A stellar set from one of the most underrated reed players of all time – a brilliant bit of searching soul jazz, cut at a time when Curtis Amy was leaving behind his Texas roots for the new sounds of the Coltrane generation! The album's quite different than the organ and tenor dates that Amy had previously cut with Paul Bryant – and instead, is put together with a nascent spiritualism that's really wonderful – a sound that definitely lives up to the bold title and cover image, with lots of modal moments in the rhythms! The group features some equally under-acknowledged geniuses – including trumpeter Dupree Bolton, pianist Jack Wilson, and guitarist Ray Crawford – all coming together perfectly with Amy's work on tenor and soprano sax. The best tunes here are originals by the group members – including "Lonely Woman" (not by Ornette), "Katanga", "Native Land", and "Amyable". Plus, this CD reissue also includes some great bonus cuts that were not on the original album! CD

A stellar set from one of the most underrated reed players of all time – a brilliant bit of searching soul jazz, cut at a time when Curtis Amy was leaving behind his Texas roots for the new sounds of the Coltrane generation! The album's quite different than the organ and tenor dates that Amy had previously cut with Paul Bryant – and instead, is put together with a nascent spiritualism that's really wonderful – a sound that definitely lives up to the bold title and cover image, with lots of modal moments in the rhythms! The group features some equally under-acknowledged geniuses – including trumpeter Dupree Bolton, pianist Jack Wilson, and guitarist Ray Crawford – all coming together perfectly with Amy's work on tenor and soprano sax. The best tunes here are originals by the group members – including "Lonely Woman" (not by Ornette), "Katanga", "Native Land", and "Amyable". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the best Curtis Amy records for Pacific Jazz – and an album that really has him stretching out, hitting some of the more openly soulful modes that would develop further in the 60s! The set's a partnership with drummer Frank Butler, who himself is a pretty hip cat – and together, the pair break past the organ/tenor modes of the initial albums by Amy – really stretching out with help from trumpeter Carmell Jones, pianist Frank Strazzeri, and a young Bobby Hutcherson on vibes! Bassist Jimmy Bond ensures that things groove tightly – and titles include "Very Frank", "Groovin Blue", "Bobblin", and "Gone Into It". CD

An obscure soul set on the legendary Sun Records label – raw vocals from Frank Ballard, done in a style that still has a few older R&B currents in the mix, but which is definitely pointed strongly towards a 60s groove! Backings are by the band of tenorist Phillip Reynolds, and the sound here is a lot more in the King Records mode than you'd expect from Sun – plenty of grit in the grooves, and with some great work on piano, guitar, and tenor next to the vocals! Frank earlier sung with tenor man Curtis Amy, but he's really at the top of his game here – and titles include "Trouble Down The Road", "Rollin In", "After Hours", "Do Wa Diddi", "Is Anybody There", and "Just Leave It With Me Baby". LP, Vinyl record album

A really obscure little session from tenorist Johnny Griffin – and one of his few dates from the time cut with an organist – in this case the up-and-coming LA player Paul Bryant! Bryant's probably best known for his cookers with Curtis Amy, and he hits a similar mode here – by bringing a strong R&B inflection to the album, and offering Griffin a setting that's a bit less hardbop than some of his other Riverside albums of the time! The rest of the group features Joe Pass on guitar, Jimmy Bond on bass, and Doug Sides on drums – and titles include "Cherry Float", "These Foolish Things", "63rd Street Theme", "Grab This", and "Offering Time". LP, Vinyl record album

A really obscure little session from tenorist Johnny Griffin – and one of his few dates from the time cut with an organist – in this case the up-and-coming LA player Paul Bryant! Bryant's probably best known for his cookers with Curtis Amy, and he hits a similar mode here – by bringing a strong R&B inflection to the album, and offering Griffin a setting that's a bit less hardbop than some of his other Riverside albums of the time! The rest of the group features Joe Pass on guitar, Jimmy Bond on bass, and Doug Sides on drums – and titles include "Cherry Float", "These Foolish Things", "63rd Street Theme", "Grab This", and "Offering Time". CD

Remarkable Carmell Jones, indeed – and one of the few albums ever cut as a leader by this up-and-coming force on the LA scene at the start of the 60s! Jones was a player who really showcased something new on the west at the time – a move away from cool jazz, and the start of a deeper, headier generation of musicians – the bold power that would come from cats like Lou Blackburn, Horace Tapscott, and Jimmy Woods. This date's an early entry into that legacy – and has a tight approach to hardbop with plenty of modern elements – a bit like the shift that Curtis Amy was making at the time. In addition to Jones on trumpet, the album also features Harold Land on tenor, Frank Strazzeri on piano, Gary Peacock on bass, and Leon Pettis on drums – all working with a careful blend of soul jazz and modern influences, on a wonderful batch of well-written tunes. Titles include "I'm Gonna Go Fishing", "Night Tide", "Sad March", and "Stellisa". CD

Remarkable Carmell Jones, indeed – and one of the few albums ever cut as a leader by this up-and-coming force on the LA scene at the start of the 60s! Jones was a player who really showcased something new on the west at the time – a move away from cool jazz, and the start of a deeper, headier generation of musicians – the bold power that would come from cats like Lou Blackburn, Horace Tapscott, and Jimmy Woods. This date's an early entry into that legacy – and has a tight approach to hardbop with plenty of modern elements – a bit like the shift that Curtis Amy was making at the time. In addition to Jones on trumpet, the album also features Harold Land on tenor, Frank Strazzeri on piano, Gary Peacock on bass, and Leon Pettis on drums – all working with a careful blend of soul jazz and modern influences, on a wonderful batch of well-written tunes. Titles include "I'm Gonna Go Fishing", "Night Tide", "Sad March", and "Stellisa". CD

2 early Capitol classics by Lou Rawls – back to back on one CD, and perfectly paired throughout! Black and Blues is quite possibly the first truly great Lou Rawls album for Capitol – an all-out swinging jazz session done with arrangements by Onzy Matthews, in a mode that firmly helped put the Lou Rawls sound on the map! The tracks are mostly older numbers from a long lineage of blues and R&B – but with hipper 60s touches by Matthews in the backings, Lou really swings the work into a whole new territory – moving older, clunky compositions into more adult, more mature modes that aren't nearly as sad or downtrodden as their roots! Titles include "I'd Rather Drink Muddy Water", "Roll Em Pete", "Kansas City", "World Of Trouble", "Trouble In Mind", "Strange Fruit", and "Six Cold Feet Of Ground". Tobacco Road was a real breakthrough for Lou – a set that again paired him with arranger Onzy Matthews, and which even more deeply explored the unique space between jazz, soul, and the blues that became Rawls' prime territory back in the 60s! Matthews' backings are hip and jazzy throughout – filled with bold horn touches from players that include Lou Blackburn, Curtis Amy, Sonny Criss, and even Horace Tapscott – who's playing trombone here instead of his more familiar piano. Ray Crawford's guitar underscores a good number of the tracks here with that clean, lean, single-note style of his – but Lou is the clear star throughout with his deeply-voiced lyrics of older familiar tunes. Titles include his landmark reworking of "Tobacco Road", plus "Summertime", "Stormy Weather", "Rocking Chair", "Ol Man River", "St Louis Blues", and "Sentimental Journey". CD also features 2 bonus tracks – "When It's Sleepy Time Down South" and the previously unissued "Gloomy Sunday". CD

More than just a great overview of Lou Rawls' jazz work for Capitol Records – because the set also features 3 previously unissued numbers that Rawls recorded with the Curtis Amy Sextet! Those 3 tracks are almost worth the price of the album alone – as Amy's combo was one of the hippest on the LA scene of the time, and offers Lou a rare opportunity to sing in a more relaxed setting than some of his more tightly arranged big band numbers. But honestly, all the work here is pretty darn great – and even the already-issued tracks are tremendous – a great illustration of how Lou linked together jazz and blues during the 60s soul era – and came up with a classy, sophisticated groove that inspired many others in years to come! Arrangements are by Benny Carter, Onzy Matthews, and HB Barnum – and titles include "Nobody But Me", "How Long How Long Blues", "Blues For Weepers", "Something Stirring In My Soul", "I Wonder", "Let's Burn Down The Cornfield", "Old Folks", "Somebody Have Mercy", and "Why Do I Love You So" – as well as the 3 unissued numbers, "Fine & Mellow", "Mean Old World", and "Long Gone Blues". CD

A real breakthrough for Lou Rawls – a set that again paired him with arranger Onzy Matthews, and which even more deeply explored the unique space between jazz, soul, and the blues that became Rawls' prime territory back in the 60s! Matthews' backings are hip and jazzy throughout – filled with bold horn touches from players that include Lou Blackburn, Curtis Amy, Sonny Criss, and even Horace Tapscott – who's playing trombone here instead of his more familiar piano. Ray Crawford's guitar underscores a good number of the tracks here with that clean, lean, single-note style of his – but Lou is the clear star throughout with his deeply-voiced lyrics of older familiar tunes. Titles include his landmark reworking of "Tobacco Road", plus "Summertime", "Stormy Weather", "Rocking Chair", "Ol Man River", "St Louis Blues", and "Sentimental Journey". LP, Vinyl record album

A holy grail of jazz – Roy Ayers' first album as a leader, and a near-lost session that's simply sublime! The record was cut at the same time that Roy was working in LA with pianist Jack Wilson – and it's got an approach that's a bit similar to some of the Wilson/Ayers sessions for Atlantic, Blue Note, and Vault – but with a marked difference here in the presence of Curtis Amy, who plays some incredible tenor and soprano sax on the session – arcing out over the modal lines set up by the vibes and piano, and shading in the record with a much deeper sense of soul! Amy plays on about half the album's tracks – all of which are standout modal tunes that preface the MPS/Saba sound by a number of years, and which we'd easily rank as some of the greatest jazz recorded anywhere in the 60s. And even the tracks without Amy are great too – and have Roy echoing out with a wonderfully round tone on the vibes – no tricks, no gimmicks, no attempt to cross over to commercial jazz – just a brilliant tone and fresh vision on his instrument for the time. Wilson's great too (but when is he not?) – and rhythm is by either Bill Plummer or Victor Gaskin on bass, and either Tony Bazley or Kenny Dennis on drums. Titles include "Sound & Sense", "Ricardo's Dilemma", "Out Of Sight", "Young & Foolish", "Reggie Of Chester", and "Days Of Wine & Roses". CD also features 2 bonus tracks – "Now's The Time" and "Perhaps/Cool Blues" – both pulled from the Bird Call record with Vi Redd as a leader, noteworthy as Roy's first time in the studio! CD

Remarkable Carmell Jones, indeed – and one of the few albums ever cut as a leader by this up-and-coming force on the LA scene at the start of the 60s! Jones was a player who really showcased something new on the west at the time – a move away from cool jazz, and the start of a deeper, headier generation of musicians – the bold power that would come from cats like Lou Blackburn, Horace Tapscott, and Jimmy Woods. This date's an early entry into that legacy – and has a tight approach to hardbop with plenty of modern elements – a bit like the shift that Curtis Amy was making at the time. In addition to Jones on trumpet, the album also features Harold Land on tenor, Frank Strazzeri on piano, Gary Peacock on bass, and Leon Pettis on drums – all working with a careful blend of soul jazz and modern influences, on a wonderful batch of well-written tunes. Titles include "I'm Gonna Go Fishing", "Night Tide", "Sad March", and "Stellisa". LP, Vinyl record album

Features guest guitar from James Taylor on a few cuts, and even some guest tenor from the great Curtis Amy! Titles include "Brother Brother", "Sweet Seasons", "Some Kind Of Wonderful", "Surely", "Carry Your Load", "Music", "Song Of Long Ago", "Too Much Rain", "Brighter", "Growing Away From Me", "Back To California", and "It's Going To Take Some Time". CD

The title's a weird one, because the album was recorded in the studio and not on stage – but we're hardly going to complain, because the record's so great! Wilson is really cooking for this one – leading an all-great group that includes Curtis Amy, Roy Ayers, Jack Wilson, Joe Pass, Bobby Bryant, Anthony Ortega, and other 60s LA soul jazz luminaries – all coming together in a style that's certainly big band, but which allows plenty of space for breakout solos – and which really grooves a lot more like a small combo session than you might expect! Titles include "Los Moros De Espana", "In The Limelight", "Musette", "Lighthouse Blues", and "El Viti". LP, Vinyl record album

Remarkable Carmell Jones, indeed – and one of the few albums ever cut as a leader by this up-and-coming force on the LA scene at the start of the 60s! Jones was a player who really showcased something new on the west at the time – a move away from cool jazz, and the start of a deeper, headier generation of musicians – the bold power that would come from cats like Lou Blackburn, Horace Tapscott, and Jimmy Woods. This date's an early entry into that legacy – and has a tight approach to hardbop with plenty of modern elements – a bit like the shift that Curtis Amy was making at the time. In addition to Jones on trumpet, the album also features Harold Land on tenor, Frank Strazzeri on piano, Gary Peacock on bass, and Leon Pettis on drums – all working with a careful blend of soul jazz and modern influences, on a wonderful batch of well-written tunes. Titles include "I'm Gonna Go Fishing", "Night Tide", "Sad March", and "Stellisa". LP, Vinyl record album

Although they were a UK soul act, Jimmy James and The Vagabonds were a perfect match for the Atlantic soul stable of the 60s. The group had a smooth group style that was partly uptown, partly northern soul – as clearly illustrated in this album, which is divided up into a "mood red: you feel like leaping" side, and a "mood blue: you feel like digging deeper" side. The band chose some good material that really helps them maintain a solid socking soul sound – including "The Entertainer" and "Ain't Love Good, Ain't Love Proud" by Tony Clarke, "Ain't No Big Thing" and "I'm Just A Fool For You Girl" by Gerald Sims, and "Little Boy Blue" and "People Get Ready" by Curtis Mayfield. Also features "Come To Me Softly", a sweet dreamy ballad by Jimmy, and kind of a bit crossover hit for the boys. LP, Vinyl record album

Four classic albums from this hip British soul group – issued here in a single set, with bonus tracks too! First up is New Religion – a record that was also released in America by Atlantic Records. Although they were a UK soul act, Jimmy James and The Vagabonds were a perfect match for the Atlantic soul stable of the 60s. The group had a smooth group style that was partly uptown, partly northern soul – as clearly illustrated in this album, which is divided up into a "mood red: you feel like leaping" side, and a "mood blue: you feel like digging deeper" side. The band chose some good material that really helps them maintain a solid socking soul sound – including "The Entertainer" and "Ain't Love Good, Ain't Love Proud" by Tony Clarke, "Ain't No Big Thing" and "I'm Just A Fool For You Girl" by Gerald Sims, and "Little Boy Blue" and "People Get Ready" by Curtis Mayfield. Also features "Come To Me Softly", a sweet dreamy ballad by Jimmy, and kind of a bit crossover hit for the boys. London Swings is two-sided monster – as the album was originally split with work from the Alan Bown Set too! Here, the CD features just the live material from the soul group – a smoking performance from Jimmy James & The Vagabonds – one that goes way past the sweetness of their hits, and which has a crowd-pleasing, party-hearty approach to soul that's really great! Jimmy and the group serve up versions of "Sock It To Em JB", "That Driving Beat", "Ain't Too Proud To Beg", "You Don't Know Like I Know", and "Don't Know What I'm Gonna Do". This Is Jimmy James & The Vagabonds is a record that featured some crossover tracks with New Religion – but the set here just features the exclusive cuts – including "I Feel Alright", "I Can't Get Back Home To My Baby", "Never Like This Before", "I Don't Wanna Cry", and "You Showed Me The Way". Open Up Your Soul is a record with a really wonderful sound – the deeply soulful vocals of Jimmy James & The Vagabonds, mixed with rich arrangements handled by Nicky Welsh, and produced to perfection by Brit maestro John Schroeder! The record's got the sophistication of some of the Richard Evans productions over at Chess/Cadet at the same time – and, no surprise, the group lead off with a great cover of The Dells "Wear It On Our Face" – then roll into cuts that include "Cry Like A Baby", "Good Day Sunshine", "Four Walls", "Everybody Loves A Winner", "If You're Gonna Love Me", and "Open Up Your Soul". CD also features 7 more bonus tracks from singles – including "Why", "Bumper To Bumper", "Close The Door", "Give Us A Light", "I Wanna Be your Everything", "Hungry For Love", and "Don't Know What I'm Gonna Do". CD

A turning point for Loleatta Holloway – as she makes the move from dreamy southern soul diva to club queen of the late 70s! Norman Harris is producing, and the record has a soaring Philly disco sound that proves to be just as great for Loleatta's soulful vocals as the stripped-down southern modes of earlier albums! Gone are the sad tears of earlier weepies, and in their place is a strong sense of joy and power – Loleatta's very positive, very progressive, and very dedicated to standing her own ground! Includes the big single "Hit & Run", plus "Dreamin", "We're Getting Stronger", "Ripped Off", and versions of "That's How Heartaches Are Made" and Curtis Mayfield's "What Now". CD features 5 bonus tracks too – "Hit & Run (orig Walter Gibbons 12" mix)", "We're Getting Stronger (orig Walter Gibbons 12" mix)", "Hit & Run (single version)", "Hit & Run (Paul Simpson hit mix)", and "Hit & Run (acapella)". CD