A bouyant, large group affair led by trombonist Delfeayo Marsalis. Tracks include "Sidewalk Sizzle", "Sleepin' Bee", "Basie Moods", "High Cotton", "Summertime", and more. CD

Uptown Quintet is Ryan Kisor on trumpet, Spike Wilner on piano, Ian Henderickson-Smith on alto sax, Barak Mori on bass and Charles Ruggiero on drums. CD

George Benson's first LP for Columbia – a hard, heavy, soul jazz slammer that bears no resemblance to his overproduced work of the 70s! The album's a real cooker – recorded hot on the heels of Benson's classic work on Prestige with the Jack McDuff group, and sounding a lot like McDuff's hard wailing organ jazz of the same time. George is working with a group that features a young Lonnie Smith on organ, plus Blue Mitchell on trumpet, Ronnie Cuber on sax, and Charlie Persip on drums – all tightly coming together, and jamming hard on the album's short cooking tracks. Tracks include "Clockwise", "Jaguar", "Hello Birdie", and "Bullfight". LP, Vinyl record album

Includes the songs "Green Eyes", "Let Me Off Uptown", "Kick It!", "After You've Gone", "Rockin' Chair", "Armour", "Stop! The Red Light's On", "Watch The Birdie", "The Walls Keep Talking", "Skylark", "Bolero At The Savoy", "Thanks For The Boogie Ride", "Keep 'Em Flying", "Pass The Bounce", "Ball Of Fire", "Harlem On Parade", "Knock Me A Kiss", "Barrelhouse Bessie From Basin Street", "That Drummer's Band", "Murder He Says", "Bop Boogie", "Watch Out", "Swiss Lullaby", and "Why Fall In Love With A Stranger". CD

One of Duke Ellington's standout sides for Columbia – a strong recording that revisits many of the best elements of his earlier work, and offers up some more sophisticated scoring for the 50s – thanks to extended track length in the LP generation! The tunes here are older ones, but they're taken to some nicely hip territory – thanks to Duke's strong ear for modern changes, and a line up of players that includes Billy Strayhorn on piano, Paul Gonsalves on tenor, Clark Terry and Ray Nance on trumpets, Juan Tizol on trombone, and Louis Bellson on drums. Bellson does a great job on the classic "Skin Deep" – a real showcase for his talents in this recording – and other titles include "The Mooche", "Take The A Train", and "Perdido" – plus "The Controversial Suite". CD

One of the coolest combos working in Chicago these days – a trad jazz group with a really wonderful sound, and a freshness that you'd never find with other trad combos – an electrifying revival of modes we never thought we'd like this much from contemporary players! Tracks include "Uptown", "Edna", "Ruff Scufflin'", "Out Of A Clear Blue Sky", and "Harmony Blues". CD

... LP, Vinyl record album

Essential dub material from the legendary King Tubby – a set that's one of the best of the genre during the classic years – and which stands as a true testament to how great the format can be when handled right! The watchword here is simplicity – as the key elements are almost isolated in little sonic chambers, then set to resonate alongside each other – pulled from rhythms from tracks initially done as vocal productions, but reworked through the mixing talents of Erroll "ET" Thompson and Tubby. Players include Bobby Ellis on trumpet, Richard "Dirty Harry" Hall on tenor, and Augustus Pablo on organ and piano, plus a bit of clarinet. Titles include "Keep On Dubbing", "Stop Them Jah", "Young Generation Dub", "Each One Dub", "555 Dub Street", "Braces Tower Dub", "King Tubby Meets Rockers Uptown", "Corner Crew Dub", "Say So", "Skanking Dub", and "Frozen Dub". CD

Killer Southern California garage grooves from The Rumbers – seedy, surf & drag rock influenced instrumentals and gonzo vocals alike – great sings cut for Downey, Highland and Uptown Records. The boys were cleanly coiffed and sharply dressed, but their style of proto trash rock and hard grooving R&B influences is a genuine blueprint for seedy rock to come. Often lumped in with the surf rock scene, which isn't a terribly wrong classification,there's much more of a garage R&B vibe and an all around sharper edge. Awesome stuff whatever ya want to call it! 28 tracks in all: "Boss"," Tootnanny", "Bugged" (we're thinking Lux Interior must have adored this track), "Wild Weekend", "Wiggle Wobble", "Rumble", "Stomping Time", "Night Scene", "All Night Long", "Night Train", "Boss Soul", "Riot In Cell Block #9", "Strawboss", "Why Did You Make Me Cry", "Angry Sea" and many more. CD

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A pretty great trio date from Billy Taylor – and somewhat overlooked, too! The group features Henry Grimes on bass and Ray Mosca on drums – and the set captures Billy in a perfect spot between his early work for Prestige, and some of his 60s mainstream material – heard here in a mode that's still got some nice soul jazz grit in the grooves. Titles include "Soul Sister", "Biddy's Beat", "La Petite Mambo", "Cu Blu", and "Warm Blue Stream". LP, Vinyl record album

With Eran Fink on drums. CD

The Trojan Records label was a pivotal force in taking reggae to a larger audience at the end of the 60s – pushing a huge amount of Jamaican artists into the global scene, and forever helping the sound of music in the process! Trojan was especially heavy in the years of ska and rocksteady, and this package is filled with some of the key cuts the label helped put on the map – tracks that are classic numbers from the early reggae years, and which had a hell of a lot of power both in Jamaica, and overseas in the UK! 2LP set features 28 tracks in all – and titles include "007" by Desmond Dekker & The Aces, "Double Barrel" by Dave & Ansel Collins, "Everything I Own" by Ken Boothe, "Uptown Top Ranking" by Althea & Donna, "Israelites" by Desmond Dekker & The Aces, "Let Your Yeah Be Yeah" by The Pioneers, "54 46 Was My Number" by the Maytals, "Monkey Spanner" by Dave & Ansel Collins, "OK Fred" by Errol Dunkley, "Girlie Girlie" by Sophia George, "Money In My Pocket" by Dennis Brown, "Black Pearl" by Horace Faith, "You Can Get It If You Really Want" by Desmond Dekker, and "To Be Young Gifted & Black" by Bob & Marcia. LP, Vinyl record album

Before Andre Harrell gave Puffy his first break, Uptown was peddlin' commercial rap like Heavy D, who's "Mr Big Stuff" is included here. But the cut that makes this comp worthwhile is Marley Marl's "He Cuts So Fresh". Other tracks by the Uptown Crew, Finesse & Synquis, Woody Rock & the Brothers Black. LP, Vinyl record album

The Trojan Records label was a pivotal force in taking reggae to a larger audience at the end of the 60s – pushing a huge amount of Jamaican artists into the global scene, and forever helping the sound of music in the process! Trojan was especially heavy in the years of ska and rocksteady, and this package is filled with some of the key cuts the label helped put on the map – tracks that are classic numbers from the early reggae years, and which had a hell of a lot of power both in Jamaica, and overseas in the UK! 2CD set features 50 tracks in all – and titles include "007" by Desmond Dekker & The Aces, "Double Barrel" by Dave & Ansel Collins, "Everything I Own" by Ken Boothe, "Uptown Top Ranking" by Althea & Donna, "Israelites" by Desmond Dekker & The Aces, "Let Your Yeah Be Yeah" by The Pioneers, "54 46 Was My Number" by the Maytals, "Monkey Spanner" by Dave & Ansel Collins, "OK Fred" by Errol Dunkley, "Girlie Girlie" by Sophia George, "Money In My Pocket" by Dennis Brown, "Black Pearl" by Horace Faith, "You Can Get It If You Really Want" by Desmond Dekker, and "To Be Young Gifted & Black" by Bob & Marcia. CD

A strong, soulful set from alto saxophonist Vincent Herring – of the sort he always seemed to get on earlier recordings, but which he hardly ever hits this well these days! The album's got a no-nonsense quality that really brings out the best in Vincent's horn – with a rock-solid rhythm section that features Cyrus Chestnut on piano, with Brandi Disterheft on bass and Joe Farnsworth on drums – all driving things with a nicely romping sensibility, in ways that push the richest, most soulful elements from Herring's horn – those almost tenor-like bits of phrasing we love so much when he's at his best. Tracks are relatively long – as befits the well-recorded live setting of these Smoke Sessions albums – and titles include "Elation", "Uptown Shuffle", "The Atholete", "Don't Let It Go", "Big Bertha", and "Tenderly". CD

A soul jazz gem from drummer Alvin Queen – one of the overlooked treasures on his own Nilva Records label from the 80s! The set's a monster all the way through – a cut above so many other sides like this from the time, and put together with a sock-solid energy that almost recalls earlier brilliance on labels like Blue Note or Prestige! Queen's at the head of the group on drums – pushing the lineup with Blakey-like intensity, yet in a slightly looser, more open feel overall – especially when it comes to the structure of the solos. Players include Manny Boyd on saxes, Terence Blanchard on trumpet, Robin Eubanks on trombone, John Hicks on piano, and Ray Drummond on bass – the last of whom produced the record with a very jazz-sensitive ear! Titles include "Hassan", "Europia", "Jammin Uptown", "After Liberation", and "Mind Wine". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the greatest records we've ever heard from the legendary Maxine Sullivan – and a set that's got a bit more of a contemporary jazz vibe overall! The set's done with the group of tenorist Scott Hamilton – a great player to choose for a session like this, as he's one with a very classic sound in his horn, which further deepens the soul of the record – while also balancing it with the more contemporary generation in which Hamilton's spent most of his career. The recording style is relatively laidback and open – just small group swing, but with more mature, modern moments of expression – on titles that include "You Were Meant For Me", "I Thought About You", "Goody Goody", "By Myself", "I Got A Right To Sing The Blues", and "Just One Of Those Things". CD

An uptown sound, recorded downtown at the Blue Note – a bold large ensemble outing from McCoy Tyner, and one that reminds us of that great group he was getting in the 70s! The players here are all super-hip – showing that key Tyner ear for picking sidemen – and the lineup includes Virgil Jones and Kamau Adilfu on trumpets, Steve Turre on trombone, Joe Ford and Doug Harris on alto and flute, Ricky Ford and Junior Cook on tenors, and Louis Hayes on drums – all moving with tight formation, over the sort of soaring Tyner numbers that always win our heart! Titles include "Lotus Flower", "Genesis", "Three Flowers", "Blues For Basie", and "Love Surrounds Us". CD

A really great set, and one that picks up on a very cool concept – as it features tracks that have the cooler, classier side of southern soul – music that was recorded for the mighty Excello family of labels in its later years, at a time when both deep soul and the indie label scene were really changing things up! There's a great crossroads of styles going on here – bluesy currents, raw soul, and some richer production that really sews the whole thing together – on tracks that were mostly issued as 7" singles, but work here together tremendously well as a compilation! CD features 24 tracks in all – including "Crystal Blue Persuasion" by The Kelly Brothers, "Sweetest Girl In The World" by Roger Hatcher, "That's Loving You" by Percy Wiggins, "Even If The Signs Are Wrong" by Shirley Brown, "Childhood Days" by Bobby Powell, "Don't Let Our Love Fade Away" by Marva Whitney, "Save A Foolish Man" by Lee Brackett, "That's My Man" by Marion James, "I Would If I Could" by The Avons, "Set Your Soul On Fire" by Jerry Washington, "What Price For Love" by Bennie Shaw, and "I'm Not Your Regular Woman" by Lucille Mathis. CD

The landmark debut of Mary J Blige – a record that not only did a great job of blending underground hip hop and mainstream soul sensibilities – but maybe also opened the door for the Neo Soul revolution to come! Mary comes on here with a fresh new vision in female soul – one that's informed by the youth and upfront energy of the hip hop female MCs that preceded her – but with a depth that also makes Blige sort of the new Aretha Franklin for the end of the century – a deep soul singer, but one who's equally at home in the streets and the studio. Important production is by a young Sean Combs – some of his first great work on record – and the set also features guest appearances from Busta Rhymes, Little Shawn, Grand Puba, Erick Sermon, and CL Smooth. Titles include "Real Love", "Sweet Thing", "Love No Limit", "You Remind Me", "Reminisce", "What's The 411", "I Don't Want To Do Anything", "Changes I've Been Going Through", "Slow Down", and "My Love". CD

Includes "Real Love", "Love No Limit", "You Remind Me", "Reminisce", "What's The 411?", and "You Don't Have To Worry" remixed by Diddy – plus "Sweet Thing" remixed by Mark Spark, and "Changes I've Been Going Through" and "My Love" both remixed by Teddy Riley. CD

Beautiful work from baritone saxophonist Serge Chaloff – one of a few key players who helped reinvent the role of his instrument in jazz during the postwar years – but one who only made a handful of records before his too-early death! This live performance really corrects the lack of entries in the Chaloff catalog – and it really stands as a nice contrast to the more composed vibe of his Capitol albums – as the tracks are long and open, and Serge really blows us away with his imagination and power on the solos! The group's not an all-star one – Jerry Murphy on piano, Al Dimino on bass, and Don Sheldon on drums – but Chaloff hardly lets that get in the way, as he steps out front right from the start, and blows beautifully on both the swingers and ballads – with a depth and dexterity that most folks would usually only hit on the tenor. Titles include "Ninety Nine Guys", "Wildwood", "Move", "Tea For Two", "I'll Remember April", "Love Is Just Around The Corner", and "Willow Weep For Me". CD

Sonny Clark on piano, Jerry Good on bass, and Al Randall on drums. CD

A great later date from this tenorist who made so much great music in the bop years – well-recorded, with a great quartet that includes Hod O'Brien on piano! Includes a version of the Coltrane tune "Equinox" – quite a meeting of the minds – plus "Ladybird", "Room Service Blues", and "For All We Know". LP, Vinyl record album

A trio date with Barry Harris on piano, Rufus Reid on bass, and Leroy Williams on drums. CD

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A well-done session for the Uptown label – one that has the guitar of Peter Leitch in superb company – a quintet with Pepper Adams on baritone, John Hicks on piano, Ray Drummond on bass, and Billy Hart on drums! LP, Vinyl record album

Small combo work from Charlie Parker working north of the border with a guitarist Dick Garcia and a changing lineup that includes a Paul Bley on three tracks. Other musicians include Brew Moore, Valdo Williams, Billy Graham, and Bobb Rudd. CD

Genius work from Lucky Thompson – some previously unissued sides from that tremendous time when he was really changing up his sound! The work here is from the same period when Lucky returned to the US after some key years in Europe – and the overall feel is very similar to his sublime recordings on the Rivoli label – like those records, a magnificent blend of tenor and soprano sax stylings, often set to modal rhythms that marked a whole new style for Thompson! These tracks are almost even better, though – in that they're live numbers, and often quite extended – really letting Lucky stretch out with amazing qualities in his new sense of sound and freedom. The soprano lines are especially great – tremendous stuff that we'd rank right up there with Nathan Davis' explorations on the instrument – and Thompson is heard in two different groups: the first with Dave Burns on trumpet, Danny Turner on alto, Cecil Payne on baritone, Benny Powell on trombone, and Hank Jones on piano – on tracks that include "The World Awakes", "Minuet In Blues", "Twas Yesterday", and "Firebug". The second set features a smaller group – with Paul Neves on piano, George Tucker on bass, and Oliver Jackson on drums – on titles that include "Strike Up The Band", "The World Awakes", "What's New", and "Lady Bird" – plus a bit of talking from MC Alan Grant. CD

The stunning second album from Mary J Blige – a record that showed that both the singer and her new form of soul music were around to stay! Production is from Sean Combs and Chucky Thompson – very heavy on beats borrowed from the underground, but nicely tuned to the mainstream – all with a streetwise vibe that immediately made the lady such a nice contrast to some of the more cloying commercial R&B from a few years before. And if you think the approach is all attitude and hype, guess again – because Blige almost reintroduces deep soul to the charts with the classic "I'm Going Down" – alongside other classics that include "You Bring Me Joy", "Be Happy", "My Life", "Mary's Joint", "Don't Go", "I Love You", "No One Else", "I Never Wanna Live Without You", "I'm The Only Woman", and "Mary Jane". CD

With mixes by Eddie F. 12-inch, Vinyl record

Production by Marly Marl and Eddie F. With 12 tracks, including "We Got Our Own Thang", "More Bounce", "Girlz, They Love Me" & "Here We Go again, Y'All". CD

... CD

A legendary live set from the great tenorist JR Monterose – one cut in a small club in Albany at the end of the 70s, but a record we love every bit as much as JR's famous debut on Blue Note! The tone here is a lot more biting in the earlier years – informed by years of Monterose's experience in the smaller streams of jazz, and expressed with a wonderfully heartfelt quality that leaves us breathless right from the very first note! JR's still got all the sense of modern in his horn, but also has a much deeper sense of feeling too – a quality that makes the album a stunner all the way through, and has us again scratching our heads wondering why Monterose was never a bigger force in jazz. Backing is by a small combo that features the equally excellent Hod O'Brien on piano, plus Teddy Kotick on bass and Eddie Robinson on drums – and titles include "Lu-Ann", "Ruby My Dear", and "The Shadow Of Your Smile". CD features three never-heard bonus tracks from the same set – "Giant Steps", "Green Street Scene", and "I Should Care". CD

Rare live material from Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker – working here with Max Roach, Curly Russell, Al Haig, and special guest Don Byas on tenor. Tracks include "Night In Tunisia", "Salt Peanuts", "Hot House", "Fifty Second Street Theme", and "Bebop". CD

Three broadcast sessions from the historic Storyville Club in Boston! The group here includes Russ Freeman on piano, Carson Smith on bass, Bob Neel on drums, and Baker on trumpet. Tracks include "Maid In Mexico", "Long Ago & Far Away", "My Funny Valentine", and "The Wind" – 19 tracks including intermissions. CD

The stunning second album from Mary J Blige – a record that showed that both the singer and her new form of soul music were around to stay! Production is from Sean Combs and Chucky Thompson – very heavy on beats borrowed from the underground, but nicely tuned to the mainstream – all with a streetwise vibe that immediately made the lady such a nice contrast to some of the more cloying commercial R&B from a few years before. And if you think the approach is all attitude and hype, guess again – because Blige almost reintroduces deep soul to the charts with the classic "I'm Going Down" – alongside other classics that include "You Bring Me Joy", "Be Happy", "My Life", "Mary's Joint", "Don't Go", "I Love You", "No One Else", "I Never Wanna Live Without You", "I'm The Only Woman", and "Mary Jane". LP, Vinyl record album

Includes "Everything", "Share My World", "Can't Get You Off My Mind", "Missing You", "Our Love" and "Get To Know You Better". CD

A great assemblage of rare early material by Charles Mingus – recorded, as the title implies, on the west coast during the late 40s. The range of styles is pretty strong – as some tracks are small group sides, some larger ensembles, some with vocalists, and others more experimental – but the tunes are all united by a tightness even in the face of more complicated settings, showing Mingus as an incredibly talented leader even at this early point in his career. There's strands of bop and swing moving through the set with a dark edge – especially on the vocal numbers, which often have a off-beat sound that's quite different than the usual singer-with-band 40s approach. Titles include "Lonesome Woman Blues", "Swingin An Echo", "Ain't Jivin Blues", "Weird Nightmare", "Bedspread", "Pipe Dream", "Mingus Fingers", "Boppin In Boston", "Inspiration", "The Story Of Love", "Lyon's Roar", "This Subdues My Passion", and "The Texas Hop". 23 tracks in all. CD

Rare Bacharach galore – an assortment of under-reissued tracks all penned by the mighty Burt – most of which are from the heyday of 60s uptown soul! Despite the 1952 in the date range on the title, almost all the tunes here are from the mid 60s – that time when Bacharach was writing new tunes like a demon, and getting most of them recorded by a range of great talents on the New York scene. Singers are a good mix of soul, pop, rock, and vocal artists – and although the material was done for a variety of different labels, there's a relatively unified feel – thanks to that snapping syncopation that Burt always brought to work like this. CD features 26 titles in all – including "How About" by Della Reese, "Third Window From The Right" by Dean Barlow, "I Wake Up Crying" by Del Shannon, "I Looked For You" by Charlie Gracie, "That's Not The Answer" by Vi Velasco, "More Time To Be With You" by Brook Benton, "Three Friends" by The Turbans, "Move It On The Backbeat" by Burt & The Backbeats, "You're Telling Our Secrets" by Dee Clark, "Thirty Miles Of Railroad Track" by The Hammond Brothers, "The Story Of My Life" by Big Al Downing, "Made In Paris" by Trini Lopez, "Rain From The Skies" by Adam Wade, and "True Love Never Runs Smooth" by Don & Juan. CD

A record that really seems to live up to its title – as the sound here is maybe a little bit sunnier than on some of Arthur Blythe's previous albums! The record features heavy contributions from Todd Cochran – aka Bayete – who plays keyboards on most numbers, and introduces more of an electric vibe to the album than previous Blythe outings. The style isn't entirely fusion, but it's definitely warm and sunny – and Arthur responds as such with his solo work – a tight tighter and less edgey, but still nicely soulful. The album features a nice remake of the tune "Sentimental Walk" – from the movie Diva – plus the tracks "Uptown Strut", "Silhouette", "Put Sunshine In It", and "Tumalalumah". LP, Vinyl record album

Beautiful uptown soul from Jerry – with pre Gamble-Huff arrangements by Jo Renzetti and Jimmy Wisner. The tracks do a great job of maintaining the perfect Iceman sound from Jerry's late Vee Jay years, yet also hint nicely at the direction to come. Titles include "You Walked Into My Life", "I'm Gonna Make You Love Me", "Some Kind Of Magic", "The Way Of Love", and "Why Did I Lose You". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the biggest albums ever from The Chambers Brothers – a set that helped them cross over big into the mainstream – shaking off their previous folksy roots with a rumbling approach to psychedelic soul! The record's got a much heavier groove than any of the group's previous work – a way of hitting a track that still holds onto their gospel-influenced roots, but which also brings in plenty of the fuzzier, funkier touches that were sparking in soul music during the late 60s – especially over at Columbia Records, where their labelmate Sly Stone was capturing a big audience with a very similar sound. The record features the full-length version of the group's massive "Time Has Come Today", an excellent psychedelic soul number that's been lifted for movies and TV shows more times than we can count – and other tracks include "People Get Ready", "Please Don't Leave Me", "In The Midnight Hour", "What The World Needs Now Is Love", "All Strung Out Over You", "I Can't Stand It", "So Tired", and "Uptown". CD

The Faithful Brothers are an Israeli duo, but one who come to their debut after years of collecting Northern Soul 45s – decades of listening, learning, and absorbing – all of which really shows through in this well-done debut! The pair work with a very full lineup of musicians – horns, Hammond, and even a bit of vibes – used like you might hear on some late 60s Detroit indie soul single, with soaring sounds over the romping grooves – all of which really do a great job of elevating the vocals! Yet since the Faithful Brothers themselves just handle instruments, they're also not slavish to the singer – and the album's equally strong on the instrumental tip as it is on the vocal one. Titles include "So Low", "Downtown Uptown", "Night Man", "The Town I Live In", "Joy", "They Don't Know", "Let's Break The Curfew", and "Tell Me One More Time". LP, Vinyl record album

A collection of Concord Records cuts from pianist Gene Harris – a great overview of his time at a label who really let him come back into his own! At Concord, Harris really redefined the way he hit the piano – going back to an all-acoustic mode that recalled his roots in the Three Sounds, but often with a bit more of the funky punch he picked up while stretching out in the 70s! There's plenty of gutbuckety soul jazz piano tracks here – titles that include "Uptown Sop", "Old Funky Gene's", "Blues For Jezebel", "Listen Here", "Put It Where You Want It", "Ode To Billy Joe", and "Sidewinder". CD

Harrison brings a mixture of jazz, New Orleans R&B and Mardi Gras – with some key help from Dr John, along with Cyrus Chestnut, and Donald Harrison Sr – on titles that include "Indian Blues", "Uptown Ruler", "Cherokee", "Hu Taa Nay", "Shallow Water", and "Indian Red". CD

Harrison brings a mixture of jazz, New Orleans R&B and Mardi Gras – with some key help from Dr John, along with Cyrus Chestnut, and Donald Harrison Sr – on titles that include "Indian Blues", "Uptown Ruler", "Cherokee", "Hu Taa Nay", "Shallow Water", and "Indian Red". LP, Vinyl record album

Think what you want about Lena Horne – but this is a plenty darn groovy album! Sure, Lena's style is usually a bit classy and uptown – almost so much so that we don't really dig most of her records. But here, she's working in a very groovy style – paired with the great guitarist Gabor Szabo, in a set of sweetly swinging tunes that share many touches with Gabor's grooviest sides for Impulse and Skey in the 60s! Gabor produced and arranged with Gary McFarland – and the pair really transform the sound of Lena's voice, taking her normally-poised vocals and loosening them up with a subtly funky undercurrent. Richard Tee plays some great organ on the set, in a small combo that also includes Grady Tate and Chuck Rainey – and titles include a lot of Beatles covers – like "Rocky Raccoon", "Fool On The Hill", and "In My Life" – plus the cuts "Nightwind", "Watch What Happens", and "My Mood Is You". CD

Although the cover makes it look as if this album's a set of duets between Chuck and Tammi, it's more of a split LP – with one side of each artist, and a few tracks that seem to have them singing duets. The production's in the best uptown tradition that was used by Wand, and the track list includes "You Don't Know Like I Know", "Need To Belong To Someone", "Every Man Needs A Home Town Girl", "Voice Of Experience", and "Sinner's Devotion". Nice stuff by both of them – especially Tammi! LP, Vinyl record album

An overlooked 60s soul killer on Atlantic Records! We love Deon Jackson – we love his sweetly honest vocal style, we love his songs, and we love the great production he gets from the legendary Ollie McLaughlin! This album is the only one he ever cut – and it's a masterpiece all the way through! Ollie's production mixes some wonderful lilting qualities with rollicking hard soul – it's a far-reaching approach that works incredibly well with Deon's unique approach to the vocals! Includes the super-hit "Love Makes The World Go Round" and a charming uptown soul take on "King Of The Road", plus "Come Back Home", "1-2-3", "You Said You Love Me", "SOS", "Love Is What You Make It" and "Hush Little Baby". LP, Vinyl record album

60s Chicago soul doesn't get any better than this – a sublime debut from the legendary Walter Jackson – done in a smoothly sophisticated style that set a whole new standard for the genre! The record steps off nicely from some of the earliest work by Jerry Butler and The Impressions – blending Chicago soul with more adult-styled orchestrations from Riley Hampton – at a level that has Jackson sitting beautifully across a number of different modes at once – still appealing to the kids with the uptown groovers on the set, but also reaching to an older crowd with the beautiful ballads and heartbreaking love songs. The sound is incredible – easily one of the most fully realized full-length soul records on the Okeh label – and titles include "What Would You Do", "There Goes That Song Again", "I Don't Want To Suffer", "That's What Mama Say", and "It's All Over". CD adds in 10 more bonus tracks – most of which are previously unissued – making for an amazing collection that's one of the first time that Jackson's work at Okeh is finally getting its due! Bonus titles include "The Heartbreak Road", "Anything Can Happen", "Blue Rose", "Starting Tomorrow", "Don't Play With Love", "It's Hard To Believe", "You Gotta Give", and "Tell The World". CD

Four classic albums from this hip British soul group – issued here in a single set, with bonus tracks too! First up is New Religion – a record that was also released in America by Atlantic Records. Although they were a UK soul act, Jimmy James and The Vagabonds were a perfect match for the Atlantic soul stable of the 60s. The group had a smooth group style that was partly uptown, partly northern soul – as clearly illustrated in this album, which is divided up into a "mood red: you feel like leaping" side, and a "mood blue: you feel like digging deeper" side. The band chose some good material that really helps them maintain a solid socking soul sound – including "The Entertainer" and "Ain't Love Good, Ain't Love Proud" by Tony Clarke, "Ain't No Big Thing" and "I'm Just A Fool For You Girl" by Gerald Sims, and "Little Boy Blue" and "People Get Ready" by Curtis Mayfield. Also features "Come To Me Softly", a sweet dreamy ballad by Jimmy, and kind of a bit crossover hit for the boys. London Swings is two-sided monster – as the album was originally split with work from the Alan Bown Set too! Here, the CD features just the live material from the soul group – a smoking performance from Jimmy James & The Vagabonds – one that goes way past the sweetness of their hits, and which has a crowd-pleasing, party-hearty approach to soul that's really great! Jimmy and the group serve up versions of "Sock It To Em JB", "That Driving Beat", "Ain't Too Proud To Beg", "You Don't Know Like I Know", and "Don't Know What I'm Gonna Do". This Is Jimmy James & The Vagabonds is a record that featured some crossover tracks with New Religion – but the set here just features the exclusive cuts – including "I Feel Alright", "I Can't Get Back Home To My Baby", "Never Like This Before", "I Don't Wanna Cry", and "You Showed Me The Way". Open Up Your Soul is a record with a really wonderful sound – the deeply soulful vocals of Jimmy James & The Vagabonds, mixed with rich arrangements handled by Nicky Welsh, and produced to perfection by Brit maestro John Schroeder! The record's got the sophistication of some of the Richard Evans productions over at Chess/Cadet at the same time – and, no surprise, the group lead off with a great cover of The Dells "Wear It On Our Face" – then roll into cuts that include "Cry Like A Baby", "Good Day Sunshine", "Four Walls", "Everybody Loves A Winner", "If You're Gonna Love Me", and "Open Up Your Soul". CD also features 7 more bonus tracks from singles – including "Why", "Bumper To Bumper", "Close The Door", "Give Us A Light", "I Wanna Be your Everything", "Hungry For Love", and "Don't Know What I'm Gonna Do". CD

An excellent Quincy Jones score that stands head and shoulders above the soundtrack to the first film in this series, In The Heat Of The Night. Q is in fine fine form with this material – adding in a lot more funk than before, to fit the uptown theme of the film. There's lots of nice jazzy tracks on the record, and some tight funky ones that made the soundtrack virtually a blueprint for the blacksploitation sound of the 70s! Titles include "Soul Flower", "Call Me Mr. Tibbs", "Black Cherry", "Blues For Mr. Tibbs", and "Fat Poppadaddy". LP, Vinyl record album

Sophisticated soul from the great Ben E King – the kind of record that few other soul artists could touch at the time, and which shows the ever-growing strength of his voice as a solo act! The approach here is similar to the style King first forged with The Drifters – an uptown soul blend of raspy vocals, gentle rhythms, and some light orchestrations – never too pop, and always balanced carefully enough to let King's warmth and soul shine through in the lyrics. Arrangements are by Jerry Wexler and Bert Berns – both well-paired to match Ben's strength – and titles include "Seven Letters", "River Of Tears", "Down Home", "It's All Over", and "Let The Water Run Down". LP, Vinyl record album

Maybe the first album we've ever seen from trumpeter Josh Lawrence – and a set that will definitely have us looking out for more! Lawrence composed almost every tune on the set, and works with a sense of color that really lives up to the title – on lines that are sometimes nicely compressed and subtle, and blown on flugelhorn – sometimes bold and vibrant, soaring out in the company of an excellent group that includes Caleb Curtis on some especially nice alto and flute! The keyboards shift throughout – as Orrin Evans plays acoustic piano on five titles, and Adam Faulk handles Fender Rhodes on seven more – creating a nice shift in color that furthers the spirit of the tunes, driven by rhythm work from Madison Rast on bass and Anwar Marshall on drums. Titles include "Black", "An Uptown Romance", "Yellow", "Presence", "The Conceptualizer", and "Green". CD

Although this set was recorded early in the history of the Main Ingredient's career, it also compiles tracks from their strongest period – which means that nearly every track's a winner, and all are graced by smooth uptown soul arrangements by Bert DeCoteaux. Includes their seminal AM radio hit "Everybody Plays The Fool", plus "Black Seeds Keep On Growing", "Spinning Around (I Must Be Falling In Love)", "Make It With You", "I'm So Proud", "I'm Better Off Without You", "You've Got To Take It (If You Want It)", "Who Can I Turn To (When Nobody Needs Me)", "You've Been My Inspiration", and "No Tears (In The End)". CD

Beautiful sounds from the mighty Jacob Miller – material recorded with Augustus Pablo in the years before Miller went onto greater fame in Inner Circle – and with a rootsy vibe that's still extremely powerful all these many years later! Pablo's at the height of his talents here – able to hit just the best righteous modes, but without ever going over the top – at a level that seems completely effortless, and which really empowers the message in Miller's vocals! The set's overflowing with gems – and titles include "Keep On Knocking", "Each One Teach One", "Who Say Jah No Dread", "False Rasta", "Baby I Love You So", and "Girl Named Pat" – plus the dubs "Knocking Version", "Hungry Town Skank", "King Tubby Meet Rockers Uptown", "Jah Dread", "Each One Teach One Version", and "Girl Named Pat Version". LP, Vinyl record album

Lost grooves from Spanish Harlem – an incredible set of Latin Soul from The 107th Street Stickball Team! With a name like that, the group certainly aren't as well-remembered as contemporaries like Joe Bataan or Willie Colon, but they've got a soulful groove that definitely fits the style of the time – a sweet uptown blend of Harlem soul and Latin rhythms – with the same blend of sweet soul ballads and uptempo groovers you'd find on some of Bataan's classic albums for Fania Records! Bobby Marin put the whole album together, with a tight groove that's very similar to his work for Speed Records – played here by a group that includes Orlando Marin, Louie Ramirez, Ozzie Torrens, and Joey Pastrana – all kings of Latin Soul at the time! Vocalists include Butch Johnson and Danny Agosto – but there's a real group feel to the record, with lots of harmonies behind the lead – the kind of streetcorner soul you might have heard while catching a stickball game on one of the side streets up north of Harlem. Titles include "Toma Guajira", "Look To Me", "You Put A Hurt In My Heart", "Rhythm & Soul", "Mojo Shingaling", "Barbara With The Kooky Eyes", "Tell Her I Love Her", and "Let Me Do My Thing". LP, Vinyl record album

A refresher collection of prime Prince – the biggest hits from the Warner and Paisley Park eras – including the long versions of the some of the best 80s and early 90s cuts! The first disc is a straight up greatest hits collection, starting with "I Wanna Be Your Lover" from the self titled LP and ending with "My Name Is Prince from the "Love Symbol" album – and includes many of the biggest hits in between! Other tracks include "Uptown", "Controversy", "1999", "Delirious", "When Doves Cry", "Purple Rain", "Sign O' The Times", "Gett Off", "Nothing Compares 2 U", and more. Disc 2 includes 11 remixes and/or alternate versions of other essential hits that do not appear on the first CD – including the longer original 12" versions, and similarly extended numbers – carrying everything great about the album versions, and giving you more! Tracks include "Let's Go Crazy (special dance mix)", "Little Red Corvette (dance remix)", "Pop Life (fresh dance mix)", "Rasperry Beret (12" version)", "U Got The Look (long look)", "Theives In The Temple (remix)" and "Cream (NPG mix)". 28 tracks on 2CDs! CD