... 7-inch, Vinyl record

With Clifford Jordan on tenor sax, Art Farmer on flugelhorn, Kenny Barron on piano, and Kenny Burrell on guitar! CD

Includes the songs "Love You Madly", "Getaway", "Sophisticated Lady", "Don't Get Around Much Anymore", "Lomelin", "Ay-ee-en", "See You Later", "You Know Triple Chase", and "Blues For Zubin". CD

A great title for this one – as the album's got a cool, laidback groove that's very much in a "night song" mode! Arrangements are by Don Sebesky – in that warm and fluid mode he was bringing to some of his best CTI sides at the time – and they push guitarist Kenny Burrell a bit more than usual, as he stretches out over the larger arrangements with some really great solo work that dips, turns, and rolls with incredibly warm hues of sound! Kenny plays solo on 2 tracks, and with a smaller quartet on a few more – and titles include "Night Song", "Love You Madly", "The Shadow Of Your Smile", "Brother Where Are You?", "Nighthawk", and "Teach Me Tonight". CD

Include the songs "March 19th Blues", "Feet Bone", "In A Sentimental Mood", "Discontented", "Jump For Joy", "Just Scratchin The Surface", "Prelude To A Kiss", "Miss Lucy", "Uncontrived", "Satin Doll","Do Not Disturb", "Love You Madly", "Short Sheet Cluster", "Moon Mist", and "Long Time Blues". CD

A pretty sweet 70s set from Art Farmer – ostensibly a tribute to Duke Ellington, but really more of a gently soulful session in the mode of Art's best work of the decade! The group is the Cedar Walton trio with Walton on piano, Sam Jones on bass, and Billy Higgins on drums – all matching Art's lyrical work beautifully, in a soulfully swinging way that transforms familiar Ellington numbers into new vehicles for creative expression. Farmer's at the height of his powers, and tracks include "Love You Madly", "Lush Life", "In A Sentimental Mood", and "The Star Crossed Lovers". CD

A really well-chosen set of classic Afro Funk records from Fela Kuti – hand-picked by Idris Elba, and brought together in this limited box set! Open & Close is an early classic from Fela Kuti & Africa 70 – the kind of early 70s record that helped both the leader and the group establish themselves as a global powerhouse of funk and soul! The set begins with the side-long "Open & Close" – a righteous tune that's driven onward by lots of tight drums from Tony Allen – young, focused, and completely amazing here – while Fela delivers all these madly leaping electric piano lines amidst the super-sharp horn section – all moving instrumentally for many minutes before the vocals come into play! Side two features two shorter tracks, but still nice and long in comparison to most funky groups – the wonderful "Swegbe & Pako" and "Gbagada Gbagada Gbogodo Gbogodo" – tunes that really send the record over the top! Fela teams up with vibist Roy Ayers on Music Of Many Colors – one of the best soul collaborations ever – a whopping album that brings together the best sides of these monster soul talents of the 70s! In keeping with Fela's work, the tracks are long and Afro-tinged, with a complicated groove that grows over the length of the track. And in keeping with Roy's work, the album has a sweet soulful feel, with lots of nice jazzy touches, cool vibes, and great vocals by Roy. Two long tracks, both classics: "2000 Black" and "Africa, Center of the World". Opposite People is seminal work from one of Fela's most crucial periods – recorded at a time when his soul was the deepest! The album features 2 long tracks – "Opposite People" and "Equalisation Of Trouser & Pant" – and they both have beautiful spooky keyboards in the instrumental passages, then leap into hard soul vocals by Fela. Tremendous stuff – done in a style that shows that no matter how many people cop or remake Fela's sound, he's still the best one to do it! The rare Stalemate album features the side-long tracks "Stalemate" and "Don't Worry About My Mouth" – both really hard-driving numbers, with a fantastic mix of vocals and grooves! Live In Amsterdam is an excellent live set from Fela – one that shows that he was still very capable of going over the top during the 80s! The set's a double LP – and it features 4 great numbers by the group, with Fela on soprano sax, piano, and organ, and plenty of other great work on tenor, alto, and trumpet. Titles include "Gimme Shit I Give You Shit", "Custom Check Point", "Movement Of The People", and "Political Statement Number 1". I Go Shout Plenty is a great one from Fela – with a date of 1986, but a sound that's pure late 70s! The record features 2 long tracks – "I Go Shout Plenty" and "Why Black Man Dey Suffer" – and they're both hard groovers with a strong political feel. "Why Black Man" is especially nice, and has some great keyboard riffing in the middle, with that great tinny sound that you'll hear on the best Fela albums. One that we almost never see – and issued on the Decca subsidiary Afrodisia. LP, Vinyl record album

With Galper on piano, Wayne Dockery on bass, and Steve Ellington on drums. Tracks include "Seranata", "Love You Madly", "Flamingo", "Ebb Tide", "Here's To My Lady", and "This Is All I Ask". CD

A great early example of the genius of mixing guitar with the piano of Oscar Peterson – a move that might have been inspired by the success of Ahmad Jamal, but which works equally well for Peterson's sound on the keys! The tracks here feature either Herb Ellis or Irving Ashby on guitar – plus the always-solid bass of Ray Brown, and some slight extra work on drums by Louis Bellson. Most of the focus is still on Oscar's incredible work on piano, but the dancing colors of the guitar are a great addition that really flesh out the sound without slowing down Peterson's groove. Titles include "Pompton Turnpike", "Alone Together", "Soft Winds", "The Continental", "Love You Madly", and "Simple Life". LP, Vinyl record album

Right On! Quite possibly the heaviest, baddest music ever laid to tape, this set offers up over 6 hours of some of the deepest, darkest free jazz, afro funk, fist in the air post-modern musique concrete to sprout from Miles' horn and crew! This box closes the door on the studio side of what may be the most influential studio jams wrought at the turn of the 70s, issuing the unedited original takes of the material that Miles and Teo Macero would parse down and edit into On The Corner and Big Fun, plus some material that made it out on various compilations later issued on Columbia, and best of all, a dozen never before released tracks! The core group here is Miles, Michael Henderson, Mtume, Al Foster and Reggie Lucas, but Dave Liebman, Carlos Garnett, Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, Jack Dejohnette, Pete Cosey, Badal Roy, Bennie Maupin and John McLaughlin, as well as a number of other players, are all featured, which isn't surprising when you consider the ground covered here! The groove here is unstoppable funk, as on the nearly 20 minute jam that is the unedited full take of "On The Corner" and drawn out renditions of "Mtume", "Turnaround", "Ife" and "Helen Butte/Mr Freedom X", but the vibe veers in other directions too, as with the breezy "Maiysha", the multilayered "Calypso Frelimo" and the spacious "He Loved Him Madly". There's 31 tracks spread out over the 6 discs, ther unissued gems include "Hip-Skip", "Chieftain", "What They Do", "Peace" and "Mr Foster", and as you'd expect, the box is extra deluxe, with a thick booklet full of notes and some great quotes from the band, and a sweet metallic box to hold it all together! Vote Miles! CD

One of Narada Michael Walden's tighter records of the 70s – a tight batch of soul tracks that steps off of his spiritual roots into a sound that points the way towards 80s groove! Narada's on piano and percussion, as well as vocals – and the rest of the group grooves heavily in a mix of mini-moog, prophet, and other late 70s keyboards. Tracks include "I Shoulda Love Ya", "Lovin You Madly", "Carry On", "The Dance Of Life", and "Why Did You Turn Me On". LP, Vinyl record album

Seminal sounds from this great Detroit group – and a key look at their less-remembered music of the 60s! Although Fantastic Four are probably best remembered for their later disco work – including the Alvin Stone album on Westbound – back in their early days, they were a great Detroit vocal group with a sweet raw sound and some excellent harmonies. Although this album says it's a "best of", it's really the only full LP the group cut during the time – and it's a rare treasure of harmony soul, cut with a nicely stripped-down sound that makes the tracks shine like rough indie soul gems instead of Motown numbers. Titles include "I Love You Madly", "The Whole World Is A Stage", "Goddess Of Love", "As Long As I Live", and "Man In Love" – but the whole record's great! CD

A pretty sweet 70s set from Art Farmer – ostensibly a tribute to Duke Ellington, but really more of a gently soulful session in the mode of Art's best work of the decade! The group is the Cedar Walton trio with Walton on piano, Sam Jones on bass, and Billy Higgins on drums – all matching Art's lyrical work beautifully, in a soulfully swinging way that transforms familiar Ellington numbers into new vehicles for creative expression. Farmer's at the height of his powers, and tracks include "Love You Madly", "Lush Life", "In A Sentimental Mood", and "The Star Crossed Lovers". CD

Massive massive Miami funk – and a record that seems to sound better and better as the years move on! Sure, KC and crew were a chart-topping act, but this first album's a stellar batch of heavy cuts – featuring great instrumentation on clavinet, conga, guitars, and horns – all bubbled into an extremely tight mix that riffs along madly on just about every cut! Sure, we grew up grooving to this stuff out of the AM radio in the car (hmmm. . . Maybe that was the problem), but honestly, it sure stands up to a lot more funk from the time than you'd expect! Includes all the big hits – like "Boogie Shoes", "That's The Way (I Like It)", and "Get Down Tonight" – plus some nice breaks and funky intros on "I Get Lifted" and "Let It Go". LP, Vinyl record album

An amazing album that's probably one of the most unified albums that George Clinton ever recorded! The band's rawer style has been firmed up and economized – but a lot of the best elements are still in place, including a strange approach to vocals that has male and female voices interacting and counterbalancing in a similar style to that heard on some of Roy Ayers' best work from the early 70s. Clinton's begun introducing a lot of elements of Funkadelic into the group – but the tracks are still short and very tight, with a focused approach to both funk and lyrics that really makes the album stand up to repeated listenings over the years. The album begins with the sublime "Chocolate City", a surprisingly political number that has these incredible jagged piano lines that echo away madly – then it rolls into other great numbers like "Side Effects", "What Comes Funky", "If It Don't Fit, Don't Force It", and "I Misjudged You". CD

A near-lost gem in Oscar Peterson's mid-50s catalog for Verve – and a sparkling set of trio numbers recorded at the Shakespeare Festival in Ontario! Despite the literate setting of the recording, the work's never stuffy or academic – and Peterson swings things mightily with his trio that includes Herb Ellis on guitar and Ray Brown on bass. The recording quality is wonderful – deep, rich, and luminous – at a level that almost makes us say "why didn't they stop here, since Oscar sounds so perfect?" Titles include "Love You Madly", "52nd Street Theme", "Flamingo", "How About You", and "Noreen's Nocturne". CD

A mindblowing collaboration between The Heliocentrics and underground film legend Melvin Van Peebles – a set that has the group serving up some madly trippy grooves, while Melvin speaks and sings some wisdom of his own! Van Peebles already blew our minds years ago with his insane soundtrack to Sweet Sweetback's Baaaadasss Song – still one of our favorite records of all times – and The Heliocentrics follow in the odd spirit of that gem, by mixing lots of sounds and styles together in a mad cacophony of music – then leaving just the right amount of space for Melvin to come into the mix! Instrumentation is often fuzzy and psych-oriented, but always with a funky, soulful vibe as well – of the sort you'd hear on vintage records from Van Peebles – and titles include "Big Bang Reincarnation", "Transformation", "Infinite List", "Trust The Cosmos", and "Blue Mist". Special package also features a full bonus disc of instrumentals too! CD

An amazing album that's probably one of the most unified albums that George Clinton ever recorded! The band's rawer style has been firmed up and economized – but a lot of the best elements are still in place, including a strange approach to vocals that has male and female voices interacting and counterbalancing in a similar style to that heard on some of Roy Ayers' best work from the early 70s. Clinton's begun introducing a lot of elements of Funkadelic into the group – but the tracks are still short and very tight, with a focused approach to both funk and lyrics that really makes the album stand up to repeated listenings over the years. The album begins with the sublime "Chocolate City", a surprisingly political number that has these incredible jagged piano lines that echo away madly – then it rolls into other great numbers like "Side Effects", "What Comes Funky", "If It Don't Fit, Don't Force It", and "I Misjudged You". LP, Vinyl record album

A near-lost gem in Oscar Peterson's mid-50s catalog for Verve – and a sparkling set of trio numbers recorded at the Shakespeare Festival in Ontario! Despite the literate setting of the recording, the work's never stuffy or academic – and Peterson swings things mightily with his trio that includes Herb Ellis on guitar and Ray Brown on bass. The recording quality is wonderful – deep, rich, and luminous – at a level that almost makes us say "why didn't they stop here, since Oscar sounds so perfect?" Titles include "Love You Madly", "52nd Street Theme", "Flamingo", "How About You", and "Noreen's Nocturne". CD

A near-lost gem in Oscar Peterson's mid-50s catalog for Verve – and a sparkling set of trio numbers recorded at the Shakespeare Festival in Ontario! Despite the literate setting of the recording, the work's never stuffy or academic – and Peterson swings things mightily with his trio that includes Herb Ellis on guitar and Ray Brown on bass. The recording quality is wonderful – deep, rich, and luminous – at a level that almost makes us say "why didn't they stop here, since Oscar sounds so perfect?" Titles include "Love You Madly", "52nd Street Theme", "Flamingo", "How About You", and "Noreen's Nocturne". LP, Vinyl record album

One of Robert Wyatt's best albums, cut after Wyatt's years with Soft Machine and Matching Mole, and is a perfect blend of his jazz-tinged work with electronics, spacey pop, and madly clever lyricism. The music is at once thoroughly groundbreaking and endlessly charming – and it's one of the best moments in the British experimental rock scene of the 70s, as you can guess by the lineup of players that includes Hugh Hopper, Fred Frith, Ivor Cutler and Mongezi Feza. 6 tracks in all, with 2 versions of "Little Red Riding Hood Hit The Road", "Alifib", "Alife", "Sea Song", and "A Last Straw". LP, Vinyl record album

Tracks include "Okay, Baby", "New Orleans", "Muskrat Ramble", "Wolverine Blues", "Round Midnight", "Have You Met Miss Jones?" and "Love You Madly". CD

Bill Charlap on piano, Jay Leonhart on bass, and Bill Stewart on drums – performing an all-Ellington program that includes "Jump For Joy", "In A Sentimental Mood", "C Jam Blues", "Prelude To A Kiss", and "Love You Madly". CD

A story of "spaceship earth" – created and performed by electronics genius Bruce Haack, ostensibly for children, but a really tripped-out set! The album's got a stark, spare feel – one that uses Haack's echoey voice alongside homemade electronics and rhythms – all in a style that's vaguely educational, but which also has a madly frenetic electric feel. The topics here are a bit deeper, and somehow darker than some of Haack's other albums – and the whole thing's a beautifully spacey set that we'd rank as one of Haack's best! Titles include "Army Ants In Your Pants", "Mallangong", "The Universal Unicycle Show", "Metric Conversion", "American Eagle", and "Catfish". LP, Vinyl record album

An early classic from Fela Kuti & Africa 70 – the kind of early 70s record that helped both the leader and the group establish themselves as a global powerhouse of funk and soul! The set begins with the side-long "Open & Close" – a righteous tune that's driven onward by lots of tight drums from Tony Allen – young, focused, and completely amazing here – while Fela delivers all these madly leaping electric piano lines amidst the super-sharp horn section – all moving instrumentally for many minutes before the vocals come into play! Side two features two shorter tracks, but still nice and long in comparison to most funky groups – the wonderful "Swegbe & Pako" and "Gbagada Gbagada Gbogodo Gbogodo" – tunes that really send the record over the top! LP, Vinyl record album