An extremely great session from Eddie Costa and Art Farmer – arguably more so, because the cover and label make you think it's going to be a cheap knockoff! In what is an odd meeting of players, especially for the label, Eddie's piano and vibes meet up with Art's trumpet, the alto of Phil Woods, bass of Teddy Kotick, and drums of Paul Motian – all of whom work together with the fluidity and soulfulness of some of the best Prestige sessions of the time. The horn work is tremendous – and it's hard to remember Woods sounding this great on other albums of the time, really cutting an edge next to Farmer's trumpet – which also has an incredible tone for the album, right up there with his Farmer's Market record. Titles include "Big Ben", "Blues Plus Eight", "Stretch In F", and "Get Out Of The Road". LP, Vinyl record album

Features Phil Woods on alto, Eddie Costa on vibes and piano, Joe Wilder on trumpet, Buzzy Brauner on tenor, and Frank Rehak on trombone! Also features one track by "The Men" – with Donald Byrd and Idrees Sulieman on trumpets, Hal McKusick on alto, and Bobby Jaspar on tenor. CD

An extremely great album from Eddie Costa – one of the best of the all-great Mode sessions from 1957! In what is an odd meeting of players, especially for the label, Eddie's piano and vibes meet up with Art Farmer's trumpet, the alto of Phil Woods, bass of Teddy Kotick, and drums of Paul Motian – all of whom work together with the fluidity and soulfulness of some of the best Prestige sessions of the time. The horn work is tremendous – and it's hard to remember Woods sounding this great on other albums of the time, really cutting an edge next to Farmer's trumpet – which also has an incredible tone for the album, right up there with his Farmer's Market record! Titles include "Big Ben", "Blues Plus Eight", "Stretch In F", and "Get Out Of The Road". CD

An extremely great session from Eddie Costa – one of the best of the all-great Mode sessions from 1957! In what is an odd meeting of players, especially for the label, Eddie's piano and vibes meet up with Art Farmer's trumpet, the alto of Phil Woods, bass of Teddy Kotick, and drums of Paul Motian – all of whom work together with the fluidity and soulfulness of some of the best Prestige sessions of the time. The horn work is tremendous – and it's hard to remember Woods sounding this great on other albums of the time, really cutting an edge next to Farmer's trumpet – which also has an incredible tone for the album, right up there with his Farmer's Market record. Titles include "Big Ben", "Blues Plus Eight", "Stretch In F", and "Get Out Of The Road". LP, Vinyl record album

The only 2 trio sessions recorded by pianist and vibist Eddie Costa – both done in the late 50s, a few years before Eddie's untimely early death! The first 9 tracks on the CD feature work from the Eddie Costa/Vinnie Burke Trio album – a spare and sweet little set from the team of Costa and Burke – one of the best of the east coast chamber jazz pairings of the 50s! The duo's trio has Eddie on piano and vibes, Vinnie on bass, and Nick Stabulas on drums – all working together to craft light, rhythmic versions of tunes that really change them up rhythmically – working in the most playful mode of the time to freely create over the top of familiar numbers that include "Fascinating Rhythm", "It Could Happen To You", "Sweet & Lovely", "Yesterdays", and "Let's Do It". The set also features two nice originals – "Unison Blues" and "Pile Driver". House Of Blue Lights is a quite different record altogether – one that has Eddie playing with a much heavier touch on the left hand – inflecting the keys in a bluesier mode, but also working here with some modern touches from drummer Paul Motian, who's in the trio along with bassist Wendell Marshall. Costa's tone has changed decidedly for the record – and he's often got a loudly flowing approach to the keys that echoes later work by McCoy Tyner, Steve Kuhn, and other key 60s innovators. And even though tracks are again mostly familiar numbers, Costa's really pushing them to new levels – pushing, pausing, and twisting them into unusual time structures and melodic progressions. Titles include "House Of Blue Lights", "Diane", "When I Fall In Love", "My Funny Valentine", "What's To Ya", and "Anabelle". 15 tracks in all – 9 from the Costa/Burke Trio album, and 6 from Blue Lights. CD

Rare material from John Coltrane – tracks that were done for Bethlehem Records at a time when he was just rising up as a leader, and still contributed work as a sideman! The album features Trane playing tenor on only four of the album's eight tracks – making it kind of surprising that they used his name in the title – but the album is a lesser-known batch of large group recordings that offer an interesting early chapter in his career! The main force behind the album is arranger Harry Tubbs – possibly not a name that's as sexy as John Coltrane, hence the billing – but a worthy leader for the date, given the quality of the music. Many of the other players here are small combo heroes who can also shine brightly in bigger groups – such as Donald Byrd and Art Farmer on trumpets, Kenny Burrell on guitar, Al Cohn on baritone sax, Eddie Costa on piano and vibes, and Oscar Pettiford on bass – plus Rolf Kuhn, making an early American appearance on clarinet. Coltrane gets in some nice, but short moments on the date – but the bigger charm is the full ensemble work – on titles that include "She Didn't Say Yes", "Turtle Walk", "At Home With The Blues", "Seabreeze", and "Love & The Weather". CD

Mike Cuozzo didn't cut many records back in the day, but all of them are pretty darn nice – definitely the case with this one, which features Eddie Costa on vibes, Ronnie Ball on piano, Vinnie Burke on bass, and Kenny Clarke on drums! CD

Some of the most striking Eric Dolphy work we've ever heard – a set of live performances from the years 1962 and 1963 that feature Dolphy in a free-thinking mode that surpasses even the modernism of his classic studio sides! The recordings feature Dolphy amidst a variety of players – including a number of unlikely suspects like Barry Galbraith, Eddie Costa, and Jim Hall – and although some of the tracks have a moody and introspective third stream quality (3 of the numbers are written by Gunther Schuller), others are quite open, and almost have an ESP-like intensity. One longer title is a jam session take on Charlie Parker's "Donna Lee" – recorded with a lineup that includes Phil Woods, Nick Travis, Benny Golson, Don Ellis, and Lalo Schifrin! Other titles include "Iron Man", "Half Note Triplets", "Densities", and "Night Music". CD

An assortment of work from the team of Urbie Green and Jimmy Raney – two players who rarely worked together in such small group settings! First up is the full ABC album Blues & Other Shades Of Green – one of the most obscure small group sessions by trombonist Green – a heck of a great player who was too often lost amidst larger ensembles! The album's got Urbie playing both slide and valve trombone, in a quintet that includes Jimmy Raney on guitar, Dave McKenna on piano, Percy Heath on bass, and Kenny Clarke on drums – and the tracks have a tightly arranged approach, but also still allow plenty of room for the individual instrumentalists to express themselves. Titles include "Reminiscent Blues", "One For Dee", "Am I Blue", "Dirty Dan", "Warm Valley", "Paradise", and "It's Too Late Now". Added to that album are 3 more tracks from the Vinnie Burke All Stars album for ABC – truly an all-star session, as the record boasts a lineup that includes Jimmy Raney on guitar, Al Cohn on tenor, Urbie Green on trombone, Eddie Costa on piano, and Joe Morello on drums! The sound is in keeping with Burke's album for Bethlehem, but fleshed out a bit more with the extra horn players – kind of a loosely swinging take on the chamber jazz sound of the mid 50s, with room for plenty of gentle solos from the key players in the set. The sound excellent – recorded with that crispness and focus that made the best mid 50s ABC jazz sides so great – and the 3 titles include "Lulu's Back In Town", "Blue Jeans", and "I'm Getting Sentimental Over You". Last up are 4 more titles from a rare 10" LP – Urbie Green & His Band, featuring Freddie Green on guitar (instead of Raney), Ruby Braff on trumpet, Med Flory on alto, Frank Wess on tenor and flute, and Sir Charles Thompson on piano. The sound is somewhat more traditional, but never too much so – and tracks include "Med's Tune", "Lullaby Of Birdland", "Old Time Modern", and "I Got It Bad". CD

Massive later music from Coleman Hawkins – a date that might be easy to overlook, given the unassuming package – but one that really features that newfound mix of modernism and soul that graced the later years of Hawk! The setting is a bit unusual, but that's part of the charm – as Hawkins' tenor comes into play with the trumpet of Thad Jones, piano and vibes of Eddie Costa, bass of George Duvivier, and drums of Osie Johnson – a group who are mostly easygoing, and really let Coleman take the lead – although Jones gets in a few great moments too! Titles include "Cloudy", "Almost Dawn", "Stake Out", "Cross Town", and "Shadows". LP, Vinyl record album

Tremendous American recordings from British tenorist Tubby Hayes with Clark Terry on trumpet, Horace Parlan on piano, George Duvivier on bass, Dave Bailey on drums, and Eddie Costa on vibraphone – presented here in a CD that features four previously-unreleased titles that include "Soho Soul", "Simple Waltz", "Half A Sawbuck", and "You're My Everything". CD

One of a few albums cut in America by French 50s modernist Andre Hodeir – a set of compositions arranged and conducted by Hodeir himself, featuring American players that include Idrees Sulieman and Donald Byrd on trumpets, Hal McKusick on alto and bass clarinet, Bobby Jaspar on tenor and flute, Jay Cameron on baritone and clarinet, Eddie Costa on vibes, and Frank Rehak on trombone. Annie Ross does a very nice vocal obligatto on the track "The Alphabet", and other tunes include "On A Standard", "On A Riff", "On A Blues", "Criss Cross", and "Paradoxe II". LP, Vinyl record album

A surprisingly great Shelly Manne album from the early 60s – one that follows a format that has Shelly playing in duo format ("2"), trio ("3"), and quartet ("4") – hence the title! The duo track is incredible – a spare duet with Coleman Hawkins called "Me & Some Drums" – improvised between Manne and Hawkins, stretching for 6 minutes, with a sound that's a high point in the career of both players! The trio work features Shelly with Eddie Costa on vibes and piano and George Duvivier on bass – and the quartet sides bring Hawkins back, alongside Hank Jones' piano and more bass by Duvivier. The whole thing's great – as much for Hawkins as it is for Manne – and titles include "The Sicks Of Us", "Slowly", "Take The A Train", "Lean On Me", and "Me & Some Drums". CD

A surprisingly great Shelly Manne album from the early 60s – one that follows a format that has Shelly playing in duo format ("2"), trio ("3"), and quartet ("4") – hence the title! The duo track is incredible – a spare duet with Coleman Hawkins called "Me & Some Drums" – improvised between Manne and Hawkins, stretching for 6 minutes, with a sound that's a high point in the career of both players! The trio work features Shelly with Eddie Costa on vibes and piano and George Duvivier on bass – and the quartet sides bring Hawkins back, alongside Hank Jones' piano and more bass by Duvivier. The whole thing's great – as much for Hawkins as it is for Manne – and titles include "The Sicks Of Us", "Slowly", "Take The A Train", "Lean On Me", and "Me & Some Drums". CD

Guitarist Sal Salvador made few albums as a leader during his day – but all of them are a treat, especially this one! The set's a mid 50s outing that features Sal's guitar in a quartet with Eddie Costa on piano and vibes – and grooving in a lightly swinging style that has some traces of east coast chamber jazz of the time, but which also displays Salvador's unique fascination with tone, sound, shape, and color! Salvador has a way of approaching the electric guitar that's like few other players in jazz – sometimes coming on full swing, other times laying back and letting the strings and their sounds shape the progression of tunes on the set. Titles include "Salaman", "I Love You", "Handful Of Stars", "Frivolous Sal", "Tangerine", "You Could Swing For That", and "All The Things You Are". CD

Sal Salvador was one of the 50's more accomplished modernist talents on jazz guitar – and his work ranks up there with players like Tal Farlow, or Gil Melle's great bandmate Joe Cinderella. This long-overdue CD brings together some of his best work from the mid 50s – by pairing one rare Blue Note 10" jazz session with another album that Salvador cut as part of Capitol's "Stan Kenton Presents" series. The Blue Note session's got some great tracks that feature tenorist Frank Sokolow, an icy toned genius who's never gotten his just dues. Other cuts (on both the Blue Note and Capitol sessions) feature Eddie Costa on piano and vibes, and titles from both include "See", "Round Trip", "Wheels", "Salutations", "Down Home", and "Yesterdays". 18 cuts in all, in a great looking package that replicates the orignal cover art! CD

The complete recordings done by John Coltrane for Bethlehem Records – mostly cut during December of 1957, and issued on the albums The Winner's Circle and Art Blakey Big Band! Both albums were a bit unusual for the label – in that The Winner's Circle was sort of a blowing/jam session type record, cut with some of the big poll winners of the year, but with shorter tracks than the usual Prestige-styled set of that nature. The lineup includes Donald Byrd, Al Cohn, Eddie Costa, Oscar Pettiford, and Philly Joe Jones – and Coltrane's a bit buried in the group, but gets out some nice licks from time to time. The second set of tracks was recorded for a unique big band session led by Art Blakey – featuring a core group with Coltrane, Donald Byrd, Walter Bishop Jr, and Wendell Marshall on some tracks – plus a larger lineup on a number of others. The CD brings together a whopping 27 tracks from these sessions, including some great alternate takes – and titles include "Midriff", "Tippin", "The Outer World", "The Kiss Of No Return", "Pristine Take", and "Oasis" – a previously unreleased track! CD

Guitar jazz genius from the amazing Tal Farlow – working here at the height of his powers on a classic session for Verve – a real standout album from the 50s, and one with some slightly more modern overtones than even other Farlow sessions at the time! Part of the strength of the set is the piano work of Eddie Costa – which dances nicely in between the notes, often creating the same sense of counterpoint and interplay as on Costa's excellent albums with Sal Salvador from the same period. Farlow's tone is amazing throughout – rough and pointed, yet always fluid – and titles include "Lean On Me", "The More I See You", "Stella By Starlight", "Topsy", "All The Things You Are", and "Wonder Why". CD

A great 4-part suite that rivals any of Manny Albam's other sessions from the time – including Jazz Greats Of Our Time, or Jazz New York – and, like that one, a set that's filled with top-shelf jazz talents at the time! The tracks here are all quite long, and done in a bluesy mode that gives the album a bit more soul than usual for Albam – and the set features Phil Woods and Gene Quill on altos, Al Cohn on tenor, Art Farmer and Ernie Royal on trumpets, Bob Brookmeyer on trombone, and Eddie Costa on piano. LP, Vinyl record album

The complete recordings done by John Coltrane for Bethlehem Records – mostly cut during December of 1957, and issued on the albums The Winner's Circle and Art Blakey Big Band! Both albums were a bit unusual for the label – in that The Winner's Circle was sort of a blowing/jam session type record, cut with some of the big poll winners of the year, but with shorter tracks than the usual Prestige-styled set of that nature. The lineup includes Donald Byrd, Al Cohn, Eddie Costa, Oscar Pettiford, and Philly Joe Jones – and Coltrane's a bit buried in the group, but gets out some nice licks from time to time. The second set of tracks was recorded for a unique big band session led by Art Blakey – featuring a core group with Coltrane, Donald Byrd, Walter Bishop Jr, and Wendell Marshall on some tracks – plus a larger lineup on a number of others. The CD brings together a whopping 27 tracks from these sessions, including some great alternate takes – and titles include "Midriff", "Tippin", "The Outer World", "The Kiss Of No Return", "Pristine Take", and "Oasis" – a previously unreleased track! CD

Mike Cuozzo didn't cut many records back in the day, but all of them are pretty darn nice – definitely the case with this one, which features Eddie Costa on vibes, Ronnie Ball on piano, Vinnie Burke on bass, and Kenny Clarke on drums! LP, Vinyl record album

One of Tal's most compelling albums of the 50s – a drummer-less trio session, recorded with Eddie Costa on piano and Vinnie Burke on bass. Tal's tone is as great as always – edgily carving out some rhythms with the trio, swinging more gently than the title might imply, in a mode that might later be taken up by Jim Hall, but which here is all Tal's own! Titles include "Meteor", "Taking A Chance On Love", "Yardbird Suite", "Like Someone In Love", and "I Love You". Plus, the One of the most compelling Verve albums from guitar genius Tal Farlow – a drummer-less trio session, recorded with Eddie Costa on piano and Vinnie Burke on bass – really opening up at a level that lets you hear just how revolutionary Farlow's approach was at the time. Tal's tone is as great as always – edgily carving out some rhythms with the trio, swinging more gently than the title might imply, in a mode that might later be taken up by Jim Hall, but which here is all Tal's own – a fantastic modernist change from the way the guitar had been just in jazz just a few short years before. Titles include "Meteor", "Taking A Chance On Love", "Yardbird Suite", "Like Someone In Love", and "I Love You". CD features 4 bonus tracks – 2 versions of "Gone With The Wind, and alternate takes of "Yardbird Suite" and "Taking A Chance On Love". Great stuff – with over 60 minutes of music. CD

A really fantastic record from the great British tenorist Tubby Hayes – an early date recorded in the US, and one that really helped set the vibe for some of his later work in the UK! The sound is deeply soulful, similar to that short but great run of jazz releases that Epic issued in the early 60s, including the Dave Bailey albums on the label – and, no surprise, Dave's in the group's on drums – and the rest of the lineup is equally killer, with the mighty Horace Parlan on piano, Clark Terry on trumpet, and Eddie Costa on vibes! Terry's at his hippest here, and the album is magnificent, and perfectly captures Hayes' genius on the tenor in a way that few of his other early recordings ever do. Tracks include "Pint Of Bitter", "Opus Ocean", "Soon", and "You For Me". LP, Vinyl record album

Great music from jazz guitarist Mundell Lowe – a set that was originally written as the soundtrack for an early 60s sexploitation film, Satin In High Heels – but which works equally well as a jazz album on its own! Lowe's in a slightly different setting than on some of his earlier records – working with larger arrangements that include a rich array of sounds and tunes from Eddie Costa on piano and vibes, Clark Terry and Joe Newman on trumpets, Al Cohn and Oliver Nelson on tenor, Jimmy Cleveland on trombone, and Phil Woods on alto sax – an all-star lineup who make the music sound way better than you might expect! Lowe's guitar gets a lot of center space in the sound – providing the right sort of slinky, crime jazz-styled elements – and titles include "Coffee Coffee", "Lake In the Woods", "Pattern Of Evil", "Blues For A Stripper", and "East Side Drive In". Nice jazzy sound, and a very sexy theme! (Soundtracks, Jazz) CD

One of the few small group sessions from vocalist Betty Roche – a singer who was known for her work with Duke Ellington, but who sounds even better in this setting! Betty's got a style that's warmly raspy – a bit more edge than some of the cooler vocalists on the Bethlehem label at the time, but still backed with a group that's slightly modern – in keeping with other dates on the label. The combo features Eddie Costa on vibes, Donn Trenner on piano, Conte Candoli on trumpet, Whitey Mitchell on bass, and Davey Williams on drums – all grooving gently with Betty on a set of tracks that includes "Take The A Train", "Something To Live For", "All My Life", "All Too Soon", "You Don't Love Me Any More", "Go Away Blues", and "September In The Rain". (Vocalists, Jazz) LP, Vinyl record album

The title reads like a typo, but the album's a great set of smooth fusion from Freddie Hubbard – self-produced, and almost a summation of all the styles he'd mastered in the 70s! The session's never too over the top or too ambitious – just features Freddie working with a hip group in a laidback setting – blowing lean and mellow lines that almost take him back to his best CTI funk. The group features Billy Childs on keyboards, Hadley Caliman on tenor and flute, and some guest work by George Duke and Paulinho Da Costa – on titles that include "Skagly", "Rustic Celebration", "Happiness Is Now", and "Cascais". LP, Vinyl record album