A great little album of group soul – recorded by indie label favorites The Jive Five, and just about their only album for a big label. Horace Ott produced and arranged, and he nicely takes the group's earlier doo wop style into a 60s harmony groove – adding in some arrangements that have a bit more of a kick and a northern groove, and helping the group come up with some tasty little numbers filled with hooks and riffs that let them still show off their vocal skills. Titles include "I'm A Happy Man", "Prove Every Word You Say", "I Remember When", "Hang On The Corner", "A Bench In The Park", "Falling Tears", and "Ha Ha". LP, Vinyl record album

Titles include the sublime "My True Story" – plus "When I Was Single", "Never Never", "Hurry Back", "Johnny Never Knew", "Rain", "These Golden Rings", and "Hully Gully Callin Time". CD

Organ funk from the midwest scene – raw, tightly grooving instrumentals and the first full length release from Ohio's Jive Turkeys – numbers that sounds right in step with the 70s instro funk of The Meters and the best of the contemporary indie funk scenes! The group is a four piece – organ, drums, bass and guitar – keeping it simple, raw and funky. As hinted at on the on the couple of the stellar 45s that led up to Bread & Butter, they work well in both a slower cooking, Booker T indebted groove or a fast & furious,post-JBs style. Simple, straight up funky soul instrumentals is the order of the day, and these Jive Turkeys bring it! Titles include "Funky Turkey", "JT Strut", "Soul High", "Chickenfoot", "Straight Fire", "Bill Collector", "Stamp", "Funky Brewster", "Talkin' That Talk", "Grimmin", "BA" and "Otis Lament". CD

... CD

... 78 RPM, Vinyl record

... LP, Vinyl record album

Music from Erskine Hawkins & His Orchestra, the Hal Singer Sextette, Roy Milton & His Solid Senders, Paul Williams & His Hucklebuckers, Roy Brown, Ruth Brown, Jackie Brenston & His Delta Cats, Big Mama Thornton, Joe Turner, Louis Prima & more. CD

... CD

Another one of those great Jive Classics reissues, complete with the excellent "hootie" remix of "Bonita Applebum" which has the "Between The Sheets" sample. "El Segundo" has the vampire mix, plus the original vocal one. 12-inch, Vinyl record

A bit of a rarity for hip hop albums – how many live sets can you name? With 19 live versions of classic KRS tracks, including "Lick A Shot", "Jack Of Spades", "My Philosophy", "Still #1 (freestyle)", "Poetry", "Criminal Minded", "Jimmy", "The Bridge Is Over", "South Bronx", 'Reggae Medley (including 9mm)", "Super Hoe", "Why Is That?", 'Stop The Violence", "Breath Control", "Self Destruction" and more. CD

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

The long-gestated follow up to the breakout Lord Willin' record by Clipse! Hell Hath No Fury may have been on ice for years, but it appeared as an instant classic, WAY up at the top of the list of greatest hip hop LPs of the mid 00s. The Neptunes beats are very spare and chilly, despite the fiery title – while the Pusha T & Malice style of precise storytelling and detached deliveries probably make them one of the most natural duos in the game. A gritty rap masterpiece. Tracks include "We Got It For Cheap", "Momma I'm So Sorry", the masterful "Mr Me Too" feat Pharrell, "Wamp Wamp (What It Do)" feat Slim Thug, "Dirty Money", "Ride Around Shining" feat the Re-Up Gang, "Key's Open Doors", "Chinese New Year" feat Rosco P Coldchain, "Nightmares" feat Pharrell & Bilal and more. LP, Vinyl record album

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

... CD

... CD

... LP, Vinyl record album

... 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

... CD

A big one for Billy Ocean – a set that's got some catchy beats on the bottom and plenty of sweetly crafted vocals over the top! The style's smooth, but never too much so – thanks to a nicely percolated sense of rhythm on most of the numbers – and in a way, the record represents a nice transition for Billy – a set that pushes him even further past his Caribbean roots into the mainstream of American soul. There's a bit of a quiet storm vibe on here, but one that's never too heavy or forced – and titles include "Love Zone", "Without You", "There'll Be Sad Songs", "Bitter Sweet", "It's Never Too Late To Try", "Showdown", "Promise Me", and "Love Is Forever". CD

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

... CD

... 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 "Keeping It Moving", "Word Play", "The Pressure", "Word Play" and much more. CD

"Find A Way" is a dope mellow groove and "Steppin It Up" does just that with guest vocals by Busta Rhymes and some of the best Redman verses we've heard. 12-inch, Vinyl record

A rare live set by Cannonball Adderley – unreleased in America at the time, and performed with the style of Cannon's best work for Riverside! The album's very similar to some of the group's best live sets for Riverside – like the San Francisco or other Tokyo recording – done with tracks that are long and a bit stretched out, performed with Nat Adderley on cornet, Joe Zawinul on piano, Vic Gaskin on bass, and Roy McCurdy on drums. Titles include "Work Song", "Mercy Mercy Mercy", "This Here", "Jive Samba", and "Money In The Pocket". CD

A great live classic from the Cannonball Adderley Sextet of the early 60s – that famous group that included Nat Adderley on cornet, Yusef Lateef on tenor and flute, Joe Zawinul on piano, Sam Jones on bass, and Louis Hayes on drums! Tracks are long, and these guys are really on fire in a live setting – and titles include a stellar 11 minute version of "The Jive Samba", one of Cannonball's greatest track – plus "Primitivo", "Lillie", and "Mellow Buno". CD includes the bonus track "Unit 7"! 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". LP, Vinyl record album

Hard-jamming jazz rock from Back Door – 3 prime era Warner albums in a 2CD set! Graced 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 group's early-to-mid 70s triumphs are mighty to this day. The self-titled debut is a jamming affair with genuine strains of funk and pretty great playing – and overall, it 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 classic Beastie Boys' sample track "Slivadiv". 8th Street Nites more than lives up to its predecessor, with a lots of bass-driven grooves and a couple charged takes on classic Robert Johnson and Leadbelly. Titles include "Linin' Track", "Forget Me Daisy, "Roberta", "Dancin' In The Van", "The Bed Creaks Louder", "Adolphus Beal" and more. Another Fine Mess arrived a couple years later and brings some Fender Rhodes to the mix, with titles including "I'm Gonna Stay A Long, Long Time", another fine jammy jazz rock take on the blues in "TB Blues", plus "Manager's Shirt", "Streamline Guitar", "The Dashing White Sergeant" and more. CD

Great stuff from Basie's best years at Verve – featuring tight no-nonsense material that puts the Count firmly back on the map, handled with more care than his work had been receiving for years! Titles include "Bread", "Jive At Five", "Be My Guest", "No Name", "Redhead", "Blee Blop Blues", and "Tippin On The Q T". LP, Vinyl record album

A strong double dose live set for Smoke Sessions led by guitarist Peter Bernstein – in a quartet setting with Christian McBride on bass, Brad Mehldau on piano and Gregory Hutchinson on drums – reconvening the the line-up that recorded Bernstein's Signs album on Criss Cross back in the mid 90s! It's wonderful for several reasons – for one, in getting these amazing, incredibly busy players back together after all these years – and for fleshing out the material so greatly in a live setting! The Signs tunes really breathe here, with lots of air and space for each player to shine, most tracks running nice on long on the 2CD set. They're all Bernstein originals save for 3 Thelonious Monk numbers, and the titles include "Blues For Bulgaria", "Hidden Pockets", "Dragonfly", "Jive Coffee", "Pannonica", "Useless Metaphor", "Let Loose", "All Too Real", "Resplendor", "Crepuscule With Nellie/We See" and "Cupcake". CD

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

An obscure little album from Jack "Mr Bongo" Constanzo – his only entry into the Latin Soul genre, and a really nice batch of grooves! Jacko's working here with singer Gerrie Woo – who sings in English on about half of the album's tracks, giving the set a nice pop-styled Latin groove that reminds us a lot of Willie Bobo's work for Verve, and some of the more unusual indie Latin albums of the time. The set's filled with loads of great numbers – including Hector Rivera compositions "Recuerdos", "Que Vengo Acabando", "Don't Squeeze The Peaches", and "Mambo Jack" – plus covers of "Jive Samba", "Words", and "Green Onions". 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

The one and only album by Exit 9 – an obscure funk combo who recorded this rare set for Brunswick in 1975! The group is extremely tight instrumentally – working at a very fast funky clip that's kind of similar to work by Bohannon or Sound Experience – both of whom shared Exit 9's pre-disco approach to dancefloor grooves – more fast-funk than the tighter club sound of later years, and proof that a funky combo could hit the dancefloor if it had the right groove! Most numbers have vocals, and instrumentation includes lots of nice guitar work that keeps a rawer edge on the tracks – choppy and gritty in a really great way. Tracks include "MFB", "Miss Funky Fox", "Fly", "Julie I Love You", "Jive Man", and "Rhapsody in Funk". LP, Vinyl record album

Beautiful sounds from Tanzanian guitarist Frank Humplick – who plays here alongside vocal harmonies from his two sisters – in a mode that's almost like a East African cross between The Carter Family and Andy & The Bey Sisters! The vibe is different, of course – as the raw guitar lines dominate the sound more strongly, and are offset by the warmer harmonies of the sisters – while Frank sometimes delivers a lead vocal with a style that's a bit more rough around the edges, but no less charming! The package is a great overview of these vintage sounds, in the best Mississippi style – and titles include "Shida", "Tuwe Sawa", "Beba Jive", "Nakusalimu", "Kafo Mshiki", "Mwanangu Lala", and "Sharu Shechisia". LP, Vinyl record album

A lost Hammond classic – from organist Mick Weaver, who famously worked with the group Traffic! This set's a lot different than the work he did in that band, though – as the album's all instrumental, and has a quick-stepping, all-soul sound that's a lot like the best Jimmy McGriff organ jazz albums on Sue Records – mixed with maybe a bit of the mod sound of London at the time! Tunes are tight and short, but pack plenty of punch – and the album also features great work on saxes from Chris Mercer and Dick Heckstall-Smith. Titles include "Green Door", "Bad Eye", "Willie & The Hand Jive", "House That Jack Built", "Gasoline Alley", and "Harpsichord Shuffle". LP, Vinyl record album

Three full albums of romping organ work from Wynder K Frog – plus lots of bonus tracks too! First up is Sunshine Superfrog – a record with a Donovan reference in the title, but a much more mod set overall – thanks to searing Hammond work from organist Mick Weaver, who was maybe one of the hippest London cats on his instrument at the time! The tunes draw equally from the Hammond soul jazz of artists like Jimmy Smith or Jimmy McGriff, and from the soul instrumental style of the time – particularly the grooves of Stax and Atlantic Records – and the deft work on the keys of the organ show that you hardly need a singer to make these records groove. Titles include "I Feel So Bad", "Blues For A Frog", "Hold On I'm Coming", "Incense", "Feel It", "Dancin Pain", "Mercy", and "Somebody Help Me". Next is Out Of The Frying Pan – a lost Hammond classic from organist Mick Weaver, who famously worked with the group Traffic! This set's a lot different than the work he did in that band, though – as the album's all instrumental, and has a quick-stepping, all-soul sound that's a lot like the best Jimmy McGriff organ jazz albums on Sue Records – mixed with maybe a bit of the mod sound of London at the time! Tunes are tight and short, but pack plenty of punch – and the album also features great work on saxes from Chris Mercer and Dick Heckstall-Smith. Titles include "Green Door", "Bad Eye", "Willie & The Hand Jive", "House That Jack Built", "Gasoline Alley", and "Harpsichord Shuffle". Last up is Into The Fire – which has the group really opening up, laying down some wonderfully jazzy and funky instrumentals with a fuzzy Hammond sound that's really great! Although the set was recorded in the UK, the best cuts have a soulful crossover sound that feels like it should have been recorded during one of the Cadet Concept sessions in Chicago at the same time. One cut has vocals, but the best are the instrumentals – like "Into the Fire", "Howl In Wolf's Clothing", "Hot Salt Beef", "Cool Hand Stanley", and "Why Am I Treated So Bad". The set features lots of bonus tracks from singles and other sources – including "Zooming", "Green Door", "I'm A Man", "Henry's Panter", "Baldy", "Dancing Frog (stereo)", "Happy Jack", "Funky Broadway", "I'll Go Crazy", "A Memory Of Bruce", "Loving You Is Sweeter Than Ever", and "We Can Work It Out". CD

Fantastic material from the great Slim Gaillard – one of the most unique singers of all time, and a key link between jazz and the growing wave of R&B in the postwar years! Long before singers like Roy Brown, Wynonie Harris, Joe Turner, and others started making offbeat, uptempo material for indie labels like King and Atlantic – the great Slim Gaillard was cooking up his own unique brew on the LA scene – a small combo approach, which allowed for lots of flexibility – both in the stripped-down style of rhythm, and Slim's completely amazing vocal technique – which was often filled with slang, jive, and lots of sly jokes too! Gaillard started out years before Norman Granz came into his own as a record producer – but, like so many of his generation that Granz worked with, Gaillard really hit a new level on the material you'll hear here – a good deal of which we'd not heard on other collections. The set begins with a fantastic 12 minute "Opera In Vout (Groove Juice Symphony)" – from a Jazz At The Philharmonic performance – then rolls into 16 more rare singles recorded for MGM – including "Boip Boip", "Money Money Money", "The Hogan Song", "Down By The Station", "Mom's In The Kitchen But We've Got Pop On Ice", "Organ Oreenne", "Little Red Riding Woods", "Bongo Cito", and "When Banana Skins Are Falling". Next are 28 more tracks that were issued on Mercury, Clef, and Verve Records – loads of Slim Gaillard classics, including "Taxpayer's Blues", "Yo Yo Yo", "Chicken Rhythm", "Potatoe Chips", "I Know What To Do", "You Goofed", "Oh Lady Be Good", "Genius", "Babalu Oreeney", "Sabroso", "Laughing In Rhythm", "Gomen Nasai", and "Go Man Go". 2CD set also features 9 more bonus alternate takes – and some great notes too! CD

During the late 30s and early 40s, the team of Slim Gaillard and Slam Stewart cut some of the grooviest little records ever pressed on shellac! Slim had a crazy vocal style that was augmented by his tight guitar work – and Slam kept the whole thing rolling with a big warm bass, and with occasional comments directed in Slim's direction! The style of the music is part early R&B, part jazz vocal, and all hipster jiving and jamming! Slim had an influence on an entire century of hipsters – and this CD is the only one we've ever seen that does a good job of bringing together his early early work with good sound and notes on the material. The set includes 20 cuts in all, including a few unreleased ones – and titles include "Flat Foot Floogie", "Chicken Rhythm", "Matzoh Balls", "Bongo", "Dopey Joe", "A Tip On The Numbers", "Groove Juice Special", "African Jive", and "Ti Pi Tin". CD

The earliest work we've ever seen from this legendary South African group – and music that's got a much rawer, more stripped-down vibe than the albums that made them famous in the 80s! These tracks are mostly just group vocals with a bit of percussion and guitar – billed as "zulu vocal jive" or "zulu vocal" on the back cover – and with a romping, joyous quality that resonates with some of the bigger South African stars who were getting some global exposure in the mid 60s – upbeat, lively, and really positive in spirit, despite the struggles taking place on the scene. Titles include "Dinaka", "Kuqale Bani", "Niyi Gcine", "Inxeba Lendoda", "Izinyoni", "We Boy", "Umoya", and "Elidlubedu". LP, Vinyl record album

A very nice album of electric guitar groovers from a young Harvey Mandel! The record has less of the trippy dippy feel of Harvey's later albums – and instead has some nice tight jazzy arrangments, with his soulful guitar soloing over the top. Abe "Voco" Kesh produced the record – and it includes a very nice cover of "Jive Samba", plus the cuts "Poontang", "Boo Bee Doo", "Summer Sequence", "Short's Stuff", and "Just A Hair More". LP, Vinyl record album

A killer diller of a live set from Brother Jack McDuff – a cut that burns with energy that almost beats his studio 60s classics for Prestige! The group is one of Jack's best ever – a lineup that includes the twin tenors of Red Holloway and Harold Vick, plus incredibly sharp guitar from a young George Benson, and some of the most unique soul jazz drum work you'll ever hear – courtesy of the amazing Joe Dukes. Despite their individual strengths, which might make this whole thing an ego-fest – all players fit perfectly into place on the album's hard wailing batch of groovers, and groove together with a sympathetic energy that's simply amazing! Titles include a great remake of "Jive Samba", plus "Dink's Blues", "Grease Monkey", "Passing Through", and "Vas Dis". This is the kind of thing live recording equipment was made for! LP, Vinyl record album

A 2LP sampling of some of McDuff's heavier work for Prestige during the 60s – featuring a motherlode of organ groovers that puts him in the company of players like Jimmy Forrest, Grant Green, Red Holloway, Harold Vick, Gene Ammons, Joe Dukes, Lem Winchester, and George Benson. The set's a bit thin on notes, but there's some great tracks overall – and titles include "Screamin", "Jive Samba", "Buzzin Round", "Mellow Gravy", "Grease Monkey", and "Soulful Drums". LP, Vinyl record album