Part funk, part disco, and all the way soul – served up in this one and only album from Strutt! The group were an obscure New Jersey combo from the 70s, but they step out beautifully on this rare Brunswick album – which has the same sort of funk club groove you'd find on a few of the label's other gems from this late period – like work by Tony Valor or Marilyn Farra & Satin Soul! All cuts have vocals, but the real strength of the group lies in their funky combo backings – an approach that's really honed to a "t" here, in a style that shows that the best early club music always had plenty of live, spontaneous instrumentation in the mix! Willie Bridges turns in a few great sax solos on the set – and titles include "Funky Sign", "Funky Baby Feet", "We've Come A Long Way Baby", "Said You Didn't Love Him", "If Wishing Made It So", "Time Moves On", and "Front Row Romeo" – in both vocal and instrumental versions. CD

A bit of a change from previous Ozone albums – a set that still has plenty of bass at the bottom, but also a fair bit of keyboards as well – stretching out nicely over the top, almost with a bit of an electro pop feel at points! The keys really make for a catchy sort of edge – not just the usual bassy soul from Rick James-era Motown, but a slightly more complicated vibe that's really trying for something new at times. The set also features a few mellower ballads that are surprisingly great – sensitive moments we wouldn't have guessed from the group – and titles include "You Don't Want My Love", "I Can't Wait", "Glasses", "Strutt My Thang", and "Don't Leave Me Now". CD

Purdie follows up his first Soul To Jazz set – with a style and lineup that's even hipper than the first! This one was recorded in New York, and has a tighter, leaner feel overall. Purdie plays with jazz luminaries that include Hank Crawford, Stanley Turrentine, Vincent Herring, Junior Mance, and Cornell Dupree – in a style that's a bit more stripped down than the first session. Includes versions of "New Orleans Strutt", "Mr Magic", "Jubilation", "Shaft", "Amen", and "Nobody Knows". CD

Your Christmas just got a whole lot funkier – thanks to a wonderful entry in this legendary series – maybe one of the coolest collections ever of hard-to-find Holiday grooves! As with previous volumes, almost all the tracks here are pulled from rare funky 45s – obscure original Christmas songs issued on 7" singles, most on very obscure labels – and together, the tracks offer up a really great way to re-think the sound of your house around the holidays – music that goes way past the overplayed tracks you always hear at the shops during December! These cuts are overflowing with new ideas, and offer a mighty fresh take on familiar spirits for the season – as you'll hear on titles that include "The Year Around Christmas" by Sam Applebaum, "Christmas Is" by Ruth Harley, "Santa Claus" by Ray Williams & The Space Men, "Christmas Strutt" by Hot & Sassy, "It's Xmas Time" by Wayne Champion, "Everybody Is A Santa Claus" by Fred Sebastian, "I Won't Be Home For Christmas" by Major Handy, "Christmas Presents" by Bobby Peterson, "It Feels Like Christmas" by Bill Deal & Pure Pleasure, and "Xmas Party" by Eddie & The De-Havelons. CD

A massive package of funky music – and maybe one that no home should be without – as the set includes all the classic Josie Records and Warner Brothers albums by legendary New Orleans funk group The Meters – plus a fair bit of bonus tracks too! The Josie albums are incredible – a lean, powerful blend of funky drums, bass, guitar, and organ – almost the New Orleans answer to Booker T & The MGs, but with a sound that's far funkier overall – and which continues to bring new ears to the magic of The Meters as the years go by! Their Warner work is a bit fuller – as the group were part of a big wave of Nola talent to get the nod from LA – which means that The Meters were able to add in vocals, experiment with arrangements, use additional instrumentation – yet all without ever losing that core groove that made them so great! This package is the first time all the records have been brought together, and many are presented here in the "expanded edition" versions with bonus tracks – which makes for a whopping 116 titles on 6CDs – bonus tracks, plus the full albums The Meters, Look Ka Py Py, Struttin, Cabbage Alley, Rejuvenation, Fire On The Bayou, Trick Bag, and New Directions – plus some singles too! CD

One of the most legendary albums on Blue Note – or maybe THE most legendary albums on Blue Note – a stunning session that shows what the label was capable of when it was really hitting on all burners – from the lineup to the music to the production – and even the classic cover art on the front! The album's a crowning achievement for pianist Sonny Clark – a player who'd already brought greatness to the world before the record, but really knocks it out of the park during the session – leading a razor sharp lineup that includes Art Farmer on trumpet, Jackie McLean on alto, Paul Chambers on bass, and Philly Joe Jones on drums – all coming together with some magic in the studio, crafting a sound that forever put Blue Note on the map! Tracks are long, open-ended, and almost effortlessly soulful – and titles include Clark's classics "Cool Struttin" and "Blue Minor", plus versions of "Sippin At Bells" and "Deep Night". CD also adds 2 long bonus cuts – "Lover" and "Royal Flush" – both of which weren't on the original album! CD

One of the most legendary albums on Blue Note – or maybe THE most legendary albums on Blue Note – a stunning session that shows what the label was capable of when it was really hitting on all burners – from the lineup to the music to the production – and even the classic cover art on the front! The album's a crowning achievement for pianist Sonny Clark – a player who'd already brought greatness to the world before the record, but really knocks it out of the park during the session – leading a razor sharp lineup that includes Art Farmer on trumpet, Jackie McLean on alto, Paul Chambers on bass, and Philly Joe Jones on drums – all coming together with some magic in the studio, crafting a sound that forever put Blue Note on the map! Tracks are long, open-ended, and almost effortlessly soulful – and titles include Clark's classics "Cool Struttin" and "Blue Minor", plus versions of "Sippin At Bells" and "Deep Night". Plus, this CD also adds 2 long bonus cuts – "Lover" and "Royal Flush" – both of which weren't on the original album! CD

One of the most legendary albums on Blue Note – or maybe THE most legendary albums on Blue Note – a stunning session that shows what the label was capable of when it was really hitting on all burners – from the lineup to the music to the production – and even the classic cover art on the front! The album's a crowning achievement for pianist Sonny Clark – a player who'd already brought greatness to the world before the record, but really knocks it out of the park during the session – leading a razor sharp lineup that includes Art Farmer on trumpet, Jackie McLean on alto, Paul Chambers on bass, and Philly Joe Jones on drums – all coming together with some magic in the studio, crafting a sound that forever put Blue Note on the map! Tracks are long, open-ended, and almost effortlessly soulful – and titles include Clark's classics "Cool Struttin" and "Blue Minor", plus versions of "Sippin At Bells" and "Deep Night". Plus, this CD also adds 2 long bonus cuts – "Lover" and "Royal Flush" – both of which weren't on the original album! CD

Features a 1965 recording with English trumpeter Freddy Randall, plus 4 tracks from a 1954 date with the Pee Wee Russell sextet. CD

With 19 tracks including "Chicken Strut", "Sophisticated Cissy", "Ease Back", "Dry Spell", "Yeah Your Right", "Pungee", and "Message From The Meters". CD

The Meters are struttin plenty here – stepping out with those hard, tight New Orleans grooves that practically changed the way funk sounded in the 60s – and which had a huge impact on the sound of so many other groups in the decade to come! The approach here is wonderfully lean – whomping rhythms, bubbling Hammond organ, and scratchy guitar work – all used in a nicely spare, understated way – very different than the fuller New Orleans sound of their later records – and very much the kind of energy of the funky 45 underground! The whole thing is fantastic – all great cuts, all the way through – given sharp edges through the production work of Allen Toussaint and Marshall Sehorn, on titles that include "Same Old Thing", "Joog", "Chicken Strut", "Liver Splash", "Hand Clapping Song", "Hey Last Minute", "Tippi-Toes", and "Ride Your Pony". A bucket of breaks in every track! CD features 2 previously unissued cuts – "Funky Meters' Soul" and "Meter Strut"! CD

A massive tribute to The Meters – one that features rare versions of some of their best funky classics! If you dig The Meters, you'll no doubt recognize most of the tunes – but you've probably never heard them in these versions before – as most of them are pulled from the farthest reaches of the 60s and 70s funky underground! Most numbers change things up a bit in terms of instrumentation – using a guitar where you might normally hear an organ, tipping the rhythm a bit more towards one speed or another – but all of them continue strongly that chunky, gritty approach to instrumental funk the New Orleans combo first forged in the late 60s – a legacy that still lives on in lots of current work, but which sounds even fresher in these rare gems from years back. There's also a few original compositions by some of these artists, but they're all tunes that fall strongly within a classic Meters groove – and titles include "Cissy Strut" by Rod Piazza, "Flight Of The Phoenix" by Dennis The Fox, "Slot Machine" by Duke Of Burlington, "Cissy Strut" by King Herbert & The Knights, "Cardova" by Syd Jones & The Gay Troubadours, "The Cissy's Thang" by The Soul Seven, "Look Ka Py Py" by The Invaders, "Chicken Strut" by King Herbert & The Knights, "Madrox" by Big Band Katouuice, "Cissy Strut" by Sacramento Senior High School, "Big Splash" by Band It, and "Soul Heart Transplant" by Ebony Rhythm Band. CD

The dawn of the 90s debut of the Black Crowes! This is a record that really stood out at the time, a strange period in mainstream rock between the hard rock/hair metal of the late 80s and the moodier alternative rock to come – and here was the Crowes, carrying a torch for the old school swagger of the Rolling Stones and especially the Faces – and doing a pretty damn convincing job! Includes "Twice As Hard", "Jealous Again", "She Talks To Angels", "Struttin' Blues", "Stare It Cold", "Hard To Handle" and more. 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

8 tracks that do a pretty darn good job of summing up the genius of pianist Sonny Clark during his years at the Blue Note label! The recordings feature Clark in the company of some fierce hardbop groups – with players that include John Coltrane, Hank Mobley, Paul Chambers, Donald Byrd, and Art Farmer. Titles include "Junka", "Cool Struttin", "Dial S For Sonny", "Shoutin On A Riff", and "Sonny's Crib". CD

2 wonderful late 50s sessions from arranger Gil Evans – both of which we'd rank right up there with his best work with Miles Davis, or the albums under his own name for Impulse in the 60s! The first half of the CD is from the album New Bottle Old Wine – a record of swinging modern backdrops, used to showcase both the solo talents of a young Cannonball Adderley, and the dynamic energy of Evans himself! Cannon's sharp-edged early tone is a really great sound for the record – far more modern than you might expect from later funk and soul sides of the 60s – and perfectly poised next to Gil's larger back drops to reignite a host of older tunes with new energy! And while the titles are familiar, the readings certainly are not – as the Evans pen has really changed things up beautifully – as you'll hear on numbers that include "St Louis Blues", "King Porter Stomp", "Willow Tree", "Struttin' With Some Barbeque", "Lester Leaps In", "Round About Midnight", "Manteca", and "Bird Feathers". Great Jazz Standards is equally great, a fantastic lost set from Evans – and one that features Mingus trumpeter Johnny Coles as the lead soloist in front of Evans-led modern groups that include players like Elvin Jones, Ray Crawford, Steve Lacy, Budd Johnson, Rod Levitt, and Chuck Wayne. Despite the "standards" in the title, most of these numbers are modern tunes from the 50s – like "Joy Spring", "Ballad Of The Sad Young Men", "Django", "Straight No Chaser", and "Chant Of The Weed" – all given Evans' unique style of arrangement, tweaked up a few notches to give them a really edgey quality. Coles is clearly standing in for Miles here, but the format works well overall! CD features 15 tracks in all, including some newly-improved versions of a few tracks, correcting mistakes in the original records! CD

A later set from tenor legend Red Holloway – but one that really revives the style of his 60s soul jazz classics on Prestige Records! Red gets plenty of old school company on the set – a group that features Frank Wess on additional tenor, Lonnie Smith on Hammond, Melvin Sparks on guitar, and Paul Humphrey on drums – all cookers we love from years back, doing a pretty great job of keeping things groovy here. Titles include "Avalon", "3 Steps Up Clark", "Water Jug", "Struttin With Julie", "Good To Go", "Million Dollar Secret", and "Still Groovin". CD

A classic 70s Italian crime soundtrack – presented here in full format for the first time ever, and filled with wonderful tunes in a variety of styles! There's a quality to the music that really matches the badass image on the front – a bold, forceful approach that has the upbeat numbers strutting along with plenty of pride – and which has the mellower, more brooding tracks working themes that are simple, but which pack the same force as the revolver on the cover. Franco Micalizzi uses some great keyboards throughout – often a bit light, with a style that's sometimes veering towards electric harpsichord, but other times in a more Goblin-like mode – almost horror-styled, especially when interwoven with acoustic piano. Tunes build up with force as the soundtrack rolls on – and this CD reissue features a whopping 30 tracks in all – with titles that include "Bloody Robbery", "Rush For A Sign", "Betti's Investigation", "Criminals At Work", "Useless Waiting", "Crime Outcome", "Folk & Violence", "Ten Minutes To One", and the vocal number "A Man Before Your Time". CD

One of the first American albums from Belgian guitarist and harmonica player Toots Thielemans – a sharp-edged session that brings a new level of jazz into his work! The title's hokey, but the sound is totally great – with Toots on both harmonica and guitar, usually more of the former – alongside a batch of players that includes Pepper Adams on baritone sax, Kenny Drew on piano, Wilbur Ware on bass, and Art Taylor on drums. Given these players, there's a nice sense of late 50s tightness to the record – although all players seem to really defer to Toots' intentions, and shape the sound with a flair that's not unlike some of his few great European moments from the decade. Titles include "Fundamental Frequency", "Soul Station", "Struttin With Some Barbeque", and "East of The Sun". CD

The complete work of pianist Sonny Clark as a leader for the Blue Note label – masterful material that really helped define the sound of the hardbop generation, and records that are still classics and still filled with fantastic energy after all these many years! In some way, Sonny Clark was the perfect figure to help Blue Note step into this generation – both a modernist and a soulful player, a strong group leader and an intimate soloist in a trio setting – clearly the lynchpin of the new energy during Blue Note's explosion in the LP generation – as you'll hear on classic albums that include Dial S For Sonny, Sonny's Crib, Sonny Clark Trio, Cool Struttin, Leapin & Lopin, Sonny Clark Quintets, Blues In The Night, My Conception, and the Art Of The Trio! Some of these albums were recorded in the late 50s, but only issued years later – and the package also includes all the bonus material that was added to later CD versions as well. Players include John Coltrane, Clifford Jordan, Charlie Rouse, and Hank Mobley on tenors – plus Art Farmer and Donald Byrd on trumpets, Curtis Fuller on trombone, Jackie McLean on alto, and Kenny Burrell on guitar – top-shelf Blue Note Groups on every record – and the set features 61 tracks in all, and the usual Mosaic booklet of notes! CD

One of the hipper Louis Armstrong albums of the 50s – a set that still has him singing in that charming comeback style of other sessions of the time – but which also has a slightly deeper groove overall! The New Orleans Nights title is taken very strongly here – and the session has a much more stretched out, open-ended feel than some of Armstrong's sessions from the time – almost the sort of material you'd hear in a Crescent City club in the small hours of the evening, polished a bit perhaps for a larger audience. Players include Barney Bigard on clarinet, Jack Teagarden on trombone, Bud Freeman on tenor, and Earl Hines on piano – and titles include the hip suite "New Orleans Function", which features narration by Armstrong – plus "Struttin With Some Barbecue", "Basin Street Blues", "My Bucket's Got A Hole In It", and "Bugle Call Rag". CD

Betty Davis was one of the nastiest ladies in 70s soul – and this is one of her greatest albums – a killer batch of funky tracks all the way through! Betty has a sound like nobody else – and she takes heavy drums, throbbing bass, and ripping guitars – all as a hard and funky backing for raunchy, raspy vocals that are belted out with a slinky, sexy sort of sound! Davis' vocals are unlike anyone else we can think of – easily some of the most badass work you'll ever find on record – and the tracks are a mix of hip themes about sex, gal power, and struttin your stuff – all delivered by a righteous woman who can definitely do just that! The album features the classic break tracks "If I'm In Luck I Might Get Picked Up" and "Steppin in Her I Miller Shoes", but every cut is a funky monster – including "Ooh Yea", "In The Meantime", "Your Man My Man", and "Anti Love Song". A great one if you dig hard female soul, heavy funky guitars, or both at the same time! This beautiful reissue features top-shelf sound, extensive notes and photos, and previously unissued bonus tracks that include "Come Take Me", "I Will Take That Ride", and "You Won't See Me In The Morning". CD

Two nicely offbeat sessions from Erroll Garner – both with some slightly unusual aspects, yet all the great choppy grooves we've always loved in his music! That's My Kick features a cool lineup that's somewhere in territory you might find on Verve or Prestige Records at the time – some nice added percussion at the bottom, thanks to congas from Jose Mangual and Johnny Pacheco – and a cool guitar-accented sound, played by the always-great Wally Richardson! Garner's piano is still very strongly in the lead of the tunes – strutting away with plenty of soul – and titles include "Gaslight", "Nervous Waltz", "More", "Like It Is", "That's My Kick", and "Shadow Of Your Smile". On Gemini, Erroll Garner gets a great added boost – thanks to Jose Mangual Jr, who plays congas on this great date from 1971! The presence of Mangual's congas make the album sound a bit like some of the George Shearing Amigos albums on MPS – a sound that still echoes the older modes of the players, but which has a slightly more contemporary groove – one that's almost slightly funky at points. Titles include "Eldorado", "Something", "Gemini", "How High The Moon", "It Could Happen To You", and "These Foolish Things". CD

Think what you want about Chuck and his 70s hits, this version of the Mangione Brothers is a cooker! Chuck is on trumpet, Gap is on piano, and the rest of the group features Larry Combs on alto, Sal Nistico on tenor, Bill Saunders on bass, and Roy McCurdy on drums – all grooving in a nice soul jazz bounce that's clearly influenced by Cannonball Adderley – no surprise, since Cannon produced the set! Titles include the strong originals "Something Different", "Struttin With Sandra", "The Gap", and "Alice". CD