One of the smartest books we've ever seen on album cover art – a lavish full color volume that not only presents loads of classic images, but also has plenty to say about them as well! The book is a bit smaller than LP format – maybe 8" square overall – but it's filled with loads of full page reproductions of classic hi fi, bachelor pad, and mood music album covers – most with a facing page of test that really examines the images, and also offers up other historical details too! The authors really follow a direction that's inspirational – treating these album covers not as kitsch, but as a rich document of midcentury America at the crossroads – full of deeper meaning if you know how to read things the right way. The book features chapters that include "Let's Have a Dinner Party", "Music For Hi Fi Living", "Cuba", "Airlines", "Adventures In Sound", "Sound Tour", and "Capitol Of The World" – and the hardcover volume is 420 pages, full color, with great notes at the end! Book

A career-spanning retrospective of the photographic side of Chris Marker – an artist who's probably better-known for his work in film, such as the seminal La Jetee – a movie that is really just a set of photographs too! The title gives away part of the approach here – as a good number of the images in the book have the photographic subject staring back at the camera – yet these are also mixed with other images from around the globe, over the space of decades – presented here in beautiful black and white images that are as striking as the one on the cover. The book also features a bit of writing by Marker on his work, and some essays from others as well – in a hardcover edition, 157 pages, with black and white images throughout. Book

That's a pretty crazy image on the cover, and there's some pretty crazy images within – as this well-done book looks at the way the BBC conceived of presenting a public, permanent face to its ephmeral broadcast identity in the early 20th century – through the creation of the modernist masterpiece Broadcast House in London! The book begins with the construction of that landmark building, then moves on to other topics that deal with the interplay between the new ideas on radio and the shifting setting of London in the years before and through WWII – served up here with black and white images alongside some very well-penned critical text by the author. 331 pages, hardcover, with black and white images. Book

A series of essays on the music and creative practice of the great composer, John Cage – material written over the space of 50 years, by a variety of different authors – each of whom look at a key aspect of Cage's theory and influence! The October title is a reference to the journal of the same name – but the material here didn't just come from its pages, as some of the essays predate the publication – and include "John Cage Or Liberated Music" by Heinz Klaus Metger, "Chance As Ideology" by Koran Boehmer, "Looking Myself In The Mouth" by Yvonne Rainer, "Cage & Asia" by David W Patterson, "John Cage & The Architecture Of Silence" by Branden W Joseph, "Post Cagean Aesthetics & The Event Score" by Liz Kotz, "The Formalization Of Indeterminacy In 1958" by Rebecca Y Kim, and "John Cage & Investiture" by Julia Robinson – who also edited the book. Book

A massive overview of modern art in late 20th Century China – put together by a gallerist who's helped open up this material to the world at large over the past few decades! The heavy volume is enormous, over 400 pages, and overflowing with color images – not just artworks, but photographs of performances and other creative actions – accompanied by a huge amount of history and analysis by Gao Minglu, who clearly knows his stuff! There's far more text than you'll find in the usual oversized art book, but the volume also doesn't skimp on images either – which makes for a very vivid history of a world that most of us would not experience otherwise. Book

Sexy ladies on the cover, and some equally sexy sounds underneath – served up in a perfect 60s Italian blend of jazz and bossa-based styles! Sweeping strings bring a nice sense of depth to some numbers, while others have a more intimate feel – either via spare guitar, or some jazzy elements on piano, sax, and organ – shifting instrumentation that really keeps things interesting throughout, and which makes the record feel like some rich narrative on its own, in sound – without any need for the images on the screen. The whole thing is wonderful – one of those Italian soundtrack treasures that delivers even more than it promises – and music was composed by Alessandro Alessandroni and Francesco De Masi, then orchestrated by De Masi, with some cool wordless vocal moments as well. Titles include a number of variations on "Lesbo" plus the sweet vocal opener "Qualsiasi Cosa", "Crepuscolo Sul Mare", and "IL'Isola Dell'Amore". CD

A really sweet soundtrack to an earlier Spaghetti Western flick – 1965's Una Barra Per Lo Sceriffo, composed by Francesco De Masi! As with most of these 60s western gems, this one opens with a very cool theme – "A Lone And Angry Man", sung in English and with kind of a fun, almost loungey charisma to the vocals, which is a nice balance to the galloping, wild west instrumentation! The tracks that follow range from sweeping string sections to spare acoustic guitars, often with clip-clopping percussion and horns on the grander numbers – that sublime spaghetti mode that was always very different than the drama of American westerns, and which makes a set like this so great. CD features 15 tracks in all – a few of which feature chorus vocals by I Cantori Modern. CD

... LP, Vinyl record album

An expanded version of Hugo Friedhofer's score for One Eyed Jacks – a compelling soundtrack for one of the more ill-fated westerns of the 50s! Friedhofer really moves beyond familiar stereotypes here – using offbeat orchestrations, often heavy on woodwinds and solo instrumentation, to create a nice sense of place and space – almost exotic at points, then underscored by bolder dramatic themes that build as the soundtrack unfolds. There's almost as much drama in the music as you'll find on the screen – and titles include "Seduction", "Contrition", "Toast To Friendship", "Kiss Of A Scoundrel/Pursued By Rurales", and "Finale". CD features a full bonus disc – a second CD with 27 more tracks from the original score, as well as alternates of the main themes on the first disc! CD

Jorg A Schneider on drums with Jason Wietlispach on record player, drone, reeds, and bass. CD

Amazing images from the painter of the Bitches Brew album cover – the legendary Mati Klarwein – an artist with a very colorful style of painting nude bodies! Mati's artwork has graced many albums over the years – not just work from Miles Davis, but records by Buddy Miles, Jerry Garcia, The Chambers Brothers, and many others – all of which are presented here in a really well-done book – filled with vivid, colorful reproductions of the album covers in full 12" square size! The original package was put together in a limited pressing by a French gallery – but this version is much more affordable, and also features English notes as well – but all without sacrificing any of the printing quality at all. The book is 184 pages, full color, and with nice heavy covers – and it's just the right size to stack nicely next to your classic Miles Davis records! Book

Mark Mantel on percussion and electronics. CD

A stunning jazz soundtrack from Piero Piccioni – much more like some of the classic French new wave jazz scores of the late 50s than some of his groovy, mod sounds to come later in the 60s! The instrumentation here is a beautiful mix of piano, bass, vibes, and some occasional stronger horns – used mostly on tracks that are short, but extremely haunting – very evocative, with lots of echoes of American crime jazz, but served up with the more subtle, more tonally rich qualities we love in the early years of Piccioni – stepping here directly from his roots in the Italian jazz scene, and delivering superb sounds throughout! This CD marks the first time the music has ever been issued – as there was an original 45rpm EP scheduled in the 60s, but never issued – and that is presented here with a huge amount of bonus tracks – 31 numbers in all that make for a fantastic soundscape in jazz. CD

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2 soundtracks by David Shire – an oft-overlooked film composer, best known for his work on Pelham 123! Farewell My Lovely is a great late Robert Mitchum film – kind of a 70s noir, featuring Mitchum as Philip Marlowe – and the music is kind of a reworking of an older style of dramatic crime soundtrack styles, with the additional of some more off-beat and edgey passages that create a more sinister feel. The score's actually got some nice jazz work by players that include Dick Nash, Don Menza, and Artie Kane – and features 12 titles that include "Mrs Grayle's Theme", "Amthor's Place", "Marlowe's Trip", "Three Mile Limited", and "Moose Finds His Velma". That soundtrack is followed up by Monkey Shines – a dark 80s horror flick, done with a mix of atonal orchestrated numbers, and others that somehow have a sweeter more redemptive feel. Titles include "The Lab", "Death Of A Parakeet", "The Reascent Of Man", "Agon: Man Versus Monkey", and "Asocial Climbing". CD

... 78 RPM, Vinyl record

One of the few straight rock records ever issued on the mostly-folk Monitor Records label – a great 60s outing from Freeborne, a group with a sound that's as tripped-out as you might expect from the cover! Instrumentation is heavy on organ and guitars, both acoustic and electric, but there's also some cool percussion too – and interesting use of recorders, in a way that comes across with an ocarina-like charm! Vocals are somewhat soft, but have a dark undercurrent – and there's a really great folk-into-psyche sort of feel to the whole thing. Titles include "Images", "Land Of Diana", "But I Must Return To Frenzy", "Inside People", "Yellow Sky", "Peak Impressions & Thoughts", and "Visions Of My Own". CD

2 Capitol Records gems from Louis Prima & Keely Smith – on a single CD, and with bonus tracks too! Hey Boy Hey Girl is a groovy little soundtrack recording – done for a rare film that starred Louis Prima and Keely Smith, working very much at the height of their 50s Capitol powers! The sound of the album's every bit as great as some of the better-known studio sets by the pair – and like those sets, the record's a mix of the duo's great duet numbers and some excellent solo tracks too – numbers that either have Louis in the lead, or Keely hitting a few warmer, mellower notes. Backings are by Sam Butera & The Witnesses – and titles include "Hey Boy Hey Girl", "Banana Split For My Baby", "Fever", "You Are My Love", "Oh Marie", "Lazy River", and "Nitey-Nite". Swinging Pretty is a classic album by Keely Smith – Louis Prima's one-time wife and classic singing partner, working here on her own! Arrangements are by Nelson Riddle – showcasing Keely as a great singer in her own right, able to work in that sophisticated jazz-based style that you'd find with the best Capitol singers, like Frank Sinatra, Peggy Lee, or Nat King Cole. Titles include "It's Magic", "Indian Love Call", "Someone To Watch Over Me", "Stormy Weather", and "There Will Never Be Another You". Bonus tracks include "A Foggy Day", "Nothings Too Good For My Baby", "The Lip", and "I've Got You Under My Skin" by Louis & Keely – plus "It's Magic", "Don't Let A Memory", and "Don't Take Your Love From Me" by Keely Smith. CD

A 60s album, but one that brings together earlier small combo work from trumpeter Buck Clayton! The set features work from his Big Four combo, with Tiny Grimes on guitar; his Big Eight group with Trummy Young on trombone, George Johnson on alto, and Billy Taylor on piano; and Trummy Young's Big Seven, with Buster Bailey on clarinet and Jimmy Jones on piano! LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

A really unique document of the struggle and story of Angela Davis – recorded in 1971 by ABC news, and packaged together here as kind of a sonic program by Folkways! The record works like a short news program – starting out with a statement by Angela, then moving to a narrated introduction, then a long interview conducted by Joe Walker of Muhammad Speaks. Side two continues with a panel discussion on the case, then ends with some very cool "man in the street" style interviews! Capped off with a really great cover photo of Angela too! CD

... LP, Vinyl record album

A set with maybe the most striking cover image that Monday Michiru's given us in years – and a record that really delivers on that promise, too – filled with really captivating tunes that represent a new high level in Monday's already-high career! There's a depth and maturity to the record that we never would have guessed when we first fell in love with her music – and we thought she was already pretty darn deep way back then – as Monday delivers hers vocals alongside musical complexity that takes strong advantage of the many great guest jazz musicians in the lineup – players who include Misha Tsiganov and David Kikoski on Fender Rhodes, Gil Goldstein on piano, Lew Tabackin on flute, and Steve Wilson on soprano sax. But at the center of it all is Monday – far more a jazz singer in recent years than the soul artist of her start – but balancing the spirit of both worlds beautifully, and with command of her vocal instrument that's completely stunning! Where most singers seem to get a bit more casual about their craft over the years, Michiru's just continued to master her natural instrument with a fantastic range and wonderfully expressive quality. Titles include "Ombre Of Time", "Pivot", "Cycles", "The Sound", "Ringo Oiwake", "Hope Pretend To Sleep", "Rise Above", "Life", and "Gossamer's Touch" – plus "Untethered", which features some great guest work from Ursula Rucker! LP, Vinyl record album

A beautiful early session on Charles Mingus' Debut Records label – one that features singer Ada Moore – a thin-voiced, yet soulful songstress with an edgey sort of tone! The album's got lots of nice rough edges that take it away from the cliched vocal album of the time – including searingly modern solos from LaPorta, slightly muted guitar work from Farlow, and an overall recording style that's very "roomy" – with almost a loft-like feel to the set. Titles include "Something To Live For", "Strange Fascination", "Devil Is A Woman", and "Lass From The Low Country". LP, Vinyl record album

Kenneth Patchen, like Kenneth Rexroth, was one of the few poets who really understood what it meant to read and write in a jazz idiom – as you'll hear on this excellent set of beatnik jazz tracks! The album features Patchen reading in a great style – angular, cynical, really working the words of his poems perfectly over backings by the Alan Neil Quartet. The poems are set to music written by George Wallington, Charlie Parker, and others – and tracks include "There's A Place", "They Won't Let You In There", "Do I Not Deal With Angels", "Not Many Kingdoms Left", "The Lonesome Boy Blues", "As I Opened The Window", and "A Sight Is Little Altered". CD