ONE OF the most satisfying grooves to consistently grace the charts over the last decade must surely be the persuasive sound of Shakatak, a bunch of serious British jazz musicians who have manages to achieve that rare blend of commerciality and uncompromising musicianship.  With their seamless and deceptively delicate blend of jazz, funk, latin and contemporary keyboard innovation, Shakatak provided a sophisticated soundtrack fto the first half of the '80s that nevertheless sounds perennial.

  If you were allowed only two words to describe their sound, you'd probably pick "mood" and "musicianship"; not far behind would be "contrast", for it's in that rare fusion of supper-club and street-life that Shakatak's music seems centred.  We first heard them in the summer of 1980 when their debut single "Steppin'", a composition by Shakatak prime-mover Bill Sharpe became a turntable hit, followed in 1981 bytheir first Top 50 successes "Livin' In The UK" and the gorgeous "Brazilian Dawn" (included here).

  That same year "Easier Said Than Done" marked their arrival into the Top.20, and in Spring '82 Night Birds cracked the Top Ten, with the album of the same name reaching no 4, staying on the chart for over six months and earning them a gold disc.  "Night Birds" also broke the group internationally, becoming especially popular in Japan which proved to be hugely hugely attracted by Shakatak: the group would go on not only to tour there extensively, but to cut special albums for their Japanese fans ("Into The Blue", "Golden Wings"), and to win the coveted Silver Award at the Tokyo International Song Festival.  South America and Europe also proved to be continents receptive tot he Shakatak groove: in 1982 the band's extensive touring schedule covered 132 concerts in Europe and Japan alone.

  Shakatak's unique instrumental-unison vocal combination is a deceptively big sound: it's provided by Bill Sharpe (whose extra-Shakatak activities include several hit collaborations with Gary Numan), George Anderson, Roger Odell, Nigel Wright and Keith Winter, and from 1984 Gil Saward as lead vocalist.

  Their songs - mostly self-penned - demonstrate a kind of innocent knowingness, jazz songs that sometimes are not much more than a riff upon which to hang some exquisite musicianship, and sometimes more complex narrative numbers that are both vocal and instrumental showcases.

  It was after the success of their "Invitations" and "Out Of This World" albums in '82 and '83 that Gil Saward stepped forward as lead vocalist on their "Down On The Street" album, resulting in the title track becoming their second Top Ten hit in mid-'84.

  "Live!", cut in London and Tokyo, hit the charts in 1985, and the next studio album "Day By Day" spotlighted the band's songwriting development, the hilight of the album being the title track duet between Gil and Al Jarreau.  In Japan, "Golden Wings" scooped the 'Best Instrumental Album 1987' slot at the Japanese Phonograph Record Association Awards; incredibly, the band repeated that accomplishment in 1988 and 1989 with the Japanese albums "Da Makani" and "NiteFlite".

  Further successes included the albums "Manic And Cool", "Turn The Music Up", "Perfect Smile", and "Bitter Sweet", as well as the hit collection "The Coolest Cuts".  Performing triumphs included sell-out shows at London's legendary Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club, and European dates that culminated with the first East Meets West concert at the Berlin Wall on New Year's Eve 1989.

  Shakatak's music continues into the 90's in the same solidly successful vein, transcending passing musical fad and fashion, and, as always, opening a seductive door for pop audiences to step into the world of jazz.  This partcular collection of retrospective Shakatak gems contains classic album cuts, chart hits, and on-going Shakatak live favourites.  The easy good-time rhythm grooves, supremely confident and highly-enjoyable musicianship, and enviable series of haunting modern refrains contained in this collection will generate in the listener the same kind of quietly confident joy that has so evidently gone into the making of Shakatak's music.