‘Classic Vinyl Edition.’

Remarkable 1966 lineup, with James Spaulding, Lee Morgan, Howard Johnson and Kiane Ziwadi in the brass line — the title track reminds you where the Hypnotics are coming from — and McCoy Tyner, besides.

It’s a must. The bluesy, grooving title track is essential Sonny. With Art Farmer (playing superbly), Jackie McLean, Philly Joe Jones and Paul Chambers.
Blue Note Classic Vinyl series: all-analogue, mastered by Kevin Gray from the original master tapes.

Kind of a dry run for Blue Trane, a couple of months later: with JC, Byrd, Curtis Fuller, Paul Chambers, Art Taylor; a latinized Speak Low, and SC’s own, wicked News For Lulu.
‘Classic Vinyl.’

The 1957 recording with Paul Chambers and Philly Joe Jones.

‘Blue Note Classics’ series.

Relaxed, maybe, but not subdued. Actually a lovely mixture of swingers, blues and ballads, and one of the great trumpeter’s most unmissable sets, beautiful stuff, with Tommy Flanagan on top form, Paul Chambers, and Art Taylor.

An essential, five-star Blue Note; warm, lyrical and flowing. Adderley was in Miles Davis’ group at this time — over the next year they would record A Kind Of Blue and Milestones — and the trumpeter pays back generously, choosing the tunes, and playing at his very best.

‘10/10 Pop music as it should be: beautiful, heartbreaking, but ultimately uplifting’, NME; ‘*****’, Mojo.

Wayne Shuler always recorded Bettye with a black audience in mind, and despite the high proportion of country songs these are definitely soul records, though like nothing else from the time. Bettye never sings with the desolation of O.V. Wright, the hurt of Percy Sledge, or the sheer pain of the final Linda Jones records. There’s a southern feel to these Swann-Shuler recordings, but they also have a light, almost poppy quality to them. Sometimes they sound like the missing link between Muscle Shoals and Motown.

The LP here is a worthy reissue by Music On Vinyl of the classic Honest Jon’s compilation, on its twentieth anniversary; the CD is from back in the day.

1965-67 recordings for John Dolphin’s Los Angeles label, including — amongst numerous original compositions by Bettye herself — the classic chart-topper Make Me Yours.

This is the first-ever overview of Bettye Swann’s career, from Money to Capitol, Fame to Atlantic. The stuff with Wayne Shuler on our own compilation is some of the greatest soul music there is — but this is a must for its inclusiveness, and full of treasures.