... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

One of the most all-out comedic efforts from The Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band – a set that strongly shows their frequent association with the Monty Python crowd – and which comes off with a very similar sense of humor! The post-modern pastiche is in full effect here – as snippets of influences from all over the 20th century come into play in the set – acoustic swing, rootsy rock, novelty pop, and 60s psychedelia – strung together with a style that's almost visual at times, and which leaps from the groove with tremendous delight in its own sense of play! Vivian Standshall's spoken bits are especially great – and titles include "Shirts", "Hunting Tigers Out In Indiah", "Tubas In The Moonlight", "Monster Mash", "I'm The Urban Spaceman", "Ali Baba's Camel", "By A Waterfall", "Mr Apollo", and "Canyons Of Your Mind". LP, Vinyl record album

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Some of the most tuneful moments on record from the Bonzo Dog Band – a set that's got some really great songs, but which still allows some space for gags and jokes as well! After three previous albums together, even with a shifting lineup, the group have obviously gotten their groove down a bit more – and the result is some focused little numbers that stand out strongly, and which almost show a more sensitive and (dare we say it!) serious side of the group. All the older sense of dada-inspired play is still at the core, though – and even though there's less radio parodies or audio experiments, the tuneful tracks still have some trippy, psyche-styled moments. Titles include "Tent", "You Done My Brain In", "Keynsham", "Quiet Talks & Summer Walks", "Look At Me I'm Wonderful", "What Do You Do", "Noises For The Leg", and "Busted". LP, Vinyl record album

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A sweet mix of Brazilian grooves and New York attitude – an overlooked session from the end of the 90s – recorded in the US by Brazilian saxman Leo Gandelman, with soulful help from a variety of American players – including Reuben Wilson on organ and both Charlie Hunter and Grant Green Jr on guitar! There's a rich sort of 70s vibe to the record – a tight, funky blend of jazzy riffing and Brazilian percussion, all put together at a level that almost reminds us of Kudu Records at its best – lean, soulful, and surprisingly focused throughout – a great step forward for Gandelman, and for percussionist Juliano Zanoni, who co-arranged the set with Leo, and also wrote most of the tunes. Supposedly, the record never saw the light of day when it was recorded – making this sweet Far Out package its first-ever release! Titles include "Safari", "Pau Grande", "April 7th", "Dance", "Prince Samba", "Groove In The Head", "Pirulito", and "Charlie 1". CD

A smoking set of work from the Edgar Broughton Band – a wealth of live recordings done for the BBC, all at the same time the group were really making waves on Harvest Records! If you don't know the EBB, they're amazing – kind of gruff and gritty – not really hard rock, but less polished than most prog groups too – often with this long-haired, freak flag flying approach that comes through maybe even more strongly here in the live material than on some of their studio sessions! And while some groups can come across super-polished in a BBC setting, these guys really seem to want to shake up the staid broadcasting giant – and really push things a lot in these performances. The 4CD set features a massive 40 tracks in all – some of which are quite long – from a variety of programs on CD 1, then specific performances – so that CD2 features a John Peel Sunday Concert from 2/25/71, CD3 and 4 features Radio 1 In Concert from 5/11/72 – a very long show presented in both the original broadcast mono, and the stereo take for BBC Transcription services. And, in the best Esoteric fashion, the packaging is great and there's a big booklet of notes! CD

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A great third album from Staten Island instrumental funk titans The Budos Band – who've brought eclectic inspiration all along and have always colored from a much broader palette of styles than most of their peers – going even further this time out and delivering their best yet! The Daptone House Of Soul blueprint is a big part of the recipe, as it should be. Classic funky soul grit holds it all together and each cut has an unshakable groove, but with that in full effect, the group is free to explore. The Budos horns are as impeccable and communicative as ever, with brass that ranges from classic stateside funk and Afro influences. The percussion (bongos, clave, cowbell and more) is just as broadly thought out and tightly delivered, snakey bass lines, flute and the sometimes secret weapon on Budos Band III, the electric organ – which brings a bit of a garage psych/funk rock vibe. Truly exceptional work from the one of the best bands of their generation! Includes "Rite Of The Ancients", "Black Venom", "River Serpentine", "Unbroken, Unshaven", "Nature's Wrath", "Golden Dune's", "Budo's Dirge", "Raja Haje", "Crimson Skies", "Mark Of The Unnamed" and "Reppirt Yad" (a funked up Lennon/McCartney cover...read it backwards, kids). LP, Vinyl record album

That's a real Roger Dean-styled image on the cover, which maybe heralds the sound that's going on here for the Budos Band – an approach that's even heavier than before, with maybe stronger guitar and bass at times – yet a vibe that still bristles with the group's great use of percussion and horns! There's maybe a new sort of majesty going on here – as if someone whispered to the band that they could be at the top of the deep funk spectrum if they stepped on the gas a bit more – which they definitely do on this super-sharp set, delivering a half-dozen tunes that are completely smoking throughout! Titles include "Devil Doesn't Dance", "Kritn", "Crescent Blue", "Passage To Ashinol", "Curled Steel", and "Frontier's Edge". CD

That's a real Roger Dean-styled image on the cover, which maybe heralds the sound that's going on here for the Budos Band – an approach that's even heavier than before, with maybe stronger guitar and bass at times – yet a vibe that still bristles with the group's great use of percussion and horns! There's maybe a new sort of majesty going on here – as if someone whispered to the band that they could be at the top of the deep funk spectrum if they stepped on the gas a bit more – which they definitely do on this super-sharp set, delivering a half-dozen tunes that are completely smoking throughout! Titles include "Devil Doesn't Dance", "Kritn", "Crescent Blue", "Passage To Ashinol", "Curled Steel", and "Frontier's Edge". LP, Vinyl record album

An archetypal album from the legendary Paul Butterfield – and a set that would shape the sound of countless blues rock records to come! Despite what you might think of the genre or its many later incarnations, there's a raw power here that's really amazing – the young Butterfield and his Chicago comperes, hanging out at clubs on the south side, drinking in the relatively new electric sound of the city, and turning out a groove that's a lot more hard-edged than some of the overseas imitators at the time! Paul's pretty darn great on vocals and harmonica – but the group has some even more powerful sounds in the twin guitar talents of Mike Bloomfield and Elvin Bishop – the former on slide, the latter on rhythm – along with Jerome Arnold on bass, Sam Lay on drums, and Mark Naftalin on some Hammond too. Titles include "Blues With A Feeling", "Born In Chicago", "Shake Your Money Maker", "Mystery Train", "Screamin", "Last Night", and "Look Over Yonders Wall". LP, Vinyl record album

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Titles include "Walkin Blues", "Get Out Of My Life Woman", "Mary Mary", "East West", "Two Trains Running", and "Work Song". LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic funky record from the Butterfield Blues Band – a set that's much less in the blues style from which the group took their name, and very strongly in the hipper mixed-up blend of styles that were happening on the Cali scene at the end of the 60s! Paul still leads the group on harmonica and vocals – but the latter often have a lot more of a loose, freewheeling soul sort of approach – as he's backed by a very cool group that's heavy on horns mixed with tight guitar and mighty nice basslines – plus piano from Jerry Ragovoy, who produced the whole set! Phillip Wilson provides some great drums – which are a key part of the funky cuts – and titles include "Love March", "No Amount Of Loving", "Love Disease", "So Far So Good", "Buddy's Advice", "Losing Hand", "Where Did My Baby Go", "All In A Day", and "Morning Sunrise". LP, Vinyl record album

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... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

A hard slammer from the Clarke-Boland Big Band – recorded when the band was burning up the road in Europe, taking great players and audiences in one fell swoop, coming up with some of the strongest straight jazz of their generation! The album features stunning solos all around by an all-star mix of American and European players that includes Benny Bailey, Johnny Griffin, Tony Coe, Dave Pike, Sahib Shihab, and Ronnie Scott – all coming together with incredibly fluidity, yet also breaking out for some massive solos on their own! Arrangements are by Boland – tight, right, and outta site – and titles include "Let's Face The Music & Dance", "High School Cadets", "By Strauss", "Gloria", "Sweet & Lovely", "Get Out Of Town", and "I'm All Smiles". CD

U.S. double LP reissue of two great sides of hard swinging, hard grooving jazz by the great Clark-Boland Big Band. This is some of the best European jazz to be recorded in the late 60's, and one of the best ways to hear "lost" geniuses like Benny Bailey, Sahib Shihab, Jimmy Woode, Shake Keane, and Jimmy Deuchar – not to mention more famous players like Ronnie Scott, Eddie Davis, and Johnny Griffin. Great all the way through, with loads of tight short cuts like "The Turk", "Milkshake", "November Girl", "Peter's Waltz", and "New Box". Big on the international club scene, and big on the south side of Chicago. How can you go wrong? LP, Vinyl record album

Great work by this legendary hard swinging band – an early 60s American album issued on Atlantic Records, in the years before the Clark Boland Band's legendary run on MPS! Despite the early date, the album's got all the core elements of the band's sound in place – soaring rhythms, sharp-edged frontlines, and some great solo work by players who include Benny Bailey, Derek Humble, Jimmy Woode, Shahib Shihab, Idrees Sulieman, and Fats Sadi – coming together in a brilliant trans-Atlantic meeting of jazz talents! Tracks include "Long Note Blues", "Speedy Reeds", "Sonor", and "Om Mani Padme Hum". LP, Vinyl record album

A rare treat from the legendary Clarke-Boland Big Band – a sublime set of Italian soundtrack numbers first recorded in 1968! The set was cut at the height of the Italian soundtrack golden age, in Italy, where the group had been working and recording heavily – making for a perfect fit of styles: the sweet and groovy compositions of talents like Nino Rota, Armando Trovajoli, Piero Piccioni, and others, handled with the fire and energy that had become the trademark of the Clarke-Boland ensemble! The set grooves very nicely – with hard-swinging versions of tracks that include "More", "Seven Golden Men", "Your Smile", "Saxology", "La Hora De La Verdad", "Canto D'Amore", and "Questi Vent Anni Miei". CD

... LP, Vinyl record album

Clive Palmer definitely has an original band here – a group who have some of the acoustic elements of The Incredible String Band, of which he was a part – but who also come across with a sound that's a lot more ancient, dark, and spooky too! Vocals are by Clive and Mick Bennett – both singers with a very moody approach – almost weary from battles in the field, coming back home to tell their tales – set to instrumentation that includes key use of organ amidst the acoustic elements, but almost as if it's a pump organ, which gives all the songs this wonderfully downbeat sort of vibe – a bit like when Nico uses harmonium. The set's definitely on the darkest side of the acid folk spectrum, and maybe has echoes of Current 93 and Wicker Man as well – on titles that include "Eleven Willows", "I Told Her", "Oh Bright Eyed One", "Heart Dancer", "Let It Be You", and "Solomon's Song". CD

Baba Commandant serves up a wonderful blend here – tight Afro Funk mixed with rootsier elements from mandingue – all at a level that really makes the album stand out from the pack! There's some especially great performances on ngoni and balafon, both instruments that get some key placement on the album's leaner tracks – which have the fuller sound of the driving numbers step back slightly, but all without ever losing the groove! The recording quality is great – never too polished, and the music is put forth in a way that makes the whole thing feel like some under-discovered nugget from years past – with titles that include "Wariko", "Semayala", "Afro Mandingo", "Serejugu", and "Chasser Les Sachets". CD

With Scott Hamilton on tenor, Warren Vache on cornet and flugelhorn, Cal Collins on guitar, Jake Hanna on drums, Ross Tompkins on piano, and Monty Budwig on bass. LP, Vinyl record album

An all-star group from Concord Records – with Dave McKenna on piano, Jake Hanna on drums, Cal Collins on guitar, Scott Hamilton on tenor sax, Phil Flanigan on bass, and Warren Vache on coronet – plus some guest vocals from Anli Sugano – all recorded live in Tokyo! LP, Vinyl record album

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... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

Tracks include "It Ain't Necessarily So," "Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye," "Ida Lupino," and more. CD

The Dazz Band are in a definite hot spot here – the group's final album for Motown, and a record that's filled with the kind of catchy crossover funk they did better than most! The set snaps into a groove right from the very first note – with that electro funk that Motown served up big in the wake of Rick James, and which the Dazz Band only improve with their rock-solid sound on the set – a mode that has all the instrumental elements coming down sharp on the rhythms, topped by some back/forth group vocals that almost have a Jacksons vibe – except for the tracks in which they get processed with a bit of electro-soul modes! Titles include "If Only You Were In My Shoes", "Hot Spot", "Paranoid", "All The Way", "She Used To Be My Girl", "When You Need Roses", and Slow Rap". LP, Vinyl record album

The Dazz Band are definitely on the one here – or maybe on the two, as the album's balanced between one side of groovers, and one side of mellow cuts – an approach that was not uncommon for funk groups at the time! By the time of this set, Dazz were well known for their bass-heavy cuts, and were part of that new generation of groups who were helping to reinvent funk for the new decade – yet the mellower cuts are maybe more of a revelation, and really help balance out the group's sound, with some especially nice moments that have the harmonies coming across with a wonderful vibe! Titles include "Cheek To Cheek", "On The One For Fun", "Stay Awhile With Me", "Nice Girls", and "A Love Song". CD

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... 78 RPM, Vinyl record

Dylan & The Band's legendary Basement Tapes – those amazing late 60s Woodstock recordings – and an album that was a classic long before it was officially released in the mid 70s! Bootleg after bootleg of some these recordings might have sold enough copies on the grey market in the early 70s to go platinum back in the day, so there's little wonder that Columbia would finally get some kind of official release out there – and it lives up to the legend! Dylan's conversational, seemingly spontaneous lyricism stretches over a good portion of it, with some much more soulful numbers, too – and those are all the more effective with The Band's incredible instrumentation, backing and occasional lead vocals. Includes "Odds And Ends", "Million Dollar Bash", "Tears Of Rage", "Tiny Montgomery", "Nothing Was Delivered", "Too Much Of Nothing", "Clothes Line Saga", "You Ain't Goin Nowhere", "Open The Door, Homer", "This Wheel's On Fire, "Crash On the Levee (Down In The Flood)", "Long Distance Operator". CD

With Adrian Gurvitz. LP, Vinyl record album

The evergreens here go way back – tunes from the earliest years of jazz, served up by a Seattle combo with a real dedication to their work! The group's an octet, led by bassist Tom Jacobus, who also plays tuba at times – and other players include Jake Powel on soprano and alto, Craig Flory on clarinet and alto, David Holo on cornet, and David Loomis on trombone and a bit of kazoo! Titles include "Stomp Off Let's Go", "On The Bay Of Old Bombay", "Apex Blues", "Got Everything", "Blues In The Air", "Minor Drag", "Swipesy Cake Walk", "Play Me A Frigid Air", "Stock Yards Strutt", "Nappy Lee", "She's Funny That Way", "Every Evening", "Kangaroo Hop", "Wa Wa Wa", "Put 'Em Down Blues", "Ring Dem Bells", and "Ding Dong Blues". CD

With Jack Glottman on piano. CD

One of three amazing albums the Fatback Band cut for the Perception label in the early 70s – and a set that's definitely the most soulful of the bunch! The difference here is that the group opens up some space for lead vocals from the great Johnny King – a singer with a really unique sound, and one whose special touch brings plenty to the already-great funky instrumentation of the group – deepening their sound in all the right ways! The set features both vocal and instrumental versions of Weldon Irvine's great cut "Feeling Mellow" – done even better than the original – and other cuts include "Makin' Love", "Sketches of Life", "Meet Me Over My House", and "Three Dimensional World". CD

Funky Fatback from the mid and late 70s – not as scratchy and hard as the group's earlier recordings on the Perception label, as most of these are pulled from their later work for the Event and Spring labels, but still pretty darn nice! The set kicks off with two funky 45 classics – "Mr Bass Man" and "Wicky Wacky" – then rolls into a set that takes the group from the funky shack to the dancefloor, as Fatback expand their sound a bit more for the late 70s club scene. Titles include "Feeling", "Party Time", "The Man With The Band", "I Feel Real Good", "The Joint", "Feed Me Your Love", "Freak The Funk The Funk (Rock)", "Put Your Love In My Tender Care", and "Changed Man". CD

Quite possibly the last really hard-hitting funk album from The Fatback Band – and although their first record on the Event label, a set that cooks every bit as hard as their first few for Perception! The style here is funky 45 soul at its best – lots of hard crackling drums, funky rumpling bass, and enough choppy guitar to level a whole forest in one swoop! Lyrics are part of most numbers, but they're often in the bad-rapping or call and response mode of the People Music album – except for a few sweeter numbers which also sound pretty nice too! "Keep On Stepping" is a great little funky number – as are "Wicky Wacky", "Mr. Bass Man", and "New York Style". We also love the sweet soul track "Love", which has some great vocals, a great hook, and which sounds like a tune from their Feel My Soul LP! Other tracks include "Can't Stop The Flame", "Feeling", and "Breaking Up With Someone You Love Is Hard To Do". CD

Quite possibly the last really hard-hitting funk album from The Fatback Band – and although their first record on the Event label, a set that cooks every bit as hard as their first few for Perception! The style here is funky 45 soul at its best – lots of hard crackling drums, funky rumpling bass, and enough choppy guitar to level a whole forest in one swoop! Lyrics are part of most numbers, but they're often in the bad-rapping or call and response mode of the People Music album – except for a few sweeter numbers which also sound pretty nice too! "Keep On Stepping" is a great little funky number – as are "Wicky Wacky", "Mr. Bass Man", and "New York Style". We also love the sweet soul track "Love", which has some great vocals, a great hook, and which sounds like a tune from their Feel My Soul LP! Other tracks include "Can't Stop The Flame", "Feeling", and "Breaking Up With Someone You Love Is Hard To Do". LP, Vinyl record album

A key classic from the earliest years of the Fatback Band – one of the group's funkiest albums, and part of their original trilogy for the Perception label! The groove here is mighty raw throughout – but a bit more complicated than some of their funky 45 releases – a mixture of funky vamps and some more soul-styled tunes – showing the group evolving a bit from the start, yet still losing none of their funky edge – sounding surprisingly nice on a few of the album's mellower instrumentals. Titles include the massive "Goin' To See My Baby", with a classic break on the intro – plus "Street Dance", "Free Form", "Give Me One More Chance", "Green Green Grass Of Home", "Baby I'm A Want You", and "Take a Ride (On The Soul Train)". LP, Vinyl record album

A great set of tracks that shows an oft-hidden side of The Fatback Band – their talent for smooth, mellow numbers! Despite the fame of the group as a funky act and as dancefloor favorites, they could kick back and lay out a good ballad or a love song when they wanted to – something they did once or twice an album on their sides for the Spring label, from which the 10 tracks on the CD are pulled. The approach is a great one – as the group have a sweet sound that's perfect for mellow harmonies, drifting as effortlessly here as the band grooves on their funkier numbers. Titles include "Oh Girl", "She's My Shining Star", "I'm So In Love", "Please Stay", "I Found Lovin", "Sunshine Lady", "At Last", "Can't You See", "Is This The Future", and "Do It To Me Now". CD

A key turn in the groove for The Fatback Band – one that has the group getting a good dose of "night fever", and smoothing out their funk for the 70s disco crowd! Yet although clubby, the record's still plenty funky – a refinement of the groove first started on Yum Yum, streamlined into a sweet blend of bass, drums, guitar, and plenty of horns – but all still with a sense of liveness and jamming that plenty shows the roots of the combo from the old days. A few tracks here have a nicely sweet soul sound – sometimes with backing vocals from Donna McGhee and Phyllis Hyman – and titles include "Night Fever", "A Little Funky Dance", "The Joint", "Disco Crazy", and "The Booty". CD

Raising Hell indeed – as Fatback were really burning up the dancefloor by the time of this set, well earning the demonic sexy image on the cover! All the sharp funk elements of the group's roots are still in place, but they're also given more focus for the rising club scene of the east coast underground of the mid 70s – not in a slick disco way, but with a style that shows just how much the tight instrumentation of these earlier funk groups had an impact on the direction of soul in the late 70s! The set's brimming over with great funky disco numbers – and includes the group's two classics "Do The Bus Stop" and "Spanish Hustle" – plus the excellent numbers "Party Time", and "Groovy Kind Of Day". CD

Yum Yum indeed – because the groove on here is pretty darn tasty! Fatback are definitely shaking off the rougher edges of their funkiest years on this set, but the sound is still plenty great – a jamming dancefloor groove that's still filled with plenty of tight live instrumentation, all in a mode that's a lot more harder-hitting than most of the groups of the disco years! There's a bit more horns than before – showing a bit of a BT Express influence, it seems – but the rhythms are very firmly at the core, and have plenty of those rumbling basslines that first put the Fatback name on the map. Drums get nice and tight on some tracks too – making for some nicely breaking tracks on the record, almost in a street funk mode – and titles include "Put The Funk On You", "Let The Drums Speak", "Feed Me Your Love", "Trompin", "Boogie With Fatback", and "Gotta Learn How To Dance". LP, Vinyl record album

An unusual session from the great Clare Fischer – although probably his best-known record as well! Clare cut many other jazz sides in a smaller, more intimate setting – but this album features his full talents as a larger arranger – working with a hip ensemble, and turning in some great charts that really keep things on edge! Fischer plays both Fender Rhodes and piano – and the group's got some great west coast help from Bill Perkins and Warne Marsh on tenors, Gary Foster on alto, and Conte Candoli on trumpet – all playing with a bit more sharpness here than usual. There's a nicely off-kilter edge – similar to that which you might hear in some of Clare's work with Cal Tjader – or some of his larger arranging projects for labels like MPS. Solos are out front on all tracks, and titles include "In Memoriam", "Bitter Leaf", "Calamus", and "Miles Behind". LP, Vinyl record album

With Buddy Childers, Steve Huffsteter, Nelson Hatt, Gene Goe, and Warren Luening on trumpets; Charles Loper, Herbie Harper, Don Waldrop, and Chauncey Welsch on trombones; Bob Cooper, Pete Christlieb, Ray Pizzi, Bill Perkins, Lee Callet, and Kim Richmond on woodwinds; Joel DiBartolo on bass, and Nick Ceroli on drums. LP, Vinyl record album

An insane bit of noise from the Japanese scene at the start of the 70s – a legendary performance from Expo 70, one put together by artist Yoshimura Masunobu – who unites the freewheeling fuzz of the Flower Traveling band with the sound of 50 different motorcycles, and some other electronic music too! The mix of modes is maddening – but in the best way possible – and the work was so powerful that the Expo management canceled it after just the first performance, even though it was supposed to be part of an ongoing series! The whole thing is a key early moment in the tradition of Japanese noise – presented here in a special package that features the full 46 minute performance on a CD, plus a 10" record that has two different shorter excerpts, each around 15 minutes in length – all with a cool package that features note in Japanese and English, and rare photos too! LP, Vinyl record album

A massive double-length set from Flower Travelin Band, and one that really marks their growth over the previous records – as the combo serve up a mix of live and studio tracks that easily demonstrate just why they were such an important force on the Japanese scene at the time! There's a fierceness and focus here that maybe tops even the previous records – and a quality that easily matches some of the most sinister sounds from the hard rock scenes elsewhere, particularly the UK – maybe in part because the group use English language vocals, which really helps break them out with wider appeal overall. Yet there's also some gentler moments that really help expand the spectrum of their sound – and titles include the very long jam "Hiroshima" – plus "Broken Strings", "All The Days", "Satori (part 2)", "After The Concert", "Shadow Of Lost Days", and "Look At My Window". LP, Vinyl record album

Includes the songs "Joy Spring","Cecilia Is Love", "Simone", "There'll Be A Time", "Someone's Rocking My Jazz Boat", "Well Water", and "Three Card Molly". CD

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Mean, lean grooves from The Gap Band – a legendary batch of mainstream funk from the end of the 70s – and a record that really has the trio working at the top of their game! There's a wonderful balance here between funky numbers and mellow ones – the latter of which really help pace the record nicely, giving it a depth that takes the group way beyond the cliches of some of their contemporaries, and firmly establishing the Gap Band as one to watch for the 80s! Titles include the massive "I Don't Believe You Want To Get Up & Dance" – with its classic "Oops Upside Your Head" refrain – plus "Who Do You Call", "No Hiding Place", "Steppin Out", "You Are My High", and "Party Lights". CD

Here you go – every groover you'd ever want by the Gap Band, on one CD! Titles include "Burn Rubber", "You Dropped A Bomb On Me", "Shake", "Yearning For Your Love", "Outstanding", and "Party Train". Whomp that bass! CD

Great work from the later, leaner sound of the Gap Band – a time when the group were working with a bit more programming than before, but still very much in the funky soul territory of their roots! Like contemporaries Cameo, Gap Band were able to make a great shift into the electro soul generation – one that maybe even got them greater fame than in the early years – almost as if their initial impulses were waiting for the 80s funk generation to really find the right sort of sound for their groove! The whole album's rock-solid – filled with tunes that should have been hits – and titles include "Come & Dance", "All The Way Yours", "I'm So Satisfied", "You Told Me That", and "Straight From The Heart". CD

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That's Andre Gibson sitting at an electric piano on the cover – an image that will give you very much an idea of the record – as the music here is more personal and intimate than previous recordings by the Universal Togetherness Band – and tracks that actually seem to show a lot more depth and soul overall! The mixture of Gibson's voice and Rhodes is like hearing some demo material from the Donny Hathaway side of the spectrum – definitely more 70s-styled than you'd guess from the date range in the title, but a bit more gritty overall – and mostly with electric piano and vocals, on all numbers, with occasional added instrumentation thrown in from time to time. Titles include "Bring Me Home", "Love Changes Life's Changes", "All My Pals", "Thankful For You", "Say I Will", "Stuck On A Thrill", "Don't It Feel Good", "I Wanna Take You Away", "Breakaway", and "I'm Falling". LP, Vinyl record album

Limited edition, in a run of 500, of this group of young forward-thinking out players from Atlanta, interpreting 2 numbers by the young-but-not-quite-as-young pianist Matt Shipp, though there's no piano in their lineup, which consists of Charles Waters on soprano, Roger Ruzow on trumpet and pughorn, Chris Riggenbach on bass and Andrew Barker on drums. 7-inch, Vinyl record

A rare electric blues-rock LP, recorded for Epic sometime in the late 60s! Organ and keyboard pounder Barry Goldberg jokingly dubbed his style "Jew Blues" – and it's really that kind of playful spirit that really kind of makes frenetic LP a minor gem, and well worth whatever effort it took to dig this out of Epic's expansive vaults. Goldberg's rough, barking vocals kind of give it strong garage rock feel, too – albeit with the rock-solid backing of session titans Charlie Musselwhite on blues harp, Chicago powerhouse Harvey Mandel and Roy Ruby on guitar, and wild Chicago drummer Maurice McKinley on the kit. Tracks include "Getting' It Down", "Mean Old World", "Twice A Man", "Big Boss Man", "Blowing My Mind", "Put Me Down", "That'll Be The Day", "Can't Stand To See You Go" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

Trumpeter Jerry Gonzalez cooks away nicely with his Fort Apache band – swinging in that hip mix of Latin and jazz that's always made the combo so great! This sweet set was recorded live, which gives the band lots of long, open-ended tunes on which to really open up and do their thing – rhythms cooked up beautifully by the trio of Larry Willis on piano, Andy Gonzalez on bass, and Steve Berrios on drums and percussion – topped with magnificent hork work from Jerry on trumpet, John Stubblefield on tenor, and Joe Ford on alto and soprano sax. The live setting gives the production a really classic no-nonsense feel – and titles include "Isabel The Liberator", "Today's Nights", "Elegua", "Ugly Beauty", and "Verdad Amarga". CD

... CD

... CD

A really wonderful album of obscure jazz recordings from the Chicago scene of the 70s – way more than just the usual school band record, as the tracks here are mostly originals, and performed by a very inventive group of musicians! Governor's State University was a very hip place at the time – a public college at the end of the main train line running through the south side of Chicago – which made the school a place of great opportunity and expression for the city's African-American community. Rather than a junior college, GSU had higher levels of learning – and had an especially strong jazz program, as you'll hear in this set – which features both sextet performances and work by a larger ensemble – both imbued with some of the best creative legacy of the Chicago scene. Things never go far outside, but there's definitely a deeper understanding of musical reaches taking place here – and the core quartet features Walter Henderson on cornet, John Pate on piano, Eugene Vineyard on tenor, Ronald Askew on guitar, Jeff Simon on bass, and Curtis Prince on drums. These players are in the larger group – which also features William Howell and Gerald Myrow on trombones, Vincent Carter and Steele Seales on saxes, and Kenneth Brass and Melvin Williams on trumpets. Titles include "Crabmeat", "Song For Suzanne", "Keishaz", "Give It One", "Listen Here", and "Spanish Samba". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

... CD

... LP, Vinyl record album

... 78 RPM, Vinyl record

Sax-heavy New Orleans R&B instrumentals from Herb Hardesty – the tenor player and secret weapon in Fats Domino's band – one of those incredible players whose name isn't as well known as the sound of his instrument! His sax sounds really great out front and in the lead – tightly grooving late 50s and early 60s rhythm & blues. This first ever CD retrospective of Herb's relatively few recordings as a leader features sessions recorded in New Orleans in '58, NYC in '59 and Cincinnati in '61 – with stellar players that include Hank Jones, Jimmy Davis, Walter Nelson, Clarence Ford and Roy Montrell. 12 of the tracks from a never-released Mercury LP – and the set has 20 tracks in all! Includes "Sassy", "Goldie", "Herb's Mood", "Nat", "Adam And Eva", "Coach Train", "69's Mother's Place, "The Chicken Twist", "Perdido Street" and more – plus 2 tunes with vocals by group guitarist Walter "Papoose" Nelson – "It Must Be Wonderful" and "Why Did We Have To Part". CD

A tremendous run of music from the great Keef Hartley – a British drummer who was maybe not the biggest name on the scene, but who created some wonderfully groovy music on the albums in this set! The records are a brilliant blend of jazz and rock elements, but in ways that are so different from so many other jazz rock records of the time – maybe in part because Hartley could always bring a lot of soul and a bit of funk to his drums, while still also keeping things in more of the rock side of the spectrum overall – yet opening the door to let in some key jazz musicians from session to session – including trumpeters Harry Beckett and Henry Lowther, reedmen Johnny Almond and Jimmy Jewell, and organist Wynder K Frog – just a few of the players who really give these records a special sort of vibe! It's a bit hard to peg the sound of the records in just a few words – in part because they each have their own flavor – but they're all great, not a weak one in the bunch – and the package features the full albums Halfbreed, Battle Of North West Six, Overdug, Time Is Near, Little Big Band, Seventy Second Brave, and Lancashire Hustler. PLUS, there's also 15 bonus tracks added to the set – mostly live, and some live in studio! CD

... LP, Vinyl record album

Previously unissued recordings from the Kerosene Club in San Jose, California. CD