A fantastically bold breath of life from the contemporary Polish jazz scene – a record that begins with a sublime tribute to the great Billy Harper, then takes off into even more mindblowing territory as things move on! The group's led by trumpeter Piotr Damasiewicz, who created the record as a tribute to some of the best Polish modern jazz giants of decades past – but with a voice that's completely fresh, and very much his own – served up by a killer ensemble that features soaring horns, bold solo moments, and two different bassists holding down the core! The tunes instantly explode with color and life – hitting a rich spirit that marks Piotr as a musician we're going to keep our eye on in coming years – with other musicians who include Maciej Obara on alto, Adam Pindur on soprano, Pawel Niewiadomski on trombone, Gerard Lebik on tenor, and Dominik Wania on piano. Titles include "Billy", "Psalm For William Parker", "Polska I", and "Kleofas". CD

Julie Driscoll's come a long way from her years with Brian Auger here – stepping out in a freer sound that marks the shift in the British scene from beat group grooving to jazz-rock jamming. The session features a host of likely suspects from that hip side of the scene where avant jazz and rock merge – a lineup that includes Keith Tippett on piano, Elton Dean on saxes, Chris Spedding and Brian Godding on guitars, and Nick Evans on trombone – and Julie's vocal style is finely tuned to match the craft of the players on the set, with with fantastically deft twist and turns! She's a lot more open-ended in her singing, with less of the R&B inspired approaches of the late 60s, and more of the expansive vocalizations that were showing up in the work of other European vocalists of the 70s. Titles include "Leaving It All Behind", "Break-Out", "A New Awakening", "Walk Down", and "I Nearly Forgot – But I Went Back". CD

A brilliant little soundtrack from Dizzy Gillespie – composed by Mal Waldron, and played by Diz with a sound and sensitivity that few of his other 60s albums can match! The feel here is quite bold and righteous – a perfect accompaniment for the documentary-like black and white images of Shirley Clarke's film – set in Harlem, and mostly recorded on location in the early 60s! Dizzy's tone is wonderful – bracing one minute, blue-toned the next – and the rest of the group is wonderful too – with James Moody on tenor and flute, Kenny Barron on piano, Chris White on bass, and Rudy Collins on drums. There's a richly expressive feel to the music that makes the set hold up fantastically both as a soundtrack and as a jazz album – and titles include "The Pusher", "Duke's Fantasy", "Coney Island", "Bonnie's Blues", "Duke's Awakening", "Coolie", and "Enter Priest". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the greatest blacksploitation soundtracks ever – a massively beautiful record that goes beyond any cliches of the genre, and serves up a fantastically unique batch of tracks! Chisoul arranger Johnny Pate did the music for the film – and (dare we say it?) it's even greater that Issac Hayes' work for the first Shaft film – with a depth, sensitivity, and soul that's really amazing – and which has kept the record at the top of our crates for many years. The 4 Tops turn out a great later vocal on the album's theme tune "Are You Man Enough" – and Johnny himself does stellar work on the tracks "Shaft In Africa", "Headman", "You Can't Even Walk In The Park", "El Jardia", "Jazar's Theme", and "Truck Stop"! CD

This is hardly the encyclopedic set you'd expect it to be from the title – but it is a great set of tracks that Baden recorded for Warner/Atlantic at the end of the 70s, with a beautifully rootsy feel that makes the material some of his best of that decade! Forget the date of the material, because the overall feel is similar to some of Baden's best (and most sophisticated) work of the late 60s. His guitar playing is wonderfully complex, but even better is his singing – which by this point has matured to a fantastically dark style that perfectly matches his playing and songwriting. Titles include "Refem Da Solidao", "Valsa Numero Um", "Odeon", "Feinha Pro Poeta", "A Lenda Do Abaete", "Berimbau", "Canto De Ossanha", and "Naquele Tempo". Also features "Gente Humilde", recorded in 1994 with Louis Marcel. This set is similar to the older Musica collection – but it features 6 songs that weren't on that one, and vice versa. CD

One of the beautiful records from Lou's late 60's years at Capitol, and one of the ones he made with the great team of H.B. Barnum and David Axelrod. As usual, Barnum turns out some fantastically swinging soul arrangements – and Axelrod's procduction ensures that things are nice and tight, and that the drums beat extra funky and soulful! Titles include "Down Here On the Ground", "Soul Serenade", "You're Good For Me", and "I'm Satisfied" – plus the excellent "Life Time", which has a great breakbeat! LP, Vinyl record album

Jimmy Smith live was a killer – especially in the early days, when this one was recorded! Back in the late 50s, when Jimmy was shocking the world with his fantastically creative approach to the organ, Blue Note cut some of the first strong-selling live albums by following Jimmy to the clubs – where he would really let loose with some incredible work on the Hammond B-3. The albums recorded that time shine far brighter than Jimmy's studio work – as you'll hear in this great 2CD set that brings back the rare Groovin At Smalls vols 1 & 2, plus a whole bunch of unreleased material! There's a total of 13 tracks in all – many of them very very long – and all of them featuring Jimmy on organ, Eddie McFadden on guitar, and Donald Bailey on drums. A whopping batch of nice tracks – and titles include "After Hours", "Walkin", "My Funny Valentine", "Laura", "Slightly Monkish", and "The Champ". CD

A fantastic early record from tenor giant Stanley Turrentine – a set that's completely hard-hitting, and which has a very different vibe than the sweeter sets he'd cut later in the 70s! Instead, this record is pure hardbop all the way through – with Turrentine matching labelmate Hank Mobley for depth of tone and freshness of ideas – stretching out on these long, live tracks with a very cool combo that also features Grant Green on guitar and Horace Parlan on piano – both of whom are superb, and hit some real Blue Note heights on the set. Parlan brings this sinister edge to some of the best tunes, and Green's guitar rings out with these fantastically soulful chromes – providing a great balance to the deep runs that Stanley takes on the tenor. This double-length package brings together volumes 1 and 2 of the LP releases – and titles include a long moody reading of "Yesterdays", plus the hard bop original "Stanley's Time" – as well as the tracks "Later at Minton's", "Come Rain or Come Shine", "Love for Sale" and "Summertime". CD

A fantastic early record from tenor giant Stanley Turrentine – a set that's completely hard-hitting, and which has a very different vibe than the sweeter sets he'd cut later in the 70s! Instead, this record is pure hardbop all the way through – with Turrentine matching labelmate Hank Mobley for depth of tone and freshness of ideas – stretching out on these long, live tracks with a very cool combo that also features Grant Green on guitar and Horace Parlan on piano – both of whom are superb, and hit some real Blue Note heights on the set. Parlan brings this sinister edge to some of the best tunes, and Green's guitar rings out with these fantastically soulful chromes – providing a great balance to the deep runs that Stanley takes on the tenor. Titles on this first volume include a long moody reading of "Yesterdays", plus the hard bop original "Stanley's Time", and the cuts "Broadway" and "But Not For Me". LP, Vinyl record album

An album of pure genius – easily one of the greatest Brazilian albums ever, and a landmark set from the Tropicalia years! There's a brilliance here that's hard to describe accurately – quite possibly because the young Caetano Veloso is experimenting with so many new ideas, the album explodes with fresh energy on each new track! Offbeat bossa runs into weird production effects, subtle psychedelia, and heartfelt singer/songwriter material – all arranged by the mighty Rogerio Duprat, and featuring guest work from Gilberto Gil on guitar. The range of work here is tremendous – from the political "Empty Boat" to the fantastical "Lost in the Paradise", through other classics that include "Irene", "Os Argonautas", "Carolina", "Alfomega", "Chuvas De Verao", "Objeto Nao Identifcado", "Atras Do Trio Eletrico", and "Marinheiro So". CD

An album of pure genius – easily one of the greatest Brazilian albums ever, and a landmark set from the Tropicalia years! There's a brilliance here that's hard to describe accurately – quite possibly because the young Caetano Veloso is experimenting with so many new ideas, the album explodes with fresh energy on each new track! Offbeat bossa runs into weird production effects, subtle psychedelia, and heartfelt singer/songwriter material – all arranged by the mighty Rogerio Duprat, and featuring guest work from Gilberto Gil on guitar. The range of work here is tremendous – from the political "Empty Boat" to the fantastical "Lost in the Paradise", through other classics that include "Irene", "Os Argonautas", "Carolina", "Alfomega", "Chuvas De Verao", "Objeto Nao Identifcado", "Atras Do Trio Eletrico", and "Marinheiro So". LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic never-heard performance from one of the greatest pianists of the 20th Century – a live date recorded in Madison, WI – and exactly the kind of record that reminds us why Bill Evans in a live setting is maybe even more revelatory than Bill Evans in the studio! It's impossible to describe what makes this record wonderful, but the whole thing just grabs us right from the very first note – with that balance of strength and subtlety that makes Evans in the 70s so amazing – balanced out by equally mesmerizing work from Eddie Gomez on bass! The Gomez/Evans interplay is captured fantastically here – and given just the right sort of subtle support from Eliot Zigmund on drums – and despite the fact that the material has never been issued before, the whole thing's completely top-level work, and on a par with anything in Bill's catalog of the 70s. Titles include "Up With The Lark", "Sugar Plum", "Minha", "All Of You", "Some Other Time", "Someday My Prince Will Come", and "TTT". LP, Vinyl record album

A landmark album from Milton Nascimento – not only a set that really marked his growth as a singer, songwriter, and overall musical visionary – but also a record that really showcased the collaborative spirit that would be a part of his music for years to come! The album features Milton with his "corner club" – an elite group of musicians and songwriters from the early days of his career – including greats like Lo Borges and Wagner Tiso – who'd already contributed to his music, but really get a chance to stand in the spotlight here. Borges is particularly fantastic, and shines on the massively beautiful cut "Tudo Que Voce Podia Ser", which begins the album – and which is still one of the best Nascimento cuts all these many years later! The sound of the record is impossible to describe adequately – but it's got a fantastically soulful vibe, soaring and joyous, and really expanded through the participation of the other rich talents. The vocals are mixed perfectly, and the songwriting's brilliant all the way through – and titles include "San Vincete", "Lila", "Paisagem Da Janela", "Cravo E Canela", "Tudo Que Voce Podia Ser", "Os Povos", "Nada Sera Como Antes", "Um Gosto De Sol", and "O Trem Azul". CD

The genius of Eddie Palmieri never seems to dim at all as the years go on – and, if anything, the genius only seems to flower even more – finding new ways of expression that maybe even blow away some of Eddie's classic work from the 60s and 70s! This set is amazing – a fantastically modern refiguring of Latin roots – with elements that stretch back to Palmieri's earliest charanga years and his Latin jazz rebirth, but used in ways that are very different – and very striking throughout! The lineup remains relatively small on most numbers – with very heavy focus on piano, percussion, and bass – but Eddie also makes great use of key guests who include Alfredo De La Fe on violin, Donald Harrison on alto, Ronnie Cuber on baritone, and Joe Locke on vibes. Titles include "Locked On", "Cuervas Y Tumbao", "Wise Bata Blues", "La Cancha", "Augustine Parish", "Life", "Samba Do Sueno", and "Jibarita Y Su Son". CD

An incredible record – and the kind of rare LA bop session that got totally lost because it was never packaged properly! This obscure set was issued by the Crown label under a number of names – both the Conte Candoli All Stars and Vince Guaraldi – and the group includes Conte Candoli, Buddy Collette, Vince Guaraldi, Leroy Vinnegar, and Stan Levey – all playing with a fantastically tight and incredibly soulful bop groove, of the sort you always hear them credited for, but which you can never find on any of their snoozy more famous records. Vince Guaraldi plays some incredibly soulful piano, in a manner that's very different than his Fantasy recordings – and he's playing here with a killer group of LA players who deliver some of their finest recorded work! Trust us, the session's a gem – and it's one of those you can put on and surprise your friends, and yourself! Tracks include "Muggin The Minor", "Mambo Diane", "Macedonia", and "Little David". CD

A fantastically beautiful album that strongly proves the old jazz adage "It's not the song, but the singer"! The "singer" in this case is alto player Sonny Criss – and the songs are a middle of the road batch of compositions, like "Sunny", "Willow Weep For Me", "Up Up & Away", and "Scrapple From the Apple". Forget the songs, in this case, because it's the "singer" who adds all the genius, as Criss' solos are fantastically warm, lyrical, and imaginative – far more so than you could imagine by just reading the titles on the album. We love all of the late 60s albums by Criss on Prestige, but this one's one of our favorites, and is a beautiful example of the late altoists sheer creative power in action. Other players include Cedar Walton, Tal Farlow, and Bob Cranshaw. LP, Vinyl record album

Marvin Marvin Marvin – just when we thought you couldn't impress us any more, you took it to the next level! Trouble Man is a heck of a wonderful surprise from an artist that most folks really only knew as a singer – a fantastically funky blacksploitation soundtrack, conceived and composed by Marvin himself – and served up with some occasional vocals that work beautifully with the album's cool instrumental grooves! The set's easily one of Gaye's most righteous records ever – almost a second chapter to What's Going On, but more instrumental – and like that classic set, it really shows the whole new range of vision that Marvin was able to work in the studio. Gaye gets a bit of arranging help on some tracks from Gene Page and JJ Johnson – and the album's filled with great cuts – including the landmark "T Plays It Cool", plus other gems like "Don't Mess With Mister T", "Main Theme From Trouble Man", "The Break In", and "T Stands For Trouble". Very funky, very sophisticated, and very soulful! LP, Vinyl record album

This one's from the late 80s, and although some of the production work doesn't hold up entirely, Milton's voice is more beautiful than ever, and there's some amazing songwriting on here that holds up fantastically no matter how it's treated. Titles include "River Phoenix (Letter To A Young Actor)", "Like Us", "Good Fruit", and "San Vincente". CD

Four classics from this legendary Motown group – including 2 albums on CD for the first time ever! First up is What Love Has Joined Together – excellent work by Smokey Robinson & The Miracles – recorded with a super-heavy vibe that's very different than his sweeter 60s work! The record has an amazingly large conception of arrangements – mostly handled by Smokey, and done in a complicated baroque harmony style that points forward towards his later Quiet Storm sound – but which isn't as laidback and compressed. Most tracks are covers, but they're redone fantastically – with better vocals than you could imagine – and titles include "What Love Has Joined Together", "My Cherie Amour", "If This World Were Mine", "This Guy's In Love", and "And I Love Her". Pocket Full Of Miracles is a great one by The Miracles! Smokey and the group are clearly pushing the envelope here – stretching out for a deeper harmony sound, moving towards some of the smoother styles they'd use a bit more in the 70s. The result is a slightly-confused album, but one with some really interesting material that gives the group a chance to experiment more with their vocal phrasing. Includes the heavy soul number "Flower Girl", plus the tracks "Who's Gonna Take The Blame", "Darling Dear", "The Reel Of Time", "Wishful Thinking", "Point It Out", and "Don't Take It So Hard". Also features a great medley of "Something" and "Something You Got". One Dozen Roses is an early 70s set from Smokey Robinson & The Miracles – and a set that mixes great new material with a few older gems from the previous decade too! The new cuts are fantastic – and have Smokey and the group continuing that mellower, more laidback harmony style that really knocks it out of the park – almost as if The Miracles were trying to challenge some of the younger sweet soul acts who were coming onto the scene. Titles include the older cuts "Tears Of A Clown" and "The Hunter Gets Captured By The Game" – plus "I Don't Blame You At All", "That Girl", "I Love You Dear", "No Wonder Love's A Wonder", and "When Sundown Comes". Flying High Together is excellent 70s work by Smokey and crew – sort of their way of showing the emerging east coast vocal stars how much talent they still had! The record has a sweet, slightly modern sound – with an approach that hints at Smokey's later Quiet Storm sound, but maybe a bit more laidback overall – set up with really great arrangements from both David Van De Pitte and HB Barnum. Titles include a killer reading of Stevie Wonder's "We Had A Love So Strong", plus "Got To Be There", "You Ain't Livin 'Till You're Lovin", "Flying High Together", "It Will Be Alright", and a cover of "Betcha By Golly Wow". CD features bonus tracks "You've Got Me Looking Through The Eyes Of Love" and "Paper People". CD

Four albums from this wonderful group – all brought together in a single set! First up is the self-titled Spanky & Our Gang – the first, and perhaps the most conventional album by the group, but still pretty darn insane! Spanky & Our Gang are a strange mix of 60s styles – with bits of We Five, bits of Harpers Bizarre, bits of The Association – but a totally strange and totally fun approach to pop that's very much their own. Cuts on the album are a mix of originals and covers – and highlights include the incredible "5 Definitions Of Love" by Bob Dorough, "Distance" by Joe Renzetti, "Commercial" by the band, and the track "It Ain't Necessarily Bird Avenue". Great groovy stuff – and with arrangements by Renzetti, Dorough, and Stuart Scharf. Like To Get To Know You is a tiny little pop masterpiece was produced and arranged by Stuart Scharf and the great Bob Dorough, and is filled with one of the grooviest approaches to pop we've heard in ages. The album includes the sublime hit "Like To Get To Know You", set in a very different LP setting – plus great versions of "Suzanne" and "Everybody's Talkin", and the cuts "Stardust", "The Swingin Gate", and "My Bill". Anything You Choose is the third movement in the fantastic pop symphony that is Spanky & Our Gang! The record's perhaps their oddest to date – and mixes groovy vocal stylings with some fairly advanced production approaches that work perfectly with the incredible songs written by Stuart Scharf and Bob Dorough. The voices swirl about in a mad rush – interweaving lines of melody and poetry, punctuated by strange sounds, spacey airy instrumentation, and wonderful little rhythms. Titles include "Anything You Choose", "1-3-5-8", "Without Rhyme Or Reason", "Give A Damn", and "Nowhere To Go". Live is an unusual album from this groovy group – especially given that most of their famous work was in the studio – and done with really inventive arrangements and production! Yet those qualities still come through here, even in a live setting – as the record's got this stripped-down approach that shows just how much of the group's own inventive vocal interplay and harmonies were part of their fantastically groovy style! Titles include "Wasn't It You", "Dirty Old Man", "The Klan", "Nagasaki", "Amelia Earhart's Last Flight", and "That's What You Get For Lovin Me". CD

An essential record from Gary Bartz – one of two albums he cut with Andy Bey, and the killer group he was calling his NTU Troup! Andy's vocals are incredible – light years ahead of anything he did with his sisters, and similar to those he laid down on his own solo album for Atlantic, and on Blue Note sides with Horace Silver – a righteous mix of jazz and soul, with a burning intensity that makes the political themes of the tracks come out strongly. The album includes one of Andy's all time classics – the original 7 minute version of "Celestial Blues", plus the fantastically grooving "Uhuru Sasa" – as well as the cuts "The Planets", and "Blue (A Folk Tale)". And Gary Bartz is pretty great too – dropping in these angular reed lines that really give the record an edge, and which sound totally great next to Bey's vocals! LP, Vinyl record album

Classic work from a band with a name that hardly fits their sound at all – not the streamlined music you'd expect from a Bauhaus tag – and instead a fantastically fuzzy, muddy, dark-edged style that set the tone for countless other groups to come! Yet the approach here is all the group's own – still some of the intensity of the punk years, especially in the speed and execution of the songs – and maybe in the production, too – which has all the shadows of Martin Hannett at his best. And despite the way that these guys were taken up so much by goths in later years, they've got a straightforward style that maybe more appealing to fans of Bowie from the decade before – or maybe Bowie filtered through the UK post-punk years, with touches of Siouxsie & The Banshees. Titles include "Kick In The Eye", "The Passion Of Lovers", "Hair Of The Dog", "Muscle In Plastic", "In Fear Of Fear", "Hollow Hills", and "Of Lilies & Remains". LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastically beautiful album that strongly proves the old jazz adage "It's not the song, but the singer"! The "singer" in this case is alto player Sonny Criss – and the songs are a middle of the road batch of compositions, like "Sunny", "Willow Weep For Me", "Up Up & Away", and "Scrapple From the Apple". Forget the songs, in this case, because it's the "singer" who adds all the genius, as Criss' solos are fantastically warm, lyrical, and imaginative – far more so than you could imagine by just reading the titles on the album. We love all of the late 60s albums by Criss on Prestige, but this one's one of our favorites, and is a beautiful example of the late altoists sheer creative power in action. Other players include Cedar Walton, Tal Farlow, and Bob Cranshaw. CD

Julie Driscoll's come a long way from her years with Brian Auger here – stepping out in a freer sound that marks the shift in the British scene from beat group grooving to jazz-rock jamming. The session features a host of likely suspects from that hip side of the scene where avant jazz and rock merge – a lineup that includes Keith Tippett on piano, Elton Dean on saxes, Chris Spedding and Brian Godding on guitars, and Nick Evans on trombone – and Julie's vocal style is finely tuned to match the craft of the players on the set, with with fantastically deft twist and turns! She's a lot more open-ended in her singing, with less of the R&B inspired approaches of the late 60s, and more of the expansive vocalizations that were showing up in the work of other European vocalists of the 70s. Titles include "Leaving It All Behind", "Break-Out", "A New Awakening", "Walk Down", and "I Nearly Forgot – But I Went Back". CD

Some of the most beautiful work we've heard from Seu Jorge in years – a well-recorded, all-acoustic set that really lives up to the spirit of his initial records – thanks in part to some great help from singer/guitarist Roge! The pair sometimes sing together, sometimes take a solo lead, but always have a warmly collaborative vibe – a spirit that's really timeless, and which has the two artists augmented by just a bit of light piano and percussion – all with a rhythmic pulse that brings out the best in Seu's fantastically raspy style! A gem of a record that leaves us wanting a lot lot more from this pair – with titles that include "Meu Brasil", "Sarava", "Caminhao", "Vem Me Salvar", "A Forca", "Onda Carioca", and "Pra Voce Amigo". LP, Vinyl record album

A landmark album from Milton Nascimento – not only a set that really marked his growth as a singer, songwriter, and overall musical visionary – but also a record that really showcased the collaborative spirit that would be a part of his music for years to come! The album features Milton with his "corner club" – an elite group of musicians and songwriters from the early days of his career – including greats like Lo Borges and Wagner Tiso – who'd already contributed to his music, but really get a chance to stand in the spotlight here. Borges is particularly fantastic, and shines on the massively beautiful cut "Tudo Que Voce Podia Ser", which begins the album – and which is still one of the best Nascimento cuts all these many years later! The sound of the record is impossible to describe adequately – but it's got a fantastically soulful vibe, soaring and joyous, and really expanded through the participation of the other rich talents. The vocals are mixed perfectly, and the songwriting's brilliant all the way through – and titles include "San Vincete", "Lila", "Paisagem Da Janela", "Cravo E Canela", "Tudo Que Voce Podia Ser", "Os Povos", "Nada Sera Como Antes", "Um Gosto De Sol", and "O Trem Azul". CD

One of the greatest blacksploitation soundtracks ever – a massively beautiful record that goes beyond any cliches of the genre, and serves up a fantastically unique batch of tracks! Chisoul arranger Johnny Pate did the music for the film – and (dare we say it?) it's even greater that Issac Hayes' work for the first Shaft film – with a depth, sensitivity, and soul that's really amazing – and which has kept the record at the top of our crates for many years. The 4 Tops turn out a great later vocal on the album's theme tune "Are You Man Enough" – and Johnny himself does stellar work on the tracks "Shaft In Africa", "Headman", "You Can't Even Walk In The Park", "El Jardia", "Jazar's Theme", and "Truck Stop"! LP, Vinyl record album

Excellent work by Smokey Robinson & The Miracles – recorded with a super-heavy vibe that's very different than his sweeter 60s work! The record has an amazingly large conception of arrangements – mostly handled by Smokey, and done in a complicated baroque harmony style that points forward towards his later Quiet Storm sound – but which isn't as laidback and compressed. Most tracks are covers, but they're redone fantastically – with better vocals than you could imagine – and titles include "What Love Has Joined Together", "My Cherie Amour", "If This World Were Mine", "This Guy's In Love", and "And I Love Her". LP, Vinyl record album

Fantastically funky tunes from Italy! This set's one of the funkiest batches of sound library tunes we've heard in ages – pulled together by producer Aldo Sinesio, who recorded the material back in the 70s for his obscure Fly Records label. Sinesio's got a great ear for the funky bassline – and these tracks are rippingly great instrumentals with a heavy groove on nearly every cut. Keyboards are the main solo instrument – as Hammond and piano wail away on the melody, while bass and drums roll away underneath, punching out a very funky sound! Titles include "Ramsey", "Wave", "Halloo", "Lapedusa", "Crossway", "La Gang", "Week End", "Senza Propsettive", and "Trice". LP, Vinyl record album

This was Brel's last album before his death, and it's an oft-overlooked piece of work that's fantastically different from his better-known 60's oevre, but also every bit as great as that stuff. The tracks on here have an amazingly sombre quality, and are filled with deep swells of emotion that probably made Scott Walker, Mort Shuman, and all the rest wish that they'd waited another 15 years to cover Brel's work! And because this stuff missed the big 60's wave of English translation, it's a lot less familiar, which makes it even more important to have in the original format. Titles include "Jojo", "Jaures", "La Ville S'Endormait", "Voir Un Ami Pleurer", and "Les F...". Fantastic, and a fitting last testament to one of the world's greatest artists! LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastically beautiful album that strongly proves the old jazz adage "It's not the song, but the singer"! The "singer" in this case is alto player Sonny Criss – and the songs are a middle of the road batch of compositions, like "Sunny", "Willow Weep For Me", "Up Up & Away", and "Scrapple From the Apple". Forget the songs, in this case, because it's the "singer" who adds all the genius, as Criss' solos are fantastically warm, lyrical, and imaginative – far more so than you could imagine by just reading the titles on the album. We love all of the late 60s albums by Criss on Prestige, but this one's one of our favorites, and is a beautiful example of the late altoists sheer creative power in action. Other players include Cedar Walton, Tal Farlow, and Bob Cranshaw. CD

Rare music from this legendary Dutch free jazz collective – all pulled from the earliest years of the project, when the ICP group were every bit as important to improvised music as combos in the German and French scenes! The core players here are Misha Mengelberg on piano, Han Bennink on drums, and Willem Breuker on reeds – but with all ICP recordings, the "pool" is the most important part – as the lineup shifts fantastically, always in pursuit of new improvising possibilities – spontaneous creation amidst musicians who also include Manfred Schoof on cornet and flugelhorn, Theo Loevendie on soprano sax, Piet Noordijk on alto, Frederic Rzewski on electronics, and Willem Van Manen on trombone. Some moments have even more unusual instrumentation – steel drums, electrified viola, accordion, toy instruments, and amplified recorder – and throughout it all, the sense of unified group action and individual improvisation is tremendous. Most of the work on the CD has been unissued before – save for one track from the 53CD box ICP, and three more from a rare Dutch Jazz Scene LP box set from Radio Netherlands. 2CD set features 17 tracks in all – and titles include "Piano Distance", "Adebar Der Geheimnisvolle", "Jump Italiano", "Viet Cong", "Session No 1", "New Alto", "ICP 4 14 Write Your Own Part", "Stch Shuffle", "Siep", "Angels", and "Trammermusik". CD

Beautiful work from the Brooklyn scene of the early 80s – at a moment when it seemed like some of the more spiritual styles of the 70s had fallen out of mainstream favor, but were still being served up beautifully on obscure records like this! Mustafa Abdul Rahman isn't just a tenor player, as he works here as a fantastically majestic leader – leading a small combo through sounds that soar to the heavens on righteous energy – often with vocals from Odell Grier, and delivered with instrumentation from Ahmed Abdullah on trumpet, Richard Radu Williams on bass, Rafik Abdul Rahim on piano, Gregg Bufford on drums, and Babafumi Akunyon on congas and percussion. There's a spirit here that's a bit like Abdullah's own record of the period, and other players come into the mix from time to time – including a young Malachi Thompson, who plays trumpet on one track. Titles include the originals "Polygamy", "Silent World", and "God Is" – plus a take on Coltrane's "Some Other Blues", and the more traditional standards "Afternoon In Paris" and "One & Only Love". LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic early record from tenor giant Stanley Turrentine – a set that's completely hard-hitting, and which has a very different vibe than the sweeter sets he'd cut later in the 70s! Instead, this record is pure hardbop all the way through – with Turrentine matching labelmate Hank Mobley for depth of tone and freshness of ideas – stretching out on these long, live tracks with a very cool combo that also features Grant Green on guitar and Horace Parlan on piano – both of whom are superb, and hit some real Blue Note heights on the set. Parlan brings this sinister edge to some of the best tunes, and Green's guitar rings out with these fantastically soulful chromes – providing a great balance to the deep runs that Stanley takes on the tenor. Titles on this first volume include a long moody reading of "Yesterdays", plus the hard bop original "Stanley's Time", and the cuts "Broadway" and "But Not For Me". LP, Vinyl record album

An album of pure genius – easily one of the greatest Brazilian albums ever, and a landmark set from the Tropicalia years! There's a brilliance here that's hard to describe accurately – quite possibly because the young Caetano Veloso is experimenting with so many new ideas, the album explodes with fresh energy on each new track! Offbeat bossa runs into weird production effects, subtle psychedelia, and heartfelt singer/songwriter material – all arranged by the mighty Rogerio Duprat, and featuring guest work from Gilberto Gil on guitar. The range of work here is tremendous – from the political "Empty Boat" to the fantastical "Lost in the Paradise", through other classics that include "Irene", "Os Argonautas", "Carolina", "Alfomega", "Chuvas De Verao", "Objeto Nao Identifcado", "Atras Do Trio Eletrico", and "Marinheiro So". CD

An overlooked bit of contemporary genius from Brazil – a record that has all the depth, soul, and complexity of some of our favorites from decades back – and also the same sort of instantly-grabbing sound that transcends the boundaries of nation or language! Rodrigo Campos is a hell of a musical visionary – able to tie together so many different strands here – from complex jazzy charts, to rootsy percussion, to slight acoustic touches – all with a group of like-minded collaborators who seem to realize his vision with the same sort of dedication and commitment we used to hear from Hermeto Pascoal's musicians in years back! The songs have an instant personality of their own, but also a power and majesty that puts Campos right up there with Milton Nascimento and Lo Borges at their best. Titles include "Reibeiro", "Princesa Do Mar", "Cinco Doces", "Sou De Salvador", "Capitao", "Elias", "General Geral", and "Aninha". LP, Vinyl record album

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 bottom – thanks to rhythmic contributions from Trio Mocoto, who work here famously to help Ben shape the overall feel of the set! There's still a bit of larger orchestrations at moments, but these are used sparingly just to sweeten the sound – leaving the main force of the music to come from Jorge's guitar, and the cuica, percussion, and tamborim of the trio. The vocals are wonderful too – slightly raspy, and with a bit more feeling than we ever remember Jorge having on record – sometimes a bit intimate, yet always with an undeniable presence throughout. One of those records that still sends chills up our spines, year after year – with tracks that include "Oba La Vem Ela", "Ze Canjica", "Pulo Pulo", "Apareceu Aparecida", "Terezinha", "Mulher Brasileira", "Forca Bruta", "O Telefone Tocou Novamente", and "Charles Junior". CD

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 bottom – thanks to rhythmic contributions from Trio Mocoto, who work here famously to help Ben shape the overall feel of the set! There's still a bit of larger orchestrations at moments, but these are used sparingly just to sweeten the sound – leaving the main force of the music to come from Jorge's guitar, and the cuica, percussion, and tamborim of the trio. The vocals are wonderful too – slightly raspy, and with a bit more feeling than we ever remember Jorge having on record – sometimes a bit intimate, yet always with an undeniable presence throughout. One of those records that still sends chills up our spines, year after year – with tracks that include "Oba La Vem Ela", "Ze Canjica", "Pulo Pulo", "Apareceu Aparecida", "Terezinha", "Mulher Brasileira", "Forca Bruta", "O Telefone Tocou Novamente", and "Charles Junior". LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastically jamming album – one with searing guitar from Fred Walk, who also plays electric sitar – and vocals and organ from Stephen Miller, a very soulful talent! Plus, Larry Easter serves up these cool lines on tenor, soprano sax, and flute – sometimes sounding like they've been electrically processed – on titles that include "Protect & Serve/Bad Things", "Fast Days", "Cave Song", "Moon Food", and "Lower Lemons". LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastically soulful set from Pharoah – recorded in the early 80s, with his quartet that included Idris Muhammad on drums, John Heard on bass, and William Henderson on piano. The session is live, and the overall feel is easy and mellow – still searching, as in the best mode of Pharoah's work for Impulse, but with a warmer approach that shows him mellowing a bit with age – or as we might put it, figuring out the best aspects of his style, and focusing on those. Includes the sublime "Heart Is A Melody Of Time", a great vocal number that builds in a "Creater Has A Master Plan" sort of way. Also features the highlife-tinged "Goin To Africa", a sweet reading of Coltrane's "Naima", and the tracks "Ole" and "Rise N Shine" CD

A side each of material from these two wonderful pianists – both fantastically rhythmic players, in great company together! LP, Vinyl record album

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 bottom – thanks to rhythmic contributions from Trio Mocoto, who work here famously to help Ben shape the overall feel of the set! There's still a bit of larger orchestrations at moments, but these are used sparingly just to sweeten the sound – leaving the main force of the music to come from Jorge's guitar, and the cuica, percussion, and tamborim of the trio. The vocals are wonderful too – slightly raspy, and with a bit more feeling than we ever remember Jorge having on record – sometimes a bit intimate, yet always with an undeniable presence throughout. One of those records that still sends chills up our spines, year after year – with tracks that include "Oba La Vem Ela", "Ze Canjica", "Pulo Pulo", "Apareceu Aparecida", "Terezinha", "Mulher Brasileira", "Forca Bruta", "O Telefone Tocou Novamente", and "Charles Junior". CD

A fantastically hip, free live performance from British saxophone giant Tubby Hayes – one that's much more open than some of his studio work from the time, and way different than the usual Ronnie Scotts live recording too! The album features one long track – "Modes & Blues" – a brilliantly flowering tune that features Hayes on both flute and tenor, blowing in a way that reminds us yet again why he was maybe the most important reedman on the British scene of the 60s – and an artist who was growing in leaps and bounds as the years went on. The group also features trumpeter Jimmy Deuchar, even hipper than usual in this setting – plus Terry Shannon on piano, Freddy Logan on bass, and Allan Ganley on drums – all players who shape the sound, and get a chance to solo – but always next to the much brighter light of their leader! LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastically soulful set from Pharoah – recorded in the early 80s, with his quartet that included Idris Muhammad on drums, John Heard on bass, and William Henderson on piano. The session is live, and the overall feel is easy and mellow – still searching, as in the best mode of Pharoah's work for Impulse, but with a warmer approach that shows him mellowing a bit with age – or as we might put it, figuring out the best aspects of his style, and focusing on those. Includes the sublime "Heart Is A Melody Of Time", a great vocal number that builds in a "Creator Has A Master Plan" sort of way. Also features the highlife-tinged "Goin To Africa", and a lengthy reading of Coltrane's "Ole". LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastically free session from the Japanese scene of the late 60s – a set that really points the way towards some of the more dramatic, dynamic guitar-based expression to come in later decades! The group's a trio, with guitarist Masayuki Takayanagi very firmly in the lead – playing his instrument in a range of compelling ways – bowing the strings one minute, plucking with Derek Bailey-like complexity the next – sometimes with heavy drums and bass, other times standing out in very free solo space. The whole album's got a very freely improvised feel, and stands as an early link between free jazz and experimental rock modes - with tracks that include "Piranha", "Herdsman's Pipe Of Spain", "The Galactic System", "Sick Sick Sickness My Aunt", and "Study No 3 Up & Down". LP, Vinyl record album

One of THE seminal Basie albums of all time – and a masterful pairing between the Count and arranger Neal Hefti! Hefti has an amazing ear for the Basie groove, and he works here to re-fit the overall sound of the group with a tighter, more fluid approach – one that ensured that they'd be alive and booming well into the 60s. The Hefti touch is one that's slightly lighter than the Basie of before – one that assumes the bump at the bottom, but never overdoes it – and instead almost uses the sound of no sound at all to carry the rhythm – while the horns at the top of the group are vamping around in these majestic charts that break out into fantastically searing solos. Basie's on piano, natch – and other players include Thad Jones, Joe Newman, Henry Coker, Al Grey, Frank Wess, Frank Foster, and Eddie Lockjaw Davis. Titles are all brilliant Hefti originals – and include "After Supper", "Flight Of The Foo Birds", "Teddy The Toad", "Splanky", "Fantail", and "Lil Darlin". CD features 5 bonus tracks too – including "The Late Late Show", "Sleepwalker's Serenade", and "Silks & Satins". CD

Marvin Marvin Marvin – just when we thought you couldn't impress us any more, you took it to the next level! Trouble Man is a heck of a wonderful surprise from an artist that most folks really only knew as a singer – a fantastically funky blacksploitation soundtrack, conceived and composed by Marvin himself – and served up with some occasional vocals that work beautifully with the album's cool instrumental grooves! The set's easily one of Gaye's most righteous records ever – almost a second chapter to What's Going On, but more instrumental – and like that classic set, it really shows the whole new range of vision that Marvin was able to work in the studio. Gaye gets a bit of arranging help on some tracks from Gene Page and JJ Johnson – and the album's filled with great cuts – including the landmark "T Plays It Cool", plus other gems like "Don't Mess With Mister T", "Main Theme From Trouble Man", "The Break In", and "T Stands For Trouble". Very funky, very sophisticated, and very soulful! CD

The deepest record we've heard so far from London's Sean Khan – and that's saying a lot, as we really loved his previous albums! Sean got his start on the broken beat scene a number of years back, and has slowly been evolving into more of a jazz-based artist – which he hits fantastically here in the company of the legendary Hermeto Pascoal, who plays Fender Rhodes and melodica on the record too! But honestly, even without Hermeto, Sean's pretty fantastic on his own – as his alto sax lines have this beautifully sharp edge, as does his work on flute and soprano – these soulful currents that almost rival recent work by Nat Birchall and some of his contemporaries. Other players include Ivan Conti on drums and Jim Mullin on electric guitar – and Heidi Vogel sings on two tracks, and Sabrina Mahleiros on one more. Titles include "Moment Of Collapse", "Waltz For Hermeto", "Palmares Fantasy", "Montreux", "Tudo Que Voce Podia Ser", "The Blonde", and "The Conversation". CD

One of THE seminal Basie albums of all time – and a masterful pairing between the Count and arranger Neal Hefti! Hefti has an amazing ear for the Basie groove, and he works here to re-fit the overall sound of the group with a tighter, more fluid approach – one that ensured that they'd be alive and booming well into the 60s. The Hefti touch is one that's slightly lighter than the Basie of before – one that assumes the bump at the bottom, but never overdoes it – and instead almost uses the sound of no sound at all to carry the rhythm – while the horns at the top of the group are vamping around in these majestic charts that break out into fantastically searing solos. Basie's on piano, natch – and other players include Thad Jones, Joe Newman, Henry Coker, Al Grey, Frank Wess, Frank Foster, and Eddie Lockjaw Davis. Titles are all brilliant Hefti originals – and include "After Supper", "Flight Of The Foo Birds", "Teddy The Toad", "Splanky", "Fantail", and "Lil Darlin". LP, Vinyl record album

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 bottom – thanks to rhythmic contributions from Trio Mocoto, who work here famously to help Ben shape the overall feel of the set! There's still a bit of larger orchestrations at moments, but these are used sparingly just to sweeten the sound – leaving the main force of the music to come from Jorge's guitar, and the cuica, percussion, and tamborim of the trio. The vocals are wonderful too – slightly raspy, and with a bit more feeling than we ever remember Jorge having on record – sometimes a bit intimate, yet always with an undeniable presence throughout. One of those records that still sends chills up our spines, year after year – with tracks that include "Oba La Vem Ela", "Ze Canjica", "Pulo Pulo", "Apareceu Aparecida", "Terezinha", "Mulher Brasileira", "Forca Bruta", "O Telefone Tocou Novamente", and "Charles Junior". LP, Vinyl record album

A second pressing of the first Bo Diddley album – and a set that's fantastically twangy! We never tire of Bo Diddley's incredible guitar work – and you'll get plenty of it in this early album he cut for Chess, a tasty batch of 12 tracks, all original tunes with a stripped-down gutbuckety sound – rough, raw rhythms that feature plenty of Bo's gritty guitar over the top! The cover's got a picture of Bo holding a conventional hollow-body – nice and echoey, and a bit different than his later trademark square guitar – but the sound is still loud and proud throughout. Titles include "Bo Diddley", "I'm A Man", "Hey Bo Diddley", "Bring It To Jerome", "Say Bossman", "Diddley Daddy", "Hush Your Mouth", and "Who Do You Love". LP, Vinyl record album

Marvin Marvin Marvin – just when we thought you couldn't impress us any more, you took it to the next level! Trouble Man is a heck of a wonderful surprise from an artist that most folks really only knew as a singer – a fantastically funky blacksploitation soundtrack, conceived and composed by Marvin himself – and served up with some occasional vocals that work beautifully with the album's cool instrumental grooves! The set's easily one of Gaye's most righteous records ever – almost a second chapter to What's Going On, but more instrumental – and like that classic set, it really shows the whole new range of vision that Marvin was able to work in the studio. Gaye gets a bit of arranging help on some tracks from Gene Page and JJ Johnson – and the album's filled with great cuts – including the landmark "T Plays It Cool", plus other gems like "Don't Mess With Mister T", "Main Theme From Trouble Man", "The Break In", and "T Stands For Trouble". Very funky, very sophisticated, and very soulful! CD

A brilliant bit of work from the UK scene of the early 80s – a group formed out of the ashes of The Prefects, and driven strongly by the uniquely bristling energy of frontman Robert Lloyd! The record's got lots of fantastically jagged moments – punk into post-punk, but without the freer frenzy of The Fall – maybe more the well-rooted basslines of Gang Of Four, although the style of The Nightingales is very different! Lloyd's vocals and presence are wonderful – and the songs are laced together with all these fast, jagged guitar lines that are fantastic – a bit like those from the Ron Johnson label scene to come. Tracks include "Blood For Dirt", "Start From Scratch", "One Mistake", "It Lives Again", "Joking Apart", "Yeah, It's OK", "Under The Lash", "Blisters", "Don't Blink", "Elvis The Last Ten Days", and "Make Good". CD

Fantastic stuff – and one of the grooviest soundtracks you'll ever hope to own! Sid Ramin did a heck of a lot of work for TV soundtracks by the time this one came out – and he took all that experience, and came up with some fantastically swinging jazz tracks that have a sock-mod 60s groove! Hammond organ dances around the best numbers – blasting out with horns on variations of the very catchy "Stiletto" theme – and other great cuts mix flute, strings, and a bit of harpsichord or piano – creating that cool 60s easy sound that never gets old in our book! Titles include "Confrontation", "Goat Island", "Follow That Man", "Stiletto", "Tram", and the classic "Sugar In The Rain", a great light bossa number with some dreamy vocals from Sally Stevens! CD

Maybe one of the most famous Muddy Waters songs ever recorded – served up here in all its fantastically raw glory! The tune's got Waters playing a famous electric guitar vamp that may well have become the blueprint for countless bar bands to come – but serving up the lyrics with a wit that none of them could ever hope to manage – all urged on by this wild girl chorus that really gives the tune an odd edge! And "Young Fashioned" is great, too – a bit tighter, and with a mean harmonica part in the middle! 7-inch, Vinyl record

A very sharp 5CD set that brings together some of the best work that Robert Wyatt did during the 80s! This stuff is always criminally overlooked (perhaps because it's a bit subtler than his earlier stuff) – which is a shame, because it's fantastically beautiful, and filled with amazing moments of warmth, honesty, and creativity. The box is very nicely done, and a nifty treasure chest that includes tracks separated as Bits, Pieces, Work In Progress, Animals and Remixes and titles such as "Shipbuilding (Remastered Version", "Was A Friend", "Yesterday Man", "I'm A Believer (Previously Unreleased Extended Version", "Yolanda", "Amber & The Amberines", and the 19+ minute soundtrack to The Animal's Film and more. CD

A fantastically soulful delight! The CD features a continuous mix of tracks handled by New York's supreme maestro Ron Trent – a perfectly blended and expertly selected batch of spiritual house, strident soul, and jazzy grooves. Not a bit of BS in the mix, and lots of rare sides lifted from singles on the Giant Step DJ pool – solid all the way through, and cutting a swath through the garbage to lift out the future of soul and club music! Titles include "Lamentations (you son)" by Carl Hancock Rux, "Future Love (original)" by Atlantis feat Naomi, "Stars (Tauriva mix)" by Jiva, "Elevation (Shelter late night voc)" by Blaze, "Naima" by Hipnotic, "Saturday Night Experience (Ron Trent mix)" by Jody Watley, "Rise (Sentinel Dome mix)" by Richard Worth, "Jingo (Aquamarine mix)" by Kalawang, "Do You Know" and "Holiday (DJ Deep & original)" by Donnie, and "When It Rains (Restless Soul rmx)" by Jeymes Samuel. CD

A fantastically groovy treat! This album was once dismissed as simple throwaway pop stuff by Mel – but now it's hailed as the genius of grooviness it was designed to be! The feel here is very Austin Powers – as Mel sings to hip swinging 60s arrangements of pop tunes, and some totally excellent undiscovered songs with a very groovy edge. Hipsters already know his versions of "Comin Home Baby", "My Little Red Book", and "Secret Agent Man" – but there's some other fantastic cuts on here, like "Time", "Red Rubber Ball", and "Pretty Flamingo". LP, Vinyl record album