Jazz — New Arrivals — All Formats   New Arrivals Last Two Days 1st Time at DGA  

A great example of the Kenton powerhouse in action – a 90 minute double-live recording that really set a new standard for jazz sets of its type! The album features a side apiece dedicated to each of the three acts – one by Kenton's orchestra, one by Christy on vocals, and one by the... read more

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A key early album from reedman Roland Kirk – at set that really has him strongly finding his voice in jazz, and transforming most of modern music in the process! The set's a perfect illustration of the way that Roland could swing with soul, yet still reach out with bold new ideas too –... read more

A stone classic from Roland Kirk – and a record that beautifully balances his modern ideas and playful energy – as you might guess from the title! While posing as the "whistleman", Roland's also pushing the boundaries of jazz a few steps forward too – not just in modern... read more

A strange and tasty little album that Roland Kirk made with organist Jack McDuff in the early 60s – one of his few outings in such a format, and a smoking little session that almost makes us wish he'd cut more of them! The format is relatively simple – with lots of interplay between... read more

One of the sharper-edged sessions on the GRP label at the start of the 90s – a self-titled set from keyboardist Kenny Kirkland, who's mostly working here in a stripped-down acoustic mode! The lineup changes a bit from track to track – and in addition to Kenny on keys, the set also... read more

2 Eric Kloss albums back to back on a single CD – both under-discovered, and both totally great! Sky Shadows is one of the late 60s killers for Prestige by reedman Kloss – sublime material that was every bit as great as some of the bigger-name work for the label, but never really got... read more

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A rare "with strings" session for altoist Lee Konitz – recorded back in his great years with Verve, set to wonderful arrangements from a young Bill Russo! The style here is a bit darker and more spare than some of the other albums of this type from the time – and Russo brings... read more

A really unusual later chapter in the career of guitarist Robby Krieger – a post-Doors album done for Blue Note Records – and a set that's got more than enough jazzy touches to live up to its placement on the label! Krieger's guitar gets plenty of workout on the album's fusion-styled... read more

Gene Krupa and Gerry Mulligan – hardly a pairing that we would have thought of – but one that works surprisingly well here, and which showcases Mulligan's increasing fascination for larger group settings! The album features Gene on drums with a set of players that include Kai Winding,... read more

Pretty amazing work from one of the greatest under-rated talents of 50s modern jazz! John LaPorta was a brilliant multi-instrumentalist who's probably best known for his work with Mingus in the mid 50s Jazz Workshop years, and for his earlier sides with Woody Herman – but it's on records... read more

One album of solo soprano sax – another with a group that features Bobby Few on piano and Fender Rhodes, Steve Potts on alto and soprano, Irene Aebi on cello and violin, Jean Jacques Avenel on bass, and Oliver Johnson on drums and percussion.... read more

A key moment in the west coast harbop scene – and one of the greatest early records from saxophonist Harold Land! The group's a really striking one – with the unique Dupree Bolton on trumpet, a great player that we really only know from this set – plus Herbie Lewis on bass, Frank... read more

Another vicious set of hammering, lovable skronk from Last Exit – the mighty mid 80s free group that featured Sonny Sharrock, Peter Brotzman, Bill Laswell and Shannon Jackson! This should certainly not come as a surprise, but the sound is as muscular as can be without exploding all over the... read more

A strange bit of funk from Yusef Lateef! The record was recorded late in the CTI electric years – and it's got Yusef fronting a funky jazz group on 5 tracks that have a decidely R&B-ish fusion twist. Dave Matthews – of James Brown funky fame – arranged the whole album, and... read more

One of our favorite Atlantic albums by the great Yusef Lateef – an incredible session that has him dipping back into his earlier exotic roots, yet still hitting the sweeter soulful groove of some of his other Atlantic sides! The sound is tremendous – wonderfully righteous, at a level... read more

One of Yusef Lateef's funkier albums for Atlantic – and a record that features some great keyboard work from Kenny Barron! The liner notes indicate a current Lateef fascination with rhythm, and it tries to present this fascination in a way that implies a bigger intellectual approach to the... read more

The title says it all – as Yusef Lateef works here in that wonderful mixture of hardbop, soul jazz, and Eastern stylings that he brought to all of his best early sessions as a leader! Lateef himself is playing tenor, flute, and oboe – which he uses to craft these eerie snakecharmer... read more

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A wicked set from reedman Azar Lawrence – one of the few albums issued under his own name, and a great example of the waves he was making on the 70s west coast scene! There's a depth here that goes beyond most of the other Fantasy Records sessions of the time – a sound that would be... read more

A very nice bit of spacey funky jazz from sax player Azar Lawrence, and one of the great earlier productions by Skip Scarborough, with a feel that's very similar to Gary Bartz's work with Larry Mizell! Azar plays a mix of funk and spiritual soul jazz – and he's got some great electric... read more

Brilliant recent work from Azar Lawrence – the first album in many years from this famous west coast reedman, and an excellent set that matches the soul and spirit of his sessions from the 70s! The group here is an all-star array of soul jazz heavyweights – Nate Morgan on piano, Henry... read more

One of Hubert Laws' funkiest records for CTI – recorded with a full group funky style that's plenty darn great, and a lot harder-hitting than some of Hubert's more laidback sessions for the label! Arrangements are by Bob James and Laws – working here with a large batch of players who... read more

A great little set of Latin jazz – and one of the strongest albums ever from flute man Hubert Laws! At the time of this recording, Laws was playing with Mongo Santamaria's group – and for this second solo outing, he borrows a lot of grooves from Mongo's bag – and also hits a few... read more

Sweet soulful flute from the great Hubert Laws – gliding high here in a great session from his post-CTI years! The album's a bit more soul-based than some of Hubert's earlier dates – but that change is a great one, and really helps Laws find some rich new energy – a focus in the... read more

A wicked mix of Latin influences, mod sounds, and 60s soul jazz – all set up beautifully to showcase the flute of a young Hubert Laws! The album's got a nice little bounce right from the start – with some traces of Atlantic soul elements – but it soon moves into some of the more... read more

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Fantastic lean low funky fusion – and a lost Blue Note 70s gem – a set that's way different than any other work from the team of bassist John Lee and drummer Gerry Brown! The set's nice and spare – almost CTI in style at times, but with some excellent production work from Skip... read more

A pretty wonderful album by Michel Legrand – way better than you'd guess from the title! Sure, the tunes are mostly numbers by Richard Rodgers, but Legrand handles them here with the best of his soundtrack skills – really opening them up with some amazingly deft arrangements, and... read more

One of the strongest early albums by the Ramsey Lewis Trio – especially because it features some great original material! The group – with the usual Redd Holt and Eldee Young lineup – is augmented by Chris White on a few tracks, who plays bass while Young switches to cello, an... read more

Sweet electric funk from Ramsey Lewis! The album's one of his best from the 70s – and it's got Ramsey on Fender Rhodes, electric harpsichord, and other keyboards, grooving away in an open-ended 70s mode that still retains all the heavy soul of his classic work for Chess. Morris Jennings... read more

Easily one of Ramsey Lewis' most successful records – featuring the hit soul jazz style that he forged with the Young/Holt rhythm combo, honed to perfection before a live crowd at The Lighthouse in Hermosa Beach. The record's a key part of Ramsey's live recorded output – showing the... read more

One of the hardest-hitting electric sets ever cut by Ramsey Lewis – a live performance from the start of the 70s, done with a really gritty groove! Ramsey's on both Fender Rhodes and acoustic piano – the former of which is played with even more forces than on his Cadet studio... read more

With Dave Liebman on tenor and soprano sax – plus Mark Isham on trumpet, Michael Formanek on bass, and Mike Barsimento on drums.... read more

With Liebman on tenor, in an assortment of groups – with co-production from James Brown mainstay Pee Wee Ellis, who also plays tenor and electric piano, and co-wrote many songs! Leon Thomas also sings a bit on the record, too.... read more

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The late 50's work of Max Roach is some of the most crucially overlooked material in the history of modern jazz. His various groups at the time were filled with some of the brightest young players of the time – like George Coleman, Julian Priester, and Booker Little – all of whom were... read more

Supremely soulful modern jazz from the great Booker Little – one of his best albums ever as a leader, and a real standout moment amidst so many of the re-titled sessions that came out after his early death! The album's got a tremendous feel from the very first note – a furthering of... read more

A real classic from Jeff Lorber – the kind of record that crossed-over immediately, and had a huge influence on so many different scenes! The style is smooth sweet fusion – of a sort that Lorber virtually helped invent, and so many others helped to ruin in later years – but here,... read more

Bold, angular work from an ultra-hip trio – one with reedman Joe Lovano, bassist Anthony Cox, and drummer Ed Blackwell – all working in open, highly rhythmic space that recalls some of Blackwell's best experiments from years past! Lovano's got more than enough edge to make the record... read more

2 tasty gems from Johnny Lytle – one of the hippest soul jazz vibists you'll ever get a chance to hear! Both albums feature Johnny working in his famous trio with Milt Harris on organ and Peppy Hinant on drums, augmented on some tracks by Steve Cooper on bass and Ray Barretto on congas. The... read more

Funky madness from the mind of Galt MacDermot – the second volume of rare work from his deep deep vaults! Galt's best known to most of the world as the man who wrote the music for Hair, but to us beatheads, the best stuff is his rare work – a wealth of incredible drumbreaks, basslines,... read more

Nice nice reissue of one of the greatest records to come out of Galt MacDermot's legendary Kilmarnock label! The album's a weird off-kilter batch of jazzy instrumentals, with Galt playing acoustic and electric piano – and with backing by a tight little combo that includes Pretty Purdie on... read more

The best funky album you could ever find by Galt MacDermot! Unlike some of Galt's other records, which have a few funky tracks and some other ones that aren't as great, this hand-picked collection is funky all the way through – and every cut's a monster! All the work still has that great... read more

Reissue pressing of this great Galt MacDermot soundtrack, featuring the totally cool sample for Busta Rhymes' big single last year, laid out in the track "Space". Lots of other cool spare funky ones, and a great record all the way through. Tight grooves, spare electric keyboards with a... read more

One of Ralph MacDonald's two great albums of the late 70s – and a complicated mix of jazz, soul, and a variety of roots elements. MacDonald shows a lot of sides of his personality here – stretching out in the ambitious "The Path" suite, which takes up all of side one, then... read more

Just Wailin is right – as the album's a real cooker in the classic Prestige mode of the late 50s – and a record that shows lots of early bite from a young Herbie Mann! Mann's in the frontline, working alongside the heavy tenor of Charlie Rouse – and in company like that, it's... read more

A killer bit of Latin jazz from the 70s – one of the first records issued under the name of percussionist Ray Mantilla, and a really smoking set that features funky flute from Jeremy Steig, bass from Eddie Gomez, and both drums and keyboards from the mighty Joe Chambers! The tunes have a... read more

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A key album in the shift in Pat Martino's sound at the end of the 60s – with one foot in the soul jazz camp in which he got his start, and the other in the freer, open-minded style he used a lot in the 70s! Pat's playing electric 12 string guitar on the set – really running up and down... read more

Spacey electric work from guitarist Pat Martino – a record that seems to be as concerned with sound overall as it is with the jazz stylings of Martino's guitar! The older modes of Martino's 60s soul jazz work are very far gone by now – but in their place is a new sense of space and... read more

A pair of funky jazz sets from Bennie Maupin – '77's Slow Traffic To The Right and '78's Moonscapes – together in a single set! Slow Traffic To The Right is Maupin's first LP for Mercury, and a great bit of spiritual funky jazz that recalls a lot of the sound of his work with The... read more

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A killer little set from Les McCann – one of his greatest records of the 60s, thanks to a fair bit of Latin Soul influences! The album's got a groove that's much grittier than Les' other work – a solid, soulful emphasis on bottom rhythms – which are mostly in a boogaloo and shing-... read more

A really unusual album for Jack McDuff – one that was recorded in Memphis, with a lineup and a feel that's quite different from other Blue Note sessions of the time! There's a lot of electricity bubbling in the record – and although McDuff normally never worked with a bassist on... read more

Howard McGhee and his trumpet team up with pianist Phineas Newborn, bassist Leroy Vinnegar and Shelley Manne on drums for this great early 60s session. The record features the McGhee original "Demon Chase" and two Teddy Edwards songs, "Sunset Eyes" and his salute to McGhee... read more

A previously unissued performance by the Brotherhood Of Breath – recorded at a time when the group was at the height of their early powers! Some of the styles here are in the straighter, South African-inspired jazz of pianist Chris McGregor's roots – but other tracks get far more... read more

A nice bit of funky organ work from Jimmy McGriff! The record's recorded with a slightly larger than usual band – but that's a good thing here, as players like Horace Ott, Cliff Davis, Richard Evans, and Everett Barksdale provide a strong bouncy groove, which Jimmy uses to solo over the top... read more

Sweet 70s electric work from Jimmy McGriff – material that's different than his grittier grooves of the 60s, but still plenty darn great! The style's clearly influenced by CTI – as Jimmy's using electric piano as much as organ – and is getting some fuller support in the backings... read more

A killer "new thing" session from Blue Note's mid 60s glory days – featuring Jackie McLean, and some youthful modernists, like Cecil McBee, Bobby Hutcherson, and Charles Tolliver, all coming together in an incredibly powerful set of tracks! Billy Higgins rounds out the set on drums... read more

Stunning! This is one of Jackie McLean's best-ever albums, and it's a haunting mix of hard bop and some of the more modernist tendencies that would inform his "new thing" period. Butch Warren plays bass, and he drives the set with an intensity that reminds us of Mingus – and which... read more

A real classic by Jackie McLean – a record that's pulled from 2 different sessions, but which stands out with a strikingly unified feel! The album was cut during the height of Jackie's bop years for Blue Note – with one 1959 session that featured Donald Byrd and Sonny Clark, and... read more

One of Jackie McLean's last "new thing" albums for Blue Note – and a very unique record that features Ornette Coleman on trumpet! The sound here is stark and hard – slight hints of the soulfulness that the "gospel" in the title might imply, mixed with the angular... read more

A rough little killer from Jackie McLean – less well-formed than some of his Blue Note sides, but in a way that really gives him a great soulful edge! There's an open-blowing quality to the record, one that's almost a blowing session, but a bit tighter overall – a hint of the energy... read more

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Extraordinary work from one of the true giants of the American scene – a mindblowing set of mostly solo sounds from reedman Joe McPhee – also working here on flugelhorn and a bit of percussion as well! The set begins with the incredible "Glasses" – a piece that appears... read more

A genius group from the glory days of the New York avant scene of the 70s – yet one who haven't been nearly as well-documented as some of their contemporaries! The lineup here is legendary – a quintet with Charles Brackeen on tenor, flute, and soprano sax, Ahmed Abdullah on trumpet,... read more

A completely solo album from Pat Metheny – but one that still sparkles with the same sort of energy as his fuller group sessions for ECM! At a point when Pat could be content to simply scrawl a few simple lines on the strings of his guitar, he instead does a great job of complicating things... read more

Features Ella Fitzgerald on vocal performances of "April In Paris", "Party Blues", and "Every Day I Have The Blues" – with Count Basie backing. Also features a jam session version of "Billie's Bounce" – with Art Blakey, Charles Mingus, Tal Farlow... read more

Sweet fusion from the end of the 70s – two great Harvest Records albums, packaged together in a single set! Another Sleeper is a killer from keyboardist Max Middleton and guitarist Robert Ahwai – a set that has a tight funky feel on most numbers – very much in the most soulful... read more

Early work by Barry Miles – a drummer who would go onto cut some very hip sides in the 70s, and who here was only 14 at the time of the session! The "young genius" approach need not be stated on the cover or the notes, as Miles' drumming is great no matter how old he is – and... read more

Titles include "Take A Pebble", "Morning Song", "Every Good Bun Has A Hole", and "Groovin Hard".... read more

Fantastic – and one of Mingus' greatest albums ever! This one ranks right up with The Clown and Pithecantropus Erectus for sheer raw power and emotion – and Mingus' writing here is incredibly tight, giving soloists like Charlie Mariano, Jaki Byard, Richard Williams, and Jerome... read more

One of Mingus' classic sessions from the middle period – a legendary blending of jazz with bluesy gospel touches, in a mode that seemed to move away from the politics of some of the late 50s years, and open up his work to a whole new audience! The band is an all-star ensemble all the way... read more

One of the great Mingus albums for Atlantic – and a record that brings together material from 2 different sessions: one from 1957, with Shafi Hadi on alto; and another from 1961, with Roland Kirk and Booker Ervin on saxes. The '57 session has a raw quintet sound, and features some haunting... read more

The thing to do – is jam! Blue's sounding wonderful in this classic set for Blue Note – one of his best small group albums – recorded with a sound that's solidly in keeping with his lyrically melodic work in the Horace Silver group! The quintet features Chick Corea on piano... read more

One of the most ambitious sets we've heard from Nicole Mitchell – a really unique mixing of modes that features a core Chicago group coming into play with the Arche New Music Ensemble! The initial group features Nicole on flute, vocals, and electronics – with Mwata Boden on baritone... read more

Very spare sounds from Roscoe Mitchell and drummer Tyshawn Sorey, but still very sharp-edged too – and in a way, a mix of deeper thoughts and spontaneous energy that reminds us a lot of some of the more "out there" moments of the Art Ensemble back in the 70s! Roscoe's reeds have... read more

A brilliant pairing of two generations of the AACM – as Roscoe Mitchell writes and conducts, and the group's led by Nicole Mitchell – and features a great assortment of very creative musicians! The blend of talents is key to the strength of the set – as the record avoids some of... read more

One of the greatest Blue Note albums of all time! Hank Mobley leads an incredibly soulful group that includes Lee Morgan, Curtis Fuller, McCoy Tyner, and Billy Higgins – and the group plays this amazing mix of soul jazz and modal grooves that is hardly matched by anything else in the Blue... read more

An extremely well-titled set from the legendary Hank Mobley – one of his key Blue Notes of the 60s, and an album that glides along with an undeniable sense of joy, life, and soul! Mobley's really opening up his groove at this point – moving way beyond standard hard bop and soul jazz... read more

A killer set of hardbop from the legendary Hank Mobley – recorded during the initial Mobley run at Blue Note, and a keen document of his amazing power on the tenor sax! The album's got a tightness that's almost impossible to believe – a summation of all the best bop trends of the 50s,... read more

Simply astounding! Soul Station is a deceptively simple album that has tenor giant Hank Mobley playing standards and originals in a quartet with Wynton Kelly on piano, Paul Chambers on bass, and Art Blakey on drums– a spare and simple group, but one with a direct energy that's really amazing... read more

Hank Mobley was a genius – as you'll hear on this incredible hardbop session from the 60s! He never made a bad album, and even when playing straight, he had a sheer raw power that made every moment rich with excitement! This session's got a great lineup that features Grant Green on guitar,... read more

Even at this early point in their career, the Modern Jazz Quartet were plenty proud of their relation to and reception in Paris – almost rubbing their international fame in the faces of other American combos with the title and cover of this record! The set's still got the quartet at their... read more

A classic set of high-class jazz from the MJQ – one that shows John Lewis' growing compositional skills, and the band's always tight ability to work in a compressed chamber format. Features the extended "Fontessa" suite, plus the tracks "Versailles", "Angel Eyes"... read more

The MJQ always manage to sound especially great when working on music for film – and this album's a great illustration of that fact! The work here is written by John Lewis, for a movie that never lasted the test of time as much as the record – and it's some of John's most evocative... read more

One of the groovier albums the Modern Jazz Quartet ever recorded – as you might expect, given the cover and title! In addition to the group's usual cool sound from Milt Jackson's vibes, the set also features John Lewis playing a bit of harpsichord in addition to his usual piano – and... read more

Two classic Riverside Monk LPs, reissued together in one nice set! Brilliant Corners was a real comeback for Monk from the late 50s, and a record that features some of his best writing for horns! The group is incredible – bringing together Clark Terry, Sonny Rollins, and Ernie Henry –... read more

A brilliant album by Monk – a real comeback from the late 50s, and a record that features some of his best writing for horns! The group is incredible – bringing together Clark Terry, Sonny Rollins, and Ernie Henry – in a bracing front line that takes Monk's angular piano... read more

Nice 2LP set released in the 80s of some wonderful live sides recorded in San Francisco at the Jazz Workshop in 1964. Longtime Monk sideman Charlie Rouse is on tenor with Larry Gales and Ben Riley in the rhythm section, performing classic Monk material, 13 tracks in all: "Don't Blame Me"... read more

Beautiful Columbia work from Thelonious Monk – a record that has as much warmth and charm as it does visionary modernist moments! A number of the tunes are standards, not Monk compositions – and they're done here with a sense of depth and joy of exploration that's really wonderful... read more

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A massively expanded package of music – filled with previously unreleased gems! The 2CD set features a landmark collaboration between John Coltrane and Thelonious Monk – two generations of jazz modern, working here to create some really incredible music! The core of this material is... read more

Blues, but with an undercurrent of New Orleans jazz – no surprise, given the Louisiana roots of Eurreal "Little Brother" Montgomery! The album's a classic set recorded in Chicago in the early 60s – featuring both Montgomery in a spare solo setting, and with help from a small... read more

Plenty of fire here – the kind of quick-witted piano work we've really come to admire from Tete Montoliu – who really hits a new level of genius on his 70s recordings for the Steeplechase label! Montoliu has this amazing way of hitting hard, with a real edge – then laying back... read more

With Niels Henning Orsted Pedersen on bass and Albert Tootie Heath on drums – on titles that include "Invitation", "Love Man", "Some Other Blues", and "Lament".... read more