... 7-inch, Vinyl record

Way more than just another soul group – as The New Birth are almost big enough to be their own sort of soul music village – complete with different neighborhoods along the way! Vocals are handled by the combined groups of The Mint Juleps and Now Sound – gals and guys that soar together wonderfully with backings from The Nite-Liters – who help give the record a righteous undercurrent at most points, which makes the whole thing sound way hipper than any other projects of this nature! Vernon Bulllock acts as the music director for the whole group – really pulling things together with a tightness that's outta sight – and leadership of the project comes from Harvey Fuqua – who arranged and produced as well. There's some massively heavy talent on board for this initial outing, and you can definitely hear it all come into play beautifully – a wonderful harmony of rich talents, without any egos or issues to get in the way. Vocals chance nicely throughout – sometimes a female lead, sometimes male – as do the grooves, which are funky one minute, and mellow the next! Tracks include "All The Way", "Pretty Words Don't Mean A Thing", "One Way Bus", "It's You Or No One", "Do The Funky Chicken", "The Unh Song", and "What'll I Do". Great reissue – with excellent sound, and very detailed notes! CD

A surprisingly well-thought out set of tracks that is perhaps the only ever time someone at RCA did a good job with a soul reissue! The filled-to-the brim compilation features 16 tracks from the legendary New Birth Inc. collective that also included the funky combo The Nite Liters and the vocal group Love, Peace, & Happiness – all of whom recorded together under the aegis of ex-Moonglow Harvey Fuqua during his production stint at RCA in the early 70s. The combination of different groups and styles makes for a very lively batch of 70's soul and funk tracks – and the set features both classics and overlooked obscure material, all nicely remastered, and packaged with a great set of notes. Titles include "Got To Get A Knutt", "K Jee", "Comin From All Ends", "Afro Strut", "Wild Flower", "Keep On Doin It", and "I Can Understand It". CD

A classic album by this righteous soul collective – and one that shows them taking a strong step away from their work at RCA with Harvey Fuqua. This one has the group (ever-enormous as always!) absorbing some of the other elements of modern soul that were floating around at the time – and they make a nice mark for themselves on the album's mix of ballad tracks and uptempo numbers. Titles include "Blind Man", "Blind Baby", "Dream Merchant", "Forever", "I Remember Well", and "Granddaddy" LP, Vinyl record album

A lost legacy in spiritual jazz – two albums recorded by a Boston group who worked far from the limelight in New York – in a very underground scene where they recorded these two very special albums in the 70s! Their sound is very collaborative and freewheeling – an approach that reminds us a lot of music by Phil Cohran and The Artistic Heritage Ensemble. The first album in the set is The Beginning Of A New Birth – a record that really lives up to its title, given the joyous energy it brings into being – a very collaborative vibe that has the entire ensemble working together on two side-long tracks – mixing rootsy percussion, avant solos, and unified voices that really give the music a special touch! The mix of ensemble vocals and reed elements is a bit like some of the Max Roach or Billy Harper projects of the time – but the approach is looser, less structured, and very organic. Players include Michael Cosmic on alto, Raquib Ishma'll Hassan on tenor, Phil Musra on soprano sax, Shaddu Jones on piano, and Robert Fuff on bass – and titles include "The Beginning Of A New Birth" and "The Prayer". As Time Flows on is the second record – and has a style that's maybe slightly more compact – still every bit as spiritual as before, but with some shorter tracks that bring the group's ideas into even deeper focus! The group is smaller, but still uses voice along with their instrumentation – which comes from the work of Earl Grant Lawrence on flute, Jamyll Jones on bass, Shaddu Jones on piano, and Larry Roland, Roy Hall, and Chauncy Hutcherson on percussion. Some vocals are more solo, and even hit a bit of a hip protest vibe – and titles include "Nine Degrees & Cold", "Black Woman", "To Do Nothing", "The Mind", and "Rain". Comes with a great booklet – which tells the group's unique story! CD

A lost legacy in spiritual jazz – two albums recorded by a Boston group who worked far from the limelight in New York – in a very underground scene where they recorded these two very special albums in the 70s! Their sound is very collaborative and freewheeling – an approach that reminds us a lot of music by Phil Cohran and The Artistic Heritage Ensemble. The first album in the set is The Beginning Of A New Birth – a record that really lives up to its title, given the joyous energy it brings into being – a very collaborative vibe that has the entire ensemble working together on two side-long tracks – mixing rootsy percussion, avant solos, and unified voices that really give the music a special touch! The mix of ensemble vocals and reed elements is a bit like some of the Max Roach or Billy Harper projects of the time – but the approach is looser, less structured, and very organic. Players include Michael Cosmic on alto, Raquib Ishma'll Hassan on tenor, Phil Musra on soprano sax, Shaddu Jones on piano, and Robert Fuff on bass – and titles include "The Beginning Of A New Birth" and "The Prayer". As Time Flows on is the second record – and has a style that's maybe slightly more compact – still every bit as spiritual as before, but with some shorter tracks that bring the group's ideas into even deeper focus! The group is smaller, but still uses voice along with their instrumentation – which comes from the work of Earl Grant Lawrence on flute, Jamyll Jones on bass, Shaddu Jones on piano, and Larry Roland, Roy Hall, and Chauncy Hutcherson on percussion. Some vocals are more solo, and even hit a bit of a hip protest vibe – and titles include "Nine Degrees & Cold", "Black Woman", "To Do Nothing", "The Mind", and "Rain". Comes with a great booklet – which tells the group's unique story! CD

The reach of Miles Davis is plenty wide – as right from the start, the trumpeter was associating himself with some of the hippest young talent on the scene! Yet the apex of those associations may have come in the late 60s and early 70s, when the newly-electric Miles was experimenting in all sorts of new rhythms and instrumental combinations – and inviting a whole host of soon-to-be-legends to help him with his projects! This set is a great overview of some of those key contemporaries – and the way that they took new directions of their own, when away from Miles – some very much in the spirit of the Bitches Brew generation, others opening up in whole new frontiers of soul and spirit. The set features some really well-chosen tracks – a key who's who to this generation – and titles include "Sweet Pea" by Wayne Shorter, "In A Silent Way" by Joe Zawinul, "Common Mama" by Keith Jarrett, "Song Of The Wind (alt)" by Chick Corea, "In Search Of Truth" by Lonnie Liston Smith, "Arjen's Bag" by John McLaughlin, "Politician Man" by Betty Davis, "Uhuru Sasa" by Gary Bartz, "You'll Know When You Get There" by Herbie Hancock, and "Directions (16 December 1970 – first set)" by Miles Davis himself. CD

Fantastic! This is one of Sonny Criss' masterworks, and an amazing tribute to the LA jazz underground of the 60's! Horace Tapscott composed and arranged all of the tracks on here, and they form a beautiful, soulful, suite that gives Criss a perfect backdrop for his meaningful solos. The work is fantastic, and every moment falls perfectly in line. Haunting stuff that we never tire of listening to, and which we can't recommend highly enough! Tracks include "Ballad For Samuel" and "Daughter Of Cochise." This CD includes two previously unissued alternate versions of "The Golden Pearl" and "Sonny's Dream." CD

The reach of Miles Davis is plenty wide – as right from the start, the trumpeter was associating himself with some of the hippest young talent on the scene! Yet the apex of those associations may have come in the late 60s and early 70s, when the newly-electric Miles was experimenting in all sorts of new rhythms and instrumental combinations – and inviting a whole host of soon-to-be-legends to help him with his projects! This set is a great overview of some of those key contemporaries – and the way that they took new directions of their own, when away from Miles – some very much in the spirit of the Bitches Brew generation, others opening up in whole new frontiers of soul and spirit. The set features some really well-chosen tracks – a key who's who to this generation – and titles include "Sweet Pea" by Wayne Shorter, "In A Silent Way" by Joe Zawinul, "Common Mama" by Keith Jarrett, "Song Of The Wind (alt)" by Chick Corea, "In Search Of Truth" by Lonnie Liston Smith, "Arjen's Bag" by John McLaughlin, "Politician Man" by Betty Davis, "Uhuru Sasa" by Gary Bartz, "You'll Know When You Get There" by Herbie Hancock, and "Directions (16 December 1970 – first set)" by Miles Davis himself. LP, Vinyl record album

A magnificent document of a very unique cultural moment – the voguing ballroom world of the New York scene at the end of the 80s! The book is filled with beautiful vintage photographs that really get at the complexity of the ballroom scene – the cross-gender, cross-class, cross-fashion activity that was often set to house music – and which was as individualistic and uniquely New York as the emergence of disco in the 70s, or the birth of hip hop a few years later. Voguing had a shorter life span than both, but impacted the mainstream for a few key years at the start of the 90s – and this book really gets at the raw power the movement had at the start, thanks to on the spot photographs from Chantal Regnault. Images are in both color and black and white, presented in the book with the Soul Jazz sensitivity to cultural undergrounds – and dancefloor chronicler Tim Lawrence contributed a good deal of text, to help set the images in proper perspective. Book is oversize, 204 pages, softcover, and very nicely done! Book

Rare work from the early years of soul music – and a special set that focuses on sounds created in and around Los Angeles – a city that's not nearly as well known for 60s soul as Chicago, Detroit, or New Orleans! Yet during the postwar years, LA had just as much going on as those eastern cities – a huge new population influx, who'd move over from the south during the wartime years – and new labels that had cropped up to capture their sounds and serve their audience! 50s LA was already humming with R&B material, which gave the rising styles of soul plenty of places to get recorded – so much so, that there's even some work on this set that was never issued at the time! The vibe is great – similar to other Birth Of Soul sets from Ace/Kent – in that the music carries a bit of R&B and blues bite from earlier years, mixed with more romping and tighter soul styles – in a smoking set list of 24 tracks that include "But What About My Broken Heart" by Don Wyatt, "Everybody's Got A Lover But Me" by Richard Berry, "Have You Heard" by The Vows, "With These Hands" by The Wonders, "You Better Watch Out Girl" by The Imperialites, "Lose My Cool" by Ike & Tina Turner, "Let Him Walk Away" by Darlene Love, "My Pillow" by The Numbers, "Help Me With My Broken Heart" by Sylvester Stewart, "That Other Guy" by The Mandarins, "Don't Drop It" by The Question Marks, and "Young Lover" by Wilks & Wilkerson. CD

A damn classic entry in the Super Breaks series from BGP – one that's filled with crucial sample cuts from the old school – some really wonderful funky nuggets, brought together here as a great reminder of the tracks that first got us digging back in the day! There's less of the totally obscure numbers here than you might find on other Super Breaks volumes, but things aren't totally mainstream either – and the compilers have not only done a great job of pulling together tracks that were really important for hip hop, but have also managed to put a really fresh spin on the music altogether – reminding us once again that even in the age of digital music, nothing beats a well-done compilation! Titles include "Shifting Gears" by Johnny Hammond, "Mary Mary" by The Monkees, "Scratchin" by Magic Disco Machine, "It's Just Begun" by Jimmy Castor, "Africano" by Earth Wind & Fire, "Apache" by Incredible Bongo Band, "Got To Get A Knutt" by New Birth, "Get Up & Dance" by Freedom, "Super Sporm" by Captain Sky, "Who Is He & What Is He To You" by Creative Source, "Funky President" by James Brown, "Blow Your Head" by The JBs, "Johnny The Fox" by Thin Lizzy, "Let A Woman Be A Woman Let A Man Be A Man" by Dyke & The Blazers, "The Clapping Song" by Shirley Ellis, and "Get Ya Some" by Melvin Sparks. CD

The first collection we've ever seen to do justice to the Brown Sugar trio from the UK reggae scene of the late 70s – a group who do a fantastic job of merging older sweet soul styles with a new lovers' vibe, all in a mode that's completely sublime! The group's noteworthy as the starting place of Caron Wheeler, who'd later rise to great fame in Soul II Soul – and Carol Simms, who'd later rise on her own as Kofi – but even without that later legacy, the music here is completely wonderful – and is presented with detailed notes, in a set that collects all the singles the trio recorded at the time with Dennis Bovell and John "Brownie T" Kpiaye. Brown Sugar are clearly influenced by the sweeter side of American group soul style in the late 60s – and even cover a few cuts from that era – yet they also have this bad-stepping style that really offers up the strongest current of the London style of the period – the crisper crackle and rootsier production approach that was really showing a scene coming into its own. Titles include "Black Pride", "Our Reggae Music", "Hello Stranger", "You & Your Smiling Face", "Loving Dreadlocks Dub", "Confession Hurts", "Proud", "Do You Really Love Me", "Hurtin", "Run Away Love",a nd "Dreaming Of Zion". CD

A great slice of work from the New York underground of the post-disco years – served up by a family of labels that had been making things happen through most of the 70s! The set focuses strongly on the singles issued by the Posse and Spring Records labels – the former a new offshoot of the latter, especially geared towards 12" singles that were strongly focused on both the new sounds of the clubs and the streets – including lots of electro, bass-heavy funk, hip hop-inspired grooves, and mabye even some elements that would soon point the way towards house music to come! This side of the Spring Records label has never been covered in detail like this before – and the choice of cuts is as great as the notes on the music – which finally gives the Posse singles their due in the scene from back in the day. Titles include "We Come To Jam" by Blaze, "Sing A Song" by Lonnie Youngblood, "Have Your Cake" by Body, "Wired For Games (long version)" by C Brand, "Workin Out" by Ritz, "Live It Up (short vocal)" by Fonda Rae, "Get Up An Dance" by Mynk, "Spread Love" by Fatback, "Let's Get Nice (7" vocal)" by Glory, and "Got To Have Your Lovin (short vocal)" by Feel. LP, Vinyl record album

A damn classic entry in the Super Breaks series from BGP – one that's filled with crucial sample cuts from the old school – some really wonderful funky nuggets, brought together here as a great reminder of the tracks that first got us digging back in the day! There's less of the totally obscure numbers here than you might find on other Super Breaks volumes, but things aren't totally mainstream either – and the compilers have not only done a great job of pulling together tracks that were really important for hip hop, but have also managed to put a really fresh spin on the music altogether – reminding us once again that even in the age of digital music, nothing beats a well-done compilation! Titles include "Shifting Gears" by Johnny Hammond, "Mary Mary" by The Monkees, "Scratchin" by Magic Disco Machine, "It's Just Begun" by Jimmy Castor, "Africano" by Earth Wind & Fire, "Apache" by Incredible Bongo Band, "Got To Get A Knutt" by New Birth, "Get Up & Dance" by Freedom, "Super Sporm" by Captain Sky, "Who Is He & What Is He To You" by Creative Source, "Funky President" by James Brown, "Blow Your Head" by The JBs, "Johnny The Fox" by Thin Lizzy, "Let A Woman Be A Woman Let A Man Be A Man" by Dyke & The Blazers, "The Clapping Song" by Shirley Ellis, and "Get Ya Some" by Melvin Sparks. LP, Vinyl record album

Tremendous grooves from the earliest (and best) years of the acid jazz scene – all recorded at a time when London was exploding with sounds from the 60s and 70s, and turning out some of the hippest music on the planet! Although the term "acid jazz" was soon mishandled and mis-managed here in the US, the earliest days of the movement were really a tremendous time in London – a period when folks returned to the core elements that made funk, jazz, and soul great – and shook off all of the too-electric and too-stiff modes that had crept in during the 80s! Most of the work here is in a really spare, stripped-down funky mode – a cross between soul jazz of the 60s and blacksploitation funk of the 70s, with possibly a few more contemporary elements thrown into the mix. And in these years way before the current deep funk revival, what's even more important is the way these songs were produced – with a warmth that other groups hadn't had in years, and a real love of the way these tracks might have sounded in older studios a few decades before. The package contains a number of key rare singles from the Acid Jazz label, other album tracks, and even a few classics that had a big influence on the London scene. Titles include the rare pre-Acid Jazz single "Got To Give" by The Brand New Heavies, the sublime "Rejoice In Righteousness" by Bukky Leo Quintet, and the tracks "Cut & Run" by Lay Zee Muthas, "Like A Gun" by King Truman, "The Killer" by Night Trains, "People Get Ready" by The Brand New Heavies, "Haw Right Now" by Patrice Rushen, "Earthly Powers" by Man Called Adam, "Mr PC" by Snowboy, "Spinning Wheel" by New Jersey Kings, "Let The Good Times Roll" by The Quiet Boys, and "Mighty Mouse" by Caesar Frazier. Loads of great notes too – a really detailed look at the London scene at the end of the 80s! CD

A great slice of work from the New York underground of the post-disco years – served up by a family of labels that had been making things happen through most of the 70s! The set focuses strongly on the singles issued by the Posse and Spring Records labels – the former a new offshoot of the latter, especially geared towards 12" singles that were strongly focused on both the new sounds of the clubs and the streets – including lots of electro, bass-heavy funk, hip hop-inspired grooves, and mabye even some elements that would soon point the way towards house music to come! This side of the Spring Records label has never been covered in detail like this before – and the choice of cuts is as great as the notes on the music – which finally gives the Posse singles their due in the scene from back in the day. Titles include "We Come To Jam" by Blaze, "Sing A Song" by Lonnie Youngblood, "Have Your Cake" by Body, "Wired For Games (long version)" by C Brand, "Workin Out" by Ritz, "Live It Up (short vocal)" by Fonda Rae, "Get Up An Dance" by Mynk, "Spread Love" by Fatback, "Let's Get Nice (7" vocal)" by Glory, and "Got To Have Your Lovin (short vocal)" by Feel. CD

The birth of genius – the first three albums by Flamin Groovies, along with bonus tracks too! First up is Supersnazz – the first album from legendary San Francisco rockers the Flaming Groovies – and the cleaner horn-accented blueprint for the shakey, skronky structure to come! Supersnazz has a bit of a sibling in the first Stooges LP – in that the palatable production only hints at the insanity of later records – but it's a good rocking record all the same, a good site stranger, fierier and groovier than most of their contemporaries could muster! Tracks include "Love Have Mercy", "Laurie Did It", "Rockin' Pneumonia And The Boogie Woogie Flu", "The First One's Free", "Pagan Rachel", "Pistol Packin' Mama", "Brushfire", "Around The Corner" and more. Flamingo is one of the finest moments ever from The Flamin Groovies – a set that's awash in 50s rock and roll influences, yet filtered through the heady late 60s San Francisco scene – making for a mix that's completely compelling throughout, and unlike anything else we can think of! The Groovies might initially seem like retro-rockers, yet they've got this sharp edge that makes their music more of a commentary on rock and roll, and its roots as well – uttered beautifully at a time when so many others were falling into excess, but also done without any of the "roots" cliches that others were embracing in a much clunkier way! It's hard to sum up adequately, but the record's almost a leap forward from Gene Vincent over 60s psyche – but on its way to the rough edges embraced by the UK punk scene in years to come – kind of that odd space that the Modern Lovers hit with their Kim Fowley recordings, but much more rocking overall. Most numbers are originals from vocalist Roy Loney – and titles include "Comin After Me", "Headin For The Texas Border", "Second Cousin", "Childhood's End", "Jailbait", and "She's Falling Apart". Teenage Head is maybe the best-remembered album ever from the all-great Flaming Groovies – and a set with a classic cover image that really lives up to the music! The Groovies have an unusual blend of old school rocking with hipper post-60s sensibilities – almost their own faux-retro sound to rival some of the west coast modes from the Warner scene – but with a grittier NYC presentation that's really wonderful, and which made the record a key force in the pre-punk years! One of those true treasures that just keeps on giving over the years – a record of subtle brilliance that just gets better and better with each new listen. Titles include "High Flyin Baby", "City Lights", "Yesterday's Numbers", "Whiskey Woman", and "Evil Hearted Ada". 3CD set features a whopping 17 bonus tracks – including "Louie Louie", "Shakin All Over", "Carol", "Scratch My Back", "Rumble", "Somethin Else", "Going Out (version 2)", "Walking The Dog", "The First One's Free (single)", "Around & Around", and "My Girl Josephine. CD

A great full length album that brings together early 50s work in the "birth of the cool" mode! Side one features Lee Konitz and Miles Davis – in a group with Sal Mosca, Max Roach, and Billy Bauer, on very "birth of the cool" like tracks that include "Odjenar", "Hi Beck", "Yesterdays", and "Ezz Thetic". Side two features Teddy Charles and Jimmy Raney co-leading a group with bass and drums – grooving in a cool spare vibes/guitar mode on tracks that include "Edging Out", "Nocturne", "Night In Tunisia", and "Composition For Four Pieces". Also includes 2 tracks that are just duets between Konitz on alto and Bauer on guitar – "Indian Summer" and "Duet For Sax & Guitar" – and these are some of the coolest on the record! LP, Vinyl record album

A tremendous little record from Love Peace & Happiness – a great vocal trio from the early 70s, and one who really shine with this overlooked gem for RCA! The trio were part of the New Birth/Nite Liters universe that producer Harvey Fuqua brought to the label at the time – and they've got a hip sound that's right up there with the other two groups – with whom they were very intimately involved – working here with arrangements from Fuqua that are almost his contribution to post-Motown sounds in the 70s, the way that Holland-Dozier-Holland were working at Invictus. Ann Bogan really soars with righteous leads in the group – and gets equal support from brothers Leslie and Melvin Wilson – who really help underscore some of the bolder elements of the music – especially on the funkier cuts. Titles include "I Don't Want To Do Wrong", "Lonesome Lonely & Alone", "Don't Knock My Love", "If I Owned The World", "You Can't Cheat the Cheater", "Stay", "Mind", and "You've Chosen Me". Great reissue – with excellent sound and very detailed notes! CD

A masterpiece of hard and heavy funk – from one of the best bands of the early 70s! The Nite Liters were a legendary funky combo that provided the backing for some of New Birth's best albums – but on their own, they were even funkier, and had a sound that was part JBs, part Meters, and all funky! This album may well be the group's best – their last for RCA, and a set that really has them honing their edge incredibly. The drums are amazing, the keyboards great, and the horns have this quality that's both complex, yet right on the money – making for a richness in sound that really sets the group apart from their contemporaries. A few singers from The New Birth provide chorus vocals on a few tracks – but most of the set is instrumental, and the record's one we'd gladly stack next to our Meters albums on Josie or JBs classics on People. Every track's a gem – and titles include "Drumology", "Excuse Me While I Do My Thing", "Serenade for a Jive Turkey", "Happy Hooker", "Craaashing", "Damn", "Pee-Foul", and a sweet cover of "Valdez in the Country" that's been sampled at least once over the years! CD

We've always loved the music of Logan Richardson, but here he's onto something completely new and groundbreaking – as you might begin to guess from the cover and title! Logan still blows alto sax, but he also handles piano and keyboards, and works in this swirling mix of sound that really lives up to what you might expect – really far-seeing future jazz – with rhythms that shift and soar, instrumentation that shimmers and glows, and a sound that's very cosmic and righteous throughout! The set also features vibes and keyboards from Peter Schlamb, guitars from Igor Osypov, bass from Dominique Sanders, and drums from Ryan Lee and Corey Fonville – set to some occasional vocals from Laura Taglialatela, and light use of strings to really give the music a sense of majesty. Titles include "Say My Nhame", "Awaken", "The Birth Of Us", "Black Wallstreet", "Farewell Goodbye", "For Alto", "According To You", "Praise Song", and "Photo Copy". LP, Vinyl record album

A tight collection of uptempo funk and disco-driven soul tunes – with a selection that goes way past the usual dancefloor favorites! We're not sure how to read the title (which seems to have some sort of "inside take" on black culture in America) so we'll write that off to the overzealous imagination of the British compilers of the set – but we will say that the package includes some great numbers that we wouldn't have thought of otherwise, including a few previously unissued tunes by artists on the Westbound label! The groove is upbeat on most tracks, with plenty of jazzy flourishes and a soulful approach to disco. Titles include "Disco Booty" by Melvin Sparks, "Love Don't Come Easy" by New Jersey Connection, "I Need Somebody To Love Tonight" by Sylvester, "Free Man" by South Shore Commission, "Everything's Gonna Be Alright" by The Clark Sisters, "Latin Disco" by The Counts, "Alvin Stone (The Birth & Death Of A Gangster)" by Fantastic Four, "Moon Trek" by Mike Theodore, "Sadie" by Joe Bataan, "Sure Can't Go To The Moon" by CJ & Co, and "The Magic Man" by King Errison. CD

The birth of Miami soul, and a beautifully done document of the rare Deep City label – home to Willie Clarke, Clarence Reid, and Betty Wright in the years before Alston and TK Records! Way before Miami soul started cracking the charts at the start of the 70s, Deep City was already putting the best parts in place – working with a tight roster of artists and an equally tight in-house band that rose from the ranks of Florida A&M's Marching 100 band – razor-sharp instrumentalists who helped forge a groove worthy to rival the sounds of Memphis, Muscle Shoals, and even the best of Detroit at the time – given that some of the work here has a much sweeter soul sound than other 60s southern soul. As usual, the Numero team have done an incredible job with the package – pulling out rare photos, personal stories, and just the right amount of information to breathe new life into the Deep City label and help it live anew. CD features 17 tracks in all – including "Paralyzed" and "Good Lovin" by Betty Wright, "Am I A Good Man" by Them Two, "Someone To Fulfill My Needs" and "I Love You Baby" by The Moovers, "I Am Controlled By Your Love" and "Willing & Able" by Helene Smith, "Good Thing (part 1)" by Frank Williams & The Rocketeers, "It's My Baby" and "The Upset" by Paul Kelly, and "Stay Away From My Johnny" by Freda Gray & The Rocketeers. CD

Maybe the most amazing graffiti book you'll ever hope to own – an amazingly heavy, oversized volume that tells the tale of the birth of the format and its global spread – served up in dozens of articles brought together in the space of an imaginary newspaper! The pages are huge, and the writing really matches the vivid images alongside – and is augmented by loads of cool details like subway and train route maps, a New York graffiti timeline, and pages and pages of full-color artwork! To be honest, we'd thought the graffiti book was done a long time ago, but this volume has really re-inspired our interest – and is essential reading not just for fans of graf art, but also of hip hop culture and urban spaces in general. 406 super-heavy pages, full color, oversized. Book

The birth of the Dean Martin Sound of the 60s! Produced by Jimmy Bowen – the hip country-tinged producer who brought a new style and sound to Dean's work in the 60s, taking him from 50s crooner to 60s chart star, and helping him nab a hit TV show in the process! The Door Is Still Open To My Heart has Dino working with a bit of country material – punching it up in his own great style, taking older hits and boozing them up for a hipper modern audience. Titles include "The Door Is Still Open To My Heart", "The Middle Of The Night Is My Cryin Time", "Every Minute Every Hour", "We'll Sing In The Sunshine", "My Sugar's Gone", "Always Together", "In The Misty Moonlight", and "Clinging Vine". LP, Vinyl record album

A nice little set that delivers exactly what's promised in the title – sweet soul music from back in the day, plus a few tracks from the contemporary Philly scene! The cuts here nicely move between styles – many are the warm harmony cuts that were the calling card of Philly and New Jersey at the start of the 70s – and the rhythms here move from completely mellow to midtempo – that shift in harmony soul towards the club that was so influential from some of these artists at the time. Tracks include "Me & My Gemini" by First Class, "Carla My Love" by Softones, "Together" by Tony Strong & The Philly Soul, "Babies Having Babies" by Terry Tate, "Sure Thing" by New Birth, "Hypnotized" by Linda Jones, "My Ebony Princess" by Jimmy Briscoe & The Little Beavers, "Special Lady" by Ray Goodman & Brown, "Natural High" by Captain Sky, "Reunited" by Johnny Ingram with Sherena Khan, "You Know How To Make Me Feel So Good" by Glenn Leonard with Jean Carne, "Didn't Anyone Ever Tell You I Love You" by Philly Devotions, "Yes I'm Ready" by Barbara Mason, "A Lover's Stand" by Norma Jenkins & The Dolls, and "Your Love Is So Doggone Good" by The Whispers. CD

Excellent album that Harvey Fuqua put together with his old band during the time that he had emerged as a successful soul producer at RCA working with bands like The Nite Liters and The New Birth. The album features the group reprising some of their classic doo wop tracks, and giving them a 70's edge with the help of a small combo that includes Norman Harris, Bobby Eli, and Vernon Bullock. One highlight includes a great remake of "Sincerely" that has a nice break and a good groove to it. Other goodies are "The Ten Commandments", and "Most Of All". Better than you'd think! LP, Vinyl record album

We've always loved the music of Logan Richardson, but here he's onto something completely new and groundbreaking – as you might begin to guess from the cover and title! Logan still blows alto sax, but he also handles piano and keyboards, and works in this swirling mix of sound that really lives up to what you might expect – really far-seeing future jazz – with rhythms that shift and soar, instrumentation that shimmers and glows, and a sound that's very cosmic and righteous throughout! The set also features vibes and keyboards from Peter Schlamb, guitars from Igor Osypov, bass from Dominique Sanders, and drums from Ryan Lee and Corey Fonville – set to some occasional vocals from Laura Taglialatela, and light use of strings to really give the music a sense of majesty. Titles include "Say My Nhame", "Awaken", "The Birth Of Us", "Black Wallstreet", "Farewell Goodbye", "For Alto", "According To You", "Praise Song", and "Photo Copy". CD

There's a really great pairing going on here – the always-amazing sound of Pierre Dorge's New Jungle Orchestra, and the tenor of Stephen Riley – a guest who's brought into the fold after a successful European tour with the group, and a perfect match for their ever-inventive sound! Dorge's guitar sets the scene and colors the music right from the start – with plenty of the blue elements you might expect in the title – and Riley seems as if he's challenging all the other group members to do their best with the strength of his own tenor – a lineup that includes Tobias Wiklund on trumpet, Kennet Agerlhom on trombone, Jakob Mygind on tenor and soprano, Anders Banke on tenor and bass clarinet, and Irene Becker on piano and keyboards. The tracks are mostly originals by Dorge, plus a few by Becker – and they've got that angular, shape-heavy vibe that marks the work of the NJO – on titles that include "Dancing In The Jungle", "Aburu Kuwa", "Mingus' Birthday Party", "Witchdoctor In The Burial Mound", "Fulani", and "Blue Afriki". CD

An obscure funky fusion album from bassist Tony Newton – with a wild look that grabs you instantly! Tony plays this weird double-bass, and he's pictured with the instrument on the cover – looking like some super-heavy righteous dude that escaped from The Headhunters. The record features loads of spiraling bass solos, laid out over hard funky drums and keyboards. There's not a lot of breakbeats, but the record's got some nice hard fusion with tight changes and strong grooves. Funky tracks include "Groundshaker" and "Supernatural Rebirth" – and other titles include "BC 2 Chant", "Spread A Little Goodness", and "The Devil Walks Among Us". LP, Vinyl record album

An overlooked chapter in the Harold Land/Bobby Hutcherson partnership that recorded more famously for Blue Note – a date that's issued here under the tenorist's own name, but which also features equal contributions from Hutcherson on vibes! Tracks have that long, modal quality that has the pair almost birthing a whole new generation in jazz expression – a style that's more sophisticated than earlier soul jazz, yet equally soulful in its own sort of way – aware of all the freedoms of the avant scene, yet never fully indulgent of them – and always guided by a spirit set loose by Coltrane, but in ways that are very different than so many others in the post-Coltrane generation! Part of that difference might be Land's personal phrasing on tenor – or Hutcherson's amazing approach to vibes – both without any sort of comparison at all, and set up here in a group that features Bill Henderson on acoustic and electric piano, Buster Williams on bass, Billy Hart on drums, and Mtume on congas. The latter gets his own song named on the record – the great "Mtume" – and other titles include "Short Subject", "Ode To Angela", and "De-Liberation". CD

A wonderful wonderful set from the British jazz scene of the late 60s – beautifully inventive large ensemble material, done under the direction of Neil Ardley – and featuring some of the best British jazz musicians of the time! The group's a showcase not only for creative young talent in the UK, but also for the growing sense of composition as well – and the music on the set is penned by Ardley, Michael Garrick, Mike Taylor, and Michael Gibbs – as well as new arrangements of work by Miles Davis and John Coltrane. As in the best material from Ardley, Garrick, and Gibbs, there's a really fresh way of coming together for the instrumentation – quite different than large group material in both the US, and even other areas of the 60s European scene – delivered with wonderful imagination by musicians who include Derek Watkins, Henry Lowther, Harry Beckett, and Ian Carr on trumpets; Michael Gibbs and Derek Wadsworth on trombones; Barbara Thompson on flute and soprano sax; Dick Heckstall Smith on tenor and soprano; Frank Ricotti on vibes; and even Jack Bruce on bass! Titles include "Le Dejeuner Sur L'Herbe", "Naima", "Angle", "Ballad", "Dusk Fire", "Study", and "Rebirth". CD

An explosive album from the mighty John Fahey – and maybe the record in which he starts to really break from tradition – and strongly foreground all the new changes he wanted to bring to acoustic music! There's still a strong Americanist vibe going on here, but Fahey's also stretching things out, improvising a lot more, and really letting some darker corners come forward in his sound – not just on the 19 minute title track, which is a jaw-dropper in and of itself – but also on some of the shorter tracks, as he plays with tape tricks, duets with organ or flute, and even invites the Mysterious Al Wilson along on veena! The whole thing's amazing – exactly the summation of what made Fahey such a unique talent – and titles include "The Great San Bernardino Birthday Party", "Sail Away Ladies", "900 Miles", "Guitar Excursion Into The Unknown", and "Knott's Berry Farm Molly". LP, Vinyl record album

The rebirth of the Afro-Cuban groove on the New York scene of the 70s – great recordings in the "new traditionalist" sound of the time! After the boom of the Latin Soul sound of the late 60s, and the rise of salsa in the early 70s, there was also a "back to basics" movement within the players of the New York Latin community – a shift that stripped down the sound, reintroduced traditional instrumentation, and worked in rhythms that might have been used on older sessions, but which were slightly updated for the newer recordings. The work of that period, although strong, has often been overlooked in favor of some of the flashier sounds of the scene – and this set wonderfully corrects that fault by bringing together a great sampling of work from the traditional spectrum of the Salsoul and SAR record labels, along with the kind of notes and commitment to quality that makes the Honest Jon's reissues so great! Titles include "Son Sabroson" by Rey Roig, "Chuchillo Para La Pina Cubana" by Charlie Rodriguez, "Chocolate En C7" and "Trumpet En Montuno" by Chocolate, "Oriente" and "Tiene Sabor" by Henry Fiol, "Yo Perdi El Corazon" by Lita Branda, "Camina Y Ven Pa La Loma" by Roberto Torres, "Celosa" by Angelo Y Su Conjunto Modelo, and "Los Dos Hermanos" by Los Jimaguas. LP, Vinyl record album

A double-length package – one that brings together two previous Hat Art releases of live material – Berlin/Stockholm and Lorrach/Paris! The 2CD set features crucial European performances by Albert Ayler in the mid 60s – one that were issued until many years after the recording, but which has become one of the sharpest pictures of his genius at the time! The vibe is different than the Ayler albums for ESP – still very much in the same territory, but with this approach that's really reaching out with a deeply spiritual consciousness – an energy to embrace the whole history of jazz, both very old and very new – and re-form its entire ideology into a richly personal expression. Ayler's tremendous on tenor, but Don Ayler is often equally great on trumpet – and the unusual group features Michel Samson on violin, William Fowell on bass, and Beaver Harris on drums. The set features versions of "Truth Is Marching In", "Omega (Is The Alpha)", "Our Prayer – Bells" and "Infinite Spirit – Japan" from Stockholm, juxtaposed with differing performances of those titles in Berlin, plus the riveting closer "Ghosts – Bells", also from Berlin. The Lorrach/Paris recordings include really unique readings of "Bells", "Prophet", "Our Prayer/Spirits Rejoice", "Ghosts", "Truth Is Marching In", and "Spiritual Rebirth/Light In Darkness/Infinite Spirit". CD

One of the loosest, most open albums from Ronald Shannon Jackson & The Decoding Society – and a set that's a great antidote to some of the later records for bigger labels! Jackson's still got a very inspiring sound at this point – a polyrhythmic groove that's virtually the blueprint for the post-loft scene in New York – driven onward here by performances from key contemporaries who include Billy Bang on violin, Byard Lancaster on soprano sax and alto, Charles Brackeen on tenor and soprano, Vernon Reid and Bern Nix on guitars, Melvin Gibbs on bass, and Erasto Vasconcelos on percussion. Tracks are all tightly structured, but well up with free sounds from the musicians – and titles include "Sortie", "Nightwhistlers", "Eastern Voices/Western Dreams", "Shaman", "Dancers Of Joy", "Arising", and "Orange Birthday". LP, Vinyl record album

A new hip hop soul masterpiece!!! On Things Fall Apart ?uestlove, Black Thought, DJ Scratch, Rahzel and co. reinvigorated the scene with a Philly style soulful, melancholy groove that seemingly influenced the entirety of the NuSoul world – and it could even be argued that the Roots birthed that whole scene. Phrenology carries that torch, but it's so, SO much more, as the heady nature weighed the previous LP down in spots, and Phrenology is a sprawling exercise in expectation-busting perfection! "Rock You" kicks things off in explosive fashion, forgoing the laid back, yet angry soul backbone the group pioneered in hop hop, for a massive electro pulse pounding style – with Black Thought frenetically spitting confrontational wisdom until the synth unexpectedly dives into a short burst of live hardcore punk with "!!!!!!!" (we know what you're thinking, but trust us, it REALLY works). "Sacrifice" features a surprisingly effective chorus sung by Nelly Furtado, and other guest spots include Kweli heating up "Rolling With Heat", Ursula Rucker kicking some reverential poetry on "Waok (ay) Rollcall", and Musiq on the single "Break You Off". Other highlights include the late 80s Bomb Squad-like production on "Thought @ Work", the group's live instrumentation (and ?uestlove's always great trap work) and soul claps on tunes like "The Seed (2.0)", the epic "Water", and "Complexity" with Jill Scott. If you're solely of the 2 turntables and a mic camp you may want to head elsewhere, but if you've been anxiously awaiting the new Roots LP like we have, you'll be knocked straight on your arse, welled up with tears of joy. The best major label hip hop album of '02, and a beauty to go in the time capsule for future generations to learn, and mourn what they missed first hand. Amazing!!! Other tracks include "Quills", "Pussy Galore", and "Something In The Way Of Things (In Town)". CD

Essential stuff! This 2 CD set includes the entirety of Albert Ayler's Live In Greenwich Village album – plus a huge amount of previously unreleased live material, played by the Ayler group in New York, during 1966 and 1967. Ayler's brother Don is on trumpet, and other players include Joel Freedman, George Steele, Bill Fowell, Beaver Harris, Sunny Murray, Alan Silva, and Henry Grimes. The tracks have the same intensity of Ayler's ESP work – and many tunes are quite long, very free and open. Titles include "Light In Darkness", "Divine Peacemaker", "Angels", "Omega Is The Alpha", "Universal Thoughts", "Change Has Come", "Infinite Spirit", and "Spiritual Rebirth". 14 tracks in all – and one of the most important slices of Ayler's career! CD

The genius of Eddie Palmieri never seems to dim at all as the years go on – and, if anything, the genius only seems to flower even more – finding new ways of expression that maybe even blow away some of Eddie's classic work from the 60s and 70s! This set is amazing – a fantastically modern refiguring of Latin roots – with elements that stretch back to Palmieri's earliest charanga years and his Latin jazz rebirth, but used in ways that are very different – and very striking throughout! The lineup remains relatively small on most numbers – with very heavy focus on piano, percussion, and bass – but Eddie also makes great use of key guests who include Alfredo De La Fe on violin, Donald Harrison on alto, Ronnie Cuber on baritone, and Joe Locke on vibes. Titles include "Locked On", "Cuervas Y Tumbao", "Wise Bata Blues", "La Cancha", "Augustine Parish", "Life", "Samba Do Sueno", and "Jibarita Y Su Son". CD

A fantastic love letter to the great Townes Van Zandt – a set that features unreleased material from his genius stretch in the early 70s! The songs here include two new songs, variations on five others by Townes, and some surprising remakes – all done in a very stripped-down mode, with a vibe that's in keeping with his first few classic albums. And despite the fact that these are lost recordings, the sound quality is excellent – beautifully resonant presentation of the amazing vocals and subtle guitar – on tracks that include "Rex's Blues", "All I Need", "The Hills Of Roane County", "Sky Blue", "Blue Ridge Mountains (smoky version)", "Pancho & Lefty", "Silver Ship Of Andilar", "Last Thing On My Mind", and "Dream Spider". LP, Vinyl record album

Joey Negro kicks it large with a great selection of older tunes and newer numbers that maintain a classic, soulful feel – no surprise, considering that Joey's recent work has a heck of a lot of an older disco feel overall! The first 2 CDs on the set feature a great mix of material – 33 tracks in all, with titles that include "Moody (Joey Negro club)" by Sessomatto, "Find A Way (reprise mix)" by Diviniti, "Everyday (Joey Negro club)" by Sunburst Band, "Put Our Heads Together (Joey Negro re-edit)" by O'Jays, "You Can't Have Your Cake & Eat It Too" by Brenda Taylor, "Alone (Joey Negro edit)" by Don Carlos, "I Realized (Joey Negro rmx)" by Jiva, "Evil Vibrations" by Rebirth, "Trust Yourself (Underground voc mix)" by Glenn Underground, "Burning Up" by Imagination, "Sweet Magic (acapella)" by Mistura, and "Do You Wanna Boogie" by Two Tons. CD 3 features bonus unmixed tracks from the first 2 discs, plus enhanced material! CD

(Note: This item is not for sale online until noon on Saturday, June 12. It is in limited supply – and by nature of the Record Store Day rules it will be offered for sale first to customers who visit the Dusty Groove retail outlet in Chicago the morning Saturday, June 12. It will not be pre-sold or reserved in any way. However, after noon on June 12 we will offer up whatever we have left for sale online.) LP, Vinyl record album

A pair of 80s albums from saxophonist Arthur Blythe – back to back in a single set! Da Da is a set that mixes some of the sharper edges of Blythe's earlier records with a few more contemporary touches – but always at a level that still has the reedman standing far from the mainstream! The core group here features Olu Dara on trumpet, Cecil McBee on bass, John Hicks on piano, and Bobby Battle on drums – and on the acoustic tracks, there's some great energy between them that soars with a soulful spirit birthed in the loft jazz years, maybe swung a bit straighter than before. A few other tunes add in some extra elements – an electric bass on one number, some light strings on another – but the core of the album still has a magnificent focus on that tone that Blythe had only perfected even more on records like this, especially on the more laidback numbers, which come as a real surprise, and reflect a ballad style we might not have guessed in the early days. Titles include "Odessa", "Esquinas", "After Paris", "Crescent", and "Break Time". Next up is Basic Blythe – not exactly basic work from Arthur Blythe, as the set features an added string ensemble too – but a record that certainly has the saxophonist really hitting a whole new level of genius! There's a great core group here – with John Hicks on piano, Anthony Cox on bass, and Bobby Battle on drums – and the strings are added in around the edges, never getting to much in the way of the combo energy, but also fleshing out the sound with this beautiful richness that only seems to enhance the sharp tone of Arthur's alto sax! The arrangements are great, too – hardly the usual "with strings" material, and instead very creative – with this mix of soul and sophistication that reminds us a bit of the Bill Lee scores for early Spike Lee films, but even longer and with the key addition of Blythe in the lead. Titles include "Lenox Avenue Breakdown", "Faceless Woman", "Ruby My Dear", "Heart To Heart", and "As Of Yet". CD

A beautiful 100th Birthday tribute to the legendary altoist Charlie Parker – a special set that features of some of his first important recordings – sides done in the mid 40s for the Savoy label, originally issued in LP form on very limited 10" albums! The early Bird 10" releases are impossible to find on vinyl – and are featured here with newly restored and remastered audio, and a quality level that's not nearly as likely to split and fall apart as the vintage versions. The CD features a booklet of notes and other information – plus rare photos, ephemera, and new notes – and the whole thing's a great treasure from the early years of bop! Four full albums – all volumes of New Sounds In Modern Music with Charlie Parker in the lead, plus work from Miles Davis and Dizzy Gillespie on trumpets. Includes key versions of "Milestones", "Cheryl", "Billie's Bounce", "Chasin The Bird", "Ko Ko", "Now's The Time", "Constellation", "Parker's Mood", and "Confirmation". CD

A killer batch of rare soul tracks – mostly from the 60s, and all numbers that were originally pressed up on very limited 45s for the members of London's soul-based 100 Club! Rarity aside, the tracks are all pretty darn great – very well-chosen bits of dancefloor soul, with a groove that stretches out nicely past the typical Northern vibe – proof that the 100 Club were always trying to explore fresh territory with their efforts! Many of these cuts are from unreleased master tapes from American 60s indies – pulled specially from the vaults of Ace/Kent, and issued as 45s for the club's annual birthday celebration – presented here in a package that has plenty of great grooves to offer for any fan of rare soul music. Titles include "Come Through Me" by Garland Green, "Hey Stoney Face" by Mary Love, "The Magic Touch" by Melba Moore, "Love Has Passed Me By" by Phil Terrell, "I'll Never Stop Loving You" by Carla Thomas, "This Man Wants You" by Wally Cox, "Good News" by The Hytones, "Get To Steppin" by Jackie Day, "What's One More Lie" by Milton Bennett, "Doin The Gittin Up" by The Devonnes, "Faith & Understanding" by The Magicians, and "Ain't You Glad" by Mill Evans. CD

Later work from reedman Wendell Harrison and the Tribe Records scene – a set that's got a slightly tighter feel than some of his earlier work, but still a relatively soulful vibe overall! Harrison leads the group on tenor, flute, and clarinet – but there's definitely a collective vibe to the music – which also features Harold McKinney on piano, Phil Ranelin on trombone, and Ralph Jones on soprano sax – part of a shifting lineup of artists who change from track to track – including Leon Thomas and Pamela Wise, who each sing a bit on the record. Thomas appears on the great tracks "Where Am I" and "Love Dream", both of which have a great mellow soul jazz vibe – and other cuts get a bit more out, and have more of the soaring spiritualism that got the Tribe scene going in the early 70s. Other titles include "Tons & Tons Of BS", "Winter", and "He's The One We All Knew". CD