The title tells it all – as Ravi delivers three long ragas, with backing on tabla and tamboura. A nice one to plug in and drop out to – with the 28 minute-long "Raga Jog", plus "Raga Simhendra Madhyaman" and "Raga Ahir Bhairav". LP, Vinyl record album

Beautifully modernist material from the great Brookmeyer – performing here with a well-suited group that features Jimmy Giuffre and Jim Hall, plus the great Dave Bailey on drums. The album features older tracks done in a surprisingly fresh style, and the trio of lead players dance around each other in a wonderful way. Titles include "Truckin", "Some Sweet Day", "Jada", and "Louisiana". LP, Vinyl record album

Like Sergio Mendes and Brasil 66? Then you'll love The Carnival! The group was formed by three former members of Sergio's group, working in 1969 with stellar LA pop production from the mighty Bones Howe – all grooving in a style that's got all the best traces of the Brasil 66 sound! The Carnival only ever managed to cut this one album – but it's a sweet sweet masterpiece of bossa-styled harmony pop – with loads of light rhythms, jazzy riffing, and some incredible sunshine pop touches that seem to push the sound even farther than Sergio Mendes could have hoped! This album features a killer version of "Laia Ladaia", plus the tracks "Canto De Carnival", "Love So Fine", "Reach Out For Me", "The Word", "Walk On By", and "Turn Turn Turn". LP, Vinyl record album

A strange little record, but one with more of a jazz component than you might think! Gary's the son of Bing, natch – and he's following here in his pop's footsteps, singing jazz standards with backing conducted by Bud Shank. The interesting thing is that the session was actually recorded in Germany – and the group features some hip Europeans, like Roland Kovac on piano, Atilla Zoller on guitar, Jerry Van Rooyen on trumpet, and Hans Koller on tenor. Shank plays as well – and titles include "Blue Prelude", "Exactly Like You", "Please Send Me Someone To Love", "One For My Baby", and "Love Is Just Around The Corner". LP, Vinyl record album

A great later album from Joao Donato – one that almost took the world by surprise when it was released, as it came after a long period of silence from the bossa legend! The set's got a mellow-grooving feel that's definitely rooted in bossa, with a touch of jazz – modernized slightly, and a great precursor to the strong run of new albums Donato would go onto record in the decade or two after this one. Titles include a remake of "Bananeira", plus "O Fundo", "Summer Of Temptation", "E Menina/Emorio", "Every Day", "Gaiolas Abertas", "Cafe Com Pao", and "Lugar Comum". CD

A great record from these cool percussion players – with wonderful backing from The Montgomery Brothers! Both Roy Harte and Milt Holland were LA players who did a lot of studio work, played on exotic records, but could also handle a bit of jazz when they wanted to – and you get a taste of that talent on this set, which features the team on a total of 44 percussion instruments, playing along with The Montgomery Brothers, who are a perfect fit for the pair's exotic stylings. Instrumentation includes far too many drums to mention – all donated by Drum City in Hollywood – and there's also some other cool "special effects" on the record. Titles include "Not Since Ninevah", "Moonray", "That Old Devil Moon", "The Kick", and "Enchantment". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the more obscure albums that Groove Holmes cut for Pacific Jazz – and one of his grooviest, too! The set's got a slightly larger group than usual – and the record features work from Wilton Felder, Anthony Ortega, and Tom Scott on saxes – plus George Freeman on guitar, and Paul Humphrey on drums! The tracks are short and have a sweet soul instrumental vibe – and cuts include a nice version of "Madison Time", plus "Groovin Time", "Oklahoma Toad", "Upward Bound", and "The Odd Couple". LP, Vinyl record album

Jewish entertainer/musician Mickey Katz has been getting a lot of attention recently – whether it be from modern projects to revive his music, like Don Byron's from a few years ago, or from press in places like The Village Voice, dealing with the resurgence in Jewish cultural identity. Different from the recent Klezmer projects, though, these recordings are graced with the borscht-belt sense of humor and whimsy that was Katz's stock in trade – and have a lightness and sprightliness that makes them sparkle even today. CD

A set that's noteworthy not just for the presence of alto saxophonist Lee Konitz, and for the leadership of baritonist Gerry Mulligan – but a record that also features the great Chet Baker on trumpet, working here as part of a trio of musicians who were really helping transform the sound of jazz in the early 50s! And maybe most noteworthy in the set is the lack of any piano at all – a strategy of Mulligan's at the time, but used in a way that also echoes some of Lee's sublime quartet sessions of the mid 50s too – and a nice setting for Chet, as he has plenty of space to open up and craft those magical notes of his youth! The rest of the group features Larry Bunker on drums, and either Carson Smith or Joe Mondragon on bass – and material was recorded partly live, and partly in the studio – with titles that include "Broadway", "Sextet", "Almost Like Being In Love", "Too Marvelous For Words", "Lover Man", "I'll Remember April", and "All The Things You Are". LP, Vinyl record album

A set that's noteworthy not just for the presence of alto saxophonist Lee Konitz, and for the leadership of baritonist Gerry Mulligan – but a record that also features the great Chet Baker on trumpet, working here as part of a trio of musicians who were really helping transform the sound of jazz in the early 50s! And maybe most noteworthy in the set is the lack of any piano at all – a strategy of Mulligan's at the time, but used in a way that also echoes some of Lee's sublime quartet sessions of the mid 50s too – and a nice setting for Chet, as he has plenty of space to open up and craft those magical notes of his youth! The rest of the group features Larry Bunker on drums, and either Carson Smith or Joe Mondragon on bass – and material was recorded partly live, and partly in the studio – with titles that include "Broadway", "Sextet", "Almost Like Being In Love", "Too Marvelous For Words", "Lover Man", "I'll Remember April", and "All The Things You Are". LP, Vinyl record album

A set that's noteworthy not just for the presence of alto saxophonist Lee Konitz, and for the leadership of baritonist Gerry Mulligan – but a record that also features the great Chet Baker on trumpet, working here as part of a trio of musicians who were really helping transform the sound of jazz in the early 50s! And maybe most noteworthy in the set is the lack of any piano at all – a strategy of Mulligan's at the time, but used in a way that also echoes some of Lee's sublime quartet sessions of the mid 50s too – and a nice setting for Chet, as he has plenty of space to open up and craft those magical notes of his youth! The rest of the group features Larry Bunker on drums, and either Carson Smith or Joe Mondragon on bass – and material was recorded partly live, and partly in the studio – with titles that include "Broadway", "Sextet", "Almost Like Being In Love", "Too Marvelous For Words", "Lover Man", "I'll Remember April", and "All The Things You Are". LP, Vinyl record album

Classic small combo organ grooves from Billy Larkin and his mighty Delegates! This LP has Billy moving into a bag in which he's covering more 60's soul hits (as he did in his later career for World Pacific), but the groove is still pretty solid, and the album's still got few good original tracks. Tracks include "Dirty Water", "Jenne", "Cuchy Frito Man", "Hold On! I'm Comin", and "It Ain't Necessarily So". LP, Vinyl record album

Lord Buckley was one of the strangest comedians this side of the counterculture during the late 50s – and his talent is presented richly in this collection of lost recordings that were unearthed by World Pacific and presented in a hip late 60s package during a period when Buckley was having a bit of a revival. Stranger stuff you'll never hear on record – a mix of jive, camp, and beat sensibilities, recorded in Oakland in 1960. Titles include "The Chastity Belt", "Bad Rapping Of The Marquis De Sade", "H Bomb", and "His Majesty The Policeman". LP, Vinyl record album

Wild work from the legendary Lord Buckley – a key postwar figure of hipness on the west coast, delivering routines that include "The Naz", "The Gasser", "Supermarket", Willie The Shake", "God's Own Drink", and "Subconscious Mind". LP, Vinyl record album

US issue of some of Gerry's classic Vogue recordings, done in Paris in 1954 with a quartet that featured Bob Brookmeyer on valve trombone, Red Mitchell on bass, and Frank Isola on drums. This is Gerry at the height of his powers, and playing classic piano-less material with supberb accompaniment by Brookmeyer. Tracks include a number of originals, including "Utter Chaos", "Five Brothers", and "Walkin' Shoes", plus others like "Bernies Tune", "Come Out Wherever You Are", and "Laura". LP, Vinyl record album

Trippy electric fusion from the west coast – a record that features Ponty, who was working with Zappa at the time, playing a set of electric jazz takes on Zappa tunes – with lots of added help from George Duke, who was also working with Zappa too! The set's almost a "birth of fusion" one – with Zappa arrangements that are clearly in a jazz-rock mode – and lots of electric bass, electric piano, and electric violin in the set. Tracks are long, and riff-heavy – and other players include Ernie Watts, Wilton Felder, Buell Neidlinger, and Ian Underwood. Titles include "America Drinks & Goes Home", "Music For Electric Violin & Low Budget Orchestra", "King Kong", and "Twenty Small Cigars". LP, Vinyl record album

Lots of groovy big band tracks from the 60s – with a surprisingly soulful sound! Titles include "Mercy Mercy Mercy", "West Side Story Medley", "Norwegian Wood", "Love For Sale", "Rotten Kid", "Channel I Suite", "More Soul", and "New Blues" LP, Vinyl record album

Buddy at his soulful late 60s best – not content to keep in the same groove as older years, and working here with a great lineup that includes some excellent younger players! Charles Owens is in the group on alto, and the set also features work by Don Menza on tenor, Art Pepper on alto, Pat Labarbera on tenor, and Walter Namuth on guitar. Tracks are long, include some good originals, and have a rollicking sound that never lets up – and which avoids cliche a lot more than you'd think! Titles include "Ode To Billie Joe", "Acid Truth", "Goodbye Yesterday", "Preach & Teach", "Channel 1 Suite", and "Big Mama Cass". LP, Vinyl record album

Arranged and conducted by Bob Florence, with Victor Feldman, Mike Melvoin, Frank Capp, Dennis Budimir, Herb Ellis, Ray Brown, and Jimmy Zito. LP, Vinyl record album

The alto of Bud Shank gets some fuller backings from the great Bob Florence – all in a mode that's as groovy as you might expect from the title – and which also features a bit of guest work from Chet Baker as well! The sound's nice and buoyant – swinging, but never too over the top in a big band way – leaving Bud some great space to blow with a bit of strength, even if the tracks are relatively short – packing in plenty in a small space, and using his alto sax with a deftness, and sense of feeling we really love! Titles include "Imprevu", "Husbands & Wives", "Woman", "Gotta Go", and "In Times Like These". LP, Vinyl record album

Groovy arrangements by Oliver Nelson – with a vibe that's even hipper than some of Bud Shank's other albums from the time! Titles include "Girl In Love", "Don't Go Breaking My Heart", "Lady Jane", and "When A Man Loves A Woman". LP, Vinyl record album

Amazing later work from Booker Ervin – far more modern and far-reaching than you'd guess from the "Texas" title in the set! Although Ervin first came onto the scene as a strong-voiced tenorist from a Texas tradition, through the course of the 60s he'd really expanded his musical vision – working with Charles Mingus, Jaki Byard, and others to push his already-soulful sound into a freer-thinking mode that was one of the most compelling approaches to tenor at the time. And while this change had been documented on some key sides for Prestige and World Pacific at the time, this rare 1968 session for Blue Note is perhaps one of the best of the bunch – but oddly was somehow never issued at the time, and only made a brief appearance in 1976, as part of a 2LP set. Ervin's working here with a totally hip group – one that has Woody Shaw in the frontline on trumpet, and a rhythm team of Kenny Barron on piano, Jan Arnet on bass, and Billy Higgins on drums – all grooving with Ervin in styles that recall the modal vamping and soaring energy that Shaw would later bring to his own solo work in the 70s. Tracks are all longish, and filled with a sense of life and exploration that shows that Ervin was growing tremendously in this last stretch of his all-too-short life – never too free, always in control, yet roaming the skies in search of new notes and sounds! Titles include "Gichi", "Den Tex", "Lynn's Tune", "204", and an early version of Shaw's "In A Capricornian Way". CD

One of Dizzy Gillespie's hippest big band sessions ever – and one of the few dates as a leader from arranger Gil Fuller! Fuller will always be best-remembered as the man who composed some of Dizzy Gillespie's best known tunes from the bop era – like "Manteca", "One Bass Hit", and "Things To Come" – but on this album from 1965, he's reunited with Dizzy for a large group set of tracks that feature Diz as the main soloist – at a level that really shows the growth of both men at the time! Fuller's charts are large and full, but with a sense of space that's really amazing – almost like some of the soundtrack work Dizzy had done for The Cool World – with a mix of soulful and modern moments that's really wonderful. The group's kind of a mix of hip LA players – with Phil Moore Jr on piano, Dennis Budimir on guitar, and Jimmy Bond on bass – plus a larger set of horn players backing Dizzy up. Titles include a number of great originals – such as "Be's That Way", "Big Sur", "Things Are Here", "Man From Monterey", and "Angel City". LP, Vinyl record album

The title track was most likely meant to be something of a hit for Les McCann back in his early Pacific Jazz years – and while it maybe didn't hit the heights of the charts at the time, it's still a great little cooker that leads off a tasty little set! The group here is Les' "Ltd" combo – with Ron Jefferson on drums and Herbie Lewis on bass – almost a west coast answer to the classic Ramsey Lewis group in Chicago, although one that plays here with a slightly more laidback sort of groove. Jefferson's rhythm is always a treat, and Herbie's bass is nice and sharp too – and tracks include some good originals by Les, including "The Shampoo", "Smile Stacey", "Someone Stole My Chitlins", "Filet Of Soul", and "You Thought I Knew" – plus versions of "Out Of This World" and "Woody N You". LP, Vinyl record album

A trio of early 60s albums – with bonus tracks too! First up is Les McCann Plays The Shout – a classic album in the mode of soul jazz piano grooviness that put Les on the map, even back in the early days! The album was recorded live at The Bit, on the Sunset Strip, in LA – and it features Les' classic group with Leroy Vinnegar on bass and Ron Jefferson on drums. Tracks are short and groovy – and titles include "The Shout", "Set Call", "Jubilation", and "Night In Tunisia". Next is Plays The Shampoo – for which the title track was most likely meant to be something of a hit for Les McCann back in his early Pacific Jazz years – and while it maybe didn't hit the heights of the charts at the time, it's still a great little cooker that leads off a tasty little set! The group here is Les' "Ltd" combo – with Ron Jefferson on drums and Herbie Lewis on bass – almost a west coast answer to the classic Ramsey Lewis group in Chicago, although one that plays here with a slightly more laidback sort of groove. Jefferson's rhythm is always a treat, and Herbie's bass is nice and sharp too – and tracks include some good originals by Les, including "The Shampoo", "Smile Stacey", "Someone Stole My Chitlins", "Filet Of Soul", and "You Thought I Knew" – plus versions of "Out Of This World" and "Woody N You". Last is Les McCann In San Francisco – early work from Les – recording at the Jazz Workshop in SF, with his famous trio that included Herbie Lewis on bass and Ron Jefferson on drums. The album's pretty standard fare – short soul jazz piano numbers, with more than a bit of church in the grooves. Titles include "Come On & Get That Church", "We'll See Yaw'll After While, Ya Heah", "I Am In Love", "Big Jim", and "Oh Them Golden Gates". CD also features 7 bonus tracks! CD

Vintage live work from Bud Shank – material recorded right around the same time as his classic quartet albums on Pacific Jazz, but with a more freewheeling sort of sound! The group here are all familiar from the studio albums – Claude Williamson on piano, Don Prell on bass, and Chuck Flores on drums – but the overall style here is more focused on Shank's solos, which stretch out in a more unfettered way than we might have expected – really getting a nice edge on the numbers with alto sax! Titles include a great exotic take on "Out Of This World", done with really great flute – plus "Lover Man", "Ambassador Blues", "I Heard You Cried Last Night", and "How About You". LP, Vinyl record album

Really wonderful stuff – a collection of totally unique grooves that won't cross over with any of your other African funk compilations! The focus here is on jazz, not funk or soul – and the set features a wealth of great tracks pulled from obscure South African records of the late 70s and early 80s. Funky fusion is definitely in command here – and the overall feel of the tracks is similar to some of the best European funky fusion of the 70s, fused with elements of African percussion and instrumentation – creating a true crossover of styles that crackles with a freshness that will have you coming back to this one again and again! Most tracks are instrumental – and the grooves here are a lot more complicated than on your average James Brown-inspired African funk tracks, a mix of strident modal modes, and other choppier funkier riff-heavy tunes. Plus, the whole thing's put together with the righteous intelligence of all the other Counterpoint titles – with great notes, incredible sound, and an approach that will easily take you to a whole new musical world! Titles include "I Remember You" by Mike Makahalemele, "Half N Half" by Zacks Nkosi, "Chapita" by Dick Khoza, "Lament" by Movement In The City, "Blues For Yusef" by Lionel Pillay, "The Way It Used To Be" by Pacific Express, and "La I La I La" by George Lee Larnyoh. CD

The sounds here aren't that unusual at all – and in fact, they're mostly pretty darn groovy – a superb selection of sound library funk from the glory days of the European scene – collected here together in support of the book of the same name! In case you're new to the scene – the Euro sound library world of the 60s and 70s was a place where extremely creative musicians could come together and create their own sort of grooves without a worry for placement on the record charts – as most of these cuts were locked in the vaults, then licensed briefly for use on radio, TV, or commercials – which led to a few of these gems getting some famous, but anonymous play on classic cop or crime shows at the time. The compilation brings together some of the best examples of this scene – loads of cuts that have been our favorites over the years – a whopping 20 tracks that include "Half Forgotten Daydreams" by John Cameron, "Funky Fanfare" by Keith Mansfield, "Weeping Eelgrass" by Mladen Franko, "Mild Maniac" by Peter Patzer, "Dream Number Two" by Roland Hollinger, "Soft Wind" by Gary Pacific Orchestra, "Tropicola" by Stringtronics, "Survivor" by Klaus Weiss, "La Dimonstrazione" by Daniele Patucchi, "Feeling Tense" by Stefano Torossi, "Xenos Cosmos" by Janko Nilovic, "Night Breeze" by Franco Micalizzi, and "Fancy Good" by Electric Machine. CD