Mose Allison creates a very swinging machine for this classic Atlantic Records set – by adding in a few horns to his usual trio, and making for a groove that's even jazzier overall! Mose's vocals are wonderful, as always – extremely witty, with that great balance of New Orleans roots and 60s hipster jazz – served up in a host of his own wonderful compositions! But at some points, the horns step out even more strongly, and get some great solo play of their own – with excellent work from the obscure Jimmy Reider on tenor sax, a surprisingly great player we wish we knew better – plus the great Jimmy Knepper on trombone. Some tunes are instrumentals – and titles include the classic"Swingin Machine", plus "Do It", "Stop This World", "Promenade", "If You're Goin To The City", and "Saritha". LP, Vinyl record album

Unissued live material from a great stretch in the career of Count Basie – that time when he was turning in some excellent concert performances for Roulette Records, material that's got very similar charms to the music on this set! As with most of Roulette Basie, that revived sense of timing from Neal Hefti is very strongly in play – that magnificent sense of space between the notes that made this period of the Count's ensemble such a great one – with a rhythmic focus that's brilliant, and which opens up with even more excitement when a key soloist steps in! Players include Thad Jones and Snooky young on trumpets, Henry Coker and Benny Powell on trombones, Frank Foster and Eric Dixon on tenors, Freddie Green on guitar, Marshall Royal on alto, and Frank Wess on flute and alto – and there's a bit of vocals on a few tracks from later soul singers OC Smith and Irene Reid. Titles include "Segue In C", "Why Not", "Easy Money", "Backwater Blues", "Lil Darlin", "Easin It", "April In Paris", and "Cute". CD

Excellent work from Wand Records, a real powerhouse in 60s soul – featuring not hits, but nicely obscure tracks by Nella Dodds, The Gentlemen Four, The Ivories, Darryl Stewart, Clarence Reid, Wally Cox, the Charts, Ed Bruce, Billy Thompson, Walter Wilson, and The Masqueraders – plus two by Maxine Brown! LP, Vinyl record album

Excellent work by this sweeeeeet Miami funk ensemble – one of the tightest combos to ever grace the Sunshine State! This is the first of the group's two albums for the Drive/TK label – and it's got a great sound that mixes rougher funky 45 type playing, with some of the smoother production of the Miami scene – handled in this case by Willie Clarke & Clarence "Blow Fly" Reid! The whole thing's great, with a hard-ripping sound that's well worth all the praise the group have gotten over the years. Titles include the breakbeat cut "Chicken Yellow", plus their great 2 part single "Party Freaks", which has a cool Shaft-like groove to it – as well as the tracks "Same Ol Beat", "Funk It Up", and "Freak On Down My Way". LP, Vinyl record album

Rare Detroit soul from the archives of Dave Hamilton – the vast majority from the fertile late 60s period, plus a couple of later cuts – soulful Hamilton productions and featuring wonderful numbers by Bobby Dee, Priscilla Page, The Moderations, Frenchy & The Chessmen, Harry Reid, Charmaine, Sue Ann Jones, Emanuel Taylor, Billy Soul and more! Hamilton may not be one of the best known names in the soul music canon, but his imprint is massive – both as a producer and performer. This great Ace comp of rare singles is a fine document and it's filled with excellent tracks. A treasure trove! 25 tracks in all: "Take Care Of Your Own Business" by Dave Hamilton, "Sweet Thing Part 1" by Bobby Dee, "I'm Pretending" by Priscilla Page, "I'm Begging You" by Chicago Pete, "All Because Of You" by The Moderations, "You Gotta Show Me" by Billy Soul, "Won't You Come On Home by Harry Reid, "Don't You Listen" by Charmain, "Missing You" by Sue Ann Jones and more. CD

The title says "soul standards", but the music here is anything but – not familiar hits or well-worn classics, but instead a great array of lesser-known gems from the TK Records powerhouse of Florida soul! The music here really spans the spectrum of the excellent work that TK was doing at the time – and moves between southern soul, a bit of funk, and some of the more modern elements that TK was hitting at the time – bringing a new sort of sophistication to the southern scene. There's a few familiar cuts here, mixed with a lot more rare gems – and titles include "Jazz Freak" by Paulette Reaves, "You're The Song I've Always Wanted To Sing" by Timmy Thomas, "Gettin With My Baby" by Leon Debouse, "You Made Me Want To Dance" by Irene Reid, "Love The Way You Love Me" by Eddie Horan, "How Long" by Brandye, "Caught In The Act" by Facts Of Life, "Puttin It Down To You" by Jackie Moore, "You Can't See For Lookin" by Betty Wright, "Living For Today" by Jimmy Briscoe & The Beavers "Rock" by The JBs, "Best Part Of A Man" by Wilson Pickett, and "Let's Straighten It Out" by Latimore. CD

Unissued live material from a great stretch in the career of Count Basie – that time when he was turning in some excellent concert performances for Roulette Records, material that's got very similar charms to the music on this set! As with most of Roulette Basie, that revived sense of timing from Neal Hefti is very strongly in play – that magnificent sense of space between the notes that made this period of the Count's ensemble such a great one – with a rhythmic focus that's brilliant, and which opens up with even more excitement when a key soloist steps in! Players include Thad Jones and Snooky young on trumpets, Henry Coker and Benny Powell on trombones, Frank Foster and Eric Dixon on tenors, Freddie Green on guitar, Marshall Royal on alto, and Frank Wess on flute and alto – and there's a bit of vocals on a few tracks from later soul singers OC Smith and Irene Reid. Titles include "Segue In C", "Why Not", "Easy Money", "Backwater Blues", "Lil Darlin", "Easin It", "April In Paris", and "Cute". CD

Sure it's not the Blue Note years, but this is an excellent late set by Byrd that shows he was still one hell of a leader! Byrd's at the head of a strong group that includes Bobby Hutcherson on vibes, Joe Henderson on tenor, Donald Brown on piano, and Rufus Reid on bass – and the tracks are a blend of modal and soul jazz styles, awash with color and warmth, really stretching past earlier work by Byrd. Lorice Stevens sings soprano vocals on two tracks – "A City Called Heaven" and "Remember Me" – and the other tracks include "Del Valle", "King Arthur", "Not Necessarily The Blues", and "Buck Down In Lu Easy Anna". CD

Excellent work by this sweeeeeet Miami funk ensemble – one of the tightest combos to ever grace the Sunshine State! This is the first of the group's two albums for the Drive/TK label – and it's got a great sound that mixes rougher funky 45 type playing, with some of the smoother production of the Miami scene – handled in this case by Willie Clarke & Clarence "Blow Fly" Reid! The whole thing's great, with a hard-ripping sound that's well worth all the praise the group have gotten over the years. Titles include the breakbeat cut "Chicken Yellow", plus their great 2 part single "Party Freaks", which has a cool Shaft-like groove to it – as well as the tracks "Same Ol Beat", "Funk It Up", and "Freak On Down My Way". CD

The largest set so far in this excellent series of American soul releases from Mississippi Records – and like the previous volumes, an expansive set that really digs deep into the most soulful corners of the 60s and 70s! The work here is a mix of obscure tracks and overlooked gems from bigger names in soul – heavy on the kinds of vocals we love from the deep soul generation, but with maybe a few funky touches along the way! As with other volumes, there's a great booklet that's a huge addition to the package – filled with detailed notes – and the 3LP set features 30 tracks that include "Don't Be Surprised" by The Diamonettes, "I'm Lonely For You" by Bettye Swann, "Somewhere Crying" by Irma Thomas, "My Heart Cries For You" by The Invincibles, "Send Her Home To Me" by Johnny Moffett, "Tell Her" by Fred Williams & The Jewel Band, "Get In A Hurry" by Ben E King, "Like A Fish" by George Freeman, "A Woman Will Do Wrong" by Helene Smith, "22nd Century" by Nina Simone, "I'm Hurted" by Mamie Perry, "Can't Go On" by Johnny Steele, "Darling Don't Come Back" by Bobby Thomas & The Afros, "White On Rice" by Clarence Reid, "Louisiana" by Percy Mayfield, "I Submit To You" by Slim & Ann, and "Baby Please Don't Go" by Rose Mitchell. LP, Vinyl record album

An excellent 2CD primer of material collected during the dawn of the reggae age by the Trojan label on their 8 volume Tighten Up series. Bringing together some of the finest rocksteady & reggae cuts produced by Duke Reid, Leslie Kong, Scratch Perry & Joe Gibbs, the original compilations went a long way towards widening the appeal of the then poorly distributed Jamaican soul singles. The 52 songs spread out over these 2 CDs read like the playlist from a top selector's sound system, including The Untouchables' "Tighten Up", Val Bennett's "Spanish Harlem", The Uniques' "Watch This Sound", Clancy Eccles "Fatty Fatty" and "Rod Of Correction", The Upsetters' "Return Of Django", Niney's "Blood & Fire", Bob Andy's "You Don't Know", The Wailers' "Duppy Conqueror" & Johnny Clarke's "None Shall Escape The Judgement". CD

A wonderful reunion of the team of Frank Foster and Frank Wess – caught here in an easy-going and laidback style that's miles away from their work with Count Basie! The youthful rhythm section of Kenny Barron, Rufus Reid, and Marvin Smitty Smith really adds a lot to the set – giving the record a later sort of soul jazz vibe, one that's perfect for the pair to solo over in open-ended lines. Both Franks play tenor sax, and Wess plays flute and alto as well – while Foster does some excellent work on soprano sax. Titles include "Bay Street", "Two For The Blues", "But For The Likes Of You", "Nancy With The Laughing Face", "Your Beauty Is A Song Of Love", and "A Time For Love". CD

A later session by Toots Thielemans – but also one of his greatest albums ever, thanks to a super-hip rhythm section that includes Mulgrew Miller on piano, Rufus Reid on bass, and Lewis Nash on drums! The format here is spare and simple – Toots on harmonica, guitar, and a bit of whistling – in front of the core trio, who really help set the tone for the album. There's a warm and fluid grace here that recalls Miller's own excellent recordings of the 80s – yet also a gentleness that allows the aging Toots more than enough space to do his thing. And honestly, given the tricks, gimmicks, and overly-sentimental qualities of so many other of Thielemans' recordings, this set may well be one of his best straight jazz outings on record. Titles include "Footprints", "Blues On Time", "What Kind Of Fool Am I", "Laura", "The Windmills Of Your Mind", and "Sultry Serenade". CD

That's Brenda & Herb, not Peaches & Herb – Herb Rooney and Brenda Reid of the excellent 60s group The Exciters – grooving together here in a really full-on vocal approach that's clearly inspired by the best aspects of Ashford & Simpson! Tracks have a lush, full feel – arranged by Lou Hemsey in a mode that works equally well on the dancefloor tracks and on the mellower numbers – and there's an ambitious approach that could fall flat on its fact, but hangs together well – thanks to the overall execution of the set! The group may not be one of the best-remembered pair from the disco years – but they do a great job here of matching the best work of their contemporaries. Titles include "I Think I'm Gonna Like This", "Lie Down", "I Wanna Make You My Sweetheart", "Two Of Us", "Look What They've Done To Our City", and "What Goes Around". CD