"Jazz For The Thinker" – a great title for this mind-expanding set of tunes from Yusef Lateef, recording here from the Detroit underground of the late 50s, with a really cosmic and exotic approach to his work! The album's one of the best of Lateef's sides for Savoy – a blend of hardbop influences with some Africanist leanings – never too over the top, but subtly snuck into more conventional elements of the tunes. The group's a quintet with Curtis Fuller, Louis Hayes, and Ernie Farrow – and titles are all originals, and include "Space", "Midday", "Polarity", and "Happyology". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the hippest combos on the Danish jazz scene of the 60s! The record has that best of the best sound that keeps us digging through European releases like this – an all-out great effort that easily matches, if not tops, some of the best American jazz from the same period. The group have a snapping approach to rhythm that's clearly inspired by the late 50s work of the Jazz Messengers, but they also open up with a bit more freedom too – getting past some of the more conventional arrangements of the hardbop generation, and moving into some very hip rhythms. Players include Bent Axen on piano, Allan Botschinsky on trumpet, Niels Husum on tenor, Niels Henning Orsted Pedersen on bass, and Bjarne Rostvold on drums – and titles include "One More Chant", "Anticipation", "Yake De Yak", "Waltz For Scharleen", "Little Annie Fanny", and "St Vitus' Dance". LP, Vinyl record album

A groovy little vocal group with a swinging 50s sound – working here with some great jazzy arrangements from trombonist Kai Winding! The style of the set prefaces Winding's pop/jazz sides for Verve in the mid 60s – but has a sound that's somewhat similar – with lead vocals by the male/female Axidentals group, and some trombone-based jazzy backings that showcase Winding's horn amidst a larger brass section. There's a great poppy punch to these tunes – and the Axidentals themselves can be credited for some extremely inventive vocal arrangements at times – in styles that go way beyond those of conventional groups of the period, in a mode that reminds us of some of the work by the Kirby Stone Four or the John LaSalle Quartet. Titles include "Walkin", "Out Of This World", "You Gotta Wail", "No Moon At All", "Day In Day Out", and "Close To You". LP, Vinyl record album

An incredible album from Bill Evans – and maybe THE record you need in your collection if you're trying to understand his contribution to jazz! The album's one of Evan's first sides from the Village Vanguard – and features the legendary trio that included Scott LaFaro on bass and Paul Motian on drums – both players who could shake free from conventional rhythmic roles in a piano trio, yet who also support Evans' lyrically modal playing here beautifully! The tracks are a bit longer than Bill's studio sides from the time, allowing for even more magical interplay on the keys – and titles include "My Foolish Heart", "Waltz For Debby", "Detour Ahead", "My Romance", "Some Other Time", and "Milestones". LP, Vinyl record album

A rare Latin outing from trumpeter Art Farmer – one that has him working with the mighty Cuban arranger Chico O'Farrill! The grooves here are hardly "Aztec", as Chico brings a hip postwar vibe to the session – a blend of American jazz and Latin rhythms that's totally great, and played by an all-star array of players conducted by Al Cohn! Side one of the record features the extended "Aztec Suite" – an ambitious number that begins with modern moments that are somewhere in a space between Stan Kenton and Ralph Burns' experiments of this nature, but which always has Farmer's trumpet as the center focus. Side two features tracks that are a bit more conventional Latin jazz – still played by the bigger group, but with an even stronger sense of swing! Titles include "Aztec Suite", "Heat Wave", "Drume Negrita", "Alone Together", "Woody N You", and "Delirio". LP, Vinyl record album

A rare Latin outing from trumpeter Art Farmer – one that has him working with the mighty Cuban arranger Chico O'Farrill! The grooves here are hardly "Aztec", as Chico brings a hip postwar vibe to the session – a blend of American jazz and Latin rhythms that's totally great, and played by an all-star array of players conducted by Al Cohn! Side one of the record features the extended "Aztec Suite" – an ambitious number that begins with modern moments that are somewhere in a space between Stan Kenton and Ralph Burns' experiments of this nature, but which always has Farmer's trumpet as the center focus. Side two features tracks that are a bit more conventional Latin jazz – still played by the bigger group, but with an even stronger sense of swing! Titles include "Aztec Suite", "Heat Wave", "Drume Negrita", "Alone Together", "Woody N You", and "Delirio". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the greatest soundtracks ever – an archetypal album from French composer Francis Lai, and a record that set the tone for countless other imitations to come – yet which is still the best! The groove here is really unique – a spare blend of bossa influences, jazzy organ lines, and wordless vocals that are sung beautifully by French singers Nicole Croisille and Pierre Barouh – and although a mainstream success, the record was the initial force behind the legendary Saravah imprint that Barouh would form later, to record a wide range of groundbreaking work in a variety of genres. But history aside, the music here is plenty – and from the very first note the whole soundtrack grabs you with a sense of warmth and sentiment that defy description – modes never heard before in the soundtrack world, and which really broke the mold from Hollywood conventions! Titles include the seminal bossa number "Samba Saravah", plus "A Man & A Woman", "Today It's You", "In Our Shadow", "At 200 MPH", and "Stronger Than Us". LP, Vinyl record album

A brilliant album that proves that even at the height of his success, Lee Morgan was one of the freest thinkers on Blue Note – always coming up with fresh ideas that continued to grow his talents! The first cut on the album is keen poof of that fact – the title track "Search For The New Land" – a beautiful 16 minute exploration of modal jazz themes, with an unusual stop/start device as a means of ushering solos by different bandmates – including Wayne Shorter on tenor, Grant Green on guitar, and Herbie Hancock on piano! The approach is unlike anything that Morgan ever did before – and unlike most of other Blue Note as well – and it also benefits from great rhythmic help from Reggie Workman on bass and Billy Higgins on drums. Other tunes are a bit more conventional, but still pretty special – like some of Morgan's inventive work on the Rajah albums – with titles that include "The Joker", "Melancholee", "Mr. Kenyatta" and "Morgan The Pirate". LP, Vinyl record album

A major label set, but one that stays very true to the new ideals that James Blood Ulmer was trying to bring to jazz guitar at the time – a really revolutionary style that moves beyond simple genre conventions, and embraces a whole world of new ideas that would inspire others in the decade to come! Ulmer plays with a real frenzy at points – deep currents that reflect the bluesy touches of his early work in jazz organ combos, but given a skittish energy that reflects his association with the downtown crowd – and which was very fitting for his record with Rough Trade! The core group here features James, bassist Amin Ali, and drummer G Calvin Weston – and some tracks feature work from David Murray on tenor, Oliver Lake on alto, and Olu Dara on trumpet. Titles include "Timeless", "Pleasure Control", "Night Lover", "Happy Time", "Rush Hour", "Stand Up To Yourself", and "High Time". LP, Vinyl record album

A near-lost chapter in the career of Jean Carn – her one and only album recorded for Motown, cut in the early 80s with production by Norman Connors! Oddly, although Connors was the first producer to give Jean Carn a chance back in the 70s as a smooth soul vocalist – finding her voice a perfect fit for his warm and jazzy arrangements – here, he's going for a style that's a bit more conventionally soul-based, with more guitars and mainstream production than you'd expect. Jean's still pretty great, though, showing why she was one of the best female soul artists of the modern soul era – on tunes that include "My Baby Loves Me", "Don't Let Me Slip Away", "Steady On My Mind", "Completeness", and "Better To Me". LP, Vinyl record album

The greatest moment ever from the legendary Bobbi Humphrey – a funky, soulful flute player who had more than her share of great moments over the years! This set may well be the summation of all the genius that Humphrey had to offer – a collaboration with genius producer Larry Mizell, at a level that matches his Blue Note classics with Donald Byrd, or the Music Is My Sanctuary album with Gary Bartz – a groundbreaking blend of jazz instrumentation and studio technique! The sound is never smooth, nor commercial – and instead, Bobbie's flute and vocals soar out majestically on these long tracks with building keyboard lines, subtle chorus parts, and touches of bass that really transform the rhythms past conventional soul fusion of the period. Every track is a winner – purely fantastic stuff – and classics include "Chicago Damn", "Jasper Country Man", and the genius "Harlem River Drive". LP, Vinyl record album

A great debut from Taylor McFerrin – family member to another famous jazz singer, but very much possessed of his own self and style! The album's got this crackling, glistening quality – subtle electronics and Fender Rhodes mixing with Taylor's well-crafted vocals – never overwhelming them, but taking them into a space that's beyond conventional soul or jazz – and completely hypnotic throughout! Robert Glasper guests on one track on the set – and McFerrin's approach is a bit like some of the most creative elements in Glasper's Black Radio experiment – and other guests on the record include Emily King, Nai Palm, and Thundercat. Titles include "Decisions", "Postpartum", "Degrees Of Light", "The Antidote", "Florasia", "4am", "Stepps", and "Already There". LP, Vinyl record album

Quite possibly the best of the Heath Brothers' post-Strata East albums – and one of the few to capture the spacious sound and hipper undertones that made their first record so great! The style here is certainly more conventional – slightly in that "embrace all jazz tradition" mode that was sometimes popular at the time – but there's still plenty of hip moments here too, including flute and soprano sax work from Jimmy Heath, keyboards from Stanley Cowell, and bits of kalimba too – although used a lot more sparely than before. The record's probably most reminiscent of Heath's best straight work of the time – and titles include "In New York", "A New Blue", "Mellowdrama", "Changes", "Prince Albert", and "Artherdoc Blues". LP, Vinyl record album

Maybe the greatest album ever from Van Morrison – and a set that broke into a whole new side of his talents! Van's producing himself on the record – not really in the conventional role as a producer, but in a way that has him really writing most of the album as he goes along in the studio – using core ideas for tunes, and fleshing them out in a relatively spontaneous way with the musicians involved – at a level that also shows some of the most jazzy elements of Morrison's music to date! That approach is heard to key effect in the sublime title cut "Moondance" – but it also echoes over the course of the whole album's stellar set list – tracks that include "Caravan", "Into The Mystic", "Come Running", "Glad Tidings", and "And It Stoned Me". LP, Vinyl record album

A really great session from Sonny Stitt – and one with a slightly different vibe than usual! That vibe comes from the work of two Latin percussionists – Marcelino Valdez on congas and Osvaldo Martinez on bongos – both of whom really a a lot to the groove next to the drums of Herbie Lovelle – a rich bottom end that's maybe more Afro-styled than conventional Latin jazz! The mighty Ronnie Mathews is on piano, Herbie Lovell plays bass, and Stitt blows tenor throughout – on great titles that include "Blue Blood Ritual", "Slave Maidens", "Island Shout", and "Barefoot Ball". LP, Vinyl record album

Stanley Turrentine's no spoiler here – as his tenor sax soars out over the top of some sweet larger group arrangements from Duke Pearson – all awash in a great sense of soul, joy, and life! The album's got a much brighter feel than you might guess from the cover – a vibe that's a bit similar to Stan's classic Joyride album, but a bit more open and free – thanks to the lyrical touches of Pearson on the charts. Other players include Blue Mitchell on trumpet, Julian Priester on trombone, James Spaulding on alto and flute, and Pepper Adams on baritone sax – plus rhythm from McCoy Tyner on piano, Bob Cranshaw on electric bass, Mickey Roker on drums, and Joseph Rivera on percussion. As on some of the other Pearson dates from the time – particularly those with Donald Byrd – the use of electric bass really opens things up, by creating a subtle rhythmic pulse that really drives most numbers along. And also in the Pearson mode, the added players aren't really a horn section in the conventional way – just a group of like-minded, top-shelf jazz players who egg on the main soloist with a great sense of enthusiasm for the music! Titles include "La Fiesta", "The Magilla", "Sunny", "Maybe September", "You're Gonna Hear From Me", and "When The Sun Comes Out". LP, Vinyl record album

Seminal sides from Herbie Hancock – amazing material recorded for Warner Brothers in the years between his time at Blue Note and his big fame at Columbia Records – all sides that definitely show Hancock as one mighty righteous cat! Herbie's really stretching past his more conventional jazz of earlier years here – working both with a bit more electricity in his keys, and some larger arrangements that have a wonderful sense of flow and funk – a groove that definitely puts Hancock on a par with Quincy Jones at his funky best during the early 70s! The album's filled with great grooves pulled from the Warner Brothers albums by Hancock – including some quite long numbers – titles that include the funky nuggets "Wiggle Waggle", "Lil Brother", and "Tell Me A Bedtime Story" – plus "Sleeping Giant", "Crossings", "Quazar", "Ostinato", and "You'll Know When You Get There". LP, Vinyl record album

Sublime overseas work from these two legendary musicians – both players from different scenes in the US, and who never would have crossed paths back in the day – but who really sparkle here with a sense of brilliance that brings out the best in both artists! There's no other accompaniment at all – just the piano of Horace Parlan alongside the tenor and soprano sax of Archie Shepp – right at that point when Shepp was exploring more conventional structures of jazz, but with all the knowledge he'd learned from the avant scene – which makes for wonderfully soulful ballads here that are unlike anything you might expect. Parlan is great too – stretching out in the very resonant space of the recording – and titles include "Deep River", "Goin Home", "Amazing Grace", "Go Down Moses", and "My Lord What A Morning". LP, Vinyl record album

Warm and wonderful work from Phyllis Hyman – a set that's a lot more mainstream soul than her music of a few years before, but one that still shows a strong commitment to the more complicated styles of her roots! The sound here is full and proud – a nice extension of the work that Hyman did with Norman Connors, and not nearly as much in a disco mode as it might be, given the time of the release. And although many of the tracks are somewhat upbeat, they've got a bit more complication in the rhythms than conventional club – thanks to the presence of jazz players who include Herbie Hancock, Monty Alexander, Azar Lawrence, and others. The best production on the record is by T Life, and the team of Skip Scarborough and Larry Alexander – and titles include "Kiss You All Over", "Living Inside Your Love", "Soon Come Again", "Here's That Rainy Day", "Lookin For A Lovin", and "Be Careful (How You Treat My Love)". LP, Vinyl record album