A masterpiece of freeform funk from Mandrill – New York group at the start of the 70s, but one who work here with the best longform jamming styles of the Bay Area scene! The combo draw equal influence from jazz, funk, soul, and Latin – using all elements in a unique hybrid that's all their own – and which really favors instrumental passages more than vocal moments on this debut album – with searing lead guitar from Omar Mesa, next to plenty of organ lines, flute, trumpet, and tenor – all carried with heavy bass and percussion, and peppered with lots of surprises along the way! The whole thing's tremendous – a massively funky first statement from the group – with cuts that include the extended suite "Peace & Love", plus other funky goodies like "Symphonic Revolution", "Rollin' On", "Warning Blues", and "Mandrill". CD

One of the greatest records ever from Mandrill – a set that has the group tightening things up and getting even more funky than on their first few records, but with a vibe that's still nicely loose and spontaneous overall! The set's got Mandrill perfectly balanced between jazz-tinged funk and tighter soul – with loads of wonderful instrumental elements that have lead to the set being a heavy sample favorite over the years – used shamelessly by artists who include De La Soul, Cypress Hill, Schooly D, Ice Cube, and others! The horns are great, and never hokey at all – and the vocals nicely take second seat next to the rhythms, which are a tremendous blend of funk, jazz, and both New Orleans and Latin elements. Titles include the massive "Fencewalk", plus "Hagalo", "Polk Street Carnival", "Moroccan Nights", "Golden Stone", "Hang Loose", and "Don't Mess with People". LP, Vinyl record album

A great little album, put together to accompany one of Muhammad Ali's finest moments on the big screen – in a blend of music that's way deeper than the usual sounds you'd hear ringside! Michael Masser helmed the set – produced and wrote most of the material – but also with key contributions from George Benson, whose vocals grace some of the sweeter songs on the album – plus Mandrill, who help with some of the more hard-driving funky cuts! The set features the extended clubby groover "Ali Bombaye" – an almost Afro Funk-ish tune, performed by Mandrill – and other cuts include the mellower "I Always Knew I Had It In Me" and "The Greatest Love Of All", both sung by George Benson, plus "Ali's Theme", which is pretty nice. LP, Vinyl record album

Never-heard work from drummer Neftali Santiago – one of the founding forces of legendary funk group Mandrill – working here alone in the mid 70s, during a time when he was taking a break from the group! The music is fantastic – the best sort of 70s funk ensemble mode – maybe in the manner of Fatback Band on their earliest records, especially in the sharpness of the basslines and drums – mixed with some of that warmer, more spiritual glow that you'd find on the first two Mandrill albums for Polydor. Neftali sings on many cuts, but also really kicks it out of the park with his work on drums – heading up a few different groups here, with instrumentation that includes sax, flute, clavinet, and even a bit of minimoog. These are all unreleased tracks, but they've got a very fully-formed sound – and the whole album is a great testament to Santiago's genius, in a way that really has us underscoring his contributions to Mandrill! Titles include "Land Of The Leaping No No", "Feelin Good", "Bionic Funk", "Alone Together", "Freakin", "To & From Gamma 4", "Set It Free", "Let Out Your Beats", and "Everybody Hears But Nobody Listens". CD

Featuring Joe Simon, Mandrill, Eric Clapton, Roy Buchanan, Millie Jackson, John Mayall, James Brown, Slade, Manfred Mann, Rory Gallagher, Lyn Collins, and Cat Mother. LP, Vinyl record album

One of the most searing, soaring albums ever from Santana – a set that takes all the power of the previous two records, and packs it into one tight little set! There's plenty of Latin influences going on – mixed with heavy fuzz from Carlos, and lots of jazz and funky touches too – way more happening on the rhythm tip than most of Santana's contemporaries – which is why the record continues to find such a wonderfully wide audience over the years. Drop cuts like "Batuka","Toussaint L'Overture", "Jungle Strut", or "Para Los Rumberos" next to tracks by War, Mandrill or Tower Of Power and you'll see what we mean – and titles also include "No One To Depend On","Taboo", "Guajira" and "Everything's Coming Our Way". LP, Vinyl record album