... LP, Vinyl record album

A collection that's maybe unlike anything we've heard before – music that's acoustic, but groovy – easygoing, yet funky – served up by a really wide range of artists, but presented with a style that's a really unified whole! Just about every artist here is completely obscure, but together they represent this amazing underground that's dedicated to crafting work that goes far beyond the obvious, and way past any sort of cliches you might expect! The vibe is almost as if a bunch of folk and acoustic musicians were hipped to spiritual jazz of the post-Coltrane generation – then set out to make music from their new inspirations – on titles that include "Let Me Ride" by Peter Campbell, "The Ballad Of Ho Chi Minh" by Mike Glick, "Morning Brings The Light" by Grand Union, "Wild Canada" by Dan Donahue, "Song Of Creation" by Chris Rawlings, "Turn On Your Lovelight" by Summer Rain, "Prospect Of Wealth" by Henry Parker, and "Change Is Me Change Is You" by Harris & Crane Band. LP, Vinyl record album

Von Freeman on tenor sax, Jodie Christian on piano, Eddie De Haas on bass, Wilbur Campbell on drums. CD

Louis Smith on trumpet and flugelhorn, Von Freeman on tenor sax, Jodie Christian on piano, Eddie De Haas on bass, and Wilbur Campbell on drums. CD

An overlooked later gem from Chicago trumpeter Ira Sullivan – maybe some of the greatest music he ever recorded, thanks to the freewheeling vibe and strong artist respect of the Nessa label! Sullivan's working here on a variety of horns – trumpet, flugelhorn, flute, and soprano sax – with all the kind of soulful undercurrents we love on his classic Atlantic album Horizons, but with an even richer, more exploratory sort of style overall – one that gets a lot from the group's lineup of Simon Salz on guitar and Jodie Christian on both acoustic and electric piano! Both players seem to ignite Sullivan's best impulses, and really push him into fresh territory – guided strongly by the work of Dan Shapera on bass and Wilbur Campbell on drums. Titles include a sublime version of "Girl From Ipanema" – very offbeat – plus "Monday's Dance", "Circumstantial", "Angel Eyes", and "That's Earl Brother". CD also features the previously unissued "Blues For Johnny Bratton". CD

With Simon Salz on guitar, Jodie Christian on piano, Dan Shapera on bass, and Wilbur Campbell on drums. LP, Vinyl record album

A great little record – not only for the early trumpet work of Ira Sullivan, but also for the presence of tenorist Nicky Hill – an under-recorded legend from the Chicago scene of the 50s! The set features Sullivan in extremely tight bop formation – working on longer tracks that represent some of his greatest work on record – studio sides, but done with the sense of on-the-fly imagination of his landmark live dates. Hill's a great partner on this date – a player whose edge and timing really makes things bristle, and a reminder that Chicago had a lot of great jazz to offer the world back in the day! Rhythm is by Jodie Christian on piano, Victor Sproles on bass, and Wilbur Campbell on drums – and titles include "Nicky's Tune #3", "Wilbur's Tune #2", "My Secret Love", "When Sunny Gets Blue", "Nicky's Tune #2", and "Mock & Roll Blues". CD

Glen Campbell cut plenty of fantastic songs for Capitol Records – but year after year, some of the best were written by the young Jimmy Webb – an important 60s songwriter who brought magic to a number of different singers, but maybe clicked most strongly with Glen! You'll know the key tracks here, as they represent some of Campbells biggest early hits – but his association with Webb goes way past those few tracks, through a legacy of great 70s recordings that are presented here – in a package that features every single Glen Campbell recording of a Jimmy Webb tune through the start of the 80s – including live material, and even a more obscure track done for Atlantic Records too. The sensitivity of Webb's material is really on full display here – and the whole thing is a great contrast to some of the thinner greatest hits packages of Campbell's material – presented with very detailed notes, lots of great vintage images, and a set list of 23 tracks that include "You Might As Well Smile", "Just This One Time", "I Keep It Hid", "The Moon's A Harsh Mistress", "Galveston", "Didn't We (live)", "In Cars", "Highwayman", "Early Morning Song", "Christian No", "It's A Sin When You Love Somebody", "Adoration", "Wichita Lineman", "Where's The Playground Susie", "I Was Too Busy Loving You", "Just Another Piece Of Paper", and "Ocean In His Eyes". CD

Two Italian horror scores on one CD! Piero Piccioni did the soundtrack for Seven Murders For Scotland Yard – in a style that mixes more dramatic orchestrations with a few great mod touches on organ, flute, and percussion – which step out nicely on the groovier tracks, and bring in a nice note of action and surprise to a score that's mostly tense and poised for danger! Titles include "Seven Murders", "Unknown Maniac", "Reminding The Ripper", "Suspecting", "Inspector Campbell", and "Professor Christie". Francesco De Masi follows with the score for 7 Hyden Park La Casa Maledetta – done in a cool 70s electronic mode, one that often features the keyboards playing simple, but eerie melodies that set a great tone for the film's creepy plot! Titles include "Handicapped Girl", "Falling", "In The Past", "Cursed House", "House In The Park", "Fear & Blood", "So Many Corpses", and "Dreadful Cellar". CD

A greatly expanded version of this Italian horror soundtrack – with way more music than we've ever seen on any previous edition! Piero Piccioni did the soundtrack for Seven Murders For Scotland Yard – in a style that mixes more dramatic orchestrations with a few great mod touches on organ, flute, and percussion – which step out nicely on the groovier tracks, and bring in a nice note of action and surprise to a score that's mostly tense and poised for danger! These few light bits really offset things nicely – and create an unsettling feel in a work that's pretty darn dark overall, and which shows some of the most somber qualities we've ever heard in Piccioni's music. Titles include "Seven Murders", "Unknown Maniac", "Reminding The Ripper", "Suspecting", "Inspector Campbell", and "Professor Christie" – and the CD features a total of 22 tracks in all! CD