One of the nicest early albums by this great 70s soul collective – featuring a strong mix of funk and mellow soul tracks, with backing by the Nite Liters on some tracks, and production by the great Harvey Fuqua throughout! Titles include "Wild Flower", "It's Been A Long Time", "Keep On Doing It", "Pains of Love", "Ain't No Change", and "Heaven Says". LP, Vinyl record album

Way more than just another soul group – as The New Birth are almost big enough to be their own sort of soul music village – complete with different neighborhoods along the way! Vocals are handled by the combined groups of The Mint Juleps and Now Sound – gals and guys that soar together wonderfully with backings from The Nite-Liters – who help give the record a righteous undercurrent at most points, which makes the whole thing sound way hipper than any other projects of this nature! Vernon Bulllock acts as the music director for the whole group – really pulling things together with a tightness that's outta sight – and leadership of the project comes from Harvey Fuqua – who arranged and produced as well. There's some massively heavy talent on board for this initial outing, and you can definitely hear it all come into play beautifully – a wonderful harmony of rich talents, without any egos or issues to get in the way. Vocals chance nicely throughout – sometimes a female lead, sometimes male – as do the grooves, which are funky one minute, and mellow the next! Tracks include "All The Way", "Pretty Words Don't Mean A Thing", "One Way Bus", "It's You Or No One", "Do The Funky Chicken", "The Unh Song", and "What'll I Do". Great reissue – with excellent sound, and very detailed notes! CD

Hard funky soul from The New Birth – still sounding pretty raw at this point, and with that funky group ensemble feel that you'll hear on their best early albums! The tracks have plenty of nice guitar and clavinet work, and a shifting lead vocal approach that's pretty great on most cuts – that great collaborative mode that moves around a lot on the early albums by the group – definitely giving the feel that they're having a giant party in the studio with the Nite-Liters! Tracks include "Patiently" with a nice extended intro break, "Lady Love", "End to End", "I Wash My Hands of the Whole Damn Deal", "Echoes of My Mind", and the classic groover "Comin From All Ends", a nice full-on funky number. LP, Vinyl record album

A surprisingly well-thought out set of tracks that is perhaps the only ever time someone at RCA did a good job with a soul reissue! The filled-to-the brim compilation features 16 tracks from the legendary New Birth Inc. collective that also included the funky combo The Nite Liters and the vocal group Love, Peace, & Happiness – all of whom recorded together under the aegis of ex-Moonglow Harvey Fuqua during his production stint at RCA in the early 70s. The combination of different groups and styles makes for a very lively batch of 70's soul and funk tracks – and the set features both classics and overlooked obscure material, all nicely remastered, and packaged with a great set of notes. Titles include "Got To Get A Knutt", "K Jee", "Comin From All Ends", "Afro Strut", "Wild Flower", "Keep On Doin It", and "I Can Understand It". CD

Titles include "Hot Sausage Rag", "Happy Dreams", "C'est Si Bon", "Old Rugged Cross", and "What A Wonderful World". CD

The Buddah soul stable came out in full force for this soundtrack, including Harvy Fuqua, The New Birth, Barbara Mason, and Horace Ott – as well as the little known group Badder Than Evil! They play on the great instrumental track "Hot Wheels", which is the chase theme in the film, and a great sample track! Also includes "Super Shine #9", sung by Sister Goose & the Ducklings, which is a very groovy, goofy, soulful number – plus the tracks "Child Of Tomorrow", "Harlem Dreams", "Child Of Tomorrow", and "Come On & Dream Some Paradise". LP, Vinyl record album

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

Bob Berg's always been a heck of a great tenor player, but he sounds especially great on this early album as a leader – a tight and soulful session cut with Cedar Walton on keyboards, Al Foster on drums, and Tom Harrell on trumpet! The groove here is freewheeling but straightforward – a bit like the Art Blakey style of the Prestige years – in which the band pulsates with a highly rhythmic approach, but the soloists soar on even farther with their own sense of life and energy. The group also features electric bass and a bit of congas, which brings a slightly Latin flavor to a few cuts – and overall, the album's an extremely soulful set that really deserves greater mention. Titles include "Pauletta", "Neptune", "This Masquerade", "Magic Carpet", and "Shapes". CD also features the bonus track "I'll Let You Know". CD

Not the best of the German prog bands, but still a compelling one that starts with a basic jazz/rock lineup of organ, guitar, and bass – and which plays jamming tracks that are peppered with vocals. Includes nice version of "Light My Fire", plus the originals "Sundown", "Change Of Mind", and "No Drugs". LP, Vinyl record album

The reach of Miles Davis is plenty wide – as right from the start, the trumpeter was associating himself with some of the hippest young talent on the scene! Yet the apex of those associations may have come in the late 60s and early 70s, when the newly-electric Miles was experimenting in all sorts of new rhythms and instrumental combinations – and inviting a whole host of soon-to-be-legends to help him with his projects! This set is a great overview of some of those key contemporaries – and the way that they took new directions of their own, when away from Miles – some very much in the spirit of the Bitches Brew generation, others opening up in whole new frontiers of soul and spirit. The set features some really well-chosen tracks – a key who's who to this generation – and titles include "Sweet Pea" by Wayne Shorter, "In A Silent Way" by Joe Zawinul, "Common Mama" by Keith Jarrett, "Song Of The Wind (alt)" by Chick Corea, "In Search Of Truth" by Lonnie Liston Smith, "Arjen's Bag" by John McLaughlin, "Politician Man" by Betty Davis, "Uhuru Sasa" by Gary Bartz, "You'll Know When You Get There" by Herbie Hancock, and "Directions (16 December 1970 – first set)" by Miles Davis himself. CD

Fantastic! This is one of Sonny Criss' masterworks, and an amazing tribute to the LA jazz underground of the 60's! Horace Tapscott composed and arranged all of the tracks on here, and they form a beautiful, soulful, suite that gives Criss a perfect backdrop for his meaningful solos. The work is fantastic, and every moment falls perfectly in line. Haunting stuff that we never tire of listening to, and which we can't recommend highly enough! Tracks include "Ballad For Samuel" and "Daughter Of Cochise." This CD includes two previously unissued alternate versions of "The Golden Pearl" and "Sonny's Dream." CD

Music from Jones-Smith Incorporated, Gene Krupa's Swing Band, Art Tatum, Teddy Hill And His NBC Orchestra, Jay McShann And His Orchestra, Cab Calloway And His Orchestra, Clark Monroe's Band, Minton's Playhouse Band, Andy Kirk And His Twelve Clouds Of Joy, Lucky Millinder And His Orchestra, Cootie Williams Sextet, Coleman Hawkins, and more. CD

Rare work from the early years of soul music – and a special set that focuses on sounds created in and around Los Angeles – a city that's not nearly as well known for 60s soul as Chicago, Detroit, or New Orleans! Yet during the postwar years, LA had just as much going on as those eastern cities – a huge new population influx, who'd move over from the south during the wartime years – and new labels that had cropped up to capture their sounds and serve their audience! 50s LA was already humming with R&B material, which gave the rising styles of soul plenty of places to get recorded – so much so, that there's even some work on this set that was never issued at the time! The vibe is great – similar to other Birth Of Soul sets from Ace/Kent – in that the music carries a bit of R&B and blues bite from earlier years, mixed with more romping and tighter soul styles – in a smoking set list of 24 tracks that include "But What About My Broken Heart" by Don Wyatt, "Everybody's Got A Lover But Me" by Richard Berry, "Have You Heard" by The Vows, "With These Hands" by The Wonders, "You Better Watch Out Girl" by The Imperialites, "Lose My Cool" by Ike & Tina Turner, "Let Him Walk Away" by Darlene Love, "My Pillow" by The Numbers, "Help Me With My Broken Heart" by Sylvester Stewart, "That Other Guy" by The Mandarins, "Don't Drop It" by The Question Marks, and "Young Lover" by Wilks & Wilkerson. CD

Some folks might associate Philadelphia soul with the famous Gamble & Huff productions of the 70s disco years – but the city was already overflowing with great music in the years before Philadelphia International – as you'll hear in this totally groovy set! Philly was making as much great soul music in the 60s as Detroit, Chicago, and New York – thanks to an earlier musical framework that was set up by the city's big pop hits of the late 50s – which provided plenty of labels, studios, and other facilities for Philly's ever-growing array of soul talents, too – so much so that by the end of the 60s, the city was turning into a destination for singers outside of town – almost as much of a musical magnet as studios in Memphis or Muscle Shoals! This set does a great job of bringing together both aspects of that scene – wonderful homegrown talent, mixed with outsiders to really took off in the new Philly sound of the 60s – a joyous, positive, upbeat approach that worked wonderfully well for a variety of artists. Titles include "Your Fool Still Loves You" by Oscar Weathers, "It's All Over But The Shouting" by George Tindley, "You've Been Untrue" by The Delfonics, "Ain't Nothing But A House Party" by The Show Stoppers, "Peace To You Brother" by Lou Johnson, "Christine" by Executive Suite, "Help Me" by Honey & The Bees, "You Got What I Need" by Freddie Scott, "Rainmaker" by The Moods, "Keep On Striving" by Moses Smith, "That's The Price You Have To Pay" by Brenda & The Tabulations, "What You Gave Up" by The Continental 4, "Every Day Is A Holiday" by The Intruders, "Standing In The Darkness" by The Ethics, and "Girl You're Too Young" by Len Barry. CD

An amazing document of the New York club scene in the 70s – a book that traces the week by week evolution of disco from the ground up – with details of important releases, club changes, and more – all the stuff of history by now, but shown here in its original building blocks! The book is based around the weekly columns of Vince Aletti – essentially reviews of the big records for each week, but also filled with key historical bits too – showing the birth of now-common concepts like the 12" single, record pool, and other factors that helped shape the way we've circulated music for the past few decades. Each weekly entry features cover and label scans, and charts from the clubs as well – a fascinating look at disco from a perspective that's hardly ever represented this well! 484 pages, softcover, with black and white images throughout! Book

You know, over the years, you get exposed to so many cliches about Ray Charles that it's easy to forget how great he is – but you won't after hearing this set! This totally essential box pushes way past any other collection to pull together the raw early R&B sides by Ray – much harder stuff than any of his later country soul work, and way more rockin than even his instrumental sides that show up more as "jazz" efforts. No, this stuff kicks ass – and is right up there with the best 50s R&B work by artists like Tiny Bradshaw, Wynonie Harris, or Ray Brown. Plus, a huge amount of the cuts on here never really appeared on full LPs, so it's not like you'll be able to track them down that easily on other reissues. There's a wealth of excellent material here that will open up a whole new side of Ray for you – and which will fill in loads of holes if you've already got some of his work. There's a total of 53 tracks in all, plus a great set of notes and a very handsome box – and titles include "What Kind Of Man Are You", "Get On The Right Track", "Leave My Woman Alone", "Roll With My Baby", "Jumpin In The Morning", "It Should Have Been Me", "Feelin Sad", "Mess Around", "I Wonder Who", "Blackjack", "Greenbacks", "A Fool For You", "Hard Times", "A Bit Of Soul", "I Want To Know", "It's Alright", "Ain't That Love", and "That's Enough". All cuts are vocal – and this is some of the most satisfying Ray Charles you could ever buy! CD

The busy fingers of the RZA, who's also been wrapping up his score for Quentino Tarantino's Kill Bill, took some time out to record this new full length. Thankfully, he dropped the Bobby Digital robot thing; this album is filled with the kinda scratchy soul beats we loved so much on his Ghost Dog instrumentals. Alas, these aren't instrumentals – but Wu alumni ODB, Ghostface, Masta Killa and others make appearances. 16 tracks including "Bob N' I", "The Grunge", "We Pop", "Grits", "Fast Cars", "Chi Kung", "You'll Never Know", "Drink, Smoke, & Fcuk", "Koto Chotan", "Cherry Range", "The Birth" and more. CD

A great slice of work from the New York underground of the post-disco years – served up by a family of labels that had been making things happen through most of the 70s! The set focuses strongly on the singles issued by the Posse and Spring Records labels – the former a new offshoot of the latter, especially geared towards 12" singles that were strongly focused on both the new sounds of the clubs and the streets – including lots of electro, bass-heavy funk, hip hop-inspired grooves, and mabye even some elements that would soon point the way towards house music to come! This side of the Spring Records label has never been covered in detail like this before – and the choice of cuts is as great as the notes on the music – which finally gives the Posse singles their due in the scene from back in the day. Titles include "We Come To Jam" by Blaze, "Sing A Song" by Lonnie Youngblood, "Have Your Cake" by Body, "Wired For Games (long version)" by C Brand, "Workin Out" by Ritz, "Live It Up (short vocal)" by Fonda Rae, "Get Up An Dance" by Mynk, "Spread Love" by Fatback, "Let's Get Nice (7" vocal)" by Glory, and "Got To Have Your Lovin (short vocal)" by Feel. LP, Vinyl record album

A well-done package that celebrates the key contributions that Savoy Records made to the field of jazz on record – as the New Jersey company was one of the first to record the new wave of bebop in the late 40s, and quickly unleashed the music of Charlie Parker and his contemporaries on a host of famous 78rpm singles at the time! This set features many of those key 78 recordings, but focuses on their presentation in a series of 10" LP releases that Savoy did in the early 50s – vinyl packages that compiled the earlier shellac sides into a more durable format – and presented the key efforts that the label made in helping bebop get out of the clubs and onto the turntable! As with other Craft Records packages, the presentation is great – and really upgrades other reissues of the material with great sound, notes, and artwork that really live up to the contents within. 2CD set features new mastering of the material, alongside notes and photos – with classic material recorded under the leadership of Milt Jackson, Leo Parker, Stan Getz, Dexter Gordon, JJ Johnson, Charlie Parker, Kai Winding, Allen Eager, Budd Johnson, Fats Navarro, Eddie Lockjaw Davis, Roy Porter, and Serge Chaloff! CD

A great slice of work from the New York underground of the post-disco years – served up by a family of labels that had been making things happen through most of the 70s! The set focuses strongly on the singles issued by the Posse and Spring Records labels – the former a new offshoot of the latter, especially geared towards 12" singles that were strongly focused on both the new sounds of the clubs and the streets – including lots of electro, bass-heavy funk, hip hop-inspired grooves, and mabye even some elements that would soon point the way towards house music to come! This side of the Spring Records label has never been covered in detail like this before – and the choice of cuts is as great as the notes on the music – which finally gives the Posse singles their due in the scene from back in the day. Titles include "We Come To Jam" by Blaze, "Sing A Song" by Lonnie Youngblood, "Have Your Cake" by Body, "Wired For Games (long version)" by C Brand, "Workin Out" by Ritz, "Live It Up (short vocal)" by Fonda Rae, "Get Up An Dance" by Mynk, "Spread Love" by Fatback, "Let's Get Nice (7" vocal)" by Glory, and "Got To Have Your Lovin (short vocal)" by Feel. CD

The first four albums from this crucial group – along with four more CDs of rare live material too! First up is the self-titled Cactus – the first album from this legendary group – an important American hard rock powerhouse, driven by the famous rhythm duo of Tim Bogert on bass and Carmine Appice on drums – both of whom roll out of the gate here with amazingly frenetic energy! They're maybe only topped by the guitar work of Jim McCarty, whose searing lines are clearly learned from blues inspirations, then turned up in both speed and power – to match the vocals and harmonica of Rusty Day! There's nothing going on here that sounds like blues rock at all – even though the set begins with a cover of "Parchman Farm" – next to other titles that include "My Lady From South Of Detroit", "No Need To Worry", "You Can't Judge A Book By The Cover", and "Let Me Swim". On One Way Or Another, Cactus are totally at the top of their game – and the guitar of Jim McCarthy really sets the record on fire, right from the very first note – at a level that should have made Jim one of the real guitar hero legends of his generation! Yet there's also power from the whole group going on too – tight rhythms from the team of Carmine Appice and Jim Bogert, the latter of whom starts to bring in his own vocals a fair bit more, offering backup to the raspy lead of Rusty Day. And while there's a few currents that show their older influence from blues, the sound here is massively hard rock all the way through – making the record a great illustration of the way that slavish blues rock gave birth to a fresh new jamming sound in a matter of just a few short years. Titles include "Rockout Whatever You Feel Like", "Song For Aries", "Feel So Bad", "Rock N Roll Children", and "Hometown Bust". Restrictions is next, and despite the title, there's no restrictions at all – as Cactus seem to be even more confident, more able to stretch their wings and fly than ever before – even adding in some extra piano and keyboards at points to the core guitar-heavy sound of the quartet! All the group's best elements are very firmly in place – searing guitar, righteously confident vocals, and a strutting sensibility that makes this early 70s album way ahead of the game in terms of territory that so many bigger groups would later copy for their own classic records. Titles include "Guiltless Glider", "Evil Alaska", "Sweet Sixteen", "Bag Drag", "Restrictions", and "Mean Night In Cleveland". Ot N Sweaty is a record that's got a bit of a shift in the classic Cactus lineup – as the group's still driven strongly by the work of Carmine Appice on drums and Tim Bogert on bass, but get guitar power from Werner Fritzschings, who's a pretty amazing player – next to some added keyboards from Duane Hitchings, and vocals from Peter French – a singer who's ballsy power might be even more in line with the group than their previous lead singer! The album's got an unusual approach in that side one was recorded live, side two in the studio – each with a nicely different flavor as a result – on titles that include "Swim", "Our Lil Rock N Roll Thing", "Bedroom Mazurka", "Telling You", "Bad Stuff", and "Bringing Me Down". 8CD set is overflowing with great material – bonus tracks added to three of the four albums in the collection, than a further 4CDs worth of live material – titled Fully Unleashed – The Live Gigs Vols 1 & 2. The live material is great – and really shows the tightness of the group at their best! CD

A really obscure soul trio from the New Jersey scene of the 70s – and one who've got a nicely rough-edged approach to their harmonies! The record's definitely in the grittier side of the scene – more funky 45 production overall, and a nice current of funk on the record at times too – mixed with some of the mellower sweet soul styles that Jersey groups were delivering at the time! The approach is a bit like a more streamlined approach to territory that Soul Generation were hitting at the time – and titles include "Trespassin", "I Can't Take No Chances", "Crying Shame", "Love For My Girl", "Taking All The Love I Can", "I Caught You Cheating", and "Birth Of A Playboy". LP, Vinyl record album

The early years of Quincy Jones, summed up in all their greatness – material from a time years before Quincy became a superstar in the world of soundtracks and soul, yet was already breaking new ground in the field of large ensemble jazz! Q had a special spark, right from the start – and you'll definitely hear that here, in a succession of albums and bonus material that highlight his uniquely swinging, soulful sense of arrangement – and his great ear for individual musicians, at a level that makes the groups here really work as all-star lineups, filled with musicians who often recorded as leaders on their own, but came together in tight formation under Jones' leadership. The set features a few bonus tracks recorded in Sweden in the late 50s – plus the full albums Birth Of A Band, Go West Man, This Is How I Feel About Jazz, Great Wide World Of Quincy Jones, I Dig Dancers, Around The World, Quintessence, and Big Band Bossa Nova – all served up in a big box with 78 tracks in all – and full notes in French and English! CD

The birth of new sounds on the New York scene of the 60s – an important early recording that features the team of Prince Lasha on flute and Sonny Simmons on alto – with great contributions from Don Cherry on trumpet and Clifford Jordan on tenor! The work is some of Jordan's most spiritual for the time – and the long tracks on the album spin out with a vibe that's looser and freer than some of the other Lasha/Simmons material of the period – almost with an echo of the loft jazz generation to come, but with more of the rhythmic focus of the work in Jordan's Dolphy Series recordings. Other musicians include Fred Lyman on flugelhorn, Charles Moffett on drums, and both Orville Harrison and Bill Wood on bass – and titles include "Lost Generation", "The Trane", and "Prelude To Bird". LP, Vinyl record album

A masterpiece of hard and heavy funk – from one of the best bands of the early 70s! The Nite Liters were a legendary funky combo that provided the backing for some of New Birth's best albums – but on their own, they were even funkier, and had a sound that was part JBs, part Meters, and all funky! This album may well be the group's best – their last for RCA, and a set that really has them honing their edge incredibly. The drums are amazing, the keyboards great, and the horns have this quality that's both complex, yet right on the money – making for a richness in sound that really sets the group apart from their contemporaries. A few singers from The New Birth provide chorus vocals on a few tracks – but most of the set is instrumental, and the record's one we'd gladly stack next to our Meters albums on Josie or JBs classics on People. Every track's a gem – and titles include "Drumology", "Excuse Me While I Do My Thing", "Serenade for a Jive Turkey", "Happy Hooker", "Craaashing", "Damn", "Pee-Foul", and a sweet cover of "Valdez in the Country" that's been sampled at least once over the years! CD

We've always loved the music of Logan Richardson, but here he's onto something completely new and groundbreaking – as you might begin to guess from the cover and title! Logan still blows alto sax, but he also handles piano and keyboards, and works in this swirling mix of sound that really lives up to what you might expect – really far-seeing future jazz – with rhythms that shift and soar, instrumentation that shimmers and glows, and a sound that's very cosmic and righteous throughout! The set also features vibes and keyboards from Peter Schlamb, guitars from Igor Osypov, bass from Dominique Sanders, and drums from Ryan Lee and Corey Fonville – set to some occasional vocals from Laura Taglialatela, and light use of strings to really give the music a sense of majesty. Titles include "Say My Nhame", "Awaken", "The Birth Of Us", "Black Wallstreet", "Farewell Goodbye", "For Alto", "According To You", "Praise Song", and "Photo Copy". LP, Vinyl record album

Great Blue Note two-fer which compiles tracks from Randy Weston's fantastic albums recorded for United Aritsts – rare gems at the forefront of late 50s modern jazz, and records that hardly ever see the light of day! The albums are filled with seminal versions of Randy's famous compositions – played by sextet and septet lineups with players that include the cream of New York modern – Ray Copeland, Melba Liston, Johnny Griffin, Kenny Dorham, and Slide Hampton. Great work all around – and material that's really not properly been reissued over the years – making this well-annotated 70s collection as essential as an original copy, and almost as rare! Titles include "Little Niles", "High Fly", "Little Susan", "Babe's Blues", "Nice Ice", "Earth Birth", "Pam's Waltz", and "Spot Five Blues". LP, Vinyl record album

A now-legendary compilation – an early effort to reissue funk on the Stones Throw label – and a set that virtually gave birth to all the fantastic projects they've done under the Now Again banner over the years! Compiler Egon has gone through a range of rare singles, masters, and demos – and has come up with tunes that burn with a brightness that's undeniable. The grooves are all on the harder end of the James Brown Funky People side of the spectrum – and the whole thing is a massive dig into the funky 45 underground – featuring a few groups who rose to new fame over the years, thanks to the legendary status of this project! Titles include "Don't Go" by Aristocrats Organization, "Loaded To The Gills (edit)" by Michael Liggins & The Supersouls, "Mr Chicken (alternate)" by The Soul Seven, "Slipping Into Darkness" by Dayton Sidewinders, "James Brown Medley" by The Apollo Commanders, "Scorpio" by Kashmere Stage Band, "Sad Chicken" by Leroy & The Drivers, "Street Scene" by Leon Mitchinson, "Free Your Mind" by Amnesty, "The Thing" by Carleen & The Groovers, "Go For Yourself (edit)" by Kenny Smith & The Loveliters, and "The Stretch (edit)" by Detroit Sex Machines. LP, Vinyl record album

The birth of Miami soul, and a beautifully done document of the rare Deep City label – home to Willie Clarke, Clarence Reid, and Betty Wright in the years before Alston and TK Records! Way before Miami soul started cracking the charts at the start of the 70s, Deep City was already putting the best parts in place – working with a tight roster of artists and an equally tight in-house band that rose from the ranks of Florida A&M's Marching 100 band – razor-sharp instrumentalists who helped forge a groove worthy to rival the sounds of Memphis, Muscle Shoals, and even the best of Detroit at the time – given that some of the work here has a much sweeter soul sound than other 60s southern soul. As usual, the Numero team have done an incredible job with the package – pulling out rare photos, personal stories, and just the right amount of information to breathe new life into the Deep City label and help it live anew. CD features 17 tracks in all – including "Paralyzed" and "Good Lovin" by Betty Wright, "Am I A Good Man" by Them Two, "Someone To Fulfill My Needs" and "I Love You Baby" by The Moovers, "I Am Controlled By Your Love" and "Willing & Able" by Helene Smith, "Good Thing (part 1)" by Frank Williams & The Rocketeers, "It's My Baby" and "The Upset" by Paul Kelly, and "Stay Away From My Johnny" by Freda Gray & The Rocketeers. CD

A great entry in this long-running series – one of the most trusted compilations of top-shelf 80s grooves over the years – and one that always does a really great job of balancing mainstream music with some under-discovered gems! Actually, to most ears, these tracks are probably all under-discovered – but even if you're an 80s soul completist, there's still probably some great discoveries here – as you'll hear on a set list of 13 tracks that include "Treasure Mind" by Trace Of Smoke, "Sweet Tender Loving" by Brief Encounter, "Call Me" by Josie James, "It's My Turn" by Chapter 8, "Love Is Trying To Get A Hold On Me" by Tavasco, "Love I Feel Inside" by Waldo, "You're So Jealous" by Jewel, "Hanging Out" by New Birth, "Can You Stay With Me" by Midnight Star, "Share My Love" by Bobby Broom, and "Reach High" by Gladys Knight & The Pips. CD

Japanese club music from the disco years onward – but a set that's got a very universal appeal in the rhythms! The vocals are mostly in Japanese, but the arrangements, production, and instrumentation here resonate strongly with the best that New York or Philly had to offer during the disco generation – a well-done blend of funky grooves with some slightly larger instrumentation, all of which sends home the soulful vocals in a way that hardly makes you notice they're not singing in English! All of the tracks here are from rare albums – similar to the Wamono Jazz compilations – and titles include "Birth Of The Odyssey" by Godiego, "This Is Hot" by Ikue Sakakibsara, "I Will Give You Samba" by Soul Media, "Woman In A Man's World" by Hatsumi Shibata, "Disco Great Tokyo" by Pink Parachute, "Krishna" by Yumi Murata, "Ame Wa Knife No Ya Sa" by Yoshito Machida & Godiego, and "Purple Shadow" by Hatsumi Shibata. LP, Vinyl record album

A richly ambitious work from flautist Nicole Mitchell – an artist who gets better and better with each new album, expanding her vision and growing into a role that clearly makes her one of the most important next-generation members of Chicago's AACM! The album's a suite of tracks for Nicole's expanded Black Earth Ensemble – a group made up of a variety of players from the Chicago scene, augmented by vocals on a number of tracks – for a richly spiritual sound that takes us back to the most ambitious soul jazz recordings of the 70s. There's a wonderful interplay here between gentle moments and bolder statements – and Mitchell's flute and vocals are supported by strong sax work from David Boykin, as well as other instrumentation that includes trumpet, cello, violin, trombone, bass, and the usual wide range of percussion and added instruments you'd expect from an AACM session like this! Titles include "Time For Change", "Wondrous Birth", "Curbside Fantasee", "In The Garden", "Skating", "For Daughters Of Young Love", "Wanna Make You Smile", and "Future's Meditation". CD

A pivotal album from the early 90s – one that not only furthered the rebirth of live funk instrumentation at a time when ditigal elements dominated the scene – but also really opened up that mode to a whole new generation of hip hop as well! At a time when the music was all about the samples and beats, Brand New Heavies took it back to the generation before – and provided live instrumentation for a host of fantastic talents – a legendary lineup that includes performances from Main Source, The Pharcyde, Black Sheep, Kool G Rap, Gang Starr, and Masta Ace – all young and at the top of their game, with a quality level that alone would make the album great – then really sends it over the top when paired with the instrumentation! The whole thing's amazing – still maybe yet to be topped in such a style – and titles include "Who Makes The Loot", "It's Getting Hectic", "Wake Me When I'm Dead", "Soul Flower", and "Bonafide Funk". CD

A pivotal album from the early 90s – one that not only furthered the rebirth of live funk instrumentation at a time when ditigal elements dominated the scene – but also really opened up that mode to a whole new generation of hip hop as well! At a time when the music was all about the samples and beats, Brand New Heavies took it back to the generation before – and provided live instrumentation for a host of fantastic talents – a legendary lineup that includes performances from Main Source, The Pharcyde, Black Sheep, Kool G Rap, Gang Starr, and Masta Ace – all young and at the top of their game, with a quality level that alone would make the album great – then really sends it over the top when paired with the instrumentation! The whole thing's amazing – still maybe yet to be topped in such a style – and titles include "Who Makes The Loot", "It's Getting Hectic", "Wake Me When I'm Dead", "Soul Flower", and "Bonafide Funk". LP, Vinyl record album

A rare slice of Duke Ellington at Newport in the 50s – recorded live at the festival in 1959, but unlike other sessions of the time, never issued on record! The set remained unissued until Duke's 90th birthday, and it's a great discovery that easily matches the strength of Ellington's larger live recordings for Columbia at the same time. As is usual for this type of outing, there's a number of shorter tracks that reprise Ellington favorites for the crowd – but those are offset by longer, more serious works that are deeply complex, the highlight of which is "Idiom 59", a great lost composition done especially for the Festival! The full performance runs for over an hour – with players that include Clark Terry, Cat Anderson, Harry Carney, and Johnny Hodges – and other tunes include "Cop Out", "Rockin In Rhythm", "Skin Deep", "Jam With Sam", "Perdido", and "Jones". CD

A set that might have you rethinking the early years of punk – as it shows that right next to the short sharp shocks of the new sound, there was also a rebirth of tight tuneful music too – a style that became known as power pop, even though many of the acts were ever bit as indie as the punk rockers! Don't mistake the "pop" for thinking that these are big commercial productions – as most of the work here is really back to basics rock and roll – a focus on sharp guitars, great rhythms, and excellent songwriting – served up in a wonderful mix of lesser-known artists, plus a few that went on to be timeless stars. The box set is every bit as great as other Cherry Red 3CD packages – detailed notes, 75 tracks in all, and work by artists who include Filmstars, Elvis Costello, The Questions, Rollers, Bram Tchaikovsky, The Deaf Aids, Undertones, Pinkees, Rudi, Gross Club, Stiff Little Fingers, The Monks, Backseat Romeos, The Flys, Pleasers, Leyton Buzzards, Purple Hearts, Elevators, Public Skool, The Cartoons, Excel, The Quads, Squeeze, Linda & The Dark, The Aces, and many others. CD

A jazz-inspired hip hop uberclassic! While Digable Planets might not have pioneered the jazzy hip hop vibe – we might nod to the Native Tongues scene and DJ Premier's productions in the late 80s for that – Digables set a new standard with breezy but head nodding production and mellow, laidback rhyme style that dug into the abstract lyrical realm more than any of their predecessors. Still sounds fresh today, too! Includes "Where I'm From", "It's Good To Be Here", "What Cool Breezes Do", "Time & Space (A New Refutation Of)", "Rebirth Of Slick (Cool Like Dat)", "Escapism (Gettin Free)", "Pacifics", "Appointment At The Fat Clinic", "Swoon Units", "Last Of The Spiddyocks", "Examination Of What", "Nickel Bags", and "Jimmi Diggin Cats". CD

There's a really great pairing going on here – the always-amazing sound of Pierre Dorge's New Jungle Orchestra, and the tenor of Stephen Riley – a guest who's brought into the fold after a successful European tour with the group, and a perfect match for their ever-inventive sound! Dorge's guitar sets the scene and colors the music right from the start – with plenty of the blue elements you might expect in the title – and Riley seems as if he's challenging all the other group members to do their best with the strength of his own tenor – a lineup that includes Tobias Wiklund on trumpet, Kennet Agerlhom on trombone, Jakob Mygind on tenor and soprano, Anders Banke on tenor and bass clarinet, and Irene Becker on piano and keyboards. The tracks are mostly originals by Dorge, plus a few by Becker – and they've got that angular, shape-heavy vibe that marks the work of the NJO – on titles that include "Dancing In The Jungle", "Aburu Kuwa", "Mingus' Birthday Party", "Witchdoctor In The Burial Mound", "Fulani", and "Blue Afriki". CD

Kind of a silly name for a group – but the record's pretty nice! Elbow Bones & The Racketeers were one of the many retro-soul groups working under the guidance of producer August Darnell – aka Kid Creole – who gave the group a style that was similar to his own unique blend of 80s club grooves, 40s swing, and 30s gangster cliches! Vocals are by Gichy Dan, Stephanie Fuller, and Dutch Robinson – and the set's unified by Darnell's good ear for a catchy hook – those quirky, groovy little numbers that always made the Kid Creole and Dr Buzzard albums so great! Titles include "A Night In New York", "Other Guys", "Our Love Will Always Stand", "You Got Me High", and "I Call It Like I See It". CD features a huge amount of bonus tracks – 7 more numbers that include "Night In New York (12" ext)", "Happy Birthday Baby (12" ext)", "Happy Times (12" ext)", "I Wanna Remind You", "Night In New York (single)", and "Happy Birthday Baby (single)". CD

Essential stuff! This 2 CD set includes the entirety of Albert Ayler's Live In Greenwich Village album – plus a huge amount of previously unreleased live material, played by the Ayler group in New York, during 1966 and 1967. Ayler's brother Don is on trumpet, and other players include Joel Freedman, George Steele, Bill Fowell, Beaver Harris, Sunny Murray, Alan Silva, and Henry Grimes. The tracks have the same intensity of Ayler's ESP work – and many tunes are quite long, very free and open. Titles include "Light In Darkness", "Divine Peacemaker", "Angels", "Omega Is The Alpha", "Universal Thoughts", "Change Has Come", "Infinite Spirit", and "Spiritual Rebirth". 14 tracks in all – and one of the most important slices of Ayler's career! CD

A crucial European performance by Albert Ayler in the mid 60s – one that wasn't issued until many years after the recording, but which has become one of the sharpest pictures of his genius at the time! The vibe here is different than the Ayler albums for ESP – still very much in the same territory, but with this approach that's really reaching out with a deeply spiritual consciousness – an energy to embrace the whole history of jazz, both very old and very new – and re-form its entire ideology into a richly personal expression. Ayler's tremendous on tenor, but Don Ayler is often equally great on trumpet – and the unusual group features Michel Samson on violin, William Fowell on bass, and Beaver Harris on drums. Titles include really unique readings of "Bells", "Prophet", "Our Prayer/Spirits Rejoice", "Ghosts", "Truth Is Marching In", and "Spiritual Rebirth/Light In Darkness/Infinite Spirit". CD

Proof that Elvin Jones wasn't just riding on the laurels of the Great One during his years with John Coltrane – as the album's a breakout date that has Jones firmly establishing his own voice in jazz! There's an explosive power here that makes us think that Elvin must have really just been biding his time with Coltrane – waiting for the chance to try out his own new ideas in music, and finding the perfect accompanists here in a trio that includes Jimmy Garrison on bass and a young Joe Farrell on tenor, soprano sax, and flute! The lack of a piano in the group really makes for a sense of new freedom that's totally great – not dreamy, melodic piano-less work, as in some of the LA groups of earlier years – but a searing, soaring intensity that Farrell was a perfect choice to head up. And while the format might serve to be an excuse for Coltrane-styled blowing, the approach here is decidedly not – a more focused, energy driven approach that really makes strong use of Jones' work on the drum kit, throbs with soulful undercurrents from Garrison's bass, and is topped off by angular, effortlessly-blown lines from Farrell – clearly pointing the way towards a generation of players that would emerge in his wake during the 70s. Tracks include "Village Greene", "Reza", "Kei Ko's Birthday March", and "Sweet Little Mama". CD

Four early 80s classics from Johnny Mathis – presented here in a single 2CD package! Different Kinda Different is a tremendous start to the 80s for Johnny Mathis – and a set that really continues that strong shift into soul-based territory he begun in the 70s! Gene Page handles a lot of the arrangements here, and gives the whole thing that strong blend of strings and soul that he worked on other 70s classics for different artists – a perfect approach for that magnificent Mathis voice, especially when the tunes have a bit of a groove! Two of the best numbers here – "Different Kind Of Different" and "I'll Do It All For You" – are duets with Paulette McWilliams, who'd recorded on her own, but who really seems to hit her stride with Johnny, and in a way that's different than any of his other soul partners in duets. Other titles include "Never Givin Up On You", "With You I'm Born Again", "I Will Survive", "The Lights Of Rio", and "Love Without Words". Friends In Love is mature 80s work from Johnny Mathis – a set that features two duets with Dionne Warwick, plus some other nice material that shows that Johnny wasn't going to be left behind in the shadows of his older work! At some level, the approach of the 80s, and the rise of a new sort of adult contemporary scene, really helped Mathis find a new audience – especially when teaming with Dionne, who was also having a rebirth at the time! Titles include the classic duet title cut "Friends In Love", and another duet on "Got You Where I Want You" – plus other titles that include "What Do You Do With The Love", "When The Lovin Goes Out Of The Lovin", "I Remember You & Me", and "Somethin's Goin On". Special Part Of Me is a sweet 80s set from Johnny Mathis – one of those great later albums when he brought a good deal of soul into the mix! The feel here is almost more modern R&B than the vocal jazz mode that first brought Johnny fame – and it turns out that the Mathis mode is wonderful for such a setting – rich and full of feeling, and arguably better than some of his younger contemporaries on the charts! The ballads are beautiful, but there's also a few surprising midtempo numbers – and titles include a sublime remake of "Love Won't Let Me Wait", done with Deniece Williams – plus "Love Never Felt So Good", "Simple", "Priceless", "One Love", "Right Here & Now", and "Lead Me To Your Love" – plus "You're A Special Part Of Me", a duet with Angie Bofill. Live is a later live album from Johnny Mathis, and one that brings together classics, newer cuts, and a few titles he'd never sang before – all served up with a sound that shows the continuing strengths of the legendary singer! There's a variety of arrangers used on the set – including Gene Page and Michel Colombier – and titles include "Orange Colored Sky", "When A Child Is Born", "Begin The Beguine", "I Believe In Love", "Fly Away", "99 Miles From LA", and "A Certain Smile". CD

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 Shorty, Piano Shorty, Bass Shorty , Singer Shorty and Percussion Shorty – the fella does it all in some cases – with some accompaniment on guitar, bass, drums, percussion and sax. Some famous admirers join, too, including Rebirth Brass Band, Warren Haynes (on a song co-written by Shorty & Lamont Dozier) and others. Includes "Buckjump", "Encore", "For True", "Do To Me", "The Craziest Thing", "Dumaine St", "Mrs. Orleans", "Nervis", "Roses", "Big 12", "There There Was You" and "Lagniappe" (Pts 1 & 2). CD

Chunky & funky New Orleans sounds from Galactic – as far reaching and and unpigeonholeable as ever on their second album for Anti- – possibly the the most diverse of their career! Ya-Ka-May rolls out some of the hip hop funk vibe that carried their previous album, but that's just one flavor in a boldly spiced entry – with brassy Crescent City funk, heavy percussive groovers, swampy soul & funk rock numbers and more. Galactic's been pumping long enough to earn the requests of young guns and legends alike, and this record features guests including Allen Toussaint, Irma Thomas, Rebirth Brass Band, Trombone Shorty & Corey Henry and many more. Includes "Friends Of Science", "Boe Money" feat Rebirth Brass Band, "Heart Of Steel" feat Irma Thomas, "Bacchus" feat Allen Toussaint, "Cineramascope" feat Trombone Shorty & Corey Henry, "Dark Water" feat John Boutte, "Krewe D'Etat", "Speaks His Mind" feat Walter "Wolfman" Washington and more. CD

A set that really expands the legend of Factory Records – the famous label who gave the world New Order, Joy Division, A Certain Ratio, and other important post-punk bands – as the set focuses on the equally legendary Hacienda nightclub, which the label opened in Manchester in 1982! Manchester was already a city with a hell of a music scene – but at the Hacienda, all sorts of sounds and styles mixed together – in a spirit that was similar to some of the energy on the New York scene at the time, particularly at a club like Danceteria – where the quest for the new took clubbers way past standard genre designations! The Fac 51 in the title was Factory's way of giving the club a catalog number that was in keeping with its record releases at the time – and the beautiful package features plenty of information on the club and the scene – along with 65 tracks by artists who include Gang Of Four, Section 25, Defunkt, Heaven 17, Medium Medium, The Birthday Party, Kurtis Blow, Shalamar, Barry Gray, Simple Minds, Rockers Revenge, 23 Skidoo, Royal Family & The Poor, Josef K, John Cooper Clarke, Stockholm Monsters, Swamp Children, Iggy & The Stooges, Sugarhill Gang, Laura Lee, Temptations, Trio, Bow Wow Wow, Valentine Brothers, Soft Cell, The Associates, Loose Joints, Suicide, Pale Fountains, and many others. CD

One of the loosest, most open albums from Ronald Shannon Jackson & The Decoding Society – and a set that's a great antidote to some of the later records for bigger labels! Jackson's still got a very inspiring sound at this point – a polyrhythmic groove that's virtually the blueprint for the post-loft scene in New York – driven onward here by performances from key contemporaries who include Billy Bang on violin, Byard Lancaster on soprano sax and alto, Charles Brackeen on tenor and soprano, Vernon Reid and Bern Nix on guitars, Melvin Gibbs on bass, and Erasto Vasconcelos on percussion. Tracks are all tightly structured, but well up with free sounds from the musicians – and titles include "Sortie", "Nightwhistlers", "Eastern Voices/Western Dreams", "Shaman", "Dancers Of Joy", "Arising", and "Orange Birthday". LP, Vinyl record album

Proof that Elvin Jones wasn't just riding on the laurels of the Great One during his years with John Coltrane – as the album's a breakout date that has Jones firmly establishing his own voice in jazz! There's an explosive power here that makes us think that Elvin must have really just been biding his time with Coltrane – waiting for the chance to try out his own new ideas in music, and finding the perfect accompanists here in a trio that includes Jimmy Garrison on bass and a young Joe Farrell on tenor, soprano sax, and flute! The lack of a piano in the group really makes for a sense of new freedom that's totally great – not dreamy, melodic piano-less work, as in some of the LA groups of earlier years – but a searing, soaring intensity that Farrell was a perfect choice to head up. And while the format might serve to be an excuse for Coltrane-styled blowing, the approach here is decidedly not – a more focused, energy driven approach that really makes strong use of Jones' work on the drum kit, throbs with soulful undercurrents from Garrison's bass, and is topped off by angular, effortlessly-blown lines from Farrell – clearly pointing the way towards a generation of players that would emerge in his wake during the 70s. Tracks include "Village Greene", "Reza", "Kei Ko's Birthday March", and "Sweet Little Mama". CD

Rewind the tape and full steam ahead – as Ubiquity's latest collection of funky soul covers really pushes the boundaries of this already-hip series! As with other volumes, the format here has current groups covering sounds of the 60s and 70s – mostly funk and soul, but also with some surprising rock contributions this time around – tunes that may have roots in more guitar-based originals, but which sparkle anew here in more electric or soul-based remakes! The list of performers here may be the hippest so far in the series – which accounts for most of the success of the tunes – and titles include "Dreams" by Black Shakespeare, "Be Still My Beating Heart" by Randy Watson Experience, "Crazy You" by Osunlade, "Spoiled" by Daz-I-Kue with Bembe Segue & Colonel Red, "Caroline No" by Owusu & Hannibal, "Walk On By" by El Michels Affair, "Handle It" by Rebirth, "Dirty Love" by J Davey, "No Quarter" by Nuspirit Helsinki, and "L'Abeille" by Henrik Schwarz. LP, Vinyl record album

Recorded live at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, New York City, February 7-10, 1983. A HUGE amount of material! Includes the tracks "Say Hello", "Walk The Dog", "Violin Solo", "Closed Circuits", "For A Large And Changing Room", "Pictures Of It", "Language Of The Future", "Reverb", "If You Can't Talk About It, Point To It", "City Song", "Finnish Farmers", "Democratic Way", "Private Property", "Neon Duet", "Difficult Listening Hour", "So Happy Birthday", "Dance Of Electricity", "Sax Duet", "Born, Never Asked", "From The Air", "Beginning French", "Talkshow", "Cello Solo", "Blue Lagoon", "Stiff Neck", "Hothead", "Telephone Song", "Sweaters", "We've Got Four Big Clocks", "I Dreamed I Had To Take A Test", "Big Top", "It Was Up In The Mountains", "Big Science", "Red Map", "Strike", "False Documents", and many, many more! LP, Vinyl record album

A crucial European performance by Albert Ayler in the mid 60s – one that wasn't issued until many years after the recording, but which has become one of the sharpest pictures of his genius at the time! The vibe here is different than the Ayler albums for ESP – still very much in the same territory, but with this approach that's really reaching out with a deeply spiritual consciousness – an energy to embrace the whole history of jazz, both very old and very new – and re-form its entire ideology into a richly personal expression. Ayler's tremendous on tenor, but Don Ayler is often equally great on trumpet – and the unusual group features Michel Samson on violin, William Fowell on bass, and Beaver Harris on drums. Titles include really unique readings of "Bells", "Prophet", "Our Prayer/Spirits Rejoice", "Ghosts", "Truth Is Marching In", and "Spiritual Rebirth/Light In Darkness/Infinite Spirit". CD

A great tribute to one of the most famous clubs on the UK scene of the mid 80s – a spot that was crucial to the shift from post-punk modes to new goth spirits – and which was a vital outlet for new strands of darker music that were stepping forth at the time! Later goth cliches might make you pause – but the sounds here are from a time when the music had a very special spot in the UK – kind of a sidestep from some of the more nihilistic modes of the punk generation, maybe finding a way to move forward while still foregrounding some of the darker moods that were undeniable at this spot in British history. Yet even without all that larger framing, the set list here is more than enough to tell the tale – as the set features work from Play Dead, Wasted Youth, Soft Cell, The Cult, Christian Death, Theater Of Hate, Specimen, The Birthday Party, Virgin Prunes, Siouxsie & The Banshees, The Cure, The Cramps, Killing Joke, Alien Sex Fiend, Sexbeat, Sisters Of Mercy, Xmal Deutschland, and Gene Loves Jezebel. 5CD set is MASSIVE – served up in a 12" LP-sized box, with an 80 page hardcover book that features all sorts of writings on the club, and over 100 photos from back in the day – all in support of a 90 track set list that includes lots more work from The Runaways, Velvet Underground, Marc & The Mambas, Let's Wreck Mother, Human League, The Glove, Flowerpot Men, Japan, The The, New Order, March Violets, Malaria, Joy Division, The Associates, PiL, Throbbing Gristle, and dozens of others. CD