A 60s LP that compiles Julia's earlier sides for Capitol – a mixture of jump blues, swing, and R&B, recorded with players that include Red Norvo, Benny Carter, Vic Dickenson, and Baby Lovett – all killer work from the early years of the labgel! Titles include "Last Call For Alcohol", "After Hours Waltz", "King Size Papa", "Snatch It & Grab It", "You Ain't Got It No More", and "Crazy World". LP, Vinyl record album

In case you think the folks at Chess were putting too fine a point on the earthy origins of Ramsey's jazz, the title's actually one that follows from an earlier album Ramsey cut for Mercury – and features a similar cover of a shovel digging in the dirt! The tracks are a great blend of the rich approaches to piano jazz performed by the Lewis trio with Eldee Young and Red Holt – with some tracks bluesy, some tracks upbeat, some whimsey, and a few that groove in very surprising places. Titles include "Volga Boatman", "Around The World In 80 Days", "Hello Cello", "Blues For The Nighty Owl", and "Gonna Set Your Soul On Fire". LP, Vinyl record album

A killer live set from Ramsey Lewis and his classic early 60s trio – a record that's not nearly as well known as The In Crowd, but every bit as great! Drummer Red Holt and bassist Eldee Young really get in some great elements here – working with Ramsey's piano in a groove that's far more than the standard trio mode of the time – and much more in a triangulated exchange of energy that's filled with life and joy throughout! Side one begins with a 12 minute "West Side Story Medley" – one that starts slow, but really builds with excitement as the tune rolls on – and other tunes include a version of "My Babe", with some funky cello work by Eldee Young; a soul-stepping take on "Something You Got"; Ramsey's original "The Caves"; and versions of "People", "Fly Me To The Moon", and "The Shelter Of Your Arms". LP, Vinyl record album

Loussier interprets the music of Bach, with Pierre Michelot on bass and Christian Garros on drums. LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

What can we say? This is one of the greatest albums of all time! The record's got a sound that's completely unique – as crack LA garage punk rock meets Hollywood baroque production, and the result is an amazing bit of loud guitar noise backed by strings and horns, all graced by the godlike vocals of the great Arthur Lee. Forever Changes is a milestone in rock – an incredibly bleak document about insanity, escape, and the coming revolution that never happened. Think of all the best moments of Wild In The Streets, Zabriske Point, and Invocation of My Demon Brother rolled into one – and you'll only have a tiny slice of the picture! A record that will haunt us until the day we die – filled with incredible songs like "Alone Again Or", "Old Man", "Daily Planet", "Red Telephone", and "Maybe The People Would Be The Times Or Between Clark & Hilldale". LP, Vinyl record album

Love's first album – a seminal bit of Sunset Strip rock, and every bit as powerful today as it was in the 60s! The style's a bit sharper-edged than the group's classic and more familiar Forever Changes set, but it's still pretty darn great – a completely fresh batch of guitar-heavy tunes that bristle with a sound that's a lot more sinister than some of the group's contemporaries. There's a few folksy or bluesy elements in the mix, but they're almost used in a way that parodies bigger acts of the time – turning the familiar into the freaky, all with a sense of power that's simply mindblowing. Titles include the group's excellent version of Burt Bacharach's "My Little Red Book", plus "Hey Joe", "Emotions", "A Message To Pretty", "Mushroom Clouds", "And More", and "Coloured Balls Falling". LP, Vinyl record album

Includes recordings with a thirteen-piece combo led by Don Rendell and featuring Jimmy Skidmore; with Lyttleton's Paseo Band; and in a smaller group with Johnny Picard on trombone, Kathleen Stobart on tenor, Tony Coe on alto, Ian Armit on piano, Brian Brocklehurst on bass, and Eddie Taylor on drums. LP, Vinyl record album

Lots of early classics – "Pretty Flamingo", "Let's Go Get Stoned", "My Little Red Book", "Got My Mojo Working", "Do Wah Diddy Diddy", and "Oh No Not My Baby". LP, Vinyl record album

Herbie Mann's at the Village Gate – really wailing away in a set of extended numbers that not only set a whole new standard for live recording in jazz, but which also pushed forward the role of the flute in the music as well! There's a heck of a lot of soul in the grooves here – served up by a totally cooking rhythm section that includes basses from Ben Tucker and Ahmed Abdul-Malik, percussion from Chief Bey and Ray Mantilla, and drums from Rudy Collins – plus some especially great work on vibes from Haygood Hardy, sounding beautifully chromatic underneath Herbie's sharp-edged work on flute! The set features a key reading of "Comin Home Baby" that runs for over 8 minutes long – plus great long versions of "Summertime" and "It Ain't Necessarily So". LP, Vinyl record album

An excellent little album from the team of Herbie Mann & Buddy Collette – one that has both players using a wide range of reed instruments, and not just flute! Herbie and Buddy are wonderfully paired here – in a way that expands past the usual flute jazz mode by adding in bits of tenor sax, alto, and clarinet – as well as a range of different flutes too – not in a mode that's gimmicky, but which complements the lighter sound of the flute with some heavier notes on tenor at just the right moment – in a style that reminds us of some of Jerome Richardson's best records of the time. Rhythm is by the trio of Mel Lewis on drums, Buddy Clark on bass, and Jimmy Rowles on both piano and a bit of celeste – and tracks are long, with a freshly spontaneous feel that's really great! Titles include "Morning After", "Here's Pete", "Theme From Theme From", "Give A Little Whistle", "Herbie's Buddy", and "Pop Melody". This is a 2nd pressing of the Mode album Flute Fraternity – without Buddy Collette as the co-leader on the cover, and with his name listed in the notes as Bobby Collette! LP, Vinyl record album

Herbie Mann returns to the stage at the Newport Jazz Festival – but opens up in ways that are even hipper than some of his other material from that scene! The tracks here are quite long – driven by some great rhythms from Carlos Patao Valdez, and featuring round, rolling basslines from the mighty Reggie Workman. And in addition to Herbie's own smoking work on flute, the set also features great young trumpet from Jimmy Owens – whose bold style here really gives the record a nice sort of depth. The set features four tracks from Newport, plus one more studio number with Attila Zoller on guitar – and titles include "Project S", "Scratch", "She's A Carioca", and "All Blues". LP, Vinyl record album

An album that definitely lives up to its title – as the set is definitely a turning point in the career of John Mayall, and the debut of brand new lineup that helped move his music past a the straighter sound of American blues! There's still plenty of blues at the core – and great vocals and harmonica from the leader – but the lineup also features no drums at all, which gives very open space to freeplay between the acoustic guitar of Jon Mark, the bass of Steve Thompson, and the wicked work of Johnny Almond on tenor, alto, and flute! The jazzy elements that Almond brings to the music are wonderful – and really open up the sound, and showcase a whole new side of Mayall's talents too – as the group here play live at the Fillmore East, on titles that include "The Laws Must Change", "California", "I'm Gonna Fight For You JB", "Room To Move", and "Saw Mill Gulch Road". LP, Vinyl record album

An incredible record from Mississippi Fred McDowell – a set that was issued on a big label, but which has a wonderfully rootsy feel throughout – in a way that almost out-does any work from the indie blues labels of the time! The package was put together by Tommy Couch as an early Malaco production – but it's even more stripped-down than later blues work from those studios – as it features mostly just Fred on vocals and guitar, introducing himself and his music – then working through these incredible inflections on electric guitar, which are as far from the rockish sound of all the crossover blues that McDowell promises he won't provide in the title! Really timeless stuff, brilliantly recorded – with cuts that include "Red Cross Store", "61 Highway", "Jesus Is On The Mainline", "Kokomo Me Baby", and "Good Morning Little School Girl". CD

A killer live set from Hammond genius Jack McDuff – one of a few totally smoking records he did in this style for Prestige during the 60s! The group's a quartet, with stunning work from the young George Benson on guitar, burning tenor from Red Holloway, and amazing drums from Joe Dukes – one of the few players on the kit who really got the right energy to match McDuff on the keys! The album's filled with screamin' groovers throughout, including a great version of "Girl From Ipanema", plus originals like "Another Goodun" and "S'Okay". McDuff was always best in a live setting – and this rare gem is a great testament to that fact! LP, Vinyl record album

A killer, and one of three live sides that Hammond organ genius Brother Jack McDuff cut for Prestige during the 60s – a monster session of stretched-out jazzy grooves, with many fine little dancers, and a raw soulful feel throughout! The group's one of Jack's best – as Red Holloway's tenor blows and hollers over the fingerpoppin' grooves delivered by a young George Benson on his first major guitar gig – and the soulful drums of Joe Dukes scatter across the place, taking the whole band into some incredible rhythms! Titles include cookin' live versions of "Rock Candy", "Sanctified Samba", "Undecided", and "A Real Goodun'". LP, Vinyl record album

Two sides of McLaughlin, both showcasing his spiritual exploratory inclination. The first side of this album features McLaughlin in a group with Billy Cobham, Airto, Charlie Haden, Dave Liebman and Jerry Goodman plus nice Indian touches from Mahalakshmi on sitar and Badal Roy on tabla. They perform two extended numbers, "Peace One" and "Peace Two", both modal free-ish excursions. Side 2 is solo guitar, or rather McLaughlin multi tracking himself, performing number of shorter pieces, like Mingus' "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat" and Miles' "Blue In Green", plus "Follow Your Heart", "Something Spiritual" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

A great album of mellower ballads that showcase Clyde McPhatter's richly emotional style of singing, one that's on a par with his lead vocal work in The Drifters, and recorded here in a very similar mode! And sure, they're ballads – but they've got a great deep soul edge – as you'll hear on titles that include "Heartaches", "Come What May", Love Has Joined Us Together", and "Let Me Know". LP, Vinyl record album

A really great solo album from Clyde McPhatter – nicely different than his earlier solo work for Atlantic! The ex-lead Drifter gets a sort of "Spanish Harlem" treatment as he sings this great album of city songs for Mercury, including "My Block", "Deep in the Heart of Harlem", and "Three Rooms with Running Water", all of which are exclusive (we think) to this album. Great stuff, and maybe our favorite post-Atlantic album by Clyde! Arranged and produced by Alan Lorber, with a nice sound that's missing from some of his later pop efforts. LP, Vinyl record album

A wonderful set by Carmen McRae – captured at San Francisco's Sugar Hill in 1962 – backed by a tight trio! Carmen is in sweet form here, very loose and and wise, and the group knows just how to fill out the sound. She scats loosely on the opening "Sunday", nearly hits a weep on "What Kind Of Fool I Am", and actually manages to breathe some life into "I Left My Heart In San Francisco" – no mean feat! The players include Norman Simmons on piano, Victor Sproles on bass, and Stu Martin on the kit. Other tracks include a playful "A Foggy Day", "Let There Be Love", "This Is All I Ask", "Thou Swell", "It Never Entered My My Mind" and "Make Someone Happy". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

An excellent little album that Sergio recorded in the US – with a sweet funky electric sound that's very different than his other work! At some level, the album has a feel that's almost like a hip 70s soundtrack – sporting these great arrangements by Dave Grusin that bring in a lot more funk than you might be used to hearing on one of Sergio's albums, making the whole thing groove in a marvelous way – while still holding onto some Brazilian touches in the rhythms, and that sweet two-female vocal lead style of Sergio's other work. The set includes two funky Stevie Wonder covers – "Superstition" and "Don't You Worry About a Thing" – plus versions of "This Masquerade", "Voce Abusou", and "Double Rainbow". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

The title sort of gives the whole thing away – so we'll just tell you that Glenn's playing versions of "Tuxedo Junction", "St Louis Blues", "In The Mood", "String Of Pearls", "Little Brown Jug", and "American Patrol". LP, Vinyl record album

Key 70s work from Charles Mingus – an album that was recorded over the course of three days of creative activity at the end of 1974, but somehow split into two different albums under the Changes name! The lineup here is prime 70s Mingus – George Adams on tenor, Jack Walrath on trumpet, and Don Pullen on piano – young players who really give a fresh voice to Mingus' musical ideas, and help him find this beautiful late life sense of color, tone, and timing that's completely sublime! Titles on this second volume include "Free Cell Block F Tis Nazi USA", "Black Bats & Poles", "For Harry Carney", and "Duke Ellington's Sound Of Love" – which features a guest appearance by Marcus Belgrave on trumpet and Jackie Paris on vocals. LP, Vinyl record album

Lovely lovely work from Dudley Moore – known to most as a comedic actor, but also a heck of a jazz pianist, and head of his own groovy trio during the 60s! The tunes mix together soul jazz and bossa trio styles – all dancing together in Dud's incredibly light-touched style on the ivories – and the set's got some great original numbers – including the groover "Poova Nova", the slow stepper "Sooz Blues", and the cuts "Lysie Does It" and "Take Your Time". LP, Vinyl record album

A record with a sound that's as wonderfully swirling as its cover – material from a short-lived Cali group of the early 70s, and one who deliver this set with all the best elements of the big groups of the time – but with a much more laidback vibe! Their harmonies can really be wonderful, and hardly even need any studio augmentation – as you'd get with a more commercial group – and the songs are easygoing, but well put-together – tight, but nicely far from the charts too – and served up with some impeccable instrumentation that really gives the group their own flair! The whole set's got all the warmth of the best soft or country rock material of the time, but is more personal and less major label – on titles that include "Angelena", "Early Morning", "Tell Me A Story", "Roll Em Down", "Sleep Eyes", "New Day", "Time", and "Dirt Roads". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

This is the small combo recording of tracks from the legendary jazz score to I Want To Live! Although not featured that prominently in the film, the band of Gerry Mulligan, Art Farmer, Bud Shank, and others were a pretty tight little group – even though it was strange to see this west coast whitebread group playing in scenes of jazz/crime/evil. The record's a nice one, though, and features some of the livelier playing you'll hear from the players. Tracks are long, and titles include "Black Nightgown", "Night Watch", and the raging "Theme From I Want To Live". LP, Vinyl record album

A pretty great little album – and very different than Gerry Mulligan's regular sides from the time! The session was originally produced as part of the sessions for the short-lived Jazztime label in the early 60s – and was produced by Dave Bailey with a soulful undercurrent that's quite similar to his own sessions from the period. Gerry's really shaking free of the "cool" cliches for the record – working with a deeply grooving rhythm section that includes Bailey on drums, Ben Tucker on bass, and Tommy Flanagan on piano – making a key return of piano to a Gerry Mulligan session! Alec Dorsey's also in the group on conga – adding a nice little extra kick to a few of the best tunes on the set – and Gerry himself is playing baritone with a style that's as fluid as on his freer-floating 50s recordings, but which also hits more of a rolling sort of tenor groove! Titles include "Get Out Of Town", "Blue Boy", "Capricious", "Here I'll Stay", and "Inside Impromptu". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

Completely wonderful solo work from Monkee Mike Nesmith – music that almost bears no relationship to his famous TV sounds – save for the fact that Mike's still got all of his charms firmly intact! Yet the approach here is unabashedly country rock – that style that Nesmith was bringing to some of his songs as the 60s moved on, from very credible roots – and served up here by a very cool group that features plenty of steel guitar from OJ Red Rhodes! The tunes are smart, but understated – catchy, but never cloying – almost in the territory of the Byrds or Flying Burrito Brothers, but maybe without the darker corners. Titles include "The Crippled Lion", "Mama Nantucket", "The Keys To The Car", "Hollywood", "Calico Girlfriend", and "Nine Times Blue". LP, Vinyl record album

Features Joe Nicholas on trumpet, Jim Robinson on trombone, and Albert Burbank on clarinet and vocals. A New Orleans recording – but issued on a tiny postwar label down the street from the present Dusty Groove store! LP, Vinyl record album

One of the few albums ever cut by singer Ruth Olay – a really unique 50s vocalist, working here in a sweetly jazzy setting! Ruth's vocals have a trill that almost takes us back to years before the session was cut – but the backings definitely modernize the set a lot – thanks to work from Howard Roberts on guitar, Don Fagerquist on trumpet, Red Norvo on vibes, and a triple-trombone section from Milt Bernhardt, Si Zentner, and George Roberts! Strings seep into the mix a bit more in some mellower moments – and titles include "Lover Man", "Slow But Sure", "Lucky Day", "It Never Entered My Mind", and "Love For Sale". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the better of the many posthumous albums that Savoy issued after Bird's death. The set combines master takes and alternates of classic Parker material for the label, and includes pivotal bop tracks like "Parker's Mood", "Constellation", "Ah-Leu-Cha", "Perhaps" and "Another Hair Do". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the better of the many posthumous albums that Savoy issued after Bird's death. The set combines master takes and alternates of classic Parker material for the label, and includes pivotal bop tracks like "Parker's Mood", "Constellation", "Donna Lee", "Billie's Bounce", and "Chasing The Bird". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the better of the many posthumous albums that Savoy issued after Bird's death. The set combines master takes and alternates of classic Parker material for the label, and includes pivotal bop tracks like "Parker's Mood", "Constellation", "Donna Lee", "Billie's Bounce", and "Chasing The Bird". LP, Vinyl record album

Older Charlie Parker material – originally recorded as 78rpm releases for Savoy, packaged up here in full LP form, along with alternate takes and a great cover, in the years after his early death! Players include Miles Davis on trumpet, Tiny Grimes on guitar, Dizzy Gillespie on trumpet and piano, Duke Jordan and John Lewis on piano, and Max Roach on drums – and titles include "Red Cross", "Sippin At Bells", "Little Willie Leaps", "Donna Lee", "Chasing The Bird", and "Half Nelson". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

A beautiful group soul vocals effort from the Persuasions in the early 70s – working in a throwback acapella mode, but still with a fresh feel – thanks to a hip dawn of the 70s sound, and a stripped-down feel that you'd probably have never gotten back in the day! It's amazing how fresh it sounds, even today – each individual voice captured with crystal clarity, and strong genuine emotion – with an honest and real sound that's not overly polished. Wonderful! Titles include "Chain Gang", "Walk On The Wild Side", "Gypsy Woman", "Another Night With The Boys", "Let It Be", "Don't It Make You Want To Go Home", and "The Sun". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

Classic heavy soul from Wilson – with some great production from Tommy Cogbill, and a nice raw southern sound. The record features 3 strong early Bobby Womack tracks – "I'm In Love", "Jealous Love", and "I've Come A Long Way" – plus Pickett's own "We've Got To Have Love", written with Womack. LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

Surprisingly nice stuff – especially considering that the album was one in a string of Previn piano sessions for Contemporary – all based around Broadway themes as part of the success of his My Fair Lady date with Shelly Manne! This set still features Manne on drums – and Red Mitchell on bass – but it's also got a thoughtful feel that takes it way past any cookie cutter expectations you might have – really recapturing the genius of the Lady record, in the way the trio works with triangulated action to come up with unusual rhythms and melodies for the tunes. Titles include "What Is A Man", "It's A Great Big Town", "Do It The Hard Way", "That Terrific Rainbow", and "Take Him". LP, Vinyl record album

Prince Buster serves up a whole host of classic productions – tracks by Buster himself, plus Monty Morris, Skitta & Bonnie, Derrick Morgan, Count Ossie, Black Head, Bobby Atkin, and others! LP, Vinyl record album

A classic of spiritual jazz! The album is one of the few rare pairings of Sonny Simmons and Prince Lasha from the 60s – and it's arguably the greatest album they ever cut! The set was recorded for the Contemporary label in LA, but it's far far different than the cool jazz that was the label's stock in trade during most of the 50s – done instead with a pulsating spiritual feel that really takes off as the album progresses! The lineup features the twin-reed frontline of Lasha on flute and Simmons on alto, plus an amazing rhythm section that includes 2 bass players (Gary Peacock and Mark Procter), who really give the tunes a pulsating feel overall – plus drums by Gene Stone. Titles include the famous groover "Congo Call", plus the tracks "AY", "Lost Generation", "Red's Mood", and "Green & Gold". LP, Vinyl record album

A classic of spiritual jazz! The album is one of the few rare pairings of Sonny Simmons and Prince Lasha from the 60s – and it's arguably the greatest album they ever cut! The set was recorded for the Contemporary label in LA, but it's far far different than the cool jazz that was the label's stock in trade during most of the 50s – done instead with a pulsating spiritual feel that really takes off as the album progresses! The lineup features the twin-reed frontline of Lasha on flute and Simmons on alto, plus an amazing rhythm section that includes 2 bass players (Gary Peacock and Mark Procter), who really give the tunes a pulsating feel overall – plus drums by Gene Stone. Titles include the famous groover "Congo Call", plus the tracks "AY", "Lost Generation", "Red's Mood", and "Green & Gold". CD

A very "current events" oriented set – one that sums up a variety of bigger news stories of the time, spinning them all out with a hip, underground take on the events. Richard and Willie (mostly Willie) dominate, but Richard Pryor gets in a bit too – and the language on the album is very very off-color. With "LA N!ggers", 'Sex Organs", "Getting Some", "Nixon","Douche Powder", "Toilet Tissue – Brand X-Brand B", "Line Up", "Black Preachers", "Ugly Suckers", "White Chicks", "Crap Game", "The Nut", "Passing Gas" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

A confusing title, but a wonderful little record! The album's as much a Herbie Mann Latin session as it is a record by Johnny Rae – which is probably why the album's titled as such – and the group on the set features Rae on vibes, Herbie on flute, Jack Six on bass, Philly Joe Jones on drums, Bobby Corwin on piano, and Jose Mangual, Patato Valdes, and Victor Pantoja on an assortment of Latin and African percussion. The groove is tremendous – Latinized jazz, but with a real tension between the heavy percussion on the bottom and the ligher flute and vibes on the top – especially on the album's more tribal, African-styled numbers. The "suite" features 7 tracks in all – 5 composed by Herbie ("Sorimao", "Beouin", "Sudan", "Ekunda", "Guinean"), plus a version of Sonny Rollins' "St Thomas", and the track "Jungle Fantasy" by Noro Morales. LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

Pre-boogaloo material from Pete Rodriguez – but still quite lively, in the manner of Joe Cuba, right before he cut his boogaloo sides! The album's a refreshing change from the early 60s pachanga groove – as Pete's group works hard on the percussion tip to strip down the grooves and give the proceedings a hard-edged finish. Vocals are by Richie Rodriguez and Alberto Gonzalez – and the album features two shorter descarga tracks, "Ya Tu Veras" and "La Magnifica", plus the tracks "Periquito", "Canallon", "No Quiero Lios", "Lo Se Todo", and "Oigan Companeros". LP, Vinyl record album

Great post-Chess material from Chicago bluesman Jimmy Rogers – with Freddie King on additional guitar! LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

The third album from Seatrain – a record with a title that refers to their move to Marblehead, Massachusetts from their original home in Marin County, California! That geographic shift maybe signals a bit of a musical shift too – some slightly stronger bluesy currents mixed in with their roots rock elements – fleshed out with songwriting that feels a bit more complicated and personal too! As with the previous album, George Martin produced – and has a sense of compression that really helps the sound of the set – and titles include "Gramercy", "The State Of Georgia's Mind", "Marblehead Messenger", "London Song", "Losing All The Years", "Despair Tire", and "Lonely's Not The Only Way To Go". LP, Vinyl record album

A rootsy rock classic from Seatrain – a group who maybe aren't as well-remembered these days as they should be – but who set off a lot of fires with this set! The group work in territory that's close to The Band or Little Feat – and in fact they cover a song by the latter at once point – yet they also recorded this album in the UK, with production by George Martin – whose studio warmth brings a different quality to the record than you might hear if they were recording in the US. Lead vocals are by Peter Rowan and Lloyd Baskin – and titles include "Oh My Love", "Waiting For Elijah", "13 Questions", "Out Where The Hills", "Home To You", and "I'm Willin" – plus an unusual take on the acoustic music classic "Orange Blossom Special". LP, Vinyl record album

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

The weird, raw and legendary debut of teen trio The Shaggs – recorded in a single day and issued by the Third World label back in the day, before slowly building a devoted cult following over the years! The Shaggs story of a young girl group and their dad manager dreaming big and hoping for stardom, but the stunningly primitive sound actually makes the patron saints of outsider art rock and indie rock to come – it's messy and amazing to this day! Odd and hypnotic, it's an outsider classic unlike any other. Includes "Philosophy Of The World", "That Little Sports Car", "Who Are Parents", "My Pal Foot Foot", "My Companion", "I'm So Happy When You're Near", "Things I I Wonder", "It's Halloween", "Why Do I Feel?", "What Should I Do", "My Companion", "Sweet Thing", "We Have A Savoir" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

An unusual slice of work by trumpeter Charlie Shavers – proof of his vitality and the range of his powers during the 50s! The first 4 tracks feature Shavers in a sextet with Hank D'Amico, Bennie Morton, Ken Kersey, Aaron Bell and Panama Francis, and some narration by Al Jazzbo Collins! Collins provides some hipster speak that sets that stage for a variety of older tunes featuring Shavers on solo. The set list includes "Dark Eyes", "Dawn On The Desert", "Story Of The Jazz Trumpet", and "Moten Swing" – all done in pretty cool, swinging versions. Side 2 of the LP features Shavers leading another sextet in front of the John Kirby Orchestra with vocalist Maxine Sullivan alongside too, and all of which include Buster Bailey on clarinet, Russell Procope on alto, and Billy Kyle on piano – on tunes that include "Windy", "Rose Room", "If I Had A Ribbon Row", "Flow Gently Sweet Rhythm", and "Molly Malone". LP, Vinyl record album

The music of George Gershwin, but taken to some great late night territory by the trumpet of Charlie Shavers! The album's a sublime "with strings" date – one that has Charlie blowing beautifully over backdrops from Sy Oliver – charts that certainly use some string instruments, but often in a very spare, mellow way – so that once Shavers gets going, his trumpet is right out front – often with a beautifully moody tone! Titles include "I've Got A Crush On You", "Embraceable You", "Liza", "Summertime", "But Not For Me", and "It Ain't Necessarily So". LP, Vinyl record album

An important early live show for Nina Simone – a move from the world of small nightclubs (as mentioned in the title of her first record), to the classy Town Hall venue – working in front of an audience filled with left-leaning listeners who were the perfect crowd to get the unique bag she was working on at the time! The performance is a great one – mellow, moody, and a bit folksy – with Nina singing and playing piano with power that really rings out in the larger space – really egged on by the enthusiastic response of the audience. Titles include her classic reading of "Black Is The Color Of My True Love's Hair", plus "The Other Woman", "Under The Lowest", "Summertime", "You Can Have Him", "Wild Is The Wind", "Return Home", and "Cotton Eyed Joe". LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic collection of work from the legendary Posh Boy label – a short-lived, but crucial imprint on the LA punk scene at the start of the 80s – and a company that was always a lot more hardcore than SST! Posh Boy really had a knack for capturing the short, sharp tunes that marked the LA scene at its best – work with blistering intensity, but also a slight dose of humor – maybe a bit of Ramones influence on the west, but always taken to more insane territory in the long run! Posh Boy gems are hard to come by, but this famous compilation offers up a nice full length document of label artists who didn't get much exposure past 45s – with tracks that include "I Have A Date", "Don't Bother Me", "California", and "Tiger Beat Twist" by The Simpletones; "I Got Power", "Atomic Lawn", "Meat House", and "Black & Red" by Rik L Rik; "Modern Machine", "Suzy Is A Surf Rocker", "Living In Madrid", and "Trix Are For Kids" by The Crowd. LP, Vinyl record album

A classic Blue Note meeting of two of the label's top talents in the early 60s – Hammond hero Jimmy Smith, and the up-and-rising Stanley Turrentine on tenor! Turrentine's simply great at this point – playing with a raspy edge on the bottom of his tone, sounding dark and mysterious – not nearly as sweet as in later years – and Smith is wonderful too – still with traces of the rough experimental approach to the Hammond that he used in his first few Blue Note sides, but with a bit more of a defined and swinging sound – all given a nice kick by the drums of Donald Bailey and guitar of Quentin Warren. Titles include "Stone Cold Dead in the Market", "Red Top", "Prayer Meetin", "I Almost Lost My Mind", and "Picknickin'". CD features 2 bonus tracks! CD

Lovely music from pianist Paul Smith – working here on one of his most standout sessions of the 50s, thanks to the presence of horn players Bob Cooper on tenor and Julie Kinsler on flute! The style is still very much in the same fluid area as Paul's Liquid Sounds work for Capitol – but the addition of the tenor and flute really fleshes things out nicely, and gives the record a sparkling sound that's mighty nice – almost more 60s swinging in its conception at times, especially given the guitar work by Toni Rizzi! In addition to Smith's piano, the group also features bass by Joe Mondragon and drums by Stan Levey – and titles include "Chicken Wings", "Gisele", "Cookie Time", "But Not For Me", "Fine & Dandy", "Lady In Red", and "Love Walked In". LP, Vinyl record album

The first, and perhaps the most conventional album by Spanky & Our Gang – but still pretty darn insane! The group are a strange mix of 60s styles – with bits of We Five, bits of Harpers Bizarre, bits of The Association – but a totally strange and totally fun approach to pop that's very much their own. Cuts on the album are a mix of originals and covers – and highlights include the incredible "5 Definitions Of Love" by Bob Dorough, "Distance" by Joe Renzetti, "Commercial" by the band, and the track "It Ain't Necessarily Bird Avenue". Great groovy stuff – and with arrangements by Renzetti, Dorough, and Stuart Scharf. LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

Features the mega hits "Ballroom Blitz" and "Fox On The Run" – along with "6-Teens", "No You Don't", "A.C.D.C", "I Wann Be Committed", "Sweet FA", "Set Me Free", "Into The Night", and "Solid Gold Brass". LP, Vinyl record album

... 78 RPM, Vinyl record

... LP, Vinyl record album

One of our favorite recordings ever of George Gershwin's Porgy & Bess – done by Bethlehem Records in the mid 50s, and featuring nearly every one of the label's great talents at the time! The choice of the lead characters is a bit odd – as Mel Torme plays Porgy and Francis Faye plays Bess – but both singers are actually pretty darn great for the set, and really bring a lot out of the tunes. Plus, the other artists on the set really keep things interesting – as the collection features vocal performances by Johnny Hartman, Frank Rosolino, Betty Roche, Bob Dorough, and Sallie Blair. Plus, the whole thing's presented as Gershwin wrote it – complete with narration by Al Jazzbo Collins, and a number of strong instrumental passages. Music is performed by groups led by Russ Garcia, Duke Ellington, Pat Moran, and Stan Levy – and players are an array of the best of both the New York and LA scenes at the time! LP, Vinyl record album

A real classic from blues giant Joe Turner – a singer who burst back to the mainstream on 50s Atlantic Records, thanks to a host of R&B singles that burned up the charts – but who here returns to his roots, and lays down a great set of jazzy tunes that get back to his roots in the Kansas City scene of the 30s! The shift is a bit like that Ray Charles made at the end of the 50s on Atlantic – R&B to more of a jazz-based groove – and Joe works here with great help from Pete Brown on alto, Pete Johnson on piano, Joe Newman on trumpet, and Lawrence Brown on trombone. After the raw hard R&B of Joe's bigger hit sides for Atlantic, the album's a compelling change – a reminder that Turner had roots that went much deeper than his rock and roll fame – and a depth of delivery that would keep his career strong, long after some of his 50s R&B contemporaries faded! The mix of modes – R&B and jazz – is a bit like some of the later Ray Charles albums on Atlantic – and tracks include "Low Down Dog", "Roll Em Pete", "Cherry Red", "How Long Blues", and "Morning Glories". LP, Vinyl record album

Great 40s work from this Kansas City legend – recorded in New York, Chicago, and LA – with work from players who include Don Byas and Wild Bill Moore on tenor, Camille Howard and Pete Johnson on piano, Red Saunders on drums, and Riley Hampton on alto sax! LP, Vinyl record album

A pair of late Motown albums from Undisputed Truth – both issued here back to back, as they originally appeared for the label! First up is Cosmic Truth – a fantastic 70s album from Undisputed Truth – and the first to fully feature the new version of the lineup, after the Magictones had been recruited to form the second version of the group! The sound here is even funkier and more guitar-based than before – a fully-realized take on the Norman Whitfield modes that had been brewing up since his late 60s work with The Temptations – almost as tripped-out at times as early 70s Funkadelic – as if Undisputed Truth were being put forth as a Detroit challenge to the George Clinton universe! Production and arrangements are great – very far-reaching at times, with some bigger ideas in the mix – although all the tight funky soul elements that always made these guys so great. Titles include "1990", "Squeeze Me Tease Me", "Earthquake Snake", "Spaced Out", "Lil Red Ridin Hood", "Got To Get Me Some Lovin", and the great cut "UFO's". Higher Than High is a great later Motown effort from the Undisputed Truth – working in a groove that's a bit tighter and more upbeat than before, but still plenty darn great! Norman Whitfield is still very firmly in charge of the group's sound on the record – arranging, producing, and writing most of the cuts on the album – and he's doing a great job of keeping his sound fresh here – not just sticking in the bass-heavy styles of previous years, and instead moving into some fresher territory that has the group continuing to grow nicely. In a way, the whole thing's almost a precursor for the grooves to come on Norman's own Whitfield label – a great batch of well-crafted titles that include "Overload", "Higher Than High", "Poontang", "I Saw YOu When You Met Her", "Help Yourself (second version)", "I'm In The Red Zone", "Boogie Bump Boogie", and "Ma". CD