... CD

Featuring their Billboard number one hit, "Babe"! LP, Vinyl record album

Bob Dylan's fourth record, and close runner up to Freewheelin' as the masterpiece of this early stage of his career. While the overly arch Times They Are A Changin' pretty much stood as the cornerstone of classifiable folk rock at the time, Another Side is just that. Dense, elliptical, and downright surreal at times, with some of the protesty stuff that made the media so happy & hungry, but much more layered and poetic. Another side is also much more reverent of and indebted to the Harry Smith field recordings that Bob studied so hard, the stuff that finally caught on with the general public in the early 90s. Titles include "Spanish Harlem Incident", "It Ain't Me Babe", "Ballad In Plain D", "Black Crow Blues", "I Don't Believe You", "Motorpsycho Nitemare", "To Ramona", "Chimes Of Freedom", "My Back Pages", and "I Shall Be Free No 10". LP, Vinyl record album

Quite an unusual date – both for the players, who are normally more at home on Prestige Records – and for the Pacific Jazz label, who were then a cornerstone of west coast cool jazz! That setting doesn't keep the album from being a killer, though – as Gene Ammons wails away on tenor, next to some lean, clean work on Hammond from the young Groove Holmes – who's already at his rhythmic best, and getting help here from Gene Edwards on guitar and Leroy Henderson on drums! Most tracks are nice and long – half recorded live, half in the studio – and titles include "Morris The Minor", "Good Vibrations", "Hey You What's That", and "Groovin' With Jug". LP, Vinyl record album

An amazing album – and the cornerstone of the CTI sound! The record's an incredibly baroque set of tracks from funky flautist Hubert Laws – featuring arrangements from Don Sebesky that mix complicated lines on flute with electric piano from Bob James, into a swirling mass of sound that's warm, soulful, and fuzzy. The record's incredibly hip – and even on material like "Theme From Love Story", "Fire & Rain", and "Passacaglia In C Minor", Laws and the group soar away into another plane of being! Jazz flute and CTI were never the same after this album! LP, Vinyl record album

One of the most righteous albums ever issued by the always-righteous Tribe Records label of Detroit – a really collective effort, one that features ensemble vocals and spiritual jazz – all pulled together by pianist Harold McKinney! The album showcases a group named Voices Of The Creative Profile – formed by McKinney to accompany his Creative Profile instrumental group – and the overall style is a great blend of spiritual soul jazz that gives equal time to the voices and instruments in the set. Gwen McKinney heads up the vocal ensemble, and other players on the set include Wendell Harrison on flute, Marcus Belgrave on trumpet, Billy Turner on percussion, and Ed Pickins on bass. Also features some cool moog from Darryl Dybka – and titles that include "In The Moog", "Freedom Jazz Dance", "Dolphin Dance", "Heavenese", "Ode To Africa", "Out Of The Blues", and "Cornerstone". Features a bonus 7" single – with the tracks "Ode To Africa" and "Jelly Loa". LP, Vinyl record album

Another round of Studio One butter from the folks at Soul Jazz! By this point you're well informed about the status of Coxsone Dodd's Studio One operation as the cornerstone of so much Jamaican music, and Soul Jazz has approached the catalog from just about every angle, covering nearly all the bases before landing here on this dub set. The sly Island grooves are stripped down to their bare essentials, then given a tasteful bit of dubby gloss at the hands of Sylvan Morris, for a massive collection that'll rule your stereo like Studio One rocked the sound systems back in the day. 17 tracks in all, wrapped in a nice package that includes interviews with Morris and Dodd, and fully annotated as to which numbers the rhythms were originally cut as the backing for. Includes "Bionic Dub", "Sky Rhythm", 'Taurus Dub 2", "Hooligan", "Dub Rock", "Hi Fashion Dub", In Cold Blood Version" and "Feel The Dub". LP, Vinyl record album

Bob's fourth record, and close runner up to Freewheelin' as the masterpiece of this early stage of his career. While the overly arch Times They Are A Changin' pretty much stood as the cornerstone of classifiable folk rock at the time, Another Side is just that. Dense, elliptical, and downright surreal at times, with some of the protesty stuff that made the media so happy & hungry, but much more layered and poetic. Another side is also much more reverent of and indebted to the Harry Smith field recordings that Bob studied so hard, the stuff that finally caught on with the general public in the early 90s. Titles include "Spanish Harlem Incident", "It Ain't Me Babe", "Ballad In Plain D", "Black Crow Blues", "I Don't Believe You", "Motorpsycho Nitemare", "To Ramona", "Chimes Of Freedom", "My Back Pages", and "I Shall Be Free No 10". CD

Quite an unusual date – both for the players, who are normally more at home on Prestige Records – and for the Pacific Jazz label, who were then a cornerstone of west coast cool jazz! That setting doesn't keep the album from being a killer, though – as Gene Ammons wails away on tenor, next to some lean, clean work on Hammond from the young Groove Holmes – who's already at his rhythmic best, and getting help here from Gene Edwards on guitar and Leroy Henderson on drums! Most tracks are nice and long – half recorded live, half in the studio – and titles include "Morris The Minor", "Good Vibrations", "Hey You What's That", and "Groovin' With Jug". CD

A superb set of duets between Johnny Mathis and Deniece Williams – a set that's a key part of Johnny's rise into soul music during the 70s, and one that also forms a cornerstone of the early career of Deniece Williams too! Williams' soaring vocal range is a great match for the trademark Mathis modes – and the pair take on some great tunes that are mostly in a midtempo groove, which allows for all this fantastic interplay between the vocals – at a level that really shows what the duo can do together, and how they're not just two superstars who happened to be in the same studio. Titles include "You're All I Need To Get By", "Ready Or Not", "Touching Me With Love", "Me For You You For Me", and "Until You Come Back To Me". CD

A superb set of duets between Johnny Mathis and Deniece Williams – a set that's a key part of Johnny's rise into soul music during the 70s, and one that also forms a cornerstone of the early career of Deniece Williams too! Williams' soaring vocal range is a great match for the trademark Mathis modes – and the pair take on some great tunes that are mostly in a midtempo groove, which allows for all this fantastic interplay between the vocals – at a level that really shows what the duo can do together, and how they're not just two superstars who happened to be in the same studio. Titles include "You're All I Need To Get By", "Ready Or Not", "Touching Me With Love", "Me For You You For Me", and "Until You Come Back To Me". LP, Vinyl record album

Sublime solo material from the great Teddy Pendergrass – the kind of record that instantly proves that his departure from Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes was a great idea, as the man alone is even more of a power to be reckoned with! The set's a cornerstone in that great second wave of Philly soul from Gamble & Huff – that point when the rest of the world was picking up on the disco grooves they forged earlier in the 70s, and they went for a more adult, more sophisticated style with singers like Teddy, Jean Carn, Phyllis Hyman, and others. The whole thing's perfect – and nicely balances between mellow moments and groovers – with gems that include the always-great "Close The Door", the massive "When Somebody Loves You Back", and other cuts that include "Get Up Get Down Get Funky Get Loose", "Life Is A Song Worth Singing", "Cold Cold World", and "It Don't Hurt Now". LP, Vinyl record album

A crossover classic from the lovely Deborah Harry – a tune that broke Blondie big on the airwaves, yet which also had a great life of its own in the clubs – no doubt due to its driving Giorgio Moroder-influenced disco beat! Yet the track's also got a lot more to live up to, too – an important meeting of punk and disco – reconciled for just a minute, at a level that makes the track a cornerstone for both generations! 7-inch, Vinyl record

Hard-burning early work from tenorist Harold Land – exactly the kind of date that set him apart from other west coast players of the 50s! Although he was part of the LA scene of the time, Harold Land grooved a lot harder and louder than his cool jazz contemporaries – and this album's a perfect chance to hear the underground bop scene of which he was a cornerstone. The tunes are amazing – and even the familiar numbers have a real edge, thanks to sharp arrangements by Harold and Elmo Hope. Equally great is the group – which features an unusual US appearance from Swedish trumpeter Rolf Ericson, who's a surprisingly soulful fit for the sound of the session – plus Carl Perkins, the legendary sideways pianist, Leroy Vinnegar on bass, and Frank Butler on drums. Titles include "Delerium", "Smack Up", "Grooveyard", "Lydia's Lament", and "Nieta". LP, Vinyl record album

An amazing album – and the cornerstone of the CTI sound! The record's an incredibly baroque set of tracks from funky flautist Hubert Laws – featuring arrangements from Don Sebesky that mix complicated lines on flute with electric piano from Bob James, into a swirling mass of sound that's warm, soulful, and fuzzy – moving way beyond simple jazz-based expression, into an exploration of space, tone, and color that's barely ever been matched on record. The record's incredibly hip – and even on material like "Theme From Love Story", "Fire & Rain", and "Passacaglia In C Minor", Laws and the group soar away into another plane of being! Jazz flute and CTI were never the same after this album! CD

One of the most righteous albums ever issued by the always-righteous Tribe Records label of Detroit – a really collective effort, one that features ensemble vocals and spiritual jazz – all pulled together by pianist Harold McKinney! The album showcases a group named Voices Of The Creative Profile – formed by McKinney to accompany his Creative Profile instrumental group – and the overall style is a great blend of spiritual soul jazz that gives equal time to the voices and instruments in the set. Gwen McKinney heads up the vocal ensemble, and other players on the set include Wendell Harrison on flute, Marcus Belgrave on trumpet, Billy Turner on percussion, and Ed Pickins on bass. Also features some cool moog from Darryl Dybka – and titles that include "In The Moog", "Freedom Jazz Dance", "Dolphin Dance", "Heavenese", "Ode To Africa", "Out Of The Blues", and "Cornerstone". CD features two bonus tracks – versions of "Ode To Africa" and "Jelly Loa". CD

Seminal 50s work from the team of JJ Johnson and Kai Winding – two of the greatest trombonists to ever play in one group together, and masters of a uniquely-crafted approach to their instrument! The first six tracks on the CD are from the 1954 RCA album Afternoon At Birdland – one of the best sessions cut by Kai and JJ during the 50's, and a good live session with a lot looser feel than some of their studio sessions – which tend to be a bit restrained. The rhythm section features Dick Katz, Al Harewood, and Peck Morrison – but the main solos are held by Kai and JJ, stretching out nicely in the live space. Titles include "Funnybone", "Cornerstone", "Lullaby Of Birdland", "Vista", "Birdland Festival", and "Bone Of Contention". The remaining 12 tracks on the CD are from the albums Jay & Kai + 6 and Jay & Kai Trombone Octet – both larger-than-usual outings for the pair, but still albums done with the twin-trombone sound firmly in the lead! Tracks are shorter than on the live date, and titles include "Night In Tunisia", "Jeanne", "Four Plus Four", "The Continental", "No Moon At All", "All At Once You Love Her", and "Rise N Shine". CD

The name Channel One is well known to even the most neophyte aficionados of Jamaican music. One of the cornerstone studios on the Kingston scene, the birthplace of so many classic numbers, any collection is of tracks cut there is going to be heavy. This great set collects both well known hits and some tasty lesser known selections, 36 numbers in all! "I Need A Roof" by the Mighty Diamonds, "Without Love" by Leroy Smart, "CB 200" by Dillinger, "Fade Away" by Junior Byles, "Up Park Camp" by John Holt, "Far East" by Barry Brown, "Things & Time" by the Wailing Souls, "Road Block" by Sammy Dread, "Truly (DJ mix)" by Rankin Trevor, "Dances Are Changes" by Barrington Levy, "Ballistic Affair" by Leroy Smart, "Satisfaction" by John Holt, "Natty Burial" by the Lone Ranger, "Natty Have Credentials" by Don Carlos, "Hard To Confess" by the Tamlins, "MPLA" & "Burial" by Revolutionaries, "I Know Myself" by Ernest Wilson, "Welding" by I Roy, "Smoke Ganja Hard" by Little John, "Babylon" by Sugar Minott, "Worries In The Dance" by Frankie Paul and "Queen Majesty" by Jay & Trevor Rankin. LP, Vinyl record album

An intensely jamming album from guitarist John McLaughlin – and a record that set a whole new tone for electric jazz in the 70s! The album was recorded shortly after McLaughlin's work with Miles Davis on Bitches Brew and Tony Williams on the first Emergency album – and in a way, it's a key piece of the jazz-rock fusion puzzle that has those two sets as cornerstones. McLaughlin's working here with keyboardist Larry Young from the Emergency group – playing both his usual organ on the record, plus a bit of electric piano – and the rest of the group includes bassist Billy Rich, plus superdrummer Buddy Miles – really giving a lot of power to the album's sound at the bottom! McLaughlin is getting into a bit of his mystic trip on the record, but is still playing with a lot of electric power here – plenty distorted and fuzzy on most numbers, and really jamming throughout! Titles include "Devotion", "Dragon Song", "Marbles", "Siren", "Don't Let The Dragon Eat Your Mother", and "Purpose Of When". LP, Vinyl record album

A long-overdue look at the 45rpm legacy of Aretha Franklin at Atlantic Records – a set that brings together all the great singles she cut during her early years at the label – some of which you'll know as the cornerstones of her albums from the time, others that are maybe a bit more obscure! Jerry Wexler is at the production helm on all these numbers – as the man who really helped Aretha find her special style at the label – and the cuts also feature arrangements from Arif Mardin and Tom Dowd, both studio talents who'd really help Franklin open up with a new sense of power and majesty as the 60s moved on! All tracks are presented in their tight 45rpm single mixes – and titles include "Call Me", "Spirit In The Dark", "Don't Play That Song", "Border Song", "Share Your Love With Me", "My Song", "The Weight", "See Saw", "Ain't No Way", "Think", "The House That Jack Built", "I Say A Little Prayer", "Since You've Been Gone", "Baby I Love You", "Respect", "I Never Loved A Man", "Do Right Woman", "Chain Of Fools", "Don't Play That Song", "Eleanor Rigby", "Natural Woman", "You Send Me", "Tracks Of My Tears", and "I Can't See Myself Leaving You". LP, Vinyl record album