An album that has the legendary Jean Carne in the most righteous setting we've heard in years – a mode that hearkens back to the vocals she provided for organist Doug Carn on their classic 70s albums together for the Black Jazz label! Jean's a singer that we love in just about any format ... CD(Deep Funk CD)
An obscure one – but with some great funky jazz moments! The album features the work of The St. Thomas Jazz Quartet – a group that might conjure up images of the Carribean, but who were really just a great soul jazz combo from Cleveland. David Thomas plays some excellent Hammond B-3 ... LP, Vinyl record album(Jazz LP)
Incredible work by Oneness Of Juju – a lost third LP, recorded in the late 70s, but never issued until years later! The album has the group tightening it up a bit from the first two records – picking up some funky influences that are more than welcome to our ears – doses of ... LP, Vinyl record album(Global Grooves LP)
Trombonist Steve Davis always gives us something great with each new release – and that's definitely the case here, in a set with a rock-solid group, filled with all original material that really soars right from the very first note! In addition to Davis on trombone, the group also features ... CD(Jazz CD)
An incredible tribute to the legendary Strata Records in Detroit – performed by Jazzanova with a host of other guests – and at a level that's maybe the greatest thing the group has ever given us on record! The vibe here is a lot more Strata and spiritual than the style you'd expect ... CD(New Grooves CD)
A legendary project from Tortoise – kind of the "part 1.5" to their tremendous debut – as it features material from that record, remixed by members of the group and other key figures on the Chicago scene – all as a real testament to the many criss-crossing styles and ... LP, Vinyl record album(Rock LP)
One of the standouts in a great 70s run of albums from trumpeter Charles Tolliver – standard-setting records for the spiritual jazz scene of the time – and maybe one of his most far-reaching records for the Strata East label! Toilliver's in very strong company – as the group on ... LP, Vinyl record album(Jazz LP)
The cover's a bit cheesy, but the grooves are great – very much what we've come to expect from this long-running series that always serves up some great funky tracks! Mood Mosaic's been around for a long time, and they've got a great reputation for mixing together tracks you might not ... CD(Funky Compilations CD)
A stunning solo project from drummer Daniel Villarreal – a musician you might know in the group Dos Santos, yet one who's in very unique territory here on his own! The album was recorded in both Chicago and Los Angeles – and it's got a vibe that really reflects that process – ... CD(Jazz CD)
Funky genius from the mighty K Frimpong – an album recorded in Germany in the mid 80s – but a set that cooks like some of the best West African funk from the decade before! The sound is lean and mean, and there's plenty of grit in the grooves – a lot more bass and funky drums ... LP, Vinyl record album(Global Grooves LP)
Angular Monk meets hard-driving Art Blakey – in a session that's quite unique, and which has gone onto become one of the best-remembered Atlantic jazz sessions of the late 50s! The album features Blakey in that key non-Blue Note year of 1957 – a time when he was working with a variety ... CD(Jazz CD)
A much-needed look at the farther reaches of the legendary 60s Jamaican imprint Beverley's – headed by important producer Leslie Kong, and a launching pad for some of the bigger names in Jamaican music in the years to come! Yet here, the focus is on a less-exposed side of Kong's imprint ... CD(Reggae CD)
A record that's as striking as the image on the cover – a wonderful set that mixes the soulful vocals of the great Elza Soares with some larger samba backings from Oswaldo Borba – a leader we don't know at all, but who really knocks it out of the park on the set! Elza always seems to ... LP, Vinyl record album(Brazil LP)
A set that's even more powerful than the first album we heard from Neue Grafik – and a great demonstration of the collaborative power the multi-instrumental musician has had on the London jazz scene of late! As with the previous set on the label, this one grew out of experiments and ... LP, Vinyl record album(Jazz LP)
The rare first version of Message From The Tribe – still done with all the Detroit underground qualities of the better-known versions – but with a completely different song list overall! As with the more-circulated versions, the record is the brainchild of saxophonist Wendell Harrison ... CD(Jazz CD)
One of the weirdest, wildest pop albums of the 60s – maybe the crowning achievement of both Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazlewood – two artists who'd worked together before, but never with an intensity this great! The record is overflowing with all the great touches you'd expect from Lee ... CD(Vocalists CD)
Bill Evans' first famous appearance at the Montreux Jazz Festival – a great 60s trio session, with Eddie Gomez on bass and Jack DeJohnette on drums! The tunes are mostly relatively familiar ones, but the ensemble on the set gives them a freer and more lyrical feel than you might expect ... LP, Vinyl record album(Jazz LP)
The city of London was a key center of new jazz activity in the postwar years – partly due to the music's spreading popularity from American sources, but also due to the crumbling colonial structure of the British Empire – which saw residents of other nations arriving in the city, ... CD(Jazz CD)
If you think that Chuck Berry only hit his heights at Chess Records, then get ready to change your mind – as this late 60s record for Mercury is quite a cooker! Side one has Berry working in a cool hybrid of blues and soul, but with some very weird production – handled by Chuck himself ... LP, Vinyl record album(Soul LP)
That's the great Joe Henderson on the cover, and this issue is titled after one of his greatest albums – a great indication of all the jazz-based goodness you'll find within! In addition to a long cover feature on Joe, the issue also has articles on the International Anthem label, jazz spots ... Magazine(Magazine)