The near-complete work of one of the all-time great but overlooked groups of the UK scene of the late 60s – a group who jumped between a few different labels, mostly issued a handful of singles, yet managed to create a huge amount of magic at the time! You'll not find The Mirage in the history books, but they definitely gave the UK scene a few great singles, enough to get them onto the BBC – where a few of these tracks were recorded – and somehow managed to keep on working on great music, despite record label politics that would have buried most other acts of the generation. There's a tuneful approach to psych that begins some of the material, with maybe the odd freakbeat moment too – a quality that comes out even more strongly as the group morphs through a few later identities, including Yellow Pages, Portebello Explosion, and the really great Jawbone – the last of whom finally got a chance to record a full length album! The 3CD package divides up nicely – CD1 features singles and BBC tracks by The Mirage, plus a few by Portebello Explosion and Yellow Pages; CD2 features some stunning unheard outtakes that are maybe even more amazing than some Mirage singles; and CD3 features the full Jawbone album from 1970, a set that echoes some of the earlier moments, but with even sharper instrumentation and a nicely compressed sense of production. 3CD set features 60 tracks in all, and very detailed notes on the group and their music! CD

No Mirage here – as the album's got a presence that's impossible to deny – a solid, soulful uttering from this key Chicago combo of the 70s! The group's led by reedman Ari Brown – better known for his later avant work – and they've got a wicked blend of keyboards and horns with lots of complicated touches, played out over funky rhythms that are completely mindblowing! The great Ken Chaney plays keyboards, and in addition to Brown's reeds, the set also features trumpet from Frank Gordon, trombone from Steve Galloway, and bass from Rufus Reid – plus cool percussion from Arlington Davis and Drasheer Khalid. Most cuts are instrumental, and recorded beautifully – but one number, "The Ultimate Frontier", also features vocals from Anita Jefferies. Other cuts include "Slinky", "Mirage", "Just a Little Peace", and "March On". CD

With Fred Hersch on piano, Ray Drummond on bass, and Akira Tana on drums. CD

No Mirage here – as the album's got a presence that's impossible to deny – a solid, soulful uttering from this key Chicago combo of the 70s! The group's led by reedman Ari Brown – better known for his later avant work – and they've got a wicked blend of keyboards and horns with lots of complicated touches, played out over funky rhythms that are completely mindblowing! The great Ken Chaney plays keyboards, and in addition to Brown's reeds, the set also features trumpet from Frank Gordon, trombone from Steve Galloway, and bass from Rufus Reid – plus cool percussion from Arlington Davis and Drasheer Khalid. Most cuts are instrumental, and recorded beautifully – but one number, "The Ultimate Frontier", also features vocals from Anita Jefferies. Other cuts include "Slinky", "Mirage", "Just a Little Peace", and "March On". CD

No Mirage here – as the album's got a presence that's impossible to deny – a solid, soulful uttering from this key Chicago combo of the 70s! The group's led by reedman Ari Brown – better known for his later avant work – and they've got a wicked blend of keyboards and horns with lots of complicated touches, played out over funky rhythms that are completely mindblowing! The great Ken Chaney plays keyboards, and in addition to Brown's reeds, the set also features trumpet from Frank Gordon, trombone from Steve Galloway, and bass from Rufus Reid – plus cool percussion from Arlington Davis and Drasheer Khalid. Most cuts are instrumental, and recorded beautifully – but one number, "The Ultimate Frontier", also features vocals from Anita Jefferies. Other cuts include "Slinky", "Mirage", "Just a Little Peace", and "March On". LP, Vinyl record album

No Mirage here – as the album's got a presence that's impossible to deny – a solid, soulful uttering from this key Chicago combo of the 70s! The group's led by reedman Ari Brown – better known for his later avant work – and they've got a wicked blend of keyboards and horns with lots of complicated touches, played out over funky rhythms that are completely mindblowing! The great Ken Chaney plays keyboards, and in addition to Brown's reeds, the set also features trumpet from Frank Gordon, trombone from Steve Galloway, and bass from Rufus Reid – plus cool percussion from Arlington Davis and Drasheer Khalid. Most cuts are instrumental, and recorded beautifully – but one number, "The Ultimate Frontier", also features vocals from Anita Jefferies. Other cuts include "Slinky", "Mirage", "Just a Little Peace", and "March On". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

Wonderfully tripped-out work from Curt Boettcher – one of the genius talents behind the group The Millennium, and one of the great unsung production talents that helped shape the sound of late 60s pop. This one takes off from the earlier Millennium work – but also has a bit of a higher concept in the songs, sort of a psyche-pop style to the backings, and a complicated approach to the tracks that make us wish that Boettcher had kept on recording as a solo act during the 70s. Titles include "Share With Me", "That's The Way It's Gonna Be", "Another Time", "The Know It All", "Stretch Levis", "Astral Cowboy", and "Misty Mirage". Great stuff – with 23 tracks in all, including a few instrumental versions! CD

Features Hutcherson on vibes, Tommy Flanagan on piano, Peter Washington on bass, and Billy Drummond on drums! CD

A set of tinny, poppy dancefloor grooves from Shannon – very much in the spirit of her earlier hits for Mirage, and handled with a strange sort of charm that we're hard pressed to define ourselves! There's certainly plenty of cheesy elements going on – from overwrought guitars to overused keys – but Shannon's vocals somehow make them come off with a nice degree of sweetness. Titles include "Stop The Noise", "Stronger Together", "Urgent", "Why Can't We Pretend", "Bedroom Eyes", and "Doin What You're Doin". LP, Vinyl record album

The big breakout record for The System – one of the key soul crossover duos of the 80s! By the time of the record, electric instrumentation and studio technology had evolved to a point where a team like Mic Murphy and David Frank could put together a whole mainstream funk record like this on their own – and audiences too were a bit more open to accepting a world of overdubs and multi-track recording, and didn't need the 10-piece lineup of some of those late 70s groups to help them find their groove! The standout number here is the huge single "You Are In My System" – a cut that's wonderful in its simplicity, and somehow even better all these many years later, which it seems like less of a commercial crossover track than it did before. Other tracks follow a similar groove, and titles include "Sweat", "It's Passion", "Now I Am Electric", "Stand Up & Cheer", and "I Won't Let Go". LP, Vinyl record album

The New York in the title is very apt – as the album's got a lot more soul, and a lot more solid club groove than some of Kano's other albums from the 80s! The overall feel is really great – moving along in a post-disco groove that's mostly based around spare rhythms, simple electronics, and the occasional vocal bit that supports the whole tune. Titles include "She's A Star", "Can't Hold Back", "Round & Round", "Party", and "Don't Try To Stop Me". LP, Vinyl record album

Wow! This record takes all the directions that soul was heading towards in the early 80s, and wraps them into one record! System has it all – geri curls, bass pedal riffing, tinny synth drums, over-produced flanged-out vocals, and catchy little tunes that were designed to cross over with the "hot mix" crowd in a big way. Tracks include "It Takes 2", "Big City Beat", "I Don't Run From Danger", "My Radio Rocks", and "Did In By A Friend". LP, Vinyl record album

A great bit of crossover dancefloor – and the one standout hit from The System! "In My System" has a groove that's electric and soulful at the same time – nicely percolated and a bit compressed – served up with a hook that won't quit! "Now I Am Electric" is a bit more frenetic – certainly electric in beats and keys, and with lots of vocoder bits! 12-inch, Vinyl record

Quite a different sound than Jean's Philly International recordings – although certainly a logical extension – and it's a sweeter than sweet set from the mid 80s that in turns both celebrates and transcends the production style of the era! Overall, Closer Than Close is a smooth batch of mellow modern soul, almost in a Phyllis Hyman mode, and with less of the free easy jazz touches of Jean's earlier recordings. Grover Washington produced most of the record, an he really does add a bit of jazz into the mix – but the standout element is Jean's vocals, which seem to have expanded their range along with the addition of the "e" to her last name! Titles include "Lucky Charm", "Closer than Close", "Everything Must Change", "Sexy Eyes", "It Must Be Love", and a solid remake of "Break Up To Make Up". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

Fantastic rhythms from percussionist Rubens Bassini – a set that has all the raw live energy of a Latin jazz jam session, but which also carries some of the sweet touches of the bossa nova scene in Brazil – a really wonderful mixing of modes that makes the album a gem all the way through! Rubens plays with the fire you'd expect from his image on the cover – bringing a lot more lively percussion to the record than usual for a Brazilian jazz set of the time – while the larger backings shade things in on some sweet colors – with a nice mix of piano, woodwinds, and some especially great vibes! The record's an excellent jammer that takes a bossa nova groove, and infuses it with some heavier Afro-Cuban rhythms – creating a jazzy style stuffed with infectious changes – on titles that include "Coco Seco", "Barquinho", "Cuban Mambo", "Mirage", "Maria Conga", "Mensagem", "Love For Sale", "Quem Quiser", and "Ceu E Mar". Great stuff all around – recorded in Brazil in 1960, and with not a dead track on the album! CD

The rarest of all of Art Blakey's percussion group projects – and quite possibly the best, too! The session features Blakey at the head of a strong mix of jazz and percussion players – with Art Taylor and Philly Joe Jones on the regular drum kit, Donald Byrd on trumpet and Ray Bryant on piano, and a host of assorted percussion work by the likes of Ray Barretto, Sabu Martinez, Victor Gonzalez, Julio Martinez, and others. The resultant sound is incredible – very full, rich, and earthy – and done in a way that interweaves African and Latin percussion styles with straighter American jazz! A few cuts have chanting by Blakey and Sabu – and titles include "The Feast", "Mirage", "Lamento Africano", "O'Tinde", "Swingin Kilts", "Dinga", "Reflection", and "Aghano". CD

The album that rocked a million dorm rooms back in the 60s – and for good reason, too – given that the title track is a side-long, totally jamming monster – the kind of track that was really revolutionary at the time, and which still has a hell of an impact all these many years later! "In A Gadda Da Vida" was shortened to a single – with the big hook intact – but this classic album version runs for 17 minutes in length, and has the group doing all these cool jams with their instruments – all the animals in the garden of Eden talking to each other (or at least that's what our addled teenaged minds always thought!) Shorter tracks are mighty nice too – a heady, heavy brew of Hammond and fierce guitar from Erik Brann, on cuts all penned by group leader Doug Ingle. Titles include "Termination", "My Mirage", "Flowers & Roses", and "Most Anything You Want". LP, Vinyl record album

A monstrous assortment of work from Iron Butterfly – one of the key groups in helping the American scene move from psych to hard rock at the end of the 60s! First up are mono and stereo mixes of Heavy – a record that's not nearly as well known as their classic In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida – but which has a very similar vibe all the way through! The songs are a bit shorter, but these guys really manage to do a lot with a little – using lots of brooding bass right up from the bottom, to create a blueprint for hard rock imitators in years to come – none of whom were able to match these guys' simple, direct approach – and their optimistic sense of power in their music. Many numbers often have this vocal interplay that really works wonderful with the fuzzy guitar lines – and titles include "Possession", "Unconscious Power", "So Lo", "Look For The Sun", "Stamped Ideas", "Fields Of The Sun", and a nice fuzzy funk version of "Get Out Of My Life Woman". Next is the stereo mix of In A Gadda Da Vida – the album that rocked a million dorm rooms back in the 60s – and for good reason, too – given that the title track is a side-long, totally jamming monster – the kind of track that was really revolutionary at the time, and which still has a hell of an impact all these many years later! "In A Gadda Da Vida" was shortened to a single – with the big hook intact – but this classic album version runs for 17 minutes in length, and has the group doing all these cool jams with their instruments – all the animals in the garden of Eden talking to each other (or at least that's what our addled teenaged minds always thought!) Shorter tracks are mighty nice too – a heady, heavy brew of Hammond and fierce guitar from Erik Brann, on cuts all penned by group leader Doug Ingle. Titles include "Termination", "My Mirage", "Flowers & Roses", and "Most Anything You Want". Next is the stereo mix of Ball – a killer classic from Iron Butterfly – a group who always had way more to offer than their hits, as you'll find out when dipping into this full length set! The album's worth it alone for the organ lines – which kind of take off from the territory of The Doors, but are often more unusual – and mixed with vocals that can have an eerie sensibility, but without ever sounding indulgent! The music's not pop psych, but it's also never too full of itself – and titles include "In The Crowds", "In The Time Of Our Lives", "Soul Experience", "Lonely Boy", "Belda Beast", and "Filled With Fear". Next are mono and stereo mixes of Live – great live document of the heady power of Iron Butterfly – with titles that include "You Can't Win", "Are You Happy", "In A Gadda Da Vida", "Filled With Fear", and "In The Time Of Our Lives". Next is Metamorphosis – a record that's not a complete metamorphosis for Iron Butterfly, but one that definitely has the group stretching out with even more force and confidence than before! The group were maybe one of the few to come to hard rock via psych, instead of the blues rock path that so many others took at the time – and that difference is key here, as the songs really resonate with the potential for trippiness, but have this great sense of focus – one that makes the vocals sound even more potent than ever. There's still plenty of great organ work too – and titles include "Free Flight", "Shady Lady", "Best Years Of Our Life", "Slower Than Guns", and "Stone Believer". The set also features the 2CD 1968 Fillmore East set – an unreleased live performance from Iron Butterfly – one that captures the group at their late 60s height, in front of a very heady crowd at The Fillmore East! The recording quality is great – very clear, and different than the group's studio albums – with maybe even a bit more focus on the vocals of Doug Ingle, and the guitar lines of Erik Brann – in a way that lifts them out of the bottom sound a bit more, and presents the group in a whole new sort of focus! Plus, the brief patter from the stage also really helps us get an idea of how a trippy band like this could hold such great sway over a crowd at the time – energy that doesn't seem to stop at all, through the 2CD set's presentation of material from four different shows, on two nights of recording. Titles include "Are You Happy", "Stamped Ideas", "Fields Of Sun", "You Can't Win", "Unconscious Power", "My Mirage", "Her Favorite Style", "Possession", "Iron Butterfly Theme", and the mighty "In A Gadda Da Vida". CD set also features more tracks from singles, new remastering, a poster, and a big booklet of notes! CD

One of the funkiest records ever from Akira Ishikawa and his Count Buffalos band – a hip little groover that stands head to head with some of the best funky jazz from the US and Europe of the time! Despite Akira's earthy look on the cover, the record's got a relatively electric feel overall – thanks to some sweet electric piano from Hiromasa Suzuki and organ from Norio Maeda – both of whom work together on most numbers, with a great sense of flow between the keyboards! The rhythms have some Latin and African percussion added on the bottom, which gives the grooves a nicely chunky feel – and some cuts have some sharp-edged tenor solos from Takeru Muraoka, who further deepens the soul of the set. The album's a really tremendous one through and through – as righteous as a lost American funky fusion set from the early 70s – and titles include "African Deer", "Sunrise", "Sandstorm", "Blue Soul", "Bakishinba", and "Mirage". LP, Vinyl record album

A much-needed look at an overlooked side of the genius of Quincy Jones – not his jazz work, not his productions for famous soul artists, but instead his huge legacy of soundtrack material – a part of Q's career that really took off in the 60s! By the time he started working in films, Jones had already had a decade under his belt as one of the hippest arrangers, leaders, and composers in jazz – and the film business really respected those talents, and allowed Quincy to bring some really fresh styles into play – modes that really opened up the vibe of American cinema, and also paved the way for the funky styles of the 70s! As that decade approached, Jones left behind the cinema to take on some more higher-profile records of his own – but all the charms of those great albums can be found here at their roots – in this stunning collection of soundtrack material, some of which has never been on CD. The package is way more than just a sampler – and includes an album's worth of material from the films The Pawnbroker, Slender Thread, Mirage, The Deadly Affair, In The Heat Of The Night, In Cold Blood, Walk Don't Run, The Italian Job, Lost Man, and John & Mary – plus two versions of the love theme from The Getaway, and a bonus CD with 18 tracks – titled Q's highlights, and featuring tracks from his Mercury records – plus more by Billy Preston, Arthur Prysock, Bill Cosby, Shirley Horn, Letta Mbulu, Toots Thielemans, and others. Even features the "Sanford & Son" and "Ironside" themes! CD

Just Joe Pass on guitar and Oscar Peterson on piano – on tracks that include "Mirage", "Darn That Dream", "Stella By Starlight", "Blues For Bise", and the medley "Ellingtonia". CD

The mighty Jean Luc Ponty in all his 70s glory – taking the violin from the realm of more staid European jazz roots, and using it to rival some of the bigger fusion soloists of the decade! Ponty's key here is the way he uses the electrified instrument almost like a keyboard – spinning out these nicely-building waves of sound that can also alternate with more dynamic solo moments too – supported here by a sweet electric group that features Joaquin Lievano and Jamie Glaser on guitars, Allan Zavod on keyboards, and Ralphe Armstrong on bass. Tracks are nice and long – and titles include "Aurora (parts 1 & 2)", "Imaginary Voyage (parts 3 & 4)", "Mirage", "No Strings Attached", and "Egocentric Molecules". LP, Vinyl record album

Tracks include "Chant 12 For Pacific Islands", "The Trace", "Currents and Tides", "Road To Body", "Wave Sad, Weave Slow", and "Mirage Returns". CD

Killer jazz from the UK! This is one of the best-ever albums by the legendary Jazz Couriers group that starred England's greatest tenor players ever – Ronnie Scott & Tubby Hayes. The album is darn tough to find in the original, and this reissue is long long overdue – especially as the music gives us one of the best glipses into Scott's rich tenor talent, which has long been under-documented in the reissue world. The group is tight, hard, and surprisingly soulful – and we're sure to bet that if you pop the CD in for a friend, they're going to say "What the heck is this? Some lost Blue Note LP?" Titles include "In Salah", "The Monk", "After Tea", and "Mirage" – the the whole thing sounds excellent! CD

The real sound of the British underground at the end of the 60s – a stellar 3CD package that goes way beyond the oft-heard modes from the classic rock and progressive years! Sure, all the big names from those years are totally great – but they've also obscured the really rich tapestry of lesser-knowns who were working in London and beyond at the time – extremely inventive groups who work here in a blistering array of fuzzy, freaky, and mad mod styles! The book's got plenty of details on the 65 tracks included in the box set – more than enough info to help situate these really unique sounds, and no doubt start you digging for more in the future. Yet there's hardly any need to dig when you've got a set this great – a package that includes "Pretty Colours" by Deep Feeling, "Ebeneezer Beaver" by The Mirage, "Amanda Jane" by West Coast Consortium, "Love" by Shy Limbs, "Santa Lucia" by Respect, "Iridescent Butterfly" by Fat Mattress, "Story Book" by Alan Bown, "Just Another Day" by Neon Pearl, "I'll Be Late For Tea" by Blossom Toes, "Am I Glad To See You" by The In Crowd, "Busy Bee" by Tintern Abbey, "Fillin A Gap" by Paper Bubble, "Creation" by Beau, and "Hurry On Sundown" by Hawkwind Zoo. CD

A completely obscure batch of tunes – so much so that only two of the cuts here have been reissued – and a set that's every bit as wonderful as previous entries in this long-running series! Overall, there's probably a bit more soul than jazz – but every track within is on the hipper side of the spectrum – the sort of work that easily blends genres, and which comes from 70s acts working far from the mainstream, in a wonderful groove that's very much their own! Most numbers have a midtempo groove – perfect for the jazzier elements in the soul cuts – and as with previous editions in the series, there's a righteous current that gives most of these tracks a very positive, uplifting vibe. Titles include "It's A Long Road" by Babe, "Bend A Little" by Mirage, "Slip Back Into The Magic" by Leaves Of Autumn, "I Got The Hots For You"b y Ronnie Miller, "Hey Flicka" by Mikael Neumann, "Future Shock" by Synot, "Oh Senor" by Jan Lewis Group, "Mister Jones" by Charles Vickers, and "The Ring" by Dianne Elliott. CD

A completely obscure batch of tunes – so much so that only two of the cuts here have been reissued – and a set that's every bit as wonderful as previous entries in this long-running series! Overall, there's probably a bit more soul than jazz – but every track within is on the hipper side of the spectrum – the sort of work that easily blends genres, and which comes from 70s acts working far from the mainstream, in a wonderful groove that's very much their own! Most numbers have a midtempo groove – perfect for the jazzier elements in the soul cuts – and as with previous editions in the series, there's a righteous current that gives most of these tracks a very positive, uplifting vibe. Titles include "It's A Long Road" by Babe, "Bend A Little" by Mirage, "Slip Back Into The Magic" by Leaves Of Autumn, "I Got The Hots For You"b y Ronnie Miller, "Hey Flicka" by Mikael Neumann, "Future Shock" by Synot, "Oh Senor" by Jan Lewis Group, "Mister Jones" by Charles Vickers, and "The Ring" by Dianne Elliott. LP, Vinyl record album

Sunshine Pop is a style that's usually associated with the American west coast scene of the 60s – music that sprung up in the wake of The Beach Boys and some of the other upbeat, harmony-heavy groups of the time – yet as you'll see in this set, there was also plenty of sunshine pop coming from the UK too – some by older artists influenced by musical changes, some by very cool English groups, and some by artists who were really taking the sound and spirit in their own direction! The box tracks a great stretch in the UK scene when things were sweet and well-produced, with a really great focus on well-crafted vocals amidst lovely arrangements – never too slick or sleepy in a soft rock way – and often presented with some unique British twists that make the tunes a great change from Sunshine Pop in the US! We love it when the Grapefruit label digs into a genre we never would have explored this deeply – and the 3CD package is a wonder throughout – with 87 tracks in all, alongside a big booklet of notes – presented by a huge array of artists who include Butterscotch, Dawn Chorus, The Mirage, Design, The Zombies, Paul Ryan, Roger Webb Sound, Agincourt, The Flies, Jason Cord, Symbols, Pinkerton's Colours, Tony Rivers & The Castaways, West Coast Consortium, The Seekers, Wilson Malone Voiceband, Orange Bicycle, Ken Smart, Harmony Grass, Episode Six, and many many others! CD

Bring on the sun if it burns this strongly – as we're more than happy to get extra toasty in the light of such wonderful tracks as these! The set's a stunning look at the massive musical shift on the UK scene in the year of 1967 – a time when psych was certainly making its influence felt, but groups were also opening up in all these other sorts of ways too – really getting past the jaunty rhythms and catchy lyrics of a few years before – and instead somehow managing to make all these amazing things happen in just the space of a short 7" single! Some of the artists here are artists who were making more mainstream music a few years earlier, others are new acts that would soon become superstars, and a few more are genius groups who burst out strongly, then disappeared from view – all brought together in a great 3CD package, with 79 tracks in all, and very detailed notes. Artists include The Herd, Idle Race, Dave Davies, John Williams, Svensk, Universals, Australian Playboys, Tony Rivers, Great Uncle Fred, Artwoods, 23rd Turnoff, Vocal Point, Zombies, Nirvana UK, Lisa & Francesca, The Mirage, Virgin Sleep, Accent, Our Plastic Dream, David Bowie, Living Daylights, John's Children, Episode Six, Orange Bicycle, The Poets, Genesis, Crocheted Doughnut Ring, Piccadilly Line, Scott Henderson, Made In Sheffield, Caleb, and many others! CD

2 of Lester Bowie's hard-to-find albums on Muse – Fast Last and Rope-a-Dope – both recorded after the classic years of the Art Ensemble of Chicago, and before the painful Brass Fantasy recordings. Both records are very hip sessions, with Bowie leading different groupings of avant players that include old partners Malachi Favors and Don Moye, brother Joseph Bowie, and other 70's soul jazz/avant artists like John Hicks, Charles Shaw, and Cecil McBee. The whole thing's nicely packaged on 2CDs, with the usual 32 Jazz care – and titles include "Lonely Woman", "F Troop Rides Again", "Fast Last C", "Mirage", and "Tender Openings". CD

With 27 tracks including "Hanky Panky", "Mirage", "Sam I Am", "Run, Run, Baby, Run", "Out Of The Blue", "One Two Three And I Fell", and "Sugar On Sunday". LP, Vinyl record album

The Awakening were an amazing electric soul jazz combo from Chicago – and they recorded two legendary albums for the Black Jazz label during the mid 60s. This Ovation album collects material from both of those records, and repackages it under a new title and a new cover. The tracks are great – with a heavy funk sound that has made the band one of the most in-demand from the time for collectors. The set list includes some of their finest material, with titles like "Slinky", "Mode For D.D.", "Brand New Feeling", and "Mirage". LP, Vinyl record album

Silvano Monasterios manages to swing strongly, yet also hit some great angular notes as well – a style that's echoed here by the work of saxophonist Troy Roberts and clarinetist Anat Cohen, who each play on different tracks on the set! Monasterios is clearly the main attraction, but the way he works with each reed player brings a special sort of twist to the record – as the musicians pour out force and feeling over some nicely complicated currents in the rhythms from Jonathan Dadurka on bass, Rodolfo Zuniga on drums, and Roberto Quintero on percussion. Almost all the tunes are originals by Silvano – and titles include "A Tropical Mirage", "Awash With Secrets", "Faith In You", "Blue In Red", "Eternal Blue Sky", and "Partly Sunny". CD

Excellent work from Smokey Robinson and The Miracles – featuring 2 albums that show the group moving between the "go go" sound of the mid 60s, and reaching into some more sophisticated tunes that show their continuing development as a strong harmony vocal act. There's loads of great obscure material on the set – with a total of 24 tracks that include "Give Her Up", "Yester Love", "If You Can Want", "Special Occasion", "The Soulful Shack", "The Love I Saw In You Was Just A Mirage", "My Love For You", "I'm On The Outside (Looking In)", "More Love", "After You Put Back The Pieces", "It's A Good Feeling", "You Must Be Love", "Dancing's Alright", and "Much Better Off". CD

It's been a long time coming for the "return" of these guys – nearly 40 years – but it's been well worth the wait! This excellent batch of bossa jazz tracks picks up directly where the group left off back in the 60s – swinging nicely in a complicated mode that's light years ahead of most other Brazilian jazz sessions, both in quality of playing, and in conception of the rhythms. The group features great percussion from Wilson Das Neves, acoustic guitar by Neco, piano by Marvio Ciribelli, and sweet trombone solos from Paulo Williams, in that gently gliding mode that gave the group's legendary first album such a great groove! One of the best sets of bossa jazz you'll find in recent years – and with loads of great titles that include "Sacunda", "Icari", "Balaio", "Chorina A", "Berimbaco", "Verao", and "Miragem". CD