WeJazz (Finland), 2024.
Trumpeter Goran Kajfes has been giving us great sounds in a variety of formats over the years, but this album may well be one of his most inventive – a session of spare, slow-growing sounds done with some very like-minded musicians – Alex Zethson on piano and organ, Johan Berthling on ...
(Jazz CD)
Flying Dutchman/Real Gone, 1974. (reissue)
A real gem from Lonnie Liston Smith's early years in the studio – and a record that's perhaps a bit more "cosmic" than it is "funk" – but that's why we like it so much! The session has Lonnie stretching out a bit more than usual – borrowing some of the ...
(Jazz LP)
Flying Dutchman/Real Gone, 1973. (reissue)
One of Lonnie Liston Smith's most spiritual sessions, and the record that most clearly shows his roots with Pharoah Sanders! The vibe here is much more jazz-based than on some of Lonnie's other records for Flying Dutchman – with Smith playing as much acoustic piano as he does electric, using ...
(Jazz LP)
EMI/BGO (UK), 1971.
One of the most creative albums ever from UK composer Neil Ardley – and that's saying a lot, given the complexity of his other work! The set's got a wonderful blend of jazz arrangements and some freer passages – scored by Ardley with some of his most sensitive, most beautiful music ...
(Jazz CD)
Sdban (Belgium), 1970s. 2LP
Mr Bongo (UK),
A contemporary set, but one that may well be destined to become an instant classic in the world of Brazilian music – as the young Rubel has a way of embracing so many traditions of his culture, while also finding a way to move things forward boldly! The approach here is different than some ...
(Brazil LP)
Riverside/New Land, 1958. (reissue)
An unusual little session for Kenny Dorham – one in which he sings as well as plays trumpet – perhaps taking a page out of Chet Baker's book, but with a completely different approach! The group features Curtis Fuller, Cedar Walton, Sam Jones, and Charlie Persip on drums – who is ...
(Jazz LP)
Fantasy/Cleopatra, 1975. (reissue)
An overlooked album of funky guitar! Arthur Adams was one of the many excellent west coast session players of the early 70s – and if you check the notes on some of your favorite California soul albums, you'll find that you've probably heard his guitar an awful lot over the years! As with ...
(Jazz LP)
BYG/Charly (UK), 1969.
The Art Ensemble at the height of their powers – really letting loose on the Parisian scene of the late 60s, where they found a great audience for all the new ideas they'd been brewing up back home! The album's definitely one that has the group's unique ethos coming into focus – that ...
(Jazz CD)
Discos Fuentes/Rocafort (UK),
Young Turks, 2024. 2LP
Kamasi Washington opens the door to a bit more collaboration here – while also really managing to stay true to the vision that he's given us on his previous instant-classic albums! In just a short span of time, Kamasi has become a saxophone voice for a generation – linking past ...
(Jazz LP)
Philips/Future Shock (Italy), 1970. (reissue)
A fantastically soulful album from Jorge Ben – one of his greatest records ever, and a key part of Brazilian music in the 70s! The album marks an earthier shift for Jorge – a sound that's still rooted in the samba influences of the 60s, but which also takes on a bit more soul at the ...
(Brazil LP)
Jazz Critique (Japan), 2024.
Jazz Critique (Japan), 2024.
RCA/Beatball (South Korea), 1979. (reissue)
Franco Micalizzi was one of the unrivaled maestros of the action score on the Italian scene of the 70s – and here, he does a great job of blending that experience with some slightly moodier touches – creating a really nice blend of tunes that swing effortlessly between clubby groovers ...
(Soundtracks LP)
Beatball (South Korea), 1971. 2LP (reissue)
Maybe the greatest moment ever from Brit soundtrack genius Roy Budd – an artist who started with his roots in jazz piano, but who really explodes here in a range of groovy styles! The main title is an incredible blend of Eastern percussion and moody jazz – and other cuts bring in some ...
(Soundtracks LP)
Third Man, 2023. 2LP Gatefold
The first widely-circulated album issued by the stunning saxophonist Muriel Grossman – an artist we've been stocking on imports for the past decade or so, and who quickly became one of or favorites in jazz! If you've not heard Muriel before, this album's a perfect introduction to her music ...
(Jazz LP)
Made In Germany (Germany),
Hot Casa (France), 1976. (reissue)
One of the clubbiest African records of the 70s – and a set that would be equally at home on a New York dancefloor as it would back in Lagos! Orlando Julius was always a funky cat – an artist with one ear keenly tuned to the American funk and soul underground, and ready to fuse those ...
(Global Grooves LP)
Blue Master/Svart (Finland), 1970.
Free jazz from the Finnish scene of the early 70s – an exploratory trio that features Edward Vesala on drums, Arild Andersen on bass, and Juhani Aaltonen on on tenor and soprano sax! As with many Scandinavian free trio sides from the time, there's a clear inspiration here from the ESP scene ...
(Jazz CD)
Alvarado/Koivistoinen/Tuomarila
Alma
Svart (Finland),
Svart (Finland), 1975.
One of the most obscure albums ever recorded by Italian trumpeter Enrico Rava – and one of the greatest as well! The set is a rare meeting between Rava and some key players on the Argentine scene of the mid 70s – a great quartet that features Fernando Gelbard on Fender Rhodes, ...
(Jazz CD)
Capitol/Svart (Finland), 1973.
Swing Theory, 2024.
LP ...
About May 10, 2024
Swing Theory, 2024.
CD ...
About May 10, 2024
22A (UK), 2020. (reissue)
Soulful reedman Tenderlonious plays flute this time around – but as always, it's the overall sound that makes the record so great – not just the solo bits on flute, but all the keyboards, basslines, and beats – stretched out in this cool 21st Century take on funky fusion! The ...
(Jazz LP)
22A (UK), 2018. 2LP (reissue)
We kinda want to hate the guy for such a hokey name like Tenderlonious – but this album's a surprisingly great little gem, and one that mixes lots of openly-blown work on flute with some sweet keyboards and other jazzy rhythms! The approach is maybe a bit like the Jason Lindh or Chris Hinze ...
(Jazz LP)
RCA/Soul Bank (UK), 1974. 2LP (reissue)
The second smoking Live Oblivion set from Brian Auger and crew – twice as long, and maybe even twice as funky as the first! The tunes on here all really push the ten minute mark – stretching out the original Auger conception on studio sides, and featuring plenty of room for really ...
(Jazz LP)
RCA/Soul Bank (UK), 1974.
The second smoking Live Oblivion set from Brian Auger and crew – twice as long, and maybe even twice as funky as the first! The tunes on here all really push the ten minute mark – stretching out the original Auger conception on studio sides, and featuring plenty of room for really ...
(Jazz CD)
RCA/Soul Bank (UK), 1974.
Really hard-jamming work from keyboardist Brian Auger – the first of a 2-part live set from the US, and easily some of his greatest work on record! The tracks are all very long and stretched out here – an extrapolation of the territory Auger was already exploring on studio sides, taken ...
(Jazz LP)
RCA/Soul Bank (UK), 1974.
Really hard-jamming work from keyboardist Brian Auger – the first of a 2-part live set from the US, and easily some of his greatest work on record! The tracks are all very long and stretched out here – an extrapolation of the territory Auger was already exploring on studio sides, taken ...
(Jazz CD)
Mainstream/Sundazed, Late 1960s. (reissue)
One of the headier groups in the Mainstream Records psychedelic scene of the late 60s – and that's saying a lot, considering the company the act were keeping on the label! December's Children features both a male and female vocalist, each of whom sing a bit solo, but also come together in ...
(Rock LP)
International Anthem, 2LP
(Limited, numbered edition of 1200 copies – in heavyweight, hand-screened cover!) (Jazz LP)
International Anthem,
(Hand-numbered pressing, with art print!) (Jazz CD)
Polydor/Dynamite Cuts (UK), (pic cover)
Astigmatic (Poland),
LP ...
About May 10, 2024
Gordy/Elemental, 1968. (reissue)
A pivotal moment for The Temptations – a set that has the group hitting even more of a deep soul sound than before – at a level that really sets them apart from some of the other groups on Motown at the time! There's a richer, fuller sound going on here – as the group work with ...
(Soul LP)
Motown/Elemental, 1965. (reissue)
The Supremes pay tribute to their fallen hero, Sam Cooke, with a nice set of tracks that includes "You Send Me", "Havin' A Party", "Wonderful World", "Nothing Can Change This Love", and "Cupid".
(Soul LP)
Argo/Verve, 1960. (reissue)
A tight batch of organ groovers with a raw R&B feel, recorded by the obscure St Louis organist Sam Lazar – with a very young Grant Green on guitar! The album's a bit different than Sam's other records for Argo – in that the tunes are all quite short, with a tight fast sound that's ...
(Jazz LP)
ABC/Elemental, 1971. 2LP (reissue)
BB King live in Japan – really cooking here on a concert performance that's quite different from his other live records of the time! The set's a double-length one – originally a 2LP set – and most tracks are nice and long, with lots more room for solos from BB – stretching ...
(Blues LP)
Verve, 1965. (reissue)
Surprisingly wonderful work from Kenny! The album has Kenny's guitar set to arrangements by Gil Evans – who gives the session a modern edge that really sets it apart from other Burrell albums of the time. Kenny's freed to do his thing – wonderfully, we might add – and Gil paints ...
(Jazz LP)
Argo/Verve, 1959. (reissue)
A hip live date from Kenny Burrell – recorded with a trio that includes Richard Davis on bass and Roy Haynes on drums – both of whom help Kenny find a groove that's a bit lighter and more fluid than usual! The rhythms here are quite gentle, almost spare at times – and always ...
(Jazz LP)
Tico/Craft, Mid 1960s. (reissue)
Great Joe Cuba set from the mid 60's. This one was recorded slightly before Joe hit it big with his Latin soul hit "Bang Bang", and the sound's a mix of Latin jazz and tracks that have more of a Latin soul sound. The lineup includes the classic sextet, and tracks include "Oye ...
(Latin LP)
Saigon Supersound (Germany),
Saigon Supersound (Germany),
Soul Jazz (UK), Late 1960s/Early 1970s.
Soul Jazz (UK), Late 1960s/Early 1970s.
Mad About Records (Portugal), (reissue)
Gearbox, 1965. (reissue)
LP ...
About May 15, 2024
Never-issued work from Don Cherry – and a really key piece of the puzzle in the career of this legendary trumpeter! The recordings were done for Swedish Radio, with great fidelity – more than just live tracks captured in a club, and instead some really thoughtful material that marks an ...
(Jazz LP)
Ken Vandermark/Hamid Drake/Gianni Trovalusci/Luigi Ceccarelli
Open Borders
Audiographic, 2020.
A wonderful Italian/American collaboration – one that brings the reeds of Ken Vandermark and drums of Hamid Drake into contact with the live electronics of Luigi Ceccarelli and flutes of Gianni Trovalusci! The pairing of players is perfect, as Ceccarelli's electronics often have these ...
(Jazz LP)
Audiographic, Late 2010s. 5CD
A wonderful testament to the mindblowing collaborative powers of reedman Ken Vandermark – one of the most consistently creative saxophonists of the past few decades, and a spirit with a heart that's as big as his music! Ken's a wonder by himself, but one of the things that's always really ...
(Jazz CD)
Audiographic, 2019.
Two fantastic side-long improvisations – but we hardly would have expected anything less, given that the proceedings feature Nate Wooley on trumpet, and Ken Vandermark on tenor and soprano clarinet! The latter sounds really wonderful in Ken's hands – full of these unusual sharp sounds ...
(Jazz LP)
Audiographic, 2014.
Jason Adasiewicz on vibraphone, Josh Berman on cornet, Jeb Bishop on trombone, Tim Daisey on drums, Nick Macri on acoustic and electric bass, Nick Mazzarella on alto saxophone, Jen Paulson on viola, Dave Rempis on saxophone, and Mars Williams and Ken Vandermark on reeds.
(Jazz LP)