Led Zeppelin at peak power – mixing hard rock bombast with deep, genuine love for blues and folk guitars! Houses Of The Holy is the essential the blueprint for countless imitators to come – but it's also got smarts, subtleties and creative ambitious that's just plain lost on the watered wannabes that floated up in Zeppelin's wake. Titles include "The Crunge", "Over The Hills & Far Away", "The Song Remains The Same", "The Rain Song", "Dancing Days", "Dyer Maker", "No Quarter", and "The Ocean". LP, Vinyl record album

Led Zeppelin at peak power – mixing hard rock bombast with deep, genuine love for blues and folk guitars! Houses Of The Holy is the essential the blueprint for countless imitators to come – but it's also got smarts, subtleties and creative ambitious that's just plain lost on the watered wannabes that floated up in Zeppelin's wake. Titles include "The Crunge", "Over The Hills & Far Away", "The Song Remains The Same", "The Rain Song", "Dancing Days", "Dyer Maker", "No Quarter", and "The Ocean". CD

The third in Led Zeppelin's spectacular run of early albums – each one either matching or topping its predecessor, depending on one's personal favorite – and a record with an influence that's as massive as the sound! The record's got a pair of of Zep's best-remembered songs in "Immigrant Song" and their take on the traditional "Gallows Pole", but the whole thing is great – and a great balance of their earlier bombast with a lot more acoustic moments. Other tracks include "Friends", "Celebration Day", "Tangerine" and "Hats Off (To Roy Harper)". LP, Vinyl record album

The third in Led Zeppelin's spectacular run of early albums – each one either matching or topping its predecessor, depending on one's personal favorite – and a record with an influence that's as massive as the sound! The record's got a pair of of Zep's best-remembered songs in "Immigrant Song" and their take on the traditional "Gallows Pole", but the whole thing is great – and a great balance of their earlier bombast with a lot more acoustic moments. Other tracks include "Friends", "Celebration Day", "Tangerine" and "Hats Off (To Roy Harper)". LP, Vinyl record album

The third in Led Zeppelin's spectacular run of early albums – each one either matching or topping its predecessor, depending on one's personal favorite – and a record with an influence that's as massive as the sound! The record's got a pair of of Zep's best-remembered songs in "Immigrant Song" and their take on the traditional "Gallows Pole", but the whole thing is great – and a great balance of their earlier bombast with a lot more acoustic moments. Other tracks include "Friends", "Celebration Day", "Tangerine" and "Hats Off (To Roy Harper)". CD

A set of free improvised duets that are so fierce, they've been kept from the public for decades – finally seeing the light of day in this long-overdue package! Percussionist/electronicist Paul Lytton is a player known to many, and known for his always-incredible ear for sonic intensity – yet we've maybe never heard him this intense before, working alongside guitarist Erhard Hirt, a player with an approach to his instrument that's unlike anyone else in the free jazz universe at the time! Hirt often plays with a great sense of noise – not as bombastically as Sonny Sharrock, or as rock-influenced as some of the others – but almost as if he's using his electric guitar as the gateway to some darker universe, opening a passage that Lytton dives in to follow very quickly with some especially great electronics. Even the percussion has this electrified spark – and titles include "Orbod", "The Sensitive Stickler", "Don't Wait Too Long", "Deder", "Clip", and "175". CD

A great little album, put together to accompany one of Muhammad Ali's finest moments on the big screen – in a blend of music that's way deeper than the usual sounds you'd hear ringside! Michael Masser helmed the set – produced and wrote most of the material – but also with key contributions from George Benson, whose vocals grace some of the sweeter songs on the album – plus Mandrill, who help with some of the more hard-driving funky cuts! The set features the extended clubby groover "Ali Bombaye" – an almost Afro Funk-ish tune, performed by Mandrill – and other cuts include the mellower "I Always Knew I Had It In Me" and "The Greatest Love Of All", both sung by George Benson, plus "Ali's Theme", which is pretty nice. LP, Vinyl record album

A definitely burning session from tenorist Don Menza – recorded with a hip big band that includes Bobby Shew, Don Rader, Jo Romano, Ray Reed, Frank Strazzeri, and other west coast luminaries from the time! The style shows the roots of all players in bigger groups, but has a nicely crafted sound of its own – a real respect for solo moments, and a quality that allows plenty of space into the arrangements – in that great post-Kenton mode that showed up on the west coast as the 60s moved on. Arrangements are bold, but not bombastic – and surprisingly soulful throughout – with titles include "New Spanish Boots", "Relaxin", "Tonawada Fats", "Dizzyland", and "Burnin". LP, Vinyl record album

This is sort of a Prince Jammy riff on the format of the popular Junjo Lawes-produced Scientist dub series. Nonetheless, he steps up to bat, and indeed defeats the evil planet munchers, with the able help of the Roots Radics rhytnm section. Recorded at Channel One and mixed at Tubby's – and how can you argue with that!? Fat, heavy rhythms dubbed into deep, deep outer space by the heir to the throne! 8 tracks in all, including "Conspiracy On Neptune", "Saturn Bombardment", "Attack on Ganymede", "Martian Encounter", "The Great Red Spot", "Life On Uranus", "Final Destruction" and "War In The Asteroid Belt". LP, Vinyl record album

A brilliant early album from Japanese drummer Hideo Shiraki – a jazz session that bristles with the same intensity as key late 50s work by Benny Golson or Gigi Gryce! Although Hideo's leading the group on drums, his work on the kit is remarkably subtle – done with the snappingly rhythmic style that marked some of Golson's best modern experiments of a few years before – not nearly as bombastic as his stint with Art Blakey, and more in the rhythmically stepping quality of his work with Art Farmer in the Jazztet. Key players on the session include Hidehiko Matsumoto on tenor and flute and Yuzuru Sera on piano – both of whom give the album a fluid grace that's really beautiful – and soulful edges that allow the record to stand equally next to anything coming out of the US at the time. One track features a bit of koto at the start – echoing Shiraki's later world jazz experiments – but most of the set is straight modern hardbop, with tracks that include "Blue Romeo", "Etude No 1", "Just One Or Eight", "You Don't Know What Love Is", and Benny Golson's "Five Spot After Dark". LP, Vinyl record album

A hell of a document of what Cecil Taylor could do when he was at his best – just one man and one piano, but a universe of sonic exploration and non-stop energy throughout! The set features a rare 1968 live performance in Poland – done at the nation's famous Jazz Jamboree festival – and Taylor is completely unbound during the 43 minute "Respiration" which takes up the entire album – even more so than on some of his better-known records from a few years before – and solo, without even having to pay attention to other group members on the stage – so that he can just focus his frenzied attack on the piano, which must have been reduced to splinters by the time the set was over! Yet this isn't just bombast, as the whole thing has that intrinsic logic that makes a Taylor solo set like this so brilliant – a complete understanding of all the possibilities of the instrument, really pushing them to the limits, but also with a cohesive mission that makes the whole thing come together in a fantastic way. CD

A seminal set of recordings of material from Edgar Varese – key Robert Craft takes on three earlier compositions, and the debut of "Poeme Electronique", which was created at the 1958 Brussels World Fair! "Ionisation" hs a complex mix of percussion instruments, played by thirteen players – with a quality that's almost a key precursor to the music of Harry Partch. "Density 21.5" is a haunting piece for solo flute – filled with unusual tones and textures – and "Integrales" has a fuller orchestral presentation, and a nicely bombastic vibe, with woodwind tones and percussion colliding beautifully! That sound continues in "Octandre" – a 20s composition that shows just how far Varese was ahead of his time – as does "Hyperprism", from the same year, which is even more dramatic. "Poem Electronique" has a very different approach – all analogue electronics, used in an illustration of Varese's concept of "organized sound", but with a feel that's similar to the best musique concrete material of the 50s. LP, Vinyl record album

Sarah Vaughan gets some great backings here from Quincy Jones – who brings a nice sort of punch to the record, and makes it one of her grooviest from the early 60s! The style's still somewhat traditional – not as much in moddish Jones modes from a few years later – but there's already that strong sense of syncopation that really sets Quincy's charts apart, the same sort of rhythms he brought to his Reprise arrangements for Frank Sinatra and Count Basie, although not as Basie-bombastic overall. Vaughan's vocals are still beautifully smooth in the setting, and titles include "I Could Write A Book", "Maria", "Baubles Bangles & Beads", "So Long", "You're Mine You", "Fly Me To The Moon", "Moonglow", and "Invitation". CD also features 2 bonus tracks – "One Mint Julep" and "Mama He Treats Your Daughter Mean". CD

A great little 2 CD set – one that features 40 tracks from the heyday of the exotica era – from one of its best proponents! Les Baxter was a supremely talented writer and arranger – one who worked at Capitol for a number of years in the 50s, until he hit upon the style of exotic instrumentation and orchestration that soon became an instant hit. Baxter's work from the time set the tone for countless followers – and this well-done package brings together most of the best tunes from that period. Titles include "Quiet Village", "Simba", "Pool Of Love", "Busy Port", "Spice Islands", "Love Dance", "Safari", "Harem Silks From Bombay", "Lost City", "The Left Arm Of Buddha", and "Mombassa After Midnight". CD

Arguably the most classic Alice Coltrane album on Impulse – and a strong group effort that features some great work from Pharoah Sanders! Coltrane leads two different small combos on the record – both with Sanders on saxes, plus either Cecil McBee or Charlie Haden on bass, and Rashied Ali on drums – plus assorted percussion from Tulsi and Majid Shabazz, and some really enigmatic work on oud by Vishnu Wood! Tracks are long and drawn out, and open with the beauty of a field of flowers meeting the dawn – as Alice plays with a sound that's gentle and poetic, but which also has some wonderfully dark undertones. Titles include "Stopover Bombay", "Isis & Osiris", "Shiva-Loka", and "Journey In Satchidananda". CD

Arguably the most classic Alice Coltrane album on Impulse – and a strong group effort that features some great work from Pharoah Sanders! Coltrane leads two different small combos on the record – both with Sanders on saxes, plus either Cecil McBee or Charlie Haden on bass, and Rashied Ali on drums – plus assorted percussion from Tulsi and Majid Shabazz, and some really enigmatic work on oud by Vishnu Wood! Tracks are long and drawn out, and open with the beauty of a field of flowers meeting the dawn – as Alice plays with a sound that's gentle and poetic, but which also has some wonderfully dark undertones. Titles include "Stopover Bombay", "Isis & Osiris", "Shiva-Loka", and "Journey In Satchidananda". LP, Vinyl record album

The genius of Nicola Conte gets the remix treatment – in this wonderful new album that steps off heavily from his massive Jet Sounds set of a few years ago! If you know Nicola, he's the wunderkind behind the Schema label – and, probably more than anyone in the world right now, one of the few producer/musicians who can really handle a retro-sounding groove. Conte's steeped in classic jazz, soundtracks, and bossa nova – all of which come into play in his music – and this set has him working with a host of able talents who help to take his unique creative vision even farther than before! US version features a slightly different track list than the European one – with titles that include "Arabesque (vocal version)" done by Micatone, "Forma 2000" reformed by Les Gammas, "Tema In Hi Fi" by Nicola Conte & Gianluca Petrella, "Jet Sounds" by Nuspirit Helsinki, "Bossa Per Due" by Thievery Corporation, "Fuoco Fatuo" by Koop, "New Standards" by Nicola Conte & Gianluca Petrella, "Love Me Till Sunday" by Nicola Conte, "Dossier Omega" redone by Espen Horne, "The In Samba" done by Kyoto Jazz Massive, "Missione A Bombay" by Eddy & Dus, and "Mambo De Los Dandies" by Gerardo Frisina. CD

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Titles include "White Bird", "Bombay Calling", "Bulgaria", "Time Is", and "Girl With No Eyes". CD

One of the hippest groups of the 60s to blend Eastern influences and Western rock music – a nicely lean trio that comes across with results that are even cooler than some of their contemporaries! Part of the record's strength is its leanness – as other instrumentation might have gotten in the way a bit more, and larger arrangements might have made the whole thing sound a bit fake. Yet instead, there's a raw quality to the record that recalls similar east/west experiments on Vanguard Records at the time – served up by a group that features Guy Duris on electric oud and electric sitar, Bruno Giet on electric minitar, and Farshid Golesorkhi on electric melodica and dumbek! Vocals are by all three, but there's a very strong focus on the instrumentation too – on titles that include "Fruit Of The Desert", "Layla", "Birds Of India", "Train To Bombay", "Caravan Of Silk", "Azaar", "Cobra Fever", "A Little Star", and "Cobra Fever". LP, Vinyl record album

The incredible third album from The Velvet Underground – and maybe our favorite of all their albums together – even though this one is far less weird or experimental than the rest! After their initial foray with Nico, and their bombastic sonic experiments on White Light/White Heat, the VU hit this wonderfully subtle territory here – these really personal, moody songs that still have all the knowledge of the wilder sounds of previous records, but which take those farther reaches and bring them back to more focused songwriting – with results that are completely sublime! There's no side-long jams, nor any fuzzy freakouts – but instead, the album's filled with these wonderful songs that really show Lou Reed really honing his craft – able to touch on all the seamy edges of late 60s counterculture, without ever having to hit you over the head – and likewise, the band's instrumentation has this way of using all their wider knowledge of noise and sound in these really refined ways – at a level that opened the door for so many other generations to come. The result is a masterpiece all the way through – and every track is a landmark of dark genius – on titles that include "Pale Blue Eyes", "After Hours", "I'm Set Free", "That's The Story Of My Life", "Candy Says", "What Goes On", and "Jesus". LP, Vinyl record album

A drum-heavy spectacular – recorded with a really rootsy feel! The first half of the material was recorded in Africa – not credited especially well, but done with a stripped-down sound that's very heavy on drums and other odd percussion instruments – recorded in that rough, loud Folkways style that really makes the music sound nicely bombastic. The remaining tracks on the set are from a variety of North and South American locales – Brazil, Puerto Rico, Cuba, Jamaica, and even the US – as Baby Dodds turns in a solo on the final track! Titles include "Ceremonial Drums", "Dance Drums", "Stamping Tubes", "Salute To A Chief", "Sit Log Talking Drum", "Djuka Dance Drums", "Lucumi", "Jumping Dance Drums", "Cuminia Drums", "Rhythms For The Deity Ogoun", and "Jazz Drumming". LP, Vinyl record album

For years, AACM tenorist Fred Anderson labored in obscurity – playing the better part of the 70s and 80s with little or no recognition of his strong inventive talent, and of his never-ending committment to expanding his horizons as a musician. Fortunately, Anderson's been greatly rediscovered in the past decade – and the past few years has seen the reissue and first-issue of material that was recorded during Anderson's "lost years", but never properly handled before. This session is one of those "first issue" sets – as it was recorded in Milwaukee in 1980, yet lay in the can for years, due to lack of interest. The set's fantastic – and features Anderson playing in a quartet with trumpeter Billy Brimfield, bassist Larry Hayrod, and drummer Hamid Drake. What's most notable about the material is that it has kind of a mellow spiritual quality to it – showing the more soulful sound of the AACM, one that didn't always make an appearance on Anderson's other recordings. The strongest case of this is the fantastic track "Bombay", which features tablas by Drake, and some wonderful extended soloing by Brimfield and Anderson. All tracks are great, though – and titles include "Black Woman", "Ballad For Rita", and "The Bull". CD

A dreamy exploration of south sea ideals from the great Les Baxter – a set that's got a more lightly drifting quality than some of his more percussive exotica albums, and which is awash in dreamy soundscapes penned by Les himself! The orchestrations are large and bold throughout – mixing strings and woodwinds almost in a soundtrack-y mode – but always with the light sense of interplay that makes Baxter's work so great. Titles include "Monkey Dance Of Bali", "Pearls Of Ceylon", "Tahiti: A Summer Night At Sea", "Hong Kong Cable Car", "Tramp Steamer To Singapore", "Spice Islands Sea Birds", "Harem Silks From Bombay", "Bangkok Cockfight", and "Sidewalk Cafes Of Saigon". LP, Vinyl record album

Miles Davis makes the electric transition – in this groundbreaking set from the late 60s! The classic mid 60s quintet is still in place here – Wayne Shorter on tenor, Herbie Hancock on piano, Ron Carter on bass, and Tony Williams on drums – but the sound is looser, freer, and more spacious – often echoing some of the rhythmic concerns that would dominate Miles' music in a few more years, but without as much of a bombastic sound. Williams' drums are amazing – fierce one minute, then fading the next – and Herbie Hancock's use of both electric and acoustic piano really points at his own directions in coming years. George Benson plays one one track – "Paraphernalia" – introducing electric guitar to the Miles Davis sound – and other long tracks on the set include "Stuff", "Black Comedy", and "Country Son". CD

A smokin' hard bop side from a sort of amalgamation of players who played in and out of the Jazz Messengers around this time, but Philly Joe's sittin' in the drummers seat, so though the rhythms cook hard, that not quite as bombastic as Bu's. We've always loved Benny Golson, and though his playing was at it's most sublime in the Jazztet, he got to stretch out just a bit more and played with just a touch more fire in other contexts, like this session. Barry Harris is on piano, with Jymie Merritt and Philly Joe rounding out the rhythm section and Curtis Fuller joins Golson in the front line for a spry quintet setting. Six tracks: "Strut time", "Jubilation", "Symptoms", "Are You Real?", "Cry A Blue Tear" and "This Night". CD

The record's definitely a nostalgia blitz, but one that has a very strong grounding in the 80s! Benjamin Herman plays saxophone throughout – but in a setting that's very new wave, post-punk, and no wave as well – lots of sharp reed lines colliding with frenetic work on bass, guitar, and keyboards – all with a vibe that makes you feel like you maybe stumbled onto some hip performance spot on the New York downtown scene in 1982! Yet despite the bombast and other instrumentation, Herman is actually pretty amazing on his solos – coming up with all these great sounds that really push the boundaries of the instrument – on titles that include "Chancelot", "One For Deelder", "Captain Zorg", "Zaat", "Hornin Out", and "Asman Graves". LP, Vinyl record album

Not as full on and bombastic as some of Philly Joe Jones heavy thunder recordings from the late 50s – but two nice albums recorded during one set of sessions for Galaxy Records at the end of the 70s! The quality of the material here is high – as Jones is working here with sidemen that include Slide Hampton on trombone, Harold Land on tenor, and Blue Mitchell on trumpet – grooving easily and soulfully through a set of originals, bop standards, and a few mellower chestnuts thrown in to round out the set. Titles include "I Waited for You", "Our Delight", "Bird", "Two Bass Hit", and "Hi Fly". LP, Vinyl record album

Bold and brilliant duets from altoist Jemeel Moondoc and drummer Dennis Charles – the latter of whom is in tremendous form in this very free setting! There's a sense of soul and spirit that grabs us right from the start – these surprisingly deep notes from Moondoc, making us keep checking the notes to see if he's handling another horn besides alto sax – given a rumbling, brooding sensibility through Charles' work on drums – which never bombastically dominates, but always ruminates with a power that drives Jemeel on. Titles include "We Don't", "We Do", "Judy's Bounce", and "Home". CD

Two classic albums from the big free jazz explosion in Paris in 1969! First up is Ketchaoua, an early gem from the great Clifford Thornton – maybe his best-known album over the years, thanks to its placement on the post-68 series of French free jazz releases on the BYG/Actuel label – but a set that's got a much more New York vibe overall, and stands as a key precursor to so many loft jazz recordings of the 70s! The style is very open and organic – not nearly as bombastic as some of the other Actuel sets of the period – with an earthy energy that really allows the players to come together naturally, collaboratively, and not combatively. The lineup of players shifts from track to track – again echoing some loftish modes – and the lineup includes Thornton on cornet and percussion, with Grachan Moncur on trombone, Archie Shepp on soprano sax, Arthur Jones on alto, Beb Guerin and Earl Freeman on bass, Sunny Murray on drums, and Dave Burrell on piano. Titles include "Pan African Festival", "Brotherhood", and "Ketchaoua" – plus "Speak With Your Echo", a cool track that has Clifford's cornet playing in a spare setting with only 2 basses! Next up is Scorpio, one of our favorite albums in the legendary run of BYG/Actuel free jazz sessions from 1969, and one of the most obscure as well – one of the few albums as a leader from alto player Arthur Jones, a musician who's really incredible throughout this freewheeling set! The vibe is almost more ESP than BYG – as there's a rhythmic pulse to most of the tracks, provided by Beb Guerin on bass and Claude Delcloo on drums – working with Jones in a mode that really evolves past the saxophone trio style first pushed by Sonny Rollins, with incredible solos from the leader throughout the whole set – which also seem to open up new territory for the alto sax as well! Titles include "CRM", "BT", "Sad Eyes", and "Brother B". CD

Nice late 70s work from guitarist Ralph Towner – heard here in a great trio setting with Eddie Gomez on bass and Jack DeJohnette on drums! Both players have an ear tuned well to the sorts of open, exploratory styles that suit Towner best – but they also have a nice sense of force as well – a way of pushing things up from the bottom without bombastically approaching the rhythms – making the record a bit more than just spare expressions from Ralph on guitar. Towner plays 12 string and classical guitar, plus a bit of piano – and titles include "Waterwheel", "Green Room", "Batik", "Trellis", and "Shades Of Sutton Too". LP, Vinyl record album

Sarah Vaughan gets some great backings here from Quincy Jones – who brings a nice sort of punch to the record, and makes it one of her grooviest from the early 60s! The style's still somewhat traditional – not as much in moddish Jones modes from a few years later – but there's already that strong sense of syncopation that really sets Quincy's charts apart, the same sort of rhythms he brought to his Reprise arrangements for Frank Sinatra and Count Basie, although not as Basie-bombastic overall. Vaughan's vocals are still beautifully smooth in the setting, and titles include "I Could Write A Book", "Maria", "Baubles Bangles & Beads", "So Long", "You're Mine You", "Moonglow", and "Invitation". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the best by The White Stripes – delivering on the rambunctiousness of their blues punk roots while making their greatest creative strides yet! There's a few more tracks with acoustic guitar and keyboards here, and some songs that honestly feels a bit like Led Zeppelin with the indulgent rock star bombast trimmed away. It's a more ambitious set from Jack and Meg than we expected to come after their more primal early recordings – and that's a good thing! Includes the hits "Seven Nation Army" and "The Hardest Button To Button" – plus "Black Math", "In The Cold, Cold, Night", "Ball And Biscuit", "Little Acorns", "Hypnotize", "Girl, You Have No Faith In Medicine", "It's True That We Love One Another" and more. CD

A great illustration of the sorts of qualities that always made the British scene so interesting over the years – as even in the big year of hits that was 1972, these groups still had a way of coming up with all sorts of interesting modes and really fresh styles – maturing the earlier experiments of prog rock, going for some continued inventiveness in more edgey groups, and furthering a new generation of songwriting that took things way past too-familiar pop themes! The depth of music here is really great – and although the set features a few bigger names, they're easily matched with a number of groups who never charted on our side of the Atlantic, and who were really part of the record-buying cognoscenti on both sides of the ocean – represented here by the kind of album nuggets that really pushed this generation past singles and 45s! As with other Esoteric packages in this series, the choice of cuts is great – never too familiar, but also never too obscure for obscure's sake – as the 55 track package moves through work by Khan, Bombadil, Pretty Things, Ten Years After, Skin Alley, Rare Bird, Edgar Broughton Band, Uriah Heep, Hawkwind, Atomic Rooster, Barclay James Harvest, Mellow Candle, Van Der Graaf Generator, Help Yourself, Matching Mole, Bond & Brown, Vinegar Joe, Nektar, Family, Free, and others! CD

Massive grooves from Schema Records – a special Japanese-only collection that features some of the best recent work on the label, mixed in with a few key classics from the early days! There's a simple, elegant feel to most of the tracks here – a sound based in older jazz and bossa roots, carried off in a blend of acoustic instrumentation with slight contemporary programs and processing – but never too much to obscure the warmth of the sources! Most titles have a warmth that's undeniable – far more than you might guess from the stark black cover image – and tracks include "Stay In Mood" by Paolo Fedreghini & Marco Bianchi, "This Is What You Are" by Mario Biondi & High Five Quintet, "Samba Royale" and "Afro Impression" by Paolo Achenza Trio, "Cortante" by Gerardo Frisina, "Missione A Bombay" by Nicola Conte, and "Cinemaroma 3", "Destination Moon", "No Problem", and "Driving" by The Dining Rooms. CD

Arguably the most classic Alice Coltrane album on Impulse – and a strong group effort that features some great work from Pharoah Sanders! Coltrane leads two different small combos on the record – both with Sanders on saxes, plus either Cecil McBee or Charlie Haden on bass, and Rashied Ali on drums – plus assorted percussion from Tulsi and Majid Shabazz, and some really enigmatic work on oud by Vishnu Wood! Tracks are long and drawn out, and open with the beauty of a field of flowers meeting the dawn – as Alice plays with a sound that's gentle and poetic, but which also has some wonderfully dark undertones. Titles include "Stopover Bombay", "Isis & Osiris", "Shiva-Loka", and "Journey In Satchidananda". LP, Vinyl record album

Early bop material by Kenny Dorham – featuring 11 rare tracks from his 1946 and 1949 sessions for Savoy, plus 12 other recordings pulled from rare bop sides at Prestige, Blue Note, and Vogue! Overall, the collection gives a much-needed look at Dorham's early years – when his trumpet style was not nearly as polished as on more famous recordings, and when his lyrical style was interacting nicely with some of the younger bop players in the New York scene. Tracks include "Be Bop In Pastel", "Bombay", "Ray's Idea", "Seven Up", "Blues In Be Bop", "Bruz", "Bop Alley", "Musa's Vision", "Groove Street", and "Maximum". CD

A classic Savoy side that brings together bop sessions recorded earlier in the label's life – done by different groupings that feature some of the best players of the early bebop years. Sonny Stitt, Kenny Dorham, and Bud Powell are part of a group that play "Ray's Idea", "Fool's Fancy", "Bebop In Pastel", and "Bombay". Fats Navarro, Leo Parker, Tadd Dameron, and others perform "Eb Pob", "Goin To Minton's", "Fat Girl", and "Ice Freezes Red". Stan Getz, Max Roach, and Hank Jones play "Opus De Bop", "Running Water", and 2 other tunes. All tracks are short and straight bop! CD

The only album ever from Groove Theory – but the set that introduced the world to Amel Larrieux – whose vocal talents alone are worth the price of admission! The feel here is a bit more mainstream soul than some of Amel's later work – but given the mid 90s date of release, the sound is still plenty underground – and filled with the warmer tones and deeper soul styles that wouldn't be that common until years later when the Neo Soul scene rose to prominence. The overall package is the work of former Mantronix member Bryce Wilson – who plays some keys, and ensures that the rhythms are never too bombastic to overwhelm Amel's vocals. Titles include the massive stepper's cut "Tell Me" that hit huge here in Chicago – plus "Baby Luv", "Didja Know", "Come Home", "Hello It's Me", "Hey U", "Good 2 Me", "You're Not The 1", and "Boy At The Window". LP, Vinyl record album

Despite the fact that he was a showy bombastic drummer in his big band days during the early 50s, Gene Krupa made some fantastic small group sessions – and this is one of them! The record features two different groups – one with the great Willie Smith on alto, the other with Ben Webster on tenor – and both of them are tightly swinging combos with a very mature sound. Smith is an especially nice treat here – as his incredible alto playing is woefully underdocumented, and only really shows up on a few small Verve sessions like this. Titles include "Jungle Drums", "Showcase", "Midget", and "Overtime". LP, Vinyl record album

A pretty darn great album – with a wonderful mix of JATP swing and strong-handed drumming by the leaders. The material was recorded at a Jazz At The Philharmonic show at Carnegie Hall in 1952, and although the main focus appears to be Krupa and Rich's drum work, there's actually some fantastic sax playing on the album – from both the alto of Willie Smith and the tenor of Flip Phillips, both of whom are at the height of their powers in this relaxed setting, working amazingly well around the bombastic drum pounding of Krupa and Rich. Tracks are long, and titles include "Idaho", "Flying Home", "Drum Boogie", "Drum Battle", and "Perdido". CD

Led Zeppelin at peak power – mixing hard rock bombast with deep, genuine love for blues and folk guitars! Houses Of The Holy is the essential the blueprint for countless imitators to come – but it's also got smarts, subtleties and creative ambitious that's just plain lost on the watered wannabes that floated up in Zeppelin's wake. Titles include "The Crunge", "Over The Hills & Far Away", "The Song Remains The Same", "The Rain Song", "Dancing Days", "Dyer Maker", "No Quarter", and "The Ocean". CD

Led Zeppelin at peak power – mixing hard rock bombast with deep, genuine love for blues and folk guitars! Houses Of The Holy is the essential the blueprint for countless imitators to come – but it's also got smarts, subtleties and creative ambitious that's just plain lost on the watered wannabes that floated up in Zeppelin's wake. This super deluxe box set includes a wealth of bonus material and a 80-page hardbound book, plus art print! Titles include "The Crunge", "Over The Hills & Far Away", "The Song Remains The Same", "The Rain Song", "Dancing Days", "Dyer Maker", "No Quarter", and "The Ocean". LP, Vinyl record album

The third in Led Zeppelin's spectacular run of early albums – each one either matching or topping its predecessor, depending on one's personal favorite – and a record with an influence that's as massive as the sound! The record's got a pair of of Zep's best-remembered songs in "Immigrant Song" and their take on the traditional "Gallows Pole", but the whole thing is great – and a great balance of their earlier bombast with a lot more acoustic moments. Other tracks include "Friends", "Celebration Day", "Tangerine" and "Hats Off (To Roy Harper)". LP, Vinyl record album

A wonderful early album by one of the great oddball songwriters of the last forty years! The Harry album is certainly the bridge between Nilsson's two previous wildly bombastic LPs, and the slightly more subdued material that popped up on the Schmilsson and later records. Harry runs the gamut from the cute and gentle "The Puppy Song" and "Mournin' Glory Song", to the more gonzo stuff. Other tracks include "Mother Nature's Son", "Fairfax Rag", the excellent break track "Rainmaker" and "I Guess The Lord Must Be In New York City". LP, Vinyl record album

An evocative live performance from trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith – etherel one minute, bombastic the next – and put together with as much sense of freedom and imagination as Smith's music from earlier years! The group is his Golden Quartet – a combo that features great drums from Shannon Jackson, keyboards by Vijay Iyer, and bass from John Lindberg – plus Smith's majestic trumpet lines, which are often muted on the record, but blown with a sense of presence that comes through beautifully. The recording's a live one, and all tracks are quite long – and the CD features 4 titles that include "Rosa Parks", "DeJohnette", "Caravan Of Winter", and "Tabligh". CD

A diverse wellspring of bluesy Brit psyche era rock, organ drenched groovers, lumbering later bombastic numbers, and groovy covers by Spooky Tooth – their complete Island discography, including the pre-Spooky album Supernatural Fairy Tales, plus a live set and tons of bonus tracks! CD

Drummer Chad Taylor is one of our secret heroes in jazz – a player we've loved for years, and who always brings something special to a session when he's a sideman – yet an artist who hardly ever gets to record as a leader in a setting like this! And if you think Chad's great on other people's albums, he's really fantastic here – leading a trio with Neil Podgurski on piano and Brian Settles on saxes – all at a level that's very different than other lineups of this nature! Given Taylor's tremendous talents on the kit, the record is much more drum-forward than others like this – not letting the reeds or piano dominate too much – yet also at a level that's not a bombastic drum session, as Taylor's always a master of subtle, sensitive sounds on the familiar instrument. The quality is hard to describe in words, but comes through instantly on the record – a gem of a set, with titles that include "Delta", "Subterfuge", "Moon Tone Shift", "Julia's Groove", "Concentric", and "The Reel". CD

Drummer Chad Taylor is one of our secret heroes in jazz – a player we've loved for years, and who always brings something special to a session when he's a sideman – yet an artist who hardly ever gets to record as a leader in a setting like this! And if you think Chad's great on other people's albums, he's really fantastic here – leading a trio with Neil Podgurski on piano and Brian Settles on saxes – all at a level that's very different than other lineups of this nature! Given Taylor's tremendous talents on the kit, the record is much more drum-forward than others like this – not letting the reeds or piano dominate too much – yet also at a level that's not a bombastic drum session, as Taylor's always a master of subtle, sensitive sounds on the familiar instrument. The quality is hard to describe in words, but comes through instantly on the record – a gem of a set, with titles that include "Delta", "Subterfuge", "Moon Tone Shift", "Julia's Groove", "Concentric", and "The Reel". CD

Rare and unreleased instrumentals from the great French orchestral pop composer Jean Claude Vannier – amazing stuff from his personal archive that ranges from loosely haunting passes to more grandly orchestrated bits – funky psych rock backdrops to heavy, tribal percussion numbers! Vannier is as much of a master of setting a mood as he as an expert composer-arranger, and this great set is brilliant showcase of his talent and we'd even say a fine entry point if you're just now being introduced. He's greatly reknowned for the incredible work he did with Serge Gainbourg, as well he should be – but a standout artist on his own, as you're hear here! It's got previously unreleased numbers from his Vannier's own vaults, many from a fertile period in the early 70s, plus rare sound library recordings and more! Includes "Bombard Lamentation" (centered around the reed instrument used most often in Breton music), "L'Ours Peresseux – 1969", "La Girafe Au Ballon", "Claquez Klaxons", "Theme 504", "Road To Cuba", "La Douleur De L'Orchestre", "L'Elephant Equilbriste", "Je M'Appelle Geraldine", "Saturnin Vaca Vaca" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

A seminal set of recordings of material from Edgar Varese – key Robert Craft takes on three earlier compositions, and the debut of "Poeme Electronique", which was created at the 1958 Brussels World Fair! "Ionisation" hs a complex mix of percussion instruments, played by thirteen players – with a quality that's almost a key precursor to the music of Harry Partch. "Density 21.5" is a haunting piece for solo flute – filled with unusual tones and textures – and "Integrales" has a fuller orchestral presentation, and a nicely bombastic vibe, with woodwind tones and percussion colliding beautifully! That sound continues in "Octandre" – a 20s composition that shows just how far Varese was ahead of his time – as does "Hyperprism", from the same year, which is even more dramatic. "Poem Electronique" has a very different approach – all analogue electronics, used in an illustration of Varese's concept of "organized sound", but with a feel that's similar to the best musique concrete material of the 50s. LP, Vinyl record album

Sarah Vaughan is working here with the Count Basie orchestra – but in a way that's still relatively relaxed, and very much in keeping with her best modes of the Pablo years! There's less of the Basie bombast than you might expect on the record – and the group, arranged and conducted by Sam Nestico, leave plenty of room for Vaughan to step out in that warmly flowing vocal style that characterized her best later albums. Most numbers build slowly – with Sarah's vocals leading the cues, and the band glowing in the background to color things in before taking off – and titles include "I Gotta Right To Sing The Blues", "Just Friends", "Ill Wind", "If You Could See Me Now", "I Hadn't Anyone Till You", "Indian Summer", and "When Your Lover Has Gone". CD

One of the best by The White Stripes – delivering on the rambunctiousness of their blues punk roots while making their greatest creative strides yet! There's a few more tracks with acoustic guitar and keyboards here, and some songs that honestly feels a bit like Led Zeppelin with the indulgent rock star bombast trimmed away. It's a more ambitious set from Jack and Meg than we expected to come after their more primal early recordings – and that's a good thing! Includes the hits "Seven Nation Army" and "The Hardest Button To Button" – plus "Black Math", "In The Cold, Cold, Night", "Ball And Biscuit", "Little Acorns", "Hypnotize", "Girl, You Have No Faith In Medicine", "It's True That We Love One Another" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

The early 70s mix of medieval themes and more 70s rooted jams – Argus by Wishbone Ash! If you haven't heard this one, and you're expecting battle axes, swords and early metal bombast. . .well, there's some of that. But Wishbone Ash were restless cats, and there's longwinded acoustic passages and all kinds of early 70s rock going on here! Dig that Hipgnosis cover art, too. Titles include "Time Was", "Sometime World", "Warrior", "Throw Down The Sword", "Blowin Free" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

13 songs from Alaap, Rama & Bally Sagoo, Bombay Talkie, Sangeeta, Malkit Singh, Mohinder Kaur Bhamra, AS Kang, Satwinder Bitti & Bally Sagoo, Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Baldip Jabble, Safri Boys, Saqi, and Labh Janjua & Panjabi MC. CD

2 rare slices of exotica by Les Baxter – back to back on one CD! The first half of the set features material from the album Ports Of Pleasure – a dreamy exploration of south sea ideals that's got a more lightly drifting quality than some of Baxter's more percussive exotica albums, and which is awash in dreamy soundscapes penned by Les himself! The orchestrations are large and bold throughout – mixing strings and woodwinds almost in a soundtrack-y mode – but always with the light sense of interplay that makes Baxter's work so great. Titles include "Monkey Dance Of Bali", "Pearls Of Ceylon", "Tahiti A Summer Night At Sea", "Hong Kong Cable Car", "Tramp Steamer To Singapore", "Harem Silks From Bombay", and "Sidewalk Cafes Of Saigon". The Sacred Idol is a real standout set from the end of Les Baxter's run at Capitol Records – originally scored for a film that was never released, but a great set of tracks that more than stands strongly on its own! The theme here is a Mexican/Latin American one – explored by Baxter with his trademark blend of larger orchestrations and lighter exotica touches – often swirling around in an extremely evocative mode that makes us wish the film had been issued to the public, and at a few key moments even hinting at the funkier modes that would follow on some of Les' later work for other labels. Titles include "Aqueducts", "Gardens Of The Moon", "Pyramid Of The Sun", "Temple Of Gold", and "Procession Of The Princes". CD

The kings of seedy 80s LA rock do their damnedest to top the their appropriately-titled, mainstream rock conquering Appetite For Destruction with the sprawling pair of Use Your Illusion albums! Use Your Illusion I kicks off with a few fast-charging, swaggery Guns songs that would have fit pretty well on Appetite, but abruptly change courses with a bombastic cover of "Live And Let Die" – and it gets even more grandiose from there – with slow-building ballads, boozy and bluesy hard rockers and more. It's pretty fascinating, in hindsight, just how far the band would go on the two Use Your Illusions albums without completely losing the plot! Includes "Right Next Door To Hell", "Dust N' Bones", "Don't Cry (Original)", "Perfect Crime", "You Ain't The First", "Bad Obsession", "Back Off Bitch", "Double Talkin' Jive", "Bad Obsession", "Garden Of Eden", "Dead Horse", "Coma" and more. Cassette

The kings of seedy 80s LA rock do their damnedest to top the their appropriately-titled, mainstream rock conquering Appetite For Destruction with the sprawling pair of Use Your Illusion albums! Use Your Illusion I kicks off with a few fast-charging, swaggery Guns songs that would have fit pretty well on Appetite, but abruptly change courses with a bombastic cover of "Live And Let Die" – and it gets even more grandiose from there – with slow-building ballads, boozy and bluesy hard rockers and more. It's pretty fascinating, in hindsight, just how far the band would go on the two Use Your Illusions albums without completely losing the plot! Includes "Right Next Door To Hell", "Dust N' Bones", "Don't Cry (Original)", "Perfect Crime", "You Ain't The First", "Bad Obsession", "Back Off Bitch", "Double Talkin' Jive", "Bad Obsession", "Garden Of Eden", "Dead Horse", "Coma" and more. CD

Black Elvis is back, and Kool Keith is clearly very much at the top of his game – serving up a set of tracks that have a very unified vibe, and a sinister vibe that really works well with the unsettling style of Keith's lyrics in the lead! There's a bit more guest help here than before, but the whole thing is linked together with this sort of eerie production that's very much its own thing – bombastic in some of the beats, but cut through with eerie melodic elements that are nicely unsettling – work in the studio by Keith with help from Marc Live, J Stylez, and L'Orange. Titles include "Machinery", "World Spin", "Space Mountain", "Black Presley", "The Formula", "Max", "Elvis", "First Copy", and "Kindergarten Adults". CD

Led Zeppelin at peak power – mixing hard rock bombast with deep, genuine love for blues and folk guitars! Houses Of The Holy is the essential the blueprint for countless imitators to come – but it's also got smarts, subtleties and creative ambitious that's just plain lost on the watered wannabes that floated up in Zeppelin's wake. Titles include "The Crunge", "Over The Hills & Far Away", "The Song Remains The Same", "The Rain Song", "Dancing Days", "Dyer Maker", "No Quarter", and "The Ocean". CD

A beautiful musical gift from Mammal Hands – and, like their previous records, a set that's instrumental, but only partly in the world of jazz – as the group have a fantastic ear for a melody, and and create this really magical flow that illuminates the lovely tunes at the core! Drummer Jesse Barret is light and cyclical on the kit – never bombasting, but creating these cascading lines that are woven with these warm piano lines from Nick Smart, then balanced with nicely angular saxophone parts from Jordan Smart. The approach is great – hypnotic and lovely, and titles include "Nightingale", "Riser", "The Spinner", "Kernel", "Dimu", and "Deep Within Mountains". CD