Andy Smith & Dean Rudland Present: New Orleans Funk Experience Nascente****

Both Andy Smith (check out the various releases in The Documentseries) and Dean Rudland (who's had a hand in more jazz, funk and soul collections than we could list on this page) have winning form when it comes to champion compilations, so of course it's worth tagging along on this trip to the Crescent City. Instead of loading up those golden nuggets that soundtrack the Mardi Gras, jazz funerals and second-lining, Smith and Rudland go searching for rare, raw, heavyweight funk and soul tunes that may not have received an airing in an age. There are a few familiar names (Eddie Bo, Lee Dorsey), but it's the vintage prime gumbo cuts such as Son of a Slave, Pass the Hatchetand Mean Manthat really get feet moving in the right direction. See djandysmith.com

Download tracks:Larry Darnell, Son of a Slave; Roger & His Gypsies, Pass the Hatchet;Betty Harris, Mean Man