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A mindblowing set from early 70s Japan – and a record that's every bit as sinister as you'd guess from its title! Blues Creation certainly started out with a blues influence in their music, but like some of the headier British groups of the moment, they've turned that love of guitar lines and heavy rhythms into some much more brooding territory – hard rock, but with a current of evil that was never in their inspirations – almost as if these guys have shaken off the blues, and are ready to show the world that they're a force to be reckoned with! The guitar work is superb – really top-shelf classic jamming level – and titles include "Atomic Bombs Away", "Demon & Eleven Children", "One Summer Day", "Brane Baster", and "Just I Was Born". LP, Vinyl record album

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... LP, Vinyl record album

A unique large group session from Art Pepper – one of his few this way as a leader, despite constant 50s presence as a sideman in big ensembles! Arrangements are by Marty Paich, who more than makes things swing – and there's a nice rhythm section dancing underneath a larger group – with Russ Freeman on piano, Joe Mondragon on bass and Mel Lewis on drums. Players in the fuller lineup include Jack Sheldon on trumpet, Herb Geller on alto, Bill Perkins on tenor, and Bob Enevoldsen on trombone and tenor – and titles are mostly modern numbers written by other jazzmen like Horace Silver, Denzil Best, Jimmy Giuffre, and Sonny Rollins. Titles include "Groovin High", "Move", "Four Brothers", "Anthropology", and "Airegin". LP, Vinyl record album

They had us at "Italian", drew us in with "Erotic", and really won us over with the sounds in this sweet little set! The music here is all from the very small Eleven sound library – a smaller Italian imprint that cut these great grooves in the late 70s – at a time when the Italian film scene had really opened up to a wide variety of erotic themes! Not all these tracks were used in erotic films – and in fact, some of them are so funky, they would actually take away from any sexy action on screen – as they're much more in the hard funky styles that were first coming out of the Italian library scene a few years before. There's a few disco-styled numbers with vocals, but the instrumental funk tracks are the real gems – and titles include the rare classic "Kamasultra" by Nando De Luca – plus "Love Tunnel" by Julie Wilde, "Fastness" by Tullio De Piscopo, "Joining Together" by Augusto Martelli, "ESP" by Persimfans, "Diva Da Strapazzo (unreleased inst)" by Mimesis, and "How Wonderful You Are" by Monique Rossi'. LP, Vinyl record album

A great look at the vintage country work of Texas producer Pappy Daily – one of the key forces to get the genre going during the postwar years, even though he operated far from the hillbilly hotbeds of Nashville and southern California! The work here is a nice blend of country rockers, mellower numbers, and a few tracks with a slight down-home feel – and the range of artists includes George Jones, who got some very important early help from Daily – plus a number of other artists who are represented here by some nicely obscure slices of work. Titles include "A Satisfied Mind" by Joe Red Hayes, "Why Baby Why" by George Jones, "Don't Big Shot Me" by Link Davis, "Poor Man's Riches" by Benny Barnes, "So Tired Of Crying" by Curtis Gordon, "They Say We're Too Young" by Eddie Bond, "My Pillow" by Roger Miller, "Can't Find The Doorknob" by Jimmy & Johnny, "Blue House Painted White" by Sonny Burns, "All The Time" by Sleepy LaBeef, and "Crazy Blues" by The Big Bopper. CD

A mighty pairing of giants – coming together here in a mighty live set that has both musicians at the height of their powers! At some level, the vibe here is that of Evans during his electric ensemble years – especially given some of the players in the group – but the presence of bassist Jaco Pastorius in the lead really sharpens the edges, and almost creates some of the bolder, more powerful sounds you'd expect from Weather Report, or maybe even the Miles Davis electric groups of the 70s! Gil plays keyboards throughout – and other musicians include Hiram Bullock on guitar, George Adams and Chris Hunter on saxes, Lew Soloff and Hannibal Marvin Peterson on trumpets, Pete Levin on electronics, and a surprising appearance by the avant giant George Lewis on trombone. Titles include "Up From The Skies", "Stone Free", "Variations On THe Misery", "Dania", "Jaco Solo/Goodbye Porkpie Hat", and "Here Comes De Honey Man/Eleven". CD

A rare early trio set from Jim Hall – especially noteworthy because Jim rarely worked in the format as a leader! The album's got Hall working with Carl Perkins on piano and Red Mitchell on bass – in a mode that slightly recalls some of Barney Kessel's mid 50s recordings over at Contemporary Records, but which also has that airier style that was Hall's first great calling card on his instrument. Some of the best cuts really have the notes hanging in air with incredible grace and a very subtle sense of swing – and titles include "This Is Always", "Look For The Silver Lining", "Stella By Starlight", "Deep In A Dream", "Seven Come Eleven", and "Thanks For The Memory". LP, Vinyl record album

Includes the songs "Capital J", "Walkin' The Dog", "Lil' Darlin'", "Giant Steps", "I Kissed A Girl", "Samba Delight", "Seven Come Eleven", "Bathed In Light", "Romantic Intermezzo From Bartok's Concerto For Orchestra", "Reverie", and "One For Milton". CD

A brilliant pairing of piano talents – and a record that also features some incredible horn work from Billy Harper and Hannibal Marvin Peterson too! Masabumi Kikuchi plays electric piano throughout – working with a large Evans-led ensemble that also includes Harper on tenor and flute, and Peterson on trumpet and flugelhorn – not to mention some surprising sounds on ring modulator from Evans himself! The arrangements are quite bold – like the best of Gil's work of the time – and really do a great job of mixing electric and acoustic elements in a really fresh way – quite different from any other big band styles of the time, and with all the modernism you'd expect from Evans' music. Titles include "Priestess", "Ictus", "Cry Of Hunger", "Eleven", "Drizzling Rain", and "Thoroughbred". CD

A really unique little set – one that has funk maestro Shawn Lee riding out into the sunset with maybe a bit more of a western vibe than you'd expect from some of his other work! Some of that comes through in the instrumentation, which uses occasional acoustic guitar in really surprising ways – other aspects of the record foreground his vocals a bit more, almost in a Cali singer/songwriter style from years back, but with more soul currents in the mix – a quality that really opens up Shawn as an artist! There's light orchestrations on some of the record, and still plenty of funky elements in the mix too, which works especially well with the acoustic guitar. Titles include "Heaven On Eleven", "Are We Having Fun", "Manuka Honey", "Unemployed Clown", "5 O'Clock Shadow", "Carla", and "Airplanes". LP, Vinyl record album

Twin-flute magic from the quintet of Herbie Mann and Sam Most – both of whom play the long, thin instrument here – in intertwining lines of sound that are totally great! There's a style here that's often a bit more frenetic than usual for Herbie – one that's possibly picked up from Most, as might be heard on some of his later sides from the 60s. Whatever the case, even when things are gentle, there's some nice little interplay – a lot of action from both flute players, supported by guitar from Joe Puma, bass from Jimmy Gannon, and drums from Lee Kleinman. Arrangements are by Russ Garcia, and titles include "It's Only Sunshine", "Fascinating Rhythm", "Empathy", "Seven Come Eleven", "Just One Of Those Things", and "Flying Home". LP, Vinyl record album

Tracks include "Fire On The Mountain", "Dark Star", "Estimated Prophet", and "The Eleven" – plus "Loser", which features guest vocals from Bettye LaVette and Bob Weir on guitar. CD

Sweet fusion from a group headed up by legendary Polish saxman Zbigniew Namyslowski – a player whose softening his tone a bit at the end of the 70s, but still keeping things plenty darn soulful! The group's got electric bass, guitar, and lots of keyboards – and while some of the record is in a tighter, choppy fusion mode, most of the set's got a slinky sort of approach – one that's still quite nice, and never cheesy, but which has Zbigniew working on the sweeter side of the spectrum. Titles include "Nice To See You", "After Dinner Walk", "Seven/Eleven", "Follow Your Kite", and "Waltz For Two". LP, Vinyl record album

A full album that compiles Jazz At The Philharmonic appearances by the Oscar Peterson Trio – a group that in this case features Ray Brown on bass and Barney Kessel on guitar! The tracks are all long and jamming – very open, and a bit harder hitting than some of Peterson's studio sides, especially given the length of the tracks. Titles include "Tenderly", "C Jam Blues", "Seven Come Eleven", "Sweet Georgia Brown", and "Cotton Tail" – the last of which features an expanded lineup of JATP players. LP, Vinyl record album

One of those really magical records from the French scene of the 70s – a record that's instantly beyond easy labels or categorization, and which is in a very special space within the mind of drummer Jacques Thollot! Thollot created some pretty amazing improv sessions in the years before this album, but the style here is very different – short tunes that are filled with new ideas and all sorts of imaginative elements – often quite tuneful in these offbeat ways, like a composition by Moondog – sometimes more improvised – and served up on creative instrumentation from a core trio that has Thollot on drums, piano, and electronics – with Jean Francois Jenny Clark on bass, and Francois Jenneau on tenor, flute, and electronics too. None of the players sound here as they do on other records at the time – and the title track also features guest work from singer Charline Scott and a string quartet too. Titles include "Watch Devil Go", "Up Down", "Kanephoros", "Go Mind", "In Extenso", "Eleven", "Le Ciel Manque De Genealogie", "Au Stylo Fuetre Un Paysage", and "Before In". CD

One of those really magical records from the French scene of the 70s – a record that's instantly beyond easy labels or categorization, and which is in a very special space within the mind of drummer Jacques Thollot! Thollot created some pretty amazing improv sessions in the years before this album, but the style here is very different – short tunes that are filled with new ideas and all sorts of imaginative elements – often quite tuneful in these offbeat ways, like a composition by Moondog – sometimes more improvised – and served up on creative instrumentation from a core trio that has Thollot on drums, piano, and electronics – with Jean Francois Jenny Clark on bass, and Francois Jenneau on tenor, flute, and electronics too. None of the players sound here as they do on other records at the time – and the title track also features guest work from singer Charline Scott and a string quartet too. Titles include "Watch Devil Go", "Up Down", "Kanephoros", "Go Mind", "In Extenso", "Eleven", "Le Ciel Manque De Genealogie", "Au Stylo Fuetre Un Paysage", and "Before In". LP, Vinyl record album

A great example of the never-faltering genius of British piano legend Stan Tracey – a series of solo and trio recordings from 1997, recorded after Tracey had passed his 70th year, but was still going strong with an extremely fresh voice on the piano! The solo tracks here are almost even more compelling than the trio ones – never as far out or free as his 70s solo work, but with that undeniable sense of timing that always made his approach to the keys one of the most striking piano styles of the 20th century. The trio features son Clark Tracey on drums and Andrew Cleyndert on bass – and five of the CD's eleven tracks are solo numbers. Titles include "What's New", "NO Blues", "Angel Eyes", "Lover's Freeway", "Bye-ya", "Ask Me Now", and "It Could Happen To You". CD

Sockin soul from Geno Washington – an ex-American marine who recorded to big fame in the UK in the late 60s – working with the legendary Ram Jam Band, an act that rivaled some of the best American combos of the southern party circuit at the time! The CD features a huge amount of work by Geno – 27 singles, the full album Shake A Tail Feather, and 7 previously unissued bonus tracks – all packaged with a full set of notes on Geno's music and career. 47 titles in all – with tracks that include "Water", "Hi Hi Hazel", "Beach Bash", "Raise Your Hand", "You Got Me Hummin", "If This Is Love", "Boomerang", "Understanding/Turn It Over", "Use Me", "Seven Eleven", and "Bring It To Me Baby". CD

A mighty dip into the British indie scene of 1991 – a time when things were still going strong, and had evolved a heck of a lot since the first C86 compilation in the mid 80s! The work here represents new ears towards dancefloor elements that had been bubbling up in Manchester and elsewhere since the second summer of love – and it also shows an increasing love of psych elements, sometimes blended with the former – and a continued ear for great songwriting, and the kind of wit and character that marked British work from the post-punk years onwards! The box is every bit as well-done as previous volumes – great notes, and a wonderful track selection that includes many cuts that were never issued on our side of the Atlantic at the time – 59 titles in all, with work from The Wendys, Stairs, Moose, Spirea X, Sun Dial, Blueboy, The Forever People, Spitfire, Honey Smugglers, Northside, Ever, Headtime, Tramway, Top, Saint Etienne, Boo Radleys, Lush, Medalark Eleven, Horse Latitudes, Catherine Wheel, Bleach, Revolver, Daisy Chainsaw, and many others! CD

A great little live set – nicely extended, with the kind of surprises that Brubeck could bring to his concert appearances! The group's his classic quartet – with Paul Desmond on alto, Eugene Wright on bass, and Joe Morello on drums. Tracks include "Eleven Four", "St. Louis Blues", "For All We Know", "Castillian Drums", and "Blue Rondo a la Turk". CD

The first album attempt to recreate the live Dead experience! Long jams as only Jerry and crew could play them – with cuts that include "Dark Star", "The Eleven", "Feedback", "Turn On Your Love Light", and "We Bid You Goodnight". CD

Some of the greatest small group jazz recordings by tenorist Georgie Auld – a scattering of sessions from a variety of years – all of them great! The first 10 tracks on the set are from a 1951 session recorded by Auld's quintet that included Frank Rosolino, Lou Levy, and Max Bennett – on some hard-driving titles that include "Airmail Special" and "Sehseh", plus some mellower ballads that come across nicely as well. Next up is a septet session from 1959 – featuring Don Fagerquist on trumpet, Loy Levy on piano, Larry Bunker on vibes, and Howard Roberts on guitar. These tracks have a lighter swinging touch – wonderfully done in a way so that Auld's tenor is out front, and the guitar/piano/vibes combination really moves things along. That set features 10 numbers that include "A Smooth One", "Seven Come Eleven", "Wholly Cats", "Benny's Bugle", and "Rose Room". Next up are two sets of sides from 1963 – 19 tracks in all, recorded by a quintet that includes Frank Rosolino, Lou Levy, and Leroy Vinnegar on one session – with Larry Bunker and Johnny Gray in for Rosolino and Levy on the other. These tracks have a more traditionally swinging style, but opened up a bit, and titles include "Learnin The Blues", "For Losers & Boozers", "Drinking Again", "It's A Good Day", and "You're Faded". 40 tracks in all, on 2CDs! CD

Split release with "In Your Own Sweet Way", "A Minor Thing", "Love Walked In", "Here Lies Love", and "Out Of Nowhere" from Dave Brubeck. Oscar Peterson tracks include "On A Clear Day You Can See Forever", "Someday My Prince Will Come", "Waltz For Debbie", "Seven Come Eleven", "You Look Good To Me", and "The Lamp Is Low". CD

The classic batch of instrumentals from J Dilla – one that strongly transcends the hip hop genre – and perhaps his rawest, and most adventurous listening experience ever! The loopy soul samples, rich synth/electro shine, and thumping bass and soul beats that Dilla largely made his name on are laced throughout, but he also takes things a step into stranger territory – with spacey elements that buzz as much as they groove! The cuts are never less than soulful and funky, and never really steps into his peer Madlib's brand of the weeded out style, either. We love how raw this all feels, too! It's easily identifiable as the work of Jay Dee, but at the same time, wholly unpredictable! One of the best releases that Stone's Throw ever released – instrumental or vocal! Includes "Donuts (Intro & Outro)", "Workinonit", "Waves", "Light My Fire", "People", "Mash", "Airworks", "Lightworks", "Stepson Of The Clapper", "One Eleven", "Don't Cry", "Geek Down", "Thunder", "Gobstopper", "Walkinonit", "U-Love", "Last Donut Of The Night" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

One of the biggest-selling albums ever on the Blue Note label – even though the music here started out in the realm of copyright infringement! Back in the early 90s, the British duo used a big Herbie Hancock sample for an underground club cut – and when Blue Note heard about the track, not only did they not challenge them, they signed them to the label, encouraged them to dig deep into the back catalog – and began a trend that started a huge amount of jazz sample-based records for decades to come! If you know Blue Note, you'll hear plenty of familiar moments here – recast as dance cuts on titles that include the hit "Cantaloop", built up from Herbie Hancock's "Cantaloupe Island" – plus "I Got It Goin On", "Different Rhythms", "Eleven Long Years", "Lazy Day", "Cruisin", and "I Go To Work". LP, Vinyl record album

The first commercially-available full length set from Eleven76 – a group who get the classic sound library groove so correct, it's hard to tell if this is a contemporary album or a lost nugget from the 70s! There's a few moments of instrumentation and production that give things away slightly – but overall, these guys love the sort of tight, focused instrumentals that you'd find on the best DeWolfe or KPM Sound Library sets from years back – never complicating things too much, and just focusing on the right sort of rhythm, topped by a key instrumental element! The set's definitely got an Italian flavor at points – and titles include "The Scarab's Quest", "XYZ", "Junie", "This Kind Of Love", "Tooth Rot", "Feline", and "Puzzle". LP, Vinyl record album

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Larry Coryell on bass, bass guitar, keyboards, guitar and piano, Albert Stinson, Chris Brubeck, Chuck Rainey, Jimmy Garrison, Mervin Bronson, Miroslav Vitous, and Ron Carter on bass, Danny Trifan on bass guitar, Bernard Purdie, Billy Cobham, Bob Moses, Danny Brubeck, Elvin Jones, and Harry Wilkinson on drums, Alphonse Mouzon on drums and percussion, Chick Corea on electric piano, Jim Pepper on flute, John McLaughlin on guitar, Mike Mandel on keyboards, organ, electric piano, and synthesizer, Ray Mantilla on percussion, Darius Brubeck on piano, Mike Lawrence and Randy Brecker on trumpet, with vocals from Julie Coryell. CD

A really heavily-jamming album from Larry Coryell's Eleventh House group – certainly to be expected, given that the lineup includes John Lee on bass, Mike Mandel on keyboards, and Alphonse Mouzon on drums! The sound has plenty of rock-fusion touches – and Coryell's guitar is searing, with those great fuzzy touches he virtually invented in his early years – just right here for the kind of over-the-top fusion that the group's putting down! Some nice funky undercurrents – and titles include "Nyctaphobia", "That's The Joint", "Struttin With Sunshine", "The Other Side", and "Some Greasy Stuff". LP, Vinyl record album

Fantastic soul from Mainstream Records – an imprint that's normally best-known for their work in the field of jazz, but a label that also cut some killer soul singles in the early 70s! Mainstream soul artists almost never got a chance to record a full-length album – so over the years, this soul legacy has been somewhat lost in the shifting sands of time (and shifting piles of funky 45s) – which makes this collection a much-needed resurrection of that material – especially when given the ultra-hip, extra-level presentation of the Kent label! The CD features 23 great tunes from these years – some of them in the modern soul mode promised in the title, lots more in kind of a hip funky soul approach – very early 70s New York, with righteous themes mixed with more familiar soul styles – all set to impeccable instrumentation. Titles include "Oh My Love" by Almeta Latimore, "Come Back With Your Love (part 1)" by Special Delivery, "Grass Ain't Greener" by Charles Beverly, "Love Bug" by Sugar Billy, "You'll Do It" by Calvin Arnold, "I'll Never Trust Love Again" by McArthur, "You've Got A Lot To Give" by Chocolate Syrup, "I'll Never Be The Same (part 1)" by Chapter Three, "I've Been Trying To Love You" by Lenny McDaniel & The Last Nikle, "Slow Down World" by Charles Colbert, "Everyone Has Someone" by Linda Perry, "Your Love Is Like A Rising Sun" by Steptones, "Let Her Know" by Bobby Earl Williams, "Please Don't Set Me Free" by Jeany Reynolds, and "Today Or Never" by Eleventh Commandment. CD

Low Budget Hi Fi Music from Madlib – the eleventh entry in his epic Madlib's Medicine Show series – 28 tracks of hip hop unofficially dubbed the Dirty Demos! The set feature sample enriched instrumentals by Madlib as Loop Digga and collaborations with Strong Arm Steady, J Rocc, Madlib & Oh No as The Professionals, Guity Simpson, AG & Frank Nitt. It's great stuff, natch – finding Madlib in a straighter hip hop mode production wise – but straighter Madlib production has unexpected twists and turns! Loads of funky samples, some recognizable others otherworldly – and beats that range from dusty funk to dramatically soulful. Includes "The Sound Of Champions" (inst), "Charlie Hustle" by Strong Arm Steady, "Sam", "Snakes 101" by MED, "Girls" by J Rocc, "Love/Hate" (inst), "The Adventurs Of Soul Bra And Docta Dick'em Pts 1 & 2", "Hold Up" by The Professionals, "Thoughts Of An Old Flame" by Guilty Simpson and others. CD

These nuggets are plenty rugged – but they've also got a sharpness that marks the group as one of the most inventive funk acts to emerge in recent years – a combo who know that sometimes you can do more with a lot less – which in this case includes a focus on spare but well-crafted rhythms at the core, and solo work by just a key instrument or two! There might be a trumpet line on one cut, an echoey guitar part on another – and throughout, the group keeps things really lean and laidback – which makes for such a refreshing change from other soul-influenced combos who try to do too much at once. Titles include "Walking In The Rain", "Song For Lemona", "Eleventh Hour", "Battle Of Cans", "Arbor Vitae", "The Layover", "Moving Steady", "Rugged Walk", and "Take Me With You". CD