A really cool little package – one that features rare 20s recordings from the Middle East, alongside a host of modern "responses" to the original music! The first half of the set follows beautifully in the spirit of other recent sets from Honest Jons – digging through the archives of EMI to find some amazing sounds recorded in Egypt, Iran, Iraq, and Turkey – all presented here with sound that's infinitely better than their original 78rpm singles – a production job that's almost as mesmerizing as the music included in the package! The second half features new music commissioned for the package – all done by artists who are very sensitive to the original spirit of the first selections, working here with spare, acoustic instrumentation in an equally exotic way. At points, it's honestly hard to tell the difference between the old stuff and the new stuff – another achievement for the set – and rather than make that distinction, we'll just let you know that artists include Sir Richard Bishop, Haigo, Moustapha Bey Rida, Nechat Bey, Oudi Yorgho, Abdul Hussein Khan Shahnazi, Sami Chawa, Michael Flower, Micah Blue Smaldone, Paul Metzger, MV & EE, and Steffen Basho. 2CDs with lots of music! CD

2 later albums by Johnny Griffin – both recorded after his return to the US during the late 70s! Bush Dance is a pretty interesting little set – one that features Griffin working in an easygoing combo with slight electric touches – a group that features George Freeman on guitar, alongside Cedar Walton's acoustic piano, plus bass by Sam Jones, drums by Albert Heath, and percussion and congas from Kenneth Nash. The mixture of guitar and congas gives the album a very different feel than some of Griffin's other work – almost a lighter soul jazz touch that recalls some of the best Muse Records sides from the time. Tracks are long, and rhythms get nice and free at times – and titles include a 17 minute take on "Night In Tunisia" that really gets a bit wild, plus "Since I Fell For You", "Bush Dance", "Knucklebean", and "The JAMFs Are Coming". Call It Whatchawanna is a more straight-ahead album, and a great one too – recorded with a youthful and soulful rhythm combo that features Mulgrew Miller on piano, Curtis Lundy on bass, and Kenny Washington on drums – all supporting Griffin with warm round tones that work perfectly with his open solo style. Titles include "I Mean You", "Lover Man", "Call It Whachawanna", and "A Waltz With Sweetie". CD

Slide Hampton's not on every track here, but his presence really makes the album sparkle – blowing with his usual strong, soulful vibe in the company of two younger tenor players! The album's a live one, recorded in Holland with a Dutch quintet that features the great Cees Slinger on piano, and both Sjoerd Dijkhuizen and Simon Rigter on tenors – blowing in tight formation on all numbers, but sounding their best when Hampton joins the group on 6 of the album's 9 tracks! As with so many Hampton dates overseas, there seems to be a little something extra in the rhythms – a bounce, or a balance between force and lyricism, that really pushes his tunes in a fresh sort of way – skippingly soulful, just as we first came to love in Slide's music so many decades ago. Titles include "Lament", "Griffin", "Invitation", "Sandra", "The Loner", "Sallitwhachawana", and "The Eternal Triangle". CD

A super-funky set – two vintage albums from Con Funk Shun – back to back on a single CD! The self-titled Con Funk Shun album is quite different than their later, better known hits! The group sure knew how to slap that bass, even back on this first album for Mercury – but then again, they – along with other big Mercury groups like The Ohio Players – were pioneering the bass-heavy sound that would influence countless bands over the next decade in soul. This first album's actually one of the group's best, with some nice rough edges that we like even more than the smoother sound of later albums. And oddly, some of our favorite cuts are the mellower ones – like the smooth jazzy instrumental "Foley Park", which has a nice moogy solo in the middle. Other good mellow cuts include "Another World", which almost has a "Summer Madness" quality to it, plus "Forever Just Ain't Long Enough" and "Never Be The Same". Secrets is a great early album from Con Funk Shun – a mix of funkier tunes and some excellent smooth modern ones in step with the mellower work by Cameo or Maze – done with more soaringly emotional sounds that moves beyond their peers! A love for earlier 70s styles might be what pushes Secrets above and beyond – honest, intimate, and at times just more focused in the vocals department than both the funky soul groups of the time and the quiet storm singers of the approaching early 80s – and still doesn't spare the bass, horns and funky interplay! High points include the closing instrumental "Indian Summer Love" and funky centerpiece "Ffun" –plus "Doowhachawannadoo", "Who Has The Time", "Secrets", "Tear In My Eye" and "I'll Set You Out OK". CD also features a bonus track – "Ffun (12" version)" – a clubby killer! CD

A great early album from Con Funk Shun – a mix of funkier tunes and some excellent smooth modern ones in step with the mellower work by Cameo or Maze – done with more soaringly emotional sounds that moves beyond their peers! A love for earlier 70s styles might be what pushes Secrets above and beyond – honest, intimate, and at times just more focused in the vocals department than both the funky soul groups of the time and the quiet storm singers of the approaching early 80s – and still doesn't spare the bass, horns and funky interplay! High points include the closing instrumental "Indian Summer Love" and funky centerpiece "Ffun" –plus "Doowhachawannadoo", "Who Has The Time", "Secrets", "Tear In My Eye" and "I'll Set You Out OK". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the most rootsy albums ever issued by the Tabansi label – a set that's quite different than their more familiar electric modes, and which features very raw, tribal sounds by a percussion group that is tied to the Niri Kingdom in Nigeria! As you'd guess from their name, the ensemble is heavy on drums, but also uses these very spare, simple wood flutes – in a mode that usually varies back and forth in a cycle of notes, which creates a very hypnotic sound along with the percussion – almost like some of the early albums by Moondog. There's also vocals, too – but these seem more intended to encourage the instrumentation, almost calls to action. Titles include "Eze Na Aga", "Nrijifor II", "Ochawaligwe", Ufie Nnam Eze I", and "Okanga Eze Niri II". CD

Cooking is right! You might imagine by the mid 80s, these jazz greats were past their prime, but this set has Woody Shaw, Dizzy Reece & Johnny Griffin blowin' hard in a front line that also features Slide Hampton & Nathan Davis, all important American players who made their mark in the Paris scene of the 60s and 70s – hence the name – and they're brought together here for a festival tribute to Kenny Clarke, who was supposed to join them on the date. These studio sides were cut shortly thereafter and find the group working in a mode that recreates the unbridled creativity they had during their years in Paris – the groove is open-ended, in a soul bop mode that recalls the best work of Shaw, Hampton, and Davis from the 70s. . Includes "Klook's Theme", 'the Burner" & "Callitwatchawanna". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the most rootsy albums ever issued by the Tabansi label – a set that's quite different than their more familiar electric modes, and which features very raw, tribal sounds by a percussion group that is tied to the Niri Kingdom in Nigeria! As you'd guess from their name, the ensemble is heavy on drums, but also uses these very spare, simple wood flutes – in a mode that usually varies back and forth in a cycle of notes, which creates a very hypnotic sound along with the percussion – almost like some of the early albums by Moondog. There's also vocals, too – but these seem more intended to encourage the instrumentation, almost calls to action. Titles include "Eze Na Aga", "Nrijifor II", "Ochawaligwe", Ufie Nnam Eze I", and "Okanga Eze Niri II". LP, Vinyl record album