Classic Brit invasion work from Wayne Fontana & The Mindbenders – with tracks that include "Trickie Dickie", "One Fine Day", "Groovy Kind Of Love", "The Way You Do The Things You Do", "Seventh Son", and "All Night Worker". LP, Vinyl record album

A nice little live date from Mingus – a bit looser, and almost a bit rougher than some of his other work from this vintage – but in a way that makes for a continually appealing set! The group here is a sextet – with Eddie Preston on trumpet, Charles McPherson on alto, Bobby Jones on tenor, and Jaki Byard on piano – and tracks are long and lively, taken at a pretty good clip with plenty of space for the soloists to do their own thing. Titles include "Orange Was The Color Of Her Dress", "The Man Who Never Sleeps", and "OP". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

Blacksmith handled the remix and extra production work for this single – giving the track a nice strong London groove, circa 1990, which is about the best vintage we can think of! 12-inch, Vinyl record

Great material from a very famous session, recorded on 11/26/1945, originally issued on 78s, along with extra tracks, compiled here in one of Savoy's posthumous Bird LPs from the early 60s. The group includes Miles Davis on trumpet, Bud Powell on piano, Curley Russell on bass, and Max Roach on drums – and titles include original and alternate takes of "Thriving From A Riff", "Meandering", "Koko", "Now's The Time", and "Billie's Bounce", all in early famous versions! LP, Vinyl record album

Older Charlie Parker material – originally recorded as 78rpm releases for Savoy, packaged up here in full LP form, along with alternate takes and a great cover, in the years after his early death! Players include Miles Davis on trumpet, Tiny Grimes on guitar, Dizzy Gillespie on trumpet and piano, Duke Jordan and John Lewis on piano, and Max Roach on drums – and titles include "Red Cross", "Sippin At Bells", "Little Willie Leaps", "Donna Lee", "Chasing The Bird", and "Half Nelson". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

A gritty little gem in the Gram Parsons/Burritos catalog – mostly covers of classic honky tonk tunes! Many of the tracks were recorded for what would have been an honest, earnest, hard country album that was never fully realized – eventually paired with a few other tracks of similar vintage and some outtakes with Emmylou, then released as a posthumous Gram Parsons/Flying Burrito Bros LP. Gram is hardly acknowledged by the country music establishment to this day, but this set shows that he loved and respected the songs of Merle Haggard (Gram's supposed cultural opposite at the time, so little did the world actually know), Buck Owens, The Louvin Brothers and the endless lost highway of roadhouse jukebox classics – played here with a boozy after hours swagger! Tracks include "Brand New Heartache", "Tonight The Bottle Let Me Down", "Sing Me Back Home", "Crazy Arms", "Close Up The Honky Tonks", "Honky Tonk Women", "Dim Lights" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

Strong work from the Peterson Trio's London House gig in Chicago in 1961 – material that offers some slightly longer than usual takes on the group's sound, especially on a few numbers that really let Oscar open up on the keys! The group here is the legendary combo with Ed Thigpen on drums and Ray Brown on bass – but on the album's long versions of "Sometimes I'm Happy", "In The Wee Small Hours" and "Chicago", it's Oscar's inventive work on the keys that really dominates the nearly 10 minute run of each track. Other shorter tunes include "Billy Boy", "Whisper Not", and "The Night We Called It A Day". LP, Vinyl record album

... 78 RPM, Vinyl record

The scene may be changing, but nothing can dampen the fire of the great Bud Powell – and, if anything, this fifth installment in Blue Note's "Amazing" series may well have the pianist at his mature best! The rhythm duo are wonderful – more late 50s modern hardbop than some of Bud's accompanists in years past – the great Paul Chambers on bass and Art Taylor on drums, both of whom can bring the fire when needed, yet also craft their lines with these subtle touches that really match Powell's incredible dexterity on piano. Tunes are shorter than usual for a Blue Note album of this vintage – but mostly because all three players pack a hell of a lot into a very small space – and really make timeless magic on titles that include "Down With It", "Cleopatra's Dream", "Gettin' There", "Danceland", "Borderick", and "Duid Dee". LP, Vinyl record album

A great little album from Nina – mostly recorded live at the Westbury Music Fair, with a hip mix of jazz, soul, and folk that's stretched out in a slightly informal setting that always brings out the best of Nina's vocals. Titles include "The Backlash Blues", "Please Read Me", "Sunday In Savannah", "Why? (The King Of Love Is Dead)", and the nice jazzer "In The Morning". Plus, the album also includes one straight soul number – "Do What You Gotta Do", with some great arrangements by Horace Ott. LP, Vinyl record album

There's a slight shift here from the first album by Steeleye Span – a bit of a shift to just a touch of electric guitar and organ next to the bass guitar lines of Ashley Hutchings – which makes for an even more sinister sound than before! In keeping with their approach, most songs are from older British sources – but they really get transformed by the presentation, which creates an acid folk vibe that really sets the stage for the Wicker Man scene – including some of the strange folk experiments of Current 93 many years later! Most of the rest of the instrumentation is acoustic, used in a way that creates this time-tripping approach that's really amazing – on titles that include "Boys Of Bedlam", "Cold Haily Windy Night", "The Blacksmith", "Female Drummer", "The King", "Lovely On The Water", and "The Lark In The Morning". LP, Vinyl record album

A surprisingly jazzy score – thanks to orchestrations by Ralph Burns, and musical direction by Elliot Lawrence! And of course, the vocals by Sammy Davis Jr are pretty darn nice too! LP, Vinyl record album

Maybe the biggest album ever from this very groovy 60s studio instrumental group – thanks in part to the excellent cut "No Matter What Shape (Your Stomach's In)" – used in a famous TV commercial! There's lots of other cool material that follows the same format – nicely different than the hot rod/surf instrumental vibe of the 60s – on titles that include "Chiquita Banana", "Pizza Parlor", "What's In the Bag Goose", and the groovy "Sippin N Chippin". LP, Vinyl record album

A full length Riverside album that brings together two different sessions from the 78rpm years! Side one features trombonist Jack Teagarden working with an octet that also includes Rex Stewart on cornet, Ben Webster on tenor, and Barney Bigard on clarinet – and side two features clarinet genius Pee Wee Russell working with Freddie Green on guitar, Max Kaminsky on trumpet, Al Gold on tenor, James P Johnson on piano, and Dicky Wells on trombone! LP, Vinyl record album

Vocals by Henri Decker & Maryse Dorial. 78 RPM, Vinyl record

Vintage radio broadcast with Judy Garland, Big Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Bob Hope, Jimmy Durante, and others. LP, Vinyl record album

Dj Qbico usually gives us grooves from other parts of the planet – but here, he focuses on rare vintage singles from the US – but all tracks that borrow nicely from other styles around the globe! In other words, the set features American artists working with touches of Eastern, Mid-Eastern, African, or South American elements in their music – often in a cool hybrid that involves plenty of jazz or soul as well, and which, given that most of these are 45s, stand as precursors to longer-form musical experiments to come at the end of the 60s and start of the 70s. Titles on this part 2 include "Mambo Arribique" by Otis Freeman, "Champs Jerk" by M Ali, "Man Want Water" by Elmer Crumbley, "Funk Key" by Jacobs Kelly, "There Will Be Light" by Free Form Experiment, "Your Autumn Of Tomorrow" by The Crow, "Bo Did It" by The Hidden Cast, and "Honkey Tonk Junk" by Pervis Herden. LP, Vinyl record album

A really great take on the style of the funky compilation – one that mixes in lots of gritty garagey rock tracks along with a bit of vintage soul! The blend here is surprisingly seamless – as the rocking tracks often have a funky kind of groove, and the soul cuts sometimes have trippier elements in the mix – which makes the whole thing come together with a strongly color-blind sense of sound – even though things are pretty darn soulful throughout! Most numbers are from rare singles, but there's also some unreleased cuts – and very detailed liner notes that shed plenty of light on these very groovy sounds. Titles on volume 1 include "Mojo" by Van Broussard, "Girl Give Me Love" by The Little Bits, "Jamm (part 1)" by Frozen Sun, "You're No Good" by Phlegethon, "If You Can't Love Me Pity Me" by The Chapters, "B Side" by The Looking Glass, "Good Thing Going" by The Four, and "Ashtray Candle" by Pump. LP, Vinyl record album

With vintage recordings by James P Johnson, Sepia Serenaders, Pat Flowers & His Rhythm, Donald Lambert, and Noble Sissle & Eubie Blake. LP, Vinyl record album

With vintage selections by Bert Mays, Barrel House Welch, Rudy Foster, Jack O'Diamonds, James "Bat" Robinson, Louise Johnson, Little Brother Montgomery, Jabo Williams, and Turner Parrish. LP, Vinyl record album

Vintage work from some steel guitar pioneers – including Lemuel Turner, Jimmy Tarlton, Jenks Carman, Jimmie Davis, Roy Acuff, and Cliff Carlisle! LP, Vinyl record album

Raunchy vintage blues and jazz, with lots of drug and drinking slang – on cuts by Babs Gonzalez, Spirits Of Rhythm, Lucky Millinder, Rubberlegs Williams, Slim & Slam, Rosetta Howard, Cats & The Fiddle, and others! LP, Vinyl record album

A searing set of vintage soul cuts – brought together in honor of the legendary Wigan Casino – one of the most important clubs in the UK Northern Soul scene of the 70s! For the uninitiated, Wigan was a hotbed of upbeat rare soul cuts – overlooked American goodies from both the previous decade and more recent years – often with a strong focus on deeper soul vocals, which meant some strong entries from the southern scene as well! This well-done package comes with a heavy book-style cover, notes on the club and its music – and a whopping 28 tracks in all – including "I Can't Hide It" by The Appreciations, "Baby What Has Happened To Our Love" by The Ringleaders, "The Night The Angels Cried" by Johnny Dynamite, "I'm A Teardrop" by The Jerms, "Your Love Makes Me Lonely" by The Chandlers, "Watch Yourself" by Tony Hester, "Does Anybody Know What Time It Is" by Copper & Brass, "Can I Be Dreamin" by The Young Savages, "She's Fire" by The CODs, "Could It Be" by Mikki Farrow, and "Your Wish Is My Command" by The Inspirations. LP, Vinyl record album

A rare one from Teddy – and one of his hippest records! Unlike some of Edwards other 60s sides, which are competent but uncompelling bop-inflected ones, this set grooves in a soulful way that's clearly influenced by the Blue Note sound of the mid 60s, and which has Edwards really stretching out his solos to meet the energy of the players on the set. Jimmy Owens is on trumpet, Cedar Walton plays piano, and the rest of the group includes Garnett Brown, Ben Tucker, and Lenny McBrowne. Tracks are all pretty darn groovy – and trust us, Edwards will blow your socks off! Titles include "Afraid Of Love", "Mamacita Lisa", "Back Alley Blues", "The Cellar Dweller", "Moving In", and "It's All Right". LP, Vinyl record album

With the classic "Don't Stop Believin" – plus "Keep On Runnin", "Open Arms", and "Who's Crying Now". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

Moogy keyboards, disco grooves, and sweet female vocals make this a classic session from the Rinder & Lewis team – and the album's a lot better than you might think from the silly name of the group or the throwaway disco cover on the front! The keyboards really drive the album, hitting some great funky clavinet moments or sweet moogy parts that always seem to have a nice touch of jazz – spicing up the tracks in a style that you wouldn't normally get on an album of this vintage and style. Titles include "Do You Have Any?", "Slow Down",a nd the mellow jazzy space number "No Sweat". LP, Vinyl record album

MGMT's debut and certainly one the biggest spacey pop albums of the 00s, possibly THE biggest! The enduring hits "Time Time Pretend" and "Electric Feels" blend dense layers of vintage synth and keys with a modern sheen and memorable hooks – and there are plenty more like that here, with just hint of melancholy under the bright sound. Dave Friedmann, whose deft hand on some of The Flaming Lips most loved recordings was a great choice by MGMT to co-produce – we couldn't imagine any more appropriate! "Weekend Wars", "The Youth", "Kids", "4th Dimensional Transition", "Pieces Of What", "The Handshake", "Future Reflections" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

Duke Pearson knocks it out of the park with this one – perfectly summing up all the new ideas in jazz arranging and large ensemble work he'd been exploring at Blue Note – and pushing things way way past his previous small group material as well! The album's quite different than most other 60s iterations of big band jazz – as Pearson's got a way of making all instruments come together on the rhythms, then exploding with subtle colors and soulful tones – yet all at a level that's never forced or gimmicky at all. It helps that he's got a tremendous lineup of players here – both Lew Tabackin and Frank Foster on tenor (the latter of whom does some arranging for the record) – plus Pepper Adams on baritone, Marvin Stamm and Randy Brecker on trumpets, Garnett Brown and Jimmy Cleveland on trombones, Jerry Dodgion and Al Gibbons on alto, and the rhythm team of Bob Cranshaw on bass and Mickey Roker on drums. Duke plays superb piano with a really sophisticated touch, but it's really his strength as an arranger that makes the whole thing come together beautifully. Andy Bey sings on a version of "I'm Tired Cryin Over You" – and other titles include "Amanda", "Tones For Joan's Bones", "Dad Digs Mom", "Disapproachment", and "Make It Good". LP, Vinyl record album

Not the famous Broadway cast recording – but the real deal instead – vintage 78rpm recordings by one of the hippest female blues singers of the 20s! LP, Vinyl record album

A great late 60s gem from pianist Horace Silver – and a great bridge between his earlier soul jazz for Blue Note, and some of his more righteous work to come in the 70s! At one level, the sound here steps off from classics like Serenade To A Soul Sister or The Jody Grind – but at another level, there's a more open approach to the music – one that has Horace sliding into new tones and colors, with a slightly lyrical undercurrent as well. As on some of his later dates, the mellower moments are often the most compelling – showing a newly mature side of Silver's talents, and a new love of space between the notes that really helps to break the mode of previous recordings! The group here features the great Bennie Maupin on tenor and flute, Randy Brecker on trumpet and flugelhorn, John Williams on bass, and Billy Cobham on drums – and titles include "Lovely's Daughter", "Risin Sun", "You Gotta Take A Little Love", "Down & Out", and "Brain Wave". LP, Vinyl record album

A tightly swinging set that makes wonderful use of the tenor sax of Buddy Tate – recorded in a swing-based mode that's very much in the same spirit Verve was using with players of his vintage, but in a style that's slightly rougher around the edges! The whole thing's got a nicely echoing sound that lets Tate's tenor ring out nicely amidst small group backing from Clark Terry on trumpet, Tommy Flanagan on piano, Larry Gales on bass, and Art Taylor on drums. Tracks are a mix of shorter numbers and a few especially nice long ones – and titles include "Groun Hog", "#20 Ladbroke Square", "All Too Soon", and "Snatchin It Back". LP, Vinyl record album

The great early double album from Tom Waits! This is peak Asylum era Waits, getting into that charismatic, drunken bluesy poet mode – essentially working live in the studio with a small audience , giving it a genuine sounding latenight cabaret vibe, and embracing his wit and style as brilliantly as he'd done to this point. Brilliant vintage Waits and a loose, yet nicely rhythmic backing combo. Titles include "Better Off Without A Wife", "Emotional Weather Report", "On A Foggy Night", "Eggs & Sausage", "Spare Parts", "Big Joe & Phantom 309", and "Putnam County". LP, Vinyl record album

A very cool collection – filled with music from vintage Japanese programs of the postwar years! LP, Vinyl record album

A real treat for Cannonball Adderley fans in the years after his passing – vintage live material recorded in 1960, right at a time when Adderley was really finding his groove! The lineup here features a classic quintet – with brother Nat on cornet, Victor Feldman on piano, Sam Jones on bass, and Louis Hayes on drums – rolling out in a heavy soul jazz groove that's right up there with Cannon's best Riverside albums from the time! The tracks are longish, given the live setting – with energy to match his Live In San Francisco or Japan albums – and titles include "Big P", "One For Daddy O", "The Chant", "Azule Serape", and "What Is This Thing Called Love". LP, Vinyl record album

Stunning work from Lucas Arruda – a record we love even more than his first – and we totally loved that one to death! The sound here is prime Brazilian 70s at its best – that magical moment when jazz, fusion, and older bossa-schooled styles all came together in a really unique blend – and also helped Brazil find its own unique sense of soul, too – a quality that really came forth in the best work from Azymuth and Marcos Valle at the end of the decade! No surprise, Lucas has Azymuth bassist Alex Malheiros and Valle collaborator Leon Ware both on board to help out with the record – but the strength of the set is clearly all Arruda's own – as his vocals are wonderful, with a soulful expression that's vaguely in the Ed Motta side of the spectrum – mixed with his own warm lines on Fender Rhodes, which totally warm things up! Production is perfect, and equally vintage – and the album's a treasure we'll be loving for years. Titles include "Uma Onda", "Melt The Night", "Vento Sul", "Kalunga", "Solar", "O Mar O Samba E O Sol", "Beyond The Sea", and "Agua". LP, Vinyl record album

One of those Metronome classics from a time when the Swedish jazz scene was really catching fire! The set features a full complement of work from the great American trumpeter Benny Bailey – who was making big waves on the Scandia scene at the time – plus work from Ake Persson on trombone, Bjarne Nerem on tenor, Rune Ofwerman on piano, Lennart Jansson on baritone, Rune Gustafsson on guitar, Arne Domnerus on on alto, and Torbjorn Hultrantz on bass. Arrangements are by Melba Liston on many tracks too! LP, Vinyl record album

Way more than just a greatest hits collection – as the record is one of the few albums from Solomon's years that you can ever find on vinyl, and it's a stellar collection of hard and deep soul tracks that no collection should be without! Every cut on here is a classic – or should be for you, if you haven't heard them all yet! Titles include "Words", "Cry To Me", "Everybody Needs Somebody To Love", "Got To Get You Off My Mind", "The Price", "Down In The Valley", "If You Need Me", "Just Out Of Reach", and "Home In Your Heart". LP, Vinyl record album

A great collection of classic 60s soul from Atlantic Records – served up in a cover that's almost iconic! There's two tracks here by each of the greats recording for the label at the time – with tunes that include Solomon Burke "Got To Get You Off My Mind" and "Just Out Of Reach", Wilson Pickett "Don't Fight It" and "In The Midnight Hour", Joe Tex "I Want To (Do Everything For You)" and "Hold What You've Got", Don Covay "See Saw" and "Mercy, Mercy", Ben E King "Don't Play That Song" and "Stand By Me", and Otis Redding "Mr Pitiful" and "I've Been Loving You Too Long". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the definitive Sam Cooke recordings of the 60s – never issued at the time, but one of the crucial sides that's provided a later look at his brilliance from the time. The session was recorded at the same vintage as Sam Cooke At The Copa – another live record that was issued during the 60s, and which some claim caused the repression of this one, a much livelier, harder, and soulful session, recorded way uptown, at the Harlem Square Club. The Sam you hear here is a much harder soul artist than the one at the Copa – working his way through some great versions of tracks that include "Cupid", "Chain Gang", "Feel It", "Bring It On Home To Me", and "Nothing Can Change This Love". LP, Vinyl record album

Bobby Darin takes on the music of Ray Charles, and does a surprisingly great job – thanks to some extra-hip arrangements from Jimmy Haskell! LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic record from one of the first great female voices in Jamaican music – the completely righteous Phyllis Dillon, a singer who set a whole new standard for the genre! The tunes here are beautiful rocksteady numbers – a number of which just have bass, drums, and organ stepping along behind Dillon's powerful lead. A few others change up the rhythms a bit, but Phyllis holds the whole thing together nicely – both on original material, and transformative versions of other tunes from the time. Titles include "Don't Stay Away", "One Life To Live", "Nice Time", "Perfida", "Right Track", "Rocksteady", "Close To You", "Woman Ghetto" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

Fantastic soundtrack work for the Stranger Things series from Netflix – a narrative set in the early 80s, and scored here with a sound that really gets that era right! This isn't schlocky 80s keyboard work, nor some sort of easy retro motif – and instead, the team of Kyle Dixon and Michael Stein go for sort of the coolest moods and styles that were being used in film scores during the time – especially the spare keyboards and careful electronics that were just right for a sci-fi or sophisticated horror story! The keyboards all feel very vintage, but not in an "easy" way – and titles on this first volume include "Lay Z Boy", "Nancy & Barb", "Kids", "Hawkins", "The Upside Down", "Lamps", "Fresh Blood", "Photos In The Woods", and "Hanging Lights". LP, Vinyl record album

A massive classic from Lou Donaldson's funky years with Idris Muhammad on drums – an album that's filled with lots of bottom-heavy grooves, plus some great work on alto, guitar, and organ! Muhammad's drums are in fine fine form here – right up there with his other LD Blue Note work, if not even better – and the rest of the lineup features Leon Spencer and Lonnie Smith on organ, Ted Dunbar and Melvin Sparks on guitar, and Blue Mitchell on trumpet – all top-shelf players who really make the album kick nicely. Titles include the classic cut "Pot Belly", which was sampled by Tribe Called Quest and about a hundred others – plus "Curtis Song", "Sassie Lassie", "Love", and a version of "Tennessee Waltz" that's even a nice one too! LP, Vinyl record album

Classic 30s Ellington for Bluebird – with Cootie Williams on trumpet, Juan Tizol on trombone, Johnny Hodges on alto and soprano sax, and Harry Carney on baritone and clarinet. LP, Vinyl record album

A bit later than some of Lowell Fulsom's funk work for Kent Records – but a set that's almost more vintage overall! The album's recorded for the short-lived Big Town imprint – a late 70s venue that took older R&B artists back to the sounds of a few decades before – never too rootsy, thanks to the style of production – but with less attempt to crossover to a contemporary audience than the artists might have used on another label. There is a fair bit of heavy guitar in the 70s – a kind of post-blues revival feel that comes on loud and clear, and which sounds especially great on the title track "Lovemaker", which almost has a funky "Tramp" groove at the bottom! Other cuts include "Bending Like A Willow Tree", "Get The Cash & Let The Credit Go", "My Mind Is Trying To Leave Me Too", "When Things Go Wrong", and "I Am Not Worried". LP, Vinyl record album

Amazing work from Harmonica Frank – an artist who recorded these firey sides for Sun Records in the early 50s! Frank's got this offbeat style that's definitely blues at the core, but which also has links to some of the novelty modes of the Appalachian scene – as he's not afraid to go for a gimmick at some moments, especially in the way he plays his harmonica along with the guitar! Yet overall, Frank's music is plenty bluesy – so much so that he's often been lumped with older blues musicians by collectors, who couldn't tell the vintage or race of the artists from his original singles. Titles include two versions of the classic "Howlin Tom Cat" – plus "Monkey Love", "Great Medical Menagerist", "She Done Moved", "Rockin Chair", "Swamp Rat", and "Goin Away Walkin". LP, Vinyl record album

Vintage work from Mississippi John Hurt, but somehow amazingly clear and crisp in this classic LP presentation! The tunes are wonderfully earthy – just vocals and guitar from Hurt, in a style that's definitely blues, but which has some surprisingly jazzy inflections at times – at least from the perspective of older-style jazz. Titles include "Candy Man Blues", "Spike Driver Blues", "Big Leg Blues", "Ain't No Tellin", "Frankie", "Nobody's Dirty Business", and "Louis Collins". LP, Vinyl record album

A stone classic from reedman Ronnie Laws – and an album that really helped set a whole new standard for funky fusion in the 70s! Laws works here with great Wayne Henderson production – which gives the album an even sharper sound than other Blue Note sets of this vintage – and that kind of tight blend of funk and jazz you'd find in the Crusaders, with a similar no-nonsense approach in the grooves! Henderson's got a great way of never being too smooth – and Laws responds with some wicked solos on tenor, soprano sax, and flute – soaring out over the course of the whole wonderful album. Titles include "Goodtime Ride", "Just Love", "Saturday Evening", "Friends & Strangers", "Nuthin Bout Nuthin", "New Day", and "Same Old Story". LP, Vinyl record album

A really great collection of Chess Records work by JB Lenoir – one of the more unusual singers on the Chicago scene at the time – and one with a sound that's pretty darn great all the way through! Lenoir's tone is a pitch or two up from most of his contemporaries – not as gritty and deep, and with inflections that almost point the way towards soul singers in the generation to come. Yet the backings are definitely in the best Windy City modes of the time – as Lenoir plays some great electric guitar, alongside Alex Atkins on alto, Ernest Cotton on tenor, Joe Montgomery on piano, and Willie Dixon on bass. The set mixes vintage singles with a few unreleased tracks – and titles include "Natural Man", "Don't Dog Your Woman", "Don't Touch My Head", "Five Years", "Mama What About Your Daughter", "Korea Blues", "Let Me Die With The One I Love", "I'm In Korea", and "Carrie Lee". LP, Vinyl record album

Excellent work from pianist Harold Mabern – a strong talent whose lyrical powers graced the MJT sides from Chicago on Vee Jay in the early 60s, and a player who also worked on some great Blue Note sessions in the mid 60s. This set is possibly his strongest for Prestige – a tight, hard batch of soul jazz tracks, with a more pronounced punch than some of his other work. The group is great – with Blue Mitchell on trumpet, George Coleman on tenor, Bill Lee on bass, and the excellent (and virtually unknown) Hugh Walker on drums. The album's got some great long cuts – including "Rakin & Scrapin", "Such Is Life", and "Aon". LP, Vinyl record album

An obscure one on the Eleuthera label – with Buzzy Lindhart on vocals, guitar, vibes, and percussion! LP, Vinyl record album

Later than the classic vintage of Erroll Parker's work for the Sahara label – but an excellent album of large ensemble soul jazz tracks that's really great all the way through! The group's a tentet, and they're boldly expressive – bursting out with a sense of power that's almost more focused than some of Parker's earlier music, with some especially sharp edges on the horn work in the set. Players include Steve Coleman on alto, Wallace Roney and Graham Haynes on trumpets, Bill Saxton on tenor, and Robin Eubanks on trombone – and the cuts all have Parker's heavy drum sound in the groove, dancing along with guitar at a rhythmic pace that keeps things nice and lively! Titles include "Baobab", "The Dancer", "Chega De Saudade", and "Three Blind Mice". LP, Vinyl record album

Andre Previn's got some very hip pals here – drummer Shelly Manne and bassist Red Mitchell – both frequent partners during the late 50s, especially on this classic run of jazz-Broadway records for Contemporary! The spirit here is very much like that of the famous My Fair Lady date made by the trio – a strong extrapolation of familiar tunes from a hit show – taken way out into instrumental jazz territory – with less thought of the core melody, and more focus on the tunes use as vehicles for jazz improvisation. Previn's piano has hardly sounded better – and more creative, both in tone and timing – an inspiration that certainly comes from Manne's inventive drum work – and titles include "Aunt Alicia's March", "I Remember It Well", "The Parisians", "She Is Not Thinking Of Me", "Thank Heaven For Little Girls", and "A Toujours". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

Socking soul, and a key album in the career of Detroit powerhouse Edwin Starr – one that had him stepping forth with a proud, loud groove all the way through! Starr's work was always a bit harder than the regular Motown bag – no doubts because of his more indie soul roots – and on this set, Edwin comes clean with a punched-up style that's heard to famous effect on the anthemic title hit "25 Miles", and which is nicely followed up by a great batch of tracks that includes "Gonna Keep on Tryin", "You Beat Me To The Punch", "Soul City", "Strugglin' Man", "Mighty Good Lovin", and "Backyard Lovin Man". LP, Vinyl record album

A vintage set from 1977, a time when The Heartbreakers were at their best – with titles that include the classic "Chinese Rocks", plus "Get Off The Phone", "I Love You", "Can't Keep My Eyes On You", "All By Myself", and "I Wanna Be Loved". LP, Vinyl record album

Titles include "Blue Black Bottom", "Serenade For A Wealthy Widow", "Blue Because Of You", "Don't Let It Bother You", "Somebody Stole My Gal", and "I Ain't Got Nobody". LP, Vinyl record album

A collection of 16 recordings mostly from 1936, with Herman Autrey, Gene Sedric, Al Casey, Charles Turner, and Slick Jones. LP, Vinyl record album

A new sense of focus in the Weather Report sound – that building, soaring groove that would become the group's trademark in the mid 70s – offered up here in one of it's first and finest examples! The approach is one to describe accurately on paper – but which is instantly recognizable as the Weather Report sound of the time – a flowing, stretching, organic vibe that builds equally from the talents of all players, and turns it into a wonderfully righteous groove! Senior members Joe Zawinul, Wayne Shorter, and Miroslav Vitous are still at the core – alongside Dom Um Romaeo, Alphonso Johnson, and Ismael Wilburn. Tracks include "Mysterious Traveller", "Jungle Book", "Nubian Sundance", and "Cucumber Slumber". LP, Vinyl record album

A great little collection of work that Sonny Boy Williamson recorded for Chess in the 50s and early 60s – presented here as one of the well-done archival packages that Chess was doing in the early 70s, as interest in their classics was coming back again. Most of the numbers here feature Williamson on vocals and harmonica, working with likely Chess associates who include Otis Spann and Lafayette Leake on piano, Muddy Waters and Robert Lockwood on guitars, and Willie Dixon on bass – and the set features the tracks "Born Blind", "I Wonder Why", "This Is My Apartment", "Cool Disposition", "I Know What Love Is All About", "Too Close Together", "Keep It To Yourself", and "Don't Lose Your Eye". LP, Vinyl record album

Vintage blues from Atlantic Records, with a good dose of soul and R&B too – 83 tracks in all! Music from Blind Willie McTell, Johnh Lee Hooker, Stick McGhee, Chuck Norris, BB King, Albert King, Jimmy Yancey, Jack Dupree, Joe Turner, Li; Green, Otis Clay, ZZ Hill, Koko Taylor, Otis Rush & more. LP, Vinyl record album