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An unusual package of Quincy Jones albums – featuring variations on two American records, presented here in offbeat German versions of the 60s! First up is Songs For Pussycats, kind of a mix of Quincy Jones' Pussycat album for Mercury with some tracks from other records too – all done... read more

A great bit of 70s electric work from Quincy – and probably his funkiest album ever! Quincy's really stepping out here from the straighter and spacier styles of earlier records – going for more of the dirty grooves he was cutting up for soundtrack albums, and hitting notes that were a... read more

A trio of classics from the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra! First up is the initial Presenting album – great music by one of the hippest large American ensembles of the late 60s – almost a US equivalent to the groovy sound of the Clark Boland Big Band over in Europe! Trumpeter Thad... read more

One of the most ambitious albums ever recorded from Clifford Jordan – a totally righteous little effort that was the first installment in the legendary Dolphy Series on the Strata East label! The set has Jordan working with a larger group than usual – an all-star array of players that... read more

A trio of Blue Note albums from guitarist Stanley Jordan! First up is Magic Touch – a crucial album for the jazz guitar in the 80s – the debut effort of Stanley Jordan, and a set that exploded with a very fresh sound! Jordan has a really unique way of handling his instrument –... read more

Sweet sound library funk from Joy Unlimited – an early 70s German combo heard here on their rarest record ever! As with the group's commercial releases, there's a wicked blend of funky jazz and hard-riffing instrumentation – and unlike other records, this one's got an even leaner,... read more

The rare second album from Juju – the avant jazz collective who'd later morph into funk band Oneness Of Juju, but who still sound pretty revolutionary here! There's a bit more focus than before – still energy that's a lot like the best righteous jazz groups coming out of Chicago or St... read more

A sweet Japanese piano trio session from the 70s – named after the ballad "Emily", which features prominently in the lineup – but handled with a depth of sound that goes way past that familiar number! Emiko Kai's got a subtle touch on the keys – one that definitely has... read more

Not an orchestra, but the work of a single individual – yet served up with a sound that's more blistering than most large ensemble! Michel Coffi conceives the record as a "new challenge for the music of the future" – an "interactive collaboration" that heavily mixes... read more

A rare set from pianist Alex Kallao – an obscure player we really only know from a 50s album for RCA – and who sounds equally great here! Kallao was born blind, but has a hell of a fluid touch on the keys – a soulful swing that goes even farther than his RCA session in this rare... read more

Pure genius from tenor saxophonist Richie Kamuca – a magical exercise in tone and balance, played by Richie with that warm and raspy style that we love so much in his work! Kamuca's probably best known for his bigger group work of the 50s, but on a session like this he steps out as a... read more

Lovely work from Kimiko Kasai – easily one of the best female jazz vocalists on the Japanese scene in the 70s! Kimiko's got a wonderfully deep range – an ability to dip into lower notes when needed, but not in any sort of gimmicky way – just this full-voiced quality that makes... read more

Japanese drum powerhouse George Kawaguchi leads a very hip band here – one that's filled with quick-thinking players who can really create strongly on the fly – matching George's boundless energy, but bringing plenty of their own elements to light as well! Kawaguchi's drums are back a... read more

An unusual little record – a set that's a bit "fake" in its pedigree, but which still comes across with some wonderfully vivid results! Fred Kaz is a Chicago pianist, but he works here on a set of original compositions based on his readings on Near Eastern cultures – dubbed... read more

Barney Kessel in a really great style – a mode you won't normally hear on other albums of the time – but which really turns out to be a treat! As you'd guess from the title, the album's got a definite bossa nova influence – one that mixes Barney's sweet guitar lines with bigger... read more

One of the grooviest albums ever recorded by guitarist Barney Kessel – a sweet reworking of Henry Mancini's fabulous music for Breakfast At Tiffanys! The set's got a warm feel and more than a bit of bossa nova inspiration – similar to some of the other Kessel and Shorty Rogers projects... read more

A wonderful wonderful set from Barney Kessel – bossa-inflected jazz, and a wonderful setting for Barney to hit some very groovy lines on electric guitar! The group on the date is part of the strength of the record – with Conte Candoli on trumpet, Emil Richards on vibes, Paul Horn on... read more

A wicked collaboration between Dutch keyboardists Rob Franken and Jan Huydts – a set that has the pair of them really stretching out on Fender Rhodes, Arp, clavinet, and other keyboards – with only a bit of drums to back them up! Yet although the set's got a really freewheeling sort of... read more

No need to be cautious here – as the album's the sort you can jump into right away – thanks to some wicked grooves from legendary guitarist Calvin Keys! Calvin's had a great revival in recent years, but this album's the stuff that first put him on the map – a brilliant early date... read more

Lots of long tracks played with plenty of fire – just the kind of record to remind us again that David Kikoski's a hell of a pianist, especially in a setting like this! The album follows the format of the other excellent live dates on the Smalls label – lots of room for the artist to... read more

Smoking tenor from one of the greatest reedmen of all time – and one of the few who could easily bridge the worlds of jazz, soul, and R&B! The set's one of King's earliest albums – recorded back in 1959, and really given a tight Atlantic Records focus that takes the music way past... read more

A great little live set from King Curtis – cut in his local turf of Harlem, with a very loose sort of feel and nice gritty groove – which lets both King and his combo get even freer and funkier than usual! There's an edge here you don't usually get on the studio work from Curtis –... read more

Later genius from Rahsaan Roland Kirk – a record of wonderful depth and soul, and a session that moves back to the straighter jazz focus of some of his work from the Mercury years – yet still keeps all the personality and charm of the best Atlantic sides! Roland's playing in a warm... read more

A beautiful late chapter in the jazz journey of Rahsaan Roland Kirk – and an album of subtle genius that's really opened up to us over the years! The setting here isn't as "hit you over the head" as on some of Kirk's Atlantic Records – because at one level, the tunes are... read more

A stone classic from Roland Kirk – and a record that beautifully balances his modern ideas and playful energy – as you might guess from the title! While posing as the "whistleman", Roland's also pushing the boundaries of jazz a few steps forward too – not just in modern... read more

Trumpeter Ryan Kisor's got a great partner in the frontline here – alto player Sherman Irby, whose angular tones really give the record an edge! As we love in Irby's own sessions, there's a mix here of soulful and modern that's really wonderful – kind of an open flow on the horns, but... read more

Tremendous work from this young group – a set that embraces a range of modern jazz traditions, then pushes them forward strongly to the next generation! The lineup here features some of the sharpest talents of the current Windy City underground – James Falzone on clarinet, Jason... read more

Killer piano from Ronnie Kole – a set with loads of cool soul jazz touches throughout! The core of the album's based around Ronnie's trio – with some excellent hard-handed work from Kole that's right up there with Ray Bryant in the 60s – but it also features great arrangements... read more

The greatest session ever recorded by pianist Ronnie Kole – recorded for the Louisiana label Paula, but with all the feel of a Chess/Cadet session from the late 60s! All of this is no surprise, since Ronnie himself was an ex-Chicagoan, living in New Orleans – and the album's... read more

Damn great work from guitarist Volker Kriegel – a player who rose to prominence in the Dave Pike Set, then went onto make some wonderful records of his own! Volker plays both acoustic and electric guitar on the set, and works with a very hip fusion combo that features electric piano from... read more

Psychedelic jazz & funky numbers from Volker Kriegel – a compilation of grooves from his MPS albums of the early-to-mid 70s! Funky electric and fuzzed out jazz from albums such as Lift!, Octember Variations, Spectrum and Elastic Menu – was well as choice selections from records by... read more

The funky fusion classic from guitarist Volker Krieger – finally issued in a great CD edition! Easily one of Krieger's best albums, Spectrum was remarkably cut in just two days at MPS Studios in 1971 – with a group that includes Peter Baumeister on drums, Cees See on bongos and... read more

Sweet soulful fusion from guitarist Volker Kriegel – a player who's definitely tighter here than in his more psychedelic days – but who still has a wonderful sense of sound, space, and timing! The record features some great tones from Volker – sliding along with this slight... read more

A great and groovy early album from Volker Kriegel – the German guitarist who'd cut some very trippy work for the MPS label in the 70s – but a player who steps out here in a sweet soul jazz mode at the end of the 60s! Volker's still got the same wickedly sharp style on guitar you'd... read more

A really unusual later chapter in the career of guitarist Robby Krieger – a post-Doors album done for Blue Note Records – and a set that's got more than enough jazzy touches to live up to its placement on the label! Krieger's guitar gets plenty of workout on the album's fusion-styled... read more

Three hip European jazz talents from the 70s – all working here in rare performances from the Jazz Live Trio! The first half of the set features wonderful vocals from Karin Krog – very open and free, at a level that's right up there with her hippest studio sides of the 70s –... read more

Solo acoustic guitar from Uwe Kropinsky – played with incredible dexterity at times, and a great ear for a wide range of sounds that don't always come from the strings! At some level, Kropinsky has this quality that echoes earlier work by Paco DeLucia, or other players on the Spanish scene... read more

One of the most soul jazz-styled sets ever cut by German clarinetist Rolf Kuhn – a very groovy record that features work from tenorist Klaus Doldinger and organist Ingfried Hoffmann! On their own albums of the 60s, Doldinger and Hoffmann are quite a pair – swinging almost as perfectly... read more

Some of the hippest work we've ever heard from German clarinetist Rolf Kuhn – a beautiful set from the 60s, and one that's filled with modern touches, but never goes too far out! Rolf's clarinet is definitely sharper here than in the decade before – informed by much of the modern jazz... read more

A beautifully bright album from pianist Steve Kuhn – a superb 1986 session that matches his work on the keys with bass from Ron Carter and drums from Al Foster! The trio have a soulful swing right from the start – a vibe that you don't always hear on other albums from Kuhn, and which... read more

Brilliant work from a guy who gets our vote as one of the best young saxophone talents working today! Jonas Kullhammar's a hell of a great player – one who can be free one minute, focused the next – always working with a long-range creative vision in his solos – of the sort we... read more

One of our favorite jazz artists working today – heard here in an album that bristles with excitement and energy! Jonas Kullhammar could easily be called the new heir to classic sounds on the tenor sax – a player with as much promise as Eric Alexander at his start, but with an even... read more

Genius work from one of the greatest young tenorists in many years – Sweden's Jonas Kullhammar, heard here with his Andratx trio – a group based on tenor, bass, and drums – all with a fluidly creative sound that takes us back to Sonny Rollins at the Village Vanguard in the late... read more

Nothing's kaput here – certainly not the creativity of the players involved – as the album's easily one of the most beautiful, most evocative sets we've ever heard from reedman Jonas Kullhammar! The quartet session is definitely a group effort – as all players work together in... read more

Funky organ and plenty of vamping – a really tight little set from the mighty Charles Kynard – who's working here with a really wide-ranging command of the keyboard! As with some of the other Mainstream Records sessions of the time, the backings here are somewhat full – arranged... read more

Pretty amazing work from one of the greatest under-rated talents of 50s modern jazz! John LaPorta was a brilliant multi-instrumentalist who's probably best known for his work with Mingus in the mid 50s Jazz Workshop years, and for his earlier sides with Woody Herman – but it's on records... read more

Sublime solo work from Steve Lacy – a perfect demonstration of the great leap forward he took on the soprano sax in the early 70s – documented beautifully on overseas recordings like this! The core of the set features material recorded in Avignon in 1972 – with Lacy using his... read more

Steve Lacy's legendary Argentinean recording – one of his boldest moments of the early years, and the start of a long history of superb work away from the American scene! The group here is quite unusual – as players include Enrico Rava on trumpet, Johnny Dyani on bass, and Louis Moholo... read more

Two different sets of "saxophone special" recordings from Steve Lacy – each representing a key shift in his style on the European scene of the early 70s, and capturing him before he'd stratified things into the more standard Lacy modes that would come! The first half of the set has... read more

A wonderful blend of free jazz & atmospheric electronic experimentation led by soprano mainstay Steve Lacy – a truly inviting blend of open-ended sounds that manages to all come together in a very natural way! Sadly, this set captured here at the NEWJazz meeting of 2002 at Baden-Baden,... read more

Reedman Oliver Lake at his most creative – stepping out here on a sublime set of 70s improvisations – all put together with a really spiritual feel! There's a very open, collaborative feel to the music – and the set was recorded in St Louis, at a time when Lake was a key part of... read more

A great large group project from reedman Oliver Lake – and a great reminder of his mighty strengths as a writer and arranger too! Right from the start, Lake's had a great ability to move between smaller, intimate settings and more ensemble-based music – and here, he's at the helm of a... read more

Tenor, bass, and drums – a wicked combination here that really holds together beautifully over the course of the album's long live tracks! Tenorist Ralph LaLama's hardly sounded better – definitely blowing with the bop influences you might guess from the group's name, but also spinning... read more

Andrew Lamb is billed as "The Black Lamb" here – a nice nickname, given the earthy quality of the set! The group's got two percussionists at its core – Michael Wimberly and Guillermo E Brown – both players with different energies that help expand the roots of the record... read more

A sweet trio album from pianist Mathias Landaeus – based around classic Swedish Holiday tunes, but handled instrumentally – which means that you can enjoy the album all year long! The record's way different than an American jazz Christmas album – partly because of the relatively... read more

Tremendous work from the legendary Prince Lasha – a rare UK-only date from 1966 – and one that has the reedman working away from more familiar contemporaries like Sonny Simmons and Eric Dolphy! The approach on this session is very unique – as Lasha includes harp with the... read more

One of the greatest Yusef Lateef albums on Atlantic Records – and that's saying a lot, given the high level of quality he was hitting at the label! The album's a perfect blend of the newly-funky Lateef style with some hipper, more sophisticated touches – a mode that hints at his bigger-... read more

A groundbreaking set from Yusef Lateef – one that mixes together a number of different soul jazz styles! In a way, Atlantic records tried to handle Yusef Lateef in the same way they did Roland Kirk – by creating recordings that either let him express himself strongly as an arch-modernis... read more

A wonderful full album from keyboardist Jessica Lauren – a London talent we've loved for years, and have watched mature deeply over the past few decades! Jessica's keyboards have graced a number of key recordings from the past 20 years or so on the British scene – but she's issued... read more

Wonderful sounds from Hubert Laws – and like some of his best CTI work of a few years before, a set that really goes way beyond any easy expectations! There's moments of ambition here that really link the record to Laws' CTI sides – that mix of fuller arrangements and higher-concept... read more

A great little set of Latin jazz – and one of the strongest albums ever from flute man Hubert Laws! At the time of this recording, Laws was playing with Mongo Santamaria's group – and for this second solo outing, he borrows a lot of grooves from Mongo's bag – and also hits a few... read more

Sweet soulful flute from the great Hubert Laws – gliding high here in a great session from his post-CTI years! The album's a bit more soul-based than some of Hubert's earlier dates – but that change is a great one, and really helps Laws find some rich new energy – a focus in the... read more

A wicked mix of Latin influences, mod sounds, and 60s soul jazz – all set up beautifully to showcase the flute of a young Hubert Laws! The album's got a nice little bounce right from the start – with some traces of Atlantic soul elements – but it soon moves into some of the more... read more

Massive early work from Hubert Laws – and a set that really shows some more the more Latin and soul sides of his talents! Tracks here have a tight punch throughout – with some great New York 60s rhythms that feature a young Chick (then called "Armando") Corea on piano, then a... read more

Hubert Laws hits an 80s groove here – but the shift doesn't seem to dampen his soul at all! At some points, the rhythms are a bit more pronounced than before – bouncy and funky at points, with a slight nod to the clubs – yet other points still have that soft, airy finish that... read more

Flute, strings, and soul – a wonderful counterpart to some of Hubert Laws' funkier albums of the time – and a record cut with some tremendous backings! The core group features Hubert on assorted flutes, Gary Burton on vibes, Chick Corea on piano, and Bernard Purdie on drums – all... read more

A stone classic from reedman Ronnie Laws – and an album that really helped set a whole new standard for funky fusion in the 70s! Laws works here with great Wayne Henderson production – which gives the album an even sharper sound than other Blue Note sets of this vintage – and... read more

Two stone classics from Ronnie Laws – back to back on a single CD! Friends & Strangers is a stone classic from reedman Ronnie Laws – and an album that really helped set a whole new standard for funky fusion in the 70s! Laws works here with great Wayne Henderson production –... read more

A pair of classics from Ronnie Laws – back to back on a single CD! On Mr Nice Guy, Laws really makes a big move into the soul field – quite a big record for him back in the day, and a set that helped him reach an even wider audience at the time! Ronnie sings as much as playing sax on... read more

Fantastic lean low funky fusion – and a lost Blue Note 70s gem – a set that's way different than any other work from the team of bassist John Lee and drummer Gerry Brown! The set's nice and spare – almost CTI in style at times, but with some excellent production work from Skip... read more

Great work from John Lee and Gerry Brown – a pair of fusion stalwarts who added key help to a number of classic 70s sessions for other artists – and got to make a rare few albums like this on their own! Lee's on bass and Brown's on drums, and the pair are in perfect time throughout... read more

Some of the greatest jazz work ever recorded by Michel Legrand! Although Legrand's always been known for his sweet soundtrack work and his famous easy listening sides – he's also a heck of a jazz pianist, and here in this rare 1959 session, he works in a trio format that puts him right up... read more

A really wonderful album from Michel Legrand – one of his few jazz efforts to really capture the same dynamic charm of his soundtracks! The album was recorded live – with a mixed group of electric and acoustic players that includes Joe Beck, Randy Brecker, Ron Carter, Phil Woods, and... read more

One of a few key efforts done by Michel Legrand for RCA in the 70s – sessions that stand out as some of his best jazz work from the decade, and which present Legrand in unfettered brilliance, both as a player and arranger! This live date still has the original compositions and sense of... read more

String-heavy early genius from a young Michel Legrand – tracks from some of his best travelogue albums for Columbia from the 50s! The first half of the set is Legrand's original I Love Paris album – a sparkling postwar musical fantasy of Paris, made up of a host of famous themes from... read more

One of the most far-reaching sets of UK jazz we've heard from the mid 60s – the recording debut of pianist Peter Lemer, working here in a quintet that also features a young John Surman! The leadoff track is a version of Carla Bley's great "Ictus" – and the style of the work... read more

The butt-squeezing cover should be enough to let you know that this is one funky album – but if that doesn't get the message across, the grooves certainly do! O'Donel Levy plays tight and funky guitar, and also sings a bit on the set – working with a tight combo that features Charles... read more

Amazing music from trombonist George Lewis – five different albums that each show a different side of his talents! First up is Shadowgraph 5 – a great early Black Saint, and a key example of the way the AACM spirit thrived overseas, thanks to the efforts of labels like this! The work... read more

John Lewis takes on the music of Gary McFarland – working here in a very cool set of McFarland compositions and arrangements – often with a lot more tone, color, and feeling than usual for a Lewis album! John often punctuates his piano notes, almost as if he's using vibes – and... read more

Serious compositional material by John Lewis – a series of work based upon the Italian tradition of commedia dell'arte, written for a larger group of brass instruments – and given a real "classics meets jazz" sort of vibe – but also handled with a gentle swing, too! ... read more

One of the hippest albums that John Lewis ever recorded – and a set that's noteworthy for the presence of two European modernists! Most of the record features Lewis in a wonderful group with trobmonist Albert Mangelsdorff – who gets plenty of space here to play in his stepping,... read more

A uniquely European Encounter between pianist John Lewis and violinist Svend Asmussen – and one that makes for a different blend of instrumentation than you'd get on some of John Lewis' other albums as a leader! The pair are supported by Jimmy Woode on bass and Sture Kalin on drums –... read more

Two electric killers from Ramsey Lewis – back to back in a single package! Funky Serenity is sweet electric funk from Ramsey – one of his best from the 70s, and a set with Lewis on Fender Rhodes, electric harpsichord, and other keyboards, grooving away in an open-ended 70s mode that... read more

An overlooked gem from Ramsey's 70s years at Columbia – a record that has him grooving over larger arrangements, sweeping along in a great blend of soul and class that makes for some really great numbers! Side one of the album features Ramsey playing keyboards on the extended "Legacy&quo... read more

A nicely done compilation of pivotal work from the great Ramsey Lewis – focusing on his work for Columbia/CBS Records from the 70s and early 80s – and very well chosen at that! Of course the title comes from Ramsey's iconic album of the same name, and this 2CD set features a few tracks... read more

Genius jazzy soul from Webster Lewis – one of his amazing late 70s sets for Epic Records! By this point in his career, Lewis had honed his keyboard craft to perfection – and on albums like this one, he laid down some excellent smooth soulful fusion that soared in a righteous way that... read more

A jazzy soul masterpiece from Webster Lewis – light years away from the rougher funk he cut at the start of the 70s! The album's beautifully put together – almost perfect at all points, at a level that we'd rank right up there with the best work by Leroy Hutson, Roy Ayers, or other... read more

One of the most beautiful albums we've ever heard from saxophonist David Liebman – a set of solo numbers that build slowly, with this haunting, soulful sound that we've almost never heard from Liebman this well before! David uses soprano, tenor sax, and wooden flute on the date – and... read more

Cosmic jazzy genius from Bubbha Thomas & The Lightmen – the kind of a record that sounds like it should have come out of Detroit or Chicago in the early 70s – and not the Texas scene from which the group hailed! The Lightmen have a vibe that reminds us a lot of The Pharoahs or some... read more

Incredibly groovy work from Brazilian organist Ed Lincoln – a quick-fingered player on the Hammond with a talent to rival the skills of Walter Wanderley! Like Wanderley, Lincoln worked in Brazil during the early bossa years – and had a great ear for mixing up samba and bossa rhythms... read more

Two wonderful sessions from pianist Nils Lindberg – easily one of the most important Swedish modernists at the start of the 60s! The first half of the CD features a jazz symphony, commissioned by Swedish TV for a European broadcast in 1963 – and penned by Lindberg with a really amazing... read more

A fantastic sextet session recorded in 1961, shortly before Booker Little's death – and filled with all the promise and power he ever packed into his playing! There's a sharp, angular groove to many of the numbers here – that mix of modern and hardbop that was cresting best in the... read more

The legendary trumpeter Booker Little – paired here with drummer Max Roach, who was frequently Book's leader at the time! The set's got a sharp-edged and modern mix of hardbop and fresh ideas – very similar to the best Roach albums of the time – and with a similar sort of group... read more

One long piece from this jazz quartet that includes Darius Jones on alto, Andrew Smiley on guitar, Travis Laplante on tenor, and Jason Nazary on drums – yet a work that's way more gentle and poetic than you might expect! While most other groups might aim for freer noise on a track this long,... read more

Charles Lloyd in the Soviet Union – blowing beautifully on an open-ended set that must have really loosened things up in Red Square! The album features Lloyd at his freewheeling 60s best – working in his group with Keith Jarrett on piano, Ron McClure on bass, and Jack DeJohnette on... read more

A classic set from reedman Charles Lloyd – a set that really pushes forward all the experiments he'd begun in the Chico Hamilton group – and shows a bold move forward for rhythms in 60s jazz! The tracks are long, and spiral out wonderfully – but in ways that are different than... read more

A great title for this one – as the set really features reedman Charles Lloyd flowering strongly – blooming into a richer expression of his talents than any one might have expected a few short years before! The album features Lloyd working with his groundbreaking quartet of Keith... read more

A great 60s moment not just for reedman Charles Lloyd, but also for pianist Keith Jarrett – who was a key part of Charles' group for a few years at the time – and who really opens up on this classic set! Tracks are long and very open – reaching in a spiritual sort of way with... read more

Beautiful music from Charles Lloyd – a great package that brings together all the important Norwegian recordings the tenorist made for ECM in the 90s – music that really helped renew interest in this legendary player! The style here is wonderful – laidback and flowing, in a mode... read more

Beautiful duets between this richly creative pair – a stripped-down set that really showcases the warmth and intimacy of Charles Lloyd's reed styles in recent years – and one that also has Jason Moran warming up a bit more than usual too! Lloyd plays tenor and alto, both with a very... read more