Wayne Fontana without The Mindbenders – and sounding really cool, really groovy, and a like a completely different singer than before! A big part of the credit for the record might go to Les Reed – who sets up that great Fontana vocal style with modes that are jazzier than before, and which also echo other mod currents on the London scene – mixing in familiar American standards and soul tunes with a more swinging 60s style – which gives the whole thing the charms of similar work at the time by Alan Price or Georgie Fame! The whole thing's great – a real revelation – and titles include "It Was Easier To Hurt Her", "Please Stop The Wedding", "My Friend & I", "Star Of Eastern Street", "Internal Circle", and "Perfidia". 2CD set features 22 more fantastic tracks – all excellent solo singles that continue the trend of the album – titles that include "Dayton Ohio 1903", "Charlie Cass", "Pamela Pamela", "Storybook Children", "Waiting For A Break In The Clouds", "24 Sycamore", "The Sun's So Hot Today", "The Impossible Years", and "Mind Excursion". CD

... LP, Vinyl record album

A stunning collection of work from Kiki Dee – a British singer that most folks only discovered in the US in the mid 70s, thanks to a duet with Elton John – but one who gave her homeland some fantastic music in the 60s! The set's the first to fully dip into this part of Kiki's career, and bring all the best bits together – early singles and an album for the Fontana label, plus European material too – then her full album for Motown from the end of the 60s, plus nine more bonus tracks recorded for Motown too! The whole thing's a massive book-styled package – with loads of notes and photos – and the music shows just what a groovy singer Kiki was back in the day – the kind of powerhouse female vocalist that England always seemed to do better than us at the time. The set features 60 tracks in all – the albums I'm Kiki Dee and Great Expectations, plus rare tracks and singles – a set list that includes "Runnin Out Of Fools", "There He Goes", "The Day Will Come Between Sunday & Monday", "My Whole World Ended", "I'll Have You You'll Have Me", "Oh Be My Love", "Mr Loneliness", "You're My World", "While They Watch", "On A Magic Carpet Ride", "Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You", "Hungry Heart", "Now The Flowers Cry", "I'm Going Out", "Don't Destroy Me", "Why Don't I Run Away From You", "Sunshine", "Patterns", "With A Kiss", "That's Right Walk On By", and "Senza Te". CD

An amazing collection of music – the legendary Fontana Records run of albums by tenor giant Tubby Hayes – a key player on the UK bop scene of the 50s, but one who took off in all these great new directions with these classic albums for the Fontana label in the following decade! The package features twelve full albums done by Tubby as a leader – all newly remastered by Gearbox, and packaged here with bonus material that was not on previous reissues – a number of alternate takes across the entire Fontana catalog! Each album comes in an LP-styled jacket with original cover art, save two, which are combined – and albums include Tubbs, Tubbs In New York, Palladium Jazz Date, Equation In Rhythm, Down In The Village, Late Spot At Scotts, Tubbs Tours, Return Visit, 100% Proof, Mexican Green, The Orchestra, and the 2CD version of the newly-discovered Grits, Beans, and Greens. There's a big booklet of notes, too, with rare photos and other images – and the whole package is wonderful throughout! CD

A long-lost album from one of our favorite jazz talents of all time – British tenor legend Tubby Hayes, a player we'd easily place on a short list with giants like Dexter Gordon or Sonny Rollins! Like both of those players, Hayes has an incredible talent for longform solos that never lose their fire, direction, or imagination – a quality that emerges here maybe even more strongly than on some of the records that preceded it – as Hayes works with just a quartet, on long tracks that are really dominated by both his great sound, and the strong contributions of pianist Mike Pyne – an equal star on the set! At a time when British jazz was going for a lot of new recording modes, crossover styles, and other gimmicks, the whole thing is a back to basics record for Tubby – but also one that shows just how much he's grown as a soloist in just a few short years – really on fire, as the tenor is driven strongly by the efforts of Ron Mathewson on bass and Spike Wells on drums, completing a great quartet who really get the energy of their leader. Titles include a great version of the Duke Pearson tune "You Know I Care", a lovely take on "Where Am I Going", and the Hayes originals "For Members Only", "Rumpus", and "Grits Beans & Greens". Fantastic stuff – long overdue, and instantly a key addition to the Tubby Hayes Fontana catalog of the 60s! CD

A long-lost album from one of our favorite jazz talents of all time – British tenor legend Tubby Hayes, a player we'd easily place on a short list with giants like Dexter Gordon or Sonny Rollins! Like both of those players, Hayes has an incredible talent for longform solos that never lose their fire, direction, or imagination – a quality that emerges here maybe even more strongly than on some of the records that preceded it – as Hayes works with just a quartet, on long tracks that are really dominated by both his great sound, and the strong contributions of pianist Mike Pyne – an equal star on the set! At a time when British jazz was going for a lot of new recording modes, crossover styles, and other gimmicks, the whole thing is a back to basics record for Tubby – but also one that shows just how much he's grown as a soloist in just a few short years – really on fire, as the tenor is driven strongly by the efforts of Ron Mathewson on bass and Spike Wells on drums, completing a great quartet who really get the energy of their leader. Titles include a great version of the Duke Pearson tune "You Know I Care", a lovely take on "Where Am I Going", and the Hayes originals "For Members Only", "Rumpus", and "Grits Beans & Greens". Fantastic stuff – long overdue, and instantly a key addition to the Tubby Hayes Fontana catalog of the 60s! This great 2CD version features the full versions of all the sessions, with a number of takes on some of the tunes – including an unusual version of "Where Am I Going" with the guitar of Louis Stewart instead of the piano of Mike Pyne. Also has a hardcover package, and a nice booklet of notes! CD

... LP, Vinyl record album

An excellent collection of early work by John Cage – and a set that's maybe not nearly as sweet as you'd guess from the "lollipops" in the title! The box is worth it alone for its presentation of the 25 Year Retrospective Concert – which brings together 1958 performance versions of important early works, including "Imaginary Landscape No 1", "Six Short Inventions For Seven Instruments", "First Construction In Metal", "She Is Asleep" (in quartet and duo version), "Sonatas & Interludes", "Music For Carillion No 1", "Williams Mix", and "Concert For Piano & Orchestra", which was new at the time. The package then goes on to include "Double Music" by Cage with Lou Harrison, the spoken word/piano statement "Indeterminacy" done with David Tudor, and key early readings of "Cartridge Music" and "Fontana Mix". CD

... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

Nice little bit of Brit easy jazziness. Features a few Dankworth originals, plus versions of "African Waltz", "Skyliner", and "Ja Da". Recorded in "complex multi-track stereo" to get that "Living Presence Stereo" sound! LP, Vinyl record album

One of our favorite-ever Miles Davis albums – and a groundbreaking soundtrack that forever changed the way that jazz music was used in film! According to legend, the sounds here were recorded by Miles on a hot Paris night – late in the studio, after a live performance – in a very intimate setting that had he and the combo creating these little poetic passages along with the action in the film! In addition to sublime and moody muted trumpet from Miles – the small group also features tremendous tenor work from the great Barney Wilen – a French modernist who's at the height of his powers – and beautiful bass from Pierre Michelot, whose rich tones really frame the whole proceedings. The rest of the group features bop pianist Rene Urtreger and American drummer Kenny Clarke – but the real charm comes from the interplay between Wilen, Davis, and Michelo. Titles include "Florence Sur Les Champs-Elysees", "L'Assassinat De Carla", "Diner Au Motel", "Evasion De Julien", "Nuit Sur Les Champs-Elysees", "Le Petit Bal", "Au Bar Du Petit Bac" and "Sur L'Autoroute". This amazing 3LP version features one never-issued track – "L'Interrogatoire De Julien" – plus 16 more tracks from the sessions for the recordings, and a booklet of notes! LP, Vinyl record album

An early US album from UK folk singer Julie Felix – a singer with a very distinct voice, who here works in a range of tracks that include titles from Mike Heron, Donovan, Bob Dylan, and Joni Mitchell! LP, Vinyl record album

A weird one – but one of the real standouts in Cleo Laine's 60s catalog! As the title might imply, Cleo sings jazz versions of Shakespeare poems and bits from plays – with musical backing by husband Johnny Dankworth, who gives the set a cool enough groove to really make it work, and keeps things from being as stuff as you might fear! Kenny Wheeler plays a fair bit of trumpet solos when Cleo's not singing – further emphasizing the jazz component of the record, and moving it away from the flowery language of The Bard. There's a strangely sinister feel here that we really like – and titles include "Blow Blow Thou Winter Wind", "Duet Of Sonnets", "Winter", "O Mistress Mine", 'Witches Fair & Foul", and "The Compleat Works". LP, Vinyl record album

Lovely English-language work from Nana Mouskouri – a set recorded with some really great arrangements from Bobby Scott, who seems to help Nana pack even more feeling than usual in her work! Scott's arrangements have some elements of jazz, but are usually more complicated overall – sensitively shading things in alongside Nana's well-crafted vocals – and really getting past some of her poppier modes of the 60s with an all-adult approach to the tunes. Strings figure into most of the backings, with almost a Scott Walker sense of depth – and titles include "Tiny Sparrow", "I Love My Man", "Johnny", "Half A Crown", "Just A Ribbon", "If You Love Me", "The Love We Never Knew",a nd "Ballinderrie". CD

A rare British session from vocalist Mark Murphy – and one of his grooviest albums of the 60s! Mark's working here with great backings from the orchestras of Tubby Hayes, John Dankworth, and Les Reed – all of whom give Murphy some of his hippest grooves to date, very much in the mode of some of his work on the Midnight Mood album cut for MPS during the same overseas 60s stretch. And as with that one, there's a nice selection of tunes that goes way past the usual – and which shows off the widest range of Murphy's groovy vocal talents – titles that include "Ballyhoo", "Iceberg", "Stablemates", "She Loves You", "Come Rain Or Come Shine", "I Left My Heart In San Francisco", "From Time To Time", and "The Best Is Yet To Come". CD

A rare British session from vocalist Mark Murphy – and one of his grooviest albums of the 60s! Mark's working here with great backings from the orchestras of Tubby Hayes, John Dankworth, and Les Reed – all of whom give Murphy some of his hippest grooves to date, very much in the mode of some of his work on the Midnight Mood album cut for MPS during the same overseas 60s stretch. And as with that one, there's a nice selection of tunes that goes way past the usual – and which shows off the widest range of Murphy's groovy vocal talents – titles that include "Ballyhoo", "Iceberg", "Stablemates", "She Loves You", "Come Rain Or Come Shine", "I Left My Heart In San Francisco", "From Time To Time", and "The Best Is Yet To Come". LP, Vinyl record album

A great 80s collection of rare early work – from a time when the Pretty Things were starting to experiment with larger arrangements in a really great way! Titles include "Midnight To Six Man", "The Sun", "Buzz The Jerk", "Death Of A Socialite", "Progress"," One Long Glance", "Can't Stand The Pain", "Photographer", and "Growing In My Mind". LP, Vinyl record album

A huge leap forward for The Pretty Things – a really dramatic move away from the rougher blues of their debut, into some very hip swinging London sounds of the 60s! There's still a gritty undercurrent here, but the music is much more British overall – a bit like the shift The Who made in their first few records, with some mod themes and instrumentation, but a lurking specter of older American work hiding in the background. The guitars and drums are plenty loud, and the album's got a really fierce kind of feel – a sinister edge that's totally great, and which shows that the group are a lot more powerful when speaking from their own point of view than that of a US bluesman. Titles include "Buzz The Jerk", "Get The Picture", "I Had A Dream", "I Want Your Love", "London Town", "Cry To Me", "Gonna Find A Substitute", and "Can't Stand The Pain". CD features 6 bonus tracks – including "LSD", "Midnight To Six Man", "Sittin All Alone", "and "Me Needing You". CD

... CD

One of the more obscure 60s albums from French pianist Maurice Vander – with some nice vibes in the mix at times! LP, Vinyl record album

Quite possibly the greatest moment ever from the legendary Scott Walker – a set that strongly steps beyond even the genius of his first two solo albums, thanks to an amazing assortment of original tunes! Scott's dark vision of masculinity is emerging full-blown here – in an array of imagistic songs that piece together a very different picture of the male voice in music at the end of the 60s. Arrangements are quite large – echoing Scott's love of Jacques Brel and Jack Jones – but they've got a very subdued quality too, one that always takes second seat to Walker's incredibly haunting voice – rich, yet unquestionably fragile at the same time. Titles include "Copenhagen", "Winter Night", "30 Century Man", "It's Raining Today", "Two Ragged Soldiers" and "Big Louise". CD

Really wonderful work from The Pretty Things – a vastly-underrated group who work here with a depth that rivals bigger contemporaries like The Kinks or The Who! Like both of those groups, The Pretty Things have a heck of a lot going on musically – a real range of styles that goes beyond simple catchy pop – showing a growth in style and sound that's really tremendous, given the way they sounded just a few albums back. The songs are almost all originals, and filled with themes that run from the fierce to the fragile – often pointed pictures of the human condition, delivered with surprising sensitivity. The album features some added orchestrations from Reg Tilsley, and titles include "Tripping", "My Time", "One Long Glance", "House Of Ten", "Out In The Night", "Death Of A Socialite", "The Sun", "Children", and "Bright Lights Of The City". CD features 7 bonus tracks – including "Progress", "House In The Country", "My Time", "Photographer", and "The Sun". CD

3 incredible albums from the British jazz scene at the end of the 60s – all together in one 2CD package! Down Another Road is incredible work from one of England's greatest jazz talents – bassist Graham Collier, a player with an amazing ability to absorb a lot of the modern and progressive influences of his jazz generation – but all without succumbing to the same indulgences as them – a fact which resulted in a razor-sharp style that forged some of the freshest jazz ever to come out of the UK. This 1969 album is a masterpiece – filled with a modal groove and a strident searching theme, yet also as tight and grooving as most of the best Blue Note sessions from the same time. Harry Beckett's on trumpet, Nick Evans is on trombone, John Marshall plays drums, and Stan Sulzmann handles the reeds. Tracks include "Down Another Road", "Danish Blue", "The Barley Mow", and "Aberdeen Angus". Songs For My Father is a masterpiece of modernist soul jazz, with a sound that recalls the best late Blue Note work by Lee Morgan or Hank Mobley. Alan Wakeman's tenor is perfectly pitched, and searingly searching; Harry Beckett's trumpet is round, lyrical, and filled with soul; and the piano of John Taylor comps along in chunky modal grooves that make the whole album fall together brilliantly. Tracks include "Song One", "Song Two", "Song Three", etc – and they're all fantastic! Mosaics is a wonderfully searching session – filled with warm McCoy Tyner-esque modal moments, and searing post-Coltrane solos! The album comprises one long piece – Collier's "Mosaics" – performed live by a group that includes Alan Wakeman on tenor and soprano, Harry Beckett on trumpet, and Geoff Castle on piano. "Mosaics" has that amazing mid 60s Coltrane quality of going out in a spiritual kind of way – yet always returning to the groove, never getting too free, and always remaining firmly focused on the direction ahead. All players are great, and the record crackles with the intensity of a classic session on Impulse! CD

... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

A brilliant testament to the songwriting genius of Scott Walker – and an incredibly haunting batch of original tunes, filled with images of lonely madness and unactualized emotion, all sung by one of the greatest voices of the century! The album's not a record to be taken lightly – as the Scott Walker approach to music is really over the top here – almost mini-movies in sound, pasted from scenes both epic and private – all held together by an impeccable set of arrangements! The style beautifully links Walker's older pop persona with the growing sophistication in European pop – especially from the French – and with a record like this, Scott easily matches the genius of Brel, Brassens, and Gainsbourg. All titles are originals – and titles include "Rhymes Of Goodbye", "The Old Man's Back Again", "Hero Of The War", "Boy Child", "Seventh Seal", and "On Your Own Again". CD

One of our favorite-ever Miles Davis albums – and a groundbreaking soundtrack that forever changed the way that jazz music was used in film! According to legend, the sounds here were recorded by Miles on a hot Paris night – late in the studio, after a live performance – in a very intimate setting that had he and the combo creating these little poetic passages along with the action in the film! In addition to sublime and moody muted trumpet from Miles – the small group also features tremendous tenor work from the great Barney Wilen – a French modernist who's at the height of his powers – and beautiful bass from Pierre Michelot, whose rich tones really frame the whole proceedings. The rest of the group features bop pianist Rene Urtreger and American drummer Kenny Clarke – but the real charm comes from the interplay between Wilen, Davis, and Michelo. Titles include "Florence Sur Les Champs-Elysees", "L'Assassinat De Carla", "Diner Au Motel", "Evasion De Julien", "Nuit Sur Les Champs-Elysees", "Le Petit Bal", "Au Bar Du Petit Bac" and "Sur L'Autoroute". LP, Vinyl record album

A really cool little package – one that brings space age sounds from both the world of mainstream pop, and the farther reaches of electronic music composition in the postwar years! The core of CD1 is the groundbreaking album I Hear A New World by Joe Meek – presented here both in the "restored" version that was first issued by RPM in 1991, and the original unreleased tapes from 1960. The whole record is like The Ventures meeting space aliens – and Joe Meek composed and conceived the incredible 60s session of strange space-age instrumentals – one that mixes instrumental surf-flavored guitars with crazy sound effects and production techniques, for an out-of-this-world batch of tracks that's like nothing else we can think of! Tracks include "Glob Waterfall", "I Hear A New World", "Orbit Around The Moon", "March Of The Dribcots", and "Valley Of The Saroos". CD1 also features 11 more weird electronic tracks from the BBC Radiophonic Workshop – and from Ray Cathode. Then CD2 and CD3 move into the darker corners of experimental electronics and musique concrete – with works that include "Dripsody" by Hugh Le Caine, "Syncopation" by Tom Dissevelt, "Timbres Durees" by Olivier Messiaen, "Poeme Electronique" by Edgard Varese, "The Innocents" by Daphne Oram, "Fontana Mix" by John Cage, "Visage V (parts 1, 2, & 3)" by Luc Ferrari, "Musica Su Due Dimensioni" by Bruno Maderna, "Deux Etudes De Musique Concrete For Magnetic Tape" by Pierre Boulez, "Fantasy In Space" by Otto Luening, and "Piece For Tape Recorder" by Vladimir Ussachevsky. CD

A killer collection of work from one of the hippest jazz singers of all time – captured here at a point when he was really opening up into some fresh, unique territory of his own! Mark Murphy first began recording in the mid 50s for Decca, and had a run of other records in the 60s for Capitol, Fontana, and other labels – but by the time he hit Muse Records in the 70s, he was really open to new ideas – and able to do far more than just the simple singing of a tune! Instead, he'd worked his voice into a mode that was more like an instrument overall – able to run free with brilliant solo passages, and inflect the lyrics in ways that even the great singers of years before might never have dreamed of! And at Muse, he got excellent support and instrumental backing – always hip combos, and the freedom to create the sort of special albums that still make his records for the label a real high point in the development of jazz vocals. These are sides that went onto inform generations of singers – from Kurt Elling, to Gregory Porter, and so many others – and this well-chosen selection of songs is completely sublime. Titles include "On The Red Clay", "Stolen Moments", "Effendi", "Naima", "Maiden Voyage", "Lookin For Another Pure Love", "Waters Of March", "Come & Get Me", "Be-Bop Lives", "Dingwalls", "Cantaloupe Island", "Sly", "Empty Faces", and "Two Kites". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the coolest soundtracks of the 60s – presented here in a massive package that brings forth a wealth of never-reissued music! Piero Piccioni really hit his stride for the music to this film that was directed by its star – the effervescent Alberto Sordi – a fantastic send-up on the London scene of the time, set to a range of modly romping tunes! Piccioni handled the main music – often with loads of great piano and organ lines – but there's also some great vocal moments too, sung by Lydia MacDonald, Julie Rogers, and even Sordi – and the record also features a few touches from I Cantori Moderni, and a bit of music from Ennio Morricone too. Titles include the wonderful "Mr Dante Fontana", a nutty groover about the mod fashion scene in London – and it also features the famous tracks "Richmond Bridge" and "You Never Told Me". Titles include a few versions of "Fontana" and "Richmond", plus "Ascot Dream", "Magic Castle", "Tango Walk", "Drag Beat", "This Is Life", "Palace Parade March", "Babylon, I'm Coming", and "His Dream Has Come True". 3CD set features the full original album in both mono and stereo – plus 71 bonus tracks from the film score! CD

Epic DJ Fontana (elvis presley's 50s-70s drummer) interview. The (pre-industrial) Wax Trax Records story – including the saga of the Jonny iii (Wax Trax house band). Czech prog-gods Plastic People Of the Universe interviewed. Little Richard is Jewish! 1950s country star Marvin Rainwater interviewed. The return, and self-destruction, of the Misfits. Flaming Lips interview. Don "Sugarcane" Harris obituary. Screaming Jay Hawkins obituary. David Lee Roth comix. 1960s psychedelic comic books explored. Interview with Gregg Gellar, master compilation producer, focusing on his "Sammy Davis Jr.-Yes I Can" box set, as well as the ins and outs of comp production. Plus Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Chuck Berry, rock & wrestling, comix and Jerry Lewis and Sammy Davis Jr. as you've always imagined them! Magazine

A pretty obscure late 60s set on Capitol Records – by one of those great bands who briefly got the chance to record for the label, then never showed up again! The Serfs have a lot going on for such a relatively unknown group – a sound that's partly folk, partly roots, and with some groovier touches too – even a bit of jazz inflections at points, in ways that remind us a bit of The Shades Of Joy on Fontana. Instrumentation includes congas, vibes, organ, tenor, and trumpet – and titles include "Evil Days", "Early Bird Cafe", "All Blue", "Leda", "I'm A Man", and "Prologue & Mechanical Man". LP, Vinyl record album

A really fantastic album from this hip British reedman – and maybe his strongest jazz album to date! As you might guess from the title, Tenderlonious plays the music of Tubby Hayes here – taking on older songs by the 60s British jazz giant, served up in small combo modes, with flute in the lead instead of a tenor! The group's got a really deep, rich sound – with creative instrumentation from Hamish Balfour on Fender Rhodes, piano, and vibes – plus Nick Walters on trumpet, Aidan Shepherd on accordion, Pete Martin on bass, and Tim Carnegie on drums – all players who really get that very hip groove of Tubby at his best – particularly the style of his mid 60s live albums on Fontana. There's no processing or other effects – as on other Tenderlonious albums – just straight jazz, beautifully done – and also a bit of soprano and piccolo from the leader too. There's just four tracks on the record – this is more of an EP than an LP – but the whole thing is superb, and titles include "Down In The Village", "Raga", "In The Night", and "Trenton Place". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the hippest compilations we've heard in a long time – warm and jazzy grooves, all pulled together in support of the summer Boca scene in Italy! The collection's a joint project with Arision Records, and has plenty of traces of the styles of that hip London imprint – a good deal of cosmic soul, future fusion, and more – pulled not just from Arision artists, but also a host of other key current acts from the European scene. Titles include "Take Off (Nicola Conte Campi's idea version)" by Marco Di Marco, "Blue Eye Blak" by Colonel Red, "Broken Vibes" by Taylor McFerrin, "Fontana Blue (LTJ X-perience re-edit)" by MDM, "Sweet Y Sour (4 Hero rmx)" by Big Bang, "Roda Pio (Spiritual South rmx)" by Azymuth, "Golpe Tuyo Calinda" by Afronaught, "Living In The Sunshine (Ame Ohio dub)" by Dimension 6, "U Better Run" by Rasiyah, and "Primavera" by Isoul8. CD

Great early electronic music – featuring 3 seminal pieces! Berio's piece "Visage" is a musique concrete piece based on recordings of Cathy Berbarian on vocals and electronic sounds made by Berio. Cage's piece is a 1958 recording of "Fontana Mix". Ilhan Mimaroglu's "Agony" is an electronic piece composed in 1965. LP, Vinyl record album

An excellent showcase for the arranging skills of Don Sickler – with Carl Fontana on trombone, Don Sickler on trumpet, Ralph Moore on tenor saxophone, Richard Wyands on piano, Kenny Washington on drums, Peter Washington on bass, and Gary Smulyan on baritone saxophone. CD

A really fantastic album from this hip British reedman – and maybe his strongest jazz album to date! As you might guess from the title, Tenderlonious plays the music of Tubby Hayes here – taking on older songs by the 60s British jazz giant, served up in small combo modes, with flute in the lead instead of a tenor! The group's got a really deep, rich sound – with creative instrumentation from Hamish Balfour on Fender Rhodes, piano, and vibes – plus Nick Walters on trumpet, Aidan Shepherd on accordion, Pete Martin on bass, and Tim Carnegie on drums – all players who really get that very hip groove of Tubby at his best – particularly the style of his mid 60s live albums on Fontana. There's no processing or other effects – as on other Tenderlonious albums – just straight jazz, beautifully done – and also a bit of soprano and piccolo from the leader too. There's just four tracks on the record – this is more of an EP than an LP – but the whole thing is superb, and titles include "Down In The Village", "Raga", "In The Night", and "Trenton Place". CD

One of the hippest Italian soundtracks of the 60s – and a motherlode of tracks by the great Piero Piccioni! The soundtrack is the source of the oft-compiled "Mr Dante Fontana", a nutty groover about the mod fashion scene in Italy – and it also features the famous tracks "Richmond Bridge" and "You Never Told Me". Most of the music is by Piccioni and the wonderful vocal group I Cantori Moderni, with Edda Dell'Orso on vocals – but the CD also features some work by Lydia Mac Donald, Julie Rogers, and Ennio Morricone. Includes a few versions of the "Fontana" and "Richmond", plus "Ascot Dream", "Magic Castle", "Tango Walk", "Drag Beat", "This Is Life", "Palace Parade March", "Babylon, I'm Coming", and "His Dream Has Come True". Very groovy – and this special Japanese CD features 33 tracks in all! CD