A warm and soulful set of fusion tracks – issued only in Japan, but recorded by a hip group from the US! Air Pocket features the Fowler Brothers – Walt, Bruce, Ed, and Steve – on trumpet, trombone, bass, and alto, respectively – plus drummer Chester Thompson, guitarist Mike Miller, and pianist Stu Goldberg, who really plays some great moog, clavinet, and electric keys on the set! Tunes are well-written – a bit choppy, but never too jamming, and really just done in this nice blocky way that creates a slightly funky approach, and a good degree of soul. Titles include "Elephant's Graveyard", "Hi Lo Redic", "Colors For Marvin", "Night's Move", and "Becky". CD

A surprisingly great album from Duke Ellington – hardly the kind of ear-opening set you might expect under the guise of a bunch of 60s pop covers! Sure, you might call it a sellout – as The Duke's playing arrangements of mid 60s pop tunes like "Fly Me to The Moon", "More", "The Second Time Around", "Blowin In The Wind", and "Never On Sunday" – but the sound is actually pretty darn hip, with a strong swing to the whole album, and a good groove that brings life into the songs on the set. The overall feel is like some of the hipper Basie backings at the time – very in the pocket playing, and short jazzy renditions of songs that we like in any form – but which come off here even more nicely with some real jazz touches from the Ellington group! CD

Deeply soulful blowing from tenorist Frank Lowe – working here in a wonderfully hip group that includes Don Cherry on pocket trumpet, Grachan Moncur III on trombone, Geri Allen on piano, Charnett Moffett on bass, and Charles Moffett on drums. The date really lives up to the promise you might expect from the players listed – and has a really classic, deep-rooted sound that makes the album feel like some lost avant set from a decade before – very well-crafted and thoughtful, with a great balance between focus and freedom. Lowe wrote most of the songs – and titles include "Decision In Paradise", "Cherryco", "I'll Whistle Your Name", "Lowe-ologie", "You Dig", and "Dues & Don'ts". LP, Vinyl record album

An excellent album by Mary Lou Williams – a set recorded during the 70s period when she was mixing in a bit of funk with her jazz! The sound here is wonderful – quite different than other work you might know from Williams, and much more in the sort of groove you'd expect from Junior Mance, Ray Bryant, Ramsey Lewis, or other soul jazz-oriented pianists! Williams plays acoustic piano in a very hip trio with Mickey Roker on drums and Bob Cranshaw on electric bass – the latter of whom brings in this well-rounded, soul-drenched tone that's a lot like the bass work on some of Monty Alexander's own best albums from the 70s. And Williams herself is totally great too – playing with some slightly exotic tones at points, and with a really in-the-pocket groove at others. Funky tracks include "Intermission" and "Rosa Mae" – and other titles include "Ghost Of Love", "Medi II", "Zoning Fungus", and a great version of Dizzy Gillespie's "Olinga". CD also features 2 previously unreleased tracks – "Syl-O-Gism" and an alternate of "Gloria". CD

It's definitely a computer world when you're inside the mind of Kraftwerk – the machine made man, given a wonderful showcase here for the new decade! The sound is maybe a bit leaner and even more electronic than before – with the introduction of some digital elements, and a mix of beats and keyboards that was already showing the nascent hip hop scene that the German quartet were still ahead of the pack when it came to grooves like this! Did these guys invent electro soul? Hearing a record like this it's hard not to think so – thanks to tracks that include "Computer Love", "Computer World", "Pocket Calculator", "Home Computer", "Numbers", and "It's More Fun To Compute". CD

Wonderful work from a player who never ceases to please us! Even at this early point in his career, Jimmy Heath had a soulful hipness that you'd be hard pressed to find in another musician – working with a vision of soul jazz that most other players wouldn't hip to until the 70s. Jimmy wrote most of the tracks on the set, and arranged the album with a style that's as strikingly modern as it is in the pocket and grooving – played superbly by a combo that include Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, Julius Watkins on French Horn, Cedar Walton on piano, Percy Heath on bass, and Albert Heath on drums. Tracks include "Funny Time", "Down Shift", "The Quota", and "Bells & Horns". LP, Vinyl record album

A totally great Grover Washington record – and with 25 years behind us, we really now realize how fantastic all the early Kudu sessions really were! The record was recorded live at the Bijou, and is spread out with lots of room for tasty open-ended solos by Grover and the group. Includes the great version of "Lock It In The Pocket", plus "Funkfoot", "Sausalito", "Summer Song", and a long version of "Mr Magic". CD

An excellent album by Mary Lou Williams – a set recorded during the 70s period when she was mixing in a bit of funk with her jazz! The sound here is wonderful – quite different than other work you might know from Williams, and much more in the sort of groove you'd expect from Junior Mance, Ray Bryant, Ramsey Lewis, or other soul jazz-oriented pianists! Williams plays acoustic piano in a very hip trio with Mickey Roker on drums and Bob Cranshaw on electric bass – the latter of whom brings in this well-rounded, soul-drenched tone that's a lot like the bass work on some of Monty Alexander's own best albums from the 70s. And Williams herself is totally great too – playing with some slightly exotic tones at points, and with a really in-the-pocket groove at others. Funky tracks include "Intermission" and "Rosa Mae" – and other titles include "Ghost Of Love", "Medi II", "Zoning Fungus", and a great version of Dizzy Gillespie's "Olinga". CD also features 2 previously unreleased tracks – "Syl-O-Gism" and an alternate of "Gloria". CD

Amazing – simply amazing – and one of the best full albums of 60s soul you could ever hope to buy! Darrell Banks was one of the many lost talents laboring in Detroit during the 60s – and he was part of the city's hip underground soul scene that included monster talents like Steve Mancha and JJ Barnes, all of whom fall into the "should have been famous" category, but who have fortunately been honored for years by soul fans worldwide. This album's one of two that Banks ever issued under his own name – and it's a collection of singles that were put together by Revilot, but issued in full LP format by Atlantic. Banks mixes together raw deep soul vocals with some hipper uptown production – and the result is soul that's about as classic as "classic" could be! Every single cut's a winner, written by some of the finest talents in soul music at the time – and tracks include "Here Come The Tears", "Our Love (Is In The Pocket)", "I'm Gonna Hang My Head & Cry", "Baby What'cha Got For Me", and Banks' semi-hit, "Open The Door To Your Heart". CD

A wonderful mix of soul jazz, funky rhythms, and even more experimental moments – a truly tremendous effort from LA drummer Roy Porter, and the first set issued under the name of his Sound Machine group! The groove here is really unconventional – filled with unusual timings, phrasings, and changes that push it way beyond more familiar jazz funk of Prestige, Fantasy, or CTI – yet still all very much in the pocket, with a righteously soulful vibe that's incredible! The cover's inspired by Roy's son's love of motocross – and one number even features a bit of motorcycle sound effects along with the grooves! The rest of the tracks are heavier on the horns, and feature some wonderful arrangements that are filled with soul and style – always a bit edgey, and never too slick or straightforward. Titles include the classics "Funky Twitch" and "Hip City", plus "Drums for Daryl", "Ooh-La-La", and the legendary "Jessica", a really beautiful number! Comes with a great bonus 45 – the Kenny Dope remix of "Jessica", and a vocal version of the same tune! LP, Vinyl record album

A tremendously groovy early album from MPS keyboardist Wolfgang Dauner – much tighter and in a snapping 60s mode than some of his later, more experimental work! The sound here is a mix of American soul jazz and some of the looser rhythms that were bumping around the European scene in the 60s – with unusual timings and rhythms that help keep things upbeat and soulful throughout, and make for a record that's creatively compelling, even when the compositions are familiar! The record's way more than just a batch of jazzy covers of familiar tunes, and Dauner's work on the piano is amazing – fluid, free, but still always right in the pocket – with some great support on rhythm from the team of Eberhard Weber on bass and Pierre Favre on drums. A super-hip set throughout, with very unusual takes on tunes that include "A Man & A Woman", "What Now My Love", "Merry Go Round", "Watermelon Man", "Girl From Ipanema", "Typically English", and "Hard Day's Night" – plus the original "Noa Noa". CD

Nice session – one with a date that might make you a bit skeptical, but with a sound that's still very much in the pocket, thanks to good handling of the effort by the Bee Hive records team! Curtis blows here with a quintet that includes Sal Nistico, Walter Bishop Jr, Sam Jones, and Freddie Waits – all very hip players, and well chosen for the spirit of the session. Titles include "The Egyptian Two", "Ballade For Gabe Wells", "Minor's Holiday", and "Yesterdays". LP, Vinyl record album

A very tight early session by the great organist Larry Young! The album's quite different than Young's later Blue Note work – more in-the-pocket soul jazz, but filled with the expansive sensibility that would later have him take off for the heavens. The biggest example of this tendency is the track "Talking Bout JC" – a cut dedicated to John Coltrane (who Young used to jam with, although sadly never on record!), recorded more famously later on Blue Note, but still sounding pretty hip here in an early take. The group on the set is a quartet that includes guitarist Thornel Schwartz and tenorist Bill Leslie (with whom he cut an album for Argo, under the name of Lawrence Olds) – and other tracks include "Gettin' Into It" (which is 15 minutes long) and "Groove Street". CD

A live bit of fusion supergroup jamming – one in which Billy Cobham and George Duke are joined by Alphonso Johnson and John Scofield in a set of really soulful numbers! The main focus here is straight fusion jamming, but there's also a nice undercurrent of funk and soul in the set as well – and Jon Lucien makes an appearance on the track "Almustafa The Beloved" – a great number with a break sampled by Peanut Butter Wolf! George Duke indulges himself a touch on "Space Lady", a spare electric keys number with a lengthy spoken intro – and other titles include "Do What Cha Wanna", "Frankenstein Goes To The Disco", "Hip Pockets", "Ivory Tattoo", "Sweet Wine", and "Juicy". LP, Vinyl record album

"Starting Time" is a great early 60s session by Jordan – who at the time of the recording, was one of a number of firey young tenor players from Chicago – all of them hard-blowing, with a nice soulful bottom that opened up a bop sound to more moods and emotions – but Jordan stood apart from most of them with an approach that was decidedly more complex and forward-thinking. As you'll hear on the album's tracks, he wasn't content enough to just blow off a riff – but had to twist things up a bit, working a tune for more shades and colors than it might yield with another player, pushing on the proceedings with an edge that's very strong. The great Wilbur Ware's on bass, and a young Cedar Walton's playing piano, and with warmth like that, Jordan and trumpeter Kenny Dorham sound great next to each other. Loads of original hard bop lines by Jordan, including "Extempore" and "Quittin' Time", plus "Mosaic" and "One Flight Down" by Cedar Walton. Even better is A Story Tale – a brilliant collaboration between Clifford Jordan and Sonny Red! Red's tone is excellent – a sharper one next to Jordan's more supple blowing – and the pair are a perfect team to lead off tunes like "Prints", "Hip Pockets", "A Story Tale", and "Defiance". CD

Heavy heavy funk from this hard-rocking group! The Midnight Movers were a tripped out combo who used a heck of a lot of guitar work in their grooves – and who also had a 4-part sax section that riffed heavily over the beats, creating a mad wailing approach that was as hard and full-on as any of their contemporaries on the end of the 60s funk scene. This set's the first-ever collection to look at their work – and it features tunes from their rare album on the Elephant label, plus a few obscure singles that include 2 sides cut with the singers Skip & Ernest. The sound is great – better than we remember – and titles include "Funk Ain't Nothing But A Scent", "Crabs", "Pickin & Chippin", "Sweet Darlin", "Try Our Thing", "Truckin", "Long Train Runnin", "Masai", and "Put Your Mind In The Pocket". LP, Vinyl record album

A legendary record from Show & AG – and one of the strongest full lengths of the early 90s from the DITC camp! Runaway Slave came about during the end of an era when major labels still seemed to be hungry for for dope underground MCs, so there's a gritty realness here, and on other great hip hop LPs of the early 90s that's still pretty incredible. This full length debut delivers very strongly on the Soul Clap EP – and titles include that classic track "Bounce Ta This", "Represent", "Catchin Wreck", "Fat Pockets", "40 Acres And My Props", "Hold Ya Head", "He Say, She Say", "Hard To Kill" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

A stellar collection of singles by one of the great voices of Jamaican music – Dennis Brown, The Crown Prince Of Reggae – singles from the early 70s to mid 80s! The 2 CDs features 40 great tracks – with backing by The Taxi Gang, The Professionals, Derrick Harriott & Crystalistes, Aggrovators & Roots Radics. Titles include "Musical Heatwave", "Let Me Down Easy", "Concentration", "Don't Yo Cry", "Let Love In", "Satisfaction Feeling", "Rocking Time", "Breaking Down The Barrier", "Whip Them Jah Jah", "Equal Rights", "Words Of Wisdom", "Revolution", "Love Light", "and more. The DVD includes Dennis Brown Live At Montreux, 1979 – backed by Lloyd Parks And We The People Band, and titles include "So Jah Story", "Wolves & Leopards", "Ain't That Lovin You", "Don't Feel No Way", "Money In My Pocket" and more. CD

A very cool 2CD set that's one of the hippest collections of work by Curtis Mayfield that we've ever seen! Like other titles in the Free Soul series from Japan, this one digs past the obvious bits to include some overlooked album gems that you might have missed, and which are great to discover amidst the better known titles by Curtis. A fair portion of the tracks are more famous numbers, but the overall collection of tunes is great together! 32 tracks in all – and titles include "Never Stop Loving Me", "Tripping Out", "Hard Times", "Billy Jack", "Love To The People", "We Got To Have Peace", "Beautiful Brother Of Mine", "Future Song", "Keep On Trippin", "You're So Good To Me", "When We're Alone", "Back To The World", "No Thing On Me (Cocaine Song)", "Cannot Find A Way", "Ain't No Love Lost", "Love Me (Right In The Pocket)", "The Makings Of You", and "So In Love". CD

Heavy heavy funk from this hard-rocking group! The Midnight Movers were a tripped out combo who used a heck of a lot of guitar work in their grooves – and who also had a 4-part sax section that riffed heavily over the beats, creating a mad wailing approach that was as hard and full-on as any of their contemporaries on the end of the 60s funk scene. This set's the first-ever collection to look at their work – and it features tunes from their rare album on the Elephant label, plus a few obscure singles that include 2 sides cut with the singers Skip & Ernest. The sound is great – better than we remember – and titles include "Funk Ain't Nothing But A Scent", "Crabs", "Pickin & Chippin", "Sweet Darlin", "Try Our Thing", "Truckin", "Long Train Runnin", "Masai", and "Put Your Mind In The Pocket". CD features a number of bonus tracks too – including the legendary "Follow The Wind (part 1 & 2)". CD

Here's a summer house we'd really like to visit on our next vacation – a legendary spot in Sweden, where Don Cherry created freely with some of the hippest players on the local scene in 1968! The tracks here were all recorded for later commercial release, which never ended up happening – and they represent a key bridge in Cherry's career between his important American work of the mid 60s, and his growing global consciousness to come – maybe a first chapter in the sound that would become the Organic Music Society! The set features work from an array of musicians that includes Cherry on pocket trumpet and flute, Bernt Rosengren on tenor and flute, Gunnar Lindqvist on reeds, Tommy Koverhult on tenor and a variety of flutes, Jacques Thollot and Leif Wennerstrom on drums, Torbjorn Hultcrantz and Kent Carter on bass, and percussion from Bulent Ates – plus other members of the group! There's no vocals, but there's a strong sense of rhythmic cohesion throughout – freewheeling jazz, but not entirely free either – and filled with a global inspiration that makes the whole thing come off with an organic sense of beauty. Titles include "The Machine Age", "Sir Charles Brackeen A", "Mao", "Samba", "Plotslight", and "Human". LP, Vinyl record album

Nice, nice 2 CD set collecting the best work of the great Jamaican crooner Dennis Brown. Working mostly with producer Winston Niney Holness, the pair brought out the best in each other, with Niney coaxing some great performances out of Brown, and Brown getting the best rhythms Niney had to offer. 48 tracks in all, including "He Can't Spell", "Musical Heatwave", "Money In My Pocket (1973)", "Westbound train", "Yagga Yagga (You'll Suffer)", and "Whip Them Jah Jah". CD

Rob Mazurek is one of the most collaborative musicians we know – but this time around, he's completely solo, but handling a range of instruments that might usually be associated with a larger group! In addition to his familiar trumpet and pocket trumpet work, Rob's creating sounds here on prepared and regular piano, bells, shakers, flutes, and percussion – and also using a bit of sampler work, his voice, and even a bucket too – all in the kind of spontaneously spiritual styles he's unlocked in improvisations with other players in recent years! The sound is wonderful – maybe a more intimate take on the Exploding Star vibe – and titles include "Sbagliato", "Bar Basso", "Moss Covered Hips", "Collectors Of Bones", "Collimated & Trestled", and "Magic Yellow Bucket". CD

Collects tracks from the albums Smokin, In The Pocket, Whip Appeal, and Unforgettable. Sidemen include George Coleman, Houston Person, Melvin Sparks, Eric Alexander, Idris Muhammad, and others. CD

One of the best 60s albums by the Crusaders – and a swinging Latin session to boot! The core group of The Jazz Crusaders is expanded with some funky flute from Hubert Laws, sweet organ licks from Clare Fischer, and lots of congas from Carlos Vidal – all of whom push the group past their usual (and excellent) soul jazz bag, into a realm of hard-grooving Latin numbers! The playing on the set is tremendous – as "in the pocket" as the group could be, but also a lot more hiply swinging and open to rhythmic changes. A total gem – with titles that include "Agua Dulce", "Tacos", "Soul Bourgeoisie", and "Latin Bit". LP, Vinyl record album

Two great sets from reedman Charles Lloyd! Dream Weaver really pushes forward all the experiments he'd begun in the Chico Hamilton group – and shows a bold move forward for rhythms in 60s jazz! The tracks are long, and spiral out wonderfully – but in ways that are different than those used by other creators of the time – like Eric Dolphy or John Coltrane. Even though leading the group on tenor and flute, Lloyd's got a real sense of rhythm to his playing – echoes of the Hamilton group – but set loose with a stellar quartet of younger players – including Keith Jarrett on piano, Cecil McBee on bass, and Jack DeJohnette on drums – all perfect choices for inventive music like this! The standout cut is the amazing "Sombrero Sam", a tight little groover that we never tire of – and one that has Jarrett sounding much more in the pocket than you'd ever imagine – and other tracks include "Dream Weaver", "Autumn Sequence", and "Bird Flight". Love-In features a classic batch of modal grooves from Charles Lloyd – recorded during the height of his mind-expanding years, with his famous quartet that included Keith Jarrett on piano and Jack DeJohnette on drums! The tracks are long and magical, done with that spiritual spiraling sound that Lloyd was wowing the hippies with at the time – and considering that this set was recorded live at the Fillmore, there were an awful lot of hippies present to be wowed! But the set's also got a charm that lives long past its time – thanks to an expansive vision from Lloyd on flute and tenor, and from Jarrett on piano too. Titles include "Sunday Morning", "Love-in", "Tribal Dance", and "Temple Bells". CD

The cover's a bit stark, but the music is warm and wonderful – a collection of cuts by an obscure Venezuelan group of the 60s – a Latin combo who were originally formed by a bunch of engineering students – hence the name of the group! The music's not the stuff of slide rules and pocket protectors, though – as these guys clearly know how to let their hair down once their books are closed – drawing the best influences from the hippest New York groups of the moment, and presenting them with a lean style and that slightly offbeat approach that can make Venezuelan work of the period such a refreshing change from better-known Latin work on labels like Tico, Fania, or Alegre! There's clearly a no rules approach going on here, as the guys throw in lots of creative touches of their own – on titles that include "Mambo Silbado", "Aefo", "La Bola", "Eso", "Mambo Rock", "Mambo Sancocho", "Extasis", "Dame Boogaloo", and "El Alacran". LP, Vinyl record album