A classic killer from trumpeter Tom Browne – a smoking set that still has all the jazz funk touches of his earlier records, yet which also picks up a bit of an electro vibe as well! The move here is a bit like that taken by some of Browne's labelmates on GRP at the time – particularly Bobby Broom and Bernard Wright – and offers up a great mix of jazzy roots and some of the newer sounds hitting the streets in the early 80s – a vibe that's maybe one of the first moments when older genres of music were beginning to show an influence from hip hop! Maurice Starr handles most of the production, and really makes things tight throughout – but Tom himself does a great job of keeping things interesting with the solos, augmenting the electric vibe with some rock-solid acoustic playing. Titles include "Rockin Radio", "Angeline", "Brighter Tomorrow", "Never My Love", "Mr Business", "Cruisin", and "Feel Like Makin Love". LP, Vinyl record album

A great collection of rare gems from the Studio One label – one that's filled with unusual material that we've not seen elsewhere! Some of the tracks are alternate mixes, some are unissued recordings – and there's also a nice range of material that goes past the more familiar early period of the label, which is normally the most reissued. Titles include "Hush Up (unreleased stereo mix)" by Larry & Alvin, "I Need You Girl (stereo mix)" by Larry Marshall, "Mr Moses (stereo mix)" by Lloyd Charmers, "I'm In Love With You (original JA mix)" by Lloyd Williams, "Freedom Justice Equality" by Alf & Teep, "Torture & Flames" by Jackie Bernard, "Mark I Word" by Winston Prince, "Give Me True Love (stereo mix)" by The Meditators, "Down In The Bone Yard" by The Three Tops, "Down By The Sore (7" version)" by The Silvertones, and "Jay Dip (stereo mix)" by Prince Jazzbo. CD

With Bennie Wallace on tenor, Ray Anderson on trombone, Dr John on piano and organ, John Scofield on guitar, and Bernard Purdie on drums. LP, Vinyl record album

Classic jazz funk from tenor giant Gene Ammons – really reinventing himself here after some time off the scene in the 60s! The record has Ammons coming from an older generation to set a new fire with the fresh Prestige jazz funk sound at the start of the 70s – working in a very cool combo that features funky drums from Bernard Purdie, plus organ from Sonny Phillips and guitar from the great Billy Butler – another player who was making a fresh mark for himself on Prestige at the time. Titles include the funky nugget "Jungle Strut", a nice version of "Son of A Preacher Man", plus "Ger-ru", which features Junior Mance on piano. LP, Vinyl record album

A rare album by the great west coast Latin trumpeter Luis Gasca, and argubly the best album he ever recorded! The set was recorded in New York during the late 60's, and features a great lineup of musicians that includes Paul Griffin on piano, Joe Henderson on tenor, Herbie Hancock on piano, Mongo santamaria on conga, and Bernard Purdie on drums. The style's a mix of soul jazz, Latin, and bits of modal riffing – and the record features some beautiful large arrangements by Gasca and Mark Levine, in a style that's a bit like some of Duke Pearson's work from the late 60s, but handled with a bit more of an edge. Tracks include "Coisa No. 2", "Afro Blue", "Joy Ride", and "Sweet Pea". CD

Two great lost titles from the Atlantic jazz catalog of the 60s! Horizons is a beautiful and oft-overlooked album of modal jazz tracks performed by Chicago jazz musician Ira Sullivan – who normally plays trumpet and tenor, but who also here shows his amazing talent on soprano sax. Sullivan plays in a great style that's almost a pop version of Coltrane's spiralling style on "My Favorite Things" – rolling the notes over and over in a beautiful exploratory style. This format works especially well on the set's longer tracks – like "Ninevah", "Horizons", and "Norwegian Wood" – but the whole thing's pretty great! Little Giant is a rare album by the great west coast Latin trumpeter Luis Gasca, and argubly the best album he ever recorded! The set was recorded in New York during the late 60's, and features a great lineup of musicians that includes Paul Griffin on piano, Joe Henderson on tenor, Herbie Hancock on piano, Mongo santamaria on conga, and Bernard Purdie on drums. The style's a mix of soul jazz, Latin, and bits of modal riffing – and the record features some beautiful large arrangements by Gasca and Mark Levine, in a style that's a bit like some of Duke Pearson's work from the late 60s, but handled with a bit more of an edge. Tracks include "Coisa No. 2", "Afro Blue", "Joy Ride", and "Sweet Pea". 2CDs at a nice nice price! CD

A great comeback for tenor legend Gene Ammons – not just in a musical sense, but also because Jug had spent most of the past few years in prison – as part of the usual trumped-up drug charges that were filed against musicians at the time! At the time of this album, Ammons had not recorded since a very successful flurry of sides recorded in 1961, done for a number of labels, and issued slowly during his time off the recording market – a precursor to this fantastic return to form, which has Gene hitting more of a jazz funk mode, in the best Prestige style at the end of the 60s! Case in point is the presence of Bernard Purdie on drums on a number of cuts – in a lineup that also features some organ from Sonny Phillips, piano from Junior Mance, and electric bass from Bob Bushnell – plus congas from Candido for a nice extra kick! Titles include the funky cuts "Tastin' the Jug" and "Jungle Boss" – plus "Madame Queen" and "Feeling Good". LP, Vinyl record album

A really early nugget from the Detroit jazz scene of the 50s – and a record that marks a key moment for players who would soon become huge on a variety of different labels! The group here features a very young Donald Byrd on trumpet, with Yusef Lateef on tenor, Barry Harris on piano, Alvin Jackson on bass, and Frank Gant on drums – plus Bernard McKinney blowing euphonium – an instrument he would use on a number of other important recordings over the years to really deepen their sound. The date was originally issued by the Transition label, and very quickly disappeared when they quickly closed up show – brought back over the years in a few variations by Delmark, to keep the memory of this moment alive. Tracks include "Yusef", "Parisian Thoroughfare", "Blues", "Dancing In The Dark", and "Tortion Level". CD

A sweet double-length set – one that features two classic Prestige albums from Gene Ammons! Boss Is Back is a great comeback for tenor legend Gene Ammons – not just in a musical sense, but also because Jug had spent most of the past few years in prison – as part of the usual trumped-up drug charges that were filed against musicians at the time! At the time of this album, Ammons had not recorded since a very successful flurry of sides recorded in 1961, done for a number of labels, and issued slowly during his time off the recording market – a precursor to this fantastic return to form, which has Gene hitting more of a jazz funk mode, in the best Prestige style at the end of the 60s! Case in point is the presence of Bernard Purdie on drums on a number of cuts – in a lineup that also features some organ from Sonny Phillips, piano from Junior Mance, and electric bass from Bob Bushnell – plus congas from Candido for a nice extra kick! Titles include the funky cuts "Tastin' the Jug" and "Jungle Boss" – plus "Madame Queen" and "Feeling Good". Brother Jug is a great bit of jazz funk from tenor genius Gene Ammons – really reinventing himself here after some time off the scene in the 60s! The set has Gene picking up a great groove with help from Billy Butler on guitar and Sonny Phillips on organ – and the great Bernard Pretty Purdie is also on drums, and kicks it nice and lean on the great groover "Jungle Strut"! The album also features a nice version of "Son of A Preacher Man", plus "Ger-ru", which features Junior Mance on piano. CD

Landmark stuff – a killer session of funky guitar jazz, and the record that gave Ivan "Boogaloo" Joe Jones his nickname! The set's a full-on wailer that really blows away Joe's first two on Prestige – breaking out ouf the box with a killer lineup that includes Rusty Bryant on tenor, Bernard Purdie on drums, and Sonny Phillips on organ – all working with Joe's incredibly tight guitar lines to craft some wicked tunes that take soul jazz firmly into the sound of the 70s! Titles include "Boogaloo Joe", "People Are Talking", "Dream On Little Dreamer", and "Atlantic City Soul". LP, Vinyl record album

A really early nugget from the Detroit jazz scene of the 50s – and a record that marks a key moment for players who would soon become huge on a variety of different labels! The group here features a very young Donald Byrd on trumpet, with Yusef Lateef on tenor, Barry Harris on piano, Alvin Jackson on bass, and Frank Gant on drums – plus Bernard McKinney blowing euphonium – an instrument he would use on a number of other important recordings over the years to really deepen their sound. The date was originally issued by the Transition label, and very quickly disappeared when they quickly closed up show – brought back over the years in a few variations by Delmark, to keep the memory of this moment alive. Tracks include "Yusef", "Parisian Thoroughfare", "Blues", "Dancing In The Dark", and "Tortion Level". CD

An all star line-up with Melvin Sparks on guitar, Gloria Coleman on organ, Dr John on piano, Wilbur Bascomb on bass, and Bernard Purdie on drums, plus a horn section with Alan Rubin, Lew Soloff, Lou Marini, and Howard Johnson. CD

A great lost album from Stan Getz! The record features Stan in a totally new setting, playing with some relatively unfamiliar French talents – Eddie Louiss on organ, Rene Thomas on guitar, and Bernard Lubat on drums. Louiss is incredible, and has a free spacey sound that recalls Larry Young – which works perfectly with Getz's post-Coltrane explorations here. The whole album's a triumph, and a tribute to Stan's never-ending quest for new sounds, despite the fact that labels always wanted him to reproduce his bigger hits. Titles include "Our Kind Of Sabi", "Song For Martine", "Invitation", and "Dum Dum". All tracks are long, and the album's a delightful meeting of European jazz and masterful solo talents! LP, Vinyl record album

Yusef Lateef's Detroit is a mighty funky one – a great summation of all the soulful sounds he'd crafted on previous records, but with a full groove that really points the way towards the 70s! Lateef's reeds are still the main attraction – great solos on tenor and flute – but there's also some wonderful electric elements on the record, which offer Yusef a very different setting than usual, and one that has some wickedly offbeat funky touches too! The groove's exotic, and has this unusual feel that's very different than most other Atlantic jazz of the time – much more in the mode of some of the hippest electric sets from the underground. Bernard Purdie handles drums – which ensures the funky elements of the set – and titles include "Eastern Market", "Bishop School", "Belle Isle", "Livingston Playground", "Woodward Avenue", and "Raymond Winchester". LP, Vinyl record album

A killer set from a player who should have been huge – ultra-sweet guitarist Bobby Broom, a player we'd vote to become the next big heir to the sound of Wes Montgomery or George Benson! This debut set is a wicked mix of jazz and soul – recorded right at the best stretch of the early GRP label, with a similar blend and sense of depth as the label's initial albums by Don Blackman and Bernard Wright! The core groove focuses strongly on Broom's guitar, but there's also some great vocal numbers too – and it turns out that Bobby's a surprisingly good singer, too – with a nicely honest vocal approach that works great alongside his guitar. Arrangements are by Broom, Dave Grusin, and Marcus Miller – and titles include "No Bad Vibes", "Saturday Night", "Niqui", "Share My Love", "She's My Reason", and "Remember When". LP, Vinyl record album

Twin organs back to back – and a heck of a hard-wailing set from Groove Holmes and Jimmy McGriff! The album cooks from the very first note – and features long tunes that open up with the same sort of solo-heavy approach that you'd get on Holmes' Prestige albums of the 60s – very stretched out, in a way that offers the keyboardists no cover at all, and forces them to keep thinking on their feet to come up with great notes! Bernard Purdie plays some nicely tight drums on the set, and guitar is by George Freeman and O'Donel Levy – both of whom add some nice superdope touches to the set! A winner all the way through, with great solos – and titles that include "Licks A Plenty", "The Squirrel", and "Finger Lickin' Good". LP, Vinyl record album