"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

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

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

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 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

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

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