A record that moves guitarist Melvin Sparks a bit more into soul territory from the funky jazz of his early 70s years – but still a heck of a great little record overall! The tracks are shorter than before and the backings are bigger – but Melvin's work on the strings still gets plenty of space in the arrangements, and there's more than a few funky instrumentals here that more than make the album great. Plus, Little Jimmy Scott sings vocals on a few cuts – "I Got To Have You" and "If You Want My Love" – both done in a style that's fuller and more soulful than any of the work cut under his own name! Other tracks are mostly instrumental, and include the funky numbers "Bump & Stomp", "Get Down With The Get Down", and "Get Ya Some" – plus "Looking For Love", "In The Morning", and "Mocking Bird". LP, Vinyl record album

A never-issued album by funky guitar legend Melvin Sparks – recorded right after his final record for the Westbound label, and appearing here for the first time ever! Sparks first rose to fame via funky work with Lonnie Smith and Lou Donaldson in the late 60s, the cut some killer albums of his own and with organist Leon Spencer in the 60s – before disappearing a bit until a great revival in more recent years! This set represents Sparks right before he dropped off the map – a session that's done with a sweet jazz funk vibe that shows the way that labels like Westbound were picking up some of the style of the successful CTI/Kudu imprint – mixing some larger charts with the leader's solo strengths – allowing maybe some more soulful influences in the rhythms, while still going for a jazz funk approach overall. The set's much more instrumental than Sparks' last record for Westbound, which had more vocals – and although a few tracks have an upbeat clubby style, most of the music is more in a midtempo mode. Titles include "Love Tones", "I'm Funky Now", "I'm Gonna Funk You Up", "You're Gonna Make It", "The Truth Hurts", "Make It Good", and "Disco Booty". LP, Vinyl record album

Massive funkiness! This album ranks as one of the best from the early 70's period at Prestige, and it features a crack group of young heavy hitters like Sparks on guitar, Leon Spencer on organ, Grover Washington on tenor, and Idris Muhammad on drums – all wailing, just wailing, away on long funky tracks with solos that go waaaaay over the top! There's a full, extended brilliance here that has to be heard to be believed – an intensity of jazz funk energy that few groups or scenes in later years ever matched. Tracks include the wild "Conjunction Mars", "Spark Plug", and a funky cover of "Who's Gonna Take The Weight". LP, Vinyl record album

A monster from Melvin Sparks – one of his greatest three albums! The set was cut for Prestige during the years when they were expanding the lineup on the albums a bit past the usual soul jazz quintet format – but even with a bigger group, the album's still got a great array of players, including Leon Spencer on organ, Idris Muhammad on drums, Virgil Jones on trumpet, Dave Hubbard on tenor, Hubert Laws on flute, and Sonny Fortune on alto. Melvin's single-line guitar work is incredibly great – very much like Grant Green's during the early 70s – and titles include "Love the Life You Live", "Akilah", and "All Wrapped Up". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the funkiest albums ever from early 70s guitar wizard Melvin Sparks – his first for the short-lived Eastbound offshoot of Westbound, and done in a style that's even harder and rawer than his work for Prestige! The sound is lean and often a bit rough around the edges – with possibly more funk than even jazz in the mix – and players on the set include Caesar Frazier on organ, Bad Bascomb on bass, Ron Bridgewater on tenor, and Idris Muhammad on drums! Prestige funk maestro Bob Porter produced the whole thing, and gets a beautifully soulful sound out of all players – rounding out Melvin's totally cooking work on guitar with some equally great contributions from the rest. Titles include "Whip Whop", "Judy's Groove", "Star In The Crescent", "Texas Twister", "Gathering Together", and "I Want to Talk About You". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the first records ever as a leader from funky drummer Idris Muhammad – a set that was cut right at the same time Idris was burning up the kit on his classic jazz funk sessions with other Prestige label players! The groove here is tight, funky, and very much in the mode that Muhammad laid down for other bigger soloists – a solid, socking sound that was the early 70s inheritance of the "Popcorn" funk groove of the late 60s. Players here are all great – and include Melvin Sparks on guitar, Harold Mabern on electric piano, and Virgil Jones on trumpet – and tracks include great covers of "Express Yourself" and "Super Bad", plus "Wander" and "Soulful Drums". LP, Vinyl record album

An obscure session by John Patton, and a great one too! The set was recorded sometime between the end of Patton's successful run at Blue Note, and before he was rediscovered, and brought back out into the light by John Zorn and other younger players who appreciated his skill. The style of the album's great – in a mode that really recalls the farther-reaching organ work of Pattons' later Blue Note years, not exactly as modern as players like Larry Young, but clearly inspired by a freedom that was coming into use of the organ at the time. The group's an all-star one, too – with Grachan Moncur making a rare organ jazz appearance, Melvin Sparks on guitar, Grant Reed on tenor, and drummer Alvin Queen (who's label the set was recorded for), laying down some dexterous rhythms that remind us a bit of Hugh Walker's work on some of Patton's best Blue Notes. Includes a great reading of Dusko Goykovich's "Soul Connection", plus versions of Moncur's "Space Station" and "The Coaster". And oddly, this one turns up less than most of Pattons' albums from the 60s! LP, Vinyl record album

Badass organ funk from the mighty Leon Spencer – a set that's got a bit of a fuller feel than some of his previous albums for Prestige – but a groove that's also equally great! The style here is somewhere between blacksploitation funk and some of the grooves from the CTI/Kudu camp – with a bit more horns than before on some of the titles, arranged tightly to provide a great foil for Leon's leaner lines on Hammond! Arrangements are by Ed Bogas on the fuller tracks, and players on the album include Hubert Laws on flute, Frank Wess on baritone, Victor Paz and Virgil Jones on trumpet, Joe Beck on guitar, Melvin Sparks on guitar, and Grady Tate on drums. One track features Leon working in a smaller trio format – and titles include "Superstition", "Give Me Your Love", "The Price A Po Man's Got To Pay", "Where I'm Coming From", and "Trouble Man". LP, Vinyl record album

The title's no lie – because the album is one of the shining jewels of Lou Donaldson's legendary funk years for Blue Note – that second period when he returned to the label at the end of the 60s, and really helped redefine the sound of soul jazz at the time! The format here is very much the same as other Donaldson classics from the time – like Hot Dog or Possum Head – in that the tracks are long, open, and plenty darn grooving – locked in some funky rhythms that feature Idris Muhammad on some very heavy drums! Other players are great too – and include Blue Mitchell on trumpet, Melvin Sparks on guitar, and Lonnie Smith on Hammond – all cooking things up nicely on tracks that include "West Indian Daddy", "Donkey Walk", "Everything I Do Gonh Be Funky", and "Hamp's Hump". LP, Vinyl record album

A mighty great little record – a mixture of jazz and soul from the heavy talents of Hilton Felton – and a record that not only features some of his own great work on organ and keyboards, but some great contributions from other members of the DC scene of the 70s! In addition to help from The Blackbyrds in the core combo, and guest tenor from Andrew White, the set also features vocals from a young Angela Winbush on one track – singing backup on some others! But the core charm of the record comes from the grooves – the kind of upbeat, righteous sounds that we've always loved in Felton's keyboards – almost an extension of the Prestige Records jazz funk groove from the start of the 70s, with echoes of records by Funk Inc, Melvin Sparks, and Leon Spencer – but given a particularly hip east coast indie sort of spin! Titles include "Family & Friends", "Spreading Fever", "Never Can Say Goodbye", "Family Reunion", "Clay's Way", and "The Power Of Love". LP, Vinyl record album

With Clifford Adams on trombone, Marshall Keys on alto, Melvin Sparks on guitar, and Arnold Sterling on alto and tenor. LP, Vinyl record album

One of the first records ever as a leader from funky drummer Idris Muhammad – a set that was cut right at the same time Idris was burning up the kit on his classic jazz funk sessions with other Prestige label players! The groove here is tight, funky, and very much in the mode that Muhammad laid down for other bigger soloists – a solid, socking sound that was the early 70s inheritance of the "Popcorn" funk groove of the late 60s. Players here are all great – and include Melvin Sparks on guitar, Harold Mabern on electric piano, and Virgil Jones on trumpet – and tracks include great covers of "Express Yourself" and "Super Bad", plus "Wander" and "Soulful Drums". LP, Vinyl record album

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

Plenty of magic here from organist Sonny Phillips – who also plays a bit of Fender Rhodes on the album too! The instrument is one that Sonny would use more later in the 70s – and here, it comes across with the same heavy phrasing as a Hammond – nice and blocky, which makes for a great mix with the other instrumentation of the group – which includes Melvin Sparks on guitar, Ben Dixon on drums, and Eddie Pazant (of the Pazant Brothers) on tenor! Some cuts have a sweet mellow approach to funk – especially the excellent cut "Bean Pie" – and other titles include "Make It Plain", "Wakin Up", and "The Brotherhood". LP, Vinyl record album

With Dr John on piano and organ, Melvin Sparks on guitar, Wilbur Bascomb on bass, Bernard Purdie on drums, Martin Banks and Danny Moore on trumpets, David Fathead Newman on tenor, and Howard Johnson on baritone. LP, Vinyl record album

Tight funky instrumentals from Brother Jack McDuff – an Atlantic groover that's probably closer to his late 60s gems for Cadet Records than it is his earlier work for Prestige! The solos are shorter, but they're packed nicely around the rhythms – played by a combo that features a young Melvin Sparks on some mighty nice guitar – plus Leo Johnson on tenor and Ray Appleton on drums! The groove is tight and choppy, with little bits of funk, and McDuff's usual sense of humor and warmth – and for the record, Jack wrote loads of original tracks, including "Mush Melon", "Snap Back Jack", "Strolling Blues", and "Do It Now". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the more open-ended sessions that Brother Jack cut for Atlantic – with less of the tight larger soul arrangements that the label usually saddled him with. (Not that we mind those, though!) David Newman plays a variety of saxes, and the group also includes a young Melvin Sparks on guitar. Tracks are longish, and the album includes the originals "Duffin 'Round", "Esperanto", and "More Head" – as well as stunning versions of "Sunny" and "But It's Alright"! LP, Vinyl record album

A stone killer from organist Lonnie Smith – one of his completely cooking early albums for Blue Note, and a hard-burner all the way through! Smith's working here with a really great group that includes Idris Muhammad on drums and Melvin Sparks on guitar – both of whom give the album a really heavy bottom, and almost make the set feel like one of those classic Prestige jammers from the same time. But added to them is a great horn section of Lee Morgan on trumpet, Julian Preister on trombone, and Bennie Maupin on tenor – all of whom give the record a slightly hipper, more modern feel – in keeping with the Blue Note groove of the time. Tracks are all nice and long – and titles include the originals "Turning Point" and "Slow High" – plus versions of "See Saw", "People Sure Act Funny", and "Eleanor Rigby". LP, Vinyl record album

Forget the preview, because Leon Spencer is already the main attraction on this key early album for Prestige! The date may well be one of the organist's greatest – and is a lean, mean session cut with that stretched out funky style that Prestige was really laying down at the time – open-ended tunes that take off from the Lou Donaldson late 60s style at Blue Note, with plenty of room for all players to do their thing! Idris Muhammad plays plenty of funky drums on the record, alongside trumpet from Virgil Jones, tenor from Grover Washington Jr, and guitar from Melvin Sparks – plus some kicking conga at the bottom from Buddy Caldwell. Spencer's sound on the Hammond is full and mighty – burning up from the get-go with a round, wall of sound sort of approach. The vibe is quite similar to Melvin Sparks' albums from the same time for Prestige – and titles include "The Slide", "Sneak Preview", "Message From the Meters", and "First Gravy". LP, Vinyl record album

Sonny Stitt joins up with a tight group of prime Prestige funky players – like Idris Muhammad on drums, Leon Spencer on organ, Melvin Sparks on guitar, and Virgil Jones on trumpet – for a sound that's much funkier than some of his other records for the label – maybe much more in the territory of records by Leon Spencer or Melvin Sparks! The set's got a good set of modern funk tracks, with all the quality moments you'd expect from these top-notch players. Titles include "Goin' To DC", "Calling Card", "Them Funky Changes", and "Black Vibrations". LP, Vinyl record album

Jazzy 45s galore – and a huge dip into the vaults of Prestige Records! This tasty set brings together 18 classics recorded in the heyday of the jazz funk years at Prestige – the late 60s and early 70s, a time when the soul jazz sounds of previous years were being forged into a leaner, meaner, harder-hitting groove. And although the LP was the growing format during these days, there was actually a heck of a lot of great work issued on 45s – still spinning strong with the jukebox crowds in the clubs and tap rooms, and still getting major play on radio stations, where the single was still king. The set features many 45 mixes of funky classics that you might know from LPs – and intersperses them with some other more obscure numbers pulled from full albums – making for an all-solid, all-funky set of tracks from one of the hippest jazz labels ever! Titles include "Fire Eater" by Rusty Bryant, "Don't Knock My Love" by Idris Muhammad, "Jungle Strut" by Gene Ammons, "Express Yourself" by Idris Muhammad, "Right On" by Boogaloo Joe Jones, "Who's Gonna Take The Weight" by Melvin Sparks, "Sing A Simple Song" by Charles Earland, "Son Of Man" by Houston Person, "Listen Here (part 1)" by Freddie McCoy, "Black Talk (part 1)" by Charles Earland, "Message From The Meters" by Leon Spencer, "Reelin With The Feeling" by Charles Kynard, "I Want You Back" by Harold Mabern, and "Thank You (part 1)" by Melvin Sparks. LP, Vinyl record album

A great lost album from Pucho & The Latin Soul Brothers – not classic vintage, despite the front cover image, but an excellent session from the early 90s that still has Pucho very much at the top of his game! The album's way heavier than some of Pucho's other material from the period – and only got slight circulation under the title Jungle Strut – as a record that really returns to the vibe of early 70s funky Prestige Records –w ith work from the legendary Pazant Brothers on horns, plus Melvin Sparks on guitar, Willie Bivens on vibes, and Bernard Purdie on drums! The sound is great – nice and raw, with a real emphasis on Purdie's funk – and titles include "Strange Thing", "Got Myself A Good Man", "Pucho's Descarga", "Soul Sauce", and "Bang Bang Lulu". LP, Vinyl record album

A seminal album from Hammond giant Lonnie Smith – a bold statement that really gives the organist his own identity after some killer work in the combos of Lou Donaldson and George Benson! Lonnie's one of the key flag-fliers of the new style of funky organ jazz – a mode different from the earlier styles of Jimmy Smith or Jimmy McGriff – leaner, cleaner, and often tied heavily to the drums – which, in this case, are handled by Marion Booker Jr, but in a way that recalls some of the Idris Muhammad greatness on other Blue Note albums of the time. The mighty Pucho (of Latin Soul Brothers fame) plays added timbales, and there's also two more conga players – ensuring a tight, yet complex sort of groove – and the frontline features Lee Morgan on trumpet, David Newman on tenor and flute, and Melvin Sparks on guitar. Tracks are long, with complicated rhythms – and soulful yet sophisticated solos to match – and titles include the seminal "Son Of Ice Bag", a great cover of "Think", and the tracks "Slouchin", "Call Of The Wild", and "Three Blind Mice". LP, Vinyl record album

A seminal album from Hammond giant Lonnie Smith – a bold statement that really gives the organist his own identity after some killer work in the combos of Lou Donaldson and George Benson! Lonnie's one of the key flag-fliers of the new style of funky organ jazz – a mode different from the earlier styles of Jimmy Smith or Jimmy McGriff – leaner, cleaner, and often tied heavily to the drums – which, in this case, are handled by Marion Booker Jr, but in a way that recalls some of the Idris Muhammad greatness on other Blue Note albums of the time. The mighty Pucho (of Latin Soul Brothers fame) plays added timbales, and there's also two more conga players – ensuring a tight, yet complex sort of groove – and the frontline features Lee Morgan on trumpet, David Newman on tenor and flute, and Melvin Sparks on guitar. Tracks are long, with complicated rhythms – and soulful yet sophisticated solos to match – and titles include the seminal "Son Of Ice Bag", a great cover of "Think", and the tracks "Slouchin", "Call Of The Wild", and "Three Blind Mice". LP, Vinyl record album

Arranged and conducted by Horace Ott – with Melvin Sparks on guitar, Ernie Hayes on piano, and Bernard Purdie on drums. LP, Vinyl record album