Stone Latin funk from the great Willie Bobo – tracks recorded during his prime early 70s years with the Bo-Gents, but never issued until now! The material was found by Bobo's son on some lost master tapes – but it's easily some of the funkiest, most hard-hitting Willie Bobo ever recorded – and why this stuff wasn't issued back in the day is a real mystery to us! The sound is totally great – with lots of snapping Latin undercurrents at the bottom of the grooves, and plenty of warmly soulful instrumentation on the top – a bit electric, with lots of guitar and some keyboards, but often giving way to some impeccable horn parts that really set the tone of the tunes! Great work throughout – a real lost treasure, and some of the funkiest work by Willie you'll ever hope to find! Titles include "Fairy Tales For Two", "Lost Years", "Dindi", "A Little Tear", "A Koko", "Broasted Or Fried", "Hymn To The People", "Ci Ci", "Pretty Lady", "Round Trip", "Midnight Lover", and "Soul Foo Young". CD

A killer blend of African roots and American rhythms – and a set that definitely lives up to the disco promised in the title! Buari's working here with a host of New York musicians – jazzy players who include Randy Brecker and Jon Faddis on trumpet, Barry Rogers on trombone, and Michael Brecker on tenor – all blowing tightly over the album's quick rhythms and well-crafted string arrangements! The sound is hardly familiar disco – and the music is much more in the styles of the underground at the time – almost equivalent to P&P Records productions in the way that Buari works some clever magic with the grooves. The whole thing's got a lot more edge than his better-known set on RCA – and titles include "Koko Si", "I'm Ready", "Feed My Body", "Hard Times", "Adesa A", "Minyo", "Born With Music", and "African Hustle". LP, Vinyl record album

A great little EP from Mark De Clive-Lowe – whose way of inflecting timeless dancefloor heat with boundless cosmic atmosphere and a genuine love of global soul jazz has always been big part of his appeal – and he's doing it as deeply as ever here! The Leaving This Planet EP is centered around a sweet cover of the Charles Earland classic – featuring beautiful soul vocals by Sharlene Hector – and Mark also covers Gene Harris's "Koko + Lee Roe" for another gem with a jazzy soul vibe. Other tracks include the Afrobeat and dancefloor hybrids "Dreams" and "Love Broke", both featuring Bembe Segue, plus "What It Is", "Eight", "Freesoul Interlude (Live)", "The Calling" feat Olatunde and "Hope" feat Rahel. CD

Music from Hound Dog Taylor, James Cotton, Professor Longhair, Koko Taylor, Tinsley Ellis, Kenny Neal, Elvin Bishop, Roy Buchanan, Son Seals, Lonnie Brooks, Sonny Terry, and more. CD

Music from Charles Brown, Jimmy Reed, Buddy Guy, Ike Turner, BB King, Frank Frost, Junior Wells, Big Mac, Detroit Junior, Koko Taylor, and more. CD

Includes selections by John Hammond, Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble, Sugar Blue, Koko Taylor & The Blues Machine, Luther Allison, and JB Hutto. LP, Vinyl record album

Music from Howlin' Wolf, Sonny Boy Williamson, Little Walter, Muddy Waters, Otis Rush, Elmore James, Etta James, Buddy Guy, Koko Taylor, and John Lee Hooker. CD

A stunning selection of highlife material from the Nigerian scene – a huge double-length collection that really offers up a vivid example of the music that was in place before the big wave of 70s Afro Funk and other new styles! The work here is different than some of the more commercial highlife recordings you might know – especially those from the big 80s years of world music – as the recording quality is often nice and raw, and the focus is mostly on acoustic percussion, electric guitar, and jazzier horn lines next to the vocals – with grooves usually moving at a mighty nice clip in a bold explosion of color! The bulk of the work on the 19 track set is from the 50s through the early 70s – and titles include "Yei Ngebewoh" by ET Menseh & The Tempos, "Akwanoma Hiahii" by Rambler Dance Band, "Muntie (Highlife Charanga)" by Ramblers International, "Eyaa Dudm" by Professional Uhuru Band, "Ogiobo" by Sir Victor Uwaifo & His Titibitis Of Africa, "Osondi Owendi" by Chief Stephen Osita Osadebe, and "Koko Ahataw Kur" by George Williams Aingo. CD

20 tracks from Howlin' Wolf, BB King, Little Walter, Jimmy Rogers, Bo Diddley, Chuck Berry, Little Milton, Koko Taylor, Etta James, John Lee Hooker, and more. CD

Not necessarily the bebop fest that you might expect from the title, but a wonderful extrapolation of earlier jazz ideas shaped by the musical vision of Athony Braxton! The tunes here are all originals by Charlie Parker – plus a few more by Dizzy Gillespie and Miles Davis – all older bop standards that are used as vehicles for freer expression by a group that includes Braxton on reeds, Ari Brown on tenor and soprano saxes, Paul Smoker on trumpet, Misha Mengelberg on piano, Joe Fonda on bass, and either Han Bennink or Pheeroan AkLaff on drums. Some of the numbers are taken in a relatively classic bebop mode, but others move into territory that's much freer and more concerned with sound and texture – as you might hear in some of Braxton's own compositions. The mix of modes is really wonderful – swinging between poles of jazz in a way that reminds us of some of Braxton's best 70s recordings. Titles include "Night In Tunisia", "Dewey Square", "Klactoveesedstene", "An Oscar For Treadwell", "Bebop", "Bongo Bop", "Yardbird Suite", and "Koko". CD

Not necessarily the bebop fest that you might expect from the title, but a wonderful extrapolation of earlier jazz ideas shaped by the musical vision of Athony Braxton! The tunes here are all originals by Charlie Parker – plus a few more by Dizzy Gillespie and Miles Davis – all older bop standards that are used as vehicles for freer expression by a group that includes Braxton on reeds, Ari Brown on tenor and soprano saxes, Paul Smoker on trumpet, Misha Mengelberg on piano, Joe Fonda on bass, and either Han Bennink or Pheeroan AkLaff on drums. Some of the numbers are taken in a relatively classic bebop mode, but others move into territory that's much freer and more concerned with sound and texture – as you might hear in some of Braxton's own compositions. The mix of modes is really wonderful – swinging between poles of jazz in a way that reminds us of some of Braxton's best 70s recordings. Titles include "Night In Tunisia", "Dewey Square", "Klactoveesedstene", "An Oscar For Treadwell", "Bebop", "Bongo Bop", "Yardbird Suite", and "Koko". CD

A killer blend of African roots and American rhythms – and a set that definitely lives up to the disco promised in the title! Buari's working here with a host of New York musicians – jazzy players who include Randy Brecker and Jon Faddis on trumpet, Barry Rogers on trombone, and Michael Brecker on tenor – all blowing tightly over the album's quick rhythms and well-crafted string arrangements! The sound is hardly familiar disco – and the music is much more in the styles of the underground at the time – almost equivalent to P&P Records productions in the way that Buari works some clever magic with the grooves. The whole thing's got a lot more edge than his better-known set on RCA – and titles include "Koko Si", "I'm Ready", "Feed My Body", "Hard Times", "Adesa A", "Minyo", "Born With Music", and "African Hustle". CD

A 60s Cali group named The Pyramids, but one who might have been named The Monks instead – given that all their members shaved their heads, while also delivering a razor-sharp version of guitar-heavy surf rock! The Pyramids may not have been the biggest name on the west coast scene at the time – but like so many other "lost" groups, they've got amazing instrumental chops – not just on guitar, but on bass, drums, and keyboards – which they deliver with great intensity in this mix of vocal and instrumental tracks! Titles include "Koko Joe", "Sticks & Skins", "Paul", "Here Comes Marsha", "Walkin The Dog", "Everybody", "Out Of Limits", "Contact", "Pressure", "Pyramid Stomp", "Custom Caravan", and "Midnight Run". CD

Music from Jimmy Rogers, Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Buddy Guy, Jimmy Reed, Little Walter, Koko Taylor, Otis Rush, Lonnie Brooks, Bo Diddley, the Paul Buttersfield Blues Band, Magic Slim, Bob Dylan, Public Enemy, Common, the Electrik Mud Kats & Etta James. CD

The great drummer Tony Allen left our planet all too soon – but not before cutting this fantastic album as part of the Jazz Is Dead series – a killer record that may be one of the best he's given us in the past decade or so! The format here is different than some of Tony's other records, but also different than the other Jazz Is Dead records – as the instrumentation is fuller than those, with a brace of horns that really fills things up – while Tony delivers these amazing rhythm patterns on the bottom, supported with basslines from Adrian Younge, who also adds in all sorts of very cool keyboards! There's more noise and darkness at times than we've heard on some of Allen's bigger label sets – and we mean that in a really great way – and the drummer is maybe most up in the mix of all the instruments, so you can really hear Tony going to town at his funky best. Titles include "Don't Believe The Dancers", "Steady Tremble", "Ebun", "Oladipo", "No Beginning", "Lagos", and "Makoko". LP, Vinyl record album

A beautiful album that perfectly mixes both sides of Aretha Franklin's talents – the hard-edged soul singer who first flourished at Atlantic records in the late 60s, and the artist who was growing even more as a vocalist – really reaching out her wings to more sophisticated material! There's a balance here that makes the record one of the deepest that Franklin ever recorded for Atlantic – lots of larger Arif Mardin touches, but also some raw moments that really round things out – on titles that include Aretha's classic take on the Weldon Irvine/Nina Simone tune "Young Gifted & Black", the funky classic "Rock Steady", the wonderful mellow groover "Day Dreaming", the hit "Brand New Me", and the strangely compelling "First Snow In Kokomo" – plus other titles that include "All The King's Horses", "Oh Me Oh My", "Border Song", "Didn't I Blow Your Mind", "April Fools", "I've Been Loving You Too Long", and "The Long & Winding Road". CD

You might know Dave Lee under his other name of Joey Negro, which has long been associated with some of the best clubby cuts on both sides of the Atlantic – but whatever the case, whoever the name, the man himself has always given us nothing but top-shelf work – a tradition that's definitely continued with this wonderful set! Dave/Joey has always had a really great ear for the classic – carrying forward the best sorts of 70s and 80s elements from the world of funk, club, and soul – all with a sense of perfection that rivals the work of bigger names like Incognito or Brand New Heavies, and always served up with a killer ear for the dancefloor! Here, Dave steps forth with a dozen new tracks under an array of various group names and projects – all produced with the love promised in the title, and a heavy dose of soul as well. Titles include "Do It Again" by Rare Essence with Lifford, "Starlight" by Dave & Omar, "Love Walked In The Room" by Jayenne with Gina Carey, "Raise A Blaze" by Foreal People with Xan Blacq, "Want Me Back" by Mistura with Jemini, "Power Of The Mind (power trip mix)" by Dave Lee with Billy Valentine, "Let's Do It In Style" by The Sunburst Band, "Taste My Love" by Dave Lee with Billy Valentine, "Face The Love" by The Sunburst Band with Angela Johnson, and "If You Ever Need Someone" by Mistura With Tiffany T'Zelle. 2LPs with bonus 12" single – including "Don't Leave Me This Way (Dave Lee Philly World mix)" by Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes, and "Use Your Imagination (Dave Lee reimagined mix)" by Kokomo. LP, Vinyl record album

With Brian Carrott on vibes, David Leonhardt on piano, Stephen Novosel on bass, and Winard Harper on drums. CD

A really wonderful third album from Osibisa – and a record that really crystallizes the group's sound into a trademark blend of African roots and more progressive-styled jamming! There's a mode here that's perfect for the cross-cultural London of the post-colonial 70s – a style that brings many strands of music into the capital, and mixes them up with some of the headier styles going down at the time. Bits of highlife echo alongside more tribally-based percussion – but most of the instrumentation on the set also has a strong ear for jazzy changes, especially during the flute and keyboards passages that make the record so great. Titles include "Kokorokoo", "Che Che Kule", "Sweet Sounds", "Sweet America", and "Do You Know". CD

A confluence of London and Kenyan sounds on this great pair of tracks on Brownswood! Joseph Nyamungo handles vocals and nyatiti and Charles Okoko plays traditional Kenyan drum – both Kenyans, working with London musicians Jesse Hackett & co. on drums, synth, bass, guitar and bouzouki. It has the feel of modern Afrobeat, and it feels great at that! 12-inch, Vinyl record

Includes 72 tracks by Leroy Carr, Kokomo Arnold, Furry Lewis, Sleepy John Estes, Howlin Wolf, Little Walter, Fenton Robinson, Buddy Guy, BB King, Muddy Waters, Big Mama Thornton, Memphis Minnie, and more. CD