Early work from this tremendous Japanese saxophonist – working here on both alto and soprano sax, in styles that are sharply angular, but also quite warm and soulful! Kosuke Mine's got a quality that's a bit like Joe Henderson at the same time – obviously informed by earlier hardbop, but let loose in some bolder lines that snake out with a rich, bold feel that's totally great. His group here features Fender Rhodes from Hideo Ichikawa – possibly further underscoring some of the Henderson electric styles of the set – and other players include Takashi Imai on trombone, Takashi Mizuhashi on bass, and Hiroshi Murakami on drums. The record's got a nice sense of freedom, but is never too far outside – and titles include a version of Joe Henderson's "Isotope", plus the originals "Morningtide", "Dream Eyes", and "Work I". LP, Vinyl record album

Rare live material by Monk – recorded in Tokyo in 1963, and for many years a set that was unavailable to the rest of the world on record! The date's a great one – and features the classic Columbia quartet with Charlie Rouse on tenor, Butch Warren on bass, and Frankie Dunlop on drums – that impeccable group that provided Monk with such a strong platform for a number of years, and really helped focus and advance his ideas. Rouse is especially wonderful, and he gets a lot of freedom on the record to work out these complicated solos that differ from some of his tighter work on some of the Monk studio albums of the time The set covers 2 LPs – and titles include "Panonica", "Evidence", "Bemsha Swing", "Epistrophy", "Hackensack", and "Blue Monk". LP, Vinyl record album

The great single from Street Disciple, featuring Olu Dara. 12-inch, Vinyl record

Beats by LES, Chucky Thompson and Salaam Remi, with guests Olu Dara, Kelis, Ludacris, Doug E Fresh, Busta Rhymes, Maxwell, and others. Titles include "Nazareth Savage", "American Way", "These Are Out Heroes", "Disciple", 'Rest OF My Life", "Suicide bounce", "Streets Disciple", "Unauthorized Biography Of Rakim", "Remember The Times", "The Makings Of A Perfect B****", "Bridging The Gap" and 'War". LP, Vinyl record album

Great work from the pre-"Behind Closed Doors" years of Charlie Rich at Epic – with titles that include "Big Boss Man", "Hello Darlin", "I Do My Swingin At Home", "I Can't Even Drink It Away", and "Memphis & Arkansas Bridge". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

Starring Marissa Jaret Winokur. LP, Vinyl record album

A classic from Ricky Skaggs' early run up to stardom – with titles that include "Let's Love The Bad Times Away", "Highway 40 Blues", "Can't You Hear Me Callin", "Nothing Can Hurt You", "You've Got A Lover", and "Don't Think I'll Cry". LP, Vinyl record album

A really majestic album from Japanese keyboardist Hiromasa Suzuki – a set that maybe takes inspiration from the progressive side of the rock spectrum at the time, but which delivers the goods with a style that's definitely jazz all the way through! Suzuki plays both acoustic piano and electric, and with guitar from Kiyoshi Sugimoto in the group, there's definitely an electric vibe – but one that's offset by the sax work of Takeru Muraoka, trumpet of Takehisa Suzuki, and trombone of Tadataka Nakazawa! There's also work from the ancient biwa instrument from Japan, name-checked in the title – although the soaring quality of the other instrumentation really takes over at most points. Titles include "Ame No Iwayado", "Ashiharashiko", "Kamuyamatoiwarehiko", "Watatsumi No Irokonomiya", and "Yamatoshi Uruwashi". LP, Vinyl record album

A record with a lonely-looking cover, but one that's got a really full, rich sound overall – sharp funky jazz arrangements served up by keyboardist Hiromasa Suzuki, then topped with bit of sitar as well! The vibe is different than any other jazz/sitar records of the time – as the instrument is much more buried in the mix, as the album draws a lot more energy from Suzuki's keyboards, and other instrumental elements in the lineup – including some great reed lines from Takeru Muraoka. Tracks are shorter and more focused than on the previous "rock joint" project from Suzuki – and titles include "Silk Road", "3000 BC", "Karei Naru Bamyan", "O No Michi", "Ganhara", and "Mrv No Tsurugi". LP, Vinyl record album

A great bit of electric jazz from the Japanese scene of the 70s – an album that easily rivals the best CTI work in the US at the time! Trombonist Hiroshi Suzuki heads up a quintet here – one that's heavy on electric piano and keyboards, played in a stretched-out sort of groove that reminds us a lot of the energy on Freddie Hubbard's funkiest albums from the same period. The tracks are all quite long – and step out with a wonderfully rhythmic sensibility – spare at times, and very focused on the right rolling approach to the groove. Suzuki's trombone solos are matched by some equally great sax work from Takeru Muraoka – and rhythm is from Kunimitsu Inaba on bass and Akira Ishikawa on drums. Filled with great breaks and laidback jazzy grooves – and featuring tracks that include "Cat", "Walk Tall", "Romance", "Shrimp Dance", and "Kuro To Shiro". LP, Vinyl record album

Maybe the biggest album ever from Three 6 Mafia – a set that has the trio really hitting on all burners for the harder side of the spectrum in the 21st Century! By the time of the set, hardcore was mainstream – and few folks know how to explore that territory like Three 6 – years from time when anyone had to worry about offending anyone too much with a record that was stepping too hard, and just able to revel in the kind of vibes they first crafted many records back. The set features the big single "Stay Fly", with work from Young Buck and Eightball – plus the cuts "Roll With It", "Knock Tha Black Off Yo Ass", "Half ON A Sack", "Hard Hittas", "Poppin My Collar", "Don't Violate", "Don't Cha Get Mad", "Dancin On A Pole", "Got It 4 Sale", and even the "Stay Fly (still fly rmx)". LP, Vinyl record album

The first album by this funky fusion quartet – done in a mix of vocal styles that has a nice crossover appeal! The group features work by Hiram Bullock on guitars, Clifford Carter on keyboards, Steve Jordan on drums, and Will Lee on bass – and vocals are handled mostly by Bullock and Carter, in a compressed studio mode that fits in nicely with the electric grooves of the set. Tunes are catchy and somewhat poppy – but the record also features a decent amount of jazz playing as well – and the group's more of a "fusion with vocals" outfit than the other way around. Titles include "Quack", "Turn Your Heart To Stone", "Pleasure Before Business", "Shoppin Round Again", "Full Time Love", and "Down To The Waterfall". LP, Vinyl record album

A definite tempest from the start to the finish – and a brilliant live demonstration of the mighty powers of the VSOP group! The ensemble features soaring acoustic sounds from the quintet lineup of Wayne Shorter on tenor and soprano sax, Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, Herbie Hancock on piano, Ron Carter on bass, and Tony Williams on drums – all musicians who were experimenting with a lot of different styles at the time, especially electric ones – but come together here in an all-acoustic mode that's filled with wonderful solos throughout. You can definitely hear some of the inspiration the players each took from their own projects – but it's also focused back into a more solid, soulful style here – really opening up on long tracks that include "Eye of The Hurricane", "Maiden Voyage", "Lawra", and "Red Clay". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

Not "Misty" in an Errol Garner sense – although Tsuyoshi Yamamoto serves up his own version of the tune here – and instead a hip set from the Three Blind Mice scene of the 70s, with a very open, freewheeling approach to piano trio work! Yamamoto's a bit straighter than some of his contemporaries on the label, but still finds a way to really open things up with a fresh approach – a style that's strongly helped by the round, warm bass tones of Isoo Fukui – who's a great counterpoint to the jaggedly brilliant solo work from Yamamoto himself. Tetsujiro Obara plays drums, and the album's a masterpiece of space and understatement – with titles that include "Yesterdays", "Misty", "Blues", and "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes". LP, Vinyl record album

A sweet masterpiece of 70s AOR from Japan – served up by Tatsuro Yamashita, who was easily one of the most soulful male singers on the scene in the years before city pop! The record's got a jazzy vibe that's great, and which really fits the R&B-inspired midtempo rhythms – almost as if Wayne Henderson had a hand in putting the whole thing together, similar to some of his late 70s productions for Fantasy Records – but with some occasional 80s touches that also hint at changes to come in the next decade. Vocals are all in Japanese, but the record's got a very universal appeal – and titles include "Rainy Walk", "Funky Flushin", "Hot Shot", "Touch Me Lightly", "Yellow Cab", "Nightwing", and "Full Moon". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

A great overview of work on the legendary Three Blind Mice label from 70s Japan – a crucial imprint that gave exposure to the new generation of Japanese jazz musicians who were forging a fresh sort of ideas apart from their counterparts in the US! Three Blind Mice was always a label that was dedicated to the best quality of sound – not just in the top-shelf recording techniques they employed, but also in the way they let their artists approach the material – often without any sort of concern for commercial potential or crossover appeal – a quality that's really kept the TBM material very fresh over the years! Most tracks are nice and long – far from short crossover fusion or pop jazz of the period – and titles include "Derrick's Dance" by Teruo Nakamura, "Tones For Joan's Bones" by Fumio Karashima, "New Shade Of Blue" by Naosuke Miyamoto, "Sunset On The Street" by Sunao Wada with Minoru Ikeno, "Feel Like Makin Love" by Isao Suzuki, "Lady T" by Isoo Fukui, "Sunday Thing" by Toshiyuji Miyama & The New Herd, "Maiden Voyage" by Tatsuya Takahashi & The Tokyo Union, "Ain't Nothin New Under The Sun" by Ayako Hosokawa, and "Nardis" by the trio of Masabumi Kikuchi, Hideo Kanai, and Masahiko Togashi. LP, Vinyl record album

Nice comp of old school cuts including "PSK What Does It Mean?" by Schoolly D, "Ego Trippin" by Ultramagnetic MCs, "Rockin It" by Fearless Four, "Body Rock" by Treacherous Three, "Going Way Back" by Just Ice, "Bring The Beat Back" by Steady B, "Girls I Got 'Em Locked" by Super Lover Cee & Casanova Rud, "Stick 'Em" by The Fat Boys, "Def Fresh Crew" by Roxanne Shante and Biz Markie, "It's My Beat" by Sweet Tee and Jazzy Joyce, "Peter Piper" by Run DMC, and "Fresh" by Fresh 3 MCs. LP, Vinyl record album