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)
Charly (UK), Late 1970s/Early 1980s.
A classic set of grooves from the Minneapolis scene – work that comes from the early days of Prince, when he was an up and coming talent on the scene – and which also continues a bit into early 80s years as well, even after he'd been signed to Warner Brothers! The exact nature of these ...
(Soul CD)
Discos Fuentes/Rocafort (UK),
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)
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)
Duck Down, 2013. 2LP (reissue)
Sean Price moves in for the knockout! Includes "Genesis Of The Omega", "Bar-Barian", "Pyrex", "Price & Shining Armour" feat Ruste Juxx, "Straight Music", "Hush", "Solmon Grundy" with Ill Bill, "Frankenberry" with ...
(Hip Hop LP)
Made In Germany (Germany),
Paula/P-Vine (Japan), 1972. (reissue)
Harmony soul heaven – and the only full album from The Montclairs! The group were a sublime vocal group from the 70s – one with a sound to rival The Whatnauts or The Moments, but which also had a bit more of the super-dope touches you'd expect from their look on the cover of the record ...
(Soul LP)
Modern Harmonic, Early 70s. Gatefold
Never-issued performances from Sun Ra and his legendary Arkestra – recorded live at Slugs in New York, and featuring the group in two very different modes! Side one features "Calling Planet Earth/We'll Wait For You" – from the same performance that also gave the world the ...
(Jazz CD)
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.
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),
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)
Ken Vandermark, Nate Wooley, Jasper Stadhouders, & Steve Heather
Shelter
Audiographic, 2017.
Ken Vandermark on reeds, Nate Wooley on trumpet, Jasper Stadhouders electric bass and guitar, and Steve Heather on drums.
(Jazz CD)
Native Rebel (UK),
LP ...
About May 15, 2024
Joe Gibbs (UK), (reissue)
Ultraaani (Finland), 2019.
A really beautiful little record, and one that's got a sound that's every bit what you'd expect from the earthy look of its cover! The music is spare but rhythmic – and often features flute lines over percussion and other spare sonic elements – acoustic bass, other stringed instruments ...
(Jazz LP)
Jazzaggression (Finland),
Jazzaggression (Finland),
Jazzaggression (Finland),
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)
NM/P-Vine (Japan), 1999. 2LP (reissue)
Vistone/P-Vine (Japan), 1994. (reissue)
The last album ever recorded by funky drummer Roy Porter – and a really unique set that seeks to combine his older grooves from the 70s with contemporary elements from the 90s hip hop scene! The approach is a lot better than you might expect, and has lots of the best true school elements ...
(Jazz LP)
Columbia/J-Digs (Japan), 1971. (reissue)
LP ...
About May 17, 2024
Heavy funk from Japan's Soul Media combo – and one of the group's great 70s outings with the engimatic Sammy on vocals! Sammy's got this raw, raspy style that might owe a bit to Janis Joplin at times – but also nods strongly to the work of the American underground at others – ...
(Jazz LP)
Columbia/J-Digs (Japan), 1970. (reissue)
LP ...
About May 17, 2024
A definite head rocker here – a brilliant bit of funky jazz from Japan, and a record that beautifully balances acoustic and electric elements! Jiro Inagaki plays some heavy tenor and soprano sax on the record – working with a combo that includes electric guitar, electric bass, and ...
(Jazz LP)
Columbia/J-Digs (Japan), 1981. (reissue)
LP ...
About May 17, 2024
An album with a sweet title, but a very hard groove – a stone stormer from Japanese drummer Takeo Moriyama – put together with these soaring reed lines that almost make the whole thing feel like an early 70s album from Elvin Jones! There's a very spiritual feel to the music at times ...
(Jazz LP)
Columbia/J-Digs (Japan), (reissue)
LP ...
About May 17, 2024
Now Again, 1975. (reissue)
Wonderfully fuzzy work from Amanaz – one of the trippiest, headiest groups of the Zamrock scene of the 70s! The guitars here are very full and present – not at a hit you over the head jamming label, but with this rich sonic element that has lots of bassy undercurrents – at a ...
(Global Grooves LP)
Reprise/Sundazed, 1966. (reissue)
A very cool later album from Duane Eddy – done at a time when his old wonderproducer Lee Hazlewood was having great success at Reprise – where he invited Eddy for an update of their previous style! Duane's in the lead on guitar, and tunes have a very groovy 60s vibe – with titles ...
(Rock LP)
Colpix/Sundazed, 1965. (reissue)
An unusual one for Duane Eddy – and pretty darn groovy too – produced by Lee Hazlewood, and with a version of two Hazlewood songs – "Houston" and "Not The Lovin Kind".
(Rock LP)
Fat Beats, 2009. (reissue)
Crystal Clear/Liberation Hall, 1978. (reissue)
One of the most obscure albums of the 70s from jazz vibes legend Cal Tjader – a set that was originally done as a direct-to-disc session for an audiophile label, but one that has Tjader recording with some of his grooviest modes of the time! The group here is wonderful – and the album ...
(Jazz LP)
Tribute/Liberation Hall, 1969. (reissue)
A fantastic bit of late 60's funk, and a surprisingly slammin' record from Dizzy! The album's got tight, hard, choppy funk arrangements from Ed Bland – who went onto to do some great work at the Perception label – and the group features James Moody blowing hard lean funky solos right ...
(Jazz LP)
Tribute/Liberation Hall, 1969.
A fantastic bit of late 60's funk, and a surprisingly slammin' record from Dizzy! The album's got tight, hard, choppy funk arrangements from Ed Bland – who went onto to do some great work at the Perception label – and the group features James Moody blowing hard lean funky solos right ...
(Jazz CD)