Jazz — In Stock — CDs  

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

... read more

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

A key change for John McLaughlin – post-Mahavishnu, post-Shakti, and very much the electric guitarist promised in the title! The album's one of McLaughlin's more professional fusion outings of the 70s, but still has some of the earthiness of his roots – and despite a rather large... read more

... read more

Early pre-Blue Note hardbop by Jackie McLean – and one of the few recordings to feature his sextet with Ray Draper! Draper was a real legend in late 50s jazz – a tuba (?) player, believe it or not, with a sound that was dark, brooding, and very modern – very unlike you'd expect... read more

A real classic by Jackie McLean – a record that's pulled from 2 different sessions, but which stands out with a strikingly unified feel! The album was cut during the height of Jackie's bop years for Blue Note – with one 1959 session that featured Donald Byrd and Sonny Clark, and... read more

A real classic by Jackie McLean – a record that's pulled from 2 different sessions, but which stands out with a strikingly unified feel! The album was cut during the height of Jackie's bop years for Blue Note – with one 1959 session that featured Donald Byrd and Sonny Clark, and... read more

An overlooked gem! During the mid 70s, Jackie McLean cut a few fantastic records that had a very spiritual vibe, and which added in a lot more soul than in previous sessions from the 60s. Part of the strength of these recordings – including this one – is the other musicians in the... read more

A beautiful title, and a record that really lives up to it too – filled with evocative piano lines from Murray McNabb – a really great player with a strong sense of flow! The session's an overlooked one – finally out now – and it's got the feel of some lost classic from the... read more

... read more

Extraordinary work from one of the true giants of the American scene – a mindblowing set of mostly solo sounds from reedman Joe McPhee – also working here on flugelhorn and a bit of percussion as well! The set begins with the incredible "Glasses" – a piece that appears... read more

Searing early work from Joe McPhee – quite possibly his hardest-hitting recording of the 70s, even if the material wasn't properly issued until 25 years later! The performance was done for radio station WBAI in New York – and it features McPhee, Clifford Thornton, and Byron Morris... read more

A partial tribute to the music of Max Roach – particularly that crucial moment of righteous Civil Rights energy during his Freedom Now period – handled here with great sensitivity by the trio of Joe McPhee on tenor, soprano sax, and clarinet, Lisle Ellis on bass, and Paul Plimley on... read more

... read more

A beautiful set of tributes to the legendary Albert Ayler – presented here in a series of improvisations from different assemblages of players – some solo, some duo, and some in larger groups – all working together in a legacy of sound that really takes off from the amazing tones... read more

A really beautiful batch of tracks from Charles McPherson – with a late 60s approach to soul jazz that reminds us of some of the work by Sonny Criss on Prestige, or of some of Cedar Walton's sessions from the same time. McPherson's moved way past his earlier bop roots here – stretching... read more

What? This is John Medeski? Hard to believe – as the album sounds unlike most other work the keyboardist has ever recorded – especially the sides cut with his famous trio of the past 20 years! The album's a wonderfully moody little set – spare and solo, played on an older-style... read more

The first album by this enigmatic jazz funk trio from New York. Medeski's funky keyboards are firmly in place, and the group's got the usual tight rhythm groove, but the lineup's also expanded with some additional horn players, and some guest guitar by Mark Ribot. The album includes a great... read more

... read more

... read more

... read more

A genius group from the glory days of the New York avant scene of the 70s – yet one who haven't been nearly as well-documented as some of their contemporaries! The lineup here is legendary – a quintet with Charles Brackeen on tenor, flute, and soprano sax, Ahmed Abdullah on trumpet,... read more

A mindblower from Menagerie – yet another deep musical chapter in the rich career of Lance Ferguson – an artist we loved for his early club work, then dug as a funk maestro with The Bamboos, now able to hit spiritual jazz sounds with this wonderful new group! The set's got a feel that's... read more

... read more

... read more

A completely solo album from Pat Metheny – but one that still sparkles with the same sort of energy as his fuller group sessions for ECM! At a point when Pat could be content to simply scrawl a few simple lines on the strings of his guitar, he instead does a great job of complicating things... read more

A pretty wonderful little concept – Pat Metheny plays music composed by John Zorn – all at a level that resonates both with the wonderful modes we've been hearing from Zorn of late, and with the most adventurous modes of Metheny's early years! Pat's virtually solo on the set –... read more

The boldest set so far from Mikrokolektyw – and a record that really has the Polish duo coming into their own! As before, the record's got an electro-acoustic blend of trumpet, drums, and lots of electronics – used in ways that take us back to 70s experiments of this nature from the... read more

Sweet jazzy grooves from this hip Italian duo – Enzo & Gianni Lo Greco, who've also recorded as Quintetto Lo Greco for Schema Records! The sound here is definitely in a Schema groove – lots of jazzy instrumentation on piano, sax, trumpet, and trombone – very much in the best... read more

... read more

Mulgrew Miller in a really fresh setting – working here as a key soloist in a European big band – one that seems especially tuned to the lyrical beauty of Miller's music! All tunes are originals by Mulgrew, re-arranged by various group members – turned into these full-on flights... read more

... read more

Sweet guitar lines from Dom Minasi – a player who knows how to hit just the right sort of fluid vibe for this session! The album's got Dom soloing strongly over arrangements from Roger Kellaway, Byron Olson, and Bernard Ighner – all of whom bring some strong charts to the session, and... read more

A compelling little record from guitarist Dom Minasi – a player we only know from these few Blue Note albums cut right toward's the label's initial run – sweet albums that might have pushed Dom further, had they gotten better exposure! Minasi's a pretty talented guitarist – with... read more

Fantastic – and one of Mingus' greatest albums ever! This one ranks right up with The Clown and Pithecantropus Erectus for sheer raw power and emotion – and Mingus' writing here is incredibly tight, giving soloists like Charlie Mariano, Jaki Byard, Richard Williams, and Jerome... read more

Incredible music from Charles Mingus – a set that's pulled from a few different periods, yet features some of his greatest recordings ever! The package begins with a stunning 2CD version of Tijuana Moods – a true Mingus masterpiece, filled with amazing rhythms and mindblowing solos... read more

... read more

Key moments in the career of Charles Mingus – all recorded during the crucial years of 1964 and 1965, and featuring the first-time release of a fair bit of live material too! The set represents the first full presentation of recordings that have appeared piecemeal on a handful of obscure... read more

Complicated later work from Charles Mingus – a great illustration of the way his power to command a large ensemble never wavered as the years went on! The album features two different large groups of players – filled with modernists young and old – including Ricky Ford, George... read more

Quite a crazy little record from Charles Mingus! Mingus plays piano and sings (yes, you read that right!) in a tight sextet with Booker Ervin and Roland Kirk on reeds, and Jimmy Knepper on trombone. Mingus is trying out a kind of messed-up, blues-inspired sound here – but for some reason... read more

One of the last albums Charles Mingus ever gave us – before departing this planet way way too soon! The set shows the increasing sophistication of Mingus' music in these later years – a mode that almost echoes the path that Duke Ellington would take in his final decade – a move... read more

... read more

One of the funkiest albums ever on Blue Note – a set that mixes the trumpet talents of Blue Mitchell with some killer backings from Monk Higgins – all in a groove that more gritty edges than the best funky soundtracks of the time! Higgins keeps the backings full, but always quite lean... read more

The thing to do – is jam! Blue's sounding wonderful in this classic set for Blue Note – one of his best small group albums – recorded with a sound that's solidly in keeping with his lyrically melodic work in the Horace Silver group! The quintet features Chick Corea on piano... read more

The thing to do – is jam! Blue's sounding wonderful in this classic set for Blue Note – one of his best small group albums – recorded with a sound that's solidly in keeping with his lyrically melodic work in the Horace Silver group! The quintet features Chick Corea on piano... read more

One of the most ambitious sets we've heard from Nicole Mitchell – a really unique mixing of modes that features a core Chicago group coming into play with the Arche New Music Ensemble! The initial group features Nicole on flute, vocals, and electronics – with Mwata Boden on baritone... read more

Really lovely work from Nicole Mitchell – an artist who's really been blowing our minds in recent years – working in a wide variety of styles, all of them great! This set has Nicole blowing solo flute, but in a setting that appears to have her on two different versions of the... read more

An amazing new setting for the flute of Nicole Mitchell – the ultra-cool Ice Crystal quartet, which features sublime interplay between Mitchell and vibist Jason Adasiewicz! The blend of vibes and flute is mindblowing – and used here with the sense of space, soul, and sound that you'd... read more

One of the most beautiful albums we've ever heard from bassist Red Mitchell – and a set that really shows the huge amount of growth he underwent after leaving the west coast scene and moving onto rich musical years in Sweden! The album features Mitchell completely solo – not just on... read more

Very spare sounds from Roscoe Mitchell and drummer Tyshawn Sorey, but still very sharp-edged too – and in a way, a mix of deeper thoughts and spontaneous energy that reminds us a lot of some of the more "out there" moments of the Art Ensemble back in the 70s! Roscoe's reeds have... read more

A great one from Roscoe Mitchell – one of his excellent solo sets from that great 70s stretch when he was really opening up his sound – trying out all sorts of new tones, textures, and elements in a very unfettered space! The feel here is similar to Mitchell's Sackville solo album... read more

The stellar and rare Roscoe Mitchell recordings from the early years of the AACM – with all of the material from Nessa's mid 70s release as Old/Quartet – plus an incredible second disc featuring additional material that we've only seen in Nessa's great Art Ensemble 1967/68 box set! All... read more

A brilliant pairing of two generations of the AACM – as Roscoe Mitchell writes and conducts, and the group's led by Nicole Mitchell – and features a great assortment of very creative musicians! The blend of talents is key to the strength of the set – as the record avoids some of... read more

One of the first bold statements to come from Chicago's AACM underground of the 60s – a tremendous debut effort from the young Roscoe Mitchell! The album's got a "sense of the new" feel that's as gripping as anything recorded by ESP or Impulse around the same time – a rule-bre... read more

An ultra-hip set from bassist Tyler Mitchell – a player who doesn't often record as a leader, but really makes his mark with this live performance from Smalls! Mitchell's group here is a great one – a really cohesive quintet with Josh Evans on trumpet, Abraham Burton on tenor, Spike... read more

Toshiyuki Miyama really makes the New Herd cook with this cool 70s session – a smoker of a large group date, and one with a great mix of funky rhythms and complicated instrumentation! The set's got a feel that's as exotic as its cover, yet comes across with a solid, soulful punch throughout... read more

... read more

A rare early slice of work from the legendary Hank Mobley – a live performance from 1953, and one that predates most of his better-known Blue Note material! The recording quality's aged a bit with time, but the genius of Mobley shines through right away – that bold, soulful approach to... read more

One of Hank Mobley's last recordings for Blue Note, and a record that really shows him stretching it out – hitting territory hardly imagined on his earlier hardbop sides! The album's still somewhat inside, but the overall feel is much more spacious than before – a sound that has some... read more

A stone classic from the Modern Jazz Quartet – recorded back when the group still featured Kenny Clarke in its membership, but already with some of the more serious, somber tones that would mark the combo's more famous years! Tracks here are from a variety of sessions in 1953, 1954, and 1955... read more

A stone classic from the Modern Jazz Quartet – recorded back when the group still featured Kenny Clarke in its membership, but already with some of the more serious, somber tones that would mark the combo's more famous years! Tracks here are from a variety of sessions in 1953, 1954, and 1955... read more

That's the Modern Jazz Sextet – not the Modern Jazz Quartet – although the group definitely borrows a bit of energy from the MJQ, and some personnel too! The group was only put together for this date – and combines the subtle touches of MJQ members John Lewis on piano and Percy... read more

Some of the earliest material ever recorded by the Modern Jazz Quartet – early 50s sides that were originally issued as 78rpm singles, then brought together in this self-titled LP! Some of the material was first released under the name of the Milt Jackson Quartet – but featured the... read more

A great early 60s set from Modern Jazz Quartet! This one marked the then growing sophistication in the sound of the Modern Jazz Quartet – a concept album based on themes and characters from the Italian tradition of commedia dell'arte. The music is served up in gentle sound poems that have a... read more

Even at this early point in their career, the Modern Jazz Quartet were plenty proud of their relation to and reception in Paris – almost rubbing their international fame in the faces of other American combos with the title and cover of this record! The set's still got the quartet at their... read more

... read more

Truly one of the Modern Jazz Quartet's greatest albums – and a set that has an edge and a darkness that's missing from some of their other Atlantic records! Part of the reason for this may be the group's fantastic reading of Ornette Coleman's "Lonely Woman" – a killer moody... read more

The MJQ always manage to sound especially great when working on music for film – and this album's a great illustration of that fact! The work here is written by John Lewis, for a movie that never lasted the test of time as much as the record – and it's some of John's most evocative... read more

One of the groovier albums the Modern Jazz Quartet ever recorded – as you might expect, given the cover and title! In addition to the group's usual cool sound from Milt Jackson's vibes, the set also features John Lewis playing a bit of harpsichord in addition to his usual piano – and... read more

A nice one! The MJQ record for the Beatles' famous Apple label, and the album's one of their most interesting of the 60s! The production's pretty straight, but the group's playing in a cool open-ended style that still has elements of their earlier work, but which really makes things a lot more... read more

A great addition to the Modern Jazz Quartet – as the clarinet of Jimmy Giuffre brings a sharp modern edge to the record! The album's similar to the other MJQ Music Inn date with Sonny Rollins – and shows how the addition of a reed player can really unlock new colors, tones, and... read more

A beautiful double-length package of work from drummer Louis Moholo – a 2CD set that features one record from recent years, and a key classic from the 70s! Spirits Rejoice is one of the strongest 70s statements from ex-Blue Notes drummer Moholo – recorded in the company of fellow... read more

A smashing set of work from drummer Louis Moholo – a set that shows that after all these years, he's still a richly creative talent on his instrument! The album has Louis duetting with pianist Alexander Hawkins – a younger player who'd caught his ear a few years before, and who turns... read more

An incredibly spiritual session from percussionist Louis Moholo and his ensemble Viva La Black – recorded on the occasion of a series of concerts in Moholo's homeland of South Africa – and done in a way that's as much a document of the group's trip as it is a recording of the music in... read more

The second album from Mombasa – and possibly even better than the first! The group have really come into their own by the time of this date – mixing together jazz and African roots with a sound that's unlike anyone else we can think of – quite unique in its approach to rhythms,... read more

A wonderful, wonderful, wonderful "new thing" jazz session from Blue Note – and proof that the avant garde in the 60s didn't necessarily have to resort to blowing their heads off to make fantastic music! Trombonist Grachan Moncur III organized the session – but like other key... read more

... read more

Monk's alone in San Francisco – playing solo piano throughout, with that thoughtful, introspective approach to his work that we really love! Most of the tunes here are Monk originals or standards that Thelonious has played before at least a few times on record – but the solo setting... read more

A great collection of Monk's 10" recordings for Blue Note – seminal not only for the label's commitment to a modernist bop ideal, but also for Monk's integration in the growing collection of top-level jazz players on the New York scene. The work's notable also for the fact that Monk's... read more

Beautiful Columbia work from Thelonious Monk – a record that has as much warmth and charm as it does visionary modernist moments! A number of the tunes are standards, not Monk compositions – and they're done here with a sense of depth and joy of exploration that's really wonderful... read more

Beautiful Columbia work from Thelonious Monk – a record that has as much warmth and charm as it does visionary modernist moments! A number of the tunes are standards, not Monk compositions – and they're done here with a sense of depth and joy of exploration that's really wonderful... read more

Classic 60s work from Thelonious Monk – featuring his incredible quartet with Charlie Rouse on tenor, certainly Monk's best-ever musical soulmate! The album features some newer versions of older tunes, and a few written just for the album – but the source of the material is not... read more

Thelonious Monk plays the music of Duke Ellington – but as you can imagine, the sound here is quite different than usual! At a time when Ellington was working mostly in large group format for the mainstream, Monk's presentation of his standards in trio format is a wonderful way to unlock... read more

A classic outing of solo piano by Thelonious Monk – a format that wasn't used often, but which always made for some really compelling work! Monk in this mode is often different than the bolder leader of a trio or larger group – and there's a more introspective quality to the record... read more

A classic outing of solo piano by Thelonious Monk – a format that wasn't used often, but which always made for some really compelling work! Monk in this mode is often different than the bolder leader of a trio or larger group – and there's a more introspective quality to the record... read more

A massively expanded package of music – filled with previously unreleased gems! The 2CD set features a landmark collaboration between John Coltrane and Thelonious Monk – two generations of jazz modern, working here to create some really incredible music! The core of this material is... read more

... read more

The only Blue Note album ever recorded by JR Monterose – one of the more enigmatic figures of the 50s scene! Montrose was a brilliant player, with a tone and a solo conception that were very unique – but he lapsed in relative obscurity, due to the fact that he had a penchant for... read more

Blues, but with an undercurrent of New Orleans jazz – no surprise, given the Louisiana roots of Eurreal "Little Brother" Montgomery! The album's a classic set recorded in Chicago in the early 60s – featuring both Montgomery in a spare solo setting, and with help from a small... read more