Ambassador Satch is a key statement of Armstrong's global power in the postwar years, a time when the State Department was using his talents to mend fences and open doors after WWII. The material is Armstrong at his best comeback stretch – and most of these recall the classic sound of his early years, without any of the pop inflections of other later recordings. Titles include "Muskrat Ramble", "All Of Me", "West End Blues", and "Tiger Rag". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

Ambassador Satch is a key statement of Armstrong's global power in the postwar years, a time when the State Department was using his talents to mend fences and open doors after WWII. The material is Armstrong at his best comeback stretch – and most of these recall the classic sound of his early years, without any of the pop inflections of other later recordings. Titles include "Muskrat Ramble", "All Of Me", "West End Blues", and "Tiger Rag". CD

... LP, Vinyl record album

Tighter than usual for Buddy Rich at Verve – but still a great little set, thanks to some soulfully swinging arrangements from Ernie Wilkins – who was really at the top of his game at this point in his career! The lineup is filled with great players – including Phil Woods, Harry Edison, Al Cohn, and Benny Golson – and in a way, the record almost grooves with some of the same energy that Quincy Jones was bringing to his big band records of the time – save for a bit more emphasis on the drums! Titles include "Yardbird Suite", "Richcraft", "From The Sticks", "Song Of The Islands", and "Sweets Tooth". LP, Vinyl record album

Highlights from three concerts by the Dave Brubeck quartet featuring Paul Desmond, Gene Wright, and Joe Morello. Tracks include "Pennies From Heaven", "Take Five", "For All We Know", "Blue Rondo A La Turk", "Real Ambassador", and "Tangerine". CD

Never-issued work from Don Cherry – and a really key piece of the puzzle in the career of this legendary trumpeter! The recordings were done for Swedish Radio, with great fidelity – more than just live tracks captured in a club, and instead some really thoughtful material that marks an early pairing of Cherry's talents with the Swedish scene that he would soon call home! Don plays cornet, and the music is maybe a bit inside compared to some of his later Swedish experiments – but still pretty amazing, and a great bridge from his work with Ornette Coleman and Sonny Rollins. Players include Mogens Bollerup on tenor, Atli Bjorn on piano, Benny Nielsen on bass, and Simon Koppel on drums – and titles include the Cherry originals "Priceless", "Nigeria", and "The Ambassador From Greenland" – plus a reading of "You Took Advantage Of Me". LP, Vinyl record album

A really wicked compilation, of the sort that BBE first started doing back in the day – a mix of records that spans both scenes and generations, yet which come together with a beautifully integrated vibe! There's a warmth here that's undeniable – currents of jazz, Brazilian, acoustic soul, and more – all wrapped up with a sunny vibe that really makes the whole thing soar wonderfully, as strange musical bedfellows really find a great space to play together that's full of imagination, spirit, and plenty of soul! Titles include "Factory Rhythms" by Jr Quintet, "Life" by Bugs Beddow, "I Had A Friend" by Peter Gallway, "Palavras" by Caixa Cubo, "Mystery Of You" by Jeff Scott, "Place In Space" by Joe Thomas, "Heaven" by Crosswind, "Como Aprendi A Soportar Tus Inseguridades, "Easter Suite (edit)" by John Standefer & Friends, "California (Shawn Lee mix)" by Kirk Reed, "Make The Call (ext version)" by MF Robots, "Smile Upon Your Brother" by Ambassador College Band & New World Singers, and "I Know (demo version)" by Astronauts Etc. CD

The birth of a legend – a set that brings together all the important early recordings that made Ravi Shankar such a key ambassador for Indian music in the 60s – long tracks that mix his sitar with really incredible percussion, all spun out with pulsating modal energy that went on to have a huge impact on jazz, rock, and even more serious classical music too! Given that Shankar's cited as an influence by folks from Philip Glass to George Harrison to countless others, this package is really the place to start if you want to understand his music – and as with other titles from the Fremeaux label, the presentation is great, with lots of music in the set, and notes in French and English. Titles include "Raga Ramkali", "Raga Jog", "Raga Simhendra-Madhyamam", "Raga Ahir-Bhairav", "Dhun Kafi", "Raga Hamsadhwani", "Raga Rageshri", "Fire Night", and "Improvisation On The Theme Music From Panther Panchali". CD

A really wicked compilation, of the sort that BBE first started doing back in the day – a mix of records that spans both scenes and generations, yet which come together with a beautifully integrated vibe! There's a warmth here that's undeniable – currents of jazz, Brazilian, acoustic soul, and more – all wrapped up with a sunny vibe that really makes the whole thing soar wonderfully, as strange musical bedfellows really find a great space to play together that's full of imagination, spirit, and plenty of soul! Titles include "Factory Rhythms" by Jr Quintet, "Life" by Bugs Beddow, "I Had A Friend" by Peter Gallway, "Palavras" by Caixa Cubo, "Mystery Of You" by Jeff Scott, "Place In Space" by Joe Thomas, "Heaven" by Crosswind, "Como Aprendi A Soportar Tus Inseguridades, "Easter Suite (edit)" by John Standefer & Friends, "California (Shawn Lee mix)" by Kirk Reed, "Make The Call (ext version)" by MF Robots, "Smile Upon Your Brother" by Ambassador College Band & New World Singers, and "I Know (demo version)" by Astronauts Etc. LP, Vinyl record album

... CD

A massive amount of rare funk – all pulled from the glory days of the funky 45, at a level that really takes us back to the sort of groundbreaking funk collections that Charly Records gave us many years back! The set's heavy on cuts from the deep and southern soul side of the spectrum – and there's a lot of gems here that we haven't seen reissued in quite a long time – including a few Chicago tracks that are very near and dear to our hearts! Titles include "Itch & Scratch" by Toby King, "Funky Belly" by Warren Lee, "What Do You See In Her" by Inell Young, "I Don't Dig No Phoney" by Moody Scott, "You Move Me (part 2)" by Roy Roberts Experience, "Hunk O Funk" by The Scott Brothers Orchestra, "Searchin (part 1)" by The Ambassadors, "Stick It In Your Ear Hole" by Eddie Mobley, "Let The Groove Move You" by Gus Lewis, "Never Gonna Let You Go" by Dynamic Desires, "My Heart Would Never Lie To Me" by Sandy Cleveland, "SGB" by Eddie Bo, "Bad Thing" by Thomas East & The Fabulous Playboys, "Get Up" by McKinley Sandifer, "Double Determination" by Liz McCall, "Hot Funky & Sweaty" by The Soul Lifters, "Pop Popcorn Children" by Eldridge Holmes, "Son Of A Son Of A Slave" by Larry Darnell, and "Gossip Gossip" by Diamond Joe. LP, Vinyl record album

A Philly soul legend finally gets his time in the spotlight – as drummer Earl Young played on countless classic sessions back in the day, but rarely even got his name in the liner notes! That lack of recognition is corrected here – in a great package that puts Young's face on the cover, details his genius on the drums in the notes, and then presents a motherlode of killer soul tunes from the late 60s through the 70s! Young's maybe best known for his work at Sigma Sound Studios, and on famous sessions for the Philadelphia International label – but here, he's heard on an even wider range of cuts – including late 60s Northern Soul numbers, and great album work by artists you might not normally associate with Philly. Titles include "Storm Warning" by The Volcanos, "Silly Silly Fool" by Dusty Springfield, "Hit & Run" by Loleatta Holloway, "I Just Can't Say Goodbye" by Philly Devotions, "Please Give Me One More Chance" by Clyde McPhatter, "Do The Hand Jive" by Archie Bell & The Drells, "Penguin At The Big Apple/Zing" by The Trammps, "I Can't Fight Your Love" by The Modulations, "Touch & Go (12" mix)" by Ecstasy Passion & Pain, "I Like To Live The Love" by BB King, "I'm Doin Fine Now" by New York City, "Ain't Got The Love Of One Girl" by The Ambassadors, "Just Can't Get You Out Of My Mind" by The Spinners, "Do It Again" by Charles Mann, and "Be Truthful To Me" by Billy Paul. CD

10 tracks pulled from the fairly hard to get Nuggets Of Funk compilation series, that also included the Objective Exotic Directions, Weird & Wonderful, Mindbending Nuggets and Diggin' Deeper sets: the Ambassadors "Ain't Got The Love", Gentle Rain "Lonely Jelly", Multiplication Rock "Three Is The Magic Number", Certain Lions & Tigers "El Soul Condor", David Axelrod "Holy Thursday", 100% Pure Poison "Windy C", Bruno Spoerri "Feelings", the Silhouettes "Fonky First", Brian Auger "Light My Fire" and Johnny Pate "The Look OF Love" plus 4 bonus breaks! LP, Vinyl record album

Essential work from the African scene of the 70s – a collection of tracks that goes way beyond the more familiar grooves of Fela Kuti and Manu Dibango! The set may well be the deepest so far we've heard from the always-amazing Soundway Records – a package that digs into a wealth of under-heard music from early 70s Nigeria, all of it beyond simple stylistic definitions and overplayed world music cliches! Many of the grooves here are wonderfully unique – odd fusions of styles that include highlife, jazz, soul, Afrobeat, and other regional influences – sifted and shaken together, and spilled out in the studio with a really fresh sort of feel. Rhythms are at the core of most numbers here, but even those are often unfamiliar – skittish, soulful, and often somewhat playful – and the other instrumentation on the tracks is great too, and often resonates with some of the odd sounds and tunings we love in work on the Ethiopiques series. 2CD set features 26 tracks that include "Okwuke Na Nchekwube" by Celestine Ukwu & His Philosophers National, "Nekwaha Semi Colon" by The Semi Colon, "Osalobua Rekpama" by Sir Victor Owaifo & His Melody Maestros, "Onwu Ama Dike" by St Augustine & His Rovers Dance Band, "Feso Jaiye" by The Sahara All Stars Of Jos, "To Whom It May Concern" by Tunji Oyelana & The Benders, "Akula Owu Onyeara" by The Funkees, "Koma Mosi" by The Harbours Band, "Belema" by Opotopo, "Asiko Mi Ni" by Nigerian Police Force Band, "Alabeke" by Dan Satch & His Atomic 8 Dance Band, "Blak Sound" by Leo Fadaka & The Heroes, "Arraino" by Popular Cooper & His All Beats Band, "Ugali" by Tony Benson Sextet, "Akpaisong" by Etubom Rex Williams & His Nigerian Allstars, "Eguae Oba" by Osayomore Joseph & The Creative 7, "Torri Wowo" by Godwin Ezike & The Ambassadors, "Buroda Mase" by Bola Johnson & His Easy Life Top Beats, "I Want A Break Thru" by The Hykkers, and "Eguae Oba" by Osayomore Joseph & The Creative 7. CD

It's Wu-Tang's world, and we just live in it – as we're reminded again by this great series of older funky cuts sampled by the group! As with other volumes, most of these numbers emerged at some point or another in Wu-Tang and related productions – but this set presents the full original songs, unmixed – a pretty damn great blend of 70s funky soul on its own, even if you've never had an ear for hip hop! Artists are a great mix of soul stars and underground legends – and titles include "What The World Needs Now" by Carla Thomas, "I Get High" by Freda Payne, "Get Myself High" by The Dynamics, "That's All Right With Me" by Esther Phillips, "Intimate Friends" by Eddie Kendricks, "Ain't Got The Love Of One Girl" by The Ambassadors, "Girls Can't Do What The Guys Do" by Betty Wright, "Our Generation" by Ernie Hines, "I'm Your Mechanical Man" by Jerry Butler, "Have Mercy On Me" by East St Louis Gospelettes, "Here I Go Again" by Jean Plum, "Let's Do It Again" by Staple Singers, "Only One Can Win" by The Sylvers, "Don't Make The Good Girls Go Bad" by Della Humphrey, "Dead" by Carolyn Sullivan, "Trouble" by Brenton Wood, "Float On (single edit)" by Floaters, "I Wish You Were Here" by Al Green, and "A Good Man Is Gone" by Monk Higgins & Alex Brown. LP, Vinyl record album