A great little record from alto saxophonist Norman Williams – also known as The Bishop – and the first record on the mighty Theresa label too! The sound here is maybe a bit funkier than some of the other Theresa sessions of the late 70s – in part because there's some monstrous bass on the record, courtesy of Michael Formanek – who works magic alongside the keyboards and warmly-rolling rhythms – which are a perfect foil for the sharper lines that Williams brings to the record on his alto! The approach has some of the warmth and soul of the best 70s sessions on Black Jazz or Catalyst – and titles include "Trane's Paradise", "Mr Peabody", "Figure Eight", "Terry's Song", and "Ole Brown". LP, Vinyl record album

A set with a familiar title – similar to a Soul Jazz compilation of vintage work from Studio One – but a package that's nicely different, and which digs even deeper into the legendary catalog of the famous reggae label! The style here is nicely open – there's vocal and instrumental cuts, ska, rocksteady, and early reggae – and while there's certainly a theme of freedom in the music, there's lots of other righteous energy going on too! Many of these numbers are quite obscure – and titles include "Freedom Street" and "Funny Man" by Freedom Singers, "Wire Higher" by Jackie Mitoo, "Stay A Little Bit Longer" and "Rome" by Larry Marshall, "Lee Arab" by Ernest Ranglin, "Your Love Gets Sweeter" by Irvin Brown, and "Soul Food", "Midnight Soul", and "Mun Dun Gu" by Im & David with Sound Dimension. LP, Vinyl record album

The Houseplant series really takes off with this killer triple-LP set – a massive batch of funk and soul, both old and new – presented here in a really great assortment of modes! There's some great deep tracks from the 70s here, alongside some well-chosen contemporary cuts from the international funk underground – plus a few other assorted surprises along the way – keeping the label's strong reputation for serving up a record that's way different than the standard funk compilation! Titles include "Short Stopping" by Veda Brown, "What's Good For You" by Harvey Scales, "Little Saddy" by Andre Ethier, "The Devastator" by Stormy, "I'm Not Ready For Love" by Promise, "Slide" by Adesse Versions, "Gettin Funky Round Here" by Black Nasty, "Love Theme From Spartacus" by Yusef Lateef, "Town Called Nowhere" by Skip Mahoney & The Casuals, "Blind Alley" by The Emotions, "Blah Blah Blah" by Saun & Starr, "Gotta Let Me Know" by Breakestra, "Jamaica Ska" by Byron Lee & The Dragonaires, "Legend In My Own Mind" by The Stepkids, "Lament 1" by Dustin Laurenzi, "Trouble" by Frederick Knight, "The Echo" by Epsilons, "A Little Bit More Won't Hurt" by Bettye Crutcher, "The Who Who Song" by Jackie Wilson, and "Don't Stop" by The Bar Kays. LP, Vinyl record album

A great collection of work from King Jammy's studios – all cuts recorded at the end of the 80s, with a definite digital feel – but a sound that's still a lot warmer and more soulful than bigger mainstream work of the time! As the title promises, there's plenty of dancehall in the mix – but many of the grooves are more laidback and mellow – bridging the space between the bigger global hits in the style, and a dubbier, rootsier generation of reggae too – which seems to bubble forth here on most tracks, and just get a slight digital reworking by Jammy. The 2LP set features a very well-selected batch of material from these years – titles that appeared on labels like Greensleeves, Superpower, and Unity Sounds, with titles that include "Icky All Over" by Wayne Smith, "In The Area" by Johnny Osborne, "The Exit" by Dennis Brown, "Don't Touch The Crack" by Little Kirk, "Dancehall Vibes" by Anthony Johnson, and "Jack Slick" by Junior Murvin. LP, Vinyl record album

A seminal meeting of the old and new generations of jazz in the 60s – put together in perfect Impulse fashion! At some level, this is actually an early 60s John Coltrane Quartet album – with Duke Ellington sitting in for McCoy Tyner on piano, as that's the lineup on about half of the album – tracks that feature Coltrane on tenor, Elvin Jones on drums, and Jimmy Garrison on bass, all working with Ellington on the keys. On other titles, though, the album features Coltrane playing with a Duke-ish trio that has Aaron Bell on bass and Sam Woodyard on drums – slightly less modern, but with a nice sense of depth throughout! Overall, the the record does a great job of balancing between the best talents of both players – and titles include "Big Nick", "The Feeling Of Jazz", "Take The Coltrane", and "My Little Brown Book". LP, Vinyl record album

An incredible trip through the 70s Japanese jazz scene – a second volume of J Jazz that's even bigger and better than the first – with unknown gems from private presses, indie labels, and rarities from the Japanese branches of the major labels, too! Compilers Tony Higgins & Mike Peden (who are both also responsible for the nicely done notes) follow through on all of the things we loved about the first J Jazz compilation, but improve on it by going bigger and digging deeper. The majority of the tracks were recorded from 1969 through the late 70s – with a few recorded in later years – and all have a wonderful way of being open to the stylistic inventions of the time without getting hung up on trends. So while there's some fusiony funk and electric piano, there's plenty of acoustic instrumentation and timelessly inventive material. BBE has outdone themselves on this excellent collection – and the titles include "Dragon Dance" by Makoto Terashita & Harold Land, "Daguri" by Kohsuke Mine Quintet, "Distant Thunder" by Mabumi Yamguchi Quartet, "Animal Garden" by Miyasaka + 5, "Mother Of The Future" by Electro Keyboard Orchestra, "Serenade To A Dimly Lit Street" by Hiroshi Matsumoto/Hideo Ichikawa Quartet, "Teru-Teru Bozu" (Black Keys) by Teru Sakamoto Trio, "Little Giant" by Nobuo & Sharps & Flats, "Brown Trout" by Akira Miyazawa and more. 14 tracks on 3LPs. LP, Vinyl record album

A wonderful Holiday set from Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings – easily one of the coolest albums you'll ever hope to spin in December! The group really recreate the vibe of a classic Christmas soul album – like records from James Brown or Stevie Wonder – and do an excellent job of moving between funky numbers, deeper soul, and some righteous message cuts that remind us that the Holidays aren't always happy for everyone on the planet. And these guys also don't just hang out at Christmas – and instead touch on other December holidays too – in a sweet mix of cuts that features Sharon in the lead on many numbers, plus some great instrumentals from the Dap-Kings too. Titles include "8 Days", "Ain't No Christmas In The Projects", "Big Bulbs", "Funky Little Drummer Boy", "World Of Love", "Got Rest Ye Merry Gents", "Silent Night", "Just Another Christmas Song", and "Please Come Home For Christmas". LP, Vinyl record album

A fishy little record from saxophonist Akira Miyazawa – but a great one too, and an indication that he was probably one of the greatest modernists on the Japanese scene of the time! The set's built around four long tracks – all played with a main focus on the tenor, handled here in a boldly confident, spiritually searching way that reminds us a fair bit of early Archie Shepp at his best. Akira's prone to angular tones, but never too much so – and although he's often concerned with carving lines out of sound and space, there's always a strong sense of soul and swing here – one that really keeps the record flowing! Other instrumentation includes piano, bass, drums, and a bit of percussion – and tracks include "Bull Trout", "Brown Trout", "Rainbow Trout", and "Ayu". 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! LP, Vinyl record album

One the all time great funky albums of the 70s – a mad little record with a sense of rhythm and timing that was years ahead of its time! The Soul Searchers (along with Chuck Brown) later became known for their heavy-hitting Go Go work at the end of the decade – but here, they're a really free-thinking outfit with a lot of jazz in their funk – and a willingness to change up the beats and timings in ways that push the record miles ahead from an average funk outing. Tracks swirl around with an amazing intensity – supported by guitar work from Brown, organ from Hilton Felton, and some really great horns from Don Tillery and Lloyd Pinchback. The album features a wonderful remake of "Think" – plus the great originals "1993", "Soul To The People", "Blowout", and "We The People". LP, Vinyl record album

Two classic albums from the great Sonny Rollins – both made during some time on the LA scene of the late 50s, and matched here with a more obscure third album that issued alternate sides from the sessions! First up is the classic Way Out West – a set that brings the east coast tenor of Sonny Rollins into contact with a west coast rhythm section of Ray Brown and Shelly Manne! Despite Rollins' silly look on the cover, and the album's overall "western" theme, the session's a brilliant one – right up there with Sonny's strongest trio sides of the late 50s, and a key link in a string of excellent recordings for Blue Note, Prestige, and Riverside! The lack of a piano really opens up the style of the set – letting Sonny explore freely on his solos, while Brown's bass and Manne's drums do more than enough to keep the rhythms going on their own. Solos aren't as "out" as on the Village Vanguard sessions, but certainly every bit as inspired – and titles include "I'm An Old Cowhand", "Solitude", "Come, Gone", "Way Out West", and "Wagon Wheels". Next is Sonny Rollins & The Contemporary Leaders – one of Sonny's brilliant west coast sessions for Contemporary – records that shouldn't sparkle as much as they do, but which actually stand with his best work of the 50s! Sonny's blowing in front of a session of "leaders" that includes Hampton Hawes, Barney Kessel, Leroy Vinnegar, Shelly Manne, and Victor Feldman, who plays vibes on one track. Sonny's the real leader here, though – as his bold, proud tenor tone really takes front seat, carving lines that never get tired, bringing a sparkle into tunes like "You", "How High The Moon", "I've Found A New Baby", "The Song Is You", and "I've Told Ev'ry Little Star". Heck, even with songs like those, the album should be weak – but there's an undeniable magic that really makes it great! Last is Contemporary Alternate Takes – a great collection of alternate takes from Sonny's landmark recordings for Contemporary Records in the late 50s – material recorded in LA with an easier-swinging groove than some of his New York work, in a style that let Sonny blow in round, warm, and really open tones – almost foreseeing his work for RCA in the mid 60s. Players include Ray Brown, Shelly Manne, Victor Feldman, and Barney Kessel – and the set features alternate takes of "I'm An Old Cowhand", "Come Gone", "Way Out West", "The Song Is You", and "You". LP, Vinyl record album

A heady batch of work from the Miami scene of the 70s – all of it from the legendary TK Records family of labels, headed up by superproducer Henry Stone! Over the years, some folks have taken Henry to task for his operational strategies – but there's no denying that he's a key figure in helping the sound of the south move from the 60s into the 70s – picking up plenty of funk and sophistication along the way! The set's overflowing with classics from Stone's empire at the time – including many cuts that have been sampled or reworked heavily in recent decades – titles that include "I'm Too Tough For Mr Big Stuff" by Vicki Anderson, "Miami Funk" by The Funky Bunch, "Cramp Your Style" by All The People, "Keep It Up" by Milton Wright, "Sleep On Dream On" by Raphael Munnings, "Smokin & Drinkin" by James Brown, "Miss Hot Stuff" by Clarence Reid, "The Rub" by George & Gwen McCrae, "Funkadelic Sound" by Little Beaver, "Future Place" by Jimmy Castor, "I Like My Birdie" by Leon Phillips, "Throwdown" by The King Tutt Band, "Back From The Dead" by Bobby Byrd, "Shake N Bump (part 1)" by Snoopy Dean, and "You're The Song I've Always Wanted To Sing" by Timmy Thomas. LP, Vinyl record album

The name Channel One is well known to even the most neophyte aficionados of Jamaican music. One of the cornerstone studios on the Kingston scene, the birthplace of so many classic numbers, any collection is of tracks cut there is going to be heavy. This great set collects both well known hits and some tasty lesser known selections, 36 numbers in all! "I Need A Roof" by the Mighty Diamonds, "Without Love" by Leroy Smart, "CB 200" by Dillinger, "Fade Away" by Junior Byles, "Up Park Camp" by John Holt, "Far East" by Barry Brown, "Things & Time" by the Wailing Souls, "Road Block" by Sammy Dread, "Truly (DJ mix)" by Rankin Trevor, "Dances Are Changes" by Barrington Levy, "Ballistic Affair" by Leroy Smart, "Satisfaction" by John Holt, "Natty Burial" by the Lone Ranger, "Natty Have Credentials" by Don Carlos, "Hard To Confess" by the Tamlins, "MPLA" & "Burial" by Revolutionaries, "I Know Myself" by Ernest Wilson, "Welding" by I Roy, "Smoke Ganja Hard" by Little John, "Babylon" by Sugar Minott, "Worries In The Dance" by Frankie Paul and "Queen Majesty" by Jay & Trevor Rankin. LP, Vinyl record album