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One of the crown jewels of the Rick James empire – back when he had an empire! Stone City Band were a slap-bass modern soul combo, with a definite 80s groove sound that had strong ties to James' own funky style. Their best moments on here, though, are actually the mellower ones – as the band lays down a good harmony soul sound, with some nice spacey keyboards. Titles include "Spend The Night", "Telephone", "Shake", "Dance So Fine",a nd "Lover & Only Man". LP, Vinyl record album

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Detroit underground hits the mainstream – in a seminal album of crossover dance tracks! Kevin Saunderson and vocalist Paris Grey, along with help from Juan Atkins, craft a set of tunes that managed to hook the rest of the world on the electro sound that had been bubbling under in the Motor City for most of the 80s. And sure, there's more hooks and less darkness than on some of Saunderson's earlier work – but is that such a bad thing? Not to our ears, as lots of these tunes have still held up quite well over the years. Titles include "Paradise", "Ain't Nobody Better", "Big Fun", "Do You Love What You Feel", "Good Life", and "Secrets Of The Mind". CD

Reese Sunderson's moving into slightly uplifting territory here, with nice soulful vocals over this house-y number that only really qualifies as techno from it's pedigree. 12-inch, Vinyl record

With John Zorn, Bill Frisell, Wayne Horvitz, Fred Frith, Joey Baron, Yamatsuka Eye, and Bob Dorough! CD

With Joey Baron on drums. CD

John Zorn on alto sax and vocals, Bill Frisell on guitar, Wayne Horvitz on keyboards, Fred Frith on bass, Joey Baron on drums, and Yamataka Eye on vocals. CD

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Man, that east coast harmony sound couldn't miss in the 70s – as proven by the huge AM radio success of New York City! The band wasn't the greatest harmony group in the world – although they did feature John Brown, who'd cut his teeth in the Five Satins – but when you teamed them up with production by Thom Bell, and backing from the Sigma Sound Studios, they created an unstoppable sound that was a perfect pop peddling of the harmony group sound. This album was their biggest – and it includes the classic "I'm Doin' Fine Now", plus lots of other nice tracks like "Hang Your Head In Shame", "Quick, Fast, In A Hurry", "Uncle James", and "Reach Out". LP, Vinyl record album

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

A well-rounded set from Rick James' Stone City Band – a set that's got some mellower moments than most of Rick's own work from the time – but in a nice way that really offsets the group's tendency towards bassier funk! Lead vocalist Levi Ruffin stretches out nicely on a few more laidback cuts – not the most classic soul of his time, but with sensitivity that's greater than his handling of the simpler lyrics on the groovers here. Ruffin composed two of these ballads – "Feel Good Bout Yourself" and "Lovin You Is Easy" – and other tracks include "Tin Soldier", "Keep Love Happy", "Ganja", "Freaky", and a cover of The Kinks' "All Day & All Of The Night". LP, Vinyl record album

Marshall Jefferson and crew lay down a nice batch of tracks with a surprisingly soulful groove, despite an all-out attack on the dancefloor. Includes the tracks "Devotion", "That's The Way Love Is (Underground Mix)", "Satisfaction", "You Must Be The One", and "Suspicious". LP, Vinyl record album

Sweet modern soul with a sound that would get picked up on years later by the LA G-Funk scene. The album's produced by War's Far Out production team – and it's got a smooth sound that's mixed with moogy keyboards and compressed instrumentation on the best cuts. Some tracks are a bit too funky, but the mellow ones are very tasty. Includes the excellent track "Summer Love", plus "Cream City", "Magic Night", "Lonely Princess", and "Jungle Desire". LP, Vinyl record album

George Adams and Don Pullen knock it out of the park on this one – finding great company in each other's presence, and really moving things forward in the process! The set begins with a long track titled "Mingus Metamorphosis", and that really sums up the spirit of the record – an 80s reworking of all the ideas that the players had learned from Mingus, but with an individual, personal sense that's all their own – and very different than some of the more standard modes of the Mingus Dynasty group that continued the legacy in a more direct manner. Adams is bold one minute, lyrical the next – and plays both tenor and flute – alongside Pullen on piano, Cameron Brown on bass, and Dannie Richmond on drums. Titles include "Mingus Metamorphosis", "Samba For Now", "City Gates", "Thank You Very Much Mr Monk", and "Nobody Knows The Trouble I've Seen". LP, Vinyl record album

Ernestine Anderson at the height of her powers – caught during a very successful run at Concord Records, where she was easily one of the hippest things going down at the time! The group here is a trio, and very tight – Hank Jones on piano, Monty Budwig on bass, and Jeff Hamilton on drums – all shifting easily to fit the mood and personal demeanor of Anderson's performance, which is a fair bit more dynamic than other jazz singers of the period. In a way, the record's got a similar feel to Lorez Alexandria's albums from the time – hip soul jazz vocals at its best, with just the right twists, turns, and rhythmic impulses to keep things interesting – but not enough to goof things up too much! Titles include "Big City", "Welcome To The Club", "All Blues", "All I Need Is You", "Spring Is Here", and "I'll Never Pass This Way Again". LP, Vinyl record album

Warmly well-rounded sounds from a mighty strong trio – a group who are certainly aware of some of the newer modes of expression that have opened up for the piano trio in the 21st Century, but who also balance things out with a more standard approach from time to time too! There's a very cohesive blend of elements here – drums from Mark Guiliana, bass (both electric and acoustic) from Tim Lefebre, and acoustic and electric piano from Jeff Babko – in a modes that move between hardbop swinging and more tangled-up approaches that really emphasize a rhythmic energy. Most tracks are nice and long – and titles include "New Wave Theater", "This West", "The Church Of Bill Hilton", "Chongo's Song", "Boo Boo's Birthday", and "Fugue Robotique". LP, Vinyl record album

A great little set – despite our initial fears about the package – and a really wonderful pairing of the talents of Count Basie and Benny Carter! We'll admit that we're the first ones to shy away from anything that says "Kansas City" in the title – as we expect a lot of hoke – but this album's a surprisingly great batch of tunes, original numbers written by Benny Carter in honor of the KC of days past, but arranged and performed by the Basie group in a swinging style that's got the best touches of their Roulette years, plus a bit of Ellingtonish ambition in the horn charts. Titles include "Katy Do", "Miss Missouri", "Jackson County Jubilee", "Sunset Glow", "Meetin Time", and "The Wiggle Walk". LP, Vinyl record album

A record that may have never hit the radio city it wished for in the title – but a classic that's gone onto have an undeniable influence on so many scenes and styles over the years! This sublime second set from Big Star is even leaner and more focused than the first – a record that has the group losing Chris Bell, yet still retaining a lot of his influence – while the main focus moves over to Alex Chilton, whose ability to sing and write is simply mindblowing! The tunes have these dark, melancholy moments that are unlike anything either Chilton or rock had given the world up to the time – and really almost feel much more like work from a decade later in terms of execution and production. There's no easy labels, no easy terms you could ever hope to ascribe to the record – and that's fine, because it stands majestically well on its own. Titles include "O My Soul", "Life Is White", "Way Out West", "You Get What You Deserve", "Mod Lang", "She's A Mover", "Morpha Girl", "I'm In Love With A Girl". LP, Vinyl record album

Tracks include "Break Dancer", "A Fly Girl", "Do Or Die", "Shake & Break", and "Party Asteroid". 8 tracks total. LP, Vinyl record album

Wonderful work from Anthony Braxton – an album that has him playing straight ahead jazz – but at a time when he was also making some of his most complex recordings of the 70s! The approach here is sublime – as Braxton's reputation has ears already anticipating some far-out playing, but then marvel at his restraint – his care for keeping alto and bass clarinet work inside a straight jazz tradition, yet always hinting at the modern inflections he can bring to his music! Tunes are almost all jazz standards, blown beautifully – with a tone that's crisp, cool, and very inviting – surprisingly soulful, and never cold at all – matched well with the rhythm trio of Tete Montoliu on piano, Niels Henning Orsted Pedersen on bass, and Albert Tootie Heath on drums. Titles include "Goodbye Porkpie Hat", "Ornithology", and "Marshmallow". LP, Vinyl record album

An incredible collection of work from Bob Brookmeyer – tracing the development of his sound in the 50s through a variety of different settings! The package begins with material from an original 10" LP session in 1954 – featuring Brookmeyer on trombone with backing by the John Williams trio. The set then expands to feature tracks recorded by Brookmeyer, Jim Hall, and Jimmy Giuffre as material that was originally issued on the album Traditionalism Revisited, but which also features tracks from that session that came out on other more obscure sources, including a Playboy jazz album and a Brookmeyer LP on Crown. The set then follows with a beautiful guitar/trombone session that features Jim Hall, Jimy Raney, and Brookmeyer – originally issued as The Street Swingers. Next up is material from a bluesy 1958 set, recorded with vocalist Big Miller, as well as Paul Quinichette, Al Cohn, and Jim Hall – for the album Kansas City Revisited. The set's completed by material from the beautiful UA album Stretching Out – which featured Zoot Sims, Harry Edison, and Al Cohn – and the whole thing's packaged with a great booklet that gives notes on the material. 37 tracks in all – in a limited, numbered set! CD

Don't let the Casio in the title fool you, as Brother Lee Skelly plays a whole host of other keyboards too – including Hammond C3, Minimoog, Clavinet, Fender Rhodes, and Mellotron too – in addition to electric sitar and tambura! In fact, Lee plays everything himself – including a whole host of other instruments – but he makes the record come off like some killer funky combo – one that has plenty of keyboards upfront and on long solos, grounded by some massive drums and funky nuggets at the bottom! Titles include "Concrete Bongo Head", "Move It On", "French Madrid", "Soul Noodle", "Super Capri Beat", "Wah Wah", "Welcome To Valium Country", and "Bossa For Ingrid". LP, Vinyl record album

Laverne Butler fronts a piano trio led by Bruce Barth! Tracks include "This Bitter Earth", "Hit The Road Jack", "Late Sunday Afternoon", "I'm A Fool To Want You" and "Willow Weep For Me". CD

One of the most hard-hitting sessions ever recorded for the Bethlehem label – and a rare date for the imprint by the team of trumpeter Donald Byrd and saxophonist Pepper Adams! The style here is similar to work the pair recorded for Riverside and Blue Note at the same time – razor-sharp hardbop, played with a strong sense of imagination, and plenty of room for drawn-out, creatively-blown solos. Adams is especially great – playing the baritone here with the leanness of a tenor sax – but Byrd is wonderful too, and really starts to break out of some of the more staid modes of his work from a few years back. The group's a sextet that includes guitarist Kenny Burrell, pianist Tommy Flanagan, bassist Paul Chambers, and drummer "Hey" Lewis (another name for Louis Hayes?) – on titles that include "Trio", "Philson", "Libeccio", and "Bitty Ditty". CD

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Benny Carter plays with The American Jazz Orchestra, directed by John Lewis, with John Eckert, Virgil Jones, Bob Millikan, and Marvin Stamm on trumpets, Eddie Bert, Jack Jeffers, Jimmy Knepper, and Britt Woodman on trombones, Bill Easley and John Purcell on alto and flute, Loren Schoenberg on tenor, Lew Tabackin on tenor and flute, Danny Bank on baritone and bass clarinet, Dick Katz and John Lewis on piano, Ron Carter on bass, and Mel Lewis on drums. CD

Regina Carter on violin, Werner "Vana" Gierig on piano, Darryl Hall on bass, Alvester Garnett on drums, and Mayra Casales on percussion. CD

Robert Christgau is one of the coolest music writers of all time – a hugely important force for decades, through his work in the Village Voice – where he helped shape acceptance and understanding of generations of new sounds – and a contributor to other publications and broadcast outlets, where his voice is always one of the smartest in the room! And while we've always dug what Christgau has to say about other folks, it's also pretty great to read his own story, too – a life spent living in New York, where his path crossed countless other cultural figures and moments, apart from the music and musicians you might expect. This volume focuses mostly on his youth, his growth on the New York scene of the 60s, and his role in the 70s – and the book is softcover, 366 pages. Book

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A group with a name that might not easily roll of the tongue, but one who've got a sublime harmony sound that's wonderfully fluid overall – a combination of nine young voices from the scene in Soweto, working without any other instrumentation at all! The combination of vocals almost takes us back to the sound of Take 6 on their first album – and as with that group, the message here is spiritual, but not entirely pointed at the church – with much more of a universal appeal that's perfect for the subtly righteous power of the harmonies! Titles include "Too Late For Mama", "Nomalizo", "My Brother", "Who Knows", "Sip", and "Baninzi". LP, Vinyl record album

The notes on the cover use the term "Latinx Futurist" to refer to the work of Dos Santos – and that may be one of the best ways we've ever heard to describe their really unique blend of modes – served up here with a sound that firmly places the group at the crossroads of some great contemporary currents of music! Instrumentation is a familiar blend of percussion, guitar, and keyboards – but the presentation is nicely unique – as echoes of older Latin styles come into play with more creative elements, all in a small combo mode that's produced to perfection by Elliot Bergman – who did plenty of his own genre-crossing work in the group Nomo over the years. Lead vocals are by Alex Chavez, a really wonderful singer – and titles include "Shot In The Dark", "City Of Mirrors", "Palo Santo", "Jaguar De Rosas", "Lejos De Ti", and "Glorieta". CD

A stunning image of our legendary Chicago outpost – the three story building where Dusty Groove has resided since the start of the 21st Century, and a building that's chock full of music, every day of the week! The sleek images gets at the charms of our Wicker Park location, and our placement alongside other important Windy City landmarks – and as always, the inside contents can always be found, in an ever-changing array, at dustygroove.com! Print is on heavy paper, mounted flat inside a plastic sheath for easy handling. Photo

A stunning image of our legendary Chicago outpost – the three story building where Dusty Groove has resided since the start of the 21st Century, and a building that's chock full of music, every day of the week! The sleek images gets at the charms of our Wicker Park location, and our placement alongside other important Windy City landmarks – and as always, the inside contents can always be found, in an ever-changing array, at dustygroove.com! Print is on heavy paper, mounted flat inside a plastic sheath for easy handling. Photo

With Fabolous on "Automatic" and Petey Pablo, Lil Jon & The Eastside Boyz, 8-Ball, and Bun B on "Rep Yo City". 12-inch, Vinyl record

A tremendous comeback for the Art Farmer/Benny Golson Jazztet – recording here in the mid 80s with original members Farmer, Golson, and Curtis Fuller – plus tremendous rhythm support from the trio of Mickey Tucker, Ray Drummon, and Marvin Smitty Smith! The session has less of the tightly snapping groove that was the initial Jazztet calling card in the 60s – and comes across with some of the warmer, more chromatic tones that showed up on the group's last few recordings – and even more so in Art Farmer's work for many years to come. Tracks are all longish, and filled with many interesting twists and turns – and overall the album recalls the brilliant economy of Farmer's best work from the period, with some of the subtle soul that made Golson a player to keep an ear on strongly during the 80s. Titles include "From Dream To Dream", "Back To The City", "Vas Simeon", "Write Soon", and "Without Delay/Time Speaks". LP, Vinyl record album

Tracks include "Willowcrest", "Flight Of Fancy", "Bebop Treasure Chest", "Here And Now", and "Jewels" – the last with guest vocals from Julie Andrews. CD

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With George Benson, Cedar Wlaton, Percy Heath, Woody Shaw, and Art Blakey! CD

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A great pairing of Concord Records rising stars from the late 70s – tenorist Scott Hamilton and cornet player Warren Vache – working here in a group with Norman Simmons on piano, Chris Flory on guitar, Phil Flanigan on bass, and Chuck Riggs on drums. Sue Melikian sings a bit on the record – and titles include "Raus", "I Love You", "Darn That Dream", and "Freego". LP, Vinyl record album

Fantastic sounds from this early 70s Japanese folk-rock combo that featured Harumi Hosono, years before his more electronic work! The collection includes 12 songs from the groups first three albums, with vocals that are mostly in Japanese, but sung in a mode that's so compelling, it hardly matters what they're saying – and the tunes themselves are catchy as heck! CD

19 different snapshots of the Motor City, as presented through the ears of J Dilla – who's close to the ground, brimming over with sound, and working here with a boundless array of different beats and samples! The package is one from the vaults, issued after Dilla's too-soon passing – and although the tracks are spare, they stand as a strong testament to his production genius, and that way of putting together a fresh track with just a few key elements that sound so great together! There's definitely plenty of famous cuts sampled here – which is partly why the package is somewhat obscure – so much so, the tracks don't even have any titles of their own. LP, Vinyl record album

Really fantastic music from pianist Ahmad Jamal – a set of tracks that's a really nice change from some of the recordings he was doing for Chess Records in the early 60s, and which definitely point the way towards the more stretched-out performances to come on Impulse Records! As the title implies, the setting is live – and Jamal really stretches out here on a number of tunes – working with a free-flowing sense of lyrical beauty that's even more stunning than in the shorter space of a studio cut – really skilled with that ear for tone and timing that made his work such a fresh voice on the piano scene at the time, and a subtle hint at righteous modes to come in the following generation. Chuck Lampkin is on drums throughout, and one set features Richard Evans on bass, the other Jamil Nasser – on long takes of "Bogota", "Minor Adjustments", "All Of You", "Squatty Roo", "Keep On Keeping On", "Minor Moods", "Lollipops & Roses", "Tangerine", and "But Not For Me". CD

Piano genius Ahmad Jamal is really taking off here – letting his solos stretch out and his impeccable sense of timing really move things forward from his studio sides of the time – allowed plenty of freedom in the space of the Penthouse nightclub in Seattle during the mid 60s! The package features three different performances, all of which have sublime work on bass from Jamil Nasser – easily one of Jamal's greatest accompanists, and a player whose sense of rounded energy seems tied to the keys of Ahmad's piano at every single moment. Drums are by a different player on each date – Chuck Lampkin, Vernel Fournier, and Frank Gant – and titles include long versions of "Concern", "Feeling Good"," My First Love Song", "Who Can I Turn To", "I Didn't Know What Time It Was", "Invitation", and "Poinciana". CD

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A damn great little record – a small label indie side, but a set that had an unusually strong influence on vocal jazz in the 60s – really setting a new standard for the generation to come! Marv swings things with a hip, sophisticated style – shaking off some of the excesses of the Billy Eckstine generation, going for the leaner modes of the Frank Minion set – and coming up with some groovy tunes that really sparkle in his hands! Marvin plays piano and celeste, and the set also features organ from Charles Kynard and Groove Holmes, flute and tenor from Buddy Collette and Clifford Scott, trumpet from Carmell Jones, and guitar from Hank Crawford – about as hip a backing group as you could hope to pull from the LA scene! The set includes the killer "Big City" – penned and sung by Jenkins, but covered by plenty of others – plus "Chicago", "Small Town", "City Blues", "Visit Me Today", and "I'm Always Drunk In San Francisco". LP, Vinyl record album

The second album from Kendrick Lamar, and the one that really helped bring his talents to the rest of the world – and maybe mark a whole new generation of hip hop in the process! At some level, Lamar is in the same territory as many of the south Cali rappers before him – with tales of rough life on the mean streets – but his approach here is very different, both in terms of the personal quality in the lyrics and the subtle drama in his presentation – and the lean production, which seems to strip things bare, and avoid the thuggish cliches that might celebrate such a background. Even the title alone hints at the tension that's made the record so durable over the years – and titles include "Bitch Don't Kill My Vibe", "The Art Of Peer Pressure", "Money Trees", "Poetic Justice", "MAAD City", "Singing About Me I'm Dying Of Thirst", "Real", and "Compton". LP, Vinyl record album

The second album from Kendrick Lamar, and the one that really helped bring his talents to the rest of the world – and maybe mark a whole new generation of hip hop in the process! At some level, Lamar is in the same territory as many of the south Cali rappers before him – with tales of rough life on the mean streets – but his approach here is very different, both in terms of the personal quality in the lyrics and the subtle drama in his presentation – and the lean production, which seems to strip things bare, and avoid the thuggish cliches that might celebrate such a background. Even the title alone hints at the tension that's made the record so durable over the years – and titles include "Bitch Don't Kill My Vibe", "The Art Of Peer Pressure", "Money Trees", "Poetic Justice", "MAAD City", "Singing About Me I'm Dying Of Thirst", "Real", and "Compton". Deluxe edition vinyl 3 bonus tracks: "The Recipe" with Dr. Dre, "Black Boy Fly" and "Now Or Never" with Mary J Blige. LP, Vinyl record album

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A great guide for digging into the world of Japanese music from the mid 80s onward – and a book that's different than some of the more vinyl-centric disc guide, in that it focuses strongly on city pop titles that were only issued on CD! The Japanese city pop movement really got going at the start of the 80s, when vinyl and cassette were still king and queen – but it kept on going even after formats shifted – at a level that makes this book such a key document of the scene and style, which is often just tied to the vinyl market. As with other Japanese disc guides, the bulk of the text is in Japanese – which can now easily be read using Google Translate on your phone – but the book has entries for hundreds of titles, each with a full color image of the cover – which will offer up plenty of information for your digging. The book has a few other features alongside the disc listings – and is a total of 242 pages, softcover, with hundreds of full color images throughout. Book

Damon Locks and Rob Mazurek are no musical strangers to each other – their paths have crossed often on the Chicago and global scenes over many years of creative activity. Yet this project is also the first they've co-led, and it's an incredible document of how much both artists have grown in recent years – especially when they let their talents flow together on a project like this! At some level, the core of the work is the voice that both artists have discovered – Locks, his own more focused message and ability to find other voices to sample in with his own – Mazurek, a way of using his own voice more directly, in addition to his well-known work on trumpets and electronics. Both Rob and Damon are in the forefront here, criss-crossing electric and acoustic elements with voices live and sampled – mixed with guest voices from others, in a swirlingly creative project that not only lives up to the current legacy of International Anthem and the Chicago scene, but also advances it a few notches too. Titles include "Breeze Of Time", "New Future", "Yes", "The Sun Returns", "Future City", "Las Ninas Estan Escuchando", "Support The Youth", "10 Mins Past The Hour", and "Polaris Radio". CD

Damon Locks and Rob Mazurek are no musical strangers to each other – their paths have crossed often on the Chicago and global scenes over many years of creative activity. Yet this project is also the first they've co-led, and it's an incredible document of how much both artists have grown in recent years – especially when they let their talents flow together on a project like this! At some level, the core of the work is the voice that both artists have discovered – Locks, his own more focused message and ability to find other voices to sample in with his own – Mazurek, a way of using his own voice more directly, in addition to his well-known work on trumpets and electronics. Both Rob and Damon are in the forefront here, criss-crossing electric and acoustic elements with voices live and sampled – mixed with guest voices from others, in a swirlingly creative project that not only lives up to the current legacy of International Anthem and the Chicago scene, but also advances it a few notches too. Titles include "Breeze Of Time", "New Future", "Yes", "The Sun Returns", "Future City", "Las Ninas Estan Escuchando", "Support The Youth", "10 Mins Past The Hour", and "Polaris Radio". LP, Vinyl record album

An amazing sonic portrait of the modern city – one created on the early 70s Italian scene, but lost to the shifting sands of time, due to its release as a sound library-only album! We've heard Maria Teresa Luciani on a few other records of this nature – but this one may well be her greatest – music that's beyond categorization in the way it presents its subject – not really jazz or soundtrack styles at all, but also not some sort of too-modern compositional idiom either. Instead, the whole thing seems to make some sort of honest, organic sense – as it presents differing aspects of the city, both residential and commercial, public and private – often with a sense of darkness in the immediate approach, but also with a current of hope at times too. Titles include "Public Gardens", "Modern Residential Complex", "Supermarket", "Poor Neighborhoods", "Power Station", "Traffic", and "International Airport". LP, Vinyl record album

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With Ron Carter, Ray Drummond, and Charnett Moffett on bass; Marvin Smith and Jeffrey Watts on drums; John Longo on trumpet, Robin Eubanks on trombone, Mulgrew Miller and Kenny Kirkland on piano, and includes narration by Wendell Pierce from The Wire! LP, Vinyl record album

The mighty Sun Ra is on the cover, and also famously named a record Magic City – which was also the nickname of his hometown of Birmingham, Alabama – a city that gets plenty of coverage here for its long musical legacy! Birmingham was given the "magic city" nickname late in the 19th Century, when it was experiencing a great economic boom – one that helped attract folks from all over the south, and made the city a cultural crossroads for many years to come – especially when it came to jazz, where Birmingham was one of the most important scenes in the south for part of the 20th Century. In addition to the relationship between the city and Sun Ra, the book also features a long lineup that includes Joe Guy, Teddy Hill, Erskine Hawkins, Fess Whatley, Avery Parrish, and others – in histories that criss-cross, overlap, and extend with influences far past the city. This softcover edition is 340 pages, with some very nice black and white images. Book

Les McCann captured live on piano and vocals. Tracks include "The Girl From Ipanema", "Beau J Poo Boo", "Gus Gus", and a nice version of Marv Jenkins' "Big City". LP, Vinyl record album

A really great solo album from Clyde McPhatter – nicely different than his earlier solo work for Atlantic! The ex-lead Drifter gets a sort of "Spanish Harlem" treatment as he sings this great album of city songs for Mercury, including "My Block", "Deep in the Heart of Harlem", and "Three Rooms with Running Water", all of which are exclusive (we think) to this album. Great stuff, and maybe our favorite post-Atlantic album by Clyde! Arranged and produced by Alan Lorber, with a nice sound that's missing from some of his later pop efforts. LP, Vinyl record album

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One of Lee Morgan's most sparkling sessions from the early years – a record that already shows a sense of depth and imagination that would take Lee way beyond simple hardbop solo work! There's a sensitivity here that owes something of a debt to Clifford Brown, yet which is much more modernist overall – touched, no doubt, by a set list that features tunes by Gigi Gryce and Benny Golson, and played in a spirit that's similar to the blend of soul jazz and modernism that both of those players were carving out at the time. Morgan's bandmates for the record include George Coleman on tenor and alto, Curtis Fuller on trombone, Ray Bryant on piano, Paul Chambers on bass, and Art Taylor on drums – all in tight formation, but with a sense of relaxed and easy flow that's rare, even in a Blue Note of this vintage! Titles include "You're Mine You", "Just By Myself", "Kin Folks", "City Lights", and "Tempo De Waltz". CD

One of Lee Morgan's most sparkling sessions from the early years – a record that already shows a sense of depth and imagination that would take Lee way beyond simple hardbop solo work! There's a sensitivity here that owes something of a debt to Clifford Brown, yet which is much more modernist overall – touched, no doubt, by a set list that features tunes by Gigi Gryce and Benny Golson, and played in a spirit that's similar to the blend of soul jazz and modernism that both of those players were carving out at the time. Morgan's bandmates for the record include George Coleman on tenor and alto, Curtis Fuller on trombone, Ray Bryant on piano, Paul Chambers on bass, and Art Taylor on drums – all in tight formation, but with a sense of relaxed and easy flow that's rare, even in a Blue Note of this vintage! Titles include "You're Mine You", "Just By Myself", "Kin Folks", "City Lights", and "Tempo De Waltz". CD

Classic recordings by Moten's Kansas City Orchestra, featuring a young Count Basie on piano. LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

A Japanese book, but one with a very deep dive into urban soul from the 70s onward – mostly American and European records that together represent a whole new wave of cool, sophisticated R&B! This isn't the deep soul of the 60s – although many of the singers still have a wonderful vocal range – and the disc guide looks at rare LP releases and titles in other formats from different spots in the western hemisphere – tracing an evolution of soul music style across hundreds of individual entries for records – each of which are listed with a full color cover image, English language details on the dates, labels, and titles – and a small review in Japanese! You can read the review using a translate feature on your phone – but even without that, the book is a great guide for digging – and is especially helpful for tracking soul records of the past few decades that you might have missed. Almost 200 pages, softcover, with hundreds of entries and images in color! Book

A very cool group, and one who are every bit as groovy as they look on the cover – a hip early 70s Indonesian quartet, and one who mix together equal parts rock and funk – but all with a very trippy sound throughout! These guys are incredible – an under-discovered group who've clearly drunk deep of some of the best Anglo influences of the time, but also then come up with a unique hybrid of their own – singing English at times, Indonesian at others – and mixing up fuzzy guitars with freaky rhythms in styles that are often a few years behind the rest of the world – more late 60s funky than you might expect from the date of the tracks, but in a way that's A-OK with us! The groove and the group are plenty playful throughout – and titles include "Come On You dance", "Rock & The Sea", "Jakarta City Sound", "Haai", "Let Us Dance Together", "Indonesia My Lovely Country", "Bye Bye", "Mengapa Begini", and "Kampung Halaman". LP, Vinyl record album

Jaco Pastorius on bass, Hiram Bullock on guitar, Kenwood Dennard on drums, Alex Foster and Butch Thomas on saxophone, Delmar Brown on synthesizer, Michael Gerber on piano, and Jerry Gonzalez on trumpet and congas. CD

Hiram Bullock on electric guitar and keyboards, Kenwood Dennard on drums, and Jaco Pastorius on electric bass. Tracks include "Wipe Out", "Straight Life", "I Shot The Sheriff", "Ode To Billie Joe", "Cissy Strut", "Son Of Creeper", and "Dear Prudence". CD

A return to folksier forms for Tom Rapp and Pearls Before Swine – working here in territory that's very different than some of the baroque light arrangements used on previous records. Rapp's emerging as a more confident singer/songwriter – recording in an almost Dylan-like setting, but with more of the irony of Leonard Cohen, and as always, working in a timeless idiom that's still beginning to be understood more than 30 years after its inception. Beautiful work throughout – as earthy as it is majestic – and with titles that include "My Father", "The Man", "Once Upon A Time", "City Of Gold", "Nancy", and "Wedding". LP, Vinyl record album