A landmark album from Joe Bataan – so great, that it made the entire record company change its name from their original Mericana to the better-known Salsoul – which would later rule the world with a host of disco classics! The record has Joe really bursting out after his seminal Latin Soul work of the late 60s – blending Latin rhythms and American soul into a whole new style of music – one that Joe called "Salsoul", because of it's mixture of salsa and soul – upbeat, funky, and definitely a precursor to the later sound that Salsoul would release with soul and funk groups. The blend is fantastic, a real milestone in the NuYorican scene – and handled perfectly by Joe on every cut! There's some massive Latin funk on here, including the tracks "Latin Strut" and "Aftershower Funk", plus some straighter Latin jazz, like "Sunny Gets Blue Mambo", and a great Latin Soul cut with English vocals called "Johnny". LP, Vinyl record album

A landmark album from Joe Bataan – so great, that it made the entire record company change its name from their original Mericana to the better-known Salsoul – which would later rule the world with a host of disco classics! The record has Joe really bursting out after his seminal Latin Soul work of the late 60s – blending Latin rhythms and American soul into a whole new style of music – one that Joe called "Salsoul", because of it's mixture of salsa and soul – upbeat, funky, and definitely a precursor to the later sound that Salsoul would release with soul and funk groups. The blend is fantastic, a real milestone in the NuYorican scene – and handled perfectly by Joe on every cut! There's some massive Latin funk on here, including the tracks "Latin Strut" and "Aftershower Funk", plus some straighter Latin jazz, like "Sunny Gets Blue Mambo", and a great Latin Soul cut with English vocals called "Johnny". CD features the bonus track "Continental Square Dance"! CD

A landmark album from Joe Bataan – so great, that it made the entire record company change its name from their original Mericana to the better-known Salsoul – which would later rule the world with a host of disco classics! The record has Joe really bursting out after his seminal Latin Soul work of the late 60s – blending Latin rhythms and American soul into a whole new style of music – one that Joe called "Salsoul", because of it's mixture of salsa and soul – upbeat, funky, and definitely a precursor to the later sound that Salsoul would release with soul and funk groups. The blend is fantastic, a real milestone in the NuYorican scene – and handled perfectly by Joe on every cut! There's some massive Latin funk on here, including the tracks "Latin Strut" and "Aftershower Funk", plus some straighter Latin jazz, like "Sunny Gets Blue Mambo", and a great Latin Soul cut with English vocals called "Johnny". CD features bonus tracks – "Continental Square Dance", "Latin Strut (mono single)", "Peace Friendship Solidarity (mono single)", "Aftershower Funk (mono single)", and "Fin (mono single)". CD

Features Willy Chirino on keyboards and percussion, as well as his vocals – in a group with Wilfredo De La Torre on tenor and baritone, and titles that include "Volver Volver", "La Mericana", "Yo Naci Para Cantar", "Mi Clientela", "Agria La Pina", and a nice remake of "Just The Two Of Us". LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic follow-up to the initial Americana album from tenorist JD Allen – one that's got a similarly lean vibe as the first, and which continues with a new level of righteous energy in Allen's music! The titles of the songs seem to imply deeper currents from the south, but rather than rehashed blues themes, the music instead really takes off in a very different direction – full of brooding ruminations and righteous expressions – which this time around also feature some very bold work from Charlie Hunter on guitar, in a raspy voice that's very different than his older music. Allen's great on tenor, and the rest of the group features Gregg August on bass and Rudy Royston on drums – on titles that include "The Werk Song", "You Don't Know Me", "Irene", "Up South", "A Mouthful Of Forever", and "The Battle Of Blair Mountain". CD

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Tito Rodriguez takes a tour of South America – trying out a number of different grooves and rhythms, on titles that include "Bella Bossa Nova", "Por Eso No Debes", "El Latigo", "Hoja Seca", "Arrastra A Sandalia", "El Trompo", and "La Vendedora De Amor". LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic follow-up to the initial Americana album from tenorist JD Allen – one that's got a similarly lean vibe as the first, and which continues with a new level of righteous energy in Allen's music! The titles of the songs seem to imply deeper currents from the south, but rather than rehashed blues themes, the music instead really takes off in a very different direction – full of brooding ruminations and righteous expressions – which this time around also feature some very bold work from Charlie Hunter on guitar, in a raspy voice that's very different than his older music. Allen's great on tenor, and the rest of the group features Gregg August on bass and Rudy Royston on drums – on titles that include "The Werk Song", "You Don't Know Me", "Irene", "Up South", "A Mouthful Of Forever", and "The Battle Of Blair Mountain". CD

A rare live session from Julie London – surprising in that most of her classic work for Liberty was put together with some real studio magic! Yet this time around, the live setting's a real charm – one that makes for a whole new side of London's personality – showing the singer to be much more of an entertainer than we would have expected. The solitary sultriness of Julie's studio albums is really on the backburner – at least in the overall feel fo the recording, with its pronounced audience noise, oft-swinging arrangements, and male vocal quartet in the mix – although when London starts to sing, things often hit that familiar mode, too. Titles include a very boozy version of "Daddy" – almost drunken, we'd say – plus "Lonesome Road", "Send For Me", "Gotta Move", "I Love Paris", "Cry Me A River", and "By Myself". CD

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... LP, Vinyl record album

Music from Fess Parker, Johnny Cash, Marty Robbins, Johnny Western, Billy Walker, Stonewall Jackson, Hawkshaw Hawkins, Lefty Frizzell, Johnny Horton, and more. CD

A mid 70s Italian cartoon, but one that features some great soundtrack work from Ennio Morricone and Alessandro Alessandroni – each of whom bring a slightly different feel to the set! Morricone composed the film's main love theme – "Forse Basta" – a beautiful number that has all the compressed, slow-stepping brilliance of some of the maestro's more familiar 70s numbers – somewhat sweet, but with a subtle undercurrent of sadness that's really great too. Alessandroni takes off from this mode with his other work on the set – staying sweet at points, but also really opening up into a range of more playful modes – sometimes funky or fuzzy, sometimes more romping, all in ways that nicely match the action in the cartoon. I Cantori Moderni sing on a few numbers that have a straighter, lyrical sound – and the CD features a whopping 38 titles in all, including 8 versions of "Forse Basta", plus "Latino Americana", "Bethlem", "Serata Al Bolscioi", "Amore E Birra", "Sirtaki Dei Colonnelli", "Fiori Gialli", "Dal Tirolo Con Affeto", and "Deserto Di Elam". CD

Breakfast Dance & Barbecue? Our stomachs are growling already! The album's a great little live set from Basie – recorded at the Americana Hotel in Miami at 2 in the morning – and is one of the totally great, totally smoking live sessions that Basie recorded for Roulette – maybe some of his best work ever! The group's an all-star lineup – with Frank Foster and Frank Wess on tenor, Joe Newman and Thad Jones on trumpets, Freddie Green on guitar, and Sonny Payne on drums – plus Joe Williams vocalizing on a few of the tunes on the set. The tracks are a bit longer than usual – which is quite nice – and titles include "Let's Have A Taste", "Moten Swing", "Who Me", and "Counter Block". Includes 10 bonus tracks, not on the LP. CD

A record issued in the 70s, but one that documents the legacy of 60s folk in which Peter Isaacson was a part – working as a singer and guitarist in the Village scene at the time, where he honed his skills on songs by Bob Dylan, Tim Hardin, and other contemporaries! The album was recorded back home in Kansas, after Isaacson had given up on New York – and that kind of gives it a "60s hangover" sort of vibe – as Peter makes his way through a host of familiar tunes, but with surprisingly dark currents that come across in ways that are very different than the originals – even though the readings just feature acoustic guitar and vocals. The set's a lost gem from the very underground years of American indie labels – and titles include "Long Way Back Home", "Affair On 8th Avenue", "I Shall Be Released", "Ribbon Of Darkness", "I Threw It All Away", "Lalena", and "Both Sides Now". CD

A record issued in the 70s, but one that documents the legacy of 60s folk in which Peter Isaacson was a part – working as a singer and guitarist in the Village scene at the time, where he honed his skills on songs by Bob Dylan, Tim Hardin, and other contemporaries! The album was recorded back home in Kansas, after Isaacson had given up on New York – and that kind of gives it a "60s hangover" sort of vibe – as Peter makes his way through a host of familiar tunes, but with surprisingly dark currents that come across in ways that are very different than the originals – even though the readings just feature acoustic guitar and vocals. The set's a lost gem from the very underground years of American indie labels – and titles include "Long Way Back Home", "Affair On 8th Avenue", "I Shall Be Released", "Ribbon Of Darkness", "I Threw It All Away", "Lalena", and "Both Sides Now". LP, Vinyl record album

A live performance from pianist Keith Jarrett, recorded at Suntory Hall in Tokyo – but one that's a bit different than some of the solo sets that came earlier in his career, as it's got both a different sound and different style overall! The tracks here aren't side-long improvisations, and instead are shorter tunes that offer up a compressed version of the freewheeling Jarrett style on the piano – still with a sense of openness that really sets Keith apart from the rest, but maybe with more pronounced melodies – although many of those are as dark as you might guess from the title! Tracks include "Fire Dance", "Ritual Prayer", "Hymn", "Americana", "Parallels", and "Entrance". LP, Vinyl record album

A bit of a leftfield project for Diana Krall – one that has kind of a 20s Vaudeville-styled theme – done with a stripped down, sting-buzzing sound, produced by T Bone Burnett! We dig this one a lot – and while it's sung, played and performed in a way that's reminiscent of the era, it's got a fresh and contemporary feel. The always great guitarist Marc Ribot's angular take on the spirit of the songs is an integral part of the sound, as is T Bone's skewed view of Americana – but it's Diana's show, and she's wonderful! It takes a special voice to come across as subtle and understated as she does here, though still carrying the tunes in an elegant way. More stylistic detours like this, please! Includes "We Just Couldn't Say Goodbye", "There Ain't No Sweet Man That's Worth The Salt Of My Tears", "Just Like A Butterfly That's Caught In The Rain", "Glad Rag Doll", "Let It Rain", "Lonely Avenue", "Wide River To Cross", "When The Curtain Comes Down" and more. CD

The late-career high points get loftier and loftier for the great Robert Plant! Plant is working here with his Sensational Shapeshifters, a band name that just as aptly applies to Plant himself, having shifted over to a progressive folk and roots mode, decades after conquering hard rock in Led Zeppelin! Recorded in England, after moving back home, with a more global-centric vibe than the Americana style of his previous couple records, it's really great stuff – and we genuinely appreciate him pushing creative boundaries at this stage, rather than coasting on his legend status. Includes "Little Maggie", "Rainbow", "Pocketful Of Golden", "Turn It Up", "A Stolen Kiss", "Somebody There", "Poor Howard", "House Of Love", "Up on The Hollow Hill (Understanding Arthur)" and "Abraden (Maggie's Babby)". CD

A legendary overview of jazz on the Italian scene at the start of the 60s – a great document of the new modes that was really setting the work of Italian jazz musicians apart from those in other parts of Europe – working with fresh ideas and a new conception that's completely sublime! The work here often has a great balance between structure and individual voice – and many numbers feature strong soloists who'd go on to great fame in a variety of settings – already graced here with talents that seem greater than their young years. Trumpeter Enrico Rava leads things off in a quartet with pianist Maurizio Lama, on a version of the tune "Line For Lyons" – and Lama follows with a trio reading of his own "Tema For Franco". Trumpeter Sergio Fanni is joined by the great Eraldo Volante on tenor and baritone on the tunes "Duo" and "Circeo". Later soundtrack artist Piero Umiliani serves up his "Picolla Suite Americana" – followed by the Modern Jazz Gang of saxophonist Sandro Brugnolini (with later sound library giants Enzo Scoppa and Cicci Santucci), on the tracks "The Drum Is A Tramp" and "Blue Mirria". Trombonist Dino Piana delivers the tune "Tempo Di Febbraio" with help from the great Gianni Basso on tenor – and the set also features a reading of "Bag's Groove" with Giorgio Azzolini on bass, Piano on trombone, and Attilio Donadio on alto. LP, Vinyl record album

A real classic from Emitt Rhodes – easily one of the most unusual voices in music of his time! Rhodes has this really dreamy approach to the vocals – a mode that feels much more tuned towards late 60s pop/psych, but which comes across here in a very different setting – some echoes of more open 70s singer-songwriter modes, and some slight touches of Americana, too – a really unique setting that makes the record one of his most compelling ever! All tunes are originals, and titles include "Your A Very Lovely Woman", "In Days Of Old", "Til The Day After", "Holly Park", "Mother Earth", "Pardon Me", and "Textile Factory". CD features a bonus track too! CD

A deep dive into the world of Puerto Rican music in the years before salsa and Latin Soul – overflowing with the sounds and styles that also helped forge a huge new wave of expression on the New York scene as well! The package does a great job of pulling together tracks that really get at this prehistory of more familiar Latin modes – beginning with rare tracks from the 78rpm years, then focusing on killer album cuts from the late 50s and early 60s – grooves that were helping Puerto Rico to rival Cuba in terms of fresh rhythms and razor-sharp instrumentation! Just about all of this work has been out of print on any format for many years – including CD – and the package does a great job of tracing the line from San Juan up to New York – with a selection of 44 tracks by artists who include Humberto Morales, Bobby Capo, Orquesta Panamericana, Noro Morales, Cesar Concepcion, Cortijo, Roy Rosario, Ismael Rivera, Chiquitin Garcia, Angel Luis Torruellas, Cuarteto Puerto Rico, Roberto Casillas, Lou Perez, and others. CD

A pretty amazing and deeply varied 2CD set of far reaching Americana – selections from the second season of Theme Time Radio Hour With Your Host Bob Dylan – an eclectic, exciting mix of old time soul and r&b, big band, blues, honky tonk and proto rock from decades past, and a few choice numbers from recent years! As tired as you might be of hearing about the towering genius of Saint Dylan (well earned as the kudos may be), it's pretty wonderful to hear what an adventurous ear he has for quality music regardless of genre, and the set is a heck of a lot of fun, too – how else to describe a compilation that features both late 40s kitsch from the Sherman Williams Orchestra – and fiery modern garage rock from The Dirtbombs? 50 songs on 2CDs: "Hello" by The Sherman Williams Orchestra, "Let's Have A Party" by Wanda Jackson, "Sam Stone" by Swamp Dogg, "Jump Into The Fire" by Nilsson, "Fist City" by Loretta Lynn, "One Hand Loose" by Charlie Feathers, "First I Look At The Purse" by The Contours, "Rhode Island Is Famous For You" by Blossom Dearie, "The Glory Of Love" by The Velvetone, "Young Man's Blues" by Mose Allison, "Rocket Nine Takes Off For Planet Venus" by Sun Ra, "Dim Lights, Thick Smoke (And Loud Loud Music)" by Joe Maphis & Rose Lee and much more. CD

One of best ever albums by Tom Waits – the beginning of his gutbuckety, Americana Carnivalesque era of dreamlike sinister romance and lovelorn surrealism! The tin pan piano ballads and get pushed a bit to the wayside for Tom's more mysterious and poetic side, and this begins one of the great second acts in pop/rock history. Includes the tracks "Underground", "Shore Leave", "Dave The Butcher", "16 Shells From A Thirty-Ought-Six", "Franks Wild Years", "Down, Down, Down", "Rainbirds", "Just Another Sucker On The Vine", "Town With No Cheer", and others. CD