Romero Lubambo on guitar, Nilson Matta on bass, and Duduka Da Fonseca on drums. CD

The Newborn Touch is always a great one, but it sounds especially nice on this record – a set that seems to go even farther than any of Phineas' earlier trio sessions! There's an almost-ambitious sound to the record that we really like a lot – one that possibly comes from Newborn's choice of compositions for the set, a great bag of non-standard tunes from some of his west coast contemporaries – tracks penned by Ornette Coleman, Art Pepper, Hampton Hawes, Jimmy Woods, and others – some of which are decidedly more modern than the material that Newborn usually plays! There's a complexity here that's great – but one that still doesn't forget Newborn's down-home roots – and titles include "A Walkin Thing", "Be Deedle Dee Do", "The Blessing", "Diane", "Pazmuerte", "Hard To Find", and "Blue Daniel". CD

A light and lovely album from the trio of Jacques Morelenbaum cello, Paula Morelenbaum voice, and Ryuichi Sakamoto piano! The "casa" in the title refers to the "casa" of Antonio Carlos Jobim, where part of the album was recorded – as you may well hear in the Jobim-esque presentation of the material. The light touch of Sakamoto's piano is wonderful – and it's great to hear him working in such a setting, after years of expressing Brazilian influences in many of his compositions. Paula's vocals are light and airy, and the cello of Jacques fills in the spaces with a sad and moody feel that fits the material well. Titles include "Sabia", "Chanson Pour Michelle", "Bonita", "Estrada Branca", "Amor Em Paz", "Sem Voce", "Experanca Perdida", and "Tema Para Ana". CD

A light and lovely album from the trio of Jacques Morelenbaum cello, Paula Morelenbaum voice, and Ryuichi Sakamoto piano! The "casa" in the title refers to the "casa" of Antonio Carlos Jobim, where part of the album was recorded – as you may well hear in the Jobim-esque presentation of the material. The light touch of Sakamoto's piano is wonderful – and it's great to hear him working in such a setting, after years of expressing Brazilian influences in many of his compositions. Paula's vocals are light and airy, and the cello of Jacques fills in the spaces with a sad and moody feel that fits the material well. Titles include "Sabia", "Chanson Pour Michelle", "Bonita", "Estrada Branca", "Amor Em Paz", "Sem Voce", "Experanca Perdida", and "Tema Para Ana". CD

Badass organ funk from the mighty Leon Spencer – a set that's got a bit of a fuller feel than some of his previous albums for Prestige – but a groove that's also equally great! The style here is somewhere between blacksploitation funk and some of the grooves from the CTI/Kudu camp – with a bit more horns than before on some of the titles, arranged tightly to provide a great foil for Leon's leaner lines on Hammond! Arrangements are by Ed Bogas on the fuller tracks, and players on the album include Hubert Laws on flute, Frank Wess on baritone, Victor Paz and Virgil Jones on trumpet, Joe Beck on guitar, Melvin Sparks on guitar, and Grady Tate on drums. One track features Leon working in a smaller trio format – and titles include "Superstition", "Give Me Your Love", "The Price A Po Man's Got To Pay", "Where I'm Coming From", and "Trouble Man". LP, Vinyl record album

Not just soul music lovers – as the set's got plenty to offer for fans of funk and jazz too – a wonderful assortment of cuts from the golden years of the music, all put together here with a really great ear for a groove! The cuts are sourced from a number of different labels – including Groove Merchant, De-Lite, Sussex, and Brunswick – and because of that, they come together with a great sense of variety – not a confused approach to a compilation, but one that really knows how to play different cuts off one another – introducing you to rare gems, and making you love familiar cuts all over again in a different way! There's a total of 23 tracks and almost 80 minutes of music – and titles include "Mr Hot Stuff" by Clarence Reid, "Ashley's Roachclip" by The Soul Searchers, "Loving Explosion" by The Eliminators, "The Fly" by The Kinfolks, "Funky Belly" by Warren Lee, "Come Back To Me" by Cheyenne Fowler, "I Won't Be Around" by Jeanette Holloway, "Chick A Boom" by The Pazant Brothers, "In The Moog" by Harold McKinney, "Gold Smoke" by Everyday People, "There Was A Time" by Dee Felice Trio, "April" by Bobby Knight, and "No Trouble On The Mountain" by Richard Groove Holmes. CD

Not just soul music lovers – as the set's got plenty to offer for fans of funk and jazz too – a wonderful assortment of cuts from the golden years of the music, all put together here with a really great ear for a groove! The cuts are sourced from a number of different labels – including Groove Merchant, De-Lite, Sussex, and Brunswick – and because of that, they come together with a great sense of variety – not a confused approach to a compilation, but one that really knows how to play different cuts off one another – introducing you to rare gems, and making you love familiar cuts all over again in a different way! There's a total of 23 tracks and almost 80 minutes of music – and titles include "Mr Hot Stuff" by Clarence Reid, "Ashley's Roachclip" by The Soul Searchers, "Loving Explosion" by The Eliminators, "The Fly" by The Kinfolks, "Funky Belly" by Warren Lee, "Come Back To Me" by Cheyenne Fowler, "I Won't Be Around" by Jeanette Holloway, "Chick A Boom" by The Pazant Brothers, "In The Moog" by Harold McKinney, "Gold Smoke" by Everyday People, "There Was A Time" by Dee Felice Trio, "April" by Bobby Knight, and "No Trouble On The Mountain" by Richard Groove Holmes. CD