Jazz — All Formats  

A beautiful later session from Bill Barron – one that has him playing both tenor and soprano sax, in a group with brother Kenny on piano, Ray Drummond on bass, and Ben Riley on drums. The feel here is quite different than Barron's earlier groundbreaking work – but equally wonderful in... read more

Sublime 70s work from Kenny Barron – a record that really has him stretching out strongly from his roots in the 60s, and sounding almost even more inventive than on some of his later material as well! Kenny's playing a fair bit of keyboards on the set – showing a wonderful sensitivity... read more

Walter Bishop takes a trip back to his bop roots with this one – working in trio and quintet formation, and running through a host of mostly older bop standards! The quintet tracks are our favorites – as it's not often we hear Bishop in this stretch with a group larger than a trio... read more

An album on Muse, but one with the same hip grooves as Walter Bishop's excellent work on the Black Jazz label! Like those gems, this set features Bishop working on Fender Rhodes – hitting a groove we never would have expected in the old days, and really going for a style that's at the... read more

Cindy Blackman's looking a bit foxy on the cover, but her sound here is solidly soulful – a forceful batch of tunes that really match the best energy of the Muse Records soulbop scene of the early 90s! There's a nice blend of modern ideas and straight jazz energy here – sounds that... read more

Cindy Blackman's one of those players who always surprises us with her music – coming across with a lot more to offer than just her unique role as a girl drummer in jazz – sounds so bold, we instantly forget her gender and pretty image on the cover, and always just let ourselves get... read more

An 80s repressing of the album Fast Last – one of the excellent avant sides for Muse from the early 70s, and a record that features Lester Bowie playing in a number of different settings – all with a sound that's different from his Art Ensemble recordings, and from his work for ECM. ... read more

Cecil's smoking on the cover, and he's smoking on the record too – really cooking things up in the best old school soul jazz style of his Muse Records years! The album was recorded live in New Jersey, and it's proof that plenty of great jazz was still coming from west of the Hudson in the... read more

An amazing album – and one of the underground soul jazz classics of the 70s! The album's also one of the few ever cut as a leader by drummer Roy Brooks – one of the hippest players on the Detroit scene back in the day, working here with a great lineup that includes Woody Shaw, George... read more

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Obscure work from Kenny Burrell – material originally issued by Muse Records, most of it with a very laidback feel – as you'd guess from the title! The original sides were produced by Helen Keane, who'd done some of Bill Evans' greatest sets – and who had a real ear for the... read more

A sweet trio set – with Rufus Reid on bass and Ben Riley on drums – on cuts that include "Listen To The Dawn", "Yours Is My Heart Alone", "Papajoe", and "It Amazes Me".... read more

The music of Michael Carvin is always a revelation – a joyous, soulful outpouring of feeling that never fails to move us – and which always makes us wonder why more folks don't treasure gems like this that he made as a leader! Carvin's drum work is filled with energy from the get-go... read more

Another one of the great LPs by a band that was probably one of the best to grace the Muse label – and who have not really ever been reissued. Eddie Green, Odean Pope, Tyrone Brown, and Sherman Ferguson form the core of this funky fusion outfit, and they play in a beautiful way that mixes... read more

A spacey album of keyboard duets between Joe Chambers and the great Larry Young! The album was recorded shortly before Larry passed away, and it features him and Chambers on a number of different keyboards – electric, acoustic, and organ – plus additional drums by Chambers on a few... read more

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Plenty of poise here – a lot more restraint than before for guitarist Larry Coryell, but still plenty of soul as well! The rhythm section is a key element of the set – as it features Stanley Cowell on piano, Buster Williams on bass, and Billy Hart on drums – all working in... read more

Warmly wonderful work from guitarist Larry Coryell – an album that's got a simple, straightforward feel – and a rock-solid rhythm section in the form of Stanley Cowell on piano, Buster Williams on bass, and Beaver Harris on drums! Despite the far-reaching resumes of all the players,... read more

We never tire of the saxophone work of Sonny Criss – and this mid 70s gem is a perfect example of his brilliance! Sonny's sound on alto here is completely his own – raspily, soulful style that's really unique – and which draws strongly from Criss' rich life experience, including... read more

A compelling 70s set from reedman Eddie Daniels – a lot darker than some of his smoother jazz sides to come! There's a feel here that's almost in the CTI camp, but a bit spacier overall – as Daniels' work on flutes, tenor, and clarinet comes into play nicely with Fender Rhodes and... read more

From that strange post fusion period for jazz, where a lot of artists were kind of searching for a sound to work within, this LP from bassist Richard Davis has a nice line up that includes Joe Henderson, Stanley Cowell and Eddie Henderson, and a rather subdued Billy Cobham. Dipping a bit into the... read more

The legendary meeting of the two biggest Brazilian keyboard talents of the 70s – Joao Donato and Eumir Deodato – coming together in beautifully funky formation! The sound is a great blend of the moody electric work of Donato's classic Quem E Quem album, and some of the fuller, funkier... read more

Two tenor greats pay tribute to a host of other tenor greats – but with results that are quite different than you might expect! The album's hardly the type that just revisits familiar cliches from tenor giants of years past – and instead, the team of Houston Person and Teddy Edwards... read more

An overlooked fusion set from the mighty Muse Records – an early 80s date recorded under the leadership of keyboardist Mitch Farber, and featuring work from Randy Brecker on trumpet, Gary Campbell on tenor and soprano, and Steve Khan on guitar! Given the players, there's almost a major label... read more

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Beautiful spiritual post-Coltrane jazz, played by an excellent but oft-overlooked duo from the early 70s! The Grubbs brothers are fantastic reed players, with a soaring sense of soulfulness that keeps things lively throughout – a style that inflects their horns together nicely to shade in... read more

'A much hipper record than you'd guess from its cheesy early 90s cover – an image that's almost a relic of the unfortunate time when jazz was trying to take on hip hop album art! Fortunately, Philip Harper's got a lot more depth than his photo – a rich quality that sparkles with the... read more

A real gem from Woody Shaw's greatest period – a very hip sextet session, recorded with Hayes, Cook, Shaw, and a rhythm section that includes Ronnie Matthews on piano, Stafford James on bass, and Guilhermo Franco on percussion. Tracks are long, and stretch out in that searching, modal style... read more

Great extended work from vibist Jay Hoggard – a live date that has him spinning out beautifully on a set of really long tracks! Hoggard's trademark sensitivity to sounds and tones is very firmly in place here – but the live setting almost seems to focus it a bit more, even though most... read more

With Houston Person on tenor and Ralph Dorsey on percussion and congas!... read more

One of the last albums that Richard Groove Holmes ever recorded – but a surprisingly strong little set, and one that shows that he never stopped hitting the Hammond hard, even in the later years of his life! The record's got a depth of feeling that goes way beyond the dated, cheesy album on... read more

A nice return to the soul jazz style of Willis' years at Prestige – after cutting a few too-smooth albums for bigger labels during the 70s! The style here is nice and easy-going – longish tracks, with a quintet that features Willis' old bandmate Pat Martino on guitar, plus Charles... read more

One of Eddie's last great records, and a smoking live set that has him singing with a group that includes Eric Kloss, Richie Kole, and Mickey Tucker playing some sweet electric piano. The vibe is more traditional vocalese than some of Eddie's other Muse recordings, with a return to the solid sound... read more

One of the weirdest, wildest albums ever from Eddie Jefferson – a real standout classic that shows him retooling his sound for the 70s! After years of writing lyrics to James Moody and Charlie Parker tunes, Eddie lays out some crazy lyrics for modern jazz standards like "Freedom Jazz... read more

Nice set that brings together the best moments from Eddie Jefferson's Muse years! Eddie's one of our favorite jazz vocalists of all time – and even though he got his start in the bebop years, these 70's recordings are still fantastic stuff. In fact, they may even show him in his best light... read more

The title's a bit hokey, and the cover is too – but the record's a really great batch of tenor, organ, and guitar lines – served up with guitarist Randy Johnston at the helm, and featuring great contributions from Eric Alexander and Joey DeFrancesco! Drummer Mickey Roker completes the... read more

A gem of a record from Clifford Jordan – proof that the 70s were possibly the greatest decade for his music! Although most of Jordan's contemporaries from the big tenor days of the 50s really didn't grow much during the 70s, Clifford always continued to develop his style – adding in... read more

Pretty darn hip stuff from Clifford – in that righteous soul jazz mode that he was using at Strata East, although perhaps a bit less focused than on those records. The record's actually got vocals on a number of tracks – scatting in a kind of hip Bill Lee sort of approach, singing... read more

A great one by Clifford Jordan! The LP was originally recorded for "Dolphy Productions" in Paris, and with a feel and a spirit very similar to his classic Strata East albums from the same time, like Glass Bead Games and In The World. The group is similar to those recordings too, and... read more

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Steve Kuhn at his funky best! Over the years, you may have seen Steve's name turn up on collections of hip funky tunes from the early 70s – but probably have never been able to find the right record that offers that same sound. Well, search no further, because this is the record – and... read more

A later Muse date with legend John Patton on organ, Miles' drummer Al Foster diggin' in with the legendary George Duvivier on bass, and harp and synthesizer thrown in for added layers of sound. Johnny's signature songs the "Village Caller" and the mellow burner "Lela" are cast... read more

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Martino plays in a 2-guitar quartet – with Bobby Rose backing him up on guitar, plus rhythm accompaniment by Richard Davis and Billy Higgins. The sound's definitely in the trippier, post-hippie style of Martino's work, with a sort of looseness and fluidity that you either love or hate, but a... read more

Martino plays in a 2-guitar quartet – with Bobby Rose backing him up on guitar, plus rhythm accompaniment by Richard Davis and Billy Higgins. The sound's definitely in the trippier, post-hippie style of Martino's work, with a sort of looseness and fluidity that you either love or hate, but a... read more

Later work from Pat Martino, but a set that shows that the guitarist has lost none of his fire over the years! The set's done with a relatively freewheeling sound – not free, but open, as Martino spirals out wonderfully with some very creative solo lines – often quite extended, and... read more

Pat Martino in one of his greatest settings – live, in front of the kind of an audience where he could really open up! The set's a great marker of the growth that Pat experienced as the 70s approached – taking all the lessons he'd learned from his years gigging it up in the soul jazz... read more

Duets between Martino's guitar and the keyboards of Gil Goldstein.... read more

In our opinion, Jack McDuff never made a bad album – and this excellent later session is proof of that statement! The album's got a horrible cover – we'll state that from the start – but it's still a great batch of soul jazz organ tracks, played tightly by McDuff, with a group... read more

James Moody's definitely feelin it here – stepping back into a straighter hardbop mode after some funkier sets of the early 70s – really sounding great on tenor, alto, and flute – and working with a very hip quartet for the date! Kenny Barron's in the group on both electric and... read more

James Moody's definitely feelin it here – stepping back into a straighter hardbop mode after some funkier sets of the early 70s – really sounding great on tenor, alto, and flute – and working with a very hip quartet for the date! Kenny Barron's in the group on both electric and... read more

An odd title, but a really wonderful album from Mark Murphy – an 80s session for Muse that easily matches some of his most creative moments for the label in the 70s! There's some wonderful versions of soulful jazz tracks here – takes on "Effendi" by McCoy Tyner, "Beauty... read more

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With Melvin Sparks on guitar, Jon Logan on orban, Bad Bascomb on bass, and Bernard Purdie on drums!... read more

Houston Person really sounds great in this later date for Muse Records – definitely the older lion in the title, surrounded by a younger pride of players who really make the record swing! The set's got a rock-solid rhythm section with Benny Green on piano, Christian McBride on bass, and... read more

A sweet little set from Houston Person – a record that's a nice return to basics, much needed after some of his overproduced sessions of the mid 70s! The group here features a number of old Prestige stalwarts, helping Houston to hit a laidback soul jazz vibe – players who include Jimmy... read more

A sweet little set from Houston Person – a record that's a nice return to basics, much needed after some of his overproduced sessions of the mid 70s! The group here features a number of old Prestige stalwarts, helping Houston to hit a laidback soul jazz vibe – players who include Jimmy... read more

Hannibal made some mighty wonderful music in the 70s – and he really carries that tradition strongly forward on this overlooked gem from the early 90s! The album's not as boldly righteous as some of Peterson's dates for MPS, but it's still got a hell of a lot of soul – a well-blown... read more

Another one of the post-Europe Dave Pike recordings, with a sound that's a bit straighter than usual, but still with his usual great take on jazzy vibes playing. The title track's a nice breezy groover, and the LP also includes two more originals, one with a Latiny feel called "Set the... read more

One of Dave Pike's best American albums after his groundbreaking funky jazz work in Germany for MPS! This one's got some nice lines flowing between Pike's vibes and Tom Ranier's electric piano, and the tracks include "Secret Mystery of Hensch", "Visions of Spain", and "Rega... read more

Bumping, bass-heavy jazz from Lonnie Plaxico – a set that certainly has some of the traces of the Arsenio Hall-ish image on the front cover, but also some slightly hipper elements as well! Plaxico's basswork has a nice sense of darkness on some of the best numbers – almost a version of... read more

Surprisingly sweet grooves from guitarist Jimmy Ponder – one of the few from the jazz funk generation who kept on going strong into the 80s! Jimmy's sound here is nicely laidback – a nice change from his smoother albums of a few years before, and set up in an almost-classic sort of... read more

A great little record by Jimmy Ponder – recorded late in the 80s, but with some nice touches that give the record more of an early 70s jazz funk groove – almost a style that hits the Prestige sound at times! John Patton's in the group on organ – making one of his best appearances... read more

Great back-to-basics work from Jimmy Ponder – a well-crafted but laidback session that has the guitarist really opening up nicely in a hip quartet! Jimmy never tries too hard to get things back to the sound of the old days – never any of those hokey nods to the acid jazz generation you... read more

An unbelievably fantastic album, and perhaps the greatest one that Dom Um Romao ever did! Dom recorded this one in America with a blend of Brazilian and New York musicians – creating an incredible sound that's unlike anything else we can think of! We'd place this record next to the best... read more

An incredible set of Brazilian jazz – one of the few albums that percussionist Dom Um Romao recorded as a leader, and sublime all the way through! The record's got a wonderful blend of funky fusion and Brazilian percussion – and features a group from two continents that includes Sivuca... read more

An incredible set of Brazilian jazz – one of the few albums that percussionist Dom Um Romao recorded as a leader, and sublime all the way through! The record's got a wonderful blend of funky fusion and Brazilian percussion – and features a group from two continents that includes Sivuca... read more

A really well-crafted set from saxophonist Antoine Roney – quite possibly our favorite member of his jazzy family, thanks to wonderful work like this! Roney's got a great approach to the tenor here – a style that has some of the searching, searing tones of the post-Coltrane generation... read more

Very vibrant work from trumpeter Wallace Roney – the sort of record that seems to burst out strongly even on the ballads – which is no surprise, given Wallace's tone at the time! The group here is a strong one for Roney – Antonio Hart on alto, Geri Allen on piano, Ron Carter on... read more

Underground grooving from trumpeter Wallace Roney – one of the excellent albums he recorded for the Muse label in the 90s – a wonderfully well-rounded set that's a tremendous tribute to his tone! The group here is every bit as great as Wallace's work in the frontline – Ravi... read more

One of Wallace Roney's best sessions from the time – an album with a great sense of balance and fullness, and a tremendous tribute to Roney's strength as a leader on Muse Records! The album features equally great contributions from Antoine Roney on tenor – a player who balances out... read more

A later set from Shirley Scott, but one that's recorded with an old school lineup that includes Art Harper on bass and Mickey Roker on drums – plus some guest tenor work from the mighty Buck Hill! The tunes are a lot more open and fluid than Scott's sound on Prestige in the 60s – with... read more

A late date for Woody Shaw, but a great one too – a bit more straightforward than some of his more righteous albums of the 70s, but still proof that Shaw is easily one of the greatest trumpeters of his generation! The album's got a laidback sort of feel, and features a fair bit of familiar... read more

A late date for Woody Shaw, but a great one too – a bit more straightforward than some of his more righteous albums of the 70s, but still proof that Shaw is easily one of the greatest trumpeters of his generation! The album's got a laidback sort of feel, and features a fair bit of familiar... read more

A late date for Woody Shaw, but a great one too – a bit more straightforward than some of his more righteous albums of the 70s, but still proof that Shaw is easily one of the greatest trumpeters of his generation! The album's got a laidback sort of feel, and features a fair bit of familiar... read more

A fantastic record – one of Shaw's real landmarks of the 70s, and a lasting testament of soul jazz genius! The record features Shaw working with a group that includes a number of like-minded players – Frank Strozier, Ronnie Matthews, and Stafford James – all of whom fit together... read more

A fantastic album by Woody Shaw – spiritual, soulful, and filled with some nice modal grooving! The group's one of the best he ever worked with on Muse – with Billy Harper on tenor, plus Rene McLean, Steve Turre, Joe Bonner, and Cecil McBee – and the approach reminds us of some... read more

One of Woody's last albums – a back to basics set, recorded with a group that include Kenny Garret on alto sax, Kenny Barron on piano, and guest guitar work on one track by Peter Leitch. The approach is straight modal hardbop – in the spirit of Woody's first recordings for Muse –... read more

A great take on the music of Thelonious Monk – recorded with special sensitivity by reedman James Spaulding, who ensures that the sound goes way past the usual Monk-styled outing! Things start out in relatively familiar territory, but as the record progresses it really opens up – as... read more

A great take on the music of Thelonious Monk – recorded with special sensitivity by reedman James Spaulding, who ensures that the sound goes way past the usual Monk-styled outing! Things start out in relatively familiar territory, but as the record progresses it really opens up – as... read more

Great work from James Spaulding – one of the few players of his generation who actually got better with age! As he was in his classic 60s Blue Note recording sessions with other leaders, Spaulding is a hell of a group player – extremely sensitive to the other members of his groups... read more

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Plenty of style here – a great later date from Sonny Stitt – one of those near-perfect gems from the years when he had fallen far from the mainstream of jazz, but could still blow with some of the best! There's a simple, almost understated quality to the date that's really wonderful... 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... read more

A beautiful album from Harold Vick – one of his greatest, and very much in the sublime spiritual mode of his stellar Don't Look Back record on Strata East. Vick's moving past the hard soul jazz of the 60s sides he cut with organ players – and he's hitting a freer groove that's marked... read more

Jack Walrath is a surprisingly compelling trumpeter who always grabs us in different ways – soulful one minute, experimental the next – always with an approach that's quite unique! On this special little set, he begins by just blowing a mouthpiece – using a tone that's really... read more

A great little session of soul jazz – and very much in a classic mode, but with touches of the Strata East sound of the 70s. Although Blue Note and Prestige had seemed to abandon straighter soul jazz by the early 70s, Muse was cranking out some nice sides with older players of the 60s scene.... read more

No coolin out here, as the set's a great batch of soulful jazz numbers from the legendary Muse label – filled with overlooked gems from the imprint's key 70s run – including a fair bit of gems that will set you digging for other treasures from the label! The style here is less straight... read more

Things definitely get plenty deep on this jazz trip – a great run through the 70s catalog of Muse Records, and one that's filled with some incredible bits that we'd rank right up there with the best work of the time on labels like Black Jazz or Strata East! Muse always had a way of really... read more

Way more than just a jazz funk revival – given that all of the tracks here are from the mighty Muse Records, one of the coolest companies going back in the 70s! The set does a great job of mixing straighter funk with some more righteous numbers – showing two key sides of the label's... read more

Way more than just a jazz funk revival – given that all of the tracks here are from the mighty Muse Records, one of the coolest companies going back in the 70s! The set does a great job of mixing straighter funk with some more righteous numbers – showing two key sides of the label's... read more

The title's a hokey one, but the album's surprisingly great – a hip batch of jazz and funk numbers from the Muse Records catalog, and one that goes way past the dated language on the cover! Most of the tracks here are from the 70s, and they really show the depth of Muse's groove at the time... read more