A lovely little record – every bit as wonderful as you might expect from the cover, with an evocative sound that fits right in with the concept of a rainy day raga! Peter Walker plays acoustic guitar, but he does so in these long, winding ways that are clearly inspired by Indian music – yet which come across with much more of an Americanist vibe – supported with some additional guitar from Monte Dunn, a 12 string "drone" from Alex Lukeman, and even some flute from Jeremy Steig – plus a bit of tamboura and bells too! The album's one of the most haunting we've ever heard on Vanguard – way more than familiar folk – and titles include "Morning Joy", "River", "April In Cambridge", "Sunshine", "Rainy Day Raga", "White Wind", and "Bianca". CD

A totally hip instrumental album from Peter Walker – a Vanguard Records treasure that we'd rank right up there with the label's classics from Sandy Bull! Like Bull, Walker has a way of taking older folk instrumentation into richly psychedelic territory – working here on both the Indian sarod, and on acoustic guitar – both played in these long, modal styles – and mixed with light instrumentation from Jim Pepper on flute, John Blair on violin, and Jim Hotep on tabla. The songs are very spare, and very freewheeling – still with a rhythmic core, but also floating free to find their own energy too – but at a level that's not nearly as hippy-dippy as we make that sound! Walker's got these amazing sonic sensibilities – just like Bull – and titles include "Second Song", "Tear", "Southwind", "Barefoot", "Mixture", "Socco Chico", and "Circus Day". CD

Scott Walker's first album as a solo act – and an incredible set that's light years ahead of his earlier work with The Walker Brothers! Gone are the simple, straightforward pop tunes – and in their place is a more sophisticated mode of work – one inspired by the French pop of Jacques Brel, the cinema of Ingmar Bergman, and a host of other contemporary influences simmer in young Scott's head! The vocals are tremendous – more mature and balanced than ever before – clearly showing Walker's desire to ascend into the ranks of great male singers of the 20th Century, yet not in a way that's cloyingly poppish. Arrangements are great too – handled by Brit easy maestros Reg Guest, Peter Knight, and Wally Stott – and the tracks include the classic originals "Such A Small Love", "Montague Terrace", and "Always Coming Back To You" – plus versions of Jacque Brel's "Mathilde", "Amsterdam", and "My Death" – as well as "Angelica", "The Big Hurt", and "When Joanna Loved Me". LP, Vinyl record album

That's right – you're not dreaming – this is a rare Scott Walker album, never reissued on CD! The album features Scott singing a number of standards and pop covers, the sort of fare that he laid down on his short-lived TV show in the late 60s. The tunes aren't exactly the same as Scott's own compositions – but the record is arranged by Peter Knight and produced by Johnny Franz, who handled most of Scott's other work on Fontana. Kind of a hint at the direction he would take after his 5th album – and with the tracks "The Look of Love", "Will You Still Be Mine", "If She Walked Into My Life", "Who", "When The World Was Young", and "I Have Dreamed". Cool cover, too – with a picture of Scott wearing the key to a monastery that once offered him refuge! LP, Vinyl record album

The title here is certainly well-put, as the guitar of John Ondolo is every bit as hypnotic as any of the more adventurous musicians we've loved over the years – and that would include the work of artists like Sandy Bull or Peter Walker! As with both of them, Ondolo has a way of using unusual tunings and phrasing to make the music all his own – familiar at some level, in that he recorded these singles in Kenya, in modes that were still somewhat within the norms – but with a way of handling his instrument that's completely his own, and which makes these tunes completely mesmerizing throughout! Most numbers have vocals and some slight other added instrumentation, but it's always the guitar lines that seem to ring out the strongest – on titles that include "Siri Ya Vijana", "Olalekanga", "Kenya Twist", "Ukiwa Na Bwana Bibi", "Tumshukuru Mungu", "Tucheze Selele", "Kwela Wangu", and "Safari Ya Kilimanjaro". LP, Vinyl record album

Includes tracks by Walker Brothers, Glass Candy, Pet Shop Boys, Giuseppe Verdi, New Order, Ray Martin, Peter Radcliff & Eva Abraham, Richard Wagner, and Anton Bruckner. LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic little record – one that's not only important as a key introduction of Middle Eastern sounds to the US market, but one that also fits perfectly with other Vanguard label experimental folk sets from artists like Peter Walker and Sandy Bull! Unlike those musicians, who absorbed global elements, Hamza El Din is the real deal – and both sings and plays the oud here with a wonderfully rich quality – spare and acoustic, but ringing out with the complexity of an essential session on Takoma Records, and with a transcendent sound that grabs the listener instantly. There had been other American recordings with oud before, but the presentation here marks the set as one of the best – with titles that include "The Message Bearer", "Greeting Card", "Fortune Teller", "The Spirits", and "Grandfather's Stories". LP, Vinyl record album

The first of a series of great "private" recordings that Oscar Peterson did for the MPS label in the late 60s – sessions done at the home of label owner Hans Georg Brunner Schwer, in a laidback and easygoing style that's different than some of his American work of the time! The group on the set features Ray Brown on bass and Ed Thigpen on drums, and the tunes open up nicely on some of the album's longer takes. Titles include "Easy Walker", "Tin Tin Deo", "Like Someone In Love", and "A Foggy Day". CD

The first of a series of great "private" recordings that Oscar Peterson did for the MPS label in the late 60s – sessions done at the home of label owner Hans Georg Brunner Schwer, in a laidback and easygoing style that's different than some of his American work of the time! The group on the set features Ray Brown on bass and Ed Thigpen on drums, and the tunes open up nicely on some of the album's longer takes. Titles include "Easy Walker", "Tin Tin Deo", "Like Someone In Love", and "A Foggy Day". LP, Vinyl record album

Sweet electric funk from trumpeter Donald Byrd – one of his first forays into an electric mode, and done in a style that's very different than his better-known soul fusion of the mid 70s! Before Byrd hooked up with Larry Mizell and started recording his smooth fusion grooves on records like Blackbyrd and Street Lady – he recorded this gem, kind of a "lost" album that has Donald working in an open-ended electric sound – one that's clearly inspired by the experiments of Miles Davis, but which has a generally funkier feel overall! The tracks are very long – with lots of spiraling keyboard and trumpet solos – and the hip players on the set include Bobby Hutcherson on vibes, David T Walker on guitar, Harold Land on tenor, and Joe Sample on organ – a very cool combo that's got a cross between The Crusaders and the Hutcherson/Land quintet! We love the tracks on this set – especially "The Emperor" and "The Little Rasti", which are both over 15 minutes long, and have a haunting spacey sound that's a departure from Donald's usual work! LP, Vinyl record album

Sweet electric funk from trumpeter Donald Byrd – one of his first forays into an electric mode, and done in a style that's very different than his better-known soul fusion of the mid 70s! Before Byrd hooked up with Larry Mizell and started recording his smooth fusion grooves on records like Blackbyrd and Street Lady – he recorded this gem, kind of a "lost" album that has Donald working in an open-ended electric sound – one that's clearly inspired by the experiments of Miles Davis, but which has a generally funkier feel overall! The tracks are very long – with lots of spiraling keyboard and trumpet solos – and the hip players on the set include Bobby Hutcherson on vibes, David T Walker on guitar, Harold Land on tenor, and Joe Sample on organ – a very cool combo that's got a cross between The Crusaders and the Hutcherson/Land quintet! We love the tracks on this set – especially "The Emperor" and "The Little Rasti", which are both over 15 minutes long, and have a haunting spacey sound that's a departure from Donald's usual work! CD

Includes tracks by The Kinks, The Ivy League, Peter Best, Bob Sled & The Toboggans, The British Walkers, Evie Sands, The Outcasts, The Rationals, and The Ohio Express. CD

A pretty incredible set from sax player Masato Nakamura, aka Masa – late of the trailblazing Japanese jazzy explorers Sleep Walker – here leading a new combo and some fellow Sleep Walker alum on a set of cover tunes selected by some of his (and some of our) favorite modern groove figures! The group brings fresh jazzy life a batch of all great tunes by Yusef Lateef, Julius Hemphill, Mary Parks (and Albert Ayler), Milton Nascimento and others. Beautiful stuff with timeless soul jazz inspiration – here's hoping Deep Cover isn't simply a one off project and we'll hear much more from Masa Sextet! Song selectors include Kyoto Jazz Massive, Patrick Forge (who also produces the album), Yoshihiro Okino of Kyoto Jazz Massive, Dilip Harris of Two Banks Of Four, Jurgen V Knoblauch of Jazzanova, Shuya Okino of Kyoto Jazz Massive and Gilles Peterson. Many of the numbers skew to the long side, with 7 great tracks the run a total of 55 minutes. Includes "Waiting For Marvin", "Look Into Tomorrow" and "Healing Is The Healing Force Of The Universe" (both with vocals by Bembe Segue), "Winds Of Change", "The Hard Blues", "Nem Premisou Mais Um Sol", and "Before Dawn". CD