... 12-inch, Vinyl record

Featuring Mike Jones on "I'm N Luv", plus Trick Daddy and Youngbloodz on "I'm Sprung 2", with Beenie Man on the dancehall remix. 12-inch, Vinyl record

... CD

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

Beats, Rhymes & Life – crucial aspects of Tribe Called Quest and hip hop in general – and the fourth album by the inimitable Tribe! After a couple or three years of down time following Midnight Marauders, the Tribe returned with this extra stripped down sound, collaborating with Jay Dee and the Ummah. Titles include "Jam", the r&b crossover ready "Stressed Out" feat Faith Evans, "Motivators", the great "Phony Rappers", and "Keep It Moving", "Word Play", "The Pressure", "Word Play" and much more. LP, Vinyl record album

A pretty great follow up to the previous hits package Retrospective – this one with many of the Tribe's OTHER hits, plus 2 previously unreleased nuggets! Alternate mixes, out of print soundtrack and 12-inch cuts, plus album tracks that weren't ingrained into the mainstream consciousness – cuts like "Oh My God", "Award Tour", "Can I Kick It?", "One, Two, S&!t" with Busta Rhymes, "Peace, Prosperity, and Paper" and "Glamour & Glitz". Of course, you also get the better known tracks like " I Left My Wallet In El Segundo", "Check The Rhyme", "Buggin' Out", "Scenario", "Jazz (We've Got)" and the rest. 2 rare unreleased cuts made it on: "Mr. Incognito" and "The Night He Got Caught". LP, Vinyl record album

A hell of a comeback for Tribe Called Quest – maybe one of the best musical comebacks ever, and a fantastic reminder of why we loved the group so much in the first place! 18 years have passed since we last heard from the trio (now, sadly, a duo) – and that time only seems to have sharpened their sound, and given them a more powerful presence than ever! Everything we loved about them is still very firmly in place – that sense of collaboration, almost improvisation in a jazz-like way, and those moments of surprise and wonder at all the deft turns they can take in a short space. Yet there's also a new edge – one that might be even more powerful in this highly politicized moment in American history – a bite that the group never had before, and a larger social agenda that makes all of their incredible skills even more amazing, when focused on a target. We've certainly missed them – but the album's also well worth the wait! Titles include "Black Spasmodic", "The Donald", "The Space Program", "We The People", "Solid Wall Of Sound", "Dis Generation", "Kids", "Melatonin", "Enough", "Movin Backwards", and "The Killing Season". LP, Vinyl record album

The first album of the new millennium for UGK – coming into it at high point! They had a lot to live up to after Ridin' Dirty did so much put Houston on the legacy hip hop, and really helped usher in the the southern hip hop revolution in general, so if Dirty Money doesn't blaze any more trails, it's certainly as sturdy ride that still sounds good after all these years. Includes "Let Me See It", "Choppin' Blades", "Look At Me", "Ain't That A B***h" with Devin The Dude, "Holdin' Na" feat C-Note, "Don't Say S**t" with Big Gipp of Goodie Mob, ""Dirty Money", "Pimpin' Ain't No Illusion", "Wood Wheel", "Money, H*** & Power" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

The LP with their big hits. With the full versions of "Freaks Come Out at Night", "Friends", "Five Minutes of Funk". Also includes "Escape (I Need a Break)", "Big Mouth". With the keyboards and vocoder effects, it's hard to believe that this LP was produced by the same person, Larry Smith, who produced the first Run-DMC record. LP, Vinyl record album

Titles include "Funky Beat", "Big Mouth", "I'm A Ho", "Five Minutes Of Funk", "Haunted House Of Rock", and "One Love". CD features bonus tracks "Magic's Wand", "Escape", and "Freaks Come Out At Night". CD

Includes selections from Young Joc, Sean Paul, Clipse, Petey Pablo, and Youngbloodz. 12-inch, Vinyl record

... LP, Vinyl record album

12 tracks in all, including "I'm All That", "Summertime", "The Things That U Do", "This Boy Is Smooth", "Ring My Bell", "A Dog Is A Dog", "caught In The Middle (Love & Life)", "Trapped On The Dance Floor", "Who Stole The DJ", "You Saw My Blinker", "Dumb Dancin'" and 'Summertime (Reprise)". CD

From the classic Kool Moe Dee/LL battle. 12-inch, Vinyl record

Before the LL Cool J and Canibus battles on wax there was LL vs. Kool Moe Dee. "Let's Go" is one of Kool Moe Dee's entries in the battle, with some good punchlines, and is one of his best later tracks. Released around the time of the "How Ya Like Me Now" LP, never made it on that LP. 12-inch, Vinyl record

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

Contains the tracks "That's When Ya Lost", "Let Em Know", "Live & Let Live", "93 'Til Infinity", "Disseshowedo", "Tell Me Who Profits", "What A Way To Go Out", and "Make Your Mind Up". 14 tracks in all. CD

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

Tracks include "Check The Rhime", "Bonita Applebum", "Award Tour", "Can I Kick It?", "Scenario", "Buggin' Out", "If The Papes Come", "Electric Relaxation", "Jazz (We've Got)", "I Left My Wallet In El Segundo", "Hot Sex", "Oh My God", "Stressed Out", "Luck Of Lucien", "Description Of A Fool", "Keeping It Moving", "Find A Way", "Sucka Ni**a", and "Vivrant Thing". LP, Vinyl record album

Beats, Rhymes & Life – crucial aspects of Tribe Called Quest and hip hop in general – and the fourth album by the inimitable Tribe! After a couple or three years of down time following Midnight Marauders, the Tribe returned with this extra stripped down sound, collaborating with Jay Dee and the Ummah. Titles include "Jam", the r&b crossover ready "Stressed Out" feat Faith Evans, "Motivators", the great "Phony Rappers", and "Keep It Moving", "Word Play", "The Pressure", "Word Play" and much more. CD

Beats, Rhymes & Life – crucial aspects of Tribe Called Quest and hip hop in general – and the fourth album by the inimitable Tribe! After a couple or three years of down time following Midnight Marauders, the Tribe returned with this extra stripped down sound, collaborating with Jay Dee and the Ummah. Titles include "Jam", the r&b crossover ready "Stressed Out" feat Faith Evans, "Motivators", the great "Phony Rappers", and "Keeping It Moving", "Word Play", "The Pressure", "Word Play" and much more. CD

A pretty great follow up to the previous hits package Retrospective – this one with many of the Tribe's OTHER hits, plus 2 previously unreleased nuggets! Alternate mixes, out of print soundtrack and 12-inch cuts, plus album tracks that weren't ingrained into the mainstream consciousness – cuts like "Oh My God", "Award Tour", "Can I Kick It?", "One, Two, S&!t" with Busta Rhymes, "Peace, Prosperity, and Paper" and "Glamour & Glitz". Of course, you also get the better known tracks like " I Left My Wallet In El Segundo", "Check The Rhyme", "Buggin' Out", "Scenario", "Jazz (We've Got)" and the rest. 2 rare unreleased cuts made it on: "Mr. Incognito" and "The Night He Got Caught". CD

The second album from the immortal Tribe Called Quest – one of the absolute essential hip hop LPs, and a record that should be an anyone's shortlist of the best albums in several subsections of hip hop – just a straight up masterpiece anyway you cut it. The album is so high up on the ladder, we're a loss to add any fresh insight o the critical consensus, so just get it. Classics one after another, steeped in bass note snapping, head nodding funk jazz beatcraft of the first order! "Buggin Out", "Excursions", "Rap Promoter", "Verses From The Abstract", "Check The Rhyme", "Everything Is Fair", "Jazz (We've Got)", "What?", "Scenario" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

A masterpiece from prime era Tribe Called Quest! Midnight Maurauders was Tribe's third LP, and even though there were no tracks yet credited to the Ummah, this is pretty much the beginning of Tribe's transition to that sound – with the same mellow, laid back vibe as their best early material, but less of an overtly jazzy reference in their sound. Phife and Tip are still on point lyrically, and honestly, this is pretty much the last LP that Tribe dropped that's got nearly all hits and no misses on it. With the cuts "Award Tour", "Midnight", "Electric Relaxation", "Clap Your Hands", "Oh My God", "The Chase, Part II", and "Keep It Rollin". LP, Vinyl record album

One of THE landmark hip hop albums – and the full length debut of great Tribe Called Quest! We hardly need to tell you about this classic – but it will always bear repeating. De La Soul might have kicked the door open on leftfield, anything goes artistry about a year or so earlier, but their friends and fellow Native Tongues Tribe's debut was a crucial reminder that the east coast was spinning out of one of the greatest creative growth spurts in hip hop history at the time. Pure excellence. Tracks include "Luck Of Lucien", "Footprints", "I Left My Wallet In El Segundo", "Bonita Applebaum", "Can I Kick It?", "Rhythm (Devoted To The Art Of Moving Butts)", "Mr Muhammad", "Description Of A Fool" andmore seminal, jazzy middle school tracks! LP, Vinyl record album

Just before he got too hot for Jive and jumped to Death Row, this is the album where Pac moves above the Thug Life image he worked so hard to craft and delivered the lyrical goods with both his street stories and more introspective rhymes – helping set up his legacy as one of the most soul searching of street rappers – a reputation that stands to this day! Includes uber classic singles like "Dear Mama" and "So Many Tears", plus "Temptations", "If I Die 2 Nite", "Me Against The World", "Heavy In The Game", "Old School", "F*ck The World", "Death Around The Corner" and "Outlaw". Classic! LP, Vinyl record album

Production by KRS and Sam Sever. Includes "Live On Stage", "Remember When. . . ?", "B..B..B..Bklyn", "Wake Up, Wake Up!", "What Do You Do?", "Roll On Over", "To Sing All Night", "More", "Communication", "Sneaking Out" and "Shaka Beats". LP, Vinyl record album

The last Tribe Called Quest LP – one of those "end of an era" type experiences for sure – and record that was fairly slept on it the time given the dizzying heights of their earlier record – and holds up today as an essential! 15 tracks total, are all produced by The Ummah featuring J Dilla, and just a solid bed of production that's a reminder of how this excellent style of hip hop production excels so sweetly at both looking forward and making 70s soul jazz beats sound forever fresh – with tracks including "Pen & Pad", "Find A Way", "Like It Like That", "Steppin' It Up" (featuring Busta Rhymes & Redman), "Rock Rock Y'all" (featuring Mos Def, Jane Doe, Punchline & Wordsworth.) CD

One of Sarah Vaughan's first albums of Latin-tinged tracks – showing the roots of her interest in Brazilian music that would develop even more fully into the 70s. The record features a large group arranged and conducted by Frank Foster – with a host of jazz soloists, plus Latin percussion by the likes of Willie Bobo, Jose Mangual, and Willie Rodriguez. Titles include lively versions of "Jive Samba", "The Boy From Ipanema", "Mr Lucky", "Quiet Nights", and "Moment Of Truth". Tasty stuff – and very groovy! LP, Vinyl record album

A really cool set – with Roby Weber on electric and acoustic piano, next to Ueli Staub on vibes – in a mode that almost has some of the funky touches and offbeat rhythms of the Dave Pike MPS records, but a bit more straight ahead! The group also features Heinz Pfenninger on electric bass and Curt Treier on drums and percussion – on titles that include "Jive Hoot", "Sweet Emma", "You Got It In Your Soulness", "Slip In", and "Beaux J Pooboo" – all given fresh arrangements by the group. LP, Vinyl record album

Nobody deserves the title of King Of the Tenors more than Ben Webster – as his warm soulful style influenced countless players in his day, and stil sounds pretty darn great today! This early Verve LP features some excellent small combo work by Ben, playing as the main soloist in smaller groups that include players like Barney Kessel, Ray Brown, Oscar Peterson, and Harry Edison – on swing-based tunes like "Bounce Blues", "Cottontail", "That's All", and "Jive At Six". CD

Not your usual set of oldies – because in the hands of Ace Records, "rock n roll" and "doo wop" become completely new terms! The package goes way beyond simple hits and famous numbers – and offers up a great batch of unusual tunes from the less-known end of the musical spectrum during the big rock n roll years of the late 50s – forgotten numbers from both R&B singers and rockers, often served up in styles that are a fair bit rawer than material making the charts at the time. Titles include "That's Show Biz" by Dale Wright & The Wright Guys, "Rock Everybody" by The Teen Queens, "Let's Rock N Roll" by The Cadets, "Wild Bird" by The Jive-A-Tones, "59 Volvo" by Vernon Green & The Medallions, "Shortnin Bread Rock" by Etta Jones, "We're Gonna Rock N Roll" by Joe Houston, "The Rock A Round" by Paul Peek, "Cold Heart" by The Penguins, "You Cheated" by The Slades, and "Honey Love" by The Jayos. 20 tracks in all! CD

An amazing world of music – rare funk, soul, reggae, and other grooves from Belize – all beautifully compiled in the rich Numero Music style! We're really stunned by the set – as we had no idea at all that Belize had anything going on at this level – and the collection is an amazing surprise to our ears, filled with new delights at each turn, and clearly marking Belize as a new funky capitol on our ever-expanding map of musical understanding. Numero really outdid themselves with this package – going far beyond their already-great collections of work from the Bandit and Capsoul labels – to dig up a range of tracks that have never really made it out to the world at large, but which bubble over with influences from American funk and soul at the time. The notes are great, and the booklet's got plenty of excellent images to back up the writings – but the music is the real star of the set, and is presented on 16 tracks that include "More Love Reggae" and "Boogaloo A La Chuck" by Lord Rhaburn, "Theme From The Godfather" and "Backstabbers" by The Professionals, "Can't Go Halfway" and "Shame Shame Shame" by The Harmonettes, "Things Are Going To Work Out Right" and "Rated G" by The Web, "Funky Jive (parts 1& 2)" by Soul Creations, and "Long Time Boy" by Nadia Cattouse. CD

Incredible sounds from the German Jazz Festival of 1964 – a wonderful meeting of modern talents from all over the European continent at the time – including some great work from behind the Iron Curtain too! The album features a few tracks each by a number of different groups – all of them excellent, and the sorts of players who are really under-represented in terms of available recordings – which makes this selection of tracks completely essential! The set begins with "Sopranitis" and "Birmingham Post" – played by a very cool combo with Heinz Sauer on tenor and soprano sax, Joki Freund on the same two instruments, Emil Mangelsdorff on alto, and Gunther Kornberg on alto and baritone – a four-sax group that works with just bass and drums to give them a groove, with strong solos from all players. Next up is the fantastic Zagreb Jazz Quartet – with Bosko Petrovic on vibes – playing "In Walked Bud" and "Degressia" – plus a version of "Bluesette" with a guest appearance by Sven Asmussen. Tenor player Karl Drevo (Drewo) leads a quintet with trumpeter Maffy Falay and pianist Bora Rokovic – on a long reading of "Save Your Love For Me". The legendary quartet of saxophonist Klaus Doldinger is next – his great group with Ingfried Hoffmann on Hammond, Peter Trunk on bass, and Klaus Weiss on drums – with guest work by Rolf Kuhn on tenor and Inge Brandenberg on vocals – on the titles "Waltz Of The Jive Cats", "What's The Matter Daddy", and "Groovin In Berlin". Last up is one of our favorite groups of the time – the quintet of pianist Michael Naura, which also features Wolfgang Schluter on vibes and Peter Reinke on alto – on "Rainy Clouds" and "Rhythm A Ning". CD

Like the first volume, this isn't so much a collection of "oldies" so much as it is a tasty set of hard to find numbers from the United Artists label – including some killer soul and jazz numbers that are pretty darn hard to track down on LP. The record features two great ones from The Jive Five – "I'm A Happy Man" and "A Bench In The Park – plus parts 1 and 2 of Phil Upchurch's classic groover "You Can't Sit Down". Other highlights include "Cry Baby" by Garnet Mimms, "Tears On My Pillow" by Anthony & The Imperials, "Night Train" by Jimmy Forrest, and "Harlem Nocturne" by Georgie Auld. LP, Vinyl record album

The Jazzman label hits a whole new level of brilliance – as they turn their funk-trained crate digging skills to the world of spiritual jazz! The collection's an amazing batch of ultra-rare tunes – tracks that take inspiration from the John Coltrane/Archie Shepp work on Impulse Records in the 60s, then run with those roots in bold new directions – soaring, spiritual aims in jazz that reach for new freedoms, but never lapse into the totally-outside modes of free jazz! Instead, there's a really great balance here between structure and struggle – as many tunes often have a good rhythmic pulse, usually modal and soulful, then let the horn solos stretch out more in their own sounds and directions. The mix is amazing, as is the selection of tunes – rare numbers pulled mostly from American independent jazz releases of the 60s and 70s – most of which are as obscure as the funky 45s we normally get from Jazzman. As with the label's US funk compilations, there's full notes on all the music – a heck of a lot of detail on these artists – and tracks on the set include "Paul's Ark" by Morris Wilson Beau Bailey Quintet, "Ayo Ayo Nene" by Mor Thiam, "Nomusa" by Ndikho Xaba & The Natives, "The Afrikan In Winter" by The Positive Force, "Neveen" by Salah Ragab, "Ja Mil" by Hastings Street Jazz Experience, "Be There" by Leon Gardner, "Psych City" by Ohio Penitentiary 511 Jazz Ensemble, "Introduction" by James Tatum Trio Plus, and "No Jive" by Frank Derrick Total Experience. US pressing has 2 bonus tracks – "All Prasies To Allah (parts 1 & 2 edit)" by Lightmen Plus One, and "Bada Que Bash" by PE Hewitt Jazz Ensemble. CD

Includes tracks from Twilight 22, Newcleus, Egyptian Lover, Jonzun Crew, Chris 'The Glove' Taylor & David Storrs, Debbie Deb, Fast Lane, Jive Rhythm Trax, Connie, and Shannon. CD

A hard-jamming bit of jazz rock – with lots of free solo work on alto and soprano sax by Ron Aspery, and a pretty strong power-trio instrumental format from Tony Hicks on drums and Colin Hodgkinson on bass. The album's more jamming than it is funky, but there's some pretty great playing on the set – and overall, the whole thing sounds better than most albums of its type because the group never use vocals, just stick in a tight instrumental format – one that almost sounds like a rock take on the ESP sound at times! Titles include "Back Door", "Jive Grind", "Askin The Way", "Vienna Breakdown", "Plantagenet", and the Beastie Boys' sample track "Slivadiv"! LP, Vinyl record album

Yes, it was a mega-hit – and yes, it was one of those records that everyone who lived through the 70s seemed to own at one time – but after all these decades, you can't deny the power of the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack – especially for the way that it mixed club soul classics with new original material! Obviously, the Bee Gees cover placement make them big stars of the record – but the set's also got some great early disco gems – like "Open Sesame" by Kool & The Gang, "Disco Inferno" by The Trammps, "KJEE" by MFSB, "Calypso Breakdown" by Ralph MacDonald, "Fifth Of Beethoven" by Walter Murphy, "If I Can't Have You" by Yvonne Elliman, "Boogie Shoes" by KC & The Sunshine Band, and "More Than A Woman" by Tavares. The Bee Gees reinvent themselves from the early days – and sing "Stayin Alive", "How Deep Is Your Love", "More Than A Woman", "Jive Talkin", "You Should Be Dancin", and "Night Fever" – and the set also features a few instrumentals by David Shire – "Manhattan Skyline", "Night On Disco Mountain" and "Salsation". LP, Vinyl record album

A double-length collection of work from Billy Ocean – a soul singer who came of age during the era of the 12" single – which means that his catalog is filled with remixes, extended versions, and all the great b-side material that used to make up that great vinyl format! This package is a great addition to the single CD issues of Billy's material over the years – and the package brings together 23 long numbers that start in his early years on Columbia/CBS, then run through his huge 80s fame on Jive/BMG – mostly work that was originally only issued on vinyl, collected here in a 2CD set! Titles include "European Queen (special mix)", "City Limit (alt version)", "When The Going Gets Tough (ext version)", "Love Really Hurts Without You (1986 dance mix)", "Loverboy (dub mix)", "Mystery Lady (club mix)", "Get Outta My Dreams Get Into My Car (ext version)", "Are You Ready (12" version)", "License To Chill (ext version)", "Pressure (UK 12" ext mix)", "When The Going Gets Tough (inst)", "Love Zone (ext version)", "Loverboy (ext club)", "Bittersweet (ext version)", "Dance Floor (ext version)", "African Queen (new ext mix)", "American Hearts (12" ext)", "When The Going Gets Tough (club version)", "I Sleep Much Better (ext version)", "Love Really Hurts Without You (dub)", "Pick Up The Pieces (Reese club riot mix)", and "When The Going Gets Tough (7th heaven club mix)". CD

An amazing world of music – rare funk, soul, reggae, and other grooves from Belize – all beautifully compiled in the rich Numero Music style! We're really stunned by the set – as we had no idea at all that Belize had anything going on at this level – and the collection is an amazing surprise to our ears, filled with new delights at each turn, and clearly marking Belize as a new funky capitol on our ever-expanding map of musical understanding. Numero really outdid themselves with this package – going far beyond their already-great collections of work from the Bandit and Capsoul labels – to dig up a range of tracks that have never really made it out to the world at large, but which bubble over with influences from American funk and soul at the time. The notes are great, and the booklet's got plenty of excellent images to back up the writings – but the music is the real star of the set, and is presented on 16 tracks that include "More Love Reggae" and "Boogaloo A La Chuck" by Lord Rhaburn, "Theme From The Godfather" and "Backstabbers" by The Professionals, "Can't Go Halfway" and "Shame Shame Shame" by The Harmonettes, "Things Are Going To Work Out Right" and "Rated G" by The Web, "Funky Jive (parts 1& 2)" by Soul Creations, and "Long Time Boy" by Nadia Cattouse. LP also features 2 bonus tracks not on the CD – "Soul Brother" by Lord Rahburn and "I Hear You Calling" by Francis Reneau Singers. LP, Vinyl record album

Very nicely priced compilation of jazzy grooves from the legendary German MPS label! A lot of this stuff has appeared elsewhere – especially on the Talkin' Jazz compilations – but the whole thing looks very groovy, and the price is nice enough that you can probably afford to get the comp, even if you have a number of tracks already. Titles include "Blues A Volante" by Baden Powell, "Sunshine Of Your Love" by Ella Fitzgerald, "Big Schlepp" by Dave Pike, "Jive Samba" by Peter Herbholzheimer, "Love & Happiness" by Ernest Ranglin, "Take Off Your Clothes To Feel The Setting Sun" by Wolfgang Dauner, "See You Later" by Joanne Grauer, "Follow Me" by Dieter Reith, and lots lots more! CD

Sweet funky 70s work from Cannonball Adderley – a record that has him revisiting older tunes from his early soul jazz years – but in ways that give them a whole new electric vibe overall! The album's actually Cannonball's last full studio set, but it's also one of his greatest too – a very hip little record that features arrangements that are slightly bigger than before – almost a CTI sort of mode, with a similar CTI sense of space, sound, and timing! There's some great keyboards on the set – courtesy of George Duke and Mike Wolff – and other players include Nat Adderley on cornet, Airto on percussion, Sam Jones and Walter Booker on bass, and Louis Hayes and Roy McCurdy on drums. The keyboards lead off most numbers, but they're followed strongly by Cannon and Nat – both of whom open up wonderfully in the magical setting of the record! Titles include great new takes on "Sack O Woe", "Work Song", "Jive Samba", "74 Miles Away", "Walk Tall/Mercy Mercy Mercy", "Country Preacher", "Domination", and "This Here" – plus "Hi Fly" and "Hamba Nami". CD

Some of the earliest work from one of Burkina Faso's greatest musicians! Although Amadou Balake has achieved his greatest notoriety as one of Africa's finest salseros – recording with New York players in the late 70s and most recently working in the all-star Africando project – this collection finds him in a less idiomatic mode. To be sure, there's a distinctive Afro-Cuban feeling to this deeply soulful, gritty singing, but the skittering, insistent drumming and astonishing highlife-style lead guitar form a wonderfully original blend with his magical voice. Add some terrific saxophone work that recalls the zulu jive of South Africa and you've got something very special. This CD compiles two explosive albums cut in Nigeria for the Sacodis International label in 1978 and 1979. Tracks include "Taximen", "Migoussia", "Kikiriki", "Kanan N'Djanfa", and "Soum Grouba". CD

A wonderful album of Latin-tinged jazz tracks from the enigmatic Buck Clarke! Clarke was a percussionist who did an awful lot of studio work during the 60s and 70s – but he began his career with a very hip little combo that was a key part of the Washington DC underground jazz scene of the 60s. The group released two albums on Chess/Argo that are both excellent – but this obscure set was recorded for the short-lived Offbeat label in DC, and it's easily the rarest of the group's three rare recordings. The real genius behind the group is Charles Hampton, a key talent who wrote and arranged much of the material, and who plays a variety of instruments, all equally well. There's many hints of a nascent spiritual jazz sound here – and if the record was cut a few years later, the group would clearly be playing in a Strata East mode. Vibes, reeds, piano, bass, and Clarke's heavy percussion jive very nicely together – and the whole thing's a wonderfully off-beat batch of percussion-driven jazz tracks. Titles include "Cool Hands", "Ed's Blues", "Mil-Dy", "Second Wind", and "X-A-Dose". CD

Dark genius from the always-amazing Miles Davis Quintet of the 60s – a set that's a bit more subtle than some of the group's other efforts, but no less powerful – and virtually a blueprint for countless changes to come in jazz during the next few decades! The interplay of Davis' trumpet, Wayne Shorter's tenor, and Herbie Hancock's piano is worth the price of admission alone – a force that seems to flow of its own direction, pulled three ways equally, but always emerging as a sound greater than its parts. And adding in the subtle pulse of Ron Carter on bass and nearly melodic drums of Tony Williams, the sound is even more incredible – a well-crafted and evocative sound that's far more than jazz! Titles include versions of Herbie's "Riot" and "Madness", Shorter's "Nefertiti" and "Pinocchio", and Williams' "Hand Jive". Plus, the CD reissue features 4 bonus alternate takes from the original session! CD

A seminal classic from Michael Franks – one of those records that's almost a whole genre unto itself, and which set a whole new tone for the male voice in American music! The style here is light and jazzy – almost an evolution of modes first begun by Kenny Rankin, and served up here with a similarly compressed production style that really brings out the jazz in the instrumentation. Players include Michael Brecker, Joe Sample, Larry Carlton, and David Sanborn – all sounding great with a bit of added strings from Nick DeCaro. But the real star of the set is clearly Franks – whose light vocals and creative lyrics sound wonderful next to the electric piano on the set. Titles include "Eggplant", "Monkey See Monkey Do", "Jive", "Mr Blue", "Popsicle Toes", "St Elmos Fire", "I Don't Know Why I'm So Happy I'm Sad", and "Sometimes I Just Forget To Smile". CD

Great work from the Ohio Players – and proof that moving to a big label could be a good thing for a funky group! This was the band's first album for Mercury – and although one might have the temptation to say that the label cut down the radical funk sound of the trippy Westbound years, the move also taught the band to sharpen up their act, and get out of the repetitive sloppy groove into which they'd been lapsing during the past few years. The record's a lot smoother than earlier work – with a polished funky sound that would soon push the band right up there with Earth Wind & Fire at the top of the soul charts. And although there's familiar funky numbers like "Skin Tight", "Jive Turkey", and "Streakin Cheek To Cheek" – the best moment on the entire album is the wonderful spacey soul number "Heaven Must be Like This", a seven minute mellow groover that's got a sophisticated jazzy soul style, with voices and piano soaring into the heavens, in a way that always still sends chills down our spine! That cut shows the band's tremendous growth – and it's one of their best-ever! LP, Vinyl record album

A legendary trio, very firmly back in action – and making us feel like it's the late 60s European free jazz scene all over again! The energy of the players here is tremendous – and while we've enjoyed the renewed strengths of saxophonist Peter Brotzmann in recent years, we're equally impressed with the fire of Alexander Von Schlippenbach on piano and Han Bennink on drums – both musicians who can give us so many different sounds and styles, but who really remind us here that they're some of the key folks who helped put the "free" in free jazz! Brotzmann blows tenor, b flat clarinet, and tarogato – and titles include the very long "Fifty Years After" and "Frictional Sounds" – plus "Short Dog Of Sweet Lucy", "Bad Borrachos", and "Street Jive". CD

Quite possibly the hippest album ever recorded by Lizzy Mercier Descloux – a session done in South Africa, and featuring a variety of unusual rhythms! The sound here isn't conventional African pop, and like other gems from the Ze Records catalog, this set blends together a number of styles into its own unique groove – some of the Ze dancefloor modes from earlier records, bright guitars ala high life recordings, and even some tropical touches that seem to be borrowed a bit from reggae. The resulting sound is great, and provides a deeper foil than before for Lizzy's English and French lyrics. Titles include "Aybssinia", "Mais Ou Sont Passees Lee Gazelles", "Dolby Sisters Saliva Brothers", "Queen Of Overdub Kisses", "I'm Liquor", "Momo On My Mind", and "Sun Jive". LP, Vinyl record album

Tenorist Ellery Eskelin really sounds great here – carving out these soulful, angular lines in the kind of format that seems to make him shine the most – a trio, with Christian Weber on bass and Michael Grenier on drums! Some of the tunes are of older origin, which brings out some roots in the players we might not expect – while others are originals composed by the three, and presented in a style that mixes the modern and traditional in a very captivating way. Titles include "Magnetic Rag", "ABC", "Black Drop", "Jive At Five", "The Pearls", "La Fee Verte", "Ru Jardiniere", and "Il Gatto". CD