Brother Jack McDuff "Live!" (1963)

Master of the Hammond B3 Organ, Brother Jack McDuff helped make the blues infused "soul jazz" the bridge between the hard-bop of the 50's and the jazz funk of the 70's. If some of the grooves sound familiar, it's because McDuff's style beacame a major influence on the B3 players that followed him. Look no further than the tribute album "Boogaloo To Jack McDuff" where modern day players pay homage to the man himself. But "Live!" brings you back to the beginning of all it with some of Jack's earliest material being preformed in a club setting. -- Chris Baginski

1. "Rock Candy" (6:39)
2. "It Ain't Necessarily So" (6:37)
3. "Sanctified Samba" (4:48)
4. "Whistle While You Work" (5:11)
5. "A Real Goodun'" (7:42)
6. "Undecided" (8:15)
7. "Blues 1 And 8" (7:06)
8. "Passing Through" (2:39)
9. "Dink's Blues" (6:19)
10. "Grease Monkey" (2:31)
11. "Vas Dis" (8:09)
12. "Somewhere In The Night" (3:55)
13. "Jive Samba" (6:50)

Grooveshark Stream

The Shins - "Oh, Inverted World" (2001)

One of my favorite records from the past decade, The Shins debut album is a pillowy white cloud that combines 60's sunshine pop with hypnotic melancholy. The dreamland created gives the music a lucid feel that streams by you at a sweet tempered pace, spins you around and sings you a lullaby. -- Chris Baginski

1. "Caring Is Creepy" (3:20)
2. "One By One All Day" (4:09)
3. "Weird Divide" (1:58)
4. "Know Your Onion!" (2:29)
5. "Girl Inform Me" (2:21)
6. "New Slang" (3:51)
7. "The Celibate Life" (1:51)
8. "Girl on the Wing" (2:50)
9. "Your Algebra" (2:23)
10. "Pressed in a Book" (2:55)
11. "The Past and Pending" (5:22)

Jimmy Buffett - "A1A" (1974)

Before Jimmy Buffett was a gun-slinging parrot, he was a country singer in Nashville, TN. But one trip to Key West with Jerry Jeff Walker to play the boardwalks for money changed all of that. It's here that Buffett began this shift from country to the beach bum tropical pop that made him famous. On A1A (named for the Atlantic Coast road that runs along Florida's beachfront towns) Buffett is mid way between his country past and margarita future and chronicles the shift in several of the tunes. You can hear him falling in love with oceanside life as his tumbleweeds blow closers to the seas. So take in the sweet smell of saltwater on this one as the country palm tress gently sway. -- Chris Baginski

1. "Making Music for Money" 4:01
2. "Door Number Three" 3:03
3. "Dallas" 3:25
4. "Presents to Send You" 2:40
5. "Stories We Could Tell" 3:18
6. "Life Is Just a Tire Swing" 3:04
7. "A Pirates Look At Forty" 3:57
8. "Migration" 4:13
9. "Trying to Reason with Hurricane Season" 4:21
10. "Nautical Wheelers" 3:35
11. "Tin Cup Chalice" 3:38

John Scofield w/ MMW - "A Go Go" (1998)

Some albums pull you right back to where you listened to them over and over. This one forever floats me to the basement of Townhouse 13 in Fairfield, CT. On A Go Go, four of the coolest cats in modern jazz get together for the first of two collaborative albums and the chemistry immediately sizzles. Jazz guitar master John Scofield teams with acid jam trio Medeski, Martin & Wood for a funky new take on retro jazz jive that's super cool and super styling. -- Chris Baginski

1. "A Go Go" (6:36)
2. "Chank" (6:46)
3. "Boozer" (5:27)
4. "Southern Pacific" (5:13)
5. "Jeep on 35" (4:31)
6. "Kubrick" (2:13)
7. "Green Tea" (5:11)
8. "Hottentot" (6:46)
9. "Chicken Dog" (6:22)
10. "Deadzy" (2:41)

See John Scofield on Tour

See Medeski, Martin & Wood on Tour

Flamin' Groovies - "Teenage Head" (1971)

San Fransisco's Flamin' Groovies stick to the basics of Rock n Roll with an early 70's Garage Rock sound that curled lips as the dawning of Punk approached. Influences abound upon listening - The Stones, The Byrds, The Doors, Elvis and a dose of Chuck Berry to name a few. Their derivative sound though perfectly suits their raw style and penchant for good times and good parties. -- Chris Baginski

1. "High Flyin' Baby" (3:32)
2. "City Lights" (4:25)
3. "Have You Seen My Baby?" (2:52)
4. "Yesterday's Numbers" (3:59)
5. "Teenage Head" (2:52)
6. "32-20" (2:05)
7. "Evil Hearted Ada" (3:20)
8. "Doctor Boogie" (2:34)
9. "Whiskey Woman" (4:47)

bonus tracks

10. "Shakin' All Over" (6:06)
11. "That'll Be the Day" (2:22)
12. "Louie Louie" (6:48)
13. "Walkin' The Dog" (3:42)
14. "Scratch My Back" (4:50)
15. "Carol" (3:16)
16. "Going Out Theme" (3:05)

Meirelles e Os Copa 5 - "O Som" (1964)

A landmark album in Brazilian Jazz, O Som marked the shift from the fast paced bossa nova period of the late 50's and early 60's to a cool jazz style while still staying true to Brazil's samba roots. Lead by Tenor Saxophonist J.T. Meirelles, this album will drop you in a Rio de Janeiro café complete with a cerveja in no time. -- Chris Baginski

1. "Quintessência" 4:14
2. "Solitude" 5:36
3. "Blue Bottle's" 5:03
4. "Nordeste" 3:41
5. "Contemplação" 6:02
6. "Tânia" 6:45
7. "O Novo Som" 1:55
8. "Solo" 6:21
9. "Serelepe" 1:37

"Bossa Nova Breakfast" Radio Stream

James Brown's Funky People - Part 2 (1988)

The second album in the Funky People Trilogy, Part 2 is a 100% guaranteed dance party. The compilation showcases all the talented musicians in the James Brown music family who toured and recorded with the legend. Brown wrote and produced most of the material and provides vocals throughout, but the focus is on the skilled team who backed the Soul Man through the first half of the 70's. Funky People indeed. -- Chris Baginski

1. "I Know You Got Soul" - Bobby Byrd
2. "From The Love Side" - Hank Ballard & The Midnight Lighters
3. "What Do I Have To Do To Prove My Love To You?" - Marva Whitney
4. "Soul Power '74" - Maceo & The Macks
5. "Put It On The Line" - Lyn Collins
6. "You Can Have Watergate But Gimme Some Bucks And I'll Be Straight" - Fred Wesley& The JB's
7. "Cross The Track" - Maceo & The Macks
8. "The Message From The Soul Sisters" - Myra Barnes & Vicki Anderson
9. "Hot Pants... I'm Coming, Coming, I'm Coming" - Bobby Byrd
10. "Do Your Thing" - Lyn Collins
11. "I'm Paying Taxes, What Am I Buying" - Fred Wesley & The JB's
12. "Super Good" - Myra Barnes & Vicki Anderson
13. "Blow Your Head" - Fred Wesley & The JB's

Buy Part 1

Buy Part 3

Southern Culture On the Skids - "Dirt Track Date" (1995)

One of the coolest perks former Phish soundman Paul Languedoc had was spinning the setbreak music. He DJed the "15 minutes" between sets for a couple thousand attentive ears playing different albums each night from a variety of genres. Southern Culture on the Skids got some PA play in the late 90's and it definitely kept people smiling in their seats. Their rockabilly style mashes surf rock and southern dance grooves with a punky sort of country. No backyard beerfest is complete without this throw-someone-in-the-pool soundtrack. -- Chris Baginski

1. "Voodoo Cadillac" 4:40
2. "Soul City" 2:36
3. "Greenback Fly" 3:47
4. "Skullbucket" 2:40
5. "Camel Walk" 2:37
6. "White Trash" 2:03
7. "Firefly" 3:24
8. "Make Mayan A Hawaiian" 2:24
9. "Fried Chicken And Gasoline" 4:17
10. "Nitty Gritty" 2:30
11. "8 Piece Box" 4:02
12. "Galley Slave" 3:00
13. "Whole Lotta Things" 2:29
14. "Dirt Track Date" 8:39

Banana Pudding

Charlie Hunter Quintet - "Right Now Move" (2003)

Here's a summertime jazz album I'd like to thank Rob Adamski for turning me on to. Its breezy and boppy flavors perfectly garnish your patio party and the mediterranean salad you'll be serving. Following a summer tour in 2002, eight-string guitar master Charlie Hunter took his touring band into the studio to lay down the tracks they perfected in the previous months. The quintet was in such top form it only took one evening, and in most cases one take, to record the whole album. With a break in there for dinner of course. -- Chris Baginski

1. "Mestre Tata" (4:36)
2. "Oakland" (6:10)
3. "Changui" (3:46)
4. "Try" (7:12)
5. "Whoop-Ass" (4:23)
6. "Interlude 1" (0:55)
7. "Wade in the Water" (5:02)
8. "20th Century" (5:46)
9. "Interlude 5" (0:53)
10. "Winky" (6:02)
11. "Freak Fest" (4:40)
12. "Mali" (6:58)
13. "Le Bateau Lvre" (5:50)

Charlie Hunter Tour Dates

Taj Mahal - "Taj Mahal" (1968)

Over the course of his 20something studio albums, Taj Mahal broadened the scope of blues music by blending it with a variety of world sounds and rhythms. (Check out his Hawaiian/Calypso Blues album, Sacred Island). This mixing of styles ultimately began with his debut album, Taj Mahal, where he brought the current day form of blues together with it's mighty origins. The music is fierce and precise making for essential blues listening. -- Chris Baginski

1. "Leaving Trunk" 4:51
2. "Statesboro Bules" 2:59
3. "Checkin' up on My Baby" 4:55
4. "Everybody's Got to Change Sometime" 2:57
5. "EZ Rider" 3:04
6. "Dust My Broom" 2:39
7. "Diving Duck Blues" 2:42
8. "The Celebrated Walkin' Blues" 8:52