Two albums by one of the greatest jazz vocalists of all time! Early In The Morning is a very hip affair – recorded with the Ramsey Lewis Trio backing her up on one side, and a group led by Frank Foster on another – both playing in a tight soul jazz mode that works perfectly for Lorez's great voice, and which takes her way past the straighter style of the King recordings. Includes a version of Louis Jordan's "Early In The Morning", plus "So Long", "Don't Explain", "Baby Don't You Cry", and "Rocks In My Bed". Deep Roots is like hearing Lorez in a smoky club on the south side of Chicago – a perfect summation of her rich talents as a singer! Backing is by a small Chicago trio that includes John Young on piano, Vernel Fournier on drums, and George Eskridge on bass – but the arrangements of the tracks, and Lorez's unique interpretations drive the tunes into territory that's surprisingly advanced for the 1962 date of the session. You'll recognize most of the tunes – but as the old adage goes, it's not the song, but the singer – and you'll hear Lorez crafting a rich tapestry of sound and emotion from titles like "No Moon At All", "I Was A Fool", "Detour Ahead", "Travlin Light", and "I Want To Talk About You". CD

Easily one of the most powerful albums ever cut by Don Cherry – a searing set of tracks done for Blue Note in the late 60s – and featuring some tremendous tenor work by Pharoah Sanders! There's a tightness and level of energy here that surpasses even Cherry's other excellent Blue Note sessions – a rawness that recalls the style forged often on key ESP albums of the 60s, but honed here into a slightly tighter mode. Sanders' horn is especially well-placed in the set – and pushes Cherry past the spacier notes of other recordings, in a way that unlocks fire from the years with Ornette – but which opens up into a much freer groove. The rest of the group includes Henry Grimes on bass and Ed Blackwell on drums – both a perfect match for the quartet – and titles include the 17 minute "Unite", plus "There Is A Bomb", "Awake Nu", "Taste Maker", and "The Thing". CD

A great set that brings together Eddie Lockjaw Davis' early Cookbook sessions – cut for Prestige in a key transitional moment, when Lock was trying to break past the R&B roots of earlier years, and emerge as a more sophisticated jazz soloist, capable of carrying an idea way past the short format of singles and jukebox sides. The sessions provide a perfect format for such an effort – as the tracks are long and open-ended, and match Eddie with a great quintet that includes Shirley Scott on organ and Jerome Richardon on flute. Includes the classic "The Rev", plus "Stardust", "The Chef", "In The Kitchen", "Three Deuces", "Skillet", and "The Broilers". CD

The only full album ever recorded by the legendary Sam Dees – an artist who's probably best known for his songwriting skills on other records, but who really shines here as a lead star on his own! Dees' approach is wonderful – a bit rootsy, with some slight southern soul elements – but also righteous and progressive, with a bit of a Curtom vibe in the mix – a perfect blend for Dees' upfront presentation of the lyrics, and the powerful message in his music! And the lyrics are sublime – really thoughtful words that go way past any standard cliches – mixing the personal and politics in ways that few other records did this well – a quality that's made this one a lasting treasure for years. Titles include "Child of the Streets", "Claim Jumpin", "Troubled Child", "So Tied Up", and "Good Guys". CD features 6 bonus singles too – including "I'm So Very Glad", "Signed Miss Heroin", "Fragile Handle With Care", "Save The Love At Any Cost", "Child Of The Streets (single)", and "So Tied Up (single)". CD

The fantastic first Verve album from Tim Hardin – a record that's almost a genre unto itself, given the very unique approach that Tim brings to his music! The set might be one of the first times that the world of folk was able to reach out and really find a home in so many other styles too – as there's a blend of jazz-inflected instrumentation and vocals that helped lift Hardin and these songs way past the pop folk moment of the mid 60s – so much so, there's arguably an influence here that just keeps going on over the decades! Gary Burton provides some great vibes, John Sebastian blows a bit of harmonica, and Artie Butler creates these gentle arrangements that are perfect – still making you feel like you're meeting Tim Hardin on his own, but with secret subtle support. Nearly every song's a classic – and titles include "Don't Make Promises", "It'll Never Happen Again", "Reason To Believe", "How Can We Hang On To A Dream", and "Misty Roses". CD

Incognito have done it again! It's been over 10 years since Incognito first hooked up with the Talking Loud label – and that relationship has led to some of the strongest new soul releases of the past decade! For this release, leader/producer Jean-Paul "Bluey" Maunick has pulled together a number of different singers – who alternate leads on the album's 12 tracks, each vocalizing in a sweetly jazzy mode, perfect for the kind of grooves you'd expect from the group. The album's an all-original batch of tracks – as great as any other they've recorded, and one of their most unified albums in years! Titles include "Stay Mine", "Bring You Down", "Slow Down", "Skin On My Skin", "Worlds Collide", "Got To Know", "Reach Out" and "On The Road". CD

The final chapter in the triplet of trios albums recorded by reedman Charles Lloyd in 2022 – and one that really holds onto the special spirit of the others! As before, there's a lean setting that's perfect for the maturing talents of Lloyd – this open sonic space delivered with the guitar of Julian Lage and percussion of Zakir Hussain – both players sensitive enough to understand what Lloyd's trying to do, and give him just the right support throughout the record. The whole thing is a further demonstration that over the past 20 years, Lloyd has maybe grown as much as an artist as he did during his first 20 years in music – as you'll hear on titles that include "Desolation Sound", "Tales Of Rumi", "The Blessing", "Saraswati", and "Nachekita's Lament". CD

Two great sets from reedman Charles Lloyd! Dream Weaver really pushes forward all the experiments he'd begun in the Chico Hamilton group – and shows a bold move forward for rhythms in 60s jazz! The tracks are long, and spiral out wonderfully – but in ways that are different than those used by other creators of the time – like Eric Dolphy or John Coltrane. Even though leading the group on tenor and flute, Lloyd's got a real sense of rhythm to his playing – echoes of the Hamilton group – but set loose with a stellar quartet of younger players – including Keith Jarrett on piano, Cecil McBee on bass, and Jack DeJohnette on drums – all perfect choices for inventive music like this! The standout cut is the amazing "Sombrero Sam", a tight little groover that we never tire of – and one that has Jarrett sounding much more in the pocket than you'd ever imagine – and other tracks include "Dream Weaver", "Autumn Sequence", and "Bird Flight". Love-In features a classic batch of modal grooves from Charles Lloyd – recorded during the height of his mind-expanding years, with his famous quartet that included Keith Jarrett on piano and Jack DeJohnette on drums! The tracks are long and magical, done with that spiritual spiraling sound that Lloyd was wowing the hippies with at the time – and considering that this set was recorded live at the Fillmore, there were an awful lot of hippies present to be wowed! But the set's also got a charm that lives long past its time – thanks to an expansive vision from Lloyd on flute and tenor, and from Jarrett on piano too. Titles include "Sunday Morning", "Love-in", "Tribal Dance", and "Temple Bells". CD

A jazz classic if there ever was one – and the best-selling album ever by Lee Morgan, thanks to the use of the title track in a car commercial! Sure, you've probably heard "The Sidewinder" enough that you think you know the album already – but the rest of the tunes really open up past that groover, into a realm of lyrical, soulful playing that's simply tremendous! The group on the record features Joe Henderson on tenor, Barry Harris on piano, Bob Crenshaw on bass, and Billy Higgins on drums – and the album rolls along with a sense of perfect power that is every bit Blue Note at its best! Titles include "Sidewinder", "Gary's Notebook", "Hocus-Pocus", and "Totem Pole". CD

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 "Blues For Basie", "Blues For OP", "Misty", "Grooveyard", "Giant Steps", "Five Hundred Miles High", and "Limehouse Blues". CD

An overlooked gem from early 70s Elektra – a wonderfully warm, wonderfully solid set of rootsy rock from this group headed by Ian Matthews! The set moves past some of Matthews' earlier efforts – a bit tighter at times, yet still far from any country rock cliches at all – definitely done at a time when this mixing of modes was still a very fresh concept for musicians like Ian, who were more than willing to find a lot of paths of their own. Some of the headier moments really make great use of the darker guitar corners of Andy Roberts – who works in subtle, but great ways – and the set also features a nice mix of acoustic and electric elements, served up sparely, and recorded in a really great way. Titles include "Yo Yo Man", "Louise", "Call The Tune", "Raider", "Side Roads", "I'll Fly Away", and "For The Second Time". CD

Amazing electronics from Laurie Spiegel – a set that's wonderfully on the cusp of analogue expression at the end of the 70s – tuneful, not noisy – rich in texture, yet never too dark – and warm, but never in a mellow sort of new age way! At some level, a record like this sits atop all the earlier experiments from Universities, electronic labs, European prog records, and other sources – and manages to draw all the best elements from them, and avoid any of the electronic pitfalls to come in an equally wide range of scenes. The balance here is perfect – and perfectly lovely at points – and titles include "Patchwork", "Pentachrome", "Old Wave", and "The Expanding Universe". This amazing 2CD set really expands past the original album – with 2 long CDs worth of music, and 15 previously unissued tracks! CD

Count Basie and Barbecue – words together that are bound to make us love this CD! The set's got an easygoing swing that takes us right back to Basie's best for Roulette Records – a reference the title seems to imply – and although the band's a later one, they've got that perfect Basie sense of fluidity, especially in the way the horns come together! Basie's piano work isn't as dramatic or dynamic as in years past, but that's fine with us, because the band more than makes up for that change with their own groovy sound. Titles include "Way Out Basie", "I Don't Know It Yet", "Lester Leaps In", "Beaver Junction", and "Ain't That Something". CD

Count Basie and Barbecue – words together that are bound to make us love this album! The set's got an easygoing swing that takes us right back to Basie's best for Roulette Records – a reference the title seems to imply – and although the band's a later one, they've got that perfect Basie sense of fluidity, especially in the way the horns come together! Basie's piano work isn't as dramatic or dynamic as in years past, but that's fine with us, because the band more than makes up for that change with their own groovy sound. Titles include "Way Out Basie", "I Don't Know It Yet", "Lester Leaps In", "Beaver Junction", and "Ain't That Something". CD

A beautiful jazzy score by Duke Ellington – and a fitting companion to this classic Otto Preminger film! The record captures Ellington at a perfect moment – right during his Indigos period of increased sophistication, when his band was at an all-time level of perfection – and really shaking free of the too-familiar modes of the past. Ellington's music has a wonderful range of feeling here – even more so than usual, given the shifting scenes of the film – and the players are an all star lineup that includes Clark Terry on trumpet, Paul Gonsalves on tenor, Johnny Hodges on alto, and Jimmy Hamilton on clarinet. Titles include "Upper & Outest", "Almost Cried", "Sunswept Sunday", "Happy Anatomy", "Flirtibird", and "Low Key Lightly". Plus, the CD features a huuuuge amount of bonus tracks – including other tunes from the movie, outtakes, and even the original single version of the theme! 26 cuts in all! CD

A beautiful jazzy score by Duke Ellington – and a fitting companion to this classic Otto Preminger film! The record captures Ellington at a perfect moment – right during his Indigos period of increased sophistication, when his band was at an all-time level of perfection – and really shaking free of the too-familiar modes of the past. Ellington's music has a wonderful range of feeling here – even more so than usual, given the shifting scenes of the film – and the players are an all star lineup that includes Clark Terry on trumpet, Paul Gonsalves on tenor, Johnny Hodges on alto, and Jimmy Hamilton on clarinet. Titles include "Upper & Outest", "Almost Cried", "Sunswept Sunday", "Happy Anatomy", "Flirtibird", and "Low Key Lightly". CD

Mindblowing work from Roberta Flack – an album that should be in the collection of any fan of righteous soul music! Forget all the wimpier modes of Flack's later years – because here, the young Roberta is a vision of positive power and spiritual soul – a singer with roots in jazz, which helps to transform some of the album's very surprising song choices – and a depth and sensitivity that goes way past the usual female soul modes of the time. Donny Hathaway handled half the arrangements for the record – a perfect choice for Flack – and Deodato handles the other, with some large arrangements that still have just the right sort of gentleness to go with her voice. Titles include a version of "Reverend Lee", penned by Eugene Daniels – and the great "Gone Away", written by Curtis Mayfield, Leroy Hutson, and Hathaway – plus the tracks "Just Like A Woman", "Do What You Gotta Do", "Business Goes On As Usual", and "Until It's Time For You To Go". CD

Not the soundtrack to Dexter Gordon's big film appearance in the 80s – but a smoking little live date recorded with trumpeter Benny Bailey in the mid 70s! At the time, both Bailey and Gordon were key players on the European scene – both Americans living abroad, really stretching out and exploring new ideas in front of receptive overseas audiences – so their pairing together here makes perfect sense, even if the meeting is slightly unusual! Bailey's horn is one we never fail to love – and his imaginative trumpet lines on the record really push the proceedings past the usual Dexter Gordon overseas set – adding in a bit more structure, and a bit more punch – and sometimes meeting Dex nicely with some line-trading upfront. Plus, Bailey also contributed the hippest tune to the record – "Neptunus", which is done here in a smoking 20 minute reading! Other cuts include "What's New", "Blue N Boogie", "Round Midnight", and "Stella By Starlight" – and the set also features Lars Sjosten on piano, Torbjorn Hultcrantz on bass, and Jual Curtis on drums. CD

Much as we love the legendary debut from Joy Division, we love this second album even more – as the whole thing's a perfect realization of their genius – and such a strong step forward, it still pains us to remember that singer Ian Curtis was taken from us all too soon, and the group never got to fully move past this moment! Everything that made the first record great is here – but there's also a more cohesive approach to both the song structure, and the overall album presentation – so that the landscape of darkness we first viewed on Unknown Pleasures comes into even greater focus here – as the songs follow one another in a beautifully logical order, and the slight refinements in production make all the best elements of the musicianship – especially the bass and drums – even more powerful than before. Titles include "Twenty Four Hours", "Heart & Soul", "Decades", "Colony", "Passover", and "A Means To An End". CD

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". CD

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". CD

Nothing too quiet here – as the album's one of Max Roach's key classics from the Mercury years – recorded with one of the hippest groups he ever led! Players here are all wonderful – Julian Priester on trombone, Stanley Turrentine on tenor, Tommy Turrentine on trumpet, Bob Boswell on bass, and Max on drums – all working together in a very hip groove – no piano at all in the mix, which makes for even more interplay between the horns as they dance around tightly at the heads on each tune, always with sharp modern tones – then break apart beautifully for richly expressive solos! The arrangements are wonderful – proof that Roach was really moving past straight hardbop modes by this point in his career – and titles include "Quiet As It's Kept", "To Lady", "Lotus Blossom", "As Long As You're Living", "Juliano", and "The More I See You". Parisian Sketches features the same great piano-less lineup and a fantastic groove – more soul jazz than most of Roach's work, but also with angular touches of modernism that make the album have a very edgey quality – a perfect blending of the two best Modes that Max explored in the years after Clifford Brown's death. Stan and Tommy never sounded so great – and titles include "Nica", "Petit Dejuner", "Liberte", and the extended "Parisian Sketches" suite. CD

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

Sonny Stitt makes Oscar Peterson sit up and groove! The record's a great one, and uses the Peterson Trio as a perfect rhythm section for Sonny's confidently blown solos of the late 50s – in a way that pushes the combo past their usual safe area, and into more freewheeling territory to keep up with Stitt's sense of power and invention! The tunes on the set are every bit as great as those on Sonny's own albums as a leader for Verve – crisp, clear, and perfectly blown – a masterpiece of subtle creativity and one of the greatest tones to ever emerge from the saxophone! Titles include "Au Privave", "Scrapple From The Apple", "Moten Swing", and "Easy Does It". CD

A mindblowing album – and one that we'd never part with, ever! X may have sprung from the LA punk scene of the late 70s – but this second album from the group is one that pushes way past every one of their contemporaries – a set that's always urgent, never dated – and which is filled with well-written, well-penned songs that should all be in the pantheon of rock and roll! Every aspect of the group is perfect at this point – the amazing drums of DJ Bonebrake, the searing guitars of Billy Zoom, and the fantastic vocal interplay between John Doe and Exene – working here at a level that's way different than any male/female duo in rock, pop, or soul from previous decades – as they set fire to the brilliant words of tunes that include "The Once Over Twice", "We're Desperate", "Adult Books", "I'm Coming Over", "In This House That I Call Home", "White Girl", "Some Other Time", and "Year 1". There's not a single mis-step on this album – and we should know, as we've listened to it thousands of times over the years! This crisp remaster also includes seven previously unreleased demos, alternate versions, and live recordings. CD

Beautiful! If you dig harmony soul as much as we do, then you'll really love this set – a super batch of 22 rare group soul cuts from the late 60s and early 70s, a perfect summation of that "sweet soul" sound that's always so hard to find on the reissue market. And like the first two volumes in this series, this one goes way past the hits – and includes a stunning selection of rare 45s that we never ever see on vinyl, but which deserve to be the stuff that soul legends are made of! Titles include "Different Girls" by The Naturals, "All That's Good" by The Four Jewels, "So What" by Carl Carlton, "Nothing But Promises" by The Turnpikes, "Without You" by The Norvells, "A Lonely World" by Billy & The Hi-Liners, "Baby Don't You Go" by The Perfections, "Find Me" by The Attractions, "Two Lovers" by The Voice Masters, "Peek-a-boo" by The Creations, and "This Love Of Ours" by The Sunlovers. Some of the tracks are mastered from original vinyl copies, so you will hear a spot of noise from time to time – but they still probably sound better than if you found a beat-up original! CD

Beautiful stuff! This is a sparkling collection of modern lounge material – compiled by the folks at Stereo Deluxe from a host of different labels, all put together with a perfect vibe that's sure to satisfy fans of the old stuff as much as the new. Although most of this music was created in the past few years, it's filled with oodles of older elements – like bubbling Hammond organ, sweet Fender Rhodes piano, washes of soulful strings, and touches of bossa beats. More than just a slap-dash licensing effort, this is a wickedly conceived set with a strong feel throughout. Includes "Return Of The Coconut Groove" by Trio Eletrico, "Dis Poem" by Mutabaruka, "2ter Tag" by Siedg Der Liebe, "Reincarnation" by Pablo, "Elevator" by Jaffa, "Papdam" by Yonderboi, "Stories" by Airfix, "Ambrosia" by A Reminiscent Drive, and "Maria Quiet" by Astrud Gilberto. 15 tracks in all! CD

An amazing compilation – and a really groundbreaking attempt to get to the true heart of new age music – that initial moment of meditative sound on records from the American underground – very pure in both spirit and execution before the whole thing got watered down and commercial! The massive set digs way deeper than we might have expected – way past the Bay Area indies who rose the genre to prominence, to a whole host of tiny US labels from the postwar years onward – home to individual players with a very personal sound – on instruments that range from conventional piano to global sources, electronics, and even some items of their own invention. The choice of tracks is perfect – really getting back to the basics of the genre in a great way – and the music is very laidback and meditative, with ethereal qualities that are completely sublime – especially in the context of the great packaging and notes of the whole collection. Many tracks here were never issued on CD – and many were only from rare tapes, too – and the double-length batch of work is one of the most unique musical journeys we've ever taken! Titles include "Lifting Off" by Joanna Brouk, "Arabian Fantasy" by Daniel Emmanuel, "Formentera Sunset Clouds" by Iasos, "Seventh Chakra Keynote B" by Steven Halpern, "Om Mani Padme Hum" by Constance Derby, "Unicorns In Paradise" by Laraaji, "Blue Spirals" by Daniel Kobialka, "As The Earth Kissed The Moon" by Michael Stearns, and "Waterfall Winds" by Alice Damon. CD

A deep dip into the sound of the late 70s – served up by writer Jon Savage, an author who's first claim to fame was his work on UK punk – which makes him a perfect guide for the sounds of this generation! Yet the music here is way more than just punk, too – as Savage really gets at the spirit of the time by mixing together revolutionary late 70s classics with more down to earth cuts – show just how much was going on at the time, and how the late 70s was still a moment of great experimentation and new ideas, even past the world of mohawks and safety pins! As with the other great entries in this "year" series from Savage, the overall presentation is wonderful – richly detailed notes that show his keen sense of musical observation and understanding – and a blend of 46 fantastic cuts on 2CDs, with titles that include "No Bones For The Dogs" by Joe Gibbs, "Magic Fly" by Space, "Prophecy Revel" by Bo Jangles, "Soda Passing" by The Boys, "Neat Neat Neat" by The Damned, "Utopia Me Giorgio" by Giorgio, "Day By Day" by Generation X, "The Modern Dance" by Pere Ubu, "Warm Leatherette" by The Normal, "Heavy Manners" by Prince Far I, "Kings Lead Hat" by Brian Eno, "Being Boiled" by The Human League, "28/8/78" by Scritti Politti, "Tired Of Walking Tired" by The Diodes, "I Remember" by Suicide, "Never" by Penetration, "White Night" by The Lines, "Come Back Jonee" by Devo, "The Set Up" by Cabaret Voltaire, "Human Fly" by The Cramps, "Situation" by The Middle Class, "Hippie" by Suzannes, "Warrior In Woolworths" by X Ray Spex, "Hindu God Of Love" by Lipstick Killers, "All Night Party" by A Certain Ratio, "Spacer" by Sheila B & Devotion, and "I Heard It Through The Grapevine" by The Slits. CD

Four great albums from reedman Arthur Blythe – all together in one collection! First up is Lenox Avenue Breakdown – a stunning Columbia Records debut from Blythe! At the time of the date, Blythe had already spent years working in the jazz undergrounds on both coasts – developing a searing sound on alto sax that's perfect for the focused structure of this album – almost a tone poem of sorts, offering up a portrait of the Harlem scene that was a key part of Arthur's life at the time. The sounds are sharp, but also have a sense of energy that really holds them together – guiding the players through long readings of well-penned tunes by Blythe that are filled with loads of energy and life! Players include James Newton on flute, James Blood Ulmer on guitar, Bob Stewart on tuba, Cecil McBee on bass, Jack DeJohnette on drums, and Guillermo Franco on percussion – and titles include "Odessa", "Slidin Through", "Down San Diego Way", and "Lenox Avenue Breakdown". In The Tradition is a gem – as the set represents the modern musician taking on a host of older jazz currents, while carving things out with his own special sort of soul! Half the tunes are familiar favorites, the other half originals – and Blythe moves far past his avant roots, to showcase his deep understanding of so many different shades of jazz – blowing alto beautifully throughout, in a very hip quartet that features Stanley Cowell on piano, Fred Hopkins on bass, and Steve McCall on drums! Titles include great takes on "Naima", "Jitterbug Waltz", "Caravan", and "In A Sentimental Mood" – plus the originals "Break Tune" and "Hip Dipper". Illusions is maybe the boldest of Arthur Blythe's albums for Columbia Records – as the set bristles with newly creative energy right from the start, and provides a great showcase for some of the criss-crossings of styles and rhythms that were taking place on the New York scene at the time! The lineup alone announces something special – a cool combination of James Blood Ulmer on guitar, John Hicks on piano, Fred Hopkins on bass, Abdul Wadud on cello, Bob Stewart on tuba, and Steve McCall on drums – working together in some slight variations at times, often with these angular edges that are perfectly sharpened by Arthur's amazing work on alto sax. The music's never too free, but quite outside for a major label at the time – balanced out so that it's never overindulgent at all. Titles include "Bush Baby", "Miss Nancy", "My Son Ra", and "Carespin With Mamie". Blythe Spirit is a set that showcases the never-ending growth and imagination of reedman Arthur Blythe during this fruitful period of his career – and his ability to effortlessly blend together different elements in his music – especially sides of the New York loft jazz scene, and the Chicago-based AACM! The tunes are beautiful – mostly originals, and showing a richer spirituality than even a year before – while still working in that compellingly rhythmic mode that Arthur was hitting during these years – in a lineup that features Blythe on alto, Abdul Wadud on cello, Kelvyn Bell on guitar, Steve McCall and Bobby Battle on drums, John Hicks on piano, Amina Claudine Myers on organ, and Fred Hopkins on bass. The mix of electric and acoustic elements is fantastic – very fresh, even all these many years later – and titles include "Misty", "Spirits In The Field", "Just A Closer Walk With Thee", "Reverence", and "Contemplation". CD

The genius of Betty Carter knows no bounds – and this album's a perfect illustration of that fact! The record is one of the few that Betty released on her own label – working in near obscurity at a time when she really wanted to break from the BS of the bigger companies, and the staid approach they were using towards vocal jazz. This set is one of Betty's most freewheeling – performed with trio lineups that include players like Onaje Alan Gumbs, Buster Williams, and Louis Hayes – really stretching things out past the simple "piano trio meets standards with singer" that you might hear on other records. The best illustration of the style is the amazing track "Sounds" – a 7 minute workout that has the trio and Betty cutting loose, taking jazz vocals a million miles past Ella or Billie or any other singer. Most other tracks are originals – and beautiful ones too – and titles include "What Is It", "I Can't Help It", "We Tried", "Happy", and "Tight". CD

The last album of the 70s by Little Feat – and it's a strange one! On one hand, Little Feat is revisiting some of their country rock and New Orleans-inspired roots of years past – as well as the self-conciously oddball humor. But they're also working in a tighter, leaner and cleaner studio sound than on the previous albums. Includes "Down On The Farm", "Six Feet Of Snow", "Front Page News", "Wake Up Dreaming", "Be One Now", "Kokomo", "Perfect Imperfection" and more. CD

Dang! Does David Murray ever stop re-inventing himself? We think not – and this album is great proof of that fact! The set's a really tasty batch of Latin Jazz numbers – played to perfection by Murray and a host of excellent New York musicians, working together in large group format with a sound and style that's at the peak of perfection for this sort of recording. Murray wrote all the tunes, so the album goes way past the cliches of Latin-ized standards that you're probably sick of hearing anyway – and it's steeped in a soulful approach to the genre that really grabbed our ears from the first note! Titles include "Giovanni's Mission", "Sad Kind Of Love", "Mambo Dominica", "Break Out", and "Aerol's Change". CD

Duke Pearson knocks it out of the park with this one – perfectly summing up all the new ideas in jazz arranging and large ensemble work he'd been exploring at Blue Note – and pushing things way way past his previous small group material as well! The album's quite different than most other 60s iterations of big band jazz – as Pearson's got a way of making all instruments come together on the rhythms, then exploding with subtle colors and soulful tones – yet all at a level that's never forced or gimmicky at all. It helps that he's got a tremendous lineup of players here – both Lew Tabackin and Frank Foster on tenor (the latter of whom does some arranging for the record) – plus Pepper Adams on baritone, Marvin Stamm and Randy Brecker on trumpets, Garnett Brown and Jimmy Cleveland on trombones, Jerry Dodgion and Al Gibbons on alto, and the rhythm team of Bob Cranshaw on bass and Mickey Roker on drums. Duke plays superb piano with a really sophisticated touch, but it's really his strength as an arranger that makes the whole thing come together beautifully. Andy Bey sings on a version of "I'm Tired Cryin Over You" – and other titles include "Amanda", "Tones For Joan's Bones", "Dad Digs Mom", "Disapproachment", and "Make It Good". CD

An amazing set – all four of the legendary Warner Brothers albums by harmony giants Harpers Bizarre – plus bonus tracks too! First up is Feelin Groovy – the fab first LP by Harpers Bizarre! The group were one of the strangest pop ensembles operating in the seminal LA scene of the mid 60s – ostensibly a sweet harmony vocal group, but with a strangely childish approach that also had an ear open for the mind-blowing production styles of the Brian Wilson era. Van Dyke Parks was a big supporter of the group – and they perform a sublime version of his tune "Come To The Sunshine" as the leadoff track on the album – and even though Van Dyke didn't handle the arrangements of the record, the style of the music is very similar to his own, with guitar, bass, and drums coming into play with strings, woodwinds, and baroque orchestral touches. The record is as dark as it is sublime – one of those pop gems that hit big, but which has a brooding depth bubbling underneath the sugary coating – ala Pet Sounds. Tracks include "Happy Talk", "The Debutantes Ball", "I Can Hear The Darkness", "Raspberry Rug", and their huge hit version of "59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin Groovy)". Next is Anything Goes – the group's second album – and while it has a lot of similarities with the first, it's also a lot deeper of an expression of their strange blend of harmony vocals, sweet 60s pop, and the nostalgia for the early 20th century that was running through the Burbank Warner scene that included a young Van Dyke Parks, Randy Newman, Lenny Waronker, and other LA underground of the mid 60s. The whole record fits together beautifully – beginning with an old-timey radio kind of announcer, then sliding into sublimely crafted harmony tunes that include originals from the LA luminaries and the group, plus a few other surprising covers. Titles include the hit version of "Anything Goes", plus "The Biggest Night Of Her Life", "Milord", "Virginia City", "High Coin", "Jessie", "This Is Only The Beginning", and "You Need A Change". The Secret Life Of Harpers Bizarre is the third album by Harpers Bizarre – and one that shows them growing in leaps and bounds with each new release! The record is a sublime fusion of sweet pop California 60s harmonies (ala The Sandpipers or The Lettermen), baroque arrangements with a fake dreamy nostalgia (ala Van Dyke Parks or Randy Newman), and drug-addled underground takes on the eazy sound of the generation (ala Brian Wilson or Love). This album is one of their most perfectly-realized visions, and it features a great blend of older songs, all hipped-up to modern LA arrangements by the likes of Nick De Caro, Perry Botkin, and others. The record has an approach that's simply mindblowing when you consider the amount of funds and effort that must have been put into a record that would only be truly appreciated 40 years later – and it's filled with great titles that include "Me, Japanese Boy", "Look To The Rainbow", "Funny How Love Can Be", "Mad", "Green Apple Tree", and "Las Mananitas". Last up is the group's fourth album, unfortunately, the last Warner album by Harpers Bizarre – one of the few testaments of genius left to us by this incredible group! The record shows the group moving past the sweet pop and dreamy nostalgia of earlier albums – tentatively stepping into the haze of the late 60s LA scene with a blend of songs that share a lot musically with earlier work, but which also seem to have a more adult approach to some of their themes. Arrangements are by the group mostly – with help from pop geniuses like Jack Nitzsche, Nick De Caro, Lenny Waronker, Harry Nilsson, and Perry Botkin Jr. The harmonies are sublime – and the group effortlessly blends original tunes like "Soft Soundin Music", "All Through The Night", "When The Band Begins To Play", and "There's No Time Like Today, along with bizarre covers like "Hard To Handle", "Something Better", "I Love You Alice B Toklas", and Jim Pepper's "Witchi Tai To", which is worth the price of the record alone! Bonus tracks include "Both Sides Now", "Small Talk", "Poly High", "If We Ever Needed The Lord Before", "Malibu U", "Cotton Candy Sandman", "Lost My Love Today", and "Bye Bye Bye". CD

Soul and gospel, gospel and soul – a beautiful marriage in music that's summed up perfectly in this sweet little set! It's no secret that gospel music had plenty of influence on soul back in the early days – but as the genre went on, soul ended up throwing a mighty sound back at gospel too – so that by the late 60s, both musics were pretty well tied together in styles, themes, and spirit! This collection digs even deeper than the already-great first volume from Soul Jazz – and brings together a wide range of work that illustrates the powerful effect that soul had on gospel back in the late 60s and 1970s – righteous lessons learned from the secular side of the spectrum, folded back to make the spiritual even hipper than before! As always with Soul Jazz, plenty of care went into the set – and the music is provided with an extremely thoughtful track list that goes way past the obvious – as well as a good set of notes to back up the choices. Plus, the tunes here are often quite funky – almost making the package a "gospel funk" collection! 20 tracks in all – including "We Should All Thank The Lord" by The Lovers Of God, "I'll Keep A Light In My Window" by NYCC, "Why Am I Treated So Bad" by Sweet Inspirations, "Let Him Come In" by Howard Lemon Singers, "Keep Trying" by Mildred Clark, "Dead End Street" by Clara Ward, "Since I've Been Born Again" by Martha Bass, "You'd Better Get A Move On" by Louise McCord, "Do Your Thing" by Marion Gaines Singers, "Praise His Name" by The Stovall Singers, "Let Them Talk" by Meditation Singers, "When Will It End" by The Sensational Cymbals, and "After The Rain" by Pastor TL Barrett. CD

Wonderful work from Chic – a record that maybe didn't include any super-huge hits, but which is maybe even better because of that – a sometimes-overlooked gem that has the team of Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards in perfectly sharp formation! The group have already moved past disco, yet maintain that core funk that always makes their work so tremendous – rock-solid basslines from Edwards, ripping guitars from Rodgers, and unified vocals with help from Alfa Anderson and Luci Martin – who both really help the tunes soar! Titles include "Chip Off the Old Block", "Open Up", "26", "I Loved You More", "Real People", and "Rebels Are We". CD

Originally recorded for a TV special in 1969 – but one of the Kinks' greatest albums ever! The semi-concept album traces the woes, worries, and hopes of a British family, as one half is on the verge of emigration to Australia. The work comes out of the sort of songwriting that Ray Davies had been perfecting on albums like Village Green and Something Else – but the overall style is more sophisticated, yet not nearly as self-indulgent as some of the 70s concept clunkers. Instead, the songs are brilliantly tight, and stand on their own well past the concept of the original album. Titles include "Victoria", "Brainwashed", "Australia", "Shangri-La", "Mr. Churchill Says", and "Yes Sir, No Sir". CD