... LP, Vinyl record album

Hardly any ragtime here – despite the title – and instead, the album's one of the greatest ever from drummer Beaver Harris – cut with his ultra-hip 360 Degree Music Experience group! The title is somewhat accurate in that the record brings together a long history of jazz-based expression – almost a century's worth of music, served up by Harris and the group members with the same fluid sensibility as Jaki Byard in his best work, although Byard was never this ambitious! The ensemble is somewhat large, but really comes together well – with an impressive range of artists who include Doc Cheatham on trumpet, Marshall Brown on trombone, Dave Burrell on piano, Keith Marks on flute, Cecil McBee and Jimmy Garrison on bass, and Maxine Sullivan and Bill Willingham on vocals. The album's sort of a mini-history of jazz, but one that's hardly hokey at all – and which usually veers towards Harris' more righteous modes of the 70s, even when hitting older styles. Sullivan is especially great – singing here as a sophisticated soul jazz diva of the 70s, and hardly the older-styled singer we might expect. A few moments are stripped down and percussive – and other odd instrumentation includes a bit of sitar and steel drums. Titles include "It's Hard To But We Do", "I Wish I Knew", "Can There Be Peace?", "Down In Brazil", "African Drums", and "Round Trip". LP, Vinyl record album

A true classic by Jimi with the original Experience lineup – the third of three straight up masterpiece LPs to come out in just over a year's time by the group! You could call the leftfield astral effects in the mix experimental if you had to – innovations in the studio with echo, that hallucinatory backwards sound effect and other stranger bits – but the passionate, naturally expressive playing and singing by Jimi makes it all fell just right, and the Noel Redding and Mitch Mitchell still don't get enough credit for being at the heart of such greatness. A massive 2LP effort that includes "Voodoo Chile", "Crosstown Traffic", "Electric Ladyland", "Little Miss Strange", "Moon Turn The Tides", "Still Raining Still Dreaming" and "All Along The Watchtower". LP, Vinyl record album

Pure genius from this hardly-heard group – a really wonderful little record that mixes soul and funk with some slight Latin touches as well – all in a blend that's as incredible as the record is rare! The group have this really warm vibe on the vocal numbers – a mix of female lead and chorus bits that's not unlike Voices Of East Harlem, and equally righteous too. But there's also some instrumental bits that are even harder and heavier – almost funky descarga numbers with some really jamming instrumentation, including some fuzzy vibes at one point that almost recall Stark Reality. Titles include "Getting It Down", "Through No Fault Of Our Own", "It's Wonderful Baby/Gina", "Come On And Stay With Me", "Stuff N' Thing", 'Keep On Keepin' On", "Babylon", "Reality", "Judgement Day", and "My People". LP, Vinyl record album

Few folks get a classic groove as right as T-Groove – and here, he's working with the George Kano Experience for an even more classic vibe – this wonderful blend of soul, jazz, funk, and boogie – all put together with the best sort of 80s groove production! The album's got a wonderfully understated vibe – so much so, the whole thing almost feels like the kind of lost major label production from back in the day – the sort of the set that was cut with top-shelf talents in the studio, then under-promoted by the record company – only to be discovered years later by rare groove hounds like us! Yet it's contemporary, and hopefully will get the attention it deserves – overflowing with great tracks that include a clubby remake of Herbie Hancock's "Cantaloupe Island", topped with the lyrics penned by Mark Murphy in the 70s – plus tracks that include "Shallow Naked Love", "Timeless Groove", "Haven", "Do It Baby", and "Secret Lover". CD

Few folks get a classic groove as right as T-Groove – and here, he's working with the George Kano Experience for an even more classic vibe – this wonderful blend of soul, jazz, funk, and boogie – all put together with the best sort of 80s groove production! The album's got a wonderfully understated vibe – so much so, the whole thing almost feels like the kind of lost major label production from back in the day – the sort of the set that was cut with top-shelf talents in the studio, then under-promoted by the record company – only to be discovered years later by rare groove hounds like us! Yet it's contemporary, and hopefully will get the attention it deserves – overflowing with great tracks that include a clubby remake of Herbie Hancock's "Cantaloupe Island", topped with the lyrics penned by Mark Murphy in the 70s – plus tracks that include "Shallow Naked Love", "Timeless Groove", "Haven", "Do It Baby", and "Secret Lover". CD

A great little record from alto saxophonist Norman Williams – also known as The Bishop – and the first record on the mighty Theresa label too! The sound here is maybe a bit funkier than some of the other Theresa sessions of the late 70s – in part because there's some monstrous bass on the record, courtesy of Michael Formanek – who works magic alongside the keyboards and warmly-rolling rhythms – which are a perfect foil for the sharper lines that Williams brings to the record on his alto! The approach has some of the warmth and soul of the best 70s sessions on Black Jazz or Catalyst – and titles include "Trane's Paradise", "Mr Peabody", "Figure Eight", "Terry's Song", and "Ole Brown". LP, Vinyl record album

Ray Harris is a heck of a great keyboardist – one with plenty of influences from the 60s and 70s, and a groove that more than lives up to the title of the set! The style's a bit less conventionally "fusion" than you might expect – and instead, there's almost a club jazz feel at times – modes from scenes like those at Irma or Ricky Tick, served up with plenty of warm touches, and a blend of real jazz instrumentation and solos with just a bit of occasionally programmed beats. Harris' plays piano, organ, clavinet, and Rhodes – often more than one on the same tune, for an approach that has that great blend of acoustic and electric elements you might find on some of the more soulful jazz sessions of the 70s. And there's also a bit of vocals on the record – but always used somewhat sparingly, in a way that takes a definite back stage to the long, grooving keyboard lines on the set! Titles include "The Sioux", "Scaramunga", "My Last Chance", "Interpretation", "There's Nothing Like You", "Origin", "Tokyo Blue", "One Of A Kind", and a great cover of "Riders On The Storm". CD

Not experienced? Well, this album will help push you over the top – as it's done for decades of listeners from the heyday of young Jimi Hendrix all the way up to the present! The set's a classic through and through – a blueprint not just for the genius of Hendrix, but for generations of guitar heroes to come – as you might expect with a lineup that includes "Hey Joe", "Manic Depression", "The Wind Cries Mary", "Fire", "Third Stone From The Sun", "Are You Experienced", and "Purple Haze". LP, Vinyl record album

Not experienced? Well, this album will help push you over the top – as it's done for decades of listeners from the heyday of young Jimi Hendrix all the way up to the present! The set's a classic through and through – a blueprint not just for the genius of Hendrix, but for generations of guitar heroes to come – as you might expect with a lineup that includes "Hey Joe", "Manic Depression", "The Wind Cries Mary", "Fire", "Third Stone From The Sun", "Are You Experienced", and "Purple Haze". CD

A true classic by Jimi with the original Experience lineup – the third of three straight up masterpiece LPs to comeout in just over a year's time by the group! You could call the leftfield astral effects in the mix experimental if you had to – innovations in the studio with echo, that hallucinatory backwards sound effect and other stranger bits – but the passionate, naturally expressive playing and singing by Jimi makes it all fell just right, and the Noel Redding and Mitch Mitchell still don't get enough credit for being at the heart of such greatness. A massive 2LP effort that includes "Voodoo Chile", "Crosstown Traffic", "Electric Ladyland", "Little Miss Strange", "Moon Turn The Tides", "Still Raining Still Dreaming" and "All Along The Watchtower". CD

A true classic by Jimi with the original Experience lineup – the third of three straight up masterpiece LPs to come out in just over a year's time by the group! You could call the leftfield astral effects in the mix experimental if you had to – innovations in the studio with echo, that hallucinatory backwards sound effect and other stranger bits – but the passionate, naturally expressive playing and singing by Jimi makes it all fell just right, and the Noel Redding and Mitch Mitchell still don't get enough credit for being at the heart of such greatness. A massive 2LP effort that includes "Voodoo Chile", "Crosstown Traffic", "Electric Ladyland", "Little Miss Strange", "Moon Turn The Tides", "Still Raining Still Dreaming" and "All Along The Watchtower". CD

A massive amount of music that definitely lives up to its title – not the debut album by the Jimi Hendrix Experience, but instead 4CDs' worth of rare music, both live and studio – more than enough to deeply enrich your experience of the music of Jimi Hendrix! The package is a real delight to those who've been trying to track down bits like these on bootlegs over the years – a fully-licensed package put together with the Experience Hendrix folks, filled with unreleased alternates, live recordings, unusual mixes, and more! The set features a whopping 56 rare tracks, four whole new songs mixed with live tracks and alternates – and an 80 page booklet of rare photos and notes on the tracks. Titles include live versions of "Little Wing", "Red House", "Purple Haze", "All Along The Watchtower", "In From The Storm", "Fire", and "The Wind Cries Mary" – plus unreleased recordings of "Little Wing", "Slow Blues", "If 6 Was 9", "Title #3", "Hey Joe", "Highway Chile", and "Room Full Of Mirrors" – and alternate versions of "Sweet Angel", "Gloria", "Message To Love", and lots more! CD

An amazing package – a pair of rare avant jazz albums, presented here together! The first album is Peace In The World – maybe the only album issued under the name of Michael Cosmic – but a set that's part of a key legacy with his brother, reedman Phill Musra! The set has Cosmic in very heady territory – sounds that come from his young tenure in the AACM, his brief time with Cecil Taylor, and his budding reputation on the 70s Boston scene – where the set was recorded, and almost stands as a precursor to the rich legacy of improvisational jazz that would emerge on the New England scene for decades to come! Tracks are long and very free, but have spiritual currents too – and Cosmic is mostly on piano, with Musra on soprano sax and tenor, Leonard Brown on soprano and tenor, John Jamyll Jones on bass, Huseyin Ertunc on drums, and Eric Jackson on percussion. Titles include "We Love You Malcolm X", "Peace In The World", "Sapce On Space", and "Arabia". Next is the related album Creator Spaces, by Phill Musra – recorded at the time when he was part of the very underground Boston avant scene – a world that had a slightly different vibe than music coming from Chicago, Detroit, or New York! The album's got a spiritual avant bent – soulful at the core, with lots of references to outer space as well – and an approach that feels a lot like a classic Saturn Records session by Sun Ra, both in sound and spirit! Musra plays reeds, chimes, and percussion – and the group features some incredible sax work by Michael Cosmic, who also plays a bit of organ, again in a tripped-out, Ra-type way. Huseyin Ertunc plays percussion – very free and loose, in ways that are a great balance to the more angular lines of the reeds – and tracks include "The Creator Is So Far Out", "The Creator Spaces", "Egypt", and "Arabia". Also features unreleased tracks "The Creator Is So Far Out (unreleased version)" and "Phyllis". Added to the set is a really special bonus third CD – an unreleased long live performance of "The Prayer" by Worlds Experience Orchestra – a group from the same scene at the time – with Shaddu Jones on piano, Stan Strickland on tenor and soprano, Frank Peterson on alto, John Jamyll Jones on bass, Robert Ruff on cello, Larry Lerner on drums, and John Klein on amplified violin. CD

One of the most striking Don Pullen albums of the 80s – a beautifully open session that has the pianist co-leading a version of the 360 Experience group of drummer Beaver Harris – with an excellent lineup that also features Ricky Ford on tenor sax, Hamiet Bluiett on baritone, and Buster Williams on bass! The mix of players is unusual, and the sound here is as well – a record that easily steps between freer moments and more tuneful passages – imbued with the creative spirit of the loft jazz generation, but also taken a step further too – possibly via the album's production work by Hal Willner. There's some truly majestic moments on the album – and the whole thing is a great demonstration of the way that the farther fringes of the jazz universe were finding even more focused expression in the 80s – during a time when records like this really helped give musicians a great outlet for their new ideas. The set begins with the very long "Goree", which has additional work by Candido on percussion – and other tracks include "Land Of The Pharoahs", "Double Arc Jake", and "Newcomer". CD

Not experienced? Well, this album will help push you over the top – as it's done for decades of listeners from the heyday of young Jimi Hendrix all the way up to the present! The set's a classic through and through – a blueprint not just for the genius of Hendrix, but for generations of guitar heroes to come – as you might expect with a lineup that includes "Hey Joe", "Manic Depression", "The Wind Cries Mary", "Fire", "Third Stone From The Sun", "Are You Experienced", and "Purple Haze". LP, Vinyl record album

A true classic by Jimi with the original Experience lineup – the third of three straight up masterpiece LPs to comeout in just over a year's time by the group! You could call the leftfield astral effects in the mix experimental if you had to – innovations in the studio with echo, that hallucinatory backwards sound effect and other stranger bits – but the passionate, naturally expressive playing and singing by Jimi makes it all fell just right, and the Noel Redding and Mitch Mitchell still don't get enough credit for being at the heart of such greatness. A massive 2LP effort that include s"Voodoo Chile", "Crosstown Traffic", "Electric Ladyland", "Little Miss Strange", "Moon Turn The Tides", "Still Raining Still Dreaming" and "All Along The Watchtower". CD

Titles include "Shake", "Respect", "Try A Little Tenderness", and "I've Been Loving You Too Long" by Otis Redding – and "Like A Rolling Stone", "Rock Me Baby", and "Wild Thing" by Jimi Hendrix. Cassette

Probably the rarest of the three albums issued by this early 70s funk ensemble – a tight live effort cut right around the same time as Kool & the Gang's live sets, and with a very similar feel! The group are playing before a very enthusiastic audience at a small-time school for boys – kids who were probably troubled and so cooped up that they really went wild when the band showed up to play. Tracks are long, with plenty of spontaneous energy – and the group runs through a wide range of material, all honed into their lively ensemble style. Titles include "It's A Funk Thing", "40 Acres & A Mule", "Hey Love", "Everything Is Beautiful" and "Music Is Alive". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the most striking Don Pullen albums of the 80s – a beautifully open session that has the pianist co-leading a version of the 360 Experience group of drummer Beaver Harris – with an excellent lineup that also features Ricky Ford on tenor sax, Hamiet Bluiett on baritone, and Buster Williams on bass! The mix of players is unusual, and the sound here is as well – a record that easily steps between freer moments and more tuneful passages – imbued with the creative spirit of the loft jazz generation, but also taken a step further too – possibly via the album's production work by Hal Willner. There's some truly majestic moments on the album – and the whole thing is a great demonstration of the way that the farther fringes of the jazz universe were finding even more focused expression in the 80s – during a time when records like this really helped give musicians a great outlet for their new ideas. The set begins with the very long "Goree", which has additional work by Candido on percussion – and other tracks include "Land Of The Pharoahs", "Double Arc Jake", and "Newcomer". CD

Not experienced? Well, this album will help push you over the top – as it's done for decades of listeners from the heyday of young Jimi Hendrix all the way up to the present! The set's a classic through and through – a blueprint not just for the genius of Hendrix, but for generations of guitar heroes to come – as you might expect with a lineup that includes "Hey Joe", "Manic Depression", "The Wind Cries Mary", "Fire", "Third Stone From The Sun", "Are You Experienced", and "Purple Haze". CD

... CD

Mean, lean grooves from The Gap Band – a legendary batch of mainstream funk from the end of the 70s – and a record that really has the trio working at the top of their game! There's a wonderful balance here between funky numbers and mellow ones – the latter of which really help pace the record nicely, giving it a depth that takes the group way beyond the cliches of some of their contemporaries, and firmly establishing the Gap Band as one to watch for the 80s! Titles include the massive "I Don't Believe You Want To Get Up & Dance" – with its classic "Oops Upside Your Head" refrain – plus "Who Do You Call", "No Hiding Place", "Steppin Out", "You Are My High", and "Party Lights". LP, Vinyl record album

Not experienced? Well, this album will help push you over the top – as it's done for decades of listeners from the heyday of young Jimi Hendrix all the way up to the present! The set's a classic through and through – a blueprint not just for the genius of Hendrix, but for generations of guitar heroes to come – as you might expect with a lineup that includes "Hey Joe", "Manic Depression", "The Wind Cries Mary", "Fire", "Third Stone From The Sun", "Are You Experienced", and "Purple Haze". CD

... CD

A great bass-heavy groover from The Gap Band – pulled off one of their best albums ever, Gap Band IV! The cut's got some really great funky bits on the bottom – acoustic piano wrapped around some more electric rhythms, in a blend that keeps the track as soulful as it is catchy! 12-inch, Vinyl record

... CD

Perhaps the ultimate album for The Gap Band – and sure, it was a hit, but the record still sounds great today, and the constant sampling of some of the record has kept it fresh in the crates for years and years! The band have lost the heavier funk sound of earlier years, and working in a slick 80s groove mode that they both helped to define and put on the charts with the tracks "Outstanding" and "Early In The Morning", both two killer grooves with a complicated instrumental feel, and some wicked harmony vocals over the top. Lonnie Simmons is still producing the band – and other tracks include "Lonely Like Me", "Stay With Me", "Talkin Back", and "You Dropped A Bomb On Me". LP, Vinyl record album

Sweet electro funk from The Gap Band – a group who are still grooving strong here, hitting the best of their Total Experience modes! The trio's mighty tight throughout – and their familiar funk is augmented by some electro touches that definitely keep things fresh – and we mean that in the best mid-80s use of the word! A bit of an old school influence comes into the vocals at points – which are spoken as much as sung on some cuts – and as always, The Gap Band really show their strength with the kind of catchy chorus that works great with a bassy groove. Titles include a great ballad reworking of "Going In Circles" – plus the groovers "Lil Red Funkin Hood", "Automatic Brain", "Desire", "Bumpin Gum People", and "I Know We'll Make It". LP, Vinyl record album

Here you go – every groover you'd ever want by the Gap Band, on one CD! Titles include "Burn Rubber", "You Dropped A Bomb On Me", "Shake", "Yearning For Your Love", "Outstanding", and "Party Train". Whomp that bass! CD

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

An 80s groove classic! "Outstanding" has some wonderful funky grooves and a killer 80s sound that's complete with very fat bass pedal grooves, and some tight keyboard work! The hook's a monster, and this rare single offers up 2 versions not on the LP! 12-inch, Vinyl record

The legendary New Year's concerts from 1969/1970 with Band Of Gypsys at Fillmore East – presented here in an expanded format that includes four shows, spread across five discs! Titles include "Stone Free", "Power Of Soul", "Machine Gun", "Voodoo Child", "Auld Lang Syne", "Who Knows", "Stepping Stone", "Changes", "Wild Thing", and more! CD

A winning batch of modern soul from Yarbrough & Peoples – synthy duet soul, bits of funk, and some sweety sultry groovers, too! Y&P do their thing in a number of modes, and that fairly expansive approach to the 80s R&B sound really sets them apart from many of their peers. On one level, the synths and period production touches are kind of slick, but there's enough of a bubbling funky underbelly to give it some grit. Alisa Peoples can deliver a sultry coo or powerhouse lead with equal success, and Calvin Yarbrough is a charismatic partner. "Don't Waste Your Time", "I'm Ready To Jam", "I'll Be There", "I Only Love You", "Be A Winner", "The Power", "Who Said That", "I Gave My All (To You)" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

... CD

One of the most unlikely of success stories in the long string of posthumous Jimi Hendrix releases – a "new" album of studio recordings from Jimi that actually hits the mark. Billed as an unreleased album, the material has popped up on releases from time to time, but the new mixes and sequencing surpisingly do it justice and make this one worth picking up for Hendrix fans and newbies alike. It ain't on par with the first three albums by The Experience, but really, what is? Includes "Stone Free", "Bleeding Heart", "Mr Bad Luck", "Lover Man", "Fire", "Red House", "Lullaby For The Summer", "Ships Passing Through The Night", "Sunshine Of Your Love" and more. CD

The hippest side of Cannonball Adderley at the end of the 60s – that loose, soulful vibe he was serving up on some of his coolest records for Capitol at the time – stretched out here over some very long tracks recorded live in France! The year alone marks the record as a great one – as Cannon in 1969 could do no wrong – and he's working here with his crack quintet that includes Nat Adderley on cornet, Victor Gaskin on bass, and Roy McCurdy on drums – plus the mighty Joe Zawinul on both acoustic and electric piano – really finding his groove here, with that incredible sense of chunky rhythm that really seemed to set Cannonball and Nat on fire! Titles include "Why Am I Treated So Bad", "The Scavenger", "Experience In E", "Blue No Boogie", "Walk Tall", "Come Sunday", "Work Song", and "Manha De Carnaval". CD

Guitarist Laurindo Almeida returns to a bit of his roots here – but he also shows off a lot of the jazz experience he's picked up along the way! The album features Almeida working solo on acoustic guitar – although possibly overdubbed alongside himself at times – and while the set begins with the serious title composition, things never get too much in the realm of classical guitar – and instead have Almeida skirting many different styles, including a bit of bossa guitar – and working with this uniquely echoey recording style that makes each note resonate with a richly expressive sound! Titles include "Cool Cat Keeps Coat On", "Holiday For Strings", "Songs From Black Orpheus", "The Summer Knows", and "Star Dust". CD

Guitarist Laurindo Almeida returns to a bit of his roots here – but he also shows off a lot of the jazz experience he's picked up along the way! The album features Almeida working solo on acoustic guitar – although possibly overdubbed alongside himself at times – and while the set begins with the serious title composition, things never get too much in the realm of classical guitar – and instead have Almeida skirting many different styles, including a bit of bossa guitar – and working with this uniquely echoey recording style that makes each note resonate with a richly expressive sound! Titles include "Cool Cat Keeps Coat On", "Holiday For Strings", "Songs From Black Orpheus", "The Summer Knows", and "Star Dust". LP, Vinyl record album

A killer contemporary set from Gyedu Blay Ambolley – one of the Afro Funk heroes of the 70s, still sounding fantastic after all these years! The album was all recorded at Ambolley's Simigiwa Studios in Ghana – and arrangements, instrumentation, and production are all in a very classic mode – with the leader on tenor and vocals, stretching out with this nicely raspy quality that's a great evolution in his sound – as if he's found a way to put even more feeling and experience into the sound that he gives us! The rest of the lineup features keyboards, trumpet, tenor, alto, guitar, and plenty of percussion – on titles that include "Black Woman", "I No Dey Talk I Do De Lie", "Ignorance", "Little Small Girl", "Sunkwa", "Who Go Pay", "Brokos", and "Who Made Your Body Like Dat". CD