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Beautiful Chicago soul! Billy Butler and Major Lance had had previous hits working on the Okeh label in town, and when that one folded, they moved over to Brunswick, where Carl Davis was cutting some amazing sides of male vocal soul, with other great local artists, like Otis Leavill! This excellent set brings together the rare 45s by those three artists – even better than usual because none of them ever issued full length LPs for the label! There's a whopping 27 cuts in all – and titles include "I Love You", "Why Why Why", "Glad I Met You", and "Baby" by Otis Leavill; "Help Yourself", "Sweet Darling", "Love Grows Bitter", and "I'll Bet You" by Billy Butler, and "Follow The Leader", "Shadows Of A Memory", and "Sweeter As The Day Goes By" by Major Lance. All tracks are excellent examples of the rich mature talents these artists were displaying at the time! CD

Darkly brooding work from John Coltrane's early years as a leader on Prestige – a very unique little record that features twin baritone sax support from Pepper Adams and Cecil Payne! Both players are wonderfully hip here – more than enough to match Trane's unique musical vision for the group's format – and the sound of the session is much edgier than some of his other Prestige work – which may be why the label chose not to issue it until 1963, even though it was recorded back in '57. There's a nice roughness here – the same inspirational early sound you'll get on Coltrane's early sides for Savoy or Imperial – and other players include Mal Waldron on piano, Doug Watkins on bass, and Art Taylor on drums. Titles include "Cat Walk", "Dakar", "Route 4", "Velvet Scene", and "Witches Pit". CD

Some of the best material from Gambian psych funk pioneers Guelewar – a double-length collection, pulled from stellar albums of the late 70s and early 80s! Guelewar's got a really great sound here – one that brilliantly blends heavy, hypnotic rhythms, passionate vocals, swirling guitars and psychedelic organ grooves – all to create really unique vibe, and more than worthy of the legendary fame the group's gotten over the years! You might know Guelewar from their earlier work in the Supreme Eagles and Super Alligators – both great groups who prefaced the material here – infusing regional traditions with western funk, soul, and psych – to create a wicked groove that eventually evolved into the Guelewar sound! Titles include "Sama Yaya Demma N'Darr", "Sunu Makaan", "Ya Mom Samaray", "Njarama", "Tasito", "Wollou", and "Kele Fasane". CD

An excellent set of recordings from a unique moment for the Xanadu Records label – an imprint that was carrying the torch of the Prestige label style well into the 70s – also run by that label's old head, Don Schlitten! The tracks here were all recorded live in Dakar – by a tight quintet that features some of the best Xanadu players at the time – both Al Cohn and Billy Mitchell on tenor, plus Dolo Coker on piano, Leroy Vinnegar on bass, and Frank Butler on drums. Mitchell is especially wonderful – an excellent soloist who was often lost in larger groups throughout his career, but who really got the chance to shine in the bigger, more open space of the small group sides. Both he and Cohn blow at some of their best levels for the performances – and titles include "Night Flight To Dakar", "Don't Let The Sun Catch You Crying", "Blues Up & Down", "Sweet Senegelese Brown", "Robbins Nest", "Blues In The Closet", "Easy Living", and "The King". CD

A superb look at some of Senegal's most exciting up and comers! Streets of Dakar contains a genuine bounty of high energy mbalax from a slew of sublime vocalists and bands, whether it's the muezzin-like intensity of Assane M'boup – who, since these recordings were released, has become a member of the reunited Orchestra Baobab – or the more gentle sounds of Fallou Dieng, who possesses a sweetness of tone that reminds us of Youssou N'Dour. The CD captures modern Senegalese sounds at an exciting crossroads, where elements of hip-hop, soul, and European pop flavors jostle with but never trump deep mbalax roots. Tracks include "Ndeye Mour" by Assane M'boup & Ie Mbouba Dialy, "Muss" by "Marie Ngone Ndione", "Cheikh Anta Diop" by Gelongal, "Nguewel" by Bada Seck, and "Kara" by Alioune Kasse & Kasse Stars. CD

An excellent set of recordings from a unique moment for the Xanadu Records label – an imprint that was carrying the torch of the Prestige label style well into the 70s – also run by that label's old head, Don Schlitten! The tracks here were all recorded live in Dakar – by a tight quintet that features some of the best Xanadu players at the time – both Al Cohn and Billy Mitchell on tenor, plus Dolo Coker on piano, Leroy Vinnegar on bass, and Frank Butler on drums. Mitchell is especially wonderful – an excellent soloist who was often lost in larger groups throughout his career, but who really got the chance to shine in the bigger, more open space of the small group sides. Both he and Cohn blow at some of their best levels for the performances – and titles include "Night Flight To Dakar", "Don't Let The Sun Catch You Crying", "Blues Up & Down", "Sweet Senegelese Brown", "Robbins Nest", "Blues In The Closet", "Easy Living", and "The King". CD

One of Tyrone Davis' last albums for Dakar – and a great one too – issued in 1976 before the demise of that label, and Tyrone's big move to Columbia Records! Tyrone's still working strongly here in that great Chicago mix of smooth and rough – a sound first forged on his early Dakar hits, and carried through strongly here by arrangers Tom Tom and James Mack – who still keep a lot of the indie elements that made Davis' music for Dakar great right from the start. The centerpiece of the album is the title track "Turning Point", and it's situated in a set of other nice tunes, a number of which have that smoothed-out feel that Tyrone brought to his work in the late 70s. Includes a remake of "Turn Back The Hands Of Time" (done at a nice ballad tempo), plus "It's So Good (To Be Home With You)", "Saving My Love For You", and "I Can't Bump" (parts 1 & 2). LP, Vinyl record album

A wonderful early record from Bohannon – and with a very different feel than usual! Although most of Bohannon's work from the time is up-tempo and funky, side two of this album has some amazing slow spacey cuts – done with a drum sound that's still quite hard, but just slower than usual, in a style that creates some nice stepping grooves that are augmented by some wild off-beat, out-of-tune piano work! Sounds like it shouldn't work, but it does – and the ultimate moment on the album is the amazing "Thoughts And Wishes", a cool instrumental that's been a major steppers track in Chicago for years. Side one is more in the usual Bohannon funk mode – and tracks on the album include "Disco Stomp", "Foot Stompin Music", "Love Is Fading", and "Happy Feeling". LP, Vinyl record album

A massive amount of fast funk groovers from the mighty Hamilton Bohannon – just the kind of skittish, upbeat, and totally amazing tracks that have made him a legend for years! The sound is really stripped down – usually just bass, drums, and guitar – wrapped together in this groove that's super tight, but not slick at all – like someone had dug deep into the best resources of the funky 45 underground, then pushed them to the limit! The guitar work alone is completely amazing – razor-sharp perfection at a level that blows away any previous chicken scratch lines – and titles include "Can You Feel It", "Think Of Me", "The Funky Reggae", "The Bohannon Walk", "Bohannon's Beat Part 1", and "Gentle Breeze". LP, Vinyl record album

Otis Leaville has always been one of the great lost chapters in Chicago soul – possibly because he never cut a full album, which means that his work hasn't been reissued in the same way as other Chi-town soulsters like Tyrone Davis or Syl Johnson. Whatever the case, though, this single's a great way to get a peek at Otis' work – which does have a similar quality to labelmate Tyrone Davis. Both tracks are great, and have writing by Eugene Record, arrangements by Tom Tom Washington, and production by Willie Henderson. 7-inch, Vinyl record

Easy to dance your ass off with music this great – a fast, firey form of funk that's very much in the best Bohannon mode – that unique groove that was unlike anything else to hit the American scene for years to come! The record's a locomotive right from the start – a completely tight union of guitar, bass, drums, and just about anything else that gets into the mix – served up at a fast chugging groove that's very different than either typical funk or 70s disco! A few tracks add in a bit of extra strings, but these are always subsumed by the strong strong rhythms – and titles include the cut "Zulu", which has always been a favorite here in Chitown – plus "Party People", "Dance Your Ass Off", and "Bohannon's Theme". LP, Vinyl record album

A killer bit of early funk from the great Hamilton Bohannon – and quite possibly his greatest album ever – a really unique approach to funky rhythms, with a sound that's unlike anything else we can think of! The album's got a slower funk sound than Bohannon's later disco groove a few years later – and the wonderful rhythms mix together scattershot drums with funky wah wah guitar, organ, and hard-plugging basslines – all in a blend that's pretty mindblowing not just for its instrumental dexterity, but also for the way it brings complex patterns together in a really hypnotic way! All cuts are instrumentals, save for a few chorus vocals – and players on the album include Wah Wah Watson, Ray Parker, Travis Biggs, and Mose Davis. Bohannon's on drums and percussion – and titles include "The Pimp Walk", "Stop & Go", "Getting to the Other Side", "It's Time For Peace", "Save Their Souls", and "Singing a Song for My Mother". CD features two bonus tracks – "Run It On Down Mr DJ (parts 1 & 2)". CD

The second album from Chicago soul legend Tyrone Davis – and every bit as wonderful as his first! Like that set, this one bounces along on a wave of well cast Chisoul arrangements – penned by Tom Washington and Willie Henderson, with a great mix of the sweet and the rough – bubbling under with a heavier rhythm than you might expect for such a session. The whole set skips along with a sound that's totally tight, but also plenty darn righteous – and Tyrone's voice crackles with honesty and feeling on the album's entire set list. Tracks include the mega-hit "Turn Back The Hands Of Time", plus "Undying Love", "If It's Love That You're After", "I Keep Coming Back", and "Let Me Back In". LP, Vinyl record album

Classic work from this massively overlooked 70s soul singer! The set's one of a rare few albums cut by Sidney Joe Qualls – a fantastic talent who's probably better known for his work behind the scenes, and as a songwriter, than he is as a voice on his own. The session is produced with a style that kind of mixes Brunswick Chicago soul with rootsier southern elements – stepping proud in the 70s territory of Johnnie Taylor or Tyrone Davis, but sounding way way better here, and with a much more independent vibe. Plus, the album boasts some incredible material – original tunes written by the likes of Sam Dees, Clifford Davis, George Davis, and others. Titles include "Shut Your Mouth", "Run To Me", "I Enjoy Loving You", "Please Help Me", "Can't Get Enough of Your Love", and "The Next Time I Fall in Love". LP, Vinyl record album

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

Hardly a pirate album at all – and instead one of the first big global moments of fame for the mighty Orchestra Baobob – a Senegalese combo who'd really been honing their craft during the 70s! The album has the group working with all the soulful currents of their early work – and especially that inflection from Cuban styles that made some of the groups in Dakar so unique – a special trans-Atlantic handshake between the nations that really helped these guys take off once they got exposure on a record like this! Titles include "Coumba", "Utru Horas", "Werente Seringe", "Ray M'Bele", "Toumaranke", "Ngalam", and "La Rebellion". CD

The first album on Fania Records – and a massive record that showcases Pacheco's new style – a shift from his earlier charanga grooves to a more solidly percussive style, with lots of timbales and trumpet! The album's a key turning point in 60s New York Latin – and still crackles with all the youthful energy it had back in the mid 60s – the kind of album that really set the standard for salsa to come in the following decade, and which also marked the shift towards smaller groups and tighter grooves at the time! Pete Rodriguez is on vocals, and tracks include "El Kikiriki", "Fania", "Dakar, Punto Final", and "Como Mango". Nice cover, too – with Pacheco playing timbales in front of a big cannon! LP, Vinyl record album

Music from Number One De Dakar, Etoile De Dakar, Thione Seck, Youssou N'Dour and Super Etoile de Daka, Alou Fane's Fote Mocoba, Etoile 2000, Gestu De Daka, Salif Keita and Ambassadeur International, Franco & L'Orchestre T.P O.K Jazz, Omar Pene & Super Diamono, Jaliba Kuyateh, Coumba Gawlo. CD

One of the most mysterious Studio One compilations we've ever heard – and one of the grooviest, too! The cuts here are all lost dub tracks from the Studio One vaults – instrumental numbers served up by the likes of Sound Dimension, Brentford All Stars, Soul Defenders, New Establishment, and other groups – but with origins that are somewhat lost to the shifting sands of time, as are the actual instrumental details of each number! Yet the tunes work together beautifully – in a moody, slow-stepping vibe that has all the best Studio One hallmarks – and which resonates strongly with the hipper 70s elements of the label – all presented here in a unified blend by Dub Specialist. Tracks include variations of numbers originally from Alton Ellis, Roland Alphonso, Dennis Brown, Ken Boothe, and others – and titles include "Cairo", "Callie Roots", "Libra Dub", "Virgo Dub", "Nairobi", "Meet 7 Million", "Darker Black", "Rockers Hop", "Dakar", and "This Race". CD

One of the most mysterious Studio One compilations we've ever heard – and one of the grooviest, too! The cuts here are all lost dub tracks from the Studio One vaults – instrumental numbers served up by the likes of Sound Dimension, Brentford All Stars, Soul Defenders, New Establishment, and other groups – but with origins that are somewhat lost to the shifting sands of time, as are the actual instrumental details of each number! Yet the tunes work together beautifully – in a moody, slow-stepping vibe that has all the best Studio One hallmarks – and which resonates strongly with the hipper 70s elements of the label – all presented here in a unified blend by Dub Specialist. Tracks include variations of numbers originally from Alton Ellis, Roland Alphonso, Dennis Brown, Ken Boothe, and others – and titles include "Cairo", "Callie Roots", "Libra Dub", "Virgo Dub", "Nairobi", "Meet 7 Million", "Darker Black", "Rockers Hop", "Dakar", and "This Race". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the few later recordings by Chris McGregor's Brotherhood of Breath – and one that was done for a major label, and almost marketed as a world music album! Despite that fact, though, the set's still very firmly in McGregor's jazzy mode of the past – yet also certainly touched by the South African musical styles of his roots – better than you might think overall, and produced by Joe Boyd with a very solid feel. The ensemble's more cohesive than in earlier years, with less of an edge on the solos – but overall, the whole thing's pretty nice. Titles include "Bakwetha", "Sweet As Honey", "Dakar", "Maxine", and "Big G". LP, Vinyl record album

Beautifully soulful work by David Murray – a mostly-straight session, but one that seems to push his level of expression even further than before! Murray's working here in a "deep river" style that seems to draw on decades of jazz influence, yet forge it into a fresh modern voice – played on both tenor and bass clarinet, in a quartet that includes Dave Burrell on piano, Fred Hopkins on bass, and Ralph Peterson on drums. The tracks have a nice easy feel, with solos that are laidback, never forced – and the album features originals that include "Dakar Dance", "Home", and "Mbizo" – plus a great 13 minute reading of Coltrane's classic "Mr. PC". CD

Hardly a pirate album at all – and instead one of the first big global moments of fame for the mighty Orchestra Baobob – a Senegalese combo who'd really been honing their craft during the 70s! The album has the group working with all the soulful currents of their early work – and especially that inflection from Cuban styles that made some of the groups in Dakar so unique – a special trans-Atlantic handshake between the nations that really helped these guys take off once they got exposure on a record like this! Titles include "Coumba", "Utru Horas", "Werente Seringe", "Ray M'Bele", "Toumaranke", "Ngalam", and "La Rebellion". LP, Vinyl record album

Tracks include "Russian Lullaby", "Dakar", "Lover Come Back To Me", "Bahia", "On A Misty Night", and "Theme For Ernie". CD

Tyrone Davis the mellow master – still going strong into the 80s! The album's an overlooked gem from Tyrone's years at Columbia Records – a time when he was changing up his style a bit, and really finding a great new groove – a way of getting past some of the overdone modes of his Brunswick/Dakar recordings, and moving way way past his Chicago roots! The album's got these warm modern soul arrangements that still hold onto a bit of the blues from Tyrone's past – but often glide forward in this stepping sort of style that's offset nicely by that raspy, honest vocal approach that makes Davis such a unique singer. Titles include the excellent mellow stepper "Overdue", plus "I'm Glad You're Here With Me Tonight", "I Just Can't Keep On Going", "Wanna Make It Good", and "Comin Back Baby". LP, Vinyl record album

A sprawling collection of classic Fania – featuring a pretty adventurous set of salsa, boogaloo, Afro-Latin, funkier numbers and all around incredible material put together by our friends at Strut Records – going beyond the classics! It features numbers by many of the most iconic names on Fania – Johnny Pacheco, Joe Bataan, Ray Barreto, Willie Colon, Bobby Valentin, Hector Lavoe and more – loosely chronicling the stylistic genesis at Fania during the time period, but compiled with an ear to the dancefloor rather than academia. A great set of classics on an uber-iconic label, put together by one of our favorite contemporary labels! 29 tracks on the 2CD version: "Dakar, Punto Final" by Johnny Pacheco, "Mercy Mercy Baby" by Ray Barretto, "Anacaona" by Cheo Feliciano, "Quimbara" by Celia Cruz & Johnny Pacheco, "Bomba Carambomba" by Sonora Poncena, "Pedro Navaja" by Willie Colon & Ruben Blades, "Cuando Despiertes" by Fania All Stars feat Celia Cruz, "Pa' Bravo Yo" by Justo Betancourt, "Asi Se Compone Un Son" by Ismael Miranda and more. CD

Music from Tam-Tam 2000, Ricardo Lemvo & Makina Loca, Africando, Orchestre Baobab De Dakar, Sam Mangwana, Papi Oviedo, Julian Avalos & Afro-Andes, Cuarteto Oriente, 4 Etoiles, Ruy Mingas, Vieja Trova Santiaguera, and Conjunto Cespedes. CD

Sweet sounds from 70s Senegal – a nation whose music was overflowing with Cuban influences at the time – which resulted in this amazing hybrid of Latin and African styles in the rhythms! The collection's one of the best to dip into the Senegalese groove we've ever heard – as it doesn't just pull together famous tracks, but also includes some rare and unreleased numbers that really illuminate this unusual style – cuts with a very complicated, sophisticated approach to their grooves – often topped with amazing instrumentation on reeds, piano, and guitar! As usual with other Analog Africa sets, the presentation is stunning – with a huge amount of notes and images that are well worth the price of the package alone – which ensures that the whole thing packs a very heavy cultural punch. Titles include "Sanga Te" by Orchestre Laye Thiam, "Ma Penda" by Orchestre Bawobab", "Kiko Medina" by Tropical Jazz, "Marlama" by Fangool, "Bour Sine" by La Saourouba De Louga, "El Carretero" by Amara Toure & Le Star Band De Dakar, "Africa" by Orchestre GMI, and "Ndlourel" by Gestu De Dakar. LP, Vinyl record album

The American debut of an African group who recorded most of their work in France during the 70s. This set's a French one, but has been spruced up a bit at Sigma Sound, where it received a US mix from Tom Moulton – ostensibly to give it a bit more of a dancefloor groove. The tracks have a style that's kind of smoother Afro Funk – almost in the mode of Manu Dibango's work from 1976. Titles include "Black Soul Music", "Moog Melody", "Dakar Sound", "Mangous", "Africa Africa", and "Black Brothers". LP, Vinyl record album