One of the earliest mainstream steel band records issued in the US – by a group sponsored by Pan Am Airlines! LP, Vinyl record album

A lean and spooky little set from the Rockers All Stars – put together with killer production from Augustus Pablo and Everton Da Silva! The vibe here is in the moodiest territory that Pablo might explore on albums under his own name – and although the father is providing help, it's clear that the group can make plenty of fantastic magic on their own! The set was mixed at King Tubby's and Harry J's – and although we're guessing the proceedings were laidback and casual, the record's gone on to become an underground dub classic over the years. Titles include "Hammer Dub", "Fire Dub", "Jah Dub", "Money Dub", "Static Dub", "Equal Rights Dub", and "Clean Sweep". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the earliest sets issued under the name of the Lighthouse All-Stars – that hip assemblage of west coast players headed by bassist Howard Rumsey – hardly a household name on his own, but well-remembered for all the great work done at this famous club! The lineup is a who's who of key players on the west coast at the time – Shorty Rogers and Maynard Ferguson on trumpet, Jimmy Giuffre and Bob Cooper on tenor, Hampton Hawes on piano, Milt Bernhart on trombone, and Shelly Manne on drums – and some tracks are a bit longer than usual, offering up freer solo space than you're likely to get on other west coast dates – a key contribution of the All-Stars recording mode. Titles include "Creme De Menthe", "Four Others", "La Sonicalli", "Morgan Davis", "Bernie's Tune", "Viva Zapata", and "All The Things You Are". LP, Vinyl record album

An incredible album – and one of the most groundbreaking blends of jazz and global music ever recorded! Reedman Tony Scott plays here with a little-known group of Indonesian jazz players – brought together in a special project for MPS/Saba records, in a blend of modal jazz elements and other tunes that really find a way to echo the gamelan styles that you might expect from Indonesian music – emphasized by the group's phrasing on piano, guitar, and siter, as well as Scott's interweaving lines on clarinet! The sound is fantastic, completely other worldly, and must be heard to be believed – served up with other players who include Marjono on tenor and vocal, Bubi Chen on piano and sitar, Jack Lesmana on guitar, Yopi Chen on bass, and Benny Mustafa on drums. Tracks include "Ilir Ilir", "Gambang Suling", "Djanger Bali", and an amazing rendition of "Summertime". LP, Vinyl record album

Only the first full album on Soul Tune, and the label's got themselves a set of All-Stars – a Swedish combo who seem driven by the talents of Niclas Wretelid – who plays drums, bass, keyboards, and even horns – emerging here as a one-man all-star all by himself! Yet there's also some good contributions by other members, too – especially singers Anna Thiam and Desmond Foster, who balance out the instrumental funk with some great vocal moments – especially Thiam, who's got a warmth and depth that's a nice change from some of the too-easy retro soul vocals we usually hear on records like this. Titles include "Day To Day", "Mother Nature", "World", "Don't Stop", "Spread The Message", "Natural Feeling", and "Latin Mama". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the greatest all-star groups in jazz – a short lived sextet that featured some of the best players working for Timeless Records – and a group that recalls the brilliance of the early recordings of Harold Land and Bobby Hutcherson! Both Hutcherson and Land are part of the group – as are Cedar Walton, Curtis Fuller, Buster Williams, and Billy Higgins – and the amazing thing about the set is the way that such top-shelf players can come together, yet manage to work in a mode that's far greater than the sum of its equally great parts! CD

... 78 RPM, Vinyl record

With Timo Lassy on tenor saxophone and bass clarinet. CD

Definitely hard wailing stuff from Jr and group – caught here in a smoking live setting, which really lets them open up! The record begins with an introduction by the Velvelettes, and ends with Earl Van Dyke performing "Heartbreak" – but the rest of the album's by Jr and crew, and titles include "Hot Cha", "Shake & Fingerpop", "Cleo's Back", "Shotgun", "Ame Cherie (Soul Darling)", and "Tune Up". LP, Vinyl record album

Jr Walker's second live set for Motown – and a hard-wailing set with a raw edge you wouldn't expect from the label! The recording quality is nice and raunchy – and the group's playing at double or triple-time on the set, grooving with amazing edges, twists, and turns. Many cuts feature vocals – plus hard-wailing sax from Jr – and titles include "Hip City (parts 1 & 2)", "Home Cookin", "Something You Got", "What Does It Take", and "Sweet Soul". LP, Vinyl record album

A stunning collection – 41 tracks by one of Motown's coolest combos! CD

A record that has Jr Walker and the group stepping out with some of the righteous touches promised in the title – partly in the choice of songs on the set, which are all nicely tucked into that strong mix of deep soul vocals and saxophone lines that had become the Jr Walker groove! The set features work from a number of different arrangers – all the hipper side of Motown in the early 70s, as the list includes, Willie Hutch, Gene Page, and James Carmichael – and tunes include two great originals, one by Hutch, one by Leon Ware. Tracks include "It's Alright Do What You Gotta Do", "Soul Clappin'", "Gimme that Beat (parts 1 & 2)", "It's Too Late", and "Peace & Understanding Is Hard To Find". LP, Vinyl record album

A stone cooker from Jr Walker – the kind of hard-driving soul that made his 60s Motown work a key link between the Detroit sound of the time, and R&B sounds of earlier years! Jr's soulful sax is right up in the mix on most numbers – and the overall sound is nicely freewheeling and almost spontaneous – almost a Motown studio jam at times, with vocals and instruments dancing together in joyous formation! Most tracks are instrumentals, but many also have some sort of vocal chorus – and titles include "Anyway You Wanta", "Pucker Up Buttercup", "Twist Lackawanna", "San Ho Zay", "Money", "Last Call", "Ame Cherie", "Mutiny", and "Road Runner". LP, Vinyl record album

Hard heavy stuff – and some of Jr's earliest work for Motown, only the second album to be issued on the small Soul subsidiary! The groove is nice and hard, with lots of original tracks done in the tenor-heavy instrumental style that was Jr's calling card during the time. Titles include "Mark Anthony Speaks", "Hewbie Steps Out", "Everybody Get Together", "Satan's Blues", "Brainwasher", and "Eight Hour Drag". With titles like that, you can guess how it sounds! LP, Vinyl record album

An obscure release – with Frank Wess on flute, Frank Foster on tenor, and Thad Jones on trumpet! 7-inch, Vinyl record

Trad jazz tunes played by a group led by Newport Jazz Fest impresario George Wein, and featuring players that include Ruby Braff, Marshall Brown, Bud Freeman, Pee Wee Rusell, and Bill Takas. Titles include "The Bends Blues", "Ja-Da", "Keepin Out Of Mischief Now", and "Blue Turning Grey Over You". LP, Vinyl record album

An excellent set of recordings from a unique moment for the Xanadu Records label – an imprint that was carrying the torch of the Prestige label style well into the 70s – also run by that label's old head, Don Schlitten! The tracks here were all recorded live in Dakar – by a tight quintet that features some of the best Xanadu players at the time – both Al Cohn and Billy Mitchell on tenor, plus Dolo Coker on piano, Leroy Vinnegar on bass, and Frank Butler on drums. Mitchell is especially wonderful – an excellent soloist who was often lost in larger groups throughout his career, but who really got the chance to shine in the bigger, more open space of the small group sides. Both he and Cohn blow at some of their best levels for the performances – and titles include "Night Flight To Dakar", "Don't Let The Sun Catch You Crying", "Blues Up & Down", "Sweet Senegelese Brown", "Robbins Nest", "Blues In The Closet", "Easy Living", and "The King". CD

We have to be honest, by this point we'd all but given up on George. But the truth is, Clinton and crew have pulled off a decent job of turning the tables on the whole G-funk scene, and taking a page or two out of their book, after they'd done the same to him for years! While we'd never claim this is best work, it's held up a fair bit better to the test of time than you might imagine! With "If Anybody's Gonna Get Funked Up (It's Gonna Be You)", "New Spaceship", "Flatman & Bobbin", "Sloppy Seconds", "Rock The Party" and "Get Your Funk On". CD

A massively expanded version of a legendary album – presented here as a 2CD set, with 22 tracks that appear on CD for the first time ever! At the core is the original Dubbing With The Observer album, the first-ever dub album from Niney The Observer – based around rhythms he'd cooked up for Dennis Brown, Max Romeo, and Delroy Wilson – all transformed completely in the studio by King Tubby! The sounds here are often very abstract – light years away from the originals – and given these spacey, repetitive cycles that seem to trip out even more than conventional dub! A landmark little record, and one that sounds even darker all these many years later – with cuts that include "Casanova Dub", "Rebel Dance", "Jam Down", "Parade Dub", "Turntable Dub", "Corn Man", "Mister D Brown Skank", and "Youth Man". The set then goes way way deep, with 37 more bonus tracks, that really take off as a magnificent demonstration of Niney's skills in the studio – all presented here with very detailed notes that really get at this important moment of genius in the history of dub! CD

An excellent album by Jr Walker and group – one that has them moving past the honking sax combo format of other albums, into a more expanded Motown-esque soul approach that mixes vocals and tenor into a swirling blend of grooves! Arrangements are by Paul Riser and Willie Shorter, and Johnny Bristol gave the album some of that sparkling production he could whip up on his best days. Includes the hit "What Does It Take (To Win Your Love)", plus "San Ho Zay", "Hot Cha", "Sweet Soul", "Ame Cherie", and "Cleo's Mood". CD

25 tracks including the huge hit "Shotgun", plus "Home Cookin", "Road Runner", "Hip City", "Shake & Fingerpop", "Shoot Your Shot", and "Do You See My Love". CD

Although the name of George Wein is usually associated with some super un-hip trad jazz projects, this album's actually a pretty cool batch of grooves that matches Wein's older jazz tendencies with some newer styles of playing – and some good electric instrumentation on the best cuts. The album's got a super-nice version of "Sunny", plus "Blue Boy", "In A Little Spanish Town", "Topsy", and "Ja Da" – and believe it or not, Wein even plays some electric piano! Players include Red Norvo, Tal Farlow, Larry Ridley, and Barney Kessel. LP, Vinyl record album

... 78 RPM, Vinyl record

Birdland Stars are Phil Woods, Kenny Dorham, Hank Jones, Al Cohn, Conte Candoli, Kenny Clarke, and John Simmons. CD

With specia guest Dick Hyman. CD

A brilliant update of the older Blue Note All-Stars concept – a set that features a tremendous lineup of the contemporary talents who've helped shape the new sound of the label in recent years – including trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire, keyboardist Robert Glasper, bassist Derrick Hodge, guitarist Lionel Loueke, drummer Kendrick Scott, and tenor saxophonist Marcus Strickland. The set's produced by Glasper, and has all the open, soulful currents of his own great records for the label – but also really draws a lot from the contributions of the other heavyweights too – as they work together on a se of mostly original tunes, all with shapes and sounds that you never would have expected on Blue Note in years past. We're huge fans of this direction of the label – and appreciate the way that they've found a way to keep things creatively soulful, but without rehashing the past or resorting to easy gimmicks. There's a depth here that would have made the old school proud – and titles include "Bayyinah", "Cycling Through Reality", "Witch Hunt", "Second Light", "Freedom Dance", and "Message Of Hope" – plus a few shorter tracks dedicated to Bruce Lundvall, the always-optimistic champion who headed the label in the years before his death. CD

Players include Tim Hagans, Greg Osby, Javon Jackson, Kevin Hays, Essiet Essiet, and Bill Stewart. CD

There's a wonderful sense of sound going on throughout this obscure set of dubs from the Bullwackies crew – music that's got some of the headier, bassier sounds of the generation – but which is also dappled with lighter touches at points, especially on keyboards – which makes the whole thing sparkle with a really timeless vibe! Joe Auxumite serves up vocals on about half the tracks on the set, and the instrumentals are equally great – working together with the more lyrical numbers to make a set that's maybe a lot more well-conceived overall than you might expect. Titles include "Shining Star", "Rain From The Cloud", "Simple Little Woman", "Troubled Land", "Recording Connection", "United Rock", and "Black World". CD

Led by Big Boy Dansoh. LP, Vinyl record album

... CD

Featuring Miles Davis on trumpet, Jay Jay Johnson on trombone, Jimmy Heath on sax, Gil Coggins on piano, Percy Heath on bass and Art Blakey on drums. CD

As classic an early album by Miles Davis as you can find – truly filled with the "all star" players billed in the title, and a session that has the sharpness of Davis' bop work for Blue Note, yet also lets him stretch out in a slightly more relaxed format! The album features Miles trumpet with 2 different groups – one a sextet with Horace Silver, JJ Johnson, and Lucky Thompson; the other a quintet with Silver and the obscure altoist Davey Schildkraut! Tracks are long, with lots of solo room – and titles include his classic takes on "Walkin", "Blue N Boogie", and "Solar" – plus versions of "You Don't Know What Love Is" and "Love Me Or Leave Me". LP, Vinyl record album

2 lesser-known sides of Blossom Dearie – both recorded in Paris in the 50s! The first 8 tracks on the set are from a rare 10" session recorded in 1955 – one that features Blossom only at the piano, not singing, but swinging in a solid trio format. Tracks on that session include "The Boy Next Door", "Down In The Depths Of The 90th Floor", "April In Paris", and "Blue Moon". The other 4 tracks on the set are from a 45rpm ep by Blossom's famous vocal group, The Blue Stars. The ensemble featured vocalese performances by young singers that included Christine Legrand, Jeanine De Waleyne, and Fats Sadi – and was the virtual blueprint for later jazz vocal groups, like Les Double Six or The Swingle Singers. Titles from that group include "Toute Ma Joie", "Embrasse Moi Bien", and "Toute Ma Joie". CD

A killer album from the Fania All-Stars – one that's quite different than most of their other work at the time, with an open-ended jam session feel that really takes us back to the old days! The group here is really just a sextet – the core combo used to launch the group name on Columbia Records – and the session is one that was originally done for Columbia in 1976, when Gene Page had to cancel a studio date, and the band got the chance to jam by themselves in the studio! The result is a groove that's strongly jazzy, with lots of descarga energy – played by a group that features Johnny Pacheco on flute, Papo Lucca on piano, Nicky Marrero on timbales, Ray Barretto on congas, Bobby Valentin on bass, and Roberto Roena on bongos and assorted percussion. Roena sings on one track, but most of the set is instrumental – with nice long cuts that include "The War Gods", "Seis Con El Mismo Sabor", "Vento Conmigo", "Taxi To Aguadilla", and "Guajira Para Los Pollos". LP, Vinyl record album

A great little back to basics effort from the Fania All Stars – one that shakes off some of the electric and clubby influences that were creeping in during their years at Columbia, and returns the group to a mostly salsa groove! The sound here is bold and bright throughout – traditional at one level, but colored with modern inflections and a deepening sense of sophistication that may well make it one of the group's most cohesive records ever! Members of the ensemble include Roberto Roena, Johnny Pacheco, Luie Ramirez, and Papo Lucca – and vocals are by Celia Cruz, Adalberto Santiago, Ruben Blades, Santos Colon, Hector Lavoe, and Cheo Feliciano. Titles include "Dinamita", "Dime", "Ublabadu", "Cuando Despiertes", "La Borinquena", and "Encantigo". LP, Vinyl record album

A later date – but proof that the Fania All Stars groove can always be strong, no matter what the setting! This album's actually recorded by a smaller ensemble from the larger group – a sextet that includes Ray Barretto on congas, Roberto Roena on bongos, Nicky Marrero on timbales, Bobby Valentin on bass, Papo Lucca on keyboards, and Johnny Pacheco on flute and guiro – a very percussive ensemble working here in a strongly jazz-based mode! The sound is great – and even at the few points when the keyboards are slightly modern, there's always an overall sound that preserves an older Latin jazz approach. Some numbers have chorus vocals, but these really don't dominate – and the main focus here is instrumental work – on titles that include "The Click","Allegria", "Guasasa", "Quasedito", "De Nuevo A La Carga", and a great cover of Timmy Thomas' "Why Can't We Live Together". LP, Vinyl record album

A full-on set from the mighty Fania All-Stars – a session that matches some of the larger arrangements of their Columbia Records albums, but which also returns the group to more of a salsa-focused groove! Tracks are somewhat short – none of the jam sessions of the group's earliest years – but the sound is top-shelf all the way through, and a lot more classic than you'd guess from the cheesy cocaine image on the cover! Group members include Papo Luca on piano, Nicky Marrero on timbales, Roberto Roena on bongos, Yomo Toro on cuatro, and Lewis Khan on trombone – and singers include Hector Lavoe, Adalberto Santiago, Willie Colon, Ismael Rivera, and Celia Cruz. Titles include "Semilla De Amor", "Bilongo", "La Montana", "Rosa En El Fango", "Mi So Den Boso", and "Nina". LP, Vinyl record album

Features guest work from Gato Barbieri on tenor, and an appearance by Steel Pulse! Titles include "12 Bar", "La Tonada Del Gato", "De Vuelta A Mis Raices", and "Salsalito". LP, Vinyl record album

A landmark album – one that has the Fania All-Stars playing in a Latin club style that greatly influenced dance music for years to come! The title "Cross-Over" might make you think of this one as a sell-out attempt, but it's not – it's a brilliant effort by the New York Latin scene to reach a much larger audience, and at the time, it really really worked! The album's actually got a surprisingly strong jazz basis to a lot of the playing – mixed with soul, disco, and funk influences that helped make this one a big album in the crates of plenty of non-Latin listeners. Features work by Eric Gale, Ruben Blades, Louie Ramirez, and Johnny Pacheco – and includes the cuts "You Want It You Got It", "Brazilian Paradise", "What A Big Thing", "Los Bravos", and "Prepara". LP, Vinyl record album

A stunner of a record from the Fania All Stars – a tremendous attempt to move into a 70s soul vein, complete with Satin Soul arrangements from Gene and Billy Page! The record bubbles over with the funky orchestrations you'd expect from the best Barry White work at the time – strings soaring over snapping beats and warmly soulful instrumentation – bearing little resemblance overall to the earlier work of the Fania All Stars, but blowing our minds all the more because of the rich ability to change sound so much. There's load of wonderful funk tracks on the album – and titles include "Picadillo", "I'll See You Again", "Foofer Soofer", "Sabrosa", "Desafio", and a great cover of "Rosemary's Baby". LP, Vinyl record album

A great little live album from The Fania All Stars – one that's recorded a few years after their classic sets at the Cheetah, Red Garter, and Yankee Stadium – but which still burns with the same sort of energy! The groove here has a bit more of a straighter salsa approach – as you'd guess from the date – but the record still features the cream of the crop of the New York scene, coming together with a masterful sense of power and togetherness! Vocalsits include Justo Belancourt, Celia Cruz, Cheo Feliciano, and Ismael Rivera – and titles include "Felicitaciones", "Ahora Si", "Publico Corriente", "Toro Mata", "El Nazareno", "Cucala", and "Yo Soy La Candela". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the better Fania All Stars albums from the time – recorded live in Havana, with a lineup that includes Roberto Roena, Larry Harlow, Reuben Blades, Johnny Pacheco, Ismael Quintana, and Papo Lucca. Includes the extended "Descarga A Cuba", plus "Castellanos Jam", "Mename La Cuna", "Llevale", and "Tres Lindas Cubanas". LP, Vinyl record album

After a disasterous attempt at recording a live show, the Fania All-Stars went in the studio with guests like Billy Cobham and Manu Dibango and created their funkiest album of the seventies. Although a few cuts are more Latin sounding, some of these tracks have a nice hard funky jazz feel, and sound like they could have been recorded for Prestige. There's great versions of "Soul Makossa" and "Viva Tirado", plus a very nice track called "Smoke". LP, Vinyl record album

A Latin soul party – beyond compare! The album's a completely wonderful live set that really captures the energy, excitement, and warm sociability of the hip New York scene at the end of the 60s. The music is stunning – a freewheeling blend of jazz, soul, and Latin themes – played with effortless ease by a lineup that includes Joe Bataan, Ray Barretto, Willie Colon, Larry Harlow, Bobby Quesada, Louie Ramirez, Ralph Robles, and some of the other heavy-hitters of the Latin soul years. (Just imagine trying to get so many jazz or rock talents together on one stage – it would never happen!) The album's incredible – and even the spoken introductions and crowd noise really help set the feel of the era's mighty magic power! Titles on this first volume include "Country Girl-City Man", "Mi Gusta El Son", "Sabor Sabor" and "Guatacando". Firey stuff, and one of their best records! LP, Vinyl record album

A Latin soul party – beyond compare! The album's a completely wonderful live set that really captures the energy, excitement, and warm sociability of the hip New York scene at the end of the 60s. The music is stunning – a freewheeling blend of jazz, soul, and Latin themes – played with effortless ease by a lineup that includes Joe Bataan, Ray Barretto, Willie Colon, Larry Harlow, Bobby Quesada, Louie Ramirez, Ralph Robles, and some of the other heavy-hitters of the Latin soul years. (Just imagine trying to get so many jazz or rock talents together on one stage – it would never happen!) The album's incredible – and even the spoken introductions and crowd noise really help set the feel of the era's mighty magic power! Titles on this second volume include "Kikapoo Joy Juice", "If This World Were Mine", "Richie's Bag", "Red Garter Strut", and "Son Cuero Y Boogaloo". Firey stuff, and one of their best records! LP, Vinyl record album

Live set with some African overtones. Players include Pacheco, Bobby Valentin, Ray Barretto, and Roberto Roena. LP, Vinyl record album

A mid 80s studio set from the Fania All Stars – and proof that the group was still going great at this time – almost reverting to their older modes of the early 70s, and shaking free of the more electric, more soul-based styles that group was using during their time at Columbia Records! The style here is very much in the spirit of the group's roots – long tracks that spin out with plenty of space for all the collaboration that made the Fania All Stars not only unique in Latin music, but a real model of artistic cooperation that other genres could certainly share! The group for this date includes vocals by Ismael Miranda, Celia Cruz, Adalberto Santiago, and Hector Lavoe – and titles include "Por Eso Yo Canto Salsa", "Usando El Coco", "El Rey De La Puntulidad", and "La Tierra No Es Pa La Guerra". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the proudest moments of the New York Latin underground – a time when some of its best players wound up playing for Columbia, through a brief affiliation between Fania and the larger label! And although you might think that the album would totally sell out the group's best points, it's actually a great batch of cuts that mixes the All-Stars' strong salsa and jazz grooves with some nice club-oriented rhythms – a blend that was perfect to show the growing sophistication of the Nuyorican scene in the late 70s! All the right touches are still strongly in place – and the record features work from Pacheco, Roberto Roena, Mongo Santamaria, and Louie Ramirez, as well as guests Bob James and Eric Gale. Titles include "En Orbita", "Awake", "Juan Pachanga", "Steady", "Jubileo", and "Ella Fue". LP, Vinyl record album

A wonderful soundtrack to one of the most important films to Latin music in the 70s! This double-length set features a huge array of work from the movie – not only important musical bits, both live and in the studio, but also snippets from TV, concert introductions, and lots lots more that show the range and cultural impact of the early 70s New York scene – stretching way past a simple understanding that you might have from other records! Players include Ray Barretto, Willie Colon, Larry Harlow, Pacheco, and Bobby Valentin – and tracks include "Drum Story", "The Sugar Cane", "Hollywood", "Barrio", "Mi Gente", "Congo Bongo", "Slave Ship", "African Village", and "Soul Makossa". Also features guest appearances by Geraldo Rivera, Dezi Arnaz, Ismael Quintana, Carmen Miranda, and Al Jolson! LP, Vinyl record album

A fresh new groove from The Fania All Stars – one that definitely has them picking up some of the Spanish elements mentioned in the title – the fusing them into the tight mix of Latin, club, and jazz they were doing at Columbia Records in the late 70s! These new elements are often light – a bit of acoustic guitar here, maracas there, or some slightly different rhythms – and they're warmed up nicely by the mix of electric and acoustic instrumentation used by the group – who are definitely at the height of their disco powers here! Core players include Papo Lucca on keyboards, Nicky Marrero on timbales, Johnny Pacheco and Roberto Roena on percussion, and Bobby Valentin on bass – and other players include Hubert Laws on flute, Eric Gale on guitar, Luie Ramirez on vibes, and Luiz Perico Ortiz on trumpet. Vocals are by Ismael Miranda, Pacheco, and Ruben Blades – and titles include "Spanish Fever", "Que Pasa", "Space Machine", "Donde", "Your Sereneness", and "Sin Tu Carino". LP, Vinyl record album

The Fania All Stars pay tribute to older Latin great Tito Rodriguez – in a set of shorter tracks that's really the group's first true outing in the studio! The format here is quite different than the earlier live albums cut by the group – a sound that's a bit more focused, and without as much of the free solo interplay as before. Instead, there's a greater presence of the singers – as you might expect in a tribute to Tito – with lead vocals by Hector Lavoe, Ismael Quintana, Ruben Blades, and Justo Betancourt. Instrumentalists on the session include Willie Colon, Ray Barretto, Larry Harlow, Johnny Pacheco, Richardo Ray, and Roberto Roena – and titles include "Fue En Santiago", "Vuela La Paloma", "Cara De Payaso", "Involvidable", and "Tiemblas". LP, Vinyl record album

The Fania All Stars pay tribute to a form that inspired many of its players – but which faded from Latin vogue before the group was properly formed in the late 60s. The session's a nice bit of retro Latin, with some strong late era salsa touches. Titles include "Guajira Con Tumbao", a great groover, plus "Hueso Y Pellejo", "Me Voy Pa Moron", "Naranjo Y Lucas", "Isla Del Encanto", and "Vacila Con Tu Trago". LP, Vinyl record album

With Judith, Michelle, and Aria Hendricks all joining in on vocals – plus Red Holloway on alto, Benny Golson on tenor, and Al Grey on trombone! CD

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A great jammer from the 60s years on Fonseca Records – and like most of the other work on the label, a set with a slightly different feel that a lot of combos coming out of New York scene! There's definitely some of the boogaloo promised in the title, but the album also seems less strictly tied to conventions – and has no trouble stepping around a bit in style, working with some of those rougher edges and hard-driven lines that can really make Fonseca sessions great. The album's filled with great little groovers like "Descarga Novel", "Muchacha", "Do The Boogaloo", "Mambo For Naguabo", "Wish You Love", "Nocturno", and "Apetitosa". LP, Vinyl record album

George Clinton may have pretty well disbanded Parliament and Funkadelic by the time the 80s came around, but the Mothership is still soaring highly on this first album from the P-Funk All Stars project – featuring some (but not all) of George Clinton's better players from various groups! Urban Dancefloor Guerillas his a pretty great little set of jammed-up cuts produced by Clinton, Bootsy, Gary Shider, and Sly Stewart. The flame was still burning, even in the "dark years" of the litigious early 80s – on a set that's actually a bit more stylistically diverse than some the related projects, though unified by never wavering funk! Titles include "Copy Cat", "Pumpin' It Up", "Catch A Keeper", and "Generator Pop". LP, Vinyl record album

A quartet of live performances from Sun Ra – all recorded within the span of a single week in 1983 – at a time when the Arkestra was clearly covering a fair bit of territory in Europe! As you might guess from the title, the concerts here were recorded in Milan, Zurich, West Berlin, and Paris – all during the last week of October and first day of November – in a whirlwind series of sets that also included Montreux material that ended up on the Hiroshima album (not included in this package.) Ra's at the start of his key 80s growth here – able to open up to new audiences in a range of styles, from freely experimental to more traditionally jazzy – all in ways that link together many traditions in a single set, and show that his talents were rooted in a deep tradition of musical expression. The 5CD set features a huge amount of material – and apart from Ra on piano and keyboards, other "all star" players include Lester Bowie and Don Cherry on trumpets, John Gilmore on tenor, Archie Shepp on tenor and soprano sax, Marshall Allen on alto and flute, Richard Davis on bass, Philly Joe Jones on drums, and Don Moye on percussion. CD

Great early work from Howard Rumsey's Lighthouse group – working here at a level that's almost more freewheeling than on some of their later Contemporary albums! The format's still very much in place here – a host of key All Stars who include Milt Bernhart on trombone, Russ Freeman on piano, Jimmy Giuffre and Bob Cooper on tenors, and Shelly Manne on drums – but there's almost a more "live" sort of energy overall – a bit more boppish and open, with each new player leaping freely into the fray. Titles include "Luau", "The Duke You Say", "The Big Top", "Sunset Eyes", "Comin' Thru The Rye Bread" and "Taking A Chance On Love". LP, Vinyl record album

Sheesh, Howard Rumsey sure knew how to stick his name on a lot of records! (He must have been trying to give Norman Granz and Leonard Feather a run for their money!) Fortunately, most of them were also great – like this one, which features flute duets between Bob Cooper and either Bud Shank or Buddy Collette, over rhythms by Sonny Clark or Claude Williamson on piano, Max Roach or Stan Levy on drums, and Howard Rumsey on bass (actually making a rare appearance on wax here!) Titles include "Aquarium", "Still Life", "Bag's Groove", "Hermosa Summer", "Albatross", "Night In Tunisia", "Warm WInds", and "Happy Town". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the all-time classics from Jr Walker & The All Stars – key proof that Motown could groove even when nobody was laying down vocals! As you might guess from the title, the album features the group's huge hit "Shotgun", plus lots of other cool funky little tracks like "Cleo's Back", "Tune Up", "Monkey Jump", "Do The Boomerang", "Shake & Fingerpop", "Shoot Your Shot", and lots more! The album's one of the group's strongest for Motown – and features that tight snapping groove that helped Jr take the tenor out of the R&B sound of the 50s, and place it into a whole new mode for the soulful 60s! CD

A landmark album that shaped Latin jazz for years to come! The format of the set borrows heavily from the previous Cuban Jam Session LPs, but gives it a real New York twist that made the Alegre albums much stronger overall – and much more influential in a wider spectrum. A core group fo well-known players – Charlie Palmieri, Johnny Pacheco, Kako, Jose Chombo Silva, and others – come together in the studio magically – setting egos aside, and bringing their best work to the table in a hard-jamming style that defined the crackling jazz-based "descarga" style of the time. In addition to that, the production style has lots of conversation and hanging out sounds between the tracks, really setting the feel for the album with a great spirit that goes on to touch the music as well! A treasure that's still one of the best examples of the jam session at work – and with titles that include "Soy Feliz, "Ay Camino Y Ven", "Almendra", "Para Ti", and "Estoy Buscando a Kako". LP, Vinyl record album

It's definitely a bossa nova world when Laurindo Almeida's around – given that the player first got the whole sound going in the 50s, then returned the favor in the 60s with some great albums like this for Capitol Records! The set's a bright blend of LA jazz and bossa rhythms – played by a group that also features Howard Roberts on electric guitar, Jimmy Rowles on organ, Don Fagerquist on trumpet, Bob Cooper on tenor, and Shelly Manne, Victor Feldman, and Chico Guererro on lots of percussion! Almeida plays guitar and cavaquinho on the session – and titles include "Rio Bonito", "Lisbon Antigua", "More", "Danke Shoen", "Till Then", "Say Wonderful Things", and "Sukiyaki". CD

Features Chet Atkins, Homer & Jethro, George Barnes, and others. CD

Man, it's like a talent bomb exploded! This set's stuffed with work by some of the greatest jazz funk players of the early 70s – Johnny Hammond, Bob James, Deodato, George Benson, Joe Farrell, Stanley Turrentine, Freddie Hubbard, Grover Washington Jr, Hubert Laws, and others – all playing together at a massive live concert recorded in Hollywood in 1972! And although you might worry that the collection of so many great talents on one stage might just create confusion – don't! The quality of the work is excellent – almost better than the best of the CTI studio sides, with a lean, clean sound that's really really tight – never overblown, just sweet electric funk with loads of great space for solo work. This first volume of the 3 LP set includes takes of "First Light", "California Dreaming" and a medley of "Inner City Blues" and "What's Going On". LP, Vinyl record album

Man, it's like a talent bomb exploded! This set's stuffed with work by some of the greatest jazz funk players of the early 70s – Johnny Hammond, Bob James, Deodato, George Benson, Joe Farrell, Stanley Turrentine, Freddie Hubbard, Grover Washington Jr, Hubert Laws, and others – all playing together at a massive live concert recorded in Hollywood in 1972! And although you might worry that the collection of so many great talents on one stage might just create confusion – don't! The quality of the work is excellent – almost better than the best of the CTI studio sides, with a lean, clean sound that's really really tight – never overblown, just sweet electric funk with loads of great space for solo work. This third volume of the 3 LP set includes takes of "Funkfathers", "Cherry", "Bowl Full Of Blues", "Cherry Red" and "God Bless The Child". LP, Vinyl record album

Lead single from the then highly anticipated D&D Project, produced by DJ Premier with Mad Lion, Doug E Fresh, KRS One, Fat Joe, Smif & Wessun, and Jeru on the mic. 12-inch, Vinyl record

... LP, Vinyl record album

As classic an early album by Miles Davis as you can find – truly filled with the "all star" players billed in the title, and a session that has the sharpness of Davis' bop work for Blue Note, yet also lets him stretch out in a slightly more relaxed format! The album features Miles trumpet with 2 different groups – one a sextet with Horace Silver, JJ Johnson, and Lucky Thompson; the other a quintet with Silver and the obscure altoist Davey Schildkraut! Tracks are long, with lots of solo room – and titles include his classic takes on "Walkin", "Blue N Boogie", and "Solar" – plus versions of "You Don't Know What Love Is" and "Love Me Or Leave Me". CD

As classic an early album by Miles Davis as you can find – truly filled with the "all star" players billed in the title, and a session that has the sharpness of Davis' bop work for Blue Note, yet also lets him stretch out in a slightly more relaxed format! The album features Miles trumpet with 2 different groups – one a sextet with Horace Silver, JJ Johnson, and Lucky Thompson; the other a quintet with Silver and the obscure altoist Davey Schildkraut! Tracks are long, with lots of solo room – and titles include his classic takes on "Walkin", "Blue N Boogie", and "Solar" – plus versions of "You Don't Know What Love Is" and "Love Me Or Leave Me". CD

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

... LP, Vinyl record album

Features Craig Handy, Donald Harrison, Vincent Herring, Joe Lovano, Branford Marsalis, Idris Muhammad, and others! Tracks include "Bluesnik", "Dr. Jackle", "Ballad For A Doll", and "Blue Fable". CD

Titles include "Congo Bongo", "Descarga Fania", "Ponte Duro", "Me Gusta El Son", "Mi Gente", and "Con Cuero Y Boogaloo". LP, Vinyl record album

Some of the best of the best of The Fania All Stars – magical music from that short stint when the combo were recording for Columbia Records in the late 70s! While at Columbia, the group grew even more than the styles of their roots at the Fania label – picking up some hipper touches of soul, club, and fusion – all of which were worked nicely to tighten up their groove. And while you might think that after playing side-long jams, these shorter cuts could represent a more commercial side for the group – to us, this shift is an important one that has the ensemble taking the old energy of the Latind descarga and bringing it nicely into focus for a huge crossover audience. The cuts here sparkle and glisten with the best non-Latin funk and club of the time – and the CD features 13 tracks from the albums Spanish Fever, Rhythm Machine, Cross Over, and Delicate & Jumpy – titles that include "Coro Miayre", "Ella Fue", "Fania All Stars Cha Cha Cha", "Los Bravos", "Peanuts", "Prepara", "Que Pasa", "Sin Tu Carino", "Isadore", and "Foofer Soofer". CD

Killer early work by the Fania All Stars – caught live at the legendary Cheetah club, which was the heart of the New York salsa scene at the start of the 70s! The album is easily one of the best by the group – and features long tracks that really capture the jamming intensity that occurred on stage when this many great artists were brought together in one space – kind of the "next step" for the older descarga mode put forth at the start of the 60s, pushed forward into the prouder, more unified Latin scene of the 70s! All Stars on this date include Ray Barretto, Larry Harlow, Bobby Valentin, Willie Colon, Johnny Pacheco, and others – and titles on this first volume include "Quitate Tu", "Descarga Fania", and "Anaconda". LP, Vinyl record album

Killer early work by the Fania All Stars – caught live at the legendary Cheetah club, which was the heart of the New York salsa scene at the start of the 70s! The album is easily one of the best by the group – and features long tracks that really capture the jamming intensity that occurred on stage when this many great artists were brought together in one space – kind of the "next step" for the older descarga mode put fort at the start of the 60s, pushed forward into the prouder, more unified Latin scene of the 70s! All Stars on this date include Ray Barretto, Larry Harlow, Bobby Valentin, Willie Colon, Johnny Pacheco, and others – and titles on this second volume include "Ponte Duro", "Estrellas De Fania", and "Ahora Vengo Yo". LP, Vinyl record album

By the mid 70s, the New York Latin scene was boomin' so large it could easily fill venues like Yankee Stadium – as you'll hear on this excellent live set from the Fania All-Stars, a monster record that easily ranks with the best live Latin sides of the time – like Eddie Palmieri at Sing Sing, the Tico-Alegre All Stars at Carnegie Hall, or Mongo Santamaria at Yankee Stadium! Tracks are nice and long – a real mix of soul and Latin, with slight funk and electric touches – and players include Ray Barretto, Willie Colon, Bobby Valentin, Mongo Santamaria, Ricardo Ray, and Roberto Roena. Vocals are by a host of singers that include Santos Colon, Hector Lavoe, Ismael Rivera, and Celia Cruz – and titles on this first volume include "Pueblo Latino", "Mi Gente", and "Soy Guajiro". CD

Ben Webster and Coleman Hawkins on alto saxophone, Bill Pemberton on bass, Buster Bailey on baritone clarinet, Jimmy Crawford on drums, Al Casey on guitar, Red Richards on piano, Garvin Bushell and Hilton Jefferson on saxophone, Haywood Henry on tenor saxophone, Benny Morton, Dickie Wells, and J.C. Higginbotham on trombone, and Emmett Berry, Joe Thomas, Rex Stewart, and Taft Jordan on trumpet. CD

A groovy record from the International Pop All Stars for Decca's Phase 4 label of percussion & strings oriented LPs! Vibrations Around The World has a groovy, moddish, cheeky charm with an international focus, picking themes to represent countries as if this were some kind of easy listening Olympics! "Aquarius" reps the USA, "Greensleeves" is for the UK, "Tulips From Amsterdam" represents Holland, "One One Samba" stands for Brazil, and more. LP, Vinyl record album

One of the most compelling entries so far in the all-great Congotronics series – a set of highly percussive work from this unique ensemble! The Kasai All Stars is a collective of members from six other groups – all working here in Konono-like territory that's heavy on distorted rhythms from electrified thumb piano and xylophones, then topped with some great guitar lines that link the music to older African traditions – all with a sound that's completely hypnotic and downright other-worldly! There's vocals on most of the tracks, but the real appeal of the record is the instrumentation, which is totally great – a mindblowing blend of sounds that shows that there's still plenty of key musical changes taking place in the African scene. Titles include "Quick As White", "Mukuba", "Beyond The 7th Moon", "Analengo", "Mpombo Yetu", "Mbu A Matumba", and "Drowning Goat". CD