An amazing rare chapter in the career of the legendary Manu Dibango – and a darn funky one as well! This early 70s album was recorded in Paris, right before Manu's huge global "Soul Makossa" hit – and although it was done as an obscure sound library release, it really shows Dibango jumping into all the best funky modes that would soon make him a giant! In face, the whole thing might well be Manu's funkiest record ever – as the tracks have no vocals, and are tight and right on the money – with plenty of heavy drums and massive basslines – plus instrumentation from a very cool lineup of French jazz players that includes Yvan Julien on trumpet and Francois Jenneau on tenor. Manu himself blows lots of funky flute and sax solos – and also plays vibes, piano, and organ – on very groovy instrumentals that include "Iron Wood", "Coconut", "Zoom 2000", "Aphrodite Shake", "Soul Saxes Meeting", "Out Of Score", "Ba-Kuba", and "Groovy Flute". CD

No charity needed here – as reedman Eji Oyewole's got a wealth of talent on his own! Eji's a musician with roots in the 60s Nigerian scene, but left to follow a personal path through Europe and the US, where he picked up some wonderfully funky styles which are then brought home to create this completely cooking late 70s album! The style's different than other big Afro Funk names of the time – like Fela Kuti or Manu Dibango – but shares a similar sense of flowing, open grooves – and Eji's ability to act strongly as both a lead vocalist, and a soaring soloist on tenor, soprano, and flute! Rhythms are damn funky at the core – with almost a blacksploitation vibe at times – and the tracks are all quite long, with most of the real "voice" coming from the saxes, which speak volumes on their solos. Titles include "Gele Odun (Oil Boom)", "Lagos Complex Highways", "Unity In Africa", and "Charity Begins At Home". CD

French vibist Dany Doriz has been making music for many decades – as you can probably guess from the title of this set – and during that time, he's proven to be one of the most versatile musicians on his scene – able to shift between modern and trad jazz modes, hit some Lionel Hampton swinging styles, and even do some sound library material as well! This 3CD set is the first collection we've ever seen to do justice to Dany's long musical legacy – and it brings together a huge amount of work in a variety of settings – a long list of associates here that includes Claude Bolling on piano, Clark Terry on trumpet, Stephane Grappelli on violin, Manu Dibango on saxes, Sacha Distel on guitar, Rhoda Scott on Hammond, and even Lionel Hampton on vibes. Most of Dany's records never made it to our shores back in the day – and the set features lots of early material on CD 1, which runs up to the 90s – then a remaining three decades on the following two CDs – a total of 55 tracks in all, with notes in French and English! CD

A really deep dive into the lost legacy of Franklin Boukaka – a singer who really helped revolutionize music in the Congo during the 60s, recording a heck of a lot of great tracks before a brutal murder took him from the planet in the early 70s! At some level, the work here is to Congolese music what some of the more playful township songs were to the South African scene – a new style, but one that also had a really universal sort of appeal – contemporary and catchy, yet still nice and lean, and never overproduced in any sort of European way! There's plenty of numbers here that show that strong 60s Congo love of Afro-Cuban elements – and the 3CD package also features work done with Manu Dibango, and the group Cercul Jazz. Titles include "Pasi Na Komona", "Succes Cercul", "Na Welate", "Dia Bikola", "Honole", "O Nongone Mba Mulema", "Na Ye Na Lisano", "Yanga", "Longwa Na Nzela", "Nitouani Yam Bi", "Awana Divorce Na Bana", and "Les Ecoliers". CD

Don't be put off by the cheesy look of the cover – as the set's filled with cool, classy funk rarities – a really wonderful selection of tracks that features plenty of gems that work perfectly here together! The long-running Mood Mosaic series has been at it longer than most – and they've continued to really grow and expand their musical palette as the years have gone on – so that by the time of this 18th volume, you'll find an amazing blend of cuts from jazz, soul, Brazilian, rock, and other global sources – brought together in a really beautiful mix of funky moods and modes! Titles include "Growing" by Hareton Salvanini, "Ceddo" by Manu Dibango, "Love To Fly" by Venus Gang, "Gang Train" by Bernard Estardy, "Coasting" by A Band Called O, "Some Kind Of Fever" by Maxine Sellers, "Slabo Day" by Peter Green, "Soul Raga" by Mehrpouya, "Main Theme" by Rosebod, and "Nijana" by Jana Koubkova. CD