The Three Sounds pull away from the curb in a sweet sports car – a great cover image that really sets the tone for the entire record! The album's the epitome of early 60s class and cool that the group had to offer – as they effortlessly mix soulful groovers with mellower, more introspective pieces – all delivered by the godlike hands of Gene Harris on acoustic piano – already a giant in jazz, even at the start of his long career. The rhythm is great, too – sublime bass from Andy Simpkins, whose round, warm tone we always love – and just the right sort of work on drums from Bill Dowdy, who always keeps things on track. Titles include "Now's The Time", "Summertime", "Poinciana", "Here We Come", and "Sonnymoon For Two". Great cover too – with one of the all-time best "car jazz" images! LP, Vinyl record album

"Moods" is right – as the album's got a wonderfully dark undercurrent, one that makes it one of the most captivating early Three Sounds albums for Blue Note! Pianist Gene Harris leads a trio that includes Andrew Simpkins on bass and Bill Dowdy on drums – and even though the set list includes a few familiar tunes, the overall pitch of the album makes the music really unique. The group play some sweet renditions of "Love For Sale" and "Green Dolphin Street", plus a great reading of Clifford Brown's "Sandu", which works very well as a piano tune. Also includes the tracks "Loose Walk" and "Tammy's Breeze". LP, Vinyl record album

The mighty Monk Higgins works some amazing magic here with the Three Sounds – taking them way past their standard trio modes of the 60s, into some really funky territory overall! The set's a definite symphony of soul – not just because the first side features a super-extended, suite-like tune – but also because all of the tracks feature fuller backings from Higgins, which really push the piano groove of the group! Drums are mighty heavy at points – thanks to trio member Carl Burnett – and the great Henry Franklin is in the group on bass, already crafting those wicked lines that would show up even more strongly on his albums for Black Jazz. In addition to flute from Buddy Collette, guitar from Freddy Robinson, and Gene Harris' super-heavy piano, there's also a bit of strings, and some slight backing vocals in the symphony from a trio that features Alex Brown, Mamie Galore, and Clydie King. The "Soul Symphony" cut runs for 26 minutes on side one – and other tracks include "Popsicle Pimp", "Repeat After Me", "Black Sugar", and "Upper Four Hundred". CD

Previously unissued work by the Three Sounds – tracks recorded at sessions from 1959 and 1962, but issued here for the first time! As in keeping with Blue Note's Standards series, the material features Gene Harris and trio performing well known tunes of the 20th Century – but given that evergreens like these usually made up most of the group's albums, the format's not a shortcoming, but a strength – one that makes Standards sit nicely next to the group's more famous albums from the time! 12 tracks in all, with titles that include "Thinking Of You", "Lights Out", "Best Things In Life Are Free", "Again", "Witchcraft", "Makin Whoopee", "Cry Me A River", and "Stay As Sweet As You Are". CD

A reunion of sorts, and a record that pays tribute to the legendary Three Sounds combo – the 60s jazz trio led by pianist Gene Harris, which once had bassist Henry Franklin and drummer Carl Burnett as members! Both Franklin and Burnett pair here with pianist Robert Turner, and turn out a tight set of tracks from the Ray Charles songbook – all done with the same sense of rhythm and lyrical lines that made the old group so great – so much so, you'd almost think that Harris got the old trio together to cut a tribute to Ray! Titles include "Hit The Road Jack", "I Can't Stop Loving You", "Drown In My Own Tears", "Georgia", and "Unchain My Heart". CD

A reunion of sorts, and a record that pays tribute to the legendary Three Sounds combo – the 60s jazz trio led by pianist Gene Harris, which once had bassist Henry Franklin and drummer Carl Burnett as members! Both Franklin and Burnett pair here with pianist Robert Turner, and turn out a tight set of tracks from the Ray Charles songbook – all done with the same sense of rhythm and lyrical lines that made the old group so great – so much so, you'd almost think that Harris got the old trio together to cut a tribute to Ray! Titles include "Hit The Road Jack", "I Can't Stop Loving You", "Drown In My Own Tears", "Georgia", and "Unchain My Heart". CD

Ramsey Lewis had such great success with his first album of Christmas instrumentals for Chess Records, he soon hopped back in the studio for a second record – but one with a very distinct difference! This time around, the trio's a bit unusual – in that it features regular bassist Eldee Young, but also the great Steve McCall on drums – a percussionist who'd later really flourish in the 70s, and gain great fame for his work in the group Air! The presence of McCall is no surprise, though – Malachi Favors and Muhal Richard Abrams also make appearances on early 60s Chess jazz albums – but it does give the record a nicely special sort of sound, as does the added instrumentation on some tracks too. About half the set features the trio, and the rest features a bigger group that's arranged by King Fleming and Will Jackson – jazz trio with a bit of strings, including some nice harp, and a touch of trombone from John Avant. Titles include "We Three Kings", "Snowfall", "Plum Puddin", "Little Drummer Boy", "Snowbound", "Egg Nog", and "Jingle Bells". LP, Vinyl record album

Three 6 Mafia may not have hit world domination with this set – but the record is a landmark in the growth of southern hip hop at the end of the 90s, and is a downright classic from the Memphis group! In some ways, the record takes off a bit from Texas sounds of a few years before – even some of the Geto Boys sense of terror mixed with paranoia – that undercurrent of personal struggle that can often redeem records like this, and take them past just thuggish cliches. Titles include "Prophet Posse", "Spill My Blood", "Tear Da Club Up 97", "Bodyparts 2", and "Weed Is Got Me High". LP, Vinyl record album

The sounds are soft, the people are gentle, and the music is as groovy as groovy can be! The CD is the fab fourth entry in one of our favorite series of all time – and like the rest, it's a tremendous collection of lost pop treasures from the end of the 60s – all in a magical space between folkies, hippies, and the mainstream – served up with the best aspects of all three! The style here is totally great – and offers up a nice contrast to some of the better-known pop of the late 60s – not in a way that's more experimental or challenging, but just in a way that's even more unboundedly creative! Tracks are extremely well-chosen, with notes on every single number – and titles include "Geordie" by The Rooney Brothers, "Sunshine World" by The Cosmic Brotherhood, "Little Faces" by The Luv Birds, "Dancing Girl" by The 1st Century, "When I'm Gone" by Lux, "Donnie" by Chuck Barris Syndicate, "Day In The Sun" by The Fragile Lime, "Land Of Make Believe" by The Fourth Dimension, "When The Sun's Gone Down" by Incredible Fog, "Boston Bay" by Smithsonian Institute, and "When Once It Was Good" by First National Band. CD

Maybe the most dense, most complex work we've heard from Matana Roberts to date – a unusual effort that blends together her own instrumental passages with sound samples recorded during a wintertime ramble through the states of Mississippi, Tennessee, and Louisiana! Roberts moves away from her previous group efforts, to hit even more experimental sounds here – which include her own alto saxophone lines, plus work on a Korg Monotron, an early 1900s upright piano, and even a bit of vocalizations too – all taken at a level that's way beyond jazz, and which has elements of found sound mixing with processed instrumental passages, and even some odd snippets of classic American songs. The effort comes off sounding as if an avant jazz album were recorded with an older 4AD aesthetic – with all the dense sonic structures that might imply – and the whole thing's definitely one more reason to keep your eyes focused on Roberts' genius in years to come! CD

Beautiful sounds from Cabo Verde – served up by a group named after a famous composer on the island, and featuring three of his children working under the leadership of older guitarist/singer Pascoal, who'd studied with Ano Nobo before he passed away! The style of the music is wonderful – a woven tapestry of acoustic guitar lines with vocals, in a mode that has echoes of older Cuban music, but a style that's very much its own – recorded beautifully by the Ostinato label, an imprint we've really come to trust for faithful presentation of material like this. The package features very detailed notes on both Pascoal and the history of the music – and titles include "Mulatinha Vai", "Tio Bernar", "Lolinha", "Sociedad Di Mocindadi", "Badia Di Fora", and "Elefantes". CD

Percussionist Andrea Centazzo really rises to the occasion here – as one might when meeting with the legendary Derek Bailey at a time when he was really at the height of his powers! Bailey works on both acoustic and electric guitars here – and has a way of creating all these amazing sounds and moments on his instruments – that famous style of improvisation he first unleased on the world at the end of the 60s, honed during the early part of the 70s, and which is in full bloom here! Centazzo is nicely respectful, and really finds a way to match the best of Bailey's impulses – playing a range of percussion instruments big and small. Titles include "Drop Three", "Tutti Cantabile", "Recapitulation Reiteration & Rabbits", "How Long Has This Been Going On", "Jim Never Seems To Send Me Pretty Flowers", and "Drop Two". LP, Vinyl record album

A graceful collision of sounds from this very unusual trio – a lineup that features electronics handled by all three members – plus alto from Chris Pitsikos, bass from Luke Stewart, and drums from Jason Nazary! There's a feel here that's a bit like some of Stewart's other work, but the overall vibe is much more electro-acoustic, as you might expect – tracks that have all sorts of weird and wonderful sounds from the electronics, mixed with more organic work from the other instruments in the lineup. Titles include "Graceful Collision", "Limitless Fascination", "Caught The Flicker", "Invisible Maze", and "Skeletal Representation". LP, Vinyl record album

A really dramatic live performance from these free jazz giants – three musicians who really know each other well, but who seem to come off with an even more majestic sense of power here! The performance is from 1974, and it burns with energy right from the start – this sense of inventiveness as if all three players had already mastered their instruments, yet were also surprising themselves during performance with new aspects they had just discovered – a freshness that comes through note after note after note – and in plenty of sounds that aren't notes either! Brotzmann blows alto and tenor, Fred Van Hove plays piano, and Han Bennink nearly destroys his drum kit – on titles that include "Filet Americain", "Involved", "Boogie For Fred", "Der Mammutzahn Aus Balve", and "Schwarzspect". LP, Vinyl record album

The first four albums from this crucial group – along with four more CDs of rare live material too! First up is the self-titled Cactus – the first album from this legendary group – an important American hard rock powerhouse, driven by the famous rhythm duo of Tim Bogert on bass and Carmine Appice on drums – both of whom roll out of the gate here with amazingly frenetic energy! They're maybe only topped by the guitar work of Jim McCarty, whose searing lines are clearly learned from blues inspirations, then turned up in both speed and power – to match the vocals and harmonica of Rusty Day! There's nothing going on here that sounds like blues rock at all – even though the set begins with a cover of "Parchman Farm" – next to other titles that include "My Lady From South Of Detroit", "No Need To Worry", "You Can't Judge A Book By The Cover", and "Let Me Swim". On One Way Or Another, Cactus are totally at the top of their game – and the guitar of Jim McCarthy really sets the record on fire, right from the very first note – at a level that should have made Jim one of the real guitar hero legends of his generation! Yet there's also power from the whole group going on too – tight rhythms from the team of Carmine Appice and Jim Bogert, the latter of whom starts to bring in his own vocals a fair bit more, offering backup to the raspy lead of Rusty Day. And while there's a few currents that show their older influence from blues, the sound here is massively hard rock all the way through – making the record a great illustration of the way that slavish blues rock gave birth to a fresh new jamming sound in a matter of just a few short years. Titles include "Rockout Whatever You Feel Like", "Song For Aries", "Feel So Bad", "Rock N Roll Children", and "Hometown Bust". Restrictions is next, and despite the title, there's no restrictions at all – as Cactus seem to be even more confident, more able to stretch their wings and fly than ever before – even adding in some extra piano and keyboards at points to the core guitar-heavy sound of the quartet! All the group's best elements are very firmly in place – searing guitar, righteously confident vocals, and a strutting sensibility that makes this early 70s album way ahead of the game in terms of territory that so many bigger groups would later copy for their own classic records. Titles include "Guiltless Glider", "Evil Alaska", "Sweet Sixteen", "Bag Drag", "Restrictions", and "Mean Night In Cleveland". Ot N Sweaty is a record that's got a bit of a shift in the classic Cactus lineup – as the group's still driven strongly by the work of Carmine Appice on drums and Tim Bogert on bass, but get guitar power from Werner Fritzschings, who's a pretty amazing player – next to some added keyboards from Duane Hitchings, and vocals from Peter French – a singer who's ballsy power might be even more in line with the group than their previous lead singer! The album's got an unusual approach in that side one was recorded live, side two in the studio – each with a nicely different flavor as a result – on titles that include "Swim", "Our Lil Rock N Roll Thing", "Bedroom Mazurka", "Telling You", "Bad Stuff", and "Bringing Me Down". 8CD set is overflowing with great material – bonus tracks added to three of the four albums in the collection, than a further 4CDs worth of live material – titled Fully Unleashed – The Live Gigs Vols 1 & 2. The live material is great – and really shows the tightness of the group at their best! CD

A great live set by an incredibly dynamic trio – Rudiger Carl on clarinet and Sven-Ake Johansson on drums – both older improvisers, joined here by the well-matched bass of the younger Joel Grip! If you've not heard Carl before, you're in for a treat – as his sounds on his instrument are incredible – far past Jimmy Giuffre, but with a bit more of a sense of structure than Anthony Braxton on the instrument – something we might also well say for Johansson's drums, maybe in part because the basswork of Grip is such a key part of the puzzle here as the three players spontaneously create together. The set features one long live performance, divided into three movements – "Inflow", "Inflect", and "Inflict". CD

A pair of classic albums from Clarence Carter – back to back, and with bonus tracks too! Testifyin is excellent early work from Clarence Carter – recording here with production and arrangements by Rick Hall – in that sweet Muscle Shoals style that never sounded better than it did with Clarence! Carter had a way of working with Hall that was really beyond some of the cliches that crept into the scene at the time – a blend of bluesier roots and leaner soul that was totally great – and which was always touched by Clarence's keen sense of wit and personality! The record's got a slightly funky sound in parts – especially on the great cut "Snatching It Back" – and the rest of the titles are all killer southern soul material, with classics that include "Making Love (At The Dark End Of The Street)", "Soul Deep", "Doin' Our Thing", "I Smell a Rat", and "I Can't Do Without You". Patches is the album that very firmly put Clarence Carter on the mainstream soul map – thanks to his brilliant version of the title tune! By the time of this set, Carter was already one hell of a soul singer – and really brought amazing sounds to play with classic production from Rick Hall and the Fame Studios gang. But when he pointed those talents towards the country soul story "Patches", he really found his groove – mixing southern roots from both sides of the fence into one really unique groove – and following it up with a host of other well-chosen tunes that really helped establish Carter's unique place in music. George Jackson co-wrote a number of the best tunes – a few with Clarence – and titles include "Patches", "I'm Just A Prisoner", "Till I Can't Take It Anymore", "Changes", "Say Man", "Willie & Laura Mae Jones", "CC Blues", and "Getting the Bills (But No Merchandise)". CD features three bonus tracks – on CD for the first time ever – "Say A Little Prayer", "Johnny Poverty", and "I Found What I Wanted". CD

An interesting mix of improvisation and pre-recorded sounds – served up by Shane Cooper with work on Fender Rhodes, bass, and guitar – and garnished with help from a range of different musicians in Johannesburg! The album features two long tracks, both of which have loose ideas in place at the start, and some contributions from Shane that had been recorded before – and although the players differ on each track, there's a very similar sense of sonic interplay – one that's very different from both free jazz improvisation, and some of the sorts of technical tweaks that a producer/mixer might make with live instrumentation. Titles include "Skins" – which features three percussionists with Cooper – and "Static", which brings in cello, piano, and a range of instruments that icnludes umtshingo, umrhubhe, and nyunga nyunga. LP, Vinyl record album

Great duo vocals from the team of Albert Bailey and Clifton Howell – recording here with some excellent rhythms from Sly & Robbie and the rest of the Channel One crew! The music is mostly mellow, with a stepping groove that works great for the harmonies of the pair – and there's a fair bit of roots numbers here, mixed with some warmer lovers' rock titles too. Like other great titles on Pressure Sounds, this one does a great job of giving Earth & Stone the showcase they deserve – with excellent sound, and notes on the music – and titles that include "False Ruler", "Once Bitten Twice Shy", "Black Roots", "Three Wise Men", "Holy Land Of Home", "Jail House Set Me Free", "Devil Wise", "House Of Dub", "Wiser Dub", and "Jester Not". LP, Vinyl record album

Unreleased later work from the legendary Luc Ferrari – and music that almost represents a somewhat different side of his legacy than some of his more famous recordings! If we dare to say it, there's some surprisingly tuneful moments in the music – which was partly done for a modern dance performance, which gives some of the work an inherently rhythmic quality! And while there's certainly some of Ferrari's more wild electronics at play, the record also has some more 80s-styled keyboard passages as well – which makes for a wonderful mix of sounds, and almost feels as if Luc were let loose to do a bit of film scoring next to more experimental electro-acoustic music. The set features three long tracks – "On Part De Chez Marie Christine", "Ligne De Fuite", and "Roman De Gare". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the weirder soundtracks from Fabio Frizzi – a record that's spooky one minute, cheery the next – but in a way that really makes the schizophrenia appealing! The sunnier tunes have a bit of an island vibe – but are served up on relatively thin instrumentation, which then shifts quickly into some of the moodier, murkier sounds you'd expect from a zombie film like this – sometimes with some great early 80s-styled electronics! This version of the score is served up in a really lovely package – with a total of 12 different numbered tunes from the soundtrack – most around the three minute range – plus the vocal tune "There Is No Matter", with vocals by Linda Lee. CD

Prepare to discover your new favorite artist – a tremendously hip cat who never got his due – and who should be held as high on these shores as British talents like Nick Drake, Bert Jansch, or John Martyn! Like all of those three, Davy Graham is a complete original – a guy with an acoustic guitar, but light years beyond familiar folk – often using all these jazzy changes in his style, and mixing his own music with songs by Dylan, The Beatles, Muddy Waters, and even Art Blakey – but all in ways that are completely transformative, and which maybe use the familiar songs just as a way for Graham to show us how individual he can be – because even a song we know sounds nothing like the original. His guitar work is superb – full of all the fresh ideas, unusual phrasings, and special sounds that the best of his generation were bringing to acoustic music – and titles include "Lotus Blossom", "Down Along The Cove", "Stan's Guitar", "Bulgarian Dance", "Buhaina Chant", "I'm Ready", "Getting Better", "Hornpipe For Harpsichord Played Upon Guitar", and "Pretty Polly". LP, Vinyl record album

A cooking group effort from the Chris Greene Quartet – a great Chicago combo we've watched grow tremendously with each previous release – stepping out here in their first-ever live recording! Greene's got a soulfully sophisticated approach to his saxes that really belies his Windy City roots – with this great way of stretching out on the solos, yet still keeping things real – a bit like Eddie Harris at his best, with the depth of Eric Alexander on tenor,but with some deeper sounds too – which come through especially strong on the album's extended tracks. The rest of the group features electric piano, bass, and drums – and titles include the originals "Shore Up", "Future Emperor Of Evanston", "State", and "Three & Six" – plus a nice cover of "Blue Bossa". CD

A fantastic meeting of the musical minds – coming together here in a set of live improvisations recorded at a record store in Greece! The setting's an unusual one, and the music is too – sounds that really move past the usual for all three players, but especially David Grubbs and Mats Gustafsson – both of whom seem very comfortable here in some of the sonic territory that we normally hear more from Rob Mazurek! Grubbs' guitar is quite different than on some of his own records – especially the solo acoustic moments – and Mats reminds us that he's not just a hell of a saxophonist, but also a master of many other ways to disturb the flow of air – delivering work here on flute, fluteophone, and live electronics – the last of which is matched with more electronics from Rob Mazurek, who also plays piccolo trumpet and wood flute too. Every song has a different shape and texture, which is a further testament to both the sensitivities of the musicians, and their sympathies with each other – and titles include "Not In A Hall Of Mirrors", "Creep Mission", "City Stones Sleep", and "Goats & Hollers". CD

Herbie Hancock is certainly Takin Off at this point in his career – stepping into the limelight with an excellent batch of soul jazz tunes, including the first recording of his classic "Watermelon Man", the one track that probably put all his kids through school! Although that one went on to become a standard within a few short years in 60s jazz, it still sounds great here in the original – a very fresh take on the sound of soul jazz in the 60s – offered up here in a 7 minute version that has more sharp soloing than most other takes on the tune! The group here is great too – with Dexter Gordon on tenor, Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, Butch Warren on bass, and Billy Higgins on drums – and the tracks are all also originals by a young Herbie – including "Watermelon Man", "The Maze", "Driftin", "Three Bags Full", "Alone & I", and "Empty Pockets". LP, Vinyl record album

Herbie Hancock is certainly Takin Off at this point in his career – stepping into the limelight with an excellent batch of soul jazz tunes, including the first recording of his classic "Watermelon Man", the one track that probably put all his kids through school! Although that one went on to become a standard within a few short years in 60s jazz, it still sounds great here in the original – a very fresh take on the sound of soul jazz in the 60s – offered up here in a 7 minute version that has more sharp soloing than most other takes on the tune! The group here is great too – with Dexter Gordon on tenor, Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, Butch Warren on bass, and Billy Higgins on drums – and the tracks are all also originals by a young Herbie – including "Watermelon Man", "The Maze", "Driftin", "Three Bags Full", "Alone & I", and "Empty Pockets". CD also features 3 bonus alternate takes of tunes from the album! CD

Herbie Hancock is certainly Takin Off at this point in his career – stepping into the limelight with an excellent batch of soul jazz tunes, including the first recording of his classic "Watermelon Man", the one track that probably put all his kids through school! Although that one went on to become a standard within a few short years in 60s jazz, it still sounds great here in the original – a very fresh take on the sound of soul jazz in the 60s – offered up here in a 7 minute version that has more sharp soloing than most other takes on the tune! The group here is great too – with Dexter Gordon on tenor, Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, Butch Warren on bass, and Billy Higgins on drums – and the tracks are all also originals by a young Herbie – including "Watermelon Man", "The Maze", "Driftin", "Three Bags Full", "Alone & I", and "Empty Pockets". CD features bonus alternate takes of "Watermelon Man", "Empty Pockets", and "Three Bags Full". CD

Gene Harris in three different periods – the past, present, and future – served up here in a record issued under Gene's name as a leader, but which still continues the vibe of the later records by the Three Sounds! Most of the work is trio material – with just Gene on acoustic piano, John Halton on acoustic and electric bass, and Carl Burnett on drums and percussion – but there's a fluid, reaching sort of feel that definitely echoes some of the larger productions that Harris was recording at the time – not full strings or heavy electrics, but a really complex approach to the material nonetheless! Tracks include "Judy Judy Judy", "Trieste", "How Insensitive", "Love For Sale", "Sawin Wood", "Something", and "Monk's Tune". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the crowning achievements of the legendary Keith Hudson – a record that was originally issued on his own tiny label, with very little circulation at the time – but a set that's gone on to become the stuff of legend, thanks to Hudson's revolutionary work in the studio! The record has a way of mixing the rough and the smooth, the sweet and the spacey – as Keith delivers some fantastic songs over sounds that were initially recorded in Kingston, then reworked and re-layered in London – at a level that maybe reflects all the subtle changes that were taking place in the global underground of Jamaican music, even at the same time that some of its bigger artists were starting to hit the charts. Chart fame is clearly not what Keith's going after here – as many of the tunes are spare, stripped-down, and as personal as they are political – very dubby in production, even though the record's not a dub set overall – given the focus on warmly soulful vocals upfront in the mix. The whole thing is fantastic, and as essential as any bigger-label reggae release from the time – with cuts that include "Hunting", "Flesh Of My Skin", "Blood Of My Blood", "Testing Of My Faith", "Fight Your Revolution", "Darkest Night", "Talk Some Sense", "Treasures Of The World", "My Nocturne", "I Shall Be Released", "No Friend Of Mine", and "Stabiliser". LP, Vinyl record album

Essential funk in a single set – three killer albums from James Brown's legendary backing group! First up is Food For Thought – the classic first album by The JBs – James Brown's Fred Wesley-led backing band, and the force behind most of his greatest records of the early 70s! The band are incredible at this point – sharper, harder, and funkier than just about any other combo around – and that includes all the thousands of groups in the funky 45 underground who were always trying to copy their sound, but never got things this right! Not only are the rhythms the stuff of legend – but the use of the instruments is far far above the norm – as can be heard on the mindblowing "The Grunt", which was sampled heavily by Public Enemy to great fame – and which features a saxophone solo that sounds more like a whistling tea kettle! The set collects some of the group's best early singles, and includes all of the short little funky cuts that made them a legend right out of the box – "Pass the Peas", "The Grunt", "These Are The JBs", "Hot Pants Road", "Wine Spot", "To My Brother", "Blessed Blackness", "Theme From King Heroin", "Escapism (parts 1 & 2), and "Gimme Some More" – all together here in one tight little album of massive funky hard beats and breaks! Doing It To Death is an incredible album – a landmark piece of funk that nobody should be without, funk fan or not! The album is the second to feature James Brown's famous backing combo of the early 70s – and unlike their first one, which was really more of a collection of singles, this album has the group playing hard, long, and loud, in the free funk improvisational mode that was James' real contribution to the music at the time. The tracks are all incredibly long, with James at the forefront, egging the band on with shouts and comments – but also letting them open up large instrumentally, playing in a mode that's as much jazz as it is funky soul. The whole thing's peppered with some nice shorter segues between tracks – but the long cuts are the winners, and are some of the best funk ever recorded! Titles include "Mo Peas", "Doing It To Death", "La Di Da La Di Day", "You Can Have Watergate, Just Gimme Some Bucks & I'll Be Straight", and "Sucker". Last up is Damn Right I Am Somebody – quite possibly our favorite record by the JBs, ever! The set starts with a wonderful conversational bit – rapping and musing on the idea of "Damn Right, I Am Somebody" – showing the group in a political and righteous mode for the first time ever. The grooves then kick in – with the same heavy funk as on earlier records, but also a nice nod towards experimental production – from strange fade ups and fade downs, to stark time and rhythm changes, and even bits of electronics used to create some very cool moments in the grooves! The whole thing's as dead funky as can be, and is stuffed with insane classics like "Blow Your Head", "Same Beat", "Damn Right I am Somebody", "I'm Payin' Taxes, What am I Buyin'", and a great cover of Marvin Gaye's "You Sure Love to Ball"! CD

Our favorite album ever from Roland Kirk – and a beautiful mix of two different sides of his genius! Side one's got Roland doing these crazy takes on late 60's pop cuts like "My Cherie Amour" and "Say a Little Prayer", plus his own "songs", done with soulful vocals and a straight-on approach that shows him trying to break out of the avant jazz underground, and reach a wider audience with a spiritual message on tracks like "Search For The Reason Why" and "Spirits Up Above". If this description sounds like a mess, it's not – because this side of the album is one of Kirk's most brilliant statements ever about jazz, soul, love and freedom! Side two has Roland in a straighter vein – running through a tight live set from Newport 1968, handled with fire and imagination, the kind of boundless energy he always brought to his public appearances. Tracks on that set include "One Ton", "Three For The Festival", "Afro Blue", and some great remarks by Roland! LP, Vinyl record album

The "resonate" in the title here is very well-put – as there's an overall sense of sound that comes not just from the core instruments handled by all three players in the trio – but also by the many "objects" that are part of the improvisation too! The album features one long improvised track, stretching out nearly 40 minutes in length – with work from Agusti Fernandez on piano, Zlatko Kaucic on drums, and Martin Kuchen on both soprano and sopranino saxes – blowing with these sharp, angular edges that really give the record a lot of bite! But it's also those extra sounds – those "objects" – that seem to create all these special moments along the course of the proceedings – almost in the spirit of some FMP record from the glory days of the European free jazz scene. CD

Hard rock perfected! It's around Led Zeppelin IV that you can easily say that the group moved up from being incredibly great to flat-out legendary – really in a class by themselves, although maybe they'd already reached that point with the sublime sounds of the previous three records! There's a darkness here – and a sense of magick too – an eerie new energy that still has all the balls-out rock power of before, but which has the group moving into this heady territory that's really all their own. Every song is a classic – and tracks include "Black Dog", "Stairway To Heaven", "Rock And Roll", "Misty Mountain Hop", "When The Levee Breaks", "Going To California", "Four Sticks", and "Battle Of Evermore". CD

Hard rock perfected! It's around Led Zeppelin IV that you can easily say that the group moved up from being incredibly great to flat-out legendary – really in a class by themselves, although maybe they'd already reached that point with the sublime sounds of the previous three records! There's a darkness here – and a sense of magick too – an eerie new energy that still has all the balls-out rock power of before, but which has the group moving into this heady territory that's really all their own. Every song is a classic – and tracks include "Black Dog", "Stairway To Heaven", "Rock And Roll", "Misty Mountain Hop", "When The Levee Breaks", "Going To California", "Four Sticks", and "Battle Of Evermore". LP, Vinyl record album

A definite all-star session from the Japanese scene – one that features the superb talents of Hidehiko Matsumoto on tenor and flute, and Kunihiko Sugano on piano – working alongside equally nice work from Isao Suzuki on bass and George Otsuka on drums! You might know Suzuki and Sugano from their 70s material on the Three Blind Mice label – but the approach here is maybe a bit more straightforward, yet equally sublime – really magical sounds from all players involved, at a level that really makes the whole thing one of the best albums that Matsumoto recorded at this end of the 70s. Titles include "Misty", "But Not For Me", "Four Wings", "Laura", and "Speak Low". CD

Wild early work from avant jazz genius Joe McPhee – and a set that's actually pretty darn funky too! This rare indie release features 3 long tracks – two of which were recorded live, with a tight combo that includes a very funky drummer! The album kicks off with the hard wailing "Nation Time", which begins with a shout from Joe, and which rolls into a vamping modal groove (almost Pharoah Sanders-ish) filled with spiritual tenor work from McPhee, and some nice electric piano that sounds very off-kilter – funky, but unusual too. Next up is "Shakey Jake", an excellent 13 minute funk number – with bubbling organ, vamping rhythms, and a nice extended jazz dance groove – one of the rare tunes that has kept the album at the top of collectors' lists for years! And last up is "Scorpio's Dance", a pretty raw and somber track, with a nice open-ended loft jazz quality – balancing things out with a bit of avant energy. New CD version features three great bonus tracks – "Naima", "Blues In C", and "Secret Love". CD

Tremendous solo work from the great Joe McPhee – recorded alone at home during 2020, as you might guess from the title – but a set that has Joe being wonderfully expressive, in the very personal way that you'd know if you've ever seen him live in performance! McPhee mostly blows tenor, but he also speaks at points – even quoting some lines from Black Panther – and brings in some field recordings, and even makes sounds on water and a pie tin too – all with this mandate to be as fully expressive as possible, even in a situation of isolation – a beautiful testament to the artistic fire that has kept McPhee going as one of the most important improvisers in jazz over the decades! Titles include "Cuernavaca 79", "Goodbye Porky Pig Hat", "Self Portrait In Three Colors – Red, Black, & Green", "Reflection On Ida Lupino", and "Do You Still Love Me". CD

The title sounds a bit ambitious, but the album's actually a great intimate date from Carmen McRae – a beautifully-recorded small combo performance – caught live at Donte's in LA, with a sound that hearkens back to some of Carmen's best work of the 50s! The format is spare and simple – backing by a quartet that features Joe Pass on guitar, Jimmy Rowles on piano, Chuck Domanico on bass, and Chuck Flores on drums – all grooving with a light and lively touch behind Carmen's wonderful vocals – served up here with a lot more freedom than she was getting on most of her studio dates from the time. The "great American songbook" is really just a catch-all for a very wide variety of work included on the record – and the album's hardly the staid "songbook" sort of album you'd guess from the title. Instead, Carmen really opens herself up to a lot of great tunes, from classic to contemporary – with titles that include "Three Little Words", "The Ballad Of Thelonious Monk", "Behind The Face", "Sunday", "Day By Day", "If The Moon Turns Green", "At Long Last Love", and "A Song For You". CD

The title sounds a bit ambitious, but the album's actually a great intimate date from Carmen McRae – a beautifully-recorded small combo performance – caught live at Donte's in LA, with a sound that hearkens back to some of Carmen's best work of the 50s! The format is spare and simple – backing by a quartet that features Joe Pass on guitar, Jimmy Rowles on piano, Chuck Domanico on bass, and Chuck Flores on drums – all grooving with a light and lively touch behind Carmen's wonderful vocals – served up here with a lot more freedom than she was getting on most of her studio dates from the time. The "great American songbook" is really just a catch-all for a very wide variety of work included on the record – and the album's hardly the staid "songbook" sort of album you'd guess from the title. Instead, Carmen really opens herself up to a lot of great tunes, from classic to contemporary – with titles that include "Three Little Words", "Glad To Be Unhappy", "The Ballad Of Thelonious Monk", "Behind The Face", "Sunday", "Day By Day", "If The Moon Turns Green", "At Long Last Love", and "A Song For You". LP, Vinyl record album

There's a nice variation here to the previous album from Francisco Mela with this title – and that difference is pianist Cooper-Moore, who steps into the place that Matthew Shipp held in the previous trio – and brings all sorts of wonderful sounds and flavors into play! Mela's a great leader for the set – as his approach to the drums is as open and elliptical as the bass of William Parker and the piano of Cooper-Moore – who really has a way of circling around these sonic passages in a great way – almost slowly winding up, and pulling Parker and Mela along with him – then generating sparks that allows all three players to bristle with energy in all sorts of different directions. The set features two long tracks – "Musical Literacy" and "Mental Scenario". CD

There's a nice variation here to the previous album from Francisco Mela with this title – and that difference is pianist Cooper-Moore, who steps into the place that Matthew Shipp held in the previous trio – and brings all sorts of wonderful sounds and flavors into play! Mela's a great leader for the set – as his approach to the drums is as open and elliptical as the bass of William Parker and the piano of Cooper-Moore – who really has a way of circling around these sonic passages in a great way – almost slowly winding up, and pulling Parker and Mela along with him – then generating sparks that allows all three players to bristle with energy in all sorts of different directions. The set features two long tracks – "Musical Literacy" and "Mental Scenario". LP, Vinyl record album

Joshua Abrams and Chad Taylor are already fantastic musicians on their own key instruments – bass and drums, respectively – but here, they take up different instrumental modes – and with a result that's every bit as spiritually powerful as their work in other styles! Abrams plays guimbri, a bass-like instrument of Gnawan origin – but one that features just three strings, and a much smaller tonal range – which he uses here in ways that are nicely focused, and often rhythmic – these progressions that are balanced by Taylor's wonderful sounds on mbira – the instrument that most folks know as the African thumb piano! Taylor makes these beautifully melodic sounds, and Adams moves between plucking his instrument, and using it in percussive modes too – a really wonderful blend. Titles include "Glow & Glimmer", "Slack Water", "Complete Rain", "Mental Eyes", "Valence", "Snap Yr Teeth", "The Ladder", and "Entrainment". LP, Vinyl record album

A landmark record from Maria Muldaur – quite different than the rougher folsky work she cut in the 60s – and done with a really warm studio sound that's pure 70s all the way through! Maria's working here with some older folksy contemporaries – like David Grisman, Ry Cooder, and Jim Keltner – but much of the album has a warm glow overall, and some jazzy inflections that really help change the sound from before. The mighty Nick DeCaro did some great string arrangements on a few tracks – including the sublime "Midnight at the Oasis", one of the best pop tracks to come out of the seventies, and a jazzy ditty that still sounds amazingly fresh today. Other tracks include "Any Old Time", "Mad Mad Me", "Long Hard Time", and "Three Dollar Bill". LP, Vinyl record album

Wonderfully trippy sounds from Mike Nyoni – one of the funkier talents in the Zamrock scene of the 70s – even though he also works with lots of the slight psychedelic touches of other contemporaries too! Mike's style on guitar is a bit too loose to be funk, but it's also got this nice rhythmic pulse that keeps things interesting – and some of the cuts pick up the rhythms a bit more, so that there's some snapping currents that make for a great contrast with his offbeat vocals and weirdly wobbly way of singing! As always with Now Again, the reissue of this material is a great lost treasure – handled perfectly, with great sound and detailed notes that really do justice to the music – on titles that include "I Don't Know", "Come Back To Me", "My Dear Girl", "Messed Day", "Mad Man", "My Own Thing", "Coming Home", "It's Only A Dream", and "Soweto". 2CD set features all three of Mike's rare albums – Born Free, I Can't Understand You, and Kawalala. CD

Totally great – a lost Pharaohs performance from their brief revival period in the mid 90s – recorded live, with some of the most spiritual sounds the group ever created! Three long tracks – "Hot Tacos", "The Rag Dung Drum Suit", and "Damballa". CD

Soulful fusion work from bassist Lonnie Plaxico – but still with more than enough sharp edges to please our ears! In a way, the record's a nice merging of two generations of work on Muse Records – the older soul jazz and fusion the label forced back in the 70s, and some of the smoother sets they recorded at the time of this date – a period when the label was coming back into play a bit. Plaxico's bass is electric on most numbers, as is a good deal of the other instrumentation – guitar, keyboards, and synth – but the feel is a bit more open and exploratory than on mainstream fusion albums of the time – with some of the freer, more flowing sounds that we've always loved from the Muse label. Carla Cook sings on three numbers – and titles include "Windy City", "Rocket Love", "Detune", "Luvenla", "Taste By Taste", and "South Africa". CD

The final album issued by Impulse Records in their short-lived, ill-fated partnership with Sun Ra – and maybe the most far-reaching of the bunch! The album features three long tracks – all of them relatively open and unbridled – put together with less of a song structure than some of the group's other Impulse albums, at a level that's also quite far from some of their more spiritual modes of the early 70s too! Percussion figures strongly, but in a loose way – with less of the rhythmic pulse or exotic modes of the group's roots – and the real strength of the set lies in the reeds at many moments – handled by Eloe Omoe, Danny Ray Thompson, Marshal Allen, and John Gilmore – all given this strong focus by the incredible bass of Ronnie Boykins. Ra himself creates these fantastic sounds on an other-worldly keyboard – most likely some offbeat 70s electric organ with effects – and titles include "Pathways to Unknown Worlds", "Extension Out", and "Cosmo-Media". This version features the original "Extension Out" – with five minutes that were not on the original release! LP, Vinyl record album

A great package of work from Shoes – one of the finest acts to come from the Illinois scene in the 70s – presented here with three full albums, and bonus tracks too! First up is their seminal Black Vinyl Shoes – an album that may well stand as the group's lasting treasure! The set's got a sharp-edged quality that still sounds pretty tremendous all these many years later – power pop, but without any commercial elements to smooth out its energy – served up with a raw, earnest quality that's neither punk nor hard rock – yet which deserved to be praised every bit as much as the best contemporary efforts in those genres too! These guys have a hell of a way with a hook, yet never hit you over the head with it either – and there's a lack of posturing that's really refreshing – a key difference between the sound of Shoes and their bigger Northern Illinois contemporaries Cheap Trick – an attitude that's different than, yet not that far off from the energy of The Replacements to come. Titles include "Capital Gain", "Boys Don't Lie", "She'll Disappear", "Fatal", "It Really Hurts", "Nowhere So Fast", and "Fire For Awhile". Bazooka is the long-lost first album from Shoes – recorded at home, and even rawer than any later releases – appearing here on vinyl for the very first time! The group are already pretty amazing at this early point – right on the money, and almost with more of a punkish vibe at points – although other tunes have them ripping out these mean guitar lines that are definitely way too ballsy for early punk. The songwriting is superb – amazing considering how young the guys were, and that the record was really just recorded for their own initial interest – and not a bigger company looking for a hit. There's also more darkness than in later years too – not everywhere, but at key points that make for a nice edge to the record. Titles include "Pinheads", "Love Took A Turn", "Rock Your One", "Along With Love", "New Meat", "I'm Brazen", "The Atlantic", "My Anisette", and "Educated". Last is One In Versailles – the debut album from Shoes – a cracker of a first record from any band, but a set that hardly made a dent at the time – given that it was only pressed in a limited run of 300 copies! That doesn't stop it from being a real moment of greatness, though – because the set sparkles with charm right from the very first note – nicely less polished than Shoes' later work, especially their major debut on Elektra – with a raspy intensity that really furthers the ideas wrapped up in the core of the tunes – and which almost comes across with the earnest yet relaxed quality of The Feelies in parts – even though this one was cut years before the emergence of that group! Titles include "One Night", "The Sun", "Banjo", "Eggroll Rock", "Do I Get So Shy", "Un Dans Versailles", "Kristine", and "Dance In Your Sleep". Comes in a box with a big booklet of notes – and 18 bonus tracks that include "Rock & Roll Freak", "My Husband's Home", "I'd Like To Take You Out Again", "Nothing Means More", "I Can Make It (demo)", "I Wanna Hide", "Okay (Bomp version)", "Tomorrow Night (Bomp version)", "Baby's Gone", "Ever Again", "Lucky Tail", "Capital Offense, "She'll Disappear (demo)", "I'll Take You Away (alt)", and "Like I Told You (second version)". CD

Three classic albums from this underground group – brought together in a single set, with bonus tracks too! First up is St Radiguns – the debut album from one of the most unique groups of their generation – a group who were partway between acid folk and proggy rock – yet with qualities that were also uniquely their own as well! The group were equally at home with acoustic and electric instruments – but play with a sinister edge that almost hints at a Wicker Man side of the universe, while occasionally warming things up with more intimate, poetic moments. The vocals are great – especially the male leads of Martin Cockerham, which we prefer a bit more to the female work from Barbara Gaskin – and the tunes have this sense of darkness that still gives the album a hell of an edge after all these years. Titles include "The Future Won't Be Long", "Island", "Magical Mary", "Captain's Log", "Time Will Tell", "We Were A Happy Crew", and "The Duke Of Beaufoot". Next is Old Boot Wine – compelling sounds from Spirogyra – a group who have some proggish elements, but also a folksy sensibility too – which makes for a really wonderful balance between jamming moments and more intimate sounds! Guitar and keyboards take plenty of place in the mix – often spinning out strongly – but the group also features a fair bit of acoustic guitar, too – mixed with lovely vocals from Barbara Gaskin, and fragile male leads from Martin Cockerham. Tunes have a slightly poetic quality, but never in a drippy way – and the production is full one minute, light the next – which can really make for a nice sense of shading to the tunes. Titles include "Dangerous Dave", "A Canterbury Tale", "Grandad", "World's Eyes", "Wings Of Thunder", and "Disraeli's Problem". Last is Bells Boots & Shambles – a set that has the group down to a duo – just singer Barbara Gaskin and guitarist/vocalist Martin Cockerham – but have actually used that shift to bring in some additional musicians too, and really find a great way to expand their sound! The album's got some of the most compelling arrangements we've heard from the group – and uses light cello, violin, trumpet, and flute to underscore the sense of color and tone we've always loved in their music – particularly some of those slightly-dark, slightly-spooky elements that always gave them a surprising edge. There's a mix of timeless roots and present darkness in the music that's very unique – and titles include "The Sergeant Says", "Spiggly", "The Furthest Point", "Old Boot Wine", "Parallel Lines Never Separate", and the longer "In The Western World". 3CD set features bonus tracks – "Window", "Melody Maker Man", "Turn Again Lane", "Counting The Cars", and "I Hear You're Going Somewhere". CD

Sounds beyond compare – one of those really special 70s sessions from the Japanese Three Blind Mice label – put together in a way that almost seems to be a genre unto itself! The group here have a keen understanding of advances in free jazz and fusion, but work with a deeper spiritual undercurrent and a great sense of sound (shaped by producer Takashi "Tee" Fujii) – so that their individual instrumental elements flow together in rich new ways that are sometimes subtle, sometimes quite righteous! The lineup shifts a bit from track to track – and the set features xcellent work on flute and bass clarinet from Kenji Mori, electric piano from Masaru Imada, tenor from Takao Uematsu, and bass and cello from Nobuyoshi Ino. Titles include "End Of November", "Mort", "Our Foolish", and "Dragon Garden". CD

A bit hit for Stanley Turrentine – and a pretty darn nice record of extended groovers, with a harder sound than you might expect from the tongue-licking cover, and a title of Sugar! The record's only got three cuts – one of them Stanley's famous version of "Sugar", the other two pretty nice ones ("Sunshine Alley" and "Impressions") – all done in a mode that sounds a lot more like harder Prestige sessions from the same time – that great period when the label was stretching out with some electric piano jazz funk. Butch Cornell's on organ, and his work on the album's part of its success, as is the nice hard drumming of Billy Kaye, who actually hits an Idris Muhammad-ish groove at parts! Titles include "Sugar", "Sunshine Alley", and "Impressions". Also features the previously unissued "Gibraltar". CD

A trio of albums that represent important early recordings of compositions by groundbreaking sonic genius Edgar Varese! First is the album Complete Works – an early series of recordings supervised by composer Edgard Varese – featuring versions of what were then his complete works! The record begins with two larger pieces – readings of "Integrales" and "Octandre" conducted by Frederic Waldman, working with the New York Wind Ensemble, who provide some very haunting tones, with additional percussion from the Julliard Percussion Orchestra on the first piece, which is a bit more dramatic. Rene Le Roy continues on the flute solo piece "Density 21.5", and the Julliard Percussion Orchestra comes back for a reading of the classic "Ionisation". The last work is one of the most striking – the three-part "Interpolations", which features "organized sound" compositions, realized on magnetic tape – one of Varese's haunting moves into early electronic music! Next is the Columbia album Music Of Edgar Varese – key Robert Craft takes on three earlier compositions, and the debut of "Poeme Electronique", which was created at the 1958 Brussels World Fair! "Ionisation" has a complex mix of percussion instruments, played by thirteen players – with a quality that's almost a key precursor to the music of Harry Partch. "Density 21.5" is a haunting piece for solo flute – filled with unusual tones and textures – and "Integrales" has a fuller orchestral presentation, and a nicely bombastic vibe, with woodwind tones and percussion colliding beautifully! That sound continues in "Octandre" – a 20s composition that shows just how far Varese was ahead of his time – as does "Hyperprism", from the same year, which is even more dramatic. "Poem Electronique" has a very different approach – all analogue electronics, used in an illustration of Varese's concept of "organized sound", but with a feel that's similar to the best musique concrete material of the 50s. Last up is the Columbia album Sound Spectacular – which offers three very different slices of the genius of Edgar Varese – presented here on a set of classic Columbia recordings from the early 60s! "Arcana" is perhaps the most ambitious work here – structured for an orchestra of 120 musicians, 70 of whom are string players – although the core energy of the piece seems to come from the 8 percussionists who handle a wide variety of instruments – creating those stark sounds that mark some of Varese's most important compositions – which the strings, brass, and woodwinds cluster around in equally powerful ways! "Deserts" is a piece that's more subtle, and much longer – mixing a variety of electronic sounds and instrumental moments, with shifting sonic spaces and volumes throughout – all to make up a side-long recording filled with moody moments and more powerful electronic bursts. "Offrandes" is a selection of two songs – in a haunting blend of woodwind instruments, percussion, and trumpet – plus vocals from soprano Dona Precht. CD

The beat goes on, and the groove does too – in this wonderful set of tracks that show the continued commitment of Atlantic Records to the realm of hard soul groovers! The package brings together a great blend of familiar numbers and lesser-known gems from three decades of the label's history – beginning with upbeat R&B gems from the 50s, moving through some great shifts in style that include some jukebox mambo sounds, jerking 60s soul, and even a bit of early funk – all in a sweet blend of tracks that never stops moving throughout! The package features 25 tracks in all – with the usual stellar Ace/Kent level of presentation – and titles include "Instant Groove" by King Curtis, "Philly Dog" by The Mar Keys, "Mambo Baby" by Ruth Brown, "What Is Soul?" by Ben E King, "Take It Off Him" by Clarence Carter, "You Don't Know What You Mean To Me" by Sam & Dave, "Nursery Rhymes" by Deon Jackson, "The Beat Goes On" by Sonny & Cher, "I'm Gonna Cry" by Wilson Pickett, "Time" by Jackie Moore, "Maggie's Farm" by Solomon Burke, "You've Got That Something Wonderful" by Percy Sledge, "Right Place Wrong Time" by Dr John, "You Better Check Yourself" by Soul Brothers Six, and "Funky Street" by Arthur Conley. CD

Includes 48 tracks by Anita O'Day, Fred Astaire, Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Johnny Hartman, Bill Evans, Sara Vaughan, Ben Webster, Teddy Wilson, Gerry Mulligan, The Three Sounds, and others. CD

The heavier sound of UK girl pop in the 60s – not the sunnier, more string-laden sounds that were crossing the Atlantic at the time – but female singers who gravitated towards a deeper, fuzzier side of the spectrum – and were often years ahead of their time with their approach! The collection really does a great job of bringing together lost singles from this wonderful era – and although there's definitely a few names here we'd heard before, there's lots more that are a really great new discovery – especially on some of these tracks, which might be a bit harder-hitting than their more familiar material. If you dig more familiar 60s Brit pop, don't worry – there's still plenty of catchy hooks and soulful grooves going on here – but there's also a sharper edge that you'll really appreciate too. Titles include "Dancing Yet" by Liza & The Jet Set, "Music Talk" by Beryl Marsden, "Like The Big Man Said" by Toni Daly, "I Want That Boy" by The Chantelles, "The Boy I Used To Know" by Andee Silver, "Mama Didn't Lie" by Jean & The Statesides, "He Doesn't Want You" by The Three Bells, "Whatcha Gonna Do" by Billie Davis & The Leroys, "Stop & You Will Become Aware" by Helen Shapiro, "Love Is A Word" by Alma Cogan, "Don't Do It No More" by Julie Driscoll, and "Sweet & Tender Romance" by The McKinleys. CD

Incredible jazz from the German scene of the 70s – two years' of recordings from this important festival – one that presents all the "new jazz" promised in its name, but in a range that moves effortlessly between free jazz, modal moments, funky fusion, and even some groovy big band work too! Performers are a range from all over the European scene – and are represented here in a significant selection of material from each act – very well-recorded, and presented in this beautiful box set, along with a booklet of notes and photos as well. The scope of sounds is fantastic – and long performances include an set of improvisations from the trio of Peter Brotzmann, Fred Van Hove, and Han Bennink; two long electric tracks from Jasper Van't Hof's Pork Pie group, with Charlie Mariano on a range of reeds and Philip Catherine on guitar; four long improvisations from the SOS group of John Surman, Mike Osborne, and Alan Skidmore – plying in a great mix of reeds and electronics; there's also two long improvisations between pianist Misha Mengelberg and drummer Han Bennink; Gary Burton's quintet with Pat Metheny and Mick Goodrick on guitars perform three improvisations for over 75 minutes of music; the Gustav Brom Big Band step out on some very groovy tracks; saxophonist Eero Koivistonen blows with his quartet that includes Olli Avhenlahti on electric piano; reedman Jiri Stivin and guitarist Rudolph Dasek play a number of improvisations; bassist Barre Phillips and flautist Kryzstof Zgraja perform two long improvisations; the Polish Jazz Summit features Tomasz Stanko on trumpet, Zbigniew Namyslowski on alto, Zbigniew Siefert on violin, and Adam Makowicz on Fender Rhodes; and trumpeter Franz Kogelmann and soprano saxophonist Steve Lacy head a quintet with a bit of electronics! There's a few more surprises, too – and the whole thing is a fantastic presentation of these lost sounds. CD

A really unusual collection, and one that really captures a key musical moment in the London scene – a time when all sorts of underground activity was happening on the rave scene, but people didn't have the world of cell phones and internet to connect! So instead, folks got news out about these less-than-legal happenings by tapping into the mainstream – often with posters and flyers, but also through radio advertisements that would pop up often on pirate radio – often buried in some sort of mix of house cuts or jungle tracks! You'll hear plenty of those on here, but served up with these spoken ads that sneak in and tell about all sorts of events – almost three dozen of them, all with a blaring sense of fidelity that really takes us back to a time when radio was the most important way we found out about new and underground sounds. There's plenty to love here if you're a fan of the darker sounds of the London sound in the mid 90s – especially the world of jungle and early drum n bass! CD

Funky folk, jazzy soul, and lots more righteous sounds from the 70s – all served up here in a massive fourth volume of this wonderful series! Praise Poems virtually defines a genre unto itself – music that's between spaces, scenes, and styles – and which borrows from the best around the edges, then makes something rich and new in the process – as you'll hear from the assortment of ultra-rare cuts on the set! This is music we never would have discovered otherwise – and we dig through a lot of obscure indie records from the 70s – and the way the tunes work together is perfect, and really presents a color-blind approach to the new range of hip sounds that was bubbling in the underground in the years after the summer of love. And don't let the new age-styled cover put you off, because the music definitely has a bite – on titles that include "You Need Love" by The PTS, "Goodbye Rainbow" by Michael Dues, "He Is Gone" by Scott Williams, "Black Child" by Morris Dow & Eastern Sound, "Sittin High" by Joe Lee Wilson, "Swingin The Down Home Blues" by Tommy Palmer Trio, "Iceland Land Of The Micemen" by Nicodemus, "Bamboo & Rice" by Bill Osborn, "Muddy Water" by Arrie Mae Morton Trio, "Moon Child" by Scott Cunningham Band, and "Herby's Tune" by The Three Souls. CD

A record with a sound that's much richer than you'd expect from the cover – not the spare, stark image on the front – but a wonderfully deep array of sounds from the more spiritual side of the jazz spectrum! As with previous volumes, the collection of tunes here is amazing – tracks that are so underground, they've even been missed by collectors over the past few decades – gems that plumb the vinyl depths even beyond labels like Strata East, Black Jazz, or Muse – to show that there were some even more amazing musical moments taking place far out in the hinterland! Those three other labels would be a great comparison to the style here – especially the last two – as many of the cuts have an early 70s blend of electric jazz, funk, and maybe a bit of soul – sometimes vocal, sometimes instrumental – very deep all the way through. Titles include "Anita" by Scott Cunningham Band, "Move On" by Robert Cote with Orange Lake Drive, "Red Clay" by Gunn High School Jazz Reunion, "Chocolate Puddin" by Gate, "Down Here On The Ground" by Keither Florence, "Funky Resurgence" by Ulysses Crockett, "Al's Thing" by Al Walton Trio, "Walk With Me" by David Lee Jones Trio, "When She's Gone" by Anything Goes, "Empty Days" by Randy Larkin, and "Strange Things" by Tim James. CD