A striking title – and a strong set of grooves, even if the tracks were pulled from a variety of different sessions, and not recorded as a unified album. Jug plays tenor on all cuts – working in formats that range from a Mal Waldron led trio to larger honking groups with horn players like Henderson Chambers, Cecil Payne, Nate Woodward, and Gene Easton. Tracks are short, and most are pretty rocking – with titles that include "Blue Coolade", "Short Stop", "Scam", "Sock", "What I Say", and "Rock Roll". LP, Vinyl record album

Gritty live work from twin tenor giants Gene Ammons and Dexter Gordon – recorded in an open-ended style that's a bit like some of Gordon's famous early work on the Central Avenue scene in LA, or Ammons' famous live "battles" with Sonny Stitt! The date was recorded in Chicago at the North Park Hotel – with sound that's a bit more "live" than some of the other Prestige sessions at the time – and an unusual lineup that features local players Jodie Christian and John Young on piano, Cleveland Eaton on bass, and Steve McCall on drums. The lovely Vi Redd makes a vocal appearance on the track "Lonesome Lover Blues" – and other titles include "The Chase", "Polka Dots & Moonbeams", and "The Happy Blues" – all nice and long! LP, Vinyl record album

Late great work from Ammons – an album done at the time of his funk sides for Prestige, but recorded in the style of his earlier years in Chicago! The session's a laidback set of soulful solo-heavy work – recorded as part of a hip series of shows at the North Park Hotel, with a local rhythm trio that includes Jodie Christian on piano, Cleveland Eaton on bass, and Marshall Thompson on drums. James Moody joins Ammons in the frontline, and the set's got the best electric feel that you'd hear if you were lucky enough to catch either player in a small club date in the early 60s. Loads of very imaginative solo work in the best Chicago tenor tradition – with titles that include "Work Song", "Jim Jam Jug", "Have You Met Miss Jones", and "C Jam Blues". LP, Vinyl record album

A nice little 2-fer collecting two great meetings of two greats! Jug and Stitt go head to head on Boss Tenors, a classic album of tracks that perfectly captures the joy and fury of their live performances from years before! The record was cut in Chicago with a very hard rhythm section that includes John Houston on piano, Charles Williams on bass, and George Brown on drums – and it's way heavier than the usual Verve "meeting of the masters" session, and feels more like a record that should have been issued on Prestige or Argo. Both players are impeccable, and the solos stretch out for a long long very live time. Titles include "Blues Up & Down", "The One Before This", and "Counter Clockwise" – but these guys even groove amazingly on standards like "Autumn Leaves" and "No Greater Love". Boss Tenors In Orbit was a follow up one year later, an obscure little session with the pair once again recreating the energy of their live shows – as they stretch out nicely on very long tracks that have spare backing by the Don Patterson trio! The cuts are mostly standard stuff – "John Brown's Body", "Walkin", "Long Ago And Far Away" – but the twin-tenor sound is great, and Patterson's free organ lines riff away nicely! LP, Vinyl record album

1973 recording that would become the last that Jug and Stitt did before Jug's untimely death in the mid 70's. Duke Pearson produced it (even though it wasn't for Blue Note), and the group includes Junior Mance on piano, Sam Jones on bass, and either Mickey Roker or Ajaramu on drums. Tracks include "One For Amos", "The Window Pain", "Saxification", and "I'll Close My Eyes". LP, Vinyl record album

Duke joins the combo of Louis Armstrong on piano – a group that includes Trummy Young on trombone and Barney Bigard on clarinet! CD

On Great Summit Duke joins the combo of Louis Armstrong on piano – a group that includes Trummy Young on trombone and Barney Bigard on clarinet! We've always loved Duke Ellington's soundtracks, and Paris Blues is one of his best! The score is a moody introspective one, written for a 1961 film that starred Paul Newman as a frustrated jazz musician living in Paris. The "Paris Blues" theme is a dark, somber composition that is supposedly Newman's masterpiece as a jazz writer – and it works beautifully with the film's themes of frustration and unfulfilled desire. Ellington's at his best here, and apart from the main theme, the score also has great versions of classics like "Mood Indigo" and "Take The A Train", plus originals like "Nite", "Wild Man Moore", "Guitar Amour", and "Paris Stairs". Also features Louis Armstrong on one track! CD

... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

A legendary sound library album on the famous Italian Octopus label – and a set that's maybe one of the most unusual to be recorded by Amadeo Tommasi! The music is filled with all sorts of weird sounds and production elements – almost taking the experiments of the musique concrete generation, and then mixing them with groovier, more upbeat sounds from the early 70s Italian scene – so that things might be jazzy one minute, funky the next, and haunting after that – all at a level that makes the whole thing one of the tip top Italian library gems of the period! Titles include "Crisi Politica", "Episodio Di Cronaca", "Manifestazione Mondana", "Avvenimento Drammatico", "Ripresa Esterna", "Colpo Di STato", and "Problema Ecologico". LP, Vinyl record album

A sweet 80s groover from the mighty Azymuth – a set that's early in their run of albums during the decade for Fantasy Records, and one that offers up a nice adaptation of the groove from their early Brazilian classics! Tracks are nice and lean, and acoustic percussion is blended with keyboard work at a level that really opens up the sound – and which makes Azymuth so different from so many other fusion outfits recording in the US during the time – as does the occasional use of wordless vocals, and that really special sense of rhythm that the group deliver so well! The set includes the classic ten minute "Last Summer In Rio" – a great Fender Rhodes number that was once a huge steppers cut in Chicago – plus the great tracks "The House I Lived In", "What Price Samba", and "May I Have This Dance". CD

A sweet 80s groover from the mighty Azymuth – a set that's early in their run of albums during the decade for Fantasy Records, and one that offers up a nice adaptation of the groove from their early Brazilian classics! Tracks are nice and lean, and acoustic percussion is blended with keyboard work at a level that really opens up the sound – and which makes Azymuth so different from so many other fusion outfits recording in the US during the time – as does the occasional use of wordless vocals, and that really special sense of rhythm that the group deliver so well! The set includes the classic ten minute "Last Summer In Rio" – a great Fender Rhodes number that was once a huge steppers cut in Chicago – plus the great tracks "The House I Lived In", "What Price Samba", and "May I Have This Dance". LP, Vinyl record album

Another dose of retro party rock from one of the first groups to come out of the Athens scene. Includes "Legal tender", "Whammy Kiss", "Song For A Future Generation", "Butterbean", "Trism", "Queen Of Las Vegas", "Big Bird" and "Work That Skirt". CD

Long, open-ended later work from Chet Baker – the kind of album that still had him working out interesting ideas in his music! The group features Harold Danko on piano, Greg Herbert on tenor, Ron Carter on bass, and Mel Lewis on drums – on cuts that include "ESP", "Shifting Down", "Tidal Breeze", and "Once Upon A Summertime". LP, Vinyl record album

The first we're hearing from Steven Bamidele, but we're guessing it won't be the last – as this debut has a wonderfully well-crafted vibe from the start, which comes from both Steven's great ear for production, and his snakily sensual vocals! There's a laidback quality to his singing that's offset by a nice crackle in the rhythms – never too fast or in any sort of clubby territory, but with lots of midtempo breaks that are augmented by warmly jazzy work on keyboards, tenor, and piano! The approach is great – intimate and personal, but with a cosmic sensibility as well – on titles that include "Pathways", "Head Down", "Kaleidoscope", "Misunderstood", "Sitting In The Dark", and "Dark Sense Of Humor". LP, Vinyl record album

Mike Bandoni soars to space on waves of funky drums – spread out here on long tracks that are often three times the length of a funky 45, which allows plenty of room for the drums to do all sorts of sharp changes and crackling passages – as plenty of cool keyboards, electronics, and other effects filter into the mix! The drums are at the core throughout, and Mike's a hell of a drummer – but he also really does a great job of bringing in all these other spooky, spacey sounds that really give the album a unique sort of vibe! Titles include "Gamma Ray Burst", "Event Horizon Approach", "Arrival", "The Long Nap", "Something Wonderful", and "It Might Be OK". LP, Vinyl record album

Tracks include "Mister Roberts' Roost", "Seventh Avenue Express", "Sophisticated Swing", and "House Rent Boogie". CD

A strange little record that's a bit tough to describe. The theme appears to be 50s space age – but the sound is more of a cartoony remix of some loungey grooves, with a fairly heavy leaning towards more current popular music. There's bits of guitar pop in the set, bits of pop drum n bass, and even touches of happy hardcore. Title sinclude "We Are Ready", "Bow Wow", "Los Angeles Underground", "Lonesome Spaceboy", and "Call Me A Doctor". CD

An earlier classic from The Beach Boys – and easily one of their best records from the prime sun and surf era for the group – with rave up rockers and some sweet ballads! So much as been written about the foreboding behind-the-scenes circumstances in Beach Boys lore, even during these early years, it can steal away from the more innocent charms if you allow it to – but don't! This is all about soaring, groovy harmonies and impeccable production – on tunes that include "I Get Around", "All Summer Long", "Hushabye", "Little Honda", "Wendy", "Carl's Big Chance", "Girls On The Beach", "Drive-In", "Don't Back Down" and more. CD

A mixed bag record, but with some really wonderful moments – and essential listening as a lead-up to the Pet Sounds album to follow! There's a mix of styles here – some rough rocking numbers that are a bit stiff, mixed with some really amazing tunes that get at Brian Wilson's new sensitivities – tunes like "Girl Don't Tell Me", "You're So Good To Me", "Summer Means New Love", and "Let Him Run Wild" – all complicated in subtle ways, with a great sense of tension underneath. Other tracks include "Help Me Rhonda (45 single version)", "California Girls", "I'm Bugged At My Old Man", and "Amusement Parks USA". CD

Modern Records sessions by Jimmy Beasley – done for the famous LA label, but all recorded in Beasley's home town of New Orleans – with a very raw, early Crescent City vibe! Many of these cuts were done with the group of Dave Bartholomew at Cosimo's Studios – and they're filled with the kind of romping rhythms and piano lines that you'd know from some of Dave's bigger-name sessions with artists like Fats Domino or Smiley Lewis – yet Jimmy's approach here is nicely different, and far less familiar – almost jazzy at times, and with less of a need to "rock" than some of his contemporaries! That doesn't mean that these tracks don't groove with the New Orleans best – just that they've got some very cool, individual touches – and sophisticated shadings that we really appreciate. LP, Vinyl record album

An unusual collection of early work by The Beau Brummels – pre-Warner material recorded for Autumn, but on a record issued by the Vault label! There's a great sense of jangle-pop throughout – a slight twang that would later unfold in different ways in Bradley's Barn, but which here works to give the tunes this little sense of sadness amidst the warmer melodies – which themselves are particularly great, and much better-crafted than some of the other US groups of this nature at the time. The boys definitely borrow a bit from The Beatles (including a name that gave them placement right next to the fab four in the record racks) – but maybe they're also drawing on some of the folk harmony groups from the SF scene they called home, too. LP, Vinyl record album

A landmark concert from the mid 80s – one held to honor the resurrection of the Blue Note label, featuring a wealth of some of the best players for the label – from the 80s back to the 50s bebop years. This is the third of 4 LPs, issued both separately and in a box set format. This volume features an all-star line-up with Art Blakey, Freddie Hubbard, Johnny Griffin, Curtis Fuller, Walter Davis Jr., Jimmy Smith, Stanley Turrentine, Lou Donaldson, Kenny Burrell, Reggie Workman, Grady Tate, and Grover Washington Jr. Tracks include "Moanin'", "A Child Is Born", "The Jumpin' Blues", "Summertime", "I'm Glad There Is You", and "Medley: Blues Walk/Getting' Sentimental Over You". CD

Carla Bley on piano, Andy Sheppard on soprano & tenor saxophones, Steve Swallow on bass and Billy Drumm on drums. CD

Includes "Stomp Your Stuff", "Alley Rat", "Sweet Papa", "Shake Your Shimmy", and "Wild Man Stomp". 7-inch, Vinyl record

Includes "Endurance Stomp", "Brown Skin Mama", "Pleasure Mad", "Tuxedo Stomp", "My Baby", and "Tack It Down". 7-inch, Vinyl record

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... LP, Vinyl record album

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... CD

Brilliant 60s pop from the team of Tommy Boyce & Bobby Hart – best known for their key early songwriting work for The Monkees, but a heck of a great duo on their own! Boyce & Hart have a sparkly, sunshiney sound that's very much a part of The Monkees generation – a beautiful post-folk, post-surf blend of styles, and one that's served up with all the warmth and charm that made The Monkees so great – yet also with some cool twists and turns that make a record like this so great – the kind of chance-taking that A&M sometimes allowed its artists to take at the time! Backings are super-groovy – arranged by Artie Butler and Don McGinis – and titles include "I Wonder What She's Doing Tonite", "Teardrop City", "I Wanna Be Free", "The Countess", "Population", and "Two For The Price Of One" – a great cover of a Larry Williams & Johnny Watson soul tune! LP, Vinyl record album

A really dramatic live performance from these free jazz giants – three musicians who really know each other well, but who seem to come off with an even more majestic sense of power here! The performance is from 1974, and it burns with energy right from the start – this sense of inventiveness as if all three players had already mastered their instruments, yet were also surprising themselves during performance with new aspects they had just discovered – a freshness that comes through note after note after note – and in plenty of sounds that aren't notes either! Brotzmann blows alto and tenor, Fred Van Hove plays piano, and Han Bennink nearly destroys his drum kit – on titles that include "Filet Americain", "Involved", "Boogie For Fred", "Der Mammutzahn Aus Balve", and "Schwarzspect". CD

Seminal west coast recordings by Clifford Brown – recorded in LA in 1954, with a mixture of hard bop and lyricism, in that sparkling mode that Brownie left as his indelible imprint on the west coast scene of the 50s! Players include Bob Gordon on baritone, Stu Williamson on trombone, Zoot Sims on tenor, and Russ Freeman on piano – and Jack Montrose arranged the set. Titles include "Tiny Capers", "Bones For Jones", "Joy Spring", "Finders Keepers", and "Daahoud". CD

A pare of rare European sessions from saxophonist Marion Brown – back to back on a single set! First up is Gesprachsfetzen – a really wonderful collaboration between alto saxophonist Marion Brown and vibist/reedman Gunter Hampel – a set that's maybe one of the sharpest to come out of their work together! The music has maybe even sharper edges than some of Brown's previous records – a dose of some of the European modernism in which Hampel was steeping himself, but also with some more organic, spiritual qualities on the solos – not just Brown's, but the work of trumpeter Ambrose Jackson – who's pretty great here too. AACM legend Steve McCall is also in the group on drums and percussion, along with bassist Buschi Niebergall – and the set was recorded live, with titles that include "Gesprachsfetzen", "Exhibit A", "Babudah", "Tomorrow Is The Beginning Of The End Of Yesterday", and "Aba". In Sommerhausen is one of the key records that alto saxophonist Marion Brown made while working on the German scene at the end of the 60s – an incredibly fruitful period that seemed to unlock all this new energy in Brown's music in a mode that was similar to what happened when Don Cherry started making time on the European scene! Brown's key partner here is Gunter Hampel – who plays vibes, bass clarinet, and percussion – the latter of which is handled by the other members of the group too – a lineup that includes Ambrose Jackson on trumpet, Daniel Laloux on bass, and Steve McCall on drums – playing here before his better-known work with the AACM. Jeanne Lee brings some lovely vocalizations to the set – and titles include "Dance No 1", "Exhibit B", "Il Ne Chant Pas", "The Sound Of A Song", and "Malipieros Midnight Theater". CD

Ray Brown on bass – accompanied by Gene Harris on piano, and Jeff Hamilton on drums. CD

One of the coolest collaborations of Dave Brubeck's years at Columbia Records – and one of the greatest jazz sessions from vocalist Jimmy Rushing too! On paper, the modernist Brubeck and Kansas City roots singer Rushing would seem to be a very unlikely pair – but by this time in his career, Jimmy had gotten extremely inventive and was very open to new ideas – and manages to lend his amazing vocals to some sublime instrumental backdrops from the Brubeck quartet! Dave unlocks a whole host of bluesy tones for the session, and really matches Rushing's energy – and Paul Desmond's alto sounds somewhat unusual in that setting, but with a real appeal too – a very unusual sound for a record like this. Titles include "There'll Be Some Changes Made", "My Melancholy Baby", "Blues In The Dark", "I Never Knew", "Ain't Misbehavin", "Evenin", "All By Myself", "River Stay Way From My Door", "You Can Depend On Me", and "Am I Blue". CD features the previously unreleased bonus track "Shine On Harvest Moon". CD

Exactly the kind of record that makes us love sound library records so much – and definitely the sort that sets the style apart from anything else we can think of! Both Sandro Brugnolini and Giorgio Carnini turn in some great work here – a mindblowing mix of modes over the space of ten short tracks – some tunes a cascading array of instrumentation, in a hip groove that's neither American jazz or soundtrack funk, but a special space of its own! Other tunes use an electronic approach that's years ahead of its time – as groovy as 60s analogue, but a lot darker, too – in ways that the rest of the world might not touch until the German new wave. The balance is almost even between swinging groovers and darker electronic cuts – and titles include "Grinta", "Azione CIA", "Scalo Clandestino", "Alambicco Cibernetico", "Strutture Generative", "Omicido Bianco", and "CIA Massacre". LP, Vinyl record album

Jimmy Bruno on guitar, Joey DeFrancesco on organ and trumpet, Steve Holloway on drums, and Craig Thomas on bass. CD

Jimmy Bruno on guitar, Bobby Watson on alto saxophone, Craig Thomas on bass, and Vince Ector on drums. Tracks include "Move", "Anthropology", "f8" and "Groove Yard". CD

... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

... Cassette

A surprisingly great meeting between Kenny Burrell and Jimmy Smith – and a set that's one of Jimmy's standout small combo sessions for Verve! The feel here is much more Jimmy Smith at Blue Note than some of the bigger group Verve dates of the 60s – and Kenny Burrell's sensitive guitar lines provide wonderful company for Smith on the date – shading in his Hammond lines with a nice sense of color, in ways that really fit the late nite setting of the record. Other players on the date include either Bill English or Mel Lewis on drums, George Duvivier or Milt Hinton on bass, Vince Gambella on guitar, and Art Marotti on percussion – and titles include "Kenny's Sound", "Blues For Del", "Blue Bash", "Travelin", and "Soft Winds". LP, Vinyl record album

Glen Campbell cut plenty of fantastic songs for Capitol Records – but year after year, some of the best were written by the young Jimmy Webb – an important 60s songwriter who brought magic to a number of different singers, but maybe clicked most strongly with Glen! You'll know the key tracks here, as they represent some of Campbells biggest early hits – but his association with Webb goes way past those few tracks, through a legacy of great 70s recordings that are presented here – in a package that features every single Glen Campbell recording of a Jimmy Webb tune through the start of the 80s – including live material, and even a more obscure track done for Atlantic Records too. The sensitivity of Webb's material is really on full display here – and the whole thing is a great contrast to some of the thinner greatest hits packages of Campbell's material – presented with very detailed notes, lots of great vintage images, and a set list of 23 tracks that include "You Might As Well Smile", "Just This One Time", "I Keep It Hid", "The Moon's A Harsh Mistress", "Galveston", "Didn't We (live)", "In Cars", "Highwayman", "Early Morning Song", "Christian No", "It's A Sin When You Love Somebody", "Adoration", "Wichita Lineman", "Where's The Playground Susie", "I Was Too Busy Loving You", "Just Another Piece Of Paper", and "Ocean In His Eyes". CD

A great set from that moment when sound library instrumentation was winnowed down from a larger group of studio musicians to usually just a composer and a keyboard – definitely the approach used in this all electric set! The groove certainly lives up to the title – most of these tracks are mellow, but they're also funky too – unusual slow-stepping cuts that are awash in 80s keyboards, basslines, and beats – almost erotic funk for the style of the decade, with some occasional darker soundtrack moments from time to time! Titles include "Slow Reactor 2", "Moody You", "Slow Business 1", "Threat To Research", "Slow Groovement", "Ion Exchanger", "Wave Motions", and "Scenic Vision 1". LP, Vinyl record album

Tommaso Cappellato is a hell of a drummer – one whose work we've loved on other projects, but who sounds even better here in a lean funky combo of his own! Tommaso uses drum programs next to live drums, and his own work on the kit is the real driving force here – complex enough to match the cosmic rhythms on the set, and given great support from group members on bass and electric guitar! Cappellato plays keyboards as well – and the record features a bit of flute, vocals on three tracks, and titles that include "Heart To Mend", "Battle Moves", "Dancing Around Fire", "Made Of Golden Light", "Warming Up", and "The Flow Must Go On". LP, Vinyl record album

One of two rare albums recorded by organist Jimmy Caravan in the 60s – a really great talent on the Hammond, and a player with a really clean, lean, and groovy sound! Jimmy's style here borrows a lot from the Capitol jazz scene of players like Howard Roberts or Henry Cain – an approach to organ jazz that's a bit more stripped down and less gritty than that of labels like Blue Note or Prestige – and one that uses the cleaner sound to bring even more rhythm into the mix, letting the organ leap around the tunes in a groovily playful way! Caravan's got a great sound throughout, and although the other players aren't listed, the album's got a nice small combo sound all the way through. Titles include "Off A Brass Monkey", "Equinox", "UFO", "Cyclops", and a groovy version of "Hey Jude". CD

Jimmy Castor's a cat who's tried many styles in music – and handled them all surprisingly well – from sweet soul to heavy funk, to Latin grooves, and even the funky club style of this late 70s album for TK Records! The set has Jimmy giving a nod to the disco generation – no surprise, given that TK was a disco powerhouse – but the overall approach is maybe tied more to his mid 70s records for Atlantic – with all the warm humor and funk of those albums! On some tracks, it almost feels like Castor's trying to be a one man answer to the P-Funk army – but other tracks are more personal overall. Titles include "Time", "The Mystery Of Me", "Sweetooth", "The Real McCoy", "Future Place", "Let It Out", and "Bertha Butt Encounters Vadar". CD

Wickedly fuzzy funk! Jimmy Castor recorded in a lot of different styles during the 70s – but the one he used on this album is still his best – and the album may well be his lasting testament of funky genius! The record's a non-stop guitar-heavy batch of classic funk tracks – and it features the storming break track "It's Just Begun", the funky goofy "Troglodyte", and plenty other nice moments like "Bad", "LTD", "I Promise To Remember", and "Psychee". Fuzzy guitar meets heavy drums meets some of the most insane lyrics ever on a mainstream funk album! Jimmy can always be great – but he really knocks it out of the park on this monstrous classic. LP, Vinyl record album

Titles include "Gabriela's Song", "Lenda", "Obsession", "Velho Piano", "Guararapes", "Desenredo", "The River", and "Like A Lover". CD

Late 50s work from these two important Brazilian songwriters – served up here in a cool 70s package! The tracks have a nicely produced quality that makes them some of the most preferred recordings by the two artists – with strong arrangements that set off their voices nicely. There's no arranger listed that we can find, but the whole thing has a nice warm jazzy feel. Titles include "La Vem A Bahiana", "Inquietacao", "Maracangalha", "Risque", and "Dora". LP, Vinyl record album

A lost session by Nana Caymmi – recorded in Buenos Aires in 1973, with a great style that makes the record one of her best from the 70s! The album's got that dark slow jazzy style that she often used during the time – with a mixture of electric piano and bass behind her very deep voice – and the clean lines of the backing let Nana's voice come to the forefront of the session, working the tracks in an intimate style that reminds us of Elis Regina's more laidback work from the late 70s. Instrumentation includes electric piano by Joao Donato, guitar by Helio Delmiro, and some occasional flute by Fernando Gelbard. Titles include "Atras Do Porta", "Dora", "Nunca Mais", "Ahie", "Saia Do Meu Caminho", and a great version of "Cala Boca Menino", with the same funky sound as Joao Donato's famous version! CD

Arguably the best of Cherry's albums for Blue Note – and a real masterpiece of soulful avant playing! The group features Cherry on cornet, Gato Barbieri on tenor (and he's incredible, by the way!), Henry Grimes on bass, and Ed Blackwell on drums. Grimes and Blackwell are more than just timekeepers – and deliver a lot of the melody of the session, yet still never lose their sense of swing. Barbieri's fragile raw tone proves to be a good one to work with Cherry, even if there are a few touches of Ornette in his playing. The album's divided up into 2 long suites – "Complete Communion" and "Elephantasy" – both of which are excellent. A real treat – with no sloppiness, lots of fresh ideas, and a good sense of both freedom and control! Reissued here with 24-bit remastering! CD

A rare performance from trumpeter Don Cherry – caught here at a key experimental moment in the 60s, when he was working with his Complete Communion lineup! The group are a trans-Atlantic quintet – with a young Gato Barbieri on tenor sax, Karl Berger on piano and vibes, Bo Stief on bass, and Aldo Romano on drums – all players who'd make even bigger waves in years to come – but who already step out boldly under the leadership of Cherry on cornet! The tracks are relatively free and open – as on Cherry's Blue Note material from the same period – but the live performance seems to bring in even more fire, especially from Berger's vibes and the excellent tenor of Barbieri – which has all the sharp edges we love when he's at his best. Titles include "UT", "Elephantasy", and a really freewheeling take on "Orfeo Negro". LP, Vinyl record album

Seminal early work from guitarist Charlie Christian – tracks that really preface the development of bop in the 40s – recorded at the birthplace of that movement, the legendary Minton's Playhouse in Harlem! Christian's sense of tone and timing is amazing – even sharper and bolder than his already-famous work with Benny Goodman, laid out here with a deftness that really paves the way for the kind of fast-thinking, fast-moving creativity of bop – in a combo that also includes Thelonious Monk on piano and Kenny Clarke on drums! There's still a bit of older swing style guitar work at points, but Christian's command of single-note lines is definitely bop-like riffing too. LP, Vinyl record album

A groundbreaking ensemble – akin to the World Saxophone Quartet, and no doubt inspired by their experiments at the same time. The difference, though, is the range of experience of the players – as the group features David Murray, Jimmy Hamilton, Alvin Batiste, and John Carter, all playing b-flat or bass clarinets. No other accompaniment is featured, and titles include "Fluffy's Blues", "Beat Box", "Perdido", and "Southern Bells". CD

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Jimmy Cobb on drums, Eddie Henderson on trumpet, Tadataka Unno on piano, and John Webber on bass. Titles include "Autumn Leaves", "Stella By Starlight", "Dear Old Stockholm", "A Night In Tunisia", and "Remembering U". CD

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Lots of heavy love here – a wonderful sense of rapport between the great tenorist Al Cohn and piano genius Jimmy Rowles! Both musicians were still recording heavily at the time of this album, but the record seems to capture them in a really special space that still stands strongly on its own – a mode that's much more relaxes than some of the Pablo Records sessions of the time, and which has Cohn in an especially striking mode – really hitting these openly-blown, often-angular lines that are dripping with soul – more heart and feeling than we might normally expect from him, matched equally by Jimmy Rowles' wonderful phrasing on piano – very much here at the top shelf level he delivered with Stan Getz on The Peacocks album. Titles include "I Hadn't Anyone Till You", "Bar Talk", "These Foolish Things", "Them There Eyes", and "Sweet & Lovely". Features the bonus track "For All We Know". CD

One of the most solid albums we've ever heard on the Sublime Frequencies label – a studio recording by a group with a really great approach to their music – a style that mixes classic Afro Funk elements with rootsier elements on the instrumentation! The grooves are tight, but the sound has some nice earthy qualities at times – especially in Baba Commandment's use of ngoni, which rings out in a way that's both melodic and rhythmic at the same time – echoing an older mandingo tradition, but coming across with a lot of punch! Other instrumentation includes lots of percussion, fuzzy guitars, and balafon too – and most of the vocals have a call/response style, in which other singers call out alongside Baba's lead. Really great stuff – with titles that include "Tile", "Folon", "Wasso", "Juguya", "Siguisso", and "Ntijiguimorola". CD

Baba Commandant serves up a wonderful blend here – tight Afro Funk mixed with rootsier elements from mandingue – all at a level that really makes the album stand out from the pack! There's some especially great performances on ngoni and balafon, both instruments that get some key placement on the album's leaner tracks – which have the fuller sound of the driving numbers step back slightly, but all without ever losing the groove! The recording quality is great – never too polished, and the music is put forth in a way that makes the whole thing feel like some under-discovered nugget from years past – with titles that include "Wariko", "Semayala", "Afro Mandingo", "Serejugu", and "Chasser Les Sachets". CD

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... LP, Vinyl record album

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Wicked early funk from The Commodores – a group that spent so much time on pop ballads in later years, it's hard to believe they could be this sharp and hard-edged! There's plenty of that bass-heavy style that would later dominate many Motown combos at the end of the 70s – but the group's really in control of the groove on this one, without any of the cliches that such bassery could lead them into – and production is nicely restrained, so that the whole thing has the loose, live feel of some of the best ensemble funk of the time – even some of the gems from the underground. Lionel Ritchie contributed one nice smooth soul number, "This Is Your Life", and the rest of the album includes "Let's Do It Right", "Wide Open", "The Bump", "Look What You've Done To Me", and the funk classic "Slippery When Wet". LP, Vinyl record album

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

The Commodores tenth album – as you might guess from the big X on the cover – and a set that features some of the last great moments of Lionel Richie with the group! The album's a bit overlooked, but has a really great groove – kind of a middle ground between The Commodores' heavier funk and mellower ballads – served up here with the tight instrumentation that always made the group a self-contained standout – and arranged and produced to perfection by the great James Anthony Carmichael. Richie's lead is strong, but understated too – and titles include "Old Fashion Love", "Heroes", "Sorry To Say", "All The Way Down", "Wake Up Children", "Mighty Spirit", and "Celebrate". LP, Vinyl record album

Lots of Midnight Magic from The Commdores – still nice and funky at the start of the evening, but also chilling out in the wee hours too – really finding a great way to follow the trajectory of the night with the tracks in this set! The album sparkles with strong arrangements and production from James Carmichael – who furthers the vibe perfected on Natural High, yet continues to avoid most of the cliches that would slow down the group in later years. Lionel Richie's given room to step forth on the ballads "Still" and "Sail On" – but the group feel is still nicely maintained on the rest of the record – which also features the tracks "Getting It", "You're Special", "Wonderland", "Sexy Lady", and "Might Magic". LP, Vinyl record album

By this point in their career, The Commodores have lost Lionel Richie and any sort of funk credibility they had from their early years – but they also somehow manage to reemerge with a great new talent for a sweet mellow groove! The title tune "Nightshift" was one of those tracks that crossed over massively at the time – but to our ears, it also kind of redeemed the group too – as it's got a surprisingly soulful quality that really got the group past the soppiness of their ballads and love songs – gliding along with an almost-righteous quality that makes it a nice later cap to an earlier Motown 70s groove. Other tunes on the album don't always fare as well, but there's still some nice moments here – tunes that benefit from some Dennis Lambert production and hit just the right kind of mellow groove to follow up on the spirit of the single. Tracks include "Nightshift", "Slip Of The Tongue", "Lay Back", "Lightin Up The Night", and "The Woman In My Life". LP, Vinyl record album

"I rap with the Passion of Christ, Ni**a, cross me!" BE isn't exactly a back-to-basics LP in the vein of his classic work for Relativity – but it is indeed a return to a focused, genuinely soulful, no BS approach – and it's a very welcome one at that! It seems like Com was a bit affected by some of the criticism folks had for the spacious, astral Electric Circus LP – if you ask us Common had no reason to apologize, but we'd be lyin' if we said we weren't hoping for another batch of tracks that sound like they could have been written on a front porch on the southside of Chicago. This is indeed that record – 12 tracks, few guest appearances, and a warm, consistent sound all the way through. There's a 3 track span on this album, from "Chi-City" through "Real People", that's seriously close to perfection. Welcome home, Common! Ruggedly produced by Kanye West, with a couple of stellar production contributions from Jay Dee! Other tracks include "The Corner" feat Last Poets, "Go!", "Faithful", "Testify", "Love Is. . .", "The Food (live)" (this great track has been circulating for a while since it was performed on Chappelle's Show, and we're thrilled Common and Kanye had the good sense to include it on the album), "They Say" featuring John Legend and "It's Your World (Part 1 &2)". LP, Vinyl record album