Maybe the crowning achievement of drummer Makaya McCraven so far – a double-length set that stands as a huge testimony to all the many waves he's been making in jazz for the past few years! The album features four slices of live performance – recorded in New York, Chicago, LA, and London – and as with every one of his different projects, Makaya seems to bring a different voice to each live track here – recording with Brandee Younger on harp and Joel Ross on vibes in New York, Shabaka Hutchings on tenor in Chicago; Nubya Garcia on tenor and Ashley Henry on Rhodes in London; and Josh Johnson on alto, Jeff Parker on guitar, Carlos Nino on percussion, and Miguel Atwood-Ferguson on violin in LA! The rhythms are as amazing as the contributions from the different soloists – and the sound of the record is maybe something we'd call post-spiritual – moving past that Coltrane-inspired mode that's been revived so well in the 21st Century, while still holding onto its best sense of energy. The whole thing is fantastic – and titles include "The Count Off", "Brighter Days Beginning", "Universal Beings", "Mantra", "Young Genius", "Holy Lands", "Wise Man Wiser Woman", "Prosperity's Fear", "Atlantic Black", "Flipped Out", "Voila", and "Suite Hans". LP, Vinyl record album

Killer funky organ – and 100% Dynamite! Jackie Mittoo is one of the all-time great organists – as essential to Jamaica as Booker T was to Memphis, or Jimmy McGriff was to New York. He's legendary these days as the player who completely transformed the Hammond sound with his unique Jamaican instrumental style during his early years with the Skatalites, and on his later solo recordings for Studio One. This set's probably the first time Mittoo's work has been properly packaged and remastered – and the folks at Soul Jazz have done an amazing job of selecting just the right tracks for such a project. The whole thing wails along with a stone rocksteady groove – with plenty of nice drum parts and funky rhythm bits underneath Jackie's soulful organ. If you dug the label's 100% Dynamite series, you'll really dig this one – and the whole thing's very much in the same vein. Tracks include "Drum Song", "Reggae Rock", "Hot Tamale", "Killer Diller", "Black Organ", "Stereo Freeze", "Wall Street", "Darker Shade Of Black", "Juice Box", and "Killer Diller". LP, Vinyl record album

Some of the earliest material ever recorded by the Modern Jazz Quartet – early 50s sides that were originally issued as 78rpm singles, then brought together in this self-titled LP! Some of the material was first released under the name of the Milt Jackson Quartet – but featured the lineup of Jackson on vibes, John Lewis piano, Percy Heath bass, and Kenny Clarke on drums. Yet other tracks on the set have bassist Ray Brown in for Heath and drummer Al Jones in for Clarke – both players who make for a slightly different groove in the company of Jackson and Lewis. Tunes are short, but already show that Lewis love of chromatic tones – and titles include "Yesterdays", "Love Me Pretty Baby", "Milt Meets Sid", "Moving Nicely", "D&E", "True Blues", and "Autumn Breeze". CD

A wicked soul set from Output/Input – a project spearheaded by Melvin Lee Davis, who worked behind Chaka Khan for years – experience that definitely shows in the warmth and richness of this set! The record's got a great classic/contemporary vibe, one that almost takes us back to the sound of Incognito in their glory days – but with a spin that's nicely different too – maybe more soul at the core than jazz funk, as Davis opens the door to vocals from a range of different singers – Antonio McLendon on most of the core cuts, but also work from O'Bryan, Audrey Wheeler, and Brent Carter too. Titles include "Don't Be Scared", "Doin Alright", "Time Of Our Lives", "I'm In Love", "Really No Chance", "Love Of Another Guy", "Here We Go Again", and "True Love" – plus the CD bonus track "Every Time You Touch Me". CD

An amazing moment for singer Dianne Reeves – the first in a long line of excellent records for the Blue Note label – and a wonderfully tight blend of jazz and soul, put together at a level that instantly pushed Reeves into the territory of previous giants like Phyllis Hyman and Marlena Shaw! Like both of those singers, Dianne's got roots in jazz, but also pushes towards more of an R&B vibe at times – but never in a way that's commercially aimed at the charts, especially in comparison to some of her contemporaries. There's a really rich feel to the whole album – thanks to help from George Duke, who produced and played keyboards – alongside other musicians like Herbie Hancock on keyboards, Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, and Ndugu Chancler on drums. Titles include "Chan's Song (Never Said)", "I'm OK", "Sky Islands", "Harvest Time", "Yesterdays", and "Better Days". CD

An amazing reunion of a legendary group – the 70s free jazz trio of Sam Rivers on reeds, Dave Holland on bass, and Barry Altschul on drums! Rivers had already carved out a strong name for himself with earlier work – but his meeting with Holland and Altschul really helped the reedman take off – and together, the three musicians made some of the most creatively unbridled work of Sam's career! And yet the players hadn't worked together for over 25 years – until the time of this special recording, done as part of a Sam Rivers marathon at Columbia University – an amazing moment in jazz that has all three members of the group picking up beautifully, and improvising together in a long session of music that's simply mindblowing! The album's easily one of the best we've heard from Rivers in his later years – and has all the sort of soulful undercurrents that take us back to the 70s loft jazz years of the original group – sounding way more like some lost tapes from the old days than the reunion captured within. Genius – and a great treasure from the late Rivers! CD

A really tremendous album from the legendary Gil Scott-Heron – and a set that stands as one of his greatest statements from the 70s! The record is a wonderful example of Gil's work in two different styles – sweet mellow jazzy soul, and harder heavier protest poetry – the latter from his roots as a writer in touch with the streets, and the former part of a brilliant new direction that he was taking on the Flying Dutchman label. Side one features classic jazzy tracks recorded with Brian Jackson – like "Free Will", "The Middle Of Your Days", "Speed Kills", and "Did You Hear What They Said?". Side two moves over to a much sparer sound – and has Gil reciting some of his poetry with very heavy percussion, and a very righteous approach. The wisdom and knowledge of those pieces is a perfect example of the kinds of issues that were haunting black America in the early 70s – especially on the tracks "No Knock", "The King Alfred Plan", and "Sex Education: Ghetto Style". LP, Vinyl record album

An excellent double-length live set from Gil Scott Heron – recorded right in the middle of his classic years on Arista Records, and with an extended groove that shows just how great he could be in a concert setting! Many of these tracks are quite long, with both instrumental solos and a more freewheeling vibe from Gil – who seems to put even more power into the sorts of messages that always make his music so wonderful. The group features flute from Vernon James and tenor from Ron Holloway – and Gil himself plays plenty of great keyboards, including Fender Rhodes – which brings a very fluid vibe to his vocal presentation. Tracks include "We Almost Lost Detroit", "B Movie", "Better Days Ahead", "Washington DC", "Shut Em Down", "Winter In America", "Angola Louisiana", "Johannesburg", and a great 15 minute take on "The Bottle". LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic early record by Sahib Shihab – a motherlode of modal jazz grooves, cut during the early days of the Clarke-Boland Big Band! The record features a core group of players from that ensemble – including Shihab on alto, baritone, and flute, plus Francy Boland on piano, Jimmy Woode on bass, Ake Persson on trombone, Francy Boland on piano, Joe Harris on bongos, and Kenny Clarke on drums – all coming together here with a groove that's really groundbreaking – a style that's sweet and soulful, but rhythmically revolutionary too! The tracks are all long and grooving – with the kind of dancing jazz tone that you'd expect from the Saba/MPS label during the mid 60s – a big change from the Argo label that originally issued the record. But that's no surprise, either, as the session was actually recorded in Europe by Gigi Campi – the man behind the CBBB albums on MPS – with a feel that's quite similar to other Shihab classics, like Companionship or Seeds. The whole thing's great – one of Shihab's most wonderful records, and totally worth owning – and titles include "Lillemor", "Please Don't Leave Me", "Waltz For Seth", and "Herr Fixit". CD

Jimmy Smith live was a killer – especially in the early days, when this one was recorded! Back in the late 50s, when Jimmy was shocking the world with his fantastically creative approach to the organ, Blue Note cut some of the first strong-selling live albums by following Jimmy to the clubs – where he would really let loose with some incredible work on the Hammond B-3. The albums recorded that time shine far brighter than Jimmy's studio work – as you'll hear in this great 2CD set that brings back the rare Groovin At Smalls vols 1 & 2, plus a whole bunch of unreleased material! There's a total of 13 tracks in all – many of them very very long – and all of them featuring Jimmy on organ, Eddie McFadden on guitar, and Donald Bailey on drums. A whopping batch of nice tracks – and titles include "After Hours", "Walkin", "My Funny Valentine", "Laura", "Slightly Monkish", and "The Champ". CD

A crossover classic from the new Jack generation – and a record that maybe comes across with even more charm in the 21st Century than it did back in the day! Sure, the three Ts were never going to deliver the deepest soul or the hardest lyrics – but they've got a great way of blending together hip hop influences and damn catchy hooks, all at a level that really helped push soul music forward strongly at the time! The group produced the set themselves, and titles include their great remake of "It Never Rains In Southern California", the Vanessa Williams guest on "Oakland Stroke", and the titles "Sky's The Limit", "Those Were The Days", "The Blues", "let's Have A Good Time", "I Care", "Feels Good", and "All The Way". Bonus tracks include "Feels Good (12" party mix)", and "House Party II (ext club)". CD

A wonderful return to form for saxophonist Bobby Watson – one of the best albums we've heard from him in years, and a massive regrouping of his legendary Horizon ensemble! Watson first assembled the group back in the 80s – as a vehicle for the tightly-crafted soul jazz he was writing at the time – a fresh sound that brought a new level of joy to jazz expression, and which created some of our favorite jazz records of the period. On this new recording, Watson's fronting a quintet that features Victor Lewis on drums, Terell Stafford on trumpet and flugelhorn, Edward Simon on piano, and Essiet Essiet on bass – all playing a brilliant array of well-chosen tracks that sing and dance with all the joy that jazz has to offer. Titles include "Dark Days", "Xangongo", "Lemoncello", "The Love We Had Yesterday", "Horizon Reassembled", and "Gingerbread Boy". CD

The later years of the Sound Of Memphis studio – cuts from a time when the legendary deep soul powerhouse was trying on some of the newer modes from the end of the 70s! The work here is a real lost slice of Memphis soul – music from a time when the heyday of Stax and Hi Records had long passed, but smaller indies like SOM were going strong – and able to capture the shifting sound in the great soul city – as singers worked in the sorts of funky club and boogie modes you'd more regularly associate with New York or Chicago! The quality level is surprisingly great – especially since there's a nicely indie vibe to these cuts – not polished disco rehash, but the sort of underground club material that we've always loved from reissues on labels like Numero or Soul Cal – coming here from the surprising source of Memphis. Even more importantly, almost all this material never saw the light of day at the time – since the SOM connections to bigger labels had faded – so the whole thing's like a time capsule, taking you back to some real under-exposed days on the Memphis scene! Titles include "Dream Girl" and "Groove With A Feeling" by Freedom Express, "You Can Bet I Can Get You Yet" and "What You Do For Love" by Lee Moore, "Ridin" and "Attraction" by Erma Shaw, "Cold Blooded Sally" by Fran Farley, "New Lang Syne" by Kannon, "I'll Be Around" by The Jacksonians, "Gone" by Vision, "We Need Love" by Donald O'Connor, "Tighter Tighter" by Demetrius & Takelia, and "Don't Fight It" by Louis Williams. CD

A killer collection of work from a group who are very near and dear to our hearts – a soulful combo who emerged from the UK scene at the end of the 80s, and really helped bring back a classic sort of warmth to soul music! Brand New Heavies were a funk combo at the core, but they were also graced with two great female singers – initially Jay Ella Ruth, then the mighty N'Dea Davenport, the singer who really helped the group soar over here on the US scene! These days, well-crafted, non-programmed soul music is a common thing – but were it not for BNH, and their contemporaries Incognito, the style might have fallen out of favor altogether – especially during that early 90s era when R&B was still pretty heavy on keyboards, samples, and beats! This double-length set is filled with classics from the group – titles that include "Spend Some Time", "Don't Let It Go To Your Head", "Never Stop", "Dream Come True", "Saturday Nite", "People Get Ready", "You Are The Universe", "Midnight At The Oasis", "Mind Trips", "You Can Do It", "Brother Sister", and their great take on "Apparently Nothin" – and their hip hop cut "Bonafied Funk" with Main Source and Large Professor. LP, Vinyl record album

A great early album from the 10" LP years of Blue Note Records – Kenny Drew's entry in the label's excellent "new faces" series – and one that really shows the pianist at his best! We like the work here even better than some of Drew's slightly-later sides for the Riverside label – as he's got this wonderful mix of bop tightness with the lyricism that would grace his music in years to come – getting superb support in a trio that features Curley Russell on bass and Art Blakey on drums. Titles include "Gloria", "Be My Love", "Yesterdays", "Everything Happens To Me", "Stella By Starlight", and "Drew's Blues". LP, Vinyl record album

A pair of great American albums from Dexter Gordon – back to back in a single set! First up is Tower Of Power – recorded at a time when Dexter Gordon certainly was a tower of power – as his lengthy 60s stay in Europe helped him to work work work, and season his playing considerably – to a point at which he emerged as a masterful soloist far beyond the limits of his early bop recordings! This session features Dexter back with an American group – one that features Barry Harris on piano, Buster Williams on bass, and Tootie Heath on drums – plus a very welcome James Moody on tenor on one track, "Monmartre", blowing in that raspier tone of the late 60s we love so much! Other titles include "Stanley The Steamer", "The Rainbow People", and "Those Were The Days" – all nice and long! More Power is one of Dex's few great group sessions from the late 60's. Unlike a lot of other records from the time – in which he solos long and meanderingly with a piano trio backing him up, on standards he's played a million times – this one has him playing with a tight group that includes James Moody, Barry Harris, Buster Williams, and Albert Heath, on a set of nice original material with titles like "Fried Bananas", "Boston Bernie", and "Sticky Wicket". There's also 2 jazz standards – "Lady Bird" and "Meditation" – but they're both taken in a nice tight way, and in keeping with the rest of the album. LP, Vinyl record album

The soundtrack to This Is It – the celebratory release of the King Of Pop's rehearsal footage from the days before his untimely death – which also serves as sort of a best of Michael's years at Epic/Sony! It does a fine job of touching on the each of the diverse styles Michael handled in his Epic years, the pioneering guitar accented pop soul magic to the more tender numbers, but, the boon for This Is It is the title track. It's a previously unreleased number with backing harmonies by the Jackson's, a fairly gentle and memorable tune, plus some disc 2 demos. Titles include "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'", "Jam", "They Don't Care About Us", "Human Nature", "Smooth Criminal", "The Way You Make Me Feel", "Beat It", "Black Or White", "Earth Song", "Billie Jean", "Man In The Mirror" and "This Is It" (main and orchestra version). Disc 2 includes demos for "She's Out Of My Life", "Wanna Be Startin Somethin" and a "poem" version of "Planet Earth". CD

A landmark album from Milton Nascimento – not only a set that really marked his growth as a singer, songwriter, and overall musical visionary – but also a record that really showcased the collaborative spirit that would be a part of his music for years to come! The album features Milton with his "corner club" – an elite group of musicians and songwriters from the early days of his career – including greats like Lo Borges and Wagner Tiso – who'd already contributed to his music, but really get a chance to stand in the spotlight here. Borges is particularly fantastic, and shines on the massively beautiful cut "Tudo Que Voce Podia Ser", which begins the album – and which is still one of the best Nascimento cuts all these many years later! The sound of the record is impossible to describe adequately – but it's got a fantastically soulful vibe, soaring and joyous, and really expanded through the participation of the other rich talents. The vocals are mixed perfectly, and the songwriting's brilliant all the way through – and titles include "San Vincete", "Lila", "Paisagem Da Janela", "Cravo E Canela", "Tudo Que Voce Podia Ser", "Os Povos", "Nada Sera Como Antes", "Um Gosto De Sol", and "O Trem Azul". CD

A killer quartet session by Brit trumpeter Dizzy Reece, recorded as one of his three American albums for Blue Note during the late 50s! Unlike the other records, which featured larger groups, this album's done with a quartet – which gives Reece a chance to really take over on his solos – blowing with a sense of warm and lyricism that's not heard as strongly on the other records – really getting some great support from a rhythm trio that includes Walter Bishop Jr on piano, Doug Watkins on bass, and Art Taylor on drums. Quite different from some of Dizzy's London work of the time – and with tracks that include "A Ghost Of A Chance", "Our Love Is Here To Stay", "Blue Streak", "Eb Pob", and a nice version of "Yesterdays". CD

2 key albums in the early career of Nancy Wilson – back to back on one CD! For Hollywood My Way, Wilson turns her wonderfully sophisticated vocal style towards a batch of hits from Hollywood films of the 40s, 50s, and 60s – arranged and conducted by Jimmy Jones, in that classy blend of jazz and soul that suited Wilson so well in the 60s! The style is really a cut above the usual – handled with great poise by Nancy throughout, but also done in a mode that's relaxed enough to get past some of the stodgier sounds of records like this. The mellower tunes are actually some of the best here – personal, reflective, and echoing the "Guess Who I Saw Today" sound of Wilson in the 60s. Titles include "You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To", "Almost In Your Arms", "When Did You Leave Heaven?", "My Shining Hour", "Days Of Wine & Roses", and "Wild Is The Wind". Broadway My Way is also arranged and conducted by Jimmy Jones – and as usual with Wilson in this sort of setting, the material is really transformed by her presentation – taken way past its roots in popular shows of the time. Titles include "Loads Of Love", "My Ship", "Getting To Know You", "Tonight", "You Can Have Him", and "I Believe In You". 24 tracks in all. CD

A hardbop classic from Cannonball Adderley – and one of his harder to find albums from the Riverside days! The set has Cannon playing without his usual group, in the context of an all-star batch of players that includes Wynton Kelly, Paul Chambers, and Jimmy Cobb – who he worked with in his time with Miles Davis – plus occasional guest rhythm work by Albert and Percy Heath. The set's strong and straight ahead – a good bridge between Cannon's early Mercury recordings, and his later albums for Riverside and Capitol – tightly crafted solos with a good deal of soul, Adderley holding down all the horn work on the record. Titles include "If This Isn't Love", "Serenata", "Poor Butterfly", "I Remember You", and "I've Told Ev'ry Little Star". CD also features 2 bonus alternate tracks! CD

One of the lost treasures from the late 60s RCA catalog – a very strange, and very hippy-dippy mix of hard rock, blues, and slight folksy touches – recorded with lots of nice production twists and turns, and plenty of tripped out guitar work! There's kind of a messed-up New York scene feel to the set – not exactly ESP rock, but somewhere in the neighborhood of The Fugs, or maybe Beefheart at times. Titles include "Parahighway", "Ancestral Wants", "A Hundred Days", "Auto Salvage", "Burglar Song", and "Rampant Generalities". LP, Vinyl record album

One of Roy Ayers' greatest albums of the 70s – a set that tightens up the groove from previous Polydor productions, yet still keeps all the soul intact! The record picks up the style begun with the Mystic Voyage album, and pushes it to some slightly tighter territory – a more focused Roy Ayers sound that's totally great, and which makes the album sparkle wonderfully throughout! All aspects of Roy's talents are perfectly balanced here – his warm vocals and jazzy vibes, his uptempo grooves and mellower rhythms – played to perfection by a hip lineup of players that includes Philip Woo on electric piano, Justo Almario on tenor sax, and Steve Cobb on drums. Edwin Birdsong guests a bit on the record – bringing in a nice edge to a few tunes – the album's got a really unique dark undercurrent, even in smoother moments – that subtle Roy Ayers' approach that's always made him one of our all-time favorite artists. Titles include the wonderful jazz-tinged "Searching", a great midtempo stepper that we really love; the funky break track "The Memory", a righteous number that feels like work from earlier records; the clubby classic "One Sweet Love to Remember"; and the sweet instrumental "Vibrations", which has a mellow kickback feel! Other tunes include "Higher", "Domelo (Give It To Me)", "Baby I Need Your Love", and "Better Days". CD

A great collection of tracks that features many hard to find tracks from the early days. Tracks include "Oh Girl", "Let Me Be The Man My Daddy Was", "I Found Sunshine", "24 Hours Of Sadness", "Give It Away", "Coldest Days Of My Life", "Have You Seen Her", and "We Are Neighbors". CD

One of our favorite Ornette Coleman albums of the post-Atlantic 60s years – a set that still hangs onto some of the bold rhythmic conception of his previous records, but also points the way towards his freer jazz modes to come! The group's a trio – with really tremendous work from Charlie Haden on bass, able to match Coleman's energy with effortless ease, and really getting a lot of room to leave his mark on the music – plus the very young (10!) Denardo Coleman, who plays drums here with this stark, simple style that's not only completely unique, but which also leaves a lot of open room left for Haden and Ornette to really stretch out. Ornette plays his usual alto, plus trumpet and violin – and titles include "Good Old Days", "The Empty Foxhole", "Zig Zag", and "Freeway Express". CD

Ella Fitzgerald and Joe Pass return to the studio just a few years after their initial meeting – once again to work in a stripped-down duet format that's completely sublime! The spare setting is one that Ella never got in the older days – and there's an intimacy here that almost makes it like we're hearing a new singer entirely – one who's not surging over bigger band arrangements, but laying back and singing in a mode that's almost more torchy than we could have ever expected. Pass' guitar is acoustic, and gentle – and titles include "All Too Soon", "One Note Samba", "Rain", "You Took Advantage Of Me", "That Old Feeling", "I've Got The World On A String", and "Nature Boy". LP, Vinyl record album

Dexter Gordon in Tokyo, but working strongly with a lineup that helped him make some of his best 70s recordings in Europe – that wonderful quartet with Kenny Drew on piano, Niels Henning Orsted Pedersen on bass, and Albert Tootie Heath on drums! The format is familiar, and Dex is right on the money – spinning out those wonderfully strong, richly imaginative solos that make his Copenhagen material so strong over the years – that special Gordon way of taking a familiar tune, and opening it up completely in the space of his extended solo! Titles include Gordon's classic "Fried Bananas" – plus "Misty", "Days Of Wine & Roses", and "Jelly Jelly Jelly". CD features two bonus tracks – "Rhythm A Ning", recorded with the same group, but with Espen Rud on drums in 1973 – and "Old Folks", recorded with an unusual quartet that features Ronnie Mathews on piano, Stafford James on bass, and Louis Hayes on drums. CD

Although Exodus to Jazz was probably the biggest album of Eddie's career, we've always been a bit more partial to the excellent LP Mighty Like A Rose, which is combined here with Exodus for a very nice 2-fer CD of Eddie's work from his early days on the Chicago jazz scene. Both CDs feature Eddie's good early group with Willie Pickens on piano, Jo Dorio on guitar, and Harold Jones on drums. The sound is a nice mix of soul jazz, hard bop, and slightly more exotic themes, with the kind of tinges that Yusef Lateef was putting into his work at the time. Cuts include "Velocity", "A.T.C.", "There Is No Time", "W.P.", and "Gone Home". Nice package, and a great remastering job, too. CD

Brilliant work from that hip 60s period when Hampton Hawes was really stretching out his sound – building on his already-great style of the 50s, by adding in more complex lines and unusual tones – creating far more depth in his music than ever before! In a way, there's a bit of a Bill Evans quality to the record – that contemplative love of sound that always made Bill's records so great. Yet Hawes is definitely his own man on the date too – because he also breaks out with bolder moments than Evans ever would have done – letting some of his older LA groove come into play with his newer ideas, in blend that holds us rapt with attention throughout. Rhythm players are great too – Chuck Israels on bass and Donald Bailey on drums – and titles include "The Girl From Ipanema", "Dear Heart", "Rhonda", "Chim Chim Cheree", and "Days Of Wine & Roses". LP, Vinyl record album

2 Argo Records gems from Ahmad Jamal – back to back on a single CD! Happy Moods is a sprightly set from the Ahmad Jamal Trio – but also a record that's not as brightly colored as you might guess from the title, thanks to a nice undercurrent of darkness in the mix! Jamal's piano work is often nicely punctuated – perhaps living up to the "happy moods" promised on the cover – but the bass work of Israel Crosby and drums by Vernell Fournier are a lot more subtle – magical element that really makes the record sparkle with that unique Jamal-like approach to rhythm. Titles include "For All We Know", "Excerpt From The Blues", "Little Old Lady", "Pavanne", "Time On My Hands", "Raincheck", and "Rhumba No 2". Listen To The Ahmad Jamal Quintet is a nicely expanded take on the Ahmad Jamal sound of the early 60s – one that adds in guitar from Ray Crawford and violin from Joe Kennedy to Jamal's usual trio grooving! The main focus here is often still on the core group – which features Israel Crosby on bass and Vernell Fournier on drums – but the added elements are used sparely to bring in new colors to the tunes, with Kennedy bowing violin lines on most of side one, and Crawford hitting some of his great single-note lines on most of side two. Titles include "Ahmad's Waltz", "Valentina", "Tempo For Two", "Yesterdays", and "Baia". CD

A record that offers up one slice of a key live moment in the career of Keith Jarrett – his return to work in a New York club after the space of more than a decade! The group here is Jarrett's fantastic Standards trio – Gary Peacock on bass and Jack DeJohnette on drums – working with Keith on these longform explorations of tunes that are familiar, but which really transform in that mode that Jarrett brought to his own solo improvisation work of the 70s. The tunes are there, somewhere – but often just as subtle signposts for the direction of the flow from the master's hands on the piano. Titles include "Autumn Leaves", "Days Of Wine & Roses", "You Don't Know What Love Is", "When I Fall In Love", and a version of Jarrett's "Bop Be". CD

Wonderfully smooth soul from Evelyn Champagne King – one of her real standouts from the early days, and a tremendous collaboration with producer/arranger T Life! The sound here is upbeat and catchy, but never too poppy – done with a slight hint of that groove that King would hit more famously in the 80s, but served up here with a deeper sense of warmth, and a slightly more laidback feel. King is classy without being cloying – just like a sip of the right sort of champagne – and T Life's backings often have a slight undercurrent of funk. Titles include the club classic "Shame" – plus "Smooth Talk", "Til I Come Off The Road", "Dancin, Dancin, Dancin", "Nobody Knows", "We're Going To A Party", and "The Show Is Over". LP, Vinyl record album

The earliest days of a legendary jazz label – some of the first 78rpm material recorded by Prestige Records, all of it pretty darn great! The first half of the set features work by the group of tenorist Don Lanphere – a great player we don't really know at all, but one who's got Fats Navarro blowing trumpet on most of the tracks on the set! Piano is by Duke Jordan on the first two tracks, and Al Haig on all the rest – and titles include "Spider's Web", "Strike Up The Band", "Wailing Wall", "Go", "Stop", and "Infatuation". Next are some rare sides from saxophonist Leo Parker – playing alto here in addition to his usual baritone – in a group with Al Haig on piano, Oscar Pettiford on bass, and Max Roach on drums – on tunes that include "Mad Lad Returns", "Who's Mad", "Mona Lisa", "Darn That Dream", and "I Cross My Fingers". Last are some sweet bop sides from a trio with Al Haig on piano, Tommy Potter on bass, and Roy Haynes on drums – on the titles "Liza", "Stars Fell On Alabama", "Opus Caprice", and "Stairway To The Stars". CD

Overlooked genius from Led Zeppelin – an album that was missed by many the first time around, because of it's tight focus and simplicity! For the set, the group step back just a bit from their more stylistically sprawling tendencies – almost as if they got some of the more ambitious ideas out of their system with Physical Graffiti, or simply wanted to get out there and kick some ass – a back to basics move, and one that sees some tremendous guitar work from Jimmy Page! The album still has some longer songs and complicated changes – this is Led Zeppelin, after all – and the lack of over-played classic rock radio fodder actually makes this one a better listen nowadays than the more iconic albums. Includes "Achilles Last Stand", "For Your Life", "Nobody's Fault But Mine", "Candy Store Rock", "Hots On For Nowhere", and "Tea For One". LP, Vinyl record album

Three full albums from Johnny Mathis in one single set – the last of which was actually issued originally as a 2LP set! First up is Raindrops Keep Fallin On My Head – great magic from Johnny Mathis at the start of the 70s – a set that has Johnny working through some groovier tunes from the second end of the 60s – all set to some mighty nice backings from Ernie Freeman! Ernie brings in a fair bit of strings, but also gives things that soulful punch at the bottom that you'll know from his 60s material – and the Mathis vocal maybe is a bit more crisp in the setting, although still with that wonderfully full range that always made the man so unique! Titles include great versions of "Watch What Happens", "Raindrops Keep Fallin On My Head", "Midnight Cowboy", "Everybody's Talkin", "Jean", "Odds & Ends", and "Bridge Over Troubled Water". Close To You has Johnny Mathis kicking off with his take on the Burt Bacharach title hit, then moving through a number of other late 60s hits – some of which are perfect for the Mathis style, others of which make for a mighty nice stretch – and we mean that in the best way possible! There's some backing elements here that are groovier than usual for Johnny – pushing him in a nice way with modes that seem a bit borrowed from sunshine pop and soul – on titles that include "Come Saturday Morning", "Evil Ways", "Yellow Days", "The Long & Winding Road", "Wave", and "Pieces Of Dreams". In Person is double-length live set from Johnny Mathis – recorded live in person in Las Vegas – with titles that include a fair number of medley tracks that are a nice change from his studio records – the kind of material that really allows Johnny to show his talents as an entertainer in a live setting! There's also some non-medley tracks 6too – including "And Her Mother Came Too", "Maria", "If We Only Have Love", "I Got Love", "Day In Day Out", "Come Runnin", "In The Morning", and "Love Story". CD

A surprising jazz funk stunner from drummer Idris Muhammad – part of his great second chapter of work for CTI in the 70s! Idris is working here in a style that's very different than his heavy-footed funky work on Prestige and Blue Note – and while it's easy to criticize him for not keeping the same old breakbeat funk style, it's also important to give him a lot of credit for pushing his vision way past the simple stock style of the earlier days! The record's a very nice set of complicated jazzy grooves – some a bit clubby, but many very nice, and with the kind of sophisticated funk arrangements that were on the best Kudu records. No surprise that Dave Matthews is putting together most of the cuts, save for one excellent groove that's arranged by Tom Harrell. Players include Fred Wesley, Ronnie Cuber, Eric Gale, and Wilbur Bascomb – and titles include "Baia", "Sudan", "Hey Pocky A Way", "Theme For New York City", which is based on the same Chopin haunting tune as Serge Gainsbourg's "Jane B"! LP, Vinyl record album

One of the greatest records of the 60s – and a sublime debut from Nico, sounding fresher and less dreary here than on many of her later sides – although still pretty chilling overall! The record features larger orchestral backings on most tracks – never too heavy, but with light strings that really help Nico depart from the sound of her work with The Velvet Underground. This style adds a new level of sophistication to her vocals, and really helps in her interpretation of the unusual material culled for the set – tunes that include a few key numbers by old partners in The Velvets, as well as some especially great tracks by a young Jackson Browne – a romantic interest of Nico at the time! The whole thing's incredible – on a par with the best from Scott Walker during the same stretch, although very different overall – and a key entry in the darker side of the non-hippie end of the 60s spectrum. Titles include "These Days", "It Was A Pleasure Then", "Eulogy To Lenny Bruce", and the incredible title cut, "Chelsea Girls". Fantastic! LP, Vinyl record album

A much better record than you'd expect – one of Duke's funkiest sessions, and a hard swinging big band set with a great late 60s feel! The group is all-class all the way – with players that include Pearson, Bob Cranshaw, Mickey Roker, Marvin Stamm, Julian Priester, Frank Foster, and Jerry Dodgion – and the tracks are short, but with an expansive groove that takes this one way past regular big band jazz, and into the mode of some of the hipper European groups at the time. Includes the classic track "Groundhog", which has a nice funky break on it – plus the cuts "New Girl", "Bedouin", "New Time Shuffle", and "Mississippi Dip". Plus, this CD also features 6 bonus tracks lifted from the album Now Hear This – an equally great album in a similar mode, with titles that include "Make It Good", "Minor League", "Disapporachment", "Tones For Joan's Bones", and "The Days Of Wine & Roses". CD

Wilson's second set of "greatest hits" collected by Atlantic – and with some tasty later work that pushes past the obvious hits of earlier days! The set features 13 numbers in all, most with that hard southern feel that Wilson got while working with producers like Rick Hall, Tommy Cogbill, and Dave Crawford. Titles include "I'm A Midnight Mover", "A Man & A Half", "I'm In Love", "She's Lookin Good", "You Keep Me Hangin On", "Cole, Cooke, & Redding", "Hey Joe", and "I Found A True Love". LP, Vinyl record album

An excellent double-length live set from Gil Scott Heron – recorded right in the middle of his classic years on Arista Records, and with an extended groove that shows just how great he could be in a concert setting! Many of these tracks are quite long, with both instrumental solos and a more freewheeling vibe from Gil – who seems to put even more power into the sorts of messages that always make his music so wonderful. The group features flute from Vernon James and tenor from Ron Holloway – and Gil himself plays plenty of great keyboards, including Fender Rhodes – which brings a very fluid vibe to his vocal presentation. Tracks include "We Almost Lost Detroit", "B Movie", "Better Days Ahead", "Washington DC", "Shut Em Down", "Winter In America", "Angola Louisiana", "Johannesburg", and a great 15 minute take on "The Bottle". CD

The only real full length document ever issued by the Sex Pistols – an album that came out almost as the group was falling apart – yet one that's still gone on to have a hell of a place in rock and roll history! There's no denying the power of these songs, even all these many years later – and together, this mix of important singles and key album cuts offers up a bleak picture of modern life that still resonates pretty darn strongly all these many years later! The whole thing's great, and as instrumentally intense as its lyrics – with classics that include "Holidays In The Sun", "Bodies", "Anarchy In The UK", "No Feelings", "Problems", "Pretty Vacant", "God Save The Queen", "New York", "EMI", "Liar", "Submission", and "Seventeen". LP, Vinyl record album

A beautiful document of some of the most laidback jazz ever recorded – the sublime 50s recordings of the Johnny Smith group, done at a time when the lineup included Stan Getz! The tunes on the set feature Johnny's mellow electric guitar setting the pace, alongside wonderfully-blown early solos from Stan, plus some other tenor work from Zoot Sims and Paul Quinichette, who also sit in the tenor chair on a few of these recordings. The tunes are mostly standards, but done in a great style that's not exactly cool jazz, but which has a groundbreakingly easy groove that's simply sublime! Titles include "Yesterdays", "Vilia", "Ghost Of A Chance", "Jaguar", "Moonlight In Vermont", "Tabu", and "Where Or When". CD

One of the best pre-1960 sessions by Cecil Taylor, recorded in Boston in 1956, and originally issued on the totally rare Transition label in a very small pressing! Taylor's playing here with the great bassist Buell Neidlinger, one of his prime compatriots in the early days, plus the great drummer Dennis Charles – and a young Steve Lacy also adds to the group on a few tracks, making one of his most striking early appearances on record! The session's a great way to hear Taylor's development at the beginning, as it includes a number of jazz standards – like "Azure", "Sweet & Lovely", and "Bemsha Swing" – all given an off-kilter twist by Taylor and group. This is probably best heard on one of the album's highlights – a nine minute solo reading of Cole Porter's "You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To", with a quality that's unlike anything else we can think of! CD

A great little collection of work by the Temptations – stretching back to their early days at Motown, and sticking with the group through the 70s, and into the early 90s. The package is quite nicely done – better than the average Motown "best of" – and titles include "It's Growing", "Psychedelic Shack", "Superstar", "Just My Imagination", "Hey Girl", "Let Your Hair Down", "Shakey Ground", "Power", "Ain't Too Proud To Beg", "Cloud Nine", "I'm Gonna Make You Love Me", "Runaway Child Running Wild", "I Can't Get Next To You", "Ball Of Confusion", "Don't Look Back", and "Dream Come True". Steppers take note: the CD also features the 12" surgery mix of "The Joneses". 27 tracks, with rare photos, and new notes by Otis Williams! CD

Includes the classic "I'd Love To Change The World" – plus "One Of These Days", "Once There Was A Time", "Uncle Jam", "Here They Come", "Over The Hill", "Let The Sky Fall", and more! LP, Vinyl record album

One of the most fantastic hardbop albums of all time! Tommy Turrentine was the less-famous trumpet-playing brother of Stanley Turrentine – but he was a hell of a player in his early days, and he cut some amazing records with his brother during the younger years of his career. This is the only record we've ever seen that features him as a leader – but the session's a monster, with the kind of razor-sharp hardbop playing we'd stack up there with must-have LPs like Art Blakey's Freedom Rider, Hank Mobley's Caddy For Daddy, or the legendary Young Lions session on Vee Jay. The group features a number of players who were working with Max Roach at the time – including Stanley Turrentine on tenor and Julian Priester on trombone – as well as Roach on drums, Horace Parlan on piano, and Bob Boswell on bass. Titles include "Gunga Din", "Too Clean", "Time's Up", "Long As You're Living", "Blues For JP", and "Webb City". CD

A fantastic record – easily one of Phil Woods' greatest! The album was cut during a time when Woods was living and working in France – and it's got a French rhythm section backing him up, one that features George Gruntz on piano, Henri Texier on bass, and Daniel Humair on drums, all grooving in an incredibly soulful way that opens up Woods' solos tremendously, without introducing any of the hoke and squonk that marred them a few years later. This set's got Woods at a perfect point – still with all the sharp-edged tone of earlier days, but exploring just a bit more freedom of expression, opening up on the album's long tracks in an incredibly creative way that really leaves us breathless. A gem – and the kind of record that will make you realize what a genius that Woods can be when he wants! Titles include "And When We Are Young", "Alive & Well", "Stolen Moments", and "Freedom Jazz Dance". CD

A low price, but a really great package – one that's overflowing with some of the best recent work from the mighty Schema Records! If you read these pages at all, you'll know we think that Schema's one of the greatest things going these days – a modern label, but one that's committed to the real jazz grooves of earlier years – the bossa, modal, and soul jazz styles of the 60s and 70s – played in a mixture of real instrumentation and just a bit of dancefloor production, with a sound that's instant classic on nearly every release! This package is a great introduction to the Schema label's genius, and even if you've got some of the tracks here on other releases, the set is a really great way to hear all this music in one place – kind of a "best of the best" that's totally great! Titles include "Bluesanova" by Gerardo Frisina, "Moon Vision" by Soulstance, "I knew The Way" by Invisible Session, "On A Clear Day" by Was A Bee, "Emotional Dancing" by S-Tone, "Stay (In Mood)" by Paolo Fedreghini & Marco Bianchi, "Afrolicious" by Dining Rooms, "Esquema Da Bossa" by Quintetto X, "Today's Sound" by Intensive Jazz Sextet, and "Dreaming Of The Past" by Rosario Giuliani Quartetto. CD

A crucial record in the early days of the global scene in the 80s – a set that lifts the music of King Sunny Ade from its roots in Nigeria, and mixes it up with some fresh elements that really open things up for a world's worth of ears! The approach isn't commercial – at least not in the modes of the later world music years – but there's occasional elements that echo the beat culture rising up in New York and London, mixed with the warmer sounds that were always at Sunny's music – especially that way of making the acoustic percussion and basslines come together in flowing waves of completely sublime sound! All tracks are nice and long – and titles include "Gboromiro", "Oremi", "Ire", "Iro", "Ogunja", and "Ase". LP, Vinyl record album

An incredible 3CD set from Atomic – the increasingly amazing group of Scandinavian scene firebrands Fredrik Ljungkvist on reeds, Mangus Broo on trumpet, Havard Wiik on piano, Ingegbrigt Haker Flaten on bass and Paal Nilssen-Love on drums & percussion – who separately, and as a unit, must be acknowledged as some of the best modern free jazz players on the planet! If you thought that the title Retrograde might indicate a 3CD retrospective, think again. The set features 2 CDs of material captured over 2 days in July of 2007 – and a bonus third disc with the group doing their inimitable thing live at Tula's Jazz Club in Seattle! The studio work is as masterful as ever, always finding a killer groove and impeccable rhythmic dynamics – ratcheting up the intensity without the blunt force trauma that others in the free jazz underground bring on, balanced by spare moments and strains of the 60s heroes of avant garde jazz lurking in the shadows. Really wonderful stuff from players we love and respect more with each successive project! Titles include "Db Gestalt", "Retrograde", "Invisible Cities", "Correspondence", "Sweet Ebony", "King Kolax", "Invisible Cities II", "Papa", "Don Don", "Swedish Oklahoma" and more. The live disc has us kicking ourselves for not catching one of the group's Chicago shows, and the titles include "Crux", "Db Gestalt", "Painbody", "ABC 101b" and more. CD

A holy grail of jazz – Roy Ayers' first album as a leader, and a near-lost session that's simply sublime! The record was cut at the same time that Roy was working in LA with pianist Jack Wilson – and it's got an approach that's a bit similar to some of the Wilson/Ayers sessions for Atlantic, Blue Note, and Vault – but with a marked difference here in the presence of Curtis Amy, who plays some incredible tenor and soprano sax on the session – arcing out over the modal lines set up by the vibes and piano, and shading in the record with a much deeper sense of soul! Amy plays on about half the album's tracks – all of which are standout modal tunes that preface the MPS/Saba sound by a number of years, and which we'd easily rank as some of the greatest jazz recorded anywhere in the 60s. And even the tracks without Amy are great too – and have Roy echoing out with a wonderfully round tone on the vibes – no tricks, no gimmicks, no attempt to cross over to commercial jazz – just a brilliant tone and fresh vision on his instrument for the time. Wilson's great too (but when is he not?) – and rhythm is by either Bill Plummer or Victor Gaskin on bass, and either Tony Bazley or Kenny Dennis on drums. Titles include "Sound & Sense", "Ricardo's Dilemma", "Out Of Sight", "Young & Foolish", "Reggie Of Chester", and "Days Of Wine & Roses". CD also features 2 bonus tracks – "Now's The Time" and "Perhaps/Cool Blues" – both pulled from the Bird Call record with Vi Redd as a leader, noteworthy as Roy's first time in the studio! CD

A surprising organ/tenor gem from the 90s – and a really standout set in the career of Don Braden! The set's on a major label, but it's got a soulfully produced groove that makes it feel like some of the best soul jazz on the Muse imprint – really open and flowing, with a sound that shows that the New Jersey sound was alive and well into the 90s! Braden's on tenor, working alongside some guest tenor by David Newman – and the rest of the group features organ by either Jack McDuff or Larry Goldings – plus trumpet by Tom Harrell, guitar by Russell Malone, and some super-solid drum work by either Cecil Brooks or Winard Harper. Titles include "Walkin The Dog", "Brighter Days", "Cousin Esau", "Twister", "Belief", "Organic", and "Saving All My Love For You". CD

A killer collection of work from a group who are very near and dear to our hearts – a soulful combo who emerged from the UK scene at the end of the 80s, and really helped bring back a classic sort of warmth to soul music! Brand New Heavies were a funk combo at the core, but they were also graced with two great female singers – initially Jay Ella Ruth, then the mighty N'Dea Davenport, the singer who really helped the group soar over here on the US scene! These days, well-crafted, non-programmed soul music is a common thing – but were it not for BNH, and their contemporaries Incognito, the style might have fallen out of favor altogether – especially during that early 90s era when R&B was still pretty heavy on keyboards, samples, and beats! This double-length set is filled with classics from the group – titles that include "Spend Some Time", "Don't Let It Go To Your Head", "Never Stop", "Dream Come True", "Saturday Nite", "People Get Ready", "You Are The Universe", "Midnight At The Oasis", "Mind Trips", "You Can Do It", "Brother Sister", and their great take on "Apparently Nothin" – and their hip hop cut "Bonafied Funk" with Main Source and Large Professor. 2CD set comes with a full bonus disc of remixes including "Stay This Way (Bob Sinclar rmx)", "Dream Come True (Heavies mix)", "Back To Love (GP club mix)", "Close To You (Masters At Work rmx)", "Saturday Nite (full intention club)", "You Are The Universe (Tuff Jam's 2 in 1 rmx)", and "Sometimes (Monsieur D's underground behavior mix)". CD

Chuck Brown and his Soul Searchers group are past the arch jazzy funk of their days on Sussex Records – and they're heading more towards that ensemble sound that would drive the DC Go Go scene in the early 80s. The formula is heard to best effect on the big hit "Bustin Loose", an old school party funk jam that you'll probably recognize immediately – and which put Chuck and the group firmly back on the map for another few years! The group also does a pretty good remake of "If It Ain't Funky", which was on one of the earlier Soul Searchers albums – and the album includes the original cuts "Gotcha Now" and "Game Seven". CD

One of the most obscure of the Paul Chambers albums on Blue Note – and one of the most interesting as well! Although best known for his solid rhythm work on late 50s hardbop recordings, Chambers breaks out here with a more introspective, more exploratory style on the bass – using the instrument "on top", as a lead solo force in a group with Kenny Burrell on guitar, Hank Jones on piano, and Art Taylor on drums. The sound is surprisingly soulful, and modern yet swinging – in the manner of Oscar Pettiford's best sides of this style. Titles include "Yesterdays", "You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To", "Confessin", and "The Theme". CD

Excellent early modern material – pulled together from the earlier years of Prestige, and packaged here with an excellent 50s abstract cover! Titles include "Ezzthetic", "Odjenar", "Yesterdays", and "Hibeck" by Lee Konitz with Miles Davis and others; "Conception" and "My Old Flame" by Sonny Rollins with Walter Bishop and others; "Intoit" and "Prezervation" by Stan Getz; and "I May Be Wrong" and "So What" by Gerry Mulligan. CD

The first post-Tommy Boy De La Soul album – and it's a winner! We've been on board with De La throughout their long career – anyone with open ears must know that even their spottiest records (and this is NOT one of those) feature at least a handful of treasure tracks. Grind Date is easily the best later De La Soul album, and brevity is as key to the album as the group's proven longevity. 12 tracks, 49 minutes, no skits. Two songs in you'll find the stellar "Verbal Clap", one of J Dilla's finest productions ever, with precise on beat rhymes by De La. Other highlights include "He Comes" with Ghostface, a soulful track that would sound just as great on Ghost's Supreme Clientele. Is Grind Date the new sound for the mid 00s? Will it blaze trails and be co-opted by the next hot producers? Are the lyrics as solid as they could be? Probably not in each scenario, but that's not the point – these guys are consummate musicians, molding their rhyme schemes to the tracks with focus and precision. Most critics will say this is De La's best album since Stakes Is High. We'll say it's better! Featuring production by Dave West, J Dilla, Madlib and 9th Wonder – plus guest appearances by Yummy, Ghostface, Carl Thomas, MF Doom, Common and others. Other tracks include "The Future", "Much More" feat Yummy, "The Grind Date", "Shopping Bags", "Days Of Our Lives" with Common, "Come On Down", "Rock Co. Kane Flow" featuring MF Doom and more. CD

A great set from Ella Fitzgerald – recorded at Carnegie Hall during a stretch when Fitzgerald was hitting new worldwide fame, and singing a lot of groovy contemporary tunes – but done here in a very old school style that hearkens back to Ella's earliest days in the jazz world! The orchestra here is that of Chick Webb, directed by Eddie Barefield – who brings a vintage swing to the music that's mighty nice, and free from some of the more modern modes of some of Fitzgerald's studio work of the time. The live setting allows for Ella to open up nicely on some tunes – especially some of the medley numbers, which may well be some of the most entertaining on the record. Ella sings with some backing from Ellis Larkins on piano on a few numbers – and a few other tracks are instrumental, with work by Tommy Flanagan on piano, Eddie Lockjaw Davis on tenor, and Al Grey on trombone. Titles include "Stardust", "Some Of These Days", "I've Gotta Be Me", "C Jam Blues", "Smooth Sailing", "Indian Summer", and "Lemon Drop". LP, Vinyl record album

A great CD that combines volumes 1 and 2 of Stan's early live recordings at Storyville – excellent small group sessions done with a group that includes Jimmy Raney on guitar, Al Haig on piano, Teddy Kotick on bass, and Tiny Kahn on drums. The mix of guitar and tenor is great together – a sound that became one of Stan's calling cards in the early 50s – and even the live setting can't stifle the strength of his unique tone. The CD features a total of 13 cuts in all – and titles include "Budo", "Jumpin With Symphony Sid", "Yesterdays", "Thou Swell", "Mosquito Knees", and "Parker 51". CD

A pretty darn great set that captures bits from all of Stan Getz's bossa nova recordings for Verve! The set's got a whopping 4 CDs, and it features Getz working with the likes of Joao Gilberto, Luiz Bonfa, Charlie Byrd, Gary McFarland, Laurindo Almeida, Astrud Gilberto, and Antonio Carlos Jobim. Includes some unreleased versions of bossa tunes, plus a huge amount of other great stuff – like "Ebony Samba", "Baia", "Samba Triste", "O Pato", "Samba Dees Days", "Sambalero", "Eu E Voce", "Winter Moon", "Menina Moca", "Vivo Sonhando", and "Para Machuchar Meu Coracoa". CD

A lost slice of work from pianist Al Haig – and a great one too! The date was recorded at the start of the 80s, and features Haig's piano alongside the bass of Jamil Nasser – a frequent accompanist for most of the 70s, playing here with no drums at all for rhythm – which leaves lots of room for Al to open up on piano! The tunes are all Jerome Kern numbers, but often taken as relatively free vehicles for improvisation – still swinging nicely, thanks to Nasser's help – but often moving well past the straight melody, with a really fluid feel. Helen Merrill produced the record, and sings on a version of "They Didn't Believe Me" – but all other tracks are instrumental, and include "Dearly Beloved", "Yesterdays", "The Way You Look Tonight", "The Folks Who Live On The Hill", and "I'm Old Fashioned". LP, Vinyl record album

A much rootsier set than some of Little Richard's other work for Reprise Records – a record that almost goes back to the old days, but via the hipper styles of the early 70s! HB Barnum arranged and produced the set, but the groove is less funkier than some of Barnum's other work of the time – a bit more rockish in some of the rhythms and instrumentation, which is no surprise considering the title – with a nod back towards late 50s modes, but in that new-roots way that Warner was hitting with other artists of the period. Richard's vocals hold up very well in the setting – and apart from the original tunes "Green Power" and "King Of Rock & Roll", the album features versions of "Midnight Special", "Dancing In The Street", "Brown Sugar", and "Born On The Bayou". CD

Norvo may have cut some sleepy recordings in his day, but his early sides are usually all pretty great – especially this material, recorded with Tal Farlow on guitar and Charles Mingus on bass! The drum-less combination of vibes, guitar, and bass makes for an almost-exotic approach – one that rings out with some new moods and tones on tracks that are old standards – in a manner that really helps us understand why folks from the old days think Norvo's so great! Titles include "Night & Day", "Godchild", "September Song", "Have You Met Miss Jones", "Swedish Pastry", "Time & Tide", "Little White Lies", and "Prelude To A Kiss". LP, Vinyl record album

Lisa Ono is at it again – recording a lovely set of bossa tunes with help from Paulo and Daniel Jobim, son and grandson of Antonio Carlos Jobim! The Jobims produced the album with Lisa, and they play guitar and piano on the album – in a moody style that recalls all the best 60s stylings of Antonio Carlos Jobim. Lisa's voice is great as ever – and the mix of her singing and acoustic guitar with the classic bossa combo sounds feels a lot like Roberto Menescal's best work from the old days. Includes the original tunes "Diz A Ela" and "Os Dois", plus classics like "O Barquinho", "Samba De Verao", "Corcovado", "Maria E Dia", and "So Danco Samba". LP, Vinyl record album

With Oscar Peterson on piano, Herb Ellis or Barney Kessel on guitar, Ray Brown on bass, and Ed Thigpen on drums. Tracks include "The Song Is You", "Prelude To A Kiss", "Blue Moon", "Cheek To Cheek", "That Old Black Magic", "Yesterdays", and "Come Rain Or Shine" – 32 tracks total. CD

An undisputed funk classic – even back in the days before anyone ever said the phrase "funk classic"! This album must have been deleted the day it came out – because even though it's attained legendary proportions with groovers worldwide, it's always been hard to find – even back in the 70s! But unlike so many other "rare-but-not great" funk albums, this one's a killer – with a hard funky wah wah sound that we'd rank up there with James Brown's best work on Polydor from the early 70s, and which should have made Joe a millionaire, not a lost legend of soul music. The band is sharp as a knife – with hard drums, tight bass, and some simply amazing guitar riffing. But the best part is Joe – as his vocals are hard and emotional, with just the right touches of righteousness to carry off the album's political messages, but not too much as to spoil the party that the band's having in the background! Every single track is a winner, and if we were ever to make a list of the top five funk albums to own, this one would be on it! Titles include "The Way They Do My Life", "I Got So Much Trouble On My Mind", "The Trouble With Trouble", "Give Me Back My Freedom", "Live Now Brothers", and "Find Yourself". This version is overflowing with bonus tracks – 9 more than the original album, pulled from singles on GSF and Mercury – with titles that include "How High", "Let Me Be What I Am", "You Know It's True", "I'm A Young Man", "Get Down Baby (parts 1 & 2)", "No", "This Girl Of Mine", "I'm Gonna Get You", and "Thanks Dad (parts 1 & 2)". 18 tracks on the CD. CD

Diego Rivera has a very classic look on the cover – and the record comes across with a very classic vibe as well – back to the days of Sonny Stitt or Hank Mobley, when a top-shelf saxophonist set up in a quartet was more than enough to make some really special magic on record! That's definitely the case here – as Rivera blows both tenor and soprano with a mixture of deeper tones and lighter colors, in a voice that's very much his own – mostly on shorter original tracks, save for one take on a John Coltrane number that stretches out nice and long. The compactness is key to the sound, as Diego packs a heck of a lot into the three to five minute space of most tracks – working with a great rhythm trio that features Art Hirihara on piano, Boris Kozlov on bass, and Rudy Royston on drums. Titles include the originals "Ganas", "Soul Purpose", "Anticipation", "Composure", "Simon", "La Malinche", and "Battle Fatigue" – plus a nice take on "Alabama". CD

A real stormer from Jimmy Smith – done in his first year at Blue Note, but with a sense of power and imagination that cannot be denied! It might be easy to pass up this album, because many of the tunes are standards, done in a simple trio format – but back at the time of this session, Jimmy had a real penchant for unusual phrasings and complicated rhythms – of a sort that rarely showed up on his later Blue Notes, but which made for some incredible sounds overall on a set like this! A key moment here is the crazy cut "Judo Mambo" – which has this wild "chop chop" organ sound that certainly fits with the "judo" theme, and which is followed up by some great raspy guitar work by Thornel Schwartz. Donald Bailey is on drums, doing an excellent job as usual – and other nice moments are the track "Fiddlin' The Minors", plus Jimmy's nice Monkish take on "Well You Needn't" – plus the tracks "Willow Weep For Me" and "Autumn Leaves". If you've ever doubted what a genius Jimmy Smith was on the organ in the early days, check out this one, and prepare to have your mind blown! LP, Vinyl record album

A surprisingly big breakthrough for Spiritualized – something we never would have guessed from the underground years of Spacemen 3 in the decade before! The set fuses that previous group's love of fuzz and space with a tighter sense of songwriting – that new psych blend of guitars and beats that was taking the British scene so strongly in the years after the emergence of Happy Mondays and other groups of their generation – carried forward strongly here by Spiritualized at a level that's maybe a bit hipper and more sonically interesting. All tracks are penned by leader J Spaceman – and titles include "Come Together", "Broken Heart", "No God Only Religion", "Cool Waves", "Cop Shoot Cop", "All Of My Thoughts", and "Electricity". CD

Pure greatness from post-Jam Paul Weller – still in a very classic sort of jazzy soul mode here in the early days of Style Council! Titles include "Money Go Round", "Long Hot Summer", "Speak Like A Child", "Headstart For Happiness", and "The Paris Match". LP, Vinyl record album

Classic east bay grease from the early days – featuring the good lineup of T of P, with Chester Thompson on organ, and Lenny Williams on lead vocals. Titles include "Give Me The Proof", "I Believe In Myself", "Walkin Up Hip Street", "Maybe It'll Rub Off", and "Come Back Baby". CD

Mighty nice work from UK soul singer Natasha Watts – a contemporary artist, but one who's got a nicely crackling approach to her music – at a level that maybe takes us back to that great moment when British soul was really finding its own way forward at the start of the 90s! As with some of the best work from that era, Natasha has a way of being personal yet upbeat – a different pitch than US soul singers, with this flow that seems inspired slightly by jazz, yet delivered with a strongly soulful groove! Production includes work from Dave Doyle, Toni Economides, Ziggy Funk, and Mike Patto – the last of whom plays keyboards – and titles include "I Do I Did I'm Done", "Heaven Sent", "Brighter Days", "Feels Like Sunshine", "Not What You Think", and "I Am Me". LP, Vinyl record album

Director John Hughes gave the world some pretty great movies back in the 80s – and in most of those movies, music was a very big part of the experience – as Hughes had a way of using just the right songs in just the right moments, and also helped get wider mainstream exposure for some of the hipper acts of the time! This package is a great tribute to the kinds of cuts that Hughes would use – some done especially for his films, most from other records but used in key scenes – in a package that collects together songs from films that include Some Kind Of Wonderful, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Pretty In Pink, She's Having A Baby, Weird Science, Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club, and Planes Trains & Automobiles. 4CD version comes in a great book-styled package, with plenty of notes – and includes 74 cuts in all – with titles that include "Do Anything (soundtrack version)" by Pete Shelly, "Eighties" by Killing Joke, "Full Of Love" by Dr Calculus, "Beat City" by Flowerpot Men, "She's Having A Baby" by Dave Wakeling, "I Go Crazy" by Flesh For Lulu, "Don't You Forget About Me" by Simple Minds, "If You Leave" by OMD, "This Woman's Work" by Kate Bush, "Oh Yeah" by Yellow, "Pretty In Pink" by Psychedelic Furs, "Brilliant Mind" by Furniture, "Six Days On The Road" by Steve Earle, "Crazy Love" by Bryan Ferry, "You Just Haven't Earned It Yet Baby (soundtrack version)" by Kirsty MacColl, "Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want (inst)" by Dream Academy, "Tenderness" by General Public, "Bring On The Dancing Horses" by Echo & The Bunnymen, "Can't Help Falling In Love" by Lick The Tins, "Weird Science" by Oingo Boingo, "Left Of Center" by Suzanne Vega & Joe Jackson, and "If You Were Here" by Thompson Twins. CD

Some of our favorite themes from the 70's and early 80's (the days when we were spending the most time in front of the tube), with 65 classics in all! Titles include What's Happening, Alice, Mork & Mindy, Moonlighting, Soap, Benny Hill, Chips, MacGyver, Incredible Hulk, Dukes Of Hazzard, Fantasy Island, The Young Ones, Too Close For Comfort, Who's The Boss, and lots lots more! CD

A pair of Mercury Records gems from the Bar-Kays – back to back in a single set! First up is Too Hot To Stop – a pivotal album from The Bar-Kays – a key post-Stax set, but one that's still very firmly grounded in Memphis funk! The groove definitely shows a bit more polish than before – the same sort of shift the Ohio Players made after moving to Mercury Records – but as with the Players at their best, there's still plenty of sharp edges and deeply funky moments on the record – and if anything, the shift has really given The Bar-Kays a way to evolve their sound past some of the heavier modes of the early days, without losing any of the appeal of their groove! Some cuts have some great keyboards – almost producing a spacey funk feel at points – and titles include "Too Hot To Stop (part 1)", "You're So Sexy", "Cozy", "Spellbound", "Whitehouseorgy", and the nice mellow track "Summer Of Our Love". Flying High is a killer too – a great step forward for The Bar-Kays – an album that actually has them taking on a few mellower moments, amidst the heavy funk you might expect – yet all without softening their groove at all! The album's very much in the best spirit of the group's Mercury debut – still recorded in Memphis, with production that's tight, but never uptight – enough to firmly put the group at the top of the funk superstar scene of the mid 70s, yet never sell out the rich Memphis groove that first got them going! Titles include "You Can't Run Away", "Let's Have Some Fun", "Can't Keep My Hands Off You", "Whatever It Is", and "Shut the Funk Up". CD

One of the most beautiful albums of the 70s from pianist Richie Beirach – and in saying that, we don't mean to insult the rest of his other great American work! This set was done in Japan, and it's maybe one of Beirach's most obscure of the decade – but it's also a really special session that features the pianist in combination with two different musicians – guitarist Yoshiaki Masuo on side one, and trumpeter Terumasa Hino on side two – each artists whose contributions bring out a slightly different side of Beirach's sound! The guitar on side one highlights some of those spacious, airy notes that Richie brought to his beautiful ECM sides of the period – while Hino's use of both trumpet and flugelhorn emphasizes some of the darker tones of the piano, but in ways that are completely different than Beirach's work with Dave Liebman. One title is also just solo piano – and titles include "Yesterdays", "Mavrodaphne", "Black Is The Color Of My True Love's Hair", "Zal", and "What Is This Thing Called Love". LP, Vinyl record album

An excellent hardbop session from the glory days of the Savoy label – easily one of the label's key 50s classics! Drummer Kenny Clarke's at the front of the group – but all players are great, and the set features work by Cannonball Adderley on alto, Jerome Richardson on tenor, Donald Byrd on trumpet, Nat Adderley on cornet, Hank Jones or Horace Silver on piano, and Paul Chambers on bass. The Adderley brothers sound especially great – and the young Cannonball has a quality here that's more soulful and sharp-edged than his work on Mercury – much more in a Prestige blowing session style! Titles include "Late Entry", "Chasm", "Bohemia After Dark", and "Hear Me Talkin To Ya". LP, Vinyl record album

French space disco legend Sauveur Mallia is right in the same territory here as his work in the group Arpadys – mixing funky rhythms with cosmic touches, and serving things up with a groove that was years ahead of its time! The basslines and keyboards are great – very warm overall, with a liveness that's a nice change from the more processed modes the sound library scene would use more in the coming generation – and the rhythms move from funky to more laidback, but always with a groove that makes the record sparkle – not straight disco or club, but with a great array of more sophisticated styles! Titles include "Exotic Guide", "Loving Discovery", "Space People", "Bass Power", "Electric Maneges", and "Holidays Morning". LP, Vinyl record album