An album that really lives up to its title – as the record sets out to prove to the world that Isaiah Collier is one of the most almighty talents on the saxophone in recent years! The album has a spiritual majesty that tops even the previous album with the Chosen Few group – as in addition to work from the quartet that includes Julian Davis Reid on piano, Jeremiah Hunt on bass, and Michael Shekwoaga Ode on drums – the group adds in extra instrumentation, light strings, and added horns at times too – all of which push the music into territory that's right up there with Nimbus or Strata East back in the glory days! Collier is a true jazz visionary, and his message here is bold and brilliant – given some key support from older Chicago legends who include saxophonist Ari Brown on one track, and vocalist Dee Alexander on another – getting maybe one of her most beautiful showcases ever on record. Titles include "Love", "Compassion", "Duality Suite", "The Almighty", and "Perspective (Peace & Love)". CD

A landmark batch of work from the British jazz scene – the complete early run of recordings from Colosseum, maybe the greatest jazz-rock group of their time! The combo grew out of earlier work in the beat group generation – informed strongly by American jazz and R&B, but already on the forefront of the new prog generation – driven by the mighty drums of Jon Hiseman and topped with the sax and reed work of Dick Heckstall-Smith – both fantastic players who really gave the group their grounding! The lineup shifts a bit throughout this set, and maybe gets even better as the records go on – with later work from Chris Farlowe on vocals, whose soulful style is a perfect match to the groove-heavy sound of the group. Back in the days when we didn't like prog at all, and were more focused on jazz and funk, we still had a very soft spot for Colosseum – and it's no surprise that some of these records are always found in the collections of funk fanatics around the world. The 6CD set features the full albums Those About To Die Salute You, Valentyne Suite, Grass Is Greener, Daughter Of Time, and Colosseum Live – almost all of which are presented here with bonus tracks – alongside a full bonus CD of rare studio and live recordings too! There's also a huge booklet of notes – and this package is the comprehensive take on this legendary group. CD

A great counterpart to the rare Stanton Davis Ghetto Mysticism album – and a set that was recorded right around the same time, with a number of previously unreleased tracks! The spiritual energy of that group has been well-loved by collectors for years – and enjoyed by others thanks to a recent reissue – and this sweet batch of rare cuts really augments that rare musical moment, by offering up a further set of completely cosmic grooves! The style is spacey jazz funk with some deeper elements in the mix – all recorded and arranged with an indie vibe that reminds us a lot of the classic Oneness Of Juju albums on Black Fire, but without as much vocals – just a strong focus on the sweet keyboard lines and soaring horn passages. Some tracks are brand new, others are different versions of themes from the Brighter Days album – and titles include "Delta Six/Brighter Days", "Isis Voyage", "Odwalla", "Things Can Not Stop Forever (Al Kent version)", "High Jazz (reprise – alt mix)", "Things Cannot Stop Forever (inst mix)", and "Funky Fried Tofu (alt inst version)". CD

A stone pop soul winner from DeBarge – the kind of record that made the group a heck of a lot of money back in the 80s, and which sounds surprisingly great to our ears today! The record features lots of electro arrangements – fuzzy keyboards and bass pedals grooving around in a way that's got traces of "street" electro, mixed with some super-smooth LA production, and used brilliantly by the group in a family-based pop harmony way that stretches back to some of the great 70s groups of the same style – like The Sylvers or the Stairsteps. A heck of a lot nicer than we remember, and pretty great all the way through – with tracks that include "I Like It", "I'll Never Fall In Love Again", "All This Love", "I'm In Love With You", "Can't Stop", "It's Getting Stronger", and "Life Begins With You". CD

An amazing full length debut from Democustico – one of the best new Brazilian albums we've heard in years, and a set that easily matches the best work by classic artists on the Far Out label! The pair mix older and modern modes of expression – using lots of post-bossa jazz in their grooves, particularly the soaring modes explored heavily on the Brazilian scene at the end of the 70s – but also topping things off with some wonderful vocals from Gabriela Geluda, who has a spacious, joyous quality that reminds us a lot of Joyce at her best! Other instrumentation includes piano, keyboards, acoustic guitar, and percussion – as well as some light rhythm patterns from Roc Hunter, long a Far Out associate – and one with a great sensitivity for preserving the warm soul of Brazilian music. Titles include "Summer Of Flora", "Grito", "Rejoycing", "O Sonho", "A Sereia", "Vaga-lume", "Nunca Never", and "Pera". CD

Four full albums from the great Martin Denny – presented here with bonus tracks too! First up is the initial Exotica album – the birth of a sound and the birth of a legend – Martin Denny's first album in the Exotica series, and a record so great it named an entire genre! Denny certainly didn't invent the tropical style of easy listening that came to be known as "exotica" in the 50s – but with a record like this, he delivered the goods better than anyone else – by taking away all the too-sweet styles of Hawaiian music, and serving up a stripped-down, jazzy kind of sound! The album features Denny's classic original quartet – with Arthur Lyman on vibes and Augie Colon on bongos – and titles include "Stone God", "Jungle Flower", "Busy Port", "Lotus Land", and his hit recording of "Quiet Village". Exotica 2 is the second album in Denny's legendary Exotica trilogy – a set of records that provided the extreme definition of the small sub-genre that today has become the stuff of legend! Denny's still working here in his classic format – a small group with heavy piano lines, playful percussion, and some birdcalls sung by the members of the group! The set's a mix of strange songs from strange sources, all given the sublime Denny twist – and titles include "Singing Bamboos", "Escales", "August Bells", "Ebb Tide", "Rush Hour In Hong Kong", and "Soshu Night Serenade". Exotica 3 is sublime late 50s work from Martin Denny – his third album under the Exotica banner, and almost a deeper and weirder album than the other two! The sound here is extremely haunting – even more freed from conventional melody than the rest, and very fixated on the tonal possibilities that could be produced from Denny's unique grouping of percussion, piano, bass, and vibes. There's few tricks or gimmicks on the set – just a spare and other-worldly approach to music that's totally great! Titles include "Manila", "Mama Iti E Papa E", "Bamboo Lullaby", "Ringo Oiwake", "Moon Of Manakoora", "Congo Train", and "Beautiful Kahana". Quiet Village is an undisputed classic in the exotica genre – and the record that yielded Martin Denny his biggest hit! The title track "Quiet Village" was originally written by Les Baxter, but it was Martin Denny's approach that really managed to send the tune over the top – using spare percussion, rhythmic piano, and just the right amount of vibes and bird calls to give the track a really haunting feel. That approach is echoed throughout the set – with shifting instrumentation that includes celeste, bongos, marimbas, and marimbula as well! Titles include "Quiet Village", "Paradise Found", "Sake Rock", "Martinique", "Tune From Rangoon", and "Pagan Love Song". CD features bonus tracks too – "Llama Serenade" and "The Enchanted Sea" and more. CD

A pair of spiritual soul classics – the rare early Warner Brothers albums from Earth Wind & Fire – back to back on a single CD! Earth, Wind & Fire's first album was recorded at a time when the group recently had ties to the Chicago soul and jazz scenes, and a range of experience that ran the gamut from work with Sun Ra, the Artistic Heritage Ensemble, The Pharoahs, Ramsey Lewis, and countless other influential groups. Headed up by Maurice White on drums and percussion, the group forged an amazing blend of all these influences, creating a future soul sound that pushed black music to the next level – taking a wealth of previously underground modes of expression, and fusing them into a soaring sound that would soon put them at the top of the charts. This album's a lot looser and freer than their Columbia albums – with plenty of raw funk and some nice off-beat jazz soling. Includes the classic break track "C'Mon Children", plus "Fan The Fire", "Bad Tune", and "Moment Of Truth". Need Of Love is one of the two early Earth Wind & Fire LPs recorded for Warner – and the one that shows their amazing roots in the avant-garde jazz scene in Chicago! At the forefront, the record's a righteous soul album with an ensemble funk sound – but deeper in, there's a lot of jazz-based playing, and a number of moments that almost get "out" in the solos! Surely this one couldn't have been made without the spiritual advancements in jazz made by the AACM – and EWF couldn't have helped rubbing shoulders with those players, considering that they all often gigged together in the Chicago studio scene, and that they'd also shared some time together in groups like The Pharoahs and Phil Cohran's Artistic Heritage Ensemble. Titles include "Energy", "Beauty", and a nice remake of Donny Hathaway's "Everything is Everything". CD

Wonderful work from this obscure funky group – a combo who hailed from Indy, only issued two albums back in the 70s, but also left behind this wicked batch of unissued cuts that were recorded up in Chicago! The group have a vibe that's every bit as great as their warmly collaborative look on the cover – clearly an ego-less funky combo who are able to shift singers and moods from track to tracks – trading leads between singers Anthony Joseph Roberts and Pamela Tanner, and also bringing lots of jazzy instrumentation into the mix too! These guys had been together for a number of years before recording the set, and are clearly at the top of their game – woodshedding hard away from the limelight, but knocking it out of the park with cuts that include "69 Cents", "I'm In A Hurry", "Shell Of A Man", "Where You Lead", "That Is Why", "Love So Strange", and vocal and instrumental versions of "See The Light". CD

Amazing box set – five full albums of material, plus lots of bonus tracks too! First up is Flowers – a soaring classic from The Emotions – thanks to some supreme help from the Earth Wind & Fire side of the soul spectrum! This set has the trio really sounding great – with Kalimba Productions by Maurice White and Charles Stepney – and a good deal of EWF help on the instrumentation as well! The girls break out of the rootsier style used on their earlier Stax recordings, and manage to fit perfectly with the jazzy tinges of the new grooves – and, along with Ramsey Lewis and EWF, the Emotions were part of a hugely successful trinity during the late 70s – one that took the indie soul roots of the Chicago scene and turned it into landmark big business for Columbia Records. The album's got a new approach to female group soul that would go onto shape R&B for years to come – and titles include "Flowers", "I Don't Wanna Lose Your Love", "We Go Through Changes", "Special Part", and "You've Got The Right To Know". Next is Rejoice – a huge hit for both The Emotions and Maurice White – whose Kalimba Productions handled this album in the same hit mode they'd been using for Earth Wind & Fire! There's a polished, soaring bounce her that definitely shows the Earth Wind & Fire touch – and which takes the girls miles from their rougher, rootsier soul of the Stax/Volt years – yet like all the best EWF records of the time, the sound is also plenty soulful, with lots of righteous undercurrents. The album includes the group's wonderful track "Don't Ask My Neighbors", a heavenly tune that builds on a long tradition of sweet female soul from Chicago; the super-huge "Best Of My Love", a hit on dancefloors and radios for years to come – and many other nice numbers like "Blessed", "How'd I Know That Love Would Slip Away", and "Key To My Heart". Sunbeam is great little album from The Emotions – largely because it sounds a lot like prime mid 70s Earth Wind & Fire, with female vocals added over the top – ultimately, pulling away with a soulful charm all its own! Maurice White produced the whole set, and it's got a soaring spacey sound that provides a perfect spiritual edge to the girls vocals – taking them way past the hits, into much more sophisticated soul territory. There's a beautifully righteous vibe going on throughout – a sound that's almost like Minnie Riperton at her 70s Capitol best – and titles include "Love Vibes", "Walking The Line", "Time Is Passing By", "I Wouldn't Lie", "Smile", and "Spirit Of Summer". Come Into Our World has the sweet Emotions at the top of their game – one of the brilliant albums that has the soulful trio working hand in hand with Earth Wind & Fire! The girls were plenty great in their early years, but working with Maurice White and company, they really took off – hitting a whole new level that really unlocked some deeply spiritual power in their vocals! And sure, the approach also yielded the group plenty of hits – but for good reason, too – given the classic quality and all-great nature of a set like this. Maurice White produced, and the lineup is filled with plenty of Earth Wind & Fire players too – working with some great arrangements from Tom Tom 84, Wade Marcus, and others. Tunes are balanced between clubby numbers and some nice midtempo moments – and titles include "Where Is Your Love", "Cause I Love You", "Come Into My World", "On & On", "I Should Be Dancing", "Layed Back", and "Yes I Am". New Affair has The Emotions breaking free a bit from the Earth Wind & Fire influence, and grooving nicely with a sweet 80s feel! The girls' voices are still quite wonderful – some of the deepest harmonies in the female soul world at the time – and the tunes kick it up nicely in a blend of snapping bassy club tracks and mellower cuts that sweetly sway with their great vocals! Loads of wonderful tracks – and an album not to miss! Titles include "Turn It Out", "There'll Never Be Another Moment", "Now That I Know", "Love Lies", "When You Gonna Wake Up", and "Here You Come Again". 3CD set features 8 bonus tracks – including "Boogie Wonderland (12" mix", "Don't Ask My Neighbors (single version)", "I Should Be Dancin (single version)", "My Baby Dance", "Changes", "Where Is Your Love (single version)", and "Flowers (single version)". CD

Extremely heady work from the French scene of the early 70s – and hardly the Latin Rock album you might guess from the title! Ergo Sum have a sound that's as contemplative as their name – a slow-building, almost brooding blend of jamming, jazzy work on flute, Fender Rhodes, organ, guitar, violin, bass, and drums – all topped by the distinctive vocals of Lionel Ledissez, who's got a raspy, rough-edged appeal that almost sounds like Cat Stevens gone to seed! The lyrics are all in English, which adds to the appeal of the record – and the flute and keyboard parts are handled by Jean Guerin. Titles include "Night Road", "John's Nightmare", "Faces", "Second Rebirth", and "Albdion Impressions". As with all Lion reissues, the production is wonderful – lots of notes and photos on the music, plus bonus tracks that include "Mexico (inst)", "It's Me", "Tijuana", and "All's So Comic". CD

A definite killer from the great Gianni Ferrio – one of his grooviest soundtracks ever, and a set that's filled with lots of mod 60s touches! There's a bit of electric sitar, cool bubbling Hammond, and even some jazzy horn parts that make for nice flourishes over the top – all changing up in cool and different ways from track to track – creating the kind of instrumental variety that we love in soundtracks like these! The album features vocals on two tracks – and titles include "Strana Gente", "Mr Ice Cream Again", "Week-End On Ice", "Billy's Ice Cream", "Pedigree", "Semifreddo", "Nuovi Ricchi", and "Fino All'Ultimo Gelato". CD also features 16 more bonus tracks – practically a whole extra album of music! CD

It's hard to stop the Blastfighter when he's got music like this to back him up – an assortment of sounds served up by Fabio Frizzi – in a style that uses some of the instrumentation of his better-known horror work, but in a very different way! The buzzword here is "action" – and the best cuts have a throbbing rhythm driven by drum machines, and washes of 80s keyboards over the top – then guitars, basslines, and whatever touches are needed to move things forward – with an occasional rest on a cut that's a bit more mellow, but never sleepy at all! If you dig 80s action scores, you'll find plenty to love here – and there's a lean, compact vibe that gives the whole record a very unified feel. CD

A really cool group from the late 60s UK scene – one that we might be temped to put in the hipper camp of the jazz rock world of the time, but who've maybe got a bit more of the latter style than the former – which makes their use of tenor and trumpet come across in a really unique way! There's a nicely psychedelic approach at the core of the record – with a sound that might be more familiar in terms of the guitar work, lyrical style, and vocals – but when topped with trumpet from Dave Caswell, and a mix of tenor, alto, and soprano work from John Smith, the record really takes on some unique qualities that really set it apart from the pack. Titles include "Children Of The Sun", "Pastorale", "A Modern Day Fairy Tale", "Blood", "Frog Galliard", "I Wanna Be Back Home", and "Hear The Colours". CD

One of the greatest solo albums ever issued by Latin jazz trumpeter Luis Gasca – a set that really expands on his debut for Atlantic Records, and which brings in a whole host of early 70s west coast Latin influences! The style here is very laidback and open – a bit like some of the Chicano funk coming out of the LA scene at the time, but a fair bit more jazz oriented overall – with long lean solos from both Gasca on trumpet and Joe Henderson on tenor sax, set up in a half-electric set of rhythms laid out on guitar, organ, keyboards, bass, and plenty of percussion! Other players here are all top-shelf too – and include Carlos Santana, George Cables, Stanley Clarke, Coke Escovedo, and Lenny White. The album features 4 long tracks – "Spanish Gypsy", "Street Dude", "La Raza", and "Little Mama". CD

A really beautiful follow-up to the previous set of duets from these two west coast musicians – and a record that's maybe even more sublime than the first! We're not sure what it is – maybe it's the passage of a few years that has deepened the sound, or maybe just the warmth that both players have for each other – yet whatever the case, the combination of the saxophones of Sam Gendel and the bass of Sam Wilkes flows out with all these tones and textures that go way past the obvious – definitely in some of the "beyond jazz" modes of the LA scene in recent years, but still with enough solo strengths to please fans of more conventional instrumentation too. There's great sonic touches to many tracks – almost an International Anthem vibe, but not in a remix/cutup way – and titles include "Greetings To Idris More Songs", "Flametop Green", "Welcome Vibe", "Theem Prototype", "SG's Prius", "Streetlevel", and a nice version of "Caroline No". CD

A set titled after a Beatles hit of the 60s, but one that's got a lot more depth than that – as the record is a landmark moment in the development of organ/guitar jazz at the time – a set that features the key pairing of guitarist Grant Green and Hammond modernist Larry Young! As with other records from the duo, there's a sense of rhythmic progression and tonal inflection here that's quite different than more standard soul jazz of the time – a complexity that also comes from the drum work of Elvin Jones, and which is topped by the soulful expressions of Hank Mobley on tenor – the last member of this all-star quartet! The whole thing's great – based around loose, free rhythms – and featuring searching solos that also still remain nicely swinging and in the pocket! Titles include "Corcovado", "Stella By Starlight", "I Want To Hold Your Hand", and "At Long Last Love". CD

One of our favorite albums of all time – and a record that just gets better and better the more we listen to it – and we've listened to it for years! Johnny "Hammond" Smith began his career as a simple soul jazz organist – but by the time of this album, he'd teamed up with the mighty Larry Mizell, the genius arranger/producer who'd breathed new life into the careers of Donald Byrd and Bobbi Humphrey. Mizell works with Hammond in the same way he does with other jazz artists – by taking a groove that works best with their solo style, and slowly layering other instrumentation and effects on top of it, so that when the solo kicks in, it's supported on waves and waves of funky sounds and soulful grooves. Mizell and his brother Fonce both play keyboards on the record, and the rest of the group includes monster fusion players like Harvey Mason, Roger Glenn, Hadley Caliman, and Jerry Peters. The real treat is Johnny, though – as his solos are heavenly, the best of his 70s work, stripped mean and lean, laid in at just the right points. Includes the breakbeat classic "Shifting Gears", the house classic "Los Conquistadores Chocolates", and funky numbers "Fantasy" and "Tell Me What To Do". This stunning version adds in some killer bonus tracks – 6 never-heard cuts from the Milestone vaults, including "Song For My Family", "Funky Native", "Detroit Rainbow", "Can't We Smile (alt)", and slow and fast versions of "A Child's Love". CD

A legendary album – and for good reason too – a set that's as mysterious as it is funky, and a record that's stayed at the top of our crates for years! The album features a really unusual collective of musicians, pulled together under the guidance of producer Paul Winley – a group that features George Benson on guitar, Dave Baby Cortez on organ, Willis Jackson on tenor sax, and Earl Williams on some massively funky drums! The music's a mix of funky jazz and gritty soul – put together with some really weird studio touches – including an uncredited male voice that comes in and out of the tracks, bad-rapping along with some very hip commentary. Ann Winley sings the female vocals on the set – often egged on by the dude – but the real charm of the record lies at the bottom – the wicked drums, funky basslines, and choppy instrumental bits that have gotten the set sampled plenty over the years. Titles include the classic "Smokin Cheeba Cheeba" alone, the groovy "Finger In It", a great breakbeat version of "Ain't No Sunshine" with a tenor solo by Willis Jackson, and the slow bluesy talking cut "Fed Up", a baaaad rap about a couple splitting up – done here in both vocal and instrumental versions. CD

Two classic 60s albums from pianist Andrew Hill – back to back in a single set! First up is Point Of Departure – mindblowing work from pianist Andrew Hill – one of the key records during that short initial run when Blue Note was really giving him a special showcase for his talents – and when the label was dabbling in more avant jazz as part of the "new thing" moment on the scene! The group here is really the stuff of legends – as the set features a very late performance from Eric Dolphy on alto, plus Joe Henderson on tenor, Kenny Dorham on trumpet, Richard Davis on bass, and Tony Williams on drums – all players at the prime of their young talents, soaring to the skies under the leadership of Hill – skittishly working their way into territory that's never truly free, but wonderfully expressive and exploratory – a clear summation of the sense of "modern" in modern jazz! All tracks are originals by the pianist, too – and titles include "New Monastery", "Flight 19", "Spectrum", "Dedication", and "Refuge". Compulsion is one of the most dynamic albums that Andrew Hill ever cut for Blue Note – a record of long tracks, played by a largeish group who seem perfectly suited to Hill's most creative musical ideas! There's an approach here that almost predates some of the more righteous soul jazz ensemble sides of the 70s – as Hill's piano leads a octet that features Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, John Gilmore on tenor and bass clarinet, Cecil McBee and Richard Davis on basses, Joe Chambers on drums, and Nedi Quamar and Renaud Simmons on percussion. The percussionists roll out with quite a bit of presence in the set – not so much as on some of the Art Blakey percussion sides for Blue Note, but more with a pronounced sense of "bottom" that you might not always hear from Hill – an earthy, sometimes organic way of riffing that then allows freer solo work from the horns and piano on the top! Titles include "Compulsion", "Legacy", "Premonition", and "Limbo". CD

A rare funk treat from tenor sax jazz legend Joe Houston – working in a far funkier mode than usual for the obscure Big Town label! The lineup and production is heavy with 50s LA R&B names in it – including Ted Butler, Bo Rhambo and Larry Johnson – and sure enough, there's genuine prime era rhythm & blues DNA in some of the material, to say nothing of the incredible chops of all involved – but the overall sound is very modern 70s jazz, with some really funky cuts, too! The highlight is the two-part title track, "Kicking Back", which is a top shelf jazz funk groover – but the whole record is solid, with "T-Bone Disco", "Hawaiian Disco", "Trippin' In", "Mr. Big H", and "Why Don't You Rock Me". CD

Incognito never lets us down – and records like this keep us listening strongly year after year! The set's got all the core brilliance of Incognito at their best – a really classic approach to jazzy soul, served up with top shelf instrumentation by the group – and sent home strongly by a range of singers who include Vanessa Haynes, Tony Momrelle, Chiara Hunter, Imani, Deborah Bond, and the great Carleen Anderson! Nobody can do it as well as these guys – tight, but never uptight – smooth, but never sleepy – really right on the money from the production on down to the bottom – the kind of careful, classy soul that almost makes Incognito a genre unto themselves. Titles include "Wind Sorceress", "Rapture", "Hands Up If You Wanna Be Loved", "Hats", "I Couldn't Love You More", "Something Bout July", and "Silver Shadow". Japanese CD features the bonus track "Part Of The Plan". CD

A never-issued gem from the UK scene at the end of the 60s – totally top-shelf work from that moment when earlier beat group energy was exploding into new modes of prog, psych, and hard rock! There's an organ at the core of most of these tunes – still with the lean tones of the previous generation, but taking off on longer runs – and the guitars are fuzzier and turned up more, and the group have this bolder energy that really pushes past any sort of American roots and influences – all at a level that makes the record a nascent masterpiece that should have become a classic! The group were slated as one of the next big stars on the NEMS label, and the notes have a full story of their short career – next to tracks that include "Time Keeper", "Venetian Glass", "Space Shanty", "Taxman", "Same Girl", "Pattern People", "Venetian Glass", "I'm In Love With A Girl Like You", and instrumental takes on some of the tunes too. CD

A heavy-duty combo from the Chicago scene – and one who've got some mighty deep roots in the city, which they use to serve up a unique blend of funk, soul, rock, and roots – all topped with lead vocals from soul music journalist James Porter! James has a really striking approach, and really infuses the songs with a lot of power and energy – driven by harmonica, drums, bass, and plenty of electric piano and organ used in lean and powerful ways! Titles include "Chatham Ain't Chatham", "Riverbound", "Blunt", "No Way No How", "Backwards In Time", and "Did You Forget My Name". CD

An incredible tribute to the legendary Strata Records in Detroit – performed by Jazzanova with a host of other guests – and at a level that's maybe the greatest thing the group has ever given us on record! The vibe here is a lot more Strata and spiritual than the style you'd expect from Jazzanova – as they take on tunes by label legends like Lyman Woodard, Kenny Cox, Sam Sanders, Maulawi, and other talents from the same Motor City underground of the 70s that gave the world Tribe Records. Instrumentation is a blend of Fender Rhodes and lots of live jazz work on flute, tenor, trombone, and trumpet – sometimes topped with vocals from Sean Haefeli, who really helps open up the soulful side of the tunes! Wonderful throughout, better than we might have even guessed – with titles that include "Joy Road", "Face At My Window", "Ortotundes", "Loser", "Scorpio's Child", "Creative Musicians", "Lost My Love", "Inside Ourselves", and "Saturday Night Special". CD

Some of the most intense work we've ever heard from composer/reedman Darius Jones – a set of longer works, recorded live in Vancouver – with a style that mixes core jazz instrumentation with some added string elements that really send things over the top! There's plenty of free improvisation going on here – and the alto of Jones sounds especially nice next to the skittish drums of Gerald Cleaver – as the duo find strong interplay with the work of Jesse and Josh Zubot on violins, Peggy Lee on cello, and James Meger on bass! All the string instruments are hardly any sort of string quartet – and instead, they come across with those freer improv modes unlocked during the loft jazz generation of the 70s – really exploding here with a sense of united majesty and individual expression. Titles include "Zubot", "Damon & Pythias", "Rainbow", and "Fluxus V5T 1S1". CD

Proof that Elvin Jones wasn't just riding on the laurels of the Great One during his years with John Coltrane – as the album's a breakout date that has Jones firmly establishing his own voice in jazz! There's an explosive power here that makes us think that Elvin must have really just been biding his time with Coltrane – waiting for the chance to try out his own new ideas in music, and finding the perfect accompanists here in a trio that includes Jimmy Garrison on bass and a young Joe Farrell on tenor, soprano sax, and flute! The lack of a piano in the group really makes for a sense of new freedom that's totally great – not dreamy, melodic piano-less work, as in some of the LA groups of earlier years – but a searing, soaring intensity that Farrell was a perfect choice to head up. And while the format might serve to be an excuse for Coltrane-styled blowing, the approach here is decidedly not – a more focused, energy driven approach that really makes strong use of Jones' work on the drum kit, throbs with soulful undercurrents from Garrison's bass, and is topped off by angular, effortlessly-blown lines from Farrell – clearly pointing the way towards a generation of players that would emerge in his wake during the 70s. Tracks include "Village Greene", "Reza", "Kei Ko's Birthday March", and "Sweet Little Mama". CD

Beautiful work from Joyce – possibly her best album in years! The lovely Brazilian singer/guitarist blows away all the newcomers in the modern bossa field – and shows the world that she's still one of the strongest talents of her generation. The album's got a stronger jazz component than some of her other recent albums, quite driving, in the mode of classic albums like Agua E Luz and Feminina – and Joyce's voice, guitar, and songwriting skills are top-notch all the way! An instant classic – one that will have you shelving all your faked-out remixed, Nu Brazil albums for the real thing! Titles include "Bota De Sete Leguas", "Azul Bahia", "Forcas D'Alma", "Na Casa Do Villa", "Quatro Elementos", "The Band On The Wall", and "Samba Da Silvia". CD

A set of tracks recorded in the early 90s, unreleased until many years later – and an album that shows a beautifully sensitive side of the music of guitarist Calvin Keys! The title is sometimes very apt – as Calvin is often out front in the lead, crafting these warm lines built from well-chosen chords – but the album's also not just a solo set, as it features work from Jeff Chimenti on piano, Tim Haul on bass, Mark Lignell on drums, and Kenneth Nash on percussion. There's even some light strings at times – but very light, as they just shade in the edges – on titles that include "Dolphin Dance", "Quiet Now", "Isotope", "Marela", "Windows", and "What's Goin On". CD

A long-overdue look at the mini-soul empire of Leo Gooden – an tiny little enclave in East St Louis that was making some mighty hip music in the early 60s! Gooden wore many hats at the time – politician, club owner, and local businessman – but he also put together his own band and record label, and worked in a very hip mix of R&B and 60s soul jazz modes! Through his nightclub, The Blue Note, Gooden came into contact with a variety of great musicians, both national and local – and he brought their inspiration to play on sessions recorded here for his LG family of labels – issued on a handful of singles and two rare LPs. Although rough-edged at times, these tracks have a really great sound – kind of a grittier take on the Prestige Records groove of the 60s – helped out by musicians who include Oliver Nelson and Hamiet Bluiett – and singers who include Albert King and Charles Drain. The package is a bit loose on discographical details, but definitely includes all the best moments from these mighty years on the East St Louis scene – and the full story in the notes more than helps to fill in the gaps in Gooden's compelling tale. The titles by Leo's Five – Gooden's group – are all hip jazz instrumentals, often with a strong mix of Hammond, guitar, and tenor – and these titles include "Hold It", "Sunrise Serenade", "Something You Got", "Tippin", "Johnnie Come Marching Home (Country Style)", "Minor Over Matter", "Mop Water", "Fredrick's Dream", and "Cookin With Chezie Mae". Other cuts include "COD" and "Worsome Baby" by Albert King, "So Glad" and "Stop & Think About It Baby" by Charles Drain, "Winkee Do" and "Ugly Ugly" by Leo Gooden, and "Let's Do The Cat" by Jamie Ross. CD

A contemporary set, but one that's unlike any other recent Brazilian recording we can think of – given the very unique vibe that Mauricio Maestro is going for! You might know Mauricio from his mid 70s work with Joyce on Visions Of Dawn – and although this set is a recent recording, it has a same sort of classic feel overall. The sound here has deep rhythms and folksy touches – a warm acoustic mode, but topped with some slight electricity and larger arrangements – a bit like some of the more creative sounds in the Brazilian underground during the post-Tropicalia years – yet with a richness that takes it much farther too! Maestro handled the arrangements, and he brings in a jazz-tinged quality that's not unlike the Milton Nascimento generation – yet the overall approach is earthier too, and vocals are handled by Mauricio, percussionist Nana Vasconcelos, and Kay Lyra – swirled up with a bit of light string backings that really help the record soar to the skies! We'd rank this one right up there with classics from the 70s by Joyce or Edu Lobo – but we also recognize that it's very much it's own record too. Titles include "Jungle Bells", "Agua Clara", "Canto Do Paje", "Todos Os Santos", "Ciclo Da Vida", "Ouvindo Estrelas", "Upside Down", and "Horizonte". CD

A stunning jazz set from the LA scene – and one that's got even more spiritual, forward-flowing energy than some of the studio sessions recorded by Terrace Martin! The performance continues Martin's strong move into jazz over the past decade plus – with lots of alto solos from the leader, amidst a lineup that features keyboards from Paul Cornish, bass from Joshua Crumbly, and drums from Ronald Bruner. There's plenty of warm Fender Rhodes lines that really make the record shine with soulful energy throughout – and Martin's sharper reed lines are matched by the richer tenor of Kamasi Washington on the tracks "Juno" and "Stop Trippin" – the latter of which also features trumpet from Maurice Brown. Other titles include "For Free" and "Great Is Thy Faithfulness". CD

One of two incredible albums from the lovely Ana Mazzotti – a 70s Brazilian singer who could effortlessly blend fusion and soul, Brazilian rhythms and funk – working here with plenty of help from Jose Roberto Bertrami of Azymuth! In fact, the record has a vibe that's a lot like the best early Azymuth music, although with vocals – hip rhythms, unusual inflections, and a great electrified version of older Brazilian styles – all topped by the warm, wonderful vocals of Mazzotti! The whole thing's wonderful – and titles include an amazing version of "Sou", a vocal take on the Azymuth tune "Agora Ou Nunca Mais", and the cuts "Em Acalanto", "Eta Samba Bom", "Bairro Negro", and the funky classic "Roda Mundo". Great great great! CD

An amazing album of vocal Brazilian jazz and sweet electric funk – a standout classic that's forever been at the top of our stack of 70s Brazilian music! Singer Ana Mazzotti is at the head of the session – singing with this breezy style that's at once cold and warm, cool and emotive – and she's backed by a small jazz combo with some incredible moog, Arp, and organ from Jose Roberto Bertrami of Azymuth! The record's got a bucketful of groove-heavy tracks that feel like CTI meeting up with Joao Donato – and the album's a treasure that should be in the collection of any fan of 70s Brazilian funk! Titles include "Cordao", "Soul", "Bairro Negro", "Eu Sou Mai Eu", "Roda Mundo", "Sou", and "Agora Ou Nunca Mais" – plus an incredible version of "Feel Like Making Love"! CD

An incredible record – the kind of album that no fan of funky jazz should be without! This album is far and away one of the greatest ever cut by Brother Jack McDuff – and it's a baroquely complicated batch of funky jazz cuts that's still light years ahead of any other record! The tracks are much longer than you'll find on Jack's other work – and the group plays these lines that are laidback and trippy, yet which still have a tremendous amount of funk in them. Guitar sets the tone, spacing out over the drums of the great Joe Dukes; electric bass rumbles at all the low, dark spots; flute and tenor sax cut some sharp edges in the void; and the organ of Brother Jack comes in over the top, and soars with cosmic lines of sound! The album includes the monster cut "Oblighetto", sampled by Tribe Called Quest years back – plus other amazing groovers, like "Flat Backin", "Moon Rappin", and "Loose Foot". CD

Ultra-hip funk from Oklahoma's Messengers Incorporated – a group who come across with a sound that's every bit as righteous and heavy as you might guess from the cover! Instrumentation is heavy on bass, guitar, and organ – and topped with some great saxophone work too – all in a sound that's draws plenty of inspiration from righteous jazz of the early 70s, but which focuses the sound into a more funk-based approach overall. Vocalists shift throughout – and include singers Barbara and Charles Burton, later of Burton Inc – who help give the record as much of a soul-based punch alongside the jazzy instrumentation of the combo! The whole thing's a real heavy hitter – the kind of album that could have soared large, had it gotten wider release back in the day – and titles include "Rejoice", "Just Can't Run Away", "Soulful Proclamation", "Frequency Response", "Ain't No Mountain", "Twenty Four Hours A Day", and "If I'Da Club". CD

Japanese jazz vocalist Junko Mine made a great trip to LA for this album – working here under the leadership of pianist Lou Levy, with a group that includes some of the best west coast jazz players of the 50s! At the time, American labels were often ignoring the talent that was still flourishing strongly in the city of angels – and it was up to Japanese labels like this to give them a chance to shine on record – which they do wonderfully, in a group that features Levy on piano, Bill Perkins on tenor and flute, Conte Candoli on trumpet, Red Mitchell on bass, and Mundell Lowe on drums. Junko handles vocals, but also knows when to step aside for an instrumentalist to solo – and titles include "Easy To Love", "You're The Top", "I Concentrate On You", "In The Still Of The Night", "You Do Something To Me", and "I Get A Kick Out Of You". CD

Great work from this blue-eyed soul group of the 70s – one who've been picked and kept alive by some key underground scenes over the years – like the Northern Soul world of the UK, and the beach music scene in the Carolinas! The group here have some key jazz contributions from Mike Melvoin on piano, Dennis Budimir on guitar, and Tom Scott on tenor – and as with their first record, there's a nice current of soul running through the music – a way of using soulful elements in subtle ways, which is really the appeal of these guys – as they really know how to slide in with a compelling style and a warm vocal approach! Titles include "Get It Up For Love", "I Can't Stop This Love Song", "When You Get Right Down To It", "Who's Foolin' Who", and "Magical Lady". CD features four bonus tracks, all singles – "Skysurf", "Can't Let You Down", "Gemini Lady", and "Love Connection". CD

A well-circulated solo set from Junie Morrison – by now working very far from the P-Funk empire, and with a groove that fits in nicely with the sound of 80s soul! The album's heavy on basslines, beats, and keyboards – very much an 80s funk evolution from Junie's 70s roots – with the man himself serving up lead vocals that have a light vibe that's very much in an electro-ready sort of style! A few cuts have more pronounced guitar solos, but with the fuzz trimmed to slide in nicely with the more electronic elements in the mix – that compact 80s mode in which everything comes on right down on top of each other in the mix! Titlesinclude "Tease Me", "Stick It In", "Break 6", "Here With You Tonight", "Show Me Yours", "Gyrate", "Driving In A Porsche", and "Techno Freqs". CD features bonus tracks – "Tease Me (Arthur Baker long mix)", "Tease Me (Arthur Baker short)", "Tease Me (Arthur Baker dub)", "Techno Freqs (UK single)", "Techo Freqs (12" rmx)", and "T-Frequan (dub)". CD

A warmly crafted album from South African saxophonist McCoy Mrubata – not one that's sleepy, as the lullaby in the title might imply – but just nicely relaxed and mellow, in a way that has the reedman crafting some moody colors on tenor – in a lineup that features lots of great guitar work from Gary Wittner, whose chromatic contributions balance the saxophone nicely. The set also features piano from Steven Feifke, bass from Jennifer Vincent, and drums from George Gray – plus guest trombone from Siya Charles on three tracks, all of which feature either alto or clarinet from Evan Christopher. There's definitely a few bolder moments on the record, and these resonate with some of the best South African jazz grooves from years back – that cascading sense of rhythm that seems perfect for a soulful saxophone solo over the top. Titles include "Jazzy Jive", "Oh Yhini", "The White Sand Of The Flats", "Hudson Bridge Crossing", "Siyabulela", and "Tshona Khona". CD

A really great set of Ethio jazz from this contemporary combo – one who draw inspiration from the golden years of the 70s, but who bring plenty of individual twists to the music of their own! There's a lean, focused style here that's totally great – and an emphasis on jazz instrumentation over romping rhythms – sometimes topped with vocals, other times done in a way that really lets the solo instruments take center stage! Some tracks are nice and long, and we might like those the best – and titles include "Lalibela", "Ethiopia Danosae", "Kaffa Chafo", "Guwayla", "Esay Naiye", "Saint Yared", "Filae Goferae", and "Arba Minch". CD

A really unusual album from the mighty Ohio Players – material from their first full length set, and a record that's very different than their better-known work on Westbound and Mercury – but every bit as great! The band is tight and funky, but in a sort of deep soul 60s way – with arrangements and playing that have a hard edge, and with nice guitar rhythm tracks – a bit trippy and fuzzy at times, but also with a style that's got more of a 60s vintage than the headier styles they hit at Westbound. The group are great in this format – and the album includes lots of great original tracks – like "Bad Bargain", "Lonely Street", and "Street Party" – plus very cool covers of "Summertime" and "Mother In Law". Other titles include "Here Today & Gone Tomorrow", "Stop Lying To Yourself", "Over The Rainbow", "Find Someone To Love", "Cold Cold World", and "The Man That I Am". This great CD version is brimming over with great bonus tracks from 45s and other recordings – a total of 24 tracks in all, with bonus material that includes "Alabama Soupbone (parts 1 & 2)", "It's A Crying Shame", "A Little Soul Party", "Love Slips Thru My Fingers", "Trespassin", "You Don't Mean It", "A Thing Called Love", and "Neighbors". CD

2 Ohio Players classics – back to back on one CD! Skin Tight is the band's first album for Mercury – and although one might have the temptation to say that the label cut down the radical funk sound of the trippy Westbound years, the move also taught the band to sharpen up their act, and get out of the repetitive sloppy groove into which they'd been lapsing during the past few years. The record's a lot smoother than earlier work – with a polished funky sound that would soon push the band right up there with Earth Wind & Fire at the top of the soul charts. And although there's familiar funky numbers like "Skin Tight", "Jive Turkey", and "Streakin Cheek To Cheek" – the best moment on the entire album is the wonderful spacey soul number "Heaven Must be Like This", a seven minute mellow groover that's got a sophisticated jazzy soul style, with voices and piano soaring into the heavens, in a way that always still sends chills down our spine! That cut shows the band's tremendous growth – and it's one of their best-ever! Fire is one of the biggest albums ever for Ohio Players – a set that took their earlier funk sound and targeted firmly at the mainstream with a lean, mean groove that a million other groups copied at the time! There's still plenty of the soul of the early years in the group's approach here – and sometimes, the mellower tracks show a wonderful talent for harmonies coming even more fully to the top. But the real appeal of the record has always been the bold, bassy grooves that hit strongly just as ensemble funk was exploding in the mainstream during the early years of disco – making plenty of space for the Players and their contemporaries to grab up new audiences who never would have touched a record like this five years before! There's plenty of grit in the grooves on the best numbers – a style that's maybe not as dirty as on Westbound, but still more than enough to make any real funk fan proud. Titles include "Fire", "Together", "Together/Feelings", "It's All Over", "Runnin' From the Devil", "Smoke", "What The Hell", and "I Want To Be Free". CD

A pivotal album for Jeffrey Osborne – and a record that showed the world that he could stand proudly on his own away from his old group LTD! The album was actually his second solo outing, but the first to really gel together in that hit-making blend of ballads and catchy mid-tempo pop tunes – a crossover sound that put Osborne firmly on top at the time. As with Osborne's previous set, George Duke is at the production helm, keeping things in a lightly jazzy 80s soul mode. Titles include "Don't You Get So Mad", "We're Going All The Way", "Stay With Me Tonight", "Plane Love", "Greatest Love Affair", "Other Side Of The Coin", "When Are You Comin Back", and "Forever Mine". CD

Lost soulful sounds from Osiris – one of the many high-concept funk ensembles to spring up in the wake of Earth Wind & Fire – and one of the better ones too! The combo's got some mighty tight grounding in the bass work of Tyrone Brunson – stepping out here in an early role to really help forge the group's groove from the bottom up – basslines with percussion, then jazzier elements on the top – including some wicked work by Fred Wesley & The Horny Horns! Those added horns really pack a lot of punch on the record – working perfectly with the group vocals that step out on most of the numbers – maybe not in ways that are as righteous as you'd guess from the title or the cover, but plenty darn groovy overall. Titles include "You & I", "Love In Your Heart", "I'll Never Let You Go", "Fantality", "Say You Will", and the jazzy stepper "Travelin Salesman". CD

The complete presentation of a legendary live performance, and one that's often billed as a high moment in the history of bebop – a special concert-only group that brings together five key bop heavyweights – Charlie Parker on alto, Dizzy Gillespie on trumpet, Bud Powell on piano, Charles Mingus on bass, and Max Roach on drums – all coming together in a unique one-off performance! The set was recorded up in Canada, and represents one of the first widely-circulated live recordings of a straight bop set – different than some of the mix of styles you'd get on a JATP record, with long tracks that really show the nonstop creative energy that shifts between the players. The original vinyl release broke the concert out into two records – both of which are united here with additional material! The set features two takes on the Quintet material – without overdubs, and with them added – on titles that include "Night In Tunisia", "Perdido", "Salt Peanuts", "All The Things You Are/52nd Street Theme", "Wee", and "Hot House". The package then also adds in the second half of the concert – a set that features the core rhythm trio, without Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie – a killer lineup that has Bud Powell on piano, Charles Mingus on bass, and Max Roach on drums! The tunes are a bit shorter than on the quintet sides, but maybe that's because Powell can always pack so much into such a short space – and Mingus has plenty of sharp small group imagination here, while Roach is a young genius, really breaking out here too. Titles include "Sure Thing", "Lullaby Of Birdland", "Jubilee", "Cherokee", and "Embraceable You". Plus, the set features a stunning solo drum performance by Max Roach – "Drum Conversation". CD

A landmark album from Freda Payne! Freda had been knocking around a bit as a more jazz-oriented singer, and had cut one album for Impulse and one for MGM before this one – but when she hooked up with the hitmaking Holland-Dozier-Holland team for this record, her career really went over the top! The team take Payne's deep soulful voice away from the sophisticated pop of earlier years, and hook it up with a mix of fuzzy Detroit soul and sweeter southern styles. The album includes loads of great cuts – most notably the sublime crossover hit "Band of Gold", but also plenty of other lesser-known gems, like "The Easiest Way to Fall", "Unhooked Generation", "Deeper and Deeper", and "This Girl Is a Woman Now". Her best by far! CD

A very cool combo from the LA scene of the 70s – a tight funky group, topped with two female soul singers – all working together in a style that's got a wonderful mixture of warmer edges and grittier sounds at the core! The two female singers really give the set a unique vibe – as they help bring focus to the instrumentation of the group, with a lot more presence than the usual throw-in female vocals of the time – hardly the backing chorus mode of a disco record, and instead a great balance to the sharp guitar lines and keyboards from the musicians! We've not heard of any of the players in any other setting, but they're very good – clearly able to handle jazz if they want, but aimed here towards a sophisticated funk style that's equally great on the mellow steppers as it is on the more upbeat tracks. Titles include "Heavenly Feeling", "World Full Of People", "Do You Hear Me Talking To You", "Dreaming Our Lives Away", "A Thank You Song", "Fantasies & Dreams", and "I'd Like To Stay". CD features a bonus 7" mix of "I'd Like To Stay". CD

Joyous grooves indeed – the second album by this legendary 70s jazzy soul outfit – and a landmark album in the Fantasy Records Bay Area funk mode! The record will forever be remembered for the cut "Joyous" – a monster groover with a killer hook, strong funky playing, and a searing tenor solo that wails for about a minute before the vocals even come in! Wayne Henderson produced the record – and it's very much in the mode of work that he was doing for other groups at Fantasy, but also sounds a bit like later jazz funk groups, such as Breakwater or Smoke – tight, but never uptight – funky, but never with the kind of grit you'd find in the indie underground. The vocals are a bit in the Average White Band mode, and the instrumental playing is top-shelf all the way – a monster mix that's possibly carried off better here than on any other album by the group! The album includes 2 instrumentals, "Selim" and "Sassafras Girl", as well as the vocal tracks "Tune In", "Let Me Be The One", and "Can't Turn You Loose". CD

A trio of Columbia Records sets from Jean-Luc Ponty – served up here in a single package! First up is Gift Of Time – a set that really shows him embracing keyboards much more than at the start of his career – even though he also still turns in plenty of great jazzy sounds on violin! Ponty often seems to be mixing both – using the keyboards to augment inflections in the violin – at a level that makes you feel like he's not using the older stringed instrument at all during some sections, even though it's there in the mix. The set's got a vibe that very much fits with its cover – somewhat lean, with guitar from Pat Thomi, bass from Baron Browne, and percussion and drums from Rayford Griffin. Titles include "Faith In You", "New Resolutions", "No More Doubts", "Metamorphosis", and "Introspective Perceptions". Storytelling is a set that has Jean-Luc Ponty really staying on top of his fusion game – part of that ever-evolving run of records that took the European musician from early straight jazz violin records in the 60s, to the height of American jazz crowds in the 70s and 80s! Here, Ponty continues his exploration of various keyboard modes, while also folding in warm work on electric violin – a blend that's surprisingly seductive, and augmented along the way with guest work from Grover Washington on soprano sax, and Patrice Rushen on additional keyboards. The core group also has guitar from Jamie Glaser, and piano and more keyboards from Wally Minko – on titles that include "Tender Memories", "In The Fast Lane", "After The Storm", "The Amazon Forest", "A Journey's End", and "Pastoral Harmony". Tchokola is a very different record than usual for Jean-Luc Ponty – as you maybe can tell from the global-styled image on the cover! This time around, Ponty's bringing in some key elements from African music – plenty of live, acoustic percussion, which makes for a really great blend with the warmer keyboard and electric violin styles he's normally known for! The percussion was recorded at an analog level, which helps it retain its warmth – a great mix of balafon, tama, sabar, bongos, and other instruments – plus some nice use of kora too. There's also some vocals on the record – sung by Angelique Kidjo and Myriam Betty – and titles include "Yeke Yeke", "Rhum N Zouc", "Cono", "Bottle Bop", "Tchokola", "Sakka Sakka", and "Mouna Bowa". CD

Wonderful later work from Brazilian guitar legend Baden Powell – an artist whose sound just deepened and got more complex as the years went on! Here, Baden's just playing solo, but with a vibrancy that's amazing – fingers moving across the strings of the guitar in this amazing way, spinning out rhythm and melody at once – and often topped with some vocals by Powell himself – a light-voiced singer with a sound that adds this special sort of personal sparkle to the music! There's plenty of jazz influence at work here, and Baden's got a strong sense of improvisation as well – on titles that include "Odeon", "Vento Vadio", "Garota De Ipanema", "Para Nao Sofrer", "Tributo Ao Meira", "Na Baixa Do Sapateiro", "Samba Do Aviao", "Bolina De Papel/A Premiera Vez", and "Interrogando". CD

Three wonderful albums from this legendary Brazilian singer – all presented in a single set! First up is Nothing Will Be As It Was Tomorrow – a record that's quite different from Flora's earlier work, but in a way that we find very compelling! The record was produced by Leon Ndugu Chancler, and it's got a smooth fusion sound that's kind of in a southern California R&B mode, played by a huge range of excellent Brazilian and west coast talents that include Patrice Rushen, Dorothy Ashby, Fred Jackson, Raul De Souza, Toninho Horta, and Airto. While this sound overwhelms the core of Flora's usual Brazilian jazz approach, it also expands some of the tracks to a great groove – with Flora's vocals on top, stretching out in a whole new way! Includes a great English language version of the Milton Nascimento classic "Nada Sera Como Antes", plus the cuts "You Love Me Only", "I'm Coming For Your Love", "Corre Nina", "Angels", "Bridges", and "Fairy Tale Song". Every Day Every Night is a beautifully soulful record from Flora Purim – still awash with touches from her Brazilian roots, but also done with a great 70s LA sound! Airto's helping Flora out on production, but the real hero here is Michel Colombier – who handles most of the arrangements and wrote a good deal of the tunes with Purim and Airto – mixing his own expansive studio talents with their organically-forged groove, in a way that makes the record a real standout from the California fusion scene of the 70s! Players include Randy Brecker, Lee Ritenour, George Duke, Herbie Hancock, Harvey Mason, and other jazz heavyweights – and titles include "The Hope", "I Just Don't Know", "In Brasil", "Blues Ballad", "Why I'm Alone", "Walking Away", and "Samba Michel". Carry On is one of Flora Purim's more R&B-sounding albums from the 70s, produced by George Duke with an appreciation for Flora's Brazilian jazz roots, but with a smoother sound that's in keeping with Duke's own work of the time! The combination is pretty sweet – a professional culmination of the mixture of fusion and Brazilian jazz that had been happening in the San Francisco scene during most of the 70s, and featuring many of the musicians who had helped make that groove so strong. Players include Airto, Sheila Escovedo, Joe Farrell, Ronnie Foster, Bobby Lyle, and Larry Williams – and tracks include "Niura Is Coming Back", "From The Lonely Afternoon", "Freeway Jam", "Beijo Partido", "Corine", and "Love Lock". Includes bonus tracks too – "Tango Blues" and "Sad Song". CD

Mindblowing music from Sun Ra & The Arkestra – sounds recorded during the same marathon session that gave the world the records Other Planes Of There, When Sun Comes Out, and When Angels Speak Of Love – but titles that are much more obscure overall! The initial release of the material featured very misleading notes, but the true details of the session are even more impressive – as Ra plays a variety of unusual instruments alongside piano – including the piano strings, space organ, and clavioline – alongside some sublime straight horn work from John Gilmore on tenor, Marshall Allen on alto and oboe, Pat Patrick on baritone, Danny Davis on alto and clarinet, Walter Miller on trumpet, Robert Cummings on bass clarinet, and Ali Hasaan on trombone! The lineup here has that raw power the Arkestra first unleashed after their initial move to New York – almost a sense of new freedom in the new environment – even at a time when they weren't clicking on a financial level, but still continued to push forward with new ideas in music! Some passages have this great approach that links the cosmic ideas of the Arkestra with older traditions of jazz soloing – while others reflect the growing concern of the group with new textures and sounds – making for some very impressive elements on both the horns and percussion. The group is completed by Ronnie Boykins on bass, Art Jenkins on space voice and percussion, and Tommy Hunter on drums, percussion, and some mighty nice reverb – and titles include "Biosphere Blues", "Intergalactic Research", "Earth Primitive Earth", "New Planet", and "Continuation To Jupiter Festival". Beautiful 2CD reissue features sublime sounds from the original tapes, remastered – plus a full bonus CD of unreleased tracks that include "Blue York", "Conversation Of The Universe", "Red Planet Mars", "Cosmic Rays/Next Stop Mars", "The Myth", "Meteor Shower", "Infinity", "The Beginning Of", and "Endlessness". CD

A long-lost performance by Sun Ra and the Arkestra – recorded in Amsterdam at the start of the 70s, when the group were brought in by avant saxophonist Hans Dulfer for a special performance! This album marks the first-ever issue of the material, from rediscovered tapes that finally present the group on that night in all of their glory – a horn-heavy version of the Arkestra with Danny Davis, Danny Ray Thompson, Marshall Allen, Pat Patrick, and John Gilmore on reeds – as well as Kwame Hadi and Akh Tal Ebah on trumpets, June Tyson on vocals, and a surprise appearance from Alan Silva on cello, bass, viola, and violin! Ra himself plays moog, rocksichord, piano, and the Spacemaster organ – and the group has plenty of percussion, and a rich sound that really resonates strongly in the legendary venue. Titles include an early reading of "Space Is The Place" – plus "Watusa", "Walking On The Moon", "Paradiso Improviso #1", "We Travel The Spaceways", "Theme From The Stargazers", "The Solar Moog Approach", and "Second Stop Is Jupiter". CD

The first-ever album from Gil Scott-Heron – and a perfect bridge between the world of his writing and the years to come of musical transformations that would forever change the American scene! The set's not the warm, jazzy soul of some of Gil's later records – and instead, there's a really raw vibe, mostly with Gil speaking instead of singing – often with just heavy percussion at the core, and these really righteous words served out over the top! All the work is his own, and the album's a showcase for his brilliant protest poetry – the most famous example of which is included in "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised", which leads off the album with an especially righteous groove! The set's a key link in the African American musical tradition of the 20th century – and proof that the underground, while not always afforded a good place in the broadcast markets of the US, could always burst forth in the "narrowcast" medium of recorded music. A landmark album – one we like even better than the early work by the Last Poets – and great all the way through! Tracks include "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised", "Whitey On The Moon", "Who'll Pay Reparations On My Soul?", "The Subject Was Faggots", and "Brother". CD

A great tribute to the genius of Alan Shorter – has classic late 60s album, plus a bonus track too! The core of the record is the album Orgasm, a record as striking as its title – and one of the few recorded performances of trumpeter Alan Shorter – brother of Wayne Shorter, and an equally powerful force in avant jazz in the 60s when he got a chance! And although Alan hardly recorded much, this album's a masterpiece – a set that bridges the "new thing" moment of jazz in the mid 60s with some of the freer improvisations that were taking over on both the New York and European scenes – a balance of modes that's similar to some of the Don Cherry albums for Blue Note in the late 60s, and delivered here with a stunning lineup that includes superb early modern tenor work from Gato Barbieri, bass from either Charlie Haden or Reggie Johnson, and drums from either Muhammad Ali or Rashied Ali. Tracks are all originals – and titles include "Parabola", "Straits Of Blagellan", "Outeroids", and "Orgasm". CD also features another key performance by Alan Shorter from a few years earlier – the track "Mephistopheles" from the Wayne Shorter album All Seeing Eye – with Wayne on tenor, James Spaulding on alto, Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, Grachan Moncur III on trombone, and Herbie Hancock on piano. CD

Beautiful – simply beautiful – one of the greatest Wayne Shorter albums for Blue Note, and one of our favorite jazz albums ever! The record is a masterpiece of lyrical delight – soul jazz mixed with slight touches of experimentalism – but still warm, swinging, and personal enough to captivate even the most novice jazz listener. A players are at the top of their game – and in addition to Shorter's tenor, the group features Lee Morgan on trumpet, McCoy Tyner on piano, Reggie Workman on bass, and Elvin Jones on drums. The tracks unfold in lyrical, modal beauty in a really wonderful way that was barely ever duplicated again – and titles include "Night Dreamer", "Oriental Folk Song", "Virgo", "Charcoal Blues", "Armageddon", and "Black Nile". CD features a bonus alternate take of "Virgo". CD

An overlooked female singer/songwriter from the start of the 70s – one with a sound that's decidedly more underground than some of her contemporaries! Kathy Smith has a sound that's sometimes as sweet as some of the pop folk females of the time, yet she's backed with music that's usually a bit more personal, and almost boozy at times – kind of an intimate, late night small combo approach that's almost to her style of music what a piano trio might be to vocal jazz. That's not saying that Kathy's jazzy at all – as there's a decidedly rock feel here – but there's a mature, sophisticated vibe that's totally great – warmly expressive without sounding cliched. Titles include "End Of The World", "A Vision Of Two Saints", "Topanga", "What Nancy Knows", "Blackbird & The Pearl", "Circles Of Love", and "If I Could Touch You". CD

Fuzzy funk from the Italian scene of the early 70s – a really landmark record that ties together all the best elements happening in the soundtrack, sound library, and psych scene at the time! The group features two guitars and lots of organ and keyboards from the leader – really stretching out on the side-long title track "Under Pompelmo", which is a massive jam, but one that never trips out too much to stop being funky – a surprisingly great groove that stays right in the pocket for all of its 16 minutes and 50 seconds! The flipside features shorter tracks, but equally great – all like some lost sound library funk numbers of the period, but served up by a small combo with more focus on guitar and weird production styles – on titles that include "Honda", "When I See You", "Echoes From Canyon", and "To Rebound". CD

The complete albums of this really unique group – all wrapped up in a single set, with bonus tracks too! First up is the self-titled debut – described on the cover as "Eight high-octane musicians who met and jammed in the great peanut butter octopus that is Los Angeles!" The record's got a really trippy approach that's partially folk rock, partially psychedelic soul, and which also has some great touches of groovy harmony pop and Latinized LA rhythms – all wrapped up in some totally great production overall! The whole thing skims and sings around like some of our favorite sunshiney pop from the time – almost a meeting of Triste Janeiro and Mamas & The Papas – with some great instrumental touches that include cello and electric harpsichord! Female lead vocals on most tracks, but the album also spins out nicely, so that you get plenty of instrumental passages too! Titles include "Why Oh Why", "Motherless Child", "Here We Go Again", "For Pete's Sake", "What's Wrong", "Come Take A Walk", and "In A Rainbow". Next is Just For You – the group's second album – and a really sweet batch of tracks that mix together rock and soul influences with touches of west coast hippy jazz, in a style that's almost an LA answer to Rotary Connection, but without all the baroque arrangements. The set's got a great version of "Compared To What", and the extended jazzy jammer "Just For You" – plus the cuts "Day Song", "Just For You", "Look Out", "Without Me", and "Windlace". Last up is Melon – a great little set from Sweetwater – a rock combo at heart, but one who also bring in a nice sense of soul too! The album follows strongly from other of their Reprise releases – almost funky in parts, with drums that kick in nicely, and a flowing sense of groove that features keyboards, flute, and added percussion that helps to spice things up. Most tracks have vocals, but there's some very strong standout instrumental moments – and titles include "Take It From Splice Boys", "Naturally", "Don't Give A Hoot", "Get It While You Can", "I'm Happy Today", "Rejoice The Smile Of Man", and "Join The Band". 2CD set features 8 bonus tracks – including one recorded at Woodstock! CD

Few folks get a classic groove as right as T-Groove – and here, he's working with the George Kano Experience for an even more classic vibe – this wonderful blend of soul, jazz, funk, and boogie – all put together with the best sort of 80s groove production! The album's got a wonderfully understated vibe – so much so, the whole thing almost feels like the kind of lost major label production from back in the day – the sort of the set that was cut with top-shelf talents in the studio, then under-promoted by the record company – only to be discovered years later by rare groove hounds like us! Yet it's contemporary, and hopefully will get the attention it deserves – overflowing with great tracks that include a clubby remake of Herbie Hancock's "Cantaloupe Island", topped with the lyrics penned by Mark Murphy in the 70s – plus tracks that include "Shallow Naked Love", "Timeless Groove", "Haven", "Do It Baby", and "Secret Lover". CD

A brilliant early album from pianist Aki Takase – already at the top of her game with an amazing command of the keyboard – a reach and sense of imagination that almost opens into the freewheeling territory of Cecil Taylor, but one that's also got a lot of room for gentler, more sensitive moments – which makes the balance of expression on the album a real delight! The tracks are all quite long, and there's some equally wonderful work on bass from Nobuyoshi Ino – a player whose thoughtful qualities really open up the piano, and also provide some soulful grounding for the record next to the drums of Takeo Moriyama. Tracks include "Mountain Forest", "Minerva's Owl", "Monologue", and "Song For Hope". CD

A pair of records from Tempest – a group formed by drummer Jon Hiseman after the breakup of Colosseum! First up is the self-titled Tempest record – music by a hell of a group from the glory days of the Bronze Records scene – a group who boast some fantastic guitar work from a young Allan Holdsworth that are more than enough to get them on the label – but who also have a richness and complexity that rivals some of the hippest prog acts on labels like Vertigo or Harvest too! Ex-Colosseum member Jon Hiseman handles drums and percussion with a mighty nice edge, Mark Clarke delivers some heavy sinister basslines, and Paul Williams echoes all of those strengths with his dark-tinged vocals – in a mode that's nicely beyond some of the cliches that other groups might hit on a record like this. Titles include "Gorgon", "Brothers", "Foyers Of Fun", "Upon Tomorrow", "Grey & Black", "Up & On", and "Dark House". Next up is Living In Fear – a really great record from Tempest – a group who have so many different things going on at once – guitars that would be right at home on a hard rock effort, rhythmic complexity that verges on prog, and a tunefulness that really sends the whole thing over the top with an unexpected appeal that keeps on going throughout the entire set! Maybe the tipoff is the group's great cover of "Paperback Writer" – showing a love of the harmony in earlier work by The Beatles – updated here to a more guitar-based, fuzz-heavy style for the 70s – and matched with some equally groovy songs that have us wondering why these guys never found more of a following at the time! Other titles include "Funeral Empire", "Stargazer", "Dance To My Time", "Living In Fear", and "Waiting For A Miracle". CD set features two bonus tracks – "You & Your Love" and "Dream Train". CD

Maybe the greatest album to date from Toco – warm, jazzy, and filled with all of the best influences from Brazilian music – served up with live instrumentation that brings even more soul to the music than some of the artist's sparer sessions! Toco since throughout, with this raspy charm that's even more compelling than we remember from years back – and the larger lineup of players mixes plenty of percussion with guitars, vibes, berimbau, and cavaquinho – as well as a nice array of keyboard work from Stefano Tirone, who's working here in territory that's a lot warmer than some of his clubbier project as S-Tone! The whole thing is wonderful – and very much in the classic reworking of Brazilian styles that was one of the first great marks of the Schema label many years back – still very much at the top of their game, on titles that include "Vento Doce", "Mar", "Lagrima", "Luz Da Bahia", "Alma De Turista", "Clube", "Carnaval Primeiro", and "Coragem". CD

An amazing bit of funk from early 70s Brazil – an ultra-rare album, but one that almost beats some of the bigger Brazilian classics of the time! The recording has a very unusual approach – a non-stop blend of songs on each side – which makes for long, continuous tracks that mix together funk, jazz, samba, and other rootsy elements – often with a lot of percussion at the core, but also featuring electric bass, and some nice flute too! Lead singer Embaixador has this deep, rich sound – which is then countered by a vocal group, ala samba – and the overall approach is definitely in the deepest, hippest modes of the samba soul generation – and much more unbridled than more conventional albums. The whole thing's wonderful – and titles include "Walk By Jungle", "Dandara", "Fareua", "Oan", "Pae Joao", "Madrugada Sem Luar", and "Menina Da Janela". CD

An east coast psych classic from Ultimate Spinach – a group who recorded for MGM, but who would have been equally at home next to some of the trippy rock groups on Mainstream or Vanguard at the time! Alan Lorber handles production, and he really lets the group's freak flag fly – using that great ear for psychedelic elements that he brought to some of his own groovy records, which gives familiar instrumentation some nicely shaggy edges that really help push the album over the top! There's all sorts of cool things going on here – especially on the longer tracks, of which there are a few – and titles include "Jazz Thing", "Mind Flowers", "Suite Genesis Of Beauty", "Fragmentary March Of Green", and "Fifth Horseman Of The Apocalypse". CD

Italian alto player Massimo Urbani is in some tremendous company here – working with a quartet that features Ron Burton on piano, Cameron Brown on bass, and Beaver Harris on drums – a lineup who really make the album a standout in his career! The group's got a soulful swing that really brings out the best in Urbani's tone – allowing him to be free, but never too out – and keeping a strong sense of rhythm in most of the tracks – one that almost approaches soul jazz on the best numbers, thanks to the excellent work of Burton and Brown together – a really wonderful pair! Titles include "Tender Song", "Solar", "Diddy For Biddy", and "Rip The Ripper". CD

A wonderful testament to the mindblowing collaborative powers of reedman Ken Vandermark – one of the most consistently creative saxophonists of the past few decades, and a spirit with a heart that's as big as his music! Ken's a wonder by himself, but one of the things that's always really impressed us is his strong ear for others – which includes not just fellow jazz musicians, but also decades of sounds in other styles too. Here, Vandermark displays his strong sensitivity towards five key contemporaries – in a box set that features different duets on each CD! The set features one album each of improvisations with Paul Lytton on drums and percussion, Ikue Mori on laptop and electronics, Kris Davis on piano, William Parker on bass, and Hamid Drake on drums and percussion – and Ken is mindblowing throughout, with an incredible ear for his partners, delivered over a number of different reed instruments. Box set also features great notes from Vandermark – who's also a hell of a writer, too! CD

The first album recorded by Kazumi Watanabe, the Japanese guitarist whose firey style would go onto play a big part in the growth of that country's jazz scene during the 70s! This album's quite different from the later smoother work from Kaz – a pretty intense set, and it features Watanabe grooving hard in a mixture of freebop and fusion styles – in a sextet with drummer Motohiko Hino, plus tenor, bass, and piano! The best cuts are the covers – Joe Henderson's "Isotope" and Kenny Dorham's "Blue Bossa" – both of which are straighter than the rest of the tracks on the album, with a bit more focus – although other titles are still pretty nice, and include "Infinite" and "Cortly". CD

A surprising title – given that Sadao Watanabe was really stretching out a lot in the early 70s – but a fitting one too, as the set's a nice back-to-basics date from the amazing Japanese saxophonist! Sadao's working here with the Great Jazz Trio of Hank Jones on piano, Ron Carter on bass, and Tony Williams on drums – a swingingly solid combo who really make things cook, even in a small space – sounding almost better here when topped by Watanabe's sharp-edged alto lines than on their own albums of the time! Sadao also plays a bit of flute, which is really a treat – and titles include "Confirmation", "Episode", "Gary", "3:10 Blues", "Chelsea Bridge", and "One For C". CD

Wow, the cover alone should be more than enough to recommend this one – and the music inside definitely lives up to its promise – a fuzzy, freaky set of work from the German scene at the start of the 70s – by one of those groups who only ever recorded one album, but somehow managed to top the bigger catalogs of more famous acts! The set's got an approach that's different from some of the more progressive Krautrock of the time – as although Weed certainly hit hard rock territory, they also can lay back and enjoy some mellower moments, too – sometimes in the space of a single tune, in ways that really helps us appreciate their fiercer moments on guitar! Lyrics are all in English, and nicely pointed at times – on titles that include "Before I Die", "Weed", "Slowin It Down", "My Dream", and "Sweet Morning Light". CD

An essential collection of work from one of the hippest funk groups of the 70s – the mysterious Wood Brass & Steel, who also participated in the legendary Skullsnaps record! The first part of the set features an unreleased album that the group recorded for the All-Platinum label in 1973 – music that's hard and funky, but which also shows a strong current of jazz as well – the kind of material that has the group very much in the best Earth Wind & Fire territory of the period, with a sense of righteous perfection that should have made them huge – had the album not stayed in the vaults! The set includes their fantastic "Hey What's That You Say" – which was later reworked as "It's A New Day" for the Skullsnaps album – plus a few more cuts that later appeared on the Brother To Brother debut album – titles that include "Trespassing", "Let's Take A Stroll", "Jermilah", "If He Can Do It She Can Do It", "I Wish It Would Rain", and "A Love Of My Own". Next is the self-titled Wood Brass & Steel album – a legendary bit of east coast funk from the 70s – by a group who'd go on to have a huge influence both in the worlds of hip hop and house! Wood Brass & Steel feature two key players who later became part of the Sugarhill Records house band, and later the On-U Sound collective – Doug Wimbush and Skip McDonald – but the set's got a much fuller, more soulful vibe than work from those later projects – nice use of horns, as hinted at in the title – but not in a way that make these guys a brassy funk band either! Instead, there's a smooth groove throughout – one that comes up from the rhythms first, with a wonderful quality that's years ahead of its time – never disco, but not afraid of some faster rhythms that point the way towards underground club to come. The whole thing's the kind of funky lost gem that makes us happy to do what we do – and it's had long life over the past few decades, thanks to the rich variety of tunes on the set. Titles include the classic cut "Funkanova", an uptempo jazzy instrumental that continued to be a club favorite throughout the house years – plus loads of other good cuts, too, like "WBS Theme", "Welcome To The Party", "Same Ol Me", "Working On A Dream", and a version of "Always There". Hard & Heavy is the incredibly rare second album from Wood Brass & Steel – the mighty funk group we've loved for years for their landmark debut from the mid 70s! This sophomore set is from a few years later, and has the group honing their groove even more – working with these righteous currents in their music that expand the sound into territory that's almost a bit like Roy Ayers at times! As with Ayers, the vocals are often layered into the rhythms – sometimes sung by group members with this soulfully flowing current that has a subtle, sublime sort of vibe – and which works perfectly for the message in the music. Tunes are often in the faster side of midtempo – but never conventional club or disco at all – and there's this really special quality to the whole record, one that even tops the unique vibe of their first album. The original album was very briefly issued by Sugar Hill, during a time when the label was mostly doing hip hop – and is impossibly hard to find in the original pressing. Titles include "Open Up Your Heart", "Be Yourself", "Long Live Music", "Space Walk", "Fly With Music", "Superstar", and "Are You Busy". CD

A way way deeper set than the first volume of Bay Area Funk – and a collection that shows that things got pretty heavy on the San Francisco and Oakland scenes of the 70s! A good number of the tracks here are instrumental, and show some wonderful interplay between the trippier sides of funky jazz and the harder sides of soul going on in the Bay Area back in the day – killer music from the fringes that often got lost in the shuffle of all the better-known music coming out on the bigger labels! The work here is all from very tiny labels – expertly selected and all officially cleared by the Luv N Haight team with keen respect for the artists involved – and in a way, the package has set a new high standard for the label! A tremendous discovery, and filled with tracks we'd never heard before – titles that include "Stop Look Listen" by Primevil, "Poor Sad Child (part 1)" by The Windjammers, "Born To Live With Heartache" by Mary Love, "Move In The Room" by Dawn & Sunset, "Ebony" by Project Soul, "Acid Lady" by San Francisco TKOs, "Hip Breakin" by Little Denise Stevenson, "Devil's On The Run" by Uptights Band, "Brute Strength" by Mile Selesia, and "Lenient With My Love" by The Relatives. CD

A heavy dose of funky jazz – and one that goes way past the obvious too – to include some real gems from the 70s that even we'd passed up! The package is filled with stellar jazz from the Fantasy Records family – Prestige, Pablo, Galaxy and Fantasy proper – choice numbers by The Blackbyrds, Stanley Cowell, Charles Earland, Patrice Rushen and others – funky jazz, soul, boogie and Brazil-flavored numbers from the top shelf of the diverse period! It's a tight, well chosen compilation with numbers you simply could not overlook in putting a set like this together – productions by the Mizells, Donald Byrd, Earland and others – but there's a few of leftfield choices, too. Simply a great little snapshot of the funky jazz and soul period and the family of labels that generated so much of the most creative music to come from it! 14 tracks and nearly 80 minutes of grooves: Includes "Happy Music" by Blackbyrds, "Close To You" by Marlon McClain, "Let Me Love You (Let Me Be Me)" by Stanley Cowell, "Taj Mahal" by Paulinho Da Costa, "Nov Ano" by Azar Lawrence, "Moon Dreams" by Flora Purim, "Montevideo" by Opa, "Glide" by Pleasure, "Shout It Out" by Patrice Rushen, "If Only I Could Prove To You" by The 3 Pieces and more. CD

A lost legacy of work from Black Jazz Records – the important 70s imprint that's best known for its groundbreaking albums of spiritual and funky jazz – and a company who also issued some rare 45s back in the day! The cuts here represent some of the coolest, funkiest tracks these artists recorded for Black Jazz – all originally issued as 7" singles, some with a two-part approach that has both parts of a longer track spread out over both sides of the wax. The presentation here is as top-shelf as the other Black Jazz reissues handled by Real Gone – complete with notes by Pat Thomas – and titles include "Little B's Poem" and "Peace" by Doug & Jean Carn, "Chi Town Theme" by Cleveland Eaton, "Soul Daddy" and "Be All Your Own" by Kellee Patterson, "You Are The Sunshine Of My Life" and "Me & Mrs Jones" by Gene Russell, "Coral Keys (parts 1 & 2)" by Walter Bishop, "Moon Child (parts 1 & 2)" by Doug Carn, "Mr TJ (single edit)" and "Devon Jean" by Rudolph Johnson, "Gee Gee (parts 1 & 2)" by Calvin Keys, and "Powerhouse (parts 1 & 2)" by Chester Thompson. CD

A wonderfully genre-hopping collection – put together by Toru Hashimoto, the man behind such incredible Japanese series as the Free Soul, Cafe Apres Midi, and Suburbia compilations for many different labels! Toru really lives up to his legend here, and mixes music from different scenes and styles, but in a way that not only makes total sense – but also seems to have the tracks resonate even more strongly in the company of each other – moving from soul to bossa, jazz, vocal, and even hip hop cuts! Titles include "It's You" by Joyce Cooking, "I've Got You Under My Skin" by G9 Group, "Persian Love" by Holger Czukay, "Never Did I Stop Loving You" by Alice Clark, "What Else Can I Say" by Ingram, "Another Day" by Precise Hero, "NYC Tonight (version voc Shintaro Sakamoto)" by Dump, "Beautiful Love" by Myron & the Works with Meshell Ndegeocello and Robert Glasper, "Just The Way You Are" by Meta Roos & Nippe Sylwens Band, "Little Girl Lost" by Penny Goodwin, "Hunk Of Heaven" by Lemuria, "Why Don't We Fall In Love" by John Valenti, "Love Oh Love" by Vince Andrews, "You've Got To Have Freedom" by Pharoah Sanders, and "In All The Wrong Places" by Kero One. CD

Blue-tinged work for those days when your heart is breaking and your soul is aching – a really wonderful batch of tracks that are heavy on those late 60s/early 70s moments when male singers were starting to open up a bit and let their emotions show! The vibe here is very different than Bobby Gillespie's own music – and the set brings together bits of country, roots rock, and soul – really special tracks that have a perfect blend of heartfelt vocals, well-penned lyrics, and the kind of arrangements and production that really send the whole thing over the top! The best thing about the collection is that it brings together songs we never would have thought to combine like this – a masterful set list that includes "I Don't Want To Talk About It" by Crazy Horse, "Wait & See" by Lee Hazlewood, "Shades Of A Blue Orphanage" by Thin Lizzy, "The Coldest Days Of My Life" by The Chi-Lites, "Roll Um Easy" by Little Feat, "Magnolia" by JJ Cale, "I Still Can't Believe You're Gone" by Willie Nelson, "Love Sick" by Bob Dylan, I'll Be Long Gone" by Boz Scaggs, "Strong As Death" by Al Green, "Kind Woman" by Percy Sledge, "Dark End Of The Street" by Ry Cooder, "I Feel Like Goin Home" by Charlie Rich, "When My Mind's Gone" by Mott The Hoople, and "By The Time I Get To Phoenix" by Nick Cave. CD