We love the vibes-heavy music of Chien Chien Lu, and love it in an even different way here, as she collaborates with bassist Richie Goods – an artist who really helps deepen the sound of her music, and creates this great balance between bass and vibes that's completely amazing! You might not be likely to put the two instruments together right away, but they sounds fantastic here – as Goods has this melodic way of handling his instrument that stems from some of the best electric bass advances in 70s jazz, yet leaned out with a more contemporary vibe – and given these gentle funky elements in the backings that are mighty nice. All those touches make for a perfect setting for Chien's vibes – every bit as spacious, soulful, and seductive as before. The set features guest vocals from Sy Smith and Jamison Ross, plus keyboards from Big Yuki – and titles include "Rain", "Water", "Dull Ice Flower", "Embrace The Now", and a great remake of the Donny Hathaway tune "Someday We'll All Be Free" – plus a bonus radio edit of "Someday We'll All Be Free"! CD

The boldest set so far from up-and-coming vibist Chien Chien Lu – a set that's got a deeper feel and darker energy than some of her previous records – thanks in part to key use of the great Jeremy Pelt on trumpet! The album features a piano-less quartet – with Richie Goods on bass and Allan Mednard on drums – and both Lu and Pelt haver plenty of room to open up and soar on the long tracks on the set – pushing things strongly on original material that really shows Chien Chien starting to grow a lot as a writer, too! The whole thing is great – a new chapter in the career of a musician we're sure to be hearing from for years to come – on titles that include "Just Listen", "Full Moonlight", "Boulangers Variation", "Hsiu Chin", "Chun Yi", and "Special Things" CD

Imagine a record that starts with a fantastic reading of a Roy Ayers' tune, then just gets better as things go on – and that's very much what you'll get here, in this sweet set from vibist Chien Chien Lu! The record's got Chien Chien ringing out on these bold, well-placed notes – recording in Brooklyn, and hitting a sound that's up there with the best of the contemporary NY scene, but with some nice echoes of the past in the way she uses the vibes – full, rich, and very soulful. The rest of the group features work from Jeremy Pelt on trumpet, and Shdrick Mitchell on piano and organ – and in addition to a killer remake of "We Live In Brooklyn", the set features tunes that include "The Imaginary Enemy", "Blossom In A Stormy Night", "Blue In Green", "Invitation", "Tears & Love", and "Mo Better Blues". CD

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One of the heaviest funk records ever to come out of Indy in the 70s – a super-dope batch of ensemble grooving with plenty of odd twists and turns! At one level, the group work in a familiar Earth Wind & Fire-styled vibe – mixing heavy bass, funky rhythms, and lots of great horns – but at another level, the sound is a bit freer, and often hipper – coming across with jazzier influences on many tracks, and an overall style that's got some really righteous undercurrents! A number of tracks here are laidback and spacey – almost cosmic in approach, but a bit more love-oriented in subject matter – served up with some cool watery production that makes the guitar and keyboards really sound great, and some nice use of soprano sax to give the best tunes a nicely sharp edge! Titles include "You Got Action You Got Me", "Lil's Place", "Put A Smile On Time", "Thought My Love Was Free", "Can't Do Without You", and "Everybody's Chippin". Great new CD version – with 20 page book, and the bonus tracks "Laying & Playing", "Be Yourself", and "You Pay For What You Get". CD

Great early work from the enigmatic Wayne Cochran – a whiter-than-white cat who's most famous for his late 60s run of surprisingly great funk and soul records for Chess and King – heard here on the complete tracks recorded for a variety of different labels in the runup to those years! Some of these tracks have Cochran coming across with more of the rockabilly style you'd expect from his famous coiffure – but there's also plenty of early strands of soul music too – served up in that special blend that always made Wayne Cochran such a popular live act on a variety of different stages throughout the south! The package does great justice to these early years of Cochran – complete with a huge illustrated booklet of notes and details on the singles – material originally issued on labels that include Gala, Confederate, Bethlehem, and Scottie – plus key material recorded for King and Mercury as well. The 2CD package features 42 tracks in all - and titles include "No Return", "Liza Jane", "Think", "You Left The Water Running", "The Coo", "Harlem Shuffle", "Last Kiss", "Little Orphan Annie", "Dreams", "Linda Lu", "Cindy Marie", "Funny Feeling", "Money", "Lights Out", "A-Ok", "Get Down With It", "Somebody Please", and "To Make Me A Man". CD

Marvelous late work from tenorist Barney Wilen – the French reedman who first rose to fame in the late 50s, with crucial recordings with Miles Davis and Art Blakey – then really faded from view for most of the next few decades, before making a fantastic late life comeback, with a sound that was even better than before! We love all of the later Barney Wilen records a great deal, but we especially love his work in a live setting – as over the years, Wilen developed this tremendous ability to really stretch out on a solo, and still remain creative – hitting a level that matches the talents of tenor giants like Dexter Gordon or Johnny Griffin, save for the fact that Barney could also play soprano sax, which he does here, in addition to some of the tenor tunes. The group's a tight quartet – with superb work from pianist Olivier Hutman, who also plays some electric piano in addition to acoustic, plus Gilles Naturel on bass and Peter Gritz on drums. All material is issued here for the first time ever – and titles include "Beautiful Love", "L'Ame Des Poetes", "Little Lu", "Mon Blouson", "Besame Mucho", "Goodbye", "No Problem", "Latin Alley", "Bass Blues", "Doxy", "Old Folks", and "How Deep Is The Ocean". CD

Obscure 60s work from Rex Allen – recorded for a smaller label than some of his bigger hits, and done in a more laidback style that's mighty nice! There's less of the western themes on the record than you might guess from Rex's look on the cover – and a fair bit of the album has an easygoing approach to honky tonk – with almost echoes of Hank Thompson at times. Titles include "I'll Keep On Loving You", "Down The Wrong Highway", "Sure As Your Name's Kate", "Sixteen Hundred Miles", "Cold Cold War", and "You Don't Care What Happens To Me". CD

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A mad batch of funky grooves, with a world's worth of influences in the mix – elements of African, Indian, and other styles – all wrapped around some mighty funky instrumentation at the core! One track has a bit of sitar, another some Ethio organ, one more some Nigerian rhythms – and the album progresses with a lean vibe that makes each of these cultural references nicely unified next to the sharp funky instrumentation at the core! Without the global elements, the set would already be a great funk record – but with them alongside, it really soars to the skies – on titles that include "Mehal Safari", "Flugzeug String Machine", "Tilahun", "The Chase", "Stranger To Myself", and "Seven Wisdoms Of Plutonia". CD

A double-length monster from Amon Duul – issued after the first incarnation of the group had disbanded, and pulled from recordings that also gave the world the legendary Psychedelic Underground record! The sounds here are often rawer and more powerful than most of the group's other music – sometimes droning with almost a Faust-like sense of noise, other times rocking but with a vibe that's almost tribal at times – thanks in part to drum parts and percussion that bring a very earthy vibe to the record! While some of the Krautrock groups of this generation were soaring to the skies, this one has Amon Duul almost romping in the dirt – on titles that include "Somnium", "Frequency", "Autonomes", "Chaoticolour", "Asynchron", and "Drum Things". CD

A stunning surprise from Andre 3000 – at least if you only know him as part of Outkast – and a record that finally gives us an audio document of the sounds that Andre has really been involved with in recent years – a beautiful blend of spiritual jazz with mellower currents, aided here by some members of the contemporary LA scene! There's a resonance here with some of the more laidback projects on the International Anthem label, and with the work of Carlos Nino – and no surprise, Nino is on board to deliver great production work throughout, and co-produced the album with Andre too. Andre delivers a lot of work on flute, as hinted at by the cover – and also serves up beautiful sounds on wind controller too – as the set moves between contributions from other artists who include Nate Mercereau on guitars, and Diego Gaeta and Surya Botofasina on keyboards – as well as guest vocals from Mia Doi Todd on two tracks, and shakuhachi from Shabaka Hutchings on one more. Titles include "That Night In Hawaii When I Turned Into A Panther & Started Making These Low Register Purring Tones That I Couldn't Control", "Ninety Three Til Infinity & Beyonce", "Dreams Once Buried Beneath The Dungeon Floor Slowly Sprout Into Undying Gardens", "Ants To You Gods To Who", and "I Swear I Really Wanted To Make A Rap Album But This Is Literally The Way The Wind Blew Me". CD

An amazing little soundtrack – written in mid 60s Peru by jazz pianist Jaime Delgado Aparicio, but easily on a par with some of the best American or Italian scores from the time! The music's got a really wonderful feel throughout – jazz at the core, but with touches of spy soundtrack scoring and some of the lighter, more comedic modes of the Italian scene. Delgado uses a core combo with heavy piano, percussion, and some great trumpet and tenor – almost with the tightness of the Basso-Valdambrini group – but he also expands the sound with bits of strings and some fuller orchestrations, used to shade in some amazing colors that roll, dip, and turn with the beautiful grooves penned for the set. The whole thing's tremendous, with equally great production that creates some odd twists and turns that further keep things interesting as the album rolls on. Titles include "Elm Embajador Y Yo", "Sexy Surf", "Llegando A La Capital", "Isometria", "Todo El Mundo Me Persigue", "Lucha En El Mar", and "La Arana". Added to the soundtrack is Jamie's 1964 album – Jaime Delgado Aparicio Y Su Trio – a crackling bit of piano jazz from the Peruvian scene of the 60s – and a record that's somewhere between the best of Horace Silver on Blue Note, and some of the Brazilian bossa trios of the time! There's a strong sense of rhythm throughout – round, rolling basslines punctuated by great work on the drum kit – all topped by beautifully lyrical lines from Delgado Aparicio on piano – filled with color, light, and life throughout – and soloing with a depth that's rare for such a young player! Titles include a great version of Horace Silver's "Sayonara Blues", plus "The Climate", "Autumn Leaves", "Walkin", and "Blue Daniel". CD

The third and fourth albums from Atomic Rooster – back to back in a single set! First up is Made In England – a really striking album in the career of Atomic Rooster – one that's a little bit groovier than most, and maybe a bit funky as well! The drums are great, and have plenty of soulful currents – and the Hammond, piano, and electric piano work of Vincent Crane almost seem to echo earlier UK beat group currents, but turned towards a much hipper 70s vibe – one that's followed by an equally extended range from vocalist Chris Farlowe, who seems to fold together both his mod and prog experience in the vocals! Steve Bolton brings in some tight, riffing guitar – and titles include "Time Take My Life", "Never To Lose", "Breathless", "People You Can't Trust", "All In Satan's Name", "Close Your Eyes", "Little Bit Of Inner Air", and "Stand By Me". On Nice N Greasy, Atomic Rooster definitely get a bit greasy – using some funkier elements at times, and bluesier currents at others – all at a level that really lets singer Chris Farlowe hit some of his most expressive modes! The group's got a fresh guitarist this time around, Johnny Mandala on lead – and his presence gives some of the cuts a harder rock edge than before, often taking the lead more than the keyboards of longtime member Vincent Crane, which helps shape the sound of the set. Titles include "Voodoo In You", "Save Me", "Satan's Wheel", "Can't Find A Reason", "Take One Toke", and "All Across The Country". CD set features the bonus tracks "Moods" and "What You Gonna Do". CD

A trio of solo albums from Phillip Bailey – presented here with bonus material too! First up is Continuation – an 80s soul classic from Philip Bailey – stepping out here from Earth Wind & Fire in a set that has him sparkling strongly as a solo act! The vocals still have that trademark Bailey sound – a wonderful range that's never overdone, and which seems to shine especially well on the mellow and midtempo tunes in the set! Production is by George Duke, who does a lot to preserve the jazzier warmth of Bailey's previous settings – and although there's a bit more crossover potential here, the sound is still never too commercial or aimed at the charts. Titles include "It's Our Time", "Trapped", "I Know", "I'm Waitin For Your Love", "Desire", "The Good Guy's Supposed To Get The Girls", and "Your Boyfriend's Back". Next is Chinese Wall – a big breakthrough for Philip Bailey – and a record that was kind of a second-level explosion for the Earth Wind & Fire sound in the 80s! There's a definite crossover feel to the record – a style that takes Bailey's soulful vocals, and mixes them with lots of catchy hooks – in ways that push the Kalimba aesthetic even more into mainstream modes. Yet the album's still got some solid soul grounding, too – thanks to arrangements by Tom Tom and Arif Mardin – which is a nice contrast to the production by Phil Collins, who also guests on the hit "Easy Lover". Other cuts include "Time Is A Woman", "Go", "Walking On The Chinese Wall", "Photogenic Memory", "I Go Crazy", and "Children Of The Ghetto". Last is Inside Out – a set that has Philip Bailey working with Nile Rodgers, who gives him a lean, clean sound that works perfectly with his vocals! The sound is a nice change from the direction Bailey was heading in previously – a return to the focused soul of the later Earth Wind & Fire years, with his amazing lead opening up in ways that few other singers can match. Tunes are pretty well-penned too – catchy, but never cloyingly commercial – and titles include "State Of The Heart", "Welcome To The Club", "Special Effect", "Because Of You", "Take This With You", "The Day Will Come", "Back It Up", and "Echo My Heart". 3CD set features nice bonus material – "I Know (ext dance mix)", "Love Is Alive", "Easy Lover (with Phil Collins)", "Walking On The Chinese Wall (single)", "State Of The Heart (dub mix)", "Twins (with Little Richard)", "Twins (club mix)", and "Easy Lover (ext dance mix)". CD

Massively heavy sounds from A Bolha – a Brazilian group who were previously known as The Bubbles, and backed up Gal Costa during the Tropicalia years – but who work here in a fuzzy, bassy groove that's totally great – definitely an heir to the headier sounds of the UK scene at the start of the 70s! The guitars are definitely in full force here, but the basslines drive things along strongly too – echoing some of the Peruvian sounds of the time, but with a bit more Brazilian sophistication – and definitely a musical echo of lessons learned during Tropicalia, even though the set's a fully instrumental one. Organ also figures in the mix too – and titles include "Bye My Friend", "Razao De Existir", "Um Passo A Frente", "A Esfera", and "Neste Rock Forever". CD is beautifully done – with full notes in the great Lion tradition – and bonus tracks that include "Sem Nada" and "18.30 Parte 1". CD

A tremendous step forward for the young Muhal Richard Abrams – a set that still shows his early roots in the AACM, but which also blossoms with some of his more serious compositional efforts to come! There's a sensitivity here that really stands out – even among Abrams' contemporaries – a striving for a wider range of expression – some as bold as before, some much more deeply personal and intimate. The tracks feature a shifting array of players – working alongside Abrams piano, and building up the sound in a number of different ways. Players include Wallace McMillan on flute and sax, Edwin Daugherty on sax, Richard Brown on sax, Emanuel Cranshaw on vibes, Rufus Reid on bass, and Steve McCall and Wilbur Campbell on drums. Ella Jackson provides vocals on "How Are You?" – and other titles include "Ballad For New Souls", "Things To Come From Those Now Gone", "In Retrospect", "Ballad For Old Souls", "1 & 4 Plus 2 & 7", and "March Of The Transients". CD

A long-overdue full length album from Ace Of Cups – a really unusual female group from the Bay Area scene of the late 60s – but one who never hit the heights of their bigger San Francisco contemporaries! The girls have this really great look on the back – kind of flower power, but with a bit more charm – a quality that comes through in the music, with is often more garagey than trippy – but which also has a way of putting forth female vocals and honest ideas that might not flourish this strongly for similar groups until the post-punk years. That approach makes the whole thing a truly timeless collection of tracks – of the sort that maybe resonate more strongly today than they did back in the 60s. Titles include "Music", "Boy What You'll Do Then", "Glue", "Taste Of One", "Stones", "Looking For My Man", "Pretty Boy", "Waller Street Blues", "Catch You Later", "Simplicity", "I Wanna Testify", "Hear Every Sound", and a great version of "Afro Blue". CD

Bold new work from the legendary Pyramids ensemble – a spiritual jazz group who go back to the 70s, but who've reemerged in recent years with a renewed sense of energy, and a very forward-thinking sound! Leader Idris Ackamoor is still a master of tone and feeling on reeds – including alto and tenor, plus some other instrumentation as well – and he also vocalizes a bit on the record too hitting some righteous expressions that are in the spirit of Leon Thomas or Dwight Trible, mixed along with instrumentation from other players on drums, percussion, keyboards, trumpet, trombone, and guitar. The album's got a beautifully positive vibe – and titles include "Police Dem", "First Peoples", "Afro Futuristic Dreams", "Garland Rose", "Truth To Power", and "Requiem For The Ancestors". CD

Rare Capitol country from the great Kay Adams – a female singer with a distinct love of trucking songs, and one who also hails from the Buck Owens side of the spectrum too! Kay only cut a handful of records over the years, and this set's a great addition to her catalog – as it features unissued cuts that were recorded live with backing from Buck's group The Buckaroos – all done at the Buck Owens Ranch Show, and with a sound that's very much like Owens' excellent work of the time – with some of the more truck-themed tunes you'd be likely to hear from labelmate Red Simpson. Titles include "Rocks In My Head", "Six Days A Waiting", "Roll Out The Red Carpet", "Little Pink Mack", "Bottle Baby", "I Let A Stranger Buy the Wine", "Down Down Down", "Loose Talk", and a duet with Dick Curless on "A Devil Like Me". CD features three bonus tracks too! CD

A record that definitely earns its title – as the combination of sounds here is really transcendent – the piano of Nicki Adams and tenor of Michael Eaton, both working together without any other instrumentation at all! The players complement each other in a great way – as Adams has a style on the keys that's very fluid, and filled with notes – never too busy, but almost like these waves of sound that are balanced by the more punctuated style of Eaton – who's a player who's also got a nice flow, but with maybe a different approach to the wave cycle than the pianist. Titles include nice takes on the Joe Henderson tunes "Afro Centric", "Inner Urge", and "Black Narcissus" – plus "Tres", "Intrinsic Value", "The Transcendental", and "Myshkin". CD

The hippest side of Cannonball Adderley at the end of the 60s – that loose, soulful vibe he was serving up on some of his coolest records for Capitol at the time – stretched out here over some very long tracks recorded live in France! The year alone marks the record as a great one – as Cannon in 1969 could do no wrong – and he's working here with his crack quintet that includes Nat Adderley on cornet, Victor Gaskin on bass, and Roy McCurdy on drums – plus the mighty Joe Zawinul on both acoustic and electric piano – really finding his groove here, with that incredible sense of chunky rhythm that really seemed to set Cannonball and Nat on fire! Titles include "Why Am I Treated So Bad", "The Scavenger", "Experience In E", "Blue No Boogie", "Walk Tall", "Come Sunday", "Work Song", and "Manha De Carnaval". CD

With a record like this, it's hard to believe that Christian Scott started out in more standard jazz – as Chief Xian Atunde Adjuah is a very different artist altogether, one who wraps together worlds and eras of musical heritage – working here in a set that's very heavy on percussion, vocal refrains, and other elements you never would have heard in his earlier music! The leader works a whole host of percussion along with other members of the group, but also adds in some larger production elements too – always in a way that's nicely subtle, and preserves the acoustic energy at the core – yet which really enriches the proceedings too! The album's overflowing with righteous power – and titles include "On To New Orleans", "Bark Out Thunder Roar Out Lighting", "Xodokan Iko Hu Na Ney", "Trouble That Mornin", "Blood Calls Blood", "Ashe Chief Donald", "Golden Crown", and "Shallow Water". CD

The return of a legend – and a tremendously groovy little record! Brazilian keyboardist/composer Antonio Adolfo's been making records for years – but easily his greatest albums were those cut at the end of the 60s with his Brazuka group – a cool combination of funky rhythms, electric keyboards, spacious production, and female vocals – all wrapped up with that glorious Blue Brazil sound of the EMI/Odeon label. Here, Adolfo recaptures that sound beautifully – returning to modes he hasn't touched in decades – and getting tremendous treatment from the Far Out label, who really help him hit that classic sound right. The record's an instantly timeless set that rivals all of Antonio's wonderful work from many years back – recorded with Adolfo on keyboards, live jazzy rhythms, a bit of strings, and twin harmony vocals from daughters Carol Saboya and Luisa Saboia – soaring out beautifully with a really groovy sound. The whole thing's wonderful – even better than you might expect – and titles include "Bola Da Vez", "Papo Furado", "Luizao", "Eu E Voce", "Tudo E Brasil", "Domingo Azul", "Tao Iguais", "SOS Amazonas", "Sonho Estelar", and "Dono Do Mundo". CD

Three full albums from this great Dutch pianist! Miss Dee is a heck of a set from Dutch pianist Rob Agerbeek – easily one of the most soulful European pianists of the 70s, even in an acoustic setting like this! Rob's got a bite on the keys that reminds us a lot more of American players from the 60s – not a straight soul jazz groove, but a style that definitely draws from that mode – then opens up into some more lyrical elements that are more in keeping with overseas expression in the 70s. The trio matches his energy nicely – especially on the upbeat numbers that rule the set – with bass from Harry Emmery and drums from Eric Ineke – on titles that include "Little Miss Dee", "Cup Bearers", "Birk's Works", "Caravan", and "Out Of This World". Second Opinion is a trio set from the great Rob Agerbeek – one that lets him open up on familiar tunes, but with a sense of imagination that really packs a lot into a small space! The lineup features Paul Berner on bass and Ben Schroeder on drums – and titles include "Summertime", "East Of The Sun", "Lover Man", "Besame Mucho", "Mad About The Boy", "Girl Talk", "As Time Goes By", and "Things Ain't What They Used To Be". Lock Stock & Barrell is a relatively recent set from Dutch piano Rob Agerbeek – who locks it up nicely, in a trio with Erik Albjerg on bass and Tjeerd Klapwijk on drums! Titles include "Lock Stock & Barrel", "A Child Is Born", "Round Midnight", "O Morro Nao Tem Vez", "Thora's Dance", "Cubano Chant", "Nearest & Dearest", and "Footprints". CD

An incredible compilation of classic era dub work from King Tubby's – played by producer Bunny Lee's legendary Aggrovators band and showcasing the mixing skills of Tubby, Prince Jammy, Scientist and others! This is prime era hypnotic dub of the finest caliber – originally issued on Jamaican 45s, and hard-to-find for decades! The great Blood & Fire label did the dub digging community a major solid by issuing the material on some wonderful compilations, but even those had been out of print for a couple decades before this much needed, sprawling VP/17th North Parade assemblage. Includes "A Bag Of Wire Dub", "Dub Of Rights", "A Heavy Dub", "A Living Version", "How Long Dub", "Breaking Up Dub", "Poor Barber", "Sub To The Rescue", "King Tubby's In Fine Style", "Horn For I", "Jah Love Rocker's Dub", "Stealing Version", "Fatter Dub", "Satta Dread Dub", "Tubby Get Smart", "Beat Them In Dub", "Version Of Class", "Peace And Love In The Dub", "Thunder Rock", "Channel Is A Joker", "Peace And Love In The Dub", "Step It Up In Dub", "Chapter Of Money" and more. 44 tracks on 2CDs! CD

A seminal 70s set from the legendary Air trio – and one of their wonderful non-American dates from the early years – material recorded overseas, where this famous AACM trio was maybe getting more attention than in the US! The album was originally a Japanese-only album, and it's easily one of the group's greatest of the decade – a sublime set that really has them working strongly in their AACM roots, yet also reaching for a new sound too – a beautiful balance between jazz generations, carried off perfectly by the trio of Henry Threadgill on reeds, Fred Hopkins on bass, and Steve McCall on drums! Tracks are long, and extremely inventive – and titles include "Through A Keyhole Darkly", "Air Raid", and "Midnight Sun". CD