Massively funky work from the mighty Weldon Irvine – sublimely cosmic and filled with soul throughout! The vibe here is a bit more focused than on some of Weldon's earlier albums – a moody blend of electric keys, heavy percussion, and some slight bits of jazzy solo work by trumpeters Charles Sullivan and Everett Blood Hollins, and saxophonist Sonny Fortune – both players who really help the album find some soulful structure! The album's all-instrumental, and has Weldon really taking off on the keyboards – not just using them for main solos, but also dropping in cool noisy bits and analogue effects that really sound great – almost out-Herbieing Herbie Hancock for the record, and turning in some of his biggest classics on wax! Titles include the massive sample cut "We Gettin' Down", plus "Jungle Juice", "Blast Off", "Softly", "Power & The Glory", "Yasmin", and "Pogo Stick". CD

The great thing about classic soul singers is that they never seem to drop the ball – and even late in the game, on a record like this, Chaka Khan shows us why she was one of the greatest stars of her generation! The set's a recent live one, with backing from a tight funky group – and the concert setting gives the whole thing a spontaneous, almost classic energy that a studio record might miss – with Chaka standing out loud and proud, and really knocking things out on new versions of classics that include "I'm Every Woman", "Everlasting Love", "Do You Love What You Feel", "Ain't Nobody", "What Cha Gonna Do For Me", "Through The Fire", "Sweet Thing", "Tell Me Something Good", and "Until You Come Back To Me". CD

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A haunting set from French soundtrack maestro Michel Legrand – an obscure album of orchestral tunes from the mid 70s, handled with a lot more strings than you'd usually hear in his work, but in a way that comes off sounding delightful! Legrand has a talent for making any kind of setting swing, and he certainly shows that in this set – a moodily concocted batch of tracks that fit perfectly with his best soundtrack work of the time. There's a slight bit of electricity in some of the tracks, and the album features solo work by Phil Woods on alto, Derek Watkins on trumpet, and Don Lusher on trombone. Titles include "Pieces Of Dreams", "Sweet Gingerbread Man", "Christine", "Wonder Where I'll Be Tomorrow", "The Saddest Thing Of All", and "Happy". LP, Vinyl record album

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A short set, but a great one too – filled with some of the best-remembered numbers from the early years of The Main Ingredient – all recorded during that early 70s stretch when they were one of the hottest groups going! The mix of falsetto lead and deeper harmonies here is great – and the production is often stark and simple, although a bit more polished than the indie styles that were often the group's main competition – yet never in ways that marred the fragile emotion of the trio. Titles include "Make It With You", "I'm So Proud", "Spinning Around", "Everybody Plays The Fool", "You've Got To Take It", "Girl Blue", "The Girl I Left Behind", "Just Don't Want To Be Lonely", and their amazing cover of "Where Where You When I Needed You". CD

One of Metheny's seminal sides for ECM, in a trio with Jaco Pastorius and Bob Moses. 8 tracks in all, including "Bright Size Life", "Sirabhorn", "Unity Village", "Missouri Uncompromised", "Midwestern Nights Dream", "Ubiquity Road", "Omaha Celebration" and "Round Trip/Broadway Blues". CD

A landmark record – not only in the history of the western, but in that of Ennio Morricone! The soundtrack, written for this hit Clint Eastwood spaghetti western, is everything you'd want in a 60s western – driving orchestral passages, twanging guitar parts, and spooky little bits that isolate the mood of a scene nicely. The work's an instant classic, and is still one of Morricone's strongest western soundtracks – even if it is one of the most familiar. 8 tracks in all – titles include "Almost Dead", "The Chase", "Without Pity", "The Result", "A Fistful Of Dollars", "Square Dance", and "A Fistful Of Dollars Suite". CD

Features Bob Brookmeyer on trombone, Red Mitchell on bass, Frank Isola on drums, and Gerry Mulligan on baritone sax. CD

A pretty interesting change for this lovely lady of the AACM – as Amina Claudine Myers makes a shift towards more R&B-inflected jazz, working in equal parts vocals and piano with more electric instrumentation than you'd hear on some of her earlier albums. Although the move was kind of panned by some of Myers' more stalwart fans in the avant garde, years later the record actually sounds pretty great to our ears – kind of an 80s version of the sound that Patrice Rushen was trying for in hear earlier years at Prestige – soulful jazz mixed with a bit of vocals, and handled with touches that might make the work reach a wider audience. Some of the tracks sound a bit weak due to bad 80s keyboard work, but others sparkle with a warmth and soulfulness we hadn't noticed before. Titles include "BI", "Song From The West", "Happiness", "Keep On Loving", "Nolan", and "Nisamehe". CD

A record that got huge circulation at a worldwide level – maybe making PFM one of the most-exposed groups of the legendary Italian scene in the early 70s – a wave of groups that took strong inspiration from the sounds of Yes, Genesis, and other UK acts – but really pushed the music with their own sense of creativity! The cuts on the album aren't just jamming rock – but really show a more expansive view, as long instrumental passages almost seem to draw from jazz or soundtrack complexity – with especially nice guitar, flute, violin, and keyboard lines – and vocals come in at just the right moments to send things home. Titles include "Mr 9 Til 5", "Old Rain", "Celebration", "River Of Life", and "Photos Of Ghosts". CD

Solo project from Parrish after EPMD split that still has some of the EPMD sound. With guest vocals by DAS Efx, Top Quality and 3rd Eye. Production by Parrish, DJ Scratch and 45 King. LP, Vinyl record album

Marcus Roberts on solo piano. CD

Tracks include "Cherokee", "Slippin' & Slidin", "I Remember You", "Tint Of Blue", and "King Porter Stomp". CD

Marcus Roberts on solo piano. CD

Titles include "Canto A Luz", "Filomeno", "Campos Novos", "Po De Mico", "Nuvem", "Ainda", and "Andante". LP, Vinyl record album

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A sublime 70s groover from the great Tamba Trio! This one works off of the expanded sound that the bossa jazz combo were forging on their late 60s work for CTI – adding in some more complicated arrangements by Luiz Eca to the regular piano/bass/percussion groove, pushing the sound into a more complicated style that reminds us of the best 70s work of Edu Lobo! The tracks are wonderfully written – with a jazzy rhythm at the core of most of them – but the added washes of sound and color really flesh out the group's unique vision, and make the album one of their greatest ever! Titles include "Reflexos", "Mestre Bimba", "Ossaim", "Em Casa", "Morada", "Infinito", "Gazera", and "Nao Tem Nada Nao". CD

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Collects work by trombonist Jack Teagarden with Eddie's Hot Shots, Roger Wolfe Kahn, Fats Waller & His Buddies, the Benny Goodman Orchestra, Louis Armstrong All Stars, and the Bud Freeman Orchestra. CD

A nice little set from Henry Threadgill – one of the albums that gave him greatest exposure to a bigger audience, and a set that pushes the sound of his work nicely! The record's got some of those touches from a time when the AACM was reaching out with its sound from earlier years – a mode that's not exactly more inside, but certainly more overtly expressive about its intentions, and sometimes a bit more melodically focused than freely improvisatory. There's echoes here of work the Art Ensemble and Amina Claudine Myers were doing during the same stretch – and the lack of commercial success of the record shouldn't indicate any aesthetic failure at all. Asha Pulthi makes a surprising vocal appearance on the track "My Rock", and other players include Frank Lacy, Diedre Murray, Fred Hopkins, Pheeroan Aklaff, and Reggie Nicholson. Titles include "Award The Squadtett", "Hall", "Spotted Duck Is Pudding", and "I Can't Wait Till I Get Home". LP, Vinyl record album

Threadgill plays alto sax and bass flute and is joined by Ted Daniels on trumpet and flugelhorn, Bill Lowe on bass trombone, Diedre Murry on cello, Fred Hopkins on bass, and Newman Barker and Reggie Nicholson on drums and percussion. 4 tracks in all, including "Off The Rag", "The Devil Is On The Loose And Dancin' With A Monkey", "Gift", and "Sweet Holy Rag". LP, Vinyl record album

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A nice overview of the best of the Wu Tang Clan – from their revolutionary early tracks to their best later singles! You'd never have guessed earlier in the 00s that their label would have taken the care to license the best tracks from the BMG and Sony years for one collection – at best, we'd have guessed there would be a great BMG "best of" and a so-so Sony "best of". Alas, those giant label groups merged into one mighty monster, so here we are with a stellar Wu Tang sampler from all four albums to date! 16 tracks in all: "CREAM", "Method Man (Skunk mix)", "Protect Ya Neck (Bloody version)", "Wu Tang Clan Ain't Nuthin' To F Wit", "Can It All Be So Simple", "Reunited", "It's Yourz", "Gravel Pit", "Uzi (Pinky Ring)", "Shaolin Worldwide", "Diesel" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

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Includes music from Fletcher Henderson & His Orchestra, Duke Ellington & His Cotton Club Orchestra, Bennie Moten's Kansas City Orchestra, McKinney's Cotton Pickers, Earl Hines & His Orchestra, and Louis Armstrong & His Orchestra – 22 tracks in all. CD

Unreleased ska compilation originally set for release in 1966 – finally seeing light of day! (Note: This item is not for sale online until noon on Saturday, August 29. It is in limited supply – and by nature of the Record Store Day Drops rules it will be offered for sale first to customers who visit the Dusty Groove retail outlet in Chicago the morning of Saturday, August 29. It will not be pre-sold or reserved in any way. However, after noon on August 29 we will offer up whatever we have left for sale online.) LP, Vinyl record album

A great compilation featuring Porter Wagoner, Jim Reeves, Skeeter Davis, Sons Of The Pioneers, Charley Pride, Dootie West, Eddie Arnold, Hank Locklin, and Don Gibson – 26 tracks in all. CD

(Note: This item is not for sale online until noon on Saturday, September 26. It is in limited supply – and by nature of the Record Store Day Drops rules it will be offered for sale first to customers who visit the Dusty Groove retail outlet in Chicago the morning of Saturday, September 26. It will not be pre-sold or reserved in any way. However, after noon on September 26 we will offer up whatever we have left for sale online.) LP, Vinyl record album

One of Blakey's best non-Blue Note sides from the time – and a killer album that sports a late 50's lineup of the Jazz Messengers that included Jackie McLean, Johnny Griffin, and Bill Hardman. The three of them sparkle and shine with the sort of brilliance that Blakey's leadership brings to the group, and they wail their way through a 13 minute long reading of "Night In Tunisia", with excellent solos all around, and the other long cuts "Theory Of Art", "Couldn't It Be You?", "Evans", and "Off The Wall". CD reissue also sports 3 additional bonus cuts – alternate takes of "Off The Wall", "Night In Tunisia", and "Theory Of Art" – plus new artwork and notes! CD

Featuring the groups the Council of Balance & Five Elements. CD

Steve Coleman on alto sax, Reggie Washington on bass, Gene Lake on drums, Josh Jones on percussion, Andy Milne on piano & keyboards & Ralph Alessi on trumpet. CD

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Tom Harrell on trumpet, Jimmy Greene on tenor saxophone, Xavier Davis on piano, Ugonna Okegwo on bass & Quincy Davis on drums. CD

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Deadlier than Dracula – and a lot funkier too! This is the original soundtrack for the classic blacksploitation horror flick starring the baaadest Drac ever to grace the screen of all those shabby downtown theaters that were still around in the 70s – a wicked batch of wah-wah tunes penned by Gene Page, and featuring a great bit of keyboards as well! The set's got a few vocal numbers, sung by 21st Century Ltd and The Hues Corporation, but it's the instrumentals that really steal the show here – and there's plenty of great ones here that rank with the best blacksploitation work of the decade – hard and funky groovers that have kept this one grooving in the crates for many many years. Titles include "Blacula Strikes", "The Stalkwalk", "Movin", "Run Tina Run", "Firebombs", and "Good To The Last Drop". CD

Features Mongo Santamaria on congas and Sam Rivers on tenor and soprano sax! CD

The title's no mistake, as the album was really one of Mal Waldron's first really outside sessions – a real embrace of the free jazz modes coming out of the European scene of the 60s, but in a way that's slightly different than most! As Waldron states in the liner notes, his vision here is free, but not total chaos – an approach to music that's much more unfettered than before, yet still somewhat rhythmically structured – so that the tunes themselves roll out with a great deal of drive and energy, almost modal at points, but a bit fuller overall. The rhythm section here is a great part of the success of the album – with Clarence Becton on drums and the amazing Isla Eckinger on bass – a player whose pulsating approach is a perfect foil for Waldron's bold work on piano. There's actually a surprising amount of groove-driven numbers here – hardly the free jazz of the FMP scene, and more in the mode of some of the most unfettered expressions going down at MPS at the time. Titles include "Rat Now", "Balladina", "1 3 234", "Rock My Soul", and "Boo". CD

Music from Joe Turner, Gerry Mulligan, Lionel Hampton, Coleman Hawkins, Frank Foster, Roy Eldridge, Thelonious Monk, Lucky Thompson, Dizzy Gillespie, Zoots Sims & more. CD

A landmark album from Sonny Rollins – one that marked his comeback in the early 60s, after a brief period of retirement, and which also initiated a string of incredible recordings with guitarist Jim Hall. Given Hall's gentleness and spare modernity on the guitar, a fan of Rollins' hard-blowing late 50s sessions might not expect the album to work – but instead, it sets up his playing in a whole new mode that brings out a leaner, more confident, more sophisticated solo mode that shows that his time woodshedding in retirement was well spent. Rollins playing is impeccable, with a maturity not heard in his late 50's work, and the whole album is a beautiful study in measured, thoughtful soloing. Tracks include "John S.", "The Bridge", and "God Bless the Child". CD

A later set from The Dazz Band, but a great one too – as the group here almost return to their best modes of the early 80s – working with superproducer Deodato in a set of mighty tight grooves! There's a lean, clean funky vibe to the set – that snapping approach to a cut that made the group one of the runaway funk ensembles of their generation, and which comes through very strongly here in Deodato's hands! The record avoids some of the clunkier funk cliches of the period – and the cuts often have this riffing vibe that, while served up in late 80s instrumentation, still really gets back ad the core of what makes the Dazz Band great. Titles include "Anticipation", "Single Girls", "One Time Lover", "Huff & Puff", and "All The Way". CD

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A rare early European jazz moment – and a very cool combo! The group is led by the mighty Fats Sadi on vibes – later of Clarke/Boland fame – and the group features Maurice Vander on piano, Roger Guerin on trumpet, and Bobby Jaspar on tenor! LP, Vinyl record album

Non-stop screamers from the initial Alice Cooper run at Warner Brothers – a hefty set list that includes "School's Out", "Be My Lover", "I'm Eighteen", "No More Mr Nice Guy", "Elected", "Billion Dollar Babies", "Teenage Lament", "Muscle Of Love", "Is It My Body", "Under My Wheels", and "Hello Hooray". CD

A record that might have been a step into cliche for Alice Cooper – but one that still stands surprisingly strong after all these many years! Sure, the Coop as spook-master is very firmly stated on the cover and title – and yes, the record does feature an appearance from Vincent Price – but all the searing intensity of the group at the start is still firmly in place – produced with groundbreaking genius by Bob Erzin, who almost seems to be laying down a blueprint for later generations that run the gamut from metal to goth to post-punk. Titles include "Black Widow", "Welcome To My Nightmare", "Devil's Food", "Department Of Youth", "Cold Ethyl", "Years Ago", "Escape", and "Only Women Bleed". CD

Titles include "Born To Move", "Hey Tonight", "Rude Awakening #2", "Chameleon", "Molina", "It's Just A Thought", and "Pagan Baby". CD

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One of Eric Clapton's greatest moments – and a set that also features guitars from Duane Allman and organ from Bobby Whitlock! Recorded in Miami at Criteria Studios – and titles include "Layla", "It's Too Late", "Little Wing", "Have You Ever Loved A Woman", "Tell The Truth", "Anyday", "Key To The Highway", and "Bell Bottom Blues". CD

A killer collection of work by The Dramatics – featuring their greatest tracks from the early Stax years – seminal work that helped redefine the group soul sound of the 70s! There's a great blend of southern and east coast harmony modes here – and the package is filled with the group's best moments from their Stax/Volt albums – mostly from the first two releases. CD features 16 titles that include "Toast To The Fool", "Highway From Heaven", "And I Panicked", "I Dedicate My Life To You", "Fell For You", "Whatcha See Is Whatcha Get", "Get Up & Get Down", "Hey You! Get Off My Mountain", "In The Rain", and "The Devil Is Dope". Who could ask for more? CD

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A great collection of the first wave of work from late 70s Detroit harmony group Enchantment – the best of their recordings for United Artists, and a set that's put together with a real focus on the group's mellower tracks! Like The Dramatics at the time, Enchantment had a newly sophisticated approach to vocal group harmonies – able to work with smoother, tighter arrangements, but not in a way that took away the focus on the sublime vocal work that made the group so great in the first place. The tracks here are a wonderful blend of the personal and professional – and even when a bit of a groove sneaks into a few of the tunes, there's still a warmly crackling vocal approach that's just as great as indie soul work from a few years back. Titles include "Gloria", "Silly Love Song", "Trying To Get Over", "Where Do We Go From Here/Journey", "Thank You Girl For Loving Me", "If You're Ready Here It Comes", "It's You That I Need", "Sunshine", "Dance To The Music", and "Come On & Ride". CD

Featuring Bill Evans, Gary Burton, Oscar Peterson, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Joao Gilberto, Gerry Mulligan, and more. CD