Spiritual jazz saxophonist Nat Birchall works here with an even more expanded version of his Unity Ensemble – in ways that make for a record that's even more righteous and expressive than ever before! Nat's got this way of spinning out solos over a modal groove that just gets better and better – blowing both soprano and tenor here, in a group that features additional tenor work from Brit jazz great Alan Skidmore on most of the tracks too – a great second voice next to Birchall's own. The core combo also features piano from Adam Fairhall, bass from Michael Bardon, drums from Paul Hession, and percussion from both Lascelle Gordon and Mark Wastell – helping to craft an earthy groove that makes Nat's cosmic solo flights sound even more heavenly! There's definitely an old school post-Coltrane vibe here, but also a lot more going on – and titles include "Elevation", "Jubilation", "New World", "Exaltation", and "Greetings Of Love". LP, Vinyl record album

A true orgy in rhythm from Art Blakey – a set that not only features his drums next to the kit of Art Taylor, but which also adds in a bevy of other percussionists – including Sabu Martinez, Patato Valdez, and Jose Valentine! Joe Jones and Specs Wright also bring in additional jazz drums – making for more drummers than you might even find in a high school band – all working together with amazing qualities in sound, sometimes even melodic amidst all of the rhythms. Lighter lyrical touches are provided by Herbie Mann's flute, and Ray Bryant throws in some great lines on piano – underscoring the grooves in a nice way. Titles on this first volume include "Buhaina Chant", "Split Skins", and "Toffi". LP, Vinyl record album

A true orgy in rhythm from Art Blakey – a set that not only features his drums next to the kit of Art Taylor, but which also adds in a bevy of other percussionists – including Sabu Martinez, Patato Valdez, and Jose Valentine! Joe Jones and Specs Wright also bring in additional jazz drums – making for more drummers than you might even find in a high school band – all working together with amazing qualities in sound, sometimes even melodic amidst all of the rhythms. Lighter lyrical touches are provided by Herbie Mann's flute, and Ray Bryant throws in some great lines on piano – underscoring the grooves in a nice way. Titles on this second volume include "Amuck", "Elephant Walk", and "Abdallah's Delight". LP, Vinyl record album

A live set from this Brazilian pianist – spinning out non-stop performances on each side, and one tune slides into the next with an old school jazzy vibe. Very late nite, small club! LP, Vinyl record album

Some of the most powerful work ever recorded by Latin soul legend Joe Bataan – which you might expect, given the title and the cover! The set's actually a collaboration between Joe and some of the other hip artists recording for his short-lived but impressive Ghetto Records label – and Joe himself takes center stage on all of side one – delivering the heartbreaking tune "Drug Story", which has moody vibes next to Bataan's vocals on the really heartbreaking message! The side also features the moving "Goodbye Roberto Clemente", and a great alternate take on the groover "Latin Square Dance". Side two effortlessly blends Latin and soul – and titles include "Someone Like You" and "School Is In" by Edwards Generation, "Sigue Su Vida" and "My Vows To You" by Eddie Lebron, and "Never Listen To Your Heart" and "A Part Of A Fool" by One'Sy Mack. LP, Vinyl record album

A very groovy little soundtrack for this original film version of Lolita – directed by Stanley Kubrick with a screeplay by Nabokov himself. The album sports the famous "Lolita Theme", with a weird vocal part that goes "nya nya", and which became something of a minor instrumental hit at the time. About a third of the album is variations on that theme, and the rest of the album features darker tunes that get at the inherent sadness of the movie – standing in stark contrast next to the sillier theme numbers. Tracks include "Love Theme From Lolita", "Two Beat Society", "Thoughts Of Lolita", "School Dance", "Quilty's Theme", and "Lolita Ya Ya". LP, Vinyl record album

A really transformative album from the trio of Medeski Martin & Wood – a set that helped re-open possibilities for jazz organ expression in the 90s, while also bringing back the instrument in some of his best old school modes as well! Around the time of the set, many folks thought of the organ as an instrument in jazz that was a bit dated – not exactly true, and an opinion that was definitely changed once John Medeski was able to open up on the keys on a record like this –using other keyboards too, in the core trio with Billy Martin on drums and Chris Wood on bass. There's plenty of other elements in the mix too – and Medeski can soar like Larry Young one minute, groove like Jimmy McGriff the next – on titles that include "Shack", "Tea", "Chinoiserie", "House Mop", "Paper Bass", and "Chubb Sub". LP, Vinyl record album

The last album ever recorded by funky drummer Roy Porter – and a really unique set that seeks to combine his older grooves from the 70s with contemporary elements from the 90s hip hop scene! The approach is a lot better than you might expect, and has lots of the best true school elements firmly in place – no surprise, given that most of the tracks are built from Porter's complicated rhythms and sophisticated electric grooves, pulled almost straight from his original albums – with rhymes added by Houston Blue, Ded To The World, and Big Born. Plus, the set's also got some instrumental numbers that hold very strongly in the old Roy Porter mode – killer cuts "Slaughterhouse", "Wave", "Dopetifvity", and "Mr RP & Me" – next to vocal cuts that include "Generation", "Slaughterhouse", and "Mysticali Fix". LP, Vinyl record album

A beautiful lost record from the 70s – recorded by a singer from Harlem, but attending a Quaker school in Pennsylvania – which makes for a wonderfully cool blend of sounds and styles on the set! There's almost an acoustic core to the record, but the set also uses just the right amount of bass as well – next to piano that has some jazzy undercurrents, and which has the record coming across somewhere in the folksy soul territory of Terry Callier – recorded with a very similar sense of sophistication in both the songs and the performances! Shira's voice is great – very personal, and just right for the material – and titles include "Fingerpainter", "Cool Dude", "Here I Stand", "I Want To Lay With You", "Lights Gleam Lonely", "Touch Of Blue", "Gimme Magic", and "In An Open Field". LP, Vinyl record album

The fantastic first album from LL Cool J – one that really kicked off a whole new school of hip hop – the early Def Jam era! Radio features straight up excellent early Def production from Rick Rubin and loads of tight tracks from LL – whose charisma continued to flow for the next couple of decades – even if his later records could never approach this benchmark level. Tracks include "I Can't Live Without My Radio", "Rock The Bells", "Dangerous", "That's A Lie", "You'll Rock" and "I Can Give You More". A piece of history – and an album that changed hip hop forever! LP, Vinyl record album

One of the best-remembered albums from the Underground Kingz – a set that was even more expansive than most of the big hip hop records on the charts at the time – which leaves plenty of room for the Kingz and all of their entourage to do their thing! The set features plenty of guests, both older school and newer artists, some of whom balance the harder sound at the core with some soulful warmth – others of whom fan the flames a bit more. Outkast famously help shape the sound of "Intl Players Anthem" – and other features include Too Short on "Life Is 2009", Rick Ross on "Cocaine", Charlie Wilson and Willie D on "Quit Hatin The South", Talib Kweli and Raheem DeVaughn on "Real Women", and Big Daddy Kane and Kool G Rap on "Next Up" – next to other tracks that include "Underground Kingz", "Like That", "Living This Life", "Stop N Go", "How Long Can It Last", "Grind Hard", "The Game Belongs To Me", and "Swishas & Dosha". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the greatest records ever from Mandrill – a set that has the group tightening things up and getting even more funky than on their first few records, but with a vibe that's still nicely loose and spontaneous overall! The set's got Mandrill perfectly balanced between jazz-tinged funk and tighter soul – with loads of wonderful instrumental elements that have lead to the set being a heavy sample favorite over the years – used shamelessly by artists who include De La Soul, Cypress Hill, Schooly D, Ice Cube, and others! The horns are great, and never hokey at all – and the vocals nicely take second seat next to the rhythms, which are a tremendous blend of funk, jazz, and both New Orleans and Latin elements. Titles include the massive "Fencewalk", plus "Hagalo", "Polk Street Carnival", "Moroccan Nights", "Golden Stone", "Hang Loose", and "Don't Mess with People". LP, Vinyl record album