Fantastic collection of rare groove tracks, featuring loads of lost 70's classics, and a number of hip hop sample cuts to boot! Includes "90% of Me is You" by Gwen McCrae, "Strange Games & Things" by Love Unlimited Orchestra, "Hollywood Dreaming" by Fathers Children, "Reasons" by Minnie Riperton, "Hunk of Heaven" by Lemuria, "Girl You Need a Change of Mind (12" mix)" by Eddie Kendricks, and "Another Day" by Ray, Goodman, and Brown – as sampled by Brand Nubian. Great stuff all through, and really makes us think of some of the best of the Mastercuts series from way back! CD

There's a flurry of rare Jamaican singles on the cover, and that's definitely what you'll hear on the album – but presented in a great format that really makes these ska and rocksteady nuggets come alive with better sound than in their original pressings! The package features key tracks recorded by Treasure Isle, at a time when the imprint was one of the most important on the Kingston scene – and definitely tuned to the sorts of singers who would bring a lot more soul to Jamaican music in years to come! There's a total of 16 cuts in all – and titles include "Penny Reel" by Eric Monty Morris, "Rough & Tough" by Stranger Cole & The Skatalites, "Perfidia" by Phyllis Dillon, "The Tide Is High" by The Paragons, "Everybody Bawling" by U-Roy & The Melodians, "Ali Baba" by John Holt, "Carry Go Bring Come" by Justin Hinds, "Rock Steady" by Alton Ellis, "Baba Boom" by The Jamaicans, and "Angel Of The Morning" by Joya Landis. LP, Vinyl record album

An excellent set by Grant Green – recorded in 1964, but not issued until close to 1980, when Blue Note first pulled it out of the vaults, and dropped it on the world! The session's a great one – with an unusual lineup that features Green's guitar in a sextet, with McCoy Tyner on piano, James Spaulding on alto, Joe Henderson on tenor, Bob Cranshaw on bass, and Elvin Jones on drums – a really wonderful group who help bring something different to the proceedings – helping showcase the great change in Green's second chapter for Blue Note. The album's got a mix of modal grooving and piano-driven hardbop – with a harder groove than some of Green's other non-organ sides for Blue Note. Titles include "Solid", "Minor League", "Ezz Thetic", "Grant's Tune" and "The Kicker". CD also features the bonus track "Wives And Lovers". CD

With 25 tracks including "Milton's Boogie", "True Blue", "Hucklebuck", "Junior Jives", "Everything I Do Is Wrong", and "T-Town Twist". CD

The final album from Tradition, and a set that's very different than some of their earlier work – but in a way that really makes the record a standout in their catalog! The group here are billed as Tradition Featuring Paul Thompson – and keyboardist Thompson is really the strongest "voice" on the record – stretching out in all these really cool solo lines that are often more moogy than the sort of organ lines you'd hear from Jackie Mittoo or Winston Wright – which gives the record this cool spacey quality that sounds mighty nice, and very different than some of their more soul-based records from a few years before! Production is nice and lean, and the keyboards sound great amidst the mellow-stepping grooves – on titles that include "Tribute To A King", "In Memory Of A Legend", "Over & Over", "Anthology Of Music", "I'm A Clown", and "Return Of Big Foot". Features the bonus track "Can I Take You Home". LP, Vinyl record album

The second trip into the studio for Cedar Walton's mighty Eastern Rebellion ensemble – and every bit as great as the first! This time around, the lineup's a bit different – with Bob Berg in on tenor, and Curtis Fuller expanding the group on trombone – but the groove is still the same – wonderfully in the pocket soul jazz, swinging with a gentle and fluid glide that's really tremendous. The work ranks up there with the best of Walton's recordings ever – and the tunes are all originals with a rich imagination for tone, soul, and color – and plenty of space for strong solo work. Titles include "The Maestro", "Sunday Suite", "Ojos De Rojo", "Fantasy In D", and "Clockwise". CD

A great moment in the career of the mighty Leon Ware – a set recorded after his famous 70s work for Motown, and before his return to fame at Elektra – but still with a super-tight quality that shows that Leon was always great, no matter what the setting! Leon's warm, mellow, and totally right on the money here – serving up some wicked midtempo grooves that sparkle way more than most of his contemporaries – and which even rise above most of the other work on TK records at the time! Ware wrote and produced the whole set himself – with that masterful studio approach that first rose to prominence on Marvin Gaye's album I Want You – and like that classic set, the whole thing here is great – never a clunker or a bit of filler at all. Titles include the great "What's Your Name" – an extremely catchy two-step number, with a hook that will ring in your head long after the track is over – and other cuts include "Inside Is Love", "Try It Out", "Club Sashay", "Inside Your Love", and "Love Is A Simple Thing". CD

A funky big band album, recorded by Thad Jones & Mel Lewis, with the great Joe Williams on vocals! The record is one of the most sought-after by the team – probably because it includes the hard breakbeat version of "Get Out of My Life Woman". The other tracks are pretty funky, too, with nice soul groovers like "Night Time Is The Right Time", "Woman's Got Soul", and "How Sweet It Is". Players include Pepper Adams, Joe Farrell, Jerome Richardson, and Roland Hanna – and the Jones/Lewis group is at the height of its hipness here! LP, Vinyl record album

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Excellent work from the team of Thad Jones and Mel Lewis – arguably one of their best albums from the late 60s, and a set that's got some really great funky big band numbers! There's a nice bouncing groove to the group that they normally don't have – possibly because Richard Davis is playing some Fender bass on the set, which brings in a nice focus on the bottom end – and the best numbers have a sock-soul feel that's in the best late 60s large group soul jazz mode! Titles include "Tow Away Zone", "Jive Samba", "The Groove Merchant", and "Central Park North". LP, Vinyl record album

Quite an unusual album for trumpeter Howard McGhee – one that has the famous bop trumpeter working in a sweet "with strings" format – ala similar 50s sessions on Verve! Frank Hunter handles the larger group here – working the strings with some nice touches that go way past just sleepy orchestrations – into a realm of playful passages that help coax some quite unfamiliar sounds from Howard's horn! The approach is quite different than some of McGhee's more seminal sides, but is also a great illustration of this under-acknowledge side of his talents – and a voice that definitely seems to echo some of his personal struggles at the time. Titles include "Sonny Boy", "The Thrill Is Gone", "The Best Things In Life Are Free", "Life Is Just A Bowl Of Cherries", and "My Sin". CD

One of the few female pianists in 50s jazz – the great Terry Pollard, a player who's usually associated with the Detroit scene, but who works here in a hip west coast setting for Bethlehem Records! The date's got Terry's strong piano in a quintet – with Don Fagerquist on trumpet and Howard Roberts on guitar – both musicians who bring a strong sense of presence to the group passages on the date, but who are also more than willing to step aside and let Pollard really flourish on her solos during some of the album's trio tracks. Terry's sometimes got this bite that's a bit unusual for Bethlehem – a nice nod to her Detroit roots – and the group also features Herman Wright on bass and Frank DeVito on drums. Titles include "Laura", "Fedj", "Emaline", "Almost Like Being In Love", and "Where Or When". CD

One of the most unusual groups to ever record for Bethlehem Records in the 50s – a special combo that's led by Betty Glamann on harp and Rufus Smith on bass – and who work here with an airy sound that's pretty darn nice! Glamann beats Dorothy Ashby on the jazz harp by a few years, and uses the instrument in a great style that's plucked one minute, strummed the next – creating these waves of sound that ring out wonderfully next to Smith's careful work on bass. Other instrumentation includes guitar from Barry Galbraith, drums from Frank Garisto, and accordion from Nick Perito – but the main focus is often on Glamann's instrument, which gets plenty of room for solo space. The overall sound is pretty cool, as the stringed instruments intertwine with the accordion lines, making for a dream mix of melodies – and titles include "Poinciana", "Liza", "Laura", "Now Get Out", "Lotus Land", and "Pulling Strings". CD

Incredible early work from Chick Corea! Chick's first big splash in the jazz world was with the legendary quartet named Circle – which featured Corea, Anthony Braxton, Dave Holland, and Barry Altschul. After a disagreement about (among other things) Scientology, Braxton left the group – but Corea continued on briefly with Holland and Altschul. This excellent 1970 set features the work of that sparkling trio – a perfectly matched unit of players that mixed AACM whimsy and innovation with some more strongly pronounced modernist tendencies. The set features 5 tracks, including the haunting "Drone", Circle's "Percussion Piece", and 2 parts of the improvised "Ballad". CD

Amazing modern work from the young Chick Corea – a set that captures the pianist in much more avant territory than his famous 70s sets – at a time when he was just coming off some years working in a variety of modes on the New York scene! The group here is as revolutionary as Chick's own work on piano – a trio with Miroslav Vitous on bass and Roy Haynes on drums – generations coming together to really unlock the possibilities of a piano trio, with the same sort of freshness that you'd hear in the earliest work by Steve Kuhn or Keith Jarrett from the same time. By that, we mean that there's still elements here that tie the approach to older modes – but with a quality that's also instantly Chick's own – especially on the very compelling original material on the set. Titles include "Now He Sings – Now He Sobs", "Steps – What Was", "Matrix", and "The Law Of Falling & Catching Up". Lots of bonus tracks – including "Fragments", "Windows", "Samba Yantra", "I Don't Know", "Gemini", and "Bossa". CD

Japanese pianist Masaru Imada is in his best fusion mode here – working with great help from American players Tom Browne on trumpet, Grover Washington Jr on soprano and tenor sax, Steve Khan on guitar, Anthony Jackson on bass, and Steve Jordan on drums! Imada plays both acoustic and electric piano, and the set has that perfect mix that happened with the best albums of this type – when a brilliant Japanese jazz musician came into contact with the cream of the crop of the American electric jazz scene – on a record that's got a strong sense of soul throughout! Things are tight, but never too slick or commercial – again that special balance that makes so many Japanese fusion projects so different than the smoother American work of the period. Titles include "Tropical Butterfly", "Jumpin Dolphin", "Seacret Sounds", "Blue Marine", "Angelfish", and "Smile For You". CD

Masaru Imada gets a bit tropical here, but also picks up some great help on horns – thanks to guest work from the Brecker Brothers, whose performance on a few tracks really help give the set a strong soul fusion vibe! The core sounds come from Imada's quintet – which has the leader playing both acoustic and Fender Rhodes, with guitar, bass, drums, and percussion – and on those tracks that feature the Breckers, the whole thing really comes together – with that richness of sound and surprising current of soul that we love on the best Japanese fusion albums of the time. Even the non-Brecker tracks are pretty great – and titles include "Ripples In Recife", "Surf Dance", "Sunset Walk", "Gentle Breeze", and "Carnival". CD features a bonus radio edit of "Carnival". CD

A soundtrack project from tenorist Javon Jackson, and one that may well be our favorite album from him in years – as it really lets Javon explore all these different sounds, shapes, and styles – while still working with a small combo that makes for a very unified vibe on the entire record! The set mixes a few non-soundtrack titles with the shorter numbers from the film, really expanding the palette – and overall, things have this soulful, swinging quality that almost reminds us of the spirit of some of the soundtrack material by Bill Lee from many years back – equally evocative, lyrical, and well-performed – by a quintet that features Gregg Glassman on trumpet, Jeremy Mansaia on piano, David Williams on bass, and either Charles Gold or McClenty Hunter on drums. Titles include "The Game", "Brother G", "Never Let Me Go", "In The Studio", "CB", "D Town", "In The Clouds", "On The Move", and "Amy's Theme". CD

With Jimmy Cobb on drums. CD

A wonderfully moody album from Abbey Lincoln – one that's a bit more laidback than some of her other efforts, but no less soulful! There's kind of a broken, jagged sound to the record – a late nite vibe that's blue and melancholy, and which gets some great support from the tenor sax of Archie Shepp – which often gets a chance to solo on most tracks! The rhythms are gentle, often a bit spare – and handled by Hilton Ruiz on piano, Jack Gregg on bass, and Freddie Waits on drums – and the set also features work from trumpeter Roy Burroughs. Tracks include three original compositions, "Painted Lady", "Throw It Away", and "Caged Bird", plus a sublime version of Stevie Wonder's "Golden Lady". Also includes Ellington's "Sophisticated Lady", and Michel Legrand's "What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life". CD

Incredible funky guitar – an all-instrumental gem from the legendary Little Beaver – quite different than his other vocal albums of the 70s, and a fair bit funkier too! The sound here is amazing – lots of snakey compressed guitar parts, nice wah wah moments, and a dope laidback groove that's similar to Shuggie Otis on his Inspiration Information album, but a little funkier too! Especially sweet are the sudden changes within the tunes – which find a killer groove, take a left turn or two, and then fall back into the groove nicely. Beaver wrote most of the cuts, and the track list includes "Hit Me With Funky Music", "Loosen Up", and "Tribute To Wes". But some of his best playing comes out on the covers, which have a nice laidback feel, in the best dope Little Beaver style – like "Never Can Say Goodbye", "Let's Stay Together", and "Summertime". Total perfection! CD

Heavy funk from Jimmy McGriff – a monster set of grooves that ranks with his best of the late 60s! The tracks are short and sock-hard – Jimmy wailing on Hammond, over rhythms that have plenty of sharp edges, and lots of nice drum work – all recorded in a mode that's a heck of a lot rawer than some of his other records! The album brings together all the rough power of Jimmy's years at Sue Records with the funkier grooves of his 70s work – and features a killer combo that includes tenor from Fats Theus, alto from Danny Turner, trumpet from Blue Mitchell, guitar from Thornel Schwartz, and drums from both Mel Lewis and Grady Tate. Titles include "The Worm", "Blue Juice", "Lock It Up", "Think", "Heavyweight", and "Girl Talk". CD

Cedar Walton plays here with one of his greatest trios ever – the lineup that featured David Williams on bass and Billy Higgins on drums – both players who seem to match that blend of spirit and lyricism that was always so special on Walton's approach! The album's an obscure one, but it stands with the best of the time from Cedar – including the Eastern Rebellion and Steeplechase albums of which both Williams and Higgins were a part – and the tracks here are nice and long, and sparkle with that three-pointed energy that makes this trio so great. Titles include "Voices Deep Within", "Let's Call This", "Magical Lady", "Mode For Joe", and "Funjii Mama". CD features a bonus alternate of "Magical Lady". CD

A really sparkling session from trumpeter Stu Williamson – one of a few great records he cut for the Bethlehem label in the 50s, and a set that's one of the cookingest from the company at the time! Stu's trumpet lines are already mighty nice – tight, and often a bit bolder than others from the west coast – and he's got some excellent company on saxophone here – the great young Charlie Mariano on alto, playing with a nice edge on a few tracks – plus equally great work from Bill Holman on tenor and Jimmy Guiffre on baritone. The rhythm section cooks nicely, too – with a boppish swing on the best numbers, delivered on piano by Claude Williamson, bass by Leroy Vinnegar, and drums by Mel Lewis. Titles include "Oom's Tune", "Big Red", "Red Cross", "Hongry Child", and "Pee Jay". CD

A deep double-dip into the legendary TK Records catalog of Miami Soul – and one that offers up a very different version of the label than you might know from the hits! This 2CD set follows in the best tradition of the Free Soul series from Japan – which means that the collection is filled with unusual tracks that we might have missed otherwise, alongside other numbers that we do know, but which seem to have a really special vibe in this setting – an unpacking of the TK catalog from top to bottom, with a special focus on warmer, more unusual bits of funk and soul. Titles include "Jolie" by Lattimore, "Don't Waste My Time" by Jerry Washington, "Keep It Up" by Milton Wright, "You Knock Me Out" by Wildflower, "Cramp Your Style" by All The People, "I Can't Leave Your Love Alone" by Willie & Anthony, "Street Love" by Spats, "Concrete Jungle" by Little Beaver, "Good Good Lovin" by Charles Johnson, "90% Of Me Is You" by Vanessa Kendrick, "I Got Bills To Pay" by Johnny K, "You Can Be A Lady" by JP Robinson, "Love Is A Simple Thing" by Leon Ware, "Island Girl" by Lew Kirton, "Share Your Love" by Herman Kelly & Life, "Ain't Nothin Wrong" by KC & The Sunshine Band, "What Would Your Mama Say" by Facts Of Life, "Jazz Freak" by Paulette Reaves, "Let's Make A Baby" by Funky Brown, "The Love We Had Stays On My Mind" by Freddy Henry, and "How Long" by Brandye. CD

One of the coolest, hippest albums ever from reedman Hadley Caliman – cut at a time when Caliman was playing on a lot of other west coast sessions – both jazz and soul – and a record that definitely pushes his new ideas to the forefront! Hadley is always great, no matter what the setting – but this record really offers him the chance to stretch out and express himself – both on tenor and flute, in a way that's more Strata East or Black Jazz spiritual than some of the other albums on the Mainstream label at the time. The group's nicely laidback – with Larry Vuckovich on piano, John White Jr on guitar, Clarence Becton on drums, and Bill Douglass on bass – but Caliman is the clear star of the set, and shines brightly throughout. Tracks include "Cigar Eddie", "Longing", "Comencio", and "Kicking On The Inside". CD

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Titles include "Black Swan", "Azure", "In Triplicate", "Fifi", "Black Butterfly", "El Gato", "BP", and "4:30 Blues" – plus a short speech by Duke! CD

The title certainly gets it right – as the set's one of the best (and one of the few) albums that trombonist Curtis Fuller cut in the 70s – a searingly sharp session that really shows a change from some of his Blue Note modes of the 60s! There's a current of righteous energy that moves through the set – and which maybe ties the sound more strongly to the sort of underground soul jazz work being recorded by the Black Jazz label of the period, or maybe like some of the hipper currents over at Prestige – such as Joe Henderson's albums. George Cables plays electric piano on the record – which already sets it apart from Fuller's earlier material – and the tracks are long, loose, and open – and graced with strong solo work from Bill Hardman on trumpet, Ray Moros on tenor, and Bill Washer on guitar. Yet perhaps strongest of all in shaping the record is the work of the rhythm duo Stanley Clarke on bass and Lenny White on drums – both working together here at an early point in their careers, but already hinting at the greatness to come. A very different album for Curtis Fuller – and titles include "Crankin", "Maze", "Black Bath", and "The Spirit". CD

A weird batch of groovy tracks from Diz – more of a pop soul jazz instrumental set than a straight jazz one, recorded in 1969 with arrangements by Jimmy Mundy, who conducts a group with Paul Griffin, Billy Butler, and Jerome Richardson. As usual, Dizzy rises to any occasion – and brings out some great work for the album, grooving in a number of different modes as the moods of the tracks change with the backing colors of the band. Titles include a medley of "Aquarius" and "Let The Sun Shine In", plus "Exotica", "Besame Mucho", "Magic Tree", "This Girl's In Love With You", and "Galveston". Not all great – but with some really nice moments! LP, Vinyl record album

Seminal work from Billy Harper – one of his few albums to get wider exposure in the 70s, and searing set of righteous power all the way through! By this point in his career, Billy's really got a handle on his sound – and reaches forth here on tenor with a sense of majesty we'd rank right up there with John Coltrane or Pharoah Sanders at their best – working with beautifully matched players who include Everett Hollins on trumpet, Fred Hersch on piano, Louie Spears on bass, and Horacee Arnold on drums – a player we don't always see in this context, and who really helps drive the energy of the set. The album features a stellar reading of Harper's classic "Preistess", a 22 minute take on "Illumination", and the shorter, but equally beautiful "Calvary". CD

Stunning work from one of the greatest players of the post-Coltrane generation – a classic session recorded overseas in the mid 70s, and one that's filled with soulful expressions from the great Billy Harper! Harper's tenor kicks off the set with an immediately gripping sound – as searing as Pharoah Sanders at his Impulse best – but driven on by searching, soaring modal rhythms that are all Billy's own – the kind of grooves he first forged with Max Roach, then really expanded on when given the freedom of a record like this. Other players include trumpeter Virgil Jones, pianist Joe Bonner, bassist David Friesen, and drummer Malcom Pinson – and titles include a killer take on "Croquet Ballet", which Harper originally recorded with Lee Morgan – plus the titles "Dance Eternal Spirits Dance" and "Call Of The Wild & Peaceful Heart". CD

Ruth Brown joins the big band of Thad Jones and Mel Lewis – in a set that's a real standout in the career of all three artists! Thad and Mel already have a pretty great groove going at this point – a large ensemble approach to jazz, yet one that's swingingly soulful – very much on a par with some of Gerald Wilson's hip work of the same time at time. And adding in Ruth Brown's vocals is a great choice – as she not only needs a great showcase like this for her amazing voice, but also because she really helps unlock a soulful sort of energy that the group always had in their instrumental music. The approach is a bit like some of Etta Jones' best 60s recordings – a nice shift for Brown – and titles include "Black Coffee", "Fine Brown Frame", "You Won't Let Go", "Trouble In Mind", and "Be Anything (But Be Mine)". CD

An overlooked chapter in the Harold Land/Bobby Hutcherson partnership that recorded more famously for Blue Note – a date that's issued here under the tenorist's own name, but which also features equal contributions from Hutcherson on vibes! Tracks have that long, modal quality that has the pair almost birthing a whole new generation in jazz expression – a style that's more sophisticated than earlier soul jazz, yet equally soulful in its own sort of way – aware of all the freedoms of the avant scene, yet never fully indulgent of them – and always guided by a spirit set loose by Coltrane, but in ways that are very different than so many others in the post-Coltrane generation! Part of that difference might be Land's personal phrasing on tenor – or Hutcherson's amazing approach to vibes – both without any sort of comparison at all, and set up here in a group that features Bill Henderson on acoustic and electric piano, Buster Williams on bass, Billy Hart on drums, and Mtume on congas. The latter gets his own song named on the record – the great "Mtume" – and other titles include "Short Subject", "Ode To Angela", and "De-Liberation". CD

Easily the best vinyl collection we've ever seen of Barbara's 60s work – one of the excellent titles on the Solid Smoke label, and a set that presents the material with great notes on the sessions that really help illuminate the tunes! The tunes were all produced by Detroit great Ollie McLaughlin – and some sessions feature The Dells backing Barbara up – in that sweetly-crafted style that made her 60s work a unique bridge between soul music and more sophisticated vocals! Titles include "Make Me Your Baby", "Sho Nuff", "Baby I'm Yours", "My Mama Told Me", "Pushing A Good Thing", "Hello Stranger", "Please Please Please", "Does Anyone Want A Lover", "Make Me Belong To You", and "Someday We're Gonna Love Again". LP, Vinyl record album

A strange title, but a great record – plenty jazzy for our ears, and filled with that great mix of vibes and Hammond that we love in the music of Johnny Lytle during the 60s! The combo is nice and small – with Billy Nunn on the organ, Paul West on bass, Josell Carter on drums, and Lawrence Killian providing a nice kick on congas! A few cuts have vocals by Marcel Lytle, but most of the album's cuts are instrumental – with some great originals by Johnny, like "Gwink", "Agapee/Polemos", "Just A Little Bit Of Holiness", "Close Enough For Jazz", and "Baby You Make Me Feel So Good". LP, Vinyl record album

Maybe the most obscure 70s album from George McCrae – but a tight little set that still has the singer at the top of his Miami Soul game! The album features lots of production help from KC – of Sunshine Band fame – and the rhythms are in that skittish Miami mode that worked so well for the scene – quicker in a different way than disco up north, and then given those bold, bright flourishes that were the trademark TK bubbling-over style of club music! George's vocals also get produced with a bit of that flanged-out KC mode – spread into the mix, but in a way that still leaves plenty of his own personality – on funky groovers that include "You Don't Know", "I Love You", "We Did It", "Love Life & Soul", "My Love My Life My Soul", and "Are You Looking For Love". CD

An underground gem from Gwen McCrae – and the record that first set the tone for her dancefloor classics for Atlantic in the 80s! The album has Gwen shaking off some of the southern soul of her roots – stretching the genre out to hit notes that are much more in tune with modern soul of the time – a warmly sophisticated approach that uses Gwen's vocals to best effect on a variety of adult themes, but which also kicks in some great midtempo and mellow grooves on the set. A perfect example of this is the album's sublime stepper "All This Love I'm Givin" – a track that works perfectly on the dancefloor, yet which also has a heck of a lot of deep soul too – and the rest of the album follows in a similarly sublime sort of groove. Other titles include "I Can Only Think Of You", "I Found A Love", "Maybe I'll Find Somebody New", "The Melody Of Life", and "The Joy". CD

A really fantastic record from Hammond hero Jimmy McGriff – and one that has him opening up his groove a fair bit more than on his early Sue Records sides! Jimmy's sense of rhythm and timing here is great – really changing up and keeping things interesting – still with enough of his strong R&B action on the keys of the organ, but in a very different way that makes the whole album a real standout in his catalog – with a sinister bubbling under funky feel that's just great. Includes the monster cut "Charlotte", which has sort of a rolling, bassy intro that would make a great sample – plus the cuts "Up There, Down Here", "Thing To Come By", and "Down Home On The Moon". LP, Vinyl record album

A key 70s album from Blue Mitchell – and a set that's perfectly balanced between the lyricism of his mid 60s sides for Blue Note, and the electric funk of later years! The tracks are long, and have a really great vibe – plenty of room for Mitchell's sweet trumpet in the lead, with longer solos than on his last funk albums for Blue Note – and given a nice sense of bounce, a groove that's almost modal at times, by a group that features Walter Bishop on piano, Larry gales on bass, and Doug Sides on drums. Bishop's clearly playing some Fender Rhodes at times – ala his Black Jazz albums – and the group also features some of the most righteous tenor work we've ever heard from Jimmy Forrest, an artist we really know best for sides from a decade before. Titles include a killer reading of "Soul Village" – later recorded famously by Bishop – plus "Blues For Thelma", "Queen Bey", "Mi Hermano", and "Are You Real". CD

Ray grooves it nicely past his Ellington roots here – still using jazz violin, but working in a small combo mode, with some nice groovy tunes, in a style that makes for a pretty unique album! Some tracks have Ray bringing a new sound to 60s cuts like "Sunny", "Oh Happy Day", and "Hard Day's Night" – playing them in small combo mode, and mixing his violin with the tenor of Brew Moore, guitar of Tiny Grimes, and piano of Jaki Byard or Roland Hanna (who also plays a bit of organ on the set.) Other tracks are more traditional, but done in a lightly swinging way that almost has the "everything old is modern again" sort of mode of some of Byard's nods to trad in his own recordings. Nance also sings a bit on the set – in a nice, almost tired voice that we really like – and other titles include "Guitar Amour", "Tranquility", "Mimi", "Get Happy", and "Jolie Janice". LP, Vinyl record album

An obscure female soul project from 70s-era TK Records – one that features production by Clarence Reid, hence the group's name! The groove here is very much in the best Miami club mode of the time – upbeat, but still nicely gritty overall – more fast funk in the instrumentation, with slight touches of strings – and vocals from the quartet that slide nicely into the rhythms, which themselves bear plenty of TK touches! The whole thing's got a feel that's a lot better than you might guess from the cover – kind of a rougher take on the Gwen McCrae vibe of the time, almost set loose to do things with a more relaxed approach overall. And the vocals are surprisingly strong at points too – with one singer coming to the forefront with a deeper soul mode than you might expect. Titles include "I'll Be Damned If It's Me", "What Am I Gonna Do", "Push Me Back In The Corner", "More Of A Woman", "That's How It Is When You Are In Love", "New York City", and "This Time Tomorrow". CD

Beautiful late 80s work from Pharoah – a wonderfully uncomplicated session that still has a great degree of soul! The album was recorded in Paris, with a quintet that includes William Henderson on acoustic piano, Stafford James on bass, Eddie Moore on drums, and Cheikh Tidiane Fale on percussion – and the overall approach is a bit more straight ahead than on some of Sanders' other albums – but in a really great way! The tunes are long and introspective – all done with spiritual rhythmic approaches, letting Pharoah open up on tenor and soprano sax – but never in a way that's overblown or overdone. The solos are perfectly placed – with wonderful phrasing and tone, rich in the colors that we've always loved on Sanders' work, but which can sometimes get lost in the confusion of an over-ambitious session. Titles include "Moon Child", "Moon Rays", "Soon", "Moniebah", and "The Night Has A Thousand Eyes". CD

Laidback, soulful work from Pharoah Sanders – a record that showcases a very different side of his talents than you might know from his classic albums on Impulse Records – but a side that's an equally great revelation overall! The album features mostly older jazz standards, blown by Pharoah in a mellow, late nite sort of mode – working with help from William Henderson on piano, Stafford James on bass, and Ecclesion Wainwright on drums. The format is surprisingly captivating, largely because Pharoah's tone is always such a treat – and he sparkles with a majesty on the set that captures our ear a lot more than we expected! The whole thing's almost got the feel of some of Coltrane's earlier ballad work – and titles include "The Nearness Of You", "Nancy", "I Want To Talk About You", "Say It Over And Over Again", "Polkadots & Moonbeams", and "You Don't Know What Love Is" – plus the two bonus tracks "Central Park West" and "Moonlight In Vermont". CD

Funky flute work from the great Jeremy Steig! The album's one of his best-ever – and it features the growling "Howling For Judy", a non-stop modal flute number that's been sampled to great fame by the Beastie Boys, and which you'll recognize immediately from the breathy rumbling tone of the intro. Most of the record's got a similar feel, and Steig's working with bassist Eddie Gomez – a fantastic player and friend who provides some incredible basslines that work perfectly with Steig's flute. Titles include "Hot Head", "Permutations", "Alias", and "Nardis". LP, Vinyl record album

Pure greatness from Jeremy Steig – an album of funky flute tracks that really opened up whole new possibilities for the instrument! Steig was probably working in equal parts jazz and rock at the time of the date – but definitely moves into a funky jazz mode for the session – one that often uses some cool studio tricks to really bring the most out of the flute sound – creating some echo and other odd twists that make things trippy, way more than you'd hear on other records of this nature! Plus, Steig's unique style of blowing – one that takes the Roland Kirk breathiness to the "nth degree" – really helps work well with the groove, which also features electric piano from Warren Bernhardt! A record whose vibes are still being felt strongly today – with cuts that include "Insanity", "Flute Diddley", "Lenny's Tomb", "Don't Make Promises", "Mac D", and "Teresa's Blues". LP, Vinyl record album

A surprisingly soulful session from saxophonist Buddy Terry – a really righteous little record that reminds us a lot of work from the Strata East or Black Jazz labels! Buddy's working here with a relatively large group, but in a way that's really free and spontaneous – not nearly as tightly arranged as other records on the Mainstream label – and almost in the spirit of some righteous larger jazz ensemble. Players include Cecil Bridgewater on trumpet, Stanley Cowell on piano and Fender Rhodes, Buster Williams on bass, Mtume on percussion, and Roland Prince on guitar – all working together at a really organic, soulfully searching level that rivals the great Frank Foster album on Mainstream from the same stretch. Terry himself plays soprano, tenor, flute, and percussion – and titles include "Stealin Gold", "Abscretions", "Kamili", "Sodom & Gomorrah", and the extended "Awareness" suite. CD

A soulful message from the 70s – served up here on a collection that focuses on a mighty nice side of the TK Records label from back in the day! TK hit big fame with its Miami spin on disco in the mid 70s, but the label also had a great ear for other sorts of soul music too – and here, the focus is on the warmer, more sophisticated modern soul tracks that marked their output away from the chart hits – work created in the south, but with a hip vibe that resonates strongly with the best work in New York, Philly, or other northern cities. The tracks are all hand-picked by DJ Ryuhei The Man – who also does his own edits of a few tracks – and the set also features some rare singles from artists who never recorded a full album for TK. Titles include "All This Love That I'm Givin" by Gwen McCrae, "I Like My Birdie" by Leno Phillips, "Keep Her Happy" by Phillip Wright, "Never Had A Love So Good" by Charles Johnson, "Bessie" by JBs Wedge, "It's Your Sweet Love" by Jimmy Bo Horne, "The Way We Life" by Raw Soul Express, "Where Is The Love" by Betty Wright, "Listen To My Heartbeat" by Little Beaver, "Human (Ryuhei The Man express 45 edit)" by Brief Encounter, "What Am I Gonna Do (Ryuhei The Man Miami 45 edit)" by Reid Inc, and "Be With Me (Ryuhei The Man Miami 45 edit)" by Milton Wright. CD

One of those key records that has George Adams and Don Pullen reinventing expectations of jazz for the 80s – both musicians with plenty of ear for the outside, but also coming back home with a well-rounded, deeply-rooted approach that's crucial in taking the American jazz legacy another step forward! Like some of their similar contemporaries, who could also be avant at times, and straight at others – Adams and Pullen have no concern with setting themselves in one camp or another – and not only flesh out the spirit of the record with both of those aspects of their playing, but also have some surprisingly bluesy undercurrents at times. The group features George Adams on tenor, Don Pullen on piano, Cameron Brown on bass, and Dannie Richmond on drums – and titles include "Decisions", "Triple Over Time", "I Could Really For You", "Message Urgent", and "Trees & Grass & Things". CD

A strong outing from this key post-Mingus collaboration – and a record that really shows both Don Pullen and George Adams really coming into their own! Pullen's piano can have plenty of edges, as can Adams' tenor – but there's also some warmer, lyrical moments that really round things out – kind of a balance between righteous energy and deeper quietude that the musicians might have learned during their time with Charles Mingus – taken to a logical small group extension here. Adams also plays a bit of flute, which is especially nice – and the group also includes Cameron Brown on bass and Dannie Richmond on drums. Titles include "The Great Escape Or Run John Henry Run", "Seriously Speaking", "Soft Seas", and "Protection". CD

A great live date from one of our favorite trombonists of the 70s – a really unusual player who made some great personal strides on the instrument with records like these! The session's a live one, with a very open feel – long, flowing tracks that are similar to the sorts you'd hear from a Japanese piano trio of the time, but played with a stronger focus on Hirosi Fukumura's well-blown solos – often constructed more like trumpet lines, with a fantastically gritty, growling voice on the instrument – but one that has a lot of lyrical power too. The rest of the quartet features Hiroshi Tamura on piano, Tsutomu Okada on bass, and Shinji Mori on drums – and titles include "Nancy", "Mother Some Place", "Waltz For M", and "The Shadow Of Your Smile". CD

Pure genius from Russ Garcia – one of our favorite arrangers of the 50s, and one of the few who could be modern, swinging, and surprisingly soulful at the same time! The set features Garcia's Wigville Band – a mid 50s ensemble that featured the leading lights of the west coast scene, arranged in a style that had plenty of the tight counterpoint of the time, but which also broke out in these amazingly expressive solos. Charlie Mariano, Bill Holman, and Jimmy Giuffre all get some key moments in on these sides – blowing beautifully in a very small amount of space, but packing some tremendous meaning into their well-crafted solos. Tunes include "Smogville", "The Lonely One", "Rock Road", "Wigville", "Butter Duck", "Then The Lid Blew Off", and "Love Row". CD

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The only album we've ever seen from pianist Stan Hope – an obscure east coast player who also spent a good portion of his career touring overseas. Hope's working here in a blues-drenched soul jazz piano mode – a bit like the Les McCann LTD albums of the 60s, with a similarly-solid rhythm team of Peck Morrison on bass and Walter Perkins on drums – really helping Stan to round out the grooves! Morrison's bass is recorded with a really warm, round tone that dominates the bottom of the record wonderfully – making for a sweetly swinging groove on most tracks, even in places where you wouldn't expect it! Hope's fluttering all over the keys, but keeping things nicely in the pocket at all times – and titles include "Wave", "Honey", "You're Gonna Hear From Me", "All Blues", "Stanley Steamer", and "They All Say You're The Biggest Fool". CD

Trumpeter Toshinori Kondo may have cut some avant-oriented material over the years – but this set is a different sort of record – one that's cut with his Tibetan Blue Air Liquid Band, in a playful mix of rhythms, tones, and jazz! The approach is maybe post-fusion, inflected with a bit of art rock inspiration – still with plenty of jazz-based solos, but also a very unconventional approach to the rhythms, which are sometimes sunny and bright, sometimes a bit more edgey. Titles include "Raku Raku Raku", "Light Footwork Song", "7 Time", "A Crack In The Sky", and "Setouchi Blue". CD

One of the few albums ever issued by vocalist Frank Minion – an ultra-hip singer that we'd rank right up there as one of our favorites ever! Although the cover bears a 1970 date, the album was recorded in the late 50s – and date reference is a great indication of the forward-thinking approach that Frank brings to his vocals! Minion works with echoes of some of his hippest contemporaries – particularly Oscar Brown and Eddie Jefferson – but he's also got a voice that's really individual, too – a lighter and fluid, especially when he hits some horn-like inflections – spurred on by the hip small combo of the backings. There appears to be a bit of crossover with Frank's other Bethlehem record, but we're not sure – and titles include "Who Stole The Mambo", "Doodlin", "Holy Mackerel", "You I Love", "But Not For Me", "Night In Tunisia", and "Watermelon". CD

A cool 70s set from Japanese drummer George Otsuka – much more fusion-based than his work of the 60s, with some great help from an assortment of American and Japanese players! Many tunes have an angular, searching sort of feel – but there's also a nice dose of funk too, choppier rhythms that make the album a lot more sharp-edged than other Japanese fusion of the time. Steve Grossman's in the group on soprano sax, and you can definitely hear his influence – as there's almost a PM Records vibe to the set at times. Other players include John Abercrombie on guitar, Miroslav Vitous on bass, Nana Vasconcelos on percussion, and both Richie Beirach and Masabumi Kikuchi on keyboards, including a fair bit of Fender Rhodes. Titles include the funky "Who Got", plus "Believer", "Ginger", "Maracaibo Cornpone", and "Telegram". CD

The "Joe" here is Dutch tenorist Joe Van Enkhuizen, who's a great fit with a trio that features Horace Parlan on piano, Rufus Reid on bass, and Al Harewood on drums! The album's got that subtle approach that marks Parlan's later years – a less all-out style than his start on Blue Note, but one that's maybe even more rewarding if you're willing to let yourself slide into it – something that's easy to do when you've got Joe pointing the way with his well-blown, raspy-edged tenor! Reid is mighty nice too – with those instantly-deep notes that always grab us strongly when he's recorded this well – the sort of presence that most other bassists would need to be electric to reach. Titles include "Alfie's Theme", "Bluesville", "FSR", "Wadin", and "Willow Weep For Me". CD

One of our favorite Woody Shaw albums from his later years – and an album that's got the same joyous spirit and free soaring feel of his best 70s work on Muse – really soaring with a sense of life and freedom in a really great way! The core group on the album is the Tone Jansa Quartet – led by European reedman Jansa, and working in a space that's quite similar to that of Shaw's backing groups on previous sessions – strong modal currents in the rhythms, and with Tone's work on soprano, tenor, and flute turning out to be a great partner for Woody's trumpet! Jansa wrote all the tunes on the set, and gave them a soaring feel that we really love – just the right mix of introspection and exploration found on classic Shaw sessions like Little Red's Fantasy or Lovedance. Titles include "Midi", "Boland", "Call Mobility", "River", and "May". CD