A great one from Grant Green – a subtly modern album hiding under a title stolen from a Beatles' song – and one of the mid 60s gems he cut with organist Larry Young! The group features the trio of Young, Green, and Elvin Jones – a dancing combination that pushes the organ/guitar groove to unheard of heights – plus the addition of tenorist Hank Mobley, who's opening up his own bag considerably by this point. The whole thing's great – based around loose, free rhythms – and featuring searching solos that also still remain nicely swinging and in the pocket! Titles include "Corcovado", "Stella By Starlight", "I Want To Hold Your Hand", and "At Long Last Love". CD

A treasure trove of greatness from British folk rock legend John Renbourn – all of his late 60s solo work, done before moving on to greater fame in Pentangle! First up is There You Go – a rare one from singer Dorris Henderson and future Pentangle founder John Rensbourn! Florida born, LA raised singer Dorris Henderson moved to London in 1965 and was soon singing London's folk clubs, where she met Rensbourn. A solid mix of traditionals and then contemporary folk songs – stripped down and honest takes on "Saly Free And Easy", "Cotton Eyed Joe", "Mr Tamborine Man", "Going To Memphis", Something Lonesome", "Mist On The Mountain" and more. This edition includes bonus tracks from a rare 45 – "Hangman" and "Leaves That Are Green". Next is the self-titled John Renbourn from 1965 – a set that would not only establish John's legacy for years to come, but also have a very strong impact upon the role of the guitar on the British scene too! The album's definitely in a mode that owes something to an American folk legacy – but it also really breaks from the past with unusual phrasings and colorings in Renbourn's guitar – certainly with an ear towards ancient English modes, but also at once very fresh and contemporary – a strong precursor to the waves of new acoustic talents that would flow from the UK a few years later, but maybe even more revolutionary – given that John's mostly just working here with his guitar and voice. Bert Jansch adds guitar to a few tracks – and titles include "Song", "Down On The Barge", "Plainsong", "Judy", "Beth's Blues", "Blue Bones", "Train Tune", "Winter Is Gone", and "Noah & Rabbit". Bert & John is a hell of a collaboration between British legends Bert Jansch and John Renbourn – both working here together to completely redefine the sound of their music for the generation to come! This one album may well hold all the sense of subtle power and possibility that was about to flower in the Brit movement often known as "acid folk" – that reworking of older aesthetics with modern conceptions, and doing so mostly with their work on acoustic guitar – quite a feat, given the stripped-down instrumentation of the set! Bert sings a bit – in that incredible style of his – but the real attraction here is the guitar interplay, which is always fresh, never hokey, neither familiar American folk nor forced singer-songwriter backup material. Titles include a wonderful reworking of Charles Mingus' "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat" – plus "Red's Favourite", "Orlando", "Soho", "Piano Tune", "East Wind", "After The Dance", and "The Time Has Come". Another Monday is maybe the most obscure album in the collection – a set that is mostly instrumental, with some completely fantastic work by Renbourn on guitar – but which also features a bit of guest vocals from singer Jacqui McShee – whose warmer presence next to John really makes for a nice pairing. The album's as powerful as it is subtle, really beautiful in its sense of variety – with titles that include "Buffalo", "One For William", "Lost Lover Blues", "Another Monday", "Day At The Seaside", "Nobody's Fault But Mine", and "Waltz". Watch The Stars is another great collaboration with Dorris Henderson – an American singer, but one who moved to London in the 60s – where she cut this rare gem with guitarist John Renbourn! The album's got a righteous vibe that's hipper than the usual folk set – with some traditional tunes and some contemporary material – recorded with that amazing phrasing that made Renbourn's guitar so distinct right from the start, with lots of those jazzy currents we love so much – and which really fit the creative vocal approach of Henderson! Dorris also plays some autoharp, and there's a bit of bass in the backings – although overall the main focus here is on Renbourn's guitar and Henderson's vocals. Titles include "Come Up Horsey", "God Bless The Child", "Watch The Stars", "30 Days In Jail", "Mosaic Patterns", "Tomorrow Is A Long Time", and "There's Anger In This Land". Sir John A Lot Of is perhaps one of the best-known albums from British guitar legend John Renbourn – as it was issued widely in the US, and kept in print for a surprisingly long time over the years! The approach here is slightly different than Renbourn's previous records – a bit in the image presented by the cover, although with maybe not as slavish a sound – as John just uses the whole thing to go a bit more ancient than before, in ways that echo the time travel that the whole British folk scene was taking as the 70s approached. The tunes are done in ways that are really beautiful – still lots of the incredible guitar work that made Renbourn such a standout on the scene – plus flute from jazzman Ray Warleigh, who's very different here than usual – and spare use of finger cymbals, African drums, and glockenspiel by Terry Cox. Titles include "Morgana", "Transfusion", "The Trees They Do Grow High", "Sweet Potato", "Seven Up", and "White Fishes". 6CD box features all records in original artwork sleeves, with a booklet of notes – and bonus tracks that include "Message To Pretty", "The Waggoner's Lad", "Lucky Thirteen", "Blues Run The Game", "The Wildest Pig In Captivity (alt)", "Can't Keep From Crying", "Transfusion (alt)", and "The Leaves Are Green". CD

A massive 70s album from the great Bill Withers – one that's sometimes overlooked next to his huge crossover records that preceded it – but which is every bit as wonderful! Withers is still on Sussex Records, and still has that completely unique approach that made him a soul genre unto himself – a fantastic voice, a nicely acoustic core, and this sense of flow that's completely magnetic – augmented here with maybe a bit more funk than before, and some great use of keyboards too! The material has a conversational, wise and world weary tone that's brilliantly effective and more intimate than Bill's bigger hits of the day – and there's also some subtly innovative parts to the production that are really moving, from the harp accented piano on "Stories" and the funky percussion flavored rambler of a closing number "Railroad Man". Other tracks include "You", "The Same Love That Made Me Laugh", "Heartbreak Road", "Green Grass", "Ruby Lee", "Can We Pretend", "Liza", and "Make A Smile For Me". LP, Vinyl record album

A lot better mix than usual for this series – but that's what you get when you put King Britt at the helm of the project! Britt's got more than enough soul in his choices and combinations here to get past the schlocky title and cover – and the set sparkles with the subtle groove of some of his best work under the Scuba name – a slinky, spacious approach to the music that also has a bit of a Naked Music sound as well! There's a glowing warmth here that really unites all the tracks – an almost-organic quality, despite the mostly electric instrumentation – and although the vocals are often somewhat abstracted, they still bring a key degree of humanity to the mix. Titles include "Waiting For Your Love" by Onda, "Get Another Plan (trumpet jam)" by Abstract Truth, "Live My Life" by Moments Of Soul, "People From The Sun & The Earth" by Calm, "Musical Prayer" by Markus Enochson, "The Light (Apex hous)" by Alpha Motive, "Love For You" by Scuba with Lisa Shaw, "Sweeter Love (Jay's full voc)" by Blue Six, "She's Here (Brenna Green rmx)" by Lascivious, and "Vai Minha Tristeza (Francois K & Eric Kupper voc)" by Tom & Joyce. CD

The Detroit Emeralds' last two albums for Westbound – back to back on a single CD! I'm In Love With You is maybe our favorite album by this Detroit soul group. Why? Well maybe it's because of the great lime-green suits they're wearing on the cover, but probably because they've really got their act together on this one, and lay down a tight set of soul cuts, that have all the great harmonies of yesteryear, mixed with a sweet funky sound that's right on the Westbound tip! The album features the great breakbeat track "You're Getting a Little too Smart", which begins with some excellent drums – and it also includes the cuts "Shake Your Head", "You Control Me", "Without You Baby", and "Heaven Couldn't Be Like This". Feel The Need is an excellent bit of modern soul from The Detroit Emeralds – one of the few older Westbound groups who successfully made the transition to the label's smoother sound of the mid 70s! The feel here is really great – smooth, slinky, and seductive grooves – often done in a midtempo way that still lets the group's harmonies come through nicely. Titles include the monster groover "Set It Out", which has a killer hook, and a tasty midtempo groove that's about the best thing you'll hear from Westbound after 1976! Other titles include "Take It Or Leave Me", "Sexy Ways", "Love For You", and "Love Has Come To Me". CD

Three overlooked gems by the Everly Brothers – all very different than their early hits, and very much in the hippest territory the duo would ever hit! First up is The Hit Sound Of The Everly Brothers – a really amazing little album, and not a set of the pair's earlier hits, but instead an all new recording that has the duo moving into rootsier modes that rub shoulders with the same country rock territory of The Byrds and Flying Burrito Brothers! In truth, Don and Phil Everly are probably more important to the rise of the sound than anyone else – as their early work took a bluegrass harmony style, and moved it onto the rock charts – yet here, they almost seem to move backwards, and nod back to their roots – while still showcasing plenty of electric guitar in the mix. Most tunes are hits by other artists, but transformed with very hip late 60s Warner presentation – think Beau Brummels on Bradley's Barn – and titles include "Devil's Child", "Legend In My Own Time", "I'm Movin On", "Let's Go Get Stoned", "She Never Smiles Anymore", and "Sea Of Heartache". Sing is a record that has The Everly Brothers in a completely different mode than before, as you might guess from their look on the cover – a record that has Don and Phil moving into some very cool rootsy territory – really opening the door towards a generation of country rock to come, but at a level that reminds us that they maybe got the whole thing going in the first place! Production is in a very cool late 60s Warner Brothers mode – echoes of folk, psych, and sunshine in the mix – but all handled with this mature style that's at once sophisticated, yet completely down to earth – in a set of original tunes by the brothers, plus some gems from Terry Slater too – completely wonderful music that includes "Bowling Green", "A Voice Within", "I'm Finding It Rough", "Do You", "Mary Jane", "It's All Over", and "Talking To The Flowers". Roots is sublime country rock and superb vocals from the Everly Brothers – an album as close to our hearts as the much more hipster-celebrated work of the era by Gram Parsons, the Byrds and others! The Everlys grasped onto their significance throughout the 60s by hopping from trend to trend with little success – but they finally nailed it in 1968 with this effort. (Artistically, if not commercially.) The boys apply their staggering harmonies to country and country-ish material, adding their own unique spin to the tunes – and earnestly work in some montages of their family radio shows from the early 50s! It's easily their most endearing work of the 60s. Produced by Lenny Waronker with strings by Nick DeCaro. Includes wonderful versions of Jimmie Rodgers' "T For Texas", "Shady Grove", Randy Newman's "Illinois", Ray Price's "You Done Me Wrong", Merle Haggard's "Mama Tried" and "Sing Me Back Home", plus "Ventura Boulvard" and "Turn Around" written by Ron Elliot of Beau Brummels. 3CD set features lots more bonus tracks – including "When Eddie Comes Home", "Empty Boxes", "Milk Train", "Lord Of The Manor", "My Elusive Dreams", "You're Just What I Was Looking For Today", "Omaha", "Mr Soul", Shop Girl", "Human Race", "A Little Bit Of Crazy", "Nothing But The Best", and "Love Of The Common People". CD

A nice change from the usual book on the music and life of Prince – as author Ben Greenman brings in a fair bit of analysis as he moves through the career of the legendary soul singer – all in ways that are strongly hinted at by the title! Greenman divides the book up into four sections that showcase his approach – Man Music, Meaning, Method Madness, and Memory – the last of which deals with the too-soon passing of Prince, and the huge impact he had on music in the past few decades. There's still plenty of biography in the book, but the author also analyses things along the way and puts them into a nice sense of perspective – maybe one that's easier to do after the artist's passing, which was the case with this project. Questlove provides the introduction – and the book is hardcover, and 286 pages. Book

One of the more obscure Blue Mitchell albums of the 70s – and one of the most far-reaching too! The set's still got an electric current, like his other work on the Mainstream label at the time – but there's also less funk at the core, and more of a spiritual jazz vibe – a quality that definitely burns with the "vital" of the title, and which draws strongly from the album's great use of Joe Henderson on tenor and flute – whose presence here really helps underscore the righteousness of the sound! Ernie Watts also blows a bit on the record – and the rest of the group includes Walter Bishop Jr on acoustic and electric piano, Stan Gilbert on bass, and Doug Sides on drums. Susaye Greene adds in some totally amazing vocal effects at a few points – which really furthers the unique quality of the record – and titles include the great "Unseen Sounds", which has some amazingly unusual flute work from Henderson, plus "Booty Shakin", "Vital Blue", "I Love You", and "Herman's Helmet". CD

A legendary live set from the great tenorist JR Monterose – one cut in a small club in Albany at the end of the 70s, but a record we love every bit as much as JR's famous debut on Blue Note! The tone here is a lot more biting in the earlier years – informed by years of Monterose's experience in the smaller streams of jazz, and expressed with a wonderfully heartfelt quality that leaves us breathless right from the very first note! JR's still got all the sense of modern in his horn, but also has a much deeper sense of feeling too – a quality that makes the album a stunner all the way through, and has us again scratching our heads wondering why Monterose was never a bigger force in jazz. Backing is by a small combo that features the equally excellent Hod O'Brien on piano, plus Teddy Kotick on bass and Eddie Robinson on drums – and titles include "Lu-Ann", "Ruby My Dear", and "The Shadow Of Your Smile". CD features three never-heard bonus tracks from the same set – "Giant Steps", "Green Street Scene", and "I Should Care". CD

An excellent overview of the early Wallace Roney work for Muse Records – brilliant sessions that helped Roney redefine the sound of the trumpet for a whole new generation! Roney's sound was one of the boldest, brightest on the label – and on records like this he really shines – working with an array of like-minded young lions who include Ravi Coltrane, Donald Brown, Antoine Roney, Christian McBride, and Cindy Blackman – on titles that include "Blue In Green", "Obsession", "Daahoud", "Lost", "For Duke", "Donna Lee", and "Love For Sale". CD

A collection of mellower tunes that are adult contemporary and pop disco covers, served up here almost as a cash in response to Saturday Night Fever. Vince Montana's still holding things down well enough – but the album's mellower than the usual titles with the Salsoul tag. Titles include "Evergreen", "More Than A Woman", "You Light Up My Life", "Just The Way You Are", and "How Deep Is Your Love". LP, Vinyl record album

A hokey title, but a great little set – filled with moody mellow jazz from years back – and not just obvious choices either, but some great lost moments in the EMI catalog! The titles include the usual range of Blue Notes, but also some gems from Liberty and World Pacific – packaged nicely with an ear for late-nite tenor musings, soulful organ lines, and the kind of laidback tracks that still have plenty to offer without being sleepy. Titles include "Nancy" by Grant Green, "Ill Wind" by Ike Quebec, "After The Rain" by Duke Pearson, "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes" by Bud Shank, "Willow Weep For Me" by Stanley Turrentine with Three Sounds, "I Can't Get Started" by Lester Young, "Sweet & Lovely" by Bill Perkins & Richie Kamuca, "Lover Man" by Lawrence Marable, and "Until The Real Thing Comes Along" by Dexter Gordon. CD

K-tel style compilation with a note in the corner of the sleeve that says "As Seen On TV", with a bunch of short versions of hot soul tunes that were making the rounds every Saturday afternoon on Soul Train. Nothing hard to find here, but a nice piece of the past loaded with familiar but still great tracks, 20 of them in all,and a great cover with photos of Don Cornelius and a number of the artists from their appearances on the show. With Barbara Mason "Give Me Your Love", James Brown "Good Foot", Curtis Mayfield "Super Fly", Archie Bell& The Drells "Dance To your Music", The O'Jays "Back Stabbers", Cymande "The Message", Timmy Thomas "Why Can't We Live Together", Dennis Coffey "Scorpio", Al Green "Guilty", Brighter Side Of Darkness "Love Jones" and The Dells "Give Your Baby A Standing Ovation", plus a bunch more. . . LP, Vinyl record album

Well-crafted late work from trumpeter Harry Edison – one of those players who saw greater fame in the earlier decades of his career, but was still working at the top of his game by the date of this session! Harry blows trumpet at a level that definitely earns him his nickname "Sweets" – not in a way that's too corny or polished, but just this really sweet, personal tone that makes for a very individual approach to his horn. The group features longtime bandmate Frank Wess on tenor – plus Hugh Lawson on piano, Lindy Huppertsberg on bass, and the great Alvin Queen on drums – on titles that include "Dejection Blues", "Bag's Groove", "Close Your Eyes", "Centerpiece", "Falling In Love With Love", and "On Green Dolphin Street". CD

A classic! This is one of the best soul albums ever to come out of Chicago, and it's a really great blend of the Jerry Butler "iceman" style (very big in Chi-town) and the deeper soul sound of the west side. With the great title cut, and lots more goodies like "Don't Think That I'm a Violent Guy", "You Played on a Player", and "Love Now, Pay Later". LP, Vinyl record album

Some of the funkiest work on guitar ever recorded – and a great overview of the legendary sessions that Grant Green recorded for Blue Note in the late 60s and early 70s! Years back, the label used to disown these sessions – claiming they were more commercial and lower-quality than Green's original, earlier 60s sessions for the company. But now, thanks to the attention given the music by beatheads worldwide, Blue Note's finally giving this music its due – and bringing together the best Grant Green work from this time in a massive 3 volume series! The vibe here was often inspired by mainstream soul and funk of the time – but taken much more into the jazz side of the spectrum, as Green opens up with long weaving solos that still stand as some of the best guitar work in jazz at the time. Instrumentation is often raw and rough – using heavy drums, Hammond, and a bit of horns to support Grant's solos – and given that most of these tracks are nice and long, there's often plenty of space for other instrumental jamming as well. Volume 1 of the series features the tracks "Ain't It Funky Now", "Let The Music Take Your Mind", "Ease Back", "It's Your Thing", "Betcha By Golly Wow", "I Don't Want Nobody To Give Me Nothing", and "Love On A Two Way Street". CD

Wow! We can never get enough of Eddie Harris. Despite all of the silly situations he's ended up in over the years, an album like In Sound still stands as a beautiful testament to all of the raw power in Eddie's playing. His tone is perfect, and totally unique – and he plays here with Cedar Walton on piano, Ron Carter on bass, Billy Higgins on drums, and the great Ray Codrington on trumpet, who also played with the JFK Quintet. No tricks here, just incredibly solid jazz playing, on tracks like Eddie's famous "Freedom Jazz Dance", plus "Born To Be Blue" and "Cryin' Blues". Mean Greens is another example of classic 60s soul jazz material by Eddie – and proof that the move to Atlantic was a good one! As usual with Eddie's 60s sessions, the players are very hip – and feature an amalgamation of younger and lesser-known talents like Melvin Jackson, Ray Codrington, and Sonny Philips. Cedar Walton also plays some lovely piano on the record, giving a few tracks a bit more of a lyrical touch than usual – and Eddie responds to this nicely in his solos. Includes an early take of "Listen Here", with Eddie on electric piano, next to Sonny Philips' organ. Also with "Goin' Home", "Blues In the Basement", and "Mean Greens". CD

We're sure that not many folks would like to be hailed as "quiet" lovers, but the set's got an undeniable charm – and a perfect sound to match the promise of the title! Wilson's piano is beautifully laidback – still with some of the poise of years past, but also bringing in some slight earthy tones too – almost Red Garland territory on some of the bluesier numbers, yet a bit more composed on other evergreens. Players include Milt Hinton on bass and Jo Jones on drums – and titles include "Who's Sorry Now", "April In Paris", "Moonlight On The Ganges", "When Your Lover Has gone", "Blues For The Oldest Profession", "Birth Of The Blues", and "It Had To Be You". LP, Vinyl record album

Although Blue Note is probably one of the most iconic record labels on the planet, the company's also done a great job of reinventing itself as the years go on – always showing that they've still got an ear for the same sort of new talent that made Blue Note so important back in the day! This time around, the label's following a bit of the spirit of their previous Re:Imagined set, in that they're also working with a fair bit of young artists from the UK scene – but the set list is also maybe a bit less slavish to hits from the Blue Note catalog, which really opens up the overall sound of the record with a mix of very different vocal and instrumental contributions! As before, the scope is great, and the package is a double-length one – with titles that include "Fort Worth" by Binker Golding, "It" by Yazz Ahmed, "Through The Noise" by Nubiyan Twist, "Don't Know Why" by Partheope, "Morning Side Of Love" by Ego Ella May, "Green With Envy" by Oscar Jerome & Oscar #Worldpeace, "Lost" by Daniel Casimir with Ria Moran, "Epistrophy" by Theon Cross, "Feel Like Making Love" by Kay Young, "Harvest Moon" by Maya Delilah, "Infant Eyes" by Reuben James, and "Where Are We Going" by Venna & Marco. CD

Mellow magic from Betty – one of her first "comeback" albums for Verve, and an excellent set of tunes that still keeps the same feel as her 80s work on her own label. The group on most tunes is a trio – with Benny Green on piano, Michael Bowie on bass, and Winard Harper on drums – but some tracks feature additional tenor from Don Braden, blowing soulfully next to Betty's incredible voice. Tunes skip around with imagination and a sense of soul in places where you'd never expect it – and titles include "Look What I Got", "The Man I Love", "That Sunday That Summer", "All I Got", and "Just Like The Movies". CD

Mellow magic from Betty – one of her first "comeback" albums for Verve, and an excellent set of tunes that still keeps the same feel as her 80s work on her own label. The group on most tunes is a trio – with Benny Green on piano, Michael Bowie on bass, and Winard Harper on drums – but some tracks feature additional tenor from Don Braden, blowing soulfully next to Betty's incredible voice. Tunes skip around with imagination and a sense of soul in places where you'd never expect it – and titles include "Look What I Got", "The Man I Love", "That Sunday That Summer", "All I Got", and "Just Like The Movies". LP, Vinyl record album

The title's a bit stark, but that's because this live set follows on the studio album Wish – and has the group playing live in America, really hitting the crowd with plenty of their catchier tunes from the time, and a few older classics too! The vibe is definitely early 90s Cure – which means that the star presence of Robert Smith is somehow stronger than anyone might have guessed at the start, yet still completely unlike most mainstream artists – and titles include "Doing The Unstuck", "Just Like Heaven", "Fascination Street", "Tape", "Open", "High", "Pictures Of You", "A Night Like This", "Trust", "The Walk", "Let's Go To Bed", "Friday I'm In Love", "In Between Days", "Never Enough", "Cut", "End", and "From The Edge Of The Deep Green Sea". LP, Vinyl record album

The pious bird of good omen might well be the track "Albatross" here – nestled in the middle of the record, and a key sign that Fleetwood Mac were ready to break from their roots! But this is no heavy bird hanging around the group's neck – as the groundbreaking instrumental really set them free from their straight blues rock expressions, and is mixed here with a great range of material that really shows Peter Green and the group ready to take on the 70s. If you loved Green's blues guitar work on other records, don't worry – there's still plenty of it here – but the range of songs is great, and in addition to the amazing "Albatross", other tunes include the fantastic original version of "Black Magic Woman", plus "The Big Boat", "Rambling Pony", "Just The Blues", "Looking For Somebody", "Stop Messin Round", "The Sun Is Shining", "I Believe My Time Ain't Long", and "Coming Home". CD

Perhaps the best to date from trumpeter Marquis Hill – still a young player, but he plays with a depth of Chicago soul jazz history in his musical DNA, even as he brings in profoundly modern touches! Marquis was splitting his time between Chicago and NYC by the time The Way We Play was recorded, but he's really showing a deep love for Chicago here, from the cover art to the choice of material, in which he's invigorating classic numbers with fresh, youthful urgency. Core players include Makaya McCraven on drums, Christian McBride on alto, Justin "Justefan" Thomas on vibes and Joshua Ramos on bass – with guest vocalists Christie Dashiell and Meagan McNeal, poet Harold Green III, percussionist Jan Pastor and trombonist Vincent Gardner. Includes "The Way We Play/Minority", "Moon Rays", "Polka Dots And Moonbeams", a truly fresh, slowed down and moodier take on the Herbie Hancock classic "Maiden Voyage" with some emotive wordless vocals, "Fly Little Bird Fly", "Beep Durple", "Straight, No Chaser", "My Foolish Heart" and "Smile". CD

Beautiful sounds from the mighty Jacob Miller – material recorded with Augustus Pablo in the years before Miller went onto greater fame in Inner Circle – and with a rootsy vibe that's still extremely powerful all these many years later! Pablo's at the height of his talents here – able to hit just the best righteous modes, but without ever going over the top – at a level that seems completely effortless, and which really empowers the message in Miller's vocals! The set's overflowing with gems – and titles include "Keep On Knocking", "Each One Teach One", "Who Say Jah No Dread", "False Rasta", "Baby I Love You So", and "Girl Named Pat" – plus the dubs "Knocking Version", "Hungry Town Skank", "King Tubby Meet Rockers Uptown", "Jah Dread", "Each One Teach One Version", and "Girl Named Pat Version". LP, Vinyl record album

An overlooked later gem from the Modern Jazz Quartet on Atlantic – a live set recorded at the Lighthouse, and one with a funkier tone than some of the group's earlier work for the label! Milt Jackson seems to be a bit more in charge of the sound on this set – as the tracks have that earthy quality he was bringing to his own solo albums of the time – yet still ring out with the sense of sound and space that's clearly directed by the John Lewis influence. The whole thing's wonderfully spare – with a sense of timing and grace that's impeccable, yet which also never fails to swing – and titles include "The Spiritual", "Baseball", "The Shadow Of Your Smile", "Intima", "Novamo", "For Someone I Love" and "What's New". LP, Vinyl record album

Interesting sides from Bud Powell – billed on the front as "his first new recordings since 1958", which isn't really the case, since he did cut some work while living in Paris. And even more interesting, the liner notes describe Powell as "back on the US jazz scene, cured of TB and fat as a Burgermeister" – completely hiding the troubles which still plagued him, and which would take him shortly after the time of this session! The material's maybe not prime work by Bud, but it's still pretty great – with more than a few nice moments on the solos – and backing by John Ore on bass, and JC Moses on drums – which keeps things moving at a nice pace. Titles include "I Remember Clifford", "Hallucinations", "If I Loved You", and "Green Dolphin Street". CD

The title totally gets it right – because these are some wonderfully put-together soul tunes – mini-masterpieces of the modern variety, and the kind of cuts that are ripe for rediscovery today! Hardly any of these cuts got their due back in the 70s, but they've all got a completely sublime sound – that groove that first started as Northern Soul turned into modern – when the rhythms laid back a bit more and the lyrics hipped up a bit – moving past simple soul themes into even deeper, more mature modes. Production is great, but never commercial at all – and most of the singers still have a really great edge – raspy enough to really bring enough feeling to the tunes, but poised with the right maturity to fit the music. Completely wonderful throughout, and even better than the first volume – with 24 tracks that include some great harmonies on many numbers. Titles include "Double Love" by The California Playboys, "A Broken Heart Cries" by The Pretenders, "It's Better To Cry" by Johnny Watson, "What Hurts" by Grover Mitchell, "Still A Part Of Me" by The Minits, "Lovin" by The Pacesetters, "Always" by Garland Green, "You Gotta Be A Lady" by The Chargers, "That's The Way Our Love Is" by The Radiations, "You're Gonna Lose Me" by Freddie Hubbard & Jeanie Tracy, "Hope For Love" by Darrow Fletcher", "I Can See Him Loving You" by The Mayberry Movement, "More Than Just Somebody I Know" by Brenda Wayne, "The Fool Who Used To Live Here" by Betty Fikes, "I'm A Dreamer" by Bobby Burn, and "Wear Your Natural Baby" by Towana & The Total Destruction. CD

A beautiful collaboration between Sarah Vaughan and Michel Legrand – and easily one of Sarah's greatest albums of the 70s! As he was doing with other singers at the time, Legrand helps Vaughan hit a new level of sophistication here – bringing in tunes that really get past simple pop and older standards, with adult themes supported by equally mature backings – filled with rich colors and complicated tones developed over Legrand's great work on film scores. Almost all tunes are originals by Michel – many pulled from his film work – and he also scored the arrangements here, working with the orchestra in a swirling blend of strings and jazz. Titles include "I Will Say Goodbye", "Summer Me Winter Me", "His Eyes Her Eyes", "Wave", "Blue Green Grey & Gone", "Pieces Of Dreams", "Hands Of Time", "The Summer Knows", and "Once You've Been In Love". LP, Vinyl record album

A stunning debut from SZA – a soul singer who seems to represent a whole new way of being – with a style that's at once very understated and completely compelling! SZA's clearly got a hell of a voice – but she's also content to weave it into the rich mix of beats, keyboards, and guitar lines that make up the music – all familiar elements, but used in this gently melodic way that's immediately arresting, and much more contemporary in spirit than most of her contemporaries! The approach is hard to describe in words, but if you've heard even a minute of SZA's music, you'll know what we mean – and to our ears, the lady might well be the future of mainstream soul, while still keeping ties to the underground. Titles include "Supermodel", "The Weekend", "Doves In The Wind", "Love Galore", "Broken Clocks", "Pretty Little Birds", and "20 Something". LP, Vinyl record album

Rare gems from the late 60s UK Spark label – a small imprint founded by the Southern Music publishing company, as their own outlet for some of the cool compositions in their catalog! Many of these tracks were recorded in the basement of the company's London offices – often by the same rough groups of musicians, which means that there's a nicely unified feel to the songs – even while the individual artists are trying to take off in a lots of cool new directions with their vocals and performances. The mode is nicely trippy at times – not all-out psych, but with lots of cool production touches on both the vocals and instrumentation, which really keeps things interesting. The package features 27 tracks in all – most of which we'd never heard before – along with rich notes on this unique slice of late 60s Brit rock. Titles include "Hello Everyone" by Sir Ching I, "Room At The Top Of The Stairs" by Timothy Blue, "The Devil Rides Out" by Icarus, "Digger" by The New Generation, "You're Still Mine" by The Eggy, "Cherrywood Green" by Just William, "Heartbreaker" by The Baby, "The Wall" by The Fruit Machine, "The Old Iron Bell" by Gene Latter, "Midsummer" Dreaming" by John Carter & Russ Alquist, and a stunning version of "Wear Your Love Like Heaven" by Eartha Kitt. CD