... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

Titles include "One Of These Days", "A Pillow Of Winds", "Fearless", and "Echoes". LP, Vinyl record album

Fantastic stuff! In case you don't know it, this is one of Lalo Schifrin's most incredible soundtracks, and it's a stunning mix of jazz, bossa, and groovy grooves. There's lots of cool bubbling electric bass, lilting keyboards, and moody breezy rhythms. Nearly every cut's a winner, and if you like his stuff, we can bet that this will become one of your favorites. The record's darn tough to find, and this import CD's a real treat to have around! Cuts include "Bullitt", "Room 26", "On the Way To San Mateo", and "Shifting Gears". Essential – and great all the way through! CD

Their super-huge worldwide crossover hit – and not a bad groover at that! The single features a US remix by Steve Thompson and Michael Barbiero, plus the original UK rmx from the import. 12-inch, Vinyl record

... LP, Vinyl record album

Fab second volume in this great series that takes older Brazilian rhythms and musical ideas, and filters them through the talents of some of the best modern producers and remixers! This volume features 10 great tracks – many of which were only issued as expensive import singles, and all of which sound great together in this cool mod package of modern bossa dancefloor grooves! Titles include "Bossa Per Due" by Nicola Conte, "Circle (dub club)" by Soulstance, "Samba" by Faze Action, "The Ghetto (Atjazz rmx)" by Bob Sinclair, "Corcovado" by Mr. Hermano, "Saudade" by S-Tone Inc, "Corso" by Beanfield, and "Anjos Ilrmados (Rainer Truby rmx)" by Miyazawa. LP, Vinyl record album

Ubiquity's first volume compiling a bunch of the best acid jazz stuff to come out of the early 90s – but which had mostly been floating around on expensive import singles or hard to get indie releases. Cuts include "Honeydipped" by Marden Hill, "High Noon" by Kruder & Dorfmeister, "Sweat" by Paolo Achenza Trio, "The World Keeps Fallin (plain soul cut)" by Cunnie Williams, "Jungle Strut" by the Greyboy Allstars, "Hang On To Your Pride" by Family Tree, "Flex (undertones mix)" by Step It Up and "Say Yeah" by Izit. LP, Vinyl record album

The soul flavours here are especially strong – and even though some of the set features club numbers, the overall vibe is much more in the mode of Neo Soul and deep funk! The set's one of the hippest we've seen so far on the Audiopharm label – and like others from the company, it's really a great musical bang for your buck – 2CDs worth of music, and a whopping 27 tracks in all – including a good number fo hard to find import singles and remixes, all brought together into one well-chosen package. There's loads of great bits here from some of the hippest labels we stock – and titles include "Try Love" by Dwight Trible, "Changes" by Nostalgia 77, "That Sound (QSO rmx)" by Ohmega Watts, "We've Only Just Begun (TM Juke rmx)" by Lee McDonald, "Transatlantic" by Quantic, " Beauty" by Deeper Wider Higher, "Beautiful Day" by Mozez with Henry Binns, "Superstar" by Majestic, "Slowly" by Max Sedgley, "Hey Ya" by Maria Kannegaard Trio, "Walking Through Tomorrow (TM Juke rmx)" by Quantic Soul Orchestra, "Gimme Some Time" by Mr President, "Another Day In Paradise" by Pimp Daddy Nash, "Take Four" by The Juju Orchestra, "A Little Big More" by Jamie Lidell, "Bluebird" by One Self, "Linn" by Linn & Freddie, "Life & Death" by Swamburger, and "Cressy St Breakdown (No Comply rmx)" by Cookin On 3 Burners. CD

Music from The Wiseguys, Deee-Lite, The Rockmelons, Jamiroquai, Moloko, Jestofunk, Mo' Horizons, Freestylers featuring Petra Jean Phillipson, Stereo MC's, Wicked Beat Sound System, Bobby Hughes Combination, and more - 28 tracks in all. CD

... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

Import collection of some more obscure Miles moments from the late 50s Columbia years! There's 4 tracks recorded with the orchestra of Michel Legrand – and players that include Coltrane, Phil Woods, Jerome Richardson, and Bill Evans: "Jitterbug Waltz", "Round Midnight", "Wild Man Blues", and "Django". 2 tracks from a recording by the Brass Ensemble Of The Jazz & Classical Music Society, one led by John Lewis, the other by Gunther Schuller, are surprisingly wonderful – very much in the mode of Miles' work with Gil Evans, with a similar glistening sound on Miles' trumpet, and warm chromatic washes of sound underneath to provide the perfect soloing vehicle. And there are 4 numbers, a pair each from the Coltrane/Garland incarnation of the quintet, "Sweet Sue" & "Budo", and a transitional sextet from 1962, "Devil May Care" & "Blue Xmas". LP, Vinyl record album

One of our favorite tunes from the old school – a beautiful blend of vocoder vocals, sinister keyboards, and some cool splashy beats! This one ties it all together – the sound of the streets, the experiments of the import scene, and the changing energy in the clubs – all with a perfect blend of moods, and that wicked "D-d-d-d-d-d-ominatrix" chant! 12-inch, Vinyl record

One of the most wonderful soundtracks ever! Michel Legrand wrote the jazzy groovy score for this legendary French film from the mid 60s – and every word of dialogue in the film is sung throughout, making for a very cool, ever-changing array of vocal bits and jazzy styles. Embedded in here are lines that later became worldwide hits – like "I Will Wait For You" and "Watch What Happens" – but in this version, the songs are just themes in the huge pastiche of dialogue and narrative, and they lurk behind the score in a beautiful way. This is one of our favorite all-time soundtracks, and this wonderful import version features the entire thing, end to end, on 2CDs – as well as 6 bonus tracks that feature other versions of the themes and songs, done instrumentally or vocally by other artists. Fantastique! CD

... LP, Vinyl record album

The first, independent, Roots LP with so many classics that never made it to their later import and major label releases. What more can we say... Tracks include "The Roots Is Comin", "Pass The Popcorn", "The Anti-Circle", "Writers Block", "Good Music", "Grits", "Leonard I-V", "I'm Out Deah", "Essawhamah? (Live At The Soulshack)", "Popcorn Revisited", "Common Dust", "The Session (Longest Posse Cut In History)", "Carryin' On", "Peace", and more. LP, Vinyl record album

Sublime work from a truly amazing artist – one who both sings and plays acoustic bass – all in a captivating blend of jazz, soul, and Brazilian styles! Esperanza Spalding has a fresh, unique feel that's all her own – the warmth of a jazz singer like Carmen Lundy, the sharper sensitivities of a bossa vocalist, and the depth of a younger soul artist – all wrapped up in grooves that are undeniably jazzy, with a strong sense of rhythm from Spalding's great work on bass! The set is a great one, and provides a perfect platform for Esperanza's wonderful talents – even more so than her previous import release, and at a much nicer price. Instrumentation is mostly small combo – with lots of piano, a bit of Fender Rhodes, and some trumpet and sax from time to time – and titles include "She Got To You", "Precious", "Ponta De Areia", "I Know You Know", "Fall In", "I Adore You", "Love In Time", and "Mela". CD

Mavis, we'd never try to change you – especially when you sound this great! The set's an import collection of work that Mavis Staples recorded for Volt back in her early years as a solo act – and it not only features work from the first two sessions for the label – done with Don Davis or Steve Cropper producing – but also features 3 previously unissued tunes! Unreleased numbers include "Ready For The Heartbreaks", "I'm Tired", and "You're All I Need" – and others include "You Send Me", "A House Is Not A Home", "Endlessly", "I Have Learned To Do Without You", and "It Makes Me Wanna Cry". CD

Angie Stone's first solo LP, after her years with the Sequence and Vertical Hold. With a sound that nods towards the classic soul of the 70s, but firmly rooted in a more contemporary post-Hip Hop/NuSoul vibe, this set's a strong effort with the sort of self assured songcraft and tight production you'd expect from an artists who's paid her dues like Stone. 16 tracksi nall on this hard to get import vinyl pressing, including "No More Rain (In This Cloud)", "Everyday", "Life Story", "Coulda Been You", "Love Junkie" and "Heaven Help". CD

... LP, Vinyl record album

Live material recorded on "Brasil Night" at the 1983 Montreux jazz festival. The album's divided up into tracks by the three artists in the title – with titles that include "Ponta De Areia", "Maria Maria", and "Fe Cega Faca Amolada" by Milton Nascimento; "No Balanco Da Canoa", "Casinha De Buinha", and "Pelas Ruas Que Andei" by Alceu Valenca; and "Balao" and "Banda Da Capital" by a group that includes Wagner Tiso on keyboards, Nivaldo Ornelas on sax and flute, and Helio Delmiro on guitar. The Tiso group also backs up Nascimento on his tracks! LP, Vinyl record album

Very very cool reissue by PVine of this lost funk group who recorded for the All Platinum label in the early 70's as Willie & The Mighty Magnificents and Willie & West. Both of their original LPs were pretty short, so PVine put them both on one LP together, which sort of softens the high Japanese import price a bit, and which also gives you 16 great tracks of hard New Jersey soul. The tracks are a mixture of funk and male duet tracks, with cuts you may know like "Funky 9 Corners" and "Say It Again", plus cuts you may not, like "The Will", "You And Me", and "Can You Hear the Voices". Nice rare New Jersey stuff, and very very hard to find in the original. LP, Vinyl record album

Some of the most messed up funky tunes you'll ever hear – pulled from the post-punk years of New York and England, and featuring a blend of tunes that mix bass, beats, and lots of low-grade electronics! The sound's not electro, nor is it disco – more of a punky funky sound with lots of cold edges, and the kind of spare grooves that often made the club circuit in bins with the import 12" singles, influencing the Chicago and Detroit scenes strongly in the early days of house. The album's got some wonderful tracks that we haven't heard in years – including "Get Down" by Connie Case, "Sting (part 1)" by Barry Waite & Ltd, "Let's Go Swimming" by Arthur Russell, "Timewarp" by Coach House Rhythm Section, "Bostich" by Yello, "Problemes D'Amour" by Alexander Robotnick, "White Horse" by Laidback, "Ciguri" by Material, "This Is Radio Clash" by The Clash, and "Aspectacle (Holger Czukay edit)" by Can. CD

... LP, Vinyl record album

Two of Sweden's greatest talents, playing together in sessions that were released in the states in the 50's as part of Prestige's New Sounds from Sweden 10" LP series. Very cool sounding stuff, with all the iciness of the Swedish players in the 50's, and the tight arrangements that made them the biggest jazz import of that generation. LP, Vinyl record album

70s import issue of some great live playing by Hawk – laid down at Birdland in September of 1952, with 2 different groups: one that included Roy Eldridge, Horace Silver, and Curley Russell; and another that featured Howard McGhee, Silver, Russell, and Art Blakey. It's great to hear Hawkins in the company of these firey young boppers – and the album's exactly the kind of record that we use to prove the point that he was one of the most committed modernists of the postwar years. Titles include "Stuffy", "Disorder At The Border", "Rifftide", and a bonus interview called "The Hawk Talks". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

Some sweet large arrangements give the set a fuller feel than some of Toquinho's other music – and the set features Fender Rhodes and organ from Aecio Flavio! LP, Vinyl record album

The second meeting of this great combo in the studio – an open, thoughtful performance from a group that features Warren Smith on vibes, Joe McPhee on tenor, Jay Rosen on drums, and Michael Marcus on a variety of reeds! The set often seems perfectly balanced between the personalities of the members of the quartet – but somehow, Smith's vibes really seem to have this sense of place and importance on the record – tonally subtle when things are quiet, and surprisingly powerful when the reeds take off! Titles include "Buttercup", "This Here Ain't Nothin But The Blues", "Wis Vibrations", "Ella's Island", "Never Ending Worlds", "Mindfields In Opulence", and "Ethereal Spirits Divine". CD

The instrumental/dub versions of all the tracks from the Criminal Minded LP – one of the most important albums in the history of hip hop – the first full LP from KRS One, and a landmark batch of tracks recorded with the late Scott La Rock! The track list alone is a full chapter in the hip hop book of legends – with tunes like "Poetry", "Elementary", "South Bronx", "Super-Hoe", "Bridge is Over", and the "P is Free" remix – plus "Criminal Minded", "Dope Beat", and "9mm Goes Bang" CD

The music scene in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, is one that's had an undeniable impact on cultural activity in recent decades – yet it's also one of those scenes that initially happened without most folks taking place – that is, it was a real artist and musician's scene, and not the kind that was easily open to outsiders until many years later! In this really well-done book, Cisco Bradley (who also gave us a great volume on William Parker) digs deep into the earliest days of the Williamsburg scene – that late 80s moment when Manhattan and other spots had become too expensive for the truly creative – and the other side of the East River emerged as a great place to move, live, and continue to make music. Bradley really gets at the criss-crossing elements of the scene at the time – and follows it well into the 21st Century, to a time when the changing real estate market in Brooklyn, and subsequent zoning changes, started to give Williamsburg the same creative fate as Soho, the East Village, and other important New York scenes in previous decades. Different initial chapters look at key spaces as forces – warehouses and lofts, clubs and galleries, and even pirate radio – and later chapters look at the larger forces causing change in the 21st Century. A really hefty book, as well-researched as it is well-written – 388 pages, softcover, with some black and white images. Book

Very rare, very obscure material from this important free jazz trio of the German scene in the 70s – a set that features one long performance originally issued on the JG label, despite the FMP-like image on the cover – plus two more tracks from the same year that appear here for the first time ever! "Just For Altena" offers up the power trio at their best – very freewheeling piano from Fred Van Hove, drums from Han Bennink, and tenor from Peter Brotzmann – with intensity that may well surpass the Machine Gun years, and an understanding of each players strengths that means that there's almost no tentative moments at all in the improvisation! "Filet Americain" and "ICP No 17" are from earlier in 1971 – and showcase a different, more sonic side of the trio – some tones that are at the farther end of hearing, which ruminate then blossom into bolder statements, but still often with a very abstracted approach to each instrument. Great stuff – and every bit as essential as any of the better-known Brotzman recordings of the time! CD

A study in brown, and a study in hardbop too – a seminal album of 50s jazz that forever went on to set the tone for the music! The album was one of a few that trumpeter Clifford Brown cut as his star was strongly rising, before a tragic early accident took his life – and it's a masterpiece of bop modernism, done with the co-leadership of drummer Max Roach – with an equally well-matched group that includes Harold Land on tenor, George Morrow on bass, and Bud Powell's brother Richie on piano. Tracks are short, and played with great boppish fire and fury – virtually the blueprint for the hardbop sound of the 50s, and one of the strongest expressions from this important, but short-lived group. Titles include "Gerkin For Perkin", "Sandu", "Jacqui", "Swingin", and the great "Land's End". CD

A wealth of early work from one of the most important voices in reggae during the 70s – the mighty Dennis Brown, working here with help from producers Derrick Harriott and Niney The Observer, in the years after he left Studio One! There's also work that Dennis did with The Now Generation here – and the set features 15 tracks in all, with titles that include "Open The Gate", "How Could I Let You Get Away", "Africa", "Cassandra", "Black Magic Woman", "He Can't Spell", "Go Now", "No More Will I Roam", "Only A Smile", "Hot Like A Melting Pot", and "Let Me Down Easy". CD

A beautiful look at imagined communities in many forms – tracing a legacy through black intellectual life of the 19th century to creative production of the 20th and beyond – with a special focus on the creations of Sojourner Truth, Sun Ra, Octavia Butler, Alice Coltrane, Rebecca Cox Jackson, and Samuel R Delaney – mixing fiction, music, and other work to examine the role of utopia in black intellectual history. Jayna Brown's approach is part history and part literary criticism – but also fully absorbs its influences with an understanding that goes far past gloss and style, to really get at the importance of imagination within a larger political and social context. 212 pages, softcover, with some black and white images. Book

Maxine Brown on Wand Records is really something amazing – not just because she began her recording career at the label, but also because she never again hit the heights of these recordings! Brown was a really important singer with these sides – still partly in the class and poise of some of the jazz-tinged vocalists that came before her – but also able to open up with a deeper soul vibe that paved the way for Aretha Franklin and so many other singers to come in the second half of the 60s! The production and presentation of these tracks is wonderful, too – great songwriting, and top-shelf studio charts that only lift, and never drown the brilliance of Maxine's unique voice. Titles include "One In A Million", "It's Torture", "Let Me Give You My Lovin", "Yesterday's Kisses", "Oh No, Not My Baby", "Gotta Find A Way", "Baby Cakes", "Why Did I Choose You", "Misty Morning Eyes", "Since I Found You", "Losing My Touch", "If I Had Known", "It's Gonna Be Alright", and the completely fantastic "If You Gotta Make A Fool Of Somebody". CD

An early moment of genius from composer Gavin Bryars – and a set that was issued on Brian Eno's Obscure Records label in the mid 70s, which ensured that Bryars' music found a larger audience outside the realm of avant classical! That turns out to be a good thing here, as the music here is almost of its own genre – warmer and more personal than some of the arch modes of the CRI generation – as Bryars mixes a small string group with his own piano, a bit of spoken word, and tapes of additional strings – which add in this eerie sort of ghost vibe to the piece – a slight current of sentiment, but not in a romantic way. The second piece is equally important to Bryars' career – the wonderful "Jesus Blood Never Failed Me Yet" – which uses a found recording of the older song by an elderly singer, then echoed and augmented by work from Michael Nyman on organ and Derek Bailey on guitar, plus a bit of strings. CD

A classic soundtrack from Indian film composer Rahul Dev Burman – and one that reminds us just how important the voice was to the format over the years! Unlike some Bollywood soundtracks, which have long upbeat songs that are driving the dance numbers in the film – this score has a fair bit of mellower tracks, which really seem to bring out the best of the famous singers in the music – a lineup that includes Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhosle, Mohammad Rafi, and Kishore Kumar. Titles include "Dil Sajan Jalta Hai", "Pvar Hai Ik Nishan Qadmon Ka (part 1)", "Dance Music", "Lalla Lalla Lori Doodh Ki Katori", and "Suhani Chandni Raten". CD

Although the great Lenny Bruce never appeared in the Bob Fosse film based on his tragic story, Dustin Hoffman did a pretty great job of recreating his style, and of bringing together good performances of some of the most important monologues by Lenny, which are often missing from his other recorded work. This nicely reissued version of the soundtrack strings together lots of classic Lenny Bruce material, recreated by Hoffman – including bits like "To Come", "Dykes", "We're All The Same Schmucks", and the legendary "Blah Blah". Interspersed with these are nice jazzy bits by the great Ralph Burns, one of the 50s' most talented arrangers, and a great choice by Fosse to score the film. CD

Wonderfully righteous work from Burnt Sugar Arkestra – a group who've been giving us great records for years, but who are maybe even more important to the scene than ever before! The core of the record is the long title track – a very jazzy tune that builds up over loops set down by composer Greg Tate, with a flowing, snakey vibe that allows for plenty of long trumpet, tenor, flute, and alto solos over the guitars and Fender Rhodes that work the rhythms – maybe almost in electric Miles territory, but more laidback. That tune is then reworked on a number of variations that are very different – mostly instrumental, as the main track – but finishing up with a bit of vocals near the end of the record – a great contribution from singer Lisala Beatty! Titles include "Angels Over Oakanda", "Repatriation Of The Midnight Moores", "Oakanda Overdrive", and "Lisala Oer Inna Oakanda". CD

Donald Byrd's last Blue Note album with fusion genius Larry Mizell – and a doozy! The record builds off the style of previous Byrd/Mizell outings – like Places & Spaces, Street Lady, and Black Byrd – mixing together a similar blend of heavy rhythms, keyboards, and sweet funky trumpet licks from Donald. The sound here's a bit tighter than on some of the previous records – showing Mizell as an emerging soul genius, soon to click big on some very important R&B outings of the late 70s. Donald's working with a great group – and gets help from the likes of Patrice Rushen on keyboards, Gary Bartz on alto, David T Walker on guitar, and Alphonze Mouzon on drums – all of whom fit in with the funky program to really kick out some nice grooves! Titles include "Return Of the King", "Dance Band", "Wild Life", "Science Funktion", and "Onward Til Morning". CD

A really early nugget from the Detroit jazz scene of the 50s – and a record that marks a key moment for players who would soon become huge on a variety of different labels! The group here features a very young Donald Byrd on trumpet, with Yusef Lateef on tenor, Barry Harris on piano, Alvin Jackson on bass, and Frank Gant on drums – plus Bernard McKinney blowing euphonium – an instrument he would use on a number of other important recordings over the years to really deepen their sound. The date was originally issued by the Transition label, and very quickly disappeared when they quickly closed up show – brought back over the years in a few variations by Delmark, to keep the memory of this moment alive. Tracks include "Yusef", "Parisian Thoroughfare", "Blues", "Dancing In The Dark", and "Tortion Level". CD

The first four albums from this crucial group – along with four more CDs of rare live material too! First up is the self-titled Cactus – the first album from this legendary group – an important American hard rock powerhouse, driven by the famous rhythm duo of Tim Bogert on bass and Carmine Appice on drums – both of whom roll out of the gate here with amazingly frenetic energy! They're maybe only topped by the guitar work of Jim McCarty, whose searing lines are clearly learned from blues inspirations, then turned up in both speed and power – to match the vocals and harmonica of Rusty Day! There's nothing going on here that sounds like blues rock at all – even though the set begins with a cover of "Parchman Farm" – next to other titles that include "My Lady From South Of Detroit", "No Need To Worry", "You Can't Judge A Book By The Cover", and "Let Me Swim". On One Way Or Another, Cactus are totally at the top of their game – and the guitar of Jim McCarthy really sets the record on fire, right from the very first note – at a level that should have made Jim one of the real guitar hero legends of his generation! Yet there's also power from the whole group going on too – tight rhythms from the team of Carmine Appice and Jim Bogert, the latter of whom starts to bring in his own vocals a fair bit more, offering backup to the raspy lead of Rusty Day. And while there's a few currents that show their older influence from blues, the sound here is massively hard rock all the way through – making the record a great illustration of the way that slavish blues rock gave birth to a fresh new jamming sound in a matter of just a few short years. Titles include "Rockout Whatever You Feel Like", "Song For Aries", "Feel So Bad", "Rock N Roll Children", and "Hometown Bust". Restrictions is next, and despite the title, there's no restrictions at all – as Cactus seem to be even more confident, more able to stretch their wings and fly than ever before – even adding in some extra piano and keyboards at points to the core guitar-heavy sound of the quartet! All the group's best elements are very firmly in place – searing guitar, righteously confident vocals, and a strutting sensibility that makes this early 70s album way ahead of the game in terms of territory that so many bigger groups would later copy for their own classic records. Titles include "Guiltless Glider", "Evil Alaska", "Sweet Sixteen", "Bag Drag", "Restrictions", and "Mean Night In Cleveland". Ot N Sweaty is a record that's got a bit of a shift in the classic Cactus lineup – as the group's still driven strongly by the work of Carmine Appice on drums and Tim Bogert on bass, but get guitar power from Werner Fritzschings, who's a pretty amazing player – next to some added keyboards from Duane Hitchings, and vocals from Peter French – a singer who's ballsy power might be even more in line with the group than their previous lead singer! The album's got an unusual approach in that side one was recorded live, side two in the studio – each with a nicely different flavor as a result – on titles that include "Swim", "Our Lil Rock N Roll Thing", "Bedroom Mazurka", "Telling You", "Bad Stuff", and "Bringing Me Down". 8CD set is overflowing with great material – bonus tracks added to three of the four albums in the collection, than a further 4CDs worth of live material – titled Fully Unleashed – The Live Gigs Vols 1 & 2. The live material is great – and really shows the tightness of the group at their best! CD

The genius of Terry Callier – remixed! One of the greatest things to happen to Chicago soul legend Callier in recent years was his discovery by a host of cutting edge producers and DJs on the European scene – important talents who took his work to a whole new audience, by fusing Terry's original grooves with some more ambitious rhythmic progressions, keyboard lines, and other studio touches. And while you might fear that such knob-twiddling would muddy the waters and dampen Callier's spirit, such was not the case – as work in this vein only seemed to inspire Terry further, to stretch out his wings and reach new musical horizons. The tracks on this set offer a number of recent Callier recordings, remixed by the cream of the current UK and European scene – all as proof of how great this format is when applied to Callier's work. Titles include "Monuments Of Mars (Hopper mix)", "Running Around (Fug city mix)", "Love Theme From Spartacus (4 Hero No Skins mix)", "Sierra Leone (Block 16 mix)", "Darker Than A Shadow (Mitchell & Dewbury mix)", "Love Theme (Zero 7 rmx)", "Imagine A Nation (Funky Lowlives mix)", and "Just My Imagination (Tom Findlay & Keeling Lee mix)". CD

A lost treasure on the legendary Palm Records label – that famous French avant jazz imprint owned by pianist Jef Gilson, and which issued some of the most creative albums on the scene in the 70s! This set is maybe one of the most obscure – a record that's noteworthy not only for important early work from later composer Butch Morris on cornet, but also for the really unusual interplay between the musicians – a quartet that features Jean Charles Capon on cello, Philippe Mate on tenor, and Serge Rahoerson on drums! There's a loose, open feel going on – but a vibe that's different than some other piano-less groups of this nature – maybe in part because Capon seems to have a lot of presence with his cello, almost directing the proceedings at times – and also because the layering of elements always seems to have an inherent structure, even when relatively free. Titles include "Complainte", "Mode De Fa/Salegy Drums Solo", "Orly Ivato", "Blues For Guy Labory", and "Spanish Cake Walk". CD

An unusual American release of work by this popular Brazilian singer, recorded at a festival of popular music in Puerto Rico – with a slightly groovier feel than some of his other work! Titles include "No Se Si Te Amo", "Que Me Importa El Mundo", "El Amor vencera Otra Vez", "Amor Libre", "Aprendi A Reir", "Ven Vuelve Conmigo", and "Te Amo Baby". LP, Vinyl record album

Wendy Carlos was known best for her important early experiments in electronic music – most recorded as Walter Carlos – but she had a great early 80s moment with this well-crafted soundtrack to the film Tron – a mix of her own electronics and some surprisingly strong orchestrations – recorded in a way that really shows the evolution of the Carlos' style since the early days! In fact, there's a richness to the music that may well surpass the quality of the images on the screen – which has made the whole thing a surprisingly durable sci fi soundtrack over the years. Journey performs the tracks "Only Solutions" and "1990s Theme" – but the rest is Carlos and the London Philharmonic! LP, Vinyl record album

Great work from Jimmy Cavallo – an early tenor star from the years when the saxophone was almost more important to the sound of rock music than the guitar! Jimmy draws plenty of inspiration from R&B on these tracks – and although he sings in the lead, he also takes a break for a nice tenor solo on just about all the cuts – often keeping the spirit strong with the addition of a second saxophonist in the group! Most of these tracks were cut within a few short years for Coral Records – home to some surprising rockers back in the day (including Johnny Burnette!) – and the set then moves on to a few later recordings from a time when Cavallo's star had fallen from the limelight. As with the other titles in this series, the focus is on upbeat rockers from the postwar years – but unlike the others, most of this work is pretty darn obscure – every bit the kind of musical discovery we love from Bear Family! Titles include "Ha Ha Ha Blues", "Rock The Joint", "That's The Groovy Thing", "Let M Roll", "Leave Married Women Alone", "Foot Stompin", "Soda Shoppe Rock", "I'm With You", "Teenage Lover", "I Feel That Old Age Coming On", "Chicken Talk", "Dream Toy", and "Cherri Pie". CD

Important 70s work from Don Cherry – one of the first albums to bring his overseas experiments to a larger US audience! The set builds nicely off of styles that Don forged earlier in France and Scandinavia – a freer style of music than his work with Ornette Coleman, and a richly organic groove that builds up strongly from the bottom, often with elements of world music settled in alongside the jazz – but there's also some funkier moments here too, a bit like the Brown Rice album, but looser overall! The groups on most numbers are relatively large and spiritual – almost like Alice Coltrane at times, but a bit more electric and funky at others – and players include Collin Walcott on sitar, Michael Brecker on saxes, Cliff Carter on keyboards, Lenny White and Tony Williams on drums, Lois Colin on harp, and Raphael Cruz on percussion. Cherry himself plays conch shells, bells, and flute in addition to his usual trumpet – and he even sings a bit on a few numbers, in a soulful, scatting sort of groove. Narada Michael Walden produced, and the whole set's got a very righteous feel – with tracks that include "Universal Mother", "Buddah's Blues", "Eagle Eye", "Mahakali", "Karmapa Chenno", "Surrender Rose", and "Journey Of Milarepa". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the first truly important records from Don Cherry as a leader – and an amazingly well-crafted session that brings together ideas from his early years with Ornette, and expands them with some of the freedoms he was learning from the European scene! The record boasts a format and lineup that's quite unusual for Blue Note at the time – 2 side-long "suite" tracks, performed by a group that features Cherry on cornet, Pharoah Sanders on tenor and piccolo, Karl Berger on vibes and piano, Gato Barbieri on tenor, Ed Blackwell on drums, and both Jean-Francois Jenny- Clark and Henry Grimes on bass! There's a fair bit of room for creative improvising on the session, but the overall album's a bit more structured than contemporary free jazz outings – and clearly shows the mark of Cherry's interpolation of styles at the time. Two long suites are entitled "Symphony For Improvisers" and "Manhattan Cry" – with shorter passages that include "Nu Creative Love", "Infant Happiness", "Manhattan Cry", and "Lunatic". CD

Four slices of genius from this important German jazz festival of the 60s – one of the leading showcases for the best in avant garde and experimental music! The sounds here are as stunning as the lineup – maybe even more so, as there's some nicely-unfamiliar, surprisingly collaborative passages going on – all of which really illuminate the studio music by these groundbreaking artists! The set begins with "Andalusian Proverb" – a beautiful showcase for the dynamic vocals of Jeanne Lee, as she sings with Gunter Hampel on vibes, Albert Mangelsdorff on trombone, and Pierre Courbois on drums. "Cubis" features a sublime trio with Marion Brown on alto, Peter Kowald on bass, and John Stevens on drums – and that rhythm duo also supports "Jepa", which features Mangelsdorff on trombone and Evan Parker on soprano sax – and "Relationship", which also features Parker – as well as Don Cherry on trumpet and Buschi Niebergall on second bass. LP, Vinyl record album

Journalist Philip Clark spent a good deal of time with piano legend Dave Brubeck in his later years – then did a really wonderful job of going backwards, and putting together all the many pieces of Dave's musical puzzle! There's no doubt that Brubeck was one of the most important jazz musicians of the 20th Century – especially in the 50s and 60s – but Clark also really helps us understand why that is, and paints a picture of Brubeck's music and influence that stretch far beyond the smaller world of modern jazz! The hardcover volume is 445 pages, with some black and white images – and covers key moments of Brubeck's career in great depth. Book