A pair of amazing records from percussionist Dom Um Romao – back to back in a single set! The self-titled Dom Um Romao is an unbelievably fantastic album, and perhaps the greatest one that Dom Um Romao ever cut! Dom recorded this set in America with a blend of Brazilian and New York musicians – creating an incredible sound that's unlike anything else we can think of – a rich harmony of Brazilian roots and more creative 70s electric instrumentation – filled with complicated shades, tones, and colors! We'd place this record next to the best electric work by David Axelrod, the dopest funk on CTI, and a rare few other jazz funk albums from the 70s – and the whole thing's completely sublime all the way through! Players include Joao Donato on piano, Dom Salvador on Fender Rhodes, Lloyd McNeil on flute, Mauricio Smith on tenor and soprano sax, Sivuca on organ and guitar, and Joe Beck on electric guitar – and titles include the spare spacey groover "Dom's Tune", the lively dancer "Cinnamon Flower", the jazzy "Family Talk", a great version of "Ponteio", and a take on Sivuca's "Adeus Maria Fulo". Spirit Of The Times is an incredible set of Brazilian jazz – one of the few albums that percussionist Dom Um Romao recorded as a leader, and sublime all the way through! The record's got a wonderful blend of funky fusion and Brazilian percussion – and features a group from two continents that includes Sivuca on organ, Dom Salvador on electric piano, Joe Beck on guitar, Jerry Dodgion on alto sax, Lloyd McNeill on flute, and Mauricio Smith on tenor, soprano, and flute. Includes the percussion jammer "Shake (Ginga Gingou)", the modal groover "Wait on the Corner", and the lively scatting tune "The Angels" – but the whole album's great, and other tracks include "The Salvation Army", "Kitchen", and "Lamento Negro". CD

An incredible set of Brazilian jazz – one of the few albums that percussionist Dom Um Romao recorded as a leader, and sublime all the way through! The record's got a wonderful blend of funky fusion and Brazilian percussion – and features a group from two continents that includes Sivuca on organ, Dom Salvador on electric piano, Joe Beck on guitar, Jerry Dodgion on alto sax, Lloyd McNeill on flute, and Mauricio Smith on tenor, soprano, and flute. Includes the percussion jammer "Shake (Ginga Gingou)", the modal groover "Wait on the Corner", and the lively scatting tune "The Angels" – but the whole album's great, and other tracks include "The Salvation Army", "Kitchen", and "Lamento Negro". LP, Vinyl record album

A wonderful collection of unreleased jazz recordings from the overseas scene – the kind of open-ended, freewheeling work that brings together American and European musicians in a style that's similar to some of the best albums on the MPS/Saba label! The first CD in the collection is especially great – as it features a much-needed performance as a leader by the great alto saxophonist Pony Poindexter – a great artist who contributed much to the Count Basie band in the 50s and 60s, but hardly ever got to work on his own! Here, Pony blows beautifully on a set of very long tracks – getting help from the mighty Benny Bailey on trumpet (another player we love in a small group setting!), plus a young Jan Hammer on organ and piano, George Mraz on bass, and Michael Dennert on drums. The set list is nicely different from another live Poindexter album of the time – and titles include "Orfeu Negro Samba", "Moonrider", "How Long", "Jive Samba", and "Bigfoot". Next is the famous west coast team of Frank Rosolino on trombone and Conte Candoli on trumpet – really soaring here in a German live date from 1975, a few short years before Frank's death. The tracks are long, and both players have really opened up their sound – and seem to get extra inspiration from a very cool rhythm trio that features Rob Pronk on piano, Isla Eckinger on bass, and Todd Canedy on drums – on the tracks "Conversation", "Nica's Dream", "All The Things You Are", and "Waltz For Diane". Next up is a more homegrown talent – the great Fritz Pauer, working on both acoustic and electric piano, and getting some great help on bass from Jimmy Woode – who you might know best for his work in the Clarke Boland Big Band. The group here is just a quartet – and also includes Joe Harris on percussion and Erich Bachtraegl on drums – a very rhythmic combo that may well make the 1972 performance one of Pauer's funkiest moments! Titles include "A Walk In The English Garden", "Blues For DS", "Ham Hocks", "Blues For Mr Jones", "Ridin Home", "Now Hear My Meaning", and "Gentle Eyes". Last up is Art Farmer – really soaring on a set of long live tracks recorded in 1978 – with a quartet that features Gerd Francesconi on piano, Gunter Lenz on bass, and Billie Brooks on drums! Art's in great shape here – really opening up with imaginative solos that never lose their energy – on titles that include "Some Time Ago", "Namely You", "Blue Bossa", "Some Other Time", and "I Remember Clifford". CD

Latin sounds from the glory days of the 78rpm format – music that predates most of the more popular modes that would hit our shores in the postwar years – presented on a range of rare singles that pack a nicely powerful punch! Most of these numbers are pretty lively and rhythmic – often with grooves that come as strongly from the percussion as they do from the interplay of guitar, bass, and other stringed instruments – punctuated by piano and topped with some strong vocals too! The set's not much in the way of liner notes, but most of the music here is from the mid 30s, despite the larger date range in the title – and tracks include "Suavecito" by Weeno Bravo & Gody, "El Mondonguero" by Sexteto Columbia, "Negro Bombon" by Orquesta Estrellas Cubanas, "El Panquelero" by Orquesta De Don Azpiazu, "Sabrosona" by Orquesta De Lazaro Quintero, "Pero Que Picazon" by Orquesta Chepin Choven, "Pimienta Y Sal" by Orquesta De Paulina Alvarez, "Invitacion A La Rumba" by Orquesta De Oscar Calle, and "Los Carnavales De Oriente" by Trio Matamoros. LP, Vinyl record album

A great high-concept composition from Duke Ellington – one that rivals the earlier brilliance of his Liberian Suite! Like that one, vocals are a key part of this long-form work – a special performance done for the Century Of Negro Progress Exposition in Chicago in 1963 – with an all-star cast that includes Jimmy Jones both at the piano and conductor's stand; Joya Sherrill on vocals with the Irving Bunton Singers, Jimmy Grissom, Jimmy McPhail, and Lil Greenwood; Billy Strayhorn on celeste, Juan Amalbert on conga, and other familiar Ellingtonians in the larger group! The tunes have a mix of gospel and folk roots, turned towards more modern Ellington compositional modes – and almost all numbers feature vocals, including one with narration by Ellington himself. Titles include "Will You Be There", "Come Sunday", "David Danced", "Montage", "My Mother My Father", "My People", "The Blues Ain't", and "What Color Is Virtue". CD

Two fantastic albums from Hugo Montenegro – back to back on a single CD! Hugo In Wonder-Land is one of Hugo Montenegro's best moog albums – and a killer batch of tracks written by Stevie Wonder – hence the title! Hugo and crew go to town with a host of electric keyboards – including moogs and Arps, backed up by some straight electric piano – and they lay down 10 smooth funky renditions of Stevie Wonder hits from the late 60s and early 70s. The approach is a great one, and it really gives substance to Montenegro's moogy musings – which sometimes can lack direction. Includes great versions of "Living For The City", "Too High", "Superstition", "Higher Ground", "You've Got It Bad, Girl", and "All In Love Is Fair". Niel's Diamonds is a weird and wonderful record – the early hits of Neil Diamond, played on the moog and ARP by the mighty Hugo Montenegro! The approach to the set is pretty darn cool – as it takes 10 of Neil's best early tunes, and runs them through arrangements by Montenegro that run from funky to groovy to dreamy – and which feature some very strange use of electronics! Sparkling and weird all the way through – with versions of "Girl, You'll Be a Woman Soon", "Brother Love's Traveling Salvation Show", "Sweet Caroline", "Two-Bit Man Child", "Porcupine Pie", and more! CD

Two fantastic albums from Hugo Montenegro – back to back on a single CD! Hugo In Wonder-Land is one of Hugo Montenegro's best moog albums – and a killer batch of tracks written by Stevie Wonder – hence the title! Hugo and crew go to town with a host of electric keyboards – including moogs and Arps, backed up by some straight electric piano – and they lay down 10 smooth funky renditions of Stevie Wonder hits from the late 60s and early 70s. The approach is a great one, and it really gives substance to Montenegro's moogy musings – which sometimes can lack direction. Includes great versions of "Living For The City", "Too High", "Superstition", "Higher Ground", "You've Got It Bad, Girl", and "All In Love Is Fair". Niel's Diamonds is a weird and wonderful record – the early hits of Neil Diamond, played on the moog and ARP by the mighty Hugo Montenegro! The approach to the set is pretty darn cool – as it takes 10 of Neil's best early tunes, and runs them through arrangements by Montenegro that run from funky to groovy to dreamy – and which feature some very strange use of electronics! Sparkling and weird all the way through – with versions of "Girl, You'll Be a Woman Soon", "Brother Love's Traveling Salvation Show", "Sweet Caroline", "Two-Bit Man Child", "Porcupine Pie", and more! CD

A wonderful collection of Latin recordings from postwar France – all recorded by Cuban native Filiberto Rico, an artist who moved between Havana and Paris in the early part of his life – and seemed to leave quite a musical legacy in the process! Rico was part of seminal Cuban recordings of the 30s, and definitely has the chops to make his French recordings come across at a level that rivals the music taking place in his homeland at the end of the 40s – but there's also a nice current of American jump blues on some of these numbers too – which almost creates a jukebox mambo sort of vibe – as Latin percussion, rolling piano lines, and well-blown saxophone solos take off alongside the vocals! Singers here include Fermin Lorenzo Jova, Antonio Picallo, Emilio Aarmengol, Doris Marnier, and Carlos Petrel – and titles include "Somos Differentes", "Angelitos Negros", "Se Acabo", "Pajarito", "Tumba", "Tu Felicidad", "Dinorah", "Colibri", "Sabrosura", "La Ola Marina", and "La Television" 36 tracks in all! CD