Just when you think you know everything there is to know about Motown, here comes a set to open your ears and blow your mind all over again! The set unearths a huge amount of rare work by The Contours – the rollicking group who gave Motown a sweet album and handful of singles in the 60s, but who also recorded a lot of other work that was never issued at the time – including a sweet array of tracks that feature a young Dennis Edwards as their lead vocalist! Edwards is best known for his work in the Temptations – but these tracks predate that time, when Dennis was brought in to give fresh focus to the ailing Contours – and lent his strong lead vocals to their massively grooving sound. The package features a whopping 26 tracks – 14 issued here for the first time ever, and a lot more pulled from only collections of rare Motown releases – and titles include "Determination", "I'll Turn To Stone", "I Like Everything About You", "Can't Do Without Your Love", "Come See About Me", "I Grow Deeper In Love Every Day", "Our Last Rendezvous", "Which Way To My Baby", "Need Your Lovin", "What's So Good About Goodbye", "Sunny", and "I'm Here Now That You Need Me". CD

Killer material from the Delmark Records glory days of capturing the Chicago blues scene at its best – a record that features some nicely jamming work from a combo that includes Mighty Joe on guitar and vocals, Big Moose Walker on organ, Dennis Lansing on tenor, and Jimmy Dawkins on guitar. Features a few nice long tracks! CD

Trumpeter David Young leads a quintet that includes Dennis Winslett on reeds, Hans Sturm on bass, Daniel Cray on piano, and Kobie Watkins on drums and percussion. CD

An explosive moment of greatness from the legendary Art Blakey – a record that takes off immediately, thanks to help from a young lineup that features Bobby Watson on alto, Valery Ponomarev on trumpet, and Dave Schnitter on tenor – three talents who would go onto become jazz legends in their own right – really helping Blakey hit some new energy here in the mid 70s! The trio are wonderful – and Watson adds some especially soulful elements to the record with his great compositions. Walter Davis Jr is on piano – reunited with Blakey in a great way, and bringing in some tunes of his own too – and the group's completed by Dennis Irwin on bass. Titles include"Jodi", "Hawkman", "Cami", and "Gypsy Folk Tales". LP, Vinyl record album

One of Charles Mingus' true classics – and an essential album in any jazz collection! This 1959 gem was recorded by Mingus at a key point in his career – when he was rising from the jazz underground into the ranks of America's elite jazzmen, penning some of the most challenging work of his career, and working with incredible younger players that interpreted his work with a great deal of fire! The tracks are a bit more tightly arranged than work on some of Mingus' previous work for labels like Atlantic and Bethlehem, but that also gives them a razor-sharp emotional edge that's carried off perfectly by players who include John Handy and Shafi Hadi on alto saxes, Booker Ervin on tenor, Willie Dennis and Jimmy Knepper on trombones, Horace Parlan on piano, and Dannie Richmond on drums. The album is filled with key Mingus classics – like "Better Git It In Your Soul", "Boogie Stop Shuffle", "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat", and "Fables of Faubus" – plus "Self Portrait In Three Colors", "Open Letter To Duke", and "Bird Call". This fantastic 2LP set features a bonus album – with 6 tracks never before on vinyl – including "GG Train", "Pedal Point Blues", "Girl Of My Dreams", and alternates of "Better Git It In Your Soul", "Bird Calls", and "Jelly Roll". LP, Vinyl record album

One of Charles Mingus' true classics – and an essential album in any jazz collection! This 1959 gem was recorded by Mingus at a key point in his career – when he was rising from the jazz underground into the ranks of America's elite jazzmen, penning some of the most challenging work of his career, and working with incredible younger players that interpreted his work with a great deal of fire! The tracks are a bit more tightly arranged than work on some of Mingus' previous work for labels like Atlantic and Bethlehem, but that also gives them a razor-sharp emotional edge that's carried off perfectly by players who include John Handy and Shafi Hadi on alto saxes, Booker Ervin on tenor, Willie Dennis and Jimmy Knepper on trombones, Horace Parlan on piano, and Dannie Richmond on drums. The album is filled with key Mingus classics – like "Better Git It In Your Soul", "Boogie Stop Shuffle", "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat", and "Fables of Faubus" – plus "Self Portrait In Three Colors", "Open Letter To Duke", and "Bird Call". LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic transformation of the Oliver Nelson sound of the 60s – a large ensemble record that takes all the soul of his earlier groove, and reworks it with a more electric vibe for the 70s! Nelson's at the height of his powers here – working brilliantly as a leader and arranger, to open the door for strong sounds from younger players like Mike Wofford and Lonnie Liston Smith on keyboards, and the great Dennis Budimir on guitar! The record's unlike most of what you'll hear on Nelson's other albums – even his other Flying Dutchman work of the time – as it's got loads of wonderful keyboard moments, and even some moog and Arp as well. Titles include "Skull Session", "125th And 7th Ave", "Flight For Freedom", "Baja Bossa", and "Dumpy Mama". CD

A fantastic transformation of the Oliver Nelson sound of the 60s – a large ensemble record that takes all the soul of his earlier groove, and reworks it with a more electric vibe for the 70s! Nelson's at the height of his powers here – working brilliantly as a leader and arranger, to open the door for strong sounds from younger players like Mike Wofford and Lonnie Liston Smith on keyboards, and the great Dennis Budimir on guitar! The record's unlike most of what you'll hear on Nelson's other albums – even his other Flying Dutchman work of the time – as it's got loads of wonderful keyboard moments, and even some moog and Arp as well. Titles include "Skull Session", "125th And 7th Ave", "Flight For Freedom", "Baja Bossa", and "Dumpy Mama". LP, Vinyl record album

An unusual set of 80s grooves from The Temptations – a record that still has the group at the top of their vocal powers, but which also changes up the sound of the rhythms a bit! There's more beats and keyboard lines than before – production that definitely shows the date of the record, but which is still mostly offset by the group's great vocal elements – that old school style of harmony that few of the younger groups could ever get this right. A few tracks are definitely going for some chart play – with a driving groove from the team of Dennis Lambert and Steve Barri (Lambert wrote most of the tracks) – but the record also still has a sound that's different than most of the more commercial soul of the time. A real standout track is the group's version of Sam Dees' "What A Way To Put It" – done here as a soulful ballad – and other tracks include "Love On My Mind Tonight", "The Seeker", "Bring Your Body Here", "Show Me Your Love", and "One Man Woman". CD