... 78 RPM, Vinyl record

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

An amazing step forward for the young Etta James – a singer who was delivering a raw, shouting form of R&B just a few years before – but who here ascends into soul music heaven with her famous work on the album! The title cut is the stuff of legend – played and played, again and again over the years – but the whole record's wonderful, and handled with this new level of soul sophistication by arranger Riley Hampton – the great Chicago talent who'd reach similar heights in his charts for singers that include Lorez Alexandria and Walter Jackson. Hampton's dark use of strings brings out a whole new side of James' brilliance – a quality that raised Etta James up out of the R&B ghetto, and forever put her into the legions of legendary 60s soul stars! Titles include the perennial classic "At Last", plus "All I Could Do Was Cry", "Tough Mary", "Sunday Kind Of Love", "Anything To Say You're Mine", and "Trust In Me". Includes 4 bonus tracks – "My Heart Cries", "Spoonful", "It's A Crying Shame", and "If I Can't Have You". CD

An amazing step forward for the young Etta James – a singer who was delivering a raw, shouting form of R&B just a few years before – but who here ascends into soul music heaven with her famous work on the album! The title cut is the stuff of legend – played and played, again and again over the years – but the whole record's wonderful, and handled with this new level of soul sophistication by arranger Riley Hampton – the great Chicago talent who'd reach similar heights in his charts for singers that include Lorez Alexandria and Walter Jackson. Hampton's dark use of strings brings out a whole new side of James' brilliance – a quality that raised Etta James up out of the R&B ghetto, and forever put her into the legions of legendary 60s soul stars! Titles include the perennial classic "At Last", plus "All I Could Do Was Cry", "Tough Mary", "Sunday Kind Of Love", "Anything To Say You're Mine", and "Trust In Me". Includes 4 bonus tracks – "My Heart Cries", "Spoonful", "It's A Crying Shame", and "If I Can't Have You". LP, Vinyl record album

A really wonderful album of Etta James material for Chess – 10 of her biggest tracks for the label, including some really hard-hitting R&B numbers, mixed with other tunes that represent the sadder, softer side of Etta's wonderful voice! Tracks include "Stop The Wedding", "Something's Got A Hold Of Me", "At Last", "Sunday Kind Of Love", "Fool That I Am", "Trust In Me", "Would It Make Any Difference To You", "My Dearest Darling", "All I Could Do Was Cry", "Trust In Me" and "Pushover". LP, Vinyl record album

Purely classic 60s gems from Tommy James & The Shondells – kicking off with the all time great pop title track – and featuring loads of tunes that are nearly as wonderful! The group were hit radio kings at the time, and they cover some great ones by others, too, like "California Sun" and " Shout" – and the set's filled with excellent, head of the pack pop tunes like "Trust Each Other In Love", "Baby Let Me Down", "I Like The Way", "Gone, Gone, Gone", "Mirage", "Let's Be Lovers" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

A seminal album – a late 60s classic meeting of the brain trust of the avant garde jazz scene in New York, recorded for the young JCOA label – and put forth as one of their early attempts to prove that musicians could be in charge of the means of production! Michael Mantler provided the core composition, and directs the group – but the lineup is a who's who of forces who'd record for ESP, Impulse, and other labels – with bold solos from Don Cherry on cornet, Gato Barbieri on tenor, Larry Coryell on guitar, Roswell Rudd on trombone, Cecil Taylor on piano, and Pharoah Sanders on tenor – in a larger lineup of players who also include Steve Marcus, Andrew Cyrille, Reggie Workman, Alan Silva, Carla Bley, Beaver Harris, Charles Davis, Robert Northern, Kent Carter, and many other key avant musicians! Titles include "Communications 8", "Communications 9", "Communications 10", and "Communications 11".' CD

A seminal album – a late 60s classic meeting of the brain trust of the avant garde jazz scene in New York, recorded for the young JCOA label – and put forth as one of their early attempts to prove that musicians could be in charge of the means of production! Michael Mantler provided the core composition, and directs the group – but the lineup is a who's who of forces who'd record for ESP, Impulse, and other labels – with bold solos from Don Cherry on cornet, Gato Barbieri on tenor, Larry Coryell on guitar, Roswell Rudd on trombone, Cecil Taylor on piano, and Pharoah Sanders on tenor – in a larger lineup of players who also include Steve Marcus, Andrew Cyrille, Reggie Workman, Alan Silva, Carla Bley, Beaver Harris, Charles Davis, Robert Northern, Kent Carter, and many other key avant musicians! Titles include "Communications 8", "Communications 9", "Communications 10", and "Communications 11".' CD

A seminal album – a late 60s classic meeting of the brain trust of the avant garde jazz scene in New York, recorded for the young JCOA label – and put forth as one of their early attempts to prove that musicians could be in charge of the means of production! Michael Mantler provided the core composition, and directs the group – but the lineup is a who's who of forces who'd record for ESP, Impulse, and other labels – with bold solos from Don Cherry on cornet, Gato Barbieri on tenor, Larry Coryell on guitar, Roswell Rudd on trombone, Cecil Taylor on piano, and Pharoah Sanders on tenor – in a larger lineup of players who also include Steve Marcus, Andrew Cyrille, Reggie Workman, Alan Silva, Carla Bley, Beaver Harris, Charles Davis, Robert Northern, Kent Carter, and many other key avant musicians! Titles include "Communications 8", "Communications 9", "Communications 10", and "Communications 11".' LP, Vinyl record album

Features early vocals from Pete Wingfield – on titles that include "River's Invitation", "I've Got To Forget You", "Rusty Blade", "Boogie Sandwich", "I Pity The Fool", and "Chairman Mao's Boogaloo". LP, Vinyl record album

A stone classic from the glory days of 90s hip hop – a set that's worth it not just for Jeru's mad lyrics, but also for the sublime production of DJ Premier – from a time when he had so much studio genius, he seemed to be reinventing the sound of hip hop with each new release! The set's a double-length gem, billed on the back as "created to save hip hop" – which Jeru and a rare few were able to do at the major label level, at a time when artists rarely got the chance to explode with such freedom and power like this. Tracks include "One Day", "Me Or The Papes", "Tha Frustrated Nigga", "Scientifical Madness", "Revenge Of The Prophet (Part 5)", "One Day", "Too Perverted", "Invasion", "Ya Playin Yaself", "Black Cowboys", "Whatever", "Physical Stamina", and "How I'm Livin". CD

A record with a much harder edge than you'd expect from the cover – not the ancient vibe of a medieval crusade, or the religiosity in the title – and instead this searing entry to the hard rock underground at the time! The group have a really heavy Black Sabbath sort of sound – with excellent lead guitars from Bob Cooke, and a sinister sound that has the grooves really dipping down into the depths, pushed even further by evil-edged vocals from singer Lynden Williams. The album's got the raw power of Sabbath's best work – and the whole thing's a killer record that should have been an instant classic. Titles include "Midnight Steamer", "Frustration", "Hooded Eagle", "Primitive Man", "She Came Like A Bat Out Of Hell", and "When The Wolf Sits". LP, Vinyl record album

A record with a much harder edge than you'd expect from the cover – not the ancient vibe of a medieval crusade, or the religiosity in the title – and instead this searing entry to the hard rock underground at the time! The group have a really heavy Black Sabbath sort of sound – with excellent lead guitars from Bob Cooke, and a sinister sound that has the grooves really dipping down into the depths, pushed even further by evil-edged vocals from singer Lynden Williams. The album's got the raw power of Sabbath's best work – and the whole thing's a killer record that should have been an instant classic. Titles include "Midnight Steamer", "Frustration", "Hooded Eagle", "Primitive Man", "She Came Like A Bat Out Of Hell", and "When The Wolf Sits". LP, Vinyl record album

2 of Boogaloo Joe's best and rarest albums on one CD – guitar jazz funk at its best! First up is Boogaloo Joe – a killer session of funky guitar jazz, and the record that gave Ivan "Boogaloo" Joe Jones his nickname! The set's a full-on wailer that really blows away Joe's first two on Prestige – breaking out ouf the box with a killer lineup that includes Rusty Bryant on tenor, Bernard Purdie on drums, and Sonny Phillips on organ – all working with Joe's incredibly tight guitar lines to craft some wicked tunes that take soul jazz firmly into the sound of the 70s! Titles include "Boogaloo Joe", "People Are Talking", "Dream On Little Dreamer", and "Atlantic City Soul". Right On Brother is next – and is Ivan's first truly sublime album – a set that showed the world that he was easily one of the greatest jazz guitarists of his generation – able to spin out single-note jams with a speed and dexterity that few others could match! The groove here is totally great and very righteous – heavy drums from Bernard Purdie, wailing organ from Charles Earland, and saxophone from Rusty Bryant – all cooking together in the best early 70s Prestige jazz funk mode! Titles include "Right On", "Brown Bag", "Things Ain't What They Used To Be", and "Poppin". CD

Landmark stuff – a killer session of funky guitar jazz, and the record that gave Ivan "Boogaloo" Joe Jones his nickname! The set's a full-on wailer that really blows away Joe's first two on Prestige – breaking out ouf the box with a killer lineup that includes Rusty Bryant on tenor, Bernard Purdie on drums, and Sonny Phillips on organ – all working with Joe's incredibly tight guitar lines to craft some wicked tunes that take soul jazz firmly into the sound of the 70s! Titles include "Boogaloo Joe", "People Are Talking", "Dream On Little Dreamer", and "Atlantic City Soul". LP, Vinyl record album

A really great solo set from Kipper Jones – previously in the group Thrust, but maybe even better here as a lead act on his own! The record was really slept on at the time, but it's definitely in the stronger side of mainstream soul of the period – new jack beats on many cuts, but a richer sort of songwriting than most, with surprisingly positive vibes that really draw plenty from Kipper's great vocal approach too! The man himself produced most of the album – and titles include "Poor Elaine", "My House", "Ordinary Story", "Trust", "Consider Me Yours", "Cut Me No Slack", "Watch Over Me", and "Shock Wave". CD

The sound of a legend – a raw rocking classic from Janis Joplin – arguably the most perfectly-formed record from her all-too-short run in modern music! There's a focus here that's even sharper than before – and a rising of the funky undercurrents that Janis always had in her music, matched with vocals that are some of the most soulful you could ever hope for from the blue-eyed hippie generation! The album was the last one that Janis ever recorded, and it's a classic through and through – with titles that include "Move Over", "Cry Baby", "A Woman Left Lonely", "Trust Me", "Get It While You Can", and "Mercedes Benz". LP, Vinyl record album

The sound of a legend – a raw rocking classic from Janis Joplin – arguably the most perfectly-formed record from her all-too-short run in modern music! There's a focus here that's even sharper than before – and a rising of the funky undercurrents that Janis always had in her music, matched with vocals that are some of the most soulful you could ever hope for from the blue-eyed hippie generation! The album was the last one that Janis ever recorded, and it's a classic through and through – with titles that include "Move Over", "Cry Baby", "A Woman Left Lonely", "Trust Me", "Get It While You Can", and "Mercedes Benz". Includes 4 bonus tracks too! CD

The rare early 80s club soul set from Margie Joseph – kind of an bubbling, synth and programming era departure of the stunning female southern soul singer! The groove is definitely a left turn for Margie, but it's endearing modern club soul – with the dancefloor gem "Knockout" and others like it, plus more laidback gems that more of a showcase for incredible voice – which is still soaring and beautiful at this point! Titles include "Knockout" (special mix), "Moove To The Groove", "Gonna Get You", "Give It To Me", "Pull The Shade", "The One You Can Trust" and more – plus 3 bonus tracks: a re-edit and an extended mix of "Knockout" plus a previously unreleased remix of "Moove To The Groove". CD

The second meeting between Kaze and Ikue Mori – with Mori on electronics, Satoko Fujii on piano, Natsuki Tamura and Christian Pruvost on trumpets, Peter Orins on drums. CD

... LP, Vinyl record album

A mighty pairing of talents – indie legends Men I Trust and funk monsters Khruangbin – united here on one record, recorded on a very strong tour date from 2022! All material was recorded at RBC Echo Beach – with Men I Trust on side one, Khruangbin on side two – sadly not playing together on the same stage, but maybe something you could create if you played two copies of the record at the same time, one side each! Titles include "Sugar", "All Night", "Seven", "Show Me How", "Dern Kala", "Lady & Man", and "White Gloves". LP, Vinyl record album

Raw, stripped down hip hop sample blues from Kid Koala – done on his trusty SP1200! It's unlike anything Koala's done to date, and unlike any of the more famous examples of a producer-DJ mining old school blues records. It's cool stuff – grainy, gritty and respectful of root materials – but creative enough to add some scratches and other head-nodding hip hop touches. 12 tracks in all: "1 Bit Blues" through "11 Bit Blues" – plus "Denouement". CD

Freddie King first rose to prominence in the 60s as a hell of a guitarist with a penchant for searing licks – but 70s records like this really put him over the top as a vocalist too! The set was done for Leon Russell's Shelter label – and Russell produced and plays piano and organ on the record, yet still gives Freddie all the space he needs in the lead – which he does wonderfully, both on vocals and his own "singing" guitar! Don Preston is in the small group on second guitar, and there's some nice use of organ as well – and titles include "You Was Wrong", "Can't Trust Your Neighbor", "The Sky Is Crying", "I'd Rather Be Blind", and "Me and My Guitar". CD

A completely hip little record from Morgana King – one that takes her amazing voice, and sets it amidst some expansive arrangements that push past jazz to include some trippier 70s styles! The whole session's got a nice mix of the mellow and baroque – with a subtle funky undercurrent at points, and definitely a fair bit more soul than we're used to hearing from Morgana! Arrangements are by Torrie Zito and Bob James – and the production often compresses the vocals in a really cool way – sliding them amidst the instrumentation with a haunting quality that's hard to describe in words, but which makes the album one of King's most breathtaking ever! The back cover has Morgana getting props from Donny Hathaway, Stevie Wonder, Paul Williams, and Kenny Rankin – all names we can certainly trust – and titles include a great version of "We Could Be Flying", "All In All", "A Song For You", "Like A Seed", and "The Sands Of Time & Changes". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the oddest of the 70s concept albums by The Kinks – a set of tracks that takes Ray Davies and the band back to the school days of their youth – where they revisit frustrations, anger, and the disgrace in the title! The best moments here are the ones that unlock a bit of the straighter rocking that shows up more in late 70s Kinks work – like the excellent single "I'm In Disgrace", the anthemic "No More Looking Back", or the leadoff "Schooldays" – and a few of the weaker moments get a bit too silly, and almost showy at times – like Ray's writing for a forthcoming Broadway career. Titles include "The Hard Way", "Headmaster", "Education", "Jack The Idiot Dunce", and "Finale". CD

One of the oddest of the 70s concept albums by The Kinks – a set of tracks that takes Ray Davies and the band back to the school days of their youth – where they revisit frustrations, anger, and the disgrace in the title! The best moments here are the ones that unlock a bit of the straighter rocking that shows up more in late 70s Kinks work – like the excellent single "I'm In Disgrace", the anthemic "No More Looking Back", or the leadoff "Schooldays" – and a few of the weaker moments get a bit too silly, and almost showy at times – like Ray's writing for a forthcoming Broadway career. Titles include "The Hard Way", "Headmaster", "Education", "Jack The Idiot Dunce", and "Finale". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the oddest of the 70s concept albums by The Kinks – a set of tracks that takes Ray Davies and the band back to the school days of their youth – where they revisit frustrations, anger, and the disgrace in the title! The best moments here are the ones that unlock a bit of the straighter rocking that shows up more in late 70s Kinks work – like the excellent single "I'm In Disgrace", the anthemic "No More Looking Back", or the leadoff "Schooldays" – and a few of the weaker moments get a bit too silly, and almost showy at times – like Ray's writing for a forthcoming Broadway career. Titles include "The Hard Way", "Headmaster", "Education", "Jack The Idiot Dunce", and "Finale". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the greatest power pop albums ever recorded – a blistering batch of tight little rocking tunes that took pop music back to basics at the end of the 70s! The group have an almost Beatles-esque flair for the short catchy tune – but have also pumped up things nicely with a smoothly compressed 70s approach to production. There's an urgency to the work that seems to drive the whole thing with an uptight adolescent sense of horniness – a strange force that kicks most tunes into ultradrive by tapping into a virtually limitless source of energy! Titles include the mega-hit "My Sharona", plus "Heartbeat", "Lucinda", "Frustrated", "Good Girls Don't", "Selfish", "O Tara", and "Maybe Tonight". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the greatest power pop albums ever recorded – a blistering batch of tight little rocking tunes that took pop music back to basics at the end of the 70s! The group have an almost Beatles-esque flair for the short catchy tune – but have also pumped up things nicely with a smoothly compressed 70s approach to production. There's an urgency to the work that seems to drive the whole thing with an uptight adolescent sense of horniness – a strange force that kicks most tunes into ultradrive by tapping into a virtually limitless source of energy! Titles include the mega-hit "My Sharona", plus "Heartbeat", "Lucinda", "Frustrated", "Good Girls Don't", "Selfish", "O Tara", and "Maybe Tonight". CD

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

Features Stanley Turrentine, Ray Brown, Christian McBride, and Lewis Nash. CD

Pianist Uli Lenz really sparkles here – in the company of the tremendous rhythm duo of Cecil McBee on bass and Joe Chambers on drums! The recording's a live one – as you'll know from the title – and the tracks are long, open, and very fluid – balancing some of the modern elements in Uli's piano with the strong, soulful currents that both the bass and drums bring to the music – modes that are especially strong on the original tunes on the album by Lenz, but which really transform the few familiar numbers too. Chambers is a complete delight – and the album's a great reminder of all the wonderful elements he brought to jazz in his early years – on titles that include "Don't Trust The Mirror", "Midnight Candy", "Five For Bob", "Inner Urge", "Sophisticated Lady", and "Freedom Jazz Dance". CD

With Liebman on soprano and tenor saxophones an flute, Ben Monder on guitar, and John Herbert on bass. LP, Vinyl record album

A nicely grooving soul album from Love Committee – who are probably best known for their earlier disco songs, but we really dig this 1980 self-titled album for the mellower numbers – the best of which have a smooth midtempo groove that's as tasty as ever! A few of the numbers were co-written by Eddie Levert of The O'Jays, an indication of the style LC were going for, and they hit it nicely! Titles include "Love People Theme", "Ain't It a Shame", "You Are the One for Me","Boogie Papers", "Who Can We Trust", "I Wanna Make Love to You", and "I Made A Mistake". This Vinyl Masterpiece edition has 2 bonus tracks: longer versions of "I Made A Mistake" and "Boogie Papers". CD

Almost a late British invasion group – and a pretty darn groovy one at that! The Magic Lanterns hail from the UK, but they've got a sound that's picked up some of the Sunshine pop and jazzier touches of the US pop scene in the late 60s – heard to great effect on the title hit "Shame Shame", but coming through nicely throughout the record, which seems to benefit strongly from arrangements by the likes of Big Jim Sullivan, John Paul Jones, and Reg Tilsley. Titles include "Out In The Cold Again", "Shame Shame", "Impressions Of Linda", "Never Gonna Trust My Heart Again", "Give Me Love", "When The Music Stops", and "Pussy Willow Dragon". LP, Vinyl record album

A groundbreaking book from Greil Marcus – one that gets past some of the overblown histories of rock music, to look at the medium in a completely different way! Marcus eschews all the big name performers and movements – and instead looks at the music through ten different songs – all of them very unusual, very specific choices – but laid out by the author with a logic that's completely compelling as the book moves on. There's few folks that we'd trust with such a project – but given what Greil's given us in the past, we were already on board before reading – and as before, his creative approach is without parallel. And in case you're wondering, some of the songs include "Transmission" by Joy Division, "Shake Some Action" by The Flamin Groovies, "Crying Waiting Hoping" by Buddy Holly, "All I Could Do Was Cry" by Etta James, "Money" by Barrett Strong, and "To Know Him Is To Love Him" by The Teddy Bears. Book is 306 pages, hardcover. Book

A rare acid folk-styled gem from the Bay Area scene at the end of the 60s – served up by Rusty Evans from the famous Freak Scene group, stepping out here in a completely different style overall! The music is mostly acoustic, at a level that has the raspy lead vocals coming across with a nice current of darkness – really moody singing to fit the equally moody themes – almost darker than Tim Hardin at the time, as if Marcus were coming down from a bad trip with all these realizations about the world! There's a bit of electric guitar snaking through the record too – and overall the more gentle instrumentation really emphasizes the haunting power of the music. Titles include "Royal Maze", "The Coming", "Grains Of Sand", "Time Of Our Time", "We'll All Go Together", and "Color Song". LP, Vinyl record album

A rare acid folk-styled gem from the Bay Area scene at the end of the 60s – served up by Rusty Evans from the famous Freak Scene group, stepping out here in a completely different style overall! The music is mostly acoustic, at a level that has the raspy lead vocals coming across with a nice current of darkness – really moody singing to fit the equally moody themes – almost darker than Tim Hardin at the time, as if Marcus were coming down from a bad trip with all these realizations about the world! There's a bit of electric guitar snaking through the record too – and overall the more gentle instrumentation really emphasizes the haunting power of the music. Titles include "Royal Maze", "The Coming", "Grains Of Sand", "Time Of Our Time", "We'll All Go Together", and "Color Song". 2CD set features a huge amount of bonus material – 5 acoustic demos, 5 more alternate takes with a band – and then 22 more alternates on a bonus CD! CD

A quartet session that mixes vibes and piano – the former from Aleksander Sever, the latter from Floris Kappeyne – but in a way that's nicely different from any sort of historical precedents – such as work from the MJQ or George Shearing, and maybe even more recent recordings from duos like Joe Locke and Kenny Barron! There's a round sort of warmth going on here – a flow that's maybe directed first by piano, then followed by the vibes – and driven equally by the richness of the rhythm work of Omer Govreen on bass and Wouter Kuhne on drums, both players who give the record a dynamic energy that's a really nice change from some of the colder, gentler efforts that might feature vibes and piano. As with other albums on the JMI label, the recording quality really brings out a great deal of color in the performance – on titles that include "Tired", "Trust", "God's Word", "Maya", "Heal", "Fragility", and "Inwoods". LP, Vinyl record album

Gritty gritty gritty! This live set of soul jazz tracks was recorded in Chicago's Cook County Jail on Friday the 13th, 1972 – and we can hardly think of a darker place to record a soul jazz album! Side one features the aptly-named "Freedom Suite", an extended groover played by Jimmy McGriff, and a 2-guitar group that includes George Freeman and Odonel Levy – and side two has Lucky Thompson playing in a soulful group with Cedar Walton on electric piano, on the tracks "Green Dolphin Street" and "Everything Happens To Me". A pretty incredible event to be recorded – trust us, we drive by the jail a fair bit on the way to work! LP, Vinyl record album

An incredible bit of electric funk from the hinterlands of Ohio – an obscure album that hardly saw the light of day back in the 70s, making its first national debut in this excellent reissue! The sound of the set is incredible – moody Fender Rhodes, Arp, moog, and organ over bass and percussion that ranges from spare and skittish, to funky and full-on! A few tracks feature a bit of vocals, but the album's mostly concerned with the interplay between the keys and the percussion – tripping out in wonderfully open-ended tracks, the best of which offer almost a keyboard alternative to the spacey sound of Shuggie Otis in the mid 70s! Titles include "One Slave One Gun", "Quiet Isle", "Untitled", "Ja Ja", "Summer Time", "Punk Fun", and "Hypertension". LP, Vinyl record album

Accompanied by Rusty Gilder on bass and Eric Nebbia on drums. LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

A live album, but every bit as seminal as the studio sides that Pat Metheny cut for ECM at the time – and proof that the Metheny magic was clearly his own, and not just a product of studio tricks by Manfred Eicher! The set reprises tunes and themes from a variety of Metheny's earlier ECM albums – but the live presentation of the material somehow really transforms a number of them – pushing them into a soundspace that's similar to the one explored by Pat on the Offramp album, augmented especially by the presence of percussionist Nana Vasconcelos in the group. Titles include "Phase Dance", "Farmer's Trust", "Straight On Red", "The Fields The Sky", "Are You Going With Me", "Extradition", "Going Ahead", "As Falls Wichita So Falls Wichita Falls", and "Travels". LP, Vinyl record album

The title's an apt one, because after frustrations experienced working for Columbia and other labels, Mingus is finally allowed the freedom here to present his own ideas in all their unfettered glory – working with a bracingly tight quartet that features Eric Dolphy on alto and bass clarinet and Ted Curson on trumpet! A number of the tracks here are familiar in their titles from other records, but the versions here stretch out far longer – moving past 10 minutes on 2 of the album's 4 tracks, and approaching that limit on others. But even more noticeable is the spareness of the sound – as the smaller group versions allow for a tremendous amount of solo space, really letting the focus fall on the two horn players, with the bass of Mingus and drums of Dannie Richmond shading in the space behind and beyond. Titles include "Folk Forms No. 1", "All the Things You Could Be By Now If Sigmund Freud's Wife Was Your Mother", and the original uncensored version of "Faubus Fables". CD

The title's an apt one, because after frustrations experienced working for Columbia and other labels, Mingus is finally allowed the freedom here to present his own ideas in all their unfettered glory – working with a bracingly tight quartet that features Eric Dolphy on alto and bass clarinet and Ted Curson on trumpet! A number of the tracks here are familiar in their titles from other records, but the versions here stretch out far longer – moving past 10 minutes on 2 of the album's 4 tracks, and approaching that limit on others. But even more noticeable is the spareness of the sound – as the smaller group versions allow for a tremendous amount of solo space, really letting the focus fall on the two horn players, with the bass of Mingus and drums of Dannie Richmond shading in the space behind and beyond. Titles include "Folk Forms No. 1", "All the Things You Could Be By Now If Sigmund Freud's Wife Was Your Mother", and the original uncensored version of "Faubus Fables". LP, Vinyl record album

The title's an apt one, because after frustrations experienced working for Columbia and other labels, Mingus is finally allowed the freedom here to present his own ideas in all their unfettered glory – working with a bracingly tight quartet that features Eric Dolphy on alto and bass clarinet and Ted Curson on trumpet! A number of the tracks here are familiar in their titles from other records, but the versions here stretch out far longer – moving past 10 minutes on 2 of the album's 4 tracks, and approaching that limit on others. But even more noticeable is the spareness of the sound – as the smaller group versions allow for a tremendous amount of solo space, really letting the focus fall on the two horn players, with the bass of Mingus and drums of Dannie Richmond shading in the space behind and beyond. Titles include "Folk Forms No. 1", "All the Things You Could Be By Now If Sigmund Freud's Wife Was Your Mother", and the original uncensored version of "Faubus Fables". LP, Vinyl record album

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Mindblowing! This is when Wes Montgomery really starts to get interesting to us – when he's working with a top-line arranger like Don Sebesky, crafting some incredibly compelling chords over lightly jazzy arrangements and soaring strings, in a whole new mode of expression that would go onto transform a generation of guitar players! And sure, this album sold a gazillion copies – but we'll be honest in saying that we think it's loads more complex and mature than some of Wes' straight jazz sides from earlier years – light years away from the small combo dates of the early years, both in conception and sound. Titles include "Day In The Life", "Watch What Happens", "California Nights", "Windy", "Trust In Me", and "The Joker". CD

Mindblowing! This is when Wes Montgomery really starts to get interesting to us – when he's working with a top-line arranger like Don Sebesky, crafting some incredibly compelling chords over lightly jazzy arrangements and soaring strings, in a whole new mode of expression that would go onto transform a generation of guitar players! And sure, this album sold a gazillion copies – but we'll be honest in saying that we think it's loads more complex and mature than some of Wes' straight jazz sides from earlier years – light years away from the small combo dates of the early years, both in conception and sound. Titles include "Day In The Life", "Watch What Happens", "California Nights", "Windy", "Trust In Me", and "The Joker". LP, Vinyl record album

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Guitarist Joe Morris works here with frequent partner Mat Maneri on viola – a duo who've been making music for many years together – and who find this really special way of combining their two instruments together – at a level that's almost its own sort of space between a viola and guitar! Sounds come from either musician at a level that's always very inventive, and spontaneously creative – and the pair get rhythmic assistance from Chris Lightcap on bass and Gerald Cleaver on drums – both of whom are as loose and free as Morris and Maneri, so that the instruments shade in the sound more than direct the propulsion of performance. Titles include "Thought", "Effort", "Trust", "Purpose", "Substance", and "Meaning". CD

All 3 Move albums remastered and collected in 1 massive set! This anthology includes basically everything you could ever want by these psychedelic pop maestros – including their self-titled 1st LP, Shazam, Looking On, singles, un-issued tracks, as well as the 1st ever CD version of the live Something Else EP – showcasing each phase of the group's influential career. Essentially the brainchild of songwriter/lead guitarist Roy Wood, the Move were arguably one of the best and most important British groups of the late 60s to never make a dent on the American charts, combining shimmering psych-pop with a harder edge and a sometimes morbid lyrical twist (as evident on the first 2 discs). The 3rd CD contains the band's final album and 1st to feature a new member – guitarist Jeff Lynne (formerly of the Idle Race and future of Electric Light Orchestra) – whose cheerier pop notions proved an interesting, if not frustrating counterpoint to Wood's darker, ironic sensibilities. Wood and Lynne's growing fascination with orchestral rock would cause them to disband the Move in 1972 and form ELO – opening up a new chapter in the history of British rock, but this anthology contains a whopping 54 tracks including; "I Can Hear The Grass Grow", "Lemon Tree", Walk Upon The Water", "Flowers In The Rain", "Fire Brigade", from The Move, "Blackberry Way", "Cherry Blossom Clinic Revisited", and "Beautiful Daughter" from Shazam, and "Brontosaurus", "Looking On", and "Feel Too Good" from Looking On – Essential stuff! CD

Back in the day, Mr Fingers was always one of the jazziest talents on the scene – and all these many years later, it feels as if he's really leaning into that quality in his music – not just in those wonderful keyboards, which were always so great, and an important 90s extension of 70s jazz funk modes – but also in the way the album sets up the songs, and uses some great saxophone solos too! Rhythms are often midtempo instead of fully full-on, which really helps pace the record nicely – and instrumental moments are balanced with vocal passages that really bring the whole thing into focus – on titles that include "Tekjazz", "Invisible", "Rustling Leaves", "The Icy Air Of Night", "Supa Kool", "Country Rhodes", and "We're Drowning". LP, Vinyl record album

Gerry Mulligan brings the piano back in nicely here – but in a way that still hangs onto all the best modern tones of his earlier Pacific Jazz sessions! The date's a live one – done at Storyville in Boston – but the sound is wonderfully intimate, with Gerry on baritone sax and piano, Bob Brookmeyer on valve trombone, Bill Crow on bass, and Dave Bailey on drums. The Crow/Bailey rhythm section is superb – nicely swinging throughout – and Gerry's work on piano has that airy, moody quality that would show up even more strongly in the 60s. Titles include "Bweebida Bwobbida", "Open Country", "Rustic Hop", "Bike Up The Strand", and "Storyville Story". CD

A very unique book on the Japanese crate-digging scene – one that has a strong focus on DJ Muro, the man who's given us countless great mixes and compilations over the years! The book is in Japanese, and begins with an initial interview with Muro, complete with lots of photos – but it then goes into a long section of "Diggin" chapters, with images and lists of key records by funk and soul artists, both American and Japanese. The format is different than Japanese disc guides, but still provides plenty of small images of cover art, and information on very cool records you might want to track down. Given how much greatness Muro has given us over the years, we can certainly trust his picks here – and there's enough visual information here to direct your digging, even if you can't read Japanese! (But special hint: you can always use Google translate on your phone to decode things.) Softcover book is almost 200 pages long, with a mix of black and white and color images. Book

An obscure little modern soul groover – with a jazzy funk touch that you wouldn't expect from a record cut at Malaco Studios and released on the southern soul heavy Chimneyville imprint – usually home to much rootsier material! The group's got a soaring groove – with a lot of uptempo moments and few mellower ones – always exuberant, and filled with a sense of joy and power that really comes through right away! The groove is upbeat, and has the same sense of positive energy you'll find in the lyrics and tight instrumentation – and titles include "Dance To The Funk", "Come & Go Away With Me", "You Make Me So Happy", "Reachin Out", "Time Is Wasting", "Don't Be Lonely", and "Trust In Me". CD

There's been a big break since Meshell Ndegeocello's last album – but from the sound of the album, it's been worth it! One of the baddest soul singers of the past decade is back in business, and sounding better than ever – serving up a fierce blend of beats and vocals, done in a more laidback format than her previous albums, one that makes for an album that's even more compelling and personal. Titles include "Earth", "Criterion", "Barry Farms", "Legged Griot Trio", "God, Fear, Money", "Hot Night", "Priorities", "Trust", and "Akel Dama". CD

To those in the know, Mike Nesmith has always been way more than a Monkee – a genius at business, a sensitive songwriter, and a guy who's had a hand in so many key moments in music and culture – even if he doesn't always take credit for his work! That understated quality has always been one of Nesmith's greatest calling cards, and it comes through wonderfully in this book – less a narrative memoir than a series of well-penned snapshots from different moments in his life and experience – open and honest about challenges and frustrations, but also with a good sense of perspective too. The man's done a hell of a job of carving out a great life for himself, and that really comes through here – and the book is softcover, 306 pages, and has some black and white images. Book

A killer second album from the McNeal & Niles duo who gave us the legendary Thrust album – a record that's a lot less-known than that underground classic, and which almost has the group soaring in an even more fully-formed mode overall! There's definitely plenty of Ohio funk elements in the mix here – that special legacy the late 70s scene picked up from the influence of George Clinton and his P-Funk empire – but tuned towards some jazzier modes at times, especially given that the record has all this nice work on tenor from Bob Fried! The set's still got all the great keyboard work of before, but also adds in some wickedly sharp basslines, and even some occasional vocals one one track – the mighty "Survival Of The Fittest", next to other cuts that include "Electric Earth", "Parrot City", "Hang Ten", "First Time Home", and "Sevens Up". LP, Vinyl record album

A landmark album in the history of South African jazz – a set that marks a real shift in the way the music was put together, and maybe a new sort of sophistication that would really mark the scene in years to come! The album's not the first recording from pianist Gideon Nxumalo, but it definitely represents a shift in his sound – longer tracks that often have a slow-building sense of shape and spirit, as the more rhythmic modes of earlier years are opened up and relaxed in favor of some of the larger sound of the tracks and solo space. Yet if you're worried about the record not having a groove, don't fret, as there's plenty of that in here too – just in ways that really make the album stand out strongly in a modern jazz idiom. The session details have been lost to the shifting sands of time, but in addition to Gideon's piano, there's guitar, alto, tenor, trumpet, and flute on the record – on titles that include "Early Mart", "Frustration", and "Slow Blues". LP, Vinyl record album

A lesser-known album from One Way, but a great one – and in some ways, even fresher and more appealing than some of their more famous work from the time! The set's still got plenty of the great One Way bounce in the mix – but there's also a deeper, more sensitive soul sound going on here – one that has the group coming across as strongly on the ballads as the groovers – creating a sense of balance that gives us even more respect for the group than usual. Titles include "Wild Night", "Back To Yesterday", "Making You An Offer", "Don't Fight The Feeling", "Toast To The Other Man", "Can I", and "Put Your Trust In Me". CD

Easily our favorite album ever by Ann Peebles – not just for the beathead title track, but also because it seems to be the one record where she brings a bit something extra to the studio! The sound is certainly in the classic Hi Records mode here – thanks to production by Willie Mitchell – but there's also a deeper groove overall, a stronger burning bottom, and an all-soul sound to most tracks that goes way beyond simple cliches of southern soul. Ann's vocals are tremendous throughout – sometimes sweet, sometimes mean – and titles include the sublime "I Can't Stand The Rain", plus "Run Run Run", "One Way Street", "You Keep Me Hangin On", and "If We Can't Trust Each Other". CD

Easily our favorite album ever by Ann Peebles – not just for the beathead title track, but also because it seems to be the one record where she brings a bit something extra to the studio! The sound is certainly in the classic Hi Records mode here – thanks to production by Willie Mitchell – but there's also a deeper groove overall, a stronger burning bottom, and an all-soul sound to most tracks that goes way beyond simple cliches of southern soul. Ann's vocals are tremendous throughout – sometimes sweet, sometimes mean – and titles include the sublime "I Can't Stand The Rain", plus "Run Run Run", "One Way Street", "You Keep Me Hangin On", and "If We Can't Trust Each Other". LP, Vinyl record album

Easily our favorite album ever by Ann Peebles – not just for the beathead title track, but also because it seems to be the one record where she brings a bit something extra to the studio! The sound is certainly in the classic Hi Records mode here – thanks to production by Willie Mitchell – but there's also a deeper groove overall, a stronger burning bottom, and an all-soul sound to most tracks that goes way beyond simple cliches of southern soul. Ann's vocals are tremendous throughout – sometimes sweet, sometimes mean – and titles include the sublime "I Can't Stand The Rain", plus "Run Run Run", "One Way Street", "You Keep Me Hangin On", and "If We Can't Trust Each Other". LP, Vinyl record album

With Cecil Bridgewater on trumpet and Stan Hope on piano – on titles that include "Only Trust Your Heart", "Almost Like Being In Love", "Everything Happens To Me", and "Just For You". LP, Vinyl record album

Not a live album – as you might think from the title – but a tight batch of tunes that shows the full funk and soul talents of the legendary Esther Phillips! The album's got a nicely dark undercurrent at times – a sound that's not as smooth as some of Esther's other Kudu albums from the 70s, with bits of R&B bubbling underneath the more contemporary arrangements. Backings are penned by Pee Wee Ellis and Gary King – and players include Bob James and Richard Tee on keyboards, Hubert Laws on flute, and Bernard Purdie and Steve Gadd on drums – the latter of whom provides a sublime beat on the album's standout funky number "Disposable Society" – one of those great little groovers that never did anything for Esther at the time of its release, but which has really gotten rediscovered in recent years! Other tracks include "Doing Our Thing", "Living Alone", "Can't Trust Your Neighbor With Your Baby", and "I Feel The Same". LP, Vinyl record album

Not a live album – as you might think from the title – but a tight batch of tunes that shows the full funk and soul talents of the legendary Esther Phillips! The album's got a nicely dark undercurrent at times – a sound that's not as smooth as some of Esther's other Kudu albums from the 70s, with bits of R&B bubbling underneath the more contemporary arrangements. Backings are penned by Pee Wee Ellis and Gary King – and players include Bob James and Richard Tee on keyboards, Hubert Laws on flute, and Bernard Purdie and Steve Gadd on drums – the latter of whom provides a sublime beat on the album's standout funky number "Disposable Society" – one of those great little groovers that never did anything for Esther at the time of its release, but which has really gotten rediscovered in recent years! Other tracks include "Doing Our Thing", "Living Alone", "Can't Trust Your Neighbor With Your Baby", and "I Feel The Same". CD

Keyboardist Sonny Phillips was one of the lesser-known talents on the Prestige roster of jazz funk greats in the early 70s – and this nice 2-in-1 CD brings together his 2 best albums for the label, both of which feature Phillips on organ, along with giants like Ivan Boogaloo Joe Jones on guitar, Bernard Purdie on drums, and Rusty Bryant on tenor. The album Sure Nuff is probably Phillips' best for the label – a set that's done with the lean, hard funky sound of other greats working for Prestige during the same time – especially on the cuts "Sure Nuff, Sure Nuff", "The Other Blues", "Be Yourself", and "Oleo". Black On Black has a bit more of a mellow groove, but still kicks nicely, especially on the tracks "Check It Out", and "Black On Black". 10 tracks in all, with the usual "Legends Of Acid Jazz" package. CD

A surprisingly sensitive soundtrack from Piero Piccioni – especially given that it was done for an early 70s comedy that starred the great Alberto Sordi! The style here is maybe more in that early 60s Italian style of composers like Carlo Rustichelli and Nino Rota – light, lovely melodies that step out from larger but still-light strings – with a gentle sense of whimsy, in a way that never goes too far over the top! Solo instruments include alto sax, accordion, and piano – all used in mighty nice ways – on titles that include "Cocktails From Manhattan", "Roma Amara", "Lunga Storia D'Amore", "Swinging Waltz", "Tango Scopone", and "Gioco Di Carte". CD

Two of the hippest soul artists of the late 60s – coming together here for an incredible collection of work! Bobby Womack would explode into huge fame as a star in his own right at the end of the decade – but at the time of these recordings, he was mostly getting play as a songwriter – and the young Wilson Pickett was one of the strongest supporters of his work! The tracks here were all recorded between 1966 and 1968 for Atlantic Records – including many excellent Muscle Shoals recordings – and the style of Womack's writing is a perfect blend with the deep soul vocals of the Wicked Pickett – at a level that almost seems to provide a blueprint for the mode that Bobby would use on his first few length albums. The lyrics are wonderful – full of fantastic feeling, and arguably more mature than some of the contemporary soul from the time – and it's wonderful to hear all the selections together in one place, especially with detailed notes that really frame the whole project. Titles include "It's A Groove", "Let's Get An Understanding", "People Make The World What It Is", "Trust Me", "Remember I Been Good To You", "I've Come A Long Way", "Sit Down & Talk This Over", "Nothing You Can Do", "I'm In Love", "I'm Sorry About That", "I Found A True Love", "We've Got To Have Love", and "Jealous Love" – and the CD also features two great bonus tracks – an early Bobby Womack single from Atlantic in 1967 – with Bobby singing "Find Me Somebody" and "How Does It Feel". CD

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

A really beautiful collection of rare tracks from Sun Ra – put together by the mighty Gilles Peterson, who we've trusted for years to give us some of the most soulful, cosmic music on this planet! Gilles has a wonderful ear for a certain strand of sounds from Ra and the Arkestra – their more spacey, more spiritual moments – which are strung together in this wicked double-length collection – which also includes a few tracks never issued before! The inside is as beautiful as the cover, and the whole thing's got copious notes on the music – including some track-by-track details that never showed up on some of the original records. 2CD set features 34 tracks in all – with titles that include "When There Is No Sun", "Spontaneous Simplicity", "Love In Outer Space (voc)", "On Jupiter, "We Travel the Spaceways", "Sleeping Beauty", "Mystery Mr Ra", "Blackman", "The All Of Everything", "The World Of Africa", "They Plan To Leave", "Children Of The Sun", "Dreaming", "Black Sky & Blue Moon", "Enlightenment", and "India". CD

Features "Denise", "Come Back", "Why Do Kids Grow Up", "She's My Angel", "Happy Teenager", "Dry Your Eyes" and more – 30 tracks in all! CD

This all-star quartet really won us over the first time around (and trust us, we can always be wary of too many cooks in the broth) – and they're equally great here, too – with a sound that's even greater than the sum of its mighty parts – almost as if each of these longtime leaders have decided it's even better to throw their collective hats in the ring and come up with something really special together! The piano of Brad Mehldau has a way of really ringing out with a brightness next to the sharper edges of Redman's horn – who himself seems to push forward with a new sense of imagination on his solos – warmed up a bit by the bass of Christian McBride, as all the players are kicked into gear by Brian Blade's work on drums. Titles include "Statuesque", "Ship To Shore", "Kite Song", "Disco Ears", and "Long Gone". CD

This all-star quartet really won us over the first time around (and trust us, we can always be wary of too many cooks in the broth) – and they're equally great here, too – with a sound that's even greater than the sum of its mighty parts – almost as if each of these longtime leaders have decided it's even better to throw their collective hats in the ring and come up with something really special together! The piano of Brad Mehldau has a way of really ringing out with a brightness next to the sharper edges of Redman's horn – who himself seems to push forward with a new sense of imagination on his solos – warmed up a bit by the bass of Christian McBride, as all the players are kicked into gear by Brian Blade's work on drums. Titles include "Statuesque", "Ship To Shore", "Kite Song", "Disco Ears", and "Long Gone". LP, Vinyl record album

A pair of classic early 80s soul albums from ex-Dramatics singer LJ Reynolds! The self-titled '81 set is killer material in a modern Detroit mode all the way through – with top-shelf production by Reynolds, Don Davis, and Ronnie McNeir/ Ronnie, who'd been lost to the industry for a few years, also re-emerges as a writer on the songs "Southern Pearl", "Lonely Superstar", and "Ain't No Woman Like My Baby". The real standout, though, is the amazing cut "Key To The World", a killer steppers track that has a hook that won't quit, and this wonderful brassy finish that gives the track a really triumphant sound that works perfectly with the righteous lyric. LJ Reynolds' sounds great on '82's Travelin', too – stepping even more strongly away from his work with The Dramatics, and emerging as one of the best male soul acts of the early 80s! The production on this one is split between Reynolds and Don Davis, in a mode that's contemporary, but which allows LJ plenty of space for old school vocal expression – that far-reaching style of singing that always made him stand out strongly from the pack! There's a sublime mellow version of Aretha Franklin's "Call Me" on the set – and other tracks include "Words", "Trust In Me", "Say You Will", "You & Me", "Let Me Satisfy You", and "Fast Action"... CD

Great stuff – and one of DJ Rogers' most perfectly realized albums! DJ's righteous approach from earlier records is firmly intact – but it's given a bit of a boost, in that perfect Columbia smooth modern mode of the late 70s, with a clear indication that Maurice White and the Kalimba team had something to do with the record, even though DJ himself produced the set. The whole thing's a massively positive batch of tunes with a strident spiritual sound that's beyond compare – sung by one of the most unique voices in 70s soul! Titles include "Trust Me (parts 1 & 2)", "Will You Remember Me?", "Haven't You", "You Can Have It For A Song", and "In Love Again, Standing On The Edge Of Paradise". LP, Vinyl record album