A new reissue of this obscure 1959 session recorded by Sonny Criss, one of our favorite alto players of all time! Criss recorded this album in Chicago, as Sonny Criss At The Crossroads, and it's one of the only jazz records ever on the Peacock label, which put out mostly gospel and blues – but it's issued here under a different title and on a different label. The style of the record is more relaxed than his mid 50's bop recordings, which tend to be a bit frenetic sometimes, and Criss solos with a maturity that approaches his classic Prestige recordings of the late 60's. He's joined by Wynton Kelly on piano (originally listed under the fake name of Joe Scott), and the Chicago rhythm section of Bob Cranshaw and Walter Perkins, both fresh from the MJT+3 – and the album's got a great tone, warm solos, and a nice vibe throughout. Tracks include "You Don't Know", "Butts Delight", "Softly", and "Sylvia". CD

A Windy City classic – from Vee Jay Records! The MJT grooves like nobody's business, thanks to a core rhythm group that includes Harold Mabern on piano, Walter Perkins on drums, and Bob Cranshaw on bass! Add to the mix a young Frank Strozier on alto, fresh from Memphis (he made the trip to Chi-town with buddy Harold Mabern), and the smoking trumpet of Willie Thomas, and you've got one of the tightest combos to never make it in the big time – a killer little group that was almost a Chicago secret back in the day, but one that's well worth discovering if you've got any sort of a love for hardbop or soul jazz! This oft-overlooked gem is one of the best hardbop albums to ever come out of Chicago, and it's got some great originals by Mabern – like "Richie's Dilemma" and "Make Everybody Happy" – plus a nice version of Booker Little's "Sweet Silver". LP, Vinyl record album

Iggy Pop's mid-to-late 70s era working David Bowie as a co-writer, producer and incredible creative foil – in a 7CD box set! It includes Iggy's first 2 and to this day all-time great solo albums The Idiot and Lust For Life, neither of which seem to have aged a day since 1977, a full CD of alternate mixes and out-takes, the original classic live album TV Eye – 1977 that compiled soundboard recordings from the '77 tour – and perhaps this box set's deepest dug treasure trove – 3CDs of complete sets from that same 1977 tour at London's Rainbow Theatre, The Agora in Cleveland, and at Mantra Studios in Chicago! While the Idiot and Lust Of Life showed Iggy to be a lot more versatile of a front man and songwriter to anyone who might not have seen past the manic firebrand howling out front for The Stooges, his live material from that era is pretty amazing too, embracing the Stooges catalog with some of the more innovative style of his early solo albums –bigger arrangements, woozy keyboards and soulful back up singers among them without sacrificing any of the...well, we gotta say it...any of the raw power. Nearly as ferocious as ever but with a real sense of style and craft – and there's a wealth of it collected here for the first time ever. Also includes a 40-page hardback book! CD

An amazing set of music – two rare albums from Ohio funk legend Lou Ragland, plus bonus tracks, and a whole set of unreleased sessions too – a huge amount of new music, even if you've got some of the previous reissues! First up is the legendary Hot Chocolate album – one of the greatest lost funk records of all time! The group is not the British pop band, but an Ohio funk group led by the great guitarist Lou Ragland. The album's originally from Canada, which makes it super rare – and these guys are funky funky funky, and kick some major booty with a heavy guitar sound that's just great! Some of the cuts are instrumental, and some of them have some excellent soul vocals that are produced with a nice deep sound that's brought out nicely by the excellent quality of the reissue. The record's got a bit of Sly Stone, a bit of Grant Green, and a bit of Mike James Kirkland – with a tasty raw indie soul vibe – and the original album was only pressed up at 500 copies. Titles include "So Dam Funky", "Ain't That A Groove", "Sexy Moods Of Your Mind", "Messin With Sly", and "What You Want To Do" – plus 8 more tracks from the same vintage – "Good For The Gander" by Hot Chocolate, "I Travel Alone" and Big Wheel" by Lou Ragland, "Red Robin" and "I've Got Something Going On" by Volcanic Eruption, and "I Can't Take It" and "What The Doctor Prescribed" by Lou Ragland & Hot Chocolate. Next is The Conveyor – the second album from Lou Ragland, stepping out here in a great set of mellow soul tracks! The album's quite different from the heavy funk of the Hot Chocolate album – more of a message-oriented approach to soul, in the vein of similar 70s indie work by Mike James Kirkland. The arrangements are also bigger – not smooth, but ambitious, in a style that perfectly matches the higher vision Lou's going for in tracks like "Understand Each Other", "What Should I Do?", "The Next World", and "It's Got To Change". Conveyor also comes with bonus tracks too – "Tend To Your Business" by Wildfire, plus "Since You Said You'd Be Mine" and "I Didn't Mean To Leave You" by Lou Ragland. And last up is an incredible batch of unreleased material – maybe the biggest and best so far from Ragland – tracks that have this really ambitious quality that mixes soul, funk, and larger orchestrations – especially some light strings, which really expand the sound, and push the music into this righteous territory that reminds us a lot of the creative experiments in Chicago during the Cadet/Concept years! Lou's vocals are great, and the message is totally righteous – and even though the tape quality is slightly aged, the soulful vibe really comes through – on cuts that include "Understand Each Other", "It Ain't My Fault", "Could It Be I'm Falling In Love", "Spend My Life Loving You", "Until I Met You", and "Brother Louie". Lovingly packaged by Numero – with a huge booklet of photos and history – and cool mini-LP sleeves too! CD

Sir Lord Baltimore may have a British-sounding name – but the group are a trio from Brooklyn, and serve up a blistering pre-metal version of hard rock that maybe blows away some of their English contemporaries at the time! There's a tremendous amount of power going on here – heavy bass from Gary Justin, searing guitars from Louis Dampier, and monstrous drums from John Garner, who somehow manages to also give out these raw, eerie vocals while also completely destroying the drum kit – all with energy that really prefaces a metal generation to come – but with a stripped-down vibe that's completely free of hoke. On the second album the group expands to a quartet, which makes for an even heavier sound than their first album – and the whole thing is one of those lost gems from a group who got a great shot in the studio from a big label – who then let the record languish, as they never knew how to promote it! Titles include "Man From Manhattan" plus "Where Are We Going", "Chicago Lives", "Loe And Behold", "Woman Tamer" and "Caesar LXXI". CD

A wonderful debut from Aquarian Dream – a group who first appeared under the direction of Norman Connors – and who also have lots of the same blend of jazz, soul, and funk you'd find in Connors' own music of the time! Yet Aquarian Dream are very much their own bag, too – a distinctly different group who are to Connors what Ramp was to Roy Ayers – a separate entity that shares the key production talents of their sponsor – but who break out in a wonderful vibe that's all their own! The album's best remembered for its key clubby groovers, but we also love the mellower moments too – which have a sublime stepping quality that really comes through via instrumentation from Claude Bartee on tenor and soprano sax, and Jacques Burvick on a whole host of cool keyboards. Gloria Jones (not the famous one) is a great lead singer – and titles include the classic Chicago club track "Phoenix" – plus "Look Ahead", "Once Again", "Let Me Be The One", "I'll Always Love You T",, and "Treat Me Like The One You Love". LP, Vinyl record album

Four great albums from reedman Arthur Blythe – all together in one collection! First up is Lenox Avenue Breakdown – a stunning Columbia Records debut from Blythe! At the time of the date, Blythe had already spent years working in the jazz undergrounds on both coasts – developing a searing sound on alto sax that's perfect for the focused structure of this album – almost a tone poem of sorts, offering up a portrait of the Harlem scene that was a key part of Arthur's life at the time. The sounds are sharp, but also have a sense of energy that really holds them together – guiding the players through long readings of well-penned tunes by Blythe that are filled with loads of energy and life! Players include James Newton on flute, James Blood Ulmer on guitar, Bob Stewart on tuba, Cecil McBee on bass, Jack DeJohnette on drums, and Guillermo Franco on percussion – and titles include "Odessa", "Slidin Through", "Down San Diego Way", and "Lenox Avenue Breakdown". In The Tradition is a gem – as the set represents the modern musician taking on a host of older jazz currents, while carving things out with his own special sort of soul! Half the tunes are familiar favorites, the other half originals – and Blythe moves far past his avant roots, to showcase his deep understanding of so many different shades of jazz – blowing alto beautifully throughout, in a very hip quartet that features Stanley Cowell on piano, Fred Hopkins on bass, and Steve McCall on drums! Titles include great takes on "Naima", "Jitterbug Waltz", "Caravan", and "In A Sentimental Mood" – plus the originals "Break Tune" and "Hip Dipper". Illusions is maybe the boldest of Arthur Blythe's albums for Columbia Records – as the set bristles with newly creative energy right from the start, and provides a great showcase for some of the criss-crossings of styles and rhythms that were taking place on the New York scene at the time! The lineup alone announces something special – a cool combination of James Blood Ulmer on guitar, John Hicks on piano, Fred Hopkins on bass, Abdul Wadud on cello, Bob Stewart on tuba, and Steve McCall on drums – working together in some slight variations at times, often with these angular edges that are perfectly sharpened by Arthur's amazing work on alto sax. The music's never too free, but quite outside for a major label at the time – balanced out so that it's never overindulgent at all. Titles include "Bush Baby", "Miss Nancy", "My Son Ra", and "Carespin With Mamie". Blythe Spirit is a set that showcases the never-ending growth and imagination of reedman Arthur Blythe during this fruitful period of his career – and his ability to effortlessly blend together different elements in his music – especially sides of the New York loft jazz scene, and the Chicago-based AACM! The tunes are beautiful – mostly originals, and showing a richer spirituality than even a year before – while still working in that compellingly rhythmic mode that Arthur was hitting during these years – in a lineup that features Blythe on alto, Abdul Wadud on cello, Kelvyn Bell on guitar, Steve McCall and Bobby Battle on drums, John Hicks on piano, Amina Claudine Myers on organ, and Fred Hopkins on bass. The mix of electric and acoustic elements is fantastic – very fresh, even all these many years later – and titles include "Misty", "Spirits In The Field", "Just A Closer Walk With Thee", "Reverence", and "Contemplation". CD

Unreleased live material from the legendary Paul Butterfield Blues Band – heard here at a time when the mighty Elvin Bishop and Mike Bloomfield were in the group on guitar! The set was recorded in a coffee house in Boston in 1966, but the recording vibe makes the whole thing feel a lot more like it was set in the kind of southside club that first inspired Paul on the Chicago scene – with a surprisingly faithful representation of the group's sound, complete with a wonderful amount of grit – both in the grooves, and on the guitar, and even in the fuzzy sound of the vocals! Butterfield sings lead, and plays harmonica – and the combo also features organ, bass, and drums. Titles include a sweet funky take on "Get Out Of My Life Woman" – plus "Look Over Yonders Wall", "Born In Chicago", "Walking By Myself", "Memory Pain", "One More Heartache", and "Never Say No". LP, Vinyl record album

Terry Callier's first album for Cadet – and the kickoff of one of the greatest three album runs that any soul artist ever recorded! This one's got a different feel than the later two, as it takes songs by Terry, and structures them with these little musical "segue" tracks in between every song, done in a sparer folksy style that recalls Terry's roots in the Old Town scene in Chicago. At the time, Terry was making the transition from folk artist to soul singer – and he'd been picked up by Jerry Butler and The Dells as a promising young songwriter, one of the best talents of the second generation of Chicago soul stars. The record's a stripped-down affair that features a small group with Charles Stepney on harpsichord and organ, Callier on guitar, and backing vocals by Minnie Riperton, Shirley Wahls, and Kitty Haywood. The album kicks off with Terry's great little pop ditty "Ordinary Joe" – probably the catchiest song he ever wrote – then rolls into more somber titles like "Occasional Rain", "Do You Finally Need A Friend", "Golden Circle", and "Blues For Marcus". A totally unique album – and a prime example of the genius that was coming out of Chicago at the time! CD

A great solo performance from Jerome Cooper – not just drums and percussion, but work on flute, balaphone, and other instruments too! Cooper really brings all of his most thoughtful elements into play here – working slowly, and covering space with ideas that really take some time to stretch out and find themselves – then confidently move forward to open up new chapters in the performance – a bit like some of the best early moments of the Art Ensemble Of Chicago, but presented here as a solo act! Side one features "The Unpredictability Of Predictability", in four movements – and side two features "Bert The Cat". LP, Vinyl record album

The funkiest album that Syl Johnson ever recorded – filled with short, tight cuts that play more like a stack of funky 45s than the standard soul album of the time! The record draws from the great run of singles that Syl cut for Twinight Records at the end of the 60s – some of the hardest soul coming out of Chicago at the time, with a gritty feel that's right up there with some of James Brown's best late 60s work – or even better, some of the other obscure acts working in the American underground at the time. A few tunes are familiar from their popularity as classic 45s – but the album's got lots more wonderful numbers that are lesser-known – and all of them are great! Titles include the classic Syl Johnson sample cut "Different Strokes" – plus "Dresses Too Short", "I Can Take Care of Business", "Soul Drippin", "Sorry Bout Dat", "Same Kind Of Thing", and "Come On Sock It To Me". LP, Vinyl record album

A unique mid 60s Chess session from Muddy Waters – one with a very different feel than usual, and a good dose of soul too! As you might guess from the title, Muddy gets some full backings on this set – not exactly a large brass section, but a set of Chicago soul-styled backings handled by Gene Barge and Charles Stepney – grooves which, when mixed with his own bluesy guitar and vocals, creates a feel that's a bit like some of the Little Milton Chess work from the same time – blues, but with a current of some of the deeper, headier soul styles that were coming out of the Chicago scene as it was hitting that new level of sophistication in the 60s. Titles include "Hard Loser", "Going Back To Memphis", "Trouble In Mind", "Sweet Little Angel", and "Take My Advice". CD

Four great albums from reedman Arthur Blythe – all together in one collection! First up is Lenox Avenue Breakdown – a stunning Columbia Records debut from Blythe! At the time of the date, Blythe had already spent years working in the jazz undergrounds on both coasts – developing a searing sound on alto sax that's perfect for the focused structure of this album – almost a tone poem of sorts, offering up a portrait of the Harlem scene that was a key part of Arthur's life at the time. The sounds are sharp, but also have a sense of energy that really holds them together – guiding the players through long readings of well-penned tunes by Blythe that are filled with loads of energy and life! Players include James Newton on flute, James Blood Ulmer on guitar, Bob Stewart on tuba, Cecil McBee on bass, Jack DeJohnette on drums, and Guillermo Franco on percussion – and titles include "Odessa", "Slidin Through", "Down San Diego Way", and "Lenox Avenue Breakdown". In The Tradition is a gem – as the set represents the modern musician taking on a host of older jazz currents, while carving things out with his own special sort of soul! Half the tunes are familiar favorites, the other half originals – and Blythe moves far past his avant roots, to showcase his deep understanding of so many different shades of jazz – blowing alto beautifully throughout, in a very hip quartet that features Stanley Cowell on piano, Fred Hopkins on bass, and Steve McCall on drums! Titles include great takes on "Naima", "Jitterbug Waltz", "Caravan", and "In A Sentimental Mood" – plus the originals "Break Tune" and "Hip Dipper". Illusions is maybe the boldest of Arthur Blythe's albums for Columbia Records – as the set bristles with newly creative energy right from the start, and provides a great showcase for some of the criss-crossings of styles and rhythms that were taking place on the New York scene at the time! The lineup alone announces something special – a cool combination of James Blood Ulmer on guitar, John Hicks on piano, Fred Hopkins on bass, Abdul Wadud on cello, Bob Stewart on tuba, and Steve McCall on drums – working together in some slight variations at times, often with these angular edges that are perfectly sharpened by Arthur's amazing work on alto sax. The music's never too free, but quite outside for a major label at the time – balanced out so that it's never overindulgent at all. Titles include "Bush Baby", "Miss Nancy", "My Son Ra", and "Carespin With Mamie". Blythe Spirit is a set that showcases the never-ending growth and imagination of reedman Arthur Blythe during this fruitful period of his career – and his ability to effortlessly blend together different elements in his music – especially sides of the New York loft jazz scene, and the Chicago-based AACM! The tunes are beautiful – mostly originals, and showing a richer spirituality than even a year before – while still working in that compellingly rhythmic mode that Arthur was hitting during these years – in a lineup that features Blythe on alto, Abdul Wadud on cello, Kelvyn Bell on guitar, Steve McCall and Bobby Battle on drums, John Hicks on piano, Amina Claudine Myers on organ, and Fred Hopkins on bass. The mix of electric and acoustic elements is fantastic – very fresh, even all these many years later – and titles include "Misty", "Spirits In The Field", "Just A Closer Walk With Thee", "Reverence", and "Contemplation". CD

A unique mid 60s Chess session from Muddy Waters – one with a very different feel than usual, and a good dose of soul too! As you might guess from the title, Muddy gets some full backings on this set – not exactly a large brass section, but a set of Chicago soul-styled backings handled by Gene Barge and Charles Stepney – grooves which, when mixed with his own bluesy guitar and vocals, creates a feel that's a bit like some of the Little Milton Chess work from the same time – blues, but with a current of some of the deeper, headier soul styles that were coming out of the Chicago scene as it was hitting that new level of sophistication in the 60s. Titles include "Hard Loser", "Going Back To Memphis", "Trouble In Mind", "Sweet Little Angel", and "Take My Advice". LP, Vinyl record album

Killer live work from Jug – recorded during the early 60s in Chicago, with just an organ-based trio, and very much in the feeling of the best small-group lounge jazz shows of the day! The material is issued here in a 1967 version, its first release – but the grooves were recorded at the DJ Lounge in Chicago – at a time when Gene Ammons was turning out some very raw, rough-edged material! Organist Eddie Buster does a pretty darn good job of wailing away, and Ammons is in very different, very freewheeling form than on many of his other studio sessions from the time. Gerald Donovan is on drums – and titles include "Fast Track", "Foot Tappin", "Scrapple From The Apple", and "Jug's Blue Blues". CD

Don't let the "alternate" in the title fool you, because it's not like the Art Ensemble Of Chicago are getting all alt-rock or anything – nor is the album a set of alternate takes! Instead, the album's one of their best from the time – a well-crafted set of tunes, recorded in very familiar company in Chicago – issued only for the Japanese market by DIW. There's a richly organic quality to some of the tunes – as many of the numbers are sparer, more thoughtful tracks that focus on spare percussion and instrumental interplay between members of the group. The album also features the longer tune "Kush", which gets fairly outside at times – plus shorter numbers that include "Imaginary Situations", "And There Was Peace", "Whatever Happens", and "Alternate Express". CD

2 classics by the Art Ensemble Of Chicago – back to back on one CD! At the time they were taking Paris by storm, the Art Ensemble recorded these brilliant albums – both of which are some of their strongest early work, far more well-formed than any of their individual expressions recorded earlier in Chicago! The CD features the group at their best – playing very tightly, but also with a sense of whimsy and imagination, and the kind of free-thinking exploration that informed a whole generation of jazz musicians, offering a different mode of expression than the spiritualism of the post-Coltrane years. Includes "A Brain For The Seine", a real classic by the band – plus "Jackson In Your House", "Get In Line", "Song for Charles", "Dexterity" and "Old Time Religion", and "Rock Out". CD

A second pairing of the Art Ensemble Of Chicago and the Amabutho Male Chorus – one that's indicated not just in the title of the record, but in a changing of the group's name! The sound here is even more Afro-styled than the previous effort – coming across right from the start with a bold, righteous vibe that's quite unique – almost a bit more confident than some of the Ensemble's other work of the time – and executed in a way that really shows that confidence! The male voices aren't always in strong focus, which still leaves plenty of space for the group's creative instrumental interplay – and titles include "Colors One", "US of A/U of SA", "Zola's Smile", "America", and "You Got It". CD

Makaya McCraven pushes his unique jazz genius even further – by serving up a completely groundbreaking remix of live jazz performance on the London scene! McCraven's already stood out from the pack in the way that he breaks down jazz norms by playing with a recorded performance later in the studio – but this time around, he really pushes that approach to the forefront – working in a mode that really lives up to the "mixtape" of the title – but which also still has everything that we love from his other records too! Makaya's on drums – and plays with a massively heavy groove – and he plays here with some of the leading lights of the contemporary London scene – Soweto Kinch and Nubya Garcia on saxes, Joe Armon Jones on Fender Rhodes, Kamaal Williams on keyboards, and Theon Cross on tuba – in amazing performance activity which is then brought home to Chicago, where the music gets additional remix and overdub help from LeFto, Don Leisure, Earl Jeffers, Ben LaMar Gay, Emma Jean Thackray, Quiet Dawn, and Lexus Blondin. Clearly, Makaya's one hell of a collaborative spirit – yet he also manages to make this record his boldest personal statement to date – as you'll hear on titles that include "Halls", "Suite For Artis Gilmore", "Ox Tales", "The Bounce", "Oracle", "Run Dem", "Too Shy", and "Drums & Bruk & Feel The Vibe". LP, Vinyl record album

Great work from a label that was way out in the Cleveland scene of the 60s – but which bristles with some of the best energy of Detroit and Chicago at the time! The tiny imprint never cracked the big time, but not for lack of quality – as the cuts here have a sharp blend of deep soul vocals and tight arrangements – of the sort that we've always loved in the best smaller Chicago indies of the late 60s – particularly the kind of labels that were operating in the shadows of Chess and Brunswick. A core group of artists recorded most of this music – and make for a very unified feel throughout – especially given that even some of the numbers with solo singers still really maintain a group soul sort of vibe. And the overall quality of the package takes us back to the earliest days of projects like this from the Numero Group – right down to the very detailed story of the label's unique place in 60s soul music. Titles include "There's No You" by The Occasions, "Demanding Man" and "Two Can Make It" by The Sensations, "She Didn't Know" by Sammy Jones, "Ain't That A Heartache" and "Baby Don't Go" by Norman Scott, "You're Not Loving A Beginner" by Jesse Fisher, "How long Will It Last" by The Soul Notes, "Why" by The Springers, and "Party At Lester's" by Lou Ragland & His Bandmasters. 2CD set – with 40 tracks and a great booklet! CD

A great collection of work from the underside of the Chicago recording scene of the 60s – tracks from the rougher, bluesier west side scene of the time! The work on the set comes from the Federal/King catalog, and not from Chicago labels – and most of it was produced by Sonny Thompson, in a style that's like his own R&B work, which always played big with Chicago crowds during the period. Most of the tunes date from the early 60s, but follow in modes that have lots of rougher 50s touches – often recorded with some nice echoey production that does a really great job of bringing out the looser spirit of the work. Titles include "I Resign From Your Love" and "Well Oh Well" by Syl Johnson, "Gibble Gobble" and "Got A Feelin" by Willie Wright & The Sparklers, "You're Welcome To The Club" and "When You Move You Lose" by Lee Shot Williams, "Twist Like This" and "I Was Gone" by Eddie Clearwater, "How Long Has It Been" by Jesse Anderson, and "I'm Tired Of Being Tossed Around" by Danny Overbea. CD

Killer live work from Jug – recorded during the early 60s in Chicago, with just an organ-based trio, and very much in the feeling of the best small-group lounge jazz shows of the day! The material is issued here in a 1967 version, its first release – but the grooves were recorded at the DJ Lounge in Chicago – at a time when Gene Ammons was turning out some very raw, rough-edged material! Organist Eddie Buster does a pretty darn good job of wailing away, and Ammons is in very different, very freewheeling form than on many of his other studio sessions from the time. Gerald Donovan is on drums – and titles include "Fast Track", "Foot Tappin", "Scrapple From The Apple", and "Jug's Blue Blues". LP, Vinyl record album

A great CD that features 2 of the Art Ensemble's best French recordings! The first part of the CD features the stunning album Les Stances A Sophie – probably the greatest album ever by the Art Ensemble of Chicago – and also one of their rarest! The group's never been finer – and plays with a creative tightness that you'll be hard pressed to find on other records. Some tracks are almost straight jazz – but there's all these wonderful little breakdowns and burst of creative energy that keep the AACM spirit alive and true. The centerpiece of the album is the massive "Theme De Yoyo", a righteous powerful groover that features vocals by Fontella Bass (wife of Lester Bowie of the group), and which has become an all-time jazz dance classic! Other tracks have a sparer soundtracky feel, and a few more are in the experimental vein of the Art Ensemble's other Paris work at the time. Wonderful overall though – and an incredibly righteous album filled with power and imagination! Titles include "Theme De Celine", "Proverbes", "Theme Libra", and "Variations Sur Un Theme De Monteverdi". People In Sorrow is quite a different record – and features one long track, the title cut, with very spare music, and lots of isolated bass work, horn solos, and percussion – played by the quartet of Roscoe Mitchell, Joseph Jarman, Lester Bowie, and Malachi Favors. The track's a nice counterpart to the music on the first part of the disc – long, moody, and almost chillout in nature! CD

One of the few ECM sides recorded by the Art Ensemble Of Chicago – easily some of the hippest work the label issued at the time, and a key way for the avant collective to get a bit of large audience exposure! The sound is still very much in the best AEC style here – and if anything, ECM's sensitivity to sound has allowed the group to explore some of the farther reaches of their sonic sensibilities – those contemplative moments that could sometimes be lost in the hands of other producers, captured beautifully here in a range of instruments far too many to mention! Some of the bolder tracks have Lester Bowie's trumpet right out front – almost hinting at his own solo association with the label – and titles include "Care Free", "Magg Zelma", "Full Force", and "Old Time Southside Street Dance". CD

One of the few ECM sides recorded by the Art Ensemble Of Chicago – easily some of the hippest work the label issued at the time, and a key way for the avant collective to get a bit of large audience exposure! The sound is still very much in the best AEC style here – and if anything, ECM's sensitivity to sound has allowed the group to explore some of the farther reaches of their sonic sensibilities – those contemplative moments that could sometimes be lost in the hands of other producers, captured beautifully here in a range of instruments far too many to mention! Some of the bolder tracks have Lester Bowie's trumpet right out front – almost hinting at his own solo association with the label – and titles include "Care Free", "Magg Zelma", "Full Force", and "Old Time Southside Street Dance". LP, Vinyl record album

The first Chicago album – presented here in all its jazzy brilliance! Back in the day, we used to wince when we heard these guys – but over the years, thanks to much rediscovery of the band by groove hounds, we've really come to like their work a lot. This first album especially has some great moments – complicated jazzy bits that you might have forgotten about, and some surprisingly groovy material that sounds a lot better than you might remember! Includes the classics "Beginnings", "Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is", "Questions 67 & 68", and "Listen" – plus the tracks "Someday", "I'm A Man", "Free Form Guitar", and "Liberation". CD

Makaya McCraven pushes his unique jazz genius even further – by serving up a completely groundbreaking remix of live jazz performance on the London scene! McCraven's already stood out from the pack in the way that he breaks down jazz norms by playing with a recorded performance later in the studio – but this time around, he really pushes that approach to the forefront – working in a mode that really lives up to the "mixtape" of the title – but which also still has everything that we love from his other records too! Makaya's on drums – and plays with a massively heavy groove – and he plays here with some of the leading lights of the contemporary London scene – Soweto Kinch and Nubya Garcia on saxes, Joe Armon Jones on Fender Rhodes, Kamaal Williams on keyboards, and Theon Cross on tuba – in amazing performance activity which is then brought home to Chicago, where the music gets additional remix and overdub help from LeFto, Don Leisure, Earl Jeffers, Ben LaMar Gay, Emma Jean Thackray, Quiet Dawn, and Lexus Blondin. Clearly, Makaya's one hell of a collaborative spirit – yet he also manages to make this record his boldest personal statement to date – as you'll hear on titles that include "Halls", "Suite For Artis Gilmore", "Ox Tales", "The Bounce", "Oracle", "Run Dem", "Too Shy", and "Drums & Bruk & Feel The Vibe". CD

Makaya McCraven pushes his unique jazz genius even further – by serving up a completely groundbreaking remix of live jazz performance on the London scene! McCraven's already stood out from the pack in the way that he breaks down jazz norms by playing with a recorded performance later in the studio – but this time around, he really pushes that approach to the forefront – working in a mode that really lives up to the "mixtape" of the title – but which also still has everything that we love from his other records too! Makaya's on drums – and plays with a massively heavy groove – and he plays here with some of the leading lights of the contemporary London scene – Soweto Kinch and Nubya Garcia on saxes, Joe Armon Jones on Fender Rhodes, Kamaal Williams on keyboards, and Theon Cross on tuba – in amazing performance activity which is then brought home to Chicago, where the music gets additional remix and overdub help from LeFto, Don Leisure, Earl Jeffers, Ben LaMar Gay, Emma Jean Thackray, Quiet Dawn, and Lexus Blondin. Clearly, Makaya's one hell of a collaborative spirit – yet he also manages to make this record his boldest personal statement to date – as you'll hear on titles that include "Halls", "Suite For Artis Gilmore", "Ox Tales", "The Bounce", "Oracle", "Run Dem", "Too Shy", and "Drums & Bruk & Feel The Vibe". CD

The title's an apt one here, as Jimmy Rogers was one of the many bluesmen who started out in the south, but headed to Chicago for greater fame – which was a good thing for Chess Records, who managed to come some of these great sides in the 50s! Rogers both sings and plays guitar – the later of which has a sometimes snakey quality that almost echoes a slight bit of jazz – a mode that recalls some of the inventions T Bone Walker was putting down at the time, but a little bit rootsier overall. Players on these sessions include Muddy Waters, Little Walter, Otis Spann, and Willie Dixon – and tracks include "Money Marbles & Chalk", "Ludella", "You're The One", "Back Door Friend", "I Used To Have A Woman", "Sloppy Drunk", "Blues Leave Me Alone", and "Walking By Myself". LP, Vinyl record album

The Chicago River famously flooded in 1992, but not in a typical way – as the flood was the result of an accident in which the river "leaked" into the city, rather than overtaking it – almost a comical accident that is memorialized here in a benefit performance by the great Hal Russell! Hal's at his most charming here – speaking a bit with that burnt-out voice that he could do so well, as he reads some poetry by Philip Egert, then moves over to blow tenor, soprano, and trumpet – as well as handle drums and percussion – all in duo formation with Joel Futterman, who plays piano, Indian flute, curved soprano sax, and more percussion. The very extended set was performed live at the city's Southend Music Works – and is very much in the looser, unbridled, sometimes shaggy spirit of the free jazz scene in Chicago from the time! CD

Late great work from Ammons – an album done at the time of his funk sides for Prestige, but recorded in the style of his earlier years in Chicago! The session's a laidback set of soulful solo-heavy work – recorded as part of a hip series of shows at the North Park Hotel, with a local rhythm trio that includes Jodie Christian on piano, Cleveland Eaton on bass, and Marshall Thompson on drums. James Moody joins Ammons in the frontline, and the set's got the best electric feel that you'd hear if you were lucky enough to catch either player in a small club date in the early 60s. Loads of very imaginative solo work in the best Chicago tenor tradition – with titles that include "Work Song", "Jim Jam Jug", "Have You Met Miss Jones", and "C Jam Blues". Plus, CD features a special bonus track – a 14 minute version of "Yardbird Suite". CD

Probably the greatest album ever by the Art Ensemble of Chicago – and also one of their rarest! The album was cut for Pathe Marconi in Paris in 1970, and was the soundtrack to a film that was as obscure as the album. The group's never been finer – and plays with a creative tightness that you'll be hard pressed to find on other records. Some tracks are almost straight jazz – but there's all these wonderful little breakdowns and burst of creative energy that keep the AACM spirit alive and true. The centerpiece of the album is the massive "Theme De Yoyo", a righteous powerful groover that features vocals by Fontella Bass (wife of Lester Bowie of the group), and which has become an all-time jazz dance classic! Other tracks have a sparer soundtracky feel, and a few more are in the experimental vein of the Art Ensemble's other Paris work at the time. Wonderful overall though – and an incredibly righteous album filled with power and imagination! Titles include "Theme De Celine", "Proverbes", "Theme Libra", and "Variations Sur Un Theme De Monteverdi". CD

An excellent session for BYG! Anthony Braxton is recorded here with a number of other Chicago AACM players, including Steve McCall, Leroy Jenkins, and Leo Smith. The instrumentation includes an amazing range of oddball sound sources, including Hohner Organ, sirens, logs, mouth organ, sound machine, and chimes, and the set's played with all the sense of humor and adventure you'd expect from some of the young AACM players. The record begins with the extended "Composition No 1", which is a fairly free piece; then it moves into a nice solo by Braxton, and then a set of "small compositions", which have some excellent horn interplay between Braxton and Smith. The LP ends with a cool spoken piece by Braxton called "This Time...". Wild stuff, and a great record from his early period. CD

The title here is very apt – as this fantastic quartet seem to set a different kind of fire on every one of the CDs in the set – six different performances, recorded over the space of two months – in Paris, Chicago, Milwaukee, and Poland! The group should be well-known to lovers of improvised music from earlier Okka Disk recordings in the 90s – and the passage of two decades has only made them sharper and more intense – especially when the tenor and pocket trumpet of Joe McPhee joins the lineup of Ken Vandermark on reeds, Kent Kessler on bass, and Hamid Drake on drums. The set of recordings is dedicated to James Baldwin – which you might have guessed from the title – and the whole thing is a fitting tribute to the transformation of ideas about freedom and identity over the passage of time. CD

"Starting Time" is a great early 60s session by Jordan – who at the time of the recording, was one of a number of firey young tenor players from Chicago – all of them hard-blowing, with a nice soulful bottom that opened up a bop sound to more moods and emotions – but Jordan stood apart from most of them with an approach that was decidedly more complex and forward-thinking. As you'll hear on the album's tracks, he wasn't content enough to just blow off a riff – but had to twist things up a bit, working a tune for more shades and colors than it might yield with another player, pushing on the proceedings with an edge that's very strong. The great Wilbur Ware's on bass, and a young Cedar Walton's playing piano, and with warmth like that, Jordan and trumpeter Kenny Dorham sound great next to each other. Loads of original hard bop lines by Jordan, including "Extempore" and "Quittin' Time", plus "Mosaic" and "One Flight Down" by Cedar Walton. Even better is A Story Tale – a brilliant collaboration between Clifford Jordan and Sonny Red! Red's tone is excellent – a sharper one next to Jordan's more supple blowing – and the pair are a perfect team to lead off tunes like "Prints", "Hip Pockets", "A Story Tale", and "Defiance". CD

Brilliant work from Jason Stein – a Chicago player who's been making some mighty waves on the avant scene of late, and who really comes into his own with this album! Stein's part of the new generation of avant Chicagoans – players who have a strong knowledge of free jazz, but also opt for a bit more structure and swing too – the kind of modernism that emerged best at the cusp of the 60s, in the generation of Mingus, Dolphy, and Ornette! Stein plays bass clarinet here, and there's definitely a Dolphy vibe to the music – great long solo lines, stretched out and searching, but also still swinging too – thanks to these nicely-blocked rhythms from Josh Abrams on bass and Frank Rosaly on drums. Keefe Jackson also plays some mean tenor – and titles include "Laced Case", "Background Music", "Little Big Horse", "Hatoolie", "Gallop's Gallop", "Work", "Lennie Bird", and "Badlands". Another great one from the new generation of Delmark! CD

A stone cold smoker from the Chicago scene of the 50s – the kind of record we're proud to say came from our hometown! The album brings together the best of some of the under-recognized players in the Windy City at the time – including bassist Wilbur Ware, alto saxophonist John Jenkins, pianist Junior Mance, and a young Johnny Griffin – really tearing up the set on tenor! There's a groove here that's modern, yet soulful – fresh, clear, and very concisely blown – with a number of different musical strands all tied together tightly, and handled by the players with a sharpness that few groups today could hope to match. Titles include the legendary "Mama Daddy", plus "Desert Sands", "Be-Ware", "31st & State", and "Latin Quarters". CD

A seminal set of Chicago blues – the first volume in a series of classic recordings done by Vanguard Records in an effort to show the rest of the world all the hip new sounds that were coming out of the Windy City in the 60s! The approach here is a bit like some of the rural blues sets from years past – in that Samuel Charters headed to Chicago, booked studio time, and managed to get some key groups at their best – all at a level that would soon be picked up by the Delmark label as they helped to document the scene! Junior Wells sings and plays harmonica in a quartet with Buddy Guy on guitar, on titles that include "Messin With The Kid", "Vietcong Blues", "All Night Long", and "It Hurts Me So". JB Hutto plays guitar and sings in his Hawks trio – on titles that include "Too Much Alcohol", "That's The Truth", "Going Ahead", and "Please Help". And Otis Spann plays piano and sings, with help from SP Leary on drums – on titles that include "Spann's Stomp", "Marie", "Burning Fire", and "SP Blues". CD

A massive overview of the genius Chicago scene of the late 60s – and a set that's overflowing with some of the heaviest music ever recorded! The collection focuses on the most groundbreaking work from the later Chess years – particularly the funky blues, psychedelic soul, and tripped out jazz that was coming out of the Cadet Concept studios in the hands of producers like Charles Stepney, Richard Evans, and Marshall Chess! The Chess groups were ahead of their time by decades – blending together styles without a thought of simple genre restrictions, often forsaking chart fame and record sales in pursuit of an adventurous groove. And while some of the artists on the set may be familiar names, we can promise that most of them are presented in styles that you may not have heard before – as the collection features many unreissued numbers that are making their first reappearance here! CD set comes with a 40 page set of notes – and features 20 tracks in all, including "Please Newsboy" by Eve Barnum, "Burning Spear" by Soulful Strings, "More & More" by Little Milton, "Baltimore Oriole" by Lorez Alexandria, "Soul Vibrations" by Dorothy Ashby, "Evil" by Howlin Wolf, "Stereo Freeze" by The Stereos, "The Way I Feel" by Phil Upchurch, "Mama's Got A Good Thing" by Laura Lee, "The Wailer" by Sonny Cox, "Leave It In The Hands Of Love" by Fontella Bass, "Why Am I Treated So Bad" by The Majestic Choir & The Soul Stirrers, "She Suits Me To A Tee" by Buddy Guy, "Memory Band" by Rotary Connection, and "In My Body's House" by Gene Chandler. CD

One of the sharpest 50s sessions from Johnny Griffin – a hip quartet date for Riverside, done at the time when he was working heavily with Thelonious Monk! The album's definitely got an angular groove that shows Monk's influence, but it's also shows Griffin's Chicago's roots as well – with an approach to hardbop that's plenty tight, but never too much so to lose its sense of soul – that careful balance that players like Griffin, Clifford Jordan, or Von Freeman were bringing to tenor improvisation at the time. The rest of the group's perfectly suited to this mode – and features Kenny Drew on piano, Wilbur Ware on bass, and Philly Joe Jones on drums. Titles include "Little John", "Where's Your Overcoat Baby", "Hot Sausage", "Teri's Tune", and "Sunny Monday". CD

Bluesy piano, but with plenty of jazz roots too – vintage material recorded in Chicago during the early years of Atlantic Records, at a time when the label was almost more dedicated to preserving old styles than pushing new ones! Yancey's piano is sublime – recorded better here than on most of his older dates – and half the tracks feature vocals from Mama Yancey, who definitely brings up the blues quotient in the music. Israel Crosby backs Jimmy on bass – a surprising, yet great choice for the date – given some of his modern inflections – and titles include "How Long Blues", "Make Me A Pallet On the Floor", "Mournful Blues", and "Shave 'Em Dry". CD

A nice little 2-fer collecting two great meetings of two greats! Jug and Stitt go head to head on Boss Tenors, a classic album of tracks that perfectly captures the joy and fury of their live performances from years before! The record was cut in Chicago with a very hard rhythm section that includes John Houston on piano, Charles Williams on bass, and George Brown on drums – and it's way heavier than the usual Verve "meeting of the masters" session, and feels more like a record that should have been issued on Prestige or Argo. Both players are impeccable, and the solos stretch out for a long long very live time. Titles include "Blues Up & Down", "The One Before This", and "Counter Clockwise" – but these guys even groove amazingly on standards like "Autumn Leaves" and "No Greater Love". Boss Tenors In Orbit was a follow up one year later, an obscure little session with the pair once again recreating the energy of their live shows – as they stretch out nicely on very long tracks that have spare backing by the Don Patterson trio! The cuts are mostly standard stuff – "John Brown's Body", "Walkin", "Long Ago And Far Away" – but the twin-tenor sound is great, and Patterson's free organ lines riff away nicely! LP, Vinyl record album

A great cooker from the glory days of Ernestine Anderson on Concord Records – a time when the singer was rediscovered, and revamped in a bit of a bluesy mode – reaching a wide new audience at the time! Her vocals really shine at this point in her career, as she lets loose with a bit more personality too – as you'll hear on this swinging set of down home numbers, cut with a combo that includes Red Holloway on tenor, Ray Brown on bass, and Gene Harris on piano! Titles include "Someone Else Is Steppin", "Goin To Chicago Blues", "Alone On My Own", "Mercy Mercy Mercy", and "I Love Being Here With You". CD

A sweet set of soundtrack funk – from a film named after one of our favorite streets in Chicago! Although the record's got an approach that's perhaps a bit tighter and smoother than anything going down on Stony in the late 70s, it does manage to share a good deal of styles with the Chi-soul scene of the time – thanks to work on the record from Chicagoans Gene Barge, Sonny Seals, and Tennyson Stephens! Many of the tracks on the set have a bad-walking soul approach – one that's kind of a mixture of funky and bluesy – and these are laid out next to some jazzier instrumentals that we like most of all – tunes that have a great funky soundtrack feel, but with a bit more fusion touches than usual, probably because of the work of David Matthews. Titles include "Percy Fired", "Party Lights", "High Speed Posters", "Back To Business", "Chase The Train", "Gangster City", "Dream Ride", and "Peace Of Mind". CD

An archetypal album from the legendary Paul Butterfield – and a set that would shape the sound of countless blues rock records to come! Despite what you might think of the genre or its many later incarnations, there's a raw power here that's really amazing – the young Butterfield and his Chicago comperes, hanging out at clubs on the south side, drinking in the relatively new electric sound of the city, and turning out a groove that's a lot more hard-edged than some of the overseas imitators at the time! Paul's pretty darn great on vocals and harmonica – but the group has some even more powerful sounds in the twin guitar talents of Mike Bloomfield and Elvin Bishop – the former on slide, the latter on rhythm – along with Jerome Arnold on bass, Sam Lay on drums, and Mark Naftalin on some Hammond too. Titles include "Blues With A Feeling", "Born In Chicago", "Shake Your Money Maker", "Mystery Train", "Screamin", "Last Night", and "Look Over Yonders Wall". LP, Vinyl record album

Later work from Otis Clay, but also one of his greatest albums ever! The record features him with some fuller arrangements than usual – in less of a bluesy mode than during the Hi years, with a smooth sound that really brings out a whole new side of his style. The set was recorded in Chicago for the Japanese market – and the arrangements are by Benjamin Wright, Bill McFarland, and Clay himself. Includes the massive groover "The Only Way Is Up", an anthemic modern dancefloor number that later yielded a bit hit for Yazz – plus the tracks "Cheatin In The Next Room", "All I Need Is You", "Special Kind Of Love", "Messin With My Mind", "Turn Back The Hands Of Time", and "Check It Out". LP, Vinyl record album

Writer John Corbett has given us words on a huge variety of musical styles over the years – a fair bit of them left field and avant – but this time around, he's tackling the full range of 70s rock, pop, and soul music – in a huge book that's unlike anything he's ever written before! First off, the large volume is very personal – part listening autobiography, part paean to the musical giants who shaped the decade, and part hindsight record review of all the amazing sounds that were created during the 70s! The book follows the decade with year-by-year chapters – yet it's hardly a history at all – as Corbett picks key songs and albums as touchstones for each year – partly because of their impact, but more because of the power they had for him as a listener. The albums run the gamut – from Nursery Cryme by Genesis, to Les Stances A Sophie by The Art Ensemble Of Chicago, to Pink Moon by Nick Drake – and songs include "Sex Machine" by James Brown, "School's Out" by Alice Cooper, and "Long Time" by Boston. 496 pages, hardcover. Book

A hell of a set from the comeback years of tenorist Fred Anderson on record – a date that has Fred on tenor with familiar drummer Hamid Drake – joining pianist Marilyn Crispell during a special live performance on a visit to Chicago! The set's very much in the Crispell mode – produced and presented in a manner that's more like some of her records than Fred's – and the freewheeling piano work of the legend really seems to push Anderson on to even bolder moments than some of his other records from the time, but always balanced with the kind of sensitivity that makes him so great, easily echoed by Drake's work on percussion – and balanced out with that sense of space that has always kept us interested in Crispell's music over the decades. The album features six numbered pieces, each titled "Destiny". CD

An overlooked gem on Stax Records – one of the only records ever cut by Bettye Crutcher – also a songwriter with the label, but a hell of a singer on her own! Bettye's got a style here that's very unique – still in a Stax mode, but a bit more sophisticated too – with a subtle groove that almost feels like some of the best female soul singers coming out of the Chicago scene at the time! Sir Mack Rice co-wrote most of the tunes with Bettye – and they've got a vibe that's really great – and which has made the record a real standout from Stax over the years – really unified, and really deep – in a way that goes past any easy hit modes or cliches. Titles include the sublime track "Sunday Morning's Gonna Find Us In Love" – plus "Long As You Love Me", "A Little Bit More Won't Hurt", "Passion", "Call Me When All Else Fails", and "Up For A Let Down". CD features lots of bonus tracks too – all previously unissued – including "So Glad To Have You", "Don't You Think It's About Time", "We've Got Love On Our Side", "Make A Joyful Noise", and demo versions of "Walk On To Your New Love" and "I Forgive You". CD

Amazing box set – five full albums of material, plus lots of bonus tracks too! First up is Flowers – a soaring classic from The Emotions – thanks to some supreme help from the Earth Wind & Fire side of the soul spectrum! This set has the trio really sounding great – with Kalimba Productions by Maurice White and Charles Stepney – and a good deal of EWF help on the instrumentation as well! The girls break out of the rootsier style used on their earlier Stax recordings, and manage to fit perfectly with the jazzy tinges of the new grooves – and, along with Ramsey Lewis and EWF, the Emotions were part of a hugely successful trinity during the late 70s – one that took the indie soul roots of the Chicago scene and turned it into landmark big business for Columbia Records. The album's got a new approach to female group soul that would go onto shape R&B for years to come – and titles include "Flowers", "I Don't Wanna Lose Your Love", "We Go Through Changes", "Special Part", and "You've Got The Right To Know". Next is Rejoice – a huge hit for both The Emotions and Maurice White – whose Kalimba Productions handled this album in the same hit mode they'd been using for Earth Wind & Fire! There's a polished, soaring bounce her that definitely shows the Earth Wind & Fire touch – and which takes the girls miles from their rougher, rootsier soul of the Stax/Volt years – yet like all the best EWF records of the time, the sound is also plenty soulful, with lots of righteous undercurrents. The album includes the group's wonderful track "Don't Ask My Neighbors", a heavenly tune that builds on a long tradition of sweet female soul from Chicago; the super-huge "Best Of My Love", a hit on dancefloors and radios for years to come – and many other nice numbers like "Blessed", "How'd I Know That Love Would Slip Away", and "Key To My Heart". Sunbeam is great little album from The Emotions – largely because it sounds a lot like prime mid 70s Earth Wind & Fire, with female vocals added over the top – ultimately, pulling away with a soulful charm all its own! Maurice White produced the whole set, and it's got a soaring spacey sound that provides a perfect spiritual edge to the girls vocals – taking them way past the hits, into much more sophisticated soul territory. There's a beautifully righteous vibe going on throughout – a sound that's almost like Minnie Riperton at her 70s Capitol best – and titles include "Love Vibes", "Walking The Line", "Time Is Passing By", "I Wouldn't Lie", "Smile", and "Spirit Of Summer". Come Into Our World has the sweet Emotions at the top of their game – one of the brilliant albums that has the soulful trio working hand in hand with Earth Wind & Fire! The girls were plenty great in their early years, but working with Maurice White and company, they really took off – hitting a whole new level that really unlocked some deeply spiritual power in their vocals! And sure, the approach also yielded the group plenty of hits – but for good reason, too – given the classic quality and all-great nature of a set like this. Maurice White produced, and the lineup is filled with plenty of Earth Wind & Fire players too – working with some great arrangements from Tom Tom 84, Wade Marcus, and others. Tunes are balanced between clubby numbers and some nice midtempo moments – and titles include "Where Is Your Love", "Cause I Love You", "Come Into My World", "On & On", "I Should Be Dancing", "Layed Back", and "Yes I Am". New Affair has The Emotions breaking free a bit from the Earth Wind & Fire influence, and grooving nicely with a sweet 80s feel! The girls' voices are still quite wonderful – some of the deepest harmonies in the female soul world at the time – and the tunes kick it up nicely in a blend of snapping bassy club tracks and mellower cuts that sweetly sway with their great vocals! Loads of wonderful tracks – and an album not to miss! Titles include "Turn It Out", "There'll Never Be Another Moment", "Now That I Know", "Love Lies", "When You Gonna Wake Up", and "Here You Come Again". 3CD set features 8 bonus tracks – including "Boogie Wonderland (12" mix", "Don't Ask My Neighbors (single version)", "I Should Be Dancin (single version)", "My Baby Dance", "Changes", "Where Is Your Love (single version)", and "Flowers (single version)". CD

A 70s indie club classic – and the only album we've ever seen from Maryann Farra & Satin Soul! The group have a sound that's equal parts Brunswick Chicago soul and New York early disco groove – a combination that's brought out even more by the production talents of disco maestro Tony Valor and Chi-soul genius Eugene Record! The tunes groove along in a really rich style of arrangement – often using sweeping strings over tighter rhythms – sometimes hitting the loping midtempo groove you'd expect from Brunswick records at the time, yet also going for some of the faster, freer rhythms that were cropping up on the east coast indies of the time. Some tracks have a tight dancefloor feel – like "Never Gonna Leave You", "Do Those Little Things", and "Just A Little Timing" – while others have a beautiful soul groove – like "You Got To Be The One" and "Living In The Footsteps of Another Girl" – which both have a sound that feels like it was lifted from a lost Barbara Acklin or Chi-Lites album! The set also includes a female soul remake of "Stoned Out Of My Mind" that's almost worth the price of the record alone! LP, Vinyl record album

A never-heard soundtrack for a never-seen film – and a record that's every bit as funky as better-known sets from the blacksploitation era! Final Solution were a small time group from Chicago's west side in the 70s, but on this wicked little soundtrack they sparkle just as brightly as Isaac Hayes, Willie Hutch, Curtis Mayfield, or any of our favorite soundtrack soul artists from the time – working in a really righteous approach to soul with lots of heavy rhythms on the bottom and rumbling bass in the mix – so that even when the tunes are mellow, there's still a bold, brash sort of power to the set! The vocals are mostly delivered in harmony style, again with a nice edge – a bit like The Impressions work on Three The Hard Way, but with more of an indie soul feel overall, given the production circumstances. Once again, our hats are off to Numero for unearthing this gem – and as usual, the full tale of the group, the movie, and the music is told at length in the accompanying 16 page booklet! Titles include "Brotherman", "Never Coming Back Again", "I Don't Care", "Girl In My Life", "Gotta Get Through To You", "One Day", "I'm Ready For Love", "Theme From Brotherman", "No Place To Run", and "We Can Work It Out". CD

Righteous soul from late 60s Chicago – a killer collection of early singles from the great Darrow Fletcher – only a youngster at the time, but already working at a level that's as strong as most of his older contemporaries! Darrow's got this soaring voice that really sends us every time we hear him sing – a style that's possibly a bit like Jackie Wilson, but both deeper and lighter at the same time – very unique, especially in these early years – and perfect for helping Fletcher stand out from the pack! The grooves here are nice and deep – socking hard in the best Chi-town styles of the time, with the sort of punch you'd get on the best One-Der-Ful/Mar-V-Lus recordings – with arrangements by Mike Terry, Phil Wright, Burgess Gardner, and others. Tracks were originally issued on a variety of labels – Groovy, Jacklyn, and Genna – and titles include "The Pain Gets A Little Deeper", "Hope For Love", "No Limit", "Now Is The Time For Love (part 1)", "My Judgement Day", "Little Girl", "What Have I Got Now", "What Good Am I Without You", "That Certain Little Something", and "Gotta Draw The Line". LP, Vinyl record album

Righteous soul from late 60s Chicago – a killer collection of early singles from the great Darrow Fletcher – only a youngster at the time, but already working at a level that's as strong as most of his older contemporaries! Darrow's got this soaring voice that really sends us every time we hear him sing – a style that's possibly a bit like Jackie Wilson, but both deeper and lighter at the same time – very unique, especially in these early years – and perfect for helping Fletcher stand out from the pack! The grooves here are nice and deep – socking hard in the best Chi-town styles of the time, with the sort of punch you'd get on the best One-Der-Ful/Mar-V-Lus recordings – with arrangements by Mike Terry, Phil Wright, Tom Tom, and others. Tracks were originally issued on a variety of labels – Groovy, Jacklyn, Uni, Congress, and Genna – and titles include "The Pain Gets A Little Deeper", "Now Is The Time For Love (parts 1 & 2)", "What Have I Got Now", "What Is This", "Gotta Draw The Line", "My Young Misery", "Infatuation", "When Love Calls", "My Judgement Day", "Sitting There That Night", "Changing By The Minute", "What Good Am I Without You", "We Can't Go On This Way", and "That Certain Little Something". CD

Right from the very first note, you'll know you're in for something special here – the unusual phrasing and open-hearted qualities that made Von Freeman one of the true Chicago legends on the tenor saxophone – even though he never got the global fame of contemporaries like Clifford Jordan or Johnny Griffin! Yet we can easily mention Von in the company of both of those giants – and as you'll hear here, Freeman's got a depth of expression that also rivals Gene Ammons and Dexter Gordon, especially on the open-ended, stretched out ballads that make up most of the material here. The group is very easygoing – perfect for the spirit of the music – John Young on piano, David Shipp on bass, and Wilbur Campbell on drums – on titles that include "Serenade In Blue", "Time After Time", "After Dark", and "Von Freeman's Blues". CD features the bonus track "I'll Close My Eyes". CD

A classic meeting of these two talents – recorded in Chicago with a Chicago rhythm section of Jodie Christian, Victor Sproles, and Marshall Thompson. The album's an odd one, and is recorded with less of the impeccability of some of Verve's other sessions (which is probaby how the Chicago team got in the action) – but given Baker's harder-edged proclivities at the time, the set's a very interesting one to hear, and the relaxed nature of the tracks brings out some important solo moments from both players. 4 long tracks – including "I'll Remember April", "Jordu", and "Half-Breed Apache". CD

Great early work by jazz vibes guru Bobby Hutcherson – recorded early in his tenure in NYC in the early 60s – backed up by trombonist Al Grey and tenor sax man Billy Mitchell! Of course Hutcherson would go on to spin out all those great records for Blue Note, and these early recordings are a great lost document! The personnel on most cuts feature Mitchell's sextet – which at the time included Herman Wright on bass, Earl Washington on piano, and Otis Finch on the cut. These sessions were cut on separate dates in NYC and Chicago in the early 60s, for Argo/Chess albums under Grey's name – and are a complete document of this legendary assemblage of players time together! 18 tracks in all: "Blues In The Night", "Stardust", "Night And Day", Laughing Tonight", "Stand By Me", "Boss Tina", Something's Got A Hold On Me", "R.B.Q.", "The Way You Look Tonight", "Deep Fried" and more! CD

Queen of Soul is right! Heck, on these early albums, Etta practically invented soul – or at least invented a deep soul style of singing that would be taken up by countless other female singers during the 60s, but rarely matched with this kind of brilliance. Straight up beautiful stuff! The arrangements are uncredited, but we think they're probably by Riley Hampton – who did so much of Etta's other wonderful work in the early 60s. The recordings for sure took place at points between '62 and '64, mostly in Chicago, with couple in New York and one in Nashville. One other thing that is crystal clear about the sessions is that she had access to the very best musicians and the best sound possible – all you need is a listen to know that! The album's an all-solid, all-soul record with loads of obscure tunes and not a bit of filler! Titles include "Flight 101", "Bobby Is His Name", "Breaking Point", "Mello Fellow", "Do Right", and "Somewhere Out There". This first ever proper CD release is loaded with excellent bonus material – recordings from the same early-to-mid 60s period – 13 of them "You Got Me Where You Want Me", "Only Time Will Tell", "Pushover". "You Can't Talk To A Fool", "Would It Make Any Difference To You", "Pay Back", "Tomorrow Night", "I Can't Hold It Any More" and more. 23 tracks in all! CD

Dusty Groove owes plenty to the world of college radio – and in fact, our store grew out of long years of experience on a college station on the south side of Chicago – so we're extra-pleased not just to see a really comprehensive book on the glory days of college radio, but also one that really gets the history right! Author Katherine Rye Jewell really digs deep here, and gets past the easy tales of freeform rock and alternative radio – to instead look at the larger forces that helped build, shift, and challenge the informal network of small college radio stations that had a huge impact on American music for a few key decades, starting in the 70s. The author brings together case histories of individual stations, key scenes in music, legislative shifts, regulatory changes, and music business practice – all to really illuminate just why college radio was so important in the 70s, 80s, and 90s – and why its legacy still continues so strongly today. The roots of Dusty Groove are hidden in these pages in a few key spots – and we can say that the author definitely writes from the right perspective, and takes time to focus in on all the important things that really matter. Softcover edition is 457 pages, with a small amount of charts and illustrations. Book

One of THE electric blues records of the 60s – a seminal set by Albert King that was probably blasted out of more college dorm rooms than southside juke joints, but which still more than deserves its due! The set was recorded by Stax with a nice raw sound – guitar very much upfront, but also set amidst arrangements that have a bit more soul than the average Chicago blues session from the same time. The set features a number of originals by Stax regulars like Booker T and David Porter – and titles include "The Hunter", "Born Under A Bad Sign", "Crosscut Saw", "Down Don't Bother Me", "Laundromat Blues", and "Personal Manager". LP, Vinyl record album

Reedman Oliver Lake at his most creative – stepping out here on a sublime set of 70s improvisations – all put together with a really spiritual feel! There's a very open, collaborative feel to the music – and the set was recorded in St Louis, at a time when Lake was a key part of that city's scene – and who here also seems able to attract some other musicians from the AACM in Chicago as well! As a result, the album's a wonderful document of the new ideas bursting forth at the start of the 70s – that richly creative moment when local scenes were coming together in various cities to find new ways of jazz beyond Coltrane and Dolphy – giving a player like Lake some of the most imaginative outlets of his career. Oliver plays alto, soprano, flute, and other small instruments – and other players include Baikida Carroll and Floyd Leflore on trumpets, Joseph Bowie on trombone, John Hicks on piano, Clovis Bordeaux on electric piano, Don Officer on bass, Charles Bobo Shaw on drums, and Don Moye on congas too. Titles include "Africa", "Tse Lane", "Eriee", "Zip", and "Electric Freedom". CD

Cosmic jazzy genius from Bubbha Thomas & The Lightmen – the kind of a record that sounds like it should have come out of Detroit or Chicago in the early 70s – and not the Texas scene from which the group hailed! The Lightmen have a vibe that reminds us a lot of The Pharoahs or some of the Tribe Records collective – a willingness to mix free-thinking jazz expression with tighter grooves and funkier rhythms – stepping out in an instrumental vibe that still has plenty of funky 45 touches, but which also sits nicely alongside the most cosmic work coming out from Impulse at the time! The title cut "Energy Control Center" has an electric spacey quality that reminds us of Sun Ra at his best – and other tunes soar out with a brilliant post-Coltrane sense of freedom evident in work on saxes, flute, and piano. Titles include "Wench", "Cold Bair", "Leo", "Jupiter's Child", and "The Phantom". This amazing expanded version features loads of bonus tracks, unreleased material, singles, and the great spiritual number "All Praises To Allah". CD

At the time of this set, Magic Slim called Chicago his home – but the title may well be apt, as the set was recorded overseas in the Barclay Studios in Paris, at a time when Slim was hitting the highway to reach a wide global audience with his music! Despite that displacement, though, there's a very rooted vibe to the whole set – a searingly tight quartet performance that features Slim on guitar and vocals, Alabama Junior on second guitar, Nick Holt on bass, and Fred Below on drums – a rock-solid group who are captured here without any trappings at all – just a core focus on the sorts of sounds that Magic Slim would deliver to an intimate crowd back home. Titles include "I Love You Baby", "Living In My Neighborhood", "Highway Is My Home", "I'm Mad", "Tell Me Baby", "Man Or Mouse", and "Country Girl". CD

A pair of rare 80s soul albums from the Windy City – presented here as a double-length collection, given that the groups were essentially the same act! First up is the debut of Maxx Traxx, an excellent 80s groove combo from Chicago – one of the city's last great indie acts in the years before the house generation – and an outfit who comes across with an incredibly tight sound that should have made them huge! The set cooks along in a really great way – bubbling with bass and keys like a BB&Q band album, but also sporting some really strong vocals from the group – coming together in great harmonies at surprising moments – which makes for a set that's a lot deeper than you might think at first. The ballads are as great as the groovers – and titles include "Time Has Come", "Tell Me", "You & I", "Let's Have A Party", "Don't Touch It", "To Be With You", and "Living Without You". Next is the album Reachin For It by Third Rail – a real lost group from the early 80s Chicago scene – but a great one! It's our guess that these guys never made it bigger because they were stuck on a tiny indie in the years after the big companies departed the Windy City – the sound is almost in the Omni mode, in that the group's a larger ensemble funk outfit, given an 80s groove spin, with some great post-Earth Wind & Fire styled instrumentation supporting the rhythms, and sweet compressed vocals that step out nicely. Titles include "Reachin For It", "If You Want It", "Just Had To Tell You", "Let Me Love You", and "Living Without You". LP, Vinyl record album

A set that shows the strong relation Joe McPhee has had with the Chicago scene in the past decade or so – a live date recorded in Italy, but featuring Joe in the company of Fred Lonberg-Holm on cello and Michael Zerang on percussion! The recording has a very loose, open feel – very much concerned with sound, and not just from McPhee's tenor sax and pocket trumpet, but also from the instruments of Lonberg-Holm and Zerang, which are recorded here with a really tremendous sound. The percussion is especially clear – coming through with a great sense of texture that really grounds the record, and lets Joe get a bit free at points. Titles include "Variations On Nation Time", "Variations On Remembrance", "Variations On Harriett", and "Feather Exchange". CD

The sound of the trio is loud and clear on this set – captured before a very appreciative crowd at the London House in Chicago, and featuring Peterson at his inventive best! The tracks on the set stretch out longer than most of the group's studio sessions from the time, and the album's recorded in a great way that also includes Oscar's mumbling at the keys – that humming and grunting style that isn't always caught on record, but which adds a great deal of grit and humanity to the record – especially considering his fluid grace on the piano! As usual, Ray Brown is on bass and Ed Thigpen's on drums – and titles include "Tricotism", "On Green Dolphin Street", "Thag's Dance", and "Kadota's Blues". Includes 5 bonus tracks. CD

An incredible blend of southern and modern soul – the second album by soul songwriter Sydney Joe Qualls, recorded in both Chicago and Muscle Shoals, with a stone mellow sound that's outta site! The groove here is extremely well-done – tight, but never too slick – and with a soaring quality that marks the best late 70s soul coming out of Chicago at the time, but which also has some rootsier vocals from Sydney. The album's a classic for the standout groover "I Don't Do This" – but the whole thing's pretty darn great, and tracks include "Bad Risk", "I'll Run To Your Side", "Let the Woman Know", "I Could Be So Good For You", and "Where Have You Been". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the few recordings ever made by this obscure Chicago singer – with a few tracks that feature Bill Evans on piano! Titles include "Out Of This World", "My Time Of Day", "Lazy Afternoon", "It's All Right With Me", and "Because We're Kids". LP, Vinyl record album

An amazing collection of work from Jackie Ross – a singer who was arguably the greatest female soul artist in Chicago during the 60s! Jackie's got a really wonderful approach – sweet on top, but with a hard punch below – very much at the best level of some of Motown's heavyweights of the same period – but not nearly as well-known! That aspect makes this set a really fresh discovery – not just Jackie's few hits, but lots of other rare album and single material too – including a few unreleased tracks that really round out the collection wonderfully. And as you'd guess from Ace/Kent, the packaging and presentation is wonderful – not just crystal-clear quality to the recordings, but really rich notes and images that make the whole thing sparkle way more than any previous collection of Ross' work for Chess. Titles include "Everything But Love", "Selfish One", "Misty", "Wasting Time", "You Really Know How To Hurt A Girl", "Honey Dear", "My Square", "Stick To One", "Dynamite Lovin", "Take Me For A Little While", "I Dig His Style", "Trust In Me", "It's Going All The Way", "Jerk & Twine", "I've Got The Skill", and "Haste Makes Waste". CD

A wonderfully down to earth book from the great Bobby Rush – southern bluesman by birth, and a key figure on the Chicago scene in the 60s and 70s – with a mighty long story that's told here in words that are very much his own! Co-author Herb Powell helps polish things up a bit, but never too much – and Bobby spends a heck of a lot of time laying out his youth, influences, and early years of struggle – which is great, as the history and setting are very illuminating – not just to Rush's own career, but to an understanding of the way that so many blues and soul artists of his generation had to find their own path forward. Hardcover edition is 306 pages, with a section of photographs in the middle. Book

A fuzzy, freaked-out classic from one of the coolest groups to work on the Chicago scene of the 60s – the mighty Shadows Of Knight, easily one of the best garage acts of their time! The album's got a raw power that's undeniable – a gritty sound that almost beats the Boston, Texas, and Sunset Strip scenes at their own game – as sharp guitars, weird Hammond, and plenty of feedback come together to blow away the listener right from the start – all with a sound that's a lot more heady than the group's better-known "Gloria" hit, with a far-reaching vibe that makes us wish these guys had kept on recording a few more years longer – because they might have given some of the best European psych acts a real run for their money! Titles include "Bad Little Woman", "The Behemoth", "Three For Love", "Peepin & Hidin", "Gospel Zone", "High Blood Pressure", and "Tomorrow's Going To Be Another Day". LP, Vinyl record album

A lost little cooker from Stitt and Green – recorded at a time when they were working together briefly, with backing by a Chicago organ trio that includes Bobby Buster on Hammond, Jo Diorio on guitar, and Dorel Anderson on drums. Tracks are short and fierce, but it's clear that Stitt can groove in a "blow the jukebox out" kind of way when he's in the right company – but still show enough of the impeccable care that he did with his straighter jazz albums on Roost and Verve. Titles include "Let's Play Chess", "Double Dip", "My Main Man", and "Broilin". LP, Vinyl record album

The incredible second album from saxophonist Frank Strozier – recorded for Vee Jay records after his initial debut, but for some reason never issued at the time! Strozier was really hitting on all burners at this point – fusing the Memphis soul of his roots with the soulful hardbop he was crafting in Chicago with Harold Mabern and the MJT+3 – a sound that he replicates nicely here, in an intimate quartet setting with Bill Lee on bass, Vernel Fournier on drums, and Billy Wallace on piano. The tunes are moody and soulful – a masterpiece in understatement, and proof that Strozier was one of the most inventive non-Charlie Parker inspired altoists of his time! The CD adds a huge amount of alternate takes to the original sessions – making for a total of 15 numbers in all, with titles that include "Day In Day Out", "Stairway To The Stars", "Cloudy & Cool", "She", "Chris", and "No More". CD

A fantastic record – and one of those rare moments when an avant group can serve up a bit of funk! This lost bit of work was recorded live in St Louis in 1973 – part of the Black Artists Group scene that was the city's answer to Chicago's AACM movement of the late 60s. Alto player Luther Thomas heads up the group, which features Charles Shaw on drums, JD Parran on reeds, Marvin Horne on guitar, Eric Foreman on bass – plus guest work from AACM visitors Joseph and Lester Bowie! The set kicks off with the 18 minute monster track "Funky Donkey" – an unbridled funky jam that mixes tight fast rhythms with skilled way-out solos, very much in the mode of "Nation Time" from Joe McPhee's album of similar vintage. The cut's a stone monster – and it's backed here by "Una New York", which has a more avant feel, but an equally exciting mix of styles. LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic record – and one of those rare moments when an avant group can serve up a bit of funk! This lost bit of work was recorded live in St Louis in 1973 – part of the Black Artists Group scene that was the city's answer to Chicago's AACM movement of the late 60s. Alto player Luther Thomas heads up the group, which features Charles Shaw on drums, JD Parran on reeds, Marvin Horne on guitar, Eric Foreman on bass – plus guest work from AACM visitors Joseph and Lester Bowie! The set kicks off with the 18 minute monster track "Funky Donkey" – an unbridled funky jam that mixes tight fast rhythms with skilled way-out solos, very much in the mode of "Nation Time" from Joe McPhee's album of similar vintage. The cut's a stone monster – and it's backed here by "Una New York" and "Intensity", which has a more avant feel, but an equally exciting mix of styles. CD

A Chicago group who never hit the big time during their short run at the start of the 80s – but one who definitely know how to groove! There's a vibe here that really lives up to the "togetherness" in the group's name – a way of coming together with a tight, sharp sound throughout – but one that's never too slick, just surprisingly strong for such an underground funk group from the Windy City! And although the music is upbeat, the style is less disco than it is the kind of faster funk that percolated strongly in the underground scene in the pre-house years – almost more akin to some of the best indie club work coming out of the east coast, but with a very unique vibe too. As usual with Numero, the set does way more than just bring this lost music to light – it also tells the tale of the Universal Togetherness Band, and their never-flagging sense of energy and inspiration during their short but important run. Titles include "Ain't Gonna Cry", "Try Try Try", "My Sentiment", "Real Thrill", "Once In A Lifetime", "Call For Love", "I Want You", and "Taken By Love". CD

2 Muddy Waters classics! On the first record, the Big Bill in the title is Big Bill Broonzy – a key influence on midcentury bluesmen all over the US, and paid tribute to nicely here by Muddy Waters! Given this tribute approach, the sound's a bit rootsier than some of Waters' other work for Chess at the time – a bit more emphasis on some of the acoustic elements in the instrumentation, and a recording style and approach to rhythm that's sometimes a bit more down home than postwar Chicago. Many titles are Broonzy originals, and titles include "Tell Me Baby", "Southbound Train", "Just A Dream", "Double Trouble", "I Feel So Good", "I Done Got Wise", and "Mopper's Blues". Folk Singer is a seminal album by Muddy – recorded in a style that's rootsier, and more down to earth than a lot of his other chess sides! Muddy's playing acoustic guitar, and the rest of the group features Buddy Guy, Willie Dixon, and Clifton James. The sound is really spare, and very moody – and tracks include "You Gonna Need My Help", "Cold Weather Blues", "Feel Like Going Home", and "My Home Is In The Delta". CD

A legendary night at Chicago's Checkerboard Lounge – a set recorded at a time when the Rolling Stones were in town, and decided to pop down to the south side, and visit the home turf of their blues hero, Muddy Waters! You'll notice that the record bills the performance as Muddy Waters & The Rolling stones – and that's definitely the case here, as the Stones step in almost as Muddy's backing band – allowing Waters to really step out in the lead, while the group remind us that way back in the day, they got their start as a blues-based group first, before finding a style of their own! The set's also filled with guest appearances – including work from Buddy Guy, Junior Wells, and Lefty Dizz – and titles include "Mannish Boy", "Hoochie Coochie Man", "Long Distance Call", "Next Time You See Me", "Champagne & Reefer", "Clouds In My Heart", "One Eyed Woman", and "You Don't Have To Go". LP, Vinyl record album

Some of the first recordings ever from Chicago legend Junior Wells – made for the small States label in the Windy City, many years before Wells exploded out with much greater national fame! The music here has Junior stepping into the same early electric space that Chess Records was cutting at the time – and given the presence of Muddy Waters, Otis Spann, and Willie Dixon on some of these sides – the group's also not far off either! Wells is the main star throughout, though – alternating bold young vocals and razor-sharp harmonica lines – in the company of players who include Louis Myers, Elmore James, and Muddy Waters on guitar, Johnnie Jones and Otis Spann on piano, Willie Dixon on bass, and Odie Payne on drums. Titles include "Hoodoo Man", "Tomorrow Night", "Eagle Rock", "Junior's Wail", "Throw This Poor Dog A Bone", "So All Alone", "Blues Hit Big Town", and "Lovin Blues". CD features six previously unissued tracks! CD

Rare work from the early years of soul music – and a special set that focuses on sounds created in and around Los Angeles – a city that's not nearly as well known for 60s soul as Chicago, Detroit, or New Orleans! Yet during the postwar years, LA had just as much going on as those eastern cities – a huge new population influx, who'd move over from the south during the wartime years – and new labels that had cropped up to capture their sounds and serve their audience! 50s LA was already humming with R&B material, which gave the rising styles of soul plenty of places to get recorded – so much so, that there's even some work on this set that was never issued at the time! The vibe is great – similar to other Birth Of Soul sets from Ace/Kent – in that the music carries a bit of R&B and blues bite from earlier years, mixed with more romping and tighter soul styles – in a smoking set list of 24 tracks that include "But What About My Broken Heart" by Don Wyatt, "Everybody's Got A Lover But Me" by Richard Berry, "Have You Heard" by The Vows, "With These Hands" by The Wonders, "You Better Watch Out Girl" by The Imperialites, "Lose My Cool" by Ike & Tina Turner, "Let Him Walk Away" by Darlene Love, "My Pillow" by The Numbers, "Help Me With My Broken Heart" by Sylvester Stewart, "That Other Guy" by The Mandarins, "Don't Drop It" by The Question Marks, and "Young Lover" by Wilks & Wilkerson. CD