A sweet sweet discography on 70s electric jazz – one that's every bit as cool as the more classic entries in this series! The book's got loads of listings on some of our favorite albums of funky jazz and jazzy soul – plus lots more entries on obscure titles from around the globe, including some excellent rare records from Japan, Europe, and Brazil! The main text is in Japanese – typical for this sort of book – but the listings have more than enough to guide you – including artist, label, and date information – plus hundreds of cover images in full color, which will give you plenty of direction when you're digging for for gems like these. The book features a few longer essays in Japanese on Norman Connors, Azymuth, Roy Ayers, George Duke, and Deodato – which will give you an idea of the focus, even if you can't read the text. Book is 200 pages, with loads of color images! Book

A great later album from O'Donel Levy – recorded after his initial flurry of work for the Groove Merchant label, but still plenty darn nice! The sound here is slightly smoother and a bit more electric than before – with Levy's sweet guitar work snaking out over some larger backings that almost have a funky soundtrack feel. The groove is still great, and O'Donel brings plenty of his trademark chromatic lines to the set – guitar parts that almost sound even better in this setting! Titles include "Moisturizer", "Green Machine", "Panama Red", and a track called "I Believe In Miracles", which is not the Jackson Sisters' hit, but a nice mellow groove with vocals that sounds like some of the George Duke soul cuts! CD

With Steve Duke, Charlie Young, Steve Spencer, Bob Belden, and Roger Holmes on saxophones, Will Miller, Larry Spencer, Tom Delibero, Mike Steinel, and Jim Powell on trumpets, Keith Adkins, James Cann, David Butler, Bill Franklin, and Steve Thomas on trombones, Bob Snook on piano, George Anderson on bass, Gene Glover on drums, James Chirillo on guitar, and Robert Landis and Rusty Wells on percusion. LP, Vinyl record album

Produced by George Duke – with guest work from Joshua Redman on tenor, Roy Hargrove on trumpet, Dori Caymmi on guitar, and Airto Moreira on percussion. CD

With Omar Hakim on drums, Marcus Miller on bass, Michael Sembello on guitar, Don Freeman on keyboards, Paulinho da Costa and Malando Gassama on percussion, Buzz Feiten on rhythm guitar, George Duke on clavinet, James Skelton on Hammond B-3, and Bob Mintzer on bass clarinet. LP, Vinyl record album

Groovy, jazzy space soul soundscapes from Finland's Teddy Rok Seven – led by Teppo Makynen – who's worked with like minded scenesters Nu Spirit Helsinki and Five Corners Quintet – but steps out with an amazingly strong full length! The sound is a bit tough to pin down – it's all very trippy in a 70s soul jazz way, but still very cohesive, with pronounced influences like Herbie Hancock and George Duke in the mix – but it's filtered through a kind of late model Schema club jazz aesthetic, with some great nods to spacey hip hop and club connoisseurs! Nicola Conte fans, don't let this one slip underneath the radar – this a strong generator of that aesthetic – but with a unique, jazzy sound all it's own! Teppo presides over the sound on keys, programming and percussion, with wonderful accompaniment on vibes, keys, bass, trumpet, fluegelhorn, flutes bells and layered off-kilter echoey sounds and effects! Tracks include "The Beginning", "Feel" featuring Okou, "Askaa!", "King Abdissa", "Space & Echoes", "Damn Straight", "Steady", "Around The Clock" and more. CD

A mindblowing treat for anyone even remotely interested in the music of Frank Zappa – as this box set brings together 70 unreleased tracks by a group that was one of Zappa's coolest ever – the 1970 version of the Mothers, with George Duke on a variety of cool keyboards, Ian Underwood on organ and more keyboards, Aynsley Dunbar on drums, Jeff Simmons on bass, Mark Volman on percussion, and both Volman and Howard Kaylan on added vocals! The tunes are a mix of studio tracks recorded live at Trident Studios in June of 1970, plus more live material recorded at a variety of summer shows in that year, and a few more tour recordings too – all brought together to showcase a razor-sharp group of artists who were perfectly tuned to the workings of Zappa's ever-expansive creative mind at the time. The box features unusual tunes, unusual versions of familiar tunes, and lots more gems – and comes with a booklet and button too! CD

Classic Memphis soul! This nifty 2 CD compilation brings to light some excellent material recorded for the legendary Hi label – lots of which was not issued on albums, by far the most-reissued part of the label. The set dips into the rich lost 45-rpm tradition to find a bunch of deep soul goodies that you won't find on the albums on the label – including many cuts by lesser-known Memphis soul greats right next to those by the bigger stars. Titles include "Is it Over?" by David Duke, "I'm Gonna Wait" and "So Good To Me" by George Jackson, "It Was Jealousy" by Otis Clay, "Still Around" by James Fry, "I Can't Let You Go" by Ann Peebles, "She's My Woman" by Bobo Mr. Soul, "Hey Little Girl" by Norm West, "What Made You Change" by Eddie McGhee, "Sweet Thing" by Willie Walker, "Sweetness Ain't Sweet No More" by T 99, "Little Things" and "Oh How I Love You" by Phillip Mitchell, "Anyway The Wind Blows" by Irma Coffee, "I Wanna Share Everything" by Teacher's Edition, and "Let The Love Bells Ring" by The Masqueraders. 44 cuts in all, with quite a few by Phillip Mitchell and George Jackson! CD

Includes selections by JJ Johnson, John Lewis, Jimmy Giuffre, George Russell, Teo Macero, Bob Prince, Teddy Charles, Charles Mingus, Harold Shapero, Duke Ellington, Milton Babbitt, and Gunther Schuller. LP, Vinyl record album

Features Kenny Garrett on alto and soparano sax – plus guest work from George Duke, Joe Sample, and Paulinho Da Costa. Titles include "Cobra", "Big Time", "Hannibal", "Jo Jo", "Amandla", "Jilli", and "Mr Pastorious". CD

Features guest piano from George Duke – plus vocals from his daughter Sheila E! CD

A set that's maybe a bit more searing than earlier records from Cameron Graves – more full-on fusion at times, although still with some of the spacier elements we liked from before – yet definitely driven at points with the kind of energy that recalls the George Duke/Stanley Clarke experiments of the 70s! The rhythms at the core are really on fire – drums from Mike Mitchell and bass from Max Gerl – and the guitar of Colin Cook often matches the bold lines of Graves on piano and keyboards. Kamasi Washington guests on two tracks, Graves sings on one other cut – and titles include "Red", "Super Universes", "Sons Of Creation", "The Life Carriers", "Sacred Spheres", "Master Spirits", and "Eternal Paradise". CD

A beautifully sensitive set from Abdullah Ibrahim – recorded live at the Village Vanguard, and with an open, lyrical sound that almost seems to recall some of Bill Evans' magical moments in the venue! Ibrahim's quite a different player, of course – but there's an open, exploratory quality to his music that's a bit unusual here – maybe not as rhythmically based as it is balanced between sound and silence – given very respectful company in the bass of Marcus McLaurine and drums of George Johnson. Titles include "Cherry/Mannenberg", "Duke 88", "African River", "Stardance", "Tuang Guru", "Tintinyana", and "African Marketplace". CD

Two different concert recordings from the great Charles Mingus – recorded with the space of more than a decade between them, and showing the continual evolution of his genius! The first 2CDs bring together a sublime recording by German Radio in Bremen from 1964 – work that's from that important European tour that included the soon-to-be late Eric Dolphy on alto, flute, and bass clarinet – as part of a fiery sextet that also includes Johnny Coles on trumpet, Clifford Jordan on tenor, and Jaki Byard on piano. All players are fantastic – getting that push with Mingus that could often make soloists even more dynamic with the leader at the helm than on their own recordings – as you'll hear on the extended concert readings of "Hope So Eric", "Fables Of Faubus", "Parkeriania", and "Meditations On Integration" – plus a shorter solo by Byard. Mingus is at the helm of a different, but equally great group on the 1975 concert – with Jack Walrath on trumpet, George Adams on tenor, Don Pullen on piano, and Dannie Richmond on drums (as on just about every Mingus recording!) The politics of the 64 performance are still in place, with a slight shift – and they're mixed with some of the late Mingus' love of Duke Ellington, who gets a tribute here in a few spots, but with some great touches by Charles. Most tracks are nice and long – and titles include "Remember Rockefeller At Attica", "Devil Blues", "Duke Ellington's Sound Of Love", "Black Bat & Poles", "For Harry Carney", "Sue's Changes", and "Free Cell Block F Tis Nazi USA". CD

Featuring Skip Anderson, Philip Bailey, Tom Barney, Gerry Brown, Stanley Clarke, George Duke, Ronnie Foster, Siedah Garrett, Ivan Hampden, Howard Hewett, Munyungo Jackson, Bob James, Ronnie Laws, Byron Miller, Jeffery Osborne, and Patrick Rushen. CD

Pure vocal magic – featuring the lovely Flora Purim at the height of her California powers – working in a sublime mix of jazz, fusion, and Brazilian rhythms – a sound that she virtually invented! The group on the set is one of her greatest of the time – with players that include Joe Henderson, George Duke, and Stanley Clarke – coming together with some great Brazilian percussion from husband Airto. The tracks are tight and jazzy – and include "Light As A Feather", "Dr. Jive (parts 1 & 2)", "Butterfly Dreams", "Moon Dreams", and "Dindi". This is the stuff that virtually defined the Brazilian/American groove of the 70s – and it's still light years ahead of any of Flora's many imitators! LP, Vinyl record album

One of Sonny Rollins' sweetest electric sessions from the 70s – a date that features Patrice Rushen handling some keyboards, and Lee Ritenour on guitar – but Sonny blowing solid, soulful tenor all the way through! The setting is the sort that might initially turn off fans of Rollins' classic era, but it's great to hear him change things up here – picking up some rhythms that you might not normally expect, and really doing some great things with them – as on his Caribbean-inflected RCA album from the 60s. Other players include Alex Blake on bass, Billy Cobham on drums, and Bill Summers on congas – and there's a horn section on some numbers too. Rollins composed most of the tracks and they include "Island Lady", "Asfrantation Woogie", "Happy Feel", and "Charm Baby". Other titles includes the George Duke numbers "Love Reborn" and "The Way I Feel About You" – plus Rushen's "Shout It Out". LP, Vinyl record album

Features Tom Scott on alto, Terence Blanchard on trumpet, George Duke on piano and Fender Rhodes, Larry Goldings on Hammond, Marcus Miller on bass, Steve Gadd on drums, and guest vocals from Nancy Wilson! CD

A one of a kind supergroup – one made up from artists who were best known as soul music composers and producers – hence the name "The Writers"! The groove here is soulful, but also somewhat fusion based too – a sound that's in the same territory of labelmates like George Duke or Chocolate Jam Company – both of whom stand as a good comparison to The Writers' sound. Group members include the indredible Jerry Peters on keyboards, Ralph McDonald on percussion, Anthony Jackson on bass, Hugh McCracken and Jeffrey Mironov on guitars, and Frank Floyd on vocals – all coming together wonderfully for the set, with a sound that steps beautifully between breezy, spacey, and funkier soul styles! Titles include "Tahiti Breakfast", "One More Drink", "Star Black", "Touch Me", "Hey Babe", and "La La La La, La La La". CD

Features George Duke on keyboards, Jean-Luc Ponty on violin, and Jack Bruce on bass – and titles include Frank's classic "Don't Eat The Yellow Snow" – plus "Nanook Rubs It", "Father O'Blivion", "Cosmik Debris", "Exentrifugal Forz", "Stink Foot", and "Apostrophe". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the most jamming Zappa albums from the early days – a set that's still got some of Frank's complicated musical leanings in play – but which features interpretation by a smoking group who no doubt helped the great one reach a much larger audience! George Duke plays lots of organ and heavy keyboards – and other players include Aynsley Dunbar on drums, giving the whole thing a great punch at the bottom – plus Mothers luminary Ian Underwood on more keyboards and electric alto sax, Jeff Simmons and Max Bennett on bass, and Frank himself on some mighty amazing guitar! Titles include "The Clap", "Chunga's Revenge", "Tell Me You Love Me", "The Nancy & Mary Music", "Twenty Small Cigars", and "Would You Go All The Way". LP, Vinyl record album

One of Frank Zappa's biggest-selling albums of the early 70s and it's also one of his best ever! Over-Nite Sensation finds Zappa's leftfield weirdness and sly social satire at play within adventurous, but accessible arrangements. It's got some early fusiony rock bits paired with heavy drums and muscular rock riffs – and it's a hell of a great sound! The songs themselves are sharp here, too. If forced to make a list of favorite Zappa songs, it'd certainly include "Camarillo Brillo", which kicks this record off – and other titles include "I'm The Slime", "Montana", "Dinah-Moe Humm", "Zomby Woof", and "Dirty Love". Features keyboards from George Duke and violin from Jean Luc Ponty – plus horns by Ian Underwood, Sal Marquez, Tom Fowler and Bruce Fowler – plus percussion by Ruth Underwood and amazing drums by Ralph Humphrey. LP, Vinyl record album

Frank Zappa's got some fantastic fusion touches on this sweet little set from the 70s – thanks to keyboards and a bit of vocals from George Duke, heavy drums from Chester Thompson, and even some brief help from Johnny Guitar Watson! The set's still got a very Zappa-esque feel, but it's clear he's also letting Duke stretch his wings a bit too as there's parts of the record that almost echo the style of some of George's more far-out recordings for MPS. The balance is great – and one that makes the album a lot more soulful at points than we're used to hearing from Zappa. Titles include "Florentine Pogen", "Can't Afford No Shoes", "Inca Roads", "Po-Jama People", "Evelyn A Modified Dog", and "San Ber'Dino". LP, Vinyl record album

One of Flora Purim's most ambitious albums of the 70s – recorded with larger backings than usual, and some occasional additional vocal help from Urszula Dudziak and Googie Coppola! The "encounter" of the title is a reference to the added players on the set – as Flora's groove is expanded by a host of well-chosen players – some familiar from other Purim records, some making a strong initial appearance here. George Duke plays a host of keyboards on the set, and other musicians include Joe Henderson on tenor, Hermeto Pascoal on keyboards and vocals, Ron Carter on acoustic bass, Alphonso Johnson on electric bass, Ngugu Chancler on drums, Raul De Souza on trombone, McCoy Tyner on piano, and of course the ever-present Airto on percussion! Flora's vocals are as lovely as ever, and if anything seem to reach even farther to the heavens in a setting like this. Titles include "Windows", "Black Narcissus", "Dedicated To Bruce", "Tomara", and "Latinas". LP, Vinyl record album

A brilliant album from Kaidi Tatham – deeper by far than anything we've ever heard from him, and way more than you might expect if you only know his singles from the London scene! This set's got a very strong jazz component – monstrous keyboard work from Kaidi that stretches and soars with the kind of sound you might expect from George Duke on MPS – coupled with some leaner, more rhythmic elements that show Tatham's strong ties to the London scene – yet still in ways that really break from its conventions! There's a warmth, depth, and spirituality to the record that's really amazing – the kind of new territory that others have found on the excellent Freedom School label – a place that offers a rare outlet for creative expression in times like these. The whole thing's instrumental, and Kaidi played all instruments himself – mixing acoustic percussion with beats, electric keyboards with piano, and coming across with a sound that's far richer than the sum of its core elements. Titles include "Simiya", "I'm High", "So Amazed", "Swift Inspiration", "In Search Of Hope (part 1)", "Do What You Gotta Do", "On A Vibe", "These Things Will Pass", and "He Laughs She Cries". LP, Vinyl record album

Very groovy work from these two Brit sound library greats – loads of funky tunes, and great keyboards too – all served up in a massively funky record that was never issued to the public at large! Had this set hit the real record racks in 1974, it might well have challenged some of the greatest material from George Duke or Herbie Hancock – as the tunes are mostly funky, and feature lots of wonderful work on a wide variety of keyboards – sometimes getting all cool and wigged-out, even when the grooves are upbeat – a bit like Herbie in his Sextant years! Titles include "Hit Me Hit Me", "Big Black Cadillac", "Collision Course", "The Executive", "Hovercraft", "Mermaid", "Auto Glide", "Where The Action Is", and "Getting It Together". LP, Vinyl record album

A massive bit of funk – and from 70s France, no less! These guys clearly come from a jazz-based background – and have absorbed some of the best electric influences of their time – working in a keyboard-heavy mode that's clearly inspired by Herbie Hancock, Joe Zawinul, and George Duke – yet also kicking up a groove that's a bit more down and dirty, and more in the instrumental funk mode overall. The sound of the set's incredible – really raw, riffy, and filled with plenty of snapping hard grooves – and the used of the keys is sublime throughout, changing mood from track to track, but always staying funky! Titles include "Penwick", "Marathonic", "Ergocentric", "La Moto Verite", "Psychocross", "Ring Modulator", "Plongee Synthetique", "Kayak", and "Cache Catch". LP, Vinyl record album

Heady 70s sounds from Magma – a French group who were never as dark as the image on this cover, but who certainly brought a strong legacy of their own to the world of European prog! Keyboardist Christian Vander is center stage on all of these cuts – and the sound is a mix of jazz, fusion, and rock – definitely in the latter side of the spectrum, but with these long-spun keyboard solos that show that Vander was probably a pretty big fan of George Duke and Herbie Hancock! In fact, the mix of rockish elements with jazz is not unlike some of the Clarke/Duke project work from George – but with more of a Euro vibe overall. Titles include an 18 minute live take of "Mekanik Zain" – plus Spiritual", "Udu Wudu", "Weidorje", "Zombies (Ghost Dance)", "Dondai (To An Eternal Love)", "Nono (1978m Phase II)", and "Maahnt". CD

Four soulful fusion classics from keyboardist Rodney Franklin – all together in a single set! First up is In The Center – wonderful keyboard work from the amazing Rodney Franklin – a player who sounds equally great on acoustic and electric piano! This album does a wonderful job of mixing them both – showing Rodney's more sensitive side on a few acoustic numbers, but then really taking off in a much more groove-based mode for the electric ones – which have a soaring, spacious style that's in that best blend of fusion and soul that was going down at Columbia in the late 70s – but with some spacier Bob James touches too! Most of the cuts were arranged by Byron Olsen, who's got an equally sensitive ear as Franklin – and although there's a bit of vocals on the record, most of the focus is on instrumental grooves – especially Rodney's work on the keys. Titles include the classics "I Like The Music Make It Hot", "Spanish Flight", and "On The Path" – plus "Yours", "Life Moves On", and the extended "Spring Suite". You'll Never Know is fully-formed genius from the amazing Rodney Franklin – one of the best keyboard stars to emerge from the late 70s scene! Franklin's got a great talent for balancing influences from jazz and soul in ways that are similar to contemporaries George Duke and Bobby Lyle – and like both of those players, he still stands strong in jazz, but makes some key nods to soul music on this set – adding in a bit of vocals where needed, and moving into some R&B-drenched fusion lines that all sound pretty darn hip! As on previous records, Rodney plays both acoustic and electric keys – blending them wonderfully for a very deep sound – and the group behind him features some especially nice work on reeds, which bring sharper edges to some of the best tracks on the set. There's a wonderfully deep feel to the whole thing – way more than you'd expect for a major label release at the time – and titles include "Felix Leo", "The Watcher", "The Groove", "Journey", "You'll Never Know", "Return", and "Parkay Man". Next is the self-titled Rodney Franklin – tremendous work from Rodney Franklin – one of our favorite soulful fusion players from the end of the 70s! The album's a keyboard delight through and through – and Rodney plays both acoustic and electric piano, often on the same track – which creates this nicely expanded sound that works well with the album's tight arrangements! There's a fair bit of soul in the mix too – some rhythms that make a few numbers great groovers, courtesy of Tom Tom arrangements – and some other full moments handled by Patrick Williams. Titles include a wonderful version of "Windy City" – the cut you might know from a classic Carl Davis recording – plus "On The Path", "I Like The Music Make It Hot", "Life Moves On", "Creation", and "In The Center". Endless Flight is a brilliant mix of jazz, soul, and fusion – smoothed together nicely, but never in a way that's slick or commercial! Franklin's got a keen ear that lets him sit on both sides of the fence wonderfully – in a way that so many other players tried in later years, but never managed to do without losing their groove or selling out too much. Part of the strength of the album is the way that it mixes together acoustic and electric keys from track to track – deepening the spirit of the album through a good sense of pacing and mood, and also offsetting vocal tracks with some key instrumental numbers. Tom Washington produced and heavily helped in the arrangements – and titles include "Vibrations", "Benetta", "Cancion Para Mi Mama", "Dance Tonight", "Endless Flight", "Return To The Source", "Mensaje De Dios", and a surprisingly great funky take on "Hill Street Blues". Includes one bonus track – "The Groove (single version)". CD

The sound is never too loud here – and John Scofield's right out in the lead on most numbers, carving out those soulfully-inflected, modern-styled licks that really characterized his sound back in the day! Scofield's emerged as more of a traditionalist in recent years, but on 80s dates like these he was really embracing the bigger sounds of the time – and has a way of mixing his guitar roots with kind of a fuzzier, more electric vibe – of the sort that the Gramavision label could do wonderfully at the time. The group is mostly a quintet, with Don Alias on percussion – and keyboards are by Robert Aries on all tracks, but George Duke steps in with some solos as well. Titles include "Signature Of Venus", "Dirty Rice", "Did It", "Loud Jazz", "Otay", "True Love", and "Igetthepicture". CD