Jazz — In Stock — CDs  

2 landmark albums from British maestro Michael Gibbs – a key link between the jazz and rock scenes of late 60s London, and one of the few artists of that crowd to really work in a large group mode! Gibbs' albums from the time are a bit like those of Mike Westbrook – in that they take... read more

An ebullient groover from British arranger Mike Gibbs – quite possibly his funkiest album ever, and a great little session recorded live at Ronnie Scotts during a week's residency in 1972! As with other albums from the time, Gibbs is working here with a brilliant array of players who include... read more

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60s cookers from Dizzy Gillespie – back to back on a single CD! New Wave is a lost bossa jazz classic from Dizzy Gillespie – recorded at a time when Lalo Schifrin was working in his combo! The record's got a cool, laidback kind of groove – one that's miles away from Gillespie's... read more

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Dizzy Gillespie meets the Phil Woods Quintet – a group that already has a great trumpeter in the form of Tom Harrell – which makes the album here a double-horn delight! Dizzy's on trumpet throughout, and Harrell plays both trumpet and flugelhorn – and the pair work well with... read more

An amazing record by Jimmy Giuffre – one that he uses to replicate the "4 Brothers Sound" of the years when he played with Woody Herman as one of a group of four saxophonists blowing together – but done here by Jimmy himself on all 4 horns, using early overdubbing techniques... read more

Beautiful work from Jimmy Giuffre – and a key album in the development of his spare sound of the late 50s! The record features Jimmy on clarinet – as you'd guess by the title – but this is no hokey set of Benny Goodman or Buddy DeFranco-type tunes. Instead, Giuffre's using the... read more

An amazing new chapter in the career of Robert Glasper – one of our favorite new jazz musicians of the past decade or so! This set features loads of Glasper's enigmatic piano lines – those fluid, elliptical sounds that are always filled with plenty of soul and imagination –... read more

Sweet remixes from Robert Glasper's Black Radio album – all of them tunes that sound even more soulful than the originals! Given that the core record itself was a bit of a "remix" – Glasper's keyboards, funky beats, and hip contributions from a range of soul singers –... read more

Great work from Robert Glasper – one of our favorite new artists on Blue Note in years – a hell of a great piano player, with a fluid groove that just gets better and better with each new record! Glasper has a way of warming us up right away – sliding into a compelling piano line... read more

A great lost chapter in the Larry Mizell story – a record that's not nearly as well known as Mizell-produced jams for Bobbi Humphrey or Johnny Hammond, but which is every bit as great! Roger Glenn's a funky flute player with a really great groove – California groovy, with just a touch... read more

Sweet KPM funk from the 70s – a set that features the legendary "Big City Suite" from David Gold, plus 20 other groovers from rare KPM sound library albums of the time! Gold's suite is really great – a hip mix of keyboards, wah wah guitar, and strings – all wrapped... read more

A powerful set of free jazz that definitely lives up to its title – a hell-bent session of unbridled energy from this west coast quartet! Vinny Golia contributes some wonderful tenor, soprano sax, sopranino, and bass clarinet to the record – these deft, deep tones that really give the... read more

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An excellent album recorded during the height of Benny Golson's powers as an arranger and tenor soloist! Benny leads two groups – a quintet and a nontet – both of which feature players that include Art Farmer, Wynton Kelly, Sahib Shihab, Gigi Gryce, and Paul Chambers – working... read more

Two albums that really show why we love Benny Golson so much! Turning Point is an incredible, and oft-overlooked album from the great Benny Golson – and one of the few early albums that really point the way to his huge run of work for decades to come! The style here is a bit looser, and... read more

Sweet funky jazz from the 70s! Gonzalez were an obscure UK combo – probably known a lot better over in England, but pretty darn hard to find over here in America – and they've got a tight style that reminds us of some of the more well-produced jazz funk coming out on labels like Blue... read more

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3 rare French jazz soundtracks on one CD! First up is the music from the film Les Loups Dans La Bergerie, written by Serge Gainsbourg, and performed by Serge's arranger Alain Goraguer – in a hip modern mode that recalls some of the best soundtrack work by Barney Wilen, Miles Davis, and Art... read more

Way more than just a Dexter Gordon album – and instead, an important historic document of the bop scene on the west coast! The 3CD set features the complete recordings from an Elks Auditorium concert in 1947 – lots of long jam session tracks that not only feature history "battles&q... read more

Rare Blue Note work from Dexter Gordon – an album that was recorded during Gordon's legendary run for the label in the 60s, but not issued until a brief vinyl pressing nearly 15 years later! The record's got Gordon vamping in tight hardbop formation – a sound that's strongly 60s Blue... read more

A really unusual album for Dexter Gordon – one that has him working in a quintet with vibes by Bobby Hutcherson! Hutcherson's sound really transforms the session, giving it a shimmering middleground that disperses the dominance that Gordon's tenor usually has – and creating a warm,... read more

Seminal stuff – and one of Dexter Gordon's excellent Blue Note sessions with pianist Sonny Clark! Sonny's in fine fine form for the record, and in our opinion, he seems to be the most relaxed and inventive when accompanying Dexter Gordon – even over other Blue Note horn players, and... read more

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Obscure material from Dexter Gordon – some rare gems from his early 60s years at Blue Note – unissued back and in the day, but brought together for this sweet package at the start of the 80s! The album's great in that it shows Gordon really trying on some new things at the label –... read more

A great rare discovery from Dexter Gordon – a previously-unissued live set, recorded in Montreal in the late 70s – at a time when Dex was really hitting some new heights in his playing! Although the album coincides with a time when Gordon had returned to these shores, and was getting... read more

Beautiful quartet recording that unites Dexter with two other Americans in exile – Bud Powell and Kenny Clarke – plus the great French bassist Pierre Michelot. Includes a great take of "Scrapple from the Apple", plus excellent readings of "Stairway to the Stars" and... read more

One of our favorite Dexter Gordon Blue Notes – a beautiful quartet recording that unites Dex with two other Americans in exile – Bud Powell and Kenny Clarke! The group's completed by French bassist Pierre Michelot, and includes a great take of "Scrapple from the Apple", plus... read more

A tremendous European meeting of tenorist Dexter Gordon and trombonist Slide Hampton – brought together in this impeccable sextet session for MPS – a real standout in the label's straight jazz catalog over the years! By the time of the set, Gordon had been working heavily in Europe,... read more

Hardly the "intimate Ellington" you might guess from the cover – and instead something even better overall! The album's not just laidback readings of tunes from Duke – as most numbers have this lowdown and gritty sort of vibe – more blues than ballads – played by... read more

Amazing work from Fitz Gore – an overlooked tenor player who made some pretty heady records on the European scene of the late 70s! Fitz originally hails from Jamaica, but worked heavily on the French, German, and Scandinavian scenes of the 70s – blowing some mighty mean tenor that has... read more

A rare Spanish session from trumpeter Dusko Goykovich – and easily one of the most soulful albums he ever recorded! The set's got a warm, laidback vibe – very much in keeping with the title and cover image – as Dusko blows some great open-ended solos with rhythm from the trio of... read more

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2 jazzy French soundtracks – both written for films directed by Bertrand Blier. First up is Les Valseuses, a 1973 score written by Stephane Grappelli, played by a small group featuring Grappelli, plus Maurice Vander on piano and organ, Philippe Catherine on guitar, Guy Pedersen on bass, and... read more

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Volume 2 of a 2 LP set that brings together nearly all of Wardell Gray's classic LA bop recordings for Prestige – most of which were issued originally only on 45s and 78s. The players include the cream of the LA scene of the time – including Dexter Gordon, Sonny Criss, and Hampton... read more

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Soulful, spiritual work from guitarist Grant Green – an exploration of older tunes with a hip Blue Note 60s soul jazz approach! The album features Grant working in a quartet with Herbie Hancock, Billy Higgins, and Butch Warren – plus some added tambourine on a number of tracks –... read more

Soulful, spiritual work from guitarist Grant Green – an exploration of older tunes with a hip Blue Note 60s soul jazz approach! The album features Grant working in a quartet with Herbie Hancock, Billy Higgins, and Butch Warren – plus some added tambourine on a number of tracks –... read more

Grant Green's first-ever session as a leader – recorded by Blue Note in 1960, and not issued until now! The set features Green's guitar playing in a piano quartet, with rhythm by Wynton Kelly, Paul Chambers, and Philly Joe Jones – about as fine a backing trio as Green could hope to... read more

Grant's First Stand – and a mighty one at that! The set was recorded when Green was a guitarist fresh on the scene – showing up in New York from St Louis, where he'd been discovered by Lou Donaldson and brought to Blue Note with great acclaim! For this first date, Green's heard in... read more

A tight quartet session that pairs the master funky guitarist with Jack McDuff, Al Harewood, and (surprisingly) Yusef Lateef, who plays tenor and flute on the record, in a style that's a lot harder than some of his own work from the time! The group grooves in a nice laidback way through 4 long... read more

One of Grant Green's best funky records for Blue Note! The group's cut from the same cloth as Lou Donaldson's great ones from this period – like Hot Dog or Say It Loud – with Idris Muhammad on drums, kicking up lots of those chunky funky breaks that we always love so much! Green's... read more

Fantastic stuff! This was one of Grant Green's first ever sessions, and it's a winner all the way through! Dave Bailey and Ben Tucker back up the young Grant in a set of impeccably played guitar grooves that showcase the brilliant technique of this young genius – straight and to the point... read more

A rare early chapter in the career of guitarist Grant Green – local material, cut in his hometown of St Louis – in the years before Lou Donaldson picked him up and delivered him to Blue Note Records! Amazingly, though, the Grant Green heard here is every bit as great as the guitarist... read more

A wicked session by Grant Green – one that's very different than any of his other Blue Note records! Here, Grant's going for a "Latin bit" – adding in a trio of percussionists to spice up the groove with a bit of bossa rhythms, and some harder jamming styles that feel a lot... read more

A wicked session by Grant Green – one that's very different than any of his other Blue Note records! Here, Grant's going for a "Latin bit" – adding in a trio of percussionists to spice up the groove with a bit of bossa rhythms, and some harder jamming styles that feel a lot... read more

A soaring set from guitarist Grant Green – a really amazing double-length set that caps off his legendary run for Blue Note – done with a vibe that's different than most of his other work for the label! Like some of the other Lighthouse sessions from Blue Note – particularly... read more

A soaring set from guitarist Grant Green – a really amazing double-length set that caps off his legendary run for Blue Note – done with a vibe that's different than most of his other work for the label! Like some of the other Lighthouse sessions from Blue Note – particularly... read more

A fantastic mid 60s album from Grant Green – but one that never got its due originally, because it was unreleased at the time – and didn't come out until a Japanese version in the late 70s! Despite that oddly long gap, Matador is truly one Grant's best ever records – a really... read more

Damn great work from guitarist Grant Green – one of his killer sessions with pianist Sonny Clark – recorded in the early 60s, but unissued until nearly 20 years later! The groove here is a bit different than some of Green's early dates with organ – a bit more soulful hardbop at... read more

An excellent set by Grant Green – recorded in 1964, but not issued until close to 1980, when Blue Note first pulled it out of the vaults, and dropped it on the world! The session's a great one – with an unusual lineup that features Green's guitar in a sextet, with McCoy Tyner on piano,... read more

Although Grant Green started the 60s recording for Blue Note in a soulful churchy kind of groove, he ended the decade recording some great funky albums, most of them with a tight hard groove, of the sort of Idris Muhammad-ish rhythm track that was dominating the soul jazz scene at the time. This... read more

One of our favorite albums ever from guitarist Grant Green – an amazingly stretched-out session that's served up with a good deal of modal jazz in the rhythms – and a date that features killer work from Larry Young on organ and Bobby Hutcherson on vibes! The pair join Green in a... read more

A cooking group effort from the Chris Greene Quartet – a great Chicago combo we've watched grow tremendously with each previous release – stepping out here in their first-ever live recording! Greene's got a soulfully sophisticated approach to his saxes that really belies his Windy City... read more

Solo Burton Greene – beautifully recorded – in ways that have his already-wonderful lines on piano echoing out in the performance space, and almost folding back on themselves in waves of sound! Given Greene's striking touch on the keyboard – sharp, yet always melodic, which we... read more

A beautifully tuneful record from Narada Burton Greene – maybe more so than any of his other albums – at least that we can remember! The set's a solo outing, and it's definitely got some of the modern elements that have always made Greene's music so wonderful – but it's also got... read more

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If you've ever needed a definition of hardbop, this is it! The set's a crack quartet session for Blue Note, recorded in the mid 50s by a young Johnny Griffin – fresh in from Chicago, and playing with tons of fire and loads of imagination! Wynton Kelly's on piano and Max Roach is on drums... read more

Tremendous work from Johnny Griffin – one of those players whose talents never dimmed at all – and who's blowing here with all the same sharp intensity he first brought to his initial work in the 50s! The date's a tight acoustic session – with Johnny's bold tenor firmly in the... read more

One of the only albums as a leader from bassist Henry Grimes – a hell of a great player who'd made his name working with Sonny Rollins, but who steps out here into much freer territory! The group features Grimes at the helm on bass, but also features killer contributions from Perry Robinson... read more

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One of the most dynamic George Gruntz albums we've heard in years – a sweet tribute to the Village Vanguard recordings of John Coltrane! The album's a modern one, and done with a large ensemble – but it's a really well-spirited tribute to Trane's famous live material from the Vanguard... read more

A pair of 60s gems – together on a single CD! First up is the original Jazz Goes Baroque from George Gruntz – one of the best blends of jazz and classical music we can think of! Sure, the tunes are from Corelli, Handel, Pachelbel, and other baroque composers – but they're taken... read more

Sweet electric piano grooving from Vince Guaraldi – previously unreleased material from the early 70s, but easily one of his greatest later albums! Vince works here both on Fender Rhodes and clavinet, plus a bit of Hammond organ and acoustic piano as well – and the tunes have a... read more

Great early work from the amazing Vince Guaraldi – an album issued in the 60s on the wave of his rising fame, but which was most likely recorded a few years earlier! The group here is Vince's key early trio with Eddie Duran on guitar – grooving with Vince in drumless splendor that... read more

Quite a rare set from this important Swedish player – one recorded in Sweden by Metronome, but issued here in the US on the short-lived East-West imprint of Atlantic. The tracks all feature Gullin on baritone sax – in a variety of settings that range through quartet, quintet, sextet,... read more

A genius album from Swedish baritone giant Lars Gullin – and a set that's from a period that was much less documented on our side of the Atlantic! Gullin was one of the undisputed masters of the instrument, and his American recordings on Mercury and Prestige stand as proof to his talent... read more

A beautiful solo record from pianist Ulrich Gumpert – quite different than some of the more offbeat or avant sounds he recorded with other players – and instead, a great illustration of his more personal, poetic style on piano! Parts of the record resonate strongly with Gumpert's... read more

A wonderful larger-concept piece from reedman Mats Gustafsson – and an important recording that really stands to only complement some of his freer, looser work of the time! The set's got a vibe that's similar to some of the best mixed composition/improvisation works of the 90s – put... read more

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With Ernie Watts on tenor, Alan Broadbent on piano, and Lawrence Marable on drums – plus a string orchestra conducted by Broadbent on most tracks!... read more

Charlie Haden and Hank Jones reunite as a duo – working through a set of songs with spiritual sources, in ways that really seem to unlock the warmest elements of both players! Jones is no stranger to this sort of mode, especially in later years – and his gentle, spacious touch on the... read more

Recorded live at the Montreal Jazz Festival, and a special set featuring the acoustic talents of trumpeter Tim Hagan and soprano saxist Bob Belden, mixed with electronics by Scott Kinsey, and turtablism by DJ Kingsize. Most of the material is fairly out – with off-kilter solos draped over... read more

Maybe the best work so far from trumpeter Matthew Halsall – and a wonderful continuation of the spiritual vibe he's been giving us for the past few years! Halsall's a real up-and-comer – a trumpeter with a spiritual sensibility that rivals the best players on 70s Impulse or Strata East... read more

A gem of an album from trumpeter Matthew Halsall – his third on the Gondawa label, and like all the others, a set that we'd easily rank right up there with the best 70s spiritual jazz on labels like Strata East or Black Jazz! The set's got a fluid sound that's extremely compelling –... read more

Chico Hamilton in the 70s just can't miss – he's really changed loads from his mellow 50s work in LA, and has a tendency to go for a hard grooving sound – but also one that's slightly left of center than the work of most other 70s jazz drummers – and we mean that in a good way! ... read more

Unusual material from Chico Hamilton – recorded around the same time as his groundbreaking work for Pacific Jazz – but for the smaller Crown/Modern label in LA! The format's a bit unusual, and changes a bit throughout the record – showing Chico's already-strong ear for creative... read more

An obscure release by Chico Hamilton – but with some really great moments that more than rival his famous sides for Pacific Jazz in the 50s! The set was issued on the obscure Crown label, and is a bit short on notes – but side one features work by Chico's early trio – a cool... read more

One more amazing chapter in the mighty development of drummer Chico Hamilton – a killer 70s session for Blue Note – and a record that goes way beyond his earlier experiments of the 50s, modal grooves of the 60s, and funk work for the Flying Dutchman label! The style here is fusion, but... read more

Very interesting work from Chico Hamilton – one of his most compelling albums of the 50s! The three "faces" of Chico are as follows: his vocals, his solo percussion, and his quintet. Forget the vocals, because they're just OK (and Chico hardly embarked on a singing career after... read more

Killer work from Chico Hamilton – and a key batch of sides recorded between his 50s quintet sessions for Pacific Jazz and his later modal magic at Impulse! The work here was originally done for the Navy Swings series of radio shows – and features a Chico with the group that included... read more

A jazz soundtrack double-header – one that features both the small combo and larger band version of the soundtrack to The Sweet Smell Of Success! The first half of the CD features the Chico Hamilton Quintet's album of music – a wonderful bit of cinematic jazz from the 50s. The combo... read more

An amazing bit of jazz funk from Johnny Hammond – and one of his greatest LPs! This is the first album that Johnny recorded with Larry Mizell, cut right before the pair of them went onto do the landmark Gears album. While this one never became as famous as Gears, it's got some fantastic... read more

Amazing stuff! Johnny "Hammond" Smith began his career as a simple soul jazz organist – but by the time of Gears, he'd teamed up with the mighty Larry Mizell, the genius arranger/producer who'd breathed new life into the careers of Donald Byrd and Bobbi Humphrey. Mizell works with... read more

Paris was always a great city for Lionel Hampton – but it seemed like in the mid 50s, it was also a place where he cut some of his best work, too! The French New Sound pair of albums are both classics in Hamp's book – records that take off from the looser, longer-form style that he'd... read more

Excellent Parisian work by Lionel Hampton – recorded during a very fruitful year in France, featuring material that was originally issued on a full LP, and a 10" ep. Most of the tracks feature a group that includes Eddie Chamblee on tenor, Ed Mullens on trumpet, Billy Mackel on guitar,... read more

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The explosion in the title is definitely well-placed – as trombonist Slide Hampton makes his group groove with a tremendous amount of power here – all horns focused strongly on the rhythms, which themselves are wonderfully soulful! As with some of Hampton's best from the time, there's... read more

Sanctified, indeed – and just the kind of record to show why Slide Hampton was unlike any of his trombone-playing contemporaries! The set's got a tightness and punch that's really unique – not the compact quality of JJ Johnson and Kai Winding, but also not the hardbop of Curtis Fuller... read more

A lyrical masterpiece from the mid-60's! Freddie Hubbard and Herbie trade lines on extended compositions, as Herbie shows the world that he's more than just a soul jazz player by coming up with some of the most spiritual work of his career. Of course, that doesn't displace the treasure that is... read more

A really unique little record from Herbie Hancock – one that's almost completely improvised over Latin percussion! The setup is quite spare – and quite different than Herbie's other Blue Note work – and the group features improvised backgrounds by bassist Paul Chambers and 2... read more

Classic Herbie from the early years, and a great mix of soul jazz and modernism! The record include a nice groovy "hit", Herbie's "Blind Man, Blind Man" – an obvious follow-up to "Watermelon Man", but still a standout track with a lot of imagination, and a... read more