Some of the trippiest soul music ever recorded – an amazing collection of work by the legendary Rotary Connection – early home to vocalist Minnie Riperton and arranger Charles Stepney! Rotary Connection was a unique late 60s combination of soul, jazz, and rock-based modes – all inflected by more baroque production styles coming down in the Chicago scene of the time – balanced perfectly by the genius of Stepney – who often drew inspiration from avant classical work to round out his sound! Stepney gave the group a heady heady sound that went far beyond the airy vocal sound of Minnie Riperton or the rougher edge of Sidney Barnes – and the mix of unusual instrumentation, odd recording techniques, and strange timings made the group's music years ahead of its time – at a level that's really only fully appreciated these many years later. This 2CD set goes way beyond previous collections of Rotary Connection work, because it shows a real appreciation for the more adventurous sounds of Stepney in the studio – and brings together the trippiest, most freewheeling cuts from the group's 4 albums for Chess/Cadet – as well as a number of key tunes that have been heavily sampled over the years. 33 tracks in all – including "The Salt Of The Earth", "Rapid Transit", "Magical World", "I Am The Black Gold Of The Sun", "A-Muse", "Sursum Mentes", "Memory Band", "Hey Love", "The Sea & She", "Song For Everyman", "Love Is", "We're Going Wrong", "Life Could", "Teach Me How To Fly", "VIP", "Let Them Talk", "Love Has Fallen On Me", "Respect", "Pink Noise", "Want You To Know", and "This Town". CD

A massively beautiful piece of work by "the new Rotary Connection" – a version of this groundbreaking Chicago soul ensemble which featured Phil Upchurch, Henry Gibson, and Charles Stepney – the cream of the Chicago production scene! Minnie Riperton's still in the band on vocals, and her work on the LP is similar to that on the legendary Come To My Garden LP. The album features the incredible track "I Am the Blackgold of the Sun" – a haunting soul anthem that has been a favorite of groovers for years, and which was later made into a house track by NuYorican Soul. A great album all the way through, and filled with loads of excellent cuts! LP, Vinyl record album

Amazingly baroque soul by this legendary crossover group from Chicago! Take 1 part hippy dippy rockers, 1 part young lovely soulful Minnie Riperton, and 1 part crazy wigged out Chess/Cadet soul studios – and you've only got the beginnings of one of the most unique soul bands to come out of the 60s. The group had a feeling that was like no other – and although they were ignored for years, their work is really getting attention again, thanks to legendary samples/remakes by the likes of Tribe Called Quest, Fugees, and NuYorican Soul. Titles on this debut LP include the great "Memory Band" (with the famous wiggy sitar sample), plus "Soul Man", "Lady Jane", "Amen", "Rotary Connection", and "Pink Noise". CD

A pair of gems from the legendary Rotary Connection – an early Chicago group that featured Minnie Riperton on vocals, and Charles Stepney on production! Songs is amazing soul from Rotary Connection – and one of their greatest albums! The "songs" concept has the group working over a bunch of tunes by other folks – and the record features many late 60s rock titles, redone with the group's incredible baroque soul sound. Charles Stepney did the arrangements, and the music has that airy eerie quality that worked perfectly for Minnie Riperton's amazing voice. Includes a stellar cover of "Respect", with a slow trippy groove that has been sampled over the years – plus a wild cover of "Tales of Brave Ulysses" that virtually defines the term "psychedelic soul". Other tracks include "The Weight", "This Town", "The Salt Of The Earth", and "Sunshine Of Your Love". Hey Love is a massively beautiful piece of work by "the new Rotary Connection" – a version of this groundbreaking Chicago soul ensemble which featured Phil Upchurch, Henry Gibson, and Charles Stepney – the cream of the Chicago production scene! Minnie Riperton's still in the band on vocals, and her work on the LP is similar to that on the legendary Come To My Garden LP. The album features the incredible track "I Am the Blackgold of the Sun" – a haunting soul anthem that has been a favorite of groovers for years, and which was later made into a house track by NuYorican Soul. A great album all the way through, and filled with loads of excellent cuts! Other tracks include "If I Sing My Song", "Hey, Love", "Love Has Fallen On Me", and a cover of Terry Callier's "Song For Everyman". CD

A sweet lean set from T-Connection – still every bit as funky as back in their late 70s years, but with a different sort of style for the new generation! The music's got that great 80s groove approach that Capitol Records excelled at during the time – and the group's a bit more compressed than before – just a quintet, with heavy contributions from Theophilus Coakley on lead vocals, keyboards, songwriting, and production! This focus around a strong male lead gives the group a really fresh feel – and pushes them past the ensemble funk stereotypes of their generation – with great results on cuts that are heavy with funky bass and keyboard lines. Titles include "You Found Someone New", "Take It To The Limit", "Right Place Wrong Time", "You Can Feel The Groove", and "In Another Life". CD

Think what you want about Andrea True – the former adult film star works here with some super-sharp help from the mighty Gregg Diamond – who makes the record sound a lot more tight and groovy than other crossover disco efforts of the time! In fact, there's plenty of elements here that match the energy of Gregg's great Hot Butterfly album – topped instead with Andrea's voice, which is admittedly a bit thin at times – but hardly in a way that matters, given the currents that Diamond brings to the bottom! Gregg wrote, produced, and arranged the whole record – and the set features a 6 minute take on the classic "More More More" – plus "Fill Me Up", "Call Me", "Party Line", and "Keep It Up Longer". CD features bonus tracks – "Party Line (single edit)" and "Fill Me Up (single edit)". CD

The adult film star who became a chart act – and thanks to some very skillful help from Gregg Diamond, who wrote, produced, and arranged the cut! 7-inch, Vinyl record

A really wonderful collaboration – one that features famous South African singer Vusi Mahlasela working with the Jive Connection combo – a funky Swedish group who backed Mahlasela on many live dates over the years, and who really help his music come across with a lean, classic sort of vibe! This isn't the mainstream music from the SA scene at the start of the 70s – as the instrumentation is live and spontaneous, and never overproduced – a great accompaniment to the raspy charms of Vusi's vocals, which are also delivered in a way that's nicely unfettered too! Norman Zulu also sings a bit on the record – and although the tracks were recorded in 2002, this is the first release of the music – titles that include "Face To Face", "Inkomo", "Umzala", "Prodigal Son", "Push", "Intombi Y Mbali", and "Thulualele". LP, Vinyl record album

A massively beautiful piece of work by "the new Rotary Connection" – a version of this groundbreaking Chicago soul ensemble which featured Phil Upchurch, Henry Gibson, and Charles Stepney – the cream of the Chicago production scene! Minnie Riperton's still in the band on vocals, and her work on the LP is similar to that on the legendary Come To My Garden LP. The album features the incredible track "I Am the Blackgold of the Sun" – a haunting soul anthem that has been a favorite of groovers for years, and which was later made into a house track by NuYorican Soul. A great album all the way through, and filled with loads of excellent cuts! LP, Vinyl record album

T-Connection are definitely on fire with this smoking little set – a killer batch of late 70s club, done with almost equal parts funk, soul, and disco! As with their debut, the group here are right on the money instrumentally – playing with a dexterity that few other large funk groups could match this well – especially blistering on some of the album's longer tracks too. There's also a great sense of balance to the record too – a ballad, some midtempo numbers, and a more well-rounded feel that also shows the group going for a wider palette of sounds than just their usual grooves. But as always, the upbeat club tracks are the best – and titles include "Lady Of The Night", "On Fire", "Cush", "Groove To Get Down", and "Let Yourself Go". CD

A soaring stormer from T-Connection – and a set that has them sounding even better than before! There's a perfection here the group didn't have with earlier releases – a quality that goes way past indie funk ensemble, into the realm of some of the best mainstream acts on the bigger labels at the time – company shared by a rare few, like Earth Wind & Fire, Ohio Players, or the Bar-Kays! Things are every bit as funky as before – but there's a way of putting the tunes together that really blows us away – fusing all the elements together perfectly, and making everything work towards the groove – yet all without making anything sound too slick or polished either. Mighty nice all the way through – and titles include "Funky Lady", "Don't Stop The Music", "Funkannection", "Saturday Night", "At Midnight", and "Love Supreme". CD

Great work by one of the funkiest disco bands of the late 70s! T Connection were always a step above most of their contemporaries, especially some of the weaker pop disco acts on the TK family of labels – which was the group's home during these years. They brought a really solid conception to all of their work in the early days – and this record's a great mix of soul and funk club tracks, done with a precision that almost approaches Earth Wind & Fire in the mid 70s – razor-sharp, and right on the money throughout! Vocals are tasty, there's lots of nice guitar work, and the production has a modern sound that points ahead to the 80s groove years. Tracks include "Totally Connected", "Let's Do It Today", "Choosing", "That's Love", and "Ecstasy". CD

Plenty of Magic here from T-Connection – a clubby set of tracks, yet one that's still put together more like a funk combo record from the mid 70s! The instrumentation is mindblowing – impeccable guitar and basslines, set to snapping rhythms that really capture the best Miami funk mode before smoother disco took over – especially impressive on the longer tracks on the set! The whole thing's great – more like a pile of fast funky 45s than the usual disco record – and titles include the long "Do What You Wanna Do", plus "Disco Magic", "Got To See My Lady", "Peace Line", "Monday Morning", and "Mothers Love". CD

Really cool later work from this excellent UK trumpeter – a set that features Jimmy Deuchar on flugelhorn alongside Gary Cox on tenor, Dave Lynane on bass, and Jack Parnell on drums – plus some great electric piano work from Johnny Patrick, which gives the set a sense of lyricism you might never expect from Jimmy! Gary Cox is pretty wonderful too – and the record has this beautiful brightness and deeper edge that's quite unexpected! LP, Vinyl record album

Funky funky Don Ellis – a great set of electric groovers released at the same time that Don scored big with his soundtrack for The French Connection! As you'd guess from the title, the feel here is quite similar – funky electric big band jazz, with a very hip 70s action soundtrack feel – one that mixes acoustic sax and trumpet passages with some groovier keyboards and electronic bits – all wrapped up in production that's tight, but never too slick to be funky! The album features a great take on Don's excellent "Theme From The French Connection" – plus great electric jazz covers of "Alone Again Naturally", "Superstar", "I Feel The Earth Move", "Roundabout", and "Lean On Me" – as well as album originals "Chain Reaction" and "Train To Get There". LP, Vinyl record album

Elton back when he was genius, and unlike anyone else – with titles that include "Ballad Of A Well Known Gun", "Son Of Your Father","Burn Down The Mission", "Love Song", and "Where To Now St Peter". CD

Elton back when he was genius, and unlike anyone else – with titles that include "Ballad Of A Well Known Gun", "Son Of Your Father", "Burn Down The Mission", "Love Song", and "Where To Now St Peter". LP, Vinyl record album

Here's where it all happens – the huge culmination of all the years of heavy funk and psychedelic soul created by George Clinton and the P-Funk empire – fused into an amazingly tight groove that helped win over much bigger audiences than ever before! The album title and cover are very fitting – as George Clinton launches the mothership, forges his classic space-funk image, and blows the P-Funk empire into an arena-filling mega-star act – all with grooves that are still some of the tightest, sharpest funk you'll ever hear – all these many decades later. The instrumentation is razor-sharp – played by giants like Fred Wesley, Maceo Parker, Bootsy Collins, and Bernie Worrell – and the lyrics still have all the edginess and naughtiness of the earlier years – tied together wonderfully to make a very unified album, and one that's full of classics too! Titles include "Mothership Connection (Star Child)", "Night Of The Thumpasorus Peoples", "P-Funk (Wants To Get Funked Up)", "Handcuffs", "Give Up The Funk (Tear The Roof Off The Sucker)", and "Unfunky Ufo". CD

A landmark album – not only for Freddie Redd, but for Jackie McLean, who's the real star of the session! In the early 60s, both Freddie and Jackie played together in a hip New York play called The Connection – working as a part of a live jazz band who were hanging out in an apartment, waiting for their "connection" to bring them some heroin. The music on this set was forged during the course of the play – played live, improvised, but tightly honed into some fantastic tunes over the course of the run – so that by the time Blue Note went to record this set, the whole thing had a razor-sharp intensity that blew away even the best other Blue Note work of the time! Redd wrote all the tracks, and he plays with a dark and fiery edge that we've never heard in his work on other records – superbly matched by McLean's alto, which blows these amazingly precise and soulful notes throughout. Titles include "Who Killed Cock Robin", "Wigglin", "Music Forever", and "O.D." CD

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

The shadow of Hank Williams still looms large in country music well into the 21st Century – but it had an especially strong force in the years after his too-early death – as you'll hear here in a great selection of covers, tributes, and other songs that continue the short-but-strong legacy of revolution that Hank brought to country music! Some of the cuts here are pop numbers, and show the way that Williams' original tunes found many different audiences in the 50s – yet most are pure country, and are way more than straight remakes of originals by the legend. As always with Bear Family, the package is great – filled with images and detailed notes on all the tracks and artists – served up on 33 tracks that include "Kaw-Liga" by Rusty & Doug Kershaw, "Calling You" by Hank Williams Jr, "I'm A Long Gone Daddy" by Bobby Helms, "Move It On Over" by Richard Hayes, "I Saw The Light" by Rose Maddox, "Honky Tonkin" by Audrey Williams, "I Just Don't Like This Kind Of Livin" by Johnny Horton, "Mind Your Own Business" by Ted Daigle, "Lost Highway" by Skeets McDonald, "Cold Cold Heart" by Louis Armstrong, "Lovesick Blues" by Rex Griffin, "Baby We're Really In Love" by Don Gibson, and "Half As Much" by Tennessee Ernie Ford. CD

With selections by The Engineers, Boz & The Bozmen, The Records, Pete Zear, Rent Party, Mickey Jupp, Kursaal Flyers, and The Famous Potatoes. LP, Vinyl record album

Two classic Lloyd Charmers albums – both new to CD, and presented here with lots of first-time CD bonus tracks too! First up is the great Gold Connection album – an obscure little record, but a soulful one too – a rare 70s Federal Records session that mixes together reggae and soul – with vocals by a trio of female singers that includes a young Marcia Griffiths and Cynthia Schloss! Lots of tracks take a disco inspiration, but slow the pace down a lot more for the Kingston scene – so that the grooves are dubby steppers with a lot more going on at the bottom than their American counterparts up north – laidback, and given some nice instrumentation from Willie Lindo on bass, Harold Butler on keyboards, and Cedric Brooks on tenor! Titles include "That's The Way I Like It", "Fly Robin Reggae", "Love's Theme", "Soul Charm", "Do It Anyway Reggae", "Latin Hustle Reggae", and "Darling I Like It". Next up is Sweet Dreams, a very unique album from Jamaican sweet soul singer Dobby Dobson – an artist who seems to owe a bit to Sam Cooke, and who references music from Sam's era too – remaking some older cuts with a warmer, sweeter 70s vibe overall! The Lloyd Charmers production makes for an unusual blend of reggae and classic soul – and titles include "Little Stars", "Sweet Dreams", "Oh Gee", "You're Mine All Mine", "Muriel", "My Special Prayer", and "It's A Miracle". 2CD set features 20 more bonus tracks – including the great Supernatural Thing project from Richard Ace with Lloyd Charmers – and more tracks from Sister Stern, The Africans, Richard Ace, Delroy Wilson, and CHARM! CD

A lost treasure from the overlooked late 70s jazz years at Columbia! The album's got Freddie Hubbard working with arranger Claus Ogerman on some expansive tracks that go beyond his earlier work in the decade – sometimes blowing mellow notes over larger orchestrations, other times working in a surprisingly lean groove that has some really soulful touches! The approach shifts from track to track, but all titles are long, and the overall effect is really great. Al Jarreau guests on a sweet vocal version of "Little Sunflower", and other players on the set include Joe Farrell and Tom Scott on reeds, and Chick Corea, who plays most of the keys on the set. Titles include "Lazy Afternoon", "This Dream", "Brigitte", and "The Love Connection". LP, Vinyl record album

Here's where it all happens – the huge culmination of all the years of heavy funk and psychedelic soul created by George Clinton and the P-Funk empire – fused into an amazingly tight groove that helped win over much bigger audiences than ever before! The album title and cover are very fitting – as George Clinton launches the mothership, forges his classic space-funk image, and blows the P-Funk empire into an arena-filling mega-star act – all with grooves that are still some of the tightest, sharpest funk you'll ever hear – all these many decades later. The instrumentation is razor-sharp – played by giants like Fred Wesley, Maceo Parker, Bootsy Collins, and Bernie Worrell – and the lyrics still have all the edginess and naughtiness of the earlier years – tied together wonderfully to make a very unified album, and one that's full of classics too! Titles include "Mothership Connection (Star Child)", "Night Of The Thumpasorus Peoples", "P-Funk (Wants To Get Funked Up)", "Handcuffs", "Give Up The Funk (Tear The Roof Off The Sucker)", and "Unfunky Ufo". CD features a bonus version of "Star Child", a promo radio version! CD

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

Featuring Ini Kamoze, Half Pint, and Yellowman. LP, Vinyl record album

Maybe one of the coolest collection of soundtrack work we've ever heard, and maybe one of the most obscure as well – given that the tracks here were all done for Belgian films of the 60s and 70s, and include some rare work from composers you might know from bigger name European movies! There's a very jazzy vibe to many of these numbers – and the set echoes some of the great jazz and funk collections on the same label – with a similarly well-chosen batch of cuts that are balanced out beautifully, and presented in the kind of package with notes that let you know that these guys really know what they're doing! The whole thing's great, and very groovy – and titles include "Les Trucs Du Miroir" by Kryzstof Komeda, "Nach Shift" by Alain Pierre, "Boloero Pour Denise" by Jean Mari Bigman, "Poursuite Sur Les Dunes D'Ostende" by Francois De Roubaix, "Jonny's Theme" by Rocco Granata, "Theme 19" by Pieter Verlinden, "De Discotheek" by Bert Paige, "Courage Fuyons" by Vladimir Cosma, "Dancing" by Martial Solal, and "Tu M'Tapes Sur Les Nerfs. CD

Maybe one of the coolest collection of soundtrack work we've ever heard, and maybe one of the most obscure as well – given that the tracks here were all done for Belgian films of the 60s and 70s, and include some rare work from composers you might know from bigger name European movies! There's a very jazzy vibe to many of these numbers – and the set echoes some of the great jazz and funk collections on the same label – with a similarly well-chosen batch of cuts that are balanced out beautifully, and presented in the kind of package with notes that let you know that these guys really know what they're doing! The whole thing's great, and very groovy – and titles include "Les Trucs Du Miroir" by Kryzstof Komeda, "Nach Shift" by Alain Pierre, "Boloero Pour Denise" by Jean Mari Bigman, "Poursuite Sur Les Dunes D'Ostende" by Francois De Roubaix, "Jonny's Theme" by Rocco Granata, "Theme 19" by Pieter Verlinden, "De Discotheek" by Bert Paige, "Courage Fuyons" by Vladimir Cosma, "Dancing" by Martial Solal, and "Tu M'Tapes Sur Les Nerfs. LP, Vinyl record album

A full-on set from the mighty Fania All-Stars – a session that matches some of the larger arrangements of their Columbia Records albums, but which also returns the group to more of a salsa-focused groove! Tracks are somewhat short – none of the jam sessions of the group's earliest years – but the sound is top-shelf all the way through, and a lot more classic than you'd guess from the cheesy cocaine image on the cover! Group members include Papo Luca on piano, Nicky Marrero on timbales, Roberto Roena on bongos, Yomo Toro on cuatro, and Lewis Khan on trombone – and singers include Hector Lavoe, Adalberto Santiago, Willie Colon, Ismael Rivera, and Celia Cruz. Titles include "Semilla De Amor", "Bilongo", "La Montana", "Rosa En El Fango", "Mi So Den Boso", and "Nina". LP, Vinyl record album

An excellent – and totally rare – recording of Freddie Redd's score to The Connection – done more famously on Blue Note under Freddie's own name. This isn't the version that was released by Blue Note, nor is it the version on Charlie Parker records – instead, it's an obscure set led by trumpeter Howard McGhee (during his great comeback period of the early 60's), and featuring the amazing tenor talents of Tina Brooks (whose few Blue Note sessions are the stuff of legend!) Freddie Redd plays piano on the set, and he plays with as much fire as on his Blue Note recording of the music – with with McGhee in the lead, the sound is quite different. Titles include "Wigglin", "Who Killed Cock Robin", "OD", "Jim Dunn's Dilemma", and "Time To Smile". LP, Vinyl record album

Great early work by Minnie Riperton – featuring tracks that she recorded as a female soul singer, plus later work recorded with the groundbreaking group Rotary Connection! The set's got some of Minnie's earliest singles for the Chess label – including "All Of It", "Lonely Girl", and "Happy New Love", recorded as Andrea Davis or with The Gems. Then, the set's got 13 nice tracks from Minnie's Rotary Connection days, most of which feature her in lead vocals. Titles of those include "Burning Of The Midnight Lamp", "Love Me Now", "Living Alone", "Magical World", "Respect", and "A-muse". CD

A very groovy set from guitar genius Gabor Szabo – one that features all those cool tones and elements he'd developed on his late 60s albums for Impulse and Skye Records, given a tighter LA groove here, with almost an A&M Records vibe! There's loads of great solos throughout, played in a combo that also features Lynn Blessing on vibes, Richard Thompson and Nick DeCaro on keyboards, and Sandra Crouch on percussion – all set to some backings handled by DeCaro, who really helps shape the sound of the set! The tunes are a really nice mix of material – and while this might not be Gabor's most way-out album, it's still full of lots of his great groovy guitar – on titles that include "Love Theme From Spartacus", "Country Illusion", "Sombrero Sam", "Lady With Child", "Pretty Girl Why", "Hum A Song", "Magical Connection", and "Fred & Betty". CD

A sparkling collection of club tracks from the contemporary underground – music that spans the Atlantic, but is nicely unified in a mix of thoughtful, well-crafted grooves! There's a quality here that might be thought of as post-broken beat – tracks that know all the best qualities of the previous generation, but also warm things up a bit with jazzy currents and a really magnificent sense of flow! The whole thing is very cohesive, and feels very different than a much more scattered compilation – with tracks that include "Mental Feelings" by Rick The Goldson Wilhite & Jon Easley, "Real Time" by Boo Williams, "PCM" by The Mechanical Man, "Surface" by Nemanja Krstic, "Tribute To The Sound" by Life Recorder, "Space Rele" by Gene Hunt, and "Escape Two" by Dan Piu. LP, Vinyl record album

With Phil The Agony, Xzibit and the Liks on the a-side. 12-inch, Vinyl record

With Frank Morgan on alto, Sonny Bravo on piano, Bobby Rodriguez on bass, Tito Puente and Orestes Vilato on timbales, Johnny Rodriguez on bongos and percussion, and Joe Madera on congas and percussion. LP, Vinyl record album

An extremely soulful session from European trumpeter Dusko Goykovich – recorded in the US with a lineup that can't miss! The core rhythm trio features Tommy Flanagan on piano, Eddie Gomez on bass, and Mickey Roker on drums – and the great Jimmy Heath joins Dusko on the frontline for about half the album, blowing soulfully on tenor with the same kind of creative introspectivity we've come to expect from his own albums! A few tunes feature Goykovich in that bright muted style that he's used a fair bit in recent years, while others have him opening up with a deeper tone. Titles include "Blues Valse", "Teamwork Song", "Inga", "Soul Connection", "Adriatica", and "NYC". CD

Features Chick Corea on piano, Gary Burton on vibes, and Lee Ritenour on guitar. CD

Elton back when he was genius, and unlike anyone else – with titles that include "Ballad Of A Well Known Gun", "Son Of Your Father", "Burn Down The Mission", "Love Song", and "Where To Now St Peter". Bonus disc includes previously unreleased material, demos, an alternate version of "Madman Across The Water", and BBC sessions. CD

Elton back when he was genius, and unlike anyone else – with titles that include "Ballad Of A Well Known Gun", "Son Of Your Father","Burn Down The Mission", "Love Song", and "Where To Now St Peter". CD

Here's where it all happens – the huge culmination of all the years of heavy funk and psychedelic soul created by George Clinton and the P-Funk empire – fused into an amazingly tight groove that helped win over much bigger audiences than ever before! The album title and cover are very fitting – as George Clinton launches the mothership, forges his classic space-funk image, and blows the P-Funk empire into an arena-filling mega-star act – all with grooves that are still some of the tightest, sharpest funk you'll ever hear – all these many decades later. The instrumentation is razor-sharp – played by giants like Fred Wesley, Maceo Parker, Bootsy Collins, and Bernie Worrell – and the lyrics still have all the edginess and naughtiness of the earlier years – tied together wonderfully to make a very unified album, and one that's full of classics too! Titles include "Mothership Connection (Star Child)", "Night Of The Thumpasorus Peoples", "P-Funk (Wants To Get Funked Up)", "Handcuffs", "Give Up The Funk (Tear The Roof Off The Sucker)", and "Unfunky Ufo". LP, Vinyl record album

A landmark album – not only for Freddie Redd, but for Jackie McLean, who's the real star of the session! In the early 60s, both Freddie and Jackie played together in a hip New York play called The Connection – working as a part of a live jazz band who were hanging out in an apartment, waiting for their "connection" to bring them some heroin. The music on this set was forged during the course of the play – played live, improvised, but tightly honed into some fantastic tunes over the course of the run – so that by the time Blue Note went to record this set, the whole thing had a razor-sharp intensity that blew away even the best other Blue Note work of the time! Redd wrote all the tracks, and he plays with a dark and fiery edge that we've never heard in his work on other records – superbly matched by McLean's alto, which blows these amazingly precise and soulful notes throughout. Titles include "Who Killed Cock Robin", "Wigglin", "Music Forever", and "O.D." LP, Vinyl record album

A very groovy set from guitar genius Gabor Szabo – one that features all those cool tones and elements he'd developed on his late 60s albums for Impulse and Skye Records, given a tighter LA groove here, with almost an A&M Records vibe! There's loads of great solos throughout, played in a combo that also features Lynn Blessing on vibes, Richard Thompson and Nick DeCaro on keyboards, and Sandra Crouch on percussion – all set to some backings handled by DeCaro, who really helps shape the sound of the set! The tunes are a really nice mix of material – and while this might not be Gabor's most way-out album, it's still full of lots of his great groovy guitar – on titles that include "Love Theme From Spartacus", "Country Illusion", "Sombrero Sam", "Lady With Child", "Pretty Girl Why", "Hum A Song", "Magical Connection", and "Fred & Betty". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

Oscar's great connection here is with the rhythm team of Louis Hayes on drums and Niels Henning Orsted Pedersen on bass – both of whom bring in a nice degree of subtlety to the set, and make it one of Peterson's most gently-grooving albums for MPS! There's a warm, round quality to most of the tunes on the album – a mode that partakes strongly of the lyrical side of the Peterson spectrum, yet which still makes things roll along with a submerged sense of his gutbuckety soul. Titles include "Smile", "On The Trail", "Wheatland", "Younger That Springtime", "Where Do We Go From Here", and "Just Squeeze Me". LP, Vinyl record album

Music from Sam Mangwana, Empire Bakuba, Jean Papy Ramazani, Kass Kass, Pepe Kalle & Nyboma, Franco & Le T.P.O.K. Jazz, Ray Lema, Papa Wemba, 4 Etoiles, and Kanda Bongo Man. CD

Great work from this blue-eyed soul group of the 70s – one who've been picked and kept alive by some key underground scenes over the years – like the Northern Soul world of the UK, and the beach music scene in the Carolinas! The group here have some key jazz contributions from Mike Melvoin on piano, Dennis Budimir on guitar, and Tom Scott on tenor – and as with their first record, there's a nice current of soul running through the music – a way of using soulful elements in subtle ways, which is really the appeal of these guys – as they really know how to slide in with a compelling style and a warm vocal approach! Titles include "Get It Up For Love", "I Can't Stop This Love Song", "When You Get Right Down To It", "Who's Foolin' Who", and "Magical Lady". CD features four bonus tracks, all singles – "Skysurf", "Can't Let You Down", "Gemini Lady", and "Love Connection". CD

A mindblowing record from the great Ed Motta – a set that continues all the warmer, English language elements of his recent albums – but one that also seems to have Ed hitting a new sort of sophistication too! The sound is incredible – almost out-AORing all the global AOR references that Motta's given us in both his own music, and some of the great collections he's done over the years – but there's also more of a special small combo vibe, with some instrumentation on the record that seems even more compelling than usual – and which includes some great guitar moments from Ed, in addition to Fender Rhodes. Take it from us, the whole thing is superb – as appealing to fans of the older soul tradition that Motta inherited in his youth, as it is to people who love jazzy vocals, and even those elite few of us who think that Steely Dan were one of the highest points in 20th Century music. (Ed's with us on that one, by the way!) Titles include "Lost Connection To Prague", "Novice Never Noticed", "The Required Dress Code", "X1 In Test", "The Tiki's Broken There", "Shoulder Pads", and "Your Satisfaction Is Mine". Great bonus tracks here – "Sweetest Berry (alt version organ)", "Sweetest Berry (alt version piano solo)", "Novice Never Noticed (alt solo)", "X1 In Test (alt take 2)", "The Tiki's Broken There (alt take)", and "Your Satisfaction Is Mine (inst version)". CD

A nice live snapshot of a later P Funk incarnation, circa 1983 – with players like Dennis Chambers and Michael Hampton aboard the mothership with Clinton's family of funk all stars! The rest of the crew includes includes stalwarts Bernie Worrell, Eddie Hazel, Blackbird McKnight, Maceo Parker, Mudbone Cooper and George Clinton working hard to extend their legendary style of live funk into the 80s. There's a slow build up of energy that's works well – kicking off slowly but surely with a laidback intro and band intro before busts open in a big way, and from there it's one exciting classic after another 'til the very end! Includes lengthy live riffs on P-funk classics like "Cosmic Slop", "(Not Just) Knee Deep", "Maggot Brain", "Atomic Dog"and "Flashlight", "Give Up The Funk (Tear The Roof Off The Sucker)", "Do That Stuff", "Cosmic Slop" plus a medley of "Let's Take It To The Stage", "Mothership Connection (Starchild)" and "I Call My Baby Pussycat" in a nearly 100 minute set! CD

A fantastic volume put together by bassist William Parker, and one that shows his larger connection to cultural activity in general – as it features Parker interviewing four key artists, most of whom are represented here in ways that go far beyond music! The subjects within include trombonist Steve Swell, saxophonist Alan Glover, writer/painter Christopher Collins, and artist Jalalu Kalvert Nelsen – each of whom is interviewed in a very insightful way by Parker, in sections that also feature some of their non-musical creative work. The book features poetry from both Swell and Collins, both of whom are represented by visual artworks – as are Nelsen and Glover. Book features a mix of color and black and white images throughout! Book

An oft-overlooked gem from Parliament – released during the year 1976, and sometimes hidden between monster LPs like Funkentelechy and Mothership Connection – but every bit as great as those two classics! The album's got that tightened-up P-Funk sound that was working so perfectly at the time – still with all the fuzzy haired elements of earlier years, but presented with a bit more focus – and a powerhouse swing that really drives the tracks home with a funky groove on the bottom! There's a flowing sort of energy here that almost makes you think that the whole thing just emerged naturally from the brain of George Clinton – but all ensemble players have a strong hand in the action, and really get some great moments in on the set. Cuts include "Gamin' On Ya", "Do That Stuff", "Children Of Production", and "I've Been Watching You (Move Your Sexy Body)". CD

Vintage live recordings by George Clinton and his mighty P-Funk empire in the mid 70s – rehearsal sessions for the famous P-Funk Earth Tour – recorded in an airplane hanger in upstate New York! The sound is incredibly crisp and vibrant – these aren't sloppy rehearsal moments, but the group at their best – working with a tightness that's mindblowing, and having a sense of presence that's maybe even more upfront than the famous live album from the tour – as the smaller venue and recording style really captures the spontaneous energy of the performance! All the classic names are here, except Bootsy Collins – Fuzzy Haskins, Garry Shider, Jerome Brailey, Bernie Worrell, and even Fred Wesley and the Horny Horns – on titles that include "Standing On The Verge Of Getting It On", "Undisco Kidd", "Gettin To Know You", "Comin Round The Mountain", "Do That Stuff", "Dr Funkenstein", and "Mothership Connection". LP, Vinyl record album

Stone cold great collection of funk cuts by this legendary group – all wrapped up in a nice package with a good memory for the hits! Tracks include monsters like "Chocolate City", "Up For The Down Stroke", "Give Up The Funk (Tear The Roof Off The Sucker)", "P. Funk (Wants To Get Funked Up)", "Bop Gun", "Flash Light", "Aqua Boogie", and "Mothership Connection (Star Child)". Why even bother going out of the house? CD

After beginning life as a super fuzzed-out psychasouladelic band, Parliament emerged as one of the best pop-funk combos of the mid/late 70s – with a tight tight sound that mixed the smooth major label sound of Casablanca with the mad funk genius of George Clinton. This huge 3LP set brings together some of the band's best tracks from their glory years of the late 70s – when they were hitting the charts and selling a huge amount of albums to college kids stoned out of their mind waiting for the mothership to land. Tracks include "P-Funk (Wants To Get Funked Up)", "Mothership Connection (Star Child)", "Testify", "Mr. Wiggles", "Bop Gun", "Up For The Down Stroke", "Theme From The Black Hole", "Give Up The Funk (Tear The Roof Off The Sucker)", "Flashlight", "Ride On", "Rumpofsteelskin", "Agony Of Defeet", and "Children Of Production". 25 tracksin all! CD

George Clinton and the P-Funk army in all their 70s glory – presented here in a live performance that was originally done for radio in Detroit! There's not much in the way of notes or personnel listed for the set, but there's definitely some long jamming passages on the set, which are likely served up by some of the more important musicians in the group – mixed with vocal numbers that hone in strongly on classics that include "Flashlight", "Maggot Brain", "Cosmic Slop", "Funkentelechy", and "Mothership Connection". LP, Vinyl record album

Titles include "Ruby Tuesday", "Let's Spend The Night Together", "Complicated", "She Smiled Sweetly", "Connection", "All Sold Out", and "My Obsession". CD

Titles include "Ruby Tuesday", "Let's Spend The Night Together", "Complicated", "She Smiled Sweetly", "Connection", "All Sold Out", and "My Obsession". LP, Vinyl record album

We're not sure if the music here actually came from outer space – but the tunes definitely have a cosmic connection in the way they mix together so many groovy modes at once! The core energy comes from a love of 80s groove – particularly basslines, beats, and keyboards from the earlier part of the decade – but Diogo Strausz hails from Brazil, and brings in some music from his own culture as well, plus bits of Afro Funk and house – all of which makes for some mighty fresh tracks throughout! Titles include "Flexivel", "Dans Une Langue", "Junto De Nos", "Samba From Outer Space", "La Forme D'Un Grand Coeur", and "Why Can't We Be Together". LP, Vinyl record album