A classic album in the mode of soul jazz piano grooviness that put Les on the map, even back in the early days! The album was recorded live at The Bit, on the Sunset Strip, in LA – and it features Les' classic group with Leroy Vinnegar on bass and Ron Jefferson on drums. Tracks are short and groovy – and titles include "The Shout", "Set Call", "Jubilation", and "Night In Tunisia". LP, Vinyl record album

Play the hits Les does – but in a very groovy way! He's got a nice little combo on the record that includes Plas Johnson and Seldon Powell on saxes, plus some Latin percussion by Johnny Pacheco and Ron Rich. The great Leroy Vinnegar rounds out the group on bass, providing the rich strong groove that he adds to Les' best recordings of the 60s. Includes an excellent 2-part version of "Sunny", an early version of "Compared To What", and the tracks "Summer Samba", "Sad Little Girl", "Les Skate", and "Pretty Flamingo". A great set of pop soul jazz from LA! LP, Vinyl record album

A really hard-hitting groover from the great 60s trio of Les McCann – a set that adds in some extra guitar from Joe Pass, who definitely sounds his most soulful on the set! Joe grooves perfectly with Les' piano – and has almost a Kenny Burrell-like depth in tone throughout – one that we're not as likely to hear on other Pass sessions of this vintage, possibly because of the excellent rhythms from Paul Chambers on bass and Paul Humphrey on drums! Tunes are definitely the soul hits promised in the title – mostly numbers that were brimming up big in the soul jazz generation of the time, but given a particular Les McCann twist. Titles include "Sister Sadie", "Bag's Groove", "Back At The Chicken Shack", "Work Song", "Sonnymoon For Two", "Groove Yard", and "Sack O Woe". LP, Vinyl record album

A real cooker – and a stone soulful set that works some real magic at so many levels! First off, the record brings together two of the hottest talents on the west coast scene of the 60s – pianist Les McCann, and the firey young Jazz Crusaders – who are really burning here with a tightness and sense of energy that's amazing. But more than that, the record also features Les hitting some keys alongside his usual piano – both electric piano and Hammond, which come off here with a great sound – especially alongside Joe Sample's additional work on acoustic piano and organ. Horn solos are great – with tight work from Wilton Felder on tenor and Wayne Henderson on trombone – and titles include "Big City", "Spanish Castles", "Damascus", "Blues For Yna Yna", "This Here", and "All Blue". CD

Lively trio material from Les – playing here with his group that featured Paul Humphrey on drums and Victor Gaskin on bass. The set was recorded "live in the studio", with a party atmosphere that replicates the feeling of some of Les' hit live albums from the time. The set's nothing totally special – but Les is in top acoustic form here, going to town on the keys of the piano, chopping it up with the dexterity that made him a star from the get-go. The real treat, though, is the cover – as the album comes with a cool black and white booklet with candid photos from Les' day-to-day life, and some odd little writings! Titles include "Little Freak", "We're On The Move Now", "A Little 3/4", and "Jack V Schwartz". LP, Vinyl record album

Les McCann captured live on piano and vocals. Tracks include "The Girl From Ipanema", "Beau J Poo Boo", "Gus Gus", and a nice version of Marv Jenkins' "Big City". LP, Vinyl record album

One of Lou's most jazz-oriented albums – featuring backing by Les McCann's famous trio with Leroy Vinnegar and Ron Jefferson, perfectly suited to Lou's soulful renditions of the tunes on the album. Most of the numbers are bluesy ones, but as usual, Lou manages to give them his own hip twist – always a pleasure for us! Titles include "In The Evening", "Sweet Lover", "Willow Weep For Me", "Stormy Monday", and "'Tain't Nobody's Biz-ness If I Do". LP, Vinyl record album

Jukebox EP of one of Lou's most jazz-oriented albums – featuring backing by Les McCann's famous trio with Leroy Vinnegar and Ron Jefferson, perfectly suited to Lou's soulful renditions of the tunes on the album. Most of the numbers are bluesy ones, but as usual, Lou manages to give them his own hip twist – always a pleasure for us! Titles include "I'm Gonna Move To The Outskirts Of Town", "God Bless The Child", "In The Evening (When The Sun Goes Down)", "See See Rider", "Willow Weep For Me", and "Lost And Looking". 7-inch, Vinyl record

One of Lou's most jazz-oriented albums – featuring backing by Les McCann's famous trio with Leroy Vinnegar and Ron Jefferson, perfectly suited to Lou's soulful renditions of the tunes on the album. Most of the numbers are bluesy ones, but as usual, Lou manages to give them his own hip twist – always a pleasure for us! Titles include "In The Evening", "Sweet Lover", "Willow Weep For Me", "Stormy Monday", and "'Tain't Nobody's Biz-ness If I Do". CD features 3 bonus cuts – "A Little Les Of Lou's Blues", "Blues Is A Woman", and an alternate take of "Stormy Monday". CD

One of the best of Les McCann's 70s Atlantic recordings, and one that captures him with a lot of fire and funkiness – and none of the looser modes of other recordings from the time! Les sings on about half the cuts – but the focus is still quite strongly on his funky jazz, which makes even the vocal numbers work well here – giving them a punch that puts the lyrics in very nice formation. Includes a nice long version of "What's Going On", with backing vocals by The Persuasions; a funky instrumental called "Shamading" that has some excellent clavinet work; and a few other vocal tracks with backup vocals by Eugene McDaniels, like "Let It Lay", "Talk To The People", and Stevie Wonder's "Seems So Long". Also features the funky instrumental "North Carolina" – one of Les' best funky tracks from the 70s, with a really messed up keyboard sound! LP, Vinyl record album

A killer live set by Les McCann – a rare 60s outing that moves past his more familiar trio format, and adds some horn players to the mix! The change is wonderful – as the set features work from Blue Mitchell on trumpet, and both Stanley Turrentine and Frank Haines on tenor – players who work with Les on longer tracks that really pick up an even stronger 60s soul jazz vibe than before – while McCann handles piano with his core group that includes Herbie Lewis on bass and Ron Jefferson on drums. The set feels much more like a Blue Note title than some of Les McCann's other Pacific Jazz material of the early 60s – and Ttitles include "Cha Cha Twist", "Chip Monck", and "Maxie's Changes". CD

A massive batch of funky soul jazz – the Second Movement (to the first album Swiss Movement) of the collaboration of Eddie Harris and Les McCann! The vibe here is even freer, and hipper, than on the first set – with a host of long tracks that have Les really working the Fender Rhodes into some great grooves, as Eddie blows along some mean, mad Varitone with equal charm! Players include Bernard Purdie, Buck Clarke, and Cornell Dupree – and titles include "Saima", "Carry On Brother", "Universal Prisoner", and the brilliant sample cut "Shorty Rides Again"! LP, Vinyl record album

Features guest saxophone from Eddie Harris and guest vocals from Lou Rawls! CD

Includes work with Richard Groove Holmes, Gerald Wilson, Stanley Turrentine, Lou Rawls, and Eddie Harris. 21 tracks total. CD

Super-righteous work from William S Fischer – the ultra-hip arranger who was one of the most important forces in the late 60s underground soul jazz scene! Fischer is best known for his work with Eugene McDaniels, Eddie Harris, and Les McCann – almost akin to the sorts of collaborative influence that David Axelrod had with Cannonball Adderley or Lou Rawls, but with a style that was decidedly darker, and trippier. This album's one of the few ever recorded under his own name – originally done for the tripped-out jazz imprint Embryo, and featuring a unique blend of moog, strings, funk, and soul! Billy Cobham plays drums and percussion on the set, Bill Robinson sings on a few numbers, and Walter Sear adds in some extra moog next to Fischer's own work – but the real brilliance comes from the overall concept – funky one minute, laidback and trippy the next, very much in the spirit of some of the righteous crossover funk, soul, and rock recordings coming from McDaniels and Axelrod at the time! Titles include "Patience Is Virtue", "Saigon", "Green Forever", "Chains", "Electrix", "Capsule", and "There's A Light That Shines". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the rawest recordings made by Fred Neil – and a record we really love – featuring one side of live tracks, and another of unusual studio material! The first half of the album has Fred playing in a spare setting up in Woodstock – working in a small club, and doing great versions of tracks that include "The Dolphins", "Other Side Of This Life", "Roll On Rosie", "Everybody's Talkin", and "Sweet Cocaine". The sound is nice and rootsy, with some 12 string guitar work that's totally great. The other half features an assortment of studio tracks that have Fred working with some diverse guests that include Les McCann, Vince Martin, and Gram Parsons – on titles that include "Felicity", "Badi Da", "Come Back Baby", and "Ya Don't Miss Your Water". CD

One of the mellowest and most laidback records ever from pianist Don Shirley – and that's saying a lot, given the quietude of his other records! The lineup here is an unusual one – with Shirley on both piano and organ, accompanied by two cellos and one bass – all flowing in drumless splendor on longish tracks that partly pitch Don as a Les McCann-styled 70s sophisticate, but which also are much more strongly introspective, and almost have the seriousness of John Lewis. Titles include "Alfie", "The Shadow Of Your Smile", "Gershwin Medley", "By The Time I Get To Phoenix", and "The Warning". LP, Vinyl record album

Music from David "Fathead" Newman, Les McCann & Eddie Harris, Hank Crawford, the Modern Jazz Quartet, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Herbie Mann, Ornette Coleman, Mose Allison, John Coltrane, Ray Charles, Yusef Lateef, and Charles Mingus. CD

A great mix of funky jazz, jazzy funk, and funky soul – all pulled from the Atlantic catalog of the 60s, and including some very tasty numbers that were only ever issued as funky 45s! The set's one of the nicest in the great Mod Jazz series on Ace, and it's the only one to feature Atlantic material, which rarely ever gets the same funky treatment as other labels from the 60s. Titles include "The Sidewinder" by Tamiko Jones & Herbie Mann, "Do It To Death" by Jackie Ivory, "Jet Set" by Dave Pike, "Fever" by Esther Phillips, "Jam Up Twist" by Tommy Ridgely, "Sticks & Stones (part 1)" by Gene Ludwig, "Bloodshot" by Hubert Laws, "Sombrero Sam" by Charles Lloyd, "The Foolkiller" by Mose Allison, "One Note Samba" by MJQ & Laurindo Almeida, "It's A Funky Thing – Right On (part 1)" by Herbie Mann, "Watermelon Man Ska" by Byron Lee & The Dragonaires, "Trese Lobos" by Mark III Trio, "You're The Boss" by LaVern Baker & Jimmy Ricks, "Burnin Coal" by Les McCann, and "Twist City" by Matthew Gee & Johnny Griffin. 26 cuts in all – and like finding a jukebox that's lain dormant in a jazz lounge for 30 years! CD

Cool keyboards from Ari Borger – a Brazilian jazz player, but one who's steeped in American soul jazz sounds of the 60s! The album's a bit more jazz than keyboard funk, but it's still pretty funky too – especially on some of the numbers that pick up the groove with some distinct mod soul influences. Some cuts are heavy on Hammond, others feature Fender Rhodes, and a few more straight acoustic piano – but always played with a heavy left hand, in a sort of Ray Bryant or Les McCann sort of way! Other instrumentation includes lots of guitar, bass, and percussion – and titles include "Nem Vem Miles", "Tributo A Oscar Peterson", "B3 Solo", "Senor Blues", "Trip Song", "Blind Man", and "Soul GI". CD

A great mix of funky jazz, jazzy funk, and funky soul – all pulled from the Atlantic catalog of the 60s, and including some very tasty numbers that were only ever issued as funky 45s! The set's one of the nicest in the great Mod Jazz series on Ace, and it's the only one to feature Atlantic material, which rarely ever gets the same funky treatment as other labels from the 60s. Titles include "The Sidewinder" by Tamiko Jones & Herbie Mann, "Do It To Death" by Jackie Ivory, "Jet Set" by Dave Pike, "Fever" by Esther Phillips, "Jam Up Twist" by Tommy Ridgely, "Sticks & Stones (part 1)" by Gene Ludwig, "Bloodshot" by Hubert Laws, "Sombrero Sam" by Charles Lloyd, "The Foolkiller" by Mose Allison, "One Note Samba" by MJQ & Laurindo Almeida, "It's A Funky Thing – Right On (part 1)" by Herbie Mann, "Watermelon Man Ska" by Byron Lee & The Dragonaires, "Trese Lobos" by Mark III Trio, "You're The Boss" by LaVern Baker & Jimmy Ricks, "Burnin Coal" by Les McCann, and "Twist City" by Matthew Gee & Johnny Griffin. 26 cuts in all – and like finding a jukebox that's lain dormant in a jazz lounge for 30 years! CD

The second and last album from the Boogiemonsters – and like the first, a real gem from the 90s scene – although a set with a different vibe than the first! The group are just a duo here – Vex Da Vortex and Mondo McCann – but that maybe makes the sound even more focused than before, and certainly helps with the message – a positive blend of knowledge and inspiration – maybe almost with some of the voice promised in the title! There's maybe some of the spirit of the five percenter generation, but with a slightly more mainstream sense of spirituality – all set to some wonderfully laidback beats that are almost in an EMPD sort of legacy. Bahamadia guests on "Say Word" – and other cuts include "Beginning Of The End", "God Sound", "And Then What", "Mark Of The Beast II", "Hot Water In The Wilderness", "MC", "Bodya", "Behold A Pale Horse", "Photographic Memory", "Lunchroom Table", "Whoever You Ar Wherever You Ar", "Whistles In The Wind", and "Warning". LP, Vinyl record album