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". LP, Vinyl record album

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

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

Prime classic Springsteen double album, circa 1980! The River finds Bruce a few years removed from the massive breakthrough that was Born To Run, and seemingly starting to let go of the darker tone of Darkness On The Edge Of Town, though still with some shadows of it. Definitely a creative high point, and a record we're always happy to revisit. Includes "The Ties That Bind", "Hungry Heart", "Out In The Street", "Fade Away", "Ramrod", "Drive All Night", "Wreck On The Highway", "Independence Day" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

Work from that rare "living room" tape that Tatum cut famously in the postwar years – with cuts that include "Tenderly", "You're Driving Me Crazy", "Wrap Your Troubles In Dreams", "Night & Day", and "It's The Talk Of The Town". 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

A fantastic group from the British scene at mid 60s – music from a time when the UK world of jazz was exploding from the work of artists like Joe Harriott and Tubby Hayes, but also held some other tremendous talents as well! The group here has trumpeter Henry Lowther and tenorist Lyn Dobson at the core – and also features work from Jon Hiseman on drums, plus piano from Ken McCarthy and bass from Ron Rubin on the quintet tracks, and bass from a pre-Cream Jack Bruce on the quartet titles! Tracks are long, open, and filled with the kind of modern expression you might know from the group of Ian Carr and Don Rendell – often modal rhythms giving strong inspiration to freer solo flights – but always with a sense of soul that keeps things from ever sounding too outside to swing. The whole thing's wonderful – a near-lost slice from these crucial years – with titles that include "Snow", "Straight Away", "Celebrity Stomp", "Night & Day", "Red Planet", "Black & White Raga", and "Softly As In A Morning Sunrise". LP, Vinyl record album

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 legendary greatest hits collection from the Rolling Stones – one that was so popular back in the day, it was maybe the one Rolling Stones album that everyone had in their collection! The package was a great way for folks to go back and catch up after digging in deep on Exile On Main Street and Let It Bleed – and the set has work from the earliest years of The Stones all the way up to those classics – a killer set list that includes "Get Off Of My Cloud", "Gimme Shelter", "Brown Sugar", "Wild Horses", "Honky Tonk Women", "Sympathy For The Devil", "Satisfaction", "Ruby Tuesday", "Play With Fire", "Paint It Black", "Jumpin Jack Flash", "Street Fighting Man", "Midnight Rambler (live)", "You Can't Always Get What You Want", "Time Is On My Side", "Heart Of Stone", "19th Nervous Breakdown", "Let's Spend The Night Together", and "Mother's Little Helper". 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

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

One of the most memorable Esquivel albums, and perhaps the first record that really let him hit his fantastic mix of off-beat orchestrations and spacey electronicized production! The arrangements are splendid, with echoey piano lines in the front that seem to trail off into the stratosphere. Behind them, the orchestra swings in a tight rocket-fueled way, soaring and dipping to match the oddly arranged piano lines. Titles include "Playfully", "That Old Black Magic", "Speak Low", "It Had To Be You", and "Night & Day". Plus, the cover's got a groovily attired model, hanging out in a very green lunar scene! LP, Vinyl record album

Sublime duets – just Haden's bass and the piano of Anderson – on titles that include "The Night We Called It A Day", "CC Blues", "Alone Together", and "I Hear A Rhapsody". LP, Vinyl record album

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". LP, Vinyl record album

This 1979 solo album by Michael is a killer batch of soul grooves – one of his best moments ever, and a crowning cap to a stellar 70s run – both as a younger solo act, and with the whole Jackson family! Quincy Jones produced, and the album's got a funky undercurrent that's really stunning – clubby, yet plenty darn soulful, with a wickedly sly groove that others would try to copy for years, but never fully match. Titles include seminal groovers like "Rock With You", "Don't Stop Til You Get Enough", "Working Day And Night", "Girlfriend", "Off The Wall", "Burn This Disco Out" and more. Amazing amazing amazing work from the to-be-coronated King Of Pop! LP, Vinyl record album

Classic Jones Girls for Philly! The record's a landmark album in the shift from Philly disco to sophisticated modern – and the smooth tight vocals of The Jones Girls are to the latter half of Philly what the runaway singing of Three Degrees were to the early half. Includes their excellent remake of the Stylistics' "Children of the Night" – which has a cool sample riff on the intro – plus the cuts "I Just Love The Man", "When I'm Gone", "At Peace With Woman", and "Back In the Day". One of the best female records on Philly International, and with excellent work by Dexter Wansel and Kenny Gamble! LP, Vinyl record album

Insanely wonderful early work from Charlie Mariano – some of the freshest, cleanest alto sax work of its time – blown with a tone and sense of soul that goes way beyond some of Mariano's contemporaries at the time! The album was recorded for Bethlehem Records, and is relatively straight – but Charlie already shows a sense of complexity in his presentation that hints at all the greatness to come – and which bursts out here with some refreshing energy that really makes the whole thing sparkle. Charlie's tone is impeccable – somewhere between Lee Konitz and Charlie Parker, with that back bay Boston blend of soul and modernism, making the city one of the best scenes for alto players in the 50s – and he gets some strong rhythm support from the trio of John Williams on piano, Max Bennett on bass, and Mel Lewis on drums. Titles include "Blues", "Floormat", "I Heard You Cried Last Night", "Johnny One Note", and "King For A Day". LP, Vinyl record album

The second album by Sergio and crew – and a real push forward for the group! The basic format of two-female harmony leads is still in place – but for some reason, this album gives a bit more of a nod to Brazilian roots than before, and really spices things up with an even more interesting array of songs! There's a bit less of the pop/cover style than before, and a bit more of a nod towards the hipper side of Brazilian music – especially the modernists of the bossa nova generation. Brazilian tunes include versions of "Constant Rain", "Cinnamon & Clove", "Bim Bom", and "Wave" – and there's also a few nice English numbers, like their hit version of "Night & Day", and a great reading of "Watch What Happens"! LP, Vinyl record album

Part 3 of a series of double LPs issued by Verve in the late 70s compiling his classic recordings for Verve under the direction of Norman Granz. Loads of landmark bop performances are documented here, and the groups include smaller quintets and quartets, as well as some medium sized groups and big band recordings, with sidemen that include Max Roach, Percy Heath, Teddy Kotick, Walter Bishop and others. 30 tracks in all, including "Autumn In New York", "Stella By Starlight", "Begin The Beguine", "Night & Day", "I Can't Get Started", "Old Folks", "I Remember You", "Now's The Time", "I Get A Kick Out Of You", "Love For Sale" and "I Love Paris". LP, Vinyl record album

Plenty of beats here from Roger Troutman – going for a sound that's maybe even more electro than some of his earlier solo work, at a level that really seems to be pushing the Zapp sound further for the 80s! The style is funky, but touched with lots of elements that have wended their way from indie hip hop up to mainstream soul – all at a level that later acts might fuse together with a bit more warmth, but which still has the starker feel of electro soul in Troutman's hands. Titles include "Thrill Seekers", "I Want To Be You Man", "I Really Want to Be You Man", "Night & Day", and "Papa's Got A Brand New Bag". LP, Vinyl record album

Korean singer Lee Sohn steps out here in a record for Miami's Place Pigalle – with backings from Don Ippolito, and titles that include "Luna Rossa", "Jezebel", "Day In The Life Of A Fool", "Island In The Sun", and "China Night". LP, Vinyl record album

Landmark harmony soul from The Stylistics – a set that's every bit as wonderful as their debut, with the kind of sweet, soulful sound that got played over and over and over and over again back in the day! The album's got a subtle sort of power, though – one that lies not only in its classic cover image, but also in the way that the group mix up the fragile themes of love with some deeper aspects of the human condition – heard to best effect on the classic "Children Of The Night" – a massive 7 minute number that stands nicely next to the shorter singles. Thom Bell produced and arranged the whole thing to Philly perfection – with lots of help from Linda Creed on the songwriting – and titles include "Children of the Night", "Break Up To Make Up", "You'll Never Get To Heaven", "Stone In Love With You", "It's Too Late", "If You Don't Watch Out", and "Peek A Boo". LP, Vinyl record album

As warm and wonderful of a late 60s singer songwriter effort as we can imagine wanting to hear in the late 60s mainstream – so it's fitting that James Taylor was signed with the Beatles' Apple Records for this excellent self-titled album! Even Paul McCartney and George Harrison make a guest appearance! The lyrics chronicle a troubled soul, but man, did James ever making encroaching personal horrors sound sweet at his best. We think he's at his best here, and titles include "Don't Talk Now", "Knocking 'Round The Zoo", "Carolina In My Mind", "Night Owl", "Rainy Day Man", "The Blues Is Just A Bad Dream" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

Cool quirky post-punk work from The Waitresses – a group who maybe were never as big as Blondie or Romeo Void, but shared a very similar space at the time! This album's best known for the classic "I Know What Boys Want" – a naughty little number that got plenty of dancefloor and radio play back in the day – but the whole album's an equally enjoyable romp, with lots of jagged guitars, sharp-edged rhythms, and cool snot-nosed vocals from Patty Donahue! Mars Williams blows some mighty reeds in the group – and titles include "I Know What Boys Want", "Wise Up", "It's My Car", "No Guilt", "Heat Night", and "Go On". LP, Vinyl record album

One of Bill Withers' greatest albums of the 70s – a set that has hip stepping off the acoustic sound of his Sussex records, into a warm and jazzy style that we like every bit as much as his earlier work! The album's got a wonderfully sophisticated jazzy vibe, and includes the excellent cut "Lovely Day" – a perfect midtempo track with some great electric keyboards behind Bill's raspy soulful voice, and a great hook on the chorus! Paul Riser handled a lot of the arrangements – and other titles include "Wintertime", "It Ain't Because Of Me Baby", "I Want To Spend The Night", and "Then You Smile At Me". LP, Vinyl record album

A very groovy soundtrack to this cool British film – starring a young Jack Wild in his pre-HR Puffenstuff days! The film's kind of a mod kids film – with a number of bright and peppy tunes mixed with others that are either more serious or more jazzy – a blend of rock and more familiar soundtrack instrumentation that really keeps things interesting! The Bee Gees contribute a number of great tracks – like "Melody Fair", "In The Morning", "First Of May", and "To Love Somebody". Even better, though, are the instrumental bits by the Richard Hewson Orchestra – which include "Teacher's Chase", a killer groover with some sweet electric harpsichord and strings, plus the cuts "Working On It Night & Day", "Spicks & Spacks", and "Melody Fair". Peter Knight put the whole thing together, too! LP, Vinyl record album

The first full-length from Mos Def and Talib Kweli together as Black Star – a benchmark moment in hip hop history, and one of the finest duo vocal hip hip records of the 90s – and one of the best ever on Rawkus! In hindsight, it's all the more rewarding given Talib Kweli's longevity in proud, mic skills centric hip hop and while highs and lows of Mos Def's work as the years rolled along – and it still stands as strong (then) underground hip hop that takes on the commercial leaning themes of the day and well beyond. Stand out cuts include "Definition" "Twice Inna Lifetime", "Children's Story", "Respiration" featuring Common Sense – and other tracks include "Brown Skin Lady", "Yo Yeah", "Thieves In The Night" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

No group's work was more adaptable to groovy orchestral arrangements than John, Paul, George & Ringo – and Chacksfield is well beyond being merely up to task, and this set is loads of groovy fun. Includes "Get Back", "Michelle", "Yesterday", "A Hard Day's Night", "Norwegian Wood", "Come Together" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

Lots of musical adventures here – most of them in that tightly-romping style that made Dynasty so great back in the day – almost a fusion of older sweet group soul with some of the more bottom-driven modes forged by the Solar label! The keyboards are upfront, the basslines strong, and the group is completely tight on the money – at a level that made them one of the strongest 80s proponents of the Solar Records groove. The title cut here is our favorite – a sweet stepper that bursts out with this blast of sound that's totally great – completely captivating, and filled with cascading sounds that really grab us. Other tracks include "Ice Breaker", "Something To Remember", "Day & Night", "Do Me Right", and "I've Just Begun To Love You". LP, Vinyl record album

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

Dizzy and strings – a surprisingly great combination! Although it was Charlie Parker who first made famous the modernist "jazz with strings" approach, Dizzy does wonderfully here in the format – working in similar fashion with edgey backing from the "Operatic String Orchestra" in sessions recorded in Paris in the early 50s! The material was originally only issued as a number of separate 78rpm singles, but is packaged here as a 10" LP for the US market. Titles include "My Old Flame", "I Waited On You", "Ghost Of A Chance", "The Man I Love", and "Night & Day". LP, Vinyl record album

Lesser-known 70s work from Hues Corporation – but still pretty darn sweet! As with other efforts for RCA, the overall sound is somewhat polished, but never too commercial – kind of a more mainstream take on harmony soul modes from a few years before – especially the mixed male/female approach at the end of the 60s. There's a bit of disco in the backings, but usually not too much – and most of the production is in that tight AM radio-friendly RCA mode that worked perfectly back in the day. Arrangements are by Michael Omartin, HB Barnum, and Larry Carlton – and titles include "He's My Home", "Gold Rush", "You Showed Me What Love Is", "Long Road", "One Good Night Together", "Soul Sailin", and "Sing To Your Song". LP, Vinyl record album

Chaka Khan steps off her smoother sets from the early 80s here – into a groove that's a bit chunkier, funkier, and with some key 80s groove touches! Arif Mardin's still in charge of the whole project here, but he's opened the door to a host of other producers to update Chaka's sound for the dancefloor – including John Robie, Russ Titelman, James Newton Howard, and others. The title hit – "I Feel For You" – is a vocoder bumping classic from back in the day – and other tracks include "Chinatown", "This Is My Night", "La Flamme", "My Love Is Alive", "Hold Her", "Through The Fire", and "Stronger Than Before". LP, Vinyl record album

Easily one of Ramsey Lewis' most successful records – featuring the hit soul jazz style that he forged with the Young/Holt rhythm combo, honed to perfection before a live crowd at The Lighthouse in Hermosa Beach. The record's a key part of Ramsey's live recorded output – showing the trio in pyrotechnic form before the kind of packed-house audiences they were playing to nightly at the time. Includes swinging versions of "Hard Day's Night", "High Heel Sneakers", and "Hang On Sloopy" – plus the original cut "Movin Easy". LP, Vinyl record album

The incredible solo debut of Paul McCartney – and a record that already leaps ahead from The Beatles in so many amazing ways! There's an up-close, intimate vibe to some of these songs that's really amazing – a sense of happiness that Paul never seemed to have in the Beatles' later years – mixed with some other witty twists and turns that expose a side of his songwriting that would only blossom even more in years to come! McCartney handles all instruments and vocals – but Linda also joins in on harmonies – and it's that sense of harmony between the two of them that really guides the record's spirit. Titles include "Maybe I'm Amazed", "Man We Was Lonely", "The Lovely Linda", "Momma Miss America", "Every Night", "Valentines Day", "Hot As Sun/Glasses", "Junk", and "Singalong Junk". LP, Vinyl record album

Hip early work from Carmen McCrae – with jazzy arrangements by Fred Katz, featuring mostly west coast players running through some off-kilter backings that give Carmen a different sound than usual. The album's definitely got the "cool" in the title, but Carmen's sophisticated phrasing of the songs brings a lot of warmth to the tracks – in a kind of counterpoint that works really well with the music. Titles include "I Remember Clifford", "What's New", "Weak For The Man", "A Shoulder To Cry On", "Any Old Time", "Without A Word Of Warning", and "The Night We Called It A Day". LP, Vinyl record album

Titles include "Suedehead", "The Ordinary Boys", "Dial A Cliche", "Margaret On The Guillotine", "Late Night Maudlin Street", "Every Day Is Like Sunday", "Little Man What Now", and "Alsatian Cousin". LP, Vinyl record album

Norvo may have cut some sleepy recordings in his day, but his early sides are usually all pretty great – especially this material, recorded with Tal Farlow on guitar and Charles Mingus on bass! The drum-less combination of vibes, guitar, and bass makes for an almost-exotic approach – one that rings out with some new moods and tones on tracks that are old standards – in a manner that really helps us understand why folks from the old days think Norvo's so great! Titles include "Night & Day", "Godchild", "September Song", "Have You Met Miss Jones", "Swedish Pastry", "Time & Tide", "Little White Lies", and "Prelude To A Kiss". LP, Vinyl record album

One of those bright, charismatic Billy Ocean records from a couple years before his massive pop soul crossover – just a sublime 80s club groover that pumps along at a nice mid tempo clip – a real favorite around these parts! This was Billy's debut for Epic and there's plenty of signposts here of his potential to bust out in a big way commercially – it's hooky and insistent, but still plenty soulful, less steeped in pop gloss and with fewer ballads – lean, danceable soul that holds up very, very well. Also includes "Stay The Night", "Are You Ready", "Whatever Turns You On", "Don't Say Stop", "Another Day Won't Matter", and "Taking Chances". LP, Vinyl record album

Two rare Charlie Parker albums in a single set! First up is Bird On 52nd Street – one of the more obscure Charlie Parker sessions of the 40s – at least in the original release! The material was recorded in 1948, on a home tape recorder, but not issued until after his death – part of a huge wave of Charlie Parker material that hit the market at the end of the 50s and start of the 60s! The sound here is quite raw – made even more so by the recording quality – but it also offers up a good illustration of the sheer power of Bird back in the day, the kind of bold, bracing energy that made even more than the regular jazz world sit up and take notice. The group's a quintet – with Miles Davis on trumpet, Duke Jordan on piano, Tommy Potter on bass, and Max Roach on drums – and there's been a few tape tricks in the mastering, in order to come up with a better version of some of the recordings. Tracks are short – in true bebop format – and titles include "Night In Tunisia", "Dizzy Atmosphere", "Out Of Nowhere", "My Old Flame", "How High The Moon", "This Time The Dream's On Me", "Hot House", and "Chasin The Bird". Next is Bird At St Nicks – a posthumous issue of an early 50s live set by Charlier Parker – one of the many that were rushed to the public in the years after his early death. The set, like many of the other live ones from the time, isn't recorded that well – but the music is still pretty wonderful. There's a real focus on Bird in the way the microphone was set up – so although you hear the rest of the band comping in the background, the album almost works like a session of solo sax work by Parker – as his alto is right out front in the mix, playing with a faltering style at times – but in a way that only seems to deepen our vision of his genius. Players include Red Rodney on trumpet and Al Haig on piano – and titles include "Ornithology", "Star Eyes", "Visa", "I Didn't Know What Time It Was", and "Confirmation". LP, Vinyl record album

Solo guitar by Joe Pass – a beautiful little album that's a perfect showcase for the new sensitivity in his music during his years at Pablo records! The Joe Pass heard here is light years away from the guitar player who made a few gimmicky records a decade before – and this album has Joe coming across with a gentle, but sophisticated approach to his instrument that we never would have expected in the past! Titles include "Night & Day", "My Old Flame", "Here's That Rainy Day", "Sweet Lorraine", "All The Things You Are", and "Round Midnight". LP, Vinyl record album

Pure beauty and joy from Michel Petrucciani – a record that captures the pianist in all his 80s genius – working in a trio with Palle Danielsson on bass and Eliot Zigmund on drums, but clearly driving the whole engine with his boundless energy on the keys! The tracks are all quite long, and even familiar themes are nicely transformed – although our favorites are the original numbers by Michel, which dominate the record and really seem like the best sort of showcase for that special spirit that made him such a standout during his too-short recorded career. Titles include "The Prayer", "Our Tune", "Face's Face", "Regina", and "Night & Day". LP, Vinyl record album

The starkest, sparest ever by Bruce Springsteen – sans accompaniment for the most part, having famously opted to release the haunting guitar, voice and harmonica demos as the actual album – and it's devastatingly strong to this day! The hallmark facet is that it's a largely solo acoustic record, the the great thing about that is how distinctively Springsteen sounding it is – with the all the earnestness of his more anthemic material, and more – just done with a sometimes somber, always intimate approach. One of those records that deserves all of the loft praise! Includes "Nebraska", "Atlantic City", "Mansion On The Hill", "Johnny 99", "State Trooper", "Used Cars", "Open All Night", "My Father's House" and "Reason To Believe". LP, Vinyl record album

A well-rounded set from Rick James' Stone City Band – a set that's got some mellower moments than most of Rick's own work from the time – but in a nice way that really offsets the group's tendency towards bassier funk! Lead vocalist Levi Ruffin stretches out nicely on a few more laidback cuts – not the most classic soul of his time, but with sensitivity that's greater than his handling of the simpler lyrics on the groovers here. Ruffin composed two of these ballads – "Feel Good Bout Yourself" and "Lovin You Is Easy" – and other tracks include "Tin Soldier", "Keep Love Happy", "Ganja", "Freaky", and a cover of The Kinks' "All Day & All Of The Night". LP, Vinyl record album

A historic meeting between pianist Art Tatum and tenor sax giant Ben Webster! At some level, it's clear that Tatum's the star of the sessions – as most tracks start out with that introspective and often complicated approach to the keys that marks his trio and solo work – but Webster always slides in just in time to keep the record from being a standard Tatum outing – blowing with a crisp tone that's beautifully recorded here, and hardly concerned at all with the presence of Red Callender on bass and Bill Douglass on drums – who are much lower in the mix. Titles include "Night & Day", "Where Or When", "My Ideal", "Gone With The Wind", and "All The Things You Are". LP, Vinyl record album

Sweet 80s soul from Dionne Warwick – an album that features a fair bit of production work from Barry Gibb – and a sometime sound that definitely shows his presence! The style here is smoother than Dionne in earlier years – with a nice undercurrent of jazz in the instrumentation, one that helps keep things hipper than you might expect – and which avoids a lot of the cliches of early 80s pop soul that might muck things up. Gibb's touch helps things glide nicely at times – a bit of that soulful Bee Gees flourish – and tracks include "Heartbreaker", "It Makes No Difference", "Take The Short Way Home", "Just One More Night", "You Are My Love", and "Our Day Will Come". LP, Vinyl record album

Nice 2LP pressing of the West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band's first album, with an entire bonus LP of unissued tracks! Trippy garage psyche rock stuff, with the cuts "Insanity", "Something You Got", "Don't Let Anything!!! Stand In Your Way" – plus the unissued titles "Endless Night", "Chimes of Freedom", and "One Day". LP, Vinyl record album

This album is probably the best ever by this legendary Baltimore soul group! Includes the massive breakbeat track "World", which starts with great hard drums, then leaps into a nice tight funky soul groove. Other cuts include "I Dig Your Act", "Friends By Day (Lovers By Night)", "My Thing", and "Alibies & Lies". Sweet harmonies, heavy soul, and a very raw production vibe make this an instant classic! LP, Vinyl record album

The mellow soul of Bill Withers is always a treat – and although this best of collection was released on Columbia, it mostly features tracks from Bill's stellar early days at Sussex, when he was turning out some of the most quietly revolutionary soul of the decade! Nearly every cut's a winner – and the set features classics like "Lovely Day", "Who Is He & What Is He To You", "Harlem", "Ain't No Sunshine", "Use Me", "Grandma's Hands", "Lean On Me", "Tender Things", and "I Want To Spend The Night". LP, Vinyl record album

A well-chosen batch of rare garage rock gems from the 60s – rare work from labels that include Stax, Fantasy, Original Sound, and Vanguard – including three never-issued tracks! The choice of material is great, and the whole thing features notes from producer Alec Palao – a name we've really come to trust for sets like this, which go way past the hits and obvious choices. Titles include "Can't Get Enough" by The Pullice, "Attention" by Lonnie Duvall, "Harmonica Man" by The Torquays, "Psychotic Reaction (unedited version)" by Count Five, "She's Gone" by Group B, "Double Whammy" by Jack Bedient & The Chessmen, "In The Night" by The Bittersweets, "Short Haired Fathers" by Circus Maximus, "Anytime Anywhere" by The Squires, "This Calls For A Celebration" by The Fantastic Zoo, "Rat Race" by The Tears, "I Can't Make A Friend" by The Vagrants, "The Animal In Me" by The Orfuns, and "The People In Me (full length version)" by The Music Machine. LP, Vinyl record album

An excellent collection of the main themes from a bunch of great 70s soundtracks! 13 tracks in all: "A Clockwork Orange" by Wendy Carlos, "Dirty Harry", "Bullitt" and "Enter The Dragon" by Lalo Schifrin, "O Lucky Man" by Alan Price, "Laura's Them" from The Thief Who Came To Dinner by Henry Mancini, "Cleopatra Jones" by JoeSimon, "Day For Night" by George Delerue, "Duelling Banjos" from Deliverance by Eric Weisberg, "Summer Of '42" by Michel Legrand, "Gone Dead Train" from Performance by Jack Nitzche with Randy Newman, "Caine's Theme" from Kung Fu by Jim Helms, and "They're Letting MeDrive" from Steelyard Blues. LP, Vinyl record album

A never-issued album from the guitar genius Robbie Basho – material recorded at the same Vanguard Records sessions that produced his monumental albums Voice Of The Eagle and Zarthus, and every bit as great as the work that appeared on those records – and as the tracks on Basho's Takoma Records albums from the 60s! The set features Robbie doing a bit of his unusual vocalizations, but in a way that's folded in very strongly with his unusual phrasings on acoustic guitar – although with Basho maybe hitting a more familiar folk style at some moments, even though the lyrics are all his own, and have a mystical quality that really matches his work on guitar. There's a really haunting quality to the whole record, and the vocal tunes could easily have Basho right up there with left-field contemporaries, like Fred Neil on Capitol, or Tim Hardin on his early Columbia years – but, mixed with the longform guitar explorations, create a vibe that's completely Robbie's own. Titles include "A Day In The Life Of Lemuria", which is an unusual piano/whistling tune – plus "The Butterfly Of Wonder", "Thunder Sun", "Song Of The Great Mystery", "Thunder Love", "Death Song", "Night Way", and "Katerei Tekakwitha". LP, Vinyl record album

Chris' Craft is a great one here – beautifully simple and straightforward jazz vocals, served up at a level that few other singers can match! The album's one of our favorites from Connor's classic years with Atlantic – as it's got a mellow, moody approach that's filled with the darker tones that first caught our ears on Chris' earliest recordings for Bethlehem. Instrumentation here is mostly small combo – arranged by Stan Free, and featuring Free on piano, Bobby Jaspar on flute, Mundell Lowe on guitar, George Duvivier on bass, and Ed Shaughnessy on drums. Titles include "Be A Clown", "Be My All", "Good For Nothin", "Moonlight In Vermont", "The Night We Called It A Day", "Lover Man", and "On The First Warm Day". LP, Vinyl record album

A real rarity from Jerry Goldsmith – groovy tunes penned for a late 60s film about an Oxford professor who's also a spy for the British Secret Service! Goldmith's music is a bit less serious than usual at points – still scored with the deep care and sensitivity we've come to love in Jerry's soundtracks, but peppered with a few of the more upbeat, mod-styled cuts you'd expect in a 60s spy comedy! Instrumentation varies from full orchestral to smaller combo – romping rhythms and a bit of guitar on some of the groovy numbers, mixed with softer strings on the more serious tunes. There's a great vocal number called "You Gotta Let Me Go" – and other tracks include "The Decoders", "Checkmate", "Sebastian", "First Day At Work", "Night Scene", "The Trip", and "Sputnik Code". LP, Vinyl record album

A firey stormer from the great Slide Hampton! The album's one of his few early sides for Atlantic – and like the others, it's a groundbreaking batch of larger group material, with slide out front on trombone, and the rest of the ensemble vamping along like a tight Blue Note combo. Players are excellent – and include George Coleman on tenor, Horace Parlan on piano, Hobart Dotson on trumpet, and Ray Barretto on drums – and Slide makes them come together so tightly, you'd think they were working together every night of the week! Titles include "The Barbarians", "Strollin", "The Jazz Twist", "Red Top", "Slide Slid", and "Day In Day Out". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the few 70s albums from the wonderful Major Harris as a solo act – and a lesser-known set that's a great follow up to the Major's previous records for Atlantic! The vibe here is a bit less Philly, but still in that mellow grooving style that works so well for Harris' vocals – a mature modern soul mode, with some excellent production from Jerry Ragovoy, who co-arranged the set with David Matthews. A few of the numbers go for a clubby feel, the best tracks are the mellower ones – which have Harris hitting those mature and personal notes that always made him one of the best romantic male soul singers of his time. Titles include "Lucky Day", "Night Moods", "How Do You Take Your Love", "Pretty Red Lips", "You're So Good You're Bad", "Your Sweet Song", and "This Is Forever". LP, Vinyl record album

Titles include "All Alone", "Night & Day", "The Blues March (parts 1 & 2)", "Free For All", "Non-Stop Flight", "Sweet Adeline", and "The Chant". LP, Vinyl record album

An early classic from pianist Billy Taylor featuring his classic 50s trio with bassist Earl May and drummer Percy Brice! The tracks are mostly short and simple, and done in Taylor's warmly rhythmical approach to the keys – a groove that was clearly informed by the hardbop of the time, but which laid back in a much more soulful formation. The set features dozen tracks in all, including "Blue Cloud", "It's A Grand Night For Swinging", "Purple Mood", "A Bientot", "Early Bird", "Day Dreaming", "Radioactivity", "Long Tom", and "Daddy O". LP, Vinyl record album