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A great set from Chicago's Joan Collaso – one of the hippest vocalists working today in the Windy City! There's a soulful swing to the record that grabs us right from the get-go – thanks to a killer take on "My Favorite Things" – done in an open-ended spirit that owes... read more

A very hip LA ensemble – featuring Gary Pack and Steve Spiegl on trumpets, and Tom Baker on trombone – directed by Jack Wheaton.... read more

A hip little album from Buddy Collette – one that's ostensibly based around the then-popular idea of a set of Paris-inspired tunes – but which comes off with a sound that's a lot deeper than you might expect! David Axelrod produced the set – it was one of his early projects for... read more

Buddy Collette's definitely a man of many parts here – and many talents too, considering the reedwork on the set! Buddy plays alto, tenor, clarinet, and flute – using the horns with wonderful invention that really showcases his unique style of the time – that mix of modern and... read more

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Obscure spiritual avant garde material, recorded in San Francisco by the little-known sax player Ray Collins. One track on the album, "Catchin The NY Subway", is fairly straight, and played with a larger group. The rest are sparer, and more out – and include "Images of... read more

A very nice album that features sort of a "best of" sampling of Alice's solo recordings for Impulse in the immediate 5-year period after John Coltrane's death. The tracks are a lovely mix of smaller groups and larger spiritual ensembles – and players include Jimmy Garrison, Pharoah... read more

John Coltrane's classic – and only – recording as a leader for Blue Note! The album's no throwaway date, though – as it stands strongly with both Coltrane's other label work of the time, and with the best of the late 50s Blue Note scene – a time when the label was really... read more

Two sidelong epic live recordings of Trane from the early 60s, capturing him at the height of his explorations of stretching standards to their limits, but before he really delved into the out side. Side 1 features an almost 20 minute rendition of "Bye Bye Blackbird" and side 2 is nealry... read more

Coltrane plays the blues, but in a way like nobody else – stepping off of the deeply soulful sound of his late Prestige years, and moving into even more open and exploratory space for Atlantic! The setting is bare bones and simple – and many of these numbers begin with the sort of... read more

One of the more obscure John Coltrane albums for Atlantic – but a beautiful batch of spiritual numbers that really show him pushing towards the sound of A Love Supreme! The date on the album's 1966, but the material was recorded earlier – in that key turning point year of 1960, when... read more

Very unusual work by Coltrane – sessions that feature his classic quartet playing in front of larger orchestra backings conducted by Eric Dolphy! The tracks feature Trane leading a group young modernists through a set of larger arranged charts, woven tightly together in a soulful spiritual... read more

Sharp-edged John Coltrane at his best – a record that we'd rank right up there with Love Supreme, and which is a key transition point in Coltrane's musical ideas! There's a very strong edge to Coltrane's tone here – and even on the mellower ballads, he plays with a sound not always... read more

A mellow set of ballads, taken mostly from Trane's first few years at Impulse – in various formations that have him working with his classic quartet, plus guests like Johnny Hartman, Eric Dolphy, or Duke Ellington. Titles include "Soul Eyes", "What's New", "Dear... read more

The John Coltrane sound stretching out to Infinity – beautifully collaborating core spiritual sounds recorded when The Great One was still alive, and later string passages done by Alice Coltrane in the early 70s! The initial tracks are very open and almost easygoing – not the full-on... read more

One of the greatest recordings ever made by John Coltrane in his late years – a spare set of duets with drummer Rashied Ali, recorded in 1967, but never issued until after his death! Trane and Ali play in a free spiritualist mode, with no other accompaniment – making for a very unique... read more

The complete recordings done by John Coltrane for Bethlehem Records – mostly cut during December of 1957, and issued on the albums The Winner's Circle and Art Blakey Big Band! Both albums were a bit unusual for the label – in that The Winner's Circle was sort of a blowing/jam session... read more

One of our favorite albums ever from John Coltrane – but a record that's sometimes eclipsed by the genius of A Love Supreme! The feel here is very similar to that one – long tracks that introduce a new mode of searching, spiritual jazz for the 60s – one that's performed by a core... read more

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John Coltrane returns to the Village Vanguard – but his sound here is a lot more far-reaching than a few years before! The album's a great counterpart to the first Vanguard session – as it takes all of the bold, soaring energy of that date, and balances it with the newly introspective... read more

A classic – and virtually the blueprint for all spiritual soul jazz recordings of the 70s! John Coltrane's at a perfect point here – balanced between the modal hardbop of earlier years, and the freer soloing of his last few recordings. He links the traditions together with a majestic... read more

Wonderful wonderful wonderful work from the legendary John Coltrane – and even though it's probably one of his best-selling albums of all time, it's still a treasure – and has an essential place in just about any jazz collection! We've heard the original title version of "My... read more

Coltrane's last live show ever – in case you couldn't guess from the title – recorded in 1967, but never officially released! The set features a group with Pharoah Sanders, Jimmy Garrison, Rashied Ali, Alice Coltrane, Algie DeWitt, and possibly Jumma Santos on percussion. As you'd... read more

A pure statement of being and essence – and one of John Coltrane's spiritual masterpieces from the 60s! The 1965 recording was one of Trane's most adventurous so far – as it featured just one album-length track, building up out of relatively free expressions from Coltrane in the studio... read more

John Coltrane made plenty of great music during his late 50s time at the Prestige Records label – some of it under his own name, and a lot more while working with other leaders! This package presents the full recordings from that second half of Coltrane's Prestige performances –... read more

A bold early statement from a young John Coltrane – and an album that really has him expanding his talents as a tenor soloist! Coltrane's working here in open-ended quartet format – with backing from the Red Garland trio that includes Paul Chambers and Art Taylor – on a set of... read more

A mellow soulful classic by John Coltrane – and one of his best-remembered early albums for Prestige! The session has all the gentle glow that you might guess from the title – a laidback, open-ended approach that has Coltrane blowing long solos over rhythms from the trio of Red Garland... read more

A nice selection of recordings done by John Coltrane for Bethlehem Records – mostly cut during December of 1957, and issued on the albums The Winner's Circle and Art Blakey Big Band! The music's a bit atypical for Trane, but is more than just a curiosity, with Trane fitting nicely into the... read more

Some incredible early work from John Coltrane – 3 sessions recorded under the leadership of Paul Chambers, and even done before Coltrane's more famous work with Miles Davis! First up is material from the Imperial album Chamber's Music – led by Chambers, and one of the earliest small... read more

A various artist compilation Prestige put together to capitalize on the popularity of the Oscar-winning Elizabeth Taylor film Cleopatra with music that features Eastern and Egyptian themes. In spite of how you may feel about the concept, the set features some tracks that have become harder to come... read more

Ravi Coltrane's first album for Blue Note – put together here with production help from Joe Lovano, who also plays a bit of guest tenor too! The album's got a really dark edge – and really works strongly in those edgier sides of the spectrum – those modes that Coltrane's... read more

One of the best large groups to record for the Strata East label – thanks to a killer lineup that features Johnny Coles and Jimmy Owens on trumpet, Al Gibbons on tenor, and Julius Watkins on French horn – plus leader Warren Smith on drums! There's also a lot of focus given to the piano... read more

A classic set of spiritual fusion from this short-lived allstar group Compost – featuring Harold Vick, Bob Moses, Jumma Santos, and Jack DeJohnette! Vick's at his moody soulful best here, in a mode that's similar to his Strata East work – and the record also features occasional vocals... read more

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A landmark first album from drummer Norman Connors – a spiritual jazz masterpiece that builds wonderfully on the post-Coltrane tradition! Norman is years away from his smoother soul recordings at this point, and coming out of a righteous jazz background that included work with Marion Brown... read more

Early genius from drummer Norman Connors – a sensational bit of righteous soul jazz – right up there with the best work on Strata East and Black Jazz from the time! The sound here is full, soulful, and spiritual – as Connors heads up a large ensemble that includes luminaries like... read more

Excellent funky jazz material from Norman Connors! The record's a key link between his earlier spiritual stuff, and his later smooth R&B material – and it features a lot of strong players like Dom Um Romao, Reggie Lucas, Hubert Laws, Carlos Garnett, and Gary Bartz. The cut "Slew... read more

Incredible work from Nicola Conte – Schema records maestro making his Blue Note debut with this set – and giving the label one of their best new albums of the 21st Century! The record's quite different than Nicola's programmed dancefloor work for Schema – and is much more of an... read more

Incredible work from Nicola Conte – Schema records maestro making his Blue Note debut with this set – and giving the label one of their best new albums of the 21st Century! The record's quite different than Nicola's programmed dancefloor work for Schema – and is much more of an... read more

A sublime album through and through – and another essential slice of work from the legendary Nicola Conte! Conte's only given us a few full length sets under his own name, but they've all been amazing, and this album's no exception – a record that mostly features live jazz... read more

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A great one from this all-star group – an incredibly righteous combo that's given Billy Harper one of his best chances to play in years! As with the previous album by The Cookers, the Harper influence really runs strong – not just in the use of some of his great tracks in the... read more

A great solo performance from Jerome Cooper – not just drums and percussion, but work on flute, balaphone, and other instruments too! Cooper really brings all of his most thoughtful elements into play here – working slowly, and covering space with ideas that really take some time to... read more

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An incredible debut as a leader for Chick Corea – quite different than his 70s work, and a set that's filled with heavy soul jazz and Latin influences! Chick's coming off of years of work in Latin bands, and in smaller soul jazz combos, and his writing here is a mix of the freer style that... read more

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A classic bit of jazzy fusion from Chick Corea and the legendary Return To Forever group that included Flora Purim and Airto! The sound of the album influenced a generation, and although the album was overlooked by groovers for years, partly due to its success, it still sounds surprisingly fresh... read more

The second album by Cortex – the obscure French jazz group that's been a favorite of funky collectors for years! The group's got a strong fusion-driven groove on this set – with plenty of tight drumming, hard riffing, and spacey keyboards that give the tunes a nicely soulful finish. ... read more

A legendary bit of funky fusion from the French scene of the 70s – the standout set from Cortex, a combo who's very heavy on the keyboards! The tunes have a feel that's quite different than American electric work of the time – funky, but also a bit breezy too – with a strong... read more

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A funky masterpiece from Bill Cosby – hardly the sort of record you might expect from all of his years on mainstream TV! This set was cut back when Bill was a much hipper cat on the LA scene – and it was the start of a brief all-instrumental run with his Badfoot Brown ensemble –... read more

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Despite the album's campy cover/title wordplay (a busty model on the front, underneath the word "bounce"), this set's actually a pretty great batch of LA hardbop tunes – cut by Counce with his group that included the late Carl Perkins on drums, Harold Land on tenor, and Jack Sheldon... read more

Lead by Frank Foster, these tracks are taken from the Denon releases Long Live The Chief and The Legend The Legacy.... read more

The drums are definitely exciting here – really tight rhythms that drive most of these cuts into a funky frenzy – even if the groove is more based on American soul of the late 60s than the African rock promised in the title! Most of the tunes are covers, but remade here as really hip... read more

Incredible work from the young Stanley Cowell – one of his first albums ever, but already a step ahead of most of his contemporaries! The set's a trio date, unlike some of Cowell's later albums for Strata East – and it's got a wonderful blend of soaring piano lines and more complicated... read more

A strangely varied LP from Stanley – one that features a mix of electric and acoustic piano tunes, mostly all played solo, but with the complexity and depth of imagination that always makes Cowell's work so great. The real gems are the electric tunes – like "Sienna – Welcome... read more

Amazing lost sounds from Detroit – a previously unissued album from pianist Kenny Cox – best known for his late 60s albums on Blue Note, but working here in a really righteous style, and using a fair bit of Fender Rhodes as well! The album's a lost gem from the Strata label –... read more

Amazing lost sounds from Detroit – a previously unissued album from pianist Kenny Cox – best known for his late 60s albums on Blue Note, but working here in a really righteous style, and using a fair bit of Fender Rhodes as well! The album's a lost gem from the Strata label –... read more

An overlooked late 60s treasure on Blue Note – one of the few new groups to work on the label at the time, and an up-and-coming modern combo from Detroit! The album's quite unique for a number of reasons – not just because the group was a little-known new signing to the label, but also... read more

Lol Coxhill in two different settings – both of them great! Half the set features Coxhill working with Simon Emmerson on electronics – processing Lol's work on soprano sax, and creating even more amazing sounds than came from the horn on its own! The processing makes the music feel a... read more

A brilliant testament to the collaborative strengths of reedman Lol Coxhill – an artist who's always been willing to take chances, and frequently does so in the company of other important avant musicians – usually spurring them onto new levels of creativity in the process! This set... read more

A really rich document of the charms and talents of reedman Lol Coxhill – a set that features music from a wide range of scenes and settings in Lol's long career – including bits of hardbop from the 50s, R&B from the 60s, and a wide range of great performances from later years too! ... read more

Enigmatic sounds from UK reedman Lol Coxhill – a really cool collaboration with Morgan Fisher – who adds in his own tape manipulation, guitar, and piano next to Coxhill's work on soprano sax – plus a bit of carillion too! The style's even more spacey and laidback than Lol's 70s... read more

After Hours is the time when Crawford really hits his stride – playing lean and mellow in that easy soulful way that always seemed to work better than any of his other approaches to jazz. This album's got him blowing alto and even playing a bit of piano, in middle-sized groups that include... read more

Warm and laidback soul jazz from the great Hank Crawford – cut in a relaxed mode that makes the set feel like some of the late nite smokers on the Prestige label at the time! Hank's alto work is perfectly placed on the set, and he's working with fellow Ray Charles bandmember David Fathead... read more

One of the most highly-regarded albums of Hank Crawford's 60s run on Atlantic Records – a set when everything seems to come together just right – and provide an even better showcase than usual for Hank's soulful lines on alto sax! The set also features tenor from David Newman –... read more

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A sweet bit of electric funk, and one of Hank Crawford's greatest records from the time! Thanks is due in a large part to Bob James – who arranged and produced the set with a smooth CTI/Kudu groove, leaving Hank to solo over the top in dreamy soulful riffs. The groove is really great –... read more

An excellent bit of spiritual soul jazz on Horace Tapscott's Nimbus label – featuring a group led by pianist Kaeef Rauzadun that includes Henry Franklin on bass, George Bohannon on trombone, Wilbert Hemsley on tenor, and Gary Bias on alto and soprano sax. The album's also got some beautiful... read more

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A trio of Anthony Braxton alumni take on some of the master's amazing compositions – played here in free-flowing modes by the group of Marilyn Crispell on piano, Marc Dresser on bass, and Gerry Hemmingway on drums! The compositions are all Braxton numbered formulas – those incredibly... read more

A fantastic album from Sonny Criss! The record is one of his excellent late 60s "comeback" sides for Prestige – and it features incredibly solid, confident, and hard alto solos, blown with a tremendous amount of imagination. Bob Cranshaw and Alan Dawson provide excellent rhythm... read more

Ronnie Cuber's an overlooked monster in jazz – a hell of a player, and has been for decades – and one of the last few cats who can really handle a baritone sax! Cuber was late in a legacy of baritonists that included Pepper Adams, Sahib Shihab, Cecil Payne, and Lars Gullin – a... read more

One of the few albums as a leader from Mighty Mike Cuozzo – a tight tenor player with a great sort of 50s swing! The set's the kind of no-nonsense, well-blown effort you might expect from Sonny Stitt or Seldon Powell at the time – tunes that pack in plenty over a relatively short space... read more

Tremendous work from trumpeter Ted Curson – and one of the few records that shows up often in his oeuvre, but which is every bit as great as his rare and expensive albums! Side one features killer material from Curson's group with tenorist Bill Barron – three cuts recorded in Paris in... read more

Hard driving work by Ted Curson! Jubilant Power is a pretty apt title for the set – played with a celebratory fire – combining the freer loft-style playing of his late 70s American work, with some of the tighter grooving rhythmic approaches of his early 70s sides in France. Chris... read more

Rare solo material from pianist Leo Cuypers – a really wonderful set that gives us a chance to hear his talents in a completely unfettered setting! We know Cuypers best from some of his efforts in groups, and it's a great change to hear him here on his own – working through some... read more

Samba jazz, but lots more too – a set that's got plenty of dark edges amidst the warmer rhythms – which makes for one of the most compelling albums we've heard so far from drummer Duduka Da Fonseca! The group's a quintet, with some especially nice work on tenor from Anat Cohen –... read more

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Exactly the kind of record to show why we love Japanese piano trio sessions so much – a sweet 80s date from lyrical genius Iwasaki Daisuke! The album's got a relatively understated feel at first, but really grabs us once it gets going – with a mix of complicated solo lines and subtle,... read more

This is the band's hardest funkiest album, and features the amazing breakbeat cut "Dirty Feet", which starts with hard drums, and comes in with off-kilter guitar, in a very Tribe Called Quest-y sort of way! We don't know if this has been sampled by anyone, but man oh man, it should be! ... read more

A surprisingly great early set from reedman Eddie Daniels – quiet different than the smooth jazz he cut famously in later years! This tasty session was recorded in Japan with the quartet of trumpeter Terumasa Hino – whose presence here really helps shape the overall sound of the record... read more

Brilliant bracing sounds from this groundbreaking group – recorded in Poland in the mid 60s, with an added suite of tracks as well! The ensemble is led by bassist Erik Moseholm, who composed all the music in the set – and features amazing horn interplay from a lineup that includes Bent... read more

A beautiful bit of funky jazz – very subtle, but one not to miss! Harold Danko plays Fender Rhodes in a tight little group that would be right at home with bigger names in the business at the time, particularly some of the funky combos on CTI or Kudu. Danko's drummer, Jimmy Madison, has a... read more

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Stellar early 70s work from John Dankwork – in a 2CD set! Full Circle is simply one of the greatest albums we've ever heard from the Brit maestro – a big band album as in earlier years, but one done with lots of hip 70s touches! The feel here is halfway between that of sound library... read more

Two 60s gems from Brit leader John Dankworth – both pretty unique! What The Dickens is a record that's way better than you might guess – and a key document of the creative orchestrations of the great John Dankworth! The set features tunes inspired by the writings of Charles Dickens... read more

Compelling title, but kind of a mellow record overall – featuring vibes by the enigmatic Darji, and backing by players that include John Lewis, Ray Brown, Rodney Jones, and Mickey Roker. Tracks are longish, and moody – almost in the mode of Milt Jackson work with the MJQ, but not as... read more

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New material from this legendary German pianist – recorded as a solo acoustic set, without any of the electronics or gimmicks of some of Dauner's famous 70s recordings – but still done at the legendary MPS Studios! The tracks are an array of shorter themes – and in keeping with... read more

Mad MPS material from Wolfgang Dauner – right up there with some of the wildest records on the label during the 70s! The album's easily one of Dauner's most striking sessions – a set that has him handling a whole host of electric keyboards, and working with a group that also includes... read more

An early session from German pianist Wolfgang Dauner – one with a sound that's every bit as great as you'd expect from the title! The "dream talk" component here is one that comes from Dauner's gentle, yet modern approach to the keys – one that's clearly learning lessons from... read more

Mod mod 60s jazz – and 12 tight-as-can-be instrumentals from London's Dave Davani combo! Dave's a Hammond player with a great mix of soul jazz and R&B in his grooves – very much the best sort of instrumental work you might expect from London in the swinging 60s – a great... read more

Classic trio work by Davis, recorded here with Shirley Scott on organ and Joe Newman joining in on trumpet! The cover's got a picture of Joe standing next to Basie, but the set's all Joe's –although it's also very much in a Basie bag. The tunes are all organ/tenor drivers – with short... read more

With Horace Parlan on piano, Reggie Johnson on bass, and Alvin Queen on drums.... read more