Really cool work from the UK reggae scene of the early 70s – a set of obscure early albums from the hands of British producer Dennis Bovell – issued in a series of unassuming packages that were done to appear as obscure Jamaican imports – from the stripped-down packaging to the stripped-down sound in the grooves! The feel here is a bit looser and more laidback than some of the other UK productions of the time – roots work that has some occasional dub-style production at points, or a more straightforward groove at others – on many instrumental cuts that are perfect for blasting over a larger soundsystem! These records were a slight mystery at the time, and haven't been reissued much over the years – and together here in a single set, with fantastic notes from the Doctor Bird label, they are finally brought together as a whole! The set features four full albums – Ah Who Se Go Deh, Leggo A Fe We Dis, Scientific Higher Ranking Dubb, and Yuh Learn – plus 8 related bonus tracks too. CD

The keys are coral, and the sound is sublime – one of the greatest albums ever from pianist Walter Bishop Jr, and proof that he can really stretch out, given the right setting! The piano here is all acoustic, but there's an almost-electric vibe to the date – long, open tracks that sway and swell with some great spiritual energy – made even more wonderful by work from reedman Harold Vick, who plays tenor, flute, and soprano sax on the record – and makes it one of his best recordings ever! The reedwork alone is worth the price of admission – but the rhythms are also great too – a mix of soulful, modal, and some slight funky bits – handled by Reggie Johnson on bass, and either Idris Muhammad or Alan Benger on drums. Woody Shaw plays trumpet on some cuts, too – and titles include "Coral Keys", "Soul Turn Around", "Freedom Suite", "Track Down", "Waltz For Zweetie", and "Three Loves". CD

Amazing sounds from the righteous Roy Brooks – a drummer who worked strongly in the soul jazz mainstream of the 60s, then stepped out into even headier territory here in the 70s! The album's a spiritual masterpiece all the way through – an album on par with early 70s Impulse sides from Pharoah Sanders or Archie Shepp, or the best from Strata East – cut with a similar blend of righteous rhythmic undercurrents, freewheeling solos, and vocalizations that really help underscore the message in the music! The lineup is filled with players as powerful as Brooks – Joe Bonner on piano, Reggie Workman on bass, Cecil Bridgewater on trumpet, Sonny Fortune on tenor and soprano saxes, and John Stubblefield on oboe – plus vocals by Dee Dee Bridgewater, who's easily at her most righteous here. The album features the long "Black Survival" suite – with passages that include "Here & Now", "Prologue", "Sahel", and "Relief". LP, Vinyl record album

Two rare instrumental albums from Lloyd Charmers – both from that early moment when he was moving from work as a singer, to a strong role as a producer and keyboardist! Reggae Is Tight is a set that seems to answer both the Tennessee instrumental sounds of Booker T & The MGs in Memphis, and Floyd Cramer in Nashville – as the rhythms have all the soulful romp that might be inspired by late 60s soul, while Lloyd plays both organ and piano, the latter often in a way that has all this cool echo! Titles include "5 to 5", "Summer Face", "Crimson & Clover", "Rat Trap", "Safari", "Reggae Is Tight", "Psychedelic Reggae", and "Golden Moon". Reggae Charm is a really great record from Lloyd Charmers – one of his instrumental sets, and an album that has Byron Lee & The Dragonaires providing some mighty nice rhythms behind his keyboards! The vibe is plenty soulful – almost a Kingston take on Stax Records instrumental modes – with organ vamping alongside piano, in a great mix of cuts that includes "Dr No Go", "Tribute To The Dragon", "Mama Look", "If I Only Had Time"- "Honey", "Last Date", and "Israelite". 2CD set features 31 more bonus tracks – for a total of 55 titles in all, including 23 that appear here on CD for the first time ever! CD

A live album with Steve Coleman on alto saxophone, David Murray on tenor saxophone, Andy Milne on keyboards and piano, Reggie Washington on bass, and Gene Lake on drums. CD

Creative sounds from alto saxophonist Steve Coleman – working here with his Five Elements group, at a time that was one of his most productive! The group have an angular sort of swing – a style that certainly grows out of some more exploratory moments in 80s mainstream jazz, yet which here comes across with a warmer, more acoustic feel overall – never nearly as bogged down by some of the too academic moments that could hold back some of their contemporaries, or even Coleman at some earlier moments. Rhythms are stiff, but still nice and warm – thanks to drums from Gene Lake – and in addition to Steve's alto, the group also features piano from Andy Milne, bass from Reggie Washington, and a bit of tenor from Ravi Coltrane. Titles include "Dogon", "Flint", "Veritable Pedagogy", "The Khu", "Pad That", and "Multiplicity Of Approaches". CD

Steve Coleman on alto sax – with Jonathan Finlayson on trumpet, Malik Mezzadri on flute and vocals, Anthony Tidd on electric bass, Reggie Washington on acoustic bass, and Sean Rickman on drums. CD

With Andy Milne on paino & keyboards, David Gilmore on guitar and guitar synth, Reggie Washington on electric bass, and Oliver Gene Lake Jr on drums and percussion. CD

A really bold step forward for Chicago tenor genius Isaiah Collier – and maybe the first record to showcase his emergence as a multi-instrumentalist instead of just a spiritual jazz musician! There's clearly a lot of improvisation going on here – not just from the larger ensemble, which includes Corey Wilkes on trumpet, Julian Reid on keyboards, and Michael Damani on guitar – but also from Collier, who effortlessly shifts between saxes, flute, vocals, and keyboards without any overdubs or additional production at all! A few moments are tight and funky, others are much more experimental – a blend that that's really great, and which continues the unique spirit into which Collier has evolved in recent years. The record also features some key vocal contributions from the great Jimetta Rose – and titles include "Never Back Down", "Eggun", "Village Song", "Retreat", "Parallel Universe", and "The Last Song". LP, Vinyl record album

Beautiful work from Adegoke Steve Colson – a warmly grooving set cut with vocalist Iqua Colson – possibly one of Steve's straightest records ever, but one of his most soulful, too! Iqua's got a fluid vocal approach that's mighty nice – and the Colson combo swings in a mix of modal moments and soul jazz roots – with work from TK Blue on soprano and alto sax, Andy McCloud on bass, and Reggie Nicholson on drums. Most titles are originals, with a really fresh feel – the kind of hopeful, optimistic spirit of jazz vocals, if you still no where to look – and titles include "Hope For Love", "At The Church Steps", "Picante", "Regina's Lament", "South Of The Border Serenade", and "After Revelation's Ease". CD

4 discs worth of material recorded by Coltrane in a variety of settings at the Village Vanguard in November 1961! Eric Dolphy is included on most takes, and the bass chair is filled by either Jimmy Garrison or Reggie Workman, and on some takes both (!), McCoy Tyner is on piano, Elvin Jones is on drums and a few songs feature Ahmed Abdul Malik or Garvin Bushnell. Titles include multiple readings of "India", "Chasin' The Trane", "Spiritual", "Miles' Mode" and more! CD

A lost slice of work from the mighty John Coltrane – and a set that features the equally great Eric Dolphy up on stage with Trane at the Village Gate! These never-issued recordings are every bit as wonderful as the Village Vanguard material recorded during the same year – with the group moving with boundless energy, maybe even at a level that they wouldn't show on studio recordings for a few years later – bold piano from McCoy Tyner, superb bass from Reggie Workman, and unbridled drums from Elvin Jones – all given further inspiration by the presence of Dolphy, who blows bass clarinet and flute on the record! Trane is already really taking off with the soprano sax, which gets plenty of beautiful solo space here – on tunes that include a rare live take on "Africa", plus an early reading of "Impressions", and "My Favorite Things", "When Lights Are Low", and "Greensleeves" – the latter of which is done in a sublime modal style. LP, Vinyl record album

A classic slice of Jamaican roots – and an essential record from the godlike hands of Lee Perry! The set was produced by Perry at Black Ark – and instantly became the stuff of legend, even though the initial version of the album got very limited exposure – which has led to years of differing reissues and versions of the record! Yet the core sound is always very much in place, no matter what the setting – very spiritual lyrics from the group themselves, set to nicely stripped-down rhythms and instrumentation that are a great contrast to the wave of more polished international reggae releases that were garnering mainstream attention at the time. The lasting power of the set is proof that maybe when it comes to roots, you've got to really go to the roots to get it right – as you'll hear on classic tracks that include "La La Bam Bam", "Fisherman", "Congoman", "Children Crying", "Open Up The Gate", and "The Wrong Thing". LP, Vinyl record album

With Archie Legget on bass and Kieran O'Connor on drums. LP, Vinyl record album

Fairport Convention are down to a quartet here, but still sounds fantastic – with Simon Nicol on guitar and dulcimer, Dave Pegg on bass and violin, Dave Swarbrick on mandolin and violin, and Dave Mattacks on drums and piano – and vocals from all members of the group. LP, Vinyl record album

A massive amount of radical records from the great Joe Gibbs – a producer who forever changed the face of Jamaican music with a legendary run of dub albums in the 70s! Joe was no stranger to the scene by the time of these tracks – but the sessions had him really burrowing in to very experimental territory, coming up with sounds that were years ahead of their time, and which set the tone for so many other dub productions in years to come – all very far from some of the chart-topping reggae hits of the decade! The work features plenty of hypnotic rhythms from Sly & Robbie, and great guitar work from Earl Chinna Smith – plus nice horn parts and keyboard lines too – all elements that are whipped up into a sonic souffle by the maestro. This 4CD set features this legendary run of records – Dub Serial, State Of Emergency, Majestic Dub, More Majestic Dub, and the African Dub albums, chapters 1 to 4 – with 12 tracks that have never been on CD before, and the usual deep detail and top-shelf presentation of the Doctor Bird label. CD

A very famous moment from Dizzy Gillespie – tracks from his famous concert at Salle Pleyel, in Paris, from 1953! Gillespie's in fine form throughout – working in a great mix of bop and modern elements, with a few occasional playful touches to please the crowd – but never in a way that cuts into the integrity of his music at all! Players include Bill Graham on alto and tenor, Wade Legge on piano, Lou Hackney on bass, and Al Jones on drums – and Joe Carroll sings guest vocals on a number of tracks. Titles include "Tin Tin Deo", "The Champ", "The Bluest Blues", "Birk's Works", "Mon Homme", "Ooh Shoo Be Doo Be", "School Days", "Swing Low Sweet Chariot", and "Good Bait". LP, Vinyl record album

A classic set from brassman Bobby Hackett – the kind of set that really helped him reach a big new audience in the postwar years! The style here is trad, but the set was recorded for Capitol in LA – so there's this sort of sparkling vibe to the whole thing too – a bit of an update that comes across in the lean presentation of the music, and the west coast way the players really manage to make a lot happen in a relatively small space! Bobby plays cornet, and other musicians include Abe Lincoln and Jack Teagarden on trombones, Matty Matlock on clarinet, Don Owens on piano, and Nappy Lamare on guitar – and Teagarden manages to sing a bit, in that raspy style of his we really love. Titles include "That's A Plenty", "New Orleans", "I Want A Big Butter & Egg Man", "Struttin With Some Barbecue", and "Royal Garden Blues".. LP, Vinyl record album

A lyrical masterpiece from the young Herbie Hancock – and a record that's really special for so many different reasons! First, the songs are really long and open – even more so than some of Hancock's other work – with a quality that's balanced between his soul jazz roots, and some of the freer ideas he was exploring with key counterparts of the time! Next, the group features a quartet with Freddie Hubbard on cornet – an instrument he didn't play that often, but which creates a really special sound here – one that's cool and compressed, but still has a sharp bite, too – especially over the inventive rhythms laid down by Ron Carter on bass and Anthony Williams on drums. All players are capable of going out – and have strong "new thing" cred by this point – but they keep it inside all the way through, but with a balanced sense of darkness that's really beautiful. The album features Hancock's classic (and oft-sampled) version of "Cantaloupe Island" – plus "One Finger Snap", "Olioqui Valley", and "The Egg". CD features a bonus alternate of "Oliloqui Valley". CD

Derrick Harriott may sing Jamaican reggae, but he does so here with plenty of help from American soul – as half the record features songs from the US 60s scene, including some Motown and southern soul gems – all retooled nicely for the sound of young Kingston! Derrick produced the set himself, and gets the groove just right for that warmly crackling vocal style of his – getting help from Bobby Ellis and Boris Gardinier on the arrangements – in a lineup that features Earl Chinna Smith on guitar, Winston Wright on organ, and Val Bennett on tenor sax. Titles include "It's Alright", "I'm Not Begging", "You Really Got A Hold On Me", "Have Some Mercy", "Sitting ON Top", "Close To Me", "Standing In", and "Long Time". LP, Vinyl record album

The title certainly gets it right – as Derrick Harriott serves up a wonderful mix of sounds that owes plenty to American funk and soul of the early 70s – some cool Kingston covers of famous US tunes, and some other originals that are equally groovy overall! The set's one of the best that we've ever heard from the Dub Store label – and almost has a Soul Jazz level of track selection – really wonderful work that either features Derrick in the lead, or working with some hip contemporaries, in a groove that's totally great – neither straight reggae, but also quite far from more familiar funk and soul too. Titles include "Black Moses" by The Preacher, "Tougher Than Tough" by I Roy, "Brown Baby" by Derrick Harriott, "Hell Below" by Crystal Generation, "Going Back Home" by The Chosen Few, "Psychedelic Train" by Derrick Harriott, "Slippery" by Karl Bryan & The Crystalites, "Home Sweet Home" by Bongo Herman & Les, "Rescue The Children" by Junior Murvin, "Phoenix" by Noel Brown, "People Make The World Go Round" by The Chosen Few, and "Message From A Black Man" by Derrick Harriott. LP, Vinyl record album

Performed by Renee Fleming, Sylvia McNair, Jennifer Larmore, Frederica Non Stade, Nicolle Foland, Zheng Cao, Kristin Clayton, Carol Vaness, and Brian Asawa with Jake Heggie on piano and Emil Miland on cello. CD

One of the most unusual entries in this amazing set of releases from the Habibi Funk label – a set that's definitely what's promised in the title – in that Ibrahim Hesnawi delivers a really unique take on the sound of Kingston! The music is certainly in a rhythm that echoes conventional reggae, but the instrumentation is often nicely different, with ties to some of the more mainstream Mid-East modes of the period, especially on the keyboards – a quality that's also echoed in the lyrics here, which on most tracks are in Libyan Arabic, with phrasing that's miles away from the world of Bob Marley and Jimmy Cliff! Titles include "Only World", "Tayr Al Salma", "Kesati", "Enti", "Watany Al Kabir", "Tendme", and "Fouhi Ya Nesma". CD

Pivotal work from trumpeter Freddie Hubbard – eleven full albums recorded by the young jazzman as a leader, together showing a really incredible scope of his talents in just a few short years in the studio! The Blue Note albums here already show an incredible evolution – from initial hardbop crackle at the best level of the label, to a slight shift into new thing territory that marks a more experimental side of Freddie's work that would take off later in the 60s. There's also two Impulse Records releases in the package – the completely sublime sextet outing of The Artistry Of Freddie Hubbard – a great date with Curtis Fuller on trombone, Tommy Flanagan on piano, and John Gilmore on tenor – making a rare appearance in the studio away from the Sun Ra Arkestra! The other Impulse album is titled Body & Soul – and has Hubbard amidst a larger group of modernists on most tracks, with these incredible Wayne Shorter arrangements – then in a small group with shorter on tenor and Eric Dolphy on alto and flute. Blue Note albums include Breaking Point, Blue Spirits, Open Sesame, Going Up, Hub Cap, Ready For Freddie, Hub Tones, and Here To Stay – with players who include Tina Brooks, Jimmy Heath, and Wayne Shorter on tenors; McCoy Tyner, Cedar Walton, and Herbie Hancock on pianos; Paul Chambers, Sam Jones, and Reggie Workman on basses; and James Spaulding making a key early appearance on alto and flute. 70 long tracks in all – and a very detailed booklet of notes with rare photos! CD

A seminal album – a late 60s classic meeting of the brain trust of the avant garde jazz scene in New York, recorded for the young JCOA label – and put forth as one of their early attempts to prove that musicians could be in charge of the means of production! Michael Mantler provided the core composition, and directs the group – but the lineup is a who's who of forces who'd record for ESP, Impulse, and other labels – with bold solos from Don Cherry on cornet, Gato Barbieri on tenor, Larry Coryell on guitar, Roswell Rudd on trombone, Cecil Taylor on piano, and Pharoah Sanders on tenor – in a larger lineup of players who also include Steve Marcus, Andrew Cyrille, Reggie Workman, Alan Silva, Carla Bley, Beaver Harris, Charles Davis, Robert Northern, Kent Carter, and many other key avant musicians! Titles include "Communications 8", "Communications 9", "Communications 10", and "Communications 11".' CD

Some of the most intense work we've ever heard from composer/reedman Darius Jones – a set of longer works, recorded live in Vancouver – with a style that mixes core jazz instrumentation with some added string elements that really send things over the top! There's plenty of free improvisation going on here – and the alto of Jones sounds especially nice next to the skittish drums of Gerald Cleaver – as the duo find strong interplay with the work of Jesse and Josh Zubot on violins, Peggy Lee on cello, and James Meger on bass! All the string instruments are hardly any sort of string quartet – and instead, they come across with those freer improv modes unlocked during the loft jazz generation of the 70s – really exploding here with a sense of united majesty and individual expression. Titles include "Zubot", "Damon & Pythias", "Rainbow", and "Fluxus V5T 1S1". CD

Some of the most intense work we've ever heard from composer/reedman Darius Jones – a set of longer works, recorded live in Vancouver – with a style that mixes core jazz instrumentation with some added string elements that really send things over the top! There's plenty of free improvisation going on here – and the alto of Jones sounds especially nice next to the skittish drums of Gerald Cleaver – as the duo find strong interplay with the work of Jesse and Josh Zubot on violins, Peggy Lee on cello, and James Meger on bass! All the string instruments are hardly any sort of string quartet – and instead, they come across with those freer improv modes unlocked during the loft jazz generation of the 70s – really exploding here with a sense of united majesty and individual expression. Titles include "Zubot", "Damon & Pythias", "Rainbow", and "Fluxus V5T 1S1". LP, Vinyl record album

Genius work from French composer Francis Lai – one of his greatest soundtracks ever, and done during the same period as Live For Life and A Man & A Woman! The feel here is very similar to the work of those films – and was also done for a project directed by Claude Lelouch – and as on A Man & A Woman, both Pierre Barouh and Nicole Croisille sing vocals on the session, bringing a really groovy vocal touch to the set! The tunes range from broadly sweeping and soaring numbers, to others that have a bouncy French pop feel – and Lai really comes through with some beautiful instrumentation for the set, especially on a few of the tracks that feature organ! There's three versions of the great track "Killy", an anthemic ditty that's sung by Nicole Croisille, and played again on solo organ – and other tracks include "Descente", "Peggy", and "13 Jours En France". LP, Vinyl record album

Peggy Lee's best known as a jazz singer, but this very cool collection emphasizes her work in more pop-based fields of the postwar years – great grooving tracks when Lee was touching on R&B, early rock, and other more upbeat styles! The match of Bear Family presentation and these well-chosen cuts from Peggy's years is really great – and the whole thing really opens up an understanding of the Peggy Lee sound if you only know the singer from more jazz-based albums and recordings of standards. Lee's voice is incredible, and the package does a great job of laying out the strengths and diversity of these recordings – in a set of 30 tracks that include "Jump For Joy", "The Glory Of Love", "Heart", "Johnny Guitar", "Goody Good", "Ghost Riders In The Sky", "My Man", "Uninvited Dream", "I Love Being Here With You", "Sweetheart", "You Deserve", "Fever (live)", "I Got A Man (live)", "Every Night", and "Hallelujah I Love Him So". CD

Two albums from Peggy Lee on one CD. First up is I Like Men! – an obscure album of "guy" songs from the end of the 50s! There's a playful feel to the music that fits Lee's vocals very well – as do the bouncy arrangements from Jack Marshall, who turns out to be one of the best musical partners that Peggy could ever hope for! The set's got that nice jazzy groove that really makes Lee's return to Capitol Records so great – and titles include "Good For Nothing Joe", "Charley My Boy", "Jim", "Bill", and "It's So Nice To Have A Man Around the House". On Sugar 'N' Spice Peggy's sweet as sugar, but working here with a heck of a lot of spice – thanks to arranger Benny Carter, who brings in a wonderfully jazzy feel to the set! The album's one of Peggy's best from her comeback years at Capitol – and a prime example of the syncopated, slinking mode of arrangement that was the best 60s discovery for the Peggy Lee voice – and which allowed her to create a unique space for her own maturing sexuality in pop music. The whole thing's great, and avoids the cliches of some of the other Peggy Lee albums from the time. Titles include "I Believe In You", "Ain't That Love", "The Best Is Yet To Come", "The Sweetest Sounds", "Teach Me Tonight", "Tell All The World About You", and "Big Bad Bill". CD

2 slices of Peggy Lee – one classic pop, one adult contemporary! I'm A Woman was a landmark album in Peggy's career – one that featured some wonderful crossover hits that broke her into a whole new audience in the 60s – and which really helped cement Peggy's relationship with Capitol Records. Benny Carter and Dick Hazard arranged the set with a gentle bouncing swing – still jazzy enough to keep Peggy's sophisticated side in place, but buoyant enough to hit that syncopated groove that was helping singers like Sinatra and Sammy D find new chart success at the time. Titles include "The Alley Cat Song", "I'm Walkin", "Mack The Knife", "I'm A Woman", "One Note Samba", and "There Ain't No Sweet Man". Norma Deloris Egstrom is quite a different album altogether, but equally memorable – as Peggy's working here in that wonderful later style she used at Capitol – a truly adult approach to pop that was less concerned with chart placement than it was with getting over a more sophisticated level of expression. Peggy turned out to be wonderfully well suited for this mode – a deeply emotive singer by this point, capable of bringing a deeper sense of life into younger tunes of the time, fleshing them out with the newer freedoms of the time, yet without going overboard. There's almost a Robert Altman sense of poise and adult grace to these tunes – arranged by Artie Butler with a careful simplicity, and sung by Peggy with some of the truest emotion of her days on record. Titles include "Love Song", "Razor", "When I Found You", "A Song For You", "It Takes Too Long To Learn To Live Alone", "Someone Who Cares", and "Just For A Thrill". CD

A nicely different album than some of Peggy Lee's other albums for Capitol Records – a set of sophisticated arrangements, handled by Quincy Jones – which really give Lee the kind of setting to remind the world that she can be as compelling of a jazz singer as she can a vocalist on upbeat groovers! Jones here is coming off of work by his larger groups of the late 50s, and has a wonderful sense of tone and shading – creating this richness that's as deeply blue as the image on the cover, and which really works on the more melancholy currents that Peggy could hit at the right moments – those qualities that would get explored a bit more in later years, but which really find their way to open up here. The group features nice work from Benny Carter on alto and Victor Feldman on vibes – and there's a sense of loss and longing to the record that almost rivals that on the Sinatra album Wee Small Hours. Titles include "As Time Goes By", "If You Go", "I Wish I Didn't Love You So", "I Get Along Without You Very Well", "When I Was A Child", "Here's That Rainy Day", and "I'm Gonna Laugh You Out Of My Life". LP, Vinyl record album

A classic set of tracks from Peggy – featuring the sublime hit "Is That All There Is?", produced by Lieber & Stoller, and arranged and conducted by Randy Newman. Other arrangements are by the likes of Mike Melvoin, Mundell Lowe, George Tipton, and Bobby Bryant – all of whom conspire to give Peggy one of her hippest albums ever. Titles include "I'm A Woman", "Love Story", "Brother Love's Travelling Show", and "Don't Smoke In Bed". LP, Vinyl record album

Peggy's sweet as sugar, but working here with a heck of a lot of spice – thanks to arranger Benny Carter, who brings in a wonderfully jazzy feel to the set! The album's one of Peggy's best from her comeback years at Capitol – and a prime example of the syncopated, slinking mode of arrangement that was the best 60s discovery for the Peggy Lee voice – and which allowed her to create a unique space for her own maturing sexuality in pop music. The whole thing's great, and avoids the cliches of some of the other Peggy Lee albums from the time. Titles include "I Believe In You", "Ain't That Love", "The Best Is Yet To Come", "The Sweetest Sounds", "Teach Me Tonight", "Tell All The World About You", and "Big Bad Bill". Plus, CD features 3 bonus cuts – including "Amazing", "Loads Of Love", and "I'll Be Around". CD

Peggy's sweet as sugar, but working here with a heck of a lot of spice – thanks to arranger Benny Carter, who brings in a wonderfully jazzy feel to the set! The album's one of Peggy's best from her comeback years at Capitol – and a prime example of the syncopated, slinking mode of arrangement that was the best 60s discovery for the Peggy Lee voice – and which allowed her to create a unique space for her own maturing sexuality in pop music. The whole thing's great, and avoids the cliches of some of the other Peggy Lee albums from the time. Titles include "I Believe In You", "Ain't That Love", "The Best Is Yet To Come", "The Sweetest Sounds", "Teach Me Tonight", "Tell All The World About You", and "Big Bad Bill". Plus, CD features 3 bonus cuts – including "Amazing", "Loads Of Love", and "I'll Be Around". LP, Vinyl record album

A beautiful book on the dancehall scene in Jamaica – one that's done in a different style than some of the other Soul Jazz books – which are often focused more on album cover art! This book's got a very different approach – and is more an art book with photos of the dancehall scene in Jamaica, as well as lots of detailed information – including a history of Jamaican dance culture, bios of artists, and more information. Beth Lesser has already given us other great writings on reggae, and she really knows her stuff – and her care here is apparent, and a great complement to the hundreds of photos included within! And don't worry, there's still some pictures of records – but the book also offers up a lot lot more. Over 200 pages, oversize, and full color throughout – and this new edition also includes a fresh introduction from Duro Olowu, and more material than the original volume! Book

Plenty of body, and even more soul – a great little groove on the record at points, in that slinky, vampy sort of mode that Julie London picked up in the 60s! The album's got Julie taking on a fair bit of R&B and bluesy numbers – still singing in her more jazz-based style, but getting a nice groove on most numbers from Kirk Stuart – balancing out some piano-led grooves with more brassy backings, all very much in the style of Peggy Lee over at Capitol in the early 60s – yet completely different too, given London's vocal approach. Titles include "Romance In The Dark", "I Got A Sweetie", "The Comeback", "Come On By", "If You Want This Love", and "Treat Me Good". LP, Vinyl record album

Two unusual Herbie Mann albums – back to back in a single set! The first Reggae album has a surprisingly strong mix of 70s modes – as the funky flute of Herbie Mann takes on some of the nascent reggae grooves of the time – with results that are a lot nicer than you might expect! There's some core rhythms on the record from Tommy McCook, but Herbie's regular keyboardist Pat Rebillot also adds in some surprisingly nice lines too – making the whole thing way more than just another session cut down in Kingston. One real surprise is a very extended take on "My Girl", which runs for over 18 minutes and takes up all of side two – and other cuts include "Rivers Of Babylon", "Swinging Shepherd Blues", and "Ob La Di". Reggae II is a lesser-known follow-up to Herbie Mann's first album of reggae-styled instrumental grooves – and one that's every bit as sweet as the first! Like that record, the approach here is one that has Mann working with Kingston-bred rhythms from a lineup that includes Winston Wright on organ, Jackie Jackson bass, and Michael Richard on drums – mixed with tenor from Tommy McCook and trumpet from Bobby Ellis – then given a slight fusion vibe from Mann's frequent 70s musical partner Pat Rebillot on a variety of keyboards! Herbie's flute snakes into the groove in this warm, easygoing way – very open in tone, and a surprisingly good fit for an instrument that isn't often used in such a setting. Titles include "Down On The Corner", "Cecilia", "I Know", "Stoned By You", "Bend Down Low", and "So Get It While You Can". CD

An overlooked history in jazz – a huge book that not only documents important female-led groups and solo artists in the music, but also focuses on those that were heavily featured in visual media as well! The scope might seem small at first, but the author expands with a voluminous range of artists from the 20s through the 50s – leaders, musicians, and singers who were able to get exposure in film and television that they might not have received otherwise! The book has dozens of black and white photos – many illustrating the visual potential of the artists – and subjects include Hazel Scott, Lena Horne, Peggy Lee, Ina Ray Hutton, Phil Spitalny & His Musical Queens, International Sweethearts Of Rhythm, The Ingenues, Carl Adams, and others. Softcover edition is 316 pages, with black and white photos. Book

With Carmen Leggio and Harold Ashby on tenor, Russell P{rocope on alto, Marky Markowitz and Waymon Reed on flugelhorn, John Bunch on piano, and Milt Hinton on bass. LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

An aggressive bit of funky fusion – a set that matches the talents of Japanese trumpeter Shunzoh Ohno with some hip American grooves from Reggie Lucas on guitar, Cedric Lawson on keyboards, Don Pate on bass, and Roy Haynes on drums! The sound is very full-on – in a mid 70s Miles Davis electric mode, but with perhaps a bit more of a funk touch on the best cuts – almost a refinement of the groove that Miles hit in Japan, fusing the energy into some great tunes that really pack a sharp punch! Haynes' drums are surprisingly heavy at points – and titles include "You Dig That?", "But It's Not So", and "I Remember That It Happened". CD

Lee Scratch Perry's funky reggae party, put together at the Black Ark, with Boris Gardner, Mickey Boo, Sly Dunbar & Winston Wright. A nice batch of crackling Jamaican funk, with the requisite Black Ark smoke blowing throughout. Includes a bunch of classic Perry-isms, with Scratch dropping verses with his own unique perspective, like "Yu Squeeze My Panhandle", "Roast Fish & Cornbread", "Soul Fire" & "Free Up The Weed" LP, Vinyl record album

The stellar full length debut from Redman – who was just then breaking out solo after honing his craft as part of the EPMD Hit Squad clique – and rose pretty quickly to the upper echelon of early 90s MCs! The masterstroke of Whut Thee Album is the way that Redman balances a gritty, hard hitting approach to the mic and to the lyricism, while still leading a funky party rocking record. The Erick Sermon production is a big part of that balance, with beats that show a real love classic 70s funk – and looking back, it's amazing the number of 'hits' off this one that still hold up today – with "Time 4 Sum Akshun", "A Day of Superman Lover", "How To Roll A Blunt", "Blow Your Mind" (and rmx), "Rated R", "Hardcore", "Redman Meets Reggie Noble", "Tonight's Da Night" – 21 tracks in all. LP, Vinyl record album

Mindblowing work from tenorist Sonny Rollins – a set of recordings that we'd rank right up there with his groundbreaking Village Vanguard sessions for Blue Note! As with those recordings, the setting here is live, and a trio – Sonny blowing with incredible imagination in the very open space of the tunes, many of which are very long – with accompaniment from the wonderful bassist Henry Grimes on all numbers, and a shifting lineup of very hip drummers – Pete LaRoca on most tracks, sometimes replaced by Joe Harris or Kenny Clarke. The huge package features a wealth of live tracks, including some material that has been bootlegged before – concerts from 1959 in Stockholm, Zurich, Aix-En-Provence, Frankfurt, and Laren – all presented here with superb sound, voluminous notes, and through cooperation with Sonny Rollins himself. Titles include "Lady Bird", "But Not For Me", "Cocktails For Two", "I Want To Be Happy", "Oleo", "Paul's Pal", "Love Letters", and "I've Told Every Little Star" – but as always with live Sonny Rollins at this point in his career, it's not the melodies, but what he does with them – which is amazing! CD

Jimmy Smith on organ, Russell Malone on guitar, Reggie McBride on bass, and Harvey Mason on drums – plus guest vocals from Etta James and Dr. John, as well as guitar and vocals from BB King and Taj Mahal. CD

A set that's gotta be one of the most righteous school band records ever – way more than just a bunch of students doing big band numbers, and instead a killer batch of spiritual jazz numbers, directed by the legendary Alvin Batiste! The record's one of a rare few 70s sets of this nature – one that shows a group of younger musicians really reaching out for bold new sounds – every bit as complex and soulful as work on labels like Strata East or Black Jazz, with a fiery power that signals a new generation of the jazz underground! And while Batiste is at the head of the group, there's plenty of other great younger players too – including Henry Butler on piano, Henry Scott on flute, Kirk Ford on tenor, Reginald Houston on baritone, Raymond Deggs on trumpet, Julius Farmer on bass, and Herman Jackson on drums! Side one features burning ensemble numbers that include "Music Came", "Tunjii", "Straight Life", and "North American Idiosyncrasy" – and side two features early material by the Henry Butler Trio, on titles that include "So What", "In My Solitude", and "Milestones". LP, Vinyl record album

The cover looks gothic, but the sound is plenty darn groovy – a sweet set of sound library instrumentals from the 70s scene in Paris – most of them served up with an upbeat, clubby sort of vibe! Yan Tregger may not be one of those names that immediately comes to the lips of underground club collectors – but there's plenty of great clubby moments here, with grooves that bubble on tight basslines, swing with sweet keyboards, and often get lots of riffing guitar in the mix! Yet there's also some nicely weird touches too – as you might expect from a record that was cut far from the mainstream, as part of a studio library set – the kind of weird funky elements you might find on some of the more obscure 12" singles from the late 70s underground. Titles include "Carry On", "Gimmicky", "Sunny Wing", "Light Heart (parts 1 & 2)", "Riff On", "Lyric Soul", "Slow Zoom", and "This Time". LP, Vinyl record album

An underground funky gem – one that never made it past the collections of the elite sound library audience in the 70s – but which is well deserving of global acclaim! Yan Tregger works here in this style that's every bit as funky as his contemporaries on bigger library labels, but which also shows a strong love of club music too – not straight disco, at least not in any sort of "easy" way – but a real ear for just the right sort of basslines, keyboard parts, and uptempo rhythms to keep things moving throughout! Given the all-instrumental approach, think of this set as a jazzy take on clubby grooves – or maybe an instrumental funk record for the clubs – with great cuts that include "The Girl In The Gold", "Dawn & Darkness", "Friend Island", "The Last Girl", "Haunting Refrain", "Girls Will Be Girls", and "The Way Of All Flesh". CD

A huge batch of material in one well-done set – a package that brings together four classic late 70s albums in a dee jay style – all produced by Joe Gibbs, and two of which have never been on CD before – all with bonus tracks and the usual top-shelf Doctor Bird presentation! As the dee jay mode rose up strongly in Jamaica during the mid 70s, Joe Gibbs was one of the key producers to really get the sound just right – layering the spoken, sing-song vocals over heavy rhythms in just the right way – less abstract than dub tracks, but also a lot looser and more flowing than more mainstream work of the time – especially in comparison to some of the big global reggae hits. At the time of such fame, Gibbs just dug deeper with material of this nature – served up here on the albums Three Piece Suit by Trinity, Under Heavy Manners by Prince Far I, Natty Superstar by Ranking Joe, and Inna Him Head by Prince Mohammed – the last two of which have never been on CD. The set's got 44 tracks in all – which includes bonus titles too! CD

Not a group from the Cali scene of the 60s, as their name might make you expect – but instead a very cool UK group, and one who've picked up some of the best sunshine pop inspirations of the period, then mixed them with trippier touches as well! The set begins early, at a time when the group were maybe more slavish to American inspirations – but then really stretches out near the end of the 60s and start of the 70s, when West Coast Consortium were also taking more chances with their music, and really experimenting with the way that production played with their vocals! And while they had a big single back in the day, West Coast Consortium never issued that much material – certainly not here in the US – which makes this huge 3CD set a real discovery, especially as it also include later recordings for the Trend label, material done as The Consortium, and even some unissued albums! There's a massive 76 tracks on the set, along with very detailed notes – and titles include "Philadelphia", "Money Matters", "Rings & Things", "Mr Umbrella Man", "Whatever Became Of Emily Jane", "Live & Let Live", "This Poor Man", "Scarlet Rider", "One Six Two", "Willow Wood", "The Elastic Band", "Beggar Man", "Cynthia Serenity", "I Don't Want Her Any More", and "When The Day Breaks". CD

Incredible! This is quite possibly the best of this legendary series of Jamaican soul, funk, and reggae tracks – and it's a masterpiece! The track selection is amazing, and the set has a bit more crackle than earlier volumes – with loads of great 70s production, including nice dubby bits, and some excellent instrumentation. Titles include "Mission Impossible" by Randy's Allstars, "Make It Reggae" by Shark Wilson & The Basement Heaters, "Rebel Soldiering" by Johnny Clarke, "Jungle Lion" by Lee Perry, "Take It Easy" by Hopeton Lewis, "Jackie's Theme" by Jackie Mittoo & Randy's Allstars, "Uptown Top Rankin" by Althea & Donna, "Cincinatti Kid" by Prince Buster, and "Bam Bam" by Sister Nancy. 15 cuts in all – and all great! LP, Vinyl record album

Forget the cheapo look of the cover, as the set's a classic batch of gems from the Trojan Records catalog – 2CDs worth of material, with 55 titles that go way past the obvious hits – served up in a great mix of rocksteady and early reggae modes, and filled with the kind of tunes that instantly bridged the space between Kingston and London at the end of the 60s! The package takes off from a mainstream Trojan set from back in the day, and offers the much deeper dig that we love from the Doctor Bird label – tunes that make the whole thing more of a journey of discovery than you might guess from the simple statement of the title. Tracks include "Build It Up" by Tito Simon, "Sweet Sensation" by The Melodians, "This Is Reggae Music" by Zap Pow, "Floating" by Greyhound, "Black Pearl" by Horace Faith, "Liquidator" by Harry J Allstars, "Elizabethan Reggae" by Boris Gardiner & The Love People, "I Need Your Sweet Inspiration" by The Pioneers, "Red Red Wine" by Tony Tribe, "Think About That" by Dandy Livingston, "Down In The Boondocks" by Delroy Williams, "Reggae From The Ghetto" by John Holt, "Yesterday Man" by Nicky Thomas, "Who's That Lady" by Paris Connection, and lots lots more! CD

The soulful sound of Trojan Records, mixed superbly here by Japanese DJ Holiday – who comes across with a killer blend of cuts from the rocksteady and early reggae years! A number of tracks here are Jamaican remakes of American soul tunes, and they're mixed with originals that really echo the spirit of mellow grooves that were especially strong in the early part of the 70s – served up here on a set of 20 tracks that are all pulled from the farther reaches of the Trojan catalog, including a fair bit of under-discovered nuggets! Titles include "Let's Get It On" by Lloyd Charmers, "Lean On Me" by BB Seaton, "Tears On My Pillow" by Derrick Morgan, "It's You I Love" by Merlene Webster, "Somebody's Baby" by Pat Kelly, "Pain In My Heart" by Derrick & Naomi, "Target" by The Gaytones, "Love Letters" by Phyllis Dillon & Alton Ellis, "Sitting In The Park" by Slim Smith, "Keep It Like It Is" by Louisa Marks, "Emergency Call" by Judy Mowatt, and "Our Day Will Come" by The Heptones. CD

A wonderful look at the Compass Point Studios in Nassau – a force that was as important to the sound of grooves in the early 80s as Stax and Fame were to soul in the 60s! Compass Point was the brainchild of Island Records founder Chris Blackwell, but it offered up way more than just a reggae-styled approach to the music – and although the house band at Compass featured both Sly and Robbie, the overall sound was a groundbreaking mix of funk, punk, and post-disco elements! Compass Point was a key recording site for a number of leftfield acts in its early years – and this package does a great job of showing the way the studio left an undeniable imprint on the sound of its time. The booklet features very detailed notes on the studio, its scene, and its key players – and the CD features 13 great 80s grooves that include "Genius Of Love" by Tom Tom Club, "Dance Sucker (Francois K rmx)" by Set The Tone, "Obsession (Nassau mix)" by Guy Cuevas, "Padlock (Larry Levan mix)" by Gwen Guthrie, "River Niger" by Sly Dunbar, "Don't Stop The Music" by Bits & Pieces, "Spasticus Autisticus (version)" by Ian Dury, "You Rented A Space" by Cristina, "Adventures In Success (dub copy)" by Will Powers, "Whisper" by Chaz Jankel, "Born Under Punches" by Talking Heads, and "My Jamaican Guy (12" version)" by Grace Jones. CD

Includes 24 tracks from Buddy Guy, Larry Johnson, India Arie, Keb Mo, Mavis Staples, Solomon Burke, Mos Def, Gregg Allman, Natalie Cole and Odetta. CD

A selection of rare tracks that appeared on the Bongo Man label from Studio One – the company's very hip imprint in the roots reggae generation – and a package that also includes a number have never been released on LP! Titles include "Ring A Ting" by Prince Jazzbo, "Stepping Into Zion" by El Tibby & The Stingers, "Nanny Version Skank" by Big Joe, "Burn Collie" by Cliff Stewart, "Jah Jah Rock" by Emperor DP, "Jah Jah Way" by Jackie Bernard, "Little Joe" by Prince Jazzbo, "Burn Collie (version)" by The New Establishment, "Got To Be Cool" by The Classics, "Money Worries" by Ernest Wilson, "Soul People" by The Beltones, and the extended "Skylarking (disco mix)" by Sleepy & Jazzbo. CD

With selections by Alvin Robinson, Bettye Lavette, Johnny Adams, Mickey Murray, Doris Allen, Peggy Scott & Jo Jo Benson, Soul Suspects, The Rugbys, Randy & The Radiants, The Tikis, The Twiggs, Sam Dees, Evie Sands, and US Apple Corps. LP, Vinyl record album

Two rare compilations from Trojan Records – back to back in a single set, with an insane number of bonus tracks too! Both records capture that time when the groove was moving from rocksteady to early reggae – still yet to hit global fame, which makes for a really nice mix of music from an array of lesser-knowns who were getting circulation outside of Jamaica by Trojan. The set really digs deep, way past the bigger tracks and hits – and there's a fair bit of artists here who might be new to anyone but the more serious reggae collectors. Plenty of work here resonated strongly with the growing UK reggae market for reggae at the end of the 60s – and alongside soulful vocals, there's a nicely laidback groove on most numbers – never too overproduced, and filled with plenty of surprises along the way! The set features the full tracks from both records in the title, plus 31 bonus tracks – and most cuts are new to CD – a massive lineup of work from The Slickers, GG All Stars, Maytones, Keeling Backford, Lloyd & Robin, Gladstone & The Followers, Charlie Ace, Trevor & Keith, Vernon Buckley & Alvin Ranglin, and Eric Monty Morris. CD

Tremendous work from the mighty Sam Records – a New York indie that was born in the disco generation, but continued to keep great sounds going long after the crash! Sam started in the underground, and always kept a great ear to that scene, even when scoring big with hits – and the label's work often had all the polish of bigger companies, but a bit more bite as well – with all the right elements in all the right places, which has kept its music mighty strong over the years! There's no throwaway trash here, or easy dancefloor cuts – and instead the sound of Sam stays plenty strong from the earliest burst of disco through the big wave of indie club and old school in the early 80s. This massive 3CD package is shaped like a 7" single – and features 36 classic 12" singles and album cuts from Sam – titles that include "Kojak Theme" by John Davis Monster Orchestra, "Dreamin" by Greg Henderson, "Love Magic (disco version)" by John Davis Monster Orchestra, "Woman Of The Ghetto (UK 12" mix)" by Doris Duke, "Just A Groove" by Glen Adams Affair, "Come On Back To Mama" by Wardell Piper, "Begging For More" by Monica Neal, "Gotta Get Outta Here" by Lucy Hawkins, "I Found Love In You" by Rhyze, "Hold On (Jellybean mix)" by Kreamcicle, "This Best Is Mine" by Vicky D, "You Can't Stop (Shep Pettibone mix)" by David McPherson, "Don't Let Go Of Me (Shep Pettibone mix)" by Mike & Brenda Sutton, "Free (disco version)" by Rhyze, "Let's Love Dance Tonight (disco version)" by Gary's Gang, "Behind My Back" by Underground, "Just Let Me Dance (Jim Burgess mix)" by Scandal, "Don't Stop" by KID, "Can You Really See Me" by Sound Troupe, "Keep On Dancing" by Gary's Gang, and "Don't Give Your Love Away (Shep Pettibone mix)" by Steve Shelto. CD

The legendary Studio One label recorded some of the hippest singers on the Kingston scene from the late 60s onward – and one of the ways they made them sound especially great was to use some of the city's coolest musicians on the sessions, and also give them some space to cut some key instrumentals of their own! The cuts here represent a time when Jamaican music was really hitting its stride with a really unique vibe – and these groups have really shifted from the sort of jazz, mento, or calypso that instrumental groups were cutting in the early part of the 60s – to work in ska, rocksteady, and early reggae modes that offer up a perfect blend of heavy rhythms and standout solo instrumentation! The package brings together 19 tracks from these glory days at Studio One – and titles include "Heavenless" by Don Drummond, "Bugaloo" by Soul Bros, "Black Up" by Karl Bryan & Count Ossie, "Still Calling" by Soul Defenders, "Namibia" by Liberation Group, "Sidewalk Doctor" by Jackie Mittoo & Brentford Rockers, "Heavy Rock" by Sound Dimension, "Money Generator" by Karl Bryan & The Afrokats, "Jericho Skank" by Jackie Mittoo & Ernest Ranglin, and "Ringo Rock" by The Soul Vendors. LP, Vinyl record album

The Trojan Records label was a pivotal force in taking reggae to a larger audience at the end of the 60s – pushing a huge amount of Jamaican artists into the global scene, and forever helping the sound of music in the process! Trojan was especially heavy in the years of ska and rocksteady, and this package is filled with some of the key cuts the label helped put on the map – tracks that are classic numbers from the early reggae years, and which had a hell of a lot of power both in Jamaica, and overseas in the UK! 2CD set features 50 tracks in all – and titles include "007" by Desmond Dekker & The Aces, "Double Barrel" by Dave & Ansel Collins, "Everything I Own" by Ken Boothe, "Uptown Top Ranking" by Althea & Donna, "Israelites" by Desmond Dekker & The Aces, "Let Your Yeah Be Yeah" by The Pioneers, "54 46 Was My Number" by the Maytals, "Monkey Spanner" by Dave & Ansel Collins, "OK Fred" by Errol Dunkley, "Girlie Girlie" by Sophia George, "Money In My Pocket" by Dennis Brown, "Black Pearl" by Horace Faith, "You Can Get It If You Really Want" by Desmond Dekker, and "To Be Young Gifted & Black" by Bob & Marcia. CD

The Trojan Records label was a pivotal force in taking reggae to a larger audience at the end of the 60s – pushing a huge amount of Jamaican artists into the global scene, and forever helping the sound of music in the process! Trojan was especially heavy in the years of ska and rocksteady, and this package is filled with some of the key cuts the label helped put on the map – tracks that are classic numbers from the early reggae years, and which had a hell of a lot of power both in Jamaica, and overseas in the UK! 2LP set features 28 tracks in all – and titles include "007" by Desmond Dekker & The Aces, "Double Barrel" by Dave & Ansel Collins, "Everything I Own" by Ken Boothe, "Uptown Top Ranking" by Althea & Donna, "Israelites" by Desmond Dekker & The Aces, "Let Your Yeah Be Yeah" by The Pioneers, "54 46 Was My Number" by the Maytals, "Monkey Spanner" by Dave & Ansel Collins, "OK Fred" by Errol Dunkley, "Girlie Girlie" by Sophia George, "Money In My Pocket" by Dennis Brown, "Black Pearl" by Horace Faith, "You Can Get It If You Really Want" by Desmond Dekker, and "To Be Young Gifted & Black" by Bob & Marcia. LP, Vinyl record album

A really fantastic collection – one that seems to find a special place that's all its own – a bit folk funk, a bit jazzy soul, a bit something else that we can't define at all – all sewn together through a wonderfully well-chosen batch of cuts that we might never have heard otherwise! Paul Hillery uses words next to each of the titles to describe the tunes, ala an older sound library record – like "canyon cool", or "susurrations of the sea", "ethno-fusion", "swelling cellos", and so on – all light ways of getting at the vibe of the album's beautiful mix of laidback vocals and easygoing instrumentation – definitely music that's perfect for spending some time with the setting sun! Titles include "Fields Of Green" by Carm Mascarenhas, "Colorado Red Sky" by MCF, "Mojafe" by Hardin & Russell, "Be With Me" by Pat Rahming, "Wet Dreams" by Floyd Hunchback Group, "Surfer Girl" by Persona La Ave, "In Passing" by Kimberle, "Over & Over" by Andy Davis, "Playin Your Game" by Blaine L Reininger, "The Shadows Dance" by Graeme Gash, "It All Comes Around" by Parker MacDonnell, and "The Light" by Reggio. CD

Crucial work from Dennis Brown – one of the most soulful voices in reggae at the end of the 70, and an artist who achieved some great global fame – but who is also represented here on a host of the more obscure 7" singles issued by Joe Gibbs back home in Kingston! The set is unique, in that it features both a-sides and b-sides – work that shows the complex array of material that Dennis was working with, especially on the cool flipsides – which sometimes include dubs, sometimes other tracks that never got larger exposure at the time – including 11 numbers of the 42 in the set that appear on CD for the first time ever! The crispness of Joe's production works perfectly for Brown's vocals – putting them center stage, but never in a commercial way – on titles that include "Your Man", "Assigned To Leave", "Foul Play", "Love Dub", "Get High On Your Love", "On The Rocks", "Rain", "Ghetto Version", "Runnings Ire", "Nu True", "So Jah Say (live)", "Cassandra", "Should I", "Bubbling Love", "Rolling Down", "Hope We Get To Love In Time", "Timely Lover", and "Homeward Bound". CD

Two classic Lloyd Charmers albums – both new to CD, and presented here with lots of first-time CD bonus tracks too! First up is the great Gold Connection album – an obscure little record, but a soulful one too – a rare 70s Federal Records session that mixes together reggae and soul – with vocals by a trio of female singers that includes a young Marcia Griffiths and Cynthia Schloss! Lots of tracks take a disco inspiration, but slow the pace down a lot more for the Kingston scene – so that the grooves are dubby steppers with a lot more going on at the bottom than their American counterparts up north – laidback, and given some nice instrumentation from Willie Lindo on bass, Harold Butler on keyboards, and Cedric Brooks on tenor! Titles include "That's The Way I Like It", "Fly Robin Reggae", "Love's Theme", "Soul Charm", "Do It Anyway Reggae", "Latin Hustle Reggae", and "Darling I Like It". Next up is Sweet Dreams, a very unique album from Jamaican sweet soul singer Dobby Dobson – an artist who seems to owe a bit to Sam Cooke, and who references music from Sam's era too – remaking some older cuts with a warmer, sweeter 70s vibe overall! The Lloyd Charmers production makes for an unusual blend of reggae and classic soul – and titles include "Little Stars", "Sweet Dreams", "Oh Gee", "You're Mine All Mine", "Muriel", "My Special Prayer", and "It's A Miracle". 2CD set features 20 more bonus tracks – including the great Supernatural Thing project from Richard Ace with Lloyd Charmers – and more tracks from Sister Stern, The Africans, Richard Ace, Delroy Wilson, and CHARM! CD

A record that's not only a landmark in Jamaican music – but also a set that was to reggae what Curtis Mayfield's Superfly was to 70s soul! In other words, the set not only raised the bar for all the competition, it also ended up in a lot more record collections than most of them too – maybe in part because it was a soundtrack, as was Superfly – but also because it has this global power that makes it a defining album of the genre! Jimmy Cliff is obviously the mainman here, but there's help from other key players in the growing reggae scene – and titles include Jimmy's classic "You Can Get It If You Really Want", in two versions – plus two takes on "The Harder They Come", "Many Rivers To Cross", and "Sitting In Limbo" – plus "Sweet & Dandy" and "Pressure Drop" by The Maytals, "007" by Desmond Dekker, "Johnny Too Bad" by The Slicers, "Draw Your Brakes" by Scotty, and "Rivers Of Babylon" by The Melodians. LP, Vinyl record album

Steve Coleman on alto sax, Andy Milne & James Weidman on piano & keyboards, David Hilmore on guitar, Reggie Washington on bass & Marvin Smitty Smith on drums & percussion. CD

Japanese compilation with McCoy Tyner on piano, Art Davis, Jimmy Garrison, and Reggie Workman on bass and Elvin Jones and Roy Haynes on drums. CD

A lost slice of work from the mighty John Coltrane – and a set that features the equally great Eric Dolphy up on stage with Trane at the Village Gate! These never-issued recordings are every bit as wonderful as the Village Vanguard material recorded during the same year – with the group moving with boundless energy, maybe even at a level that they wouldn't show on studio recordings for a few years later – bold piano from McCoy Tyner, superb bass from Reggie Workman, and unbridled drums from Elvin Jones – all given further inspiration by the presence of Dolphy, who blows bass clarinet and flute on the record! Trane is already really taking off with the soprano sax, which gets plenty of beautiful solo space here – on tunes that include a rare live take on "Africa", plus an early reading of "Impressions", and "My Favorite Things", "When Lights Are Low", and "Greensleeves" – the latter of which is done in a sublime modal style. CD

Sublimely spiritual work from the great John Coltrane – a live album, but one that's easily one of his most important contributions to music in the early 60s – and a set that we'd rank right up there with his best studio sides for Impulse or Atlantic Records at the time! The group here features McCoy Tyner on piano, Reggie Workman on bass, and Elvin Jones on drums – plus the very important addition of Eric Dolphy on the leadoff tune "Spiritual" – a number that features Dolphy on bass clarinet alongside Coltrane's tremendous tenor, as both players open up on extended solos that take the tune to nearly 14 minutes in length! Other numbers omit Dolphy, but are still totally great – and Coltrane picks up the soprano sax for a classic reading of "Softly As In A Morning Sunrise" – and the group shifts slightly for the freer "Chasin The Trane", a 16 minute romp done with only tenor sax, drums, and bass – the latter of which is handled here by Jimmy Garrison instead of Workman. LP, Vinyl record album

A long overdue testament to the live genius of the mighty John Coltrane Quartet – captured at the legendary Half Note club in NYC – disc 1 recorded on a date in March 1965 and disc 2 on a date in early May of the same year! The set finds Coltrane plus McCoy Tyner on piano, Jimmy Garrison on bass and Elvin Jones on the kit working in a far more adventurous guise than many of the 60s studio sessions – stretching out incredibly on the half hour epic workout "One Up, One Down" and a beautifully loose run of "Afro Blue". The stylistic themes are carried through similarly on the second disc's long grooving "Song Of Praise" and an amazing "My Favorite Things", but stretching near or past the 20 minute mark. These long bootlegged recordings are now available on CD officially for the first time ever – complete with the original radio introductions and announcements! CD

A classic slice of Jamaican roots – and an essential record from the godlike hands of Lee Perry! The set was produced by Perry at Black Ark – and instantly became the stuff of legend, even though the initial version of the album got very limited exposure – which has led to years of differing reissues and versions of the record! Yet the core sound is always very much in place, no matter what the setting – very spiritual lyrics from the group themselves, set to nicely stripped-down rhythms and instrumentation that are a great contrast to the wave of more polished international reggae releases that were garnering mainstream attention at the time. The lasting power of the set is proof that maybe when it comes to roots, you've got to really go to the roots to get it right – as you'll hear on classic tracks that include "La La Bam Bam", "Fisherman", "Congoman", "Children Crying", "Open Up The Gate", and "The Wrong Thing". 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

Tracks include "That's A Plenty", "Riverboat Shuffle", "Little Girl", "Jazz Me Blues", "Big Butter & Egg Man", "Wabash Blues", and "Someday Sweetheart" – 24 tracks in all. CD

With Tony Maiden, Ray Fuller, Paul Jackson Jr and Jeff Lee Johnson on guitars, Leon "Ndugu" Chancler on drums, and Reggie Young on trombone. CD

A lyrical masterpiece from the young Herbie Hancock – and a record that's really special for so many different reasons! First, the songs are really long and open – even more so than some of Hancock's other work – with a quality that's balanced between his soul jazz roots, and some of the freer ideas he was exploring with key counterparts of the time! Next, the group features a quartet with Freddie Hubbard on cornet – an instrument he didn't play that often, but which creates a really special sound here – one that's cool and compressed, but still has a sharp bite, too – especially over the inventive rhythms laid down by Ron Carter on bass and Anthony Williams on drums. All players are capable of going out – and have strong "new thing" cred by this point – but they keep it inside all the way through, but with a balanced sense of darkness that's really beautiful. The album features Hancock's classic (and oft-sampled) version of "Cantaloupe Island" – plus "One Finger Snap", "Olioqui Valley", and "The Egg". Also includes 2 CD bonus cuts! CD

One of the most unusual entries in this amazing set of releases from the Habibi Funk label – a set that's definitely what's promised in the title – in that Ibrahim Hesnawi delivers a really unique take on the sound of Kingston! The music is certainly in a rhythm that echoes conventional reggae, but the instrumentation is often nicely different, with ties to some of the more mainstream Mid-East modes of the period, especially on the keyboards – a quality that's also echoed in the lyrics here, which on most tracks are in Libyan Arabic, with phrasing that's miles away from the world of Bob Marley and Jimmy Cliff! Titles include "Only World", "Tayr Al Salma", "Kesati", "Enti", "Watany Al Kabir", "Tendme", and "Fouhi Ya Nesma". LP, Vinyl record album

A really unique later album from Peggy Lee – one that's so different than the brash confidence of her early material, and which shows her really perfecting that boozy, mature sound that she brought to a handful of gems like this! The album's got a truly adult approach to pop that was less concerned with chart placement than it was with getting over a more sophisticated level of expression – and Peggy turns out to be wonderfully well suited for this mode – a deeply emotive singer by this point, capable of bringing a deeper sense of life into younger tunes of the era, fleshing them out with the newer freedoms of the time, yet without going overboard. There's almost a Robert Altman sense of poise and adult grace to these tunes – arranged by Artie Butler with a careful simplicity, and sung by Peggy with some of the truest emotion of her days on record. Titles include "Love Song", "Razor", "When I Found You", "A Song For You", "It Takes Too Long To Learn To Live Alone", "Someone Who Cares", and "Just For A Thrill". LP, Vinyl record album