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Avishai Cohen on bass and Nitai Hershkovits on piano. CD

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Cornelius Brothers & Sister Rose were one of a handful of early 70s groups – like Chairmen Of The Board or 100 Proof Aged In Soul – who had a sound that was incredibly hard to peg. There were bits of southern rawness in the vocals, but the overall approach also had plenty of elements of smoother Northern Soul, and wasn't afraid to use strings or uptown arrangements when they were needed! Titles include "Treat Her Like A Lady", plus "Let Me Down Easy", "Since I Found My Baby", "Big Time Lover", "Got To Testify", "I'm Never Gonna Be Alone Anymore", "Don't Ever Be Lonely", and "Good Lovin Don't Come Easy". 12 tracks in all! CD

A warmly intimate set of samba tracks with a gentle and almost nostalgic approach. The feel is really great overall, different than some of Paulinho's other 70s work – almost old-timey, but not in a way that's hokey or hackneyed. Titles include "Nova Ilusao", "Perdoa", "Mente Ao Meu Coracao", "O Velorio Do Heitor", and "Meu Novo Sapato". LP, Vinyl record album

With vocals by Carlos Dente and Julio Martel. LP, Vinyl record album

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Cheesy romantic pop from the early 80s – not really our cup of tea, but not without a few decent moments if you can get past Benny's haircut! Titles include "Descontro", "Pau De Arara", "Danca Cigana", "Guisepe E A Crise", "Voce Gosta So De Mim", "A Flor E O Espinho", and "Madrugada". CD

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One of the more obscure 80s albums by Djavan – and features a guest appearance by Gilberto Gil! LP, Vinyl record album

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Kind of a silly name for a group – but the record's pretty nice! Elbow Bones & The Racketeers were one of the many retro-soul groups working under the guidance of producer August Darnell – aka Kid Creole – who gave the group a style that was similar to his own unique blend of 80s club grooves, 40s swing, and 30s gangster cliches! Vocals are by Gichy Dan, Stephanie Fuller, and Dutch Robinson – and the set's unified by Darnell's good ear for a catchy hook – those quirky, groovy little numbers that always made the Kid Creole and Dr Buzzard albums so great! Titles include "A Night In New York", "Other Guys", "Our Love Will Always Stand", "You Got Me High", and "I Call It Like I See It". CD features a huge amount of bonus tracks – 7 more numbers that include "Night In New York (12" ext)", "Happy Birthday Baby (12" ext)", "Happy Times (12" ext)", "I Wanna Remind You", "Night In New York (single)", and "Happy Birthday Baby (single)". CD

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With Lars Erstrand on vibes – plus Nicke Worhman on guitar, and either Rolf Larsson or Bjorn Milder on piano. LP, Vinyl record album

Sweet 70s grooving from Brazilian singer Eva – a bit of soul, a bit of easy, all styled together nicely by orchestrations from the magical maestro Gaya! Gaya's work here is similar to his best backings for other artists in the Blue Brazil generation – a mix of American pop, post-bossa instrumentation, and in this case, some very slight electric touches – kind of hipping up the tunes a bit with some nice keyboards! The album's got a really nice version of "Moon River" that skips along at a nice pace – plus some great originals that offer a strong update to the sound of other Brazilian pop/post-bossa singers, like Doris Monteiro or Claudette Soares. Titles include "O Homem Do Tempo", "Vinte Leguas", "Na Baixa Do Sapateiro", "Olha Eu Aqui Oh Oh Oh", "Talisma", and Sonho Lindo". CD

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Magical work by one of the greatest harmony groups ever! Four Freshmen & Five Saxes is one of our favorite sides by this excellent 50s vocal group – a tightly swinging batch of tracks with a really moody, modern edge! Half the set is arranged by the great Pete Rugolo, in the manner of the group's famous "trombones" session, done earlier with Pete – and the other half of the set is arranged by group member Dick Reynolds, following closely in Rugolo's style. The whole thing's great – with a nice brace of west coast saxes backing up the vocals – and titles include "For All We Know", "I May Be Wrong", "East Of The Sun", "Liza", and "This Can't Be Love". Four Freshmen & Five Guitars is actually even better – a truly magical album that has the group's voices supported on a brace of electric guitars, which makes for a really cool sound! The Freshmen harmonies are as perfect as ever – gliding along the electric strings on tunes that include "The More I See You", "Rain", "Invitation", "Nancy", "It All Depends On You", "Come Rain Or Come Shine", and "This October". CD

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With vocals by Hector Pacheco. LP, Vinyl record album

The great saxophonist Joki Freund leads an unusual group here in a very unusual setting! The lineup features Freund on tenor and soprano, Emil Mangelsdorff on alto and flute, Wolfgang Dauner on piano, Eberhard Weber on bass, and Peter Baumeister on drums – all working under the direction of producer Joachim E Berendt, who invited Harald Leipnitz to the session to read works by Jack Kerouac, William S Burroughs, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, and Allen Ginsberg! LP, Vinyl record album

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A moody score by Ernest Gold – written to accompany a Nazi film directed by Sam Peckinpah, and done with some great orchestral flourishes! The music has that tenseness you usually get from war films of this era – almost as if the soundtrack was there to accompany more of the pre-action moments than the drama itself – a job for which Gold's careful scoring is very well suited. The tracks include "Mikael", "Steiner's Report", "Captin Stransky","The Terrace", "Eva", "I Hate All Officers", and "Memories & Hallucinations", which is a bit trippy. LP, Vinyl record album

This one's awash in keyboard work by Jota Moraes – smooth, but not slick, in a style that's a bit more stripped down and less ambitious than some of Luiz's other work – yet done in a way that actually still sounds pretty great. Overall, the record's a bit more intimate, a bit more laidback than some of his others – mature and well-written songs, handled with a really nice vocal style. Titles include "Memoria", "Nave Especial", "Feliz", "Todo Boato Tem Um Fundo Musical", "Se Eu Quiser Viver", and "Alo Alo Brasil". CD

Luiz Gonzaga Jr in the 80s – not as revolutionary as he once was, and with distinctly modern touches on the keyboards and production, but still relatively compelling overall. A few tracks sound as if they got trapped in a new wave time warp, but overall there's a fairly solid MPB style to the record that suits Luiz well enough. Titles include "Gravido", "Nem O Pobre Nem O Rei", "Rosa Povo", "Cabeca", "Meninos Eu Vi", "Days After That Day", and "Lindo Lago Do Amor". LP, Vinyl record album

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Features arrangements by Wagner Tiso – and titles that include "O Sal Da Terra", "Boa Sorte", "Rio Doce", "Contos Da Lua Vaga", "Quatro", "Sete Flautas", "Dona Julia", and "Cancao Do Novo Mundo". LP, Vinyl record album

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Overlooked gems from this key reedman on the Brit modern scene of the 60s – two rare albums in a single package! First up is Movement – one of the most obscure albums recorded by Joe Harriott – leading light of the British avant scene in the 60s – and one of the best, too! The album features Harriott working with a quintet that includes Shake Keane on trumpet, Pat Smythe on piano, Bobby Orr on drums, and Coleridge Goode on bass – playing in territory that's somewhat in the neighborhood of his Abstract and Free Form albums, but also a bit more inside, with more of a focus on swinging, hard-hitting jazz. The rhythms are often quite tight and soulful, and although the album's touched with lots of angular moments – both in the solos and backings – the overall sound is wonderfully grooving and tremendously captivating! The album's got that perfect blend of modern, modal, and soul that make the best Brit jazz albums from the mid 60s so wonderful – and the set list includes original tunes such as "Movement", "Spaces", "Blues On Blues", "Revival", "Beams", and "Count Twelve". High Spirits is pretty unique – a set of takes on tunes that come from a musical show, but recast strongly as soulful sides for the Harriott combo! Pianist Pat Smythe re-arranged all tracks in the set – and really gives them a new sort of energy – opening them up for lots of solo work on his own piano, plus alto from Harriott, and some beautiful trumpet lines from the great Shake Keane – a player who always sounds great next to Joe. The rest of the group features Coleridge Goode on bass and Bobby Orr on drums – and titles include "Home Sweet Heaven", "Something Tells Me", "Go Into Your Trance", "I Know Your Heart", and "Was She Prettier Than I". CD

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An obscure set from Johnny Hartman – cut in the years before his more famous Impulse recordings, and with a mellower, lusher sound that casts his incredible vocals in a warm romantic setting! The orchestrations are by the little-known Rudy Traylor, and have a full feel that's similar to other Roost and Roulette vocal sessions of the time – a bit jazz, but also with these darker, moodier corners that are perfect for late-nite listening – and which put those rich Hartman vocals in really sublime territory. Johnny serves up a sad-tinged batch of tunes that includes "Little Girl Blue", "But Beautiful", "Long Ago & Far Away", "I Should Care", "To Each His Own", and "How Long Has This Been Going On". CD

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Jaubert music for this mid 70s film by Truffaut – with suites titled "La Suite Francaise", "L'Ile De Paques", "L'Atlante", and "La Guerre De Troie N'Aura Pas Lieu". LP, Vinyl record album

Vocalist for Manfred Mann in the early days. 7-inch, Vinyl record

Excellent work from the team of Thad Jones and Mel Lewis – arguably one of their best albums from the late 60s, and a set that's got some really great funky big band numbers! There's a nice bouncing groove to the group that they normally don't have – possibly because Richard Davis is playing some Fender bass on the set, which brings in a nice focus on the bottom end – and the best numbers have a sock-soul feel that's in the best late 60s large group soul jazz mode! Titles include "Tow Away Zone", "Jive Samba", "The Groove Merchant", and "Central Park North". CD

The rare second album by the Jongo Trio – a fantastic bossa group who mixed together vocals and keyboards with stunning magic! The trio's approach is similar to that of the more famous Tamba Trio – in that the three members groove on keyboards, bass, and percussion – while also harmonizing vocals in a soaring, airy style that really adds a lot to the set. This album's got the group using a bit of organ and electric piano in addition to their usual acoustic keys – making for a bossa style that's slightly electrified, with great results on the album's overall sound. The set includes a really great uptempo version of "Aguas De Marco", plus the tracks "Alo Feveiro", "Quem Vem La", "Cavaleiro De Aruanda", "Sandalia De Prata", "Bate Barriga", "Feitinha P'Ro Poeta", and "Duas Contas". CD

Amazing stuff, the birth of a legend – and some of the most important modern jazz of the 40s! LP, Vinyl record album

Fantastic early guitar work from Earl King – including two previously unissued tracks! LP, Vinyl record album

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Later work from Kraftwerk – and very much in the mode of their older work! The beats are perhaps a bit heavier than before, but we chalk that up mostly to the remixers – and we remember how we were a bit suspicious of the "Musique Non Stop" comeback single from the 80s, but have now come to treat it like the rest of their classic catalog. There's a few nice "Tour De France" moments on the track – and we're looking forward to more new material! CD

Quite a rare album from Peggy Lee – and a strange one too! The album features backings "conducted" by Frank Sinatra, done in a moody, flowing, dreamy and sad style – similar to his own work of the late 50s Capitol years, especially the more melancholy albums that we love so much. Frank's probably not doing the bulk of the work, though, as the record also credits Nelson Riddle with arrangements – and Riddle's sound here is very strong, again in the mood of his best sad work with Sinatra – territory explored on albums like Wee Small Hours or Only The Lonely. Titles include "That's All", "Please Be Kind", "He's My Guy", "Then I'll Be Tired Of You", "The Folks Who Live On The Hill", and "If I Should Lose You". CD

As smooth as mink – and as sexy too! The album's one of Peggy's jazziest from the Capitol years – and has her working with some really great arrangements by Max Bennett or Benny Carter – both of whom come up with a lean groove that swings tremendously, but without some of the overly-cliched modes of later Capitol years! Peggy's in great form throughout – and titles include "Whisper Not", "My Silent Love", "Days Of Wine & Roses", "Close Your Eyes", "Cloudy Morning", and "Where Can I Go Without You?". CD includes 4 bonus tracks! CD

Classic New Orleans soul from Smiley Lewis – an artist who's best known for his classic "I Hear You Knocking", but who has a lot more great tracks under his belt! Titles include "Bumpity Bump", "Bells Are Ringing", "Blue Monday", "Lillie Mae", "Real Gone Lover", and "One Night". CD

Very cool 3 CD set that brings together some of Ivan Lins best material from the 70s, in a format that reproduces all the original album covers and notes in tiny 5 inch CD size! The material's fantastic and so is Lins' voice. The songs represent some of the greatest songwriting in Brazil, and are a key link in a tradition of material that spans from Jacques Brel to Scott Walker to some of the other great European singer songwriters. Tracks include "Um Fado", "Choro Das Aquas", "Noites Sertanejas", "Vira", "A Noite", "Bilhete", "Aparecida", "Dinorah, Dinorah", and lots lots more! Great stuff that hasn't been in print for years, and packaged in the coolest form you'd ever find. CD

One of Julie London's wildest albums – and one of her sexiest too! The record has Julie running through the calendar – singing a song a month, dedicated to January, February, March, and so on – a really great concept for a record like this, in ways that set the album apart from some of London's other classics of the time! The record's certainly one of her campier efforts – but in a great way – and it's further augmented by a great cover that has pinup images of Julie in a setting specific to each month – a cheesecake spectacular that's almost worth the price of admission alone. Titles include "June In January", "February Brings The Rain", "Melancholy March", "Memphis In June", and "Time For August". CD

A real corker from Machito – a set that's got a lot more bite and earthy fire than some of his other albums of the 50s – as you might be able to guess from the cover and the title! The record definitely lives up to the Afro-Cuban promise on the front – thanks to very hip arrangements from Mario Bauza and AK Salim – who balance core rhythmic elements with some great modern jazz solo contributions – from key players who include Johnny Griffin on tenor, Cannonball Adderley on alto, Joe Newman on trumpet, and Eddie Bert on trombone – all coming together under Machito's leadership with a sound that's much bolder than most of his work in a straighter Latin mode! The album's a key meeting of styles – as powerful today as it was when first recorded – and tracks include the great "Congo Mulence", a very tight groover – plus "Turuato", "Frenzy", "Cannonology", "Minor Rama", and "Wild Jungle". CD

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A great bossa and samba concert performance from the early 70s – one that features some of the up and coming talents recording for the Odeon label at the time! The feel here takes us back to some of the key live Brazilian concerts from the 60s – particularly the multi-artist bossa sessions on RGE – but there's also a style that's a bit more 70s overall, thanks to the use of electric piano on most numbers, which creates a sweetly gliding and warmly jazzy sound! Titles include "Confeti" and "Demais" by Marcia, "Quero Ver Todo Mundo Sambar" and "Me Deixa Em Paz" by Leny Andrade, "Nem Eu" and "Coqueiro De Itapoan/Joao Valentao" by Simone, and "Lei De Murici" and "A Filha Do Veloso" by Ari Vilela. CD

Three later albums by Brazilian diva Angela Maria! CD

Spare duets between these two Brazilian jazz giants Cesar Camargo Mariano and Helio Delmiro – but great work throughout, and filled with a lot more soul and energy than you'd expect! Mariano plays mostly electric keyboards – but not in a way that overrides the acoustic guitar of Delmiro – and the set's got a lot of the same elements of the best jazzy backing that Mariano provided for Elis Regina in the 70s, that great sense of darkness at the bottom – plus all the tight solo moments of Delmiro's own work from the 80s. Titles include "Curumim", "Samambaia", "Ninhos", "Choratta", "Emotiva No 4", and "Milagre Dos Peixes". CD

An excellent album of Brazilian jazz – one that brings together tracks from different EMI albums by the three players mentioned in the title – keyboardist Cesar Camargo Mariano, reed player Victor Assis Brasil, and guitarist Helio Delmiro! The set includes Brasil's wonderful reading of "Night & Day", done at triple-tempo with a great great groove, plus his great versoin of "Nada Sera Como Antes". Other tracks include "Emotiva no 1" and "Esperando" by Delmiro, "Pedra Verde" by Mariano, and the tracks "Carinhoso" and "Milagre Dos Peixes" by Mariano and Delmiro together! LP, Vinyl record album

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Live work from the lovely Maysa – a great late 60s set done in a mix of jazz, bossa, and even groovier styles! The recording has a nice sense of the "room" – with spontaneous crowd noise often coming in to spur additional enthusiasm in the music – and Maysa's star power is definitely in full force as she works the crowd with her dynamic readings of the tunes. Titles include a few great non-Brazilian numbers – like "Ne Me Quitte Pas" and "Light My Fire" – the latter of which is done with some great acoustic guitar and a nice slinky groove. Other titles include "Dindi", "Eu E A Brisa", "Chao De Estrelas", "Meu Mundo Caiu", "Preciso Aprender A Ser So", "Demais", and "Dia Das Rosas". LP, Vinyl record album

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Great stuff from Marisa Monte – and a record that's criss-crossed with influences, thanks to production by Arto Lindsay, and performances by Marc Ribot, Bernie Worrell, John Zorn, Ryuchi Sakamoto, Nana Vasconcelos, and Ed Motta! Maybe a bit slicker than American press hype would have you expect – but a record that's filled with some great songwriting, and plenty of nice moments. Titles include "Beija Eu", "Ainda Lembro", "De Noite Na Cama", "Rosa", "Borboleta", and "Eu Sei". LP, Vinyl record album

The first album by Marisa Monte, and the start of a fantastic run of records – really strong work that had Monte emerging as maybe one of the strongest new acts in Brazil at the time! The set is live, which is unusual for a debut – and that also makes for energy that's a bit more raw and spontaneous than you might guess from some of Monte's later, more sophisticated production – especially when the singer hits some sharper edges that almost feel punkish at points. The small group features Roberto Alves on piano – and the set list includes a version of Os Mutantes' "Ando Meio Desligado", plus "I Heard It Through The Grapevine", "Speak Low", "Comida", "Negro Gato", and a nice remake of "Chocolate", an old Brazilian soul song by Tim Maia. CD

The first album by Marisa Monte, and the start of a fantastic run of records – really strong work that had Monte emerging as maybe one of the strongest new acts in Brazil at the time! The set is live, which is unusual for a debut – and that also makes for energy that's a bit more raw and spontaneous than you might guess from some of Monte's later, more sophisticated production – especially when the singer hits some sharper edges that almost feel punkish at points. The small group features Roberto Alves on piano – and the set list includes a version of Os Mutantes' "Ando Meio Desligado", plus "I Heard It Through The Grapevine", "Speak Low", "Comida", "Negro Gato", and a nice remake of "Chocolate", an old Brazilian soul song by Tim Maia. LP, Vinyl record album

A funky psychedelic nugget from the Nigerian scene of the 70s – a record that's got more of a lean small group take on some of the bigger ensemble modes of the period, in a way that really seems to give the Moonrakers Band lots of flexibility with their sound! Some numbers might be a bit more guitar-heavy, others will have more organ – and the rhythms shift between rock, funk, and maybe even a bit of inspiration from Jamaican music – as the group serve up lyrics that are mostly in English, but with a definite offbeat vibe. There's occasional currents that resonate with Zamrock work of the decade, while other moments are straighter Afro Funk – on titles that include "Cut Your Coat According To Your Size", "We Got To Live", "What We Did Today Is Gone", "Wait For Me", "Little Sister Of Line", and "Enia Se Pele". LP, Vinyl record album

Features arrangements by Paulinho Jobim, Toninho Horta, and Nivaldo Ornelas – and some guest work from Flavio Venturini too! LP, Vinyl record album

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A second great statement from the "corner club" of Milton Nascimento – that special assemblage of musicians from his home territory of Minas Gerais, augmented here in slight ways that maybe make the album an even more ambitious record than the first! All the best artists from the previous set are in place here – including the sublime Lo Borges on vocals, Wagner Tiso on keyboards, Toninho Horta on bass and guitar – but the set also features contributions from other Brazilian talents – including Chico Buarque on vocals, Ed Maciel on trombone, Paulo Jobim on guitar, and even Azimuth on a bit of grooves! As with the first set, the mix of modes is amazing – all the rich, soulful qualities of Milton Nascimento's best early work – but delivered in a magnificently collaborative mode that never wastes a minute of the extended double-length space of the album. As before, songs are penned by most of the collaborators – and titles include "E Dai", "Pao E Agua", "Canoa Canoa", "Credo", "Nascente", "Meu Menino", "Que Bom Amigo", and "Dona Olimpia". LP, Vinyl record album

The first James Bond soundtrack – pre-John Barry, but already showing Bond music as a genre unto itself! Monty Norman handles the music – and brings together some cool Caribbean sounds with familiar jazz riffs – a blend that showcases the Jamaican setting of the main narrative, but also paves the way for lots of spy jazz to come! Titles include "James Bond Theme", "Under The Mango Tree", "Jamaica Jazz", "Dr No's Fantasy", "The Boy Chase", "Love At Last", and "The Island Speaks". CD

The O'Jays hit a bit of a new jack mode with this late 80s set – picking up the beats, and giving themselves a chunkier rhythm than usual – but all while keeping things in that laidback territory that suits their famous vocals so well! The mellowest cuts here are our favorites – as they remind us that the O'Jays perfection never falters, but is especially nice when the trio are right up front, and really able to dominate a tune with their well-tuned sense of harmony and warm interplay! The group members wrote a number of the songs on the set – a nice change from the Gamble & Huff era – and the younger Gerald Levert helped out a bit on the album, which might explain some of the Levert-like touches in the grooves. Titles include "Out Of My Mind", "Leave It Alone", "Fading", "Rainbow", "Friend Of A Friend", "Have You Had Your Love Today", and "Serious Hold On Me". LP, Vinyl record album

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An incredible album – especially if you dig the groovier side of Brazil! Os 3 Morais fit nicely in a groove that runs between Som 3, Tamba Trio, Marcos Valle, and Antonio Adolfo & Brazuca – and they have a style that's a mix of the madder baroque arrangements of Valle and Adolfo, with the harmony vocals of Tamba Trio or Quarteto Em Cy, and the slightly funky jazz of Som 3. This album's an impeccable treasure for fans of the Blue Brazil sound – and it's got a stellar reading of "Freio Aerodynamico" that's worth the price of the album alone! The whole thing's great, though, and other tracks include "Odeon", "Desafinado", "Tico Tico No Fuba", "Jequi-Bach", "Azul Da Cor Do Mar", "Se Quiser Valer", and "Sambachiana". CD