An amazing batch of sophisticated soul tracks – and a favorite with the righteous groove scene! On the surface, the record's a combination of jazz and soul tracks in the same mode that you'd find on some of Nancy Wilson's albums for Capitol during the same time – but digging deeper, ... (Soul) read moreCD
A great record from the mid 70s – one that has Marlena Shaw further developing her style as a sophisticated soul diva with a sharp modern edge! Although already great in the 60s, Shaw emerges here as an all-adult, all-woman singer – dealing with issues that never would have gotten ... (Soul) read moreCD
George Shearing Quintet/Dakota Staton —
In The Night ... CD Capitol, 1957. Used ...
$9.99
Wonderful late 50s jazz from the LA scene – not just because singer Dakota Staton is at the best of her youthful prime, but also because the Shearing group on the set is great too! George is working here with one of his best lineups – a group that includes Latin-inflected Al McKibbon ... (Jazz) read moreCD
A killer session from Horace Silver – a record that has the legendary Blue Note pianist working with his famous quintet that includes Blue Mitchell on trumpet, Junior Cook on tenor, Gene Taylor on bass, and Louis Hayes on drums! The album's one of the group's first, and really showcases ... (Jazz) read moreCD
Titles include "Bridge Over Troubled Water", "El Condor Pasa", "Cecilia", "So Long Frank Lloyd Wright", "Baby Driver", "The Boxer", "The Only Living Boy In New York", "Keep The Customer Satisfied", and "Song For ... (Rock) read moreCD
(2011 pressing with making of documentary and a 1969 TV special!)
Not sure exactly why Zoot's got some Gemini wishes in the title – but the album's a great date, one of his later pairings with pianist Jimmy Rowles – a beautiful partner for the laidback tone that Sims adopted at this stage in his career! The album's got an understated eloquence that ... (Jazz) read moreCD
Way more than just a Gershwin Songbook sort of record – thanks to some tremendous blowing here by Zoot Sims, who's mellowed nicely with age, and comes up with a wonderful sound for the record! It may just be us, but there seems to be a lot more soul in Zoot's horn than ever before – ... (Jazz) read moreCD
(Out of print with a punch through the barcode. Hybrid SACD pressing – plays on regular players too!)
Zoot Sims, Al Cohn, & Bob Brookmeyer —
Stretching Out ... CD United Artists (Japan), 1958. Used ...
$9.99
A very well-titled album – as it definitely features Zoot Sims and Al Cohn stretching out – pushing their groove a bit more than on some of their tightly-composed mid 50s sessions for RCA! The lineup is still slightly large – an octet that features Zoot and Al on tenor, plus the ... (Jazz) read moreCD
(Out of print 1993 Japanese pressing, includes obi.)
One of Frank Sinatra's last great ballad albums for Capitol – a sad and dreamy batch of tunes that kicks off with the incredible "Only The Lonely" – one of those Sinatra torch songs that's so great, so sad, nobody else has ever been able to record a better version, nor have ... (Vocalists) read moreCD
Two great albums from Frank, both with sublime Nelson Riddle arrangements! (Vocalists) CD
Frank Sinatra —
That's Life ... CD Reprise, 1966. Used ...
Just Sold Out!
Sweet arrangements from Ernie Freeman – who gives Frank Sinatra that great little bounce that made the title hit, and so many other 60s tunes, so great! Titles include "That's Life", "Sand & Sea", "What Now My Love", "Tell Her", "Give Her ... (Vocalists) read moreCD
(Out of print.)
Frank Sinatra & Tommy Dorsey —
Love Songs ... CD RCA, 1940/1941. Used ...
$1.99
Ted Sirota's Rebel Souls —
Propoganda ... CD Naim (UK), 1999. Used ...
$4.99
Nice little underground session from the burgeoning young Chicago scene – oddly released on a UK label! Drummer Ted Sirota leads a lively little quintet that includes Jeff Parker on guitar, Kevin Kizer on tenor, and Rob Mazurek on cornet – and the band has a warm lyrical feel, and a ... (Jazz) read moreCD
Killer work from Sly & The Family Stone – hard-grooving, fast-funking, and really setting the scene for countless groups to come! The album's a messed-up funky party, with plenty of short little tracks that have a mix of funk, soul, and rock – perfect for the crossover crowd from ... (Soul) read moreCD
Hard to find a stronger early album by Sly Stone – as this one has him still funking hard, but also getting his soul bag together a bit more – hitting some really righteous vibes that mix together politics and partying in an incredibly seductive way! The album's filled with anthemic ... (Soul) read moreCD
A wonderful album from Sly and crew – moving way past the straight funk approach of earlier records, into a complicated crossover soul style that's filled with warmth and righteousness! Despite the political tone implied by the "riot" in the title and the co-option of the American ... (Soul) read moreCD
Midnight Special is a perennial favorite in the Jimmy Smith catalog for Blue Note – and a smoking little set that has Jimmy's Hammond grooving nicely alongside tenor from Stanley Turrentine and guitar from Kenny Burrell! Only Donald Bailey's drums remain from Jimmy's regular trio, but that ... (Jazz) read moreCD
One of Jimmy's most classic albums for Blue Note – and a key example of why his solo skills on the organ surpassed most of his contemporaries! The record's got a stripped-down trio group of Jimmy, guitarist Quentin Warren, and drummer Donald Bailey – working through mostly familiar ... (Jazz) read moreCD
One of those hard-wailing all-star sessions that Jimmy did so well for Blue Note! The album features an amazing array of top-line players – like Tina Brooks, Lee Morgan, Curtis Fuller, Lou Donaldson, Art Blakey, and Kenny Burrell – and they all play with Smith in differing combinations ... (Jazz) read moreCD
(1987 pressing – with a slightly different track list than the LP or the RVG Edition. Spine has a small cutout notch.)
One of the most famous early albums from Hammond organ giant Jimmy Smith – and for good reason too, as he was using the instrument to pioneer a whole new field in jazz! Before Jimmy, others had used the organ on short tracks, usually for a bit of color – but here, Smith explodes as a ... (Jazz) read moreCD
(First CD pressing – with a slightly different track list than the RVG version.)
Funky funky funky! Lonnie plays live with a tight group that includes tenor, guitar, and some very heavy drumming – really wailing at a level that was surprising for funky organists of the time, and which really set the pace for a whole new generation! The players are more obscure than on ... (Jazz) read moreCD
Really haunting work from Leo Smith – a key 70s session that features some of his sharpest trumpet work on record, plus some unusual instrumentation that really makes the album stand out! Half the tracks feature some wonderful vibes from Bobby Naughton – spare and dark-sounding, very ... (Jazz) read moreCD
Wadada Leo Smith & Gunter Baby Sommer —
Wisdom In Time ... CD Intakt (Switzerland), 2006. Used ...
$14.99
Wadada Leo Smith on trumpet, flugelhorn and electronics, and Gunter Baby Sommer on drums and percussion. (Jazz) CD
The album that finally made the world sit up and notice that Solange is a completely great artist on her own – and hardly needs to ever be spoken of in terms that involve her sister! The set's got a vibe that's as personal and put out there as Solange's image on the cover – music that's ... (Neo Soul) read moreCD
Solstein —
Solstein ... CD Is It Jazz? (Norway), 2023. Used ...
$8.99
Cosimo Fiaschi on soprano sax, Alessandro Giachero on piano and prepared piano, Emanuele Guadagno on electric guitar, and Nicholas Remondino on drums and electronics. (Jazz) CD
A timeless mix of heart tuggingly intimate strings and beautiful vocals by Esperanza Spalding – a set that feels deep down close to the heart, and in turns, quite soaring – all the while wonderful! The aspects we loved so dearly on Esperanza's previous albums are also done here – ... (Neo Soul) read moreCD
One of the hippest records we've ever heard from Esperanza Spalding – a set that almost feels as if she's stepping back into some of the more experimental, individual qualities that made her so different at the start! There's definitely some appealing, catchy songs here – but the ... (Neo Soul) read moreCD
A surprisingly great batch of modern salsa tracks – recorded with a really classic feel! The group's led by pianist/arranger Oscar Hernandez – and it features work by a number of older salsa legends, including Jimmy Sabater, Ruben Rodriguez, and Bobby Allende. Tight all the way ... (Latin) read moreCD
Russ Spiegel on guitars, Jim Gasior on organ, and Lucas Apostoleris on drums – with special guests Brian Lynch on trumpet and Hendrik Meurkens on harmonica. (Jazz) CD
With Monty Alexander on piano, Ben Wolfe on bass, and Clyde Lucas on drums – plus special guests Hendrik Meurkens on harmonica and vibes, and Dick Oatts on flute and soprano sax. (Vocalists) CD
A rawly beautiful set from Mavis Staples – produced by Jeff Tweedy, and we think it's her best of the past decade! There's a roomy, lived in vibe that's achingly effective on this one – the core group is her road band, with additional players including Tweedy, Patrick Sansone, Mark ... (Soul) read moreCD
The title certainly gets it right – as Dakota Staton is definitely dynamic on this one, but not in a way that's hokey or forced at all! Instead, the record nicely lifts Staton from some of the more laidback and bluesy modes of her other 50s records – into a fuller range of styles that ... (Vocalists) read moreCD
It's time to swing, but with a classy sound throughout – very much the best mix of modes Dakota Staton brought to her key early years at Capitol Records! Backings are by Sid Feller, and are pretty darn jazzy throughout – more so than some of Sid's other work of the time – a ... (Vocalists) read moreCD
Features the completely sublime "Wild World" – plus "Longer Boats", "Father & Son", "On The Road To Find Out", "Miles From Nowhere", "Where Do The Children Play", "Hard Headed Woman", and "Sad Lisa". (Rock) CD
Probably the most classic of Stitt's sides for Verve – and certainly the one that gets rated time and time again by jazz collectors. We think it's pretty darn great – although we always wonder why folks don't give Stitt's other sides for Verve as much of a chance, because they're all ... (Jazz) read moreCD
(Out of print Verve Elite pressing – with bonus tracks.)
An incredible snapshot of the funky soul genius of Sly Stone in an early transitional period – featuring all the known recordings of his short-lived Stone Flower label and production house from 1969-1970! Sly was a rising star at this point, and while the Stone Flower Productions name had ... (Soul) read moreCD
One of the best moments ever from the Sun City Girls – a set recorded after the group had soaked up a fair bit of global influences on a trip to India, which really shows in the range of styles and instrumentation used on the record! The core sound is still pretty noise-based – and ... (Rock) read moreCD
(Deluxe edition with embossed digipak case – in great shape!)
Horace Tapscott/Pan Afrikan Peoples Arkestra —
Flight 17 ... CD Nimbus, 1978. Used ...
$11.99
One of the most ambitious albums ever from pianist Horace Tapscott – a double-length set that has him working with a large lineup of underground musicians from the 70s Los Angeles scene – all united in spirit and power as the Pan-African Peoples Arkestra! Tapscott's piano directs the ... (Jazz) read moreCD
A stunner – and one of Clark Terry's finest moments ever! The record has a rawness and groove that you'd hardly expect from his later albums – no surprise, though, considering that it was cut during that really hip time at Emarcy, when the label was working in a mode that was darker ... (Jazz) read moreCD
(1997 Verve Elite pressing – in great shape with the original slipcase and backing sheet!)
With Caetano Veloso, Milton Nascimento, Edu Lobo, Joao Bosco, Elaine Elias, Djavan, Ivan Lins, Dori Caymmi, and Gilbert Gil. Produced by Oscar Castro-Neves. (Jazz) CD
Maybe the first true moment of greatness from Thin Lizzy – a record that really has them coming into their own, with a sharpness that really points the way at their later classics – and that unique approach that has Phil Lynott standing out as one of the most unique singers of his ... (Rock) read moreCD
Lucky Thompson on soprano and tenor saxophone, Martial Solal on piano, Michel Hausser on vibraphone, Gilbert Gassin on bass, Gerard Pochonet on drums, and Gana M'Bow on percussion. (Jazz) CD
An obscure French session cut by the great American tenor player Lucky Thompson, with a group of Parisian players that includes Martial Solal on piano, Pierre Michelot on bass, Michel Hausser on vibes, and Gerard Pochonet on drums. Thompson's sweet tenor sound is given nice backing by the ... (Jazz) read moreCD
Well, in our opinion, Cal went Latin right from the start, practically. Still, this "Goes Latin" LP is one of his best of the genre from the old days, and features a host of great players like Lonnie Hewitt, Chombo Silva, Mongo Santamaria, Paul Horn, and Willie Bobo. The album includes ... (Jazz) read moreCD
Beautiful Latin vibes from the great Cal Tjader – 8 long tracks recorded live in 1977, but issued here for the first time ever! The sides on the set rank with Cal's best 70s live work – and feature some sublime electric piano work by Clare Fischer, as well as percussion from a young ... (Jazz) read moreCD
One of the fantastic electric Cal Tjader sessions from the 70s – with that mixture of vibes and electric piano that made his work of the time take on an even funkier sound than before! Lonnie Hewitt's at the keyboards here – and he's got a sly, slinky groove that's totally great – ... (Jazz) read moreCD
A real standout session from Cal Tjader – a straight jazz side from the late 50s, recorded with a hip group that includes Vince Guaraldi on piano, Gene Wright on bass, and Al Torre on drums. Although Cal's possibly better-remembered for his Latin work of the time, the record is a good ... (Jazz) read moreCD
Don't confuse this one with Charles Tolliver's album on Strata East of the same name – because this session's a completely different one for Enja, but equally great! The group here is a quartet – not Tolliver's usual Music Inc lineup, but a combo that features Alvin Queen on drums, Ron ... (Jazz) read moreCD
An underground funky gem – one that never made it past the collections of the elite sound library audience in the 70s – but which is well deserving of global acclaim! Yan Tregger works here in this style that's every bit as funky as his contemporaries on bigger library labels, but ... (Sound Library) read moreCD
Amazing early work from The Treniers – a hip vocal combo that wound up to be one of the raunchiest in 50s R&B! The set goes farther than any other collection of the group's early work that we've seen – in that it features a whopping 26 tracks, pulled both from their recordings for ... (Soul) read moreCD
A double-length set of work from one of the greatest pianists of the 50s – both of his Atlantic albums together on a single CD! First up is the self-titled Lennie Tristano, from 1955 – darkly imaginative work from the great Tristano – and one of the few full albums he ever cut as ... (Jazz) read moreCD
(Promotional stamp on booklet cover.)
Trombone Shorty —
For True ... CD Verve, 2011. Used ...
$5.99
Trombone Shorty continues to charismatically do away with genre definitions of all kinds as well as defying convential expectations New Orleans brass band jazz, soul or jazzy soul – he's been doing that for years and it's still his way on For True! Trombone Shorty is also B-3 Shorty, Drums ... (Jazz) read moreCD
An excellent spaghetti western soundtrack by Italian composer Armando Trovajoli – for a film that's a bit lesser-known, but with music that's totally wonderful! The main theme may be recognizable for its recent use in Kill Bill, but the whole set's sparkling with surprises – and this ... (Soundtracks) read moreCD
Stanley Turrentine's no spoiler here – as his tenor sax soars out over the top of some sweet larger group arrangements from Duke Pearson – all awash in a great sense of soul, joy, and life! The album's got a much brighter feel than you might guess from the cover – a vibe that's a ... (Jazz) read moreCD
A wonderful sound library set from the great Piero Umiliani – and a record that's filled with some of his coolest electronics ever! The feel of the record is very much in keeping with the image on the cover – kind of sci fi, but kind of playful too – a wonderful blend of ... (Soundtracks) read moreCD
Uncluded (Aesop Rock & Kimya Dawson) —
Hokey Fright ... CD Rhymesayers, 2013. Used ...
$5.99
A pretty cool, seemingly unlikely duo effort on Rhymesayers – pairing up underground hip hop mainstay Aesop Rock and avant indie vocalist Kimya Dawson of Moldy Peaches! It actually works well! Aesop's no nonsense sounding voice can deliver even the most abstract lyrics with strength and ... (Hip Hop) read moreCD
A totally wonderful album from one of the hippest groups on Motown at the start of the 70s – the mighty Undisputed Truth, a group who really took up the psychedelic soul style of The Temptations, and gave it a real run for its money! The record was produced by Temptations maestro Norman ... (Soul) read moreCD
(Out of print.)
Vampire Weekend —
Contra ... CD XL, 2010. Used ...
Just Sold Out!
The classic debut – with "You Really Got Me", "Runnin With The Devil", "Jamie's Cryin", "On Fire", "I'm The One", "Atomic Punk", "Eruption", and "Ice Cream Man". (Rock) CD
Ken Vandermark/Paal Nilssen Love —
Chicago Volume ... CD Smalltown Supersound, 2009. Used ...
Just Sold Out!
A live meeting between Ken Vandermark on reeds and Paal Nilssen Love on drums and percussion. Like the companion Milwaukee Volume this album features three tracks – the 30 minute plus "Mort Subite", "New Paper", and "Text Of Sound". (Jazz) CD
Sarah Vaughan may be known for an earlier recording of After Hours for the Columbia label in the 50s – but on this early 60s set for Roulette, the title really fits her style – and is perfect for the mature, melancholy way that Vaughan has of putting over a tune! Sarah always had a ... (Vocalists) read moreCD
The title's no lie – as Sarah Vaughan sings here in some very soulful company – thanks to arrangements from Gerald Wilson, which make this record one of the standout from her years on Roulette Records! The other players aren't listed, but they're clearly the kind of top-shelf bunch ... (Vocalists) read moreCD
Sarah Vaughan gets some great backings here from Quincy Jones – who brings a nice sort of punch to the record, and makes it one of her grooviest from the early 60s! The style's still somewhat traditional – not as much in moddish Jones modes from a few years later – but there's ... (Vocalists) read moreCD
With 29 tracks including "Perfidia", "Ram-Bunk-Shush", "No Trespassing", "Twisted", "Night Drive", "Walk Don't Run 64", "Dick Tracy", "Hawaii Five-O", and more! (Rock) CD