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Manny Albam plays the music of Steve Allen – with a group that includes solos from Gene Quill on alto, Al Cohn on tenor, Bob Brookmeyer on trombone and either Nick Travis or Ernie Royal on trumpets! LP, Vinyl record album

Arrangements by Bob Enevoldsen, with Donn Trenner conducting with featured soloist Murray McEachern. LP, Vinyl record album

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... 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

... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

One of the best American psyche albums we've heard from the late 60s – a near-perfect record that's head and shoulders above the rough experimentation of most other groups from the period! Colours spell their name with a definite British twist, and there's clearly a Beatles influence going on here – a sound that's almost pre-Sgt Peppers, but which has wonderfully complicated time changes, vocal parts, and production techniques that must have cost a pretty penny to such a little-known group! Horns and strings are arranged by Dave Roberts, and handled with a sensitivity that almost matches The Zombies' best at times – and the tunes themselves are a fresh variety of odd themes, including one number about robbing a liquor store. Titles include "Brother Lou's Love Colony", "Bad Day At Black Rock Baby", "Love Heals", "Rather Be Me", "I'm Leaving", "Cataleptic", "Don't You Realize", and "Lovin". CD

One of the best American psych albums we've heard from the late 60s – a near-perfect record that's head and shoulders above the rough experimentation of most other groups from the period! Colours spell their name with a definite British twist, and there's clearly a Beatles influence going on here – a sound that's almost pre-Sgt Peppers, but which has wonderfully complicated time changes, vocal parts, and production techniques that must have cost a pretty penny to such a little-known group! Horns and strings are arranged by Dave Roberts, and handled with a sensitivity that almost matches The Zombies' best at times – and the tunes themselves are a fresh variety of odd themes, including one number about robbing a liquor store. Titles include "Brother Lou's Love Colony", "Bad Day At Black Rock Baby", "Love Heals", "Rather Be Me", "I'm Leaving", "Cataleptic", "Don't You Realize", and "Lovin". LP, Vinyl record album

A great little group, and one with a nicely raw sound – almost a dash of soul at times, sounding like work by The Rivingtons! Titles include the hit "Hot Pastrami" – plus "I Scream", "Dill Pickles", "Surf Dreams", "Fanny Mae", and "Dartell Stomp". LP, Vinyl record album

Barbara "I Dream Of Jeannie" Eden gets herself out of the bottle and into the studio for a set of 60s pop tunes designed to bring out another side of her magic! Bill Justis handled the arrangements, in a style that has that RCA Nashville country pop sort of feel overall – electric bass plucking out the bottom, chorus vocals helping out the lead, and a sort of syncopated groove that gently steps along from back to front. We'll be honest, and say that Barbara's vocals aren't that much to write home about – but the album's a nice celebrity relic – and does feature a few sexy Jeannie shots on the front! Titles include "Single Girl", "Bend It", "Rebel", "I Get The Fever", and "Nobody But A Fool". CD

... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

Dreamy vocal work from Bonnie Guitar – a singer with a bit of a country tinge, but a jazzy feel as well! The album's got a laidback and mellow feel that fits perfectly with the title – moonlight, with just a hint of shadow – a blue undercurrent that comes from Bonnie's nice deep-toned approach on vocals. The backings are by Jack Fascinato, but are a bit more sensitive than some of Jack's work with Tennessee Ernie Ford – not as playful, but still with a great sense of sound overall – one that's a bit echoey, and which makes a great setting for Bonnie's voice. Titles include "Moonlight On The Colorado", "Moonlight & Roses", "The Moon Is Low", "Roll Along Kentucky Moon", "Get Out & Get Under The Moon", and "Moonlight & Shadows". LP, Vinyl record album

Includes most of the early southern soul material that Alexander recorded for Dot at Fame Studios – plus a rare 70s track for Buddah! CD

A real lost treasure from Chet Baker – an obscure sextet session, originally issued only as a 10" LP! The record features Chet's trumpet in a frontline with Bob Brookmeyer on valve trombone and Bud Shank on baritone sax – working through a set of cool modern arrangements by Jack Montrose, Johnny Mandel, and Bill Holman – in a mellow west coast take on the chamber jazz sound of the 50s. The pairing of horns is great, and makes for some evocative changes and tonal colors – on a set list that includes the tracks "Little Man You've Had A Busy Day", "Dot's Groovy", "The Half Dozens", and "Stella By Starlight". LP, Vinyl record album

A great collection of work from Ray Columbus – a New Zealand rocker of mid 60s vintage, but one who works here with mod sounds to rival much bigger names in London at the time! The collection begins with a core set of work by Ray Columbus & The Invaders – a super-sharp combo who have this sense of energy and fire that's a bit like Paul Revere & The Raiders, but more tuned towards beat group sounds – boundless energy that makes the rest of the combo a perfect fit for Ray's spirited lead vocals. The set then moves into solo material that Columbus recorded on his own, and with groups The Challenge, The Art Collection, and Fire – all with stylistic shifts that follow some of the British forays into trippier sounds after the initial beat boom – or some more compelling, more sophisticated material that Columbus really carries off well as a solo act. Titles include "She's A Mod", "I'm Finding Out", "She's Back Again", "Till We Kissed", "We Want A Beat", "In Memory Of Today", "Happy In A Sad Kind Of Way", "Los Angeles", "I'm Good For You", "Polka Dot Resistance", "Kick Me", and "East Pinkerton Street". CD

Classic work from Thurston Harris – one of those key 50s R&B artists who also had a big impact on the sound of rock and roll as well – the kind of crossover artist who set the stage for countless others to come! Yet by crossover, we don't mean that Harris' music is weak or commercial – and instead, it's so bold, powerful, and downright catchy that you can't help but love the man and his records – 35 of which are served up on this nice little set – filled with singles for Aladdin, plus some later Dot Records material too! Titles include "Runk Bunk", "Tears From My Heart", "I'm Out To Get'Cha", "Do What You Did", "I'm Asking For Forgiveness", "Tell Me So", "Fine Fine Frame", "Send Me Some Loving", "Mr Satan", "Goddess Of Angels", "Paradise Hill", "Slip Slop", and "Smokey Joe's". CD

A great package! Includes a silk-screened sleeve and 4 prints by artist Chris Johanson. LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic follow-up to the legendary Philosophy Of The World album by The Shaggs – the enigmatic trio of Dot, Betty, and Helen Wiggin – three sisters all recorded by their father, who had the foresight to capture their simple but undeniable musical brilliance! The trio's first album is much more widely circulated, and has influenced decades of musicians and listeners – and the group here are slightly evolved – better musicians, sweeter singers, but still very much in the same territory of naive expression and completely charming presentation! The album was put together in the early 80s, after the successful reissue of their debut – and features a mixture of home tapes and other rare recordings – with titles that include "Wheels", "Shaggs Own Thing", "Painful Memories", "Gimme Dat Ding", "I Love", "My Cutie", "Paper Roses", and a version of "My Pal Foot Foot". LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic follow-up to the legendary Philosophy Of The World album by The Shaggs – the enigmatic trio of Dot, Betty, and Helen Wiggin – three sisters all recorded by their father, who had the foresight to capture their simple but undeniable musical brilliance! The trio's first album is much more widely circulated, and has influenced decades of musicians and listeners – and the group here are slightly evolved – better musicians, sweeter singers, but still very much in the same territory of naive expression and completely charming presentation! The album was put together in the early 80s, after the successful reissue of their debut – and features a mixture of home tapes and other rare recordings – with titles that include "Wheels", "Shaggs Own Thing", "Painful Memories", "Gimme Dat Ding", "I Love", "My Cutie", "Paper Roses", and a version of "My Pal Foot Foot". CD features four bonus tracks – "Love At First Sight", "Sweet Maria", "Missouri Waltz", and "Wipe Out". CD

A fantastic follow-up to the legendary Philosophy Of The World album by The Shaggs – the enigmatic trio of Dot, Betty, and Helen Wiggin – three sisters all recorded by their father, who had the foresight to capture their simple but undeniable musical brilliance! The trio's first album is much more widely circulated, and has influenced decades of musicians and listeners – and the group here are slightly evolved – better musicians, sweeter singers, but still very much in the same territory of naive expression and completely charming presentation! The album was put together in the early 80s, after the successful reissue of their debut – and features a mixture of home tapes and other rare recordings – with titles that include "Wheels", "Shaggs Own Thing", "Painful Memories", "Gimme Dat Ding", "I Love", "My Cutie", "Paper Roses", and a version of "My Pal Foot Foot". LP features the bonus track "Love At First Sight". LP, Vinyl record album

... 78 RPM, Vinyl record

Great little trio work from pianist George Wallington – material recorded for Savoy when he was at the height of his boppish powers on the keys! Side one of the album is all trio material – with Curley Russell on bass and Max Roach on drums – providing a nice little kick in the rhythm, similar to Wallington trio material on Prestige! George has a way of leaping and loping on the keys that's totally great – a style that's inherently rhythmic, even without the support of the group – and which has some more angular edges than in later Wallington years. Titles include "Twins", "Hyacinth", "Polka Dot", "High Score", and "Joy Bell". Side two features 2 more tracks by that trio – "I Didn't Know What Time It Was" and "Fine & Dandy" – plus 2 more by a trio that includes Russell on bass and Charlie Perry on drums – "Fairyland" and "Racing", both Wallington originals. But best of all are 2 final tracks that feature Wallington with a septet that includes Kai Winding on trombone, Gerry Mulligan on baritone, and Brew Moore on tenor sax – titles that have a sharply swinging feel, and a great sort of conception overall. Buddy Stewart scats vocals on "Knockout", and the septet works instrumentally on "Igloo" – penned by the group's trumpeter Jerry Floyd. CD

Features work by Ernst Karel, Wheaton Research, Petra Klusmeyer, Nautical Almanac, Black Dot, and others. CD

Darkly thumping, deeply floorshaking beats, heavy bass grooves and all around sinister dubstep dancefloor from Soul Jazz – Volume 2 in the Steppa's Delight series featuring cuts from Gemmy, Shed, King Midas Sound, Kutz, James Blake and many more! Steppa's Delight 2 is a mix of killer exclusives and some of the best dubstep 12"s that have been rumbling and pulsation over the past year or so – stuff from scene originators and stellar recent discovers in the mode! Presented in great package by Soul Jazz, with 26 tracks on 2CDs: "Grime Baby" by Gemmy, "Another Wedged Chicken" (Martyn rmx) by Shed, "On The Edge" by Benga, "Give Me Up" (LD rmx) by Sully Shanks, "Get A Job" by Brackles, "Router" by Pangaea, "'09 Lick" by Cluekid, "Crash N Burn" by King Midas Sound, "Need You" by Dark Star, "Dot Dot Dash" (Buraka mix) by Relocate and more. CD

Manny's really grooving wonderfully on this session – using the same formation from his Jazz Greats Vol 1 session for Decca, an assortment of the best New York soloists Albam could find, all brought together in one great band for the session! The group is a largeish one, but they've got an incredibly tight energy – and Album's well remembering his own days as a player in a larger group with the arrangements, and gives the soloists plenty of room to express themselves. Players include Donald Byrd, Art Farmer, Bob Brookmeyer, Frank Socolow, Eddie Costa, Dick Katz, Nick Travis, Jerome Richardson, and Phil Woods – all painting a beautiful sound portrait of New York arranged by Manny! Titles include "Thruway", "They All Laughed", "Fresh Flute", "Dot's Right", "The Nether Regions", and "Hebe The Cups Please". CD also features 2 bonus tracks from the Something New Something Blue session for Columbia from the same period – "Night Crawlers" and "Tin Roof Blues". CD

Alive, and plenty lively – one of our favorite albums ever to feature the team of Al Cohn and Zoot Sims – and one that has them really stretching out a lot more than usual! The album's got a format that's quite different than the tightly-reigned sound of Sims and Cohn on other dates – as all the four tracks here run for longer than nine minutes – really allowing lots of room for solo space – and some great interplay between the reedmen too! Phil Woods joins the twin tenors on alto for two tracks – and the rest of the group features Mose Allison on piano, Nabil Totah on bass, and Paul Motian on drums. Titles include "Lover Come Back To Me", "It Had To Be You", and "Wee Dot". CD

Wow, this is SO not the Tortoise that first set the underground aflame in the early 90s – the group has evolved and opened up in ways we never would have expected. With It's All Around You it's emerged with an airy, open, stargazing set of tracks that resemble the languid atmosphere of Tangerine Dream as much as they do early post rock! Gone, for the most part from early Tortoise is that strong, rubbery electric bass groove and tightly thudding live drum sound. It's All Around You retains the bright vibes and sputtering electronics of the TNT album, and the out front, almost rock & roll guitar lines of the Standards album – and adds an ever present, ambient synthesizer bubble of sound to surround the thing. It's all so catchy, too, and almost sunny. If Tortoise hasn't really broken any new ground this time, it's only because they're the ones who broke it in the first place. Tracks include "It's All Around You", The Lithium Shifts", "Crest", "Stretch", "Dot/Eyes", "By Dawn", "Five Too Many" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

A simply amazing collection, and the greatest single artist country box set, ever! Bear Family has done a tremendous service to the world with this one – virtually everything Wills and the Texas Playboys recorded between the early 30s and late 40s for Columbia. Spanning 11 CDs in all, the early material in the set finds Bob and the boys working in something closer to a country blues mode, before the band was fleshed out to include horns and the bigger arrangements, and before the incredible vocalist Tommy Duncan stepped so far out front. It's a style that most of us haven't heard Wills play in – a wonderful listen, and a great peek into the roots of the group. The other 85 or so percent of the songs in the set are what we already know and love – the birth, growth, and the perfection of Western swing! The group is large and swinging, Tommy croons smoothly like the vocal giant that he was, Bob saws and haws away – the best! Whatever you might be thinking about the price tag, this is truly a bargain – with more than 300 songs, a 12-inch hard cover book with 200 pages of goodies, including a stunning collection of photos and illustrations, a great biography, complete discography, and tons more! Plus, you get a bonus DVD, in NTSC format (compatible with US players) of the film "Take Me Back To Oklahoma" – a campy Western from 1940 starring Tex Ritter – and featuring Bob and the Playboys doing several numbers! Includes "Spanish Two Step", "Bleeding Heart Blues", ""Gambling Polka Dot Blues", "New San Antonio Blues", "Miss Molly", "The Devil Ain't Lazy", "Cowboy Stomp", "Thanks For The Heartaches", "New Texas Playboy Rag" – and hundreds more! CD

A nice range of work from Larry Hall – a singer who's best known as a one-hit wonder, with a small hit at that – but who steps out here with a groovy batch of material that only ever saw release as a string of indie label 45s at the end of the 50s and start of the 60s! Larry's got a great way of dipping and warbling his voice – never too much, but this unique inflection that can make simple lyrics catchier than they might otherwise sound – captured here with backings that mix rock and roll with gentler pop production, a mode that's maybe like some of the Cadence or Dot Records material of the period. Titles include Larry's hit "Sandy" – plus "Kool Luv", "The Stranger", "Rebel Heart", "Lips Of Wine", "Ladder Of Love", "I Didn't Ask To Be Born", "I'll Stay Single", "For Every Boy", "A Girl Like You", "Lovin Tree", and "I Sit Alone". CD

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Two great albums from bassist Bill Crow – back to back in a single package! CD

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An incredible collaboration between Serge Gainsbourg and Brigitte Bardot – one of Serge's first duet albums ever – and a gem all the way through! In the year before he cut "Je T'aime Moi Non Plus" with Jane Birkin, Serge recorded this great album with Brigitte Bardot in which he worked out many of the same ideas. The album is probably best known for the track "Bonnie & Clyde" – which has been sampled to great fame over the years – but there's loads of other great tracks on here, with a mix of styles that joins Serge's jazzy years with his softcore 70s work – very cool, very groovy, and years ahead of its time. Some tracks are duets, and some are sung individually by Serge or Brigitte, but they're all great, and titles include "Intoxicated Man", "L'eau A La Bouche", "Un Jour Comme Un Autre", "Comic Strip", and more! Arrangements by Alain Gourager, Michel Colombier, and Claude Bolling – and the cover's got a great shot of Serge & BB as Bonnie & Clyde! LP, Vinyl record album

Two playful tracks from the soundtrack to the French film Ursule Et Grelu! 7-inch, Vinyl record

A rare live set from Japanese bassist Motohiko Hamase – recorded right during a stretch when he was really mixing up his modes – fusing older fusion elements with some of the more electronic experiments of his studio records of the period – all in a way that must have made for quite a compelling set to see live! Hamase plays a fair bit of fretless bass – arcing and crafting these notes that are very much in the best jazz fusion school of the time – but they're mixed with keyboards, electronics, acoustic piano and percussion from two bandmates – all of which creates this unique soundscape as the trio shifts through so many different elements at once. Titles include "Duplicated Scene", "Pascal Variant", "Plateau", "Reminiscence", "Elan Vital", "Circlet", "Symptom", "Intermezzo", and "Aborigine". CD

A rare live set from Japanese bassist Motohiko Hamase – recorded right during a stretch when he was really mixing up his modes – fusing older fusion elements with some of the more electronic experiments of his studio records of the period – all in a way that must have made for quite a compelling set to see live! Hamase plays a fair bit of fretless bass – arcing and crafting these notes that are very much in the best jazz fusion school of the time – but they're mixed with keyboards, electronics, acoustic piano and percussion from two bandmates – all of which creates this unique soundscape as the trio shifts through so many different elements at once. Titles include "Duplicated Scene", "Pascal Variant", "Plateau", "Reminiscence", "Elan Vital", "Circlet", "Symptom", "Intermezzo", and "Aborigine". LP, Vinyl record album

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Stereolab at a creative peak! Dots & Loops continues their long running 90s win streak – here balancing their ever present love for bubbling analog synth and breezy vintage electronics with a more strongly assured knack for delivering brilliant beginning-to-end excellent albums. The band is as great as ever, featuring tracks recorded right here in Chicago with John McEntire, and with some guest work by Sean O'Hagan of the High Llamas, plus Jan St Werner and Andi Toma of Mouse On Mars. It's got a beautiful subdued quality to it, but it's also so expertly layered that you'll always here something new, as long as you keep coming back to it. Titles include "Brakhage", "Rainbo Conversation", "Refractions In The Plastic Pulse", "Diagonals", and "Prisoners Of Mars". 2019 remastered version comes with a bonus LP featuring demos and alternate versions. LP, Vinyl record album

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Titles include "You Fool", "Makin Memories", "Thank You Baby", "Clinging To My Baby's Hand", "Her Hello Was Goodbye", and "I Heard Our Song". LP, Vinyl record album

With Glenn Wilson on baritone sax, Gary Peacock, Ira Coleman & Jay Anderson on bass, Ron Kozak on bass clarinet, English horn, bass flute & bassoon, Lawrence Feldman on bass flute, Gary Herbig on bass flute & bass clarinet, Bill Reidenbach on bass trombone, Ron Jannelli on bassoon, Erik Friedlander on cello, Jerry Gonzalez on congos. CD

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Brigitte Bardot's best known on these shores as an actress, but during the 60s she cut some really fantastic work on the scene in Paris – including a fair bit of groovers that were done with help from the legendary Serge Gainsbourg! Bardot provided a fantastic new voice in the world of pop music – a singer who was unabashedly open about her desires, and very different than the more melancholy stars of a few years before – a quality that's further emphasized by the wonderfully groovy instrumentation used on most of these tracks! Production and arrangements are superb – and put this music in the best territory of the grooviest 60s French pop by artists like Serge Gainsbourg, France Gall, Jacques Dutronc, and a rare few others. This is the first-ever English-annotated collection of work from the period – and features a whopping 25 tracks from her recordings for Philips and Disc AZ – titles that include "Harley Davidson", "Contact", "Neu Au Soleil", "Je Danse Donc Je Suis", "La Madrague", "Les Hommes Endormis", "Je Voudrais Perdre La Memoire", "Mr Sun", "Le Diable Est Anglais", "Tu Es Venu Mon Amour", "John Et Michel", "Gang Gang", and duets with Serge Gainsbourg on "Bonnie & Clyde" and "Je T'Aime Moi Non Plus". CD

Five full albums of hip French pop from the 60s – all packaged together, with a fair amount of bonus work too! First up are the first two albums by Francoise Hardy – filled with original tunes that have a really fresh presentation – not just in the lyrics, but in the overall presentation – which was a huge change from the overly emotive modes of the generation before. Hardy plays a fair bit of acoustic guitar along with her vocals – furthering the groovy feel of the set – and backings are by the orchestra of Roger Samyn, who adds in some slight rockish touches! Next is Johnny Hallyday chante Johnny Hallyday – a set that features all original material by the famous French rocker – really showing his growing strengths as a songwriter, which helped give him a uniquely French style! Next is Brigitte Bardot Sings – classic 60s work from Brigitte Bardot – the roots of French female pop, with a set of tracks that mix together bits of rock, pop, and lively jazz-based arrangements – all in a unique blend that's totally great, and every bit as wonderful as you might expect! We might go so far as to argue that Brigitte Bardot on record is almost sexier than on the screen – and thanks to backing from the likes of Claude Bolling, Francois Rauber, and Pedro Serrano – the grooves are as great as the lovely lady's vocals! Twiste Et Chante follows – groovy early work from Sylvie Vartan – some of the earliest sides we've ever heard from this fab French singer, and done at a time when she was clearly inspired by early rock from the US scene! A number of the tracks here are French remakes of American songs – like "Twist & Shout", "Comin Home Baby", "So Long Baby", and other groovy 60s numbers – mixed with French originals, and all given some sprightly orchestrations by Eddie Vartan, in a way that allows Hammond, guitar, and other electric bits to mix nicely with larger arrangements. Last up is Serge Gainsbourg Et Le Cinema – a set that shows early soundtrack contributions from the legendary French singer – really cool work that resonates strongly with the mix of jazz and Latin in his other early recordings! CD

Stereolab at a creative peak! Dots & Loops continues their long running 90s win streak – here balancing their ever present love for bubbling analog synth and breezy vintage electronics with a more strongly assured knack for delivering brilliant beginning-to-end excellent albums. The band is as great as ever, featuring tracks recorded right here in Chicago with John McEntire, and with some guest work by Sean O'Hagan of the High Llamas, plus Jan St Werner and Andi Toma of Mouse On Mars. It's got a beautiful subdued quality to it, but it's also so expertly layered that you'll always here something new, as long as you keep coming back to it. Titles include "Brakhage", "Rainbo Conversation", "Refractions In The Plastic Pulse", "Diagonals", and "Prisoners Of Mars". CD

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