With piano by Cedar Walton and percussion by Jimmy Cobb! CD

The entirety of Kenny's first 3 sessions for Blue Note together on one 2 disc set. Arguably some of Kenny Burrell's best work! Unlike some of Kenny's other sessions, which hide his guitar in arrangements that are a bit too complicated – this one's a nicely stripped-down album that sets his hollow electric in a group with Tommy Flanagan on piano, Paul Chambers on bass, Kenny Clarke on drums, and Candido on conga. The tracks are nicely laidback, and Kenny hits some nice deep grooves on cuts like "Fugue N Blues", "Takeela", and "Delilah". Plus, the album also includes a totally cool percussion-only track – "Rhythmorama", which is a duet between Kenny Clarke and Candido! This CD adds the entire session to include the album issued as Kenny Burrell Volume 2 which featured Frank Foster's tenor on numbers like "Moten Swin", "Cheeta" and Phinupi. K.B. Blues, an early 10" side that included the title track (with an alternate take also included here), "Nica's Dream" and "Out For Blood" with tenor man Hank Mobley, is also included. CD

A Kenny Dorham-billed version of the only full album ever issued by tenor player Rocky Boyd – but a set so great, it's definitely made a name for him over the years! Boyd's got a wonderful tone on the set – sharp and soulful, with an approach to the tenor that almost reminds us of early 60s Jackie McLean – particularly in the way that Jackie could hit dark corners with raspy, personal tone. The rest of the group's no slouch either – and features Kenny Dorham on trumpet, Walter Bishop Jr on piano, Ron Carter on bass, and Pete LaRoca on drums – a lineup so great, they give the album a real Blue Note sort of polish – and the album's definitely one that would have been a better-known date, if it hadn't died quickly on the short-lived Jazztime label. The whole thing's wonderful – and titles include "West 42nd Street", "Avars", "Ease It", "Samba De Orfeu", and "Why Not". CD features bonus tracks too – alternates of 4 tracks on the album! CD

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Very early work from Chico Hamilton – recorded in a piano trio mode that predates his more famous chamber quintet – working with pianist Freddie Gambrell and bassist Ben Tucker on a set of tunes that are mostly standards, and a few bluesy piano explorations. Titles include "Ex Ray's Friends", "Reservation Blues", "These Foolish Things", "You're The Cream In My Coffee", "Five Minutes More", and "Midnight Sun". LP, Vinyl record album

Very early work from Chico Hamilton – recorded in a piano trio mode that predates his more famous chamber quintet – working with pianist Freddie Gambrell and bassist Ben Tucker on a set of tunes that are mostly standards, and a few bluesy piano explorations. Titles include "Ex Ray's Friends", "Reservation Blues", "These Foolish Things", "You're The Cream In My Coffee", "Five Minutes More", and "Midnight Sun". LP, Vinyl record album

A pretty great little set that combines both of the rare early Elmo Hope 10" LPs for Blue Note – plus some additional material! Introducing The Elmo Hope Trio is seminal early work from Hope – and one of the 10" LP releases that was part of Blue Note's "New Faces – New Sounds" series during the early 50s. Hope's working here with Percy Heath and Philly Joe Jones – and the trio go to town on numbers that include complicated bop tunes like "Carving The Rock" and "Hot Sauce", plus more melodic tunes like "Freffie" and "Mo Is On". As always, Hope proves himself to be one of the greatest pianists in jazz history – right up there with Monk, Herbie Nichols, and Bud Powell, bristling with excitement that few of his contemporaries (save those three) could match! The Elmo Hope Quintet session has Hope grooving in a very modernist approach to bop, working perfectly with a tight little quintet. Frank Foster wails on tenor, Freeman Lee soars on trumpet, and Percy Heath and Art Blakey keep the whole thing going on rhythm – while Hope plays madly on piano, adding in rich tones and colors to a set that might have otherwise been a straighter bop outing. Titles include "Chips", "Crazy", "Abdullah", and "Low Tide". The CD also adds in 2 tracks from the 40 Years Of Jazz collection in 1979 – "It's A Lovely Day Today" and "Crazy (alternate)" – plus 3 from the Art Blakey/Elmo Hope album – "So Nice", "St Elmo's Fire", and "Vaun Ex". CD

Despite the fact that the title's "Introducing Roland Kirk", it's not actually Kirk's first album – but it is a heck of a smoker with a very unusual sound! The session features Roland with a Chicago group that includes Ira Sullivan on trumpet, Don Garrett on bass, and Ron Burton on both piano and organ – the latter of which gives Kirk's playing a very different feel than usual – a bit more soul jazz and gutbuckety than on the later Mercury recordings. In fact, given Roland's use of many different reed instruments (tenor, manzello, stritch, and whistle – all often played at the same time!) – there's almost a Yusef Lateef quality to the album, at last in the style of some of Lateef's more hardbop sides for Prestige at the time. Kirk's tone, as always, is amazing – with that really spacious feel he gets from playing more than one horn at once! Titles include some great originals, like "The Call", "Soul Station", and "Spirit Girl" – plus "Our Waltz" and "Jack The Ripper". CD

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One of Lee Morgan's first-ever recordings as a leader, cut way back when he was just a hip teenager from Philly with a bucketful of promise on the trumpet! The session's a crack hard bop date – with an all-star cast that includes Hank Mobley on tenor, Hank Jones on piano, Doug Watkins on bass, and Art Taylor on drums – and although the proceedings are a bit rough around the edges compared to some of the Blue Note sets, the album's still filled with a heck of a lot of fire, and like all Morgan albums, is totally worth owning! Tracks are longish, and filled with imagination – and titles include "Bet", "Hank's Shout", "Nostalgia", "That's All", and "Softly As In A Morning Sunrise". CD

A great introduction to the music of Shuggie Otis – the tripped-out guitarist who's best known for his early 70s classics for Columbia Records! This set comes from those three amazing albums – and showcase Shuggie's shift from bluesy funk guitar to the more laidback, tripped-out work of his classic Inspiration Information album! Cuts from that classic take up all of side two – including "Aht Uh Mi Hed", "Sparkle City", "Inspiration Information", and "Island Letter" – and side one features other gems that include his original recording of "Strawberry Letter 23", plus "Me & My Woman", "Hurricane", "Baby I Need You", "Sweet Thang", and "Ice Cold Daydream". LP, Vinyl record album

Seminal work by one of the biggest gospel crossover stars of the 80s – the mighty mighty David Peaston, a man with a truly god-like voice! Production on the album occasionally has too much of that 80s slickness, but even so, David's voice cuts through the whole thing with a spiritual warmth and majesty that's simply wonderful. Titles include "Take Me Now", "Tonight", "Two Wrongs", "In This Together", "Can I?", and "Eyes Of Love". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the few albums as a leader cut by legendary LA pianist Carl Perkins – an amazing talent on his instrument, and one who had an unusual "sideways" approach to the keys! Perkins kind of leaned alongside the piano – so that his body was parallel to the instrument, and his fingers reached out, moving back and forth on the ivories – with a sound that was almost as if he was strumming the whole thing! The style really stands out, and makes for some especially deft moments here in this classic trio set for Dootoo – a fluid and grooving session that also features Leroy Vinnegar on bass and Lawrence Marable on drums. Tracks include "Marble Head", "Way Cross Town", "Carl's Blues", and "Lilacs In The Rain". CD

One of the few albums as a leader cut by legendary LA pianist Carl Perkins – an amazing talent on his instrument, and one who had an unusual "sideways" approach to the keys! Perkins kind of leaned alongside the piano – so that his body was parallel to the instrument, and his fingers reached out, moving back and forth on the ivories – with a sound that was almost as if he was strumming the whole thing! The style really stands out, and makes for some especially deft moments here in this classic trio set for Dootoo – a fluid and grooving session that also features Leroy Vinnegar on bass and Lawrence Marable on drums. Tracks include "Marble Head", "Way Cross Town", "Carl's Blues", and "Lilacs In The Rain". With eleven bonus tracks. CD

One of the best funk albums of the 2010s – and one that really does an amazing job of putting equal emphasis on instrumentation and deep soul vocals! Slim Moore comes across like some lost singer from the early 70s funky 45 generation – gritty and upfront, with a quality that's instantly infectious – almost like Syl Johnson during his Twinight years. Then the Mar-Kays play with this depth that's equally wonderful – mixing funky licks with more complicated soul touches – some of the vibes we've gotten from the Daptone scene – slower grooves mixed with faster ones, touches of hip instrumentation, like vibes – all wrapped up in a production style that really recalls the best days of indie soul. The whole thing's wonderful – a record we'd put right up there with Lee Fields' My World, or the Charles Bradley full-length – and a set we'll be digging for years! Titles include "How Long", "Cityscape", "Slim's Theme", "Reachin Higher", "Mar-Kays Theme", "Cool Breeze", and Help Me Now". LP, Vinyl record album

Only the first full album on Soul Tune, and the label's got themselves a set of All-Stars – a Swedish combo who seem driven by the talents of Niclas Wretelid – who plays drums, bass, keyboards, and even horns – emerging here as a one-man all-star all by himself! Yet there's also some good contributions by other members, too – especially singers Anna Thiam and Desmond Foster, who balance out the instrumental funk with some great vocal moments – especially Thiam, who's got a warmth and depth that's a nice change from some of the too-easy retro soul vocals we usually hear on records like this. Titles include "Day To Day", "Mother Nature", "World", "Don't Stop", "Spread The Message", "Natural Feeling", and "Latin Mama". LP, Vinyl record album

A rare and beautiful set from the Japanese scene of the 70s – a record that features tenor and soprano sax from Hideyasu Terekawa, and vibes from Hiroshi Fujii – a wonderful combination, and a pair of players who really open up in the live setting of the record! The tunes are mostly jazz numbers penned by others, but the pair really make them their own – thanks in part to some warm rhythms from drummer Aki Hiro Nakaya and bassist Tetsuo Miura, the latter of whom has this great way of wrapping around the performance and guiding it gently. Things are nice and open at times, with plenty of room for solos – and titles include "Black Nile", "Simone", "Rerev", "I Remember Clifford", and "Stella By Starlight". CD

A rare and beautiful set from the Japanese scene of the 70s – a record that features tenor and soprano sax from Hideyasu Terekawa, and vibes from Hiroshi Fujii – a wonderful combination, and a pair of players who really open up in the live setting of the record! The tunes are mostly jazz numbers penned by others, but the pair really make them their own – thanks in part to some warm rhythms from drummer Aki Hiro Nakaya and bassist Tetsuo Miura, the latter of whom has this great way of wrapping around the performance and guiding it gently. Things are nice and open at times, with plenty of room for solos – and titles include "Black Nile", "Simone", "Rerev", "I Remember Clifford", and "Stella By Starlight". LP, Vinyl record album

A very unusual early moment for The Beatles – a record issued in the US not on Capitol, but on the Chicago soul imprint Vee Jay Records – a company who reportedly took the group on as a favor to EMI, because they wanted to release a set by Frank Ifeld! LP, Vinyl record album

An overlooked late 60s treasure on Blue Note – 2 rare albums by Kenny Cox & The Contemporary Jazz Quintet – one of the few new groups to work on the label at the time, and an up-and-coming modern combo from Detroit! The first album's quite unique for a number of reasons – not just because the group was a little-known new signing to the label, but also because the work is quite far-reaching at times – some of the most free-thinking jazz recorded for Blue Note during the time, with a sense of boldness that almost stretches back to Jackie McLean's first few records of the new thing years, or a sense of lyrical invention that's a bit like Wayne Shorter when he made a shift towards the outside. Some numbers are awash in fast colors and changes, while others are a bit more in the pocket, with echoes of soul jazz – but the whole thing's incredibly fresh and free, a wonderful little record that only gets better and better over the years! The group features pianist Kenny Cox as the leader, plus Charles Moore on trumpet, Leon Henderson on tenor, Ron Brooks on bass, and Danny Spencer on drums. Titles include "Mystique", "You", "Trance Dance", "Eclipse", and "Number Four". The CD also features the group's second Blue Note album, Multidirection – a session of work that builds strongly on the colors and changes explored by Miles Davis earlier in the 60s, but which takes things off into a whole new direction! (A Multidirection?) The horns on the record have incredible interplay – trumpet by Charles Moore and tenor from Leon Henderson, playing together with a sense of dexterity that may even beat the team of Davis and Wayne Shorter – angular one moment, softly lyrical the next, and always in pursuit of fresh tones and righteous sounds. Kenny Cox's piano is great too – an exercise in understatement at times – getting as much done with one note as other players would with five – as he slowly guides the group along, and grounds their freer expressions with a good sense of humanity. Titles include "What Other One", "Gravity Point", "Spellbound", "Snuck In", and "Sojourn". CD

Miles Davis makes the electric transition – in this groundbreaking set from the late 60s! The classic mid 60s quintet is still in place here – Wayne Shorter on tenor, Herbie Hancock on piano, Ron Carter on bass, and Tony Williams on drums – but the sound is looser, freer, and more spacious – often echoing some of the rhythmic concerns that would dominate Miles' music in a few more years, but without as much of a bombastic sound. Williams' drums are amazing – fierce one minute, then fading the next – and Herbie Hancock's use of both electric and acoustic piano really points at his own directions in coming years. George Benson plays one one track – "Paraphernalia" – introducing electric guitar to the Miles Davis sound – and other long tracks on the set include "Stuff", "Black Comedy", and "Country Son". LP, Vinyl record album

Miles Davis makes the electric transition – in this groundbreaking set from the late 60s! The classic mid 60s quintet is still in place here – Wayne Shorter on tenor, Herbie Hancock on piano, Ron Carter on bass, and Tony Williams on drums – but the sound is looser, freer, and more spacious – often echoing some of the rhythmic concerns that would dominate Miles' music in a few more years, but without as much of a bombastic sound. Williams' drums are amazing – fierce one minute, then fading the next – and Herbie Hancock's use of both electric and acoustic piano really points at his own directions in coming years. George Benson plays one one track – "Paraphernalia" – introducing electric guitar to the Miles Davis sound – and other long tracks on the set include "Stuff", "Black Comedy", and "Country Son". CD

Miles Davis makes the electric transition – in this groundbreaking set from the late 60s! The classic mid 60s quintet is still in place here – Wayne Shorter on tenor, Herbie Hancock on piano, Ron Carter on bass, and Tony Williams on drums – but the sound is looser, freer, and more spacious – often echoing some of the rhythmic concerns that would dominate Miles' music in a few more years, but without as much of a bombastic sound. Williams' drums are amazing – fierce one minute, then fading the next – and Herbie Hancock's use of both electric and acoustic piano really points at his own directions in coming years. George Benson plays one one track – "Paraphernalia" – introducing electric guitar to the Miles Davis sound – and other long tracks on the set include "Stuff", "Black Comedy", and "Country Son". CD features 2 bonus alternate takes of "Black Comedy" and "Country Son". CD

Miles Davis makes the electric transition – in this groundbreaking set from the late 60s! The classic mid 60s quintet is still in place here – Wayne Shorter on tenor, Herbie Hancock on piano, Ron Carter on bass, and Tony Williams on drums – but the sound is looser, freer, and more spacious – often echoing some of the rhythmic concerns that would dominate Miles' music in a few more years, but without as much of a bombastic sound. Williams' drums are amazing – fierce one minute, then fading the next – and Herbie Hancock's use of both electric and acoustic piano really points at his own directions in coming years. George Benson plays one one track – "Paraphernalia" – introducing electric guitar to the Miles Davis sound – and other long tracks on the set include "Stuff", "Black Comedy", and "Country Son". CD features 2 bonus alternate takes of "Black Comedy" and "Country Son". CD

Miles Davis makes the electric transition – in this groundbreaking set from the late 60s! The classic mid 60s quintet is still in place here – Wayne Shorter on tenor, Herbie Hancock on piano, Ron Carter on bass, and Tony Williams on drums – but the sound is looser, freer, and more spacious – often echoing some of the rhythmic concerns that would dominate Miles' music in a few more years, but without as much of a bombastic sound. Williams' drums are amazing – fierce one minute, then fading the next – and Herbie Hancock's use of both electric and acoustic piano really points at his own directions in coming years. George Benson plays one one track – "Paraphernalia" – introducing electric guitar to the Miles Davis sound – and other long tracks on the set include "Stuff", "Black Comedy", and "Country Son". CD features 2 bonus alternate takes of "Black Comedy" and "Country Son". CD

One of the first international collections to showcase the genius of Francisco Fellove Valdes – a singer and percussionist who first rose up on the scene in Havana in the 50s, but who made an undeniably strong contribution to the Mexican scene of the late 50s and early 60s – with the sort of material showcased in this set! Fellove's got a very unusual style of singing – influenced a bit by scatting in jazz, but also given more of the prouder, louder calls that you'd hear on an Afro Cuban jam session – a great balance with the heavy percussion and jazzy instrumentation used on these tracks, almost all of which were recorded for RCA down in Mexico. The track selection is wonderful, and the notes do a great job of introducing the world to this sometimes-overlooked figure in Latin music – presented here with 21 tracks that include "Mango Mangue", "Baile Mi Rumba", "Te Quiero Corazon", "El Yoyo", "San Jose", "Alejate De Mi", ""Mata Siguaraya", "Baile El Minuet", "Baila Mi Guapacha", and "Guapacheando". CD

An incredible record from Mississippi Fred McDowell – a set that was issued on a big label, but which has a wonderfully rootsy feel throughout – in a way that almost out-does any work from the indie blues labels of the time! The package was put together by Tommy Couch as an early Malaco production – but it's even more stripped-down than later blues work from those studios – as it features mostly just Fred on vocals and guitar, introducing himself and his music – then working through these incredible inflections on electric guitar, which are as far from the rockish sound of all the crossover blues that McDowell promises he won't provide in the title! Really timeless stuff, brilliantly recorded – with cuts that include "Red Cross Store", "61 Highway", "Jesus Is On The Mainline", "Kokomo Me Baby", and "Good Morning Little School Girl". CD

A collection of funky tracks recorded by The Players when the were with Westbound, but released later, when they hit Mercury. Sort of a "cleaning house" effort, and not really a unified album, but that doesn't stop it from having some nice moments. Titles include "Introducing the Players", "Hustle Bird", "Spinning", "Hollywood Hump", "Varee", "Laid It", and "She Locked It". LP, Vinyl record album

Includes the songs "Livery Stable Blues", "Dixie Jass Band One-Step (Introducing "That Teasin' Rag")", "At The Jazz Band Ball", "Ostrich Walk", "Skeleton Jangle", "Tiger Rag", "Bluin' The Blues", "Fidgety Feet", "Sensation Rag", "Mournin' Blues", "Clarinet Marmalade Blues", "Lazy Daddy", "Margie", "Palesteena", "Broadway Rose", "Sweet Mama", "Home Again Blues", "Crazy Blues (Introducing "It's Right Here For You")", "Jazz Me Blues", "St-Louis Blues", "Royal Garden Blues", "Dangerous Blues", "Bow Wow Blues (My Mama Treats Me Like A Dog)", "Skeleton Jangle", "Clarinet Marmalade", "Bluin' The Blues", "Tiger Rag", "Barnyard Blues", "Original Dixieland One-Step", "Bluin' The Blues", "Tiger Rag", "Ostrich Walk", "Original Dixieland One-Step", "Satanic Blues", "Toddlin' Blues", "Who Loves You?", and "Fidgety Feet". CD

A really striking mid 80s effort from the legendary Lee Scratch Perry – done at a time when his name and reputation had risen strongly on the global scene – which also seems to come through in the music as well! There's a wider range of styles going on here than before – and Scratch is more upfront, less hidden behind his own production – feeling that sense of mission as a messenger for madness that he seemed to take up at the time – a quality that comes through both in his lyrics and vocals, and in the nicely mish-mashed production as well! The set is credited to The Upsetters, but not the classic lineup – more a cast of characters behind much of the classic Black Ark material, though in good command of Scratch's brand of funky reggae. Titles include "Introducing Myself", "Time Marches On", "The Joker", "All Things Are Possible", "Grooving", "Drum Song", "I Am A Madman", "Show Me That River", and "Sexy Lady". Plus, 2CD set features all sorts of bonus tracks – 12 of which show up on CD for the first time ever – including "Time Marches On (take 1)", "Time Marches On Dubwise", "Rain Day In London", "The Perry Christmas Dub", "Madman Dubwise", "All Things Are Possible (12" mix)", "I Am A Madman (12" mix)", "I Am The Upsetter (1985)", and a number of different takes and mixes of "Merry Christmas Happy New Year". CD

The warm sound of the Sea & Cake gets a just a touch more guitar based on their lucky 7th album – with a bit more of a kick in the drums and bite to the strings in spots – a subtle but definite change from the one of the most consistent indie pop crews ever This time out, longtime producer/drummer John McEntire stays behind the drums and other percussion and lets producer Brian Paulson man the booth – which may, or may not be the reason for the slightly punchier vibe, but it works. This is still very much the Sea & Cake we've loved since the get go – there's no mistaking Sam Prekop's vocals – but there's an anthemic turn or two applied to their mannered genius. Some reviewers give them flak for supposedly repeating themselves, but those folks need to listen more closely. Titles include "Up On Crutches", "Too Strong", "Crossing Line", "Coconut", "Exact To Me", "Lightning", "Introducing", "Left On" and "Transparent". LP, Vinyl record album

Key club cuts from the second generation of the industrial scene – that 80s moment when the music moved from the noisy, experimental territory of the Throbbing Gristle underground to a more mainstream world where the previous sonic breakthroughs were mixed with beats and lyrics to create some surprisingly danceable tracks! Here in Chicago, we had Wax Trax to thank us for introducing us to lots of this music – but on the other side of the Atlantic, some of these groups were getting plenty of play both on radio and in nite spots – using darker beats and basslines to surprisingly great effect. The package is maybe worth it alone for "Yon Yonson" by the Dave Howard Singers – a cut we thought nobody in the world remembered – and the 3CD package features 44 titles in all, with work from Attrition, Meat Beat Manifesto, A:Grumh, Lead Into Gold, Nocturnal Emissions, Test Dept, SPK, Front 242, Renegade Soundwave, Severed Heads, Age Of Chance, Laibach, Neon Judgement, The Weathermen, Section 25, Die Krupps, MAD, Legendary Pink Dots, Son Of Sam, Esplendor Geometrico, Hunting Lodge, Borghesia, Alein Sex Fiend, and others! CD

Lucinda Williams second album for Folkways – and the first to feature her own material – introducing one of the best Americana singer songwriters of the past few decades! Happy Woman Blues has an apt title, and although there's plenty of heartache in her radiating from her vocal chords and in her words, it's done with passionate, unflinching confidence and charisma the brings a smile to our faces as wide as the one she's wearing in the cover photo. More of a honky tonk record than a blues record, and a great one! Essential! Titles include "Lafayette", "Lost It", "Maria", "Happy Woman Blues", "Rolling Along", "Howlin At Midnight", "Hard Road", "Louisiana Man" and more. CD

A really cool idea for a collection – a set that brings together vintage 70s tracks and more contemporary cuts – all with a globe-spanning ear for a groove, and an approach that's as heavy in soul as you'd expect from the title! This isn't your usual collection of sample tracks or funk classics – as the selection moves way past the obvious, and does a brilliant job of combining tracks we never would have thought to put together – while also introducing us to a number we'd never heard before too! Titles include "Every Time I See Him" by Metropolis, "Eva" by Robson Jorge & Lincoln Olivetti, "O Galho Da Roseira" by Airto, "Apocalypse Now Ho" by Nar'Chiveol, "Wache" by Francisco, "After All" by Soylent Green, "Space Queen" by King Errison, "Robot Man" by Yusef Lateef, "Stay This Way (lunar dub)" by Brand New Heavies, "Le Train" by Chene Noir, "Southern Freez" by On, "The PL (ext edit)" by Typesun, and "Le Cyclope" by Daniel Humair, Francois Jeanneau, and Henri Texier. LP, Vinyl record album

Miles Davis makes the electric transition – in this groundbreaking set from the late 60s! The classic mid 60s quintet is still in place here – Wayne Shorter on tenor, Herbie Hancock on piano, Ron Carter on bass, and Tony Williams on drums – but the sound is looser, freer, and more spacious – often echoing some of the rhythmic concerns that would dominate Miles' music in a few more years, but without as much of a bombastic sound. Williams' drums are amazing – fierce one minute, then fading the next – and Herbie Hancock's use of both electric and acoustic piano really points at his own directions in coming years. George Benson plays one one track – "Paraphernalia" – introducing electric guitar to the Miles Davis sound – and other long tracks on the set include "Stuff", "Black Comedy", and "Country Son". CD

Amazing stuff from Isaac Hayes! Although Ike had first appeared on LP with the album "Introducing", this was the first record to really expose his true soul genius – and it was also the first release on Ike's successful sub-label at Stax, Enterprise Records. The record shows that for all the years Ike was working away on other folks' songs for Stax, he was carefully cooking up his own style of soul that would forever change the way we think about the music. Back in 1969, the album must have blown more than a few minds for its incredibly baroque approach to soul music – taking common elements like strings, piano, and funky rhythms, and stretching them out into long waves of sound that cycle over and over, working a sly subtle magic along with Ike's super-sexy vocals, and his monologue-heavy approach to popular tunes. The album features incredible remakes of pop hits "Walk On By" and "By The Time I Get To Phoenix" – both of which run for over 10 minutes, and which completely transform the songs into something way more than simple radio fodder. Also features the psychedelic soul masterpiece "Hyperbolicsyllabicsesquedalymistic", which has this crazy funky piano, and a messed-up sound that would make even George Clinton weep! LP, Vinyl record album

Moodymann takes a far deeper path on this addendum to his Black Mahogani set – introducing a heady soul jazz approach! The big surprise here is the mammoth, 18-minute "When She Follows" – a track that's anchored by the solid bass and stuttering house beats we'd expect from Moodymann – but the groove shoots skyward from there! It's a languorous, hypnotic blend of those primary elements, plus some sweet live drums, vibes and sporadic vocals that recall Sun Ra as much as they do the soulful house groove we were expecting! The soul jazz vibe continues on the flip, which features the far shorter but similarly jazzy groove on "Rectify", plus some bonus beats and a "When She Follows" reprise. The track list can be counted on one hand, but the sound is as spacious and fulfilling as can be – a big step for Moodymann, whom we hope will follow similar terrain on future releases! CD

Massive material, with lots of alternate takes that really let you hear the genius Lee Morgan and Wayne Shorter at this early age! Features material from sessions that created the albums The Young Lions, Wayning Moments, Second Genesis, Introducing Wayne Shorter, Expoobident, and Here's Lee Morgan – plus lots of bonus tracks! CD

A huge crossover album of the 70s – one that took an east coast disco groove, and introduced influences from a wide variety of classical themes – best summed up in the title hit "A Fifth Of Beethoven", which was a surprisingly successful radio tune at the time! The effort's a strange one, but was part of a larger movement at the time that was introducing many older musical modes – such as standards or showtunes – onto the dancefloor in an effort to give the less underground clubgoers something to sink their teeth into. And while the approach seemed like a bit of a gimmick, it was also probably inspired by Deodato's big hit with "Zarathustra" and a few other classical themes – echoed here by Murphy's great keyboard work on a few other numbers. The album features the classical tracks "Flight 76", "Night Fall", "Fifth Of Beethoven", and "Russian Dressing" – plus the non-classical Murphy originals "California Strut" (with vocals by Angie Bofil), "Be Your Own Best Friend", "Suite Love Symphony", and "Midnight Express". LP, Vinyl record album

A very well-done collection of Charlie Parker performances from the legendary Birdland nightclub – originally presented on radio, but cleaned up here with a great sense of sound! The mighty Symphony Sid can be heard introducing a few tracks, but the main focus is on the music – with the kind of razor-sharp solos that always made Parker a knockout, especially during these key early 50s years – and accompaniment from musicians who include Dizzy Gillespie on trumpet, Bud Powell or John Lewis on piano, Kenny Clarke or Roy Haynes on drums, and even the surprising inclusion of organist Milt Buckner at one point! The album may well be worth it, just to hear Bird playing with a Hammond – but the whole thing's great, and titles include "Cool Blues", "Star Eyes", "Blue N Boogie", "Anthropology", "Night In Tunisia", and "Groovin High". LP, Vinyl record album