Jazz -- In Stock -- LPs  

Jimmy pays tribute to an earlier generation of R&B -- in a hard-wailing set of soul jazz, done with backings from the legendary Oliver Nelson! A few tracks feature vocals by Jimmy, in a rough bluesy style, and others have some harmonica by Buddy Lucas -- in a raspy, hard-wailing mode that... read more

Funky funky stuff from Jimmy Smith -- a killer late 60s album cut in collaboration with Johnny Pate, who's very much at the height of his blackploitation power here! The backings are full, but in ways that are quite different than other Smith albums on Verve -- such as the sides done with Oliver... read more

A great little trio session -- one of Jimmy's hippest, featuring Grant Green on guitar and Donald Bailey on drums. The talents of Green are quite welcome here -- as his lighter touch on the strings makes Jimmy open up a bit more than with some of his other compatriots in this format -- creating a... read more

One of the few Jimmy Smith albums issued on his own label -- the tiny Mojo Records imprint, which he was running in the mid 70s when taking a break from the majors! The album's got a raw power that returns Jimmy to the glory days of his best 60s recordings -- really taking advantage of the setting... read more

One of the few Jimmy Smith albums issued on his own label -- the tiny Mojo Records imprint, which he was running in the mid 70s when taking a break from the majors! The album's got a raw power that returns Jimmy to the glory days of his best 60s recordings -- really taking advantage of the setting... read more

A real stormer from Jimmy Smith -- done in his first year at Blue Note, but with a sense of power and imagination that cannot be denied! It might be easy to pass up this album, because many of the tunes are standards, done in a simple trio format -- but back at the time of this session, Jimmy had... read more

An oft-overlooked 70s gem from Jimmy! The album's got a smooth complicated sound -- with very long tracks that open up, stretch out, and groove in a much more sophisticated way than some of Jimmy's 60s work for Verve. The approach is almost similar to Jack McDuff's complicated Blue Note albums,... read more

One of the Jimmy Smith "jam session" Blue Notes, with a large group that includes Lee Morgan, Lou Donaldson, George Coleman, Tina Brooks, and Art Blakey -- nearly all of whom take long solos and dig deep to compete with each other. 3 long tracks, "The Sermon", "JOS",... read more

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A fantastic LP that has Jimmy attempting a groove that's similar to the one that Johnny Hammond hits on his famous Gears album! The album's a mixture of funky jazz and smooth R&B, with production by Eugene McDaniels that's very much in the Skip Scarborough and Larry Mizell camp. A few cuts... read more

Although many older jazz players were recording at Mercury in the late 70s, doing albums that were more modern and more electric than earlier work, this album by Jimmy (different from his other Mercury outing) is a pretty traditional batch of jazzy organ grooves, done in a production style that's... read more

Excellent meeting between 2 mighty talents who rarely recorded together! Oliver Nelson did the arrangements and leads a big band, but the real focus is on Jimmy and Wes' solos, which are given a lot of room to roam in long tracks like "James & Wes", "Night Train", and "... read more

With Bobby Naughton on vobes and Dwight Andrew on tenor and wooden flute. Titles include "Images", "The Burning Of Stones", and "Spirit Catcher".... read more

The mighty Lonnie Liston Smith -- sounding just as great live as in the studio! The feel of the record is really tremendous -- extremely soulful, with Lonnie jamming away on keyboards as the band grooves up these cool spacey rhythms. The whole thing's wonderful -- with loads of great electric... read more

A massively sweet groover from Lonnie and the Cosmic Echoes -- smoother and warmer than some of his earlier albums, with a really soulful fusion vibe! Lonnie plays acoustic piano and "electric colorations" -- working with a group that includes brother Donald on flute and vocals, Dave... read more

Smooth jazzy soul from Lonnie's mid 80s years -- recorded when Lonnie was heavily under the sway of Guru Sri Chinmoy! If you've ever heard Chinmoy as a musician, you know that he's not very good -- and fortunately, Lonnie keeps him away from the instruments on the record, and only lets him provide... read more

Wonderfully warm work from the late 70s years of Lonnie Liston Smith -- material from his key stretch a Columbia Records, a time when he'd really learned to tighten up his groove a bit from earlier years, yet still keep all the deeper soul intact! The production here is slightly polished, but... read more

Quite possibly the most celebrated album ever from keyboardist Lonnie Liston Smith -- a groove-heavy classic that's burned up many a dancefloor in its day, yet also a record that features some great mellow moments as well! The title track "Expansions" is virtually a blueprint for the... read more

Quite possibly the most celebrated album ever from keyboardist Lonnie Liston Smith -- a groove-heavy classic that's burned up many a dancefloor in its day, yet also a record that features some great mellow moments as well! The title track "Expansions" is virtually a blueprint for the... read more

Lonnie Liston Smith is really tightening up his groove on this one -- bringing a bit more funk into the mix, and creating that amazingly sweet glide in his keyboard sound! The record's still steeped in the righteous influences of years past, but it brings the message out to a bigger audience --... read more

Smooth later work from Lonnie Smith -- but still pretty darn great, with a feel that's in the late 70s Kudu/CTI mode! Arrangements are bigger than ever before -- with large backings arranged by Lonnie, and some vocals that have a really wonderful, warm, Stevie Wonder-esque quality to them. The... read more

Funky funky funky! Lonnie plays live with a tight group that includes tenor, guitar, and some very heavy drumming -- really wailing at a level that was surprising for funky organists of the time, and which really set the pace for a whole new generation! The players are more obscure than on the... read more

A stone killer from organist Lonnie Smith -- one of his completely cooking early albums for Blue Note, and a hard-burner all the way through! Smith's working here with a really great group that includes Idris Muhammad on drums and Melvin Sparks on guitar -- both of whom give the album a really... read more

A killer album of hard instrumental Latin soul tracks -- one of the few albums ever done by funky reed player Mauricio Smith! On the set, Smith plays flute, alto, and soprano sax -- and the record's filled with short little groovers that have a nice choppy sound, and lots of heavy conga work by... read more

A killer album of hard instrumental Latin soul tracks -- one of the few albums ever done by funky reed player Mauricio Smith! On the set, Smith plays flute, alto, and soprano sax -- and the record's filled with short little groovers that have a nice choppy sound, and lots of heavy conga work by... read more

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Landmark work from the St Louis scene -- a pivotal album by Solidarity Unit -- an offshoot of that city's groundbreaking Black Artists Group! The style here is very much in the mode of AACM work coming out of Chicago at the time -- freely creative, and very exploratory -- although often presented... read more

An excellent little groover from that great period where CTI was affiliated with A&M, this record is the kind of pop/jazz/easy listening crossover stuff that's been such a hit with the loungecore fans over the years. Don Sebesky handled the arrangements -- and players include Herbie Hancock,... read more

Great stuff from one of those groups who just keep on grooving over the years -- always hitting hard with their own unique take on deep funk! We first loved Soulive back when the group were issuing music on self-produced CDs -- and they've really come a long way in their sound, and have learned a... read more

Totally totally cool LP that has this groovy group playing with Oliver Nelson -- who plays soprano on most tracks. The sound is very groovy, and very Now Sound, with a female vocal duet, and mod swingin' jazzy lyrics. The LP's got a nice version of "My Favorite Things", a cool track... read more

Jazzy violin tracks by this famous Chicagoan, including a number of early compositions by Johnny Pate, like "Currant Jelly", "Assurance", and "1166". Pate plays bass, Eddie Higgins plays piano, and John Gray plays guitar.... read more

Despite a title that makes the record sound like either a George Clinton or Sun Ra album, the record's a pretty straight batch of jazz tracks, put out by this obscure Chicago area combo that has a nice soulful style. Samuel Thomas plays guitar, and the record's got some very nice bass work by... read more

Supremely heavy work from organist Leon Spencer -- one of his classic jazz funk sessions for Prestige Records, and a record that shows him opening up his sound a bit more than before! The album has Spencer working in a few different lineups -- some with small groups that feature Melvin Sparks on... read more

Forget the preview, because Leon Spencer is already the main attraction on this key early album for Prestige! The date may well be one of the organist's greatest -- and is a lean, mean session cut with that stretched out funky style that Prestige was really laying down at the time -- open-ended... read more

Badass organ funk from the mighty Leon Spencer -- a set that's got a bit of a fuller feel than some of his previous albums for Prestige -- but a groove that's also equally great! The style here is somewhere between blacksploitation funk and some of the grooves from the CTI/Kudu camp -- with a bit... read more

Badass organ funk from the mighty Leon Spencer -- a set that's got a bit of a fuller feel than some of his previous albums for Prestige -- but a groove that's also equally great! The style here is somewhere between blacksploitation funk and some of the grooves from the CTI/Kudu camp -- with a bit... read more

A tight funky fusion group from Europe -- with a lineup that features a lot of keyboards and guitar jamming together, over the same kind of slow bass-driven rhythms that you'd find in the best work by John Lee & Gerry Brown. There's a real spaciness in the mix, and despite the presence of 6... read more

Excellent funky jazz from Jeremy Steig -- the funkiest flute player we can think of! The record takes up where Jeremy's LPs on Solid State left off -- adding Steig's hard-blowing flute to some groundbreaking beat-heavy backings by Gene Perla and Eddie Gomez on bass, Don Alias on drums, and Jan... read more

A little bit later than his classic funky stuff, but still a very nice batch of grooves with Jeremy's hard flute sound out front, and good backing by a small group that includes Alphonze Mouzon on drums and Richie Beirach on electric piano. Cuts have a good electric funk feel to them, and include... read more

One of Jeremy Steig's excellent early albums -- a hard-hitting batch of funky flute instrumental tracks, with a tightness and hardness that you won't find in his later work! The groove is great on just about the whole thing -- with Steig on a variety of flutes, plus backing by electric piano, bass... read more

Great early stuff by Stitt -- originally issued on 78 rpm sides by Prestige, but collected here in LP format with better notes! The sessions feature one session with Bud Powell on piano and Max Roach on drums, and another set with John Lewis on piano, JJ Johnson on trombone, and Roach again on... read more

A pretty wild album -- one in which Sonny Stitt meets the funky electric sound of Flying Dutchman! The album's not the all-out funk affair you might expect from the date, the label, and the cartoony image of a lady on the front cover -- but it does have some very nice moments, and good playing by... read more

With Junior Mance on piano, George Duvivier on bass, and Jimmy Cobb on drums.... read more

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Beautifully-recorded later work from Sonny Stitt -- a record that's got the crispness and poise of his classic work on Roost, with perhaps a bit of the warmer soul he'd picked up in the 70s -- yet laid out in a way that's different from some of his American albums too! The set's a special date... read more

A bit rough around the edges, but a very tasty set from Stitt! The album's sort of free-spun organ set -- with Stitt on alto and tenor, Joe Diorio on guitar, Eddie Buster on Hammond, and work by the great Nicky Hill on alto. Tracks are loosely put together -- almost in a one-take mode, with the... read more

While we've prefered hearing Stitt in a bop context or in a bluesy organ group over most of his electric soul jazz records, this outing from '74 is pretty respectable. The groove is a bit slicked up, sometimes in the CTI mode, with tight rhythms over a pillow of strings. Bernard Purdie lays down... read more

Sonny Stitt's grooving nicely here with organist Don Patterson -- at a level that's similar to some of the records that Patterson cut with Booker Ervin -- just organ, tenor, and a bit of drums --a very a very stripped down, very laid back set of tracks that has a focus on free running solos! ... read more

Incredible work by Stitt -- the kind of record you hear for only a second, and go "oh, that's what all the fuss is about!" The album's the definition of simple elegance in jazz -- with Stitt in the lead, blowing masterful solos that seem to change the world without doing a thing --... read more

After years of staying free of comparisons with Charlie Parker, Sonny Stitt steps confidently into a set of compositions by the late, great one -- sounding really wonderful in his own interpretations of these classics! The album's got the same simple and focused still as Stitt's best work on Roost... read more

It's the mid 70s and Stitt's backed here by an electric group, but the sound is fairly straight, not as funky as other recordings from the era, and the tracks are long, with Stitt and crew taking long solos. The group features Jon Faddis and Lew Soloff on trumpet, Louis Bellson on drums and... read more

By this point in his career, Sonny hardly needed a tune up in his style -- but the album's a great one from his post-Prestige years, and a real back-to-basics effort that recalls the genius of his work on Roost! The format is straight and simple -- Stitt's tenor and alto fronting a quartet that... read more

Stitt hits the Varitone for Roulette, and while his work isn't as funky as that of Eddie Harris or Lou Donaldson, the instrument lets him get in a nice raw tone, with a good honest edge that comes through despite backing by a largeish group. Other players include Ernie Hayes on organ, Walter... read more

Simple stuff, but a surprisingly enduring album of tenor/tenor solos, played by two of the undisputed mid-century masters of the instrument. The tracks are long, with the sort of feel you'd hear if you caught these guys live at some small southside club -- and the solos also show the kind of... read more

A great session of 70s bop revival from the team of Sonny Stitt and Red Holloway -- working here in the warm and sunny style of the great Catalyst label! The album Forecast has the two hornmen blowing to acoustic accompaniment from a trio that includes Art Hillary on piano, Larry Gales on bass,... read more

Some of the most adventurous work we've ever heard from Czech reedman Jiri Stivin -- a batch of tracks that has him working with a hip array of players from the European scene -- all in modes that are as free-thinking and open as some of the best Polish jazz from the time! Stivin shows an... read more

The core funky fusion group of Stone Alliance is joined by a number of great guest players from Argentina -- for a sound that's a cool mix of the group's hard and heavy sound, augmented by lighter, lyrical soloists. Steve Grossman's in fine fine form as usual on reeds, and guest players include... read more

Whomp! It's a stormer! Killer killer killer! No kidding, this album's a monster -- and it's one of the heaviest slices of funk we've heard in ages! Pardon the exclamations, but we're telling the truth -- and this classic by the Sugarman Three is a must-have for any fan of funky jazz and jazzy... read more

A beautiful, and oft-overlooked, album of modal jazz tracks performed by Chicago jazz musician Ira Sullivan, who normally plays trumpet and tenor, but who also shows here his amazing talent on soprano sax. In a way, Sullivan's offering some pop-jazz Coltraney styles, especially on the set's longer... read more

A wonderful album from Gabor Szabo -- one with the same freely grooving, slightly-psychedelic sound that he was using on his best records for the Impulse label! Two guitars head up the quintet -- those of Gabor and Jim Stewart -- and they trade breezy lines throughout, grooving over slyly shifting... read more

An excellent 2LP collection of some of the best work that Gabor Szabo recorded for the Impulse label during the mid and late 60s -- tracks that mixed together jazz, Eastern spiritualism, and a hip 60s pop sensibility. At one time, we used to dismiss this stuff as too cheesy for our tastes -- but... read more

Wonderful work from guitarist Gabor Szabo -- a record that really helped to shift his sound and style into the 70s! The groove here is often open and free -- taking off from some of the exoticism of Gabor's 60s albums on Impulse and Skye, but with a bit more of the CTI electric groove -- thanks to... read more

A great record that's sort of a follow-up to Gabor's excellent Sorcerer LP -- and like that one, features long tracks that have a spiralling modal feel that's much more serious, much more grooving, and a lot less campish than some of his other albums of the time. The album features a two-guitar... read more

Excellent early 70s work from jazz guitarist Gabor Szabo -- a super-dope album that's one of the best he ever recorded! Part of the success of the record has to do with the presence of Bobby Womack -- normally a soul singer, but also a heck of a guitarist, playing here alongside Szabo in a very... read more

Man, Lew Tabackin looks pretty darn freaky on the cover image for this one -- and although we're tempted to bill the record as his stag-like satyric fling away from his wife, Toshiko Akioshi is very much a key part of the session -- contributing some wonderful songs and piano lines to the album's... read more

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The strong tenor work of Lew Tabackin is featured with the Japanese big band of Toshiyuki Miayama and His New Herd -- a mostly acoustic outfit that has a complicated sound that's not unlike some of the big band aggregations that Tabackin has led with wife Toshiko Akioshi, but perhaps a bit more... read more

A great take on the score to the hit show My Fair Lady -- heard here in one of the best jazz interpretations from the time! Billy Taylor really gets a great setting for the music here -- one that moves past the more familiar small group takes on the tunes, and features soaring large group backings... read more

One of the best Billy Taylor albums of the 60s -- thanks to some great big band backing by Oliver Nelson! Nelson's touch was golden at this point, and he could make just about any instrumentalist swing like a hammer -- which is what he does with Taylor on this album, taking his normally flowery... read more

Part 1 of a classic live set that has Cecil playing with Sam Rivers, Jimmy Lyons, and Andrew Cyrille. The group perform "The Second Act Of A" (part 1), and the piece takes up both sides of the record, with a quick fadeout at the end of side 1. Rivers alternates between tenor and soprano... read more

A surprisingly wonderful of blend of classic era Miles reverence and slow simmering reggae grooves -- a record that delivers on its promise, and effortlessly discards any novelty stigma you might be expecting! Jazz musician and educator Jeremy Taylor was teaching at NYU in the early 80s, after he... read more

Cool lost album by tenorist Buddy Terry, who plays Varitone on a number of tracks (hence the title of the LP). Jimmy Owens is on trumpet, Harold Mabern's on electric piano, and the set has a nice electric groove that's unusual for Prestige sessions at the time -- and which points the way ahead to... read more

A surprisingly great little record from Clark Terry -- filled with warmth, humor, and some really great grooves! The core of the album is the track "Mumbles", one that's based around Terry kind of slurring a scat vocal to a jazzy 60s groove. The track was a minor hit at the time, and... read more

A great early date as a leader from trumpeter Clark Terry -- one cut during the stretch when he was keeping company with players like Thelonious Monk and Johnny Griffin! The latter player is a key member of Terry's group here -- as Johnny's tenor adds a nice sharp edge to Clark's trumpet -- mixing... read more

A very hip record -- one that really surprised us! The cover and title are a bit hokey, but underneath, the album's a complicated session of modern and experimental tracks -- with a feel that recalls some of Max Roach's most creative work of the early 60s. The group is made up of players from the... read more

Sublime sounds from the legendary Jonny Teupen -- the harpist best known for his freaky sides for MPS, heard here in an earlier set of bossa nova tunes! The approach is quite unique, and really warmly wonderful -- Jonny's sweetly lyrical lines on harp, mixed with gentle bossa rhythms, and topped... read more

Groovy Toots -- just the way we like him, with a bit of jazz, a bit of easy, and some cool 60s approaches to his sound! The album has Toots on both harmonica and guitar -- working in a stripped-down small combo setting that has some really surprising elements, like piano and organ by Dick Hyman,... read more

A 1958 date for Decca, and one that features a much more modern sound than some of Thielemans' earlier records! There's a laidback feel to the record that makes things slightly moody -- but the open space also gives Toots plenty of room to mull things over with his incredible lines on harmonica --... read more

Leon Thomas' first album for Flying Dutchman -- and one of his best! The vibe is very similar to his work with Pharoah Sanders -- with long modal tracks that bring out the best side of Thomas' spiritual vocalizations -- especially on the 17 minute track "Pharoah's Tune (The Journey)",... read more

Wonderful work from Leon Thomas -- easily one of his greatest albums! The record was recorded in 1969, right at the time Leon was working with Pharoah Sanders -- and his days with the spiritual jazz giant shine through brightly on the session. The players include James Spaulding, Lonnie Liston... read more

Really standout material from Lucky -- an excellent set collecting small group sessions recorded for Paramount in the mid 50s, featuring Oscar Pettiford on bass! The format's a bit like the small combo mode that Americans from larger touring ensembles were recording in Europe -- a bit more... read more

The Three Sounds get the benefit of backing by Oliver Nelson's funky orchestra -- and the result is a nice batch of soul jazz cuts with a funky large band sound, and good hard piano solos over the top. The album's kind of a blueprint for the funkier sound they would take on their next few for Blue... read more

Always magical work from the Three Sounds -- Gene Harris on piano in the lead, with soulful bouncing backing by Andy Simpkins on bass and Bill Dowdy on drums! The group had their formula very firmly in place by the time of this session -- grooving in a nice mix of exotic standards and a few... read more

A wonderful mellow trio session from Bobby Timmons -- done with a spare, relaxed approach that's a nice contrast to the recordings he was making for Prestige around the same time -- but which still has the same deep, soulful approach to the piano that makes those records so great! Half a dozen... read more

An overlooked 70s session from Cal Tjader -- one that's definitely in the mellower mode of the spectrum, but in a way that's still plenty darn nice! The style here is part of Cal's move away from funkier work at the end of the decade -- almost a return to tradition, but not a tradition that Cal... read more

A groovy 60s session from vibist Cal Tjader -- and an excellent little Latin set, with a mixture of bossa nova and Latin jazz that goes way beyond the promise of the title! The great Clare Fischer arranged the set -- and if you know his work with Cal, you know that he's got a wonderful approach to... read more

After the huge success of Cal's hit "Soul Sauce" for Verve, Fantasy put together this greatest hits compilation based around the tune "Wachi Wara", which Cal had recorded for them previously, and which had the same basic sound and style as "Soul Sauce" (which uses the... read more

The crashing waves of the Pacific coast hardly seem like the serene setting you might want for the vibes of Cal Tjader -- but this album works surprisingly well, and offers up Cal's combo in a Monterey live date, before the jazz festival really got going strong! The group's one that matches his... read more

Cal records a set of lush mellow ballads, but the sound is surprisingly enjoyable and soulful, thanks to some great electric piano by Frank Strazzeri and electric guitar work by Eddie Duran -- both of whom give the session a very dope 70s vibe. Tracks include "A House Is Not A Home",... read more

Great live work from Cal Tjader -- one of a number of sets but at his home turf of the Blackhawk Nightclub in San Francisco! The album's nicely laidback, with tracks that stretch out a bit more than Tjader's studio work for Fantasy Records -- often hitting a slight Latin groove at times, but with... read more

The Funky Quarters must have been a hell of a place -- especially when Cal Tjader was bringing down the house with grooves this great! The record is one of Cal's best electric sides from the 70s -- and it boasts some amazing work on Fender Rhodes from Al Zulaica -- a player we only know from a... read more

Early Latin from the great Cal Tjader -- proof that he had a wonderful ear for this sort of a groove, even when he was just getting started! The album's a killer batch of jazzy mambos all the way through -- served up with hard-edged vibes from Cal, all nicely chromatic in tone -- plus rhythm from... read more

Very groovy! This is one of Cal's great Verve sides from the 60's! As with most of Cal's best, the grooves are a mix of jazz vibes and Latin rhythms -- and the whole session's arranged by Oliver Nelson with impeccable skill. Players include Chick Corea, Atilla Zoller, Richard Davis -- and a host... read more

A classic performance by one of the most groundbreaking soul jazz groups of the 70s! Tolliver's leading his Music Inc ensemble here -- an important quartet that featured him on trumpet, Stanley Cowell on piano, Cecil McBee on bass, and Jimmy Hopps on drums. During their time recording for the... read more

A seminal bit of west coast cool jazz from the mid 50s -- a session led by Cy Touff, a lesser-remembered player from the LA scene, and an instrumentalist who used a bass trumpet! Cy's working here in the company of a host of more familiar names -- including Richie Kamuca, Russ Freeman, Johnny... read more

An excellent set from the contemporary Italian scene -- one that's steeped in older jazz and modal influences from the 60s and 70s! The album's a great Paolo Scotti production, with the same all-classic feel as his other work on DejaVu -- kind of a return to the greatness of the Italian jazz... read more

An excellent collection of rare material by this fantastic modernist piano player! The record compiles rare recordings from the years 1951 to 1966, including a few excellent solo recordings that stand as essential gems from his underrecorded career. Titles include "Ju Ju", "Pastime&... read more

Excellent double LP set that brings together all of the material from Lennie's classic Atlantic LPs -- Lennie Tristano and The New Tristano. The recordings are stellar stuff -- of the sort that rewrote the book for modern jazz piano. The first LP has Lennie playing with Lee Konitz on classics... read more

The first album from guitarist John Tropea -- ace 70s session guitarist, but a surprisingly great leader and arranger in his own right too! Tropea's working here in a vibe that's clearly influence by the CTI sound -- smooth but funky fusion -- laid down in prime studio conditions, but still nicely... read more