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A surprisingly nice album of straight ahead tenor tracks from David Murray – playing here in a quartet with guitarist Stanley Franks, drummer Andrew Cyrille, and the great Don Pullen, who plays organ on the session! The album's not exactly in the classic soul jazz organ/tenor mode – but it is one of the few that Murray ever recorded, and it's quite interesting to hear him in this sort of a format. Plus, it was also one of the few recorded during that magic year of 1991 – when DIW really seemed to be getting things right, turning out some of the few truly genius albums in the history of the label. Titles include "Milano Strut", "Black February", "At The Cafe Central", "In The Spirit", and "High Priest".

A profoundly funky Message – a smoking set of early 70s funky jazz & heavy soul from the Mainstream Records vaults – a diverse set of incredible recordings from the label that may be fairly sprawling in style, yet holds together thanks to shared funky urgency! It's filled with Bob Shad productions for his stellar Mainstream roster, which at the time included a host of far reaching jazz veterans, soulful chanteuses, and killer funky combos – including Afrique, Blue Mitchell, Sarah Vaughn, Alice Clark, Charles Kynard and many more! The session players reads like a heavyweight jazz title card itself, with Don Pullen, Stanley Clarke, George Cables, Joe Sample, Victor Feldman and more. The set features a very well chosen 18 tracks, with solid notes on each by Dean Rudand. Titles include "House Of Rising Funk" by Chubukos, "Soul Makossa" by Afrique, "The Message" by Blue Mitchell, "Funky Butt" by The Delegates", "Never Did I Stop Loving You" by Alice Clark, "I Want You Back" by Bobby Shad & The Bad Men, "Grits Ain't Groceries" by Maxine Weldon, "The Spirit" by Curtis Fuller", "Bacon Butt Fat" by Charles Williams and more.

A second Logan LP for ESP, one of the very few recordings of his work available at all. Heplays reeds alongside Don Pullen, Milford Graves, Reggie Johnson and Eddie Gomez, with 4 lengthy pieces, all very much in the ESP mode: "Mantu", "Shebar", "Curve Eleven" – actually a piano solo by Logan, and "Wretched Saturday".

Some of the greatest albums ever from tenorist George Adams – packaged together here in a sweet set that also features the CDs in tiny LP-styled covers! Much of the music here was done in collaboration with fellow members of Charles Mingus' group – three albums with pianist Don Pullen, and all with drummer Dannie Richmond – players who are very simpatico with Adams' vibe, as they all together find rich new ground after the passing of Mingus. There's a soulful swing to most of the records – that way that Adams and Pullen had of being sharply creative, yet still rooted in straighter jazz modes too – balancing both impulses perfectly, especially over the progression of albums in this set. The package includes tiny LP-styled reproductions of the records Don't Lose Control, Hand To Hand, Gentleman's Agreement, and Live At The Village Vanguard Volumes 1 & 2.

Freely improvised work from a very unusual group – one that features multi-instrumentalist Giuseppi Logan on a host of reeds, Milford Graves on drums and tabla, Don Pullen on piano, and Eddie Gomez on bass – stepping out here in a rare avant session! The album's a real standout in the ESP catalog – not only because it marks the recording debut of both Logan and Pullen, and the rare appearance of Gomez on such a session – but also because it's got a freewheeling quality that's even more outside and open-ended than some of the other work on the label! Logan plays alto, tenor, Pakistani oboe, bass clarinet, and flute – all with sounds that often veer towards the East, and which show a bit of an Indian music influence in the way the tunes are put together. Titles include "Dance of Satan", "Tabla Suite", "Dialogue", "Bleecker Partita", and "Taneous".

A holy grail of funky music – the one and only album ever cut by Marie Queenie Lyons, a heck of a hard soul single who's best known for her rare funky 45s! The album is stunning – every bit as great as any of Marie's singles, and with an incredibly unified sound that should have made the album an instant soul classic as soon as it was released. Think Marva Whitney, Vicki Anderson, Lyn Collins, and other sock-soul divas – and you've only got part of the picture! Plus, some of the tracks on the set were written by a young Don Pullen, who supposedly also played on the record – in a rare funky appearance in his pre-avant jazz days. Includes a funky remake of "Fever", plus the cuts "I Don't Want Nobody To Have It But You", "Your Key Don't Fit Anymore", "You Used Me", "Daddy's House", "See & Don't See", "Your Thing Ain't No Good Without My Thing", "I Want My Freedom", and "Try Me".

A great little 70s session from Mingus – the first in the 2-part Changes set – and whether you collect those jointly or separately, they contain some of his best work from the period The sessions were recorded with a small group that includes George Adams, Don Pullen, and Jack Walrath. Tracks are long, with that late love of Ellington that Mingus was developing – and titles include "Sue's Changes", "Devil Blues", and "Duke Ellington's Sound Of Love".

A great little 70s session from Mingus – the second part of the Changes set, some of his best work from the time, and recorded with a small group that includes George Adams, Don Pullen, and Jack Walrath. Tracks are long, with that late love of Ellington that Mingus was developing – and titles include "Free Cell Block F, Tis Nazi USA", "Black Bats & Poles", "For Harry Carney", and "Duke Ellington's Sound Of Love", which features a guest appearance by Marcus Belgrave.

A pretty great session – if only for the work of the sax players! The "stablemates" on the session are a host of older spiritual and soul jazz players – including Nathan Davis, Sam Rivers, Chico Freeman, and Arthur Blythe – alternating solos and coming together in some angular ensemble parts that really sound wonderful. The "Stablemates" reference is well chosen, as there's a lot of Benny Golson influences on the album – especially in the rhythm section of Don Pullen, Santi Debriano, and Idris Muhammad, who groove together with the crackling tightness that Golson would have used on a classic early 60s album, keeping the pace with a soulful swing, so that the horn players can cut loose in some modernist inflections. Titles include "Walkin", "I Remember Eric Dolphy", "Stolen Moments", "Linden Boulevard", and "Stablemates".