Pretty darn cool stuff from one of the greatest jazz singers around! This one was Mark's first album, cut a long time ago when he was a wee lad – as you'll see by the photo on the cover. The arrangements are by Ralph Burns, and they're pretty darn hip – and although the style is more traditional than some of Mark's later records, it's amazing to hear how well-developed his vocal style is even at this early age. Many of the tracks remind us of some of the harder swinging work that Murphy cut in London and Europe during the late 60s – and tracks include "I've Got Two Eyes", "You Mustn't Kick It Around", "Exactly Like You", "Give It Back To The Indians", and "Fascinating Rhythm". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the best early albums by vocalist Mark Murphy – cut to arrangements by Bill Holman on side one, a set of big band numbers, and to smaller piano trio backing on side two, which features mellower stuff. Murphy's really developing his voice at this point, and is starting to get some of the character and freedom that made his 60s and 70s work so wonderful. Some of the material's a bit hokey, but as usual, Murphy turns things around nicely, and makes the best of what he has at hand. Titles include "Put The Blame On Mame", "Isn't It About Time", "Wishing", "As Long As I Live", "I Didn't Know About You", and "Playing The Field", a groovy uptempo song by Steve Allen. Great cover, too – with Murphy "playing the field" amidst a bunch of different ladies! LP, Vinyl record album

Given what a freewheeling, open-minded, and lyrical jazz singer Mark Murphy is, it's hard to imagine him really loving "the blues" – and fortunately, most of that love is extended in the title, because the album itself is less of the blues effort that you might think. True, the tracks are numbers that often have "blues" in the title – but the arrangements are by Al Cohn, and have a swinging approach that's in keeping with Murphy's other early 50s work. Titles include "Blues You're The Mother Of Sin", "Blues In My Heart", "Fiesta In Blue", "That's How I Love The Blues", "Blues In The Night", and a reading of "Senor Blues" that's worth the price of the record alone! LP, Vinyl record album

Groundbreaking improvisations from the British scene of the early 70s – a set that stands as a key demonstration of the tonal genius of Evan Parker on reeds, and one that also marks a seminal mix of percussion and electronics from the great Paul Lytton! Parker blows soprano and tenor saxes, sometimes in those cyclical modes that he can pull off effortlessly – which also seems to open the door to Lytton's electronic pulsations, and some of his percussive touches in a similar way – while both musicians also use other elements, including tape and home made instruments – touching the proceedings with some very cool and unexpected sounds! Titles include "Lytton Perdu", "Shaker", "Cat's Flux 2", "Peradam", "Voice Fragment", and "What's Left Of The Neo Left". LP, Vinyl record album

A really wonderful under-discovered performance by Sun Ra & The Arkestra – a complete live set from 1984, presented here with really stunning fidelity! The package is a great antidote to some of the fuzzier Ra live sets on the market – as it's got the care that the Trost label has brought to their reissues of material by Peter Brotzmann and the FMP generation – with sound that's more than sensitive enough to capture some surprisingly great spare piano passages, as well as the full force of the Arkestra when they really get going. Sun Ra is still a tremendous force on the keys at this time – and delivers a lot of solos that are interspersed between larger, more structured songs – played with fire by a lineup that includes John Gilmore on tenor and clarinet, Marshall Allen on alto and flute, James Jackson on bassoon and infinity drum, and Danny Ray Thompson on baritone and flute. Titles include a number of "untitled improvisation" tracks – plus "Big John's Special", "Days Of Wine & Roses", "What's New", "Nuclear War", "East Of The Sun", "Yeah Man", "Mack The Knife", "Day Dream", and "Love In Outer Space". This great 4LP box set includes an insert card with notes and photos. Beautiful! LP, Vinyl record album

A landmark album from The Allman Brothers – and a set that forever set the standard for double live albums in the 70s! The expanded format really let the group open up and show the strengths they had already developed as a live act, long before they walked into the studio for their initial album – as the tracks are often quite long, and let you hear the way they approached the process of creation – using lots of jamming energy that's really let loose here on the longer tunes, which are awash in amazing guitar and organ solos! Dickey Betts and Duane Allman are fantastic together – and titles include the side-long "Whipping Post" and "You Don't Love Me" – plus "Hotlanta", "In Memory Of Elizabeth Reed", "Statesboro Blues", "Stormy Monday", and "Done Somebody Wrong". LP, Vinyl record album

Herb Alpert's definitely Going Places by the time of this set – and his trademark Tijuana Brass sound proves itself to be a great fit for just about any sort of number! The album kicks off with the wonderful "Tijuana Taxi", a sublimely jaunty tune that almost takes Herb into Bacharach territory – and which is followed up by the even-greater "Spanish Flea" – an ear-popping anthem that's one of the greatest bits of 60s instrumental pop ever recorded! And over and above those two tunes, the album's still got plenty more to offer too – a wonderful array of tracks all given the Tijuana touch, with titles that include "More & More Amor", "Mae", "Walk Don't Run", "Felicia", and "Cinco De Mayo". LP, Vinyl record album

A landmark set from the freer side of the British jazz scene at the end of the 60s – a relatively open-ended session cut by alto saxophonist Trevor Watts with his Amalgam trio – a great group that features John Stevens on drums and Jeff Clyne on bass (although Barry Guy also sits in on bass for one of the tunes!) The sound here is somewhere between the original trio formation of the ESP groups of the mid 60s and the more freely expressive groups of the FMP years – but is also touched with a good deal of that sense of sadness and depth of emotion that colored some of the best modern British jazz sessions of the period. Watt's work on alto is incredible throughout – dominating the record more than most players we could imagine on the instrument in such a setting – and titles include "Tales Of Sadness", "Judy's Smile I", "Judy's Smile II", and "Prayer For Peace". LP, Vinyl record album

A stunning European meeting of two great North American talents – the piano of Paul Bley and the trumpet of Chet Baker – coming together here without any other instrumentation in the mix! Bley is at a point where he's bringing back a bit more warmth to his music after so many years in both avant and colder territory – and Baker has that beautifully meditative tone of his late life recordings – which seems to encourage a sensitivity out of Bley's piano that you might not expect – making for a wonderful session throughout! Chet sings a bit, but his trumpet is his main voice – and titles include "Pent Up House", "If I Should Lose You"- "Diane", "Little Girl Blue", and "Skidadidlin". LP, Vinyl record album

A wonderful little date from pianist Kenny Barron – one that has him working in drumless duo mode, with only the bass of Buster Williams for accompaniment! The tunes are often quite long, and it's beautiful to hear the way Kenny stretches out on the keys – buoyed up warmly by Williams' trademark tone – basslines that are soft on bite, and round on sound – drenched with soul throughout, and creating a subtle pulse that the presence of a drum would only ruin! Barron has a wonderful way of being pensive at points, while still moving things forward strongly – and titles include "All Of You", "This Time The Dream's On Me", "I Love You", and "My Funny Valentine". LP, Vinyl record album

A real standout set from the end of Les Baxter's run at Capitol Records – originally scored for a film that was never released, but a great set of tracks that more than stands strongly on its own! The theme here is a Mexican/Latin American one – explored by Baxter with his trademark blend of larger orchestrations and lighter exotica touches – often swirling around in an extremely evocative mode that makes us wish the film had been issued to the public, and at a few key moments even hinting at the funkier modes that would follow on some of Les' later work for other labels. Titles include "Aqueducts", "Gardens Of The Moon", "Pyramid Of The Sun", "Temple Of Gold", and "Procession Of The Princes". LP, Vinyl record album

A landmark leaping-off point for The Beatles – and a record that really paved the way for countless new ideas to come! The mix of catchy pop and freer ideas here is really wonderful – tunes that introduce a whole new mature world in mainstream music – yet manage to have all the catchy complexity of the earlier years too. Production, songwriting, and delivery is superb – and this version features 14 songs that include "Drive My Car", "Norwegian Wood", "Nowhere Man", "Think For Yourself", "The Word", "What Goes On", "Girl", "I'm Looking Through You", and "Run For Your Life"". LP, Vinyl record album

The amazing first album from Big Star – a set that came out of nowhere, made hardly a ripple on the charts, yet went onto crash in big waves of sound for generations to come! The style here is unlike thing else before – hardly what you'd expect from the group's Memphis roots or Alex Chilton's previous performances – yet the group's music has become a generation-defining sound in the way it blends southern inflections with harder rock influences, and a lean, gritty quality that's arguably in a late 70s space between punk and power pop. Every element is wonderful – guitars that are powerful, but never indulgent – vocals that are moving, but never overly emotive – and a balance between sensitive and searing moments that even The Replacements could never hope to match. A landmark all the way through – with tracks that include "Feel", "Ballad Of El Goodo", "In The Street", "The India Song", "When My Baby's Beside Me", "Give Me Another Chance", "Don't Lie To Me", "Thirteen", "Watch The Sunrise", and "Try Again". LP, Vinyl record album

Heavy duty fuzzy funk – and a landmark album from one of the most Hendrix-inspired groups of the early 70s! The style here is guitar funk with plenty of rock thrown in – all really fuzzed-up in production, and often a bit distorted – so that the group are kind of a lost link between the work of Betty Davis and the more mainstream sounds of Jimi! These guys also backed up Fugi on the massive "Mary, Don't Take Me On No Bad Trip", but the sound here's even heavier – even more guitar-jamming than early work by Funkadelic! Titles include the great stoned track "Cynthy-Ruth", plus "Prophet", "Reality", "I Don't Want To Die", and "Over & Over". LP, Vinyl record album

Pianist Paul Bley played famously with Ornette Coleman in his earliest years – and here, he gives a nod to that special time in his career, while also working in a style that's very much his own! All tracks are famous originals penned by Ornette, but delivered in very different trio readings by Bley, along with help from Jay Anderson on bass and Jeff Hirshfield on drums – in readings that are neither the harmelodic territory of Coleman during his classic years, nor some of the airy modernism you might know from Bley either. There's a surprising amount of lyrical beauty in the performances, as Paul opens up great new currents in these tunes – titles that include "Crossroads", "Turnaround", "Compassion", "When Will The Blues Leave", and "Lorraine". LP, Vinyl record album

A landmark album in the British folk scene at the start of the 70s – one of those records that was maybe a bit ignored at the time, but which has gone on to shape the sound of generations in the decades that followed! Anne Briggs has a really haunting voice – one that's got this spare, eerie quality that maybe follows from earlier American work by a singer like Jean Ritchie – and she's also a hell of a guitarist too, playing here with a complexity and sense of sound that instantly rivals some of the greats of both the Takoma Records generation, and UK contemporaries like Bert Jansch and John Renbourn. The album mixes vocals and instrumentals beautifully – and although the sound is lean, the whole thing has a tremendously powerful sound – on titles that include "Standing On The Shore", "Tangled Man", "Clea Caught A Rabbit", "Fire & Wine", "Highlodge Hare", "Sandman's Song", "Time Has Come", and "Tidewave". LP, Vinyl record album

Sound, space, tone, and color – a tremendous effort from trombonist Bob Brookmeyer, and a record with a really unique feel! The album features a wonderful group that includes Brookmeyer on valve trombone, Stan Getz on tenor, Gary Burton on vibes, Herbie Hancock on piano, Ron Carter on bass, and Elvin Jones on drums – all coming together in a way that's extremely equally-weighted – with less of Brookmeyer as the leader, than as a warm friend, gathering together a few key players in the studio. Given that Getz worked with Brookmeyer back in the early 50s, and had Burton in his group at the time, the album's always a link between both sides of a decade in Stan's career – but with the presence of the modernists on the rhythm team, there's a sound here that's much more unique – one that has a place for Stan's wonderful tone, and Brookmeyer's airy phrasing – but which also drives along in a rhythmically pulsing mode that almost puts Burton's vibes at the top of the set on some numbers. There's a change in mood from tune to tune that gives the record a remarkable depth, but without sounding schizophrenic – and titles include "Bracket", " Wrinkle Time", "Jive Hoot", "Skylark", "Sometime Ago", and "Who Cares". LP, Vinyl record album

A funky classic from the Brothers Johnson – sweet funky soul, done with a polish few could match! The pair are still working with Quincy Jones at this point, and the record's filled with lots of tight jazzy grooves that certainly show Quincy's touch – and which set the record apart from a number of similar mainstream funk records flooding the market at the time. The standout cut on the album is their great reading of "Strawberry Letter 23" – originally done by Shuggie Otis in a stoner version, but nicely stripped down here by the Bros, and given a very nice pop psychedelic soul twist! Other tracks include "Right On Time", "Q", "Free Yourself, Be Yourself", and "Love Is". LP, Vinyl record album

Fantastic work by Chicago Iceman soulster Jerry Butler! Jerry's moving past the harmony formula of his earlier years with The Impressions, into a sophisticated style that would forever change the sound of male vocal soul. Jerry's a wonder with this material – delivering heartfelt tearjerkers in a mature style that had hardly ever been explored in the R&B market, yet still swinging with a good raw quality wherever the nature of the material called for it. Titles include "How Beautifully You Lie", "Such A Feeling", "Isle Of Sirens", "You Can Run But You Can't Hide", "Make It Easy On Yourself", "Message To Martha", "You Can Run (But You Can't Hide)", "Giving Up On Love", and "Whatever You Want". LP, Vinyl record album

A lost prog nugget from a group who mix keyboards and woodwinds in a really great way – almost complicated, but with a down to earth quality overall – and one that seems to work especially well with the French language lyrics of the set! The record's one of those obscure French sets from the mid 70s with a sound that almost seems out of time – made far away from the mainstream, without any idea of the punk or disco changes that were taking place elsewhere – and with that more intellectual, more personal approach that often marked records of this nature as both a standout strength, and quality that would keep them from forever getting picked up by bigger labels for global circulation. Yet that balance is what makes the record so great, especially decades later – with titles that include "Divertimento", "Tramontane", "Laure", "Naissance", "Premiers Pas", and "Dernier Village Premieres Neiges". LP, Vinyl record album

A landmark recording – one of a handful of early documents of the avant garde LA scene, featuring a nimble quartet headed up by the inventive frontline of John Carter on reeds and Bobby Bradford on trumpet, over the fluid rhythm team of Tom Williamson on bass and Chicago expatriate Bruz Freeman on drums! Carter and Bradford's energetic approach followed its own line of development, much in the way that other small cells of improvisers were developing their own take on the "new thing" in the post-Coltrane/Coleman environment of the late 60s and early 70s throughout the country. The compositions unfold in a way that implies both multi-linear improvisation and composed events, but blurs the line between the two, all the while played with a great deal of fire and few of the intellectual abstractions of other free players! Titles include "The Sunday Afternoon Jazz Blues Society", "The Eye Of The Storm", "Loneliness", and "Encounter". LP, Vinyl record album

Heavy soul with a good dose of rock – the trademark sound of The Chambers Brothers, heard here during the height of their Columbia Records years! Although previously more of a folksy sort of combo, the group really took off during their time with Columbia – hitting whole new strides in their sound with a rich blend of contemporary influences, all supported by a deeply soulful sound that was rooted in tradition. The approach is heard most famously on their classic "Time Has Come Today" – but the whole set's great, and other cuts include the massively funky "Funky" – plus the tracks "Love Peace & Happiness", "Let's Do It", "In The Midnight Hour", "I Can't Turn You Loose", and "All Strung Out Over You". LP, Vinyl record album

Never-issued work from Don Cherry – and a really key piece of the puzzle in the career of this legendary trumpeter! The recordings were done for Swedish Radio, with great fidelity – more than just live tracks captured in a club, and instead some really thoughtful material that marks an early pairing of Cherry's talents with the Swedish scene that he would soon call home! Don plays cornet, and the music is maybe a bit inside compared to some of his later Swedish experiments – but still pretty amazing, and a great bridge from his work with Ornette Coleman and Sonny Rollins. Players include Mogens Bollerup on tenor, Atli Bjorn on piano, Benny Nielsen on bass, and Simon Koppel on drums – and titles include the Cherry originals "Priceless", "Nigeria", and "The Ambassador From Greenland" – plus a reading of "You Took Advantage Of Me". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

Later work from Otis Clay, but also one of his greatest albums ever! The record features him with some fuller arrangements than usual – in less of a bluesy mode than during the Hi years, with a smooth sound that really brings out a whole new side of his style. The set was recorded in Chicago for the Japanese market – and the arrangements are by Benjamin Wright, Bill McFarland, and Clay himself. Includes the massive groover "The Only Way Is Up", an anthemic modern dancefloor number that later yielded a bit hit for Yazz – plus the tracks "Cheatin In The Next Room", "All I Need Is You", "Special Kind Of Love", "Messin With My Mind", "Turn Back The Hands Of Time", and "Check It Out". LP, Vinyl record album

A landmark album from Joe Cocker – and a set that took blue-eyed soul in a whole new direction at the end of the 60s! The album's a surprising stunner all the way through – one that really gets past some of the overdone Cocker cliches that held on a bit too strongly in later years – served up here in relative simplicity, with core backing by Chris Stainton and The Grease Band, plus some key LA help from Leon Russell, and a bevy of backup singers that includes Merry Clayton, Bonnie Bramlett, Rita Coolidge, and Patrice Holloway. Russell co-produced the set, and his soulful touch definitely helps do a lot for Cocker's already-amazing vocals – adding in an undercurrent of funk that wasn't heard on Joe's first album. Titles include a classic remake of "She Came In Through The Bathroom Window", plus "Delta Lady", "Something", "That's Your Business Now", "Hitchcock Railway", "Dear Landlord", "Darling Be Home Soon", and "Hello Little Friend". LP, Vinyl record album

A landmark in modern jazz – from the stark stares of the band on the cover, to the starkly haunting music in the grooves! The record makes a bold statement right from the outset – and more than lives up to its promise in the sound within – an amazing approach to modern jazz that's still quite powerful, even all these many years later! The group features Ornette Coleman on alto, Don Cherry on pocket trumpet, Charlie Haden on bass, and Ed Blackwell on drums – moving at a fast, highly rhythmic pace that still leaves us breathless – filled with angles, but wrapped up in soul. The group make severe statements about the future of modern music in tracks like "Humpty Dumpty", "Beauty Is a Rare Thing", and "Kaleidoscope" – bouncing the efforts of the whole group off the beat, in a way that's both challenging and groove-heavy at the same time, a key summation of the genius of Ornette's early vision! LP, Vinyl record album

A landmark album of vocal jazz – and one of the few sessions that John Coltrane ever cut with a singer! In a way, the album's more Hartman's than it is Coltrane's – given that Johnny's warm, mellow style of singing isn't as free and open as Trane at his most adventurous – but at another level, the album's got a great approach to Coltrane's gentler side, one that wasn't showing up on a lot of his Impulse albums of the time. Overall, the album's got an extremely haunting quality, and McCoy Tyner's piano adds as much to Hartman's hip voice as Coltrane's mellow tenor. Titles include some well-chosen moody standards – including "Lush Life", "Dedicated To You", and "Autumn Serenade". LP, Vinyl record album

Electric piano genius from this legendary French group of the 70s – served up here in a set of tracks that were only issued as 7" singles, plus a few other rare gems too! Cortex are maybe best known for their landmark Rhodes album Troupeau Bleu – a classic that stands up next to famous 70s work by Placebo and Marc Moulin – but these singles are equally great, and show the group really moving their sound into a range of different modes! Some tracks have a slight touch of soulful vocals, others are instrumental with a groove that rivals the best of CTI – and throughout it all, there's a strong focus on the kind of keyboard work that has always really made us love these guys. Titles include "Stevie", "Californie", "Les Oiseux Morts", "Mary & Jeff (Fender Rhodes version 77)", "Moanin", "The Sky Is Grey I'm So Blue", and "Les Oiseux Morts (alt take 76)". LP, Vinyl record album

Landmark work from The Dead Kennedys – and maybe still one of the greatest punk records to ever come from the American scene! There's so much here that so many other records are missing – razor-sharp instrumentation, a great sense of pacing, and most importantly, a biting wit that always keeps the whole thing from ever lapsing into any sort of over-serious cliches! Yet unlike their LA contemporaries, the group were also never ones to just lay into the jokes – as the political commentary here is especially pointed, and nearly every single song is a blistering attack on late 70s California mores and national obsessions. Every track's a gem – and titles include "Kill The Poor", "Forward To Death", "Let's Lynch The Landlord", "Your Emotions", "Holiday In Cambodia", "California Uber Alles", and "Stealing People's Mail" – plus a killer cover of "Viva Las Vegas". LP, Vinyl record album

Sam Dees was one of the greatest unsung talents in 70s soul music – an important writer, arranger, and general background talent who helped so many other singers hit the heights – but who hardly ever issued much work under his own name! Apart from key singles and an important album on Atlantic, the recorded legacy of Dees isn't what it should be – given his impact on music, especially deep soul – but fortunately, sets like this have come along to correct that lack! As part of Sam's creative process, he would often record songs first on his own – not as rough demo tracks, but as surprisingly well done studio versions to illustrate the material – tracks that were often better than later versions of his tunes, and most of the other commercial soul on the market. This sweet set brings together 12 of those tracks – private recordings from Sam, of songs he'd later give to singers like Loletta Holloway, Ben E King, and others – an essential record from the great Dees, pressed up on super-heavy vinyl! Titles include the previously unissued "Married But Not To Each Other" – plus "Good Guys Don't Always Win", "Who Are You Gonna Love", "Con Me", "Only Lonely People", "False Alarms", "Standing In The Wings Of A Heartache", "The World Don't Owe You Nothing", and "Black Tattler". LP, Vinyl record album

Del Tha Funkee Homosapien, Kid Koala, and Dan The Automator pool their skills for this dawn of the 2000s sci-fi hip hop classic – the masterful Deltron 3030! The guest list is almost too long to get into, but Money Mark, Prince Paul, PB Wolf and Mr. Lif are all here, along with many others. One of the benchmark albums in the leftfield underground hip hop canon – and a hugely influential set that burst the doors wide open for the more creative spirits in the hip hop and even experimental pop. Tracks include "State Of The Nation", "3030", "The Fantabulous Rap Extravaganza", "Things You Can Do", "Positive Contact", "St Catherine St.", "Virus", "Mastermind", "National Movie Review", "Time Keeps On Slipping", "Turbulence (remix)", "Battlesong", "Memory Loss" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

A 2LP set of rare Doors – the LA Woman Workshop Sessions – three sides of never-before-released tracks from the sessions, plus a laser-etched fourth side with the "Electric Woman" art originally issued with the landmark LA Woman LP! The vinyl focuses exclusively on the unreleased material – with alternate versions of "The Changeling", "Love Her Madly", "The Wasp (Texas Radio And The Big Beat)" and "Riders On The Storm", plus versions of "Cars Hiss By My Windows", "LA Woman" and "Been Down So Long" featuring rhythm guitar by Marc Benno. Last, but not least the previously unreleased song "She Smells So Nice" and "Rock Me". LP, Vinyl record album

The American debut of The English Beat – aka the UK group The Beat, who'd been making some big waves with import 45s on the 2Tone label, the burst forth on our US market with a slight shift in name, due to another group hogging their original moniker on our side of the Atlantic! That bit of backstory hardly need matter, though – as the group wear their English loud and proud here, setting off a huge ska revival as they blend Jamaican roots with London attitude in the post-punk years – stacking up a set of classics that continue to groove many turntables all these many years later. Titles include "Mirror In The Bathroom", "Hands Off She's Mine", "Twist & Crawl", "Big Shot", "Best Friend", and "Jackpot". LP, Vinyl record album

The American debut of The English Beat – aka the UK group The Beat, who'd been making some big waves with import 45s on the 2Tone label, the burst forth on our US market with a slight shift in name, due to another group hogging their original moniker on our side of the Atlantic! That bit of backstory hardly need matter, though – as the group wear their English loud and proud here, setting off a huge ska revival as they blend Jamaican roots with London attitude in the post-punk years – stacking up a set of classics that continue to groove many turntables all these many years later. Titles include "Mirror In The Bathroom", "Hands Off She's Mine", "Twist & Crawl", "Big Shot", "Best Friend", and "Jackpot". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the last great soul albums on the Westbound label – the Detroit funk powerhouse known for famous records by Funkadelic, The Counts, and the Detroit Emeralds! Eramus Hall have a vague P-Funk connection – and according to legend, the band were given their name by George Clinton, who had seen a building in Chicago named Eramus Hall – but the sound is a lot smoother than any of the P-Funk projects of the time, and the group's strongest point is their smooth soul groove, augmented by a tight jazz funk style on the best cuts. In a way, they're sort of like a morphed version of late Parliament – with a funk sound that's nicely compressed, but still a lot more true than any of the countless other bands on the market who were aping P-Funk at the time. Highlights include the groovers "Your Love Is My Desire" and "She Shined A Light", both with nice sample moments – and other tracks include "Stuck In The Mudd", "Funk Permit", and "Think Positively". LP, Vinyl record album

A record that's definitely after our own heart – in case you couldn't tell from the title! The set has Jackie Gleason expanding his bag a bit for the late 60s – moving from the easy sound to the "Now Sound" – with the help of some cool electric sitar, pictured on the front of the set – and other hip instrumentation from Tom Scott on flutes, Milt Holland on tabla, and Emil Richards on a range of exotic percussion! The album's as totally wild and exotic as similar efforts on Impulse or Verve, but the record's still a great batch of "establishment hip" instrumentals – which shows Jackie trying to get a little hip for the times. George Williams handles arrangements, still with lots of the trademark Gleason strings – and titles include "Live For Life", "Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You", "It Must Be Him", and "I Won't Cry Anymore". LP, Vinyl record album

Rock-solid overseas work from the mighty Dexter Gordon – a studio set instead of one of his live dates from the Danish scene of the time – and a record that seems to have Dex coming across with even more focus and power than ever! The tracks are long, and his solos have this wonderful bite – driven strongly by work from Tete Montoliu on piano, Niels Henning Orsted Pedersen on bass, and Billy Higgins on drums – all moving sharply and tightly, with maybe an especially sharp crackle in the drums of Higgins, which really seems to energize even the mellower numbers! Titles include the great originals "Catalonian Nights" and "Benji's Bounce" – plus "Easy Living", "Four", and "Billie's Bounce". LP, Vinyl record album

One of a trio of fantastic performances recorded by tenor giant Dexter Gordon at the Zurich Jazz Festival in 1975 – a set that has him blowing with all that late-life brilliance he brought to his best European recordings of the time! Yet also, possibly because of the festival setting, there's a sharpness here that's a bit different than some of Gordon's small club live dates of the period – this great sense of energy that comes through right away, and which also seems to come from the rest of the group too – a quartet lineup that includes Kenny Drew on piano, Niels Henning Orsted Pedersen on bass, and Alex Riel on drums. Titles on this third volume include "Jelly Jelly", "Didn't We", "Sophisticated Lady", and "Rhythm A Ning". LP, Vinyl record album

Hardly any ragtime here – despite the title – and instead, the album's one of the greatest ever from drummer Beaver Harris – cut with his ultra-hip 360 Degree Music Experience group! The title is somewhat accurate in that the record brings together a long history of jazz-based expression – almost a century's worth of music, served up by Harris and the group members with the same fluid sensibility as Jaki Byard in his best work, although Byard was never this ambitious! The ensemble is somewhat large, but really comes together well – with an impressive range of artists who include Doc Cheatham on trumpet, Marshall Brown on trombone, Dave Burrell on piano, Keith Marks on flute, Cecil McBee and Jimmy Garrison on bass, and Maxine Sullivan and Bill Willingham on vocals. The album's sort of a mini-history of jazz, but one that's hardly hokey at all – and which usually veers towards Harris' more righteous modes of the 70s, even when hitting older styles. Sullivan is especially great – singing here as a sophisticated soul jazz diva of the 70s, and hardly the older-styled singer we might expect. A few moments are stripped down and percussive – and other odd instrumentation includes a bit of sitar and steel drums. Titles include "It's Hard To But We Do", "I Wish I Knew", "Can There Be Peace?", "Down In Brazil", "African Drums", and "Round Trip". LP, Vinyl record album

A landmark album that hardly needs any introduction – as it's one of the most famous soundtracks, if not soul records, of the 70s! Isaac Hayes had already surprised music fans with the sophistication of his first few solo albums, which had been issued before this one – but with Shaft, he did the inconceivable, as the album was one of the first times a pop musician had scored, not just sung on, an entire soundtrack. Plus, the soundtrack's super-huge – running as a double-length batch of tracks that was a rarity for the often-slim soundtrack market. Includes many great funky numbers – both vocal and instrumental – including "Theme from Shaft", "Cafe Regio's", "Walk from Regio's", "Bumpy's Lament", and "Do Your Thing", in the nice 19 minute long version! LP, Vinyl record album

Headstone have a nice sort of bite here – a quality you might not expect from the obtuse look of the cover, but which comes across nicely in a blend of well-done guitar work and these oddly sinister vocalizations! Drums are sometimes slightly funky – not in a funk rock mode, but in a way that makes the bite of the vocals come through even more strongly a bit unlike anything we've ever heard, and mostly handled in the lead by Mark Ashton, of Rare Bird fame! The group's also got a violinist, but that instrument is blended in strongly with more familiar rock elements – on titles that include "Eastern Wind", "Karma", "Hard Road", "Turn Your Head", "Someone's Gotta Give", "Searching Light", and "Large Weather We're Having". LP, Vinyl record album

The title's a bit obtuse, but the music is warm and soulful throughout – a really tremendous session that carries on the strong legacy of solo work that Jimmy Heath was doing in the 70s! The feel here is a lot like some of Heath's dates for the Muse or Xanadu labels – and Jimmy's working here with a great rhythm section that includes Larry Willis on piano, Stafford James on bass, and Akira Tana on drums – players who provide a very soulful grounding for the set. Heath blows alto, tenor, and soprano sax – and remaining players include Tom Williams on trumpet and Tony Purrone on guitar. The groove is in a classic Prestige/Riverside mode – not hard hardbop, but soulful, with touches of post-Coltrane blowing, and the mix of lyricism and soul jazz that Heath's always brought to his best work. Titles include "Trane Connections", "Forever Sonny", "You Can See", "I Waited For You", and "Song For Ben Webster". LP, Vinyl record album

An overlooked gem from The Holy Modal Rounders – the group's fifth album, and a set that shows them moving into a slightly more subtle style than before – but still with plenty of their trademark touches intact! The work often has a sweetly folksy feel – one that conjures up the city-to-country modes of some of the Marin County bands of the time – with some sensitive lyrics and instrumentation, all produced beautifully down in Nashville by the legendary Bob Dorough – who was doing some surprising rock projects around this time. Despite the joke of the title, there actually is a timeless quality to this set – one that might almost make the record a good place to start if you've always been curious about the Rounders, but a bit intimidated by the fame of their earlier classics. Titles include "Black Bottom", "Spring OF 65", "Boobs A Lot", "Alligator Man", "City Blues", "The Whole World Oughta Go On Vacation", and "Melinda". LP, Vinyl record album

Nice work from this funky jazz combo – a group who owe plenty to the sound of 60s soul jazz on Prestige and Verve Records, but who also do plenty to make their own mark as well! The album's issued on the same label as the Haggis Horns, and these guys definitely use strong interplay between the horns to make their mark – the trumpet of Nick Malcolm and tenor of Jake McMurchie, set out over some nice grooves from keyboardist George Cooper – who plays piano, organ, and Wurlitzer – plus a bit of vibes as well! There's vocals on one track from Doc Brown – the cut "Rolling On A High" – and all others are instrumental, and include "The Long Haul", "Chasing Fantasies", "Snakebite Playfight", "Net Zero", and "Enigma" – which was recorded live in Paris. LP, Vinyl record album

The lost legacy of a Twin Cities group who gave the world two great singles back in the day – but also left behind a lot of other excellent material that never saw the light of day! Joker's Wild sound a lot like you might guess from their look on the cover – psychedelic, but down to earth too – that smaller city vibe from a point when garage rock groups were learning how to really play their instruments, write great songs, and expand their sound with a better understanding of the studio – all of which really marks the work on this set! The lineup is lean, and the sound is nice and raw throughout, but surprisingly tuneful too, thanks to strong production – and titles include rare singles "All I See Is You" and "Echo" – plus "Copper Penny", "Good Time", "Hard Road", "I See You", "Stranger", "Witch", "That Man's Not You", "River", "Dissatisfied", "American Dream", "Peace Man", "Park Music", and "Have You Ever Loved Somebody". LP, Vinyl record album

The second album from Kendrick Lamar, and the one that really helped bring his talents to the rest of the world – and maybe mark a whole new generation of hip hop in the process! At some level, Lamar is in the same territory as many of the south Cali rappers before him – with tales of rough life on the mean streets – but his approach here is very different, both in terms of the personal quality in the lyrics and the subtle drama in his presentation – and the lean production, which seems to strip things bare, and avoid the thuggish cliches that might celebrate such a background. Even the title alone hints at the tension that's made the record so durable over the years – and titles include "Bitch Don't Kill My Vibe", "The Art Of Peer Pressure", "Money Trees", "Poetic Justice", "MAAD City", "Singing About Me I'm Dying Of Thirst", "Real", and "Compton". LP, Vinyl record album

A stellar record from Ben E King – and one of a few early 60s gems that really have him leaving a longstanding mark on soul music! There's a balance here that's unbelievable – a quality that's emotive right from the start, yet also perfectly put together too – with Ben's tremendous vocals backed by some tight Atlantic backings – in a style that's virtually the blueprint for lots more uptown soul singers to come in the 60s. The song choice is impeccable too – numbers from Doc Pomus, Mort Shuman, and Phil Spector which perfectly straddle the lines of soul music at the time – tunes that include classics like "Here Comes The Night", "Don't Play That Song", "Young Boy Blues", and "Stand By Me" – plus lesser-known gems like "Brace Yourself", "I Promise Love", "Yes", "First Taste Of Love", and "Show Me The Way". LP, Vinyl record album

A standout classic from Fern Kinney – and a set that not only marked a big moment of evolution for southern soul, but also for the Mississippi scene as well! The set was recorded at the Malaco studios in Jackson, but has a vibe that's much closer to some of the TK Records material from Miami – that maturation of southern soul during the disco era – as warmer, more modern touches came into play with rootsier styles of vocals! Mike Lewis handled the string arrangements – giving the record the same disco vibe as some of his other work of the time, including Anita Ward's big debut – and Fern's vocals have this higher range than usual for a southern singer – almost more innately tuned towards clubby rhythms. Titles include a big hit remake of King Floyd's "Groove Me" – really marking the change from the original version – plus "Baby Let Me Kiss You", "Pillow Talk", "Sun Moon Rain", "Angel On The Ground", and "Under Fire". LP, Vinyl record album

Kokolo do a great job of mixing up modes here – but maybe that's no surprise, as producer/singer Ray Lugo's been giving us great work for many many years – the kind of globe-opening grooves that really marks a generation who were raised on equal parts American funk and overseas modes! Those influences share center stage here – in grooves that are a bit Latin, a bit Afro-styled, and always pretty darn funky – topped with tight horns, but really driven from the bottom by the basslines and percussion. Titles include "Ethiopia", "How We Gonna Work It Out", "Ghost Riders", "100 Fevers", "La Buena Fe", "The Big Bamboo", and "Afrika Man". LP, Vinyl record album

A brilliant later set from Lee Konitz – recorded for Blue Note, after many years of Lee's mighty talents being ignored by US labels! Konitz first rose up as a modernist in the postwar years, recorded important records for Atlantic, Verve, Prestige, and other labels – then mostly gave his gifts to the overseas market during the 70s, and especially the 80s. Yet during that time, he grew tremendously as a player – something that's almost hard to imagine given the genius of his youth – and received this excellent showcase courtesy of bassist Charlie Haden, who co-produced with Lee, and plays in the trio alongside pianist Brad Mehldau. The format is open and fluid – never too free, but with that exploratory vibe that Konitz and the rest of the Tristano school opened up in the 50s. Titles include nice long takes on "Alone Together", "The Song Is You", "You Stepped Out Of A Dream", "What Is This Thing Called Love", and "Round Midnight". LP, Vinyl record album

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

The third album from this wonderfully well-matched trio – Joe Lovano's Tapestry Trio group, with superb work on piano from Marilyn Crispell and drums and bells from Carmen Castaldi! All three players are working together here as one – mentally tied to each other, with a sense that allows for sonic properties we never would have guessed in a Joe Lovano record from years back – and which also marks new territory for Crispell, too – as she's resonating strongly with the others in ways that are different than some of her more freewheeling improv work. Tunes are still open and full of freedom, but in a cohesive way – as Joe blows tenor and tarogato, on tunes that include "All Twelve", "One For Charlie", "Crystal Ball", "RhythmSpirit", "The Power Of Three", and "Grace Notes". LP, Vinyl record album

Massive work from the great Cheryl Lynn – and a key bridge between late 70s disco and the newer grooves of the 80s club scene! The album's a mix of midtempo groovers with a few mellower tracks – and it's got a tight, slightly jazzy sound that was very fresh at the time, and which still holds up incredibly well today. The standout cut on the record is the landmark groover "Got To Be Real" – but there's loads of other great ones, like "Star Love", "Daybreak (Storybook Children)", "Give My Love To You", "All My Lovin", and "Come In From The Rain". LP, Vinyl record album

A landmark album of the 60s – and a record that forever put Gloria Lynne on the map! The album's got a sense of poise and class that was almost a genre into itself – one that crossed Gloria over big with the title hit version of "I Wish You Love", but which was also supported here by 11 other gems all arranged in similar glistening style by Marty Paich. The set's got a great blend of jazz, soul, and pop – using strings alongside Gloria's deeply soulful vocals – and often inflecting tunes with just the right sense of jazz to put them on the hipper side of the spectrum. Titles include "I Wish You Love", "End Of A Love Affair", "Be My Love", "I Know Love", "There Is No Greater Love", "Love I've Found You", "And This Is My Beloved", "I Can't Give You Anything But Love", and "If You Love Me". LP, Vinyl record album

The never-issued second album from Main Source – and a set that's a very worthy successor to their classic Breaking Atoms! As with that record, the production here is superb – Large Professor at his best, with all the right sort of early 90s jazz influence in the samples, balanced with the group's trademark bite and wit in the lyrics – all at a level that makes for a record that shoulda been a classic back in the day! The set's got a fair bit of interludes, maybe to space out the vocal tracks for the full length release – but given the production, and great ear for found spoken bits, they seem to further the delightful quality of the record, as on an early De La set. Titles include an uncut version of "Looking At The Front Door", an unreleased version of "Fakin The Funk", and the tracks "Hellavision", "How My Man Went Down In The Game", "Time (part 2)", "Raise Up", and "Bootlegging". LP, Vinyl record album

An album that definitely lives up to its title – as the set is definitely a turning point in the career of John Mayall, and the debut of brand new lineup that helped move his music past a the straighter sound of American blues! There's still plenty of blues at the core – and great vocals and harmonica from the leader – but the lineup also features no drums at all, which gives very open space to freeplay between the acoustic guitar of Jon Mark, the bass of Steve Thompson, and the wicked work of Johnny Almond on tenor, alto, and flute! The jazzy elements that Almond brings to the music are wonderful – and really open up the sound, and showcase a whole new side of Mayall's talents too – as the group here play live at the Fillmore East, on titles that include "The Laws Must Change", "California", "I'm Gonna Fight For You JB", "Room To Move", and "Saw Mill Gulch Road". LP, Vinyl record album

Another great step forward for the legendary John Mayall – proof that he was never just content to copy American blues modes, and always willing to bring something new to the table! Although steeped in sounds from the delta on up to Chicago, the record's also got a hipper, almost trippier feel at times too – long-winding interplay between the guitar and organ, and some slow-building rhythms that shake off blues stereotypes, and mark Mayall as having an equal ear for forward-thinking 60s rockers. The group here is great – with Mick Taylor on guitar, Henry Lowther on cornet, Chris Mercer on tenor, and Dick Heckstall-Smith on tenor and soprano sax – all playing in a freely creative mode that stands the test of time surprisingly well Titles include "I'm A Stranger", "Harley Quits", "Killing Time", "Sandy", "She's Too Young", and "No Reply". LP, Vinyl record album

Forget The Stooges, forget Alice Cooper, forget the White Stripes, and maybe even forget Funkadelic – because this landmark album is one that really put the ferocity of the Detroit scene on the map – rising up the city's legacy of raw sounds next to their better-known soul and pop of the 60s – and forever putting MC5 on the great rock and roll map! The group had been honing their craft in the city for a few years before this set – and it was the genius of Elektra Records to capture them live at the city's Grande Ballroom, and not in the studio – which is part of the intensity of the record's charm, especially on the sometimes-edited bit of profanity. Titles include the seminal "Kick Out The Jams", plus "Come Together", "Rocket Reducer No 62", "Borderline", "Motor City Is Burning", "I Want You Right Now", and "Starship". LP, Vinyl record album

Great stuff from Gary – one of his more obscure albums, and a record dedicated to the signs of the Zodiac! The tracks are a mixture of Gary's usual easy jazz approach – with vibes, whistling, and bossa-style rhythms showing up a lot – plus a few more driving numbers that are more like his arranged work for other players, and which even include some nicely funky tunes! A real gem – lost amidst most of his catalog – possibly because the marketplace wasn't ready for such zodiacary! Titles include "Sad Eyes", "Long Live The King", "Close Your Eyes & Follow Me", "Can't Help Dancing", "Runaway Heart", "Thanks But No Thanks", and "Days Dipped In Dreams". LP, Vinyl record album

The start of a legend – and the very first album by Sergio Mendes' Brasil 66 group, proudly brought to the world through the godlike talents of a young Herb Alpert! Sergio was no stranger to the recording studio by the time of this set, but the record marked a real shift in his music – a change from the mostly-instrumental bossa modes he first forged back in Brazil, and a shift to warmer, sweeter pop with a nice sunny California finish – done through unique production techniques and the group's trademark two-lady lead vocals! The sound is tremendous, and is possibly heard in its purest form here – simple, focused, and given that near-perfect A&M sound through Herb's production skills. Titles include the classics "Daytripper", "Aqua De Beber", "O Pato", "Berimbau", "Mas Que Nada", and "The Joker". LP, Vinyl record album

A landmark crossover album – featuring Buddy Miles' mixed Freedom Express group, and a heavy jazz-rock sound that would soon dominate the charts with other groups. Buddy's drums are super-heavy, even if his vocals always get us the wrong way. Includes the original recording of "Them Changes", plus "Memphis Train", "Your Feeling Is Mine", "Dreams", and "Down By The River". One for the Fillmore crowd! LP, Vinyl record album

Great stuff – recorded in Mingus' classic period! Mingus leads a sharp small group here – a wonderful quintet that features Booker Ervin on tenor, John Handy on alto, and Richard Wyands on piano – with longtime musical partner Dannie Richmond on drums! The session was recorded live at the Nonagon Gallery in New York, and has that sort of arch-modernist groove that was Mingus' hallmark in these key late 50's years. Ervin, as always, is amazing, and John Handy, who makes his recording debut here, demonstrates the genius that Mingus had for spotting brilliant young players as he plays with the sort of imagination and intensity that he only ever managed to hit again on one or two of his own records as a leader. The record's got four long tracks, including long takes of "Nostalgia In Times Square", "Alice's Wonderland", and "No Private Income Blues". LP, Vinyl record album

Great stuff – recorded in Mingus' classic period! Mingus leads a sharp small group here – a wonderful quintet that features Booker Ervin on tenor, John Handy on alto, and Richard Wyands on piano – with longtime musical partner Dannie Richmond on drums! The session was recorded live at the Nonagon Gallery in New York, and has that sort of arch-modernist groove that was Mingus' hallmark in these key late 50's years. Ervin, as always, is amazing, and John Handy, who makes his recording debut here, demonstrates the genius that Mingus had for spotting brilliant young players as he plays with the sort of imagination and intensity that he only ever managed to hit again on one or two of his own records as a leader. The record's got four long tracks, including long takes of "Nostalgia In Times Square", "Alice's Wonderland", and "No Private Income Blues". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

A landmark record – not only in the history of the western, but in that of Ennio Morricone! The soundtrack, written for this hit Clint Eastwood spaghetti western, is everything you'd want in a 60s western – driving orchestral passages, twanging guitar parts, and spooky little bits that isolate the mood of a scene nicely. The work's an instant classic, and is still one of Morricone's strongest western soundtracks – even if it is one of the most familiar. Titles include "Without Pity", "Almost Dead", "Square Dance", "The Chase", and the extended "Fistful Of Dollars" suite, which takes up all of side two. LP, Vinyl record album

Mos Def's landmark late 90s solo debut – a rock solid classic that stands up today as one of the best hip hop albums of its decade – and for all the dizzying creative highs and lows of his career to follow, it stands strongly among his best work ever. His preceding duo work with Talib Kweli as Black Star set a pretty high bar creatively, and stunningly, Mos manages to clear it. It's all the more impressive given the stylistic diversity, ranging from bed rock boom bap, to leftfield funk, to Bad Brains-inspired punk. Incredible stuff. Tracks include "Ms Fat Booty", "Hip Hop", "Know That" featuring Talib Kweli, "Mr Ni**a" featuring Q-Tip, "Mathematics", "Brooklyn", "Umi Says", "Do It Now" featuring Busta Rhymes, "Fear Not Of Man", "Habitat", and more. LP, Vinyl record album

Landmark British metal from Motorhead– inarguably one of the greatest albums ever in the genre! If there's a flaw to Ace Of Spades, it's that Lemmy & Co.'s signature song – the title track, of course – is so damned amazing, you want to drop the needle on it 10 times in a row everytime you pull the record out of the sleeve before going on to the rest of the record. If only more rock & roll albums had this "problem". Other tracks include "The Chase Is Better Than The Catch", "Love Me Like A Reptile", "Shoot You In The Back", "Fast And Loose", "Fire, Fire", "Jailbait", "Bite The Bullet", "The Hammer", "Dance", "Live To Win" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

A masterpiece from Gerry Mulligan – and one of those key 60s albums that marks such a huge shift in his sound from the 50s! The approach here is very cool and compressed – but not in an LA "cool jazz" way – as the music has a more urbane, sophisticated vibe that's very much in keeping with the cover – as Gerry both blows baritone and plays piano with this spare sensitivity that's perfectly matched by group mates who include Art Farmer on trumpet and flugelhorn, Jim Hall on guitar, and Bob Brookmeyer on trombone! The use of Hall and Farmer is especially key here – as the pair bring in those soulful yet airy sounds they were crafting on their own records – given superb rhythm support from Bill Crow on bass and Dave Bailey on drums. The whole thing is a master class in understated genius – and titles include "Night Lights", "Prelude In E Minor", "Tell Me When", "Festive Minor", and "Morning Of The Carnival". LP, Vinyl record album

You might know the music of keyboardist Tonu Naisso from his work in jazz, but here the approach is slightly different – still jazz-based, but with the more compact approach of vintage sound library work – as Tonu serves up a dozen great instrumentals, all with a range of excellent keyboard styles! The music's not canned, but performed by a live group – one that includes excellent saxes and flute from Markus Holkko, whose edges and inflections really open up the sound next to the electric work from the leader – given rhythms that are both cosmic and funky from Aleksi Heinola on drums and Temu Akerblom on bass. Titles include "Hello Sunshine", "Matsi Mari", "Dangerous Dance", "Cabrera Sundown", "Pacific Breeze", "Shapes & Colours", "Urban Life", and "Pocket Galaxy". LP, Vinyl record album

Maybe not a "world" of piano, but a real classic from Phineas Newborn – a record that marks a harder, more soulful sound than some of his 50s work – shaking free from some of his flowery touches on the keys, and digging much deeper into the groove of his Memphis roots! The sound here is really tremendous – boldly leaping forth from the keys with a strength that's really surprising – but still sensitive enough to slide in a few more contemplative notes when the moment calls – sometimes while Newborn is still racing down the keys at breakneck speed! Rhythm on both sides is great – with Paul Chambers & Philly Joe Jones on side one, and Sam Jones and Louis Hayes on side two – and titles include "Cheryl", "Manteca", "Oleo", "Dahoud", "Cabu", and "For Carl". LP, Vinyl record album

A seminal early album from Ian Carr's legendary Nucleus group – playing here in a version that includes Karl Jenkins and Brian Smith on reeds, and Chris Spedding on guitar! The band has a landmark sound that mixes progressive jazz and tight full-on rock fusion into a style that's sometimes funky, sometimes avant, and often pretty darn exciting! This album has lots of nice electric piano lines, and plenty of choppy sax parts that hit a nice groove in the manner that would later be taken up by a lot of European reed players. Tracks include "Torrid Zone", "Stonescape", "Striation", "1916 – The Battle Of Boogaloo", "Persephones Jive", and "Earth Mother". LP, Vinyl record album

Heavy hitting jazz rock from the UK underground of the early 70s! We'll Talk About It Later is a great early album from Ian Carr's legendary Nucleus group – playing here in a version that includes Karl Jenkins and Brian Smith on reeds, and Chris Spedding on guitar. The band had a landmark sound that mixed progressive jazz and tight full-on rock fusion into a style that was sometimes funky, sometimes avant, and often pretty darn exciting! This album has lots of nice electric piano lines, and plenty of choppy sax parts that hit a nice groove in the manner that would later be taken up by a lot of European reed players, with nice long songs with plenty of room for improvisation – and grooves that are still nice and jazzy. Titles include "Song for The Bearded Lady", "Oasis", "Ballad of Joe Pimp", "Easter 1916", and "Lullaby For A Lonely Child". LP, Vinyl record album

A heavy funk gem from the UK sound library scene – exactly the kind of record that makes digging for sound library records so great – filled with grooves that never saw the light of day on the mainstream market back in the 70s! Heavy drums rule the scene on many cuts – making the record a real beathead classic – and instrumentation shifts from track to track, from funky flute to wah wah guitar, and plenty more 70s touches too – all delivered with tight, sharp instrumentals that work together perfectly on an all-killer, no-filler session! Titles include "Superdrive", "Decisive Action", "Hard Hitter", "No Way", "Stay With It", "Inflation", "Race With Time", "Speed Trap", "Hair Raiser", "Fun Seeker", and "Great Technique". LP, Vinyl record album

Bassist Niels Henning Orsted Pedersen has been the background force on countless jazz records over the years – and when he gets the chance to step into the spotlight as a leader, he always seems to bring a lot to the proceedings! Here, Pedersen exposes the qualities of his bass in all sorts of wonderful ways – sometimes spare and very melodic, sometimes with more force driving the group – a great lineup that includes David Liebman on tenor, soprano, and flute – plus John Scofield on guitar and Billy Hart on drums. Scofield and Pedersen have a way of resonating together wonderfully – and titles include "Future Child", "Evening Sound", "Clouds", and "Dancing On The Tables". LP, Vinyl record album

Two great bassists, working here together in a really fantastic setting – not as a spare duo, but also not lost in a too-large group as well – as the lineup features guitar from Philip Catherine and drums from Billy Higgins – both very sensitive players who let Sam Jones and Niels Henning Orsted Pedersen take the lead! The basses move nicely between rhythm and melody – almost with a gypsy swing guitar inspiration – which is maybe echoed just a bit by Catherine, who is at his best here – a great straight jazz player without some of the gimmicks of other albums of the period. Higgins is, as always, a delight – and he gets help from Tootie Heath on percussion on two tracks too. Titles include "A Notion", "Giant Steps", "Au Privave", "Yesterdays", "Little Train", and "Miss Morgan". LP, Vinyl record album

A lost European performance from Bud Powell – recorded in Stockholm relatively late in his life, but on some nicely long tracks that really let Powell stretch out on the piano! There's a nice degree of echo in the recording – and we mean that not as a cover up for poor sound quality, because the quality here is quite strong – and instead delight in the way it has Bud's tones resonate strongly in the space of the performance hall – this bold, clear tone that really lets the Powell magic sparkle in all of its glory! The trio features Torbjorn Hultcrantz on bass and Sune Spangberg on drums – and titles on this volume include "Star Eyes", "Blues In The Closet", "I Hear Music", and "Moose The Mooche". LP, Vinyl record album

A lost European performance from Bud Powell – recorded in Stockholm relatively late in his life, but on some nicely long tracks that really let Powell stretch out on the piano! There's a nice degree of echo in the recording – and we mean that not as a cover up for poor sound quality, because the quality here is quite strong – and instead delight in the way it has Bud's tones resonate strongly in the space of the performance hall – this bold, clear tone that really lets the Powell magic sparkle in all of its glory! The trio features Torbjorn Hultcrantz on bass and Sune Spangberg on drums. Includes a rare vocal performance from Powell on the tune "This Is No Laughing Matter". LP, Vinyl record album

A classic of spiritual jazz! The album is one of the few rare pairings of Sonny Simmons and Prince Lasha from the 60s – and it's arguably the greatest album they ever cut! The set was recorded for the Contemporary label in LA, but it's far far different than the cool jazz that was the label's stock in trade during most of the 50s – done instead with a pulsating spiritual feel that really takes off as the album progresses! The lineup features the twin-reed frontline of Lasha on flute and Simmons on alto, plus an amazing rhythm section that includes 2 bass players (Gary Peacock and Mark Procter), who really give the tunes a pulsating feel overall – plus drums by Gene Stone. Titles include the famous groover "Congo Call", plus the tracks "AY", "Lost Generation", "Red's Mood", and "Green & Gold". LP, Vinyl record album

A landmark album from Queen – a set conceived when the group were already at the top of their game, and willing to not only lean into their strengths, but also take a few chances by slimming things down, and really bringing the focus onto the guitar work, vocals, and heavy rhythms that continue to make the quartet the stuff of legend! Those qualities come through right away on the album's first two tracks – the instant classics "We Will Rock You" and "We Are The Champions" – followed by plenty more greatness on titles that include the ultimate take on "Sheer Heart Attack", and the cuts "My Melancholy Blues", "It's Late", "Who Needs You", Fight From The Inside", "Spread Your Wings", "All Dead All Dead", and "Get Down Make Love". LP, Vinyl record album