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Quite an unusual record from Art Blakey – a rare big band session, recorded with a lineup that's quite different than the usual Jazz Messengers! Turns out, Blakey's quite good in this setting – and has the same firey energy to direct a larger ensemble that he has when working with a smaller quintet. The added players here really help him express some new musical ideas with greater depth – almost like the added percussionists on some of his drum-heavy Blue Note dates of the late 50s. Members of the group include John Coltrane and Al Cohn on tenor, Sahib Shihab on alto, Donald Byrd and Idrees Sulieman on trumpet, Melba Liston on trombone, and Walter Bishop on piano – and titles include "Last Date", "The Outer World", "Midriff", "Tippin", and "Pristine".

An explosive late 70s moment of brilliance from trombonist Curtis Fuller – and one of his greatest albums of the time! The set's got Fuller working with an unusual group – Pepper Adams on baritone sax, making for a nice "bottom" alongside Fuller's trombone, plus James Williams, borrowed from Art Blakey's group of the time – and really stepping out here with some great soaring piano lines. The rest of the quintet features Dennis Irwin on bass and John Yarling on drums – but the real boss of the set is clearly Fuller, who's contributed some wonderful originals to the session, and is clearly working with a re-kindled spirit at this point in his career. Titles include "Four On The Outside", "Suite Kathy", "Little Dreams", "Ballad For Gabe-Wells", and "Corrida Del Torro".

Duke Jordan never made many albums as a leader back in the 50s – but all of them are great, including this classic set on Savoy! As you'd guess from the title, the record features Jordan in two different settings – trio and quintet – the former of which features Percy Heath on bass and Art Blakey on drums, working in warmly soulful formation with Duke on the first half of the record. The second half brings in Cecil Payne on baritone and Eddie Bert on trombone – a whole new approach to the music, and one that really shows the depth of Jordan's under-documented arranging skills – which here are almost in the territory of Gigi Gryce or Benny Golson. Titles include "Flight To Jordan", "Cu-ba", "Two Loves", "Scotch Blues", "Sultry Eve", "Night In Tunisia", "Summertime", and "Forecast".

An excellent early session from a young Lee Morgan – a set that we'd rank right up there with his best Blue Note material of the time! The set's from a time when Lee's trumpet was a key force in the Jazz Messengers – and there's definitely a Messengers vibe going on here, thanks to drums from Art Blakey – who works in a quintet alongside Clifford Jordan on tenor, Wynton Kelly on piano, and Paul Chambers on bass. Jordan's tenor has a nice sharp edge – and like some of the Wayne Shorter sessions for Vee Jay, there's a nice sense of darkness here that's a bit different than some of Morgan's usual moments. Titles include "Terrible T", "Mogie", "Bess", and Wayne Shorter's "Running Brook".

A really classic-styled set – as you might guess from the Art Blakey homage image on the front cover – a cracker of a session that features some great players from the contemporary Italian scene! There's a bold hardbop vibe to the whole thing – a mode that hangs right up there in the best Blue Note modern mode of the late 50s – no surprise, given the set list, which includes compositions by Sonny Clark, Art Pepper, Eric Dolphy, and Frank Rosolino! Things swing straight overall, but there's a really nice edge to the record – thanks to the work of horn players Danilo Pala on alto and Andy Gravish on trumpet – both musicians we've never really heard before, but who come together beautifully – especially Gravish, whose edgey alto would definitely make Dolphy proud. Other group members include Luca Mannutza on piano, Nicola Muresu on bass, and leader Vittorio Sicbaldi on drums – and titles include "Melody For C", "Candy", "Arrivin Soon", "Bijou The Poodle", "Sorino", "Sad Eyes", and "Blue Daniel".

Some of the greatest British jazz of the 60s – two early albums by the groundbreaking Ian Carr/Don Rendell quintet! Carr was a trumpeter and Rendell was a saxophonist – and together, the pair led a group that had an amazing flair for tones, colors, and interesting rhythmic progressions – picking up on the modal and exotic influences that were bubbling under in the British scene of the time, especially in work of players like Joe Harriott and Michael Garrick – but putting things together with a groove that was a bit more straight ahead, and inflected by the soulful lyricism of Blue Note artists like Horace Silver and Art Blakey! Both albums are tremendous – rich and under-discovered jazz territory, and overflowing with incredible original compositions that will make the set one of the freshest jazz CDs you purchase this year! Titles include "Latin Blue", "Just Blue", "Garrison 64", "Tan Samfu", "Jubal", "Dusk Fire", "Spooks", and "Ruth".

Hardbop albums don't get any better than this – and although drummer Dave Bailey only recorded for a brief stretch as a leader, this session's one that shows that he was a heck of a force to contend with! The record's got an intensity that easily rivals the best by Art Blakey over at Blue Note during the early 60s – but Dave's also got a slightly looser groove too – a bit more sense of humanity, and one that allows for really organic interplay between the players. There's a slight soul jazz undercurrent – especially in the piano lines of Billy Gardner – and other players in the quintet include Bill Hardman on trumpet, Frank Haynes on tenor, and Ben Tucker on bass. The group wails on an early version of Tucker's classic "Comin' Home Baby", plus other great originals like "Coffee Walk", "Lady Iris B", and "Two Feet In the Gutter". A old favorite on the south side of Chicago!

A pretty great little set that combines both of the rare early Elmo Hope 10" LPs for Blue Note – plus some additional material! Introducing The Elmo Hope Trio is seminal early work from Hope – and one of the 10" LP releases that was part of Blue Note's "New Faces – New Sounds" series during the early 50s. Hope's working here with Percy Heath and Philly Joe Jones – and the trio go to town on numbers that include complicated bop tunes like "Carving The Rock" and "Hot Sauce", plus more melodic tunes like "Freffie" and "Mo Is On". As always, Hope proves himself to be one of the greatest pianists in jazz history – right up there with Monk, Herbie Nichols, and Bud Powell, bristling with excitement that few of his contemporaries (save those three) could match! The Elmo Hope Quintet session has Hope grooving in a very modernist approach to bop, working perfectly with a tight little quintet. Frank Foster wails on tenor, Freeman Lee soars on trumpet, and Percy Heath and Art Blakey keep the whole thing going on rhythm – while Hope plays madly on piano, adding in rich tones and colors to a set that might have otherwise been a straighter bop outing. Titles include "Chips", "Crazy", "Abdullah", and "Low Tide". The CD also adds in 2 tracks from the 40 Years Of Jazz collection in 1979 – "It's A Lovely Day Today" and "Crazy (alternate)" – plus 3 from the Art Blakey/Elmo Hope album – "So Nice", "St Elmo's Fire", and "Vaun Ex".

Great early material from Lou Donaldson – with a hard-hitting bop sound missing from his later work! The tracks are short, raw, and lively – and filled with the kind of pre-hardbop soul that Donaldson was infusing into jazz, along with other players on the material – like Horace Silver, Art Blakey, and Blue Mitchell – all of whom make key early appearances here. The material is from rare 10" LPs – originally recorded in the early 50s, but repackaged in a full album by Blue Note at the end of the 60s. Titles include "Moe's Bluff", "Roccus", "Sweet Juice", "Down Home", and "The Stroller". A repackaged album of the set that's also known as Quartet/Quintet/Sextet.