Anita O'Day on one of her great self-released albums – working here with some cool duos and trios – including work from the great Stan Tracey on piano, plus Kirk Lightsey on two tracks too! Titles include "Girl From Ipanema", "Once Upon A Summertime", "Tea For Two", "Love For Sale", "Night & Day", and "Boogie Blues". LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic follow up to Queen's Night At The Opera album – and like that one, a complete sonic masterpiece from start to finish – the kind of record that has the group hitting on all burners, and forging a non-stop blistering assault of sounds that would forever cement their legacy in 70s music! There's not one element here that seems to be amiss, or dominating in the lead – the vocals might shine one minute, guitars the next, drums following – but it's the overall blend and shift of sounds throughout that really keep things exciting. As such, it's almost impossible to single out a key cut or song – because the whole thing works together so well – with selections that include "Tie Your Mother Down", "Long Away", "Good Old Fashioned Lover Boy", "White Man", "Somebody To Love", "White Man", "Teo Torriatte", "Drowse", and "You Take My Breath Away". Cassette

A key turning point for Frank Sinatra in the 60s – a record that got him firmly back on the charts with a great new sound! The leadoff title cut really sets the pace for the whole thing – a slyly syncopated groover that works perfectly with Sinatra's aging vocals – originally issued as a single, then used here as the cap of a whole album of subtle numbers that are perfect mid 60s Frank at his best! Ernie Freeman and Jimmy Bowen put together the title cut, but Nelson Riddle and Sonny Burke do a great job following the whole thing up – using a nice touch of organ in the mix, and lilting the bottom ever so slightly to swing things past some of the more lush Sinatra modes of years past. Titles include "Strangers In The Night", "Summer Wind", "Call Me", "On A Clear Day", "Downtown", "Yes Sir That's My Baby", "All Or Nothing At All", and "My Baby Just Cares For Me". CD

A wonderfully obscure set of jazzy soul from keyboardist Billy Foster – a musician who's been making waves on the scene in Gary, Indiana for many decades – but has never fully gotten his due! This project captures a younger Billy – working in a soul-based mode that blends vocals with his own work on a variety of keyboards and acoustic piano – maybe an indie take on modes that artists like Rodney Foster or Bobby Lyle were exploring on the bigger labels at the time, but with a lot more charm. Vocals are by Glenda Eskew and Brenda Marshall McClure – and titles include the instrumental "City Lights", which has a nicely pronounced guitar solo by Henry Johnson – plus the tracks "As A Matter Of Fact", "Night Music", "I Need Your Love", and "It All Depends On You". LP, Vinyl record album

A really fantastic live performance by the Mike Westbrook Concert Band – recorded right around the same time as his seminal albums for Deram – and with an equally amazing sound! The "old place" here is Ronnie Scott's old club – which was still leased for a few months as the new one was being opened in 1968, which gave Westbrook and other young musicians the chance to try out some of the incredible new ideas that would really set the British jazz scene apart in the late 60s! There's a pivotal feel to the record that's wonderful – really informing the explosion of sounds on Westbrook's late 60s albums, as he uses both older jazz compositions and his own great work – to make a pastiche of modes and modern moments that really blows us away – served up by a lineup that includes Mike Osborne and John Surman on saxes, Malcolm Griffiths and Paul Rutherford on trombones, Dave Holdsworth on piano, Harry Miller on bass, and Alan Jackson on drums – with Westbrook leading the group on piano. Titles include "Who's Who", "A Life Of It's Own", "The Few", "Lover Man", "For Ever & A Day", "Folk Song", "We Salute You", "Flying", and "Can't Get It Out Of My Mind". CD

A contemporary group, but one who do a stunning job of cooking up 80s-styled club cuts – just the right balance of boogie, funk, and soul – all handled with a lean vibe that's like some of our favorite rare 12" singles from back in the day! Another Taste are a real group, not just a producer with beats, keyboards, and samples – and you can definitely hear their live interaction throughout – an extra-special sort of warmth that really knocks things out of the park, and which easily makes the album stand next to our favorites from the Capitol Rare generation! Titles include "Perfect Night", "Mad Honey Theme", "Time Is On Our Side", "Turn Up", "It Takes Time", and "Anything You Want". LP, Vinyl record album

Some of the sharpest, jazziest funk you'll ever hope to hear – a smoking collection of the legendary 70s work by The Blackbyrds on Fantasy Records! The group started as a jazz combo under Donald Byrd's supervision – right at a time when Byrd was making his own fantastic funky records in the 70s – but working for the Bay Area Fantasy label, they really took off into an amazing groove that was all their own – still informed by jazz, but free to open up to lots of funk and soul elements too – sometimes with vocals in the lead, sometimes more focus on the kinds of solos that always set them apart from all their contemporaries! The cuts have some wonderful keyboard work from a young Kevin Toney – who's gone onto a lot of fame over the years – and production on all cuts is either by Larry Mizell, Donald Byrd, or George Duke – key 70s jazz funk forces who keep things mighty tight in the studio! The package features work from all Blackbyrds albums of the 70s – including the Cornbread Earl & Me soundtrack, and the Night Grooves remix set – and the package features 25 titles that include "Enter In", "Party Land", "Do It Fluid", "Gut Level", "Summer Love", "I Need You", "The Baby", "Blackbyrds' Theme", "City Life", "Rock Creek Park", "Walking In Rhythm", "A Hot Day Today", "Wilford's Gone", "One Gun Salute", "Supernatural Feeling", "Mysterious Vibes", and "Soft & Easy". CD

Four fantastic albums from Bobby Bland – all brought together in a single package for the first time! First up is Come Fly With Me – great work from Bobby Blue Bland – one of the few artists to rise up at the end of the 50s, and still find a way to chart their own path forward in soul with fresh material like this! Bobby's voice is still incredible here, and he works with production from Al Bell and Monk Higgins, the latter of whom arranged – in this cool style that's a bit like some of the territory that Tyrone Davis was taking on at Columbia Records during the second half of the 70s – fuller arrangements that bring some sophisticated soul touches to the music, but in ways that never lose the core of Bobby's genius! Titles include "Lady Lonely", "Night Games", "You Can Count On Me", "Love To See You Smile", "Come Fly With Me", and "To Be Friends". The next album is I Feel Good I Feel Fine – and Bobby Bland sounds pretty good too – thanks to arrangements from the great Monk Higgins, who does a perfect job of mixing Bland's trademark vocals with some sweet late 70s arrangements! The sound is upbeat, but never in a cliched disco mode – more in the territory that you'd hear Johnnie Taylor using over at Columbia Records – maybe a good comparison, given the Memphis roots that both artists shared – as both also evolved a lot to shift their sound with the changing modes of the time. And as with Johnnie, Bobby never loses the core that makes him great – as you'll hear on titles that include "Tit For Tat", "Soon As The Weather Breaks", "In His Eyes", "Someone To Belong To", "I Feel Good I Feel Fine", and "Little Mama". Sweet Vibrations is a real gem from the start of the 80s – arranged by Monk Higgins, who co-produced the set with Al Bell – a duo who'd already given Bobby some great records before, but who really knock it out of the park with this one. There's an extra-special quality going on here – maybe a slight reintroduction of blues roots, but still with a very contemporary spirit – set up to superb backings throughout. Titles include "Soul With A Flavor", "Hollywood Woman", "You'd Be A Millionaire", "Sweet Vibrator", "Special Kind Of Fool", and "A Real Woman Is What It Takes". Try Me I'm Real is record with a title that certainly fits the bill – as the amazing voice of Bobby Bland is as real here as it ever was, and blended with superbly soulful backings that take the singer's sound forward for a whole new generation! Some of Bobby's contemporaries were content to just stick in a straight blues mode – but Bland really grew and developed a lot as an artist, thanks in part to Monk Higgins and Al Bell – who are both at the production helm of the record, and balance the bluesy roots of Bobby with some richer soul backings that really knock the whole thing out of the park! We love Bobby Blue Bland during his early Duke Records years – but we love him equally as much for music like this, on titles that include "But I Do", "What A Difference A Day Makes", "Givin Up The Streets For Love", "A Song For You My Son", "Just You Just Me", and "Love Is Where It's At". CD

Dave and the quartet pay tribute to the songwriting genius of Cole Porter – working with familiar older tunes, but nicely unlocking them with a strong sense of Brubeck modernism! Things start out slow, but get extremely playful as the set goes on – with fresh timings and phrasings that move the chestnuts past their usual territory – and allow some great space for crisp alto solos by Paul Desmond, always a treat in any Brubeck set! Dave himself sounds slightly heavier in his left hand on the keys – hitting things with a harder tone than one might expect for a Cole Porter session, and again making for an unusual twist for the material. Titles include "Night & Day", "Anything Goes", "Love For Sale", "What Is This Thing Called Love", "All Through The Night", and "You're The Top". CD

A collection of classic work by Dave's group with Paul Desmond – featuring 5 tunes from West Side Story, inlcuding "Tonight", "Somewhere", "Maria", and "I Feel Pretty", plus others from shows and standards. The group, as usual, really opens up the tunes – and Desmond's icily skating alto really makes the best of the material. Other titles include "What Is This Thing Called Love", "The Most Beautiful Girl In The World", and "Night & Day". LP, Vinyl record album

A collection of classic work by Dave's group with Paul Desmond – featuring 5 tunes from West Side Story, inlcuding "Tonight", "Somewhere", "Maria", and "I Feel Pretty", plus others from shows and standards. The group, as usual, really opens up the tunes – and Desmond's icily skating alto really makes the best of the material. Other titles include "What Is This Thing Called Love", "The Most Beautiful Girl In The World", and "Night & Day". LP, Vinyl record album

The first four albums from this crucial group – along with four more CDs of rare live material too! First up is the self-titled Cactus – the first album from this legendary group – an important American hard rock powerhouse, driven by the famous rhythm duo of Tim Bogert on bass and Carmine Appice on drums – both of whom roll out of the gate here with amazingly frenetic energy! They're maybe only topped by the guitar work of Jim McCarty, whose searing lines are clearly learned from blues inspirations, then turned up in both speed and power – to match the vocals and harmonica of Rusty Day! There's nothing going on here that sounds like blues rock at all – even though the set begins with a cover of "Parchman Farm" – next to other titles that include "My Lady From South Of Detroit", "No Need To Worry", "You Can't Judge A Book By The Cover", and "Let Me Swim". On One Way Or Another, Cactus are totally at the top of their game – and the guitar of Jim McCarthy really sets the record on fire, right from the very first note – at a level that should have made Jim one of the real guitar hero legends of his generation! Yet there's also power from the whole group going on too – tight rhythms from the team of Carmine Appice and Jim Bogert, the latter of whom starts to bring in his own vocals a fair bit more, offering backup to the raspy lead of Rusty Day. And while there's a few currents that show their older influence from blues, the sound here is massively hard rock all the way through – making the record a great illustration of the way that slavish blues rock gave birth to a fresh new jamming sound in a matter of just a few short years. Titles include "Rockout Whatever You Feel Like", "Song For Aries", "Feel So Bad", "Rock N Roll Children", and "Hometown Bust". Restrictions is next, and despite the title, there's no restrictions at all – as Cactus seem to be even more confident, more able to stretch their wings and fly than ever before – even adding in some extra piano and keyboards at points to the core guitar-heavy sound of the quartet! All the group's best elements are very firmly in place – searing guitar, righteously confident vocals, and a strutting sensibility that makes this early 70s album way ahead of the game in terms of territory that so many bigger groups would later copy for their own classic records. Titles include "Guiltless Glider", "Evil Alaska", "Sweet Sixteen", "Bag Drag", "Restrictions", and "Mean Night In Cleveland". Ot N Sweaty is a record that's got a bit of a shift in the classic Cactus lineup – as the group's still driven strongly by the work of Carmine Appice on drums and Tim Bogert on bass, but get guitar power from Werner Fritzschings, who's a pretty amazing player – next to some added keyboards from Duane Hitchings, and vocals from Peter French – a singer who's ballsy power might be even more in line with the group than their previous lead singer! The album's got an unusual approach in that side one was recorded live, side two in the studio – each with a nicely different flavor as a result – on titles that include "Swim", "Our Lil Rock N Roll Thing", "Bedroom Mazurka", "Telling You", "Bad Stuff", and "Bringing Me Down". 8CD set is overflowing with great material – bonus tracks added to three of the four albums in the collection, than a further 4CDs worth of live material – titled Fully Unleashed – The Live Gigs Vols 1 & 2. The live material is great – and really shows the tightness of the group at their best! CD

From its booze-soaked title cut, to its haunting selection of lonely ballads like "Midnight Sun" and "Stranger Called The Blues", this is one of the most fantastic vocal jazz albums of all time – and a record that we'd recommend instantly to anyone! June Christy has an incredibly icy tone on the record, filled with sorrow, regret, and loneliness – all of which are amplified even more deeply by Pete Rugolo's eerie, off-kilter arrangements. Titles include "Something Cool", "It Could Happen To You", "Lonely House", "I'm Thrilled", and "The Night We Called It A Day". Fantastic stuff! Stereo re-recording of the full LP – from the late 50s. LP, Vinyl record album

From its booze-soaked title cut, to its haunting selection of lonely ballads like "Midnight Sun" and "Stranger Called The Blues", this is one of the most fantastic vocal jazz albums of all time – and a record that we'd recommend instantly to anyone! June Christy has an incredibly icy tone on the record, filled with sorrow, regret, and loneliness – all of which are amplified even more deeply by Pete Rugolo's eerie, off-kilter arrangements. Titles include "Something Cool", "It Could Happen To You", "Lonely House", "I'm Thrilled", and "The Night We Called It A Day". Fantastic stuff! Original Mono recording – from 1953. LP, Vinyl record album

Beautiful stuff – and a great CD that brings together 2 of Chris Connor's best jazz albums for Atlantic! Just about all of Chris' records are great, but on both of these she really hits her stride – working in the small combo setting that she first recorded with, singing to sensitive backing by players like Lucky Thompson, Mundell Lowe, Oscar Pettiford, Joe Puma, and Al Cohn. Arrangements on A Jazz Date are by Ralph Sharon, and those on Chris Craft are by Stan Free – and they both work perfectly to bring out the best of Chris' icy cool vocals! 24 cuts in all, including "The Night We Called It A Day", "Lover Man", "Be My All", "Here Lies Love", "Moon Ray", "All I Need Is You", "Driftwood", and "Lonely Town". CD

A pair of albums from this near-forgotten group – both originally issued by Elektra, and presented here with bonus tracks too! First up is the self-titled Crabby Appleton – a set that's got a surprising sort of late psych vibe at times – almost as if the group were hanging on to some of the modes that first got them started, while also stretching out with some of the new sophistication that the 70s had to offer! That psych touch is maybe no surprise, though, given that the group's singer Michael Fennelly was in The Millennium – and works here with some heavier rockers who were in Stonehenge – all in a surprising mix of modes that really keeps things interesting throughout! Titles include the big single "Go Back", plus "Peace By Peace", "To All My Friends", "Some Madness", "Hunger For Love", "Last Night In Your Sleep Fred", "Some Madness", and "The Other Side". Next is Rotten To The Core, the second and last album from Crabby Appleton, and a record that's got the group picking up some harder edges than before – shedding some of the lighter psych elements for harder modes on the downturning grooves, almost as if the group had some blues inspirations they didn't showcase the first time around! The shift is one that has us almost thinking that the group could have hit the heights of 70s AM rock, had they held the course – with lots of surprising nuggets throughout, in a set list that includes "Makes No Difference", "Lucy", "It's So Hard", "Tomorrow's A New Day", "You Make Me Hot", "Gonna Save You", and "Love Can Change Everything". 2CD set features bonus material – "Go Back (alt mono single)", "Try (alt mono single)", "My Little Lucy (alt mono single)", "Some Madness (mono single)", "Can't Live My Life (alt mono single)", "Grab On", "Tomorrow's A New Day (alt mono single)", and "It's So Hard (alt mono single)". CD

A really well-done collection of work by Randy Crawford – one that not only gets at that unique place she holds in soul music, but also one that shows just how much she kept growing as the years went on! Randy's voice was maybe first exposed to folks for her famous work on The Crusaders' "Street Life" – but even before that, she was emerging as one of the elite in a new generation of sophisticated soul singers – equally well-skilled in jazzy expressions and soulful styles, and able to bring a new level of maturity to the music from the late 70s onwards! This great package traces Randy's growth as a solo artist over the course of many albums for Warner Brothers – and also includes some duets, live material, and compilation cuts – really getting at the importance she held in the field at the time. There's a whopping 57 tracks on 3CDs, complete with a big booklet of notes – and titles include "Don't Wanna Be Normal", "Blue Flame", "I Stand Accused", "Same Old Story", "Tender Falls The Rain", "Gonna Give Lovin A Try", "Ain't No Foolin", "Everything Must Change (live)", "Street Life (edit)", "When Your Life Was Low", "One Day I'll Fly Away", "Time For Love", "Your Precious Love (live with Al Jarreau)", "Windsong", "We Had A Love So Strong", "Imagine (live with Yellowjackets)", "All It Takes Is Love", "Single Woman Married Man", "Last Night At Danceland", "Just A Touch", "He Reminds Me", "Knockin On Heaven's Door", "Almaz", "I Let You Walk Away", "Bottom Line", "Cigarette In The Rain", and lots more! CD

Sonny Criss plays Cole Porter – and the results are way greater than the sum of the parts – even though those parts are already pretty darn great! Criss' alto sax has a superb tone at this time – razor-sharp, and nicely crisp – yet still filled with warmth that sets it apart from some of his more modern contemporaries – a beautiful balance that really illuminates these tunes, and has you thinking of them as fresh Criss compositions, not older Porter standards. The instrumentation is quite fresh, too – thanks to the addition of Larry Bunker on vibes, which is a really nice surprise – and piano by Sonny Clark and Jimmy Bunn. The great Lawrence Marable plays drums – and titles include "I Love You", "Easy To Love", "Night & Day", and "Love For Sale". LP, Vinyl record album

Perfect early work from The Cure from the heart of the late 70s post-punk era – music that's short, sharp, and surprisingly powerful after all these years! The trio here has all the best sharp edges that made them a real standout in the post-punk years – and Robert Smith reminds us that although his vocals have gone onto be the stuff of legend, it may well have been his guitar work that first got him noticed! Really just guitar, bass, and drums – but used extremely well – on titles that include "Another Day", "Subway Song", "10:15 Saturday Night", "Accuracy", "Grinding Halt", "Three Imaginary Boys", "It's Not You", and "So What". LP, Vinyl record album

Perfect early work from The Cure from the heart of the late 70s post-punk era – music that's short, sharp, and surprisingly powerful after all these years! The trio here has all the best sharp edges that made them a real standout in the post-punk years – and Robert Smith reminds us that although his vocals have gone onto be the stuff of legend, it may well have been his guitar work that first got him noticed! Really just guitar, bass, and drums – but used extremely well – on titles that include "Another Day", "Subway Song", "10:15 Saturday Night", "Accuracy", "Grinding Halt", "Three Imaginary Boys", "It's Not You", and "So What". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the most electric albums on the legendary Black Jazz label – a hip set of funky fusion tracks from bassist Cleveland Eaton, with a vibe that's similar to his album for the Gamble label, and his funky 45 work with The Kats! The record's a good extension of Eaton's roots in the Cadet studio scene working with Ramsey Lewis – and as proof of those roots, the record contains work by loads of key Chicago players – including Ari Brown on tenor, Odell Brown on keyboards and Hammond, Duke Payne on tenor and flute, and Morris Jennings on percussion! There's a wicked groove on most cuts, and the set was also recorded at the Chess studios – which furthers the Chicago vibe – as you'll hear on cuts that include "Chi-town Theme", "Keena", "Moe Let's Have A Party", "Kaiser 405", "All Your Lover, All Day, All Night", and "Hamburg 302". CD

One of the most electric albums on the legendary Black Jazz label – a hip set of funky fusion tracks from bassist Cleveland Eaton, with a vibe that's similar to his album for the Gamble label, and his funky 45 work with The Kats! The record's a good extension of Eaton's roots in the Cadet studio scene working with Ramsey Lewis – and as proof of those roots, the record contains work by loads of key Chicago players – including Ari Brown on tenor, Odell Brown on keyboards and Hammond, Duke Payne on tenor and flute, and Morris Jennings on percussion! There's a wicked groove on most cuts, and the set was also recorded at the Chess studios – which furthers the Chicago vibe – as you'll hear on cuts that include "Chi-town Theme", "Keena", "Moe Let's Have A Party", "Kaiser 405", "All Your Lover, All Day, All Night", and "Hamburg 302". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the most electric albums on the legendary Black Jazz label – a hip set of funky fusion tracks from bassist Cleveland Eaton, with a vibe that's similar to his album for the Gamble label, and his funky 45 work with The Kats! The record's a good extension of Eaton's roots in the Cadet studio scene working with Ramsey Lewis – and as proof of those roots, the record contains work by loads of key Chicago players – including Ari Brown on tenor, Odell Brown on keyboards and Hammond, Duke Payne on tenor and flute, and Morris Jennings on percussion! There's a wicked groove on most cuts, and the set was also recorded at the Chess studios – which furthers the Chicago vibe – as you'll hear on cuts that include "Chi-town Theme", "Keena", "Moe Let's Have A Party", "Kaiser 405", "All Your Lover, All Day, All Night", and "Hamburg 302". CD

Everybody Digs Bill Evans – or at least it certainly seems that way from the cover endorsements by Miles Davis, Cannonball Adderley, and Ahmad Jamal – but the real proof is in the record, and the set is a great one from Bill's classic years on Riverside! Evans is at the peak of his early powers here – working with a straightforward rhythm combo that features Sam Jones on bass and Philly Joe Jones on drums – but still hitting those beautifully fluid, beautifully spacious lines that set his playing apart from most who'd come before him. Tracks include 3 solo numbers – "Lucky To Be Me", "Peace Piece", and the very short "Epilogue" – plus trio tracks "Night & Day", "Minority", "Tenderly", and "Oleo". LP, Vinyl record album

No Reservations is quite an unusual little set for the time – as it's a bit looser and less structured than most other vocal dates – very much in the spirit of Faye's famous performances in clubs, with a gritty, personal approach to the music that's really great. The orchestrations are relatively loose – often holding back to let Faye lead the way on vocals and piano, as she steps up and moves back her level of energy in some very unusual interpretations of the tunes. 12 titles in all, including the striking original "You're Heavenly", plus "Mad About The Boy", "Drunk With Love", "The Man I Love", "Night & Day", "A Hundred Years From Today", and "Miss Otis Regrets". LP, Vinyl record album

This is a 60s set that brings together the 2 volumes released separately. Among the 30 plus songs are "All Through The Night", "Anything Goes", "I Get A Kick Out Of You", "I Love Paris", "Easy To Love", "You're The Top", "Let's Do It", "Begin The Beguine", "Love For Sale", "It's Delovely", "Night And Day", and "I've Got You Under My Skin". CD

Righteous soul from late 60s Chicago – a killer collection of early singles from the great Darrow Fletcher – only a youngster at the time, but already working at a level that's as strong as most of his older contemporaries! Darrow's got this soaring voice that really sends us every time we hear him sing – a style that's possibly a bit like Jackie Wilson, but both deeper and lighter at the same time – very unique, especially in these early years – and perfect for helping Fletcher stand out from the pack! The grooves here are nice and deep – socking hard in the best Chi-town styles of the time, with the sort of punch you'd get on the best One-Der-Ful/Mar-V-Lus recordings – with arrangements by Mike Terry, Phil Wright, Tom Tom, and others. Tracks were originally issued on a variety of labels – Groovy, Jacklyn, Uni, Congress, and Genna – and titles include "The Pain Gets A Little Deeper", "Now Is The Time For Love (parts 1 & 2)", "What Have I Got Now", "What Is This", "Gotta Draw The Line", "My Young Misery", "Infatuation", "When Love Calls", "My Judgement Day", "Sitting There That Night", "Changing By The Minute", "What Good Am I Without You", "We Can't Go On This Way", and "That Certain Little Something". CD

Excellent 60s work by tenorist Stan Getz – a completely sublime meeting with pianist Bill Evans – tunes recorded in 1964, but not issued at the time, even though they are fantastic – because Verve Records instead wanted to really focus on Stan's bossa nova recordings! The pairing of Getz and Bill Evans is a wonderful one here – as both players are at their warmest, and working with a wonderful sense of tone throughout – Stan, slightly lyrical at times – and Bill, with some slight brooding undercurrents that really add some depth to the set. The rest of the group features either Ron Carter or Richard Davis on bass, plus Elvin Jones on drums – and titles include "Funkallero", "Melinda", "Grandfather's Waltz", "My Heart Stood Still", and "Night & Day". LP, Vinyl record album

Titles include "The Champ", "Exactly Like You", "Jessica's Day", "It Don't Mean A Thing", "Sometimes I'm Happy", "Birk's Works", "I Know That You Know", and "Night In Tunisia". LP, Vinyl record album

Beautiful Brazilian-tinged jazz from the legendary Dusko Goykovich – one of the best new albums we've heard from the European trumpeter in a long time, and one of the few that really lives up to the cross-cultural genius of his key albums from many years back! As you'd guess from the title, there's a fair bit of influences here from Brazilian jazz – acoustic guitar, flute, and percussion – all dancing along in a lively blend of bossa, samba, and more – served up with a warm glow and soulful finish that's a perfect foil for Dusko's bold and well-stated solos! The mix of modes here is perfect – and almost recalls the genius of Goykovich's legendary Slavic Mood album from the 70s – with a depth and sense of feeling that really brings out an added layer in his music. Celine Rudolph sings a bit on a few tracks on the record – and titles include "Samba Tzigane", "Melodia Sentimental", "Menina Moca", "A Descoberta De Lentidao", "Trio Loco", "Samba Triste", and "Every Day & Every Night I Dream Of You". CD

Roland Hanna's certainly easy to love here – working in a free-flowing trio mode, with a fair bit more soul jazz touches than on some of his later work! Rhythm here is from Ben Tucker on bass and Roy Barnes on drums – both of whom bring in a gentle little groove that augments the more rhythmic side of Hanna's piano – taking his warmer lyrical flow, and giving it a nice sense of focus, especially on some of the standards on the set. Titles include Tucker's original "Farouk Thelonious", plus "From This Day On", "The Best Things In Life Are Free", "Night In Tunisia", "Easy To Love", and "It Never Entered My Mind". CD

A great bit of funky rock, with slight bluesy touches – and a hard overall sound that has bits of the San Francisco sound to it, though they were actually from the east coast, and featured a young Billy Joel rocking in an entirely different vein than his later piano-man years . There's a great break on the cut "4 O'Clock In The Morning" – and other tunes include "Country Boy", "Night After Day", "Cat", "Land Of Despair", and "Hotel St George". LP, Vinyl record album

Titles include "La Rosita", "Picasso", "Bean At The Met", "Cattlin' At Keynote", "Night And Day", "Hallelujah" – 16 tracks total, all selected by Sonny Rollins. CD

An expanded, remastered version of this legendary live performance from British tenor giant Tubby Hayes – a 1965 session recorded at the famous Hopbine club, owned by saxophonist Tommy Whittle, who also makes an appearance on two numbers in the set! The recording quality of the CD is quite strong – and Hayes is caught in strong Sonny Rollins-like territory – improvising strongly and creatively over longer selections, never failing to delight with his rich command of the tenor. Most tracks are in the 10 minute and more range – and the group features Tubby as the main soloist with a rhythm section that includes Kenny Powell on piano, Ron Mathewson on bass, and Dick Brennan on drums. Titles include "Night & Day", "It Never Entered My Mind", "I Remember You", "No Blues", "On Green Dolphin Street", "Have You Met Miss Jones", and "What's New". CD

Not the original Quatermass EP from The Heliocentrics – but material that takes off in an even fuller, heavier direction – and which may well be the funkiest sounds we've heard from these guys so far! The music is stunning right from the very first heavy bassline and sharp drum crackle – more focused, more full-on, and more funky than before – with this mindblowing mix of super-tight rhythms and nicely trippy work on keyboards and guitar – all freaky and fuzzy, but always with a sense of purpose, too – and never just crazy for the sake of crazy! These guys really hit a new high with this set – simply wonderful, and at a level that has us falling in love with them all over again. Titles include "The Pit", "Gas Bottle", "Discovery", "Phenomenon Of Man", "Telekinesis", "Night & Day", "Looking Back", "Mass Psychosis", and "The Final Conclusion". CD

A fantastic session of 60s "new thing" jazz – and one of our favorite early records by Joe Henderson – exactly the kind of album to show why his emergence in the decade was such an important new voice in jazz! The album features some incredibly hard playing from Joe – with a very dark edge to his solos that's nicely offset by McCoy Tyner's lyrical piano, and the supple rhythms of Bob Cranshaw on bass and Elvin Jones drums – a really magical quartet who come across very different here than you might expect from the Coltrane legacies of Tyner and Jones! Instead, Henderson makes his presence known right from the very first note – as his voice on the tenor is completely singular – and titles include the Henderson originals "Inner Urge", "Isotope" and "El Barrio" – plus the great Duke Pearson song "You Know I Care", and the standard "Night & Day". LP, Vinyl record album

Earl Hines on solo piano performing "You Do Something To Me", "Night & Day", "Rosalie", "I've Got You Under My Skin", "I Get A Kick Out Of You", "What Is This Thing Called Love", and "You'd Be So Easy To Love". LP, Vinyl record album

A wonderful collection of work from Brenda Holloway – one that really digs deep to find some overlooked gems from her 60s years at Motown – including 8 previously unissued tracks! The core of the collection features The Artistry Of Brenda Holloway album – a late 60s UK-only recorded issued by Tamla, and one that features rare singles from Holloway that weren't on any other albums – kind of a special overseas package dedicated to those early UK soul fans who helped Motown explode so strongly at a global level. Holloway's vocals are wonderful – as careful a mix of class and soul that you'd find from the best Motown artists of the period – served up at a solo lead level that's only matched by Mary Wells on the label at the time, and which really seems to point the way towards a solo direction that Diana Ross would later take on her own. In addition to the 16 track album, the CD also features 8 more gems from the Motown vaults – making for a set that's all-great, no-filler, and filled with properly finished killers that should have made much bigger waves at the time. Titles include "Together Til The End Of Time", "I'll Be Available", "Hurt A Little Every Day", "Where Were You", "I've Got To Find It", "Operator", "I'll Always Love You", "Just Look What You've Done", "Mr Lifeguard", "After All That You've Done", "The Love Line", "Can't We Be Strangers Again", and "Just Another Lonely Night". CD

Great early work by jazz vibes guru Bobby Hutcherson – recorded early in his tenure in NYC in the early 60s – backed up by trombonist Al Grey and tenor sax man Billy Mitchell! Of course Hutcherson would go on to spin out all those great records for Blue Note, and these early recordings are a great lost document! The personnel on most cuts feature Mitchell's sextet – which at the time included Herman Wright on bass, Earl Washington on piano, and Otis Finch on the cut. These sessions were cut on separate dates in NYC and Chicago in the early 60s, for Argo/Chess albums under Grey's name – and are a complete document of this legendary assemblage of players time together! 18 tracks in all: "Blues In The Night", "Stardust", "Night And Day", Laughing Tonight", "Stand By Me", "Boss Tina", Something's Got A Hold On Me", "R.B.Q.", "The Way You Look Tonight", "Deep Fried" and more! CD

An incredible collaboration from John Coltrane and Milt Jackson – and one that gives Milt one of his sharpest records ever! The setting is relatively straight – tenor from Coltrane, vibes from Jackson – plus rhythm from Hank Jones on piano, Paul Chambers on bass, and Connie Kay on drums. Yet there's also a sense of openness here that you'd hardly ever expect on other records by Jackson – especially his contemporaneous sides with the Modern Jazz Quartet – and Coltrane's tenor gets as much room to roam here as it did on Prestige – really cutting some beautifully soulful, open, and flowing lines throughout! Titles include "Bags & Trane", "Three Little Words", "Be-Bop", "Late Late Blues", and "The Night We Called It a Day". LP, Vinyl record album

New versions of work by one of the grooviest groups in the world – the mighty mighty Jazzanova, one of the most influential combos in modern music of the past few years! Jazzanova are a tireless ensemble – not only working endlessly to discover and promote new music on their own label, but creators of the modern groove themselves – working from a huge knowledge of classic 60s and 70s sounds, pointing the way towards a jazzed-up future! Here, Jazzanova's best tracks of recent years are reworked by a stunning assortment of talents that includes friends, legends, and many inspired by the sound of the group. The package is a wonderful double-length set – stuffed with 23 tracks that include "Introspection" remixed by Calm, "Soon" remixed by Domu, "Takes You Back" remixed by Electric Sheep, "LOVE & You & I" remixed by Madlib, "That Night" remixed by Wahoo, "Keep Falling" remixed by Forss, "Another New Day" remixed by Moonstarr, "The One-Tet" remixed by DJ DSL, "Another New Day" remixed by Stereolab, "Days To Come" remixed by Ayro, "Mwela Mwela" remixed by King Britt, "Coffee Talk" remixed by Yukihiro Fukutomi, and "No Use" remixed by Beanfield. CD

A hell of a live set from Sonny Knight & The Lakers – a record that's twice as long as the group's studio session, and maybe twice as smoking as well! Sonny's an older soul singer from years back, but he's never sounded better than working here with funky backings from The Lakers – a combo who've fused a style with the singer that few other groups can match – one of those rare cases where an older artist can find a really fresh breath of life while still moving forward, and where the younger talents seem to really hit a level of mature focus in the presence of the older artist. The recording quality is great – very sharp and on point – at a level that captures all the spontaneous energy of the group as they really stretch out and do their thing! Some tracks are nice and long – and titles include "Juicy Lucy", "Get Up And Dance", "Through With You", "Sonny's Boogaloo", "Where Did You Sleep Last Night", "Day Tripper", "Baby Baby Baby", "It's You For Me", "Sock A Poo Poo", "When You're Gone", "Cave Man", "I'm Still Here" (parts 1 & 2), "Sugar Man", and "Hey Girl". LP, Vinyl record album

The classic late 70s double live album from Little Feat! Their reputation as one of the great live acts of that decade or any other is realized beautifully here – the band playing off of each other masterfully, and they're just as sharp vocally – but what's most impressive is how they manage to expand upon the studio versions of the songs and jam a bit, too. A seriously impressive set – and truly one of the more essential live albums of the late 70s by anyone! Includes "Join The Band", "Fat Man In The Bathtub", "All That You Dream", "Day Or Night", "Spanish Moon", "Dixie Chicken", "A Apolitical Blues", "Sailin Shoes", "Feats Don't Fail Me Now" and more, plus lots of outtakes – 27 tracks in all. CD

Classic Brit invasion work from Wayne Fontana & The Mindbenders – with tracks that include "Trickie Dickie", "One Fine Day", "Groovy Kind Of Love", "The Way You Do The Things You Do", "Seventh Son", and "All Night Worker". LP, Vinyl record album

Yipes! What a bitter title – especially when you consider that Gerry actually added a piano to the group for this session, and that he's playing versions of 60s pop hits like "King Of The Road", "Downtown", "Mr Tambourine Man", "Hard Day's Night", and "Can't Buy Me Love". However, the pianist is Pete Jolly, and he's backed by Jimmy Bond on bass and Hal Blaine on drums, both of whom give the album a groovy LA pop instrumental feel – one that has Gerry soloing over the top in some of the fastest, tightest baritone work he put on wax at the time. A bit odd – but worth it alone for the photo on the inside of the cover, which has Gerry shrugging his shoulders in defeat! LP, Vinyl record album

Ray grooves it nicely past his Ellington roots here – still using jazz violin, but working in a small combo mode, with some nice groovy tunes, in a style that makes for a pretty unique album! Some tracks have Ray bringing a new sound to 60s cuts like "Sunny", "Oh Happy Day", and "Hard Day's Night" – playing them in small combo mode, and mixing his violin with the tenor of Brew Moore, guitar of Tiny Grimes, and piano of Jaki Byard or Roland Hanna (who also plays a bit of organ on the set.) Other tracks are more traditional, but done in a lightly swinging way that almost has the "everything old is modern again" sort of mode of some of Byard's nods to trad in his own recordings. Nance also sings a bit on the set – in a nice, almost tired voice that we really like – and other titles include "Guitar Amour", "Tranquility", "Mimi", "Get Happy", and "Jolie Janice". CD

Unheard sounds from the legendary Charlie Parker – a set that features 58 previously-unknown alternate takes of classic recordings from Parker's years with Verve producer Norman Granz – all presented here with a huge amount of detail in the notes! The set is incredible – and has appeal that goes far beyond just pleasing the legion of Parker devotees out there – as the way that Charlie approaches a solo is incredible, and it's equally incredible to hear him trying out different approaches on these different tracks – even on some of the numbers that stop short or are incomplete takes – because there's a sense of fire and excitement that still grabs you, and maybe a lot more than many other artists on a full-length solo. There's a reason why early fans of Bird were so fanatic about hearing everything they could by the man – and this set continues that legacy, and really lives up to the faith – with never-heard takes on "Bloomdido", "Visa", "Okiedoke", "Tune X", "Tune Z", "Star Eyes", "Fiesta", "Tico Tico", "An Oscar For Treadwell", "Mohawk", "My Little Suede Shoes", "Night & Day", "Almost Like Being In Love", "If I Should Lose You", "Tune Y", and "What Is This Thing Called Love". Great notes by Phil Schaap, too – a huge booklet! CD

A beautiful group soul vocals effort from the Persuasions in the early 70s – working in a throwback acapella mode, but still with a fresh feel – thanks to a hip dawn of the 70s sound, and a stripped-down feel that you'd probably have never gotten back in the day! It's amazing how fresh it sounds, even today – each individual voice captured with crystal clarity, and strong genuine emotion – with an honest and real sound that's not overly polished. Wonderful! Titles include "Chain Gang", "Walk On The Wild Side", "Gypsy Woman", "Another Night With The Boys", "Let It Be", "Don't It Make You Want To Go Home", and "The Sun". LP, Vinyl record album

Strong work from the Peterson Trio's London House gig in Chicago in 1961 – material that offers some slightly longer than usual takes on the group's sound, especially on a few numbers that really let Oscar open up on the keys! The group here is the legendary combo with Ed Thigpen on drums and Ray Brown on bass – but on the album's long versions of "Sometimes I'm Happy", "In The Wee Small Hours" and "Chicago", it's Oscar's inventive work on the keys that really dominates the nearly 10 minute run of each track. Other shorter tunes include "Billy Boy", "Whisper Not", and "The Night We Called It A Day". Includes five bonus tracks. CD

One of Billy's best, and it's got a pretty tight instrumental groove that's similar to some of Jimmy McGriff's work for the Sue and Veep labels. Billy's organ fronts some groovy and offbeat arrangements by Sly Stone – and although the set list includes a number of late 60s hits, the overall approach is pretty fresh. Titles include "Free Funk", "The Duck", "Hard Day's Night", "Uptight", "Ain't Got No Time To Play", and "It's Got To Happen". Also features one vocal cut – "Advice" – written with Sly. LP, Vinyl record album

A beautiful contemporary bit of sweet soul – a tune that dips and swells in a mighty nice way, with a slow funk groove at the bottom, and these heartbreaking vocals from Marietta Smithover the top! "Suns Of Marvin" is faster and funkier, and instrumental – with a great drum/bass/riffing guitar line that feels like some rare funky 45 from back in the day – right down to the gritty production that really sends things over the top! Nice vibes solo in the middle, too! 7-inch, Vinyl record

Martha Reeves' first solo album for MCA – an all-out studio affair that's quite different from her classic 60s work for Motown! The album's done in a way that really focuses on the deepest side of Martha's vocals – in a way that goes for the sort of "rootsy" soul that was cropping up heavily on majors at the start of the 70s – well-recorded in LA studio sessions, but featuring styles that were decidedly down-homey. Players on the album include Billy Preston, Dennis Doffey, Joe Sample, and Arthur Adams – all of whom bring a tightly professional focus to the backings – and Martha's helped on backup vocals by both Clydie King and Jim Gilstrap. Titles include "Power Of Love", "My Man", "Sweet Misery", "Wild Night", "You've Got Me For Company", "Storm In My Woul", "Facsimilie", and "Many Rivers To Cross". CD also features bonus tracks "Stand By Me", "Our Day Will Come", and "I Sure Do Love You" LP, Vinyl record album

If you dig the Replacements as much as us, you can never get enough – especially during the first few years of the group's career, when it seemed like they were really on fire with a very fresh new sound! This set is a great lost chapter of the group from that time – and represents the first-ever professional live recording of the band in action – already a searing quartet on the stage, with an intensity that wasn't always captured this well on their studio sessions – tearing it up before a hometown stage in the Twin Cities, early in 1981! Titles include "Somethin To Du", "Love You Till Friday", "Rattlesnake", "All Day & All Of The Night", "I Hate Music", "Otto", "More Cigarettes", "Johnny's Gonna Die/All By Myself", "Oh Baby", "Excuse Me", "Customer", "I Wanna Be Loved", "Shiftless When Idle", "Off Your Pants", "Hangin Downtown", "Takin A Ride", and "Like You". LP, Vinyl record album

There's nothing standard about this one – as the record's an excellent batch of work from Sonny and his "& Co" lineup that featured Jim Hall on guitar and Herbie Hancock on piano! The format's a bit unusual for Rollins, in that not all the players of the group play at once – so that the album features shifting assemblages of instruments behind Sonny's tenor, running through extremely creative versions of tracks like "Travelin' Light", "Night & Day", "Three Little Words", "My Ship", and "It Could Happen To You". Rollins is at the height of his powers here, and although the session is deceptively simple, his work on the tenor is incredible! CD

The tenor of Sonny Rollins, heard in a very unusual setting – a freewheeling live date from Finland, with wonderful Fender Rhodes work from Heikki Sarmanto! The tracks are all very long, and the use of Fender Rhodes next to Sonny's sharp tenor makes for a wonderful contrast – as Heikki rings out with some really great solos of his own! There's a spirit here that's a bit like the Sonny Rollins In Japan album, recorded around the same time – although the long Rhodes solos are an especially nice touch – set up with rhythms from Pekka Sarmanto on bass and Esko Rosnell on drums. The set includes a 24 minute take on "Night & Day" – plus 17 minute versions of "St Thomas" and "My One & Only Love – both great! LP, Vinyl record album

A massive live document of the power of Rush in their early years – mostly just guitar, bass, and drums – but used with intensity and imagination on titles that include "Bastille Day", "Anthem", "Bytor & The Snow Dog", "Fly By Night/In The Mood", "Lakeside Park", "Working Man/Finding My Way", "Something For Nothing", and even a full rendition of the "2112" opus! LP, Vinyl record album

A Swingin Affair indeed – as the album's one of our favorite ever from Frank's Capitol years! Nelson Riddle shows here that he can be just as great on the uptempo numbers as he is on the ballads – and casts Sinatra's full rich vocals into a great set of older swinging tunes. Frank really breathes new life into these standards – completely transforming them and making them his own – and in the process making us love tunes that we never thought we'd care for! Titles include "Oh Look At Me Now", "At Long Last Love", "From This Moment On", "I Got Plenty O Nuttin", "I Wish I Were In Love Again", and "Night & Day". CD

A Swingin Affair indeed – as the album's one of our favorite ever from Frank's Capitol years! Nelson Riddle shows here that he can be just as great on the uptempo numbers as he is on the ballads – and casts Sinatra's full rich vocals into a great set of older swinging tunes. Frank really breathes new life into these standards – completely transforming them and making them his own – and in the process making us love tunes that we never thought we'd care for! Titles include "Oh Look At Me Now", "At Long Last Love", "From This Moment On", "I Got Plenty O Nuttin", "I Wish I Were In Love Again", and "Night & Day". LP, Vinyl record album

A beautiful little record from singer Carol Sloane – a singer who's billed as a discovery from the Newport Jazz Festival – but who sings here with shimmeringly modern arrangements that recall some of June Christy's best 50s work with arranger Pete Rugolo! The force behind the backings here is mostly Bill Finegan – of Sauter-Finegan fame – who uses just the right amount of subtle modern colors and tones to instantly announce Sloane as a singer from a new generation – one who's not trying to cross over to pop, nor please the dancers – and instead revel in all the advances that jazz vocals had made in the postwar years. Bob Brookmeyer also arranged a few tunes – and plays often on the record, with a great tone that underscores the blue vibe of the set – and titles include "Who Cares", "My Ship", "Little Girl Blue", "Life Is Just A Bowl Of Cherries", "Night & Day", "My Silent Love", and "The More I See You". LP, Vinyl record album