Jazz — In Stock — LPs  

A pretty unique record by Gibbs – a set of Jewish tunes set to jazz, played by a group that includes vibes, piano, trombone, and clarinet. The clarinet's the main influence here on the sound – as it's used in a snakey way that instantly invokes Klezmer music, yet still retains the... read more

Excellent small group work from vibist Terry Gibbs – just the kind of set that shows why he was one of the best known players on his instrument in the 50s! Gibbs has a clear, clean style here that's never too laidback, nor too prone to over-done flourishes – a style that was born in... read more

A beautifully mellow set of funky grooves, played by Diz with a west coast group that includes Roger Glenn on flute, Mickey Roker on drums, and Michael Howell on guitars – very similar to Dizzy's excellent Portrait Of Jenny album on Perception. The "Bahia" reference is quite... read more

Beautiful stuff! While Charlie Parker had Ralph Burns to come up with some good string arrangements for him, Dizzy had the excellent Johnny Richards – with whom he worked on the earlier Diz & Strings LP, and on this stunning session of complicated arrangements that's very different than... read more

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40's LP collection of some of the earlier sides that Dizzy cut for Savoy, with be bop classics like "Our Delight", "One Bass Hit", "Oop Bop Sh'Bam", "Salt Peanuts", and "Dizzy Atmosphere". The groups include players like Charlie Parker, Sonny Stitt... read more

A great little album of short groovy cuts from Dizzy – and actually quite hard to find on vinyl! Despite a title that sounds a bit flowery, the grooves are nice and hard – and Dizzy's playing here with a combo that includes James Moody, Kenny Barron, Billy Butler, and Candido. The... read more

One of the best albums ever in Verve's classic set of recordings from the 1957 Newport Jazz Festival – a set that captures the Dizzy Gillespie group of the decade in top live formation! The ensemble here is plenty hip – with a young Lee Morgan joining Dizzy on trumpet, and a host of... read more

A portrait of Duke, done by Dizzy – and one that's got a whole different feel than you might think! Gillespie's working here with arrangements by a young Clare Fischer – who takes Ellington's themes and recasts them with an even deeper sense of color and tone – one that pushes... read more

A sweet slow and groovy funk LP recorded by Dizzy for the Perception label! The record is similar to his other LPs from the time in that it's got a cool electric feel that you don't really associate with Diz. The whole album has a sly sweet funky sound that's part CTI/part Latin-tinged Dizzy... read more

A fantastic bit of late 60's funk, and a surprisingly slammin' record from Dizzy! The album's got tight, hard, choppy funk arrangements from Ed Bland – who went onto to do some great work at the Perception label – and the group features James Moody blowing hard lean funky solos right... read more

A real gem from the height of Dizzy's big band years at Verve – a stunning little set that features a hip larger group that includes Joe Gordon, Melba Liston, Rod Leavitt, Phil Woods, Ernie Wilkins, and Billy Mitchell. The groove here is well-orchestrated, well-placed soul – with less... read more

One of the greatest jam session records on Verve! Although some of the label's "big horn talent" albums tended to be a bit snoozy, this one crackles with energy, and features three different classes of boppers working together perfectly on long, lively tracks with Ray Bryant on piano,... read more

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Wonderful work from Tyree Glenn – a trombonist like no other, and a player who really could get a great "voice" on the instrument! The set's a nicely earthy batch of tracks – small combo numbers, with help from Hank Jones on piano, Mary Osborne on guitar, Tommy Potter on bass... read more

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Wonderful lost work from the great Benny Golson – and some of the hippest jazz you can find in a large format group! Golson's at his modernist best here, and he's leading a tentet that includes Eric Dolphy on alto, Wayne Shorter on tenor, Grachan Moncur on trombone, Freddie Hubbard on... read more

Nice late 70s work from Gong – and a record that's much more jazz fusion based than some of the group's earlier work! Pierre Moerlen's still handling an awful lot of percussion – including vibra, timpani, glock, and marimba – but he's joined here by Mino Cinelou, who adds an... read more

With Dennis Gonzalez on trumpets, both acoustic and electric – plus Prince Lasha on reeds, Ed Smith on vibes, and James Zitro on drums and percussion!... read more

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Despite the innocence of the title and cover image, the grooves here are pretty darn mature – really hard-jamming fusion tracks served up with Jerry Goodman on electric guitars and violin, and Jan Hammer on a wealth of groovy keyboards! Hammer's still a bit restrained at this point –... read more

Lost genius from Dexter Gordon's initial years in Europe – a set that has him still stretching out in familiar Scandinavian modes, but with a slightly tighter sound too! The group's notable in that it features trumpeter Rolf Ericson – whose horn really adds a lot to the frontline, and... read more

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With George Duke on keyboards, Ralph Garrett on bass, and Oliver Johnson on drums. Titles include "Momadua", "Jive Fernando", and "Blue Monk".... read more

A variety of groups, some with Dex on tenor. Other players include Bobby Hutcherson on vibes, Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, Wayne Shorter on soprano sax, Cedar Walton and Herbie Hancock on piano, and Billy Higgins and Tony Williams on drums. Titles include "Berangere's Nightmare 2", "... 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

Dexter Gordon certainly was a tower of power by this point – as his lengthy 60s stay in Europe helped him to work work work, and season his playing considerably – to a point at which he emerged as a masterful soloist far beyond the limits of his early bop recordings! This session... read more

An unusual session for Dexter Gordon – with Philip Catherine on guitar – and no piano in the group!... read more

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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

One of our favorite later albums by Stephane Grappelli – a really inventive little session that's filled with odd twists and turns! The outward format is somewhat simple – a quartet with Roland Hanna on piano, George Mraz on bass, and Mel Lewis on drums – but the structure of the... 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

The first entry into Savoy's amazing Hollywood Jazz Session series – and a live recording that spans both sides of the record with just one track! Wardelly Gray and Dexter Gordon go head to head in a lineup that also includes Howard McGhee on trumpet, Trummy Young on trombone, Barney Kessel... read more

Chicago alto player Bunky Green gets "Latinized" – in a very groovy set of soul jazz tunes from the 60s Cadet Records scene! The style isn't entirely straight Latin – more just a soul jazz approach to small combo jazz, supported with great percussion from a trio of added... 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

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An overlooked swinger by these two 60s jazz giants – issued on a label run by the pair, and also featuring Don Patterson on organ!... read more

An early killer from Johnny Griffin – a stripped-down quartet session for Blue Note, done in a format that really gave him plenty of room to open up! The rhythm section is a powerful trio led by Sonny Clark on piano, and featuring bassist Paul Chambers alongside the obscure drummer Kenny... read more

A rare European gem from Johnny Griffin – recorded in quartet formation with backing from the rhythm trio of the Clarke Boland Big Band! Johnny was working with the trio in the bigger group at the time, but he gets plenty of space to state his case here – stretching out on hard-bitten,... read more

Features work by Sheila Jordan on vocals, Marcus Belgrave and Tom Harrell on trumpets, Ernst Ludwig Petrowsky on alto and soprano sax, Dino Saluzzi on bandoneon, George Gruntz on keyboards, Julian Priester on trombone, and Charlie Mariano on alto, soprano, and flute.... read more

Although you may think of Dave Grusin as the man who's only capable of putting out snoozy fusion, this excellent session from 1964 is a very tight boppish one that features great players like Thad Jones, Frank Foster, and Bob Cranshaw. Dave shows a strong early talent for arranging, and he gives... read more

A great lost date from the wonderful Gigi Gryce – a set that features the altoist in an sextet, but often swinging with a looser vibe than on some of his better-known albums from the 50s! There's a mix of soulful and modern here that's not unlike the Art Farmer/Benny Golson Jazztet –... read more

A beautiful record of light, lyrical piano jazz – and one of the best-selling jazz albums ever on Fantasy Records! Vince Guaraldi started the set as a tribute to the film Black Orpheus – and some of the album features his nice renditions of Jobim/Bonfa tunes like "Manha De... read more

Very groovy stuff! This is the music that was used in the 60s Peanuts cartoons – made famous during the same stretch through its use in goofy Dolly Madison commercials! The album's way better than any of the Peanuts stuff that was on Fantasy, as Vince plays electric harpsichord on a number... read more

A second pressing of the Mode album Frank Rosolino – one of the best albums on that rare label, and one of the best sides by trombonist Rosolino! The group here features Vince Guaraldi on piano, Richie Kamuca on tenor, Monty Budwig on bass, and Stan Levy on drums – and the sound's a... read more

A very groovy set of pop-jazz guitar tunes – originally recorded by Metronome Records in Sweden, but issued here by Atlantic. The core of the recording is Gustafsson's guitar trio, but the record also features some larger backing by Georg Riedel that have a nice airy feel to them. While the... read more

Bobby in pretty familiar territory – playing mostly trad numbers, in a New Orleans jazz mode, but with some slight Verve 60s touches. Arrangements are by Bob Wilber, and titles include "Lazy Mood", "New Orleans", "High Society", "Tin Roof Blues", "... read more

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One of the 70s gems on the mighty German Ego label – an incredible small company who seemed to put out nothing but excellent music! The set's led by pianist Joe Haider, and features a quintet with Andy Scherrer on tenor and soprano sax, Ack Van Rooyen on flugelhorn, Gunter Lenz on bass, and... read more

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A strong little set of post bop tracks from saxophonist Lenny Hambro – one of two rare albums he cut for Columbia during the 50s, and a tight session with Wade Legge on piano, Dick Garcia on guitar, and Clyde Lombardi and Mel Zelnick on rhythm. The tracks are short, and Hambro's sax work is... read more

One of Chico's earliest albums for Pacific Jazz – a set of tightly arranged tracks with a cool chamber feel to them – featuring a lineup that includes Buddy Collette on reeds, Fred Katz on cello, Jim Hall on guitar, and Carson Smith on bass. Collette, Katz, and Hall are at the height... read more

Different is right – as this obscure early 60s side shows Chico Hamilton really opening up, moving past the modern chamber style of the late 50s, into the freer modal rhythms that characterized his incredible work of the 60s! The group's the beginning of that sound too – with Charles... read more

Amazing, simply amazing – and light years ahead of the staid sounds that Chico Hamilton was cutting in the 50s! Hamilton's one of those players who has an amazing range to his music – almost all of it really incredible, as Chico always shifts things up over time – continually... read more

Massively groovy work from Chico Hamilton – one of his standout swingers for Impulse Records in the 60s, and a set that really showcases all the changes in music he'd made for the decade! The set features some wonderful reed work from Jerome Richardson and Charlie Mariano, plus some... read more

A wonderful bit of cinematic jazz from the 50s – played by the Chico Hamilton group as part of the soundtrack! The combo was a key part of the LA scene at the time, but are oddly featured as a regular club act in the movie's New York setting – but we'll gladly forgive that geographic... read more

Post-Mizell, and less jazz fusiony than Johnny's mid 70s work, but not a bad funk album! The title cut's a nice groover that has a sort of sing-song Eddie Harris funk feel, and which features Johnny Hammond complaining about "The System", and how it's out to get him. Other cuts include... read more

Recorded after his classic work with Larry Mizell, and produced by Johnny himself, but still trying to be very much in the Mizell-sounding vein. The group includes Carol Kaye on guitar, Ron Carter on bass, Ndugu on drums, and Bill Summers on percussion – and while the album is as over-the-top... read more

A very groovy set on Lionel Hampton's own label – filled with cool 60s soul jazz numbers – including "Tom Collins", "Greasy Greens", "Sunshine Superman", "A&T", "By By", and "Don't Be So Mean".... read more

Although Lionel Hampton's always best remembered for his storming swing days in the early 40s, we love him on records like this one – an easy open-ended straight jazz session from the 50s, with lots of room for soloing in a much more jazz-oriented vein than you'll hear on Hamp's early records.... read more

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One of Slide Hampton's greatest records of all time – a totally hip batch of tracks recorded with a large group that reminds us of some of Max Roach's ensembles of the early 60s! No surprise, Roach is a key part of the album – pounding away with frenzy on Hampton's 5-part "Drum... read more

A killer 70s soundtrack from Herbie Hancock! The record takes the funky style that Herbie was cutting with the Headhunters, and blends it with some more sophisticated scoring that's top in the 70s action and blacksploitation modes – perfect for the dark theme of the movie's story. There's... read more

One of those albums that always gets lost between the Sextant/Headhunters days – and the later Rockit hip hop records. Herbie's clearly trying to find a voice here – working in a mode that's actually smooth soul on most cuts, mixing keyboards and vocals in a style that's similar to... read more

A seminal jazz funk session of the 70s – Herbie Hancock's legendary meeting with The Headhunters, and a killer batch of tunes that really gave the combo their name! Herbie's playing a wide range of keys here – including Fender Rhodes, clavinet, and Arp – but almost even better is... read more

A brilliant album – and real turning point for Herbie Hancock! After first coming onto the scene as the soul jazz hero between Blue Note funky classics like "Watermelon Man" or "Blind Man, Blind Man" – Herbie emerges here as a concerned modernist with a strand of... read more

Later stuff, but a pretty unique album from Herbie! The sound's a bit smoother than some of the groundbreaking electric albums, but the playing's top-shelf, and the record features a number of jazz funk numbers with soulful vocals – including work by Gavin Christopher and The Waters. Think... read more

Herbie plays a host of cool electric keyboards in this nice session of modern jazzy tracks – recorded in the company of some of his best bandmates, like Bennie Maupin, Tony Williams, Harvey Mason, Ron Carter, Alphonse Mouzon, and Paul Jackson. The feel's a bit smoother than some of the more... read more

The follow up to Herbie's groundbreaking hit album Future Shock. There's some rehashing of themes here, with the remake of "Rockit" called "Hardrock" here – basically the same number with some heavy guitar added and a few different solos – plus similar numbers that... read more

A very sweet, and oft-overlooked session that has Herbie mixing a nice dose of lyricism into his usual soul jazz approach from the 60s! The sound's a bit farther-reaching than on some of Herbie's smaller group sessions – and the record features a sextet that includes Ron Carter, Mickey Roker... read more

Killer electric work from Herbie Hancock – right on par with his groundbreaking Headhunters set, but a bit spacier too! The album features a Headhunters-solid lineup – with Bennie Maupin on saxes, Paul Jackson on bass, Mike Clark on drums, and Bill Summers on percussion – all... read more

A great little album from Herbie – it that says "previously released" on the back cover, but was actually released with Tootie Heath as leader under the name Kuumba, entitled Kawaida. It's a hip batch of afro-centric jazz, with a Strata East sort of feel: lots of percussion and... read more

Though there are a number of different LPs using the VSOP title in a few different ways, this was the first, a double album recorded live at the Newport Jazz Festival, featuring Herbie leading groups that represented a number of different points in his career. The first lineup later recorded under... read more

A landmark concert from the mid 80s – one held to honor the resurrection of the Blue Note label, featuring a wealth of some of the best players for the label – from the 80s back to the 50s bebop years. This first volume in the 4 LP series features centered around Herbie Hancock and... read more

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One of the few beautiful early albums cut by John Handy for Roulette – and an obscure session that has him playing alto with a quartet that includes a young Walter Bishop Jr. on piano. Handy here is fresh from his work with Mingus – and his alto is filled with fire and emotion, yet... read more

Live solo work by Roland Hanna – a set that starts out kind of slow, as Hanna performs 2 Ellington crowd-pleasers – but which then really takes off as he moves into his own beautiful compositions! These really have Hanna unfolding on the keys, and playing with a rich lyrical quality... read more

A cool large ensemble set from the same Teresa Record scene that gave us great albums by Pharoah Sanders and John Hicks! The group's led by trumpeter David Hardiman – and features a hip rotating lineup throughout.... read more

An amazing record, from an amazing player – the mighty Rufus Harley, heard here on tenor, flute, and soprano sax – as well as bagpipes, his "trademark" instrument! Don't be put off by the bagpipes, though, because Harley plays in a righteous soul jazz groove, and uses the... read more

One of Harley's beautiful albums for Atlantic, and a record that shouldn't work at all – but it does! Harley plays bagpipes throughout the album, and he does so in a way that sounds nothing like any of the snoozy Scottish assumptions you may have about the instrument. Instead, Harley draws... read more

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A lost classic, and a landmark blending of jazz and world music! The core of the group is that quintet of West Indian alto player Joe Harriott – one of the leading lights of the British jazz scene of the 60s, and a dedicated modernist who was as important to England as Ornette Coleman was to... read more

With Craig Harris on trombone, Don Byron on baritone sax and clarinet, Eddie Allen on trumpet, Anthony Cox on bass, and Ralph Peterson on drums.... read more

Not a great jazz record, but a pretty nice funky soul album by Eddie – who by this point was really electrifying his sax, playing a bit of piano, and even singing in a range of different styles. The best moments are those that kind of push the envelope technique-wise – operating with a... read more

One of the true hit jazz albums of the 60s, and a record that's still pretty darn incredible today! Who'd have thought that a jazz recording of the theme to the film "Exodus" could have been such a hit? It was, and the way Eddie handled it forever transformed the face of jazz. Eddie... read more