An amazing 2-in-1 CD – filled with sublime work from the mighty Art Farmer! First up is Brass Shout – a great little album by this wonderful trumpeter – and one that we passed up for years because we were afraid of the words "brass" and "shout" in the title! If you're a Farmer fan, though, don't worry about this being some sort of snoozy "bold n brassy" session – because it's a much more subtle record, and features some excellent lead solos by Farmer, set amidst a larger group arranged wonderfully by Benny Golson! Golson brings a great sense of balance to the album – mixing some larger horn passages with soulfully snapping rhythms, all at a level that still allows plenty of space for Farmer to solo sweetly on trumpet. Other players on the record include Lee Morgan on trumpet and Curtis Fuller on trombone, Percy Heath on bass, and either Philly Joe Jones or Elvin Jones on drums – and titles include "Minor Vamp", "Nica's Dream", "Stella By Starlight", "Moanin", "April In Paris", and "Five Spot After Dark". Aztec Suite is a rare Latin outing from trumpeter Art Farmer – one that has him working with the mighty Cuban arranger Chico O'Farrill! The grooves here are hardly "Aztec", as Chico brings a hip postwar vibe to the session – a blend of American jazz and Latin rhythms that's totally great, and played by an all-star array of players conducted by Al Cohn! Side one of the record features the extended "Aztec Suite" – an ambitious number that begins with modern moments that are somewhere in a space between Stan Kenton and Ralph Burns' experiments of this nature, but which always has Farmer's trumpet as the center focus. Side two features tracks that are a bit more conventional Latin jazz – still played by the bigger group, but with an even stronger sense of swing! Titles include "Aztec Suite", "Heat Wave", "Drume Negrita", "Alone Together", "Woody N You", and "Delirio". CD

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

With King Curtis on tenor and Robert Banks on organ! CD

A fantastic overview of the later genius of Sister Rosetta Tharpe – a key figure in the development of rock, soul, and a number of other styles from that key midcentury moment in American music! Tharpe's a singer with a voice that influenced Aretha Franklin and other female soul artists – and a guitarist with a fast-riffing style that was born in gospel, but had a huge influence on rock and roll – as you'll hear here in a really well-chosen batch of cuts from the second half of her career! The package features two titles from 40s radio broadcasts, but all the rest of the material is from the years 1957 to 1971 – half with Rosetta in front of a larger ensemble, half with just the singer and her guitar. There's a bit less in the way of notes than we'd like, but it appears that much of the solo material is from her live set of 1970 – leaving a mix of other material along the group side of the collection. 30 tracks in all – with titles that include "Can't No Grave Hold My Body Down", "Mansions In The Sky", "Didn't It Rain", "Rock Daniel", "Shout Sister Shout", "This Train", "Precious Moment", "Up Above My Head I Hear Music", "Peace In The Valley", "Is Everyone Happy", and "Vacation In The Sky". LP, Vinyl record album

One of Stanley Turrentine's best albums ever – but a record that was recorded in 1962, yet only released by Blue Note 20 years later! The set's a great example of the sheer raw power that Stan had in his tone before it got watered down by his pop-jazz recordings of the later 60s – a sharp edge and way of phrasing that's simply amazing – filled with soulful tradition, yet never prone to any of the cliches of contemporaries like David Newman or Don Wilkerson. The group here is a great one too – a sextet with the amazing Tommy Turrentine on trumpet, punching up some very sharp lines next to stan – plus Kenny Burrell on guitar, Sonny Clark on piano, Butch Warren on bass, and Al Harewood on drums. Titles are a killer batch of spiritual-oriented soul jazz numbers like "Brother Tom", "Jubilee Shout", "My Ship", "Cotton Walk", and "You Said It". LP, Vinyl record album

Features guest vocals from Chuck D, Bettye LaVette, Guru, and Ivan Neville. CD

Andrew Hill on piano and Chico Hamilton on drums and tambourine. CD

The rare second album from Juju – the avant jazz collective who'd later morph into funk band Oneness Of Juju, but who still sound pretty revolutionary here! There's a bit more focus than before – still energy that's a lot like the best righteous jazz groups coming out of Chicago or St Louis at the same time, but maybe a bit more direct, too – and really showing some of the stronger spiritual tones that would only blossom more strongly in later years! Reedman Plunky Nakabinde is firmly at the helm of the group – on tenor, flute, and soprano sax – but the set also features great work from Lon Moshe on vibes and percussion, Babatunde on congas and drums, Phil Branch on bass, and Al-Hammond Raul on piano and percussion. The sounds are a bit less Afro-styled than on the Oneness records, but still have all the great spiritual currents – and titles include an excellent version of Pharoah Sanders' "Black Unity", plus the original tunes "Contradiction","Nia", "Black Experience", and "The End Of The Butterfly King". Features two bonus tracks – "Live Revolution" and "Live Revolution Continues". CD

A fantastic album – one of our favorite-ever records from Charles Mingus! The album was recorded in the same breath as his legendary works Tijuana Moods, The Clown, and Pithecanthropus Erectus – and it features the same sort of fire and emotion that made those classics so great. The group alone is amazing – with Horace Parlan on piano, Shafi Hadi on alto and tenor, Jimmy Knepper on trombone, and the amazing Clarence (aka Gene) Shaw on trumpet – all getting plenty of room to open up on the album's longer tracks! The work bristles with a sense of imagination and dark energy that Mingus hardly had in his music in later years – and each new tune brings a fresh sense of vision that never fails to astound us! In keeping with the "poetry" title, the album begins with an incredible 12 minute track "Scenes in the City" – which features a long spoken bit written by Langston Hughes about one man's love of jazz and the way that it affects his life in the city – all supported with excellent instrumentation from the group. Other titles are instrumental, and include "Nouroog", "New York Sketchbook", "Slippers", and "Duke's Choice". CD also features 3 bonus tracks – "Woody N You", "Billie's Bounce", and an alternate take of "Slippers". CD

The one and only album by this sweet east coast harmony group – a killer little set that has a warmly soaring feel! Van McCoy's the maestro behind the whole set – handling both the arrangements and musical backings – and he gives the group's male/female blend of voices a really great sort of groove! The style's something of a link between Ruby & The Romantics and Friends Of Distinction – but the harmonies are possibly even better than both of those acts – much more in the best spirit of the indie harmony soul scene of the time, with a heartbreaking quality that must have sounded great coming out of the speaker of an AM radio on a hot summer night! Titles include "We're Acting Like Lovers", "For You", "One Of A Kind", "Stone In Love", "Chain Reaction", "Long Lost Love", and "Baby I Miss You". CD also features 4 more bonus tracks – "Danny Boy", "I Believe", "Since I Don't Have You", and "Help Me Get Myself Back Together Again". CD

A groundbreaking album by soul singer Lewis Taylor – his first self-released album, issued on his own after parting company from Island Records! The sound is a blend of compressed rhythm and keys, filtered with Lewis' excellent vocals – deeply soulful, and instantly captivating, steeped in a tradition that stretches back to Marvin Gaye, and which makes him one of the best underground soul singers alive today. Songs are sweet, slow, slinky, and seductive – coming off amazingly well, with a deeply soulful production style that's still years ahead of its time – and which makes Taylor ripe for discovery by US audiences! Titles include "Send Me An Angel", "Stoned", "Shame", "Til The Morning Light", "Positively Beautiful", "Lovelight", and "Sheneverdid". CD

Music from Kermit Ruffins, Fats Domino, Dr. John, Louis Armstrong, Beausoleil, the Meters, Marcia Ball, the Radiators, Johnny Adams, Clifton Chenier, Earl King, Irma Thomas, the Hawketts, Boozoo Chavis, Aaron Neville, Coolbone, Raymond Myles, James Booker, Little Richard, Tim McLaughlin, Eddie Bo & more. CD

... CD

Featuring Dizzy Gillespie! CD

... CD

... LP, Vinyl record album

Killer rare jazz material from Japan! Toshiko Akioshi was one of Japan's greatest jazz musicians, and in the late 50s she came to the US, made her name, and married alto great Charlie Mariano. At some point in the early 60s, they moved back to Japan and had a rich influence on the jazz scene in Tokyo – as is ably demonstrated by this LP! The album's a fantastic set of large group arrangements by Toshiko and Charlie – and the soloists (besides the two of them) include some of Japan's greatest players, like Sleepy Matsumoto and Shigeo Suzuki. Just to make sure the whole thing swings, there's rhythm by an American duo of Paul Chambers & Jimmy Cobb, and believe us, they do everything they can to kick the group hard! We've loved this one for years. Nice titles include "The Shout", "Israel", "Land Of Peace", and "Kisarazu Jink". A key piece in US/Japan jazz relations, and a swingin' batch of hard jazz tracks to boot! LP, Vinyl record album

One of Lee Morgan's first-ever recordings as a leader, cut way back when he was just a hip teenager from Philly with a bucketful of promise on the trumpet! The session's a crack hard bop date – with an all-star cast that includes Hank Mobley on tenor, Hank Jones on piano, Doug Watkins on bass, and Art Taylor on drums – and although the proceedings are a bit rough around the edges compared to some of the Blue Note sets, the album's still filled with a heck of a lot of fire, and like all Morgan albums, is totally worth owning! Tracks are longish, and filled with imagination – and titles include "Bet", "Hank's Shout", "Nostalgia", "That's All", and "Softly As In A Morning Sunrise". CD

Includes the songs "Frenesi", "Here's My Heart", "Accident'ly On Purpose", "It All Comes Back To Me", "Chics Is Wonderful", "You're All That Matters To Me", "Prelude In C# Minor", "Nobody Knows The Trouble I've Seen", "Casey Jones", "Made Up My Mind", "Afternoon Of A Faun", "Blue Mist", "Anitra's Dance (From The Peer Gynt Suite)", "Yankee Doodle", "Off To the Races", "These Things You Left Me", "A Rythm Hymn", "I Can't Get Away From The Blues", "Deep River", "Blow The Man Down", "Harlem Jump", "Well, Of Course", "It's Time For T", "A Star Told A Story", "Fort Knox Jump", "Sing A Love Song", "Has Anybody Here Seen Jackson?", "Mr. Jessie Blues", "Impressions Of Meade Lux Lewis", "Prelude In G Minor", "Swing Without Words", "Bashful Baby Blues", "Soft As Spring", "Bacarolle", "Get Off On A Fugue", "Heaven Is Mine Again", "No Need To Be Sorry", "This Is No Laughing Matter", "Funiculi, Funicula", "Sherman Shout", "Barracks Blues", "Dig the Grove", "Salt On A Devil's Tail", "You Know (Just As Well As I Do)", "Time Out", "Pied Piper", "Octoroon", "Rompin' And Stompin'", and "Glass Blues (Theme Song)". CD

Was there a finer moment of 80s pop than this little gem? Maybe not – as the duo are at their most floppy-haired charming throughout – serving up some of the catchiest new romantic material of their generation, including the hits "Shout" and "Everybody Wants To Rule The World" – plus the tracks "Broken", "Listen", "Head Over Heels", "Mothers Talk", and "The Working Hour". CD

A searing collection of tracks from the second chapter of the Chicago House scene – the Acid House years of the mid and late 80s – a time when the city's music was being felt on a really global level! Although the term "acid" was later mistaken as a drug reference, it's used here to refer to a heavy deployment of analogue synthesizers – in a moogy, noisy, almost sci fi sort of way – one that was years ahead of musical experimentation from Detroit, the UK, and Europe in years to come! The track list features some classics of the early Chicago acid years – and the package features 13 tracks that include "This Is Acid" by Maurice Joshua, "Acid Trax" by Phuture, "Dream Girl (wet dream mix)" by Pierre's Phantasy Club, "Machines" by Laurent X, "Battery Acid" by Six Brown Brothers, "Two The Max" by Adonis, "Got The Bug" by Pierre's Phantasy Club, "Shout" by Jack Frost & The Circle Jerks, "The Acid Life" by Farley Jackmaster Funk, and "Bango Acid" by Mike Hitman Wilson. CD

An early American release on Capitol – kind of a "catch up" album that brings together material before the label had rights for US issue of their records! Titles include "Twist & Shout", "Love Me Do", "Anna", "Chains", "Ask Me Why", "Please Please Me", "Do You Want To Know A Secret", "PS I Love You", and "Baby It's You". LP, Vinyl record album

An overstuffed album of early greatness – served up with a classic image of the Fab Four on the cover! The tunes are a mix of Lennon/McCartney originals and American soul and rock numbers that are reinterpreted wonderfully by the group – in ways that perfectly show why, unlike most of their contemporaries, The Beatles weren't just trying for slavish imitation of American authenticity – and instead were already taking off with new ideas inspired by the music! Titles include "Please Please Me", "Love Me Do", "Misery", "Anna", "I Saw Her Standing There", "Boys", "Baby IT's You", "Do You Want To Know A Secret", "Twist & Shout", "A Taste Of Honey", and "Chains". CD

An overstuffed album of early greatness – served up with a classic image of the Fab Four on the cover! The tunes are a mix of Lennon/McCartney originals and American soul and rock numbers that are reinterpreted wonderfully by the group – in ways that perfectly show why, unlike most of their contemporaries, The Beatles weren't just trying for slavish imitation of American authenticity – and instead were already taking off with new ideas inspired by the music! Titles include "Please Please Me", "Love Me Do", "Misery", "Anna", "I Saw Her Standing There", "Boys", "Baby IT's You", "Do You Want To Know A Secret", "Twist & Shout", "A Taste Of Honey", and "Chains". CD

One of the best heavy metal albums of all time! Ronnie James Dio had long been hailed for having some of the finest vocal chords in hard rock before this first Dio album arrived – having led the the obscure but beloved Elf, Rainbow and Black Sabbath in the 70s and earlier 80s – but it's Holy Diver that cements his legend. These days, it's kind of stunning how much he transcends metal cliche, as opposed to wallowing in it. Holy Diver has killer songs, Ronnie's unrivaled vocals and melodies, and the band focuses on crunching riffs instead of silly guitar solos and other elements that overwrought and badly dated so many other metal bands of the era. Includes "Stand Up & Shout", the eternal classics "Holy Diver" and "Rainbow In The Dark", "Gypsy", "Caught In The Middle", "Don't Talk To Strangers", "Straight Through The Heart", "Invisible" and "Shame On The Night". LP, Vinyl record album

Some of the coolest sounds we've ever heard from the Three Blind Mice label in the 70s – a trio outing, but one that has the players really changing up their instruments a lot over the course of the album's long tracks – never in a way that's too avant garde or improvisational, but which always has the group really reaching for new sounds! Yoko Sumiya plays Yamaha electric keys, mini moog, and a Steinway – and really comes up with this incredible blend of acoustic and electric elements – one that's sometimes offset by these moody vocalizations that are hardly song, but almost another instrument in the mix. Jimmy Shironga plays acoustic guitar and electric bass – and again also vocalizes a bit, but in this strangely offbeat way that's often far from lyrical – more personally expressive overall. All group members seem to shout with enthusiasm at points – especially when Shin Okabe urges them on with drums – as well as a host of other percussion instruments too. There's never any moments that get too out, and overall there's almost a performative feel to the whole thing – with the band changing moods and rhythms a number of times during a single song. Tracks include "Soul Soran", "Gion Shoja", and "Sei Shonagon". CD

19 tracks total including "Creole Jazz," "Nagging at Me," "Carolina Shout," "I Want To Be By Myself," "In A Georgia Cabin," "Trio Blues," and more. CD

An early album of Christmas tunes from the legendary Odetta – recorded in a very spare setting, with only acoustic bass from Bill Lee alongside her vocals and guitar! The style is extremely evocative, and really gets past the cliches of most Christmas albums – and creates a dark tension in most of these tunes that's a fair bit different than the warmer tones of the season you might expect. Lee's bass is especially great – stepping out in lines that often contrast Odetta's own – providing a really dark undercurrent that keeps things interesting throughout. Titles include "Virgin Mary Had One Son", "Somebody's Talking About Jesus", "Mary Had A Baby", "Shout For Joy", "Oh Jerusalem", "If Anybody Asks You", and "Children Go Where I Send Thee". CD

Hard-stepping work by Oscar Peterson – a record that's got a bit more of a forceful groove than some of his others from the time, thanks in part to the rhythm section of George Mraz on bass and Ray Price on drums! Peterson's really romping around the keys on some of the tunes – hitting hard with the left hand in a nicely bluesy mode on some numbers, then rolling back to his more lyrically introspective style on others. The whole thing's got a great MPS approach to production that makes the notes ring forth with amazing clarity – and titles include "Blues For Martha", "Greensleeves", "All The Things You Are", "I'm Old Fashioned", "The JAMFs Are Coming", and "Carolina Shout". CD

A nearly-lost relic of 80s groove – and a sharp little side project from Rick James! Process and group are clearly going for a sound to rival the Time on this set – working as a well-costumed group ensemble with a bass-heavy funky groove at the bottom of every track – and their groove is definitely as sharp as any of the big names from the Twin Cities who were topping the charts at the time! And although you might be attempted to dismiss them as a copycat combo, the group actually comes off pretty darn well – with songs that we dig quite a lot – and which have held up surprisingly well over time. Titles include "Ooh Wee", "Stomp & Shout", "Serious Freak", "Too Sharp", "Come Into My Life", "Dance The Way You Want (Party Freaks)", and "Daddy's Home". LP, Vinyl record album

Was there a finer moment of 80s pop than this little gem? Maybe not – as the duo are at their most floppy-haired charming throughout – serving up some of the catchiest new romantic material of their generation, including the hits "Shout" and "Everybody Wants To Rule The World" – plus the tracks "Broken", "Listen", "Head Over Heels", "Mothers Talk", and "The Working Hour". LP, Vinyl record album

An excellent bit of LA pop with a nice bossa groove! Triste Janero were a lost combo that mixed Sergio Mendes-ish grooves with some nice vocalization that's slightly in the vein of Free Design. The overall mix of tracks includes some nice bossa groovers, plus other well selected pop material, given a great reworking with the Triste Janero sound. Light, breezy 60s sunshine pop buffed with a sweet bossa sheen – it's exactly the kind of thing we love around here, and a great big shout out has to go out to the wonderful people at the Rev Ola label for lovingly issuing this lost gem on CD – for the first time ever! It includes a stunning bossa version of Nilsson's "Without Her", plus "Rene De Marie", "A Beginning Dream", "In The Garden", "Today It's You", "Somba De Orphia" and the super-extended "TJ Blues", which is a long jazzy groover with nice Hammond. Wonderful! CD

Some of the greatest material Stanley Turrentine ever recorded – sessions that produced the albums Comin Your Way, Jubilee Shout, Chip Off The Old Block, In Memory Of, Mr Natural, and Another Story. CD

Tracks include "Carolina Shout," "Your Socks Don't Match," "Cash for Your Trash Can," "Winter Weather," "T'ain't Nobody's Buisness If I Do," and more. CD

Features "Twisting The Night Away" by Sam Cooke, "Tossin And Turnin" by Bobby Lewis, "Shout" by Lloyd Williams and more. LP, Vinyl record album

A massive overview of one of the longest-running house labels from Chicago – the crucial Dance Mania imprint, second only to Trax and DJ International for its huge run of talent! Dance Mania came into being a few years into the first wave of Chicago house, but also kept its dedication to the underground for a lot longer, too – and really helped a tremendous amount of young artists to hit the studio and get their chance at turning out a groove! The label was housed in the upstairs of Barney's Records – an important west side record store and one-stop – and it dedicated itself to tracks that were maybe a bit faster, simpler, and more direct than some of the other house in Chicago at the time – often with a great style of stripping things down to all their best elements, yet still keeping things warm and soulful overall. The package features great notes on the label – and on the great Ray Barney himself (we miss your store, Ray!) – and titles include "7 Ways (club)" by Hercules, "Crazy Wild" by Club Style, "Love Will Find A Way (club)" by Victor Romeo, "Toxic Waste (club)" by Tim Harper, "I'm So Deep" by Vincent Floyd, "Falling (Armando's house mix)" by 326, "Da Bomb" by DJ Deeon, "Ghetto Shout Out" by Parris Mitchell, "Hit It From The Back" by Traxmen & Eric Martin, "The Original Video Clash – Video Class 2 (street mix)" by DJ Funk, "Feel My MF Bass" by Paul Johnson, and "Work Out" by Top Cat. 2CD set features 24 tracks in all! CD

The title's not a metaphoric one – or at least not entirely so, as this set of original tracks by JD Allen draws strong inspiration from the art of bullfighting – but then also moves on to deeper musings on movement and choice – cast out perfectly by the expert trio on the set! Allen's tenor is already dynamic enough – but it's really set fire here by the bass of Gregg August and drums of Rudy Royston, who propel the original compositions with a deep sense of color and soul that really matches JD's horn – the kind of tenor trio effort that hearkens back to the initial late 50s experiments in the format by Sonny Rollins, but grows to encompass all the changes that have taken place since then! Titles include "Paseillo", "Cathedral", "Suite Of Lights", "Ring Shout", and "Muleta". CD

Just when you thought your Beatles collection couldn't get any bigger – out comes this amazing set with 37 tracks that have never been released before! As you might guess from the cover image, the focus here is on the early years of the Fab Four – and the package features rare BBC performances from 1962 to 1965 – offering up a much more vivid portrait of the initial years of The Beatles than just their studio albums. There's plenty of unique takes on famous tunes, plus some killer covers, and a few unusual entries too – and the package also features a number of spoken passages, with all the charm we've come to expect from the group in their press and film appearances of the time. Titles include "Beautiful Dreamer", "I'm Talking About You", "Glad All Over", "Lucille", "Anna", "Lend Me Your Comb", "Devil In Her Heart", "Sure To Fall", "Twist & Shout", "I'll Follow The Sun", "There's A Place", "From Me To You", "Happy Birthday Dear Saturday Club", "Memphis Tennessee", "Misery", "The Hippy Hippy Shake", and "I Got A Woman" – plus bonus interview tracks with each member too! CD

A legendary album of Memphis soul – and a full length set that helped redefine the sound of instrumental music in the 60s! The record's a monumental follow-up to Booker T & The MGs' huge hit single "Green Onions" – an extremely seductive organ-based instrumental that the band cooked up while just messing around in the studio – and it's filled with other organ-heavy grooves played by this tight Memphis quartet – a group who were just starting out at this point, but already had a sound that's unlike anyone else! The work of Booker T is especially nice – Hammond with a bit more punch than other combos of this nature – backed by some wicked guitar from Steve Cropper, bass from Lewis Steinberg, and drums from Al Jackson. The set features a nice mix of covers and original tunes – with titles that include "Green Onions", "I Got A Woman", "Twist & Shout", "Lonely Avenue", "Comin Home Baby", "Mo Onions", "Behave Yourself", and "Rinky Dink". LP, Vinyl record album

There were plenty of great guitar instrumental groups back in the day – but maybe one of the greatest was The Champs – a combo who still sounds incredible all these many years later! The guitar solos are fantastic, of course – as is the chomping guitar work in the rhythms – but there's also this sonic brilliance to these tunes too – especially in the way the studio is used as an extra instrument, which makes all the other odd moments on the tunes sound wonderful too – including the occasional vocal refrain or surprising shout! There's plenty of cool piano and some tenor solos too – and this excellent collection features 22 gems by the group – including "Caramba", "Sombrero", "Jumping Bean", "Beatnik", "Red Eye", "Gone Train", "Train To Nowhere", "Too Much Tequila", "The Shoddy Shoddy", "Caterpillar", and their classic hit "Tequila". CD