Diana Ross & The Supremes are well-known for the magical music they created at Motown in the 60s – and they're almost equally well-known for their sense of style – which is the subject of this beautiful book of full color images! Ex-Supreme Mary Wilson wrote the book, with help from Mark Bego – and the volume is filled with amazing shots of the group in performance, posing for publicity stills, and working hard in other modes too – alongside page after page of their glamourous costumes too! Wilson obviously knows how to tell the story best – and the book follows the chronological changes in The Supremes, which also charts shifting modes in black American fashion as well – all preserved here with a really surprising amount of photos, which maybe shows that Motown and the group really thought about documenting their genius. Hefty, hardcover, and full color throughout! Book

Includes music from Waylon Jennings, Merle Haggard, Glen Campbell, Don Williams, Marty Robbins, Dolly Parton, Conway Twitty, the Statler Brothers, Eddie Rabbitt, Emmylou Harris, Freddy Fender, Charley Pride, Loretta Lynn, and more – 30 tracks total. CD

Includes music from Buck Owens, Eddy Arnold, Faron Young, Skeeter Davis, Patsy Cline, Don Gibson, Burl Ives, Hank Thompson, Johnny Cash, Brenda Lee, Hank Snow, Elvis Presley, Walter Brennan, and more – 30 tracks total. CD

A great overview of a crucially overlooked time in British music – the post-post-punk mid 80s period, a time when there were some great gritty groups working underground in the scene – often obscured by some of their more tuneful contemporaries of the C86 generation! The work here really carries the torch of some of the best late 70s experimentalists – and furthers the sound of raw guitars, skittish rhythms, and near-shouted vocals – but all in a way that's more artfully-oriented than more familiar punk rock, with unusual timings, phrasings, and subject matter that veers far from the norm! The collection features some especially great work from the short-lived but legendary Ron Johnson label – and titles include "Debra" by Big Flame, "Gonna Rob The Spermbank" by The Ex, "F*ck America" by Jackdaw With Crowbar, "Give Me The Keys" by The Noseflutes, "Blackmailer's Heartache" by The Shrubs, "Incineration" by Dog Faced Hermans, "I Love You Mr Disposable Razors" by A Witness, "Urban Ospreys" by The Nightingales, and "Warfood" by Pigbros. CD

With selections by Woody Herman, Duke Ellington, Lennie Tristano, Stan Kenton, Charles Mingus, George Russell, Brandeis Jazz Festival Ensemble, John Lewis, and Jeanne Lee & Ran Blake. LP, Vinyl record album

The fashions on the cover will definitely let you know what's in store here – a great array of gems from that moment when mainstream R&B was getting transformed with plenty of touches from hip hop – especially in the bottom end of the sound, where beats and basslines really helped soul music take off! The moment's best known as New Jack Swing, yet as the title implies, the tracks here are all by female artists – great groups and solo singers who helped shift the role of the female voice in soul music with tracks like this – bringing lots of bite to the music in a mighty nice way! And since the collection's done by Ace Records, the track selection goes way past the obvious, and includes some lesser-remembered gems, a few rare mixes, and other treats along the way – served up in a set list of 18 titles in all – with tracks that include "What I Will Do To You" by Ex-Girlfriend, "Giving You The Benefit (7" version)" by Pebbles, "Your Sweetness (LP version)" by The Good Girls, "Don't Walk Away (pop walk)" by Jade, "I'm So Into You (rmx)" by SWV, "Try Me (special slammin rmx edit)" by Jasmine Guy, "Full Term Love" by Monie Love, "Love On My Mind" by Xscape, "I Wanna Give It To You" by Shanice, "In My Nature" by Nuttin Nyce, "Piece Of My Heart" by Tara Kemp, "Lies (new jack rmx)" by En Vogue, "My Happiness" by Keisha Jackson, and "She's Not My Lover" by Joyce Irby. CD

The fashions on the cover will definitely let you know what's in store here – a great array of gems from that moment when mainstream R&B was getting transformed with plenty of touches from hip hop – especially in the bottom end of the sound, where beats and basslines really helped soul music take off! The moment's best known as New Jack Swing, yet as the title implies, the tracks here are all by female artists – great groups and solo singers who helped shift the role of the female voice in soul music with tracks like this – bringing lots of bite to the music in a mighty nice way! And since the collection's done by Ace Records, the track selection goes way past the obvious, and includes some lesser-remembered gems, a few rare mixes, and other treats along the way – served up in a set list of 18 titles in all – with tracks that include "What I Will Do To You" by Ex-Girlfriend, "Giving You The Benefit (7" version)" by Pebbles, "Your Sweetness (LP version)" by The Good Girls, "Don't Walk Away (pop walk)" by Jade, "I'm So Into You (rmx)" by SWV, "Try Me (special slammin rmx edit)" by Jasmine Guy, "Full Term Love" by Monie Love, "Love On My Mind" by Xscape, "I Wanna Give It To You" by Shanice, "In My Nature" by Nuttin Nyce, "Piece Of My Heart" by Tara Kemp, "Lies (new jack rmx)" by En Vogue, "My Happiness" by Keisha Jackson, and "She's Not My Lover" by Joyce Irby. LP, Vinyl record album

One of our favorite-ever Miles Davis albums – even if it is a soundtrack that he recorded in France! The CD issue of this material features a whopping 20 minutes of extra material, for a total of 26 moody jazz tracks that were originally recorded for the French film Ascenseur Pour L'Echafaud (Elevator To The Gallows). Miles recorded this material during late-night post-gig sessions with a great group that includes French players Barney Wilen, Rene Urtreger, and Pierre Michelot, plus American ex-patriot Kenny Clarke. Wilen's playing is fantastic, and it's great to hear him and Miles together on the score's spooky meandering passages. Titles include "Nuit Sur Les Champs-Elysees", "Assassinat", "Le Petit Bal", and "Au Bar Du Petit Bac". Great stuff, and one of the best jazz soundtracks ever! CD

Larry Carlton produced, and also plays a fair bit of guitars on this early 80s set from overlooked singer/songwriter Robert Kraft – and the Carlton touch gives the whole thing a fusion undercurrent that really sets the record apart from the pack! Robert's got a great way with a tune – catchy, smart lyrics – but never too cheesy – written in that way that made a rare few talents like him able to hold onto an AOR vibe in the early 80s, but still keep things in the more intelligent side of the spectrum. Kraft is one of those guys who got buried when the rest of the world was digging new wave singers and British imports – but this album is proof that he had plenty to offer. Titles include "Out With My Ex", "Just Another Notch On The Bedpost", "I Wonder What You're Like", "On The West Side", "Let's Hold Each Other Once More", and "Single Solo". CD

Lost genius from the UK scene of the 80s – the first-ever collection of work by Splat, a group whose singer was the force behind the legendary Ron Johnson records – home to some great funky punky acts back in the day! Splat have a groove that's right up there with labelmates Stump, The Shrubs, Big Flame, and The Ex – wickedly sharp guitars over basslines that owe something to funk, but are plenty punk overall – recorded with a depth that really makes the whole thing echo nicely, and which makes the vocals sound very moody and mysterious! The work is from that small underground of UK groups who were recording somewhere in the same territory as The Fall – and titles include "Fat Art Zero", "The Sleaze", "Jugular Blowjob", "A Foolish Crawl", "Biggles Bloodbath", "Yeah The Dum Dum", "Taxi", "Morbius 4", and "Eve". CD

Soul Jazz have done it again – and really knock it out of the park with this tremendous collection of Crescent City soul! Yes, there have been plenty of New Orleans collections over the years – and yes, most of them are pretty darn good – but there's really something special going on here – a very fresh take on the Nola sound, with lots of lesser-known tracks by some of the bigger names on the scene – and a special focus that goes way past the hits, and which also shows some real overlooked nuggets from the early 70s too! The tunes all still have that great New Orleans mix of grit and groove – but there's often a nice sense of warmth, too – less of the cliches you might associate with the scene, and some surprisingly mature modes on some of the later tracks too – almost as if deep soul modes from farther north in the south were filtering down to the city to change up the groove. As usual, Soul Jazz have included some copious notes to support their excellent music choices – and quite frankly, we're even more impressed than ever with their work on this project – and we've been stocking their albums for almost 20 years! Titles include "She's On My Mind" by Aaron Neville, "Caught You In A Lie" by Robert Parker, "Don't Pity Me" by Curley Moore, "Steppin Out" by Lionel Robinson, "Being Without You" by Maurice Williams, "Congratulations Baby" by Barbara West, "I Don't Wanna Hear It" by Betty Harris, "Back Street Lover" by Ernie K Doe, "I've Never Considered" by Inell Young, "The ABC Song" by Diamond Joe, "Tell Her That I Love You" by Jimmy Hicks, and "She'll Never Be Your Wife" by Irma Thomas. CD

Guru and Premier at peak level – and one of the greatest hip hop albums of the early 90s! Everything we love about classic Gang Starr is in full effect on Daily Operation – hard-hitting beats, dexterous jazz funk and soul samples, deft scratches and Guru's mic mastery out front. Classic, classic, classic! Includes "Take It Personal", "Ex Girl To Next Girl", "Take Two And Pass", "The Illest Brother", "I'm The Man" with one Jeru's first appearances on record (THE first?), "Soliloquy Of Chaos", "Hardcore Composer", "No Shame In My Game", "The Place Where We Dwell" and more. CD

Wonderful stuff – and one of our favorite-ever Marvin Gaye albums! This is the legendary two-record set that Marvin wrote and recorded as an alimony payment to his ex-wife Anna Gordy (the story's pretty long, and we won't get into it here – suffice it to say that when stars get a divorce, watch out!) Although the album was thought of as a no-brainer quickie at the time – and predicted to fail so that Anna wouldn't get any cash from it – the record is an extremely well-crafted one, filled with extremely personal songs that also have a warm soulful finish, in the style of Marvin's work on the LP I Want You (which is kind of a nice bookend to this one – as it was an extended love poem to the young girlfriend that caused him to split up with Anna!) Hard and soulful, the record's a searing testimony to the relationship between Marvin and Anna, and a painful document of the troubles between them – set to some mellow grooves that are easily some of Marvin's greatest of the 70s! The set's filled with great "lost" Marvin Gay songs, too – like "Sparrow", "When Did You Stop Loving Me", "Anger", "You Can Leave, But It's Going To Cost You", and "Time to Get it Together". LP, Vinyl record album

Very spare work from Lee Konitz – and the kind of live recording that almost takes us back to the icy brilliance we first heard in his alto sax in the 50s! The album features Lee's alto with only support from Alan Broadbent on piano – a stripped-down setting that really lets Konitz open up with these flowing lines that beautifully emphasize his tone – that sharp-edged approach to alto that we love so much, sounding almost as fresh here as it did back in the day. Broadbent's piano is nice too – usually quite spare – and titles include "Sequentialee", "Gundula", "If You Could See Me Now", "I'll Remember April", "Ex Temp", "Subconscious Lee", and "Keepin The News". CD

Arizona, wonderful solo work from this ex-Raider – an album that's almost to Mark Lindsay's career what Scott Walker's post-Brothers albums were to his! Lindsay really reinvents himself here – stepping out with a mature mix of jazz vocals, pop stylings, and more – all of which take him nicely past his roots, and into territory that should have gotten a lot more recognition at the time. Mark's vocals are pretty great – somewhat self-conscious, but never in a cloying way – and for the session, they're wrapped up in some hip arrangements from Artie Butler and Al Capps, both great partners for the date. Titles include "First Hymn From Grand Terrace", "I'll Never Fall In Love Again", "Man From Houston", "Arizona", "Something", "Love's Been Good To Me", "Sunday Mornin Comin Down", and "Small Town Woman". Silverbird is proof that Mark Lindsay did a mighty good thing by stepping out on his own – as the album's a true pop treasure beyond compare – arranged to perfection by the mighty Artie Butler! Butler has a great way of mixing up strings and full orchestrations with some slightly groovier rhythms at the bottom – all in a way that makes the record way more than the easy listening affair you might expect from a male singer at the time – and which instead pushes it into some very hip, mature territory that's totally great. Many songs are covers, but done here in really fresh versions – and Lindsay really brings his a-game to the record in a wonderful attempt to reinvent his sound. Titles include "Bookends", "Silver Bird", "We've Only Just Begun", "Come Saturday Morning", "Feel The Warm", and "Windy Wakefield". CD

Amazing music from Chris McGregor and his legendary Brotherhood Of Breath ensemble – easily one of the most exciting forces in British jazz in the 70s, and one fo the few who was still sounding their best in the latter half of the decade! McGregor's got as much bite and burn here as with his famous earlier combo, The Blue Notes – and the lineup here boasts ex-members of that group – Dudu Pukwana on alto, Johnny Dyani on bass, and Louis Moholo on drums – all joining together perfectly with McGregor's long-spun piano lines. The ensemble also features other key British players – Mike Osborne on alto, Evan Parker on tenor, Harry Beckett and Mark Charig on trumpets, and Radu Malfatti on trombone – creating this bold horn section that stretches to the skies on waves of soul! Two lengthy pieces "Sunrise On The Sun" and "Kwaholo" bookend the shorter piece "Sonia". CD features three more tracks not on the original album – "TBS", "Andromeda", and "You Ain't Gonna Know Me Cos You Think You Know Me". CD

Ex- Byrds! LP, Vinyl record album

Nice stuff from this ex-member of the group War – and a record that has Lee's trademark jazzy groove firmly in place! His spacey harmonica sound is spread over a bunch of slow steppin' grooves, with a nice electric feel. Tracks include "My Road", "Up all Night", "Our Road", and "Song for My Son". LP, Vinyl record album

One of Esther's strong winners for Kudu – a record that takes her soulful style of earlier years, and wraps it around some sly 70s funky arrangements! Ex-James Brown hornman Pee Wee Ellis arranged the album, and gave Esther a nice little dose of funk that really helped her groove – getting out of the sad bag of her Atlantic recordings, and sounding hipper than anyone would have expected! The record features the great slow funk groover "Black Eyed Blues" – and other tracks include "I've Only Known A Stranger", "You Could Have Had Me, Baby", and "Too Many Roads". CD also features the bonus track "Tangle In Your Lifeline", previously unissued! CD

A killer album of modern soul from ex-Dramatics singer LJ Reynolds! The album's in a modern Detroit mode all the way through – with top-shelf production by Reynolds, Don Davis, and Ronnie McNeir – and Ronnie, who'd been lost to the industry for a few years, also re-emerges as a writer on the songs "Southern Pearl", "Lonely Superstar", and "Ain't No Woman Like My Baby". The real standout, though, is the amazing cut "Key To The World", a killer steppers track that has a hook that won't quit, and this wonderful brassy finish that gives the track a really triumphant sound that works perfectly with the righteous lyric. The track's been a fave on the Chitown steppers scene for years – and for good reason! LP, Vinyl record album

One of greatest of all British punk era records – released in '77 and one that transcends mid-to-late 70s punk cultural baggage better than just about any other – a real benchmark! Wire kept it short and sweet on Pink Flag – with 21 tracks in about 35 minutes – and it's as artful as it is succinct. They'd prove to be as creatively ambitious as any of their peers and the brevity Pink Flag would soon make way for experimental flourishes that are ultimately just as important and influential, but this still might be their best. Includes "Reuters", "Field Day For The Sundays", "Three Girl Rumba", "Ex Lion Tamer", "The Commercial", "Strange", "Different To Me", "12 X U", "Start To Move", "Lowdown", "Surgeon's Girl", "Pink Flag" and more. CD

With "House Party" by the Full Force family (Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam, UTFO, Cheryl Pepsii Riley, Doctor Ice, Ex-Girlfriend and E-Crof), "I Can't DO Nothing For You, Man!" by Flavor Flav, 'To Da Break Of Dawn" by LL Cool J, "Funhouse" and "Kid Vs Play" by Kid 'N Play, "Jive Time Sucker" by the Force MD's, "Why You Get Funky On Me" by Today and more. CD

An overlooked 80s pop masterpiece – the first full album from The Apartments, one of the most blue-tinged groups of the decade! Ex-Go Between Peter Milton Walsh heads the group, which is a showcase for his wonderfully-penned songs – unique little tracks that show his Australian roots, but which also share links with some of the smartest UK pop of the period – no surprise, given the original release of the record on Rough Trade. There's a subtle genius here, but one that grabs you right away – given Walsh's distinct vocals, and the album's blend of jangle pop guitars with sadder elements like cello and flugelhorn, which help push things slightly towards 4AD territory, but without any goth. The whole thing's wonderful – one of those records we've loved for decades, from the moment we first heard it – and titles include "Sunset Hotel", "Mr Somewhere", "All The Birthdays", "Great Fool", "Speechless With Tuesday", "Cannot Tell The Days Apart", and "Lazarus Lazarus". Beautiful double-length package features almost a whole extra album – early singles, demos, and more – with tracks that include "All You Wanted", "Fever Elsewhere", "Refugee", "Help", and "Nobody Like You". CD

A fantastic live set from Art Blakey – recorded in Paris in 1960, with a version of the Jazz Messengers that includes Lee Morgan on trumpet, Wayne Shorter on tenor, Walter Davis Jr on piano, and Jymie Merritt on bass! Best of all, though, is that the group is joined by two Paris jazz giants on two tracks – the great saxophonist Barney Wilen on tenor, and American ex-patriot Bud Powell – who was doing some of his best work in Paris at the time, and sits in on the keys instead of Davis. Wilen's incredible tone sounds great next to Shorter's horn – and all the tracks are long enough to give all soloists plenty of room to move around. Titles include "The Midget", "Bouncing With Bud", and "Dance of The Infidels". CD

Angular Monk meets hard-driving Art Blakey – in a session that's quite unique, and which has gone onto become one of the best-remembered Atlantic jazz sessions of the late 50s! The album features Blakey in that key non-Blue Note year of 1957 – a time when he was working with a variety of players, at a variety of labels, and taking some real chances with his music before settling into his more established hit Jazz Messengers sound. The group here is Art's own – with Johnny Griffin on tenor, Bill Hardman on trumpet, and Spanky DeBrest on bass – augmented by the piano of Thelonious Monk – a match that might seem unlikely at first, but not so much so after you consider the great work that Monk and Griffin did together at Riverside during the late 50s. There's a nice match between Johnny's sharp-edged tenor and Monk's imaginative playing – and if anything, the record has Blakey, Hardman, and DeBrest moving dynamically to keep up with the flurry of modern ideas coming from Griffin and Monk! Tracks are almost all originals by Thelonious too – a fact that definitely helps keep up the "Monk-ish" sound of the record – titles that include "Evidence", "Blue Monk", "I Mean You", and "Rhythm A Ning" – alongside Griffin's "Purple Shades". LP, Vinyl record album

Amazing solo work from ex-Zombie Colin Blunstone – his first album after parting ways with his former group – and one of our favorite albums of all time! Blunstone's vocals were already amazing in The Zombies – especially near the end – but this set takes things even further, by blending his sublime lyrics with spare arrangements that often just feature simple string passages and warm piano parts – subtle accompaniment that leaves Colin strongly in the lead! The songs are wonderful – penned to recall the changes and issues of the year after the parting of the group – with plenty of help from old buddies Rod Argent and Chris White too. There's never been another record like this again, and there never will be – one of the true treasures of the greatest generation of music! Titles include "Let Me Come Closer To You", "I Can't Live Without You", "Smokey Day", and "Say You Don't Mind" – plus a fantastic cover of "Misty Roses", and the more rocking "She Loves The Way They Love Her". CD

Ex-Yardbirds with singer John Fiddler, with guest appearances by Jeff Beck and Rory Gallagher! LP, Vinyl record album

Quite possibly the best of the solo albums by ex-Cream bassist Jack Bruce – recorded immediately after the breakup of the band, with a great jazz-based lineup that includes John McLaughlin on guitar, Dick Heckstall-Smith on reeds, and Jon Hiseman on drums. The set's totally instrumental – and the choppy reed work of Heckstall-Smith is the strongest asset of the album, as he virtually sets the tone for a whole generation of European funky honkers to come for the next 10 years. Bruce's bass work is great too – and really pushes the album into some great moments, a few of which actually get a bit funky! Titles include "Over The Cliff", "Statues", "Sam's Sack", "Rill's Thrills", "Hckhh Blues", "Ballad For Arthur", and "Things We Like". CD features the bonus track "Ageing Jack Bruce, Three, From Scotland, England". CD

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Tremendous work all around – two rare sessions for Argo, plus additional material recorded for Emarcy! The core Cookin album is quite possibly the best album that Paul Gonsalves ever cut as a leader in the US! The record was cut during a flurry of recordings for Argo that all featured small group Ellington setups – sessions that were issued on three different albums under the names of Clark Terry, Jimmy Woode, and Paul Gonsalves! This set features both Terry's trumpet and Woode's bass – but Gonsalves' tenor is very firmly in the lead – blowing with a harder edge and a deeper soul than we ever remember on other records – a gritty style that's almost more hardbop or soul jazz than regular Ellington swing. Other players include Willie Jones on piano, and Sam Woodyard on drums – and the set features some great original titles that include "Clark's Bars", "Funky", "Festival", "Impeccable", "Paul's Idea", "Phat Bach", and "Milli Terry". Next up is The Colorful Strings Of Jimmy Woode – an incredible record from bassist Woode – quite possibly his only small group session as a leader, and a super-hip album that bridges his work with Duke Ellington and later sides with the Clarke Boland Big Band! The record's got a groove that's far different than anything Woode cut with Ellington – and in a way, it already points the way towards some of the sounds that would be created by American ex-patriots on the European scene of the 60s. The groove is very light – and features Woode's bass leading a combo with flute from Mike Simpson, tenor from Paul Gonsalves, trumpet from Clark Terry, and piano from Ramsey Lewis – all coming together in unusual timings and phrasings that are a fair bit different than their own work of the time. Simpson's flute is especially great – a really lyrical element that works perfectly with Woode's melodic bass work – and Gonsalves and Terry are working here in their best tonal color mode, really shading things in nicely! All cuts are originals by Woode, and they're done in long takes – with titles that include "Dance Of The Reluctant Drag", "Man From Potter's Crossing", "Falmouth Recollections", and "Foofy For President". The CD features 4 more tracks from an Emarcy album titled The Jazz School – work recorded in 1956 with Terry on trumpet, Gonsalves on tenor, Junior Mance on piano, Porter Kilbert on baritone, Chubby Jackson on bass, and Eugene Miller on drums. Titles include "Don't Blame Me", "Everything Happens To Me", "Take Nine", and "It Don't Mean A Thing". CD

A great recent recording by this masterful French tenorist! Guy Lafitte has a warm rich soulful style – of the sort that might have been influenced by American ex-patriots living in France, like Ben Webster, Hal Singer, or Lucky Thompson – and his albums are classics of French jazz, but have never been properly issued in the US. This live set from a few years back is about the only way you can get his work on CD – and it features him in a wonderful setting that still demonstrates his well-honed talent on the tenor. Lafitte is paired with French bassist Pierre Broussaguet, and the two of them deliver a haunting batch of mellow duets, recorded in a warm intimate setting. Titles include "Matisse", "Talma", "Julie", "France Dimanche", "Three Little Words", and "The Days of Wine & Roses". Very nice, and very soulful. CD

Includes "Lost Ones", "Ex-Factor", "To Zion", "Doo Wop", "Superstar", "Final Hour", "When It Hurts So Bad", "I Used To Love Him", "Forgive Them Father", "Every Ghetto, Every City", "Nothing Even Matters" , "Everything Is Everything", and "The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill". CD

One of the most bracing albums we've ever heard from drummer Paal Nilssen-Love – a set that features the leader on drums, Ken Vandermark on tenor and Bb clarinet, and both Terrie Ex and Andy Moor on guitar – each one playing in a different channel of the stereo recording! All the sharp edges you'd know from Terrie's work in The Ex are in place – but pushed into much more of an improvisational mode, and egged on by the contributions of Moor – so much so, the record almost feels as if Vandermark and Nilssen-Love have opened the door for a massive guitar jam, then find a way to fit in! The set features one long piece – "Medemer" – divided into six parts. CD

A decade's worth of groundbreaking funk and African rhythms – all of it recorded by Hugh Masekela for his legendary Chisa label! Back in the 60s, Hugh cracked the American charts with a playful version of South African jazz – but he was also an even hipper cat than you'd guess from his hits, and worked with a variety of incredible acts to expand his sound – a good number of whom ended up recording for Hugh on the Chisa label, in a unique blend of American soul and African inspiration that was years ahead of its time! The Chisa sound was one of the first true forays into pan-global grooving – and it brought the sounds of Africa to the American mainstream at a level that few had managed before. Some groups were unique projects done for record – like the Johannesburg Street Band, which featured members of The Crusaders alongside Masekela – but others featured a variety of ex-patriots living in the US, with key singers and players who shine brightly under Hugh's guidance. This set really digs deep, and offers up some of the most heavily African-tuned tracks from Chisa's catalog – 14 titles that include "Witch Doctor" and "Ahvuomo" by Baranta with Miatta Fahinbulleh, "Joala" and "Za Labalaba" by The Zulus, "Awe Mfana" by Johannesburg Street Band, "Macongo" and "U Se Mcani" by Letta Mbulu, "Tepo" by Baranta, "Aredze" by The Zulus, "Mahlalela" by Letta Mbulu, and "Afro Beat Blues" by Ojah with Hugh Masekela. LP, Vinyl record album

Dude! Back before he was found floating face-down in a swimming pool, ex- (or late-) Stones member Brian Jones put together this landmark bit of trippiness for the Rolling Stones label. Although the music is largely ethnographic, the whole thing's got this neo-colonialist hipster edge to it – as Brion Gysin wrote the liner notes, Jones wrote an introduction (and included his picture), and the whole thing was made possible by the presence of British junkies in Morrocco. The music is very trippy and trance-like, with lots of pinched reed sounds and haunting throbbing pulsing. Wild stuff, and a cool cross-pollination of cultures. CD

One of the few recordings available from the classic period of Chris McGregor's famous Brotherhood Of Breath ensemble – the African-tinged jazz combo that grew out of the wreckage of the ex-patriation of South Africa's Blue Notes ensemble as it mixed with members of the London scene in the late 60s. The resultant group was one of the most compelling cross cultural moments in jazz history – a mix of players that included Dudu Pukwana, Mongezi Feza, Nick Evans, Harry Beckett, Harry Miller, Evan Parker, and Louis Moholo. This live set was recorded in Bremen, Germany in 1973 – and it easily ranks with the best of the group's studio work, and (dare way say it?) may be their most perfect realization of the idiom they always promise, yet sometimes didn't deliver. Titles include "Wood Fire", "The Bridge", "MRA", "Restless", and "Kongi's Theme". CD

One of the best-kept secrets of the hardbop era! This amazing group – formed in Chicago in the late 50's by ex-Memphis players Walter Perkins on drums, Harold Mabern on piano, and Frank Strozier on alto – has always been one of the best groups ever to sum up the meaning of the phrase "hard bop" – as they play with tight bop lines, but mix in longer, more relaxed playing, and some very soulful phrasing. Strozier especially is amazing, and Mabern's piano lines are as warmly lyrical and richly complicated as on his later work on Prestige – and the group also features the great Willie Thomas on trumpet and Bob Cranshaw on bass. The team of Cranshaw and Perkins is amazing – MJT, Modern Jazz Two, who really make the album cook – freely grooving with incredible rhythms, which makes Strozier sound almost better than on any other sessions from the time. Titles include "Branching Out", "Lil' Abner", "Raggity Man", and "To Sheila". CD

The groundbreaking first album from Neu – maybe not the earliest record in the Krautrock generation – but a set that certainly set a new sort of standard after it was released! The group mix together slow-building rhythms and plenty of fuzz – all recorded by the great Conny Plank, who has a way of blending the songs and all their many elements – instrumentation put together by ex-Kraftwerk members Klaus Dinger and Michael Rother – who mostly use guitars, bass, and drums – but end up turning them into something completely different with the help of Plank! Some of the tracks are quite long, and really take a great path to find their way forward – very different than Can or Cluster, at least from an outside perspective – but equally classic. Titles include "Hallogallo", "Sonderangerbot", "Im Gluck", "Negativland", "Weissensee", and "Lieber Honig". LP, Vinyl record album

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A famous spoken word album from the ex-Miss Nude Universe – telling her tale of sin and redemption! LP, Vinyl record album

A wonderful set by Derk Reklaw – an overlooked Chicago musican from the 70s, and a player with credits that also include work in the legendary Pharoahs! The feel here is relatively in a spiritual 70s soul jazz mode – and Derf's working with ex-bandmates from the Chicago scene, plus a few younger players – in a modern setting that still recalls the glory of his past years. A number of tunes mix in a fair bit of percussion with the jazzy soloing, and the whole thing's got a very righteous feel overall. Titles include "Sunrise On the Nile", "We See", "Watusi Wu", "Hannibal", and a great version of Coltrane's "Ole". CD

Very cool work from Jean-Luic Aime – ex-member of Univers Zero, working here in a very heady brew of cold wave electronics! The music shifts between spare, almost tuneful numbers that remind us a bit of Minny Pops or Young Marble Giants – and some much more experimental sounds that belie Aime's legacy – done with a homegrown feel that would have been right at home in the darker corners of the early Crammed Disc universe! The album brings together tracks from a few different small-label cassette recordings, with full notes on the music from Andy Votel – and titles include "Prima Linea", "Scorpio", "Coaltar Saponine", "I Can Help You You Know", and "Ultrissima On The J's M". LP, Vinyl record album

Two members of the legendary Headhunters step out here on a great set of their own – material from a time when Herbie Hancock's ex-backing group were really enjoying a strong revival period! Mike Clark is on drums and Paul Jackson is on bass – and the pair get lots of deft solo work out of saxophonist Kenny Garrett, whose presence here is key to the more soulful side of the record – and nicely balances out the keyboard lines of Jeff Pittson – a player who's using more modern keyboard elements than Herbie used with the group in the 70s, but at a level that still lives up to the jazz funk promise of the group. Titles include "Spider Man", "Swamp Thing", "Steady Freddy", "Jurassic Park", "Pitt & The Pendulum", "Slinky", and "Hotel Domingo". CD

The second LP by this obscure group made up of ex-Sun Ra players and other midwestern jazz talents from the mid 70's. Art Hoyle's on trumpet, along with Bobby Lewis and George Bean. Rufus Reid plays bass, and Jerry Coleman's on the drums. The LP's got a mix of brassy playing and mellow basslines, with the tracks "Seasons", "Fanfare", "Deeter Dance", and "Casa De Suerte". LP, Vinyl record album

A Sunshine Pop classic from The Gordion Knot – an album that's overflowing with warm late 60s harmonies, all produced to perfection by ex-Hi-Los member Clark Burroughs! The album's got a style that takes the modes Burroughs and his group forged back in the 50s, and updates it with a groovier, modder sort of style – a gently swinging late 60s sound that brings in some trippier elements, and some occasional singer/songwriter inspirations. JD Weatherly steps out in front of the group on bolder lead vocals on a few numbers – but even on these, there's strong harmony support underneath – and some wonderfully dynamic backings that soar up, and support the whole thing on a really groovy pillow of sound! Titles include "It's Gonna Take A Lot", "The World Keeps Spinnin", "Strong Wind Blowin", "One Way Street", "Carraway Stream", "Carnival Lights Again", "Broken Down Ole Merry-Go-Round", "If Only I Could Fly", and "We Must Be Doing Something Right". CD

A Sunshine Pop classic from The Gordion Knot – an album that's overflowing with warm late 60s harmonies, all produced to perfection by ex-Hi-Los member Clark Burroughs! The album's got a style that takes the modes Burroughs and his group forged back in the 50s, and updates it with a groovier, modder sort of style – a gently swinging late 60s sound that brings in some trippier elements, and some occasional singer/songwriter inspirations. JD Weatherly steps out in front of the group on bolder lead vocals on a few numbers – but even on these, there's strong harmony support underneath – and some wonderfully dynamic backings that soar up, and support the whole thing on a really groovy pillow of sound! Titles include "It's Gonna Take A Lot", "The World Keeps Spinnin", "Strong Wind Blowin", "One Way Street", "Carraway Stream", "Carnival Lights Again", "Broken Down Ole Merry-Go-Round", "If Only I Could Fly", and "We Must Be Doing Something Right". LP, Vinyl record album

Ex-Shalamar vocalist Howard Hewett cut this smooth set of modern soul tracks for Expansion a few years back, with himself at the production helm, and a batch of tracks that were mostly self-penned (one of the exceptions to that is a nice cover of Marvin Gaye's "Just To Keep You Satisfied".) Other cuts include "How Do I Know I Love You", "For The Lover In You", and "On & On". Nice stuff, with the usual high-quality modern soul sound of the other releases on Expansion. CD

Ex-members of Spirit. Featuring "Run Run Run" and "Shake That Fat". LP, Vinyl record album

Wonderful solo work from this ex-Raider – an album that's almost to Mark Lindsay's career what Scott Walker's post-Brothers albums were to his! Lindsay really reinvents himself here – stepping out with a mature mix of jazz vocals, pop stylings, and more – all of which take him nicely past his roots, and into territory that should have gotten a lot more recognition at the time. Mark's vocals are pretty great – somewhat self-conscious, but never in a cloying way – and for the session, they're wrapped up in some hip arrangements from Artie Butler and Al Capps, both great partners for the date. Titles include "First Hymn From Grand Terrace", "I'll Never Fall In Love Again", "Man From Houston", "Arizona", "Something", "Love's Been Good To Me", "Sunday Mornin Comin Down", and "Small Town Woman". LP, Vinyl record album

Sax-heavy South African instrumentals – recorded in the London scene of the 60s, and a great example of the strong musical benefits of the post-colonial years! The group's a sextet with both group leader Gwigwi Mrwebi and ex-Blue Note Dudu Pukwana on alto sax – both of them trading lines back and forth on the beginnings of the tracks, then letting one player step out for a stronger solo. Also in the group is fellow Blue Note Chris McGregor on piano, Ronnie Beer on tenor, Coleridge Goode on bass, and Laurie Allan on drums – and although most players have some jazz background, the style here is not as strongly jazz-based as you might guess. Most tunes are in the mbaqanga mode, with the kind of skittish, jaunty South African groove that was transformed strongly by Hugh Masekela on these shores during the 60s – but unlike Masekela's music, the overall presentation here is much rootsier overall – very much in keeping with the South African styles of the late 50s. Titles include "Good News", "Hayini Bo", "Zangomva", "Zobongo", "Keleketle", "Ezindongeni", "Lily Express", "Rough Deal", "Mini Mthembo", "Mra", and "Nyusamkhaya". LP, Vinyl record album

Mid 70's album of funky soul tracks cut by ex-Gator Willie Tee, with a number of other members of the Gators, for United Artists. Don't go thinking that it's raw New Orleans soul, though, because the sound is a lot more polished, with more of a 70's modern groove to it. Willie's still got some nice moments on keyboards though, but most of the cuts also have some vocals. Tracks include "Anticipation", "Come To Me", "I Can Feel It", "Liberty Bell", and "Moment Of Truth". LP, Vinyl record album

A pair of records from Tempest – a group formed by drummer Jon Hiseman after the breakup of Colosseum! First up is the self-titled Tempest record – music by a hell of a group from the glory days of the Bronze Records scene – a group who boast some fantastic guitar work from a young Allan Holdsworth that are more than enough to get them on the label – but who also have a richness and complexity that rivals some of the hippest prog acts on labels like Vertigo or Harvest too! Ex-Colosseum member Jon Hiseman handles drums and percussion with a mighty nice edge, Mark Clarke delivers some heavy sinister basslines, and Paul Williams echoes all of those strengths with his dark-tinged vocals – in a mode that's nicely beyond some of the cliches that other groups might hit on a record like this. Titles include "Gorgon", "Brothers", "Foyers Of Fun", "Upon Tomorrow", "Grey & Black", "Up & On", and "Dark House". Next up is Living In Fear – a really great record from Tempest – a group who have so many different things going on at once – guitars that would be right at home on a hard rock effort, rhythmic complexity that verges on prog, and a tunefulness that really sends the whole thing over the top with an unexpected appeal that keeps on going throughout the entire set! Maybe the tipoff is the group's great cover of "Paperback Writer" – showing a love of the harmony in earlier work by The Beatles – updated here to a more guitar-based, fuzz-heavy style for the 70s – and matched with some equally groovy songs that have us wondering why these guys never found more of a following at the time! Other titles include "Funeral Empire", "Stargazer", "Dance To My Time", "Living In Fear", and "Waiting For A Miracle". CD set features two bonus tracks – "You & Your Love" and "Dream Train". CD

A spooky little soundtrack, with some slight erotic moments as well – all scored for a schlocky Italian film starring an ex-patriot Farley Granger! The story centers around an investigation of an earlier rape and murder – and the music does a good deal to underscore the mix of sexual tension and drama in the film – often using spare stepping basslines that move very slowly on the bottom of the tunes, while eerie keyboards, guitar, and weirder effects drift lightly over the top. A few numbers have a slightly warmer feel, in keeping with more erotic moments in early 70s Italian cinema – and there's also a bit of wordless vocals that float through some of the tunes, often with a theremin-like quality. CD features 24 tracks from the film – all remastered, and with notes in Italian and English! CD