... CD

A new kind of love, and a new kind of groove from Ghost Funk Orchestra – one that's deeper than ever before, even though the group is really just the efforts of producer/instrumentalist Seth Applebaum! Yet this time around, he's also got some great female vocals at a few points – bringing a soulful focus to the energy that spins out at other points in a more instrumental mode – funky but moody at the same time, with a richness in sonic territory that takes the whole thing way past the early funky 45s that first bore the Ghost Funk name. Titles include "A Song For Pearl", "Bluebell", "Rooted", "Quiet Places", "Scatter", "Why", Your Man's No Good", and "A New Kind Of Love (parts 1 & 2)". LP, Vinyl record album

Hard to go wrong with a set like this – because in our opinion, just about every track recorded by Fela is a "best" – which makes the collection a massive batch of goodness all the way through! Every track here is presented in its original extended version – a dozen massive slices of Afro Funk, which packaged together equal the equivalent of at least 5 or 6 separate albums by Fela – another factor that makes the collection a great one! The 2CD set is filled with gems that helped redefine the sound of funk, soul, and world music back in the 70s – titles that include "Monkey Banana", "Everything Scatter", "Expensive Sh*t", "Trouble Sleep Yanga Wake Am", "Underground System (part 2)", "Sorry Tears & Blood", "Colonial Mentality", "Yellow Fever", "He Miss Road", "Black Man's Cry", "Mr Follow Follow", and "Na Poi". Also features a bonus DVD – with Fela's 1984 performance at the Glastonbury Festival, and an interview too! CD

A killer, and one of three live sides that Hammond organ genius Brother Jack McDuff cut for Prestige during the 60s – a monster session of stretched-out jazzy grooves, with many fine little dancers, and a raw soulful feel throughout! The group's one of Jack's best – as Red Holloway's tenor blows and hollers over the fingerpoppin' grooves delivered by a young George Benson on his first major guitar gig – and the soulful drums of Joe Dukes scatter across the place, taking the whole band into some incredible rhythms! Titles include cookin' live versions of "Rock Candy", "Sanctified Samba", "Undecided", and "A Real Goodun'". LP, Vinyl record album

A classic Blue Note groover – the funkiest album by Duke Pearson, and a killer batch of piano-heavy soul jazz tunes! Duke really blew out the box for this one – not only coming up with a great batch of original tunes, and playing them with an incredibly soulful touch – but also working with a top-shelf batch of players that includes Freddie Hubbard, Joe Henderson, and James Spaulding! The great Mickey Roker is on drums, playing away with a nice scatter-shot modal mode that grooves in all the right parts – and titles include "Big Bertha", "Sweet Honey Bee", "Sudel", "Ready Rudy?", and "Empathy". CD

Glen Brown's often the producer here – helming the decks on a host of classic cuts from the early 70s – but he also emerges as the main character too, at times when he steps to the mic and adds in a bit of encouragement to the proceedings! Brown's not really working in deejay mode – he's more in the background on most cuts, but then gets to shine as the lead artist on some of the later tracks in the package – especially the numbers that feature Glen on melodica, blowing the sweet keyboard with a spacious style that's a bit like Augustus Pablo! Titles include "Get Up" by Ron Wilson, "Scatter Light Rock" by Ron Wilson & Lennox Brown, "Dirty Harry" by Tommy McCook & Richard Hall, "Determination Skank" by Tommy McCook & Glen Brown, "Mr Ball Head Aitken" by Bobby Aitken, and the Glen Brown cuts "No More Slavery", "Crisp As A Ball", "Pantomine Rock", "The Winner", "Mitchville Rock", and "School Call". LP, Vinyl record album

The tenor of the times is in the title of this one – as "Riot" is a darker number than some of Hugh's other hits, but no less funky, with a brace of trumpets blaring over the top, and chunky beats that have that great scatter shot sound of his Uni work! "Mace" is a brilliant tune too – slowly exploding, with a bit of vocals, and heavenly trumpet that really makes the cut sparkle! 7-inch, Vinyl record

Two classic greasy grooves – hot off the grill from chef Jack McDuff! Hot Barbeque is one of our favorite all-time Jack McDuff albums, and one that features his classic quartet in totally amazing form. George Benson's wailing on guitar, and proving that he was a genius, even at this tender young age (and in fact, maybe only at this age!), Red Holloway's on tenor, and the amazing Joe Dukes' is skipping away on drums, dancing all over the place under Brother Jack's great groovy solos. With the short vocal ditty that comprises the title cut, plus other long groovers including "The Party's Over", "Happy Dip", and "Cry Me A River". All this, and the cover's got a great photo of Jack chompin' on a slab of ribs! The other half of this CD is one of three live sides McDuff cut, all with similar covers, but this one's got the red and orange lettering. Red Holloway blows and hollers over the fingerpoppin' grooves delivered by a young George Benson on his first major gig, and the soulful drums of Joe Dukes. Features cookin' live versions of "Rock Candy", "Sanctified Samba" and "A Real Goodun'". Jack McDuff Live is a killer, and one of three live sides McDuff cut for Prestige during the 60s – a monster session of stretched-out jazzy grooves, with many fine little dancers, and a raw soulful feel throughout! The group's one of Jack's best – as Red Holloway's tenor blows and hollers over the fingerpoppin' grooves delivered by a young George Benson on his first major guitar gig – and the soulful drums of Joe Dukes scatter across the place, taking the whole band into some incredible rhythms! Titles include cookin' live versions of "Rock Candy", "Sanctified Samba", "Undecided", and "A Real Goodun'". CD

A classic Blue Note groover – the funkiest album by Duke Pearson, and a killer batch of piano-heavy soul jazz tunes! Duke really blew out the box for this one – not only coming up with a great batch of original tunes, and playing them with an incredibly soulful touch – but also working with a top-shelf batch of players that includes Freddie Hubbard, Joe Henderson, and James Spaulding! The great Mickey Roker is on drums, playing away with a nice scatter-shot modal mode that grooves in all the right parts – and titles include "Big Bertha", "Sweet Honey Bee", "Sudel", "Ready Rudy?", and "Empathy". CD

... Cassette

... LP, Vinyl record album

A legendary album from the great Gene Clark – a key part of that scattered legacy that really helped cement his individual genius after leaving The Byrds! Much of the record is a spare and intimate affair – with Gene's warm vocals accompanied by his own gently picked acoustic guitar, along with producer Jesse Ed Davis (who does a masterful job in the booth on this one) also on guitar. The tunes are also sweetened by waltzy basslines, and Byrds-y keyboard riffs by Ben Sidran, but Gene's wonderful vocals and his amazingly strong songwriting are obviously the biggest draws – not standard country or roots rock, and instead delivered with a sense of sophistication that's almost a genre unto itself. Titles include the amazing "For A Spanish Guitar" – plus "The Virgin", "With Tomorrow", "White Light", "Where My Love Lies Asleep", "1975", and a great reading of The Band & Bob Dylan's "Tears Of Rage". LP, Vinyl record album

An excellent double-length album that brings together a full session of material by John Coltrane – titles that were initially scattered over a number of different albums, but finally brought back together for this package! The album features Coltrane blowing in a quintet with trumpeter Wilbur Harden – making the set a nice counterpart to the Harden/Coltrane work at Savoy – but done here in a style that's more fully spacious, in keeping with Trane's Prestige work as a leader. Rhythm is by the trio of Red Garland on piano, Paul Chambers on bass, and Jimmy Cobb on drums – and tracks were originally issued on the albums Stardust, Standard Coltrane, and Bahia. 8 titles in all – including "I'll Get By", "Don't Take Your Love From Me", "Stardust", "Invitation", "Love Thy Neighbor", and "My Ideal". LP, Vinyl record album

Cosmic jazzy goodness from a hip French group – one who are awash in keyboards throughout, while changing up their rhythms nicely! There's no set groove to the record, but the set's also not scattered either – as the whole thing almost feels like a rhythmic evolution through space, unified through the mix of keyboards from Victor Dijoud over grooves from Leo Puccio – with strong guest contributions on flute, saxes, guitar, and Fender Rhodes from other French musicians! All tracks are instrumental, which furthers the future fusion sound – and titles include "Shyance", "Yubaba", "No I Can't Be Free", "Can You Plug My SM58 Tonight", "Crush", and "La Couenne Rance". LP, Vinyl record album

Never-heard music from guitarist Calvin Keys – recorded in a number of different settings over the past decade or two, and issued here together to make for one of his most satisfying records in years! While we've liked the Wide Hive material Keys has recorded during his comeback, we're even more stunned by these tracks – as they've got an even more solid jazz basis overall – as Calvin plays in modes that run from group performances with varied artists who include pianist Elmer Gibson, tenorist Dawan Muhammad, and flute player Art Maxwell – to one solo number that shows an especially beautiful side of Key's music! The whole thing's put together wonderfully – not a scattered batch of tracks, but a record with a surprisingly unified feel – in the manner of the other excellent work we love on this label – and titles include "Emily", "The Last One To Be Loved", "Seems To Be", "Dolphin Dance"," Blues For Ahmed", and "Satchmo's Song". CD

Madlib's reworked, re-imagined and remixes of the mighty Madvillainy LP! The original album is arguably one of the greatest Stones Throw album ever, held up by many as one of the best indie hip hop albums of its decade if not all time – so Madlib is wise to take a freewheeling, fairly loose approach to this revisit. It's not so much a straight up remix album as it is a wild, unpredictable mash up of scattered Doom vocals from the classic LP with gritty, funky beats from Madlib's crates. It's definitely got an underground feel to it, and by no means a track for track remix effort – the vocals and some of the beats are familiar, but for the most part the dusty deck of beats are completely reshuffled – not as murky and ominously moody as the original album, and recast with an underground hip hop funk feel. Includes "Pow (Intro)", "No Brain", "Pearls", "Light Of The Press", "Boulder Holder", "Borrowed Time", "Costa2Coast", "Draino", "Bejezus", ""Monkey Suit", "Can't Reform M", "Running Around", "Never Go Pop", "The Cold One" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

A classic full length set from Verve Records – one of those key late 50s albums that helped piece together the scattered legacy of Charlie Parker for the label! This set has a focus on small combo work from Bird – all quartet sessions, captured by Verve with a crispness that really shows his maturing early 50s style at its best, and with a few alternates of some tracks, which also illustrate that way that Parker could effortlessly change a solo from recording to recording! The group features Al Haig on piano, Percy Heath on bass, and Max Roach on drums – and titles include "Kim", "Cosmic Rays", "Laird Baird", "Chi Chi", and "Confirmation". LP, Vinyl record album

A bold step forward for the Rascals – and a record that really has them taking some great chances with their music! There's a definite psychedelic influence in the mix, but the sound is also more ambitious too – not just a scattering of elements borrowed from their contemporaries, but a real effort to find a new place for their music – with some wonderful results! The great Arif Mardin is firmly teamed with the group here on arrangements – filling in the rough ideas of the tunes with some near-perfect backings – and the vocals themselves have a quality that's much more deeply personal than before – moving past the simple soul themes of earlier years. Titles include "Silly Girl", "My World", "Easy Rollin", "Please Love Me", "My Hawaii", "I'm Gonna Love You", "Singin The Blues Too Long", and "Sattva". LP, Vinyl record album

A much-needed collection of the famous Jazz At The Philharmonic performances of the 1950s – work that follows up the initial postwar run from producer/presenter Norman Granz, which helped lay the groundwork for Verve Records – but which hasn't gotten the full exposure it deserves! Unlike the 40s sessions, there's a lot of material here that never made it to CD – including tracks from the multi-record box set releases that included JATP volumes 11, 15, 16, and 17 – plus the Jazz Concert #1 album, Jazz At The Hollywood Bowl, and various Opera House sessions – and even the Lester Young Carnegie Blues record, which appeared later on vinyl! Some unreleased tracks have been added to the set too – and as with Mosaic Records at its best, this is less a reissue package than a proper presentation of material that was scattered out there in various formats – finally presented in the right order, with detailed notes, and really great sound. Artists are the cream of the crop of Verve at the time – Stan Getz, Ella Fitzgerald, Oscar Peterson, Lester Young, Coleman Hawkins, Roy Eldridge, Herb Ellis, Buddy DeFranco, Sonny Stitt, Benny Carter, Lionel Hampton, Gene Krupa, and others – plus some non-Verve artist surprises as well! Very limited, and comes with a huge booklet of notes and performance details too. CD

A huge array of soul tracks from the Mainstream label – an imprint that was probably best known for its jazz work of the early 70s, and as the launching pad for a few key rock groups – but one who also cut some killer soul tracks in the best New York and Philly styles of the period! Mainstream only ever issued most of its soul material as singles – 45s issued on their own label, and under the IX Chains, Brown Dog, and New Moon imprints too – spread out in an array of under-circulated, poorly-distributed releases that never fully got their due at the time – partly because much of the music was years ahead of its time! There's a groove here that reminds us of the hippest sounds from bigger labels – including Philly International or All-Platinum – with a similar blend of sweetness, honest vocal performances, and some top-shelf studio work that gives the lyrics a hell of an instrumental push, but all without ever sounding slick or commercial. The package is a much-needed look at this scattered legacy – and brings together 24 rare cuts that include "These Memories" by Almeta Lattimore, "I'm The One Who Loves You" by JG Lewis, "Come Back (part 1)" by The Fantastic Puzzles, "I Can't Give You Up" by Linda Perry, "It Ain't Like It Used To Be" by Randolph Brown & Company, "No Rebate On Love" by The Dramatics, "You're A Friend Of Mine" by Words Of Wisdom, "Satisfy My Woman" by Calvin Arnold, "Plain Out Of Luck" by Nia Johnson, "We're Not Too Young To Fall In Love" by Jackey Beavers Show, "Let The People Talk" by The Steptones, "To Whom It May Concern" by Ellerine Harding, "It's So Real" by McArthur, "Stop & Think A Minute" by Charles Beverly, and "That's The Way She Is" by Bobby Earl Williams. CD

An incredible performance from one of the greatest saxophonists to ever grace the Japanese scene – a player with a sense of power, tone, and phrasing that rivals avant greats like Albert Ayler, Archie Shepp, or David Murray! Yet Karou Abe is also a player all unto himself – with a style that's completely unique, and often best heard in a setting like this – very open, with Abe stretching out with a sense of spiritual imagination that almost feels years ahead of its time. Abe blows alto on most tracks, but also uses a bit of bass clarinet, and even harmonica on one title – with accompaniment from percussionist Yasukazu Sato on a few titles, but mostly solo throughout. The package brings together 16 long tracks – previously scattered on short run CD releases in the 90s – finally here together. CD

A sublime second solo effort from Syd Barrett – and maybe his most perfectly-formed album ever! There's a sinister balance to the record right from the start – a gentle approach to the offbeat themes that is almost more unsettling than if the matter was undertaken more forcefully – weird little bits just tossed off by Syd as if they're really the ramblings of the madman promised on the cover of his first LP – almost with a deadpan quality that makes the whole thing even more unsettling with repeated listenings! Instrumentation is relatively lean – almost a folksy mix of acoustic guitar, electric, sullen bass, and some haunting keyboards – all as if someone picked apart Pink Floyd, then started to construct a rough sketch from the parts that lay scattered on the floor. The album's had an influence from psych through punk and many years beyond – and titles include "Baby Lemonade", "Gigolo Aunt", "Wolfpack", "Effervescing Elephant", "Winde & Dined", "Rats", and "It Is Obvious". CD

Titles include "You Know What I Mean", "Air Blower", "Scatterbrain", "Cause We've Ended As Lovers", "She's A Woman", and "Freeway Jam". CD

Pianist Satoko Fujii has a really unique touch on the piano here – free lines that are very much in a Cecil Taylor side of the spectrum, but also often handled with a much lighter approach – so that there's these fleeting, scattered sounds that keep exploding from the instrument – matched with all these equally light touches from Mark Dresser on bass and Jim Black on drums! There's definitely a lot of improvisation taking place, but you can also get the sense of a larger structure in Fujii's approach – one that's often painterly, even when abstract – a bit hard to put in words, but very striking throughout. Titles include "Oscillation", "Then I Met You", "The Way To Get There", and "Shake Up & Down". CD

2 of the greatest albums ever by Jack McDuff – back to back on one CD! Soulful Drums of Joe Dukes was originally issued under the name of McDuff's famous mid-60s funky drummer, Joe Dukes – but it's actually a McDuff session, recorded with the classic quartet lineup that includes Red Holloway on tenor and alto, George Benson on guitar, and Dukes on drums. The album's got an incredible sound, with Dukes' unique approach to drums scattering all over the kit, creating these complicated dancing rhythms for the organ, sax, and guitar lineup. The album's filled with excellent groovers, like "Moohah the D.J.", "Soulful Drums", "Greasy Drums", and "My Three Sons" – and the whole thing's great! Equally sublime is the album Hot Barbeque – probably the strongest of all of McDuff's mid 60s albums, with a coherency and a solidness to the playing that you'd have to work hard to find on other organ group sides from the time. Jack's work on the Hammond is incredible, filled with sharp changes and turns that will leave you breathless, and which will soon make him your favorite organist ever. Benson's guitar is incredible, too – filled with energy and intensity, vamping away at a pace and accuracy that's simply inexplicable. Every single cut's a gem – and the album includes the vocal-driven groover "Hot Barbeque", plus "Hippy Dip", "601 1/2 North Poplar", "The Three Day Thang", and "Briar Patch". All That, and the CD also includes the rare bonus track "Redwood City"! CD

One of the most striking Pat Metheny albums of the period – as the set features the guitarist working with an all-star group that actually features 2 horn players! The group's a quintet, with Dewey Redman and Michael Brecker on tenor sax – blowing in open and spacious modes that complement the sound of Metheny's guitar nicely and really give the set a different feel. The rest of the group features Charlie Haden on bass and Jack De Johnette on drums – and the double space of the set is well used on a set of tracks that includes "Two Folk Songs", "The Bat", "Turnaround", "Open", "Pretty Scattered", and "Goin Ahead". LP, Vinyl record album

Although Art Pepper's early work with the Kenton group is always cited as being revolutionary and groundbreaking, it's always been tough to get a handle on because his tracks as a featured soloist are scattered over many different albums. That problem is solved nicely by this collection – as it brings together most of Pepper's best sides with Kenton, recured during the years 1943 to 1951. The set's presented with a handsome cover that has a nice early photo of Pepper (with a moustache!), and full discographical information on all the tracks. Titles include "Viva Prado", "Journey To Brazil", "Harlem Folk Dance", "Sambo", "Dynaflow", and "Art Pepper". CD

The music of Robert Wyatt often comes across with a surprisingly poetic quality – one that finally gets its due here in a well-presented book that mixes words from his songs with images and other writings – most done in collaboration with Wyatt's longtime creative partner Alfie Benge! The book's got much of the appeal of Robert Wyatt album covers and CD booklets over the past few decades – many of which have Benge's contributions too – and the artwork is just in just the right balance next to the words, which are further illuminated by some non-lyrical passages that are a great addition to the book. Hardcover volume is 191 pages, with black and white images scattered throughout! Book

An incredible performance from one of the greatest saxophonists to ever grace the Japanese scene – a player with a sense of power, tone, and phrasing that rivals avant greats like Albert Ayler, Archie Shepp, or David Murray! Yet Karou Abe is also a player all unto himself – with a style that's completely unique, and often best heard in a setting like this – very open, with Abe stretching out with a sense of spiritual imagination that almost feels years ahead of its time. Abe blows alto on most tracks, but also uses a bit of bass clarinet, and even harmonica on one title – with accompaniment from percussionist Yasukazu Sato on a few titles, but mostly solo throughout. The package brings together 16 long tracks – previously scattered on short run CD releases in the 90s – finally here together. CD