THE CRATE

For the first decade or so of Johnny Nash’s career, the Houston-born singer was primarily known for his easy listening and R&B covers....

Bobby Womack grew up in a musical family, singing in a gospel group with his brothers by the age of 10 and making a name for himself as a...

There is a long history of Jamaican artists covering songs from the States. Coinciding with the beginning of the Jamaican recording...

Jorge Ben's music of the late 60's and 70's looked both backward and forward. Without ever losing his grounding in samba, he incorporated...

Founded in 1976, West End Records quickly established itself as the definitive label representing New York City's disco scene, and Kenton...

Before disco and the group's string of pop vocal hits in the early 80's, Kool & The Gang were a well respected funk ensemble known for...

While relatively unknown abroad, Waldir Calmon was an enormously popular pianist and band leader in his native Brazil. His recording...

Stereolab's fifth album, Dots And Loops, presents the band arriving at their fully matured sound. Leaving behind the guitar driven...

Perhaps it was the electric bass on these sessions, or the gritty soul production, or the opinion that an aging Dizzy Gillespie just...

In Indian classical music a raga is set of notes and melodic fragments that provide a framework for a soloist to improvise in. The goal...

In 1981 the Walias Band became the first Ethiopian group to tour the U.S.. Ethiopia was at this time under the control of the oppressive...

The rise of Motown and Stax Records in the 1960's is the stuff of legend. From their humble beginnings promoting local talent to regional...

Over a career spanning seven decades, musician Mulatu Astatke has become a household name in Ethiopia. The percussionist-composer and...

...Goes Latin collects some of Mancini's Latin inspired music from the early sixties CBS television show Mr. Lucky. The second track,...

Over a career that spanned four decades, Dorothy Ashby championed the harp as an instrument with range far outside that of the classical...

The final track on David Axelrod's album Heavy Axe exemplifies the late producer's knack for sculpting signature sounds; jazzy electric...

The title track from Dennis Brown's 1982 release is a feel-good masterpiece of uptempo lovers rock. Recorded in London, the album was...

This rare 1958 Ellington/Strayhorn original from The Queen's Suite was first cut on a single pressing for none other than Elizabeth II....