A real breakout album for The Village People – thanks largely to the hit "YMCA", which had surprising play at the time – and has gone onto become one of those ballpark hits that everyone seems to sing completely un-self-consciously! The group are still working here in a New York Sigma disco mode – with backings by the Gypsy Lane group – and apart from the "YMCA" hit, other long tracks include "Hot Cop", "My Roomate", "The Women/The Cruiser", and "Ups & Downs". LP, Vinyl record album

The only "west" these guys have gone is the West Village – the home of their aesthetic, and a post-Stonewall playground that was getting very firmly noticed by the mainstream by this point! The album's their last big one for Casablanca – and features arrangements from Horace Ott, who gives the record a surprisingly soulful core in the grooves – something that's also enforced by the production at the New York branch of Sigma Sound! Titles include the massive hit "In The Navy", plus the tracks "Go West", "Citizens Of The World", "I Wanna Shake Your Hand", "Manhattan Woman", and "Get Away Holiday". LP, Vinyl record album

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

One of the last great moments from The Village People – an album released in conjunction with their huge screen debut in the film Can't Stop The Music – a huge media blitz from their producer Jacques Morali – and a record that also marked the first film appearance of the young Bruce Jenner, and which opened with a sexy Valerie Perinne on roller skates! The title hit was the biggest number here – and in addition to "Can't Stop The Music", the group also reprise "YMCA", and perform "Liberation", "Magic Night", "I Love You To Death", and "Milkshake". The group also features two tracks from David Landon – "The Sound Of The City" and "Samantha" – plus two more by The Ritchie Family, "Give Me A Break" and "Sophistication". LP, Vinyl record album

A sublime celebration of this amazing spiritual ensemble from the Los Angeles scene – a 60th anniversary record from the group, and one that features a track recorded in every decade of their existence! The material comes from the group's archives, and has a surprisingly unified sound, despite the span of time and range of great musicians here – a shifting lineup that includes key work from group founder Horace Tapscott on piano, plus Phil Ranelin on trombone, Butch Morris on cornet, Nate Morgan on piano, Dwight Trible on vocals, and Arthur Blythe, Jesse Sharps, Adele Sebastian on reeds. With players of that nature, you can bet that there's a lot here that resonates with classics on the legendary Nimbus label – and the set is a great addition to the too-few recordings from that scene over the years. Titles include "Little A's Chant", "Nation Rising", "The Ballad Of Deadwood Dick", "Justice", "Dem Folks", and "The Golden Pearl". LP, Vinyl record album

Miles Jaye once played the cop in the Village People, but don't hold that against him – because by the time of this debut set, he'd really crafted his style as a soul singer – which makes the record a key part of a new trend in male soul for the late 80s! Jaye's got a cool, sophisticated style – one that gets some nice warm touches on the arrangement and production, which include lots of touches from Miles himself – plus help from luminaries like Dexter Wansel, Hubert Eaves, and Branford Marsalis. Titles include "Lazy Love", "Special Thing", "I've Been A Fool For You", "Desiree", "Happy 2 Have U", "Come Home", "I Cry For You", and "Let's Start Love Over". LP, Vinyl record album

A sweet little large group session from Gerry – a bit harder swinging than some of his mid 50s small group work, but still with that mellifluous glide that's the trademark Mulligan sound! Arrangements are by some great talents – including Al Cohn, Johnny Mandel, and Bob Brookmeyer, who also plays valve trombone on the set – and titles include "Blueport", "Body & Soul", "Black Nightgown", and "Let My People Be". LP, Vinyl record album

Incredible! If you've ever wondered why people think Sonny Rollins is so great, you owe it to yourself to own this album, because it's one that stands as one of the best 5 that Rollins ever cut, and because it features him playing in a stripped-down raw setting that lets his full solo talent come to the forefront. The material was all recorded in 1957 as part of his famous Village Vanguard session for Blue Note, but it was unreleased until 1975, when Blue Note put out this double LP set of the tracks with great notes by Bob Blumenthal. Every cut's a winner, and Rollins plays in two different trio settings – one with Donald Bailey and Pete La Roca, the other with Wilbur Ware and Elvin Jones. It's all great, and will make you a fan of his for life! LP, Vinyl record album

An excellent double-length set from Horace Tapscott's Pan-Afrikan Peoples Arkestra – an extremely righteous ensemble that was one of the hippest things going on the LA jazz scene of the 70s! The vibe is free and spiritual, but it also has a wonderful groove pulsating underneath many of the tracks – that heir to the Impulse Records style that Tapscott and other Nimbus Records artists carried on well into the early 80s. The group here features some of Tapscott's Nimbus labelmates – including Sabir Matteen and Billy Harris on tenor saxes, Linda Hill on piano, Adele Sebastian on flute, Roberto Miranda on bass, and Jesse Sharps on soprano sax – and in a way, the album's almost a live summation of all the mighty talents brewing on the Nimbus label at the time! Tracks are all quite long, and titles include a great version of Sebastian's "Desert Fairy Princess", plus "Macrame", "Future Sally's Time", "Noissessprahs", "Village Dance", "LTT", and "Lift Every Voice". LP, Vinyl record album