An obscure trio from the early 60s, but one who play with plenty of soul jazz in their sound – thanks to some mighty heavy work on the keys of the piano from leader Red Bahnik! Red's got this sharp attack and inherently rhythmic sound that would have been right at home on early 60s Prestige Records – alongside piano gems from artists like Bobby Timmons or John Wright – yet the groove also isn't just copping American styles of the time, as they've got an unusual inflection to their rhythms – maybe some blocker styles that carve things out with a unique spirit, especially given the spacious echo used in the recording. Titles include the long originals "Fata Morgana Altamira" and "Santander" – plus "Fish This Week", "The Uptown", "Sister Sadie", and "Vacushna". CD

One of the few early albums as a leader cut by trumpeter Benny Bailey – a tremendous talent, finally getting his due! Bailey is one of the great unsung talents of jazz, and he's always made top-shelf work – from his early days with Quincy Jones, to his later years as an American expatriot, recording for European labels like Ego and MPS. This rare early session is one of the few recorded for the super-hip Candid label – and it features Bailey's trumpet at the head of a tight combo that includes Phil Woods on alto sax and bass clarinet, Julius Watkins on French Horn, Les Spann on flute and guitar, Tommy Flanagan on piano, and rhythm from Buddy Catlett on bass and Art Taylor on drums. Despite the "big brass" title, there's no horn section here – and instead, most of the numbers have that sharp-edged modern sound we associate with Candid – with Watkins horn being the only other brass instrument, alongside the lighter lines of Woods and Spann. Titles include "Hard Sock Dance", "Tipsy", "Please Say Yes", and "Maud's Mood". CD

If you read these pages at all, you'll know we're huge fans of late work by the great Chet Baker – as each different session seems to show a different side of his talents, and incredible evolution in sound, structure, and timing from his better-known material of the 50s! Chet spent many years on the European scene, recording material that was sometimes so scattered, it never fully represented him in the way his early American records did – but that's the wonderful thing about a set like this, as it shows that you can still find a hell of a lot of surprise in a player you already think you know! The package features two unreleased sessions from 1979 – done months apart, in Hilversum – and beautifully preserved, with a sound that really lets you rapturize over the extended solos on most of the tracks – handled by Chet with an amazingly mature style. The first session features Phil Markowitz on piano, Jean Louis Rassinfosse on bass, and Charles Rice on drums – and the second features Frans Elsen on piano, Victor Kaihatu on bass, and Eric Ineke on drums. Titles include "Nardis", "Blue Gilles", "Beautiful Black Eyes", "Down", "Blue Room", "Luscious Lou", "Old Devil Moon", and "The Best Thing For You". CD

A hip batch of underground poetry tracks – collected together by the Before Columbus Foundation, a group dedicated to promoting the works of African-American and Native American artists! Despite the 1980 date, the collection has a feel that's similar to earlier righteous poetry albums on the Folkways label – proof that the flames were still burning strong in the underground, even though artists such as these weren't getting as much mainstream attention at the end of the 70s! Most readings are recorded live, with a relatively spare, stark sound – and performances include "Dope" by Amiri Baraka, "St Louis Woman" by Ishmael Reed, "For The Poets" by Jayne Cortez, "Bark Is What Us Dogs Do" by David Meltzer, "Flipochinos, Being Your Woman, & Pacific Lover" by Cyn Zarco, and "Artist/Art This" by Victor Hernandez Cruz. CD

Amazing work from Gato Barbieri's legendary exploration of Latin American sounds for Impulse Records – a set that's heavy on Cuban influences, thanks to arrangements from the mighty Chico O'Farrill! The sound is sublime – a bit fuller than some of Gato's other albums in the run, but never with any slick or commercial styles – just more of a richness from O'Farrill's backings, matched perfectly by Barbieri's amazing tones on the tenor! There's a lot of Latin percussion in the backings – courtesy of Ray Mantill, Luis Mangual, and Ray Armando – and Eddie Martinez mixes in some sweet electric piano with his acoustic lines, deepening the soul of the record in a really 70s way. Titles include "Milonga Triste", "Lluvia Azul", "La Padrida", "Viva Emiliano Zapata", and "El Sublime" – the last of which is a good description of the record! CD

Amazing work from Gato Barbieri's legendary exploration of Latin American sounds for Impulse Records – a set that's heavy on Cuban influences, thanks to arrangements from the mighty Chico O'Farrill! The sound is sublime – a bit fuller than some of Gato's other albums in the run, but never with any slick or commercial styles – just more of a richness from O'Farrill's backings, matched perfectly by Barbieri's amazing tones on the tenor! There's a lot of Latin percussion in the backings – courtesy of Ray Mantill, Luis Mangual, and Ray Armando – and Eddie Martinez mixes in some sweet electric piano with his acoustic lines, deepening the soul of the record in a really 70s way. Titles include "Milonga Triste", "Lluvia Azul", "La Padrida", "Viva Emiliano Zapata", and "El Sublime" – the last of which is a good description of the record! CD

A really free-wheeling live album from Kenny Barron – cut originally as a Japanese-only session for the ultra-hip Why Not label, and done with a sound that's a bit different than some of his American work of the time! The group's a trio – with Buster Williams on bass and Ben Riley on drums – and Barron's got a hard fire right from the start – stretching out on a set of tracks that all go well past the 10 minute mark, with a free approach to grooving – one that really lets him find his own space, solo-wise, yet never get too flowery or ever fail to swing – thanks to the hipness of the rhythm section! Titles include "Manha Do Carnaval", "Rhythm A Ning", and "Someday My Prince Will Come". CD

A sharp-edged session of tremendous trumpet and tenor interplay – served up by the legendary quintet of Gianni Basso and Oscar Valdambrini! The album's got a sound that's as hip as it looks – a great approach to 50s modern jazz, done in a style that's equally influenced by west coast cool and east coast hardbop! Valdambrini's trumpet is beautifully measured throughout – with echoes of both Kenny Dorham and Chet Baker – offset by some deeper grooving on tenor from Basso, who plays with a strength and command that few American players of the time could match. Titles include "Come Out Wherever You Are", "Lo Struzzo Oscar", "Lotar", "Gone With The Wind", "Parlami D'Amore Mariu", and "Fan Tan". CD

A landmark album from Joe Bataan – so great, that it made the entire record company change its name from their original Mericana to the better-known Salsoul – which would later rule the world with a host of disco classics! The record has Joe really bursting out after his seminal Latin Soul work of the late 60s – blending Latin rhythms and American soul into a whole new style of music – one that Joe called "Salsoul", because of it's mixture of salsa and soul – upbeat, funky, and definitely a precursor to the later sound that Salsoul would release with soul and funk groups. The blend is fantastic, a real milestone in the NuYorican scene – and handled perfectly by Joe on every cut! There's some massive Latin funk on here, including the tracks "Latin Strut" and "Aftershower Funk", plus some straighter Latin jazz, like "Sunny Gets Blue Mambo", and a great Latin Soul cut with English vocals called "Johnny". CD features bonus tracks – "Continental Square Dance", "Latin Strut (mono single)", "Peace Friendship Solidarity (mono single)", "Aftershower Funk (mono single)", and "Fin (mono single)". CD

The Beatles live at the BBC – heard here in a host of rare recordings that were done between March 1962 and June 1965 – pulled from the vaults of the legendary radio station, and with a few cool dialogue bits too! The versions here were all played live on the air, and make for some much-needed alternate takes on the big hits by the Fab Four – and a few American numbers that really show the influence of other styles on their early sound. And since the recordings were done in a top-shelf studio, they're not muddy concert recordings – but actually feel more like some lost EMI studio material from the same period. 71 titles in all – including "Nothin Shakin", "The Hippy Hippy Shake", "Glad All Over", "Rock & Roll Music", "Ticket To Ride", "Ooh My Soul", "Don't Ever Change", "Slow Down", "Matchbox", "I Forgot To Remember To Forget", "The Honeymoon Song", "Lucille", "Can't Buy Me Love", "Taste Of Honey", "From Us To You", "I Got A Woman", "I'll Be On My Way", "Shot Of Rhythm & Blues", "Some Other Guy", "Soldier Of Love", and "Clarabella". CD

A stunner of a record from the mighty Jorge Ben – and a record that catapulted the Brazilian singer to international fame at the time! Ben had already been making magic for almost a decade down in Brazil – and his compositions and grooves left an undeniable impact on the scene in the post-bossa years – but this album has Jorge really emerging as the global soul star he was destined to be – from his powerful stare on the cover, right down to the grit in the grooves! The sound here is a refinement of the samba soul mode that Ben had been brewing up from the late 60s onward – a skittish mix of older samba elements, American soul, and some slight fuller production that really comes into its own here – mixing all the acoustic elements at the core with just a slight electric flourish, but never losing its edge in the process – all to provide Jorge with a sublime backdrop for his really amazing vocals. The set's a monument in funky Brazilian soul – and it includes the huge hit "Taj Mahal", which still sounds great, even after all these years – plus loads of other gems that include "O Circo Chegou", "Domingo 23", "Fio Maravilha", "Paz E Arroz", "Morre O Burro Fico O Homem", and "Que Nega E Essa". A gem all the way through – and a record we'd never part with! CD

A stunner of a record from the mighty Jorge Ben – and a record that catapulted the Brazilian singer to international fame at the time! Ben had already been making magic for almost a decade down in Brazil – and his compositions and grooves left an undeniable impact on the scene in the post-bossa years – but this album has Jorge really emerging as the global soul star he was destined to be – from his powerful stare on the cover, right down to the grit in the grooves! The sound here is a refinement of the samba soul mode that Ben had been brewing up from the late 60s onward – a skittish mix of older samba elements, American soul, and some slight fuller production that really comes into its own here – mixing all the acoustic elements at the core with just a slight electric flourish, but never losing its edge in the process – all to provide Jorge with a sublime backdrop for his really amazing vocals. The set's a monument in funky Brazilian soul – and it includes the huge hit "Taj Mahal", which still sounds great, even after all these years – plus loads of other gems that include "O Circo Chegou", "Domingo 23", "Fio Maravilha", "Paz E Arroz", "Morre O Burro Fico O Homem", and "Que Nega E Essa". A gem all the way through – and a record we'd never part with! CD

Disco grooves, but with a definite difference – given that Jo Bisso had previously worked on the Parisian club scene, and brings a special flourish to this American album from the late 70s! Jo sings lead vocals on the side-long "Love Somebody" – a tune that builds strongly as Bisso gets answered by a trio of lovely ladies who really brighten up the sound – and who then seem to take over even more on the flipside working with singer Claudia Ferrari. This second side is even better than the first – as things get a bit more spare and stripped-down – snaking out on the smooth stepper "Your Love", getting some funky moogy touches on the P&P-like "Let's Keep It Together", and warming up on the mellow disco number "Thank You Baby". Special bonus – CD features a fifth track – not titled or credited at all! CD

The one where The Black Crowes really started expanding their creative reach beyond being a hell of a solid torch carrier of the swaggery soul rock sound of The Faces and Stones! They're still not reinventing the wheel (nor trying to), but they do begin to jettison the classic rock radio approach of earlier records for a hard grooving, album-oriented sound that's a LOT stronger than we credited them for back in the day! They wear their influences on their sleeves as proudly as ever, but there's so many of them, and it all sounds so good...damn! Respect long overdue, and proudly paid. Titles include "Gone", "A Conspiracy", "She Gave Good Sunflower", "Ballad In Urgency", "Wiser Time", "Descending" and more. CD

The rarest of all of Art Blakey's percussion group projects – and quite possibly the best, too! The session features Blakey at the head of a strong mix of jazz and percussion players – with Art Taylor and Philly Joe Jones on the regular drum kit, Donald Byrd on trumpet and Ray Bryant on piano, and a host of assorted percussion work by the likes of Ray Barretto, Sabu Martinez, Victor Gonzalez, Julio Martinez, and others. The resultant sound is incredible – very full, rich, and earthy – and done in a way that interweaves African and Latin percussion styles with straighter American jazz! A few cuts have chanting by Blakey and Sabu – and titles include "The Feast", "Mirage", "Lamento Africano", "O'Tinde", "Swingin Kilts", "Dinga", "Reflection", and "Aghano". CD

The baritone sax of German musician Helmut Brandt is at the helm– but the album's equally noteworthy for its strong use of American players Benny Bailey on trumpet, Nat Peck on trombone, and Herb Geller on alto! The concert is one of those wonderful meetings of American and European jazz talents in a large group setting – the kind of mode that cooked up most famously in the Clark Boland Big Band of the 60s – but which also was simmering all over Europe in the decade – as it does here with additional work from Europeans Ack Van Rooyen on trumpet, Stefan Von Dobrzynski on tenor and flute, Gunter Meier on piano, and Siegfried Schmidt on trombone. The tunes are mostly hard-swinging, and exploding with colors – very much in a mid 60s MPS/Saba mode – with a nice balance between individuality and group sound. Titles include "Berlin Calling", "Boris", "Opus C-Moll 794", "Trifi", "Boogie Waltz", and the long "Ferien Suite". CD

A record that seemed to open the music of Peter Brotzmann up for a whole new generation of listeners – in part because it features the European legend on an American label that got him some of the widest circulation he'd enjoyed here in years – and also in part because drummer Hamid Drake provides a very different foil for his music! The sound is almost an imaginary 70s meeting between the FMP and loft jazz scenes – with Hamid offering up these beautifully rich tones on standard drums, frame drum, and tablas – while Brotzmann blows tenor, alto, tarogato, and e flat clarinet – often with a sound that's searing, but more soulful than usual too – especially on some of the more spacious, open moments on the record. Titles include "It's An Angel On The Door", "Trees Have Roots In The Earth", "The Uninvited Entertainer", and "Dark Wings Carry Off The Sky". CD

Peter Brotzmann's on clarinet this time around, and working here in an extended studio piece with his Chicago Tentet combo – one of his greatest groups of later years, featuring both Mats Gustafsson and Ken Vandermark on reeds, as well as Joe McPhee on both trumpet and alto sax! The work builds slowly, almost tentatively – the fills in strongly as the piece goes on – with a sound that's almost like the Jazz Composers Orchestra style at the end of the 60s, but not as dynamic overall. The reeds are almost strongest in shaping the tune – although other contributions include trombone from Hannes Bauer, tuba from Per Ake Holmlander, and cello from Fred Lonberg-Holm. CD 1 features the first part of the work – which is quite long, and stands strongly as an album on its own! CD

Bravo Brubeck, indeed – as this great live set not only has the Brubeck quartet in Mexico, working through some surprising Latin-themed tunes – but also includes some added percussion and guitar, which brings a whole new dimension to their sound! The album's still got the core Brubeck approach at its heart – with Dave on piano, Paul Desmond on incredible alto sax, Eugene Wright on bass, and Joe Morello on drums – but the quartet finds a way to really open up on these numbers, and expand their sound into new modes – as they'd done on some of their Japanese and Eurasian explorations. A number of tunes are Latin American numbers, re-arranged in a modern way by Brubeck – and titles include "Cielito Lindo", "Sobre Las Olas", "Nostalgia De Mexico", "Poinciana", "Estrellita", and "Alla En El Rancho Grande". CD features the bonus track "Frenesi". CD

An American Hammond player and a Polish drummer – both recording together in Sweden at the start of the 70s, and without any other instrumentation at all! The blend of organ and drums is wonderful – very spacious, but still pretty groovy too – thanks to these cyclical currents that run through the music, even when things are spread out – so that there's a pulsating quality to the whole thing that's pretty darn hypnotic! Sometimes organist Bruce Powell plays leaner, slinkier solos with a fair bit of soul – but other times he just lays back, and lets wider waves of sound come from his fingertips – spurred on by the heavy drum work of Wladyslaw Jagiello! Bruce sings and speaks a bit on the record – although most of the set is instrumental – and titles include "Reality (part 1)", "Reality's Monologue", "Prince Vlady (part 2)", "I Need You Now", "Wild Enough", and "No Nothin At All". CD

The one and only album by this righteous funky combo from Ohio! Although Brute Force were an American group of the late 60s, they've got a sound that brings in traces of the African rhythms that were bubbling under at the time – similar to some of the best London groups of the post-colonial years, like Cymande, Demon Fuzz, or Asiko. There's often a jagged and jazzy style on the bottom of the grooves, topped with brighter horn flourishes, and combined with a vocal approach that has some slight folksy touches – very hip, progressive, and as righteous as you'd expect from the cover! Sonny Sharrock sits in on some tracks, and the titles include "Some Kind Of Approval", "Doubt", "Ye Le Wa", "Do It Right Now", "The Deacon", and "Monster". CD

A fantastic set of Fender Rhodes from the Italian scene of the 70s – not a record that got the kind of mainstream play as American classics by Bob James and Ramsey Lewis – but a set that definitely shares their spirit! Cabildos Three were a studio group as much as a jazz combo – a trio with Cabildo on Fender Rhodes, working alongside tight bass and percussion – on jazzy tunes that were originally only done as a sound library session, but which have attained legendary status when pulled together in this full length album. The whole thing is every bit as great as the words "Fender Rhodes", "Italy", and "percussion" might suggest – and titles include "Castenada Drive", "Yuxtaposicion", "Collection Samba", "Two Types Of Complexion", "Jesus Maria District", "African Penta Song", and "Akorin". CD

An incredible collection of records – a series of albums that forever changed the sound of Latin music around the world! These five sets were all cooked up in the changing Cuban scene at the start of the 60s – where musicians were getting looser and freer, with a sound that was quite different than the tighter big bands of a few years before – strongly influenced by changes in American jazz, including the jam session mode that was big on record during the 50s! In a way, these sides are an answer to that – as they feature all-star musicians coming together on long, more spontaneous tracks – often in smaller combos with heavy influence on rhythm, and lots of work from the key soloists on the dates. Each record has a different leader, but often some of the same musicians – and there's some especially great work on trumpet and tenor by other members of the group – at a level that went on to influence the small combo sound of artists like Joe Cuba, the grooves of the Latin Soul/boogaloo scene, and even the all-star American groups like the Alegre All Stars and Fania All stars in years to come. Records 1 and 2 feature leadership by Julio Gutierrez, record 3 is led by Nino Rivera, record 4 (the most famous) is led by bassist Cachao, and record 5 is led by flautist Fajardo. Great box set – all CDs in small LP-styled sleeves with original art – alongside a 96 page booklet of notes and photos! CD

The first four albums from this crucial group – along with four more CDs of rare live material too! First up is the self-titled Cactus – the first album from this legendary group – an important American hard rock powerhouse, driven by the famous rhythm duo of Tim Bogert on bass and Carmine Appice on drums – both of whom roll out of the gate here with amazingly frenetic energy! They're maybe only topped by the guitar work of Jim McCarty, whose searing lines are clearly learned from blues inspirations, then turned up in both speed and power – to match the vocals and harmonica of Rusty Day! There's nothing going on here that sounds like blues rock at all – even though the set begins with a cover of "Parchman Farm" – next to other titles that include "My Lady From South Of Detroit", "No Need To Worry", "You Can't Judge A Book By The Cover", and "Let Me Swim". On One Way Or Another, Cactus are totally at the top of their game – and the guitar of Jim McCarthy really sets the record on fire, right from the very first note – at a level that should have made Jim one of the real guitar hero legends of his generation! Yet there's also power from the whole group going on too – tight rhythms from the team of Carmine Appice and Jim Bogert, the latter of whom starts to bring in his own vocals a fair bit more, offering backup to the raspy lead of Rusty Day. And while there's a few currents that show their older influence from blues, the sound here is massively hard rock all the way through – making the record a great illustration of the way that slavish blues rock gave birth to a fresh new jamming sound in a matter of just a few short years. Titles include "Rockout Whatever You Feel Like", "Song For Aries", "Feel So Bad", "Rock N Roll Children", and "Hometown Bust". Restrictions is next, and despite the title, there's no restrictions at all – as Cactus seem to be even more confident, more able to stretch their wings and fly than ever before – even adding in some extra piano and keyboards at points to the core guitar-heavy sound of the quartet! All the group's best elements are very firmly in place – searing guitar, righteously confident vocals, and a strutting sensibility that makes this early 70s album way ahead of the game in terms of territory that so many bigger groups would later copy for their own classic records. Titles include "Guiltless Glider", "Evil Alaska", "Sweet Sixteen", "Bag Drag", "Restrictions", and "Mean Night In Cleveland". Ot N Sweaty is a record that's got a bit of a shift in the classic Cactus lineup – as the group's still driven strongly by the work of Carmine Appice on drums and Tim Bogert on bass, but get guitar power from Werner Fritzschings, who's a pretty amazing player – next to some added keyboards from Duane Hitchings, and vocals from Peter French – a singer who's ballsy power might be even more in line with the group than their previous lead singer! The album's got an unusual approach in that side one was recorded live, side two in the studio – each with a nicely different flavor as a result – on titles that include "Swim", "Our Lil Rock N Roll Thing", "Bedroom Mazurka", "Telling You", "Bad Stuff", and "Bringing Me Down". 8CD set is overflowing with great material – bonus tracks added to three of the four albums in the collection, than a further 4CDs worth of live material – titled Fully Unleashed – The Live Gigs Vols 1 & 2. The live material is great – and really shows the tightness of the group at their best! CD

A great soul set from the Italian scene – mellow-stepping and easygoing, with a gentle groove that really makes the whole thing sparkle! The singer Sabreetha Vee has a great style – slightly accented, which gives her approach a quality that's a bit like that of Sade on some cuts – maybe more like Corinne Drewery at others – and the grooves are served up by the Lombaro Brothers, who have a way of taking American roots filtered through a UK soul approach from later generations – which creates this classic sound that nicely spans decades! Titles include "So Strong", "Summer Memories", "Shooting Star", "Like Glue", "My Time", "Everything Is Alright", and "Nobody Like You". CD

Jovem Guarda work by Roberto Carlos – with a rock n roll sound that's clearly influenced by American music, and lots of songs for the kids! CD

The Black Jazz recordings of Doug Carn are always a revelation – some of the most powerful, progressive work on the American underground of the early 70s – music that got Carn into way more record collections than you might expect! The sound here is a perfect summation of Doug's early genius – his own work on organ and keyboards, never overdone and mixed perfectly with a righteous array of acoustic sounds from Rene McLean on alto and tenor and Olu Dara on trumpet – both players who soar to the skies on waves of energy begun by Carn! Wife Jean Carn sings on a number of tracks – with this heavenly style that's mighty righteous – every bit as soulful as her later work at Philly International, but in a very different way. The set includes Doug's great reading of "Naima" – plus other wonderful cuts that include "Power & Glory", "Feel Free", "Jihad", "Fatherhood", and "God is One". CD

America's never sounded better than in the hands of Italian sound library talent Daniela Casa – who does a great job here of serving up all these cool tracks that would have been right at home in a film set during the 70s! The music is a mix of themes that evoke different slices of the American experience – almost all of them with keyboards, and most with a nice current of funk as well – plenty of action elements that resonate nicely with the best Italian soundtracks of the crime/cop variety from the same stretch in time! Titles include "Icarus", "Big Sur", "Spiralys", "Beta Lady", "NYC 42nd", "Fix", "Third World Tango", "Puertorico Slum", "Soft Bird", and "Kentucky Fried Chicken". CD

A totally righteous little record – the only set we've ever seen from Native American vocalist Cheyenne Fowler – and a wicked blend of jazz, soul, and funk – tied together with a really positive spirit! Gene Russell had a hand in putting the set together, and you can definitely hear some echoes of his more spiritual work in the music – and like some of the best underground acts of the 70s, Cheyenne has a way of mixing up all the hippest elements of the left side of the spectrum – then coming up with a sound that's deeply personal, and really unique! The best cuts on the record have a jazz funk approach to soul – with funky keyboard grooving, wah-wah guitar, and tasty horn flourishes over the top – and although Cheyenne's not the greatest vocalist in the world technically, she's got a strong and proud style that really carries the record. Titles include "I Don't Speak With Forked Tongue", "Cheyenne's Coming", "Grooving With You", "It Ain't All About That", "Come Back To Me", "I Love You But I Gotta Go", and "Dream Street". CD

The keyboards are up a bit more than before on this one – but that core Chic groove is still very firmly in place – snapping, clapping, and rapping the dancefloor with an undeniably catchy sound! There's a sound here that almost shows the team of Niles and Rodgers picking up some tips from the other acts they'd been working with in the studio during the time – and there's an especial influence from the growing wave of British acts slipping into the American charts in the early 80s. But that influence is never taken literally, and really just helps the team hit more of a pop-styled groove on some of the best tracks – fully shaking off the trappings of their late 70s club years, and retooling their sound for slightly more contemporary hooks! Titles include "You Are Beautiful", "Take A Closer Look", "Give Me The Lovin", "In Love With Music", "Party Everybody", "You Got Some Love For Me", and "Believer". CD

Stunning harmony soul from the Jamaican scene – served up here by The Chosen Few, a group we'd rank right up there with some of the best American harmony soul acts from the Philly and New Jersey scenes at the start of the 70s! The rhythms, as you might guess, have a bit more reggae influence in the mix – but the vocal leads and harmonies resonate strongly with classic material by The Stylistics, Delfonics, and other key groups of the generation – plus Miracles material from the generation before! The package brings together some of the rare 7" single releases by the group, all with much better sound than original Jamaican pressings – and titles include "Make Way For The Young Folks", "Queen Majesty", "Hide & Seek", "My Thing", "Everybody Plays The Fool", "Tears Of A Clown", "Second That Emotion", "I Love The Way You Love (part 1)", "Children Of The Night", and "Reggae Stuff". CD

Great work by this legendary hard swinging band – an early 60s American album issued on Atlantic Records, in the years before the Clark Boland Band's legendary run on MPS! Despite the early date, the album's got all the core elements of the band's sound in place – soaring rhythms, sharp-edged frontlines, and some great solo work by players who include Benny Bailey, Derek Humble, Jimmy Woode, Shahib Shihab, Idrees Sulieman, and Fats Sadi – coming together in a brilliant trans-Atlantic meeting of jazz talents! Tracks include "Long Note Blues", "Speedy Reeds", "Sonor", and "Om Mani Padme Hum". CD

Really beautiful duets – featuring John Horler on piano, and British reed great Tony Coe on clarinet – a fantastic player who gets one of his best showcases in many years on this set! Coe is fantastic here – blowing the clarinet with the dexterity of some of the best postwar American players – like Buddy DeFranco or Jimmy Giuffre – but with an understanding of more modern tonal elements, which are then blended with a sensitivity that's amazing – that great "second chapter" sort of sound that Coe developed during his fantastic work for the French Nato label from the 80s onwards. Even familiar tunes sound pretty incredible in the setting – and titles include "Re Person I Knew", "Body & Soul", "Some Other Autumn", "Piece For Poppy", "Around In Three", and "Dancing In The Dark". CD

Rare late 60s work from guitar genius Jerry Cole – and even more compelling than his famous records from earlier in the decade! This collection unearths a lost side of Jerry's career – tripped-out psych instrumentals from 1967 and 1968, recorded under a variety of different aliases – like The Generation Gap, Projection Company, Stone Canyon Rock Group, and T-Swift & The Electric Bag – all groups that didn't exist in real life, but were album-based studio projects by Cole! Jerry's brought a lot more fuzz to the sessions than on his surf and hot rod instrumental tracks – but the groove is mighty tight throughout, with almost a funky undercurrent to some of the best tracks – kind of an American equivalent to the UK freakbeat modes of the period, served up by Cole and a host of tight LA studio musicians. Great stuff throughout – all pulled from the Custom Records catalog – and titles include "Tune Out Of Place", "Fool's Luck", "Wild Times", "Hard Times", "What's Your Bag", "Our Man Hendrix", "Red Eyes", "I Love You I Do", "Expo In Sound", and "The Stinger". CD

A landmark batch of work from the British jazz scene – the complete early run of recordings from Colosseum, maybe the greatest jazz-rock group of their time! The combo grew out of earlier work in the beat group generation – informed strongly by American jazz and R&B, but already on the forefront of the new prog generation – driven by the mighty drums of Jon Hiseman and topped with the sax and reed work of Dick Heckstall-Smith – both fantastic players who really gave the group their grounding! The lineup shifts a bit throughout this set, and maybe gets even better as the records go on – with later work from Chris Farlowe on vocals, whose soulful style is a perfect match to the groove-heavy sound of the group. Back in the days when we didn't like prog at all, and were more focused on jazz and funk, we still had a very soft spot for Colosseum – and it's no surprise that some of these records are always found in the collections of funk fanatics around the world. The 6CD set features the full albums Those About To Die Salute You, Valentyne Suite, Grass Is Greener, Daughter Of Time, and Colosseum Live – almost all of which are presented here with bonus tracks – alongside a full bonus CD of rare studio and live recordings too! There's also a huge booklet of notes – and this package is the comprehensive take on this legendary group. CD

One of the best American psyche albums we've heard from the late 60s – a near-perfect record that's head and shoulders above the rough experimentation of most other groups from the period! Colours spell their name with a definite British twist, and there's clearly a Beatles influence going on here – a sound that's almost pre-Sgt Peppers, but which has wonderfully complicated time changes, vocal parts, and production techniques that must have cost a pretty penny to such a little-known group! Horns and strings are arranged by Dave Roberts, and handled with a sensitivity that almost matches The Zombies' best at times – and the tunes themselves are a fresh variety of odd themes, including one number about robbing a liquor store. Titles include "Brother Lou's Love Colony", "Bad Day At Black Rock Baby", "Love Heals", "Rather Be Me", "I'm Leaving", "Cataleptic", "Don't You Realize", and "Lovin". CD

Four late 60s gems from Perry Como – all records that really have him pushing beyond his pop style of the 50s! First up is Lightly Latin – one of the most sublime albums we've ever heard from Perry Como – a set that definitely takes its Latin lightly, and instead really goes for the best sort of mellow side of the Como sound! There's definitely a few bossa touches in the mix – a bit of acoustic guitar or light percussion – but they're added in very sparely, and couched with a beautifully subtle wall of sound from arranger Nick Perito, who works here with a lot more understatement than on some other records. Como's vocals are very far from pop – and the album brings out his maturing style wonderfully with a spacious, soft-toned style of production. Titles include "Dindi", "Once I Loved", "Stay With Me", "How Insensitive", "The Shadow Of Your Smile", "Baia", and "Manha De Carnaval". Next is Perry Como In Italy – one of the most haunting albums we've ever heard from Perry Como – a session recorded in Italy during the mid 60s – featuring arrangements by Nick Perito, and backing vocals by the Alessandro Alessandroni Singers! The tunes include a fair bit of older Italian numbers – some sung in the language of their origin, some in English translations that we've come to know on this side of the Atlantic – and Como takes them all with a sad-tinged style that makes the album one of his moodiest ever – a record that oozes melancholy with every song, and which has a late nite, heartbreaking appeal that goes beyond even the understanding of language. The set's a great one to convey the popularity of Italian work on the American market in the 60s – and Como carries off the session even better than some of the more likely singers on the scene during the period. Titles include "Souvenir D'Italie", "Forget Domani", "Anema E Core", "One Day Is Like Another", "Arrivederci Roma", "Oh Marie", and "E Lei". Look To Your Heart is the kind of record that moves so far beyond familiar pop vocalizations, it's almost like Perry's in a universe all by himself! The words seem to just be sneaking out of the singer's voice – these mutterings that are almost to himself, which makes his readings of the tunes feel even more personal than you might expect – even amidst larger backings from Nick Perito – like Como is off to the side of the room, ruminating on love lost and life lived! That quality comes through tremendously on the eerie "Father Of Girls" – a tune that's worth the price of admission alone – and other titles include "Try To Remember", "Look To Your Heart", "In These Crazy Times", "Sunrise Sunset", and "When You're In Love". Seattle is a record that has Perry Como taking on a bit of a country tinge at times – working with Chet Atkins production that almost seems as if the singer is trying to match the Dean Martin spirit of the late 60s, right down to phrasing that feels a bit like ol Dino himself! A few other cuts have more familiar Como modes, with backings by Nick Perito – and titles include the lively title cut "Seattle", plus "Happiness Comes Happiness Goes", "Together Forever", "Sunshine Wine", "Deep In Your Heart", "Hearts Will Be Hearts", "Turnaround", and "Beady Eyed Buzzard". CD

A legendary bit of funky fusion from the French scene of the 70s – the standout set from Cortex, a combo who's very heavy on the keyboards! The tunes have a feel that's quite different than American electric work of the time – funky, but also a bit breezy too – with a strong Brazilian influence in some of the rhythms, and hip use of female vocals alongside the Fender Rhodes – which makes for a double layer of sound that's totally great! There's a bit of alto sax in the instrumentation, but most of the sound comes from the interplay between keyboards, voice, bass, and drums – rolling along in a sound that's stunningly soulful, and which makes the record one of the hippest European dates from the decade. Tremendous all the way through – with tracks that include "Automne", "L'Enfant Samba", "La Rue", "Go Round", "Madbass", "Sabbat", "Mary Et Jeff", and "Chanson D'Un Jour D'Hiver". This CD version includes the bonus track "Jazz Dance". CD

A legendary bit of funky fusion from the French scene of the 70s – the standout set from Cortex, a combo who's very heavy on the keyboards! The tunes have a feel that's quite different than American electric work of the time – funky, but also a bit breezy too – with a strong Brazilian influence in some of the rhythms, and hip use of female vocals alongside the Fender Rhodes – which makes for a double layer of sound that's totally great! There's a bit of alto sax in the instrumentation, but most of the sound comes from the interplay between keyboards, voice, bass, and drums – rolling along in a sound that's stunningly soulful, and which makes the record one of the hippest European dates from the decade. Tremendous all the way through – with tracks that include "Automne", "L'Enfant Samba", "La Rue", "Go Round", "Madbass", "Sabbat", "Mary Et Jeff", and "Chanson D'Un Jour D'Hiver". This CD version includes the bonus track "Jazz Dance". CD

Stomping organ instrumentals from Dave Baby Cortez – early singles done for the Clock label at the end of the 50s and start of the 60s – all of which helped to really find a place for the organ in American pop and soul! Cortez brought a style to the instrument that was as wild as some of the guitarists and saxophonists of his time – a mode that wasn't really jazz, was a bit R&B, and which helped give the organ a much leaner sound than some of its "skating rink" uses in pop during the decade before. Dave's clean style is a great fit for the jaunty, leaping rhythms of these tunes – and other instrumentation includes tenor, guitar, and even a bit of piano, which is featured on a few tracks instead of organ. CD features 25 tracks in all – with titles that include "Piano Shuffle", "The Happy Organ", "Cat Nip", "Hey Hey Hey", "Mari Gras", "Fiesta", "Love Me As I Love you", "The Whistling Organ", "Do The Slop", "You're Just Right", "Riffin", "It's A Sin To Tell A Lie", "Dave's Special", "Red Sails In The Sunset", and "Hurricane". CD

A beautiful comeback LP recorded by LA alto genius Sonny Criss in the mid 60s – his first American session after a few years in France, and a few years off the scene back home! Sonny's time away had profound effects on his playing – and on this album, he returns transformed from the straight bop mode of his early days, into a mature sensitive artist in sound – capable of an amazing range of emotion, tone, and style! A number of the tracks in this set are pop tunes or standards – like "Black Coffee", "Days Of Wine & Roses", and "When Sunny Gets Blue" – but Criss plays them with a style that transforms them into something completely new, with a lyricism and emotional edge that extends well beyond the original structure of the song. Other tracks include "Steve's Blues", "Greasy", and "Sunrise Sunset" – and the CD features the bonus track "Love For Sale". CD

One of the deepest digs into the legacy of UK wonderproducer Joe Meek – a set that opens up a whole host of unissued tapes from the vaults, to present a hugely expanded set of work from a group who hardly issued any records back in the 60s! The Cryin Shames are not to be confused with the American Cryan Shames – as the Liverpool group had a great sound, but only released two singles – before spinning off into other groups with a short run too – including Friendly Persuasion, and Paul & Ritchie & The Crying Shames – all of whom recorded with Meek, and are presented here, in a massive 51 track package that features loads of unreleased takes, live material, and other rare tunes too! Core elements include the singles "September In The Rain", "Come On Back", "Nobody Waved Goodbye", "Please Stay", "What's News Pussycat", "The End Of The World", and "Come On" – and there's also 18 very early tracks from the group's audition, when they were initially billed as The Bumblies. Along with the notes, the whole thing is a great example of the way the wheels were really turning and the studio doors were opening during these key years of British rock – another new window into the production genius of the great Joe Meek! CD

Stunning early work from trumpeter Ted Curson – a record that's got as much soul and rock-solid power as you'd guess from the image on the cover! Ted's working here in the company of his frequent partner from the early days – tenorist Bill Barron – and together, they come up with a riveting sound that rivals the genius of early 60s work from Charles Mingus or Booker Ervin – with a similar blend of sharp edges, tight rhythms, and in the pocket soul! The rest of the group features Georges Arvanitas on piano – making a rare American appearance – plus Herb Bushler on bass and Dick Berk on drums. Titles include the classic "Straight Ice", plus "Reava's Waltz", "Elephant Walk", and "Nublu". CD

One of the few 70s albums as a leader from pianist Albert Dailey – a player who was making great magic with Stan Getz at the time, but who also seems to have a completely different voice on his own! Dailey's got a way of being open, joyous, and very creative – but always in a style that's never too familiar, nor ever aping the modes of some of his more famous 70s contemporaries – which creates a very fresh sound to the whole record, that kind of special, stand-alone spirit that maybe graces some of the best of the Japanese-recorded trio dates of the 70s, and a rare few American sessions too. Accompaniment is superb – Buster Williams on bass and Billy Hart on drums – both players with more than enough imagination to both keep up with Dailey's creativity, and augment him in just the right way – on titles that include "Body & Soul", "Yesterdays", "Lover Man", "Music That Makes Me Dance", and "That Old Feeling". CD

A tremendously groovy early album from MPS keyboardist Wolfgang Dauner – much tighter and in a snapping 60s mode than some of his later, more experimental work! The sound here is a mix of American soul jazz and some of the looser rhythms that were bumping around the European scene in the 60s – with unusual timings and rhythms that help keep things upbeat and soulful throughout, and make for a record that's creatively compelling, even when the compositions are familiar! The record's way more than just a batch of jazzy covers of familiar tunes, and Dauner's work on the piano is amazing – fluid, free, but still always right in the pocket – with some great support on rhythm from the team of Eberhard Weber on bass and Pierre Favre on drums. A super-hip set throughout, with very unusual takes on tunes that include "A Man & A Woman", "What Now My Love", "Merry Go Round", "Watermelon Man", "Girl From Ipanema", "Typically English", and "Hard Day's Night" – plus the original "Noa Noa". CD

Mod mod 60s jazz – and 20 tight-as-can-be instrumentals from London's Dave Davani combo! Dave's a Hammond player with a great mix of soul jazz and R&B in his grooves – very much the best sort of instrumental work you might expect from London in the swinging 60s – a great blend of American influences and UK mod styles. The rest of the group includes guitar, bass, and drums – plus a bit of vocals and Latin percussion from Beryl Wayne. The groove here is clearly a precursor to the James Taylor Quartet, and the overall sound is better than some of the more famous groups from the time – such as the combos of Brian Auger or Graham Bond. The set features tracks from Dave's Parlophone album, a few other singles, and even 4 previously unissued tracks from the same time – with titles that inlcude "Big Bossa Man", "Working Out", "Funky Mama", "Sack O Woe", "Boot Leg", "Harlem Waltz", and "Pig Foots". CD

A smoking twin-tenor session for MPS – one that reunites the mighty talents of Johnny Griffin and Eddie Lockjaw Davis! The album was done as an offshoot of both players' work for the Clarke Boland Big Band at the time – and the set was not only produced by CBBB impresario Gigi Campi, but also features a core rhythm trio from that ensemble – Francy Boland on piano, Jimmy Woode on bass, and Kenny Clarke on drums! Tracks are nice and long, and have a sound that really shows the evolution of both players since their famous recordings of the early 60s – tones that are even more modern and edgey at points, served up with a fire that hasn't died at all – and set loose on rhythms that move past the usual grooves you might have expected from their American sessions together. Titles include "Tin Tin Deo", "Jim Dawg", "Gigi", "When We Were One", and "Again N Again". CD

A smoking twin-tenor session for MPS – one that reunites the mighty talents of Johnny Griffin and Eddie Lockjaw Davis! The album was done as an offshoot of both players' work for the Clarke Boland Big Band at the time – and the set was not only produced by CBBB impresario Gigi Campi, but also features a core rhythm trio from that ensemble – Francy Boland on piano, Jimmy Woode on bass, and Kenny Clarke on drums! Tracks are nice and long, and have a sound that really shows the evolution of both players since their famous recordings of the early 60s – tones that are even more modern and edgey at points, served up with a fire that hasn't died at all – and set loose on rhythms that move past the usual grooves you might have expected from their American sessions together. Titles include "Tin Tin Deo", "Jim Dawg", "Gigi", "When We Were One", and "Again N Again". CD

One of the greatest Italian crime soundtracks of all time – a totally groovy little record that's done in a style that's quite different than American crime scores of the time, but still completely wonderful! Most of the instrumentation here is relatively spare – almost a small combo funk approach to scoring for a cop film, but done with the penchant for isolated focus on a key instrument that makes Italian soundtracks so great. There's no full horns nor funky orchestrations – and in their place are stepping bass bits, lightly dancing keyboards, and plenty of guitar parts – some jamming, some nicely spacey with a really eerie feel! The sound is great – never as cheesy as other Italian work from the mid to late 70s – and there's a grittier feel here than you'd expect, one that really keeps things interesting. CD features note in English and Italian, and a total of 23 tracks that include "The Reason Of A Just War", "The Punitive Justice", "The Other Face", "Undercover Investigation", "Gangster Story", "Casa Di Muda", and "Chicca". CD

A soaring, joyous score from Francesco De Masi – not nearly as dark as some of the other spaghetti western soundtracks of the time – and filled with the sort of proud, bold sounds you might expect from a more mainstream American western! There's still plenty creative going on in the orchestrations, though – lots of cool woodwind and brass passages, layered with the strings to create rich textures in sound – and often holding back energy with this sort of inherent drama that really keeps things moving nicely. There's a bit of chorus vocals at points, from I Cantori Moderni – who sound more heavenly than usual – and titles include "Armonica Western", "Arkansas Commento No 1", "Arkansas Suspense", "Yucca Theme", and "Non Sparate Sul Cantate". CD

One of a handful of totally wonderful albums cut by Blossom Dearie in London – a gem of a set, and one that really takes off from the style of her earlier American albums on Verve, thanks to some hip Brit arrangements from Reg Guest! Blossom embraces all sorts of sounds here that she hadn't touched before – a bit of bossa, French soundtrack, and material from other sources – all wrapped up with those wonderfully charming vocals that are unlike anyone else at all – in a way that makes even familiar tunes sound very much like Dearie's own! There's some great jazzy elements in the music – including alto sax from Keith Bird – and titles include "Dindi", "Once I Loved", "Trains & Boats & Planes", "Watch What Happens", "Sunny", "The Folks Who Live On The Hill", "Once I Loved", "A Wonderful Guy", "Meditation", and the incredible "Soon It's Gonna Rain". CD features two bonus tracks – mono single versions of "Discover Who I Am" and "The Music Played". CD

One of a handful of totally wonderful albums cut by Blossom Dearie in London – a gem of a set, and one that really takes off from the style of her earlier American albums on Verve, thanks to some hip Brit arrangements from Reg Guest! Blossom embraces all sorts of sounds here that she hadn't touched before – a bit of bossa, French soundtrack, and material from other sources – all wrapped up with those wonderfully charming vocals that are unlike anyone else at all – in a way that makes even familiar tunes sound very much like Dearie's own! There's some great jazzy elements in the music – including alto sax from Keith Bird – and titles include "Dindi", "Once I Loved", "Trains & Boats & Planes", "Watch What Happens", "Sunny", "The Folks Who Live On The Hill", "Once I Loved", "A Wonderful Guy", "Meditation", and the incredible "Soon It's Gonna Rain". CD features two bonus tracks – mono single versions of "Discover Who I Am" and "The Music Played". CD

2 of Martin Denny's grooviest albums – back to back on one CD! Hypnotique is as compelling as the title would imply! The core group of the Denny Quartet – with Julius Wechter on vibes and percussion, and Augie Colon on congas and bongos – is augmented by the Jack Halloran Singers and additional Japanese instrumentation. The added sound is absorbed nicely by Denny's group, and the record has some great tracks like "Jungle Madness", "American in Bali", and "Voodoo Dreams". Exotica 3 is the third volume in Denny's great series that virtually defined the genre they're named after – and it's every bit as strong as volumes 1 & 2. Denny comes up with some wonderful numbers – working with the spare group that included Augie Colon and Julius Wechter – on titles that include "Moon of Manakoora", "Congo Train", "Bamboo Lullaby", and "Jungle River Boat". CD

A gem of a record – Eric Dolphy's last studio session, recorded in Paris with some very surprising guest stars! The work is really tremendous – every bit as great as Dolphy's monumental studio albums for Prestige, and written and performed with a similar blend of the free, the lyrical, the avant, and the soulful – a groove that's often a bit more inside than some of Eric's other late recordings – and played with plenty of spirit throughout! The sessions make great use of American soloists Donald Byrd on trumpet and Nathan Davis on tenor – both players whose sound really balances Dolphy in a great way – holding down a groove while Eric takes off on alto sax or bass clarinet. The rhythm is by a French combo – with Jack Dieval on piano, Jacques Hess on bass, and Franco Monzecci on drums – plus a bit of congas on two tracks from Jacky Bambou. Titles are quite long, and really wonderful – and tunes include "245", "GW", "Serene", and "Springtime". CD

One of Kenny Dorham's best records ever – and one of his rarest too! The set was cut for the short-lived Jaro label, home to a few great jazz sides during its short-lived American tenure – and the set features Kenny grooving at a level that's extremely tight, very much in the best spirit of his work for Blue Note or Prestige – and recorded here with equally top-shelf sound! The record shows Kenny at his lyrical best – working alongside the piano of Tommy Flangan, who really helps enforce this side of his music – and also getting some help from Charles Davis on baritone, who brings in some darker edges to the record. Other players include Butch Warren on bass and Buddy Enlow on drums – on tracks that include the original entitled "Stage West", plus another sweet tune by Davis entitled "Turbo" – as well as the numbers "Butch's Blues", "Six Bits", and "Stella By Starlight". CD

One of Kenny Dorham's best records ever – and one of his rarest too! The set was cut for the short-lived Jaro label, home to a few great jazz sides during its short-lived American tenure – and the set features Kenny grooving at a level that's extremely tight, very much in the best spirit of his work for Blue Note or Prestige – and recorded here with equally top-shelf sound! The record shows Kenny at his lyrical best – working alongside the piano of Tommy Flangan, who really helps enforce this side of his music – and also getting some help from Charles Davis on baritone, who brings in some darker edges to the record. Other players include Butch Warren on bass and Buddy Enlow on drums – on tracks that include the original entitled "Stage West", plus another sweet tune by Davis entitled "Turbo" – as well as the numbers "Butch's Blues", "Six Bits", and "Stella By Starlight". CD

Great live work from Kenny Dorham – wonderfully recorded by Danish Radio from an early 60s performance in Copehagen – one that also features flugelhorn from Allan Botschinsky as well! The mix of trumpet and flugelhorn is totally great – a shifting, shimmering palette of colors and sound that steps right out with a bold, righteous energy – that sense of force that Dorham was beginning to show in some of his American recordings too – before his studio appearances were cut down all too quickly. Rhythms are extremely tight too – with Tete Montoliu on piano, Niels Henning Orsted Pedersen on bass, and Alex Riel on drums – and the tracks are nice and long, with versions of "Short Story", "Bye Bye Blackbird", "Manha De Carnival", and "The Touch of Your Lips". CD

A beautiful album that definitely lives up to its title – and delivers some of the wonderfully impressionistic piano work that Kenny Drew was recording in the 80s – music that's very different than both his early American albums in the 50s, and some of the key accompaniment he'd provide on European dates with tenor players in the 70s! Here, Kenny's very open and fluid, sometimes almost painterly in his approach to sound – yet still able to swing, too, thanks to accompaniment from Niels Henning Orsted Pedersen on bass and Alvin Queen on drums. The set features a killer version of "Last Tango In Paris" – plus "Cafe Flore", "Evening In The Park", "My Ship", "Morning Mist", and "Rouge Blues". CD

An excellent album of groovy jazz from the European scene of the mid 60s – and one that pairs the talents of the great (and nearly forgotten) Austrian tenor player Karl Drewo with the groovy small band of the legendary pianist Francy Boland! Although he hails from Vienna, Drewo's tone is nice and deep, with a heavy cutting tenor sound that's right up there with American giants like Johnny Griffin or Eddie Lockjaw Davis. He's playing here with a tight hardbop septet, fronted by Francy Boland, and featuring a unique 3-piece trombone section for the rhythm parts. Most of the solos are Drewos', and his tenor cuts nice and deep through the arrangements of the band as they groove with a good solid sound. Titles include "JLK", "Young Bucks", "Clap Hands Here Comes Charlie", "Limehouse Blues", "I'm Getting Sentimental Over You" and "Foot Pattin". Nice cover, too! CD

A pair of albums from the legendary Johnny Dyani – packaged here in one great little set! Rejoice features searing live work from Johnny Dyani – a set that has the bassist opening up strongly in a trio with Mongezi Feza on trumpet and Okey Temiz on drums and percussion! Feza sounds even better here than usual – blowing these long, inventive solo lines that match the work of Ted Curson for 70s fire – really spurred on by Okey's creative changes, into a soulful space that may well be some of Mongezi's most spiritually expressive of the 70s! Dyani's bass is strong, and ever-present – never needing to dominate, but always felt as this rich pulse – and powerful melodic element at just the right moments. Titles include "Mad High", "Makaya Makaya", "Pukwana" and "Imbomgolo". CD also features an unreleased track from the same performance – the 20 minute "Mad High Revisited". Together is a record that really gets back to Johnny Dyani's roots in South African jazz! Although Dyani and his expatriates in the Blue Notes helped give London a new sound of avant jazz expression in the 70s, the music here returns to the warmer melodic style of their early 60s days – with loping rhythms that draw on regional tradition, and soulful interplay between the alto of Dudu Pukwana, tenor of Peter Shimmy Radise, and keyboards from Dyani – who shifts his instrument for this special recording! The group also features use of guitar, congas, whistles, and a South American harp – used in rhythmic ways that pulsate warmly – on titles that include "Kalahari", "Tula Tula", "High Priest", "Johnny's Kwela", and "Together". CD

Bob Dylan and his incomparable band take on old school pop standards for the second album in a row – and it's a real charmer! Fallen Angels has a lot in common with the preceding Strangers In The Night, as they're again taking on songs recorded by, and in some cases popularized by Sinatra, but this one goes a bit deeper into the classic American songbook – and it's all the better for it. Dylan's reputation as a songwriter is borderline biblical, while his reputation as a conventionally gifted singer is, well...something else – so there's a sly allurement here that's not lost on the headliner. He's paying earnest tribute to the songs themselves – which in the course of pop history have been overshadowed by the voices singing them – and on that front, it's masterful! Still, Dylan's raspy croon is pretty darn charismatic itself on this material, making it another late career gem. Longtime Dylan players Charlie Sexton, Stu Kimball, Tony Garnier, George Recile and Donnie Herron make the instrumental magic happen, along with newer Dylan player (though longtime session guitar ace) Dean Parks – but extra credit to Herron, whose steel guitar sound makes it extra special. Includes "Young At Heart", "Maybe You'll Be There", "Polka Dots & Moonbeams", "All The Way", "Skylark", "Nevertheless", "All Or Nothing At All", "It Had To Be You", "Melancholy Mood", "That Old Black Magic" and "Come Rain Or Come Shine". CD

Sweet 70s grooving from Brazilian singer Eva – a bit of soul, a bit of easy, all styled together nicely by orchestrations from the magical maestro Gaya! Gaya's work here is similar to his best backings for other artists in the Blue Brazil generation – a mix of American pop, post-bossa instrumentation, and in this case, some very slight electric touches – kind of hipping up the tunes a bit with some nice keyboards! The album's got a really nice version of "Moon River" that skips along at a nice pace – plus some great originals that offer a strong update to the sound of other Brazilian pop/post-bossa singers, like Doris Monteiro or Claudette Soares. Titles include "O Homem Do Tempo", "Vinte Leguas", "Na Baixa Do Sapateiro", "Olha Eu Aqui Oh Oh Oh", "Talisma", and Sonho Lindo". CD

A pivotal session for Gil Evans – one that brought his genius to the American public strongly and successfully, without the help of Miles Davis! Sure, Gil had recorded albums as a leader before this one – but the sparkling quality of this set is right up there with the charts he handled for Miles, and the quality of the players in the group make the performance every bit as great. Gil's band includes trumpeter Johnny Coles, plus Ron Carter on bass, Elvin Jones on drums, Budd Johnson on tenor, and Ray Crawford on guitar – all players who open up the sound with a magnificent array of colors that sparkle from the sublime Evans arranging touch. Titles include "Stratusphunk", "Sunken Treasure", "La Nevada", and a great reading of Kurt Weil's "Bilbao Song". CD

A pivotal session for Gil Evans – one that brought his genius to the American public strongly and successfully, without the help of Miles Davis! Sure, Gil had recorded albums as a leader before this one – but the sparkling quality of this set is right up there with the charts he handled for Miles, and the quality of the players in the group make the performance every bit as great. Gil's band includes trumpeter Johnny Coles, plus Ron Carter on bass, Elvin Jones on drums, Budd Johnson on tenor, and Ray Crawford on guitar – all players who open up the sound with a magnificent array of colors that sparkle from the sublime Evans arranging touch. Titles include "Stratusphunk", "Sunken Treasure", "La Nevada", and a great reading of Kurt Weil's "Bilbao Song". CD

A pivotal session for Gil Evans – one that brought his genius to the American public strongly and successfully, without the help of Miles Davis! Sure, Gil had recorded albums as a leader before this one – but the sparkling quality of this set is right up there with the charts he handled for Miles, and the quality of the players in the group make the performance every bit as great. Gil's band includes trumpeter Johnny Coles, plus Ron Carter on bass, Elvin Jones on drums, Budd Johnson on tenor, and Ray Crawford on guitar – all players who open up the sound with a magnificent array of colors that sparkle from the sublime Evans arranging touch. Titles include "Stratusphunk", "Sunken Treasure", "La Nevada", and a great reading of Kurt Weil's "Bilbao Song". CD

John Fahey rewrites the sound of America – here in a wonderful set that stands as one of the real highlights from his Takoma Records years! Tracks are a mix of public domain material from America's past, mixed with plenty of Fahey originals – and all material receives both fantastic Fahey arrangements and performance – with a sublime tone that's filled with color, life, and lots of dark little corners as well. Echoes of older string and blues modes come into the mix – but with a very contemporary, modernist expression – as John reworks an older version of American to balance a country forever changed by the 60s. Titles include "The Voice Of The Turtle", "Knoxville Blues", and "Mark 1:15". CD features a stunning amount of unreleased tracks – 9 songs that never made it on the original album, which was concieved as a double-length set! CD

Four incredible albums from the young Georgie Fame – plus a bonus CD of rare material, bonus tracks on all CDs, and 18 previously unreleased tracks – all in a box set with a 48 page book, 5 postcards, and a poster too! First up is Rhythm & Blues At The Flamingo – blistering early work from a young Georgie Fame – a set that definitely lives up to the Rhythm & Blues in the title! The set was recorded live at London's hip Flamingo club – and Georgie and The Blue Flames are very much in command of the crowd – burning with the intensity of a American small organ combo, especially the early 60s variety that often played equal parts soul jazz and R&B! Georgie's on the Hammond, and also sings with a rough-edged style that's plenty soulful, and incredibly appealing – a mode that oozes charisma, but never sounds fake or forced. Titles include "Do The Dog", "Eso Beso", "Work Song", "Baby Please Don't Go", "Shop Around", "Humpty Dumpty", and "You Can't Sit Down". Fame At Last is a brilliant mix of jazz, soul, and R&B – all filtered through a mod sort of London freshness, as early proof that the city could always take some great things from our own musical roots, and feed it back to us with a whole new flavor! Georgie's no copycat here, though – and the sound is instantly Fame-like – a style that's really not the sort that any Americans were doing at the time, and certainly never this well. Hard-burning Hammond colors most of the tunes here – played with a tightly vamping quality – but it's Georgie's charmingly crackling vocals that really win us over! Titles include "Gimme That Wine", "Pink Champagne", "Monkeying Around", "Green Onions", "Let The Sunshine In", "Get On The Right Track Baby", "I'm In The Mood For Love", and "I Love The Life I Live". Sweet Things is a definite sweet thing from Georgie Fame – a record that has him filling in his sound even more than before, with tremendously soulful results! The backings here are bigger than before – a bit tooled in an American soul mode, but still with that beautifully raspy Georgie Fame touch – lots of jazzy inflections on the vocals, and a way of handling a tune, even a familiar one, and really working it on his own level. Hammond still fills in most of the tunes, but other instrumentation includes some nice African percussion from Speedy Acquaye, saxes from Pete Coe, and some nice bold drums from John Mitchell. These come out to the forefront on the classic funky tune "Music Talk" – and still sound great on other numbers that include "The World Is Round", "Last Night", "Dr Kitch", "My Girl", "Ride Your Pony", and "Sweet Thing". Sound Venture is one of the jazziest early albums from Georgie Fame – a set that has him singing with the big band of Harry South, at a level that's a lot more complicated than some of his other work with The Blue Flames! The style here still has that mod 60s London feel, but it also has some deeper inflections as well – modes borrowed a bit from Jon Hendricks or Mose Allison, yet served up with even greater complexity – at a level that really points towards the tremendous growth Fame would unleash over the next few years. Members of the group include Tubby Hayes, Ronnie Scott, Tony Coe, Dick Morrisey, Kenny Wheeler, and many other key Brit jazz figures of the time – and titles include "Three Blind Mice", "Dawn Yawn", "Feed Me", "Lovey Dovey", "Lil Darlin", "Lil Pony", "I Am Missing You", and "Many Happy Returns". CD5 is Bend A Little – a package with 20 unusual titles – demos, rare tracks, and outtakes – including unreleased tracks, IBC recordings, and even two German tracks too! Plus, each individual CD comes with bonus tracks – 40 bonus tracks, in addition to the 20 more titles on the Bend A Little set – a huge amount of material! CD

A nice little package, one that brings together three American releases of music by London's legendary Georgie Fame! First up is the classic Yeh Yeh – a brilliant mix of jazz, soul, and R&B – all filtered through a mod sort of London freshness, as early proof that the city could always take some great things from our own musical roots, and feed it back to us with a whole new flavor! Georgie Fame's no copycat here, though – and the sound is instantly Fame-like – a style that's really not the sort that any Americans were doing at the time, and certainly never this well. Hard-burning Hammond colors most of the tunes here – played with a tightly vamping quality – but it's Georgie's charmingly crackling vocals that really win us over! Titles include "Gimme That Wine", "Pink Champagne", "Monkeying Around", "I Love The Life I Live", "Point Of No Return", "Preach & Teach", "Get On The Right Track Baby", and the hit "Yeh Yeh". Next is Get Away – a great little album from Georgie Fame – with a hard raw soul sound that shows what a big crossover potential he had with the UK soul market – so much so that this batch of material was issued in the US as well! The album's got some wonderful arrangements – quite raw, with some nice organ, and plenty of heavy vocals from Georgie in a strong blue eyed soul mode. Titles include "Sitting In The Park", "Get Away", "Sweet Thing", "Ride Your Pony", "The In Crowd", "Last Night", and "Music Talk". Hall Of Fame is a bit of a best-of – a record that features some singles, and some album tracks – the latter of which aren't included here, as they'd be duplicated. The remaining material is Fame at his raw early best – working in a great soulful style, with plenty of jazzy charms – on cuts that include "Outrage", "Lil Darlin", "Sunny", "In The Meantime", "Something", "Do Re Mi", and Fame's own "Like We Used To Be". CD also features 9 more bonus tracks, some live recordings – titles that include "Bend A Little", "Telegram", "It Ain't Right", "Don't Make Promises", "Many Happy Returns", "I'm In Love With You", "Shop Around", "Green Onions", and "Do The Dog". CD

A really wonderful project that was years in the making – a mix of American club and Brazilian elements – put together by a group that includes members of Azymuth and Banda Black Rio, as well as the legendary Arthur Verocai! Jose Roberto Bertrami's the strongest contributor here – and the music really echoes that great late 70s/early 80s point when the Azymuth fusion groove crossed over into tighter, funkier territory – coming off here with a sound that's got really universal appeal and a wickedly classic vibe overall – like some unusual cross-breeding of Brazilian grooves and Salsoul Records! Vocals are by Mia Mendes and Marcina Arnold, but the instrumentation is even better than the lyrics – filled with jazzy touches, blended with bits of strings, and perfectly produced all the way through. Really tremendous stuff – one of the freshest records we've heard from Far Out in years – with titles that include "Mystery", "Keep Believing", "Dead Dance", "The Last Carnival", "A Disco Supreme", "Vendetta", and "Don't Cha Know He's Alright". 2CD set features 8 more bonus remix tracks too! CD

Part western, part Latin American – yet also filled with lots of weird and groovy touches – a compelling set from 60s Italy that goes way way way past the obvious! The set begins with an acoustic guitar over dramatic scoring, but then moves into modes that include mod rhythms, pan flute, spacey organ, and more – all spun out with a very different flavor on every different track – so much so, you might actually think the whole album's a collection of tunes from different movies, rather than a soundtrack in itself! Gianni Ferrio really knocked it out of the park with this one – and the reissue features 15 tracks in all, remastered with great sound! CD

A sublime little set – quite possibly the greatest album ever from Brazilian keyboardist Manfredo Fest! Manfredo first cut his teeth on the bossa scene of the 60s – but by the time of this rare indie session, he'd moved up to the US – and was working with sweet keyboards to really electrify his groove! The record's a wonderful blend of 70s Brazilian fusion modes and just a dash of American soul – and in addition to Manfredo's wonderful work on Fender Rhodes, the set also has these brilliant vocals from Roberta Davis – a singer who works wordlessly, using her voice as an instrument in this really cool way – sliding along with the grooves, and making the album sound unlike anything else we can think of. The overall feel is a bit like Joao Donato's excellent Quem E Quem album – and titles include "Jungle Cat", "Facing East", "Who Needs It", and "Brazilian Dorian Dream". CD

Far-reaching sounds from The Flock – a group who were maybe one of the best American acts at the end of the 60s to blend trippy rock with the big new wave of jazz fusion! These guys definitely use horns in a way that link them to the chunky groove of early work by Chicago or Blood Sweat & Tears – but they're also clearly going for a more long-haired vibe, too – especially when they open up on some acoustic stringed instrumentation – such as 12-string guitar or violin, both of which are handled by Jerry Goodman in a really great way! These instruments really shape some of the sound of the set – especially the violin when it's used in these freewheeling passages that might give Jean-Luc Ponty a run for his money – but there's also a core, tight soulful sound that balances things out nicely – as does some of the heavy drums and fuzzy guitar! Titles include "Clown", "I Am The Tall Tree", "Store Bought Store Thought", and "Truth" – plus a very cool funky cover of The Kinks' "Tired Of Waiting". CD

Gorgeous sounds from Xenia Franca – a Brazilian soul singer with a sound and style that should make her huge, if the world has any justice – but who's also more than great enough as the kind of special discovery that keeps us searching for unusual music from around the globe! Xenia's got a voice that's incredible – every bit as rich and powerful as any American female soul singer in recent years, but set to arrangements and instrumentation that are more inventive than anything in the mainstream – and which seem to get a special sort of crispy crackle from the Portuguese in the lyrics. We loved her first album, but this one is even more amazing – with titles that include "Magica", "From The Heights", "Ancestral Infinito", "Futurivel", "Interstelar", and "Animus X Anima", which features a guest appearance from Arthur Verocai! CD

2 important early Aretha Franklin albums – back to back on a single CD! Runnin Out Of Fools is the birth of Aretha Franklin's soulful sound – a real change from the jazzier sound of her first two albums for Columbia, and a set that really shows some great sides of her talents! Arrangements are by Belford Hendricks, who creates an uptown-styled sort of sound – one that has fuller strings and a bit of backing vocals, but also a nice little groove at the bottom – territory that's somewhere between the country soul of the early 60s, and some of the tighter New York soul that was on the rise. Aretha's vocals are great – heartbreaking one minute, proud and righteous the next – and the album's proof that she was always a wonderful singer, no matter what the setting. Titles include "Mockingbird", "Walk On By", "How Glad I Am", "I Can't Wait Until I See My Baby's Face", "Runnin' Out Of Fools", and "One Room Paradise". Yeah is a hip little live date from Aretha Franklin – one that's got a very jazzy feel, and some great small combo backings! The album's almost a distillation of the jazzy styles on Aretha's first albums for Columbia – taken into even leaner territory here, in ways that really set Franklin loose on vocals – making for some of her most forceful moments on record at the time. The quartet features pianist Teddy Harris, who steps back on a few tunes to let Franklin take over the piano – and titles include "Once In A Lifetime", "Love For Sale", "Impossible", "Today I Love Everybody", and "Without The One You Love". CD

A mid 80s film that's scored by Dominic Frontiere in a mix of modes – some lofty orchestral pieces that are positively airborne in their sound and structure, with a great sense of American pride and drama – and a few more period pieces to set the scene for the 1920s narrative. Titles include "Rabbit Hunt", "The Wolf Pack", "Saw The Fire", "Real Prize", "The Crash", and "The Forest". CD

Two rare albums from this great pianist – back to back on a single CD! First up is Jazz Argentino – key work from Ruben Lopez Furst, a wonderful pianist from the Argentine scene of the 60s – heard here on one of his greatest albums ever! Despite the local placement in the title, the set's got a really universal appeal – a quality that easily puts Baby Lopez Furst in the company of Bill Evans, Hampton Hawes, or a rare few imaginative pianists from up north! Furst's sense of color and timing are wonderful – ringing out fluidly, yet always with a sense of surprise that keeps us hanging on each new note – nothing that's ever hokey or heard-before – handled here with a vibrancy that's simply stunning. Many numbers are trio tracks, but the set also features guest trumpet and tenor on two tracks – and titles include "Israel", "Un Abajea Duriente", "Los Viejos", "Al Este Del Sol", "Sometime Ago", and "Cartas De Amor". Next is Jazz En La Universidad – one of the real highlights of the Argentine jazz scene of the 60s – a seminal album from pianist Ruben "Baby" Lopez – easily one of that country's greatest jazz musicians in the decade! Ruben's got a sound that opens up with the lyrical sense of space and tone first introduced by Bill Evans, but he's also more note-full at other moments – playing with a command of the piano that would have made him huge, had he recorded on the American or European scenes of the time! There's a warm balance between his instrument, the bass of Jorge Gonzalez, and drums of Nestor Astratta – one that goes past conventional piano trio modes, and which really reminds us of our favorite Saba/MPS sessions of the period. Titles include "Un Poco Alegre", "Hombre Amaestrado", "En Tu Dulce Modo", "Hermosoa Amor", and "Necesitare Alguien Mas". CD