... LP, Vinyl record album

A new life for the ideas of saxophonist David Murray – worked out here in an octet of top-shelf players! The sound is avant one minute, swinging the next – and carried off with a rich sense of jazz tradition that really marks the growing appreciation of roots in the 80s generation of the New York scene. Murray works with both tenor and bass clarinet – and the arrangements here are great – filled with colors that shift and slide along wonderfully, horns that really lift each others' spirits, and work together to find a bold new space in sound. Other group members include Baikida Carroll and Hugh Ragin on trumpets, Craig Harris on trombone, John Purcell on alto, Steve Colson on piano, Wilbur Morris on bass, and Ralph Peterson on drums. Titles are all long – and include "Train Whistle", "Morning Song", "New Life", and "Blues In The Pocket". LP, Vinyl record album

A really bold step forward for David Murray – a seminal live recording that features one of the hippest big bands you'll ever hope to find! Murray really uses the date as a chance to express the full range of his musical talents – and often shows modes that are more traditional than you might expect, yet which are always touched with an undercurrent of modernism! The musical palette here is quite different than either the outside or inside sessions recorded by Murray with a small group at the time – and he really reaches back through a rich history of jazz in the performance, and updates it wonderfully with help from players who include Baikida Carroll on trumpet, Olu Dara on cornet, Craig Harris on trombone, Vincent Chaney on French horn, Steve Coleman on alto and soprano sax, Rod Williams on piano, Fred Hopkins on bass, and Billy Higgins on drums. Butch Morris conducts – and titles on this first volume include "Lovers", "Bechet's Bounce", "Silence", and "Duet For Big Band". CD

Composed by Burt Bacharach, with lyrics by Hal David. LP, Vinyl record album

Really fantastic early work from guitar genius Wes Montgomery – a series of live recordings from his Indianapolis roots – done at a level that's quite different than his bigger records of the 60s! Even at this early age, Wes is already a chromatic master – able to get sounds out of his guitar that are so different than most of his contemporaries – playing in a small combo mode on most tracks, but with less of the R&B influence than most postwar guitarists. Instead, Montgomery is pure jazz all the way through, but also without that too-clean tone that some folks were going for – just a great focus on color and open, honest tone – in the company of musicians who include Carl Perkins and Buddy Montgomery on piano, Mel Rhyne on Hammond, Monk Montgomery on bass, David Baker on trombone, and David Young on tenor. Those last two players only make a few appearances – as most groups are horn-less, which gives Wes even more solo space – on titles that include "Four", "Between The Devil & The Deep Blue Sea", "It's You Or No One", "Ecaroh", "Sandu", "Whisper Not", "Four On Six", "Mr Walker", "Round Midnight", "West Coast Blues", "Tune Up", "So What", and "The End Of A Love Affair". CD

A really bold step forward for David Murray – a seminal live recording that features one of the hippest big bands you'll ever hope to find! Murray really uses the date as a chance to express the full range of his musical talents – and often shows modes that are more traditional than you might expect, yet which are always touched with an undercurrent of modernism! The musical palette here is quite different than either the outside or inside sessions recorded by Murray with a small group at the time – and he really reaches back through a rich history of jazz in the performance, and updates it wonderfully with help from players who include Baikida Carroll on trumpet, Olu Dara on cornet, Craig Harris on trombone, Vincent Chaney on French horn, Steve Coleman on alto and soprano sax, Rod Williams on piano, Fred Hopkins on bass, and Billy Higgins on drums. Butch Morris conducts – and titles on this first volume include "Lovers", "Bechet's Bounce", "Silence", and "Duet For Big Band". LP, Vinyl record album

A really bold step forward for David Murray – a seminal live recording that features one of the hippest big bands you'll ever hope to find! Murray really uses the date as a chance to express the full range of his musical talents – and often shows modes that are more traditional than you might expect, yet which are always touched with an undercurrent of modernism! The musical palette here is quite different than either the outside or inside sessions recorded by Murray with a small group at the time – and he really reaches back through a rich history of jazz in the performance, and updates it wonderfully with help from players who include Baikida Carroll on trumpet, Olu Dara on cornet, Craig Harris on trombone, Vincent Chaney on French horn, Steve Coleman on alto and soprano sax, Rod Williams on piano, Fred Hopkins on bass, and Billy Higgins on drums. Butch Morris conducts – and titles on this second volume include "Dewey's Circle", "Roses", "David Tune", "Four Minute Marvin", and "Great Peace". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the fantastic albums issued by Giorno Poetry Systems – a wonderful bridge between high and low in the New York scene – as some tracks are spoken straight, and some have music – in a wonderful mix of talents. Tracks include "Imaginatin' Cocktail" by David Johansen, "Exiled In Domestic Life" by John Giorno, "Dinosaurs" by William S Burroughs, "Unclean" by Psychic TV, "What Is It" by Lydia Lunch, "The Rev Hell Gets Confused", by Richard Hell, "Alisa", by Arto Lindsay, "A Peculiar-Looking Girl" by Jim Carroll, "Uh-Oh Pletonium" by Ann Waldman, and "Candy Bullets & Moon" by Meredith Monk. LP, Vinyl record album

Music from Dean Elliott & His Big Band, the Three Suns, Felix Slatkin, Bob Thompson, Les Baxter's Drums, Lenny Dee, Dave Harris & The Powerhouse Five, Russ Case, David Carroll, Alvino Rey, Robert Maxwell, and more. CD

Earl McGrath looks pretty darn cool on the cover, and from all reports he was a pretty darn cool guy in the 70s too – head of Rolling Stones Records, and friend and confidant to some very hip folks in the music industry! After Earl passed, a closet full of unreleased tapes was discovered at his home – really wonderful material by artists big and small, brought together here in a treasure trove of tracks that give us a whole different look at the 70s! Given the obscurity, most titles are demo recordings with lean instrumentation – but that quality makes the work by big stars even more interesting, and really delivers the best work of the special singer/songwriters that McGrath would always champion. Titles include "Cocaine Cowboy" and "Gonna California" by Terry Allen, "California" by Mark Rodney, "Baby Come Closer" and "Dry In The Sun" by Hall & Oates, "Funky But Chic" by David Johansen, "Tension" by Jim Carroll, "Oh La La" by Shadow, "Christopher" by Michael McCarty, "Holy Commotion" by Paul Potash, "Sail Away" by Jabor, "Invisible Lady" by Johnny Angel, "Where Have All The Flowers Gone" by Blood Brothers Six, and "Salt Showers" by Len & Betsy Green. LP, Vinyl record album