Fantastic girl pop from mid 60s London – tunes that go way past the sweeter hit modes of singers like Petula Clark and Sandie Shaw – and which often have some surprisingly soulful currents, too! All the work here is from the Pye Records studios of the time – a very groovy label who've given us some excellent jazz, rock, and instrumental sides – but who seem especially well-suited to bring all that experience to bear when they work with female singers! There's a bounce and groove to most numbers here, making the Brit blue-eyed tracks surprisingly strong play for a soulful dancefloor – and titles include "Da Di Da Da" by The Satin Bells, "Something To Give" by Nita Rossi, "Come On Baby" by Kim D, "Scratch My Back" by Jan Panter, "Every Day" by Billie Davis, "Now That You've Made Up Your Mind" by Val McKenna, "He Doesn't Love Me" by The Breakaways, "We Were Lovers" by Sandra Barry, "It's Hard To Believe It" by Glenda Collins, "I've Found Love" by Sharon Tandy, "It's So Fine" by Dee King, and "He Knows I Love Him Too Much" by Glo Macari. CD

... LP, Vinyl record album

Amazing grooves from a completely unlike source – Wales! With a strange language and a windswept location, one would hardly imagine the Welsh groove of the 70s to be anything of note – but it turns out that the records coming out on the Sain label were even more mindblowing than some of the best baroque French and Italian bits of the time! There's an approach here that's partly acid folk, partly jazzy groove – but also in a really unique territory that carves out its own space in sound – similar to the way that Serge Gainsbourg and others of his generation openly reached out to other styles of the time, and forged them into a surprisingly funky batch of tunes. And given that the Welsh language is highly consonant-based, and extremely rhythmic, even when there's not funky backings on some of these tunes, there's still an undeniable sense of groove that really amazing. Even the production is out of this world too – with strange twists and turns that out-do the best underground talents working at the time – and which create a real sense of timelessness to these tunes that's also only matched by our joy in discovering them! A real winner from the always-great Finders Keepers label – and like their Jean-Claude Vannier reissue, the kind of a record that will open your eyes to a whole new world in sound! Titles include "Dwr" by Huw Jones, "Penhryn Gwyn" by Heather Jones, "Breuddwyd" by Bran, "Calan Gaeaf" by Edward H Dafis, "Hwiangerdd" by Eleri Llwyd, "Mathonwy" by Huw Jones, "Chi Sydd Ar Fai" by Nia Ben Aur, "Hedfan" by Gillian Elisa, "Y Crwydryn A Mi" by Meic Stevens, and "Godro'r Fuwch" by Y Tebot Piws. CD

A really great UK-only single - recorded at the Royal Albert Hall, with full Philharmonic Orchestra backing! 12-inch, Vinyl record

A masterpiece of southern soul – even if the record hides underneath a somewhat unassuming cover! The set was originally done for the Back Beat side of the Duke/Peacock label from Houston – but was recorded in Memphis with some great early work from Willie Mitchell, all in a lean mode that's somewhat different than the style he was developing over at Hi Records! Here, there's more of a focus on the wonderfully raspy charms of OV Wright's vocals – very personal, and very unique – all at a level that's quite different than so many of his deep soul contemporaries. As the title hints, the set features the two classic tracks "Nickel & A Nail" and "Ace Of Spades" – plus other great cuts that include "Don't Let My Baby Ride", "He Made Woman For Man", "Eight Men Four Women", "Don't Take It Away", and "Afflicted". CD

OV Wright at the top of his game – working here with classic Memphis production from Willie Mitchell, and a sound that should have knocked Al Green right off of the charts! Wright's vocals have a rougher edge than Al's, and the record's really dripping with deep soul feeling – a slow-burning energy that's perfectly handled by Mitchell, in ways that echo some of OV's bluesier roots, but keeps things in the more sophisticated Memphis modes of the 70s. The balance is perfect, and instrumentation is handled by a batch of Hi Records regulars – including the Memphis Horns with Wayne Jackson and Andrew Love. Wright really rises to the occasion for the whole album, and the set's arguably better than any of his later work for Hi – although that stuff is all pretty darn wonderful too! Titles include "I've Been Searching", "Lost In The Shuffle", "I'd Rather Be Blind Crippled & Crazy", "Ghetto Child", "You Must Believe In Yourself", and "I'm Going Home". Beautiful reissue pressing too – with deep notes on the music, details of the session, vintage images, and even an OV Wright Discography too! CD

Dig jazz on the screen? Here's a great book to help you spend your jazz video dollars wisely – filled with reviews by All Music Guide essential writer Scott Yanow! Reviews are Yanow's life, and he really does a great job here of summing up jazz performances both on music-specific videos and films, and as they appear in certain Hollywood movies. The book's divided up into 4 sections – one on music videos and DVDs, one on Hollywood films, one on TV Specials and documentaries, and one on miscellaneous related music in film. There's a heck of a lot here that we'd forgotten about – and even more that we never even knew before! 314 pages, softcover. Book

OV Wright at the top of his game – working here with classic Memphis production from Willie Mitchell, and a sound that should have knocked Al Green right off of the charts! Wright's vocals have a rougher edge than Al's, and the record's really dripping with deep soul feeling – a slow-burning energy that's perfectly handled by Mitchell, in ways that echo some of OV's bluesier roots, but keeps things in the more sophisticated Memphis modes of the 70s. The balance is perfect, and instrumentation is handled by a batch of Hi Records regulars – including the Memphis Horns with Wayne Jackson and Andrew Love. Wright really rises to the occasion for the whole album, and the set's arguably better than any of his later work for Hi – although that stuff is all pretty darn wonderful too! Titles include "I've Been Searching", "Lost In The Shuffle", "I'd Rather Be Blind Crippled & Crazy", "Ghetto Child", "You Must Believe In Yourself", and "I'm Going Home". LP, Vinyl record album

A masterpiece of southern soul – even if the record hides underneath a somewhat unassuming cover! The set was originally done for the Back Beat side of the Duke/Peacock label from Houston – but was recorded in Memphis with some great early work from Willie Mitchell, all in a lean mode that's somewhat different than the style he was developing over at Hi Records! Here, there's more of a focus on the wonderfully raspy charms of OV Wright's vocals – very personal, and very unique – all at a level that's quite different than so many of his deep soul contemporaries. As the title hints, the set features the two classic tracks "Nickel & A Nail" and "Ace Of Spades" – plus other great cuts that include "Don't Let My Baby Ride", "He Made Woman For Man", "Eight Men Four Women", "Don't Take It Away", and "Afflicted". LP, Vinyl record album

Way more than just the usual Philly grooves – much less the American radio hits that always show up on sets like this, and instead a beautiful batch of soaring east coast soul tracks – just the sort of Philly soul that's played big on dancefloors for decades over in the UK! Some of the artists here are ones you'll know, but are usually represented by some more obscure cuts – mixed together with a few familiar numbers that have become classics over the past few decades, thanks to strong revival in the hands of global DJs! Titles include "Let's Clean Up The Ghetto" by The Philadelphia International All Stars, "Smarty Pants" by First Choice, "Trusting Heart" by The Trammps, "I Trust You" by Billy Paul, "Strut Your Funky Stuff" by Frantique, "Party Time Man" by The Futures, "I Told You So" by The Delfonics, "This Time Baby" by The O'Jays, "Can't Believe That You Love Me" by Bunny Sigler, and "Nobody Could Ever Take Your Place" by Dee Dee Sharp. CD

British keyboardist Joe Armon-Jones has always worked in territory that's way past conventional jazz, as part of his key role on the contemporary London scene – one that's definitely furthered here in a collaboration with percussionist Mala, on a set of tracks that seem to echo some of the darker electric currents of that city's scene in years past, while also pointing the way towards new experiments of the future! Joe handles keyboards, bass, and electronics on most tracks – and Mala's rhythms often feel electric, although are billed as acoustic – on instrumentals that are mostly lean overall, and lower-moving than any sort of broken beat – until the final track, when added guitar, trumpet, and tenor expand the color palette nicely. Titles include "Oh Lord", "What It Is", "All Ways", "The Truth", and "A Way Back". LP, Vinyl record album

One of John Barry's first true moments of genius – recorded back when he was the leader of a fab little instrumental combo called the John Barry 7, and was tagged to do some soundtrack work that would forever change the rest of his career! The album's got some incredible instrumental tunes that mix electric guitar and beatnik jazz in a mode that's keeping with the juvenile delinquent theme of the film – with some strings sneaking in to cheese things up a bit, but in a great way that only makes the tunes sound even better! Adam Faith sings vocals on "The Beat Girl Song", "Made You", and "I Did What You Told Me" – and other tunes include "Blues For Beatnicks", "Blondie's Strip", "Beat Girl", "Time Out", "The Sharks", and "The City 2000 AD". CD also includes the 1961 album Stringbeat. CD

Ray Bryant's turning his soul jazz piano to a set of film themes here – grooving familiar numbers with a nice little groove – but still also keeping a bit of a soundtrack feel! Richard Wess scored some larger arrangements for the record – providing a sweeping backdrop that's a nice foil for Ray's piano – and titles include "Exodus", "Laura", "Affair To Remember", "True Love", "Three Coins In A Fountain", "The High & The Mighty" and "On Green Dolphin Street". LP, Vinyl record album

This is Just-Ice's first single, with a track that didn't make it to the LP, plus the original version of "Latoya" that's better than the LP version. "Put That Record Back On" is the cut here, with classic Mantronix production, from around the same time as his other big singles. And all the cuts include a whole lot of nice beat boxing from the Human DMX. 12-inch, Vinyl record

This is a pretty jazzy record compared to the usual Mancini soundtrack-type stuff. It's mostly mellow the whole way through and has some very nice moments due to the quality of the playing. His orchestra includes such folks as Pete Condoli on trumpet, Dick Nash on trombone, Johnny Williams on piano, Victor Feldman on vibes & marimba and Larry Bunker on vibes. There is only one Mancini original – "The Beat" – and the others are jazz standards such as "Misty", "After Hours", "Mood Indigo", "Tippin In", "Sing, Sing, Sing", and "Big Noise From Winnetka". LP, Vinyl record album

Beautifully breaking soul from Erik Rico – a CD that brings together two albums in a wonderfully overstuffed package – one that's bristling with cosmic energy from the start! There's a really electric feel to the music – a sound that puts Erik right in the company of artists he shouts out to in the credits – Domu, YamWho, IG Culture, and other contemporary masters of the broken beat and jazzy keyboard! Rico's groove is a bit different from the rest, though – not a copycat of London modes, but a laidback style that's almost a bit more organic at times – very song-based, and filled with vocals that really soar along beautifully. And even with the double-length assortment of tracks, the album never runs out of steam – continuing to delight our ears with each new track, and making us instant fans of Erik's music! Titles include "Welcome To The Space Age", "Making Love", "Glamour Girl", "Today", "Electromagnetic", "So Much Greater", "Forever", "Backstroke", "Never Let You Go", and "Let's Lay Together". CD

Although he's best known for his vocal R&B hit "Heartbreak", Jon Thomas was also a darn good organist, and this mid 50s album for Mercury's a nice batch of sides in the same tradition as contemporaneous work by Bill Doggett and Doc Bagby. The tracks are short and lively, and Jon plays with most of the stops out, for a vibrato-heavy sound. Titles include "Blu Jon", "Hot Tip", "Fat Back", "Go & See", and "Jelly Belly". LP, Vinyl record album

A slept on set of charismatic, slow cooking bluesy soul and rock and roll from John Hammond for Capricorn – cool stuff with a lazy, laconic groove that's pretty much irresistable! It doesn't sit firmly in any category, it just sounds like the work of a bunch of cats with southern roots or a deeply ingrained love of southern music – blues, soul and anything that'd sound good on a hot night in a beer joint – doing what they wanna do and doing it very well. Includes "Can't Beat The Kid", "It Might Be Crazy", "I Hate To See You Go", "Diddley Daddy", "Help Me", "Terraplane Blues", "Screamin' And Cryin'", "Rag Mama", "It's Mighty Crazy", "Drop Down Mama" and more. Produced by Eddie Hinton – who also plays guitar and some piano on the set, and a killer group that includes the great Kenny Buttrey on drums and Spooner Oldham on piano. LP, Vinyl record album

With selections by Amaswazi Emvelo, Mahlathini & The Mahotella Queens, Johnson Mkhalali, JJ Chauke & The Tiyimeleni Sisters, Umahlathini Nabo, and Bra Sello. LP, Vinyl record album

Some of the other singles we've heard by Afro Rican are more in the Miami bass mode, like the b-side to this single, with a really hyped beat, some popping electro touches, a great cut'n'paste approach to the sampled bits and nice scratching. The a-side keeps the tempo a bit lower, with a funky Sly Stone sample, and some decent enough rhymes, considering the vintage. An unexpected treat from the late 80s dirty south. 12-inch, Vinyl record

A really wonderful back to basics session for Basie – featuring arrangements by longtime band members Frank Foster, Erick Dixon, Bobby Plater, and Thad Jones! The set also features vocals on 2 tracks by bluesy vocalist Richard Boone – a singer with a really great scatting approach – but overall, the real strength is the horn section, particularly Al Aarons, Dixon, and Eddie Lockjaw Davis – who all get in some very nice solo work. Tracks are mostly older numbers, Basie-ized – and played with a laidback tone that's a real contrast from the higher energy early 60s recordings. Titles include "Squeeze Me", "Frankie & Johnny", "Boone's Blues", "I Got Rhythm", and "Hey Jim". LP, Vinyl record album

Early bossa jazz from Sergio Mendes – recorded with his famous Bossa Rio combo, in the years before he moved to America! The album's a classic in Brazilian jazz – a tight album of bossa-inflected jazz tunes played with razor-sharp precision, handled with a style that went on to influence countless other Brazilian groups at the time. Mendes is in the lead on piano, and other players include Edison Machado on drums, Raul De Souza on trombone, and Hector Costita on tenor sax. The whole thing's great – a masterpiece of both jazz and bossa – and it's filled with classic tunes arranged by Jobim, Moacir Santos, and Sergio himself. Titles include "Nana", "Primitivo", "Desafinado", "Ela E Carioca", "Amor Em Paz", "Noa Noa", and "Neurotico". LP, Vinyl record album

Whodini's third LP, and a set that has the group still going strong! Titles include the hits "One Love" and "Funky Beat", the goofy "I'm A Ho" – and the titles "The Good Part", "Echo Scratch", "Growing Up", and "Fugitive". LP, Vinyl record album

A great collection put together in the late 80s highlighting some of the best soul and R&B instrumental tracks issued on Sue. 14 tracks in all, including "I've Got A Woman (part one)", "MG Blues" and "All About My Girl" by Jimmy McGriff, "The New Breed (parts 1 & 2)" and "Going Home" by Ike Turner, 'Fat Back" and "Good Time Tonight" by Bill Doggett, "June's Blues" and "Chicken Scratch" by the Commandos, "So Far Away" and "Monkey Hips &Rice" by Hank Jacobs, "Stick Shift" by the Duals and "Soul At Sunrise" by Juggy Murray Jones. LP, Vinyl record album

A very nice batch of fusion tracks – issued here in a Japanese-only album – with the requisite Brazilian touches you'd expect from the title! The record features some great guest work on trumpet – either by Terumasa Hino or Shunzo Ono, both of whom are some of Japan's greatest players on the instrument – and the rest of the group includes Claudio Celso on guitar, Dudaca Fonseca on drums, Alfredo Cardim on piano, and David Sacks on trombone. All tracks are originals, and the horn solos are especially strong – much more firey than usual for this sort of record. Titles include "De Repente", "Vento", "Divagando", "Contelacao", and "Festa De Sao Joao". LP, Vinyl record album

Yipes! What a bitter title – especially when you consider that Gerry actually added a piano to the group for this session, and that he's playing versions of 60s pop hits like "King Of The Road", "Downtown", "Mr Tambourine Man", "Hard Day's Night", and "Can't Buy Me Love". However, the pianist is Pete Jolly, and he's backed by Jimmy Bond on bass and Hal Blaine on drums, both of whom give the album a groovy LA pop instrumental feel – one that has Gerry soloing over the top in some of the fastest, tightest baritone work he put on wax at the time. A bit odd – but worth it alone for the photo on the inside of the cover, which has Gerry shrugging his shoulders in defeat! LP, Vinyl record album

A smoking set of work from Tito Puente – four classic albums, wrapped together in a single package – with a bonus album of rare material too! First up is Cuban Carnival – one of Tito Puente's finest albums for RCA, with a tight hard bunch of cuts that have a Cuban big band sound, and a lot more drive to them than some of Tito's other work for the label. Ray Bryant wrote the great track "Cuban Fantasy", and Tito contributed most of the other tunes on the set – a really unique batch of material that includes "Yambeque", "Elegua Chango", "Que Sera", and "Cha Cha De Pollos". The percussion is nice and hard, and the band grooves in tight ensemble playing throughout! Night Beat is a really jazzy effort that was cut with a top-shelf list of players! The groove's a bit different than some of Tito's other work – but in a good way, and one that has him stretching past straight Latin to mix in a heavy dose of jazz – really getting the most of players who include Eddie Bert on trombone, Gene Quill on saxes, Bernie Glow on trumpet, and Barry Galbraith on guitar. The rhythms are key – and in addition to drums from Jimmy Cobb, the album also features Mongo Santamaria on congas and Willy Correa on bongos – not to mention more percussion from Tito himself! Dance Mania is a burner of a set from Tito Puente – very well titled to suit the energy of the session! The tracks are all highly rhythmic numbers – short, but filled with jazzy horn flourishes and the kind of snapping rhythms that made the Puente group one of the biggest crossover favorites of the 50s. Tunes nicely mix up vocals with some more pronounced jazz soloing – getting a heck of a lot into a relatively small space, and really keeping up the energy of the record overall. Revolving Bandstand is a joint project from Tito Puente and Buddy Morrow – both leaders who recorded some great work for the label in the 50s, sounding great here in a unique variation on their classic sounds! The album has both Morrow and Puente playing back to back – creating a "revolving bandstand" that has both groups playing the same tunes at the same time – a very odd approach, but one that comes off well here – mixing Tito's Latin and Buddy's swing nicely, without too much confusion in the instrumentation. There's some great vibes on a few tracks! Last up is Tito Puente Quatro Bonus Edition – a set that features 13 rare tracks, with singles, outtakes, and more – including "La Virgen De La Macarena", "Moonlight In Vermont", "The Continental (alt take)", "Blue Moon (alt)", "Ran Kan Kan", "Timbal Y Bongo", and many outtakes of "Pa Los Rumberos"! All LPs on 180 gram vinyl – with liner notes too! LP, Vinyl record album

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

A great chapter in 60s bossa jazz – Zoot Sims "answer" to Stan Getz's bossa work on Verve – recorded in a similar jazz-meets-bossa style, with some great guitar work by Jim Hall! Zoot's solos are a bit tighter and not as laidback as Stan's – giving a more jazz-based sound to the work that makes for a nice change – and most of the tunes feature larger backings from Manny Albam and Al Cohn – never too over-arranged, but with enough of a full swinging sound to set things right. Hall's guitar works surprisingly well in the setting – and titles include "Barquinho De Papel", "Ciume", "Recado Bossa Nova (parts 1 & 2)", and "Cano Canoe". LP, Vinyl record album

A great batch of songs by legendary New Orleans R&B and soul producer Dave Bartholomew – recorded by a sprawling line-up of soul, pop, R&B and rockers – another revelatory set in the Ace Records series of songwriter compilations! The numbers here stretch back to the 50s and continue up to the end of the 60s/start of the 70s – with Bartholomew-penned tunes done here by Fats Domino, Shirley & Lee, Elvis Presley, Johnny Burnette, Brenda Lee, Georgie Fame, Bobby Charles, Tami Lynn, Bobby Mitchell, Dave Bartholomew himself and many more! 25 tracks in all: "The Fat Man" by Fats Domino, "Ain't Gonna Do It" by The Pelicans, "Blue Monday" by Georgie Fame & The Blue Fames, "Sick And Tired" by Neville Grant, "One Night Of Sin" by Tami Lynn, "The Big Beat" bh The Del Vikings, "The Monkey" by Dave Bartholomew and many more. CD