... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

Fantastic work from the duo of Artie Black and Hunter Diamond – two tenor saxophonists who work together here in a mode that's a sublime extension of some of the modern styles first put down in the 50s! Black and Diamond twist their tenors together with the dexterity of a Zoot Sims/Al Cohn team, or even better, the mix of Lee Konitz and Warne Marsh – but their sound is more modern, and more creatively tied to other currents in the contemporary Chicago scene – particularly the 21st century shift in avant jazz to tighter arrangements with freer moments. The pair work here with Matt Ulery on bass and Neil Hemphill on drums – and the sound is wonderful, with no instrumentation at all – just a focus on the reed work, which also includes a bit of bass clarinet from Artie. Titles include "Aerosonic", "Oh Bee", "Tihai", "Henrylle", and "Chant". CD

Fantastic work from the duo of Artie Black and Hunter Diamond – two tenor saxophonists who work together here in a mode that's a sublime extension of some of the modern styles first put down in the 50s! Black and Diamond twist their tenors together with the dexterity of a Zoot Sims/Al Cohn team, or even better, the mix of Lee Konitz and Warne Marsh – but their sound is more modern, and more creatively tied to other currents in the contemporary Chicago scene – particularly the 21st century shift in avant jazz to tighter arrangements with freer moments. The pair work here with Matt Ulery on bass and Neil Hemphill on drums – and the sound is wonderful, with no instrumentation at all – just a focus on the reed work, which also includes a bit of bass clarinet from Artie. Titles include "Aerosonic", "Oh Bee", "Tihai", "Henrylle", and "Chant". LP, Vinyl record album

A jazz duo with a very striking name – but one that makes complete sense, when you realize the record comes from the growing genius of Artie Black and Hunter Diamond – two up-and-coming tenorists on the Chicago scene who've developed a really wonderful affinity for each other! Here, the record just features bass and drums alongside the two horns – Matt Ulery on the former, Neil Hemphill on the latter – and the recording style has each player in one channel – a way of further expanding the great style they have of riding together, commenting on each other, and answering their own calls to rise to even more greatness. The record has a keen understanding of the farther reaches, but always keeps things tuneful, inside, and rhythmic – on tracks that include "Rudy's Mood", "Jacunda", "Village Within The City", "Mandala", "Little Melody", "Clay Feet", and "Eleanor & Rufus". CD

Two fantastic albums from Hugo Montenegro – back to back on a single CD! Hugo In Wonder-Land is one of Hugo Montenegro's best moog albums – and a killer batch of tracks written by Stevie Wonder – hence the title! Hugo and crew go to town with a host of electric keyboards – including moogs and Arps, backed up by some straight electric piano – and they lay down 10 smooth funky renditions of Stevie Wonder hits from the late 60s and early 70s. The approach is a great one, and it really gives substance to Montenegro's moogy musings – which sometimes can lack direction. Includes great versions of "Living For The City", "Too High", "Superstition", "Higher Ground", "You've Got It Bad, Girl", and "All In Love Is Fair". Niel's Diamonds is a weird and wonderful record – the early hits of Neil Diamond, played on the moog and ARP by the mighty Hugo Montenegro! The approach to the set is pretty darn cool – as it takes 10 of Neil's best early tunes, and runs them through arrangements by Montenegro that run from funky to groovy to dreamy – and which feature some very strange use of electronics! Sparkling and weird all the way through – with versions of "Girl, You'll Be a Woman Soon", "Brother Love's Traveling Salvation Show", "Sweet Caroline", "Two-Bit Man Child", "Porcupine Pie", and more! CD

Music from Christopher Cross, John Waite, Hot Chocolate, Neil Diamond, Grandmaster & Melle Mel, Kenny Loggins, Jay Ferguson, England Dan & John Ford Coley, Captain & Tennille, Argent & more. CD

A fantastic audio tribute to the greatness of the movie Once Upon A Time In Hollywood – a record that not only includes so many of the great tracks that were playing alongside the story, but which also recreates the way in which they were used! If you saw the film, you'll know that a good deal of the musical moments come from folks hopping in cars and turning on the radio – and this album version of the soundtrack includes a fair bit of DJ patter and radio ads – which really brings a great vibe to the full songs that are included. Titles include "Treat Her Right" by Roy Head & The Traits, "Brother Love's Traveling Salvation Show" by Neil Diamond, "Don't Chase Me Around" by Robert Corff, "Dinamite Jim (English version)" by I Cantori Moderni, "You Keep Me Hangin On (Quentin Tarantino edit)" by Vanilla Fudge, "Circle Game" by Buffy Saint Marie, "Jenny Take A Ride" by Mitch Ryder & The Detroit Wheels, "Hungry" by Paul Revere & The Raiders, "Hush" by Deep Purple, "Ramblin Gamblin Man" by Bob Seeger System, "Bring A Little Lovin" by Los Bravos, "Hey Little Girl" by Dee Clark, and "Son Of A Lovin Man" by Buchanan Brothers – plus the funky classic "Hector" by The Village Callers. LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic audio tribute to the greatness of the movie Once Upon A Time In Hollywood – a record that not only includes so many of the great tracks that were playing alongside the story, but which also recreates the way in which they were used! If you saw the film, you'll know that a good deal of the musical moments come from folks hopping in cars and turning on the radio – and this album version of the soundtrack includes a fair bit of DJ patter and radio ads – which really brings a great vibe to the full songs that are included. Titles include "Treat Her Right" by Roy Head & The Traits, "Brother Love's Traveling Salvation Show" by Neil Diamond, "Don't Chase Me Around" by Robert Corff, "Dinamite Jim (English version)" by I Cantori Moderni, "You Keep Me Hangin On (Quentin Tarantino edit)" by Vanilla Fudge, "Circle Game" by Buffy Saint Marie, "Jenny Take A Ride" by Mitch Ryder & The Detroit Wheels, "Hungry" by Paul Revere & The Raiders, "Hush" by Deep Purple, "Ramblin Gamblin Man" by Bob Seeger System, "Bring A Little Lovin" by Los Bravos, "Hey Little Girl" by Dee Clark, and "Son Of A Lovin Man" by Buchanan Brothers – plus the funky classic "Hector" by The Village Callers. LP, Vinyl record album

A wonderful, groovy set of landmark pop and folksy tunes from Wanda! At her peak, which stretched from the mid 50s throughout the 60s, Ms. Jackson could melt you with any combination of sultry ballads, fiery rockabilly, or traditional country numbers, and Many Moods covers all those bases. She consistently takes on such disparate material as Harlan Howard's "I Wish I Was Your Friend", Merle Haggard's "I Started Loving You Again", and Chuck Berry's "Memphis, Tennessee", with each tune more charming than the last, and perhaps the most priceless of all, Neil Diamond's huge hit via the Monkees, "I'm A Believer". The record has a great cover, too – showcasing the lovely Wanda's gravity defying beehive! 11 tunes in all. LP, Vinyl record album

The Monkees had so many fantastic records during their short span of recording, nearly all of them might well be "greatest hits" – but this set does a nice job of slimming the selection down to focus on some of the most long-lasting tracks from the group! There's a few killer Boyce & Hart compositions, produced by the duo too – and the set also features contributions from other 60s pop heavyweights, like Chip Douglas, Neil Diamond, Jeff Barry, and the duo of Carole King & Gerry Goffin – all of whim give the foursome some great material, on tunes that include "Theme From The Monkees", "Last Train To Clarksville", "She", "Listen To The Band", "A Little Bit Me A Little Bit You", "Daydream Believer", "Pleasant Valley Sunday", "Steppin Stone", "I'm A Believer", and "I Wanna Be Free". LP, Vinyl record album