A trio of albums from this great tenorist! First up is Beboppin, from Ferdinand Povel – a tenorist who may not be one of the bigger stars on the European scene, but one who always finds a way to serve up something special! Povel's got a nice edge in his horn at times – a mode that's always inside, but often sharply spoken – even when he's going for some mellower moments too – a bit of old school bite in the way he approaches the reed, maybe – and a definite sense of attack that really comes on when he's in a more swinging mode! The group here has some great guitar from Wim Overgaauw, whose ringing tones bring a bright balance between Povel's horn and the piano of Frans Elsen – and the rest of the group features Victor Kaihatu on bass and Ruud Pronk on drums. Titles include "Off Minor", "I'm Old Fashioned", "Beboppin", "Deception", "Nobody Else But Me", and "I Fall In Love Too Easily". Some Other Blues features great work as a leader from reedman Ferdinand Povel – a player who's sparked up some great moments on albums by other players over the years, but who hardly ever records as a boss on his own! This set's a "forgotten tape" – recorded in the late 80s, but only issued recently – and it features Povel both on tenor and soprano sax, playing with an angularly expressive tone that even makes familiar standards sound fresh – working with players who include Wim Overgaauw on guitar, Rob Langereis on bass, and John Engels on drums. The mix of guitar and saxophone is pretty lively on the upbeat numbers – especially in the way that Wim uses these sustained notes that almost ring out like an organ – and titles on the set include "Workout", "Some Other blues", "Mr Syms", "Old Folks", "UMMG", and "Waltz New". Good Bait is a live album, and one that features the twin-tenor leadership of Ferdinand Povel and Pete Christlieb – both excellent soloists who get plenty of room here to really stretch out and soar! Other players include Rein DeGraaf on piano, Marius Beets on bass, and Eric Ineke on drums – and titles include long takes on "Milestones #1", "Good Bait", "All The Things You Are", and "Parker 51". CD

A big crossover classic for the champions of the Minneapolis scene – their first for Sire and featuring some of the greatest rock songs of the 80s, be it college radio, mainstream or any thing – greatness period! The sound is a bit more polished than the Twin Tone years, but there's no scrubbing out the shambling attitude, and truth be told, the more soul-searching material here is some of the best stuff they'd ever record. Includes the all time classics "Left Of The Dial" and "Hold My Life", plus "Little Mascara, Lay It Down Clown", "I'll Buy", "Kiss Me On The Bus", "Waitress In The Sky", "Swingin Party", and "Here Comes A Regular". This massive set really adds a hell of a lot of great material to the album: CD1 and the LP feature the Ed Stasium mix of the record. CD2 features the 2023 remaster of the record. CD3 features Sons Of No One, 15 rare and unreleased demos and alternate cuts – including "Can't Hardly Wait (cello version)" and "Having Fun". CD4 features Not Ready For Prime Time – an unreleased 1986 live performance in its entirety, recorded at Cabaret Metro in Chicago – one that we're proud to say we attended! CD

A really wonderful project from Gianluca Petrella – one that seems to take all the deeper currents he used in his work with Nicola Conte, and push them even farther here on his own! There's a righteous depth to the record we never would have expected from Petrella a few years before – an album-length set that's full of jazz and soul, equally intertwined – with a quality that almost feels a lot more like some of the best London work in recent years than some of the more familiar modes we know from the Schema label. Petrella's at the helm of the proceedings, leading the group on trombone – and there's plenty of key guests on the record throughout – including Soweto Kinch on tenor and vocals, Beppe Scardino on baritone, Pasquale Calo on tenor, Vanja Contu on harp, and Anna Bassy on vocals. Titles include "Nomads", "Ancient Jazz", "Unknown Dimension", "Natsu", "Comes From The Ground", "Universal Language", "Wonder", and "Connection". CD

Great later work from this 60s southern soul legend – a set that's maybe more rarities than hits – even though there's some classic Percy Sledge tunes in the mix as well, just served up in later versions! The collection's a great illustration of the way that true soul heroes keep on making great music long after the charts and radio play have kept them in the mainstream – and, apart from a rare few who get a late-life chance to work with a famous rock producer, or maybe get some Rolling Stone hype, there's plenty of others who never fully get that shot – yet keep on making wonderful music like this. As usual with Sunset Blvd, there's almost no details as to where the specific tracks are from – but we can say that the material is all from later in Sledge's career, and still has that incredible voice working through superb material – some lesser-known gems and remakes of some of his older Atlantic tracks. The set includes a few tracks on CD for the first time ever – remakes of "Spooky", "Warm & Tender Love", and "Sweet Soul Music" – plus "Hard Lovin Woman" – and other cuts include "Twine Time", "Honest As Daylight", "Blue Water", "It Tears Me Up", "Dark End Of The Street", "I've Been Loving You Too Long", "She's Too Pretty To Cry", "Tell It Like It Is", and "If She Were Mine". CD

A set that's not entirely funky, but maybe not that far off either – as the whole thing features unreleased material that was recorded by Zappa in the studio after Hot Rats – including some nicely jamming cuts that really have the group letting loose in maybe a more spontaneous, organic sort of way! All that Zappa sharpness is still present in the instrumentation, but things are maybe a bit more soulful – which seems a strange word to use, but definitely fits at times – as the hip group features performances from Sugarcane Harris, as well as drums from Aynsley Dunbar! Titles include "Basement Jam", "I'm A Rollin Stone", "Tommy/Vincent Duo 1", "Funky Nothingness", "Work With Me Annie/Annie Had A Baby", "Khaki Sack", "Twinkle Tits", "Chunga's Revenge (basement version)", and "Tommy/Vincent Duo 2". 3CD set is overflowing with great material – CDs 2 and 3 feature session masters and bonus tracks from the Zappa/Hot Rats 70 recordings – 14 more rare tracks! CD

The great Italian pianist Enrico Pieranunzi is featured here in three great records! First up is New Lands – a warmly-crafted trio set from Enrio Pieranunzi – a set that still shows his modern tones on the piano, but which also has a sensitivity that really makes things open up overall! The group is a trio – with Marc Johnson on bass and Joey Baron on drums – both subtle players who really let the piano take the lead at times, as Enrico stretches out on long tracks that include "New Lands", "A Child Is Born", "The Mood Is Good", and "If There Is Someone Lovelier Than You". Daedalus Wings is an unusual record, and one that features twin piano work from Bert Van Den Brink and Enrico Pieranunzi – not on long, free tracks, but on these beautiful shorter numbers that really seem to resonate strongly with the voices of each player! Titles include "Daedalus Suite", "Si Peu De Temps", "Pour Claude", "Guitar Blues", "Woods", and "O Toi Desir" – plus two solo takes by each player on "I Can't Get Started". Improvised Forms For Trio is a really different album from pianist Enrico Pieranunzi – and one that really lives up to its title! Rather than being song-based – featuring compositions by Enrico or some of his contemporaries – the record features the trio improvising, but never in a free jazz way – always with a groove, and a strong sense of rhythmic cohesion – but clearly improvising their way through the 18 short numbers that make up the set! The energy is great – in ways that maybe make the record one of Pieranunzi's most compelling records – and the rest of the group features Hein Van De Geyn on bass and Hans Van Oosterhout on drums. Titles include "Forms" 1 through 18. CD

Not just a "revisited" session in the usual mode – but instead, maybe an important second chapter in this really wonderful project – as the material here is all from the original sessions for the album, and works together beautifully here as a full length set! As before, the lineup is fantastic – led by pianist Greg Spero, and overflowing with hip talents who include Jeff Parker on guitar, Makaya McCraven on drums, Marquis Hill on trumpet, and Joel Ross on vibes – players who work alongside the bass of Darryl Jones on all numbers, who really helps set the tone for the record. Most players are on every single number, save for Ross – and rather than ape the groove of the others' work as leaders, there's a very fresh, inventive Chicago vibe going on here – on titles that include "In The Sky", "Hope Or Less", "Beauty", "Like Him", "Russian", and "Twinkles". CD