Jazz — In Stock — LPs  

Great great stuff – and for some folks, THE album by Kenny Burrell! This classic set features the guitarist in a quintet with Stanley Turrentine on tenor, Major Holly on bass, Bill English on drums, and the great Ray Barretto on conga – a really great lineup that sparkles with soulful... read more

A great title for this one – as the album's got a cool, laidback groove that's very much in a "night song" mode! Arrangements are by Don Sebesky – in that warm and fluid mode he was bringing to some of his best CTI sides at the time – and they push Kenny a bit more than... read more

This was one of the biggest-selling jazz albums of all-time in Australia – so it's no surprise that it was issued in the US, although in a slightly shorter form than the original double LP. The session features Australia's biggest (and best) reed player, Don Burrows, and his classic 70's... read more

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One of Joe Bushkin's more jazz-oriented sessions – thanks to trumpet from Buck Clayton!... read more

A pretty compelling record from the Chicago scene – one that brings together the city's historical music roots and some of the best improvisers working today! Side one features these cool little cuts from Nick Butcher – made up of "microsamples" of older Chicago jazz and... read more

Wow! Funky guitarist Billy Butler runs through Galt MacDermot's score for Via Galactica, with music conducted by the funky composer himself. The sound is spacey and electronic, with drums by Bernard Purdie, bass by Wilbur Bascomb, and piano by Galt himself. Tracks include "Hush", "... read more

An overlooked gem from the revival years of Impulse Records – a set recorded in the mid 80s, but one that easily matches the soul and spirituality of the label's best work from the late 60s and early 70s! Pianist Henry Butler steps out here with a strong musical vision – one colored by... read more

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A groovy vanity jazz album – with lots of electric piano and Hammond, and a bit of synth, too! Features a version of "Shaft", plus a seven minuted "Stevie Wonder Medley".... read more

If you read these pages often enough, you'll know that we're big fans of recordings made by American expatriot players while living in Europe during the 60's. The European rhythm sections often bring out new elements of their playing, and the interaction with European soloists hits modes that we... read more

A gem of a session from the European expatriot scene of the postwar years – not really a tribute to Cannonball Adderley, but a rare meeting of Bud Powell and Don Byas in the studio, produced by Cannonball in Paris in 1961! The record has a tremendous amount of fire and focus –... read more

Charlie Byrd gets some top-shelf treatment here – in a wonderful album of tunes by Antonio Carlos Jobim, all recorded with full backing arrangements, and sound quality that's a lot better than some of Byrd's previous albums! The setting has Charlie's acoustic guitar right up front in the mix... read more

Very early work from Charlie Byrd – a cool little record that has him playing at his home turf of the Showboat club in DC, and working with a group that includes a fair bit of horn players! The style's quite different than Byrd's better-known Brazilian work of the 60s, or his lusher large... read more

A collection that Milestone issued in 1973 that includes tracks from three of Byrd's early 60s Bossa Nova records – Latin Impressions, Bossa Nova Pelos Passaros and Once More/Charlie Byrd's Bossa Nova. Byrd and his unamplified guitar are joined by Keter Betts on bass and Bill Reichenbach on... read more

The Latin Impressions here are more Brazilian than Cuban – and maybe a bit Spanish, too – given the strong use of acoustic guitar from Charlie Byrd! The set's got a laidback, open feel – and Byrd's guitar work is mighty deft, yet without all the frills and flowers of some of the... read more

An incredible album from Donald Byrd – hard, funky, and with more of an edge than most of his other Blue Note work! The sound on the album's incredibly sinister – really concerned with downward chord turns in moody rhythms – played with a real sense of soul by a frontline that... read more

Classic soul jazz material from trumpeter Donald Byrd – one of his most sinister (and most rare) albums for Blue Note! The group's a quintet, with frequent bandmate Pepper Adams on baritone, Duke Pearson on piano, and Philly Joe Jones on drums – all grooving with some of the tightness... read more

Classic soul jazz material from trumpeter Donald Byrd – one of his most sinister (and most rare) albums for Blue Note! The group's a quintet, with frequent bandmate Pepper Adams on baritone, Duke Pearson on piano, and Philly Joe Jones on drums – all grooving with some of the tightness... read more

A Donald Byrd treasure – and an album that was almost left in the vaults by Blue Note, until they briefly released it at the end of the 70s! The cover and title are a bit unfamiliar, but the music is right up there with Byrd's classic sessions with baritonist Pepper Adams – a great... read more

A tasty collection of goodies that Donald recorded with the great Larry Mizell during the early 70s. Certainly not his all-inclusive best, but some of our favorite material by this legendary soul jazz trumpeter. The tracks have a sparkling electric jazz funk sound, with amazing production that... read more

Sweet electric funk – in a very trippy style! Before Donald Byrd hooked up with Larry Mizell and started recording his smooth fusion grooves of the mid 70's, he recorded this gem – kind of a "lost" album that has Donald working in an open-ended electric sound – one that'... read more

Donald Byrd's second foray into the "with voices" genre – done with the same arranging talents of Coleridge Perkinson, the lyrical modernist who made Donald's A New Perspective such a success! The group that plays with Byrd is excellent, and includes Freddie Roach, Herbie Hancock,... read more

One of Byrd's most fantastic records for Blue Note, and one of the three that he recorded with Sonny Red on alto sax. Byrd and Red work magnificently together, and the two of them play with a tightness and funkiness that's missing from a lot of their other records as leaders. Hank Mobley joins... read more

A classic album that mixes trumpet and voices in a swirling soulful sound that worked very well for Byrd's career! Byrd's sparkling trumpet fronts a tight septet that includes Hank Mobley, Herbie Hancock, and Kenny Burrell – and which is backed by arrangements by Coleridge Perkinson and Duke... read more

A heck of a rare slice of Donald Byrd's career – a rare "with strings" session, recorded in 1957, but never issued until this brief 1982 LP on Discovery! The set also marks a rare early large set of arrangements by Clare Fischer – who backs up Byrd's shimmering trumpet lines... read more

Upfront issue of some Donald Byrd stuff recorded in the early 60's. Two great lineups, one that pairs Donald Byrd with the tenor of Jimmy Heath and the alto of Bunky Green; another that has him joining Johnny Coles on trumpet and Duke Pearson on piano. Nice hard bop stuff, in settings Byrd's not... read more

A post-Blue Note effort, and Donald's changing things up a bit with his 125th Street Orchestra and Uptown Singers – funking along in a way you'd expect from the longwinded title! Byrd loostens up the smoother backgrounds of his recent Larry Mizell helmed work, and in their place are grooves... read more

Wonderful work from the team of Donald Byrd and Gigi Gryce! Byrd is at his youthful best here – blowing with a soulful imagination that's surprising, given his young age, and honed to a modern edge by the arrangements of Gryce. Conversely, Gryce's tone on the alto is fantastic – less... read more

An interesting little session from ABC – recorded as sort of an educational record about jazz, directed by Creed Taylor – but also a session that comes off well in the jam session mode of some of the Savoy sets of the same time! Players are a varied lot – and include Donald Byrd,... read more

Sweet and funky organ work from the great Henry Cain – a little known player who recorded on some excellent sides for Capitol in the 60s, including some of the albums by Howard Roberts! This set is Cain's one full album for the label – and it's a tight and jumpy set of instrumentals,... read more

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The CSUF combo gets help from Chicago arranger Burgess Gardner – on a set of tracks that includes "Foxy", "Blusef", "How Are You", and "Evanstune".... read more

Beautiful bass work from 50s LA player Red Callender – heard here on this classic side recorded for the Modern imprint. Swingin Suite is easily one of Red's tightest sessions – a date that has Callender's basslines strongly leading a nonet of players that includes Harry Jones on... read more

Candido cut sooo many great Latin records over the years, spanning a wide range of styles, we have a hard time deciding which we love the best. We like to think this may be his best album from the early part of his career, specifically because it features the master conga player amidst a tight... read more

One of the harder to find 50s sessions from LA jazz brothers Pete & Conte Candoli – a twin-trumpet album with rhythm from Jimmy Rowles, Howard Roberts, Max Bennett, and Frank Capp. The tracks are a clean extension of mid 50s LA cool jazz – blown with a bit more edge, and perhaps a... read more

An excellent session cut during a stretch when the Candoli/Rosolino team were doing some of their best work – playing in Europe with a number of hip backup groups. This set features an Italian trio of Franco D'Andrea on piano, Giovanni Tomasso on bass, and Gege Munari on drums. Tracks... read more

Not the usual jazz outing from trumpeter Pete Candoli, and more an album of pop instrumentals, designed to cash in on the success of the big hit single "Moscow Mule"! (Pete didn't do the original version of that, right?) Tunes are short, jaunty, and use the trumpet in the kind of 60s... read more

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Beautiful work from the legendary Hoagy Carmichael – and one of the few albums to feature him singing his own work! Hoagy's name is one that you're more likely to see in the songwriting credits than in the artist slot for a record – but he's actually got a wonderful voice, one that's... read more

An undisputed 70s soul jazz classic – and arguably the best album that Doug Carn ever cut for the Black Jazz label! The set is a masterpiece of spiritual jazz – with Carn on keyboards setting up the groove, and wife Jean singing some incredible vocals – very different than her... read more

The Black Jazz recordings of Doug Carn are always a revelation – some of the most powerful, progressive work on the American underground of the early 70s – music that got Carn into way more record collections than you might expect! The sound here is a perfect summation of Doug's early... read more

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A surprisingly great album – even if it's short on information! There's no real dates on this one, so we have to assume that it's of the vintage of the album's release date – somewhere in the early 60s – making the album pretty late for Benny, but also pretty great as well! The... read more

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Excellent work from Betty Carter – much more sophisticated than some of her 60s work! Betty's captured here in her hip trio format that she developed to fantastic heights during the 70s. Betty sings standards and originals with a warmth an imagination that we can hardly describe accurately... read more

Features some great work by Joe Henderson on tenor – in a group that features Carter on bass and piccolo bass, Chick Corea on piano, and Tony Williams on drums – plus some surprisingly nice larger horn arrangements too. Titles include "GJT", "Gypsy", "Tinderbox&... read more

Ron Carter plays here with pianist Kenny Barron, drummer Harvey Mason, and guitarist Hugh McCracken, in a setting that is augmented by an off-kilter string section, and which has that sort of bright sound that characterized some of Carter's recordings from the time. Many of the tracks have a... read more

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One of the hippest funky jazz combos of the 70s – stepping out here in their amazing debut for Cobblestone records! Catalyst had a groove that was unlike most of their contemporaries – a sound that was often jazzier than some of the tighter funk artists on labels like Kudu or Prestige,... read more

Another one of the great LPs by a band that was probably one of the best to grace the Muse label – and who have not really ever been reissued. Eddie Green, Odean Pope, Tyrone Brown, and Sherman Ferguson form the core of this funky fusion outfit, and they play in a beautiful way that mixes... read more

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A landmark session that gathered together just about every hip British jazz and jazz/rock musician of the time – and brought them together into one super-cool orchestra of sound! Robert Fripp produced the record, and Keith Tippett is the overall music director – but the album's got a... read more

A landmark session that gathered together just about every hip British jazz and jazz/rock musician of the time – and brought them together into one super-cool orchestra of sound! Robert Fripp produced the record, and Keith Tippett is the overall music director – but the album's got a... read more

An obscure record with a silly title – but a seminal batch of southern soul instrumentals, recorded at the height of the Muscle Shoals scene! The record's a really odd one in the Chess catalog – because it's got the feel of a record that should have come out on Atlantic or Capitol, or... read more

A spacey album of keyboard duets between Joe Chambers and the great Larry Young! The album was recorded shortly before Larry passed away, and it features him and Chambers on a number of different keyboards – electric, acoustic, and organ – plus additional drums by Chambers on a few... read more

Although the cover of the record includes a picture of Eddie's wife, Dinah Washington, and the "Friend" in the title would seem to imply that she's on the album, the set's really just a bunch of hard jazz cuts that showcase Eddie's screaming tenor sax, and which don't include Dinah's... read more

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One long piece – dedicated to Joe McPhee – with Chardonnens on percussion, Francioli on bass and piano, and Malfatti on trombone and accessories!... read more

Nice moody set of tracks written by Duke Ellington, and played by a trio that features vibist Teddy Charles, bassist Oscar Pettiford, and pianist Hall Overton. All three men are committed modernists, and they play here without drums, and with a lot of space to lay down some dark edgey arrangements... read more

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With Jeannie Cheatham on vocals and piano, Jimmy on trombone, Dinky Morris on tenor and baritone, Snooky Young on trumpet, and Curtis Peagler on alto and tenor. Titles include "Permanent Solution", "Daddy O", "Goin Down Slow", "Detour Ahead", and "Homewa... read more

Early 70s greatness from Don Cherry – a double album's worth of profoundly spiritual soundscapes paired with lots of weird effects – and a very laidback groove overall! Tracks are written by Cherry, Terry Riley, Pharoah Sanders, and Nana Vasconcelos – and include performances... read more

The birth of modern jazz guitar – seminal sides recorded by Charlie Christian, working in small group format with Benny Goodman, Lionel Hampton, Fletcher Henderson, and even a bit of Basie. Christian's tone on the instrument is fantastic – and even though the style of the tracks is... read more

Hard-slamming genius from pianist Sonny Clark – one of his greatest albums for Blue Note, and a real cooker that's served up with an all-star group! Clark's vision has never been tighter or fuller than on this album – save, perhaps, for the magnificent Cool Struttin – and his... read more

One of the first albums from guitarist Kenny Burrell as a leader – a date that has him working with players from his hometown scene in Detroit – in case you couldn't guess from the title! Kenny's style here is a bit different than on the Blue Note dates of the time – almost a bit... read more

Stanley Clarke may be on a journey to love – but that doesn't mean that the album's too sweet or romantic! Many tracks here still have the harder edge and sharper lines you'd expect from Clarke's key 70s fusion reputation – the kind of rock-influenced styles that crossed over big at... read more

A bit more high concept than before for Stanley Clarke – almost a suite of sorts, but one that still has some great standout tunes in the mix! Although Clarke used to bring his higher concepts to bear in the space of a single song, this one's more of a full exploration of the character in... read more

Time Exposure has a lot of 80s electro funk in the mix, particularly Clarke's impeccable bass lines, which are heavy throughout. Titles include "Play The Bass '10", "Heaven Sent You", "Speedball", "Future Shock" and the great title track.... read more

Great early genius from the Clarke Boland Big Band – proof that Kenny and Francy were onto something great, right from the start! The album really has the group hitting the heights of their MPS years – stretching out way past earlier big band modes, into the hip mix of rhythms and... read more

One of the greatest records ever by this hip jazz ensemble – and one of their most unique! The record has the band grooving hard through two incredible suites of Latin music – Gary McFarland's "Latin Kaleidoscope" and Francy Boland's "Cuban Fever" – each of... read more

A classic from the undisputed master of the swing jazz jam session! Jumpin' At The Woodside has Buck Clayton recreating a Count Basie vibe, but in a much more open-ended, and long-grooving way! Most of the tracks on the record are nice and long – really opening up with a solo-heavy, jam... read more

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Titles include "Quadrant 4", "Moon Germs", "Stratus", "Do What Cha Wanna", "Panhandler", "Pleasant Pheasant", and "Red Baron".... read more

A very full-on hard heavy fusion album! Drummer Billy Cobham lays down some massive hard beats, while Tommy Bolin wails away on guitar, Jan Hammer pounds on electric piano, and Lee Sklar noodles on electric bass. 2 cuts feature a different lineup with Joe Farrell and Jimmy Owens – but the... read more

Full throttle fusion from Billy Cobham, the kind of stuff we once winced at because of the really over the top moments of heavy, heavy jamming, but that we find ourselves more sympathetic to these days, probably for the more sublime moments that poke through the onslaught here and there, including... read more

A reading of Duke Ellington's famous suite of tracks, in a performance that features Norma Winstone on the vocal tunes – and which has some extremely strong solo work from Richard Sudhalter, John Davies, Keith Nichols, and Paul Nossiter. Titles include "West Indian Dance", "Com... read more

Tremendous horn interplay from the team of Al Cohn and Zoot Sims – and a record that may well be one of the best illustrations of their famous magic together in the 50s! The record's got a way of focusing energy, yet letting each player state themselves clearly and cleanly – almost a... read more

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One of the most beautiful records we've ever heard from the legendary Phil Cohran – a previously-unissued performance from 1993, and one that's every bit as wonderful as his rare albums of the late 60s! The set was recorded at the planetarium in Chicago – and for the date, Cohran comes... read more

An amazing bit of music – and an incredible document of generations of creative jazz energy as well! The legendary Phil Cohran teams up here with Hypnotic Brass Ensemble – a collective made up of Cohran's sons, who follow strongly in the rich legacy of his own Artistic Heritage group... read more

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Vintage recordings by this famous trumpeter – some with Django Reinhardt on guitar, some with Herman Chittison on piano!... read more

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A Latin monster – and one of our favorite albums from the New York scene! The record is the only one we've ever seen from pianist Earl Coleman – and it's a groove-happy fiesta that's every bit Spanish Harlem at its best. Earl's piano is flowing and free, and the band grooves through... read more

A nicely laidback set from George Coleman – working here with only the piano of Tete Montoliu as accompaniment for his tenor sax!... read more