An excellent album by Dexter Gordon – his first after a number of years spent without recording in the late 50s, and one that marked a real return to serious growth as a player during the 60s! The album takes the same approach as Dexter's soon to be recorded Blue Note classics – putting the tenorman in the company of some excellent sidemen – but the group's a bit larger too, with added horns from Richard Boon on trombone and Martin Banks on trumpet – in addition to rhythm from the trio of Dolo Coker on piano, Charles Green on bass, and Lawrence Marable on drums. There's some nice head arrangements that open up to some well-crafted tenor lines from Dex – and the set's got an extra-special feature in that it was produced by Cannonball Adderly as part of his "overlooked talents" series for Jazzland. Hard to believe that Gordon would qualify for that distinction at the time – especially given his rise a few years later! Titles include "Affair In Havana", "Field Day", "Jodi", "Home Run", and "Dolo". LP, Vinyl record album

Another great double release from the Muse vaults – both of which showcase Newman on a variety of reeds plus flute. Resurgence features a great group including Cedar Walton, Ted Dunbar, Marcus Belgrave, Buster Williams, and Louis Hayes. Still Hard Times features Howard Johnson on baritone, Charlie Miller on trumpet, Larry Willis on piano, and Steve Nelson on vibes! CD

A tight recent set from 70s soul jazz legend Carlos Garnett – blowing strong and soulfully, in a series of different groups that includes pianist Carl Holmes, plus work on bass by either Brad Jones and Steve Neil, and drums by Taru Alexander or Shingo Okudaira. Percussionist Neil Clarke rounds out the set – and the album includes a nice version of "Maiden Voyage", plus "Soul Eyes", "Panamoon", and "Dawid". CD

With Lafayette Harris Jr on piano and Hammond B3 organ. CD

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A great look at a format that was very near and dear to our hearts back in the day – especially in the pre-digital world, when the cassette tape was the easiest way to circulate music! As you can guess from the title, the author takes this topic and really runs with it – showing how the birth of the tape, home recording, and easy audio transfer allowed for the growth and circulation of lots of different music. The book is well-written, and has a vibe that really makes these years come alive – and the story doesn't stop with tapes and their use in the 21st Century, as the book traces the format well into the 21st Century – where cassettes have had a surprisingly durable resurgence. Softcover, 216 pages. Book

Great material from Dylan's late career resurgence including some live tracks and a well curated set of outtakes from the sessions for Oh Mercy, Time Out Of Mind, and Modern Times. CD

Benchmark 80s electro – and also part of the blueprint for the sound of west coast hip hop – the groundbreaking work of Arabian Prince! Perhaps one of the most overlooked innovators of the west coast scene, Arabian Prince played an integral role in shaping the LA hip-hop sound, from the early electro days of Uncle Jam's Army to the gangster rap explosion of the late 80s. With the current electro resurgence in full swing, now is prime time to look back at his contributions, which sound just as fresh today as the day it was made. 10 tracks total spanning from '84 to '89, including solo tracks "Strange Life" & "It Ain't Tough", a few tracks with The Shieks including "Innovator" & "Situation Hot", and production work for others like Professor X, plus the NWA classic "Panic Zone". 2 bonus tracks for the CD: "Simple Planet" and "Beatdabeat". CD

One of the great lost 70s sides on the Xanadu label – and a nice set of bop material from west coast pianist Dolo Coker. Coker had a brief resurgence in the mid 70s, thanks to records like this, and he's grouped nicely with Harold Land on tenor, Blue Mitchell on trumpet, Leroy Vinnegar on bass, and Frank Butler on drums. The tracks are long, with a distinct focus on Coker's hard-handed piano style. Titles include "Smack Up", "Dolo", "Affair In Havana", and "Field Day". LP, Vinyl record album

Great material from Dylan's late career resurgence including some live tracks and a well curated set of outtakes from the sessions for Oh Mercy, Time Out Of Mind, and Modern Times. CD

Chicago's way up north, but it has had a surprising influence on the growth of country music over the past century or so – from early radio broadcasts that provided the inspiration for Nashville's Grand Ol Opry, and a training ground for huge early stars of the 78rpm generation – to a home for southern emigres in the postwar years, a huge folk scene in the 60s and 70s, and a big resurgence of alt-country energy over the past few decades! Author Mark Guarino chronicles that oft-forgot history here in wonderful detail – bringing more to our attention than we even knew, even as Chicago lifers – all laid out in wonderful detail, but with a narrative flow that really makes the history come alive. The heavy hardcover book is 524 pages in length, with copious notes, and a few sections of black and white photographs inside. Book

The resurgence of one of the most groundbreaking periods in recent groove history – the almost-forgotten post-punk years in England, a time of incredible musical convergence! In the heady days of the early 80s – a time when much music was being lost under a gloss of big hair, tinny keyboards, and wispy vocals – a small underground of British musicians were bringing together bits of funk, punk, disco, reggae, and 70s electronica – crafting dark and funky little tunes the likes of which we've barely heard since! A number of these groups went onto do much larger (and weaker) recordings – but this package brilliantly documents the edgy brilliance at the beginning of the post punk years: a nihilistic horizon on the other end of punk – no longer angry, caustic, and shouting, on one hand with the wind knocked out of its apparent sails, on the other, slowly fomenting in secret places, coming up with music far more powerful than punk ever was. And for some strange reason, much of it was pretty darn funky – thanks to a heavy use of simple electric bass, scattershot (sometimes primitive) drum parts, and nice electronic touches, almost in an inverse to American electro. The music more than speaks for itself – and the set's as classic a batch of tunes from the time as we'd ever heard. Titles include "Shack Up" and "Knife Slits Water" by A Certain Ratio, "In The Beginning There Was Rhythm" by The Slits, "20 Jazz Funk Greats" by Throbbing Gristle, "Vegas El Bandito" and "Coup" by 23 Skidoo, "She Is Beyond Good & Evil" by The Pop Group, "Being Boiled" by The Human League, "To Hell With Poverty" by Gang Of Four, and "24 Track Loop" by This Heat. LP, Vinyl record album