Enough funk to stop a truck – and a rare collection of tracks made by Senor Soul, a heavy-hitting LA group from the 60s – and the precursor to War! The tunes on the set are pulled from the group's sessions for the Whiz and Double Shot labels, plus a few previously unissued tracks – and the sound is completely sublime for fans who like their funk hard, heavy, and instrumental! Beats are rough, bass is fierce, and there's a good smattering of some Latinized elements – like percussion, flute, and tasy guitar. A few tracks have vocals, but the overall feel is mostly instrumental – and together, the tracks make the set feel like you've just stumbled upon a whole box of rare funky 45s sitting in the basement of a shop on Central Ave! 20 tracks in all – including "The Mouse", "Soul Fiesta", "Make The Funk Jump", "El Loco", "I Dig Rock & Roll Music", "I Ain't Got No Soul Today (What It Is, Y'All)", "Get On Up", "Hypnotizer", "The Sneak", "Poquito Soul", and "Don't Lay Your Funky Trip On Me". CD

Trippy psychedelic tunes from BBC Radiophonic Workshop pioneers Peter Howell & John Ferdinando – music that was originally created for the Ditchling Players' production of Lewis Carroll's Alice Through The Looking Glass from 1969 – plus additional material that didn't end up in the play! Overall, the set's an evocative mix of traditional folky touches with psychedelia era strangeness – played with organ, glockenspiel, acoustic and electric guitar, mandolin, autoharp, and strange elements of percussion! Includes "The March Of The Chessmen", "Dance Of The Talking Flowers", "Alice's Train Journey", "Dum And Dee", "Alice Meets The Knights", "Her Majesty Queen Alice", and "Whose Dream". CD includes 13 bonus tracks including a number of brief sections and effects – including "March of The Chessmen, Part 1", "Jabberwocky Part" and "Jabberwocky Acoustic Section", "Whose Dream? Try-Out", and "Dance Of The Talking Flowers Instrumental". CD

Fantastic live material from a very unique group – the instantly-legendary meeting of reedman Peter Brotzmann with the leading lights of the Chicago avant jazz scene in the 90s – brought together into a tremendous tentet that's maybe even better than the sum of its parts! The group features Brotzmann on tenor and clarinet, Ken Vandermark on tenor and bass clarinet, Jeb Bishop on trombone, Fred Lomberg-Holm on cello and violin, Michael Zerang and Hamid Drake on drums, Kent Kessler on bass – and "honorary Chicagoan" Mats Gustafsson on tenor and flutophone, plus Toshinori Kondo on trumpet and electronics, and William Parker on bass. Phew, that's one heck of a lineup – the kind that rivals some of the European or British improvising ensembles of decades past – but one that has its own very specific flavor, and a sound that's brimming over with youth – so much so that the non-Chicago guests really seem to gain inspiration from the core. This Okka disc set captures the band live at the 16th Victoriaville Festival in 1999. CD

BT Express are speeding it up a bit from the first album – hitting more of a disco vein, as would be their due, since they were one of the key groups in inventing the genre! The core ensemble funk sound is still firmly in place, with loads of great horns arranged by the enigmatic Carlos Ward, a jazzy talent who always brought a nice edge to the group's albums. Titles include the tasty funk cut "Devil's Workshop", which has a similar feel to "Express" – plus the massive "Peace Pipe", a very catchy number that's always been a favorite in Chicago – along with the great tracks "Discotizer", "Give It What You Got", "Whatcha Think About That?", and "Close To You". CD also features five bonus tracks – single versions of "Peace Pipe", "Give It What You Got", "Close To You", and "Whatcha Think About That" – plus a 10 minute disco mix of "Peace Pipe" on CD for the first time! CD

It's been a decade since the last entry in this really wonderful series – and it's clear that there's been plenty going on in the Detroit scene as well – a continuation of that old school underground that has the spirit of classic soul alive and well in the Motor City! These cuts are contemporary, but they recall the heyday of indie label 45s that were issued in the shadow of Motown – really top-shelf work that soars with a spirit that shows that in Detroit, classic soul is alive and well – even after decades of other sounds from the city! Some cuts here have a 70s vibe, some a bit of an 80s soul touch, but they're all unified through a sense of personal care and commitment to old school modes – on titles that include "Anytime You Need Love" and "So Close" by Jose Hamilton, "Singing That Song Once Again" by The Carmichael Movement, "Portuguese Love" by Ping Spells, "I Won't Let You Go" by Faschone, "More Than A Notion" by Jammie Nelson, "Sweet Summer Evenings" and "This Time Love's For Real" by JazShop, and the cuts "He's Mine", "I Get Emotional", "Give It What Cha Got", and "Bring On The Night" by The Funk Factor. CD

A nice little package, one that brings together three American releases of music by London's legendary Georgie Fame! First up is the classic Yeh Yeh – a brilliant mix of jazz, soul, and R&B – all filtered through a mod sort of London freshness, as early proof that the city could always take some great things from our own musical roots, and feed it back to us with a whole new flavor! Georgie Fame's no copycat here, though – and the sound is instantly Fame-like – a style that's really not the sort that any Americans were doing at the time, and certainly never this well. Hard-burning Hammond colors most of the tunes here – played with a tightly vamping quality – but it's Georgie's charmingly crackling vocals that really win us over! Titles include "Gimme That Wine", "Pink Champagne", "Monkeying Around", "I Love The Life I Live", "Point Of No Return", "Preach & Teach", "Get On The Right Track Baby", and the hit "Yeh Yeh". Next is Get Away – a great little album from Georgie Fame – with a hard raw soul sound that shows what a big crossover potential he had with the UK soul market – so much so that this batch of material was issued in the US as well! The album's got some wonderful arrangements – quite raw, with some nice organ, and plenty of heavy vocals from Georgie in a strong blue eyed soul mode. Titles include "Sitting In The Park", "Get Away", "Sweet Thing", "Ride Your Pony", "The In Crowd", "Last Night", and "Music Talk". Hall Of Fame is a bit of a best-of – a record that features some singles, and some album tracks – the latter of which aren't included here, as they'd be duplicated. The remaining material is Fame at his raw early best – working in a great soulful style, with plenty of jazzy charms – on cuts that include "Outrage", "Lil Darlin", "Sunny", "In The Meantime", "Something", "Do Re Mi", and Fame's own "Like We Used To Be". CD also features 9 more bonus tracks, some live recordings – titles that include "Bend A Little", "Telegram", "It Ain't Right", "Don't Make Promises", "Many Happy Returns", "I'm In Love With You", "Shop Around", "Green Onions", and "Do The Dog". CD

A really cool little package – one that features rare 20s recordings from the Middle East, alongside a host of modern "responses" to the original music! The first half of the set follows beautifully in the spirit of other recent sets from Honest Jons – digging through the archives of EMI to find some amazing sounds recorded in Egypt, Iran, Iraq, and Turkey – all presented here with sound that's infinitely better than their original 78rpm singles – a production job that's almost as mesmerizing as the music included in the package! The second half features new music commissioned for the package – all done by artists who are very sensitive to the original spirit of the first selections, working here with spare, acoustic instrumentation in an equally exotic way. At points, it's honestly hard to tell the difference between the old stuff and the new stuff – another achievement for the set – and rather than make that distinction, we'll just let you know that artists include Sir Richard Bishop, Haigo, Moustapha Bey Rida, Nechat Bey, Oudi Yorgho, Abdul Hussein Khan Shahnazi, Sami Chawa, Michael Flower, Micah Blue Smaldone, Paul Metzger, MV & EE, and Steffen Basho. 2CDs with lots of music! CD

A much-needed look at the really magical world of music in France – a scene that's always seemed to exist in its own sort of space, especially during the late 70s/early 80s years when most of these tracks were recorded! The French scene had some famous free jazz at the start of the 70s, but there was also another strain of unique sounds that were beyond categorization or comparison – music that took some of the creative inspiration of jazz and turned it towards global sources, acoustic instruments, analogue electronics, and even French vocal styles – creating work that was not only years ahead of its time, but which also was often missed on the global market, because it was so hard to label and categorize! This set brings together some of the best of those moments – music that's maybe a great second step if you've already dug sounds on labels like Saravah or Futura/Marge – and the whole package is wonderful throughout – filled with titles that even we might have missed otherwise. Tracks include "Gaal" by Noco Music, "Les Crocodiles" by Catherine Derain, "Reve De Voyage" by Remy Couvez, "Sokoto" by Structures Sonores Lasry Baschet, "Loreley" by Pan Ra, "Mahabaratha Kali" by Adjenar Sidhar Khan, "Bujumbura Lyon" by Workshop De Lyon, "Arabia" by Dynamo, "Love Always" by Jef Gilson, and "Moving Waves" by Andre Fertier & Clivage. CD

A triple-trombone session that bristles with energy right from the start – a nicely different setting for the great horn of Jeb Bishop, as he blows here alongside the trombones of Matthias Miller and Matthias Muche! The horns have a way of cascading together beautifully – interlocked, but never overwhelmed by each other – and with these voices that never seem to lose their individual spirit, yet rise together with a sense of majesty that's extremely powerful! Sometimes things are pulsatingly rhythmic, other times slowly sonorous – and it's clear that the three musicians really have a great ear for one another as they make their way through the five long improvisations on the set. CD

A really freewheeling set of improvised jazz from the French scene of the 70s – and a record that's a bit different than some of the more structured material that was usually issued on the Palm label, and maybe a bit more like some of the famous 1969 sessions on the BYG/Actuel imprint! The group's co-led by alto saxophonist Philippe Mate and pianist Jef Gilson – the latter of whom moves from acoustic keys to play electric piano, organ, and some very cool ondioline – an instrument that creates a very spooky sound at parts! Pierre Moret provides additional electric piano and organ, and the group also features Maurice Bouhana on flute and drums, Bruno Di Gioia on cor and percussion, Elie Dos Reis on percussion, Didier Levallet on bass, and Jean-Claude Pourtier on drums – a lineup who work together with unbridled power throughout! Given the amount of percussion on the set, there's some great earthy tones on the bottom – and the set features two side-long improvisations, titled "L'Oeil" and "Vision". CD

The fantastic first record from Chicago's Territory Band – a project headed up by saxophonist Ken Vandermark, and one that definitely builds the Transatlantic Bridge that's promised by the title! During the second half of the 90s, the Chicago avant scene really exploded with some great younger players – and also drew a lot of guests from other global scenes too – creating a lively cross-breeding of sounds, styles, and ideas – all of which are represented strongly by this group! The lineup features Jim Baker on piano, Jeb Bishop on trombone, Axel Dorner on trumpet, Dave Rempis on alto and tenor, Kent Kessler on bass, Fred Lonberg-Holm on cello, and both Paul Lytton and Tim Mulvenna play drums – which makes for a super heavy sense of energy throughout. Vandermark blows tenor, bass clarinet, and b flat clarinet – on titles that include "Collage (for Kurt Schwitters)", "RM (for Marcel Duchamp)", "Mobile (for Alexander Calder)", and "Stabile (for Hans Hoffmann)". CD

A killer little set that's as heavy as it sounds from the title – a wealth of rare material pulled from the studio of Detroit producer Dave Hamilton – a good deal of it previously unreleased! Hearing this set is like finding a pile of rare 45s stuffed in the back corner of a long-lost record shop – because although much of the work was never issued, it crackles with the intensity of the best funky 45s – lots of funky drums, offbeat guitar, and raspy soul vocals – produced with a real edge to all the work, so that all of the hardest elements of the tunes really come through in the mix! The work that was issued here came out on the TCB, Tayster, and New Day labels – and although the artists are often not well known, the work's got a really unified feel – thanks to the funky vision of Dave Hamilton. CD features 20 tracks in all – including "Brand New Girl (part 1)", "You're Wasting My Time (parts 1 & 2)", and "I Got Some (parts 1 & 2)" by Billy Garner; "The Grown Folks Thing" by OC Tolbert, "Party Time" by James Carpenter, "Going To The Moon" by Dave Hamilton, "Funky Trip" by Johnny Walker, "The Devil Is Gonna Get You" by The Future Kind, "Just A Mistake" by The Barrino Brothers, "Hunchin" by Gip Roberts, "Bump With Me" by The Webb People, "Sweet Thing (part 1)" by Bobby Dee, and "Can You Dig It" by Chico & Buddy. CD