ON A COOL DAY: THE SOULFUL SIDE OF COOL JAZZ (VARIOUS ARTISTS)
Not just
cool jazz – despite what the title might say – and instead a whole host of
soulful jazzy styles from the late 50s and early 60s – pulled forth from the
kind of singles that once boomed from backroom jukeboxes in taverns on the
south side of town! The collection is great – very much in the spirit of some
of the Mod Jazz compilations on Ace, but maybe even a bit more farther-reaching
too – and the tracks are a great mix of instrumental and vocal jazz numbers,
put together with the same great ear as the soul collections on the Outta Sight
label. Titles include "Like Young" by Ann Henry, "I Walk The
Streets" by Lyn Avalon, "Scenes In The City (edit)" by Charles
Mingus, "Comin Home Baby" by Dave Bailey, "Johnny With The
Gentle Hands" by Cootie Williams & Wini Brown, "Baby Do You Ever
Think Of Me" by Sonny Stitt, "Goodbye Old Girl" by Art Farmer,
"Wayning Moments" by Wayne Shorter, and "Sack O Woe" by Ray
Bryant. ~ Dusty Groove
FREE SOUL CHRISTMAS (VARIOUS ARTISTS)
One of
the coolest Christmas compilations we've ever seen – a wonderful blend of
contemporary cuts and overlooked gems from the past 40 years – including some
excellent gems from the 80s that have never gotten the right sort of exposure!
There's some real treasures on here – songs we totally totally love – and the
mood changes often, but in a really great way – so that favorites mix nicely
with the more obscure numbers – in a batch of cuts that runs for over 80
minutes, and which includes "Driving Home For Christmas" by Chris
Rae, "Wonderful Christmas Time" by Silje Nergaard, "What Do You
Want This Year For Christmas" by Dean Grech, "This Christmas" by
Malene Mortensen, "Thanks For Christmas" by Three Wise Men (XTC),
"Ho Ho Ho" by Georgie Fame, "On Christmas Morning" by Benny
Sings & Clara Hill, "Benoit's Christmas" by Pale Fountains,
"Joy" by Tracey Thorn, "Last Christmas" by Til Bronner,
"This Christmas" by Mary J Blige, "The Bell That Couldn't Jingle"
by Burt Bacharach, "Fairytale Of New York" by The Pogues,
"Christmas Love" by Rotary Connection, "Santa Baby" by The
French Impressionists, and "Simply Havin A Wonderful Christmas Time"
by Joke Bruijs. ~ Dusty Groove
SPEAK EASY: THE RPM RECORDS STORY
Rare
tracks, unissued material, and lots of un-reissued tracks too – all pulled
together to present a great second chapter of the legendary R&B powerhouse
– RPM Records! RPM was a key force in shaping the sound of the west coast
during the 50s – and in addition to recording important sounds from artists in
LA and San Francisco, the label also drew from points as far east as Memphis or
New Orleans– as you'll hear in this overstuffed batch of tracks! Familiar names
from the RPM/Modern catalog are here, next to much more obscure artists, and a
few we never knew recorded for the label – and the overall vibe here is
top-shelf R&B, with lots of soulful currents throughout. Titles include
"Snake Eyed Mama" by Don Cole, "Bim Bam" by BB King,
"Memories Of You" by Prentice Moreland, "Speak Easy" by
Vido Musso, "Blues In The Dark" by Little George Smith, "Whoopin
& A Hollerin" by Preacher Stephens, "Real Pretty Mama" by
The Meadow Larks, "Feel My Broom" by Quinn Kimble, "Ruben"
by Johnny Guitar Watson, "I Ain't Drunk" by Lonnie The Cat, "Love
Me Pretty Baby" by Connie Mack Booker, "One Whole Year Baby" by
Earl Curry, "Hands Off" by Donna Hightower, and "The Dream
(parts 1 & 2)" by The Fox. 54 tracks in all – and great notes too! ~ Dusty Groove
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