Notable sidemen include Lester Young, Herschel Evans, Buck Clayton, Harry "Sweets" Edison, Jack Washington, Earl Warrant, Jo Jones, Freddie Green, and Walter Page. CD

Rare rockers, early soul, and cool classic country – all the sorts of cuts you'd expect to hear from the mighty Bear Family Records label – but brought together here with school and the classrooms as the theme! A few of the cuts are familiar, but most are nice and obscure – in keeping with the well-chosen tracks we always discover on Bear Family – all presented with very detailed notes and vintage images too! Titles include "School Bus" by The Shades, "High School USA" by Tommy Facenda, "I Wanna Dance With The Teacher" by The Olympics, "Letter To A School Girl" by The Delcados, "The Teacher" by The Falcons, "High School Love" by Ronnie Allen, "School Girl" by The Winstons, "School House Rock" by Billy Harlan, "Talk Of The School" by Sonny James, "School Bus Love Affair" by Wynn Stewart, and "School Girl" by the 5 Royales. 34 tracks in all! CD

The mighty Imperial Records was home to a fair bit of pop, blues, and R&B in the postwar years – but the label also had a slightly secret history as a hotbed for raw rock and hard-edged singles during the same stretch of time! Imperial was an indie, and one that kept an ear to the ground for new sounds far beyond its home in LA – a legacy that certainly comes through in the R&B they recorded, and the paths they forged in hillbilly music too – and which also really shows in this great mix of rare singles from back in the day! A few artists are are ones you'll know from other musical moments in their lives, and most of the rest are pretty darn obscure – yet, as always, Bear Family does a great job of telling their stories and sharing the music in the CD's very big booklet of notes, label scans, and other vintage images. 35 tracks in all – with tracks from Gloria Jean Pitts, Merle Kilgore, Bob Luman, Jackie Walker, Slick Slavin, Burnette Brothers, Tommy Lomonte, The Sidewinders, Nick Venet, Ronnie Smith, Dennis Herrold, Dub Dickerson, Jackie Walker, and others. CD

The first solo album from John Cale – and a record that's about as different a statement as he could have made from his previous work in the Velvet Underground! There's an approach here in both the songwriting and instrumentation that's instantly Cale-like – sounds that have a knowledge of all the newer ideas that have been brewing up in the underground throughout the 60s – both in rock and more "serious" forms of art music – yet a way of putting over the tunes with undeniable charm, and which have Cale rising to the forefront as a surprisingly strong lead. A few steps further, and John might well have been a compelling crossover pop singer with a record like this – yet it's also his way of holding back that really makes things interesting – especially given all the different directions his career would take in the next few years – all hinted at here, but hidden in some surprisingly tuneful songs. Titles include "Ghost Story", "Amsterdam", "Charlemagne", "Hello There", "Gideon's Bible", "Adelaide", "Cleo", and "Big White Cloud". CD

A record with a very vintage-styled cover, but a set that's contemporary overall – jazzy work from Daniel Ogren, who plays all the instruments pictured around him on the cover – mixed with some occasional vocals from Anna Ahnlund, plus live drums and keyboards that almost hit a clubby sort of vibe at times! The record's got a sound that's really hard to peg – not really right for our jazz section, or new grooves – but certainly not rock, and not really global – although global elements clearly influence some of the rhythms on the record too. Most tunes have a melody that warms things up out of the darker corners of the rhythms – and titles include "Picasso", "Levi", "Hjalmarsfjorden", "Idag", "April", "Oktober", and "Annalena (album version)". CD

A beautifully done look at the music of Harvey Scales – a damn funky cat from the Milwaukee scene, finally getting his due! The package is overflowing with groovers – hard funky 45 cuts that Scales recorded for the Magic Touch label – mostly in the late 60s and start of the 70s – wrapped up here in a lavish booklet that's filled with well-researched notes, and vintage photos – a set that really sets a whole new standard for the Tuff City label! Scales' groove is one that we've always loved on 45 – a dancefloor-directed version of soul that falls somewhere in a space between Archie Bell & The Drells and Dyke & The Blazers – but with a heavier sound overall. Yet having all these cuts together in one place seems to give them even more intensity than before – a powerhouse package of 20 rare tracks that run the gamut from upbeat soul to heavy funk to a few early disco numbers as well. Titles include "Love-It is", "Broadway Freeze", "Get Down", "The Yolk", "The Funky Yolk", "Get Down 1970", "Funky Football", "Trying To Survive", "Bump Your Thang", "Groove On Sexy Lady", "Rock The World", "Welcome Home", "The Sound Of Soul", "Too Good To Be True", and "Love Is A Gas". Beautifully done package – with an almost Numero-like feel inside the booklet! CD

A stellar early Johnny Griffin recording for Blue Note, and one that features the young tenor genius from Chicago working alongside the equally fantastic John Coltrane and Hank Mobley – plus some additional trumpet from Lee Morgan, and rock-solid rhythm from Wynton Kelly, Paul Chambers, and Art Blakey! As the "blowing session" title might imply, this set features long tracks that let the players get in plenty of soloing (and, we might add, in a very competitive way!) The record is similar to the Prestige sessions of the same vintage and style, but recorded with a little bit more of the care and rehearsal that Blue Note provided. Cuts include "Ball Bearing", "All The Things You Are", and "Smoke Stack. CD

A Cory Weeds album that's really a cut above – given that this live session has the alto saxophonist joined by two great guests – Harold Mabern on piano and Terrell Stafford on trumpet! Both Mabern and Stafford get plenty of space to solo, and their contributions are wonderful – particularly Harold, who's rock-solid approach on the keys brings some of the focused energy he's more likely to use with some of the New York scene he records more regularly with – like Eric Alexander or Jim Rotondi. The rest of the group features Michael Glynn on bass and Julian MacDonough on drums – and titles include some well-chosen numbers from old school Blue Note vintage – including "Mood Malody", "Bluesanova", "Tolypso", "The Three Minors", "Up Tight's Creek", and "Consequence". CD

A bit later than classic vintage for the UK jazz-rock scene – but a set that's right up there with the best of the early years, thanks to a flurry of keyboards from the great Neil Ardley! Neil's keys have more of a 70s feel than some of the 60s elements used before – heavy on Arp Odyssey, and a bit of synth as well – and supported by work from Ian Carr on trumpet, John Martyn on guitar, and Tony Coe and Barbara Thompson on reeds – all players who help make the set more of a fusion outing than a rockish one. The solos get a bit proggy, but they're never overdone – and the tunes are quite lean overall, which allows for a good emphasis on rhythmic progressions. Apart from a bit of vocalization by Norma Winstone, the album's mostly instrumental – and titles include "Glittering Circles", "Upstarts All", "Leap In The Dark", and "Headstrong Headlong". CD

A rock-solid swinger from tenorist Warne Marsh – a set that's maybe got a bit more of a groove than some of his other records of late vintage – thanks to work from the rhythm section of Kenny Drew on piano, Bo Stief on bass, and Aage Tanggaard on drums! Steif's especially nice – able to set things up with a soulful pulse that makes a great match for the crisp, clean tenor lines of Marsh – still blowing here with all the modern qualities we've always loved, but also swinging a lot more too. Titles include "Sippin At Bells", "On Green Dolphin Street", "Star Eyes", "Ornithology", "Body & Soul", "Little Willie Leaps", and "Every Time We Say Goodbye" – the last of which is just a duet between Marsh and Drew. CD

A really great genre-hopping Christmas collection – one that features jazzy tunes, vocal numbers, and a few rock and country tracks as well – all of which really live up to the vintage spirit of the image on the cover! The set follows nicely in the style of the similarly-titled predecessor – and features an array of 29 postwar tracks that come from that moment when the marketing of Holiday spirit was a very big part of the music business! There's plenty of familiar tunes here, done in unusual versions – and some more obscure Christmas cuts that definitely make the set worthwhile – on titles that include "Mrs Santa Claus" by Nat King Cole, "Peace On Earth" by Peggy Lee, "Hello Mr New Year" by The Coolbreezers, "Merry Christmas To You All" by Elton Britt, "Christmas Candy" by Margaret Whiting & Jimmy Wakely, "It's A Marshmallow World" by Vic Damone, "Snowbound For Christmas" by The DeCastro Sisters, "Be A Santa" by McGuire Sisters, "When Santa Claus Gets Your Letter" by Gene Autry, "Sleigh Ride" by Johnny Desmond, "Here Comes Santa Claus" by Sammy Kaye with Don Cornell, "Christmas Is A Feeling In Your Heart" by Andy Williams, "Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer" by 101 Strings, "Jingle Bell Rock" by Eddy Arnold, and "Snowy White Snow & Jingle Bells" by Vaughn Monroe. CD

A legendary record from the late 60s scene in Peru – recorded by a group with the mod roots you might guess from their look on the cover, but who are definitely starting to let their hair down and get a bigger dose of the psychedelic generation in their mix! Instrumentation features all the fuzzy guitars and organ lines you might expect – delivered at that level that's made the group one of the key proponents of the legendary Peruvian scene at the time – one of the heights of South American rock experimentation. The group turn in unusual versions of "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida", "Strange Brew" and "Hey Joe" – and they serve up some wild originals too, including "Pepper's Boogaloo", "Answer", "Is My Guitar", "Raga Gag", "Words Of Pain", and the wild "Betty Boom Little Monster Doggie & Peggie At The Witches Castle". CD version has 3 bonus cuts – including a Spanish version of "Stormy", plus the instrumentals "Un Nuevo Verano" and "Outside Woman Blues". CD

Excellent set released by the CMF, and featuring a wealth of rare rockabilly tracks by the likes of Joe Clay, Ric Cartey, Pee Wee King, Tommy Blake, Jimmy Dell, Hoyt Johnson, and others. Loads of great stuff, and ripping all the way through! CD

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A host of raw rockers that were originally served up as 7" singles – all blasting out together with a tremendous amount of power – as if you're enjoying a night with choice cuts all stacked up in the jukebox pictured on the cover! The set's way more than any sort of oldies collection – as the music here is heavy on guitars, and effortlessly moves between blasts of fuzz and cleaner lines – sometimes instrumental, sometimes vocal – all with a sense of urgency that's delivered in the short space of the few minutes that would fit on a vintage 45! Richard Hawley curated the set, but even if you're not hip to his name, you'll find plenty here to dig if you love rare cuts of this sort – and as usual, Ace did a superb job with the presentation, sound quality, and notes! Titles include "Neb's Tune" by Ahab & The Wailers, "Cuttin Out" by The Pirages, "Feels Like A Woman" by The Troggs, "Buzzzzz" by Jimmy Cordon, "Bawana Jinde" by Al Duncan, "Dead End (part 1)" by The Executioners, "Where You Gonna Go" by Art Guy, "Long Line Rider" by Bobby Darin, "It's Nothing To Me" by Sanford Clark, "Jungle Walk" by The Dyna Sores, "Nasty" by The Timekeepers, "Quasimoto" by The Road Runners, "Swinging Drums" by Ronny Kae, and "Honky" by The Ho-Dads. CD