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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

Fred Lonberg-Holm at his collaborative best – working with a great group of Chicago citizens, each of whom shape the others' sound in the set! Parts of the record have Lonberg-Holm's older style of arch avant energy – an almost academic mode that comes across with thoughtfully... read more

That's London, Ontario – not London, England – which means that the group have an even more far-flung sound than you might expect! The album's a brilliant and overlooked gem from the Canadian scene of the 70s – really mindblowing music by a group who are equally great at grooving... read more

An amazing organist – probably the best in Europe! Eddy Louiss is a genius – a massive player who should have been huge, but who's barely been recognized over on this side of the Atlantic, save for a bit of recording with Stan Getz. This 1972 session is a gem – one of his best... read more

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Bold, angular work from an ultra-hip trio – one with reedman Joe Lovano, bassist Anthony Cox, and drummer Ed Blackwell – all working in open, highly rhythmic space that recalls some of Blackwell's best experiments from years past! Lovano's got more than enough edge to make the record... read more

Funky fusion with plenty of Latin touches – a really compelling set from the Nicaraguan scene of the 70s! The album's got the same criss-crossing of influences you'd hear in some of the best Bay Area projects of this type – no surprise since Jose Chepito Areas is a key member of the... read more

Never-heard music from the legendary Frank Lowe – but pulled from the same sessions that produced the classic Black Beings album on ESP! The group here features wonderful interplay between Frank's tenor and the soprano and alto sax of Joseph Jarman – both of whom get plenty of space to... read more

The title's a great one for the set, as Mundell Lowe was one of the moodiest players of his generation – a great guitarist with a really unique tone – recorded in a perfect setting for the album! The group's a bit unusual, as it features Lowe's guitar next to small combo arrangements... read more

A great record from a great guitarist – one of Mundell Lowe's best small group sessions of the 50s, and a record with a wonderful sound overall! One of the key factors in the record's success is the presence of pianist Dick Hyman – who plays organ as well as piano here (plus celeste on... read more

Lovely bossa work from Argentine guitarist Agustin Pereyra Lucena – one of his first records, done in a style that's right up there with the best of Brazil in the 60s! Acoustic guitar is the main instrumentation on the set – supported by light percussion, warm basslines, and some... read more

A landmark bit of Brazilian from Europe – and a sweet groover from guitarist Agustin Pereyra Lucena! The set was recorded in Oslo, but it's got the warm sound of a Brazilian jazz set from the time – with Agustin on acoustic guitar and percussion – backed by a quartet that... read more

Great tones here from guitarist Lage Lund – a player who works in these rich, chromatic modes that are really beautiful – and strung together here with a nicely gentle swing! The rhythms of the tunes are quite fresh – not what you'd expect for a conventional jazz guitar record... read more

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A funky fusion classic – and quite possibly Bobby Lyle's most perfectly realized album! The set was Bobby's first full US outing, and it's filled with soaring, riffing keyboards that stretch out into territory explored a few years before by Johnny Hammond and Lonnie Liston Smith! The real... read more

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A wonderful record by Bobby Lyle – and a genius blend of jazz, soul, and lots of other righteous sounds! Lyle started out as a keyboardist, but this album really has him taking off as a vocalist too – working in a sweet Roy Ayers-styled groove – one that blends mellow rhythms... read more

A stone classic from Bobby Lyle – and a record that really has him stepping out strongly, both as a keyboardist and a singer! Bobby's strength at this point is undeniable – and he's got a perfect sense of balance that rivals contemporaries like Roy Ayers or Webster Lewis – both... read more

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Two lost smokers from vibes legend Johnny Lytle – back to back on a single CD! The Soulful Rebel is lost early 70s set from Lytle – totally funky, but in a way that's very different than his famous 60s work! The album's got a sweet electric groove that comes not only from Johnny's... read more

A highly percussive little album – and the first-ever appearance of the M'Boom ensemble on record! You might know the group from their later fame under the guidance of Max Roach, but here the combo is a much more equally-assembled cast of players – featuring not just Roach, but... read more

Mad funk from the great Galt MacDermot – a wonderful selection of obscure tunes from some of his best funky soundtracks! Galt's work on Hair has been sampled heavily by a variety of hip hop producers over the years – but even better is his work for less famous soundtracks, a good... read more

2 killers from the legendary Galt MacDermot – composer, jazz musician, and hero to beatheads and samplers everywhere! First up is Shapes Of Rhythm – a weird off-kilter batch of jazzy instrumentals, with Galt playing acoustic and electric piano – and with backing by a tight little... read more

Some of the funkiest work ever recorded by Galt MacDermot – the quirky jazz and soundtrack composer who's become a favorite of beatheads over the years! The set combines two albums worth of unreleased tracks by Galt – killer material from his legendary years, all recorded for his own... read more

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One of the grooviest albums of the late 60s – a lost vocal treasure from the team of Dave MacKay & Vicky Hamilton! The pair were sort of like a hip version of Jackie & Roy – usually singing together on their tracks, with a mixed male/female vocal approach that sounds totally... read more

A real revolution in music from Japanese arranger Norio Maeda – a set that takes off with the same rich energy as his soundtrack work, but which also shows off all his keyboard skills as well! The range of styles here is great – from the "auto race" sound effects on the... read more

Three different pianists from Japan, working together in a sweet trio format – but recorded in a way that gives each artist their own time in the spotlight! The album's divided into three tracks by each player – with the main pianist right out front on the solo, as the other two bring... read more

A set of performances dedicated to Thelonious Monk – yet music that's quite far from anything by Monk that we've ever heard before! Yet there's also a definite Monkish inspiration going on here – a sense of space and timing that resonates in different, often drawn-out ways –... read more

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Funky breaking piano! Although Junior Mance has made some pretty mellow albums in his time, this is a great record of funky piano tracks – with a nice groove that puts it in a Three Sounds/Young Holt camp! The highlight of the record is the great "Well, I'll Be White Black", which... read more

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Brilliant sounds from trombonist Albert Mangelsdorff – a rare live set that captures the modern jazz giant at the height of his powers! The set was recorded around the same time as Albert's famous Now Jazz Rammwong record – and it's got a very similar feel, with lots of elements from... read more

Think what you want about Chuck and his 70s hits, this version of the Mangione Brothers is a cooker! Chuck is on trumpet, Gap is on piano, and the rest of the group features Larry Combs on alto, Sal Nistico on tenor, Bill Saunders on bass, and Roy McCurdy on drums – all grooving in a nice... read more

An excellent mix of American and Japanese players – all brought into sharp Manhattan focus for this session! The date was recorded in New York, and features arrangements from Al Foster, Tom Harrell, Bib Berg, and Kunhiko Sugano – on cuts that are more warmly acoustic than the... read more

Dedicated to Grover Washington Jr.... read more

Herbie Mann's really getting interesting here – stepping out from straight jazz flute, and moving into some more exotic territory that's mighty nice! There's a definite Latin bent to the album at times – thanks to conga work by Ray Barretto – but the tunes also bring in some... read more

A sweet early 60s set by Herbie Mann! After cutting a very successful side at the Gate in 1962, Herbie returns with an even broader approach to the groove – working here with players that include Ahmed Abdul-Malik, Dave Pike, Ray Mantilla, and Ray Barretto, on a set of long tracks that have... read more

Great early 70s work from Herbie Mann! By this point in his career, Herbie must have had a fleet of cars, a harem of ladies, and a golden flute. You can hear his success in the live material that makes up the album – recorded before very enthusiastic audiences at the New York and Montreux... read more

Very groovy stuff – and one of Herbie Mann's best records from the 60s! In a way, this album's very similar to some of the best Verve "groovy experimental" albums from the same period – like some of Cal Tjader's Eastern/Latin work – and it features Herbie playing with a... read more

Herbie Mann's got Latin fever – and it makes for one heck of a great 60s album! The vibe here is more bossa nova than the New York Latin of the time – but that's OK with us, because Mann's flute is perfect in the setting – and really sparkles here on the album's tracks that were... read more

Herbie Mann's going for a bit of a Memphis soul groove on this album – but he handles the work with his own sort of flair, and takes the style in a whole new direction! Unlike other sessions of this nature, Herbie didn't just fly down to Memphis and cook up a standard batch of tracks in the... read more

Herbie makes one more trip back to the Village Gate – site of some of his most successful live recordings of the 60s, and a place where he always feels at home with a Latiny groove! But somehow, this album's even better than before – and has a hard Latin feel throughout, thanks to an... read more

Just Wailin is right – as the album's a real cooker in the classic Prestige mode of the late 50s – and a record that shows lots of early bite from a young Herbie Mann! Mann's in the frontline, working alongside the heavy tenor of Charlie Rouse – and in company like that, it's... read more

Way way more than just a simple "jazz meets Broadway" session – as Shelly's working here with vocals by Jack Sheldon & Irene Kral, and arrangements by soundtrack maestro Johnny Williams – in a style that completely recasts the score! The album's got a really dynamic kind... read more

Beautiful work from pianist Guido Manusardi – a player who's best known for his work on the Italian scene, but who's heard here in a rare gem from Romania! The style of the work is quite similar to some of Guido's Italian work, but there's a nicely balanced feeling too – a sense of... read more

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A wonderfully mixed-up, messed-up batch of jazzy tracks from the great Steve Marcus – working here at the height of his late 60s powers on Atlantic's ultra-cool Vortex label! As with other Marcus albums of the time, there's kind of a long haired, freewheeling energy to the set – jazz... read more

The first album ever by Steve Marcus – a key player trying to mix rock and jazz at the end of the 60s! Marcus plays some really wild sax on the set – a bit of soprano and tenor, mixed with guitar and electric keys in a wonderfully fuzzy sound! The approach has lots of funk in the mix... read more

A rare Japanese-only album from American reedman Steve Marcus – best known for his fuzzy freaky sets on the Vortex label – but heard here in the company of Tokyo reedman Jiro Inagaki – who also made some pretty freaky albums of his own! The tracks here are nice and long –... read more

A seminal electric session from Charlie Mariano – one recorded after his shift from bop-based work into trippier, more psychedelic influences – and one of his few American dates from the time! The record has Charlie working on soprano and alto sax, with a group that includes Pat... read more

Quite an interesting project from reedman Charlie Mariano – a record that shows that his search for new creative settings never ends! As you'd guess from the title, there's a bit of a tango inspiration to the record, but in a format that's very different than most tango jazz – as the... read more

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A nice little take on the "city symphony" mode that was big in American music a few decades back – served up by the Wynton Marsalis Septet of the early 90s, with decidedly modern touches! The double-length album's a three-tiered affair – with part one standing out as Wynton's... read more

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The classic debut of a young Wynton Marsalis – cut after a stretch when Wynton was working with Art Blakey, and had really sharpened his chops! The record's a wonderful return to straight jazz tradition for Columbia – but it also has some modern moments too – proof that the... read more

A masterpiece by Warne Marsh – and proof that there was always a committed modernist lurking behind some of his more straightforward playing! The session has sort of a post-Tristano underground west coast feel (if we can make up such a heavy handed term!), and it features a piano-less... read more

Genius, pure genius – and one of the few key sides by Warne Marsh as a leader! The album follows on Marsh's appearance with Lee Konitz on an earlier Atlantic album, but it really breaks free from the Konitz mode – and has an open, laidback sound that is instantly captivating –... read more

One of the greatest 50s showcases for the tenor talents of Warne Marsh – a deceptively understated album that captures Warne at his most fluid and creative point! The setting is a quartet – with Ronnie Ball on piano, Red Mitchell on bass, and Stan Levey on drums – and Marsh is... read more

If you can forgive the title of this one, you'll find it to be a very groovy record! The album's a killer batch of funky instrumentals ("black sound") recorded in Italy in 1972 by Augusto Martelli ("white people") – and it's got the groove and swing of some of the best... read more

Solo work from pianist Luigi Martinale – a player we've mostly heard in a trio setting, but one who's equally captivating on his own! In the open space of the set, Martinale's got lots of opportunity to stretch out and spread his wings – yet while doing so, he still comes across with... read more

Percussionist Sabu Martinez is one of the all-time greats of Latin music – and this record is probably the rarest he ever cut! The album came out of Sweden, where Sabu was residing during the 70s – enjoying some success as an expatriot jazz player in the European scene. The album... read more

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Martino plays in a 2-guitar quartet – with Bobby Rose backing him up on guitar, plus rhythm accompaniment by Richard Davis and Billy Higgins. The sound's definitely in the trippier, post-hippie style of Martino's work, with a sort of looseness and fluidity that you either love or hate, but a... read more

One of our favorite albums ever – and every track is a masterpiece! The album was originally cut for the tiny Chiaroscuro label in 1977 – and it's got a sound that's unlike anything else we can think of – soaring, soulful, jazzy, and righteous – wrapped up in a blend that's... read more

One of our favorite albums ever – and every track is a masterpiece! The album was originally cut for the tiny Chiaroscuro label in 1977 – and it's got a sound that's unlike anything else we can think of – soaring, soulful, jazzy, and righteous – wrapped up in a blend that's... read more

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A pair of funky jazz sets from Bennie Maupin – '77's Slow Traffic To The Right and '78's Moonscapes – together in a single set! Slow Traffic To The Right is Maupin's first LP for Mercury, and a great bit of spiritual funky jazz that recalls a lot of the sound of his work with The... read more

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That's actually Mayafra Live – not Life, despite what the title says – stretching out here in a wicked extended setting that's even better than before! The group have a strong commitment to what they dub as "Afro-Latin-Modern" jazz – which is actually a wicked... read more

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One of the most outside sets we've heard from Rob Mazurek in years – a combination of his own cornet and work on ring modulator – creating a blend of jazz and electronics that's really mindblowing! Mazurek's not alone in his creative expressions – as he's joined here by a group... read more

One of the most striking records so far from the mighty Rob Mazurek – a set that makes us more than glad we've been following his musical journey for the past two decades! The set's got a nicely compressed feel – one that takes some of the looser energy that's been bubbling up in... read more

A great record with a really great little lineup – rock-solid players who come together wonderfully under the vision of the leader! Christian McBride's really found a way to focus his energy in recent years – and this quintet set is great proof of that – a refining of all the... read more

A very hip record of vocal tracks – done in the same sort of spiritual soul style that Les introduced on Roberta Flack's first album, and which was also showing up on some of Donny Hathaway's work for Atlantic. While the record is not on of McCann's funkiest, it more than makes up for that... read more

A groovy set of late 60s soul jazz piano tunes – played by Les McCann in a swinging style that pre-dates his 70s funk work – and which also features him playing in a strictly instrumental setting! The core of the material is by Les' trio with Leroy Vinnegar on bass – but most... read more

A pretty great set from Les McCann – and quite a bit different than some of his other work of the time! This one's sub-billed as "the ballad style of Les McCann" – but it features Les playing these laidback, mellow numbers that are way different than most jazz ballads of the... read more

Some of the best material ever recorded by pianist Less McCann – lifted from his groovy mid 60s recordings for the Limelight and Mercury labels – including many gems that were buried on albums that had otherwise weaker material. Lots of these tracks have added instrumentation over Les'... read more

A classic set of soul jazz from Chicago – a rare indie date recorded in the early 80s, but with a tight and swinging feel that's more 70s jazz funk than you might think! Corky's on Yamaha keyboards, and he's backed by a hip group of Chicago players that includes Curtis Prince on drums, Artee... read more

Mindblowing work from the mighty Frank McComb – an all-instrumental set, but one that's every bit as soulful as his vocal outings! As you might guess from the title, Frank's paying tribute to some of the greats from years past – and as you'd think from the electric piano on the cover,... read more

A striking little set from vibesman Freddie McCoy – not just for the cool superhero image on the front cover, but also for the tight grooves underneath! The album's one of McCoy's most unified for Prestige – as all tracks feature a core quartet with Freddie on vibes, Charlie Wilson on... read more

A sweet Atlantic soul groover from Brother Jack McDuff – and a set that has him tightening up his Hammond sound from his earlier years at Prestige Records! The tunes here are short and punched-up – almost instrumental soul numbers in their construction, but still filled with plenty of... read more

Tight funky instrumentals from Brother Jack McDuff – an Atlantic groover that's probably closer to his late 60s gems for Cadet Records than it is his earlier work for Prestige! The solos are shorter, but they're packed nicely around the rhythms – played by a combo that features a young... read more

One of the records that put a young Brother Jack McDuff on the map – and a perfect example of the rougher R&B roots that first emerged in his early work on the Hammond! The session's got a much more down-n-dirty feel than some of McDuff's tighter 60s quartet work – and offers a... read more

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In our opinion, Jack McDuff never made a bad album – and this excellent later session is proof of that statement! The album's got a horrible cover – we'll state that from the start – but it's still a great batch of soul jazz organ tracks, played tightly by McDuff, with a group... read more

A monster record by Brother Jack McDuff, and one of his best-ever – in our humble opinion! At first glance, the album appears to be just a bunch of jazz covers of standards and pop tracks – like "Tobacco Road", "Shadow Of Your Smile", "This Bitter Earth",... read more

2 of the greatest albums ever by Jack McDuff – back to back on one CD! Soulful Drums of Joe Dukes was originally issued under the name of McDuff's famous mid-60s funky drummer, Joe Dukes – but it's actually a McDuff session, recorded with the classic quartet lineup that includes Red... read more

An unusual little soundtrack to this obscure pre-Roots film about slavery – handled with some very nice touches from Gary McFarland, Bobby Scott, and Grady Tate! The music is penned by Scott, and is mostly in that hip blend of jazz and soul roots that he was using on some of his own 60s... read more

Howard McGhee and his trumpet team up with pianist Phineas Newborn, bassist Leroy Vinnegar and Shelley Manne on drums for this great early 60s session. The record features the McGhee original "Demon Chase" and two Teddy Edwards songs, "Sunset Eyes" and his salute to McGhee... read more

Amazing sounds from the legendary Chris McGregor – a rare set of solo piano performances that shows a whole new side of his genius! The music here is still steeped in South African roots, yet has a style that's a bit more personal and intimate than some of Chris' better-known recordings with... read more

One of the most spiritual albums to come from the young AACM movement in Chicago – a session that's somewhat equal in expression to some of the best post-Coltrane work on Impulse Records! Maurice McIntyre plays here with a sound that's already fully formed – an approach to the tenor... read more