Killer keyboards from the legendary George Duke – and one of his most righteous albums for the MPS label! The album's a spectacular set that showcases both sides of Duke's genius at the time – his spacey, soulful approach to a laidback tune – and his more jamming styles on the harder cuts! Instrumentation is somewhat spare – just keyboards and piano from George, who also sings a bit – plus Ndugu Chancler on drums and John Heard on bass – both playing with a freely creative energy that's definitely motivated by Duke. There's a beautiful mix of electricity and acoustic warmth on the set – never too forced, and clearly an inspiration for countless players in years to come – maybe even more so than Herbie Hancock's work of the time. Drums are great too – and snap tightly for plenty of nice breaks on the set – which are in turn augmented by mellower keys from Duke, who also sings with a sweetly electric soul style. Titles include "Capricorn", "The Opening", "Psychosomatic Dung", "North Beach", "Faces In Reflection", "Maria Tres Filhos", and "Da Somba". LP, Vinyl record album

A funky concept album from George Duke – and one that's filled with some mighty nice grooves! Guardians Of The Light is a full-on "musical fantasy" – with the story line laid out in the liner notes, yet still a bit difficult to follow – but we can't fault him for that when it's done in his masterful R&B-fusion-funk approach! George sings on all cuts, but he also gets some stellar vocal assistance from Jeffrey Osborne, Portia Griffin, and Patti Austin. The record also has some surprisingly sweet mellow moments that bring a deeper level of spacey soul to the out-there concept – those laidback lines that George could always do better than anyone else! Titles include "Born To Love You", "You Are The Light", "Reach Out", "Give Me Your Love", "Stand", "Soon", and "Fly Away". 3 bonus tracks on this FTG CD edition: "Reach Out (12" Version)", "Celebrate (Instrumental)" and "Brazilian Love Affair". CD

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Shirley Scott plays both the organ and piano with George Duviver on bass and Arthur Edgehill on drums for these eight Duke Ellington tracks. The selections include "Caravan", "Just Squeeze In", "C Jam Blues", "Prelude To A Kiss", "In A Sentimental Mood", "In A Mellow Tone", "I've Got It Bad", and "Just A-Sittin & A-Rockin". LP, Vinyl record album

One of our favorite recordings ever of George Gershwin's Porgy & Bess – done by Bethlehem Records in the mid 50s, and featuring nearly every one of the label's great talents at the time! The choice of the lead characters is a bit odd – as Mel Torme plays Porgy and Francis Faye plays Bess – but both singers are actually pretty darn great for the set, and really bring a lot out of the tunes. Plus, the other artists on the set really keep things interesting – as the collection features vocal performances by Johnny Hartman, Frank Rosolino, Betty Roche, Bob Dorough, and Sallie Blair. Plus, the whole thing's presented as Gershwin wrote it – complete with narration by Al Jazzbo Collins, and a number of strong instrumental passages. Music is performed by groups led by Russ Garcia, Duke Ellington, Pat Moran, and Stan Levy – and players are an array of the best of both the New York and LA scenes at the time! This LP features all the best vocal tunes from the recording. LP, Vinyl record album

One of the coolest, baddest, funkiest albums Cannonball Adderley ever recorded – a massive suite of tunes based on the signs of the Zodiac, produced to perfection by David Axelrod, and featuring some hip recitations from the mighty Rick Holmes! The double-length set is completely compelling all the way through – a darkly brooding batch of funky jazz that shows a strong Miles Davis electric influence at points, thanks to Nat Adderley's spacey trumpet lines, Mike Deasy's trippy guitar, and George Duke's excellent keyboards! Other tracks are a bit more laidback, fitting the mood of their respective signs – and overall, the whole thing slips and slides wonderfully from cut to cut – taking you through the star signs with a really righteous, soulful approach. Titles include "Cancer", "Sagittarius", "Pisces", "Aquarius", "Capricorn", "Virgo", "Taurus", "Aries", "Libra", and a special "Introduction". 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

Angela's looking a bit uptight on the cover, but the set's got a wonderfully smooth feel overall – thanks to production from George Duke! Duke brings a nice sense of warmth to the record – one that's greatly appreciated at this point in Bofill's career, and which helps her hang onto the more jazz-inflected sounds she first brought to wax at the end of the 70s. A few tunes are a bit crossover-oriented, but never too much so – and backing vocals on the set are by Howard Hewett and Shirley Jones. Tracks include "First Time", "Midnight Shine", "Tell Me Tomorrow", "Woman's Intuition", "I Don't Wanna Come Down", "Generate Love", and "You're On". CD

Four great albums from Dee Dee Bridgewatwer – a hell of a jazz singer, and also a great soul talent too! First up is a self-titled set from 1976 – Dee Dee Bridgewater's first album as a soul singer – recorded a few years after she first broke on the scene as a righteous jazz vocalist on hip early 70s classics! The sound here is different than the material Bridgewater started with, but still plenty great from a soul perspective – tightly-crafted, sophisticated work that features both uptempo and mellow cuts – in a mode that's quite similar to the Columbia work of Marlena Shaw – another former jazz vocalist who made a 70s shift to soul. Production is by Gene Page, Jerry Wexler, and Stephen Scheaffer – and the set was recorded in a variety of different setting that spin out over the course of the tracks. We're most partial to the mellow cuts – which trip along with some great spacey edges – and titles include a great version of "He's Gone", plus "My Prayer", "You Saved Me", "Goin Through The Motions", "It Ain't Easy", and "Every Man Wants Another Man's Woman". Just Family is a sweet funky fusion album that Dee Dee recorded for Elektra in the late 70s. The set was produced by Stanley Clarke, and has a soul/fusion sound that's not that different than his own work of the time, and which works very well with Dee Dee's sweet vocal approach. Players include Bobby Lyle, Ronnie Foster, George Duke, and other strong 70s fusion players – and overall, the record's probably Dee Dee's best non straight jazz album of the 70s. Tracks include "Sweet Rain", "Open Up Your Eyes", "Just Family", "Melody Maker", and "Children Are The Spirit (Of The World)". Bad For Me is one of Dee Dee Bridgewater's standout sets as a soul singer in the 70s – a mode that's quite different than the sound of Bridgewater you may know from her mostly-jazz career – but one that gets plenty of sharp help from the great George Duke! Duke produced the set – and really knows how to balance Dee Dee's jazz roots with some of the modern soul impulses of the set – letting her really soar on some mellower moments, while hewing to the groove on the more upbeat cuts – which may well be some of the strongest on the album. Throughout it all, Bridgewater is a model of care and class – very different than most mainstream R&B singers of the time – and titles include "Streetsinger", "For the Girls", "Love Won't Let Me Go", "Back Of Your Mind", and "Is This What The Feeling Gets". Last up is the second self-titled Dee Dee Bridgewater album, from 1980 – recorded during a brief break from jazz at the end of the 70s, and done with some sweetly grooving from Thom Bell! The sound here's a bit like that of some of the later Philly International work from the same stretch – a maturing style that still has a bit of the earlier groove in place, yet which also takes on a more sophisticated approach, especially on the mellower cuts and ballads. In a way, the format's a bit like that used for Jean Carn or Phyllis Hyman at the time – and like those singers, Dee Dee seems to work best here when she's got a nice gentle groove to bring out the jazzier inflections in her voice! Titles include "When You're In Love", "That's The Way Love Should Feel", "Give In To Love", "Lonely Disco Dancer", "One In A Million Guy", and "Jody (Whoever You Are)". CD

An all star effort from the one-and-only Professor Of Funk – the inmitable Bootsy Collins – joined on the sprawling Funk Capital Of The World by Ice Cube, Snoop Dogg, George Duke, Ron Carter, Jimi Hendrix (?!?), Musiq Soulchild, Samuel L Jackson, Bela Fleck, Dr. Cornel West, Rev. Al Sharpton, Bobby Womack and many more! It's a bizarro guest list and some of the tracks are pretty out there, too – but there's quite a bit of vintage styled Bootsy here – be it G-Funk hip hop with guest rhymers or tripped out monologues – and of course the classic Bootsy bass groove. Titles include "Hip Hop @ Funk U" with Ice Cube, Snoop, Chuck D and Swavay, "Garry Shider Tribute" with George Clinton & Linda Shider, "Yummy, I Got The Munchies" with Musiq, Razzberry & Tom Joyner, "The Jazz Greats" feat George Duke & Ron Carter, "Don't Take My Funk" with Catfish Collins & Bobby Womack and many more. CD

A nice collaboration between Miles and Marcus Miller from the latter part of Miles career. As much of the recording here is overdubbed, with many multiple instruments played by Miller, it doesn't have the improvised vibe of Miles' classic performances, but the songwriting and arrangements are head and shoulders above much of the contemporary jazz being recorded at the time, Miles is in great form, and the glossy production sits better with us now than ever before. Paulinho DaCosta, George Duke, Michael Urbaniak and Bernard Wright all make guest appearances. 8 tracks in all: "Tutu", "Tomaas", "Portia", "Splatch", "Backyard Ritual", "Perfect Way", Don't Lose Your Mind" and "Full Nelson". 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

Funky fusion doesn't get any funkier than this – and the album's one of the greatest 70s recordings by jazz funk trumpeter Eddie Henderson! The album's got a harder edge than a lot of Eddie's other records of the decade – razor sharp rhythms crackling away underneath a sublime space-heavy mix of keyboards, bass, saxes, and Eddie's funky trumpet. The group includes work by Bennie Maupin on reeds, George Duke on keyboards, Julian Priester on trombone, and Harvey Mason on drums – and the great Skip Drinkwater is at the production chair, cutting the grooves here with a lot more fire than in some of his later work! The whole thing's great – and titles include "Involuntary Bliss", "Galaxy", "Kumquat Kids", and "Explodition". LP, Vinyl record album

Featurign George Duke, Nelson Rangell, Jeff Lorber, Norman Brown, and Kevin & Kirk Whalum. CD

A crucial bit of keyboard funk from the 70s – a wild album of many moods, recorded in 1974, and featuring the talents of keyboard whiz Marc Moulin! Moulin's since been resurrected and given the credit he deserves – but at the time of release, this rare gem was somewhat lost – caught underneath the weight of more famous work by players like Herbie Hancock or George Duke. The album's got a jazzy groove in parts – and in others it's got a totally stripped down feel, and sounds a lot like a lost David Axelrod album, or a rare Herbie Hancock Japanese session. Includes the totally excellent 17 minute cut "Tohubohu", plus goodies like "La Blouse", "La Bougie", and "From". Plus, this Anniversary Edition includes a 2005 remix of "Tohubohu"! LP, Vinyl record album

With a quartet that includes George Duke on acoustic and electric piano – plus some percussion from Bill Summers! CD

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

There's plenty to be proud of here – as the album's a key part in the reinvention of Deniece Williams for the 80s – a great way of finding a new setting for her wonderful voice, one that helped her reach a huge new audience in the process! Most of the backings have an 80s approach, but still hold onto some of the deeper warmth of the 70s – and if anything, they represent kind of a "leaning up" of Williams' earlier modes – one that still gives the record a nice bottom, yet also finds a great way of focusing her amazing vocal style. George Duke handled production on half the record – and titles include "They Say", "Heaven In Your Eyes", "It's Okay", "I'm So Proud", "So Deep In Love", and "Do What You Feel". CD features 3 bonus tracks – "Heaven In Your Eyes (12" ext dance)", "Do What You Feel (7" version)", and "It's Okay (7" version)". CD

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 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

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

Very cool – a limited item produced by CBS for DJs in the UK during the disco scene – a set that features remixed tracks, all mixed together – with titles that include "Keep On Dancin" by Gary's Gang, "Saturday Night" by T Connection, "A Frek A" by Lemon, "Wastin My Love" by Sticky Fingers, "Hot Number" by Foxy, "Sinner Man" by Sarah Dash, "Turn Me Up" by Keith Barrow, "Feed The Flame" by Lorraine Johnson, and "Party Down" by George Duke. LP, Vinyl record album

Very cool compilation series that has some of the world's best DJs selecting classic groovers from the back catalog of smaller Polygram labels – like MPS, Brownswood, and Talking Loud. This volume was picked by Jazzanova of Compost Records fame, and it's a stellar batch of 21st Century grooves that brings together tracks from around the world in a swirling mix of music that had us sitting on the edges of our seats throughout the whole thing. The gamut is very wide, but Jazzanova manage to make the whole thing work through a masterful approach to seque. Titles include "Janela De Ouro" by Egberto Gismonti, "Yaad" by The Indian Jazz Trio, "Fedime's Flight" by Jazzanova, "You've Got It Bad Girl" by Quincy Jones, "Tema Teimoso" by Cal Tjader, "Statement" by George Duke, "We Who Are Not As Others" by 4 Hero, and even a great remix of "You're The Best Thing" by the Style Council. 74 minutes long, and a beautiful mix of music that perfectly sums up Brownswood's 21st Century soul approach! CD

A killer diller of a live set from Brother Jack McDuff – a cut that burns with energy that almost beats his studio 60s classics for Prestige! The group is one of Jack's best ever – a lineup that includes the twin tenors of Red Holloway and Harold Vick, plus incredibly sharp guitar from a young George Benson, and some of the most unique soul jazz drum work you'll ever hear – courtesy of the amazing Joe Dukes. Despite their individual strengths, which might make this whole thing an ego-fest – all players fit perfectly into place on the album's hard wailing batch of groovers, and groove together with a sympathetic energy that's simply amazing! Titles include a great remake of "Jive Samba", plus "Dink's Blues", "Grease Monkey", "Passing Through", and "Vas Dis". This is the kind of thing live recording equipment was made for! LP, Vinyl record album

Hard to find McDuff album that features some great material recorded during the mid 60s, and not available elsewhere! The album features a setting that's mostly quartet material – with McDuff's classic group of Red Holloway, George Benson, and Joe Dukes, but on one track, they're backed by the bigger arrangements of Benny Golson, who was doing some great work with the group at the time! Tracks are fairly long, with lots of fire from McDuff and Benson – and titles include "Stop It", "Midnight Sun", "Love Walked In", and "Misconstrued". LP, Vinyl record album

A sweet Atlantic soul groover from Brother Jack McDuff – and a set that has him tightening up his Hammond sound from his earlier years at Prestige Records! The tunes here are short and punched-up – almost instrumental soul numbers in their construction, but still filled with plenty of jazz – thanks to Jack's mad solos on organ, and some killer drums from Joe Dukes and Bernard Purdie! Other players include George Coleman on tenor, Cornell Dupree on guitar, and Buddy Lucas on baritone sax – and arrangements are by JJ Jackson and Jack himself. Titles include "Hotcha", "Down In the Valley", "Same Old Same Old", "No Tears", "What'd I Say", "Gonna Hang Me Up A Sign", and "Minha Saudade". LP, Vinyl record album

A lost jazz-funk gem – originally recorded at Club Mozambique in Detroit in 1970, but not issued by Blue Note until the mid 90s! The set's right up there with Lonnie's classic Move Your Hand live set – as the tracks are long, free, and very funky, performed by a hip group that includes Joe Dukes on drums, Dave Hubbard on tenor, Ronnie Cuber on baritone, and George Benson on guitar. Lonnie's organ is harder than you'll ever hear it in later years – and tracks include "Scream", "Expressions", "I Can't Stand It", "Peace Of Mind", "Love Bowl", and "Play It Back". CD