The Brecker Brothers, Michael and Randy, were one of the most successful of the jazz/fusion groups that arose in the 1970s, recording six bestselling albums for Arista between 1975 and 1981. For their acclaimed debut, the siblings recruited all-star players including David Sanborn, Chris Parker, Harvey Mason, Sr., Bob Mann, Ralph MacDonald, Don Grolnick and Will Lee. Integrating their taste for jazz, fusion, R&B, funk and pop, the recording features their hit single, “Sneakin' Up Behind You” and the emblematic “Skunk Funk”. Widely received, the album reached the top five on Billboard’s Top Jazz albums.

Idris Muhammad (Arabic: إدريس محمد‎‎; born Leo Morris) was an American jazz drummer who recorded extensively with many musicians, including Ahmad Jamal, Lou Donaldson, Pharoah Sanders, and Tete Montoliu. "House of the Rising Sun" is his 1976 album, originally released on Kudu Records, subsidiary label of CTI Records, specialized in soul jazz artists.

Double Vision is a 1986 album by Bob James and David Sanborn. The album was a successful smooth jazz release receiving frequent airplay. The album spent 63 weeks on the Billboard charts, topping out at #50 on the Billboard 200.

"Quartette Humaine" is Bob James and David Sanborn’s first collaboration since their celebrated GRAMMY award-winning album, "Double Vision". The set features seven new originals and two James-arranged standards. Steve Gadd and James Genus join the duo. The album is filled with melodic improvisations and beautiful tones. An absolute masterpiece.

Esther Phillips was an American singer, best known for her R&B vocals. She was a versatile singer and also performed pop, country, jazz, blues and soul music. In 1975, she released a disco-style update of Dinah Washington's "What a Diff'rence a Day Makes", her biggest hit single since "Release Me". It reached the Top 20 in the United States and the Top 10 in the UK Singles Chart. The accompanying album of the same name became her biggest seller yet, with arranger Joe Beck on guitar, Michael Brecker on tenor sax, David Sanborn on alto sax, Randy Brecker on trumpet, Steve Khan on guitar and Don Grolnick on keyboards.

"Good King Bad" is a studio album by American guitarist George Benson featuring performances recorded in 1975 and released by CTI Records in 1976. The Allmusic review states "The R&B elements get stronger, the sound and mix are more attuned to the dancefloor, yet this brings out the best in George Benson's funky side. Thanks in part to the more rigid beat, Benson pares down his style to its rhythmic essentials, refusing to spray notes all over the place at random, and as a result, the record cooks and dances".

"The Rape of El Morro" is an album by American arranger/conductor and composer Don Sebesky featuring performances recorded in 1975 and released on the CTI label.

1975 was a hell of a year for Creed Taylor's Kudu Records. Not only was the mighty, mighty "Feels So Good" album by Grover Washington, Jr. released, but so was saxophonist Hank Crawford's "Don't You Worry 'Bout a Thing". It was one of two recordings issued by Crawford for the label in that calendar year. But perhaps the most deeply satisfying and out of character album from that year was the absolute soul-jazz masterpiece Upchurch/Tennyson by Chicago guitar god Phil Upchurch and pianist/vocalist Tennyson Stephens.

David Matthews is a keyboardist, pianist, and arranger. Matthews has composed television soundtracks as well as albums with the Manhattan Jazz Orchestra. In 1970, he began working as both an arranger and bandleader for James Brown. Matthews has worked with many musicians, including Bonnie Raitt, Buddy Rich, Idris Muhammad, and the Starland Vocal Band. He was staff arranger for Creed Taylor's CTI Records label in the mid-1970s, working on albums for artists such as George Benson, Esther Phillips, Grover Washington Jr., Hank Crawford, and Idris Muhammad. "Dune" is based on the Hugo award-winning novel, Dune, by Frank Herbert. Matthews has already had plenty of CTI arranging experience by the time of this set – but he really moves into some unusual space with the record – open, evocative tunes that really live up to their inspiration, but also have some of Dave's funky touches too. Matthews gets help from an all-star lineup of CTI players – including Grover Washington on reeds and Eric Gale on guitar.

"The Chicago Theme" is an album by flautist Hubert Laws recorded at Rudy Van Gelder's Studio in New Jersey in 1974 and released in 1975 on the CTI label. The Allmusic review by Scott Yanow state "Rather than performing with a small group, as he did on his best sessions, Laws is joined by strings and funky rhythm sections playing now-dated commercial grooves… The only reason to acquire this out of print LP is for Laws' still-superb flute playing".

The Pros and Cons of Hitch Hiking is the first solo album by Roger Waters; it was released in 1984, the year before Waters announced his departure from Pink Floyd. The album was certified gold in the United States by the Recording Industry Association of America in April 1995.

"Time and the River" is alto saxophonist David Sanborn's tenth studio album. The record was produced by Marcus Miller, who has worked with Sanborn on numerous albums, and includes works that the two wrote together.

It's not hyperbole to say that this is Sanborn's best record since his Warner Brothers heyday of the '80s. The same can be said of the quality of the musicians gathered for the alto saxophonist's first album for Verve. The material may be the best he's ever assembled, with many cover tunes that are singularly identified with other artists, yet he redefines them. None of those words are meant to disparage those Grammy-winning gold albums of yore, it just his high standards have been magnified many fold on these 10 tracks.