An expanded version of this famous series of recordings – originally issued on two different records by the Black Lion label, and expanded here with bonus material! The record's n astounding live set from Johnny Griffin – recorded at the famous Club Montmartre in Copenhagen, Dexter Gordon's famous home in the late 60s – but a place that was also a showcase for the new sort of energy that Griffin was bringing to his horn at the time! The record crackles with the kind of free energy of the best Montmartre sessions – long tracks and compelling solos, stretched-out versions of tunes you may recognize, but which are transformed nicely by Griff's great solo work – and by a rhythm section that features Kenny Drew on piano, Niels Henning Orsted Pedersen on bass, and Albert Heath on drums! Titles include "The Man I Love", "Blues For Harvey", "Indiana", "Old Folks", "You Leave Me Breathless", "Night In Tunisia", "Leave Me Alone Blues", "All The Things You Are", "The Masquerade Is Over", "Sophisticated Lady", "Hush A Bye", and "Wee". CD

A really great package – one that brings together three different albums on the Black Lion label, all of which were recorded during the same live sessions at the Cafe Montmartre in Copenhagen! Ben Webster's tone is wonderful here – that mature, mellow sound that he brought to some of his standout live dates – and which is captured here in the kind of relaxed, soloist-focused setting that always makes 60s recordings from the Cafe Montmartre so great! The group is a familiar one for the house – Kenny Drew on piano, Nils Henning Orsted Pedersen on bass, and Alex Riel on drums – but it's clear that Ben's the main star, and steps out on the kind of tenor solos really set him apart from the rest – on a record that's also one of his best from the decade! 2CD set features 21 tracks in all – and titles include "I Can't Get Started", "Londonderry Air", "My Romance", "Misty", "That's All", "Yesterdays", "Perdido", "Teach Me Tonight", "Friskin The Frog", "Stormy Weather", and "Blues For Herluf". CD

The only album we've ever seen from The Blossoms – a trio of female singers who push their music into much hipper territory for the 70s! The album's got a depth that's different than 60s girl group soul – a way of pushing the girl trio format with some touches from gospel, rock, and other righteous modes of the time. Arrangements are by Gene Page and the Paris Brothers – and also move past the usual – making the album a lost treasure that's full of surprises! Titles include "Touchdown", "Last Call For Love", "It's All Up To You", "Fire & Rain", "Moody", and "Cherish What Is Dear To You". LP, Vinyl record album

Beautiful early work from Dollar Brand – recorded live at the Club Montmartre in Copenhagen in 1965. The group is a trio that features Johnny Gertze on bass and Makaya Ntshoko on drums – and the tracks are long spiraling originals, showing Brand's fragmented approach to rhythm, laid out in a very soulful setting. Features a couple of Brand's originals "Anatomy Of A South African Village", "Tintiyana" and "Honey, plus a couple of Monk tunes, "Round Midnight" and "Light Blue". LP, Vinyl record album

A great overseas date from trumpeter Bill Coleman, one that also features Ben Webster on tenor on most tracks, plus Jim Douglas on guitar and Fred Hunt on piano. LP, Vinyl record album

Featuring Alan Clare on piano and celeste. LP, Vinyl record album

The title's no lie, as Slide Hampton's working here with a very trombone-heavy group – a lineup that features 8 other players on the instrument - including Clifford Adams, Curtis Fuller, Papo Vasquez, Steve Turre, and Earl McIntyre! The only other music in the group is from the trio of Albert Dailey on piano, Ray Drummond on bass, and Leroy Williams on drums – and Hampton's deft arranging skills really hone the larger group of players into a wonderful groove – one that still allows a fair bit of solo space, but which never lets things get cliched in a too-brassy sort of way. There's a leanness here that's really surprising, and at many points the rhythm section seems to drop out and let the trombones handle most of the sound in the set. Titles include "Con Alma", "Impressions", "Chorale", "Lester Leaps In", and "Lament". LP, Vinyl record album

Fantastic sounds from a Colorado trio who only existed for a few short years at the start of the 70s – and worked in this wicked blend of fuzz and freak, acid and heavy – all with a sound that's really incredible, given the homemade nature of these recordings! The tracks here aren't half-warmed psyche, or more-sophisticated garage – but instead show a group instantly ready to express their own sort of style – longish tracks that have a really great sense of structure, and which are unified by a really sharp sense of instrumentation from the trio, despite a few different lead singers in the mix! There's a nice current of sadness in the mix, too – almost a morning/mourning after the 60s sort of sound – and titles include "Jupiter Probe", "Ho Pideous", "Denver Over Glide", "Ides", "Siberia", and "Bloon Moan". LP, Vinyl record album

A pair of albums that have European jazz great Stephane Grapelli revising the format of his legendary Hot Club Of France with guitarist Django Reinhardt – but in a very different mode, given that this group features electric guitar from Barney Kessel! Kessel is great, and his warm, round tones do very little to change things up from his usual groove – but the setting is definitely a fresh one for Barney, given that the combo features rhythm guitar from Nini Rosso, and sweetly-crafted violin lines from Grappelli! The rest of the group features Michel Gaudry on bass and Jean-Louis Viale on drums – and titles include "Tea For Two", "Out Of Nowhere", "Limehouse Blues", "I Remember Django", "What A Difference A Day Made", "More Than You Know", "Et Maintenant", "It's Only A Paper Moon", and "Little Star". CD

A lost treasure from the mid 80s Chicago rock scene – the self-titled, self-released first record from Green – with ultra catchy power pop melodies and an excitability that's as infectious as anything that came out of the Chi and other midwestern cities at the time! Green has both a sweetness and rawness that's in line with indie groups that made bigger waves nationally – and might be altogether better. Please don't take us for shameless home team flag wavers here, Green was the real thing, we can't think of a reason beyond bad luck that this record isn't mentioned in the same breath as other great records by groups such as The Replacements. And unlike some of our favorite albums from Chicago underground rock bands of the time, the lean, clear, but no frills production sounds just right to our ears. A total gem ripe for discovery! Titles include "Gotta Getta Record Out", "She's Not A Little Girl Anymore", "Technology", "Baby Why?", "If You Love Me", "For You", "Hurt You", "She, Probably", and, "Big In Japan". LP, Vinyl record album

A folk funk masterpiece from Korea – sung with breathy brilliance by female singer Kim Jung Mi, and featuring some great fuzzy backgrounds from guitarist Shin Jung Hyun! Although not in English, the record has a very similar feel to some of the hippest British female work of the same period – a style that takes older folk styles and gives them a trippier, more psychedelic twist – largely through the use of echoey production that makes the voice sound all flanged-out next to the guitar, but also through some spacious arrangements that give most of the record a nicely floating sort of feel! Titles are finally listed in English and include "Haenim", "Wind", "Spring", "Unknowingly", "Blow Spring Breeze", "Your Dream", "Beautiful Rivers and Mountains", "Lonely Heart", "It's Raining" and "Ganadaramabasa". All lyrics in Korean but the record's got an undeniably universal appeal. The deluxe LP sleeve CD version has a 20-page booklet with rare photos, and great stories about Shin Joong Hyun and Kim Jung Mi's continuing place of prominence in the Korean music scene. CD

Fantastic sounds from a Colorado trio who only existed for a few short years at the start of the 70s – and worked in this wicked blend of fuzz and freak, acid and heavy – all with a sound that's really incredible, given the homemade nature of these recordings! The tracks here aren't half-warmed psyche, or more-sophisticated garage – but instead show a group instantly ready to express their own sort of style – longish tracks that have a really great sense of structure, and which are unified by a really sharp sense of instrumentation from the trio, despite a few different lead singers in the mix! There's a nice current of sadness in the mix, too – almost a morning/mourning after the 60s sort of sound – and titles include "Jupiter Probe", "Ho Pideous", "Denver Over Glide", "Ides", "Siberia", and "Bloon Moan". CD

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

A beautifully tripped out little record from Canada – produced by Paul Horn in his more hippieish years, and with some nice jazzy undercurrents that certainly show his influence! The tracks here are all quite long and stretched out – showing a bit of an Eastern influence in their construction, and using bits of wispy guitar and some especially great flute-like work on recorder! Much of the instrumentation is acoustic, and there's a definite folksy feel to some numbers – but more in a folk funk sort of way, thanks to the jazzier phrasing used on the recorders, and the strong sense of rhythm on most numbers. Titles include "Night Of The Gulls", "Go Dancing", "The Island", "Vancouver", "Coquilhalla", and "A Hymn To The Ocean". CD

Nice 2LP set that brought the US some of the great recordings cut by the Art Ensemble while they were in Paris (some of which have also come out under the Black Lion imprint). All of the material was recorded in the Polydor Studios in Paris in 1969, and the tracks include "The Spiritual", "Tutankhamun", "Toro", "Tthintthedalen", and "Lori Song". The feel of the tracks is very laidback, spare, and similar to the material on People in Sorrow, which was recorded during the same period. LP, Vinyl record album

The title's a bit confusing, but Cornell Campbell's essentially saying that he's a stalwart – something we can completely agree with, given his strong legacy in Jamaican music – and the sublime sound of a 70s classic like this! Cornell's got a higher range than some of his contemporaries, but never in a way that makes his music sound too light or airy at all – because there's a sense of soul going on that maybe stands as a Jamaican counterpart to 70s Marvin Gaye, especially in the way that Campbell inflects his notes on the sweeter tunes on the set! Most of the production is handled by Bunny Lee or Joe Gibbs – and titles include "The Gorgon", "The Stal-A-Watt", "The Investigator", "Hypocrite", "Two Face Rasta", "Two Timer", "Boxing Around", and "Bandulu". 2CD set features 19 more bonus tracks – including "Conscious Rastaman", "The Gorgon Speaks", "Help Them O Lord", "Gun Court Law", "Dance In A Greenwich Farm", "Lion Of Judah", "Natty Dread In A Greenwich Farm", "I Shall Not Remove", and "Give Me Love". CD

A wonderfully mellow record by John Lewis – recorded with some great European jazzmen! Lewis leads the group on piano – and he's joined by Bobby Jaspar on flute and tenor, Giovanni Tomasso on bass, and Rene Thomas on guitar. The tracks are long, and a number of them also feature a string quartet behind the jazz group. Titles include "Monday In Milan", "Danielle In The Lion's Den", "In A Crowd", and "Winter Tale". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the better recordings created for the Arista/Freedom series, rather than licensed from tapes Alan Bates had already produced for Black Lion – and a nice set of loft jazz played by Lowe with help from Lester and Joseph Bowie, Abdul Wadud, Steve Reid, and Charles Bobo Shaw. The group play 2 Monk tracks, "Epistrophy" and "Mysterioso", plus 2 Lowe originals, "Play Some Blues" and "Fresh", with a sound befitting the title track, approaching the new thing with a respect for the swing and blues roots of jazz. The final track "Chu's Blues", is a little different from the rest of the LP, a great grooving number that was performed by Lowe in Memphis, with help from the Memphis Four. LP, Vinyl record album

A tremendous set from Jackie McLean – perfectly poised between his hardbop and modern years, with a set of compositions that are as great as the performances! The lineup on this one's a bit unusual – with Walter Bishop on piano, Blue Mitchell on trumpet, Paul Chambers on bass, and Art Taylor on drums – but that mix of players makes for a really unusual sound – as the rhythm section's often straight ahead, Blue Mitchell's notes are bold and sparkling, and Jackie's own solos are reaching for the darker corners of the spectrum! There's a great sense of tension here that heralds the genius of later McLean sides of the 60s – and original titles include "Francisco", "Condition Blue", "On The Lion", and "Capuchin Swing". LP, Vinyl record album

An excellent collection of rockers from Channel One (just like the title says!). Linval Thompson produced and wrote these sides, collected here like many of the other Trojan compilations, grouped by rhythm, with a number of dub and Dee Jay versions alongside the fine, fine vocal cuts. Thompson's vocals ride the line between the more sweet voiced Jamaican soul and rawer roots singers, and the Dee Jay numbers are done up in fine style by Ranking Dread, Big Joe and Trinity, all over heavyweight rhythms courtesy the Revolutionaries. 22 tracks in all, including "Dreader Than Dread", "Natty On The Rock", "I Love Marijuana", "Africa Is For Blackman", "Wicked Dub", "Shockin Rock", "Freedom Style", "Love Is The Question", 'Easy Does It", "Lion & Tiger" and "Seventy Nine Rock" CD

An incredible batch of electric funk from Grover Washington Jr – easily one of his best albums ever! The record really picks up from the sweet CTI sound of the 70s – taking Bob James arrangements with a lot of space and electric keyboards, and letting Groover blow some wonderfully soulful lines over the top on soprano sax! The album's got some really wonderful funk tracks that feature a mad mix of drums, bass, and lots of that Bob James "space" – including the massive cuts "Hydra" and "Knucklehead" – both of them magic! Other tracks include "Moonstreams", "It Feels So Good", and "The Sea Lion". CD

An incredible batch of electric funk from Grover Washington Jr – easily one of his best albums ever! The record really picks up from the sweet CTI sound of the 70s – taking Bob James arrangements with a lot of space and electric keyboards, and letting Groover blow some wonderfully soulful lines over the top on soprano sax! The album's got some really wonderful funk tracks that feature a mad mix of drums, bass, and lots of that Bob James "space" – including the massive cuts "Hydra" and "Knucklehead" – both of them magic! Other tracks include "Moonstreams", "It Feels So Good", and "The Sea Lion". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the three great collaborations between David Bowie and Brian Eno – and possibly the ultimate statement from his years in Berlin! The album's got some tunes that still show some of the guitar power of the early 70s Bowie – but it's also got some of the beautiful spacier moments brought forward on Low – and which are every bit the Brian Eno of Aother Green World. The balance is beautiful – stark and dark on one half, then airy and spacious on the next – handled without any sense of gimmickry, and a bold mainstream experiment that still resonates strongly today. Titles include "Beauty & The Beast", "Joe The Lion", "Heroes", "Sons Of The Silent Age", "Blackout", "V-2 Schneider", "Sense Of Doubt", "Moss Garden", "Neukoln", and "The Secret Life Of Arabia". Features great bonus tracks – the unreleased "Abdeumajid", from the Berlin years – plus a remix of "Joe The Lion". CD

A classic run of albums that kicks off with Doin' Allright and doesn't let up! This set brings together all Dexter's 60's albums for Blue Note, including Landslide and Clubhouse which weren't released until much later in the 70's – plus a great booklet with detailed notes on each of the sessions and correspondance between Gordon, Alfred Lion, and Francis Wolff. CD

The classic first album from Hiroshima – a group who took the 70s experiments in Japanese fusion right into the American mainstream – with a wonderful blend of jazz and soul, and a production style that was never too polished or commercial! The group's led by reedman Dan Kuramota – who plays both sax and flutes, including a bit of Japanese wooden flute – which gives the record a few slight "Eastern" touches a times, although the overall vibe is strongly in the best soulful fusion of the period! In keeping with that approach, there's a bit of vocals on the record – sung in English with a soulful vibe – on titles that include "Lion Dance", "Da Da", "Taiko Song", "Holidays", "Never Ever", and "Kokoro". LP, Vinyl record album

Iggy Pop may have left The Stooges behind, but he's lost none of his edge – and really finds a new level of solo greatness on this sublime classic from the 70s! The set was produced by David Bowie, who also plays piano on the set – and has Carlos Alamar adding in some guitar – and the overall sound has that raw Berlin mode you might find on some of he headiest tracks on Heroes – kind of "Joe The Lion" meets the gritty truth of Iggy's Detroit! The title cut is maybe the best-known Iggy Pop tune ever – used in countless films and commercials – but the whole thing's great, and a brilliant new focus for Mr Pop's genius. Titles include "Lust For Life", "The Passenger", "Some Weird Sin", "Neighborhood Threat", "Success", "Fall In Love With Me", and "Turn Blue". LP, Vinyl record album

Only the fourth year of this amazing all-star group – and they've already got their own sound so strongly in place, they really make some fresh magic with the music of Thelonious Monk! Arrangements of Monk tunes are by different members of the group – pianist Renee Rosnes, trumpeter Dave Douglas, bassist Matt Penman, drummer Eric Harland, tenorist Joshua Redman, and alto saxophonist Miguel Zenon – who work here alongside the vibes of Bobby Hutcherson in some stunning remakes of "Oska T", "I Mean You", "Ugly Beauty", "Bye Ya", "Criss Cross", "Brilliant Corners", and "Bright Mississippi" – handled by the octet in a style that reminds us of some of Monk's late 50s larger group work on Riverside. The set also features a full dose of original compositions – the long "San Francisco Suite", plus "Union", "Lion's Gate", "Life At The End Of The Tunnel", and "Haast Pass". CD

The debut compilation from Hugo Mendez and the Sofrito collective on Strut – tropical dancefloor grooves from Africa, the Caribbean and South American – featuring Banda Los Hijos De La Nina Luz, Frente Cumbiero, Fair Nick Stars, Victor Uwaifo, "Dany Play", Quantic Y Su Conjunto Los Miticos Del Ritmo, Roaring Lion and more! The basis is the Sofrito parties that began in East London in the mid 80s, where lovers of vintage Latin and African dance music got together and brought tropical grooves to an appreciative British club scene. It's great stuff all the way! Titles include "Quiero Amanacer" by Banda Los Hikos De La Nina Luz, "Je Ne Bois Pas Beaucomp" by Les Ya Toupas Du Zaire, "Arrete Mal Parle" by Fair Nick Stars, "Descarga Bontempi" by El Timba, "Fa'Waka (Pt 1)" by Dany Play, "Cumbia De Mochilla" by Quantic Y Su Conjunto Los Miticos Del Ritmo, "Yiri Yiri Boum" by Gnonnas Pedro" and more. 15 tracks in all. LP, Vinyl record album

A seminal record in the transition from ska to rocksteady – and one of the key calling cards of The Skatalites – a group who were already moving well past their name! The lineup is classic – Don Drummond on trombone, Tommy McCook and Roland Alfonso on saxes, and a bit of vocal help from Justin Hinds & The Dominoes – all working together in a seamless blend that forever set a standard for this late 60s generation! The titles include "Yard Broom", "Carry-Go-Bring-Come", "Twelve Minutes To Go", "Magic", "Strolling In", "Dan-De-Lion", "Apanga", "Eastern Standard Time", "Musical Store Room", and "River Bank" – plus the cut "Rough & Tough" with Stranger Cole and "When You Call My Name" with Stranger & Patsy. LP, Vinyl record album

One of the coolest albums ever from French saxophonist Barney Wilen – a set that's legendary not only for its famous cover image, but for all the wonderful music underneath! The record's maybe the strongest to deliver on the modern promise that Wilen exhibited in his music during the 60s – but also has a tightness that makes it quite different from some of his more loopy projects – a way of putting things together that's bold and modern, yet also wonderfully controlled as well! As you might guess from the title, the record's based around the twelve phases of the Zodiac – and each tune has a slightly different sense of energy – all delivered by Wilen on tenor, with Karl Berger on vibes and piano, JF Jenny Clark on bass, and Jacques Thollot on drums – all players who are reaching towards free jazz modes, but often hang slightly inside, which makes for a beautiful balance overall. Titles include "Cancer", "Lion", "Vierge", "Capricorne", "Balance", "Scorpion", and "Poissons". LP, Vinyl record album

One of greatest of all British punk era records – released in '77 and one that transcends mid-to-late 70s punk cultural baggage better than just about any other – a real benchmark! Wire kept it short and sweet on Pink Flag – with 21 tracks in about 35 minutes – and it's as artful as it is succinct. They'd prove to be as creatively ambitious as any of their peers and the brevity Pink Flag would soon make way for experimental flourishes that are ultimately just as important and influential, but this still might be their best. Includes "Reuters", "Field Day For The Sundays", "Three Girl Rumba", "Ex Lion Tamer", "The Commercial", "Strange", "Different To Me", "12 X U", "Start To Move", "Lowdown", "Surgeon's Girl", "Pink Flag" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

Rare rock from the Golden Triangle scene of Southeast TX in the late 60s and early 70s – a well-curated overview of the stylistically sprawling material being cut at Mickey Rouse's Lowland Recording Studio in Beaumont! Texas rock of the late 60s and early 70s justifiably brings to mind acts like The 13th Floor Elevators and The Bubble Puppy – tripped out psychedelia in other words, but Texas is huge, and there was a heck of a lot more going on than just the best remembered cult favorites. The music coming out of just the Beaumont, Port Arthur, Orange, Texas "triangle" chronicled here was incredibly diverse. It includes proto TX boogie rock that's a clear precursor to early ZZ Top, harmony flavored numbers that sound closer to Cali than they do The Lone Star State, one track that somehow fuses CS&N with The Beatles and does so with prominent cowbell in the mix (and it's good!!!), punchy psych grit, and swaggering country rock with some twang in the strings that feels a bit more profoundly Texan. You don't need our word that The Numero Group has devoted some serious attention to detail – with a large booklet of notes, photos and histories, plus the impressive Lost In The Golden Triangle "family tree" of the regional musicians involved – as if discovering these long buried regional relics wasn't impressive enough already. Beautiful! 28 tracks on the 2LP version...6 more than on the CD! "Trash One" by the Lowland Studio Band, "Live My Life Today" by Insight Out, "Simple House" by Mother Lion, "Love Of The Morning" by Circus, "Take A Look At Your Friends" by Next Exit, "You Know I Love You" by Roy Briggs & Alton Tew, "Calling Me Home (Demo)" by Donald Thomas and more, plus the LP only tracks "Lizard" by Lowland Studio Band, "Let Me Listen" by Sage, "Groundhog Day" by Boot Hill and more. LP, Vinyl record album

A great double header from Honest Jons – a 2CD set that brings together volumes 7 and 8 of their London Is The Place For Me series! Volume 7 is first – a fascinating look at musical modes in London during the big years of postwar immigration – a time when former residents of the crumbling British Empire were flooding to London for jobs and a better way of life – often bringing along a huge amount of cultural experience in the process! This set follows wonderfully in the spirit of previous volumes of the series – bringing together a range of different sonic styles that were originally recorded in London as 78rpm singles – where a new wave of Caribbean and West African immigrants were fusing older styles with a newly modern sensibility, and often a fair bit of jazz as well! The set list is wonderful – a great array of well-chosen material – and titles include "Wa Sise" by Willie Payne & The Starlite Tempos, "The Emperor Of Africa" by The Mighty Terror, "Royal Wedding" by The Lion, "Modern Telephone" by Dai Dai Simba, "Sons & Daughters Of Africa" by Lord Beginner, "Caroline" by Trinidad Steel Band, "Ema Foju Ana Woku" by West African Rhythm Brothers, "Kana Kana" by Billy Sholanke, "Boul Ve Se" by Calypso Rhythm Kings, and "My Handy Man" by Marie Bryant. Volume 8 features a huge collection of work from the great Lord Kitchener – maybe one of the most important singers to move the music of the Caribbean to British shores during the postwar years – a time when he was a strong voice to new waves of immigrants arriving in London, and when he was also making a lot of inroads for criss-crossing post-colonial culture too! The base style is calypso, but Kitchener always handles the music with a spirit that's all his own – modern, witty, and urbane – often with some nice currents of jazz in the instrumentation, and plenty of social commentary that made music like this a great precursor to later righteous moments in jazz, funk, soul, and reggae. Titles include "No More Taxi", "Food From The West Indies", "Come Back In The Morning", "Pirates Of Paria", "Drink A Rum", "If You Brown", "Life Begins At Forty", "Mistress Jacob", "Africa My Home", "Kitch In The Jungle", "Tie Tongue Mopsie", and "London Is The Place For Me". CD

It may be corny, but it's mighty enjoyable too – that mix of wit and instrumental sharpness that always made these guys so great! Titles include "I'm The Guy", "I Never See Maggie Alone", "Mama Get The Hammer", "Don't Go In The Lion's Cage Tonight", "Bread N Gravy", "The Charms Of The City Ain't For Me", and "Does Anybody Here Play The Piano". LP, Vinyl record album

50s compilation of mid to late 30s recordings by Mezzrow and Newton's bands. Notable sidemen include Bud Freeman, Willie "The Lion" Smith, Al Casey, James Johnson, and Cozy Cole. LP, Vinyl record album