A live set from the Oscar Peterson Trio – with Herb Ellis on guitar, Ray Brown on bass, and Peterson on piano – plus a little extra help from drummer Bobby Durham. Tracks include "Falling In Love With Love", "Billie's Bounce", and "I Wished On the Moon". CD

A pair of New York soul gems back to back – the third and fourth albums from the legendary Chuck Jackson! First up is Encore – fantastic work from the great Chuck Jackson – a singer who was really at the height of his powers during these early years of his career! Chuck's maybe best known for heartbreaking material – and the notes on the album actually refer, oddly, to these songs as "the crying towel variety" – but what Jackson brings to his music is this strong sense of pride and power – this depth of reserve that makes you feel like he'll never give up, no matter how hard the going might be – a quality that southern soul singers would soon poach from Jackson and other singers up north, and make their own style of music. Yet back at the start, few folks did it better than Jackson – as you'll Hear on cuts that include the wonderful hit "Tell Him I'm Not Home", plus "Lonely Am I", "Blue Holiday", "Getting Ready for the Heartbreak", "Don't Believe Him Donna", "Tomorrow", "Two Stupid Feet", "Another Day", and "Invisible". Next up is Mr Everything – rock-solid set of heartbreaking soul – the sort that few others could touch at the time! Jackson often doesn't get his due in the history books these days – but records like these were landmark moments of pride, power, and open male emotion – of the sort that went onto inform generations of soul music to come – and help future artists find their way, guided by the emotional frankness of Jackson's approach! Backings are carefully balanced – tight, but never too polished to overwhelm Chuck's vocals – which soar out with a raw power that blows away Sam Cooke or some of Jackson's other contemporaries. Titles include "D-5", "I Need You", "Human", "I'm Your Man", "Tears Of Joy", and "Somebody New". CD

Martin Kuchen's Trespass Trio meets free jazz legend Joe McPhee for an album that collects the best tracks from a three day residency in Salao Brazil jazzbar. CD

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3 tremendous albums from modern trombonist Eddie Bert – all of which stand as some of his greatest work of the 50s! The records were all originally recorded for Savoy, and all within a few months of each other – and there's a crystal-clear focus on all of them that you don't always find in both Savoy sessions, and other trombone outings from the time. The groups here are all small – either quartet or quintet lineups that feature Bert's trombone with Hank Jones on piano, JR Monterose on tenor, Joe Puma on guitar, Clyde Lombardi on bass, and Kenny Clarke on drums – carving amazing lines out of the ether, and using the instrument with a deftness and sense of imagination that most other 50s players couldn't touch! Titles include "Fragile", "Three Bass Hit", "See You Later", "Bert Tram", "One For Tubby", "It's Only Sunshine", "Crosstown", "Wishbone", "Steady Eddie", "Slow Crosstown", "Conversation", "Bronx Line", and "Manhattan Suite". CD

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Recorded Live Feb 12th 1982 at Palladium Los Angeles. CD

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Keith Jarrett hits some of the styles of his later ECM years – working here on both piano, soprano sax, and percussion – in a quartet with Dewey Redman on tenor sax and percussion, Charlie Haden on bass, and Paul Motian on drums and percussion. The first half features the long "Eyes Of The Heart" – followed by a long encore performance – as the set was recorded live! CD

Trombone Shorty continues to charismatically do away with genre definitions of all kinds as well as defying convential expectations New Orleans brass band jazz, soul or jazzy soul – he's been doing that for years and it's still his way on For True! Trombone Shorty is also B-3 Shorty, Drums Shorty, Piano Shorty, Bass Shorty , Singer Shorty and Percussion Shorty – the fella does it all in some cases – with some accompaniment on guitar, bass, drums, percussion and sax. Some famous admirers join, too, including Rebirth Brass Band, Warren Haynes (on a song co-written by Shorty & Lamont Dozier) and others. Includes "Buckjump", "Encore", "For True", "Do To Me", "The Craziest Thing", "Dumaine St", "Mrs. Orleans", "Nervis", "Roses", "Big 12", "There There Was You" and "Lagniappe" (Pts 1 & 2). CD

One of our favorite Jemeel Moodoc recordings of recent years – a sublime set of duets with bassist William Parker, and a record that's got a vibe that's even more spiritual than usual from both players! There's a sense of timelessness to the music we really love – a sense of improvisation that encompasses avant traditions in Chicago, Detroit, New York, and St Louis – but which also has a deeply personal spirit, too – as those rare moments when Parker really gets the chance to shape a session with his sense of soul – and here brings out a bold focus in Moondoc's alto that's really breathtaking. Titles include "Huey Sees A Rainbow", "Another Angel Goes Home", "Encore", "Theme For Pelikan", and "New World Pygmies". CD

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One of the last times that Ammons and Stitt were reunited in a live setting – part of the famous series of recordings done by Baltimore's Left Bank Jazz Society, recorded with a core trio of Cedar Walton, Sam Jones, and Billy Higgins. Etta Jones sings on two of the album's seven tracks – and the twin tenors blow together on all tracks but one, a gentle reading of "Love Story", done by Walton, Jones, and Higgins. Titles include "Just In Time", "Autumn Leaves", "Blues Up & Down", and "They Can't Take That Away From Me" – all done in very extended versions! CD

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Keith Jarrett in our favorite side of his talents – playing the long, improvised style that first made him a breakthrough artist on ECM in the 70s – and which still remains one of his most important contributions to the history of jazz! Even later years, Jarrett's sense of imagination on the keys is amazing – and here, you'll hear very few echoes of other improvisations – long tracks that show that Keith is always able to create spontaneously, at a level that few others can match – especially as he never goes too far outside, or seems to lose a sense of melody in his music. The work is divided up into shorter passages – the older Jarrett sometimes needs a break on the keys, but never in his cognition – and as with other concert recordings of this type, the encores are older standards – "Answer Me My Love" and "It's A Lonesome Old Town" – but both given a very free, open Keith Jarrett approach! CD

A wonderful presentation of this incredible live material from Keith Jarrett – some of his most important solo piano recordings ever, on a par with the classic Koln Concert album, or his performances in the Sun Bear box set! Jarrett's at his warmest and most lyrical here – spinning out these amazing long lines on piano with an incredible sense of vision – never too self-indulgent, nor too noodling – and always with an ear for tuneful moments that appear quite often along his musical journey! Much of the work is untitled – save for "part 1" or "part 2" – indicating that it was created on the spot, in a really magical moment of improvisation – and even the few tunes with titles feel as if they're just being written then – discovered by Jarrett deep in the musical heart that informs his best moments. 3CD set features the two part Bregenz performance, with encores of "Untitled" and "Heartland" – and the four part "Munchen", with the additon of "Heartland" and "Mon Coeur Est Rouge". CD

Music from the Encores, the Dozier Boys, the Moonglows, the Quintones, the Four Tops, the Ravens, the Moonlighters, the Larks, The Clouds, the Zeniths, the Bayou Boys & more. CD

A great live set – with a long, multi-part improvisation at the start, then a few shorter encores – all solo! CD

One of the crowning moments of Keith Jarrett's longform improvised style of the 70s – a huge batch of concert material recorded in Japan – done in a style that's similar to his famous Koln and Berlin concert records! The album features different performances from Kyoto, Osaka, Nagoya, Tokyo, and Sapporo – each titled after the city itself, and laid out without much in the way of other ornamentation or explanation – which creates an even greater focus on Jarrett's amazing work on piano, and his nonstop energy to create! CD

A great solo set – one long improvisation, and two encores! CD