... CD

Really lovely sounds from the young Francoise Hardy – easily one of the coolest, most confident female singers in France at the time! Hardy is neither the emotive style of postwar passionate singers, nor the too-cool style of the left bank – and instead, she's got this way of mixing her own acoustic guitar with lightly lyrical arrangements that never overshadow her role in the lead – far less of the "yeh yeh" style that other singers were using, and which Hardy is too-often considered with. There's a beautifully gentle feel to the record – even though the set features some larger arrangements from Marcel Hendrix – and titles include "J'Aurais Voulu", "Nous Tous", "On Dit De Lui", "Comme Tant D'Autres", "Saurai Je", "Va Pas Prendre Un Tambour", and "Le Premier Bonheur Du Jour". CD

... LP, Vinyl record album

The long lost Charizma tapes are unearthed and see the light of day! We're real suckers around here for the salad days of the early 90s, before "underground" became a tag line for savvy promoters and music industry folks, and just meant an emcee straight spitting creative rhymes over tight, spare beats, which is exactly what you'll find here. We're not entirely certain all these tracks were set to be released on the Hollywood Basic album that never saw the light of day, but we are certain they're all dope, and a lost, but very necessary, piece of the West Coast puzzle. Includes "Here's A Smirk", "Methods", "Jack The Mack", "Talk About A Girl", "Tell You Something", "Gatha Round", "Devotion", "My World Premiere", "Ice Cream Truck", "Fair Weathered Friend" and "Soon To Be Large". LP, Vinyl record album

The 1957 premiere recording of "The Bewitched – A Dance Satire", featuring members of the University of Illinois Musical Ensemble on instruments designed and built by the composer! CD

Sixteenth century madrigals by Bernardo Pisano and Jacques Arcadelt based on texts by Petrarch, and the premiere recording of Roger Marsh's Il Cor Tristo, written for the Hilliard Ensemble, which sets Cantos XXXII and XXXIII of Dante's Inferno from the Divine Comedy. CD

A nice set for ECM for French avant garde jazz veteran Louis Sclavis – bit more linear in instrumentation than some of his more experimental work – but with a heavy mood and muscular angularity that hits the spot just right! Sclavis plays both soprano sax and clarinet on the set, with Matthieu Metzger on soprano and alto sax, electric guitarist Maxime Delpiere, Oliver Lete on bass and Francious Merville on drums. There's sinister, noirish edge to the composition that's working really well on this one, and the players are in fine form throughout. Titles include "De Charybde En Scylla", "La Premiere Ile", "Bain D'Aor", "Les Doutes Du Cyclope", "The Last Island", "L'Absence" and more. CD

A beautiful collaboration between vocalist Pinky Winters and pianist Lou Levy – the second half of the live date that was partially issued on the album Shadow Of Your Smile – recorded back in 1983, but making its world premiere here! There's a mellow, intimate feel to the record that really fits Pinky's vocals – a style that's relaxed, but never sloppy or sleepy – and which ignites a surprising amount of fire from the interplay between Pinky's vocals and Lou's careful work on the keys. Bill Takas plays bass on the date, and titles include the vocal numbers "Speak Low", "I Am In Love", "Never Let Me Go", "The Trolly Song", "I'm Old Fashioned", and "No More Blues" – and Lou plays beautifully on 2 instrumental tracks, "The Piccolino", and a great reading of "The Dolphin". CD

Totally groovy work from French singer Gillian Hills – an artist who was initially best known for her work in film, thanks to movies like Beat Girl or Les Liaisons Dangereuses – but one who grew to become one of the cooler singers in Parisian pop during the 60s! Gillian's work here is a great bridge between two generations of chanteuses – a bit early in the "yeh yeh" years of French pop, but still done with all the grooves and jerky rhythms of that scene – but also maybe slightly more expressive at times, in a way that has Hills bringing her acting charisma to the music! Arrangements are often nicely jazzy, but in playful 60s ways – kind of the epitome of the bright, bubbly vibe of the French pop world of the period – and since most of Hills' work from the period was issued on 7" singles and EP releases, not full albums, the music here is a lot more obscure than that of contemporaries like Sylvie Vartan or Francoise Hardy. Titles include "Tut Tut Tut", "Cha Cha Stop", "Je Partirai", "Tu Mens", "Ma Premiere Cigarette", "Un Petit Baiser", "Ne T'En Fais Pas", "C'Est Le Garcon", "Rien N'Est Change", "Maintenant Il Telephone", "Les Jolis Coeurs", "Le Paradis Pour Toit", "Qui A Su", and "Oublie". CD

A killer set of rare club and underground disco – filled with lots of tracks we haven't seen on other collections! Andy Smith has given us many amazing compilations over the years – sets that have a special mix magic, made up of rocksteady, reggae, vintage funk, and even some rockabilly too! Yet as Andy says here in the notes, he first got hooked on music in the disco generation – and has always had a life-long love of unusual and underground grooves – which he definitely demonstrates here, in a stunning selection of cuts that focus on the funkier side of the disco generation – with a good number of tracks that have turned out to be sample cuts over the years. Titles include "For The Love Of Money" by Disco Dub Band, "Patty Duke" by Cloud One, "Times Are Tight" by Jimmy Young, "Share The Night" by World Premiere, "Is It In" by Jimmy Bo Horne, "Let It Flow" by Tamiko Jones, "Main Thing" by Shot with Kim Marsh, "Give It Up" by Neddy Smith, "Groove To Get Down" by T-Connection, "Holding You Tight (ext DJ mix)" by Sure Thing, "First True Love Affair (Andy Smith & Nick Halke reach up edit)" by Jimmy Ross, "Got To Have You (Whiskey Barons re-edit)" by Joanne Wilson, "I Wanna Be Myself" by Don Laka, "Get Up & Boogie" by Freedom, and "Take Me To The Top" by Advance. LP, Vinyl record album

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

A lost prog nugget from a group who mix keyboards and woodwinds in a really great way – almost complicated, but with a down to earth quality overall – and one that seems to work especially well with the French language lyrics of the set! The record's one of those obscure French sets from the mid 70s with a sound that almost seems out of time – made far away from the mainstream, without any idea of the punk or disco changes that were taking place elsewhere – and with that more intellectual, more personal approach that often marked records of this nature as both a standout strength, and quality that would keep them from forever getting picked up by bigger labels for global circulation. Yet that balance is what makes the record so great, especially decades later – with titles that include "Divertimento", "Tramontane", "Laure", "Naissance", "Premiers Pas", and "Dernier Village Premieres Neiges". LP, Vinyl record album

Tom Waits's follow-up to Rain Dogs – and a batch of songs that do double duty as a straight-up, stand alone record from his wild years at Island Records – and also as the musical accompaniment to a play he co-wrote with wife Kathleen Brennan! (As Chicagoans, we have a special fondness for that side of the project, since the play premiered here with the Steppenwolf Theatre Company.) It's a prime batch of Waits songcraft from this most amazing creative peak period – with the trademark gritty, howled vocals, primal drums, pre-rock horns. Titles include "More Than Rain", "Way Down In The Hole", "Straight To The Top", "Telephone Call From Istanbul", "Train Song", "Cold Cold Ground", "I'll Be Gone", "Yesterday Is Here", "Blow Wind Blow", and "Hang On St Christopher". LP, Vinyl record album

Tom Waits's follow-up to Rain Dogs – and a batch of songs that do double duty as a straight-up, stand alone record from his wild years at Island Records – and also as the musical accompaniment to a play he co-wrote with wife Kathleen Brennan! (As Chicagoans, we have a special fondness for that side of the project, since the play premiered here with the Steppenwolf Theatre Company.) It's a prime batch of Waits songcraft from this most amazing creative peak period – with the trademark gritty, howled vocals, primal drums, pre-rock horns. Titles include "More Than Rain", "Way Down In The Hole", "Straight To The Top", "Telephone Call From Istanbul", "Train Song", "Cold Cold Ground", "I'll Be Gone", "Yesterday Is Here", "Blow Wind Blow", and "Hang On St Christopher". LP, Vinyl record album

The legendary 1962 Bossa Nova concert at Carnegie Hall – and one of the first live recordings of the young bossa nova in all its glory! The concert is famous not only because it was a bit of a disaster (according to legend, just about nobody got paid!), but also because it brought together a huge amount of Brazilian talent on one stage, and premiered their music to a rabid US audience – very fresh at the time, as the big Verve boom of bossa recordings hadn't even started to take hold! The recording has a stunning live feel, and it preserves all the acoustics of Carnegie Hall, complete with lively crowd response. Oscar Castro Neves backs up most of the singers – including Sergio Ricardo, Carmen Costa, Carlos Lyra, Ana Lucia, and Chico Feitoso – and the LP has other instrumental performances by Joao Gilberto, Milton Banana, Roberto Menescal, Luiz Bonfa, and Sergio Mendes – all young bossa giants, really opening up here with their talents! The set features 15 tracks in all – and titles include "O Barquinho", "Influencia Do Jazz", "Outra Vez", "Zelao", "Nao Faz Assim", "Bossa Nova Em Nova York", and "Passarinho". LP, Vinyl record album

Great Ellington material – including rare tracks and unissued numbers too – a mixture of rare trio recordings and large group work! Some material appeared on the albums Duke Plays Ellington, Premiered By Ellington, Ellington 55, Dance To The Duke, and Ellington Showcase – plus some other singles and later releases. CD

A really cool collection of car-themed tunes – not 60s hot rod numbers, but mostly 50s tracks from those years when the automobile was really beginning to dominate American culture – and served as the inspiration for car-based cuts in a variety of different styles! A good number of the cuts here are 50s rockers, including some wild novelty-oriented numbers – but there's also country tracks, vocal tunes, and plenty more too – served up in a really well-done assortment of 33 songs that goes way past the familiar material you might find on a collection like this! As always, Bear Family have done a really great job – with presentation, notes, track selection, and more – on titles that include "Freeway USA" by The Bonnevilles, "Stop Jivin Start Drivin" by Bert Keyes, "Cruisin Central" by Faron Warmer, "Keep A Driving" by Chuck Willis, "Flat Tire" by The Del Vikings, "Wow Man" by Bobby Jackson, "The Drive In" by The Aquatones, "Get Out Of The Car" by The Lancers, "Cruisin" by Bucky & The Premieres, "Hey Little Car Hop" by George Weston, and "Big Green Car" by Jimmy Carroll. CD

This is a five-part piece for 2 amplified pianos and percussion. It is performed by the same people who premiered the work in 1974, a year previous to this recording. LP, Vinyl record album

Tom Waits's follow-up to Rain Dogs – and a batch of songs that do double duty as a straight-up, stand alone record from his wild years at Island Records – and also as the musical accompaniment to a play he co-wrote with wife Kathleen Brennan! (As Chicagoans, we have a special fondness for that side of the project, since the play premiered here with the Steppenwolf Theatre Company.) It's a prime batch of Waits songcraft from this most amazing creative peak period – with the trademark gritty, howled vocals, primal drums, pre-rock horns. Titles include "More Than Rain", "Way Down In The Hole", "Straight To The Top", "Telephone Call From Istanbul", "Train Song", "Cold Cold Ground", "I'll Be Gone", "Yesterday Is Here", "Blow Wind Blow", and "Hang On St Christopher". CD

The legendary 1962 Bossa Nova concert at Carnegie Hall – and one of the first live recordings of the young bossa nova in all its glory! The concert is famous not only because it was a bit of a disaster (according to legend, just about nobody got paid!), but also because it brought together a huge amount of Brazilian talent on one stage, and premiered their music to a rabid US audience – very fresh at the time, as the big Verve boom of bossa recordings hadn't even started to take hold! The recording has a stunning live feel, and it preserves all the acoustics of Carnegie Hall, complete with lively crowd response. Oscar Castro Neves backs up most of the singers – including Sergio Ricardo, Carmen Costa, Carlos Lyra, Ana Lucia, and Chico Feitoso – and the LP has other instrumental performances by Joao Gilberto, Milton Banana, Roberto Menescal, Luiz Bonfa, and Sergio Mendes – all young bossa giants, really opening up here with their talents! The set features 15 tracks in all – and titles include "O Barquinho", "Influencia Do Jazz", "Outra Vez", "Zelao", "Nao Faz Assim", "Bossa Nova Em Nova York", and "Passarinho". CD

The legendary 1962 Bossa Nova concert at Carnegie Hall – and one of the first live recordings of the young bossa nova in all its glory! The concert is famous not only because it was a bit of a disaster (according to legend, just about nobody got paid!), but also because it brought together a huge amount of Brazilian talent on one stage, and premiered their music to a rabid US audience – very fresh at the time, as the big Verve boom of bossa recordings hadn't even started to take hold! The recording has a stunning live feel, and it preserves all the acoustics of Carnegie Hall, complete with lively crowd response. Oscar Castro Neves backs up most of the singers – including Sergio Ricardo, Carmen Costa, Carlos Lyra, Ana Lucia, and Chico Feitoso – and the LP has other instrumental performances by Joao Gilberto, Milton Banana, Roberto Menescal, Luiz Bonfa, and Sergio Mendes – all young bossa giants, really opening up here with their talents! The set features 15 tracks in all – and titles include "O Barquinho", "Influencia Do Jazz", "Outra Vez", "Zelao", "Nao Faz Assim", "Bossa Nova Em Nova York", and "Passarinho". CD