Features Ella Fitzgerald on vocal performances of "April In Paris", "Party Blues", and "Every Day I Have The Blues" – with Count Basie backing. Also features a jam session version of "Billie's Bounce" – with Art Blakey, Charles Mingus, Tal Farlow, Zoot Sims, and others – and a solo piano take on "Lady Fair" by George Wallington. LP, Vinyl record album

Includes three tunes from a 1945 session by the Capitol International Jazzmen, with Bill Coleman on trumpet, Buster Bailey on clarinet, Benny Carter on alto, Coleman Hawkins on tenor, Nat King Cole on piano, Oscar Moore on guitar, John Kirby on bass, Max Roach on drums, and Kay Starr on vocals; four tunes by the Metronome All Stars from 1947 and 1951, with sidemen that include Dizzy Gilletpie, Buddy DeFranco, Flip Phillips, Nat King Cole, Buddy Rich, Miles Davis, Max Roach, and others; and a side's worth of material from Louis Bellson's Just Jazz All Stars from 1952, with Clark Terry, Juan Tizol, Wardell Gray, Billy Strayhorn, and others. LP, Vinyl record album

A really amazing record – even more incredible than you might guess from the cover and title! The whole thing's definitely a "party" in sound – as the record takes lots of familiar instrumentation and mixes it with odd sound effects and weird production tricks – creating a space age vibe that's totally incredible, and pretty darn groovy as well! Things are very upbeat, and playful – and the whole thing's got a feel that's very similar to some of the late 60s sci fi grooves of Peter Thomas, most notably his excellent Raumpatrouille soundtrack. Organ mixes with fuzzy guitar, electronics, rattling percussion, and heavy basslines – then the whole thing's layered with lots and lots of echo and studio tricks – with occasional spoken or sung vocals that heighten the mood of the tunes, yet still leave things in a mostly instrumental mode. Most tracks are pretty darn funky – in an offbeat way – and the sound of the whole thing is completely mindblowing – handled by the same guys who did the Vampires Of Dartmoor record! Titles include "Visitors Of AD 2022", "The End Of A Robot", "Flirtation On Venus", "Dance On Mars", "Man Out Of A Test Tube", "Death Rays Out Of The Universe", and "The Whistling Astronaut". LP, Vinyl record album

An amazing set from Swedish trombonist Eje Thelin – a live date, but a totally excellent session that stands as one of the best demonstration of his talents in the 60s! On the European scene at the time, Thelin was easily one of the most inventive players on the trombone – one of the few who could hit the soulful swing of American musicians like Curtis Fuller or JJ Johnson, but also an artist who was starting to stretch out into new realms too – just a touch of Grachan Moncur and Roswell Rudd, with a hint of the modernism that would come later in his career. This album really captures him at the cusp – very creative, yet still mostly swinging and straight ahead – working with a great quintet that also features Ulf Andersson on tenor, Joel Vendroogenbroek on piano and flute, Roman Dylag on bass, and Rune Carlsson on drums. Titles include "The Opener", "I'm Old Fashioned", "Gazoline", "Marquese De Villamanga", and "Filmballad". CD

A groovy German treasure from the late 60s – a sublime little set we'd rank right up there with the legendary Vampyros Lesbos for pure musical genius! Despite the appearance of a group on the album's cover, the music's all made by a couple of studio cats – Horst Ackermann and Heribert Thusek, the cats behind the equally groovy Science Fiction Corporation album! The music here is made of familiar elements, abstracted with odd production techniques – funky basslines, skittish percussion, fuzzy guitars, and cool keyboards – all echoed out in weird ways, and layered with eerie voices and sound effects that further illuminate the mood of the music – kind of a Mad Monster Party sort of vibe, but with a much groovier feel overall. Things are often pretty funky at points – and even the non-funky cuts have a sonic sensibility that's simply mindblowing – right up there with (if not better than) well-known German 60s experiments from more familiar forces, like Peter Thomas, MPS, or the sound library scene. Titles include "Hallo Mister Hitchcock", "Frankenstein Greets Alpha 7", "Die Folterkammer Des Dr Sex", "Crime & Horror", "Tanz Der Vampires", "Mord Im Ohio Express", and "Ende Eines Killers". LP, Vinyl record album

A nice album compiling of some of the less-collected work by Clifford Brown – 1953 recordings done in Europe for the Metronome and Vogue labels, recorded with a great larger group. Sides feature Brown working with Quincy Jones, Gigi Gryce, Anthony Ortega, Juimmy Cleveland, and others alongside Parisian and European players that include Henri Renaud and Pierre Michelot. The set features "Brown Skins", "Keeping Up With Jonesy", "Bum's Rush", "Chez Moi", "All Weird" and "No Start No End". CD

A collection of greatest hits, plus work with Sarah Vaughan and the Metronome All Stars, with 30 tracks over 2 LPs! LP, Vinyl record album

Includes work with the orchestras of Pete Rugolo, Lou Bring, Woody Herman, and Sonny Burke, and with The Metronome All Stars, Bobby Tucker Group, and the George Shearing Quintet. LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic early trio album from pianist Tommy Flanagan – a set that was originally recorded overseas by Metronome Records, hence the title – and part of a long tradition of Tommy making some of his best music for non-US labels! Flanagan's already a hell of a craftsman here on the piano – able to mix boppish sharpness with the strong sense of lyricism that would grace some of his later work – in a trio that features great bass from Wilbur Little, and a pre-Coltrane Elvin jones on drums. The set's a great early example of Flanagan's special touch on the keys – and titles include "Skal Brothers", "Verdandi", "Dalarna", "Little Rock", "Eclypso", and "Beat's Up" – and this "complete" version features a few alternate takes! CD

The material that made Lars Gullin a legend – important early 50s sessions for the Metronome label in Sweden, also issued over here in the US by Emarcy – as records that really helped Gullin's fame spread quickly! The tracks really have Lars finding his own voice strongly – using the baritone sax with tenor-like dexterity, in small combo lineups that often use the guitar of Rolf Berg in place of piano – which makes for a really unusual sort of tonal approach! The guitar rings out wonderfully next to the baritone – creating a great interplay of sonic textures – save for a few tracks that feature Lars playing a bit of piano, which he'd take up more strongly in later years. Titles include "Circus", "Manchester Fog", "Jump For Fan", "Bugs", "Stocks & Bonds", "Danny's Dream", "Lars Meets Jeff", and "Igloo" – and CD features a few alternate takes too – plus great notes! CD

Very nice material recorded by Baden in Paris, with backing by Paul Mauriat & His Orchestra. There's a nice organ player in the group, and his solos give the record a cool airy sound, and a nice bottom that's sometimes missing from Baden's other records. Tracks include "Choro Para Metronome", "Deve Ser Amor", "Chanson D'Hiver", "Berimbau", "Bachiana", and "Samba Triste". LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic early trio album from pianist Tommy Flanagan – a set that was originally recorded overseas by Metronome Records, hence the title – and part of a long tradition of Tommy making some of his best music for non-US labels! Flanagan's already a hell of a craftsman here on the piano – able to mix boppish sharpness with the strong sense of lyricism that would grace some of his later work – in a trio that features great bass from Wilbur Little, and a pre-Coltrane Elvin jones on drums. The set's a great early example of Flanagan's special touch on the keys – and titles include "Skal Brothers", "Verdandi", "Dalarna", "Little Rock", "Eclypso", and "Beat's Up". This great CD not only unearths this rare album (usually only the province of jazz collectors), but also includes 3 rare bonus cuts – alternate takes of titles on the album. CD

Recordings from 1947 by Barry Ulanov & His All Star Metronome Jazzmen, with Fats Navarro on trumpet, John LaPorta on clarinet, Charlie Parker on alto, Allen Eager on tenor, Lennie Tristano on piano, Billy Bauer on guitar, Tommy Potter on bass, and Buddy Rich on drums, with Sarah Vaughan on vocals; plus three tunes recorded in 1948 at the Royal Roost by Tadd Dameron & His Orchestra with Allen Eager and Wardell Gray on tenor, Curley Russel on bass, and Kenny Clarke on drums. LP, Vinyl record album

Killer cuts from Carnival Records – a New Jersey indie from the 60s that turned out some mighty wonderful music! Carnival's possibly best known as the original home of The Manhattans, before their later fame at Columbia – but back in the mid 60s, the label was a hotbed of activity – and recorded a whole host of really great artists, most of whom are featured on this set! As you'd guess from the Northern Soul title, the package focuses on upbeat groovers from Carnival – the kind of hard-hitting soul tracks that bubbled under in the American underground in the 60s, but finally got their due later, as overseas collectors picked up on their genius. The set's overflowing with really wonderful cuts – and we'll be honest in saying that in all our years of crate digging, there's loads of numbers here we've never been able to find in good shape. Titles include "Little Miss Soul" by The Lovettes, "Wishes" by The Metrics, "I Wanna Be Your Everything" by The Pretenders, "Hey Girl" by The Topics, "Love Has Passed Me By" by Phil Terrell, "Lost Love" by Lee Williams & The Cymbals, "Please Come Back" by Harry Caldwell, "I'll Catch You On The Rebound" by Leon & The Metronomes, "Why Did She Lie" by Vick & John, "I Call It Love" by The Pretenders, "I Say Yeah" by The Pets, "My Love Is Yours Tonight" by The Turner Brothers, "Me Myself & I" by Norma Jenkins, and "Leave Me If You Want To" by Curby Goggins. CD