Japan+rare+groove+funk+best+collection

Charles Earland - Leaving This Planet (1973) {2014 Japan Rare Groove Funk Best Collection 1000}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 532 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 188 Mb
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© 1973, 2014 Prestige / Concord / Universal Music Japan | UCC0-90341
Jazz / Jazz Funk / Soul Jazz / Organ

One of the greatest albums ever from organist Charles Earland – a double-length set that's filled with spiritual, soaring grooves! The style here is a perfect blend of the rougher soul jazz of Earland's roots with some of the spacier styles of his later recordings – served up in a sound that's majestic and powerful, almost with an indie soul jazz sort of vibe overall! There's an immediate urgency to most numbers that's totally undeniable – a lesson learned from the electric experiments of Herbie Hancock and Miles Davis, but fused down into a core essence – then let loose on a soaring journey to the heavens.

Jimmy McGriff - The Worm (1968) {2014 Japan Rare Groove Funk Best Collection 1000}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 243 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 90 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (png) -> 152 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 2014 Capitol / Solid State / Universal Music Japan | UCCU-90069
Jazz / Jazz Funk / Soul Jazz / Organ

Jimmy McGriff's B-3 sound was always rooted in blues and gospel, and his soloing could be very smooth and polished. But every once in a while, he had to break out of his own soul box and tear it up on a session. The Worm, issued on Solid State Records in 1968, is the very first place he did. This is the first true, all-out funky burner from McGriff, and it sounds very different from most of the other titles on his shelf. Having a band like this helps: trumpeter Blue Mitchell, tenor saxophonist Fats Theus (with Bob Ashton on baritone and Danny Turner on alto), alternating drummers Mel Lewis and Grady Tate, bassist Bob Bushnell, and guitarist Thornel Schwartz were all in their prime in 1968. The title track, written by McGriff, Theus, and producer Sonny Lester, sets the tone for the whole platter.

Stanley Cowell - New World (1978) {2014 Japan Rare Groove Funk Best Collection 1000}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 222 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 87 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (png) -> 169 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1978, 2014 Galaxy / Concord / Universal Music Japan | UCCO-90365
Jazz / Soul Jazz / Post Bop / Rhodes / Hammond

A surprisingly righteous little album from Stanley Cowell – a set cut after his more famous music for the Strata East label, but one that still hangs onto a similar vibe! The style's a bit tighter than before, but still filled with soul and spirit – thanks to a lineup that includes Julian Priester on trombone, Eddie Henderson on trumpet, and Pat Patrick on reeds – making a key appearance here away from the Sun Ra Arkestra! Cowell plays both piano and keyboards, and the record has a bit of strings, and a bit of vocals – but all used tastefully, in ways that further enforce the depth of the tunes. Tracks include "El Space-O", "Ask Him", "Island Of Haitoo", and "I'm Tryin To Find A Way".

Rusty Bryant - Fire Eater (1971) {2014 Japan Rare Groove Funk Best Collection 1000 UCCO-90337}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 214 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 84 Mb
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© 1971, 2014 Prestige / Fantasy / Universal Music Japan | UCCO-90337
Jazz / Jazz Funk / Soul Jazz / Saxophone / Organ Hammond B-3

A monster – and one of the best jazz funk albums ever on Prestige! Rusty Bryant blows his top off on this one – taking his tenor stylings out of the more staid R&B mode of earlier years, working with some younger heavy funk jazz players to craft a brilliant album of long searing tunes that's forever been one of the must-haves of the early 70s jazz funk scene! Idris Muhammad's on drums, Wilbert Longmire's on guitar, and the organ work is split between Leon Spencer and Bill Mason, both monstrously great talents, with a propensity for open-stopped hard-wailing playing! Titles include "Fire Eater", "The Hooker", "Mister S", and "Free At Last".

Eddie Cano & His Quintet - Brought Back Live From P. J.'s (1967) {2014 Japan Rare Groove Funk Best Collection 1000 UCCU-90067}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 232 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 81 Mb
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© 1967, 2014 Dunhill Records / Universal Music Japan | UCCU-90067
Jazz / Soul Jazz / Latin Jazz / Jazz Funk / Piano

Reissue with the latest remastering. Stunning stuff – and one of the best-ever Latin soul albums of all time! Despite the fact that Eddie Cano's earlier albums are more in a Latin easy mode, this late 60's side for Dunhill is totally smoking – and probably his greatest album ever! Forgive the superlatives, but we're totally serious on this one – as the set's a firey batch of Latin instrumentals, with a slammin' boogaloo groove all the way through – filled with mad percussion, jazzy piano riffs, and a non-stop groove that's totally great. The set was recorded live at PJ's nightclub, and it's a non-stop Latin Soul party that includes massive originals like "Slip Slip", "Brown & Blue", "Miro Como Es", and "Don't Ever Change" – plus smoking covers of "El Pito" and "Louie Louie". The set screams with excitement, and is as great as the album is rare!

Leon Spencer - Louisiana Slim (1971) {2014 Japan Rare Groove Funk Best Collection 1000 UCCO-90346}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 235 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 89 Mb
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© 1971, 2014 Prestige / Concord / Fantasy / Universal Music Japan | UCCO-90346
Jazz / Jazz Funk / Soul Jazz / Organ Hammond B-3

Sublime Hammond from the amazing Leon Spencer – heard here at the height of his younger years, when he was cooking up as much magic in the studio as Johnny Hammond or Charles Earland – and really stretching things out, in ways that take the jazz organ format much farther than the giants of a decade before! The date's an all-out great one in the Prestige funky jazz mode – with Spencer on organ, Melvin Sparks on guitar, Grover Washington Jr on tenor, and Idris Muhammad on drums – a bit more subtle than before, but still plenty darn funky! Tracks are nice and long – and the record includes the originals "Louisiana Slim", "Our Love Will Never Die", "The Trouble With Love", and a cover of "Mercy Mercy Me".

Hampton Hawes - Northern Windows (1974) {2014 Japan Rare Groove Funk Best Collection 1000}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 226 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 80 Mb
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© 1974, 2014 Prestige / Concord / Universal Music Japan | UCCO-90359
Jazz / Jazz Funk / Hard Bop / Piano

One of the best David Axelrod-assisted albums from the early 70s – a sweet batch of funky cuts with arrangements and backings handled by Axe, and loads of great keyboard lines from the legendary Hampton Hawes! The record really bubbles with the warm and soulful approach Axelrod was using at Fantasy – kind of a step off his stark modern sound at Capitol, but still done with just the right amount of space and appreciation of a funky rhythm. The great Carol Kaye is on bass, and Hawes plays some totally sweeeeeeeet electric keys on the set – really stretching out in ways that are different than some of his acoustic work of a few years before – yet still filled with the same rich sort of imagination. Titles include "Sierra Morena", "Go Down Moses", "Web", "Tune Axle Grease", and "C&H Sugar".

Azar Lawrence - Summer Solstice (1975) {2014 Japan Rare Groove Funk Best Collection 1000 Series UCCO-90360}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 269 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 97 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (png) -> 152 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1975, 2014 Prestige / Concord / Universal Music Japan | UCCO-90360
Jazz / Post Bop / Soul Jazz / Jazz Funk / Afro-Cuban Jazz / Spiritual Jazz / Saxophone

A beautiful album of spiritual soul and Brazilian influenced jazz from Azar Lawrence – and a pretty rare one we're thrilled to have! Lawrence is a stellar sax player with a sound that's a bit like Gary Bartz, which means that he fits in perfectly with the Fantasy-era Prestige Records sound – but the sounds on this set are uncommonly rich and globally influenced. The set's predominantly acoustic, with lots of modal grooves in kind of a Strata East vein – and angular post-Coltrane playing that's very similar to Bartz's work on the Libra album from his early days. Players include Raul De Souza on trombone, Ron Carter on bass, Billy Hart on drums, Dom Salvador, who is really allowed to shine on piano on a few tracks, and drummer & percussionist Guilherme Franco, who brings a world of wonderful percussion on a couple of numbers.

The Cannonball Adderley Quintet - Country Preacher (1969) {2014 Japan Rare Groove Funk Best Collection 1000 UCCU-90077}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 253 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 91 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (png) -> 144 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1969, 2014 Capitol / Universal Music Japan | UCCU-90077
Jazz / Soul Jazz / Jazz Funk / Hard Bop / Saxophone

Reissue with the latest remastering. A totally great set by Cannonball Adderley – one of his funkiest albums ever, recorded live at Operation Breadbasket under the supervision of Jesse Jackson, and a session in which the band is cooking a lot more than on some of their other albums from the time! The set grooves hard with some tight electric piano from Joe Zawinul – amazing snakey lines that not only set the tone for the whole record, but which really make for a strong evolution from the Mercy Mercy Mercy era of the group a few years before. Cannon's alto and soprano work are beautiful – a masterpiece of soul jazz expression – as is the cornet from brother Nat – and the group's completed by bassist Walter Booker and drummer Roy McCurdy. The album's a bucketful of great jazzy sample tunes – and tracks include "Walk Tall", "Country Preacher", "Hummin", and the extended "Afro-Spanish Omlet".

Ivan "Boogaloo Joe" Jones - Black Whip (1973) {2014 Japan Rare Groove Funk Best Collection 1000 UCCO-90358}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 234 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 92 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (png) -> 177 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1973, 2014 Prestige / Concord / Universal Music Japan | UCCO-90358
Jazz / Hard Bop / Soul Jazz / Guitar

Reissue with the latest remastering. Amazing stuff from Ivan Boogaloo Joe Jones! Unlike some of the other players on Prestige during the early 70s – who often got a bit weaker as the decade moved on, thanks to the departure of some of the better forces arranging and producing the records – Jones kept on playing hard, improving his guitar skill to a point where he was riffing and grooving away at a pace that's simply mindblowing when you hear it. Case in point is the mighty "Black Whip", a fantastic bit of funky jazz that cracks back and forth with all the whiplike qualities hinted at in the title – and which has a totally infectious jazz dance groove that always gets us on the floor. Other titles include the original groovers "Freak Off" and "Crank Me Up", both tasty numbers, plus some mellow pop covers like "My Love" and "Daniel".