Regalia/P-Vine (Japan), Mid 1970s.
Sweet disco and soulful jazz – the only album we've ever seen from Copeland Davis, a great talent on the piano, and a mellow soul singer with a clear inspiration from Marvin Gaye! The album's a pretty unusual one – in that the overall groove is instrumental, mostly tight rhythms and ...
(Soul CD)
Timeless/Ultra Vybe (Japan),
Timeless/Ultra Vybe (Japan), 2024.
Timeless/Ultra Vybe (Japan),
P-Vine (Japan),
Studio Ghibli's never sounded so cool and contemporary – as Grey October Sound serve up a second great assortment of famous themes from animated features – all done with the definite lo-fi approach promised in the title! The tunes are familiar, but the approach is nicely different than ...
(Japanese LP)
P-Vine (Japan), (reissue)
Kashmere Records/P-Vine (Japan), 1970. (reissue)
An early gem from the Kashmere Stage Band – and a record that already has the ensemble burning with plenty of fire! These guys were a one-unit powerhouse in American grooves – one of the few US groups who really got the same sort of funky big band energy that all the better European ...
(Soul LP)
Kashmere Records/P-Vine (Japan), 1969. (reissue)
A bold statement from the Kashmere Stage Band – who've definitely got their own "thing" here right from the start – one of the coolest, grooviest, funkiest sounds you'll ever hear from a band of young kids in school! These guys easily match the hippest players in much more ...
(Soul LP)
Jalapeno (UK), 2024.
Cracklingly sharp grooves from Sam Redmore – an artist who starts with some nicely skittish beats on the bottom, then adds in all these larger elements that flesh out the sound nicely – jazzy instrumentation, soaring strings, tight horns, and other contributions that change nicely from ...
(New Grooves LP)
Trojan/Music On Vinyl (Netherlands), (reissue)
Jamla/Fat Beats, 2011. 2LP (reissue)
A damn strong solo set from producer 9th Wonder – featuring appearances by many of the great players he's produced for and otherwise collaborated with in the preceding few years, as well as sharp new voices we're hoping he'll work with more often! Includes appearances by Phonte, Talib Kweli, ...
(Hip Hop LP)
Sublime Frequencies, Early 1980s.
A set of field recordings, but one that has a very different approach than usual – as the sounds here were initiated by a special sort of accident, in which an anthropologist left behind his recording equipment in a remote Venezuelan village – then returned later to find that the ...
(Global Grooves LP)
Far Out (UK), 2022.
A really lovely little record – one that feels like an instant classic in the world of MPB – the sort of long-overdue new release by a Brazilian artist that we hope we'll be hearing plenty from in years to come! As with the elite list of our Brazilian favorites of the past 20 years, ...
(Brazil LP)
Mississippi, 1930s.
Otherworldly sounds from Greek guitar legend Giorgos Katsaros – a player who maybe made his biggest mark on the American scene early in the 20th Century, where he found a welcome audience for immigrants who were longing for their homeland and eager to reconnect with their culture! The tunes ...
(Global Grooves LP)
Mississippi, 1930s.
Otherworldly sounds from Greek guitar legend Giorgos Katsaros – a player who maybe made his biggest mark on the American scene early in the 20th Century, where he found a welcome audience for immigrants who were longing for their homeland and eager to reconnect with their culture! The tunes ...
(Global Grooves LP)
Brunswick/ORG, 1974. (reissue)
Crazy funk from a crazy-costumed geezer with an equally crazy name – one of those lost rare funky nuggets that's every bit as great as you might guess from the cover and title! Boobie Knight's a killer here – and works in a groove that's somewhere between Sly & The Family Stone and ...
(Soul LP)
ORG, 2000.
The legendary Tribe Records scene flourished strongly in Detroit during the 70s – where musicians Phil Ranelin and Wendell Harrison were part of a cultural collective that not only ran its own record label, but also published a magazine as well! And while the famous records from that scene ...
(Jazz CD)
ORG, 2000.
The legendary Tribe Records scene flourished strongly in Detroit during the 70s – where musicians Phil Ranelin and Wendell Harrison were part of a cultural collective that not only ran its own record label, but also published a magazine as well! And while the famous records from that scene ...
(Jazz LP)
Gordy/Elemental, 1971. (reissue)
Sublime work from the Temptations – still recording here with Norman Whitfield, who's really opening up his bag on most of the record – and taking the group into expansive territory that was barely hinted at in their early work! The album's got some incredible tracks in the Whitfield ...
(Soul LP)
Motown/Elemental, 1964. (reissue)
Motown/Elemental, 1970. (reissue)
The Jacksons' third album for Motown – and definitely one that has the quintet moving full steam ahead! There's a sense of perfection here right from the get-go – that really put-together quality the boys hit with their second album, thanks to great studio help from The Corporation and ...
(Soul LP)
Verve, 1960. 2LP (reissue)
A wonderful Holiday album that's stayed fresh for years – a date that was maybe done as a seasonal one-off for singer Ella Fitzgerald, but one that's gone on to become one of her best-selling records of all time! Ella's got a perfect style to interpret these numbers – upbeat and ...
Blue Note, 1961. (reissue)
One of the seminal sides cut by Donald Byrd in his partnership with Pepper Adams – a high-up, low-down set that's a smoker all the way through! Byrd's brightness on trumpet is nicely matched by Adams' fluid work on baritone sax – and the pair are wonderfully supported by a rhythm trio ...
(Jazz LP)
Blue Note, 1961. (reissue)
One of a number of Art Blakey albums titled after "Night In Tunisia" – and most likely the best! The tune is a perfect fit for the Blakey Jazz Messengers format – long, rhythmic, really stretching out, yet allowing plenty of space for the horn players to solo. Players ...
(Jazz LP)
Editions Hawara (Austria),
Inca/Craft, 1974. (reissue)
One of the strongest 70s albums from Sonor Poncena's mighty run for Inca Records – a set that's produced with a stripped-down, almost rootsy energy at times – and that's saying a lot, given the focused and professional feel of the group! Larry Harlow is in the producer's seat here, and ...
(Latin LP)
Light In The Attic, Mid 1960s. 2LP
(Colored vinyl pressing – with 20-page booklet!) (Rock LP)
Light In The Attic, Mid 1960s. 2LP
(Includes a 20-page booklet!) (Rock LP)
Light In The Attic, Mid 1960s.
(Includes a 40-page booklet!) (Rock CD)
Palm/Souffle Continu (France), 1974. 2CDs
Mostly a record by reedman Byard Lancaster – a rare Paris session from 1974, and arguably more adventurous than any of his work from the time in the US. Lancaster plays a variety of instruments in solo settings – from flute to alto to octavoice to soprano, and even a bit of piano ...
(Jazz CD)
Palm/Souffle Continu (France),
Palm/Souffle Continu (France), 1973.
A rare French side by Lancaster, recorded in the early 70s, with a very free blowing approach, much more adventurous than his US recordings at the time. Steve McCall is the drummer on the session, and his drumming adds a wonderful dimension to the trio, which is rounded out by African bassist ...
(Jazz CD)
Trojan/Jamdung (UK), 1979. (reissue)
Iron Mountain Analog Research (Australia),
A&M/Big Pink (South Korea), 1972.
Beautiful work from Rab Noakes – an early album that was only issued on the UK branch of A&M Records, and one that almost has Noakes hitting the sort of folk rock territory you'd be more likely to hear on a label like Transatlantic or Island at the time! The music blends acoustic guitar ...
(Rock CD)
Warner/Big Pink (South Korea), 1975.
An album with a nicely down-to-earth vibe, as you might guess from the group's sweatshirted image on the cover – but one that also has a great mix of jazzy elements as well! The record's kind of a laidback take on AOR territory of the mid 70s – served up by a British group, and not ...
(Rock CD)
A&M/Big Pink (South Korea), 1972.
An overlooked treasure from the glory days of A&M Records – and a set that's got a richness in sound that you might not guess from the cover! Renee Armand has this airy vocal style that's maybe informed by earlier generations of folk, but which is set here to really lovely larger ...
(Rock CD)
20th Century/Big Pink (South Korea), 1973.
One of the coolest records ever from pianist Ahmad Jamal – a set that features Jamal on Fender Rhodes instead of acoustic piano – a shift that initially had the album ignored by many jazz purists – but treasured strongly by listeners like us in a later generation! Jamal solos ...
(Jazz CD)
Island/Big Pink (South Korea), 1976.
Fantastic solo work from the great Jess Roden – a UK singer who worked more in the background on a variety of projects for nearly a decade before getting the chance to record as a lead act on his own – and one who really knocked it out of the park once he got the chance! At some level, ...
(Rock CD)
Division 81, 2024.
A strongly message-oriented set, as you might assume from the title – and definitely the strongest work to date from the great Isaiah Collier – one of the most righteous musicians we've had the pleasure of discovering in the past decade or so! There's a rich, vibrant feel to the whole ...
(Jazz CD)
Tower/Quartet (Spain), Late 1960s.
A pretty great little soundtrack – at least on the right cuts! Billy Strange did the score for this AIP schlocker based on the Marquis DeSade, and his best tracks have a groove late 60s party feel that imbues the aged French sadist with a groove late 60s psyche sound! Other cuts are more ...
(Soundtracks CD)
We Want Sounds (UK), (reissue)
Acid Jazz (UK), 2024.
Wonderfully warm work from the great Chris Bangs – an artist who sometimes serves up more programmed/sampled jazz material – but who here steps out in this strong array of live instrumentation, at a level that may well make the record the greatest that Chris has ever given us! Way back ...
(Deep Funk CD)
Deram/Esoteric (UK), 1970. (reissue)
The seminal first album from Egg – a legendary trio that featured a young Dave Stewart on organ, piano, and tone generator – and a key force in the Brit jazz rock scene of the early 70s! The album's sound is especially noteworthy in that there's really no guitar at all in the group ...
(Rock LP)
Atlantic/Soulmusic.com (UK), Mid 1970s. 6CDs
A massive legacy of music, brought together in one great little package – all of which shows just how much the group Blue Magic evolved in the span of just a few short years! At their start, the group were right up there with some of the best east coast sweet soul acts – like The ...
(Soul CD)
Saucerman/P-Vine (Japan), 1979.
A never-issued set from the great Weldon Irvine – late 70s material made after his classic jazz/funk albums on RCA – and a set that's every bit as great as that material! Irvine works with some of the key musicians who'd make great funky records for the Arista/GRP label – ...
(Jazz CD)
Strata East/P-Vine (Japan), 1974. (reissue)
Sublime spiritual jazz from Strata East – one of the label's rarest recordings, and one of its hippest too! The set has an incredibly righteous feel – a blend of keyboards, saxes, guitar, percussion, and vocals that steps off with a very deep feel – one that's heavy on the best ...
(Jazz LP)
Profile/Get On Down, 1987. (reissue)
A set issued relatively early in the history of rap music – yet one that's still maybe one of the greatest-ever Christmas collection of hip hop tracks for the season! The album's from the glory days of Profile Records – from a time when the label was repping the New York scene strongly ...
Three Blind Mice/Sony (Japan), 1970.
Early work from this tremendous Japanese saxophonist – working here on both alto and soprano sax, in styles that are sharply angular, but also quite warm and soulful! Kosuke Mine's got a quality that's a bit like Joe Henderson at the same time – obviously informed by earlier hardbop, ...
(Jazz CD)
Three Blind Mice/Sony (Japan), 1973.
A really great little set from Japanese bassist Isao Suzuki – a rare player who goes way way past traditional modes of his chosen instrument, into richly creative territory that rivals the 70s experiments of Ron Carter! Like Carter, Suzuki's never content to just let the bass be a source in ...
(Jazz CD)
Three Blind Mice/Sony (Japan), 1975.
Deeply personal work from Japanese saxophonist Hidefumi Toki – a player who manages accomplish a great deal in a fairly stripped down setting – filling spare space with gentle notes on alto and soprano sax, often delivered with a nicely raspy tone! The group here is a quartet – ...
(Jazz CD)
Three Blind Mice/Sony (Japan), 1975.
A very cool setting for Japanese vocalist Mari Nakamoto – a unique trio outing that features guitar from Kazumi Watanabe and bass from Isao Suzuki – both really creative players who push the album way past the usual! The mix of guitar and bass is wonderful – gentle, but still ...
(Vocalists CD)
Three Blind Mice/Sony (Japan), 1975.
A very compelling set from Japanese bassist Isao Suzuki – one that draws on the electric traditions being forged at the time by artists like Miles and Joe Henderson – but which is also graced by the warm lyricism that was running through other Japanese jazz sessions of the 70s! Suzuki ...
(Jazz CD)
Three Blind Mice/Sony (Japan), 1977.
Mellow vocals from the lovely Ayako Hosokawa – one of Japan's greatest jazz vocalists of the 70s, singing here in a warm and intimate setting. Ayako sings in English, mostly American standards plus a few pop numbers – and the backing for the set includes keyboards, tenor, guitar, and ...
(Vocalists CD)
Three Blind Mice/Sony (Japan), 1975.
A sweet little piano trio set from Yama & Jiro – that's Tsuyoshi Yamamoto on piano and Tetsujiro Obara on drums – joined here by Akira Daiyoshi on some mighty warm bass! The set's got that wonderful open, laidback vibe you sometimes get on these Three Blind Mice sessions from the ...
(Jazz CD)
Pacific Jazz/Universal (Japan), 1964.
An album dedicated to the great Django Reinhardt – but one that also comes across with plenty of west coast touches too – just what you'd expect for the meeting of the young Joe Pass and the Pacific Jazz label! The format is somewhat Django-esque – with lead guitar work from Joe ...
(Jazz CD)
Blue Note (Japan), 1975.
An incredible record – and one of the real high points in the career of trumpeter Donald Byrd! The album's the third one he cut with producer/arranger Larry Mizell – and of all Byrd's work with Mizell, this one's the funkiest, the tightest, the most soulful, and the most perfectly ...
(Jazz CD)
Blue Note (Japan), 1969.
A nice late Blue Note change from Herbie Hancock – a very different album than his previous sets for the label – in that it features a slightly larger group, and a sound that really points the way towards his directions in the 70s! There's a slightly ambitious feel to some of these ...
(Jazz CD)
Blue Note (Japan), 1968.
A brilliant collaboration between vibist Bobby Hutcherson and reedman Harold Land – the first Blue Note album to feature the talents of the pair together, and a stone classic from the very first note! Hutcherson had already been making big waves for the label with his earlier sides – ...
(Jazz CD)
Blue Note (Japan), 1968.
"New York is now" – a pretty bold statement from saxophonist Ornette Coleman, but one that definitely shows his shift in role – from a major force on the LA underground of the early 60s, to an artist who was helping pave the way for a huge wave of growth on the New York ...
(Jazz CD)
Blue Note (Japan), 1968.
Amazing later work from Booker Ervin – far more modern and far-reaching than you'd guess from the "Texas" title in the set! Although Ervin first came onto the scene as a strong-voiced tenorist from a Texas tradition, through the course of the 60s he'd really expanded his musical ...
(Jazz CD)
Blue Note (Japan), 1965.
Don't let the title fool you, as the album's hardly an "etcetera" – not some run-on work from Wayne Shorter, but a real lost cooker from his 60s Blue Note years! The record's got a very sharp-edged quartet sound – a bit modern and edgey at times, with sharp tenor lines from ...
(Jazz CD)
Blue Note (Japan), 1961.
One of our favorite albums ever from Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers – even though it was only issued by Blue Note nearly a decade after it was recorded! The set's an overlooked nugget from that intensely productive time when the group features one of its strongest frontlines ever – ...
(Jazz CD)
Blue Note (Japan), 1967.
One of Bobby Hutcherson's greatest records ever – and a session that never got released at the time! The album's an excellent quartet session, one that's very much in the best spirit of Bobby's great Happenings album on Blue Note – and it features a similar group that includes ...
(Jazz CD)
Blue Note (Japan), 1963.
A bit less well-known than some of the real Horace Silver classics on Blue Note – but an incredible record that shows the Silver Quintet at all its lyrical best! The record is a masterpiece of original voicings from Horace – not just in the unique tunes he penned for the set, but also ...
(Jazz CD)
Blue Note (Japan), 1966.
Classic early work by modern tenor genius Joe Henderson – very well titled with the use of "mode", given the new sound and new direction Henderson was taking his tenor in the 60s! The album's got Joe working at the head of an all-great lineup that includes Lee Morgan on trumpet, ...
(Jazz CD)
Blue Note (Japan), 1964.
The pinnacle of Blue Note's "new thing" era! This amazing album was led by drummer Tony Williams (then just a wee lad, playing with Miles Davis, in his legendary 60s quintet) – but it's more of a "roundtable" session that features equal contributions by some of Blue Note's ...
(Jazz CD)
Blue Note (Japan), 1965.
One of the more avant-oriented 60s sessions cut by Wayne Shorter for Blue Note – a record that's not entirely part of the "new thing" generation, but which definitely has Shorter pushing the boundaries from his previous records for the label! The lineup here is a key batch of ...
(Jazz CD)
Blue Note (Japan), 1964.
It certainly was time – time for Jackie McLean to break out of his older bop mode, and hit a whole new level of playing with a tight group of "new thing" compatriots like Herbie Hancock on piano, Cecil McBee on bass, and Charles Tolliver on trumpet! The record isn't as totally ...
(Jazz CD)
Blue Note (Japan), 1964.
A brilliant album that proves that even at the height of his success, Lee Morgan was one of the freest thinkers on Blue Note – always coming up with fresh ideas that continued to grow his talents! The first cut on the album is keep roof of that fact – the title track "Search For ...
(Jazz CD)
Blue Note (Japan), 1963.
A classic Blue Note meeting of two of the label's top talents in the early 60s – Hammond hero Jimmy Smith, and the up-and-rising Stanley Turrentine on tenor! Turrentine's simply great at this point – playing with a raspy edge on the bottom of his tone, sounding dark and mysterious ...
(Jazz CD)
Blue Note (Japan), 1966.
Pivotal work from trumpeter Freddie Hubbard – a tight, edgy quintet performance that's done with a modern jazz sound that approaches the Blue Note "new thing" sound, but which stays just this side of the fence to keep in line with Freddie's other soulful work of the 60s – yet ...
(Jazz CD)
Blue Note (Japan), 1964.
A fantastic session of 60s "new thing" jazz – and one of our favorite early records by Joe Henderson – exactly the kind of album to show why his emergence in the decade was such an important new voice in jazz! The album features some incredibly hard playing from Joe – ...
(Jazz CD)
Blue Note (Japan), 1966.
One of the greatest Bobby Hutcherson albums for Blue Note – a classic session recorded in quartet form, with a style that seems to set a whole new standard for the vibes in modern jazz! The group here is sublime – Herbie Hancock on piano, Bob Cranshaw on bass, and Joe Chambers on drums ...
(Jazz CD)
Blue Note (Japan), 1963.
A warmly melodic session from Blue Note's greatest guitarist! The sound of the set's as evocative as the title – an idle moment of space between the notes, explored by Green's tight single-note work on guitar – and wonderfully supported by a lineup that includes Joe Henderson on tenor, ...
(Jazz CD)
Blue Note (Japan), 1968.
A wonderful Herbie Hancock session from the 60s – a Blue Note album that's sometimes overlooked, but which really shows Herbie taking off – as he adds a nice dose of lyricism into his usual soul jazz approach from the 60s! The sound's a bit farther-reaching than on some of Hancock's ...
(Jazz CD)
333 (UK), 1993. (reissue)
A very cool take on the Goldmine album from Mad Cobra – one that still has the bristle of digital dancehall elements at the core, but also really slows down and dubs out in a mighty nice way! Prince Jazzbo's touches echo both a late 70s Jamaican mode, and maybe some of the headier On-U ...
(Reggae LP)