A classic compilation gets upgraded in a mighty nice way – as a huge tribute to the many years of soul and funk we've gotten from the Ace/Kent label in London! Back at the start of the 80s, the company was one of the first to properly repress rare American soul, and do it the right way – not only with top-shelf sound quality, but also a strong sense of history that has had us learning as much about 60s and 70s soul from their compilations as we've found ourselves loving the music! The original On The Soul Side album was one of the first Kent titles from the early years – but here, it's expanded to a whopping 26 titles, with great sound and detailed notes – all to present over two dozen tracks that really show the farther reaches of 60s soul beyond Motown and the big chart hits. Titles include "Boy Watcher" by Ginger Thompson, "Baby I Love You" by Jimmy Holiday, "Dr Love" by Bobby Sheen, "Love & Desire" by Patrice Holloway, "A Lot Of Love" by Homer Banks, "It's What's Underneath That Counts" by June Jackson, "Point Of No Return" by Gene McDaniels, "Fortune Teller" by Benny Spellman, "It Was Easier To Hurt Her" by Garnet Mimms, "The Record" by HB Barnum, "Love Is A Hurtin Thing" by Lou Rawls, "Nothing Left To Do But Cry" by Merry Clayton, "The Man Who Don't Believe In Love" by Marv Johnson, "What You Gonna Do" by Bobby Womack, "Nobody Treats You The Way I Do" by The Magnificent Men, "Gonna Fix You Good" by Little Anthony & The Imperials, "It Will Stand" by The Showmen, "What's A Matter Baby" by Timi Yuro, "Ready Willing & Able" by Jimmy Holiday & Clydie King, and "Trick Bag" by Earl King. CD

A magnificent document of a very unique cultural moment – the voguing ballroom world of the New York scene at the end of the 80s! The book is filled with beautiful vintage photographs that really get at the complexity of the ballroom scene – the cross-gender, cross-class, cross-fashion activity that was often set to house music – and which was as individualistic and uniquely New York as the emergence of disco in the 70s, or the birth of hip hop a few years later. Voguing had a shorter life span than both, but impacted the mainstream for a few key years at the start of the 90s – and this book really gets at the raw power the movement had at the start, thanks to on the spot photographs from Chantal Regnault. Images are in both color and black and white, presented in the book with the Soul Jazz sensitivity to cultural undergrounds – and dancefloor chronicler Tim Lawrence contributed a good deal of text, to help set the images in proper perspective. Book is oversize, 204 pages, softcover, and very nicely done! Book

The guitar genius of Gabor Szabo – set to magnificent arrangements by Gary McFarland! The set's one of the most sophisticated albums Szabo ever cut – and has a slow-building style that steps off of his Impulse years with a deeper, broader vision of music. By the time of the set, McFarland himself was hitting a more contemplative style in his own music – and you can hear that shift in this album as well, especially in the moodier, mellower moments. Instrumentation includes violin, cello, and French Horn – all used sparingly to augment Szabo's small combo with piano by McFarland! Titles include lots of originals – "The Fortune Teller", "Half The Day Is Night", "Galatea's Guitar", and "Lady In the Moon". CD features bonus tracks – single edits of "Fire Dance" and "Ferris Wheel". CD

Amazing work from Os Ipanemas – a group who just keep sounding better and better with each new recording! The set's easily the most mature of their recent comeback stretch – and has these magnificent arrangements that almost remind us of Moacir Santos at points – a gentle balance between bossa, jazz, and more angular modes – all handled with a great deal of warmth, in a sound that's clean, fresh, and totally exhilarating! There's none of the too-easy modes you might expect from a group headed up by two older Brazilian musicians – and despite the frequent press that equates these guys with the Buena Vista Social Club, the sound here is really something different altogether – hardly too-traditional modes, and instead the kind of music that would sound equally amazing if it were coming from the hands of a younger, unknown group. Titles include "Canto Pra Oxum", "Era Bom", "Doriva", "Chama O Donato", "Deus Do Ceu", "Fonte De Prazer", "Afro Imortals", "Gana", and "Um Novo Amor Chegou". CD

A pretty darn cool little record – even if it is a bunch of cover versions! As the title proclaims, the set presents the winners of a US Army competition for its members stationed in Europe in the early 70s – one that chose The Black Seeds for side one of the album, and Sound Trek for side two! The Black Seeds are a sweet harmony group with a really heartbreaking feel – very much in the New Jersey/Philly mode, and sounding great on a number of roughly-done covers that include "Go Outside In The Rain", "Black Magic Woman", "Do Your Thing", "Backstabbers", and "Ain't No Sunshine". The Sound Trek are a bit more groove-oriented – kicking off their set with an instrumental reading of "Kool & The Gang", but then rolling into a batch of vocal soul covers that include "Walking In The Rain", ", "Coldest Days Of My Life", "I Love Everything About You" and more. CD

We completely love the music of Woody Shaw – but unfortunately, the legendary trumpeter left this planet way too soon, and only gave us about 20 years of recordings! Fortunately, the vaults have yielded some gems like this over the years – unreleased live material that not only adds to the space in Woody's catalog, but also really shows us how special he could be in a live setting! Shaw's got this strength of imagination and inner spirituality that never falters at all, even when the tracks are stretching out nice and long – which they really do here, as almost all the numbers move way past the ten minute mark – and have Woody blowing magnificent solos throughout. The group is great, too, with Mulgrew Miller on piano, Tony Reedus on drums, and Stafford James on some especially crucial bass – an instrument that always seems to drive Shaw onto new heights when it's handled the right way, which it definitely is here. Titles include "Diane", "Sweet Love Of Mine", "You & The Night & The Music", and "400 Years Ago Tomorrow". LP, Vinyl record album

A hip little album by Miriam Makeba – part South African soul, part New York hip, with arrangements that recall some of Makeba's later work, bits of Nina Simone, and touches of Uptown soul. Arrangements and backing are by Luchi De Jesus – and Sivuca's actually part of the backing, and you can hear him singing and playing accordion behind Makeba with that cool breezy sound of his. Titles include "Mr Man", "A Piece Of Ground", "Akana Nkomo", "West Wind", "Where Are You Going", and "My Love Is Young". LP, Vinyl record album

Some of the heaviest work to come from the African scene of the 70s – the initial offering of the Ngozi Family – a group who clearly take strong inspiration from the Cream years of the UK scene, but who also come across with a grittier, punkier vibe overall – thanks to lean, stripped-down instrumentation and some very sharp drums! The drums rattle out underneath the magnificent fuzzy guitar lines in the lead – almost with this compressed quality that recalls Thin Lizzy at their funkier moments – but much more raw, stripped-down, and unpolished – so that the English language lyrics burst out with a really biting sound! The record's one of the first in the Zamrock tradition, and is still one of the best – a set that deserves to be in any collection of hard rock, proto-punk, and even funk rock from the 70s. Titles include "I Wanna Know", "Day Of Judgement", "We Wonna Give It To Her", "Tikondane", and "Let Me Know". CD comes in a great book-style cover – and features the bonus tracks "We Were Not Told", "She Looks So Crazy", "I've Been Looking For You", and "Sunka Mulamu". CD

A classic early album from Charlie Parker on Verve – and one that may well support one of the strangest cover illustrations ever done by the great David Stone Martin! The image of a bird-headed Parker blowing alto is more than compelling enough – but inside, the music is even better – pulled from a variety of different early Parker sessions for Norman Granz – showing some of the real early strengths of his sound! Titles include group material with quartet material with Miles Davis on trumpet, Walter Bishop on piano, and Max Roach on drums – on the titles "Au Privave", "Why Do I Love You", "KC Blues", "She Rote", and "Star Eyes". There's also two great tracks with larger arrangements by Gil Evans and voices by Dave Lambert – "Old Folks" and "In The Still Of The Night" – and a few more with trumpeter Red Rodney and pianist John Lewis – "Blues For Alice", "Lover Man", and "Si Si". LP, Vinyl record album

A second great statement from the "corner club" of Milton Nascimento – that special assemblage of musicians from his home territory of Minas Gerais, augmented here in slight ways that maybe make the album an even more ambitious record than the first! All the best artists from the previous set are in place here – including the sublime Lo Borges on vocals, Wagner Tiso on keyboards, Toninho Horta on bass and guitar – but the set also features contributions from other Brazilian talents – including Chico Buarque on vocals, Ed Maciel on trombone, Paulo Jobim on guitar, and even Azimuth on a bit of grooves! As with the first set, the mix of modes is amazing – all the rich, soulful qualities of Milton Nascimento's best early work – but delivered in a magnificently collaborative mode that never wastes a minute of the extended double-length space of the album. As before, songs are penned by most of the collaborators – and titles include "E Dai", "Pao E Agua", "Canoa Canoa", "Credo", "Nascente", "Meu Menino", "Que Bom Amigo", and "Dona Olimpia". LP, Vinyl record album

A pair of 80s albums from saxophonist Arthur Blythe – back to back in a single set! Da Da is a set that mixes some of the sharper edges of Blythe's earlier records with a few more contemporary touches – but always at a level that still has the reedman standing far from the mainstream! The core group here features Olu Dara on trumpet, Cecil McBee on bass, John Hicks on piano, and Bobby Battle on drums – and on the acoustic tracks, there's some great energy between them that soars with a soulful spirit birthed in the loft jazz years, maybe swung a bit straighter than before. A few other tunes add in some extra elements – an electric bass on one number, some light strings on another – but the core of the album still has a magnificent focus on that tone that Blythe had only perfected even more on records like this, especially on the more laidback numbers, which come as a real surprise, and reflect a ballad style we might not have guessed in the early days. Titles include "Odessa", "Esquinas", "After Paris", "Crescent", and "Break Time". Next up is Basic Blythe – not exactly basic work from Arthur Blythe, as the set features an added string ensemble too – but a record that certainly has the saxophonist really hitting a whole new level of genius! There's a great core group here – with John Hicks on piano, Anthony Cox on bass, and Bobby Battle on drums – and the strings are added in around the edges, never getting to much in the way of the combo energy, but also fleshing out the sound with this beautiful richness that only seems to enhance the sharp tone of Arthur's alto sax! The arrangements are great, too – hardly the usual "with strings" material, and instead very creative – with this mix of soul and sophistication that reminds us a bit of the Bill Lee scores for early Spike Lee films, but even longer and with the key addition of Blythe in the lead. Titles include "Lenox Avenue Breakdown", "Faceless Woman", "Ruby My Dear", "Heart To Heart", and "As Of Yet". CD

The long-overdue release of the complete RCA recordings of Kenny Carter – a hell of a singer who should have been huge, but who only saw a few tracks issues as singles back in the day! This set corrects that fact, and brings together 22 titles that Kenny recorded for RCA – magnificent music that often rivals the best of the time from Walter Jackson or Jerry Butler – from the rich arrangements provided behind the vocals, to the fantastic reach that Carter brings to the lyrics – mature, expressive, and with a balance between pride, power, and honest emotion that's really stunning. Had Carter gotten to continue in this vein, he would have been instrumental in shaping the role of the male singer in soul music during the 60s – but at least he finally gets his due here, in a stunning set list that includes "I Still Love Her", "You'd Better Get Hip Girl", "Don't Go", "Showdown", "My Love", "Living In The Land Of Heartache", "Round In Circles", "Like A Big Bad Rain", "I Can't Stop Laughing", "Lights Out", "How Can You Say Goodbye", "I'll Know", and "I Believe In You". CD

A trio of solo albums from David Clayton Thomas – packaged here with a bonus track too! First up is the self-titled Columbia set David Clayton Thomas – great early solo work the singer who'd rose to fame as part of Blood Sweat & Tears – stepping out here with a sound that's maybe even more soul-based than his music with that famous group! The set features production from Bobby Colomby, of BS&T – and the groove is somewhat similar, but with less horns, and a lot more riffing guitar, keyboards, and other elements used to bring out some of the funkier currents in David's vocals! A few tracks were recorded in Memphis, with guitar from Steve Cropper – and the record even features some arrangements from Claus Ogerman and Jimmy Giuffre. The set includes a remake of of "Magnificent Sanctuary Band" – with a break at the start that's as funky as the original – and other titles include "We're All Meat From The Same Bone", "Sing A Song", "Don't Let It Bring You Down", "Once Burned", "Stealin In The Name Of The Lord", and a surprisingly great take on the Gram Parsons tune "She". Next is Tequila Sunrise – a fantastic solo album from David Clayton Thomas – and a set that still retains the amazing vocals he brought to Blood Sweat & Tears, but which has a completely different focus overall! Clayton-Thomas wrote almost all the songs on the set – and he works here with a tight core group that features William Smitty Smith on keyboards and arrangements, and plenty of guitar from Danny Kortchmar – both musicians who give the whole record a very strong, tight vibe that makes the whole thing feel like it comes from some hip early 70s group. Titles include "Friday The 13th Child", "My Song", "Last Time That She Cried", "The Face Of Man", "Nobody Calls Me Prophet", and "Fallin By Degrees". Next up is another self-titled album – David Clayton Thomas, from 1973 – with David himself handling arrangements, and doing a mighty nice job – getting plenty of sweet keyboards from William D Smith, and strong lead guitar from Domenic Troiano – both of whom echo the funky rock currents in the music. There's a bit of a Memphis rock vibe to the record at times – and titles include "Small Family", "Professor Longhair", "Harbor Lady", "Harmony Junction", and "When Something Is Wrong With My Baby". CD also features the bonus track "Some Hearts Get All The Breaks". CD

An overlooked nugget from the New York scene of the 70s – a set you might not catch as a soul album, given the simple design of the cover – but which stands as the lone calling card of the strong singer Robert Cotter! Cotter's got roots in gospel, which really shows in his strong vocal range and magnificent inflections – and in the very positive, uplifting spirit in his songs – more secular overall, but with a really great vibe – maybe somewhere in the territory of DJ Rodgers on RCA! Instrumentation is nice and lean – funky soul in the best sense of the word – and the set features work from a young Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards on two tracks too. Titles include "Missing You", "Teddy Bear", "Love Rite", "Saturday", "Uncle Sam", "Come On With It", "Good Bless The Soulfire People", and "Disco Blues". LP, Vinyl record album

A haunting LP of classic LA studio instrumental tracks, arranged and conducted by one of the most twisted figures to come out of that city's music scene in the 60s! One the surface, this stuff is just a serene batch of covers like "Ebb Tide", "Magnificent Seven", and "Stranger on the Shore", to back up Jack's title single "The Lonely Surfer". But underneath, there's this really twisted feel, with messed up arrangements hiding under these cool electric bass lines and studio strings – lurking in the dark, like Jack's own madness in the 60s! Other tunes include "Puerto Vallarta", "Theme From 'Mondo Cane'", "Theme For A Broken Heart", "Beyond The Surf" and more. CD

Funky grooves, psychedelic sitar, and mod Hammond organ – a magnificent blend that's every bit as dynamic as the image on the cover – served up as the long-awaited debut album from this cool European combo! The album's got a feel that's somewhere between 60s spy soundtracks and Brit library work – but also carries a tighter, funkier groove overall – a contemporary ear for the best funky elements of the old days, served up with production styles that continue a very classic groove! The whole thing's a real unexpected delight – a set that grabs us with the same sort of energy as the older Blow Up scene during its best years – with no kitsch, no nonsense, and a brilliant sense of sound throughout. Titles include "Bengali Corporation", "Bumblebee", "Sitarmania", "Fuzz Party", "Per La Riviera Tolonesa", "La Panthere Pop", "Jerk A La Vague", and "Moog Traffic". CD

An essential chapter of Miami soul – even if most of the work is appearing here for the first time ever! The set is a magnificent companion to Numero's Deep City collection of pre-TK Miami soul – but it's put together in such a way that it's almost a beautiful introduction to the south Florida sound on its own – served up in a batch of rare, unreleased tracks! The music is every bit as wonderful as you'd expect – Miami soul recorded at a time before cliches had started to hit that scene – and when the best artists down south were strongly resonating ideas from Memphis and Muscle Shoals with other elements borrowed from northern groups both funky and mellow. But even above the 20 great tracks on the CD, the package is amazing too – filled with notes on each group, a special appendix on Miami soul, a rare indie label discography, and a wealth of great images and photos – all layered lovingly into a full-color, 32 page booklet! Numero have really outdone themselves with this one – and the collection is way more than a part 2 to their previous package – more of a brilliant set of soul tunes on its own, complete with a booklet that's as beautiful as the music. Titles include "One Little Piece" by The Rollers, "Don't Be Surprised" by Lynn Williams, "No Way Out" by Clarence Reid, "What's In The Lovin" by Helene Smith, "Mr Lucky" by Betty Wright, "There Goes My Baby" by James Knight & The Butlers, "Do What You're Doin" by The Rising Sun, "Do Your Stuff" by Perk Badger, "Masterpiece" by Deep City Band, "Nasty Dog (part 2)" by The Nasty Dog Catchers, "Thank You Baby" by Betty Wright, "Your Love Won't Let Me Leave You" by Snoopy Dean, "The Pot Can't Talk About The Kettle" by Helene Smith, "Show Me What You Got" by Frank Williams & The Rocketeers, "Don't Be A Fool" by Clarence Reid, and "Knockin At The Wrong Door" by The Rollers. CD

Spiritual grooves galore – a magnificent set that brings together rare tracks from the 70s and 80s, plus a few like-minded contemporary cuts as well! The vibe here is very much up to the "waltz a nova" in the title – that modal mode that first came on strongly in the 60s, then was picked up even more by the post-Coltrane generation – who used its progressive rhythms to really stretch out to the skies in some very righteous ways! Most of the tunes here have a great little groove, even when gentle – and the package is put together beautifully, so that the music really builds as things roll on – picking up even more power than before, and really leaving us wanting more by the end. The whole thing was done by Toru Hashimoto – easily one of the best compilers of our generation – and the package runs for nearly 80 minutes in length, with cuts that include "Faith For My Mind" by Solar, "Little B's Poem" by Dee Dee Bridgewater, "After The Morning" by John Hicks, "Moves" by Doug Hammond, "Coltrane" by Descendents Of Mike & Phoebe, "Steam" by Charles Greenlee, "Naima" by Kindred Spirits Ensemble, "Black Forest Stomp" by Hipnosis, "Tropic Sons" by Abdul Rahim Ibrahim, "Children" by Haki R Madhubuti, and "Moment's Notice" by Pharoah Sanders. CD

Groovy, moddish, magnificent and sunny girl pop from The Land Of The Rising Sun – pummeling drums, jumping arrangements and groovy vocals from the mid-to-late 60s Japanese scene! This is fantastic stuff, any kitch or novelty appeal you might be expecting is kind of muted by the exceptional quality and excellent performances – but it is flat out fun! As the title states, strains of pop, beat & bossa – plus mod & psychedelic fuzz – and the vocals girl group vocals are bright, rocking, playful or sultry or innocent depending on the groove! 25 tracks in all: "Black Room by Jun Mayuzumi, Sharock No 1" by Mie Nakao, "Nagisa No Tenshi" by Mieko Hirota, "Hatsu Koi No Letter" by Miki Obata, "Bazazz Tengoku" by The Cupids, "Aeba Suki Suki" by Margaret With Bunnys, "Nukui Aitsu" by Mika Nohira, "Kiiro No Sekai" by J Girls and more. CD

Groovy, moddish, magnificent and sunny girl pop from The Land Of The Rising Sun – pummeling drums, jumping arrangements and groovy vocals from the mid-to-late 60s Japanese scene! This is fantastic stuff, any kitch or novelty appeal you might be expecting is kind of muted by the exceptional quality and excellent performances – but it is flat out fun! As the title states, strains of pop, beat & bossa – plus mod & psychedelic fuzz – and the vocals girl group vocals are bright, rocking, playful or sultry or innocent depending on the groove! 25 tracks in all: "Black Room by Jun Mayuzumi, Sharock No 1" by Mie Nakao, "Nagisa No Tenshi" by Mieko Hirota, "Hatsu Koi No Letter" by Miki Obata, "Bazazz Tengoku" by The Cupids, "Aeba Suki Suki" by Margaret With Bunnys, "Nukui Aitsu" by Mika Nohira, "Kiiro No Sekai" by J Girls and more. CD

Groovy, moddish, magnificent and sunny girl pop from The Land Of The Rising Sun – pummeling drums, jumping arrangements and groovy vocals from the mid-to-late 60s Japanese scene! This is fantastic stuff, any kitch or novelty appeal you might be expecting is kind of muted by the exceptional quality and excellent performances – but it is flat out fun! As the title states, strains of pop, beat & bossa – plus mod & psychedelic fuzz – and the vocals girl group vocals are bright, rocking, playful or sultry or innocent depending on the groove! 25 tracks in all: "Black Room by Jun Mayuzumi, Sharock No 1" by Mie Nakao, "Nagisa No Tenshi" by Mieko Hirota, "Hatsu Koi No Letter" by Miki Obata, "Bazazz Tengoku" by The Cupids, "Aeba Suki Suki" by Margaret With Bunnys, "Nukui Aitsu" by Mika Nohira, "Kiiro No Sekai" by J Girls and more. LP, Vinyl record album