A fantastic combination – the amazing guitar work of the young Davy Graham and the sublime vocals of Shirley Collins – paired together here in a record that's a strong precursor to British acid folk in years to come! Collins is rooted in tradition – and had already dipped deep into the American rural folk experience by the time of this record – but the pairing with Graham really points the way towards the tremendous changes she'd go through in coming years – in part because of some of the jazzy phrasing that Davy can bring to his guitar. That maybe comes through strongest on the album's jazz covers – of "Grooveyard" and "Blue Monk" – mixed nicely with traditional material, in a set list that also includes "Nottamun Town", "Proud Maisrie", "The Cherry Tree Carol", "Pretty Saro", "Rif Mountain", "Jane Jane", "Bad Girl", "Dearest Dear", and "Love Is Pleasin". CD

... 78 RPM, Vinyl record

... 78 RPM, Vinyl record

... 78 RPM, Vinyl record

Groovy batch of instrumental Latin cuts, with a sound that's a mixture of Latin soul and pop 60's instrumentation. Cugie's usual sound isn't that much in place, but that's ok, because tracks like "Thunderball", "Hang On Sloopy", "Tabasco", and "Soul Sauce" all groove nicely, and in a good 60's pop Latin vein, with nice solo moments by the band. LP, Vinyl record album

Very groovy stuff from Cugie! It's the late 60s, and he's got more of a pop Latin groove than earlier – and lays down some nice peppy covers of pop material, plus a few other Latin standards. Not exactly Latin soul – but not that far off, either. Includes a great version of "Samba Saravah", plus "Mellow Yellow", "Compadre Pedro Juan", "Shadow Of Your Smile", "Jungle Rhumba", and the perennial favorite "Music To Watch Girls By". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

The complete Decca recordings of Sammy Davis Jr & Carmen McRae – a duet that's not always that strongly remembered from the time, but who cut two great albums for the label! Given Sammy's great talent for personal interaction on the stage, as heard often on his key Rat Pack recordings, he's a real natural for this sort of duet mode – as he manages to talk and sing his way through the tunes beautifully, really opening up Carmen a heck of a lot, and getting her past the staid, serious mode of most of her 50s albums. The CD features the full track list from the album Boy Meets Girl, an especially nice batch of tunes that has Sammy and Carmen trading lines with ease – plus the tracks from Porgy & Bess, Decca's entry into the market that had many late 50s labels trying to issue their own versions of Gershwin's score to cash in on the film at the time. The Porgy material is a bit straighter, but still nicely done – especially when Sammy's in the lead – and the CD includes a bonus single by the pair, never before issued on LP! The notes are great, and really go into detail on the sessions – and the CD features 23 tracks in all, including "I Go For You", "Summertime", "I Got Plenty O Nuttin", "It Ain't Necessarily So", "Tea For Two", "Happy To Make Your Acquaintance", "Cheek To Cheek", "You're The Top", "People Will Say We're In Love", and "Two Sleepy People". CD

... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

... CD

... 78 RPM, Vinyl record

Features trumpet from Pete Candoli, tenor from Buddy Collette, and even a bit of vocals from Lucy Ann Polk! LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

... CD

... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

... 78 RPM, Vinyl record

... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

A later live date from Benny Goodman – one recorded in Stockholm with a bit of the Phase 4 sound – an approach that makes for some wonderful clarity on his clarinet, really standout out in front of the group on most of the numbers! The recording features a bit of patter in between the numbers – and mostly, the tracks are older tunes played here in an effort to update the Goodman groove. Titles include "Blue Skies", "Sing Sing Sing", "Goodbye", "If I Had You", "Don't Be That Way", "Willow Weep For Me", and "Turkish March". CD

A hell of a record, and one that definitely lives up to its promise of folk, blues, and beyond – as Davy Graham here is as comfortable with influences from Jack Elliott and Leadbelly as he is with Chico Hamilton, Bobby Timmons, and Charles Mingus! The album's a very early instance of a British folk artist bringing lots of jazz changes into his music – maybe a bit less than on some of Davy Graham's records to follow, but still very much there in the way he approaches rhythm, and some of the phrasing on his acoustic guitar – heard most particularly on the album's versions of "Better Git In Your Soul" and "Moanin" – but also on some other tracks that maybe even hit some of the territory that Gabor Szabo was bringing to his work of the period. Other tracks include "Cocaine", "Leavin Blues", "Skillet", "Maajun", "Don't Think Twice It's All Right", "Ballad Of The Sad Young Men", and "Sally Free & Easy". CD

Prepare to discover your new favorite artist – a tremendously hip cat who never got his due – and who should be held as high on these shores as British talents like Nick Drake, Bert Jansch, or John Martyn! Like all of those three, Davy Graham is a complete original – a guy with an acoustic guitar, but light years beyond familiar folk – often using all these jazzy changes in his style, and mixing his own music with songs by Dylan, The Beatles, Muddy Waters, and even Art Blakey – but all in ways that are completely transformative, and which maybe use the familiar songs just as a way for Graham to show us how individual he can be – because even a song we know sounds nothing like the original. His guitar work is superb – full of all the fresh ideas, unusual phrasings, and special sounds that the best of his generation were bringing to acoustic music – and titles include "Lotus Blossom", "Down Along The Cove", "Stan's Guitar", "Bulgarian Dance", "Buhaina Chant", "I'm Ready", "Getting Better", "Hornpipe For Harpsichord Played Upon Guitar", and "Pretty Polly". CD

Prepare to discover your new favorite artist – a tremendously hip cat who never got his due – and who should be held as high on these shores as British talents like Nick Drake, Bert Jansch, or John Martyn! Like all of those three, Davy Graham is a complete original – a guy with an acoustic guitar, but light years beyond familiar folk – often using all these jazzy changes in his style, and mixing his own music with songs by Dylan, The Beatles, Muddy Waters, and even Art Blakey – but all in ways that are completely transformative, and which maybe use the familiar songs just as a way for Graham to show us how individual he can be – because even a song we know sounds nothing like the original. His guitar work is superb – full of all the fresh ideas, unusual phrasings, and special sounds that the best of his generation were bringing to acoustic music – and titles include "Lotus Blossom", "Down Along The Cove", "Stan's Guitar", "Bulgarian Dance", "Buhaina Chant", "I'm Ready", "Getting Better", "Hornpipe For Harpsichord Played Upon Guitar", and "Pretty Polly". LP, Vinyl record album

A really great record from the legendary Davy Graham – and one of his few to be recorded with wife Holly Gwyn! Holly's an American singer, and one who's maybe got a bit more of a folk blues approach than Davy – and their balance together is mighty nice – lots of that fantastic fingerpicking work that Graham brought to his guitar, which is here both acoustic and electric – often with that current of jazz that made his music stand out so much on the UK scene! Some tracks feature just Davy, some just Holly, and there's some nice instrumentals too – amidst titles that include "Flower Never Bend With The Rainfall", "Blackbird", "Blues At Gino's", "Mary Open The Door", "Fingerbuster", "Little Man You've Had A Busy Day", "Charlie", "I Know My Love", "Sunnymoon For Two", and "Wilt Thou Unkind". LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic record from Davy Graham – an amazing guitarist, and a hell of a singer too – the sort of artist we'd rank right up there with Donovan, John Martyn, and maybe even Nick Drake! At times Graham channels Eastern musical styles in his guitar – almost a Peter Walker sort of raga mode – other times, he has a way of transforming straighter tunes with a sense of mysticism – really doing a hell of a lot with just a few slight changes, and in ways that are light years beyond what so many American folkies were trying to do in 1966. The whole thing is fantastic – a real discovery in music, and one that should have made Graham huge – with titles that include "The Fakir", "Watermelon Man", "No Preacher Blues", "Rags & Old Iron", "Money Honey", "Lost Lover Blues", "Neighbor Neighbor", and "Walkin The Dog". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

One of the best of Decca's Jazz Studio series of recording – a tight set of chamber jazz tracks headed by John Graas, and featuring a strong assortment of players that includes Charlie Mariano, Zoot Sims, Larry Bunker, Gerry Mulligan, Howard Roberts, and Conte Candoli. Tracks get a little cutesy from time to time, but the work of Sims and Mariano especially keep things moving along with a nice edge. Titles include "Rogeresque", "6/4 & Even", "Mulliganesque", and "Jazz Sections From Symphony No 1 In F Minor". LP, Vinyl record album

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

A lesser-known rocker from Bill Haley – we especially like the flip! 7-inch, Vinyl record

... LP, Vinyl record album

A groovy little group, and one that's maybe got a more swinging 60s vibe than you'd guess from their Tolkein-fashioned name! The approach is more sunshine pop with a dose of soul – produced by Terry Phillips, arranged by Jerry Vance, and served up in a very cool mix of male and female vocals! LP, Vinyl record album

... CD

Don Jacoby plays with select players from university jazz programs from around the US. LP, Vinyl record album

... 78 RPM, Vinyl record

Great work from soul singer Ronnie Jones – an artist who was born in the US, but cut all of this work in the swinging London scene of the 60s – where he was obviously a very big addition to the mod scene! Ronnie's got a voice that's capable of a great range when needed, but which can also stick to a tightly soulful groove too – a match of modes that has him swinging between Ray Charles moments some times, and early Gene McDaniels at others – but all with backing by the sort of combo featured on the cover, which means that there's a bit of a British bluesy current to the music as well. The whole thing's wonderful – a stunning discovery of a singer who should have had an equally big impact on these shores, and who was undeniably a precursor to soulful Brit acts to come. Titles include "Satisfy My Soul", "My Daily Souvenir", "I Need Your Loving", "My Love", "Let's Pin A Rose On You", "It's All Over", "Anyone Who Knows What Love Is", "You're Looking Good", and "Mama Come On Home". CD

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

... 78 RPM, Vinyl record

Peppy Bert Kaempfert score to this cloak n dagger film from the mid 60's. The cuts are mostly short, and with the underlying bass feel of his popular compositions. Tracks include "Tape Sandwich", "Bi-Naveled", and "Beddoes Shadows". Also includes the original "Strangers in the Night". LP, Vinyl record album

Zither pieces performed by Karas from "The Third Man" soundtrack. LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

... 78 RPM, Vinyl record

... CD

... LP, Vinyl record album

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

... CD

A pivotal album in the career of Peggy Lee, and one that marked her turning from a singer of pop and swing material, to a sensitive interpreter of jazz material. The album's one of the best-ever by Peggy, and features the kind of material that's not easy to find amidst the bulk of her pop-oriented work – a moving set of ballads and torchy numbers, recorded in small-combo fashion, in a style that's similar to some of Chris Connor's later Bethlehem work. The combo includes Cootie Chesterfield on trumpet, Jimmy Rowles on piano, Max Wayne on bass, and Ed Shaughnessy on drums. A real treasure – with titles like "A Woman Alone With The Blues", "Love Me Or Leave Me", "Easy Living", and "Black Coffee". This reissue features all 12 tracks from the full-length LP. CD

... 78 RPM, Vinyl record

... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

Lots of early classics – including "Walking On Sunset", "Sitting In The Rain", "2401", "Bare Wires", "The Bear", "Crocodile Walk", "Looking Back", "So Many Roads", and "A Hard Road". LP, Vinyl record album

An excellent comeback album from the great Clyde McPhatter! The record was recorded in 1970, after Clyde had spent some time in Europe, kicking about and getting his head together. Clyde's vocals are as great as ever – and the backings are sublime, some of the best he ever received! The album's produced by the team of Norman Harris, Ronnie Baker, and Earl Young – and the trio also handled most of the arrangements, in that sweet late 60s style that was working such magic with Archie Bell & The Drells over at Atlantic. The standout cut on the album is "The Mixed Up Cup", a great soul number that begins with an excellent drumbreak that then goes into the sound of a cup being filled with water! Apart from that sound effect, though, the real strength is Clyde's voice, which is sweet, soulful, and honest on just about every track. Titles include "I'll Belong To You", "If You Only Knew", "Mr Heartache", "A Mother's Love", "Book Of Memories", "Someone To Believe In", and "Please Give Me One More Chance". LP, Vinyl record album

Wonderful early work from Carmen McRae – a set of tunes originally composed by Noel Coward, served up by Carmen with a very hip 50s feel! The orchestrations here are by Jack Pleis, who really gets the mood right for the set – and shakes off some of the floweriness that could sometimes be associated with the tunes – all to clear the way nicely for Carmen's beautifully-poised early vocals. Ray Bryant plays piano on most numbers, and titles include "I'll See You Again", "Never Again", "World Weary", "Mad About The Boy", "Poor Little Rich Girl", and "A Room With A View". LP, Vinyl record album

A rare session as a leader by trumpeter Jack Millman – one that's based around his own compositions, and which a large group of west coast players alongside some lesser-known 50s talents! Players include Fred Aguirre, Lin Halliday, Artie Anto, Mike Pacheco, Curtis Counce, Herb Geller, Jimmy Giuffre, Howard Roberts, and Don Friedman – playing arrangements of Millman tunes by Shorty Rogers, Jimmy Giuffre, Jack Montrose, and Pete Rugolo. Tracks are short, but have wonderfully constructed horn passages – as well as some very nice use of Latin percussion – and titles include "Tom & Jerry", "Bolero De Mendez", "Groove Juice", "Pink Lady", "The Turk", and "Bambi". LP, Vinyl record album

... CD

... CD

Wonderful easy grooves – from an orchestra leader who couldn't read a note of music! During the 60s, Andrew Oldham was probably best known to the world as the flamboyant manager of the Rolling Stones – but during the same period, or at least the earliest stretch of it, he also headed up his own studio orchestra – working with pop arranger David Whittaker to craft some incredibly groovy albums! This one's the ensemble's fourth and final effort – a magical transformation of familiar Rolling Stones numbers into some sweet easy instrumentals – all asparkle with the best styles of mid 60s Brit easy, served up with orchestrations that run from baroque to breezy! Titles include "Blue Turns To Grey", "You Better Move On", "Heart Of Stone", "Time Is On My Side", "The Last Time", "Theme For A Rolling Stone", and "Tell Me". CD

Titles include "The Boy Next Door", "Take The A Train", "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes", "Polka Dots & Moonbeams", "Misty", "Moonglow" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

... CD

A wonderful bit of sunshine pop from the very obscure Peppermint Rainbow – a male/female harmony group with a sound that was a lot like the Mamas & Papas – blending folk rock and sweet pop into a really sunny groove! The album's worth it alone for the massive title track – "Will You Be Staying After Sunday", a tune that's got a sad undercurrent that seems to single-handedly dismantle all of the sexual freedom offered by the late 60s with a one sentence confession of the emotionality that was also attached. Other tracks are also nice – and include "Don't Wake Me Up In The Morning Michael", "Run Like The Devil", "I Found Out I Was A Woman", and "Walking In Different Circles" – most of which were written by arranger/producer Paul Leka. LP, Vinyl record album