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All of Brad Mehldau's Art Of The Trio albums in one set – plus a bonus disc of unreleased performances! CD

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Mindblowing music from Jeff Parker – sounds that we always knew were part of his core, but which have maybe taken most of his career to emerge! This album follows beautifully from Jeff's previous album for International Anthem – and like that one, it's an explosion of new and old ideas at once – jazz elements with soul currents, all put together with a complexity that lives up to Parker's long legacy in music, but which also has an organic appeal that makes the whole thing come together with effortless ease! There's plenty of sophistication in the sound, but it also sneaks in with lots of grooves that Jeff never had before – including some funky currents that come from Parker's work on keyboards, drums, and samples in addition to his usual guitar – and added drums from Jamire Williams and Makaya McCraven. Titles include "Lydian Etc", "Build A Nest", "Del Rio", "3 For L", "Fusion Swirl", "After The Rain", and "Max Brown". CD

Mindblowing music from Jeff Parker – sounds that we always knew were part of his core, but which have maybe taken most of his career to emerge! This album follows beautifully from Jeff's previous album for International Anthem – and like that one, it's an explosion of new and old ideas at once – jazz elements with soul currents, all put together with a complexity that lives up to Parker's long legacy in music, but which also has an organic appeal that makes the whole thing come together with effortless ease! There's plenty of sophistication in the sound, but it also sneaks in with lots of grooves that Jeff never had before – including some funky currents that come from Parker's work on keyboards, drums, and samples in addition to his usual guitar – and added drums from Jamire Williams and Makaya McCraven. Titles include "Lydian Etc", "Build A Nest", "Del Rio", "3 For L", "Fusion Swirl", "After The Rain", and "Max Brown". LP, Vinyl record album

Great work from one of the most creative periods of Astor Piazzolla! CD

A beautiful record from tenorist Joshua Redman – and quite different than some of his other recent sets too – as the album has a core jazz trio augmented by work from the Brooklyn Rider string quartet! The album's not the traditional string quartet set, and it's also not a "with strings" jazz date either – as the rhythmic conception is quite unique, at a level that also really seems to set Redman free on his tenor – as he moves up and down alongside the bass of Scott Colley and drums of Satoshi Takeishi, while the quartet almost provide an additional pulse in the middle – this liquid sort of flow that comes from the arrangements of Patrick Zimmerli, who also composed the whole album too. A really wonderful meeting of sounds and ideas – with titles that include "Sun On Sand", "Starbursts & Haloes", "Through Mist", "Soft Focus", "Dark White", and "Between Dog & Wolf". CD

Amazing early work from this key minimalist – including two spoken/tape pieces, "It's Gonna Rain" and "Come Out" – plus "Piano Phase", and the incredible "Clapping Music". CD

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Nice extended suite of early electronic music, written and performed by Andrew Rudin of the Electronic Music Center of the Philadelphia Music Academy. The sound is similar to some of the other Nonesuch electronic albums from the time, like works by Morton Subotnick and Kenneth Gaburo. The piece is divided into 4 movements, with varying moods, and the electronics are cool and spare in the best parts. LP, Vinyl record album

One of the freshest statements we've heard from the San Francisco scene in years – recorded by a group of players that spans the city's range of contributions to jazz! The ensemble is headed by Joshua Redman on reeds – but it also features some incredible work from Bobby Hutcherson, working here in a style that recalls some of his most adventurous recordings of the 70s – alongside piano from Renee Rosnes, drums by Brian Blade, trumpet from Nicholas Payton, bass from Robert Hurst, and sax and flute from Miguel Zenon. The set was recorded live, and has a depth of soul that really surprised us – with titles that include "Una Muy Bonita", "Rise & Fall", "March Madness", "Lingala", "Peace", and "Of This Day's Journey". CD

With Renee Rosnes on piano, Nicholas Payton on trumpet, Matt Penman on bass, Bobby Hutcherson on vibes, Joshua Redman tenor and soprano sax, Miguel Zenon on alto and flute, and Eric Harland on drums. CD

A landmark early recording from Morton Subotnick – and a piece of music that really pushed analogue electronics forward from the previous academic generation! Subtonick's style here is much more freewheeling – with almost an improvisational feel at times – sounds and noises that are quite bracing at times, mixed with more subtle elements from time to time. Like Subotnick's Silver Apples Of The Moon, the album features one long composition – stretched out into many shades and spaces, with poetic inspiration that definitely comes through in the music – even though it's quite dark and spooky at times! LP, Vinyl record album

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The final recording made by Ali Farka Toure and Toumani Diabate – and every bit as great as the pair's previous well-known work! As before, the main charm of the album comes from the instrumental interplay – the dance between the strings of Diabate's kora and Toure's guitar – and although there's a bit of extra vocals on the set, mostly sung by Ali, and some slight bass backing from Cachaito, most of the record comes across with a relatively spare feel that really resonates the instruments beautifully! Titles include "Doudou", "Ruby", "BE Mankan", "Warbe", "Samba Geladio", "Sina Mory", "56", and "Fantasy". CD

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A landmark album for Caetano Veloso – a full set of tracks sung in English, as beautifully done as we ever could have hoped! The arrangements are really fresh – in a style that makes the album far more than just a set of standards – and instead gives it the edgey approach of some of Caetano's best recent work. The set was co-produced by Jacques Morelenbaum, and has a range of instrumental approaches that shifts to fit the mood of each new track – and given that the work on the set runs from tunes by Cole Porter to Nat King Cole, Nirvana, David Byrne, Arto Lindsay, Elvis Presley, Stevie Wonder, and Bob Dylan – you can imagine the changing moods at work! Titles include "So In Love", "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes", "Diana", "Manhattan", "Nothing But Flowers", "Cry Me A River", "Nature Boy", "Jamaica Farewell", "If It's Magic", "Detached", "Blue Skies", and "Something Good". Loads of tracks, too – 22 in all – and packaged beautifully! CD

A great 90s album by Caetano Veloso – a beautiful re-awakening of his genius in the later years of his career! The sound here is as fresh, creative, and personal as on some of Veloso's best post-Tropicalia albums of the 70s – served up in a blend of spare percussion, edgey guitars, and inventive production techniques that are as simple and powerful as Veloso's wonderful vocals on the set. The songs are wonderful too – penned at a level that we haven't heard this strong since Cinema Transcendental, and with a heavenly quality that transcends language and conventional pop expectations. Titles include "Livros", "How Beautiful Could A Being Be", "Pra Ninguem", "Na Baixa Do Sapateiro", and "Manhata". CD

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An incredible meeting of these two legendary artists – both musicians who transformed the sound of Brazil from the 60s onward – and who've also been a hell of an inspiration to many of us up in North America too! The passage of time hasn't dimmed the genius of Caetano Veloso or Gilberto Gil at all – and, if anything, it's only given the singers more live experience and sensitivity to put into their music – qualities that really come through here, as Caetano and Gilberto work in an intimate duo setting – with just their vocals and acoustic guitar to carry the set – but with amazing power throughout! Older tunes are reworked wonderfully by the pair – including a sublime take on "Nine Out Of Ten", a Veloso classic that perfectly sums up the life in exile that both musicians experienced in the early 70s. Other titles include "Marginalia II", "Back In Bahia", "As Maelias Do", "Tropicalia", "Eu Vim Da Bahia", "Expresso 2222", "Drao", "Tres Palabras", "Desde Que O Samba E Samba", "Nossa Gente", "Andar Come Fe", "Sampa", and "Coracao Vagabundo". CD

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Titles include "Kamera", "Radio Cure", "Jesus Etc", "Heavy Metal Drummer", "Reservations", "Poor Places", "Pot Kettle Black", "I Am Trying To Break Your Heart", and "Ashes Of American Flags". CD

One of the best albums ever recorded by the WSQ – a sensitive mix of rhythmic tunes and mellow ballads, played by the group with less agression than on previous releases, but in a way that shows that they're really fitting into the style of the ensemble well. Titles include "Cool Red", "Full Deep & Mellow", "Dance Until Dawn", "Fast Life", "Hattie Wall", and "Sweet D". CD

A classic series of field recordings – done for Nonesuch by Stephen Jay, and recorded in Niger, Mali, & Upper Volta. Titles include "Kountougi Solo", "Djerma Dundun Drummers", "Tuareg Medicinal Chant", "Kouco Solo", "Songhay Kombi & Ettebel", and "Hausa Street Music". CD

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... LP, Vinyl record album

One of the few good things to come out of the cultural pillage of the Buena Vista Social Club was the reintroduction of soulful Cuban singer Ibrahim Ferrer to American audiences. Ferrer's voice is extremely wonderful, so much so that even cloying production by Ry Cooder can't keep it down. The set's got 11 numbers that are done in a fairly traditional style – and titles include "Silencio", "Herido De Sombras", "Bruca Manigua", "Mami Me Gusto", and "Que Bueno Baila Usted". CD

Bill Frisell goes to Nashville – and finds a whole new outlet for his tremendous talents on guitar! The record's definitely got some of the elements you'd expect – some dobro from Jerry Douglas on another of tracks – plus bits of banjo, mandolin, and even some harmonica – but the whole thing is often in a very Frisell-familiar mode, with a sense of color, space and sound – just given a bit of a Nashville pitch! Robin Holcomb sings on three of the album's 14 tracks – and titles include "Family", "Pipe Down", "Go Jake", "One Of These Days", "Brother", "Mr Memory", "Gimme A Holler", "Shucks", and "The End Of The World". CD

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Brilliant late work from Bill Evans – his last set of recordings from the Village Vanguard – recorded in the summer of 1980, nearly two decades after his first famous albums at the club! Evans here is a wealth of imagination – really stretching out in relaxed, fluid formation – gentler than before, but also with a deeper sense of feeling too – and getting some great support from trio members Marc Johnson on bass and Joe Labarbera on drums. Tracks mostly hover around the five minute range – but there's some key longer numbers too – and the whole thing's a perfect example of why live Bill Evans is often some of the best Bill Evans you can find! 58 tracks on 6CDs, packaged with a booklet – and titles include "Nardis", "Knight For Mary F", "Emily", "Minha", "My Romance/Five", "But Not For Me", "Bill's Hit Tune", "I Do It For Your Love", "Quiet Now", "Days Of Wine & Roses", "Your Story", "Tiffany", and "Re Person I Knew". CD

A amazing single from guitarist Jeff Parker – sounds that both resonate with his long legacy of music, but which also really represent his strong new wave of growth in recent years! The tune has this kind of blocky groove – chunks of warm sound building up into a compelling rhythm, while Jeff solos beautifully over the top at the start – then more horns come into the mix and open up the tune with a beautiful array of colors and tones! 7-inch, Vinyl record

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A modern country rock masterpiece. Wilco's second album, an unlikely (for its time) major label double album does an incredible job of showing stylistic breadth and sprawl behind lyrical and emotional consistency, arrangements-wise recalling the best of the band's more adventurously rootsy forbears enough to not unfairly call it "alt-country" at the time, but it's ultimately timeless. Here we are decades later and it doesn't sound like it's aged a day. Includes "Misunderstood", "Far, Far Away", "Red-Eyed And Blue", "Forget the Flowers", "Outta Mind (Outta Sight)", "Kingpin", "Whole Would You Wanna Live", "Dreamer In My Dreams" and more. CD

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An all new recording of the lost Beach Boys masterpiece! Brian notoriously sabotaged the original album by refusing to complete some sessions, and literally destroying the masters for others. Needless to say, an official release of the unearthed Beach Boys/Van Dyke Parks epic Smile – the most famous "lost" album in the history of recorded media – is sadly impossible. Of course many of the original Smile tracks filtered out onto subsequent underrated Beach Boys albums, mostly in unfinished (but still mindblowingly great) versions, due to Brian's meltdown. Nonesuch Records, Brian Wilson and his great 10 piece band have taken their best shot at a completed vision – and it works quite well! The old Smile tracks have the unassailable beauty brought about by Brian's painstaking, tortured efforts, and they were unquestionably influenced by his heavy intake of psychedelic chemicals. Now they have ProTools. Still, the cleared psyches and enhanced technical capabilities cannot hamper the bruised beauty these tunes had from conception, and it's been adapted very, very well even it doesn't quite carry the doomed genius of Brian's late 60s work. Comes in a great deluxe package with a thick booklet. Tracks include "Our Prayer/Gee", "Heroes & Villains", "Good Vibrations", "Roll Plymouth Rock", "Barnyard", "Old Cabin Essence", "Wonderful", "Surf's Up" and more. CD

Great longform piano work from Brad Mehldau – a set of solo material recorded live in Tokyo, with a number of very long tracks that really push past the sound of his trio material! In fact, we might even say that some of these numbers have more of an edge overall too – this odd current of darkness that we don't usually associate with Mehldau, and which really makes the record a standout. Titles include a great reading of the Nick Drake tune "River Man", plus "Monk's Dream", "Alfie", "Paranoid Android", "50 Ways To Leave Your Lover", "My Heart Stood Still", "Roses Blue", "Things Behind The Sun", and "Waltz Tune". LP, Vinyl record album

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