Some of the greatest Miles Davis material ever recorded – and not really ever officially issued as an album until this collection! The recordings are from the magical year of 1958, a time when Miles was working in the Kind Of Blue mode – on the album of the same name, one of his all-time standout classics. The work on this set is in a very similar spirit – recorded by a sextet that includes the rhythm section of Jimmy Cobb, Paul Chambers, and a young Bill Evans, who brings a magically modal feel to the album that really gives it an edge. Added to that are the saxophones of John Coltrane and Cannonball Adderley, blowing together in two ends of the soul spectrum, really stretching the color palette from Miles' usual work. Miles himself seems very inspired by the company, and works with plenty of space to allow the saxophonists to stretch out in wonderful solos – and Evans himself is simply amazing, working wonderfully in the setting, making us wish he'd recorded more group dates like this one! The first 3 tracks on the set were briefly issued on the flipside of the Jazz Track album (an obscure Columbia LP that also included 10 songs from the soundtrack to Ascenseur Pour L'Echafaud), and a few others on later live LPs – but this is the first time the material from that group has appeared together as a full album. Includes stellar versions of "Stella By Starlight", "Green Dolphin Street", "Fran Dance", "My Funny Valentine", "Oleo", and "Love For Sale". CD

Four sides of noisy, funky, stretched-out playing from Miles Davis – recorded at the Fillmore West, but with an intensity that matches some of Miles' crazy electric recordings from Japan during the early 70s! The music is a powerful blast of music that stretches out over the double-length set of the package – with a style that moves from heavy-duty avant playing, then back to more mellow grooving, then kicks it out nice and hard again – a heavy dose of rock mixed in with the fusion, but still plenty jazzy throughout. In all, the record is probably one of the most heavy-duty that the Miles electric group recorded in the 70s – and the lineup on the set features Steve Grossman on saxes, Chick Corea on electric piano, Jack DeJohnette on drums, and Airto on percussion. Tracks include "Spanish Key", "Directions", "Masqualero", "It's About That Time", "I Fall In Love Too Easily", "Bitches Brew", "Willie Nelson", and "Sanctuary". CD

A wonderful live set from the Seven Steps-era Miles group – with rhythm by Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter, and Tony Williams – and tunes that are all in that transformative mode that really showed Miles hitting a new voice at the time! Tenorist George Coleman's playing with the group on the set – proving again that he's got a depth that few people ever seem to give him credit for – and that it wasn't just Wayne Shorter who made the 60s Davis quintet so great. Titles include "Autumn Leaves", "All Of You", "Walkin", and "Joshua". CD

A really great bit of live work from Miles Davis – and the first-ever recorded appearance of the quintet with Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Ron Carter, and Tony Williams – even though the album was never issued in the US at the time! The set follows very strongly in the mode of the group's work at the Plugged Nickel – with a pace that's faster than usual, and bristling with freely exploratory energy. Titles include "Milestones", "So What", "Walkin", and a nicely stepped-up version of "Autumn Leaves". Shorter's solos are worth the price of the record alone, but Williams' work on the kit never ceases to amaze! CD

One of those key cases where Miles Davis took a familiar song and made it his own! The set's a live one, and features a famous 15 minute version of "My Funny Valentine" – played by Davis in a spacious, open sort of way – and one that has key hints of the modernism to come in his music, yet still rings out with some of his more easygoing late 50s appeal. The group here features George Coleman on tenor alongside the rhythm section of Herbie Hancock piano, Ron Carter bass, and Tony Williams on drums – all three of whom help Davis edge into darker territory, even when things are ostensibly sweet! Apart from the version of "My Funny Valentine", other titles include "All Blues", "All Of You", "I Thought About You", and "Stella By Starlight" CD

Thelonious Monk may have written the title tune, but Miles Davis makes it all his own here – blowing with a subtle moody magic that makes the album one of his true treasures from the early Columbia Records years! John Coltrane's along on tenor sax – helping Davis expand the sound the pair first forged on Prestige – and also present is the rhythm trio of Red Garland on piano, Paul Chambers on bass, and Philly Joe Jones on drums – impeccably recorded here with a wonderful sense of space, and almost a bridge between older Miles modes, and the genius to come. Titles include Miles seminal take on "Round Midnight", plus "Tadd's Delight", "Dear Old Stockholm", "Bye Bye Blackbird", and "A Leu Cha". CD

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Genius in one of its purest forms! Paul Desmond's alto sax was honed to perfection by the time of these recordings – worked out through fame in the Dave Brubeck Quartet years of the late 50s and early 60s, but also relaxed in a confidence that makes these sides completely majestic, and utterly fantastic! Desmond's tone and approach are languid – but in a way that's incredibly compelling: notes just floating out of the horn, almost effortlessly, seeming not to come from Desmond himself, but to him, gathered together by his warmth and good wit, honed in further by the spare and gentle guitar work of the great Jim Hall – and heard in the company of Gerry Mulligan on one album too! The package is great – with mini LP-styled cover reproductions of 60s RCA classics that include Desmond Blue, Take Ten, Bossa Antigua, Glad To Be Unhappy, Easy Living, and Two Of A Mind – with a booklet of notes, too. CD

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The cover definitely reflects that 80s origin of the album – but as usual with Djavan, there's a lot more depth here going on than most of his contemporaries ever had to offer! The singer's less a Brazilian artist than a global soul star – singing in Portuguese, but with a quality that can really reach across borders – thanks in part to the jazzy currents in the music that Djavan picked up by recording the set in LA! There's some smooth fusiony touches that really underscore the best soulful qualities in the lyrics – on titles that include "Lilas", "Liberdade", "Canto Da Lira", "Miragem", "Obi", "Transe", and "Esquinas". CD

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A mindblowingly good album from Earth Wind & Fire – one of the best we've heard from them in years, and a set that really lives up to all the faith we've had in the group over the years! The sound is right on the money – from performance to production – with a vibe that really links the record to their best work at the end of the 70s, but with a freshness that shows that the group's vision and spirit are still moving forward in the 21st Century! We honestly weren't expecting anything this great – and we're pleased as punch at the way the set sparkles wonderfully with each new track – served up with vocals mostly by Phillip Bailey, in the core trio with Ralph Johnson and Verdine White – all working here with plenty of help from a larger ensemble of players who really get the classic sound just right. The whole thing's overflowing with positive energy – and titles include "Love Is Law", "Belo Horizonte", "Splashes", "The Rush", "Night Of My Life", "My Promise", "Guiding Lights", and "Sign On". CD

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A magnificent decade of music from Duke Ellington – the bulk of his fifties recordings for Columbia Records – all albums that really show the Duke stretching forth and greatly developing his style! The scope of performances here is breathtaking – as Ellington works with key sidemen of the postwar years, and moves into much longer-form recordings that before – tracks that help him deeply express his new ideas, and also make way for a few guest performers too. Each album comes in a tiny LP-styled sleeve, replicating the original record – and the box features the albums Masterpieces By Ellington, Ellington Uptown, A Drum Is A Woman, Such Sweet Thunder, Ellington Indigos, The Cosmic Scene, and At The Bal Masque – plus the Black Brown & Beige suite with Mahalia Jackson, and the Blue Rose album with vocals by Rosemary Clooney! CD

A stunning set funky 70s jazz! Drummer Al Foster leads the crew on this obscure Japanese session produced by Teo Macero – one that bursts out with a strong funky jazz groove that reminds us of some of the best drum-heavy electric 70s sessions in our collection, like work by Ed Thigpen or Les DeMerle. Players include Masabumi Kikuchi on electric piano, Mike Brecker and Sam Morrison on saxes, and Paul Metzke on guitar – and Teo Macero also sits in on the electric keys on one of the album's mellower cuts. There's not really any standout drum breaks that we caught on the set – but there are a lot of great choppy funk tracks in that "heavy drums meet riffing reeds" style that was started by Elvin Jones and popularized by Stone Alliance. Titles include "Mixed Roots", "Ya Damn Right", "Pauletta", "Double Stuff", and "Dr Jeckyll & Mr Hyde". CD

A nice little collection of some of Dizzy Gillespie's best bop material for Savoy – tunes that were originally recorded as 78rpm singles – then issued together on this classic album of all-star players! The tunes are short, catchy, and often very grooving – that mix of whimsy and modernism that made Dizzy stand out from the start – handled by a few different groups of players, with musicians who include Milt Jackson on vibes, John Coltrane on tenor, Wynton Kelly on piano, and Percy Heath on bass. Titles include "Tin Tin Deo", "Star Dust", "The Bluest Blues", "The Champ", "Birk's Works", "Caravan", "Time On My Hands", and "Ooh Shoo Be Doo Bee". CD

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Features Terence Blanchard, John Patitucci, Harvey Mason and Diana Krall. CD

Titles include "Kiss On My List", "Gotta Lotta Nerve", "Hard To Be In Love With You", "Everytime You Go Away", "You've Lost That Lovin Feelin", "Diddy Doo Wop", and "You Make My Dreams" – plus remixes of "Kiss On My List" and "Everytime You Go Away". CD

A rare Japanese-only session from Herbie Hancock – very electric, and nicely funky in all the right parts! The set was recorded at the end of the 70s with amazing fidelity – and features a unique lineup that includes Webster Lewis on additional keyboards and Alphonse Mouzon on drums – alongside more familiar partners Bennie Maupin on reeds, Paul Jackson on bass, and Bill Summers on percussion! Given these last three, there's almost a slight Headhunters feel to the set – but the overall groove is a bit more mellow, with some wonderfully spacey touches that are super-soulful – and miles above anything that Herbie was recording in the US at the time. Titles include the sublime mellow groover "Butterfly", plus "Shiftless Shuffle", and the side-long jazzy jammer "I Thought It Was You"! LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic double-length set from Herbie Hancock and the Headhunters – easily one of Herbie's greatest records ever, but originally only issued in Japan! Hancock is in tremendous form here – almost as if he's merging the grooves of the Headhunters album with the wilder electric modes of Sextant – stretched out in a live setting with Herbie on Arp, clavinet, and Fender Rhodes – in a very hip group with Bennie Maupin on reeds, Blackbird McNight on guitar, Paul Jackson on bass, Mike Clark on drums, and Bill Summers on percussion. Tracks are long, and move nicely between funky passages and soulful elements – at a level that's quite different from the double-live Japanese albums that Miles Davis recorded for Columbia at the same time. Titles include "Actual Proof", "Spank A Lee", "Hang Up Your Hang Ups" – and great remakes of "Chameleon" and "Watermelon Man". LP, Vinyl record album

A double-length set from this famous Japanese group – one that features a range of 60s recordings from the ensemble, all of which show why they were easily one of the best big bands working in the East! There's a charm here that's halfway between Stan Kenton and Count Basie – the sense of tone and timing of the former, and the loping soulful energy of the latter – tied together beautifully in ways that echo older American jazz traditions, but still sparkle with the most contemporary elements of their 60s recording dates. The set features 18 numbers in all – and titles include "Tumblin Tambourine", "Satin Doll", "Goodbye", "Moon River", "Blue Flame", "My Funny Valentine", and "In The Mood". CD

The brilliant bluesy side of Hendrix – great stuff recorded from '66-'70 – including his most blues based originals and incredible covers! Bluesy it is, but it's also Jimi – with the soaring, loose and massively influential lead guitar grooves and many of which went unreleased until the 90s – and remains among the most essential of posthumous Hendrix releases. Includes "Hear My Train A Comin'" (acoustic and electric versions), "Born Under A Bad Sign", "Catfish Blues", "Red House", "Voodoo Chile Blues", "Mannish Boy", "Once I Had A Woman", "Jam 292" and "Electric Church Red House". CD

Tremendous work from pianist Ashley Henry – a British pianist who seems to be soaring out of the underground to become one of the leading figures in overseas jazz – a role that he definitely fills with this fantastic major label debut! The set's every bit as great as Henry's previous material, but also expands the palette too – showcasing a bold musical vision that's equally great on vocal and instrumental fronts, as Henry welcomes in a lineup of guests who include Makaya McCraven on drums, Theo Croker and Keyon Harrold on trumpets, Judi Jackson and Milton Suggs on vocals, and the team of saxophonist Binker Golding and drummer Moses Boyd. Yet the work is clearly Henry's own – great tunes that have a soaring, spiritual current – maybe rooted in a tradition that runs from Woody Shaw through Robert Glasper, then finds its flowering in the really rich soil of the contemporary London scene. Titles include "Realisations", "Star Child", "I Still Believe", "Sunrise", "Battle", "Dark Honey", "Ahmed", "Introspection", "I Still Believe", "Colors", and "Between The Lines". CD

Tremendous work from pianist Ashley Henry – a British pianist who seems to be soaring out of the underground to become one of the leading figures in overseas jazz – a role that he definitely fills with this fantastic major label debut! The set's every bit as great as Henry's previous material, but also expands the palette too – showcasing a bold musical vision that's equally great on vocal and instrumental fronts, as Henry welcomes in a lineup of guests who include Makaya McCraven on drums, Theo Croker and Keyon Harrold on trumpets, Judi Jackson and Milton Suggs on vocals, and the team of saxophonist Binker Golding and drummer Moses Boyd. Yet the work is clearly Henry's own – great tunes that have a soaring, spiritual current – maybe rooted in a tradition that runs from Woody Shaw through Robert Glasper, then finds its flowering in the really rich soil of the contemporary London scene. Titles include "Realisations", "Star Child", "I Still Believe", "Sunrise", "Battle", "Dark Honey", "Ahmed", "Introspection", "I Still Believe", "Colors", and "Between The Lines". LP, Vinyl record album

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Terumasa Hino's looking a bit cheesy on the cover of this one – but the record's hardly the slick 80s affair you might expect – and instead is a great session of ballads and more gentle numbers, recorded in the US with full string backings and a warmly sensitive approach to the music! There's a depth here that goes beyond most of Hino's other work of the decade – an approach to the tunes that reminds us a bit of Art Farmer or Freddie Hubbard in a similar setting – with warmly lyrical lines undercut with a slight hint of sadness – that "blue" reference in the title and cover image. Hino plays cornet with a core group that includes Jim Hall on guitar, Kenny Kirkland on piano, Eddie Gomez on bass, and Grady Tate on drums – plus a bit of vocals – and strings are arranged by David Nadian. Titles include "Greensleeves", "Black Orpheus", "Alone Alone & Alone", "Nature Boy", and "Lush Life". LP, Vinyl record album

Classic work by one of the biggest country stars of the 50s! CD

Heavy funk from a hip Japanese combo – one that features lots of drums and percussion from leader Akira Ishikawa, plus plenty of guitar, keyboards, and hard-riffing horns! Akira's taking most of his cues here from American funk of the early 70s – work by Incredible Bongo Band, BT Express, and others – but he often serves up the music with a fair bit of conga work at the front of the arrangements, in a way that takes familiar tunes and gives them a much rootsier, earthier kind of groove! The approach is unique, but totally great – and the album's a funk album unlike anything else we can think of – quite unusual even for the experimental Japanese scene of the time. Titles include "Bongo Rock", "Pick Up The Pieces", "Do It Til You're Satisfied", "I've Got To Use My Imagination", "Let's Start", "Love Is The Answer", and "Boogie On Reggae Woman". CD

Heavy funk from a hip Japanese combo – one that features lots of drums and percussion from leader Akira Ishikawa, plus plenty of guitar, keyboards, and hard-riffing horns! Akira's taking most of his cues here from American funk of the early 70s – work by Incredible Bongo Band, BT Express, and others – but he often serves up the music with a fair bit of conga work at the front of the arrangements, in a way that takes familiar tunes and gives them a much rootsier, earthier kind of groove! The approach is unique, but totally great – and the album's a funk album unlike anything else we can think of – quite unusual even for the experimental Japanese scene of the time. Titles include "Bongo Rock", "Pick Up The Pieces", "Do It Til You're Satisfied", "I've Got To Use My Imagination", "Let's Start", "Love Is The Answer", and "Boogie On Reggae Woman". LP, Vinyl record album

The group's first full length album – and a classic batch of soulful funky tunes, handled with the charm and care that would make Jamiroquai one of the best new soul acts to come out of the UK during the 90s. Think Brand New Heavies meets Stevie Wonder meets Steely Dan, and you'll get only part of the picture – as Jay and crew work things together perfectly, blending a wide range of influences into a globally conscious cosmic groove that's a perfect soul platform for the 21st century! 10 tracks: "Didgin' Out", "When You Gonna Learn (JK mix)", "Too Young To Die", "Music Of The Mind", "Hooked Up", "If I Like It I Do It", "Whatever It Is I Just Can't Stop", "Blow Your Mind", "Revolution 1993", and "Emergency On Planet Earth". LP, Vinyl record album

A mindblower from Jamiroquai – the album that really broke them out of the box, thanks to an increasingly complicated sense of rhythm! For the set, Jay and the group pulled up some of the more dynamic sounds from the London underground, and wove them together with their increasingly great songwriting – coming up with tunes that played beautifully on the dancefloor, yet also offered deeper listening than on previous Jamiroquai efforts! There's still some great 70s elements here, but there's also a more cosmic, righteous vibe too – a hint at spacey London to come, but sent home with a bit more polish here. Titles include "Virtual Insanity", "Cosmic Girl", "Everyday", "Alright", "High Times", "Travelling Without Moving", "Spend A Lifetime", "Use The Force", and "Didjital Vibrations". LP, Vinyl record album

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One of the stellar couple of early surf sets by Bruce Johnston – a great batch of tunes with tight Terry Melcher production – it's no wonder Bruce would go on to become a Beach Boy! Boyish lead and groovy female backing vocals, loads of sax and some searing guitars – it's actually a pretty wild and woolly record – pulpier and harder-charging than you might expect! Includes "Surfin' Round The World", "Down Under", "Capetown", "Jersey City Islands – Part 7", "The Hamptons", "Virginia Beach", "Maliblu", "Surfin's Here To Stay" and more. CD

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A mighty nice live performance from Japanese vocalist Kimiko Kasai – one that features Oliver Nelson leading the band, soloing on alto, and even writing all the arrangements! Nelson brings the same soulful swing to the record as his famous late 60s backings for American jazz singers – although Kimiko definitely makes the tunes her own, with her unique phrasing – which partly comes from her slightly-accented approach to the English language! Nelson steps out on the instrumental theme "3210" – and other titles include "Guess Who I Saw Today", "Goody Goody", "Go Away Little Boy", "Some Other Day", "It's Alright With Me", and "How Insensitive". LP, Vinyl record album

Beautiful fusion from guitarist Steve Khan – one of those great 70s players who could play things tight, yet still keep an edge! The album's got a well-produced groove – the same sort of soulful undercurrent you'd get in other Columbia fusion sets of the period – yet Khan's guitar has a bit more rasp than most, less of the sanded-down, clean-toned notes that you'd get from some of his contemporaries. Bob James produced, and you can certainly hear his ear on some of the keyboard parts – especially the sweet Fender Rhodes, handled by both James and Don Grolnick. Titles include "Some Punk Funk", "Darlin Darlin Baby", "The Big Ones", "Star Chamber", "Tightrope", and "Soft Summer Breeze". CD

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The mighty Mahavishnu Orchestra – presented with some core 70s classics, and crucial material from the same stretch – but not issued until many years later! The crux of the package is the trio of albums Inner Mounting Flame, Birds Of Fire, and Between Nothingness & Eternity – all of which feature a hard fusion lineup with John McLaughlin on guitar, Jan Hammer on keyboards, and Billy Cobham on drums. Added to these is the excellent Lost Trident Sessions – material that's gone onto become equally important as the initial 70s releases, with an even sharper, deeper vibe! Last up is a full CD of unreleased tracks from Between Nothingness & Eternity – a must-have for Mahavishnu fans – and, like the rest of the titles here, packaged in cool LP-styled sleeves, in box with added notes. CD

A Philly soul classic from The Manhattans – one of their best 70s albums, and a record that showed that they were firmly out of the indie ghetto, and totally on top of their game! The record features arrangements and production by Bobby Martin and Bert DeCoteaux – bubbling along in that soaring style that you'd recognize best from Philly International albums of the time, but which also has some nice traces of the mellower ballad work that first put the group on the map. Every tune is perfect – the kind of sublime soul that easily explains why a record like this could be found in every single record collection of every single soul listener of the time – and titles include "La La La Wish Upon A Star", "We'll Have Forever To Love", "Take It Or Leave It", "Reasons", "Wonderful World Of Love", "Searching For Love", and the incredible "Kiss & Say Goodbye". Plus, the CD features 3 bonus tracks – "Searching For Love (alt mix)", "Excerpt From An Interview Special With The Manhattans", and "Take It Or Leave It (instrumental)". CD

Teddy Pendergrass and crew get a bit more political than on earlier releases, and adopt the righteous bubbling soul groove that had put the O'Jays over the top a few years earlier – with incredible results! The title cut – "Wake Up Everybody" – would prove to be a great example of the political Philly International hit formula applied to socially conscious themes, but the record probably scored even bigger with the club crossover hit "Don't Leave Me This Way". Other tracks include "Keep On Lovin You", "Tell The World How I Feel About Cha Baby", "I'm Searching For A Love", and "You Know How To Make Me Feel So Good" – the latter two of which also feature female vocals by Sharon Paige. Bobby Martin, Norman Harris, and Ronnie Baker did the arrangements – and this was Teddy's last LP with the group. This edition includes the bonus track "Don't Leave Me This Way (Tom Moulton Mix)". CD

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Great grooves from MFSB – a set that shows the continuing sophistication that Gamble & Huff were bringing to their music – even at a time when they could have just laid back and kept on churning out the same sort of sound! The style here is similar to the early MFSB – an instrumental take on the Sigma Sound soul style that was flowing out of Philly in the mid 70s – but there's also some shifts in the arranging style, and maybe even some elements borrowed from fusion at points – especially on the keyboards and basslines. Many tracks have background female vocals, but the core sound is always instrumental – and tracks include "Use Ta Be My Guy", "To Be In Love", "Is It Something I Said", and a nice version of "Wishing On A Star". CD

Features Philip Bailey with vocals on "Melodies" and "Mid-Summer Blossoms" and Lenny Williams on "Septwember Winds", "No More Sayonara", and "Lovers On The Shore". CD

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Van Morrison at the height of his solo powers – working here in an extended live set that opens up with all the genius for vocal expression and inflection he developed during his initial solo years at Warner Brothers! The setting is perfect to show the growing confidence Morrison has in his talents – an unbridled sense of soul that comes on even more strongly on some of these versions than on earlier takes of the tunes in the studio – especially as they mix with a few great covers here that further illustrate the wide range of inspirations that Van brings into his music. Backing is by a tight, soulful combo – and tracks include "Domino", "Wild Children", "I Believe To My Soul", "I Just Want To Make Love To You", "These Dreams Of You", "Into The Mystic", "Warm Love", "Saint Dominic's Preview", "Bring It On Home To Me", "Listen To The Lion", "Gloria", "Cyprus Avenue", "Caravan", and "Take Your Hand Out Of My Pocket". CD

The great single from Street Disciple, featuring Nas's pops Olu Dara, on a blues vocal tip. 12-inch, Vinyl record

A classic set from all-true Alexander O'Neal – and maybe one of his last great records for the Tabu label! The set's got a nice balance of groovers and mellower moments – really showing the growing diversity of O'Neal as an artist, as he tries to move away from some of his bigger ballads. The rhythms are often handled by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis – who themselves are going for a leaner style than in the 80s, yet still have that undeniable funky punch in the mix! At tines, Alexander's not leading the songs so much as stepping into the grooves – but at other times, he comes as the strong singer that first emerged in the mid 80s. Titles include "What Is This Thing Called Love", "The Yoke", "Time Is Running Out", "All True Man", "Midnight Run", "Used", "Shame On Me", and "The Morning After". LP, Vinyl record album

Page three in the early chapter of drummer George Otsuka – and a record that has him stretching out even more than before! Back in the 60s, Otsuka was easily one of the most expressive leaders in Japan – an artist who held all the tightness that the scene had embraced earlier in the decade – yet who could really stretch out in ways that pointed towards Japanese piano trio freedom to come in the 70s! This album's a perfect example of the richness of Otsuka's skills – bold and modern some moments, yet swinging the next – lyrical at points, yet never sleepy – and always driven with this sense of majesty that few of his contemporaries on the scene could match. The group features sublime work on piano from Hideo Ichikawa and bass from Masaoki Terakawa – on titles that include "Sea View", "Breeze Brook & Birds", "Last Summer", and "The Things We Did Last Summer". CD features a bonus live track – "Sea View". CD

The debut full length from Pete Rock & CL Smooth – and a bonafide hip hop classic if there ever was one – one of the best ever! Pete Rock's trademark mix of heavy soul, jazz & funk beatcraft pretty much set the bar to a level that's been impossible to top ever sense. On top of being a front-to-back perfect album, Mecca & The Soul Brother has one of the great singles of the era, in "They Reminisce Over You (TROY)". What more can be said, really? An absolute essential! Disc 1 includes the original full length album. Titles include "Return Of The Mecca", "For Pete's Sake", "Ghettos Of The Mind", "Soul Brother #1", "Wig Out", "Anger Of The Nation", "Can't Front On Me", "The Basement" feat Heavy D, Rob-O, Grap & Dida, "If It Ain't Rough, It Ain't Right", "Skinz" feat Grand Puba and more. 16 tracks in all. Disc 2 features a wealth of bonus tracks, including 12" versions, remixes, acapellas, instrumentals and exclusives, including "It's Not A Game (Original 12" Version)", "Lots Of Lovin (Remix)" "They Reminisce Over You (TROY)" (Remix, Vibes Mix, and Instrumental versions), "Straighten It Out (Instrumental Version)". 15 tracks of bonus material! Comes in a heavy duty, beautiful deluxe box with a 20 page book with notes by Brian Coleman, Dante Ross, Pete Rock & CL Smooth and a full sized poster! CD

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Great work from the pre-"Behind Closed Doors" years of Charlie Rich at Epic – with titles that include "Big Boss Man", "Hello Darlin", "I Do My Swingin At Home", "I Can't Even Drink It Away", and "Memphis & Arkansas Bridge". LP, Vinyl record album

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Titles include "Amor Mio No Te Vayas", "Se Supone", "Cosas Nuevas", "Algo Especial", "Conciencia", "Bomba De Tiempo", and "Sembrando Para Ti". CD

A great little trio set from Japanese pianist Masahiko Satoh – working here on both acoustic and electric piano, with incredible rhythm support from Eddie Gomez on bass and Steve Gadd on drums! All players are really given a lot of room to do their thing here – Gomez with those round, flowing tones we love so much – and Gadd with a sound that's sometimes forceful and driving, sometimes quite spare and pointed. Satoh's keyboard lines really match the spirit of these rhythms – and although the date of the session is somewhat late, the album's got a free, open style that's right up there with his best 70s work. Titles include "Nouvell Cuisine", "Go No Sen", "Yellow Dolphin", "Fumon", "Evening Snow", "Bamboo Shoots II", "Duke's Calypso", and "All Blues". CD

An incredible run of music from Woody Shaw – albums recorded for a major label, but easily on a par with the hippest 70s jazz music in the underground! By the time Woody reached Columbia Records, he was already a fully-formed talent – with over a decade of recordings in the company of some of the most righteous jazzmen of his generation – and a string of wonderful albums for the Muse label, which really helped redefine the sound of jazz in the 70s. These records took things even further – as Shaw managed to get an even stronger focus to his unique musical vision – yet one that also never lost its edge, either – as Woody brought a run of hip players to work with him on the sessions – and found a way to send reach out with the sorts of sounds that would have only been heard on a label like Strata East a few years before. This great package features all Woody's live and studio recordings for Columbia – not just Rosewood, Woody III, For Sure, United, and Stepping Stones – but also a wealth of bonus tracks from Stepping Stones' live sessions too! CD

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A beautifully burning double-length set from Soft Machine – proof that the group were really at the height of their powers during the early 70s – magically blending together jazz, rock, and fusion into one soaringly spacey new sound! The work here is a key fore-runner of countless trends to come – including recent keyboard-heavy work on the cosmic club scene – particularly 4 Hero and the generation of others that sprang up in their wake. Soft Machine have a similar British bent for blending styles here – using jazz elements that are on a par with their best contemporaries in the straighter part of that genre – but fusing them together with a more pulsating approach to rhythm that pushes all the solo bits wonderfully! There's a fair bit of groove heavy tracks here that still sound as fresh today as when they were recorded – and the album features great drums from John Marshall, keyboards from Mike Ratledge, bass from Hugh Hopper, and a wide variety of reeds from Karl Jenkins. The album's a rich tapestry of long and short tracks, all woven together – and titles include "All White", "Between", "Riff", "EPV", "Stumble", "5 From 13", "Riff II", "The Soft Weed Factor", and "Chloe & The Pirates". CD

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Japanese singer Yukihiro Takahashi pays tribute to the classier side of European vocals here in this mellow gem from the late 70s – an album that's done with production help from Ryuichi Sakamoto, in an easygoing mode that fits the "city music" style that was the best side of Japanese AOR at the time! The songs include some great originals by Takahashi, which mix jazzy keyboards with a warmer sense of arrangement – and there's also a great original by Sakamoto titled "Elastic Dummy", which is almost worth the price of admission itself – as the cut's a clubby groover with keyboards and scatting vocals – really more of an instrumental overall, and mighty nice! Other titles include "Volare", "Saravah", "Mood Indigo", "C'ESt Si Bon", "Sunset", and "Back Street Midnight Queen". CD

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One of our favorite Ulmer records, probably because there's a nice groove running underneath most of the numbers, in a sort of post-Prime Time 80s out-funk sort of way. It never drops into a flat out back beat, but there's always some sense of time, while Ulmer's guitar and Charles Burnham's violin venture to and fro. The group is just a trio, and there's not too much of Blood's vocalizing going on on the eight pieces, which include "Little Red House", "Are you Glad To Be In America", "Election" and "Odyssey". CD

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A pivotal record in the career of this brilliant Japanese saxophonist – a set recorded in New York with a trio players from the American scene – done in a style that's even more freewheeling than most of Sadao Watanabe's previous work! Watanabe had always worked with unusual tones and phrasing from the start – but this album has him really stretching out on long long tracks – working on both soprano sax and flute, with Chick Corea on acoustic and electric piano, Miroslav Vitous on bass, and Jack DeJohnette on drums! The title track is an open-ended jam that takes up all of side one – and Watanabe balances things out with a bit of lyricism from time to time, showing him to be as rich in conception as the regular sort of reed players who might have worked with a trio like this. Titles include "Round Trip – Going & Coming", "Sao Paolo", and "Pastoral". CD

A pivotal record in the career of this brilliant Japanese saxophonist – a set recorded in New York with a trio players from the American scene – done in a style that's even more freewheeling than most of Sadao Watanabe's previous work! Watanabe had always worked with unusual tones and phrasing from the start – but this album has him really stretching out on long long tracks – working on both soprano sax and flute, with Chick Corea on acoustic and electric piano, Miroslav Vitous on bass, and Jack DeJohnette on drums! The title track is an open-ended jam that takes up all of side one – and Watanabe balances things out with a bit of lyricism from time to time, showing him to be as rich in conception as the regular sort of reed players who might have worked with a trio like this. Titles include "Round Trip – Going & Coming", "Sao Paolo", and "Pastoral". LP, Vinyl record album

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A huge batch of classic AOR – 4CDs, and 75 tracks – more than enough to sail a whole fleet of yachts! The approach here is pretty cool – each CD features tunes chosen for a specific season – spring, summer, autumn, and winter – a nice variation amidst the tightly-crafted, well-polished work chosen from amidst the deep AOR vaults of Sony Records! There's some crossover soul tracks here, amidst more mainstream rock numbers that helped define the genre – and the big set features a compelling blend of classics with some lesser-known album tracks. Titles include "Side By Side" by Earth Wind & Fire, "Heart To Heart" by Kenny Loggins, "She Waits For Me" by Airplay, "Song For A Sucker Like You" by Ben Sidran, "Do Right" by Paul Davis, "You Give Good Love" by Whitney Houston, "If You Should Fall" by Ned Doheny, "If I Saw You Again" by Pages, "Fanny" by Gino Cucio, "Dance With Me" by Livingston Taylor, "I Wanna Be Where You Are" by Melissa Manchester, "Brazilian Rhyme (Danny Krivit re-edit)" by Earth Wind & Fire, "Make It Up To You" by Cecilio & Kapono, "Sentimental Fools" by Randy Edelman, "Wait For Me" by Hall & Oates, "Living Inside Myself" by Gino Vannelli, "Change Of Heart" by Eric Carmen, "Georgy Porgy" by Toto, "Seeing You" by Jimmy Messina, "Oh Yeah" by Bill Withers, "I Go Crazy" by Paul Davis, "Paradise" by Herbie Hancock, "Angel Heart" by Jimmy Webb, "Valentine" by Ned Doheny, "I Wonder What You're Like" by Robert Kraft, "Ooh Child" by Valerie Carter, and "The Last In Love" by JD Souther. CD

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Philly soul at its finest – served up here in a collection that brings together classics from the Philadelphia International label, plus some nicely overlooked cuts! Most of the music here comes from the world of Gamble & Huff – that legendary production duo who helped take soul music into sophisticated territory after the 60s – and although the set's got some upbeat groovers, most of the music here is in the mellower or midtempo sound of Philly – and has less of the disco modes of the bigger crossover hits. Japanese soul expert Hiroshi Nagai selected the tracks – and titles include "Tell The World How I Feel About Cha Baby" by Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes, "Always Room For One More" by McFadden & Whitehead, "One Day Of Peace" by Love Committee, "Mysteries Of The World" by MFSB, "Hey Baby" by Anthony White, "A Nice Girl Like You" by the Intruders, "Lady In Red" by Ronnie Dyson, "City Of Brotherly Love" by Soul Survivors, "Where Did All The Lovin Go" by Teddy Pendergrass, "Was That All It Was" by Jean Carn, "The Sweetest Pain" by Dexter Wansel, and "Put Our Heads Together" by The O'Jays. LP, Vinyl record album

The Isley Brothers get taken to the next level – as a variety of underground artists rework their classics for the 21st Century! The Isleys themselves have been enjoying plenty of new fame recently, making it the perfect time to trip back and discover their gems from the 70s – and this package does a great job of bringing that genius to light – working in a variety of formats that include lots of hip hop and Neo Soul touches – and which seem to feature lots of snippets of the original tunes alongside newer material! Titles include "Tell Of Tales" by Will I Am, "Take Me To The Next Phase" by Ignorants featuring Dead Rabbits, "That Lady (parts 1 & 2)" by ?uestlove, "Summer Breeze" by Onda, "Tonight Is The Night" by Stuart Matthewman, "Footsteps In The Dark" by Gabriel Rene, "Beauty In The Dark (Groove With You)" by Mos Def, and "Harvest For The World" by Raphael Saadiq & Kelvin Wooton. CD

Includes tracks from Santana, Blue Oyster Cult, Jeff Beck, Living Colour, Southside Johnny & The Amboy Dukes, Bozz Scaggs, Elvin Bishop, Dan Fogelberg, Booker T & The MG's, Mott The Hoople, Men At Work, Heart, Alice Cooper, and more. CD