A fantastic pairing – the baritone sax of Pepper Adams and the sharp trombone of Jimmy Knepper – in a quintet with Don Friedman on piano, George Mraz on bass, and Billy Hart on drums! Titles include "Beautiful Love", "Audobon", "Hellure", "Groovin High", and "I'm Getting Sentimental Over You". CD

Funky funky Thailand – just about the only 70s funk group we've ever seen from that part of the globe, and a great one at that! The Impossibles work in a tightly-crafted ensemble funk style that's clearly influenced by Kool & The Gang – but which also has the group hitting some well-polished notes on a few of the album's vocal numbers – in a totally cool groove that's got plenty of hard funky riffs at the bottom, sweet horns in the middle, and some great compressed pop vocals on the top! The album's a real lost treasure – one that we've never seen on this side of the Atlantic – and was oddly recorded and issued in Sweden in the mid 70s! But this album is way more than just a musical oddity – as it's super-funky all the way through, with a level of quality that will have it at the top of your crates for a long, long time! Titles include "Hotpepper", "Give It Up", "California", "C'mon Baby", "Easy To Be Hard", "Pretty Thing", "Love Will Keep Us Together", and "Love The Life You Live". CD

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A pretty nice jazz tribute to the Billy Wilder film of the same name – and one that reprises a number of tunes from the film, especially popular songs of the 20s – but brings them back in a way that's still got plenty of hip 50s jazz touches! The record's nicely without the hoke that came with a lot of the music in the movie – thanks to a lineup that includes Art Pepper (on tenor, alto, and clarinet!), Joe Gordon, Jimmy Rowles, and Jack Marshall – playing a bit of rhythm guitar in addition to Barney Kessel's main solo one! And if there ever was a record to illustrate the old jazz adage "it ain't the song, it's the singer", this record may be it – because Barney and crew really work some magic with old chestnuts like "I Wanna Be Loved By You", "Sugar Blues", "Sweet Georgia Brown", "Runnin Wild", "By The Beautiful Sea", and "I'm Through With Love". CD features 2 bonus tracks! LP, Vinyl record album

An excellent 2LP set that features material pulled from a number of Griffin's early albums for the Jazzland/Riverside label – including The Little Giant, The Kerry Dancers, Way Out, and The Johnny Griffin Sextet. The material is played by a number of groups – with musicians that include Donald Byrd, Pepper Adams, Kenny Drew, Wibur Ware, Blue Mitchell, Julian Priester, Barry Harris, and Sam Jones – but it's united by Griffin's souful approach to bop, and by a youthful energy that made him one of the most striking tenor soloists of his generation, despite a young age. Titles include "Catharsis", "Hot Sausage", "The Message", "Playmates", "63rd Street Theme", "The Kerry Dancers", and "Little John". LP, Vinyl record album

The title's a bit confusing, but that's the way we like it – as the package brings together all sorts of weird and wonderful tunes – work that maybe even pushes past the boundaries of the other wild work we've loved on previous volumes in this series! The set list is huge – 50 tracks in all – and the package runs the gamut of unusual rare singles, with certainly some that might reference the odd jumble of words in the title – but others that all take off in the wonderful melange of modes. We'd not heard most of the work here before – and once again our hat's off to Lux & Ivy for hipping us to so many underground gems – in a huge set list that includes "Rat A Ma Cue" by Pat Patterson, "You're Gone I'm Left" by Tyrone Schmidling, "Red Tiger Shoes" by The Century Five, "Busy Line" by Billy Williams, "Chilli Dippin Baby" by Joyce Poynter, "Big Bowl Of Soul" by The Huntsmen, "I've Been Wrong" by Sweetie Jones, "Hot Shot" by Ronnie Pearson, "Lover Boy" by Chris Christian & The Chordaires, "Ford & Shaker" by James Gallagher, "Leather Jacket Cowboy" by Pepper Pots, "Oh Death" by John Reedy & His Stone Mountain Trio, and "Bongosera" by Grupo Afro Cubano. CD

Landmark work from Desmond Dekker – one of the first Jamaican artists to break bigger on the global scene at the end of the 60s – thanks to soulful sets like this! The music is still very much in a rocksteady mode, but has some currents of ska that's kept it on turntables for years – not the upbeat variant of the genre, but the laidback mode that was perfect for a hot night in Jamaica – when nobody ever wanted the grooves to move too fast! Both the instrumentation and production are impeccable – the latter handled by Leslie Kong – and Desmond is completely charming throughout, on titles that include "Music Like Dirt", "Rudy Got Soul", "007", "Sabotage", "Wise Man", "Shing A Ling", "Unity", "Mother Pepper", and "Mother's Young Girl". LP, Vinyl record album

If there's anyone who could make the idea of Italian westerns and Jamaican grooves come together, it's the young Lee Scratch Perry – the mad musician who always had a great talent for mixing it up! Eastwood Rides Again follows the theme of The Upsetters previous classic, Return Of Django – and like that one, the groove isn't just the rocksteady rhythms you'd expect – but also maybe this more spacious version of the style, with a bit more space between the notes than some of their Kingston contemporaries – almost a mode that could be inspired by the spacious soundtrack scoring of the Italian scene, then delivered with a much grittier vibe. Most tunes are instrumentals, and titles include "Eastwood Rides Again", "Salt & Pepper", "Red Hot", "Tight Spot", "Catch This", "Popcorn", and "You Are Adorable". LP, Vinyl record album

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Although Art Pepper's early work with the Kenton group is always cited as being revolutionary and groundbreaking, it's always been tough to get a handle on because his tracks as a featured soloist are scattered over many different albums. That problem is solved nicely by this collection – as it brings together most of Pepper's best sides with Kenton, recured during the years 1943 to 1951. The set's presented with a handsome cover that has a nice early photo of Pepper (with a moustache!), and full discographical information on all the tracks. Titles include "Viva Prado", "Journey To Brazil", "Harlem Folk Dance", "Sambo", "Dynaflow", and "Art Pepper". CD

With Green Day, Cypress Hill, Nine Inch Nails, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Crosby Stills & Nash, Bob Dylan, Traffic, Cranberries, and many more. Cassette

Given that Pepper was on and off the LA scene a fair bit in the 50s – due to personal trouble and legal battles – this album's not so much "the return", as it is one of Pepper's many strong steps back into the studio, a place in which he demonstrated an uncanny ability to craft brilliant work, despite the turmoil going on around him. The set's as classic as you can get for Pepper – right down to the classic William Claxton photo on the cover (which has a chilling story that you'll find in Art's autobiography). Players include Jack Sheldon, Russ Freeman, Leroy Vinnegar, and Shelly Manne – and titles include "Pepper Returns", "Funny Blues", "Angel Wings", "Walkin Out Blues", "Five More", "Minority", and "Mambo De La Pinta". CD

Given that Pepper was on and off the LA scene a fair bit in the 50s – due to personal trouble and legal battles – this album's not so much "the return", as it is one of Pepper's many strong steps back into the studio, a place in which he demonstrated an uncanny ability to craft brilliant work, despite the turmoil going on around him. The set's as classic as you can get for Pepper – right down to the classic William Claxton photo on the cover (which has a chilling story that you'll find in Art's autobiography). Players include Jack Sheldon, Russ Freeman, Leroy Vinnegar, and Shelly Manne – and titles include "Pepper Returns", "Funny Blues", "Angel Wings", "Walkin Out Blues", "Five More", "Minority", and "Mambo De La Pinta". CD

Classic Art Pepper material, recorded in one of his comeback periods, and featuring the famous Richard Claxton photo of Art Holding his horn next to a tree. There's several different lineups featured, with a coupl of quintet and quartet sides, and a few with larger horn section, and the sidemen are the cream of the West coast jazz crop, including Bud Shank, Chet Baker, Curtis Counce, Leroy Vinnegar, Mel Lewis, Stan Levey and Lawrence Marable. 9 numbers in all, with rousing takes on standards like "What Is This Thing Called Love" and "A Foggy Day" and Pepper originals "Diane A Flow", "Zenobia", and "Powder Puff". CD

A spiritual jazz classic – one of the rarest albums of its type from the 70s! This legendary session was recorded by Roy Ayers' keyboardist Harry Whitaker – working here as the leader of the Black Renaissance group, a one-shot ensemble that featured Woody Shaw on trumpet, Azar Lawrence on saxes, Buster Williams on bass, and Mtume on percussion. The session was cut in New York in 1976, but only issued on a rare album that came out briefly in Japan. Yet somehow, the quality of the work and the depth of soulfulness have created a strong aura about the session – making it an oft-cited influence by a generation of DJs and soul jazz listeners. The album only features 2 long tracks – both of them strong ensemble numbers that build modally searching grooves in a Strata East-like style, peppered with voices, both sung and spoken, in a hip, socially conscious mode. Both tracks – "Black Renaissance" and "Magic Ritual" are excellent, on a par with the best 70s spiritual soul jazz! LP, Vinyl record album

Common newcomers who buy Electric Circus for the single with Mary J Blige are going to be left with some head scratching – but if you like the spiritual/psychedelic Com that was hinted at on Like Water For Chocolate, this may be the follow up you were waiting for! This is still hip hop – with production by the Neptunes, Jay Dee, ?uestlove and others, but it's definitely a boundary stretcher. The mood runs from Roots style soul bumpers to Hendrix and Eugene McDaniels style feedback heavy freakouts. There's a guest on nearly every track, mostly from the Okayplayer camp and NuSoul titans, including Bilal, Omar, Pharrell Williams, Cee-Lo, Erykah Badu, Jill Scott, Laetitia Sadier of Stereolab and others. We won't lie to you, we miss the Chicago hip hop Common that kicked insight over raw and soulful productions, but you can't fault the guy for being an artist, and he really has crafted something original here. A great cover – a kind of rainbow drenched cut and paste photo collage of the contributors and inspirations with Com out front, sort of reminding us of Tribe's Midnight Maurauders, and even Sgt. Pepper. Tracks include "Ferris Wheel", "Soul Power", "The Hustle", the first single "Come Close", "New Wave", "Star *69", "Jimi Was A Rock Star" and more. CD

The great live compilation of classic Hendrix – pulled from incendiary performances at Isle Of Wight in 1970 and other benchmark west coast gigs from '68 to '70! It's as fine of a snapshot of Jimi as you could really hope for, as it features numbers that showcase his fiery blues psych side that pretty much single-handedly change rock guitar forever after, as well as more loosely furnished bluesy jams that demonstrate his love for the blues legends before him. So, it's Jimi paving the way and showing love for his predecessors – and historical importance aside, it's simply great stuff! Some gigs have Noel Redding on bass and others have Billy Cox. Includes "The Queen", "Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band", "Little Wing", "Fire", "Red House", "Johnny B Goode", "Lover Man", "Blue Suede Shoes" and "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)". LP, Vinyl record album

Jimi Hendrix, live in Los Angeles – just days before the release of his classic Are You Experienced album – a record that changed a generation! Jimi was actually working that night as the opening act for The Mamas & The Papas – and we're guessing that his searing solos and raw musical vision really blew the whole crowd away – so much so, we wish the set had a visual component, so we could see reaction shots of the crowd! The Experience group has the classic lineup of Noel Redding on bass and Mitch Mitchell on drums – and titles include "Purple Haze", "Wild Thing", "Fire", "Catfish Blues", "Foxy Lady", and a reading of "Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band". LP, Vinyl record album

Essential funk in a single set – three killer albums from James Brown's legendary backing group! First up is Food For Thought – the classic first album by The JBs – James Brown's Fred Wesley-led backing band, and the force behind most of his greatest records of the early 70s! The band are incredible at this point – sharper, harder, and funkier than just about any other combo around – and that includes all the thousands of groups in the funky 45 underground who were always trying to copy their sound, but never got things this right! Not only are the rhythms the stuff of legend – but the use of the instruments is far far above the norm – as can be heard on the mindblowing "The Grunt", which was sampled heavily by Public Enemy to great fame – and which features a saxophone solo that sounds more like a whistling tea kettle! The set collects some of the group's best early singles, and includes all of the short little funky cuts that made them a legend right out of the box – "Pass the Peas", "The Grunt", "These Are The JBs", "Hot Pants Road", "Wine Spot", "To My Brother", "Blessed Blackness", "Theme From King Heroin", "Escapism (parts 1 & 2), and "Gimme Some More" – all together here in one tight little album of massive funky hard beats and breaks! Doing It To Death is an incredible album – a landmark piece of funk that nobody should be without, funk fan or not! The album is the second to feature James Brown's famous backing combo of the early 70s – and unlike their first one, which was really more of a collection of singles, this album has the group playing hard, long, and loud, in the free funk improvisational mode that was James' real contribution to the music at the time. The tracks are all incredibly long, with James at the forefront, egging the band on with shouts and comments – but also letting them open up large instrumentally, playing in a mode that's as much jazz as it is funky soul. The whole thing's peppered with some nice shorter segues between tracks – but the long cuts are the winners, and are some of the best funk ever recorded! Titles include "Mo Peas", "Doing It To Death", "La Di Da La Di Day", "You Can Have Watergate, Just Gimme Some Bucks & I'll Be Straight", and "Sucker". Last up is Damn Right I Am Somebody – quite possibly our favorite record by the JBs, ever! The set starts with a wonderful conversational bit – rapping and musing on the idea of "Damn Right, I Am Somebody" – showing the group in a political and righteous mode for the first time ever. The grooves then kick in – with the same heavy funk as on earlier records, but also a nice nod towards experimental production – from strange fade ups and fade downs, to stark time and rhythm changes, and even bits of electronics used to create some very cool moments in the grooves! The whole thing's as dead funky as can be, and is stuffed with insane classics like "Blow Your Head", "Same Beat", "Damn Right I am Somebody", "I'm Payin' Taxes, What am I Buyin'", and a great cover of Marvin Gaye's "You Sure Love to Ball"! CD

Seminal quality dub by the mighty Revolutionairies! Raw, fat dubs of Jah Lloyd productions cut at Channel One and mixed at Tubby's by Prince Jammy, featuring the Rhythm Twins on drum & bass, with the rest of the band filled out with an all star cast of top notch shots, so what more do you need to know? 10 tracks in all, including "Calico Jack", "Big Foot", "Bitter Blood", "Goldmine", "Red River Dub", "Heartburn", "Sore Mouth", "Jamintel", "Musketeer Dub" and "Pepper Dub". LP, Vinyl record album

That slightly creepy photo on the cover makes the kids look a bit more like cult members than the kind of sunny, happy flower children you might normally expect – and that's actually part of the quality of the package, too – as the set really gets at all the wonderful tensions taking place in American music in 1967 – a time of great freedom and optimism, but one with an undercurrent of darkness as well! The set really dives deeply into the crucial year of 1967, and goes way past the oldies and radio hits that most people associate with the musical moment – to bring together all sorts of cool cuts that often were only trading hands with the deeper chapters of the underground, mixed with a few other tracks from artists who got more play at the time, but were also changing the system from within! As with other Grapefruit collections, the notes and presentation are as great as the song choices – and the set features 85 titles in all, with work from The Balloon Farm, Gates Of Eden, Zodiac, Vanilla Fudge, Red Crayola, Lemon Drops, Cyrkle, Peppermint Trolley Company, Tim Rose, Spike Drivers, Blues Magoos, Sound Barrier, Grateful Dead, Thursdays Children, The ID, Zakary Thaks, Velvet Underground, Clear Light, Critters, Sagittarius, Jim & Jean, Sonny, Blue Things, Morning Dew, and many others! CD

A wild little concept album from the Four Seasons – one that's packaged in newspaper-style cover, and which presents tunes that almost have that late 60s British "snapshots of life" approach to pop – particularly that put forth by The Kinks on Village Green Preservation Society. The album's a true genius effort from Bob Gaudio – now risen to the ranks of producer for the group, and also the key songwriter for the album too – working here in tandem with the great Jake Holmes, a wonderful choice for a record like this! Arrangements are inventive, playful, and definitely at a level that shows some influence from Pet Sounds or Sgt Peppers – but there's also a focused, all-pop approach to the tunes too – one that's hook-heavy even when trippy, and which shows that the Four Seasons were as great at psychedelic and Sunshine Pop as any of the groups they'd inspired over the years. Titles include "Saturday's Father", "Wall Street Village Day", "Wonder What You'll Be", "Soul Of A Woman", "Something's On Her Mind", "American Crucifixion Resurrection", and "Mrs Stately's Garden". LP, Vinyl record album

A spiritual jazz classic – one of the rarest albums of its type from the 70s! This legendary session was recorded by Roy Ayers' keyboardist Harry Whitaker – working here as the leader of the Black Renaissance group, a one-shot ensemble that featured Woody Shaw on trumpet, Azar Lawrence on saxes, Buster Williams on bass, and Mtume on percussion. The session was cut in New York in 1976, but only issued on a rare album that came out briefly in Japan. Yet somehow, the quality of the work and the depth of soulfulness have created a strong aura about the session – making it an oft-cited influence by a generation of DJs and soul jazz listeners. The album only features 2 long tracks – both of them strong ensemble numbers that build modally searching grooves in a Strata East-like style, peppered with voices, both sung and spoken, in a hip, socially conscious mode. Both tracks – "Black Renaissance" and "Magic Ritual" are excellent, on a par with the best 70s spiritual soul jazz! CD