Andrew Simpkins on bass, Melissa Hasin on cello, Mel Brown on drums, Carol Robbins on harp, Ray Armando on percussion, Art Hillery on piano, Michael White on stroh violin, Maurice Spears & Thurman Green on trombone, Frank Szabo, James B. Smith & Oscar Brashear on trumpet, Dan Weinstein on viola & Brenton Banks & Mark Cargill on violin. CD

Three later live sets from Dizzy Gillespie – all in a single package! Sesjun Radio Shows 1 is great, and if you like Dizzy Gillespie as much as us, you'll know that he kept on getting better and better as the years went on – continuing to evolve as a musician, into territory that's always very different than what he was giving the world a few years before! That's definitely the case here, on two live performances done for Dutch Radio in the late 70s – both of which feature a guitar as the key partner – with Rodney Jones on the first half, Ed Cherry on the second, and bass from Benjamin Brown and drums from the great Mickey Roker. Tracks are long, and open up in this really wonderful way – and the group is joined by percussionist Sheyvonne Wright on the second half, who also sings a bit too. There's a quality here that's much more in the best 70s work on the Muse label than you might expect – and titles include "Barcelona", "Diddy Wah Diddy", "Toccata", "The Truth", "Night In Tunisia", "Manha De Carnaval", and Round Midnight". Sesjun Radio Shows 2 is further proof that the genius of Dizzy Gillespie knows no bounds, even in later years – as these two different radio performances feature Diz with very unique saxophonists – both of whom really transform the sound of the group! The first half of the set has Gillespie on trumpet with a young Paquito D'Rivera on soprano and alto sax – a young player really coming into his own here, in an unusual group that also features Canadian guitarist Ed Cherry, bassist Michael Howell, and drummer Ignacio Berroa – on titles that include the funky "Unicorn", plus "All The Things You Are" and "Cripple Crapple Crutch". The second half will be even more surprising to fans of avant jazz – as the legendary Sam Rivers joins the group on tenor and soprano sax – blowing straighter than on his free improv records, but definitely adding an edge! The rest of the group features Cherry and Berroa, with John Lee in on bass for Howell – and titles include "Tanga", "Manteca", and "Birk's Works". Concert Of The Century is a record with a title that's a hell of a claim to make – but it's also a hell of a concert, too – one that features Dizzy Gillespie blowing with an all-star small group lineup – in really stretched-out takes on the tunes, at a level that rivals his best 70s material on the Pablo label! In addition to Gillespie on trumpet, players also include Milt Jackson on vibes, James Moody on tenor and flute, Hank Jones on piano, Ray Brown on bass, and Philly Joe Jones on drums – all working together as seamlessly as you'd expect! Titles include "Darben The Redd Foxx", "The Shadow Of Your Smile", "Get Happy", "Blues N Boogie", "If I Should Lose You", and "Bass Solo/Manha De Carnaval/Work Song". CD

You know, we can remember a time when Michael Cuscuna used to say that Grant Green's late sessions for Blue Note were just a bunch of throwaway funk records. Now, though, the label seems to be doing everything it can to get behind Green's late 60s/early 70s jazz output – and this compilation of rare breakbeat tracks is total proof of that! The set's got 6 funky guitar groovers, including Grant's version of James Brown's "Ain't It Funky Now", plus "The Final Comedown", "Ease Back", "Sookie Sookie", and "Cataloupe Woman". CD

That's the legendary Horace Tapscott at the piano on the cover, and he's doing a fantastic job here, working with this equally legendary set of musicians from the LA scene of the 70s – as they stretch out in a tremendous performance that appears here for the first time ever! Tapscott was always at his most spiritual when working with the Pan Afrikan People's Arkestra – and the long tracks here are filled with the kind of energy you might hear from the Strata East scene on the east coast, but with some slightly sharper edges at times – served up by a lineup that includes Jesse Sharps on soprano, Sabir Mateen and James Andrews on tenors, Michael Session on alto, Kafi Roberts on flute, David Bryant and Alan Hines on basses, and Everett Brown on drums. As you can imagine with the reed setup like that, the album's full of rich colors and tones, then gives way to very strong individual moments of expression – and the set also features a bit of spoken word from Kamau Daaood as well. Titles include a version of the Stanley Cowell tune "Departure", plus "Macrame", "Dial B For Barbara", "Mykowski's First Fifth", and "Lift Every Voice". CD

One of the hippest sets that Duke Pearson ever recorded – and an all-out Blue Note soul jazz set that's even better than Pearson's classic Sweet Honey Bee! Duke's style is deeper and more farther-reaching here – with echoes of styles used at the time by Hank Mobley and Lee Morgan – carried off with some of the more tightly-arranged modes used by Pearson on his backdrops for other players at the time. The group here includes James Spaulding on alto, Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, Jerry Dodgion on alto and flute, Stanley Turrentine on tenor, Garnett Brown on trombone, and rhythm by Gene Taylor on bass and Grady Tate on drums. Tracks have a strong overall focus on the groove – rolling around in that rollicking mid 60s Blue Note style that Pearson helped establish as the label's trademark at the time – but titles are also touched with some of Duke's lighter lyricism, especially on his own solos. Titles include "Make It Good", "Chili Peppers", "Rotary", "Los Malos Hombres", and "Scrap Iron". CD features a bonus alternate of "Los Malos Hombres". CD

With a mixture of US jazz and Brazilian players – including Dave Grusin, Bob James, Joao Bosco, Carlinhos Brown, and Caetano Veloso! Titles include "Night Rhythms", "Latin Lovers", "Rio Sol", "Humana", "Linda", and "New York/Brazil". CD

Leon Thomas takes his vocals to new heights – moving past the straight spiritual jazz modes of his work with Pharoah Sanders, to embrace a whole host of new styles too! There's a slight trace of the blues promised in the title, but always inflected through a more soulful approach overall – thanks to backings arranged by Pee Wee Ellis – known best for his work with the James Brown band of the late 60s! Pee Wee handles reed solos on the tunes, and the group also features some great work on keyboards from Neal Creque – from Pucho's band – plus some guitar from Cornell Dupree and Larry Coryell. Yet Thomas is clearly the main attraction – sounding beautifully expressive at that level that no other jazz singer could ever hope to touch – that genre-starting style that continues to amaze us after all these years. Titles include the classic "China Doll" – plus "Love Each Other", "Boom Boom Boom", "Gypsy Queen", and "Shape Your Mind To Die". (Vocalists, Jazz) CD

One of the most amazing jazz vocalists of our generation returns here with an incredible group – a majestic combo to match all the spiritual inclinations in his music – with work from Kamasi Washington on tenor, Mark De Clive-Lowe on piano, Miguel Atwood Ferguson on viola, and both Carlos Nino and Derf Reklaw on percussion! Dwight Trible on his own is already more than enough to get us to run out and buy a record – but here, the combination of his unique voice with these musicians makes for an album that's an instant masterpiece – and one that even has lots of new colors and styles compared to some of Dwight's previous work! Songs include numbers by older west coast spiritual jazz heavyweights – like Horace Tapscott, Linda Hill, Nate Morgan, James Leary, and Jesse Sharps – mixed with some of Trible's own songs, and versions of work by Carmen Lundy, Oscar Brown Jr, and Donny Hathaway. From top to bottom, start to stop, the album's a treasure – with tracks that include "It's All About Love", "Thank You Master", "Song For My Mother", "Brother Where Are You", "Some Other Time", "These Things You Are To Me", "Desert Fairy Princess", and "Mothership". (Vocalists, Jazz) CD

An assortment of jazz, blues, and gospel – with music from Tramaine Hawkins, Asante, Puff Johnson, Dionne Farris, Terence Blanchard, Blind Willie Johnson, Bessie Smith, Robert Johnson, Miles Davis, Major Lance, James Brown, and many others! (Soundtracks, Jazz) CD

Pianist David Matthews first got his start writing arrangements for the James Brown band of the late 60s – but over the years, he turned into a hell of a jazz arranger too – as you'll hear on this smoking large ensemble set from 1993! The record's got a special vibe right from the start – cascading tones and colors that are a wonderful change from the usual – and which seem to allow every single player in the group an individual voice, at the same time they're all coming together in unison. There's plenty of breakout solos, too – and players are a top-shelf lineup that includes Ryan Kisor and Lew Soloff on trumpets, George Young and Chris Hunter on saxes, Birch Johnson and Dave Taylor on trombones, and Matthews himself on piano. Titles include "Harry's Jump", "Four", "All Blues", and "Night In Tunisia". CD

With Yusef Ali, Joey Baron, Tyrone Brown, Richard Davis, Ralph Dorsey, Sherman Ferguson, Gil Goldstein, Eddie Green, Jabali Billy Hart, Billy Higgins, Marc Johnson, Bob Kenmotsu, Steve LaSpina, Jimmy Lewis, James Ridl, Bobby Rose, Bill Stewart, Ron Thomas and Carl Wilson, CD