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 great overview of the guitar talents of Mickey Baker – an artist who's maybe best remembered during this time for an album on Atlantic, or his duets with the young Sylvia Robinson (as Mickey & Sylvia) – but a player who also worked on countless sessions during the years of R&B and early soul! We always knew Mickey played on some key tracks – his guitar work is as recognizable as a King Curtis saxophone solo – but this 29 track set features material we didn't even know about – most of it by some of the biggest R&B stars of the 50s! Titles include "Women Are The Root Of All Evil" by Paul Williams, "Hit Git & Split" by Young Jessie, "No Good Lover" by Mickey & Sylvia, "Juke Joint" by Sam Price, "I'm Gonna Rock Your Wig" by Sonny Terry, "Bad Hangover" by Square Walton, "I'm Doin All This Time" by Stick McGhee, "Please Louise" by Wynonie Harris, "Straighten Up Baby" by Milt Trenier, "Oh Darlin" by Johnny Frank, "All Around The World" by Titus Turner, and more by Nappy Brown, Larry Dale, Joe Turner, Ruth Brown, and others! 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

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

Music from Benny Goodman & his Orchestra, the Benny Goodman Trio, the Benny Goodman Quartet, the History Of Jazz Groups, and the Jam Session. CD

Nat King Cole on piano, Les Paul on guitar, Shorty Sherock on trumpet, JJ Johnson on trombone, Illinois Jackson and Jack McVea on tenor saxophone, Johnny Miller and Red Callender on bass, and Lee Young on drums. 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

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

Includes the Disney album Let's Get Together With Hayley Mills plus singles from Castaway, Parent Trap, and Pollyanna. 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

Danny Williams is a singer who never broke that big on our shores, but he's a heck of a vocalist with a really great range – a mature, sophisticated song stylist who's maybe in the same territory as a young Johnny Mathis, or maybe Tony Williams of The Platters – born in South Africa, but recorded here on a strong range of singles for the British market! The music is equal parts soul and jazz – and like Mathis, Williams opens the door for much more adult singers in years to come – modes that allow for a different range of expression than earlier blues and R&B. The set features both sides of Danny's ten singles for HMV, plus some tracks from EP releases and rare album tracks – 29 titles in all, including "Tall A Tree", "Stay As Sweet As You Are", "Lonely", "Moon River", "Weaver Of Dreams", "Jeannie", "Something's Gotta Give", "Get Happy", "Tiara Tahiti", "Tears", "The Wonderful World Of The Young", "So High So Low", and "Youthful Years". CD

Tony Williams was one of the greatest singers of the 50s – the famous lead voice of The Platters, and a heck of a singer on his own – as you'll hear in this set of overlooked solo material that Tony cut around the same time! Williams has a majesty and range that rivals Johnny Mathis at his best – but he's also able to get a bit more down and dirty when he wants to, moving from classy modes to more R&B-oriented territory – which comes as a nice surprise on a few of the cuts on this set! The package brings together 28 tracks in all – obscure solo material recorded for Reprise Records, more tracks for Mercury, and even a duet with Linda Hayes – titles that include "Oochi Poochi", "When You Return", "Peggy O'Neill", "Sleepless Nights", "Sad River", "Movin In", "The Miracle", "My Prayer", "Amapola", "Ida", "Charmaine", "On My Word Of Honor", and "You'll Never Know". CD

Music from the Kansas City Six, the Kansas City Seven, Count Basie's Kansas City Seven, and Freddie Green & his Kansas City Seven. CD

A set with an 80s cover, but one that features vintage soul jazz throughout – the kind of late 50s/early 60s material that really played big on UK club floors in the early years of Acid Jazz, thanks to work by DJs like Gilles Peterson and Patrick Forge! These are all classic cuts from the US – from labels like Prestige and Chess – served up with plenty of Hammond, riffing guitar, and strong tenor lines – plus occasional vocals too. Forget the look of the package, and imagine some fantastic jazz photographs instead – alongside cuts that include "Camp Meetin" by Sam Lazar, "Moanin" by Art Blakey, "Screamin" by Jack McDuff, "Cerveza" by Boots Brown, "Somethin Strange" by Baby Face Willette, "Meetin Here" by Curtis Amy & Paul Bryant, "Blue Vibes" by Johnny Lytle, "Wade In The Water" by Johnny Griffin, "Vera" by Richard Evans, "Sack O Woe" by Ray Bryant, and "Night In Tunisia" by Buck Clarke. 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

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 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