We love the reedwork of Dave Rempis in many settings – but one of our favorites is this excellent percussion quartet – a cool combo that features two drummers, Tim Daisy and Frank Rosaly, plus the bass of Ingebrigt Haker Flaten – all working together as a sublime setting for the alto and tenor of Rempis! The group is sometimes very rhythmic, other times a bit free – and Dave's saxophone lines are tremendous throughout – stretching out on very long tracks with that unbridled sense of imaginative creativity that can make his longform improvisations so wonderful! Flaten is fantastic too – the record is a great reminder of how much focused energy he can bring to a session like this – and titles include "Everything Happens To You", "Spooky Action", "Fat Lip", "Little Fascists", and "The Exuberant Aubergine" – the last of which features guest flugelhorn work from Jean Luc Cappozzo. CD

Very cool sounds from the 60s scene in Italy – music that's clearly inspired by the best British female pop of the period, and also a bit by Detroit soul – with maybe just a touch of French "yeh yeh" modes thrown in for good measure! Yet because the sounds come from a scene that was also reinventing the sound of movies with its studio genius, there's also a really special vibe going on here – in part because the music often features contributions from soundtrack and sound library maestros – including Nora Orlandi, Berto Pisano, Alessandro Alessandroni, Bruno Nicolai, and others – who put these tunes together with a wonderfully spacious, wonderfully creative vibe – which really helps take them past their basic musical influences. The set list is every bit as well-chosen as the Ace Records collections of 60s French female pop – and titles include "Il Beat Cos'E" by La Ragazza, "Cartoline" by Mina, "Le Ragazze Semplici" by Orietta Berti, "E Proprio Inutile" by Meri Marabini, "Coccodrillo" by Ornella Vanoni, "Se Mi Vuoi Mi Vuoi" by Catherine Spaak, "Il Treno" by Rita Pavone, "A Me Piace Lui" by Vibeke, "Come Ti Vorrei" by Iva Zanicchi, "Tamburino Ciao" by Milva, "Zero In Amore" by Gigliola Cinquetti, "Il Paradiso" by Patty Pravo, and "Una Stanza Vuota" by Lisa Gastoni. CD

A rare gem from keyboardist Hilton Felton – and one of the few albums issued on his own Hilton's Concept label! The set's got a super-sweet stripped-down feel – Hilton on organ and electric piano, backed by drums, bass, percussion, and some slight guitar – in a lineup that shifts slightly from track to track, but always keeps things lean and groovy! The album's got some killer funky numbers – like the chunky "Here Comes David", which has a nice rattling groove, and the extended mellow soul cut "Dream Come True", which blends keys and guitar with a bit of vocals, making for a nice tripped out soul style! Other tracks include "Your Analysis", "Music Shall Never Die", and "Maybe You'll Come Back To Me". CD

Alyson Williams is anything but raw here – as this Def Jam Titles debut really marks the singer as one of the warmer, smoother talents of her generation – an artist who almost emerges as a superstar right from the start, at least with the sense of power and bearing she brings to her music! The set's got a few key duets – including two tracks with Chuck Stanley, and one more with Oran Juice Jones – but Alyson hardly needs to tie herself to the previous generation of Def Jam soul, as she's already ahead of the pack – and working with a voice that would sound every bit as great with 60s or 70s styled-arrangements as it does with the late 80s R&B sparkle of this set! Titles include "Just Call My Name", "I'm So Glad", "My Love Is So Raw", "Still My No 1", "Sleep Talk", "I Need Your Lovin", and "Masquerade". CD features bonus tracks "Sleep Talk (extended)" and "My Love Is So Raw (extended)". CD

The sound of industry, circa 1969 Italy – which means that everything sounds a heck of a lot groovier than you might expect! Soundtrack genius Alessandro Alessandroni handled the album – and it's completely fantastic right from the very first note – nothing like an industrial album, nor even some of the peppier "industry themed" sound library sets of the European postwar theme – and instead, the music is full of jazzy elements and cool wordless vocals – especially those scatting styles you'd know from Alessandroni's work with I Cantori Modern! Tremendous throughout – and quite possibly one of the grooviest albums the composer has ever given us. Titles include "Moto Blues", "Dialogando", "Circolazione", "Basso Regime", "Vie Motrici", "Escursione", and "Numero Uno". CD

An amazing little record from Joe Byrd – an artist with roots in serious music, but who's serving things up here with a wild hippie aesthetic that makes the whole thing come across more like a "happening" than the usual sort of studio album – but in ways that also echo an earlier generation of Americanist composition too. The process of the record mimics some of Byrd's famous work in New York – and has a very collaborative feel overall, with elements of electronics, acoustics, and vocals coming together beautifully! There's some great tabla, harpsichord, moog, and organ on the record – plus more serious woodwinds and brass – and vocals from Victoria Bond, Susan De Lange, Christie Thompson, and Ernie Anderson – plus Joe himself. Titles include "Kalyani", "Moonsong Pelog", "You Can't Ever Come Down", "Gospel Music", "Nightmare Train", "Leisure World", and "The Elephant At The Door". CD

A wonderful set of funky Latin grooves from Chakachas – an album that was recorded around the same time as their classic Jungle Fever record, but which is much more obscure overall! The set was originally only issued in Europe, and has a groove that's very similar to Jungle Fever – a mad messed-up blend of Latin, funk, and sleazy European grooves – delivered with a style that's part soundtrack, part US Latin – and all groovy all the way through! There's plenty of heavy percussion, funky basslines, and riffing guitar – and the record is filled with funky nuggets all the way through, with titles that include "Hot Hands", "Liza & Brook", "Mamadula", "The Walking Brass", "Turtle Soup", "Bugaloo", and "Super Cat". Reissue includes bonus tracks not on the original record – "Tengo Tengo", "Noche De Amor (voc)", and "Hot Hands (inst)". CD

One of the hippest albums ever from the team of Kenny Clarke and Francy Boland – a unique small combo session that's even groovier than their famous big band work! The setting is wonderful – Clarke on drums, Boland on piano, and a sextet lineup that includes Sahib Shihab on flute, Fats Sadi on vibes, Jimmy Woode on bass, and Joe Harris on percussion – all players who know each other well, and groove together as one amazing unit on the set! The tunes here are lyrical and lively, modal and moving, and still some of the freshest jazz cut on the European scene of the 60s – music that's having a huge impact these days in the club jazz underground. Shihab's flute work is sublime, especially next to Sadi's vibes – and Harris' added percussion gives a number of the cuts a bit of a Latin kick that's totally great! There's a bit of vocals on the set, and titles include "Ebony Samba", "Tin Tin Deo", "Potter's Crossing", "Wives & Lovers", "Ensadinado", "Lorraine", "Day By Day", "Love Hungry", and "Please Don't Leave". CD

Four late 60s gems from Perry Como – all records that really have him pushing beyond his pop style of the 50s! First up is Lightly Latin – one of the most sublime albums we've ever heard from Perry Como – a set that definitely takes its Latin lightly, and instead really goes for the best sort of mellow side of the Como sound! There's definitely a few bossa touches in the mix – a bit of acoustic guitar or light percussion – but they're added in very sparely, and couched with a beautifully subtle wall of sound from arranger Nick Perito, who works here with a lot more understatement than on some other records. Como's vocals are very far from pop – and the album brings out his maturing style wonderfully with a spacious, soft-toned style of production. Titles include "Dindi", "Once I Loved", "Stay With Me", "How Insensitive", "The Shadow Of Your Smile", "Baia", and "Manha De Carnaval". Next is Perry Como In Italy – one of the most haunting albums we've ever heard from Perry Como – a session recorded in Italy during the mid 60s – featuring arrangements by Nick Perito, and backing vocals by the Alessandro Alessandroni Singers! The tunes include a fair bit of older Italian numbers – some sung in the language of their origin, some in English translations that we've come to know on this side of the Atlantic – and Como takes them all with a sad-tinged style that makes the album one of his moodiest ever – a record that oozes melancholy with every song, and which has a late nite, heartbreaking appeal that goes beyond even the understanding of language. The set's a great one to convey the popularity of Italian work on the American market in the 60s – and Como carries off the session even better than some of the more likely singers on the scene during the period. Titles include "Souvenir D'Italie", "Forget Domani", "Anema E Core", "One Day Is Like Another", "Arrivederci Roma", "Oh Marie", and "E Lei". Look To Your Heart is the kind of record that moves so far beyond familiar pop vocalizations, it's almost like Perry's in a universe all by himself! The words seem to just be sneaking out of the singer's voice – these mutterings that are almost to himself, which makes his readings of the tunes feel even more personal than you might expect – even amidst larger backings from Nick Perito – like Como is off to the side of the room, ruminating on love lost and life lived! That quality comes through tremendously on the eerie "Father Of Girls" – a tune that's worth the price of admission alone – and other titles include "Try To Remember", "Look To Your Heart", "In These Crazy Times", "Sunrise Sunset", and "When You're In Love". Seattle is a record that has Perry Como taking on a bit of a country tinge at times – working with Chet Atkins production that almost seems as if the singer is trying to match the Dean Martin spirit of the late 60s, right down to phrasing that feels a bit like ol Dino himself! A few other cuts have more familiar Como modes, with backings by Nick Perito – and titles include the lively title cut "Seattle", plus "Happiness Comes Happiness Goes", "Together Forever", "Sunshine Wine", "Deep In Your Heart", "Hearts Will Be Hearts", "Turnaround", and "Beady Eyed Buzzard". CD

Ted Daniel may be one of the most compelling sound-shapers we've ever heard on the trumpet – a very under-acknowledged musician whose playing of the 70s and 80s continues to really grab us over the years! This unissued live set is from 1981, and it features Ted on a variety of horns – blowing in a special way that both links to more conventional trumpet modes, yet also shows a knowledge of the more open phrasing that some of his generation were using – like Lester Bowie or Leo Smith. Yet unlike some of those artists, Ted's performance, although free, is never that far from the more familiar roots of trumpet expression – a fantastic balance that really comes through beautifully in the music. There's a few unusual approaches here – one track features a trumpet played into a grand piano, another a flugelhorn through a phase shifter – but even these never go too far out. Titles include "Sunny Side Up", "Closer & Closer", "Vicissitudes Of A Lover", "Al Fine", "Ciao Bene", and "Deac's Ceremonial Testimonial". CD

One of the best-ever albums from Italian drummer Tullio De Piscopo – a very spiritual set that draws a heck of a lot from work on the session by tenorist Larry Nocella – who's tremendous throughout, and may well deliver one of his best performances on record! Tullio is nice and loose, and very open – different than on some other records, and really moving in sympathy with the bass of Lucio Terzano and piano of Luigi Benefede, in lines that are warm, lyrical, and often modal – a quality that's augmented by the guitar work of Giorgio Cocilovo, and which really seems to have Nocella finding a whole new range in his music! Luis Agudo is a special guest on the set, adding lots of additional percussion to the proceedings – and titles include "Barbara", "La Mia Natura", "Scetete/Garrison My Dear", "Say It", and "For Larry". 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

A recent live performance by Italian soundtrack legend Fabio Frizzi – recorded in America as part of a tour designed to support Frizzi's surprising return to the spotlight in recent years! In fact, the Frizzi heard here is even more in the spotlight than ever before – still using the evocative modes of his soundtrack creations, but also putting forward more vocal songs as well – handled by a group of younger musicians working with Frizzi, in a style that moves between the keyboard soundtrack styles of the 80s generation, and some of the more full-on sounds of earlier Italian prog! The whole thing was recorded in a church – and titles include "Suono Aperto", "Oltre La Soglia", "Silver Saddle", "With You", "Movin On", "Chaco", "Bunny Love Song", "Zombi 2", "Sette Note In Nero", "Rusty Games", "The Weeping Woman", and "Un Gatto Nel Cervallo". CD

Two very playful soundtracks – both composed by Lallo Gori, who we mostly know for more serious action work! Scusi Ma Le Paga Le Tasse is from the start of the 70s, and begins with a vocal number from Franco Fanchi, but soon moves into much groovier territory with a blend of funky jazz and dreamier moments of the sort that you might be likely to hear from some of the bigger Italian composers of the period. There's occasional light piano, ala Stelvio Cipriani – and even an appearance from the Nora Orlandi singers over the course of the 17 tracks from the film. Come Rubammo La Bomba Atomica is from 1967, and the music has some slight currents of spy spoof scores of the period – that nice comedic/dramatic mix of jazz and dynamic pacing, blended with a few exotic elements too. The set features two vocal numbers sung by Elsa, and the rest of the 12 tracks from the film are instrumental. CD

The seminal debut of Hatfield & The North – a group that maybe came a bit late in the UK prog scene of the early 70s, but who had a huge influence for decades to come! The quartet are a late transformation of the earlier Canterbury sound – leaner, maybe jazzier, and with a great ear for warm tones and organic elements that help hold the complexity of their music to the surface of the planet. Plus, there's this more open, honest quality to some of the work – especially the vocals – that quality, say, that made Matching Mole so different than Soft Machine. The whole lineup is an all-star affair – Richard Sinclair on bass and vocals, Pip Pyle on drums, Phil Miller on guitars, and Dave Stewart on organ, piano, and tone generator – plus some nice guest sax and flute from Geoff Leigh of Henry Cow, and vocals from Robert Wyatt on one track. Titles include "The Stubbs Effect", "Calyx", "Licks For Ladies", "Bossa Nochance", "Big Jobs No 2", "Lobster In A Cleavage Probe", and "Rifferama". This CD edition includes the bonus tracks "Let's Eat Real Soon", "Fitter Stoke Has A Bath" and "Your Majesty Is Like A Cream Donut". CD

A nice set from the British folk boom of the mid 60s – a rare one from singer Dorris Henderson and future Pentangle founder John Rensbourn! Florida born, LA raised singer Dorris Henderson moved to London in 1965 and was soon singing London's folk clubs, where she met Rensbourn. A solid mix of traditionals and then contemporary folk songs – stripped down and honest takes on "Saly Free And Easy", "Cotton Eyed Joe", "Mr Tamborine Man", "Going To Memphis", Something Lonesome", "Mist On The Mountain" and more. This edition includes bonus tracks from a rare 45 – "Hangman" and "Leaves That Are Green". CD

A really fantastic trio outing from pianist Fred Hersch – working here in a fluid style that really makes the album a standout classic in his career, thanks in part to superb work on bass from Steve La Spina, alongside drums from Jeff Hirschfield! La Spina has this round, warm tone that really complements Fred's piano lines – and the group choose some material that really allows them to show off their strengths in all the best ways – on titles that include Frank Foster's "Simone", Wayne Shorter's "Black Nile", Miles Davis' "All Blues", and a great take on the classic "The Dolphin", penned by Luiz Eca of the Tamba Trio! CD features two bonus tracks – "Unit Seven" and "Sometime Ago". CD

One of the most spiritual sessions we've ever heard from Noah Howard – a real gem from his 70s years on the European scene – and a record that takes all his previous avant explorations and gives them even more focus than before! The group's got a great way of building up a cosmic sense of energy before it takes off – real magic that comes from the Fender Rhodes and acoustic piano of Michael Smith, the bass of Bob Reid, and drums of Noel McGhee – the last of whom is a player who really drives the action along when needed – setting the spark that burns to a fire in Howard's bold alto solos. Noah also plays a bit of bells and tambourine – and Smith has a great way of resonating his acoustic keys in these wide waves of sound – very introspective, like some of Lonnie Liston Smith's early work with Pharoah Sanders. Titles include "Paris Dreams", "Lecke", and "Mardi Gras". CD

Includes the songs "Pithecanthropus Erectus", "Haitian Fight Song", "Love Chant", "A Foggy Day", "Memories Of You", "East Coasting (East Coast Ghost)", "Jump, Monk", "Serenade In Blue", and "Work Song". CD

Nice to know that we've lived past the year 2000 – and have managed to miss the holocaust that Kirk Douglas fought in this late 70s film! The movie's just the kind of overdone thriller that Kirk handled late in his career – but thankfully, the music from Ennio Morricone is much deeper overall – done in that brilliant blend of creepy styles that could make anything come together on the screen, even without any good special effects or dialogue! Some numbers have spooky, spare passages with earthy percussion and woodwinds, others have offbeat strings, some have some light electric elements – and overall, the music is nicely understated, always classy, and years ahead of some of the cheaper horror scoring of the time. CD features a whopping 33 tracks in all – the fullest version of the soundtrack we've ever seen – with titles that include "Holocaust", "Computer", "Slogan", "Jesus", "Il Bene Cattivo", "Serie Di Tre", "Strofa Monodica", and "Telefonata Interrotta". CD