With a record like this, it's hard to believe that Christian Scott started out in more standard jazz – as Chief Xian Atunde Adjuah is a very different artist altogether, one who wraps together worlds and eras of musical heritage – working here in a set that's very heavy on percussion, vocal refrains, and other elements you never would have heard in his earlier music! The leader works a whole host of percussion along with other members of the group, but also adds in some larger production elements too – always in a way that's nicely subtle, and preserves the acoustic energy at the core – yet which really enriches the proceedings too! The album's overflowing with righteous power – and titles include "On To New Orleans", "Bark Out Thunder Roar Out Lighting", "Xodokan Iko Hu Na Ney", "Trouble That Mornin", "Blood Calls Blood", "Ashe Chief Donald", "Golden Crown", and "Shallow Water". CD

With a record like this, it's hard to believe that Christian Scott started out in more standard jazz – as Chief Xian Atunde Adjuah is a very different artist altogether, one who wraps together worlds and eras of musical heritage – working here in a set that's very heavy on percussion, vocal refrains, and other elements you never would have heard in his earlier music! The leader works a whole host of percussion along with other members of the group, but also adds in some larger production elements too – always in a way that's nicely subtle, and preserves the acoustic energy at the core – yet which really enriches the proceedings too! The album's overflowing with righteous power – and titles include "On To New Orleans", "Bark Out Thunder Roar Out Lighting", "Xodokan Iko Hu Na Ney", "Trouble That Mornin", "Blood Calls Blood", "Ashe Chief Donald", "Golden Crown", and "Shallow Water". LP, Vinyl record album

Donald Harrison on alto saxophone, Max Moran on acoustic bass, Joe Dyson on drums, and Zaccai Curtis on piano. CD

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A surprisingly wonderful little project – one that brings together shorter snippets of Fela's classic tunes, into an extended sound collage that's got a really captivating feel! We initially expected this one to be gimmicky and a bit silly, but it's really not – and instead stands as a loving "mixtape" that showcases the best bits of Fela's genius – a keyboard solo here, a vocal chant there, all the while pushed along by the great one's groundbreaking Afro Funk rhythms! The set includes one very early number by Fela from 1964 – "Ololufe Mi" – plus bits of later tracks that include "Mr Follow Follow", "Ariya", "Unnecessary Begging", "Swegbe & Pako", "Monkey Banana", "Trouble Slee", and "Look & Laugh". CD

A collection of 28 early Basie recordings for Vocalion, Columbia, and Brunswick labels, plus unissued masters! Includes work with the orchestras of Mildred Bailey, Harry James, Glenn Hardman, Teddy Wilson, plus the Basie orchestra, with vocals by Billie Holiday, Helen Humes, and Jimmy Rushing. LP, Vinyl record album

Includes two complete Jazzland LPs, a Riverside album, and excerpts from two 1961 live radio broadcasts from Birdland in NYC! CD

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25 tracks in all! CD

Includes three complete Jazzland LPs, plus a 1961 live recording from Birdland in NYC! CD

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A new kind of love, and a new kind of groove from Ghost Funk Orchestra – one that's deeper than ever before, even though the group is really just the efforts of producer/instrumentalist Seth Applebaum! Yet this time around, he's also got some great female vocals at a few points – bringing a soulful focus to the energy that spins out at other points in a more instrumental mode – funky but moody at the same time, with a richness in sonic territory that takes the whole thing way past the early funky 45s that first bore the Ghost Funk name. Titles include "A Song For Pearl", "Bluebell", "Rooted", "Quiet Places", "Scatter", "Why", Your Man's No Good", and "A New Kind Of Love (parts 1 & 2)". LP, Vinyl record album

A really majestic album from this mighty nice group – a set that references older space-themed albums from the postwar years, but which serves up the sound in the best style of the Ghost Funk Orchestra! There's cool use of NASA dialogue between some tracks – and rather than burst out in a countdown of rocket fuel, the music moves slowly, almost dreamily at times – really reveling in laidback funk and fuzz, while also coming across with a slightly cinematic vibe that the group's never had before! A few tracks really rise above the usual, sometimes with really great vocals or jazz solos – and titles include "Casadastra", "Space Walk", "A Solar Wind", "Helios", "Nova", "To The Moon", "Eyes Of Love", and "Infinite Dark". CD

A really majestic album from this mighty nice group – a set that references older space-themed albums from the postwar years, but which serves up the sound in the best style of the Ghost Funk Orchestra! There's cool use of NASA dialogue between some tracks – and rather than burst out in a countdown of rocket fuel, the music moves slowly, almost dreamily at times – really reveling in laidback funk and fuzz, while also coming across with a slightly cinematic vibe that the group's never had before! A few tracks really rise above the usual, sometimes with really great vocals or jazz solos – and titles include "Casadastra", "Space Walk", "A Solar Wind", "Helios", "Nova", "To The Moon", "Eyes Of Love", and "Infinite Dark". LP, Vinyl record album

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This one-man orchestra just keeps on getting better and better with each new record – working with the funk you'd expect from the name, but also all these cool and moody touches that mix together David Axelrod-like ambition with some of the sharper snap of hip hop production! This time around, Seth Applebaum has a fair bit of strings and horns in the mix – plus added voices, some strong lead singers – and an array of sonic touches that make for a richness that's much deeper than it is ghostly! Previous records were good, but Seth's really onto something great hear – and mixes together strands of sounds into something that's much richer than its parts – emerging as a surprising maestro for the underground, on titles that include "Stoop Talk", "Mourning", "Drop Me A Line", "Little Bird", "Fuzzy Logic", "Quiet Soul", "Tojours", "Queen Bee", and "Cost Of Living". LP, Vinyl record album

A set that's definitely funky, but which maybe has a lot more going on as well – richer production moments that move between ambitious soundscapes and fuzzier freakouts – but all without losing the groove at the core! The record's billed as "mysterious", but really seems to come from the talents of Seth Applebaum – a great producer and arranger who manages to keep all the tight elements at the core, including some great bass and drums – while also letting things freak out up top a bit more – almost as if David Axelrod were given the chance to work with some of the younger funk combos in recent years. There's a bit of trippy vocals, but most of the set is instrumental – and titles include "Seven Eight", "Spirits In The Distance", "Broken Boogaloo", "Isaac Hayes", "Slow Down", "Kaddish", and "Modern Scene". LP, Vinyl record album

The most understated album by the Lovin Spoonful – and possibly their best work ever! It's really a showcase for leader/chief songwriter John Sebastian and proto-country rock guitarist Zal Yanovsky. "Summer In The City" is the one that buttered the group's bread for the next couple of decades – but that's the lone concession to jangly-ass 60s rock (but oh, what a sweet concession it is) on a record much more indicative of what was going on in the pop world after Dylan brought the ghosts of the South out into it. Great, great stuff, including "Lovin You", "Bes' Friends", "Henry Thomas", "You & Me & Rain On The Roof", and more. LP, Vinyl record album

The great Harold Mabern kicks it hard with a key core group – then finds a way to open up with some surprise guest artists as well – including singers Gregory Porter, Kurt Elling, Jane Monheit, and Norah Jones! The core of the album features Mabern's piano rocketing out with rhythm from John Webber on bass and Joe Farnsworth on drums – and getting some strong tenor work from the mighty Eric Alexander – and as the set goes on, the group also brings in Jeremy Pelt on trumpet, Peter Bernstein on guitar, and Steve Turre on trombone. But the key force here is the singers – especially Porter and Elling, who seem to find an old school space with the group that really takes them back to their roots. Elling sings on "You Needed Me", "Portrait Of Jennie", and "Billie's Bounce"'; Porter sings on "Afro Blue" and "The Man From Hyde Park"; Monheit sings on "I'll Take Romance" and "My One & Only Love"; and Norah Jones sings on "Don't Misunderstand" and "Fools Rush In". CD also features Alexis Cole on "Such Is Life" – and the instrumental tracks "The Chief", "Mozzin", and "Bobby Benny Jymie Lee Bu". CD

Herbie Mann's at the Village Gate – really wailing away in a set of extended numbers that not only set a whole new standard for live recording in jazz, but which also pushed forward the role of the flute in the music as well! There's a heck of a lot of soul in the grooves here – served up by a totally cooking rhythm section that includes basses from Ben Tucker and Ahmed Abdul-Malik, percussion from Chief Bey and Ray Mantilla, and drums from Rudy Collins – plus some especially great work on vibes from Haygood Hardy, sounding beautifully chromatic underneath Herbie's sharp-edged work on flute! The set features a key reading of "Comin Home Baby" that runs for over 8 minutes long – plus great long versions of "Summertime" and "It Ain't Necessarily So". LP, Vinyl record album

The electric years of Miles Davis have left a huge legacy in music – one that's referenced again and again, and continually revisited by generations of musicians, both young and old! Here, that legacy gets some especially nice treatment – by a group of artists who include some key collaborators with Miles in years back, plus other musicians too – in a project that even features two unreleased solo performance by Davis himself! Vince Wilburn Jr is the leader of the project, and players are almost far too many to mention here – so we'll just list a few – including Wallace Roney, Bernard Wright, Vernon Reid, Stanley Clarke, Ron Carter, Donald Harrison, Marcus Miller, Jeremy Pelt, John Scofield, and Lenny White – all working in deeply layered territory that definitely pushes the older electric mode forward. Titles include "Over My Shoulder", "Hail To The Real Chief (long version)", "Mellow Kisses", "That You Dare Not To Forget", and "Bitches Are Back". LP, Vinyl record album

Led by Chief Sammy Kofi. LP, Vinyl record album

Amazing vocal work from The Olympics – a great little group who bridged the gap between doo wop and 60s soul – and who had a pyrotechnic style that only The Coasters could match! Like The Coasters, The Olympics often mixed in a good deal of humor with their tunes – not only in the subject matter, which often included topics from the lower end of the mid century cultural spectrum, but also in the way they delivered the tunes – which was always lively and exuberant! This quality made for some nice little groovers in the group's repertoire too – tunes that rock and roll with an early approach to upbeat 60s soul, and which has made some of their numbers perennial dancefloor favorites. Titles include "Little Pedro", "Dodge City", "Private Eye", "Big Boy Pete", "Big Chief Little Puss", "Stay Away From Joe", and "Baby Hully Gully"; plus bonus tracks not included in the original issue. LP, Vinyl record album

Features Cecil Scott & Big Chief Moore. LP, Vinyl record album

Nice collection of rootsy New Orleans music with a dozen tacks in all, including Professor Longhair "Go To The Mardi Gras" and "Big Chief (parts 1 & 2)", Al Johnson "Carnival Time", the Hawketts "Mardio Gras Mambo", the Wild Magnolias "Handa Wanda (parts 1 & 2)", "New Suit" and "(Big Chief Like Plenty Of) Fire Water", Stop, Inc "Second Line (parts 1 & 2) and Earl King "Street Paradise". CD

A rare look at a very obscure sound library from the European scene – the Belgian Selection label, home to some very groovy sounds from the late 70s! The music here resonates with Belgian soundtrack and jazz work of the period – and shares some musicians from those genres too – and the titles within mix funky jazz with larger arrangements – all instrumental, and handled in a strong array of styles – some upbeat, some midtempo, and some cool and laidback! Titles include "Black World" by Stern Selection, "Space Shuttle Jazz" by Jacques Siroul, "Crystal Waltz" by Rene Costy, "Chief Of Freen Bean" by Bob Porter, "No Thoroughfare" by Jordan Stevy, and "Osmoses" by Leonard D Messina. LP, Vinyl record album

A completely righteous mix of jazz and African percussion – put together by drummer Art Blakey at a time when he was riding high with the Jazz Messengers, but also was willing to work on great experiments like this! The album's years ahead of its time – and arguably opens the door for countless spiritual jazz projects like this in the 70s, more proof that Blakey was a groundbreaking artist who was always opening doors for others! Blakey's own work on drums is joined by percussion from Montego Joe, Chief Bey, Garvin Masseux, James Ola, Folami, Robert Crowder, and Solomon Ilori – the last of whom would record his own record for Blue Note – and the rest of the group features Yusef Lateef on flute and tenor, Curtis Fuller on trombone, and the great Ahmed Abdul-Malik on bass – a great choice for the record, given that he was mixing together similar modes on his own records of the time. Titles include "Tobi Ilu", "Love, The Mystery Of", and "Obirin African". CD

A massive tribute to the long career of Dennis Bovell – the British artist who first rose up in the late 70s group Matumbi, then went on to share his production talents with a host of other artists in the decades that followed! This double-length set brings together a career-spanning set of tracks that all were handled by Bovell – a first half that features his own recordings under a number of groups, and a second half that features Bovell production and studio work with a range of other artists too – including some rare and unissued material, in a package put together by Dennis himself! Titles include the Bovell cuts "Run Rasta Run" with African Stone, "Come With Me" as Dennis Curtis, "The Grunwick Affair" and "Za Lon" with 4th Street Orchestra, "Blood Ah Go Run/Blood Dem (12" mix)" by Matumbi, and cuts "Brain Damage", "Chief Inspector", "Dub Master", "Silly Dub", "Caught You In A Lie", "After Tonight (acoustic version)", "Raindrops", "Eye Water", and "Pow Wow" – all issued under Bovell's name. The second half features titles that include "African Queen" by Errol Campbell, "Africa Is Our Land" by Joshua Moses, "Take Five" by Young Lions, "Portrait Of You" by Gladwin Wright, "Hooked On You" by Delroy Wilson, "Cry" by Angelique, "A Little Way Different/Differentah (12" mix)" by Errol Dunkley with Julio Finn, "Silly Games" by Janet Kay, "Get Up Stand Up" by I Roy, and "Positive Vibrations" by Pebbles. CD

Tracks include "U Can Do (Life)", "My Writes", "Oooh", "Thru Ya City", "IC Y'all", "View", "Set The Mood", "All Good?", "Declaration", "Squat!", "Words From The Chief Rocker", "With Me", "Copa (Cabanga)", "Foolin", "The Art Of Getting Jumped", and "U Don't Wanna BDS"! LP, Vinyl record album

A huge moment for Blackalicious – a group who'd been gaining plenty of cred on the underground, and who reached out to a much bigger set of ears with this major label debut! The whole thing's top-shelf through and through – superb production from Chief Xcel next to the words from Gift of Gab and Chief Excel – alongside a host of guests including Quannum mainmasts Lyrics Born, Lateef, and Joyo – as well as Dilated People's Raka and Babu, Jurassic 5's Cut Chemist and Chali 2na – and even work from Gil Scott-Heron and Ben Harper too! Clearly, someone had enough faith in the group to give them the money to realize their dream – and that faith definitely pays off here – on titles that include the classic single "Make You Feel That Way" – plus "Blazing Arrow", "4000 Miles", "Paragraph President", "First In Flight", "Purest Love", "Sky Is Falling", "It's Going Down", "Release (parts 1, 2, & 3)", and "Chemical Calisthenics". LP, Vinyl record album

A nice, if a bit obscure, recording featuring Bluiett's compositions for a larger group, with a stellar lineup that includes Chief Bey, Michael Carvin, Ahmed Abdul-Malik, Abdul Wadud, Reggie Workman, Olu Dara, Don Pullen and others. There's a strong pulse and some heavy African influence here, buoying Bluiett's robust playing, and Dara's trumpet offers up some nice lines, which we don't hear often enough on recordings. Mining a vein that pulls from some of the other more overtly Afro-centric out jazz explorations of the time, this set stands up nicely alongside more groove and vamp oriented material like the Tribe records stuff from the same era. "Glory (Symphony For World Peace)" features a large group, "Nioka" is a duet with Don Pullen and "Oasis – The Well" is a septet side. LP, Vinyl record album

Hamiet Bluiett on baritone saxophone – with Mulgrew Miller on piano, Fred Hopkins on bass, and Idris Muhammad and Chief Bey on drums, CD

All hits and almost no misses – starting with "Oooh", easily the best single of the '00, featuring some nice quotes from classic hip hop tracks ranging from the Funky 4 + 1 to Mos Def, and some of Redman's best verses in a while. De La Soul basically started the whole skits-between-songs concept, or at least they perfected it, and (unlike too many other artists) here they get it right again – even the three hilarious "Ghostweed" skits featuring cameo appearances from Pharoahe Monch, Q-Tip, and Black Thought hold up to repeated listenings. Also includes "My Writes", "Thru Ya City", "All Good?", 'Words FromThe Chief Rocker" and the "Art Of Getting Jumped" – 17 tracks in all. CD

The electric years of Miles Davis have left a huge legacy in music – one that's referenced again and again, and continually revisited by generations of musicians, both young and old! Here, that legacy gets some especially nice treatment – by a group of artists who include some key collaborators with Miles in years back, plus other musicians too – in a project that even features two unreleased solo performance by Davis himself! Vince Wilburn Jr is the leader of the project, and players are almost far too many to mention here – so we'll just list a few – including Wallace Roney, Bernard Wright, Vernon Reid, Stanley Clarke, Ron Carter, Donald Harrison, Marcus Miller, Jeremy Pelt, John Scofield, and Lenny White – all working in deeply layered territory that definitely pushes the older electric mode forward. Titles include "Over My Shoulder", "Hail To The Real Chief (long version)", "Mellow Kisses", "That You Dare Not To Forget", and "Bitches Are Back". LP, Vinyl record album

A killer groove – and a legendary jazzy single from the Chicago scene! The cut was licensed from Disco Magic in Italy, and it's presented here in the US Hillbilly House pressing, which includes the monster "piano groove" mix, the kind of jazzy instrumental that's pure Chicago steppers music, with a groove that meshes nicely with other reggae inspired stepper's cuts, like "Chief Inspector". 12-inch, Vinyl record

One of the more evocative Lalo Schifrin soundtracks of the 60s – music scored for a Clint Eastwood western, but handled in a mix of modes that goes way beyond the usual! About half the tracks are more familiar western fare – with the kinds of bold themes and action-filled elements that you'd hear from other composers – but others bring in some warmer, lyrical elements – and a few others turn the guitar from country twang to jazzified riffing – in ways that hit the kind of Schifrin groove we really love! This deluxe CD edition features a whopping 24 tracks from the film – plus 8 more bonus tracks, including some unusued numbers and radio spots too! Titles include "Green Worms", "Get Out", "Arizona Desert", "Coogan's Wild Ride", "Song To Julie", "Five Minutes", "Where's Ringerman", "Looking For Jimbo", and "Capture The Chief". CD

The last album that New Orleans soul legend Allen Toussaint ever recorded – and a set that's maybe more jazz-oriented than most of his other work! The album mostly features Toussaint as an instrumentalist – playing piano, and working through songs by Bill Evans, Duke Ellington, Earl Hines, and others – as well as some of his own compositions too – with a group that includes Bill Frisell on guitar and Charles Lloyd on tenor, although most of the focus really seems to be on the piano! Rhiannon Giddens sings on two tracks, but most of the album is instrumental – and Van Dyke Parks contributes a bit of second piano, and larger arrangements on one track. Titles include "Come Sunday", "Southern Nights", "Rosetta", "Big Chief", "Danza", "Rocks In My Bed", "American Tune", "Mardi Gras In New Orleans", "Waltz For Debby", and "Viper's Drag". CD

A really cool Canadian group from the 60s – an all-native lineup of members from the Tsimshian Nation – but working here in a raw garagey style that's totally great! The drums are lean and powerful, guitar follows suit, and vocals often have a surprisingly charming quality – tuneful, and harmonized with a nice sort of sweetness at times. The group famously recorded on Wisconsin's powerhouse Cuca label, home to some great raw singles back in the day – and this set brings together their rare 45 for that label, plus rare demos and unissued material – in their first-ever full length set, with titles that include "Don't Let It Bother You", "Do Lord", "I Won't Be Around", "The Sun Is Shining", "Ebony Eyes", "You Don't Need Me Anymore", "Don't You Leave Me Behind", "I Shouldn't Have Did What I Done", and "I Need Your Lovin". LP, Vinyl record album

A record that may have the year 1993 permanently locked into its title – but a set that's got more than enough strength to survive strongly over the decades – the first great statement from Cali giants Souls Of Mischief, and a record that would set the tone for the Hiero Imperium scene for years to come! The set's filled with jazz inspired, headnodding boom bap production at its finest – topped with some of the finest ensemble rapping of the time, all at a level that breaks new lyrical boundaries with cuts that include "That's When Ya Lost", "Let Em Know", "Live & Let Live", "Make Your Mind Up", "A Name I Call Myself", "Disseshowedo", "What A Way To Go Out", "Never No More", "93 Til Infinity", "Limitations", "Anything Can Happen", "Make Your Mind Up", "Batting Practice", and "Tell Me Who Profits". LP, Vinyl record album

A remix-heavy version of a record that may have the year 1993 permanently locked into its title – but a set that's got more than enough strength to survive strongly over the decades – the first great statement from Cali giants Souls Of Mischief, and a record that would set the tone for the Hiero Imperium scene for years to come! The set's filled with jazz inspired, headnodding boom bap production at its finest – topped with some of the finest ensemble rapping of the time, all at a level that breaks new lyrical boundaries! This set is a mix of instrumentals and 12" tracks – with titles that include "93 Til Infinity (12" remix)", "That's When Ya Lost (I ain't trippin rmx)", "Never No More (78 Seville mix)", "Good Feeling (12" version)", "Make Your Mind Up (rock on mix)", "Never No More (LP inst)", "That's When Ya Lost (LP inst)", and "93 Til Infinity (rmx inst)". LP, Vinyl record album

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Music from the Three Suns, Sir Julian, Esquivel & his Orchestra, Henri Rene & his Orchestra, John Klein & Sid Ramin, Marty Gold & his Organ Ensemble, Dennis Farnon & his Orchestra, Henry Man cini, Perez Prado, Russ Case & his Orchestra & more. CD

A really cool Canadian group from the 60s – an all-native lineup of members from the Tsimshian Nation – but working here in a raw garagey style that's totally great! The drums are lean and powerful, guitar follows suit, and vocals often have a surprisingly charming quality – tuneful, and harmonized with a nice sort of sweetness at times. The group famously recorded on Wisconsin's powerhouse Cuca label, home to some great raw singles back in the day – and this set brings together their rare 45 for that label, plus rare demos and unissued material – in their first-ever full length set, with titles that include "Don't Let It Bother You", "Do Lord", "I Won't Be Around", "The Sun Is Shining", "Ebony Eyes", "You Don't Need Me Anymore", "Don't You Leave Me Behind", "I Shouldn't Have Did What I Done", and "I Need Your Lovin". LP, Vinyl record album

A record that may have the year 1993 permanently locked into its title – but a set that's got more than enough strength to survive strongly over the decades – the first great statement from Cali giants Souls Of Mischief, and a record that would set the tone for the Hiero Imperium scene for years to come! The set's filled with jazz inspired, headnodding boom bap production at its finest – topped with some of the finest ensemble rapping of the time, all at a level that breaks new lyrical boundaries with cuts that include "That's When Ya Lost", "Let Em Know", "Live & Let Live", "Make Your Mind Up", "A Name I Call Myself", "Disseshowedo", "What A Way To Go Out", "Never No More", "93 Til Infinity", "Limitations", "Anything Can Happen", "Make Your Mind Up", "Batting Practice", and "Tell Me Who Profits". LP, Vinyl record album

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Near-perfect work from Ashford & Simpson – really grooving in full powerhouse mode here, and never missing a beat! By all rights, the team should have run out of steam by this point, but the album's another winner from their sublime Warner years – caught in a unique space between chart soul, ensemble funk, and disco – taking all the best elements of each, and really sending the whole thing home with some incredible vocals and impeccable production and arrangements! Titles include "Rushing To", "Love Don't Make It Right", "We'll Meet Again", "Get Out Your Handkerchief", and "I Ain't Asking For Your Love". LP, Vinyl record album

A unique dual piano session from Dave McKenna and Hal Overton – and one that's nicely free of any sense of gimmick or cliche! The pair work together in a really loose, personal style – one that has the upfront push of a jazz trio date, but which also allows each musician room to express themselves differently – as you'd expect, given their slightly different approaches. Rhythm is from Earl May on bass and Jerry Segal on drums – and titles include "Monk's Mood", "Keeping Out Of Mischief", "Dizzy Atmosphere", "Ruby My Dear", and a great reading of "Hi Fly". CD

A long-lost performance by Sun Ra and the Arkestra – recorded in Amsterdam at the start of the 70s, when the group were brought in by avant saxophonist Hans Dulfer for a special performance! This album marks the first-ever issue of the material, from rediscovered tapes that finally present the group on that night in all of their glory – a horn-heavy version of the Arkestra with Danny Davis, Danny Ray Thompson, Marshall Allen, Pat Patrick, and John Gilmore on reeds – as well as Kwame Hadi and Akh Tal Ebah on trumpets, June Tyson on vocals, and a surprise appearance from Alan Silva on cello, bass, viola, and violin! Ra himself plays moog, rocksichord, piano, and the Spacemaster organ – and the group has plenty of percussion, and a rich sound that really resonates strongly in the legendary venue. Titles include an early reading of "Space Is The Place" – plus "Watusa", "Walking On The Moon", "Paradiso Improviso #1", "We Travel The Spaceways", "Theme From The Stargazers", "The Solar Moog Approach", and "Second Stop Is Jupiter". CD

A long-lost performance by Sun Ra and the Arkestra – recorded in Amsterdam at the start of the 70s, when the group were brought in by avant saxophonist Hans Dulfer for a special performance! This album marks the first-ever issue of the material, from rediscovered tapes that finally present the group on that night in all of their glory – a horn-heavy version of the Arkestra with Danny Davis, Danny Ray Thompson, Marshall Allen, Pat Patrick, and John Gilmore on reeds – as well as Kwame Hadi and Akh Tal Ebah on trumpets, June Tyson on vocals, and a surprise appearance from Alan Silva on cello, bass, viola, and violin! Ra himself plays moog, rocksichord, piano, and the Spacemaster organ – and the group has plenty of percussion, and a rich sound that really resonates strongly in the legendary venue. Titles include an early reading of "Space Is The Place" – plus "Watusa", "Walking On The Moon", "Paradiso Improviso #1", "We Travel The Spaceways", "Theme From The Stargazers", "The Solar Moog Approach", and "Second Stop Is Jupiter". LP, Vinyl record album

A beautiful portrait of the later Jack Teagarden – that musician who'd matured wonderfully with age, and really brought the best of that experience to bear on his records like this! Jack sings on a handful of tracks, but really spends much of the record on trombone – blown with a style that's quite illuminating, if you only know his more famous earlier material – occasionally with modern currents, in a way that's a bit like Pee Wee Russell when he had his late-life revival too! The album's got a wonderfully understated feel on most numbers – never trying to oversell the listener on Teagarden's charms, even though they're quite abundant – and titles include "Portrait Of Mr T", "Just Friends", "In The Dark", "Handful Of Keys", "Keepin Out Of Mischief Now", and "I Can't Get Started". LP, Vinyl record album

One of our favorite recordings ever of George Gershwin's Porgy & Bess – done by Bethlehem Records in the mid 50s, and featuring nearly every one of the label's great talents at the time! The choice of the lead characters is a bit odd – as Mel Torme plays Porgy and Francis Faye plays Bess – but both singers are actually pretty darn great for the set, and really bring a lot out of the tunes. Plus, the other artists on the set really keep things interesting – as the collection features vocal performances by Johnny Hartman, Frank Rosolino, Betty Roche, Bob Dorough, and Sallie Blair. Plus, the whole thing's presented as Gershwin wrote it – complete with narration by Al Jazzbo Collins, and a number of strong instrumental passages. Music is performed by groups led by Russ Garcia, Duke Ellington, Pat Moran, and Stan Levy – and players are an array of the best of both the New York and LA scenes at the time! LP, Vinyl record album

Trad jazz tunes played by a group led by Newport Jazz Fest impresario George Wein, and featuring players that include Ruby Braff, Marshall Brown, Bud Freeman, Pee Wee Rusell, and Bill Takas. Titles include "The Bends Blues", "Ja-Da", "Keepin Out Of Mischief Now", and "Blue Turning Grey Over You". LP, Vinyl record album

A great set of torchy ballads from Lee Wiley – a singer who virtually helped invent the genre on record with her classic sets for Columbia Records! This album's done a few years after those – and features backings by Ralph Burns, who brings a fair bit more sentimental moments to his work here than you might expect from some of his other more modern outings. The proceedings have a nice touch of jazz – thanks to players who include Urbie Green on trombone, Nick Travis on trumpet, and Moe Wechsler on piano – and although Lee's vocals have a slightly aging quality, that only serves to help the fragile emotions of the best numbers in the set. Titles include "You're A Sweetheart", "This Is New", "Who Can I Turn To Now?", "My Ideal", "Limehouse Blues", "I Left My Sugar Standing In The Rain", and "Keepin' Out Of Mischief Now". LP, Vinyl record album

Music by Courtney & Western, Five Chinese Brothers, Go To Blazes, the World Famous Blue Jays, Gwil Own, Mumbo Gumbo, the Blue Chieftans, and more – 16 tracks total. CD

16 tracks from this mid 90s Hiero effort, including "Me-O-Mi-O", "That's How It Is", "Follow The Funk", "Who's It On", "I Didn't Mean To", "We Got It Like That", " A Little Something" and "This Is How We Rip S**t", with guest spots by various members of the Souls Of Mischief, Del and Extra Prolific. LP, Vinyl record album

Right On! Quite possibly the heaviest, baddest music ever laid to tape, this set offers up over 6 hours of some of the deepest, darkest free jazz, afro funk, fist in the air post-modern musique concrete to sprout from Miles' horn and crew! This box closes the door on the studio side of what may be the most influential studio jams wrought at the turn of the 70s, issuing the unedited original takes of the material that Miles and Teo Macero would parse down and edit into On The Corner and Big Fun, plus some material that made it out on various compilations later issued on Columbia, and best of all, a dozen never before released tracks! The core group here is Miles, Michael Henderson, Mtume, Al Foster and Reggie Lucas, but Dave Liebman, Carlos Garnett, Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, Jack Dejohnette, Pete Cosey, Badal Roy, Bennie Maupin and John McLaughlin, as well as a number of other players, are all featured, which isn't surprising when you consider the ground covered here! The groove here is unstoppable funk, as on the nearly 20 minute jam that is the unedited full take of "On The Corner" and drawn out renditions of "Mtume", "Turnaround", "Ife" and "Helen Butte/Mr Freedom X", but the vibe veers in other directions too, as with the breezy "Maiysha", the multilayered "Calypso Frelimo" and the spacious "He Loved Him Madly". There's 31 tracks spread out over the 6 discs, ther unissued gems include "Hip-Skip", "Chieftain", "What They Do", "Peace" and "Mr Foster", and as you'd expect, the box is extra deluxe, with a thick booklet full of notes and some great quotes from the band, and a sweet metallic box to hold it all together! Vote Miles! CD

Loads of classics – 16 tracks, including "This Bitter Earth", "What A Difference A Day Makes", "Easy Living", "Keepin Out Of Mischief Now", "Manhattan", "Make Me A Present Of You", "I Remember Clifford", "Unforgettable", "All Of Me", and "Backwater Blues". CD