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Later solo work from Andrew Hill – an Italian session with four long tracks, and a fair bit of sensitive tones throughout! The record definitely has some of Hill's tentative qualities of the period – playing that almost makes you feel like he's rediscovering the keyboard of the piano with each new track – but there's also a subtle sort of warmth as well, especially at points when Andrew relaxes into an area he's been hovering around for a few measures – relaxing just a bit, and relishing the sound. Titles include "Rob It Mohe", "Ceora", "Bayside 1", and "Bayside 2".

One of the rarest Newport albums ever issued – a split LP that features a side apiece by two of the coolest talents of the late 50s! Side one features work by the Randy Weston trio – with Weston on piano, George Joyner on bass, and GT Hogan on drums – performing great Weston originals that include "Machine Blues", "Hi Fly", "Beef Blues Stew", and an excerpt from the great "Bantu Suite"! Even groovier is work from the quartet of vibist Lem Winchester – a combo that also includes piano from Ray Santisi, bass from John Neves, and drums from Jimmy Zitano. The set is one of the few times that Winchester recorded away from Prestige Records in his all-too-short career – and the cover even bills him as "Patrolman Lem Winchester", with a picture of him in a police hat – a reference to his day job. Winchester titles include "Now's The Time", "Take The A Train", and "Polka Dots & Moonbeams".

What can we say? When this record came out, everybody we knew thought they'd totally lost it, and stopped being funky. From the vantage point of this generation, though, the record's a jazz funk masterpiece, with a smooth R&B sound that's virtually flawless, and a perfect summation of all of the great studio work being done in 70s LA. Includes the massive extended version of "Street Life", with vocals by Randy Crawford, plus other great cuts like "Night Faces", "The Hustler", and "Rodeo Drive".

Even at this early point in their career, the Modern Jazz Quartet were plenty proud of their relation to and reception in Paris – almost rubbing their international fame in the faces of other American combos with the title and cover of this record! The set's still got the quartet at their crisp early best – before any of the sometimes too academic or too serious tones of later sides – and tracks are mostly shortish, ringing out with especially nice vibes from Milt Jackson. Titles include an early reading of the title cut "Concorde", plus an extended "Gershwin Medley", and the tracks "All Of You", "I'll Remember April", "Softly As In A Morning Sunrise", and "Ralph's New Blues".

A perfect example groove that got The Undisputed Truth big hit fame in the early 70s – sort of a rumbling funk, full-on approach, using male/female vocals in kind of a "wall of soul" approach. Includes the huge hit "Smiling Faces Sometimes", plus lots of covers of cool tracks like "California Soul", "Like A Rolling Stone", "Ball Of Confusion", and "You Got The Love I Need". Norman Whitfield production all the way through, with a lot of nice twists similar to those he was taking with other Motown groups at the time.

A stone killer from funky flute player Bobbi Humphrey – one of her early albums for Blue Note Records, and a set that's a perfect summation of the best sides of her talents! The album's got a slightly different feel than Bobbi's work with Larry Mizell – yet still sports a similar approach that blends her amazingly spiritual flute lines with rich larger backings – in this case arranged by Horace Ott, Alphonse Mouzon, and Wade Marcus, in a sublime blend of electric jazz and soaring strings – all with a feel that's almost like some lost blacksploitation soundtrack! Given the lady's strength on her instrument, and her sharp sound on her solos, the record's got a focus and righteousness that takes it way past most contemporary efforts of this nature – a bold testament to the qualities that have made Bobbi one of our favorite players on flute for many many years. The set also features some wonderful Fender Rhodes – played both by Harry Whitaker and Paul Griffin – plus bass from Wilbur Bascomb, and heavy drums from Alphonse Mouzon. Titles include "Love Theme From Fuzz", "Nubian Lady", "Lonely Town Lonely Street", "Smiling Faces Sometimes", Is This All", "I Love Every Little Thing About You", "El Mundo De Maravilas", and a great version of Mouzon's "Virtue".

The title says it all – as Yusef Lateef works here in that wonderful mixture of hardbop, soul jazz, and Eastern stylings that he brought to all of his best early sessions as a leader! Lateef himself is playing tenor, flute, and oboe – which he uses to craft these eerie snakecharmer lines that work perfectly with the modal grooves of the tracks – very unusual rhythms for the time, and a real precursor to some of the world jazz experiments to come from overseas. The rest of the group features pianist Barry Harris, drummer Lex Humphries, and bassist Ernie Farrow, who also plays a strange instrument called a rabat – which further adds to the charm of the record. Titles include "Plum Blossom", "Purple Flower", "Three Faces Of Balal", and "Chinq Miau".

A beautiful name for a beautiful record – a classic set of hardbop material from John Coltrane's early years as a leader – and a session that has him working with Donald Byrd on trumpet, Red Garland on piano, Paul Chambers on bass, and Art Taylor on drums! The album's got a beautifully laidback feel that prefaces some of the Coltrane's more exploratory work on Impulse and Atlantic – but one that still also has the earthy, straight ahead feel of his best early years on Prestige – a great combination that makes the record a key moment in the early career of The Great One. Tracks are all quite long – not exactly blowing session tunes, but done with a feel that's more open than some of the other Coltrane albums of the time – and titles include "Black Pearls", "Lover Come Back To Me", and "Sweet Sapphire Blues".

A great change of pace for Billy Taylor – and one of the most striking sessions he made in the 50s! As you'll guess from the title, the record features Taylor's piano along with four flutes – played by Frank Wess, Herbie Mann, Jerome Richardson, and Phil Bodner – working here both in group formation, and in solo mode – fluttering nicely with a cool jazzy sound that really prefaces lots of use of the instrument in the 60s! Another added bonus on the record is added congas from Chano Pozo on most tracks, making for a groovy Latinesque bounce. Titles include "Blue Shutters", "One For The Woofer", "The Song Is Ended", "Back Home", "No Parking", and "Lady Be Good".

Double vinyl collection with 14 tracks of the best of the RZA productions from 1993-95, reminding us just how dope RZA and the rest of the Wu-Tang were back then. Each side starts out with spoken Wu-history lesson from RZA. Includes RZA "Wu-Wear" (non-lp track), GZA "Liquid Swords", Method Man "Method Man", "Bring The Pain", "All I Need", Raekwon "Incarcerated Scarfaces", "Ice Cream", Ghostface "Winter Warz", "All I Got Is You", Ol Dirty Bastard "Shimmy Shimmy Ya", "Brooklyn Zoo", Wu-Tang Clan "Ain't Nuthing Ta F' With", "Protect Ya Neck", "C.R.E.A.M."