Really hard-jamming work from keyboardist Brian Auger – the first of a 2-part live set from the US, and easily some of his greatest work on record! The tracks are all very long and stretched out here – an extrapolation of the territory Auger was already exploring on studio sides, taken into even more cosmic realms through the lively nature of the set. As with other records from the time, Alex Lighterwood sings on some cuts – but the real highlight is the keyboard work of Auger – served up on both organ and electric piano, and hitting a great blend of funk, fusion, and keyboard soul! Titles include a really great funky remake of "Bumpin On Sunset", the original break track "Don't Look Away", and the tunes "Truth", and "Beginning Again". LP, Vinyl record album

The second smoking Live Oblivion set from Brian Auger and crew – twice as long, and maybe even twice as funky as the first! The tunes on here all really push the ten minute mark – stretching out the original Auger conception on studio sides, and featuring plenty of room for really wicked solo work on organ and electric piano! The live setting seems to inspire the group to even greater new heights – and there's an intensity here that makes for some really great moments. Titles include the wonderful break-heavy version of "Compared To What" – plus "Second Wind", "Maiden Voyage", "Straight Ahead", "Freedom Jazz Dance", and "Inner City Blues". LP, Vinyl record album

A great back-to-basics solo album from the legendary David Axelrod – cut in the mid 70s for Fantasy Records, after higher-concept projects like The Auction and Messiah! This set gets right to the core – and focuses on the funk currents that were always part of Axelrod's larger arrangements, but which sometimes never got pulled to the forefront as strongly – and the approach is almost like some of the funky jazz albums that were issued by Fantasy/Prestige Records at the time – especially those that Axelrod produced for Cannonball Adderley. The whole thing has that great Axelrod sense of composition, with lots of space, and lots of spare cold bits that are nice nice nice for sample cuts – and titles include the classic track "Everything Counts", plus "Get Up Off Your Knees", "My Family", and "Mucho Chupar". LP, Vinyl record album

A wonderful departure for Kevin Ayers – an album that's a lot lighter and more whimsical than his original fame with Soft Machine! The tunes are extremely playful, and often quite catchy – almost a Donovan-esque blend of folksy roots and jazz inflections – but tuned a bit more towards trippier ends, thanks to instrumentation that includes celeste, electronics, flute, oboe, kazoo, cello, organ, and a wide range of different guitars! David Bedford handled arrangements, and other players on the session include some ex-Soft Machine comrades – like Hugh Hopper and Robert Wyatt! Ayers' vocals are produced with a nicely compressed quality that squeezes them in alongside the instrumentation – and titles include "Joy Of A Toy Continued", "The Lady Rachel", "All This Crazy Gift Of Time", "Eleanor's Cake", and "Girl On A Swing". LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic lost chapter in the career of genius soul/jazz/funk maestro Roy Ayers – a set that was only ever issued in the UK, and which is a great second part to his Lots Of Love album on the Uno Melodic label! This album features a few tracks from that gem, but in longer versions – mixed with other cuts that were never issued in the US at the time – all with that return to perfection that Roy found on Uno Melodic – which was his own label, and one of the few times in the 80s when he matched the brilliance of his 70s recordings on Polydor! Like those albums, the style here is tight and right in the pocket, but also full of meaning and message too – beautiful songs that are catchy, but far from commercial – funky, but never dance music in a conventional way. The set kicks off with a 7:20 minute version of "Chicago" – one of our favorite Roy Ayers songs ever, natch – and other cuts include "Smiling With Our Eyes", "Good Good Music", "Keep On Movin", "Silver Vibrations", "DC City", and "Lots Of Love". LP, Vinyl record album

An early album as a leader from the great Roy Ayers – a set that captures the vibes man at a time when he'd been working on the west coast soul jazz scene, and was stepping into even greater fame in the group of Herbie Mann! Yet this set is definitely Roy's own – kind of an introduction to the more righteous sounds he'd pursue in the 70s, set up in an instrumental mode with great help from Herbie Hancock on piano, Gary Bartz on alto, Charles Tolliver on trumpet, and Hubert Laws on flute – all ultra-hip players who really bring a lot to the record! And despite the colorful cover, and its reference of a pop hit, there's a much deeper vibe going on here – on titles that include a great version of Jobim's "Wave" – done like we've never heard it before – plus the original cuts "What The People Say", "Lil's Paradise", and "A Rose For Cindy". LP, Vinyl record album

The genius of Roy Ayers knows no end – and as this set of unreleased work from the 70s proves, Roy was always working at top form back in the day – even above and beyond his classic albums from the time! The grooves here are tremendous – funky, soulful, jazzy, and every bit as wonderful as the work that Roy did for his classic albums on Polydor – and in a way, the whole set's even tighter and heavier than any of Roy's full LPs, because it's a distillation of his sound from the time, hand-picked from the vaults with an ear towards the kind of timeless grooves that have been a huge influence on many worlds of music for years! You've never heard any of these tunes before, but we can promise you'll love them every bit as much as Roy's tracks on albums like Coffy, Vibrations, Mystic Voyage, and other classics – and the quality of the set only further pushes our jaw-dropping respect for the man! Titles include "Holiday", "Kwajilori", "I Am Your Mind (part 2)", "Touch Of Class", "Third Time", "Come To Me", "Wide Open", "Funk In The Hole", "Liquid Love", "Tarzan", "Sunshine (demo)", and "I Like The Way You Do It To Me". LP, Vinyl record album

Brilliant late work from spiritual saxophone genius Albert Ayler – one of his last truly great albums! The session has none of the jazz-meets-other music feel of some of the other Impulse albums – and is more in the straight expressive style of the ESP recordings. Tracks are more reined in here – with some short themes that are almost a distillation of the freedom Ayler had been expressing for a few years, summed up beautifully in tunes that have a plaintive cry, filled with as much soul and love as Ayler could muster into his horn! Players include Donald Ayler on trumpet, Cal Cobbs on harpsichord, Alan Silva on bass, and Milford Graves on drums – and titles include "Zion Hill", "Love Flower", "Love Cry", "Ghosts", "Omega", and "Dancing Flowers". LP, Vinyl record album

The legendary Azymuth rises from the ashes – on this, their first record after the passing of keyboardist Jose Roberto Bertrami – with a sound that takes us back to the amazing cosmic funk of their first few albums in the 70s! The new keyboardist, Kiko Continentino, has a sound that's really wonderful – the same sort of spare approach to Fender Rhodes that made Bertrami so great back in the day – but also maybe a bit more edge than Jose had in recent years, which gives the group a really refreshed sound, and a lean groove that's completely sublime! The trio are joined by percussionist Robertinho Silva and keyboardist Daniel Maunick at some points – and Maunick also produced the record. Titles include "Orange Clouds", "Neptunians", "Fenix", "Villa Mariana", "Papa Samba", and "Rio Doce". LP, Vinyl record album

The album that really broke the B52s out of the box – the one that took them from being an underground favorite in the clubs and the party scene, to being the kind of group that finally got the exposure they deserved! Of course, some of the help here comes from superproducers Nile Rodgers and Don Was – who really help the group focus on their hooks and crossover groove – all summed up perfectly on the album's hit "Love Shack" – a tune that still gets heavy play around the globe all these many years later. Other tracks include "Roam", "Channel Z", "Cosmic Thing", "Dry Country", "Topaz", "Follow Your Bliss", and "Bushfire". LP, Vinyl record album

The glory days of this legendary group, served up here in a double-length collection of tracks – not just the hits promised in the title, but a few overlooked gems too! The set features 18 tracks in all – and titles include "52 Girls", "Rock Lobster", "Planet Claire", "Private Idaho", "Quiche Lorraine", "Mesopotamia", "Strobe Light", "Party Out Of Bounds", "Love Shack", "Good Stuff", "Hallucinating Pluto", "Summer Of Love", "Song For A Future Generation", "Roam", "Channel Z", "Debbie", "Is That You Mo Dean", and "Deadbeat Club". LP, Vinyl record album

Badbadnotgood have always been pretty damn great, actually – and never better than on album IV – a remarkable step forward for the group! As ever, they take inspiration from some of the best prog, jazz, funk (and proggy jazz funk...they blend) of the 70s and beyond, but weave it into fairly distinctive and genuinely fun modern sound. It's built to last, too –we're sure be able to come back to their work in a couple decades and it'll still work! IV finds them with the confidence to trade in some fairly subtle, smoothed out moments between to more boisterous ones, and they're more dexterous in the instrumentation – especially in the horns, keys and percussion – but some great vibes, strings, flute and more when the mood calls. Includes the great vocal track "Time Moves Slow" with Sam Herring of Future Islands, "And That, Too", "Lavender", "IV", "Chompy's Paradise", "Structure No. 3", "Cashmere", "Hyssops Of Love" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

A really great project from Erykah Badu – a set that's quite spare compared to the fuller sound and energy of her New Amerykah records – done in a bedroom studio in Dallas with producer Zach Witness! The music is lean and stripped-down – hip hop-influenced soul, but almost at a level that has Badu playing with more popular modes of the time – showing that she can do them better than most, but always with this sense of sophistication that draws on all the other sounds she's given us over the years! Badu released the set direct to digital as a mixtape, but it's a fantastic standalone album project on its own – with titles that include "U Use To Call Me", "Cel U Lar Device", "Hi", "Phone Down", "What's Yo Phone Number", "I'll Call U Back", and "Mr Telephone Man". LP, Vinyl record album

Badu is back with some of the deepest, funkiest and best music of her career – a mindblowing treatise for a New Amerykah – and what we'll consider an instant classic whether the world at large catches on or not! Erykah steps up this time with a set that balances the wilder impulses of her criminally underappreciated Worldwide Underground and more of a hip hop based, righteously grooving style – but still bursts with a freshness that's unrivaled to say the least. From free spirited soul, to sparse hip hop funk this record is both blunt and beautiful – with a slow-building emotional resonance that'll reach the most jaded souls. Modern soul music of the first order that gives us goosebumps from the first spin to the last beat! The album kicks off with Erykah riffing on and remixing Ramp's "American Promise" as an intro – and it just gets deeper from there. Producers/collaborators include Madlib, Sa-Ra, Karriem Riggins, James Poyser and ?uestlove. Amazing!!! Titles include "The Healer", "Me", "My People", "Soldier", "The Cell", "Twinkle", "Master Teacher", "The Hump" and "Telephone". LP, Vinyl record album

The second chapter of Erykah Badu's New Amerykah – recorded for the most part, quite incredibly, during the same period and with the same collaborators as the mind-altering, murky and righteous hip hop funk experimentalism that was Part One – some months that must be among the most dizzyingly creative in Badu's career! We're reluctant to call Return Of The The Ankh a lighter listen than its predecessor, but, it's a less dense and outwardly experimental batch in the sonic realm – the emotionalism and the head nodding warmth is at the forefront, yet she's as uncompromising and real as ever. The sound is still innovative, unique and her own on all fronts, but the songs chosen for Part Two are ones you want to approach and embrace from the opening seconds – there's not as much of a tripped out overall vibe and you don't need to acclimate from a distance – these songs pull you right in! Includes collaborations with James Poyser, Shafiq Husayn, Ta'Raach, Karriem Riggins, Madlib and Georgia Anne Muldrow. Includes "20 Feet Tall", "Window Seat", "Agitation", "Turn Me Away (Get Munny)", "Gone Baby, Don't Be Long", "Love", "Out My Mind, Just In Time" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

A nice one from Badu – one with a depth of feeling and genuine soulful vibes that live up to its title, despite the fact that she records for one of the world's biggest media conglomerates! It's all about the vibe here. Erykah rolls her syllables, scats and emotes feelings more than an actual narrative in the strongest of these cuts. It's not that she's forgone lyrics, but it's all about the ambience, not radio sing-a-longs. She also dives head first into her organic soul and hip hop hybrid sound a little more sparingly, but still better than most who that followed her lead post-Baduizm. She channels Donald Byrd on the great "Think Twice", which is pretty indicative of the vibe as a whole. The groove is sorta mellow, but in a very tripped-out way, with deep organ washes and synth tones, scratchy soul guitar, and crisp organic beats. There's an appearance by Dead Prez on "Steady On The Grind", and a really sweet old school flavored remake of the great "Love Of My Life" track from the Brown Sugar soundtrack with Queen Latifah and Bahamadia, but for the most part Erykah is sweating soul on her own spiritual plane here. It's gonna take a little while to sink in, but this may be her best album (despite whatever naysaying BS you may read in mainstream reviews.) Tracks include "Bump It", the great single "Danger", "Woo", "Back In The Day" and "I Want You". LP, Vinyl record album

The killer debut of Bahamadia – an underground force on the same Philly scene that gave the world The Roots back in the 90s – and one who steps out here with a force that's fantastic! Part of the record's charms come from the killer production work from DJ Premier and Guru – as tunes are filled with all sorts of well-chosen solos, used in lean ways that refine an earlier Native Tongues sort of vibe – never trying to pack too much into a tune, and instead focusing on key elements that provide the perfect counterpart to Bahamadia's rhymes! The whole album's great – no filler at all – and The Roots make a guest appearance on the Philly-centric "Da Jawn", next to other cuts that include "True Honey Buns", "I Confess", "Word Play", "UKNOWHOWWEDU", "3 Tha Hard Way", "Biggest Part Of Me", "Spontaneity", "Rugged Ruff", "Total Wreck", and "Path To Rhythm". LP, Vinyl record album

A jazz records of sorts, but a funk one as well – recorded mostly by Gerald Bailey on a variety of instruments, and with an intimate vibe that really reflects the creative process! The tunes often have a nice kick, with some really great drums – and are short and melodic, with key passages on piano and keyboards, plus a bit of trumpet – not really solos so much as themes that come into the mix and really give each tune a particular color and flavor! This is definitely the case of hip hop influencing instrumental creativity, especially in production – and titles include "Dune Boogie", "Overnight Heat", "Crab Shell", "Raised By Frogs", "Aurica", Call To Act", "Dasani Falls", "Dusty Rhodes", and "Free Trial". LP, Vinyl record album

A sweet little quartet session from the mid 50s – one of Chet Baker's legendary albums recorded in Paris at the time, with a quality that's nicely different from some of his work in the US! Part of that quality is the group – an unusual lineup that includes Gerard Gustin on piano, Jimmy Bond on bass, and Bert Dahlander on drums – but Baker is also changing things up a bit from the Pacific Jazz years too, and working with a more sophisticated understanding of sound and tone that would develop even more strongly in the later half of the 50s! As usual with Chet, the tunes are standards, but completely transformed by his handling – titles that include "I'll Remember April", "Tenderly", "Lover Man", "Summertime", and "You Go To My Head". LP, Vinyl record album

One of those great later albums that has Chet Baker working alongside an instrument you never would have expected in the early days – blowing his own trumpet lines next to fantastic work on guitar from Doug Raney – a pair who really make some magic with this album! The set's also got the mighty Niels Henning Orsted Pedersen on bass – handling rhythm in a way that's strong, but gentle at the same time – this beautiful balance that echoes the warmth of both of the other players, as Chet's sparkling trumpet lines resonate with the great colors from Raney's guitar. Titles include "Broken Wing", "Down", "Daybreak", and "For Minors Only". LP, Vinyl record album

The last-ever Chet Baker recording with a quartet – and a set that shows just how completely magical the legendary trumpeter was even up to the end! Chet at this time is completely different than Chet in the 50s or 60s – as he'd really found a way to make all these amazing new sounds on his horn, partly as a way of getting around some of his physical limitations, but also as a way of opening up some of those mid 60s ideas that he barely explored on record at the time. He's working here with a very important musical partner from the last decade – getting great help on guitar and flute from Nicola Stilo – plus Marc Abrams on bass and Luca Flores on piano – on titles that include "Portrait In Black & White", "Funk In Deep Freeze", "Arborway", "In A Sentimental Way", and "If I Should Lose You". LP, Vinyl record album

That's "Heath", not "health" – as you might think the title's misspelled – as in Jimmy Heath, who arranged most of the numbers on the set! Heath's contribution is a good one too – as it helps Baker create one of his most tightly-wrapped albums of the time, a well-blown session recorded here with a group that includes Art Pepper on alto, Phil Urso on tenor, Carl Perkins on piano, and Lawrence Marable on drums. The presence of Urso is especially appreciated – as his sharper, deeper tone really brings a wider sound to the album than some of Chet's other dates of the time – especially when combined with the excellent sound of Pepper! Titles include "CTA", "For Minors Only", "For Miles & Miles", and "Resonant Emotions". LP, Vinyl record album

A real standout set in the later years of trumpet legend Chet Baker – in part because the record features some wonderful tenor work from the equally legendary Warne Marsh! Marsh at this point in his career has really developed a subtle edge – this slight current of darkness that wasn't there at the start, and which works well next to the moody qualities that Baker developed in his final years too. Equally wonderful is the piano of Hod O'Brien – a great and overlooked musician, and one who has this almost broken-down quality that really fits the emotive energy of the date. Other players include Eddie Gladden on drums and Cecil McBee on bass – the latter of whom is a bit of a surprise on such a session – on titles that include "Imagination", "We Know It's Love", "Well Spoken", "Blues For A reason", and "Looking Good Tonight". Features a great bonus track – an alternate of "Looking Good Tonight", on vinyl for the first time! LP, Vinyl record album

A really wonderful album – timeless in sound and style, and a set that almost takes us back to the warmth of some of our favorite Brazilian records from the 70s! Bala Desejo have a way of mixing harmonies with lead vocals that's completely sublime – often set to light percussion, acoustic guitar, and other spare instrumental touches that glow as nicely as the vocals! If you've heard some of the 70s material from Quarteto Em Cy, you'll know part of the vibe here – but there's also maybe a more contemporary sense of songwriting too, which really keeps things fresh – on titles that include "Lua Comanche", "Nesse Sofa", "Chupeta", "Faixa Tecnica", "Chronofagia", "Muito So", "Dourado Dourado", and "Lambe Lambe". LP, Vinyl record album

A really wonderful album – timeless in sound and style, and a set that almost takes us back to the warmth of some of our favorite Brazilian records from the 70s! Bala Desejo have a way of mixing harmonies with lead vocals that's completely sublime – often set to light percussion, acoustic guitar, and other spare instrumental touches that glow as nicely as the vocals! If you've heard some of the 70s material from Quarteto Em Cy, you'll know part of the vibe here – but there's also maybe a more contemporary sense of songwriting too, which really keeps things fresh – on titles that include "Lua Comanche", "Nesse Sofa", "Chupeta", "Faixa Tecnica", "Chronofagia", "Muito So", "Dourado Dourado", and "Lambe Lambe". LP, Vinyl record album

West coast harmony soul genius – a full early album of work by The Ballads – a sweet soul group who really live up to their name! The tracks here are all mellow soul with a near-perfect quality – vocals that step and slide together in a gentle, heartfelt sort of way – never too slick, and always with a heartbreaking sound that rivals some of the better-known east coast examples of the genre. Production is by Willie Hutch, Leon Ware, and Clarence Paul – and the album's a super-rare effort from the mostly-singles Venture label – with tracks that include "Good Bless Our Love", "You're The One", "I Love You Yeah", "The Gift Of Love", "Weakspot", "Hey Diddle Diddle", and "Goodnight My Love". CD also features 9 more bonus tracks – including "Right Track (parts 1 & 2)", "I Can't See Your Love", "Do It Now", "I Love You Yeah", and "I Hope I Never Fall In Love". LP, Vinyl record album

An obscure soul set on the legendary Sun Records label – raw vocals from Frank Ballard, done in a style that still has a few older R&B currents in the mix, but which is definitely pointed strongly towards a 60s groove! Backings are by the band of tenorist Phillip Reynolds, and the sound here is a lot more in the King Records mode than you'd expect from Sun – plenty of grit in the grooves, and with some great work on piano, guitar, and tenor next to the vocals! Frank earlier sung with tenor man Curtis Amy, but he's really at the top of his game here – and titles include "Trouble Down The Road", "Rollin In", "After Hours", "Do Wa Diddi", "Is Anybody There", and "Just Leave It With Me Baby". LP, Vinyl record album

A sweet bit of Argentine prog, served up with a slightly jazzy vibe at times – maybe in part because by the end of the 70s, so many groups didn't care as much about the lines in the sand that were being drawn a few years before! The keyboards are definitely proggy – spun out by singer Cesar Pueyrredon with an effortless quality – but grounded a bit more by the guitar work, and some rock solid drums and bass – augmented just slightly by guest tenor on one cut. Titles include "Au Es Tiempo De Sonar", "Vispera", "Preguntas Al Cielo", "Quien Se Acordara", and the long "El Escultor Y La Estatua". LP, Vinyl record album

A really fantastic idea for a project – and one that comes off even better than we would have guessed – new versions of classic grooves from the nations of Cabo Verde and Guinea Bissau, performed by a really well-matched group of singers and musicians, in a mode that's quite different than the usual revival record of this nature! The songs are definitely classics, but the presentation is very contemporary – directed by producer Guts, and Francisco Sousa, with a special ear for avoiding the sorts of cliches that both mar a project like this, and some of the stereotypes that get reinforced by reissues on the market. Instead, there's a fresh criss-crossing of cultures, but one that never waters down the roots at all – maybe a bit like some of the best Parisian productions of the 70s and 80s post-colonial years. Titles include "Dunia Be Tene", "Riba Bass Di Mi", "Citi Ku Liti", "No Guinea", "Mulato Ferrera", "Segunda", and "Di Mas". LP, Vinyl record album

By this point in his career, Ray Barretto certainly was Indestructible – one of the biggest Latin leaders of his day, working at the forefront of new trends and new sounds! This fact is wonderfully displayed by the front cover, which shows Ray unbuttoning his shirt and taking off his Clark Kent-styled glasses to reveal a Superman costume underneath – and apart from this easy gimmick, the album itself is a straight ahead Latin jammer, with no tricks, no silliness – just a perfect early 70s salsa sound! Arrangements are by Eddie Martinez, Louie Cruz, and Louie Ramirez – and titles include "Ay No", "La Orquesta", "El Hijo Do Obatala", "Indestructible", "La Familia", and "El Diablo". LP, Vinyl record album

A real return to classic form for saxophone legend Gary Bartz – stepping out here with a younger group of musicians who return his sound to the spirit of his NTU Troup records from the early 70s! The group has some hard percussion at the core – and matches Gary's own work on alto and soprano with trumpet from Axel Kaner Lidstrom, keyboards from Al Macsween, and guitar from Shirley Tetteh – a really vibrant combo who help bring Bartz back to the territory of spiritual jazz funk, as he stretches out on the kind of long, snakey solos that first set him apart from the pack! The combo also features Twm Dylan on bass, Jake Long on drums, and Tim Doyle on percussion – and titles include "Harlem Haarlem" and "The Stank" – plus remakes of "Uhuru Sasa", "Dr Follow's Dance", and "Leta's Dance". LP, Vinyl record album

A jazzy group, but one that's not straight jazz either – as they work with a strongly rhythmic vibe that's somewhere between classic fusion and some of the contemporary sounds we love on Schema Records – maybe no surprise as this combo also hails from the Italian scene as well! There's a great mix of keyboards in the music – Korg Sigma, Fender Rhodes, Yamaha CP70, and Farfisa Synthorchestra – the latter of which sounds especially great, and gives the music some great spacey touches around the edges. Rhythms are all live, and have some great currents from classic boogie and late 70s club – but the vocals on most tracks bring in a special sort of vibe, in part because the singers shift, and the lyrics are in Italian. Titles include "Malavita", "Fuga Finale", "Citta Futura", "Napoli Visionaria", and "Oro Di Miele". LP, Vinyl record album

The game changing Def Jam classic – and possibly the greatest album by the Beastie Boys – even though they'd grow up a whole lot after this! Profane party anthems galore, and the Beasties would distance themselves from much of the attitude of this album, making their career arc from stoopid (as opposed to stupid) to thoughtful and playful innovators one of the more interesting artistic evolutions of their generation for sure. With all the killer cuts: "Rhymin & Stealin", "The New Style", "Girls", "Fight For Your Right To Party", "No Sleep Til Brooklyn", "Paul Revere", "Hold It Now Hit It", "She's Crafty", and more. LP, Vinyl record album

Totally cool, totally amazing music from the enigmatic Francis Bebey – a contemporary on the early 80s African scene of William Onyeabor, and an equally experimental artists! Bebey used a fair bit of electronics, but often with sounds that had acoustic roots – in this case, the ultra cool sansa, which is a similar thumb piano to the kalimba – amplified here in really great ways, and mixed with some moody, dark elements throughout! The music has much more of a 70s vintage than you'd guess from the dates on the record – thanks partly to the raw percussion, and very offbeat production – which sometimes is mellow, sometimes bursts out in these shocking waves of sound. Titles include "Sanza Tristesse", "Forest Nativity", "Sunny Crypt", "Ngoma Likembe", "Guinee", "Di Saegi", and "Binta Madiallo". LP, Vinyl record album

A rare French album of funky fusion from drummer Daniel Bechet – dedicated to his father, the famous saxophonist Sidney Bechet – yet served up in a style that's nothing at all like the elder's musical legacy! Instead, Daniel works here in a warm blend of guitars and keyboards, especially the latter – as the set rolls along with a warm soulful vibe throughout, so that even the drums, while grooving, are wrapped up strongly as part of the overall sound! There's almost a Steely Dan level of perfection to the record – recalling the sound of the Hoops McCann project in the 80s – and titles include "Sweet Stuff", "Night Clouds", "Brother Jacques", "Saturday Night Flavour", "Don't Be Shy", "Astral Dance", and "Jacqueline's Mood". LP, Vinyl record album

A crowning moment of genius from trumpeter Harry Beckett – a musician who's graced a heck of a lot of records over the years, but who really knocks it out of the park with this amazing early session as a leader! Harry's work on flugelhorn is worth the price of admission alone – bold, focused, and full of all these sharp edges that really mark a new moment of expression on the instrument, equally matched by his work on trumpet too. Yet the overall vibe of the group is what really sends the record home – sounds on piano from John Taylor, vibes from Frank Ricotti, soprano and tenor from Alan Skidmore, and baritone and soprano from John Surman – all key players on Beckett's scene, really hitting their heights here. Arrangements are by Surman, Beckett, and Graham Collier – all of whom wrote material too – and titles include "Flare Up", "Where Fortune Smiles", "Flow Stream Flow", "The Other Side", "Rolli's Tune", "Fools Play", and "Third Road". LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastically soulful album from Jorge Ben – one of his greatest records ever, and a key part of Brazilian music in the 70s! The album marks an earthier shift for Jorge – a sound that's still rooted in the samba influences of the 60s, but which also takes on a bit more soul at the bottom – thanks to rhythmic contributions from Trio Mocoto, who work here famously to help Ben shape the overall feel of the set! There's still a bit of larger orchestrations at moments, but these are used sparingly just to sweeten the sound – leaving the main force of the music to come from Jorge's guitar, and the cuica, percussion, and tamborim of the trio. The vocals are wonderful too – slightly raspy, and with a bit more feeling than we ever remember Jorge having on record – sometimes a bit intimate, yet always with an undeniable presence throughout. One of those records that still sends chills up our spines, year after year – with tracks that include "Oba La Vem Ela", "Ze Canjica", "Pulo Pulo", "Apareceu Aparecida", "Terezinha", "Mulher Brasileira", "Forca Bruta", "O Telefone Tocou Novamente", and "Charles Junior". LP, Vinyl record album

One of Jorge Ben's greatest albums – a groundbreaking blend of samba and soul that forever went onto transform the face of Brazilian music! The record works off the groove set down by Jorge's earlier hit "Mas Que Nada" (which appears on another LP), and takes the blend of bossa, samba, and jazz, and infuses it with a sense of folksy soul delivered by Jorge's raspy vocals and acoustic guitar work. The combination of styles works perfectly – and every track on the album sparkles with a sense of excitement and new musical discovery that will probably blow away most of the recent records you've bought for your collection! Titles include "Nena Nana", "Espero Por Voce", "Nao Desanima, Joao", "Carnaval Triste", "Gimbo", "Capoeira", and "Anjo Azul". LP, Vinyl record album

A rare bit of righteous jazz from the Cali scene of the 70s – a record that's much more obscure than some of the better-known efforts from the Bay Area and the LA scene, but which resonates strongly with all the power of those classics too! James Benson was an educator as much as he was a musician – yet here, he proves himself very strongly as a hell of a leader – blowing flutes, tenor, and soprano in a cool combo that also features the greats Cal Green and Roy Gaines on guitars, Ed Pratt on alto, Buffalo Williams on piano, and Ronnie Randall on drums! There's plenty of percussion on the record, including some congas by Big Black – and the set mixes rootsy rumblings with spiritual solos in a really great way. Sandra Meadows sings a bit on the set, and titles include "Malcolm IX", "Spring 2000", "Brother Don", "Song For My Black Mother", "Nigeria West Africa", and a nice remake of "Compared To What". LP, Vinyl record album

Bruno Berle's titled this album in a way that's similar to his debut – but it's way more than just a "part 2", as the Brazilian singer has really grown a lot since that release! There's a rock-solid sound to the record that takes us back to some of our favorite MPB work of the past – not just the 70s, but also that late 90s/early 00s period when it seemed like all these new ideas were coming together in Brazilian music, with a way of pushing the best bits of the past forward into a restyled vision for the future! The instrumentation here mixes lots of acoustic touches on percussion and guitar with just the right use of electronics – delivered on a number of cuts by Batata Boy, who co-produced and arranged the album with Bruno. There's a few other singers along the way, too – and titles include a beautiful remake of Arthur Russell's "Love Comes Back", plus "Sonho", "Margem Do Ceu", "E So Voce Chegar", "Dizer Adeus", "New Hit", and "Te Amar Eterno". LP, Vinyl record album

Bruno Berle's titled this album in a way that's similar to his debut – but it's way more than just a "part 2", as the Brazilian singer has really grown a lot since that release! There's a rock-solid sound to the record that takes us back to some of our favorite MPB work of the past – not just the 70s, but also that late 90s/early 00s period when it seemed like all these new ideas were coming together in Brazilian music, with a way of pushing the best bits of the past forward into a restyled vision for the future! The instrumentation here mixes lots of acoustic touches on percussion and guitar with just the right use of electronics – delivered on a number of cuts by Batata Boy, who co-produced and arranged the album with Bruno. There's a few other singers along the way, too – and titles include a beautiful remake of Arthur Russell's "Love Comes Back", plus "Sonho", "Margem Do Ceu", "E So Voce Chegar", "Dizer Adeus", "New Hit", and "Te Amar Eterno". LP, Vinyl record album

Jac Berrocal is a trumpeter, with some background in jazz – but the tracks within are way more than that – and feature Berrocal at some of his most experimental, in ways that range nicely through a wide array of styles! The work here is a mix of rare and unreleased tracks – some very spare and instrumental, others with inventive use of voice – but often not vocals at all – more combined, processed, and played with like the other instrumentation on the tracks – which includes electronics, percussion, keyboards, and all sorts of other instruments. The vibe is a bit like some of the more experimental work on the French Nato label back in the 80s, mixed with some post-punk experiments too – in titles that include "Inca D'Enfance", "Aristocrates", "Lisylis Pavillon", "Fruh In Berlin", "Boite Boite", "Extaz", and "RAS". LP, Vinyl record album

Very free improvisations from the duo of Moses Boyd on drums and Binker Golding on tenor – material recorded live at London's Total Refreshment Centre, and with a vibe that's a bit different than their studio material! The set's definitely got some lean, rhythmic numbers – but some tracks also really step outside a bit too – with some especially searing work from Golding, who really takes advantage of the very long length of most of the tracks to deliver some solos we never would have expected! Titles include "Fete By The River", "Trees On Fire", "The Shaman's Chant", "The Departure", and "Intoxication From The Jahvmonishi Leaves". LP, Vinyl record album

Beautifully heavy sounds from Black Market Brass – a group who started out with more of a global funk approach, but who emerge here with the intensity of some lost funky soundtrack – all with the sort of edge you might expect from the cover! The style here is really revolutionary – unlike anything else we've ever heard from a group with "brass" in their name – in part because the group has some very cool distortion on the keyboards and guitar, which gives those electric elements a very sinister sound next to the straight ahead fire of the horns – served up with really hard-driving rhythms throughout, in a way that seems to pull together older traditions of Afro Funk, Nola Brass, and even some of the southern college bands – but all with a very 21st Century vision. Titles include "So Who (parts 1 & 2)", "Into The Thick", "War Room", "Cheat & Start A Fight", "Undying Thirst", and "NBT". LP, Vinyl record album

A spiritual jazz classic – one of the rarest albums of its type from the 70s! This legendary session was recorded by Roy Ayers' keyboardist Harry Whitaker – working here as the leader of the Black Renaissance group, a one-shot ensemble that featured Woody Shaw on trumpet, Azar Lawrence on saxes, Buster Williams on bass, and Mtume on percussion. The session was cut in New York in 1976, but only issued on a rare album that came out briefly in Japan. Yet somehow, the quality of the work and the depth of soulfulness have created a strong aura about the session – making it an oft-cited influence by a generation of DJs and soul jazz listeners. The album only features 2 long tracks – both of them strong ensemble numbers that build modally searching grooves in a Strata East-like style, peppered with voices, both sung and spoken, in a hip, socially conscious mode. Both tracks – "Black Renaissance" and "Magic Ritual" are excellent, on a par with the best 70s spiritual soul jazz! LP, Vinyl record album

One of the greatest Art Blakey Blue Note sessions of all time – and perhaps one of the greatest to realize the genius of the Jazz Messengers lineup that included Lee Morgan on trumpet, Wayne Shorter on tenor, and Bobby Timmons on piano! The trio of young talents are at the height of their early soulful powers here – working with Blakey and bassist Jymie Merritt in a set of tunes that are overflowing with expressive solos, unusual timings, and the Blakey genius for mixing bold statements with personally introspective moments. Nearly every track on the record's a classic – and titles include an early version of Bobby Timmons' "Dat Dere", plus Wayne Shorter's beautiful tunes "Lester Left Town", "Chess Players", and "Sakeena's Vision". LP, Vinyl record album

A landmark recording by a whole new chapter in Art Blakey's career! During the early 60s, Blakey expanded the Jazz Messengers from a quintet to an incredibly tight sextet – adding in the trombone of Curtis Fuller for an extra-punched up frontline that also included Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, and Wayne Shorter on tenor, who had returned to the group after a short departure. The band was augmented by the wonderfully lyrical and soulful piano of a young Cedar Walton – who brought a strong degree of sophistication, and who was a perfect interpreter of Shorter's rich writing talents. The whole group performs together perfectly on this wonderful (and oft-overlooked) session – especially on the tracks "Shaky Jake", "Backstage Sally", and "Bu's Delight". LP, Vinyl record album

An explosive session from an expanded edition of the Jazz Messengers – recorded at a key point when Art Blakey moved the group up to six members instead of five! Although bigger than the group on most Jazz Messenger Blue Notes, the sextet have an energy that's almost tighter – a sense of poise, focus, and vision that's not just driven by Blakey's drum kit alone – but by the kind of unique magic that only happens during rare groupings in classic jazz. A key part of the energy here comes from pianist Cedar Walton – who's replacing the Bobby Timmons soul jazz mode with a sound that's a bit more expansive and visionary. But equally important is the three horn lineup of Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, Curtis Fuller on trombone, and Wayne Shorter on tenor – a two-brass frontline that's used far differently than other groups – bold one minute, but personal and sensitive the next. There's a mixture of warmth and driving energy here that's simply incredible – a prime example of Blakey taking things to the next level, when it would have been easy enough for him to sit on his laurels and keep doing the same thing over and over again! Includes classic readings of Cedar Walton's "Mosaic", Freddie Hubbard's "Crisis", and Curtis Fuller's "Arabia" – as well as Shorter's excellent "Children Of The Night". LP, Vinyl record album

A long-overdue set from the great Johnny Blas – the percussionist who really made the Cubop label so great back in the 90s, returning here with a sound and style that's even more classic than ever! The instrumentation and production are rock-solid throughout – no too-polished modes, and a really strong focus on Johnny's conga work at the core – which seems to ground all the other great instrumentation on the set – including lots of strong work on trombone, piano, flute, and alto – the last two of which are sometimes played by Johnny too! There's vocals on the record on a few tracks, but the main focus is on jazzy instrumentation – and titles include "Unfinished Business", "Never Let Me Go", "Baila Que Baila", "Chi Town (parts 1 & 2)", "Berwyn Stop", and "Danzon For Rocio". LP, Vinyl record album

It's been quite a few years since Bombino's previous record – and in that time, it almost feels as if he's locked himself up somewhere and learned how to be even more amazing on guitar! His sense of sound, tone, and timing is incredible – and the record's one of those Tuareg sets that can easily stand next to Anglo greats from the years of psych and hard rock – but with that special sub-Saharan quality that also makes a player like Bombino so unique – as he spins out long lines of freedom and fuzz over plenty of driving rhythms! Titles include "Darfuq", "Alwane", "Tazidert", "Aitma", Si Chilan", "Mes Amis", "Ayes Sachen", and "Nik Sant Awanha". LP, Vinyl record album

It's been quite a few years since Bombino's previous record – and in that time, it almost feels as if he's locked himself up somewhere and learned how to be even more amazing on guitar! His sense of sound, tone, and timing is incredible – and the record's one of those Tuareg sets that can easily stand next to Anglo greats from the years of psych and hard rock – but with that special sub-Saharan quality that also makes a player like Bombino so unique – as he spins out long lines of freedom and fuzz over plenty of driving rhythms! Titles include "Darfuq", "Alwane", "Tazidert", "Aitma", Si Chilan", "Mes Amis", "Ayes Sachen", and "Nik Sant Awanha". LP, Vinyl record album

A pair of classic albums, served up here in a single set! First up is the sound of Angola, circa 1972 – served up here in a beautiful album of songs from Bonga! The music is relatively spare – mostly just lead acoustic guitar, bass, and percussion – the latter of which is played by Bonga himself, almost always with this lively quality that really matches his vocals – which themselves are filled with all these fantastic inflections that almost remind us of salsa singers of the time – no surprise, given how much Latin music styles were hitting the scene in West Africa during the 60s and 70s. But the style here is very different, too – as Bonga's richly expressive in the way he uses his voice – almost more folkloric, given the acoustic guitar instrumentation – yet surprisingly powerful too, despite the spareness. Titles include "Ku Tando", "Balumukeno", "Uengi Dia Ngola", "Paxi Ni Ngongo", "Muimbo Ua Sabalu", and "Muadikime". Angola 74 is a beautifully sophisticated setting for the voice of Bonga – as he works here with lively small group backings, and a bit of larger orchestrations as well! There's this fantastic blend of folk roots and modernism in the music – maybe a bit like some of the more experimental work from Havana at the time, but a bit like some Brazilian projects too – as the enigmatic vocal inflections of the leader mix with his own percussion – all given nice shadings in color by acoustic guitar. Titles include "Venda Poro", "Kubangela", "Ma Kongo", "Kinga Kueta", "Ghinawa", "Roots", and "Marika". LP, Vinyl record album

Very underground work from Malian guitarist Bounaly – a musician whose work first appeared on a Whats App compilation, and makes its first ever full length appearance on this set! The album was recorded live, with a very gritty vibe – long tracks that have Bounaly's electric guitar spinning out these very hypnotic lines next to driving rhythms – all very spare, and topped with vocals that have a raspy urgency that really matches the music! The whole thing is almost like a field recording of an electric instrument and amplified voice – right down to the excited voices of onlookers – and titles include "Wato To", "Toure Iseye", "Cherie Ye Bani", "Tamala", and "Mali Mussow". LP, Vinyl record album

One of our favorite David Bowie albums ever! Aladdin Sane was a real turning point for Bowie – recorded on the heels of the tremendously popular Ziggy Stardust album, but really pushing the boundaries past the more straight-ahead rock and glam of that record. Instead of just sitting on his laurels, Bowie tripped out into a wilder, weirder world with this one – mixing together elements of some of the baroque arrangements of early records, with the meaner leaner sound of the 70s – populating the songs with freaks, weirdos, and odd characters that gave the whole thing a really creepy edge. The whole thing's an oft-overlooked gem that, to us, is truly one of Bowie's most magical moments – and titles include "Drive In Saturday", "Panic In Detroit", "Aladdin Sane", "Watch That Man", "The Jean Genie", "The Prettiest Star", "Time", and "Lady Grinning Soul". LP, Vinyl record album

One of our favorite David Bowie albums ever! Aladdin Sane was a real turning point for Bowie – recorded on the heels of the tremendously popular Ziggy Stardust album, but really pushing the boundaries past the more straight-ahead rock and glam of that record. Instead of just sitting on his laurels, Bowie tripped out into a wilder, weirder world with this one – mixing together elements of some of the baroque arrangements of early records, with the meaner leaner sound of the 70s – populating the songs with freaks, weirdos, and odd characters that gave the whole thing a really creepy edge. The whole thing's an oft-overlooked gem that, to us, is truly one of Bowie's most magical moments – and titles include "Drive In Saturday", "Panic In Detroit", "Aladdin Sane", "Watch That Man", "The Jean Genie", "The Prettiest Star", "Time", and "Lady Grinning Soul". LP, Vinyl record album

Almost a "greatest hit" of "greatest hits" collection – given the importance of this album to the David Bowie catalog! Sure, it compiles tracks from other releases – but it also was the album that gave the world the killer cut "John I'm Only Dancing" – one of the key cuts in Bowie's gender revision in the 70s – and a title that was previously only out as a single! Alongside that gem, you also get a fantastic run of greatness from Bowie's first chapter of recording – the kind of cuts that would make other singers weep – including "Space Oddity", "Changes", "Ziggy Stardust", "Suffragette City", "Jean Genie", "Diamond Dogs", "Rebel Rebel", "Young Americans", "Fame", and "Golden Years". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the three great collaborations between David Bowie and Brian Eno – and possibly the ultimate statement from his years in Berlin! The album's got some tunes that still show some of the guitar power of the early 70s Bowie – but it's also got some of the beautiful spacier moments brought forward on Low – and which are every bit the Brian Eno of Another Green World. The balance is beautiful – stark and dark on one half, then airy and spacious on the next – handled without any sense of gimmickry, and a bold mainstream experiment that still resonates strongly today. Titles include "Beauty & The Beast", "Joe The Lion", "Heroes", "Sons Of The Silent Age", "Blackout", "V-2 Schneider", "Sense Of Doubt", "Moss Garden", "Neukoln", and "The Secret Life Of Arabia". LP, Vinyl record album

Quite possibly David Bowie's first complete moment of genius – an incredibly-formed album that's filled with tunes beyond definition and description! There's still some traces of the earlier madman in the mix, but the overall sound is much more rock-heavy – although not without the fuzzed-up and full-on guitars of Space Oddity or Man Who Sold the World – and often augmented with a bit of strings and softer touches that really bring out the humanity in the songs. The balance here is amazing – as is the fact that a few short years before, Bowie was singing "The Laughing Gnome", but is here one of the most sensitive songwriters of his generation. Tunes are quirky and personal, and titles include "Changes", "Oh You Pretty Things", "Andy Warhol", "Life On Mars", "Kooks", and "Queen Bitch". LP, Vinyl record album

The brilliant consummation of Bowie's late 70s years in Berlin – a record that showed he could take the experiments in sound he was crafting with Brian Eno, and turn them back into the kind of creepily catchy rock tunes that first made him a legend! Eno's help on the record is still quite strong – heard very well in the record's use of odd electronics and exotic themes – of a sort that Eno would later explore on his own with David Byrne. But the real charm here is pure Bowie – with an unabashed flair for a dramatic lyric, a well-chosen use of a heavier guitar, and a sense of personality and poise that makes the record one of his most unified ever! Titles include "Red Sails", "Look Back In Anger", "Repetition", "Boys Keep Swinging", "Red Money", "Yassassin", and "DJ". LP, Vinyl record album

The Thin White Duke turns to the east – and gets a whole new sound with help from Brian Eno! The album is an amazing departure from some of David Bowie's previous work – a set that's sparer, more spacious, and which is often instrumental – quite a statement, given Bowie's reputation as a songwriter at the time! It's almost like Bowie's shaking off all the confused stardom of the previous parts of the 70s – and is stepping forward as a new being from a new space – cleaner, leaner, and simpler than before – but hardly evacuated of soul at all, certainly not as much as you might guess from the Man Who Fell To Earth image on the cover. Titles include "Speed Of Life", "Be My Wife", "A New Career In A New Town", "Warsawza", "Art Decade", "Weeping Wall", and "Sound & Vision". LP, Vinyl record album

An amazing departure for David Bowie – hardly the kind of record you would expect from his oboe-filled tunes of a few years before – and really the start of the groundbreaking, earthshaking, reinventionist era of his genius! There's a spacious, soaring quality to Space Oddity that's every bit the kind of magical music you might hope for in a set recorded at the close of the 60s – a shift into new modes, new sounds that seem to suck up all the best influences in rock from the previous few years, but fuse it into a new cosmic vision for the next decade. And while others might stumble on cliche with the weight of such a task, Bowie pulls it off brilliantly – mixing his fuzzier feelings with some of his more personal leanings – and showcasing a newly deep sense of songwriting here that's really amazing. Some tunes have the sensitivity of work on Hunky Dory, while others burn with the fire of Man Who Sold The World – all in a balance that never sounds schizophrenic at all. Titles include"Space Oddity", "Memory Of A Free Festival", "God Knows I'm Good", "Cygnet Committee", and "Unwashed & Somewhat Slightly Dazed". LP, Vinyl record album

A brilliant soul album! That's right, we said SOUL album! Bowie was at the height of his Ziggy Stardust fame when this one was recorded – a drastic left-turn in styles, forged during a point in his American tour when he could take a break, head to Philly, plug in at the Sigma Sound Studios, and come up with some fantastic little soul tunes, thanks to help from Luther Vandross! The album sparkles with the best sound of Luther's early work – and you'll hear more than a bit of Luther's work on his own, and his tunes with Gregg Diamond on the set. Features the sublime tracks "Win", "Fascination", "Right", "Somebody Up There Likes Me", and "Can You Hear Me" – as well as the hits "Young Americans" and "Fame". LP, Vinyl record album

Domo Branch is represented as a group on the front cover – but if you take a closer look, you'll notice the image features multiple shots of the man himself – a killer drummer who delivers a wonderful performance on this full album of solo drums! The set was recorded overseas, but Domo Branch hails from Portland, where he's a key part of the scene, both as a player and an educator – and he plays here with a style that certainly understands many currents of jazz – in a mode that maybe takes a Baby Dodd solo drum performance forward through lessons learned in the generation of Milford Graves and Andrew Cyrille! Titles include "Purity/Honesty", "Influence", "Togetherness", "Patience", "Tribal", and "Longing". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the greatest jazz vocal albums of all time – and one of the first true moments of genius from a young Dee Dee Bridgewater! The album's a Japanese only release (proof that they're always hipper to our jazz artists than we are!) – and it features Dee Dee singing material that's quite different than her later R&B-inflected sides from the late 70s – very soaring and spiritual work, delivered in a way that set a whole new standard for jazz at the time! Backing is by a small combo with brothers Ron and Cecil Bridgewater, plus Roland Hanna on acoustic and electric piano, George Mraz on bass, and Motohiko Hino on drums and percussion – but the star of the set is always Dee Dee, who sparkles beautifully on the album's classic versions of "Afro Blue" and "Little B's Poem" – both of which have been redone by many other singers over the years. Other great cuts include "People Make The World Go Round", "Love From The Sun", and "Love Vibrations". LP, Vinyl record album

James Alexander Bright joins forces here with Groove Armada's Tom Findlay – and the result is a set of grooves that partly have an 80s boogie sort of vibe, and partly reflect that sunnier, hazier sound that we've loved from the LA underground scene in recent years! Beats, basslines, and keyboards rule the sound – and vocals are often processed and layered right down in the mix, sounding pretty electric too – working well with the sparkle of the set, on titles that include "Flowers", "Leave It All Behind", "Slow Dance", "When I Look Into The World", "Space & Time", and "NY Disco". LP, Vinyl record album

Amazing sounds from drummer Roy Brooks – very spiritual work that's quite a change from his straighter soul jazz of the 60s! The album's right up there with Roy's better-known (though still rare) live performance at Town Hall – or his classic Free Slave session – and like those records, this one explodes with a raw power that's really amazing – heavy drums from Brooks, driving a collective of righteous musicians that really stretch out in the free space of the recording! The clineup shifts a bit from track to track, but there's a cohesive spirit to the record that comes from Brooks' bold spirit – a joyous, soulful, post-Coltrane sort of energy – let loose in the lead, to guide the talents of players who include John Stubblefield on tenor, Sonny Fortune on alto, Olu Dara and Cecil Bridgewater on trumpets, Hamiet Bluiett on baritone sax, Joe Bonner on piano, and Reggie Workman on bass. Eddie Jefferson makes an appearance on two tracks – singing much hipper than on any of his better-known recordings of the period – and titles include "The Last Prophet", "M'Jumbe", "Eboness", "The Smart Set", and "Eboness (Kwanza)". LP, Vinyl record album

Amazing sounds from the righteous Roy Brooks – a drummer who worked strongly in the soul jazz mainstream of the 60s, then stepped out into even headier territory here in the 70s! The album's a spiritual masterpiece all the way through – an album on par with early 70s Impulse sides from Pharoah Sanders or Archie Shepp, or the best from Strata East – cut with a similar blend of righteous rhythmic undercurrents, freewheeling solos, and vocalizations that really help underscore the message in the music! The lineup is filled with players as powerful as Brooks – Joe Bonner on piano, Reggie Workman on bass, Cecil Bridgewater on trumpet, Sonny Fortune on tenor and soprano saxes, and John Stubblefield on oboe – plus vocals by Dee Dee Bridgewater, who's easily at her most righteous here. The album features the long "Black Survival" suite – with passages that include "Here & Now", "Prologue", "Sahel", and "Relief". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the greatest albums ever for Blue Note – and the only album recorded by tenor player Tina Brooks that was issued during his lifetime! The album's nearly perfect – and features Brooks' edgey tenor set in an all star group that includes Duke Jordan on piano, Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, Sam Jones on bass, and Art Taylor on drums. Brooks had blown on other Blue Note sessions before, but here, working as a leader, his sound is tremendous – vaguely to the left of center of some of his other tenor counterparts on the label, but with an equally impeccable approach to soul and rhythm. Titles include "Miss Hazel", "Good Old Soul", "Up Tight's Creek", and "Theme For Doris". LP, Vinyl record album

A set of unreleased improvisations between these two fantastic free jazz musicians – intended as a session in which, according to Paal Nilssen-Love, "we agreed to bring all the metal we could bring"! That means that Peter Brotzmann is blowing a wide variety of reed instruments, and Paal is handling lots of percussion and gongs next to his drums – yet all elements are used in these very spare styles, almost more loft jazz than you'd guess from the legacy of intensity from both of the musicians – which makes for yet another great late life surprise in the final years of Brotzmann – proof that he never stopped reinventing and opening doors to new avenues of creation! Titles include "Dancing Octopus", "Move On Over", "South Of No Return", "Butterfly Mushroom", "Found The Cabin But No People", and "Five Of Them Survived The Dream". LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic live set that offers up the first-ever recorded meeting of these three giants of improvised music – a trio who return to each others' company after many years, and here for the first time with a recording device in action! Given the legacy here, there's almost as much of a loft jazz influence as there is one from the world of European free jazz – and at many points, the reeds of Peter Brotzmann seem to take a lot more directl from the drums and percussion of Milford Graves and bass of William Parker – especially at moments when both players seem tied to each other at both an emotional and performative level! Parker also plays a bit of doussn'gouni, and Graves vocalizes a bit – and the set features a searing live set recorded at the gallery space of CBGBs in 2002. LP, Vinyl record album

Never-issued work from Jamaican singer Al Brown – tapes that were thought to be lost for years, then were recently rediscovered and brought back to life by the talents of Paolo "Dub Files" Baldini! The work has a righteous quality at the core – very soulful vocals from Al, resonating with a sense of message and power, while Inner Force provide gently-stepping rhythms which are then expanded and amplified in the dubs by Baldini! The music is never too forced, and everything flows together wonderfully – with a very vintage approach from the early days of the digital age, so that the whole thing really seems to come across like a dub version of the original album issued back in the day. Titles include "Dub Me Again", "Ghetto Situation", "Liquid Dub (part 1)", "Poor & Simple Version)", "Family Version", "Ghetto Love (part 1)", and "Dub Of Books". LP, Vinyl record album

An incredible set, and one that will definitely have you heaping praises on Barry Brown – as the singer was one of the most inventive of the late roots reggae years in Jamaica – and maybe gets his best presentation ever on the tracks on the set! There's a splashy brilliance to the way the tracks are put together – often with these subtle funky drums from Santa Davis, which provide this cool little kick underneath the heavy dub and echo used in the production – keeping the rhythms focused while Barry Brown lets his voice do all these amazing things! At times, you almost feel as if Barry's living in the world of fuzz and tripped-out sounds that make up the music – riding the waves and having a tremendous time in the process – on cuts that include "Fittest Of The Fittest (parts 1 & 2)", "Natty Rootsman (parts 1 & 2)", "Step It Up Youthman (ext)", "Look How Long", "Give Thanks & Praise (lion mix)", "Give Thanks (part 3)", "Creative Vibes (xylophone)", "From Creation", "Look How Long Dub", and "We Can't Dub Like This". LP, Vinyl record album

We don't know much about Bill Brown and his group – but they're a fantastic lost act from the 70s, and one who have a fantastic way of mixing warm soul harmonies with some very sharp grooves! The rhythms are pretty upbeat on most tracks, but the vibe is before the disco and club years – that special moment when funk musicians were able to move quick, and never lose their groove – and singers like Bill were able to slide into the mix and really soar with their vocals! We've never heard any of these cuts before, and the whole thing is like discovering a lost chapter of 70s soul that we'd completely missed – one that we'd rank right up there with some of the hippest east coast group soul of the time. Titles include "Bip Bam (parts 1 & 2)", "Stay Off The Moon", "Sock It To The Landlord", "Rainbow", "Time After Time", "Fool-Ology", "Love Under The Apple Tree", and "Dreamworld Fantasies". Also includes an instrumental of "Time After Time" – and a Billy Wilson version of "Fool-Ology". LP, Vinyl record album

Stunning duets from these key improvisers – a set recorded in Paris, and done with a stripped-down and freely playful vibe that's very much like some of the best AACM material of the time! Wadada Leo Smith blows trumpet, Marion Brown is on alto – and both players bring percussion into the mix too – as they shift between shorter and longer improvisations, all handled with that special ear for sonic textures that makes them such subtle giants in their field! The style is very different than the more spiritual vibe of some of Brown's larger group performances from the period – and very much in the spirit of more intimate improvisational recordings that Wadada would issue more often in years to come. Titles include "Rhythmus 1", "Centering", "And Then They Danced", and "Njung Lumumba Malcolm". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the funkiest records ever recorded for Impulse – and the debut set by guitarist Mel Brown! Mel has a really down-and-dirty style that's quite unusual for the label at the time – a rootsy approach to guitar that's steeped in equal parts jazz, soul, and R&B – and which comes across with a raw power and tasty feel that's perfectly summed up by titles like "Chicken Fat", "Greasy Spoon", "Home James", "Slalom", and "Shanty"! The album features some rare organ work by Gerald Wiggins, drums by Paul Humphrey, and outta-site soul arrangements by Oliver Nelson on a few tracks – but through the whole thing, Brown's the main focus – laying down some deeply funky work on guitar! LP, Vinyl record album

Exactly the kind of record that makes us love sound library records so much – and definitely the sort that sets the style apart from anything else we can think of! Both Sandro Brugnolini and Giorgio Carnini turn in some great work here – a mindblowing mix of modes over the space of ten short tracks – some tunes a cascading array of instrumentation, in a hip groove that's neither American jazz or soundtrack funk, but a special space of its own! Other tunes use an electronic approach that's years ahead of its time – as groovy as 60s analogue, but a lot darker, too – in ways that the rest of the world might not touch until the German new wave. The balance is almost even between swinging groovers and darker electronic cuts – and titles include "Grinta", "Azione CIA", "Scalo Clandestino", "Alambicco Cibernetico", "Strutture Generative", "Omicido Bianco", and "CIA Massacre". LP, Vinyl record album

A set that's heavy on percussion, and which really sticks to this group's commitment to the rootsier sound of Colombian music – particularly the coastal style of bullerengue, which is served up here in a bold mix of drums, percussion, and rising voices! There's a female singer in the lead, but it's clear that the whole group is joining in with some of the lyrics – rising up their voices joyously next to their rhythms – which are often augmented by handclaps and other gestures that really emphasize the very physical quality of the music! Titles include "Madre Fuego", "El Bocao", "Colombia Sin Panama", "San Antonio", "Madre Luna", and "Madre Sol". LP, Vinyl record album

Beautiful early work from British singer Vashti Bunyan – an important figure in the acid folk scene at the end of the 60s, heard here on some really wonderful work from a few years before! Some of the tracks have a really trippy style, and others are a bit more like conventional Brit girl pop of the time – but given a very weird twist overall, with a sound that's quite hard to describe! Vashti's vocals have these really dark qualities overall – and even when the backings are fuller (which often they are not), there's a sad, earthy feel to her singing. But equally great is her guitar work – heard with more prominence on most of the album's previously-unissued tracks from mid 60s tapes. Bunyan plays with these warm harmonics that kind of nestle and bristle underneath her vocals – pushing the tunes up with a sense of brightness in contrast to the voice – almost in a Nick Drake sort of way (and trust us, we don't throw around comparisons to his music easily!) The package is a wonderful look at these almost-lost years of Vashti's career – and it features both sides of her Decca and Columbia singles, an unreleased Immediate single, and a lot more tracks pulled from rare tapes from 1964, 1966, and 1967! Set features 25 tracks that include "Some Things Just Stick In Your Mind", "Train Song", "Love Song", "Winter Is Blue", "Leave Me", "How Do I Know", "Go Before Dawn", "Girl's Song In Winter", "Don't Believe", "17 Pink Sugar Elephants", "Someday", and "I Know". LP, Vinyl record album

A sublime blend of jazz and organic sounds from multi-instrumentalist Bex Burch – a record that sounds as if it might have come from the studio of Carlos Nino, but which almost has a more personal, poetic sort of quality! There are some sounds of nature here – including bird calls from a sanctuary in Illinois – and even the more familiar instruments, like piano, drums, reeds, violin, or bass are often mixed with some "room" elements that really locate the recording in a special place – in ways that also seem to have some of that post-studio touches around the edges that we love from the International Anthem label. Burch clearly delivers most of the sound herself, almost doing an "in residence" to create the music – but she gets help along the way from guests who include Ben LaMar Gay, Dan Bitney, Rob Frye, Anna Butterss, and Macie Stewart – on titles that include "When Love Begins", "Don't Go Back To Sleep", "Dawn Blessings", "Follow Me I Make You Happy", "Start Before You're Ready", "Pardieu", and "If I Was You I'd Be Doing Exactly The Same". LP, Vinyl record album

A sublime blend of jazz and organic sounds from multi-instrumentalist Bex Burch – a record that sounds as if it might have come from the studio of Carlos Nino, but which almost has a more personal, poetic sort of quality! There are some sounds of nature here – including bird calls from a sanctuary in Illinois – and even the more familiar instruments, like piano, drums, reeds, violin, or bass are often mixed with some "room" elements that really locate the recording in a special place – in ways that also seem to have some of that post-studio touches around the edges that we love from the International Anthem label. Burch clearly delivers most of the sound herself, almost doing an "in residence" to create the music – but she gets help along the way from guests who include Ben LaMar Gay, Dan Bitney, Rob Frye, Anna Butterss, and Macie Stewart – on titles that include "When Love Begins", "Don't Go Back To Sleep", "Dawn Blessings", "Follow Me I Make You Happy", "Start Before You're Ready", "Pardieu", and "If I Was You I'd Be Doing Exactly The Same". LP, Vinyl record album