You may not know the name of Katalyst Conversation, but you'll definitely know some of the players – as the combo is an all-star quartet of key musicians from the Chicago scene – with a lineup that includes Ari Brown on saxes and piano, Ed Wilkerson on saxes and clarinet, Preyas Roy on ... CD(Jazz CD)
A set of definite bliss from the Tokyo scene – served up here in tracks that bring influences from American soul and funk to play with the rising sound of the city pop generation! There's a vibe here that's a nice change from other collections of this nature – as the choice of tracks ... CD(Japanese CD)
Four incredible albums from Jerry Butler – three of which appear here on CD for the first time ever! First up is Soul Artistry – a real moment of 60s genius from the great Jerry Butler – a set that helps Jerry step even further up the steps of soul music from his earlier years at ... CD(Soul CD)
A set of rare grooves that's rarer than most – given that almost all the cuts here came from the German scene of the 70s, and are so obscure that we'd not heard most of them before! The sounds are definitely funky, but with some nicely fresh vibes – different production styles, unique ... CD(Funky Compilations CD)
A fantastic look at a really groundbreaking moment in British music – a time when modern jazz, progressive rock, and psychedelic music were all being jumbled up and shaken up – with results that were completely unique to the scene, and still really sound tremendous all these many years ... CD(Funky Compilations CD)
Connie Price & The Keystones serve up a very different sound than usual – a fierce blend of hip hop and funk, all at a level that almost recalls the Heavy Rhyme Experience album from back in the day! The tracks were all originally issued as 7" singles by the New Orleans Superjock ... LP, Vinyl record album(Deep Funk LP)
Really lovely work from The Altos – a group that features lead vocals from Adriana Flores and Bryan Ponce, two singers who offer up a nicely fresh take on the sweet soul sound of years back! The pair are very different than most male/female duos in soul – as they sing with a style that' ... CD(Deep Funk CD)
The team of Santucci and Scoppa gave the world plenty of great jazz records over the years – and this sweet 70s set is definitely one of them! The album's maybe their grooviest sound library session of the time – done for the hip Sound Workshop label of Piero Umiliani, and mixing all ... LP, Vinyl record album(Sound Library LP)
A really wild little record – quite experimental, and maybe in a mode that's impossible to describe in words! The set's part of that great burst of creative Japanese music at the start of the 70s – but is even more revolutionary than most – as it seems to mix artful passages with ... LP, Vinyl record album(Japanese LP)
A set with an Aztec image on the cover, and a few title tunes that hint at Latin American theme – yet one that's got a lot more going on than just those few references might imply! The album's got all the depth of some of the other 70s sound library material from the great Gianni Marchetti ... LP, Vinyl record album(Sound Library LP)
A record that's a real nod to the spiritual saxophone genius of Isaiah Collier, as it features him on these beautiful long tracks in the company of two giants from an earlier generation of jazz – the legendary William Parker on bass and the mighty William Hooker on drums! The trio create ... LP, Vinyl record album(Jazz LP)
Rare tracks from producer John "Little John" McMorris – work that was originally issued on his Romantic imprint during the digital years, but which also has a strong roots component too! Despite the love-styled cover, there's a nice dose of message-oriented work too – mixing ... LP, Vinyl record album(Reggae LP)
The genius of Richie Havens at this point is beyond compare – a unique take on the dying folk sound of the 60s, one that infused it with a deeper sense of soul that helped it get new legs in the Woodstock generation – yet which is also heard here before any of the post-hippie cliches ... LP, Vinyl record album(Soul LP)
Maybe one of the greatest albums to date from saxophonist James Brandon Lewis – and that's saying a hell of a lot, given that all of his records have been pretty darn fantastic! The set features a series of tracks that are improvised, but often very rhythmic – dancing with all this ... CD(Jazz CD)
A great document of a really legendary Chicago publication – one designed for visitors and convention crowds looking for after-hours fun – which was definitely delivered by the long-running Nightlife In Chicago publication! The thin magazine was regularly scattered around town – ... Book(Book)
A fantastic look at a really unique moment in American pop and rock – a time when some groups were using larger arrangements to make things wonderfully complex in the backgrounds – all while still creating tunes that were pretty darn catchy! The shift is very different than the love of ... LP, Vinyl record album(Rock LP)
The title and the cover here will really give you an idea of the righteous power of the album – part of the ever-growing cultural legacy that Anthony Joseph has given us in recent years – all at a level that should make him as important to our contemporary scene as the Last Poets and ... CD(New Grooves CD)
Killer Cali soul from Mereba – and the singer assures us that the title of the album didn't have anything to do with the recent conflagration in the city of angels! Instead, it's a reference to the way that her sound has a slow, low glow, then gets brighter as it moves on – exactly the ... CD(Neo Soul CD)
We can always leave it to the Numero Group to go deep – and that's definitely what they do this time around – plunging headlong into the world of underground country singles from the farther reaches of the indie label world! The tracks here are all by female artists who recorded very ... LP, Vinyl record album(Rock LP)
A contemporary set from drummer William Hooker, but a set that feels as if it's been plucked from the glory days of the loft jazz scene – as Hooker works here with a host of younger musicians to craft a wonderfully powerful set of tracks that hang perfectly between free improvisation and an ... CD(Jazz CD)