A real gem from Jay & The Americans – a record that was part of an initial step forward with their own creative direction, but which also nods back at the earlier music that had inspired their work! The set's filled with older gems from the early years of rock and soul – delivered by the group with a fuller set of arrangements, but also this strange current of blue – maybe a melancholy for the past, or in a way that almost uses the sounds of older times as a mask to hide the sadder currents of the present. Titles include "This Magic Moment", "So Much In Love", "Mean Woman Blues", "When You Dance", "Hushabye", and "Goodnight My Love". LP, Vinyl record album

A classic masterpiece from J Dilla – a record that set the tone for countless hip hop releases in years to come – but which still shows Jay Dee as one of the smartest, sharpest, most forward-thinking producers to rule the roost! The set's got some incredible live instrumentation – lots of funky drums from Karriem Riggins, and a wealth of Fender Rhodes and other keyboards from Dwele – two artists brought along from the Detroit underground by Dilla, in a lineup that also includes work from Frank N Dank, Blu, Phat Kat, and Beej. The whole thing is fantastic, this amazing blend of instrumentals and vocal numbers that show that hip hop had plenty of new territory to open up in the 21st century – on titles that even include tributes to some key inspirations – like "African Rhythms" (Oneness of Juju), "Brazilian Groove" (Earth Wind & Fire), and "Think Twice" (Donald Byrd). The whole thing is classic – and other cuts include "Rico Suave Bossa Nova", "Shake It Down", "Give it Up", "The Clapper", and "Come Get It". CD

"This here is the victory lap," raps Hov midway through The Black Album, his supposed career-capper (for this stage, anyway), and if nothing here immediately dazzles us to the core the way the best of his past singles have done, overall this is probably the most consistent front-to-back listen of all his albums. One of the nicest things about the Black Album is the brevity. As tight as the best of his recent output has been over the last couple of years – from singles, to album tracks, to guest spots – Jay-Z's simply been TOO productive, which has diluted the overall power of his presence. That issue is addressed right off the bat here – with a very manageable 14 tracks, no guest rhymers, and a consistent overall sound and mood thanks in part to strong production by Kanye West, 9th Wonder, Neptunes, Timbaland, Eminem (who's baroque synth productions are getting dangerously close to going stale, but it fits Jay-Z's dramatic finale theme very well), Rick Rubin and DJ Quik. It's a wildly disparate cast behind the boards, but this thing flows incredibly well thanks to Jay-Z's predetermined mission to make a great album, not just a hot record. We may still have to lean towards Blueprint as his late masterpiece, but this is way up there. "December 4th", "What More Can I Say?", "Encore", "Change Clothes", "Dirt Off Your Shoulder", "Threat", "Moment Of Clarity", "99 Problems", "Justify My Thug", "Lucifer", "Allure", "My First Song", and a couple of brief interludes. LP, Vinyl record album

"This here is the victory lap," raps Hov midway through The Black Album, probably the most consistent front-to-back listen of all his albums. One of the nicest things about the Black Album is the brevity – with a very manageable 14 tracks, no guest rhymers, and a consistent overall sound and mood thanks in part to strong production by Kanye West, 9th Wonder, Neptunes, Timbaland, Eminem, Rick Rubin and DJ Quik. It's a wildly disparate cast behind the boards, but this thing flows incredibly well thanks to Jay-Z's predetermined mission to make a great album, not just a hot record. We may still have to lean towards Blueprint as his late masterpiece, but this is way up there. "December 4th", "What More Can I Say?", "Encore", "Change Clothes", "Dirt Off Your Shoulder", "Threat", "Moment Of Clarity", "99 Problems", "Justify My Thug", "Lucifer", "Allure", "My First Song", and a couple of brief interludes. LP, Vinyl record album

With Charlie Parker and Willie Smith on alto; Charlie Ventura and Lester Young on tenor; Al Killian, Dizzy Gillespie, and Howard McGhee on trumpet; Arnold Ross and Mel Powell on piano, Billy Hadnott on bass, and Lee Young on drum. 7-inch, Vinyl record

A really cool issue of this always-great magazine – one that offers up a special look at European jazz singers from the postwar years onwards – with key recordings for dozens of artists, laid out in Japanese discography style! That means that the core text is Japanese, but you'll find album covers and other details in English to really point you in the right direction – to help you discover rare work by singers who include familiar names like Georgie Fame, Sathima Bea Benjamin, Norma Winstone, and others – mixed with dozens of others who are equally great, but much more obscure! There's other features in the mix too – and the book-style issue is 216 pages, with black and white images, and some in color. Book

This issue looks at jazz singers from the postwar years onwards – starting with the generation of Jennie Smith, who's pictured on the cover – and running up through key hip vocalists well into the 21st Century! The issue follows previous ones in that it has a discography of the artists within – with a few key albums of dozens of singers, presented with a black and white image of the album cover, and other details in English – a huge rundown of vocalists, with a lot of albums to discover! And as always, there's other features too – a cool color section at the start, jazz reviews and other news, in a total of 216 pages with black and white images throughout. Book

... Book

New versions of work by one of the grooviest groups in the world – the mighty mighty Jazzanova, one of the most influential combos in modern music of the past few years! Jazzanova are a tireless ensemble – not only working endlessly to discover and promote new music on their own label, but creators of the modern groove themselves – working from a huge knowledge of classic 60s and 70s sounds, pointing the way towards a jazzed-up future! Here, Jazzanova's best tracks of recent years are reworked by a stunning assortment of talents that includes friends, legends, and many inspired by the sound of the group. The package is a wonderful double-length set – stuffed with 23 tracks that include "Introspection" remixed by Calm, "Soon" remixed by Domu, "Takes You Back" remixed by Electric Sheep, "LOVE & You & I" remixed by Madlib, "That Night" remixed by Wahoo, "Keep Falling" remixed by Forss, "Another New Day" remixed by Moonstarr, "The One-Tet" remixed by DJ DSL, "Another New Day" remixed by Stereolab, "Days To Come" remixed by Ayro, "Mwela Mwela" remixed by King Britt, "Coffee Talk" remixed by Yukihiro Fukutomi, and "No Use" remixed by Beanfield. CD

Quite an unusual project from Jazzanova – a mixture of older tracks and newer ones, all brought together for an erotic German stage production! The theme of the show really unifies the tracks in a great way – bringing out qualities in Jazzanova's music that we've never noticed before, especially as their own tracks come into play with other numbers from different Sonar Kollektiv artists. There's a groove here that's straightforwardly slinky, and often a bit funky too – one that shakes off some of the too-abstract moments that sometimes get in the way with recent Jazznova projects, and focuses on the most cohesive part of their groove! Titles include the Jazzanova tracks "Behold These Days (Berlin 74)", "This Is The Place", "Glow & Glare", "Theme From Belle Et Fou", "That Night (Live At The SK Office with Clara Hill)", "Keep On Making Me High", and "Am I Losing You" – plus "Maybe Now" by Clara Hill, "Just A Lil Lovin (DJ edit)" by Outlines, "Flickermood" by Forss, "Sun In My Candlelight" by Wahoo, and "Caprice" by Extended Spirit. CD

Essential funk in a single set – three killer albums from James Brown's legendary backing group! First up is Food For Thought – the classic first album by The JBs – James Brown's Fred Wesley-led backing band, and the force behind most of his greatest records of the early 70s! The band are incredible at this point – sharper, harder, and funkier than just about any other combo around – and that includes all the thousands of groups in the funky 45 underground who were always trying to copy their sound, but never got things this right! Not only are the rhythms the stuff of legend – but the use of the instruments is far far above the norm – as can be heard on the mindblowing "The Grunt", which was sampled heavily by Public Enemy to great fame – and which features a saxophone solo that sounds more like a whistling tea kettle! The set collects some of the group's best early singles, and includes all of the short little funky cuts that made them a legend right out of the box – "Pass the Peas", "The Grunt", "These Are The JBs", "Hot Pants Road", "Wine Spot", "To My Brother", "Blessed Blackness", "Theme From King Heroin", "Escapism (parts 1 & 2), and "Gimme Some More" – all together here in one tight little album of massive funky hard beats and breaks! Doing It To Death is an incredible album – a landmark piece of funk that nobody should be without, funk fan or not! The album is the second to feature James Brown's famous backing combo of the early 70s – and unlike their first one, which was really more of a collection of singles, this album has the group playing hard, long, and loud, in the free funk improvisational mode that was James' real contribution to the music at the time. The tracks are all incredibly long, with James at the forefront, egging the band on with shouts and comments – but also letting them open up large instrumentally, playing in a mode that's as much jazz as it is funky soul. The whole thing's peppered with some nice shorter segues between tracks – but the long cuts are the winners, and are some of the best funk ever recorded! Titles include "Mo Peas", "Doing It To Death", "La Di Da La Di Day", "You Can Have Watergate, Just Gimme Some Bucks & I'll Be Straight", and "Sucker". Last up is Damn Right I Am Somebody – quite possibly our favorite record by the JBs, ever! The set starts with a wonderful conversational bit – rapping and musing on the idea of "Damn Right, I Am Somebody" – showing the group in a political and righteous mode for the first time ever. The grooves then kick in – with the same heavy funk as on earlier records, but also a nice nod towards experimental production – from strange fade ups and fade downs, to stark time and rhythm changes, and even bits of electronics used to create some very cool moments in the grooves! The whole thing's as dead funky as can be, and is stuffed with insane classics like "Blow Your Head", "Same Beat", "Damn Right I am Somebody", "I'm Payin' Taxes, What am I Buyin'", and a great cover of Marvin Gaye's "You Sure Love to Ball"! CD

A different groove than usual from The JBs – but still pretty darn nice, and way better than just about all the other funky combos on the market! It's the late 70s, and James Brown's head is a bit addled – he thinks he's the guy who invented disco, and he starts turning his extended funky sound towards the clubs. By this point, Fred and Maceo had left him, so he's working here with a new version of the JBs, one that still includes Jimmy Nolan on guitar and Sinclair Pickney on sax – and although the new band's not the same as the old, they're a surprisingly good funk band nonetheless, and the album's still more of a funk album than you'd guess from the title. In fact, if the record didn't have JBs in the title, most folks would probably thing it was some great lost band! Lots of uptempo funk tracks, similar to those on James' albums from the time – and Martha & The Lazers sing vocals on a few tracks. Titles include "JBs Disco", "Night Train Disco", "A Little Bit Of Disco", and "Soul Of The Disco". CD

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

Nicely sharp sounds from the great JJ Johnson – a set that has the trombonist really honing his edge on a host of tight, short tracks – with a vibe that almost recalls his initial bop recordings on Blue Note and Prestige! The style here is a bit more sophisticated – definitely with an ear towards the modern directions that JJ was exploring in the 50s – but the sound is also nicely spontaneous, with more focus on improvisation between group members than larger arrangements – quite nice, given that the group features excellent tenor from Bobby Jaspar on tenor – and either Tommy Flanagan or Hank Jones on piano, Percy Heath or Wilbur Little on bass, and Elvin Jones on drums. Tracks are short, and titles include "Overdrive", "Cube Steak", "Chasin The Bird", and "Solar". LP, Vinyl record album

Elvin Jones rose to fame in the company of one of the greatest saxophone players ever – the mighty John Coltrane – and his post-Coltrane work like this really continues a keen respect for the role of the reeds in jazz – and really does a lot to push it forward as well! There's a compelling edge to the record that's light years from Elvin's work with Coltrane – a completely new sensibility that can be spacious one minute, extremely powerful the next – and quite possibly realized to its fullest potential here, thanks to the mindblowing contributions of Dave Liebman on tenor and soprano sax, Frank Foster on tenor and flute, and Joe Farrell on alto and soprano sax. All three players work together on each track – and all shift reeds throughout the session – opening up majestically with inspiration from Elvin's drums, and some wonderful work from Gene Perla on bass. The sound is beyond easy categorization or simple style – and the record's filled with wonderful titles that include "PP Phoenix", "For All The Other Times", "Three Card Monty", and "Cecilia Is Love". LP, Vinyl record album

Proof that Elvin Jones wasn't just riding on the laurels of the Great One during his years with John Coltrane – as the album's a breakout date that has Jones firmly establishing his own voice in jazz! There's an explosive power here that makes us think that Elvin must have really just been biding his time with Coltrane – waiting for the chance to try out his own new ideas in music, and finding the perfect accompanists here in a trio that includes Jimmy Garrison on bass and a young Joe Farrell on tenor, soprano sax, and flute! The lack of a piano in the group really makes for a sense of new freedom that's totally great – not dreamy, melodic piano-less work, as in some of the LA groups of earlier years – but a searing, soaring intensity that Farrell was a perfect choice to head up. And while the format might serve to be an excuse for Coltrane-styled blowing, the approach here is decidedly not – a more focused, energy driven approach that really makes strong use of Jones' work on the drum kit, throbs with soulful undercurrents from Garrison's bass, and is topped off by angular, effortlessly-blown lines from Farrell – clearly pointing the way towards a generation of players that would emerge in his wake during the 70s. Tracks include "Village Greene", "Reza", "Kei Ko's Birthday March", and "Sweet Little Mama". CD

A beautiful bit of understated 70s brilliance from Hank Jones – working here in a no-nonsense format that rivals the greatness of his earlier years! At one level, the album's recorded with some of the touches of some of the Japanese trio sides of the 70s – yet the tunes here are tighter, and shorter, with more of a focus on Hank's straightforward approach to the keys. Rhythm is by Ron Carter on bass and Grady Tate on drums – and titles include "Wind Flower", "Minor Contention", "Favors", "Nothin Beats An Evil Woman", and Gary McFarland's "Hanky Panky". CD

A real step forward for Quincy Jones – a record that really shows the jazzman moving into sophisticated new territory – a sound that's just right for the CTI generation! The album's got a vibe that's a bit similar to Quincy's Walking In Space album, but it's a lot deeper too – touched with some of the African elements you might guess from the title – arranged in ways that are often quite spacious, so that the tunes really take some time to find just the right groove! Backings are large, but show the leaner elements that Jones was bringing to his soundtrack work – and instrumentation includes vibes from Milt Jackson, marimba from Don Elliott, flute from Hubert Laws, soprano sax from Jerome Richardson, trumpet from Freddie Hubbard, trombone from Al Grey, and guitar from Eric Gale. Keyboards figure strongly – played by Herbie Hancock and Bob James – and special features include a bit of guitar and whistling from Toots Thielemans, plus some soulful vocals from Valerie Simpson. "Gula Matari" is an incredible 12 minute tribal groove – and other titles include a killer take on Nat Adderley's "Hummin", plus "Walkin" and "Bridge Over Troubled Water". LP, Vinyl record album

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! LP, Vinyl record album

Clifford Jordan certainly leaves us Spellbound with this set – playing with an amazing tone that's arguably one of his deepest on record from the early days! The set's got a relaxed, open feel that really points the way towards the growth Jordan would experience in the 70s – and his solos, while bold and soulful in the Chicago school mode, also show a sensitivity that's even more amazing – a sense of voice, balance, and presence that rivals that of John Coltrane at the same point in his career – yet in ways that aren't Trane-like at all. The group's a quartet, with later frequent partner Cedar Walton on piano – probably a big part of the sensitivity here – plus Spanky DeBrest on bass and Albert Heath on drums. Titles include "Spellbound", "Toyu", "Moon-a-tic", "Last Night When We Were Young", and "Hot Water". CD

One of the only two vocal jazz albums that the Blue Note label recorded back in the day – and a haunting batch of tracks from a young Sheila Jordan! The style here is quite different than that of Jordan's later, more experimental records – and this early session shows her as an extremely talented young vocalist, with a unique approach that adds a sparkling modernist touch to familiar tunes – yet which still keeps things in a relatively more straightforward fashion. There's a great mixing of older and newer visions in the set – not just in Jordan's vocals, but also in the small combo backing by the trio of Barry Galbraith on guitar, Steve Swallow on bass, and Denzil Best on drums. Titles include great versions of "Baltimore Oriole", "Dat Dere", and "Hum Drum Blues" – plus the tunes "I'm A Fool To Want You", "Am I Blue", "Laugh Clown Laugh", and "Who Can I Turn To?". CD

One of the only two vocal jazz albums that the Blue Note label recorded back in the day – and a haunting batch of tracks from a young Sheila Jordan! The style here is quite different than that of Jordan's later, more experimental records – and this early session shows her as an extremely talented young vocalist, with a unique approach that adds a sparkling modernist touch to familiar tunes – yet which still keeps things in a relatively more straightforward fashion. There's a great mixing of older and newer visions in the set – not just in Jordan's vocals, but also in the small combo backing by the trio of Barry Galbraith on guitar, Steve Swallow on bass, and Denzil Best on drums. Titles include great versions of "Baltimore Oriole", "Dat Dere", and "Hum Drum Blues" – plus the tunes "I'm A Fool To Want You", "Am I Blue", "Laugh Clown Laugh", and "Who Can I Turn To?". CD

... LP, Vinyl record album

The first new music we've heard in years from Afro Funk giant Orlando Julius – wonderfully paired here with the always-great Heliocentrics! Orlando's definitely in the lead here – singing, playing tenor, and contributing percussion to the overall groove of the group – which leans a bit more towards a 70s African vibe than some of their other releases, yet still retains all their wonderful style of psychedelic funk! Some of the rhythms have an Ethiopian sense of slinkiness, while others hit more of a full-on Nigerian groove – and the whole thing's never forced, never gimmicky, and instead just the right sort of setting for Julius to re-emerge as a true giant of his generation. Titles include "Buje Buje", "Love Thy Neighbor", "Aseni", "Sangodele", "Jaiyede Afro", "Omo Oba Blues", "In The Middle", and "Be Counted". LP, Vinyl record album

A sprawling extended album that had a bit of a legendary status before it was ever released – in part because Kanye West recorded part of the record in the Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta while it was closed down during the pandemic! The set brings forward some of the spiritual themes of the album's predecessor, but also has some sharper hip hop edges overall – and some of the anger that reflects the changes that were taking place in Kanye's personal life at the time – reflected in a few of the album's more intense tracks, which are usually some of the best. Titles include "Jail", "God Breathed", "Hurricane", "Off The Grid", "Jonah", "Ok Ok", "Praise God", "Believe What I Say", "24", "Remote Control", "Moon", "Heaven & Hell", "Keep My Spirit Alive", "Donda", and "New Again". LP, Vinyl record album

Wonderful work from Ty Karim – a singer who definitely lives up to the "soul goddess" promised in the title! Ty might not be the biggest name in California soul, but she's a hell of a great talent here – starting out in the 60s with upbeat Northern Soul groovers – then moving into the 70s with material that's even deeper, and a bit more sophisticated – laidback numbers that really show a maturation in style, and which are filled with wonderful twists and turns! Ty's vocals have a burning quality that's quite surprising, given her kittenish look on the cover – and as the themes get hotter, her singing gets even more righteous – making the whole package a really wonderful journey in soul. And although most of these numbers were issued (or recorded, but unissued) by tiny indie labels, they often have a very full, spacious approach to production – one that's really trying to hit the heights of Detroit or New York at the time. A good number of these cuts weren't issued at the time, and together with the rare singles, they really go a long way towards filling in the gaps in Ty's too-short career on record – further illuminated in the detailed notes from Ady Croasdell. Titles include "Lighten Up Baby", "Help Me Get That Feeling Back Again", "Only A Fool", "All At Once", "Lightin Up", "I Ain't Lying", "You Just Don't Know", "Natural Do", "I'm Leavin You", "All In Vain", "After Your Love Has Gone", "Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight", and "Don't Make Me Do Wrong". CD

Classic 70s work from KC & The Sunshine Band – a record that's not as hit-heavy as previous efforts, but still a plenty great set that's filled with catchy dancefloor funk! KC's clearly feeling the heat of the disco fire he helped to ignite a few years before – and there's definitely an ear hear towards tracks that would boom out nicely on a heavier sound system – kind of a deepening of the sometimes bargain basement production the group got on earlier TK records. That approach doesn't dampen the groove, though, and there's still a nice mix here of soul, funk, club, and tropical modes – sometimes a bit off the mark, but still a heck of a lot better than most of the group's contemporaries! Titles include a remake of "It's The Same Old Song", plus "Who Do Ya Love", "How About A Little Love", "Sho-Nuff'" and "Come To My Island". LP, Vinyl record album

A great set by Stan Kenton – one that applies the dark tones of his style to a range of popular numbers that end up completely transformed! The album features some wonderful charts from arranger Lennie Niehaus – emerging here as one of the more complicated talents of the west coast scene of the time – and stepping off the strength of his 50s small group sessions, into a realm that really points the way towards his later soundtrack work. The sound is lush and filled with colors from the dark end of the spectrum – mostly carried by a mellophonium-heavy horn section, but also featuring some redemptive moments on breakout solos. Titles include "Darn That Dream", "Moonlight Becomes You", "How Do I Look In Blue", "Time After Time", "My One And Only Love", and "You Stepped Out Of A Dream". LP, Vinyl record album

With Chuck Domanico on bass, Vic Feldman on vibes, Jake Hanna on drums, Milt Holland on percussion, Jimmy Rowles on keyboards, and Herbie Steward on reeds and flute. CD

The only album we've ever seen from Khemistry – but a heck of a sweet little set, and one that's always been dear to our hearts! The trio features two gals and one guy, all working with a great sing-song approach on the vocals – and a snapping 80s groove on the rhythms! There's a warmth here that you don't always find in sets of this type – a simple, straightforward feel that keeps the whole album humming along nicely – even through some of the mellower numbers. Production is never too commercial, and the instrumentation's never too electric – and the album's got a simple charm that's kept it a favorite on rare soul lists for decades. Titles include "Can You Feel My Love", "There's No Me Without You", "I Can't Lose With The Stuff I Use", "Sucker For The Boogie", "I Got A Feeling", and "Walking Papers". CD

If you only know BB King from later years, you'll really be stunned at the sound of this great set from the start of the 60s – a record that's much more R&B than the straighter blues of King's bigger label work – and which has a jumping groove nearly all the way through! The mix of modes is right in that best Memphis style of the 50s – currents of jazz, jump blues, and other soulful styles – all topped by King's bold vocals, and given a bit of sweet guitar solos on most tracks – already razor-sharp, even at this early point in his career! Titles include "Bad Luck Soul", "Shut Your Moth", "My Reward", "Don't Cry Anymore", "Just Like A Woman", and "Blues For Me". CD features 8 bonus tracks – including "Broken Promise", "Mercy Mercy Baby", "Lonely", "You're Gonna Miss Me", "I Can Hear My Name", and "Just A Dream". CD

Great work from one of the undisputed UK maestros of lovers rock during the 80s – producer Neville King, who serves up this totally sweet batch of overlooked gems from the time! The groove is nice and mellow – that fantastic blend of contemporary soul and reggae rhythms that really took hold in London and other UK spots from the late 70s onward – perfect for slow-stepping in the more laidback hours of a party, or chilling out back home on your own! Singers on all these tracks are great – nicely understated, but plenty soulful – and titles include "What About Me" by Blood Sisters, "Lady Lady" by One Blood, "At The Dance" by Leroy Simmonds, "It's Love That Makes A Woman" by Karen Dixon, "They Don't Stay Long" by Unique, "Open Up The Door" by Charisma, "The Day Will Come" by The Sadonians, "Love Sweet Love" by Love & Emotion, and "Not My Baby" by The Sensations. CD features bonus tracks – "Hold Me Tight" by Natural Touch, and "Loving Kind" by Simplicity. CD

A record that revolutionized the concept of jazz vocals in the 50s – thanks to famous performances by Annie Ross and King Pleasure! The tracks on the LP include Ross' early interpretations of Wardell Gray's classics "Twisted" and "Farmer's Market", and the King Pleasure set includes classics like "Red Top", "This Is Always", "Sometimes I'm Happy", and his great duet with Jon Hendricks, "Don't Get Scared". A landmark LP of jazz vocal sides, and one that no fan of vocalese should be without. LP, Vinyl record album

A stone classic from Roland Kirk – and a record that beautifully balances his modern ideas and playful energy – as you might guess from the title! While posing as the "whistleman", Roland's also pushing the boundaries of jazz a few steps forward too – not just in modern terms, but in spiritual ones too – showing that there's a way of letting loose that doesn't always have to be cold or artsy, but personal and soulful too. There's still echoes of the hardbop of the Mercury years, and plenty of inventive reed work from Kirk – on tenor, alto sax, manzello, stritch, and even nose flute too. The album was recorded live with a very hip cast that includes Lonnie Smith and Jaki Byard on piano, Charles Crosby on drums, and Major Holley on bass – and tracks include "Roots", "Here Comes The Whistleman", "Step Right Up", and "Aluminum Baby". LP, Vinyl record album

A hell of a live set from Sonny Knight & The Lakers – a record that's twice as long as the group's studio session, and maybe twice as smoking as well! Sonny's an older soul singer from years back, but he's never sounded better than working here with funky backings from The Lakers – a combo who've fused a style with the singer that few other groups can match – one of those rare cases where an older artist can find a really fresh breath of life while still moving forward, and where the younger talents seem to really hit a level of mature focus in the presence of the older artist. The recording quality is great – very sharp and on point – at a level that captures all the spontaneous energy of the group as they really stretch out and do their thing! Some tracks are nice and long – and titles include "Juicy Lucy", "Get Up And Dance", "Through With You", "Sonny's Boogaloo", "Where Did You Sleep Last Night", "Day Tripper", "Baby Baby Baby", "It's You For Me", "Sock A Poo Poo", "When You're Gone", "Cave Man", "I'm Still Here" (parts 1 & 2), "Sugar Man", and "Hey Girl". LP, Vinyl record album

A totally fantastic live set from Japanese drummer Yoichi Kobayashi – a musician who's played on the scene for decades, and who has a way of bringing forward all the strengths of those years to his music! The set features appearances from American all-stars, but more on them later – as the core group is great enough to win us over on the first half of the set, with an updated take on a Blue Note-styled groove, but with inventive rhythms that really open things up too – as the drummer works with Yutarao Suzuki on trumpet, Tomonori Sakurai on tenor, Heitetsu Rin on piano, and Koji Yasuda on bass – plus koto from Makiko Goda, who echoes some older jazz Japan styles in a great way. The second half of the set also brings in Eric Alexander on tenor and Vincent Herring on alto – both players who are as strongly soulful as you might expect – on titles that include "Uncle Eddie", "Akita Rap", "Yama", "Eddie Harris", "Peace", "The Gypsy", "Encounter", and "Safari". CD

Amazing work from Kool & The Gang – from a period when they were pushing past their tight early funky sound, into a super-dope mix of electronics and spacey jamming that is still pretty darn revolutionary today! Although you might think the album would be a bit disco by the date, it's not – and instead has the group moving more towards a style of cosmic righteousness that was undoubtedly influenced by the early work (and success) of Earth, Wind, & Fire. The album has a few live cuts - including an amazing 8 minute long live version of "Summer Madness", with an extended keyboard solo that's just great! Other titles include "Cosmic Energy", "Do It Right Now", "Universal Sound", and a remake of "Hollywood Swinging". CD

A great and groovy early album from Volker Kriegel – the German guitarist who'd cut some very trippy work for the MPS label in the 70s – but a player who steps out here in a sweet soul jazz mode at the end of the 60s! Volker's still got the same wickedly sharp style on guitar you'd know from his later fame – but here, it's turned towards the kind of soulful guitar work you'd hear on Verve Records at the time – somewhere in the territory of George Benson, or maybe a bit in that of Wes Montgomery – but also with some occasional freewheeling moments that hint at the changes to come! The group's a trio on side one – with Peter Trunk on bass and Cees See on drums – but side two moves into wilder material with a quartet that features vibes by Claudio Szenkar, who adds in just the kind of psychedelic touches to really make the music open up! These cuts are much more modal, and show Kriegel's growing love of Eastern sounds – and titles include "Na Na Imboro", "Morandi", "Interpunctuation", "Traffic Jam", and "With A Little Help From My Friends". LP, Vinyl record album

The brilliant return of Rolf and Joachim Kuhn to Impulse Records – and a set that's every bit as their landmark album for the label in the 60s! As with that classic – Impressions Of New York – there's a sound here that's let free right from the start – bold stepping forward by both players, with piano and clarinet interwoven together in lines that are free, yet still have an inherent sort of pulse – guided subtly by the work of John Patitucci on bass and Brian Blade on drums! What's truly amazing is that the Kuhns sound as vibrant, urgent, and potent as ever – as if the passage of decades hasn't dimmed them a bit, and that they're still breaking down barriers of jazz with a record like this. Titles include "Girona", "Lion's Speech", "Mosquitas", "A Little Time Machine", "Light Year", and "Researching Has No Limits". LP, Vinyl record album

Seun Anikulapo Kuti returns with another strorming set of neo classic Afro Funk in the great tradition of his father – once again fronting the incredible Egypt 80 group! It's remarkable stuff that finds Seun – the youngest son of Fela – standing up as a visionary talent. He's not only living up to an immense legacy, but moving forward with it in ways that will absolutely stand the test of time. The insistent rhythms and intense energy of the Egypt 80 group – led by Lekan Animashaun – are Afrobeat perfection, with Seun's forthright vocals out front of it. But their approach here is anything but a retread of family glories. The songs are urgent and fierce, and there are subtle modern florishes in the production – thanks in part, no doubt, to co-producer Brian Eno. Titles include "African Soldier", "You Can R Un", "Rise", "Slave Masters", "For Dem E Ye", "The Good Leaf" and "Giant Of Africa". CD

One of the few albums that drummer Pete LaRoca ever made as a leader – and a gem through and through! LaRoca had a touch on the drums that was unlike anyone else – free, but never "out" – and in a flowing, progressive style that pointed the way towards the sound of jazz in the 70s, but which was still firmly rooted in the soulful style of the 60s. The album's filled with beautiful flowing waves of sound – and features lead solos by Joe Henderson, strong piano lines by Steve Kuhn, and some great round basswork by Steve Swallow. The feel of the set's somewhere in the vein of Larry Young's work at the time – never too "out", but much more flowing and free than the typical Blue Note. Tracks include "Basra", "Tears Come From Heaven", and "Candu". A fantastic album, with a unique approach! CD

One of the few albums that drummer Pete LaRoca ever made as a leader – and a gem through and through! LaRoca had a touch on the drums that was unlike anyone else – free, but never "out" – and in a flowing, progressive style that pointed the way towards the sound of jazz in the 70s, but which was still firmly rooted in the soulful style of the 60s. The album's filled with beautiful flowing waves of sound – and features lead solos by Joe Henderson, strong piano lines by Steve Kuhn, and some great round basswork by Steve Swallow. The feel of the set's somewhere in the vein of Larry Young's work at the time – never too "out", but much more flowing and free than the typical Blue Note. Tracks include "Basra", "Tears Come From Heaven", and "Candu". A fantastic album, with a unique approach! CD

One of the few albums that drummer Pete LaRoca ever made as a leader – and a gem through and through! LaRoca had a touch on the drums that was unlike anyone else – free, but never "out" – and in a flowing, progressive style that pointed the way towards the sound of jazz in the 70s, but which was still firmly rooted in the soulful style of the 60s. The album's filled with beautiful flowing waves of sound – and features lead solos by Joe Henderson, strong piano lines by Steve Kuhn, and some great round basswork by Steve Swallow. The feel of the set's somewhere in the vein of Larry Young's work at the time – never too "out", but much more flowing and free than the typical Blue Note. Tracks include "Basra", "Tears Come From Heaven", and "Candu". A fantastic album, with a unique approach! LP, Vinyl record album

A real breakthrough in female soul for the 70s – the initial album from Labelle – a set that's very different material than the group were doing on their girl group singles in the 60s! The trio here is legendary – Patti Labelle, Nona Hendryx, and Sarah Dash – three tremendous singers all working together at a level that really sets the standard for bad-rapping female soul in the 70s! We're not sure what happened with Patti and the group between their 60s material and this set – but whatever it was, it was something great – a turn towards a style that would keep them in the record racks for years! Titles include "Too Many Days", "Running Out Of Fools", "When The Sun Comes Shining Through", "Heart Be Still", and a nice version of "Time & Love". LP, Vinyl record album

A really cool record from the European scene of the early 70s – a set that features rockish vocals and guitar, but also a heck of a lot of moog and other keyboards too – all of which makes for an album that's years ahead of its time! Sure, there had been plenty of moog pop instrumental records from the late 60s onward – and other groups would use the moog to spice up their songs – but Dan Lacksman's maybe one of the first to really use the world of analogue electronics so strongly next to catchy vocals and the kind of production that compresses the whole thing down together in a really great way – effortlessly bridging the generation of early Eno and Gary Numan – but with an offbeat wit that's all his own. Titles include "Monday Morning", "Happiness Is A Cold Beer", "Jet Set Woman", "Skylab", "Sunshine Is Gone", "Love You Every Day", "When We're Looking At The Barmaid", and "Sad Way". LP, Vinyl record album

About 30 years back, Joseph Lanza first turned us on to an amazing array of 60s easy listening records that we'd never fully given their due – and here, he continues the journey, but with a key shift into the world of psychedelia too! The book is a wonderful look at the way that easy listening and instrumental pop tried to stay vibrant in the second half of the 60s – and it follows the way that easy artists of the time were picking up the aesthetics of the younger generation in a variety of ways – not just doing cover versions of songs by The Beatles and Stones, but also going for trippier artwork on their album covers, and using more unusual studio techniques in production – all in ways that made for a huge legacy of very groovy records! At times, things would even move backwards – as older songs from the early part of the century were given a mod spin for the 60s generation – and the range of topics covered here is as wonderful as Lanza's presentation. The book is a very cool 7" square format – with lots of album reproductions and great graphics, plus a list of 50 essential records at the back – served up in a softcover volume that's 237 pages in length. Book

Two albums from the duo of Neil Larsen & Buzz Feiten – back to back in a single set! First up is the self-titled Larsen Feiten Band – a fantastic bit of AOR – served up here by two musicians with a background in jazz, and a great way of harmonizing their vocals together! Larsen is Neil Larsen, who plays keyboards and sings – and Feiten is Buzz Feiten – guitarist and musical partner who helps make Neil sound even tighter and groovier here than on his solo records! The duo work with a core quintet, plus some added horn arrangements – in a style that's definitely in the hipper side of the AOR spectrum, which yields up plenty of rewarding listening all these many years later. Titles include "She's Not In Love", "Aztec Legend", "Make It", "Morning Star", "Over", "Danger Zone", and "Who'll Be The Fool Tonight". On Full Moon, the duo of Neil Larsen and Buzz Feiten sound mighty nice – Buzz on guitars and vocals, Neil on keyboards – stepping out with some added horns, tight arrangements, and a groove that takes the 70s AOR ethos into great territory for the 80s! The record's almost more of the sort you'd expect to hear in 1977 – no tinny production, no shift to drum machines for the rhythms – just rock-solid instrumentation from a really great group, tight songwriting, and catchy tunes that include "Twilight Moon", "Little Cowboys", "Standing In Line", "Hero's Welcome", "The Visitor", and "Phantom Of The Footlights". CD

Yusef Lateef's Detroit is a mighty funky one – a great summation of all the soulful sounds he'd crafted on previous records, but with a full groove that really points the way towards the 70s! Lateef's reeds are still the main attraction – great solos on tenor and flute – but there's also some wonderful electric elements on the record, which offer Yusef a very different setting than usual, and one that has some wickedly offbeat funky touches too! The groove's exotic, and has this unusual feel that's very different than most other Atlantic jazz of the time – much more in the mode of some of the hippest electric sets from the underground. Bernard Purdie handles drums – which ensures the funky elements of the set – and titles include "Eastern Market", "Bishop School", "Belle Isle", "Livingston Playground", "Woodward Avenue", and "Raymond Winchester". LP, Vinyl record album

Lots of production and songs by Brownmark. Titles include "Personal Attention", "Let Me Take You Down", "Love Town", "Find Another Lover", "He's Got A Hold On Me", "Call Me", and the "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" duet with Howard Hewett! LP, Vinyl record album

A real move forward in the career of Stacy Lattisaw – an album that has her coming across with a much more mature feel than before, even though she was still quite young at the time! The record's got an unabashedly poppish sensibility, but one that also has some of the more complicated modes showing up in soul during the early 80s – an undercurrent of jazzier phrasings that's partly the work of producer/arranger Narada Michael Walden! Titles include a remake of "Love On A Two Way Street", plus "With You", "Young Girl", "Spotlight", "Screamin Off The Top", "Feel My Love Tonight", and "It Was So Easy". LP, Vinyl record album

Forget the title, as (thankfully) this isn't one of those records that ties itself to the dark days of 2020 – and instead, rejoice at the combination of sounds that come from the reed work of Aaron Leaney and the drums and percussion of Guy Thouin – who, we think, may well be making his studio recorded debut here, even though he's 83 years old! The tracks are short, and have a very earthy, organic quality – one that makes full use of the range of instruments on the set, which include Thouin's work on a variety of drums, gongs, and percussion instruments – and Leaney's bolder solos on tenor and alto, mixed with flutes, bells, and mbira. With that instrumental lineup, there's a nicely spiritual vibe to the record at times – on titles that include "Zumba", "Curfew", "Thembi Thouin", "Pontential", "Inward", "Bhariav", and "Turtle Island". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the most supremely classic of all classic hard rock albums! As huge as the debut was, Led Zeppelin II is the record that proved that the group were going to be in it for the long haul – with a righteous raw power that's still being felt all these many decades later! Nobody else could touch this one – and the album is filled with iconic cuts that include "Whole Lotta Love", "Ramble On", and"Heartbreaker" – plus the ridiculous Bonzo showcase "Moby Dick", and "Bring It On Home". LP, Vinyl record album

Amazing solo work on cello from Okkyung Lee – material recorded after a particularly difficult stretch in 2020, as Lee was initially trapped in Korea, away from her instrument – then returned to the darkness of New York during its worst months of struggle! Yet despite that time leading up to the recording, the session actually feels like one with a new sense of optimism and exploration – all these fresh ideas for expression on the cello, at a level that make this record unlike any other we can think of – especially as there are many moments when the source of the music feels very unfamiliar, which are then balanced by more straightforward notes. Titles include "Burning", "Lorelei", "Drifting", "Mountains", "Grey", and "Pisces". CD

John Lewis on piano, Howard Collins and Harold Alden on guitar, Marc Johnson and George Mraz on bass, and Lewis Nash on drums. CD

A pretty sweet set from the legendary Ramsey Lewis – possibly his best in years – all original material performed with his impeccable trio! If title Songs From The Heart has you expecting smooth, commercial fluff, you'll be pleasantly surprised. It's exceptional trio jazz all the way. Lovely and tender, but precise and very moving material. It includes songs Ramsey wrote, quite surprisingly, for the Joffrey Ballet Company, and other pieces he wrote to perform with the Turtle Island Quartet. Straight forward, lyrical jazz from Ramsey's piano to your soul, backed masterfully by bassist Larry Gray and drummer Leon Joyce, plus some equally wonderful solo pieces. Titles include "To Know Her Is To Love Her", "Touching, Feeling, Knowing", "Clouds In Reverie", "The Spark", "Conversation", "The Way She Smiles", "The Glow Of Her Charm", "Long Before She Know", "Watercolors" and more. 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

One of the strangest things about Abbey Lincoln's career is the fact that, despite her hip affiliations with the left end of the jazz spectrum, she's actually been slotted into a fair number of straighter projects, not only in music, but in film as well. This album's a perfect example of that – and may well be the reason for Abbey's later leanings towards the left – as here, in her debut LP, she comes off as a dreamy girl singer, recorded by Liberty almost in a mode that's similar to Julie London or some of their other gal stars – with complicated backings from Benny Carter and Marty Paich. The record is lacking the stark captivating quality of Abbey's later records, but it does have a certain kind of charm – especially as the love themes in the set are all-adult, at a mature level that you'd really only hear from a rare few other singers, like Shirley Horn or Lorez Alexandria. Titles include "Two Cigarettes In The Dark", "Take Me In Your Arms", "No More", "Affair", "This Can't Be Love", "I Wake Up Smiling", and "Love Walked In". CD

A set that's brimming over with improvising jazz talent – but one that's an especially great reminder of the guitar genius of the great Arto Lindsay! Lindsay is amazing here – playing with energy to match the brilliance of Ken Vandermark and Joe McPhee – which is really saying a lot, and which has us almost feeling like a younger version of Arto's self stepped forward straight from the New York no wave scene, in order to create a pan-historical bridge with the improvising strengths of the Corbett Vs Dempsey universe! Drummer Phil Sudderberg is wonderful too – a master of sounds and moments – and the short tracks allow for plenty of sharp changes, and shifts in energy between each selection. McPhee blows alto, tenor, and pocket trumpet – and Vandermark is on tenor, baritone, and clarinet – on titles that include "The Push & Pull Beneath The Surface", "She Must Have Known", "Whether You Were There Or Not", "When I Lose Any Sense Of Perspective", and "The World's Longest Afternoon". CD

A fantastic sextet session recorded in 1961, shortly before Booker Little's death – and filled with all the promise and power he ever packed into his playing! There's a sharp, angular groove to many of the numbers here – that mix of modern and hardbop that was cresting best in the early 60s Blue Note generation – and which echoes some of the work that Little had done with Max Roach in the years before this date. The lineup's filled with great players to help Book realize his strongest musical vision – Julian Priester on trombone, George Coleman on tenor, Don Friedman on piano, Reggie Workman on bass, and Pete LaRoca on drums – and although the set's issued on the sometimes-staid Bethlehem label, it's got all the sharper edges of an early 60s date on a label like Impulse or Candid! Titles include "Matilde", "Booker's Blues", "Forward Flight", and "Victory and Sorrow". CD features two bonus tracks – alternate versions of "Looking Ahead". CD

Amazing sounds from one of the all-time greats – the legendary Little Willie John – not only a key inspiration to James Brown, but one of the formative forces in soul music at the start of the 60s! The material here was cut by King Records at the height of its R&B years, but it also stretches forth towards something new, too – a deeper, more expressive sound that really blows us out of the water, even all these decades later – vocals that are incredible, and virtually a blueprint for the style that would come to be known as deep soul in later years. The package brings together all of Little Willie John's hit singles for King, but also features the much more obscure b-sides too – making it an essential document of these legendary years – with a whopping 32 tracks that include "Now You Know", "Flamingo", "Spring Fever", "I'm Sorry", "My Nerves", "Do Something For Me", "Leave My Kitten Alone", "Let Nobody Love You", "Fever", "Tell It Like It Is", "Letter From My Darling", "Don't Leave Me Dear", "Right There", and "All Around The World". CD

Late life brilliance from the legendary Charles Lloyd – a reed player who seems to have given the world more great music in the past 20 years than he had in the previous 60s! Lloyd keeps on moving forward with all these new ideas and fresh conceptions – and here, he blows tenor, alto, and flutes in a great quartet that features Jason Moran on piano, Larry Grenadier on bass, and Brian Blade on drums – all excellent players on their own, but musicians who also put their egos aside to fold into the richness of Lloyd's music. The set's got a subtle spiritual current throughout – nicely understated, but very pure – on titles that include "The Water Is Rising", "Defiant Tender Warrior", "Beyond Darkness", "Sky Valley Spirit Of The Forest", "Balm In Gilead", "Cape To Cairo", and "Ghost Of Lady Day". CD

Late life brilliance from the legendary Charles Lloyd – a reed player who seems to have given the world more great music in the past 20 years than he had in the previous 60s! Lloyd keeps on moving forward with all these new ideas and fresh conceptions – and here, he blows tenor, alto, and flutes in a great quartet that features Jason Moran on piano, Larry Grenadier on bass, and Brian Blade on drums – all excellent players on their own, but musicians who also put their egos aside to fold into the richness of Lloyd's music. The set's got a subtle spiritual current throughout – nicely understated, but very pure – on titles that include "The Water Is Rising", "Defiant Tender Warrior", "Beyond Darkness", "Sky Valley Spirit Of The Forest", "Balm In Gilead", "Cape To Cairo", and "Ghost Of Lady Day". LP, Vinyl record album

A brilliant and beautiful album from Damon Locks – even more powerful than his Where Future Unfolds album, and that's saying a heck of a lot! The record proclaims part of its mission in its title – and is maybe the first set we've heard to point the way forward creatively after the dark days of 2020 – reclaiming the future for the present, as Locks works with a stunning array of Chicago-based talent – including Angel Bat Dawid on clarinet, Ben LaMar Gay on cornet and melodica, Dana Hall on drums, and Arif Smith on percussion! There's no other instruments in the core of the combo – but Locks adds in plenty of electronics and sound samples, including both musical moments and all these many found voices which are woven through the record alongside vocals by a sextet of singers – a chorus who rise up and give the whole thing a heavenly vibe that's completely mindblowing! While so many others are doing a decent job of reworking a 70s jazz spirit, Damon's giving us the future to come – the kind of visionary work we always knew he was capable of, but which is now finally getting the chance to exist on record. Titles include "The People Vs The Rest Of Us", "Keep Your Mind Free", "Movement & You", "Now", and "The Body Is Electric". CD

Weird and wild sounds from Screaming Lord Sutch – and a set that has as many "heavy friends" at play as his better-known previous album for Cotillion! As with that set, the vibe here is an odd mix of older beat group styles from mid 60s London, but filtered through a generation that's already bursting out with hard rock, psych, and prog inspiration – which means any nod towards older rock and soul roots come out sounding very offbeat in the end! Players include Ritchie Blackmore on lead guitar, Keith Moon on drums, and Noel Redding on bass – and titles include "Country Club", "Great Balls Of Fire", "Bye Bye Johnny/Johnny B Goode", "Gotta Keep A Rocking", and "Hands Of Jack The Ripper", which is mini-horror movie itself! LP, Vinyl record album

A stunning second album from Love – a set that's still without the fuller orchestrations and baroque touches of Forever Changes – but which already shows the group moving in that direction! The rough, gritty edge of the group is very firmly intact – but they've already got a really fresh way of putting over a song – by complicating the rhythms a bit, going for unusual tonal colors, and furthering the really imaginative songwriting of Arthur Lee. Side one features some incredibly haunting shorter tunes that point the way towards Forever Changes – including the insanely wonderful "She Comes In Colors", the Latin-tinged "Que Vida", and the cuts "Stephanie Knows Who", "The Castle", and "Seven & Seven Is". Side two is a total freak-out – an 18 minute bluesy guitar jam, very over the top stuff – and quite unusual in length for a rock album in 1966! LP, Vinyl record album

Massively solid boogie work from Jeffrey Osborne and LTD – still grooving beautifully at the end of the 70s, and working here with top-shelf production from Bobby Martin! The set's got that buoyant LTD groove that was a perfect foil for Osborne's soaring vocals – a sound that never fell into the cliches of some of Osborne's later solo work, and which was a perfect match between ensemble funk, dancefloor rhythms, and the charisma of a strong lead singer. There's a few smoother ballads on the set that point the way towards later years, but the bulk of the set is very much in the group's best boogie mode – and titles include "You Gave Me Love", "Lovers Everywhere", "Don'tcha Know", "Shine On", "Where Did We Go Wrong", "Getaway" and "Lady Love". LP, Vinyl record album

A great return to form for the LTJ Experience – exactly the kind of tight grooves and soulful sounds that made Luca Trevisi such a standout in earlier years of the Italian club scene! The style here is really back to basics – somewhere between the spareness of the post-disco years and the fuller soulful styles when house started coming into play – always pretty funky in the rhythms, but with a forward-moving focus that's quite different than straight instrumental funk too. Titles include "Funk Is On", "Disco-Ver Me", "What I Feel", "Linear Funk", "Vuoto Beat", and "Get Down". LP, Vinyl record album

Incredible rare work from Magic Sam – a set recorded at his home in Chicago during the late 60s, and which has Sam coming across maybe more like a soul singer than ever before! The setting is very lean – just Sam on electric guitar and vocals – and it's that laidback approach that really lets the magic flow forth – these incredible vocals that could have easily been turned towards deep soul, if Sam wanted to record for Atlantic – and maybe even more powerful here without any other studio support at all! And sure, the approach is different than the better-known Magic Sam albums – but it's also a fantastic illustration of his mighty talents, as you'll hear on titles that include "I Can't Quit You Baby", "You're So Fine", "That's Why I'm Crying", "I'm So Glad", "Baby You Torture My Soul", "What Have I Done Wrong", and "Give Me Time". CD

A massive set of fusion from Mahavishnu Orchestra – a group that features some incredible guitar work from John McLaughlin, who sounds even more focused and driven here than on his own records! As with Return To Forever or Weather Report, the combo's a supergroup of sorts – with Billy Cobham on drums, Jan Hammer on keyboards, Jerry Goodman on violin, and Rick Laird on bass – all wailing with great intensity on some of the best numbers – a lot more energy than you might expect from their slightly more meditative name! Titles include "Meeting Of The Spirits", "Dawn", "The Noonward Race", "A Lotus On Irish Streams", and "Vital Transformation". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the few albums as a leader cut by pianist Gildo Mahones – an incredible talent from the 50s onward, and a soulful genius on the keys that we'd rank right up there with Bobby Timmons or Horace Parlan! Mahones is best known for his work alongside vocalists – particularly with Lambert Hendricks & Ross – but out here in trio formation, he really grooves things up – taking off with warm imagination, and blowing away other better-known masters of jazz piano. The recording's a relatively recent one, but the sound is very classic – and other players in the group include Johnny Kirkland on drums and Bob Maize on bass. Titles include "Estate", "If Dreams Come True", "Summertime", "Strollin", "Sounds Of Time", and "Danielle". CD

Some of the greatest work ever by The Main Ingredient – a selection of their singles for RCA records from the late 60s and early 70s – but one that goes way past just the hits, in order to fully trace the evolution of their heavenly vocal style! The trio started out as an already-great harmony act in the late 60s – a group who were even sweeter and more soaring than some of their contemporaries – making them perfectly placed to move into some of the more righteous harmony modes of the 70s – including some surprising turns towards more righteous, political material. The 22 track package is the greatest we've ever seen on the group – 15 pages of deeply detailed notes, in true Ace/Kent mode – plus singles that include three by The Insiders, "I'm Better Off Without You", "If You Had A Heart", and "I'm Just A Man" – as well as Main Ingredient singles that include "Black Seeds Keep On Growing", "California My Way", "Magic Shoes", "Everybody Plays The Fool", "You've Got To Take It If You Want It", "Girl Blue", "Happiness Is Just Around The Bend", "I Was Born To Lose You", "Brotherly Love", "You've Been My Inspiration", "I'm So Proud", "Spinning Around", "I'm Leaving This Time", "Rolling Down A Mountainside", "The Gold Old Days", and "Shame On The World". CD

Japanese singer Carmen Maki works here with Blues Creation – on a set that's headier and heavier than just about anything she ever recorded! The group themselves are amazing – searing with guitar work that rivals the best of the Anglo blues-inspired hard rock combos of the period – and when Carmen comes into the mix, she uses an equally soulful approach, turned towards freakier styles that might have made Christine Perfect run away in fear! The combination is fantastic – the kind of special set that makes this period of the Japanese scene such a standout for collectors of this sort of material – on titles that include "I Can't Live For Today", "Motherless Child", "Understand", "Empty Heart", and "Lord I Can't Be Going No More". LP, Vinyl record album

Fantastic futuristic fusion from Alex Malheiros – best known as the bassist in Azymuth, but equally great here on his own – and in a completely different sort of way! The set's got heavy contributions from keyboardist Daniel Maunick, of Incognito fame – but the record's definitely got that well-crafted blend of jazz funk and Brazilian rhythms you'd know from Alex's legacy, but maybe tuned a bit more towards a 21st Century sort of groove – the right London touches in all the right places, in the best tradition of the Far Out label! Sabrina Malheiros sings on a few cuts, but most numbers are instrumental – and titles include "Retrato", "The Razor's Edge", "Telegramas Para Arp", "O Temporal", "Kuarup", "Alto Verao", and "Requiem For A Storm". CD

Wonderfully dark harmonies from The Mamas & The Papas – one of those amazing late 60s albums from the group that was pop on the outside, but something very else underneath – a wonderful blend of modes that was hardly duplicated this well again! There's a slightly spooky feel to some of the music – even their leadoff cover of "Dedicated To The One I Love", which has an eerie quality that's way different than any previous readings – possibly a hint of the trouble between the group members – although maybe that's reading too much into it! Whatever the case, though – there's a special magic here that goes way beyond any understanding of the group you may have from oldies radio, and the set features some great original compositions by the young John Phillips too. Titles include "Creeque Alley", "Boys & Girls Together", "Look Through My Window", "Sing For Your Supper", "Free Advice", "Did You Ever Want To Cry", and "String Man". LP, Vinyl record album

Nice 60s crime jazz from Mancini! Although Mancini's fame was made in the late 50s for his work on the classic Peter Gunn TV show, it's less known that he also did the score for the less-than-successful Peter Gunn film. Directed in 1967 by Blake Edwards, the film was a weak attempt to transfer the Gunn image to the big screen – but Mancini remained above the fray, as his solid scoring is just about the only thing we remember about the film today. The tracks include 60's remakes of some nice themes from the original show, plus a few other nice numbers thrown in for good measure. Recorded (as usual) in LA, with players like Bud Shank, Ray Brown, Plas Johnson, and Shelly Mann – and a set list that includes "Dreamsville", "Sky Watch", "A Bluish Bag", and "The Monkey Farm". LP, Vinyl record album

Herbie Mann's at the Village Gate – really wailing away in a set of extended numbers that not only set a whole new standard for live recording in jazz, but which also pushed forward the role of the flute in the music as well! There's a heck of a lot of soul in the grooves here – served up by a totally cooking rhythm section that includes basses from Ben Tucker and Ahmed Abdul-Malik, percussion from Chief Bey and Ray Mantilla, and drums from Rudy Collins – plus some especially great work on vibes from Haygood Hardy, sounding beautifully chromatic underneath Herbie's sharp-edged work on flute! The set features a key reading of "Comin Home Baby" that runs for over 8 minutes long – plus great long versions of "Summertime" and "It Ain't Necessarily So". LP, Vinyl record album

Great stuff – and one of the stranger examples of a very short-lived jazz trend – the "jazz meets folk" style that appeared on a handful of albums in the early 60s! The set features Shelly Manne exploring his Jewish heritage on a host of Israeli and Jewish folk tunes, played with a group that includes Shorty Rogers, Teddy Edwards, Victor Feldman, and Al Viola. The overall sound is pretty cool – as the tracks have an angular jaunty approach that lends itself well to Manne's dexterous drumming, and a lingering sadness that brings out a nice tone in Edwards' tenor. Titles include "Zamar Nodad", "Bokrei Lachish", "Orchah Bamidbar", "My Yiddishe Momme", and "Tzena". Plus, the CD features 4 bonus tracks – all single edits of tunes on the album! CD

A short detour in the 60s career of Chet Baker – one that we sure like a heck of a lot! This side is one of a couple that were recorded as an answer to the big success of Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass – with Chet's trumpet was backed by jaunty, brassy arrangements penned by Jack Nitzsche, and George Tipton. And while it might be easy to dismiss the tunes as copycat sound-a-likes, they're really not – as Nitszche brings in a much fuller groove to most of the numbers than Herb Alpert ever did – more of a sunny LA pop feel that has the whole group really gliding along on bold waves of sound all topped off by Baker's horn – sounding stronger and more confident here than on many of his other recordings of the 60s! Some numbers have a Latin undercurrent while others lean towards mainstream pop – a style that's bolder than A&M's approach to Tijuana – and one that explodes with some youthful LA energies! 12 tracks in all, including "Happiness Is", "Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)", "The Phoenix Love Theme (Senza Fine)", "On The Street Where You Live", 'Armen's Theme", "You Baby" and "It's Too Late". LP, Vinyl record album

The first Bob Marley album on Island Records – and the start of a really legendary run that would not only transform reggae in the 70s, but the rest of popular music as well! Chris Blackwell's partially at the helm on production, but the album was mostly recorded in classic Kingston studios – Randy's, Dynamic, and Harry J's – and retains the same vibe as some of Marley's earlier work, but with more of the forward-thinking vision he brought to his time at Island. Bunny Livingston lays down some excellent percussion on the set – and rhythm is from the team of Aston and Carlton Barrett on bass and drums. Titles include the classic "Stir It Up" – plus "Slave Driver", "Kinky Reggae", "High Tide Or Low Tide", and "Concrete Jungle". Very cool 3CD edition – comes in a hardback book-styled cover, with new notes and rare photos. CD2 features a rare live set recorded in London at the Paris Theater in 1973. CD3 features more unreleased tracks – eight from the sessions, including Jamaican alternative and extended versions of "Slave Driver", "Stop That Train", "No More Trouble", "Stir It Up", "400 Years", and "High Tide Or Low Tide" – plus three more unreleased live tracks from 1973! CD

The first Bob Marley album on Island Records – and the start of a really legendary run that would not only transform reggae in the 70s, but the rest of popular music as well! Chris Blackwell's partially at the helm on production, but the album was mostly recorded in classic Kingston studios – Randy's, Dynamic, and Harry J's – and retains the same vibe as some of Marley's earlier work, but with more of the forward-thinking vision he brought to his time at Island. Bunny Livingston lays down some excellent percussion on the set – and rhythm is from the team of Aston and Carlton Barrett on bass and drums. Titles include the classic "Stir It Up" – plus "Slave Driver", "Kinky Reggae", "High Tide Or Low Tide", and "Concrete Jungle". Very cool 3LP/12" edition – comes in a box, with new notes and rare photos! LP2 features a rare live set recorded in London at the Paris Theater in 1973. LP3 features more unreleased tracks – eight from the sessions, including Jamaican alternative and extended versions of "Slave Driver", "Stop That Train", "No More Trouble", "Stir It Up", "400 Years", and "High Tide Or Low Tide" – and the bonus 12" single features three more unreleased live tracks from 1973! LP, Vinyl record album