A rare session from indie soul legend Penny Goodwin – a previously unissued live performance from 1974, featuring small combo backing in a sweet and jazzy mode! Penny's got a voice that's instantly recognizable – a bit raspy, in the mode of Esther Phillips – but cooler and more sophisticated, with a Marlena Shaw-like hipness that really fits the tracks on the set. Most of the numbers are traditional jazz standards, swung by Penny and a small piano trio – in a mode that's a lot more intimate than, but equally soulful to, the fuller backings used on her classic Portrait Of A Gemini album. Titles include "What's Going On", "Inner City Blues", "Midnight Sun", "Little Girl Lost", "On A Clear Day", "Day Dreaming", and "Where Is The Love". LP, Vinyl record album

A double-length collection of work from the first chapter of Grand Funk Railroad – that moment when the group was just a power trio, and really helping to move their early blues inspirations into some fierce hard rock territory! The title's a reference to the lineup – Mark Farner on guitar and vocals, Don Brewer on drums and vocals, and Mel Schacher on bass – all working together in a mode that's really transformative over the short space of the material included in the set! At some level, GFR are almost an American equivalent of Free from the UK – a group who clearly have all the chops of the blues heroes they admire, but who are willing to let their hair down and hit more of a rock and roll starpower mode – unafraid to get a bit soulful on the vocals, and really letting their electric strings sing at an equally strong level. Titles include "Into The Sun", "Heartbreaker", "Time Machine", "Loneliness", "Are You Ready", "TNUC", "Inside Looking Out", "Closer To Home/I'm Your Captain", and "Paranoid". LP, Vinyl record album

As you like it – and we like it plenty! The album's a stunner from pianist Friedrich Gulda – one that still shows plenty of his high-powered, high-technique roots – but one that also really has him opening up a bit, too – almost bringing in a dose of soul jazz from the American scene, mixed up in really nice ways with the MPS ethos of the time! The group's a trio, with killer drums from Klaus Weiss and bass from JA Rettenbacher – but Gulda really dominates most tracks, playing with this fluid, open vibe that's mighty nice – extremely creative and compelling, and light years more compelling than some of the Oscar Peterson records cut for MPS during the same period. Titles include "Light My Fire", "Blues For HG", "All Blues", "East Of The Sun", and "I Only Have Eyes For You". LP, Vinyl record album

Very early work from Chico Hamilton – recorded in a piano trio mode that predates his more famous chamber quintet – working with pianist Freddie Gambrell and bassist Ben Tucker on a set of tunes that are mostly standards, and a few bluesy piano explorations. Titles include "Ex Ray's Friends", "Reservation Blues", "These Foolish Things", "You're The Cream In My Coffee", "Five Minutes More", and "Midnight Sun". LP, Vinyl record album

Very early work from Chico Hamilton – recorded in a piano trio mode that predates his more famous chamber quintet – working with pianist Freddie Gambrell and bassist Ben Tucker on a set of tunes that are mostly standards, and a few bluesy piano explorations. Titles include "Ex Ray's Friends", "Reservation Blues", "These Foolish Things", "You're The Cream In My Coffee", "Five Minutes More", and "Midnight Sun". LP, Vinyl record album

Very early work from Chico Hamilton – recorded in a piano trio mode that predates his more famous chamber quintet – working with pianist Freddie Gambrell and bassist Ben Tucker on a set of tunes that are mostly standards, and a few bluesy piano explorations. Titles include "Ex Ray's Friends", "Reservation Blues", "These Foolish Things", "You're The Cream In My Coffee", "Five Minutes More", and "Midnight Sun". LP, Vinyl record album

Subtle genius from pianist Barry Harris – an overlooked 60s set that showcases both Barry's tighter bop leanings and his even more wonderful lyrical side! The session's recorded with a relaxed energy that points the way towards freer Harris sides in years to come – but also still has the focus of his other best trio work from the early years – and rhythm support here is by Ron Carter on bass and Leroy Williams on drums. Titles include "Ah Leu Cha", "Bean & The Boys", "Dexterity", "Sun Dance", and "Rouge". CD

A heady set from mid 70s South Korea – the debut album from a mighty edgey little trio! The album's not nearly as psych as some of the other Korean efforts from the period – as the group's got a tight groove on most numbers, with a definite funk influence on the drums and bass – mixed nicely with heavy use of fuzz guitar, and Shin's weirdly soulful vocals! The set's not really a funk album, but it's not really funky rock either – kind of a unique hybrid, and a very original little set – especially when you throw the oddness of the Korean vocals into the mix. Titles include "Lady", "I Do Not Know", "Rising Sun", "I Love You", "Long Long Night", and "I Think There Was Someone Else". CD

A heady set from mid 70s South Korea – the debut album from a mighty edgey little trio! The album's not nearly as psych as some of the other Korean efforts from the period – as the group's got a tight groove on most numbers, with a definite funk influence on the drums and bass – mixed nicely with heavy use of fuzz guitar, and Shin's weirdly soulful vocals! The set's not really a funk album, but it's not really funky rock either – kind of a unique hybrid, and a very original little set – especially when you throw the oddness of the Korean vocals into the mix. Titles include "Lady", "I Do Not Know", "Rising Sun", "I Love You", "Long Long Night", and "I Think There Was Someone Else". LP, Vinyl record album

Some of the earliest work you'll ever hear from the young Jim Osterberg – material that features the famous Stooges frontman playing drums, and doing a slight bit of singing! The group sound a fair bit like you might expect from the cover – a tight, sharp, local combo who do a great job both with their own material, and some of the well-chosen covers they recorded – the kind of stomping garagey material that would have been a hit in the small Michigan clubs at the time! Most vocals are by guitarists Nick Kolokithas and Jim McLaughlin, the latter of whom formed the group with Iggy – and Osterberg does sing lead on a pretty great version of "California Sun", and also contributed the original composition "Again & Again" – a tune that definitely points the way towards The Stooges, and is one of the creepiest things on here. Other titles include "Mona", "I Don't Know Why", "Slow Down", "Walk Don't Run", "Out Of Limits", "Surfin Bird", "Things We Said Today", and "Wild Weekend". Collection features a great range of material – even some early 1963 demos, when the group with just a trio! LP, Vinyl record album

The Indigo Trio – flautist Nicole Mitchell, double bassist and pianist Harrison Bankhead and drummer Hamid Drake – accompanied by fellow flautist Michel Edelin on this Rogue Art set! Ethiopian Princess Meets The Tantric Priest may be at its core a prime pairing of 2 of the most creative flute players on the planet, but the other players have ample space to do their thing – lots of it! 2 brilliantly communicative, yet distinct flutes, supported and matched by Bankhead and Drake masterfully. Half of the set is credited as Nicole Mitchell compositions: 'Top Secret", "Inside The Earth", "Wind Current" and "Ambre Sunset" – plus Edelin's "Derives" and "Call Back", Bankhead's "Return Of The Sun" and the stellar title piece, credited to the group. CD

Sublime work from the duo of Jackie & Roy – a guy/gal vocal team, but one with a sound that's unlike anyone else we can think of! Both Jackie Cain and Roy Kral sing – and Roy also plays a mean piano, and writes a fair bit of the tunes too – really lively numbers that show off the bop-styled techniques they developed while working with Charlie Ventura – but with hipper, groovier lyrics – of the sort that are a key precursor to folks like Bob Dorough or Dave Frishberg! Instrumentation on the set is great, too – a small combo with guitar from either Joe Rumero or Barry Galbraith – served up in a really great mix of tunes that includes "Season In The Sun", "Slowly", "Cheerful Little Earful", "Why Not Admit It", "You Are The One", and "Hook Line And Snare". LP, Vinyl record album

A great early trio moment from Keith Jarrett – a set that steps off some of his previous Standards albums for ECM, but which also has more of a personal flavor as well! The group here is that great combo with Gary Peacock on bass and Jack DeJohnette on drums – both really open, fluid players who make the music really sparkle alongside Jarrett's piano – offering up tunes that are mostly standards, but in really unique variations! The album's a tribute to key musical heroes – Lee Konitz, Jim Hall, Bill Evans, John Coltrane, and others – but the overall sound is pure Jarrett all the way through, on titles that include "Lover Man", "Solar", "Sun Prayer", "Little Girl Blue", "U Dance", "Ballad Of The Sad Young Men", and "All The Things You Are". CD

A really great follow-up to the first collaboration between Khruangbin and Leon Bridges – one with a title that's similar to the first, but a sound that's nicely different too! It's almost as if the group take the "moon" in the title seriously – and go for a more laidback, dark-tinged version of the territory covered on Texas Sun – grooves that are a bit more mellow, and somewhat more introspective – at a level that really works well for the vocals of Leon Bridges, which themselves are sometimes spaced out in these really cool ways with the production! This isn't the hard-jamming side of Khruangbin, but instead that maturing quality of the trio that has them doing more with less – bringing a slow funk majesty to Bridges' vocals, on titles that include "Doris", "B-Side", "Chocolate Hills", "Father Father", and "Mariella". CD

A really great follow-up to the first collaboration between Khruangbin and Leon Bridges – one with a title that's similar to the first, but a sound that's nicely different too! It's almost as if the group take the "moon" in the title seriously – and go for a more laidback, dark-tinged version of the territory covered on Texas Sun – grooves that are a bit more mellow, and somewhat more introspective – at a level that really works well for the vocals of Leon Bridges, which themselves are sometimes spaced out in these really cool ways with the production! This isn't the hard-jamming side of Khruangbin, but instead that maturing quality of the trio that has them doing more with less – bringing a slow funk majesty to Bridges' vocals, on titles that include "Doris", "B-Side", "Chocolate Hills", "Father Father", and "Mariella". LP, Vinyl record album

A great little 70s album of electric blues – a set that begins with a song about Watergate – then moves off into a whole other great range of themes too! Bob Kirkpatrick's got a vibe here that's in the better style of the small club scene of Detroit or Chicago at the time – lean, gritty, and with vocals wrapped around his guitar in a really wonderful way – getting support from a slightly unusual trio that features Jothan Callins on bass, Ron Burton on piano, and Harold White on drums – two of whom you'll know from work in spiritual jazz! Titles include "Watergate Blues", "Sweet Little Angel", "I Don't Know Why", "When The Sun Rose This Morning", "I Been Down So Long", and "I Got Love". CD

A real breakthrough in female soul for the 70s – the initial album from Labelle – a set that's very different material than the group were doing on their girl group singles in the 60s! The trio here is legendary – Patti Labelle, Nona Hendryx, and Sarah Dash – three tremendous singers all working together at a level that really sets the standard for bad-rapping female soul in the 70s! We're not sure what happened with Patti and the group between their 60s material and this set – but whatever it was, it was something great – a turn towards a style that would keep them in the record racks for years! Titles include "Too Many Days", "Running Out Of Fools", "When The Sun Comes Shining Through", "Heart Be Still", and a nice version of "Time & Love". CD

A real breakthrough in female soul for the 70s – the initial album from Labelle – a set that's very different material than the group were doing on their girl group singles in the 60s! The trio here is legendary – Patti Labelle, Nona Hendryx, and Sarah Dash – three tremendous singers all working together at a level that really sets the standard for bad-rapping female soul in the 70s! We're not sure what happened with Patti and the group between their 60s material and this set – but whatever it was, it was something great – a turn towards a style that would keep them in the record racks for years! Titles include "Too Many Days", "Running Out Of Fools", "When The Sun Comes Shining Through", "Heart Be Still", and a nice version of "Time & Love". CD

A real breakthrough in female soul for the 70s – the initial album from Labelle – a set that's very different material than the group were doing on their girl group singles in the 60s! The trio here is legendary – Patti Labelle, Nona Hendryx, and Sarah Dash – three tremendous singers all working together at a level that really sets the standard for bad-rapping female soul in the 70s! We're not sure what happened with Patti and the group between their 60s material and this set – but whatever it was, it was something great – a turn towards a style that would keep them in the record racks for years! Titles include "Too Many Days", "Running Out Of Fools", "When The Sun Comes Shining Through", "Heart Be Still", and a nice version of "Time & Love". LP, Vinyl record album

A quadruple-header from Ramsey Lewis – four albums from his great 70s electric period on Columbia Records! First up is Funky Serenity – sweet electric funk from Ramsey Lewis! The album's one of his best from the 70s – and it's got Ramsey on Fender Rhodes, electric harpsichord, and other keyboards, grooving away in an open-ended 70s mode that still retains all the heavy soul of his classic work for Chess. Morris Jennings adds in some very nice percussion with his drum work, and Cleveland Eaton's on funky bass, giving the set a strong bottom groove. Features the sublime sample cut "My Love For You", a great version of "Knights In White Satin" that's done with a weird spacey groove, plus the tracks "Kufany Mapenzi (Making Love)", "Serene Funk", "What It Is!", and "Dreams". Golden Hits isn't a "best of", but instead has Ramsey and his funky mid 70s trio with Morris Jennings and Cleveland Eaton revisiting some of his best loved material from the Cadet years, but with the groovy Rhodes and wah wah sound that we dig so much about his CBS recordings. Unlike some of the other records from this period, the group's nice and stripped down, just the electric piano, bass and drums, so the groove's nice and wide open, Ramsey and company popping along with the sanctified soulful vibe of his 60s work, but updating their sound with some nice electric touches. 9 numbers in all: "Hang On Sloopy", "Blues For The Night Owl", "Hi-Heel Sneakers", "Carmen", "Delilah", "Wade In The Water", "Slippin' Into Darkness", "Somethin' You Got", and "The In Crowd". Solar Wind was cut smack dab in the middle of Ramsey's glory days at Columbia Records – with great production help and work on bass from the mighty Cleveland Eaton! The style is nice and lean, with just some occasional fuller touches – and Ramsey plays plenty of Fender Rhodes, in addition to bits of Arp and moog too – in a setting that's mostly trio, with a few guest players stepping into the mix from track to track! There's a nice degree of fuzz at points, thanks to added help from Steve Cropper – and titles include a great funky version of "Summer Breeze", plus "Solar Wind", "Come Down In Time", "Love for A Day", "Hummingbird", "Jamaican Marketplace", and "Sweet & Tender You". Sun Goddess is one of our favorite Ramsey Lewis albums ever – and a perfect summation of the genius that was brewing on the Chicago scene in the late 60s and early 70s! The album has Ramsey working strongly with Earth Wind & Fire – no surprise, given his close ties to Maurice White, who was the drummer in Ramsey's trio before starting his own group – and the shared relationship both artists had with producer Charles Stepney! The three were all key parts of the late 60s sound at Chess Records – but here, they've brought the same soulful energy to Columbia – working in a wider, more mature groove for the 70s – one that has Lewis' wicked Fender Rhodes lines stretching out strongly over tight, compressed, funky lines from EWF! The centerpiece of the set is the massive 7 minute "Sun Goddess", but there's lots of other nice ones like "Living For The City", "Gemini Rising", and "Jungle Strut". Funky, electric, and sublimely wonderful all the way through! CD

One of our favorite Ramsey Lewis albums ever – and a perfect summation of the genius that was brewing on the Chicago scene in the late 60s and early 70s! The album has Ramsey working strongly with Earth Wind & Fire – no surprise, given his close ties to Maurice White, who was the drummer in Ramsey's trio before starting his own group – and the shared relationship both artists had with producer Charles Stepney! The three were all key parts of the late 60s sound at Chess Records – but here, they've brought the same soulful energy to Columbia – working in a wider, more mature groove for the 70s – one that has Lewis' wicked Fender Rhodes lines stretching out strongly over tight, compressed, funky lines from EWF! The centerpiece of the set is the massive 7 minute "Sun Goddess", but there's lots of other nice ones like "Living For The City", "Gemini Rising", and "Jungle Strut". Funky, electric, and sublimely wonderful all the way through! LP, Vinyl record album

The wonderful first solo album from Nils Lofgren – done with this lean, tight sound that's nicely different than his previous work with Grin – and which really lets Nils show off all the best sides of his vocals and guitar! The group is just a core trio with Wornell Jones on bass (later of solo funk fame) and the great Aynsley Dunbar on drums – a player whose compact energy really brings a nice kick to the tunes, without ever overdoing things at all! Nils himself is stunningly charming on vocals – and also handles guitar, piano, and organ – as well as backup vocals, through the magic of overdub. In an era of rock overindulgence, the intimacy of the record is a really welcome change – although Lofrgren manages to come across with a real fullness too – almost like Todd Rundgren's self-created projects. Titles include "Keith Don't Go", "Back It Up", "One More Saturday Night", "Be Good Tonight", "Can't Buy A Break", "Duty", and "The Sun Hasn't Set On This Boy Yet". LP, Vinyl record album

Helen sings, Teddy swings, and the album's a great little session from Merrill's key years recording in Japan! There's a simple, unadorned quality to the record that's really great – a mode that Helen wasn't even using back in her earlier years in the US, and which almost helps her recapture a past that had slipped away before its time. Wilson's trio here features Larry Ridley on bass and Lenny McBrowne on drums – and his backing is sensitive and mellow, often letting Helen take center stage with her vocals. Titles include "Summertime", "I Only Have Eyes For You", "I Cover The Waterfront", "I Must Have That Man", "Embraceable You", and "East Of The Sun". Three numbers also feature Ridley and McBrowne replaced by Japanese players. LP, Vinyl record album

We're not sure what "congliptious" means – but to us, it's always been the title of this excellent early session from reedman Roscoe Mitchell! The sessions here were recorded in 1968, at the Ter-Mar (Chess) Studios in Chicago – and they document a key coming-together of Chicago avant jazz talents – one that captures Mitchell with Lester Bowie and Malachi Favors in the years before better-known dates by the Art Ensemble of Chicago! The style here is somewhat similar to some of the best Delmark AACM sessions of the time – in that there's a hell of a lot of room for each player to open up individually – almost a recording style that takes off even more strongly from the individualist mode of the New York "new thing" generation – showing that Chicago could go one better by allowing each player completely unbridled space to express themselves. Malachi Favors solos on "Tutankhamen", Mitchell does an alto solo on "Thke", and Bowie plays alone on "Jazz Death" – while the trio of players comes together with percussionist Robert Crowder on the long number "Congliptious/Old" – a cool cut that almost links a Sun Ra aesthetic to the AACM. CD also features 4 bonus tracks – 3 takes of "Carefree", plus "Tatas-Matoes" – all cuts that originally appeared on the Art Ensemble 1967/1968 box set. CD

We're not sure what "congliptious" means – but to us, it's always been the title of this excellent early session from reedman Roscoe Mitchell! The sessions here were recorded in 1968, at the Ter-Mar (Chess) Studios in Chicago – and they document a key coming-together of Chicago avant jazz talents – one that captures Mitchell with Lester Bowie and Malachi Favors in the years before better-known dates by the Art Ensemble of Chicago! The style here is somewhat similar to some of the best Delmark AACM sessions of the time – in that there's a hell of a lot of room for each player to open up individually – almost a recording style that takes off even more strongly from the individualist mode of the New York "new thing" generation – showing that Chicago could go one better by allowing each player completely unbridled space to express themselves. Malachi Favors solos on "Tutankhamen", Mitchell does an alto solo on "Thke", and Bowie plays alone on "Jazz Death" – while the trio of players comes together with percussionist Robert Crowder on the long number "Congliptious/Old" – a cool cut that almost links a Sun Ra aesthetic to the AACM. CD also features 4 bonus tracks – 3 takes of "Carefree", plus "Tatas-Matoes" – all cuts that originally appeared on the Art Ensemble 1967/1968 box set. CD

A classic solo piano album from Thelonious Monk – recorded live in San Francisco, and maybe one of his best albums ever in the format! There's a special sort of quality that makes Monk's solo work so different from his trio, quartet, and larger group music – this real understanding of the piano, and a personal sense of sonic shading, even when covering some of his familiar compositions – maybe a bit like the way that Sun Ra's solo piano is also so distinct. Most of the tunes here are Monk originals or standards that Thelonious has played before at least a few times on record – but the solo setting almost has him pulling the tunes apart slowly – contemplating their components, then stepping through them with new inspiration as he puts them back together. Titles include "Blue Monk", "Pannonica", "Remember", "Reflections", "Bluehawk", "Everything Happens To Me", and "Round Lights". CD

A classic solo piano album from Thelonious Monk – recorded live in San Francisco, and maybe one of his best albums ever in the format! There's a special sort of quality that makes Monk's solo work so different from his trio, quartet, and larger group music – this real understanding of the piano, and a personal sense of sonic shading, even when covering some of his familiar compositions – maybe a bit like the way that Sun Ra's solo piano is also so distinct. Most of the tunes here are Monk originals or standards that Thelonious has played before at least a few times on record – but the solo setting almost has him pulling the tunes apart slowly – contemplating their components, then stepping through them with new inspiration as he puts them back together. Titles include "Blue Monk", "Pannonica", "Remember", "Reflections", "Bluehawk", "Everything Happens To Me", and "Round Lights". LP, Vinyl record album

A classic solo piano album from Thelonious Monk – recorded live in San Francisco, and maybe one of his best albums ever in the format! There's a special sort of quality that makes Monk's solo work so different from his trio, quartet, and larger group music – this real understanding of the piano, and a personal sense of sonic shading, even when covering some of his familiar compositions – maybe a bit like the way that Sun Ra's solo piano is also so distinct. Most of the tunes here are Monk originals or standards that Thelonious has played before at least a few times on record – but the solo setting almost has him pulling the tunes apart slowly – contemplating their components, then stepping through them with new inspiration as he puts them back together. Titles include "Blue Monk", "Pannonica", "Remember", "Reflections", "Bluehawk", "Everything Happens To Me", and "Round Lights". LP, Vinyl record album

A really great British group – one who are mostly acoustic, but hardly sound folksy at all – and who are only a trio, yet manage to come across with a much fuller sound than you might expect! It would be easy enough to link these guys with the acid folk scene of the time, but their phrasing is different and their vocals, even while harmonized, have a sense of darkness that sets them apart from the warmer tones of the Cali scene when in similar territory. The record almost feels more like some lost indie set from a decade later – touched with some of the melancholy of a Nikki Sudden album, but again with a different sort of phrasing – in ways that only further make it a standout set. Titles include "Clock Watcher", "Hard World", "People & Places", "Red Sun", "Lazy Day", "Newspaper Seller", "Brief Encounter", and "Songs Of Mine". CD

Fantastic early work as a leader from trombonist Julian Priester – a musician who'd later be known for his performances with Sun Ra, and his fusion material in the 70s – but who here works at the head of a tight hardbop combo in the best Riverside mode! The album's got Julian in both a quartet and quintet – with Jimmy Heath on tenor on some tracks, and a core trio that features Tommy Flanagan on piano, Sam Jones on bass, and Elvin Jones on drums. Priester wails on the trombone as if he's playing a trumpet, and also contributed some great original tunes to the set too. Titles include "The End", "24 Hour Leave", "Julian's Tune", "Bob T's Blues", and "Under The Surface". LP, Vinyl record album

The music of Sun Ra, taken into very different territory – every bit as cosmic as before, but maybe also a bit more down to earth in its presentation! Sun Ra classics are reworked here by a mix of different Brazilian musicians, with contributions from a few key American artists who really enrich the soulful qualities of the proceedings – with results that are tremendous, and which make the record one of the real standout projects in the long legacy of Red Hot recordings! The sounds here are all original, created for the project – and the Brazilian artists include some of our favorite underground talents of the past decade, mixed with a few who are more well-established, yet still very much on the left side of the spectrum! Titles include "Astroblack Orunmila" with Jazzmeia Horn & Orquestra Afrosinfonica, "Interstellar Low Ways" with Hamilton De Holanda Trio, "When There Is No Sun (Intergalactic version)" with Xenia Franca & Tigana Santana, "Eu Sou Um Instrumento" with Fabricio Boliveira & Jazzmeia Horn, "O Codigo" with Fabricio Boliveira & Edbrass Brasil, "Nature's God" with Meshell Ndegeocello & Munir Hossn, and "Nine Rocket For The Planet" with Meta Meta & Edgar. LP, Vinyl record album

Forget the "pretty" in the title here – as this stuff's not glossy or fancy – just wonderfully stripped-down Hammond work from Jimmy, performed with a trio that includes Eddie McFadden on guitar and Donald Bailey on drums. The title should probably read "mellow" instead of "pretty" – as the groove is very laidback and late-nite, with Jimmy hitting some of those really cool "unbridled" notes that are the best part of his early Blue Note sound. Titles include "East Of The Sun", "The Very Thought Of You", "Penthouse Serenade", and "Old Devil Moon". CD

Forget the "pretty" in the title here – as this stuff's not glossy or fancy – just wonderfully stripped-down Hammond work from Jimmy, performed with a trio that includes Eddie McFadden on guitar and Donald Bailey on drums. The title should probably read "mellow" instead of "pretty" – as the groove is very laidback and late-nite, with Jimmy hitting some of those really cool "unbridled" notes that are the best part of his early Blue Note sound. Titles include "East Of The Sun", "The Very Thought Of You", "Penthouse Serenade", and "Old Devil Moon". LP, Vinyl record album

Ken Vandermark and crew take a funkier turn – working off the style of their last album (a tribute to Sun Ra & George Clinton), moving into tunes that are tributes to soul and funk heroes of the past 30 years. Most tunes are originals by Vandermark – played by the trio that includes Ken on reeds, Nate McBride on bass, and Hamid Drake on drums – and titles include "Clocked", "Back Of A Cab", "Reasonable Hour", "Size Large", "Journeyman", "She Just Got Here", "All Frequencies", and "Force At A Distance". CD

A very nice little album – and one that moves way past the gimmicky nature that you might guess from the title! The Sun Ra influence is obvious – as it seems natural for the Chicago-based players to show a bit of respect to what's gone before them in the city. The Funkadelic twist might seem a bit more odd, though – but not if you consider the fact that Vandermark's played a heck of a lot with funky jazz combos over the past 10 years, and that Drake can really kick it on the set when he wants to! In fact, the two of them go so full-out on the Funkadelic tunes that you'll be hard-pressed to believe that there's actually only a trio of sax, drums, and bass playing the music! The Ra tunes seem a bit restrained next to the Funkadelic ones – but that also makes for a nice mix of styles on the CD. Titles include "Tapestry From An Asteroid", "Cosmic Slop", "Future", "Super Stupid", "You & Your Folks, Me & My Folks", "El Is A Sound Of Joy", and "Street Named Hell". CD

Norwegian jazz rock trio featuring Emil Storlkeen Ase on guitar, Jenny Froysa on baritone sax, and August Glannestrand on drums. LP, Vinyl record album

A great bit of drawn-out fusion – played by a British trio that features electric keyboards, bass, and percussion! The tracks have a jamming jazz-rock approach – but never get too overindulgent, and never fall into the traps of some of the other British groups of the time. Instead, the groove is pure – with some nice dropped-out moments that have the keyboards working on lines that sound like they might have been lifted off of one of Sonny Fortune's great mid-70s albums. The lineup features Peter Robinson on Fender Rhodes and other keyboards, Alyn Ross on bass, and Morris Pert on drums and percussion – plus some guest soprano sax from Robin Thompson on three of the four songs. All tracks are long, and titles include "Stardance", "Orinoco", and "From The Region Of Capricorn". CD

An incredible album by the Tamba 4 – one of 2 albums the Brazilian bossa combo did in the US for A&M Records, during the brief time when they were expanded to a quartet from the original Tamba Trio lineup! The set is completely sublime – a wonderful mix of the group's trademark harmony vocals and crackling bossa rhythms, with the warmly flowing CTI production style of the time – not funky like the CTI sound of the 70s, but a bit more sophisticated than the style Creed Taylor had been using earlier at Verve. Tracks are short, breezy, and often very lively – bossa grooving warmed in the California sun – and titles include "Samba Blim", "Watch What Happens", "Pregao", "San Salvador", "Know It All", and "Palladium". LP, Vinyl record album

An incredible album by the Tamba 4 – one of 2 albums the Brazilian bossa combo did in the US for A&M Records, during the brief time when they were expanded to a quartet from the original Tamba Trio lineup! The set is completely sublime – a wonderful mix of the group's trademark harmony vocals and crackling bossa rhythms, with the warmly flowing CTI production style of the time – not funky like the CTI sound of the 70s, but a bit more sophisticated than the style Creed Taylor had been using earlier at Verve. Tracks are short, breezy, and often very lively – bossa grooving warmed in the California sun – and titles include "Samba Blim", "Watch What Happens", "Pregao", "San Salvador", "Know It All", and "Palladium". CD

A key pairing of vocalist Mel Torme and pianist George Shearing – two aging jazz artists who really helped re-ignite each others' careers in the 80s! The format here takes Torme back to the best years of his jazz roots – and features spare backing from Shearing's trio, at a level that's intimate, but never too sleepy or prone with cliche. Shearing's touch on the keys is wonderfully sensitive – never just standard backing to a singer – and in a way, he brings out a new sense of depth in Torme's vocals, one that never showed itself so strongly, or so personally in the past. And best of all, at the time of this recording, the duo haven't yet lapsed into the cliches that would later mar their pairing – and instead really work together beautifully in a fresh sense of discovery and joy in each others' company. Titles include "The Midnight Sun", "Someday I'll Find You", "Whisper Not/Love Me Or Leave Me", "Since I Fell For You", "Out Of This World", and "Little Man You've Got The Blues". LP, Vinyl record album

A great album from McCoy Tyner – a set that's steeped in the modal soulfulness of his years with John Coltrane, but also handled in a way that really has him breaking away from the pack a bit! Half the album's played with a trio that features Jimmy Garrison on bass – but the strongest cuts feature a sextet with John Gilmore on tenor (making a rare non-Sun Ra appearance), Frank Strozier on alto, Thad Jones on trumpet, Butch Warren on bass, and Elvin Jones on drums – all working beautifully together in an early example of the soulful group groove that Tyner would hit even more strongly in the post-Coltrane years. Titles include "T N A Blues", "Three Flowers", "Contemporary Focus", and "Night In Tunisia". LP, Vinyl record album

A great album from McCoy Tyner – a set that's steeped in the modal soulfulness of his years with John Coltrane, but also handled in a way that really has him breaking away from the pack a bit! Half the album's played with a trio that features Jimmy Garrison on bass – but the strongest cuts feature a sextet with John Gilmore on tenor (making a rare non-Sun Ra appearance), Frank Strozier on alto, Thad Jones on trumpet, Butch Warren on bass, and Elvin Jones on drums – all working beautifully together in an early example of the soulful group groove that Tyner would hit even more strongly in the post-Coltrane years. Titles include "T N A Blues", "Three Flowers", "Contemporary Focus", and "Night In Tunisia". LP, Vinyl record album

A rare jazz treasure from the European scene of the early 70s – killer material from a wealth of American artists and local talents – all done as special sessions for Dutch radio, and never issued to the public on record! Despite the radio origins of the music, the sound here is tremendous – easily on a par with the best MPS sessions of the time – which is no surprise, given that many of the artists here worked in similar circles! The first half of the set features the trio of pianist Louis Van Dyke augmented with guests who include Mark Murphy, Helen Merrill, Eddie Jefferson, Toots Thielemans, Herb Geller, and Dave Pike – all stepping out into the spotlight while Van Dyke's combo backs them up with lively grooves that are often heavy on bossa influences! The second half features larger orchestrations from The Metropole Orchestra – a soaring big band who groove wonderfully, often in support of vocals from Murphy or Greetje Kauffeld, but also featuring instrumental solos from European players Ack Van Rooyen, Piet Nordijk, Ferdinand Povel, and others. The whole set is worth it alone for the vocals of Murphy – because the record easily stands as some of his best work ever from this decade – and given how great Mark was at the time, that's really saying a lot! Small group titles include "Children Of The Sun", "So What", "Love Sick", "Sao Paulo", "Con Alma", "Seventh Day", and "Falling In Love With Love" – and bigger group numbers include "Out Of This World", "My Shining Hour", "Let's Fall In Love", "Get Happy", "I'll Wind", "This Time The Dream's On Me", "Paper Moon", "One For My Baby", "Come Rain Or Come Shine", and "That Old Black Magic". 37 tracks in all! CD

A stunning live recording from Sarah Vaughan – recorded in the late 70s, when she was at a whole new height in her talents – and at a level that's far more dynamic and striking than some of her other records from the time! The double-length set presents the first-ever commercial release of a beautifully recorded performance originally done for NPR – with Vaughan in a very open, expressive mode alongside a trio with Carl Schroeder on piano, Walter Booker on bass, and Jimmy Cobb on drums – working at a small club in New Orleans with a wonderfully soulful vibe! Vaughan shines beautifully on the ballads, but really blows us away with the swingers – hitting some edges we don't always hear on her 70s sides for Pablo, Groove Merchant, or Mainstream – managing vocal complexity with inherent rhythm, all with effortless ease. The sound quality is wonderful – and titles include "I'll Remember April", "A Lot Of Livin To Do", "The Man I Love", "Watch What Happens", "If You Went Away", "I Could Write A Book", "Time After Time", "Somebody Loves Me", "My Funny Valentine", "Everything Must Change", "Send In The Clowns", "Sarah's Blues", and "East Of The Sun". CD

An unusual project from the team of tenorist Binker Golding and drummer Moses Boyd – and one that really represents the compelling directions they've taken in recent years! The group here is a trio, with key contributions from Simon Ratcliffe of Basement Jaxx – who provides all these extra sonic touches and additional live instrumentation to create a rich tapestry of different elements, which are still grounded strongly by the acoustic performances of Binker and Moses! Golding is especially great in the setting – almost set free a bit more than usual, which creates some wonderfully soulful passages on his tenor – on titles that include "First Light", "The Spanish Master", "Tigris", "Ted", and "Cesca". CD

An unusual project from the team of tenorist Binker Golding and drummer Moses Boyd – and one that really represents the compelling directions they've taken in recent years! The group here is a trio, with key contributions from Simon Ratcliffe of Basement Jaxx – who provides all these extra sonic touches and additional live instrumentation to create a rich tapestry of different elements, which are still grounded strongly by the acoustic performances of Binker and Moses! Golding is especially great in the setting – almost set free a bit more than usual, which creates some wonderfully soulful passages on his tenor – on titles that include "First Light", "The Spanish Master", "Tigris", "Ted", and "Cesca". LP, Vinyl record album

A great one by The Walker Brothers – recorded late in their career, when Scott Walker was really beginning to show signs of his later solo work, and starting to pen a few tunes of his own! The sound here is much deeper than the simple pop of the trio's earliest singles – and thanks to a number of original Scott Walker compositions, there's a range of themes here that's quite sophisticated, and an overall sound that's darker than standard 60s pop. Walker originals include "Genevieve" and "Orpheus" – which dovetail nicely into the style of Scott 1 or Scott 2. Other tracks include great covers of "Once Upon A Summertime", "I Will Wait For You", and "Just Say Goodbye" – plus "Everything Under The Sun", "It Makes No Difference Now", and "I Wanna Know". LP, Vinyl record album

Leslie West is a mountain of a man – and although his greatest fame may have been in the group Mountain, this initial solo set has all the power of that famous group – and maybe a leaner, meaner sound overall! West is clearly working in the power trio style that was emerging from the British rock scene of the time – using his raw vocals and heavy guitar next to the drums of ND Smart, and the bass and keyboards of the great Felix Pappalardi – who produced and put the whole thing together in the studio! Titles include the funky rock classic "Long Red", which has great organ and drums – plus "Southbound Train", "Blood Of The Sun", "Blind Man", "Baby I'm Down", "This Whee's On Fire", "Storyteller Man", and "Because You Are My Friend". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the most sensitively soulful records of the 70s from pianist Tsuyoshi Yamamoto – a set that still has him working in a trio format, but which also has a slightly more mellow feel overall – with some especially great work from the leader on the ballads! Yamamoto's style is maturing strongly here – and he's got this commanding spectrum of sound from the piano – gentle right hand passages and deep left hand lines – all nicely balanced with work from Tsutomo Okada on bass and Keiji Kishida on drums. Titles include "Billy Boy", "A Shade Of Love", "Midnight Sun", "Autumn Leaves", "Wave", "Blue Manhattan", and "Kid". CD

Music from Zimbo Trio, Paulinho Nogueira, Orquestra De Tony Fabian, Pery Ribeiro, Brazilian Trioical Orchestra, Olmir Stocker, Almeao & Zero Ribeiro, Grupo Vou Vivendo, Sambrasil, Luciana Rodrigues, Nova Banda, and Ana De Holanda. CD

A stunning, funny, and truly great collection of ultra-rare female tracks from the mid 50s – lots of honky tonk and rockabilly stompers – cut for labels like Fraternity, King, Sandy, and even Sun Records, all pulled together in one wonderfully-themed collection! You'll probably never see this primordial, sludgy early rock and underground country next to those great early Wanda Jackson albums in the bins – but these tracks are all cut from the same cloth, and emote the same pith and vinegar, if not the same innate ability to let loose with sheer early rock power! Great stuff – dug from even deeper reservoirs than the Nuggets compilers dare to look – and the set list will show you that there's plenty to discover in the early years of female rock and roll. Tracks include "Skull & Crossbones", "Killer" and "Tiger" by Sparkle Moore, "Everlasting Love" by Barbara Pittman, "Ten Cats Down" by the Miller Sisters, "Dirty Dishes" by Jeani Mack, "I'm Leaving" by Linda Brannon, "Wille Joe" by the Mystery Trio, "Sugar Baby" by Helen Bozeman, "Three Young Chicks" by the Star Sisters. CD

A great overview of work on the legendary Three Blind Mice label from 70s Japan – a crucial imprint that gave exposure to the new generation of Japanese jazz musicians who were forging a fresh sort of ideas apart from their counterparts in the US! Three Blind Mice was always a label that was dedicated to the best quality of sound – not just in the top-shelf recording techniques they employed, but also in the way they let their artists approach the material – often without any sort of concern for commercial potential or crossover appeal – a quality that's really kept the TBM material very fresh over the years! Most tracks are nice and long – far from short crossover fusion or pop jazz of the period – and titles include "Derrick's Dance" by Teruo Nakamura, "Tones For Joan's Bones" by Fumio Karashima, "New Shade Of Blue" by Naosuke Miyamoto, "Sunset On The Street" by Sunao Wada with Minoru Ikeno, "Feel Like Makin Love" by Isao Suzuki, "Lady T" by Isoo Fukui, "Sunday Thing" by Toshiyuji Miyama & The New Herd, "Maiden Voyage" by Tatsuya Takahashi & The Tokyo Union, "Ain't Nothin New Under The Sun" by Ayako Hosokawa, and "Nardis" by the trio of Masabumi Kikuchi, Hideo Kanai, and Masahiko Togashi. 2CD set has 18 tracks in all – more than the vinyl! CD

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

A legendary compilation from the Soul Jazz label – one of their early important records that helped give new exposure to a whole generation of spiritual jazz from the American scene! Titles include "Space 1" by David Durrah, "Space Is The Place" by Sun Ra, "Theme De Yo Yo" by Art Ensemble Of Chicago, "Lions Of Judah" by Steve Reid, "Space Odyssey" by Marcus Belgrave, "Kitty Bey" by Byron Morris & Unity, "Empty Streets" by New Life Trio, and "Astral Travelling" by Pharoah Sanders. LP, Vinyl record album

A live trio recording with Barron on piano, Ray Drummond on bass, and Ben Riley on drums. Tracks include "Solar", "Blue Moon", "Alter Ego", and "Everybody Loves My Baby, But My Baby Don't Love Nobody But Me". CD

The Maybeck solo series produced plenty of greatness when it was going on – and one of the greatest moments was this sweet solo set from Kenny Barron! Barron's one of those players we never get tired of – and while we love him in group and trio settings, he's equally magical here working by himself – opening up on these long, lyrical numbers that have a really evocative feel – beautiful runs up and down the keyboard, but in ways that are extremely thoughtful and well-paced – and not just an unbridled display of his talents. There's a sense of soul to the set that never lets up – and titles include "Bud Like", "Witchcraft", "Sunshower", "And Then Again", "Skylark", and "Spring Is Here". CD

If Paul's Boutique was the Beasties heavily mind-blown Dust Brothers dusted psychedelic hip hop Sgt Peppers, then Check Your Head is their down and dirty back to basics raw funk run at something like Never Mind The Bollocks. Their first outing without the guidance of an outside producer, though the trio did bring in ringers like Money Mark and Mario Caldato Junior, this set's a ride into a whole other mindset, still fueled by sunny So Cal vibes and the Beasties own take on rhyme science. It's hard to imagine an album that would produce so many anthems for true heads and the Lollapalooza crowd alike, but this is it. Includes "Jimmy James", "Pass The Mic", "Gratitude", "Finger Lickin' Good", "So Whatcha Want", "Time For Livin'", "Something's Got To Give", "Groove Holmes" and "Professor Booty". CD

A great Japanese-only set – one that features the young Richie Beirach on piano, with just the bass of Frank Tusa for accompaniment! LP, Vinyl record album

Amazing spiritual jazz treasure – the only album ever issued by this obscure avant trio from the Cleveland scene – a group that includes a young Abdul Wadud on bass and cello! The style is nicely loose and open, but also very different than the sound of the AACM at the time – almost more with the slowly building style that would dominate in the loft jazz years, even though these guys were years ahead of that moment. In addition to Wadud – then known as Ron DeVaughn – the group also features Joseph Phillips/Yusuf Mumin on alto, and Hasan Adbur Shahid on percussion. Both players are amazing – Shahid can go from full intensity to spacious sonic territory at a level that matches Sunny Murray – and Mumin's alto can cry plaintively some moments, and come on with the ferocity of a tenor the next. Wadud is wonderful, too – balancing plucked and bowed moments with the quality that we love on later recordings – already very well-formed here, at a time when he was attending Oberlin College. The album's one that really lives up to the promise of its cover and group name – and titles include "Birth Life & Death", "In Light Of Blackness", "Final Expression", "Opening Prayer", and "Al Nisa". LP, Vinyl record album