A double-header of a set – one that brings together rare work from two great 50s singers on the Duke/Peacock label – both of whom get a fair bit of space in the collection! Buddy Ace was actually named James Land at the start, but was dubbed Buddy Ace after the death of Johnny Ace – one of the first big Duke records stars, and a key force in the early years of rock and roll. Buddy's style is maybe a bit warmer at times than Johnny, but he also gets all the fantastic Duke Records production that made Bobby Blue Bland so great at the start – core blues augmented with larger arrangements, and jazz currents that can make the music a lot more sophisticated than on other labels! There's definitely plenty of blues in the mix, including strong guitar leads on some tunes – and titles include "Screaming Please", "This Little Love Of Mine", "From These Roots", "It Can't Be True", What Can I Do", "Back Home", and "Won't You Reconsider". The set then moves onto a great batch of work from Al TNT Braggs – a singer who definitely earns the explosive part of his name – especially on the upbeat numbers that are equal parts R&B and early rock and roll! Al's got a very distinct, dexterous approach to the music – one that's also really pointing the way towards 60s soul – on titles that include "Chase Em Tom Cat", "A Little Bit Closer", "We Belong Together", "Easy Rock", "You're Something Else", and "Cigarettes & Coffee". CD

A wonderful collection – one that features the legendary album by Eden Ahbez, plus other tracks that show his influence on postwar music! First up is the core Eden's Island set – an incredibly evocative record – one of the strangest of its kind, and an audio treasure that we've loved for years! Eden Ahbez first came into public prominence as the man who wrote "Nature Boy" for Nat King Cole – a dark, moody tune that was as mysterious and earthy as the man who wrote it! This album was recorded nearly a decade after Cole's original hit, and features Ahbez almost in Moondog-like territory – working in an amazing setting of odd instruments and exotic percussion – but also singing in this almost spiritualist kind of way! The record's got plenty of ties to the exotica scene of the late 50s – but also stand out from the pack with a mad vision that's all its own – a strange intersection of lines that one might draw between Moondog, Martin Denny, and Anton La Vey! Tracks include "The Wanderer", "Eden's Island", "Tradewind", "Full Moon", "Mongoose", "Market Place", "The Old Boat", "Island Girl" and "La Mar". CD then features 16 more bonus tracks – all compositions by Eden and work that shows others taking up his helm – titles that include "Palm Springs" by Ray Anthony, "Wine Women & Gold" by The Carsons, "Hey Jacque" by Eartha Kitt, "Frankie's Song" by Anita Ray, "Let Me Hear You Say I Love You" by Vicki Young, "End Of Desire" by April Stevens, "Sahara" by Bob Romeo & The Jungle Sextet, and "Song Of The Fool" by The Crew Cuts. CD

An excellent collection of work from Pia Beck – a Dutch pianist who first burned things up with some stunning instrumental tracks in the postwar years, then developed into a great singer too! As you might guess from the title, Pia began with a boogie woogie approach – blinding work on the piano that rivaled some of the American greats of the time – and as the years went on, she moved into jump blues and bebop too – handled with a great sense of charm, and chops that make her way more than a European player just dabbling in styles. There's never been a good collection of Beck's work from the time before – and this CD brings together 27 singles recorded for Philips, including work with Cor Steyn – a mixture of vocal and instrumental tunes, with cuts that include "I Didn't Slip I Wasn't Pushed I Fell", "Beck's Boogie", "Bop Kiss", "Botch A Me", "Haven't Got A Worry", "Lullaby Of Birdland", "I'm Feeling Blue At The Blue Note", and "Chickery Chick". CD

Tracks include "Memphis Blues", "Strange Cargo", "Rhumboogie", "Down The Road Apiece", "Scrub Me Mama With A Boogie Beat", "Chicken Gumboogie", and "Fry Me Cookie, With A Can Of Lard" – 24 tracks total. CD

Includes the songs "Montoona Clipper", "Caravan", "Strange", "Baby", "Speaklow", "Rain", "Street Of Dreams", "Brown's Little Jug", "I Let A Song Go Out Of My Heart", "Back In Your Own Backyard", "Invitation", "You're The Cream In My Coffee", "Midnight Sun", "Begin The Beguine", "Happy Hooligan", "I Would Do Anything For You", "Laura", "Jersey Bounce", " From This Moment On", "Crazy Legs", "Flying Home", "One O'Clock Jump", "Cherokee", and "Sentimental Journey". CD

A great overview of the early career of Eddie Burns – a Detroit guitarist who also plays harmonica on a fair bit of these sides – coming across with the gritty blend of urban and rural modes that made Burns a key contemporary of John Lee Hooker in the city! Hooker's actually on a few of these tracks, and you'll hear appearances from other talents who include John T Smith, Joe Hunter, Little Sonny, and even a few early Motown artists too – in a set of tracks that include singles for the Gotham, Palda, Kent, Deluxe, and Harvey labels – plus unissued titles too. In later years, Eddie was recorded more heavily on full albums – but this 27 track set is a great look at these early days – with titles that include "Hello Miss Jessie Lee", "Sittin Here Wonderin", "Grieving Blues", "Squeeze Me Baby", "Notoriety Woman", "Love Shock", "I Gotta Find My Baby", "Orange Driver", "The Thing To Do", and "Mean & Evil". CD

A huge amount of work from The Cats & The Fiddle – a vocal group that stands as a strong bridge between some of the male quartets of the 30s and the big wave of R&B acts to come! The music here is nice and jazzy, often with a lot of guitar used to emphasize the rhythms – maybe in the Mills Brothers mode, but much more earthy and with a stronger current of blues – especially as the 40s move in, the the Cats hit all these kind of hip, groovy sorts of styles that are in the territory of Slim Gaillard or the early King Cole Trio! The package brings together 53 well-selected tracks from their singles of the late 30s and 1940s – titles that include "Sighing & Crying", "When Elephants Roost In Bamboo Trees", "Start Talking Baby", "Wine Drinker", "Darling Can't We Make A Date", "I'm Afraid Of You", "I'm Gonna Pull My Hair", "I'll Always Love You Just The Same", "One Is Never Too Old To Swing", "Pig's Idea", "Hep Cat's Holiday", "That's On Jack That's On", "Crawlin Blues", "Chant Of The Rain", and "Killer Diller Man From The South". CD

A heck of a package of girl group soul – one that features work by a quartet who not only recorded under the name of The Dreamers and The Blossoms, but also The Playgirls, The Rollettes, and as The Crystals and The Blue Jeans for Phil Spector too! The "evolution" in the title is very well-put – as the set has the group starting with Richard Berry on some early sides for RPM/Crown – music that still has a strong 50s R&B approach, sometimes with the girls backing Berry's lead – before blossoming (all pun intended) on some late 50s sides for Capitol Records, where the group where really finding their groove. The set also features the group backing up Ed Townsend on a few tracks, Shelly Fabares on one more, and even behind guitarist Duane Eddy – on a total of 32 titles that include "Move On", "He Promised Me", "Little Louie", and "Have Faith In Me" as The Blossoms; "Sad Fool" and "Kiss Me Benny" as The Rollettes; "Good Love", "Do Not Forget", and "At Last" as The Dreamers; "Hey Sport" and "Young Love Swings The World" as The Playgirls; and "He's A Rebel" as The Crystals. CD

Ernie Freeman was one of those cats who seemed as if he could do anything – a great pianist, a heck of an arranger, and a creative force who touched so many different kinds of music on the LA scene of the postwar years! Ernie's name appeared on countless records – his own big hits for the Imperial label, but also a range of other titles by different artists too – a variety of modes that always made Freeman one of those guys that can be tough to peg at a stylistic level – as you'll find his older records filed in the jazz, soul, and rock racks at record stores! This well-done set does a great job of illustrating the diverse talents of Ernie back in the day – filled with tunes that are mostly instrumental, and which step around genres in a great way – 32 titles that include "The Tuttle", "Leaps & Bounds", "Jivin Around", "Puddin", "Junior Jive", "After Sunset", "Summer Serenade", "Shape Up", "Theme From Igor", "Walking The Beat", "Lost Dreams", "Jamboree", "Conquest", "Swamp Meeting", and "Theme From The Dark At The Top Of The Stairs". CD

Barbara George is best known for the title track of this set – but she's also a hell of a singer from the early 60s New Orleans scene, and one who wrote a fair bit of her own material too! George is very much like Barbara Lynn in that way – more than just a great voice pulled into the studio to cut a few singles – as she's got a depth of feeling and great way with a pen, talents that should have been able to blossom much more strongly in years to come – had the singer ever gotten the treatment she deserved! Still, you can't beat the setting here – half tracks that were recorded with the great Harold Battiste for the AFO label, plus more Sue Records singles from the early 60s – before George left music way too early. Titles include "Whip O Will", "I Know", "The Recipe", "Bless You", "If You Think", "I'm In A Strain", "Hurted", "Without Love", "You Talk About Love", "Try Again", "Send For Me", and "If When You've Done The Best You Can". CD

Killer cuts from Big John Greer – both a singer and saxophonist, and a postwar force in R&B with a sound that would have been right at home on King Records! Greer recorded most of this material for RCA – a label that never gave him the push he might have gotten from a more close-to-the-ground indie at the time – and there's a raw quality to these cuts that really rivals some of the best work of the period by artists like Roy Brown, Tiny Bradshaw, Bullmoose Jackson, and Jack McVea! John's as equally great serving up an instrumental solo as he is at delivering a vocal lead – and these tunes pack plenty of punch, with a raw, romping R&B groove throughout. The set features 27 tracks in all – all great all the way through – and titles include "Red Juice", "Big John's A Blowin", "Have Another Drink & Talk To Me", "If I Told You Once", "Play Me Some Loud Music", "Soon Soon Soon", "A Man & A Woman", "Ride Pretty Baby", "Woman Is A Five Letter Word", and "I'm The Fat Man". CD

Hard wailing hardbop from one of the greatest players of the postwar European scene – the mighty tenor talent Tubby Hayes, heard hear in the company of his frequent late 50s partner Ronnie Scott! The album's one of the best the pair ever cut together – twin tenors on most tracks, but also a bit of vibes from Hayes as well – used sparingly, but at just the right points to color in some deeper sounds on the set. The rhythm section is great – with Terry Shannon on piano, Phil Bates on bass, Bill Eyden on drums – and trumpeter Jimmy Deuchar joins the quintet on 2 of the album's 8 tracks, making for a somewhat fuller sound at points. Hayes' solos alone are worth the price of admission – as perfectly-crafted as Sonny Rollins at this point in his career – and titles include "Plebus", "On A Misty Night", "Reunion", "Through The Night Roard The Overland Express", "Oh My", "Royal Ascot", and "A Foggy Day". LP, Vinyl record album

The Impalas had a short history, but cut some great work at the end of the 50s – as you'll hear in this mighty nice set! The core of the CD features the group's record Sorry – the only full album ever cut by The Impalas – a group who scored strong with the big title hit, but are pretty darn wonderful all the way through! The Impalas are one of those lost acts from the glory days of harmony group work – impeccable here, with a vocal quality that's already pretty darn wonderful – made even better by really top-shelf production from the Cub Records branch of MGM – who add all the right larger touches, but never water down the vocals at all! Most tunes are originals, too – which makes the record way more than just a hit single with filler material – and the group shine nicely on "Sorry", "Too Much Too Soon", "Mommy O", "Cupid", "She Belongs To Me", "Fool Fool Fool", "Sandy Went Away", "Chum", and "All But The Memory Of You". CD then also includes seven more tracks issued as singles by Cub and Hamilton – titles that include "First Date", "I Was A Fool", "All Alone", "Peggy Darling", "When My Heart Does The Talking", and "Bye Everybody". CD

A huge collection of work from the overlooked Gus Jenkins – one of a number of blues musicians who started in the south, then moved out to the west coast during the postwar years – and found a way to change his older style into a great mix of jump blues and raw R&B! Jenkins both sings and plays piano – and like some of his key contemporaries who recorded for LA indies in the 50s, that mix is really set loose with all sorts of jazzy modern currents as the years move on – quite far from the earlier roots, into the coming modes of rock and soul. The set features more material by Gus than has ever been collected in one place – singles for labels that include Flash, Combo, and Pioneer – plus other material, songs with his wife Mamie, and work with the team of Albert & Charles, and Blues Slim and his band. Titles include "Copper Tan", "Hit The Road", "Remember Last Xmas", "Spanky", "Gonna Take Time", "Off The Road", "Jealous Of You Baby", "Celebrate (parts 1 & 2)", "Last Time", "Red River Shuffle", "Tricky", "You Lied", "Cold Love", "I Been Working", "Worries & Troubles", "Stand By Me", and "Pay Day Shuffle (parts 1 & 2)". CD

A pair of Hammond jazz classics from organist Sam Lazar – back to back on a single CD, with rare bonus tracks too! First up is Space Flight – a tight batch of organ groovers with a raw R&B feel, recorded by the obscure St Louis organist Sam Lazar – with a very young Grant Green on guitar! The album's a bit different than Sam's other records for Argo – in that the tunes are all quite short, with a tight fast sound that's almost more R&B at times than jazz – a very unusual setting especially for Grant Green! The guitar is nice and loud – really racing to keep up with Lazar's fast work on the Hammond – and other members of the group include Willie Dixon on bass and Chauncey Williams on drums. Titles include "Mad Lad", "Space Flight", "Caramu", "Funky Blues", and "Big Willie". Playback is one of a few rare albums from Hammond player Sam Lazar – a lesser-known artist from the same searing generation as Baby Face Willette and Jack McDuff, but a musician who never full got his due! This record was done for the Argo side of Chess Records, and it's got a raw sound that's equal parts soul jazz and R&B – with Sam doing some great work on the keys, and the obscure tenorist Miller Brisker in the group too – a really great musician who works with lots of unique twists – and spurs Lazar onto new heights of playing, with maybe an even farther reach on the keys than his other albums. Lazar wrote most of the set, and the tracks include "Deep", "Fuzz Buzz", "S&S", "Scootin", and "Long Gone". A nice bit of soul jazz, with a deep rootsy sound all the way through! CD also features the bonus two-part 45rpm single of "Space Flight". CD

Fantastic exotica material from Arthur Lyman – initially a percussionist in the group of Martin Denny, but soon to become a hi fi star of his own, thanks to work like this! Lyman handles a nice variety of instruments here – playing vibes, marimba, congas, bongos, and a heck of a lot of other percussion modes – often with the same spare, syncopated exotica groove that he first forged with Denny – but more small combo, with a cool sound that often uses a fair bit of echo in the production, and maybe less of the fake bird calls that were part of Denny's sound! This 24 track set features all the material from the two volumes of the classic Taboo albums – and titles include "Akaka Falls", "Taboo", "Ringo Oiwake", "China Clipper", "Sim Sim", "Love Dance", "Jungle Fantasy", "Moon Of Manakora", "Beautiful Kahana", "Return To Paradise", and "Love Dance". CD

A huge collection of work from the legendary South African singer Miriam Makeba – one that opens up a surprisingly big chapter of material before she started issuing her famous early records in America! The package begins with a big array of 78rpm singles from her homeland – then eventually moves into some of her work for RCA on the second disc – and throughout the package, there's an evolution of sound that's wonderful – music that's maybe more jazzy at the start, but which takes on more of a South African spirit as the 50s move on – then steps into some of the folk-tinged elements that first helped Makeba find an audience here in the US. Early singles include "Orlando", "Vula Amasango", "Hush", "Siyavuya", "Inkomo Zodwa", "Makoti", "Nididliwe Zintabe", "Unyana Wolahleka", "Ngicela Indiela", "Phata Phata", "Miriam's Goodbye To Africa", "Lakutshon Ilanga", "Lovely Lies", and "Pula Kgosi Seretse" – just part of the 32 early tracks on the set – before going into the RCA albums Miriam Makeba and Many Voices Of Miriam Makeba – as well as two tracks with Harry Belafonte. CD

Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes are certainly best-known for their huge Philly hits of the 70s with Teddy Pendergrass on vocals – but the group had a very long legacy that includes countless indie recordings in the years before their hooked up with Gamble & Huff – a good deal of which are included in this set! As most folks know, Harold Melvin was never the lead singer – maybe more of a creative force in the group, which shifted often over these early years, but continued to grow and mature – with styles that begin in maybe more of a postwar jump/jazz sort of mode, then evolve into styles we no more clearly as doo wop and early soul. The set opens the door very wide – so much so that there might be a few tracks that aren't fully established as having Melvin's involvement – and the package features 25 titles in all, including related tracks issued by Todd Randall and Bernie Williams, who were with the group. Titles include "My Hero", "The Letter", "Hey Doc", "The Retribution Blues", "With This Pen", "If It's Our Destiny", "She Is Mine", "Pucker Your Lips", "Devoted To You", "O Holy Nite", "WPLJ", and "While I'm Away". CD

An insane amount of work from drummer Sandy Nelson – the cat who was to the drums what The Ventures were to the guitar – carving out a whole host of hit instrumental records in a non-stop flurry of action at the start of the 60s! The work here is definitely from a very productive time in Sandy's career – as the set features all work done in 1962, a stunning amount of music for one short year – given that the 2CD set features 59 tracks in all, pulled from the albums Compelling Percussion, Teen Age House Party, Drums Are My Beat, Country Style, and Drumming Up A Storm – plus other hit singles too! The drums are only part of the charm here too – because although Sandy's got a tight sound, and gets in plenty of solos, the overall Liberty Records production and arrangements really help the tunes shine too. Titles include "Sandy", "Castle Rock", "Dumplins", "Junior Jive", "North Wind", "Drums Are My Beat", "Birth Of The Beat", "Drum Roll", "Day Drumming", "Drum Stomp", "Hum Drum", "Be Bop Baby", "Night Train", "Let The Good Times Roll", "Drums For Drummers Only", and "Drums For Strippers Only". CD

Anita O'Day on one of her great self-released albums – working here with some cool duos and trios – including work from the great Stan Tracey on piano, plus Kirk Lightsey on two tracks too! Titles include "Girl From Ipanema", "Once Upon A Summertime", "Tea For Two", "Love For Sale", "Night & Day", and "Boogie Blues". CD

A great set from the always-soulful Kenny Barron – stepping out here with a sense of soulful interplay that recalls his best recordings of the 70s! The group on the album's a quintet, graced by some extremely strong work on vibes by Stefon Harris – who brings an almost Bobby Hutcherson-like feel to the album, working in rich tones and colors next to Barron's keys, edged in by some sharper flute and alto work by Anne Drummond. The set's awash in great originals, plus a few well-chosen covers – and titles include "Song For Abdullah", "Images", "Miss Missy", "Inside Out", "Jasmine Flower", "The Lost Ones", "So It Seems", and "Footprints". CD

Really lovely sounds from Jana Herzen – a set that features her own vocals and guitar, with just the bass of Charnett Moffett for accompaniment! The spare setting is beautiful – and Jana sparkles here in ways that few other singers could hope to match – bringing out a key musicality both on guitar and vocals, with all the right jazzy inflections to enrich the sound – as Moffett's spare but soulful basslines serve as key directive points for the process. Titles include the original tunes "Secrets Are Safe With Me", "Night Blooming Jasmine", "Bali Holiday", "Passion Of A Lonely Heart", "My Latin Love", and "Earth's Heart Beats" – plus "Spain", and "Sodade", "Tis Autumn". CD

A great return to the limelight for reedman Charles Lloyd – heard here in one of his most open, expressive settings in years – with all the best exotic touches of his famous early years still very much intact! Lloyd plays tenor and flute, plus a bit of Chinese oboe as well – an instrument that really underscores some of the more inventive qualities in his music, and which works well with some of the modal energies in the set. The great Michel Perucciani makes a key appearance here on piano – and shades the tunes with a sensitive sound that also helps Lloyd find the new directions he'd take strongly in years to come – and the remaining group features Palle Danielsson on bass and Son Ship Theus on drums. Bobby McFerrin sings in a few spots, but at a level that's hipper than his hits – and titles include "Lotus Land", "Lady Day", "Of Course Of Course", "Night Blooming Jasmine", and "El Encanto". CD

A west coast classic – featuring some of Bud Shank's best small group work of the mid 50s! The album has Shank playing in two different groups, one with Shorty Rogers on trumpet, one with the great Bill Perkins on tenor – and we'll be honest in saying that Perkins' tone is incredible, a perfect match for Shank's well-honed sound of the time – blown with a nice edge that really deepens the sound of the record – a slight sense of soul that goes past traditional west coast modes, and really fits Shank's sometimes-edgey playing. Rogers is still pretty great too – and the casual setting of the album is a refreshing change from some of his more over-arranged work for other labels at the time! Titles include "Casa De Luz", "Jasmine", "Left Bank", "Paradise", "Fluted Columns", and "Royal Garden Blues". CD

A amazing look at the British indie scene during one of its greatest stretches – the mid 80s period when it seemed like new labels and new bands were springing up every week! The 2CD set takes its name from the influential C86 collection put together by NME at the time to showcase some of the best work – but this version expands the lineup to a whopping 72 tracks in all, and really stretches the scope to include some real lost gems. There's plenty of great work here from a time before the scene got mis-led by dance rhythms and too many stimulants – a cornucopia of long-lost labels and groups – most of them jangle pop wonders with great talents for penning simple, catchy little tunes! Titles include "World's No Place" by The Jasmine Minks, "Everything's Going Right" by The Avons, "Don't Slip Up" by Meat Whiplash, "Billy Liar" by North Of Cornwalls, "Outback Jazz" by Blue Aeroplanes, "Run To The Temple" by Bogshed, "Therese" by The Bodines, "Happy Head" by Mighty Lemon Drops, "Velocity Girl" by Primal Scream, "This Boy Can Wait" by The Wedding Present, "New Way" by Big Blame, "Console Me" by We've Got A Fuzzbox, "Inside" by 14 Iced Bears, "Darkess & Colour" by The Railway Children, and "Hedonist Hat" by Pigbros. Lots lots more! CD

A really lovely little collection, and a set that digs deep into a time when things were moving from the fringes to the mainstream in British music – but with groups that still mostly had a real edge and a strong sense of invention! The work here is setting the scene for some of the big global hits to come in the second half of the 80s and start of the 90s – as the English experiments of the post-punk years were finding ways to be a bit more tuneful, but without shaking off the politics, songwriting, and production techniques that made them so revolutionary at the time. As with other Cherry Red box sets, the track list here is superb – and supported by an equally superb set of notes – in a package of 74 tracks that includes work by The Loft, Higsons, Twinsets, Yeah Yeah Noh, Scritti Politti, The Nightingales, Weekend, Everything But The Girl, Friends Again, Pulp, Jane & Barton, Wah Heat, Teardrop Explodes, Scars, Mo-Dettes, Girls At Our Best, Vic Godard & The Subway Set, Josef K, Wild Wans, Jowe Head, Art Objects, Monochrome Set, Marine Girls, Trixie's Big Red Motorbike, In Embrace, Dislocation Dance, Microdisney, Grab Grab The Haddock, Jasmine Minks, Pale Fountains, and many others! CD

A really wonderful album from the height of the exotica years – but a set that's got a fair bit more jazz in the mix than most from that generation too! Gene Rains plays vibes – and moves between moodier moments, ala Martin Denny/Arthur Lyman, and more straightforward jazz styles – which often have some great modal elements in the mix! The Rains group played hotels in Hawaii during the late 50s and early 60s – but are maybe more like a Pacific take on territory of the Quartette Tres Bien, thanks to strong work from Allen Watanabe on drums, Archie Grant on bass, and Byron Peterson on piano. Titles include "Mapuana", "Bancock Cock Fight", "Tiki", "Off Shore", "Shadow Of Love", "Jasmine & Jade", and "Lonely Winter". CD