A stunner from Kenny Burrell – one of his most sophisticated and soulful sessions of the 60s! Kenny's working here with the ultra-cool arranger Johnny Pate – best known for his work with Curtis Mayfield, and his 70s soundtrack fame – but a heck of a creative talent when it comes to a jazz session like this! For the record, Pate's created these spare little backdrops – not nearly as full as those penned by Don Sebesky or Claus Ogerman – and with a gentle sort of grooving quality that really pushes Kenny along nicely. Burrell's guitar is very strongly upfront in the mix – working chromatic magic at a level hardly ever matched again on record! Side one features the extended "Asphalt Canyon Suite" – a magnificent tune that's simply sublime – and side two features 5 shorter tracks, "Things Ain't What They Used To Be", "Put A Little Love In Your Heart", "Please Send Me Someone To Love", "Going To Jim & Andy's", and "Sugar Hill". CD

A pretty sublime album from Bill Evans – one that has him playing both Fender Rhodes and Steinway, overdubbed together, for an effect that's laidback and completely wonderful! The Fender Rhodes was a natural choice for Evans – given his fluid lyrical style, and on this set (and on his equally great record for MGM) Bill opens up with an approach that really suits him well. Each track features him shifting back and forth between electric and acoustic modes, dancing from one to the other in a way that makes the instruments come together beautifully – supported by some incredibly soulful bass work by Eddie Gomez, and drums by Marty Morrell. Titles include "Sugar Plum", "Funkallero", "Waltz for Debby", "TTT", "Re: Person I Knew", and "Comrade Conrad". CD

With 43 tracks including "Big Mama Jump", "LA Blues", "Katie May", "Thinkin & Worryin", "Sugar On My Mind", "Moon Rise Blues", "Howling Wolf", and "See See Rider". CD

A stunner of an album – and one that definitely draws plenty power from the double drummers in the lead! The set's way different than most of Elvin Jones' other work of the time – and is even more hard-hitting than some of the Philly Joe Jones sessions too – and, unusual for Atlantic Records at the time, the tracks are all quite long – with a very open, freewheeling sound! There's some great horn players who really help shape the sound of the tunes – Hank Mobley on tenor, Blue Mitchell on trumpet, and Curtis Fuller on trombone – and the piano of Wynton Kelly and bass of Paul Chambers ensure that the music is right in the groove. The set features three long tracks – "Brown Sugar", "Le Roi", and "Beau-ty". CD

A really wonderful album from trumpeter Josh Lawrence – a very strong-voiced talent who's got a way of being bright and sharp at the same time, and who can always bring lots of his own compositional strengths to bear as well! The core group is a quartet – with Lawrence blowing beautifully over piano from Zaccai Curtis, bass from Luques Curtis, and drums from Anwar Marshall – and the set also features some great alto from Caleb Curtis on two tracks, balancing out the sound of Josh in this strongly soulful spirit! Brian Charette brings some organ to the album's final track – a great remake of the Earth Wind & Fire tune "That's The Way Of The World" – and all other titles are Lawrence originals, with tunes that include "We're Happiest Together", "Composition #2", "Wind", "Earth", "Sugar Hill Stroll", and "Sunset In Santa Barbara". CD

A nice little overview of the Blue Note years of Medeski Martin & Wood – and a collection that includes their many styles for the label, some tracks previously unissued in the US, and a bonus DVD that includes 90 minutes of music videos, live performances, and documentary material! The package is a great deal for the price – and non-US titles include "Whiney Bitches", "The Builder", and "Toy Dancing" – alongside regular Blue Note tracks "Partido Alto", "The Dropper", "Sugar Craft", "I Wanna Ride You", "Hey Hee Hi Ho (IllyB rmx)", "Note Bleu", "Off The Table", "Hey Joe", "Uninvisible", and "End Of The World Party". CD

Maybe the grooviest collection of work we've ever seen from the lovely Nancy Sinatra – a set that features some of her hits, but also includes a lot more material that's much more obscure – and which shows that Nancy was a hell of a song stylist, far from the charts! The core of the work features Sinatra's fantastic collaborations with Lee Hazlewood – the producer who created a darkness in her sound that moved her far from simple pop – and who sometimes joined her in duets, with a mature, adult quality that was dripping with sensuality! The set also features some post-Hazlewood material, too – still very cool, and very groovy – a sublime blend of Cali 60s elements and slight country touches. Titles include "So Long Babe", "Sugar Town", "Kind Of Woman", "Machine Gun Kelly", "Arkansas Coal", "Down From Dover", "How Are Things In California", "Some Velvet Morning", "Hello LA Bye Bye Birmingham", "Hook & Ladder", "Happy", "You Only Live Twice", "Sand", "Lightning's Girl", "How Does That Grab You", "Paris Summer", "Jackson", "Lady Bird", and, of course, "These Boots Are Made For Walking". CD

Titles include "Back In The City", "Swear", "Hard To Say It's Over", "Hungry Eyes", "All By Myself", "Love & Affection", "Strut", and "Sugar Walls". CD

A compilation album, but one that's classic enough to stand on its own – thanks to a rock-solid roster of talent from the mighty Savoy Records catalog of the 50s! The format here follows in the looser blowing session mode of some of Savoy's best sides of the period – and groups shift from track to track, but really maintain the feel of the record overall. Titles include "Walkin" by a large group arranged by Billy Ver Planck, "Monday Stroll" by Frank Wess and Kenny Burrell, "Sram" by Yusef Lateef, "MC" by Frank Foster with Donald Byrd, "June Is Busting Out All Over" by AK Salim, "Stop"by Sonny Redd & Pepper Adams, and "Sugar Dugar" by Sahib Shihab with Phil Woods. CD

Collects Brunswick and Vocalion recordings with Teddy Wilson, Benny Carter, Lester Young, and others. Titles include "April In My Heart", "Everybody's Laughing", "What Shall I Say", "Sugar", "Dream Of Life", and "Under A Blue Jungle Moon" – 23 tracks total. CD

Great grooves from Jackson Conti – not a dude, but a duo – one that features Madlib teamed with Mamao, drummer from the legendary Azymuth! The album's got a really unique feel – one that mixes Madlib's chunky, fuzzy style of production with some of the cleaner, jazzier Azymuth grooves of late – a combination that shouldn't work so well, but which comes across with really amazing results! There's a bit of beats on the set, but a fair bit of the percussion is acoustic too – making for more warmth than before from Madlib – almost a transplantation of the Yesterday's New Quintet sound to the sunnier Rio scene. Keyboards have a strong role too – often with the sort of edgey, compelling tones you'd hear on the first few Azymuth recordings of the 70s – and other instrumentation includes bits of guitar, flute, sax, and other well-placed touches – but all used in weird ways that are somewhere between typical jazz and Brazilian modes. Titles include "Upa Neguinho", "Xibaba", "Sao Paulo Nights", "Brasilian Sugar", "Mamaoism", "Berumba", "Papaya", "Segura Esta Onda", "Sunset At Sujinho", "Tijuca Man", and "Waiting On The Corner". CD

One of Jimmy's funkiest albums ever – a sweeeeet batch of short, hard, and funky cuts – and a record that ranks right up there with the mighty Soul Sugar for sheer funkiness! Jimmy takes an upbeat and easygoing approach to the late 60s funk sound, with a nice, rubbery bass and the organ sound just killer – but would expect less from McGriff on that front? Truly funky and totally irresistible stuff, with sinister, measured moments that bigger and heavier pretty quickly - kind of prefiguring 70s blacksploitation soundtrack vibes in spots! The album's great all the way through – tight arrangements by Horace Ott, who also plays electric piano on the set, making for a clean, cool 2-keys kind of groove. Titles include "Spear for Moondog" (parts 1 & 2), "Tight Times", "Funky Junk", "Bird Wave", and "Back on the Track". CD

Titles include "Brown Sugar", "Wild Horses", "You Gotta Move", "Can't You Hear Me Knocking", "Bitch", "Sister Morphine", "Dead Flowers", and "I Got The Blues". CD

Titles include "Brown Sugar", "Wild Horses", "You Gotta Move", "Can't You Hear Me Knocking", "Bitch", "Sister Morphine", "Dead Flowers", and "I Got The Blues". CD

The Silent Poets' excellent To Come album is remixed and repackaged for the US market. Typical stuff, as some of the tracks are given a bit more of a kick to make them crossover to the American market – clear proof that the folks at Warner think that US listeners aren't hip enough to understand the subtle complexity of this fantastic Japanese group. Still, the remixes aren't that over the top – and most of them still retain the flavor of the original tracks. Titles include "I Will Miss This Holy Garden (Slipper & Socks rmx)", "Someday (Extended Spirit rmx)", "Save The Day (Peaktime mix)", "Come Raising (Raisin'sun Mix)", "Get Ready (Freeform Arkestra rmx)", "Prisons (Frieze To A Phrase rmx)", "Where The Sidewalk Ends (scuba mix)", and "Sugar Man (The Man Who Sold The Time rmx)". Remixes by Kid Loco, Tom & Joyce, Taxi, and others. CD

The one and only full LP ever recorded by Harry Taussig – blending folk & blues based solo guitar traditions with his unique style – on this great, private press rarity from 1965, dug up by the folk & roots heroes at Tompkins Square! It's really fine stuff, which should appeal to folks who dig the Fahey & Basho style of primitive guitar, but Taussig brings his own flavor to the pot. The tunes have a bit more rag in them, and a real love of lonely blues guitar, and his playing the right kind of ragged to our ears, giving it a natural and truthful resonance that cuts deeper to our souls than players who go for perfection or prettiness. Very highly recommended! Tracks include Taussig's adaptation of "Baby Let Me Lay It On You/That'll Never Happen No More" by Reverend Gary Davis, plus "Blues For Zone VII", "Rev's Rag", "Sugar Babe, YOur Papa Cares For You", "Rondo To Death", "Dorian Sonata", "Fate Is Only Once" and more. CD

One of the biggest albums of Muddy Waters' career – a key crossover effort that has Waters as the "father" working with "sons" Paul Butterfield and Michael Bloomfield! The style here is still quite rootsy overall – and the double-length session features one album recorded in the studio, and a second done live at the Super Cosmic Joy-Scout Jamboree – key evidence of the growing hippie audience for blues like this! The core group features Waters on vocals with Otis Spann on piano, Mike Bloomfield on guitar, Paul Butterfield on harmonica, Donald Duck Dunn on bass, and Sam Lay on drums – and guest players include Phil Upchurch on bass and Buddy Miles on drums – each on one number. Titles include "All Aboard", "Mean Disposition", "Forty Days & Forty Nights", "Sugar Sweet", "Twenty Four Hours", "I'm Ready", "Walkin Thru The Park", "Got My Mojo Working (parts 1 & 2)", "The Same Thing", "Baby Please Don't Go", and "Honey Bee". CD

The complete Monument recordings of southern soul-tinged swamp rock trailblazer Tony Joe White – in a wonderful box set from the deep catalog explorers at Rhino Handmade! Swamp Rock contains everything from the Black & White, Continued and Tony Joe LPs – with dozens of previously unreleased work from the era. Unlike the most famous dude we can think of who wears the swamp rock genre tag, Tony Joe White really was reared in the swamp country of Louisiana – and genuineness shows on these fine recordings! His vocals here have a bit of that laconic storyteller vibe of a Bobby Bare type character – but the production and arrangements have a real feel for the Stax and Muscle Shoals sounds. It's a blend of styles that's quite unique – and well worth rediscovery! Includes all the tracks from Tony Joe's 3 LPs for Monument plus a swampful of great bonus numbers from those sessions and more – a whopping 81 tracks on four CDs! Disc one includes the Black & White LP and much more: "Willie And Laura Mae Jones", "Soul Francisco", "Whompt Out On You", "Wichita Lineman" and more. Disc 2 features the Continued LP and more: "Elements And Things", "Woodpecker", "Old Man Willis", "Woman With Soul" and much more. Disc 3 includes the Tony Joe LP tracks and more: "Stud-Spider", "Widow Wimberly", "Save Your Sugar For Me", "Hard To Handle" and more. Disc 4 includes a slew of previously unreleased material cut at Barclay Studios in Paris, plus live work from Tony Joe at the Isle Of Wight: titles include "Mississippi Delta", "Chain Of Blues", "Ballad Of Hollis Brown" and more from the Barclay sessions, plus "Boom Boom", "I Want You", "Groupy Girl" and more from Isle Of Wight. CD

The title might be a bit presumptuous, but the album presents a setting that maybe showcases the poetic style of Neil Young even more than some of his classic studio albums of the time – a live solo date, and one that really brings a new sort of quality to some of the era's more familiar tunes! Young has a moody darkness that's echoed by the image on the cover – and although he later recorded in this mode more often, this concert is one of the earliest examples of Neil standing solo in the spotlight – really bringing a lot of himself to readings of "The Needle & The Damage Done", "Old Man", "Ohio", "Sugar Mountain", "Journey Through The Past", "Don't Let It Bring You Down", "Man Needs A Maid/Heart Of Gold", and "Cowgirl In The Sand". CD

Way more than just a "cellarful" of Motown – a wealth of great tracks, all of which are previously unreleased! This incredible 2CD set is a landmark in the history of both Motown and Northern Soul – as it brings together 40 tracks that were recorded in the glory days of the Detroit scene, but never issued at the time. A number of cuts on the set have risen to fame over the years as bootlegs floating around the UK club scene, and they're issued properly here for the first time ever, along side other lost gems that will soon become new classics to a generation of soul fans – all wrapped up in one great package filled with notes on the music, and listing the origins of the tunes! Titles include "My Sugar Baby" by Frank Wilson, "Baby A Go Go" by Barbara McNair, "How Can I" by Brenda Holloway, "He Was Really Sayin Somethin" by Earl Van Dyke, "Until You Came Along" by Carolyn Crawford, "Before It's Over" by Sammy Ward, "Long Gone Lover" by Velvelettes, "If You Ever Get Your Hands On Me" by Gladys Knight & The Pips, "Lucky Lucky Me" by Jimmy Ruffin, "I Wish I Liked You" by Marvin Gaye, "You Made Me Feel Like" by Syreeta, "Don't Let Me Down" by Kim Weston, "Don't Put Off Till Tomorrow What You Can Do Today" by The Monitors, and "It Must Be Love Baby" by Chuck Jackson & Yvonne Fair. Lots lots more, and filled with wonderful tunes! CD

Hard and heavy female soul from the mighty Chess Records – and a selection of tracks that features plenty of funk in the mix too! The sisters on this set are not of the sobbing kind – as the package goes for a proud-stepping approach to soul that puts the ladies in charge right from the very first note – backing their deeply soulful vocals with a righteous set of backings, and really upping the power of tunes with some sock-solid production all the way through! Most of the tunes are from the late 60s, when Chess was bringing a good deal of funk into the mix – and plenty are from rare singles that haven't been reissued for years! 20 tracks in all, and part of this great Mojo Chess series – with titles that include "Dirty Man" by Laura Lee, "Git Out" by Mitty Collier, "Liberation Conversation" by Marlena Shaw, "Take Me For A Little While" by Jackie Ross, "Don't Mess With The Messer" by Koko Taylor, "In Orbit" by Joy Lovejoy, "Cheater Man" by Irma Thomas, "Sally Go Round The Roses" by The Jaynettes, "California Soul" by Marlena Shaw, "My Babe" by Mitty Collier, "I Surrender" by Fontella Bass, and "I Don't Wanna Fuss" by Sugar Pie Desanto. CD

Tracks from Johnny Osbourne, Ninja Man, Mega Banton, Jigsy King & Hopeton James, Cocoa Tea, Sugar Minott, Future Trouble & Bounty Killer, Super Beagle, Ricky General, Tenor Saw, Barrington Levy, Shabba Ranks, and Jigsy King & Tony Curtis. CD

Lots of vintage work from the legendary Studio One label – with tracks by Alton Ellis, Delroy Wilson, Jackie Mittoo, The Termites, Brentford All Stars, Sugar Minott, The Viceroys, John Holt, Freddie McGregor, and others. CD

A dynamic sextet outing from tenor saxophonist Eric Alexander – easily one of the best straight jazz albums recorded by the Delmark label in the 90s, put together with a rock-solid sound all the way through! Alexander's tenor would be enough to make the record great, but the album also features piano from perfect partner Harold Mabern – once Eric's teacher, but a player who's set on fire anew by his presence on dates like these. Other members of the group include trumpeter Jim Rotondi – nicely focused in the frontline here, and matching Alexander and trombonist Steve Davis on the heads with a classic sort of Blue Note energy. Bass is by John Webber and drums are by George Fludas – and titles include a great modal reading of "Naima", plus "Mode For Mabes", "Sugar Ray", "Erik The Red", "Love Thy Neighbor", "Stay Straight", and "For Heaven's Sake". CD

A nice one from Badu – one with a depth of feeling and genuine soulful vibes that live up to its title, despite the fact that she records for one of the world's biggest media conglomerates! It's all about the vibe here. Erykah rolls her syllables, scats and emotes feelings more than an actual narrative in the strongest of these cuts. It's not that she's forgone lyrics; but it's all about the ambience, not radio sing-a-longs. She also dives head first into her organic soul and hip hop hybrid sound a little more sparingly, but still better than any of the ladies that followed her lead after Baduizm. She channels Donald Byrd on the great "Think Twice", which is pretty indicative of the vibe as a whole. The groove is sorta mellow, but in a very tripped-out way, with deep organ washes and synth, scratchy soul guitar, and crisp organic beats. There's an appearance by Dead Prez on "Steady On The Grind", and a really sweet old school flavored remake of the great "Love Of My Life" track from the Brown Sugar soundtrack with Queen Latifah and Bahamadia, but for the most part Erykah is sweating soul on her own spiritual plane here. It's gonna take a little while to sink in, but this may be her best album (despite whatever naysaying BS you may read in mainstream reviews.) Tracks include "Bump It", the great single "Danger", "Woo", "Back In The Day" and "I Want You". CD

A nice one from Badu – one with a depth of feeling and genuine soulful vibes that live up to its title, despite the fact that she records for one of the world's biggest media conglomerates! It's all about the vibe here. Erykah rolls her syllables, scats and emotes feelings more than an actual narrative in the strongest of these cuts. It's not that she's forgone lyrics; but it's all about the ambience, not radio sing-a-longs. She also dives head first into her organic soul and hip hop hybrid sound a little more sparingly, but still better than any of the ladies that followed her lead after Baduizm. She channels Donald Byrd on the great "Think Twice", which is pretty indicative of the vibe as a whole. The groove is sorta mellow, but in a very tripped-out way, with deep organ washes and synth, scratchy soul guitar, and crisp organic beats. There's an appearance by Dead Prez on "Steady On The Grind", and a really sweet old school flavored remake of the great "Love Of My Life" track from the Brown Sugar soundtrack with Queen Latifah and Bahamadia, but for the most part Erykah is sweating soul on her own spiritual plane here. It's gonna take a little while to sink in, but this may be her best album (despite whatever naysaying BS you may read in mainstream reviews.) Tracks include "Bump It", the great single "Danger", "Woo", "Back In The Day" and "I Want You". Includes bonus tracks "Love Of My Life (An Ode To Hip Hop)". CD

A killer record from bassist Paul Brusger – a set that features plenty of great work from Eric Alexander on tenor and alto – the latter an instrument that he's really begun to embrace in recent years! The rest of the group is wonderful too – Steve Davis on trombone, Rick Germanson on piano, and Willie Jones III on drums – a combo with a hard-swinging energy, and lots of individual identity in the way each member expresses themselves within the group – no egos getting in the way of the groove, even though the musicians themselves are an all-star group! Yet credit should really be given to Brusger for not only pulling the whole thing together, but also composing most of the material for the set – really great tunes that bristle with fresh life and vision, on selections that include "A Slice Of Gryce", "Just A Tadd More Please", "Do Dreams Really Matter", "The Sugar Glider", and "Blues For Another Time". CD

The legendary 1970 recordings Alex Chilton made at Ardent Studios – recorded in a brief moment after the bust up of the Box Tops and before the debut of Big Star – and a truly powerful precursor to that most iconic of soulful Memphis rock acts! For the longest time, the 1970 sessions were something of a rock & roll holy grail – having been oft-discussed, if rarely heard, by Chilton and Big Star diehards. In the mid 90s, Ardent Records finally released the heart of this collection as 1970 – and here it's done up with even more love and respect by Omnivore, which over the course of just a handful of releases has become one of the very best deep digging reissuers of great, should-be classic soul & rock treasures. The vibe swings from stripped down, soulful rock that sometimes flirts with country rock – those songs featuring gruff, bluesy vocals from Chilton that belie his actual youth, just as greatly as his vox for The Box Tops – to gentler soul pop numbers that truly prefigure the Big Star sound to come. The collection features 20 tracks: all of the material from the long out of print 1970, plus other songs from the period, including demos (these are raw in the right kind of way, as finished as we'd ever want to hear them) and some original mono mixes. Great liner notes by Bob Mehr, a living encyclopedia of Memphis musical knowledge. Includes "Free Again (Original Mono Mix)", "Come On Honey", "Something Deep Inside", "I Can Dig It", "The EMI Song (Smile For Me)", "Every Day As We Grow Closer/Funky National", "I Wish I Could Meet Elvis", "All We Ever Got From Them Was Pain", "Sugar, Sugar/I Got That Feeling", "All I Really Want Is Money", "Jumpin' Jack Flash" and more. CD

Slightly easy, slightly baroque, and with a sound that's somewhere near Free Design, The Mamas & The Papas, and other groups of the time – The Clique were one of the many groovy lost pop bands that came out of the west coast during the 60s. The record boasts the original version of the track "Superman", which went to become a big hit for R.E.M. about 20 years later. There's lots of other nice groovy original material, like "Sugar On Sunday", "Shadow Of Your Love", "Judy, Judy, Judy", and a cool version of the Bee Gees "Holiday". 17 tracks, with extra cuts, and good liner notes on the band. CD

Rare unrelased recordings by the legendary Nat King Cole Trio! Forget all the soppy pop stuff you've heard a million times – this is the real deal, the kind of stuff that got Nat noticed in the first place, and the type of material that he was playing for LA audiences in the immediate postwar years. The trio features the great Oscar Moore on guitar, plus Johnny Miller on bass and Nat on piano and vocals. Tracks include "Everyone Is Saying Hello Again", "I Found A New Baby", "My Sugar Is So Refined", "I'm Through With Love", "Oh, But I Do", and "I You Can't Smile & Say Yes". CD

Not really a symphony, but a great album that features the soulful alto sax of Hank Crawford blowing over some rich larger backings from David Matthews – all with a sweetly funky Kudu sound! The style's a bit more polished than some of the other Kudu sessions of the time – almost a bit disco or clubby at times – as Matthews brings in a fair bit of strings and horns to the backings, and also has some female backing singers sweetening up the sound. But as usual with Kudu, the record's no cheap cash-in sort of set – and Matthews ensures that it's got a tightly-crafted groove that's almost like mainstream 70s soundtrack funk at its best moments. Keyboards are by Richard Tee and Leon Pendarvis – and titles include "Sugar Free", "I Hear A Symphony", "The Stripper", "Hang It On The Ceiling", and "Love Won't Let Me Wait". CD

Recorded live in Germany during the famous 1972 European tour – tracks include "Me And My Uncle", "China Cat Sunflower", "I Know You Rider", "Going Down The Road Feelin' Bad", "Sugar Magnolia", and "Cryptical Envelopment". CD

One of the trippiest albums recorded for Verve in the 60s – a unique 2LP set by Japanese psych artist Harumi – and a record that stands proudly next to the best by Zappa or the Velvets at the time! The double-length space of the record really helps give it some shape – as Harumi starts out sweet, then gets a bit wilder, and increases the sense of experimentation as the set rolls on – so that the final track is a side-long psychedelic jam that's topped with spoken passages by Harumi's parents and sister! We like the poppier tunes the best, though – and they feature a mix of orchestrations, fuzzy guitar, and vibes – all layered with a really beautiful sense of sound, to accompany vocals by Harumi and Rosko. There's a gentle, breezy, and sometimes slightly funky quality to these numbers – Sunshine Pop with a trace of jazz – and exactly the kind of psyche album you might imagine from Verve in the 60s! Titles include "Sugar In Your Tea", "Caravan", "Hunters Of Heaven", "Talk About It", "First Impressions", "Don't Know What I'm Gonna Do", "Hello", "What A Day For Me", "We Love", "Fire By The River", and "Samurai Memories". CD

Great late work from Hawk – recorded near the end of his life, with a soulful quartet that included Barry Harris on piano and Bob Cranshaw on bass. The tracks are all fairly standard – like "Sugar", "The Man I Love", "Time On My Hands", and "The One I Love" – but Hawkins' tone is incredible, with a raspy edge, and some surprisingly modern moments that show that he was always continuing to grow as an artist. The material is issued here for the first time by Pablo Records – in a set put together in 1975. CD

One of the last great records ever cut by Jon Hendricks – one of our favorite singers of all time! The album's a bit of a "tour de force" – with Hendricks singing alongside a host of famous jazz musicians and vocalists, working in an all star setting that's sometimes too good for its own good, but at other times works magically! The best moments are those when Jon actually takes the lead himself, singing in that warm, raspy, honest style that's always made him the kind of a singer that brings meaning to lyrics that always leave us cold from other vocalists. The album's got a wonderful re-reading of the Italian classic "Estate", redone here with English lyrics as "In Summer" – and one of Hendricks finest moments on record! Other tracks include "Listen To Monk", "Sugar", "Freddie Freeloader", "High As A Mountain", "Trinkle Tinkle", and "The Finer Things In Life" – and players include Tommy Flanagan, George Benson, Wynton Marsalis, Stanley Turrentine, and Al Jarreau. CD

There's no suffering here – as the record's a real delight, and one of the more unique sessions in the career of the great John Lee Hooker! The record was done for Impulse Records, mostly known for its jazz recordings at the time – and the session has the vocals and guitar of John Lee next to a trio of more jazz-based players, one that features Barry Galbraith on guitar, Milt Hinton on bass, and Panama Francis on drums – who somehow do a fantastic job of backing Hooker up! The set has a beautiful recording quality – very crisp and clear, yet never polished – and the work of the other players is incredible, as they really move into John Lee's mode, and somehow have him shining even more strongly than on some of his other albums from the time. This isn't a folk blues set done by a jazz label – and instead, the best of Impulse is used to give Hooker a fantastic showcase – on titles that include "Bottle Up & Go", "Sugar Mama", "Decoration Day", "You're Wrong", and a good cover of "Money". CD

Great great work from Keith – one of those overlooked pop talents of the 60s, but one who really came across with a great sound at the time – kind of a mix of Burt Bacharach arrangements with a pop psych sort of edge! The tunes are sweet, but swinging too – and Keith's got this vocal style that slides in nicely with the larger charts – at a level that's almost more A&M-styled pop than you'd guess from the Mercury Records placement of the set! Jerry Ross produced, and brings in some nice soulful undercurrents – of the sort you'd hear on his more famous material – almost a Motown sensibility, but mixed with rolling horns, piano hooks, and great guitar lines – on titles that include the wonderful hit "98.6", plus "Mind If I Hang Around", "Sweet Dreams", "Tell Me To My Face", "I Can't Go Wrong", and "Pretty Little Shy One". CD has loads of bonus tracks – 27 titles in all, including the complete Out Of Crank album – with tracks that include "Sugar Man", "Candy Candy", "Easy As Pie", "Hope Girl", "Be My Girl", "Hurry", "The Pleasure Of Your Company", and "Happy Walking Around". CD

A much rootsier set than some of Little Richard's other work for Reprise Records – a record that almost goes back to the old days, but via the hipper styles of the early 70s! HB Barnum arranged and produced the set, but the groove is less funkier than some of Barnum's other work of the time – a bit more rockish in some of the rhythms and instrumentation, which is no surprise considering the title – with a nod back towards late 50s modes, but in that new-roots way that Warner was hitting with other artists of the period. Richard's vocals hold up very well in the setting – and apart from the original tunes "Green Power" and "King Of Rock & Roll", the album features versions of "Midnight Special", "Dancing In The Street", "Brown Sugar", and "Born On The Bayou". CD

One of the sexiest covers ever to grace a Wynton Marsalis album, but thankfully a record that's still got plenty of real jazz roots – and not the smoother sound you might expect from the image on the front! The group here is Wynton's expanded septet – a combo with Marcus Roberts on piano, Wes Anderson on alto, Wycliffe Gordon on trombone, and Todd Williams on tenor, soprano, and clarinet – all in far-reaching modes of jazz expression that often have an imagistic, soundtrack quality – one that echoes years and places past. Wynton plays piano, and also speaks to introduce "Monologue For Sugar Cane & Sweetie Pie" – and other titles include "And The Band Played On", "Brother Veal", "Sometimes It Goes Like That", and "The Jubilee Suite". CD

Landmark work from The Rolling Stones – and a set that may well stand alongside Exile On Main Street for capturing the group at their height! The record's got the Stones very much in their own space – years from just putting a UK spin on American blues – and instead, finding a way to take all their best influences, and fuse them into a nasty, gritty sound that's complete genius all the way through! Yet at the same time, the set also has them more comfortable with rootsy elements too – but returning to styles in ways that are very different than their youth – with a new sort of mature confidence that holds the album together wonderfully. Titles include "Brown Sugar", "Wild Horses", "You Gotta Move", "Can't You Hear Me Knocking", "Bitch", "Sister Morphine", "Dead Flowers", and "I Got The Blues". CD

3 great Nina records collected together in one package! Emergency Ward is a great little album cut by Nina Simone during the time she was working with Weldon Irvine. The record features 4 long tracks, all cut live in concert, and with large arrangements done by Weldon, and lots of improvising on lyrics by Nina Simone. Includes a haunting version of "My Sweet Lord", the classic "Poppies", and a great poem/song called "Today Is A Killer". It Is Finished was the kind of record that once made purists turn up their noses, but which is now being rediscovered as a unique jazz/soul crossover album, filled with loads of nice moments! The instrumentation's pretty darn interesting – and includes sitar, harp, Spanish guitar, and other odd percussion instruments. Includes Nina's nice version of "Funkier Than a Mosquito's Tweeter", plus "I Want A Little Sugar In My Bowl", "Dambala", "Obeah Woman", and "The Pusher". Black Gold was one of the excellent LPs she cut with the Stroud Productions imprint during the early 70s. The style here is even hipper than her late 60s work on Philips – with a mixture of open-ended jazz and soul that's best summed up in the album's extended reading of "Black is the Color of My True Love's Hair", and a great version of "To Be Young Gifted & Black", which was written by Weldon Irvine, who's probably playing piano here with Nina. 18 tracks on 2 CDs! CD

A cool 80s set from Nina Simone – recorded live in spare trio formation, with a sound that's a lot more old school than you might guess from the date! Nina's piano has this nicely broken-down quality – almost a raspy edge that complements her unique vocals nicely, and quite different than some of the keyboards that might have been used on such a set at the time. The rhythms are often a bit laidback too – played by Arthur Adams on guitar and electric bass, and Cornell McFadden on drums – usually in ways that let Simone's piano take the lead strongly. Nina really seems to find a new sort of life in the setting – getting past some of the more comfortable styles she'd found by this point, and rediscovering the edge that first made her so great back in the 60s. Titles include "Just Like A Woman", "Be My Husband", "Balm In Gilead", "Stars", "Baltimore", "If You Knew/Let It Be Me", "Fodder On My Wings", and "Sugar In My Bowl". CD

One of the key classics from the Jimmy Smith years at Blue Note Records – a really groundbreaking time for the Hammond organ in jazz, as Jimmy helped take it from backrooms in bars to center stage of jazz with a record like this! The album's about as iconic as you can get for Jimmy at the label – from the fantastic cover image, to the well-crafted tunes – many of which are shorter than some of Smith's earlier jam session-styled work, and help forge a bridge between soul jazz and the emerging soul instrumental sound of the early 60s. The album features some excellent work from the obscure Percy France on tenor on most of the tracks – a player we only know from a handful of dates – next to other quartet members who include Kenny Burrell on guitar and Donald Bailey on drums. Titles include "Sugar Hill", "I Got A Woman", "Motoring Along", "Gracie", and "Messin Around". CD features 5 previously unissued bonus tracks! CD

A set that's full of some great CTI Records gems from Stanley Turrentine – including the first appearance of the unreleased cuts "Gibraltar" and "Storm". Also includes "Sugar", "Speedball", "Cherry", "Don't Mess With Mister T", and "Pieces Of Dreams". CD