Jazz — LPs  

With Bob Mover on alto, Steve Hall on tenor, and Charles Ellison on trumpet – on titles that inlcude "Serenata", "Everything I Love", "The Lion's Eyes", and "The Unveiling/Blues For Maya".

Sweet mid-60s sides from Ben Webster – recorded late in his career, but with that wonderful world-weary tone he was sporting at the time! The set features a few different groups – one a quartet with Kenny Drew on piano – another a larger group with Danish reedmen.

A great overseas date from trumpeter Bill Coleman, one that also features Ben Webster on tenor on most tracks, plus Jim Douglas on guitar and Fred Hunt on piano.

A killer session that matches the talents of American drum genius Philly Joe Jones with some of the leading lights in British jazz! The set was recorded in London in 1968, at that perfect moment when the Brit jazz scene was turning towards new ideas of modernism, but hadn't yet strayed too far from the tight swing that characterized most of its playing since the postwar years. Philly leads a group that includes Kenny Wheeler on trumpet, Chris Pyne on trombone, Pete King on alto, and Harold McNair on tenor and flute. King and McNair are some of our favorite players ever, rarely reissued on CD or LP – and the set gives them plenty of free reign to solo madly in a bop-heavy environment. Titles include "Gone Gone Gone", "Trailways Express", "Mo Joe", and "Ladybird".

One of the first great European statements from tenorist Dexter Gordon – a 1967 live recording that really lets Dexter stretch out, and show an even deeper side of his talents than on his 60s albums for Blue Note! The rhythm section here is rock solid – Kenny Drew on piano, Neils Henning Orsted Pedersen on bass, and Albert Tootie Heath on drums – a unit that still retains the sharpness of the Blue Note dates, but also has the energy to "go long" as Gordon pushes a few of the numbers on the set well past the ten minute mark. Gordon's solos are wonderfully imaginative and expressive – and titles include "Devilette", "For All We Know", "Doxy", and "Sonnymoon For Two". Material previously issued on LP under the title Montmartre Collection Vol 1.

Great overseas material – recorded early in Griffin's great run at the Cafe Montmartre – with Kenny Drew on piano, Neils Henning Orsted Pedersen on bass, and Albert Heath on drums. Titles include "Wee", "You Leave Me Breathless", "Leave Me Alone Blues", and "Old Folks".

A mindblower from Menagerie – yet another deep musical chapter in the rich career of Lance Ferguson – an artist we loved for his early club work, then dug as a funk maestro with The Bamboos, now able to hit spiritual jazz sounds with this wonderful new group! The set's got a feel that's more in the Build An Ark/Carlos Nino camp than anything else we've heard on the Tru Thoughts label – and Menagerie's a very cool ensemble with Ferguson on guitar, plus tenor, flute, trumpet, soprano sax, Fender Rhodes, and lots of percussion – and added vibes from Roy Ayers on one key track! Vocals are great – sung by Lance and female singers together, in a mode that recalls some of Ayers' more righteous moments of the 70s – and the album's a stunner all the way through – way deeper than we were expecting. Titles include "They Shall Inherit", "The Chosen", "Jamahlia", "Leroy & The Lion", "The Quietening", and "There Will Come Soft Rains".

Rare material from the 78rpm years of Decca – with work by singers who include Joe Turner, Peetie Wheatstraw, Rosetta Howard, and Cousin Joe – and musicians who include Art Tatum, Willie The Lion Smith, Sam Price, James P Johnson, Sidney Bechet, Buster Bailey, Milt Mezzrow, and others!

Includes tracks by Meade Lux Lewis, Pete Johnson, Mary Lou Williams, Willie The Lion Smith, and others.

An undisputed masterpiece by Lee Morgan – and one of the first records in which he shed his straight bop sensibility, and began evolving into a soulful genius for the 60s! The album's got 4 long tracks that all build beautifully – really extended numbers that break the format of some of Lee's earlier work, and hint a bit at some of the more complicated touches he'd use on later sessions. All players are great – and include fellow Jazz Messengers Bobby Timmons on piano and Art Blakey on drums, plus Jackie McLean on alto and Paul Chambers on bass. Titles include the sublime "These Are Soulful Days" – a perfect model of soulful lyricism – plus "Midtown Blues", "Nakatini Suite", and "The Lion & The Wolff".

Yipes! This one made everyone a bucket of money – especially Quincy Jones, whose new Qwest imprint the record was one of the first to grace. George has come a long way from his roots with Jack McDuff here – but in a way that kind of has us impressed, as he's grooving away slickly on guitar, laying down some smooth vocals that we never would have imagined from his mid 60s recordings. Includes the massive hit "Give Me The Night", a cover of "Moody's Mood", and the tracks "Star Of A Story (X)", "Midnight Love Affair", "What's On Your Mind", and "Dinorah, Dinorah". The sound of a million supermarkets and elevators during the 80s!

Post-Blue Note, and not nearly as funky as Lou's earlier work. Lou hits more of an R&B sax groove, and the production's pretty slick overall. The record's not terrible, and it has some appeal in kind of a 70s easy soul sax kind of way – but there's not the breaks and grooves you'd expect from Lou's other work. The record includes a nice cover of Minnie Riperton's "Lovin' You", and the Isley's "For The Love Of You" – plus the cuts "Keep Your Woman" and "Here's Lovin At You".

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 Carnaval" and "Samba De Orpheus". However, Guaraldi also managed to pen his own amazing track – "Cast Your Fate To The Wind" – a lyrical romping piano instrumental that went onto become a huge charting instrumental hit during the 60s. The track's been heard a million times over the years, but it's still pretty darn great – and it's surrounded in a nice set with other tunes that have the same feel – including "O Nosso Amour", "Alma-Ville", "Since I Fell For You", and "Moon River".

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. The group's a small all-star combo that features Roy Brown, Buddy Rich, and Oscar Peterson next to Hamp's vibes – and the set list includes long takes of "Midnight Sun", "That Old Black Magic", and "Blues For Norman".

The classic jazz vibes of Lionel Hampton meets the soulful arrangements of the Chicago Brunswick studios – and the result is a great batch of funky instrumentals that have a similar sound to some of the classic Cadet albums from the same time. Willie Henderson and Tom Tom Washington did the arrangements – and nearly every track's an original by Eugene Record. Titles include "Please Sunrise", "Soulful Autumn", "It Must Be Love", "I Did It", and "I Call It Trouble". Tasty stuff, and tight Chicago soul grooves!

A masterpiece – one of 2 crazy albums in which Woody Herman's late band meets the Cadet arrangements of Richard Evans. You might think the combination wouldn't work – Woody's big band flourishes meeting up with Evans' compressed soulful grooves – but gosh, the record is simply incredible, and it's one that we'd never part with in a million billion years! Worth it alone for the version of Edu Lobo's "Pontieo", but there's lots of other nice stuff – like "I Say A Little Prayer", "Hush", "Keep On Keepin On", and "Light My Fire".

An excellent batch of straight ahead funk from David Fathead Newman! The record's a return to basics after a few more overly-produced sessions – and it features a stripped down quintet with Bernard Purdie on durms, Erick Gale on guitars, Blue Mitchell on trumpet, and Steve Novosel on bass. The overall feel is a bit in the Kudu funky mode – with plenty of electricity in the instrumentation – but Newman's gutsy solos over the top keep the whole thing clean and simple, more in the style of some of the Mainstream small group sessions from the time. Titles include "Blue Caper", "Captain Buckles", "Negus", "The Clincher", and "Joel's Domain".

An incredible set from Sun Ra – straighter than most of his 70s work, and a brilliant showcase for the tenor of John Gilmore! The group's just a quartet – with Ra on keyboards, Michael Ray on trumpet, and Luqman Ali on drums – on titles that include "Along The Tiber", "Rebellion", "The Mistery Of Being", "One Day In Rome", and "Springtime & Summer Idyll".

An incredible record – the kind of album that only Blue Note could put out, and an instant classic that will sound wonderful forever! The album's truly one of the great ones – one of those Blue Notes that still makes you stop and pause when you hear it, even though you've heard it a million times in Starbucks and places like that. Horace Silver is working here at the height of his powers – lyrical, free, yet also damn soulful, in a style that makes for some of the most evocative jazz-based grooves cut to wax at the time. Carmell Jones is in the group, and plays some of his best trumpet ever – and Joe Henderson really drives the whole session home with some incredible tenor work. Other group members include Teddy Smith on bass and Roger Humphries on drums – and titles include the instantly famous "Song For My Father", plus "Que Pasa", "The Kicker", and "Calcutta Cutie".

An incredible record – the kind of album that only Blue Note could put out, and an instant classic that will sound wonderful forever! The album's truly one of the great ones – one of those Blue Notes that still makes you stop and pause when you hear it, even though you've heard it a million times in Starbucks and places like that. Horace Silver is working here at the height of his powers – lyrical, free, yet also damn soulful, in a style that makes for some of the most evocative jazz-based grooves cut to wax at the time. Carmell Jones is in the group, and plays some of his best trumpet ever – and Joe Henderson really drives the whole session home with some incredible tenor work. Other group members include Teddy Smith on bass and Roger Humphries on drums – and titles include the instantly famous "Song For My Father", plus "Que Pasa", "The Kicker", and "Calcutta Cutie".

A motherlode of great music from Zoot Sims – mid 70s recordings done for the Groove Merchant label, presented here in a late 70s package! Although Groove Merchant was mostly known for its funkier sounds, the work here is nicely back to basics for Sims – small group sessions that give him plenty of room to open up and blow – paired with players that include Lionel Hampton on vibes, Bucky Pizzarelli on guitar, Teddy Wilson on piano, and Buddy Rich on drums. The sound is warm, but never sleepy – and Zoot's tenor has a nice edge on his solos that dominate most tunes. Titles include"A Summer Thing", "Somebody Loves Me", "Up A Lazy River", "Come Rain Or Come Shine", "Send In the Clowns", and "Memories Of You".

The second trip into the studio for Cedar Walton's mighty Eastern Rebellion ensemble – and every bit as great as the first! This time around, the lineup's a bit different – with Bob Berg in on tenor, and Curtis Fuller expanding the group on trombone – but the groove is still the same – wonderfully in the pocket soul jazz, swinging with a gentle and fluid glide that's really tremendous. The work ranks up there with the best of Walton's recordings ever – and the tunes are all originals with a rich imagination for tone, soul, and color – and plenty of space for strong solo work. Titles include "The Maestro", "Sunday Suite", "Ojos De Rojo", and "Fantasy In D".

Features work by Cow Cow Davenport, Bert Mays, Lee Green, Dan Stewart, and Montana Taylor.

The birth of modern jazz guitar – seminal sides recorded by Charlie Christian, working in small group format with Benny Goodman, Lionel Hampton, Fletcher Henderson, and even a bit of Basie. Christian's tone on the instrument is fantastic – and even though the style of the tracks is more in the swing era mode, there's a direct line between his playing and later work by Grant Green and other 60s jazz guitar giants. Titles include "Six Appeal", "Gilly", "Waiting For Benny", "Seven Come Eleven", "Airmail Special", "Breakfast Feud", and "Wholly Cats".

Hank Crawford slides into the electric 70s with this sweet little set of funky tracks – working in a tight small combo format with Richard Tee on electric piano and Cornell Dupree on electric guitar – and grooving in a laidback slinky funk mode that's perfect for his soulful tone on the alto sax! The groove ranges from mellow funk to gentle soul – and the album's title track is an excellent version of "It's A Funky Thing To Do", with Pee Wee Ellis joining the group on electric piano! Other tracks include "Hills Of Love", "You're The One", "Sophisticated Soul", "Kingsize Man", and "Parker's Mood".

The great altoist Sonny Criss is one of our favorite-ever reed players, and this beautiful session from his late 60's "comeback" period is a loving portrait of the wide range of his deep deep talents! On the surface, the record is deceptively simple, and only features Criss' work on alto sax, alongside with a piano trio led by Walter Davis. On hearing, though, the album is a rich tapestry of many soulful colors, all wrought by Sonny in a tone that had travelled the world – and which had been beaten down by years of struggle. All tracks are great, and titles include "On A Clear Day", "Blues In The Closet", "Wee", and "A Million Or More Times".

A stunner of a funk album – a must-have for any fan of all things funky! This is the one-and-only record cut by the Fabulous Counts, a version of the Counts before they recorded for Westbound – and nearly every cut is a funky 45-type gem! The group's got a hard and heavy sound that mixed conga grooving at the bottom, guitar jamming in the middle, and lots of funky horns over the top – and the instrumental sound of the record is a non-stop funky party all the way through – all top-shelf material all the way through, with a sound that few other combos can match! The title track is an awesome groover – and the record features lots of other nice ones, like "Dirty Red", "Who's Making Love", "Girl From Kenya', "The Other Thing", "Scrambled Eggs", and "The Bite".

With work from Lionel Hampton on vibes, Roy Eldridge on trumpet,a nd Lou Levy on piano. Titles include "Soft Winds", "It Never Entered My Mind", "Blues For Janet", and "Cherokee".

One of the hippest albums ever cut by Lionel Hampton – a badass batch of 70s funk tunes, recorded with arrangements from the Chicago powerhouse team at Brunswick Records! Lionel's vibes are mixed with tight drums, sweet bass, and some very soulful arrangements that make even the mellower tracks feel like they've been lifted from some lost blacksploitation soundtrack. Includes great versions of 2 Willie Henderson tunes – "Off Into A Black Thing" and "Funky Chicken", both of which sound even better than the originals with the vibes in place – plus the tracks "Easy", "Shut Your Mouth", "I Found Sunshine", and "One Man Band".

The "pickers" in the group's name refers to the way they play – tight and plucked, in the manner of some of the work of the Chico Hamilton quintet of the late 50s. No surprise, the group features Chico's reedman Buddy Collette on flute, and cellist Harry Babasin on cello (natch!) – as well as drums and vibes by Bob Harrington, additional drums by Bill Douglas, and guitar by Don Overberg. The sound is very Hamilton-esque overall – which is a-ok with us – and titles include "Bebe", "Influtration", "When You Love Someone", "RH Factor", "Easy Pickins", "Rap Scallion", and "Monti Cello".

Classic bit of 70's fusion, played by Ronnie on tenor and flute, and with a group that includes some excellent keyboard work by Joe Sample. The highlight of the record is the big sample cut "Tidal Wave", but it also includes the great groover "Always There", which was covered a million times over by other bands during the 70's. Wayne Henderson produced, and the record is an archetypal example of his "At Home Productions" sound.

Mindblowing! This is when Wes Montgomery really starts to get interesting to us – when he's working with a top-line arranger like Don Sebesky, crafting some incredibly compelling chords over lightly jazzy arrangements and soaring strings, in a whole new mode of expression that would go onto transform a generation of guitar players! And sure, this album sold a gazillion copies – but we'll be honest in saying that we think it's loads more complex and mature than some of Wes' straight jazz sides from earlier years – light years away from the small combo dates of the early years, both in conception and sound. Titles include "Day In The Life", "Watch What Happens", "California Nights", "Windy", "Trust In Me", and "The Joker".

God, we love this record – and we're not ashamed to admit it! Sure, it sold a gazillion copies – and sure, for some folks it showed the true demise of the Crusaders ensemble. But for us, it's a masterpiece of smooth fusion, and a landmark album of easy jazz that spawned countless imitators that could never hope to match Sample's simple and elegant use of funky riffing and lyrical chords – coming in with just the right dash of darkness when the record's in danger of sounding too light. Most of the rest of the Crusaders had a hand in the record, and the set's got the smooth west coast sound you'd expect from the title. Tracks include "Carmel", "Cannery Row", "Sunrise", and "More Beautiful Each Day".

Tracks include "Verve Blues", "Plaid", "Somebody Loves Me", "September Song", and "Deep Purple"!

A fantastic bit of space age funk – and maybe one of the greatest moments ever from Philly Soul maestro Dexter Wansel! The album goes way beyond any of Wansel's other work – and blends his warm soulful styles with some of the more keyboard-oriented funk that was coming out of the Herbie Hancock camp during the mid 70s – a vibe that's every bit as electric and spacey as you'd guess from the cover! Some cuts have a bit more of a soul focus, but others have loads of jazzy keyboards from Dexter – driven on by some great drums at points too. Titles include Wansel's legendary version of "Theme From the Planets" with the much sampled breakbeat at the beginning – plus the funky "Life On Mars", and the tracks "One Million Miles From The Ground", "You Can Be What You Wanna Be", "Prophet Named KG", "Rings Of Saturn", and "Stargazer".

Tony's a million miles from his work with the Miles Davis Quintet on this record – grooving in a heavy rock/fusion mode with his New Lifetime group that includes Allan Holdsworth on guitar, Tony Newton on bass and vocals, and Alan Pasqua on keyboards. The tracks have a post Jeff Beck kind of approach – lots of heavy riffing in a way that does create a bit of funk at the right moments, almost in the Alphonze Mouzon/Tommy Bolin mode. Titles include "Sweet Revenge", "Inspirations Of Love", "Lady Jade", "What You Do To Me", and "Joy Filled Summer".

A million-seller, but also a record that no home should be without – and easily one of THE greatest keyboard albums of the 70s! The album's the one that features Deodato's remake of "Also Sprach Zarathustra" into the funky "2001" – soaring with Fender Rhodes lines that set a new standard for the instrument, with a funky undercurrent that few would have expected for the tune. Other tracks are nice too – and include a great bossa-y version of "Baubles Bangles & Beads", plus "Spirit Of Summer", "September 13", and "Carly & Carole".

"Power" is right, as this is one of Dex's few great group sessions from the late 60's. Unlike a lot of other records from the time – in which he solos long and meanderingly with a piano trio backing him up, on standards he's played a million times – this one has him playing with a tight group that includes James Moody, Barry Harris, Buster Williams, and Albert Heath, on a set of nice original material with titles like "Fried Bananas", "Boston Bernie", and "Sticky Wicket". There's also 2 jazz standards – "Lady Bird" and "Meditation" – but they're both taken in a nice tight way, and in keeping with the rest of the album.

One of the hippest albums ever cut by Lionel Hampton – a badass batch of 70s funk tunes, recorded with arrangements from the Chicago powerhouse team at Brunswick Records! Lionel's vibes are mixed with tight drums, sweet bass, and some very soulful arrangements that make even the mellower tracks feel like they've been lifted from some lost blacksploitation soundtrack. Includes great versions of 2 Willie Henderson tunes – "Off Into A Black Thing" and "Funky Chicken", both of which sound even better than the originals with the vibes in place – plus the tracks "Easy", "Shut Your Mouth", "I Found Sunshine", and "One Man Band".

Perhaps THE greatest Quincy Jones album of the 60s – a hard-swinging batch of big band bossa tunes – and one of the greatest American takes on the bossa sound ever! Quincy really brings a lot of soul to the set – syncopating the bottom end of the tunes to really bring out the rhythms, and working with a jazzy flourish of horns that creates all these quick and clever little turns in the tunes! The sound's been heard most famously on the incredible track "Soul Bossa Nova" – an original by Quincy for the set, which has gone onto much greater fame through its use in the film Austin Powers, and a bazillion TV commercials! But the whole album's great too – and other tracks include "Serenata", "Lalo Bossa Nova", "Boogie Bossa Nova", and "Chega De Saudade".

The long-awaited return of The Pyramids – easily one of the hippest spiritual jazz ensembles of the 70s! This new recording has all the earthy brilliance of the group's classics – with leadership from reedman Idris Ackamoor, who's continued a dedication to righteous sounds on his own during the past few decades – which means he's hardly coming out of retirement here, just re-focusing his ongoing energy towards the classic Pyramids sound! Instrumentation is heavy on percussion and organic elements – and the tunes do a great job of blending freewheeling performance with more focused grooves – an Afro-avant mode that really lives up to the group's legacy, carried off here by players who include Kenneth Nash on drums and percussion, Kimathi Asante on bass, Kash Killion on bass and cello, Bradie Speller on congas and electronics. Titles include "Memory Ritual", "Time Capsule", "What The World Needs Now", "Nebulosity", "Otherworldly", "Boundless Eternities", "Cloud Rider", "Uttering Sacred Words", and "They Came From Chicago".

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".