A sweet small tote for bringing your records around town – a light bag that can carry up to 20 albums, but also fold up nice and small! The bag is cotton, and stronger than you might expect – but it's also light enough to stuff in a pocket, or keep within a backpack – ready at the go for when you've got some vinyl to tote, and pretty darn great for other small items too! Canvas is black, with a white Dusty Groove logo on one side – and the handles are big enough to slide over your shoulders if needed. Bag

A wonderful coffee that lives up to its name – roasted especially by the folks at Chicago's Dark Matter for our coffee drinking needs here at Dusty Groove! The base component to this blend is a coffee from Mexico and grown and milled at a cooperative called El Eden – very unique for a Mexican coffee, with a flavor profile that includes blueberry, banana, and baker's chocolate to give the blend a bit of depth. This base is then highlighted with a coffee from Guatemala grown by Finca San Jeronimo Miramar – which adds both body, and some lighter notes of toffee and praline – to give the whole thing a wonderful sun-drenched finish! Misc

Fly the flag of our fair city – and Dusty Groove as well! This fab design is a great take on the Windy City muni flag – with 45 inserts instead of stars – all brandished in brilliant blue and burning red – amidst a super-white backdrop! Sports the new Dusty Groove logo on the back – also in red as well – and the whole thing's served up in 100% durable cotton! Measurements – Length: 31", Chest: 46", Waist 46". Clothing

Fly the flag of our fair city – and Dusty Groove as well! This fab design is a great take on the Windy City muni flag – with 45 inserts instead of stars – all brandished in brilliant blue and burning red – amidst a super-white backdrop! Sports the new Dusty Groove logo on the back – also in red as well – and the whole thing's served up in 100% durable cotton! Measurements – Length: 28", Chest: 40", Waist 40". Clothing

Fly the flag of our fair city – and Dusty Groove as well! This fab design is a great take on the Windy City muni flag – with 45 inserts instead of stars – all brandished in brilliant blue and burning red – amidst a super-white backdrop! Sports the new Dusty Groove logo on the back – also in red as well – and the whole thing's served up in 100% durable cotton! Clothing

A plain and simple shirt – one that's bound to get plenty of years of use – served up here at a plain and simple price, as well! The front features a big version of the Dusty Groove logo – the classic half-turntable that's topped our website for years – in brilliant gold-tone silkscreen, which really pops out against the bold color of the background! Nothing else – no bells, whistles, or frilly designs – just the good ol' DG logo, on a heavy 100% cotton shirt! Clothing

A plain and simple shirt – one that's bound to get plenty of years of use – served up here at a plain and simple price, as well! The front features a big version of the Dusty Groove logo – the classic half-turntable that's topped our website for years – in brilliant gold-tone silkscreen, which really pops out against the bold color of the background! Nothing else – no bells, whistles, or frilly designs – just the good ol' DG logo, on a heavy 100% cotton shirt! Clothing

A plain and simple shirt – one that's bound to get plenty of years of use – served up here at a plain and simple price, as well! The front features a big version of the Dusty Groove logo – the classic half-turntable that's topped our website for years – in brilliant gold-tone silkscreen, which really pops out against the bold color of the background! Nothing else – no bells, whistles, or frilly designs – just the good ol' DG logo, on a heavy 100% cotton shirt! Clothing

A plain and simple shirt – one that's bound to get plenty of years of use – served up here at a plain and simple price, as well! The front features a big version of the Dusty Groove logo – the classic half-turntable that's topped our website for years – in brilliant gold-tone silkscreen, which really pops out against the bold color of the background! Nothing else – no bells, whistles, or frilly designs – just the good ol' DG logo, on a heavy 100% cotton shirt! Clothing

A plain and simple shirt – one that's bound to get plenty of years of use – served up here at a plain and simple price, as well! The front features a big version of the Dusty Groove logo – the classic half-turntable that's topped our website for years – in brilliant gold-tone silkscreen, which really pops out against the bold color of the background! Nothing else – no bells, whistles, or frilly designs – just the good ol' DG logo, on a heavy 100% cotton shirt! Clothing

A plain and simple shirt – one that's bound to get plenty of years of use – served up here at a plain and simple price, as well! The front features a big version of the Dusty Groove logo – the classic half-turntable that's topped our website for years – in brilliant gold-tone silkscreen, which really pops out against the bold color of the background! Nothing else – no bells, whistles, or frilly designs – just the good ol' DG logo, on a heavy 100% cotton shirt! Clothing

A plain and simple shirt – one that's bound to get plenty of years of use – served up here at a plain and simple price, as well! The front features a big version of the Dusty Groove logo – the classic half-turntable that's topped our website for years – in brilliant gold-tone silkscreen, which really pops out against the bold color of the background! Nothing else – no bells, whistles, or frilly designs – just the good ol' DG logo, on a heavy 100% cotton shirt! Clothing

A plain and simple shirt – one that's bound to get plenty of years of use – served up here at a plain and simple price, as well! The front features a big version of the Dusty Groove logo – the classic half-turntable that's topped our website for years – in brilliant gold-tone silkscreen, which really pops out against the bold color of the background! Nothing else – no bells, whistles, or frilly designs – just the good ol' DG logo, on a heavy 100% cotton shirt! Clothing

A plain and simple shirt – one that's bound to get plenty of years of use – served up here at a plain and simple price, as well! The front features a big version of the Dusty Groove logo – the classic half-turntable that's topped our website for years – in brilliant gold-tone silkscreen, which really pops out against the bold color of the background! Nothing else – no bells, whistles, or frilly designs – just the good ol' DG logo, on a heavy 100% cotton shirt! Clothing

A plain and simple shirt – one that's bound to get plenty of years of use – served up here at a plain and simple price, as well! The front features a big version of the Dusty Groove logo – the classic half-turntable that's topped our website for years – in brilliant gold-tone silkscreen, which really pops out against the bold color of the background! Nothing else – no bells, whistles, or frilly designs – just the good ol' DG logo, on a heavy 100% cotton shirt! Clothing

A plain and simple shirt – one that's bound to get plenty of years of use – served up here at a plain and simple price, as well! The front features a big version of the Dusty Groove logo – the classic half-turntable that's topped our website for years – in brilliant gold-tone silkscreen, which really pops out against the bold color of the background! Nothing else – no bells, whistles, or frilly designs – just the good ol' DG logo, on a heavy 100% cotton shirt! Clothing

A plain and simple shirt – one that's bound to get plenty of years of use – served up here at a plain and simple price, as well! The front features a big version of the Dusty Groove logo – the classic half-turntable that's topped our website for years – in brilliant gold-tone silkscreen, which really pops out against the bold color of the background! Nothing else – no bells, whistles, or frilly designs – just the good ol' DG logo, on a heavy 100% cotton shirt! Clothing

A plain and simple shirt – one that's bound to get plenty of years of use – served up here at a plain and simple price, as well! The front features a big version of the Dusty Groove logo – the classic half-turntable that's topped our website for years – in brilliant gold-tone silkscreen, which really pops out against the bold color of the background! Nothing else – no bells, whistles, or frilly designs – just the good ol' DG logo, on a heavy 100% cotton shirt! Clothing

A plain and simple shirt – one that's bound to get plenty of years of use – served up here at a plain and simple price, as well! The front features a big version of the Dusty Groove logo – the classic half-turntable that's topped our website for years – in brilliant gold-tone silkscreen, which really pops out against the bold color of the background! Nothing else – no bells, whistles, or frilly designs – just the good ol' DG logo, on a heavy 100% cotton shirt! Clothing

A plain and simple shirt – one that's bound to get plenty of years of use – served up here at a plain and simple price, as well! The front features a big version of the Dusty Groove logo – the classic half-turntable that's topped our website for years – in brilliant gold-tone silkscreen, which really pops out against the bold color of the background! Nothing else – no bells, whistles, or frilly designs – just the good ol' DG logo, on a heavy 100% cotton shirt! Clothing

One of the most mindblowing albums ever recorded – anywhere, anytime! This 1969 set stands as one of the greatest records ever cut by Gal Costa – done at the height of the Tropicalia movement, and featuring a sublime mix of styles that really gets the spirit of the movement right. Arrangements are by the legendary Rogerio Duprat – who effortlessly shifts the backings between stark electronics, sweet bossa, gliding strings, jazzy piano, and baroque orchestrations that dance around with a surprising amount of grooves! Tunes include some classics by Caetano Veloso, Jorge Ben, and Gilberto Gil – served up in amazing new versions by Gal and Duprat! Titles include "Nao Identificado", "Lost in the Paradise", "Que Pena", "Sebastiana", "Namorinho De Portao", "Divino Maravilhoso", and "Deus E O Amor". CD

One of our favorite albums of all times – and a legendary testament to the greatness of the Chicago music scene in the late 60s! Melvin Jackson was the bassist in Eddie Harris' very successful group of the time – and his playing on Eddie's trippy and funky records for Atlantic is one of the factors that made them so great. Here, he's working with an acoustic bass, amplified with electronics like a Varitone sax – and this strange-sounding instrument is set up in a hip group that mixes Cadet funky studio players (Phil Upchurch, Morris Jennings, Jody Christian) with some of the brighter young players of the AACM (Roscoe Mitchell, Lester Bowie, and Leo Smith.) Jackson's bass is looped through all sorts of crazy effects, and the result is this amazing blend of avant garde playing and groovy rhythms that is beyond compare! The album includes great reworkings of two Eddie Harris funk tracks – "Bold and Black" and "Cold Duck Time" – plus monster originals like "Funky Doo", "Say What", "Dance Of The Dervish", and "Funky Skull (parts 1 & 2)". CD

One of our favorite-ever keyboard albums – a rare lost session from pianist Pete Jolly – one of his only electric dates, and a completely improvised set of grooves! Pete plays electric piano, organ, and even a bit of musette – jamming in the studio with help from Chuck Berhofer on bass, Paul Humphrey on drums, John Pisano on guitar, and Milt Holland and Emil Richards on percussion – all of whom bring in some sly, subtle touches to the grooves that are totally great! The album's much more open than other keyboard dates from the time – almost in the territory of some of Herbie Hancock's most experimental work, but a fair bit more groove-based too – given that the album's filled with short, funky tracks all the way through. There's some echoes of Bob James work to come – and given the 1970 date of the record, it could almost be said that Jolly predates a whole host of 70s keyboard talents – setting his mark with this uniquely laidback set of tracks. Titles include the classic "Plummer Park", plus "Rainbow", "Seasons", "Indian's Summer", "Pete Jolly", "Leaves", "Springs", "Bees", and "Sand Storm". CD

Tremendous work from the legendary Prince Lasha – a rare UK-only date from 1966 – and one that has the reedman working away from more familiar contemporaries like Sonny Simmons and Eric Dolphy! The approach on this session is very unique – as Lasha includes harp with the instrumentation, played by David Snell in a style that's right up there with Dorothy Ashby's best jazz work. Pianist Stan Tracey is also on board – playing beautiful notes that have a sharp modern edge, while still falling on the inside of the spectrum – and Lasha himself is especially great – blowing plastic alto sax and wooden flute, both of which have a slightly offbeat sound – but one that's surprisingly warm, which makes the album one of his most sensitive and soulful sessions ever! The tunes are a mix of standards and originals – and there's a wonderful sense of balance here – sounds that are sometimes more inside than other records from Lasha, but which have a really Dolphy-like sense of expression – right at home amidst a wider history of jazz, yet also reaching for new ideas at the same time. Pure genius throughout, and a record that was never made available to audiences in the US. Titles include "Nuttin Out Jones", "Impressions Of Eric Dolphy", "Out Of Nowhere", "Just Friends", "Body & Soul", and "Everything Happens To Me". CD

A masterpiece of hard and heavy funk – from one of the best bands of the early 70s! The Nite Liters were a legendary funky combo that provided the backing for some of New Birth's best albums – but on their own, they were even funkier, and had a sound that was part JBs, part Meters, and all funky! This album may well be the group's best – their last for RCA, and a set that really has them honing their edge incredibly. The drums are amazing, the keyboards great, and the horns have this quality that's both complex, yet right on the money – making for a richness in sound that really sets the group apart from their contemporaries. A few singers from The New Birth provide chorus vocals on a few tracks – but most of the set is instrumental, and the record's one we'd gladly stack next to our Meters albums on Josie or JBs classics on People. Every track's a gem – and titles include "Drumology", "Excuse Me While I Do My Thing", "Serenade for a Jive Turkey", "Happy Hooker", "Craaashing", "Damn", "Pee-Foul", and a sweet cover of "Valdez in the Country" that's been sampled at least once over the years! CD

A masterpiece of hard and heavy funk – from one of the best bands of the early 70s! The Nite Liters were a legendary funky combo that provided the backing for some of New Birth's best albums – but on their own, they were even funkier, and had a sound that was part JBs, part Meters, and all funky! This album may well be the group's best – their last for RCA, and a set that really has them honing their edge incredibly. The drums are amazing, the keyboards great, and the horns have this quality that's both complex, yet right on the money – making for a richness in sound that really sets the group apart from their contemporaries. A few singers from The New Birth provide chorus vocals on a few tracks – but most of the set is instrumental, and the record's one we'd gladly stack next to our Meters albums on Josie or JBs classics on People. Every track's a gem – and titles include "Drumology", "Excuse Me While I Do My Thing", "Serenade for a Jive Turkey", "Happy Hooker", "Craaashing", "Damn", "Pee-Foul", and a sweet cover of "Valdez in the Country" that's been sampled at least once over the years! CD

A fantastically soulful album from Jorge Ben – one of his greatest records ever, and a key part of Brazilian music in the 70s! The album marks an earthier shift for Jorge – a sound that's still rooted in the samba influences of the 60s, but which also takes on a bit more soul at the bottom – thanks to rhythmic contributions from Trio Mocoto, who work here famously to help Ben shape the overall feel of the set! There's still a bit of larger orchestrations at moments, but these are used sparingly just to sweeten the sound – leaving the main force of the music to come from Jorge's guitar, and the cuica, percussion, and tamborim of the trio. The vocals are wonderful too – slightly raspy, and with a bit more feeling than we ever remember Jorge having on record – sometimes a bit intimate, yet always with an undeniable presence throughout. One of those records that still sends chills up our spines, year after year – with tracks that include "Oba La Vem Ela", "Ze Canjica", "Pulo Pulo", "Apareceu Aparecida", "Terezinha", "Mulher Brasileira", "Forca Bruta", "O Telefone Tocou Novamente", and "Charles Junior". CD

An incredible album of Latin funk – the only-ever record from this west coast combo headed by the legendary Benny Velarde! Benny's a name that you might recognize from earlier, straighter Latin dates for Fantasy – or for countless studio work during the 70s – but here, he's really got a talent for a funky 70s groove – and manages to hit a unique space that's somewhere between conventional funk, west coast Latin, and some of the hippest blacksploitation grooves of the time! The album also features some under-credited work from Lalo Schifrin – who was tied to the project somehow (Velarde claims that the record was killed by MGM upon release because of a feud with Lalo) – but never really fully credited in the notes. There's a definite link here with some of Schifrin's funkier soundtrack of the period – a great blend of jazzier elements and headier 70s funk – all served up with a tightness that has made the record one of our favorite funky treasures for years! Titles include "The Ghetto", "Latin Slide", "Who You Fooling", "Road Runner", "Soul Sauce", "Cocoa Leaf", and "Move Your Hands". CD

An amazing record – bold, proud, and soulful – a set that we'd easily rank with any classic early 60s session on Blue Note – and for good reason too! This rare date is the debut as a leader for trumpeter Gene Shaw – also known as Clarence Shaw in an earlier history of work with Charles Mingus – and it's an incredible blend of hardbop grooving with sharper-edged modern jazz ideals – an incredible blend that comes off beautifully on every track in the set! Shaw's probably best known for his late 50s work on the Charles Mingus albums Tijuana Moods, East Coasting, and Modern Jazz Symposium Of Music & Poetry – but after a famous fight with Mingus, Clarence "hid out" in Chicago and worked under the name of Gene – but soon made big waves on his own with tremendous work like this. (In the liner notes to the 1963 release of Tijuana Moods, in which Mingus says that he loved Shaw, but can't get in touch with him anymore!) Every aspect of the record is superb – from the writing, to the rhythm section, to the incredibly well blown solos from trumpeter Shaw and tenorist Sherman Morrison – who himself is another vastly-overlooked talent in jazz. The rest of the group features James Taylor on piano, Sidney Robinson on bass, and Bernard Martin on drums – a totally crackling rhythm section who give most tunes a snapping sort of groove! Most tracks are originals, and titles include "Autum Walk", "Six Bits", "The Thing", "It's A Long Way", "AD's Blues", "Marj", and "Our Tune". CD

One of the greatest albums ever from Lorez Alexandria – an ultra-hip singer who recorded for Impulse and King, but who sounds especially wonderful on this rare date for Chess Records! The album's got a groove that definitely lives up to its title – a jazzy, bouncy sort of rhythm that's definitely "for swingers only", and which is a nice contrast to overdone torch or standard jazz vocal modes. Alexandria's singing is completely sublime – quite fluid, yet with a soulful depth that's really amazing – and her backing combo is equally hip – a group led by John Young on piano, and also featuring George Eskridge on guitar, Jimmy Garrison on bass, Phil Thomas on drums, and Ronald Wilson on flute and tenor – an obscure player whose reed work really makes the album sparkle! The song choices are great too – a mix of some under-recorded gems and a few blue-toned classics – all redone amazingly by Lorez with a sound that's quite unique. Titles include her classic Argo reading of "Baltimore Oriole", which begins with an amazing drum/bass passage that's worth the price of the album alone – and other tracks include "The End Of A Love Affair", "Baltimore Oriole", "All Or Nothing At All", "Mother Earth", "Love Look Away", and "Traveling Down A Lonely Road". CD

A stone killer from funky flute player Bobbi Humphrey – one of her early albums for Blue Note Records, and a set that's a perfect summation of the best sides of her talents! The album's got a slightly different feel than Bobbi's work with Larry Mizell – yet still sports a similar approach that blends her amazingly spiritual flute lines with rich larger backings – in this case arranged by Horace Ott, Alphonse Mouzon, and Wade Marcus, in a sublime blend of electric jazz and soaring strings – all with a feel that's almost like some lost blacksploitation soundtrack! Given the lady's strength on her instrument, and her sharp sound on her solos, the record's got a focus and righteousness that takes it way past most contemporary efforts of this nature – a bold testament to the qualities that have made Bobbi one of our favorite players on flute for many many years. The set also features some wonderful Fender Rhodes – played both by Harry Whitaker and Paul Griffin – plus bass from Wilbur Bascomb, and heavy drums from Alphonse Mouzon. Titles include "Love Theme From Fuzz", "Nubian Lady", "Lonely Town Lonely Street", "Smiling Faces Sometimes", Is This All", "I Love Every Little Thing About You", "El Mundo De Maravilas", and a great version of Mouzon's "Virtue". CD

A rare funk album from west coast legend Larry Williams – very different than his heavy R&B of the late 50s, or the brief soul comeback he had with Johnny Guitar Watson in the 60s – and instead a heavy groover with a trippy Cali sound! The record's got a sharp groove right from the start – a vibe that's a bit similar to some of the best Johnny Watson funk of the period – a slight jazzy undercurrent in the instrumentation, with wicked guitar and keyboard bits dancing around each other in the rhythms – often mixed with vocals that have a cool sort of electric feel, and topped with some great horn work from Fred Wesley on trombone and Maceo Parker on alto sax! Rudy Copeland plays keyboards on the album alongside Williams, the the set's got a bit of the feel of Rudy's lost Funky Blindman set – and in a way, also echoes the best strutting, sexy modes of Bootsy Collins too. The album's a surprising gem all the way through – a real lost chapter in Larry's career, and the kind of set that might have broken bigger, had he not died mysteriously a few years later. Titles include "Funky Force", "The Resurrection Of Funk", "One Thing Or The Other", "ATS Express", "How Can I Believe", and "Can't Dance To The Music (If It Ain't Got Funky Rhythm)". CD

Sublime sounds from the always-amazing Ahmed Abdul-Malik – a jazz bassist at heart, but also a musician with a great ear for Eastern instrumentation as well! Ahmed cut a few key records at the end of the 50s and start of the 60s – and this spellbinding set may well be one of his strongest – a set that moves past some of the more gimmicky use of exotic instrumentation on other albums, and focuses on a jazzy core that really shines strongly on the album's long tracks! There's still a nice sense of the East on the record – thanks to Hamza Aldeen's oud – but the set also features great jazz solos from Seldon Powell on flute and tenor, and the great Ray Nance on both cornet and violin. Drummer Walter Perkins plays with a fluid style that's perfect for the date – and pianist Paul Neves has a lyrical approach to piano that works wonders for the groove. Titles include "Spellbound", "Never On Sunday", "Body & Soul", "Song Of Delilah", and "Cinema Blues". CD

A funky masterpiece from Bill Cosby – hardly the sort of record you might expect from all of his years on mainstream TV! This set was cut back when Bill was a much hipper cat on the LA scene – and it was the start of a brief all-instrumental run with his Badfoot Brown ensemble – a group who's not named in the notes on the record, but who offer up some seriously funky grooves! Bill supposedly plays keyboards himself – some really mad electric piano that's often repetitive, cyclical, and really hypnotic – a tripped-out style that's more funk than jazz, and which is easily one of the best parts of the record. But the rhythms are great too – equally hypnotic, and build up from bass, organ, guitar, and this whomping sort of drum part – echoing strongly in the background and really bringing a spooky feel to the set. Side one includes the amazing "Martin's Funeral" – sampled famously by Tribe Called Quest, and a 15 minute jam that's inspired by the funeral of Martin Luther King. Side two features "Hybish Shybish", an even longer track that's sort of an improvised jazz game – and which features tripped-out instrumental trading that's simply amazing. The whole record is really mindblowing – a messed-up jam session that's well worth the legend that's been built up around it over the years – and we're hard-pressed to think of another album like it! And as a special bonus, the package features these really long notes written by Bill Cosby himself – words that are as unusual as the music, and a side of him that's hardly been shown again. CD

Forget Dionne Warwick, and think Burt Bacharach – because on this sublime little set, The Dells are singing some of Burt's greatest tunes ever – all set to impeccable arrangements by the legendary Charles Stepney! The album's more wonderful than you might even expect – a true high point in the career of all parties involved – and a tremendous recasting of Bacharach's original brilliance – taking his key compositions into the most sophisticated styles of the Chicago soul scene in the 70s! There's a sense of timing and phrasing here that's quite unique – hardly simple covers of Dionne Warwick's approach to these hits – and Stepney's backings feature his own Fender Rhodes, guitar from Phil Upchurch, percussion from members of The Pharoahs, and some fuller horns, harp, and strings. The Dells are equally great too – and serve up some of the best vocals of their career – really magnificent harmonies, and soaring solo parts that seem to even go beyond their best-known hits. Titles include "Walk On By", "Trains & Boats & Planes", "I Say A Little Prayer", "Wives & Lovers", "Close To You", "I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself", "This Guy's In Love With You", "Raindrops Keep Fallin On My Head", and "A House Is Not A Home". CD

One of the few albums ever issued as a leader by Monk Higgins – a genius musician/arranger who first got his start on the Chicago scene of the 60s, then moved out to the west coast at the end of the decade – where he also helped inject some funky new sounds into the Blue Note label! This set's got a vibe that echoes some of that work – particularly Monk's albums with trumpeter Blue Mitchell – but there's also maybe a loftier vibe that reflects Higgins' ties to the Chess/Cadet label, where he cut some fantastic funk singles, both under his name and with other artists too. The approach here takes a core funky jazz group and adds in just the right touches of strings – with a sound that reminds us a lot of some of the Richard Evans' genius work for Cadet, but with maybe a bit of a Cali vibe too. Monk blows tenor and plays Hammond – in a group that also features the mighty Jim Horn on flute, Alan Estes on vibes, and both Freddy Robinson and Arthur Adams on guitar. Most tunes are original, and the feel of the record is every bit as groovy as its cover – with titles that include "Sitting Duck", "Collision In Black", "Just Around The Corner", "Watermelon Man", "Straight Ahead", "Poker Chips", "Doing it To Deff", "The Look Of Slim", and "A Good Thing". CD

Monster funk from Hammond hero Reuben Wilson – an album of hard-burning, bad-walking tunes that are a fair bit different than most of his other work! Although Wilson recorded some pretty traditional organ jazz for the Blue Note and Groove Merchant labels, this album has him working with his "Cost Of Living" group – a combo who only recorded this one album, and which includes Richard Tee on keyboards, Bad Bascomb on bass, Bernard Purdie on drums, and both Houston Person and Pee Wee Ellis on tenor sax! Most cuts have some sort of vocals – sung by either Sammy Turner or Kenny Williams, both of whom really fit the badass spirit of the record, and bring in a nice range of deeper themes from the 70s. There's almost a blacksploitation funk feel to the record at times, although the set's also got more of a soul album focus too – a rare move for Reuben, but one that's made the album a favorite for years! Tracks include the rare groove classics "Got To Get Your Own" and "Tight Money" – plus "Together", "Stoned Out Of My Mind", "What The People Gon Say", "Back Rub", and "In The Booth In The Back In The Corner In The Dark". CD

Majestic music from the mighty Popcorn Wylie – the Detroit soul legend best known for his work in the 60s, but an artist who really shines on this rare 70s set for ABC! The album was done during the same stretch as Lamont Dozier's ABC work – and like those records, this set features killer arrangements and production from McKinley Jackson – who updates an older Detroit groove strongly, while still keeping all the real soul elements of Popcorn's music intact! Dozier helped a bit on some of the tunes, and the whole thing's got a soaring, joyous feel that's really wonderful – uptempo without being uptight, positive without sounding hokey, and perfectly in a unique space that's all its own. Gene Page and Paul Riser throw in a bit of soul on some tracks too – sweetening things up with just the right touches of strings and horns – and Popcorn's vocals are great, especially on some of the more hauntingly-constructed tunes. Titles include the massive "ESP", which begins with an echoey breakbeat, then rolls into a great hook – plus "Trust In Me", "How Did I Lose You", "Georgia's After Hours", "Lost Time", "I Can Take The World On With You", "Both Ends Against The Middle", and "Singing About You And Me". CD

One of the greatest Northern Soul albums ever – completely great all the way through, and filled with songs that have been burning up dancefloors for years! The vocals are incredible – soaring harmonies that hold together perfectly, even when the grooves are hard and heavy – and the instrumentation is great too – handled by the Pied Piper team, who were kind of a Motown offshoot that featured Jack Ashford on vibes and percussion, Dave Hamilton and Ray Monette on guitar, and Joe Hunter on piano. Hunter and Ashford handled the arrangements – with a pitch-perfect sound that's completely sublime – sweet and grooving at the same time, and put together with the same kind of care you'd find at Motown – but with all the harder-edge qualities that always made indie work from Detroit so great. Every cut is a winner, and the set is the only full album ever done by the group – with cuts that include "Egyptian Love", "Till The End Of Time", "Since I Found My Baby", "Sweetest One", "Unlucky Sun", "I'll Never Forget You", "Do The Pied Piper", and "I'm With You All The Way". Great reissue – fully remastered from the original tapes – with new liner notes too! CD

Afrofunk, hip hop, southern soul blend from Afrodisiac Sound System – blending elements as far-reaching as southern organic nu soul, an instantly recognizable pop rock funk bassline, and post disco groove into great bits of DJ genius! 12-inch, Vinyl record

Fantastic early soul from Dusty Springfield – material recorded in England, but done with a style that's every bit as warmly wonderful as her later American sessions in the south! Even before hitting Memphis or Muscle Shoals, Springfield brings a sense of soul to her music that most of her other 60s Brit pop contemporaries never seemed to reach – and in a style that's not copycat, either – which is a big thing, given how many others in London were just re-recording American soul at the time. Dusty soars at the right moments, dips at others – and the production and presentation of her voice is perfect – on tunes that include the originals "I Only Want To Be With You" and "Stay Awhile" – plus great reworkings of "Mama Said", "Will You Love Me Tomorrow", "When The Lovelight Starts Shining Thru His Eyes", "Anyone Who Had A Heart", and "Everyday I Have To Cry". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the best of the early 60s comeback albums by the legendary bop trumpeter Howard McGhee – and a record that really has the player finding a whole new groove in his music! At this point, Maggie's got a fantastic tone that was missing from his earlier records, filled with pain and raw emotion – but also measured with a maturity that gives his solos an incredible sense of economy that delivers a whole hell of a lot with just a few simple notes – a balance that comes through beautifully here, maybe even more so than on any other record by Howard from the time! He's playing here in a great group that includes Roland Alexander on tenor, Bennie Green on trombone, Tommy Flanagan on piano, and Pepper Adams on baritone – and tracks include "Dusty Blue", "Groovin High", "Cottage For Sale", "Flyin Colors", and "With Malice Towards None". CD

A really well-done document of a pretty amazing time in the Chicago music scene – a huge early 90s burst of creative activity – one that gave the world a handful of famous groups, and a much bigger number of even better acts who really made the city great! Writer Bruce Adams issued some of the music on his label Kranky – but the book here goes way past that imprint, and instead presents a really vivid portrait of the scene at large – clubs, labels, bands, writers, and all the other forces that helped really make Chicago great back then – a city that was bubbling over with new energy right at the same time we started Dusty Groove on the south side. Adams definitely has plenty of his own opinions throughout, but those are also balanced with his insider perspective – which comes forth with a well-balanced explanation of so many intricacies, at a level that's so different than the usual sort of book of this nature, especially from the coasts. And if you're worried that the book is too rock-heavy, don't – because players in the scene here also include Dusty Groove stalwarts like Ken Vandermark, Fred Anderson, and Joshua Abrams. Hardcover edition is 288 pages. Book

Writer Nelson Algren is one of our hometown heroes, and spent most of his key years right around the corner of Dusty Groove – so we're always a bit biased when it comes to his work – but you can trust us when we say that this well-done biography is almost as fantastic as some of Algren's classic books! Algren knew the streets of Chicago like the back of his hand – and his interaction with the city and its characters provided Algren with a life's worth of pain and pleasure – a richness of experience that really comes through in the biography. Nelson had a quick rise to fame with the success of The Man With The Golden Arm and a few other key books – but was also the subject of a long FBI investigation, and a number of other political pitfalls too – all documented here in great detail, along with his famous love affair with Simone DeBeauvoir. There's as much sadness and struggle to Algren's life as you'll find in one of his books – and the well-researched volume looks at a stunning array of material to give a full picture of his time and writing. 543 pages, hardcover, with some black and white images. Book

Nothing messy here – as the Burners are tighter than ever, and bat this one out of the park with a massively funky groove! The core combo features organ, guitar, and drums – with occasional horns added from time to time – and most numbers here step off with a really badass instrumental groove that runs from mod 60s soul to gritty 70s funk, with a few jazzy riffs thrown into the mix from time to time, especially on the organ lines. Kylie Auldist brings in some deep soul vocals on two tracks – and Falcon Williams sings on two more – and the whole thing's got a lively, upbeat groove – and an all-classic sound that's like finding a pile of rare funky 45s stashed away in the back of a dusty old shop. Titles include "Cars", "Goose It Up", "Piranha", "Seen Through Your Disguise", "Soul Messin", "The Proving Grounds", "Hole In My Pocket", "This Girl", "Dog Wash", "Tokyo Saucer", "Push It Up", and "Four N Twenty". CD

These are the same style we use for our 45s here at Dusty Groove! The sleeves measure 7.5" x 7.25", with no flap – and are perfect for protecting those rare ol' 45s! Record Care

Fantastic material from one of the grooviest vocal groups of all time! The Four Freshmen are longtime faves here at Dusty Groove – and this excellent album is one of the group's best! The set contains some great Kenton-esque Latin arrangements by Pete Rugolo – with players that include Laurindo Almeida, Milt Holland, Jimmie Rowles, and Carlos Vidal – and the choppy groove works great with the band's sweet vocal technique. Tracks include "Frenesi", "Brazil", "Chelsea Bridge", "Again", "Star Eyes", and "Mine". LP, Vinyl record album

Their first LP, foretelling the shape of things to come out of Atlanta, alongside Southernplayalistic. . .with "Cell Therapy", "Blood", "The Coming", "Free", "Dirty South", "Thought Process", "Soul Food" and "Goodie Bag". (Note: This item is not for sale online until 7:00am on Saturday, November 25. It is in limited supply – and by nature of the Record Store Day rules it will be offered for sale first to customers who visit the Dusty Groove retail outlet in Chicago the morning of Friday, November 24. It will not be pre-sold or reserved in any way. However, after 7:00am on November 25 we will offer up whatever we have left for sale online.) LP, Vinyl record album

A trio of albums from one of our favorite trumpeters on the European scene! First up is Portrait – a set that stands as a tribute to trumpeter Dusko Goykovich's 70 years on this planet – and a record that features him in a variety of settings too! Other players include Ferdinand Povel on flute and tenor, Tony Lakatos on tenor, Steve Gut on trumpet, Isla Eckinger and Ray Drummond on basses, Abraham Burton on alto, and Kenny Barron and Tommy Flanagan on pianos – on titles that include "Recado Bossa Nova", "Balkan Blue", "Adriatica", "One For Klook", and "Inga". Next is Swinging Macedonia – a legendary German session from the 60s – and a record that really showcases the unusual criss-crossing of modes that was going on in the European scene at the time! There's a very strong MPS vibe here – as trumpeter Dusko Goykovich leads a swinging sextet that includes Nathan Davis on flute, soprano, and tenor – blowing some tremendously soulful reed lines – plus incredible rhythms from Mal Waldron on piano, Peter Trunk on bass, and Cees See on drums. The record's an attempt to bring traditional Macedonian rhythms into a jazz perspective – but with players like these, it swings in a way any Macedonian album never could – damn soulful, and with a great exotic vibe. Davis is especially great, and plays in a soaring modal vein that's similar to his work on his classic MPS sides, and on the records he cut in America in the early 70s. The album's a beautiful session that often get's overlooked because it blends it with the Enja catalog – but it's really more of a record that belongs in an MPS reissue series, and is a great lost groover that's waiting to be rediscovered by the Dusty Groove crowd. Titles include "Macedonia", "Old Fisherman's Daughter", "Jumbo Uganda", "Bem Basha", "Saga Se karame", and "The Nights Of Skopje". Brandenberg Concert features one of the greatest trumpeters on the European scene of the past few decades – heard here in a completely sublime setting! Dusko Goykovich has played in many styles and many ways, but hasn't ever done a date with full strings before – a long-overdue placement for his wonderful tone on trumpet – shimmering out front of a larger ensemble, in the manner of classic "with strings" dates by Dizzy Gillespie or Art Farmer! Altoist Peter King arranged the album – and titles are all originals by Dusko, some of which you might know from earlier records – reworked here beautifully for the new setting. King also solos on a handful of tracks too – a rich voice that provides a nice balance with Dusko's trumpet. Strings are never overdone, and the album's always got a nice swing from a core rhythm trio that features Renato Chicco on piano. Titles include "Good Old Days", "Handful O Soul", "Danca Comigo", "St Germain Des Pres", "Adriatica", "In My Dreams", and "I Miss You So". CD

An early gem from saxophonist Muriel Grossmann – already at the sort of apex that would make her one of the key spiritual jazz players in the decade to come – creating the sort of music that's made her one of our favorite contemporary jazz musicians here at Dusty Groove! The vibe here is slightly different than some of Grossmann's more recent material – maybe a bit more open and less modal, but still with this way of building up a tune in these bold blocks of sound! Muriel blows alto sax throughout – and as on many of her other great recordings, guitarist Radomir Milojkovic is a key part of the sound here – creating all these tones and colors in a piano-less group that also features David Marroquin on bass and Marko Jelaca on drums. The album works as one long suite of tracks, with seven passages – including the segments "Strength", "Trust", "Breathing", "Patience", "Opening", "Slide", and "Welcome". CD

Hey, that's a corner right up the street from Dusty Groove – and the book is filled with images of our fair city of Chicago – not just sidewalks, but a host of other important city images too – including portraits of local luminaries, and shots of some great stores, restaurants, and other spots around the city. Photos are all by Charles Osgood – and each gets a full essay by journalist Rick Kogan – which further illuminates the shots of places like Manny's Deli, Twin Anchors, Harold's Chicken Shack, and the Chicago City Council. Book is 245 pages, full color, and hardcover. Book

These are the same style of sleeve we use for all our LPs here at Dusty Groove! The sleeves measure 10 5/8" x 10 5/8" – and they'll protect all your LPs from getting scuffed up covers when sliding them in out out of your shelves or crates! Heavy to ship, but worth the price if you like to keep your LPs in good nick! Record Care

These are the same style of sleeve we use for all our LPs here at Dusty Groove! The sleeves measure 12.75" x 12.75" – and they'll protect all your LPs from getting scuffed up covers when sliding them in out out of your shelves or crates! Heavy to ship, but worth the price if you like to keep your LPs in good nick! Record Care

These are the same style of sleeve we use for all our LPs here at Dusty Groove! The sleeves measure 12.75" x 12.75" – and they'll protect all your LPs from getting scuffed up covers when sliding them in out out of your shelves or crates! Heavy to ship, but worth the price if you like to keep your LPs in good nick! Record Care

(Note: This item is not for sale online until 7:00am on Saturday, November 25. It is in limited supply – and by nature of the Record Store Day rules it will be offered for sale first to customers who visit the Dusty Groove retail outlet in Chicago the morning of Friday, November 24. It will not be pre-sold or reserved in any way. However, after 7:00am on November 25 we will offer up whatever we have left for sale online.) LP, Vinyl record album

An amazing package – and a dream come true for all of us at Dusty Groove – as the set features a ton of never-issued material from one of our favorite albums ever, by one of our favorite trumpet players of all time! Lee Morgan was really on a run when he stepped into the Lighthouse club in July of 1970 – soaring with a new sense of spirit that was captured on his final records before his too-early death – set loose here in a live setting that has Morgan and the group bristling with a new sort imagination on all sorts of extended performances! The Lighthouse was the home of cool jazz performances back in the 50s – but here, the locale is completely transformed – thanks to work from Lee on trumpet, Harold Mabern on piano, Jymie Merritt on electric bass, Mickey Roker on drums, and the great Bennie Maupin on tenor, flute, and bass clarinet – all rolling out with energy that's a lot more Strata East than Blue Note! The original 2LP set was expanded to a 3CD version in the 90s – but this massive collection brings together all the tremendous work from the performances – all of it completely essential, thanks to the sense of variety and inventiveness on the long solos that make up the tracks. Titles include versions of "Speedball", "Yunjana", "I Remember Britt", "Absolutions", "Something Like This", "The Beehive", "Neophilia", "Pyeote", "Aon", "416 East 10th Street", "Nommo", and the coolest version of "Sidewinder" you'll ever hope to hear. Newly remastered – with over four hours of never-heard music! CD

Think what you want about the lady and her music, this album's one of the most crucial indie sets of the 90s – a record that not only elevated a whole new level of songwriting, but also helped find a new role for the female artist in the changing scene of the time! Plus, for us, it's also a set that's as important to the Chicago scene as most of the big Seattle records were to that city – a showcase of the city's new energy towards music making, and the way it could take risks but touch a larger audience, too – thanks to the instrumental efforts of Phair's great band, and the production of Brad Wood (the set germinated just blocks from Dusty Groove – so maybe we're a bit biased, too!) Titles include "Dance Of The Seven Veils", "Never Said", "Soap Star Joe", "Canary", "Mesmerizing", "F*ck & Run", "Girls Girls Girls", "Shatter", "Divorce Song", "Flower", "Gunshy", "Strange Loop", "Stratford On Guy", and "Explain It To Me". LP, Vinyl record album

One of those funk classics that was a funk classic even back in the days when nobody was talking about funk classics! Ripple were an obscure little group of southern players, and although they later went onto cut a disco record for Salsoul, this first album is still their most enduring legacy. The record combines a sound that's a bit Meters, a bit Average White Band – with plenty of funky guitars, choppy riffs, and kine of a white boy soul vocal sound. Includes some stone classics – like "A Funky Song" and "I Don't Know What It Is, But It Sure Is Funky" – both of which were sampled more than a few times over the years – plus "Get Off", "Ripplin", "Willie Pass The Water", and "Dance Lady Dance". (Note: This item is not for sale online until 7:00am on Saturday, November 25. It is in limited supply – and by nature of the Record Store Day rules it will be offered for sale first to customers who visit the Dusty Groove retail outlet in Chicago the morning of Friday, November 24. It will not be pre-sold or reserved in any way. However, after 7:00am on November 25 we will offer up whatever we have left for sale online.) LP, Vinyl record album