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Jazz from the other side of the globe!


Ayler Xmas 2
ESP/Soul What, 2018.
Finally – the world of free jazz gives us a tremendous Christmas album – Mars Williams' second installment in his Ayler Xmas series, and maybe even better than the first! The music here is fantastic – an assortment of older Holiday standards, but performed as if they were handled ... CD (Holiday Music CD)
Polskie Radio (Poland), 1965.
Dizzy Gillespie in Europe, 1965 – and a record that stands as a tremendous entry to Dizzy's very cooking small combo work of the time! The group is fantastic – and features a young Kenny Barron on piano, with Chris White on bass and Rudy Collins on drums – and James Moody on ... CD (Jazz CD)
Four Flies (Italy), 1976.
A really great record that definitely lives up to its title and cover – a set that's sort of a cool 70s take on exotica modes from years past! The music here is almost all performed by Giuliano Sorgini – who plays drums and lots of percussion, then adds in electronics too – using ... LP, Vinyl record album (Soundtracks LP)
It's Nation Time
Black Forum/Motown, 1972. Gatefold (reissue)
An amazing record that's as powerful as the political message of the title – the hippest record ever cut by Amiri Baraka, and that's saying a heck of a lot! Baraka delivers a long and complex set of poetic reflections on the state of Black America, spiritual awakening, and political ... LP, Vinyl record album (Comedy/Spoken LP)
Sunset Blvd, 1960s/1970s. 3CD
The biggest collection of work we've ever seen from Lee Dorsey – a set that starts with his early Fire/Fury singles at the start of the 60s, then moves through his big recordings for Sansu and other labels that helped establish the New Orleans soul style of the late 60s – then even ... CD (Soul CD)
Unusual Sounds
Anthology, Late 60s/1970s.
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 ... CD (Sound Library CD)
Impulse, 1963. 3CD
1964 was the year The Beatles invaded America, but 1963 was the year that John Coltrane revolutionized jazz – thanks to the Impulse Records sessions contained in this set! The package features the entire run of recordings that Coltrane did for Impulse in 1963 – including alternate ... CD (Jazz CD)
Kujaviak Goes Funky
Polskie Nagrania (Poland), 1975.
Some great funky jazz by one of Poland's greatest musicians! Zbigniew Namyslowski cut his teeth playing modernist alto sax in the group of Krzystof Komeda, but on this mid 70s set, he's grooving hard in a tight set of choppy fusion tracks with that hard European approach on the downbeat! The ... CD (Jazz CD)
Jazz Mutations
Sonorama (Germany), 1961.
Great ensemble jazz from the German scene of the postwar years – music that's got lots of hip twists and turns, a bit like some of the later music from the great Raymond Scott and his orchestra! Werner Muller made a fair bit of instrumental albums on the German scene of the 60s – but ... LP, Vinyl record album (Jazz LP)
MPS (Germany), Late 60s/Early 70s.
A fantastic trip through the farther reaches of the MPS/Saba Records label – headed up here by the great Nicola Conte – who's taken plenty of inspiration from these tunes in his own music as well! As you'd guess by the title, there's a spiritual jazz approach going on here – but ... CD (Funky Compilations CD)
Moses Dillard & The Tex Town Display (LP sleeve edition)
Tex Town/Big Pink (Korea), 1969.
The only full album we've ever seen from Moses Dillard – a name that we know from a few funky 45s back in the day – and equally great here in the space of a 33rpm record! On side one, the music is a wicked blend of southern soul and funk – served up from the South Carolina scene, ... CD (Soul CD)
Jazz Jamboree 66 Vol 1 – Polish Radio Jazz Archives
Polskie Radio (Poland), 1966.
This set's a real treat for fans of both pianist Mal Waldron and singer Karin Krog – as it presents rare material by both, recorded at the Jazz Jamboree festival in Poland in 1966! Waldron begins the set with spare duets with bassist Kurt Lindgren – all original tunes that include ... CD (Jazz CD)
Black Velvet
Dunham/Daptone, 2018.
The great Charles Bradley left this planet all too soon – and although we've got this final album of music to enjoy, it's only a partial consolation for Bradley's early departure! The set's maybe a bit like some of the albums of Otis Redding material that were issued after his passing – ... CD (Deep Funk CD)
University Of Central Arkansas, 2018.
The 20th Anniversary of the legendary Southern Music Issue of Oxford American – with an especially great focus on the state of North Carolina this time around! The placement of the state has given it a fantastic musical legacy – one that stretches farther than you might expect, through ... Magazine (Magazine)
Polskie Radio (Poland), Late 50s/Early 60s.
Early work from the legendary Krzystof Komeda – recorded years before he was setting the Polish scene on fire with his inventive soundtracks and modern jazz – but at a level that's still pretty revolutionary overall! The album brings together material from a few different sessions ... CD (Jazz CD)
Warner/Ace (UK), Mid 60s.
An excellent collection of rare female soul from the 60s – a set that not only features overlooked 45rpm singles from Warner Brothers at the time – but also some great gems from their famous Loma Records imprint too! If you think you know this territory, think again – as there's ... CD (Soul CD)
Santana
FMP/Be! (Germany), 1968. (reissue)
An early power trio gem from the FMP side of the free jazz universe – some of the boldest work you'll ever hear from the trio of Irene Schweizer on piano, Peter Kowald on bass, and Pierre Favre on drums! Favre's got an especially strong sound – very different than some of his more ... LP, Vinyl record album (Jazz LP)
Conversation
Trunk (UK), 1974.
David Shire's wonderful score to The Conversation – a subtle mix of jazz and darker sounds that's one of the best things about this incredible film! Shire's definitely one of the cooler cats of American film scoring of the 70s – and with a groundbreaking project like this, he really ... LP, Vinyl record album (Soundtracks LP)
Skull Snaps
GSF/Mr Bongo (UK), 1974.
One of the most legendary funk albums of the 70s – a real gem through and through, and filled with the best range of sounds the east coast scene had to offer at the time! The Skull Snaps only ever cut this one album during the early 70s – and it's a masterful blend of hard funk, sweet ... CD (Soul CD)
Takt/Columbia (Japan), 1968. Gatefold
An early hardbop gem from Japanese trumpeter Terumasa Hino – quite different than you might think from his more famous work of the 70s – with a rolling, soulful groove that would almost be at home on 60s Blue Note! Given Hino's chosen instrument, we'd probably link this one best to ... CD (Jazz CD)
Garota FM (Brazil), 2018.
A very cool idea for a book – a "discobiografia" – a volume that's both a discography of the legendary Brazilian band Os Mutantes, and a biography of the group and all of its members, told through its music! The book's written by Chris Fuscaldo – a Brazilian musician ... Book (Book)
Polskie Radio (Poland), 1963. 2CD
Johnny Griffin has made some fantastic records in Europe over the years – and you can definitely add this 2CD set to the list of them – as it presents some really killer live tracks from 1963! Griffin is tremendous – really opening up his solos on some very long tracks that may ... CD (Jazz CD)
Brownswood (UK), 2018.
A record with a soaring spirit from the contemporary London scene – a fantastic full-length statement from Maisha, a group we'd heard about over the years – but are only now getting a chance to enjoy! The group's led by drummer Jake Long, but features this really tremendous work on ... CD (Jazz CD)
Sonorama (Germany), Early 60s.
Great ensemble jazz from the German scene of the postwar years – music that's got lots of hip twists and turns, a bit like some of the later music from the great Raymond Scott and his orchestra! Werner Muller made a fair bit of instrumental albums on the German scene of the 60s – but ... LP, Vinyl record album (Jazz LP)
Dead Oceans, 2018. (pic cover)
A really great take on the Vince Guaraldi Christmas classic – one of the saddest tunes in the whole Peanuts animated universe, and one of the best! The Khruangbin trio take the whole thing at a slow funky pace – using lots of echo on the guitar that states the melody with a raspy lead, ... 7-inch, Vinyl record (Holiday Music 7-inch)
Teensville, Mid 60s.
A great little songbook compilation – and one that features material that we might never have heard at all! Back in the 60s, there were definitely key groups and singers whose tunes were covered by others – like The Beatles, Bob Dylan, and even Donovan – but The Hollies, despite ... CD (Rock CD)
EG/Astralwerks, 1978. (reissue)
A landmark moment – both for Brian Eno, and for experimental music in general! Although Eno began his solo run with some searing, guitar-heavy records that were even wilder than his early work with Roxy Music – he also began experimenting with more sensitive aspects of sound on albums ... LP, Vinyl record album (Rock LP)
Z Records (UK), Late 70s/Early 80s. 2CD
Soaring sounds from Joey Negro – a man who's given us plenty of great club tracks on his own, and who here works some real magic with a host of gems from the glory days of disco! The tunes are all expanded wonderfully – given a prime edit sort of treatment – as Joey focuses on ... CD (Funky Compilations CD)
Strut (UK), Early 80s. 2LP
A totally great collection of work from the German scene of the early 80s – a time that's often referred to as the German New Wave – although the music was usually a fair bit darker than any new wave sounds in the Anglo world! Instead, maybe think of this work as a cool compression of ... LP, Vinyl record album (Rock LP)
Brainfeeder, 2010s. 2CD
A fantastic celebration of the first ten years of the Brainfeeder label – an imprint that's slowly been shaping the sound of soul, hip hop, and other styles over the past decade or so – with a reach that's starting to make waves in jazz and other music too! Brainfeeder has always had a ... CD (Neo Soul CD)
Lucent Water
ECM, 2018.
The title is wonderfully poetic, and the album is too – music performed by a quartet led by Florian Weber on piano – with spectacular contributions from Ralph Alessi on trumpet, Linda May Han Oh on bass, and Nasheet Waits on drums! The tunes have a brightly flowing vibe that lives up ... CD (Jazz CD)
FMP/Be! (Germany), 1979. (reissue)
The "invented instruments" here are pretty darn cool – so much so, it's almost impossible to tell what they're comprised of from the recording! Hugh Davies is clearly using stringed elements at some points, if not many points – but it feels as if the guitars, cellos, or other ... LP, Vinyl record album (Jazz LP)
Tailface
Columbia/Manifesto, 1974.
Lee Michaels and the group stare out of the front cover here, almost with a look right out of the Seattle scene of the early 90s – which is maybe a bit fitting, as there's some grungier elements in the music than on some of Lee's previous records! Some of the songs are nicely earthy, with a ... CD (Rock CD)
Spaceark
Mr Bongo (UK), 1975.
Rare funky soul from Spaceark – a supremely talented group with a uniquely cosmic funk and soul-steeped sound! Originally a self-released private press effort, this is not at all like the amateurish private press records that so often get reissued as oddities, this is really wonderful stuff ... CD (Soul CD)
Atco/Jackpot, 1968. (reissue)
The great Dr John at his freaky deaky best – working here in a mindblowing mix of New Orleans roots and late 60s psych – all served up in some heady studio space and instrumental touches! The sound's unlike anything that ever went before – and is way better here than on some of ... LP, Vinyl record album (Soul LP)
Jazz Jamboree 63 Vol 2 – Polish Radio Jazz Archives
Polskie Radio (Poland), 1963.
Poland's Jazz Jamboree festival really opened up in 1963 – and featured great performances from jazz musicians all over the European scene – plus key Polish talents, and a few American guests as well! This second volume really smokes with some very long tracks that are heavy on ... CD (Jazz CD)
Sublime Frequencies, 1955. 4CD & hardcover book
An amazing journey in music – one presented here with a full legacy of recordings that were captured on the trip! In 1955, recordist Deben Bhattacharya made a long journey by road from London, through Europe, over to the Mid-East and down to India – recording music along the way as ... CD (Global Grooves CD)
Apple, 1968. 4LP (reissue)
The Beatles at their late best – on a self-titled set that's been long immortalized as The White Album! The White Album capped offed a period of intense creativity for the band, with a double set that's as freewheeling as anything they'd ever release. It's got raw rockers with wry lyricism, ... LP, Vinyl record album (Rock LP)
Mass Appeal, 2018. 2CD & DVD
An incredibly well-captured set by the legendary DJ Shadow, Live In Manchester in October of 2017 – and come to think of it, the live album format is pretty underutilized in hip hop – who better than Shadow to pull it off so well! It's impeccably recorded and sounds great, so get enough ... CD (Hip Hop CD)
Fantasy/Craft, 1983. (reissue)
A mindblowing debut from Cybotron – one of the most unusual groups to ever hail from Detroit – and that's saying a hell of a lot, given the musical legacy of the city! Cybotron have a sound that's starkly electronic, and a huge influence on later electro, hip hop, techno, and house ... LP, Vinyl record album (Soul LP)
Mercury/Big Pink (Korea), 1970.
A gem of a record from the mighty Wayne Talbert – an artist who first rose to fame as a the keyboardist in Sir Douglas Quintet, but who turns out to be a hell of a talent on his own! Talbert's got a blend of rock and soul that's not unlike his old boss Doug Sahm – but he's arguably ... CD (Rock CD)
Glen Sings For The King
Capitol, Late 60s.
A fantastic lost slice of work from Glen Campbell – recorded in the studio during the years of his big initial fame in the 60s – but never issued to the public at all! Instead, these tracks were recorded for "The King" – that is, Elvis Presley – a bit like demos ... CD (Rock CD)
Fremeaux & Associates (France), 1940s. 4CD
A really great overview of the V-Discs label of the 40s – the imprint started by the US Army as a way of circulating the jazz and swing sounds of the time to soldiers overseas! As you'd guess from the dates, the label was started during the American involvement in WWII – but then ... CD (Jazz CD)
On A Misty Night
Odin (Norway), 1984/1985/1996.
Wonderful music from two of our favorite jazz singers of all time – Norway's inventive Karin Krog, and British legend Georgie Fame! The set collects tracks that the pair originally recorded on albums issued under the name of Per Husby – one in the 80s, one in the 90s, plus some ... CD (Vocalists CD)
Harvest/Esoteric (UK), 1976. 3CD & DVD
One of the crowning moments of Bill Nelson and Be Bop Deluxe – a set in which it seemed that everything the group was trying for really came together – in a mode that's both tuneful and timeless, and which – a bit like Sparks or 10CC – was slightly out of time with the rest ... CD (Rock CD)
Nice Day For Something
Columbia/Manifesto, 1973.
A great Columbia Records set from the mighty Lee Michaels – still going strong after an amazing run of albums on A&M, but with a vibe that's maybe a bit more underground overall! Lee's still a hell of a songwriter, but he's also got an approach that's maybe slightly muted – almost ... CD (Rock CD)
MPS (Germany), 1977.
A fantastic 70s album from the legendary German label MPS – but one that gives some great early exposure to a pair of talents from the LA scene! Joanne Grauer plays keyboards with a sweet breezy vibe – a bit like some of the hippest Bay Area indie jazz sides of the time, and made even ... CD (Jazz CD)
Numero, 1983. (reissue)
An indie soul Christmas album from the 80s – one that few folks grabbed at the time, but which has a lasting sound that really gives it some annual appeal year after year! Joseph – aka Joseph Washington Jr – wrote all the tunes himself, and recorded the album with a homegrown ... LP, Vinyl record album (Holiday Music LP)
Omni (Australia), 1950s/1960s/Early 70s.
Great work from a series that never gets old – and which, if anything, seems to keep digging deeper and deeper with each new volume! If you know that, as the Louvin Brothers tell us, Satan Is Real – then you'll find plenty to spook your soul here – and we don't just mean the ... CD (Folk/Country CD)
Lebroba
ECM, 2018.
A fantastic trio of talents – coming together in the best ECM mode that always seems to make a really special sort of magic out of very individual talents! The album's led by drummer Andrew Cyrille, but is equally balanced between the talents of Wadada Leo Smith on trumpet and Bill Frisell ... CD (Jazz CD)
Studio One/Soul Jazz (UK), Late 70s.
A set that offers up a slightly different look at the Studio One label – and at the lovers rock style of reggae that broke big at the end of the 70s! Studio One is often known for its rough-edged early classics – but right from the start, the label had a great ear for soul – ... CD (Reggae CD)
MKWAJU
Columbia/WRWTFWW (Switzerland), 1981.
Beautifully percussive sounds from Midori Takada and the Mkwaju ensemble – a group that features Takada on vibes, marimbas, gongs, and tom tom – alongside other percussion and marimbas too! Joe Hisaishi produced, and also plays keyboards – but the electric elements are light, and ... CD (Rock CD)
Warner/Robinsongs (UK), Late 80s. 2CD
A pair of albums from Zapp – back to back, and with bonus tracks too! New Zapp IV U is the group's fourth album – and it captures Zapp at the height of their powers – a bit more focused than before, but every bit as funky! Roger's production here is impeccable – done with ... CD (Soul CD)
Poeira Zine (Brazil), 2018.
A fantastic second volume in this series – and every bit as ear-opening as the first! As you'd guess from the title, the book offers up a look at groundbreaking records from Brazil – and starts in the mid 70s, to run through the 80s – a period in Brazilian music that sometimes ... Book (Book)
EG/Astralwerks, 1982. (reissue)
Brian Eno leaves the Airports, and moves On Land – but still keeps things pretty much in the spare sound of the Ambient series! The lineup here features a few more extra musicians – including Michael Beinhorn on synth, Jon Hassell on trumpet, Axel Gros and Michael Brook on guitars, and ... LP, Vinyl record album (Rock LP)
Clear
Conyadosssongs, 2018.
The music of Conya Doss has been making our world a whole lot better for many years now – and even after nearly two decades, the lady hasn't lost her touch at all! In fact, Doss emerges here with a new sense of maturity that only seems to deepen her songwriting – which was already ... CD (Neo Soul CD)
Ace (UK), Late 60s/Early 70s.
A great look at the changing tone on the American scene at the end of the 60s – that moment when Vietnam, social unrest, and many other problems weighed heavily on the country's consciousness – and made their presence manifest in all sorts of pop music as well! We're not talking about ... CD (Rock CD)
Takt/Columbia (Japan), 1970. Gatefold
An early US session from trumpeter Terumasa Hino – working here in a very long and stretched-out style – very much the most edgy modes of his earliest years! Tracks are all quite long, and really open up with fierce horn work – both from Hino on trumpet and flugelhorn, and from ... CD (Jazz CD)
Zoona Malawi
Mississippi,
Gasper Nali plays the babatoni – an instrument that's only got one string – but he plays with such intensity, you hardly notice the spareness of the instrument! Instead, Gasper comes on full with a very rhythmic approach – often drumming the side of the instrument while he's ... LP, Vinyl record album (Global Grooves LP)
Music For My Friends
Polskie Nagrania (Poland), 1977.
Funky big band from Poland – a very groovy set that's right up there with the best large group 70s sessions on MPS! The group here is very heavy on the horns – lots of trumpets and saxes – underscored by some hipper rhythms that include a bit of guitar, electric bass, and ... CD (Jazz CD)
Obscure/Astralwerks, 1975. (reissue)
A modern minimalist watershed – and maybe one of the first indications that Brian Eno was moving onto higher ideas in his music! The album's an important release on the Obscure series from Island Records – a special imprint that was curated by Eno, as a way of giving showcase to new ... LP, Vinyl record album (Rock LP)
Anthology Editions, 2018.
A fantastic look at the European sound library scene of the 60s and 70s – one that goes way past some of the simpler cover art books that have been around over the years – to offer up details on individual labels, histories of the music, and a great look at key musicians as well! Don't ... Book (Book)
Dunham/Daptone, 2016.
The great Charles Bradley left this planet all too soon – and although we've got this final album of music to enjoy, it's only a partial consolation for Bradley's early departure! The set's maybe a bit like some of the albums of Otis Redding material that were issued after his passing – ... LP, Vinyl record album (Deep Funk LP)
Grapefruit (UK), Mid 60s. 4CD
The complete recordings of The Action – a UK group that we'd put right up there with early work by The Who, and everything done by The Creation at the same time! Like both of those famous combos, these guys start out in mod territory, but already seem to be pushing forward for something new ... CD (Rock CD)
Camden Session
Gearbox (UK), 2018.
Really fantastic sounds from Butcher Brown – a group who just seem to leap forward more and more with each new release – and who've really hit their groove with this well-recorded performance! The album was recorded live to disc in London – with a superb sound that only further ... CD (Jazz CD)
Love Injection, 2018.
The West End Records issue of NYC music and culture fanzine Love Injection – one of finest fully independent zines we've picked up in a few years, and one we've been entirely remiss by only now finding after 40+ issues – but we couldn't have come in on a better issue! A real celebration ... Magazine (Magazine)
Christian McBride's New Jawn
Mack Avenue, 2018.
Bassist Christian McBride works here with a mighty striking group – a quartet that features Josh Evans on trumpet, Marcus Strickland on tenor and bass clarinet, and Nasheet Waits on drums – all players who give this record an edge that we're not used to hearing from Christian! The ... CD (Jazz CD)
Takt/Columbia (Japan), 1970. Gatefold
One of our favorite albums ever by this inventive Japanese trumpeter – and a really that really lives up to its title! Terumasa's entering his spacey period here – but not too spacey – and he's playing in a stretched out style that takes his trumpet into warm soulful lines that ... CD (Jazz CD)
Universal Beings
International Anthem, 2018. 2CD
Maybe the crowning achievement of drummer Makaya McCraven so far – a double-length set that stands as a huge testimony to all the many waves he's been making in jazz for the past few years! The album features four slices of live performance – recorded in New York, Chicago, LA, and ... CD (Jazz CD)
Jazz Jamboree 65 Vol 2 – Polish Radio Jazz Archives
Polskie Radio (Poland), 1965.
Live recordings done at Poland's famous Jazz Jamboree festival in 1965 – but which also feature some great music by German artists too! Pianist Joachim Kuhn leads off the set with a trio – and he's already moving into some of the more modern, avant modes that would characterize his ... CD (Jazz CD)
Adventure, 2018.
A beautiful take on the music of Antonio Carlos Jobim – not just because of the piano of Jovino Santos Neto, but also because of the vibes of Ben Thomas – whose presence in the group adds a nicely different feel to the record! There have been many Jobim tributes over the years, but ... CD (Brazil CD)
Wire, 2018.
That's the duo of Jim O'Rourke and Eiko Ishibashi on the cover – relocated the the Japanese countryside from Tokyo, and making some beautiful music in their new environment! The issue also looks at the hip hop of Jpegmafia, the cassette underground music of Michele Mercure, and the London ... Magazine (Magazine)
Universal (Japan), Late 60s/Early 70s. 3 x 7 inch set (pic cover)
A totally great package – especially if you love the music of Roger Nichols & The Small Circle Of Friends as much as we do! That groovy late 60s album is a classic round these parts – and at the time, a number of other singers tried their hands at some of the great songs from the ... 7-inch, Vinyl record (Funky 45's 7-inch)
Seine Sviv
OK World (Norway), 2018.
An airy, icy combination of voice and instrumentation – used in a way that takes us back to some of the coolest Norwegian experiments of this type from years back – like some of the sparer work of Karin Krog, or unusual vocal projects on the Jazzland label! Bendik Baksaas leads the ... CD (Jazz CD)
Bureau B (Germany), Early 80s.
A really deep look at the German underground in the early 80s – material by groups that are far more obscure than acts like Pyrolator, Der Plan, or Die Krupps – and it's not like any of those groups were big names either! The set features singles by groups who mostly circulated the ... LP, Vinyl record album (Rock LP)
Little Big
Ropeadope, 2018.
Aaron Parks is a master of tones here – not just the ones from his own piano and keyboards, which can come spiraling out with effortless ease – but also the sound of the quartet's guitar from Greg Tuohey, which often has its own way of shading things in! The album may well be the most ... CD (Jazz CD)
Savana Violenta (with bonus tracks)
CAM/Quartet (Spain), 1976.
A mighty 70s soundtrack from the duo of Guido & Maurizio DeAngelis – scored for a mondo film set in Africa, but done with a style that's often like some of their more familiar Italian material of the time! Action, drama, and comedy each get musical time in the spotlight – and the ... CD (Soundtracks CD)
Hires Hits/Craftman (Japan), 1963. (reissue)
One of Blossom Dearie's hippest albums – done in that lightly grooving style that makes her 60s work some of our favorite! The style is groovier than Dearie's already-great work on Verve – a bit in the mode of her Capitol Recordings, and some of her British 60s gems from overseas ... LP, Vinyl record album (Vocalists LP)
Cinedelic (Italy), 1975. (reissue)
That's a pretty groovy little cover – and the album's filled with very groovy sounds from the great Fred Bongusto – always one of the more enigmatic composers of the golden age of Italian soundtracks! Fred's 60s work always had a bit of a bossa touch, and that's definitely here at ... LP, Vinyl record album (Soundtracks LP)
Minnesota Historical Society Press, 2018.
A treasure trove of studio, performance, and more intimate behind the scenes photos of Prince from early in his career! If we're talking popular music figures, there's probably no more worthwhile of a single artist subject for a full on, full color hardcover photography book than Prince, but this ... Book (Book)
Think (Japan), 1960s.
Blues 45s – but material that's also pretty close to the funky 45 spirit of the 60s too – given that most of these cuts have a pretty raw groove! The blues element usually comes from a guitar or harmonica element, or a way of vocal phrasing – but much of the background ... LP, Vinyl record album (Blues LP)
Cat/P-Vine (Japan), 1977.
Sweet Miami funk from the team of George "Chocolate" Perry and Clay Cropper – one of the rarest TK albums from the time, and also one of the funkiest too! The sound here is slightly polished, but never too much – a bit more in the sound of bigger Florida groups, like Miami, ... CD (Soul CD)
HMV (Japan), 2018. (pic cover)
A fantastic take on the Pharoah Sanders classic – done here by a Japanese group who really get things right! The track may well be one of the few groovers that Pharoah ever penned – and in the right hands, it really takes off without losing any of its righteous power! The modal number ... 12-inch, Vinyl record (Jazz 12-inch)
Dan Tanswell, 2018.
A cool little book about the genre of spiritual jazz – that magical music that first sprang forth from the experiments of John Coltrane, Pharoah Sanders, and others in the 60s – and which has given us decades of powerful, meaningful sounds over the years! The book isn't completely ... Book (Book)
Universal (Japan), Late 60s. (pic cover)
Four very cool tracks – all brought together as a limited release in tribute to the famous Suburbia Suite series from Japan! The music is all mod, groovy, and very upbeat – and most tunes are in a vocal jazz mode, but very different than the usual torchy styles you might expect – ... 7-inch, Vinyl record (Funky 45's 7-inch)
Takt/Columbia (Japan), 1968. Gatefold
An incredible session of Japanese hard bop from the 60s – recorded by the crack quintet of trumpeter Terumasa Hino and pianist Masabumi Kikuchi! The feel here is very much in that Blue Note modern mode of the late 60s – with drawn-out tracks that hit a slightly modal groove that ... CD (Jazz CD)
A Festa E Nossa
Soundway (UK), Early 80s. (reissue)
A rare Brazilian album from the early 80s, but one that's quite different than you might expect – as these guys have a clear love of keyboards that resonate with some of the bigger electro pop acts of the UK and European scene of the time! The group's really just a duo – Billy Jaguar ... LP, Vinyl record album (Brazil LP)
Babi (with bonus CD)
IPS/Corbett vs. Dempsey, 1969/1976. 2CD Gatefold
One of the rarest albums ever from percussionist Milford Graves, and one of the most intense as well – a completely unbridled live performance that features saxes from Hugh Glover and Arthur Doyle! Glover and Doyle are amazing together – and with that trademark raspy tone, Doyle's set ... CD (Jazz CD)
Vedette/Cometa/Four Flies (Italy), 1973. 2LP Gatefold (reissue)
A totally groovy gem from the great Piero Umiliani – and one of his rarest soundtracks of the 70s – and a set that brings together so many different wonderful strands of his sound! Some tunes have sweeping strings, others have offbeat vocals, some have quirky instrumentation, and a few ... LP, Vinyl record album (Soundtracks LP)
Apple, 1968. 2LP Gatefold (reissue)
The Beatles at their late best – on a self-titled set that's been long immortalized as The White Album! The White Album capped offed a period of intense creativity for the band, with a double set that's as freewheeling as anything they'd ever release. It's got raw rockers with wry lyricism, ... LP, Vinyl record album (Rock LP)
Broken Politics
Smalltown Supersound (Sweden), 2018.
One of the greatest things about Neneh Cherry in recent years is the way she's developed a strong sense of creative collaboration – which she definitely continues here, on a record done with great help from Keiran Hebden! Hebden produced, mixed, and co-wrote much of the set – and most ... CD (Soul CD)
Beside Herself
RVNG, Late 80s.
A cool collection of obscure 80s electronica – originally issued on cassette by Michele Mercure, who used the tape-trading underground of the time as a way of circulating her very unusual sounds! The work here is often quite experimental, but also never as dark as some of the cold wave ... CD (Rock CD)
Cairo, Late 50s/1960s/Early 70s. 2LP
A great little set of rare soul music – served up by the Cairo imprint of Mississippi Records – and done with a very similar approach to their other reissues of folk, blues, and world music! The set focuses in on rootsier sounds, especially from the 60s – with lots of deep soul ... LP, Vinyl record album (Soul LP)
Your Own Self
Opus One/Black Sweat (Italy), 1972. (reissue)
An amazing criss-crossing of modes – a record that's not quite avant classical or jazz, but which involves elements of both, as well as artists from both – and which may well stand as the crowning achievement of Garrett List! List plays trombone on the record, but the album's more of ... LP, Vinyl record album (Jazz LP)
Suey/I Need You Every Day
Sundazed, 1966. (pic cover)
Two rare tracks from Jimi Hendrix – both a fair bit better than you might expect! "Suey" was recorded by actress Jayne Mansfield shortly before her early death – but it's mostly a guitar instrumental with Jimi riffing over a very funky groove – while Jayne's voice ... 7-inch, Vinyl record (Rock 7-inch)
Witness
Steeplechase (Denmark), 2018.
One of the most unusual albums we've ever heard from cornet player Kirk Knuffke – and that's saying a lot, as all of his albums are always pretty darn unique! The set has Knuffke working with singer Steven Herring – whose rich baritone vocals are very much out front in the arrangements ... CD (Jazz CD)
Numero, 1972. (reissue)
A rare indie track from Thelma Jones – recorded down in Florida with a nicely burning groove! "I Can't Stand It" moves along at a slow-stepping, yet funky sort of pace – with a chunky rhythm that really lets Thelma take off with her vocals in the lead! "Only ... 7-inch, Vinyl record (Funky 45's 7-inch)
Strata/BBE (UK), 1973. 5CD
A fantastic live performance from Charles Mingus – recorded in Detroit, with a slightly unusual group – and done with the more open, freewheeling quality that grace his live recordings of the early 60s! The set was recorded at the Strata Gallery – and has some of the deeper ... CD (Jazz CD)
Cherry Red (UK), Late 70s/Early 80s. 3CD
A really great look at the more tuneful side of the UK scene during the prime years of punk rock – a set that doesn't ignore punk for more mainstream material – but instead shows the way the new sound was influencing bands in a variety of styles, who were then also turning things back ... CD (Rock CD)
Takt/Columbia (Japan), 1968. Gatefold
An early showcase for the talents of Japanese trumpeter Terumasa Hino – a smoking set that showcases his talents in two different settings! The album begins with a quintet that features Hino with Takeru Muraoka on tenor and Hiromasa Suzuki on piano – working through a great open-ended ... CD (Jazz CD)
BBC/Be With (UK), 1981. (reissue)
One of the few albums cut by UK soul singer Marti Caine – oddly released on the BBC's own record label, even though the whole thing's got a relatively mainstream sound overall! Marti moves in a smooth groove that's part club, part modern soul – and the whole thing features production ... LP, Vinyl record album (Soul LP)
Universal (Japan), 1967. (pic cover, reissue)
A beautiful pic sleeve 7" single – one that brings together two of the grooviest tracks from the Michel Legrand soundtrack to Les Demoisilles De Rochefort (aka Young Girls Of Rochefort) – upbeat, jazzy, and totally swinging – and very French too! 7-inch, Vinyl record (Funky 45's 7-inch)
Catch-Wave
Columbia/Superior Viaduct, 1975. (reissue)
Mindblowing avant work from Takehisa Kosugi – an artist most folks known as a founder of The Taj Mahal Travelers, but who here emerges as an electronic experimentalist – with a style to rival some of the best records of the Italian scene of the 70s! The album features improvised lines ... LP, Vinyl record album (Rock LP)
MPS (Germany), 1971. 2LP Gatefold (reissue)
A fantastic set that features the best recordings ever done by George Duke for MPS! The set's a 2LP package that compiles the sessions Solus and The Inner Source – both of which feature Duke in his purest form, at the height of his spacey keyboard powers, in settings that are neither too ... LP, Vinyl record album (Jazz LP)
Fly By Night, Late 70s/Early 80s. 2LP
A great look at changing modes in the sound library scene – music from a moment when things were getting a bit more electronic – as they also were in the pop and soul mainstream! The rhythms here are often programmed, but that also gives the music a nicely varied approach – not ... LP, Vinyl record album (Sound Library LP)
P-Vine (Japan), 2018.
A fantastic little set that looks at the huge wave of top-shelf AOR material recorded in recent years – part of a huge global re-awakening to the charms of the genre – often with results that are even groovier than the classic records of the 70s! One of the compelling things here is ... CD (Funky Compilations CD)
Cherry Red (UK), 1980s. 3CD
A great set of 80s British music that's so post-punk, it's traveled back in time – to rework older garagey sounds from the 50s and 60s for a whole new generation raised on the indie spirit of the late 70s! After years when some British groups were getting quite obtuse, others were getting ... CD (Rock CD)
Putbacks
Hope Street (Australia), 2018.
Turns out, white men can jump – at least on the cover of this album by the Australian funk group Putbacks – but maybe that's also because they're reaching to the skies to expand their style! The record's never just straight funk – as these guys have all these darker elements ... CD (Deep Funk CD)
New Beginning
Steeplechase (Denmark), 2018.
A record that bursts with life and energy right from the very first note – thanks to a wealth of original compositions from pianist Burak Bedikyan – an artist who's slowly been building up a great legacy of music on the Steeplechase label over the past few years! Bedikyan works here in ... CD (Jazz CD)
Simbiose
Adventure Music, 2018.
Two guitars and two voices – both from Daniel Santiago and Petro Martins, who definitely work here in a nicely symbiotic style! Santiago plays acoustic, and Martins plays electric – but in a way that's open and airy, leading back to a 70s Pat Metheny or ECM legacy, with these cascading ... CD (Brazil CD)
Siri Ba Kele
Sublime Frequencies, 2018.
Rootsy grooves and heavy rhythms from Baba Commandant – an album recorded in Burkina Faso, and done with a nice blend of guitar, bass, and drums – plus plenty of work on balafon and n'goni! The steel tones of the n'goni ring out nicely next to the warmer percussive melody of the ... CD (Global Grooves CD)
Solar/Soulmusic.com (UK), Mid 80s. 3CD
A trio of albums from Deele – presented in a box with original LP-styled sleeves, and lots of bonus tracks too! First up is Street Beat – a funky nugget from Deele – an 80s group who were never afraid to use plenty of beats and keyboards in their groove! Deele were part of the ... CD (Soul CD)
Universal (Japan), 1968. (pic cover)
A really cool little number from this great French singer – served up in a Japanese picture sleeve! "Dady Da Da" has this jazzy vibe, and a slight sense of drama – all put together beautifully by the great Michel Colombier! "Les Temps Du Tempo" has this really cool ... 7-inch, Vinyl record (Funky 45's 7-inch)
70% Paranoid (with bonus tracks)
Cache Cache (UK), Late 70s. (reissue)
One of the strangest collaborations of the post-punk years in England – a one-off project that unites reedman Lol Coxhill with Gerry & The Holograms – an offbeat combo who were perfect for the odd range of ideas that Coxhill always wanted to express! Lol's best known these days for ... LP, Vinyl record album (Rock LP)
Turkofon/Pharaway Sounds (Spain), 1977. Gatefold (reissue)
Cem Karaca is sounding even loftier here than before – mixing in some cool keyboard elements to his music, almost creating a prog-styled sound at times – with a lot more complexity than just a few short years before! His vocals also seem to rise to the setting, too – with all ... LP, Vinyl record album (Global Grooves LP)
Columbia/Esoteric (UK), 1968.
One of THE greatest experimental rock albums of the 60s – a landmark effort from a short-lived group that included avant musicians Joe Byrd and Gordon Marron! The group's got a really tremendous sound – part psyche, part electronic, and part folk rock – all put together in a ... CD (Rock CD)
Espace Cardin 1977
Elemental, 1977.
A fantastic late live date from Dexter Gordon – one that's noteworthy not just for his own strong work on tenor, but also for the presence of bop pianist Al Haig – who comes as quite a surprise on the session! Haig and Gordon have never played before on record – although their ... CD (Jazz CD)
Soul Jazz (UK), 1970s. 2LP Gatefold
Incredible sounds from a scene that most folks don't know at all – the heady music of Venezuela in the 70s, recorded at a time when the nation was bursting with new strengths and bright ideas! The work here is different than Brazilian, Columbian, or Peruvian sounds of the time – but ... LP, Vinyl record album (Global Grooves LP)
Tomorrow
Afrosynth, Late 80s. (reissue)
Sweet South African soul from Ntombi Ndaba – recorded at a time when electro elements were being used heavily down in Johannesburg, but never at a level that makes Ntombi's music sound too thin at all! Instead, these songs are almost a contrast to some of the more lightweight South African ... LP, Vinyl record album (Global Grooves LP)
Sublime Frequencies, 2018.
Field recordings from Madagascar – one of the most isolated nations on the planet, and one with a very unique musical culture as well! The sounds here are unlike anything else we can think of – usually spare, with a mixture of percussion, slight melody, and singing – but often ... LP, Vinyl record album (Global Grooves LP)
A&M/Esoteric (UK), 1972.
Procol Harum always had a very heady sound in their music – a mode that was much more complex than their contemporaries, full of these richer currents of sound that matched the deeper ideas in their music! Yet here, they really take things even farther over the top – working with an ... CD (Rock CD)
Overload
Brainfeeder, 2018.
No overload here from Georgia Anne Muldrow – as the singer feels fresher and more vibrant than ever – maybe in part to the Brainfeeder setting of the album! More than a decade back, it seemed like Muldrow was giving us greatness at nearly every turn through the record racks – ... CD (Neo Soul CD)
Arch/Aguirre (Germany), 1975. (reissue)
A real standout from the 70s spiritual jazz scene – and that's saying a lot, given how many outstanding records that scene gave us over the years! The group's got a very interesting approach – a trio lineup, with fantastic work on bass from Glenn Howell – who you might know from ... LP, Vinyl record album (Jazz LP)
Keep Going
Corbett vs. Dempsey, 2018. Gatefold
A long overdue return to duet formation for Joe McPhee and Hamid Drake – the duo who played together so beautifully on the Emancipation Proclamation album! This set is maybe even more personal, and more open – with Drake working some incredible magic on the drum kit, creating sounds ... CD (Jazz CD)
Live In Bremen 1983
Elemental, 1983. 2CD
We completely love the music of Woody Shaw – but unfortunately, the legendary trumpeter left this planet way too soon, and only gave us about 20 years of recordings! Fortunately, the vaults have yielded some gems like this over the years – unreleased live material that not only adds to ... CD (Jazz CD)
Tim Maia (1977)
Som Livre (Brazil), 1977.
70s soul from Brazil – and a tremendously strong effort from the legendary Tim Maia! This record was Tim's first after an initial run on Polydor – and it shows Maia tightening up his groove even more, but still avoiding the slicker sounds of later years. There's a really focused sound ... CD (Brazil CD)
Otodi
Hot Casa (France), 2018.
Man, these guys just keep getting better and better – and this smoker of an album really rewards all the faith we've had in Vaudou Game right from the start! The album was recorded in Togo, with a sharp funky style that partly echoes the James Brown Band of the late 60s – but also has ... CD (Global Grooves CD)
Colours & Images
678 Records (Netherlands), Mid 70s.
Jazzy keyboards from the great Rob Franken – maybe one of the hippest cats on the Dutch scene of the 70s when it came to the Fender Rhodes! Rob's a master of the instrument here – playing it jazzily, but also with this open flow that's really wonderful – and which really makes ... LP, Vinyl record album (Sound Library LP)
Spice Of Life
Cadet, 1969. (reissue)
An amazing batch of sophisticated soul tracks – and a favorite with the righteous groove scene! On the surface, the record's a combination of jazz and soul tracks in the same mode that you'd find on some of Nancy Wilson's albums for Capitol during the same time – but digging deeper, ... LP, Vinyl record album (Soul LP)
Bear Family (Germany), Late 50s/Early 60s.
Wild work from one of the most obscure labels featured in this series so far – the tiny Colonial Records imprint from Chapel Hill, NC – the company who first pressed comedy records by a young Andy Griffith, but also did some great rockabilly as well! The Colonial style is nicely ... CD (Rock CD)
Foxy Brown
Motown, 1974. (reissue)
A monster! Foxy Brown is Willie Hutch's magnificent soundtrack for Foxy Brown – a Pam Grier blacksploitation film from the early 70s – and it's pure genius all the way through, a record filled with some of the best funky soundtrack cuts of the era! Willie's got a real Curtis Mayfield ... LP, Vinyl record album (Soul LP)
Journey
Aparte (France), 2018.
Lionel Loueke, standing nicely on the borders of his styles – playing jazzily, to be sure – but also opening up with plenty of global elements too – in a lineup that includes the musician on a bit of percussion, alongside other percussion from Cyro Baptista and Christi Joza Orisha ... CD (Jazz CD)
Warner/Polysom (Brazil), 1977. (reissue)
A warmly intimate album from Joao Gilberto – one that has the singer and guitarist in the same special space as his wonderful albums from the early 70s - a bit more sophisticated than the bossa years, but equally personal throughout! The set was co-produced by Helen Keane – who was ... LP, Vinyl record album (Brazil LP)
BAG/Aguirre (Germany), 1973. (reissue)
One of the best records ever from this famous St Louis collective – recorded in Paris a few years after the AACM made their big splash on the city – and done with a very similar feel! The instrumentation is loose, open-ended, and incredibly creative – a wonderful array of sounds, ... LP, Vinyl record album (Jazz LP)
P-Vine (Japan), 1970s.
The Groove Diggers grabbed some great 70s mellow cuts this time around – a sweet blend of soul and AOR material, all from the rare side of the spectrum – often with a jazzy richness that makes these tracks stand out way more than the hits of the time! There's a flow to many numbers ... CD (Funky Compilations CD)
WJ3, 2017.
A really great album from pianist Eric Reed – maybe one of his most powerful, uplifting records in years – a set of mostly original music that has a very rich spiritual core! Jamison Ross sings on the album's leadoff track, which really sets the tone for the rest of the set – and ... CD (Jazz CD)
Justments
Sussex/Elemental (Spain), 1974.
A massive 70s album from the great Bill Withers – one that's sometimes overlooked next to his huge crossover records that preceded it – but which is every bit as wonderful! Withers is still on Sussex Records, and still has that completely unique approach that made him a soul genre unto ... CD (Soul CD)
Epic/Soulmusic.com (UK), Mid 60s. 3CD
Mindblowing early work from The Staple Singers – six records that are quite different than their later fame on Stax Records during the 70s – and which have a vibe that's different too, yet equally powerful! There's a sublime mix of social politics and spiritual energy going on here ... CD (Soul CD)
For The Love Of You
WJ3, 2018.
Guitarist Jacques Lesure has a nice round tone – a strong single-note line that reminds us a bit of Bobby Broom at times, but which is also set up here with superb accompaniment from Eric Reed on piano, Tony Dumas on bass, and Willie Jones III on drums! Lesure's no-nonsense right from the ... CD (Jazz CD)
Som Livre/Polysom (Brazil), 1976. (reissue)
One of our favorite albums ever from Luiz Melodia – a set that has a warmly jazzy vibe in the instrumentation, which seems to even further open up the soulful vocals of the singer! The set's got a nice balance between tightness in the instrumentation and looseness in the presentation – ... LP, Vinyl record album (Brazil LP)
Festival 69 (3CD set)
Turtle (UK), 1969. 3 CDs
A fantastic combination of modern jazz talents – the groundbreaking Gary Burton Quartet, and the young avant ensemble of trombonist Mike Gibbs! The set begins with a fantastic performance by Burton's group – heard here in a lineup that has the guitar of Dave Pritchard sharing equal ... CD (Jazz CD)
Pacific Jazz/Universal (Japan), 1966.
A great showcase for the amazing reed talents of Bud Shank – great in a small combo during the early years of his career, and equally at home in larger groups like this during the 60s! As you'd guess from the title, Bud heads up a fuller section of saxophonists – players who include ... CD (Jazz CD)
Broedermelk
Universe/Chicken Village (Netherlands), 1972. Gatefold
A swinging session of Dutch jazz from the start of the 70s – featuring the tremendous talents of the great Harry Verbeke on tenor! Harry's a hell of a player – as important to the straight sound of his scene as Tubby Hayes was to his in the 60s – and here, he stretches out nicely ... LP, Vinyl record album (Jazz LP)
Retroflection
Reel People (UK), 2018.
A fantastic album from Reel People – and warmly collaborative, too – thanks to contributions from Mica Paris, Angie Stone, Navasha Daya, Omar, Tony Momrelle, and a host of others! Reel People have always given us fantastic grooves – classic club-styled cuts, but with a lean ... CD (New Grooves CD)
Dog N Bone, 2018.
Here's a trip we'd like to take – and the book's so great, we don't even need a plane ticket! This hefty, full-color volume is everything it promises in the title – a guide to 80 of the coolest record stores on the planet – with entries from just about every continent, along with ... Book (Book)
Jorge Ben (1969)
Philips/Verve, 1969. (reissue)
A samba soul masterpiece from Jorge Ben – one of the most brilliant records to come out the fertile late 60s Brazilian scene – and an incredible album that works with the psychedelic flourishes of Ben's contemporaries and a deeper undercurrent of soul & funk! This is one of the ... LP, Vinyl record album (Brazil LP)
Man & Woman
Groove Merchant/Ultra Vybe (Japan), 1974.
One of the more laidback albums from George Freeman's early 70s run – but still a great little set that shows the mellower side of his talents! Despite the sexy style of the cover, the sound here is relatively straight soul jazz – small combo work with Harold Mabern on acoustic piano, ... CD (Jazz CD)
Odeon/Polysom (Brazil), 1973. (reissue)
An insanely wonderful album that will always remain one of the all-time favorites of the Dusty Groove staff! This beautiful batch of tracks by Brazilian singer/songwriter Marcos Valle has him pushing waaaay past his bossa work of the 60s – into a cool 70s mix of electronics and sexy scoring, ... LP, Vinyl record album (Brazil LP)
With Love
MoWest/Get On Down, Early 70s.
The incredible lost album from the group Sisters Love – material slated for release in the early 70s, but never saw the light of day, save for a handful of singles – a mix of rootsier southern soul and impeccable west coast funk styles, finally brought to light and with bonus tracks, ... LP, Vinyl record album (Soul LP)
Prestige/Craft, 1964.
Terry Callier's first album – recorded in 1964 when he was a wee teen hanging around Chicago's folk scene! As the title indicates, the album's definitely got a folk-styled sound – but also as the "new" implies, it's got a sound all it's own, fresh and free – and that ... CD (Soul CD)
One
Sessions Sounds, 2018. 2LP
The funky Will Sessions groove gets some great electric help from Amp Fiddler – and this time around, there's also chorus vocals from the soulful Dames Brown trio! Fiddler handles most of the lead lyrics, and also plays plenty of keyboards – as you'll know from his own work – ... LP, Vinyl record album (Deep Funk LP)
Mesquite Suite
Tramp (Germany), 2018. 2LP Gatefold
Lucky Brown is hiding under a skull on the cover – but he really lets his freak flag fly on the album – working with his cool combo in an offbeat mix of funky styles that are as tight as they are unusual! Echoes of Ethio, Afro, Latin, and other global funk modes drift in and out of the ... LP, Vinyl record album (Deep Funk LP)
CBS/Tiger Bay (UK), 1963. Gatefold (reissue)
Tremendous early work from German saxophonist Joki Freund – a player who would go onto much greater fame in the progressive years at the end of the 60s, but who already sounds plenty darn great on this early combo side from 1963! The style of the work is incredibly hip – with a ... LP, Vinyl record album (Jazz LP)
Cosmic Sounds
Cosmic Sound/Hot Mule (France), 1980. Gatefold (reissue)
A rare set of electro funk from early 80s Lagos – a set that's awash in long-spun rhythms and spacey keyboards – so much so that for years, the record was mistaken as an effort from William Onyeabor! Yet while the long songs and keys might recall some of Onyeabor's music, the overall ... LP, Vinyl record album (Global Grooves LP)
Rocafort (France), Late 60s/Early 70s. Gatefold
Fantastic funk from the collection of Robert Perlman – a New York DJ who served up important breaks and beats for the early hip hop sound – and who was digging for records long before anyone cared about funky 45s! There's a massive amount of great funky 45s in this collection – ... LP, Vinyl record album (Funky Compilations LP)
Fly By Night, Late 70s/Early 80s. 2LP
Rare work from the Italian sound library scene – and a set that definitely lives up to the "obscure" promised by its title, by looking at a period that hasn't been as strongly covered by other reissues! Much of the work here is from the early 80s – and shows a change in ... LP, Vinyl record album (Sound Library LP)
Rhythms Contemporains
Montparnasse 2000/Broc (Belgium), Early 70s. (reissue)
Stunning and fantastic! This is a rare bit of funky jazz, written by the legendary European composer Janko Nilovic – Montenegran by birth, but best known to the world for his classic 60s and 70s recordings in Paris. Rhythms Contemporains is an astounding batch of baroque funky jazz tracks ... LP, Vinyl record album (Sound Library LP)
Stax/Craft, 1968. 5CD
1968 was the world of revolution around the world – and to our music-trained ears, one of the greatest revolutions occurred at the legendary Stax Records! Before that year, the label had been working with Atlantic Records – who totally screwed them, and took away all their catalog ... CD (Soul CD)
XL, 2018. 2LP Gatefold
A really great soundtrack to the remade version of Suspiria – a film that was famously scored by Goblin in the 70s, and which might have an equally great match here in the music of Thom Yorke! Yorke's sounds here are more extended and even spookier – electronic, but often abstracted ... LP, Vinyl record album (Soundtracks LP)
Free Me
Tucxone (Spain), 2018.
Really wonderful work from JP Bimeni – a hell of a soul singer, even without such a tight band backing him up – a new talent to our ears, but one who could have easily held his own on the Memphis or Muscle Shoals scenes of the 60s! JP's way more than just another singer with a funky ... CD (Deep Funk CD)
Come Back Charleston Blue (180 gram pressing)
Atco/Music On Vinyl (UK), 1972. (reissue)
An unusual album in the Atlantic career of Donny Hathaway – and a unique collaboration with the legendary Quincy Jones! The music here is Hathaway's sole entry into the blacksploitation soundtrack genre of the 70s – penned for film version of a Chester Himes novel, and scored in a mix ... LP, Vinyl record album (Soul LP)
Stop All That Jazz
Shelter/Elemental (Spain), 1974.
Leon Russell at the height of his powers – really firmly on his own in the lead, after so many years in the background – and working with a confidence that makes the whole thing completely charming right from the get-go! Like a rare few – a short list that might include Mose ... CD (Rock CD)
United Artists/Universal (Japan), 1971. Gatefold
One of the most obscure albums from the big hit years of Ike & Tina Turner – a double-length live set recorded in Paris, and one that's every bit as smoking as their American live material from the time! The concert setting really lets the pair show off all their talents – and the ... CD (Soul CD)
Displaced Diaspora
Exodus (UK), 2018.
Totally wonderful work from drummer Moses Boyd – an artist you might know as half of the Binker & Moses combo – but who here really stretches out and completely finds his own voice! Boyd's a hell of a leader here – working with a large ensemble in modes that are spiritual, ... CD (Jazz CD)
Weeds
Kama Sutra/Elemental (Spain), 1969.
The duo of Michael Brewer and Tom Shipley are mostly remembered for their one big radio hit – but the pair have a wonderful sound that's ripe for rediscovery – right up there with much more frequently-lauded contemporaries from the west coast scene! The pair harmonize in this great ... CD (Rock CD)
My Heart Wavers (LP sleeve edition)
Cobra Rose (Korea), 1974. Gatefold
A very moody, very enigmatic album from Korea – one that was recorded in 1974, but feels as if it's from the previous decade – and also has this oddly timeless sound as well! The tunes are dreamy, snakey, and served up with an undercurrent of slow funk underneath strings – almost ... CD (Rock CD)
Ravenwood (UK), 2018.
A very cool imagined sound library album – one that's heavy on the mellotron you'd expect from the title – but which also has lots of other vintage instrumentation as well! The keyed-strings quality that you usually get from mellotron isn't the biggest part of the sound – and ... LP, Vinyl record album (Sound Library LP)
New Action
Grapefruit (UK), Mid 60s.
A great imagined album from The Action – one that brings together some of their grooviest singles of the mid 60s! The work here was produced by George Martin, but it's got a much rawer edge than his work with the Beatles – perfectly formed, but with this mod socking energy that's ... LP, Vinyl record album (Rock LP)
Rhythm On (Korea), 1971. (reissue)
Dreamy Korean pop from the start of the 70s – a set that features both a male and a female vocalist, set amidst these swirling arrangements that often have this darkly burning organ style! The music is very different than most of what we know from the time – even some of the more ... LP, Vinyl record album (Rock LP)
Quebra Cabeca
Glitterbeat (Germany), 2018.
In the world of global grooves, Bixiga 70 have always been a bit unique – they hail from Brazil, love Afro Funk, but also never it those easy modes that makes so may other combos sound like they're just trying to go for the sound of Lagos in the 70s! Instead, these guys seem to have ... CD (Brazil CD)
Corbett vs. Dempsey, 1970. Gatefold
Wild early work from avant jazz genius Joe McPhee – and a set that's actually pretty darn funky too! This rare indie release features 3 long tracks – two of which were recorded live, with a tight combo that includes a very funky drummer! The album kicks off with the hard wailing " ... CD (Jazz CD)
Numero, Mid 80s.
The world of moogy music first exploded back in the late 60s – when artists like Bruce Haack, Perry-Kingsley, and others were making all these wonderfully weird records that featured heavy analogue electronics and other playful elements! By the 80s, most of that music had gone away – ... CD (Sound Library CD)
Capitol/Universal (Japan), 1970.
One of the most obscure albums from the famous duo of Ike & Tina Turner – thanks in part to a short-lived relationship with Capitol Records – and maybe one of the funkiest, too – as the whole thing comes out of the gate with a vibe that mixes the raw sound of their R&B ... CD (Soul CD)
Brace For Impact (with bonus track)
Corbett vs. Dempsey, 2007. Gatefold
The first-ever album of studio duets between Joe McPhee and Mats Gustafsson – quite a surprise, given how often their paths have crossed over the years! The set was recorded in 2007, but only issued many years later – and it's a key document of the power that both improvisers have at ... CD (Jazz CD)
Capitol, 1958.
One of Frank Sinatra's last great ballad albums for Capitol – a sad and dreamy batch of tunes that kicks off with the incredible "Only The Lonely" – one of those Sinatra torch songs that's so great, so sad, nobody else has ever been able to record a better version, nor have ... CD (Vocalists CD)
Pacific Jazz/Universal (Japan), 1956.
One of a few great small combo dates that Bud Shank recorded in the mid 50s – marvelous material that really lets the saxophonist shine on both alto and flute! As with Bud's other quartet date from the same year, the pianist here is Claude Williamson – a player who's strong, but also ... CD (Jazz CD)
Music Box (France), 1970.
Mellow magic from the great Francis Lai – a relatively obscure soundtrack, even if it was issued during a time when he was hitting great fame for Hollywood scores! The style here is in the best subtle modes that Lai reserved for his French productions – heavy on keyboard lines, ala ... CD (Soundtracks CD)
Minit/Universal (Japan), 1969.
A set that does a fantastic job of capturing the great energy that Ike & Tina Turner brought to their famous live appearances – honed to a sharp edge by this time in their career, thanks to countless years on the road! Ike was always as much a master of ceremonies as James Brown was on ... CD (Soul CD)
Main Squeeze
Groove Merchant/Ultra Vybe (Japan), 1974.
One of the grooviest albums ever from Jimmy McGriff – a hard-wailing session that's filled with plenty of cooking lines on the organ, and a few especially funky tracks! The groove here is tight, short, and very sharp – strongly in the mode of other post-Sue sessions by McGriff – ... CD (Jazz CD)
Rockstone
Colemine, 2018.
A sweet second album from Jr Thomas & The Volcanos – a contemporary group, but one who get the sound of late 60s Kingston just right! These guys are to reggae and rocksteady what the Dap-Kings are to classic funk – younger modern artists who are completely devoted to finding the ... CD (Reggae CD)
Get Down With Me
EMI/Dig This Way (Italy), 1984. (reissue)
The cover looks a bit cheesy – like some sort of Star Search graphic – but the album's a rock-solid gem from the second decade of Nigerian funk – recorded in Lagos with a great boogie vibe, and a groove that's as heavy on keyboards as it is on riffing guitar and percussion! Peter ... LP, Vinyl record album (Global Grooves LP)
Tailgunner
LC/Ultra Vybe (Japan), 1977.
Jimmy McGriff in a very cool 70s mode – hitting some of the fuller, more soul-based styles that Johnny Hammond and Jimmy Smith were exploring in the middle of the decade – while still also displaying a hell of a talent on the organ as well! The album has extra keyboards from Pat ... CD (Jazz CD)
Iron Mountain Analog Research/Omni (Australia), 1950s/1960s. Gatefold
A fantastic little set that looks at themes of hard work and labor in postwar country music – territory that certainly opened up with the success of the Merle Travis tune "Sixteen Tons" – and which took very different forms in country music than the same topic in folk and ... LP, Vinyl record album (Folk/Country LP)
Deck Disk (Brazil), 2018.
A beautiful celebration of 50 years of music from Toquinho – but one that doesn't just live in the past, and instead shows us all the growth he's experienced over the decades! Toquinho first came on the scene as a famous partner of poet/singer Vinicius De Moraes – a great late-life ... CD (Brazil CD)
Quasimoto
Polskie Nagrania (Poland), 1979. (reissue)
70s Polish fusion at its finest, served up by the always-tight Laboratorium – a group who know when to jam at the right points, but who can also lay back into a spacier groove as well! This album does a good job of mixing in plenty of keyboards – Fender Rhodes and Arp, juxtaposed ... LP, Vinyl record album (Jazz LP)
East Plants
VAP/BBE (UK), 1981.
Really amazing sounds from Japanese drummer Takeo Moriyama – a record that's sometimes spiritual and organic, sometimes very unusually put-together – and which makes as much use of inventive percussion as it does the leaders drums! The group's got this very cool twin-sax approach ... CD (Jazz CD)
Only A Man
Confunktion (UK), 2018.
Mr Confuse has always been one of the best blue-eyed soul singers on the overseas funk scene – able to hit the right sort of modes for the music, yet never push things so much that he's trying to sound fake – a careful blend that might make others want to take note! Backings are tight ... CD (Neo Soul CD)
Earth Mother
Alm/BBE (UK), 1978.
An important early album from saxophonist Koichi Matsukaze – maybe not one of the biggest names in Japanese jazz during the 70s, but certainly one of that scene's most striking players! The approach here is quite spiritual – long, open tracks that pulsate strongly – thanks to ... CD (Jazz CD)
Scenery
We Release Jazz (Switzerland), 1976.
Lyrical magic from pianist Ryo Fukui – a lost gem from the Japanese scene of the 70s, and a beautifully flowing album throughout! Fukui's got a wide-open touch to the piano that we totally love – and is easily one of the best of his contemporaries on the Japanese trio scene of the time ... CD (Jazz CD)
Extra Soul Perception
Solid State/Dusty Groove, 1968.
One of the few albums ever issued as a leader by Monk Higgins – a genius musician/arranger who first got his start on the Chicago scene of the 60s, then moved out to the west coast at the end of the decade – where he also helped inject some funky new sounds into the Blue Note label! ... CD (Jazz CD)
Solar/Ultra Vybe (Japan), 1983.
Collage may not have been the biggest group during the legendary early run of Solar Records – but they were certainly one of the tightest – as you'll hear on this classic album of 80s groove! Collage boast a lot more members than their contemporaries – a total of 10 guys are ... CD (Soul CD)
Blow
Motema, 2018.
Saxophonist Donny McCaslin opens up a whole new side of his music here – by letting in a host of guests vocalists, whose presence links the record to some of the work that Donny did with David Bowie near the end of his life! We're not saying this is a Bowie record, and with the presence of ... CD (Jazz CD)
Acadie – Raw
Gondwana (UK), 2018. Gatefold
Explosively soulful talents from Allysha Joy – a singer who seems to have a lot of her name in her style – this joyous vibe that really matches her fantastic flow – coming across with a sense of spirit that really grabs us from the very first note! Joy hails from the London scene ... CD (Neo Soul CD)
Membran (Germany), 2018.
A mindblowing record from the great Ed Motta – a set that continues all the warmer, English language elements of his recent albums – but one that also seems to have Ed hitting a new sort of sophistication too! The sound is incredible – almost out-AORing all the global AOR ... CD (Neo Soul CD)
Afro-desia
Groove Merchant/Ultra Vybe (Japan), 1975.
Excellent work by Lonnie Smith – a free-flowing album of long jazzy grooves that's kind of an extension of his Blue Note albums, touches with more of the electricity of his 70s playing! There's some killer rhythms on the album – courtesy of drummers Jamey Hudad and Ben Riley, and ... CD (Jazz CD)
Black Velvet
Groove Merchant/Ultra Vybe (Japan), 1971.
A stone laidback set from O'Donel Levy – one of the greatest soul jazz guitarists of the 70s, and a player who sounds fresher and fresher to us over the years! This album's a bit more laidback than some of Levy's other sets for Groove Merchant – with larger arrangements that feature ... CD (Jazz CD)
Blue Thumb/Universal (Japan), 1969.
A pretty sweet little album from Ike & Tina Turner – recording during a period when it seemed like they had contracts with just about every soul label on the market! This one's definitely got that hip "play it for the Fillmore crowd" sound that you'd expect from Blue Thumb ... CD (Soul CD)
Gearbox (UK),
A little turntable, but with a mighty big sound – thanks to a vacuum tube that really improves the quality of the playback! In a world where so many small turntables are cheap and shoddy, the Gearbox Automatic is wonderfully overbuilt – a compact unit, but with a glass platter and belt ... Turntable
Far Out (UK), 2018.
A whole new flavor of Brazilian jazz – served up by pianist Amaro Freitas, whose work on the Pernambuco scene is a great cross-crossing of modes! Freitas has all the fluid, modern elements of some of the better-known Brazilian pianists from Rio and Sao Paulo – but he also mixes in some ... LP, Vinyl record album (Jazz LP)
Feel The Spirit
Curtom/Acid Jazz (UK), 1976. (reissue)
Pure genius from the great Leroy Hutson – a set that's maybe got a funkier feel than some of his previous albums – and all of the completely charming vocals that we've always loved from Leroy over the years! There's plenty of messages in the grooves – and in a way, at this point ... LP, Vinyl record album (Soul LP)
Delmore, Early 70s.
A fantastic addition to the all-too-small catalog of recordings by Jay Bolotin – a Kentucky songwriter whose compositions were recorded by bigger names down in Nashville, even if Jay never fully got his due! Bolotin is hardly country, though – much more a songpoet, in the manner of ... CD (Folk/Country CD)
One
JMI, 2018. Gatefold
A really beautiful album from keyboardist Ray Angry – a set that not only sparkles from his own great work on Hammond, piano, and Fender Rhodes – but also from a killer quintet that includes Derrick Hodge on bass, Eric Harland on drums, Ambrose Akinmusire on trumpet, and Myron Waldon on ... LP, Vinyl record album (Jazz LP)
Harlem River Drive
Roulette/Get On Down, 1970. (reissue)
A legendary Latin funk album – spearheaded by Eddie Palmieri! The record is a landmark crossover album from the early 70s – cut at the end of the Latin soul era, but featuring that genre's wonderful mix of Puerto Rican soul, Spanish Harlem Latin, and New York funk – which are ... LP, Vinyl record album (Latin LP)
Ducks & Drakes
BBE (UK), 1979.
An underground funky gem – one that never made it past the collections of the elite sound library audience in the 70s – but which is well deserving of global acclaim! Yan Tregger works here in this style that's every bit as funky as his contemporaries on bigger library labels, but ... CD (Sound Library CD)
Cochin Moon
Light In The Attic, 1978. Gatefold (reissue)
A wonderfully weird little record from Japanese electronic musician Harumo Hosono – conceived as a soundtrack for an imaginary Bollywood film, but a set that's much more an electric masterpiece that we'd rank with Hosono's best work! The tracks are long, and rhythmically pulsing – ... LP, Vinyl record album (Rock LP)
AndOarAgain (3CD set – with book)
Modern Harmonic, Late 60s. 3CD
A landmark album from Skip Spence – the onetime lead singer of Moby Grape, cast out of the group on his own by the time of this debut solo album – a record that's as powerful as it is fragile, and which has been the one lasting musical legacy of the man himself! The record almost sunk ... CD (Rock CD)
Reminiscence
Moserobie (Sweden), 2018.
This might be the first we're ever hearing from pianist Adam Forkelid – and given the sound of the album, we hope we'll be hearing a lot more for years to come! Forkelid has this wonderful approach to the piano – very bold, powerful chords – even in the mellower moments – ... CD (Jazz CD)
Discobertas (Brazil), 1965/1972/1978/1985. 4 CDs
Four rare slices of work from the lovely Nara Leao – unreleased live material from 1965 through 1985 – really showing the tremendous scope and development of her music! The first CD features a live concert from 1965 – definitely with some bossa elements in the mix, but also ... CD (Brazil CD)
Ryko/Run Out Groove, 1995. 2LP Gatefold (reissue)
A seedy, noirish, vintage R&B-fueled 90s alt rock classic from Morphine – their third straight great album in a hell of a strong run! If they hit their peak on Good, they're still riding it out here for sure – yes, indeed. They always had a way of pairing primitivist R&B ... LP, Vinyl record album (Rock LP)
Tamla, 1968. (reissue)
Marvin's definitely in the groove on this set – cooking on all burners with a host of late 60s Motown hits – bad-stepping his way towards some of the more mature moments to come in the 70s! The album's probably best remembered for the cut "I Heard It Through The Grapevine" ... LP, Vinyl record album (Soul LP)
Luaka Bop, 2018.
Wild work from one of the more compelling artists of the Cali soul scene – an Oakland singer/keyboardist who issued a rare album under the name of TJ Hustler in 1979, then kept on making his own sounds away from the mainstream! The vibe here is very very 80s underground – lots of Casio- ... CD (Soul CD)
Ace/Westbound (UK), Early 70s.
Deep deep funk from the legendary Westbound label – the important early home to Ohio Players and Funkadelic, but also host to some other great funky groups too! In keeping with the name, the cuts here focus on the kind of Westbound tracks that have great drum breaks in their groove – ... CD (Funky Compilations CD)
Saigon Supersound, 1960s/Early 70s. 2LP Gatefold
The sound of Saigon during the Vietnam war – amazing homegrown sounds that are a great contrast to the overplayed American oldies that most folks associate with the period! It's true that US soldiers did bring a lot of their own music to the scene during the time – but the nation ... LP, Vinyl record album (Global Grooves LP)
Tropical Diaspora (Germany), 2018. Gatefold
A contemporary set from Brazil, but one with a groove that feels like it was lifted right from the 70s – especially that period later in the decade when samba soul modes were coming into play with warmer boogie modes! The set's a live one, and features the strong lead vocals of Renato Gama ... LP, Vinyl record album (Brazil LP)
Tomato/Omnivore, 1978/1979.
Two albums from Jorge Santana – back to back in a single set, and long overdue! First up is the self-titled Jorge Santana album – a stone 70s classic from Carlos Santana's lesser-known brother – a set that effortlessly brings together Latin and soul, often with the same sort of ... CD (Soul CD)
Ostinato (UK), Mid 70s/1980s/Early 90s. 2 CDs
Other-worldly sounds from the place where the Nile River splits into two – the hugely under-tapped legacy of Sudanese music from the scene in Khartoum – presented here in a beautifully lavish style! The package is as much a history book as a mindblowing set of music – as the ... CD (Global Grooves CD)
Salsa Con Monte (180 gram pressing)
Discos Fuentes/Vampi Soul (Spain), 1973.
Michi Sarmiento looks like a complete badass on the cover of this rare 70s album – and his group sounds completely badass as well – thanks to the wonderful mixing of modes that sometimes happened at the Disco Fuentes label! There's a loose vibe here that's quite different than New York ... LP, Vinyl record album (Latin LP)
Raven & The Dove
Julian Kirshner, 2018.
The cover's a bit disorienting, and the music is too – sounds from a trio that can change things up quickly, and move their instruments in ways that sometimes have us trying to figure out who's doing what! The trio features Gerrit Hatcher on tenor, Julian Kirshner on drums and percussion, ... CD (Jazz CD)
Los Destellos En Orbita
Odeon/Cal Comunicaciones (Peru), 1969. (reissue)
Los Destellos are heading into orbit here – soaring to the heavens on their wonderful mix of cumbia rhythms and electric guitar! The mode here is one that folks have later picked up on around the globe – but at the time of release, the album was pretty darn special, and still has a raw ... LP, Vinyl record album (Latin LP)
Black Fire/Strut (UK), 1975.
A landmark of Afro-centric jazz in the 70s – and the first album by this famous underground collective! Oneness of Juju were a Washington DC-based group that grew out of the ashes of the Juju avant jazz ensemble – formed in the culturally rich African-American community of DC in the ... CD (Global Grooves CD)

If you're ever in Chicago, be sure to visit our Chicago record store!
1120 N Ashland Ave Chicago, IL 60622
Open 10am–8pm daily.
All the great stuff appears here at our online record store first — but if you shop locally, you'll also get a chance to handle the goods before you buy!

We buy new and used LPs, 45s, vinyl records, and CDs

in the store from 11am–6pm daily. Feel free to stop by with used vinyl and sell or trade with us.

We pay top prices for older jazz, soul, funk, hip hop, and other genres in good shape!


See why Dusty Groove is consistently rated one of Chicago's Best Record Stores!
Updated November 15, 2018


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