Fantastic tracks from two ultra-rare labels from the New York scene – the Latin Soul empire Speed Records, and the super-tight Fonseca label – which provided a real mainline to Puerto Rican grooves at the time! Both labels cut some of the hardest-hitting Latin tracks of the time – music that was often rawer and more unbridled than material for other indies, like Tico or Fania – and the tracks here are from some of the obscure albums issued by both imprints, and some even-rare 7" singles – all with an upbeat groove, and a sound that's much more the Latin groove of the streets uptown, instead of the bigger ballrooms down in midtown. Titles include "Descarga Los Bravos" by Kent Gomez, "Asi Asi Descarga" by Mike Hernandez & Su Sonora Casino, "El Bembe" by Terrible Frankie Nieves, "Milton's Jala Jala" by Milton Zapata, "Palos Bravos De St John" by Orquesta Oliveri, "Yemaja" by Kent Gomez, "Palacio Descarga" by Danny Palacios, and "Melao Melaito" by Orquesta Oliveri. LP, Vinyl record album

Our favorite kind of funk is Super Funk – and this fab entry to the long-running series definitely keeps up the groove! As before, there's plenty of rare tracks here – most pulled from obscure singles of late 60s/early 70s vintage – and some even from rare studio tapes that were never issued at the time! Most tracks are short, with a nicely gritty groove – the kind of funky 45 madness that will always keep us digging for rare 7" singles – put together by the BGP crew with a real understanding of the groove! There's some especially nice female singers in the mix – almost creating a mini Sister Funk focus on the package – but there's also great guy singers and groups too. 20 tracks in all – with cuts that include "The Sneak" by The Douzer, "Queen Of Losers" by Eleanor Rigby, "Groovy Baby" by Kim Tamanga, "It's Mookie Time" by Cleveland Eaton & The Kats, "Party Time" by James Carpenter, "Moving Woman" by 87th Off Broadway, "Bad Bad Woman (part 1)" by Marie Franklin, "He Say She Say" by Chet Ivey, "Cold Sweat" by Julio Zavalla, "Shakin Up The Nation" by The Radiations, "One Sweet Song" by Gloria Lucas, and "I'm Moving Home" by Mary Alice McCall. LP, Vinyl record album

Massive – and one of the best James Brown compilations ever, filled with rare and unreleased material! This completely essential set features tracks pulled from James' best years ever – the mighty early 70s, when he was working with the JBs, and laying down tracks that would forever change the face of funk! The tunes on the album are right up there with the best work on classic albums like The Payback, Doin It To Death, Hot Pants, and any of the other killer Polydor funk albums by James – and most of them were pulled from sessions for those records, and brought together in this format for the first time in the late 80s. The centerpiece of the set is a 9 minute version of "Funky Drummer", and other highlights include new versions of "Give It Up Or Turn It Loose (remix)", "Soul Power (mono re-edit)", and "Talkin' Loud & Sayin' Nothin (remix)". The set's also got bonus beats of "Funky Drummer", a long single take of "Hot Pants (She Got To Use What She Got To Get What She Wants)" (8:42 minutes long!), and the nice rare track "I Got To Move" – previously unreleased, and nice and long! CD

Electric piano genius from this legendary French group of the 70s – served up here in a set of tracks that were only issued as 7" singles, plus a few other rare gems too! Cortex are maybe best known for their landmark Rhodes album Troupeau Bleu – a classic that stands up next to famous 70s work by Placebo and Marc Moulin – but these singles are equally great, and show the group really moving their sound into a range of different modes! Some tracks have a slight touch of soulful vocals, others are instrumental with a groove that rivals the best of CTI – and throughout it all, there's a strong focus on the kind of keyboard work that has always really made us love these guys. Titles include "Stevie", "Californie", "Les Oiseux Morts", "Mary & Jeff (Fender Rhodes version 77)", "Moanin", "The Sky Is Grey I'm So Blue", and "Les Oiseux Morts (alt take 76)". LP, Vinyl record album

Rare material from Groove Holmes – tracks originally recorded during the sessions for the album Living Soul, but never issued at the time! The set features nearly an hour of lost work by Groove – cut at Count Basie's nightclub in Harlem (hence the title), and featuring a trio with Gene Edwards on guitar and George Randall on drums. The original Living Soul album was one of Groove's best of the 60s – a powerhouse set of smoking live tracks – and these other tracks more than live up to the power of that album, featuring Groove working through the kind of longer, more hard-wailing sorts of tracks he'd cook up in a very comfortable club setting. Titles include "Nica's Dream", "This Here", "Moanin", "Rifftide", and "Indiana". CD

A stone smoker from Rare Earth – recorded a a time when they were able to easily handle a groove made up of equal parts funk, rock, and soul! The vibe here is almost like War at times – not for the LA touches in the mix, but for the heady and heavy way these guys roll forward – pulling together all the best elements of the underground at the time, and bringing them into their own smoky groove. Instrumentation is wonderful – and some of the cuts have a really great jamming sort of feel – especially the 11 minute reading of "(I Know) I'm Losing You" – originally done by the Temptations, and produced by Norman Whitfield for the album! Other titles include "Long Time Leavin", "Satisfaction Guaranteed", "Nice Place To Visit", "No 1 Man", and a sweet version of "Eleanor Rigby". LP, Vinyl record album

Electric piano genius from this legendary French group of the 70s – served up here in a set of tracks that were only issued as 7" singles, plus a few other rare gems too! Cortex are maybe best known for their landmark Rhodes album Troupeau Bleu – a classic that stands up next to famous 70s work by Placebo and Marc Moulin – but these singles are equally great, and show the group really moving their sound into a range of different modes! Some tracks have a slight touch of soulful vocals, others are instrumental with a groove that rivals the best of CTI – and throughout it all, there's a strong focus on the kind of keyboard work that has always really made us love these guys. Titles include "Stevie", "Californie", "Les Oiseux Morts", "Mary & Jeff (Fender Rhodes version 77)", "Moanin", "The Sky Is Grey I'm So Blue", and "Les Oiseux Morts (alt take 76)". CD

One of the only albums ever cut as a leader by soul jazz guitarist Ray Crawford – a contemporary of Grant Green and Wes Montgomery, but a player who's hardly ever gotten his due! This rare date was originally recorded for the short-lived Candid label back in 1961, but was only issued two decades later as part of the Candid revival – a fact that makes the album even more noteworthy! The set's got a really solid groove that reminds us a fair bit of Grant Green's best early 60s work for Blue Note – as Ray's playing in a tight, single-line format on most numbers – working with a very hip group that includes Johnny Coles on trumpet, Cecil Payne on baritone sax, Junior Mance on piano, Ben Tucker on bass, and Frankie Dunlop on drums. Tracks are all nice and long – very open, with plenty of solo space – and are all originals by Crawford as well. Titles include "Smooth Groove", "I Knew Prez", "Impossible", "Miss April", and "The Compendium Suite". Shoulda been a 60s classic – but at least we've finally gotten it released! CD

A great vinyl release of beautiful live material from one of the greatest new soul stars of the past decade – plus rare and previously unreleased tracks! Sides A & B of this double vinyl set features rare tracks and remixes of album tracks by some of the most influential hip hop figures of the last couple of decades. Tracks include "Brown Sugar" (Buckwild rmx feat Kool G Rap", "Cold War" (remix featuring GZA & Inspectah Deck), "You're My Lady" (Premier remix featuring AZ), "Ghetto Heaven" (rmx) with Common and more! The live portion of the album on sides C & D is essentially the Japanese release Live At The Jazz Cafe – a stellar D'Angelo set from legendary London groove room! The crowd is extremely enthusiastic, and the whole thing falls together beautifully – with a hard raw soul vibe that's similar to, but edgier than, D'Angelo's studio albums. Lots of great electric piano, soulful vocals, and great backing by a tight band. Titles include "Sh*t, Damn, Motherf*cker", "Me & Those Dreamin Eyes Of Mine" (featuring Angie Stone", "Brown Sugar", and "Cruisin". Also includes great covers of 70s soul classics "Can't Hide Love" and "Heaven Must Be Like This". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the most essential discographies we've ever seen – mostly because we own almost none of the records in the book, which makes it an essential volume to use for digging in the crates! This time around, the folks at Rittor – who've given us other great record books over the years – turn their talents to the world of Japanese groove, particularly from the 70s and early 80s – a time when so many Japanese artists were picking up on the best styles in American soul, and using the music to come up with some great grooves of their own! The book is filled with hundreds of full color images of rare Japanese records by a variety of artists – soulful, funky, even a bit of fusion and AOR groove too – and each record is listed with a label and date of release, plus a lot more information in Japanese. Unlike other books of this nature, which focus on American or European artists, and feature information in alphabetic characters, this one has a lot more Japanese overall – but the covers and other English text are more than enough to point you in the right direction to dig – for hundreds of great records you never even knew existed! Book

Funky disco and rare soul compiled by Al Kent – Disco Love 2 on BBE – once again going a lot deeper into the soulful underground of the late 70s and coming back up with some incredibly fresh rarities! Al Kent hails from Glasgow, but we honestly couldn't tell you where most of the singers and groups on the set are from – but we can tell you it's a great batch of underground tunes, some soaring and straight up disco, others with a more thumping, rawer or funkier groove – all of it perfectly pitched to the dancefloor. Includes "Joey's Tune" by Plazza Suite", "I Think I'll Do Some Stepping On My Own" by Sandy Barber, "I've Got The Need" by Spooky & Sue, "I Can Make It On My Own" by Vessie Simmons, "Make Love To You" by Scarbrough, "When Did You Stop" by The J's and more. 8 long unmixed numbers on the 2LP version. LP, Vinyl record album

Now out of print, and a heck of a great little set of rare and unissued tracks from the glory days of the Blue Note funk scene! For most of the 80s and early 90s, Blue Note US used to bad mouth the stuff from this period – but by the mid 90s, demand for the funky stuff from collectors and DJs led Blue Note to dig back in the vaults, and come up with this tasty batch of goodies! Titles include "It's Your Thing" by Grant Green, "Brother Soul (alternate)" by Lou Donaldson, "You Want Me To Stop Loving You" by Stanley Turrentine, "Dancin In An Easy Groove" by Lonnie Smith, "Village Lee (alternate)" by John Patton, "The Scorpion (alternate)" by Lou Donaldson, and "Hold On, I'm Comin" by Reuben Wilson. CD

One of the funkiest box sets we've ever seen – and amazingly issued by an American major label! The package is a treasure trove of funky work from a decade of Warner Brothers, Atlantic Records, and related labels – tunes pulled both from mainstream releases and much more obscure 45s! This one goes way past some of the silly "decade" sets from Rhino, and really displays a new level of cool and connoisseurship – one that finally appreciates the rich depths of funky work at their fingertips, most of which has not been properly reissued in the US! Tracks include "Gangster Of Love (part 1)/Gangster Of Love (part 2)" by "Get In The Groove/Somebody's In The World For You" by Mighty Hannibal, "Tampin/Oleancler" by Rhine Oaks, "It's Your Thing/Bring It Home To Me" by Cold Grits, "Stanga/Somebody's Watching You" by Little Sister, "Gossip/Tell Me What's On Your Mind" by Cyril Neville, "Engine #9/International Playboy" by Wilson Pickett, "Funky Nassau (part 1)/Funky Nassau (part 2)" by Beginning Of The End, "Mockingbird Sally/Nuki Suki" by Little Richard, "Funky To The Bone/I Want To Dance, Dance Dance" by Freddi Henchi & The Soul Setters", "California Dreamin' (vocal)/California Dreamin' (instrumental)" by Eddie Hazel and more! CD

Funk from Seattle? Hardly seems likely – but prepare to be amazed! The funky reissuers at Light In The Attic, in collaboration with Mr Supreme, have unearthed a treasure trove of rare singles and groovers for the set – all obscure local recordings from the Emerald City scene, most of which never made it past the Pacific Northwest to the national charts. Back in the day, Seattle was a real cross-cultural hotbed – filled with folks who'd picked up and moved out from points east, settling in the Central District, working for Boeing, and reveling in the freedom of the new city to find their own groove. This set does a great job of documenting the flowering of eastern-styled funk in Seattle's growing scene of the late 60s – and features a range of tracks that run from deep funk to hard soul, sock-boogaloo, and even a bit of hard-handed piano jazz! The package features a great set of notes on the music, and a long set list that includes "Louie Louie" by The Topics, "Brighter Tomorrow" by Soul Swingers, "This Is Me" by Cookin Bag, "Bold Soul Sister Bold Soul Brother" by Black On White Affair, "Cissy Strut" by Johnny Lewis Trio, "Stop Losing Your Chances" by Cold Bold & Together, "I Just Want To Be" by Robbie Hill, "Wheedle's Groove" by Annakonda, "Hey Jude" by Overton Berry Trio, and "A Little Love Affair" by Patrinell Staten. CD

Great 30s work from the 78rpm era – including an early take on "High Society", and the classic "Laughin Louie". LP, Vinyl record album

Solid soul from Eddie Floyd – 2 tremendous albums on a single CD, plus bonus tracks too! I've Never Found A Girl is tremendous late 60s work from Eddie Floyd – a great date from the post-Atlantic years of Stax Records – material that really shows the hipper, more righteous sound of the label at the time! Eddie's moving way beyond the standard southern soul of his roots – recording with backings from Booker T & The MGs, plus horns from the Mar-Keys – a blend that makes for instrumental magic that's already plenty darn great before Eddie comes into the mix – a classic late 60s Memphis sound that's positive and progressive throughout. There's a bit of female backing vocals on the set – but these are used very sparely – and titles include "Never Give You Up", "Bring It On Home To Me", "I'm Just The Kind Of Fool", "I'll Take Her", "Sweet Things You Do", and "I Need You Woman". Rare Stamps is not really as "rare" as the title implies – but a great little record that easily stands as some of Eddie Floyd's best work of the 60s! The album features a few key cuts from earlier years, mixed with material from the second generation of Stax – the point when the label was moving into hipper territory, and really helping artists like Eddie expand their groove. Titles include "Knock On Wood", "Love Is A Doggone Good Thing", "On A Saturday Night", "Raise Your Head", and "Got To Make A Comeback". CD also adds in bonus tracks that include "I've Got To Have Your Love", "Laurie", and "Consider Me" – plus "Never Let You Go" and "Ain't That Good", which are duets with Mavis Staples! CD

Mindblowing funk from one of the greatest combos on the New York scene of the early 70s – Pazant Brothers Eddie & Al, heard here on a host of their greatest recordings! The package goes way past any other Pazant reissues we've seen – and features not only work from the group's famous Vanguard album, but way way more work from a host of early singles for the RCA, GWP, and Vigor labels! The 22 track package is overstuffed with horn-heavy funky grooves that mark the Pazants as one of the hottest things going at the time – snapping on the beat with a tightness learned from their old boss Pucho, but also a willingness to explore brassier grooves in a style that seems to be influenced from the New Orleans and Texas scenes of the late 60s. Producer/arranger Edward Bland had a good hand in much of this work – giving the tracks a gritty, nitty, Perception/Today kind of groove – and a few of the very best numbers on the record even bring in some wicked scratchy guitar into the mix! Includes early and later (Vanguard) versions of "Skunk Juice", "New Orleans", "Toe Jam", "Work Song", and "A Gritty Nitty" – plus "Chick A Boom", "Greasy Greens", "Fever", "Juicy Lucy", "Chicken Scratch", "Fly Vines", and "Back To Beaufort". CD

A rare gem from Jimmy – a great set of organ tracks backed by some solid soul arrangements by the great Johnny Pate! Jimmy's organ is right out front, and as with most of his Verve albums, he never misses a note. There's a nice long version of "Ode To Billy Joe" that, while lacking the funky break that graces other versions, has a nice bubbling groove and a stupendous solo from Jimmy. Other titles include "Groove Drops", "Sunny", and "Days Of Wine & Roses". LP, Vinyl record album

A dream of a set from the folks at Numero Group – a special package that digs through all their many collections and archive projects, and comes up with some of the funkiest cuts in the bunch! Unlike some of their other compilations, this one focuses on the groove first – and the groove is nice and funky, hard and gritty, and feels like you're sitting next to the turntable, playing a stack of rare funk 45s, one after the other! Titles include "Function Underground" by We The People, "Jungle" by Young Senators, "Let Me Come Within" by Renaldo Domino, "Iron Leg" by Mickey & The Soul Generation, "Get It Right" by Soul President, "First Thing I Do In The Morning" by Joyce Williams, "Party Time" by Black Soul Express, "Money Won't Save You" by Boscoe, "Everything's Gonna Be Alright" by Robert Moore, "You Made Me Suffer" by Andrew Brown, and "Watch The Dog That Bring The Bone" by Sandy Gaye. CD

The funkiest visit to New Orleans yet – and the best collection of Tuff City's series of lost grooves from the Crescent City scene! This volume moves way past the obvious New Orleans classics, and really digs deeply into a realm of lesser-known artists and singles – coming up with a groove that's certainly got New Orleans roots, but which also stands with the deepest funk coming out of the northern scenes at the same time – thundering out with heavy bass, snapping drums, and some wicked work on guitar! Titles include "Funky Jaws" by Larry Jones, "Turn Me On" by The Fantoms, "The Monkey That Became President (part 1)" by Brotherhood, "Sooky Feeling (part 1)" by Brotherhood, "Direct From The Ghetto" by Warren Lee, "Come On & Make Me" by Brothers Two, "Get On Up (part 2)" by Chuck Conway, "Ode To Billie Joe" by Trick Bag, "I'm From The South" by Jerry Byrne, and "Actions Speak Louder Than Words" by Lonnie Jones. LP, Vinyl record album

This first volume of Compost's Glucklich series is one of the most groundbreaking compilations of the 90s! It brings together 10 stunning rare German fusion tracks that have a deeply Brazilian groove – and the set is not only interesting from a cross-cultural perspective, but it's also a fantastic treat for funky listening. Nearly all of these tracks are totally rare, and you'll never find them in the original. They all sparkle with a deep sense of imagination, creativity, and a strong desire to groove – and titles include "Ocean Song" by Sunbirds, "Mixing" by Rainer Pusch Quartet, "Mato Pato" by Kitty Winter, "Mystic Latin" by Namaz, "Onkle Joe" by Catch Up, and "Glucklich" by To Be. Great stuff, and one that we still come back to again and again! CD

The brilliant return of one of our favorite funky series ever – filled with top-shelf rarities that represent the best of 70s rare groove and break tracks! It's been a long time since we last saw a volume of Strange Games, but this set shows that it's been more than worth the wait – as BBE have come up with a batch of tunes so great, they must have been working on this one for years! As with other volumes, the names are familiar, but the cuts are all surprisingly hard to find – and they're all hand-picked for their resonance with modern use of the material in hip hop and remix culture – an aspect that makes even obscure tunes echo with a strong familiarity because of a bassline or drum break! And as an added treat, the CD and vinyl both have the same number of tracks – an increasingly rare phenomenon these days – with titles that include "Love & Happiness" by Monty Alexander, "She's My Summer Breeze" by The Reflections, "Come Into My Life" by The Supremes, "LA Night" by Yasuko Agawa, "Looking Up To You" by Michael Wycoff, "Give Me Your Love" by Barbara Mason, "Inside Out" by American Gypsy, "You Are What I'm All About" by The New Birth, "Loving You" by Donald Byrd, "Porcupine" by Nature Zone, "Strange Funky Games & Things" by Jay Dee, "Do It Baby" by The Miracles, "California Dreaming" by Eddie Hazel, and "Reflections" by Bill Conti. LP, Vinyl record album

One of the best-ever compilations of funky work from BGP Records – and even better than their other Super Breaks sets! This one features some totally rare killers – not only from hard-to-find funky 45s, but also from obscure studio tapes that have never been properly issued! The set's a funky fanatic's dream, and pushes past the usual Ace/BGP line, into territory more reserved for the likes of Keb Darge and Ian Wright, on smaller labels. A large number of the tracks are from the catalogs – released and unreleased – of Westbound and Kent – and titles include "Gotta Get Me A Job" by Ann Alford, "Here Comes The Judge" by Larry & Tommy, "Soul Power" by The Houston Outlaws, "Freedom & Justice" by The Pace-Setters, "I Got To Have You" by Little Ann, "Soul Funk" by Chico & Buddy, "Skunk Juice" by The Pazant Brothers, "I Love You" by The Motivations, "Hook & Boogit (parts 1 & 2)" by Abraham & The Casanovas, "Motor City" by The Counts, and "Groove" by Dave Hamilton. 20 cuts in all! LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic entry in this long running series – a batch of compilations that normally focuses on rare disco grooves, but which also features a fair bit of funky soul nuggets this time around! The groove is still mostly uptempo, but with all these wonderfully weird, wild funky elements in the mix too – not gimmicky tracks, but the kind of unusually-crafted cuts that are quite far from the mainstream – and which show that there were often some really amazing things happening in the farther reaches of the soul music underground at the end of the 70s! Plus, most of these cuts are impossibly rare – so much so that many are reaching our ears for the first time, via this excellent compilation – in a list of tracks that includes "Specialty Item" by MVP Cloudburst, "Give Me Love" by EKG, "Disco 2000" by Pleze, "Flashback" by Jeff Burns, "Dance Your Blues (part 2)" by Spellboun, "Forget Yourself" by Body Heat, "Say Raise Your Hand & Say McNasty" by McNasty, "Reflex" by Reflections, "Reaching For Our Star" by Sharon Revoal, "Space Ghost (parts 1 & 2)" by Jackson Lee, "Spend Some Time With Me" by Rideout, "Move On" by Frederick, "I'm Into Your Love" by Executive Jam, "Seeking" by Cash Money, "Give It Up" by Horizon, and "Twilight" by Firewater. CD

An entry in this excellent series that's very near and dear to our heart – as the cuts here were all chosen by Chicgao DJ Rahaan, who's got a mighty nice ear for a rare clubby groove! The collection explores territory that the previous volumes have hit, but with a special sound that's a nice change too – less of the standard disco or boogie, and some nicely unusual tracks that really change things up, and show just how much fresh creative energy was happening in the underground, way past the bigger labels of the time! Many of these cuts are completely new to our ears, which is really saying a lot in favor of the strength of the collection – and titles include "Ticket" by John Lamkin, "Wanna Get Down With You" by Jaze, "He Loves You" by Wings Of Light, "Let's Get It On" by Marini, "Come & Get It" by Santrax, "Shoot Me With Your Love" by Venus Dodson, "One Of These Days" by The 21st Century Singers, "For You" by Cherish, "Super Disco" by Frank Hatchett Dance Explosion, "Count Of Monte Thisgo" by Ship Of The Desert, "Back Fire" by Time Unlimited, "Juicy Fruit My Love" by Boobie Knight, "Go Down Moses" by Porno Disco, and "Catch Your Glow" by Cousin Ice with Zack Sanders. LP, Vinyl record album

The setting is the Golden Gate, but the sound is pure Philly International – a rare early live performance from the label, featuring some of its key vocal heavyweights working here with live accompaniment from MFSB! Although the instrumental group backed Philly artists often in the studio, this 1973 concert marks the only time they worked live with the singers – in a stunning showcase for the young label, performed as part of a Columbia Records convention in San Francisco! Given the setting, and the uniqueness of the whole event, the release of this rare material is a treasure for soul fans of many generations – a rare addition to the amazing run of music the label first started giving us at the time. The set begins with MFSB doing a version of "Freddie's Dead" – then runs into Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes singing "I Miss You", "The Love I Lost", and "If You Don't Know Me By Now" – followed by Three Degrees on "I Didn't Know" and "Dirty Ol Man". MFSB then follow with "TSOP", then Billy Paul sings "East" and "Me & Mrs Jones", and the set ends with The O'Jays on "Love Train", "Sunshine", "Back Stabbers", and "When The World's At Peace". LP, Vinyl record album

A stone smoker from Rare Earth – recorded at a time when they were able to easily handle a groove made up of equal parts funk, rock, and soul! The vibe here is almost like War at times – not for the LA touches in the mix, but for the heady and heavy way these guys roll forward – pulling together all the best elements of the underground at the time, and bringing them into their own smoky groove. Instrumentation is wonderful – and some of the cuts have a really great jamming sort of feel – especially the 11 minute reading of "(I Know) I'm Losing You" – originally done by the Temptations, and produced by Norman Whitfield for the album! Other titles include "Long Time Leavin", "Satisfaction Guaranteed", "Nice Place To Visit", "No 1 Man", and a sweet version of "Eleanor Rigby". Also included are nine bonus tracks – "When Joanie Smiles", "One World", "The Feeling", "Here Comes The Night" – plus alternate versions of "Eleanor Rigby", "Nice Place To Visit", and "Satisfaction Guaranteed"! CD

A real grand slam from Rare Earth – a late 70s set, but one that shows that they're still one of the greatest blue-eyed soul groups of all time! If anything, the period seems to bring out even more of the soulful side of the group – with a shift to fuller arrangements that include work from McKinley Jackson and David Campbell, all wrapped up nicely by producer John Ryan – who really knows how to let the group find their groove, but all without trying to polish things up in an AOR sort of way! The blend is great – definitely equal parts rock and soul – and titles include "My Eyes Only", "Save Me Save Me", "Mighty Good Love", "Stop Her On Sight", "You Got My Love", and remakes of "Heard It Through The Grapevine", "When A Man Loves A Woman", and "I Wish It Would Rain". CD

One of the greatest albums ever from Lorez Alexandria – an ultra-hip singer who recorded for Impulse and King, but who sounds especially wonderful on this rare date for Chess Records! The album's got a groove that definitely lives up to its title – a jazzy, bouncy sort of rhythm that's definitely "for swingers only", and which is a nice contrast to overdone torch or standard jazz vocal modes. Alexandria's singing is completely sublime – quite fluid, yet with a soulful depth that's really amazing – and her backing combo is equally hip – a group led by John Young on piano, and also featuring George Eskridge on guitar, Jimmy Garrison on bass, Phil Thomas on drums, and Ronald Wilson on flute and tenor – an obscure player whose reed work really makes the album sparkle! The song choices are great too – a mix of some under-recorded gems and a few blue-toned classics – all redone amazingly by Lorez with a sound that's quite unique. Titles include her classic Argo reading of "Baltimore Oriole", which begins with an amazing drum/bass passage that's worth the price of the album alone – and other tracks include "The End Of A Love Affair", "Baltimore Oriole", "All Or Nothing At All", "Mother Earth", "Love Look Away", and "Traveling Down A Lonely Road". CD

Amazing early work from Azymuth – rare demo recordings done at the home studio of keyboardist Jose Roberto Bertrami, in the short space before the group issued their legendary debut! The tracks here are as much jazz funk as they are the later modes that Azymuth would put forth – killer instrumentals that are really driven by great keyboard lines from Bertrami, who'd already been making music in other formats for years – and who works here on Fender Rhodes, Arp, Clavinet, Hammond, and a range of other keyboards too! The drums are fantastic, too – handled by a young Ivan Conti, who gets help on percussion from an early fourth member of the group, Ariovaldo Contesini – and as you might guess, the incredible basslines of Ivan Mamao Conti really help the whole thing groove. All material is very well-recorded – these aren't rough or unfinished tracks at all – and the whole thing should just be thought of as a first chapter for the group, right before they started putting out their famous records. Titles include "Prefacio", "Castelo", "Melo Do Cuica", "Xingo", "Laranjeiras", "Eqiupe 68", "Unknown Song For Mario Telles", "Manha", "Duro De Roer", "Quem Tem Medo", "Juntos Mais Uma Vez", and "Bateria Do Mamao". CD

We know it's hard to think of anyone named Mildred as hip, but take it from us, the lady's actually a great singer with a deep capacity for jazzy blues and mellow R&B. These rare Savoy sides were cut during the years 1946 and 1947, and they feature great backing by pianist Ellis Larkin on nearly every cut, set up in either small combo or large group settings. Titles include "At Sundown", "Love In Vain", "It's A Woman's Prerogative", "You Started Something", and "Born To Be Blue". LP, Vinyl record album

A rare Italian-only album from Chet Baker – wonderfully cooking small group work that's a far bit greater than his more familiar "with strings" session recorded in Italy during the same period! The album's got Chet working with an array of great players from the local scene – including Gianni Basso on tenor sax, Renato Sellani on drums, and Glauco Masetti on alto sax – all in a groove that shows plenty of traces of that opened-up sound that Baker was exploring in the very late 50s – the modes he was crafting in his group with Phil Urso on tenor, as he started to get a bit more bit in his style! Yet there's also a nicely compressed approach going on here too – that west coast sound that was a strong influence on the Italian players of the postwar years, but which was unfolded to new ends in their hands. Titles include "Lady Bird", "Line For Lyons", "Tune Up", "Cheryl Blues", "Indian Summer", and "Pent Up House". LP, Vinyl record album

An incredible package from the great Darrell Banks – a set that brings together his sublime Stax Records album, plus lots of rare bonus tracks too! The core record – Here To Stay – is incredible work from the great Banks – one of the few albums this genius Detroit soul singer cut before his untimely early death! Darrell's got a raw sound and a way with a groove that makes him a perfect choice for late 60s Stax/Volt Records – and he works here with Detroit studio genius Don Davis – who really knows how to mix the rough and the smooth in a perfect way – very different than both the usual Memphis or Detroit soul of the time! Tracks are very well-written – each one's a total lost nugget – and the arrangements have this punch that works perfectly with Banks' tremendous vocals. Titles include "I Could Never Hate Her", "My Love is Reserved", "No One Blinder", "Just Because Your Love Is Gone", and "We'll Get Over". CD then includes a wealth of bonus tracks – some previously unissued – including "Love Is Not An Easy Thing (demo)", "Mama Give Me Some Water (demo)", "Love Why Have You Forsaken Me (demo)", "Just Because Your Love Is Gone (single version)", "No One Blinder (single version)", and "Beautiful Feeling (single version)". CD

A great set that may well be Big Maybelle's best record ever – really rare work that's quite different than her famous work of the 50s! The set was recorded in the Criteria studios in Miami – and it's got a cool southern soul sound that's part Bobby Blue Bland bluesy soul, and part Muscle Shoals funk – fused together wonderfully by arranger Eric Knight – who really has a great ear for giving Maybelle a wicked new groove! Maybelle's vocals are a bit deeper than usual – much more soul than the blues of a decade before – and tracks include "This Bitter Earth", "How It Lies", "Old Love Never Dies", "My Mother's Eyes", and "Love Careless Love". CD

An amazing second chapter for The Music Machine – working here with the last name of leader Sean Bonniwell in their name – in a groove that's even weirder and wilder than before! The group take on an odd new sound here – still the heady brew of fuzz and Hammond on their original garagey recordings from LA – but with a mode that also really lets Bonniwell's offbeat character come to the forefront – both in the odd lyrics, and his stark presentation in the lead – a Sunset Strip sense of personality that's almost up there with Kim Fowley at times! The record's definitely one of the weirder, more edgey sides cut for Warner Brothers in the mid 60s – and titles include "Astrologically Incompatible", "Double Yellow Line", "The Trap", "Soul Love", "Bottom Of The Soul", "Me Myself & I", and "The Eagle Never Hunts The Fly". CD features an insane 49 tracks in all – the full 14 track album, other Warner singles, and demos and rare material that includes solo tracks by Sean Bonniwell too! CD

The first solo album from Johnny Bristol – a genius soul talent who did a bunch of great work for Motown as a writer and arranger, breaking out here on his own! Like so many other behind-the-scenes talents from the late 60s, Johnny turned out to be an excellent soul artist in his own right – even though he only got to cut a rare few albums during the 70s – and this debut album already has him emerging straight away as a fully-formed talent! The vibe is a great mix of Detroit and California Motown – arranged by HB Barnum, and produced with a style that's tight, but still open and fluid too. Backings mix soulful strings with sweet harmonies – and lots of the tunes have a great 70s mellow soul groove. Titles include "Woman Woman", "I Got Your Number", "You & I", "It Don't Hurt No More", and the anthemic "Hang On In There Baby". LP, Vinyl record album

A rare chapter of James Brown's career – material recorded for producer Henry Stone in the early 90s – at a time when James himself was without a major record contract! Most of these tracks were recorded by Stone, but unissued for years – which is a bit of a surprise, as the overall quality is quite good – very much in the modern funk mode that Brown was forging back in the 80s! And sure, the work here isn't in the same mode as Brown's classics on King or Polydor, but the sound is still pretty great – with beats and instrumentation that are relatively modern, but an overall groove that's quite tight and right, and plenty of room for James' incredible vocals in the lead! Most tracks feature Brown as the lead singer, but there's also a few with vocals by Venisha Brown or Yamma Brown – and one track has James singing a duet with Bobby Byrd! Titles include "Becha Bottom Dollar", "Funk On Ahh Roll", "Respect Me", "God Is Good", "Peace In The World", "I Wanna Be Loved On The 1", "Motivation (rmx)", "Say It Again", and "I Got To Feel It". CD

James Brown screams at the beginning of the record – "I'm Back! I'm Back!" – which is his proclamation that he was ready to take on a whole new generation of funk music – grooving with a new sound that was guaranteed to hit as big as it did in earlier years! The approach is a bit more uptempo than previous albums, but still never at all in a disco/club mode – and James really does strike a strong new chord with the groove here – stretching things out and cooking things up nicely. Rhythms are still quite sharp, although possibly not as dynamic as before – and titles include the great title medley of "Get Up Offa That Thing/Release The Pressure", plus "This Feeling", "Home Again", "I Refuse To Lose", and "Can't Take It With You". CD

A rare TK Records effort from James Brown – very much in the best uptempo funk mode of the later Polydor years! The groove here is quite similar to those better-known efforts – grooves that are a bit quicker than a few years before, but still played in a core JB funky style – live and lively, with plenty of emphasis on the rhythms! Brown often referred to his style here as disco, but it's a lot more like some of the P-Funk progressions of the period – a mode that's more polished than a grittier funky generation, yet far from smooth club or disco overall. There's plenty of choppy little groovers that make the record great – and titles include the long cut "Rapp Payback", plus "Funky Men", "Smokin & Drinkin", "Stay With Me", and "Mashed Potatoes". CD

A rare TK Records effort from James Brown – very much in the best uptempo funk mode of the later Polydor years! The groove here is quite similar to those better-known efforts – grooves that are a bit quicker than a few years before, but still played in a core JB funky style – live and lively, with plenty of emphasis on the rhythms! Brown often referred to his style here as disco, but it's a lot more like some of the P-Funk progressions of the period – a mode that's more polished than a grittier funky generation, yet far from smooth club or disco overall. There's plenty of choppy little groovers that make the record great – and titles include the long cut "Rapp Payback", plus "Funky Men", "Smokin & Drinkin", "Stay With Me", and "Mashed Potatoes". CD

Easily the crowning moment of genius for the legendary Dave Brubeck Quartet – the moment when all things came together magically, and the group somehow elevated themselves to a whole new level in jazz! At the time of the set, Brubeck, Paul Desmond, and the rest had already been making plenty of waves with their creative yet swinging approaches to modern jazz – heard on a number of successful albums for Fantasy and Columbia in the 50s. But with this record, they really knocked one out of the park – blending Desmond's cool alto, Brubeck's unusual piano phrasing, Joe Morello's melodic drum work, and Eugene Wright's pulsating bass into a waltzing, almost modal groove that crossed over to many camps at the time! The classics "Take Five" and "Blue Rondo Ala Turk" were both hits on their own – but all titles are great, and include "Kathy's Waltz", "Strange Medow Lark", "Everybody's Jumpin", and "Pick Up Sticks". 2CD version features a set of previously unreleased Dave Brubeck material recorded at Newport in the early 60s – 8 rare bonus tracks on a separate CD – plus a DVD that features an interview with Dave on Time Out, historic Brubeck performance footage, a piano lesson, and a photo grallery too! CD

Donald Byrd in a sweet electric mode – as you'd guess from the title! The set was recorded right before Byrd's legendary run with Larry Mizell in the early 70s – and the electric approach is a bit different here – a style that blends Byrd's wonderful trumpet lines with the larger ensemble mode Blue Note sometimes used in the late 60s, but with a spacey, stretched-out feel that's mighty nice! The album's somewhat similar to Byrd's Kofi set – but possibly a bit more open overall – and players here include Duke Pearson on electric piano, Jerry Dodgion on alto and sopranos ax, Frank Foster on tenor, Pepper Adams on baritone, Hermeto Pascoal on flute, Wally Richardson on guitar, Ron Carter on bass, Mickey Roker on drums, and Airto on percussion. Pearson produced, and probably arranged too – given a slight Brazilian undercurrent to the grooves – and titles include "Estavanico", "Essence", "The Dude", and "Xibaba". CD

A wonderful album from this beautiful soul duo – a pair who kind of take the earlier Marvin Gaye/Tammi Terrell mode into a sweet 70s groove – all with help from members of The Crusaders on the backing! Most numbers feature the male singer stepping out a bit more in the lead, but in ways that still have this beautifully sensual groove – definitely in a Marvin mode, as his his sense of mature soul – which really knocks the album out of the park when the female singer steps in and the two of them soar together! The album was issued by GSF, and has that mix of sweet soul and deeper righteous currents that the label did so well – and backing vocals are by Hodges, James, & Smith – who really help the whole thing hit a nicely full sound. Production is great, too – almost more in a New Jersey rare soul mode, and handled by Mickey Stevenson and Curtis Colbert – on titles that include "Little By Little", "Punish Me", "Without You", "That's Groovy", "We Got A Thing Going ON", "Hey There Little Girl", and "My Friend Heartaches". LP, Vinyl record album

Rare late 60s work from guitar genius Jerry Cole – and even more compelling than his famous records from earlier in the decade! This collection unearths a lost side of Jerry's career – tripped-out psych instrumentals from 1967 and 1968, recorded under a variety of different aliases – like The Generation Gap, Projection Company, Stone Canyon Rock Group, and T-Swift & The Electric Bag – all groups that didn't exist in real life, but were album-based studio projects by Cole! Jerry's brought a lot more fuzz to the sessions than on his surf and hot rod instrumental tracks – but the groove is mighty tight throughout, with almost a funky undercurrent to some of the best tracks – kind of an American equivalent to the UK freakbeat modes of the period, served up by Cole and a host of tight LA studio musicians. Great stuff throughout – all pulled from the Custom Records catalog – and titles include "Tune Out Of Place", "Fool's Luck", "Wild Times", "Hard Times", "What's Your Bag", "Our Man Hendrix", "Red Eyes", "I Love You I Do", "Expo In Sound", and "The Stinger". CD

A wonderful session of 60s Hammond jazz – a record that was somewhat overlooked at the time, but which has really gotten the attention it deserves over the years! The album's one of a rare few cut by organist Gloria Coleman – an obscure east coast player who was also the wife of tenorist George Coleman, and who follows wonderfully in a strong tradition of female organists that includes Trudy Pitts and Shirley Scott. Even hipper is the fact that Gloria's quartet has a female drummer – the fiery Pola Roberts, who's got a light touch on the kit that makes the cuts dance nicely. And even still hipper is the fact that that group is completed by Grant Green on guitar and Leo Wright on alto – both of whom groove in a totally tight soul jazz mode that resembles their best work from the early 60s. The session's a wonderful burner, of the sort that you'd proudly display in a collection of 60s soul jazz – and it's filled with excellent original cuts like "Que Baby", "Hey Sonny Red", "Melba's Minor", and "Funky Bob". LP, Vinyl record album

A landmark in modern jazz – from the stark stares of the band on the cover, to the starkly haunting music in the grooves! The record makes a bold statement right from the outset – and more than lives up to its promise in the sound within – an amazing approach to modern jazz that's still quite powerful, even all these many years later! The group features Ornette Coleman on alto, Don Cherry on pocket trumpet, Charlie Haden on bass, and Ed Blackwell on drums – moving at a fast, highly rhythmic pace that still leaves us breathless – filled with angles, but wrapped up in soul. The group make severe statements about the future of modern music in tracks like "Humpty Dumpty", "Beauty Is a Rare Thing", and "Kaleidoscope" – bouncing the efforts of the whole group off the beat, in a way that's both challenging and groove-heavy at the same time, a key summation of the genius of Ornette's early vision! LP, Vinyl record album

A landmark batch of work from the British jazz scene – the complete early run of recordings from Colosseum, maybe the greatest jazz-rock group of their time! The combo grew out of earlier work in the beat group generation – informed strongly by American jazz and R&B, but already on the forefront of the new prog generation – driven by the mighty drums of Jon Hiseman and topped with the sax and reed work of Dick Heckstall-Smith – both fantastic players who really gave the group their grounding! The lineup shifts a bit throughout this set, and maybe gets even better as the records go on – with later work from Chris Farlowe on vocals, whose soulful style is a perfect match to the groove-heavy sound of the group. Back in the days when we didn't like prog at all, and were more focused on jazz and funk, we still had a very soft spot for Colosseum – and it's no surprise that some of these records are always found in the collections of funk fanatics around the world. The 6CD set features the full albums Those About To Die Salute You, Valentyne Suite, Grass Is Greener, Daughter Of Time, and Colosseum Live – almost all of which are presented here with bonus tracks – alongside a full bonus CD of rare studio and live recordings too! There's also a huge booklet of notes – and this package is the comprehensive take on this legendary group. CD

A very rare (and very early) album by the great British saxophonist Lol Coxhill! The session was recorded live in concert, and Coxhill plays in a trio with Jasper Van't Hof on electric and acoustic pianos, and Pierre Courbois on percussion. Although the record is quite "out", the overall approach is much more straight than Coxhill's other records from the time – as no studio work, strange effects, or overdubs are included. Some tracks have a very free sound to them – but there's also a few others that have a nice spiraling groove, thanks to Van't Hof's piano. Titles include "Toverbal Sweet", "Clompen Stomp", "Association", "Spirit Of Maasluis", "Jasper & Out", and "Toverbal". LP, Vinyl record album

A lost album from 70s funk diva Betty Davis – and one that's every bit as essential as her music released back in the day! The set was recorded hot on the heels of Betty's classic Nasty Gal album – but it's got a groove that's almost more in the territory of her first two records on the Just Sunshine label – very hard, heavy, freaky, and fuzzy – with lots of sharp-edged guitar licks wrapped up around Davis' badass vocals – which have just as much attitude as ever! It's not clear why the album never saw the light of day back in the 70s, but it's an essential follow-up to Davis key classics – undeniably funky music by one of the most unique figures ever in soul – the kind of set that would have been a bomb, had it dropped in the 70s – and which will have an even greater impact when let loose in the 21st Century. Titles include "Stars Starve You Know", "Bottom Of The Barrel", "Crashin From Passion", "Whorey Angel", "It's So Good", "Is It Love Or Desire", "Bar Hoppin", and "Let's Get Personal". LP, Vinyl record album

A lost album from 70s funk diva Betty Davis – and one that's every bit as essential as her music released back in the day! The set was recorded hot on the heels of Betty's classic Nasty Gal album – but it's got a groove that's almost more in the territory of her first two records on the Just Sunshine label – very hard, heavy, freaky, and fuzzy – with lots of sharp-edged guitar licks wrapped up around Davis' badass vocals – which have just as much attitude as ever! It's not clear why the album never saw the light of day back in the 70s, but it's an essential follow-up to Davis key classics – undeniably funky music by one of the most unique figures ever in soul – the kind of set that would have been a bomb, had it dropped in the 70s – and which will have an even greater impact when let loose in the 21st Century. Titles include "Stars Starve You Know", "Bottom Of The Barrel", "Crashin From Passion", "Whorey Angel", "It's So Good", "Is It Love Or Desire", "Bar Hoppin", and "Let's Get Personal". LP, Vinyl record album

Two fantastic American players – both coming together here on a rare European session for the Saba/MPS label in Germany! "Carmell's Black Forest Waltz" features not just great saxophone from leader Nathan Davis, but also a strong trumpet solo from Carmell Jones – blowing over this excellent modal groove from Francy Boland on piano, Jimmy Woode on bass, and Kenny Clarke on drums! "B's Blues" is a bold soul jazz number – stunning work from both horn players, with Davis on a soprano sax for his solo! 7-inch, Vinyl record

A treasure trove of rare work from the great Sam Dees – one of the best songwriters in 70s soul music, and an artist who managed to put more recordings in the vaults than he did in the charts! Sam's known best for a handful of singles and a classic album on Atlantic Records – but during the 70s, he continued to record amazing work on his own – often a demos, but with a quality level that was the same as the best indie soul of the time – which makes these recordings such a pleasure to discover! The CD follows strongly alongside other Ace release of this nature – and includes 13 never-heard tracks, plus a few rare singles, and a handful of other Dees cuts from a Hotlanta sampler – all brought together here in one great set! Sam's vocals are wonderful – very unique, and with a badass quality that really brings an edge both to his deep soul material, and the set's few more groove-oriented cuts. Titles include "I'm Your Biggest Fan", "Singing In Poverty", "Today Is A New Day", "We've Got To Get It Together", "Married But I'm Still In Love", "Child's Play", "What's It Gonna Be (alt)", "Claim Jumping", "What Good Is A Love", and "Gimme A Little Action". CD

Fantastic work from Delta 5 – one of our favorite groups from the UK post-punk years, and a group whose funky, dubby approach to punk rivals the best work by groups like The Slits or Gang Of Four! Like both groups, they have smart songs with interesting lyrics – but focused down right into the groove, with lots of heavy interplay between bass and guitar – captured with a razor-sharp sound, and that inherent sense of darkness we love in so many productions from the time! Female singer Ros Allen is in the lead, really belting out the tunes with a great sort of edge – and the set includes the group's three rare singles on Rough Trade, plus BBC sessions and live material – making for an overdue full length collection from these years. Titles include their classic "Mind Your Own Business" – plus "Now That You've Gone", "Try", "Colour", "Make Up", "Triangle", "Innocenti", "Train Song", "Anticipation", "Final Scene", "Shadow", "Circuit", and "Journey". LP, Vinyl record album

Rare lost work from funky drummer Les DeMerle – a set of tracks that were recorded for Atlantic Records in 1967, two years before DeMerle's classic Spectrum album – yet which finally appear here for the first time ever! Les is rock-solid, right from the start – definitely one of those younger players really helping to shift the sound of the larger jazz group at the end of the 60s – with fresh arrangements that bring in plenty of currents from soul, and a tight approach to the groove that makes the best of the excellent lineup! The set features work from some younger names who would break big later – including Randy Brecker on trumpet, Terry Plumeri on bass, and Lanny Morgan on alto and flute – as well as a touch of vocals from future rocker Genya Ravan. Titles include "Sticks", "Raunchy Rita", "Feelin Good", "Come Back To Me", "On A Clear Day", "That's Life", and "Signifyin". LP, Vinyl record album

A rare bit of Dutch jazz from the 60s – a hip quintet led by pianist Cees Slinger, and featuring a cooking lineup that's every bit as great as groups coming out of the British or French scenes at the time. Slinger was the pianist in the legendary Wessel Icken trio – and through his years in that group, he developed a solid swing that started stretching out into a more modal styled groove – and works here with Cees Smal on trumpet, Harry Verbecke on tenor, Jacques Schols on bass, and John Engels on drums – all top shelf players too! Many of the tracks on this set are a lot more adventurous than you might expect from the staid look of the group – and the album burns with the warmth and originality of some of the best Saba records of the late 60s, with slightly longer tracks that really stretch out, both in terms of rhythm and solo work. The writing is superb, and all titles are originals by European players – with tracks that include "Ruined Girl", "Lutuli", "Lining Up", "New Born", and "Monosyl". CD

A mighty nice message cut from Eric Dunbar – slightly offbeat, but in a really great way that makes the plea for saving the younger generation that much more powerful – as Eric Dunbar sings over some warmly jazzy backings with a nice midtempo groove! "Freeway" is the title cut from Eric's famous rare groove album – and has an even harder, more righteous vibe overall – with some wicked clavinet right down in the rhythms! 7-inch, Vinyl record

Two Capitol classics from the great Gene Dunlap – back to back on a single CD! First up is It's Just The Way I Feel – a classic soulful fusion album recorded and released during the crucial years of the "Capitol Rare" sound! Gene Dunlap is a jazz drummer at heart – but he's got a flair for the modern soul song – and in the same style as Norman Connors or Harvey Mason before him, he manages to put together a strong record of grooves and ballads from behind the kit! The strongest point of the record is work by The Ridgeways, a female soul trio who sing on the best tracks, giving them a smooth Jones Girls-ish kind of sound. The album includes two modern soul classics – "Before You Break My Heart" and "It's Just the Way I Feel" – plus "Love Dancin", "Rock Radio", "I Got You", and "Surest Things Can Change". Party In Me is wonderful work from Gene Dunlap – a jazzy soul drummer, and also a maestro with a killer ear for a modern soul groove! The album's got a mix of grooves and sophistication that are a bit like the best early 80s material from Roy Ayers – never chartbound, and never too commercial – but nice and tight, and really well put together! The instrumentation has plenty of jazzy 80s groove touches – especially in the keyboards – and Dunlap does a nice job of balancing up beat tracks with the mellow moments we love so much in his work. Vocals are from a variety of singers – including the great Ethel Beatty, who'd sung with Roy Ayers – plus Phillippe Wynne, Pam Lawson, and Gene himself – and titles include "Something Inside My Head", "Something Special", "Corner Pocket", "There Will Never Be Another (Like You)", "Party In Me", "Jam City", and "This One's On Me". CD

A rare Latin outing from trumpeter Art Farmer – one that has him working with the mighty Cuban arranger Chico O'Farrill! The grooves here are hardly "Aztec", as Chico brings a hip postwar vibe to the session – a blend of American jazz and Latin rhythms that's totally great, and played by an all-star array of players conducted by Al Cohn! Side one of the record features the extended "Aztec Suite" – an ambitious number that begins with modern moments that are somewhere in a space between Stan Kenton and Ralph Burns' experiments of this nature, but which always has Farmer's trumpet as the center focus. Side two features tracks that are a bit more conventional Latin jazz – still played by the bigger group, but with an even stronger sense of swing! Titles include "Aztec Suite", "Heat Wave", "Drume Negrita", "Alone Together", "Woody N You", and "Delirio". LP, Vinyl record album

A rare Latin outing from trumpeter Art Farmer – one that has him working with the mighty Cuban arranger Chico O'Farrill! The grooves here are hardly "Aztec", as Chico brings a hip postwar vibe to the session – a blend of American jazz and Latin rhythms that's totally great, and played by an all-star array of players conducted by Al Cohn! Side one of the record features the extended "Aztec Suite" – an ambitious number that begins with modern moments that are somewhere in a space between Stan Kenton and Ralph Burns' experiments of this nature, but which always has Farmer's trumpet as the center focus. Side two features tracks that are a bit more conventional Latin jazz – still played by the bigger group, but with an even stronger sense of swing! Titles include "Aztec Suite", "Heat Wave", "Drume Negrita", "Alone Together", "Woody N You", and "Delirio". LP, Vinyl record album

A really well-chosen set of classic Afro Funk records from Fela Kuti – hand-picked by Idris Elba, and brought together in this limited box set! Open & Close is an early classic from Fela Kuti & Africa 70 – the kind of early 70s record that helped both the leader and the group establish themselves as a global powerhouse of funk and soul! The set begins with the side-long "Open & Close" – a righteous tune that's driven onward by lots of tight drums from Tony Allen – young, focused, and completely amazing here – while Fela delivers all these madly leaping electric piano lines amidst the super-sharp horn section – all moving instrumentally for many minutes before the vocals come into play! Side two features two shorter tracks, but still nice and long in comparison to most funky groups – the wonderful "Swegbe & Pako" and "Gbagada Gbagada Gbogodo Gbogodo" – tunes that really send the record over the top! Fela teams up with vibist Roy Ayers on Music Of Many Colors – one of the best soul collaborations ever – a whopping album that brings together the best sides of these monster soul talents of the 70s! In keeping with Fela's work, the tracks are long and Afro-tinged, with a complicated groove that grows over the length of the track. And in keeping with Roy's work, the album has a sweet soulful feel, with lots of nice jazzy touches, cool vibes, and great vocals by Roy. Two long tracks, both classics: "2000 Black" and "Africa, Center of the World". Opposite People is seminal work from one of Fela's most crucial periods – recorded at a time when his soul was the deepest! The album features 2 long tracks – "Opposite People" and "Equalisation Of Trouser & Pant" – and they both have beautiful spooky keyboards in the instrumental passages, then leap into hard soul vocals by Fela. Tremendous stuff – done in a style that shows that no matter how many people cop or remake Fela's sound, he's still the best one to do it! The rare Stalemate album features the side-long tracks "Stalemate" and "Don't Worry About My Mouth" – both really hard-driving numbers, with a fantastic mix of vocals and grooves! Live In Amsterdam is an excellent live set from Fela – one that shows that he was still very capable of going over the top during the 80s! The set's a double LP – and it features 4 great numbers by the group, with Fela on soprano sax, piano, and organ, and plenty of other great work on tenor, alto, and trumpet. Titles include "Gimme Shit I Give You Shit", "Custom Check Point", "Movement Of The People", and "Political Statement Number 1". I Go Shout Plenty is a great one from Fela – with a date of 1986, but a sound that's pure late 70s! The record features 2 long tracks – "I Go Shout Plenty" and "Why Black Man Dey Suffer" – and they're both hard groovers with a strong political feel. "Why Black Man" is especially nice, and has some great keyboard riffing in the middle, with that great tinny sound that you'll hear on the best Fela albums. One that we almost never see – and issued on the Decca subsidiary Afrodisia. LP, Vinyl record album

A great double-length set that collects 2 rare sessions from late in Fela's career! Don't be put off by the date, though, because the material's great – and has that tight hard Afro Beat groove that you'll know from Underground System, another session from around the same time. "ODOO" is over 30 minutes long, with a tight choppy groove, and a very nice hook! "CBB – Confusion Break Bones" is a nice groover too, and is also nearly 30 minutes long! CD

A rare gem from keyboardist Hilton Felton – and one of the few albums issued on his own Hilton's Concept label! The set's got a super-sweet stripped-down feel – Hilton on organ and electric piano, backed by drums, bass, percussion, and some slight guitar – in a lineup that shifts slightly from track to track, but always keeps things lean and groovy! The album's got some killer funky numbers – like the chunky "Here Comes David", which has a nice rattling groove, and the extended mellow soul cut "Dream Come True", which blends keys and guitar with a bit of vocals, making for a nice tripped out soul style! Other tracks include "Your Analysis", "Music Shall Never Die", and "Maybe You'll Come Back To Me". LP, Vinyl record album

A rare gem from keyboardist Hilton Felton – and one of the few albums issued on his own Hilton's Concept label! The set's got a super-sweet stripped-down feel – Hilton on organ and electric piano, backed by drums, bass, percussion, and some slight guitar – in a lineup that shifts slightly from track to track, but always keeps things lean and groovy! The album's got some killer funky numbers – like the chunky "Here Comes David", which has a nice rattling groove, and the extended mellow soul cut "Dream Come True", which blends keys and guitar with a bit of vocals, making for a nice tripped out soul style! Other tracks include "Your Analysis", "Music Shall Never Die", and "Maybe You'll Come Back To Me". CD

A sublime little set – quite possibly the greatest album ever from Brazilian keyboardist Manfredo Fest! Manfredo first cut his teeth on the bossa scene of the 60s – but by the time of this rare indie session, he'd moved up to the US – and was working with sweet keyboards to really electrify his groove! The record's a wonderful blend of 70s Brazilian fusion modes and just a dash of American soul – and in addition to Manfredo's wonderful work on Fender Rhodes, the set also has these brilliant vocals from Roberta Davis – a singer who works wordlessly, using her voice as an instrument in this really cool way – sliding along with the grooves, and making the album sound unlike anything else we can think of. The overall feel is a bit like Joao Donato's excellent Quem E Quem album – and titles include "Jungle Cat", "Facing East", "Who Needs It", and "Brazilian Dorian Dream". LP, Vinyl record album

A huge legacy of work from the Flying Lizards – two full albums, plus lots more bonus tracks too! First up is the well-circulated debut, a new wave crossover classic from The Flying Lizards – one of the quirkiest groups of their era! The group were European, but have a sound that resonates strongly with the most playful post-disco work of the New York scene of the time, particularly the acts on Ze Records – a groove that mixes equal part punky and clubby rhythms, often topped with lyrics that are cold, but clever, done in the same ironic arty style of Cristina, or Devo. This album's the group's standout opus – and features their classic covers of "Summertime Blues" and "Money" – as well as originals "The Flood", "TV", "The Window", and "Russia". Next up is The Fourth Wall, the rare second album from The Flying Lizards – a set that didn't get nearly as much exposure as their debut, and which still shows the group mixing together punk, new wave, and clubby styles in a really great way! There's maybe even more of an edge here than on the group's debut – and titles include "Lovers & Other Strangers", "An Age", "Steam Away", "Hands 2 Take", "In My Lifetime", "Cirrus", and "Lost & Found". 2CD set features 9 more bonus tracks – including "Tube", "Money B", "All Guitars", "Summertime Blues (12" mix)", "Portugal", "Wind", and "Continuity". CD

A deep dive into the work of pianist Raymond Fol as a leader – material that includes a number of rare broadcast tracks, and a handful of records that have Fol in the spotlight – something that didn't happen all that much, even though Raymond played on dozens of important sessions for other musicians on the French scene! The set begins with Fol's initial four track EP for Columbia, a trio date that's followed by more live recordings in Paris – then steps into an assortment of unusual dates from the late 50s – including two tracks with singer Annie Fratellini, three with trumpeter Nonzio Rotondo and tenorist Enzo Scoppa, and more trio recordings as well. CD2 features rare broadcast material from the 60s – including one title with Donald Byrd on trumpet, and six more with a septet that also includes Ivan Jullien and Roger Guerin on trumpets! The package has copious notes on Fol and his contribution to the postwar scene in Paris – and the 2CD collection features a massive 38 tracks in all, with titles that include "Hush", "Melancholia", "Scandinavian", "Lazy Lady Daisy", "John's Groove", "Tune Up", "Circeo", "Thrilling", "Oh My Lord", "Out Of Art", "Where Is Salvador", and "Little Niles". CD

A rare batch of funky soul on the notorious Guinness label – the same company that gave the world the two fantastic albums by Newban – and somehow also managed to issue this gem of a set too! The vibe is similar to Newban – well-crafted upbeat soul that isn't really disco, but isn't hard funk either – instead this really unique hybrid of modes that moves along at a mighty nice clip – while tight, fast guitar really carves out most of the groove – but is matched by some great basslines and drums, and topped by horns that really warm things up alongside the vocals! There's a soaring, positive vibe to the whole record – energy that really belies the fact that the set hardly got any circulation at the time – almost as if the group were poising themselves to be huge. Titles include "Love Love Love", "Hold On", "Can You Feel It", "All In Time", "Fine Lady", and "Smoke Up". CD

These are the same style we use for our 45s here at Dusty Groove! The sleeves measure 7.5" x 7.25", with no flap – and are perfect for protecting those rare ol' 45s! Record Care

A fantastic Serge Gainsbourg album – and the BB initials in the title belong to Brigitte Bardot! This rare gem from 1968 is a second set of tracks that Serge cut with Brigitte Bardot – and it's a doozy! The record repeats a few tracks from their other effort (Bonnie & Clyde) – but it's also got some incredible cuts that are exclusive to this album, and which have that stone funky groove that makes the best late 60s work of Serge so in-demand these days! The best tracks include "Mustang", "Initials BB", and "Black And White" – all of which have incredible funky intros that are totally sampleable – and the set also includes "Bonnie & Clyde", "Qui Est In Qui Est Out", "Marilu", "Shu Ba Du Ba La Loo Ba", "Hold Up", "Torrey Canyon", "Dr Jeckyll et Monsieur Hyde", "Comic Strip", and "Bloody Jack". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the first great R&B artists on the New Orleans scene in the 50s – and one who never got the same sort of fame as some of his contemporaries! Yet that doesn't stop Paul Gayten from being one of the greats – as you'll hear on this excellent collection that brings together a range of rare material originally issued only as singles – for the Checker and Argo labels, and for the smaller Anna label as well. The groove is prime Crescent City at the time – with Gayten on piano and vocals, and work by players who include Alvin Red Tyler on baritone and Earl Palmer on drums. Some tunes are vocals, some instrumentals – and titles include "Windy", "Get It", "Tickle Toe", "For You My Love", "The Sweeper", "Nervous Boogie", "Hot Cross Buns", and "The Hunch". CD features three bonus tracks – "Driving Home Part 2", "Right To Love You", and "Flat Foot Sam". CD