A really cool collection of sci-fi soundtrack work – a massive 79 tracks pulled from the short-lived but excellent TV show The Invaders – a striking visual experience that was presented with some equally great music! The whole thing is a great reminder of a time when the TV studios would really go all-out with a program – allowing a top-shelf composer to write a whole new score every week – often with a great sense of variety to fit the changing narrative on a week to week basis, which is definitely the case here! The package features great material from a host of west coast composers, some of them from the jazz world too – and CD1 features three full scores by Dominic Frontiere, who also wrote the main theme – for the episodes "The Mutation", "The Experiment", and "The Leeches" – plus the groovy "The Go Go A Go Go" by Don Ralke. CD2 features lots more music, and a really good sense of variety – work by modern jazzman Duane Tatro, for episodes that include "Counter Attack", "The Prophet", "Valley Of The Shadow", "The Spores", and "The Saucer" – plus music from more episodes "The Enemy" by Irving Gertz, "Quantity Unknown" by Richard Markowitz, and the episodes "The Condemned", "The Watchers", and "Condition Red" by Sidney Cutner. There's also a few standalone groovy tunes – "Broodin Mood" by Willard Jones, and "Sunset Strip Watusi" and "Cool Fool" by Don Ralke. CD

A double-header of soundtracks from composer Jerry Goldsmith – both from his 60s years at 20th Century Fox! Von Ryan's Express is a lot more driving and dramatic than some of the composer's other scores – Goldsmith serving up a rich score to a wartime action thriller with Sinatra in the lead – but also bringing in some moodier elements of the type he used in some of his more cerebral scores of the 60s. The mix is nice – not straight military action, but nicely deep – and the CD features 43 tracks, including the film score, soundtrack album, and additional material too. The Blue Max is one of the most famous Jerry Goldsmith soundtracks ever – even if the film itself wasn't much of a hit! Goldsmith really rose to the top ranks of film composers with his work for Blue Max – able to orchestrate both full action and quiet moments with effortless ease – often through these compressed passages that really move beyond the usual Hollywood scoring standard of the time! Things are never too flowery, yet still remain quite full at times – and Goldsmith really demonstrates his great skill with creating special odd sounds out of more familiar instruments. CD features 31 tracks in all – including the full film score, and additional music too! CD

A pair of overlooked Jerry Goldsmith soundtracks – back to back on a single CD! First up is The Detective – a soundtrack we've been trying to find for years – given the way the music works perfectly in the surprisingly dark film! Goldsmith uses lots of jazzy tones in his scoring – especially trumpet lines – which works wonderfully not just for the urban location of the narrative, but to underscore the really melancholy mood of the whole movie – one of those Bullitt-era cop stories that shows the overwhelming effect of crime upon the outlook of a detective. There's a few weird touches in the mix – some swirling, almost watery moments – and titles include "A New Love", "A Family Affair", "Beach Scene", "Joe", "Night Talk", "The Safe Cracker", and "The Ball Game". The Flim Flam Man was recorded right around the same time, but is quite different – more rural than urban, with American themes that come through in the use of harmonica, woodwinds, and a bit of banjo and guitar – almost a Copland-esque fantasy of the country, but with warmer touches that both belie the comedic nature of the film, and the sensitivity that Goldsmith can bring to any sort of setting. CD features 16 tracks from the film – including "Stolen Property", "A Little Inspiration", "The Flim Flam Man", "A Good Trick/No Rest For The Wicked", "Curley's Plan", and "The Waiting Game". CD

A motherlode of cop and crime soundtracks from the 70s – none of which have ever been commercially released before! All the music here comes from the mighty holdings of Quinn Martin Productions – the wellspring of so many great hour-long TV detective shows in the 70s – often well-penned dramas that were really a cut above the usual! The company's approach was always pretty top-shelf – and that included the music, too – which was often scored in superb ways, especially considering that in the pre-DVD days, many of these shows would only get seen once or twice. There's a quality level here that matches most widely-circulated 70s cop soundtracks from the cinematic world – and many of the composers are of the same caliber, too – with material that includes 18 tracks for two Dan August episodes by Dave Grusin, 15 more tracks by Lalo Schifrin for an episode of Most Wanted, 15 tracks for Barnaby Jones by Jerry Goldsmith, 20 tracks for two episodes of Cannon by John Parker, and more material by Duane Tatro, Nelson Riddle, Patrick Williams, David Shire, and Bruce Broughton. CD

A really rare soundtrack from Quincy Jones – right up there with his jazziest gems of the 60s, but never issued on record at the time! The music is for an obscure film with Robert Wagner in the lead, and the sounds are a hip blend of the earlier jazz modes of Quincy, with some of the fuller charts that really showed an ever-evolving sense of tone and color! Jones manages to be both sophisticated and organic at the same time – mixing light strings with more down to earth jazz instrumentation – handled by an array of players that includes Dave Grusin and Don Randi on keyboards, Mike Barone on trombone, Jack Nimitz and Bud Shank on reeds, and Herb Ellis on guitar. There's a few nice moments of wordless vocals, and Gil Bernal sings the "Eyes Of Love" leadoff song – next to other cuts that include "Relay Chase", "Mad Pad/A Lack Of Lass", "Poker/Take Tea & Me", "Dental Fleece", "Don't Make Waves", "Fixation", "I Want You", "Trying Tie", and "Sudden Death". CD

Beautifully chilling music to the second and third Friday The 13th films – all masterfully scored by Harry Manfredini! The sounds here aren't as electric or rockish as some of the other slasher work from the time – and in fact, most of the instrumentation is from acoustic sources, but used with the spareness and sharpness that was opened up in the generation of John Carpenter and Goblin – which makes Manfredini's use of strings a remarkable evolution in soundtrack styles! Familiar elements are often given a rasp or atonal edge – and the production sometimes emphasizes a bit of echo, too – so there's a sonic intensity to the music that comes as a very nice surprise. 2CD set features 17 tracks from Part 2, and 26 more tracks from Part 3 – the latter of which includes some re-used material from the first two films. A great package – and the first time these sounds have finally gotten their due in the CD generation. CD

A really great soundtrack from Jack Marshall – the groovy arranger you might know from a host of Capitol Records albums in the early 60s – stepping out here on a film that marked the movie debut of Herman Munster! The music echoes some of the themes you'd hear on the Munsters TV show – but also opens up with all these other scene-setting and comedy action modes that vary nicely – handled by a great group that includes plenty of guitar work from Bob Bain and Howard Roberts! The electric guitar often gets some great space in the charts – either to pace out the slower action, or step up more with the groovier moments – and Chuck Berghofer also gets plenty of space to shine on electric bass. It's Marshall's use of the electric instruments that really make the whole thing great – on a set of 23 titles that include "Ridin & Racin", "Cash Dash Hash", "Off To The Races", "Gate Crashers", "Racy Romance", "Grandpa's Goof", and "Heroic Herman". CD

A really fantastic score from Ennio Morricone – maybe better this time around than the images on the screen for some of his other westerns of the period – more proof that the maestro was always willing to rise above, and give his best no matter what the setting! The music begins with some already-fantastic elements – mule-like noises that mark the theme and title of the film – carried out with that fantastic sense of western flourish that Morricone could do so well – a use of space in the music that evokes the landscape, even without images to view – as subtle orchestrations mix with occasional guitar, and a fair bit of the sorts of unfamiliar sounds that the maestro was always able to create! Titles include "The Braying Mule", "The Battle", "The Cool Mule", "La Cueva", "Night On The Desert", and "Time For Miracles". This massive 2CD edition features the original 11 track album from 1970 – plus a full bonus CD of songs from the film score, most of which appear here for the first time ever – 21 more tracks, and a bonus hour's worth of music! CD

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A huge amount of soundtrack material that gets its first-ever commercial release – work done for the very cool Time Tunny sci fi TV show in the late 60s – penned by a great assortment of top-shelf talents! The music is in a nice blend of styles – some tracks have the energy that you'd expect in a sci fi setting, with familiar instruments used in unusual ways – others follow the moody tones of a TV drama at the time – lots of dark passages that really come off well – and given that each episode follows a different story, in a different setting, there's some variety between the material as well. The 3CD set features tracks from nine different episodes – much of which is scored by John Williams (as Johnny Williams), with other work by Lyn Murray, Paul Sawtell, and Robert Drasnin – the last of whom you might know from some exotica records. CD

Music from an ultra-cool kid cartoon of the 60s – sounding almost better here away from the screen than it did in the TV show! The main theme of Johnny Quest has a great current of mod jazz, and there's a fair bit of that on some of the other tracks too – modes that usually feature a larger ensemble with great horn work, in a style that's maybe almost the sound that you'd get if Henry Mancini were scoring a cartoon – with all the richness of color that might imply! Other tracks are more scene-setters, but still quite far from the usual modes for a cartoon – and although the music's credited partly to the show's creators, the Hanna-Barbera team, we're guessing the real genius comes from the music direction of Hoyt Curtain and Ted Nichols. 2CD set features material from a number of different shows – including "Dragons Of Ashida", "The Robot Spy", "Arctic Splashdown", "Calcutta Adventure", "Treasure Of The Temple", "Attack Of The Tree People", "Terror Island", "The Mystery Of The Lizard Men", and "The Curse Of Anubis" – plus other shows too, the main themes, and even some bonus tracks! CD

Fantastic funky soundtrack work from Patrick Williams – a cat who started out in jazz during the 60s, but who evolved to be come one of the hippest arrangers to score for the TV screen in the 70s! Williams gave the world so much great music during the decade, but some of our favorite may well be his work for Streets Of San Francisco – a show with a killer theme that really set the bar for the whole cop/crime generation, followed by the sorts of scoring that always made Williams so great – a mix of modes that evokes plenty of Lalo Schifrin modes, but also blended with the warmer touches that we love in things like Pat's work for the Bob Newhart show. The 2CD set is overflowing with great work from a variety of episodes up through the fourth season – 72 tracks in all – and as an added bonus, the set also features 11 more tracks by Williams for the Robert Conrad show A Man Called Sloane – from the episode titled "The Seduction Squad". CD

A very groovy look at a very groovy record label – LA powerhouse White Whale Records, home to some mighty fine sounds in the second half of the 60s! As you'd guess from the title, there's a slight current of trippiness running through this material, but it's often blended with a really strong sense of production and a nice ear for a hook – maybe a bit like A&M Records, who might be a comparison to some of the work here – as White Whale always had a careful ear for the up-and-coming, and gave them great freedom to do their thing, and the right sort of production and presentation to make everything come out groovy! And although White Whale had some hits back in the day, this material is definitely from the farther reaches of the label's singles – as you can tell from the set list, which includes "Vegetables" by The Laughing Gravy, "You Got The Love" by Professor Morrison's Lollipop, "My Door Is Always Open" by Rainy Daze, "Love Story" by The Brothers, "Superman" by The Clique, "Look At You Now" by Bazooka, "Won't You Say You'll Stay" by The Rockets, "The Proud One" by Buster Brown, "Goin It Alone" by The Bears, "Song #7" by Lyme & Cybelle, "Darlin You Can Count On Me" by The Everpresent Fullness, "Little Girl Little Boy" by The Odyssey, "I'll Be In" by The Answer, and "We Must Find A Way" by The XLs. CD

A really sweet little collection of Italian soundtrack tunes – with a focus on female singers, especially those of the sweet and dreamy type! The set goes way past the obvious Italian tunes – to include a number of wonderful tracks we never would have known about otherwise – many in the Morricone-esque vocalized mode of the early 70s, others in more of a groovy beat-style mode. Tracks include "Hiasmina" by Jean Seberg, "Agente 077 Dall Oriente Con Furore" by Lydia MacDonald, "Let's Find Out" by Isabel Bond, "A Doppia Faccia" by Nora Orlandi, "Basta Buardarla" by Edda Dell'orso, "La Notte Piu Lunga Del Diavolo" by Giulia Alessandroni, "The More I Love You I Love You More" by Shawn Robinson, and "Richmond Bridge" by Julie Rogers. Lots more – with 20 tracks in all! CD

An excellent 70s Italian film score – penned for a political thriller, but handled with a fair bit of sweet and lovely themes! The album's one of the best we've ever heard from Francesco De Masi, and it nicely mixes his usual strong talents for action with a bit more warmth that befits the sexier side of the Italian cinematic spectrum. Sweet strings glide in alongside tighter electric basslines on some tracks – and others feature evocative woodwind bits, haunting piano, and a few more dramatic orchestrations – all wrapped up with really lovely sound throughout, and reissued here in a wonderful new package that really fits the music! There's a few vocal tracks – "Tomorrow Is A Foreign Land" and "Time On My Hands" – sung in English by Melody – and other titles include "The Story Of A Dream", "Running Against The Time", "Cape Town Harbour", "Soldiers Aboard", "Red Clouds", "Ending A Dream", "Suspect & Love", and "You'll Kill Her". LP, Vinyl record album

Searing live work from The New Mastersounds – a group who sound even earthier and funkier in a concert setting! The album's got a nicely rough edge that's a real departure from some of the combo's earlier studio sides – a quality that still sparkles with the undeniable tightness of the group's instrumentation, but which also brings them more in line with some of the recording styles of their deep funk contemporaries on other labels. Guitarist Eddie Roberts is in especially great form here – leading the group with a tightness that easily makes him one of the best players on his scene today – but there's also plenty of great Hammond that really cooks up the tunes too, served up in a mode that's somewhere between mid-60s Jimmy McGriff and later Booker T work on stax – often backed by some tight Meters-esque rhythms to support the funky solos! Titles include "La Cova", "The Minx", "Spooky", "Fire Eater", "Jan Jan", "One Note Brown", "Land Of Nod", "3 On The B", and "Duffin Round". CD

A fantastic overview of the legendary Rampart Records – one of the strongest soul labels on the LA scene of the 60s, and a company that did some surprisingly compelling work in the 70s too! Rampart's biggest-ever act was Cannibal & The Headhunters – and the set is titled after their classic giant hit – but the company also really had a strong ear to the ground on the scene in East LA – which meant that they worked in a really great blend of modes that included vocal group soul, Latin-styled sounds, and plenty of funk and straighter soul too – before resurfacing in the late 70s with a more eclectic blend of music. This package is the first to really do justice to the complete Rampart legacy – and brings together every single issued by the imprint, who hardly ever put out full albums – a total of 79 tracks that's pretty darn heavy on the 60s, and which includes both the a-sides and b-sides of the singles. There's also a massive book, too – filled with notes on the story of the label, the details of all the songs, and a huge amount of photos – including a section on Rampart artists on the road in the 60s. A fantastic set, and a huge bargain for the price – with work by The Village Callers, Hummingbird 4, The Four Tempos, The Majestics, East Bay Soul Brass, Cannibal & The Headhunters, Phil & Del, Randy Thomas, Sammy Lee & The Summits, The Mixtures, Skylite, Eastside Connection, Graciela Palafox, and Raven. CD

A lost session of spiritual jazz – recorded in LA in the latter half of the 80s, but with a soaring, righteous vibe that's right up there with the 70s scene! The group here is incredible – an all-star array of the best talents working for Nimbus Records – Nate Morgan on piano, Rickey Kelly on vibes, Jesse Sharps on reeds, Danny Cortez on trumpet, Joel Ector on bass, and Derek Roberts on drums – all moving with the cohesiveness of a well-honed small combo, in territory that's right in line with some of Morgan's most glorious recordings for the label! The use of Kelly on vibes is especially nice – as he's a player we've always loved, but hardly ever get to hear in a setting this ambitious – and his presence on the record makes the whole thing sound even more magical and majestic. Tracks are quite long, with a soaring, searching feel – driven on strongly by Morgan's piano, and topped by some great explorations by Sharps. Titles include "Retribution Reparation", "Big Spliff", "A Bientot", "The Goat & The Ram Jam", "Mfaconi", "Mrafu", "Distant Vibes", and "Journey Into Nigritia". CD

Very very cool set of weird grooves from Chico Hamilton. Some tracks are Latiny, others have lots of weird guitar, and they're all kind of spacey, but not exactly free. This period of Chico's is one of his weirdest, and it's kind of hard to figure out where he was heading, but the trip to that place is always a joy, and these tracks are all marked by a very fresh approach to jazz. Players include Willie Bobo, Jimmy Woods, Harold Land, Lou Blackburn, and other obscure jazz players from the LA underground. Gabor Szabo, of course, plays guitar on most tracks as well. With "Tarantula", "Swampy", "Fire Works", and "Carol's Walk". LP, Vinyl record album

An important set that documents a nice patch of King's early vocalese jazz sides – pivotal vocal jazz recordings that were not only enormously popular with listeners around the country, but which also did a heck of a lot in the way of advancing the way that male singers handled lead vocals on jazz-based tunes! The first album's pulled from his Original Moody's Mood For Love set for Prestige, which was itself a compilation and features "I'm In The Mood For Love", "Red Top", "Jumpin With Symphony Sid", "I'm Gone", "Funk Junction", "You're Crying", "Don't Get Scared", "This Is Always', and "Exclamation Blues". The second LP's the hard to find Goldne Days set, a beautiful record, and still one of the greatest jazz vocal albums ever made. The great King Pleasure sings in a raspy vocalese style similar to Jon Hendricks or Eddie Jefferson, but with a sense of warmth and delivery that the two of them never seem to reach. The set list here features a stellar batch of tracks with lyrics by Pleasure, including "The New Symphony Sid", "No, Not Much", "Parker's Mood", and "Golden Days". There's some great accompaniment by LA hard bop players like Teddy Edwards, Gerald Wiggins, and Harold Land, and the whole set sparkles with imagination and warmth. 21 tracks in all. LP, Vinyl record album

A pair of 80s pop classics from The Motels – back to back in a single set, and with bonus tracks too! First up is All Four One – a super-huge set from The Motels – and a record that still has the group holding onto a lot of credibility at a time when so much mainstream pop was really skewing towards the thin side of the spectrum! The vocals of Martha Davis are a big part of the album's success – as they've got this subtle sense of drama learned from the new role of female singers in the wake of punk rock, but tuned towards material that was maybe a bit more able to cross over on the charts – thanks to well-crafted guitar licks that underscore the best part of the lyrics. The approach is a nice balance – definitely less dated and a lot less cloying than some of Davis' contemporaries – on titles that include the hit "Only The Lonely", plus "Mission Of Mercy", "Take The L", "Change My Mind", "Art Fails", "So LA", "Apocalypso", "Forever Mine", and a remake of "He Hit Me (It Felt Like A Kiss)". On Little Robbers, The Motels are strongly in hit territory – the vocals of Martha Davis providing a nice blend of the rough and the smooth – in style that made the singer one of the real standouts in pop at the time! The group have a great way of brewing up the tunes – familiar elements that hint at drama, but never go too far – just the right balance to make the lyrics land perfectly, but never come off as overdone or insincere. Titles include the hit "Suddenly Last Summer" – plus "Where Do We Go From Here", "Monday Shutdown", "Isle Of You", "Footsteps", "Tables Turned", and "Remember The Nights". Bonus tracks include "Mission Of Mercy (apocalypso version", "Schneekin (apocalypso version)", "So LA (acpocalypso version)", "Who Could Resist That Face", and "Only The Lonely (live)". CD

Latiny tracks from Gerald Wilson – but done with his usual tight LA soul jazz groove! Wilson swings, as always, and leads a band of LA players with a fabulous mix of styles. The set's got Harold Land, Anthony Ortega, Laurindo Almeida, Roy Ayers, Teddy Edwards, and Jimmy Woods – to name but a few – and the performances are fantastic as each individual member surrenders to the larger aims of the group. Not that Wilson's totally blotting out their individual talents, though, as the record's filled with tiny eruptions of sound from individual members as they crash through a groovy set of tracks that includes "La Mentira", "The Serpent", "Man Of La Mancha", and "The Golden Sword". Great stuff, very dramatic, and very jazzy! LP, Vinyl record album

Mid 80s, and while never that bad (nothing Stevie does is ever terrible – well, except for "Don't Drive Drunk"!), the record lacks that certain greatness that you'll find on even the lesser Stevie Wonder albums. Still, there's some decent enough numbers that keep the album fresh – and even at this point, Stevie's vocals are still sublime! Titles include "Stranger On The Shore Of Love", "Spiritual Walkers", "Land Of La La", "Overjoyed", and "Part-Time Lover". CD

It's hard to overstate the influence of Max Roach and Clifford Brown on the west coast scene of the 50s – as the two players helped draw out the bop sound of LA that was quickly getting lost in the cool jazz shuffle of the time, and gave it a strength and focus that not only made the group one of the strongest of the time, but which also sparked new life and a hardbop generation on the LA scene! This classic set of live recordings was one of the first great Brown/Roach moments – recorded during 2 different concerts by Gene Norman Presents, and featuring some great tenor work by LA giants Teddy Edwards and Harold Land, plus some piano by the amazing "sideways" player Carl Perkins, as well as Bud Powell's brother Richie – a key factor of the group's studio recordings on Mercury, and a player who would perish in the same accident that took the life of Clifford Brown. Titles include "Parisian Thoroughfare", "I Can't Get Started", "I Get A Kick Out Of You", and "Jordu". LP, Vinyl record album

The cover on this one's so goofy, it's easy to miss what a great session it is – but the album's a west coast gem from the late 50s, with a really unique sound that makes it a must-have for any fan of the LA scene of the time! Jimmy Rowles leads the group on piano, and the album features 2 different lineups – one with Harold Land on tenor and Larry Bunker on vibes, the other with Pete Candoli on trumpet – both of which are augmented by Barney Kessel on guitar, Red Mitchell on bass, and Mel Lewis on drums. And while Candoli's trumpet is wonderfully sparkling on the set, we really really love the pairing of Land and Bunker – as the vibes and tenor sound is arranged here with a counterpoint that's just great, and which features some especially biting tones from Land! Titles include "The Cobra", "El Tigre", "Cheetas For Two", "Lullaby Of Birdland", "All For You", "East Of The Sun", and "The Blues". CD features 2 bonus alternate takes! LP, Vinyl record album

The greatest album to date from Sugarman 3 – one of the funkiest combos of the past 50 years! The group's organ/sax sound has never sounded so great – and it's pumped up even further here from some added guest instrumentation, including drums from Bernard Purdie, plus vocals on a number of cuts from deep funk legends Lee Fields, Charles Bradley, and Naomi Davis. The whole thing's as funky as funky can be – the kind of a record that would be selling for $300 if it came out in the 70s, and which is even nicer to have at a low everyday price! Titles include "Shot Down", "Modern Jive", "Funky So & So", "Take It As It Come", "Pure Cane", "Promised Land", "Country Girl", "La Culebra", "Down To It", "Honey Wagon", and "Bosco's Blues". LP, Vinyl record album

Mid 80s, and while never that bad (nothing Stevie does is ever terrible – well, except for "Don't Drive Drunk"!), the record lacks that certain greatness that you'll find on even the lesser Stevie Wonder albums. Titles include "Stranger On The Shore Of Love", "Spiritual Walkers", "Land Of La La", "Overjoyed", and "Part-Time Lover". LP, Vinyl record album

A masterpiece of messed-up LA funk – and one of the crowning moments in the career of Charles Wright & The Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band! Charles and crew do an excellent job with all the tracks – most of which are more open ended than some of their earlier ones, and run on for longer than usual with some good trippy instrumental moments that really stretch out the groove from their funky 45 days. The album includes the stoner funk classic "High As Apple Pie", done here in two "slices", plus the classic "Express Yourself", a monster number that still sounds great every time we hear it – even though it's been used on commercials and sampled plenty of times over the years! Other tracks include "I'm Aware", "Love Land", and "I Got Love" LP, Vinyl record album

Brilliant work by the team of Clifford Brown and Max Roach – a seminal hardbop album that was one of the few to bridge the east and west coast scenes! The set was recorded in LA under the joint leadership of Brown and Roach – and features the classic quintet lineup that included Harold Land on tenor, Richie Powell (Bud's brother!) on piano, and George Morrow on bass. The mix of Roach's heavy full-on drumming and Brown's lyrical beauty is beyond compare – and Land's angular and sensitive tenor lines provide a perfect link between the two. Titles include classics like "Parisian Thoroughfare", "The Blues Walk", "Daahoud", "Jordu", and "Joy Spring". CD

A great little album that's every bit as wonderful as you might expect from its cover – one of the key late 50s sides as a leader from bassist Curtis Counce – cut with a killer lineup that includes Harold Land on tenor sax, Rolf Ericson on trumpet, and Elmo Hope on piano! The set's got the mix of modernism and soul bop leanings you might expect from the players – a really fresh approach that comes off especially well in the non-iconic production style of the Dootone label – a mode that really let the players do their own thing, and break out from some of the tighter restrictions of other LA labels on the scene. Frank Butler completes the quintet on drums – and titles include "The Countdown", "Into The Orbit", "Race For Space", "Move", "Angel Eyes", and "So Nice". CD also features 4 bonus tracks – "Foreplay", "Chasin The Bird", "Move (unedited version)", and "Head Gear (Countdown) (unedited version)". CD

Nice mellow LA funk, played by Lee Oskar with help from a lot of his bandmates in the group War. The sound is similar to some of War's Chicano funk grooves – but with some very nicely punctuated rhythms that have the drums snapping out more than on War's albums from the time. Oskar's harmonica playing is processed in a very cool way that almost completely hides its origins, and which gives it a lot of cool sounds and tones that you wouldn't expect. Titles include "The Journey", "BLT", "The Promised Land", and the nice nice "Down The Nile". LP, Vinyl record album

A tight little record – with a strong focus on Al Cohn's solo work! Al's the lead soloist in a number of largish groups that are often tightly arranged, but which let the leader break out nicely – cutting with an edge on his tenor that's sometimes even sharper than usual. Cohn handled most of the arrangements – but a few are by Johnny Carisi, Ralph Burns, or Manny Albam –a nd players include Joe Newman on trumpet, Billy Byaers and Frank Rehak on trombone, Gene Quill on alto, and Jimmy Raney on guitar. Proceedings are tight, but never too uptight – and titles include "Cabin In The Sky", "Lullaby Of Birdland", "This Reminds Me Of You", "Move", "Cohn My Way", "La Ronde", and "Never Never Land". LP, Vinyl record album

A true classic by Jimi with the original Experience lineup – the third of three straight up masterpiece LPs to comeout in just over a year's time by the group! You could call the leftfield astral effects in the mix experimental if you had to – innovations in the studio with echo, that hallucinatory backwards sound effect and other stranger bits – but the passionate, naturally expressive playing and singing by Jimi makes it all fell just right, and the Noel Redding and Mitch Mitchell still don't get enough credit for being at the heart of such greatness. A massive 2LP effort that include s"Voodoo Chile", "Crosstown Traffic", "Electric Ladyland", "Little Miss Strange", "Moon Turn The Tides", "Still Raining Still Dreaming" and "All Along The Watchtower". CD

A true classic by Jimi with the original Experience lineup – the third of three straight up masterpiece LPs to comeout in just over a year's time by the group! You could call the leftfield astral effects in the mix experimental if you had to – innovations in the studio with echo, that hallucinatory backwards sound effect and other stranger bits – but the passionate, naturally expressive playing and singing by Jimi makes it all fell just right, and the Noel Redding and Mitch Mitchell still don't get enough credit for being at the heart of such greatness. A massive 2LP effort that include s"Voodoo Chile", "Crosstown Traffic", "Electric Ladyland", "Little Miss Strange", "Moon Turn The Tides", "Still Raining Still Dreaming" and "All Along The Watchtower". CD

A true classic by Jimi with the original Experience lineup – the third of three straight up masterpiece LPs to come out in just over a year's time by the group! You could call the leftfield astral effects in the mix experimental if you had to – innovations in the studio with echo, that hallucinatory backwards sound effect and other stranger bits – but the passionate, naturally expressive playing and singing by Jimi makes it all fell just right, and the Noel Redding and Mitch Mitchell still don't get enough credit for being at the heart of such greatness. A massive 2LP effort that includes "Voodoo Chile", "Crosstown Traffic", "Electric Ladyland", "Little Miss Strange", "Moon Turn The Tides", "Still Raining Still Dreaming" and "All Along The Watchtower". LP, Vinyl record album

An amazing (and often forgotten!) quartet session that brings together the enigmatic pianist Jaki Byard and the mind-blowing multi-reed player Roland Kirk! Kirk and Byard had played together previously – most notably on some of Kirk's Mercury recordings – and they fit together perfectly in this mad session of off-kilter jazz that takes off beautifully from the very first note! Rhythm is by the crack team of Alan Dawson on drums and Richard Davis on bass – a pair who can open up creatively when needed, but also return the record to a soulful swing when it's getting too far out. The whole thing's great – and titles include "Parisian Thoroughfare", "Evidence", "Memories Of You", and "Hazy Eve". CD

Way more than an "encore" of the legendary Clarke Boland album Golden Eight – and instead a whole different set of recordings, done way back in 1961, but unissued until now! The album's a killer through and through – every bit the same sort of gem you'd get with the early Clarke Boland albums of the pre-MPS years – extremely tight large ensemble jazz, driven with plenty of soul in the rhythm section, and swinging with some incredible solos that further deepen the sound! Right from the start, the pair were totally on the money – and work here with a lineup that's filled with key European soloists, including Dusko Goykovich on trumpet, Derek Humble on alto sax, Karl Drewo on tenor, and Fats Sadi on percussion – not to mention the core crack rhythm trio of Francy Boland on piano, Jimmy Woode on bass, and Kenny Clarke on drums. Titles include the great Boland originals "A Ball For Othello", "La Campimania", "You Dig It", "Pape Satan Aleppe", and "Free Wheel" – plus a great version of "Invitation". LP, Vinyl record album

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

Rare tracks by the Clarke-Boland Sextet – a small group offshoot of the funky Big Band that was led by Kenny Clarke and Francy Boland – and which featured some of the key soloists in the group! The lineup here includes Sahib Shihab on flute, Fats Sadi on vibes and bongos, Joe Harris on percussion, and Jimmy Woode on bass – plus Clarke and Boland on drums and piano, respectively – a wonderful group that has an incredible sense of rhythm, and comes up with loads of wonderful modal numbers throughout! The vibe is wonderful – and the collection's a great look at this unusual combo – filled with fire and soul – and proof that in the jazz world, at least, great things can happen when global boundaries are crossed. Titles include "Con Alma", "Invitation", "Sconsolato", "Lilemor", "Just Give Me Time", "Love Hungry", "Ensadinado", and "Man From Potter's Crossing". CD

One of the hippest albums ever from the team of Kenny Clarke and Francy Boland – a unique small combo session that's even groovier than their famous big band work! The setting is wonderful – Clarke on drums, Boland on piano, and a sextet lineup that includes Sahib Shihab on flute, Fats Sadi on vibes, Jimmy Woode on bass, and Joe Harris on percussion – all players who know each other well, and groove together as one amazing unit on the set! The tunes here are lyrical and lively, modal and moving, and still some of the freshest jazz cut on the European scene of the 60s – music that's having a huge impact these days in the club jazz underground. Shihab's flute work is sublime, especially next to Sadi's vibes – and Harris' added percussion gives a number of the cuts a bit of a Latin kick that's totally great! There's a bit of vocals on the set, and titles include "Ebony Samba", "Tin Tin Deo", "Potter's Crossing", "Wives & Lovers", "Ensadinado", "Lorraine", "Day By Day", "Love Hungry", and "Please Don't Leave". CD

One of the hippest albums ever from the team of Kenny Clarke and Francy Boland – a unique small combo session that's even groovier than their famous big band work! The setting is wonderful – Clarke on drums, Boland on piano, and a sextet lineup that includes Sahib Shihab on flute, Fats Sadi on vibes, Jimmy Woode on bass, and Joe Harris on percussion – all players who know each other well, and groove together as one amazing unit on the set! The tunes here are lyrical and lively, modal and moving, and still some of the freshest jazz cut on the European scene of the 60s – music that's having a huge impact these days in the club jazz underground. Shihab's flute work is sublime, especially next to Sadi's vibes – and Harris' added percussion gives a number of the cuts a bit of a Latin kick that's totally great! There's a bit of vocals on the set, and titles include "Ebony Samba", "Tin Tin Deo", "Potter's Crossing", "Wives & Lovers", "Ensadinado", "Lorraine", "Day By Day", "Love Hungry", and "Please Don't Leave". LP, Vinyl record album

Great live material from the best years of this amazing ensemble that included some of the finest American and European players of the 60s! The band's at its best here – wailing away in a firey live setting, recorded with high quality by Europe 1 Radio in 1969. Players include Tony Coe, Johnny Griffin, Benny Bailey, Art Farmer, Sahib Shihab, and Derek Humble – plus the great rhythm team of Jimmy Woode, Francy Boland, and Kenny Clarke! Most of the tunes are classics of the band – and titles include "All Through The Night", "Now Hear My Meaning", "New Box", "Volcano", "Box 702", "Sax No End", "Sonor", "The Jamfs Are Coming", "Doing Time", and "Evanescence". CD

One of the greatest records ever by this hip jazz ensemble – and one of their most unique! The record has the band grooving hard through two incredible suites of Latin music – Gary McFarland's "Latin Kaleidoscope" and Francy Boland's "Cuban Fever" – each of which takes up a side of the record, both driving the band to new solo heights with a very hip edge! Players include the usual cream of the crop of European jazz residents – like Sahib Shihab, Dusko Goykovich, Jimmy Deuchar, Phil Woods, Tony Coe, and Benny Bailey – and the tracks include "Uno Graso De Areia", "A Rosa Negra", "Olhos Negros", "Cara Bruja", and "Fiebre Cuban". Wonderful all the way through – and always a treasure! One of the shining jewels in the crown of MPS – and a Gilles P classic all the way through! LP, Vinyl record album

A large group in a small club – the legendary Clarke Boland Big Band, playing at the home turf of one of their key members – tenorist Ronnie Scott! The set features a very legendary performance by the ensemble – a crack lineup that's easily one of the best ever sported by the CBBB – perfectly mixing American rhythms, and a trans-Atlantic lineup of soloists – all tied together with just the sort of rich arrangements that make the group so great! Things groove right from the get-go – thanks to a rhythm lineup that features Kenny Clarke on drums, and Francy Boland on piano – plus bassist Ron Matthewson, sitting in for the usual Jimmy Woode. The horn players really send things off, though – tight trumpets from Benny Bailey, Idrees Sulieman, and Dusko Goykovich; bold trombones from Ake Persson and Nat Peck; and some searing reed lines from Johnny Griffin and Ronnie Scott on tenor, Derek Humble on alto, Sahib Shihab on baritone, and Tony Coe on both tenor and clarinet. This album features the full "first set" at Scotts by the group – with titles that include "Volcano", "Griff's Groove", "Now Hear My Meanin", "Box 703 Washington DC", and "Thence We Issued Out Again to See the Stars". LP, Vinyl record album

A large group in a small club – the legendary Clarke Boland Big Band, playing at the home turf of one of their key members – tenorist Ronnie Scott! The set features a very legendary performance by the ensemble – a crack lineup that's easily one of the best ever sported by the CBBB – perfectly mixing American rhythms, and a trans-Atlantic lineup of soloists – all tied together with just the sort of rich arrangements that make the group so great! Things groove right from the get-go – thanks to a rhythm lineup that features Kenny Clarke on drums, and Francy Boland on piano – plus bassist Ron Matthewson, sitting in for the usual Jimmy Woode. The horn players really send things off, though – tight trumpets from Benny Bailey, Idrees Sulieman, and Dusko Goykovich; bold trombones from Ake Persson and Nat Peck; and some searing reed lines from Johnny Griffin and Ronnie Scott on tenor, Derek Humble on alto, Sahib Shihab on baritone, and Tony Coe on both tenor and clarinet. This album features the full "second set" at Scotts by the group – with titles that include "Rue Chaptal", "I Don't Want Nothin From Nobody & I Ain't Giving Nothin Away", "Sax No End", "Minor Blues", and "The Girl & The Turk". LP, Vinyl record album

Easily the hippest of the Clarke-Boland Big Band Records from the classic years – a set of hard grooving tracks that really pushes the envelope of their style! There's a few elements here that are different than usual – such as the presence of electric piano on a few tracks, which creates a very new sound for the group, the presence of some exotic jazz influences (perhaps borrowed from the MPS Jazz Meets The World series), and the use of some edgier compositions on the set, including work by late 60s European free-thinkers, like Eddie Louiss, Albert Mangelsdorff, and John Surman. The reed work is really incredible in this setting – and is handled by Sahib Shihab, Ronnie Scott, Billy Mitchell, and Derek Humble – all of whom seem to blow with inspiration from Surman – using tones that are far more out there than usual. Titles include "Exorcisme", "Sakara", "Our Kind Of Sabi", "Osaka Calling", "Wintersong", and "Astrorama". CD

They got the title right on this one – because with Johnny Griffin, Sahib Shihab, Karl Drewo, and Eddie Lockjaw Davis as main soloists on the record, the sax never ends! The album's easily one of the most hard-burning 60s sessions from the legendary Clarke-Boland Big Band – and has that ensemble really cutting changes incredibly – working with a tremendous amount of power that not only comes from the sax soloists, but also from trumpet work by Benny Bailey, Idrees Sulieman, and Shake Keane – as well as the group's usual hard-slamming rhythm section of Francy Boland on piano, Kenny Clarke on drums, and Jimmy Woode on bass. The tracks are shortish, but get in plenty of great solo space – and are all originals for the session, with titles that include "Peter's Waltz", "Milkshake", "The Turk", "Sax No End", and "New Box". LP, Vinyl record album

PC here refers to Paul Chambers – who's touted in the liner notes as if he was the leader of the set, although it's just a regular Red Garland trio set from the late 50s! Chambers had died the year before, so it made sense that the session was packaged as sort of a tribute to him for this 1970 release – especially because it includes the nice long groover "PC Blues". Art Taylor's on drums for most of the tracks, but Philly Joe Jones sits in on one tune – and Red Garland, of course, is magnificent on piano. Titles include "Ahmad's Blues", "Lost April", "Tweedle Dee Dee", and "Why Was I Born?". CD

One of the rare few vocal jazz sessions cut by the legendary Clarke-Boland Big Band – a highly swinging affair that ranks with the group's best work of the time for MPS! Singer Gitte Haenning was a bit of a pop-styled vocalist at the time – but in the company of the CBBB she really sounds great – coming across with an almost-icy tone that reminds us a bit of the work of Monica Zetterlund, and grooving with a soaring style that swings perfectly alongside the group! As usual, the players in the ensemble are the cream of the crop on both sides of the Atlantic – and include Johnny Griffin, Tony Coe, John Surman, Kenny Clarke, Benny Bailey, and Dusko Goykovich – all master musicians who know how to perfectly come together, yet also break out with a sweet solo when they get the space! The whole thing's got a sound that easily matches the CBBB vocal work with Carmen McRae and Mark Murphy – and titles include "I Love The Life I Live", "November Girl", "My Kinda World", "Sack Full Of Dreams", "Go To Hell", and "Marriage Is For Old Folks". CD

A landmark record – even if nobody thought so at the time! The Buggles were the first group of Trevor Horn – soon to be more famous through his work with Yes, Art Of Noise, and the ZTT label – and the group's lasting legacy will forever be the tinny pop number "Video Killed The Radio Star", contained on this album, and the first video ever played on MTV. The rest of the album's pretty darn great – in a similar mode to the more famous tune, with quirky little pop styles colliding with each other, all handled by Horn and Geoff Downes, in a flutter of keyboards, spare backings, and slight guitars – kind of a last gasp of the British mainstream pop sound of the 70s, trying to exist in a post-punk world. Titles include "Kid Dynamo", "Living In the Plastic Age", "I Love You Miss Robot", "Astroboy", and "Johnny On The Monorail". . LP, Vinyl record album

One of the rarest Johnny Griffin albums ever – a set recorded as a side project when Griff was working with the Clarke Boland Big Band – in a lineup that features some of the best members from that great ensemble! The style's a bit more laidback and soulful than other CBBB projects – more in the mode of Johnny's roots in Chicago during the 50s, but still inflected with some of the sharper touches he picked up during his 60s years in Europe. Other players here are all wonderful – and include Benny Bailey on trumpet, Sahib Shihab on baritone sax, Ake Persson on trombone, Francy Boland on piano, Jimmy Woode on bass, and both Kenny Clarke and Kenny Clare on drums – seemingly playing together on some tracks, which creates a nicely skittish rhythm in the set! Titles include "The Turk's Bolero", "Deep Eight", "A Handful Of Soul", "Foot Patting", and "Lady Heavy Bottom's Waltz". CD

One of the rarest Johnny Griffin albums ever – a set recorded as a side project when Griff was working with the Clarke Boland Big Band – in a lineup that features some of the best members from that great ensemble! The style's a bit more laidback and soulful than other CBBB projects – more in the mode of Johnny's roots in Chicago during the 50s, but still inflected with some of the sharper touches he picked up during his 60s years in Europe. Other players here are all wonderful – and include Benny Bailey on trumpet, Sahib Shihab on baritone sax, Ake Persson on trombone, Francy Boland on piano, Jimmy Woode on bass, and both Kenny Clarke and Kenny Clare on drums – seemingly playing together on some tracks, which creates a nicely skittish rhythm in the set! Titles include "The Turk's Bolero", "Deep Eight", "A Handful Of Soul", "Foot Patting", and "Lady Heavy Bottom's Waltz". LP, Vinyl record album