A brilliant slice of rare work by Cedar Walton – tracks from three different live sessions of the early 70s, all of them recorded at the Famous Ballroom in Baltimore, and all of them previously unreleased! The bulk of the work features Walton with the core group of players he was working with at the time – Sam Jones on bass, Billy Higgins on drums, and Clifford Jordan on tenor – all grooving in the mode of the Eastern Rebellion albums or some of Jordan's own sessions – a post-Coltrane take on soul jazz, mixing the spiritual with the modal with hardbop! Etta Jones sings guest vocals on two bluesier numbers, and Bill Hardman blows a bit of trumpet on some tracks – and titles include "Naima", "Pinocchio", "This Guy's In Love With You", "Plexus", and "I'm Not So Sure". CD

A very cool little set, and one that's a lot different than you might expect from the "new romantics" reference in the title! Sure, there's some cuts here that are from the moment when the British scene was cracking the charts with nice haircuts, catchy electro rhythms, and smart lyrics – but the bulk of the set is actually music from the generation before – the kind of work that inspired the new romantics of the early 80s, mixed with cuts from that era, but which are not nearly as well known! The box begins very early in the 70s, and traces bits of prog, glam, and other pre-punk styles – then ends up in more familiar territory at the end, but with a less familiar vibe. Make sense? Probably not – but that's the great thing about a really well-done collection like this – 59 tracks with really great notes – and work from Tubeway Army, The Cure, Zager & Evans, Lounge Lizards, Grace Jones, Fox, Magazine, Spandau Ballet, Heaven 17, Japan, Yellow, Nightmares In Wax, Visage, Landscape, Flying Lizards, Don Armando's Second Avenue Rhumba Band, Sister Sledge, Lipps Inc, Barry Gray, Glaxo Babies, New Order, Blue Rondo A La Turk, Tom Tom Club, ABC, M, Heat Exchange, John Foxx, The Normal, and many others! CD

The trumpet of Chet Baker was hard pressed to find a better accompanist than the piano of Russ Freeman – and the pair made some incredible recordings during Baker's early years at Pacific Jazz. This lovely set by Mosaic brings together all of the recordings cut during the time, and although it includes a reasonable number of alternate takes, the bulk of the set is totally tight, totally together master recordings that show Baker in all his youthful power. There's a total of 4LPs in all, and the set's packaged with a booklet that provides good notes on the material. Tracks include "Imagination", "Russ Job", "Bea's Flat", "Love Nest", "Fan Tan", "Say When", "Lush Life", "Amblin", "The Thrill Is Gone (vocal)", and "But Not For Me". LP, Vinyl record album

American bassist Oscar Pettiford left our planet on the other side of the Atlantic – after just a few years of making some big waves on the European scene, where this tribute to his genius was recorded in 1960! The material here appears for the first time – and the bulk of the set features tremendous performances from very hip European groups who were following in the legacy of modern jazz that Pettiford and some of his generation helped unlock on the scene. The set begins with a trio that includes pianist Finn Savery and bassist Erik Moseholm, on titles that include "Bohemia After Dark" and "Willow Weep For Me". Baritone saxophonist Max Bruel leads a quartet through a reading of his own "Blues For Oscar" – followed by four tracks from the trio of pianist Bengt Hallberg, one with vocals from Alice Babs – titles that include "Blues By Alice" and "Dinah". Next is the legendary Jazz Quintet 60 – with Allan Botschinsky on trumpet, Bent Jaedig on tenor, and Bent Axen on piano – doing their renditions of Pettiford tunes "Why Not That's What" and "Blues In The Closet". Vibist Louis Hjulmand follows in a quartet with pianist Finn Savery on the Pettiford tune "Now See How You Are" – then the great Stan Getz comes in to finish things off in a quartet with Bengt Hallberg's trio – serving up takes of "Without A Song", "Get Happy", "Spring Can Really Hang You Up The Most", and "Nobody's Sweetheart". CD

Last Train From Overbrook, a wonderful album from Moody – one of his "comeback" albums for Chess/Argo, recorded after his release from the Overbrook institution, hence the title. By this point, Moody was writing and playing with much more of an edge than during his bebop days – and the record certainly shows that – not only on the title track "Last Train From Overbrook", a jumpy little number that became one of the big new tunes in Moody's book, but on the whole album, which features some well-conceived large charts written by Johnny Pate. Pate and Moody wrote the bulk of the songs, too – and titles include "Yvonne", "Brother Yusef", "The Moody One", "There She Goes", "Tico Tico", and "Why Don't You". Flute N The Blues is one of James Moody's first albums for Argo – and an album that features him shifting from tenor sax over to flute – and playing in a slyly seductive way that would have great implications for generations of soul jazz musicians for years to come! The sound here is never sleepy – and instead shows the flute to be a perfect vehicle for creating more sensitive colors and tones in jazz – in a way that's also offset by a bit of work on alto and tenor on the album as well. The group features some excellent work from trumpeter Johnny Coles and baritonist Pee Wee Moore – plus some sparkling arrangements from pianist Jimmy Boyd – and Eddie Jefferson joins in on 3 great vocal numbers. Titles include "Birdland Story", "I Cover The Waterfront", "Breaking The Blues", "Easy Living", "Richard's Blues", and "Boo's Tune". 20 tracks in all. CD

Way way more than you might guess from an album with Motown in the title – and instead, a set that may well be one of the best we've heard from Geri Allen in years! Yes, the tracks are mostly numbers from the classic years of the famous soul label – but the presentation is quite different – mostly solo piano, with Geri stretching out in these fluid, spiritual ways that go far past any familiar melodies, and which really make the songs deeply her own. Plus, the set also features some tremendous guest work from Marcus Belgrave on trumpet on three tracks – stretching out with the kind of righteous, expressive tones that have made us love him from the days of Tribe Records onwards. David McMurray also guests on alto on one track – but the bulk of album is solo piano from Allen, on titles that include "The Smart Set", "Space Odyssey", "Inner City Blues", "Stoned Love", "Itching In My Heart", "Tears Of A Clown", "That Girl", and "Grand River Crossings". CD

Obscure recording by the great trombonist Slide Hampton, and one of the last that he made in the US before disappearing to Europe for a long while. The set's put together by trombonist Harold Betters for the Gateway label, based in Betters' home base of Pittsburgh. The two players trade off solo lines and arrangements here, but the bulk of the tracks have Slide penning the charts. As always, his work in this respect is flawless, and the LP grooves nicely with a nice bottom sound. Cuts include "Major Minor", "Rum & Coke", "The Beat", and "The New Waltz". LP, Vinyl record album

One of Robin Kenyatta's hipper records of the 70s – mostly because it features material recorded during his late 60s years! The bulk of the set features a 1969 live recording – with Kenyatta leading a quartet with Larry Willis on piano, Walter Booker on bass, and Alphonse Mouzon on drums – running through some longish tracks that have a beautifully spiritual approach – one that's almost a blend of Ayler, Coltrane, and Pharoah-like sensibilities – and which features some of the best tenor work we've ever heard from Kenyatta on record! Titles include "Nairobi Hot 5", "Dream Bug", and "Beggars & Stealers" – and the set's capped off by a 1975 studio take on "Ruby My Dear" – one that features Robin on alto, alongside some wonderfully introspective piano work by Muhal Richard Abrams! LP, Vinyl record album

The rarest of all Charles Kynard albums – and a real standout groover from the classic funk days of Prestige! The album's a really creative outing – with arrangements by Richard Fritz that take the usual small combo Prestige sound to new heights – twisting and turning the rhythms past the usual heavy foot on the bass motif! Fritz wrote the bulk of the tracks, and they've got a modal grooving mode – with a mixture of hard rhythms and dancing organ, guitar, and tenor from Houston Person that's almost in a Funk Inc mode – with lots of sharp changes. The rest of the group is great – Bernard Purdie's on drums, Jimmy Lewis plays Fender bass, and Grant Green is on guitar – on titles that nclude "Sweetheart", "Odds On", "Afro-Disiac", "Trippin", and "Chanson Du Nuit". LP, Vinyl record album

Wonderfully spare early jazz sides by Peggy, and the kind of material that's not easy to find amidst the bulk of her pop-oriented work. The album's a moving set of ballads and torchy numbers, recorded in small-combo fashion, in a style that's similar to some of Chris Connor's later Bethlehem work. The combo includes Cootie Chesterfield on trumpet, Jimmy Rowles on piano, Max Wayne on bass, and Ed Shaughnessy on drums. A real treasure – with titles like "A Woman Alone With The Blues", "Love Me Or Leave Me", "Easy Living", and "Black Coffee". LP, Vinyl record album

Quite a rare album from Peggy Lee – and a strange one too! The album features backings "conducted" by Frank Sinatra, done in a moody, flowing, dreamy and sad style – similar to his own work of the late 50s Capitol years, especially the more melancholy albums that we love so much. Frank's probably not doing the bulk of the work, though, as the record also credits Nelson Riddle with arrangements – and Riddle's sound here is very strong, again in the mood of his best sad work with Sinatra – territory explored on albums like Wee Small Hours or Only The Lonely. Titles include "That's All", "Please Be Kind", "He's My Guy", "Then I'll Be Tired Of You", "The Folks Who Live On The Hill", and "If I Should Lose You". LP, Vinyl record album

The Man I Love is quite a rare album from Peggy Lee – and a strange one too! The album features backings "conducted" by Frank Sinatra, done in a moody, flowing, dreamy and sad style – similar to his own work of the late 50s Capitol years, especially the more melancholy albums that we love so much. Frank's probably not doing the bulk of the work, though, as the record also credits Nelson Riddle with arrangements – and Riddle's sound here is very strong, again in the mood of his best sad work with Sinatra – territory explored on albums like Wee Small Hours or Only The Lonely. Titles include "That's All", "Please Be Kind", "He's My Guy", "Then I'll Be Tired Of You", "The Folks Who Live On The Hill", and "If I Should Lose You". CD

A unique little album from Thelonious Monk – an early 60s live date that features a really cooking big band, plus some solo and quartet tracks as well! The bulk of the album's played by the big band – an unusual mix of players that includes Phil Woods on alto, Steve Lacy on soprano sax, Charlie Rouse on tenor, Thad Jones on cornet, Eddie Bert on trombone, and Nick Travis on trumpet – all cutting nicely angular lines under the direction of Monk's piano. The quartet material strips things down to a group with Rouse on tenor, Butch Warren on bass, and Frank Dunlop on drums – and one selection features Monk on solo piano. Titles include "I Mean You", "Oska T", "Four In One", "Darkness On The Delta", "Evidence", and "Played Twice". 2CD set features bonus tracks too – including "Bye Ya", "Misterioso", "Epistrophy", and "Light Blue" – 2 of which are additional quartet numbers. CD

A wonderfully trippy record by The Monkees, and the soundtrack to their equally trippy film from the late 60s. The music's like nothing else they ever did, and the record's a post-Sgt. Pepper's collage of sounds from the movie, weird little spoken bits, and delightfully psychedelic songs. Incidental music's by Ken Thorne, but the bulk of the tracks are by Jones, Tork, Nesmith, and Dolenz. Titles include "Porpoise Song", "Circle Sky", "Can You Dig It", "Gravy", and "Dandruff?" LP, Vinyl record album

Three albums in one package! First up is TTT – a great later date from tenor genius JR Monterose – a set that's deceptively simple at the outset, but which has JR playing with all of those wonderfully sharp lines and well-chosen phrases of earlier years! Monterose is a real unsung talent on his instrument – a player who never went too far out on most recordings, but managed to pack an incredible amount of ideas into each solo – a bit like Sonny Rollins at his most inventive, but with a raspier tone that's got to be heard to be fully appreciated. This set features Monterose continuing his genius in a live setting – working in a Danish club in 1988 with a quartet that includes Hod O'Brien on piano, Guffy Pallesen on bass, and Jesper Elen on drums. The titles are all familiar ones, but the solos are the sort of thing that make you fully appreciate jazz at its best – the kind of phrasing, timing, and tone that true giants like Monterose bring to their best work. Tracks include "All The Things You Are", "What's New", "Central Park West", "Airegin", and "You Don't Know What Love Is". Next is Alive In Amsterdam – some of the rawest work ever from this under-recorded tenor genius – a late 60s Dutch set that's very different than both the famous blue album by JR Monterose, and his later comeback material too! Here, the bulk of the record is just JR on tenor with percussion accompaniment – the drums of Han Bennink on side one, then added percussion from three other players alongside Bennink on side two – while JR switches to a very cool electrified, amplified version of the tenor! His tone and texture are wonderful right from the start – as he and Bennink deliver fantastic duet performances of "I Remember Clifford" and "Sonnymoon For Two" – before joining with the other percussionists on the extended "Reborn" on side two – a very well-titled number, given JR's sound! Last is Body & Soul – an extremely rare set – recorded in 1970 in Holland, and featuring the tenor of JR Monterose in quintet with Jon Eardley on trumpet, Rien De Graaff on piano, Henk Haverhoek on bass, and Pierre Courbois on drums. The set's a key lost chapter in the career of this enigmatic tenor player – as it's got a sound that reaches back to his few hardbop recordings from the 50s, but also shows that Monterose had grown a lot as a soloist in the past decade, inserting a lot more freeness to his style, possibly an influence from 60s modernists like Coltrane or Ayler. The Dutch rhythm of the set works quite well for the nature of the materials – and Courbois' drums are especially compelling, nicely held back here from some of their more over-the-top tendencies, but adding in a lot of complicated fills and rhythmic changes underneath the sax solos. Titles include "Short Bridge", "Old Folks", "For Hank", "Just Blues", and "Body & Soul". CD

Great live material from Wes Montgomery – very nicely recorded, and featuring the bulk of a live show that took place on March 27, 1965, in Paris! The group features Harold Mabern on piano, Art Harper on bass, and Jimmy Lovelace on drums – plus Johnny Griffin joining in on one track – and the overall approach of the record is quite different than some of Wes' larger group studio sessions of the time. Tracks are all mostly long, and Wes is working in some really great solo modes – still as tight and soulful as ever, but really taking a lot of chances and working through some techniques to much greater impact than on the shorter studio tracks. Titles include "Mister Walker", "To Django", "Here's That Rainy Day", and "Round Midnight". LP, Vinyl record album

A wonderful album from Moody – one of his "comeback" albums for Chess/Argo, recorded after his release from the Overbrook institution, hence the title. By this point, Moody was writing and playing with much more of an edge than during his bebop days – and the record certainly shows that – not only on the title track "Last Train From Overbrook", a jumpy little number that became one of the big new tunes in Moody's book, but on the whole album, which features some well-conceived large charts written by Johnny Pate. Pate and Moody wrote the bulk of the songs, too – and titles include "Yvonne", "Brother Yusef", "The Moody One", "There She Goes", "Tico Tico", and "Why Don't You". The album also features a great double-exposed cover photo, and some of the most chilling liner notes you'll ever read about a jazzman's struggles with addiction. LP, Vinyl record album

A stunner of a joint effort from Ethio jazz funk visionary Mulatu Astatke and psych funk genre-busting combo the Heliocentrics – a record we had the highest hopes for and still find wildly above and beyond our loftiest expectations! The collective touch on some classic Mulatu compositions, but the bulk of the material here is brand new, and purely collaborative – if you know the Helioecentrics or you know Mulatu, you can clearly hear what each bring to the table – and it works together brilliantly! There's often a gritty funk bottom end, the best drums and percussion, fat electric bass lines underneath Ethio jazz inspired sax, trumpet, trombone and flute – swirling psychedelic flourishes with theremin and other effects that never take away from the groove. Mulatu's on vibes, percussion, Wurlitzer, drums and keyboards – and his compositions and the Helios trade back and forth throughout the set. There's some additional Ethiopian instrumentation and atmospheric vocals in the mix on some tunes, and more of an astral, avant funk vibe on others, but there's always a brilliant confluence of styles. Bottom line, the album is everything we wanted it to be and more – this will undoubtedly be favorite for years to come! Titles include "Masenqo", "Cha Cha", "Addis Black Widow", "Mulatu", "Blue Nile", "Esketa Dance", "Chik Chikka", "Live From Tiger Lounge", "Chinese New Year", "Phantom Of The Panther", "Dewel"., "Fire In The Zoo", "An Epic Story" and "Anglo Ethio Suite". LP, Vinyl record album

A landmark early moment from Doris Troy – a set that has her shining not just as a key 60s soul singer for Atlantic Records – but also as a heck of a great songwriter too! She's got a really fresh approach here – one that's right up front for the time – with a mix of raw vocals and classy production, in a style that's partly New York uptown – but which also has the kind of strongly individual vibe you'd get from singers like Maxine Brown or Barbara Lewis too! Arrangements on the record are by Gregory Carroll, who also wrote the bulk of the material with Doris – including tracks like "Lazy Days", "Bossa Nova Blues", "Whatcha Gonna Do About It", "Time", and "Just One Look". Other tracks include "Stormy Weather", "School For Fools", and "Somewhere Along The Way". LP, Vinyl record album

A stunning selection of highlife material from the Nigerian scene – a huge double-length collection that really offers up a vivid example of the music that was in place before the big wave of 70s Afro Funk and other new styles! The work here is different than some of the more commercial highlife recordings you might know – especially those from the big 80s years of world music – as the recording quality is often nice and raw, and the focus is mostly on acoustic percussion, electric guitar, and jazzier horn lines next to the vocals – with grooves usually moving at a mighty nice clip in a bold explosion of color! The bulk of the work on the 19 track set is from the 50s through the early 70s – and titles include "Yei Ngebewoh" by ET Menseh & The Tempos, "Akwanoma Hiahii" by Rambler Dance Band, "Muntie (Highlife Charanga)" by Ramblers International, "Eyaa Dudm" by Professional Uhuru Band, "Ogiobo" by Sir Victor Uwaifo & His Titibitis Of Africa, "Osondi Owendi" by Chief Stephen Osita Osadebe, and "Koko Ahataw Kur" by George Williams Aingo. CD

A huge legacy of work from one of the greatest classical pianists of the 20th century – the complete Decca, Philips, and Deutsche Grammophon recordings of Sviatoslav Richter – brought together in a massive set that also includes two bonus CDs as well! The bulk of the set – 34 CDs – includes solo performances – Richter's transcendent readings of works by Bach, Beethoven, Schubert, Shostakovich, Scriabin, Chopin, Schumann, Brahms, Liszt, and others – including his famous Sofia Recital from 1958 – with all the music brought together on extended CDs that often carry two to three albums' worth of material on each disc – all annotated with a booklet in both German and English. Next are some wonderful chamber music recordings – 7 CDs' worth of smaller ensemble pieces by Brahams, Dvorak, Franck, Bartok, Britten, and others, including collaborations with Rostropovich and the Borodin Quartet – and the set is completed by 8 more CDs, with both concerto recordings, and a few lieder recordings with singers who include Peter Schreier and Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau. Package also includes 2 bonus CDs – with works by Mozard, Schubert, and Debussy – done with Benjamin Britten. CD

An early chapter in the career of the great Mama Cass – a pre-Mamas & Papas combo that had a sweet folksy sound! The group features Cass with singers Tim Rose and Jim Hendricks – in a style that shares a lot of the harmonizing styles of The Mamas & The Papas, but which has an overall sound that was much more in the mode of some of the folk groups of the time. The instrumentation's pretty spare overall – usually just slight percussion and guitar – and the bulk of the tunes are carried by the vocals, which makes the music a wonderful showcase for Cass' great voice! The CD features 21 tracks in all, plus notes on the group – and tracks that include "Anna Fia", "I May Be Right", "Silkie", "Ringo", "Come Away Melinda", "Young Girl's Lament", "Come Along", "It Makes A Long Time Man Feel Bad", "Dark As A Dungeon", and "Wild Women". CD

Rare early songs from Nick Drake – home recordings done before his three classic albums on Island Records, somewhat restored and remastered by his original sound engineer! The quality here is a fair bit better than most of the bootlegs from these years, and the overstuffed package features a whopping 28 tracks in all – beginning with more straightly-folksy tunes, and moving into territory that shows the more sophisticated styles that Drake would explore on his albums for Island. A few tracks feature vocals by his mother, Molly Drake, but the bulk of the work is by Nick – and overall, there's a surprisingly great quality to most of the tunes – the nascent genius that would emerge fully formed on Five Leaves Left. Titles include "Blossom", "Been Smoking Too Long", "Tomorrow Is A Long Time", "Here Come The Blues", "If You Leave Me", "Blues Run The Game", "My Baby So Sweet", "Kimbie", "Bird Flew By", "Rain", "Strange Meeting II", "Come In To The Garden", "Poor Mum", "Time Piece", and "Strolling Down The Highway". CD

A magnificent decade of music from Duke Ellington – the bulk of his fifties recordings for Columbia Records – all albums that really show the Duke stretching forth and greatly developing his style! The scope of performances here is breathtaking – as Ellington works with key sidemen of the postwar years, and moves into much longer-form recordings that before – tracks that help him deeply express his new ideas, and also make way for a few guest performers too. Each album comes in a tiny LP-styled sleeve, replicating the original record – and the box features the albums Masterpieces By Ellington, Ellington Uptown, A Drum Is A Woman, Such Sweet Thunder, Ellington Indigos, The Cosmic Scene, and At The Bal Masque – plus the Black Brown & Beige suite with Mahalia Jackson, and the Blue Rose album with vocals by Rosemary Clooney! CD

2 rare large group sets – back to back on one CD! First up is Saxes Inc – a unique sax-heavy session done by Warner Brothers, and a blaring batch of tracks played by an all-star all-sax group that includes Herb Geller, Phil Woods, Gene Quill, Al Cohn, Zoot Sims, Seldon Powell, Hal McKusick, and Georgie Auld! Bob Prince arranged and conducted, and the approach is surprisingly modernist, with the saxes carrying the bulk of the rhythm and melody, as well as the solos – a really great approach that makes for plenty of unique moments – all handled with a sound that's a lot more fluid than you might expect! Titles include "Four Brothers" (of course!), "The Gypsy", "Night In Tunisia", "Jumpin With Symphony Sid", and "Axmobile". The second album here is the even rarer 1956 set Trombone Scene – a session done with a much smaller group arranged by pianist Elliot Lawrence, and featuring the talents of four key trombonists – Eddie Bert, Jimmy Cleveland, Urbie Green, and Jimmy Knepper. The sound isn't nearly as full or wide as other records of the type – and there's almost a style that's similar to the JJ Johnson/Kai Winding four trombone project for Debut – except that this one's a bit more tightly arranged. Tracks are shortish, but feature plenty of personality from all players – and titles include "Plungin In", "Hackin Around", "Slim Jim", "Sorta Rumbish", "Hambone", "Sonny's Side", and "Up & Out". CD

A pivotal album in the career of Peggy Lee, and one that marked her turning from a singer of pop and swing material, to a sensitive interpreter of jazz material. The album's one of the best-ever by Peggy, and features the kind of material that's not easy to find amidst the bulk of her pop-oriented work – a moving set of ballads and torchy numbers, recorded in small-combo fashion, in a style that's similar to some of Chris Connor's later Bethlehem work. The combo includes Cootie Chesterfield on trumpet, Jimmy Rowles on piano, Max Wayne on bass, and Ed Shaughnessy on drums. A real treasure – with titles like "A Woman Alone With The Blues", "Love Me Or Leave Me", "Easy Living", and "Black Coffee". This reissue features all 12 tracks from the full-length LP. CD

Obscure late work from Lee Morgan – the bulk of a live concert recorded in Baltimore in 1968, and featuring a group co-led with the great Clifford Jordan! The recording is one of many taped by Baltimore's Left Bank Jazz Society at the time – and like others you might have heard on disc, it's a rough-hewn effort that shows a very different side of the artists than you'd guess from their studio work of the time. Tracks are all quite long – 15 minutes or more, mostly – and both Jordan and Morgan are playing in a more open, improvised style. Rhythm is by an unusual and compelling trio of Reggie Workman on bass, John Hicks on piano, and Ed Blackwell on drums – who really make for a different groove than usual for either player. The album features a great 21 minute take on Hank Mobley's "The Vamp", plus versions of "Solar", "Straight No Chaser", "Like Someone In Love", and "The Theme". CD

Very groovy stuff! Although the bulk of the material on this album is "pops meet jazz", in the hands of Oliver Nelson, it's transformed into something wonderful – with just the right blend of jazz to keep things lively. The arrangements have a nice off-kilter sound that works well with Nelson's strong reed performances – and tunes include "Jazz Bug", "Yesterday", "Flowers On The Wall", "Boots Are Made For Walkin", and "Beautiful Music". LP, Vinyl record album

The incredible pianist is caught here in the company of a few different trios – with drummers like Roy Haynes or Max Roach – and there's also a few nice large group tracks, with Fats Navarro and Sonny Rollins joining in, plus a couple of piano solos. It's rare to hear Powell in such a setting, as the bulk of his work during the time was trio sessions – and the recordings here – "Un Poco Loco", "Wail", "Bouncing With Bud", and "Ornithology" – are some of his best, as part of their "amazing" series that focused on his energetic trio work. LP, Vinyl record album

Excellent work by Dionne Warwick's soulful sister! Dee Dee is one of the great unsung heroes of 60s soul – and although she cut a fair bit of work back in the day, much of it is yet to be properly reissued. That situation has changed for the better with this excellent set – a 26 track compilation of Dee Dee's work for the Mercury/Blue Rock label, recorded during the years 1965 to 1973, and including the bulk of her rare albums Foolish Fool and I Want To Be With You, plus a number of even rarer singles! Arrangements are by the likes of Ed Townsend, Horace Ott, and others – and Dee Dee's approach is a hard soul take on the uptown groove, handled with an equal balance of poise and raw energy. Titles include "Locked In Your Love", "We're Doing Fine", "Next Time You Fall In Love", "Ring Of Bright Water", "All The Love That Went To Waste", "Don't You Ever Give Up On Me", "Girls Need Love", "It's Not Fair", "Foolish Fool", "Another Lonely Saturday Baby", and "You Don't Know What You Do To Me". CD

John Wright was one of a great run of soul jazz pianists to come out of Chicago in the 50s and 60s, and this LP is one of his four great recordings for Prestige – recordings which stand as the bulk of his jazz legacy, even though he continues to still play these days in Chicago! His style is amazing, and is a mix of soul jazz funkiness with some bluesier undertones – not nearly as cliched as some of his bigger contemporaries at the time, and captured here with some nicely rough bits around the edges. The group here is a trio with the great Walter Perkins on drums and Wendell Marshall on bass – yet the tunes often have an intensity that has us checking the notes to see if there's not any added players, because the strength of Wright's work on the keys often makes us imagine a larger group! Titles include "Our Waltz", "Everything's Gonna Work Out Fine", "Shake", "Strut", "Mr. Soul", and "Now Hang In There". LP, Vinyl record album

A better soundtrack than you might expect – as the set features a number of Christmas classics, mixed with a few new cuts for the record, and a few instrumentals too! The set leads off with Tyler The Creator doing "You're A Mean One Mr Grinch" and "I Am The Grinch" – and Danny Elfman also contributed a few instrumental titles too – but the bulk of the record is classic Holiday material, with titles that include "Christmas Is" and "Christmas In Hollis" by Run DMC, "My Favorite Things" by The Supremes, "Deck the Halls" by Jackie Wilson, "Run Rudolph Run" by Brian Setzer, "Zat You Santa Claus" by Buster Poindexter, "The Christmas Song" by Nat King Cole, and "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" by Pentatonix. LP, Vinyl record album

A brilliant example of why Eddie Bert was one of the hippest trombonists of the 50s – a player who could bridge the worlds of Stan Kenton and Charles Mingus, and always come up with a sound that was one of the freshest on his instrument! The bulk of the CD features small combo work Bert recorded for the Discovery label in 1953 and 1954 – quintet sessions done with Duke Jordan on piano and Clyde Lombardi on bass, plus other players that include Sal Salvador on guitar, Vinnie Dean on alto sax, and Joe Morello on drums. Bert's sound throughout is fluid, lean, and modern – gliding with light colors one moment, a crisp modern edge the next, and a bit of boppish inflection at others – always opening up new areas of expression for the sometimes-staid trombone, and working here at a level that matches 50s invention of better-known players on the instrument. 4 additional tracks on the CD are from a previously unissued 1959 recording with Dean on alto, Lombardi on bass, Sal Mosca on piano, and Ed Shaughnessy on drums – plus a really unique 17 minute live recording of the title track by a quartet with Bert, Jordan, Lombardi, and Osie Johnson on drums. Bert's playing on this extended track alone is worth the price of admission – but the CD features a total of 73 minutes of music in all, on 17 tracks that include "Ripples", "Conversation Piece", "Interwoven", "Little Train", "Kaleidoscope", "Around Town", "Melting Pot", "He Ain't Got Rhythm", and "Blues At Sunrise". CD

Laidback and lovely trumpet work from the legendary Ruby Braff – heard here in the company of pianist Hank Jones, and recorded in a very intimate small group setting! The bulk of the CD features material from Ruby's excellent Ruby Braff Goes Girl Crazy album for Warner Brothers – a recasting of the Gershwin score as an instrumental vehicle for Braff, Jones, Al Cohn, and Jim Hall – all played in a mellow and open-handed style that brings a new sense of swing to the tunes! Rhythm is by George Duvivier or Bob Haggart on bass, and Buzzy Drootin on drums – and titles include "Embraceable You", "Treat Me Rough", "But Not For Me", "I Got Rhythm", and "Bidin My Time". 4 more tracks on the CD are pulled from the album You're Getting To Be A Habit With Me – again with Jones on piano, plus Mundell Lowe on guitar – on titles that include "When Your Lover Has Gone", "Let's Do It", and "Taking A Chance On Love". Last up are 5 more tunes from the album Easy Now – with Roy Eldridge also on trumpet, plus Jones and Lowe again – on the tracks "Yesterdays", "Someday You'll Be Sorry", "Give My Regards To Broadway", "Willow Weep For Me", and "This Is My Lucky Day". CD

A great little album by The Drifters – different than most of their other work for Atlantic, but still quite nice! The bulk of the album features the group running through jazzy versions of pop tunes – like "Quando Quando Quando", "More", "The Good Life", and "Desafinado" – all of which they do quite well, with a classy sound that fits well with the arrangements by Ray Ellis. The album also features one more regular tune by the group – the single "Saturday Night At The Movies", a killer uptown soul number arranged by Teacho Wiltshire. LP, Vinyl record album

Great live material from Wes Montgomery – very nicely recorded, and featuring the bulk of a live show that took place on March 27, 1965, in Paris! The group features Harold Mabern on piano, Art Harper on bass, and Jimmy Lovelace on drums – and the overall approach of the record is quite different than some of Wes' larger group studio sessions of the time. Tracks are all mostly long, and Wes is working in some really great solo modes – still as tight and soulful as ever, but really taking a lot of chances and working through some techniques to much greater impact than on the shorter studio tracks. Titles include "Four On Six", "Wes Rhythm", "Impressions", and "To When". LP, Vinyl record album

A beautiful illustration of the deep talents of Anthony Ortega – a player who still sounds as creative and inventive this late in his career as he did way back in the 50s and 60s! The bulk of the CD features Ortega in two settings – one, a batch of studio duets with bassist Kash Killion; the other a series of live solo performances, recorded in Paris by a video camera! The Killion duets have a wonderfully warm, round sound – acoustic bass set up next to Ortega's alto and flute, with a carefully structured approach that's extremely thoughtful, and almost poetic. The live solos have a much rougher sound – partly from the starkness of the video recording, but also because they represent Oretga taking it much more off the cuff – just spinning things out on alto sax with a sound that's a fair bit like the old days. And to cap things off – speaking of the old days – the CD closes with one more duet from the 60s – a track that has Ortega and bassist Chuck Domanico playing together from an older Revelation session, appearing here for the first time ever! That track is a long version of "Ornithology", and other titles include "Ask Me Now", "Jupiter", "Blue Monk", "I'll Remember April", "Now's The Time", and "Open Spaces". CD

The funky sitar of Ananada Shankar – recorded in the 80s, but with all the brilliance of his 70s work! Like his other great albums, the production's a mix of soundtrack and funky instrumental styles with more traditional Indian ones – and the bulk of the set comes off sounding like some lost Bollywood score from the 70s – funky and spacey at the bottom, without as much of the clunky styles that you might expect from the cheesy 80s image on the cover. The set includes the long mellow tune "2001", plus shorter groovier numbers that include "Planet X", "Flights Of Fantasy", "Universal Magic", "The Voyager", "Vibrations", and "Explorations". LP, Vinyl record album

Outtasite mellow soul from The Ultimates – an obscure east coast group with a really heavenly sound! The bulk of the album is from the group's only album – The Ultimates From The Beginning – recorded in 1969 with a warm and groovy harmony approach, of the sort that many other groups would begin working in during the 70s – but which comes across with a surprisingly professional style here! There's a great quality to the vocals on most tracks – smooth, but with just a few crackles – in a mode that humanizes the tunes nicely, and gives them a feel that reminds us a bit of The Delfonics or The Whatnauts. Titles include "She Went Away", "You're My Lady", "I Just Can't Stand It", and "Girl I've Been Trying To Tell You". LP, Vinyl record album

Sounds sleepy – but it's totally groovy!! The mad talents of Italian soundtrack genius Piero Umiliani are turned towards his love of Duke Ellington – and the result is an incredibly groovy batch of tracks that mix up jazz, electronics, and plenty of great keyboards! The bulk of the material on the set was recorded in 1974 – and it features Umiliani playign moog and ARP, in a strange sort of "tribute" to Ellington that takes the usual Duke tunes, and turns them into hard grooving little numbers, with lots of bubbling electronic bits and weird sound effects. The first cut on the set is a mad mad version of "Caravan" which leaps and churns all over the place, sounding funkier than you could ever imagine! As the set progresses, some of the tracks are more traditionally jazz-based, but everything is played by a larger group, and the groove is still pretty darn excellent! Titles include "Ode To Duke Ellington", "Solitude", "Dreaming Of Duke", "Jeep's Blues", and "Never Together". CD