Jazz — All Formats  

One of the greatest records ever by this hip jazz ensemble – and one of their most unique! The record has the band grooving hard through two incredible suites of Latin music – Gary McFarland's "Latin Kaleidoscope" and Francy Boland's "Cuban Fever" – each of which takes up a side of the record, both driving the band to new solo heights with a very hip edge! Players include the usual cream of the crop of European jazz residents – like Sahib Shihab, Dusko Goykovich, Jimmy Deuchar, Phil Woods, Tony Coe, and Benny Bailey – and the tracks include "Uno Graso De Areia", "A Rosa Negra", "Olhos Negros", "Cara Bruja", and "Fiebre Cuban". Wonderful all the way through – and always a treasure! One of the shining jewels in the crown of MPS – and a Gilles P classic all the way through!

One of the greatest records ever by this hip jazz ensemble – and one of their most unique! The record has the band grooving hard through two incredible suites of Latin music – Gary McFarland's "Latin Kaleidoscope" and Francy Boland's "Cuban Fever" – each of which takes up a side of the record, both driving the band to new solo heights with a very hip edge! Players include the usual cream of the crop of European jazz residents – like Sahib Shihab, Dusko Goykovich, Jimmy Deuchar, Phil Woods, Tony Coe, and Benny Bailey – and the tracks include "Uno Graso De Areia", "A Rosa Negra", "Olhos Negros", "Cara Bruja", and "Fiebre Cuban". Wonderful all the way through – and always a treasure! One of the shining jewels in the crown of MPS – and a Gilles P classic all the way through!

Some of the rarest work ever by Sonny Criss – and a key link between his LA bop sides of the mid 50s, and his Prestige comeback sides of the late 60s! The CD features tracks from a rare album that Criss cut in Paris during the early 60s, while he was living in the city and working with the cream of its jazz players. This all-star set has Criss blowing some wonderfully soulful alto in a combo that includes Georges Arvanitas on organ and piano, Rene Thomas on guitar, Pierre Michelot on bass, and Philippe Combelle on drums. The original album is one of the rarest sides we've ever found ourselves looking for over the years – and it's wonderful to have the material back out again with such great fidelity! It's wonderful to hear Criss blowing with an organ/guitar group – but even the piano tracks are pretty darn great. Titles include "Early & Later (parts 1 & 2)", "St Louis Blues", "Once In a While", "Green Dolphin Street", and "Day Dream".

Killer CTI work from Joe Farrell – with grooves so sharp you could cut your trousers on them! Farrell's angular reed style is in perfect form here – grooving with a small group that includes Herbie Hancock on piano, Joe Beck on guitar, Steve Gadd on drums, and Don Alias on percussion – a combo that's got a harder, tighter feel than most CTI groups – a key reason why Joe's records of this time are so legendary! The album features a fantastic version of Stevie Wonder's "Too High" – one that breaks all over the beginning with these riffs by Farrell, then grooves into a CTI electric funk mode for about 13 minutes. All tracks are long – and other tracks include "Hurricane Jane", "Geo Blue", "Penny Arcade", and "Cloud Cream".

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 an older big band mode, and infuse it with youthful energy – bringing in modern horn passages, unusual rhythms, and often a rock-based approach to the tunes that makes for some freshly grooving numbers. On both albums, Gibbs is working with the cream of the crop of the Brit crossover scene – and soloists include Chris Spedding on guitar, Kenny Wheeler on trumpet, John Surman on saxes, Frank Ricotti on vibes, and Gordon Beck on electric piano. The tunes are all originals, which adds to the fresh and free-thinking nature of the set – and titles include "Feelings & Things", "Sweet Rain", "Throb", "Nowhere", "Tanglewood 63", "Canticle", "Five For England", and "Sojurn".

One of THE key records in the Konitz school – a full length Prestige album that brings together important material from sessions originally issued on 10" LPs! The lineup here is virtually the Konitz school – with shifting lineups that include Billy Bauer on guitar, Lenny Tristano or Sal Mosca on piano, and Warne Marsh on tenor – all working as airily and fluidly as Konitz himself! How Lee managed to achieve such unity with his groups here will forever be a mystery to us – as will the freshness of the work at the end of the 40s, especially given that it's still arguably more "modern" than much of the jazz it inspired in years to come! Titles include "Progression", "Subconscious-Lee", "Rebecca", "Sound-Lee", "Fishin Around", "Palo Alto", "Ice Cream Konitz", "You Go To My Head", and "Tautology".

Two different slices of this powerful group from reedman Dave Rempis – one live performance from Milwaukee, the other from Antwerp – each taking up a CD each! The group gets their percussive name from the dual drums of Tim Daisy and Frank Rosaly – players who bring a real intensity to the music at some moments, yet lie back and have very individual, subtle spirits at other points – often to let Rempis express some amazing tones and textures on alto, tenor, or baritone sax – given great shape and inspiration by Ingebrigt Haker Flaten on bass. All the tracks are long, and very improvised – and titles include "Algonquins", "Cream City Stomp", "Anti Goons", and "Croatalus Adamantooths".

An odd pairing of musicians – but a classic album of piano jazz from the 50s, and some of the more obscure sides by both players! Barbara Carroll works here in a really lovely way that retains the fluidity of her 50s work on RCA, but which also has a slightly rougher edge – a mode that's got some nicely boozy undercurrents, yet still the sort of poise and grace that made Carroll one of the best female pianists of the time. Joe Shulman is on bass and Herb Wasserman is on drums – and titles include "Taking A Chance On Love", "Love Of My Life", "Autumn In New York", "Tis Autumn", and "The Lady's In Love With You". Mary Lou Williams works here in a bit of a comeback mode – some of her first American recordings in a number of years, with Carl Pruitt on bass and Bill Clark on drums. Titles inlcude "Opus Z", "S' Wonderful", "In The Purple Grotto", "From This Moment On", and "You're The Cream In My Coffee".

One of Gerald Wilson's hippest albums for World Pacific – and all of them are pretty darn hip! This set is one of Gerald's last for the label – cut in a run of very successful, and very strong big band soul jazz albums that brought together the cream of the crop of the LA underground. Like the other sets, this one's got a great lineup – with players that include Anthony Ortega, Hadley Caliman, Harold Land, Ernie Watts, and Bobby Hutcherson – but the real strength of the album lies with Groove Holmes, who cuts some pretty fantastic solos on the album's best tracks – bubbling his Hammond through the larger arrangements with the space and expression that Wilson allowed his individual players on these sessions. Titles include great versions of "Aquarius" and Coltrane's "Equinox" – plus the original tunes "Celestial Soul", "Scorpio Rising", "Pisces", and "Bluesnee".

An explosion of music from the legendary ESP Records label – a 50th Anniversary tribute to all the genius that made the imprint so wonderful back in the day – and easily one of the most important jazz labels in America! The set here focuses heavily on ESP's contribution to avant jazz – and the tracks feature the cream of the crop of the east coast scene at the time – particularly the groundbreaking New York players who were running forward with the experiments of the "new thing" generation, and starting to forge the first space for free jazz in the US! Titles include "Burn Baby Burn" by Norman Howard, "No 6" by New York Art Quartet, "The Lady" by Frank Wright, "Cocktail Piece" by Don Cherry, "Metamorphosis" by Sonny Simmons, "Other Worlds" by Sun Ra, and "Batterie" by Paul Bley.

The cream of modern jazz in Germany during the postwar years – the kind of amazing music that never made it over to our side of the Atlantic, but which was really marking some great jazz development on the European scene of the time! As Germany picked itself up from the ashes of the war, it also experienced an amazing cultural rebirth – in film, literature, and especially music – music like this, which bursts forth with a freshness and urgency that still sounds as creatively compelling here in the 21st Century as it did back at the end of the 50s! The vibe is very much a precursor to better-known sounds from the Saba/MPS scene, and many of these artists later recorded for that label too – but here, the work is nicely early, and pretty darn great – a selection of titles that includes "Domicile" by Joki Freund & Albert Mangelsdorff, "Minority" by Michael Naura, "Lover Man" by Inge Brandenberg, "Night Bounce" by Attila Zoller, "Ease It" by Albert Mangelsdorff, "Madam B" by Die Deutschen All Stars, "Mike's Blues" by Michael Naura, and "Meeting At The Barberina" by Horst Jankowski & Rolf Kuhn.

An astounding collection of Japanese jazz from the end of the 60s – some of the hippest, most vibrant music in the Tokyo scene – and some of the most far-reaching too! The tracks here rival the best Impulse or ESP Records work of the time – really stretching out to find a new voice in jazz – using all the new freedoms of the time to craft tremendously creative solos – yet often still finding a way to make things swing, too! Each track is very long – and the players represent the cream of the crop of the Japanese underground at the time – including some players caught right at the start of very rich careers. Titles include "Mijimasu" by the trio of pianist Masahiko Sato with tenorist Akira Miyazawa, "Mina's Second Theme" by the trio of pianist Yosuke Yamashita, "My Favorite Things" by the quartet of tenorist Akira Nishimura, "On Green Dolphin Street" by tenorist Hidehiko Matsumoto, "Hey Jude" by pianist Takehiro Honda, "Passion Dance" by altoist Kosuke Mine, "Memphis Underground" by drummer Takeshi Inmata, and a long jam session track with Fumio Nanri on trumpet, Junko Mizuno on clarinet, Yuzuru Sera on piano, and George Kawaguchi on drums.

Killer CTI work from Joe Farrell – with grooves so sharp you could cut your trousers on them! Farrell's angular reed style is in perfect form here – grooving with a small group that includes Herbie Hancock on piano, Joe Beck on guitar, Steve Gadd on drums, and Don Alias on percussion – a combo that's got a harder, tighter feel than most CTI groups – a key reason why Joe's records of this time are so legendary! The album features a fantastic version of Stevie Wonder's "Too High" – one that breaks all over the beginning with these riffs by Farrell, then grooves into a CTI electric funk mode for about 13 minutes. All tracks are long – and other tracks include "Hurricane Jane", "Geo Blue", "Penny Arcade", and "Cloud Cream".

Killer CTI work from Joe Farrell – with grooves so sharp you could cut your trousers on them! Farrell's angular reed style is in perfect form here – grooving with a small group that includes Herbie Hancock on piano, Joe Beck on guitar, Steve Gadd on drums, and Don Alias on percussion – a combo that's got a harder, tighter feel than most CTI groups – a key reason why Joe's records of this time are so legendary! The album features a fantastic version of Stevie Wonder's "Too High" – one that breaks all over the beginning with these riffs by Farrell, then grooves into a CTI electric funk mode for about 13 minutes. All tracks are long – and other tracks include "Hurricane Jane", "Geo Blue", "Penny Arcade", and "Cloud Cream".

Back to back jazz soundtracks – the cream of the crop of the early 60s! First up is The Hustler – a killer jazz score from Kenyon Hopkins – a composer we can almost always trust to turn around a killer jass score! The work is mostly in a jazz ensemble mode – and moves between swinging segments, and sadder ones – those beautifully blue passages that Hopkins did so well in the early 60s – full of emotion, but in a really subtle, mature sort of way that also marked a shift in American cinema too – quite a change from the overblown emotion of a decade before, both in the music and on screen. Players include Phil Woods, Jerome Richardson, and Phil Bodner on reeds; Joe Wilder on trumpet, Jimmy Cleveland on trombone, Hank Jones on piano, and Barry Galbraith on guitar – and titles include "Derby Time", "Dining Out", "Fast Buck", "Small Time Charlie", "The Loser", and "Minnesota Fats". Paris Blues is a moody introspective score, written for a 1961 film that starred Paul Newman as a frustrated jazz musician living in Paris. The "Paris Blues" theme is a dark, somber composition that is supposedly Newman's masterpiece as a jazz writer – and it works beautifully with the film's themes of frustration and unfulfilled desire. Ellington's at his best here, and apart from the main theme, the score also has great versions of classics like "Mood Indigo" and "Take The A Train", plus originals like "Nite", "Wild Man Moore", "Guitar Amour", and "Paris Stairs". Also features Louis Armstrong on one track! CD also features 7 more tracks from The Long Hot Summer – a more traditional score penned by Alex North, and featuring a title song by Jimmie Rodgers.

Classic Art Pepper material, recorded in one of his comeback periods, and featuring the famous Richard Claxton photo of Art Holding his horn next to a tree. There's several different lineups featured, with a coupl of quintet and quartet sides, and a few with larger horn section, and the sidemen are the cream of the West coast jazz crop, including Bud Shank, Chet Baker, Curtis Counce, Leroy Vinnegar, Mel Lewis, Stan Levey and Lawrence Marable. 9 numbers in all, with rousing takes on standards like "What Is This Thing Called Love" and "A Foggy Day" and Pepper originals "Diane A Flow", "Zenobia", and "Powder Puff".

Later work from trombonist Albert Wynn – sides cut after a 33 year absence from the recording studio – as part of the excellent Chicago Living Legends series on Riverside! The work has a tight trad jazz feel – but with a bit more space than you might find for solo expression in some of Wynn's earlier, shorter sides – and players include Bill Martin on trumpet (and a bit of vocals), Darnell Howard on clarinet, and either Blind John Davis or Bus Moten on piano. Titles include "Bourbon Street", "How Long Blues", "Ice Cream", "Nobody's Sweetheart", and "In The Evening". CD also features 2 bonus tracks "How Long Blues (alt)" and "I Ain't Gonna Give Nobody Non O This Jelly Roll".

Incredible stuff from the jazz underground of Newark! This is one of the rarest albums ever recorded by jazz organist Larry Young – cut for the tiny Perception label during the early 70s, and featuring some of the cream of the New Jersey jazz underground. The album's got playing that bridges a number of Young's different styles – from his straighter soul jazz work at Blue Note, to his harder jamming with Santana and John McLaughlin, to his more fusion oriented albums for Arista. James Blood Ulmer's on guitar, but there's also a large ensemble of excellent players, and lots of other percussion and cool instrumentation that really gives the album an "out there" sound! Titles include "Sunshine Fly Away", "Saudia", "Hello Your Quietness", and "Khalid Of Space".

An amazing collection of work from the legendary Graham Bond – a 60s Hammond player who was incredibly important to the London scene during the best mod years of the decade! Bond was way more than just a jazz musician – and like George Fame, Zoot Money, and a few of his other contemporaries – he had a way of mixing together jazz and soul with a strong touch of blues – almost a new British version of soul jazz, similar to the way that some of the bigger English rock groups were drawing from American R&B! Graham sings on most tracks – with these raspy vocals that are incredibly charming, and downright soulful – and in addition to his own work on organ, instrumentation features lots of pre-Cream work from Ginger Baker on drums and Jack Bruce on bass – plus plenty of tenor from Dick Heckstall-Smith too. If you dig the mod work of Georgie Fame, you'll find plenty to love here too – but Bond also really helps point the way towards more progressive jazz-rock experiments of the future – although this set features mostly tracks from 1966 and before, without any of Graham's later trippier music. The 4CD package is the best collection we've ever seen of Bond's music from these years – and includes rare singles, unreleased cuts, and even some side projects with Ernest Ranglin and Duffy Power too. 98 tracks in all, with a great booklet as well – and titles that include "Cabbage Greens", "Harmonica", "Early In The Morning", "Tammy", "Honey Bee", "Long Tall Shorty", "Soul Tango", "Down In The Valley", "Waltz For A Pig", "Like A Baby", "Please Don't Say", "Walking In The Park", "Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf", "Dick's Instrumental", and lots lots more.

Bobby Hutcherson breaks it down in two different ways – solo on the first half of the record, and in a quartet on the rest! The set begins in a very spare way – Bobby playing vibes, marimba, xylophone, and bells – often a bit overdubbed, so that although alone, Hutcherson fills the tracks with a rich palette of sound – glowingly rhythmic lines that ring out with plenty of soul, and showcase a really under-tapped side of Bobby's talents! Remaining tracks are equally great, but in a totally different way – played by a righteous lineup that includes McCoy Tyner on piano, Herbie Lewis on bass, and Billy Higgins on drums – really working together beautifully in ways that make the album feel like a lost 70s soul jazz set. Forget Hutcherson's slick look on the cover – because this album's drenched in open, honest, acoustic feeling – a rich tapestry of sound and emotion, on tracks that include "Gotcha", "The Ice Cream Man", "For You Mom & Dad", "Messina", "My Foolish Heart", and "La Alhambra".

A really wonderful record from Yusef Lateef – one that almost sounds like a lost indie spiritual jazz set from the 70s – of the sort that Lateef hardly would have cut at the time! The session is solo, with some overdubs – a really beautiful mix of Lateef's work on tenor, piano, and flute with some spoken/sung passages based around stories he wrote back in the 70s – delivered with a really warm, intimate sort of style – one that reminds that, after all these years, Lateef is still one of the most righteous cats in jazz music! The whole thing's a real revelation – of the sort that's got us going back to track down other indie sides by Lateef in recent years – although we'll bet that none are as great as this one. Title sinclude "Roots Run Deep", "Cream Puff", "Where Is Lester", "Goodbye", "Motherless Child", and "Interior Monologue".

A near-perfect album from the great John Surman – recorded at the crossroads of the British jazz scene as it stepped into the 70s, and done with a fullness and focus that Surman hardly matched again! As with some of the other Deram sessions of the time, the album's overflowing with great players from the cream of the British new wave of jazz – including Barre Phillips on bass, Tony Oxley on drums, Alan Skidmore on tenor, Harry Beckett on trumpet, and John Taylor on piano – but despite strong work from the entire ensemble, Surman's work on baritone, soprano, and bass clarinet are a tremendous highlight here – poised between some of Eric Dolphy's most inventive modes on the instruments, and some of the greater changes to come in the European free scene of the 70s! There's a cohesiveness here that's really wonderful – a sound that's never too free, nor too overindulgent – but also not as tightly arranged as on work by some of Surman's contemporaries. Titles include "Caractacus", "Galata Bridge", "Premonition", and the long suite "Event".

A seminal set from Eric Dolphy – one of his most perfectly realized moments at the head of a larger ensemble – and a record that definitely set the tone for countless spiritual jazz sessions of the 70s! Dolphy recorded this session for Alan Douglas in 1962, and it features a larger array of players than you'll find on most of his records for other labels – the cream of the "new thing" players that were around New York at the time, including Bobby Hutcherson on vibes, Woody Shaw on trumpet, Prince Lasha on flute, Sonny Simmons on alto, and even Clifford Jordan on soprano sax – making a rare appearance on record on that instrument! Together, the players create a set of soundscapes that lies somewhere between Dolphy's Out To Lunch album, and some of the more modernist work by Mingus – a stunning batch of tracks that go out, but never too far. Titles include "Ode to CP", "Burning Spear", "Iron Man", and "Mandrake".

Later work from trombonist Albert Wynn – sides cut after a 33 year absence from the recording studio – as part of the excellent Chicago Living Legends series on Riverside! The work has a tight trad jazz feel – but with a bit more space than you might find for solo expression in some of Wynn's earlier, shorter sides – and players include Bill Martin on trumpet (and a bit of vocals), Darnell Howard on clarinet, and either Blind John Davis or Bus Moten on piano. Titles include "Bourbon Street", "How Long Blues", "Ice Cream", "Nobody's Sweetheart", and "In The Evening".

Spare improvisations from Chicago saxophonist David Boykin – recorded as a duet with butoh artist Nicole Legette, who also seems to be vocalizing a bit on the record! The album's easily one of the most challenging that Boykin's ever given us – quite open, and very expressive – sometimes concerned strongly with low tones on the saxophone, while at others screaming out with almost voice-like qualities. There's a feel here that's almost like some of Roscoe Mitchell's best solo work from years back – and the 27 minute CD features 11 smaller excerpts that are all pretty wonderful!

Although the cover of the record includes a picture of Eddie's wife, Dinah Washington, and the "Friend" in the title would seem to imply that she's on the album, the set's really just a bunch of hard jazz cuts that showcase Eddie's screaming tenor sax, and which don't include Dinah's vocals. Not that that's a problem, though, because the record's a great one, and it's a good peek at player who was one of the biggest in Chicago during the 50's, and who had a loud hard R&B sound, in a mode that was similar to other Chicago players, such as Gene Ammons and Red Prysock. The record's got a number of originals by Chamblee, plus a few tracks written by Julian Priester and Dinah Washington (but did she really write them?). Titles include "Back Street", "Strollin Sax", "Village Square", and "Swing A Little Taste".

Don't pass this one up! Although lots of other albums by Eddie Lockjaw Davis are laidback quartet and quintet sessions, done in a soul jazz organ/tenor mode – this session features Eddie working with stunning bigger band backings, in a searingly soulful sound that's simply incredible! The leadoff track, "Trane Whistle", has Lockjaw really working new waves of sound into his tenor sax – screaming the horn in a way that you thought you'd never hear, and playing with tones that are a lot darker than usual! The set moves on from there in a nice batch of material that includes "Whole Nelson" and "Stolen Moments", two fantastic originals by Oliver Nelson, who also arranged the album – and takes a great deal of responsibility for the strength of the set. The record shows a whole new side of Davis' talents – one that was barely if ever recorded like this again – and which is made even better by the presence of freshly modern players that include Eric Dolphy, Richard Williams, Melba Liston, and Roy Haynes. Great stuff!

Brilliant work from a guy who gets our vote as one of the best young saxophone talents working today! Jonas Kullhammar's a hell of a great player – one who can be free one minute, focused the next – always working with a long-range creative vision in his solos – of the sort we might expect to hear from Sonny Rollins or Tubby Hayes in their best years! This album shows us a newly sensitive side of Kullhammar's talents – a slightly warmer feel in his music, although never one that's commercial or "easy" in any sort of way – because the overall construction of the songs is really complex and varied, in ways that have Jonas reaching for new territory, yet all without trying to blow his head off just to impress. That balance is key to the success of the record – as is the group that works with him on the album, the great Torbjorn Gulz on piano, Torbjorn Zetterberg on bass, and Jonas Holgersson on drums. Titles include "October Is A Long Time Too", "Rat Beat", "Morsan A Farsan", "Bristol Scream", and "Blau".

A pair of very unusual albums – back to back on a single CD! The set's a bit out of order – and actually starts with Panic, the sequel to Creed Taylor's previous album for ABC, and like that one, a very weird mix of jazzy backings, odd sound effects, and cool production techniques! The record begins with a familiar core – jazzy instrumentals, of the sort that Taylor was already producing for other artists, and would go on to do even more famously for Verve. But here, the music's really played with too – changed up in the middle of a song, as the rhythms get weird, sound effects come in, and the whole thing gets turned into a batch of spooky little scenes that more than live up to the title of the record – and the titles of the songs, which include "Alpine Honeymoon", "Wreck Of Old 97", "A Shot In The Dark", "The Fastest Gun", "No Smoking", "The Operation", and "The Prison Break". Shock is very cool work from Creed Taylor – material cut when he was still a bandleader, and hadn't yet evolved into the role of super-producer! The session's a long way from the CTI sound of the 70s – and instead has Creed playing some very spooky stuff – compositions by Kenyon Hopkins that have a horror sort of theme – dark little tunes that would be a perfect soundtrack for a haunted house! The core instrumentation is jazz-based, but augmented with some great other touches as well – and there's two female voices that scream, groan, and make other odd noises on the record from time to time. Titles include "The Long Walk", "Jungle Fever", "Heartbeat", "Haunted House", "In Bedlam", "Time Runs Out", and "The Secret".

A Texas tenor takes on one of Chicago's mightiest reedmen! Worth it for the presence of Freeman alone (only a handful of recordings exist of the man), this live date from '78 features Gator and Von fronting a heavy, heavy band with Carl Wilson, Yusef Ali, and Joe(as in "Boogaloo") Jones. Screamin' shouts and bluesy honks drive numbers like "Pow!" and "Troubled Times", while the 2 turn down the flame and burn slowly on ballads like "Shadow of Your Smile". The real highlight, though, is a great take on "The Man I Love", done club-style, using the track as a perfect platform for both players to riff in bop-heavy style!

One of the most outside sets we've heard from Rob Mazurek in years – a combination of his own cornet and work on ring modulator – creating a blend of jazz and electronics that's really mindblowing! Mazurek's not alone in his creative expressions – as he's joined here by a group group of players that mixes musicians from Rob's Chicago and Brazilian scenes – including Nicole Mitchell on flute and piccolo, Jason Adasiewicz on vibes, Mauricio Takara on cavaquinho, Guilherme Granado on keyboards and electronics, Thomas Rohrer on rabeca and C melody sax, Carlos Issa on guitar, and John Herndon on drums – a really unique lineup that lives up to all their promise with the rich sounds on the set. Most tracks are quite long – and titles include "Galactic Ice Skeleton", "Skull Caves Of Alderon", "Keeping The Light Up", "Passing Light Screams", and "Voodoo & The Petrified Forest".

A great little Sonny Stitt album – very different than any of his other sets from the 60s! The album has a number of interesting aspects – from hard-wailing organ by Wilmer Mosby (who we think is Don Patterson under a fake name), to some screaming guest work by Rufus Harley and Robin Kenyatta. Sonny and Kenyatta sound especially great together, and on the track "In The Bag" Stitt's alto blends right in with Kenyattas, for an hard-wailing sound that's enough to shatter your windows, glasses, and contact lenses. Harley's work is equally great on the cut "Pipin The Blues", and with Sitt playing the sax parts, Rufus is free to really work those jazz bagpipes! Other tracks include "Deuces Wild", "Blues Ahead", and "Sittin In With Stitt".

A great groover by Reuben Wilson – and one of his best albums ever! The funky organist really takes off from the sound of his earlier Blue Note albums here – hitting a vibe that's sharper, darker, and plenty darn righteous – still small combo jazz funk, but with a depth that we wouldn't have expected a few years before! The group's a great one – with Ramon Morris laying down some great lines on tenor sax, plus Bill Hardman on trumpet, Lloyd Davis on guitar, Mickey Bass on bass, and Thomas Derrick on tightly funky drums. The album features Reuben's amazing cover of "Inner City Blues" – which has a great jagged groove that was sampled years back by Tribe Called Quest – and it also includes the groovy cut "Creampuff", plus "Never Can Say Goodbye", "Sugar", "I'll Take You There", and "The Sweet Life".

No honking here, as Sil Austin takes his deeply soulful tenor sax, and turns it to a set of creamy late-nite tracks – all done over some very "pretty" backings, ala the Verve strings work of Ben Webster or Lester Young. Most cuts have voices in with the orchestrations – and titles include "I'll Walk Alone", "Call me", "Ruby", "My Mother's Eyes", "Stardust", "Prisoner Of Love", and "Sweet Slumber".

Funky funky Maynard – and a sweet set of electric big band jazz that's got plenty of nice moments! The album features a core rhythm group that really goes to town – jamming in sort of a Clarke-Boland sort of way, with lots of propulsive changes that create a full-on and often funky groove – as Maynard and other horns blow like mad over the top, sending the album into screaming, soaring grooves that almost never let up. The record was Maynard's first US effort in a long time – and was produced by Teo Macero with a very electric-conscious sound that further enforced the hipness of the music! Titles include "Pochahontas", "Awright Awright", "Nice N Juicy", "SOMF", and "Mother Fingers".

A lost jazz-funk gem – originally recorded at Club Mozambique in Detroit in 1970, but not issued by Blue Note until the mid 90s! The set's right up there with Lonnie's classic Move Your Hand live set – as the tracks are long, free, and very funky, performed by a hip group that includes Joe Dukes on drums, Dave Hubbard on tenor, Ronnie Cuber on baritone, and George Benson on guitar. Lonnie's organ is harder than you'll ever hear it in later years – and tracks include "Scream", "Expressions", "I Can't Stand It", "Peace Of Mind", "Love Bowl", and "Play It Back".

As if the screaming title didn't tell you enough, the album features Shank's Brazilian sides – apparently culled from his Pacific Jazz recordings from the 50s and 60s, featuring players that range from Laurindo Almeida to Chet Baker to Joe Pass, Clare Fischer, and Joao Donato. Bud's always at his best in these moments – and heck, some say he even invented the format! Titles include "If I Should Lose You", "Carioca Hills", "Summer Samba", "Elizete", "Nocturno", "Sausalito", "Otem A Note", and "Samba Do Aviao".

Crisply-tailored, yet soulful and groovy mod jazz from the 60s – a slew of great numbers by Byrdie Green, Johnny Lytle, Mark Murphy, Reuben Wilson, The Nightbeats, The Cals, Billy Larkin, Johnny Hammond Smith, Byrdie Smith and more! Lots of great stuff here, from names synonymous to moddish jazz and others that nicely fit that mold for a bit – cats like Buddy Guy, for instance. A sweet, sweet set from the passionate compilers at Kent UK! Includes "The Real Thing" by Troy Dodds, "Finders Keepers" by Floyd White, "Rod Run" by The Reuben Wilson Quartet, "Talkin' About Love" by Tobi Lark, "Screamin'" by Jack McDuff, "Double Love" by The Cals, "Tricky Too" by Gus Jenkins, "Fever" by Buddy Guy, "Work Song" by Clint Stacy, "My Beat" by George Stone, " It's Like Love" by Mark Murphy, "The Village Caller" by The Johnny Lytle Trio and more.

A killer organ trio record from the south side of Chicago! Lloyd Wallace is a screamin organist in a mode that's right in the style you'd hear in some tiny lounge in the city – and he's playing here with Billy Mitchell, the drummer who cut an album on Calla, and Larry Frazier, Jimmy McGriff's guitarist on a number of Sue LPs. The groove's pretty hard and rolling on most tracks – and the record's got a lot of nifty little cuts like "Stop", "My First Thought", "LBL", "Mary", "LGM", and "Alberta".