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A completely unique slide of work from Dudu Pukwana – a side of the reedman you may never have heard before! Dudu's best known for his work in the Blue Notes – that legendary avant assemblage of South African players – and although he's also recorded in other creative settings, this may well be the first time we've heard him on a soul jazz session – burning brightly with some killer Hammond from organist Bob Stuckey! The combo's tight and right on the money – grooving live at Ronnie Scotts with the feel of some Prestige Records sax/organ group of the mid 60s – a real change for Dudu, but one we really love! Pukwana still puts in lots of unusual edges in his music – some odd tones and unusual shifts that really keep things interesting – especially giving the group's use of mostly original compositions, most by Dudu! Titles include "Jauana's Dream", "Messengers", "Kicks For Sale", "B My Dear", "Moonshine", "Kippie", and "Blessing Light". Plus, the CD features 5 more tracks by a trio that features Stuckey on Hammond and Terry Smith on guitar – "I Feel Pretty", "All Of You", "When I Grow Too Old To Dream", "Bob's Hop", and "Sweet Georgia Brown". CD

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Andres Segovia plays works by Albeniz, JS Bach, Castelnuovo-Tedesco, Chopin, Debussy, Dowland, De Falla, Franck, Frescobaldi, Grieg, Handel, Mendelssohn, Moreno Torroba, Mussorgsky, Paganini, Pedrell, Ponce, Rameau, Rodrigo, Roussel, Scarlatti, Scriabin, Segovia, Sor, Tarrega, Turina, and Villa Lobos. CD

Albert Beltman and Hans Meijdam on alto saxophone, Nils Van Haften on baritone saxophone, Ab Schaap and Toon Roos on tenor saxophone, Hans-Jorg Vink, Ilja Reijngoud, and Martijn Sohier on trombone, Erik Veldkamp, Mike Booth, Peter van Soest, and Ruud Breuls on trumpet, Ack van Rooijen on flugelhorn, John Ruocco on clarinet, Rob Van Bavel on piano, Frans Van Der Hoeven on bass, and Erik Ineke on drums. CD

A rare 80s set from Astrud Gilberto – cut at a time when she was hardly doing any new recording at all! As you'll guess from the title, the album has Gilberto teaming up with German groovemaker James Last – who handles all the orchestrations for the record, and shows a surprising sensitivity towards Astrud's bossa styles in his music. Last can sometimes be a bit over the top, but he's quite subtle here – leaving lots of room for Gilberto's sweetly sensitive vocals, and the music of her core combo, which features Romero Lubambo on guitar and Dudu Da Fonseca on percussion. Paulo Jobim guests on vocals and guitar on a few tracks – and titles include "Agua De Beber", "Champagne & Caviar", "Samba Do Soho", and "Saci". LP, Vinyl record album

Tremendous American recordings from British tenorist Tubby Hayes with Clark Terry on trumpet, Horace Parlan on piano, George Duvivier on bass, Dave Bailey on drums, and Eddie Costa on vibraphone – presented here in a CD that features four previously-unreleased titles that include "Soho Soul", "Simple Waltz", "Half A Sawbuck", and "You're My Everything". CD

We've gotta hand it to pianist Roberto Olzer – a player who can combine references from classical music and more straightforward jazz trio modes – all at a level that's very different than earlier work from players like Jacques Loussier and Eugen Cicero, who worked in similar territory! Olzer is clearly a jazz musician first, and the tunes here are often his own, and have a great sense of open, fluid energy – but he's also clearly a master of the keyboard, and can manage to swing the odd tune from Chopin, Purcell, and Mendelssohn – which are included here nexst to the original material! The trio features stunning work on bass from Yuri Goloubev and drums from Mauro Beggio – and titles include "Milano Rain", "Notturno", "Andante Con Moto", "Images", "Touchdown", "Dido's Lament", and "Eveline". LP, Vinyl record album

Some of the best material ever recorded by singer Jimmy Scott – presented as a lovely 3 disc package with copious notes, and a lot of bonus material too! The bulk of the sides were cut during the earliest years of Jimmy's career – from 1952 to 1960, all with great small group, jazz-based backing – very nicely handled by the folks at Savoy Records – with just the right sort of pitch to work well with Scott's unique voice. There's a lot of unreleased cuts from these sessions – which makes the package essential even if you own the records – and titles include "If You Only Knew", "If I Ever Lost You", "Once", "What Good Would It Be", "I'll Never Deceive You", "Please Forgive Me", "Guilty", "Anytime Anyday Anywhere", and "The Talk Of The Town". The set then ends with the full album Can't We Begin Again, from Jimmy's "lost" period in 1975 – ne of the most obscure albums we've ever seen from Scott – and that's saying a lot, given how obscure most of his career was before his relatively recent revival! This session – billed in the notes as his "umpteenth comeback" – was recorded in Chicago in 1975, but has a feel that's in keeping with some of Jimmy's more traditional work from earlier years. The set was done by producer Fred Mendelsohn, who'd recorded some of Jimmy's earlier work – and features backings by pianist Ace Carter, plus additional string arrangements from Alex Hamilton. Jimmy's voice is actually a bit less fragile and somewhat deeper than usual – possibly even more confident – and the "jazz with strings" format brings a full feel to the session, but one that never dominates the vocals. Titles include "The More I See You", "I'll Be Around", "Anchored By My Side", "You've Changed", "Can't We Begin Again", "Close Your Eyes", and "What Are You Doing The Rest Of Your Life". Box features 66 tracks in all! CD

Slammin Hammond from Trio Valore – a really old school combo with a sweet mix of mod and funky rhythms! The group features heavy drums from Steve White – with a groove that stretches back to his many years on the hip side of the UK scene – and remaining trio members include Damon Minchella on guitar and Seamus Beaghen on Hammond – both players who more than keep up with White's hard-hitting approach, and really make the set cook up strongly throughout! A number of cuts are covers, but there's also some great originals too – and the whole thing has the feel of a hip 60s set in a small Soho club – but filtered through a generation that also understands funk as well. Titles include "Rehab", "Hola Muneca", "Fuoco", "Hip Hug Her", "Anxious Mo Fo", "All About My Girl", "Return Of The Iron Monkey", "Dam Square", and "Miracolo". LP, Vinyl record album

A real revelation from pianist Cedar Walton – an unusual electric album from the 70s – quite a surprise, given the mostly-acoustic sound of most of Cedar's other records! The album's a killer, though – and has this fresh, full take on funky jazz for the time – not the usual CTI copycat mode, and instead this compelling hybrid of elements that includes lots of Fender Rhodes from Walton, sweet guitar likes from Ryo Kawasaki, and lots of rootsy percussion from Ray Mantilla and Omar Clay – two players who really make the album nice and earthy at the bottom. The rest of the group is wonderful, too – and includes tenor from Frank Foster, alto and baritone from Charles Davis, and trumpet from Roy Burrowes – all fresh players who open up a big can of soul for the set – on titles that include a classic break version of "Off Minor", plus "Blue Trane", "Soho", and "Road Island Red". LP, Vinyl record album

Music by Schubert, Schumann, Mendelssohn, Wolf, Loewe, and Strauss CD

Totally groovy work from the legendary Piero Piccioni – a score for an obscure "mondo" documentary about the sad state of culture in late 60s England! The score is probably best known for its very funky "Black Flower" theme – but it's filled with loads of other really wonderful cuts that mix jazzy moments, mod rhythms, and the best late 60s Italian film instrumentation – all in a blend that makes this soundtrack every bit as great as the better-known Fumo Di Londra! And if you don't know that one, it's one of Piccioni's best from the late 60s – a perfect blend of his roots in jazz, his love of bossa rhythms, and his key role in all things groovy that were happening in Italian film in the late 60s. There's plenty of "party" tracks here – "Party Music" and "Drug Party" tracks – plus others titled "Country Mood", "Night Club", "Soho", "Country Shake", "Endless Love", and "Organ Shake". CD

The music scene in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, is one that's had an undeniable impact on cultural activity in recent decades – yet it's also one of those scenes that initially happened without most folks taking place – that is, it was a real artist and musician's scene, and not the kind that was easily open to outsiders until many years later! In this really well-done book, Cisco Bradley (who also gave us a great volume on William Parker) digs deep into the earliest days of the Williamsburg scene – that late 80s moment when Manhattan and other spots had become too expensive for the truly creative – and the other side of the East River emerged as a great place to move, live, and continue to make music. Bradley really gets at the criss-crossing elements of the scene at the time – and follows it well into the 21st Century, to a time when the changing real estate market in Brooklyn, and subsequent zoning changes, started to give Williamsburg the same creative fate as Soho, the East Village, and other important New York scenes in previous decades. Different initial chapters look at key spaces as forces – warehouses and lofts, clubs and galleries, and even pirate radio – and later chapters look at the larger forces causing change in the 21st Century. A really hefty book, as well-researched as it is well-written – 388 pages, softcover, with some black and white images. Book

Led by Big Boy Dansoh. LP, Vinyl record album

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The album's got lots of nice jazz fusiony tracks, blended with the nice R&B tip that the band usually has. Titles include "Love In the Dark", "Soho", "One Step To A Miracle", "Smile", and their great cover of "Always There". CD

A seminal set from Linton Kwesi Johnson – the kind of well-done early 80s set that had the UK scene showing the Jamaican one how to take some of its best elements and move forward – as the words and knowledge of Linton come into play with heady backings from Dennis Bovell and The Dub Band! Production is relatively straightforward – handled by the pair together, and using the best bassy elements of Bovell's music, while not getting in the way of the messages in Johnson's words – which are many, and very smartly focused at key targets of the time! Titles include "Making History", "Di Great Insohreckshan", "Wat About Di Workin Class","Reggae Fi Radni", "Reggae Fi Dada", "New Craas Massahkah", and "Di Eagle An Di Bear". CD

Way more than just the usual collection of famous British TV themes from the 60s – as this set offers up some great rare nuggets, unusual versions, and some obscure tracks that are all pretty darn fresh to our American years! As you well know if you're a fan of anything pop culture from this generation, British TV was way hipper than most of the American small screen in the 60s – from the stories, to the settings, to the wonderfully cool themes and backing music that supported the show – often a cool hybrid of postwar Soho jazz modes and lots of the best soundtrack/sound library styles that were evolving in the hands of an elite few on the London scene. Some of the best and grooviest of that generation are presented here – in an overstuffed collection that includes "Gurney Slade" by Max Harris, "Danger Man" by Red Price Combo, "The Avenger" by Johnny Dankworth, "Tuesday Rendezvous" by Bert Weedon, "Face To Face" by Frank Chacksfield, "Comedy Playhouse" by Ron Grainer, "What The Papers Say" by London Philharmonic, "Monty Python's Flying Circus" by Eastman Wind Ensemble, "The Saint" by Les Reed, "Fireball" by Don Spencer, "Z Cars" by Johnny Keating, and a number of tracks from The Prisoner too! CD

Music from Riton, Morgan Geist, Black Strobe, Meitz, J Rawls, Jazzanova, Ursula Rucker. Ame, Ayro, Soha, John Tejada, Atjazz & Jaydee. CD

A nice little album – despite what might be a gimmicky concept! The set offers up Latin versions of Jewish tunes – but even that's not much of a gimmick, when you consider how important the Jewish audiences were to the growth of Latin music in the New York in the 50s and 60s. From DJs like Symphony Sid, to vacationers at the Catskills, to dancers in classes at Arthur Murray on Long Island or the Palladium in Manhattan, the Jewish audiences were some of the strongest for the New York Latin acts – and it's no surprise that you get albums like this cropping up to address the situation! Calle's group is a fine Latin jazz ensemble, and they've got a clarinet in the mix on a few tracks, snaking away in an almost klezmer-like fashion over the piano/percussion grooves of the album. Players include a rock-solid batch of Latin and jazz musicians – including Charlie Palmieri on piano, Ray Barretto on congas, Willie Rodriguez on timbales, Clark Terry on trumpet, and Doc Cheatham on trumpet – plus John Cali on lute – the real name of Juan Calle, who also did all the arrangements. Ed Powell sings a bit of vocals, but most of the action here is instrumental – and very much in the best Riverside Latin mode of the time, but with a Jewish twist! Titles include "Papirossen", "Beltz Mein Shetele Betlz", "Die Greene Koseene", "Frilach A Nacht", and "Yossel Yossel". CD

Seminal instrumental rock from Deuter – from folksy melodies even more earthbound with naturalistic sound effects to moodier minimalism! There's a post psychedelic trance enducing groove to quite a bit of Aum, but regional global folk bits balance it out very nicely. Includes "Phoenix", "Aum", "Soham", "Offener Himmel II", "Sattwa", "Soma", "Surat Shabda", "Abraxas", "Susani" and "The Key". LP, Vinyl record album

Solo piano album – titles include "Melodius Thunk", "A Flat In Soho", "Pills For Nils", "Stella By Starlight", and Chick Corea's "Windows". CD

Violinist Arturo Delmoni performs music by Kreisler, Brahms, Sarasate, Massenet, Tartini, Gluck, Mendelssohn, and Dvorak. CD

A beautiful little compilation – one of those gems that comes along, and really reminds us that there's a real art to putting some tracks together! In a package that's kind of a follow-up to their excellent Songs For Mario's Cafe, St Etienne pay tribute to the sound of Soho pubs in years past – blending together obscure mod grooves, soul tunes, and unusual British bits – a good deal of which we've never heard before, but which all seem to make some sort of wonderful sense in the company of each other! Think of this one as the experience you might have on a rainy night in London – taking shelter in the warmth of some back alley bar in the west end, then staying way past lockup because the music the jukebox has been surprisingly great – the kind of tunes you've never really heard before, especially in this sort of combination – always a surprise as each new number comes into play. Genius, pure genius – with 25 cuts that include "Lay This Burden Down" by Mary Love, "I Can't Get Through" by Bill Oddie, "Rock N Bones" by Elroy Dietzel & The Rhythm Bandits, "Walkin Through A Cemetery" by Claudine Clark, "Hi Flutin Boogie" by John Scott, "Davy O'Brien" by Duffy Power, "Flight 2" by Angelo & Eighteen, "Good Time Coming" by Mustard, "Varee Is Love" by The Ohio Players, "Driver's Seat" by Sniff N The Tears, "Hand Clapping Time" by Gino with Johnny Greek, "Pinball" by Brian Protheroe, "Smoke Rings" by Les Paul & Mary Fod, "Lost" by The Darlettes, "I Was Born To Love You" by Herbert Hunter, "The EMI Song" by Alex Chilton, and "Sweep It Out In The Shed" by Little Ann. CD

These guys hardly need to get a grip, and they're also not graced with idle hands either – as the record flows with magical energy right from the start – served up by an array of all-star players you're likely to know from other great releases on the Posi-tone label! The record has all the best aspects of solo work by members from the group – including key use of their own original compositions – work from a lineup that includes Will Bernard on guitar, Behn Gillece on vibes, Donny McKaslin on tenor, Art Hirahara on piano, Boris Kozlov on bass, and EJ Strickland on drums! The combination of vibes and guitar is especially nice – much sharper than you'd expect, in part because the tenor of McCaslin keeps urging them onward – and titles include "Memphis Redux", "Presence", "Tomorrow Blues", "Show Of Hands", "Soho Down", and "Dream Of Life". CD

A treasure trove of greatness from British folk rock legend John Renbourn – all of his late 60s solo work, done before moving on to greater fame in Pentangle! First up is There You Go – a rare one from singer Dorris Henderson and future Pentangle founder John Rensbourn! Florida born, LA raised singer Dorris Henderson moved to London in 1965 and was soon singing London's folk clubs, where she met Rensbourn. A solid mix of traditionals and then contemporary folk songs – stripped down and honest takes on "Saly Free And Easy", "Cotton Eyed Joe", "Mr Tamborine Man", "Going To Memphis", Something Lonesome", "Mist On The Mountain" and more. This edition includes bonus tracks from a rare 45 – "Hangman" and "Leaves That Are Green". Next is the self-titled John Renbourn from 1965 – a set that would not only establish John's legacy for years to come, but also have a very strong impact upon the role of the guitar on the British scene too! The album's definitely in a mode that owes something to an American folk legacy – but it also really breaks from the past with unusual phrasings and colorings in Renbourn's guitar – certainly with an ear towards ancient English modes, but also at once very fresh and contemporary – a strong precursor to the waves of new acoustic talents that would flow from the UK a few years later, but maybe even more revolutionary – given that John's mostly just working here with his guitar and voice. Bert Jansch adds guitar to a few tracks – and titles include "Song", "Down On The Barge", "Plainsong", "Judy", "Beth's Blues", "Blue Bones", "Train Tune", "Winter Is Gone", and "Noah & Rabbit". Bert & John is a hell of a collaboration between British legends Bert Jansch and John Renbourn – both working here together to completely redefine the sound of their music for the generation to come! This one album may well hold all the sense of subtle power and possibility that was about to flower in the Brit movement often known as "acid folk" – that reworking of older aesthetics with modern conceptions, and doing so mostly with their work on acoustic guitar – quite a feat, given the stripped-down instrumentation of the set! Bert sings a bit – in that incredible style of his – but the real attraction here is the guitar interplay, which is always fresh, never hokey, neither familiar American folk nor forced singer-songwriter backup material. Titles include a wonderful reworking of Charles Mingus' "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat" – plus "Red's Favourite", "Orlando", "Soho", "Piano Tune", "East Wind", "After The Dance", and "The Time Has Come". Another Monday is maybe the most obscure album in the collection – a set that is mostly instrumental, with some completely fantastic work by Renbourn on guitar – but which also features a bit of guest vocals from singer Jacqui McShee – whose warmer presence next to John really makes for a nice pairing. The album's as powerful as it is subtle, really beautiful in its sense of variety – with titles that include "Buffalo", "One For William", "Lost Lover Blues", "Another Monday", "Day At The Seaside", "Nobody's Fault But Mine", and "Waltz". Watch The Stars is another great collaboration with Dorris Henderson – an American singer, but one who moved to London in the 60s – where she cut this rare gem with guitarist John Renbourn! The album's got a righteous vibe that's hipper than the usual folk set – with some traditional tunes and some contemporary material – recorded with that amazing phrasing that made Renbourn's guitar so distinct right from the start, with lots of those jazzy currents we love so much – and which really fit the creative vocal approach of Henderson! Dorris also plays some autoharp, and there's a bit of bass in the backings – although overall the main focus here is on Renbourn's guitar and Henderson's vocals. Titles include "Come Up Horsey", "God Bless The Child", "Watch The Stars", "30 Days In Jail", "Mosaic Patterns", "Tomorrow Is A Long Time", and "There's Anger In This Land". Sir John A Lot Of is perhaps one of the best-known albums from British guitar legend John Renbourn – as it was issued widely in the US, and kept in print for a surprisingly long time over the years! The approach here is slightly different than Renbourn's previous records – a bit in the image presented by the cover, although with maybe not as slavish a sound – as John just uses the whole thing to go a bit more ancient than before, in ways that echo the time travel that the whole British folk scene was taking as the 70s approached. The tunes are done in ways that are really beautiful – still lots of the incredible guitar work that made Renbourn such a standout on the scene – plus flute from jazzman Ray Warleigh, who's very different here than usual – and spare use of finger cymbals, African drums, and glockenspiel by Terry Cox. Titles include "Morgana", "Transfusion", "The Trees They Do Grow High", "Sweet Potato", "Seven Up", and "White Fishes". 6CD box features all records in original artwork sleeves, with a booklet of notes – and bonus tracks that include "Message To Pretty", "The Waggoner's Lad", "Lucky Thirteen", "Blues Run The Game", "The Wildest Pig In Captivity (alt)", "Can't Keep From Crying", "Transfusion (alt)", and "The Leaves Are Green". CD