This bossa LP on Columbia is pretty good stuff! The record was recorded with some of Brazil's best bossa players – like Luiz Bonfa, Roberto Menescal, and Luiz Eca (of Tamba Trio fame). John Hammond produced the session, so you can be sure it's got the kind of rootsy sound that will make the tracks have a bit more kick than if the album was in the hands of a regular pop-bossa producer. Titles include "Avion", "Reza", "Vagamente", "Ela E Carioca", "Zomba", and "Alem Da Imaginacao". CD

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Great early stuff from Paul Winter – a player who's certainly done some terrible stuff over the years, but who really sounded great in his younger days! Winter was a hip young player coming out of Northwestern U in Chicago, and he had a well-educated, slightly-modern approach to jazz that was still supported by a lot of straight soulful playing. Here, Winter's working with a great group – his sextet that included Jay Cameron on baritone, Dick Whitsell on trumpet, Chuck Israels on bass, and Ben Riley on drums. The set list includes some very hip numbers like "The Sherrif" by Gil Melle, "All Members" by Jimmy Heath, and "With Malice Towards None", "Cupbearers", and "Ally" written by Tom McIntosh. LP, Vinyl record album

With Winter on soprano and vocals; David Darling on cello and vocals; Paul McCanless on oboe, english horn, contrabass, sarrusophone, and vocals; Ralph Towner on guitars and vocals; Herb Bushler on bass; and Collin Walcott on percussion; plus guests including Billy Cobham, Barry Altschul, and others. LP, Vinyl record album

Paul Motian – captured live at the Village Vanguard with Bill Frisell and Joe Lovano! CD

Two later records from 60s French easy maestro Paul Mauriat – recorded at a time when we're not sure we even knew Mauriat was still making music! The instrumentation and production are updated slightly, but Paul's still got that sense of melody and space that always made his music stand out – on a set of two dozen titles that include "Descendant Of The Dragon", "Windy","About Winter", "Tomorrow Will Be Better", "PM Eastern's Love Theme", "Song For Taipei", "Ending Song Of Love", "Day After Day", "Part Time Lover", "Nikita", "Saving All My Love For You", and "Sara". CD

Two extended suites, both composed by Maria Schneider, set to poems by Ted Kooser and Carlos Drummond de Andrade – performed by the Australian Chamber Orchestra, Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, and vocalist Dawn Upshaw. CD

No bebop here, despite what you might guess from the title – and instead an album of much freer lines and wider musical vision, captured with Keith Jarrett's famous group of the 70s! Jarrett plays a bit of soprano sax alongside his piano, and the rest of the quartet features Dewey Redman on tenor and musette, Charlie Haden on bass, and Paul Motian on drums and percussion – all in a mode that's somewhat quieter and not as earthy as their early 70s sides together, but still filled with the great sense of interplay that made the group a noteworthy one. Titles include "Pyramids Moving", "Mushi Mushi", "Silence", "Gotta Get Some Sleep", and "Blackberry Winter". LP, Vinyl record album

A long-overdue follow-up to Ken's last Word Jazz album for Dot – done for Nordine's own Snail Records label nearly 20 years after the last one! The style here is less "jazz" and more atmospheric than before – very much in the mode of Nordine's Word Jazz syndicated radio show from the 80s and 90s. The vocal tricks and sense of humor's still nicely in place, and if anything the experimental style of the record is pushed even more than before. Backings include Howard Levy on keyboards and Paul Wertico on drums – and side one is a suite of tracks on "The Seasons", while side two features "Other Stuff". Individual titles include "The Swami", "Feet Of Clay", "Charlie Bingbang", "What's So Funny", "Summer Madness", "Getting Ready", and "Winter Sketch". LP, Vinyl record album

Uri Caine on Hammond organ, Forte piano, harpsichord, and keyboards, Greg Osby on alto saxophone, Don Byron on clarinet, Josh Roseman on trombone, Ralph Alessi and Paul Plunkett on trumpet, Bob Stewart on tuba, Arno Jochem on viola da gamba, Annegret Siedel on violin, Reggie Washington on electric bass, Drew Gress, James Genus, and Reid Anderson on bass, Ralph Peterson on drums, vocals from Davis Moss with the Kettwiger Bach Ensemble choir, Kettwinger Bach Ensemble, the Koln String Quartet, and Quartetto Italiano. CD

A set that features music from three different sessions recorded by trumpeter Bill Dixon in the mid 60s – all pretty groundbreaking work, even all these many years later! First up is a quartet co-led by Archie Shepp and Bill Dixon – easily one of the greatest modern jazz pairings of the 60s! If you only know Shepp from his later work, you'll hear something very different here – as his tenor's often brought into tight focus with the trumpet of Dixon – in a blend of arrangement and freedom that's like that of Ted Curson and Bill Barron, but a lot more powerful overall! The tunes still have a sense of structure – and get great help from the bass of Don Moore and drums of Paul Cohen – but there's also some tremendously unbridled energy from the leaders, especially Dixon, who might not have sounded this great ever again. Titles include "Quartet" and "Trio". Next up is one side of an album that Dixon split with Shepp for Savoy – and Dixon's material here features a septet, with a great lineup that includes Ken McIntyre on alto and oboe, George Barrow on tenor, and both Hal Dodson and David Izenzon on basses. Titles include "Winter Song 1964" and "The 12th December". Last up is the seminal Intents & Purposes record – one of the few rare records cut by Bill Dixon during the 60s, and a perfect example of "new thing" jazz in action. Trumpeter Dixon plays in 3 different ensembles – a nonet, a quintet, and a duet – with players like Byard Lancaster, Reggie Workman, Robert Pozar, and Jimmy Garrison. The tracks are long, with an approach that begins with compositional structures, but which also showcases the avant solo talents of the players – in a manner that's similar to some of the Blue Note work by Anthony Williams or Grachan Moncur III. A darn tough record to find – and with the tracks "Voices", "Nightfall Pieces I & II", and "Metamorphosis". CD

Classic singers take on the sound of the season – in the kind of collection that really takes aim at those years when the world of Christmas records really started to explode! The tunes here mix some of the paternalistic voices of TV Christmas specials with some that are more in the world of jazz and rock – mixing things up in a nice way, and offering up plenty of classics along the way! Titles include "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" by Frank Sinatra, "Christmas Time All Over The World" by Sammy Davis Jr, "Let It Snow" by Dean Martin, "Winter Wonderland" by Paul Anka, "Christmas Night In Harlem" by Louis Armstrong, "White Christmas" by Bing Crosby, "It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas" by Perry Como, "The Christmas Song" by Mel Torme, "Baby It's Cold Outside" by Ray Charles & Betty Carter, "I'll Be Home For Christmas" by Frank Sinatra, and "Blue Christmas" by Elvis Presley. LP, Vinyl record album

The "shellac dust" in the title will let you know what sort of territory you're in here – Christmas songs that go way way back, to the glory days of the 78rpm single, served up in a host of jazz and vocal modes! The set features a fair bit of tracks from the prewar years, and although some of the song titles are familiar, the choice of cuts is unique – so that you'll hear a fair bit of unusual readings of Christmas classics – all of which makes for a package that really lives up to other Bear Family Holiday sets that we've been digging for years! CD version features 28 tracks in all – and titles include "Snow Ball" by Louis Armstrong, "Peace Sister Peace" by Monette Moore & The Ebonaires, "Jingle Bells" by Glenn Miller with Tex Beneke, "And The Angels Sing" by Count Basie with Helen Humes, "What Will Santa Claus Say" by Louis Prima, "Blow Blow Thou Winter Winds" by Bob Crosby with Marion Mann, "Let It Snow" by The Ramblers Orchestra, "Santa's Secret" by Johnny Guarnieri with Slam Stewart, "Ring Dem Bells" by Charlie Barnet, "Christmas Night In Harlem" by Paul Whiteman with Jack Teagarden, "There's Frost On The Moon" by Chick Webb with Ella Fitzgerald, "Bells Of Auld Lang Syne" by Joel Cowan & Thornel Swartz, and "Santa Claus Came In The Spring" by Putney Dandridge. CD

The "shellac dust" in the title will let you know what sort of territory you're in here – Christmas songs that go way way back, to the glory days of the 78rpm single, served up in a host of jazz and vocal modes! The set features a fair bit of tracks from the prewar years, and although some of the song titles are familiar, the choice of cuts is unique – so that you'll hear a fair bit of unusual readings of Christmas classics – all of which makes for a package that really lives up to other Bear Family Holiday sets that we've been digging for years! LP version features 14 tracks in all – and titles include "Snow Ball" by Louis Armstrong, "Peace Sister Peace" by Monette Moore & The Ebonaires, "Jingle Bells" by Glenn Miller with Tex Beneke, "And The Angels Sing" by Count Basie with Helen Humes, "What Will Santa Claus Say" by Louis Prima, "Blow Blow Thou Winter Winds" by Bob Crosby with Marion Mann, "Let It Snow" by The Ramblers Orchestra, "Santa's Secret" by Johnny Guarnieri with Slam Stewart, "Ring Dem Bells" by Charlie Barnet, "Christmas Night In Harlem" by Paul Whiteman with Jack Teagarden, "There's Frost On The Moon" by Chick Webb with Ella Fitzgerald, "Bells Of Auld Lang Syne" by Joel Cowan & Thornel Swartz, and "Santa Claus Came In The Spring" by Putney Dandridge. LP, Vinyl record album

The Jazzman label hits a whole new level of brilliance – as they turn their funk-trained crate digging skills to the world of spiritual jazz! The collection's an amazing batch of ultra-rare tunes – tracks that take inspiration from the John Coltrane/Archie Shepp work on Impulse Records in the 60s, then run with those roots in bold new directions – soaring, spiritual aims in jazz that reach for new freedoms, but never lapse into the totally-outside modes of free jazz! Instead, there's a really great balance here between structure and struggle – as many tunes often have a good rhythmic pulse, usually modal and soulful, then let the horn solos stretch out more in their own sounds and directions. The mix is amazing, as is the selection of tunes – rare numbers pulled mostly from American independent jazz releases of the 60s and 70s – most of which are as obscure as the funky 45s we normally get from Jazzman. As with the label's US funk compilations, there's full notes on all the music – a heck of a lot of detail on these artists – and tracks on the set include "Paul's Ark" by Morris Wilson Beau Bailey Quintet, "Ayo Ayo Nene" by Mor Thiam, "Nomusa" by Ndikho Xaba & The Natives, "The Afrikan In Winter" by The Positive Force, "Neveen" by Salah Ragab, "Ja Mil" by Hastings Street Jazz Experience, "Be There" by Leon Gardner, "Psych City" by Ohio Penitentiary 511 Jazz Ensemble, "Introduction" by James Tatum Trio Plus, and "No Jive" by Frank Derrick Total Experience. US pressing has 2 bonus tracks – "All Prasies To Allah (parts 1 & 2 edit)" by Lightmen Plus One, and "Bada Que Bash" by PE Hewitt Jazz Ensemble. CD

Yulesville is coolsville – especially when it comes in the form of a killer collection of rare Christmas singles from the folks at Bear Family! The package is awash in the kind of groovy, sometimes goofy Holiday singles that broke big in the early years of rock and soul – a nice antidote to the sort of sleepier work that usually graced the record racks in earlier years – and the kind of music that's perfect for sipping egg nog into the wee small hours of Christmas morning! There's plenty of gems here that we've never heard before, and plenty of other great nuggets too – titles that include "Rock & Roll Christmas" by Cordell Jackson, "Wishing Is For Fools" by The Melodeers, "Jingle Jangle" by The Penguins, "Jingle Rock" by Tommy Lee & The Orbits, "Big White Cadillac" by Little Joey Farr, "Xmas Bell Rock" by Barry & The Highlights, "Twisten Bells" by Santo & Johnny, "Sleigh Bell Rock" by Three Aces & A Joker, "Winter Wonderland" by Allen & The Flames, "The Cactus Christmas Tree" by The McGuire Sisters, "It's Christmas Everywhere" by Paul Anka, "All Winter Long" by Linda Laure, and "Christmas Kisses" by The Bookends & Ray Anthony. 33 tracks in all! CD

A great pairing of two of the coolest jazz talents of the 50s – icy-cool altoist Paul Desmond and warm-toned baritonist Gerry Mulligan! The group here continues the pianoless tradition of some of Mulligan's work of the decade – leaving plenty of room for amazing interplay between the horns, and a rare chance to hear Desmond away from the instrument – especially considering his work with Brubeck – blowing here in an airy, willowy tone that's totally great. Other players include Joe Benjamin on bass and Dave Bailey on drums – and titles include "Blues In Time", "Standstill", "Line For Lyons", and "Fall Out". CD includes bonus tracks – "Tea For Two", "Wintersong", and "Lover". CD

A light and dreamy set of Brazilian vocal tracks – recorded in 1967, and featuring the voice of singer Lenita Bruno, a strong 60s talent with a style that's somewhat like Sylvia Telles. Arrangements on the set are by Clare Fischer – who plays piano, organ, and electric harpsichord in a small combo that also includes guitar by Laurindo Almeida, flute by Bud Shank, and percussion by Paulinho. Some tracks augment the ensemble with a string quartet – who give the material an appropriately sad tone, perfect for Lenita's blue-styled vocals. Includes a nicely grooving version of "Chove Chuva", plus the tracks "Wave", "Winter Moon", "Sing Sing More", "Dindi", "Stay My Love", and "Someone To Light Up My Life". LP, Vinyl record album

Way more than just a simple collection of famous cool jazz numbers – and instead, an ultra-hip set that shows the evolution of the original sound over the space of decades and the stretch of two continents! The collection nicely avoids the obvious overplayed west coast examples of the sound, and goes for some less obvious gems that show the way that players in the late 50s and 1960s took the initial cool jazz inspiration and expanded it tremendously in a range of different modes! As with other titles in the excellent Jazz Club series, the tracks here are pulled from Universal-owned labels like Verve, Impulse, and MPS – recorded on both sides of the Atlantic in the 50s and 60s, and brought together here in one well-done, low-priced package. Titles include "Nuages" by Barney Wilen, "The Cool One" by Art Farmer/Benny Golson Jazztet, "Harper" by Ed Thigpen, "Crackle Hut" by Max Roach, "Coolie" by Dizzy Gillespie, "Cleo's Asp" by Paul Gonsalves, "Serenade In Blue" by Stan Getz, "Snap Crackle" by Roy Haynes, "Foolin Myself" by Lee Konitz, "The Gentle Art Of Love" by Hans Koller, and "Wintersong" by Gerry Mulligan & Paul Desmond. CD

One of Bill Withers' greatest albums of the 70s – a set that has hip stepping off the acoustic sound of his Sussex records, into a warm and jazzy style that we like every bit as much as his earlier work! The album's got a wonderfully sophisticated jazzy vibe, and includes the excellent cut "Lovely Day" – a perfect midtempo track with some great electric keyboards behind Bill's raspy soulful voice, and a great hook on the chorus! Paul Riser handled a lot of the arrangements – and other titles include "Wintertime", "It Ain't Because Of Me Baby", "I Want To Spend The Night", and "Then You Smile At Me". LP, Vinyl record album

The late live album from Jefferson Airplane – who were at the end of their journey, but whatever their personal differences may have been at the time, they still put on a helluva great rock and roll show! Thirty Seconds Over Winterland was recorded at that legendary San Francisco venue, and at Chicago's Auditorium Theatre, with the post-Marty Balin line-up of Grace Slick, Paul Kanter, Jack Casady and Jorma Kaukomen – plus violinist Papa John Creach, drummer John Barbata and vocalist David Freiberg from Quicksilver Messenger Service. Titles include "Have You Seen The Saucers", "Feel So Good", "Crown Of Creation", "When The Earth Moves Again", "Milk Train", "Trial By Fire" and "Twilight Double Leader". LP, Vinyl record album