A crucial piece of plastic that you'll treasure for years! This 45 adapter may be tiny, but it provides a key function when you're out spinning in clubs – as it easily allows you to slide 45s on and off a conventional turntable, thanks to its unique cone-shaped top! The adapter fits on the spindle of any regular turntable (even those old-fashioned ones with the drop-type in the middle) – and its size and design make it a lot easier to switch 45s back and forth than most other adapters on the market! Misc

A cooking little album from guitarist George Freeman – his first album as a leader, recorded during a brief initial period of fame at the start of the 70s! The album's got a stripped-down, very groovy feel – one that takes off from some of Freeman's 60s work with Groove Holmes – but which puts George center stage, and allows for plenty of examples of his amazing tone and phrasing on the guitar! The core group is a trio – with Sonny Burke on organ and Billy Mitchell on drums – and Freeman's more famous brother Von joins in on tenor sax on a good portion of the tracks – playing in a soul jazz mode that's arguably better than that used on his Atlantic debut, recorded right around the same time. One more track features an even more unusual lineup – with Lester Lashley on trombone, Robert Pierce on organ, and Kalaparusha Maurice McIntyre on tenor, making one of his few appearances on record of this type! But the real star of the set throughout is George Freeman – playing the electric guitar with a quality that's unlike anyone else we can think of – a nitty, gritty tone that's almost a direct heir of T-Bone Walker, but a lot jazzier overall! Titles include the great funky number "Must Be Must Be", plus "Hoss", "Cough it Up", "Mama Papa Brother", "Birth Sign", "My Ship", and "My Scenery". LP, Vinyl record album

A double-header of soundtracks from composer Jerry Goldsmith – both from his 60s years at 20th Century Fox! Von Ryan's Express is a lot more driving and dramatic than some of the composer's other scores – Goldsmith serving up a rich score to a wartime action thriller with Sinatra in the lead – but also bringing in some moodier elements of the type he used in some of his more cerebral scores of the 60s. The mix is nice – not straight military action, but nicely deep – and the CD features 43 tracks, including the film score, soundtrack album, and additional material too. The Blue Max is one of the most famous Jerry Goldsmith soundtracks ever – even if the film itself wasn't much of a hit! Goldsmith really rose to the top ranks of film composers with his work for Blue Max – able to orchestrate both full action and quiet moments with effortless ease – often through these compressed passages that really move beyond the usual Hollywood scoring standard of the time! Things are never too flowery, yet still remain quite full at times – and Goldsmith really demonstrates his great skill with creating special odd sounds out of more familiar instruments. CD features 31 tracks in all – including the full film score, and additional music too! CD

A sublime bit of modern soul jazz – produced by Phil Asher with a quality that blows away most other Nu Jazz efforts on the market! The album's the brainchild of sax player Nathan Haines and Asher, but it's got a soul collective feel that pushes it past any simple remix-type project, one that gives it all the depth and righteousness of a classic session on Strata East or Black Jazz. About half the tracks are 70s-sounding jazz groovers – with a modal feel, a combination of electric and acoustic instrumentation, and occasional vocals with a very soulful edge. The other half of the tracks are in a more modern mode – with a mixture of programmed samples and acoustic instrumentation, still holding onto all of the soul of the other tracks on the set. The end result is a wonderfully unified album with a progressively soulful sound – one of the few recent albums that can make such a claim, in the elite company of groups like Fertile Ground or Spiritual Vibes. Titles include "Wonderful Thing", "Believe", "Impossible Beauty", "The Illest Hobo", "Sound Travels", "Honeycomb", and "Earth Is The Place". CD

A classic early album from Larry Harlow's flute-playing brother – a set that grooves along with the trademark family groove, but which also has a fair bit of sensitive moments as well! There's a jazzier style here than on some of the classic Orchestra Harlow albums – one that comes not only from Andy's lively work on flute, but also from the overall phrasing and timing of tunes – done mostly in a mode that shifts towards the hipper Nuyorican side of the salsa spectrum. Titles include "Sorpresa La Flauta", which has a slow funky groove in kind of a west coast Latin type style – and other tracks feature vocals by Johnny Vasquez, with titles that include "Ay Que Bueno", "Superstar", "La Loteria", and "Amor Perdido". CD

A crowning moment from the Chicago scene of the late 70s – the second Mercury album from Heaven & Earth, and a stunner all the way through! The set's an undisputed groover right from the start – thanks to the massive arrangements from the great Floyd Morris – an artist who did some excellent work in the Chicago indie soul scene in the 60s, including some classic funky 45s – and whose work here definitely gives Heaven & Earth a sharper edge than most other acts of their type at the time! You can definitely hear Floyd's touch in the funky bottom of the two-part classic "I Feel A Groove Under My Feet", and in the riffing guitar of "Poetry In A Box" – and the group also show their warmer, mellower side nicely on cuts like "Let's Get It Together", "I'm In Love With Your Lady", "I Only Have Eyes For You", and "Whole Lot Of Love" – nice warm numbers with great harmonies and gentle stepping grooves! CD

Excellent work from this smooth Chicago vocal group! The album may well be the best the group ever recorded – and it features some stellar ballad work produced with a nice spacey tone, almost in a Rose Royce mellow mode – by Jerry Butler's Fountain Productions team and by Clarence Johnson, who brought the group up from the beginning! The real strength of the album, though, is the group's vocals – wonderfully harmonious, but with a rougher edge and a deeper soul than many other 70s groups of the same type. The album includes the massive semi-hit "Guess Who's Back In Town" – plus other good ballads like "How Do You Think You're Gonna Find Love", "Let's Work It Out", and "Distant Melody". The album also features some uptempo numbers – and other tracks include "Run & Tell That", "Dance A Thon", and "No Limit". CD

Cool contemporary Hammond work from organist Bill Heid – a set that's got way more to offer than just its gimmicky title! We'd never heard Heid before, but he's a really wonderful player – a Pittsburgh resident who hasn't gotten as much exposure as others, but an organist who really knows how to lay back in the groove and really make things happen. Heid's got a sense of timing that often recalls Jack McDuff at his best – but without any overdone cliches that show that he's trying too hard to cop a classic style. Instead, the groove's often all Bill's own – free of homages to others, freshly set up in a well-penned batch of original songs. The group features guitar, bass, and drums – and titles include "Hustle Bustle", "MacDuff Type Thang", "Kimchi Bop", "Kirai", "Crumb Cake", "The Dinh Dynasty", and "It's A Living". CD

A totally fantastic set from the turn of the 70s, and one of Freddie Hubbard's most soulful, spiritual albums ever – a seminal chapter in the evolution of soul jazz – and a record that was a keen inspiration for changes to come on labels like Strata East and Black Jazz! The group here features Kenny Barron on both electric and acoustic piano – really stretching out with a hip, open sort of sound – possibly his first of this type on record – and other players include James Spaulding on alto and flute, Reggie Workman on bass, Louis Hayes on drums, and Patato Valdes on added percussion – giving a more complicated groove to the best numbers. Tunes are all long and well-penned – three by Freddie himself ("Eclipse", "Spacetrack", "Gittin' Down"), one by Kenny Barron ("Black Angel"), and one by Walter Bishop (the original recording of his classic "Coral Keys"!) CD

A totally fantastic set from the turn of the 70s, and one of Freddie Hubbard's most soulful, spiritual albums ever – a seminal chapter in the evolution of soul jazz – and a record that was a keen inspiration for changes to come on labels like Strata East and Black Jazz! The group here features Kenny Barron on both electric and acoustic piano – really stretching out with a hip, open sort of sound – possibly his first of this type on record – and other players include James Spaulding on alto and flute, Reggie Workman on bass, Louis Hayes on drums, and Patato Valdes on added percussion – giving a more complicated groove to the best numbers. Tunes are all long and well-penned – three by Freddie himself ("Eclipse", "Spacetrack", "Gittin' Down"), one by Kenny Barron ("Black Angel"), and one by Walter Bishop (the original recording of his classic "Coral Keys"!) CD

Keith Jarrett in our favorite side of his talents – playing the long, improvised style that first made him a breakthrough artist on ECM in the 70s – and which still remains one of his most important contributions to the history of jazz! Even later years, Jarrett's sense of imagination on the keys is amazing – and here, you'll hear very few echoes of other improvisations – long tracks that show that Keith is always able to create spontaneously, at a level that few others can match – especially as he never goes too far outside, or seems to lose a sense of melody in his music. The work is divided up into shorter passages – the older Jarrett sometimes needs a break on the keys, but never in his cognition – and as with other concert recordings of this type, the encores are older standards – "Answer Me My Love" and "It's A Lonesome Old Town" – but both given a very free, open Keith Jarrett approach! CD

Keith Jarrett in our favorite side of his talents – playing the long, improvised style that first made him a breakthrough artist on ECM in the 70s – and which still remains one of his most important contributions to the history of jazz! Even later years, Jarrett's sense of imagination on the keys is amazing – and here, you'll hear very few echoes of other improvisations – long tracks that show that Keith is always able to create spontaneously, at a level that few others can match – especially as he never goes too far outside, or seems to lose a sense of melody in his music. The work is divided up into shorter passages – the older Jarrett sometimes needs a break on the keys, but never in his cognition – and as with other concert recordings of this type, the encores are older standards – "Answer Me My Love" and "It's A Lonesome Old Town" – but both given a very free, open Keith Jarrett approach! LP, Vinyl record album

Jason Crest only ever issued six singles back in the 60s, but they've gone on to be the stuff of legend for collectors of UK psych from the time – a group who finally get their full-length due with this 2CD set! The Jason Crest charm is a bit hard to describe – not mindblowing psych of the totally trippy type, but a bit weirder and wilder than pop psych too – often with cool organ parts that sound slightly offbeat, simple but effective production touches, and these really nice, very British lyrics that really send the whole thing home – kind of the spirit of psych that so many later groups tried to capture, but never get quite right. There's a quality here that sits right up there with offbeat work by The Who on Happy Jack and Sell Out, or maybe even the shorter catchy tunes from Syd Barrett-era Pink Floyd. 2CD set features all their singles, plus unreleased tracks, and even some rare live material too – along with the complete long story of the short-lived group. Titles include "Teagarden Lane", "Patricia's Dream", "King Of The Castle", "My House Is Burning", "Black Mass", "The Collected Works Of Jason Crest", "Two By The Sea", "Juliano The Bull", "Waterloo Road", "Fresh Garbage", "Better By You Better Than Me", and "Tuquoise Tandem Cycle". CD

A stunner of a record – the first-ever album by The JBs, never issued back in the day – and lost for years until it recently resurfaced on a test pressing! The set features a leaner, more stripped-down version of the group – one that features Bootsy Collins on bass, and which doesn't rely as much on the horns as it does some very upfront playing by the rhythm section – who really set fire to the extended instrumental solos on the album's very long tracks! Group members include Robert McCullough on tenor, St Clair Pickney on flute and baritone, Bobby Byrd on piano, Catfish Collins on guitar, and James Brown himself on organ – and the mighty Clyde Stubblefield handles drums, as well as Frank Kash Waddy. All tracks are very long – quite different than the shorter single-type cuts on Pass The Peas – and the record features the first recording of "The Grunt", plus the long jams "I'll Ze", "These Are The JBs (parts 1 & 2)", and "When You Feel It Grunt If You Can". CD

A stunner of a record – the first-ever album by The JBs, never issued back in the day – and lost for years until it recently resurfaced on a test pressing! The set features a leaner, more stripped-down version of the group – one that features Bootsy Collins on bass, and which doesn't rely as much on the horns as it does some very upfront playing by the rhythm section – who really set fire to the extended instrumental solos on the album's very long tracks! Group members include Robert McCullough on tenor, St Clair Pickney on flute and baritone, Bobby Byrd on piano, Catfish Collins on guitar, and James Brown himself on organ – and the mighty Clyde Stubblefield handles drums, as well as Frank Kash Waddy. All tracks are very long – quite different than the shorter single-type cuts on Pass The Peas – and the record features the first recording of "The Grunt", plus the long jams "I'll Ze", "These Are The JBs (parts 1 & 2)", and "When You Feel It Grunt If You Can". LP, Vinyl record album

A brilliant bit of funk – with a heavy classic sound! JD & The Evil's Dynamite Band are another one of those new funky combos to fall under the Desco/Soul Fire umbrella – and like other acts of recent years (Daktaris, Mike Jackson & The Soul Providers, Sugarman Three), the group's got a firm commitment to the funky 45 sound of the late 60s and early 70s, and groove like the best obscure combos of the classic years! The instrumental set has a nice tripped-out quality to it – with some fuzziness on the drums, making them nice and sloppy, and angling the funky quality of them quite nicely. There's some echoey guitar that sounds great, plus odd bits of percussion, stoner organ, and some very hip rhythmic progressions that push way past the usual James Brown-type of funk. Titles include "Everglades (parts 1 & 2)", "Kalahari", "Heavy Heavy . . . Heavy", "Mean Scene", "Flames of Darkness", and "My Beach, My Waves, F*ck Off!". CD

A spectacular soul album from Holland – but one that's got a much more American groove than some other overseas records of its type! The cuts all feel as if they could have been lifted from indie sides of the east coast scene of the early 70s – and Billy shines beautifully both on the mellow ballads and uptempo numbers – the former of which have a sweet soul/harmony vibe, the latter of which take things into fast funk territory of the pre-disco years! The whole thing's great – a beautiful balance between funky groovers and laidback soul – and titles include "Funky Monkey Monkey", "Thank You", "Save All My Lovin", "Feelin Good", "All My Brothers Are Clean", "Love Is Gonna Rain On You", "Look Out Baby Here I Come", and "Message From A Black Man". LP, Vinyl record album

A pretty sweet little solo album by Lonnie Jordan – a key War member during the group's biggest fame. The album lives up to its title, and serves up a number of different musical styles, all with Lonnie on keyboards and vocals – but the best work is the stuff that's still in the War-type groove, those cuts that have a Latiny funk groove, like "Junkie To My Music" and "Nasty", both of which are pretty tasty numbers with a heavy Chicano groove. "Junkie" is especially great – as it's got some very cool keybord soloing over a heavy conga groove, in kind of a nice stoner funk way. Other tracks include "Jungle Dancin", "Grey Rainy Days", and "He Used To Be A Friend Of Mine". LP, Vinyl record album

A really fantastic collaboration between Coldcut and a host of South African musicians – and a set that also features a number of key contributions from the legendary Tony Allen! The record uses the older cutup style that Coldcut first forged on the London scene of the 80s – but has lots of live musicianship from an array of jazz and percussion players, plus a variety of singers too – stretching out in this really visionary blend that includes contributions from Dele Sosimi, Tenderlonious, Tony Allen, The Watts Prophets, Nono Nkoane, Lani Sigers, Gally Ngoveni, Miles James, Antibalas, and others! The project comes off way better than most of this type – very collaborative, and with a sound that's very unified, very together, and very fresh – definitely a whole that's even greater than the sum of its parts. Titles include "Freedom Groove", "Broken Light", "Crystallise", "Papua Merdeka", "Swift Gathering", "International Love Affair", and "Future Toyi Toyi". CD

The only album we've ever seen from Khemistry – but a heck of a sweet little set, and one that's always been dear to our hearts! The trio features two gals and one guy, all working with a great sing-song approach on the vocals – and a snapping 80s groove on the rhythms! There's a warmth here that you don't always find in sets of this type – a simple, straightforward feel that keeps the whole album humming along nicely – even through some of the mellower numbers. Production is never too commercial, and the instrumentation's never too electric – and the album's got a simple charm that's kept it a favorite on rare soul lists for decades. Titles include "Can You Feel My Love", "There's No Me Without You", "I Can't Lose With The Stuff I Use", "Sucker For The Boogie", "I Got A Feeling", and "Walking Papers". CD

Steve Lacy had plenty of fantastic moments on the European scene of the 70s – but this unique album may well stand as one of his best! The set's very different than any of Steve's recordings with his own group – partly because the core energy here comes from trumpeter Franz Koglmann – who sets things up in a really unusual way, by often embracing rhythm – but also setting it free in all these other erratic patterns too – which proves to be a perfect foil for Steve's soprano sax, and Franz's work on trumpet and flugelhorn. There's no piano at all – just wonderful bass from Toni Michlymayr, percussion from Muhammad Mali, and slight but distinct electronics from Gerd Geier – a trio of players who are less familiar than most on Euro avant jazz sets of this type – and really bring a lot of distinct qualities to the set. Titles include "Bowery 1", "Steirish WC Nr 2", "Hommage To An Old Raincoat", and "Misera Plebs Take 1". LP, Vinyl record album

A second volume of classic LL Cool J cuts – from benchmark mid 80s jams produced by Rick Rubin to the best of his mid 00s cuts – stellar cuts all the way, be they trailblazing old school classics or unpretentious, well crafted mainstream ear candy. LL has done it all, All World Volume 2 is more goodness worthy of his legacy. Stellar early and mid period productions from Rick Rubin & Marley Marl, later singles with production by Sean Puffy Combs & Erick Sermon, aughties productions by The Neptunes & Timbaland. 17 tracks in all: "Rock The Bells", "Dear Yvette", "I'm That Type Of Guy", "Big Ole Butt", "Jack The Ripper", "Around The Way Girl", "Luv U Better", "Hush", "Baby", "Headsprung" and more. CD

An excellent album of smooth soul tracks, and maybe Van's best record of the 70s! The record shows Van sitting at the piano in an intimate setting – ala Barry White – and it's got a similar Love Unlimited Orchestra approach, with much large backing behind Van's voice, and a very full instrumental sound. Van sings lead vocals, which aren't always that great – but he more than makes up for it with some great piano and keyboard work, and some wonderful soul songwriting and arranging that recall his best uptown moments of the late 60s. The record has a few uptempo hustle-type tracks, but they're all pretty darn great soul songs, and there's loads of great mellow soul moments woven in to make the record a nice album of ballads and groovers. Titles include "Before & After", "Wings Of Love", "My Favorite Fantasy", "That's The Story Of My Life", and "You're So Right For Me". LP, Vinyl record album

A subtle but compelling session from pianist Jim McNeely – working here on both acoustic piano and DX7, alongside bass from Marc Johnson and drums from Adam Nussbaum. The record's got a great way of blending the electric and acoustic keys through the course of the set – in a mode that was hardly ever carried off this well back in the 80s, save for a few other Owl Records sessions of the same type. McNeely's got a spacious, flowing approach to the keys that really makes the best tracks work nicely – a style that doesn't get to overly preoccupied in the features of the DX7, but lets it flow with pianistic qualities inherited slightly from the Bill Evans generation – no doubt augmented by Johnson's bass on the record. Titles include the original numbers "The Answer Without A Question", "Brooklyn Bob", "The Episode", "Ernie Banks", and a version of "The End Of A Love Affair". LP, Vinyl record album

A really wonderful album by Roscoe Mitchell and his semi-electric "sound ensemble" – a group that's as devoted to the exploration of sonic space as they are the expression of improvised jazz. The work's got a wonderfully fragile quality – like some of the best Mitchell work of the type – and the album shifts between very spare and floating tracks, and other numbers that have a more full-on jazz-based sound. The group has Mitchell playing on his usual array of reeds, plus Spencer Barefield on guitar, Jaribu Shahid on bass, Hugh Ragin on trumpet, and Tani Tabbal on drums and percussion – and titles include "Stomp & The Far East Blues", "Sing/Song", "CYP", "March", and "Round". CD

A really wonderful album by Roscoe Mitchell and his semi-electric "sound ensemble" – a group that's as devoted to the exploration of sonic space as they are the expression of improvised jazz. The work's got a wonderfully fragile quality – like some of the best Mitchell work of the type – and the album shifts between very spare and floating tracks, and other numbers that have a more full-on jazz-based sound. The group has Mitchell playing on his usual array of reeds, plus Spencer Barefield on guitar, Jaribu Shahid on bass, Hugh Ragin on trumpet, and Tani Tabbal on drums and percussion – and titles include "Stomp & The Far East Blues", "Sing/Song", "CYP", "March", and "Round". LP, Vinyl record album

A wonderful, wonderful, wonderful "new thing" jazz session from Blue Note – and proof that the avant garde in the 60s didn't necessarily have to resort to blowing their heads off to make fantastic music! Trombonist Grachan Moncur III organized the session – but like other key Blue Note dates of this type, including work from Tony Williams and Jackie McLean, the album's a very evenly-weighted date that features equal contributions from all members involved! The lineup's a dream – and features Wayne Shorter on tenor, Herbie Hancock on piano, Cecil McBee on bass, and Tony Williams on drums – and the set's very much in the vein of Williams' Life Time album for Blue Note – with lots of dark, moody, and extremely complex compositions – and beautifully restrained modern solos. Moncur wrote all the tracks, and titles include "The Twins", "Nomadic", "Gnostic", and "Thandiwa". CD

Classic choro mixed with contemporary jazz – a beautiful set that offers up a range of lovely lines on flute from Maiara Moraes, who seems to play a few different variations of the instrument on the set! The rest of the group features piano, bass, and drums – plus some added flute and saxes from Josue Dos Santos – and the approach is very strongly jazz, but maybe with just some slight colors and tones borrowed from the older style of Brazilian choro – served up at a level that's got a lot more power, color, and soul than any other effort of this type we can think of! Titles include "Novena", "Bailonga", "Maracatu", "Con Brasil Adentro/Fuga X", and "Caminho De Volta". CD

Beautifully slow-building work from Ennio Morricone – caught right at that near-perfect start of the 70s point when he was a master of understatement and spare musical elements! Many numbers begin with a sound that's often very spare – sliding out of the darkness sometimes with just a whisper, sometimes with a bit more force – woodwinds hidden in the shadows, piano murmuring softly, or strings that slide slowly once, then strike with more force the next time around. There's also a cool whistling bit that snakes through a few of the best tunes – a haunting theme with Alessandroni-type appeal – and the orchestrations for the album were conducted by Bruno Nicolai. The sound isn't as sweetly gliding as you might expect, but it's also not as atonal as other Morricone moments too. Titles include "In Pieno Petto", "Il Movente (2)", "Senza Motivo Apparente", "Ricera", "Ricera (2)", "Sospensione Folle", and "In Pieno Petto (2)". LP, Vinyl record album

London's greatest Brazilian combo is back with a stunning follow-up to their O Globo debut! The Mr Hermano team mix together classic riffs lifted from 70s Brazilian jazz with all the soulful house production of the current London scene – and the result is some of the best new Brazilian-inspired music we've heard in years! Forget all that weak Brazilified remix-type stuff – because Mr Hermano start from the ground up, crafting tunes that have a solid jazz sparkle, a striking rhythmic push, and a timeless dose of soul that will keep us playing this one for years to come. Titles include "Free As The Morning Sun", "Suco", "Capoeira Love Affair", "Talisman", "Hypnotista", "Como Um Sol", "Leave Me On A High", and "It's Love". CD

A sweet set of digital dub from the Nigerian scene – a record that blends drum machine beats with richer, bassier currents – all in a vibe that's like some of the best underground work coming out of Kingston a few years before! Singer/leader Essco Wilson, aka Sharon Dread, features vocally on half the album's tracks – sometimes as a singer, sometimes acting more as a deejay – and the core rhythms are inflected with slight electro touches, but always in a way that's relatively stripped-down, and which keeps things interesting – very different than mainstream music of this type at the end of the 80s. Titles include "Gamble Woman", "If I'm To Rule The World", "Save The Little Children", and "Let's Chase Them". LP, Vinyl record album

A rare little bossa jazz album from the early 60s Brazilian scene – one that's also a soundtrack too, which gives it a different feel than most other records of its type! The music is a mix of jazz and occasional larger orchestrations – in the best tradition of the late 50s French new wave scores, or some of the jazzier work from the early 60s Italian scene – music that you might hear from the pen of a young Piero Piccioni or Georges Delerue, but given a bossa nova twist too! Many tunes have some samba instrumentation at the core, but more jazz-based instrumentation on the top – and titles include "Assanhadinha", "Asfalto Selvagem", "Suicido", "Engracadinha", "Leticia", "Meu Rio Maravilhoso", and "Um Olhar Assim". LP, Vinyl record album

Funky Brazilian soul from Luciana Oliveira – a groovy little set that features a hip blend of electric and acoustic instrumentation, layered nicely amidst some very laidback beats! The set's one of the first we've heard of its type in years from Brazil – and really reminds us of some of our favorite Brazilian soul from the earlier part of the decade – that great time when we were discovering new music nearly every month from the Brazilian scene – sides like this that clearly have a bit of American influence in the groove, but a warm heart that's a great update of an older samba soul mode. Titles include "Maruja", "Rainha Das Aguas", "Mae Das Folhas", "E Menina", "A Ordem E Samba", and "Tecnococo". CD

A trio of classic albums from Brazilian singer Orlandivo – all presented with original artwork too! First up is A Chave Do Successo – the first album ever by samba singer Orlandivo, a great talent who had a knack for blending samba, bossa, jazz, and a bit of soul – surfacing here with a sound that's quite different than most other singers of his generation! The record features organ by the great Ed Lincoln, grooving around in a tightly percussive bossa-inflected style – and the record is every bit as fresh and sparkling as the cover makes you think! Titles include "Onde Anda O Meu Amor", "Vem Pro Samba", "Chavinha", "Samba Toff", "Dias De Verao", "Sambadinho", "Saudade Doi Demais", "Amor Vai E Vem", and "Frajola E Piu Piu". Next is the self-titled Orlann Divo – warm bossa grooves – and the second album by Orlandivo, billed here on the cover as Orlann Divo! The album's a great batch of instrumentals – jazzy, with a mix of percussion, bass, and organ that's quite different from the usual bossa album of its type – much more expansive, and much more chance-taking. The use of organ is incredible – really weird at times, pushing the sonic qualities of the instrument in ways that you'd never hear on a Walter Wanderley album from the same time – and the nature of the tunes is great too, and really pushes past the usual batch of bossa covers and standards to come up with some great off-kilter styles. Features work by Ed Lincoln, Rubens Bassini, and Waltel Branco – and titles include "Samba No Japao", "Zezinho", "Amor Quadradinho", "Afim De Voce", "Vira Lata", "Somos Tres", "Saudade Em Seu Lugar", "Faz De Conta", and "Brincando De Samba". Last up is Samba Em Paralelo – a cool batch of jazzy tunes that's got a really fresh sound! The album's got the feel of a bossa session, but the instrumentation is a bit off-kilter – in a really cool way, especially on the way that vibes are used next to the vocals. Most tracks have a lively samba groove – and titles include "Paralelo", "Entrou No Samba", "Deixa O Vento Levar", "Na Roda Do Samba", "E Samba", and "Voce E Paz". This is a huge treat to see reissued so beautifully – and the sound is as crisp and alive as can be on CD. A stunner! CD

A fantastic record from the contemporary Chicago scene – one that both gives bassist Junius Paul his first showcase as a leader, and underscores the richly collaborative energy in which the musician works! The set was recorded at various points in the Windy City underground – with Paul at the help of a shifting lineup that includes Makaya McCraven on drums, Corey Wilkes on trumpet, Justin Dillard on piano and keyboards, Jim Baker on piano and Arp, Isaiah Spencer on drums, Marquis Hill on trumpet, and Tomeika Reid on cello – with most musicians also handling other instruments too, in a continuation of an AACM legacy – on a record that's then edited by Makaya McCraven, in the best International Anthem mode! The music is jazz, but of the most forward-thinking type – and titles include "Ma & Dad", "Fred Anderson & A Half", "Twelve Eighteen West", "Georgia", "Spocky Chainsey Has Re-Emerged", "The One Who Endures", "Baker's Dozen", "View From The Moon", "You Are Free To Choose", "Paris", "Collant Denier", and "Sprouts". LP, Vinyl record album

Excellent work from Luciano Perrone & "Seus Ritmistas Brasileiros" – a crack percussion ensemble that recorded some of the best batucada work of the 60s! The album's recorded with a nice spacey sound that really adds to the "fantastica" feel of the set – as the driving drum work of the group echoes out with a really magical sound! The album's a key classic in the batucada tradition – one of the best of the type you could find – and titles include "Ciucas Loucas", "Afro-Brasileiros", "Samba Em 5 Sons", "Berimbau", and "Capoeira". CD

The Black Saint/Soul Note label is perhaps best remembered for its work with American avant players, but it also gave plenty of Italian players some great exposure, too – as you'll hear in this excellent collection of work from pianist Enrico Pieranunzi! The set features 6 albums for the label by Pieranunzi – all beautifully remastered, and packaged in tiny record-type sleeves. First up is the lovely Isis (1981), a date that features excellent flugelhorn from Art Farmer, and alto from Massimo Urbani. Next are two trio dates, Deep Down (1987), with Joey Baron on drums and Marc Johnson on bass – and No Man's Land (1990), with Johnson on bass and Steve Houghton on drums. Flux & Change (1995) features some great duets between Pieranunzi's piano and the drums of Paul Motian – stretched out over short tracks wrapped up into three different "suites" of music. Pieranunzi returns to the trio on Seaward (1996), with Hein Van DeGeyn on bass and Andre Ceccarelli on drums – and Ma L'Amore No (1997) features the horns of Lee Konitz and Enrico Rava added to various tracks with a trio. 6 albums in all! CD

A sweet psychedelic set, but one with very mysterious origins – originally recorded as a sound library session, by a group that was really the better-known Nuova Idea! The album's definitely got a vibe that fits its sound library roots – all instrumental, with a bit less bravado than most psyche albums of this type – almost more of a focus on the rhythms, which stretch out strongly amidst the Hammond and guitar solos on the set. The whole thing's still pretty rockish, but also has a deeper sensitivity to the overall sound too – a quality that's partly due to production efforts of Giampiero Reverberi. Titles include "Easy", "Psycheground", "Traffic", "Ray", and "Tube". (Note: This item is not for sale online until noon on Saturday, June 12. It is in limited supply – and by nature of the Record Store Day rules it will be offered for sale first to customers who visit the Dusty Groove retail outlet in Chicago the morning Saturday, June 12. It will not be pre-sold or reserved in any way. However, after noon on June 12 we will offer up whatever we have left for sale online.) LP, Vinyl record album

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A seminal moment in the career of Mongo Santamaria – and probably the first record to show that he was destined for greatness! As you might guess from the title, the set features Mongo's key recording of Herbie Hancock's "Watermelon Man" – served up here in a sharp-edged Latin jazz version that pushed the tune into a whole new audience, and which was one of the first big groovers of its type in the pre-Latin Soul years! The group here is totally great – with players that include funky flautist Mauricio Smith, baritone genius Pat Patrick, and the always-great Bobby Capers – all key players who illustrate Santamaria's genius for picking horn players. Titles include "Watermelon Man", "Yeh Yeh", "Funny Money", "Go Git It", "Sauvito", "Cut That Cane", and "Bayou Roots". LP, Vinyl record album

Sweet sax from the great Tom Scott – two early 80s Columbia albums in a single package! Desire is proof that Scott could still make an electric jazz album sound more soulful than most of his mainstream contemporaries! There's a really great sense of balance here – production that's certainly polished, but instrumentation that's never sleepy at all – those always-sharp reeds we love from Tom, especially on alto and soprano sax – plus some great keyboard work from Victor Feldman, who has a similar sense of space and timing ot match Scott's groove! The set's got a feel that's a bit like some of the few really great albums from Dave Grusin – and some cuts have vocals, although mostly of the backup type. Titles include "Desire", "Sure Enough", "The Only One", "Stride", "Chunk O Funk", and "Meet Somebody". Target features a wide range of styles from saxophonist Tom Scott – some tracks that are in the funkier fusion he scored with in the 70s, but others that have some soul and pop touches as well! Scott's horn is still nice and sharp when he gets to step out in the solo spotlight – more so on the instrumental tracks, but a bit less so on the vocal ones – which feature singers who include Maria Muldaur, Kenny James, and Lee Ving. Other players include Harvey Mason on drums, Ernie Watts on tenor and alto, Victor Feldman on keyboards, and Paul Jackson on guitar – and titles include "Burundi Bump", "The Biggest Part Of Me", "He's Too Young", "Aerobia", "Target", and "Come Back To Me". CD

One of the richest and most complex recordings we've ever heard from Silent Poets – a brilliant blend of strings, soul, and sounds! The style here is a bit more cinematic than before – taking cues from recent Silent Poets work, but unlocking a new sense of majesty in the music – one that unfolds gently as the tunes go on, and really finds a unique place for itself in the modern sound spectrum. There's a sense of confidence and power here that goes way beyond the last few Silent Poets records – and the initial forays into this type of music have finally found their place, and come together much more strongly here. Shawn Lee delivers a bit of guest work on the record, and titles include "Rock Star", "From Earthling", "Future", "Dumb Girl", "Next Episode", "Man On The Street", "Fate", and "Wonder". CD

A great second set from this group led by tenorist Walter Smith III and guitarist Matthew Stevens – music that rings out with a really beautiful, resonant sound right from the very first note – a unique blending of the two instruments, in ways that often have lots of edges and angles on the guitar, warmed up nicely by the tenor! Other group members include Micah Thomas on piano, Linda May Han Oh on bass, and Nate Smith on drums – and the tunes bubble and pulsate with really fresh, unique rhythms that match the energy of the tenor and guitar, as the group make their way through some well-penned tunes by both Smith and Stevens. Titles include "Little Lamplight", "Opera", "Type Rider", "Van Der Linde", "Clem", "Cowboy", "Lotto", and "Provinces". CD

A great second set from this group led by tenorist Walter Smith III and guitarist Matthew Stevens – music that rings out with a really beautiful, resonant sound right from the very first note – a unique blending of the two instruments, in ways that often have lots of edges and angles on the guitar, warmed up nicely by the tenor! Other group members include Micah Thomas on piano, Linda May Han Oh on bass, and Nate Smith on drums – and the tunes bubble and pulsate with really fresh, unique rhythms that match the energy of the tenor and guitar, as the group make their way through some well-penned tunes by both Smith and Stevens. Titles include "Little Lamplight", "Opera", "Type Rider", "Van Der Linde", "Clem", "Cowboy", "Lotto", and "Provinces". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the most righteous albums ever issued by Stax Records – from the title of the record, to the cover, to the grooves laid down by the group! The album was originally issued on Truth – the gospel subsidiary of Stax – and while it does have a bit of a spiritual component, the group's also plenty darn funky too – and the record has a feel that's far more secular than most other gospel records of the time! In fact, the whole thing may well stand as one of the best mainstream examples of the funky gospel genre of the 70s – one of the few records of this type issued on a slightly bigger label, even though the set still is something of a rarity! There's plenty of fuzzy guitar and electric piano in the mix – and the religion in the song lyrics is fairly buried in most cuts, and the overall approach is more one of general spiritualism and humanity, than it is preachy and churchy. Tracks include "The Ghetto", "Son Of The Deacon", "Give It Up", "God Bless The Children", and "He's All We Need". LP, Vinyl record album

The crowning achievement of Spirit – and a record that you probably could have found in any college dorm room in the early 70s! The record's really a cut above for their generation – an expansive effort that hangs together with a bit of a concept, and which interweaves strands of rock, folk, and a bit of jazz – yet also a record that has a lot more polish than other efforts of its type, and which trades a bit of psychedelic indulgence for a tighter focus that really lets the best tunes sparkle wonderfully! Production is great – clear, but trippy at the same time – and Randy California's guitar work has never sounded better. Titles include "Nature's Way", "Animal Zoo", "Love Has Found A Way", "Mr Skin", "Soldier", "Street Worm", and "Space Child". LP, Vinyl record album

A trippy little combo with a distinct post-Coltrane feel – stretching out here wonderfully, on a hip little session on a homegrown label! The group hail from the unlikely spot of Las Vegas – but they've got a deeply spiritual sound that rivals the best work on the coasts in the early 70s – a very searching, righteous sort of groove – crafted beautifully from the tenor sax lines of Rick Davis, and the sweet Fender Rhodes of Ron Feuer! The album's filled with long, exploratory tracks – tunes that are free, but never too much so – and the mixture of electric keys and tenor works nicely throughout – giving the album a really unique and unified feel that sets it apart from other small jazz sets of its type. All tunes are originals by the group – and titles include "Vibrations", "Starship", "Spirit Free", and "Isis Unveiled". CD features 3 bonus tracks too – "Horizon", "Starship (alt)", and "Dear Latin Friend". CD

Two Sonny Stitt dates with organ – both from different ends of the 60s! First up is Soul Shack – a mellow burner, and a real classic from the early 60s soul jazz years of Prestige Records! The album brings together the saxes of Sonny Stitt (both alto and tenor) and the Hammond of Jack McDuff – who's really coming into his own at this point, and has a lean, mean tone that's a perfect match for Stitt's horn. There's a bluesy undercurrent to the record, but without any of the cliches that might have crept in a few years before – leaving Stitt in the modern company you might expect, in ways that are similar to his dates with Don Patterson. Rhythm is from Leonard Gaskin on bass and Herbie Lovelle on drums – and titles include "Shadows", "Soul Shack", "Sunday", "Love Nes", "For You", and "Hairy". Night Letter is a great set of Varitone sax numbers from Sonny Stitt – recorded for Prestige with a bit more bite than some of his albums of the type for Roulette! The album's got a tight tenor/organ vibe throughout – thanks to work on Hammond from Gene Ludwig, working under the "nom de date" of Booker Patterson – bumped along strongly with some tight guitar from the great Pat Martino! Drums are by Randy Gelispie – and Stitt's electric horn melds in with the organ and guitar wonderfully – with a sound that's a lot deeper than other uses of the instrument at the time. Titles include "Loose Walk", "Night Letter", "Stringing The Jug", and "Blue String". CD

A full-on jazz rock spectacular – done with a style that's a lot like some of the best British projects of this type from the time, but recorded in Las Vegas, with a lineup of American players that includes guitarist Dean Parks, trumpeter Bobby Shew, and tenorist Don Menza! The album's got a really rumbling bassy feel – kicking ass with a rock-based bottom, but coming across with a surprisingly jazzy sound overall! There's strong solos on nearly every track, and the album (unlike many of its contemporaries) doesn't feature any vocals at all – which means that you can keep in the groove without getting sidetracked by any weak singing! Titles include "Acid West", "Keep On Burnin", "Never In My Life", "Clown", "Sin's A Good Man's Brother", and "Rice Pudding". LP, Vinyl record album

Vamping Tex-Mex instrumentals from The Sunglows – a group who were definitely on the hipper end of their spectrum at the time, and work here in a snapping blend of saxes, guitar, percussion, and organ! All tracks here are instrumentals, and are mostly done here in a garagey take on the Latin polka mode – a sound that's familiar, to be sure, but which sounds especially nice here thanks to some rougher percussion and an edge to the instrumentation that you don't often find in other records of this type. Titles include the group's original "Peanuts", plus "The Circus", "Popcorn", "La Raspa", "Rancho Grande", "Colt 45", "The Indian", and "Battle Of Flowers". LP, Vinyl record album

A brilliant assemblage of players – working here under the Timeless All Stars tag, because they'd all recorded for the label – but held together much more deeply through a rich tradition of west coast soul jazz! The team of Harold Land and Bobby Hutcherson are wonderfully united for the session – working with Curtis Fuller on trombone, Cedar Walton on piano, Buster Williams on bass, and Billy Higgins on drums – all to carve out longer tracks that sparkle with the best open feeling of the sound that Land and Hutcherson first put down together at the end of the 60s. There's a sense of warmth and good spirit to the recording – but not of the type that dampens the energies of the players – as the best tracks on the record have a searing, searching feel that's pretty darn surprising for such an all-star session! Titles include "Clockwise", "Highway One", "Arabia", "Stella By Starlight", and "My Foolish Heart". CD

The last Tribe Called Quest LP – one of those "end of an era" type experiences for sure – and record that was fairly slept on it the time given the dizzying heights of their earlier record – and holds up today as an essential! The tracks are all produced by The Ummah featuring J Dilla, and just a solid bed of production that's a reminder of how this excellent style of hip hop production excels so sweetly at both looking forward and making 70s soul jazz beats sound forever fresh – with tracks including "Pen & Pad", "Find A Way", "Like It Like That", "Steppin' It Up" (featuring Busta Rhymes & Redman), "Rock Rock Y'all" (featuring Mos Def, Jane Doe, Punchline & Wordsworth.) As an added bonus, the CD includes six rare classic Tribe Called Quest alternate tracks and remixes that this point only ever appeared on 12-inches – including the classic "Scenario" remix, "Oh My God" remix, "Hot Sex", "One, Two Sh*t", and "Jazz (We Got)" re-recorded version. CD

Very obscure bit of late Curtom funk, recorded during the time the label was briefly allied with RSO, and when Fred Wesley was doing a bit of work for them. Wesley did a lot of the arrangements on the album, and got an uptempo groove that ranges from Horny Horns-type material to electro 80s grooves. There's a definite P-Funk feel here – as you'll catch on the tracks "Blipped (All Over Myself)", "Mad House", "Astro Boogie", and "Get On Down". LP, Vinyl record album

Packaged in a cool oversized book type case. CD

One of the most beautiful albums we've ever heard from pianist Eri Yamamoto – in large part because of the presence of the Choral Cameleon vocal group! The mix of piano and voice is wonderful – haunting and powerful, in a way that reminds us of some of the best Vince Guaraldi experiments of this type – but with a sharper edge, as you might guess from the piano of Yamamoto – and support from David Ambrosio on bass and Ikuo Takeuchi on drums! Sometimes the voices rise high and proud – as in a Max Roach jazz-with-voices album – other times they drift dreamily, providing more of a subtle ascendant current to the lines of the piano. Either way is great to our ears – a really wonderful record – and tracks feature the long "Goshu Ondo Suite", plus "Echo Of Echo". CD

Music from Manecas Costa, Nitin Sawhney, Tomatito, Omara Portuondo, Susana Baca, Rosa Passos, Petrona, Trio Mocoto, Los De Abajo, Zuco 103 & more. CD

This is the kind of funk they've been hiding from you all these years – the real deal, the heavy stuff, the type of work that's made driving around the country looking for rare 45s so worthwhile! This material's the kind that makes a trip like that happen – super-rare funk from Texas, dug up by the Jazzman posse, and given the stamp of approval by DJ Shadow! The package is a perfect introduction to the lost heritage of Texas funky work – as it not only includes 21 searing tracks of funk (some of the best we've heard compiled in a long time!), but it also features a breakdown of the different scenes in the state, and a full set of notes on each tune, complete with an image of the original 45! The whole thing's unbelievable – as well researched as it is hard and funky, and a delight to the ears throughout. Titles include "Give Everybody Some" by Mickey & The Soul Generation, "Sissy Strut" by Joe Bravo, "Soul Pot" by The Soul Ones, "Every Man For Himself" by The Road Runners, "Super Funk" by Vern Blair Debate, "Soul Pride" by Little Joe & The Latinaires, "I Turn You On" by Latin Breed, "Funky Stuff" by Little Jr Jesse & His Teardrops & The Tears, "Funky Chick" by The Majestics, and "Do Your Thing (parts 1 & 2)" by Zapata. CD

A classic album of stripped-down disco grooves – featuring spacey keyboard work from Boris Midney, and lots of heavy congas by Larry Washington! The real focus here is the instrumental work – those long, stretched-out grooves that seemed to be the trademark of the Miami scene in the 70s – especially given the use of percussion here. And although the vocals are mostly of the chorus type, they do a good enough job to emphasize the grooves – and help get the tracks moving forward in all the right ways! Tracks are all quite long – and titles include "Make That Feeling Come Again", "Ah Do It", "That's The Meaning", and "Boogie Motion". LP, Vinyl record album

An obscure single taking off from a groove borrowed loosely off Zapp's "More Bounce To The Ounce" and adding a sort of quasi-rap vocal over top, that sounds more like George Clinton type vocalese than any sort of hip hop. 12-inch, Vinyl record

An obscure single taking off from a groove borrowed loosely off Zapp's "More Bounce To The Ounce" and adding a sort of quasi-rap vocal over top, that sounds more like George Clinton type vocalese than any sort of hip hop. 12-inch, Vinyl record

A smoking bit of Latin Soul from pianist Sonny Bravo – one of the few albums of its type ever issued on Columbia Records, but a classic cooker that easily matches the best on Fania or Tico from the 60s! Sonny's probably better known for his later work as an arranger, but here he's the pianist at the head of a very cool combo that includes Bobby Valentin on trumpet and vocals by Bobby Marin – all sung in English with very soulful backings from The Latin Chords! The approach is a wonderful blend of tight boogaloo rhythms and soul-based lyrics – carried of with a bit of additional help from Louie Ramirez, who's clearly helping to sharpen the grooves and give them even great focus. Every track's a winner – and titles include "Take A Ride", "Wrong Number", "Neath The Summer Sun", "Goodnight My Baby", "You Gotta Turn Me On", "You Turned Your Back On Me", and "The Best Thing In The World". CD

A killer from James Brown – and one of his best instrumental albums of the King years! The record has James working with the pre-JBs James Brown Band – a tight assemblage of players who really know how to craft an off-kilter groove. The guitar's popping on the beat here as much as the horns, making for a syncopated groove that's utterly fantastic – as tight as a drum, and as funky as one too! Includes some great long cuts – like the 9 minute, two-part versions of "Ain't It Funky" and "Fat Wood" – plus some great shorter funky 45 type material, like "Nose Job", "Use Your Mother", "Give It Up Or Turnit Loose", and a version of "Cold Sweat". All the work here is tremendous – the kind of inspirational funky material that makes the album a lasting classic decade after decade! CD

Titles include "Let's Go", "Candy O", "Night Spots", "You Can't Hold On Too Long", "Got A Lot On My Head", "It's All I Can Do", "Dangerous Type" and "Since I Held You". LP, Vinyl record album

Rare unrelased recordings by the legendary Nat King Cole Trio! Forget all the soppy pop stuff you've heard a million times – this is the real deal, the kind of stuff that got Nat noticed in the first place, and the type of material that he was playing for LA audiences in the immediate postwar years. The trio features the great Oscar Moore on guitar, plus Johnny Miller on bass and Nat on piano and vocals. Tracks include "Everyone Is Saying Hello Again", "I Found A New Baby", "My Sugar Is So Refined", "I'm Through With Love", "Oh, But I Do", and "I You Can't Smile & Say Yes". CD

An amazing package – a pair of rare avant jazz albums, presented here together! The first album is Peace In The World – maybe the only album issued under the name of Michael Cosmic – but a set that's part of a key legacy with his brother, reedman Phill Musra! The set has Cosmic in very heady territory – sounds that come from his young tenure in the AACM, his brief time with Cecil Taylor, and his budding reputation on the 70s Boston scene – where the set was recorded, and almost stands as a precursor to the rich legacy of improvisational jazz that would emerge on the New England scene for decades to come! Tracks are long and very free, but have spiritual currents too – and Cosmic is mostly on piano, with Musra on soprano sax and tenor, Leonard Brown on soprano and tenor, John Jamyll Jones on bass, Huseyin Ertunc on drums, and Eric Jackson on percussion. Titles include "We Love You Malcolm X", "Peace In The World", "Sapce On Space", and "Arabia". Next is the related album Creator Spaces, by Phill Musra – recorded at the time when he was part of the very underground Boston avant scene – a world that had a slightly different vibe than music coming from Chicago, Detroit, or New York! The album's got a spiritual avant bent – soulful at the core, with lots of references to outer space as well – and an approach that feels a lot like a classic Saturn Records session by Sun Ra, both in sound and spirit! Musra plays reeds, chimes, and percussion – and the group features some incredible sax work by Michael Cosmic, who also plays a bit of organ, again in a tripped-out, Ra-type way. Huseyin Ertunc plays percussion – very free and loose, in ways that are a great balance to the more angular lines of the reeds – and tracks include "The Creator Is So Far Out", "The Creator Spaces", "Egypt", and "Arabia". LP, Vinyl record album

An amazing package – a pair of rare avant jazz albums, presented here together! The first album is Peace In The World – maybe the only album issued under the name of Michael Cosmic – but a set that's part of a key legacy with his brother, reedman Phill Musra! The set has Cosmic in very heady territory – sounds that come from his young tenure in the AACM, his brief time with Cecil Taylor, and his budding reputation on the 70s Boston scene – where the set was recorded, and almost stands as a precursor to the rich legacy of improvisational jazz that would emerge on the New England scene for decades to come! Tracks are long and very free, but have spiritual currents too – and Cosmic is mostly on piano, with Musra on soprano sax and tenor, Leonard Brown on soprano and tenor, John Jamyll Jones on bass, Huseyin Ertunc on drums, and Eric Jackson on percussion. Titles include "We Love You Malcolm X", "Peace In The World", "Sapce On Space", and "Arabia". Next is the related album Creator Spaces, by Phill Musra – recorded at the time when he was part of the very underground Boston avant scene – a world that had a slightly different vibe than music coming from Chicago, Detroit, or New York! The album's got a spiritual avant bent – soulful at the core, with lots of references to outer space as well – and an approach that feels a lot like a classic Saturn Records session by Sun Ra, both in sound and spirit! Musra plays reeds, chimes, and percussion – and the group features some incredible sax work by Michael Cosmic, who also plays a bit of organ, again in a tripped-out, Ra-type way. Huseyin Ertunc plays percussion – very free and loose, in ways that are a great balance to the more angular lines of the reeds – and tracks include "The Creator Is So Far Out", "The Creator Spaces", "Egypt", and "Arabia". Also features unreleased tracks "The Creator Is So Far Out (unreleased version)" and "Phyllis". Added to the set is a really special bonus third CD – an unreleased long live performance of "The Prayer" by Worlds Experience Orchestra – a group from the same scene at the time – with Shaddu Jones on piano, Stan Strickland on tenor and soprano, Frank Peterson on alto, John Jamyll Jones on bass, Robert Ruff on cello, Larry Lerner on drums, and John Klein on amplified violin. CD

Very cool double length set by this beat-heavy French producer! The set falls somewhere in between modern hip hop and D'Angelo-type soul instrumentals – with slight touches of drum and bass thrown into the mix from time to time. Most cuts are instrumentals, with a strong beat/sample/instrumental groove – but a few others have vocals. Titles include "Voodoo Jazz", "You Do Something To Me", "DJ Cam Sound System", "Ghetto Love", "Cycle Interlude", "Candyman", "Mental Invasion", "Waiting For Franck Black", and "Millenium". CD

Fantastic early work from The Dramatics – an amazing blend of sweet soul harmony vocals, Memphis soul production, and some other-worldly songwriting that far surpasses later work of the group. This album's one of the band's most righteous, with a mixture of Curtom-type message cuts and sweeter love songs – and it includes the cuts "The Devil is Dope", "Beware of the Man (With The Candy In His Hand)", "Jim, What's Wrong With Him?", and "Hey You! Get Off My Mountain". Stellar soul sound, with a vibe that's unlike a lot of other stuff on the Stax/Volt label! Includes the bonus track "Stand Up Clap You Hands". CD

One of the best records ever cut by funky sax man Joe Farrell! The album's got a stripped down, choppy groove – virtually the blueprint for later 70s funk of this type, and played perfectly by Farrell and a very hip quartet lineup! Players include Joe on soprano and tenor sax, Herbie Hancock on keyboards, Stanley Clarke on bass, and Jack DeJohnette on drums – playing with a very angular sense of rhythm that really dives the record! The record's got a tight combo sound that's far more energetic than most CTI jazz from the time – and titles include the great cut "Great Gorge", which has a tight modal sample groove, plus "Times Lie", "Bass Folk Song", and "Moon Germs". LP, Vinyl record album

Everybody's favorite bossa album just got a little better! Bebel Gilberto's Tanto Tempo set is one of the recent runaway hits of Brazilian music – a lively set of modern bossa tunes that has crossed over with listeners around the globe, bringing the sound of the bossa to a whole new generation of listeners. Now, the set's designed to go even further – as it's remixed by a host of DJs and producers from the global groove underground! The package is really well done – not just a bunch of naff "pump up the beat" type tunes, but very thoughtful explorations of the melodies and rhythms of the original tunes, mostly handled by artists whose own recording work is largely in the Brazilian or bossa idiom. Tunes include "August Day Song" remixed by Da Lata, "Sem Contencao" remixed by Truby Trio, "Alguem" remixed by Ananda Project, "Tanto Tempo" remixed by Peter Kruder, "So Nice" remixed by Mario Caldato, "Close Your Eyes" remixed by Faze Action, "Samba Da Bencao" remixed by 4 Hero, and "Tanto Tempo" remixed by Chari Chari. CD

A stunning live example of Ike's amazing baroque soul for Stax! Despite the schmaltz that you might expect from a live set recorded at Lake Tahoe, the album's a beautiful batch of long tracks with a very similar feel to Ike's other Stax work at the time – and it really gives you an excellent chance to hear how he could create these tiny little masterpieces even in a live setting, without any sort of studio trickery. Titles include "Do Your Thing", "Theme From The Men", "Look Of Love", "Theme From Shaft", "Ike's Rap V", "Windows Of The World", "Ain't No Sunshine", and "Type Thang". 2 LPs – in a cool die-cut cover! LP, Vinyl record album

The Mothership goes under water – as George Clinton and crew groove away nicely on this water-themed set of tracks designed to raise Atlantis from the deep! The overall sound is perhaps not as totally perfect as some of the earlier albums, but the P-Funk machine is still in full effect – cranking away nice and hard on tracks like "Liquid Sunshine", "Motor Booty Affair", "Deep", "Rumpofsteelskin", and "(Your'e A Fish And I'm A) Water Sign". Plus, the album more than makes up for a lack of standout tracks with a nicely-united theme – almost a "concept album" of the funky type! CD

An excellent groover from the legendary Vince Montana! Vince arranged, produced, conducted, and wrote just about all of this second album by hard-grooving Salsoul Orchestra – and the album's a no-nonsense batch of disco instrumentals that's way better than many of the fake albums of the type that sprung up in the group's wake. The players include the cream of the Sigma Studios team – including the Baker/Harris/Young triad – and the tracks have a wonderfully soulful sound, with loads of great instrumentation on guitar, bass, percussion, and Montana's jazzy vibes! Titles include "It's Good For The Soul", "Nightcrawler", "Nice N Naasty", "Salsoul 3001", "Ritzy Mambo", and "It Don't Have To Be Funky (To Be A Groove)". LP, Vinyl record album

Just two matchsticks on the cover, but a sound that's wonderfully rich and deep – a special blend of righteous message and understated grooves – all served up at a level that really sets Sault apart from the rest! Production is by Inflo, who keeps things spare and crisp – but with a depth that's hard to put in words – as the female vocals deliver tunes that really seem right for the moment, but also have plenty of power to keep on going for years to come – a very different vibe than many other work of its type from the time, but in a really great way. Titles include "Living In America", "Red Lights", "Threats", "Smile & Go", "Tip Toe", "No Bullshit", and "Feel So Good". LP, Vinyl record album

Another stunning compilation of funky rarebits from the great Soul Patrol label! Despite the usual goofy title, the whole darn thing's nice and solid, and the track list is filled with stuff you won't find elsewhere – unless you're the type that pays a fortune for rare funk 45s! The tempo's increased a bit from the last one, which means that the funky grooves are coming down in an even tighter format – with lots of choppy guitar riffs, tightly snapping drumbeats, and phatly rolling basslines. A few other cuts expand the sound past the usual Soul Patrol sound, keeping the vibe nice and fresh. Titles include "Funky Juice" by The Rappers, "Ghet-To Funk" by Duralcha, "Street Scene" by Leon Mitchinson, "Fagged Out" by The Deacons, "Al's Place" by Los Vampiros, "Jazz Dramatic" by Det Moor Orchestra, and "James Brown Boogaloo" by The Incredible Showmen. CD

This is the kind of funk they've been hiding from you all these years – the real deal, the heavy stuff, the type of work that's made driving around the country looking for rare 45s so worthwhile! This material's the kind that makes a trip like that happen – super-rare funk from Texas, dug up by the Jazzman posse, and given the stamp of approval by DJ Shadow! The package is a perfect introduction to the lost heritage of Texas funky work – as it not only includes 21 searing tracks of funk (some of the best we've heard compiled in a long time!), but it also features a breakdown of the different scenes in the state, and a full set of notes on each tune, complete with an image of the original 45! The whole thing's unbelievable – as well researched as it is hard and funky, and a delight to the ears throughout. Titles include "Give Everybody Some" by Mickey & The Soul Generation, "Sissy Strut" by Joe Bravo, "Soul Pot" by The Soul Ones, "Every Man For Himself" by The Road Runners, "Super Funk" by Vern Blair Debate, "Soul Pride" by Little Joe & The Latinaires, "I Turn You On" by Latin Breed, "Funky Stuff" by Little Jr Jesse & His Teardrops & The Tears, "Funky Chick" by The Majestics, and "Do Your Thing (parts 1 & 2)" by Zapata. CD

One of the greatest records of all time – and don't you forget it! Despite the countless lines of type that have been written about this record, nothing does it full justice like an all-through listen – something we're reminded of every time we put this one on the turntable, which is a heck of a lot over the years! Brian Wilson busted his ass making this little gem – and the rest of the world, and the band, were never the same again – awash in harmonies that most other groups tried to match, set to themes of young loss, longing, and frustration that really mark an emotional development – not just in the Beach Boys, but in pop music in general. And although some of the tracks are ones you've heard a million times on oldies stations, they somehow resonate together much more strongly here – taking on new meaning as the smaller elements of each song come into constellation with each other – creating a complicated tapestry of feelings set to near-godlike orchestrations. Titles include "God Only Knows", "Caroline No", "Pet Sounds", "I Just Wasn't Made for These Times", "Wouldn't It Be Nice", and "You Still Believe In Me". LP, Vinyl record album

A jazz funk masterpiece, and THE record by the legendary Don Blackman – the only one issued under his own name for many many years, and a famous little set that's been sampled endlessly over the years, and for good reason! The vibe here is one that's barely been matched again – a blend of 70s fusion, bassy funk, and even tighter riffing – all put together with a greater depth and sense of soul than most other records of its type. Blackman's a GRP contemporary of Bernard Wright, Tom Browne, and Weldon Irvine – and there's bits of all their sound in the work here, but somehow Don does it even better – hitting these grooves, notes, and lines that seem to fall from the heavens – and which still stand as some of the hippest music of his generation. A record to file proudly next to your copies of Ramp and James Mason – and like those gems, the kind of record that only happens once in an artists career! Titles include "You Ain't Hip", "Yabba Dabba Do", "Heart's Desire", "Deaf Hook Up Connection", "Never Miss A Thing", and "Holding You Loving You", and "Since You Been Away So Long". CD

Fantastic! This is a lost bit of Chicago jazz history, featuring a group of soulful jazz players, many of whom went on to be in The Pharaohs or Earth Wind & Fire. Players include Charles Handy, Don Myrick, Aaron Dodd, Henry Gibson, and Louis Satterfield, and the sound is deep, moody, and spiritual – with little of the funky side that The Pharaohs had. Phil Cohran leads up this heavy group, and he plays coronet (as he did with Sun Ra), plus two groovy instruments of his own invention – the violin uke and the great Frankiphone (a sort of electric thumb piano). The tracks are spiritual and long, with meaningful, meditative passages. The album includes the driving conga funk track "Unity", the singing soulful track "The Minstrel", the incredibly haunting "On The Beach", and the track "Motherhood", which has a strong Abbey Lincoln type of feel. Great stuff, and tough to find. LP, Vinyl record album

Magical music from the very first note – the kind of record you need to hear if you've ever doubted the genius of Bill Evans! The sound here is subtle, and supple – but still often more revolutionary than that of the countless albums it inspired in years to come – and Evans is completely at home on the record, working with bassist Chuck Israels and drummer Paul Motian – both players who helped to re-invent the role of rhythm in the piano combo of the time! Titles include a sublime reading of "How My Heart Sings", plus "Walking Up", "Show Type Tune", "Summertime", "34 Skidoo", and "In Your Own Sweet Way". LP, Vinyl record album