A real standout in the catalog of pianist George Wallington – a very cooking live set, recorded at the Cafe Bohemia with an expanded quintet! The record supposedly showcases Wallington's style (or gimmick) – called "The Peck", and explained as a series of incomplete phrases from the players – but to us, this approach is just prime 50s hardbop at its most inventive – a mode that might be dubbed "call and response", in which players trade lines back and forth with great dynamism and energy! Players here are all very well suited to the task – and include Donald Byrd on trumpet, Jackie McLean on alto, Paul Chambers on bass, and Art Taylor on drums – all working with great boppish fire on a set of tunes that include "Sweet Blanche", "Minor March", "Jay Mac's Crib", and "Bohemia After Dark". LP, Vinyl record album

A really beautiful little record from Wade Marcus – one that features Wade's great talents for soulful arranging, but with plenty of jazzy touches over the top! The set's got a decidedly disco feel at times, but also uses main soloists on all tracks – creating a strong sense of the solo moment in a lusher setting, in a style that's a bit like some of the more fully arranged albums on Kudu. The real standout is a take on "Poinciana" that runs for 7 minutes long – using great solo work from Fred Jackson and Joe Sample in an arrangement of the tune that expands off of Ahmad Jamal's version, and which has some great nods to his original touches! Other titles include "Metamorphosis", "Funk Machine", "Would You Like To Ride", and "Journey To Morocco" – and other soloists include Jerome Richardson, Lee Ritenour, Dorothy Ashby, and Bill Green. LP, Vinyl record album

Beautiful! This is perhaps one of the greatest records ever by this legendary Brazilian vocal group – and the album's a stunning mix of post-bossa arrangements, and the more baroque sort that some Brazilian groups were using at the time. Roberto Menescal produced the album – and one of the highlights is the group's incredible version of Milton Nascimento's "Cravo E Canela", and an amazing take on Marcos Valle's "O Cafona". Other tracks include "Valsinha", "Confirmacao", "Maria Das Dores", "Minha Historia", and "Mudei De Ideia". LP, Vinyl record album

With Marcus Miller on keyboards, bass, and rhythm guitar, Steve Ferrone on drums, Hiram Bullock on lead guitar, Bernard Wright on synthesizer, Steve Gadd on drums, Don Grolnick on piano, Hugh McCracken on slide guitar, Mac Rebennack aka Dr John on piano, and Paulinho da Costa on percusion. LP, Vinyl record album

One of Jimmy's most classic albums for Blue Note – and a key example of why his solo skills on the organ surpassed most of his contemporaries! The record's got a stripped-down trio group of Jimmy, guitarist Quentin Warren, and drummer Donald Bailey – working through mostly familiar numbers, but taking them to places previously unheard of! The best example of this is the album's amazing version of "When Johnny Comes Marching Home" – a classic groover that takes the old snoozer and pumps it up with a snapping rhythm, then features Jimmy really working the whole thing over with an incredible solo! A similar format's applied to numbers that include "Mack the Knife", "Night in Tunisia", "What's New", and "Makin Whoopee" – and the album soars with an easy groove that's every bit of Jimmy at his best! LP, Vinyl record album

One of the most compelling compilations we've heard in ages – a set of tunes by and about Muhammad Ali! It's no secret that back in the day, Ali was way more than just a boxer – he was an international celebrity whose pride and power were a symbol for millions worldwide. At the height of his glory, not only did Ali himself record a number of albums, but he was also graced with countless tribute songs – not only from American artists, but British, Brazilian, and African as well! This festive little set brings together 22 of those great recordings, including a few about boxing in general – with genres that include soul, reggae, and Brazilian grooves – as well as some very catchy novelty numbers that defy classification! Titles include "The People's Choice" and "I'm The Greatest" by Ali himself – plus "8ieme Round" by Trio Madjesi, "Cassius Marcellus Clay" by Jorge Ben, "Muhammad Ali" by Sir Mack Rice, "Muhammad Ali" by Dennis Alcapone, "The Louisville Lip" by Eddie Curtis, "Rumble In The Jungle" by Don Covay, "Foreman Vs Frazier" by Big Youth, "Try It Again" by Joe Frazier, and "Ali Shuffle" by JW Grasshopper & The Butterfly. LP, Vinyl record album

A really amazing little record – way more than usual for this sort of live recording – given that it features some very unique performances together by artists we've never heard on the same stage otherwise! The premise is simple, but wonderfully effective – in that the album brings together some of the leading lights of the Columbia/CBS jazz stable at the time – a massive lineup of talent from a few key generations in jazz, sounding surprisingly great hear together! All tracks are nice and long – and titles include a brilliant version of "Infant Eyes" by a quartet with Stan Getz on tenor and Bob James on piano; "Fried Bananas" with Dexter Gordon on tenor, Slide Hampton on trombone, Woody Shaw on trumpet, and George Duke on piano; "Bahama Mama" with Bob James on keyboards, Bobbi Humphrey on flute, Eric Gale and Steve Kahn on guitars, and Billy Cobham on drums – and the long jam session tracks "Montreux Summit", "Blues March", and "Andromeda" – which feature work from most of the players above, all working in one large group – plus added flute from Hubert Laws and Thijs Van Leer, percussion from Ralph Maconald, and bass from Alphonso Johnson. LP, Vinyl record album

With Marcus Miller on bass, Moog bass, Rhodes, piano, OBX-A, Yamaha GS-2, Prophet-5, Jupiter-8, guitar, and percussion; Michael Colina on OBX-A, Jupiter-*, piano, and vocoder; Hiram Bullock on Moog bass, Rhodes, and GS-2; Steve Gadd on drums, and Ralph MacDonald on conga and percussion. LP, Vinyl record album

Includes "Main Title March", "Lex Escapes", and "Lex And Miss Teschmacher To Fortress". 7-inch, Vinyl record

One of the coolest, funkiest records we've ever heard from Dr John – thanks to lots of guest help from The Meters! The vibe here is a bit tighter than some of Mac's previous records – not as trippy as his first few for Atco – but the sound is still nice and sharp, and Allen Toussaint provides production and arrangements with a style that would be right at home on some of his work for the indie Sansu label. The title cut – "Right Place Wrong Time" – was a huge hit, but has a great funky break – and the album also features loads of other nice numbers too – including "Life", "Traveling Mood", "Same Old Same Old", "Just The Same", and "Shoo Fly Marches On". LP, Vinyl record album

A sweet session of Japanese fusion – one that features guitarist Hiroki Miyano working in the US with arrangements from Teo Macero! The sound here is bright and sunny – somewhat polished, but never too much so – in the best Japanese fusion styles of the time. And although we don't normally associate Macero with this sort of a record, his help on arrangements is really great here – bringing a nice sort of depth to the record that really surprised us. Other players include Ryo Kawasaki on guitar, Marcus Miller on bass, Dave Valentin on flute, Warren Bernhardt on Fender Rhodes, and Jorge Dalto on drums – and possibly best of all, singer Ilana Morillo joins the group on three tracks, singing in a cool wordless way that has some great traces of Brazilian fusion! Titles include "Manhattan Skyline", "Go Away From Summer", "Song Of Clouds", "Slow Down For Love", "Sunset City", and "Teo's Dance". LP, Vinyl record album

With Ralph MacDonald on percussion, Hiram Bullock on guitar, Marcus Miller on bass, Don Grolnick on clavinet and piano, David Spinozza on guitar, and others. LP, Vinyl record album