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Righteous Bobby Hutcherson from the 70s – one of his last albums recorded in the company of reedman Harold Land – and one of his greatest too! There's a wonderful mix of modes going on here – modal jazz meets California sun, blending a sense of spiritualism with some of the... read more

Beautiful late Blue Note work from vibist Bobby Hutcherson – laidback, warm, electric, and with a mixture of CTI funk and some of the more lyrical soul jazz work of his years with Harold Land! Part of the credit for the set should go to George Cables – who plays both acoustic and... read more

A beautiful later Blue Note album from vibist Bobby Hutcherson – a set recorded after his famous association with Harold Land, but with a groove that's wonderfully soulful in a whole different way! Bobby plays marimbas instead of vibes this time around, and he's working with his own... read more

One of the most wonderful 70s albums from Bobby Hutcherson – and one of the most deeply spiritual, too! As with others in Blue Note's Montreux series, the tracks are long and very open – with a different flavor than the artists' studio work. Hutcherson works with a hip small group... read more

A lost set of work from the team of Bobby Hutcherson and Harold Land – recorded right around the same time as their famous San Francisco album! The album's overflowing with the soulful, righteous tones the pair could create together – sublime vibes from Hutcherson, both tenor and flute... read more

A really heady set of tracks from vibist Bobby Hutcherson – a record that has him stepping away from the harder sounds of his early modern years – and moving into the sublime mix of soulful and modal styles that would really grow strongly by the end of the 60s! The album's a treasure... read more

A real charmer from Bobby Hutcherson – and a set that features his vibes in a quartet with great Hammond from Joey DeFrancesco! We haven't heard Hutcherson with organ in many years – and the pairing is a wonderful treat, and really takes us back to some of his Blue Note moments of the... read more

Moody material from Bobby Hutcherson – and one of the first records to feature his vibes in the company of tenorist Harold Land – a player who would help Hutcherson make some mighty fine music over the years! The set's got a super-hip group – with Stanley Cowell on piano, giving... read more

Sweet 70s grooves from Bobby Hutcherson – an overlooked mid 70s gem for Blue Note – done in a style that's a bit more laidback than some of his other work for the label! The group here is similar to that used on the Waiting album – and Emmanuel Boyd turns in some great tenor and... read more

Soaring, spiritual jazz from Bobby Hutcherson – one of his soulful, modal killers for Blue Note in the 70s – and a record that's done in a style that's very similar to Bobby's work with Harold Land! This time around, Emanuel Boyd is on deck on tenor, flute, and soprano sax –... read more

An oft-overlooked gem from 70s Blue Note – and a great little record that's especially nice for the Bobby Hutcherson material! As you'd guess from the title, there's a larger orchestra working with the artists here – and in Hutcherson's case, this creates the same sort of soulful,... read more

A soaring set of solo piano from Weber Iago – music that bubbles and flows with a beautifully spontaneous quality – almost in the mode of a lost ECM session from the 70, but with all the warmth we've come to love from the Adventure Music label! The set may well be the best so far in... read more

A heavy funk party from the Japanese jazz scene of the 70s – and a set that hits a lot harder than some of the smoother fusion of the time! There's a grit here that hearkens back to some of the best American jazz funk at the start of the decade – a nice edge that you often don't find... read more

A landmark New York session from Dollar Brand – recorded in the late 70s, with a larger group than usual! Brand spins out some really magical African-tinged jazz grooves – stretching forth in his usual modal mode, but augmented by a great set of horn parts that includes work by Don... read more

A beautiful second album from Idea 6 – the cool Italian combo who first blew our minds with their excellent Metropoli set! The style here is similar to that great album – a recasting of older Italian jazz modes from the 60s – the mix of hardbop and modalism that flourished during... read more

One of the greatest jazz rock albums to come out of the British scene at the end of the 60s – a record that's filled with tight changes, bluesy overtones, and some wonderfully choppy moments – all played by a legendary lineup that includes Terry Smith on guitar, John Healing on organ,... read more

The sweet second album from If – a Brit jazz-rock combo with a really great sound! The album was produced by Lew Futterman, the talent behind some of Jack McDuff's large-arrangement albums for Blue Note – and Lew seems to bring in a similar ambitious feel to the set that really brings... read more

A beautiful little record – one of those really unique, really sensitively soulful sessions of jazz that were coming out of the Japanese scene in the 70s – quite different than work you'd hear from any other point of the globe! The group's led by bassist Yoshio Ikeda – who has a... read more

One of the most roosty albums on Blue Note – and a fairly straight session of African percussion tracks by Solomon Ilori and his Afro Drum Ensemble! Unlike similar albums by Art Blakey, this one lacks any strong sort of jazz component – and really just features fairly straight African... read more

Great long piano grooves from the trio of Masaru Imada – augmented here with additional instrumentation as well! Masaru alone is already great – a Japanese pianist with a strong sense of rhythm – those rolling lines we love in his trio dates from the 70s, usually with a nice dose... read more

Twin pianos here – the acoustic of Masaru Imada, and the mixed acoustic and electric of Kenji Kohsei – working here together to co-lead a quartet in a sublime session from the 70s! Imadu's a really great player, with a wonderful sense of blocking out a tune – moving slowly at... read more

Incredible work from one of the hippest groups in the contemporary underground – Detroit's In The Tradition, a combo with a righteous sound that takes us back to the 70s days of Strata East and Tribe Records! This double-length set is a bold step forward for the group – as some tracks... read more

Not the disco promised in the title – but a sweet batch of funky tracks from Japanese reedman Jiro Inagaki – easily one of his hippest albums of the 70s! Rhythms are super-tight – very much in the best mid 70s space of Fatback Band or Kool & The Gang – and carried off... read more

Jiro Inagaki's definitely in the groove here – hitting hard with a sweet electric vibe, on a set that's easily one of his funkiest albums ever! The set's got a wicked mix of jazz and funk that's right up there with the best on 70s CTI or Kudu – but maybe even leaner overall, given the... read more

A killer collection of work from one of the funkiest Japanese groups of the early 70s – billed as jazz rock in the title, but with a much deeper sound overall! Reedman Jiro Inagaki definitely comes from jazz roots, but has also picked up plenty of trippy touches from the late 60s too –... read more

Heavy funk from Japan's Soul Media combo – and one of the group's great 70s outings with the engimatic Sammy on vocals! Sammy's got this raw, raspy style that might owe a bit to Janis Joplin at times – but also nods strongly to the work of the American underground at others –... read more

Brilliant work from this band we've been digging for years – but who never seem to get their due on the global scene, because most of their music comes out in expensive limited packages like this one! But take it from us, the price is well worth it – because Indigo Jam Unit serve up a... read more

Some of the coolest work we've ever heard from Chicago flautist Nicole Mitchell – a really wonderful record that shows the full spectrum of her talents! The set's recorded with a trio that includes Hamid Drake on percussion and Harrison Bankhead on bass and cello – both players who can... read more

A great little album from talented tenorist Jon Irabagon – served up with a cover that's sort of a parody of a hip hop record – but delivered with a bold musical sound that's right up there with Jon's work in Mostly Other People Do The Killing! The tenor's really out front in most... read more

Weldon Irvine meets Strata East – and the result is one of the keyboardist's funkiest albums ever! The set's more jazz-based than the soul/funk outings Weldon cut for RCA and his own label – with great focus on Weldon's lines on clavinet and Fender Rhodes – supported by sweet... read more

Massively funky work from the mighty Weldon Irvine – sublimely cosmic and filled with soul throughout! The vibe here is a bit more focused than on some of Weldon's earlier albums – a moody blend of electric keys, heavy percussion, and some slight bits of jazzy solo work by trumpeters... read more

Rare work from Weldon Irvine – a selection of tracks recorded as private studio outings, reissued briefly by Luv N Haight in the early 90s, and then only on vinyl! The style here is much more jazz-based than some of Irvine's soul recordings – a mode that's often all instrumental, and... read more

A huge musical treasure – a full unreleased album by Weldon Irvine, plus a bonus video as well! The music is from the stage play Young Gifted & Broke – a short-lived production by Weldon, and one that's done with some of the same hip modes he was bringing to his own music of the... read more

The drum method here is pretty darn funky – as Akira Ishikawa works with backing from a groovy big band – all at a level that's somewhere between funky MPS and some of the jazz rock coming out of the US at the time! The tunes are all instrumental, but borrow plenty of songs from... read more

A groovy little record from the Count Buffalos group – an ensemble we know mostly for their heavier funk of the early 70s and late 60s – but who here step out in a clubbier mode with some sweet touches of disco! The group's still a jazz one at its core – but they've also added in... read more

Great recent work from legendary bassist Chuck Israels – a player known for his famous work with Bill Evans, but a musician who's just kept on growing over the years! This set's got a great 50s modern jazz vibe – bass by Israels and guitar from co-leader Axel Hagen – in a setting... read more

A late 80s session from pianist Fumio Itabashi – but one that's arguably even more open and expressive than any of his work from the 70s! The album's a trio date, but it's often got a very loose feel – so that the percussion and bass are used in ways that go way beyond rhythm –... read more

A pretty compelling little quartet – a jazz combo from Zimbabwe, and one who play with a lot of spiritual jazz overtones – yet also throw in some occasional vocals in English! Instrumentation is pretty unique – like some of the hipper experiments on Strata East in the 70s –... read more

A sweet larger group session from vibist Milt Jackson – proof that he was really trying to stretch his wings, and get into new things during the 60s! The set's got Milt working with some great help from Tadd Dameron and Ernie Wilkins on larger group arrangements – nicely swinging... read more

A great statement from vibist Milt Jackson – one of his key solo sessions in a great 60s run of recordings away from the Modern Jazz Quartet! Like the classics that followed this one, the vibe is much more soulful than any of Milt's records with the MJQ – kind of an extension of the... read more

A wonderful little record – a real standout in both the careers of Milt Jackson and Coleman Hawkins! The album captures Hawk during his great later years – that time when his sound was even more soulful and inventive than ever – with lots of odd modern undercurrents that really... read more

One of the great jazz sessions that Ray Charles cut towards the end of his years at Atlantic Records – a surprisingly great little album with vibist Milt Jackson! The set really shows a side of Milt that didn't always surface in the Modern Jazz Quartet – and Charles is surprisingly... read more

Illinois Jacquet's gutsy tenor sound is restrained a bit in this beautiful set of Cole Porter ballads, played with accompaniment by a small orchestra of woodwinds and strings – but the sound is great throughout, thanks to some wonderfully deep tones and great production! Benny Golson and Tom... read more

One of the greatest small group sessions of the 50s by tenorist Illinois Jacquet – and a record that really lets you hear his development as a musician at the time! Jacquet was always a standout on his instrument – especially in some of the larger group recordings that won him acclaim... read more

Acoustic sounds from two players who made their mark during the fusion generation – and a wonderful illustration that at their core, both Bob James and David Sanborn are pretty darn great jazz musicians! The album's got a laidback vibe that's wonderful – these flowing lines on acoustic... read more

The incredible drums and Rhodes-heavy jazz dance album from composer Thom Janusz – made in collaboration with NYC dancer, choreographer and company leader Ronn Forella – possibly the funkest, best and hardest-to-find album ever released by the Hoctor label! Ostensibly a hip 70s dance... read more

One of the first-ever recordings of the Chicago AACM scene – and an early set that has Joseph Jarman recording as a leader before founding the groundbreaking Art Ensemble Of Chicago. The group features some seminal Chicago players who are only now getting the credit they deserve in the... read more

A very unusual record – one that has Keith Jarrett playing some solo organ – and a baroque organ at that – but in ways that are quite different than you might expect! The sounds here are amazing – almost noisy at points, as Jarrett really works the instrument in an... read more

A rare slice of ECM Records from the 70s – a previously-unreleased live performance – featuring some of the label's most influential talents of the time! The core energy here comes from the piano of Keith Jarrett and reeds of Jan Garbarek – both musicians whose instruments shaped... read more

The groovy combo The Jazz Modes were one of the 50's strangest groups – but their work is always entertaining, and a lot more filled with soul than you'd expect! The band is fronted by French horn player Julius Watkins and saxophonist Charlie Rouse – and Rouse's pre-Monk tenor is nice... read more

A big, bold ensemble from the more remote years of the East German jazz scene – a group led by pianist Ulrich Gumpert, but which features some especially strong interplay from a large array of reeds and brass! The sound is experimental, but never too outside – and unlike other jazz... read more

One of our favorite albums ever from Eddie Jefferson – one of the last sessions he ever recorded as a leader, and a stone cooker through and through! The arrangements here are by Slide Hampton, who hits a really soulful groove for the set – one that moves away from some of the more... read more

Incredible funk, soul, jazz, post psychedelia and funk rock from the JJ Band – recorded in Brussels and featuring core players who were also integral members of Chakachas & El Chicles! The JJ Band find a hard grooving style steeped in horns, with heavy drums, bass and percussion, fuzzy... read more

A very unusual slice of the Chicago jazz scene – and maybe the only album ever recorded by Grady Johnson – an altoist who's worked in the city for decades – an early disciple of Walter Dyett, and a student of his many years before Johnny Griffin and John Gilmore! The set's from... read more

One of the few albums ever cut by reedman Rudolph Johnson – a hell of a saxophonist, and one with a great ability to combine the spiritual with the searing – a bit like Joe Farrell at his CTI best, but not as freewheeling – nicely focused, and a little bit funky in all the right... read more

Great work from one of the grooviest pianists of the 60s – a player who could always keep things lively and swinging, even in a small combo session! The album's one of Pete Jolly's gems for the Ava label – a follow-up to his semi-hit Little Bird, and like that one, a record done with... read more

Not the Hello Dolly album you might guess from the title, but instead a wonderfully groovy batch of tracks from pianist Pete Jolly – an album done with great larger arrangements from Dick Hazard and Dick Grove, and a tight vibe that makes the set one of Pete's grooviest albums ever! Pete's... read more

A sweet early date as a leader from Elvin Jones – one that has him working strongly away from a John Coltrane setting, with some hip arrangements by Melba Liston! Elvin brings in some excellent accompaniment from two other Joneses as well – Thad on cornet and Hank on piano – both... read more

Soaring, righteous sounds from Elvin Jones – an early 80s session, but one that cooks as strongly as his most soulful albums from the 70s! In fact, there's almost a focus or tightness here that could sometimes be missing from other Jones albums – a really bold, sharp use of the group's... read more

Easily the most hard-hitting of Blue Note's 2LP Lighthouse Live series from the early 70s – and a record that really lets Elvin Jones and his group stretch out and play! The setting is a perfect one for Jones – given the boundless energy already present on his studio sessions for Blue... read more

Easily the most hard-hitting of Blue Note's 2LP Lighthouse Live series from the early 70s – and a record that really lets Elvin Jones and his group stretch out and play! The setting is a perfect one for Jones – given the boundless energy already present on his studio sessions for Blue... read more

One of Elvin Jones' greatest records – a set that's quite different from both his work in the John Coltrane Quartet, and some of the powerhouse jazz sides he'd cut later as a solo act! The vibe here is a bit hard to describe, but it somehow comes together in the "midnight walk" of... read more

A overlooked gem in Elvin Jones' Blue Note career – and an album that's virtually the blueprint for the Stone Alliance sound forged later in the decade by bassist Gene Perla and reedman Steve Grossman! Both players are working to full effect on this smoking little set – mixing some of... read more

The first-ever release of a great live date from pianist Oliver Jones – working here with a hip trio that features Reggie Johnson on bass and Ed Thigpen on drums! Jones gets plenty of room to open up in the relaxed format of the performance – often using a strong left hand to set the... read more

A stunner! Philly Joe's Beat is a beautiful bit of modernist hardbop by the drummer. Philly Joe pounds away with his usual clarity and groove, but the real treat is an unexpected appearance by the great Bill Barron, who plays tenor on the session. Barron's tenor is amazingly precise, and filled... read more

A stunner of an album – and one that definitely draws plenty power from the double drummers in the lead! The set's way different than most of Elvin Jones' other work of the time – and is even more hard-hitting than some of the Philly Joe Jones sessions too – and, unusual for... read more

Classic Quincy Jones from the 60s – a pair of records that really show why his jazz skills were unlike anyone else! Quincy Jones Plays Hip Hits is a very groovy record that was done with a feel that's somewhere in between his Big Band Bossa album and his best 60s soundtrack work! The format... 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 hip little collection of funky work from Quincy Jones – nearly all of it from his key 70s years on A&M Records! The vibe here is totally great – possibly the best-remembered sound of the Q, recorded at a time when he was also gracing the world with a fair bit of funky soundtracks... 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

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

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

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 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

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

2 Eric Kloss albums back to back on a single CD – both under-discovered, and both totally great! Sky Shadows is one of the late 60s killers for Prestige by reedman Kloss – sublime material that was every bit as great as some of the bigger-name work for the label, but never really got... 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

A soul jazz treasure from the LA scene of the early 80s – a fantastic record that we'd rank with the best Strata East sides of the time! The group's led by alto saxophonist Dadisi Komolafe, and features vibes by Ricky Kelly, piano by Eric Tillman, bass by Roberto Miranda, and drums by... 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 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

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