An album with a terrible cover – but a wonderful sound! Underneath this ridiculous bikini-clad cover lies some of the best work that Louis Hayes and Joe Farrell cut during the 80s – a freewheeling and open session that's steep on soul, and filled with the best energy both players could muster! The group's a quartet, with Farrell on tenor, soprano, and flute, Hayes on drums, Rob Van Den Broeck on piano, and Harry Emmery on bass. Farrell's inventiveness, as always, is incredible – restrained from some of his over-the-top work in the 70s – but in a good way, one that has him really focusing on the construction of his solos, and coming up with some wonderfully soulful notes that hold the lively rhythms of the tunes together. All tracks are long, and titles include "Miles Mode", "Vim N Vigor", "Arab Arab", and "Besame Mucho". CD

A great pair of musicians, reunited here in a live setting after working together on a classic album under Joe Farrell's name! The music here represents Farrell at a real height for the 80s – stretching out and blowing long, powerful solos on soprano, tenor, and flute – maybe dipping back to some of the energy he unlocked with Elvin Jones, but with a slightly warmer, more soulful quality that seems to be brought out from the presence of the great Woody Shaw on trumpet! The group features bold piano work from Gene Adler, great bass from Neil Swainson, and drums from Ronnie Burrage – and all tracks are quite long, with titles that include "Vim N Vigor", "Organ Grinder", "Molten Glass", and "Joshua C". CD

Funky madness from the legendary Rhythm Makers – a dancefloor combo with a really incredible groove! The group has an approach that's a lot like Kool & The Gang at their best, or like some of the best mid 70s albums by the Kay Gees or Fatback – lots of bass at the bottom, very tight vamping by the band, and a wikki-wikki funky sound that's totally great! Many of the tracks on the set make good use of moog or keyboards – never too much, but just the right dose to spook things up a bit – and although many of the cuts have vocals, the overall focus is still in the instrumentation – which always comes across pretty darn great, and which is played with incredible precision throughout! The combo later morphed into GQ, but they've got a much rawer sound here – and titles include "Can You Feel It (parts 1 & 2)", "You Better Believe It", "Soul On Your Side", "Zone", "Funk N You", and "Street Dreamin". CD features an insane number of bonus tracks – 10 in all – with the unreleased cuts "Position", "Wonderful", and "Lover's Lane" – plus "Can You Feel It (orig special disco 12")", "You're Never Too Old (single)", "Prime Cut (single)", "Touch (single)", and "How Much I Love You (single)". CD

Kahil El'Zabar reinvigorated his Ethnic Heritage Ensemble a few years back, and the results have been a really stunning reworking of his legacy on the Chicago scene in the 80s – especially on the great run of albums on the Spiritmuse label! All the rhythmic, hypnotic qualities of Kahil's past music informs these sounds – but there's also maybe more majesty and more spiritual power overall – as El'Zabar's work on a variety of percussion instruments is matched with bold baritone work from Alex Harding, and tremendous trumpet from Corey Wilkes! Kahil's vocals are also fantastic – an element that he never used this strongly in the past, and which open up a lost possible career as a soul singer from the more righteous side of the spectrum. The set also features work from James Sanders on violin and viola, and Ishmael Ali on cello – both musicians who add to the majesty of the music – on titles that include "Burundi", "All Blues", "Can You Find A Place", "Great Black Music", "Open Me", "Kari", "Return Of The Lost Tribe", and "Passion Dance". CD

Mindblowing funk from one of the greatest combos on the New York scene of the early 70s – Pazant Brothers Eddie & Al, heard here on a host of their greatest recordings! The package goes way past any other Pazant reissues we've seen – and features not only work from the group's famous Vanguard album, but way way more work from a host of early singles for the RCA, GWP, and Vigor labels! The 22 track package is overstuffed with horn-heavy funky grooves that mark the Pazants as one of the hottest things going at the time – snapping on the beat with a tightness learned from their old boss Pucho, but also a willingness to explore brassier grooves in a style that seems to be influenced from the New Orleans and Texas scenes of the late 60s. Producer/arranger Edward Bland had a good hand in much of this work – giving the tracks a gritty, nitty, Perception/Today kind of groove – and a few of the very best numbers on the record even bring in some wicked scratchy guitar into the mix! Includes early and later (Vanguard) versions of "Skunk Juice", "New Orleans", "Toe Jam", "Work Song", and "A Gritty Nitty" – plus "Chick A Boom", "Greasy Greens", "Fever", "Juicy Lucy", "Chicken Scratch", "Fly Vines", and "Back To Beaufort". CD