Two 70s funky jazz classics – nicely remade and back to back! "Sun Goddess" has a very cool take on the riffing intro used in the Ramsey Lewis original – followed by keyboards that are a lot moogier overall, and which make for a soulful spacey solo over the beats! "Mister Magic" gets some warmer keyboards but dubbier production – all very different than the Grover Washington hit, while retaining all its charm! 7-inch, Vinyl record

The title's a bit hokey, but the group's a great one – a saxophone quartet, led by Elton Dean and augmented by bass and drums, for a very unique sound! The style here is quite different than that of the over-used 80s sax quartet style – as the bass and drums propel the group into a much stronger groove, and relieve the other sax parts of any rhythm keeping, yet still allow them to be relatively free without any piano in the group. Dean plays both alto and saxello – and is joined by Trevor Watts on alto, Simon Pickard on tenor sax, and Paul Dunmall on tenor and baritone saxes – all coming together in a style that swings wonderfully, yet still has plenty of modern moments – with sounds that almost recall the greatness of Roland Kirk or George Braith! Titles include "Unda", "Rising", "Seven For Lee", "Small Strides", and "Fall In Free". CD

A fantastic session from the 70s UK jazz scene, and one that's maybe as important to fans of the Canterbury scene as well – given the unusual legacies of the three players involved! The music is definitely jazz, though – fairly improvised, and recorded live with work from Elton Dean on saxes, Steve Miller on piano, and Pip Pyle on drums – at many points much more unbridled and outside than some of their work on more famous studio albums, no matter how wild that work might be! The performance is issued here for the first time, and is quite revelatory – especially in the way the players can swing between spiritual and more avant currents, on titles that include "Molly's Mild", "Pilgrim's Hope", "Crack Le Whip", and "Tea Kettle Stout". LP, Vinyl record album

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

A tribute to Herbie Hancock's most freewheeling group – with Billy Hart on drums and Eddie Henderson on trumpet! CD

A heavy-duty combo from the Chicago scene – and one who've got some mighty deep roots in the city, which they use to serve up a unique blend of funk, soul, rock, and roots – all topped with lead vocals from soul music journalist James Porter! James has a really striking approach, and really infuses the songs with a lot of power and energy – driven by harmonica, drums, bass, and plenty of electric piano and organ used in lean and powerful ways! Titles include "Chatham Ain't Chatham", "Riverbound", "Blunt", "No Way No How", "Backwards In Time", and "Did You Forget My Name". CD

This hip Chicago group reference our mighty 606 urban trail here – and come across with a sound that's equally city gritty – served up in a blend of elements borrowed from blues, funk, soul, and rock! There's plenty of great harmonica in the grooves – performed by lead singer James Porter, a vocalist with a very distinct, powerful sound – one that really resonates with some of the work he's given our city over the past few decades as both a force in radio and in print! Titles include "Walkin The 606", "What's The Deal", "Play Me Or Trade Me", "Your Way Ain't Workin", and "Hidey Hole". CD

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

A goofy title track, and a groovy little album from Jan & Dean – a set that has them settling nicely into their role as one of the most playful pairs in west coast pop – with a heck of a lot more staying power than some of their more surf-washed contemporaries! The album's got a number of tracks that follow in the similar LA-environs mode as the title track – but instead of being gimmicky, they almost come across with this whimsical sort of charm – like they're Jan & Dean's version of British tunes from The Kinks – a wonderfully playful picture postcard version of California, with more wit than you might expect! Titles include "The Little Old Lady From Pasadena", "The Anaheim Azusa & Cuckamonga Sewing Circle", "Summer Means Fun", "Old Ladies Seldom Power Shift", "Sidewalk Surfin", "One Piece Topless Bathing Suit", and "Horace The Swinging School Bus Driver". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

... CD

If you've ever loved these guys on record – you'll love them live! This set is brilliant – a perfect example of the way that Frank, Dean, & Sammy could interact together – singing, joking, talking, and effortlessly moving through a range of material in ways that are simply mindblowing when compared to the weak-ass kind of performance that passes for "entertainment" today! The set's got a separate batch of tracks each from Frank, Dean, and Sam – plus routines done by the singers in duo or trio format. Titles include "Via Veneto", "Please Be Kind", "Ring A Ding Ding", "The Lady Is A Tramp", "All The Way", "Guys & Dolls", and lots of tunes done in medley form, with jokes and new lyrics added in! CD

... LP, Vinyl record album

A sublime blend of jazz and Yoruba influences – served up here by keyboardist Jamael Dean with a sound and style that's all his own! Most of the tracks feature vocals from Sharada Shashidhar, but used in a wordless style that blends in beautifully with the instrumentation on the record – music from players who include Aaron Shaw on saxes, Zekkereya El Maghharbel on trombone, and Carlos Nino on piano – all working in a west coast spiritual style that certainly lives up to Nino's roots on the scene, and Dean's own legacy working with Kamasi Washington. There's some great other elements along the way – harp, bassoon, oboe, and other surprise – all used with a subtle sense of majesty that really elevates the whole sound – on titles that include "Galaxy In Leimert", "Osun", "Overstood", "Sango", "Ifa", "Akoda", "Odo To Da Iwa", and "Ori Apere". CD

Dean sings tunes from one of the best of the Matt Helm films – The Silencers! The music's got Dean very much in the best of his Reprise country-styled singing – with production by Jimmy Bowen that makes strong use of electric bass on the bottom, and arrangements from Ernie Freeman and Gene Page that keep things nice and bouncy even on the slow tunes. The album's got a few original instrumentals – like "The Silencers", "Lord You Made The Night Too Long", and "Lovey Kravezit" – plus Dean doing great versions of standards that include "Side By Side", "Glory Of Love", and "South Of The Border". LP, Vinyl record album

A long-overview testament to the genius of Miguel Atwood Ferguson – a string player whose work has graced countless other great spiritual jazz projects from the west coast scene, and one who finally gets a chance to showcase his beautiful sense of creation in all its glory! The massively extended set is worth all the room that Miguel has been given – as the package features over three hours of music that flowers with all sorts of emotion, especially joy and hope – with Atwood-Ferguson working with help from friends who include Bennie Maupin and Kamasi Washington on reeds, Jeff Parker on guitar, and a whole host of musicians – including Domi & Beck, Carlos Nino, Thundercat, Jamire Williams, Jamael Dean, and others! There's a majestic quality to the record, but also a very personal tone too – as if Miguel has taken the wide range of his experience over decades on the scene, and woven it into a brilliant sonic poem of his own – served up here on 52 selections that leave us breathless! CD

A long-overview testament to the genius of Miguel Atwood Ferguson – a string player whose work has graced countless other great spiritual jazz projects from the west coast scene, and one who finally gets a chance to showcase his beautiful sense of creation in all its glory! The massively extended set is worth all the room that Miguel has been given – as the package features over three hours of music that flowers with all sorts of emotion, especially joy and hope – with Atwood-Ferguson working with help from friends who include Bennie Maupin and Kamasi Washington on reeds, Jeff Parker on guitar, and a whole host of musicians – including Domi & Beck, Carlos Nino, Thundercat, Jamire Williams, Jamael Dean, and others! There's a majestic quality to the record, but also a very personal tone too – as if Miguel has taken the wide range of his experience over decades on the scene, and woven it into a brilliant sonic poem of his own – served up here on 52 selections that leave us breathless! LP, Vinyl record album

The glory days of this legendary group, served up here in a double-length collection of tracks – not just the hits promised in the title, but a few overlooked gems too! The set features 18 tracks in all – and titles include "52 Girls", "Rock Lobster", "Planet Claire", "Private Idaho", "Quiche Lorraine", "Mesopotamia", "Strobe Light", "Party Out Of Bounds", "Love Shack", "Good Stuff", "Hallucinating Pluto", "Summer Of Love", "Song For A Future Generation", "Roam", "Channel Z", "Debbie", "Is That You Mo Dean", and "Deadbeat Club". LP, Vinyl record album

That's a real Roger Dean-styled image on the cover, which maybe heralds the sound that's going on here for the Budos Band – an approach that's even heavier than before, with maybe stronger guitar and bass at times – yet a vibe that still bristles with the group's great use of percussion and horns! There's maybe a new sort of majesty going on here – as if someone whispered to the band that they could be at the top of the deep funk spectrum if they stepped on the gas a bit more – which they definitely do on this super-sharp set, delivering a half-dozen tunes that are completely smoking throughout! Titles include "Devil Doesn't Dance", "Kritn", "Crescent Blue", "Passage To Ashinol", "Curled Steel", and "Frontier's Edge". LP, Vinyl record album

Four late 60s gems from Perry Como – all records that really have him pushing beyond his pop style of the 50s! First up is Lightly Latin – one of the most sublime albums we've ever heard from Perry Como – a set that definitely takes its Latin lightly, and instead really goes for the best sort of mellow side of the Como sound! There's definitely a few bossa touches in the mix – a bit of acoustic guitar or light percussion – but they're added in very sparely, and couched with a beautifully subtle wall of sound from arranger Nick Perito, who works here with a lot more understatement than on some other records. Como's vocals are very far from pop – and the album brings out his maturing style wonderfully with a spacious, soft-toned style of production. Titles include "Dindi", "Once I Loved", "Stay With Me", "How Insensitive", "The Shadow Of Your Smile", "Baia", and "Manha De Carnaval". Next is Perry Como In Italy – one of the most haunting albums we've ever heard from Perry Como – a session recorded in Italy during the mid 60s – featuring arrangements by Nick Perito, and backing vocals by the Alessandro Alessandroni Singers! The tunes include a fair bit of older Italian numbers – some sung in the language of their origin, some in English translations that we've come to know on this side of the Atlantic – and Como takes them all with a sad-tinged style that makes the album one of his moodiest ever – a record that oozes melancholy with every song, and which has a late nite, heartbreaking appeal that goes beyond even the understanding of language. The set's a great one to convey the popularity of Italian work on the American market in the 60s – and Como carries off the session even better than some of the more likely singers on the scene during the period. Titles include "Souvenir D'Italie", "Forget Domani", "Anema E Core", "One Day Is Like Another", "Arrivederci Roma", "Oh Marie", and "E Lei". Look To Your Heart is the kind of record that moves so far beyond familiar pop vocalizations, it's almost like Perry's in a universe all by himself! The words seem to just be sneaking out of the singer's voice – these mutterings that are almost to himself, which makes his readings of the tunes feel even more personal than you might expect – even amidst larger backings from Nick Perito – like Como is off to the side of the room, ruminating on love lost and life lived! That quality comes through tremendously on the eerie "Father Of Girls" – a tune that's worth the price of admission alone – and other titles include "Try To Remember", "Look To Your Heart", "In These Crazy Times", "Sunrise Sunset", and "When You're In Love". Seattle is a record that has Perry Como taking on a bit of a country tinge at times – working with Chet Atkins production that almost seems as if the singer is trying to match the Dean Martin spirit of the late 60s, right down to phrasing that feels a bit like ol Dino himself! A few other cuts have more familiar Como modes, with backings by Nick Perito – and titles include the lively title cut "Seattle", plus "Happiness Comes Happiness Goes", "Together Forever", "Sunshine Wine", "Deep In Your Heart", "Hearts Will Be Hearts", "Turnaround", and "Beady Eyed Buzzard". CD

One of the greatest Bobby Darin albums ever! Gone are all the gimmicks of some of his teen records, and in their place is a solid, serious approach to jazz vocals that has Darin standing tall with the likes of Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Sammy Davis Jr. Honest, this is one of our favorite vocal albums from the time – and Darin glides effortlessly over arrangements by Torrie Zito, sort of in the way that Mel Torme could when he was at his best. Titles include "How About You", "No Greater Love", "Long Ago & Far Away", "I Didn't Know What Time It Was", and "In Love In Vain". A real treasure – and one that we've loved for years! LP, Vinyl record album

A near-lost album from Sammy's years at Reprise – and an album that's got that nice bouncey style that the label was using with Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra in the 60s! A lot of the thanks goes to producer Sonny Burke, who inflects Sammy's vocals with a punched-up set of rhythms that makes even the most familiar numbers come out groovy – a factor that Sam's certainly aware of, as he reaches to the top with that "yeah, man" style that helps to completely transform some of the tunes. Titles include great versions of "The Days Of Wine & Roses", "Not For Me", "I Wanna Be Around", "It's All In The Game", "Fools Rush In", and "Choose". CD

Julie Driscoll's come a long way from her years with Brian Auger here – stepping out in a freer sound that marks the shift in the British scene from beat group grooving to jazz-rock jamming. The session features a host of likely suspects from that hip side of the scene where avant jazz and rock merge – a lineup that includes Keith Tippett on piano, Elton Dean on saxes, Chris Spedding and Brian Godding on guitars, and Nick Evans on trombone – and Julie's vocal style is finely tuned to match the craft of the players on the set, with with fantastically deft twist and turns! She's a lot more open-ended in her singing, with less of the R&B inspired approaches of the late 60s, and more of the expansive vocalizations that were showing up in the work of other European vocalists of the 70s. Titles include "Leaving It All Behind", "Break-Out", "A New Awakening", "Walk Down", and "I Nearly Forgot – But I Went Back". CD

An overlooked gem from the glory days of the west coast surf scene – the standout set from The Fantastic Baggys, a group who are also known for their backup work with Jan & Dean! There's a very Jan & Dean vibe going on here – right down to the backings from Hal Blaine and the Wrecking Crew – but the overall sound's a bit looser, too – a bit less iconic, and almost a bit less perfect – in ways that make for a lot of charm as the album rolls along! The set's almost worth it alone for the track "This Little Woody" – and other titles include "Big Gun Board", "Alone On The Beach", "Surfer Boy's Dream Come True", "When Surfers Rule", and "Wax Up Your Board". LP, Vinyl record album

With Don Wilson on piano, Bob Decker on bass, and Bud Dean on drums. LP, Vinyl record album

Some of our favorite work ever from the mighty Lee Hazlewood – material recorded under his own name for Reprise Records – during a stretch when he was also producing for the label with Nancy Sinatra and Dean Martin! The 2CD set features 3 full albums, plus great bonus tracks too – and the assembled lot is as great of a tribute to Hazlewood's genius as we've ever seen! First up is The NSVIPs – a set that follows up the same sort of "story song" format that Lee laid down on his wonderful Trouble album for Mercury – but done here with themes that are a bit hipper, and more wry – in keeping with his Reprise persona. Next is Friday's Child, which has some of Hazlewood's most beautifully-penned tunes – tracks that mix the whimsy of his bigger hits with some great darker elements. Last up is the amazing Love & Other Crimes – one of our favorite albums of the 60s, magically recorded in Paris with a very unique sound – and a style that's a bit different than some of Hazlewood's other records. Titles include "First Street Blues", "I Had A Friend", "Everybody Calls Me Something", "Me & Charlie", "A Real Live Fool", "Hutchinson Jail", "By The Way", "Houston", "Morning Dew", "The House Song", "Love & Other Crimes", "Pour Man", and "Wait & See". Bonus tracks are great too – and include Hazlewood tracks "Ode To Billie Joe", "Rainbow Woman", "I Am You Are", and "Charlie Bill Nelson" – plus other gems that include "Just Bluesin" and "Houston" by Sanford Clark, "A Stranger In Town" by The Vanguards, "The Whisk" by The Whisk Kids, "Zapata" by Jack Nitzsche, "What Are We Gonna Do In 64" by The Wildcats, "Our Man Flint" by The Ring A Dings, and "This Town" by Duane Eddy. 55 tracks in all. CD

Features Phil Woods on alto saxophone, Dean Johnson on bass, Ron Vincent on drums, John Clark on french horn, John Lewis on piano, Dave Bargeron on trombone, Wallace Roney on trumpet, and Bill Barber on tuba. CD

We've been following the music of Carlos Nino for many years, and during that time he's never failed to take us on an amazing journey – yet despite that legacy, this set may well be his most visionary record in years – a tremendous summation of ideas that have been brimming around the edges of some of his more subtle projects, really given focus, and set off into some great new directions! Make no mistake, this is no all-out jamming session – Carlos is hardly "on fire" – yet his creativity burns with a new sensibility that's wonderful, as he opens the door for a lineup of guests that includes heavyweights like Kamasi Washington, Jamael Dean, Andre 3000, and Laraaji – while still acting very strongly as the spiritual leader of the whole proceedings! The music is seeded with wisdom and knowledge throughout – and titles include "One For Derf", "Woo Acknowledgement", "Spacial", "Am I Dreaming", "Mighty Stillness", "Flutestargate", and "Maha Rose North". CD

We've been following the music of Carlos Nino for many years, and during that time he's never failed to take us on an amazing journey – yet despite that legacy, this set may well be his most visionary record in years – a tremendous summation of ideas that have been brimming around the edges of some of his more subtle projects, really given focus, and set off into some great new directions! Make no mistake, this is no all-out jamming session – Carlos is hardly "on fire" – yet his creativity burns with a new sensibility that's wonderful, as he opens the door for a lineup of guests that includes heavyweights like Kamasi Washington, Jamael Dean, Andre 3000, and Laraaji – while still acting very strongly as the spiritual leader of the whole proceedings! The music is seeded with wisdom and knowlege throughout – and titles include "One For Derf", "Woo Acknowledgement", "Spacial", "Am I Dreaming", "Mighty Stillness", "Flutestargate", and "Maha Rose North". LP, Vinyl record album

We've been following the music of Carlos Nino for many years, and during that time he's never failed to take us on an amazing journey – yet despite that legacy, this set may well be his most visionary record in years – a tremendous summation of ideas that have been brimming around the edges of some of his more subtle projects, really given focus, and set off into some great new directions! Make no mistake, this is no all-out jamming session – Carlos is hardly "on fire" – yet his creativity burns with a new sensibility that's wonderful, as he opens the door for a lineup of guests that includes heavyweights like Kamasi Washington, Jamael Dean, Andre 3000, and Laraaji – while still acting very strongly as the spiritual leader of the whole proceedings! The music is seeded with wisdom and knowlege throughout – and titles include "One For Derf", "Woo Acknowledgement", "Spacial", "Am I Dreaming", "Mighty Stillness", "Flutestargate", and "Maha Rose North". LP, Vinyl record album

We've been following the music of Carlos Nino for many years, and during that time he's never failed to take us on an amazing journey – yet despite that legacy, this set may well be his most visionary record in years – a tremendous summation of ideas that have been brimming around the edges of some of his more subtle projects, really given focus, and set off into some great new directions! Make no mistake, this is no all-out jamming session – Carlos is hardly "on fire" – yet his creativity burns with a new sensibility that's wonderful, as he opens the door for a lineup of guests that includes heavyweights like Kamasi Washington, Jamael Dean, Andre 3000, and Laraaji – while still acting very strongly as the spiritual leader of the whole proceedings! The music is seeded with wisdom and knowlege throughout – and titles include "One For Derf", "Woo Acknowledgement", "Spacial", "Am I Dreaming", "Mighty Stillness", "Flutestargate", and "Maha Rose North". LP, Vinyl record album

A big crossover hit for Osibisa – a record that has the group softening up their groove slightly from the heady days of the Roger Dean album covers, yet still retaining enough Afro Funk to keep things interesting! If anything, the rhythms here are a bit pan-global – sometimes hard and heavy, sometimes lighter and more focused on the melodies of the tunes, especially on the catchier numbers – and instrumentation includes plenty of horns and percussion! Titles include "African Jive", We Belong", "Home Affairs", "Osibirock", and "Kelele". LP, Vinyl record album

A killer album from Paulette Reaves – a hip singer from the TK Records scene of the 70s, but one who never fully got her due at the time! Paulette's got a really wonderful style here that's partly deep soul, partly jazz-inflected – an approach that almost has more of the sophistication of 70s Philly sessions, especially given the mix of mature modes that come across in both the vocals and some of the instrumentation. Production is by Clarence Reid, Snoopy Dean, and Chocolate Perry – all of whom polish things enough to match the maturity in Reaves' vocals, yet never take the record into too-commercial territory – including the other styles you might find at TK. Titles include the sublime "Jazz Freak" – a classic stepper that has Paulette running down a list of her favorite artists in the lyrics – and other tracks include "You Are My Star", "We'll Try It Again", "I Forgot To Be Your Lover", "Flesh", and "Sweet Bitter Love". CD features the bonus track "Man Enough For Two". CD

A tremendous little album from Jimmy Ruffin – as "ruff" as the title implies, with a much deeper groove than you might find from other Motown releases at the time! The style here is really wonderful – rich, heartfelt vocals from Jimmy that easily match the best of the Detroit underground of the time – a style that's a bit like Darrell Banks or JJ Barnes, with echoes of the southern sound of the 60s – but produced to perfection with all the best that Motown could muster! Jimmy gets lots of heavy help from Norman Whitfield – who produced about half the tracks on the set, and gives Ruffin a sound that's somewhere between his righteous soul with the Temptations, and the best Motown grooves of his earlier work for the label. Other production is by Brian Holland & Lamont Dozier, William Weatherspoon & James Dean, and Richard Morris – all of whom follow Whitfield's lead nicely – and although the album's got few runaway hits, it's a rock-solid effort throughout – just the kind of album that makes us love the Motown full-length scene even more than the label's singles! Titles include "Lonely Lonely Man Am I", "It's Wonderful (To Be Loved By You)", "Don't Let Him Take Your Love From Me", "Everybody Needs Love", "Sad & Lonesome Feeling", "Love Gives Love Takes Away", and "Farewell Is A Lonely Sound". LP, Vinyl record album

With Bing Crosby, Dean Martin, and Judy Garland. LP, Vinyl record album