No honking here, as Sil Austin takes his deeply soulful tenor sax, and turns it to a set of creamy late-nite tracks – all done over some very "pretty" backings, ala the Verve strings work of Ben Webster or Lester Young. Most cuts have voices in with the orchestrations – and titles include "I'll Walk Alone", "Call me", "Ruby", "My Mother's Eyes", "Stardust", "Prisoner Of Love", and "Sweet Slumber". LP, Vinyl record album

Sil and his soulful sax blow their way through another set of film standards from the 60's, including tracks like "Alfie", "Ode To Billy Joe", and "San Francisco(Wear Some Flowers)", plus other pop tracks like "I Was Made To Love Her", "Red Roses For A Blue Lady", and "Honey". Deep soul sax ballad sound, recorded in Nashville by Shelby Singleton. LP, Vinyl record album

Music from The Platters, Sil Austin, Ricky Nelson, Bill Justis, The Diamonds, Connie Francis, Sheb Wooley, Tommy Edwards, Big Bopper, Brook Benton, Phil Phillips With The Twilights, Johnny Preston, Mark Dinning, Conway Twitty, and Jimmy Jones. CD

A classic little record from this 60s instrumental group – a set that probably got more play among the rock crowd than the jazz scene – but one we strongly associate with the latter, given the strength of the tenor solos! That instrument, featured in a sexy scene on the cover, gets plenty of heavy play here – blown in a soulful mode that recalls 50s work by artists like Sam "The Man" Taylor, Red Prysock, or Sil Austin – but set to a slight 60s vibe with some guitar-based instrumentation that rings out in almost a crime jazz mode – sometimes mixed with organ, recorded like a small instrumental combo – but with a echoey, late nite vibe that feels more like a noir soundtrack at all the best moments. In addition to the hit title reading of "Harlem Nocturne", other titles include "Dig", "Viscount Rock", "The Touch", and "Chug A Lug". LP, Vinyl record album

Four albums that show the continuing evolution of Earl Scruggs in the 70s – with a sound that's very different than his earlier music, and maybe even sharper instrumentation overall! First up is I Saw The Light – a record made after the famous banjo pioneer split with Lester Flatt, and was very popular with a young rock crowd – as evidenced by help he gets here from Linda Ronstadt and the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band – not to mention Gary and Randy Scruggs, Vassar Clements, and Norman Blake! The mix of famous names and the growing Scruggs Review sound is great – and the record is an unlikely but important entry in the rise of country rock during the early 70s, with a very different quality than some of Earl's earlier work. We might well thank the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band – as the vibe is similar at times to their shifting music of the period – mixed with some Mike Nesmith inspiration, as a few of his tunes are included. Titles include "Lonesome & A Long Way From Home", "Silver Wings", "Never Ending Song Of Love", "Rock Sant & Nails", "Some Of Shelly's Blues", "It's A Picture From Life's Other Side", and "Propinquity". Features bonus tracks "The Cure", "I Saw The Light", "Fireball Mail", and "Tramp On The Street". On Live From Austin City Limits, the great Earl Scruggs takes on the growing Austin scene – which turns out to be a perfect fit for his Revue's blend of new country modes and older styles of instrumentation! Earl leads off the set with stunning work on banjo – maybe even sharper than earlier years – and the group lead off with some Dylan material at the start, showcasing some of their rock leanings – but soon bringing on other songs of their own, and making for this beautiful mix of key instrumental moments and lyrical passages. Lead vocals are from Gary Scruggs, and Randy and Steve Scruggs are in the group too – on titles that include "Nashville Skyline Rag", "I Shall Be Released", "Tall Texas Woman", "I Just Can't Seem To Change", "Black Mountain Blues", "Everybody Wants To Go To Heaven", and "The Swimming Song". Strike Anywhere is a mighty nice album from the great Earl Scruggs – recorded with his boys' Revue group, and a sound that really helps keep Earl's instrumentation fresh for the 70s! Years back, we never would have thought that mixing the legendary Scruggs banjo sound with keyboards would have worked – but the change here is a great one, as Earl makes the shift that a few of his traditional instrumental contemporaries were doing at the time – such as Vassar Clements or Bashful Brother Oswald – finding a new setting for the instruments that still shine out in the lead at all the best moments. Titles include a great remake of "Mandolin Wind" – plus "Muhammad Ali", "Bring It On Home To Me", "You Really Got A Hold On Me", "I Think Of You", and "Dreaming As One". On Bold & New, the great Chips Moman produced and recorded the record – a set that shows that move that Earl had made into country rock during the decade, delivered in the best possible hands! Vocals are from some of Earl's sons, and the man himself still gets gets in plenty of banjo solos too – as the group mix their own material with a few from Bobby Emmons, who plays organ, electric piano, and clavinet on the set. Titles include "The Cabin", "Our Love Is Home Grown", "That's Alright Mama", "Found Myself A New Love", "Games People Play", "Take The Time To Fall In Love", and "Louisiana Lady". CD

One of the most obscure Trojan Records collections of the 70s – maybe in part because it looks more like an airline promotional album than it does a collection of rare reggae nuggets! Yet the set is definitely the latter – a Trojan LP that brings together earlier singles recorded by Alvin GG Ranglin at a time when he was a key tastemaker on the Kingston scene – work that's right in the cusp of rocksteady/early reggae work, from a time when Ranglin was really at the top of his game! Tracks include a mix of vocal and instrumentals, solo singers and groups – with titles that include "Joan" by The Tidals, "Marie Song" by Fitz Major, "Sitting On The Sidewalk" by Ansil Linkers, "I Need Your Love" by Gregory Isaacs, "The Same Folks" by Rainy Davis, "Atlantic One" by Ansel Collins, "Hurricane Fifi" by GG Allstars, "Musical Coma" by Ranking Magnum, "Sensuous Woman" by The Maytones, and "Open Up Your Door" by Freddie McKay. This great 2CD set adds in 32 bonus tracks, most on CD for the first time ever – with work from The Starlites, GG Allstars, Keith & Dennis, Meditations, U Roy, Maytones, Vince Powell, Glen Washington, Elpedo & The Marveltones, Austin Campbell, and others – all served up with the usual high quality Doctor Bird notes and production! CD

A surprising side of the legendary Stax Records – especially if you only know the Memphis powerhouse as an outlet for funk and soul! There was always a bit of crossover between country and soul – even in the early days, a label like King Records could easily handle both – or a company like Atlantic could find a way to make its soul singers handle country tunes with ease. Yet the approach here is pure country – tracks recorded during the final few years of Stax – at a time when the company was both growing strongly, thanks to the fame of Isaac Hayes and others – and also trying out new ideas to round out the strength of their operation. Given their proximity to Nashville, and the fact that Memphis studios like Sun or Ardent had handled country-styled sounds – the move seemed to be a good one, and definitely comes across here in the quality of the tracks! The music has a nice left-of-Nashville vibe – almost like some of the growing wave from Austin soon to come, but also a bit like the cooler indie 45 country market of the 70s – which is finally getting its due these days. Either way, the sounds here are way past the hits, and way past the more standard modes of the time – and show that Stax Records could bring as much of a magic touch to country as they could to other sounds they recorded. Titles include "Hippie From The Hills" by Roland Eaton, "The River's Too Wide" by Karen Casey, "That Glass" by Eddie Bond, "Sweet Country Music" by Becki Bluefield, "My Girl" by Danny Bryan, "Satisfied Woman" by Paige O'Brian, "All The Love You'll Ever Need" by Cliff Cochran, "A Mom & A Dad For Christmas" by Lee Denson, and "Truck Driver's Heaven" by Roger Hallmark. LP, Vinyl record album

A recent live performance by Italian soundtrack legend Fabio Frizzi – recorded in America as part of a tour designed to support Frizzi's surprising return to the spotlight in recent years! In fact, the Frizzi heard here is even more in the spotlight than ever before – still using the evocative modes of his soundtrack creations, but also putting forward more vocal songs as well – handled by a group of younger musicians working with Frizzi, in a style that moves between the keyboard soundtrack styles of the 80s generation, and some of the more full-on sounds of earlier Italian prog! The whole thing was recorded in a church – and titles include "Suono Aperto", "Oltre La Soglia", "Silver Saddle", "With You", "Movin On", "Chaco", "Bunny Love Song", "Zombi 2", "Sette Note In Nero", "Rusty Games", "The Weeping Woman", and "Un Gatto Nel Cervallo". CD

Fantastic solo work from Fuzzy Haskins – a key early member of the George Clinton P-Funk empire – breaking out here on his own with a fresh new take on the Parliafunkadelicment groove! The work here is pulled from two albums and other recordings (some unissued) that Fuzzy did for the Westbound label – home to his initial work with Funkadelic, and a very respectful spot to launch his solo career – which takes of in similar late 70s funk territory to some of his former associates, especially Bootsy Collins – but with a vibe that's definitely his own! Some of these tracks were ones that Fuzzy had written years ago, but held back from Funkadelic sessions – and they're performed here with help from familiar Detroit funk giants – including Bootsy on bass, Bernie Worrell on keyboards, and Donald Austin on guitar. Titles include "Gettin It Off", "Thangs We Used To Do", "Not Yet (12" version)", "This Situation Called Love", "Silent Day", "Gimme Back", "Cookie Jar (alt version)", "Mr Junk Man", "I Think I Got My Thang Together (12" version)", "Right Back Where I Started From", "The Fuz & Da Boog", "Sinderilla", "I Can See Myself In You", and "Silent Day". CD

The title's almost redundant – as the words "Westbound" and "Funk" mean virtually the same thing! From the late 60s through the mid 70s, Westbound was one of the key record labels in the sound of raw heavy funk – working with hit groups like Funkadelic and the Ohio Players to craft a sound that laid the blueprint for countless other groups of the time, and also featuring a wealth of obscurer artists with an even harder-hitting sound! The key styles of Westbound and related jazz label Eastbound were heavy and fuzzy ones – picking up off the heady and trippy styles of the late 60s Detroit scene, mixing things up with MC5 guitars, Norman Whitfield bass, and deep underground Tribe-styled jazz touches. This 20 track masterpiece is a brilliant summation of the important Westbound sound – and includes a few hits, some funky 45 classics, and an even bigger number of tracks we might not have heard otherwise! The notes are great, the tunes are super-funky, and the whole thing's one of the best funky collections you could ever hope to purchase. Titles include "You're Messing Up My Mind" by Albert Washington, "Back To Funk" by Robert Lowe, "You Caught Me Smilin" by The 19th Whole, "Conga Man" by King Errison, "Shake Your Head" by Spanky Wilson, "I Love You" by The Motivations, "I Don't Know What It Is But It Sure Is Funky" by Mighty Elegant, "Crazy Legs" by Donald Austin, "Stone Thing (part 1)" by Alvin Cash, "RPM" by Boots, "Funky World (part 1)" by Silky Vincent, "Get Funky Sweet A Little Bit" by Jackie Harris & The Exciters, "I'll Bet You" by Funkadelic, and "Why Not Start All Over Again" by The Counts. LP, Vinyl record album