The official full length debut from Lupe Fiasco – another wholly unique Chicago MC who's gotten the runaround from seemingly every major label in the biz – and a record that lives up to the long-building hype! Frankly, we were scared almost immediately when we heard the description "skate rap" applied to "Kick, Push" – only to find our fears unfounded. Lupe's only going to be himself – which is what makes him such a strong MC (other than the masterful breath control) – and that individualistic approach is proving to be Chicago's gift to mainstream hip hip. The Neptunes provide one of their best productions of the past couple years for "I Gotcha" – but the soundtracky productions by Soundtrakk (natch) are even better. Other tracks include "Real" feat Sara Green, "Just Might Be OK" feat Gemini, "Kick, Push", "The Instrumental" feat Jonah Matranga, "He Say She Say" feat Gemini & Sarah Green, "Sunshine", "Daydreamin'" feat Jill Scott, "The Cool" (produced by Kanye) , "Hurt Me Soul", "Pressure" feat Jay-Z, "American Terrorist" feat Matthew Santos, "The Cool", "The Emperor's Soundtrack" and more! LP, Vinyl record album

The official full length debut from Lupe Fiasco – another wholly unique Chicago MC who's gotten the runaround from seemingly every major label in the biz – and a record that lives up to the long-building hype! Frankly, we were scared almost immediately when we heard the description "skate rap" applied to "Kick, Push" – only to find our fears unfounded. Lupe's only going to be himself – which is what makes him such a strong MC (other than the masterful breath control) – and that individualistic approach is proving to be Chicago's gift to mainstream hip hip. The Neptunes provide one of their best productions of the past couple years for "I Gotcha" – but the soundtracky productions by Soundtrakk (natch) are even better. Other tracks include "Real" feat Sara Green, "Just Might Be OK" feat Gemini, "Kick, Push", "The Instrumental" feat Jonah Matranga, "He Say She Say" feat Gemini & Sarah Green, "Sunshine", "Daydreamin'" feat Jill Scott, "The Cool" (produced by Kanye) , "Hurt Me Soul", "Pressure" feat Jay-Z, "American Terrorist" feat Matthew Santos, "The Cool", "The Emperor's Soundtrack" and more! LP, Vinyl record album

The official full length debut from Lupe Fiasco – another wholly unique Chicago MC who's gotten the runaround from seemingly every major label in the biz – and a record that lives up to the long-building hype! Frankly, we were scared almost immediately when we heard the description "skate rap" applied to "Kick, Push" – only to find our fears unfounded. Lupe's only going to be himself – which is what makes him such a strong MC (other than the masterful breath control) – and that individualistic approach is proving to be Chicago's gift to mainstream hip hip. The Neptunes provide one of their best productions of the past couple years for "I Gotcha" – but the soundtracky productions by Soundtrakk (natch) are even better. Other tracks include "Real" feat Sara Green, "Just Might Be OK" feat Gemini, "Kick, Push", "The Instrumental" feat Jonah Matranga, "He Say She Say" feat Gemini & Sarah Green, "Sunshine", "Daydreamin'" feat Jill Scott, "The Cool" (produced by Kanye), "Hurt Me Soul", "Pressure" feat Jay-Z, "American Terrorist" feat Matthew Santos, "The Cool", "The Emperor's Soundtrack" and more! CD

Not just jazz travels, but Brazilian, funk, and soul as well – all pulled together by Oli Stewart (Casbah 73) into one of the hippest compilations we've heard in years! Before making his own music, Oli spent more than a decade travelling the globe on record-buying trips – not just the US, but Brazil, Brussels, and many points global – all in search of an unheard snippet of funky soul or jazzy groove! This incredible little set brings together a dozen nuggets from those key crate-digging years – a good deal of which have never been reissued before, and especially not in such fantastic company. The overall vibe is warm, jazz-influenced, and filled with great keyboards, vocals, and rhythms that run from bossa-influenced to European modal, with plenty of American touches in between! Titles include "Silly Savage" by Adam Ross Reeds, "Don't Kill Your Fantasy" by Chinchilla, "Enfa" by Gerardo Batiz, "David" by Celia, "Cross Country" by Archie Whitewater, "Right Now" by Salena Jones, "Consolacao" by Luiz Eca, "Tornei A Caminhar" by Sebastiao Tabajos & Pedro Dos Santos, "Snowflake" by Ronnie April's Positive Energy, "Tocata" by Fernando Tordo, "Just Say Goodbye" by Esther Phillips, and "Negro En Sol Menor" by Daniel Lencina & Candombes De Van Guardia. CD

With music from Buster Brown, Jimmy Jones, Dee Clark, Ray Bryant, Irma Thomas, Etta James, Bobby Marchan, The Shirelles, Marv Johnson, Gary U.S. Bonds, Sugar Pie DeSanto, and many more – 31 tracks in all! CD

Low-burning tenor from Jerry Bergonzi – a player we grow to appreciate more and more as the years go by! Jerry starts this set off with a great reading of Joe Henderson's "Inner Urge" – which is a very apt choice, as Bergonzi's tenor has all the deep soul and modern edges we loved in Henderson's early Blue Note work – a real breath of fresh air when Jerry first came on the scene, and still holding up beautifully over the years! Mulgrew Miller's piano provides some great support here, too – supporting Bergonzi's vibe beautifully with lots of dark, thoughtful lines – even on the ballad numbers – and the rest of the group features Adam Nussbaum on drums and Dave Santoro on bass. In addition to "Inner Urge", other titles include "Jones", "Red's Blues", "On The Brink", and "Everything Happens To Me". CD

Torbjorn Zetterberg has always been a hell of a bassist – but in recent years, he really seems to be exploding as a greater jazz visionary – working with a group like this in a range of explosive new ideas we never would have expected just a few years ago! The music is often incredibly dense – Zetterberg's bass in the lineup, but also part of a rich array of sounds from Susana Santos Silva on trumpet, Mats Aleklint on trombone, Jonas Kullhammar on tenor and alto, Alberto Pinto on clarinet and baritone, Jon Falt on drums, Alexander Zethson on Hammond and Fender Rhodes, and Lars Skoglund on drums – mostly players that have worked together often over the years, and who beautifully interpret the stunning arrangements and compositions by Zetterberg. There's definitely plenty of outside moments on the record, but as with much Moserobie material, things also swing at times too – a balance between freedom and structure that matches the balance between group and individual on the album. Titles include "Drommusik", "Meningen Med Vad", "Oraklet I Finnaker", "Plingplongpiano", and "Nytt Hopp Over Atlanten". CD

An insanely wonderful album from bassist Torbjorn Zetterberg – a player we've loved for many years, but who seems to be hitting a new level of genius with this record! As with other key bassist-driven ensembles over the years – like the work of Charles Mingus, or more appropriately, the Liberation Music Orchestra of Charlie Haden – Zetterberg has this way of driving the group from the bass position with a vivid, fluid sort of energy – never overstating his own role, and getting this wonderfully dynamic performances out of the other members – so that although the group's just a sextet, it feels as if it's got a lot more parts in motion. The lineup is as tremendous as Torbjorn's leadership – Susana Santos Silva on trumpet, Mats Aleklint on trombone, Jonas Kullhammar on tenor and flute, Alberto Pinton on baritone and flute, and Jon Falt on drums – working beautifully through long Zetterberg originals. titles include "Cherry Tree Carol/Weekday Miracles", "The Oracle In Finnaker", "Tiny Slippers", and "Song From The End Of The World". CD