Two killers from the glory days of Afro Funk! Side one features the title cut "Excuse O" – a tune that begins with some of the most complicated rhythms Tony Allen had given the group to date – a skittish groove that has the electric piano jumping eagerly, driven onward by horns – while the tune moves into a crescendo after Fela's tremendous tenor solo in the middle! "Mr Grammarticalogy" is on the flipside, and is an equally unique groove – one that builds more slowly, and almost dubbily – really letting the bassline set the tone before an incredibly soulful saxophone solo sets the tone for Fela to then deliver a powerful message on Education. LP, Vinyl record album

A definite killer from the great Gianni Ferrio – one of his grooviest soundtracks ever, and a set that's filled with lots of mod 60s touches! There's a bit of electric sitar, cool bubbling Hammond, and even some jazzy horn parts that make for nice flourishes over the top – all changing up in cool and different ways from track to track – creating the kind of instrumental variety that we love in soundtracks like these! The album features vocals on two tracks – and titles include "Strana Gente", "Mr Ice Cream Again", "Week-End On Ice", "Billy's Ice Cream", "Pedigree", "Semifreddo", "Nuovi Ricchi", and "Fino All'Ultimo Gelato". CD also features 16 more bonus tracks – practically a whole extra album of music! CD

Sweetness from the legendary Roberta Flack – on this mid 70s set that really finds her settling into our laidback style that managed have massive across-the-board appeal without compromising on the soul! For too long we dismissed Roberta Flack out of hand because of her currency as a soft rock radio favorite, now that wizened up, we see that her mid 70s output had more than its share of sublime, soulful moments, and this album is no exception. Roberta's irresistible vocals are front and center, but the songwriting, arrangements and musicianship are outstanding, too – with contributions from Eugene McDaniels, Alphonze Mouzon, Bob James and other greats! 9 tracks in all, including the title track, plus "Feelin That Glow", "I Can See The Sun In Late December", "Mr Magic" and "Early Ev'ry Midnite". LP, Vinyl record album

The coolest record so far from this totally great combo – a live recording done on the home turf of the Greg Foat Group – the Playboy Club in London! The retro venue really fits the slinky, sexy vibe of the group's music – and although we already loved these guys before, this album has a really special sort of feel – with loads of wonderful keyboard lines from Greg on Hohner Electra piano, Elka Rhapsody, Hammond L 100, and Mutron Phaser – almost always distorted with a nice degree of fuzz, but still a straight ahead approach, and some great undercurrents of fuzz too! The group also features tenor and trumpet – which sometimes sound distorted, ala Varitone modes – and the overall sound feels like some lost jazzy club combo from the late 60s, really tripping out in a very comfortable space. We'd easily stack this one next to our favorite funky Fender Rhodes records from back in the day – and titles include "By The Grace Of God I Am", "Ingen Reklam", "Funky Fanfare", "Madrid", and "Mr Minor". CD features two bonus tracks – "Finky Minky" and "Papa's Got A Brand New Pigbag". CD

A great little record from Aretha – and on that always seems to get overlooked! The album's arranged by Gene Page, and it's got a sweet slightly funky electric side that opens up a whole new side of Aretha's style. Includes the nice groover "Mr DJ (5 For The DJ)", plus the cuts "It Only Happens When I Look At You", "Without You", "The Sha-La Bandit", "You",a nd "Walk Softly". LP, Vinyl record album

A seminal classic from Michael Franks – one of those records that's almost a whole genre unto itself, and which set a whole new tone for the male voice in American music! The style here is light and jazzy – almost an evolution of modes first begun by Kenny Rankin, and served up here with a similarly compressed production style that really brings out the jazz in the instrumentation. Players include Michael Brecker, Joe Sample, Larry Carlton, and David Sanborn – all sounding great with a bit of added strings from Nick DeCaro. But the real star of the set is clearly Franks – whose light vocals and creative lyrics sound wonderful next to the electric piano on the set. Titles include "Eggplant", "Monkey See Monkey Do", "Jive", "Mr Blue", "Popsicle Toes", "St Elmos Fire", "I Don't Know Why I'm So Happy I'm Sad", and "Sometimes I Just Forget To Smile". LP, Vinyl record album

Titles include "Mr Big", "All Right Now", "Fire & Water", "Remember", "Oh I Wept", and "Heavy Load". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the best studio albums ever from the legendary Von Freeman – and a date that really captures some of the careful essence of his live performances in Chicago! Unlike the previous Atlantic album, which tried to fit Von into a more expected bag, this easygoing Nessa session really lets him open up and take off – blowing tunes that are straight ahead, but always with that offbeat style that turns the songs inside out – making them rich exploratory fields for inventive and creative solos! The group fits Von's longtime credo of never upstaging the leader – which gives his tenor lots of room to blow – and players include John Young on piano , David Shipp on bass, and the great Wilbur Campbell on drums. Titles include a great version of Mancini's "Mr Lucky", plus "Swinging The Blues", "Polka Dots And Moonbeams", and "Have No Fear Soul Is Here". This great Nessa CD version has a killer bonus track, too – the Freeman-composed "Boomerang". CD

Bill Frisell goes to Nashville – and finds a whole new outlet for his tremendous talents on guitar! The record's definitely got some of the elements you'd expect – some dobro from Jerry Douglas on another of tracks – plus bits of banjo, mandolin, and even some harmonica – but the whole thing is often in a very Frisell-familiar mode, with a sense of color, space and sound – just given a bit of a Nashville pitch! Robin Holcomb sings on three of the album's 14 tracks – and titles include "Family", "Pipe Down", "Go Jake", "One Of These Days", "Brother", "Mr Memory", "Gimme A Holler", "Shucks", and "The End Of The World". LP, Vinyl record album

Man, these guys are really opening up their sound a lot with this release – moving into the heavier, harder rock territory that would bring them big fame in the 70s! The whole thing's a lot more tripped-out than before – none of the sweeter, lyrical modes of the group's earliest hits – and instead, a lot more moody numbers that really brood nicely on heavy basslines, fuzzy guitar, and some arch vocals sung in English throughout, despite the Dutch origins of the band. Why this one didn't rock the UK and US scenes bigger at the time is a mystery – but the record's ripe for rediscovery now, and filled with great cuts that include "The Truth About Arthur", "Who Cares", "Mr Fortune's Wife", "Must I Cry", "Magnificent Magistral", "I've Just Lost Somebody", "Sam & Sue", and "Crystal Heaven". LP, Vinyl record album

A seminal set from the Sunset Strip scene of the 60s – and just the kind of record that shows why the changes taking place in Cali were so important to the growth of so much other music at the time! A few years before, and The Grass Roots would have been a pop folk combo re-tuning traditional tracks for the coffeehouse scene – but here they're taking off with some post-folk modes that are partly sunshine pop, partly the headier currents that were the darker side of the west coast – all put together with superb production by PF Sloan and Steve Barri – who also penned some of the best tunes on the record. Titles include the great "Where Were You When I Needed You" – plus "Only When You're Lonely", "Look Out Girl", "Ain't That Loving You Baby", "I've Got No More To Say", "I Am A Rock", "Tell Me", and "Mr Jones". LP, Vinyl record album

A four-pack of albums from this seminal group – all brought together in a single set! Where Were You is a seminal set from the Sunset Strip scene of the 60s – and just the kind of record that shows why the changes taking place in Cali were so important to the growth of so much other music at the time! A few years before, and The Grass Roots would have been a pop folk combo re-tuning traditional tracks for the coffeehouse scene – but here they're taking off with some post-folk modes that are partly sunshine pop, partly the headier currents that were the darker side of the west coast – all put together with superb production by PF Sloan and Steve Barri – who also penned some of the best tunes on the record. Titles include the great "Where Were You When I Needed You" – plus "Only When You're Lonely", "Look Out Girl", "Ain't That Loving You Baby", "I've Got No More To Say", "I Am A Rock", "Tell Me", and "Mr Jones". Let's Live For Today is maybe the most famous record ever given to the world by California quartet The Grass Roots – famous for its title tune, and for the way that it effortlessly blends together folk inclinations and psych inspirations! The record's definitely one of those that showed the world that there was something new in the air at the time – put together with perfect production in the studio from Steve Barri and PF Sloan – who are in territory that's somewhere between the best from Brian Wilson and Abbey Road Studios – but a bit more understated than both! Titles include the classic "Let's Live For Today" – plus "Things I Should Have Said", "Wake Up Wake Up", "No Exit", "This Precious Time", "House Of Stone", "Is It Any Wonder", and "Tip Of My Tongue". Feelings is a great departure for The Grass Roots – a set that has the group taking a stronger role overall in the instrumentation and songwriting on the record – at a level that makes the whole thing a fabulous extension of all the genius they'd given the world on previous sets! There's still that cool blend of post-folk and psychedelic elements taking place here – gently swirled together with acoustic and electric guitars setting the tunes up just right – all with a late 60s Cali vibe that's as great today as when it was recorded. Titles include "The Sins Of A Family Fall On The Daughter", "Melody For You", "You Might As Well Go My Way", "Dinner For Eight", "Good Things Come To An End", "You & Love Are The Same", and "Hey Friend". CD

A massive LP for Dobie Gray – following on the heels of his hit single, "The In Crowd". The tune's quite a recognizeable oldie – and the rest of the record has a similar LA pop soul sound, with arrangements and songs by Billy Page, and a groove that's like some of the rougher west coast soul coming out in the mid 60s on labels like Cash, Money, or Mira. Titles include "Monkey Jerk", "Be A Man", "Mr. Engineer", "See You At The Go Go", and "In Hollywood". LP, Vinyl record album

The title's a wonderful one – given the warmth and great spirit of this legendary trio – a near-perfect assemblage of the talents of Hank Jones on piano, Ron Carter on bass, and Tony Williams on drums! Both Carter and Williams help Hank to hit the hipper side of his talents for the 70s – and together, they work as one – with a well-rounded, well-crafted style that's a great testament to the group's strong appeal at the time. Titles include "Freedom Jazz Dance", "A Child Is Born", "Mr PC", "All Blues", and "Doom". CD

One of a number of late 70s milestones from the Great Jazz Trio – that sublime grouping of Hank Jones on piano, Ron Carter on bass, and Tony Williams on drums! Like the rest of their gems from the time, the album's got this simple, subtle brilliance – a way of approaching piano trio material that was quite fresh for the time – different than Jones might have sounded the decade before, and clearly influenced by the huge growth of the format in Japan – the market for which the album was originally produced. Carter really shines on the record – reminding us of his incredible ability to act as both a soloist and a rhythmatist – and Tony Williams is a great here as he is on the Herbie Hancock trio dates of the time. Titles include "Wave", "Milestones", "Mr Biko", and "Eighty One". CD

Mostly mellow numbers, but not without some charm – featuring tracks written by Rod McKuen for a variety of films and TV shows, including The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, A Boy Named Charlie Brown, and Joanna. Greenslade was McKuen's prime interpreter at the time –and he's recording here on Rod's own label. Titles in clude "Lonesome Cities", "Listen To The Warm", "Mr Kelly/Kelly & Me", "Jean", "Pastures Green", and "The Loner". LP, Vinyl record album

Sweet grooving from Lani Hall – a record that's a long way from her roots in Brasil 66, but which has some surprisingly nice touches at times! Herb Alpert produced – and handled arrangements along with Lani and Michel Colombier – and it may well be Colombier's highly rhythmic approach to larger backings that makes the best parts of the album so nice – because some unexpected moments bounce along with a very slight funky undercurrent, offsetting Lani's sometimes overdone vocals with leaner modes that push things past the clutter. Titles include a nicely grooving version of "Send In The Clowns", plus "Early Mornin Strangers", "Mr Blue", "Too Many Mornings", "Sweet Bird", "Dolphins Lullaby", and "At The Ballet". LP, Vinyl record album

Chico Hamilton in the 70s just can't miss – he's really changed loads from his mellow 50s work in LA, and has a tendency to go for a hard grooving sound – but also one that's slightly left of center than the work of most other 70s jazz drummers – and we mean that in a good way! This cooking set for Blue Note is a great example of that offbeat approach – a tight set of fusion tracks with a warm finish and an edgey approach to the rhythms – awash with some really compelling numbers that will have you hunting down the rest of Chico's work from the decade! The group's got a great mix of acoustic and electric musicians – including Steve Turre on electric bass, Arthur Blythe on alto, Rodney Jones on guitar, and Abdullah on congas – and titles include the massive groover "Abdullah's Delight", plus the cuts "Ode to Miles", "Sex Is A Cymbal", "Mr Sweets", "First Light", and "Adair". CD

Great jazz version of Henry Mancini's famous score – played by Eddie Harris and his killer Chicago group from the old days – a very cool lineup that includes the young Charles Stepney on vibes, plus Willie Pickens on piano! There's a great bunch of tracks here besides the hit "Moon River" – like "Sally's Tomato", "Mr Yunioshi", "Latin Golightly", and "The Big Heist" – and Eddie and crew do an excellent job with the music, opening it up more than Mancini's recording, but still retaining all of its humor and warmth! LP, Vinyl record album

Joe Harrison starts out this set with a reference to David Axelrod, and the set just keeps getting better and better after that – as Joe mixes together vibes, mellotron, guitar, organ, flute, and lots of other cool instrumentation – but all with a lean vibe that's definitely more on the hip hop instrumental side of the spectrum! A few other players add in bits too – pedal steel, violin, bass, and guitar – but Harrison keeps things lean throughout, and served up one of the more hip hop-inspired entries in this great series from Madlib Invazion – maybe one that's most in keeping with the production giant who lends his name to the label. Titles include "Shuggie", "Axelrod", "Five Point Palm", "Donuts", "Frodo", "Cochiloco", and "Mr Rogers". LP, Vinyl record album