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The third album from Squeeze and a straight up classic from the most pop ready realm of the new wave – 1980s Argybargy, the one that really got Squeeze over into the mainstream and deservingly so! The record that doesn't sound dated, even with a sound built largely around keyboards, thanks to the strength of the songwriting and hooks. Includes "Pulling Mussels (From The Shell)", "Another Nail In My Heart", "Separate Beds", "Farfisa Beat", "Wrong Side Of The Moon", "There At The Top" and more! CD

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A great one from this all-star group – an incredibly righteous combo that's given Billy Harper one of his best chances to play in years! As with the previous album by The Cookers, the Harper influence really runs strong – not just in the use of some of his great tracks in the performance, but also in the way the tunes build and work together – that bold, powerful energy that Billy first unleashed on the world in the 70s – driven to new heights here by a lineup that also includes Eddie Henderson on trumpet, Craig Handy on alto sax, George Cables on piano, Cecil McBee on bass, and Billy Hart on drums! But key thanks should also go to trumpeter David Weiss – also in the group, and producer for the record – a great talent for getting these guys to work together so well. Titles include tunes by McBee, Cables, and Hart as well – with tracks that include "Ebony Moonbeams", "Believe For It Is True", "Free For All", "Quest", "But He Knows", "Tight Squeeze", and "Naaj". CD

The complete sessions by the best-known early version of The Hampton Hawes Trio – one that featured Red Mitchell on bass and Chuck Thompson on drums, heard here on the group's first three albums for the Contemporary label! The Hawes approach to the keys was a very popular one at the time – a mix of bop invention and older-styled phrasing – played mostly over standards, but creative and inventive enough to put Hampton on a par with Oscar Peterson, Ahmad Jamal, and some of the other rising trio talents of the 50s. Most of the set's 35 tracks were done in studio mode – but the package also features 3 bonus live numbers from the Embers night club in 1956, plus 3 more bonus tracks from live LA recordings – featuring either Mel Lewis or Shelly Manne in the drum chair. Titles include "Hamp's Blues", "Feeling Fine", "I Got Rhythm", "Round Midnight", "Blues For Jacques", "Section Blues", "Yesterdays", "Carioca", "Just Squeeze Me", "Body & Soul", "Coolin The Blues", "Walkin", and "The Champ". CD

Genius, pure genius – and one of the few key sides by Warne Marsh as a leader! The album follows on Marsh's appearance with Lee Konitz on an earlier Atlantic album, but it really breaks free from the Konitz mode – and has an open, laidback sound that is instantly captivating – still modern, to be sure, but also done in a way that has some of the soulfulness of a Hank Mobley albums at times. Part of the reason for this is the group's rhythm section – which features Ronnie Ball on piano, Paul Chambers on bass, and either Philly Joe Jones or Paul Motian on drums. And on the Motian numbers, Marsh is playing without piano – making for a coolly evocative style that really has the tenor dominating the sound. Titles include "My Melancholy Baby", "Excerpt", "Too Close For Comfort", "Yardbird Suite", and "Just Squeeze Me". CD

Oscar's great connection here is with the rhythm team of Louis Hayes on drums and Niels Henning Orsted Pedersen on bass – both of whom bring in a nice degree of subtlety to the set, and make it one of Peterson's most gently-grooving albums for MPS! There's a warm, round quality to most of the tunes on the album – a mode that partakes strongly of the lyrical side of the Peterson spectrum, yet which still makes things roll along with a submerged sense of his gutbuckety soul. Titles include "Smile", "On The Trail", "Wheatland", "Younger That Springtime", "Where Do We Go From Here", and "Just Squeeze Me". CD

Pee Wee Russell on clarinet with Eddie Condon on guitar, Bud Freeman on tenor sax, Jess Stacy on piano, Muggsy Spanier on cornet, Miff Mole on trombone, and many more. Includes "Jig Walk", "Last Time I Saw Chicago", "Deuces Wild", "Embraceable You", "Rosettta", "DA Blues", and "Squeeze Me" – plus a number of alternate takes. 22 cuts in all. CD

Classic Hammond work from female organ legend Shirley Scott – in her best mode of the 60s! Here's the reasons: 1) The group features husband Stanley Turrentine on tenor, adding in some nice extra tones to Shirley's usual trio! 2 ) The rhythm section is Bob Cranshaw and Otis Finch – surely one of Shirley's best. 3) The set was recorded live, in the Front Froom in Newark, with a real down-home gutbucket approach that's different from some of the other Impulse albums. 4) Tracks are long, with plenty of room for soloing – even more so than some of Shirley's other records of the time. Titles include "That's For Me", "Rapid Shave", and "Squeeze Me". Nuff said! CD

Includes the songs "Dog Bottom", "Jungle Mamma", "Heebie Jeebies", "(I'm Left With The) Blues In My Heart", "Lona", "Blue Minor", "Don't Be That Way", "What A Shuffle", "Blue Lou", "Go Harlem", "Clap Hands! Here Comes Charlie", "That Naughty Waltz", "I Got Rhythm", "Squeeze Me", "Harlem Congo", "Midnight In A Madhouse", "Spinnin' The Webb", "Liza (All The Clouds'll Roll Away)", "Who Ya Hunchin'?", and "In The Groove At The Grove". CD

2 early experiments by Cannonball Adderley – both of which feature him as the main soloists in front of larger backings! Jump For Joy is an interesting early side by Cannonball that captures him before he'd really found his voice – and when the folks at Mercury still didn't really know what to do with him. The record's a tightly arranged set of tracks from Duke Ellington's musical "Jump For Joy" – with arrangements by Bill Russo, and small group playing that includes Emmett Berry, Bill Evans, Barry Gabraith, Jimmy Cobb, and a small string section. The sound's actually quite haunting – and Cannon's alto solos remind us more of some of the best "with strings" soloing heard on Verve in the early 50s than they do his later soul jazz classics on Riverside or Capitol. That's ok with us, though – because the session's still got a lot to offer in that respect, and Cannonball handles the solos wonderfully! Titles include "Bli Blip", "Just Squeeze Me", "Nothin", and "The Tune Of The Hickory Stick". Cannonball & Strings features Adderley's beautifully edgey alto sliding nicely through a set of standards conducted by Richard Hayman. The album's not as strikingly emotive as other Verve "with strings"outings – such as the Charlie Parker & Strings sessions – but it is a great platform for the youthful Cannonball to do more than wail in a soul jazz kind of way, and it unlocks a much more thoughtful, introspective side of his playing not usually heard on record. A nice divergence from the usual – with titles that include "I Cover The Waterfront", "Two Sleepy People", "I'll Never Stop Loving You", and "Street Of Dreams". CD features 22 titles in all. CD

Plenty marvelous work from Count Basie and a whole host of longtime associates – all pulled from 50s records for the Vanguard label, most of which weren't done under Basie's leadership, but were headed by drummer Jo Jones, trumpeter Buck Clayton, and singer Joe Williams! Other players include Freddie Green on guitar, Lucky Thompson on tenor, Earl Warren on alto sax, Emmett Berry on trumpet, and Marlowe Morris on organ – and oddly, Basie doesn't even appear to be on all the tracks. That's ok with us, though – because often, small group sessions by Basie sidemen could be even more interesting than their bigger band work – as you'll hear on titles that include "Caravan", "Splittin", "Squeeze Me", "Buck Huckles", "Georgia Mae", "Lover Man", and "Shoe Shine Boy". CD

A trio of legendary albums by Lee Perry – Super Ape, Return Of The Super Ape, and Roast Fish, Collie Weed & Cornbread – back-to-back-to-back in a great 2CD package complete with a handful of bonus tracks! Super Ape is the King Kong of dub albums – classic Lee Perry and an essential dub album, rendering Scratch's dense, multi-layered Black Ark rhythms in all their raw glory – with toasts and vocal snippets darting in and out of the dubs courtesy Prince Jazzbo, the Heptones, Dillinger and Scratch himself. Tracks include "Zion's Blood", "Croaking Lizard", "Dread Lion", "Patience", "Dub Along", "Black Vest", "Underground Root", "Curly Dub" "Three In One" and "Super Ape". Roast Fish, Collie Weed & Cornbread is Scratch's funky reggae party, put together at the Black Ark, with Boris Gardner, Mickey Boo, Sly Dunbar & Winston Wright. A nice batch of skanking Jamaica funk, with the requisite Black Ark smoke blowing throughout. Includes a bunch of classic Perry-isms, like "Yu Squeeze My Panhandle", "Roast Fish & Cornbread", "Soul Fire" & "Free Up The Weed". Return Of The Super Ape is mostly instrumental, but not quite dub, though some cuts do have Perry's vocals on top. Slow rolling and a bit murky, this set bears no relation to the Super Ape set, other than the freaky cover, but is still infused with Perry's unique vision. Includes the title track, "Bird In Hand", "Psyche & Trim", "Huzza A Haha" and "High Rankin Sammy". Includes 7 bonus tracks! CD

2 early albums from Della – back to back on one CD! Story Of The Blues is a mostly-traditional set of numbers – showing the evolution of the blues style in the early 20th century – with backing by Sid Oliver, and titles that include "Empty Bed Blues", "Lover Man", "There's Always The Blues", "Stormy Weather", and "Squeeze Me". Melancholy Baby is a much better album, and has Della singing at that sophisticated level that she used on her best work – with backing by Sid Bass, and a great set of adult love songs that include "It's Monday Every Day", "I Could Have Told You So", "All Alone", "One For My Baby", and "I Get Along Without You Very Well". 23 tracks in all. CD

A great look at the lesser-known side of the Harlem soul empire of producer Bobby Robinson – best known for his work on the Fire and Fury labels, but also heard here on a host of rare singles for Enjoy, Vest, and other smaller imprints! There's plenty of records here that mark Robinson as having a key ear for funk way before most other talents on the scene – and there's plenty of tracks here that take conventional soul artists and set them up in a nicely gritty mode – perfect for the format of a 45rpm 7" single – especially on some of the cuts here that spill out over both sides of the wax! The set features 28 tracks in all – many of which we've not seen on other collections – and titles include "Baby Baby I Love You" by The Hootenaires, "Ain't Nobody's Business" by Mary B, "Don't Make Me Cry" by Ti Mattison, "Count The Tears" by Jimmy Armstrong, "Memphis" by The Dan Dees, "My Darkest Hour" by Titus Turner, "Talk To Me Baby" by Joe Haywood, "Soul Express (parts 1 & 2)" by The Ramrods, "Hot Potato (parts 1 & 2)" by The Rinkydinks, "The Squeeze (parts 1 & 2)" by Horace Coopoer & Band, "Bank Of Love" by Janet Calloway, "Just A Little Bit Of True Love" by Betty Boothe, "What Ya Gonna Do" by Noble Watts & June Bateman, and "Dig Yourself" by Les Cooper & The Soul Rockers. CD

Includes tracks by David Bowie, Genesis, Squeeze, Paul Hardcastle, Roger Waters & The Bleeding Heart Band, and Hugh Cornwell. CD

A second volume of Duke Ellington material from Kenny Burrell – and like the first, an extremely fresh look at the tunes – given the way things change up throughout the sessions! The presentation here is nicely varied – not just a big band take on the Duke, nor some small combo musings – but instead a mixture of both, all with Burrell's guitar at the center, but also moving the spotlight to a host of other players along the way – including trombonist Quentin Jackson, trumpeters Snooky Young and Thad Jones, organist Jimmy Smith, and tenorists Joe Henderson and Jerome Richardson – all of whom add some surprisingly soulful currents to the set. Titles include "Jeep Is Jumpin", "Solitude", "In A Sentimental Mood", "Azure", "Just Squeeze Me", "Come Sunday", "Prelude To A Kiss", "I Let A Song Go Out Of My Heart", and "Orson". CD

Plenty of crazy rhythms here – as singers Chiemi Eri and Carl Jones are joined by Japanese jazzmen who include Nobuo Hara & His Sharps & Flats, saxophonists Sadao Watanabe and Sleepy Matsumoto, guitarist Shungo Sawada, and the Hideo Shiraki Quintet! The backings on all tracks are superb – and elevate the already-great team of Eri and Jones to a wonderful new level – one that easily matches some of the hippest vocal jazz sessions cut in the US during the same period, especially some of the more inventive albums on the soul jazz side of the spectrum. Titles include "The Big Twister", "My Funny Valentine", "Just Squeeze Me", "Love Is Here To Stay", "I Get A Kick Out Of You", and "Midnight Sun Will Never Set". CD

80s material from trumpeter Rolf Ericson – but sides that we'd rank right up there with his better-known work from the 50s! There's a great back-to-basics feel to this material – a timeless quality that has Rolf really hitting his stride and the best side of his sound – blowing trumpet and flugelhorn on most of the set in a quintet with Nils Sandsdtrom on tenor, Goran Lindberg on piano, and Mel Lewis on drums – but also working beautifully on a few duet sides with pianist Claes Croona. No matter the setting, Ericson blows with a strength of feeling and sense of tone that's totally great – one that makes us wonder how we lost track of him in the years between the albums we have in our collection, and this surprise session from the 80s. Titles include "Evelyn", "What Am I Here For", "Without A Song", "Mel's Bells", "Nancy With The Laughing Face", "Stockholm Sweetnin", and "Just Squeeze Me". CD

This one plays more like a Roc posse LP than a Jay album, with Memph Bleek and the ever rugged Beanie Siegel prominently featured throughout the album. 16 tracks in all from the height of the "hot" sound, with the breakout Neptunes hit "I Just Wanna Love U (Give It To Me)", "Streets Is Talking", "This Can't Be Life" featuring Scarface, "Parkin Lot Pimpin", "1-900-HUSTLER", and "Squeeze 1st". CD

Killer Latin funk from the mid 70s – a totally rare little set, but a masterpiece all the way through! Sol is a combo headed up by keyboardist Joe Gallardo – and they've got a groove that blends together some wonderful elements – including jazz funk, straight Latin, and a bit of Chicano soul – all wrapped up in a warm, west coast sort of vibe that's totally great! In a way, the album almost feels like some lost treasure from Fantasy Records' best funky years – but it's also got a more unique feel overall, and a way of changing up the groove that keeps things fresh throughout. Lead vocals are by Ray Romero, who sings in English, and almost echoes Mark Murphy's style on Muse – and other instrumentation includes guitar, flute, saxes, trumpet, and lots of Latin percussion. Titles include the cut "Maranatha", a very nice groover – plus a version of Ray Barretto's "El Que Se Fue", Stevie Wonder's "Bird Of Beauty", and the original cuts "Sailing", "Patrice", "Someday", and "Squeeze". CD

Some of Lucky Thompson's rarest work from the 50s – and some of his best! The American tenorist is working here in two different French groups – one a quintet with Henri Renaud on piano, the other a tentet with the core quartet of Renaud, plus some additional local horn players. Unlike some of Thompson's other albums from the time, which can frequently be dominated by standards, this set's got some great original material – mostly written by Renaud, and infused with a sharp modernist swing. Tiltes include "Souscription", "Marcel Le Fourreur", "G&B", "Tight Squeeze", "Meet Quincy Jones", and "Influence". Lucky's tone is rich and soulful – and the session's gone to the top of our list of his work! CD

Finer moments from Frank Zappa, but some lost moments too – given that all the tracks on the set are previously unreleased – and are pulled from both live and studio recordings during Zappa's formative late 60s/early 70s stretch! The package is a real treasure trove – a reward to fans of Frank who've waited so long for music like this – sounds to rival some of the most groundbreaking music from Zappa's years at Verve and Reprise, with incredibly deft instrumental interplay – often a bit more improvised in the live tracks than on the full albums of the time! The sound quality is pretty nice, especially given that a few of these tracks are from near-lost tapes or cassettes. Titles include "Sleazette", "The Walking Zombie Music", "Music From The Big Squeeze", "The Subcutaneous Peril", and "Pumped & Waxed". CD

This is the kind of killer bop piano stuff that made Wallington a legend early on – collecting classic trios originally recorded for release as 10" LP in the early days of Prestige! The material features Wallington in three different groups, featuring Max Roach on drums, and either Charles Mingus, Oscar Pettiford or Curley Russell on bass. 15 titles in all including "Love Beat", "Escalating", "Laura", "Summer Rain", "Red, White & Blue", "Arriverderci", "Tenderly", "Squeezer's Breezer", "Among Friends", "Variations", "My Nephew & I", "Cuckoo Around The Clock" and "When Your Old Wedding Ring Was New". CD