An excellent second set from this hip British trio – a record that's every bit as Hammond-drenched as their first, but which also has a more expansive sound! Leader Tim Hinkley seems to be getting a bit more confidence in his vocals – and really soars out over his own keyboard work in a wonderful way – giving the songs power that almost reminds us a bit of Greg Lake's voice at the start of his career, especially when he focused on more heavy material. Guitarist Bernie Holland is great, too – and handles bass too, plus a bit of acoustic guitar in the occasional more introspective moment. Drums from Peter Gavin are nice and heavy – almost heading towards funk rock at times – and titles include "Plastic Sh*t", "Ballad For Bridget", "Bath Sister", "Jump Bed Jed", and "O Paradiso". CD features the bonus tracks for the single versions of "Paint It Black" & "Rock n Roll Man". LP, Vinyl record album

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A fantastic turning point for the great Horace Silver – a set that's still got the soul jazz groove of some of his earlier 60s hits – but which also has the pianist really making magic with some of the younger players on the scene – in a lineup that features the young Woody Shaw on trumpet, James Spaulding on alto and flute, and Tyrone Washington on tenor sax! As with Hank Mobley and Lee Morgan at the time, there's an openness to some of Silver's writing and arranging here that's really great – as if he's absorbing some of the qualities of the new thing generation, but never going there himself – and instead just finding a way to color his music with really fresh energy and tones. Larry Ridley is on bass and Roger Humphries is on drums – completing a really fantastic lineup – and titles include the title cut "The Jody Grind" – is an enduring funky jazz classic – plus "Blue Silver", "Mary Lou", "Mexican Hip Dance", "Grease Piece", and "Dimples". CD

A fantastic turning point for the great Horace Silver – a set that's still got the soul jazz groove of some of his earlier 60s hits – but which also has the pianist really making magic with some of the younger players on the scene – in a lineup that features the young Woody Shaw on trumpet, James Spaulding on alto and flute, and Tyrone Washington on tenor sax! As with Hank Mobley and Lee Morgan at the time, there's an openness to some of Silver's writing and arranging here that's really great – as if he's absorbing some of the qualities of the new thing generation, but never going there himself – and instead just finding a way to color his music with really fresh energy and tones. Larry Ridley is on bass and Roger Humphries is on drums – completing a really fantastic lineup – and titles include the title cut "The Jody Grind" – is an enduring funky jazz classic – plus "Blue Silver", "Mary Lou", "Mexican Hip Dance", "Grease Piece", and "Dimples". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the coolest collections of grooves you might ever hope to own – a batch of tracks that come from the unlikely prog underground in the UK – but which are full of heavy basslines, riffing guitars, and funky drums! A few years earlier, the UK scene was in love with American soul and blues – which came through in famous straighter recordings of those modes overseas – but by the time of these tracks, the scene had really found its own vibe – stretching out in ways that were famously filled-out, yet still influenced strongly by more soulful modes in all the right ways! The result is a wonderful blend of soaring instrumentation, sometimes trippy production, and very groovy rhythms – sort of the hybrid that you were getting in America by groups like Chicago or Santana, but served up here by some much more obscure underground acts. The 3CD set is a fantastic overview of this wonderful moment – and features 58 tracks, along with a big booklet of notes. Titles include "The Bitch" by Gasoline Band, "Somethin You Got" by Second Hand, "Home Is Where I Belong" by Quicksand, "He's Gonna Step On You Again" by John Kongos, "Bad Times" by Paladin, "Travelling Like A Gypsy" by Hanson, "I'm A Thief" by Juicy Lucy, "So Many People" by Skin Alley, "3D Mona Lisa" by Paul Brett Sage, "One Way Glass" by Trifle, "Wake Up My Children" by Siren, "The Devil Made Me Do It" by Curtis Knight Zeus, "Drinking My Wine" by Hardin & York, "Little Message" by Jody Grind, "Eyeballs" by Blue Mink, "Celebration" by Chillum, "Weren't Born A Man" by Dana Gillespie, "I Saw An Angel" by Pentangle, "Libel" by Hard Stuff, "Pigs Foot" by Pesky Gee, "I'm A Man" by The Web, and "Indian Rope Man" by Noir. CD

Includes the songs "Doodlin'", "The Preacher", "Senor Blues", "Soulville", "Sister Sade", "Song For My Father", "The Cape Verdean Blues", and "The Jody Grind". CD

A great late 60s gem from pianist Horace Silver – and a great bridge between his earlier soul jazz for Blue Note, and some of his more righteous work to come in the 70s! At one level, the sound here steps off from classics like Serenade To A Soul Sister or The Jody Grind – but at another level, there's a more open approach to the music – one that has Horace sliding into new tones and colors, with a slightly lyrical undercurrent as well. As on some of his later dates, the mellower moments are often the most compelling – showing a newly mature side of Silver's talents, and a new love of space between the notes that really helps to break the mode of previous recordings! The group here features the great Bennie Maupin on tenor and flute, Randy Brecker on trumpet and flugelhorn, John Williams on bass, and Billy Cobham on drums – and titles include "Lovely's Daughter", "Risin Sun", "You Gotta Take A Little Love", "Down & Out", and "Brain Wave". CD

The first album by a really great Italian jazz combo – a group who bristle with the fire and soul of older Blue Note acts from the 60s! The feel here is more conventional hardbop than some of the more groove-based club jazz coming out of the Italian scene of late – but that's a-ok with us, because these guys have really go their chops down – and can make even a straight ahead record like this cook with plenty of energy! Many of the tunes here are original numbers penned by members of the groups – tracks that hit that mix of modal and soul jazz styles that resonated so strongly on mid 60s work by Hank Mobley and Lee Morgan – and given the strong tenor work on the set by Daniele Scannapieco and trumpet by Fabrizio Bosso, the album's certainly got plenty of qualities to match the Mobley and Morgan sound! Titles include "Ju-da", "Rong Time Rag Time", "Agosto", "On The Way Home", "Dear J", "Waiting For D", and a great cover of Horace Silver's "The Jody Grind". CD