Underground salsa from Orquesta La Fantastica – the group's debut from the early 70s, originally issued on the tiny Ghetto Records label! The album's a great illustration of the way that the regular Latin codes of the mainstream got broken down on the fringes – as the sounds and styles here are familiar at the outset, but often have little twists and turns you'd never find from bigger acts on Fania or Tico. Instrumentation includes a fair bit of vibes – often used mostly with the rhythm, but sometimes bursting out on their own – and there's also a strong tenor sax in the group, fleshing out the sound strongly next to the trumpets. Titles are all originals by group leader Samuel Leon, who sings along with Ralphy Chuleta – and titles include "Latin Blues", "M&M", "Telegrama", "Sassie", "Borinquen", and "Negrita Mia". LP, Vinyl record album

A really transformative album from the trio of Medeski Martin & Wood – a set that helped re-open possibilities for jazz organ expression in the 90s, while also bringing back the instrument in some of his best old school modes as well! Around the time of the set, many folks thought of the organ as an instrument in jazz that was a bit dated – not exactly true, and an opinion that was definitely changed once John Medeski was able to open up on the keys on a record like this –using other keyboards too, in the core trio with Billy Martin on drums and Chris Wood on bass. There's plenty of other elements in the mix too – and Medeski can soar like Larry Young one minute, groove like Jimmy McGriff the next – on titles that include "Shack", "Tea", "Chinoiserie", "House Mop", "Paper Bass", and "Chubb Sub". LP, Vinyl record album

A classic 60s soundtrack from maestro Ennio Morricone – and a set of music that's lasted a lot longer than the film – which starred John Cassavettes in the role of Machine Gun McCain! Morricone's really coming into his own here – and uses some of the drama of his western work, blended with his growing ability to craft a simple, haunting melody – often the kind of dreamy tune you'd hardly expect to find in a movie like this! A few tense moments move into a slight atonal range – but most numbers have that cool, compressed style that made Morricone so great in the late 60s – with bits of Hammond, guitar, strings, and even some slight horns. The set's got two vocal numbers sung by Jackie Lynton – titles include "La Ballata Di Hank McCain", "Come Quando Fuori Piove", "Irene", "Defilee", "Gli Intoccabili", "Rosemary", "Come Lei", and "Sogno Dopo Sogno". Also includes a number of bonus tracks! LP, Vinyl record album

A wild little record from the Korean scene of the 70s – served up by a band of boys (and one gal), but not the sort of boy band that you'd hear in contemporary K-Pop! Instead, there's a heady, growling sort of groove to the whole record – not entirely hard rock, but touched with an understanding of that mode, which is then carried out in varied ways that really make the most of the dramatic vocals in Korean! Lyrics are sometimes very bold, sometime sweeter – and the instrumentation has fuzzy guitars and organ lines that echo some of the Japanese modes of the late 60s, but with some slightly different phrasing. All titles are in Korean, as are the lyrics – but there's a very groovy, universal sort of appeal to the set! LP, Vinyl record album

The front cover might look a bit dramatic, but the set's got a warm and wonderful feel – lean, soulful instrumentation from a Finnish trio that features Aleksi Heinola on drums, Temu Akerblom on bass, and Marku Holkko on reeds and flute – coming together with this gentle groove that's got a subtle glow all the way through! The music of Holkko is sometimes in a familiar mode, with sax or flute lines snaking through over the grooves – sometimes a bit more laidback and textural – and there's clearly some other instrumentation on the record that warms up the sound from time to time, including a bit of uncredited keyboards. Titles include "Blue Sitar", "Joyous Water", "Hunting Heads", "Waves Of Sound", "Friday Gig", "Momentum Finale", "Amboseli", and "Little Dandelion". LP, Vinyl record album

A rare vinyl version of this classic Italian horror soundtrack! Piero Piccioni did the soundtrack for Seven Murders For Scotland Yard – in a style that mixes more dramatic orchestrations with a few great mod touches on organ, flute, and percussion – which step out nicely on the groovier tracks, and bring in a nice note of action and surprise to a score that's mostly tense and poised for danger! These few light bits really offset things nicely – and create an unsettling feel in a work that's pretty darn dark overall, and which shows some of the most somber qualities we've ever heard in Piccioni's music. Titles include "Seven Murders", "Unknown Maniac", "Reminding The Ripper", "Suspecting", "Inspector Campbell", and "Professor Christie" LP, Vinyl record album

Not the same Maria Rita that rose to international fame in the past decade or so – but an earlier, much more obscure singer with a nicely rootsy vibe – one whose presence in the Brazilian music scene is maybe more welcome to our ears than her famous later namesake! The album came out at the end of the 80s, but has a sound that feels more like the experimental generation of MPB in the 70s – some moments that have the brashness of Gal Costa around her India album, other moments of gentleness that recall the sensitive soul of Joyce, and maybe a few slight touches of the deeper drama of Maria Bethania – and yet, like all of those artists, this Maria Rita is very much her own person – as can easily be heard by the lack of pop production or commercial efforts on this very unique album. Titles include "Cantico Brasileiro No 1", "Cancao Da Gaora", "Lamento Africano/Rictus", "A Cidade", "Melodia De Veludo", and "Trilhas". LP, Vinyl record album

A sound library set, but one that's got a grittier feel than most – and which ends up feeling a lot more like a stack of funky 45s overall! Gabriel Rowland hails from Los Yesterdays, and he definitely brings a current of west coast funk to the set – some Latin elements mixed with echoey guitar that sounds like a surf instrumentalist getting stoned – while heavy drums step out strongly on nearly every track, often sounding better and more funky they slower they are! Titles include "Mad Quakes", "Cry Folder Cry", "Spy Carnalito", "Vitamin Psych", "Rub Buster", "Skerd", "Panorama", "TOF", "Wrong Hustle", and "So F'D Up Inside". LP, Vinyl record album

A spooky little soundtrack, with some slight erotic moments as well – all scored for a schlocky Italian film starring an ex-patriot Farley Granger! The story centers around an investigation of an earlier rape and murder – and the music does a good deal to underscore the mix of sexual tension and drama in the film – often using spare stepping basslines that move very slowly on the bottom of the tunes, while eerie keyboards, guitar, and weirder effects drift lightly over the top. A few numbers have a slightly warmer feel, in keeping with more erotic moments in early 70s Italian cinema – and there's also a bit of wordless vocals that float through some of the tunes, often with a theremin-like quality. LP features 15 tracks from the film! LP, Vinyl record album

A very groovy album from 70s Japan – one that makes all the best use of the sexy vocal style of Kaoru Yumi, set to a warm mix of funky and easygoing backings! Yumi's as famous for her appearances on screen as she is on record – a role that was unified here through the scandalous album cover – which maybe gets at the way her music was marketed. Yet despite that crass approach, Kaoru's got a strong vocal style too – one that really fits well with the backings, no matter the style – just the right subtle sense of drama from the earlier generation, but refitted here for a nice 70s approach. Lyrics are in Japanese throughout – and titles include "Delta Queen", "Miami Beach Rumba", and "Taboo". LP, Vinyl record album

A great return for the legendary Tom Ze – an artist who'd been brought back to prominence via the efforts of a Luaka Bop compilation – then given this great chance to record for the label on his own! The set's a great return to form for Ze – who sprung from this moment into a renewed period of creative energy – really drawing on his crucial years of groundbreaking sounds in Brazil during the Tropicalia generation, and especially the 70s – when Tom had really moved off into a realm of his own. Most tracks are relatively short, and pretty enigmatic – a flurry of the sounds and verbal experiments that always made Ze so great! Titles include "Jingle Do Disco", "Cortina 3", "Amar", "Ogodo, Ano 2000", "Feira De Santana", "Fliperama", and "Tatuaramba". LP, Vinyl record album

A whole new world of grooves we've never heard before – music from a short stretch on the Italian scene when local artists were really taken with the new developments in Afro Funk, and started to serve up some fresh styles of their own! The music here is maybe a blend of West African sounds and sound library modes – often leaner than the large group ensembles of Fela and some of his contemporaries, which also makes the tracks perfect for the clubs as well – but with a vibe that's sharper and tighter than some of the Afro/disco crossover cuts of the time! The selection of tracks is wonderful, and the whole thing is very revelatory – with titles that include "Why O" by Beryl Cunningham, "Kumbayero" by Weyman Corporation, "L'Unica Chance" by Walter Rizzati, "Amore" by Chrisma, "Tabu Tuba (part 1)" by I Robots, "Africa Sound" by Jean Paul & Angelique, "Contrabbando Di Fagioli" by Ramasandiran Somusundaram, "MAAGO" by Prognosi Riservata, "The Voodoo Lady" by Lara Saint Paul, and "Soul Makossa" by African Revival. LP, Vinyl record album

The first-ever record in the Luaka Bop legacy – a massive collection of Brazilian grooves that still serves as one of the best introductions to the music we can think of! Most of the artists here are the bigger names of the MPB generation of the 70s – but many are still very under-represented in the US market – which makes the collection of work here completely essential. The styles range from samba soul of Jorge Ben to the lyrical poetry of Caetano Veloso to the soulful drama of Milton Nascimento – and titles include "Ponta De Lanca Africano" and "Fio Varavilha" by Jorge Ben, "Cacada" by Chico Buarque, "Quilombo O El Dorado Negro" and "So Quero Um Xodo" by Gilberto Gil, "Quiexa" and "O Leaozinho" by Caetano Veloso, "Sonho Meu" by Maria Bethania & Gal Costa, "Caixa De Sol" by Nazare Pereira, and "Anima" by Milton Nascimento. LP, Vinyl record album

A massive batch of mixes from dancefloor maestro John Luongo – a set that's heavy on cuts from the 80s in many styles, and which has some other surprises in the mix as well! Luongo was one of those talents who did a great job of bringing underground dancefloor modes to a more mainstream audience – and he finds grooves in cuts that might not normally have gotten such strong club treatment on their own, or in the hands of another remix talent! This 2LP set features some of the best work that Luongo did back in the day – titles that include "The Best (ext mighty mix)" by Tina Turner, "Suspicious Minds (suspicious mix)" by Fine Young Cannibals, "The Chinese Way (New York rmx)" by Level 42, "Out In The Night (12" version)" by Serge Ponsar, "Give It Up (12" version)" by KC & The Sunshine Band, "Missing You (ext version)" by John Waite, "Eyes Without A Face (full length version)" by Billy Idol, "Look Of Love (part 3 – dance version)" by ABC, "Fade To Grey (US 12" version)" by Visage, "Blind Vision (ext version)" by Blancmange, "Shy Boy (US ext version)" by Bananarama, "Tarzan Boy (ext dance version)" by Baltimora, "Relight My Fire (historical 1979 rmx)" by Dan Hartman with Loleatta Holloway, "You Stepped Into My Life (John Luongo rmx)" by Melba Moore, and "Music Is My Way Of Life (John Luongo rmx)" by Patti Labelle. 2LP set features 16 tracks – and includes rare photos and an essay on Luongo's music! LP, Vinyl record album

Our favorite-ever album by Alice Coltrane – a masterpiece of spirit and soul, recorded in a wonderfully open-handed style – and with a vibe that's maybe a bit different than some of her other records, especially the ones with larger groups! The album's mostly a spare batch of tracks cut by Alice and her trio with Ron Carter on bass and Ben Riley on drums – a group who are already wonderful, and maybe a bit more introspective than Coltrane in other settings – and they're joined at a few points by guest tenor from both Joe Henderson and Pharoah Sanders – both at key parts of their career, and really adding a lot to the album! Pharoah and Joe blow with beautiful post-Coltrane spirituality on the tracks "Ptah The El Daoud" and "Mantra" – but equally great is the beautiful spare piano cut "Turiya & Ramakrishna" – an incredible tune that has Alice playing with a soulfulness you'd hardly expect! A real treasure all the way through – and the kind of album that ranks with the best in the Impulse catalog! LP, Vinyl record album

Leon Michels has given us plenty of hip hop-inspired funk over the years, but this might be his first real hip hop project overall – a stunning set that mixes the live instrumentation of El Michels Affair with rhymes from Black Thought of The Roots – all at a level that might well set a new standard for both styles of music! The grooves are great – that subtle sense of drama that Michels always brings to the music – informed by old school action scores, but with the lean energy of a funky 45 – and although Black Thought has had live backing before, the El Michels approach here really seems to unlock something different in his vocals – maybe more power and drama than we might have guessed. Titles include "I'm Still Somehow", "Miracle", "Glorious Game", "That Girl", "The Weather", "I Would Never", "Grateful", and "Hollow Way". LP, Vinyl record album

More great grooves by this incredible band with a real talent for mixing jazz funk organ with a much freer sensibility – hitting a range of influences that run the gamut from Jimmy Smith to Larry Young, and blending them into something all their own. Titles include "Spy Kiss", "Night Marchers", "Kenny", "Lifeblood", "Henduck", "Think", and "Dracula". LP, Vinyl record album

A madly grooving late 60s French soundtrack by Jean-Pierre Mirouze – and a masterful one at that – with sounds that range from a moody, dramatic vocal tune to some killer instrumental funk! The haunting "Together" opens the record in a great way – with a mystical mellow vibe and English language vocals by Barry Green. Subsequent instrumental tunes have a similarly evocative or sultrier vibe – while others such as "Sexopolis" have heavy Hammond, massive rhythms, and a totally freaked-out groove! Includes "Tivoli Garden", "Ulla Et Georgie", "Karin On The Ryke", "Lovers Party", "Tivoly By Night", "Scene Du Port" and "Tandoori Dance". LP, Vinyl record album

A lost 70s score from Ennio Morricone – penned for a period piece set in 19th Century Italy, and done with a driving, dramatic sort of feel! Some of the numbers here have that subdued orchestral mode that Morricone used at his most subtle moments – a style that's not as crazy as some of his other work from earlier years, but which still comes across with some nice dark edges – especially in the mellower moments. Other numbers feature violin solo work, or chorus vocals from I Cantori Moderni – not used that often, but enough to provide some nice variety in the album. LP, Vinyl record album

One of Sun Ra's greatest albums of the 70s – recording during the same sessions that yielded the famous Space Is The Place record for Blue Thumb, and done with a very similar feel – an expansive configuration of the Arkestra in peak form! The range of expression is really incredible – from the spiritual soul jazz of "Pan Afro", to the lightly grooving June Tyson vocals of "Neptune", to the extended suite "Discipline 27-II", a stretched-out spacey number with vocal "dramatizing" by Ra, Tyson, Ruth Wright, and Judith Holton. That track's a particularly great one, with the kind of spiritual resonance behind the spacey approach that rarely comes through as strongly on other albums – but the whole set is wonderful, and judging how reminscient of it some of the best, similarly-minded underground jazz is decades later – the whole thing is an amazing testament to how strong Ra's influence is today. LP, Vinyl record album

A whole new side of the talents of Sun Ra – especially if you only know the longer-style jams on some of his albums from the 60s and 70s! From the very start of his career, Ra was every bit as interested in issuing music on 45s as he was on albums – and in fact, at some of the more desperate times, the 7" single turned out to be a very affordable format to try out new ideas – including some great projects with other artists! The array of work presented here is stunning – as the set includes some very up-close and personal moments with Ra on record, plus some tight jazzy tracks from the Arkestra, surprising vocal group material designed to crack the R&B market, and some especially cool projects with other singers too. The package is put together with very detailed notes on all the singles – and while the bulk of this material comes from the key Arkestra years of the late 50s through the early 80s, there's also a few tracks from other dates too – including a handful of songs that were only issued as 45s in later years. This limited part 2 of the vinyl set features wonderful tracks from later years – including "The Blue Set", "Space Loneliness", "State Street", "Love In Outer Space", "Mayan Temple", "Quest", "Rough House Blues", "Journey To Saturn", "Blues On Planet Mars", "The Bridge", "Rocket #9", "The Perfect Man", "Outer Space Plateau", "Extensions", "Orbitration In Blue", "A Blue One", "Big City Blue", "I'm Gonna Unmask The Batman", "Saturn Moon", "Disco 2021", "Sometimes I'm Happy", "I Am The Instrument", "Cosmic Drama", "Nuclear War", "Hell #1", and "Cosmo-Extensions" – plus the tracks "Tell Her To Come On Home" and "I'm Making Believe" by Little Mack. LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastically free session from the Japanese scene of the late 60s – a set that really points the way towards some of the more dramatic, dynamic guitar-based expression to come in later decades! The group's a trio, with guitarist Masayuki Takayanagi very firmly in the lead – playing his instrument in a range of compelling ways – bowing the strings one minute, plucking with Derek Bailey-like complexity the next – sometimes with heavy drums and bass, other times standing out in very free solo space. The whole album's got a very freely improvised feel, and stands as an early link between free jazz and experimental rock modes - with tracks that include "Piranha", "Herdsman's Pipe Of Spain", "The Galactic System", "Sick Sick Sickness My Aunt", and "Study No 3 Up & Down". LP, Vinyl record album

A seminal set from Jorge Ben – one that mixes samba soul with more baroque arrangements from the legendary Arthur Verocai! The record's got a different feel than some of Jorge's other work – almost a wider vision of music that ties his usual funky style to some of the more ambitious modes being explored by Marcos Valle and Edu Lobo at the time – expressed here in some larger instrumental passages that shade the tunes lightly, while still letting Jorge step out strongly on vocals and the usual mix of tight percussion and raspy guitar. Titles include "Que Maravilha", "Rita Jeep", "Comanche", "Porque E Proibido Pisa Na Grama", "Cassius Marcelo Clay", "Palomaris", "Maria Domingas", and "Negro E Lindo". LP, Vinyl record album

Leon Michels has given us plenty of hip hop-inspired funk over the years, but this might be his first real hip hop project overall – a stunning set that mixes the live instrumentation of El Michels Affair with rhymes from Black Thought of The Roots – all at a level that might well set a new standard for both styles of music! The grooves are great – that subtle sense of drama that Michels always brings to the music – informed by old school action scores, but with the lean energy of a funky 45 – and although Black Thought has had live backing before, the El Michels approach here really seems to unlock something different in his vocals – maybe more power and drama than we might have guessed. Titles include "I'm Still Somehow", "Miracle", "Glorious Game", "That Girl", "The Weather", "I Would Never", "Grateful", and "Hollow Way". LP, Vinyl record album

A record with a great mix of subtle drama and soulful styles – served up by Egyptian singer Nagat, with help from the Al Massrieen group of Hany Shenouda! This isn't all-out Arabic club music, but there's some contemporary instrumentation in the mix that really works well – especially on the title track that leads off the whole first side of the album, an extended track that builds over the space of almost 20 minutes in length! Nagat's vocals are wonderful – very distinct, with a power that's hard to describe – and titles include "Eyoun El Alb", "Fakra", "Ana Bashaa El Bahr", and "Bahlam Meaak". Originally only issued on cassette! LP, Vinyl record album

The debut album from Meiko Kaji – an artist most folks knew first as an actress, but whose voice finds a wonderful setting in this record! There's a gentle current of funk to most tracks – stepping electric bass next to soaring strings, a bit of horns, and great use of koto from time to time – all to create this mellow groove that's totally great, and instantly appealling – which then opens the door to the subtle drama that Meiko brings to her vocals – beautifully sung, but with a presence that's very gripping, even if you don't understand the lyrics – and really served up in the best way possible, given the arrangements! Lyrics and titles are in Japanese – and tunes include "Shitto", "Aieno Kitai", "Ginchou Wataridori", "Jingi Komoriuta", "Ginchou Buruusu", "Hamabeno Meruhen", and "Yogiro Sukina Anata". LP, Vinyl record album

Really wonderful sounds from Meiko Kaji – an actress as well as a singer, one who was famous for her Nikkatsu work at the start of the 70s – and who delivers the songs here with a similar sense of darkly moody drama! The music often mixes rock touches with larger arrangements – and the recording quality is completely sublime – so that Meiko's voice is right out front in the mix, really commanding the proceedings with a vibe that's expressive, but in ways that are very different than Japanese female vocals from the decade before. You might recognize her voice from use of her music by Quentin Tarantino – but you hardly need that reference to enjoy this set – a wonderful album full of gems that include "Wara No Ue", "Onna Somuki Uta", "Onna Hagure Uta", "Nigori Onna", "Urami Bushi", "Betuni Doutte Koto Demo Nishi", "Hitora Kaze", and "Onna Kawaki Uta". LP, Vinyl record album

It's easy for Yumi Seino to be a natural woman with backings this great – really jazzy instrumentation that helps set a style that keeps things moving throughout – and which definitely has the record on the more soulful R&B side of the city pop spectrum! Yumi's voice is great – rich and strong, yet never too overly dramatic – just able to convey the right spirit of the lyric, even when the language is Japanese – helping bring a really sort of universal appeal to the record along with the music. Titles include "Caledonia Love Day", "December", "Les Memories D'Un Con", "Tokyo City Nights", "Airport 4:30pm", and "You & I". LP, Vinyl record album

Grammy-winning work from Tyler The Creator – a record that's got a darker, moodier vibe than some of his previous work – very much the journey in sound that you might guess from the title – complete with narration from DJ Drama that does a great job of holding the whole thing together! Along the way, Tyler runs into Pharrell Williams, Lil Wayne, Ty Dolla Sign, and a number of other guests – amidst titles that include "Lumberjack", "WusYaName", "Corso", "Hot Wind Blows", "RunItUp", "Manifesto", "Sweet/I Thought You Wanted To Dance", "Lemonhead", "Juggernaut", "Safari", and "Wilshire". LP, Vinyl record album

A really funky theme from the Italian scene of the 70s – served up here in two great versions! The main title take has this fast-moving bassline that's peppered with slower keyboards that are balanced with some more dramatic pops in the instrumentation – which then take over as the drums ride on more strongly, giving the whole thing a great funky crime/cop feel! The "sequence 1" version is slower, with heavier drums – and cool harmonica next to the electric piano in the grooves! 7-inch, Vinyl record

A dramatic, dynamic set from the early 70s Aussie scene – a record that's got a lot more grace, power, and flight than you might guess from its cover – and a vibe that also doesn't entirely fit the group's Lord Of The Rings reference in their name! The set's definitely in the prog side of the spectrum, but it's also delivered with an instrumental complexity, especially on the piano lines – which have a similar vibe to some of the live tracks on Jethro Tull's Living In The Past 2LP set – echoed by the phrasing in the vocals, and the album's great use of flute. Yet this is hardly a Tull set either, as there's no blues rock references – and maybe more of an inspiration from higher concept jazz fusion projects, reflected especially on the longer instrumental passages on the record. Titles include "Rivendell", "Land Of Mordor", "Trees & Grass", "A History Book", "Sky", "Dark Lord", "Aragorn", and "Dance Of The Ring". LP, Vinyl record album

Rare 70s work from Don Cherry, and one of the most perfect realizations of his organic music concept – a quartet session recorded for Italian broadcast, with long songs that have a very spun-out, meditative vibe! Cherry's on pocket trumpet, but is way more than a horn player – as his vocalizations and spirit really guide the whole proceedings – played by a quartet that features Nana Vasconcelos on percussion, Gian Piero Pramaggiore on guitar, and Moki on tanpura! As you can imagine from the mix of instruments, there's an earthy, organic vibe to the whole set – really special sounds that come together with a natural beauty that may well make the record one of Don's most spiritual performances of the 70s – and that's really saying a lot. Titles include "Koye", "Flute Song", "Dissolution", "Nana's Solo", "Om Shanti Om", Luna Turca", and "Chenrezig". LP, Vinyl record album

Don't think "pop", and forget any staid conceptions you might have about something "continental" – and focus on the fact that this sweet little gem is early in the great funky 70s run of the Tele Music sound library – served up through the tight drums and musical imagination of Pierre Alain Dahan! Dahan did work in other funky French groups and jazz combos – but here, he really lets his imagination run wild – creating strong grooves for each track on the drums, then layering them with a shifting array of organ, guitar, electric piano, and more! Titles include "Phasing Drums No 1", "Latin Pop Sound", "Slowrama", "Rock Extra", "Islam Blues", "Carmel Beach", "VSOP Rock", and "Pacific Rock". LP, Vinyl record album

A great little record, and one that presents maestro Piero Picconi in all his glory – a set that's got some of the spare groovy themes he did so well in the 60s, mixed with funkier moments that are at the level of the best of the crime/cop generation, plus a few dramatic moments thrown into the mix too! There's some really wonderful keyboards on the record – produced with cool effects, and used in that specifically Italian style that's got all these strange sounds that you'd never hear on an American record from the period. The whole thing's great – and titles include "The Persuaders", "Ambushers", "Lovely Mood", "Action", "Persuaders Strike Back", "Pursuit", and "Love Theme". LP, Vinyl record album

Incredible music from The Pyramids – an obscure Midwestern combo who made some pretty amazing records in the early 70s! There's a heavy dose of spirituality in the mix here – a vibe that rivals some of the best albums of the time on Strata East, but with a freer sound overall – elements of the AACM Chicago scene, or some of the hipper grooves coming out of St Louis – particularly in the way the band builds up energy on the longer tracks. The reeds are especially nice – alto sax from Idris Ackamoor and flute from Margo Ackamoor – and all other group members play percussion, and vocalize too – singing along with some of the tunes in chanting, chorus formation, which adds an even further element of soul to the mix. Rhythms range from hard-driving to completely hypnotic – and titles include "Nsorama", "My Africa", "Mogho Naba", and "Queen Of The Spirits". LP, Vinyl record album

Amazing grooves like you've never heard before – seminal sides by Salah Ragab and his Cairo Jazz Band – work done by the percussionist who'd also worked with Sun Ra, but who's even more amazing here on his own! As you can probably guess from their name, the ensemble was an Egyptian one – working in an incredible blend of jazz and more traditional Egyptian-styled sounds – a blend that comes across with all the exotic feel of the pyramids at dawn, but which manages to groove like some of the best funky work from America at the time! Instrumentation includes lot of percussion, heavy piano and horns, and some especially great flute on most tracks – all coming together with a sound that's unlike anything else we've heard before. This collection is the first time that this music has been brought together officially, all with the kind of top-shelf production and packaging we've come to expect from the Art Yard label! Titles include "Ramadan In Space Time", "Neveen", "Kleopatra", "Mervat", and "Oriental Mood". LP, Vinyl record album

Soaring keyboards from Hiromasa Suzuki – stretched out on some longer tracks than usual, with beautiful electric elements over some great large arrangements! Suzuki plays a fair bit of electric piano on the set – and is working here with some fairly dramatic larger ensemble sounds that echo the anti-war sentiments of the tunes' titles – not really a jazz-rock style, but definitely with some of the younger, bolder energy of the time! There's a fair bit of funk in the rhythms, especially on the more upbeat tracks – and the album soars along at a pace that would have made Herbie Hancock or Chick Corea proud. Titles include "Warm Honest & Love", "There Is Not Any Way To End The War", "Something Over The War", and "By The Red Stream". LP, Vinyl record album

A really unique record from one of the most unique singers in the Japanese scene of the early 70s – an artist with a spare, subtle sense of drama that's really carried through here – as the record features more spoken than sung passages overall, but with a dreamy vibe that's very much in the spirit of Kazumi's previous album! There's almost a European vibe to the record – light soundtrack arrangements that are lower in the background than Yasui's voice – often with a feel that's like some sexy French film production, save for the fact that the lyrics are all in Japanese! Song titles and note are all in Japanese – but there's a very cool vibe to the record that transcends the boundaries of language. LP, Vinyl record album

We really loved the first volume in this series, and this second entry maybe goes even deeper into the unique territory of the collection – a genre that's maybe all its own, with a really cool blend of older tracks and contemporary numbers, all served up with a laidback sort of vibe! There's plenty of soul in the mix, but often from a global perspective – and those cuts are mixed in with more 21st century-styled tracks, which makes for a very cool blend of material. Titles include "Baby This Love I Have" by Avis, "Malibu Nites" by Frank Hatchett, "DE 108" by Bach Revolution, "We May Be Cattle But We All Got Names" by Michael De Albuquerque, "Marimba" by Yargo, "Play A Sweet Rhythm On Them Drums" by Okyerama Asante & Black Fire, "Shove Piggy Shove" by LFO, "Lost Children" by Veronica Mickie, and "Storm (Arp Duppy Chip mix)" by Rare Silk. LP, Vinyl record album

A lost side of work from 70s funk powerhouse Mainstream Records – a company best known for its jazz albums of the early 70s, but one that also cut some great soul and club material too! Most of the work here came out only as singles, and wasn't nearly as well-circulated as the albums on Mainstream – and much of it was much more underground too, from a time when funk groups were picking up the pace a bit for the new styles of dance on the scene – yet still nicely far from the more slickly produced disco that would top the charts at the end of the 70s! Most tracks appear here on vinyl for the first time since the 70s – and titles include the unissued "Disco Man (parts 1 & 2)" by Three Ounces Of Love – plus "Get Down Get Down" by South Side Coalition, "Music Is Fun To Me" by The Grand Jury, "We've Got To Get Together" by Chocolate Syrup, "Gonna Have A Good Time" by Crystal Image, "Nothing Between Us" by Electric Ladies, "Whatever's Your Sign You've Got To Be Mine" by Prophecy, "Hundred Pounds Of Pain" by Lenny Welch, and "No Rebate On Love" by The Dramatics. LP, Vinyl record album

A set that's heavy on the kind of country artists who often made key appearances on TV in the 60s – artists who were as much visual showfolks as they were singers – with an illuminating quality that really holds through in their recordings, even if you can't see their images on the screen! The cuts here often have a very animated, well-presented approach – especially on some of the numbers that require a slight current of drama or wit to send the lyric home! The package features 18 titles in all – and tracks include "A Million Years Or So" by Roger Miller, "The Good Lord Giveth" by Webb Pierce, "I Am The Grass" by The Stonemans, "Wino" by Porter Wagoner, "I Wouldn't Buy A Used Car From Him" by Norma Jean, "I Could Have Gone Right" by Mel Tillis, "Oriental Twist" by Pete Drake, and "Loser's Cocktail" by Dick Curless. LP, Vinyl record album

Not a group from Boston, but a really underground combo from Detroit – one headed up by Tony Green, who'd done a lot of earlier work with The Dramatics! The cut's got a great upbeat vibe – that underground club style that emerged in the years after disco – almost a return to the faster funk that first got things going in the mid 70s, with wonderful instrumentation that grooves nicely with the spirit of the lyrics! The flipside's got a heavier funk vibe – some 80s electro touches mixed with a P-Funk spirit – as a spoken message is delivered over the groove! 7-inch, Vinyl record

A really dramatic live performance from these free jazz giants – three musicians who really know each other well, but who seem to come off with an even more majestic sense of power here! The performance is from 1974, and it burns with energy right from the start – this sense of inventiveness as if all three players had already mastered their instruments, yet were also surprising themselves during performance with new aspects they had just discovered – a freshness that comes through note after note after note – and in plenty of sounds that aren't notes either! Brotzmann blows alto and tenor, Fred Van Hove plays piano, and Han Bennink nearly destroys his drum kit – on titles that include "Filet Americain", "Involved", "Boogie For Fred", "Der Mammutzahn Aus Balve", and "Schwarzspect". LP, Vinyl record album

The second chapter of one of the most obscure set recordings by this amazing duo – singers Brigitte Fontaine and Areski, who you might know best from their work on the legendary Saravah Records at the start of the 70s! The work here isn't musical theater, but was instead recorded for French radio in 1973 – and is maybe even more experimental than some of the duo's other albums of the time – still this amazing blend of poetic lyrics, matched-up voices, and light acoustic instrumentation – but sometimes less song-based than at other points – with Fontaine really bringing a lot of subtle drama into her performance! The whole thing is beautiful – a much-needed addition to the small catalog of this legendary duo. Titles on this volume include "Les Murailles", "Apres La Guerre", "L'Ete L'Ete", "Il Pleut Sur La Gare", "Ragalia", "Les Borias", "Le Six Septembre", and "Les Petits Chevaux". LP, Vinyl record album

Ron Geesin's a British arranger with a host of amazing talents – from early work in the exotica field, to a famous collaboration with Roger Waters – always handled with a mindblowing sense of sound and scope! Here, he delivers a superb score for the film Sunday Bloody Sunday – a dark-themed drama that's given backing by Geesin that's maybe even more illuminating than the images on the screen at times – as Ron captures a moody vibe in perfect ways, but also changes things up a fair bit instrumentally – which makes each new selection feel very different, even though they are unified in mood. Bridget St John sings on the track "Chemical Dreams", and plays guitar on "Motoring Sparkle" – and other titles include "Intriguing Cables", "Sky High Balloons", "Piccadilly Bustle", "Blitzful Memories", and "Affections For String Quartet". Plus, the LP also features great bonus tracks from other Geesin projects – four more tracks from a 1985 documentary on Viv Richards, and six more from a 1970 documentary on mental health, titled "Shapes In A Wilderness" – both a great match for the main score. LP, Vinyl record album

A rare jazz gem from tenor saxophonist Fitz Gore – originally issued on the Gorbra label in Germany in a very tiny quantity! The record's a bit unlike anything else of the time – spiritual jazz, certainly, but with all these different approaches that vary from track to track, as does the lineup – really showing a richness that leaves us breathless once the record is done! Gore's got this nicely edgey tone on the tenor – a tendency to maybe craft the occasional angles you might hear from an alto, but with a deeper sound overall – and other players on the record include Ulrich Gore on piano, Gerhard Ebbo on bass, and Phillipe Zobda Quitman on drums – although one track has gamelan, another has vibes, and another has congas – all of which makes for a nice shift in flavors! At times, Fitz has this slow-burning quality, at others he almost echoes a Coltrane ballads mode, and at one point he sings a bit – really surprising us with his mellifluous voice. Titles include "Steal Away", "Requiem For Julian Cannonball Adderley", "Delilah", and "A Sinner Kissed An Angel" – most nice and long. LP, Vinyl record album