Various - Mainstream Funk: Funk, Soul, Spiritual Jazz 1971-75 2LP

Double LP version. Gatefold sleeve featuring never-seen photos from the Mainstream vaults and new liner notes by UK journalist Paul Bowler. Wewantsounds continues its collaboration with Bob Shad's venerable jazz label Mainstream Records, and present a selection of 12 turntable-friendly tracks recorded between 1971 and 1975 and showcasing the label's superb blend of spiritual jazz, funk, and soul.Mainstream Records is one of the key independent jazz labels of the early 70s, together with Flying Dutchman, Strata East, CTI, and Black Jazz. Founded by legendary label man Bob Shad (who had been head of A&R at Mercury Records and set EmArcy in the '50s), the label concentrated on psychedelia in the '60s before switching back to Shad's jazz roots in the early '70s, signing a new crop of jazzmen fed on John Coltrane and Miles' electric experiments. Thus, was born the cult Mainstream "300 Series" with its distinctive artwork and outstanding music from which this selection is largely drawn.