One of Ackerman's great guitar records – really a cut above some of the more mainstream modes of Windham Hill. The set also features guest work on varying tracks – with Philip Aaberg on piano, Michael Manring on bass, and Charles Bisharat on violin. CD

... CD

The first-ever album on Windham Hill – recorded way before their new age commercial years – at a time when guitarist William Ackerman was a key force in the acoustic underground of the 70s! CD

... LP, Vinyl record album

Music from Jim Brickman, Michael Hedges, Alex De Grassi, Liz Story, William Ackerman, Ray Lynch, Philip Aaberg, and Michael Manring. CD

An amazing array of southern soul – a 3CD package that's overflowing with classics in the genre, but which also features a fair bit of rare numbers too! The presentation of the whole thing is completely top-shelf – with a 72 page booklet that's almost worth the price of admission alone, supported with 3CDs of music containing a total of 75 songs in all! The set's divided up thematically – discs titled You Don't Miss Your Water, The Rainbow Road, and The River, respectively – and even if you've already got a fair bit of southern soul in your collection, you'd be hard pressed to find so much great music anywhere else, especially presented this well. Titles include "I Forgot To Be Your Lover" by William Bell, "Polly Wally" by Tony Borders, "Faithful & True" by ZZ Hill, "What I Don't Know Won't Hurt Me" by Paul Thompson, "I Can't Give You My Heart" by Jimmy Braswell, "Lead Me On" by Gwen McCrae, "Let's Face Facts" by The Masqueraders, "Something I Never Had" by Jarvis Jackson, "Mumble In My Ear" by Marcell Strong, "Tired Of Being Alone" by Al Green, "Jody Come Back & Get Your Shoes" by Bobby Newsom, "Starting All Over Again" by Mel & Tim, "I'll Play The Blues For You" by Geater Davis, "I'll Make It Up To You" by Clay Hammond, "The One You Can't Have" by Shirley Walton, "My Adorable One" by Joe Simon, "Losin Boy" by Eddie Giles, and "We Always Come Back Strong" by Sam Dees. CD

Vibes and orchestrations – a combination that makes for one of the coolest Bobby Hutcherson albums of the 70s – a really magical set that expands the sound of Bobby's work in ways we wouldn't have expected! The style is similar to that used with Grant Green and Lou Donaldson at the time on Blue Note – a style that's clearly trying for the more sophisticated sounds of CTI, and which beautifully balances the modes of presentation – so that there's still plenty of soulful moments and slyly funky bits alongside the strings and woodwinds in the orchestrations – proof that a record like this can be really brilliant if scored properly! Some moments get a bit modern and dark – almost in a William S Fischer kind of way – and titles include the great track "Rain Every Thursday", which begins with an excellent break – plus "The Folks Who Live On The Hill", "Sophisticated Ladies", "When You're Near", "Shirl", and "Lush Life". CD

Music from Garfield Akers, Kid Bailey, William Harris, Blind Willie Reynolds, Arthur Petties, Blind Joe Reynolds, Mississippi Jook Band, Geeshie Wiley, Jelly Jaw Short, King Solomon Hill, Freddie Spruell & more. CD

Includes selections from David Qualey, William Ackerman, Ira Stein & Russel Walder, Philip Aaberg, Bill Oskay & Micheal O Domhnaill, Liz Story, Darol Anger & Mike Marshall, Malcolm Dalglish, Shadowfax, and Mark Isham. CD

With David Garibaldi, Paul Van Wageningen, and William Kennedy on drums. CD

The title's a bit confusing, but that's the way we like it – as the package brings together all sorts of weird and wonderful tunes – work that maybe even pushes past the boundaries of the other wild work we've loved on previous volumes in this series! The set list is huge – 50 tracks in all – and the package runs the gamut of unusual rare singles, with certainly some that might reference the odd jumble of words in the title – but others that all take off in the wonderful melange of modes. We'd not heard most of the work here before – and once again our hat's off to Lux & Ivy for hipping us to so many underground gems – in a huge set list that includes "Rat A Ma Cue" by Pat Patterson, "You're Gone I'm Left" by Tyrone Schmidling, "Red Tiger Shoes" by The Century Five, "Busy Line" by Billy Williams, "Chilli Dippin Baby" by Joyce Poynter, "Big Bowl Of Soul" by The Huntsmen, "I've Been Wrong" by Sweetie Jones, "Hot Shot" by Ronnie Pearson, "Lover Boy" by Chris Christian & The Chordaires, "Ford & Shaker" by James Gallagher, "Leather Jacket Cowboy" by Pepper Pots, "Oh Death" by John Reedy & His Stone Mountain Trio, and "Bongosera" by Grupo Afro Cubano. CD

... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

Mindblowing work from pianist Andrew Hill – one of the key records during that short initial run when Blue Note was really giving him a special showcase for his talents – and when the label was dabbling in more avant jazz as part of the "new thing" moment on the scene! The group here is really the stuff of legends – as the set features a very late performance from Eric Dolphy on alto, plus Joe Henderson on tenor, Kenny Dorham on trumpet, Richard Davis on bass, and Tony Williams on drums – all players at the prime of their young talents, soaring to the skies under the leadership of Hill – skittishly working their way into territory that's never truly free, but wonderfully expressive and exploratory – a clear summation of the sense of "modern" in modern jazz! All tracks are originals by the pianist, too – and titles include "New Monastery", "Flight 19", "Spectrum", "Dedication", and "Refuge". CD reissue also features 3 bonus alternate takes of some of these, for a total of 8 tracks in all. CD

Two classic 60s albums from pianist Andrew Hill – back to back in a single set! First up is Point Of Departure – mindblowing work from pianist Andrew Hill – one of the key records during that short initial run when Blue Note was really giving him a special showcase for his talents – and when the label was dabbling in more avant jazz as part of the "new thing" moment on the scene! The group here is really the stuff of legends – as the set features a very late performance from Eric Dolphy on alto, plus Joe Henderson on tenor, Kenny Dorham on trumpet, Richard Davis on bass, and Tony Williams on drums – all players at the prime of their young talents, soaring to the skies under the leadership of Hill – skittishly working their way into territory that's never truly free, but wonderfully expressive and exploratory – a clear summation of the sense of "modern" in modern jazz! All tracks are originals by the pianist, too – and titles include "New Monastery", "Flight 19", "Spectrum", "Dedication", and "Refuge". Compulsion is one of the most dynamic albums that Andrew Hill ever cut for Blue Note – a record of long tracks, played by a largeish group who seem perfectly suited to Hill's most creative musical ideas! There's an approach here that almost predates some of the more righteous soul jazz ensemble sides of the 70s – as Hill's piano leads a octet that features Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, John Gilmore on tenor and bass clarinet, Cecil McBee and Richard Davis on basses, Joe Chambers on drums, and Nedi Quamar and Renaud Simmons on percussion. The percussionists roll out with quite a bit of presence in the set – not so much as on some of the Art Blakey percussion sides for Blue Note, but more with a pronounced sense of "bottom" that you might not always hear from Hill – an earthy, sometimes organic way of riffing that then allows freer solo work from the horns and piano on the top! Titles include "Compulsion", "Legacy", "Premonition", and "Limbo". CD

A completely beautiful record from a very local source – a small high school jazz group in York, PA – but one who come across here with some of the deeper elements of the spiritual scene in Philly at the time! The group's led by flute player Leslie Burrs, who solos on the record – and the combo also features wonderful work from younger players Timothy Warfield on tenor, Matthew Kaufhold on alto and soprano, Scott Stump on vibes, and Beth Kehler on piano – augmented at times by a few tring players, and some beautiful choral vocals too! This isn't the sort of high school band record clunkily making their way through pop covers – and instead, there's a richly spiritual vibe to the whole thing – much more Strata East than Schoolhouse Funk – on titles that include the Burrs originals "Carvings" and "Blessings & Glory To God" – plus great takes on "Naima", "Meditation", "Lazybird", and "Dolphin Dance". LP, Vinyl record album

2 great tunes from Johnny Williams – an obscure Tyrone Davis-like singer who recorded briefly for Gamble & Huff at the beginning of the 70s, but never cut a full LP. Johnny's got a great voice – a bit rough, but matched here with smooth arrangements, in a style that's almost a 70s approach to the same kind of style that Gamble & Huff were using in the 60s with Jerry Butler. 7-inch, Vinyl record

Mindblowing work from pianist Andrew Hill – one of the key records during that short initial run when Blue Note was really giving him a special showcase for his talents – and when the label was dabbling in more avant jazz as part of the "new thing" moment on the scene! The group here is really the stuff of legends – as the set features a very late performance from Eric Dolphy on alto, plus Joe Henderson on tenor, Kenny Dorham on trumpet, Richard Davis on bass, and Tony Williams on drums – all players at the prime of their young talents, soaring to the skies under the leadership of Hill – skittishly working their way into territory that's never truly free, but wonderfully expressive and exploratory – a clear summation of the sense of "modern" in modern jazz! All tracks are originals by the pianist, too – and titles include "New Monastery", "Flight 19", "Spectrum", "Dedication", and "Refuge". LP, Vinyl record album

Mindblowing work from pianist Andrew Hill – one of the key records during that short initial run when Blue Note was really giving him a special showcase for his talents – and when the label was dabbling in more avant jazz as part of the "new thing" moment on the scene! The group here is really the stuff of legends – as the set features a very late performance from Eric Dolphy on alto, plus Joe Henderson on tenor, Kenny Dorham on trumpet, Richard Davis on bass, and Tony Williams on drums – all players at the prime of their young talents, soaring to the skies under the leadership of Hill – skittishly working their way into territory that's never truly free, but wonderfully expressive and exploratory – a clear summation of the sense of "modern" in modern jazz! All tracks are originals by the pianist, too – and titles include "New Monastery", "Flight 19", "Spectrum", "Dedication", and "Refuge". CD reissue also features 3 bonus alternate takes of some of these, for a total of 8 tracks in all. CD

Mindblowing work from pianist Andrew Hill – one of the key records during that short initial run when Blue Note was really giving him a special showcase for his talents – and when the label was dabbling in more avant jazz as part of the "new thing" moment on the scene! The group here is really the stuff of legends – as the set features a very late performance from Eric Dolphy on alto, plus Joe Henderson on tenor, Kenny Dorham on trumpet, Richard Davis on bass, and Tony Williams on drums – all players at the prime of their young talents, soaring to the skies under the leadership of Hill – skittishly working their way into territory that's never truly free, but wonderfully expressive and exploratory – a clear summation of the sense of "modern" in modern jazz! All tracks are originals by the pianist, too – and titles include "New Monastery", "Flight 19", "Spectrum", "Dedication", and "Refuge". CD reissue also features 2 bonus alternate takes of some of these, for a total of 7 tracks in all. CD

Sweet electric soul from Carol Williams – a rich voice from the disco generation, served up here with some great Philly club arrangements from Vince Montana! The groove is great, right from the get-go – thanks to rhythm from the team of Bobby Eli, Norman Harris, and Ronnie Baker – and Carol's vocals slide in strongly with a style that echoes soul styles from a few years before – and reminds us at this great point, the singer wasn't always subservient to the grooves on the cuts! Vince Montana plays a bit of vibes on the record – and titles include "Rattlesnake", "Just Feel", "My Time Of Need", "This Time May Be The Last Time", "Love Is You", and "Come Back". LP, Vinyl record album

Funky funky Philly! Not only is this single one of the most obscure on Philadelphia International, it's also one of the hardest – as Johnny sounds more like a Memphis or Macon soul singer than anyone who ever recorded in the city of Brotherly Love. "Slow Motion" begins with pounding tribal drums, and Johnny shouting out in kind of an Otis Redding mode – before organ and horns come in and make the whole groove nice and funky. Really nice stuff – and we wish we knew more about him! 7-inch, Vinyl record

... LP, Vinyl record album

Mars Williams presents a great installment in this surprisingly long-running series – a really unusual mix of Christmas songs with the avant jazz inspiration of Albert Ayler – served up here in two different performances – one recorded in Chicago, the other in New York! As with the previous volumes, there's a stunning mix of sounds going on – some of the sentiment you might get in a Holiday tune, which seems to open up the more human corners of Ayler music – which includes snippets of "Spirits", "The Truth Is Marching In", "Omega", and "Change Has Come" – folded together with Christmas themes on these beautiful long improvisations! The Chicago group features Williams on saxes and toy instruments – plus Josh Berman on cornet, Jim Baker on piano and viola, Kent Kessler on bass, Brian Sandstrom on bass and guitar, and Steve Hunt on drums – and the New York group features Steve Swell on trombone, Hilliard Greene on bass, Chris Corsano on drums, Nels Cline on guitar, and Fred Lonberg Holm on cello. Vinyl version features two side-long tracks – two versions of "Noel Omega Change Has Come For The Three Kings Who Lit The Tiny Candles" – one by each group! LP, Vinyl record album

Mindblowing work from pianist Andrew Hill – one of the key records during that short initial run when Blue Note was really giving him a special showcase for his talents – and when the label was dabbling in more avant jazz as part of the "new thing" moment on the scene! The group here is really the stuff of legends – as the set features a very late performance from Eric Dolphy on alto, plus Joe Henderson on tenor, Kenny Dorham on trumpet, Richard Davis on bass, and Tony Williams on drums – all players at the prime of their young talents, soaring to the skies under the leadership of Hill – skittishly working their way into territory that's never truly free, but wonderfully expressive and exploratory – a clear summation of the sense of "modern" in modern jazz! All tracks are originals by the pianist, too – and titles include "New Monastery", "Flight 19", "Spectrum", "Dedication", and "Refuge". LP, Vinyl record album

A weird little record from John Barry – the soundtrack to a 1963 television special recorded by Elizabeth Taylor at the height of her early popularity, and featuring Taylor reciting a variety of poems and speeches over music by Barry! There's a relatively high concept feel to the album – as Barry's backings are fairly string-laden and serious, penned to match the mood of Taylor's presentation of material written by William Wordsworth, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, William Pitt, Winston Churchill, and Queen Victoria. And although Taylor speaks on about half the record, the best tracks here are actually the instrumental ones – which have more of the depth of Barry's serious soundtrack work from the time, and manage to have their own sense of presence apart from the star quality of Liz on the set. Arrangements are by Johnnie Spence, and titles include "Elizabeth", "London Theme Jazz Waltz", "Queen Elizabeth At Tilbury", "Queen Victoria", "English Garden", "The Fire Of London", "Lovers & Browning", and "London At Dawn". CD

A weird little record from John Barry – the soundtrack to a 1963 television special recorded by Elizabeth Taylor at the height of her early popularity, and featuring Taylor reciting a variety of poems and speeches over music by Barry! There's a relatively high concept feel to the album – as Barry's backings are fairly string-laden and serious, penned to match the mood of Taylor's presentation of material written by William Wordsworth, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, William Pitt, Winston Churchill, and Queen Victoria. And although Taylor speaks on about half the record, the best tracks here are actually the instrumental ones – which have more of the depth of Barry's serious soundtrack work from the time, and manage to have their own sense of presence apart from the star quality of Liz on the set. Arrangements are by Johnnie Spence, and titles include "Elizabeth", "London Theme Jazz Waltz", "Queen Elizabeth At Tilbury", "Queen Victoria", "English Garden", "The Fire Of London", "Lovers & Browning", and "London At Dawn". LP, Vinyl record album

Four classic albums from Jackie DeShannon – all in a single set! First up is Me About You – sophisticated Jackie at her best – working with great arrangements from Jack Nitzsche and Nick DeCaro – both cats from the California scene we can really trust for "cut-above" pop work like this – music that goes way past the simple sounds of DeShannon's start – into cool adult territory that really makes the album great. Jackie's vocals are surprisingly soulful in the setting – even more so than before – and the tunes include lots of gems, including versions of Van Dyke Parks' "High Coin", John Sebastian's "Didn't Want To Have To Do It", and Tim Hardin's "Baby Close Its Eyes". Also includes "I Keep Wanting You", "Me About You", and "Nicole". Next is Laurel Canyon – heady work from Jackie DeShannon's later years in 60s pop – an album with themes and styles that go way beyond her earlier recordings – as you might guess from the hip Laurel Canyon reference in the title! Jackie's working here in a mode that's much more strongly in a singer-songwriter style than before – with arrangements and backings that are a lot more organic, and less pop-tuned than ever – almost in a Laura Nyro approach on some numbers. As usual, a good portion of the tracks were written by Jackie herself – including "Holly Would", "Come & Stay With Me", "LA", "Too Close", and "Laurel Canyon" – and the album also features a few well chosen tracks by other writers too, like "Bitter Honey" by Paul Williams & Roger Nichols, "I Got My Reason" by Barry White, and "You've Really Got A Hold On Me" by Smokey Robinson. Put A Little Love In Your Heart is quite possibly the last great hit from singer Jackie DeShannon – an album built around the righteous spirit of the title track – filled with really wonderful original tunes penned by Jackie and soul singer Jimmy Holiday! The album may well be the best to explore the space between pop and soul that often characterized Jackie's work – and the overall sound is somewhat similar to some of Dusty Springfield's best pop/soul work from the same stretch. 10 of the album's 12 tracks are originals by Holiday and DeShannon – all set to soaring orchestrations by James Langeford, which often have a pronounced influence from the sound of Atlantic Records in the late 60s! Titles include "Put A Little Love In Your Heart", "You Are The Real Thing", "River Of Love", "Movin", "You Can Come To Me", "You Have A Way With Me", and "I Let Go Completely". To Be Free is an interesting little record – with kind of a crossover California soul feel overall – recorded with Rene Hall arrangements that echo a few rootsy modes at times, mixed in with fuller orchestrations that step a bit back towards Jackie's earlier years on Imperial – a surprisingly nice blend, with a fresh sound for the 70s. The album features a number of great tracks co-written with Jimmy Holiday – a fellow Imperial talent – and titles include "Mediterranean Sky", "Sooner Or Later", "What Was Your Day Like", "Livin On The Easy Side", "Brighton Hill", and "When Morning Comes Again". CD

Northern Soul from a surprising source – and a killer batch of rare material from the mighty Memphis powerhouse of soul! Goldwax is probably best known for its deep soul work – most famously with James Carr – but in the mid 60s, the label cut some killer groovers that really match the vibe that was coming out of Detroit or Philly at the time – upbeat, uptempo singles that bristle with energy, yet also have some of the deeper tones you might expect from the label! Some tunes have a bit of a Memphis sound – depending on the singer – but the rhythms and production mostly recall modes from up north, and offer up a really surprising new chapter of this label that already won our deep respect many years ago. The folks at Kent have put together the package with some really wonderful notes – and the CD features two dozen numbers that will really open up your ears – tracks that include "Let's Talk It Over" by Spencer Wiggins, "Call On Me" by Percy Milem, "They Say" by The Ovations, "So Hard To Get Along" by The Lyrics, "What'Cha Gonna Do" by Phillip & The Faithfuls, "You Gotta Have Soul" by George Jackson, "A Man Is A Mean Thing" by Barbara Perry, "The Well's Gone Dry" by Dorothy Williams, "That's What I Want To Know" by James Carr, "I Slipped A Little" by Percy Milem, "Now Girl" by The Lyrics, "It's My Life" by Timmy Thomas, "Qualifications" by The Ovations, "To Me It's Storming" by George & Greer, "I Ain't Gonna Cheat On You No More" by Wee Willie Walker, and "If You Love Her" by Phillip & The Faithfuls. CD

Music from Cootie Williams, Dizzy Gillespie, Woody Herman, Gene Krupa, Claude Thornhill, Chubby Jackson, Elliot Lawrence, the Metronome All-Stars, Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, and Tadd Dameron. CD