Real Gone

1970 was a time for heady experimentation in popular music, but very few records—and even fewer on major labels—come close to matching the stylistic ground covered by William S. Fischer’s album Circles. African-American composer/arranger/keyboardist/saxop

The first album released by the most sought-after label, bar none, among jazz collectors! And since keyboardist Gene Russell was at the artistic helm of Black Jazz, it was only natural that the label’s debut record featured Russell himself, with the fitti

What does the soundtrack to the first film ever to get an “X” rating for its sex scenes sound like? Well, thanks to composer William “Bill” Loose, Vixen met its perfect musical match! Loose is one of those cult composers whose work you’ve heard much more

In C and Rainbow in Curved Air get all the ink (inc?), but its own somewhat subtle way, 1980’s Shri Camel, the last of the three brilliant albums Terry Riley recorded for CBS, is every bit as groundbreaking as its hallowed predecessors. Not content to res

“Mata leao” means “lion killer” in Portuguese, an appropriate title for this beast of an album, Biohazard’s first as a trio. In this case less is more; with a sound blending so many ingredients (hardcore, rap, metal), the increased focus brought on by the

The theme song “You’re Dead” to the FX show What We Do in the Shadows has fostered a new appreciation for the singular talent that was Norma Tanega. And it’s high time, too...Norma was discovered while singing to Catskill summer campers by producer Herb B

On the heels of its overwhelmingly successful reissue campaign of the 20 albums recorded for the legendarily collectible Black Jazz label, Real Gone Music returns with a 2-LP set that includes the extraordinarily rare singles that were cut for the label.

It’s fair to say that what Ravi Shankar did for the sitar, Hamza El Din did for the oud (the short-necked Arabian lute): bringing a little-known instrument to the attention of the West and popularizing it. Indeed, he ended up playing oud with everybody fr

Since the film was set largely abroad, the soundtrack to Ocean’s Twelve lacked some of the old-school Vegas vibe that made its predecessor such a hoot, but that meant more David Holmes, which is always a good thing (and Holmes won a BMI award for his scor

After bursting on the scene with Ornette Coleman, trumpeter Don Cherry went on to make some of the most interesting and collectible albums in modern jazz, particularly during the ‘70s, when he incorporated world music motifs into a singular style of jazz

Dorothy Ashby was probably the greatest—and certainly the most swinging—jazz harpist of all time, re-purposing an instrument best known for ethereal glissandos into a fully versatile voice in combo settings, capable of providing both instrumental embroide

The only conceivable reason this 1973 album isn't generally recognized as a soul-funk classic is because it came out on Bernard Purdie's Encounter label, which mustered only five LP releases before it folded. Not only does East Coast boast the inimitable

Doug Carn made four records for the Black Jazz label, more than any other artist, and each one topped the previous release’s lofty standard. Adam’s Apple was his last (1974) album for the label, representing the final note in his staggeringly creative cre

As head of Publicity at Hemisphere Pictures and then founder of Independent-International Pictures Corp., Sam Sherman is truly one of the godfathers of the drive-in/grindhouse/horror/B-movie genre. We at Real Gone Music have teamed with Sam to release his

Coloured vinyl! Keyboardist Walter Bishop, Jr. recorded the second album released by the Black Jazz label, Coral Keys, a masterpiece of Blue Note-style atmospherics infused with ‘70s soul-jazz. But a mere two years later, Bishop, Jr. brought a whole new s

With apologies to groups like The Meters, Bar-Kays, and Average White Band, when it comes to all-time great instrumental R&B bands, for most folks Booker T. & the MG’s represent the gold standard. And with good reason…or, actually reasons! First of all, a

Though the lyrics to its big hit, “F**k You,” were decidedly NOT something you would hear on a classic soul record, in many ways Cee Lo Green’s 2010 album The Lady Killer was something of a love letter to old school R&B, complete with strings, horns, and

The house band at Stax, Booker T. & The MG’s were so good, so tight, that each member—guitarist Steve Cropper, bassist Donald “Duck” Dunn, drummer Al Jackson, Jr., and keyboardist/bandleader Booker T. Jones—is a legend in his own right. Playing behind suc

Columbus, Ohio’s Rudolph Johnson drew comparisons to John Coltrane during his career; like the jazz legend in his later years, Johnson eschewed drugs or alcohol and spent his time every day either meditating and rehearsing on his horn. You can definitely

In the early-to-mid 1970s, Belgian recording engineer and synthesist Daniel Lacksman née Lanckmans recorded and released a series of pop music records, using early analog synthesizers as a central sonic element. Under an admittedly confusing array of name