... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

With Claudio Roditi on trumpet and flugelhorn, Fareed Haque on acoustic and electric guitar, Daniel Freiberg on acoustic and electric guitar, Sergio Brandao and Paul M Socolow on electric bass, Ignacio Berroa on drums, Ricardo Eddy Martinez on synthesizers, and Sammy Figueroa, Daniel Ponce, and Ciro Baptiste on percussion. Titles include "Manhattan Burn", " For Leny (Andrade)", "Guataca City (For David Amram)", "Paquito", "Paquito's Samba", " Feelings Of The Heart", "Two Venezuelan Waltzes", "A Lo Tristano", and "All The Things You Are". LP, Vinyl record album

Overlooked genius from Art Farmer – a less-remembered session from the early 80s, and one that features him in a hip quintet with the great Sahib Shihab! The feel here is as lyrical and laidback as some of Art's other work from the time, but the presence of Sahib on soprano and baritone brings a good sense of feeling to the record – one that almost sharper than usual for a Farmer session, and which seems to push the trumpeter more strongly than usual on the upbeat numbers. An added plus is the rhythm section – which features Kenny Drew on piano, Mads Vinding on bass, and Ed Thigpen on drums – all players who had plenty of time together on the Copehagen scene, and who work in an equally cohesive way here. Titles include "Arrival", "Blue Wail", "Context", "Back Door Beauty", and "Passport". LP, Vinyl record album

Later genius from Dexter Gordon – an album recorded upon his return to the US in 1976, and done in a style that breaks the bounds of some of his sessions in Europe! Gordon seems to take new life in the recording – moving past the simple role of main soloist on familiar tunes, and stepping into a much more strongly group-minded leader – one who grooves easily with the piano of George Cables, bass of Rufus Reid, and drums of Eddie Gladden – in a session that's overflowing with soulful invention. Even older tunes take on a new spark of life in these arrangements – and Gordon's phrasing has this "bite" that comes through beautifully, even in the mellower moments. Titles include "Tanya", "I Told You So", "LTD", "Moment's Notice", and "As Time Goes By". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

A pretty compelling record from trombonist Bill Watrous – one of those players you always figure for a straight guy, but who always manages to throw in a curve ball at the right moment! This one's got Bill working with a large group in kind of a mixed electric big band style – and the tracks have the appeal of some of the European groups that were working in this mode during the early 70s – especially some of the larger ensembles on MPS! The grooves are more jazzy than funky, but still plenty great – and the horn sections really benefit from some great electronic help from Dick Hyman on moog and Fender Rhodes, and Joe Beck on guitar. Titles include "Dee Dee", "Ayo", "Fourth Floor Walk Up", "Zip City", and a nice version of Chick Corea's "Spain". LP, Vinyl record album

A real 70s stormer from Frank Foster – recorded with the Loud Minority ensemble used for the Mainstream album of the same name, done in a style that's a bit more straight ahead, yet still plenty darn soulful! Frank's hanging here between the two sides of his career – working in a larger band mode at one level, yet also scoring some charts that are a lot hipper than anything the Basie generation might have imagined! The rhythm section on the set features Mickey Tucker on piano, Earl May on bass, and Charlie Persip on drums – augmented by a bit of extra percussion and guitar from time to time, in a way that really makes the tunes skip along nicely. Frank himself is on both soprano and tenor sax – sounding great on the album's title remake of his "Manhattan Fever" – and also stretching out on longer tunes that include Ronnie Matthews' great "Marie Jean", and Frank's originals "Thruway Traffic" and "Four Five Six". LP, Vinyl record album

Features a young Branford Marsalis on tenor and soprano sax – in a group with Wallace Roney on trumpet, Ed Jackson on alto, Marvin Smitty Smith on drums, and Andy Jaffe on piano. LP, Vinyl record album

Amazing! This is one of the coolest sets we've seen in years – and everything about it is fantastic, from the package right down to the triple-length set of music! The set features rare unreleased recordings from Raymond Scott's legendary Manhattan Research electronic music studios – originally set up in 1946, and home to some of Scott's landmark early work on non-acoustic music during the 50s and 60s. Far from being the sort of turgid, dark knob-twiddling that computer music later became in the academy, Scott's early experiments are filled with a sense of whimsy and joy – exported directly from his early cartoon-based work, and applied in a fantastic way to his evolving musical inventions! The LP edition comes in three separate sleeves, plus a great 8 page booklet of notes, in a brilliant graphic style that complements the package even further! Don't forget the music, though – because it's totally fantastic – and kind of reminds us of bits of Jon Appleton's Syntonic Menagerie, Pierre Henry's early Musique Concrete, and later punk-era DIY electronics. That doesn't even come close to pinning it down, though – and with 3 LPs worth of material, the scope of the work is amazing! LP, Vinyl record album

With Kei Akagi on keyboards, Tommy Brechtlein on drums, Mino Cinelu on percussion, Anthony Jackson on bass guitar, Jose Renato on vocals, and Harvey Swartz on acoustic bass. LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

Includes tracks by Atlantic Starr, Eve, Cheryl Lynn, Sigue Sigue Sputnik, Michael Henderson, Bill Meyers, Escapades, and more! LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

Like any Spike Lee soundtrack from the 80s, this one's a mix of many different styles – with some straight-out pop tracks, like EU's hit "Da Butt", or a number of throwaway 80s R&B tracks by lost groups. The best moments, as usual, are the jazzy ones – like Phyllis Hyman's sweet "Be One", Bill Lee's spiritual "Wake Up Suite", and Kenny Barron & Terence Blanchard's duet on "One Little Acorn". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

By the mid 80s, Bernard Wright had dropped some of his jazz funk sound, and moved towards more of a smoother R&B sound – although the mix proved out to work surprisingly well, and has made this album a bit of a classic in the 80s groove mode. Includes the cut "Who Do You Love", which is still quite popular here in Chicago, plus "Too Damn Hot", "Killin' Me", "Yo Nard", and "Love You So". Lenny White and Marcus Miller produced. LP, Vinyl record album

Duo recordings with Airto Moreira on percussion. LP, Vinyl record album

A beautiful pairing of horns – the compressed trombone and trumpet sounds of Bob Brookmeyer and Tom Harrell – coming together here in a record that's one of the real standouts from Brookmeyer's 70s years, and a key demonstration of the young powers that would really make Harrell shine in later decades! The players have a way of blowing that's almost a great 70s update of 50s modern modes – a clear thought to the way they'd work together, but with a more fluid, soulful energy too. Rhythm is just the right kind of easygoing to make the whole thing gel wonderfully – thanks to strong leadership from pianist Benny Aronov – and titles include "Shadow Box", "Marchons", "On A Theme Of Debussy", "Water's Edge", "Upper Manhattan Medical Group", and "Passages". LP, Vinyl record album

The album's a bit less "historical" than you might guess from the title – at least at the time it was issued in the mid 50s! The material is from Chicago sessions recorded in 1956 – unusual non-Columbia material for the period, featuring the Ellington group working in a slightly older-styled mode. Much of the material is from the earlier songbook of the orchestra – but it's done here with some slight modern touches that show the 50s impulses of the group firmly in place. Players include Cat Anderson and Clark Terry on trumpet, Johnny Hodges on alto, Paul Gonsalves on tenor, and Harry Carney on baritone sax – and titles include "Midriff", "Ko Ko", "Lonesome Lullaby", "Upper Manhattan Medical Group", "Jack The Bear", "Stompy Jones", and "Creole Love Call". LP, Vinyl record album

Quite an unusual record for Sonny Rollins – but a great one too! At first glance the concept is a strange one – almost a crazy decision to pair modernist tenorist Sonny Rollins with a set of large brassy arrangements – but oddly, the idea works, and works nicely – as Rollins' edgey solos cut through the heavy arrangements with ease, creating some angular counterpoint and a tight little space to make his own sound. The group was conducted by Ernie Wilkins, and the flipside of the album features Rollins playing in a small trio with the great Henry Grimes on bass (who also played with Rollins on some of his best sessions from the time!) and Charles Wright on drums. Titles include "Manhattan", "If You Were The Only Girl In the World", "Who Cares?", and "Far Out East". Originally issued on MGM/Metro – but this is the Verve pressing. LP, Vinyl record album

Clubby tracks with a bit of a Caribbean influence – recorded in New York, with some really great instrumental touches on keyboards! The tracks mostly feature chorus vocals by a group of singers that includes Luther Vandross, Gloria Covington, and Lani Groves – but the best part of the set is the overall instrumentation, which gets a chance to break out on the longer tunes. Titles include "Discocide", "Get On Up Get On Down", "Tonight's The Night", "Manhattan Fever", and "Lightning Striking Twice". LP, Vinyl record album

One of Mel's best non-Bethlehem albums, and a record that's as much a loving tribute to New York as any you'll ever buy! Kind of funny, too, because in Mel's California Suite, there's all this stuff about how lousy New York is – but by the time of this early 60s recording, Mel's clearly repented, and he's doing a wonderful job with material like "Let Me Off Uptown", "Autumn In New York", "New York, New York", "Manhattan", and one of the greatest versions of "Sunday In New York" you'll ever hear! Great arrangements, too – with a nice touch of jazz! LP, Vinyl record album

One of our favorite-ever albums from Mel Torme – a set that sparkles with the same smooth swing as his best late 50s dates for Bethlehem records! Like those sets, this one features Torme's voice really taking off over some tight jazzy charts – arranged by Johnny Williams, Shorty Rogers, and Dick Hazard – all in styles close to those used previously by Marty Paich. But almost even better is the New York theme of the record – surprising, given the anti-NYC vibe of Torme's classic "California Suite" – but perfect, too, as it really ties the whole thing together wonderfully – creating this beautiful picture of the Big Apple in the postwar years. Titles include the greatest version of "Sunday In New York" you'll ever hear – plus "Let Me Off Uptown", "Autumn In New York", "New York New York", "Manhattan", and "My Time Of Day". LP, Vinyl record album

The only "west" these guys have gone is the West Village – the home of their aesthetic, and a post-Stonewall playground that was getting very firmly noticed by the mainstream by this point! The album's their last big one for Casablanca – and features arrangements from Horace Ott, who gives the record a surprisingly soulful core in the grooves – something that's also enforced by the production at the New York branch of Sigma Sound! Titles include the massive hit "In The Navy", plus the tracks "Go West", "Citizens Of The World", "I Wanna Shake Your Hand", "Manhattan Woman", and "Get Away Holiday". LP, Vinyl record album

Yes, it was a mega-hit – and yes, it was one of those records that everyone who lived through the 70s seemed to own at one time – but after all these decades, you can't deny the power of the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack – especially for the way that it mixed club soul classics with new original material! Obviously, the Bee Gees cover placement make them big stars of the record – but the set's also got some great early disco gems – like "Open Sesame" by Kool & The Gang, "Disco Inferno" by The Trammps, "KJEE" by MFSB, "Calypso Breakdown" by Ralph MacDonald, "Fifth Of Beethoven" by Walter Murphy, "If I Can't Have You" by Yvonne Elliman, "Boogie Shoes" by KC & The Sunshine Band, and "More Than A Woman" by Tavares. The Bee Gees reinvent themselves from the early days – and sing "Stayin Alive", "How Deep Is Your Love", "More Than A Woman", "Jive Talkin", "You Should Be Dancin", and "Night Fever" – and the set also features a few instrumentals by David Shire – "Manhattan Skyline", "Night On Disco Mountain" and "Salsation". LP, Vinyl record album

A great example of the Muse Records charm of altoist Richie Cole – bop-fired creativity at its peak, mixed with some added contemporary elements to keep things fresh! In this case, Richie's horn takes on some key bop classics, but also opens up a bit with vocalsits too – Eddie Jefferson on versions of "Hi Fly", "Relaxin At Camarillo", and "Waiting For Waits" – the latter of which also features Tom Waits as well! The Manhattan Transfer make some subtle guest appearances too – but in ways that are much more restrained than their own albums, really leaving most room for Richie's horn. Bruce Forman plays guitar and Dick Hindman piano – and titles include "Hi Fly", "Relaxin At Camarillo", "Hooray For Hollywood", "I Love Lucy", "Malibu Breeze", "Waiting For Waits", and "Tokyo Rose Sings The Hollywood Blues". LP, Vinyl record album

A mindblowing first album from ELO – recorded back at a time when the group were taking the "Orchestra" in their name seriously, and when the group included Roy Wood! While Jeff Lynne's nascent pop genius is firmly in place already, the album's also awash in some of Wood's madder, folksier touches – making for a juxtaposition of styles that really amazing. Strings, guitars, oboes, and horns all come together in a post-folk mode that conjures up images of a crumbling England that stretches back to years before the birth of the British Empire! Titles include "First Movement", "Mr Radio", "Manhattan Rumble", "10538 Overture", "Look At Me Now", and "Whisper In The Night". LP, Vinyl record album

Brilliant work by Jamal – and one of his first albums to feature electric piano! The mode of the tracks is in that "stretching out" style he was using as the 60s came to a close – a bit inspired by McCoy Tyner, but more an exploration of the lyricism of his earlier work, set to the new freedoms of the jazz record style of the time. The group features Jamal's regulars Jamil Nasser on bass and Frank Gant on drums – and Ahmad plays both electric and acoustic piano on the album. Tracks include "Dolphin Dance", "Effendi", "Manhattan Reflections", and "Poinciana". LP, Vinyl record album

An unexpected treasure – like so many of Art Farmer's later albums! The record is ostensibly a tribute to the music of Billy Strayhorn – which might make us expect some soporific Ellington cliches – but the session's really just a small group one, played by Art with a quintet that includes Clifford Jordan, James Williams, Rufus Reid, and Marvin Smitty Smith – all coming together in a fluidly soulful style that's really great. Farmer's work on flugelhorn seems even more inventive than ever – and titles include "Bloodcount", "Johnny Come Lately", "Isfahan", "Raincheck", and "Upper Manhattan Medical Group". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the most darkly beautiful sessions ever recorded by vocalist Karin Krog – a batch of spare duets done with pianist Bengt Hallberg – in a way that offers both artists plenty of space to stretch out and do their thing! Karin's vocals are recorded with an echoey quality that only seems to further underscore the edge and emotion in her singing – and in addition to some very fluid acoustic piano, Hallberg also plays some electric keys on the set as well – often in a much more laidback, spacious sort of groove – one that creates a nice degree of juxtaposition as the tunes roll on. As usual with Krog at this point, there's a fair number of lesser-known tunes that really make the set great – including the John Surman compositions "Like That" and "The End Of The Day Song". Other titles include "Dear Bix", "You Must Believe In Spring", "Love Walked In", "Spring In Manhattan", and "I Ain't Here". CD features 2 previously unissued bonus tracks – "A Child Is Born" and "Cabin In The Sky". LP, Vinyl record album

A very cool record that we might well put right up there with Mel Torme's "California Suite" as a musical tribute to the west coast – or the "Manhattan Tower" of Gordon Jenkins as some sort of tribute to a city! The album's a long piece on the glory of San Francisco – with lots of differently-themed tunes that refer to aspects of the city in mid-century – composed by the team of Libby and Stephen McNeil, set to music by David Rose –a nd featuring vocals by Ray Goman, Shepard Menken, Bob Grabot, Bill Thompson, and others. Titles include "Fog Over Frisco", "Meet The Press", "When You Call It Frisco Smile", "Around The Town Sequence", andee "Mission Dolores". Side two features "Four Moods In Memory" – a suite of themes played by Rose, with narration by Don Sherwood. LP, Vinyl record album

Includes performances by Pan Am Jet North Stars Orchestra, City Syncopaters Steel Orchestra, Guiness Cavaliers Steel Orchestra, Angostura Starlift Steel Orchestra, and Chase Manhattan Savoys Steel Orchestra. LP, Vinyl record album

One of the first truly important records from Don Cherry as a leader – and an amazingly well-crafted session that brings together ideas from his early years with Ornette, and expands them with some of the freedoms he was learning from the European scene! The record boasts a format and lineup that's quite unusual for Blue Note at the time – 2 side-long "suite" tracks, performed by a group that features Cherry on cornet, Pharoah Sanders on tenor and piccolo, Karl Berger on vibes and piano, Gato Barbieri on tenor, Ed Blackwell on drums, and both Jean-Francois Jenny- Clark and Henry Grimes on bass! There's a fair bit of room for creative improvising on the session, but the overall album's a bit more structured than contemporary free jazz outings – and clearly shows the mark of Cherry's interpolation of styles at the time. Two long suites are entitled "Symphony For Improvisers" and "Manhattan Cry" – with shorter passages that include "Nu Creative Love", "Infant Happiness", "Manhattan Cry", and "Lunatic". LP, Vinyl record album

A real standout in Blossom Dearie's run of albums for Daffodil Records – thanks to a lot of electric piano in the mix, and an expanded musical lineup that includes Hubert Laws on flute, Jay Berliner on guitar, Grady Tate on drums, and Toots Thielemans on harmonica! The style here is tighter and more studio-oriented than some of Blossom's other records from the time – but the overall approach is still mostly gentle, in the Daffodil spirit – with Dearie's own vocals and electric piano work dominating the tunes, and other players only coming in to flesh out the tunes where needed. The electric piano is especially nice – used in sparely, blocky modes that echo out behind the vocals – creating waves of sound that buoy Blossom's vocals up beautifully. A number of tracks are familiar numbers, but redone here in unique versions – and titles include "A Paris", "Spring In Manhattan", "Killing Me Softly", "You'll Never Lose The Love You Gave To Me", "Smiling Feet", "My New Celebrity Is You", "Unless It's You", "The Pro Musica Antiqua", "Long Daddy Green", "A Song For You", and "Inside A Silent Tear". LP, Vinyl record album

A 70s issue of 2 seminal sides from George Russell, originally recorded in the 50s. The first, New York New York is a wonderful album from George Russell – and a refreshing change from his overly-academic modernist work! The session's an unusual one – a musical portrait of New York City, performed with an all-star cast that includes John Coltrane, Art Farmer, Bill Evans, Phil Woods, Benny Golson, Max Roach, and Hal McKusick – all working together to paint tones on the tunes that George has crafted to set up his scene of New York in the 50s. Most importantly, though, Jon Hendricks acts as the narrator of the album – talking and scatting in hipster mode, laying out a bit of beat rapportage about the Big Apple, all done in a very cool 50s style that's a bit different from his own vocal work. Titles include "Manhattan", "Big City Blues", "Manhattan-Rico", and "A Helluva Town". And don't let the title of the second, Jazz In The Space Age, mislead you into thinking it's a record of bachelor pad musi. The set's one of Russell's finest recordings of the 50s, and it features some wonderful work in odd tones and scales, executed by another awesome cast of players, including Bill Evans, Paul Bley, Hal McKusick, Bob Brookmeyer, and David Young. An essential chapter in Russell's career, and nice to have in any form. Titles include "Chromatic Universe (parts 1, 2, & 3)", "Dimensions", "Waltz From Outer Space", and "The Lydiot". LP, Vinyl record album

Stellar Manhattans from the start of the 80s – and proof that the group could still hold strong, even at a point when soul music was really changing up around them! The sound is somewhat smoother than before, but never in a throwaway style – and as you might guess from the title, the record's a mostly-mellow affair that really hones in on the great ballad style that the group had perfected during their time at Columbia! The vocals are superb – not nearly as fragile as in the early days, but really still filled with a great sense of warmth and humanity – the group really maturing into a special space of their own. Arrangements are by James Mack, Benjamin Wright, Bert DeCoteux, and others – and titles include the hit "Shining Star", plus "It's Not The Same", "Just As Long As I Have You", "If My Heart Could Speak", "One Life To Life", "The Closer You Are", and "Girl Of My Dream". LP, Vinyl record album

A real classic from The Manhattans – and just the kind of record to show why the group stayed so great after all the years! The ballads are wonderful – arguably even better than the group's indie label days – with a depth of feeling, fullness of harmonies, and magical balance between the rough and the smooth! Bobby Martin produced, using a sophisticated Philly mode, but one that's never overdone – cool and confident, but never too brash at all. A few of the groovers are a bit mellow – nicely stepping around a midtempo mode that still allows lots of vocal power – and titles include "I Kinda Miss You", "Let's Start It All Over Again", "It's You", "Mind Your Business", "Too Much For Me To Bear", and "It Just Can't Stay This Way". LP, Vinyl record album

A stone classic from The Manhattans – still going strong long into the 70s with a classic harmony approach! The title tune sets the whole album up perfectly – and is the kind of a sad, slow ballad that the group was always perfect at – a number that grabs you with a compelling title, and follows up with a sublime lyric that holds on for the entire track! The rest of the set follows in a similar sweet ballad mode – served up with impeccable Bobby Martin production that's smooth, yet still lets the vocals come to the forefront in a classic harmony mode. Titles include "There's No Good In Goodbye", "Share My Life", "Am I Losing You", "Happiness", "You're My Life", "Goodbye Is The Saddest Word", "Everybody Has A Dream", and "Movin". LP, Vinyl record album

A Philly soul classic from The Manhattans – one of their best 70s albums, and a record that showed that they were firmly out of the indie ghetto, and totally on top of their game! The record features arrangements and production by Bobby Martin and Bert DeCoteaux – bubbling along in that soaring style that you'd recognize best from Philly International albums of the time, but which also has some nice traces of the mellower ballad work that first put the group on the map. Every tune is perfect – the kind of sublime soul that easily explains why a record like this could be found in every single record collection of every single soul listener of the time – and titles include "La La La Wish Upon A Star", "We'll Have Forever To Love", "Take It Or Leave It", "Reasons", "Wonderful World Of Love", "Searching For Love", and the incredible "Kiss & Say Goodbye". LP, Vinyl record album

A black tie affair, but a set that's still got all the great vocal touches of The Manhattans firmly in place – thanks to careful Chicago production from Leo Graham and arranger James Mack! The set's smooth, but never in a sloppily commercial way – and instead, the pair find a way to continue to elevate The Manhattans way past their roots – that rich new territory they plumbed while working at Columbia Records, on albums like this which really helped the older vocal group tradition find a new groove for the 80s. Mellow moments mix nicely with a few midtempo groovers – and titles include "Just One Moment Away", "You Stand Out", "Let Your Love Come Down", "Honey Honey", "I Wanta Thank You", "Deep Water", and "When I Leave Tomorrow". LP, Vinyl record album

The Manhattans really hit a deep new level of sound on this early 70s set – a record that takes off strongly from their early singles, and really paves the way for their more sophisticated sounds to come during the Columbia Records hit years! The quintet are completely sublime here – fused wonderfully together on the harmonies, at a level that beats most of their east coast contemporaries – yet still getting a nice sort of indie approach in the production, which means that things are never too commercial – and the group can really open up and do their thing! There's a few badass tracks that fit with the group's Superfly look on the cover – but as always, some of our favorites are the mellow cuts – which these guys can almost do better than anyone else. Titles include "I Can't Stand for You To Leave Me", "Do You Ever", "Back Up", "Million to One", and "Cry If You Wanna Cry". LP, Vinyl record album

Wonderful work from Little Anthony – and a great update to his smooth 60s harmony sound with The Imperials! Anthony wisely employs the use of two of 70s top harmony arrangers on the album – using Thom Bell on one side, and Teddy Randazzo on the other – both of whom really help take the group to a whole new level! The Thom Bell material fits perfectly with his work with The Stylistics from the same time, and the cuts have a wonderfully mellow east coast harmony style that's quite different than Anthony's earlier work. Teddy Randazzo does a pretty nice job, too – but with a fuller sound too, almost in a Manhattans mode that makes for a nice change from the previous fragility of Anthony's vocals. Titles include "I Don't Have Time To Worry", "That's What Love is All About", "I'm Falling In Love with You", "Heartache Never Entered My Mind", and "The Loneliest House on the Block". LP, Vinyl record album