This may well be the record that gets everyone to sit up and take notice of the genius of saxophonist Isaiah Collier – as the set's got a far-reaching quality that's right up there with some of the most righteous jazz albums of the 70s, not to mention some of the bigger names of today's ... LP, Vinyl record album(Jazz LP)
A real landmark of bad-walking soul – one of two rare albums cut by vocalist Esther Marrow, easily one of the hardest singing sisters of her generation! Esther's got roots in gospel, but she's singing here in a righteous mode that features plenty of funky undercurrents in the backings – ... CD(Soul CD)
Warm jazz vocals, and some great instrumentation too – thanks to work from the sublime 70s bassist Isao Suzuki! Singer Noriko Miyamoto's on the cover, but the album's got the same great glow as Isao's other albums of the decade – a really refreshing approach to jazz arrangements, with ... CD(Vocalists CD)
This issue's titled after a classic album from the great Horace Tapscott, and features a wonderful article on the man himself inside – plus great feature on Isaiah Collier, our hometown hero on saxophone – destined to become one of the greatest players in jazz over the next few years! ... Magazine(Magazine)
A wonderfully wide-ranging collection of work brought together in support of a long-running music festival in France – done here as a double-length set that offers up a "Past" disc of material recorded at the festival in previous years – and a "Future" disc that ... CD(Funky Compilations CD)
The great Elton Dean is a musician with a huge legacy in British jazz and rock – including, famously, some time in Soft Machine, where he really helped transform their sound – and long work as an underground hero of the 70s scene, as a key player whose edge never dulled at all! That's ... CD(Jazz CD)
A massive amount of early ska, from one of the first big labels of the genre – presented here with a huge double-length set list, and over 20 tracks that appear on CD for the first time ever! If you've never heard work from the Treasure Isle label before, you're in for a treat – and ... CD(Reggae CD)
Totally groovy work from the legendary Piero Piccioni – a score for an obscure "mondo" documentary about the sad state of culture in late 60s England! The score is probably best known for its very funky "Black Flower" theme – but it's filled with loads of other ... CD(Soundtracks CD)
Two incredible soundtracks from this overlooked Italian maestro – a real master of sexy grooves in the 70s! First up is L'Amica Di Mia Madre (aka My Mother's Friend) – one of the greatest moments ever from Italian soundtrack composer Alberto Baldan Bembo – an artist with a great ... CD(Soundtracks CD)
An incredibly righteous record from the legendary Andy Bey – an artist who's risen back to fame in recent years as a relatively straight jazz singer – but who was in some very heady territory here in the early 70s! Bey first rose to fame as part of the vocal trio, Andy & The Bey ... LP, Vinyl record album(Soul LP)
The first-ever group-spanning collection of work from the family of Slave – the late 70s funk powerhouse that was also linked to the group's Aurra and Steve Arrington's Hall Of Fame! The package is heavy on work from Slave – that bass-heavy group who really revolutionized the sound of ... CD(Soul CD)
A really lovely little record – one that feels like an instant classic in the world of MPB – the sort of long-overdue new release by a Brazilian artist that we hope we'll be hearing plenty from in years to come! As with the elite list of our Brazilian favorites of the past 20 years, ... CD(Brazil CD)
The night time's always the right time – at least when we've got music this great to see us into the small hours of the evening! The set's overflowing in warm 80s groove – some upbeat, some a bit more midtempo – all balanced on beats, basslines, and keyboards – but with a ... CD(Funky Compilations CD)
Rare and beautiful sounds from Orchestra Massako – a group originally formed by the military in 70s Gabon, but one who've got a sound that's powerful enough to make a whole battlefield lay down their arms and sue for peace! The group's led by Mack-Joss – a wonderful singer, but also a ... LP, Vinyl record album(Global Grooves LP)
The title's a great one for a number of reasons – first because there's some nicely muted trumpet on the session, played both by Magnus Broo and Goran Kajfes, both players we really love – and secondly, because the energy of the session is nicely muted too – like a fire that's ... CD(Jazz CD)
Really early work from the legendary Derrick Morgan, and a set that was one of the earliest full length sets in the Island Records catalog – the start of a legendary run of Jamaican music, with proof that Morgan was one of the originators who was there at the start! As you might guess from ... CD(Reggae CD)
A fantastic entry in this excellent series – in part because more than half of the music here appears for the first time ever! Yet despite the unreleased status of the tracks, they definitely live up to the "masterpieces" promised by the title – great grooves from a time when ... CD(Soul CD)
Mid 70s magic from the Mighty Two – the team of Joe Gibbs and Errol Thompson, who together here craft a set of tracks that are very much at the top of the roots reggae generation! The work is a nice shift from the more polished styles at the bigger labels – lean energy that comes from ... CD(Reggae CD)
A great combination of erotic sounds and more exotic elements – served up here for an obscure 70s film that starred Laura Gemser of Black Emanuelle fame! Alberto Baldan Bembo had already given the world some wonderfully slinky soundtrack work before this film score – and here, he works ... CD(Soundtracks CD)
A legendary album from the Brit psych scene at the end of the 60s – and one of the few records from that time that's still completely mindblowing all these many years later! Twink is John Alden, who'd had already had years of work behind him before putting together this set – including ... CD(Rock CD)