Maybe the most compelling volume in this excellent series – a set that unearths all sorts of unusual moments from Joni Mitchell's years on Asylum Records – a stunningly creative period when she was really opening up her music, and also bringing in a lot of inspiration from jazz as well! All the material here has never been issued – and the set features a long live 1974 set with Tom Scott & The LA Express, plus other live performances from the time – and tracks from rare sessions done with James Taylor, Neil Young, Graham Nash and David Crosby too! But maybe the best material here is the huge array of session tracks and demos – for the albums For The Roses, Court & Spark, and Hissing Of Summer Lawns – really letting you hear Joni's creative process at work as she explores early versions of dozens of tunes, some very different than the famous recordings. The whole thing comes with a big booklet of notes and images – and includes Joni discussing her music with Cameron Crowe! LP, Vinyl record album

Pianist David Matthews first got his start writing arrangements for the James Brown band of the late 60s – but over the years, he turned into a hell of a jazz arranger too – as you'll hear on this smoking large ensemble set from 1993! The record's got a special vibe right from the start – cascading tones and colors that are a wonderful change from the usual – and which seem to allow every single player in the group an individual voice, at the same time they're all coming together in unison. There's plenty of breakout solos, too – and players are a top-shelf lineup that includes Ryan Kisor and Lew Soloff on trumpets, George Young and Chris Hunter on saxes, Birch Johnson and Dave Taylor on trombones, and Matthews himself on piano. Titles include "Harry's Jump", "Four", "All Blues", and "Night In Tunisia". CD

Indescribably beautiful work from Kenny Rankin – a jazzy blend of vocals and folk – delivered with a warm and soulful tone that's unlike anyone else! The whole thing's great – really very much its own spirit, and kind of a bright light after a host of doom and gloom late 60s folk-based singers in popular music. Of course, Kenny's still got something of a righteous feel, and lets his politics sneak out from time to time – but his overall sound is wonderfully redemptive, without being cloying in kind of a James Taylor sort of way. The instrumentation is great too – with just the right use of acoustic guitar in warm chromatic tones, plus nice touches on flute and saxes from Jim Horn, and gently groovy backings that never dampen Kenny's light. Titles include "Sometimes", "Peaceful", "Stringman", "You Are My Woman", "I Was Born", and "Yesterday's Lies". LP, Vinyl record album

A second set of material issued in celebration of the legendary Wattstax concert by Stax Records in LA in 1972 – and a set that mostly features material from the famous show at the Los Angeles Coliseum, but also includes some sly studio material that was pumped up with applause to fit nicely into the mix! Richard Pryor acts as the MC – although his tracks weren't recorded at the actual concert – and as with the original album, there's a mixture of some self-contained "show" passages here, plus individual songs by other artists too! David Porter delivers a mighty batch of tracks that include "Reach Out & Touch", "Ain't That Loving You", and "Can't See You When I Want To" – followed by a Johnnie Taylor show that includes "Steal Away", "Stop Doggin Me", and "Jody's Got Your Girl & Gone". Other live material includes work by Rance Allen Group, Kim Weston, Jimmy Jones, and The Golden 13 – augmented by additional cuts from The Emotions, Mel & Tim, and Little Milton too! LP, Vinyl record album

An insane package – one that features the material from the 6CD Complete Concert Wattstax set, plus 5 more CDs from Summit Club Recordings in 1972, plus one more CD of additional material too! First up are 6 CDs that feature a stunning presentation of the legendary Wattstax concert – that huge moment of pride and power when the folks at Stax Records filled up the Los Angeles Coliseum with one of the most memorable shows of the 70s! The meeting of talents here is the stuff of legend – and this great package brings together the complete show in running order – really building up excitement as the concert progresses – with different acts each bringing their own sort of fire to the stage, culminating in a fantastic long finale by Isaac Hayes! The presentation is different than the two double albums that Stax issued back in the 70s – and this expanded package features a number of unreleased tracks in place of material the label later added – such as work from Richard Pryor and The Emotions. There's a whole instrumental section at the start, and more spoken links between some parts – and new material includes unissued work from Kim Weston, Freddie Robinson, Ernie Hines, Eric Mercury, Tommy Tate, Billy Eckstine, and Isaac Hayes – in addition to famous performances by The Soul Children, Jesse Jackson, Rufus Thomas, Albert King, Carla Thomas, William Bell, The Bar Kays, David Porter, The Temprees, Eddie Floyd, and David Porter – plus plenty more from Isaac Hayes too! Great package – with a full color book with new notes and essays, and plenty more too. The Summit Club material follows on five more CDs – material that was partly issued on some other reissues by individual artists, but augmented here with a wealth of unreleased material too! There's a a full show of work from Johnnie Taylor and Rufus Thomas – the latter of whom even does some comedy bits – plus some extra funky performances from The Sons Of Slum, heavy blues from Little Milton, great soul from The Emotions, and a huge amount of never-issued work from the great duo Mel & Tim – arguably better here than on their Stax studio sessions. CD12 features additional recordings that were layered into some of the LP releases issued under the Wattstax name – 15 more tracks that include titles by The Emotions, Isaac Hayes, The Dramatics, Staple Singers, and Eddie Floyd – plus some comedy routines by Richard Pryor. CD