Didier Malherbe on tenor and alto saxophone and flute, Phil Miller on guitar and guitar synthesizer, Hugh Hopper on bass, and Pip Pyle on drums. CD

This is no "Genius Of Love" or "Wordy Rappinghood", but it does have that 80s crossover new wave post-Danceteria type sound that we do love. . . 12-inch, Vinyl record

The second album from Too Short, and like the first, a set that firmly established both the Cali scene and the Bay Area as a hotbed of harder-hitting hip hop! And sure, there were countless later gangsta acts that slide into the sorts of cliches that often marred the genre – but back at the start, folks like Too Short, Ice T, and NWA were really exploding with a sense of message that was quite a surprise to anyone whose ears were pointed to the east – really opening the door for countless other scenes to add their two cents – including the big wave that would soon rise from the south. The whole thing still sounds surprisingly fresh all these many years later – and titles include "Life Is Too Short", "I Ain't Trippin", "Nobody Does It Better", "Cuss Words", "City Of Dope", "Don't Fight The Feelin", "Rhymes", and "Pimp The Ho". CD

A mindblowing album from Ahmad Jamal – a fantastic start to the 70s, and a set of music that shows just how far the pianist had come in just a few short years! The album's all acoustic, but has some of that spacious flow that Jamal would bring to his work on Fender Rhodes – with an approach that's even more open in terms of song structure than his earlier trio material – as if Jamal's choosing to omit more notes than he's including – but all with a quality that still keeps the music very full and rhythmic – pulsating with a special sort of energy that's neither Bill Evans, nor McCoy Tyner – but instead this really amazing sound that's all Ahmad's own. The trio features equally wonderful work from Jamil Nasser on bass and Frank Gant on drums – and titles include "The Awakening", "I Love Music", "Patterns", "Wave", and "Dolphin Dance". LP, Vinyl record album

Four great soundtracks from four excellent films that featured the lovely Romy Schneider in the lead! First up is Philippe Sarde's score for La Choses De La Vie – maybe one of our favorite French soundtracks of the late 60s! There's a really special quality to this music – as rich as some of Sarde's other scores, but maybe linked more towards the new wave of subtle expression that came about in French cinema after the nouvelle vague – that quality that you might hear in the music of Francis Lai at his most subtle moments, handled perfectly here. Tracks are relatively short – mostly spare variations on a sad, dreamy little melody that's played in the film as the car of the main character slowly crumbles in an accident – a death that begins the movie, which then tells the story backwards! The tune only features swells of strings and piano, but it's compelling enough to hear in a number of variations here – and mixed with a few other great melodies too, including one song sung by the film's stars Michel Piccoli and Romy Schneider. Next is Sarde's score for Max Et Les Ferrailleurs – an obscure film that also stars Michel Piccoli and Romy Schneider – and the best cuts have a cool French jazz sound that mixes guitar, vibes, trumpet, and hard on-the-beat vamping by the bass and drums. You may know the cool cut "Juke Boxes Chez Saidani" from a few compilations, and the album's got a few more cuts that have a variation on a similar theme. Next is Cesar Et Rosalie – one of the coolest Philippe Sarde soundtracks of the 70s – a set that balances his conventional modes with some much more offbeat moments – including some very cool use of electronics next to some bold woodwinds scored by Hubert Rostaing! The approach is very unusual for Sarde, and his ability to still make the odd sentimental moment amidst he more striking passages is what really makes the whole thing great – as he shows us that he's not only the master of the mature, adult film score – but also still has his ears open to all the underground changes going on around him! The set features moog from Guy Boyer and trumpet from Pierre Dutour too. The last score here is for Une Histoire Simple – a richer, more orchestral score that really marks that shift in styles that Philippe Sarde was using in the second half of the 70s – wonderful large arrangements that are brimming over with tones and colors, feeling and emotion – but all in a way that's never overdone! Also features two bonus tracks – the Italian version of "La Canzone De Helen", sung by Schneider and Piccoli, and a version of "La Lettre De Rosalie" done by Eric Truffaz. CD

Four great soundtracks from four excellent films that featured the lovely Romy Schneider in the lead! First up is Philippe Sarde's score for La Choses De La Vie – maybe one of our favorite French soundtracks of the late 60s! There's a really special quality to this music – as rich as some of Sarde's other scores, but maybe linked more towards the new wave of subtle expression that came about in French cinema after the nouvelle vague – that quality that you might hear in the music of Francis Lai at his most subtle moments, handled perfectly here. Tracks are relatively short – mostly spare variations on a sad, dreamy little melody that's played in the film as the car of the main character slowly crumbles in an accident – a death that begins the movie, which then tells the story backwards! The tune only features swells of strings and piano, but it's compelling enough to hear in a number of variations here – and mixed with a few other great melodies too, including one song sung by the film's stars Michel Piccoli and Romy Schneider. Next is Sarde's score for Max Et Les Ferrailleurs – an obscure film that also stars Michel Piccoli and Romy Schneider – and the best cuts have a cool French jazz sound that mixes guitar, vibes, trumpet, and hard on-the-beat vamping by the bass and drums. You may know the cool cut "Juke Boxes Chez Saidani" from a few compilations, and the album's got a few more cuts that have a variation on a similar theme. Next is Cesar Et Rosalie – one of the coolest Philippe Sarde soundtracks of the 70s – a set that balances his conventional modes with some much more offbeat moments – including some very cool use of electronics next to some bold woodwinds scored by Hubert Rostaing! The approach is very unusual for Sarde, and his ability to still make the odd sentimental moment amidst he more striking passages is what really makes the whole thing great – as he shows us that he's not only the master of the mature, adult film score – but also still has his ears open to all the underground changes going on around him! The set features moog from Guy Boyer and trumpet from Pierre Dutour too. The last score here is for Une Histoire Simple – a richer, more orchestral score that really marks that shift in styles that Philippe Sarde was using in the second half of the 70s – wonderful large arrangements that are brimming over with tones and colors, feeling and emotion – but all in a way that's never overdone! Also features two bonus tracks – the Italian version of "La Canzone De Helen", sung by Schneider and Piccoli, and a version of "La Lettre De Rosalie" done by Eric Truffaz. LP, Vinyl record album

Very groovy work from The Swingin Blue Jeans – a UK quartet who rose up in the same wave that brought the world The Beatles, but one who never fully got their due on our side of the Atlantic! Yet despite that lack, the group's work is wonderful – tight guitars and vocal harmonies, and the kind of jaunty, catchy tunes that really made the Merseybeat scene shine in the early 60s – taken here to some great new territory on the group's later tracks too! From the very first note, it's clear that these guys are a great group first, and a recording act second – as there's a sharpness and tightness that's maybe more familiar to fans of American groups from the Northwest scene at the same time – a no-nonsense approach that has the guitars and vocals getting right to the heart of the matter right away, then really having a hell of a lot of fun over the short space of the tunes! UK listeners might know the group's few big hits, but there's a hell of a lot more here that stands in strong testimony to the group's greatness – 103 tracks in all, with a huge amount of material we've never seen elsewhere – all supported by a massive booklet of notes. CD

A great look at some of the more creative work that grew out of the initial punk years in the UK – not the first wave of guys playing guitars on short, sharp, speedy songs – but the second that featured all sorts of really creative music experiments! There's definitely a bit of punk at play here, but the sonic spectrum is already starting to widen a bit – sometimes alongside driving guitars, much more often in musical styles that had yet to be labeled or named – grown out of the farther reaches of art rock, prog, and experimental music – but presented in a down to earth way that was learned from the lessons of punk. Titles include "The Fish Needs A Bike" by Blurt, "Tight As A Drum" by Thomas Leer, "Spirit Of Youth" by The Last Gang, "You Can Choke Like That" by Biting Tongues, "Everything's Roses" by Glaxo Babies, "Paris France" by Tom Lucy, "Babysitter" by Patrick Fitzgerald, "Skank Bloc Bologna" by Scritti Politti, "Si Fermir O Grido" by A Certain Ratio, "Fight For Peace" by Icon AD, "Coming To See You" by Krypton Tunes, "Creation Rebel" by Windows, and "Distant Dreams (part 2)" by Throbbing Gristle. LP, Vinyl record album

A mindblowing album from Ahmad Jamal – a fantastic start to the 70s, and a set of music that shows just how far the pianist had come in just a few short years! The album's all acoustic, but has some of that spacious flow that Jamal would bring to his work on Fender Rhodes – with an approach that's even more open in terms of song structure than his earlier trio material – as if Jamal's choosing to omit more notes than he's including – but all with a quality that still keeps the music very full and rhythmic – pulsating with a special sort of energy that's neither Bill Evans, nor McCoy Tyner – but instead this really amazing sound that's all Ahmad's own. The trio features equally wonderful work from Jamil Nasser on bass and Frank Gant on drums – and titles include "The Awakening", "I Love Music", "Patterns", "Wave", and "Dolphin Dance". CD

Very groovy 70s work from Henry Mancini – way more than you might expect from the strings in the title! The album's got a pretty upbeat feel at times – a mix of gentle rhythms, swirling strings, and instrumentation that includes Hank on piano and Doc Severinsen on trumpet – both getting in plenty of space to work! Some of the cuts are much funkier than you'd expect – and highlights include the wah-wah "Theme For Doc", the moody "Round Midnight", the sleazy reading of "Make It With You", an off-kilter take on "Lover Man", and a great recording of Jobim's "Wave", with some nice lilting voices in the background! Other titles include "Love Theme For Laura", "Without You", and "Ben". LP, Vinyl record album

One of Jimmy's funkiest albums ever – a sweeeeet batch of short, hard, and funky cuts – and a record that ranks right up there with the mighty Soul Sugar for sheer funkiness! Jimmy takes an upbeat and easygoing approach to the late 60s funk sound, with a nice, rubbery bass and the organ sound just killer – but would expect less from McGriff on that front? Truly funky and totally irresistible stuff, with sinister, measured moments that get bigger and heavier pretty quickly - kind of prefiguring 70s blacksploitation soundtrack vibes in spots! The album's great all the way through – tight arrangements by Horace Ott, who also plays electric piano on the set, making for a clean, cool 2-keys kind of groove. Titles include "Spear for Moondog" (parts 1 & 2), "Tight Times", "Funky Junk", "Bird Wave", and "Back on the Track". LP, Vinyl record album

The complete run of monster rock albums from this short-lived studio group – all brought together in one set! The first album's the debut – Introducing Frankie Stein & His Ghouls – filled with fantastic Halloween rockers – a whole host of original tracks recorded in the best mid 60s garage/monster mode – at a level that definitely makes this full length set the top of the stack for the short-lived genre! The package came out on the small Power Records label, who sometimes would use other big names in no-name presentations like these – and although the players aren't listed, the instrumentation is great – lots of sharp guitar lines, tenor solos, and all sorts of weird effects and production twists and turns – which keeps things spooky throughout! Titles include "Good River", "Weerdo The Wolf", "Knives & Lovers", "Ghoul Days", "A Hearse Is Not A Home", and "3 Little Weirds". Next is Shock Terror Fear – a horror classic from a cool little combo – one who know how to use just the right dose of sound effects and monster touches next to the rocking instrumental sound at the core! These guys are a super-sharp group – we've always wondered if they're not another act, hiding under this Halloween-styled name – and they serve up romping rhythms and surf guitars with the best of the 60s instrumental acts – but also manage to bring in all sorts of interesting production and effects that live up to the title of the record! Ok, it's maybe not the total terror of some slasher film, but it's plenty fun throughout – a romp through 60s monster territory, with titles that include "Doom At Midnight", "The Ghostman Rings Twice", "Bodies Under The Bridge", "Slay Boy", "Ankle Twist", and "Stoned". Ghoul Music is next – maybe not the wildest record in the genre of 60s monster rock, but a set that's still got plenty of weird and wonderful stuff going on! There's not really any vocals, so the set avoids the "Monster Mash" novelty vibe – but it more than makes up for it with the use of plenty of odd sound effects amidst the echoey production of the rocking instrumentation – almost as if some surf/hot rod combo showed up to play a gig in a spot that turned out to be a haunted house – and they kept on rocking while all the ghouls showed up for the party! Titles include "Fly Me To The Goon", "Chained", "A Taste Of Poison", "Mummy's Little Boy", "Good Noose", "The Wrist Twist", and "Shoot A Nanny". Next up is Monster Melodies from Frankie Stein and his combo – a group who almost have more of a surf/hot rod style here at times – but who also get some cool production to make things a bit more scary overall! There's a fair bit of well-played tenor solos next to the twangy guitar lines you might expect – and the whole thing has very nice echo to make the extra elements sound very cool too – including some harmonica lines that almost echo an Italian film mode! Titles include "In A Groovy Grave", "Dr Spook", "Ghoulish Heart", "Monster Man", "Bloody Water", and "I Died For You". Monster Sounds & Dance Music is the last in the legendary run of monster rock records from Frankie Stein & The Ghouls – a mid 60s set that resonates strongly with both the surf instrumental scene of the time, and with the big wave of monster-inspired records that filled the racks in the decade! Much of the music isn't spook-styled overall – the set's got a lot of great guitar instrumentals at the core – but the producer throws in all these cool screams, sound effects, and odd studio techniques to make the tunes sound nice and strange – lots of nice moments on tracks that include "Dance Of Doom", "The Creep", "Mummy's Little Monster", "Kiss Of Death", and "Saturday Evening Ghost". CD

A mindblowing album from Ahmad Jamal – a fantastic start to the 70s, and a set of music that shows just how far the pianist had come in just a few short years! The album's all acoustic, but has some of that spacious flow that Jamal would bring to his work on Fender Rhodes – with an approach that's even more open in terms of song structure than his earlier trio material – as if Jamal's choosing to omit more notes than he's including – but all with a quality that still keeps the music very full and rhythmic – pulsating with a special sort of energy that's neither Bill Evans, nor McCoy Tyner – but instead this really amazing sound that's all Ahmad's own. The trio features equally wonderful work from Jamil Nasser on bass and Frank Gant on drums – and titles include "The Awakening", "I Love Music", "Patterns", "Wave", and "Dolphin Dance". LP, Vinyl record album

One of Jimmy's funkiest albums ever – a sweeeeet batch of short, hard, and funky cuts – and a record that ranks right up there with the mighty Soul Sugar for sheer funkiness! Jimmy takes an upbeat and easygoing approach to the late 60s funk sound, with a nice, rubbery bass and the organ sound just killer – but would expect less from McGriff on that front? Truly funky and totally irresistible stuff, with sinister, measured moments that bigger and heavier pretty quickly - kind of prefiguring 70s blacksploitation soundtrack vibes in spots! The album's great all the way through – tight arrangements by Horace Ott, who also plays electric piano on the set, making for a clean, cool 2-keys kind of groove. Titles include "Spear for Moondog" (parts 1 & 2), "Tight Times", "Funky Junk", "Bird Wave", and "Back on the Track". CD

Really beautiful work from Nocturnal Emissions – a group who were always in a special space of their own during the industrial and post-punk years – which you'll definitely hear on a record like this! Although the music has some cold wave elements – synths, beats, and found sound samples – there's often a much broader, more organic palette in the music – a mix of all these different sounds brought together by Caroline K and Nigel Ayers, with a careful ear for the way things come together – certainly noisy at points, but also surprisingly sensitive at other moments too. The album was originally a cassette only set, but has a depth that goes way beyond those humble origins – and features a mix of tracks long and short, with titles that include "Limited Holocaust Engagement", "Faith Invaders", "Slow Decay", "Shrubbish Factory", "When Were You Last In Control Of Your Dreams & Aspirations", and "Backward Man Regressive Music". 2CD set features bonus tracks too – including "Live At The Crypt", "Bad Machine", and "From Puberty To Serenity". CD

Exactly the kind of record that makes us love sound library records so much – and definitely the sort that sets the style apart from anything else we can think of! Both Sandro Brugnolini and Giorgio Carnini turn in some great work here – a mindblowing mix of modes over the space of ten short tracks – some tunes a cascading array of instrumentation, in a hip groove that's neither American jazz or soundtrack funk, but a special space of its own! Other tunes use an electronic approach that's years ahead of its time – as groovy as 60s analogue, but a lot darker, too – in ways that the rest of the world might not touch until the German new wave. The balance is almost even between swinging groovers and darker electronic cuts – and titles include "Grinta", "Azione CIA", "Scalo Clandestino", "Alambicco Cibernetico", "Strutture Generative", "Omicido Bianco", and "CIA Massacre". LP, Vinyl record album

A set that's brimming over with improvising jazz talent – but one that's an especially great reminder of the guitar genius of the great Arto Lindsay! Lindsay is amazing here – playing with energy to match the brilliance of Ken Vandermark and Joe McPhee – which is really saying a lot, and which has us almost feeling like a younger version of Arto's self stepped forward straight from the New York no wave scene, in order to create a pan-historical bridge with the improvising strengths of the Corbett Vs Dempsey universe! Drummer Phil Sudderberg is wonderful too – a master of sounds and moments – and the short tracks allow for plenty of sharp changes, and shifts in energy between each selection. McPhee blows alto, tenor, and pocket trumpet – and Vandermark is on tenor, baritone, and clarinet – on titles that include "The Push & Pull Beneath The Surface", "She Must Have Known", "Whether You Were There Or Not", "When I Lose Any Sense Of Perspective", and "The World's Longest Afternoon". CD

Two rare Charlie Parker albums in a single set! First up is Bird On 52nd Street – one of the more obscure Charlie Parker sessions of the 40s – at least in the original release! The material was recorded in 1948, on a home tape recorder, but not issued until after his death – part of a huge wave of Charlie Parker material that hit the market at the end of the 50s and start of the 60s! The sound here is quite raw – made even more so by the recording quality – but it also offers up a good illustration of the sheer power of Bird back in the day, the kind of bold, bracing energy that made even more than the regular jazz world sit up and take notice. The group's a quintet – with Miles Davis on trumpet, Duke Jordan on piano, Tommy Potter on bass, and Max Roach on drums – and there's been a few tape tricks in the mastering, in order to come up with a better version of some of the recordings. Tracks are short – in true bebop format – and titles include "Night In Tunisia", "Dizzy Atmosphere", "Out Of Nowhere", "My Old Flame", "How High The Moon", "This Time The Dream's On Me", "Hot House", and "Chasin The Bird". Next is Bird At St Nicks – a posthumous issue of an early 50s live set by Charlier Parker – one of the many that were rushed to the public in the years after his early death. The set, like many of the other live ones from the time, isn't recorded that well – but the music is still pretty wonderful. There's a real focus on Bird in the way the microphone was set up – so although you hear the rest of the band comping in the background, the album almost works like a session of solo sax work by Parker – as his alto is right out front in the mix, playing with a faltering style at times – but in a way that only seems to deepen our vision of his genius. Players include Red Rodney on trumpet and Al Haig on piano – and titles include "Ornithology", "Star Eyes", "Visa", "I Didn't Know What Time It Was", and "Confirmation". LP, Vinyl record album

Classic power pop from The Rezillos – a record with guitars fast and hard enough to almost be late 70s punk rock, but which often comes off with a more playful, whimsical new wave sort of approach! Tracks are short and hook-heavy – produced by Bob Clearmountain with that razor-edged quality he brought to his best work of the time – and the trading off of lead vocals between Fay Fife and Eugene Reynolds makes the record hang nicely in a space between Blondie and The Ramones! Titles include "Flying Saucer Attach", "No", "Top Of The Pops", "2000 AD", "It Gets Me", "Glad All Over", and "Cold Wars". LP, Vinyl record album

The full early work of UK pop singer Kim Wilde – a big force on both sides of the Atlantic for a few short years, and part of a great wave of catchy girl-fronted music in the generation that also included Blondie and the Go-Gos! Kim's got her own special twist on the sound – one that also draws from some of the UK pop of the period, but which also never moves into too much synth or electro pop – and instead takes all the best upbeat, live energy of the early new wave years – and maybe gives it a more straightforward spin, in a way that helped Wilde get plenty of play on the charts! This nicely-done set features all three albums for the RAK label – Kim Wilde, Select, and Catch As Catch Can – plus bonus tracks that include "Boys", "He Will be There", "Child Come Away", "Just Another Guy", "Watching For Shapes", "Rain On", and "Back Seat Drive". CD4 features lots more bonus tracks too – special disco mixes that include "Kids In America (Luke Mornay rmx)", "Chequered Love (Matt Pop ext)", "Water On Glass (Project K soundtrack)", "Cambodia (Matt Pop ext)", "View From A Bridge (Project K soundtrack)", and "Take Me Tonight (Luke Mornay profondo giallo mix)". CD

A big, bold jazz wave from Med Flory – a leader/arranger from the west coast scene, and one who takes the power of some cool jazz legends, and puts them in a setting where they can really pack a punch! The group features Bill Holman on tenor, Al Porcino on trumpet, and Bob Enevoldsen on trombone – and there's a deftness to the horn arrangements that seems rooted in the best earlier Woody Herman modes, but taken to hipper territory in the end! There's lots of contributions from the soloists – even in the shorter space of the tunes – and titles include the originals "Davy Jones", "Jazz Wave", "Rapture", and "Sea Chase" – plus the tracks "An Occasional Man", "Jonah & The Whale", and "Ocean Motion". LP, Vinyl record album

The birth of a genius! From the vantage point of the 21st century,Wayne Shorter hardly needs any introduction – but when he recorded this debut album in the late 50s, Shorter was just the new kid on the block – making a few important waves as the tenor star in Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers. The album wisely works off that fame, and pairs Shorter with co-Messenger Lee Morgan – in front line on the trumpet – but it's also got a slightly different groove too, thanks to a rhythm team that includes Wynton Kelly on piano, Paul Chambers on bass, and Jimmy Cobb on drums. The Kelly trio approach makes for a nice change from the Blakey mode – and Shorter more than follows suit by blowing some wonderfully well-crafted solos, and working in a more introspective soul mode – really pointing the way towards his later genius as a leader on Blue Note. Shorter also emerges as a heck of a great writer too – contributing 5 great original tracks to the set, titles that include "Blues A La Carte", "Harry's Last Stand", "Black Diamond", "Pug Nose", and "Down in The Depths". LP, Vinyl record album

The birth of a genius! From the vantage point of the 21st century,Wayne Shorter hardly needs any introduction – but when he recorded this debut album in the late 50s, Shorter was just the new kid on the block – making a few important waves as the tenor star in Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers. The album wisely works off that fame, and pairs Shorter with co-Messenger Lee Morgan – in front line on the trumpet – but it's also got a slightly different groove too, thanks to a rhythm team that includes Wynton Kelly on piano, Paul Chambers on bass, and Jimmy Cobb on drums. The Kelly trio approach makes for a nice change from the Blakey mode – and Shorter more than follows suit by blowing some wonderfully well-crafted solos, and working in a more introspective soul mode – really pointing the way towards his later genius as a leader on Blue Note. Shorter also emerges as a heck of a great writer too – contributing 5 great original tracks to the set, titles that include "Blues A La Carte", "Harry's Last Stand", "Black Diamond", "Pug Nose", and "Down in The Depths". CD also features alternate takes of 4 tracks! CD

Not the first album that Art Blakey recorded with the title Night In Tunisia, but one that's maybe the best – as the session has these really long, open tracks that are a perfect showcase for the genius of this legendary lineup of the Jazz Messengers! The group here features a tremendous trio at the core Bobby Timmons on piano, Lee Morgan on trumpet, and Wayne Shorter on tenor – driven on nicely by Blakey's drums and bass work by Jymie Merritt – with that full-on energy that the Messengers could have at their best, while also allowing more than ample space for tremendous solos from each musician! Right from the very first note – a crashing wave of sound from Blakey's drums – you know that you're in for something very special – and titles include "Night In Tunisia", plus the tracks "Yama", "Kozo's Waltz", "Sincerely Diana", and a version of Timmons' great "So Tired". LP, Vinyl record album

A treasure trove of classic New Orleans-styled soul tracks from Dr John – all the early singles for Atlantic Records that helped him forge his legendary sound – served up here with some surprising non-LP moments as well! If you don't know Dr John's groove, this is a great place to start – and even if you already dig his messed-up blend of funk, soul, and trippier currents, you'll love the way these shorter singles focuses his energy in ways that are different than some of the longer LP tracks – still very groovy, but packing even more punch! The set's got 26 tracks in all – including "A Man Of Many Words", done with Buddy Guy and Eric Clapton – plus "I Walk On Guilded Splinters (parts 1 & 2)", "Gris Gris Gumbo Ya Ya", "Let The Good Times Roll", "Cold Cold Cold", "Traveling Mood", "Mos Scocious", "Let's Make A Better World", "Me - You = Loneliness", "Rite Away", "Such A Night", "Right Place Wrong Time", "Loop Garoo", "Jump Sturdy", "The Patriotic Flag Waver (mono short version)", and "Mama Roux". CD

Not the first album that Art Blakey recorded with the title Night In Tunisia, but one that's maybe the best – as the session has these really long, open tracks that are a perfect showcase for the genius of this legendary lineup of the Jazz Messengers! The group here features a tremendous trio at the core Bobby Timmons on piano, Lee Morgan on trumpet, and Wayne Shorter on tenor – driven on nicely by Blakey's drums and bass work by Jymie Merritt – with that full-on energy that the Messengers could have at their best, while also allowing more than ample space for tremendous solos from each musician! Right from the very first note – a crashing wave of sound from Blakey's drums – you know that you're in for something very special – and titles include "Night In Tunisia", plus the tracks "Yama", "Kozo's Waltz", "Sincerely Diana", and a version of Timmons' great "So Tired". LP, Vinyl record album

Killer Jazz Crusaders material – exactly the kind of record that really had the group coming into their own in the second half of the 60s – finding a rich new groove that few other combos could match! The record captures the group at a perfect time – a point when they were breaking past the tighter shorter formula of earlier material, and moving into a slightly more spiritual conception – yet one that still had a hard swing and a deeply soulful vibe! The record's a prime example of the never-ending energy held by the band – near-perfect on every track, and played with a sense of creative expression that easily puts them at the top of the soul jazz scene in the late 60s! Titles include "Night Theme", "Air Waves", "Uh Huh", "Watts Happening", and "Ice Water". LP, Vinyl record album

A genius moment for the Residents – a record in which they not only claim to go "commercial", by playing some tuneful songs throughout – but one in which they also claim that most pop music is the same as contemporary commercials – which means that all the songs here are just a minute long! The combination of modes is completely charming, and a wonderful refinement of all the genius that got the Residents going in these early years – and the shortness of the tunes, combined with the electronics and weird instrumentation, almost makes the record feel more like a relic from the cooler side of the German new wave – especially work by Der Plan. Titles include "Easter Woman", "Amber", "Japanese Watercolor", "Art Of Being Polite", "Medicine Man", "Tragic Bells", "Loss Of Innocence", "Simple Song", "My Second Wife", "Floyd", and lots lots more! 2CD version features lots more songs from the project – 12 more that include "Kraftwerk", "Cosmetics For Reality", "Pretty Baby", "Tuxedoes", and "Roscoe's Righteous Rodent" – plus 24 unreleased bonus tracks too! CD

Not the first album that Art Blakey recorded with the title Night In Tunisia, but one that's maybe the best – as the session has these really long, open tracks that are a perfect showcase for the genius of this legendary lineup of the Jazz Messengers! The group here features a tremendous trio at the core Bobby Timmons on piano, Lee Morgan on trumpet, and Wayne Shorter on tenor – driven on nicely by Blakey's drums and bass work by Jymie Merritt – with that full-on energy that the Messengers could have at their best, while also allowing more than ample space for tremendous solos from each musician! Right from the very first note – a crashing wave of sound from Blakey's drums – you know that you're in for something very special – and titles include "Night In Tunisia", plus the tracks "Yama", "Kozo's Waltz", "Sincerely Diana", and a version of Timmons' great "So Tired". CD

One of the deepest digs into the legacy of UK wonderproducer Joe Meek – a set that opens up a whole host of unissued tapes from the vaults, to present a hugely expanded set of work from a group who hardly issued any records back in the 60s! The Cryin Shames are not to be confused with the American Cryan Shames – as the Liverpool group had a great sound, but only released two singles – before spinning off into other groups with a short run too – including Friendly Persuasion, and Paul & Ritchie & The Crying Shames – all of whom recorded with Meek, and are presented here, in a massive 51 track package that features loads of unreleased takes, live material, and other rare tunes too! Core elements include the singles "September In The Rain", "Come On Back", "Nobody Waved Goodbye", "Please Stay", "What's News Pussycat", "The End Of The World", and "Come On" – and there's also 18 very early tracks from the group's audition, when they were initially billed as The Bumblies. Along with the notes, the whole thing is a great example of the way the wheels were really turning and the studio doors were opening during these key years of British rock – another new window into the production genius of the great Joe Meek! CD

Killer Jazz Crusaders material – exactly the kind of record that really had the group coming into their own in the second half of the 60s – finding a rich new groove that few other combos could match! The record captures the group at a perfect time – a point when they were breaking past the tighter shorter formula of earlier material, and moving into a slightly more spiritual conception – yet one that still had a hard swing and a deeply soulful vibe! The record's a prime example of the never-ending energy held by the band – near-perfect on every track, and played with a sense of creative expression that easily puts them at the top of the soul jazz scene in the late 60s! Titles include "Night Theme", "Air Waves", "Uh Huh", "Watts Happening", and "Ice Water". LP, Vinyl record album

The only album to ever feature drummer Lawrence Marable as the leader of a group – and a cooking little hardbop set that showed the world that LA wasn't just a source for cool jazz in the 50s! The record is quite different than anything you'd hear from Chet Baker or Shorty Rogers – much more a Blue Note or Prestige-styled session, thanks in large part to the bold work of James Clay on tenor – who's noted here in the title, but is also an undeniable force in the music, and part of a wave of Texas talent that was really helping to transform the Cali sound in the 50s. Other players include the great Sonny Clark on piano – making a strong pre-Blue Note appearance – and the equally great Jimmy Bond on bass. Titles include "Airtight", "Easy Living", "Minor Meeting", "Marbles", and "Three Fingers North". CD

The only album to ever feature drummer Lawrence Marable as the leader of a group – and a cooking little hardbop set that showed the world that LA wasn't just a source for cool jazz in the 50s! The record is quite different than anything you'd hear from Chet Baker or Shorty Rogers – much more a Blue Note or Prestige-styled session, thanks in large part to the bold work of James Clay on tenor – who's noted here in the title, but is also an undeniable force in the music, and part of a wave of Texas talent that was really helping to transform the Cali sound in the 50s. Other players include the great Sonny Clark on piano – making a strong pre-Blue Note appearance – and the equally great Jimmy Bond on bass. Titles include "Airtight", "Easy Living", "Minor Meeting", "Marbles", and "Three Fingers North". CD

Alex De Grassi and GE Stinson on guitar. CD

An incredible run of music – 19 songs that forever changed the face of soul music, thanks to the genius of Isaac Hayes! In the years before these cuts, Hayes was mostly working as a background talent at Stax Records – part of a songwriting team with David Porter, giving great tunes to Sam & Dave, and other deep soul acts too – while never getting the chance to shine in the spotlight on his own! That all changed after the big shift at Stax in 1968, at a time when the label rebounded with a big wave of pride and power, and really changed up the way they presented things – finally giving Ike the space he needed to emerge as one of the most unique male singers in soul, able to work with a majestic sense of presentation that forever changed the way artists like him would record! And while Hayes' full length albums were the cornerstones of this moment, his singles were the messengers to the masses – really fantastic shorter tracks that compacted the longform genius of his studio work into the space of a 45 – all while never losing the power in the music. The cuts here run the gamut from key crossover cuts, to soundtrack slices, stunning remakes of others' songs, and even a cool Christmas single too – on tracks that include "Walk On By", "Do Your Thing", "Ike's Mood 1", "I Stand Accused", "Winter Snow", "By The Time I Get To Phoenix", "Cafe Regio's", "Never Can Say Goodbye", "The Look Of Love", "I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself", "Soul A Lujah", "Ain't That Loving You", "Soulville", "Shaft", and "The Mistletoe & Me". CD

An incredible run of music – 19 songs that forever changed the face of soul music, thanks to the genius of Isaac Hayes! In the years before these cuts, Hayes was mostly working as a background talent at Stax Records – part of a songwriting team with David Porter, giving great tunes to Sam & Dave, and other deep soul acts too – while never getting the chance to shine in the spotlight on his own! That all changed after the big shift at Stax in 1968, at a time when the label rebounded with a big wave of pride and power, and really changed up the way they presented things – finally giving Ike the space he needed to emerge as one of the most unique male singers in soul, able to work with a majestic sense of presentation that forever changed the way artists like him would record! And while Hayes' full length albums were the cornerstones of this moment, his singles were the messengers to the masses – really fantastic shorter tracks that compacted the longform genius of his studio work into the space of a 45 – all while never losing the power in the music. The cuts here run the gamut from key crossover cuts, to soundtrack slices, stunning remakes of others' songs, and even a cool Christmas single too – on tracks that include "Walk On By", "Do Your Thing", "Ike's Mood 1", "I Stand Accused", "Winter Snow", "By The Time I Get To Phoenix", "Cafe Regio's", "Never Can Say Goodbye", "The Look Of Love", "I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself", "Soul A Lujah", "Ain't That Loving You", "Soulville", "Shaft", and "The Mistletoe & Me". LP, Vinyl record album

A brilliant record by Sun Ra & The Arkestra – and an album that forever gave them a slogan to live by! The record's different than some of the other Arkestra work from the time – in that it's a bit tighter and more spiritual, more in keeping with the style of the Blue Thumb label, for which it was recorded – and soaring along on a wave of post-Coltrane spiritual jazz enthusiasm. Side one features the ultimate recording of "Space Is The Place" – an anthemic tune that blends chanting, modal rhythms, and some incredibly soulful solo work – making for one of the Arkestra's most perfectly realized tunes! That gem runs for over 20 minutes – and other shorter tracks on the album include "Discipline", "Images", "Sea Of Sound", and "Rocket Number Nine". LP, Vinyl record album

A huge legacy of work from Rare Bird – a group who hardly made a blip on our side of the Atlantic at the start of the 70s, but who were one of the sharpest, tightest acts to emerge in the new wave of prog in the UK! The group have a really great way with an organ line – and the vocals from Steve Gould have a surprisingly soulful current, nicely rough around the edges at times – which always keeps these guys from sounding too polished or precious! Like many of their contemporaries, the group start out with some shorter tracks, then stretch things out as their albums progress – and along the way, they also manage to deliver some surprisingly heartfelt tunes as Gould develops more and more as a singer. There's a mix of simplicity and complexity here that's wonderful – a real under-tapped legacy, presented here on the full albums Rare Bird, As Your Mind Flies By, Epic Forest, Somebody's Watching, and Born Again – plus a full never-issued 1974 live set recorded in London – plus 12 more bonus tracks too! CD

Great late material from tenor giant Ben Webster – working here on some extended live tracks recorded for radio in The Netherlands – where Ben was maybe doing some of his best work at the time! The titles all push towards the seven minute mark, which makes for some more inventive solo space than some of Webster's shorter studio tracks overseas – and accompaniment is by a superb rhythm trio that features Cees Slinger on piano, Rob Langereis on bass, and John Engels on drums – a real all-star group on the Dutch scene at the time! Titles include "For All We Know", "Perdido", "How Long Has This Been Going On", "Sunday", "Old Folks", "Chelsea Bridge", and "Ben's Little Scheme". LP, Vinyl record album

A brilliant record by Sun Ra & The Arkestra – and an album that forever gave them a slogan to live by! The record's different than some of the other Arkestra work from the time – in that it's a bit tighter and more spiritual, more in keeping with the style of the Blue Thumb label, for which it was recorded – and soaring along on a wave of post-Coltrane spiritual jazz enthusiasm. Side one features the ultimate recording of "Space Is The Place" – an anthemic tune that blends chanting, modal rhythms, and some incredibly soulful solo work – making for one of the Arkestra's most perfectly realized tunes! That gem runs for over 20 minutes – and other shorter tracks on the album include "Discipline", "Images", "Sea Of Sound", and "Rocket Number Nine". CD