With Lamar Wright, Thamon Hayes, Harlan Leonard, LaForest Dent, Woodie Walder, Bennie Moten, Sam Tall, Vernon Page, Willie McWashington, Ed Lewis, Paul Webster, Leroy Berry, Jack Washington, Booker Washington & Ira Moten. CD

Featuring Mulligan on baritone sax, Bob Brookmeyer on trombone, Red Mitchell on bass, and Frank Isola on drums. Tracks include "Lady Is A Tramp", "Five Brothers", "Limelight", "Laura", "Love Me Or Leave Me", "Makin Whoopee", and "Bark For Barksdale". CD

Brilliant work by Omar – his 3rd album, supposedly a real break-out effort, but a record that disappeared almost immediately, thanks to poor handling by the label! The record's an excellent batch of instant-classic soul tracks – done with a modern production twist, but still very much in Omar's trademark Stevie Wonder-influenced style – pure, simple, home-made, and with an integrity that's missing from most other male soul singers. Omar takes a lot of chances on the set, but it really pays off on the album's warm and personal tunes – the best of which include "Little Boy", "I'm Still Standing", "Saturdays", "Can't Get Nowhere", and "It's All About". CD

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Beautiful later work from Kenny Rankin – a spare solo set recorded at The Bottom Line in 1990, but a record that sparkles with all the brilliance of his best 70s sessions! Kenny's working totally alone here – accompanying his own vocals with acoustic guitar – and the format really demonstrates his amazing power and presence – a sweetly swinging sound that always has a fluid groove, even when there's no other rhythm to back it up! Rankin's tone is tremendous throughout – with those bell-like notes that made him a standout singer from the very first – and the tunes themselves are a great array of the sort of material he sang the best in the late 60s and early 70s. Titles include "She's A Lady", "Berimbau", "Haven't We Met", "Inside", "Peaceful", "Time & Love", "Always", "I've Just Seen A Face", "Doralice/Sunshine Of My Life", and "In The Name Of Love". CD

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A wonderfully intimate album from Ann Sally – a Korean singer by birth, but currently one of the most exciting talents on the Japanese scene! The album's a beautiful set of covers – and is done with a light, acoustic touch that's quite different than some of Ann's other works. At some level, we'd be tempted to call the album "folksy", but it's also got lots of light jazzy touches, and sits at a uniquely kicked back level that's pretty much all its own. Gentle keyboards mix with acoustic guitar – supporting Ann's lovely voice wonderfully – and tracks include a great cover of "Disney Girls", plus "Misty Roses", "Cause We've Been Together", "A Menina Danca", "Do You Know My Jesus", "Freedom For The Stallion", and "Love Song". CD

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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". CD

One of the best sessions cut by Kai and JJ during the 50's, and a good live session with a lot looser feel than some of their studio sessions – which tend to be a bit restrained. The rhythm section features Dick Katz, Al Harewood, and Peck Morrison – but the main solos are held by Kai and JJ. 6 tracks "Funnybone", "Cornerstone", "Lullaby Of Birdland", "Vista", "Birdland Festival" and "Bone Of Contention". CD

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Features music from Dizzy Gillespie and his Orchestra, 52nd Street All Stars, Kenny Clarke and his 52nd Street Boys, Lucky Thompson and his Lucky Seven, and Coleman Hawkins and his Orchestra – 21 tracks in all. CD

Includes tracks from artists such as the Dave Douglas Quartet, Jimmy Green & Darren Barrett, the Peter Bernstein Quartet, Ralph Irizarry & Timalaye, and the DD Jackson Group. CD

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Really incredible work from the early version of Fleetwood Mac – a set that has them moving past the straighter blues of their roots, but not yet in the smooth territory of later 70s fame – music that's awash in the mindblowing guitar work of Peter Green! The pacing and song structure is great – very fresh, and another example of the way that the group and their contemporaries used blues rock as this surprisingly strong springboard to quickly move into new and inventive territory of their own! Titles include "Coming Your Way", "Show Biz Blues", "Under Way", "One Sunny Day", "Fighting For Madge", "Like Crying", and "Before The Beginning". Great CD version – with the original 14 track UK version of the record, in a book-like cover with new notes! Also features four bonus tracks that include "A World In Harmony", "The Green Manalish", and "Oh Well (parts 1 & 2)". CD

Landmark British metal from Motorhead– inarguably one of the greatest albums ever in the genre! If there's a flaw to Ace Of Spades, it's that Lemmy & Co.'s signature song – the title track, of course – is so damned amazing, you want to drop the needle on it 10 times in a row before going on to the rest of the record. If only more rock & roll albums had this "problem". Other tracks include "The Chase Is Better Than The Catch", "Love Me Like A Reptile", "Shoot You In The Back", "Fast And Loose", "Fire, Fire", "Jailbait", "Bite The Bullet", "The Hammer", "Dance", "Live To Win" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

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Marcus Roberts on solo piano. CD

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Cool French album set that features remixes, or remakes, of older crime, spy, and detective theme songs. The roster of artists includes DJ Cam, Aleem, Dimitri From Paris, The Mighty Bop, and Impulsion, and the tracks include "The Saint", "The Prisoner", "Mannix", "Wonder Woman", and "The Avengers Theme". CD

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Includes 20 tracks featuring Lionel Hampton, Teddy Wilson, Gene Krupa, Jess Stacy and others including "Bugle Call Rag", "One O'Clock Jump", "Exactly Like You", "Moonglow", "Bei Mir Bist Du Schoen", "Glory Of Love" and "Avalon". CD

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Duke Jordan on piano, Gene Rame on bass, and Lee Abrams on drums. Bud Powell on piano, Pierre Michelot on bass, and Kenny Clarke on drums. CD

Early Kinks in all of their glory – showing a bit more of an R&B influence than in their later years, but still already working with all the wit and imagination that won us over many years ago! The tunes have a surprising roughness, if you're only used to the group from a few years later – but that makes kind of a nice change too – almost a distillation of the early Davies brother ideals at their start – without any overblown concepts to get in the way. Tunes include the originals "You Really Got Me", "So Mystifying", "Stop Your Sobbin", "Revenge", and "I Took My Baby Home" – plus versions of "Beautiful Delilah", "Bald Headed Woman", "Cadillac", and "I'm A Lover Not A Fighter". LP, Vinyl record album

Hilton Ruiz on piano, Jimmy Rowser on bass, Reuben Rodriguez on electric bass, Steve Berrios on drums, timbales, guiro & claves, Daniel Ponce on congas & bongos & Don Cherry on trumpet. 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

A sublime compilation – long out of print, but still famous for the rich array of great jazzy tracks it offers! The set draws mostly from the under-reissued catlog of RCA Records, but throws in a few other tracks from different sources – and the whole thing's a wonderful array of great cuts, including "O Ronco Da Cuica" by Joao Bosco, "Lady Day & John Coltrane" by Gil Scott-Heron, "It's All Right With Me" by Zulema, "If You've Got It, You'll Get It", "Time Machine" by Chocolate Milk, "Attica Blues" by Archie Shepp, "Walk That Walk, Talk That Talk" by Weldon Irvine, "Berimbao" by Jayme Marques, "Deal With It" by Carolyn Franklin, "Por Nossa Senhora" by Antonio Carlos e Jocafi, and "Hooked On Gree" by Jayme Marques. CD

A merry, merry, merry and groovy groovy groovy Christmas from Captain Kangaroo, Mister Green Jeans and the early 60s cast! For the young or otherwise uninitiated, Captain Kangaroo (played by Bob Keeshin) was a groundbreaking, legendary children's television program that ran from the mid 1950s to the early 80s – with silly charm to spare. This wonderful Christmas record comes from the early part of the 60s, with the grander period production touches to show for it – groovy chorus backing vocals, sound effects, and a big, bright sound – on Christmas classics, original material, fun spoken intros and interludes. Not hokey at all...a real charmer! Includes "Merry, Merry, Merry Christmas", "Jingle Bells", "Santa's Other Reindeer", "I Want A Hippopotamus For Christmas", "When Santa Claus Gets Your Letter", "Happy Little New Year" and more. CD

Nick Cave & Peaches cover T. Rex! 7-inch, Vinyl record

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. Two songs into Grinda Date you'll find the stellar "Verbal Clap", one of J Dilla's finest blueprint era inspired 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. At the time it came out, this was De La's best album since Stakes Is High, we might actually like this one just as much. 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. LP, Vinyl record album

Includes "Dream Evil" and "Naked In The Rain" both recorded live at Donington. 12-inch, Vinyl record

Earth Wind & Fire's most ambitiously orchestrated records of recent years – one that pairs the legendary funk/soul/pop collective with contemporary players such as Will I Am of Black Eyed Peas, Raphael Saadiq, Floetry, Big Boi of Outkast, Sleepy Brown and others! Believe us, we were as skeptical as the rest of you when this project first materialized, so it's really a wonderful surprise to report that it works very well! The album is essentially a modern, uptempo neo soul effort by a group that just happens to be legendary – with clean vocals and horns by the group, and warm production by Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, Will I Am and Raphael Saadiq. It may not be a classic on par with the 70s work, but it's easily the best Earth Wind & Fire album in at least a decade! Tracks include "Lovely People" feat Will I Am, "Show Me The Way" feat Raphael Saadiq, "Work It Out", "Elevated" feat Floetry, "Pass You By", "Pure Gold" and more! LP version features bonus tracks – instrumentals of "Lovely People" and "Elevated". LP, Vinyl record album

Mick & an all star band honor former Fleetwood Mac hero Peter Green. 12-inch, Vinyl record

A true masterpiece of late 60s pop – music originally recorded for a TV special in 1969 – and one of the Kinks' greatest albums ever! The semi-concept album traces the woes, worries, and hopes of a British family, as one half is on the verge of emigration to Australia. The work comes out of the sort of songwriting that Ray Davies had been perfecting on albums like Village Green and Something Else – but the overall style is more sophisticated, yet not nearly as self-indulgent as some of the 70s concept clunkers. Instead, the songs are brilliantly tight, and stand on their own well past the concept of the original album. Titles include "Victoria", "Brainwashed", "Australia", "Shangri-La", "Mr Churchill Says", and "Yes Sir No Sir". CD version comes in a great book-styled cover, with very detailed notes – and CD2 features the Great Lost Dave Davies album – with titles that include "This Man He Weeps Tonight", "Mindless Child Of Motherhood", "Mr Shoemaker's Daughter", "Lincoln County", "Do You Wish To Be A Man", "Creeping Jean", and "Mr Reporter". Also features bonus tracks – "Plastic Man (stereo)", "Kign Kong (mono)", "Drivin (mono)", "Australia (Australian mono single edit)", "Lincoln County (mono single edit)", "Creeping Jean (mono single edit)", and "Hold My Hand (mono)". CD

Dionne Warwick makes the spirits bright here – in a great album of holiday duets with a host of unlikely guest stars! Warwick's vocals have aged a bit in recent years, but in a way that brings down her range and makes her a surprisingly good fit for this really unusual mix of vocalists – a shift that the lady might not have been able to make as well during her classic years. The whole thing is maybe more of a straight Christmas album than a Dionne affair – but we meant that in a good way – and titles include "Frosty The Snowman" with Eric Paslay, "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" with Dianne Reeves, "White Christmas" with Johnny Mathis, "This Christmas" with Aloe Blacc, "The Christmas Song" with Wayna Morris, "Silver Bells" with Chloe X Halle, "Jingle Bell Rock" with Michael McDonald, and "Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer" with Andra Day. CD

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Always-compelling work from Carlinhos Brown – done in a unique blend of styles that moves forward a bit from his earlier albums! Some of the tracks here have that genre-blending sound that Brown first pioneered as part of a 90s generation that included Marisa Montes and Arnaldo Antunes – but other work is mellower than before, almost soul-based at times – with a newly gentle quality that we wouldn't expect from Carlinhos. These tracks are somewhat striking in their sensitivity, and in their pan-global songwriting appeal – especially considering that a few of the tracks have English language lyrics. A few tracks have some of the heavier percussion of Brown's Candyall work, but overall the instrumentation is a bit more conventional. Titles include "Everybody Gente", "Pagina Futuro", "Te Amo Familia", "Dia De Voce", "O Aroma Da Vida", "Aos Teus Olhos", "Marina Dos Mares", and "Goodbye Hello". CD

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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

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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

A nice dose of work from one of the greatest harmony soul groups of all time – the mighty Delfonics, a trio who took high-end vocals to a whole new level! The package does a good job of mixing hits up with a few lesser-known gems from the group – showing their full vocal potential, and wonderful approach to the music – stellar harmony soul that really redefined the genre at the time, and which remains some of the best male group work you could ever hope to find! 20 tracks in all – including "Hey Love", "Delfonics Theme", "Over & Over", "Funny Feeling", "Loving Him", "Somebody Loves You", "Break Your Promise", "La La Means I Love You", "I'm Sorry", "Walk Right Up To The Sun", "Think It Over", "I Told You So", and "Lying To Myself". CD

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Sure, the young Bob Dylan might look a bit hokey on the cover – but he's already out there way ahead of the pack – and starting to blow away any of the less interesting pop folkies who'd been crowding into the Greenwich Village scene of the early 60s! There's a difference here right from the start – not just some of his own material, but the way that Dylan transforms older tunes too – not with this crew-cutted, clean-voiced style – but bringing in elements of blues, and using these very personal guitar inflections and harmonica lines to really make the music his own. Titles include "Highway 51", "See That My Grave Is Kept Clean", "Song To Woody", "Man Of Constant Sorrow", "Fixin To Die", "Baby, Let Me Follow You Down", and "Talkin New York". CD

Plenty of early classics and hits – including "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right", "Blowin In The Wind", "Down The Highway", "A Hard Rain's Gonna Fall", "I Shall Be Free", "Bob Dylan's Dream", and "Oxford Town". CD

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Tracks include "Hoe Down", "Zona Mona", "Moment So Close", "Aimum", "Lover's Leap", and "Scratch & Sniff". CD

Rare Blue Note work from Dexter Gordon – an album that was recorded during Gordon's legendary run for the label in the 60s, but not issued until a brief vinyl pressing nearly 15 years later! The record's got Gordon vamping in tight hardbop formation – a sound that's strongly 60s Blue Note all the way through, and which shows the great control that the label helped bring to Dex's music – giving him new focus and energy to take off on much freer flights later in the 60s. Other players on the date include Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, Barry Harris on piano, Billy Higgins on drums, and Bob Cranshaw on bass – and Hubbard's trumpet is an especially welcome element here on the more upbeat numbers. Titles include "Hanky Panky", "Jodi", "Lady Iris B", "Clubhouse", and "Devilette". CD

Doin Allright? Dexter's doing great on this one – working with that fully mature Blue Note sound of his – a rich approach to soloing that keeps the tracks cooking with excitement! The group on the set's an all-star lineup that includes Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, Horace Parlan on piano, George Tucker on bass, and Al Harewood on drums – and the tunes are a great blend of soulful rhythms and bop improvisation – heard especially well on the album's landmark tune "Society Red"! All tracks are great, though – and other titles include "You've Changed", "For Regulars Only", and "I Was Doing All Right". CD

One of our favorite Dexter Gordon sessions for Blue Note – and a unique album that's one of the first to illustrate his growing role in the European jazz scene! The group's a quartet – which let's Dex stand out front with plenty of space for marvelous tenor work – and it features Parisian bassist Pierre Michelot, plus Americans Bud Powell on piano and Kenny Clarke on drums – two players who were already making a bit name for themselves overseas. The album's a perfect link between Gordon's earlier American work and his long string of European sessions to come – and titles include a great take of "Scrapple from the Apple", plus excellent readings of "Stairway to the Stars" and "Night in Tunisia". The format is simple, but the sound is magic – classic Dexter Gordon in a tight Blue Note mode! CD reissue also includes 2 non LP bonus cuts – "Our Love Is Here To Stay" and "Like Someone In Love". CD

One of the first giant hits by the Grateful Dead – and a record that has the group tightening things up a bit more, and stepping into some of the country-tinged territory of The Byrds and Flying Burrito Brothers! Turns out, the move is a great one – as the songs come across with a real down to earth charm that maybe humanizes the group a bit more for the uninitiated listener – a mix of northern Cali pastoral with some of the musical dexterity they'd brought with them from the Haight – folded together perfectly, with a quality that's made the album one of their best-remembered over the decades. Titles include "Uncle John's Band" – maybe their biggest hit at the time – plus "Dire Wolf", "New Speedway Boogie", "Cumberland Blues", "Casey Jones", "Easy Wind", "High Time", and "Black Peter". CD

The best work by Guy – one of those soul groups that showed up on the scene just when we'd lost faith in soul groups, and breathed whole new life into the harmony format! The trio was a key part of Teddy Riley's new jack sound – but they had a deeper quality that's helped them last strongly for years. The set's a nice overview of their work, and features 17 tracks in all – including "Teddy's Jam", "I Like", "Spend The Night", "Round & Round", "Groove Me", "Teddy's Jam 2", "Why You Wanna Keep Me From My Baby", "Wanna Get With You", and "Piece Of My Love". CD

An essential collection – mostly Capitol gems from the 60s and 70s, with some unreleased tracks – and a few key cuts from later years too! CD

Duets by Jim Hall and Pat Metheny – both on guitar. CD

A true classic by Jimi with the original Experience lineup – the third of three straight up masterpiece LPs to comeout in just over a year's time by the group! You could call the leftfield astral effects in the mix experimental if you had to – innovations in the studio with echo, that hallucinatory backwards sound effect and other stranger bits – but the passionate, naturally expressive playing and singing by Jimi makes it all fell just right, and the Noel Redding and Mitch Mitchell still don't get enough credit for being at the heart of such greatness. A massive 2LP effort that include s"Voodoo Chile", "Crosstown Traffic", "Electric Ladyland", "Little Miss Strange", "Moon Turn The Tides", "Still Raining Still Dreaming" and "All Along The Watchtower". CD