An excellent twin-brass album in the frontline – one that pairs the talents of trombonist Wycliffe Gordon and trumpeter Terrell Stafford – both of whom really hit a great groove together! The album's got that great mix of modern and soulful modes we always love in a session led by Gordon – and the rhythm section's got just the right mix of tightness and stripped-down feeling – with Mike LeDonne on piano, David Wong on bass, and Kenny Washington on drums. Titles include "Arabia", "Tricotism", "Cheeeky", "West Coast Blues", "Cousins", and "Le Marieur". CD

... 78 RPM, Vinyl record

... LP, Vinyl record album

Damn! The first volume in this series of rarities cut by George Jackson for Fame Studios really blew our minds around here – and Kent has gone and somehow topped it with Volume 2! Let The Best Man Win features 2 dozen songs, most of which are originals by Fame staff writer Jackson – and not one of these was officially released back in the day. A bunch were cut to demo the songs for prospective artists, but it's truly hard to imagine anyone bettering these versions – not even Candi Staton or Wilson Pickett! The backing is top notch, too – with that unshakable Fame southern soul rhythm that's just raw enough – and each track feels fully-formed – not at all like a demo! As essential a trip into the Fame archives as any we've had to date! Includes "Mini Skirt Mini", "Get It When I Want It", "Forbidden Love", "Save Me", "Let The Best Man Win", "Soul Lovin'", "I'm Livin' Good", "Your Love Lifted Me", "You Got A Lot To Like", "Ain't That Some Good Lovin'L, "The Darkest Hour Is Before The Dawn" and many more. CD

An excellent collection of rare female soul from the 60s – a set that not only features overlooked 45rpm singles from Warner Brothers at the time – but also some great gems from their famous Loma Records imprint too! If you think you know this territory, think again – as there's a huge amount of tracks here that are completely fresh to our ears – the kind of material that a label as big as Warner was able to cut with their ample staff and studio time, then never did a think to promote the singles at all – leaving a space of decades before all these 7" gems were finally able to get exposure on a set like this! The package moves between catchy group soul and deeper-burning solo material – and the whole thing's done with the usual high quality we love from Ace, from the sound quality right down to the notes in the book. Titles include "There He Goes" by The Royalettes, "We Can Find That Love" by Vickie Baines, "He's Good" by Barbara Jackson, "Contact" by Three Degrees, "Wounded" by The Cookies, "My Soul Concerto" by The Apollas, "I Taught Him (part 1)" by Gloria Scott & The Tonettes, "All Because I Love Somebody" by Barbara English, "Don't Come A Knockin" by Mary Lee Whitney, "Here I Come" by Joyce Alexander, "Jive Jimmy" by The Socialites, "The Reason Why" by The Dolls, "Bright Lights" by Delilah Kennebreuw, and "Oh Eddy My Baby" by Brenda Hall. CD

A very cool package – one that brings together two rare albums issued alongside the early rise to fame of Mad Magazine – plus rare bonus tracks too! First up is the stunning Musically Mad set, led by Bernie Green – one of the maddest bachelor pad albums to come out on RCA during the late 50s – and it features a nutty set of tunes released in conjunction with Mad Magazine, whose Norman Mingo contributed a fantastic cover painting of Alfred E Neuman! Instrumentation is very percussive-heavy – and there's plenty of odd sound effects, like warbling brass, air-squeezed hands, clanging anvils, crazy voices, and "clinkerated chimes" – all of which makes for a cartoony sound that definitely fits the promise Mad spirit! Titles include "Anvils, Of Course", "Concerto For Two Hands", "Laughing Raymond", "The Green Bee", and "Give Me That Good Old Progressive Jazz". Next is Mad Twists Rock & Roll – maybe the coolest of all the Mad Magazine records from the early days – a set done in collaboration with Big Top Records, as sort of a parody of the rock and roll that label was putting out at the time! Most songs are surprisingly strong rock numbers, but the lyrics are often jokes about the usual themes handled at the time – but given the level of presentation and strength of the overall record, the whole thing maybe just serves to remind us how important novelty records were to the birth of rock and roll! Titles include "She Got A Nose Job", "Let's Do The Pretzel", "Throwing The High School Basketball Game", "Someone Else's Dandruff", "When My Pimples Turned To Dimples", and "Blind Date". CD also features some rare bonus tracks from singles too – "It's A Gas", "She Lets Me Watch Her Mom & Pop Fight", "Potzrebie", "Meet The Staff Of Mad", and "What Me Worry". CD

A Shaolin hip hop essential! Heavy numerological rhymes, and the best production on any Wu project (still to this day, even). One of our absolute favorite albums in the classic Wu pantheon, and indisputably one of the very best – one of the very few that plays with hard solidity from start to finish. The way GZA's lowkey, unfazable flow delivers this sharp, gritty storytelling over prime RZA production – seriously, it is real Genius! Includes "Labels", "Cold World", "Shadowboxin", "Liquid Swords", "Living In The World Today", "Killah Hills 10304", "Investigative Reports", "Gold", "Duel Of The Iron Mic", "4th Chamber", "Hell's Wind Staff", "Unexplained", "Swordsman" and "I Gotcha Back". CD

A pretty cool compilation – one that features great grooves from Buddah records, packaged in a sweet dial-style cover – with inside information on the label and its staff too! Features work by The Impressions, 5 Stairsteps & Cubie, Elephants Memory, 1910 Fruitgum Company, Barry Boldberg, Smoke Ring, US 69, Loving Spoonful, Ohio Express, The Road, and others. LP, Vinyl record album

Pretty cool and groovy work from Tommy James – with cuts that include "Papa Rolled His Own", "Sweet Cherry Wine", "Cellophane Symphony", "Evergreen", "On Behalf Of The Entire Staff & Management", and "The Love Of A Woman". LP, Vinyl record album

An amazing collection of funky nuggets – one that's overflowing with hip soul, funk, and break tracks! The set's the second in a series put together by the staff of London's Soul Brother Records – and like the first, it features some of the most sought-after rare grooves and sample tracks from the 70s – a rich array of titles from a variety of different labels, all collected with a keen ear for the older tracks that are still breaking big well into the 21st Century! And since these guys also run a record store themselves, they've gone way past the obvious – and have chosen an all-essential batch of tunes that aren't easily available on the market, including some killer tracks from major labels that we've been waiting years to see reissued. Titles include "Oops Here I Go Again" by Edna Wright, "I'm Gonna Love You Just A Little Bit More" by Kellee Patterson, "Sho Nuff" by Sly Slick & Wicked, "All I Want Is You" by Four Flights, "Live For Love" by GC Cameron, "I Feel So At Home Here" by Michelle Wiley, "Shake It Up" by The Vibrations, "My Music" by Samuel Jonathan Johnson, "Heaven" by Ruth Copeland, "It's Got To Be Mellow (1976)" by Leon Mellow, "Making Room For Love" by Alton McClain & Destiny, and "When We're Makin Love" by Denise LaSalle. LP, Vinyl record album

A Shaolin hip hop essential! Heavy numerological rhymes, and the best production on any Wu project (still to this day, even). One of our absolute favorite albums in the classic Wu pantheon, and indisputably one of the very best – one of the very few that plays with hard solidity from start to finish. The way GZA's lowkey, unfazable flow delivers this sharp, gritty storytelling over prime RZA production – seriously, it is real Genius! Includes "Labels", "Cold World", "Shadowboxin", "Liquid Swords", "Living In The World Today", "Killah Hills 10304", "Investigative Reports", "Gold", "Duel Of The Iron Mic", "4th Chamber", "Hell's Wind Staff", "Unexplained", "Swordsman" and "I Gotcha Back". LP, Vinyl record album

A Shaolin hip hop essential! Heavy numerological rhymes, and the some of the best production on any Wu project ever. One of our absolute favorite albums in the classic Wu pantheon – indisputably one of the very best – one of the very few that plays with hard solidity from start to finish. The way GZA's lowkey, unfazable flow delivers this sharp, gritty storytelling over prime RZA production – seriously, it is real Genius! Includes "Labels", "Cold World", "Shadowboxin", "Liquid Swords", "Living In The World Today", "Killah Hills 10304", "Investigative Reports", "Gold", "Duel Of The Iron Mic", "4th Chamber", "Hell's Wind Staff", "Unexplained", "Swordsman" and "I Gotcha Back". LP, Vinyl record album

A large, ambitious early 70s experiment in "chamber jazz" from pianist/composer Roger Kellaway – a really haunting set with the sweep you'd be much more in store for on a classical or chamber orchestra record, but with an earthbound core, chords and tonal shifts of a piano jazz album! Kellaway leads on piano, with a group that includes Emil Richards on percussion, Ed Lustgarten on cello and string arrangements, and the A&M Records staff symphony orchestra! Tracks include "Saturnia", "Sunrise", "Esque", "Invasion Of The Forest", "Morning Song" and more. CD

Think the Beastie Boys went straight into hip hop? No – back at the start, they were three guys with plenty of energy who dabbled in a number of modes that were brewing big in the New York scene of their youth – including punk rock and reggae, both of which are featured here along with early hip hop experiments! The set begins with their searing "Egg Raid On Mojo" – the moves through "Beastie Boys", "Transit Cop", "Jimi", "Holy Snappers, "Riot Fight", "Beastie Rvolution", and "Michelle's Farm". But maybe best of all, the album includes the incredible Cooky Puss EP – which features the original "Cooky Puss" song that has the group calling up Carvel Ice Cream, and harassing the staff by asking to talk to an ice cream cake! LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

... CD

They certainly got the title right on this one – as Jo's singing a great batch of jazz-based tracks – and getting help from an array of small group players that include Ben Webster, Johnny Hodges, Conte Candoli, and Ray Nance! Arrangements are by Johnny Mandel, in a warmly chromatic mode that really helps take Jo's vocals away from the pop end of the spectrum – and into a lush and almost torchy mode that's a real surprise. Mandel does an especially nice job of working the horns into the mix – allowing for some slight but well-placed solo and introduction bits that really help shape the overall sound of the album. Titles include "For You", "You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To", "Midnight Sun", "The Folks Who Live On The Hill", "I Didn't Know About You", "Imagination", "Dream Of You", "Day Dream", and "I've Got The World On A String". CD

Tracks include "Cripple Creek", "Sourwood Mountain", "Poor Wayfaring Stranger", and "Black Is The Color". CD

... LP, Vinyl record album

... CD

Terrell Stafford's one of those musicians who started out great, and just seems to keep on maturing over the years – to a point where a record like this really stands as such a strong testament to his power as both a player and a leader! The music has a sense of majesty to fit the image of Stafford on the cover – well-penned tunes, played by a great lineup of players who clearly want to rise up and follow Terrell's lead – really bringing their all to their solos, while also holding tight to formation to realize the larger thematic qualities of the tunes. Players include Tim Warfield on tenor and soprano, Bruce Barth on piano, David Wong on bass, Johnathan Blake on drums, and Alex Acuna on percussion – on titles that include "Blood Count", "Wruth's Blues", "Mia A Mia", "Between Two Worlds", and "Manaus At Dusk". CD

Features Ron Blake on tenor, Stefon Harris on vibes, and Russell Malone on guitar! CD

... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

... CD

A great debut from singer Wanda Stafford – and the kind of set that makes you think she's been recording albums like this for years! Wanda's got a hell of a voice, right from the start – a nice punch that really fits with the choice of material on the date – and with the lively arrangements, which often have these playful horn parts moving up and down in the background – almost in a Capitol Records Jack Marshall or Billy May sort of style – although the instrumentation isn't credited here. The mix of great music and swinging vocals is great – and the album's a real knockout from Stafford, with cuts that include "Ridin On The Moon", "In Love For The Very First Time", "Hooray For Love", "Let There Be Love", "Late Late Show", and "Love". CD

Two albums on one CD – Autumn In New York is a record that features Stafford's sentimental vocals wrapped up warmly in backings from Paul Weston – string-heavy at times, but in a really dreamy way that works perfectly for Jo's blue-tinged vocals. The album's got a great sense of love lost and longing – and titles include "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes", "If I Loved You", "Almost Like Being In Love", "Through The Years", "Sometimes I'm Happy", "Haunted Heart", and "Some Enchanted Evening". Starring Jo Stafford includes the songs "Serenade Of The Bells", "No Other Love", "The Gentleman Is A Dope", "Red River Valley", and "A Sunday Kind Of Love". CD

Stafford James on bass, Emil Spanyi on keyboards, Gene Jackson on drums, and Don Alias on percussion. CD

... LP, Vinyl record album

They certainly got the title right on this one – as Jo's singing a great batch of jazz-based tracks – and getting help from an array of small group players that include Ben Webster, Johnny Hodges, Conte Candoli, and Ray Nance! Arrangements are by Johnny Mandel, in a warmly chromatic mode that really helps take Jo's vocals away from the pop end of the spectrum – and into a lush and almost torchy mode that's a real surprise. Mandel does an especially nice job of working the horns into the mix – allowing for some slight but well-placed solo and introduction bits that really help shape the overall sound of the album. Titles include "For You", "You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To", "Midnight Sun", "The Folks Who Live On The Hill", "I Didn't Know About You", "Imagination", "Dream Of You", "Day Dream", and "I've Got The World On A String". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

A really unique project from Philippe Samiguel – recorded in Bamako, where Samiguel has worked as a producer for many years – during which time he's pulled together ideas from all sorts of different projects, and forged them into a new groove of his own! Samiguel's worked most famously with Samba Toure – who's here on the record alongside other artists who include Hugo Race, Mariam Kone, Mamadou Sidibe, and others – working on music that has roots in Malian blues, Tuareg guitar, and other west African modes – but which has a quality that's also very much all its own. There's an experimental nature to the project that takes us back to some of the best global experiments from the early days of the Crammed label – and titles include "Are U Satisfied", "The First Tone", "Minamba", "Heaven Sands", "Mad Girl Lament", "Quicksand Blues", and "Golden Cage". CD

Dex's famous return to New York in the mid 70s – recorded at the Village Vanguard in 1977, and featuring some of his best group-heavy playing of the decade! The quintet is fantastic – and includes Woody Shaw, Ronnie Matthews, Stafford James, and Louis Hayes. Features versions of Shaw's "Little Red's Fantasy" and "In Case You Haven't Heard", Matthews' "Let's Get Down", Jimmy Heath's "Gingerbread Boy", and Gordon's own "Fenja" and "Backstairs". LP, Vinyl record album