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Jackie Brown: Music from the Miramax Motion Picture is the soundtrack to Quentin Tarantino's motion picture Jackie Brown. It was originally released on December 9, 1997. The soundtrack uses a variety of music genres, including soul. The soundtrack also includes dialogue from the motion picture and a lack of typical film score, similar to the other soundtracks of Tarantino films. - Wiki

Here To Stay was the second album from Detroit soul singer Darrell Banks. Banks was a one-semi-hit wonder who was killed by a policeman less than a year after Here to Stay was released. – VMP

Here to Stay is a Nexus point—and arguably the Nexus point—in the conversation between the Memphis soul sound of Stax Records (which released this album via its Volt imprint) and the more polished, pop-oriented Detroit soul sound, as epitomized by Motown. Banks was a vessel for Stax to try to make albums that would appeal to people buying thousands of Marvin Gaye and Diana Ross records, a performer who could, with his gravely, powder-keg voice—along with authentic Detroit musicians and production, recorded in Detroit—bridge the gap between the then preeminent modes for soul music, and bring Stax more of the mainstream commercial success experienced by Motown. Banks never accomplished that feat, and neither did Stax, for that matter. But Here To Stay got close. - VMP

The ultimate collector's board pursued by soul-funk-rare groove freaks all over the world is the world's first official LP reissue with an original jacket!

One of the best in the collection of Sadar Bahar, known as one of the world's leading collectors / DJs, and also includes the blockbuster funk "Open Soul" that is essential for heavy play!

Released in 1976 by Chicago's local label Stage Productions, this is the only album by a six-member soul band led by the four Burton brothers, and most of the original albums are on the market. It is no exaggeration to say that it is the ultimate collector's album that everyone wants once, such as always exceeding US $ 1000 even when it is traded without any trouble! A spectacular and groovy funk "OPEN SOUL" (B1) that uses all the B-sides of the record for more than 20 minutes, the finest funky tune "Let's Get With The Beat" (A5) and the killer instrument "Hurt Perversion" Even if you go through the whole album such as (A3), it is one that is full of things to listen to! – P-Vine

First Reissue in over 20 years! With the original copy fetching silly prices, it’s a big delight to have this rare funk & soul record reissued on P-vine in top quality! Sweet soulful harmonies and instrumentation all over these grooves, lyrical content close to the heart and an all-around sing-along vibe. Lovely!  

Hailing from south-east London, Joel Culpepper is an artist who’s been on Mr Bongo's radar for some time now. With a unique soulful voice and explosive showmanship, Joel’s star is rising. His sonic palette blends an array of genres and influences, that looks back to the greats whilst simultaneously absorbing London’s contemporary musical landscape. His charismatic Colors Studios performance of ‘Woman', the standout cut from Joel’s 2017 EP ‘Tortoise’, has amassed over 13 million views on YouTube (and counting).

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Joel's debut album, 'Sgt Culpepper’, is an incredible modern soul album and the product of a two-year undertaking which saw him attract an array of respected producers and musicians from the UK and beyond, a testament to the reputation he had already built as a dynamic songwriter and performer among his contemporaries. With executive production from Swindle (Ezra Collective, Mahalia), mastering from Joker (Stormzy, Kojey Radical) and with co-productions that include the likes of legendary pop producer Guy Chambers, Raf Rundell (The 2 Bears), Shawn Lee (Saint Etienne, Kelis), and Tom Misch, Sgt Culpepper is a demonstration of the power of community, mingling self-reflection with wider social commentary. The record is split into four chapters: The Battle, which includes previous singles ‘W.A.R’ and ‘Return’, The Surrender, embodied by recent single ‘Poetic Justice’; The Love and The Lesson.

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Joel’s desire to forge a sense of collectivism was the lifeblood for 'Sgt Culpepper', resulting in the diverse roster of talent attached to the project. As well as the aforementioned names, the record includes production from the likes of British multi-instrumentalist Redinho, South London rapper and Roc Nation signee Kay Young, Linden Jay (Poppy Ajudha, Rejjie Snow), and Grammy-award winning songwriter Jimmy Hogarth. "I've been inspired by how the UK jazz and Grime scene supports each other, it’s similar to what happens in the states. Collectives like Odd Future, Aftermath and the earliest being Motown. It’s soul’s turn to band together here, likeminded independent musicians working to support the scene and each other as a whole.”

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Through charismatic storytelling, personal epiphanies, and the formation of a new creative collective that underpins his craft, 'Sgt Culpepper' ushers in a new era for Joel as an artist. – Mr Bongo

Expanding their palette just a little, Children Of Zeus manage the delicate art of the follow up. Placing their artistry in a fresh context, ‘Balance’ feels just right, merging the sound of their debut with fresh elements, without losing the innate character that makes them feel so special. True trailblazers of a very specific strand of UK soul music, Children Of Zeus are way out in front of the pack. – Clash Music

The world's first LP reissue with a sophisticated sound that makes soul, funk, and AOR fans groan and a high-quality funka soul band super rare board!

Stevie Wonder "You Are The Sunshine Of My Life", Tower of Power "Ebony Jam", and Earth, Wind & Fire's familiar "Can't Hide Love" are full of killer song covers!

The only work released in 1977 by the black-and-white and mixed 8-member funka soul band "Moon Pie" based in Nashville, Tennessee, USA. The original version is a collector's item that is famous for its rarity, but it is also highly evaluated for its high quality sound that made soul, funk, and AOR fans groan with its skillful performance and various arrangements! The contents are still the classic covers of the 70's such as Tower of Power (A1), Steely Dan (A4), Commodores (B1), and Creative Source (B4) that reproduces the arrangement of Earth, Wind & Fire as it is. Recorded on the cover! Among them, Stevie Wonder (A3) with the finest arrangement that ascends to the sky at once with the elegant samba tone of the midfield solo part from the slow Bossa is inevitable in agony! – P-Vine

We are proud to present the first full international release for another lost classic from the Black Fire Records archives, ‘Southern Energy’, the only album recorded by R’n’B and jazz collective Southern Energy Ensemble in 1977.

“As Southern Energy, we played the chitlin circuit and ended up gigging most weekends at clubs, universities and military bases in Virginia and North and South Carolina,” remembers leader Marvin Daniels. After meeting Plunky Branch and Jimmy Gray, they recorded some high energy sessions during 1977. “Southern Energy was tight,” continues Daniels.

“The album was all about positive messages and celebrating real people." The band would break up soon after the members left college. Canned following the original recording, the album eventually surfaced on a limited CD and LP on Black Fire in 1993. ‘Southern Energy’ has been remastered from the original tapes by The Carvery, and features unseen photos and brand-new sleeve notes by co-bandleader Marvin Daniels. - Strut

Strut presents one of the most in-demand and significant albums from the archives of Jimmy Gray’s Black Fire Records, ‘Bow To The People’ (1976) by theatre collective Theatre West, based out of Dayton, Ohio.

Recorded at Arrest studios in Washington in ’76, ‘Bow To The People’ brought together songs from several of Theatre West’s best known plays including Bow To The People, The System and Black Love and unflinchingly explored serious issues around drug addiction, mental health and cultural awareness. “The whole idea of Bow To The People was to honour our black forefathers,” explains Dillard. “It was important to do that for the kids that didn’t know.”

Shelved following the original recording, the Bow To The People album eventually surfaced on a limited CD on Black Fire in 1993. Now receiving its first full international release, the album features the previously unreleased tracks ‘Man Of Many Means’ and ‘I Don’t Knpw Much About Love’ and has been remastered from the original tapes by The Carvery. - Strut

This is some serious top shelf material out of Baltimore and a certified masterclass in sweet symphonic soul. Optimistics was originally released in 1970 on Turbo and it’s every bit as essential as The Chi-Lites, The Delfonics and The Moments yet nowhere near as known. Those original copies are ridiculously rare and, of course, the prices are equally ridiculous.

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Optimistics is a killer LP throughout, beloved of discerning hip-hop producers worldwide and routinely championed by the legendary Pete Rock. The genius George Kerr has handled the production on what is an album of beautiful, naïve soul for mind and body. It’s bursting with goodness and, like the best of its genre, it radiates a heart-breaking ambience that cuts right to the core. The whole LP is a winning blend of slow, spine-tingling ballads and joyously upbeat tracks. It’s a case of A+ vocals, melodies and harmonies over beautiful playing and arrangements. It deserves to be canonical.

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This fresh reissue has been mastered with the usual care by Simon Francis and cut by the legendary Pete Norman. The artwork has been lovingly reproduced by the Be With team. Optimistics should be known to a much wider audience. We’ve hopefully gone some way towards rectifying that. – Light In The Attic

Caiphus Semenya, AKA Mr Letta Mbulu, is a South African legend, and Listen To The Wind, his iconic debut album, is simply a superb modern-soul/boogie album. It’s also incredibly rare, especially in good condition, so Be With is delighted to present this reissue.

Listen To The Wind is stylistically diverse but the ingredients are never diluted. There are elements of boogie, soul, funk and jazz, all shot through with pan-African flavour, and moving effortlessly from uptempo floor fillers to more meditative, slower soulful tracks. Produced by Caiphus himself, he makes full use of a stellar line up of session musicians including Nathan East, Michael Stanton, Sonny Burke and Paulinho DaCosta. And of course, there are Letta’s show-stopping vocals. To our ears, Listen To The Wind is just one big party, and lord knows we need that more than ever right now.

All that’s missing is you. – Be With Records

Amid the swirling sounds and scenes intersected by Los Angeles’ sprawling freeways, John Carroll Kirby is somewhere at the centre of it all, shirt open, hair slicked back. He circles the city’s buzzing jazz movement with his soul-dappled instrumentals and is a keysman, composer and producer who’s been enlisted by some of the most exciting names in contemporary pop: Frank Ocean, Mark Ronson, Harry Styles, Blood Orange, and Solange Knowles, whose incendiary past two albums, A Seat at the Table and When I Get Home, were shaped in part by Kirby.

He sees himself as more of a Ry Cooder character, the guitarist who co-directed the Cuban ensemble Buena Vista Social Club. “He’s a kind of genreless musician,” says Kirby. “He’s just centred around guitar and where that fits into different scenarios. I’m trying to do something similar, but with the keyboard.” – The Guardian

Moby’s eclectic career has cast him in the roles of electronic dance music pioneer, singer and songwriter, producer, activist, and restaurateur, but for his latest venture he presents his music in a whole new light. ‘Reprise’ includes his best-known tracks in new arrangements for classical instruments – featuring Moby himself and a stellar lineup of collaborators from across the musical spectrum.

The 14-track album includes classic Moby songs like Porcelain, Why Does My Heart, and Extreme Ways in innovative new versions, featuring eye-catching collaborations including Jim James, Víkingur Ólafsson, Gregory Porter, Kris Kristofferson and many more. – Deutsche Grammophon

1.Killer and cult electro funk hip hop musical U.F.O. from 1987 Japan!

2.Highly sought-after record reissued for the first time since its original release

3.Sound restoration, mastering and lacquer cut by Timmion Cutting Lab

4.180g heavy vinyl pressing, reverse board print

5.Comes with a 4 pages insert including the original Japanese one, an interview with Hoodoo Fushimi (in English and Japanese), exclusive pictures and the album's lyrics translated in English.

1987, Kanagawa, not so far from Tokyo, Japan. Minoru Fushimi teaches his high-school classes during the day. Back from work, he transforms into "Hoodoo" Fushimi, turns on the drum machines, the synthesizers and the sequencers, blends them with his own shamisen playing and builds a cult album: Kenka Oyaji is born and becomes a milestone in Japan's early hip hop and electro-funk history, now reissued for the first time since its original release, in collaboration with Hoodoo Fushimi himself. Essential!-  Bandcamp

Sault, as ever produced by Inflo with Cleo Sol and Kid Sister the primary co-writers and vocalists, start their fourth album by striding toward the horizon with a glimmering polyrhythmic call to arms. "Strong" contains so much purposeful movement and ornamentation -- wriggling disco-funk with a drumline interjection, impelling voices, and ascending synthesizer and strings -- that the rest of Untitled (Rise) feels destined to be a letdown. The song instead sets the tone for a sequence that's less mournful, much more energized, and angrier than the third LP, Untitled (Black Is). "I Just Want to Dance" is likewise layered, part high-velocity U.K. street soul and part batucada with more marching drums. It's a celebration of life through physical release -- a means of coping with tragic injustice. The same undaunted spirit courses throughout "Son Shine," gospel boogie bearing a devastating group hook, "Free," a cracking statement of defiance, and "Street Fighter" and "The Beginning & the End," a pair of highly percussive combat dances. Working a slinking soul-jazz groove, "Uncomfortable" is among Sault's quietest numbers but is a seething confrontation itself: "Maybe you're uncomfortable/With the fact we're waking up/Why do you keep shooting us?/How do you turn hate to love?" The interludes here are almost as weighty, typified by a rousing cadence call and Kid Sister's caustic upbraiding of performative allyship. From beginning to end, the parenthetical word of the album title is sung, spoken, and chanted, serving a mobilizing and oppositional purpose for the most part. It's also used in an early interlude as a morning greeting for a child, presumably the subject of "Little Boy," a sobering soul lullaby that ends this group's most striking and affecting work yet. 5, 7, Untitled (Black Is), and Untitled (Rise), issued within 16 months, amount to exactly three hours of exceptionally recombinant and enriching pro-black music with minimal excess. The rate and power of the output is stupefying. - All Music

Essentially, we are interested in the musical endeavors, in which artists from the Arab world mixed local and regional influences with musical interests that came from outside of the region. Even though the name suggests it’s all about funk music, our focus is more than just that. Often these influences might be inspired from Western popular music such as soul, pop and rock but it’s not limited to that either. Some of our favorite records are best described as Arabic zouk (a genre originating from the Caribbean islands of Martinique and Guadeloupe) like Mallek Mohamed’s music, Algerian coladera (a popular musical style from the Cape Verdean islands) or Lebanese AOR, which means the process of musical influences displayed on this compilation was much more versatile than just taking Western music as a blueprint and translating it with a local accent. The compilation features 15 different artists. Some you might already know thru Habibi Funk’s releases like Fadoul, Ahmed Malek, Dalton or Al Massrieen, while others are meant as an introduction to artists like Kamal Keila, Sharhabeel Ahmed, Attarazat Addahabia & Mallek Mohamed. – Habibi Funk

Hot on the heels of their ‘Sampled Funk’ selection, the folks at Wagram apply the same approach to soul, lounge and easy listening, raiding the crates for those smooth grooves, gospel scorchers and tearjerkers that generations of producer have flipped for high quality hip hop and house. Perfect for wax nerds, sample spotters and bar DJs, this collection features jamz from Ray Charles, Timmy Thomas, Dusty Springfield and Etta James.

The Nineteenth Whole were an Indianapolis-based funky jazz outfit who were part of a very vibrant scene. Jazz guitar legend ‘Grant Green’ had originally hailed from there and he recruited the members of the 19th Whole as his rhythm section for live dates. (Green also discovered the other great Indianapolis jazz outfit Funk Inc. at about this time.) The attention that followed their work with Green allowed the Nineteenth Whole to sign with producer Bob Porter (responsible for many superb jazz productions for Prestige and Atlantic) on Eastbound, a label he had set up with Detroit independent Westbound Records.

Fronted by Billy Wooten’s distinctive vibes, joined by guitar legend Cornell Dupree (you all know his opening riff on the intro of Aretha Franklin’s ‘Respect’) and percussionist Buddy Caldwell (THE session musician for respected labels such as Prestige & Muse) makes Smilin’ an organ funk groove classic at its best!

Recorded in 1972 by the legendary Rudy Van Gelder (known for recording Miles Davis in the early 1950’s and the countless work he did for Blue Note, Prestige, Verve .. and many others) at the Indianapolis club that gave the band their Eastbound name: ‘The Nineteenth Whole’. Production on the album was handled by Bob Porter (responsible for many superb jazz productions for Prestige and Atlantic).

Presented here are five lengthy soul-jazz pieces (including material from ‘Sly Stone’, ‘War’ & ‘The Jackson 5’) with funky grooves and some of the best sparkling organ & guitar licks you’ll ever hear. This album sets the stage for a constant shift in grooves, a collage of earthy Funk, Soul, Rock and Jazz Fusion straight outta 1972… an emotional ride packed with the main ingredients for a ‘get down’.

The Nineteenth Whole’s first (and only) album was originally released in 1972 on Eastbound Records, super rare and fetching large sums on the collectors market, now finally back available as a limited (500 copies) deluxe vinyl edition. – Tidal Waves Music

Following their coronation as Best New Band at the 2019 Austin Music Awards, Black Pumas release their second single “Fire,” the follow-up to their Song Of The Year-winning “Black Moon Rising.”

Black Pumas is led by the creative partnership between Grammy Award-winning guitarist/producer Adrian Quesada and 27-year-old songwriter Eric Burton. Burton is a relative newcomer who arrived in Austin in 2015 after busking his way across the country from Los Angeles, while Quesada has a storied reputation for playing in bands like Grupo Fantasma and Brownout while also producing acclaimed projects like 2018’s ‘Look At My Soul: The Latin Shade Of Texas Soul.’

After the two connected via friends in the Austin scene, they began to collaborate on a new sound that transmutes soul into something idiosyncratically modern. Reminiscent of Ghostface Killah and Motown in equal measure, this original sound ensured that Black Pumas’ weekly residency at C-Boys quickly became “the hottest party in town” (Austin-American Statesman). - Bandcamp

Of all the artists who recorded for the Black Jazz label, keyboardist and composer Doug Carn was the most prolific, releasing four albums for the imprint. 1972's Spirit of the New Land was his second Black Jazz release, but the first one (of two) to co-feature his wife, vocalist Jean Carn, in the album title; we've chosen to lead with this record from Carn's catalog not only because it's the most collectible of the bunch, but also because it showcases his innovative approach of adding lyrics to jazz standards. Thus, both Miles Davis' 'Blue in Green' and Lee Morgan's 'Search for the New Land' are blessed with spellbinding vocals from Jean Carn set to her husband's words, while Doug Carn originals like 'Arise and Shine' and 'My Spirit' soar with spiritual fervor on the wings of his wife's five-octave range.

Along for the ride are a stellar cast of players, including trumpeter Charles Tolliver, co-founder of the Strata-East label; saxophonist George Harper, who played with Herbie Hancock and Jimmy Smith among others; trombonist Garnett Brown, who appears on albums by Roland Kirk, Albert Ayler, and Art Blakey among his hundreds of album credits; tuba player Earl McIntyre, whose discography spans from Carla Bley to the Band; and drummer Alphonse Mouzon, founding member of Weather Report. – Real Gone Music

Alice Clark's highly sought-after Soul Jazz classic produced by Mainstream Records' Bob Shad in 1972. Featuring such classics as "Don't You Care" and "Never Did I Stop Loving You" and remastered from the original tapes, this release is the first official reissue of Alice Clark’s original album for decades, a long-overdue release of one of the best Soul albums ever recorded. – Bandcamp

Royal Flush is a winning hand played by trumpeter Donald Byrd, arguably the best recording date under his leadership.

The opener, Byrd's "Hush," sets the tone for the entire session, which emphasizes uncommon restraint, nuance and subtlety without for an instant losing its soul. An infectious, gospel-inflected blues in C, "Hush" opens with a rhythmic structural pattern that is maintained through each of the solos: eight bars of stop time (in the manner of the Harlem Globetrotters' "Sweet Georgia Brown"), followed by a four-bar shuffle-rhythm trailer. Byrd's minimalist, alternately sly and plaintive solo serves to set the stage for the laconic statements of Pepper Adams' baritone sax and Hancock's piano which, contrary to expectations, reveals not the slightest trace of overplaying on what must have felt like a momentous occasion for the recent college graduate.

"I'm A Fool To Want You," the only standard on the program, is both ballad- and trumpet-playing of the highest order. If it truly was Ava Gardner who elicited from Sinatra the torch song that has frequently been called his most deeply felt performance, she must have had the same impact on Donald Byrd, who turns in the instrumental equivalent of Sinatra's reading, right down to Old Blue's "breathless" phrasing. The trumpeter takes the song through only once, melding extraordinary technique with sensitive musicianship when he employs circular breathing to extend the two most important notes of the bridge, practically effecting the suspension of time at the point where the lyric laments a love lost.– All About Jazz

The Jazz-Funk cult classic reissued!

Experience Unlimited (also known as simply E.U.) was a Washington, D.C.-based go-go/funk band that enjoyed its height of popularity in the 1980s and early 1990s. Fronted by lead singer/bassist Gregory "Sugar Bear" Elliot, the group has had a fluctuating membership over the years, but they have maintained a fairly loyal following. – Wiki

In the last 10 years, Calibro 35 have released 12 albums inspired by the 1970s ‘Poliziotteschi’ Italian crime film genre. This year the cinematic funk cult combo release their highly anticipated 7th album Momentum. Dr Dre and Jay-Z have both sampled Calibro 35 and the band have shared the stage with Robert Glasper, Muse, Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings, The Headhunters and many more.

“Italian cult combo CALIBRO 35 release their highly anticipated 7th studio album “MOMENTUM” on January 24th 2020. “Momentum” follows “DECADE” their previous studio album released in 2018 that has marked 10 years of Calibro 35 and it stands out as a new starting point for the project. In the last 10 years Calibro 35 have dug the golden age of soundtracks and they’ve been to the future with “S.P.A.C.E.”, “Momentum”, as the band stated: "represents a look at nowadays and a reflection about making music right in the time that we’re living” - Calibro 35 on Bandcamp

From local imprint Darker Than Wax, reaching out worldwide!

Nomad’s Land is essentially an honest reflection of the artist’s life experiences - inspired by people, relationships, psychedelic experiences, and human existence. The album also represents Dominic’s first outing as a vocalist, bouncing between soulful singing, spoken word, and freestyle rap. This vocal element is crucial to the album’s impact, adding a layer of heart and truth to these deeply personal compositions.

Deep diversity can be found throughout the record, from the sino-grime inflected Time Unremembered, to the lush piano-trio vibes on Feeling, to the glitchy breakbeat jazz hybridity of DMT. Yet despite these seemingly disparate shades, Nomad’s Land is a singular statement and front-to-back listening experience, unified by beautiful production and grounded in raw musicality.

With early support from Alex Barck (Jazzanova), Soul Clap, Simbad, Ennio Styles, and Jad & The (Beats of No Nation) 

On this day in 1959, Ray Charles recorded "What'd I Say." Improvised at the end of a concert (it would end up closing most of Charles' shows for the remainder of his career), the song became the performer's mainstream breakthrough and first gold record. The album of the same name features nine more stirring selections including “Jumpin' In The Morning,” “Tell Me How Do You Feel” and “Rockhouse, Parts 1 & 2.” With redoubtable saxophonist David Newman among the backing band, Brother Ray is at the top of his game and clearly reveling in it – WHAT'D I SAY truly is the birth of soul. - Rhino Records