A gem of a record from the funk-heavy period of Muddy Waters – a moment that once made the traditional blues fans mad, but which has gone onto become the stuff of legend – thanks to a real criss-crossing of Chicago talents in the studio! The set was co-produced by Chess Records talents Charles Stepney, Gene Barge, and Marshall Chess – and features expanded instrumentation that includes Phil Upchurch on added guitar, Louis Satterfield on bass, Charles Stepney on organ, and Morris Jennings on drums – plus even more guitar from Pete Cosey, who you might know from later work on some Miles Davis electric albums! Muddy is still very firmly the lead talent at the core, though – coming across with a badass kind of vibe that mixes his raw roots with the hipper soul of the new generation – a great Chess/Cadet hybird that was years ahead of its time. Titles include "I Am The Blues", "Hurtin Soul", "Bottom Of The Sea", "Honey Bee", "Rollin' And Tumblin'", "Screamin & Cryin", and "Blues & Trouble". LP, Vinyl record album

A tremendous package of work from Ornette Coleman – five albums issued under his own name, and one collaboration with Jackie McLean too! First up are At The Golden Circle Vols 1 & 2 – important second chapter work from Ornette Coleman – a record that marked a real shift in his sound from the Atlantic Records years – issued by Blue Note at a level that gave the rest of the world a chance to see what Ornette had been cooking up on the underground scene! The album was recorded in Stockholm – in the tradition of European live performances that saw Coleman grow so strongly in the mid 60s – and the tracks are long, free, and full of improvised moments – with Ornette adding in trumpet and violin next to his familiar alto – in a trio with David Izenzon on bass and Charles Moffett on drums – both fantastic players who can be loose at the right moments, and bring things back at others. Tracks are long and unbridled – with less of the rhythmic changes that you'd hear in work by the classic quartet, and more of a full-on fierce soloing mode. Titles include "Snowflakes & Sunshine", "Morning Song", "Faces & Places", "Dee Dee", "Dawn", "The Riddle", and "Antiques". Next is Empty Foxhole – one of our favorite Ornette Coleman albums of the post-Atlantic 60s years – a set that still hangs onto some of the bold rhythmic conception of his previous records, but also points the way towards his freer jazz modes to come! The group's a trio – with really tremendous work from Charlie Haden on bass, able to match Coleman's energy with effortless ease, and really getting a lot of room to leave his mark on the music – plus the very young (10!) Denardo Coleman, who plays drums here with this stark, simple style that's not only completely unique, but which also leaves a lot of open room left for Haden and Ornette to really stretch out. Ornette plays his usual alto, plus trumpet and violin – and titles include "Good Old Days", "The Empty Foxhole", "Zig Zag", and "Freeway Express". Next is New York Is Now – a pretty bold statement from saxophonist Ornette Coleman, but one that definitely shows his shift in role – from a major force on the LA underground of the early 60s, to an artist who was helping pave the way for a huge wave of growth on the New York downtown scene in years to come! Ornette's at his most late 60s unbridled here – freer than before, and working with a lineup that includes Jimmy Garrison on bass and Elvin Jones on drums – still no piano at all – plus great work from Dewey Redman on tenor, who really burst into new prominence with this album. Ornette plays a bit of violin alongside alto sax – and tracks include "Toy Dance", "Round Trip", "Broad Way Blues", and "We Now Interrupt For A Commercial". Then comes Love Call – a really great late 60s session from Ornette Coleman – one that shows is increasing expansion in sounds and styles, and which also offers a bridge between avant jazz generations too! That bridge comes in the presence of Jimmy Garrison on bass and Elvin Jones on drums – a surprising Coltrane rhythm duo, working here with Ornette's mindblowing work on alto sax, and tenor from a young Dewey Redman – already a crucially intense player here next to Coleman, as both are set free in a group without any piano – that Ornette melding of rhythm and melody, but with a very different vibe than the Atlantic years! Coleman blows trumpet on one tune – and titles include "Love Call", "Airborne", "Check Out Time", and "Open To The Public". The set also includes the album New & Old Gospel – one of Jackie McLean's last "new thing" albums for Blue Note – and a very unique record that features Ornette Coleman on trumpet! The sound here is stark and hard – slight hints of the soulfulness that the "gospel" in the title might imply, mixed with the angular exploratory sound that McLean had been forging at Blue Note during the mid 60s – a wonderful balance that really gives the record a lot of bite! The album's easily one of the most "out" that McLean ever recorded, and the group also includes Lamont Johnson on piano, Scott Holt on bass, and Billy Higgins on drums – all pushing themselves in the company of the avant jazz giants. Tracks include the extended "Lifeline" suite, which takes up all of side one – plus "Old Gospel" and "Strange As It Seems". LP, Vinyl record album

An overlooked gem from this great pianist – one of his few dates as a leader, and maybe the boldest of them all – as the session really soars with a heck of a lot of spiritual energy! The vibe here is maybe more in the Muse Records side of the spectrum than Strata East, but that's OK with us as the whole thing really soars with all this searching, modal energy – delivered by a very cool group that features Carter Jefferson on soprano and tenor sax, Cecil McBee on bass, and Charlie Persip on drums! Cheryl Alexander sings on one track – giving the record a slightly soulful vibe. Titles include "Dues We Have To Pay", "Black Raspberry", "I Love You", "Gee Monetti", and "Autumn Rain". LP, Vinyl record album

There's nothing folk about the Folklords – and the group are overall maybe more in the best mode of the Sunshine Pop generation, as you'd guess from their dreamy image on the cover! The group features a trio of singers – two guys, one gal – trading leads and harmonies, and coming off with these really easygoing, sparkling sort of glow – supported with a bit of work on guitar, bass, drums, and autoharp – the last of which adds a cool an unique vibe to the record! Titles include "Jennifer Lee", "Don't Hide Your Love From Me", "Child", "Windows", "Pardon Me Judas", "Thank You For Your Kindness", "We'll Love Like Before", "Suzanne Marie", "Don't Look Back", and "The Slave" – plus bonus tracks "Unspoken Love" and "Forty Second River". LP, Vinyl record album

Mark Fry was just a young lad when he recorded this album – as you might guess from the cover – a Brit staying in Italy, where he cut this rare gem that's gone onto legendary status over the years – a set that's maybe circulated in far more unofficial copies than its original release! The style is a bit hard to peg – not the traditional folk of the UK scene of the time, but equally acoustic overall, and touched with some occasional older instrumentation – yet delivered with a much trippier vibe, maybe even more in a mode that points towards more addled sounds that would emerge later in the next decade. The structure is great – with some poetic "Dreaming With Alice" passages between most songs – and titles that include "Mandolin Man", "Down Narrow Streets", "The Witch", "A Norman Soldier", "Lute & Flute", and "Roses For Columbus" – all beautifully dark, yet dreamy. LP, Vinyl record album

The debut full length from Pete Rock & CL Smooth – a standard-setting record from the 90s that's still among one of the greatest of the decade! The set bristles with new energy and excitement right from the start – as Pete Rock's trademark mix of heavy soul, jazz, and funk production sets the bar to a level that really takes hip hop past some of the tinnier, clunkier modes of a few years before – delivering on the promise of Q-Tip's experiments in the studio, but with a very different vibe. CL Smooth handles the lyrics with effortless ease – again setting a new standard, with a balance between street and sophistication that was, and is, such a refreshing change from so many others. Titles include the classic "They Reminisce Over You (TROY)" – plus "Return Of The Mecca", "Straighten It Out", "Soul Brother #1", "Lots Of Lovin", "Skinz, "The Basement", "Anger In The Nation", "If It Ain't Rough It Ain't Right", "Can't Front On Me", "It's Like That", "On And On", "Wig Out", "Ghettos Of The Mind", and "Act Like You Know". Features bonus tracks – "The Creator (rmx)" and "Mecca & The Soul Brother (rmx)". LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic debut album from Samurai – one of those lost prog classics from the start of the 70s that still sounds years ahead of its time! The group features Dave Lawson on keyboards and vocals – and represents an amazing (and short) evolution of the sound of his music from his time in the groups Episode Six and Web – a richly visionary vibe that uses jazz elements in ways that are a lot stronger than some of the group's contemporaries – nice bits of vibes, flutes, and tenor – on tunes that move between mellow jams and some more forward-moving numbers – none of which lose the jazzy touches that make the whole thing so great! Titles include "Saving It Up For So Long", "More Rain", "Maudie James", "Holy Padlock", "Give A Little Love", "Face In The Mirror" and "As I Dried The Tears Away". LP, Vinyl record album

A well-titled album from Japanese pianist Ryo Fukui – one that's got a warm sense of flow that takes it well past conventional piano trio work! The group here features Fukui on piano, Satoshi Denpo on bass, and Yoshinori Fukui on drums – all working together beautifully as a unit – with a vibe set fire by Ryo's work on the keys, and a sense of imagination that makes even familiar tunes sound completely fresh. The whole thing's in the best Japanese piano tradition of the 70s – that wonderful new territory explored by key pianists like Fukui – with a sound that's open and free, but never avant either. Titles include "Mellow Dream", "Baron Potato Blues", "Horizon", "What's New", and "My Funny Valentine". LP, Vinyl record album

Mary Halvorson seems to expand her sound here a bit more than usual – not in that she's working with a large ensemble, or in any sort of too-ambitious ways – but just that she's mixing her very unique phrasing on the guitar with just the right blend of other instruments – all at a level that feels way more than just the sum of its parts! The sextet features work from Adam O'Farrill on trumpet, Jacob Garchik on trombone, and Patricia Brennan on vibes – the last of whom is especially great, and whose tones really do a lot to color the album and shape the sound. The trumpet's got a great presence too – trading nicely with the trombone – and titles include "Desiderata", "Collapsing Mouth", "The Gate", "Tailhead", and "Ultramarine". Plus, Laurie Anderson plays guest violin on "Incarnadine". LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic mix of heady sounds and heavy funk from The Heliocentrics – and a record that continues the vibe of their previous set – in which the team of Malcolm Catto and Jake Ferguson were joined by the lovely vocals of Barbora Patkova! Patkova's presence is just what the group needs to really ground their sound – a female singer up front, but one who's as equally comfortable with distortion, fuzz, and echoey spaces as the two instrumentalists – a trio who continue that unique tradition of psychedelic funk that we first loved in Catto's early work on Mo Wax! Titles include "99% Revolution", "Hanging By A Thread", "Nonsense (part 1)", "Light In The Dark", "People Wake Up", "Burning Wooden Ship", and "Elephant Walk". LP, Vinyl record album

A record that makes us go "wow" all over again at the mighty talents of Bob James – because even this late in life, he's clearly open to new ideas and pushing the boundaries – which he really does here in collaboration with younger musician Sam Franz! In the way that Bob's CTI albums were a landmark electric jazz effort for the 70s – this set's maybe one for the 21st Century, with a vibe that's shows the passage of time in so many different ways! This isn't fusion, smooth jazz, or traditional jazz at all – yet Bob's got some great moments on keyboards throughout, in different sonic settings from Franz, merging together in ways that make it difficult to figure out who's doing what. Titles include "Brew This Again & Again", "This Theme Needs A Movie", "Polar Tangents", "Starless Vault Of Heaven", "See Ya", and "Atsuko's Arcade". LP, Vinyl record album

Funky punk from Medium Medium – one of the strongest proponents of such modes on the UK scene of the post-punk years, yet one who never issued much material at the time! The group are heavy on basslines mixed with scratchy guitars – all in this art funk approach that resonates strongly with some of the groundbreaking material issued on 99 Records at the start of the 80s – and although this set's put together by Cherry Red, the work inside has more of that aggro vibe you'd hear during the glorious early days of Rough Trade! This double-length set brings together rare singles, live material, unreleased tracks, and cuts from their sole full length album – a lineup that includes "Stir Me Up", "Full Of Secrecy", "Serbian Village", "7th Floor", "Hungry So Angry", "Guru Maharaji", "The Glitterhouse", and "Them Or Me". LP, Vinyl record album

Beautifully burning work from Japanese saxophonist Kohsuke Mine – a player who cut some fantastic albums in the 70s, even though he never fully got his due on this side of the Pacific! The vibe here is very much in a post-Coltrane spiritual mode – with the leader blowing both tenor and soprano sax, and really working some amazing long, visionary lines on his instruments – sometimes really soaring off with Impulse Records-like energy, other times hitting more modal modes that remind us that Mine was one of the most powerful, soulful forces in the Japanese jazz scene at the time. The rest of the lineup is excellent too – and the album features additional tenor from Hideo Miyata, plus piano from Fumio Itabashi, bass from Hideaki Mochizuki, and drums from Hiroshi Murakami. Titles include "Thirsty", "Self Contradiction", "Spin Drift", "Daguri", and "Expectation". LP, Vinyl record album

Some of the heaviest work to come from the African scene of the 70s – the initial offering of the Ngozi Family – a group who clearly take strong inspiration from the Cream years of the UK scene, but who also come across with a grittier, punkier vibe overall – thanks to lean, stripped-down instrumentation and some very sharp drums! The drums rattle out underneath the magnificent fuzzy guitar lines in the lead – almost with this compressed quality that recalls Thin Lizzy at their funkier moments – but much more raw, stripped-down, and unpolished – so that the English language lyrics burst out with a really biting sound! The record's one of the first in the Zamrock tradition, and is still one of the best – a set that deserves to be in any collection of hard rock, proto-punk, and even funk rock from the 70s. Titles include "I Wanna Know", "Day Of Judgement", "We Wonna Give It To Her", "Tikondane", and "Let Me Know". LP, Vinyl record album

A Nigerian group, but one who work in the best roots reggae modes of previous years in Kingston – recording here with a laidback vibe that really creates a sense of intimacy that's very different than much work of this time coming out in the 90s! Vocals are traded back and forth between Blackwell Jones and Delleo Freeman – and there's a gently stepping groove to the record that never pushes too hard, nor tries for any sort of too-commercial modes. The set's features six tracks in all – "Babylon Fall", "Black People", "Psalm 23", "African Children", "Dreadful Look", and "Wet My Whistle". LP, Vinyl record album

A contemporary set, but one that comes across with a very vintage vibe – one that really hearkens back to the best underground work on the Kingston scene at the end of the 70s! The production is fuller than some of those records, but still comes across with a classic-styled warmth – especially given that most numbers feature melodica lines from Addis Pablo, who really carries on the tradition of the instrument in dub, as first started by his father Augustus Pablo many years back! Jah Bami provides vocals on most tracks – and titles include "Selassie I Wisdom", "Far East Median", "Harar Melody", "Jah Alone", "Eastern Acoustic", "Acoustic Dub", "Selassie I Wisdom Dub", and "Jah Chant Dub". LP, Vinyl record album

A sweet little set that's exactly what's promised in the title – a batch of rare disco grooves from the 70s, all of which have a distinctly Middle Eastern vibe! Traditional instrumentation mixes with lots of great funky club touches – in ways that are often more wide-ranging and interesting than just some sort of disco knockoffs! Instead, the music here is more aptly titled Arabian Funk – as these cuts work on the dancefloor, but are often instrumental – with a nice focus on guitars, keyboards, and other instrumentation in the mix! Titles include "Arabian Dance" by Antares, "Arabian Melody" by Pop Concerto Orchestra, "Camel Bump" by The Bumper, "Leila" by Leila, "Disco Arab" by Abdul Hassan Orchestra, "Sahara Casino" by The Sand Flowers, "Rock N Roll Mouzoune" by Ismail, and "Orient Express" by Voyage. LP, Vinyl record album

A record with a really unusual pedigree, in that it was recorded by a number of Haitian singers and musicians on the New York scene – done in the mid 80s with a bit of a groove, and a compelling blend of Caribbean roots and more spiritual elements! At some level, the record is years ahead of its time – much more similar to some of the global hybrids that have come from the European scene, especially Paris, in more recent years – and it's that quality that makes the whole thing really hold up over the years, with a vibe that's very different than so many other Haitian albums from the time. Tracks are long, rhythms are rolling, keyboards balanced with saxes, and vocals trade between male and female singers – on titles that include "Deblozay", "Tem", "Tribilasyon", "Dilijans", and "Pwoblem". LP, Vinyl record album

Really wonderful work from the young Michael Hurley – one of his first records to get somewhat wide exposure, thanks to the help of Jesse Colin Young, who signed Hurley up to his Raccoon label at Warner Brothers! The vibe here is right up there with some of the best offbeat acoustic work cut during that stretch at the label – not the same in sound, but not far in spirit from unique records by Steve Young, John Hartford, and others – not to mention the cooler currents from Jesse's scene too! Hurley's vocal style changes nicely to fit the mood of each tune, really bringing the most out of the sorts of lyrics that were his special stock in trade – while the guitar playing is nicely unified, and although spare, really does a great job of holding the album together. Titles include "Blue Driver", "Water Train", "The Sun Is Slowly Sinking", "I'm Worried I'm Worried", "In Florida", "Lilly Pads Upon The Pond", and "Trinidad". LP, Vinyl record album

Only the third album from RuPaul, and the living legend is ready to take on Christmas – maybe an example of the way that the singer would come to dominate popular culture in the coming century! The set was mostly recorded in RuPaul's living room, but has a surprisingly vibrant vibe – lean rhythms and instrumentation, but plenty groovy with a house-inspired vibe that's very much like the singer's non-seasonal music – as are the lyrics, as RuPaul camps things up nicely, by throwing in all sorts of variations on traditional Holiday lyrics! Tunes include "All I Want For Christmas", "With Bells On", "All Alone On Christmas", "Christmas Train", "Santa Baby", "Funky Christmas", "Here Comes Santa Claus", and "You're A Mean One Mr Grinch". LP, Vinyl record album

An album from the 80s, but one with a very timeless vibe – as the set is heavy on mbiri work from Dumisani Maraire – recorded in a way that mostly just features vocals alongside the sparkling tones of the thumb piano! The mbiri is likely amplified here – as it's got a resonance and presence that you'd not find in a more standard recording – but the overall session is free of too-commercial polish or any sort of other instrumentation – as Dumiani and his family deliver these really beautiful lyrics by trading back and forth in a really classic way. Titles include "Tichazomouna", "Zanu Inokuperekedza", "Hande Kubasa", "Ndofa Ndichibayiwa", and "Mwandikanganwa". LP, Vinyl record album

The first-ever album from Gil Scott-Heron – and a perfect bridge between the world of his writing and the years to come of musical transformations that would forever change the American scene! The set's not the warm, jazzy soul of some of Gil's later records – and instead, there's a really raw vibe, mostly with Gil speaking instead of singing – often with just heavy percussion at the core, and these really righteous words served out over the top! All the work is his own, and the album's a showcase for his brilliant protest poetry – the most famous example of which is included in "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised", which leads off the album with an especially righteous groove! The set's a key link in the African American musical tradition of the 20th century – and proof that the underground, while not always afforded a good place in the broadcast markets of the US, could always burst forth in the "narrowcast" medium of recorded music. A landmark album – one we like even better than the early work by the Last Poets – and great all the way through! Tracks include "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised", "Whitey On The Moon", "Who'll Pay Reparations On My Soul?", "The Subject Was Faggots", and "Brother". LP, Vinyl record album

That's a pretty cosmic image on the cover, and the vibe of the album follows suit in a very nice way – mixing the best "future" modes of 80s music of the cassette generation with some more traditional funk and soul! The set opens our ears to a world we'd never have heard otherwise – and the music here has a surprisingly strong tie to some of the New York electro modes of the period – great basslines, keyboards, and some electronic touches that are balanced by warmer vocals by the Egyptian singers – all with a style that's a lot more soul-based and western than other Mid-East grooves of the time! Titles include "Donia El Arkam" by Frikit El Ensan, "Merci" by Simone, "Genoun El Disco" by Dr Ezat Abou Ouf & El Four M, "Hezeny" by Al Massrieen, "Ana Alby Har Nar" by Lebleba, "Mahsobka Endes" by Eman El Bahr Drwish, and "Tany Tany" by Araf Rady. LP, Vinyl record album

Music as lively and colorful as the image on the cover – upbeat work from the second half of the 80s scene in South Africa – music that has a very positive vibe overall, and a sound that's perfect for the mix of keyboards and beats used in the rhythms! The styles here are those which were borrowed – or plundered – by artists in the mainstream up north – but these are the tracks that really made the SA scene back in the day, and have a wonderful blend of synth, basslines, and vocals that often trade back and forth nicely – warming up the music a lot more than you'd expect! Titles include "Crocodile's Rock" by Black Moses, "I Was Born In Africa" by Richie S, "Blackout" by Tools & Figs, "Dayshift" by Dieketseng, "Ximamane" by Joy White, "Chomesa" by Chicco, "Nwananga Washanesera" by Joe Masunga, "Pusa Twala" by Sky Jinx, "Khombora Mina" by Paul Ndlovu, "Johnny Boy" by The Angels, "Don't Follow Me" by Mafika, and "Special Angel" by Babsy Mlangeni. LP, Vinyl record album