The first of Bobby's highly successful Poet albums from the early 80s – wonderfully done albums that showed the world that he was still very much on top of his game at the time! The sound here is great – still with that older Womack rasp and warmth, but also done in a slightly smoother mode that grooves things up with some modern soul touches, yet never loses Bobby's charm! Tunefully, the record is one of his best in years – with some wonderful mellow soul groovers that never fail to delight – all produced with a warm California sound, and featuring some great backing vocals by The Waters and a host of other Womacks. Titles include "So Many Sides Of You", "Lay Your Lovin On Me", "Secrets", "Just My Imagination", "Games", "If You Think You're Lonely Now", and "Where Do We Go From Here". LP, Vinyl record album

The first solo album by Charles Wright – and a really mindblowing set that shows that he was the key psychedelic force in the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band! The set's got a much more stoner funk approach than ever before – one that's clearly fascinated with the bassy "rhythm" of the title, but which also has Wright really leaning into some soulful lyrics that represent the "poetry" of the set. A few of the cuts on the album go for quite a long stretch – especially the messed-up jam "Soul Train", which is almost a Funkadelic number, and the really crazy "Run Jody Run", a 13 minute jam filled with heavy guitars, soulful horns, and some mad shouted lyrics by Charles! Other tracks are mixture of soul and funk, and titles include "Girl Don't Let Me Down", "Just Free Your Mind", "Good Things", and a trippy cover of "Here Comes The Sun". LP, Vinyl record album

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A lost classic in the funky poetry mode of the 70s – and right up there with the best work from the time by the Last Poets, Jim Ingram, or Gil Scott Heron! Bama's got a rough-edged voice that works very well with the funkier backings of the set – handled by a team that includes Bernard Purdie on drums, Richard Tee on keyboards, and Cornell Dupree on guitar – and this rough vocal style also fits the themes of the tunes, which are still as political and righteous as other work in the genre, but a bit more down to earth as well. The music itself was arranged and composed by Jimmy Wizner and Billy Jackson – and titles include "Ghettos Of The Mind", "The Right To Be Wrong", "Nothingness", "Drunken Sister", "I Got Soul", "Welfare Slave", "Social Narcotics", and "Blackman, My Brother". LP, Vinyl record album

A lovely later recording from Stan Getz – very spare and spacious, and recorded with a casual approach that's quite striking, and really fresh! The album features Stan playing alongside pianist Albert Dailey – with no other rhythm accompaniment, just piano and tenor sax. The tunes are mostly familiar numbers, played in a relaxed, improvised mode that makes the whole thing feel like you're getting a lucky glimpse of Stan and Albert playing together in an after hours session or rehearsal. There's a bit of roughness in the recording, but given the depth of soul and color from both players, that quality also emerges as an honest humanity that only serves to make the recording more compelling! Titles include "Tune Up", "A Child Is Born", "Confirmation", "Round Midnight", and "Spring Can Really Hang You Up The Most". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the Last Poets greatest albums – and one of their most sophisticated as well! Gone are the rough-hewn rhymes of the group's first album, and in their place are better arranged, more thought-out tracks that mix in a wealth of musical influences – and which expand the group's verbal expression past simple protests, and into the realm of Jazzoetry that became their trademark during the mid 70s. Tracks include "Related to What", "Black Is", "White Man's Got a God Complex", "Black People What Y'All Gonna Do", and "This is Madness" – and a number of tracks are preceded by strong and forceful chants before the lyrics kick in! LP, Vinyl record album

A weird little record from John Barry – the soundtrack to a 1963 television special recorded by Elizabeth Taylor at the height of her early popularity, and featuring Taylor reciting a variety of poems and speeches over music by Barry! There's a relatively high concept feel to the album – as Barry's backings are fairly string-laden and serious, penned to match the mood of Taylor's presentation of material written by William Wordsworth, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, William Pitt, Winston Churchill, and Queen Victoria. And although Taylor speaks on about half the record, the best tracks here are actually the instrumental ones – which have more of the depth of Barry's serious soundtrack work from the time, and manage to have their own sense of presence apart from the star quality of Liz on the set. Arrangements are by Johnnie Spence, and titles include "Elizabeth", "London Theme Jazz Waltz", "Queen Elizabeth At Tilbury", "Queen Victoria", "English Garden", "The Fire Of London", "Lovers & Browning", and "London At Dawn". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the strangest albums in the career of Chico Buarque – and one of the best-remembered too! Os Saltimbancos is a children's play adapted by Buarque from original text by Sergio Bardotti – set to music by Luiz Enriquez Bacalov, and recorded in both Rome and Rio! Most of the album is spoken, with narration by Magro from MPB-4 – and the story is about some unhappy animals that are on their way to the big city to become musicians! The donkey (played by Magro) gets tired of doing hard labor and meets a dog (played by Ruy, another of the MPB-4 guys), a cat (played hilariously by Nara Leao), and a hen (Miucha, the sister of Chico Buarque). The music is pretty strange, and some of the tracks have a sound that's actually kind of avant-poetry, with lots of strange sounds, shouts, and whispers – in a manner that's almost as experimental as it is whimsical. Titles include "Minha Cancao", "Bicharia", "O Jumento", "Todos Juntos", and "A Batalha". LP, Vinyl record album

Bob Dylan's fourth record, and close runner up to Freewheelin' as the masterpiece of this early stage of his career. While the overly arch Times They Are A Changin' pretty much stood as the cornerstone of classifiable folk rock at the time, Another Side is just that. Dense, elliptical, and downright surreal at times, with some of the protesty stuff that made the media so happy & hungry, but much more layered and poetic. Another side is also much more reverent of and indebted to the Harry Smith field recordings that Bob studied so hard, the stuff that finally caught on with the general public in the early 90s. Titles include "Spanish Harlem Incident", "It Ain't Me Babe", "Ballad In Plain D", "Black Crow Blues", "I Don't Believe You", "Motorpsycho Nitemare", "To Ramona", "Chimes Of Freedom", "My Back Pages", and "I Shall Be Free No 10". LP, Vinyl record album

A really well-titled set – as it offers up some more intimate takes on the Duke Ellington sound of the cusp of the 70s – with some especially nice trio and solo numbers that are well worth the price of the whole collection! The album starts with the amazing "Moon Maiden" – a track that has Ellington playing celeste, and reciting this weird little cosmic poem – almost in a Sun Ra-type aesthetic, and key proof that Duke was still stretching out a lot in his later years! There's also some excellent trio tracks that really get at that highly modern mode that Ellington hit at his Live At The Whitney session – mixed with a few more larger group numbers that, while not exactly intimate, still have a nicely laid back feel. In addition to "Moon Maiden", other tracks include "Tenz", "Eulb", "Layin On Mellow", "Edward The First", "Symphonette", and "Some Summer Fun". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the most fully-formed albums from The Fugs – still quite hippy dippy, but with a focus that's sometimes missing in their other work! And despite the somewhat major label placement of the set, there's arguably even more power here than on the group's earlier indie sides – thanks to strong use of the best elements that make up the tunes. There's still a great mix of styles going on – from Buddist chanting, to sing-song poetry, to some countrified rock – and the album's got enough room for playful detours, but always snaps back into some stronger song-based modes. Allen Ginsberg and Gregory Corso both make guest appearances, and titles include "Exorcising The Evil Spirits From The Pentagon October 21, 1967", "War Song", "Dover Beach", "Turn On/Tune In/Drop Out", "Wet Dream", "Hare Krishna", and "Aphrodite Mass". LP, Vinyl record album

A beautiful post-Atlantic album from Nikki Giovanni – much more intimate and personal than her better known work, with only Nikki's voice throughout the album – heard on a number of shorter poems! At some level, Giovanni seems to have left behind the more righteous themes of before, and is going for a mode here that's a bit more everyday – but still touched with the deeper reflections that make her so great. The titles of the poems tell enough about the subject matter – and they include "Parent's Never Understand", "Mommie's Daddies", "Ego Tripping", "James Shell's Snowball Stand", "Knoxville Tennessee", "Winter Poem", "The Drum", and "Kidnap Poem". LP, Vinyl record album

An amazing setting for the righteous words and message of Nikki Giovanni – as the set has the poet working with backing vocals by the New York Community Choir, who also recorded a great soul album on RCA around the same time – and an overall approach that elevates Nikki's poetry into a very spiritual realm! There's definitely some gospel currents to the music, but Givoanni's words and spoken passages have much more down to earth concerns – the mix of political and personal themes that made her one of the most important young black poets of her generation. The whole thing is fantastic – very powerful throughout, with titles that include "My Tower", "Poem For A Lady Of Leisure Now Retired", "Second Rapp Poem", "Great Pax Whitey", "Poem For Aretha", and "Ego Tripping". LP, Vinyl record album

A jazz vocal set, but one that offers up a very different version of the format – as the dark vision of pianist Tord Gustavsen is shaped here by singer Simin Tander – who can move between sweet moments, poetic passages, and some much moodier moments! The tunes include a fair bit of numbers from both traditional and global sources, but the presentation is very modern, and very effective – with Gustavsen setting the scene on piano, plus a bit of bass and electronics, and very gentle, spare drums from Jarle Vespestad – while Tander lets the songs slowly flower, seeding lyrics amidst the piano notes – with a gentle blending of voice and instrumentation that's not unlike some of the spare sessions that Karin Krog cut with John Surman, although with a style here that's very much its own. Titles include "Sweet Melting", "A Castle In Heaven", "Imagine The Fog Disappearing", "I See You", "Your Grief", and "Sweet Morning Afterglow". LP, Vinyl record album

A landmark meeting of two talents! This rare session has the poet Langston Hughes reading his own jazz-based work, set to arrangements by Charles Mingus, with additional work by Horace Parlan. Hughes' voice is incredible – a bit frail, with a wispy integrity that really opens up his own writings. Hughes was always a big jazz listener, and his work in this respect is a perfect consummation of ideas that he'd always said were present in his work. Titles include "Could Be", "Testament", "Commercial Theater", "Consider Me", "Jump Monk", and "Weird Nightmare". LP, Vinyl record album

Rudy Ray Moore's second album, and almost hipper than the first – thanks to some key musical backings from The Fillmore St Soul Rebellion! The vibe here is as rough and raw as you'd expect – a no-holds-barred version of party records, with Rudy using plenty of language hardly heard this strongly on record again until the hip hop generation. The music's often mixed a bit lower than the vocals, but is still present enough to make things sound funky – and titles include the classic "Mr Big Dick", plus "The Gorillas Are Coming", "California Poetry", "Hurricane Anne Meets Dolemite", and "40 Pounds of Chitlings". Language is raw – so be warned! LP, Vinyl record album

A rare session by Vinicius – featuring a 1970 recording in Buenos Aires – with Maria Creuza and Toquinho. Creuzza was at her best during the early 70s – and working here with the classic bossa team of poet Vinicius De Moraes and guitarist Toquinho, she really sparkles with a sound that's some of her best singing on record. The trio sing separately or together from track to track – and the set includes a lot of great work that's in the Black Orpheus or Afro Sambas mode. Titles include "Canto De Osshana", "A Felicidade", "Tomara", "Canto De Osshana", "Minha Namorada", "Valsa Da Tunisia", "Lamento No Morro", and a great version of Caetano Veloso's "Irene"! LP, Vinyl record album

The jury is sometimes out on the Mick Jagger on-screen performance in the Nicolas Roeg film Performance – but the soundtrack is something pretty separate entirely, and really says a lot more about the spirit of late 60s Warner Brothers Records in LA than it does the arthouse cinema scene in England! The great Jack Nitzsche composed a number of instrumental tracks for the score – maybe his first time in this mode, and prefacing some later 70s successes to come – with titles that include "Rolls Royce & Acid", "Harry Flowers", and "Natural Magic". Other Warner talents get a hand in the music too – as Randy Newman conducted all of Nitzsche's charts, and also sings "Gone Dead Train" – while Ry Cooder delivers bottleneck solos on "Get Away" and "Powis Square". There's also some nice soul-based moments – the cut "Wake Up N*ggers" by The Last Poets, and "Poor White Hound Dog" and "Performance" by Merry Clayton. And yes, Mick does get to sing on one tune – the album's "Memo From Turner" – and the set is completed by Buffy St Marie work on "The Hashishin" and "Dead Dead Red". LP, Vinyl record album

Maybe our favorite album from Procol Harum – a set that adds in some wonderful use of strings to the group's unique style – almost moving forward on the promise of the earlier single "Whiter Shade Of Pale", moving into much deeper territory overall! There's something about Procol Harum on their early album's that's really indescribable – certainly an influence from blues and roots, but this really striking step forward with their song ideas and overall construction – not into jamming or progressive modes, like some of their contemporaries – although they're certainly never afraid to rock – but almost this balance between personal poetry and brashness, with kind of a slightly creepy current at times – as illustrated beautifully by the image on the cover. Titles include the completely wonderful "A Salty Dog", p0lus "Wreck Of The Hesperus", "Boredom", "The Devil Came To Kansas", "Too Much Between Us", "All This & More", and "The Milk Of Human Kindness". LP, Vinyl record album

A really tremendous album from the legendary Gil Scott-Heron – and a set that stands as one of his greatest statements from the 70s! The record is a wonderful example of Gil's work in two different styles – sweet mellow jazzy soul, and harder heavier protest poetry – the latter from his roots as a writer in touch with the streets, and the former part of a brilliant new direction that he was taking on the Flying Dutchman label. Side one features classic jazzy tracks recorded with Brian Jackson – like "Free Will", "The Middle Of Your Days", "Speed Kills", and "Did You Hear What They Said?". Side two moves over to a much sparer sound – and has Gil reciting some of his poetry with very heavy percussion, and a very righteous approach. The wisdom and knowledge of those pieces is a perfect example of the kinds of issues that were haunting black America in the early 70s – especially on the tracks "No Knock", "The King Alfred Plan", and "Sex Education: Ghetto Style". LP, Vinyl record album

A great little album cut by Nina Simone during the time she was working with Weldon Irvine – a live album that really has the lady stretching out, and showing off all the cool, complicated grooves she brought to a concert setting! Weldon did the arrangements, and they've got a very righteous feel overall – which really seems to inspire Simone in her interpretations of the tunes, as she improvises a lot and really takes off with the lyrics! The album includes a really haunting version of "My Sweet Lord", the classic "Poppies", and a great poem/song called "Today Is A Killer" that goes on for over 15 minutes! LP, Vinyl record album

This is the third movement in the fantastic pop symphony that is Spanky & Our Gang! The record's perhaps their oddest to date – and mixes groovy vocal stylings with some fairly advanced production approaches that work perfectly with the incredible songs written by Stuart Scharf and Bob Dorough. The voices swirl about in a mad rush – interweaving lines of melody and poetry, punctuated by strange sounds, spacey airy instrumentation, and wonderful little rhythms. Titles include "Anything You Choose", "1-3-5-8", "Without Rhyme Or Reason", "Give A Damn", and "Nowhere To Go". LP, Vinyl record album

A rich new chapter in the career of Moreno Veloso – a set that steps off strongly from his work with the +2 trio, but in ways that are even more personal and poetic than before! The shift is a bit like that time when Caetano Veloso took all his previous experiments and found a more intimate style in his music during the 70s – although Moreno is always very much his own man here, and manages to work with a range of elements, yet still never lose a focus in his musical vision. Domenico and Kassin are still along for some tracks, but the record also brings in diverse production help from Daniel Jobim, Melvin Gibbs, and even Gal Costa – who are among the many partners working here with Moreno and core producer Pedro Sa to shape the rich sound of the record. Instrumentation is a warm mix of acoustic with electric undertones – and titles include "La E Ca", "Um Passo A Frente", "Coisa Boa", "Jacare Coruja", "Hoje", "Nao Acorde O Nenem", "De Tentar Voltar", and "Num Galho De Acaias". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the all time great albums from Tom Waits – possibly the pinnacle of his earlier drunken poet style of songcraft – and with some of the most achingly beautiful songs he ever laid down! It features the classics "Tom Traubert's Blues" and "Step Right Up" to kick it off, followed by boozy ballads and sly, bedraggled ne'er-do-well tales, and old school strip club-dweller love songs like no others. If more tender ballads were pulled off with such a gruff voice in the 1970s we haven't heard 'em. Other tracks include "I Wish I Was In New Orleans", "The Piano Has Been Drinking (Not Me)", "Invitation To The Blues", "The One That Got Away", "Small Change" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

A rare bit of hardcore poetry by the Watts Prophets – the legendary LA group who were kind of a west coast answer to the Last Poets! The group have a sound that's as striking as the best early work by The Last Poets – a hard-hitting blend of poetry, rhythms, and righteous energy – all recorded in a style that's stripped down, proud, angry, and in stark contrast to the rest of the work coming out in the soul music industry at the time. The album's not only important as a precursor to the west coast hip hop style, but it's a heck of a powerful statement that's as chilling now as it was back in 1971! Titles include "Amerikkka", "Dem N****** Ain't Playing", "A Pimp", "Hello N******", and "The Prostitute". LP, Vinyl record album

A wonderfully weird record from the mighty Mason Williams – a set that's filled with lots of cool little surprises at each new twist and turn – yet which also comes across with a really solid, tuneful feel overall! The album's got a bit of folk, a bit of moog, and a bit of kitsch – but has a way of serving it all up with the kind of warmth and wit we love so much in that unique late 60s Warner Brothers moment – the same sort of vibe you might get from Van Dyke Parks or Harpers Bizarre at their best. Some tunes have Mason Williams singing these beautifully poetic lyrics straight, while others evoke the playful feel of his appearances on the Smothers Brothers Show – but things are really balanced throughout, and give the record that sense of discovery we hardly ever find in albums these days. Titles include a new version of "Baroque A Nova" from Mason's first album, the cool electronic "Generatah Oscillatah" instrumental, the groovy "Last Great Waltz", a "One Minute Commercial", and a wild remake of "Cinderella Rockefella" – plus "Saturday Night At The World", "$13 Stella", and "Whistle Hear". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the fantastic albums issued by Giorno Poetry Systems – a wonderful bridge between high and low in the New York scene – as some tracks are spoken straight, and some have music – in a wonderful mix of talents. Tracks include "Imaginatin' Cocktail" by David Johansen, "Exiled In Domestic Life" by John Giorno, "Dinosaurs" by William S Burroughs, "Unclean" by Psychic TV, "What Is It" by Lydia Lunch, "The Rev Hell Gets Confused", by Richard Hell, "Alisa", by Arto Lindsay, "A Peculiar-Looking Girl" by Jim Carroll, "Uh-Oh Pletonium" by Ann Waldman, and "Candy Bullets & Moon" by Meredith Monk. LP, Vinyl record album

A mix of hip folk and blues – with work by John Koerner, Geoff Muldaur, Dave Ray, Danny Kalb, Ian Buchanan, Mark Spoelstra, and Eric Von Schmidt. LP, Vinyl record album

Leonard Cohen's first live album, featuring material captured in London, Brussels, Paris and Berlin in 1972, plus a couple of recordings from 1970 – including Cohen's legendary appearance at Isle Of Wight! Live Songs never really got its due respect in its day, but it's pretty much an essential document of Cohen's transition from poet turned recording artist into a poet turned guitar wielding troubadour – and excellent stuff even without the slow building cultural relevance. Essential Cohen! Titles include "Passing Thru", "Bird On The Wire", "Nancy", "Improvisation", "Story Of Isaac", "Please Don't Pass Me By", "Tonight Will Be Fine", "Queen Victoria" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

Maybe the coolest album ever recorded by the great Babs Gonzales – singer, poet, and a key force on the scene during the early years of bebop! Babs has a style that's unlike anyone else – he does a bit of the vocalese soloing based on jazz instrumentation that you'll hear from Eddie Jefferson or King Pleasure, but he's also got a wit and raw energy that's maybe more in the Slim Gaillard vein – sophistication mixed with down to earth pleasure – served up here on material that's from a time when Babs was mostly recording on 45s and 78s! Gonzales had key friends and supporters on the modern jazz scene of the postwar years – and the lineup here includes tenor from Johnny Griffin and Charlie Rouse, piano from Horace Parlan, and very hip arrangements by Melba Liston. Titles include "Me Spelled ME Me", "Them Jive New Yorkers", "A Nite In Tunisia", "Movin' & Groovin'", "You've Changed", "Babs Mood For Love". and "Cool Cookin". LP, Vinyl record album

A very cool record! Langston tells the story of jazz, using snippets of work from the Folkways catalog – like tunes by Louis Armstrong, Baby Dodd, Ma Rainey, Leadbelly, and others – all sewn together in a rich narrative on the history of the music, delivered with some surprising illumination by Hughes! His voice is always a treat, and even though his narration of the material is designed for an audience of newcomers to jazz, it more than held our attention throughout – and the record's got almost as much appeal as some of his own jazz poetry work. LP, Vinyl record album

Tremendous work from the great Mark Murphy – a great reminder that he's still one of the greatest jazz vocalists to come our way in the past 50 years! The short set's a loving tribute to the late Shirley Horn – delivered by Mark in some of his most personal, poetic modes in years – with backing from a trio that features Alex Minasian on piano and Curtis Lundy on bass – plus guest trumpet from Til Bronner on two of the album's tracks! Bronner's trumpet rings out warmly alongside Murphy's vocals – which have the same edge we've loved for so many years. The pairing is one that would definitely make Shirley Horn smile – and titles include "A Beautiful Friendship", "Get Out Of Town", "Here's To Life", and "But Beautiful". LP, Vinyl record album

Very different work than Freddie Redd's firey albums for Blue Note – a set of trio tunes that are distinctly modern, but done with a much more laidback approach. Freddie's style here has a bit of the late nite barroom feel – with some great blue notes and sadness stepping out from the keys, especially in the album's extended title suite – a beautiful collection of shorter sound poems dedicated to San Francisco. The trio features George Tucker on bass and Al Dreares on drums – and titles include "San Francisco Suite", "Blue Hour", "By Myself", "Nica Steps Out", "Minor Interlude", and "This Is New". LP, Vinyl record album

The always entertaining Sauter - Finegan Orchestra presents us with a percussion-oriented record that lapses into slightly "experimental" moments. One of the tracks, "The Minute," is a poem read by Ruth Yorke while the musicians provide some mood music. Each song gets its own unique description on the back cover. Titles include "A Chinese Painting," "Kinetic Energy," "World Without Time," "The Stone Age," and "The Jukes Family Takes A Holiday." LP, Vinyl record album

A great little album that's still very much in the best mode of Tom Verlaine's early solo years – just the kind of set that will come as a discovery to folks who maybe didn't realize how much Verlaine's music had an influence on underground sounds for years to come! The production, guitar work, and even vocal presentation here really feel years ahead of their time – muted and muddled nicely, but still with a clarity that reflects Verlaine's earlier power in Television – especially at moments when the sound is even more open and spacious. The lyrics are often a bit poetic, but dark – in Verlaine's sort of way – and titles include "Five Miles Of You", "Travelling", "Foolish Heart", "Dissolve/Reveal", "Let Go The Mansion", "Miss Emily", and "Rotation". LP, Vinyl record album

The great early double album from Tom Waits! This is peak Asylum era Waits, getting into that charismatic, drunken bluesy poet mode – essentially working live in the studio with a small audience , giving it a genuine sounding latenight cabaret vibe, and embracing his wit and style as brilliantly as he'd done to this point. Brilliant vintage Waits and a loose, yet nicely rhythmic backing combo. Titles include "Better Off Without A Wife", "Emotional Weather Report", "On A Foggy Night", "Eggs & Sausage", "Spare Parts", "Big Joe & Phantom 309", and "Putnam County". LP, Vinyl record album

US issue of an early Brazilian set by Walter Wanderley – genius work, and rare too! This sparkling set features the organist at his best, crafting tight little bossa and samba tunes with care, using that streamlined organ sound that he virtually pioneered at the time, and which works so wonderfully with the album's short jazzy arrangements. The set's got all the charm of his best work, with the added presence of a bit of piano or chorus vocals on a few tracks. Titles include "Labareda", "Volto Ja", "Eu E O Rio", "A Mesma Rosa Amarela", "Corcovado", "So Vou De Mulher", and "Poema Da Vida". LP, Vinyl record album

The pinnacle of Blue Note's "new thing" era! This amazing album was led by drummer Tony Williams (then just a wee lad, playing with Miles Davis, in his legendary 60s quintet) – but it's more of a "roundtable" session that features equal contributions by some of Blue Note's best avant garde players from the time, all of them young firey geniuses like Williams. The configurations of the players change drastically from track to track – and some feature Sam Rivers, Richard Davis, and Gary Peacock playing in a 2-bass and tenor lineup with Williams; others feature Bobby Hutcherson and Herbie Hancock playing heavily percussive vibes and piano solos next to Williams' assorted percussion playing; and one track doesn't even feature Williams at all, but has Herbie Hancock and Ron Carter in a beautifully moody bass and piano duet! The record is a treasure – and it's a landmark recording that's probably one of the greatest that Blue Note (or any other label) released during the 60s! Titles include "Barb's Song to The Wizard", "Memory", and "Two Pieces Of One: Red & Green". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the greatest albums to come from the New York underground of the early 80s – even if it was a relatively big "hit" on a major label! Laurie Anderson is in perfect form here – drawing on a strong tradition of avant garde performance, but without any of the indulgences that would mire down performance art in years to come. Instead, she's got a clean, clear style that's simply amazing – spoken passages that are poetic and pointed, but which also have a slight undercurrent of wit – a charming quality that never takes itself too seriously, even when the sounds and styles are somewhat dark. Instrumentation includes some great rhythm passages from David Van Tieghem, plus surprising performances from Rufus Harley on bagpipes and George Lewis on trombone. Titles include "From The Air", "Big Science", "O Superman", "Born Never Asked", "Walking & Falling", "Example #22", "Let X = X", and "It Tango". LP, Vinyl record album

An incredibly groovy group – with a sound that's like a 70s take on the Sergio Mendes groove, all touched up with electric instrumentation on keyboards and guitars, but with a breezy vocal approach and some tight post-bossa rhythms! The group perform versions of some of the best Brazilian groove tracks of the late 60s and early 70s – like "Sonho", "Dia 4 Dezembro", "Pais Tropical", "Feitinha Para O Poeta", "Nada Sera Como Antes", and "Agua De Beber" – all laid out with a tasty bit of electric funky jazz, and some warm production that gives the cuts a heck of a lot of soul! LP, Vinyl record album

A chilling statement from the west coast scene of the 70s – the first album from The Watts Prophets, the ultra-powerful group who emerged from the LA turmoil of the 60s. Like the Last Poets, the group blends together righteous spoken word passages and some spare rhythms and a touch of jazz – all stepping forth in the kind of message-driven recording that was too powerful for radio at the time, but which had an undeniable influence as it circulated amongst underground circles. The whole thing's summed up perfectly by the cover, which shows a fist held high in rebellion over the flag on the front, and an open hand freeing a black dove on the inside! Titles include "I'll Stop Calling You N*ggers", "Kill", "Black Pussy", and "The Meek Ain't Gonna". LP, Vinyl record album

A stunning Columbia Records debut from Arthur Blythe – recorded at a time when the label was really sinking its teeth back into quality jazz, and helping artists like Arthur get some great new exposure! 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". LP, Vinyl record album

An undisputed 70s soul jazz classic – and arguably the best album that Doug Carn ever cut for the Black Jazz label! The set is a masterpiece of spiritual jazz – with Carn on keyboards setting up the groove, and wife Jean singing some incredible vocals – very different than her later soul work as a solo act, and with a vibe that's like Dee Dee Bridgewater at her soulful 70s best. Jean does a killer job with the album's classic vocal version of Bobby Hutcherson's "Little B's Poem" – done here with sweet lyrics that really open the song up a lot, and make it into an anthem of love and joy that we'd be hard pressed to match with any other tune! And all other tracks are great too – with titles that include "Moon Child", "Passion Dance", and a great version of Wayne Shorter's "Infant Eyes". LP, Vinyl record album

Leonard Cohen's debut for Columbia, one of the most astounding first albums of its era, and to this day a towering achievement in both songwriting and myth making! The production is that perfectly haunting mix of sparseness and grandeur, with Cohen's lyricism piercing and penetrating wonderfully – his voice never sounded better, and this is certainly one of the great "lightening in a bottle" efforts that was hard to top by Cohen or anyone else in the more poetic upper levels of pop music. Includes ""Suzanne", "Master Song", "Winter Lady", "The Stranger Song", "Sisters Of Mercy", "So Long, Marianne", "Hey, That's No Way To Say Goodbye", "Stories Of The Street", "Teachers" and "One Of Us Cannot Be Wrong". LP, Vinyl record album

BE isn't exactly a back-to-basics LP in the vein of his classic work for Relativity – but it is indeed a return to a focused, genuinely soulful, no BS approach – and it's a very welcome one at that! It seems like Com was a bit affected by some of the criticism folks had for the spacious, astral Electric Circus LP – if you ask us Common had no reason to apologize, but we'd be lyin' if we said we weren't hoping for another batch of tracks that sound like they could have been written on a front porch on the southside of Chicago. This is indeed that record – 12 tracks, few guest appearances, and a warm, consistent sound all the way through. There's a 3 track span on this album, from "Chi-City" through "Real People", that's seriously close to perfection. Welcome home, Common! Ruggedly produced by Kanye West, with a couple of stellar production contributions from Jay Dee! Other tracks include "The Corner" feat Last Poets, "Go!", "Faithful", "Testify", "Love Is. . .", "The Food (live)" (this great track has been circulating for a while since it was performed on Chappelle's Show, and we're thrilled Common and Kanye had the good sense to include it on the album), "They Say" featuring John Legend and "It's Your World (Part 1 &2)". LP, Vinyl record album

A pretty warm and lyrical set by Kenny – accompanied here by a larger group that includes Cecil Payne, David Amram, and Cannonball Adderley on horns, plus a young Cedar Walton on piano. Dorham wrote 4 of the album's tracks, and they provide a perfect showcase for his polished trumpet style. Titles include "Spring Cannon", "Blue Spring", "Poetic", and "Passion Spring". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the strangest records you'll ever buy! Even on our storied pages this one's a bit of anoddball to describe – kind of a sound play of words, songs, noises, and lots of odd effects – an effort of classic rock proportions, but the brainchild of Lol Creme and Kevin Godley after their departure from pop group 10CC. It's nearly impossible to believe how a record like this got made – especially in the year that punk was taking over the British record industry – but the fact that it became an instant cutout may say a lot about its ill-chosen release. Whatever that history, though, the album's a near-legendary one now – some where between Ivor Cutler-esque sound poetry and some of the weirder pop of British mid 70s groups. Peter Cook wrote and performed all the spoken bits on the record, and Sarah Vaughan even makes a guest appearance! LP, Vinyl record album

A key early moment for Keith Jarrett – his first-ever solo album, recorded in the early 70s for ECM – and the start of a huge legacy of later work! Before this set, Jarrett had recorded some compelling trio material for Atlantic – and he was also exploring more spiritually soulful tones over at Impulse Records too. But this record is something else entirely – a new showcase for his sensitive expressions – the kind of angular, yet poetic lines that sparkled strongly in the trio recordings, yet stand out even more on their own! Tunes are beautifully penned – and titles include "In Front", "Ritooria", "Lalene", "Starbright", "Vapallia", and "Semblence". LP, Vinyl record album

The second album from the early group of Nils Lofgren – a really well-conceived combo that's expanded with just the right amount of larger arrangements on a few tracks here! It's clear that Nils is getting more confidence as both a singer and a leader – expressing himself through vocals that have a bit more bite, while still retaining some of the sweeter currents of before – and really pulling out some of the guitar and keyboard work that would make him a superstar in years to come. Bassist Bob Gordon and drummer Bob Berberich contribute some vocals too – and titles include "Slippery Fingers", "End Unkind", "Moon Tears", "Soft Fun", "Hi Hello Home", and "Just A Poem". LP, Vinyl record album

If you want to appreciate BDP's "South Bronx", you've gotta hear this one. If ya don't know... MC Shan recorded "The Bridge", saying hip hop started in Queensbridge, Queens. BDP replied with "South Bronx", setting the record straight (as we see it). "South Bronx" uses the same beat and replies to "The Bridge" almost line for line. MC Shan then replied with "Kill That Noise", followed by the final word from BDP with "The Bridge Is Over". Shan's first single was "Feed The World" on MCA (which explains KRS's line "You got dropped off MCA, cuz the rhymes you wrote was wack" on "South Bronx"). We won't even begin with the other entries in the Queens/Bronx Battle like MC Poet's "Beat You Down", which was directed at KRS. (And somehow Poet returned to the game as a member of Screwball, with an LP on Tommy Boy.) . . . And you thought the LL/Canibus/Wyclef battle went on too long! All that trivia aside, the record is up there as one of our favorites from the class of '85. The b-side is Roxanne Shante's first single, "Roxanne's Revenge" – by far the best of the Roxanne replies. 12-inch, Vinyl record

Most likely our favorite album by John McLaughlin – and one that features him in a wonderfully spare setting – alongside John Surman on saxes, Brian Odges on bass, and Tony Oxley on drums. The playing has a free and loose quality that McLaughlin would later lose on some his more fusion-y outings, and the group runs through some excellent post bop originals and modal excursion – all done with a wide open sound and a great sense of dynamics. Titles include "Extrapolation", "It's Funny", "Argen's Bag", "Pete The Poet", "This Is For Us To Share", "Spectrum", "Binky's Beam", "Really You Know", "Two For Two", and "Peace Piece". LP, Vinyl record album

A completely solo album from Pat Metheny – but one that still sparkles with the same sort of energy as his fuller group sessions for ECM! At a point when Pat could be content to simply scrawl a few simple lines on the strings of his guitar, he instead does a great job of complicating things here – working with a bit of overdub to explode in fuller sounds that are totally great – played on acoustic and electric guitars, including 6, 12, and 15 stringed versions – as well as a bit of bass. Titles include "Hermitage", "Daybreak", "Sueno Con Mexico", "New Chautauqua", and "Country Poem". LP, Vinyl record album

Van's debut album for Warner Brothers and a pretty radical departure from anything he'd done before – breaking all kinds of new ground for his own most creative work and helping pave the way for all kinds of hauntingly poetic rock, folk rock, and singer-songwriter records to come! It doesn't take more than a few seconds of opening title track, with Morrison's rawly passionate voice and spiritually yearning lyrics, to know this is a pretty remarkable creative leap from pop leaning sound of "Brown Eyed Girl" and other preceding efforts – , and it gets even more far out from there both lyrically and instrumentally! It's almost folk jazz, arrangements wise, with flute and largely acoustic instrumentation, a really spontaneous feel to the sessions, and always hypnotic, seemingly stream of consciousness vocals by Van. As loose and spacious as the sound is, the emotional resonance is pretty heavy, and sequenced as a cycle: part one In The Beginning on side 1 and part two Afterwards on side 2. A stunner! Titles include "Astral Weeks", "Beside You", "Cyprus Avenue", "Sweet Thing", "Slim Slow Slider", and "Madame George". LP, Vinyl record album

Great US double LP set compiling two of Baden Powell's MPS recordings from the late 60s! First up is Canto On Guitar – a stone classic from Baden Powell – and one of the greatest meetings of his Brazilian guitar with the European production styles of the late 60s! The sound is incredible – with backing is by a small group that includes bass, drums, and Brazilian percussion – all used sparely and subtly alongside Baden's fragile lines on guitar, and his moody, echoey vocals – which are recorded here in a nicely subdued way. Tracks include "Tributo A Un Amigo", "Ciegos De Noreste", "Samba En Preludio", "Hijo", and the beautiful "Tres Temas De Fe Afro-Brasilena", which evokes a lot of the feel of his classic Afro Sambas set! Next is Tristeza On Guitar – one of Baden Powell's first great bossa sessions in Europe – recorded in a light and lively MPS mode that's a bit different than some of his work at the time in Brazil! Rhythm is by the team of Eberhard Weber on bass and Charly Antolini on drums – both players with non-bossa roots, but who push Powell's groove into some slightly new directions – almost hailing the Brazilian influence that would show up even more strongly in European jazz in years to come! Sidney Smith also adds a bit of flute into some of the tracks on the album – underscoring the moodier moments with a subtle tone next to Powell's more pronounced guitar – and the whole thing's got a sense of poise, grace, and beauty that's simply tremendous! Titles include "Euridice", "Consolacao", "Feitinha Pro Poeta", "Dindi", "Reza", "Samba Triste", and "All The Things You Are". LP, Vinyl record album

Procol Harum are definitely on home turf here – really honing, really focusing their energy – with a sound that seems to create this almost perfect interplay between the guitars of Robin Trower and vocals of Gary Brooker – two key elements of the group's sound that are even better here than on previous elements, especially when augmented by all the cool, unusual elements they always give us with their music. Brooker's got this bluesy quality, but the lyrics by Keith Reid often have this uniquely poetic vibe – one that's never overdone or pretentious, maybe because of the vocal quality – and which finds its own special space here on tunes that include "The Dead Man's Dream", "Whisky Train", "Barnyard Story", "Whaling Stories", "Your Own Choice", and "Still There'll Be More". LP, Vinyl record album

Not the Eleventh House group with guitarist Larry Coryell, and instead this very cool spoken word record from Milwaukee – one that features light instrumentation on organ, flute, guitars, percussion, and even electric sitar – kind of a cross between some of the beat-era Fantasy Records poetry albums, and the trippier 70s work of Ken Nordine! LP, Vinyl record album

A runaway hit for reedman Tom Scott – and the record that helped to elevate him to the ranks of studio and fusion superstardom in the 70s! By the time of the record, Scott had already done some key work under his own name, and was contributing heavily to countless other sessions in the jazz, pop, soul, and soundtrack worlds. But this album's the one that really helped Tom get his groove out there – a particular approach to smooth fusion that still kept things plenty funky overall! Part of the credit for the set really goes to bassist Max Bennett and drummer John Guerin – who bring in a tightly snapping bottom that lets Scott get a bit smoother on the top with his saxes, in a style that's augmented by plenty of great keyboard work from Larry Nash. Titles include "Keep On Doin It", "Tom Cat", "Rock Island Rocket", "Mondo", "Refried", "Backfence Cattin", and "Love Poem". LP, Vinyl record album

A 70s soul classic – and the closest that Gil Scott-Heron ever came to having a hit! The album's best known for its anthemic classic "Johannesburg" – one of the first popular tunes to really push the cause of a free South Africa – but the whole album's a winner, filled with some wonderful tunes that have Gil working with pianist Brian Jackson, in a laidback and soulful style that's even more powerful than his early protest poetry work! Apart from "Johannesburg", the album also features the tunes "The Summer of 42", "South Carolina", "Beginnings (First Minute Of A New Day)", "Lovely Day", and "Toast To The People". LP, Vinyl record album

A nice session by one of the most unique guitarists in jazz – all done up in a CTI style, with production and arrangements by Bob James that give the record a nice little electric finish! We always loved Gabor's guitar on his 60s recordings, and this set is one of the first to really strongly push him into the sound of the 70s – working with James, Eric Gale, and Jon Faddis to craft some soulful grooves that show that Szabo's style would keep on evolving! Includes the nice groover "Ziggidy Zag", a mellow electric jazzy with a back/forth stepping groove – plus the cuts "Macho", "Poetry Man", "Time", and "Transylvanian Boogie". LP, Vinyl record album

Lew Tabackin looks a bit stiff on the cover of this one (who wouldn't, in a tan polyester suit?) – but the record's a surprisingly hip date, and a great chance to hear Lew away from his 70s big band with Toshiko Akioshi! As the title and cover imply, the album features Tabackin's "dual nature" on reeds – with one side of flute performances, and another of tenor – both of which are surprisingly soulful. The flute work is somewhat sensitive, and beautifully done – almost poetic at points, and played with a style that's quite different than Lew's big band work. Group members include Don Friedman on piano, Bob Daughtery on bass, and Shelly Manne on drums and waterphone – a rhythm section that really matches the sensitivity of Tabackin's groove on the titles "Euteurpe", "Yellow Is Mellow", and "Out Of This World". The tenor work is a bit more hard-edged, almost boppish, but with a slightly more laidback feel – and titles include "No Dues Blues", "My Ideal", and a great take on "Russian Lullaby". LP, Vinyl record album

An amazing leap forward for the incredible Walter Wanderley – a record that has him mixing his earlier bossa groove with the wider vision of late 60s A&M/CTI – supported by an amazing cast of American and Brazilian artists! The vibe is wonderful from the very first note – a refinement of bossa with the more sophisticated scoring touches of CTI – arrangements from both Deodato and Don Sebesky, working wonderfully to support Wanderley's lead keyboard lines on organ and electric harpsichord! The record's arguably more sophisticated than most work of this nature coming from Brazil at the same time – and with classic production by Creed Taylor, the sound is sublime through and through! A few tracks feature a slight bit of vocals – from Milton Nascimento, Anamaria Valle, and others – and instrumentalists helping on the session include Hubert Laws on flute and Marvin Stamm on flugelhorn. Titles include great versions of "Open Your Arms", "When It Was Done", "Reach Out For Me", "Ponteio", "Surfboard", "Baiao Da Garoa", "Capoeira", and "Ole Ole Ola". LP, Vinyl record album

Titles include "Invocation To Papa Legba" by Debbie Harry, "Sister Ray" by New Order, "Just Say No To Drug Hysteria (excerpt) Dead Souls" by William S Burroughs, "Song For The Trees (or) I Know Sometimes The World Is Wrong" by David Byrne, "Tri-Power" by Live Skull, "Living On The Outside (F^c%ed Up World)" by PMS, "Party Animal" by Karen Finley, "It's A Mistake To Think You're Special" by John Giorno Band, and "Hard" by Henry Rollins Band. LP, Vinyl record album

12 tracks in all: Quannum MCs & Jurassic 5 "Concentration", Latyrx "Storm Warning" and "Lookin' Over A City" with El-P, Divine Styler & DJ Shadow "Divine Intervention", Maroons "Golden Rule", Quannum MCs & Souls Of Mischief "The Extravaganza", Lyrics Born "Hott People", Blackalicious "One Of A Kind" and "Jada's Revenge", Joyo Velarde "People Like Me", Lyrics Born & the Poets Of Rhythm "I Changed My Mind", and Quannum MCs "Bombonyall". LP, Vinyl record album

The classic Scott La Rock tribute album – with BDP classics and remixes – originally issued as a 2LP set that was put together following the South Bronx-repping hip hop pioneer's shooting death. Alternate versions, remixes and BDP medley's from their most classic late 80s period. 15 tracks in all: "Advance", "D Nice Rocks The House", "Red Alert (Criminal Minded)", 'Doc Mix (Criminal Minded)", "Super Hoe #4", "Word From Our Sponsor #8", "BDP Medley #5", "Poetry" (#s 1, 2 & 3)" and lots more! 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

Chicago's second album – not as familiar as the first, and with some really great moments! The group is working here in the same extended-length format as on their debut, going for some more complicated tunes spread across the album's double length – jazzy riffing still firmly in place, and going for some vocal moments that almost have a nice Brother-era Beach Boys sound to them. Includes the great "Make Me Smile", plus the cuts "Poem For The People", "In The Country", "Wake Up Sunshine", "25 Or 6 To 4", "To Be Free", "Fancy Colours", "West Virginia Fantasies", "Where Do We Go From Here", and "Memories Of Love". More grooves than you might remember, too! LP, Vinyl record album

Arguably the most classic Alice Coltrane album on Impulse – and a strong group effort that features some great work from Pharoah Sanders! Coltrane leads two different small combos on the record – both with Sanders on saxes, plus either Cecil McBee or Charlie Haden on bass, and Rashied Ali on drums – plus assorted percussion from Tulsi and Majid Shabazz, and some really enigmatic work on oud by Vishnu Wood! Tracks are long and drawn out, and open with the beauty of a field of flowers meeting the dawn – as Alice plays with a sound that's gentle and poetic, but which also has some wonderfully dark undertones. Titles include "Stopover Bombay", "Isis & Osiris", "Shiva-Loka", and "Journey In Satchidananda". LP, Vinyl record album

With tracks by Finsta, Napoleon Da Legend, Njema Nefertiti, Finsta, and Blaq Poet. 12-inch, Vinyl record

Brian Eno's second installment in the Ambient series – a set of recordings done in collaboration with Harold Budd – who'd almost go on to carry the torch for this style more than Eno! The tracks are as spare and atmospheric as the previous Ambient album – but are also almost a bit warmer too – filled with some of the slightly more melodic moments we love in Budd's work, and almost a precursor to the darker soundscapes of the 4AD generation. There's a subtle sense of poetry here that's really beautiful – and titles include "Steal Away", "First Light", "Failing Light", "Wind In Lonely Fences", "The Chill Air", "Not Yet Remembered", and "Above Chiangmai". LP, Vinyl record album

A really pivotal album from the great Art Farmer – a late 50s session that has him finding that sense of tone and timing that would dominate his work in years to come! Art was already great by the time of this set, but he's also got maybe a more personal, almost poetic vibe at times – starting to realize that the space between the notes is as important as the notes themselves, while still maybe holding onto a slight bit of the bite of his earliest recordings too. The group is a very well-matched trio of easygoing modernists – Hank Jones on piano, Addison Farmer on bass, and Roy Haynes on drums – on titles that include "Too Late Now", "Back In The Cage", "And Now", "Stablemates", "Earth", and "Nita". LP, Vinyl record album

A tremendous little record from a time when whole new ideas of righteous pride and power were hitting the record racks – a moment that's perfectly summed up in a treasure like this! Poet Nikki Giovanni had already gotten some acclaim for her words on paper – and here, the message of her writing is blended with stunning work from the New York Community Choir – a very hip gospel group with lots of secular elements in their rhythms and arrangements – handled here wonderfully by director Benny Diggs. Nikki speaks her own words in between sung passages by the group – for a set that's got a very deep spirit, and strong secular appeal too. Titles include "Conversation", "Prison Poem", "Mothers", "Straight Talk", and the great "Scrapbook", set to Duke Pearson's "Christo Redentor". LP, Vinyl record album

Guitar genius Grant Green is definitely feelin the spirit here – as he mixes his lean 60s style with a host of traditional numbers from the spiritual canon – at a level that provided a whole new sense of soul at the time! There was plenty of music influenced by gospel during the decade – but here, Green makes the link a lot more explicit – taking traditional themes and turning them into jazz instrumentals – with the help of a lean quartet that features Herbie Hancock on piano, Butch Warren on bass, and Billy Higgins on drums – all working with a feel that's a lot more like the Grant Green/Sonny Clark material than some of Grant's more organ or tenor-assisted albums! Garvin Masseaux provides a bit of extra percussion on tambourine – and titles include "Go Down Moses", "Just A Closer Walk With Thee", "Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child", and "Nobody Knows The Trouble I've Seen". LP, Vinyl record album

Classic Herbie Hancock from the early years – and a great mix of soul jazz and modernist inspiration! The record include a nice groovy "hit" – Herbie's "Blind Man Blind Man" – an obvious follow-up to "Watermelon Man", but still a standout track with a lot of imagination, and a fierce soul jazz hook that just won't quit! The rest of the record, while also groovy, starts to show many more signs of Herbie's far-reaching conception – especially shared with players like Tony Williams on drums, Grachan Moncur on trombone, and Chuck Israels on bass – who all work with Herbie in a larger than usual group that also includes Grant Green on guitar, Donald Byrd on trumpet, and Hank Mobley on tenor. The lineup is as great as it sounds on paper – and the larger setting really helps expand Herbie's new ideas – on tunes that include "Blind Man Blind Man", "And What If I Don't", "A Tribute To Someone", "King Cobra", and "The Pleasure Is Mine". LP, Vinyl record album

An essential Blue Note album by the great vibist Bobby Hutcherson, and a record that's split into 2 different sides, each of which display different aspects of Hutcherson's talents. The first four tracks are mellow and lyrical, with the kind of lovely melodic writing that is best illustrated by the cut "Little B's Poem" – included here, and still one of Hutcherson's most enduring works. The next four tracks show Hutcherson more as the accomplished modernist, working with edgey talents like James Spaulding on alto and flute, Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, Herbie Hancock on piano, Ron Carter on bass, and the great Joe Chambers on drums – who also wrote all 4 of the tracks in this segment. The work is a key example of Hutcherson's devotion to the Blue Note "new thing" sound, and titles include "Air", "Juba Dance", and "Pastoral". LP, Vinyl record album

Beautiful late Blue Note work from Bobby Hutcherson – laidback, warm, electric, and with a mixture of CTI funk and some of the more lyrical soul jazz work of his years with Harold Land! Part of the credit for the set should go to George Cables – who plays both acoustic and electric keys on the record, and who gives the album a sweetly dancing feel that really warms things up wonderfully – and all other players are wonderful too, including drummer Eddie Marshall, bassist James Leary, and horn players Freddie Hubbard, Hadley Caliman, and Manny Boyd. Includes a great remake of "Little B's Poem", the mellow groover "Why Not", and the cuts "Til Then", "Knucklebean", and "So Far So Good". LP, Vinyl record album

With Stan at the helm, you can bet that this set is anything but "blues" in the traditional sense – and is instead more one of Kenton's tone poems of color – tuned to the darker hues of the spectrum, and served up perfectly in a batch of beautifully shimmering arrangements! There's still plenty of Kenton's modern touches in the way the album's laid out, but the overall feel is moody and blue-toned – arranged mostly by Gene Roland, who also composed all the original tracks for the set. Titles include "Dragonwyck", "Blue Ghost", "Exit Stage Left", "Aphrodisia", "Fitz", and "The Blues Story". LP, Vinyl record album