One of the hippest albums we've ever heard from saxophonist Teodross Avery – a set dedicated to the legacy of John Coltrane, and which definitely has the spirit of the master alive and well in Avery's solos! The tracks are all classics from the Coltrane songbook – performed by a quartet that's tight, sharp, and very much on the money – really leaping ahead strongly with Adam Schulman on piano, Jeff Chambers on bass, and Darrell Green on drums – but also maybe yielding more to the lead spirit of Avery's strengths on tenor and soprano than Coltrane's group might have done. Teodross is incredible throughout – opening up with even more spirit and soul than we might have expected – on titles that include "Afro Blue", "Pursuance", "Bakai", and "Blues Minor". CD also features the tracks "After The Rain" and "Africa". CD

Mindbending work from guitarist Daniel Bachman – a player who may well be the John Fahey of the contemporary acoustic generation! Daniel works here mostly in a solo mode – with just a bit of banjo and fiddle at two points on the record – but his richly chromatic approach to the strings of the guitar unlock a whole world of color and sound – a mode that, at one level is rooted in older acoustic traditions – but at another is richly inventive, especially in the way that Bachman unlocks some metallic elements in the strings that bring a sharp edge to his music. Titles include "Jesus I'm A Sinner", "Variation On The Goose Chase", "Blenheim", "Leaving Istanbul 4am", and "Under The Shade Of The Trees". LP, Vinyl record album

Sublime solo guitar work from Kinloch Nelson – a figure who's spent decades working as a musician and teacher in upstate New York, but who made these recordings when he was just a pretty young guy! The music here fits in perfectly with some of the archival releases on Tompkins Square – very much in the more underground acoustic side of the 60s – post-folk, and dedicated to unusual tunings – and with a very personal, lyrical quality that almost makes Nelson something of a bridge between the older Takoma Records scene, and the acoustic underground of the 70s. Includes "Pearl St", "Lazin' In My Sleep", "Partly On Time", "Funky Sedan", "Coming Down From The Ceiling", "The Eyes Of The Fair Molly", "Solitudes", "Kittens", "Winnipesaukee Night" and more. CD

A beautiful little acoustic guitar record in the Takoma tradition by Ben Reynolds, of the psyche folk group Trembling Bells –really great modern material on the Tompkins Square label! Reynolds has a diverse style here, and he's crafted some really involving pieces– engrossing melodies, buzzing slide guitar, meandering finger picked parts, and some Eastern inspired bits. His playing is impeccable! Titles include include "Skylark (Scorner Of The Ground)", "Death Sings", "The Virgin Knows", "Risen", the "How Day Earnt Its Night" suite, "England", "All Gone Wrong Blues" and "Kirstie". CD

Hard to believe this excellent series is hitting its ninth volume – and this time around, Ryley Walker is at the helm – making excellent musical choices that really keep things fresh! As with previous volumes, the focus is on the most creative talents of the acoustic underground – usually heard here in a solo setting, but sometimes with light additional instrumentation – pushing forward that tradition of music that Tompkins Square has been so essential in capturing in recent years – almost as if the label has become the Takoma Records of the 21st Century! Walker makes some great choices here, and focuses on some overlooked and up-and-coming talents, including a few from our hometown of Chicago. Tracks include "Wooden Waltz" by Eli Winter, "Leicester Hwy" by Shane Parish, "Boat Ride" by Kendra Amalie, "World Of Objects (guitar edit)" by Fire Toolz, "Knots Where Never Was" by Lucas Brode, "Seedlings" by Dave Miller, "Variations On Themes For Blind Dogs" by Pete Fosco, and "I Used To Sing" by Matthew Rolin. CD

A really fantastic collection of rare gospel music – one that's put together with a fair bit of thought, and a great deal of love – even more than most other collections of the music that we usually get our hands on! The selection of songs is as thoughtful as the long, well-crafted liner notes – and the music here comes from an assortment of rare singles from the farther reaches of the gospel recording world in the late 60s and 1970s – almost all of it very localized, as you might guess from the title – and with a very strong focus on our fabulous city of Chicago. Titles include "Rocky Roady" by Joanne & Sonny, "Black Pride" by Rev HH Harrington, "No Other Love" by Messiahs Of Glory, "I Want You To Help Me" by Travelers Of Zion, "Christ Rose" by Rev John Thomas, "Try Jesus" by Gospel Carolets, and "The Number" by Wondering Gails. CD

A really fantastic collection of rare gospel music – one that's put together with a fair bit of thought, and a great deal of love – even more than most other collections of the music that we usually get our hands on! The selection of songs is as thoughtful as the long, well-crafted liner notes – and the music here comes from an assortment of rare singles from the farther reaches of the gospel recording world in the late 60s and 1970s – almost all of it very localized, as you might guess from the title – and with a very strong focus on our fabulous city of Chicago. Titles include "Rocky Roady" by Joanne & Sonny, "Black Pride" by Rev HH Harrington, "No Other Love" by Messiahs Of Glory, "I Want You To Help Me" by Travelers Of Zion, "Christ Rose" by Rev John Thomas, "Try Jesus" by Gospel Carolets, and "The Number" by Wondering Gails. LP, Vinyl record album

Sublime solo guitar work from Kinloch Nelson – a figure who's spent decades working as a musician and teacher in upstate New York, but who made these recordings when he was just a pretty young guy! The music here fits in perfectly with some of the archival releases on Tompkins Square – very much in the more underground acoustic side of the 60s – post-folk, and dedicated to unusual tunings – and with a very personal, lyrical quality that almost makes Nelson something of a bridge between the older Takoma Records scene, and the acoustic underground of the 70s. Includes "Pearl St", "Lazin' In My Sleep", "Partly On Time", "Funky Sedan", "Coming Down From The Ceiling", "The Eyes Of The Fair Molly", "Solitudes", "Kittens", "Winnipesaukee Night" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

Hard to believe this excellent series is hitting its ninth volume – and this time around, Ryley Walker is at the helm – making excellent musical choices that really keep things fresh! As with previous volumes, the focus is on the most creative talents of the acoustic underground – usually heard here in a solo setting, but sometimes with light additional instrumentation – pushing forward that tradition of music that Tompkins Square has been so essential in capturing in recent years – almost as if the label has become the Takoma Records of the 21st Century! Walker makes some great choices here, and focuses on some overlooked and up-and-coming talents, including a few from our hometown of Chicago. Tracks include "Wooden Waltz" by Eli Winter, "Leicester Hwy" by Shane Parish, "Boat Ride" by Kendra Amalie, "World Of Objects (guitar edit)" by Fire Toolz, "Knots Where Never Was" by Lucas Brode, "Seedlings" by Dave Miller, "Variations On Themes For Blind Dogs" by Pete Fosco, and "I Used To Sing" by Matthew Rolin. LP, Vinyl record album

2LP set that focuses on the many different styles of arranger/conductor/horn player David Amram. Some of this stuff's kind of snoozy and symphonic, but there's also some very groovy tracks that mix up "Near Eastern" instrumentation and funkier arrangements, and some other cuts that have kind of a groovy beatnik jazz sound to them. Most notable of these is a version of "Pull My Daisy", but other cool tracks include "Tompkins Square Park Consciousness Expander", "Brazilian Memories", "Sao Paulo", and "Going North". LP, Vinyl record album

An amazing violinist from Greece, but one who recorded in New York during the 20s – on a host of rare 78rpm material presented in this lavish set! Alexis Zoumbas has a wonderfully melancholy feel to his instrument – a style that mixes virtuostic passages with these deeper, bluer qualities that are more folkloric – often supported with just a bit of work on acoustic bass for the recordings, or a bit of very cool cymbalom as well! The quality of the package and music reproductions puts this one right up there with collections of ethnic 78s on Tompkins Square or Honest Jons – and titles include "Alimbeis", "Tzamara Arvanitiko", "Syrtos Sta Dyo", "Frasia", and "Epirotiko Mirologi". LP, Vinyl record album