration will prove to be as revolutionary of a commercial force as College Dropout turned out to be – but it's a better album! We loved the debut as much as the rest of the world did, but this one's an easier listen from beginning to end. The production is tight, the guests earn their spots, and the whole thing's furiously soulful. Much is being made of LA hipster/orch pop troubadour Jon Brion's co-production, but this is Kanye's show. On one level Kanye can rock a subject as cliched as "Gold Digger", and still come out with a fresh perspective that runs deeper than it sounds on the surface, then deliver a serious track about the evils of the diamond trade that still rocks the ice. And those are just the first singles. Another great one! Tracks include "Wake Up Mr West", "Heard 'Em Say", "Touch The Sky" feat Lupe Fiasco, "Gold Digger" feat Jamie Foxx, "Drive Slow" feat Paul Wall & GLC, "My Way Home" feat Common, "Crack Music" feat Game, "Roses", "Bring Me Down" feat Brandy, "Diamonds From Sierra Leone" (rmx) feat Jay-Z, "We Major" feat Nas & Really Doe, "Gone" feat Consequence & Cam'Ron and more! LP, Vinyl record album

A really great follow-up to the first collaboration between Khruangbin and Leon Bridges – one with a title that's similar to the first, but a sound that's nicely different too! It's almost as if the group take the "moon" in the title seriously – and go for a more laidback, dark-tinged version of the territory covered on Texas Sun – grooves that are a bit more mellow, and somewhat more introspective – at a level that really works well for the vocals of Leon Bridges, which themselves are sometimes spaced out in these really cool ways with the production! This isn't the hard-jamming side of Khruangbin, but instead that maturing quality of the trio that has them doing more with less – bringing a slow funk majesty to Bridges' vocals, on titles that include "Doris", "B-Side", "Chocolate Hills", "Father Father", and "Mariella". CD

A landmark album from Roland Kirk – one of his key 60s sides for Atlantic records, and an amazing blend of soul jazz, hardbop, and freer thinking styles! Roland's playing an insane assortment of horns on the set – often at the same time, if you know his 3-way style of blowing – and instruments used for the recording include Manzello, stritch, flute, whistle, English horn, and flexatone – in addition to standard tenor and clarinet. Other players in the group include Ron Burton on piano, Steve Novosel on bass, and Jimmy Hopps on drums – and the album's got some incredible original compositions that include "Many Blessings", "Handful Of Fives", "Lovellevellioqui", "Laugh for Rory", "Black and Crazy Blues", and "The Inflated Tear". CD

One of our favorite Atlantic albums by the great Yusef Lateef – an incredible session that has him dipping back into his earlier exotic roots with those great reed styles of the early 60s – yet also hitting a mix of soul and funk like some of his other albums from the time! The sound is tremendous – wonderfully righteous, at a level that really set the tone for more ambitious soul jazz projects of the 70s by other artists – including the best of the soul jazz underground who were often as inspired by Lateef as they were by Coltrane! The group's great, too – and features Blue Mitchell on trumpet, Sonny Red on alto, Hugh Lawson on piano, Cecil McBee on bass, and Roy Brooks on drums – next to Yusef's own work on tenor, flute, bamboo flute, tamboura, and percussion. Titles include "Sun Dog", "Moon Cup", "Othelia", "Like It Is", and the groovy "Juba Juba". CD

Really funky sounds from Maurice Lecoeur – an overlooked French soundtrack genius of the 70s – and one who worked in territory that was way past familiar standards for film! If you know the music of Francois DeRoubaix, you'll find plenty here to love – because like DeRoubaix, Lecoeur effortlessly mixes acoustic and electric, groovy and laidback, funky and jazzy – all with styles that move from full instrumentation to much sparer moments – at a level that matches if not beats some of the coolest sound library material of the time! Each track seems to have a very different vibe, which really keeps things interesting – and plenty funky too – and the package features 22 rare nuggets that include "Le Ballet Inacheve", "Sans Premeditation", "Baoou", "Safari Au Kivu Theme 1", "Faux Suspense", "Le Soleil Qui Rit Rouge", "Les Petites Filles Modeles", "Donne Moi La Terre", "Tartares", and "Chili". LP, Vinyl record album

A really unique later album from Peggy Lee – one that's so different than the brash confidence of her early material, and which shows her really perfecting that boozy, mature sound that she brought to a handful of gems like this! The album's got a truly adult approach to pop that was less concerned with chart placement than it was with getting over a more sophisticated level of expression – and Peggy turns out to be wonderfully well suited for this mode – a deeply emotive singer by this point, capable of bringing a deeper sense of life into younger tunes of the era, fleshing them out with the newer freedoms of the time, yet without going overboard. There's almost a Robert Altman sense of poise and adult grace to these tunes – arranged by Artie Butler with a careful simplicity, and sung by Peggy with some of the truest emotion of her days on record. Titles include "Love Song", "Razor", "When I Found You", "A Song For You", "It Takes Too Long To Learn To Live Alone", "Someone Who Cares", and "Just For A Thrill". LP, Vinyl record album

Exactly the kind of record that showcases the great Urs Liemgruber at his best – open-ended improvisations that feature the leader on soprano sax, getting all sorts of amazing sounds and textures out of his horn – at that level that's always made Urs such a key musician in the world of very experimental improvisers like Evan Parker or Mats Gustafsson! The set here features work from two different concerts, with tracks of varying length – given superb accompaniment from Barre Phillips on bass and Jacques Demierre on piano – the latter of whom really lays back at many moments, never overwhelming some of Urs' more lower-end expressions – while Phillips plays with the sorts of sensitivity that's always made us really love his music. CD

Some of the most soulful sounds we've ever heard from tenorist James Brandon Lewis a reworking of themes from the music of Mahalia Jackson into jazz – all at a level that keeps all the spirit of the originals, while unlocking the songs as vehicles for freer improvisation! Given the mix of freedom and spirit here, there's almost a vibe that takes us back to the brilliance of Albert Ayler at the start – served up through the intertwining magic of Lewis' tenor, the cornet of Kirk Knuffke, cello of Chris Hoffman, bass of William Parker, and drums of Chad Taylor – all tremendous players, but resonating even more strongly in the presence of this project! James has been getting plenty of attention in recent years, but this could be the album that catapults him into the canon of contemporary jazz – thanks to amazing takes of "Elijah Rock", "Were You There", "Go Down Moses", "Precious Lord", "Deep River", "Wade In The Water", "Swing Low", and "Sparrow". LP, Vinyl record album

Some of the most soulful sounds we've ever heard from tenorist James Brandon Lewis a reworking of themes from the music of Mahalia Jackson into jazz – all at a level that keeps all the spirit of the originals, while unlocking the songs as vehicles for freer improvisation! Given the mix of freedom and spirit here, there's almost a vibe that takes us back to the brilliance of Albert Ayler at the start – served up through the intertwining magic of Lewis' tenor, the cornet of Kirk Knuffke, cello of Chris Hoffman, bass of William Parker, and drums of Chad Taylor – all tremendous players, but resonating even more strongly in the presence of this project! James has been getting plenty of attention in recent years, but this could be the album that catapults him into the canon of contemporary jazz – thanks to amazing takes of "Elijah Rock", "Were You There", "Go Down Moses", "Precious Lord", "Deep River", "Wade In The Water", "Swing Low", and "Sparrow". 2CD edition features the full bonus album These Are Soulful Days – recorded by James Brandon Lewis with the Lutoslowski Quartet. CD

Some of the most soulful sounds we've ever heard from tenorist James Brandon Lewis a reworking of themes from the music of Mahalia Jackson into jazz – all at a level that keeps all the spirit of the originals, while unlocking the songs as vehicles for freer improvisation! Given the mix of freedom and spirit here, there's almost a vibe that takes us back to the brilliance of Albert Ayler at the start – served up through the intertwining magic of Lewis' tenor, the cornet of Kirk Knuffke, cello of Chris Hoffman, bass of William Parker, and drums of Chad Taylor – all tremendous players, but resonating even more strongly in the presence of this project! James has been getting plenty of attention in recent years, but this could be the album that catapults him into the canon of contemporary jazz – thanks to amazing takes of "Elijah Rock", "Were You There", "Go Down Moses", "Precious Lord", "Deep River", "Wade In The Water", "Swing Low", and "Sparrow". 2CD edition features the full bonus album These Are Soulful Days – recorded by James Brandon Lewis with the Lutoslowski Quartet. CD

A great guide for digging into the world of Japanese music from the mid 80s onward – and a book that's different than some of the more vinyl-centric disc guide, in that it focuses strongly on city pop titles that were only issued on CD! The Japanese city pop movement really got going at the start of the 80s, when vinyl and cassette were still king and queen – but it kept on going even after formats shifted – at a level that makes this book such a key document of the scene and style, which is often just tied to the vinyl market. As with other Japanese disc guides, the bulk of the text is in Japanese – which can now easily be read using Google Translate on your phone – but the book has entries for hundreds of titles, each with a full color image of the cover – which will offer up plenty of information for your digging. The book has a few other features alongside the disc listings – and is a total of 242 pages, softcover, with hundreds of full color images throughout. Book

A great return to the limelight for reedman Charles Lloyd – heard here in one of his most open, expressive settings in years – with all the best exotic touches of his famous early years still very much intact! Lloyd plays tenor and flute, plus a bit of Chinese oboe as well – an instrument that really underscores some of the more inventive qualities in his music, and which works well with some of the modal energies in the set. The great Michel Perucciani makes a key appearance here on piano – and shades the tunes with a sensitive sound that also helps Lloyd find the new directions he'd take strongly in years to come – and the remaining group features Palle Danielsson on bass and Son Ship Theus on drums. Bobby McFerrin sings in a few spots, but at a level that's hipper than his hits – and titles include "Lotus Land", "Lady Day", "Of Course Of Course", "Night Blooming Jasmine", and "El Encanto". CD

A stunning set from bassist Brandon Lopez – a younger player, but one who's already becoming a real standout for solo performances like this – working at a level that's completely breathtaking, and which seems to unlock all these new elements and sound in this once-familiar instrument! Stretching out at a solo level isn't an easy task on the bass – but Lopez has a way of matching a very short list of important improvisers from years past, really finding his own voice in the way he resonates all the qualities of the instrument at once, often with a cyclical sort of energy that just has the performance growing and flowing in all these magnificent ways. Titles include "Billie", "Piri", "Realbadvibes", "Como El Filo Del Machete", "PonceNewYork", and "The Real Bad Vibe". CD

A stunning set from bassist Brandon Lopez – a younger player, but one who's already becoming a real standout for solo performances like this – working at a level that's completely breathtaking, and which seems to unlock all these new elements and sound in this once-familiar instrument! Stretching out at a solo level isn't an easy task on the bass – but Lopez has a way of matching a very short list of important improvisers from years past, really finding his own voice in the way he resonates all the qualities of the instrument at once, often with a cyclical sort of energy that just has the performance growing and flowing in all these magnificent ways. Titles include "Billie", "Piri", "Realbadvibes", "Como El Filo Del Machete", "PonceNewYork", and "The Real Bad Vibe". LP, Vinyl record album

A very cool package – one that brings together two rare albums issued alongside the early rise to fame of Mad Magazine – plus rare bonus tracks too! First up is the stunning Musically Mad set, led by Bernie Green – one of the maddest bachelor pad albums to come out on RCA during the late 50s – and it features a nutty set of tunes released in conjunction with Mad Magazine, whose Norman Mingo contributed a fantastic cover painting of Alfred E Neuman! Instrumentation is very percussive-heavy – and there's plenty of odd sound effects, like warbling brass, air-squeezed hands, clanging anvils, crazy voices, and "clinkerated chimes" – all of which makes for a cartoony sound that definitely fits the promise Mad spirit! Titles include "Anvils, Of Course", "Concerto For Two Hands", "Laughing Raymond", "The Green Bee", and "Give Me That Good Old Progressive Jazz". Next is Mad Twists Rock & Roll – maybe the coolest of all the Mad Magazine records from the early days – a set done in collaboration with Big Top Records, as sort of a parody of the rock and roll that label was putting out at the time! Most songs are surprisingly strong rock numbers, but the lyrics are often jokes about the usual themes handled at the time – but given the level of presentation and strength of the overall record, the whole thing maybe just serves to remind us how important novelty records were to the birth of rock and roll! Titles include "She Got A Nose Job", "Let's Do The Pretzel", "Throwing The High School Basketball Game", "Someone Else's Dandruff", "When My Pimples Turned To Dimples", and "Blind Date". CD also features some rare bonus tracks from singles too – "It's A Gas", "She Lets Me Watch Her Mom & Pop Fight", "Potzrebie", "Meet The Staff Of Mad", and "What Me Worry". CD

The mighty Moondog is on the cover this time around – in a fantastic second issue of Maggot Brain that really lives up to the spirit of the debut! The cultural currents here are nice and wide, and all pretty darn hip – and in addition to a nice feature on legendary outsider composer Moondog, there's lots more on Rebecca Morgan, Denis Johnson, Don Letts, Robert Frank, Astra Taylor, Skeeter Davis, Mayo Thompson, Shana Cleveland, Toody Cole, and other creative talents that go way past the obvious! There's even a very cool feature on Detroit Gospel Flyers – and as usual, the whole thing is as filled with compelling images as it is well-written prose! Magazine

A record that no hip hop home should be without – the debut album from Main Source, but a set that's more than strong enough to stand next to the best from contemporaries like De La Soul, Tribe Called Quest, and Black Sheep! Like all three of those groups, these guys have a way of bringing together fresh rhythms and samples, sharp-edged writing, and a keen sense of wit – all part of that next-generation level of intellectual hip hop that made them so groundbreaking at the time – and which still makes this album a fantastic delight all these many years later! The album introduced the world to the genius of Large Professor – and continues to shine for decades, thanks to tunes that include "Snake Eyes", "Looking At The Front Door", "Live At The Barbecue", "Just A Friendly Game Of Baseball", "Peace Is Not The Word To Play", "Watch Roger Do His Thang", "He Got So Much Soul (He Don't Need No Music)", and "Just Hangin Out". CD

Wonderfully sensitive sounds from this really unique group – an instrumental combo, but one who don't really play jazz – and who also avoid some of the more jamming indulgences of some of their prog contemporaries too! Part of the special blend in their sound is the way they can work with higher ideas, but not huge egos – really bringing their concepts down to a more personal level, with instrumentation that includes flutes, saxes, and pianos from Alain Bergeron – plus guitar and piano from Jerome Langlois, piano and percussion from Vincent Langlois, bass from Yves Leonard, and drums and percussion from Gilles Schetagne. The group also add in a few extra elements at times – vibes, trumpet, and even a bit of strings – and the set features the long suites "Les Aventures De Saxinette Et Clarophone" and "Les Porches De Notre Dame" – and the shorter "La Grosse Torche" and "Chromo". LP, Vinyl record album

Brilliant early work from Charlie Mariano – key proof of his genius, and one of the main albums we'd recommend by him! The album has Charlie coming of his years in the Boston scene – boppish at some level, but blowing with a raspy soulfulness that really opens up his horn into new territory – not Charlie Parker, not Lee Konitz, but a whole new space and sound of expression for the alto sax! There's a deftness here that's undeniable – but the album also has a sense of soul and personality that goes way deeper than simply sharp soloing – a quality that easily puts Charlie up there next to Lou Donaldson and Sonny Stitt in the 50s! The CD features work from dates recorded in Hollywood in 1953 and 1955 – all for Bethlehem (under the titles Charlie Mariano Plays and Sapphire, by Stu Williamson) – with 5 tracks that feature a core group with Stu Williamson on trumpet, Claude Williamson on piano, Frank Rosolino on trombone, Max Bennett on bass, and Stan Levey on drums – then 13 more that drop out either Rosolino or Stu for quintet formation. Titles include "Green Walls", "Chloe", "S'Nice", "You Go To My Head", "Slugger", "Just Max", "TK", "Rubberneck", "Jeepers Creepers", and "Strike Up The Band". CD

A well-done book that looks at the huge impact made by the great Muhammad Ali – not just as a sports figure, but as an important cultural icon of pride during the 60s! Ali was often as political as he was polemical in the ring – and his rise to become a key figure in popular culture was also tied to the message he brought to his fans and followers – one of righteous energy that was key to the spirit of the time! Author Mike Marqusee opens the door to a wide variety of topics in the well-researched volume – situating Ali's rise in the public eye amidst some larger political changes, both domestic and global – at a level that makes him an undeniably powerful force in the later years of Civil Rights. Softcover edition is 326, and penned with the sort of deep prose you'd expect from a press like Verso. Book

Great work from one of the best contemporary soundtrack artists going – Cliff Martinez's score for Drive – done at a level that's got a really classic vibe! And by classic, we mean classic 80s electronic – as Cliff has this spare, moody style that's really wonderful – sometimes focused strongly on keyboards, sometimes with these airy orchestrations that still continue this long flow – all used brilliantly in the movie, at a speed you'd never expect, given the title! Tracks include "My Name On A Car", "Tick Of The Clock", "They Broke His Pelvis", "Kick Your Teeth", and "Where's The Deluxe Version". CD

An overlooked soul jazz treasure from the early 90s – the debut as a leader by saxophonist Zane Massey, and still possibly his greatest record to date! Massey's the son of jazz composer/trumpeter Cal Massey – and the vibe here is similar to that of his father's best music – sophisticated, but never too heady – done with a nicely understated quality, yet still quite possessed of its own musical vision. Massey's got a great tone on his tenor here – sharp, but never too bitten – and the instrumentation features only saxophone, bass, and drums – in a style that reminds us a bit of the freedoms of Sonny Rollins in the late 50s, yet also with a consciousness of the 60s ESP and 70s loft jazz generations. Massey hits some incredibly soulful moments here – at a level that was hardly being recorded this well at the time – and titles include "Nu Kingdom", "Trickle Down Economics", "Message From Trane", "Through The Eyes Of A Child", "Assunta", "Walk Right In", and "Ms Magic". CD

An overlooked soul jazz treasure from the early 90s – the debut as a leader by saxophonist Zane Massey, and still possibly his greatest record to date! Massey's the son of jazz composer/trumpeter Cal Massey – and the vibe here is similar to that of his father's best music – sophisticated, but never too heady – done with a nicely understated quality, yet still quite possessed of its own musical vision. Massey's got a great tone on his tenor here – sharp, but never too bitten – and the instrumentation features only saxophone, bass, and drums – in a style that reminds us a bit of the freedoms of Sonny Rollins in the late 50s, yet also with a consciousness of the 60s ESP and 70s loft jazz generations. Massey hits some incredibly soulful moments here – at a level that was hardly being recorded this well at the time – and titles include "Nu Kingdom", "Trickle Down Economics", "Message From Trane", "Through The Eyes Of A Child", "Assunta", "Walk Right In", and "Ms Magic". CD

It certainly was time – time for Jackie McLean to break out of his older bop mode, and hit a whole new level of playing with a tight group of "new thing" compatriots like Herbie Hancock on piano, Cecil McBee on bass, and Charles Tolliver on trumpet! The record isn't as totally "out there" as some of his other ones from this period, but it's a seminal release in Jackie's modernist period – and it's one of the hardest to find from the era. Filled with warmly wonderful original compositions like "Revillot", "Snuff", "Truth", and "Das Dat" – the record is unpacked and remodeled nicely by the trio of young players, aided by Jackie's moody alto, and given a great spin by Roy Haynes on drums. Striking cover, too – with a huge field of exclamation points! CD

A pretty powerful record – as you might imagine from a set dedicated to both John Coltrane and James Baldwin – both inspirations that Joe McPhee seems to channel, but in a very personal way! The 2020s seem to be a time when McPhee's got this whole new level of power and presence – and that's definitely the case here, as his horn has this sense of urgency that almost blows away work from just a few years before – and which is matched at times by a spoken presence that has an equal sense of righteous authority. Bassist John Edwards is a key part of the sound – especially as the pair are just performing as a duo – but it's the intensity of McPhee that really sends the whole thing over the top! Titles include "Whispers Of Naima", "Tell Me How Long Has Trane Been Gone", "A Sojourner's Truth", and "The Oneliest Monk". CD

One of the most powerful performances we've heard in years from the great Joe McPhee – and that's because he lets his voice speak as much as his tenor – especially on two spoken passages that highlight McPhee's message at an extremely righteous political level! Yet that's also very appropriate for the setting of the performance, which took place on Juneteenth – as a duet with cellist Tomeka Reid, who's equally amazing here – underscoring the power of Joe's presence, as the two move between open improvisation and some more tuneful passages that evoke a strong sense of history and memory that really resonate with the date. Fantastic throughout – and a key recording for both great artists – with the long "Juneteenth" performance, plus "Nation Time For Real This Time" and "Alone Together". LP, Vinyl record album

A contemporary gem from Paulette McWilliams – the Chicago singer who was part of Rufus before Chaka Khan, worked with Luther Vandross, and who's given the world decades of great contributions after cutting her rare solo debut on Fantasy Records in the 70s! This set shows Paulette very much in charge of her game, and working at a level that really lives up to her legacy in soul music – with well-crafted tunes that really gain a lot from her vocals, set up in these lean, but grooving arrangements that always let you know that the singer is the star of the scene! Titles include "Sometimes Your Eyes", "New Tunes Old Grooves", "Share", "These Are The Sweet Things", "Tell Me You Love Me", "Take A Drink Of Me", and "That's How I Am". CD

A seminal record in the formation of the Pat Metheny sound of the 70s – a set that brings his wonderfully chromatic work on guitar into play with the piano of Lyle Mays – all at a level that's so stripped-down and spacious, you can easily hear all the genius as it unfolds! And yet the album's also markedly different from some of the other ECM material at the time – as Pat's really stating himself with some more personal ideas, a bit of warm tunefulness, and maybe just a slight current of sentiment – which is what makes the record so wonderful, and so different than some of his labelmates. The set also features Eberhard Weber on bass and Dan Gottlieb on drums – on titles that include "Lakes", "River Quay", "Watercolors", "Icefire", "Oasis", and "Sea Song". CD

A funky treasure from the 70s – a record that hardly made waves at the time, but which has lived on strongly for years – thanks to a great sample history and key interest from generations of groove diggers! Mighty Ryeders have a sound that's clearly influenced by Earth Wind & Fire – funk with a good dose of jazz, often done with some righteous undercurrents in the lyrics – but their groove is also a bit more rough-edged too, sharing some funky 45-levels of excitement, and showing a great ear for sharply jazzy changes! This last aspect has really helped the group's sound stay fresh over the years – and the album's a treasure trove of killer cuts – from the famous "Evil Vibrations", right on down through other gems like "The Mighty Ryeders", "Let There Be Peace", "Lovely", "Help Us Spread The Message", "Fly Away With Me", "Sar Children", and "I've Really Got The Feeling". CD

Stunning stuff – and one of the greatest Charles Mingus albums of all time – a true treasure recorded in that magical year of 1957, when Mingus was finally finding his strongest voice in modern music! The album's near-perfect from start to finish – as bold a statement in jazz as anyone might be allowed to make in the late 50s, yet still always focused, driven, and wrapped up with a tremendous sense of energy. The tracks are all quite long – perfect vehicles for Mingus to reach his full level of expression – played by a group that includes Curtis Porter on tenor and alto sax, Jimmy Knepper on trombone, Wade Legge on piano, and Dannie Richmond on drums – making an early appearance in his alliance with Mingus that would last for many many years. Titles include classic versions of "Haitian Fight Song", "Blue Cee", and "Reincarnation Of A Lovebird" – plus "The Clown", which features a long improvised monologue by Jean Shephard! CD

The masterful second album from Mobb Deep – served up at a level that's raw, gritty, and real – in ways that transcended the scene and cemented the duo's legacy! Production is nice and spare – and provides the perfect raw framework for the bleak storytelling – really pulling you in to the lyrics, and beautifully balancing things so that the record neither glamorizes its topics, nor gets to heavy either. The set features guest appearances by Q-Tip, Ghostface, Nas, Raekwon, and Big Noyd – and there's not a moment of filler at all, on titles that include "Shook Ones Part II", "Temperature's Rising", "Drink Away The Pain", "Survival Of The Fittest", "Trife Live", "Eye For An Eye", and lots more. Classic! LP, Vinyl record album

A real treasure from the great tenorist Hank Mobley – and a record that shows him really opening up his sound in his later years at Blue Note! The album's got some key rhythmic elements that come both from the drumming of Billy Higgins and piano of Cedar Walton – both players who bring in a sense of lyricism that really opens up Hank's horn, and which also sets the trumpet of Donald Byrd free as well – in territory that really resonates with some of Donald's own excellent Blue Note material from the mid 60s! The album's one of those great Blue Note dates that was recorded in the 60s, but not issued until many years later – and really makes for a richer side of Mobley's catalog – a new great level amidst all those already wonderful records. Titles include "Bossa For Baby", "Soul Time", "No Argument", and "A Dab Of This & That". CD

Larger group meditations by the Modern Jazz Quartet – working here in an expanded lineup that includes work from Phil Woods, Charlie Mariano, Seldon Powell, Richie Kamuca, Clark Terry, and Jimmy Cleveland! The album takes a core MJQ groove, and only seems to lay out out over the larger arrangements as backing – almost as if the set were recorded in two parts, and stitched together – but in a way that works with a brilliant sense of counterpart, one that brings a lot more soul and color to the group's work than usual. Titles include versions of the John Lewis numbers "One Never Knows", "Animal Dance", "The Golden Striker", "Django", and "Home" – plus Milt Jackson's "Ralph's New Blues". CD

A mindblowing album from James Moody – of the sort that opens up a whole new facet of his career! The record takes off from Moody's early 60s work for Chess – his post-bop recordings that started displaying a deeper side of his musical consciousness – and which occasionally featured work by composer/arranger Tom McIntosh. McIntosh's presence is felt very strongly here – as he produced the whole session, and contributed a few tracks – working in the Nola Penthouse studios at a level of hipness we never would have expected! Moody plays tenor, alto, and flute – working with a really great group that includes Patti brown on piano, Albert Heath on drums, Reggie Workman on bass, and Thad Jones on trumpet – and the scope of the work is far beyond anything you'd expect! The record's got a stunning early funk track by Edward Bland – "If You Grin You're In", which features a tripped-out organ line mostly just holding one note – while drums pound hard, and Moody blows it over the top – all set to this flattened production that makes the whole thing sound really eerie! Other great tracks include the loping groover "Capers", the wonderfully moody flute number "Wayward Plaint" (written by Dennis Sandole, of the oft-overlooked Sandole Brothers), and the tracks "Em Prean Shore" and "Buster's Last Stand". Tremendous throughout – and completely essential, whether you already like Moody or not! LP, Vinyl record album

Lost genius from trumpeter Lee Morgan – a session recorded for Blue Note in 1967, but not issued until the late 70s – and even then, only for a very short time! The session has Morgan moving into that wonderful last stage of his career – working in tight formation towards a sound that still had that groovier hardbop styles of earlier recordings, but which also unfolds towards a more ambitious spiritual jazz mode. The writing on the session is superb – original tunes that crackle with energy in a surge of dark notes and shadowy moods, inspiring the soloists to express themselves at levels that rank with their best work of the time! The group features David Newman on tenor – sounding completely different, and far more righteous, than on his Atlantic sides of the 60s – plus Cedar Walton on piano, Ron Carter on bass, and Billy Higgins on drums. A great sound overall – right up there with Tom Cat or The Gigolo for lyrical modernism – and with titles that include "Sneaky Pete", "The Mercenary", "Sonic Boom", and "Mumbo Jumbo". Plus, the album is expanded here by 6 more tracks – all recorded in 1969, and only briefly issued on a 2LP late 70s album called The Procrastinator. These tunes have a slightly different, almost sadder feel – with a group that includes Julian Priester, George Coleman, and Harold Mabern – on more wonderful originals that include "Cla Til Da", "Uncle Rough", "Mr Johnson", and "The Stroker". CD

The breakthrough second album from Naughty By Nature (who recorded formerly as The New Style) – one of the key groups to emerge from the New Jersey scene at the end of the 80s, and be able to give the world of New York hip hop a run for its money! Queen Latifah championed the group right from the start, and gave them a solid footing on Tommy Boy – a perfect label for the group to balance their commercial appeal and well-penned rhymes – at a level that makes this album at least a rock-solid entry in the key canon of the true school generation! Latifah makes an appearance on the record – as do Lakim Shabazz and Apache – on cuts that include the classic "OPP", plus "Ghetto Bastard", "Guard Your Grill", "123", "Wickedest Man Alive", "Everyday All Day", "Strike A Nerve", "Let The Ho's Go", "Pin The Tail On The Donkey", "Rhyme'll Shine On", and "Thankx For Sleepwalking". CD

One of Oliver Nelson's hippest albums – a bold statement of righteous energy, and a fantastic summation of all the genius he'd created during the 60s as an arranger for other people's records! The record is almost at a Duke Ellington level – a complex yet soulful suite of tracks for the post-60s years – complete with some sound effects of rioting and urban strife at the beginning, and a mix of modern, modal, and compositional styles that bursts out with pride and power that we wouldn't have heard in Nelson's music a decade before! The soloists are great – and the album features wonderful read work from John Klemmer, Frank Strozier, and Nelson himself – on great original titles that include "Self Help Is Needed", "I Hope In Time A Change Will Come", "Requiem Afterthoughts", "Lamb Of God", and "Martin Was A Man A Real Man". CD

One of the greatest records of the 60s – and a sublime debut from Nico, sounding fresher and less dreary here than on many of her later sides – although still pretty chilling overall! The record features larger orchestral backings on most tracks – never too heavy, but with light strings that really help Nico depart from the sound of her work with The Velvet Underground. This style adds a new level of sophistication to her vocals, and really helps in her interpretation of the unusual material culled for the set – tunes that include a few key numbers by old partners in The Velvets, as well as some especially great tracks by a young Jackson Browne – a romantic interest of Nico at the time! The whole thing's incredible – on a par with the best from Scott Walker during the same stretch, although very different overall – and a key entry in the darker side of the non-hippie end of the 60s spectrum. Titles include "These Days", "It Was A Pleasure Then", "Eulogy To Lenny Bruce", and the incredible title cut, "Chelsea Girls". Fantastic! CD

Not Kurt Cobain's Nirvana, but a totally great effort from the late 60s Brit group of the same name – true pop psych geniuses, and able to work here with a sound that's nice and trippy, but never self-indulgent! These guys manage to get nice and spacey with some of the arrangements and production, yet still deliver one hell of a tune – really catchy tracks that make each new number on the album a 60s pop delight, but work that also has the richer depth of some of the more heady material of the time! The balance here is wonderful – at a level that few other groups might match – with echoes of some of our favorite other late 60s moments – like the Left Banke, or Chad & Jeremy's Cabbages & Kings, with great use of strings – but still very much Nirvana's own sound too. Titles include "Rainbow Chaser", "Tiny Goddess", "You Can Try It", "St John's Wood Affair", "Everybody Loves The Clown", "The Touchables", and "Trapeze". CD features bonus tracks "Oh What A Performance", "Flashbulb", "Darling Darlene", and "C Side Of Ocho Rios". CD

The amazing first album from The Nite-Liters – the instrumental combo who were part of the larger New Birth family of soul on RCA, but who cut work that was a lot more funky overall! The group are right up there with The Meters or JBs for pure instrumental brilliance – able to serve up short, tight cuts that are filled with heavy drums, riffing guitars, and mighty nice horns – all at a level that easily make them one of the best soul instrumental groups of the early 70s – a killer combo, even though they don't always get their due! The whole album's a gem – like a pile of rare funky 45s – and titles include "Itchy Brother", "Snap Your Twig", "Down & Dirty", "The Heckler", and "Stuff N It". CD

A crucial album from that moment when British jazz was colliding with progressive rock – in key ways that were really elevated past their roots on records like this! By the time of the record, trumpeter Ian Carr already had a great run on the left side of the UK jazz spectrum – and here, with his group Nucleus, he embraces all sorts of amazing sounds and styles – using plenty of electric piano from Soft Machine's Karl Jenkins, guitar from Chris Spedding, and a VCS3 synth from Keith Winter – alongside more familiar jazz elements on tenor from Tony Roberts, soprano and flute from Brian Smith, and additional trumpets from Kenny Wheeler and Harry Beckett! The great John Marshall plays drums next to bass from Jeff Clyne and Ron Matthewson – and the album's got a mighty sense of experimentation and power, on titles that include "Torso", "Snakehips' Dream", "Changing Time", "Spirit Level", and "Bedrock Deadlock". LP, Vinyl record album

Never-issued live material from Odyssey – recorded years after the group's initial emergence in the New York psych scene in the late 60s, but with a sound that still has them sounding pretty darn trippy overall! There's definitely a lot of "room" feel in the recording – as the set was not done straight from the soundboard – yet that also really gives you a sense of the way these guys have mastered their instruments, as they stretch out and cascade through space at a level that's very different than the early work – really psych into prog, especially on a few of the album's really long tracks! The performance has a huge amount of long, majestic organ solos – and titles include "For Band Babies", "Lord Make A Regular Man Out Of Me", "She Who Must Be Obeyed", "Winter Summer Spring & Fall", and "One More Time Can't You Feel". CD also features four bonus tracks too! CD

The second set of madness from the legendary Os Mutantes – and like the first, an album done in close collaboration with arranger/producer Rogerio Duprat, whose talents add a new level of genius to the record! The album's got a compelling mix of styles that strikes out on the very first tune – a playful pastiche that's partly postmodern, partly psychedelic, and still tremendously powerful decades later – even if you can't understand most of the lyrics! Styles are just about impossible to pin down, but that's what makes the record so unique and essential – and if you ever needed one album to convince you of the mindblowing energy taking place during the Tropicalia years, this one may well be it! A few tracks are written by Tom Ze, and titles include "Dom Quixote", "Dia 36", "Magica", "Rita Lee", "Algo Mais", "Qualquer Bobagem", and "Fuga No II". CD

Quite possibly the clearest moment of genius ever from the legendary Hermeto Pascoal – a tremendous album that helped reshape instrumental Brazilian music for many years to come! At one level, the record shares a sound with some of the fuller, richer orchestrations going on in the post-bossa years – especially the work of Edu Lobo and Marcos Valle – but at another, it's filled with the kind of inventive instrumental interplay that's always made Hermeto so great, but which has never come off so perfectly as it does here! As you might expect from Pascoal, there's some especially great reed passages – crafted in a flurry of colors and tones – but there's also a warmer, more flowing quality to the whole album – less of the dark notes and pointy edges that show up often in Hermeto's work from later years. Bits of strings help the whole thing glide tremendously – and the record's a genre-busting blend of jazz, Brazilian roots, and complicated arrangements – unlike anything else we've ever heard, and still one of our favorite albums of all time! Titles include "Bebe", "Asa Branca", "Carinhoso", "Plin", "Gaio Da Roseira", and "Sereiarei". CD

A never-issued album by the great Hermeto Pascoal – recorded in the space between his 70s classics Slaves Mass and A Musica Livre – and every bit as amazing as those classics! The music here is fluid, open, and a fantastic mix of jazz and all of Hermeto's new ideas about musical structure – performed at a level that's highly organic, and with that completely individual vision that Pasocal brought to his sound from the start! This isn't typical Brazilian fusion of the time, but nor is it anything like the tighter sounds that Airto and Flora Purim were recording up in the US – instead, a musical mode that's completely in its own space, and which needs only one listen to convince you of the master's genius. The group here is overflowing with young talent – Lelo Nazario on keyboards, Nivaldo Ornelas and Mauro Senise on saxes and flute, Toninho Horta on guitar, Zeca Assumpcao on bass, and Ze Eduardo Nazario on drums – all important musical visionaries on their own, working together here to hit an even new level of creativity. Aleuda Chaves sings wordlessly on a bit of the record – and the whole thing has that blend of soaring sound and lyricism that marks Pascoal at his best. Titles include "Danca Do Paje", "Natal", "Casinha Pequinina", and "Mavumvavumpefoco". LP, Vinyl record album

The second chapter of the legendary Pere Ubu – served up here in a box set that contains three full albums, plus a full record of rare material too! The core records – New Picnic Time, Song Of The Bailing Man, and Art Of Walking – show the group really stretching out after their initial burst of creativity in Cleveland during the early punk years – a reformed version of Pere Ubu, still strongly under the leadership of Dave Thomas and his amazing lyrical approach – with contributions from Red Krayola member Mayo Thompson on two records, and Anton Fier on one more. Scott Krauss and Tony Maimone provide some of those great rhythmic jumps and starts that the group did so well – and Allen Ravenstein adds in some great electronics as well. The last record in the set – Architectural Salvage – features rare material that includes "Humor Me (live)", "The Book Is On The Table", "Arabian Nights", "Lonesome Cowboy Dave", "Not Happy", and "Tribute To Miles". Deluxe bookback packaging, too – with nice notes and memorabilia! CD

A seminal album from the American underground of the late 70s – the debut of Pere Ubu, bursting forth from the Cleveland scene with a sound to challenge the greatness of anything coming from New York or LA at the time! The album's not exactly punk, not exactly art rock, but has strong elements of both – all wrapped around the unique conception of singer Dave Thomas, whose vocals are some of the oddest ever recorded! The tunes here are a lot more straightforward and upfront than some of Pere Ubu's later work – in a way that definitely makes the album their biggest favorite with new generations of indie rockers. But there's also still a fair number of more experimental touches too – odd sonic tricks and almost-abstract moments that were quite revolutionary for the time – especially from Cleveland! Titles include "Non Alignment Pact", "The Modern Dance", "Chinese Radiation", "Real World", "Life Stinks", "Over My Head", and "Humor Me". LP, Vinyl record album

A wonderfully hard-to-categorize album from the start of the 80s – a Mexican record that mixes folkloric roots with electronic instrumentation – but all in a way that sounds much more ancient than you'd expect for the time! The fusion of modes here is wonderful – almost at a level that reminds us of some of the Graeme Revell experiments of the mid 80s, or some of the more organic electronics from Japan – as the whole thing feels a lot more acoustic than electric, with a wonderful blend of woody sounds, percussion, and other great elements. Titles include "In Altepetal Tonal", "I Pan In Xiktli Metztli", "Xochiyaoyoloh", and "Ketzalkoatl Yauh Miktlan". CD

British alto player Ronan Perrett works here with great help from bassist Ferg Ireland – in a bold trio setting that's very much in the same spirit as Ferg's recordings in the same format! The group also has Ferg's drummer, James Maddren, and there's a nicely choppy sense of rhythm to the tunes – which are then given these more complex, swirling lines over the top from Perrett's alto – blowing with a nice shift in sonic quality from track to track, at a level that really brings some depth to the record! The whole thing's a nice chapter in the contemporary London scene – with the sort of lean energy we love in a group like Ill Considered – on titles that include "Who Owns The Sky", "All The Time Engaged In Fantasy", "Phantoms", "Snapperjacks", "The Rest Is Silence", and "Ten Futures". CD

Essential work from Pete Rock & CL Smooth – a set that may well even top their tremendous debut, even if it was a bit slept-on at the time! The sound here is perfect all the way through – Pete's blend of classic samples and contemporary crispness, and CL Smooth's ability to serve up lyrics that appeal to the sophisticated and street-bound hip hop listeners at the same time – a quality that few can do this well, and certainly not at a level that still sounds completely fresh and amazing after all these years! The whole thing's a masterpiece – and titles include "In The House", "Carmel City", "I Get Physical", "Sun Won't Come Out", "I Got A Love", "Escape", "The Main Ingredient", "Worldwide", "All The Places", "Tell Me", "Take You There", "Searching", "Check It Out", "In The Flesh", "It's On You", and "Get On The Mic". LP, Vinyl record album

The debut full length from Pete Rock & CL Smooth – a standard-setting record from the 90s that's still among one of the greatest of the decade! The set bristles with new energy and excitement right from the start – as Pete Rock's trademark mix of heavy soul, jazz, and funk production sets the bar to a level that really takes hip hop past some of the tinnier, clunkier modes of a few years before – delivering on the promise of Q-Tip's experiments in the studio, but with a very different vibe. CL Smooth handles the lyrics with effortless ease – again setting a new standard, with a balance between street and sophistication that was, and is, such a refreshing change from so many others. Titles include the classic "They Reminisce Over You (TROY)" – plus "Return Of The Mecca", "Straighten It Out", "Soul Brother #1", "Lots Of Lovin", "Skinz, "The Basement", "Anger In The Nation", "If It Ain't Rough It Ain't Right", "Can't Front On Me", "It's Like That", "On And On", "Wig Out", "Ghettos Of The Mind", and "Act Like You Know". Features bonus tracks – "The Creator (rmx)" and "Mecca & The Soul Brother (rmx)". LP, Vinyl record album

A really wonderful little chapter in the rich, and all-too-short career of bassist Oscar Pettiford – larger group recordings done for ABC in the mid 50s! The sessions show Pettiford to be surprisingly great at such a format – leading a group through Gigi Gryce arrangements that have a nice modern jazz take on earlier bop themes of the 50s. Gryce himself plays alto on the session, and other players include Jerome Richardson, Benny Golson, Art Farmer, Kenny Dorham, Jimmy Cleveland, Al Grey, Tommy Flanagan, and Lucky Thompson. The CD seems to include material from both Pettiford sessions for ABC – for a total of 17 tracks that include "Two French Fries", "Perdido", "Speculation", "Sunrise Sunset", "Smoke Signal", "Deep Passion", "Nica's Tempo", "Not So Sleepy", "Little Niles", and "Seabreeze". CD

The great Gregory Porter in a very different setting than usual – working here with larger backings from an entire orchestra, as part of the album's tribute to Nat King Cole during his glory days at Capitol Records! The style here isn't the King Cole Trio vibe of the mid 40s, but instead that lush, larger approach of the 50s – when Nat took his jazz roots and transformed them into something even more sophisticated and powerful, at a level that also helped raise both his profile and that of many of his contemporaries – opening the door for generations of musical growth to come. Porter pays back that monumental favor – by turning his amazing vocals loose on a host of standards from the Nat Cole songbook – with core backing by a quartet that features Christian Sands on piano, Reuben Rogers on bass, and Ulysses Owens on drums – plus a bit of guest trumpet from Terence Blanchard. Arrangements and orchestrations are by Vince Mendoza – and titles include "Smile", "Nature Boy", "Love", "Quizas Quizas Quizas", "Mona Lisa", "When Love Was King", "Miss Otis Regrets", "The Christmas Song", "I Wonder Who My Daddy Is", and "Pick Yourself Up". A great special edition – in a hardcover book-like package, with pages of notes inside – and bonus tracks "But Beautiful", "Sweet Lorraine", and "For All We Know". CD

The compilation that capped off a younger John Prine's early years at Atlantic Records – and if it might have come off as a bit prematurely titled at at time given the treasure trove of "best of" level material Prine would record for decades to come, there's no question after all these years ther is plenty of genuinely prime Prine songs here! John's Atlantic albums still stand as some of the finest folk rock ever put out by the label, hislyrics and vocals that distinctive mix of wit and grit, Arif Mardin's production smart enough to keep things spare and intimate when necessary, and to bring in some lusher touches at times. Includes "Sam Stone", "Saddle In The Rain", "Pease Don't Bury Me", "Grandpa Was A Carpenter", "Donald & Lydia", "Illegal Smile", "Sweet Revenge", "Souvenirs", "Come Back To Us Barbara Lewis Hare Krishna Beauregard" and "Hello In There". CD

A killer album from Pucho – and the best one he's done since the early 70s! Unlike some of his weaker recent ones, which try to hard for a "fake funk" feel that just ends up going nowhere, this one plays on Pucho's strong Latin jazz sensibility, and it lets the band get nice and jazzy, with a stone groove that's right in keeping with the excellent Latin work on the Cubop label. The band still includes sax work by the great Eddie Pazant, a masterful player who made Pucho's classic albums work so well – and Pucho himself's wailing away on timbales, while John Spruill delivers some tasty piano lines to keep the rhythm section rolling along. It's great to have Pucho and the group back at a level where they belong – but we wouldn't expect anything less from an artist on the Cubop label! Includes a cover of Lou Donaldson's "Alligator Boogaloo", plus Eddie Harris' "Cold Duck Time", and originals like "Happy Feet Mambo", "Lena's Moods", and "Descarga On Las Palmas". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the coolest spacey club tracks of the 70s gets a superb remix here in the hands of Dimitri From Paris – all done at a level that still keeps all the great charms of the original! There's a new 2023 mix and extended mix of the cut that follow the soaring groove, building bassline, and incredible breaking rhythm of the original – then the two Dimitri mixes pick up some clubbier elements, but still with an old school vibe that's mighty nice – and which leaves plenty of room for those spacey vocals by Asha Puthli! 12-inch, Vinyl record

A fantastic album from deep soul singer Paulette Reeves – one of the most unique talents of her generation, and an artist who's never fully gotten her due! Paulette's got a southern soul range in her vocals, and works here with Miami TK arrangements from Clarence Reid – but she also has these more sophisticated modern soul currents in her music – at a level that makes us think of her more along the lines of singers like Jean Carn or Phyllis Hyman! The set's quite different than some of the other TK Records material of the time – and was quite possibly overlooked at the time, due to its release within their disco-heavy catalog – whereas Reeves is a singer who really would have gotten strong attention on a label like Philadelphia International. The whole thing's great – and the album includes her classic midtempo number "Let Me Wrap You In My Love", plus other nice ones – like "Secret Lover", "There's Fire Down Below", and "If You Don't See Me Again". CD

One of our favorite albums ever from the incredible Elis Regina – a record that really has her hitting new levels in her style – moving past simple bossa into a realm of music that's all her own! The backings are arranged by Roberto Menescal, who also moves into some great new territory here – a soaring, spacious mode that's way different than his gentler bossa – and which really has some of the growing complications that were showing up in Brazilian music at the end of the 60s. There's a fair bit of jazz in the mix, but also a fair bit of majesty too – and the tunes soar out with a much livelier feel than some of Regina's later albums. Titles include amazing renditions of "Canto De Osssanha", "O Barquinho", "Giro", "O Sonho", "Casa Forte", and "Vera Cruz" – plus a tasty version of Michel Legrand's "Recit De Cassard", from Umbrellas Of Cherbourg. CD

A great lost record from Clarence Reid – one of the most multi-talented artists on his scene, stepping out here with the depth and sensitivity of some of his best southern soul contemporaries of the 70s! Despite the fact that at the time of the record, Reid was simultaneously recording as the goofy raunch-soul act Blowfly, the cover of this set features him sitting alone at a grand piano, looking all sensitive and serious – like he's Billy Joel or somebody! The style of the album, fortunately, doesn't match the cheesy singer/songwriter presentation – and it's a strong batch of Miami soul tracks that roll along with the classic TK groove of the mid 70s, yet without any of the too-pop or disco modes that were holding back some other artists. Reid's vocals are more heartfelt than ever – really soaring out at a level that almost matches Latimore – and all tunes were written by him, with a bit of help from Steve Alaimo, who also produces the record. Tracks include "The Best Part Of A Man", "The Only Time She Loves Me", "Caution! Love Ahead", "Down Where The Love Is", "Nappy-Haired Cowboy", and "Sleep With Me". Hmmm...kind of sounds like a Blowfly album after all! CD

Very striking sounds from a very striking quartet – one that brings Austrian pianist Elisabeth Harnik into play with the Chicago sounds of Dave Rempis on alto, Fred Longberg-Holm on cello, and Tim Daisy on drums! The tracks are all long, and have a very freely improvising quality – fast-thinking, instant creation by improvisers who are hardly new to the game – three players who know each others strengths instantly, and merge together with Harnik here at a really breathtaking level! Titles include "Ohrenkratzer", "Penggaruk Telinga", and "Mimikaki". CD

The reedwork of Dave Rempis is in a wonderfully electric setting here – next to the electric bass and electronics of Farida Amadou, and the piano and additional electronics of Jonas Cambien – both players who seem to really bring a lot of different sounds out of Dave's work on alto and tenor saxes! Yet if you know Rempis, you know what a wonderfully adaptive improviser he can be – and the mix of electro and acoustic elements in the record almost seems to take the early experiments of Anthony Braxton and Richard Tietelbaum and push them to a whole new level – maybe in part because the work on the strings of the bass and the tones of the piano seem to widen the color palette of the performance in really great ways. Titles include "Exotropia", "Radiata", "Bladderwort", and "Camelopardalis". CD

A legendary sound library set from the 70s Italian scene – exactly the kind of record that got so many folks digging for sound library funk so many years ago! The record's a masterpiece of funky rhythms, jazzy instrumentation, and warmer touches – served up with plenty of Fender Rhodes in the mix, plus sweet flute lines, wah wah guitar, and just the right use of strings to give the whole thing almost a blacksploitation vibe at times! The set was billed to the team of Jay Richford and Gary Stevan – but it's actually the product of better-known sound library maestros Sandro Brugnolini and Stefano Torossi, who work here at a level that's at the top of their powers. There's almost a cop/crime vibe to the record at times – and although some instruments solo at points, the real groove lies in the tight vamping of the orchestra – which hits all the right notes to really send the whole thing soaring – often with a nice use of tone and color too! Titles include "Flying High", "Fearing Much", "Going Home", "Running Fast", "Walking In The Dark", and "Feeling Tense". LP, Vinyl record album

A seminal set from Max Roach – the start of his more righteous stretch in jazz, as you might guess from the title of the album! At some level, the record's got a bit of the feel of the post-Clifford Brown Mercury years from Roach – but at another, it's stretching out towards the directions Max would explore fully on the Candid, Impulse, and Fantasy labels in the 60s – an approach to hardbop that often really pushes its limits – not content to simply set up solos for the players, and instead moving with a much more forceful energy overall! Group members include Booker Little on trumpet, George Coleman on tenor, Ray Draper on tuba, and Art Davis on bass – and the lack of a piano makes for a very exciting sound! The album's got 2 great originals by Bill Lee – "Jodie's Cha Cha" and "Deeds Not Words" – plus Draper's classic "Filide", and the groundbreaking "Conversation" – a very cool solo by Roach on the drums! CD also features the bonus track "There Will Never Be Another You" – with Oscar Pettiford on bass instead of Davis. CD

A pair of early albums from soul singer Rockie Robbins – back to back on a single CD! First up is his self-titled record from 1979 – a really nice album of smooth soul tracks – the first set by singer Rockie Robbins, and a masterful effort from the Chicago soul production team of Richard Evans and Johnnie Pate! Evans and Pate handle the work with their best care of the 70s – fitting the tunes to the modern soul style demanded by the material, but also keeping things real at every level, and throwing in that nice little Chicago swing that always makes their best work bounce! Titles include "I Can Hardly Wait", "If I Ever Lose You", "When I Think Of You", "I Love You Only", "Be Ever Wonderful", and "Don't Deny Me". Next is You & Me – great work from the wonderful Rockie Robbins – a smooth soul singer who cut some great sides at the start of the 80s, but who hardly ever gets his due! Bobby Martin's working with Rockie on this effort – giving the set that warmly gliding mode that made Martin's productions some of the best in late 70s mainstream soul – a sound that's clearly informed by Philly, but which also has room for mellower, and more sophisticated modes as well. Tracks include a number of Sam Dees compositions – "Hang Tough", "After Loving You", "Girl I'm Gonna Get Ya", and "For The Sake Of A Memory" – plus the tracks "Together", "Point Of View", "Lost In Love Again", and "I Never Knew". CD

Massive issue with a great interview (with amazing photos) with Chicago 60s and 70s behind-the-scenes soul music queen Helen Saffold, another ridiculous Nardwuar interview with Snoop Dogg, the story of British Invasion pin-up boy Ian Whitcomb, Metal graphic designer Dennis Dread's visit to Frank Frazetta's art collection, the tragic tale of underground comix rebel Jim Osborne, Cleveland 70s punk legends Easter Monkeys, Plastic Crimewave salutes the Paul Butterfield Blues Band, an in-the-booth interview with White Sox organist Nancy Faust on the eve of her retirement, an insiders look into the Ramones, and tons of comix, reviews, and obituaries. Magazine

Adam Rogers on guitar, Chris Potter on tenor, Edward Simon on piano, Scott Colley on bass, and Clarence Penn on drums. Titles are all originals and include "Orpheus", "Angel Of Repose", "Phyrigia", "Red Leaves", and "Cleveland". CD

One of Sonny Rollins' best albums ever, and a totally inspired, totally non-stop freewheeling live set, recorded with Don Cherry, Bob Cranshaw, and Billy Higgins! Working on long tracks in an unfettered setting, Rollins' hits one of those rare moments of genius where he can turn his solo over and over again – never losing interest, and always opening up new territory – at a level that easily matches the oft-made claim that he's one of the greatest tenor talents ever on the tenor sax! The album features only 3 long tracks, all dominated by masterful work by Rollins – and titles include "Oleo", "Dearly Beloved", and "Doxy". CD

A killer – and one of the greatest records ever cut on Bethlehem! Charlie Rouse and Paul Quinichette go head to head in a hard-blown session that's very different than most of the work on Bethlehem – grooving in a free-wheeling "chase" mode, as you might guess from the title – with lots of heavy tenor in the lead, cooking at a level that's more like a Prestige or Savoy session from the 50s! The group's as tight as can be – with some killer drum work from Ed Thigpen, and piano by either Wynton Kelly or Hank Jones. Titles include "The Chase Is On", "You're Cheating Yourself", "Knittin", "Tender Trap", and "When The Blues Come On". CD

Our favorite-ever album from Gil Scott-Heron – and a set that we'd easily rank as one of our favorite soul records of the 70s! The mix of modes is mindblowing right from the start – as Gil's poetry comes into play with his growing talents as a singer, and his warm sensibility for jazz – all at a level that's light years ahead of anything any singer would have attempted a few years before – and which went onto have a huge influence for years to come. If you only know Gil from his protest work, there's a lot more here to discover – the bittersweet blend of pain and power that's always made him so fantastic. And yes, the record does include the groundbreaking "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised" – but what we treasure even more is all the more personal numbers – including "Lady Day & John Coltrane", "Home Is Where The Hatred Is", "The Needle's Eye", "I Think I'll Call It Morning", "Save The Children", and "Pieces Of A Man". Brilliant all the way through! Limited edition pressing – 2LPs, each at 45rpm – remastered from the original tapes, with an especially strong improvement on side two! LP, Vinyl record album

Our favorite-ever album from Gil Scott-Heron – and a set that we'd easily rank as one of our favorite soul records of the 70s! The mix of modes is mindblowing right from the start – as Gil's poetry comes into play with his growing talents as a singer, and his warm sensibility for jazz – all at a level that's light years ahead of anything any singer would have attempted a few years before – and which went onto have a huge influence for years to come. If you only know Gil from his protest work, there's a lot more here to discover – the bittersweet blend of pain and power that's always made him so fantastic. And yes, the record does include the groundbreaking "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised" – but what we treasure even more is all the more personal numbers – including "Lady Day & John Coltrane", "Home Is Where The Hatred Is", "The Needle's Eye", "I Think I'll Call It Morning", "Save The Children", and "Pieces Of A Man". Brilliant all the way through! CD features three bonus tracks by Gil's group Black & Blues – "Chains", "Peace", and "A Toast To The People". CD

A really surprising moment in the career of Bob Seger – a set that has him stepping away from the fuller rock backings of the Bob Seger System, and moving into a mode that's more singer/songwriter, and which has very light instrumentation that really seems to suit Seger's vocals! There's a surprisingly powerful, heartfelt vibe going on here – at a level that, if he were picked up by Columbia and given the same treatment as their big singer/songwriter superstars of the 70s, might have seen Bob create some very different music overall. Most of the time, there's just some piano or acoustic guitar next to the vocals – and Seger's style of singing sounds much more powerful as a result – very different than on his arena rock classics. A stunner, honestly – with titles that include "Maybe Today", "Song For Him", "Something Like", "Railroad Days", and "You Know Who You Are". CD

A lovely record from Woody Shaw – one of his excellent and understated sides from the early 80s, recorded with a quartet that includes Cedar Walton on piano, Buster Williams on bass, and Victor Jones on drums. The tunes are mostly standards, but they're handled with a soulful depth that really takes them to the next level – and the album's got a great original called "Spiderman Blues", plus versions of "There Is No Greater Love", "All The Way", and "What's New". CD