One of Donald Byrd's first albums on Blue Note – tight, soulful, and a firm statement of hardbop truth – a record that showed that Byrd was firmly on the map! The ensemble features Jackie McLean on alto, and the rhythm section includes Duke Pearson, Doug Watkins, and Lex Humphries – all of whom bring in a sense of lyrical interplay that really shows off a newer side of Byrd's trumpet that didn't emerge in earlier 50s recordings – one that opens up in the individuality of the Blue Note mode, and shakes off some of the more academic trappings of his early work with Gigi Gryce. All tunes are proud originals by Byrd himself – written with a real sense of color, tone, and timing – and titles include "Bup A Loup", "Funky Mama", "Lament", and "Amen". CD

Diz breaks past his bop playing, takes a bit of a turn towards swing-based material, and also hits this nice rolling groove that gives a bit of a peek at the way he'd sound in the 60's, when he had Lalo Schifrin on piano, and more of a Latin sound. He's backed here by Junior Mance on piano, Les Spann on flute and guitar, Sam Jones on bass, and Lex Humphries on drums. Given the soul jazz leanings of the group, the set's a lot hipper than you'd expect from Verve at the time, and is certainly worthy of the use of the word "excite" in the title. The tracks are all standards, but the group grooves openly, and makes a heck of a lot out of the material. Titles include "My Man", "St. Louis Blues", and "Woody'n You". CD also features 4 unissued bonus tracks – alternate takes of tunes on the LP! CD

Diz breaks past his bop playing, takes a bit of a turn towards swing-based material, and also hits this nice rolling groove that gives a bit of a peek at the way he'd sound in the 60's, when he had Lalo Schifrin on piano, and more of a Latin sound. He's backed here by Junior Mance on piano, Les Spann on flute and guitar, Sam Jones on bass, and Lex Humphries on drums. Given the soul jazz leanings of the group, the set's a lot hipper than you'd expect from Verve at the time, and is certainly worthy of the use of the word "excite" in the title. The tracks are all standards, but the group grooves openly, and makes a heck of a lot out of the material. Titles include "My Man", "St. Louis Blues", and "Woody'n You". LP, Vinyl record album

An excellent set of hardbop tracks – originally recorded under the leadership of trombonist Willie Wilson – but also issued under the names of Duke Pearson and Freddie Hubbard over the years! The set was cut in 1961 for the Jazztime label – and really crackles with electricity, and has a straight hardbop sound and a smoking New York groove – every bit as great as the best Blue Note work of the time, but with a raw edge that drives it even further. The group is top-notch, too – and features Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, Pepper Adams on baritone sax, Duke Pearson on piano, Thomas Howard on bass, and Lex Humphries on drums – plus the obscure Willie Wilson on trombone, a great player who was a friend of Pearson, and whose only recorded work is on this album. Tracks have a lively well-crafted sound, and titles include "Lex", "Blues For Alvina", "Apothegm", and "Minor Mishap". CD features 5 bonus alternate takes too! Note that this material was also issued by Prestige – under the title Dedication, with Pearson's name as the leader. CD

So much guitar – but never too much, given that Wes was the real master of sound and space, even at this early point in his career! The album's one that tries to break Montgomery from some of his smaller combo albums for Riverside, and pair him with a few bigger names – Hank Jones on piano, Ron Carter on bass, Lex Humphries on drums, and Ray Barretto on congas – who gives the album that bottom "kick" sort of groove that was used often on soul jazz sessions from the time. The tune's lope around leanly and cleanly, giving plenty of focus on Wes' work on guitar – and titles include "Twisted Blues", "Repetition", "Somethin' Like Bags", and "While We're Young", which is a solo track by Wes. CD

Inception is a very early date as a leader by McCoy Tyner – cut at a time when he was making big waves in the John Coltrane Quartet, but also sounding plenty darn great on his own! The group here's a trio – with Coltrane associates Art Davis on bass and Elvin Jones on drums – and the warm familiarity of the players is clear from the very first notes of the set. There's a lighter, more lyrical – and possibly more sentimental – style going on here – one that echoes piano work of earlier generations, but which also shows plenty of signs of the growing modalism in Tyner's lines – especially on the striking original tracks "Sunset", "Effendi", "Inception", and "Blues For Gwen". Ballads and blues says it all – as McCoy works his way through a nicely restrained trio set of material that features bass by Steve Davis and drums by Lex Humphries! The tracks are perhaps not as spiritual and far-reaching as Tyner's later work – but they're handled with that richly expressive style that presses a lot of feeling out of the material nonetheless – and which makes for a record that's quite different from the usual piano trio session of the time! Titles include "Round Midnight", "For Heaven's Sake", "Star Eyes", "Blue Monk", and "Groove Waltz". CD

The title says it all – as McCoy works his way through a nicely restrained trio set of material that features bass by Steve Davis and drums by Lex Humphries! The tracks are perhaps not as spiritual and far-reaching as Tyner's later work – but they're handled with that richly expressive style that presses a lot of feeling out of the material nonetheless – and which makes for a record that's quite different from the usual piano trio session of the time! Titles include "Round Midnight", "For Heaven's Sake", "Star Eyes", "Blue Monk", and "Groove Waltz". CD

Lester Young on tenor saxophone – working here with a small group of European players including Lasse Werner and Rene Urtreger on piano, Pierre Michelot on bass, and Lex Humphries on drums. CD

Features Lester Young on tenor sax, Horst Ornimert on piano, Al King on bass, and Lex Humphries on drums. LP, Vinyl record album

Very nice record by this crack British fusion unit. The band is filled with great British players like Kenny Wheeler, Harry Beckett, Chris Spedding, and Carr himself – and the groove is a mix of funky fusion, and more progressive playing. Don't be put off by the "prog", though, because the band keeps a very nice even keel on this record, and even manages to hit a very soulful vibe. The solos are thoughtful and economic, and not overindulgent, as you might expect. Nearly every track is great, and titles include "Torso", "Snakehips Dream", "Changing Times", and "Spirit Level". LP, Vinyl record album

A very hip step for this tight Chicago group – as they take their already-righteous sound, and open the door for singer Dee Alexander, who really adds a lot to the record! We mostly know Dee as a jazz singer, but here, she also brings in a bit of soul too, as do the group – and create a record that's in territory that's maybe a bit more jazz-based than the music of Sharon Jones, but still also pretty funky too! Dee's great in the lead, and the set's full of original tunes that really carry a message – as you might guess from the album's title, and the group's previous record – mostly written by John Fournier, the tenorist in the group – with titles that include "The Man Is Coming Back", "Nothing Good Ever Goes Away", "On The Way To Be Free", "Mama Are We There Yet", "Carry Me", and "Crazy Wrong". CD

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Alex Cline on percussion, kantele, autoharp, and synths – with Vinny Golia on soprano sax, Wayne Peet on keys, Nels Cline on guitar, Peter Erskine on drums, Aina Kemanis and Kaoru on vocals, and others. CD

Two rare albums and lots of bonus tracks from Complex – an obscure British group from the start of the 70s, and one who have a raw, psychedelic sound that feels a lot more like music from the decade before! The set begins with the self-released Complex album – a record that the band put together themselves, and issued as a way to get attention from bigger labels – and while that never really happened at the time, the quality of the material has really helped them go on to become the stuff of legend! The sound is quite raw – guitars, organ, bass, and drums – often with production that's in kind of a mid 60s garage style, which makes even the sweeter, more thoughtful moments come across with an edge – as you'll hear on tunes that include "Witch's Spell", "Message From The Year 2000", "Live For The Minute", "Storm On The Way", "Mademoiselle Jackie", and "Norwegian Butterfly". Next is the group's second album, The Way We Feel – issued in a very small pressing, as more of a boutique project than anything else – but with a raw quality and trippy sound that really rivals the group's debut! The organ is a bit more up front in the mix here, and balanced with some electric piano too – both of which underscore a deepening songwriting talent in the group, who deliver material that would have gone on to become classic, had it gotten the handling of a proper record label! As before, there's an edge and grit to the record that feels more late 60s than early 70s – and titles include "We Don't Exist", "Lemon Pie Fair", "Moving Moore", "Jeanette", "Every Time I Hear That Song", and "If You Are My Love". Both albums are presented here with very rare bonus tracks – and CD3 features even more obscure material – unissued tracks, a 10" acetate, and even their 1975 single for Pye Records. Great notes – and a long-overdue complete look at the group! CD

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

Singer Dee Daniels has some great backing here – the trio of pianist Monty Alexander, who really bring a strongly soulful swing to the set! Dee's one of those 80s vocalists who can draw on older jazz traditions and borrow some of the inflections from soul music of the 60s and 70s – then spin things out with a lean, mean quality that's a great change from some of the too-familiar torch and jazz standard styles on the scene! The approach is maybe in the territory of Ernestine Alexander during her great run of albums on Concord – and as with those, there was less mainstream play with the music of Daniels – which is what makes it such a great discovery. Monty's on piano with John Clayton on bass and Jeff Hamilton on drums – and titles include "He Loves Me", "This Must Be Love", "Dr Feelgood", "Come Try My Love", "Adonnadee", and "I Got This Bridge I Want You To Buy". CD

The sublime first album from K Frimpong – a really unique blend of hi-life and Afro Funk, but served up with all these unusual touches that make the album stand out from even most of the rest of the revolutionary sounds that were coming from Ghana at the time! There's this sense of flow that has each side of the record moving with non-stop energy – and an approach to rhythm that's almost as if the whole thing was moving forward like water – a tide of bass, percussion, riffing guitar, and organ – bubbling, dipping, and chugging in a way that seems completely effortless – while Frimpong urges the group on with his well-inflected vocals and lead guitar! Titles include "Nana Bue Me", "Mofofoo", "Komofo Adu", "Otwie", "Osaw", "M"Anoma", "Moma Yen Sore", and "Susuansu". LP, Vinyl record album

1931 interview with two Hollywood actresses. 7-inch, Vinyl record

Alexander Hawkins on piano, Otto Fischer on electric guitar, Hannah Marshall on cello, Dominic Lash on double bass, Javier Carmona on drums and percussion, and Orphy Robinson on steel drums. CD

Fabio Gianni on piano, Marco Mistrangelo on bass, Alex Battini De Barreiro on drums and percussion, and Alex Acuna on percussion. CD

... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

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Beautiful grooves from Alex Malheiros – best known for his bass work in Azymuth, but stepping out here in a warm and wonderful set of his own! The groove here really takes us back to the sunny, soulful fusion we first loved when Azymuth hit the scene in the 70s – and Malheiros' guidance of the groove is really felt strongly in the album's warm-rolling basslines – a beautiful complement to a lineup that also includes Fender Rhodes, tenor, soprano sax, flute, trumpet, and trombone – plus a bit of occasional vocals from Sabrina Malheiros! Production is wonderful – handled by Daniel Maunick with some of the warmth of his Incognito work – and IG Culture comes in at the end to remix four of the album's tracks – almost creating a mini-modern suite to complement to the core 70s vibe of the record. Titles include "The Wave", "Corpo", "Copa A Noite", "Solar", "Sem Pressa", "Baixo Partido", "Serenity", "Uno Esta", and "4 Eyed Viper" – plus remixes of "The Wave" and "Uno Esta", the latter of which is a version of the Bobbi Humphrey classic! CD

With 9 Double M. 12-inch, Vinyl record

Also includes Alex North's suite from the CD

Nicely moody music from Alex North – served up here with direction from Ray Heindorf! CD

Includes themes from Desiree, The Racers, Les Miserables, Viva Zapata, I'll Cry Tomorrow, The Bachelor Party, Unchained, Stage Struck, The 13th Letter, The Bad Seed, The Rose Tattoo, and A Streetcar Named Desire. LP, Vinyl record album

Seminal sounds from trumpeter Ian Carr and his Nucleus group of the early 70s – maybe one of the few jazz rock groups that was ever able to work with a fair bit of jazz in their sound! Unlike his contemporaries, who often started in rock first, then added some horns – Carr was already coming off an important 60s legacy, co-leading a group with tenorist Don Rendell – so the vibe here is like an extension of that very rhythmic, very tonal modern work – but with the addition of electrified instrumentation – thanks to the guitar work of Chris Spedding and keyboards of Karl Jenkins – who plays some fantastic electric lines throughout! The vibe is maybe a bit in the territory of early 70s electric work by Miles Davis and Donald Byrd (pre-Mizell for the latter) – but there's maybe a farther-reaching concept at play on many of the records, at a level that always helped the group cross over to the prog crowd, and move beyond just a straight jazz audience. Other key players include Brian Smith on tenor and soprano saxes – a really fantastic part of the lineup – plus Jeff Clyne on bass and John Marshall on drums – and as the albums move along a bit, the lineup shifts slightly, and also opens up to guests who include Kenny Wheeler and Harry Beckett on trumpets, Tony Levin on drums, and Norma Winstone on voice. And although some of the albums have been reissued before, this is the first set to really dive in completely – and bring together material from the Vertigo Records releases that include Elastic Rock, We'll Talk About It Later, Solar Plexus, Belladonna, Labyrinth, Roots, Under The Sun, Snakehips Etcetera, and Alley Cat. CD

The start of a legendary run for vocalist Alexander O'Neal – and a set that really helped redefine the sound of male soul in the 80s! O'Neal got his start in an early version of The Time, and he's working here with Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis – but the sound of the record is way deeper than all of those references put together – a careful, classy set that definitely lives up to the vintage look of Alexander on the cover! Jam and Lewis play tightly in the group, handling most of the key instrumentation – often with a restrained style that's quite different than their pumping hits, which lets O'Neal's great vocals flow out with an undeniably soulful power. Rhythms often hit the best sort of groove for Alexander's style – which sounds best in a mellow or midtempo mode – and the set's filled with classics, including "A Broken Heart Can Mend", "If You Were Here Tonight", "Innocent", "What's Missing", "You Were Meant To Be My Lady", and "Look At Us Now". CD features four bonus tracks – "Are You The One", and mixes of "You Were Meant To Be My Lady", "What's Missing", and "If You Were Here Tonight". CD

One of the crowning achievements of Alexander O'Neal – a set that uses cool little intro tracks to help structure the standout songs on the set – giving the whole thing a much more well-conceived approach than other mainstream soul albums of the time! Some of the cuts draw from O'Neal's own life and experience, and that feel is definitely augmented by the spontaneous, conversational feel of the intros and links – a really nice contrast to the wonderfully tight R&B production from the superteam of Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis! Of course, lots of these tracks also struck big as singles for Alexander – proof that the cuts are more than strong enough to stand on their own – yet taken over the course of the whole album, with all the extra bits, the whole thing really sounds great. Titles include "Hearsay", "The Lovers", "Fake", "Criticize", "Never Knew Love Like This", "To Make You Love Me", "Crying Overtime", and "Sunshine". Bonus tracks include "Fake 88", and mixes of "Criticize", "To Make You Love Me", and "Never Knew Love Like This". CD

Features Eric Alexander on tenor, Jim Rotondi on trumpet, Steve Davis on trombone, David Hazeltine on piano, Ray Drummond on bass, and Joe Farnsworth on drums! CD

Proof that it's never too late to make a comeback in Brazil – because although we loved Orlandivo's records from the 60s and 70s, we never thought we'd hear from him again in the 21st Century! This recent set follows strongly in his best mode from older records – a style that uses samba rhythms heavily, and with a strongly rhythmic focus that's perfect for the dancefloor. Orlandivo keeps things nice and simple here – avoiding any temptation to spice things up with modern electronics, but also avoiding any of the cliches that sometimes show up on Brazilian record that are trying too hard to sound traditional. As before, the groove's got a great blend of samba and soul – and although Orlandivo's vocals have aged a bit, they've got a crackling warmth that we really like a lot. Titles include "Eh Meu Samba", "Palladium", "Sambaflex", "Paralelo", "Chavinha/Bolinha De Sabao", "Tudo Joia", and "Vo Bate Pa Tu". CD

One of those obscure funk records that was even pretty darn obscure back in the day – at a time when so many other funk records weren't so obscure! But obscurity aside, the record also quickly grew into the stuff of legend – thanks to a groove that's totally great, and which has all this chugging guitar over popping basslines that really set up the groove – topped with vocals from Ray Alexander that easily move between sweet and raw, and which give the whole thing an earnest, honest sound that's quite different than the bigger mainstream soul of 1973! The whole thing's great – and features two versions, one instrumental one vocal, of the great "Let's Talk" – plus loads more great cuts that include "Taking The Long Way Home", "I'm In Love With You", "My World", "My Special One", and "Wiser & Deeper". CD features a number of bonus tracks – all rare mixes and takes of tunes from the album! CD

Reflexionen may not be one of the best-known combos in jazz, but during the 80s they gave the world some really wonderful records – full of fresh, inventive energy from the top-shelf players who made up the quartet! Reedman Urs Leimgruber is always a draw, but here he seems to have even more focus and strength of sound than before – blowing soprano, tenor, and bass saxophone – in a lineup with superb piano work from Don Friedman, who really tips the mood of each track in a different way, followed by equally sensitive accompaniment from Palle Danielsson on bass and Joel Allouche on drums. Titles include the two part "Mountain Song", plus "Waves", "Memory Of Scotty", and "Dance". CD

A great collection of under-discovered artists from the Oakland scene – all working with arrangements and musical direction by Jimmy McCracklin! LP, Vinyl record album

Alexander Robotnick may not have been the biggest name on the dancefloors of the 80s – but his early electronic grooves from the Italian scene ended up having a huge impact on Chicago house and early Detroit techno – a link that you'll definitely hear when you drop the needle on this set! The "fuzz" is only part of the sound here – as Alexander has a way of stripping things down to a level that's nice and lean, especially in comparison to the excesses of the disco years – almost a sci-fi approach to club, but a lot groovier than you'd guess from the stiff robotic reference. The set brings together some of Alexander's key cuts, including later remixes – and titles include "Problemes D'Amour (USA version)", "Dance Boy Dance (fuzz version)", "C'Est La Vie (short edit)", "Computer Sourire (radio)", "Problemes D'Amour (underground 2000 edit)", "C'Est La Vie (Lorenzo Boscussi rework 2019)", "Jump (2000 for Drop series)", "Computer Sourire (Skizzo version)", and "C'Est La Vie (another mix)". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

The music of trumpeter Alex Sipiagin just keeps getting more and more complex with every record – to a point where it always a bit hard to assign any sort of easy label to his style, and figure out what he's going to give us next! This really fresh album is full of surprises – not just in the choice of material, but in the way that Alex and the group interpret it – moving through original tunes by group members and some well-chosen modern jazz numbers – balanced in a really five-pointed way between the trumpet, tenor of Chris Potter, piano of David Kikoski, bass of Matt Brewer, and drums of Johnathan Blake! Potter brings a nice edge to the proceedings, in a way that definitely has an influence on Kikoski – and titles include "Summer's End", "Four By Five", "Maritima", "Bird Food", "Vesnianka", "Mel's Vision", and "Balmoral Point". CD

Alex Skolnick on guitar, Nathan Peck on bass, and Matt Zebroski on drums. CD

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Saxophonist Alexa Tarantino just seems to get better and better with each new record – stretching out here on a range of horns that includes alto and soprano sax, plus flutes and clarinet as well – and set up in a wonderful quintet that features the vibes of Behn Gillece, piano and Rhodes of Art Hirihara, bass of Boris Kozlov, and drums of Rudy Royston! If you know contemporary jazz and/or the Posi-Tone label, you'll know how great all these elements are individually – and together, they're even better than you might expect – as Tarantino leads the group through a strong set that mostly features original numbers, plus two Wayne Shorter remakes – very fitting, as there's an early Shorter spirit to the way some of these tunes unfold and flow. Titles include "Spider's Dance", "Mindful Moments", "Surge Capacity", "Firefly Code", "Lady Day", "Rootless Ruthlessness", and "Daybreak". CD

... CD

An FMP classic – with Schlippenbach on piano, Evan Parker on reeds, Alan Silva on bass, and Paul Lovens on drums. Each track is a side long, and live – and titles include "Ore" and "Anticlockwise". LP, Vinyl record album

The earliest album ever to be issued under the Globe Unity label – a very early project headed up by the mighty pianist Alexander Von Schlippenbach – and a record that's noteworthy for the first album to feature the work of Peter Brotzmann and Peter Kowald! Right from the start, the vibe is completely in line with the highest ideals of the improvising orchestra – Schlippenbach directing the group and playing piano – in a large lineup that also features Brotzmann on alto, Manfred Schoof on cornet, Gerd Dudek on tenor, Willem Breuker on baritone, Gunter Hampel on bass clarinet, Karl Berger on vibes, and Peter Kowald and Buschi Niebergall on basses, one in each channel! And alongside these free jazz heavyweights, the album also sports the amazing rhythm duo of future prog rock giants Jaki Liebezeit and Mani Neumeier – both working here at a level that matches the free improvisations of the others – on two side-long tracks, titled "Globe Unity" and "Sun". LP, Vinyl record album

Amazing work from this seminal group on the FMP scene – a quartet led by pianist Alexander Von Schlippenbach, but equally balanced between the saxes of Evan Parker, bass of Peter Kowald, and percussion of Paul Lovens! We're not sure how much to take the "nails" in the title seriously, but it does sound as if Schlippenbach is playing prepared piano at times – or perhaps his command of the keyboard is just so strong, he can make other-worldly elements come from the instrument whenever he wants! Much of the music has a full-on FMP intensity – that non-stop, sonically adventurous quality inherited from Machine Gun – spun out over three great live improvisations, titled "Range", "Black Holes", and "Three Nails Left". CD

With Andrew Simpkins on bass and Frank Gant on drums. LP, Vinyl record album

Nice mellow fusion from Monty, recorded in LA with a group that includes Ernest Ranglin on guitar, plus Andy Simpkins on bass, and added drums and percussion from 4 other players. There's a bit of steel drums on the record, in the style that Alexander was using on other MPS sides from the time – and the tracks have a nice mellow funky feel to them. Titles include 'Mango Rengue", "Jamento", "Sugarloaf At Twilight", "Slippery", and "Accompong". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the greatest albums ever from Lorez Alexandria – an ultra-hip singer who recorded for Impulse and King, but who sounds especially wonderful on this rare date for Chess Records! The album's got a groove that definitely lives up to its title – a jazzy, bouncy sort of rhythm that's definitely "for swingers only", and which is a nice contrast to overdone torch or standard jazz vocal modes. Alexandria's singing is completely sublime – quite fluid, yet with a soulful depth that's really amazing – and her backing combo is equally hip – a group led by John Young on piano, and also featuring George Eskridge on guitar, Jimmy Garrison on bass, Phil Thomas on drums, and Ronald Wilson on flute and tenor – an obscure player whose reed work really makes the album sparkle! The song choices are great too – a mix of some under-recorded gems and a few blue-toned classics – all redone amazingly by Lorez with a sound that's quite unique. Titles include her classic Argo reading of "Baltimore Oriole", which begins with an amazing drum/bass passage that's worth the price of the album alone – and other tracks include "The End Of A Love Affair", "Baltimore Oriole", "All Or Nothing At All", "Mother Earth", "Love Look Away", and "Traveling Down A Lonely Road". CD

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

Incidental music from the Broadway productions of Death Of A Salesman and Rashomon. CD