A rare groove boxing day

I stopped by a couple of local shops on Boxing Day and found a number of bargains. One was a compilation called Heading in the Right Direction: Soul/Jazz from Australia 1973-1997 [Luv N'Haight Records]. This is a nice one without a dud track. The disc starts with a smooth vocal number by the Renee Geyer Band (Hard Head) immediately followed by a superb jazz/funk track Pyramid Piece by the Jazz Co-op and onwards with cuts by Joyce Hurley, the Bruce Clark Quintet, the Col Nolan Soul Syndicate, Arena, Chris Williams, and The David Martin Group. The one that really stands out for me is the Alan Lee Jazz Quintet's Flying Saucer which features odd lyrics about seeing a UFO over a swinging jazz setting!

One of the other purchases was Galt MacDermot's Up from the Basement: Unreleased Tracks Volume 1 & 2 [Kilmarnock Records]. The name nagged at me until I remembered he was one of the authors of the musical "Hair". That caused a moment's hesitation, but I decided the cd was too cool to pass up. The disc features previously unreleased demos (some drawn from acetates)recorded between 1967 to 1973. It's a mix of funky vocal and instrumental tracks. Some have an unfinished quality to them, but overall it's a satisfying listen especially the soundtrack pieces Rhinoceros, Lost Dreams and a fun version of Let the Sunshine In.

If you have further suggestions regarding other albums by any of these acts, please leave a comment.