A crazy idea for a book, but a great one too – and maybe the coolest so far from Jonny Trunk, the man who's given us lots of visual pleasure with his volumes on record store bags, candy bar wrappers, and automobile advertisements! This really beautiful book features four decades' worth of images used to promote stereos, turntables, and all things audio – tracing shifts in both style and technology, and advertising modes as well – all presented with an eye for the sensuous, as you might guess from the title! The ad selection is totally cool, and includes images from the US and UK, plus some key European audio companies too – all of whom are introduced with a bit of historical text that really helps you understand their contributions to the field. But even without that, this is still one hell of a book – like pulling all the best pages out of forty years of stereo magazines, and putting them together. Softcover, 239 pages, and full color throughout! Book

An incredible guide to sound library music around the world – one that features artwork from countless different labels, and brief notes on their history and output! The package is quite unique – not really a discography, not really an art book – but kind of a mix of both – and the only resource so far we've seen for tracking down the elusive musical gems that have come out of sound library sources of the 50s, 60s, and 70s! The book lists hundreds of records from 230 different labels – each presented alphabetically, with information and history on each label – alongside a huge amount of color images of the covers that are as beautiful as the music contained within. Trunk Records head Jonny Trunk put the whole thing together – and this huge second edition is twice as big as the first – really showing the full scope of new information on some of the more obscure labels that have come into play in recent years. 248 pages, hardcover, full color – and beautiful! Book

Maybe the funkiest trunk that DJ Craig Charles has ever given us – a searing set of tracks that really expand upon the ideas of previous volumes! The set marks a shift to a new label, BBE – which may well also explain the extra-strong selection of cuts – tracks that span the gamut of funky styles, and which are mostly contemporary overall – music that bristles over with the strong commitment to soulful modes that has made Craig's BBC shows so popular over the years! You'll recognize a few names here from key releases in recent years, and they sit alongside other discoveries from the digital universe – in a great selection of cuts that includes "Ain't No Good" by Sister Cookie, "Shake" by Kaz Hawkins, "Big Time" by The Nextmen, "Starlight (radio)" by Dave Lee & Omar, "In The Morning" by Say She She, "Somebody Help Me Out (boogie back radio)" by Beggar & Co, "Prophet" by La Rochelle Band, "Trust Me" by Sly Johnson, "Day In Day Out" by Cotonete, "Gonna Lift You Up" by Sugaray Rayford, "I Don't Mind (Mr Lex Trunk Of Funk rmx)" by Lexsoul Dancemachine, "Tarzan" by Roy Ayers, "Power (A Skillz rmx)" by The Niceguys, and "Watchu Want (exclusive Trunk Of Funk voc)" by New Mastersounds. CD

Maybe the funkiest trunk that DJ Craig Charles has ever given us – a searing set of tracks that really expand upon the ideas of previous volumes! The set marks a shift to a new label, BBE – which may well also explain the extra-strong selection of cuts – tracks that span the gamut of funky styles, and which are mostly contemporary overall – music that bristles over with the strong commitment to soulful modes that has made Craig's BBC shows so popular over the years! You'll recognize a few names here from key releases in recent years, and they sit alongside other discoveries from the digital universe – in a great selection of cuts that includes "Ain't No Good" by Sister Cookie, "Shake" by Kaz Hawkins, "Big Time" by The Nextmen, "Starlight (radio)" by Dave Lee & Omar, "In The Morning" by Say She She, "Somebody Help Me Out (boogie back radio)" by Beggar & Co, "Prophet" by La Rochelle Band, "Trust Me" by Sly Johnson, "Day In Day Out" by Cotonete, "Gonna Lift You Up" by Sugaray Rayford, "I Don't Mind (Mr Lex Trunk Of Funk rmx)" by Lexsoul Dancemachine, "Tarzan" by Roy Ayers, "Power (A Skillz rmx)" by The Niceguys, and "Watchu Want (exclusive Trunk Of Funk voc)" by New Mastersounds. LP, Vinyl record album

The mad British arranger Ron Geesin has made many crazy records over the years – but this obscure set from the start of the 80s might well be one of his wildest – a batch of very cool, unusual tunes that were recorded for a math education program on British TV! Yet despite any sort of academic use of the music, the sounds within have all the weird and organic qualities of Geesin's earlier materials – served up with maybe a slightly leaner set of instrumentation, heavy on keyboards and electronics – and awash in all sorts of hip sounds and unusual tones! Tracks are often short, but tuneful – and the whole thing is right up there with some of the hippest sound library material of the period – and even much more obscure. Titles include "Welcome To Mathematics", "Soft Mirrors", "Jumping Mirrors", "Accelerating Athletes", "Clocking The Day", "Tranquil Sail", "Take It Away, Ten", "Perfect Postman", "Shapely Patters", Seaside Romp" and lots more. LP, Vinyl record album

One of the most compelling albums ever recorded by British alto genius Joe Harriott – a very unusual record that has him working with guitarist Amanico D'Silva, in a style that's got some wonderful modal undertones! The feel here is a bit like Harriott's work with Michael Garrick – minus piano, of course – as he and D'Silva work through some tunes that are long, filled with complicated rhythms, yet still have a magically dancing sound. The mood shifts a bit from track to track – as Norma Winstone comes in for wordless vocals on two numbers, and Ian Carr blows a bit on one tune – and there's one short track on the record that only features Harriott's alto next to a bit of drums. Great stuff all around – with titles that include "NNNT", "Hum Donon", "Jaipur", "Stephano's Dance", and "Ballad For Goa". LP, Vinyl record album

The first-ever issue of music from a short UK film of the 70s – nicely trippy sounds from very familiar instruments! The cool 10" album brings together all the music for the short documentary as one piece – nicely drifting sounds created by a combo that features Julian Furniss on guitar, Geoff Jolliffe on bass, Mick Kirby on drums, and Steve Jolliffe himself on keyboards, flute, and saxophones! Given the instrumentation, you might expect jazz – but the results are a lot more unique, and perfect for the offbeat nature of the film. LP, Vinyl record album

Two very groovy soundtracks from UK great Basil Kirchin – an artist who's sometimes known for darker, moodier music – but who serves up some great 60s work here! The first half of hte set features tunes from the spy film Assignment K – which Kirchin scores with styles that borrow a bit from Italian modes of the period, mixed with some of the more sensitive sounds of British scoring from a few years before – all wrapped up with a wonderful sense of sound that brings out the best of instruments that include piano, vibes, and saxes. Work for the film Strange Affair follows – which is maybe even more in that sense of texture and tone that marks some of the more complex sides of the Basil Kirchin spectrum – especially his way of taking familiar instruments and making them sound very strange and offbeat – often light woodwind elements mixed with a bit of guitar, the produced with these very hip effects! LP, Vinyl record album

The last album ever from Basil Kirchin – but a set that's every bit as creative and compelling as his best earlier work! Particles offers Kirchin in all of his best modes – the lyrical painter of wonderful landscapes in sound, the cartoonish creator of voices from instruments, and the darker experimentalist of noisier modes. Instrumentation here is often from woodwinds – bass clarinet, alto sax, and other horns – but there's also bits of electronics and tape too, although used with a very subtle, almost earthy sound. And although the music was recorded right towards the end of Basil's life, it's got a quality that resonates strongly with the older reissues done by Trunk – a great legacy offered up in these recent years after Kirchin's passing. Titles include "Tzuris Oy Vey", "Amundo", "The Dice Is Cast", "We Don't Care", "Rise & Revolt", "E + Me", "Bye Bye 1941", and "The Concept Suite – Secret Conversations Between Instruments". CD

A great and groovy early album from Volker Kriegel – the German guitarist who'd cut some very trippy work for the MPS label in the 70s – but a player who steps out here in a sweet soul jazz mode at the end of the 60s! Volker's still got the same wickedly sharp style on guitar you'd know from his later fame – but here, it's turned towards the kind of soulful guitar work you'd hear on Verve Records at the time – somewhere in the territory of George Benson, or maybe a bit in that of Wes Montgomery – but also with some occasional freewheeling moments that hint at the changes to come! The group's a trio on side one – with Peter Trunk on bass and Cees See on drums – but side two moves into wilder material with a quartet that features vibes by Claudio Szenkar, who adds in just the kind of psychedelic touches to really make the music open up! These cuts are much more modal, and show Kriegel's growing love of Eastern sounds – and titles include "Na Na Imboro", "Morandi", "Interpunctuation", "Traffic Jam", and "With A Little Help From My Friends". LP, Vinyl record album

Late work by Webster and Byas – playing here with backing by a European rhythm section that includes Tete Montoliu on piano and Peter Trunk on bass, plus American Albert Heath on drums. The tracks are mostly long and open – with the main focus on letting the two tenor giants solo as much as possible. Tracks include "Caravan", "Sundae", "Blues For Dottie Mae", and "Perdido". LP, Vinyl record album

Really cool music for a bunch of short, animated cartoons – all of them from a single studio in Poland, and done with these sublime sounds that really move past the familiar! These aren't always the whimsical melodies you'd hear in a Warner Brothers cartoon – and there's elements of modern composition mixed with really creative instrumentation – all served up on a set of over 40 short tracks that move between two and a half minutes to almost just thirty seconds – a wonderful portrait in sound as the music moves between the decades! The feel of the set is almost similar to some of the offbeat soundtrack material reissued by the Trunk label over the years – and the set features work from composers who include Krzystof Komeda, Tadeusz Kocyba, Waldemar Kazanecki, Jerzy Abratowski, Bogumit Pasterkak, Zenon Kowalowski, Janusz Mentel, Antoni Mleczko, and others. CD

One of the earliest albums we've ever seen from German saxophone maestro Klaus Doldinger – a really smoking little set recorded live at Berlin's Blue Note club – done with his killer combo that featured Ingfried Hoffmann on organ, Peter Trunk on bass, and Klaus Weiss on bass! Hoffmann's organ work really sets the tone for the set– and the album smokes with the energy you'd expect from a Billy Larkin/Clifford Scott outing – very tight, soulful, and rhythmic – yet also with a touch more jazz on the solos, and some longer tracks overall. The album's key proof of Doldinger's genius in the years before he went too far over the top – and titles include "Minor Kick", "Waltz Of The Jive Cats", "Blue Not Samba", "Groovin In Berlin", and "Two Getting Together". LP, Vinyl record album

A legendary German session from the 60s – and a record that really showcases the unusual criss-crossing of modes that was going on in the European scene at the time! There's a very strong MPS vibe here – as trumpeter Dusko Goykovich leads a swinging sextet that includes Nathan Davis on flute, soprano, and tenor – blowing some tremendously soulful reed lines – plus incredible rhythms from Mal Waldron on piano, Peter Trunk on bass, and Cees See on drums. The record's an attempt to bring traditional Macedonian rhythms into a jazz perspective – but with players like these, it swings in a way any Macedonian album never could – damn soulful, and with a great exotic vibe. Davis is especially great, and plays in a soaring modal vein that's similar to his work on his classic MPS sides, and on the records he cut in America in the early 70s. The album's a beautiful session that often get's overlooked because it blends it with the Enja catalog – but it's really more of a record that belongs in an MPS reissue series, and is a great lost groover that's waiting to be rediscovered by the Dusty Groove crowd. Titles include "Macedonia", "Old Fisherman's Daughter", "Jumbo Uganda", "Bem Basha", "Saga Se karame", and "The Nights Of Skopje". CD

K-Solo's long hard to find first LP for the Hit Squad, with some classic early 90s trunk rattling funky PMD beats – underneath his relentless rhyme style! Gruff, funk beats and samples underneath booming rhymes. K-Solo's couple of LPs for Atlantic didn't really get their due back in the day, and it's high quality, blueprint hip hop all the way! CD

A rare meeting of these two American giants of the tenor sax – brought together at the end of the 60s in Europe, both recording late in their careers, but with a laidback and open approach that's really wonderful! The format here is quite loose – a bit like some of the late hours, swing-based sides on Prestige at the end of the 50s – with longish tracks that let both players state their solos in clean, well-recorded phrasings – with gentle support from a trio that includes Tete Montoliu on piano, Peter Trunk on bass, and Albert Tootie Heath on drums. There's a few faltering moments at times, but they also add a nice degree of humanity to the record – kind of a dimming genius that might not have been allowed on an American session by either player, but which speaks volumes here for the time and distance both players had travelled! Titles include "Caravan", "Sundae", "Blues For Dottie Mae", and "Perdido". CD

A legendary German session from the 60s – and a record that really showcases the unusual criss-crossing of modes that was going on in the European scene at the time! There's a very strong MPS vibe here – as trumpeter Dusko Goykovich leads a swinging sextet that includes Nathan Davis on flute, soprano, and tenor – blowing some tremendously soulful reed lines – plus incredible rhythms from Mal Waldron on piano, Peter Trunk on bass, and Cees See on drums. The record's an attempt to bring traditional Macedonian rhythms into a jazz perspective – but with players like these, it swings in a way any Macedonian album never could – damn soulful, and with a great exotic vibe. Davis is especially great, and plays in a soaring modal vein that's similar to his work on his classic MPS sides, and on the records he cut in America in the early 70s. The album's a beautiful session that often get's overlooked because it blends it with the Enja catalog – but it's really more of a record that belongs in an MPS reissue series, and is a great lost groover that's waiting to be rediscovered by the Dusty Groove crowd. Titles include "Macedonia", "Old Fisherman's Daughter", "Jumbo Uganda", "Bem Basha", "Saga Se Karame", and "The Nights Of Skopje". CD

A trio of albums from one of our favorite trumpeters on the European scene! First up is Portrait – a set that stands as a tribute to trumpeter Dusko Goykovich's 70 years on this planet – and a record that features him in a variety of settings too! Other players include Ferdinand Povel on flute and tenor, Tony Lakatos on tenor, Steve Gut on trumpet, Isla Eckinger and Ray Drummond on basses, Abraham Burton on alto, and Kenny Barron and Tommy Flanagan on pianos – on titles that include "Recado Bossa Nova", "Balkan Blue", "Adriatica", "One For Klook", and "Inga". Next is Swinging Macedonia – a legendary German session from the 60s – and a record that really showcases the unusual criss-crossing of modes that was going on in the European scene at the time! There's a very strong MPS vibe here – as trumpeter Dusko Goykovich leads a swinging sextet that includes Nathan Davis on flute, soprano, and tenor – blowing some tremendously soulful reed lines – plus incredible rhythms from Mal Waldron on piano, Peter Trunk on bass, and Cees See on drums. The record's an attempt to bring traditional Macedonian rhythms into a jazz perspective – but with players like these, it swings in a way any Macedonian album never could – damn soulful, and with a great exotic vibe. Davis is especially great, and plays in a soaring modal vein that's similar to his work on his classic MPS sides, and on the records he cut in America in the early 70s. The album's a beautiful session that often get's overlooked because it blends it with the Enja catalog – but it's really more of a record that belongs in an MPS reissue series, and is a great lost groover that's waiting to be rediscovered by the Dusty Groove crowd. Titles include "Macedonia", "Old Fisherman's Daughter", "Jumbo Uganda", "Bem Basha", "Saga Se karame", and "The Nights Of Skopje". Brandenberg Concert features one of the greatest trumpeters on the European scene of the past few decades – heard here in a completely sublime setting! Dusko Goykovich has played in many styles and many ways, but hasn't ever done a date with full strings before – a long-overdue placement for his wonderful tone on trumpet – shimmering out front of a larger ensemble, in the manner of classic "with strings" dates by Dizzy Gillespie or Art Farmer! Altoist Peter King arranged the album – and titles are all originals by Dusko, some of which you might know from earlier records – reworked here beautifully for the new setting. King also solos on a handful of tracks too – a rich voice that provides a nice balance with Dusko's trumpet. Strings are never overdone, and the album's always got a nice swing from a core rhythm trio that features Renato Chicco on piano. Titles include "Good Old Days", "Handful O Soul", "Danca Comigo", "St Germain Des Pres", "Adriatica", "In My Dreams", and "I Miss You So". CD

A legendary German session from the 60s – and a record that really showcases the unusual criss-crossing of modes that was going on in the European scene at the time! There's a very strong MPS vibe here – as trumpeter Dusko Goykovich leads a swinging sextet that includes Nathan Davis on flute, soprano, and tenor – blowing some tremendously soulful reed lines – plus incredible rhythms from Mal Waldron on piano, Peter Trunk on bass, and Cees See on drums. The record's an attempt to bring traditional Macedonian rhythms into a jazz perspective – but with players like these, it swings in a way any Macedonian album never could – damn soulful, and with a great exotic vibe. Davis is especially great, and plays in a soaring modal vein that's similar to his work on his classic MPS sides, and on the records he cut in America in the early 70s. The album's a beautiful session that often get's overlooked because it blends it with the Enja catalog – but it's really more of a record that belongs in an MPS reissue series, and is a great lost groover that's waiting to be rediscovered by the Dusty Groove crowd. Titles include "Macedonia", "Old Fisherman's Daughter", "Jumbo Uganda", "Bem Basha", "Saga Se karame", and "The Nights Of Skopje". CD

The first album in a mighty legendary run from Taj Mahal – one of the first generation of blues musicians to really learn to recast their sound for the younger crossover generation! By that, we don't mean that Taj is commercial at all – it's just that he's kind of reclaiming the blues roots that had been filtered into mainstream rock by the late 60s time of this recording – stripping things down, and getting back to basics in a mighty nice way! He gets key help on the record from a young Ry Cooder, and from guitarist Jessie Ed Davis too – and titles include "Leaving Trunk", "EZ Rider", "Dust My Broom", "Diving Duck Blues", "The Celebrated Walkin Blues", and "Statesboro Blues". LP, Vinyl record album

Rare French material from Lucky Thompson – and a set of tracks that really shows a lot of artistic growth overseas since his better-known Paris dates of the mid 50s! The setting is relatively spare – a quartet with Martial Solal on piano, Peter Trunk on bass, and Kenny Clarke on drums – and in addition to his famous tenor, Thompson also plays some soprano sax too – an instrument he'd really develop on the European scene during the 60s, already blown with a really unique tone here. Solal's piano keeps things offbeat throughout – creating the sort of subtle edge that Thompson was bringing into his own music too – and even when gentle, there's a burning intensity to the record that we really love, and which marks a key moment when Lucky's music really started getting interesting. Titles include "Lord Lord Am I Ever Gonna Know", "Love & Respect", "Say That To Say This", "Choose Your Own", "Warm Inside", and "Scratching The Surface". CD

A rare meeting of these two American giants of the tenor sax – brought together at the end of the 60s in Europe, both recording late in their careers, but with a laidback and open approach that's really wonderful! The format here is quite loose – a bit like some of the late hours, swing-based sides on Prestige at the end of the 50s – with longish tracks that let both players state their solos in clean, well-recorded phrasings – with gentle support from a trio that includes Tete Montoliu on piano, Peter Trunk on bass, and Albert Tootie Heath on drums. There's a few faltering moments at times, but they also add a nice degree of humanity to the record – kind of a dimming genius that might not have been allowed on an American session by either player, but which speaks volumes here for the time and distance both players had travelled! Titles include "Caravan", "Sundae", "Blues For Dottie Mae", and "Perdido". LP, Vinyl record album

A great and groovy early album from Volker Kriegel – the German guitarist who'd cut some very trippy work for the MPS label in the 70s – but a player who steps out here in a sweet soul jazz mode at the end of the 60s! Volker's still got the same wickedly sharp style on guitar you'd know from his later fame – but here, it's turned towards the kind of soulful guitar work you'd hear on Verve Records at the time – somewhere in the territory of George Benson, or maybe a bit in that of Wes Montgomery – but also with some occasional freewheeling moments that hint at the changes to come! The group's a trio on side one – with Peter Trunk on bass and Cees See on drums – but side two moves into wilder material with a quartet that features vibes by Claudio Szenkar, who adds in just the kind of psychedelic touches to really make the music open up! These cuts are much more modal, and show Kriegel's growing love of Eastern sounds – and titles include "Na Na Imboro", "Morandi", "Interpunctuation", "Traffic Jam", and "With A Little Help From My Friends". LP, Vinyl record album

A great pianist and a great rhythm section – two factors that make this one of the best albums ever from Spanish pianist Tete Montoliu! The session's got a tightness that some of Tete's other records are missing – a style that still allows him to display his free command of the keys, but which also holds him into a structured groove that produces even more intensity. Tete's working here with Peter Trunk on bass and Albert Tootie Heath on drums – both excellent players who bring plenty of their own spirit to the session, and work well in a three-pronged approach to the tunes that has plenty of melody coming from the drums and bass – and a fair bit of rhythm coming from Montoliu's heavy left hand as well! Titles include some great originals – like Trunk's "Tranquillogy" and "Visca L'Ampurda" – as well as Montoliu's "Blues For Nuria", and versions of "Stablemates" and "I Surrender Dear". LP, Vinyl record album

A rare meeting of these two American giants of the tenor sax – brought together at the end of the 60s in Europe, both recording late in their careers, but with a laidback and open approach that's really wonderful! The format here is quite loose – a bit like some of the late hours, swing-based sides on Prestige at the end of the 50s – with longish tracks that let both players state their solos in clean, well-recorded phrasings – with gentle support from a trio that includes Tete Montoliu on piano, Peter Trunk on bass, and Albert Tootie Heath on drums. There's a few faltering moments at times, but they also add a nice degree of humanity to the record – kind of a dimming genius that might not have been allowed on an American session by either player, but which speaks volumes here for the time and distance both players had travelled! Titles include "Caravan", "Sundae", "Blues For Dottie Mae", and "Perdido". CD

Fantastic work from two different years of this important German Jazz Festival – material that provides a great live complement to some of the best studio jazz recordings of the late 60s European scene – such as those coming from the MPS label, and some of the record companies in Paris and London! The vibe here is mostly straight, but there are plenty of currents of modern, and maybe just a bit of free – and the set's especially great in illustrating the sort of unique groupings and musical moments that can make the jazz festival scene so rewarding! Material from 1967 includes three long tracks by the group of saxophonist Klaus Doldinger with organist Ingfried Hoffmann; a long performance from a big band led by Kurt Edelhagen, with work from trumpeters Shake Keane and Jimmy Deuchar, tenorists Wilton Gaynair and Karl Drewo, and altoist Derek Humble; four tracks by a quartet led by trumpeter Dusko Goykovich, with Bent Jaedig on tenor; two long improvisations from a group that features Manfred Schoof on trumpet, Gerd Dudek on tenor, Alexander Von Schlippenbach on piano, and Jaki Liebezeit on drums; one track by a quartet with Ted Curson on trumpet and Nick Bridnola on soprano sax; four long cuts by the Clarke Boland Sextet, with Sahib Shihab on flute and baritone, Ake Persson on trombone, and Idrees Sulieman on trumpet; a sweet large group led by organist Ingfried Hoffmann, and a few other hip cuts too. 1968 features work by a sextet led by bassist Peter Trunk, with Shake Keane on flugelhorn, Jiggs Whigham on trombone, and Rob Pronk on piano; four tracks by the Clarke Boland Big Band, with Johnny Griffin and Ronnie Scott on tenor, and Sahib Shihab on baritone; two cuts by the twin tenor group of Hank Mobley and Johnny Griffin; a vocal performance by Jon Hendricks with a Clarke Boland group with Johnny Griffin in the lead; twin trombones from the Slide Hampton and Ake Persson Quintet; hip work from the trio of pianist George Gruntz, bassist Henri Texier, and drummer Daniel Humair; a number of tight tracks from the Maynard Ferguson big band, with Pete King on tenor; and two shorter trio tracks from Joachim Kuhn. Like other Be Music titles, the presentation is great – a really well-done box, and big booklet of notes and images. CD

... LP, Vinyl record album