A fantastic funky follow-up to the first Mr Thing compilation from BBE – and a set that's equally filled with rare and soulful grooves! If we didn't know better, we'd swear he went into our crates and pilfered our own record collections – because the package contains plenty of overlooked cuts that we've loved for years, but which have never gotten their due – and not even all of them are from totally obscure pressings or small indie labels – just the kind of records that people pass over sometimes, because they don't know how great they sound! There's lots and lots and lots of deeply funky numbers on the collection – and the package really takes us back to the glory days when BBE compilations were always turning us onto something new – especially during the Keb Darge glory days. Titles include "Back Ground Music" by Kalyanji Anandji, "Searching For Soul" by Jake Wade & The Soul Searchers, "ABC" by Hot Butter & Soul, "Spooky Do" by Dick Walter, "The Horse" by Val Merral's Orchestra, "It's Just Begun" by Hot City Bump Band, "Sally" by Frank Pleyer Big Band, "Love Is Just A Word" by Johnny Griffith Inc, "Can't Stop Talkin" by Art & Ron, "Family Affair" by The Generation Gap, "Gacek" by Jerzy Milian, "Rockin Chair" by John L Watson with White Mouse, "Pink Panther" by Alan Tew, "Twinkle Stars Boo Galoo (live)" by Oscar Harris & The Twinkle Stars, "The Message" by Tinga Stewart, and "Pru Urebu" by The Rias Orchestra. LP, Vinyl record album

Wonderfully groovy soul from The Entertainers – a group who's recording here strongly for the beach music scene in the Carolinas, but who have an appeal that's much more universal! The tunes are mostly in an upbeat, midtempo mode – with a gentle bounce and a nice sort of step in the rhythms – that sweet groove that shows up in the best beach music classics – and which The Entertainers really have a lock on for this set! But there's also a warmer, more seductive feel going on too – a groove that fits in nicely with some of the early 80s modern soul work of the indie underground – and which helps get this album past any overdone cliches you might expect from the Carolinas – especially on some of the numbers that have a nicely compressed, almost poppish approach to the vocals. There's a depth here that makes the record way more than just a bunch of simple steppers for the dancefloor – and titles include "Hot On A Thang", "Pour Your Little Heart Out", "It's Not What You Got", "I'm Leavin", "In This Moment", "I Won't Cry Anymore", "What Are We Gonna Do", "Livin For The Summer", "Kidnapper", and "I'm In Love With You". LP, Vinyl record album

A great group gets even better – as the legendary pairing of tenorist Don Rendell and trumpeter Ian Carr is joined by pianist Michael Garrick – who was really helping to shape the sound of British jazz at the time! The album's only the second from the Rendell/Carr Quintet, but it's already moving strongly forward – with this sense of composition and focus that's really amazing – served up in original tunes by all three creative forces in the lead – often with this great balance between soulful swing and modern ideas that makes the whole thing a dream all the way through! Don plays tenor, soprano sax, flute, and clarinet; Carr plays trumpet and flugelhorn; Garrick is on piano, Dave Green is on bass, and Trevor Tomkin is on drums – on titles that include "Prayer", "Dusk Fire", "Hot Rod", "Spooks", "Jubal", and "Tan Samfu". LP, Vinyl record album

Never-issued performances from Sun Ra and his legendary Arkestra – recorded live at Slugs in New York, and featuring the group in two very different modes! Side one features "Calling Planet Earth/We'll Wait For You" – from the same performance that also gave the world the Universe In Blue album – but presented with a very wild, freely improvised sound! The tune runs for well over 20 minutes, and features lots of shifts in presence and power from the individual instruments – with some especially great bass clarinet from Eloe Omoe, who takes a great solo – as well as work from John Gilmore on tenor, Danny Davis on alto, Ronnie Boykins on bass, and Kwame Hadi on trumpet. June Tyson also sings a bit – although the instrumental passages are the strongest draw. The remaining two tracks are much more in the Strange Strings sound of the group – although maybe looser and freer than the work on that album – as they feature mostly stringed instruments, from a variety of global sources, mixed with some woodwind elements and a bit of percussion – almost with a vibe that's like the mid 50s Moondog discovering free jazz! Titles for these two tracks include "Moonshots Across The Sky" and "Thunder Of The Gods". LP, Vinyl record album

The complete recordings of sessions that led to one of the greatest Sonny Rollins records ever – and a genre-defining record that really introduced the world to the concept of a tenor saxophone trio! Rollins is incredible here – really at his best and most adventurous, and almost light years ahead of his work from just a few short years before – working just with the drums of Elvin Jones and bass of Wilbur Ware for accompaniment – as he spins out these long solos that are full of all sorts of sharp modern edges! The lack of piano really makes for something different and fresh in the music – and with this record, Rollins created a format that so many others would take up in years to come. Note that the record also features a small bit of work with Donald Bailey on bass and Pete LaRoca on drums – an equally great rhythm duo! This package features all the material recorded for the Village Vanguard album, plus lots more unissued at the time – titles that include "Night In Tunisia", "Softly As In A Morning Sunrise", "Old Devil Moon", "Striver's Row", "Get Happy", "Four", "Woody N You", "All The Things You Are", "I Can't Get Started", and "I've Got You Under My Skin" – some in more than one version! LP, Vinyl record album

Angular Monk meets hard-driving Art Blakey – in a session that's quite unique, and which has gone onto become one of the best-remembered Atlantic jazz sessions of the late 50s! The album features Blakey in that key non-Blue Note year of 1957 – a time when he was working with a variety of players, at a variety of labels, and taking some real chances with his music before settling into his more established hit Jazz Messengers sound. The group here is Art's own – with Johnny Griffin on tenor, Bill Hardman on trumpet, and Spanky DeBrest on bass – augmented by the piano of Thelonious Monk – a match that might seem unlikely at first, but not so much so after you consider the great work that Monk and Griffin did together at Riverside during the late 50s. There's a nice match between Johnny's sharp-edged tenor and Monk's imaginative playing – and if anything, the record has Blakey, Hardman, and DeBrest moving dynamically to keep up with the flurry of modern ideas coming from Griffin and Monk! Tracks are almost all originals by Thelonious too – a fact that definitely helps keep up the "Monk-ish" sound of the record – titles that include "Evidence", "Blue Monk", "I Mean You", and "Rhythm A Ning" – alongside Griffin's "Purple Shades". Features a full bonus album of outtakes from the sessions – most unreleased! LP, Vinyl record album

A really really beautiful little compilation – one with a sound that's every bit as powerful as the image on its cover! The music here all comes from the Gospel Roots label of Miami soul powerhouse TK Records – a key force in mainstream soul in the 70s, but also a company who issued some excellent spiritual material at the time! The work here isn't rootsy gospel – and instead reflects all the hip, righteous changes that were coming into the music during the 70s – bits of blacksploitation funk in the rhythms, powerful lead singers upfront, and an impeccable production style that often mixed deep soul vocals with modern soul presentation. This side of the TK legacy has been crucially ignored over the years – but this wonderful package more than corrects that fault – by offering up some of the key tracks from the Gospel Roots label, alongside a lavish booklet that's filled with notes, photos, and record images – all recounting the overdue tale of this great music. Not all artists are southern – there's a number from up north, and even a few from Chicago – and titles include "Tell Me" by The Fantastic Family Aires, "After The Rain" by Pastor TL Barrett, "Will You Save Me" by The Jordan Singers, "Never Say What You Want" by The Phillipians, "Help Me To Carry On" by The Fabulous Luckett Brothers, "I've Got To Make A Change" by Bright Clouds, "Wake Up Everybody" by The O'Neal Twins, "On Jesus Program" by The Original Sunset Travelers, "Blessed Be The Name Of God" by The Brooklyn All Stars, and "Christians Catch Hell" by Reverend Edna Isaac & The Greene Sisters. LP, Vinyl record album

Wonderfully weird work from the New York scene of the late 70s and early 80s – recordings that bristle with some of the best post-punk and new wave energy of the time, but which are much more obscure than most work you might know from other records! Some of the tracks here were done for NYC cable, others are more creative and almost experimental – and apart from a few rare singles that were issued at the time, almost all of the tracks appear here for the first time as a commercial release! Twinart are the group at the core, but plenty of other friends are along for the ride, including Jill Kroesen – and overall, there's a very progressive, girl-powered approach to the whole thing – on titles that include "Hands On Hands Off", "Instant This Instant That", "Double Shot Of Love", "You Got To Know", "Gassum", "Poodle Paper", "Dream On (demo)", "Honey You're So Mean", "Freak Of Nature (alt)", "Blinxong", and "Trashy Fashions" – plus a number of short "Itit" tracks. LP, Vinyl record album

One of our favorite-ever Miles Davis albums – and a groundbreaking soundtrack that forever changed the way that jazz music was used in film! According to legend, the sounds here were recorded by Miles on a hot Paris night – late in the studio, after a live performance – in a very intimate setting that had he and the combo creating these little poetic passages along with the action in the film! In addition to sublime and moody muted trumpet from Miles – the small group also features tremendous tenor work from the great Barney Wilen – a French modernist who's at the height of his powers – and beautiful bass from Pierre Michelot, whose rich tones really frame the whole proceedings. The rest of the group features bop pianist Rene Urtreger and American drummer Kenny Clarke – but the real charm comes from the interplay between Wilen, Davis, and Michelo. Titles include "Florence Sur Les Champs-Elysees", "L'Assassinat De Carla", "Diner Au Motel", "Evasion De Julien", "Nuit Sur Les Champs-Elysees", "Le Petit Bal", "Au Bar Du Petit Bac" and "Sur L'Autoroute". LP, Vinyl record album

One of our favorite-ever Miles Davis albums – and a groundbreaking soundtrack that forever changed the way that jazz music was used in film! According to legend, the sounds here were recorded by Miles on a hot Paris night – late in the studio, after a live performance – in a very intimate setting that had he and the combo creating these little poetic passages along with the action in the film! In addition to sublime and moody muted trumpet from Miles – the small group also features tremendous tenor work from the great Barney Wilen – a French modernist who's at the height of his powers – and beautiful bass from Pierre Michelot, whose rich tones really frame the whole proceedings. The rest of the group features bop pianist Rene Urtreger and American drummer Kenny Clarke – but the real charm comes from the interplay between Wilen, Davis, and Michelo. Titles include "Florence Sur Les Champs-Elysees", "L'Assassinat De Carla", "Diner Au Motel", "Evasion De Julien", "Nuit Sur Les Champs-Elysees", "Le Petit Bal", "Au Bar Du Petit Bac" and "Sur L'Autoroute". LP, Vinyl record album