The incredible second album from saxophonist Frank Strozier – recorded for Vee Jay records after his initial debut, but for some reason never issued at the time! Strozier was really hitting on all burners at this point – fusing the Memphis soul of his roots with the soulful hardbop he was crafting in Chicago with Harold Mabern and the MJT+3 – a sound that he replicates nicely here, in an intimate quartet setting with Bill Lee on bass, Vernel Fournier on drums, and Billy Wallace on piano. The tunes are moody and soulful – a masterpiece in understatement, and proof that Strozier was one of the most inventive non-Charlie Parker inspired altoists of his time! The CD adds a huge amount of alternate takes to the original sessions – making for a total of 15 numbers in all, with titles that include "Day In Day Out", "Stairway To The Stars", "Cloudy & Cool", "She", "Chris", and "No More". CD

Alexander's second outing for the Milestone label (hence the title), and a wonderful album of soulful tenor tracks that has him working in a quintet with Harold Mabern on piano and Jim Rotondi on trumpet. Mabern and Alexander have, by this time, forged quite a sympathetic relationship – and, dare we say it, their pairing here reminds us a lot of the warmly soulful styles forged by Mabern and Frank Strozier in years past. The set's sparkling with original tunes that include "The Man From Hyde Park", "Luna Naranja", and "The Second Milestone" – plus Mabern's classic "John Neely Beautiful People", and great versions of "Estate" and "Matchmaker Matchmaker". CD

This tenor giant gets better and better with each new album! Eric Alexander is one of our favorite new jazz artists of the past decade – still a relatively young player, but with a sound that's incredible, steeped in years of tradition, yet freely creative in his own unique way. His tenor solos on this set stand up to some of our favorite older work by players like Clifford Jordan or Sonny Rollins, and if anything, the backing may be some of the best he's ever received on record. Alexander's playing here with longtime friend and musical partner Harold Mabern – who's as sympathetic to Alexander's sound as he once was to that of Frank Strozier – and the other players in the group include trumpeter Nicholas Payton, John Webber, and Joe Farnsworth. Titles include "Andre's Turn", "After The Rain", "This Girl's In Love With You", "A House Is Not A Home", and "Summit Meeting". CD

A fantastic set by Booker Ervin, and one of his most overlooked sessions! Ervin's hard biting tenor is met by a warm thoughtful group that includes the great Horace Parlan on piano, plus Frank Strozier on alto, and Walter Perkins on drums. Perkins is wonderful, and he lyrically dances about the kit and brings a whole new shade of color to this session. The writing is fantastic, and the tracks include "Mooche Mooche", "No Land's Man", and "Mour". Great great great stuff – and this CD includes the original cover art, plus 2 bonus tracks that were 45 takes of the best tracks. Simply brilliant! CD

Beautiful early work from John Klemmer – one of the most under-rated talents of his generation, and a great player who frequently gets overlooked because of his later, smoother work. This album is Klemmer's first – recorded with a soulful Chicago tenor sound, touched with some of the freedoms of the late 60s Cadet Records scene. The approach is a bit like Eddie Harris at his best – with Klemmer rolling out soulful, stretched out notes over backing by a Harris-inspired rhythm section that includes Melvin Jackson on bass, Wilbur Cambell on drums, and Jodie Christian on piano. The groove is very solid, very in the pocket – and Klemmer blows in a tradition that includes Frank Strozier and Eric Alexander – 2 other players who've made a strong contribution to the Chicago scene. Titles include "My Blues", "Will N Jug", "Passion Food", "Stand In the Sun", and "Later With Them Woes". CD

Not just jazz from the Northwest, as the set also features some California material too – brought together in this great double-length set of unissued material from this legendary jazz drummer! The set begins with Shelly Manne leading a quintet at the Monterey Jazz Festival in 1958 – playing both a more conceptual piece, and some looser jazz numbers – with work from Herb Geller on alto, Russ Freeman on piano, Stu Williamson on trumpet, and Monty Budwig on bass – a group who echo some of Shelly's work on Contemporary in the mid 50s – on the titles "Quartet – Suite In Four Movements", "Stop Look & Listen", and "The Vamp's Blues". The second half features material from that great 60s stretch when Manne was getting looser and really letting his groups open up – as on the classic Blackhawk recordings – especially great here as the combo features excellent flute and alto from the young Frank Strozier, next to Conte Candoli on trumpet, Hampton Hawes on piano, and Budwig on bass – all recorded live in Seattle in 1966. Ruth Price provides vocals on the two short tracks "Dearly Beloved" and "Surrey With The Fringe On Top" – but the long tracks are instrumentals, and the best – and include "Funny", "Secret Love", "Softly As In A Morning Sunrise", and "Summertime". CD

A mid 70s west coast bop side, from a few players who had faded a bit from their prime, but are still playing with a lot of energy and freshness. The treat for us is Frank Strozier on alto and flute, joined by Conte Condoli on trumpet up front, while Monty Budwig and Mike Wofford round out the rhythm section. 8 tracks in all, including "Perk Up", "I Married An Angel", "Seer", "Bleep" and "Bird Of Paradise". CD

A fantastic record – one of Shaw's real landmarks of the 70s, and a lasting testament of soul jazz genius! The record features Shaw working with a group that includes a number of like-minded players – Frank Strozier, Ronnie Matthews, and Stafford James – all of whom fit together perfectly with Shaw to craft some strident tunes with the same sort of modal groove and soulful spiritualism as his work on the Moontrane record. Titles include "Sashianova", which has a great modal groove, "Jean Marie", and "Tomorrow's Destiny" – but the whole album is great together, and we never tire of listening to it! CD

A sublime album by one of our favorite talents in 60s jazz – pianist Jack Wilson, making his second Blue Note appearance here amidst a group of other more likely label players that include Lee Morgan on trumpet, Jackie McLean on alto, and Billy Higgins on drums! Despite the presence of those superstars, though, the album's still very much Wilson's own – featuring 4 tracks penned and played in his modally soulful vision, plus a great version of one tune by Frank Strozier – a player we'd find to be a very good companion to Wilson's style! The group's also noteworthy in that it features some excellent work from trombonist Garnett Brown – a player with a deeply soulful approach that adds in new dimensions to the tunes, and offsets the lightly lyrical touch of Wilson on the keys. The whole set's great – and titles include "Do It", "On Children", "Easterly Winds", "Nirvana", and "Frank's Tune". CD

It's a little-known fact that Memphis had a huge influence on the sound of late 50s/early 60s soul jazz – probably because most of the city's best players had to leave and go either to Chicago or New York to make their name. This set's a great reminder of that fact, as it brings together an important batch of players, most of them only freshly departed from Memphis at the time of the session – an assemblage that includes Frank Strozier, Phineas Newborn, Booker Little, Louis Smith, George Coleman, and Calvin Newborn. The tracks are long open-ended blowing session tunes – very different than the usual format for just about every player involved, which also makes for quite a striking record. Titles include very long takes on "Blue N Boogie", "Star Eyes", "After Hours", and "Things Ain't What They Used To Be". CD

One of our favorite records ever by Roy Haynes – a lyrical masterpiece that stands with his best work of the 60s! The set features some wonderful playing by Frank Strozier – who's handling both alto and flute on the set, grooving around like he did on his own great Riverside albums of the period, or on Haynes' excellent Cymbalism set, to which this one is a nice partner. The songs on here are a bit less hip than on that album – as many of them are 60s standards, like "People", "Mr Lucky", "Wives & Lovers", "Invitation", and "What Kind Of Fool Am I" – but they're done with a lot imagination, and a soulful modal groove that really opens them up! CD

A sublime album by one of our favorite talents in 60s jazz – pianist Jack Wilson, making his second Blue Note appearance here amidst a group of other more likely label players that include Lee Morgan on trumpet, Jackie McLean on alto, and Billy Higgins on drums! Despite the presence of those superstars, though, the album's still very much Wilson's own – featuring 4 tracks penned and played in his modally soulful vision, plus a great version of one tune by Frank Strozier – a player we'd find to be a very good companion to Wilson's style! The group's also noteworthy in that it features some excellent work from trombonist Garnett Brown – a player with a deeply soulful approach that adds in new dimensions to the tunes, and offsets the lightly lyrical touch of Wilson on the keys. The whole set's great – and titles include "Do It", "On Children", "Easterly Winds", "Nirvana", and "Frank's Tune". CD

A really cool 60s session from the great Chet Baker – one that moves away from the standard sound of his 50s work, and shows that unusual sense of careful sonic energy that would mark his further development over the decades! Chet's got a great sound here – blowing flugelhorn instead of trumpet, with a cool compressed vibe that's augmented by work from a very hip group that includes Frank Strozier on alto and flute, Phil Urso on tenor sax, and piano work by either Bob James or Hal Galper – both at a very early point in their careers! Titles include "Baby Breeze", "This Is The Thing", "I Wish You Love", "Pamela's Passion", and "Comin Down". CD

A sweet little album from Johnny – quite different than most of his other sessions at the time, as this one features a big band – a "Big Soul Band", as the title says – filled with some strong Chicago and soul jazz players, and featuring killer arrangements by the great Norman Simmons! Simmons' was just bubbling up at the time – and he had a sock soul jazz sound that was part of his time on the Chicago scene, and which, unfortunately, rarely achieved as strong of recorded expression as it did on this album. Griffin's a heck of a great player, even at this age, and the strength of his horn sits nicely in the front of a great ensemble that also includes Pat Patrick, Matthew Gee, Julian Priester, Frank Strozier, Bobby Timmons, Harold Mabern, Vic Sproles, and Charlie Persip. Titles include a number of Simmons originals – like "Meditation", "Panic Room Blues", and "Holla" – plus a great reading of Timmons' "So Tired", and traditionals like "Deep River", "Nobody Knows The Trouble I've Seen" and "Wade In The Water" and Junior Mance's "Jubilation". Inclues the bonus track "Wade In The Water (alternate take)". CD

A great little collection of work recorded by bassist Sam Jones during the early 60s – done at a time when Jones had emerged from some key fame in the Cannonball Adderley Quintet, and was beginning to work as a leader on his own! The quality of the work here is extremely high, and Jones' sessions from the time marked a whole new voice for the bass as a leader in jazz – done at a time when soul jazz waves were rolling onto the market with great strength, and allowing the "bottom" of the genre's sound to come to the forefront. Players on the sessions include Nat Adderley, Charles Davis, Jimmy Heath, Bobby Timmons, Blue Mitchell, Les Spann, and Frank Strozier – and titles include "Blue Bird", "Some Kinda Mean", "There Is No Greater Love", "Home", "The Old Country", "Four", and "Unit 7". CD

One of Oliver Nelson's hippest albums – a bold statement of righteous energy, and a fantastic summation of all the genius he'd created during the 60s as an arranger for other people's records! The record is almost at a Duke Ellington level – a complex yet soulful suite of tracks for the post-60s years – complete with some sound effects of rioting and urban strife at the beginning, and a mix of modern, modal, and compositional styles that bursts out with pride and power that we wouldn't have heard in Nelson's music a decade before! The soloists are great – and the album features wonderful read work from John Klemmer, Frank Strozier, and Nelson himself – on great original titles that include "Self Help Is Needed", "I Hope In Time A Change Will Come", "Requiem Afterthoughts", "Lamb Of God", and "Martin Was A Man A Real Man". CD

A really cool 60s session from the great Chet Baker – one that moves away from the standard sound of his 50s work, and shows that unusual sense of careful sonic energy that would mark his further development over the decades! Chet's got a great sound here – blowing flugelhorn instead of trumpet, with a cool compressed vibe that's augmented by work from a very hip group that includes Frank Strozier on alto and flute, Phil Urso on tenor sax, and piano work by either Bob James or Hal Galper – both at a very early point in their careers! Titles include "Baby Breeze", "This Is The Thing", "I Wish You Love", "Pamela's Passion", and "Comin Down". CD

A really cool 60s session from the great Chet Baker – one that moves away from the standard sound of his 50s work, and shows that unusual sense of careful sonic energy that would mark his further development over the decades! Chet's got a great sound here – blowing flugelhorn instead of trumpet, with a cool compressed vibe that's augmented by work from a very hip group that includes Frank Strozier on alto and flute, Phil Urso on tenor sax, and piano work by either Bob James or Hal Galper – both at a very early point in their careers! Titles include "Baby Breeze", "This Is The Thing", "I Wish You Love", "Pamela's Passion", and "Comin Down". CD

One of the most soulful records we've heard in years from the late pianist Harold Mabern – and that's saying a hell of a lot, as Harold gave us plenty of soulful sets during his many years on the planet! The record is as fantastic as you might guess from the title – as Mabern takes on tunes made famous by John Coltrane, but delivers the goods in this soaring style that's very much his own – and maybe most specifically, at a level that recalls the vibe he first hit in the 60s when playing with Lee Morgan, and then took to even newer heights on some of his fantastic 70s material – particularly recordings with reedman Frank Strozier! Here, the reeds are handled by Eric Alexander on tenor and Vincent Herring on alto – a hell of a pair – and the group also features really strong work from Steve Davis on trombone, who's really at the top of his game throughout. The rest of the group feature the familiar team of John Webber on bass and Joe Farnsworth on drums – both also really rising to the occasion – and although we'll not be hearing much from Mabern in years to come, this set is a hell of a farewell. Titles include "Impressions", "Blue Train", "Naima", "Straight Street", "My Favorite Things", and "Dahomey Dance". CD

An album of explosive power and imagination from Don Ellis – a set that shows him very firmly shaking off the more academic mode of earlier years, and heading into hipper, more youth-oriented directions! The group's still a bit band on most numbers – but it's one with a lean, well-crafted sound that's not really big band jazz, and which also features some elements of later soundtrack scoring. Players on the date are all great – and include Frank Strozier, John Klemmer, and Ira Schulman on saxes – plus Pete Robinson on clavinet, piano, and electric piano! The set begins with the beautiful extended "Variations For Trumpet" – a suite-type number that has plenty of great colors from Ellis, plus loads of other horn work too. Other titles include "Indian Lady", "Pussy Wiggle Stomp", "Scratt & Fluggs", and "Child Of Ecstasy". CD

A sublime album by one of our favorite talents in 60s jazz – pianist Jack Wilson, making his second Blue Note appearance here amidst a group of other more likely label players that include Lee Morgan on trumpet, Jackie McLean on alto, and Billy Higgins on drums! Despite the presence of those superstars, though, the album's still very much Wilson's own – featuring 4 tracks penned and played in his modally soulful vision, plus a great version of one tune by Frank Strozier – a player we'd find to be a very good companion to Wilson's style! The group's also noteworthy in that it features some excellent work from trombonist Garnett Brown – a player with a deeply soulful approach that adds in new dimensions to the tunes, and offsets the lightly lyrical touch of Wilson on the keys. The whole set's great – and titles include "Do It", "On Children", "Easterly Winds", "Nirvana", and "Frank's Tune". CD