A beautiful set of cool Now Sound grooves, and a compilation that resembles the now-legendary first volume in this cool series! 21 groovy 60's cuts, including "Bloop Bleep" by Gary McFarland, "Soul Lady" by Don Sebesky, "Jumpin' Jack Flash" by Peter Thomas, "Sorry Bout That" by Harold Johnson, "The Look of Love" by Bill Plummer, "Groovy Spirit" by Jackie Mitoo, "Cat Walk" by Peter Moore, and loads more cool tracks with a stripped down vibe, a jazzy twist, and kind of a campy edge. Sexy stuff, and expertly compiled by the Partners in Crime! CD

A very groovy entry in this all-great series – a set of compilations that have been giving us really wonderful funk for many years, and which just seems to get better and better with each new entry! The tracks here are a hip mix of styles – not just familiar funk and soul sources, but some funky tracks from other surprising records too – presented together in a way that makes for a nice sense of variety, even while the cuts are all still staying in the groove! Titles include "Who Is She & What Is She To You" by Madelaine, "Golden Ring" by American Gypsy, "Just One Time" by Juicy Lucy, "Condor" by Geoff Love, "Steal Away" by Photoglo, "The One You Love" by Joey Newman, "Metropolis" by Walter Hawkins, "Happiness Is Just Around The Bend" by Main Ingredient, "Seacoast" by Archie Whitewater, and "Strange Games & Things" by Love Unlimited Orchestra. CD

The cover's a bit cheesy, but the grooves are great – very much what we've come to expect from this long-running series that always serves up some great funky tracks! Mood Mosaic's been around for a long time, and they've got a great reputation for mixing together tracks you might not normally find on a compilation – not just standard soul and funk tracks, but some more unusual numbers from unlikely sources – which work together with the others to create a very cool vibe throughout! Titles include "The Build Up" by Alan Tew, "Balek" by Placebo, "Izzy Come Izzy Go" by Funk Revolution, "Silent Scream" by Dave Myers Effect, "Kulawy Wojtek" by Nibiesko Czarni, "Mr Deal" by JC Heavy, "Hakusha" by The Neopolitans, "Funky Chimes (parts 1 & 2)" by Soul Scracchers, "Cosmic Sea" by Mystic Moods, and "A Man" by Key & Cleary. CD

The mood here is pretty darn groovy – so much so, it will help you get past the gratuitous image of naked women on the cover! Just keep your clothes on, and enjoy the wonderful selection of cuts within – funky numbers from a variety of genres – jazz, soul, easy listening, and other odd sources – brought together in a collection of cuts that more than lives up to the genius of this long-running series! As with previous volumes, there's no set style, just a batch of cool cuts in pursuit of all things groovy – as you'll hear on titles that include "Cool Echo" by Piet Van Meren, "Pink Movement" by Experience, "Disco Tek" by Syd Dale, "Stepping Stones" by Johnny Harris, "Chica Boom" by Jimmie & Vella, "All I Dream" by Estelle Leavitt, "Use Me" by Kimiko Kasai, "Get Off The Streets Y'All" by Eric & The Vikings, "Damn Somebody Stole My Pants" by Leroy Vinnegar, "Tuane" by Hammer, "Romantic Attitude" by John Fitch, and "Land Of 1000 Dances" by Nino & April. CD

Forget the cheesy cover, as the set's overflowing with great grooves – a mix of jazz and soul from very obscure sources, all served up with an ear that goes way past the obvious! The Mood Mosaic series has been giving us well-chosen cuts for over 20 years – the kind of special cuts that are usually only the province of underground DJs or record collectors – brought together here in an array of ultra-cool tracks that you might never hear otherwise! The music is all nice and funky, from a range of global sources – and titles include "Polvo Lunar" by Miguel Angel Fuster, "The Ghetto" by Yellow, "Weird & Wonder" by Brute Force & His Drum, "Hair" by John Sangster, "Thank You" by Johnny Frigo, "Welcome New Warmth" by Michel Sardaby, "Rencorosa" by Leo Acosta, "Back In The Dark" by The Motherhood, "Fat Cat Strut" by Quincy Jones & Ray Brown, and "Ghetto Funk" by Boris Gardinier. CD

A wonderfully groovy set – every bit as great as you might guess from the title and the cover – and the very first installment in the now-legendary Mood Mosaic series! The set's one of the few to bring together tunes from the groovier side of the spectrum at the end of the 60s – work from British, French, American, and German sources – all awash in a great blend of funky, easy, and pop-oriented modes! There's a nicely trippy feel throughout – and titles include "Hascisch Party" by George Garvarenz, "Kiss This" by Claude Denjean, "Acka Raga" by Shocking Blue, "Mas Que Nada" by Luiz Enriquez, "En Melody" by Serge Gainsbourg, "Love For Sale" by Marian McPartland, "Batucada" by Phil Crewe, "Marins Armins Amant Ou Maris" by Michel Legrand, and "Sitar Beat" by Klaus Doldinger. CD

Second volume in the great Mood Mosaic series, and even funkier than the first one! The focus here is on funky stuff with a soundtracky feel, and the list includes some remakes – like Henry Mancini's "Streets of San Francisco" and Bobby Forrester's "Sanford & Son" – plus some groovy originals like Quincy Jones' "Call Me Mr. Tibbs". Also features Jimmy Smith's hard to find "Root Down", plus "Super Strut" by Port Authority, "Desert is a Circle" by Jodorowsky, and "Mission Impossible" by the 45 Sound Orchestra. Great stuff! LP, Vinyl record album

What a subtitle – "The Cult Tracks Given Birth By The Superheroes Of The 70s"! And if you're thinking that the tracks are by Wolverine, Firestorm, and other 70s comic book creations, that's not the case – as the superheroes here are funky ones! More specifically, the tracks are great little groovers from the funky 45 underground – the kind of groups that really bubbled under in the charts at the time, many of whom never cut a full LP, but who released some monstrously great singles that made more than a bit of impact at the time. The set's got 20 tracks in all – all hard and funky – with titles that include "Super Soul Brother" by Timmie Rodgers, "Stand Up (part 1)" by Maskman & The Agents, "Spanky's Day Off" by Swingin Soul Machine, "It's The Real Thing (part 1)" by Electric Express, "Get It" by Wilmer & The Dukes, "Feelin Funky" by Brother Soul, "Cramp Your Style" by All the People, "Can't Get Satisfied" by Brother Jack McDuff, "Dynomite" by Tony Camillo's Bazuka, and "Foxy Lady" by Don Thompson. LP, Vinyl record album

Nude women on the front, and some great grooves on the set! The collection is a long-awaited addition to the Mood Mosaic series – one that follows the previous volumes' style of funky grooves, but which also presents some of the cuts in edits that really extend their funkiest elements! The new versions are surprisingly great – hardly muddled with at all – and titles include "For Real (extra long version)" by Flowers, "Closer Closer (edit)" by Celi Bee & The Buzzy Bunch, "Put Your Foot On The Ground" by Morris Wilson, "Feel The Heat (edit)" by Kathy Baker, "Want A Do Something Freaky To You" by Leon Haywood, "Body Fusion" by Starvue, and "Are You Lonely" by Hipnotic. CD

Nude women on the front, and some great grooves on the set! The collection is a long-awaited addition to the Mood Mosaic series – one that follows the previous volumes' style of funky grooves, but which also presents some of the cuts in edits that really extend their funkiest elements! The new versions are surprisingly great – hardly muddled with at all – and titles include "For Real (extra long version)" by Flowers, "Closer Closer (edit)" by Celi Bee & The Buzzy Bunch, "Put Your Foot On The Ground" by Morris Wilson, "Feel The Heat (edit)" by Kathy Baker, "Want A Do Something Freaky To You" by Leon Haywood, "Body Fusion" by Starvue, and "Are You Lonely" by Hipnotic. LP, Vinyl record album

A very groovy entry in this all-great series – a set of compilations that have been giving us really wonderful funk for many years, and which just seems to get better and better with each new entry! The tracks here are a hip mix of styles – not just familiar funk and soul sources, but some funky tracks from other surprising records too – presented together in a way that makes for a nice sense of variety, even while the cuts are all still staying in the groove! Titles include "Who Is She & What Is She To You" by Madelaine, "Golden Ring" by American Gypsy, "Just One Time" by Juicy Lucy, "Condor" by Geoff Love, "Steal Away" by Photoglo, "The One You Love" by Joey Newman, "Metropolis" by Walter Hawkins, "Happiness Is Just Around The Bend" by Main Ingredient, "Seacoast" by Archie Whitewater, and "Strange Games & Things" by Love Unlimited Orchestra. LP, Vinyl record album

Don't be put off by the cheesy look of the cover – as the set's filled with cool, classy funk rarities – a really wonderful selection of tracks that features plenty of gems that work perfectly here together! The long-running Mood Mosaic series has been at it longer than most – and they've continued to really grow and expand their musical palette as the years have gone on – so that by the time of this 18th volume, you'll find an amazing blend of cuts from jazz, soul, Brazilian, rock, and other global sources – brought together in a really beautiful mix of funky moods and modes! Titles include "Growing" by Hareton Salvanini, "Ceddo" by Manu Dibango, "Love To Fly" by Venus Gang, "Gang Train" by Bernard Estardy, "Coasting" by A Band Called O, "Some Kind Of Fever" by Maxine Sellers, "Slabo Day" by Peter Green, "Soul Raga" by Mehrpouya, "Main Theme" by Rosebod, and "Nijana" by Jana Koubkova. LP, Vinyl record album

The cover's a bit cheesy, but the grooves are great – very much what we've come to expect from this long-running series that always serves up some great funky tracks! Mood Mosaic's been around for a long time, and they've got a great reputation for mixing together tracks you might not normally find on a compilation – not just standard soul and funk tracks, but some more unusual numbers from unlikely sources – which work together with the others to create a very cool vibe throughout! Titles include "The Build Up" by Alan Tew, "Balek" by Placebo, "Izzy Come Izzy Go" by Funk Revolution, "Silent Scream" by Dave Myers Effect, "Kulawy Wojtek" by Nibiesko Czarni, "Mr Deal" by JC Heavy, "Hakusha" by The Neopolitans, "Funky Chimes (parts 1 & 2)" by Soul Scracchers, "Cosmic Sea" by Mystic Moods, and "A Man" by Key & Cleary. LP, Vinyl record album

The mood here is pretty darn groovy – so much so, it will help you get past the gratuitous image of naked women on the cover! Just keep your clothes on, and enjoy the wonderful selection of cuts within – funky numbers from a variety of genres – jazz, soul, easy listening, and other odd sources – brought together in a collection of cuts that more than lives up to the genius of this long-running series! As with previous volumes, there's no set style, just a batch of cool cuts in pursuit of all things groovy – as you'll hear on titles that include "Cool Echo" by Piet Van Meren, "Pink Movement" by Experience, "Disco Tek" by Syd Dale, "Stepping Stones" by Johnny Harris, "Chica Boom" by Jimmie & Vella, "All I Dream" by Estelle Leavitt, "Use Me" by Kimiko Kasai, "Get Off The Streets Y'All" by Eric & The Vikings, "Damn Somebody Stole My Pants" by Leroy Vinnegar, "Tuane" by Hammer, "Romantic Attitude" by John Fitch, and "Land Of 1000 Dances" by Nino & April. LP, Vinyl record album

Forget the cheesy cover, as the set's overflowing with great grooves – a mix of jazz and soul from very obscure sources, all served up with an ear that goes way past the obvious! The Mood Mosaic series has been giving us well-chosen cuts for over 20 years – the kind of special cuts that are usually only the province of underground DJs or record collectors – brought together here in an array of ultra-cool tracks that you might never hear otherwise! The music is all nice and funky, from a range of global sources – and titles include "Polvo Lunar" by Miguel Angel Fuster, "The Ghetto" by Yellow, "Weird & Wonder" by Brute Force & His Drum, "Hair" by John Sangster, "Thank You" by Johnny Frigo, "Welcome New Warmth" by Michel Sardaby, "Rencorosa" by Leo Acosta, "Back In The Dark" by The Motherhood, "Fat Cat Strut" by Quincy Jones & Ray Brown, and "Ghetto Funk" by Boris Gardinier. LP version features the bonus track "Alles Klar" by The Bridge. LP, Vinyl record album

Lots of great material on here – albums that include Soft Lights & Bobby Hackett, In A Mellow Mood, Rendezvous, Don't Take Your Love From Me, Gotham Jazz Scene, At The Embers, Bobby Hackett Quartet, Easy Beat, Blues With A Kick, and the unusual Hawaii Swings! CD

The groovier side of the mod scene in 60s London – music that's not just rock, but which mixes together jazzy instrumentals, soulful stompers, and other wild sounds – all created by British groups who were bursting with new ideas at the time! The music is as bursting with color as the image on the front cover – and the collection is way different than other mod mixes on the market – with no American soul, less British blues, and plenty of unfamiliar cuts that makes the whole thing a treasure trove in groovy music from the English scene at the time! The package comes with a hefty booklet of notes, tracking the groups and the tunes – a stack of 93 great cuts, with work from Basil Kirchin, Mood Mosaic, The Troggs, Creation, London Studio Group, Kiki Dee, The End, Mike Cotton Sound, The Knack, Des James, Twinkle, Artwoods, Easybeats, Carl Douglas & The Big Stampede, Georgie Fame, Moon's Train, Richard Kent Style, Wynder K Frog, The Syn, Dana Gillespie, Miki Dallon, The Mickey Finn, Stan Butcher, Miss X, Mandy Rice-Davies, The Hi-Fis, Electric Banana, and dozens of others! CD

An incredible array of sounds from 60s UK superproducer Mark Wirtz – a genius in the studio, but also a performer in his own right – and one who was able to create music in so many different modes! The package is a real presentation of Wirtz in all his glory – as it features instrumental pop, proto-psych numbers, bubblegum grooves, and lots lots more – all created by Mark in many different guises, and released over an array of many different labels! The package is huge – 131 tracks in all, spread out over 5CDs – including two full albums by the Mark Wirtz Orchestra & Chorus that have never been reissued, and more from rare singles, Eps, and other sources – including rare bits from Mark's archives. The scope of the set is stunning – and features work recorded under names that include The Soul Brothers, Matchmakers, Philwit & Pegasus, Tomorrow, Mood Mosaic, Caroline Munro, The Sweetshop, Zion De Gallier, The Marksmen, and others – all with a big booklet of notes to guide you through the material. CD

Great lost work by Buddy DeFranco – rare Verve sides recorded with Sonny Clark that show a whole new side of the clarinetist! Forget what you might think about his playing – because these tracks have a tight swinging boppish groove, and Clark's piano work makes the whole thing move nicely, without some of the hoke of other DeFranco sessions. The set (now out of print) has a total of 4CDs, and is filled with mostly master takes, plus a few unreleased tracks – and Sonny even plays a bit of organ too! Includes material that was originally on the albums Jazz Tones, In A Mellow Mood, Odalisque, Autumn Leaves, A Compendium Of Jazz, Cooking The Blues, Sweet & Lovely, and Anatomy Of Improvisation. Titles include "Cable Car", "Monogram", "Mine", "Titoro", "Sonny's Idea", "Cooking The Blues", and "Minor Incident". Great stuff! CD

Amazing work by Johnny Hodges as a leader – sessions that later appeared on 10" albums Johnny Hodges Collates Vols 1 & 2 and Swing With Johnny Hodges – and full albums Memories Of Duke Ellington, Johnny Hodges, Our Best Vol 2, Dance Bash, Alto Saxes, Creamy, Castle Rock, In A Tender Mood, Used To Be Duke, The Blues, and Verve Compendium Of Jazz! LP, Vinyl record album

A four disc collection of Taylor's groundbreaking early 60s work recorded for Candid with Buell Neidlinger and Archie Shepp! The sound of the groups clearly points towards Taylor's later extra outre work, but is grounded heavily in the jazz idiom too, with more blues and swing than he would later demonstrate. Two main groups are featured, Taylor working with Shepp, Neidlinger and Dennis Charles, and then a larger group with Steve Lacy, Charles Davis, Clark Terry and Roswell Rudd added, and with Billy Higgins replacing Charles. There's also 2 trio tracks, with Neidlinger and Higgins. There's loads of multiple and alternate takes, 26 numbers in all, with titles that include "Air", "Number One", "This Nearly Was Mine", "OP", "Cell Walk For Celeste", "I Forgot", "Section C", "EB", "Lazy Afternoon", "Port Of Call", "Jumpin Punkins", "Things Ain't What They Used To Be" and "Cindy's Main Mood". CD

"Starting Time" is a great early 60s session by Jordan – who at the time of the recording, was one of a number of firey young tenor players from Chicago – all of them hard-blowing, with a nice soulful bottom that opened up a bop sound to more moods and emotions – but Jordan stood apart from most of them with an approach that was decidedly more complex and forward-thinking. As you'll hear on the album's tracks, he wasn't content enough to just blow off a riff – but had to twist things up a bit, working a tune for more shades and colors than it might yield with another player, pushing on the proceedings with an edge that's very strong. The great Wilbur Ware's on bass, and a young Cedar Walton's playing piano, and with warmth like that, Jordan and trumpeter Kenny Dorham sound great next to each other. Loads of original hard bop lines by Jordan, including "Extempore" and "Quittin' Time", plus "Mosaic" and "One Flight Down" by Cedar Walton. Even better is A Story Tale – a brilliant collaboration between Clifford Jordan and Sonny Red! Red's tone is excellent – a sharper one next to Jordan's more supple blowing – and the pair are a perfect team to lead off tunes like "Prints", "Hip Pockets", "A Story Tale", and "Defiance". CD

A huge amount of wonderful music from Dizzy Gillespie – a player who really started taking off into fantastic new directions during these years! The album features some very groovy, very inventive small group work with James Moody on tenor and flute, and Kenny Barron on piano – plus collaborations with Stan Getz, a group date with Hank Mobley on tenor, another with Junior Mance on piano, more with Leo Wright on flute and alto, and a young Lalo Schifrin on piano! Many albums' worth of material – and bonus tracks too. CD