Tracks by Funky Horns, Holy Noise, Allen-Woody, and Lil Louie & Marc Anthony. 12-inch, Vinyl record

Maybe not the very beginning of James Moody's career – but definitely some tracks from the early years, recorded overseas in 1949 – with material done both in Paris and Zurich! Some tracks are under Moody's leadership, and some under the name of Max Roach – and Moody blows tenor on almost all numbers, save for two which have him dropping out in favor of Kenny Dorham's trumpet. Other players include Al Haig on piano, Trummie Young on trumpet, Red Allen on alto, and Tommy Potter on bass – and most numbers have that sharp-edged, slightly modern tinge that marked Moody's famous early years. Titles include "Moody & Soul", "Monday Blues", "Maximum", "Tomorrow", "Baby Sis", "Prince Albert", and "Just Moody". LP, Vinyl record album

A great appearance on a bigger label for this spiritual flute player – working here with a cool lineup that includes Steve Turre on trombone, Jay Hoggard on vibes, Abdul Wadud on cello, Geri Allen on piano, and Pheeroan Ak Laff on drums! LP, Vinyl record album

A rare early side of Miles Davis – recorded in postwar Paris in the company of Tadd Dameron! The group's a quintet – with Miles on trumpet and Tadd on piano – and although the overall vibe certainly shows a lot of bop generation spirit, there's also a strong indication of the deeper ideas that were already becoming a part of both artists' music. The group features some excellent work on tenor from James Moody – plus bass from Barney Spieler and drums from Kenny Clarke. Tunes include a fair bit of familiar numbers from the Charlie Parker camp – and titles include "Rifftide", "Good Bait", "Don't Blame Me", "Lady Bird", "Wah Hoo", "Allen's Alley", "Embraceable You", "Ornithology" and "All The Things You Are". LP, Vinyl record album

Raw, raunchy sounds – all pulled together from a time before soul and rock even existed! Most of the work here is from the classic catalog of King Records – a killer imprint in the postwar R&B market, and a company who wasn't afraid to do what it took to make a knockout record! In the case of these tracks, the singers often hit some fairly suggestive material – often hidden in early 50s innuendo, but barely so – with a vibe that's often nastier than even the most hardcore rockabilly sounds to come! The music here has its roots in blues, but is inflected with plenty of jazz, and the presence of the singers often point the way towards soul music – especially the James Brown crowd that would later rise at the same label. Titles on this volume include "Keep On Churnin Till The Butter Comes" by Wynonie Harris, "Drill Daddy Drill" by Dorothy Ellis, "The Coffee Grind" by Hank Ballard, "Silent George" by Lucky Millinder with Myra Johnson, "Rocket 69" by Todd Rhodes with Connie Allen, and "Chocolate Pork Chop Man" by Pete Guitar Lewis. CD

One of our favorite albums from Lester Bowie's big solo run of the 80s – and a set that has some of the more dynamic energy of his Brass Fantasy group, but maybe also a bit more depth as well! The album's part of a handful that the Art Ensemble Of Chicago did with the DIW label at the time – and the AEOC production maybe gives the record a slightly more serious sound – even though the group still take on material from James Brown, Sade, and EU! Yet there's also two Billie Holiday tributes that are surprisingly powerful, and a stunning version of Roland Kirk's "The Inflated Tear" – with a strong trombone solo from Steve Turre, who worked with Kirk in later years, and always championed his work. The lineup features Bowie, Stanton Davis, EJ Allen, and Gerald Brezel on trumpets; Turre and Frank Lacy on trombones; Vincent Chancey on French horn; and Bob Stewart on tuba – plus drums and percussion from Don Moye, Ken Cruchfield, and Vinnie Johnson. Titles include "Inflated Tear", "Smooth Operator", "Strange Fruit", "Don't Worry Be Happy", "Papa's Got A Brand New Bag", and "Da Butt". CD

A perfect summation of the Woody Shaw genius in the 70s – bold, righteous jazz – delivered with a soaring, joyous message that's impossible to deny! By the time of this release, Shaw had matured to a point where he was easily one of the most important voices on the trumpet in his generation – a 70s player who pulled together strands of the previous generation – from Coltrane to Lee Morgan to Larry Young – all wrapped up in amazing music like this! The set's a major label date, but it's got a righteous power to rival the best indie label sessions from companies like Strata East or Muse – and the lineup features other key spiritual players of Shaw's generation – including Carter Jefferson on tenor, James Spaulding on alto and flute, Rene McLean on alto, Onaje Allen Gumbs on piano, Steve Turre on trumpet, Buster Williams on bass, and Victor Lewis on drums. Titles include the sublime "Woody III" suite, plus "Escape Velocity", "Organ Grinder", and "To Kill A Brick". LP, Vinyl record album

Steve Wilson on alto sax, Tom Williams on trumpet, Mulgrew Miller on piano, James Genus on bass, and Carl Allen on drums. CD

A collection of sides recorded for the Plantation label, with selections by Webb Pierce, Jeannie C Riley, Linda Martell, Sleepy La Beef, James O'Gwynn, Rusty Adams, Jimmy Ellis, Ryan Russell, Rex Allen, Rod Bernard, and The Bluegrass Alliance. LP, Vinyl record album

A great overview of classic soul music – done in the best style of this Cairo Records series from Mississippi – which means a fantastic choice of cuts, and a beautiful booklet of notes and photos to accompany the music! The set is almost worth the price of the book alone – full color, and filled with scans of rare albums and singles, discographical information, and other details on the music – all in support of a 36 track set that mixes familiar names with much more obscure artists – in order to present a really wide range of classic soul. Titles include "I Pledge" by Lonnie & Lloyd, "My Baby Waited Too Long" by Mamie Perry, "I Found You" by James Hamm, "I've Been Pushed Around" by Blue River & The Maroons, "Please Don't Desert Me Baby" by Gloria Walker, "Helping Hand" by Little Genie Brooks, "Where Is Love" by Eldridge Holmes, "I Still Love You" by Jean Stanback, "Should I Take You Home" by Aztlan, "Don't Make Me What You Don't Want Me To Be" by Nick Allen, "Sippin A Cup Of Coffee" by The Ordells, "Let Me Be The Man" by The Fabulous Vents, "I'm Too Far Gone To Turn Around" by Irene Reid, "I Can't Stop" by Kenny Wells, and "I Wonder If I Had Your Love" by Leroy Smith. LP, Vinyl record album

Henry Allen on trumpet and vocals – with Joe Garland on tenor, JC Higginbotham on trombone, Tab Smith on alto, Lawrence Lucie on guitar, Elmer James on bass, and Cozy Cole on drums. Tracks include "Tormented", "Red Sails In The Sunset", "I Found A Dream", and "Until Today" – 24 tracks total. CD

A bigger step into a piano led jazzy style from Allen Toussaint – grooving in a timeless Crescent City influenced sound – a wonderful record, one we'll go back to for years to come! Allen's been a huge part of the New Orleans musical landscape for many, many years, and it's not a stretch to imagine he's had the laidback, but evocative jazz of the territory in his blood for just as long – so it's a wonder that he hasn't made a record like this before now. There's nothing cliche or cheesy in Allen's work here, which has kind of an after hours vibe that suits it well, and he's put together an outstanding group of players. Marc Ribot is on guitar, Don Byron on clarinet, Nicholas Payton on trumpet, David Piltch on upright bass, Jay Bellarose on drums, and guests Joshua Redman on tenor sax and Brad Mehldau on piano. Titles include "Egyptian Fantasy", "Dear Old Southland", "St James Infirmary", "Singin' The Blues", "Winin' The Blues", West End Blues", "Blue Drag", "Bright Mississippi", "Day Dream", "Solitude" and more. CD

One of the best non-Saturn Sun Ra albums of the 60s – material recorded live on a tour of New York colleges in 1966, and very much in a spirit that captures the Arkestra at their best! Longer tracks are juxtaposed nicely with shorter ones – in a way that has the group running very outside one minute, yet stepping soulfully back to the center the next – never schizophrenicly, but in a mode that really displays the full range of energy pulsing in the group. Interesting instrumentation on the set includes Ra on clavoline, plus Carl Nimrod on the beautiful-sounding "sun horn" – and other players include Marshall Allen on alto, John Gilmore on tenor, Pat Patrick on baritone, and James Jacson on log drum and flute. Titles include "Dancing Shadows", "Next Stop Mars", "Outerspaceways", "Shadow World", and "Sun Ra and His Band From Outer Space". CD

Sun Ra's really moving forward with this classic set – refining the sound of his Chicago-based Arkestra, and reaching for new territory that moves him way past familiar jazz modes! The cover bills the group as playing "music from tomorrow's world" – and you can definitely hear that on some titles here, including one number that features Ra on some really haunting celeste, and another that features Marshall Allen making weird noises with his mouthpiece! The group is all greats from the old days – John Gilmore on tenor, Marshall Allen on flute, Pat Patrick on baritone and flute, James Spaulding on alto and flute, Hobart Dotson on trumpet, Charles Davis on baritone, and Ronnie Boykins on bass – and titles include "Hours After", "Saturn", "Ancient Ethiopia", and "Blues At Midnight". CD

Sun Ra's really moving forward with this classic set – refining the sound of his Chicago-based Arkestra, and reaching for new territory that moves him way past familiar jazz modes! The cover bills the group as playing "music from tomorrow's world" – and you can definitely hear that on some titles here, including one number that features Ra on some really haunting celeste, and another that features Marshall Allen making weird noises with his mouthpiece! The group is all greats from the old days – John Gilmore on tenor, Marshall Allen on flute, Pat Patrick on baritone and flute, James Spaulding on alto and flute, Hobart Dotson on trumpet, Charles Davis on baritone, and Ronnie Boykins on bass – and titles include "Hours After", "Saturn", "Ancient Ethiopia", and "Blues At Midnight". This fantastic expanded reissue includes bonus material – some tracks that appeared on the album Sun Sound Pleasure, and other recordings too – titles that include "Hour Of Parting", "Round Midnight", "Hours After", "Velvet", "Enlightenment", "Hours After (single version)", "Great Balls Of Fire (single version)", "Back In Your Own Backyard", and the unreleased tunes "Blues For Saturn", "State Street (alternate)", and "Horoscope (incomplete)". CD

Sun Ra's really moving forward with this classic set – refining the sound of his Chicago-based Arkestra, and reaching for new territory that moves him way past familiar jazz modes! The cover bills the group as playing "music from tomorrow's world" – and you can definitely hear that on some titles here, including one number that features Ra on some really haunting celeste, and another that features Marshall Allen making weird noises with his mouthpiece! The group is all greats from the old days – John Gilmore on tenor, Marshall Allen on flute, Pat Patrick on baritone and flute, James Spaulding on alto and flute, Hobart Dotson on trumpet, Charles Davis on baritone, and Ronnie Boykins on bass – and titles include "Hours After", "Saturn", "Ancient Ethiopia", and "Blues At Midnight". This fantastic expanded reissue includes bonus material – some tracks that appeared on the album Sun Sound Pleasure, and other recordings too – titles that include "Hour Of Parting", "Round Midnight", "Hours After", "Velvet", "Enlightenment", "Hours After (single version)", "Great Balls Of Fire (single version)", "Back In Your Own Backyard", and the unreleased tunes "Blues For Saturn", "State Street (alternate)", and "Horoscope (incomplete)". LP, Vinyl record album

One of Sun Ra's best non-Saturn live sets of the 70s – a nice little record that shows the group mixing it up with equal parts avant garde and straight ahead jazz, all handled in that ever-growing large group style that made them a real force to be reckoned with in a concert setting! The album was recorded during the 1976 Montreux Jazz Festival, and has a bit more focus and polish than some of the other Arkestra live material from the time – a mature, coherent sound that almost points the way towards some of their work to come in the 80s – when Ra and the group were finally reaching the wider audience they deserved. The set's a double-length one, and features players who include John Gilmore on tenor, Marshall Allen and Danny Davis on alto and flute, Pat Patrick on baritone, Ahmed Abdullah on trumpet, Craig Harris on trombone, and James Jackson on Ancient Egyptian Infinity drum – which is always a treat. Ra plays solar organ and moog, as well as piano – and titles include "Of The Other Tomorrow", "On Sound Infinity Spheres", "El Is The Sound Of Joy", "Gods Of The Thunder Realm", "Gods Of A Thunder Realm", "The House Of Eternal Being", and "Lights On a Satellite". CD

A really wonderful under-discovered performance by Sun Ra & The Arkestra – a complete live set from 1984, presented here with really stunning fidelity! The package is a great antidote to some of the fuzzier Ra live sets on the market – as it's got the care that the Trost label has brought to their reissues of material by Peter Brotzmann and the FMP generation – with sound that's more than sensitive enough to capture some surprisingly great spare piano passages, as well as the full force of the Arkestra when they really get going. Sun Ra is still a tremendous force on the keys at this time – and delivers a lot of solos that are interspersed between larger, more structured songs – played with fire by a lineup that includes John Gilmore on tenor and clarinet, Marshall Allen on alto and flute, James Jackson on bassoon and infinity drum, and Danny Ray Thompson on baritone and flute. Titles include a number of "untitled improvisation" tracks – plus "Big John's Special", "Days Of Wine & Roses", "What's New", "Nuclear War", "East Of The Sun", "Yeah Man", "Mack The Knife", "Day Dream", and "Love In Outer Space". This great 4LP box set includes an insert card with notes and photos. Beautiful! LP, Vinyl record album

Sun Ra and the Arkestra first sprang forth on the Chicago scene in the postwar years – and here, they return to the Windy City in two different concerts – both issued here officially for the first time ever! Both sets feature a seminal 70s lineup of the group – with the great John Gilmore on tenor, plus Marshall Allen and Danny Davis on flute and alto, Michael Ray and Ahmed Abdullah on trumpet, Vincent Chancey on French Horn, Eloe Omoe on alto and bass clarinet, Danny Thompson on baritone and flute, June Tyson and Cheryl Banks Smith on vocals, James Jacson on Ancient Ihnfinity drum, and Ra himself on acoustic piano and electric keyboards. Titles include "Ebah Speaks In Cosmic Tongue", "Space Is The Place", "New Beginning", "Velvet", "Moonship Journey", "Ankhnaton", and a very long take of "Calling Planet Earth/The Shadow World". CD

One of the most important indie labels of the postwar years – heard here in a flurry of great tracks that really show them at their finest! This excellent double-length set brings together magical moments from a time when the Flair imprint was really hitting on all burners – recording key vocal, instrumental, blues, and doo wop tracks that would go onto have a huge impact on generations to come – mixed here with a host of titles that haven't been on CD before! The package digs deeper than any look at Flair we've ever seen – and that's saying a lot, given that Ace Records was already giving the label their due a few decades before – and all the new material sits strongly next to classics that make the 50 track collection one of the best R&B collections from the 78rpm era that we've heard in a long long time. Titles include "She Wants To Rock" and "Getting High" by The Flairs, "Loosely" and "Cuban Get Away" by Ike Turner, "Chop House" by Blinky Allen, "Quit Hangin Around Me" by Saunders King, "Early In The Morning" and "Can't Stop Lovin" by Elmore James, "Hello Baby" and "Baby Beat It" by Big Duke, "Midnight Hours Journey" by Johnny Ace, "Night Howler" by Billy Gale, "You Better Hold Me" by James Reed, "I've Got The Feeling" by Baby Parham, "This Time It's Real" by Ricky & Jennell, "Send Him Back" by Shirley Gunter, "An Angel Cried" by Anna Marie, "Blue Mambo" by Bobby Rey, and "Love Me Love Me Love Me" by The Chimes. CD

Maybe the strongest creative statement to date from tenorist James Brandon Lewis – an album of work inspired by the legacy of George Washington Carver – served up here with a sense of depth that's certain to open even more doors for Lewis in years to come! There's a majesty to the music that's apparent in the very first notes, and which keeps on coming as each song unfurls – that search for truth talked about in Carver's writings, quested here with a quintet that includes William Parker on bass, Chad Taylor on drums, Kirk Knuffke on cornet, and Chris Hoffman on cello! The energy of Parker and Taylor is sublime – and makes for a setting that's different than other recent records we've heard from Knuffke, who also seems to draw new currents of sonic inspiration from the gentle but powerful use of the cello. The tenor has a raw, sharp edge throughout – a personality that would be striking, even without the beautiful setting of Lewis' original material – and titles include "Lowlands Of Sorrow", "Jesup Wagon", "Experiment Station", "Fallen Flowers", "Seer", and "Arachis". CD

Maybe the strongest creative statement to date from tenorist James Brandon Lewis – an album of work inspired by the legacy of George Washington Carver – served up here with a sense of depth that's certain to open even more doors for Lewis in years to come! There's a majesty to the music that's apparent in the very first notes, and which keeps on coming as each song unfurls – that search for truth talked about in Carver's writings, quested here with a quintet that includes William Parker on bass, Chad Taylor on drums, Kirk Knuffke on cornet, and Chris Hoffman on cello! The energy of Parker and Taylor is sublime – and makes for a setting that's different than other recent records we've heard from Knuffke, who also seems to draw new currents of sonic inspiration from the gentle but powerful use of the cello. The tenor has a raw, sharp edge throughout – a personality that would be striking, even without the beautiful setting of Lewis' original material – and titles include "Lowlands Of Sorrow", "Jesup Wagon", "Experiment Station", "Fallen Flowers", "Seer", and "Arachis". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the more avant-oriented 60s sessions cut by Wayne Shorter for Blue Note – a record that's not entirely part of the "new thing" generation, but which definitely has Shorter pushing the boundaries from his previous records for the label! The lineup here is a key batch of players who can handle both sides of the fence – inside and outside – Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, Grachan Moncur on trombone, Herbie Hancock on piano, James Spaulding on alto, Ron Carter on bass, and Joe Chambers on drums – all players who were really breaking their own boundaries at the time. The set also features work from Wayne's Brother on one track – avant trumpeter Alan Shorter, who's only known for a few records under his own name, and who really brings a great sound to play here. At times, the record builds into a sound that's freer and more challenging than on some of Shorter's other albums from the time – but less in a free jazz mode, than with an overall sense of purpose that really keeps the message clear. Features all original compositions by the Shorter brothers – and cuts include "Chaos", "Face Of The Deep", "Mephistopheles", and "Genesis". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the more avant-oriented 60s sessions cut by Wayne Shorter for Blue Note – a record that's not entirely part of the "new thing" generation, but which definitely has Shorter pushing the boundaries from his previous records for the label! The lineup here is a key batch of players who can handle both sides of the fence – inside and outside – Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, Grachan Moncur on trombone, Herbie Hancock on piano, James Spaulding on alto, Ron Carter on bass, and Joe Chambers on drums – all players who were really breaking their own boundaries at the time. The set also features work from Wayne's Brother on one track – avant trumpeter Alan Shorter, who's only known for a few records under his own name, and who really brings a great sound to play here. At times, the record builds into a sound that's freer and more challenging than on some of Shorter's other albums from the time – but less in a free jazz mode, than with an overall sense of purpose that really keeps the message clear. Features all original compositions by the Shorter brothers – and cuts include "Chaos", "Face Of The Deep", "Mephistopheles", and "Genesis". CD

One of the more avant-oriented 60s sessions cut by Wayne Shorter for Blue Note – a record that's not entirely part of the "new thing" generation, but which definitely has Shorter pushing the boundaries from his previous records for the label! The lineup here is a key batch of players who can handle both sides of the fence – inside and outside – Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, Grachan Moncur on trombone, Herbie Hancock on piano, James Spaulding on alto, Ron Carter on bass, and Joe Chambers on drums – all players who were really breaking their own boundaries at the time. The set also features work from Wayne's Brother on one track – avant trumpeter Alan Shorter, who's only known for a few records under his own name, and who really brings a great sound to play here. At times, the record builds into a sound that's freer and more challenging than on some of Shorter's other albums from the time – but less in a free jazz mode, than with an overall sense of purpose that really keeps the message clear. Features all original compositions by the Shorter brothers – and cuts include "Chaos", "Face Of The Deep", "Mephistopheles", and "Genesis". CD

One of the more avant-oriented 60s sessions cut by Wayne Shorter for Blue Note – a record that's not entirely part of the "new thing" generation, but which definitely has Shorter pushing the boundaries from his previous records for the label! The lineup here is a key batch of players who can handle both sides of the fence – inside and outside – Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, Grachan Moncur on trombone, Herbie Hancock on piano, James Spaulding on alto, Ron Carter on bass, and Joe Chambers on drums – all players who were really breaking their own boundaries at the time. The set also features work from Wayne's Brother on one track – avant trumpeter Alan Shorter, who's only known for a few records under his own name, and who really brings a great sound to play here. At times, the record builds into a sound that's freer and more challenging than on some of Shorter's other albums from the time – but less in a free jazz mode, than with an overall sense of purpose that really keeps the message clear. Features all original compositions by the Shorter brothers – and cuts include "Chaos", "Face Of The Deep", "Mephistopheles", and "Genesis". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the more avant-oriented 60s sessions cut by Wayne Shorter for Blue Note – a record that's not entirely part of the "new thing" generation, but which definitely has Shorter pushing the boundaries from his previous records for the label! The lineup here is a key batch of players who can handle both sides of the fence – inside and outside – Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, Grachan Moncur on trombone, Herbie Hancock on piano, James Spaulding on alto, Ron Carter on bass, and Joe Chambers on drums – all players who were really breaking their own boundaries at the time. The set also features work from Wayne's Brother on one track – avant trumpeter Alan Shorter, who's only known for a few records under his own name, and who really brings a great sound to play here. At times, the record builds into a sound that's freer and more challenging than on some of Shorter's other albums from the time – but less in a free jazz mode, than with an overall sense of purpose that really keeps the message clear. Features all original compositions by the Shorter brothers – and cuts include "Chaos", "Face Of The Deep", "Mephistopheles", and "Genesis". CD

One of the weirdest, wildest albums ever from Eddie Jefferson – a real standout classic that shows him retooling his sound for the 70s! After years of writing lyrics to James Moody and Charlie Parker tunes, Eddie lays out some crazy lyrics for modern jazz standards like "Freedom Jazz Dance" and "Bitches Brew", as well as "Night In Tunisia", which he'd never done before – and also offers up a great take on Cannonball's "Things Are Getting Better", not to mention Sly Stone's "Thank You Fallentinme Be Mice Elf Again"! There's a few more standard bop number in the mix too – like "Billie's Bounce" and "I Just Got Back In Town – and support is from a great group that includes Billy Mitchell on tenor, Joe Newman on trumpet, Sam Jones on bass, and Mickey Tucker on keyboards. CD

Richly complicated work from reedman John Carter – working here at a level that's a great change from his smaller combo work of the early years! Carter plays clarinet throughout – at the head of an octet with a very cerebral feel – a group who almost bring more of a serious music sort of style into play at times, yet still have enough jazz-based energy in their work too. The approach is a bit like that of Muhal Richard Abrams or Henry Threadgill – but the set also has a definite LA underground bent too, thanks to work by Bobby Bradford on cornet, Red Callender on tuba, James Newton on flutes, Charles Owen on soprano sax, Roberto Miranda on bass, William Jeffrey on drums, and Luis Peralta on waterphone and percussion. Titles include "Dauwhe", "Enter From The East", "Soft Dance", "The Mating Ritual", and "Ode To The Flower Maiden". CD

Mighty sounds from a legendary Detroit soul producer – the great Dave Hamilton, a talent who issued a number of key singles back in the day, but who's left behind an even larger legacy of excellent unreleased work! This collection draws from both sides of that spectrum – and features upbeat Northern Soul gems that were issued on small labels like Topper and Demo-Ristic – mixed with other tracks that lay in Dave's vaults until their discovery at some point in the 90s! Together, the tracks are a wonderful illustration of the deep deep trove of material that lurked in the Detroit scene far in the shadows of Motown – artists who were eclipsed by the big names at the time, but who sound mighty darn fresh all these many years later. Titles include "What Should I Do", and "Who Are You Trying To Fool" by Little Ann, "Sweep It Out The Shed" and "Challenge My Love" by Tobi Lark, "Love Friends & Money" by James Lately, "You Won't Miss The Water" by Chico & Buddy, "Talkin About My Baby" by Dottie & Millie, "You Got Me Turned Around" by OC Tolbert, "Shoop Doop" by Dave Hamilton, and "You Did" by Priscilla Page & Rony Darrell. LP, Vinyl record album

A collection of recordings from three different sessions and three different years featuring the likes of Teddy Edwards and Dextor Gordon. The first session is from 1947 and features Edwards and Gordon on tenor sax, Jimmy Rowles on piano, Red Callender on bass and Roy Porter on drums. Some of their tracks are "Blues In Teddy's Flat" and "The Duel". The next session was recorded in 1950 and features Lee Parker on baritone sax, Henry Durant on tenor sax, James Robertson on trumpet, Kenny Drew on piano, Curley Russell on bass and Eddie Bourne on drums for three takes of "On the House" and "Rollin' With Leo" among others. The final session was recorded in 1955 and features "Wardell Gray on tenor sax, Tate Houston on baritone sax, Gene Phipps on trumpet, Norman Simmons on piano, Victor Sproles on bass and Vernell Fournier on drums for "Hey There" and "Dat's It' among others. LP, Vinyl record album

A treasure trove of rare soul from Detroit – rare material from the hands of producer/guitarist Dave Hamilton, a good deal of which was never issued back in the 60s! As you may know from Dave's own recently reissued work, the Hamilton sound is nice and hard – a version of Detroit soul that's got a bit more beat on the bottom than the better known Motown groove – and which was a perfect setting for some of the excellent lesser-known singers that Dave chose to record. Few of the artists here ever broke big on their own, but that doesn't stop the work from being totally great – and the 25 track set is overflowing with great work that shows a whole new side of the almost-infinite Detroit scene of the late 60s. Some material was issued on 45s for the TCB, Topper, and Palmer labels – but much more of the work here is previously unissued in any form – and totally great all the way through! Titles include "Challenge My Love" by Tobi Lark, "The Two Of Us" by Danny Cobus, "Who Are You Trying To Fool" and "One Way Street" by Little Ann, "You Got Me Turned Around" and "That's Enough" by OC Tolbert, "I'll Give You My Love" by Sue Ann Jones, "We're In Love" by The Additions, "Ain't That Groovy" by The Dave Hamilton Band, "All I Want Is You" by JT Rhythm, "Tears Running & Falling From My Eyes" by James Lately, and "My Sweet Baby" by The Mark-Keys. CD