... CD

A really amazing project – and a totally righteous little record – a set of songs all penned by Bob Dylan in the 60s, sung by a hip spiritual choir that includes performances from soul singers Clydie King, Merry Clayton, Edna Wright, and Gloria Jones! The mix of soul and gospel here is wonderful – very much in the spirit of The Voices Of East Harlem at the same time – with this progressive, positive vibe that goes way way past the original style of Dylan's music! Gene Page handled the musical arrangements, and Billy Page helped with the vocals – and together they really transform the compositions – creating a very different setting for the great lyrics of songs that include "The Mighty Quinn", "All Along The Watchtower", "Mr Tambourine Man", "Chimes Of Freedom", and "The Times They Are A Changin". A record that shouldn't work this well – but it does, and beautifully too! LP, Vinyl record album

James Brown recorded a few different Christmas records back in the 60s – but this stunner may well be the best of the bunch – a killer record that not only fills the need for James Brown Holiday tunes, but which also more than lives up to his non-Christmas gems for King Records too! There's a nice mix of funk and soul throughout – and the album features the incredible hit "Santa Claus Goes Straight To The Ghetto", plus the funky "Tit For Tat", the groovy "Christmas Is Coming", and the soulful "Let's Unite The Whole World at Christmas". Also features some stone-cold non-holiday cuts – like "In The Middle", "Say It Loud", and "Believers Shall Enjoy". Plus, James is standing on the front in a Santa suit – looking mighty funky! Back cover has a great set of photos – and the whole thing's Super Bad! CD

A really rare slice of work from Ornette Coleman – an early 60s album that features a small rhythm trio, but who aren't listed here at all! The vibe here is pretty wide open, even for Ornette, where the group seems to be taking off on fully improvised material, without the themes and structures in some of Ornette's other work – much more end of 60s than some of his other early 60s material. The setting seems to vary from multiple horns to just Ornette and drums, and though each side is banded into 5 tracks, the songs are just listed as "Ornette's Suite" parts I & II. LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

Larry Graham hits the slow jam generation – stepping aside from his funkier groove for this classic album – a record that gave the world a huge crossover cut in the title track! The main focus here is on Larry's vocals, not his basswork – and he does a surprisingly good job as a modern soul male vocalist on the set – one who's a bit more fragile and human at points than some of his contemporaries – still somewhat smooth, but not always as polished. Titles include the megahit "One In A Million You", plus "There's Something About You", "Forever Yours", "When We Get Married", "I Just Can't Stop Dancing", "I'm So Glad It's Summer Again", and "Sunshine Love & Music". CD

A really great little soundtrack – an unusual comedic moment for Ennio Morricone, and scored with this very groovy blend of light orchestrations, gentle rhythms, and even a bit of bossa! Keyboard lines ring out with this spare, resonant feel on some of our favorite numbers – recalling the best Morricone modes at the start of the 70s, but with a slightly different twist – and the overall approach is way more classy and careful than the usual Italian comedy of this vintage – no throwaway disco or too-cheesy cuts – just the kind of careful sense of sound we'd expect from the maestro. CD features 27 tracks in all – with titles that include "Autostrada", "Dance On", "Bianco Rosso E Verdone", and "Un Povero Emigrante". CD

... LP, Vinyl record album

An excellent 70s side from Art Pepper – recorded with a West Coast rhythm section that includes Hampton Hawes, Charlie Haden, and Shelly Manne! The trio all play here with a remarkable intensity, given the date of the session – and although the production's got that later, crisper Contemporary tone, it still lets Art's horn come through beautifully! Pepper's singular voice and beautiful phrasing are still intact, and the quartet cooks nicely on half a dozen numbers, mostly Pepper originals – "Ophelia", "Here's That Rainy Day", "What Laurie Likes", "Mr Yohe, "Lost Life", and "Samba Mom-Mom". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

... 78 RPM, Vinyl record

Classic live set for Impulse that marked Rivers' shift from a player who kept slightly inside in a modernist vein, to one who burst out in a very free style. Rivers plays long flowing lines on both flute and tenor, and he's backed by Cecil Mc Bee on bass and Norman Connors on drums. The whole LP is one long track, with Rivers alternating between different reed instruments and piano. CD

Bold work from Max Roach – great material from the piano-less quartet that features Odean Pope on tenor and Cecil Bridgewater on trumpet! The style here follows strongly from Roach's Horo and Japanese recordings of the late 70s – as the album features one long track, with plenty of creative improvisation from the horn players – and rhythmic moments that get mighty open from Max, who's really on fire at this point in his career. Tyrone Brown plays electric bass, which makes for a nice sort of pulse – and Pope and Bridgewater solo with real force, recalling the same soulful spirit of Roach albums from eyars past! One long track – "Scott Free" – a soulful, spiritual gem throughout. LP, Vinyl record album

... CD

... LP, Vinyl record album

2 of the best albums ever by one of the greatest female soul groups of all time! The Sweet Inspirations were first known for their backing work behind Aretha Franklin on her classic Atlantic albums – but by the time of these two records, they'd blossomed into a fantastic soul act on their own. Sweets For My Sweet is a great set that sticks in the deep soul mode of their earliest albums – rootsy, with a warm Muscle Shoals-ish glow that's all-soul all the way! Sweet Sweet Soul features Philly work by a young Gamble & Huff team – taking the girls style into a sweeter uptown mode with some really great arrangements by Bobby Martin! Both records are totally great – and back to back, they make for a 21 track CD that's one of the best female soul sets in our racks at the moment. Titles include "Two Can Play The Game", "Gotta Find A Brand New Lover", "Them Boys", "Flash In The Pan", "Let Me Be Lonely", "Don't Go", "It's Not Easy", "But You Know I Love You", and "Chained". CD

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

A tight little single from the Time that finds Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis at their funky best and Morris Day cutting loose with his inimitable player personality. Plus it includes the non LP b-side "Grace" that has Morris getting interviewed with the 777 beat in the background. 7-inch, Vinyl record

... CD

Music by James Cotton, Charlie Musselwhite, Junior Wells, Walter Shakey Horton, Billie Brach, Sugar Ray, Kim Wilson, and Magic Dick with J. Geils. CD

Bob Brookmeyer's got a dual role here – not just working in two different groups, but also on two different instruments as well! The record's a wonderful early example of the sense of space and timing that instantly made Brookmeyer one of the freshest talents of his generation – beautifully blown notes on valve trombone, and some equally sublime sounds on piano too. Half the record has Bob leading a quartet with the great Jimmy Raney on guitar – on titles that include "Rocky Scotch", Under The Lilacs", and "Potzebrie" – and the other half features a quartet led by Teddy Charles on vibes with Bob on trombone – on the tracks "Revelation" and "Loup Gardou". CD

... CD

... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

Features Mulgrew Miller on piano, Neil Swanson on bass, and Victor Lewis on drums – and lots of originals by saxophonist PJ Perry! CD

Anthony Braxton on alto, soprano saxophone, and sopranino saxophone, Carl Testa on contrabass and bass clarinet, Taylor Ho Bynum on cornet, bugle and trombone, Jay Rozen on tuba, Mary Halvorson on guitar, Jessica Pavone on viola and violin, and Aaron Siegel on vibraphone and percussion. CD

Solo titles include "Lonely Woman", "Never Too Late But Always Too Early", "Frames Of Motion", "Shunkeln To Dark Blues", and trio tracks are "Turning Glory", and "Music Marries Room To Room" – both with Massimo Pupillo and Paal Nilssen Love. CD

One of our favorite Kenny Burrell albums – and a record with a much deeper feel than lots of his other work! Kenny cut this album with John Coltrane in 1958 – and the session's a real standout in both of their careers at the time – Kenny's, for being a well-crafted, highly-focused effort – and Coltrane's, for being a unique outing with a guitar, but one that's done with the same deep-spirited sound of his best work for Prestige. The group's a quintet, with Tommy Flanagan, Paul Chambers and Jimmy Cobb in the rhythm section – and titles include "Big Paul", "Lyresto", "Why Was I Born?", "I Never Knew", and "Freight Trane". LP, Vinyl record album

The title may be a simple one, but the record really marks a key point in John Coltrane's development – an embrace of the newer freedoms allowed to him at Atlantic Records, but in a way that's a bit more subtle than some of his other work for the label! At one level, the record moves at the same groove as Trane's later Prestige years – with rhythm mostly from Wynton Kelly on piano, Paul Chambers on bass, and Jimmy Cobb on drums – carving out some sharp lines for Coltrane to cascade over on tenor sax. Yet there's also a new sense of darkness here too – one that moves into edgier territory, and which isn't nearly as settled in as before. These qualities sneak out of both original numbers like "Harmonique", "Fifth House", and "Like Sonny" – as well as standards like "My Shining Hour" and "Little Old Lady". And they really come to the forefront on the classic "Village Blues" – the one track that features the new Coltrane group of McCoy Tyner, Steve Davis, and Elvin Jones! CD features 4 more bonus alternate takes too! CD

... LP, Vinyl record album

Rare work by Hammond organ giant Big John Patton – recorded in 1968, but never issued until 1995, and even then, only briefly! The record features Patton at his finest – stretching out from his basic soul jazz roots, into a more searching use of the organ that's undoubtedly influenced by Larry Young's work at the same time. The record features great work by Harold Alexander on flute and tenor, plus trumpet by Vincent McEwan, drums by George Brown, and added conga by Richard Landrum. The groove is somewhere between 60s soul jazz and modal – and the tracks are long, with that heavy Patton swing! Title sinclude "B&J", "Boogaloo Boogie", "Milk & Honey", "Shoutin But No Poutin", and "Spirit". CD

... CD

With selections by Joey Dee & The Starliters, The Shirelles, Don Gardner & Dee Dee Ford, The Sensations, Shelley Fabares, Gene Chandler, Barbara Lynn, Dion, James Darren, Brian Hyland, and Little Eva. LP, Vinyl record album

A bold early statement from a young John Coltrane – and an album that really has him expanding his talents as a tenor soloist! Coltrane's working here in open-ended quartet format – with backing from the Red Garland trio that includes Paul Chambers and Art Taylor – on a set of longer tunes that really let the young Trane stretch out on his solos, unobstructed by any other horns in the lineup. There's a nice mix of hardbop ideals, gentle ballads, and personal soul to the set – and titles include Coltrane's classic reading of Tadd Dameron's "Good Bait", plus "I Want To Talk About You", "Russian Lullaby", and "Theme For Ernie". CD

Lost European jazz recordings from the vaults of producer Gigi Campi – and a stellar batch of non-US material with Johnny Griffin at the lead – working in the company of Clarke/Boland compatriots who include Benny Bailey, Sahib Shihab, Jimmy Woode, Idrees Sulieman, and Milt Jackson! Despite the "Bags" in the title, Milt's only on a few tracks – but that's fine with us, because Johnny Griffin is the main attraction – and the material is good small group sides with Griff soloing and trading lines with players like Sulieman and Bailey, or with some of the other players on their own. The recordings are different than the usual breed of Johnny Griffin European recordings – most of which have him soloing with a piano quartet on extended tracks. On this release, most of the tracks are short, hard, and very nicely swinging with a good hard bop groove – as with the best of Griffin's Riverside and Blue Note recordings. Kenny Clarke's on drums on nearly all the material, and he pulls out his bop chops to drive Griff's hard solos as fast as he can. The set's a great batch of work, with excellent notes and photos, and some great playing all around. Cuts include "Gamal Sady 'n Em", "Foot Patting", "Lady Heavy Bottom's Waltz", "Blues For K", "Muvaffak's Pad", "The Girl & The Turk", and "Gyson's Bag". 16 cuts in all, and none of them are from the Griffin/Davis LP on MPS (just in case you thought to ask!) CD

One of the most striking, most unusual settings for the voice of Leon Thomas we've ever heard – a rare 1970 performance with the Brit group Nucleus – done right at the same time that Thomas was recording his classics with Pharoah Sanders! The initial approach is similar, and the songs are familiar – but the overall execution is quite different given the change in instrumentation – as the Nucleus lineup includes Ian Carr on trumpet, Chris Spedding on guitar, Karl Jenkins on piano and oboe, and Brian Smith on tenor, saxophone, and flute! Tracks are all nice and long, and rhythms begin with a slightly similar mode to Thomas' other records – but the use of Spedding's guitar is especially striking, as is Carr's trumpet – which has a very different quality than any American player that Thomas ever worked with. The sax and oboe lines are especially nice – often exotic, but in more of a European spiritual way than an American one – and throughout it all, Thomas really holds the course with some wonderful vocals – on long tracks that include "One", "Chains Of Love", "The Journey", "Echoes", "Damn Nam", and "The Creator Has A Master Plan". LP, Vinyl record album

Michael Musillami on guitar, Mario Pavone on bass, Peter Madsen on piano, and Michael Sarin on drums. CD

Includes the songs "Daniela's Chronicles ", "Galactic Panama", "Historia de un Amor", "Bridge of Life, Part I", "Providencia", "Irremediablemente Solo", "The Oracle", "Bridge of Life, Part II", "The Maze: The Beginning", "Cobilla", and "The Maze: The End". CD

... CD

The bright 70s Scots pop of Slik – their first and only album – packed up with a wealth of bonus tracks! Slik was led by vocalist/guitarist Midge Ure – who went on to take part in some pretty noteworthy projects in the years to come – and with the Slik he worked on a chiming little groove overseen by composers Bill Martin and Phil Coulter – who also worked with the Bay City Rollers! Original LP tracks include "Dancearama", "Darlin'", "Bom-Bom", "Better Than I Do", "Forever And Ever", "Requiem", "Do It Again", "When Will I Be Loved", "Day By Day" and "No We Won't Forget You". CD includes 12 bonus tracks: "Boogiest Band In Town", "Hatchet", "Again My Love", "Slik Shuffle", "Don't Take You're Love Away", "This Side Up", "No Star", "The Getaway" and more! CD

One of the greatest albums of Hammond jazz ever recorded – and a darn funky one at that! Bobby Forrester may not look like a hipster on the cover, but this set grooves like some of the best early 70s work by Jack McDuff, Jimmy McGriff, and Groove Holmes – hitting hard with some really funky tracks that have made the album a must-have with collectors for years. The sound here a lean, mean revision of the Prestige Hammond jazz groove of the 60s – Bobby grooving on organ with just drums by Johnny Kirkwood and guitar by Elijah Williams Jr – all coming together in a totally solid sound that has plenty of funky riffs, nice drums, and soaring organ lines! Given the lean, compact approach to the groove, we might compare Forrester most with Charles Earland at his best – although the album's got a voice and depth that's certainly all its own. Titles include the classic groover "Uncle Funky", a great cover of "Sanford & Son Theme", and the cuts "Blues For Razz", "Don't Misunderstand", and "Funky Fly". CD

A groundbreaking record from Kraftwerk – a set that unified the 70s worlds of analogue electronics and prog rock – yet somehow managed to set the scene for a whole new sound to come! The album's a treasure all the way through – slow-building, and with beautiful bubbling moments that have these surprisingly simple hooks – heard to best effect in the album's classic title cut "Autobahn" – but echoed nicely through the album's other longer tracks too – "Kometenmelodie 1 &2", "Mitternacht", and "Morgenspaziergang". CD

One of the true giants from the Harvest Records prog years – a masterpiece of a trio album, and one that has even more power than most fuller groups of the time! The core lineup features John Gustafson on bass and vocals, Pete Robinson on keyboards, and Mick Underwood on drums – and the trio do a fantastic job of shifting modes from track to track, really keeping things interesting as the subject matter and song length shifts. There's also some nice use of additional strings – arranged by Robinson, handled by Paul Buckmaster – and titles include "Gemini", "Laughin Tackle", "Entropy", "Black Sheep Of The Family", "Good Lord Knows", and "Up On The Ground". LP, Vinyl record album

One of Mickey Tucker's best records, and a Japanese-only set too! Features Reggie Workman on bass and Horacee Arnold on drums. CD also features a full extra album of bonus tracks – from a larger group session with Louis Smith on trumpet, Curtis Fuller on trombone, and George Coleman on alto and tenor! CD

... CD

... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album