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A monstrous bit of jazzy fusion from the 70s – and the record that really put drummer Billy Cobham on the map – virtually creating his own sort of space between jazz, funk, and prog – thanks to the help of an all star lineup too! Cobham is tremendous on drums – and is joined on most of the record by guitarist Tommy Bolin and keyboardist Jan Hammer – both at the height of their early powers – and a few other tracks feature a slightly different lineup, with great work from saxophonist Joe Farrell and trumpeter Jimmy Owens! The drummer is definitely in the space of the territory he would explore with George Duke – but is also maybe looser and more open to new sounds too – really stepping out on cuts that include the slow mellow funk number "Red Baron", which has great breaks and nice electric piano – plus "Stratus", "Taurian Matador", "To The Women In My Life", and "Quadrant 4". CD

Full throttle fusion from Billy Cobham, the kind of stuff we once winced at because of the really over the top moments of heavy, heavy jamming, but that we find ourselves more sympathetic to these days, probably for the more sublime moments that poke through the onslaught here and there, including some nice spacey tracks. The Brecker brothers are up front, and the group has the tight electric approach you'd guess, with some easier grooves sliding in between the full on moments, and even a bit of funk, too. Includes "Solarization", "Lunarputians", "Total Eclipse", "Bandits", "Moon Germs","The Moon Ain't Made Of Green Cheese", "Sea Of tranquility" and "Last Frontier" LP, Vinyl record album

Donald Harrison on alto saxophone, Ron Carter on double bass, and Billy Cobham on drums. CD

A sweet 70s collection of late 60s work from George Benson – tracks recorded in 1968 for Verve, originally from the albums Giblet Gravy and Goodies! The set list here really does a great job of picking out the best numbers – the kind of clean, lean tunes that were pushing Benson from his soul jazz roots towards a much bigger audience – yet still without any of the commerciality of later years to come. Players on the tracks include Herbie Hancock on piano, Billy Cobham on drums, Ron Carter on bass, and Johnny Pacheco on percussion – and arrangements are by Horace Ott and Tom McIntosh. Titles include "Billie's Bounce", "Low Down & Dirty", "Thunder Walk", "Doobie Doobie Blues", "What's New", and "I Remember Wes". LP, Vinyl record album

A beautiful album by Ron Carter – and quite rare, too! The record features a group that's got a nice 70s modal soul jazz sound – with players that include Herbie Hancock on acoustic and electric piano, Hubert Laws on flute, Sam Brown on guitar, and both Billy Cobham and Grady Tate on drums – all working in sweet small group mode alongside Carter's excellent work on acoustic and Fender bass. The sound is sometimes spacey, sometimes groovy – and marks a key chapter in Carter's career, one that has him stepping out of the background into a great role as a leader – setting the stage for many more albums to come in the 70s! Titles include the very funky "Uptown Conversation", plus the tracks "Half A Row", "Doom", and "Einbahnstrasse". Very soulful, with a stone mellow moody groove! CD

A wonderfully-named session – as Charles Earland plays here with an intensity that's undeniable! The album marks a key shift for Earland – one away from the more standard soul jazz mode, into a realm of looser, freer rhythms that really take off from the start – knowing no end on the longer tunes, and really letting Charles run to the skies on the keys of the Hammond! The group on the set is a larger than usual one – with a trumpet section that includes Lee Morgan and Virgil Jones; reed players that include Billy Harper and Hubert Laws; and a double-edged rhythm line forged through the drums of Billy Cobham and the conga of Sonny Morgan – often working alongside each other to really widen the groove! The sound is remarkable – tight, but never slick – and in a sophisticated groove that could hardly be hinted at from Earland's earlier work. All tracks are long, and titles include "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow", "Morgan", "Cause I Love Her", and "Happy Cause I'm Going Home". CD also brings in 2 more bonus tracks – both in a similar mode, from the album Charles III – "Lowdown" and "Speedball". CD

A wicked batch of funky tracks from the Fania All Stars – one of their greatest albums, and one with a good story to boot! Supposedly, the group were all set to do an all-star concert with some very famous guests, but the whole thing turned out to be a disaster with lots of problems in the recording of the set. So, the ensemble retreated to the studio, where they cut a non-live version of the music that was supposed to be on the live album – hence the sub-title of the record, which is "How It Was, How It Ended, How It Was Going To Be!" The record is a real burner – one of the best 70s Fania funk sides – with loads of long tracks, killer jazz funk soloing, and guest work by players that include Manu Dibango, Jorge Santana, Billy Cobham, and Jan Hammer. The album includes great versions of "Soul Makossa" and "Viva Tirado", plus a very nice track called "Smoke", and the cuts "El Raton", "Congo Bongo", and "Chancullo". CD

Funky Woody caught live at Montreux – a really wonderful set that follows strongly from his tight grooves of the Cadet years, and which is easily one of his best for Fantasy! Despite the live setting, the group are every bit as tight as they were in the studio during these years – really cracking the rhythms at the bottom of the tunes, so that even unlikely numbers come up sounding nights and groovy. Arrangements are by Richard Evans, Gary Anderson, and Alan Broadbent – and titles include a surprisingly funky version of "Fanfare For The Common Man", the electric piano groover "Montevideo", a funky take on Billy Cobham's "Crosswinds", and versions of "Superstar" and "Can't Get Next To You". LP, Vinyl record album

There's a pretty big space between Nothingness & Eternity – but Mahavishnu Orchestra manage to fill most of it up with their hard-jamming approach! The style here is a bit different than the group's initial albums – as the record's a live one, and features some very long tracks that stretch out with possibly a bit more spiritual influence than before – still rockish at times, but also with freer floating energy as well. Billy Cobham's drums are worth the price of admission alone – and other group members include the mighty John McLaughlin on guitar and Jan Hammer on electric piano, synth, and moog. Titles include the "Thrilogy" suite, plus "Sister Andrea" and "Dreams". LP, Vinyl record album

Amazing lost work from the Mahvishnu Orchestra – a previously-unreleased studio session from 1973, one that features John McLaughlin and the group working in some beautifully tripped-out territory! The lineup features McLaughlin on a variety of guitars – plus Jerry Goodman on electric violin, Jan Hammer on keyboards, Rick Laird on bass, and Billy Cobham on drums – all coming together perfectly with that sense of subtle, organic fusion that made the Mahvishnu records so great – a real change from the harder, more rockish sounds of Hammer and Goodman in later years. Titles include "Dream", "Sister Andrea", "I Wonder", "Steppings Tones", "John's Song", and "Triology". CD

A very electric set from guitarist John McLaughlin – a date that has the leader playing a host of modern variations on the instrument, plus a synclavier as well – but always with the sense of creative imagination he brought to Mahavishnu work in years past! There's some slight undercurrent of earlier spirituality in the tunes, but the overwhelming vibe is that of 80s fusion modes – played in the company of Mitchell Forman on Fender Rhodes and other keyboards, Jonas Hellborg on electric bass, Bill Evans on tenor, and Billy Cobham on drums. Titles include "Radio Activity", "Jazz", "The Unbeliever", "Pacific Express", and "East Side West Side". LP, Vinyl record album

Killer work from the last years of Stanley Turrentine on Blue Note – tracks that appeared here for the first time ever, as a long-overdue LP release at the end of the 70s! The bulk of the set features some compelling quartet work – with Stan's tenor in the company of McCoy Tyner on piano, Gene Taylor on bass, and Billy Cobham on drums – almost in Easy Walker sort of territory, with a great stepping soulful groove – but a bit more fluid, given the Tyner touch! That quartet plays "Stan's Shuffle", "Watch What Happens", "Intermission Walk", and "Wave". The set ends with the killer title track "Ain't No Way" – a tenor/Hammond cooker based on the Carolyn Franklin soul tune – really given a workout by Stan and a group that features Shirley Scott on organ and Jimmy Ponder on guitar! CD

A trio of excellent albums from master drummer Tony Williams – all brought together in a single package! Believe It is crackling funky fusion from Tony Williams' "new" version of his classic Lifetime group – a quartet that featured some smoking guitar work by jazz rock legend Allan Holdsworth! The sound on the set is very full-on and jamming – fuzzed-out guitars taking over most of the tracks, and Tony jumping into the fray with some really frenetic work on drums – miles away from his earlier jazz work in the 60s, and really taking off with the best sort of rock/jazz fusion energy! Titles include "Snake Oil", "Fred", "Proto Cosmos", "Red Alert", and "Mr Spock". On Million Dollar Legs, Tony Williams is a million miles from his work with the Miles Davis Quintet on this record – grooving in a heavy rock/fusion mode with his New Lifetime group that includes Allan Holdsworth on guitar, Tony Newton on bass and vocals, and Alan Pasqua on keyboards! The tracks have a post Jeff Beck kind of approach – lots of heavy riffing in a way that does create a bit of funk at the right moments, almost in the Alphonze Mouzon/Tommy Bolin mode – and Williams' drums are right at home in the setting, and somehow filled with as much imagination and creativity as before! Titles include "Sweet Revenge", "Inspirations Of Love", "Lady Jade", "What You Do To Me", and "Joy Filled Summer". Joy Of Flying is a key record in the evolution of Tony Williams as a drummer – and kind of a powerful summation of all the changes he'd made in the 70s – before a return to straighter jazz in the next decade! Williams' drumming here is incredibly fierce at points – almost at a Billy Cobham level – but he also shows the sensitivity to deeper sounds that he first brought into play during the 60s – and manages to mix an ear for fusion modes with some freer elements too – thanks to help from a lineup of players that includes Herbie Hancock and Brian Auger on keyboards, Cecil Taylor on piano, Jan Hammer on Fender Rhodes, Stanley Clarke on bass, Ton Scott on lyricon, and Ronnie Montrose on guitar. Titles include "Tony", "Coming Back Home", "Morgan's Motion", "Eris", "Open Fire", and "Hittin On 6". Great CD reissue – full notes, and a 20 page booklet with the usual Reel Music attention to detail! CD

A key record in the evolution of Tony Williams as a drummer – and kind of a powerful summation of all the changes he'd made in the 70s – before a return to straighter jazz in the next decade! Williams' drumming here is incredibly fierce at points – almost at a Billy Cobham level – but he also shows the sensitivity to deeper sounds that he first brought into play during the 60s – and manages to mix an ear for fusion modes with some freer elements too – thanks to help from a lineup of players that includes Herbie Hancock and Brian Auger on keyboards, Cecil Taylor on piano, Jan Hammer on Fender Rhodes, Stanley Clarke on bass, Ton Scott on lyricon, and Ronnie Montrose on guitar. Titles include "Tony", "Coming Back Home", "Morgan's Motion", "Eris", "Open Fire", and "Hittin On 6". LP, Vinyl record album

Jug's big and bad here in tone – and the style is nicely complicated at times – a bit more open-ended and electric than before, with a sound that's almost like the shift that Stanley Turrentine was making during his years at CTI! There's still a bit of the previous Prestige funk in the mix – thanks to drums from Billy Cobham, and organ from Sonny Phillips – but the group also includes up-and-comer Maynard Parker on guitar, who gets in some nicely snakey lines at times – slinking through the tunes with a warmly chromatic edge that's mighty nice, and which sets the tune for some of Ammons' more laidback solo moments. His tenor's still as strong as ever, though – blown with a beautiful sense of tone, on tracks that include "Lady Mama", "Big Bad Jug", "Lucille", "Fly Me", and "Fuzz" – plus a nice version of "Papa Was A Rolling Stone" with a sweetly gentle break! LP, Vinyl record album

2 lesser-known Gene Ammons albums for Prestige – back to back on one CD! First up is Got My Own, a more laidback set than usual from Ammons' early 70s stretch on Prestige – but a record that nicely gets back to that big-toned tenor sound he used often on ballads from earlier years! The combo mixes both electric piano and organ – the former from Hank Jones, the latter from Ernie Hayes – and drums are mostly by Idris Muhammad, but in a style that's a bit more roundly open and soul-based than some of his funkier jams. But there's still a nice groove to many numbers – a gentler one, with a sly undercurrent of soul – even on a few that feature fuller strings arranged by Ed Bogas. Titles include "God Bless The Child", "Strange Fruit", "Fine & Mellow", "Lady Sings The Blues", "Play Me", "Tin Shack Out Back", and "Ben". Big Bad Jug has a style that's nicely complicated at times – a bit more open-ended and electric than before, with a sound that's almost like the shift that Stanley Turrentine was making during his years at CTI! There's still a bit of the previous Prestige funk in the mix – thanks to drums from Billy Cobham, and organ from Sonny Phillips – but the group also includes up-and-comer Maynard Parker on guitar, who gets in some nicely snakey lines at times – slinking through the tunes with a warmly chromatic edge that's mighty nice, and which sets the tune for some of Ammons' more laidback solo moments. His tenor's still as strong as ever, though – blown with a beautiful sense of tone, on tracks that include "Lady Mama", "Big Bad Jug", "Lucille", "Fly Me", and "Fuzz" – plus a nice version of "Papa Was A Rolling Stone" with a sweetly gentle break! CD

A jazz fusion classic from Atmospheres – a hip group led by reedman Clive Stevens, and which also features some usually-mellower players really taking off together! Stevens blows a great range of horns – electric and acoustic tenor, sopranos sax, and often a wah-wah pedal to inflect the notes coming out of his electric horn – a bit like John Klemmer in some of his early electric moments! This quality is emphasized nicely by the guitars of Steve Khan and John Abercrombie, and the electric piano and ring modulator of Ralph Towner – players who really know how to keep the right sort of space between the notes, which makes for a few funky moments – especially with core rhythms from Rick Laird on bass, Billy Cobham on drums, and Harry Wilkinson on percussion. Titles include "Nova 72", "Earth Spirit", "Astral Dreams", and "The Parameters Of Saturn". LP, Vinyl record album

A pivotal album in the career of the great Roy Ayers – and a set that's gone on to have a huge influence over the decades – not just in the worlds of funk and soul, but also in jazz, hip hop, and soundtrack music as well! Roy's a genius from start to finish – way more than just the already great vibes player of his records of the late 60s – and instead, this spiritual maestro who's able to blend together a really rich array of elements – almost a David Axelrod in the studio, as he elevates both his own game and that of black music with a completely righteous vibe throughout! Players on the session include Sonny Fortune on flute and soprano, Billy Cobham on drums, and Harry Whitaker on keyboards – Roy's key partner in crime here, as he helped arrange much of the material too. The album's maybe best remembered for the legendary cut "We Live In Brooklyn Baby" – a track that's had more life in recent decades than a the start – but the whole record's wonderful – and includes the funk classic "He's a Superstar", plus "He's Coming", "Ain't Got Time", "Fire Weaver", "Sweet Butterfly Of Love", and "Sweet Tears". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the massive Ron Carter albums from the mid 70s – and a set of 4 open-ended modal tracks that hit a similar Latin/but not Latin approach as the tracks on Coltrane's great Ole album. The group's a small one – featuring Carter on bass, Billy Cobham on drums, Jay Berliner on guitar, Ralph MacDonald on percussion, Roland Hanna on piano, and Hubert Laws on flute. Laws' playing is some of the best on the record – and his solos carry most of the songs nicely, a lot more nicely, in fact, than those on his own albums at the time. Leon Pendarvis makes a guest appearance playing electric piano on the cut "Arkansas", which is a bit funky – and other tunes include "El Noche Sol", "Sabado Sombrero", and "El Noche Sol". LP, Vinyl record album

A landmark album from the great Ron Carter – one of those key 70s sides where he was able to show the world that he was way more than just a jazz bassist – and instead a sophisticated musical genius with so much to offer! Ron's bass is certainly a key part of the set – he plays both acoustic and electric, plus piccolo bass too – but the real appeal is his larger sense of arrangement, especially his ear for tone and timing – both of which are very unique here, and emerge from the well-led performances by Kenny Barron on piano, Don Grolnick on Rhodes, Hugh McCracken on guitar, and Billy Cobham on drums – a lineup that shifts a bit throughout the set, to match the mood of the music on each selection. Titles include "Epistrophy", "Yellow & Green", "Tenaj", and "Receipt Please". LP, Vinyl record album

An interesting set from Coryell, one that seems to be a contract closer in all but the playing, as it was his last at Vnguard. The set consists of two different sessions, with some material recorded by The Eleventh House, very much in the bag of their other recordings, with nice funky riffing and a restrained approach to the fusion sound of the early 70s on "Cover Girl" and "Rocks". Two other lenhthy numbers seem to be pulled from the Spaces sessions, with a supergroup featuring John McLaughlin, Chick Corea, Miroslav Vitous and Billy Cobham, and feature the group in a more heavily jamming mode on Larry young's "Tyrone" and the title track. The remaining cut, "The Eyes Of Love" is a Coryell solo piece. LP, Vinyl record album

An expansive early 70s set from Larry Coryell, joined by an all star group of players: John McLaughlin, Chick Corea, Miroslav Vitous and Billy Cobham. The mood varies throughout, from pieces with a wide reaching searching quality like the title track and "Chris", to a free-ish take on Scott LaFaro's "Gloria's Step", to the guitar duet with McLaughlin "Rene's Theme". CD

One of the great Miles 70s groove albums – an album that's often as funky as you might expect from the cover, with a sound that's gone onto become the stuff of legend over the years! The noise of previous electric sessions is nicely toned down a bit here – leaving lots more room for soulful grooving – and although the selections were recorded over different dates, there's a very unified feel to the record – as most tracks have a similar groove, away from other Davis electric work of the period. Players vary throughout – and include Wayne Shorter and Sonny Fortune on reeds, Lonnie Smith and Chick Corea on keyboards, Ron Carter and Dave Holland on basses, John McLaughlin on guitar, and Al Foster and Billy Cobham on drums. Titles include "Great Expectations", "Ife", "Go Ahead John", and "Lonely Fire" – and the whole thing kicks! CD features 4 long bonus tracks too – "Yaphet", "The Little Blue Frog", "Recollections", and "Trevere". CD

Super-righteous work from William S Fischer – the ultra-hip arranger who was one of the most important forces in the late 60s underground soul jazz scene! Fischer is best known for his work with Eugene McDaniels, Eddie Harris, and Les McCann – almost akin to the sorts of collaborative influence that David Axelrod had with Cannonball Adderley or Lou Rawls, but with a style that was decidedly darker, and trippier. This album's one of the few ever recorded under his own name – originally done for the tripped-out jazz imprint Embryo, and featuring a unique blend of moog, strings, funk, and soul! Billy Cobham plays drums and percussion on the set, Bill Robinson sings on a few numbers, and Walter Sear adds in some extra moog next to Fischer's own work – but the real brilliance comes from the overall concept – funky one minute, laidback and trippy the next, very much in the spirit of some of the righteous crossover funk, soul, and rock recordings coming from McDaniels and Axelrod at the time! Titles include "Patience Is Virtue", "Saigon", "Green Forever", "Chains", "Electrix", "Capsule", and "There's A Light That Shines". LP, Vinyl record album

Excellent work by this underrated trumpet player – a haunting set of tracks that range from moody soul jazz, to straighter funkier numbers, all handled with the kind of flourish you'd expect more from a small-label indie release than a major label session. Owens is in good company here – working with a group that includes Kenny Barron on electric piano, Billy Cobham on drums, and Billy Harper on tenor and flute. The album's funky in parts, but the best tracks are the sparer, slower ones. Includes the track "Chicago Light Green", "Lo Slo Bluze", "Put It All Togetha", and "Funk A De Mama". Great stuff! LP, Vinyl record album

One of Lonnie Smith's rarest albums – and one of the most obscure records on the landmark Kudu label! The set is one of Smith's most far-reaching from the 70s – a bit in the mode of his earlier records for Blue Note, but with a slightly sweeter quality that shows the shift to Kudu – where Lonnie's Hammond had lost none of its grooving power! Tracks are all quite long – and build from the jamming approach that Lonnie first developed at Blue Note – a club-trained groove that has the mighty organ leading off each track, but still leaving plenty of other space for other players too – including Dave Hubbard on tenor, Danny More on trumpet, Ron Carter on bass, Jimmy Ponder on guitar, and Billy Cobham on drums – as well as Grover Washington on flute, who also helped a bit with arrangements on the record. The centerpiece of the album is a 17 minute long version of Sly Stone's "Stand" – and other tracks include "I Feel The Earth Move", "Hola Muneca", and "Mama Wailer". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the best CTI albums from the early 70s – and one of Stanley Turrentine's funkiest records as well! The album's got a sharper edge than most other Turrentine albums of the time – a quality that goes beyond Stan's already soulful approach to the tenor, and which brings in some tight changes and more pronounced rhythms that really give the best cuts a great groove! The group's a sextet – with Bob James on electric piano, Milt Jackson on vibes, Cornell Dupree on guitar, Ron Carter on bass, and Billy Cobham on drums – and titles include a monster version of Weldon Irvine's "Sister Sanctified" – a great funk tune that's probably best known as the sample for "My Philosophy" by BDP! Other tracks include "Speedball", "Cherry", and "The Revs". CD

One of the best CTI albums from the early 70s – and one of Stanley Turrentine's funkiest records as well! The album's got a sharper edge than most other Turrentine albums of the time – a quality that goes beyond Stan's already soulful approach to the tenor, and which brings in some tight changes and more pronounced rhythms that really give the best cuts a great groove! The group's a sextet – with Bob James on electric piano, Milt Jackson on vibes, Cornell Dupree on guitar, Ron Carter on bass, and Billy Cobham on drums – and titles include a monster version of Weldon Irvine's "Sister Sanctified" – a great funk tune that's probably best known as the sample for "My Philosophy" by BDP! Other tracks include "Speedball", "Cherry", and "The Revs". LP, Vinyl record album

One of Grover Washington's first albums as a leader – cut hot on the heels of some great work as a sideman, including some key funky dates with Charles Earland on Prestige! The sound here is a bit looser than some of Groover's smoother sides to come – a nice blend of his earthy jazz funk roots with the warmer sounds of the CTI/Kudu world – arranged and produced beautifully by keyboardist Bob James, who also plays both electric piano and harpsichord on the album! The cuts are a bit shorter than later on, but still totally tremendous – a sly, subtle approach to jazz funk that really took the keyboard/tenor mode into bold new territory for the 70s – a real genre-starting record that still sounds sublime all these many years later. Grover plays tenor and alto – no soprano sax yet – and other players include Richard Tee on organ, Billy Cobham or Bernard Purdie on drums, and Eric Gale or Cornell Dupree on guitar. Titles include "All The King's Horses", "Body & Soul", "Lean On Me", "Lover Man", "Love Song 1700", and "No Tears In The End". LP, Vinyl record album

A key record in the evolution of Tony Williams as a drummer – and kind of a powerful summation of all the changes he'd made in the 70s – before a return to straighter jazz in the next decade! Williams' drumming here is incredibly fierce at points – almost at a Billy Cobham level – but he also shows the sensitivity to deeper sounds that he first brought into play during the 60s – and manages to mix an ear for fusion modes with some freer elements too – thanks to help from a lineup of players that includes Herbie Hancock and Brian Auger on keyboards, Cecil Taylor on piano, Jan Hammer on Fender Rhodes, Stanley Clarke on bass, Ton Scott on lyricon, and Ronnie Montrose on guitar. Titles include "Tony", "Coming Back Home", "Morgan's Motion", "Eris", "Open Fire", and "Hittin On 6". Great CD reissue – full notes, and a 20 page booklet with the usual Reel Music attention to detail! CD

Featuring Brand Nubian, MC Lyte, Leaders Of The New School, Das Efx, Bootsy Collins, Graham Central Station, Zapp, & Billy Cobham. 12-inch, Vinyl record

With Ron Carter on bass and Billy Cobham on drums. CD

The quintessential sound of late 60s Horace Silver – on one hand still very much in the Blue Note soul jazz groove that earned him plenty of jukebox single play, but on the other hand really stretching out with a style that's a bit more righteous than before! Horace shows that he can still pen a hit when he wants – and gave the world the tune "Psychedelic Sally" with this set – but he also displays a penchant for more complicated rhythms and freer horn expressions on beautiful tunes like "Kindred Spirits", "Rain Dance", and "Jungle Juice". The group's filled with great players – from tenor work by Stanley Turrentine and Bennie Maupin, trumpet by Charles Tolliver, and drums by a young Billy Cobham! CD