Quentin Angus on guitar, Can Olgun on piano, Desmond White on bass, Nate Smith on drums, and vocals from Michael Mayo. CD

Robin Eubanks on trombone, keyboards, and vocals, Kevin Eubanks on electric guitar, Corey Glover on vocals, Antonio Hart on alto saxophone, Duane Eubanks on trumpet, Kuumba Frank Lacy on vocals, Mike King and Kris Bowers on piano and keyboards, Boris Kozlov on bass, Nate Smith and Billy Kilson on drums, and Daniel Sadownick and David Silliman on percussion. CD

Chris Potter on tenor saxophone, Craig Taborn on Fender Rhodes, Adam Rogers on guitar, and Nate Smith on drums. CD

Recorded live at Birdland with Antonio Hart on alto and flute, Chris Potter on tenor and soprano sax, Gary Smulyan on baritone sax, Robin Eubanks on trombone, Alex Sipiagin on trumpet, Steve Nelson on vibes, Dave Holland on bass, and Nate Smith on drums. CD

With Chris Potter and Marcus Strickland on saxophone, Terell Stafford on trumpet, John Patitucci on bass, Nate Smith and Marcus Gilmore on drums, and Alex acuna on percussion. CD

Editor Nate Wooley and key collaborators take on the concept of mapping in identity and culture – and as usual, this issue of Sound American is full of well-penned prose that comes at the matter from a variety of different perspectives! In addition to a great introductory piece by Wooley, the issue has a piece on Louis Armstrong by Ben Lamar Gay, a look at Louis Harrison's "Four Strict Songs" by Matthe Welch, Kyla Rose Smith in conversation with Wooley, "My Shakuhachi Journey" by reedman Shabaka Hutchings, a piece on Milford Graves and Bill Dixon by Ben Hall, a look at Yarn/Wire by Peter Margasak, and a further conversion between Wooley and composer Annea Lockwood. Magazine

A really powerful project from the LA underground – served up by a group led by Jesse Sharps, who you may remember from classic albums on the Nimbus label – and done at a level that unites the sound of his generation with some of the best currents of more contemporary years! The lineup here is filled with righteous, spiritual giants – the great Dwight Trible on vocals, Phil Ranelin on trombone, Theo Saunders on piano, Robwerto Miranda on bass, Derf Recklaw on congas and percussion – alongside Mercedes Smith on alto, Amos Delone on baritone , and Maia on flute! There's a strong mix of message and music going on here – also delivered with a bit of poetry from Kamau Daaood – and although the set was recorded before the events of 2020, it's got a deep sense of power that really gets at the needs of America in the years after George Floyd. The set begins with a stunningly dark take on "Strange Fruit", then moves into Daaood's equally powerful "Healing Suite" – and soars next on the long "Freedom's Sweet" by Horace Tapscott, before closing with "Mother", a composition by the great Nate Morgan. CD

A collection of essays on a great range of musical topics from Chuck Eddy – a writer whose work you might know from Creem or The Village Voice – and who covered a surprising amount of music in his decades in publication! The book brings together columns from a four decade stretch that begins in the late 70s – as Eddy pens tight, short pieces on subjects that include the Beastie Boys, Aerosmith, TLC, Public Enemy, country Music, The Urinals, Kanye West, Mayer Hawthorne, Pet Shop Boys, John Hiatt, Motorhead, The Cure, Voivod, and many others – plus side trips on various formats, styles, and subcultures too. 326 pages, softcover, and with dozens of entries! Book

A great Jerry Goldsmith score from the mid 60s – penned for a western, but with a sensitivity that's much more like some of his best dramatic work of the time! There's some wonderful use of woodwinds and strings in the lineup – often with the sense of mature color and tone that Jerry brought to thoughtful crime scores, or some of his more adult soundtracks – including those for well-penned TV dramas. There's some acoustic guitar to provide the right western flair at times – but overall, the style is a nice change from the usual – although with Goldsmith, things are always a cut above the usual too! Titles include "Where's The Water", "Special Delivery", "Lonely Indian", "Bandits Ho", "The Corral", "River Crossing", and "Wall Of Fire". CD includes two alternate takes – plus a 12-minute suite from Goldsmith's score to the classic Charlton Heston vehicle the Agony & The Ecstacy. CD

Jimmy Smith serves up a bucket of soul here – on an album that's one of his last for Blue Note, and still very much in the strong trio mode that launched his work for the label! The group's that super-sharp early 60s combo of Jimmy's – with Quentin Warren on guitar and Donald Bailey on drums – both players who have a groove that's maybe a bit under-stated at times, but which really lets Smith dominate the record – on both the keys of the Hammond, and the great work he brings to the bass pedals too. The tracks are short, but very groovy – with a tighter sound than on some of Smith's early Blue Note trio albums, and the same kind of in-the-pocket sound that made his Crazy Baby album a big hit. Includes a very groovy remake of "John Brown's Body", the original groovers "Bucket" and "Sassy Mae", and a nice modal tune called "3 for 4". LP, Vinyl record album

Jimmy Smith serves up a bucket of soul here – on an album that's one of his last for Blue Note, and still very much in the strong trio mode that launched his work for the label! The group's that super-sharp early 60s combo of Jimmy's – with Quentin Warren on guitar and Donald Bailey on drums – both players who have a groove that's maybe a bit under-stated at times, but which really lets Smith dominate the record – on both the keys of the Hammond, and the great work he brings to the bass pedals too. The tracks are short, but very groovy – with a tighter sound than on some of Smith's early Blue Note trio albums, and the same kind of in-the-pocket sound that made his Crazy Baby album a big hit. Includes a very groovy remake of "John Brown's Body", the original groovers "Bucket" and "Sassy Mae", and a nice modal tune called "3 for 4". CD reissue also features previously unissued bonus tracks "Trouble In Mind" and "Sassy Mae", done in an alternate take! CD

A pair of albums from the obscure group Smith – back to back on a single CD! First up is their debut – Group Called Smith – work from a group who've got a sound that's maybe more in the mode of what you might expect to find in a small club on the Sunset Strip – as Smith have a way of taking hits by other groups, and turning them into songs that are all their own – thanks to a tight little blend of organ, guitar, bass, and drums – often topped with the lead vocals of Gayle McCormick! Gayle later recorded a few solo albums on her own – and she's a great singer with a richly soulful style – one that should have made her huge in the generation of contemporaries like Janis Joplin. There's also a male singer in the group, so the leads get alternated – and the tunes also have some larger production touches from arranger Jimmy Haskell. Titles include "Who Do You Love", "Last Time", "Let's Spend The Night Together", "Baby It's You", "Let's Get Together", "Who Do You Love", and "Tell Him No". Minus Plus is a great little second album from Smith – a set that's got all the best elements of their debut, and some nice added touches too! Singer Gayle McCormick seems to be even more in the lead than before, and there's also more fresh original material too – supported by the small combo instrumentation of the group, then given some nice larger arrangements from Jimmie Haskell! Titles include "Minus Plus", "Circle Man", "You Don't Love Me", "Born In Boston", "Come Back To Me", "Feel The Magic", "Jason", and "What Am I Gonna Do". CD

Pianist Danny Grissett has really grown into a master of tone in recent years – a player who seems to find just the right way to make all his notes resonate strongly with this incredible sense of harmony and presence – so full of color and life, a record like this makes us feel like we're hearing him for the first time all over again! The balance of sound and structure here is wonderful – as Grissett can be economical, but always right on the money – doing a heck of a lot with just a little, and really finding a way to set fire with the tenor sax of Walter Smith III, whose presence here creates this crackle, a sparkle, that leaps off from the rhythms by Vincente Archer on bass and Bill Stewart on drums. Most of the best tracks here are Grissett originals – and titles include "Winter Silence", "Blue J", "Mr Wiggle Worm", "The In Between", and "Seven Tune". CD

After hitting big success with Paul Simon's Graceland album in the mid 80s, Warners kind of had a little burst of renewed activity in recording the sorts of artists they paid attention to more in the glory days of the late 60s/early 70s record industry boom. Fortunately, Miriam Makeba benefitted from that surge of activity, and was able to cut this excellent album in a style that was far rootsier than any she'd used in years! The record has a pretty spare feel overall, and most tracks only feature vocals and percussion – with some occasional extra instrumentation, and production that's very much in the Ladysmith Black Mambazo mode from the time. titles include "Sabumoya", "Congo", "Icala", "Ihoyiya", and "Embahaceni". LP, Vinyl record album

A very successful album for Blue Note – and one that took the searing tenor sax of Stanley Turrentine and backed it with some boldly soulful arrangements from Oliver Nelson! Nelson was perfect at this sort of session – able to provide full backings that infused the record with energy, yet never dominated the space of the soloist – and Turrentine really rises to the occasion here, and matches the quality heard in similar Nelson sessions with Jimmy Smith, Lou Donaldson, and Cannonball Adderley! Other players in the core group here include Kenny Burrell and Herbie Hancock – but Stan's the main star of the set with his gutsy tenor lines, all blown beautifully in a way that points towards his later experiments in this mode. Titles include "Bayou", "Mattie T", "Little Sheri", and "River's Invitation" – and the CD features the bonus tracks "Gravy Train" and "A Kettle Of Fish". CD

A very successful album for Blue Note – and one that took the searing tenor sax of Stanley Turrentine and backed it with some boldly soulful arrangements from Oliver Nelson! Nelson was perfect at this sort of session – able to provide full backings that infused the record with energy, yet never dominated the space of the soloist – and Turrentine really rises to the occasion here, and matches the quality heard in similar Nelson sessions with Jimmy Smith, Lou Donaldson, and Cannonball Adderley! Other players in the core group here include Kenny Burrell and Herbie Hancock – but Stan's the main star of the set with his gutsy tenor lines, all blown beautifully in a way that points towards his later experiments in this mode. Titles include "Bayou", "Mattie T", "Little Sheri", and "River's Invitation" – and the CD features the bonus tracks "Gravy Train" and "A Kettle Of Fish". CD

Righteous jazz, but with a bit of a funky twist too – a great selection of classics from the years when 60s soul jazz was reaching out with a new sense of pride and power, and finding a way embrace all of the musical changes that were coming its way! The music here is often by artists who might have been playing straighter standards, or bluesy organ numbers a few years before – but who here are set fire by the changes of the 60s – both at a musical level, and a political one – the latter in ways that resonate strongly even in the instrumental passages on the set! The title is a reference to a famous quote by Eldridge Cleaver, used often by The Black Panthers – and the set begins with Joe Henderson's number of the same name, "If You're Not Part Of The Solution You're Part Of The Problem" – and follows with "Let's Make Peace & Stop The War" by Funk Inc, "Bitches Brew" by Eddie Jefferson, "HNIC" by Harold Vick, "Tawhid" by Johnny Lytle, "John Coltrane" by Clifford Jordan, "Celestial Bodies" by Catalyst, "Warriors Of Peace" by Azar Lawrence, "Africans Unite" by Gary Bartz NTU Troop, and "Black Feeling" by Johnny Hammond Smith. All tracks are nice and long – and the set has a great mix of spiritual ideals with a few funky currents. CD

A long-overdue collection of work by this sublime Ohio soul group of the 60s – a trio of lovely ladies with a really tremendous sound! Gigi & The Charmaines are hardly the girl group cliche you might think from their sweet name and the image on the cover – and on most of the numbers here, they're hard-rolling at a pace that's somewhere between the best Detroit Northern Soul of the time, and some of the sweeter female soul that was coming out of Chicago at the end of the 60s. Ace have really outdone themselves with the collection – and bring together the group's singles on the Columbia, Date, and Fraternity labels – as well as some other key sides that have them performing vocals on records by other artists in the lead! CD features a whopping 28 tracks in all, plus a full set of notes – with titles that include "Guilty", "Poor Unfortunate Me", "Eternally", "Girl Crazy", "If You Ever", "I Idolize You", "Rockin Old Man", "On The Wagon", "What Kind Of Girl Do You Think I Am", "All You Gotta Do", "GI Joe", "I Can't Go On This Way", and "I Don't Want To Lose Him" – plus "I'm So Satisfied" with Max Falcon, "Lucy Miloo" with Kenny Smith, "Baby Please Don't Go" with Carl Edmonson, and "Baby What's Wrong" with Lonnie Mack. CD

Fantastic funk from the 60s LA scene – and the first-ever album by a group who would dominate the west coast groove of the time! This first outing by the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band takes off nicely from the group's funky 45 years – using larger arrangements to expand upon their hard and heavy groove, in a style that almost has some funky soundtrack touches at times! Fred Smith produced and is directing the group – and tracks are short, sweet, and filled with groovy touches! Titles include "Spreadin Honey", "Fried Okra", "Soul Concerto", "Watts Happening", "103rd Street Theme", "Whole Hog Or Nothing At All", "Brown Sugar", and "A Little Class & A Little Trash". Great trippy cover too – and an endorsement from Bill Cosby on the back! CD features 24 tracks in all – both the mono and stereo versions of the album! CD

Fantastic work from legendary producer Joe Gibbs – a key force in helping Jamaican music find the darker side of its groove at the end of the 60s, thanks to some groundbreaking work in the dee jay mode, and some other styles that are definitely an earlier precursor to dub! The set brings together 27 tracks that Gibbs recorded right at the tail end of the decade – many issued on the Amalgamated and Pressure Beat labels, including 9 tracks that appear on CD for the first time ever! But even the rest are pretty rare singles, most out of print for years – and as with other Doctor Bird collections, they're brought together here at a level that really makes sense, and illuminates the genius that's present in all of the individual cuts. Titles include "Niney Special" by Niney & The Destroyers, "Straight To The Head" and "Nevada Joe" by Johnny Lover & The Destroyers, "Echo" by The Now Generation, "Ghost Walk" and "Seeing Is Believing" by Carlton Gibbs, "Still Water Runs Deep" by Lizzy, "Jack Of My Trade" by Lord Comic, "Pussy Catch A Fire" by Two Soul Brothers, "News Flash Version" and "Rock The Clock (version 2)" by The Destroyers, "Perfect Born Ya" by The Immortals, "Honey No Money" by Niney & Slim Smith, and "Ghost Capturer" by Joe Gibbs All Stars. CD

An astounding collection that brings together work from a roots reggae legend! Niney's productions stand as some of the strongest benchmarks for golden era roots reggae, with his ability to fuse heavy rhythms with righteous messages and some of the better vocal performances that these singers would turn in for any producer. This great double LP set pulls together some of his biggest numbers as well as great versions, dubs, discomixes and a few hard to get alternate versions for a hefty showcase of one of the elite in Kingston's roster of master producers. Backing is by the Soul Syndicate, the Aggrovators, the Revolutionaries, the Cimarons and Steely & Clevie, with 28 tracks in all, including "Blood & Fire" by Niney, "Whole Lot Of Fire" by Big Youth, "Rascal Man" by Delroy Wilson, "Rasta No Born Yah (ext)" by Sang Hugh & The Lionaires, "Guess Who's Coming To Dinner/Clap The Barber" by Michael Rose, "I Need Your Loving" by Slim Smith, "Rock On" by Gregory Isaacs, "Silver Words" by Ken Boothe, "Warrior" by Johnny Clarke, "Chant It Down" by Freddie McGregor, "No More Will I Roam (ext)" by Dennis Brown, "Materialist" by Horace Andy, "Moses" by Jacob Miller, "Temptation, Botheration & Tribulation" by the Heptones, "Lover's Race" by Sugar Minott and "Thank You Mama" by Barry Brown. LP, Vinyl record album

A very cool collection of songs that might be considered to be "in orbit" of the great Gene Vincent – as these are either tunes that first inspired Gene to make his own recordings, or tracks that feature others taking on tunes from the Gene Vincent songbook – sometimes in styles that are very different than the raw sound of Gene's early material with the Blue Caps! The package is done in the beautiful Bear Family style – not just a fantastic selection of really obscure tunes, but detailed notes that follow the great look of the cover – and really illuminate all these lost nuggets from the glory days of rock and pop on the 45rpm single! There's a massive 36 tracks in all – and titles include "I'm Going Home" by The Spotnicks, "Right Here On Earth" by Johnny Rebb & His Rebels, "Anna Annabelle" by Les Chats Sauvage, "High Blood Pressure" by Huey Piano Smith, "Jump Back Honey Jump Back" by Hadda Brooks, "Woman Love" by Jimmy Johnson, "Rollin Danny" by Max K Lipscomb, "Five Days Five Days" by Vince Eager, "Red Blue Jeans & A Ponytail" by Freddie Franks, "Bluejean Bop" by Rock Ragge & His Four Comets, "Double Talkin Baby" by Bobby Milano, and "Big Fat Saturday Night" by Gene Princeton. CD

That's a country-looking Mike Nesmith on the cover – which is no surprise, as these cuts were all recorded during Nesmith's great early 70s country rock years on RCA – although none of them were issued at the time! Those in the know love Mike's fantastic records with The First National Band – done after his time in The Monkees, at a time when he was really letting his hair down and his songwriting skills flow – to a point where he was joining the hipper country-inspired world of The Flying Burrito Brothers and The Byrds! Those modes are in full flourish here – in a set that features 16 vocal numbers from the RCA years, including many rare alternates – and 8 more instrumentals, which show the wonderful use of pedal steel from Red Rhodes, and some of the other hip players on the sessions. Titles include "American Airman", "Six Days On The Road", and "Circle Sky" – plus rare alternates of "Some Of Shelly's Blues", "Marie's Theme", "Roll With The Flow", "Different Drum", "Tengo Amore", "Dedicated Friend", "Texas Morning", "Rene", "Listen To The Band", and other vocal tunes – some in very different arrangements. Instrumental tunes include "Hollywood", "Tan My Hide", "You Are My One", "Born To Love You", and "Magnolia Simms" – and the set also features a bonus "Loose Salute" radio spot too! LP, Vinyl record album

A great Japanese issue of this early material from trumpet genius Chet Baker – featuring his quartet with Russ Freeman on piano, Carson Smith on bass, and Larry Bunker on drums! The set features titles that include "Moon Love", "Bea's Flat", "Band Aid", "Happy Little Sunbeam", and "Carson City Stage" – and a few alternate takes. LP, Vinyl record album

One of the boldest early statements from the legendary Fall – a set in which all their energy and mad tunecraft really comes together, and forever put the group on the map! There's a sense of song structure here, but still plenty of noise and weird bits – music that really shows just how much the leftfield landscape can change, a few short years after punk – and open up not only to sonic experimentation, but also the kind of well-penned, cut-up lyrics that made Mark E Smith one of the best writers of his generation! The whole thing's great – still as powerful today as it was in 1979 – and titles include "Muzorewi's Daughter", "Choc-Stock", "Spectre Vs Rector", "Put Away", "Dice Man", "Printhead", and "Psykick Dancehall". This 3CD set is incredible – as CD1 features bonus tracks that include "Rowche Rumble", "In My Area", "Firey Jack", "2nd Dark Age", "Psykick Dancehall No 2", and alternates of the "Rowche Rumble" single sessions. CD2 features a 13 track live set recorded in Retford in 1979 – and CD3 features 11 more live tracks, recorded in Los Angeles in 1979. CD

Raw, rootsy blues – recorded by a trio of gals who are definitely old enough to have taught your mom a few songs! The set's got a mixed blues/jazz vibe – that sweet 20s/30s mode when the two genres would often blur nicely together – and players include Sidney De Paris on tuba, JC Higginbotham on trombone, Buster Bailey on clarinet, Cliff Jackson on piano, Henry Goodwin on trumpet, Cecil Scott on clarinet, and Willie The Lion Smith on piano. Singers alternate tracks on the set – and titles include Albert Hunter singing "I Got Myself A Workin Man" and "I Got A Mind To Ramble", Lucille Hegamin singing "St Louis Blues" and "You'll Want My Love", and Victoria Spivey singing "Black Snake Blues" and "Got The Blues So Bad". LP, Vinyl record album

An overlooked treasure from Archie Shepp – a set recorded for the Enja label with a profile that's not as bold as some of his other albums, but a great later session that has some surprisingly wonderful moments! Perhaps the best of these is the album's long workout on "Mama Rose" – done here as a free-flowing modal number with some great soprano sax lines from Archie – blown beautifully over soaring rhythms from Kenny Werner on piano, Santi DeBriano on bass, and the great Marvin Smitty Smith on drums. The track really cooks wonderfully – and is followed by the more sensitive "Soul Song", the hard-blown tenor cut "Geechee", and a laidback take on "My Romance". Both "Geechee" and "Mama Rose" dominate the record – and are perfect examples of the later soulful sound of Shepp in the post-Impulse years! CD