Percussionist Andrea Centazzo really rises to the occasion here – as one might when meeting with the legendary Derek Bailey at a time when he was really at the height of his powers! Bailey works on both acoustic and electric guitars here – and has a way of creating all these amazing sounds and moments on his instruments – that famous style of improvisation he first unleased on the world at the end of the 60s, honed during the early part of the 70s, and which is in full bloom here! Centazzo is nicely respectful, and really finds a way to match the best of Bailey's impulses – playing a range of percussion instruments big and small. Titles include "Drop Three", "Tutti Cantabile", "Recapitulation Reiteration & Rabbits", "How Long Has This Been Going On", "Jim Never Seems To Send Me Pretty Flowers", and "Drop Two". LP, Vinyl record album

Andrea Centazzo on percussion and sampler. CD

Music composed for a multimedia show for gamelan orchestra. CD

An overlooked gem from the British free jazz scene of the 70s – a set issued on the Bead Records label, and one that got very little circulation at the time – but which is equally as mindblowing as work from the period on labels like Ictus and Ogun! The duo here features Roy Ashbury on drums and percussion, and Larry Stabbins on soprano and tenor – working in this free, open space, but on tracks that are often shorter than album-length improvisations – which allows the players to stop a minute, take a breath, and move into these nicely varied moments of spontaneous creation! You might know Stabbins from later 80s work on more groove-oriented records – but here, he's a tremendousimproviser, with a sense for creative reedwork that might well rival his contemporary Evan Parker. Titles include "Puff", "Formants Of The Deep", "Wych Elm", "Fire Without Bricks", "Rough Cut", and "Maldoror". CD

The music of Carla Bley is always a special thing – compositions that began appearing on modern jazz recordings long before Carla herself got a chance to record as a leader – yet there's also maybe something extra special about this set, as Paul Bley really gets all the special sense of spacing and tone in the tunes completely right – delivered here in a record that's very different than most of his other albums from the time! The other trio members have ears that fit the songs perfectly too – Marc Johnson on bass and Jeff Williams on drums – working with Paul's piano in this special sonic space that's completely sublime, on titles that include "Turns", "Ictus", "Ida Lupino", "Vashkar", "Seven", "Around Again", and "Olhos De Gato". LP, Vinyl record album

Gary Burton takes on the music of Carla Bley – in a wonderfully sensitive set that opens up rich new colors in her music! The group here is a particularly well-chosen one for the effort – a quintet with Burton on vibes, Mick Goodrick on guitar, Steve Swallow on bass, and Bob Moses on drums – plus a young Pat Metheny on guitar, really shading in the tunes with his evocative tones. Burton's vibes are angular one minute, spare and spacious the next – and in a way, his treatment if Bley's tunes is some of the most sensitive we've ever heard. Titles include "Ictus/Syndrome", "Dreams So Real", "Intermission Music", "Doctor", and "Vox Humana". LP, Vinyl record album

Fantastic stuff from Jimmy Giuffre! This record captures him at a perfect turning point in his career – after his initial piano-less experiments on Atlantic, but before the totally free work that graced his later years. The group is his trio with Paul Bley on piano and Steve Swallow on bass – and the tracks are angular modernism carried to its most perfect realization. Titles include "Ictus", "Carla", "Sonic", "Whirrr", and "The Gamut". LP, Vinyl record album

2 amazing albums from the 2nd version of the Jimmy Giuffre 3! After working with his first combo of Bob Brookmeyer and Jim Hall during the late 50s, Giuffre hooked up with a pair of younger modernists – Paul Bley and Steve Swallow – reintroducing the piano and bass to his trio format, instruments that had been previously missing because Giuffre wanted to explore the possibilities of melodic composition freed from rhythmic constraints. With this trio, Giuffre was still working in that mode – as you'll hear on Bley and Swallow's incredibly free playing. The group's performances are not free jazz by any means, but they're a key link in that tradition – as Giuffre and crew do an excellent job of creating unconventional compositions, most of which feel like little sculptures in sound. There's a total of 20 tracks on 2CDs – and titles include "Cry, Want", "Trudgin", "Jesus Maria", "Ictus", "Sonic", "Whirrrrr", "The Gamut", "Herb & Ictus", and "Flight". Both records originally available on Verve, now repackaged by ECM. CD

A greatest hits two-fer – made even greater with the addition of 27 bonus tracks! First up is Invictus' Greatest Hits – heavy soul from the house of Holland-Dozier-Holland – some of the best bits from their Invictus powerhouse label of the early 70s – definitely a scene-setting imprint at the time! Invictus had some of the deepest grooves ever recorded by the trio – heavy, rumbling bottom sounds – soaring vocal passages – and production that took the Motown lessons of the late 60s to a whole new level. The package is overflowing with gems – and titles include "Crumbs Off The Table" by The Glass House, "Band Of Gold" and "Bring The Boys Home" by Freda Payne, "Give Me Just A Little More Time" and "Everything's Tuesday" by The Chairmen Of The Board, "You've Got To Crawl" and "She's Not Just Another Woman" by The 8th Day, and "I Had It All" by The Barrino Brothers. Hot Wax Greatest Hits is a great collection of some of the best numbers from the Hot Wax label of the early 70s – second generation Detroit soul that really set the standard for the 70s! The tunes here were massive back in the day – blasting out of juke boxes, car radios, and a fair bit of home stereos too – all for good reason, given the care and balance the Holland-Dozier-Holland team brought to their work in the studio, and their ears for selecting singers to handle the work. Titles include "Want Ads" and "Stick Up" by Honey Cone, "Somebody's Been Sleepin" and "Too Many Cooks" by 100 Proof Aged In Soul, "Westbound #9" and "Mind Body & Soul" by Flaming Ember, "Woman's Love Rights" by Laura Lee "Women's Love Rights", and "Frightened Girl" by Silent Majority. 2CD set also features 27 bonus tracks that include "Somebody's Gonna Hurt You" by Lee Charles, "Colors Of My Love" by The Silent Majority, "Love Machine" by The Politicians, "Touch Me" by Eloise Laws, "Hey There Lonely Girl" by Ty Hunter, "Wanting You" by Earl English, "That's Love" by The Hi-Lites, "Can't Get Enough Of You" by Tyrone Edwards, "I Need It Just As Bad As You" by Laura Lee, "VIP" by Scherrie Payne, "Guess I'm Gonna Cry" by New York Port Authority, "Something New About You" by Silent Majority, and "You Too Me From A World Outside" by Lee Charles. CD

A bit confused at points, but one of the funkiest albums on Invictus! The 8th Day group was a loosely conceived batch of Detroit soul talents designed to cash in on a concept of the Holland-Dozier-Holland team – but fortunately, they also included some wonderful talents that could make some great music when they wanted to. One of these was the vastly under-discovered Detroit organist Lyman Woodard –who contributed the fantastic track "Cheba" to the album, an incredible organ groover that's unlike anything you've ever heard, rolling on with this pinched Hammond sound over congas, all-instrumental, and completely seductive! Another was Melvin Davis, who had recorded the song "Good Book" as a solo artist – but which was released here as if it was by the group. There's also a great guitarist in the group – unnamed due to the lack of liner notes – but who really shines on the funky tracks "Anythang", "Rocks In My Head", and "Heaven Is There To Guide Us", all with a fuzzed-out Detroit 70s groove! LP, Vinyl record album

A huge collection of work from one of the most enigmatic groups of the 60s – all of their classic albums for Reprise, plus rare material too! First up is the self-titled Electric Prunes set, in stereo and mono - an early moment of genius from The Electric Prunes – and exactly the kind of record that shows why they were a cut above their contemporaries, and why Warner really backed them strongly right from the start! There's a depth here that rivals some of the group's Sunset Strip contemporaries – and although David Axelrod's not working with them on the record, there's still lots of dark corners and sharp edges – really thoughtful sounds that are spun out wonderfully on fuzzy guitars and organ, with some nicely subtle drums in the rear. Tracks include "I Has Too Much To Dream (Last Night)", "Try Me On For Size", "Get Me To the World On Time", "About A Quarter To Nine", and "Luvin". Next are mono and stereo presentations of Underground – a record that has the Electric Prunes are arranging themselves, and have production from Dave Hassinger. The tracks are shorter than on some of their Axelrod albums, but they're also showing a sophistication that makes the material really compelling – mixing together psyche and garage roots into a sophisticated document that points at the tremendous growth that was going on around them in the rock world. Tracks include "The Great Banana Hoax", "Wind Up Toys", "Dr. Do-Good", "Hideaway", and "Capt. Glory". Next are stereo and mono versions of Mass In F Minor – a beautifully baroque batch of tracks, written and arranged for the Electric Prunes by the great David Axelrod – a really groundbreaking mix of modes that had quite an impact back in the late 60s! The record shows Axelrod's perpetual fascination with the spiritual – mixed with that great modern style of funk that he was forging at Capitol during the late 60s. The record's not really preachy, nor is it proggy. It's more of a complex blueprint of rock, jazz, funk, and touches of soul – all hung together on the same sort of "mass" structure that Axelrod would later use with Cannonball and on his own. Titles include "Kyrie Eleison", "Gloria", "Benedictus", and "Sanctus". Release Of An Oath is the second album done by David Axelrod for The Electric Prunes – and arguably the best! The album's a bit unusual, in that none of the original Prunes were actually working on the session – and instead, Axlerod's almost fully at the helm – putting together the set in a way that's quite similar to his own solo albums over at Capitol! As with those, there's a bold, spacious sort of instrumentation here – richly orchestral, but also quite funky at times – punctuated by great drums from Earl Palmer, bass from Carol Kaye, keyboards from Don Randi, and guitar from Howard Roberts – who's really tripping out nicely here! The work uses the Jewish Kol Nidre mass as its conceptual locus – but really takes off with plenty of tripped-out Axelrod flourishes that make the whole thing a fair bit more psychedelic than anything you'd ever hear in temple. Titles include "Holy Are You", "The Adoration", "Our Father, Our King", "Kol Nidre", and "General Confessional". On Just Good Old Rock & Roll, The Electric Prunes get back to basics – as you might guess from the title – shaking off some of the larger, more ambitious modes of their albums with David Axelrod, yet still retaining a nicely trippy sound overall! The lineup of the group has shifted a bit – hence their billing as "the new improved" Electric Prunes – but although things are stripped-down and simple, there's still some amazing music on the record – a blend of guitar, flute, organ, and vocals that flows along wonderfully with some unusual sounds that we wouldn't expect! And while there's certainly a bit of "good old rock and roll" going on here on a few more straightforward songs, it's not like the album's Let It Be or anything like that – because the group are really more just getting back to the garagey psych of their roots, but doing it a bit better than before! Titles include "Sell", "14 Year Old Funk", "Love Grows", "Giant Sunhorse", "Silver Passion Mine", "Sing To Me", "Tracks", and "Finders Keepers Losers Weepers". CD then features two more CDs – CD5 is shadows, with 19 rare tracks, including singles and even a radio spot – and CD6 features their famous live set from 1967, recorded in Stockholm – plus four demo recordings by Jim & The Lords. CD

A seminal step forward for this legendary group – easily one of the greatest albums they ever cut! With ABC, the Jacksons are expanding their sound with the club-oriented grooves of the time – using Holland, Dozier, and Holland on many cuts, trying for a similar soaring groove as some of the trio's work on their own Invictus label. The move's actually a great one – as the maturing group has a strong adult harmony sound, the one that they would lean on more heavily during their years as The Jacksons, and which calls for much smoother arrangements than before. The record's got a surprisingly righteous, joyous sort of sound – and titles include "The Love You Save", "ABC", "One More Chance", "Never Had A Dream Come True", "I'll Bet You", "I Found That Girl", "La-La Means I Love You", "2-4-6-8", and "The You Folks". LP, Vinyl record album

A tremendous little record from Love Peace & Happiness – a great vocal trio from the early 70s, and one who really shine with this overlooked gem for RCA! The trio were part of the New Birth/Nite Liters universe that producer Harvey Fuqua brought to the label at the time – and they've got a hip sound that's right up there with the other two groups – with whom they were very intimately involved – working here with arrangements from Fuqua that are almost his contribution to post-Motown sounds in the 70s, the way that Holland-Dozier-Holland were working at Invictus. Ann Bogan really soars with righteous leads in the group – and gets equal support from brothers Leslie and Melvin Wilson – who really help underscore some of the bolder elements of the music – especially on the funkier cuts. Titles include "I Don't Want To Do Wrong", "Lonesome Lonely & Alone", "Don't Knock My Love", "If I Owned The World", "You Can't Cheat the Cheater", "Stay", "Mind", and "You've Chosen Me". Great reissue – with excellent sound and very detailed notes! CD

Fuzzy and funky soul from Detroit! This LP compiles the group's first incredible album – Osmium – plus some other singles from the time. Parliament at this point are much closer to earlier Funkadelic than on their later work – rocking hard with a very guitar-heavy groove, sounding a lot more tripped out than when they're riding the mothership, and forming a key link between the Motown soul tradition and that of Detroit noise rockers like MC5 or The Stooges. Cuts include "Loose Booty", "Little Old Country Boy", "My Automobile", "Red Hot Mama", "Come In Out Of The Rain", and "I Call My Baby Pussycat". Very trippy, very acidy, and very very wild! CD

A beautifully baroque batch of tracks, written and arranged for the Electric Prunes by the great David Axelrod – a really groundbreaking mix of modes that had quite an impact back in the late 60s! The record shows Axelrod's perpetual fascination with the spiritual – mixed with that great modern style of funk that he was forging at Capitol during the late 60s. The record's not really preachy, nor is it proggy. It's more of a complex blueprint of rock, jazz, funk, and touches of soul – all hung together on the same sort of "mass" structure that Axelrod would later use with Cannonball and on his own. Titles include "Kyrie Eleison", "Gloria", "Benedictus", and "Sanctus". LP, Vinyl record album

2 CDs, and a great collection of work by one of our favorite soul artists ever! Lamont first cut his teeth at Motown in the 60s – but during the 70s, he emerged as a killer solo artist in his own right, working in a number of different styles that have forever been huge among groove hounds. This set is one of the first to ever offer a retrospective of those classic years – and it's filled with great material that runs the gamut of Lamont's sides for Invictus, ABC, and Warner Brothers, plus some of his independent tunes from the early 80s, and even a few unreleased tracks! Titles include "Bigger Than Life", "Why Can't We Be Lovers", "The Picture Will Never Change", "Put Out My Fire", "All Cried Out", "Out Here On My Own", "Fish Ain't Bitin", "I Cry For You", "Shout About It", "Sight For Sore Eyes", "Boogie Business", "Love Me to The Max", "I Wanna Be With You", "New Breed Kinda Woman", "Breaking Out All Over", and "Tear Down The Walls. 34 tracks in all – and some great notes too! CD

Sublime soul from the mighty Laura Lee – one of the best deep soul singers of the 70s, even though she recorded with the mostly-northern team of Holland Dozier Holland! The set shows that the trio really knew how to change it up after leaving Motown – and although Lee had recorded for Chess in the 60s, she really finds her groove here – mixing southern soul with a dose of 70s funk – all of which really stands out from most of her contemporaries! Laura's voice is sweet and dusky, in the mode of some of the best underground singers of her day – but also rises above the rest, thanks crack arrangements by HB Barnum and Eugene Moore – who mix strings and soul into a stellar blend of styles! Titles include the breakbeat classic "Crums Off The Table", which begins with some great hard drums – plus the cuts "Every Little Bit Hurts", "I Can't Make It Alone", "Mirror Of Your Soul", and "I Need It Just As Bad As You". LP, Vinyl record album

Mad music from Jean-Pierre Massiera – the legendary producer who was steeped in the hippest sounds of the French scene of the 60s, then moved to Quebec to forge a wild style that was all his own! Jean-Pierre rarely ever issued work under his own name – and instead recorded under a host of pseudonyms, or in projects with other artists – which made for an ever-shifting array of new names, new sounds, and unusual records – a good deal of which are collected here in this set! The package really focuses on the freakiest side of Massiera's sound – the fuzzy, electric qualities that were first picked up from a European scene that included early prog, analog electronics, and hip pop experiments by folks like Pierre Henry or Jean-Claude Vannier – moved well into Massiera's own territory over the course of recordings like this – with lots of weird studio tricks, odd effects, and other hip bits. There's a really funky feel to many of the tracks here – that psyche-funk groove you might find on other Finders Keepers collections – and Andy Votel has written some very copious notes for the package, fully detailing Jean-Pierre's massive (and massively weird!) musical legacy. 18 tracks in all – including "Space Woman" by Herman's Rocket, "Onomatopaeia" by Human Egg, "Bizarre" by Les Chats Renaissance, "Visitors" by Visitors, "Ivresse Des Profondeurs" by SEM Studios, "L'Eletrocute" by Jesus, "Itubo Del Anno" by Basile, "Mao Mao" by The Starlights, "Pop Or Not" by Chico Magnetic Band, "Kriminal Theme" by Les Maledictus Sound, "Egg" by Atlantide, "Sing Sing" by Chris Gallbert, and "Secret La Vielle Dame" by Afterlife. LP, Vinyl record album

A killer album by the Chairmen of the Board! The record's their second – and although the "In Session" title, photos on the front, and liner notes all make it appear to be a live album, it's actually a studio session, with the same great Holland-Dozier-Holland production as the first! The album includes an amazing track called "All We Need Is Understanding", a jaunty groover with this funky organ at the beginning, and some killer vocals by General Johnson. It's one of the group's best tracks ever – and the record has plenty of other nice ones – like "Pay To The Piper", "Hanging On To A Memory", "When Will She Tell Me She Needs Me", and "Chairmen Of The Board". Plus, the record includes their great version of "Patches", which they wrote for Clarence Carter – already on their first album, but featured here again for some strange reason! Who cares, though – because we love the track! LP, Vinyl record album

A massive album by Lamont Dozier – probably his best ever! Every cut's a winner, and the LP shines with a sharpness and tightness that's missing from some of Lamont's other LPs from the 70s. The songwriting is impeccable – and as the album progresses, you get that eerie "deja vu" feeling you can have when discovering a landmark work for the first time. There's a hint of funk in the mix, but the strongest point is the production – which bowls over the top with a mix of strings, piano, and Lamont's wonderfully honest vocals. Includes the wonderful soul anthem "Don't Leave Me", which comes up again in a very tight instrumental version – plus the tracks "The Picture Will Never Change", "Why Can't We Be Lovers", and "Slipping Away". Great all the way through, and a stunning bit of seventies soul that will have you returning again and again! LP, Vinyl record album

Early work from Sterling Harrison – a soul singer who was mostly missed the first time around, but has had more of a revival in recent decades – although maybe not as strongly as on this obscure west coast album recorded with the production team of Holland Dozier Holland! This isn't Motown HDH, nor even their Invictus/Hot Wax style – as the album has a strong 80s soul vibe throughout, with lots of beats, keyboards, and catchy numbers in a boogie funk mode – yet it's also clear the top-shelf studio help really gives the record a lot more focus and punch than other efforts of this nature, in a way that mixes Sterling's deep soul vocal inclinations with some material that could have crossed over at the time. Titles include "Star Chaser", "I Feel The Love", "You've Got That Thing", "Take It All The Way", "She's So Sensitive", "One Size Fits All", and "Abba Dabba Do". CD

A seminal step forward for this legendary group – easily one of the greatest albums they ever cut! With ABC, the Jacksons are expanding their sound with the club-oriented grooves of the time – using Holland, Dozier, and Holland on many cuts, trying for a similar soaring groove as some of the trio's work on their own Invictus label. The move's actually a great one – as the maturing group has a strong adult harmony sound, the one that they would lean on more heavily during their years as The Jacksons, and which calls for much smoother arrangements than before. The record's got a surprisingly righteous, joyous sort of sound – and titles include "The Love You Save", "ABC", "One More Chance", "Never Had A Dream Come True", "I'll Bet You", "I Found That Girl", "La-La Means I Love You", "2-4-6-8", and "The You Folks". LP, Vinyl record album

A wicked later Motown moment from the Jackson 5 – and one that has them working with the super-grooving team of Holland-Dozier-Holland! Brian Holland handles production work for the team, and although his touches only appear on about half the record, he really helps the Jacksons hit that wickedly righteous groove that was the trademark HDH sound over that the Invictus label – a bassy, bottom-heavy Detroit sound with just a bit of psychedelic funk as well! Additional production is by Mel Larson & Jerry Marcellino – and titles include "Forever Came Today", "Moving Violation", "You Were Made Especially For Me", "Honey Love", "Body Language", "All I Do Is Think Of You", and "Breezy". LP, Vinyl record album

A pretty darn cool album – even though you might not initially guess it! Joe Masters takes the Catholic mass, in Latin, and sets it to some swinging jazz arrangements – played by a small soulful combo that includes Anthony Ortega, Harold Land, and Mike Wofford, and fronted by a vocal chorus that sings the words of the mass. The effort was one of many attempts to merge jazz and the church in the 60s – oddly enough – and it's also one of the better ones. Titles include "Sanctus", "Credo", "Kyrie", "Benedictus", and "Agnus Dei". LP, Vinyl record album

An insane bit of fuzzed-out funk! This is Parliament's rare first album – a trippy batch of tunes that come off of Clinton's experimentation in the Detroit soul scene, infused by the rock-heavy energy of the city at the time, and probably a heck of a lot of cannabis, too! The record is quite different than the slick funky sound of the group's later work for Casablanca – and has the psychedelic funk sound of the early work of Funkadelic, which was also recorded during the same period. The album's filled with funky classics – including "I Call My Baby Pussycat", "Little Ole Country Boy", "My Automobile", "Funky Woman", and "Nothing Before Me But Thang". CD

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

Genius work from Freda Payne – a set recorded after her bigger fame years for Invictus/Hot Wax – but a record that's done with an even deeper feel overall! The album features some key contributions from Lamont Dozier – who wasn't credited on the original record, due to his continuing contract with HDH – and his bold, righteous approach in the studio is definitely felt here – as he gives Freda the same great groove he'd hit on his own ABC albums! As with those, McKinley Jackson handles the arrangements – which work perfectly with the punctuated groove of Dozier's production – and Payne really sparkles in the setting, stretching out with these magnificent vocals that go way beyond what you might expect. The tunes are impeccable – as well-written as those on other Dozier projects of the time – loads of original numbers that include "Didn't I Tell You", "It's Yours To Have", "I Get Carried Away", "Run For Your Life", "Shadows On The Wall", and "Don't Wanna Be Left Out" – plus versions of "A Song For You" and "I Won't Last A Day". CD

That's the classy Chi-Lites on the cover, but the set features music from a nice array of deep soul talents of the 70s – pulled together from a mix of tracks from labels that include Hi Records, Brunswick, TK, and Invictus! As you'd guess from the title, the set focuses on male singers only – both groups and individuals – and the package has a good mix of southern styles and a few bits from up north – mostly from the earlier part of the 70s. Tracks include "Under My Wings" by Smith Connection, "Sweet Surrender" by Ollie Nightingale, "Star Bright Star Lite" by Syl Johnson, "Let Me Back In" by Tyrone Davis, "Don't Leave Me Starvin For Your Love (part 1)" by Lamont Dozier, "I Can't Do Enough For You Baby" by Tommy Tate, "I Don't Do Windows" by OV Wright, "Higher & Higher" by Jackie Wilson, "Home Is Where The Hatred Is" by Gil Scott Heron, "Take Me To The River" by Al Green, and "Living In The Footsteps Of Another Man" by The Chi-Lites. CD