For the second half of the 2000s, Universal's Hip-O Select dealt out a monstrous 14 Complete Motown Singles box sets one by one, making available every B-side and hit single from Motown Records and its subsidiaries during the Detroit years. Issued in 2012,
Motown Unreleased 1962: Jazz, Vol. 2 digs deeper into the archives of Hitsville USA, and compiles the unreleased material from jazz groups in the developmental year just before the label struck gold with breakout R&B hits by
Stevie Wonder,
Marvin Gaye, and
the Supremes. Before establishing the universally recognized Motown sound, Berry Gordy dabbled in various genres, and while the flute-led and piano-led jazz acts featured in this 16-song comp (Beans Bowles and Johnny Griffith Trio) may not fall into the traditional style of music that Motown enthusiasts have come to know and love, they were essential in shaping the soulful empire that the label would later become. ~ Jason Lymangrover