The cover's a bit cartoony, but the group's got a nicely down to earth sound – a UK blend of roots rock and deeper blues currents – but served up in that 70s style that takes all the best elements way past their familiar incarnations! The group sports two singers – a young Robert Palmer and female vocalist Elkie Brooks – and although Palmer would soon emerge as a more pop-oriented artist, he's got plenty of soulful chops here – but maybe still only second to Elkie, who soars out with the sort of inspiration that must have touched Janis Joplin as well. Titles include "Circles", "Leg Up", "See The World", "Never Met A Dog", "Live A Little Get Somewhere", and "Avinu Malkenu". LP, Vinyl record album

Includes 23 songs from Jimmy Yancey, Little Brother Montgomery, Jack Dupree, Professor Longhair, Vann "Piano Man" Walls, Joe Turner, Jay McShann, Meade Lux Lewis, Ray Charles, Floyd Dixon, Texas Johnny Brown, Doctor John, and Willie Mabon. CD

Huge blues collection with music from Junior Wells, JB Hutto, Big Joe Williams, Luther Allison, Dave Spector, Roosevelt Sykes, Little Walter, Sleepy John Estes, Sunnyland Slim, Carey Bell, and more. CD

Music from Lonnie Brooks & Koko Taylor, Wynonie Harris & Joe Turner, Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf & Bo Diddley, Buddy Guy & Junior Wells, Louis Jordan & Ella Fitzgerald, Bessie Smith & Clara Smith, Big Mama Thornton & Johnny Ace, John Cephas & Phil Wiggins, Butterbeans & Susie, Bobby Bland & Little Junior Parker, and more. CD

A pretty amazing batch of soul, R&B, and funk from the Nashville scene – from an astonishing range of years, too! Of course the memorabilia industry that is "Music City USA" is dominated by country music and pop, and this long, long, LONG overdue collection of singles from 1945-1970 demonstrates how much more was going on in East Tennessee beyond Chet Atkins and the Opry! The tunes range from jump blues & soul of the late 40s and 50s, and on through the harmony soul of the 60s and the pre-funk late 60s. 38 tracks on two CDs: "Nashville Jumps" by Cecil Gant, "Just Walkin' In The Rain" by The Prisonaires, "Baby Let's Play House" by Arthur Gunter, "Christene" by Little Hank Crawford, "You Can Make It If You Try" by Gene Allison, "Somebody, Somewhere" by Larry Birdsong, "Monkey Doin' Woman" by Shy Guy Douglas, "What'd I Say" by Etta James, "Snap Your Fingers" by Joe Henderson, "I Want To" by Joe Tex, "The Chokin'" Kind" by Joe Simon, "Rediscover Me" by Johnny Adams and tons more! CD

An unusual small label collection of rare postwar blues from Chicago – with work by Floyd Smith, Othum Brown, Baby Face Leroy, Little Walter, Delta Joe, Snooky & Moody, JB Hutto & His Hawks, Johnny Shines, and John Brim! LP, Vinyl record album

David John & The Mood only gave the UK scene a handful of great singles back in the 60s, but this killer set finally brings out a wealth of other material they recorded with the legendary Joe Meek – a producer who really helped the combo find their sound! There's a nicely raw sound to most of these numbers – a heavy influence from American R&B and blues, but already turned towards some of the mod modes of the mid 60s – maybe hitting the sort of territory that a group like Manfred Mann did so well at the start, but served up with an even heavier sonic power, thanks to Meek's magnificent way of recording the vocals and guitar! The package features cuts from the group's Parlophone singles – "Pretty Thing", "To Catch That Man", "Diggin For Gold", and "I Love To See You Strut" – plus 16 more never-issued tracks from the tapes of Joe Meek, issued here for the first time – titles that include "Bring It To Jerome", "That Little Old Heartbreaker Me", "She's Fine", and a number of alternate takes and dubs – all with detailed notes on the group and the material! CD

Music from Buster Benton, Buddy Guy, Otis Rush, Lightnin' Hopkins, Ike Turner, Willie Dixon, Little Joe Blue, Lowell Fulson, John Lee Hooker, Magic Sam, and Earl Hooker. CD

A great little live set – nicely extended, with the kind of surprises that Brubeck could bring to his concert appearances! The group's his classic quartet – with Paul Desmond on alto, Eugene Wright on bass, and Joe Morello on drums. Tracks include "Eleven Four", "St. Louis Blues", "For All We Know", "Castillian Drums", and "Blue Rondo a la Turk". CD

A sweet live set from Dave Brubeck's early years on Columbia Records – recorded in New York, but with all the calculated cool and modern tones Brubeck first forged in the San Francisco scene of the 50s! Paul Desmond's on board on alto sax – really getting a lot of space to stretch out on the album's extended performances, with a haunting, floating tone that really sends us. Remaining members include Bob Bates on bass, and Joe Dodge on drums – and tracks include "Lover", "Love Walked In", "The Duke", "Little Girl Blue", and "Fare Thee Well Annabelle". CD features 2 bonus tracks, previously unissued – "Taking A Chance On Love" and "Closing Time Blues". CD

They don't call Jimmy Dawkins "fast fingers" for nothing – and the first few minutes of the record are definitely testament to his mighty power on the guitar! The instrument is electric, and recorded with this sense of powerful echo that easily has Dawkins blowing away some of the UK blues rockers who were starting to get into the game at the time – as do his vocals, which we'd put head to head with some of the giants who took this mode and ran with it through the arena rock scene of the 70s! Yet throughout, it's the guitar that's especially amazing – completely confident and masterful, even though this was Jimmy's first album – with nice lean support from Eddie Shaw on tenor, Lafayette Leake on piano and organ, and Mighty Joe Young on second guitar. Titles include "Little Angel Child", "Night Rock", "Triple Trebles", "It Serves Me Right To Suffer", "Breaking Down", "I Don't Know What Love Is", and "I Wonder Why". CD features two bonus tracks – "Sad & Blues" and "Back Home Blues". CD

Massive music from Ella Fitzgerald – 4CDs worth of sublime small group recordings – all of them live, and all of them previously unissued! The set follows the same format of the Verve Ella In Hollywood album – recorded in a small club setting, with combo backing that really lets Fitzgerald open up and swing – inflecting the tunes with the kind of warmth and spontaneity that she brought to her famous live performances of the time – which were almost always more compelling than her studio sides, no matter how great those were too! The first 3CDs feature material from two weeks' worth of recording in May of 1961 – with backing from Jim Hall on guitar, Lou Levy on piano, Wilfred Middlebrooks on bass, and Gus Johnson on drums – and CD four features Ella returning to Hollywood for two more nights in 1962, with trio backing from Paul Smith on piano, Middlebrooks on bass, and Stan Levey on drums. There's a massive 77 tracks in all – handsomely package in a hardcover 7" square book – which also features beautiful color pages inside, lots of notes on the music, and design that's every bit as groovy as the old albums on Verve. Titles include "Joe Williams' Blues", "It's De-Lovely", "Lorelei", "I Can't Get Started", "Round Midnight", "Perdido", "Little White Lies", "Lover Come Back To Me", "Across The Alley From The Alamo", "Love For Sale", "Exactly Like You", "Mack The Knife", "Teach Me Tonight", "My Kind Of Boy", "It Had To Be You", "Hard Hearted Hannah", "All Of Me", and "Too Darn Hot/Ella's Twist". And, in case you're wondering, there's almost no repetition in the set at all – all discreet, unique tunes – not just the sort of rehash you might get in other concert box sets of this nature! CD

Two of the biggest singers who ever worked for Verve Records – captured perfectly at the Newport Jazz Festival in 1957! Ella Fitzgerald steps out with a strong, lively groove on the first half of the set – swinging things with a looser, more upbeat quality than on some of her mellower Verve studio sets of the late 50s – really grooving it up with small combo backing from the trio of pianist Don Abney! Billie Holiday also gets some small combo backing too – a hip trio with Mal Waldron on piano, Joe Benjamin on bass, and Jo Jones on drums – often a bit more laidback than the group on Ella's sides, but in a great way that helps Holiday hit a very intimate sound, even before this large audience. Ella sings "This Can't Be Love", "Body & Soul", "April In Paris", "I Got A Crush On You", and "Airmail Special" – and Billie sings "Nice Work If You Can Get It", "What A Little Moonlight Can Do", "My Man", "Willow Weep For Me", and "Lady Sings The Blues". LP, Vinyl record album

Genius – pure genius! Bobby Hutcherson's work for Blue Note is some of the most dramatic of any artist to ever record for the label. During his tenure there, he broke in doing some pivotal work in the "new thing" mode with players like Andrew Hill and Joe Henderson, next worked into a soulful groove that helped redefine the face of soul jazz, and then teamed up with Harold Land to form one of the most compelling groups to ever record for the label. This set of 11 tracks provides a good overview of these years – and titles include "Ummh", "Dave's Chant", "Little B's Poem", "Blues Mind Matter", "Ghetto Lights", "Til Then", "Patterns", "Roses Poses", and "Houston St Thursday Afternoon". CD

Rare alternate trakes recorded for Vee Jay and not issued at the time! The collection pulls from two different sessions and features Kelly on piano, Booker Little on tenor, Frank Stozier on alto, Paul Chambers or Sam Jones on bass, and Jimmy Cobb on drums. Titles include "Joe's Avenue", "Char's Blues", "Autumn Leaves", and "Someday My Prince Will Come". CD

Johnny's very much in his "revival" mode here – dipping back to his earlier R&B roots, and working with a host of famous older blues singers. The set's got vocals by Roy Milton, Roy Brown, Esther Phillips, Mighty Mouth Evans, Ivory Joe Hunter, Eddie Cleanhead Vinson, Margie Evans, and Big Joe Turner – and even though Shuggie Otis is on the album, the whole thing's a pretty bluesy affair overall. Titles include "Shuggie's Boogie", "Plastic Man", "Margie's Boogie", "Baby You Don't Know", "Little Esther's Blues", "RM Blues", "Goin Back To LA", "Willie & The Hand Jive", and "Since I Met You Baby". LP, Vinyl record album

A surprisingly great little record from Clark Terry – filled with warmth, humor, and some really great grooves! The core of the album is the track "Mumbles", one that's based around Terry kind of slurring a scat vocal to a jazzy 60s groove. The track was a minor hit at the time, and Mainstream recorded a whole album around it – using the arranging talents of Joe Cain, who runs through a lot of elements that really make the set cook – from Latin percussion, to Hammond organ grooving, electric guitar, and an overall sound that's got a hip Verve Records feel. Players include Vinnie Bell on guitar, Willie Bobo on percussion, Grady Tate on drums, and Jerome Richardson on reeds – and Cain really makes the record groove in ways that we've never heard on another Terry session. Titles include "Mumbles", "Rum & Mumbles", "Big Spender", "The Mumbler Strikes Again", "El Blues Latino", and "The Cat From Cadiz". LP, Vinyl record album

As beautiful an illustration of the genius of Lester Young as you could ever hope to find – tight, short small group numbers recorded with a keen focus on Young's amazing tone – all served up with beautiful sound throughout! The cover bills the set as being by Young and his orchestra, but the material's presented in a variety of different small group settings – with Verve regulars who include Ray Brown on bass, Hank Jones or John Lewis on piano, and Buddy Rich or Joe Jones on drums. There's no other horns on the date, so Lester's tenor is right out front on all numbers – and titles include "Little Pee Blues", "Neenah", "Thou Swell", "Up N Adam", "Encore", and "Frenesi". LP, Vinyl record album

A mighty nice little package – one that's overflowing with the special sort of Latin and soul music hybrids that rose up from the Spanish Harlem scene in the late 60s – the kind of cuts that helped establish Fania Records as one of the most important Latin labels around – and one of the grooviest too! These aren't the 70s salsa tracks that Fania spread across the globe – but the more New York-styled numbers that often had English language lyrics in the lead, sung by a soulful vocalist – and set to small combo rhythms that were overflowing with energy, and plenty of touches of jazz, soul, and funk! These are all the mixes from the rare 45rpm singles issued by Fania back in the day – and although the songs are wonderful, the collection together is even cooler as a whole – dozens of tracks, including some really rare ones – all bound up in a 7" book-styled cover, with 60 pages of notes, and a bonus funky 45! Titles include "Silent Heart" by 125th Street Candy Store, "Micro Mini" and "Make Out" by Harvey Averne, "Too Much Lovin" and "So Fine" by Joe Bataan, "Willie Baby" by Willie Colon, "Soul Drummers" and "Mercy Mercy Baby" by Ray Barretto, "Geronimo" and "Funky Big Feet" by Bobby Valentin, "Mercie" by Ralph Robles, "Camel Walk" by The Latinaires, "Batola Boogaloo" by Bobby Quesada, "Grazin In The Grass" by Orchestra Harlow, "Spinning Wheel" by El Apollo Sound, "Hey Sister" by Monguito Santamaria, "Who Is The Girl For Me" and "Look At Her" by Ralfi Pagan, "New York Soul" by Ray Barretto, "Some Lonely Heart" by ronnie Marks, "Let's Get It Together This Christmas" by Harvey Averne, "Shaft" and "If I Were A King" by Joe Bataan, "Johnny's No Good" and "Blonde Latin Blues" by WRLC, and "Today" and "Try Just a Little Harder" by Butter Scotch. Lots more too – and the bonus 7" single features two promo tracks recorded for DJ Symphony Sid – one by Joe Bataan, the other by Bobby Valentin! CD

Don't think rock – think rhythm 'n' blues – with music from the Nutmegs, Louis Jordan, Shirley & Lee, the Five Royales, Clyde McPhatter & the Drifters, Little Walter, Joe Liggins, Nappy Brown, Johnny Ace, the Clovers, Five Keys, Billy Ward, and more! CD

Basie was getting all over the place during the 50s – and this set's a great little concert recorded in London! The album's classic Basie for Verve – with Joe Williams on vocals on 3 tracks, and a tight group that includes Thad Jones, Joe Newman, Benny Powell, Matthew Gee, and Frank Foster. Titles include "Flute Juice", "Nails", "Blues Backstage", "Corner Pocket", "Roll Em Pete", and "Well All Right Okay You Win". CD

Sweet LA soul jazz from trumpeter Bobby Bryant – an oft-overlooked player with a hard hitting sound that was a bit like Nat Adderley! The album's one of Bobby's best (and few) – and it's got a really groovy little feel, almost in a Jazz Crusaders mode – with a small combo playing live on tight bouncy little tracks that still have some nice room for solo work. The Crusaders reference is a clear one – as Joe Sample's in the group on piano – and other players on the record include Hadley Caliman and Herman Riley, both of whom play tenor. Titles include "Sunny", "Love Is Supreme", "58th Street", "Don't Say Goodbye", and "Blues For Ramona". CD

A massive amount of music that definitely lives up to its title – not the debut album by the Jimi Hendrix Experience, but instead 4CDs' worth of rare music, both live and studio – more than enough to deeply enrich your experience of the music of Jimi Hendrix! The package is a real delight to those who've been trying to track down bits like these on bootlegs over the years – a fully-licensed package put together with the Experience Hendrix folks, filled with unreleased alternates, live recordings, unusual mixes, and more! The set features a whopping 56 rare tracks, four whole new songs mixed with live tracks and alternates – and an 80 page booklet of rare photos and notes on the tracks. Titles include live versions of "Little Wing", "Red House", "Purple Haze", "All Along The Watchtower", "In From The Storm", "Fire", and "The Wind Cries Mary" – plus unreleased recordings of "Little Wing", "Slow Blues", "If 6 Was 9", "Title #3", "Hey Joe", "Highway Chile", and "Room Full Of Mirrors" – and alternate versions of "Sweet Angel", "Gloria", "Message To Love", and lots more! CD

A great little album that's as hip as its cover image – one of 3 seminal mid 50s recordings for Imperial by LA altoist Sonny Criss! At this point in his career, Criss had a sharp-edged sound that could easily rival the best work by Sonny Stitt or Charlie Parker on the alto sax – but he also had a groove that was a bit more spacious, and a tone that was slightly more raspy – a wonderful quality that we can only describe as Criss-esque, recorded perfectly in the Imperial studios! The group here is a tight quartet – with Sonny Clark on piano, Leroy Vinnegar on bass, and Lawrence Marable on drums – and Criss' solos are brilliant throughout! Titles include "Wailin With Joe", "The Man I Love", "Blues For Rose", "Blue Prelude", and "Summertime". LP, Vinyl record album

2 Argo Records gems from Ahmad Jamal – back to back on a single CD! Happy Moods is a sprightly set from the Ahmad Jamal Trio – but also a record that's not as brightly colored as you might guess from the title, thanks to a nice undercurrent of darkness in the mix! Jamal's piano work is often nicely punctuated – perhaps living up to the "happy moods" promised on the cover – but the bass work of Israel Crosby and drums by Vernell Fournier are a lot more subtle – magical element that really makes the record sparkle with that unique Jamal-like approach to rhythm. Titles include "For All We Know", "Excerpt From The Blues", "Little Old Lady", "Pavanne", "Time On My Hands", "Raincheck", and "Rhumba No 2". Listen To The Ahmad Jamal Quintet is a nicely expanded take on the Ahmad Jamal sound of the early 60s – one that adds in guitar from Ray Crawford and violin from Joe Kennedy to Jamal's usual trio grooving! The main focus here is often still on the core group – which features Israel Crosby on bass and Vernell Fournier on drums – but the added elements are used sparely to bring in new colors to the tunes, with Kennedy bowing violin lines on most of side one, and Crawford hitting some of his great single-note lines on most of side two. Titles include "Ahmad's Waltz", "Valentina", "Tempo For Two", "Yesterdays", and "Baia". CD

Great little collection from Wilson's Pacific Jazz albums featuring the likes of Joe Pass, Leroy Vinnegar, Roy Ayers, Richard Groove Holmes, and Harold Land! 16 tracks total including "Jeri", "Viva Torado", "Moody Blue", "Paco", "Lighthouse Blues", and "The Serpent". CD

The fantastic and nicely expanded Ace Story Vol 2 – the seminal series of one time vinyl only Ace Records compilations of standout late 50s/early 60s New Orleans R&B, with a bit of rock & roll & blues! Like Vol 1 of the CD revisit/revival, the 12 tracks from the original vinyl compilation are fleshed out with an addition dozen tracks that are just as great! It's steeped heavily is fantastic late 50s Crescent City R&B, jump blues and more – great stuff from Eddie Bo, Little Shelton, Jimmy Clanton, Huey Piano Smith, Earl King, Gene & Al's Spacemen, Big Boy Myles and more! 24 tracks in all: "Blow Wind Blow" by Junior Gordon, "Roberta" by Frankie Ford, "Sea Cruise" by Little Shelton, "Chickee Wah-Wah" by Bobby Marchan, "Curiousity" by Joe & Ann, "Teen Age Rock" by Little Booker, "Little Girl" by Earl King, "New Orleans" by Big Boy Myles, "Looped" by Joe Dyson with Johnny Collins and many more. CD

A host of southern soul tracks – all presented here in versions that have never been issued before – as they're all the original takes of the tunes that were first tone for Ace Records of Mississippi! You'll recognize a few of these tunes, which sound different in the earlier takes – and there's also plenty of other more obscure numbers you won't know at all – served up in modes that bridge the New Orleans soul and deeper Mississippi music that Ace did so well at the end of the 50s. CD features 24 tracks in all – and titles include "I Was Wrong" by Roland Cook, "Can't Let You Go" by Albert Scott, "Heaven Came Down" by Calvin Spears, "Mr Blues" by Joe & Ann, "I Know" by Bobby Marchan, "Blessed Are These Tears" by Joe Tex, "Gee Baby" by Joe & Ann, "Yes I Got You" by Chuck Carbo, "Honey Honey" by The Supremes, "Teenage Rock" by Little Booker, and "My Love Is Strong" by Earl King. CD

An interesting little album by Basie – most notable in that it features him playing a bit of organ, which is always a treat! Basie's not the greatest talent on the organ, but he is one of the first jazz players to use the instrument in a wider context, and hearing the album's a good way to check out the organ jazz scene and sound before Jimmy Smith got his hands atop the Hammond and shook the whole thing up! Players on the set include Freddie Green, Paul Quinichette, Buddy Rich, and Joe Newman – and titles include "Stan Shorthair", "Count's Organ Blues", "KC Organ Blues", "Royal Garden Blues", and "Basie Beat". LP, Vinyl record album

Excellent CD that brings to light (first light, get it?) a motherlode of previously unreleased demos of Terry Callier's great Cadet recordings from the late 60s and early 70s. You'll recognize a lot of tracks on here – like "Ordinary Joe", "Occasional Rain", "Can't Catch The Trane", and "Alley Wind Song" – but you'll hear them in versions that are totally different than the ones you know, with spare instrumentation that includes just Terry's voice and guitar, plus bass, percussion, and some electric keyboards. The sound is beautiful, and the record stands as one of Terry's best ever. Beautiful haunting tracks, with a mellow soulful vibe with a little jazzy tip, ala Terry's best work from the period. Great stuff, with a number of tracks that were never released before. Other titles include "Lean On Me", "Blues For Marcus", "900 Miles", and "Golden Circle #317". CD

Terry Callier's first album for Cadet – and the kickoff of one of the greatest three album runs that any soul artist ever recorded! This one's got a different feel than the later two, as it takes songs by Terry, and structures them with these little musical "segue" tracks in between every song, done in a sparer folksy style that recalls Terry's roots in the Old Town scene in Chicago. At the time, Terry was making the transition from folk artist to soul singer – and he'd been picked up by Jerry Butler and The Dells as a promising young songwriter, one of the best talents of the second generation of Chicago soul stars. The record's a stripped-down affair that features a small group with Charles Stepney on harpsichord and organ, Callier on guitar, and backing vocals by Minnie Riperton, Shirley Wahls, and Kitty Haywood. The album kicks off with Terry's great little pop ditty "Ordinary Joe" – probably the catchiest song he ever wrote – then rolls into more somber titles like "Occasional Rain", "Do You Finally Need A Friend", "Golden Circle", and "Blues For Marcus". A totally unique album – and a prime example of the genius that was coming out of Chicago at the time! CD

A great early album from Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – tempering the noisiness of their first album just a little bit, and showing Cave's enormous respect for darker strains of blues and proto rock of earlier decades in a really emphatic way – and his great talent for recasting those influences in his own howling poet visage. Amazing stuff that hasn't aged a day since the mid 80s. Includes "Tupelo", "Say Goodbye To The Little Girl Tree", "Train-Long Suffering", "The Black Crow King", their belligerent cover of Bob Dylan's "Wanted Man", "Knocking On Joe", "The Six Strings That Drew Blood" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

A sweet little set from Chick Corea – one that's got a bit of a Return To Forever vibe at times, but maybe taken down into tighter territory overall – which makes for pure jazz funk greatness throughout! Some tunes have a nice sense of groove – the choppy fusion of RTF, but more focused, and providing a great bump at the bottom for Chick to solo over the top – on Fender Rhodes, clavinet, and piano – with help from Joe Farrell on a variety of reeds, Bunny Brunel on bass, and Airto on percussion! There's a small bit of vocals on the set, but Chick's keys are the main star – and titles include "Slinky", "Drifting", "Glebe St Blues", "Fickle Funk", "Bagatelle 4", and "Hot News Blues". LP, Vinyl record album

They don't call Jimmy Dawkins "fast fingers" for nothing – and the first few minutes of the record are definitely testament to his mighty power on the guitar! The instrument is electric, and recorded with this sense of powerful echo that easily has Dawkins blowing away some of the UK blues rockers who were starting to get into the game at the time – as do his vocals, which we'd put head to head with some of the giants who took this mode and ran with it through the arena rock scene of the 70s! Yet throughout, it's the guitar that's especially amazing – completely confident and masterful, even though this was Jimmy's first album – with nice lean support from Eddie Shaw on tenor, Lafayette Leake on piano and organ, and Mighty Joe Young on second guitar. Titles include "Little Angel Child", "Night Rock", "Triple Trebles", "It Serves Me Right To Suffer", "Breaking Down", "I Don't Know What Love Is", and "I Wonder Why". LP, Vinyl record album

They don't call Jimmy Dawkins "fast fingers" for nothing – and the first few minutes of the record are definitely testament to his mighty power on the guitar! The instrument is electric, and recorded with this sense of powerful echo that easily has Dawkins blowing away some of the UK blues rockers who were starting to get into the game at the time – as do his vocals, which we'd put head to head with some of the giants who took this mode and ran with it through the arena rock scene of the 70s! Yet throughout, it's the guitar that's especially amazing – completely confident and masterful, even though this was Jimmy's first album – with nice lean support from Eddie Shaw on tenor, Lafayette Leake on piano and organ, and Mighty Joe Young on second guitar. Titles include "Little Angel Child", "Night Rock", "Triple Trebles", "It Serves Me Right To Suffer", "Breaking Down", "I Don't Know What Love Is", and "I Wonder Why". CD features two bonus tracks – "Sad & Blues" and "Back Home Blues". CD

Massive music from Ella Fitzgerald – 2CDs worth of sublime small group recordings – all of them live, and all of them previously unissued before the Hip-O/Verve Select box set! The set follows the same format of the Verve Ella In Hollywood album – recorded in a small club setting, with combo backing that really lets Fitzgerald open up and swing – inflecting the tunes with the kind of warmth and spontaneity that she brought to her famous live performances of the time – which were almost always more compelling than her studio sides, no matter how great those were too! Vols 1 & 2s feature material from two weeks' worth of recording in May of 1961 – with backing from Jim Hall on guitar, Lou Levy on piano, Wilfred Middlebrooks on bass, and Gus Johnson on drums. A brief intro rolls into beautiful material on 2CDs – 37 tracks in all: "Lover Come Back To Me", "Too Close For Comfort", "Little White Lies", "I Found A New Baby", "Perdido", "'Round Midnight", "Take The 'A' Train", "Mr Paganini", "Nice Work If You Can Get It", "I Can't Get It Started", "Give Me The Simple Life", "Lorelei", "Witchcraft", "That Old Black Magic", "Lullaby Of Birdland", "Imagination", "Joe Williams' Blues" and more. CD

Two of the biggest singers who ever worked for Verve Records – captured perfectly at the Newport Jazz Festival in 1957! Ella Fitzgerald steps out with a strong, lively groove on the first half of the set – swinging things with a looser, more upbeat quality than on some of her mellower Verve studio sets of the late 50s – really grooving it up with small combo backing from the trio of pianist Don Abney! Billie Holiday also gets some small combo backing too – a hip trio with Mal Waldron on piano, Joe Benjamin on bass, and Jo Jones on drums – often a bit more laidback than the group on Ella's sides, but in a great way that helps Holiday hit a very intimate sound, even before this large audience. Ella sings "This Can't Be Love", "Body & Soul", "April In Paris", "I Got A Crush On You", and "Airmail Special" – and Billie sings "Nice Work If You Can Get It", "What A Little Moonlight Can Do", "My Man", "Willow Weep For Me", and "Lady Sings The Blues". CD also features 3 more unissued bonus tracks by Ella – "Too Close For Comfort", "Lullaby Of Birdland", and "I'm Gonna Sit Right Down & Write Myself A Letter". And, added to all of this are 7 more tracks recorded by Carmen McRae at Newport, not issued by Verve in the 50s because Carmen was working for Decca! These sides feature trio backing too – from groups featuring Ray Bryant and Junior Mance on piano – on titles that include "Body & Soul", "Skyliner", "I'll Remember April", "Perdido", and "Love Is Here To Stay". CD

Sweet silver cycles from Eddie Harris – a wonderful late 60s album that features lots of lines on the electrified Varitone saxophone, mixed with cool contributions from a shifting lineup of soulful musicians! The set's one of Eddie's real classics from the Atlantic years – completely inventive, but never in a gimmicky way – and a really great bridge between late 60s modes of funk, jazz, and soul – at the same level he'd serve up more famously in his collaborations with Les McCann! There's a lot of that same energy here, but the vibe is even tighter – and Harris really blows us away with his great arrangements, which get a slight bit of help from Arif Mardin. Other players include Melvin Jackson on bass, Seldon Powell on reeds, and Joe Zawinul on keyboards – and titles include "Silver Cycles", "Electric Ballad", "Little Bit", "Free At Last", "Coltrane's View", "Electric Salad", "1974 Blues", and "Smoke Signals". LP, Vinyl record album

5 albums from Lee Morgan – one of the coolest cats to ever handle a trumpet for Blue Note! First up is Delightfulee – really unique album from the great Lee Morgan – a set that features the trumpeter in two different settings, but in a way that really works well together! Most of the album has Lee blowing in a very cool quintet – with Joe Henderson on tenor, McCoy Tyner on piano, Bob Cranshaw on bass, and Billy Higgins on drums – a group who maybe bring out a slightly hipper vibe that really points the way to the rest of Morgan's direction in the late 60s, when he was really letting some more spiritual currents loose. The other two tracks on the record feature a hip larger band directed by Oliver Nelson – swinging hard in a really soulful style! Nelson's arrangements on these two tracks are great – quite progressive, with a soul jazz big band style that seems to point the way towards the 70s – and the band provides a raging backdrop that lets Lee's trumpet soar over the top in beautiful crystal clear solos. Titles include "Nite Flite", "Delightful Deggie", "Ca-Lee-So", and "Zambia". Also features a few bonus tracks. The Cooker is a very appropriate title for a very cooking little album – one of Lee Morgan's first efforts as a leader, cut back during his first years of late 50s fame! The style here is a bit less Morgan-esque than some of Lee's later 60s classics – but the record is rock-solid throughout, and proof that Morgan was every bit as great a leader in a hardbop session as Hank Mobley or some of the other emerging heavyweights at Blue Note! The strength of the group really helps keep the fire stoked on the set – and Bobby Timmons turns in some amazing piano work alongside a lineup that includes Pepper Adams on baritone sax, Paul Chambers on bass, and Philly Joe Jones on drums. The Adams presence gives the record a bit of the feel of some of Pepper's sessions with Donald Byrd – but the sparkling, soaring sound of Morgan makes the record way more than just a copycat set. Titles include "New-Ma", "Night In Tunisia", "Lover Man", "Just One Of Those Things", and "Heavy Dipper". Lee Way is an undisputed masterpiece by Lee Morgan – and one of the first records in which he shed his straight bop sensibility, and began evolving into a soulful genius for the 60s! The album's got 4 long tracks that all build beautifully – really extended numbers that break the format of some of Lee's earlier work, and hint a bit at some of the more complicated touches he'd use on later sessions. All players are great – and include fellow Jazz Messengers Bobby Timmons on piano and Art Blakey on drums, plus Jackie McLean on alto and Paul Chambers on bass. Titles include the sublime "These Are Soulful Days" – a perfect model of soulful lyricism – plus "Midtown Blues", "Nakatini Suite", and "The Lion & The Wolff". Rumproller often gets too easily lumped next to The Sidewinder – because of an obvious title and cover similarity to that hit record – but like that one, the album's far more than jazz cliche – and shows Lee Morgan to be one of the greatest jazz musicians of the 60s. The set starts off with the title cut, "The Rumproller" – hard-wailing soul bop, in the manner of Lee's most popular work – but then it easily flows into more sensitive material that has a freer, lyrical feel – like the great original tune "Eclipso" and Wayne Shorter's "Edda" – both of which are superb. Lee is astounding, as always, on trumpet – and the rest of the group includes the great Ronnie Matthews on piano, plus Joe Henderson, Victor Sproles, and Billy Higgins. Search For The New Land is a brilliant album that proves that even at the height of his success, Lee Morgan was one of the freest thinkers on Blue Note – always coming up with fresh ideas that continued to grow his talents! The first cut on the album is keen poof of that fact – the title track "Search For The New Land" – a beautiful 16 minute exploration of modal jazz themes, with an unusual stop/start device as a means of ushering solos by different bandmates – including Wayne Shorter on tenor, Grant Green on guitar, and Herbie Hancock on piano! The approach is unlike anything that Morgan ever did before – and unlike most of other Blue Note as well – and it also benefits from great rhythmic help from Reggie Workman on bass and Billy Higgins on drums. Other tunes are a bit more conventional, but still pretty special – like some of Morgan's inventive work on the Rajah albums – with titles that include "The Joker", "Melancholee", "Mr. Kenyatta" and "Morgan The Pirate". CD

Upbeat stormers from the legendary Chess Records – a collection of 20 tracks from the 60s that bristle and burn with the best energy of a Northern Soul dancefloor! The package really spans the genius of Chess at the time – running through soul, jazz, blues, and gospel in search of a groove – going past the bigger hits to feature some great lesser-known gems, including a few singles from tinier Chess-related labels! There's plenty of Chicago and Detroit 60s grooves running through the set – mixed with other great bits that pick up the sound nicely, and stretch out with some really unusual touches! Titles include "Hold On" by The Radiants, "It Ain't Necessary" by Mamie Galore, "Ordinary Joe" by Terry Callier, "Leave It In The Hands Of Love" by Fontella Bass, "Landslide" by Tony Clarke, "Sweeter Than The Day Before" by The Valentinos, "More & More" by Little Milton, "More Love That's What We Need" by The Gospel Classics, "I Can't Help Myself" by The Gems, "Wade In The Water" by Ramsey Lewis, "Boogaloo Baby" by Tommy & Cleve, "Make Sure" by The Dells, and "Peak Of Love" by Bobby McClure. CD

Of all the soul labels of the 60s, Motown virtually had a lock on Christmas – jumping to the forefront with a host of classic recordings that have stood for years as some of the greatest soul Christmas tunes ever! Motown continued that tradition well into later years too – and this nice little set is a strong testament to the huge legacy of Holiday music served up by the label! The package brings together a few key cuts from the classic years, and mixes them with a lot of surprising numbers from later decades too – in a set list of 13 tracks that include "All I Want" by Asiahn, "Let It Snow" by Boyz II Men & Brian Knight, "This Christmas" by Ne Yo, "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town" by Jackson 5, "Silent Night" by Tiana Major9, "Silver Bells" by The Supremes, "Jesus Is Love" by The Commodores, "I Want To Come Home For Christmas" by Marvin Gaye, "Christmas Blues" by Njomza, "Deck The Halls/Bring A Torch" by Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, "Someday At Christmas" by Joy Denalane, "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" by India.Arie & Joe Sample, and "Give Love On Christmas Day" by Johnny Gill. CD

The legendary King Records is known as an important label for R&B and hillbilly music – but the label also has a surprisingly strong legacy in the early years of rock as well – maybe in part because it did such a good job of keeping its ear to the ground with those other important styles! King never got the chart-topping hits of a label like Sun Records, but it did manage to draw together an equally impressive array of talents – some still underground names after all these years, others now elevated in the secret history of rock and roll through their work for the label! The set brings together 30 tracks from King and related Federal and DeLuxe labels, all with the detailed notes and well-chosen cuts that continue to make this series so important, even after many years and dozens of releases – a legacy that's really supported here by cuts that include "Say So" and "If I Had A Woman" by Mac Curtis, "Stop The World" by The Bon Aires, "You're Gonna Like My Baby" by Bill Beach, "Haulin Freight" by Bob Newman, "Jungle Rock" by Hank Mizell, "Top Ten Rock" by Fuller Todd, "Put The Chain On The Door" by Boyd Bennett & His Rockets, "No Good Robin Hood" by Delbert Barker, "One Hand Loose" by Charlie Feathers, "Your Kind Of Lovin" by Donnie White, "Bip A Little Bop A Lot" by Joe Penny, "I'm Mad With You" by Moon Mullican, "Midnight Blues" by The Town Three, and "Good Good Good" by Ken McDonald. CD

A great little set that really lives up to the promise of its title – and it's claim to offer up "commercial recordings of Anglo-European American vernacular music that challenges the stereotypes"! The set's a wealth of obscure 78rpm recordings that really defy genre convention – and which show that the 20s was easily one of the most experimental times in American music – a point when later common styles were really quite new, and still very fluid – bits of later blues, folk, or country intermingling equally – often from sources that you wouldn't expect a decade or two later. These tracks are all acoustic, but feature really inventive instrumentation – especially when modes of a generation or two before are pushed into new phrasings with decidedly (then) modern flavors. As usual with these Tompkins Square reissues, the sound quality is great – and the package offers up some good notes to help situate the music too. Titles include "Caliope" by Lewis Brothers, "Bacon & Cabbage" by Blind Joe Mangrum & Fred Shriver, "Don't Get One Woman On Your Mind" by Willard Hodgin, "The Whale Did I Know He Did" by Mustard & Gravy, "Ladies Quadrille" by The Happy Hayseeds, "Dill Pickles Rag" by McLaughlin's Old Time Melody Makers, and "Down In Tennessee Blues" by Homer Davenport. CD

Basie was getting all over the place during the 50s – and this set's a great little concert recorded in London! The album's classic Basie for Verve – with Joe Williams on vocals on 3 tracks, and a tight group that includes Thad Jones, Joe Newman, Benny Powell, Matthew Gee, and Frank Foster. Titles include "Flute Juice", "Nails", "Blues Backstage", "Corner Pocket", "Roll Em Pete", and "Well All Right Okay You Win". LP, Vinyl record album

A brilliant example of why Eddie Bert was one of the hippest trombonists of the 50s – a player who could bridge the worlds of Stan Kenton and Charles Mingus, and always come up with a sound that was one of the freshest on his instrument! The bulk of the CD features small combo work Bert recorded for the Discovery label in 1953 and 1954 – quintet sessions done with Duke Jordan on piano and Clyde Lombardi on bass, plus other players that include Sal Salvador on guitar, Vinnie Dean on alto sax, and Joe Morello on drums. Bert's sound throughout is fluid, lean, and modern – gliding with light colors one moment, a crisp modern edge the next, and a bit of boppish inflection at others – always opening up new areas of expression for the sometimes-staid trombone, and working here at a level that matches 50s invention of better-known players on the instrument. 4 additional tracks on the CD are from a previously unissued 1959 recording with Dean on alto, Lombardi on bass, Sal Mosca on piano, and Ed Shaughnessy on drums – plus a really unique 17 minute live recording of the title track by a quartet with Bert, Jordan, Lombardi, and Osie Johnson on drums. Bert's playing on this extended track alone is worth the price of admission – but the CD features a total of 73 minutes of music in all, on 17 tracks that include "Ripples", "Conversation Piece", "Interwoven", "Little Train", "Kaleidoscope", "Around Town", "Melting Pot", "He Ain't Got Rhythm", and "Blues At Sunrise". CD

The great Dollar Brand is a wonderful pianist, no matter what the setting – but he seems especially great when in collaboration with other contemporary giants – which is definitely the case here in a superb live performance with trumpeter Don Cherry from the early 70s! As you'll guess from he cover, Don's in the throes of his globally expansive style on the performance – and there's this majesty to the music that's really wonderful – sounds that are organic, yet which quickly grow from little sprouts to a powerful force in spiritual music – with Brand on additional flute, alongside Johnny Dyani on bass and Nana Vasconcelos on berimbau and percussion. All players vocalize slightly at points, and the set spins out with a great sense of spontaneous imagination and creativity – on titles that include "Kalahari", "Blues For America", "The Pilgrim", "Bra Joe From Kilimanjaro", "Cherry", and "Waya Wa Egoli". LP, Vinyl record album

A real gem from the height of Dizzy's big band years at Verve – a stunning little set that features a hip larger group that includes Joe Gordon, Melba Liston, Rod Leavitt, Phil Woods, Ernie Wilkins, and Billy Mitchell. The groove here is well-orchestrated, well-placed soul – with less of the playful bop touches of earlier sides, and more of a hiply modern style that shows Dizzy stretching out in larger shades of color and tone. And while the "World Statesmen" cover and image might make you wary of some gimmick on the set, the album's key Gillespie through and through – a deft turn away from the styles of the bop years, into a world of sound that would support his career strongly for years to come! Titles include "Tour De Force", "Doodlin", "Night In Tunisia", "The Champ", "My Reverie", and "Dizzy's Blues". LP, Vinyl record album

Sweet silver cycles from Eddie Harris – a wonderful late 60s album that features lots of lines on the electrified Varitone saxophone, mixed with cool contributions from a shifting lineup of soulful musicians! The set's one of Eddie's real classics from the Atlantic years – completely inventive, but never in a gimmicky way – and a really great bridge between late 60s modes of funk, jazz, and soul – at the same level he'd serve up more famously in his collaborations with Les McCann! There's a lot of that same energy here, but the vibe is even tighter – and Harris really blows us away with his great arrangements, which get a slight bit of help from Arif Mardin. Other players include Melvin Jackson on bass, Seldon Powell on reeds, and Joe Zawinul on keyboards – and titles include "Silver Cycles", "Electric Ballad", "Little Bit", "Free At Last", "Coltrane's View", "Electric Salad", "1974 Blues", and "Smoke Signals". CD

Includes the songs "Jeep's Blues", "Castle Rock", "(A Flower Is A Lovesome Thing) Passion Flower", "Duke's In Bed", "Little Rabbit Blues", "Early Morning Rock", "Honey Hill", "The Last Time I Saw Paris", "Not So Dukish", "Back Beat", "Gal From Joe's", "Rosetta", "Don't Sleep In The Subway", "Funky Blues", and "Squatty Roo". CD

A legendary record from the late 60s scene in Peru – recorded by a group with the mod roots you might guess from their look on the cover, but who are definitely starting to let their hair down and get a bigger dose of the psychedelic generation in their mix! Instrumentation features all the fuzzy guitars and organ lines you might expect – delivered at that level that's made the group one of the key proponents of the legendary Peruvian scene at the time – one of the heights of South American rock experimentation. The group turn in unusual versions of "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida", "Strange Brew" and "Hey Joe" – and they serve up some wild originals too, including "Pepper's Boogaloo", "Answer", "Is My Guitar", "Raga Gag", "Words Of Pain", and the wild "Betty Boom Little Monster Doggie & Peggie At The Witches Castle". CD version has 3 bonus cuts – including a Spanish version of "Stormy", plus the instrumentals "Un Nuevo Verano" and "Outside Woman Blues". CD

Caribbean styles hit the American scene – then get transformed into something completely different in this huge collection of recordings that span styles that include jazz, Latin, R&B, soul, and blues! In some cases, the Caribbean element comes through in the song structure – which might be lifted directly, then reworked for an American audience. But at other times, the influence is more in the rhythms or instrumentation – used as inspiration to then create something new – a bit in the way that American soul would provide the inspiration for reggae in the 60s. The package has the usual fantastic Fremeaux presentation – with a big booklet of historical notes, in both French and English, to support 66 titles that include "Jamaica Farewell" by Sam Cooke, "Salty Fish Aki Rice" by Ruth Wallis, "Bajan Girl" by Lionel Belasco, "Sly Mongoose" by Sam Manning, "El Gallero" by Dioris Valladares & Angel Viloria, "El Mambo Diablo" by Tito Puente, "Hey Little Girl" by Professor Longhair, "Un Poco Loco" by Bud Powell, "Chee Koo Baby" by Lloyd Price, "Shrinking Up Fast" by Camille Howard, "Ojai" by Joe Lutcher, "Salee Dame" by Albert Nicholas & Baby Dodds, "Inside" by Hector The Ram, "Run Come See Jerusalem"b y Stan Wilson, "I Learn A Merengue" by Robert Mitchum, "Afro Blue" by Cal Tjader, "La Maricutana" by Damiron & Chapuseaux, "Magical Joe" by Herb Jeffries, "Begin The Beguine" by Charlie Parker, "Make It Do" by Slim Gaillard, "Guitarambo" by Mickey Baker, and "Don't Touch Me Nylon" by The Charmer (aka Louis Farrakhan). CD

Legendary work from Goldwax Records – pulled from a stretch when the Memphis imprint was really going strong! By the time of these tracks, Goldwax was really coming into their own – picking up some of the best soul currents of the Memphis scene – and rivaling the Stax/Volt powerhouse in terms of quality – especially on the deep soul tracks that Goldwax seemed to do better than anyone else! This 2CD package is a wonderful overview of these golden years for the label – and it features every single single, both a and b-sides intact – presented with detailed notes on each release. Some of the work is the stuff of Memphis soul legend – mixed in with some more unusual, lesser-known bits from the scene – including a few rock, blues, and country numbers as well. 54 tracks in all – with titles that include "Anything You Do Is Alright" by Spencer Wiggins, "Don't You Believe Him" by Ivory Joe Hunter, "Cry Me A Hand Full" by The Terrys, "Say You Need It" by Barbara Perry, "Lovable Girl" by James Carr, "When You Look In The Mirror" by Eddie Jefferson, "What Time Ye Got" by Gene Bowlegs Miller, "Little Things" by Jeannie Newman, "Forgetting You" by James Carr, "Hello Daughter" by Leroy Daniel, "I Can't Forget You" by The Yo Yos, "Good Times" by George & Greer, "Walking Out On You" by Spencer Wiggins, "Qualifications" by The Ovations, "Liquid Mood" by Timmy Thomas, "Call On Me" by Percy Milem, "Me & My Imagination" by The Ovations, and "The Wife Of The Life Of The Party" by Kathy Davis. CD

The Vietnam war was tough on most folks in the US – but it's no secret that it was especially tough on black Americans – who were often given little choice and little chance to get out of the callup to the military action – which left a huge impression on their community for years to come! This package documents the affect of Vietnam in soul music – in ways that are both direct and more subtle, as the package blends together a number of tracks that you likely don't know at all, and others that you might have missed as being critical of the war – as there's more subtle messaging going on, a lesson that was learned during the Civil Rights era, when a mellower lyric might get more mainstream circulation – as a call to action that a change was going to come. The quality of cuts here is wonderful – as well-selected as some of the Ace/Kent collections of rare soul music on small labels – and there's definitely a few here that we're hearing for the first time, alongside other numbers that really sound great in the setting. Titles include "Fighting For My Baby" by Donald Jenkins, "Lonely Soldier" by William Bell, "Letter To A Buddie" by Joe Medwick, "I Want To Come Home For Christmas" by Marvin Gaye, "My Ship Is Coming In Tomorrow" by The Pace Setters, "Johnny" by King Hannibal, "Going On Strike" by The Emotions, "Uncle Sam" by Jimmy Hughes, "My Soldier Boy Is Coming Home" by The Shirelles, "Glad To Be Home" by Charles Smith & Jeff Cooper, "The War Is Over My Brother" by The Sensational Saints, "Home To Stay" by RB Greaves, "Stop The War" by The Impressions, "Wish You Were Here With Me" by The Fawns, "VC Blues" by Allen Orange, "Promise That You'll Wait" by Michael Lizzmore, "Men Are Getting Scarce" by Chairmen Of The Board, and "Leave Him Alone" by Stu Gardner. CD